It didn’t take long for Sheriff Coleman to arrive. The big, burly man with a gruff voice wore a pristine cowboy hat as part of his cop uniform. He shook hands with Mac and her, nodded at Ashley and took a look at the carnage. Two of his deputies followed him into the room and immediately began taking pictures and dusting for prints.
“Looks like our boy got busy last night,” the sheriff observed. “I’m sorry he got by us, Callie.”
Callie shook her head. “No, you can’t be everywhere. I’m not the only citizen here and you guys have other people to worry about besides me. Can I get you some coffee?”
He nodded. “That would be good.”
“I have an unopened can of coffee. I’ll go make some. You and your deputies might be here for a while.”
Roughly an hour later, the fingerprints were taken and whatever other evidence to be found was gathered, the cops left the three of them alone in the store. It was only midmorning and already exhaustion sank deep into Callie’s bones. She was so damn tired and not just physically. Emotional exhaustion was harder than the other stuff and at this point she was so over it all she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry for a while.
No time for that though.
She watched Mac emerge from the back of the store with a broom and a large trash can. “What would I do without you?”
“No need to worry about that, honey, I’m right here. Not going anywhere. Let’s get this mess cleaned up.”
“You have things to do, Mac,” she said, feeling emotion choke her. “Ash and I can deal here.”
Truthfully she didn’t want him to see her cry. She didn’t want him to see her fall apart. Over the years she’d fooled everyone into thinking she was tough and could handle things on her own but it was a lie. Inside she was as soft as a squishy marshmallow and everything Doug had put her through was suddenly too much. She wanted him gone. She wanted to live her life freely without constantly looking over her shoulder.
Callie opened her mouth to argue when the front door opened. Stunned beyond belief, she watched Shane and Leah Duffy and Dash and Carmen come in, armed with brooms, mops and dust pans. Carmen held a big box of garbage bags in one hand.
“What are ya’ll doing here?” Running a ranch was hard, tough work. She knew for damn sure they couldn’t afford the time it would take to help her with this mess.
Leah walked up and hugged her. “Helping. What else?” Mac’s sister drew back and studied Callie’s face. “Mac called and when our brother calls, we come. Simple as that.”
Suddenly it was too much. Their kindness undid her. Stinging tears welled in her eyes and before she could blink, Leah was hugging her as she sobbed her frustration.
* * * * *
Mac couldn’t remember too many times in his life when he’d been quite this pissed off. Today ranked right up there with the worst of those moments. Cleaning up the mess had taken the rest of the day and it didn’t take a genius to figure Callie had pretty much lost everything. Insurance would take care of it but it didn’t take away from the fact Doug Hill had violated Callie and that his rage was obviously escalating. Something was in the very air he breathed and it smelled a hell of lot like danger to him. No doubt, the fact Callie was now living with him had provoked the bastard. Mac figured the ass would be coming out of the shadows pretty damn soon.
Shirtless and barefoot, wearing only his oldest pair of jeans, he sat at the kitchen table nursing a beer as Callie walked into the room, fresh from a shower. Instantly he smiled. She wore an oversized burnt orange football jersey that hung almost to her knees that she’d obviously swiped from one of his drawers. Her hair was damp, hanging in ringlets to just past her shoulders. Cute. Hell yeah. Cute as a button. Mac’s heart tightened. She’d been through a lot lately but she’d held up like a trouper. He thought back to earlier in the day and the tears that had inevitably come and it pissed him off all over again that Doug Hill had finally managed to get to her like this.
“Come here, Callie.”
Callie walked up to him and Mac instantly pulled her onto his lap. His arms went around her to hold her close and he knew in that instant that nothing had ever felt more right. He hated the circumstances that had brought her into his life but loved that he was man enough to take care of her, love her.
Love?
Shock, instant recognition, blasted through his system as he buried his face against her damp hair and breathed her in. He’d been a total dumbass not to recognize what had been staring him in the face for days. She was his. There was no way in hell he’d ever let her go. “You tired, honey?”
“I was but the shower perked me right up.”
“Liar.”
Callie laughed then sighed as she settled in to rest her head on his shoulder. “Think so, do ya?” She trailed one hand over his chest then lower to explore his belly. Mac’s body tightened, his cock hardened instantly and he wondered if this hot flash of lust would always be there between them. Her breath felt warm on his skin. “Hey, it’s a pretty night. Wanna go make out in the backyard, Mr. Moreno? Hm?”
Mac ran a hand over the soft flesh of her naked thigh until it settled over her satiny panties. Lightly, he squeezed her butt. “What do you have in mind?”
Callie looked up at him and grinned suddenly before leaning close to his ear. “Why don’t you join me and we’ll see what’s up?” To emphasize her words, she reached down to stroke the hard bulge of his cock where it pushed against the fly of his jeans. Lust curled through his belly.
“Somebody needs to spank your pretty ass. A man who knows how to do it.”
Callie sucked in a breath and then laughed softly as she pulled away. When she stood next to his chair she gave him a sexy up-and-down look. “Hm. Might like to see you try that, cowboy. Why don’t you grab us a couple of beers and meet me outside on that big double-wide chaise of yours and we’ll talk about it.”
“Now that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”
Flashing him a quick, naughty smile, she stepped out onto the patio as Mac went to the fridge to grab a couple of long necks. As a precaution, he reached into his back pocket to find a couple of condoms and his cell phone and was just turning to join Callie when he heard her scream.
His blood went cold.
Grabbing his cell, he quickly punched the number that would speed dial Dash then tossed it aside as he raced toward the sliding glass door. Doug Hill stood near the edge of the pool holding Callie against him, a gun pointed at her head.
Fear and fury roared through his body.
Fists clenched, hating the helplessness he felt, Mac stepped carefully forward. “Let her go.”
“Hold it right there, buddy,” Doug Hill snarled. “One more step and I’ll blow her fucking head off.”
“Don’t come closer, Mac!” Callie yelled and then she screamed in pain as Doug gave the arm he held behind her back a vicious yank.
“Bastard!” Mac took another step ready to leap on the maniac and tear him limb from limb. “Don’t touch her. Don’t hurt her.”
“I can do exactly what I want, Moreno. Callie belongs to me. She always has.” Doug Hill had probably been a good-looking man at one time but tonight his thick curly hair stood on end crazily, as if he’d been running frantic fingers through it. Stubble covered the lower half of his face and even in the darkness, his eyes looked hollow and crazed as if he never slept. He was a man who skated along the very edge of sanity. “Isn’t that right, honey?”
“Callie doesn’t belong to you,” Mac gritted out. “She never has.”
“Bullshit! Just because she spreads her legs for you now doesn’t mean she’s yours. She’s my wife.”
“Not anymore, Doug,” Callie said through her teeth. “I divorced you.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Callie’s ex gave her arm another yank, making her cry out. “You don’t divorce me. I divorce you. I decide when I’m done with you, Callie, and I’m not finished with you. You’re mine.”
Silence fell for a secon
d.
Mac shook with rage, his mind whirling with options. The man was completely insane and there was just no way to know what he might do. In the distance, Mac heard sirens blast across the otherwise quiet night sky and then Dash’s voice broke the stalemate.
“Drop it or I will shoot you.”
Dash’s sudden appearance sent events into motion. Caught off guard, Doug turned with a jerk, momentarily taking his attention from Callie. As Mac rushed forward, Callie dropped to the ground, leaving Doug open and vulnerable. A shot rang out from the rifle Dash held and the small gun went flying.
Callie’s ex-husband grabbed his injured hand just as Mac plowed into him head first. Landing a blow to Doug’s belly, Mac fell with Callie’s ex into the pool. Doug, caught off guard, flailed around like a wounded fish but Mac hadn’t started. Grabbing a fistful of shirt, he stood him up in the pool and smashed his fist into Doug’s nose. Grunting, blood spurting from his nose, Doug continued to fight. Mac landed another blow to his mouth and again blood ran dark in the moonlight.
“Asshole!” Mac yelled. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He pounded him again as a red haze of anger carried him under. He wanted to kill him for what he’d done to Callie and that was a fact.
Mac heard shouts. The sirens got louder but he wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. And then Callie was there, grabbing his arm. “Mac! Honey, stop or you’ll kill him,” she yelled.
Suddenly Shane was there in the pool with them. “Settle down, Mac. I’ve got him.” He dragged Doug Hill to a safer distance where hands were waiting to give assistance.
Damn.
Breath billowed in and out of his lungs as his face burned hot from fury. Callie was wet and slippery as an eel, clinging to him, kissing his chest and murmuring that she loved him.
He was hearing things.
Closing his eyes, he shut out the sounds of chaos and tightened his hold on Callie as he struggled to calm down enough to think.
“Mac. Mac. Mac. Shh. It’s okay,” Callie whispered.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Dash talking to Sheriff Coleman and two deputies leading Doug off in handcuffs. It was over. Mac cupped Callie’s face, examining every inch of it. “Are you all right?”
Tears and laughter bubbled out. “Yeah. Yes, I’m fine. My arm hurts a little but it’s not broken. I can move it. Oh Mac. I was so scared he would hurt you, honey.”
“Me? Hell, sweetheart.” Unable to resist, he pressed his mouth to her lips then her forehead. “He had a gun at your head. God, woman. God.”
Wrapping her up in his arms, he waded from the pool and together they climbed the steps to the patio. Leah was there holding a rifle, pointed down, in one hand as she reached for her dripping husband. Another rifle was lying on the ground and Mac assumed it belonged to Shane. Looking around the area, taking it all in, he realized they’d dropped everything they were doing to come and help. They were prepared to defend him and the woman he loved.
Yes, loved.
Warmth mixed with relief curled through his chest and Mac couldn’t remember a moment when he’d felt quite so whole. No longer did he feel like that poor Mexican kid from the wrong side of the tracks, his nose pressed to the glass, wishing desperately for what was on the other side when at the moment everything he’d ever wanted was right here in his arms.
Yeah. Hell of a night.
Sometime later the excitement of everything died down. Paramedics had checked everyone out for injuries before heading off. Mac had changed into fresh, dry jeans and Callie had pulled on shorts and a tee shirt. Dash lingered just long enough to make sure everyone was okay then he hurried off to reassure Carmen who was waiting for him at home. Shane borrowed a pair of Mac’s sweats and after Leah made sure they’d stop in for breakfast the next morning, headed out the door to find their bed.
Now Callie sat cuddled next to him on the couch. Once the adrenaline rush ended, she’d begun to shake so he held her tightly, warming her, whispering to her that everything was okay now.
He ached for her.
It was a physical thing but then again, so much more. His heart ached for her too. Yearned. Craved. She was everything he’d ever imagined or hoped for in his wildest dreams. She made him laugh and dream of a future filled with all the good things people should have. “Feeling better, sweetheart?”
Callie nodded. The brush of her hair against his chest was soft. “Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary, Callie. I’d do anything for you.” Mac felt her go still. He wasn’t an idiot. This was the most important thing he’d ever done and he damn sure didn’t want to blow it. Nerves skittered along his spine. “I don’t want you to leave.”
She looked up, her eyes wide and searching. “What are you trying to say, Mac?”
“Stay with me. Here at the ranch.”
“You mean until everything is settled with Doug?”
Mac cupped her face and dragged the edge of his thumb along her cheekbone. “No. I want you to move in here with me, honey.” When Callie didn’t speak Mac plunged forward. “From the time I was a little kid, I’ve felt I didn’t belong. Mom loved me but that was about it. After a while I started to think maybe there was just something wrong with me. Maybe I was just unlovable or something.”
Tears rolled down Callie’s face. “Mac. Oh honey.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. I was just a silly kid who didn’t know any better. Now I know there’s more for me, something good and real. It’s you, Callie. You make me a better man. You give me hope for a future that’s clean. Good, ya know? I love you. I think I loved you the minute I saw your smiling face behind the counter that first day.”
Callie choked. A sob broke from her lips and it scared the shit out of Mac until she launched herself at him to throw her arms around his neck. Raining tiny kisses over his neck, his face and chest, Callie whispered of her love. “Oh Mac. Honey, I love you. I can’t help it, I do.”
He kissed her long and deep, feeling his love returned with every sigh she made, with every small little sound that told him of her pleasure. Standing, he lifted her up and carried her to bed. Callie clung to him, still planting soft little kisses on every bit of skin she could reach.
Mac’s heart thumped, joy rising up, threatening to explode through his veins like a pyrotechnic show. Setting Callie on her feet beside the bed, he quickly stripped off her clothes and then removed his. Together they sank down onto the mattress, their hands touching bare flesh, kisses going deep, then deeper as they expressed their love for each other.
She would stay.
She was his.
The words swam through his mind like a whispered mantra bringing peace to his hungry soul. Mac filled his hands with her breasts, thumbing the tightly furled nipples until they were as hard as gems. He came over her, bending his head to suck one deeply, loving the way she moved beneath him. When he took the other nipple into his mouth, Callie sent her fingers into his hair to hold him close. Swirling the spot with his tongue, scraping his teeth against the delicate bud, Mac felt Callie’s grip tighten.
“Mac. Yes.”
“I need to fuck you, love you.”
“Yes. I’m here. Not going anywhere.”
Needing her more than he needed air, he took one of her knees in his hand to spread her open. Mac stroked from knee to groin, teasing her sensitive inner thigh with the tips of his fingers and the stroke of his palm. Heat radiated from her pussy. It rushed over him in a wave. Unable to slow down when he desperately wanted to savor things, Mac drew his finger down her slit, collecting cream before dipping into the honey sweetness of her pussy. Callie made a low, gasping sound, arching up into his hand as he fucked her that way. Vaginal walls clasped and squeezed and finally she cried out as orgasm shook her.
“Come to me. Mac, I need you,” she whispered breathlessly. “Fuck me.”
Mac came up over her, his knees on the mattress. Looking down at her, he fisted his hand on his cock and drew it slowly up and down the thick, achin
g length. A tiny drop of fluid leaked from the tip and Mac watched Callie’s eyes go lambent as her tongue swept her lips. He wanted that sweet mouth on his cock, sucking him deep as she’d done before. His balls twitched and hardened in response to his thoughts.
Reaching for protection on the bedside table, Mac covered himself then leaned over Callie. Taking his cock in hand, he trailed the head over her drenched pussy. She shuddered with reaction, sending frantic fingers over his chest and belly. He pressed against her clit, causing Callie to suck in a sharp breath. “Hurry,” she whispered. “Hurry.”
“I wanted to go slow but damn it. I can’t. Not now.”
Mac plunged deep, filling her up. Vaginal walls clamped down and he wondered if he would ever get enough of her hot cunt. In and out he moved, as her legs went around his hips to hold him tighter. Her ankles dug into his ass as he surged deep only to retreat again, her sighs painting the air around them with the sounds of her pleasure.
“Faster. Oh faster, Mac.”
Happy to oblige, in an agony of torment, he lashed her pussy with the strength of his thrusts, pounding deep then deeper until Callie’s back arched, her hard nipples too much temptation to resist. Mac took one in his mouth, sucking hard as he fucked her. The tempo couldn’t be sustained as his balls drew tight against his body. “I love you, Callie.”
“I love you too.”
The simple words seared him as he came long and hard, his cry of completion mingling with hers until, replete, they fell together, holding on through the night.
Epilogue
Carmen Whitefeather and Dashiel Hyde were married on a sunny afternoon. Mac watched the couple take their first dance as man and wife where their love affair had begun. Here on the White Eagle Ranch. Mac didn’t know a whole lot about brides but he thought she was beautiful in her Native American wedding dress. It was white doeskin, rubbed and worn to butter softness. Small seed pearls were fashioned in an intricate pattern around the hem and sleeves. Dash told him it was the same dress her grandmother had worn many, many years ago. It sure as hell suited her and damn if Dash didn’t look happy as they danced together. Sharp, late afternoon sunlight sparkled on Carmen’s loose black hair. The long white feather, trimmed with more pearls, skimmed along her cheek with each movement.
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