Reese stirred, and she wrapped a hand around his waist. He smelled so good. The aftershave he wore reminded her of the nights they’d spent like this, before she went away to chase her dreams. She found herself drawn in closer to him, as if she couldn’t get close enough to his scent.
She nibbled at his ear, kissed down to his neck, following the strong line of his jaw. She knew he was awake when he craned his neck so she could get to his lips.
“The children…” he whispered.
“They’re in the other room, sleeping soundly.”
That seemed to be all he needed to hear. Sheets pushed aside, his body pressed her back onto the bed. His lips teased hers open, and their tongues joined.
She found the waistband of his pajamas and slid them off his hips, caressing his buttocks as the pants went lower, down his thighs, over the back of his knees and finally fell onto the floor. He moaned and drew back.
She smiled and pulled his lips back to hers, feeling alive and possessed by desire. He dropped the straps of her gown off her shoulders, pulling the silken garment to her waist. His tongue traced a line from her jaw to her breast, stopping at her peaked nipples, turning them into even harder buds. She moaned, and he continued the assault, seeming to remember how she liked to be pleasured.
Her hands tangled in his hair, drawing him even closer to her breasts, hoping he understood she liked the intimacy.
“So impatient.” He chuckled.
“I need you, Reese. Touch me. Feel me.”
He rolled away from her, just long enough to peel her gown fully off. “I need you, too, honey, but I want to enjoy this, take our time. No rushing tonight.”
She reached for him, caressing him and loving how his whole body reacted to her touch. He took her hand away and settled her on his hips, straddling him. “You remembered.”
“I remember everything about this, Chloe Anne.”
He thrust into her, filling her so fully that she cried out.
His hands rested on her bottom, guiding her hips in a rhythm they’d learned together years earlier.
“Oh, Reese,” she moaned. Her pleasure mounting, she met his thrusts with equal pressure.
“I’m close, honey,” he whispered through a clenched jaw.
She increased her gyrations until he grabbed her hips and called out her name. His whole body went taut and then as soon as it came, the tension flowed from him. With a deep sigh, he pulled her down on top of him.
“Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“Years, Chloe.” His voice was thick. “Years without this. Without you.”
His jaw bumped the top of her head, and when he kissed her, she squeezed up even closer next to him. That answered her question, the one she’d been too nervous to ask. She had wondered if any woman had found a way into his bed. Such pleasure filled her, knowing she was his only lover.
“I’m here now,” she whispered. “I’ll be here for always.”
~*~
Were that the truth, Reese could have rested easier. Hours later, he still lay awake, watching Chloe’s chest rising and falling in the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Everything had happened in such a rush, he had doubts. She might have married him, but would she stay forever? And, if she did, could he keep her happy?
There was a man in Broken Bow he knew rather well named Graham Whitman. His wife had gotten bored with the town and left him. Of course, she’d been a mail order bride, and Graham had not known her well when she’d arrived. After that wife left, he found love with another woman, who was now expecting their second child in as many years.
Reese knew Chloe better than anyone. At least he did before she moved away to Lincoln. She was back now, though and it was up to him to make her happy to stay with him. He felt love from her—from the moment they met at the train station again, she’d seemed to feel the same for him as she ever did. It would work. He would make it work!
He pulled his arm gently from under her neck and braided his hands behind his head. The ceiling was blank, and he wished his mind might be equally clear. What had he gotten himself into?
Going from a bachelor to a husband and then to a father of three. Becoming a provider for four other lives. Having to answer and account to someone else would take a major adjustment on his part.
Life for the near future would be challenging.
Charlie was waking up in the attached room. Reese could hear him slurping on his thumb and kicking the mattress of the small crib they’d set him in.
What would Bobby think?
When the baby started crying, Reese crawled out of bed, careful not to awaken Chloe. What would a baby need in the middle of the night? This was all new for him—for both of them. Would they cope? Most new parents had months to prepare for a child.
Reese peeked through the small slit of the door and spied the infant rolling around. He went in a little farther and smiled, seeing Rosie lying next to Charlie in the crib, rubbing his back. Had she crawled in there with him? He smiled at the child’s tenderness. So much love abounded within their newly created family. Something told Reese they’d all be just fine.
He silently backed out of the room, satisfied that Rosie could comfort her infant brother. He returned to the bedroom he and Chloe shared. He chuckled when he saw how his wife had spread herself across the bed. Clearly used to sleeping alone, she’d taken up every inch of the plush mattress.
Reese crawled back onto the bed and wrapped Chloe next to him. It was a hot night, and although it made his skin sweaty and sticky to touch her, he refused to let her go. She was real, and she was here, and he would relish every minute they had together.
Charlie slept through the night. At least Chloe thought he had. She’d been so exhausted from the turmoil they’d faced the day before, she’d passed out shortly after she and Reese had made love, barely taking the time to slip into a nightgown, and then she’d slept like a log. Stretching to wake and opening her eyes a mere crack, she turned on her side.
A chuckle escaped her lips. Reese was lying on his back, pillows propping him up. Baby Charlie rested quietly on his naked chest, sucking his thumb. So much for him sleeping through the night. Movement at the bottom of the bed caught Chloe’s attention. Little Rosie was curled up in a ball, holding on to one of Reese’s bare feet.
Naked feet. She laughed again. You couldn’t get much more intimate with a person than to see their naked feet.
“Good morning.” He smiled at her.
“Good morning, yourself.”
“Chloe, what in the hell have we done here?” He motioned toward the sleeping children.
“We’ve formed a family, Reese.” She cuddled to his side. “A real family for these two, with parents and grandparents who will love them, not make them hunt for food in garbage piles.”
“So I guess that means you’re staying on then?” he asked.
“Where?” She didn’t understand what he meant.
“At the farm. Broken Bow.”
“Where else would I go?” She sat up straight. “We’re married now, remember? There was that day in front of the judge. You wore a suit—”
“But what if—?” He cut her off.
She covered his lips with a finger, silencing his concerns. She wanted to be as happy and content as they were that moment, forever. Unlikely, but they could at least try. They were married, and she would make it her mission to make a happy marriage, to be a good mother. A good wife.
“It’s eight o’clock already,” he continued. “At home, we’d be up doing chores. You sure you’re up for all that?”
“It’s a little too late to be asking me that now, don’t you think?” She leaned over and kissed the spot where her finger had rested against his lips. She turned her attention to Charlie, gently rubbing his back as he continued to slumber on Reese’s muscular chest.
“Mornin’,” Rosie whispered from the end of the bed, smiling.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Chloe opened her arms to the
little waif and embraced her. “Did you have happy dreams?” she asked, brushing back the girl’s hair from her eyes.
“Not so happy, no.”
Rosie pulled away and tapped Reese on his shoulder. He had closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
“Hey, will we be going to that farm a yours today?”
Chloe laughed as Reese opened one eye. “Hey yourself, little lady.”
He poked her back on the shoulder and she giggled. Already there was a change in this quiet little girl.
“You sure you want to come back with us? You’ll have to help your new Ma out in the kitchen, you know.”
Rosie nodded.
“And collect eggs from the chicken coop.”
Rosie seemed to think about it, but she soon nodded.
“And keep your toes and nose clean.” Chloe reached forward and tickled Rosie’s feet and then tweaked her nose. Cleaned up, she was adorable.
“And you’ll have to go to school and learn to read and write so you grow up to be a smart gal, like Chloe.” He nodded toward her.
“I can do that.” Rosie nodded. “I’m already smart as spit. Least that’s what Pa used to say.” A sad look crossed her face.
Chloe looked at Reese, hoping he could say something to cheer up the little girl.
“He sure was right!” Reese said. “Why don’t we get dressed and go down for some breakfast? We’ve got the banker visit and our train pulls out at four. I sure don’t want to miss it!”
Reese stood up, gave baby Charlie to Chloe and whisked Rosie up into his arms. He carried the little girl to the window and pulled back the curtain, letting bright summer sunshine flood the room.
Chloe cuddled Charlie, trying to get him to giggle or have any reaction to her. There was something not quite right about the baby. She had a bit of medical knowledge but failed to come up with any idea regarding what could be wrong with him.
She went through all the normal procedures the doctors would do to test the wellbeing and health of a baby. His eyes followed her finger, and the pupils responded to light when she covered his eyes with her hand and then removed it. She tried his reflexes and found solid responses. Maybe the baby was simply not used to being loved.
“You going to get out of bed today, Mrs. Lloyd?”
Chloe laughed at her husband and did as he suggested. It would be a long ride home with a lot to think about. The sooner she got up and packed, the sooner she could get back to Broken Bow and put all the threats of gangster violence and ugly sadness behind her and start a new life with her husband and children, avoiding her father’s vileness at all costs.
~*~
It was late, well past dark two days later, when the train finally pulled into the station at Broken Bow. Traveling with two small children had been more of a hassle than Reese would have ever guessed. They wiggled and whined, cried and sang. They needed frequent potty breaks and diaper changes. The baby wasn’t content for more than a few minutes at a time the entire trip, and Reese wondered if the poor boy even got two straight hours of sleep.
But they were home now. Maybe life could fall into some kind of a routine. Who was he kidding? Life certainly wouldn’t be boring anymore. He didn’t want to admit he was scared. Chloe and three small children lived with him now. Bobby would have been enough of a challenge, and here they now had two other children.
As if sensing his anxiety, Chloe reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. They would manage, no two ways about it. Struggle probably…a lot…but manage, nonetheless. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
Both children were sleeping as the train came to a stop at their home station in Broken Bow. Reese gathered Rosie in his arms, along with Chloe’s handbag and carryon case, and headed down the aisle, knowing his wife would follow with sleeping Charlie.
He stepped onto the platform and turned to help Chloe. They were the only passengers to get off at Broken Bow, so the conductor quickly propped up the wooden stairs and shut the door behind them. Their trunks were unloaded by the stationmaster and rapidly stacked in front of his father, who stood under the gaslights waiting for them.
“Howdy, Pa.” Reese walked up to his father and shook his hand.
“Who you got there?” Pa retuned his handshake and craned his neck to get a look at the still-sleeping Rosie.
“My new daughter, Rosie.” He heard the pride in his voice. She was his.
Pa’s face showed the shock Reese had expected at the announcement.
“I’ll be damned. Chloe’s got one, too. What did you two go and do now? They ain’t Ronnie’s?”
“No.” Reese shook his head.
“We’ve adopted ourselves a bigger family.” Chloe chuckled.
“I bet there’s quite a tale behind this one.” Pa lifted his hat and scratched his head. “It’ll have to wait ’til your ma can hear it, or she’ll have my hide for knowing something she don’t.”
Reese settled a groggy Rosie in the back of the auto and helped Chloe climb in the front seat with Charlie cradled in her arms. He went back to get the luggage after he shut her door. He and his father lugged the trunks, filled with some of Bobby’s things and new clothes for Rosie and Charlie, to the car, loaded them and then joined Chloe. Reese sat in back, pulling Rosie onto his lap.
“I reckon you can come over for the noon meal tomorrow. Ma’ll want to hear all about it. I’ll just tell her to expect a surprise but not what that surprise, or surprises, might be.” Pa laughed, as he pulled onto the gravel road barely visible with the dim headlights. “Did you get all the business seen to?”
“We did,” Reese told him with a nod.
“Good.” Pa exhaled. “It will be good to put Chicago behind all of us.”
Reese held silent, but in his heart, he couldn’t agree with his father more. He wanted to let Ronnie and Daisy rest in peace.
~*~
“I would have been scared witless!” Dottie exclaimed.
Reese had just told his parents the whole of the gangster story, albeit a watered-down version. Dottie was holding Charlie, loving on him every bit as much as Chloe had.
“I can’t rightly see you dancing the Charleston either, Reese,” Mr. Lloyd said with a laugh. “Can’t believe that you set foot in that speakeasy.”
“Come now, Randy. In your day, you would have done the same thing, and you know it. If I remember correctly”—she laughed—“we met in a tavern at a dance! Thing was, back then it was still legal to hoist a couple a drinks and neck under a tree with a pretty girl.”
“Aw, hell.” Mr. Lloyd took a sip of lemonade.
“She got you that time, Pa.” Reese refilled his glass of lemonade and hefted Rosie onto his lap.
This scene was so perfect, as if they’d been doing it for many years already. The members of the family seemed to fit like a puzzle. It didn’t feel strange or awkward that two unknown children were sitting at the table, or that Chloe had been so readily accepted back into the fold. Reese hadn’t lied. The Lloyds didn’t hold a grudge.
“I suppose we ought to get home and finish unpacking,” Chloe said. They’d been there several hours already, and by the time they got home, it would be nearly suppertime. Chloe got to her feet, with Bobby clinging to her as if his very life depended on her.
“Thanks for seeing to the chores while we were gone.” Reese stood and placed Rosie on the floor.
Dottie handed Charlie to Chloe, and somehow she was able to juggle both Bobby and the baby out the door and into Reese’s waiting vehicle.
“Well, that went well.” Chloe set Bobby on one side of her, Rosie on the other and she held on to Charlie. Once settled, she adjusted her skirt over her thighs. “I thought your ma would be upset that we did this.”
“Did what?” Reese glanced at her as he pulled his car out onto the gravel.
“The children.”
“Why would she be upset?”
“Well, it was so rash.” Chloe shrugged, looking down at the baby sitting on
her lap. “She never acts without thinking everything through. Your ma is very meticulous and thoughtful.”
“But it was the right thing to do,” Reese told her. “She could see that as well as we could. She’ll be supportive of whatever we do, Chloe. She loves us.”
Said so simply and so true. But to Chloe, the idea of a loving family was still foreign. She knew she and Reese would provide that for their children, but she herself had never had it. She didn’t know what unconditional love was, knew that Reese had offered her that at one time, but now she wasn’t so certain.
“Remember too, that she’s not the one who has to care for them all day and all night.” He laughed. “That’ll be us, honey.”
“True. Much easier to be doting grandparents than to be full-time parents. It’s certainly not the easiest of jobs. Children can be exhausting.”
As if in response to her words, she suddenly felt the urge to yawn. Charlie had slept well the night before. Rosie had not. Chloe believed everyone would need time to adjust. The children had to get to know her and Reese and had to realize they would be loved—and all the children needed to get used to each other. Poor Bobby seemed particularly confused, but his positive reaction to Rosie gave Chloe hope he’d soon adapt.
“What if all six of her children had been home?” Chloe asked the question she’d been thinking about since leaving the awful apartment where they’d found Rosie and Charlie.
Reese parked the car by the back porch and helped the children and then Chloe climb out.
When he didn’t answer, she asked, “Would we have taken them in, too?”
“I don’t know, Chloe.” Reese chuckled. “It’s not like we’re an orphanage, honey.” He must have noticed her disappointment. “We would have found room, though, if it felt like that’s what we needed to do.” He tipped up her chin and kissed her softly.
Choices of the Heart Page 15