Heartbreak's Reward (Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight Book 2)

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  “This is one day off I’ll approve, but we’ll keep that between us, too.” Brenna stopped, so surprised at what she saw when the kids got closer to their horses stalls. Sugar Plum and Shadow stuck their heads out and were neighing. Their lips curled back and they showed their teeth like they were smiling. They bobbed their heads and stomped hooves against the floor.

  Sugar plum and Shadow knew their kids were back!

  Brenna couldn’t stop crying buckets of happy tears. She watched Jase with his hand wrapped tight around his kids’ hands. Chloe stood beside them and her hand was on Joey’s shoulder.

  All of a sudden her horse had a new name. “Unity!”

  Jase and Chloe turned and looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “You been out in the sun too long, sweetheart?”

  “No.” She tried to prevent more tears from falling but failed miserably. “The mare, Jase. Her name is Unity!”

  A huge smile broke out on his face. “Yeah, it is, darlin’. Perfect.” Jase turned to Chloe. “Think you’d be interested in…ahem, skipping school that day, too? After all, it’ll be your horse we’re going after.”

  “I don’t have to think twice about saying yes.” Chloe squealed and clasped her hands together at her chest. “I’m excited.” She turned to Joey. “I get to go with you and your dad.”

  “Goody!” He spun around in a circle and when Jase knelt beside him, Joey took his dad’s cowboy hat off, putting it on his own head.

  “I’ll clear it with my principal, but if it’s okay, Jaelle can come and hang out in my classroom for when she gets out of kindergarten on your auction day.” Brenna glanced at Jase’s little girl. “If that’s okay with you, honey. We’ll have fun together, and you can help me be a teacher that day.”

  Jaelle tilted her little head, peering up at Brenna. Her pretty hazel eyes glittered with glee. “Daddy told us he’s going to marry you.” She smiled so sweetly. “I want to have fun with you, Brenna. I want you to live with us.” Joey stood beside her and nodded.

  Jaelle turned and entered Sugar Plum’s stall. She leaned against her horse with her arms spread out as far as they could hug her, and her horse turned and nuzzled its nose against her body. A smile on Jaelle’s face was as big as the Grand Canyon. It was then Brenna noticed she had the same dimples as her dad.

  Brenna had lost all control of any strength she ever had. Marrying this man, taking on his kids, and seeing her sister happy about it all was more than she could handle. It’d been so long since she’d been part of a family, and she learned right at that moment what it was like to be one hundred percent happy again.

  ***

  Later that same evening the kids were snuggled in the family room at Judy’s with a movie. Destiny cuddled close to her cousins, and Chloe spread a sleeping bag out beside Jaelle. Had she already taken on the big sister role?

  Judy went to bed or disappeared to give them all time alone. Jase eased his hand around Brenna’s shoulder. “Come outside with me.” They rose from the sofa and he knelt beside his son and daughter, giving them a kiss and he told them he’d be right in. Brenna winked at them and her sister.

  Outside they went out the back door and he pulled the tailgate down on his truck. “Have a seat, my love.” Brenna jumped up beside him, looped her arm around his and leaned against his shoulder. “It’s peaceful out here tonight. I’m so happy for you all. In a heartbeat everything changed for the good.” I won’t cry again.

  “When do you want to get married, Bren? I don’t want to sleep apart from you any longer.” He turned and held her face between both of his hands, peering into her eyes. “Tomorrow could end just like that and I don’t want to waste another minute without you.”

  “Oh, honey, a big, strong guy like you is showing all that? You make me so happy and proud.” She softly kissed him. “I mean that. You’ve given me something I never expected to have again. A family. Love.” So much for holding back tears. “Those babies of yours are adorable and I’ll be honored to call them mine. Like you said, they’re so loving.”

  He drew her against him. His embrace comforts me so much. “In October we have fall break, almost the whole week off. We can get married then.”

  “October?” Jase removed his phone from his pocket and checked his calendar. “What week, do you know?”

  “The second if I remember correctly. I’ll have to look again to be sure.” She clasped his hand and brought it to her lips. “Wow, that’s not much time. I told my best friend about marrying you. She’ll be there. Chloe will want her best friend, Lauren, too. Something small, right?”

  Jase leaned close. “Whatever you want.”

  “Yes, small. Family. Maybe your cousin and Velia can come.”

  “Mom will want her friends there. She’ll offer to sing.” He chuckled. “She and her gals are great singers, but I don’t know about singing at our wedding.” His gaze drifted off.

  Brenna closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sky. The soft breeze blew across her cheeks. Refreshing. “Tomorrow if you’d like, we’ll talk to the family and check dates, find a place to get married.”

  He used one finger against her chin and turned her face toward him. “Where we had dinner…if we can get it on such short notice.”

  Again, this man surprised her. “We’ll talk to them…tomorrow. See what I can take care of before school officially starts.” Brenna clasped her hands against her chest. She wanted to jump up in the bed of the truck and dance, but she’d contain her excitement for now.

  He nodded. “What you said to Jaelle was kind, about keeping her in your classroom. It isn’t necessary, you know. Her grandma will watch her.”

  “Yes, it is. I need to get to know them. I want to. I’ll be raising them with you.” Oh, how she hated to think about their mom…and the loss. She’d give them all the love and comfort they wanted from her. It was strange the way she automatically bonded without even knowing them.

  “We better get back in. I need to remind myself they’re really in there.”

  “They are, and they sure love their daddy.” She gave him a hug. “I can’t wait until you can call me Brenna Carlson. It’s so…so right, isn’t it? I mean us. All of us together. It’s meant to be, don’t you think?”

  He met her lips. “Brenna, I said I’d make love to you like a crazy man. Now I don’t know how or when I can follow through.”

  “We’ll find a way—”

  “Tomorrow, we’ll find that way, Miss Page.” He placed his hand against her face. “I want to now, though. All of a sudden my crazy is…well, screaming for craziness.” Jase sat on the tailgate and eased back, bringing her on top of him in the bed of his truck “I could take you right here, girl. Real quick.”

  “We can’t. My God, honey. We’re in the open.”

  He glanced to the barn. “Let’s go in there, the hay is fresh. I helped Tristan get it up there the other day.”

  “We can’t. Don’t be silly.”

  “I’m not silly, I’m rambunctiously in love with you.” He began to unbutton her blouse when she moved off him. “Let me,” he whispered when she took his hand.

  Brenna wanted all of him, but this wasn’t the place. She gathered her strength which wasn’t easy because she needed him, now in a bad way. “I want you madly, but we can’t do this here. We have to wait.”

  “Bren, I can’t wait, girl. I’ve waited my whole life for you. Don’t you see?” He pressed his body against her and kissed her lips recklessly, boldly, sensually, and every which way in between.

  She pressed her palms against his chest. A chest she wanted to rake her nails down, to tongue, lick, and kiss each square inch of his skin. “Baby, stop, we have to stop.” She pulled away from his scorching lips and sat up. “Whew! Damn and all that stuff.”

  He sat beside her, running his fingers though his hair. His breaths were heavy and irregular. “W-what? Girl, w-why’d you stop me?”

  Brenna swept her hand to the right. “Ah, look around, Carlson.”

>   “Yeah, what’s your point?” He burst out in laughter. “You best just cage me now. I’m an animal.”

  Sliding off the tailgate, she stood in front of him. She put her arms around his waist when he spread his legs so she could come close. “I’m not about to cage anything.” Brenna kissed him, only a quick kiss. “For the record, I love you and your crazy animal, you know.” She shook her head to clear it.

  His phone vibrated. It was a text message. He peered at Brenna, the look in his eyes hard to read. “It’s from Dane.” His voice faded, and he hesitated before reading it out loud. “HOME turf, bro. More later.” He stood and quietly closed the tailgate. “Dane told me the job would be in and out. Fast. No shit. That was a fast job.” He diverted his eyes to the ground and clasped the cross around his neck.

  After a deep breath, he turned, whispering, “Come on, woman. Let’s go inside so we can look at our beautiful children.” He held her hand and they strolled across the drive to the back door. “My kids are home, Bren. I’m marrying a sexy blonde with a cool, hot rod. Damn, I’m happy. I have everything a man could ask for on earth.”

  Brenna yanked him to a stop. “Likewise. My handsome cowboy is an animal in the bedroom.” Probably in the bed of a truck and on the back of a horse, too. “I have a loving family, a happy sister, and now two amazing kids. My horse ranching, future husband has a jacked-up, 4x4, souped-up engine, pickup truck.” Brenna laughed so hard it was a wonder the whole house didn’t wake up. “Oh, and…and a damn big mountain—the likes of what I’ve never seen before—in his backyard.” Brenna drew him closer before they got to the porch. “What else could a woman ask for on this earth?”

  Jase gave the biggest, sexist smile she’d ever seen. He lifted her off her feet and her legs clamped around his waist. He twirled in a circle—around and around while she continued laughing. “Hallelujah and yeehaa… Crimminy, I love you, woman!”

  Chapter 31

  In the morning after breakfast, he took his kids, Destiny, and Chloe back home. They couldn’t wait any longer to ride their horses. When Brenna arrived at the ranch later after helping Nora and Judy clean up, Davy and Chloe were leaving. They stopped to clue Brenna in on their plans. Jase lifted the kids into his truck when she pulled up. She got out and went over to him, and peered into the backseat at the kids. “Did you have fun?”

  All three of them wiggled around giggling and screeched out a big combined yes. Destiny covered her mouth, mumbling. “We have a secret.”

  “Hey, kids, I already warned you all about that,” said Jase. “Let’s save it, okay.”

  Destiny nodded and grinned at her uncle. “Miss Page, you get on a horse.”

  “One of these days I will, Destiny.” Brenna wiggled her foot and smiled. “You know what, honey? It’s okay if you call me Brenna.”

  She poked Brenna in the arm and smiled. “I get to call my teacher by her first name.”

  “Brenna will be more than your teacher now, Destiny,” said Jase. “She’ll be your aunt.”

  Jaelle reached out and touched her hair. When Brenna turned to her, Jaelle placed her palm against her cheek again, and like before, it touched Brenna in an emotional way she couldn’t label. “I like your hair, Brenna,” said Jaelle.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. I like yours, too.” Brenna brushed Jaelle’s dusty-blonde hair behind her ears and kissed her cheek. She had the same soft expression on her face that her dad had when she brushed his hair back.

  “Daddy, let’s go to Grandma’s,” said Joey.

  Brenna went to the other side of the truck and gave him a hug. “Your grandma’s waiting for you. You guys have fun over there.” Jase got in behind the wheel when Brenna came back around. “I made a reservation to talk to the wedding planner a couple hours from now.”

  “I’ll wait here while you take the kids.” She nearly cracked up. No way would she ever think that smartass she met in her school parking lot would say he talked to a wedding planner. Ever.

  “Go on inside, sweetheart. It’s looking like we’re about to have a monsoon.” Jase turned to the kids. “Y’all want to stay here with me during the storm?”

  “Nope,” said Joey, perking up and looking out the window. “I’m not scared, Dad.”

  He peered back at the girls.

  “I want to see, Grandma, Daddy,” said Jaelle. She kicked out her little legs. “Let’s go!”

  Jase turned to Brenna. “I’ll be right back after I get the kids to my mom’s.” He winked and headed the back way through the desert.

  The rain started before he was out of sight. Brenna hurried to her car and removed her small bag, proud of her own ideas. She went inside, locked the doors, and filled the whirlpool tub in his bathroom. “I might as well get used to this. It’ll be my bathroom too.”

  She refreshed her make-up before sinking down into the bubbles, glad she stuck the bottle in her bag yesterday. When she heated the water in the tub a short time later, he called for her.

  “Brenna, where are you, girl?”

  “I’m in here, baby.” Her body yearned for him. Since they both had been denied intimacy the other night, she still craved what he offered. He appeared at the door, drenched.

  “Whoa! What’s up? You’re in my bathtub…naked.” He entered and stood at the side of the tub, his hands going into his front pockets. His eyes widened and remained on hers, but he lowered his gaze and surveyed her body in the bubbles.

  “Did you lock the door?” Brenna stretched, her arms reaching straight up, the water barely covering her breasts.

  “Ah, ah…I’ll go do t-that right now.” He turned and glanced over his shoulder when he got to the door. “Wow!”

  He must have ran for he was right back. “Surprised?” When he came to her, she stood, grasped his waistband and pulled him close. “You said we have a couple hours. Right?”

  “Y-yeah, right.” His gaze flowed over her. “Crimminy, I have a naked woman in my bathroom. What are we doing?” He unbuttoned his shirt.

  “If you have to be reminded, it’s been way too long.” She peered into his eyes so innocently. “Do you mind a little delay?”

  He shucked his wet shirt. “Hell no.” His eyes dropped to Brenna’s fingers as she unhooked his jeans.

  “You smell good. Not like a barn.” She pulled the zipper down. “How long will you be standing there?”

  “Ah, the barn thing didn’t happen. The kids wanted to see something I bought so we d-didn’t ride.” He reached into his pocket. “Um…it was this.” He held up a diamond ring.

  Brenna gasped and her hands shot to the hollow in her throat her arms covering her breasts. She peered into his eyes, gulping, and then reached for a towel to wrap around herself.

  He took her hand. “I didn’t get to see the look on your face when you said you’d marry me. Can I see it now?”

  “Jase? This is what you all did?” Brenna clutched his arm. “Omigod. Yes. Yes, I’ll say it twice.” She broke out into laugher and brought him against her. “I love you so much.”

  “Whoa, there, girl.” He took her hand. “Let me put this ring on your finger, darlin’.”

  Brenna observed the passionate look on his face as he slipped it over her finger. She kept staring at it. “What an exquisite ring. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him again, and he removed her towel and tossed it aside. His hands glided over her body. “Jase, honey. Once again you’ve made me so emotional.” She pulled back a bit, tears falling. “Will you be standing there much longer?”

  “Nope.” Jase lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her ring finger. He winked, stripped completely, and stepped into the tub. “Um, sometimes I love surprises.” He took her lips in a wild and breathless kiss as lightning flashed and rain beat against the roof. “This is the best surprise. I’m still in shock, but I’ll work my way out of it, have no fear.”

  Brenna ran her hands along his back and lower, caressing each tight butt cheek. This man was full of muscle everywhere. He bent forward and turned o
ff the trickle of hot water. The room was filled with steam and the aroma of apple cinnamon air freshener. He turned her around and lowered himself to the back of the tub. Brenna sat in front of him, leaning into his chest.

  Taking a handful of thick hair, he moved it to the side, kissing, licking her neck until low, sexy sighs filled the room. Needing no encouragement, he ran his hands over her breasts and Brenna arched her back against him. Savoring warm lips against her skin, she danced her trembling fingers over his hot, slippery legs.

  “Mm, you’re so freakin’ good, hot. I like this part of you.” Jase pressed his hips forward.

  “I thought the same thing about you, my sexy rancher.”

  “When we get out of here…” Jase brought her face back and took her lips in a slow, easy caress, and whispered, “I won’t wait though.” He slipped his fingers lower, and she bent one leg against the side of the tub.

  “Ummm, thank you, baby,” he mumbled, caressing her inner thigh with long, slow strokes, sending her totally over the edge of consciousness.

  Brenna leaned into him, cradled into his embrace and her head lolled side to side, oblivion close at hand. Blissful and passionate cries into the afternoon were imminent. She wanted him so badly that his expert touch drove her into a world of nothingness outside of her body. To the land of eroticism he knew how to control. Her limbs shook, vibrated with need on the cusps, waiting…

  He tilted her face toward him and kissed her, full mouth and hot tongue, using his other hand to touch her with a light finger enough to know she was touched, to keep her wanting more, and enough to hold her off until she about begged.

  Groaning against his lips, she pleaded, “Please, you’ve turned me into this, now do something about it…” She moved against his hand, coaxing and insisting he bring her torture to an end.

  He laughed with a slow grumble against the kiss, still teasing and holding her at bay. “What are you asking for, sweetheart? Please tell me.”