Love Me Once, Love Me Twice (Montana Cowboys 1)

by Beth Walker

  "Damn it. I thought I was quiet enough you wouldn't hear me," her grandmother replied with a laugh. The hanging up of the receiver clicked in her ear.

  "So your mom is there, huh?"

  "Yes, unfortunately. She's already started in."

  "About?"

  "Evidently, my mother got wind of my dating while I've been here."

  "Oh. Not good."

  "Yeah. I've already received the raised voice and 'how could you' talk, and she hasn't been here an hour yet."

  "I called because I wanted to see if you would like to go sledding day after tomorrow. Since your grandmother is home now and your mother is there to help, you could sneak away for a couple of hours."

  "I don't know, Cade. It's probably not a good idea. I don't need to give my mother anything else to lecture me about."

  "The snow should be perfect—all fluffy from the snowfall last night and it's supposed to snow again tomorrow, but be clear the next day. Great sledding weather. The sun should be out and it's not supposed to be frigid cold. I would love to keep you warm though."

  "All right, I tell you what. Pick me up at ten. We need to talk anyway."

  "Talk? That's not exactly what I had in mind."

  "I know it's not, but we need to anyway."

  "Great. See you then," she replied.

  He softly said goodbye and she hung up the phone.

  "So Cade's coming over, huh?" her grandmother asked from the living room.

  A heavy sigh escaped her lips, and she dropped her head back. "Eavesdropper!" she yelled with a laugh.

  "What can I say? You talk loud."

  "Not that loud, old lady!"

  "Natalie Marie!" her mother exclaimed.

  "Oh give it up, Mom. Grandma and I are two of a kind."

  Her grandmother let out a roaring laugh, and Natalie had to smile. It was good to hear.

  "Sledding?" her grandmother asked. "Sounds like fun."

  "I haven't been sledding in ages. I go skiing sometimes, but never sledding."

  "It'll be good for you then. Cade's a nice man."

  "Yes, he is, Gram." She took a seat next to her grandmother and asked, "What shall we have for dinner tonight?"

  "A nice, big, juicy steak sounds wonderful."

  "I'm sure the doctor recommended dietary changes with your stroke."

  "I'm not changing my diet to suit his idea of what the hell I should eat."

  "Grandma, be serious please. You know you'll have to cut back on the red meat and work on your cholesterol levels. He gave you several prescriptions to help with those things, but you need to make changes too. Exercise and eating right are important to your recovery." Natalie bent closer to her ear. "And you don't want Mom sticking around any longer than necessary, do you?"

  "Oh, hell no!" her grandmother exclaimed. "She can go back to Oregon any time, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Marie."

  "Mother, I know you don't want me here. You've made that perfectly clear, but—"

  "But you don't give a shit what I want or whether I need you here or not. Natalie and I were doing just fine without you."

  "Natalie wasn't even here when you had your stroke. She was out with some cowboy from Red Rock who only wants to get in her underwear," Marie snapped.

  Natalie watched grandmother's eyes narrow and her face pull into an angry glare.

  "My granddaughter's behavior is none of your business. I told her to go out and have a good time. You are the idiot who is trying to get her to go back to dick-wad. Leave her alone and let her do what she wants to do. I don't need a damned babysitter."

  Natalie let out a high-pitched whistle, immediately stopping the verbal battle waging between the two. "Enough already. Mom, what I do is none of your business. If I want to date while I'm here, then I will. I am not going back to Steven under any circumstances. Finding him in our bed with another woman sealed the deal for me and there's no going back. Grandma, you need to keep your blood pressure down and stop getting so worked up over things Mom says. You know the two of you can't agree on anything these days."

  Both women sheepishly apologized.

  "Much better. Mom, why don't you go shopping or something since you obviously plan to stay for a few days, or whatever. I'm going to fix some lunch and then go upstairs to work on some lesson plans I started for the children back home, since I'm not sure when I'm going to teach again for right now. Gram, why don't you go and take a quick nap, and I'll wake you when lunch is ready." Her mother got to her feet, disappearing upstairs without another word. "Come on, Gram, I'll help you into the room down here."

  "You're a wonderful woman, Natalie. Have I ever told you that?"

  "Thanks, Gram. I love you, and I hope you know I'd never leave you here alone to deal with all of this."

  "I know, sweetie, and I love you too. I want you to be happy and find the one man you can love without a second thought."

  "I'll find him someday. You just need to stop playing matchmaker."

  "No can do, honey. It's in the blood."

  "Ah shit!"

  * * * *

  The next two days with her grandmother and mother at each other's throats at every turn had her on edge. The constant bickering and snapping made her want to pull her hair out by the roots, she hoped the sledding trip with Cade would help smooth those exposed nerves.

  Around ten, Cade's truck pulled in the driveway, and her mother cocked an eyebrow when she headed for the door.

  "Come on in," she said, pushing open the screen.

  He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. The quick inhalation of breath from her mother made her head turn, but the wide-eyed look on her mother's face had her wondering what was going on and why did she look like she'd seen a ghost.

  "Mitchell?"

  "Uh, no. Mom, this is Cade—"

  "Weston," her mother finished for her.

  Her mother's face went pasty white, and she sat down in her chair with a thud. "I-I'm sorry. You look exactly like your father, I would assume."

  "Mom, do you know Cade's father?"

  "You could say so, Natalie. I dated him."

  "You what? You dated Cade's father?" she asked, shock reverberating through her. "When?"

  "In high-school. I was born and raised here remember? Mitchell, Gerald, and I all went to school together."

  Shit! Is Cade's father the ‘other man' grandmother mentioned?

  The gentleman in Cade wouldn't allow her mother not to at least make his acquaintance. With hat in hand, he stopped next to her chair, holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Bennington."

  "Yes, you too, young man. I assume your father is well? I haven't seen him in several years."

  "He's doin' fine, ma'am."

  "Tell him hello for me when you see him again, will you?"

  "Of course, ma'am. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear from you."

  "Uh, Gram? If you don't need me for a bit, Cade is taking me sledding."

  "Very nice," her grandmother replied. "I'm sure you'll have fun sitting between those hard thighs."

  Natalie gave up trying to figure out what her grandmother would say next, but the shocked looked on her mother's face was worth any price. "Let me get my coat and we'll go."

  "Make sure you put some condoms in your purse, Nat," her grandmother called, and she just shook her head.

  "Yes, Grandma."

  As Cade followed her down the hall, she could hear her mother asking, "Are those two sleeping together?"

  God, Gram, don't…

  "Of course, they are, Marie. Good grief; what the hell do you think young people do these days, go out for soda's?"

  Ah, hell! "Gram, please!"

  "You go on, honey, and have a good time. Don't worry about your mother and me. We'll get pizza for dinner. Cade, you bring her back when you're done."

  Heat crawled up her neck, and she turned to find him standing behind her. She couldn't help it. A huge smile spread across her lips, and she buried her face in
his shoulder. Her shoulders shook while she tried to calm her laughter. She didn't have to see the look on her mother's face to know her penciled eyebrows were riding her hairline and her lips were pursing in a permanent soured expression.

  "It's fine, honey. I love your grandmother. She's a hoot. And I think she's about the funniest person I've been around in a long time."

  She raised her head to find his big, baby blues staring right into her eyes. "Good. I love her too. She means the world to me and I can't imagine leaving her."

  Did I just say that? I don't want to leave Red Rock?

  "I'm glad to hear it. Maybe it means you'll stick around permanently," he replied before kissing her quickly then grabbing her coat to hold it for her.

  "I…uh."

  "No more talk of staying here, for now. Today, we enjoy the snow and each other. Okay?"

  "Sure."

  "We'll see you ladies later," he called, ushering her toward the door.

  "Wrap that rascal, Cade," her grandmother called, and Natalie about died right there on the spot.

  "Got it covered, Mrs. Oliver." His warm chuckled fueled the burn on her cheeks.

  "Will you stop, please? You're encouraging her," she whispered out of the side of her mouth. She couldn't stop her own laugh though. "Bye, Gram. Bye, Mom."

  "Have a good time, Natalie," her mother replied.

  "Oh, and Nat?"

  "Yes, Gram."

  "The bench seat in his truck might look like fun, but really, a nice soft bed is better. He's a big guy and I'm sure he needs the room."

  "Let's go, please. She's killing me here." Natalie giggled. Gasping for breath between laughs, she waved over her shoulder and walked outside.

  Snow glistened in the sunlight like diamonds on a blanket of white. She’d almost forgotten how beautiful Montana winters were, but Cade planned to remind her with this sledding trip. They drove to Marshall Hill and found a place to park. Several of the school children apparently skipped school today since the hill seemed crowded.

  "Wow. There are lots of people here."

  "Not really. This isn't much. You should see it on weekends."

  "I can imagine."

  Once they stood outside of his truck, he took her gloved hand in his, grabbed the sled from the back, and they started their trek up the hill. It really wasn't a huge rise, but if she remembered correctly, the sledding on it was great—swift and clean. No rocks or trees to worry about and it leveled into an open field.

  "Do you want to go down alone?" Cade asked.

  "I kind of like grandma's suggestion of being between those hard thighs."

  "You sure know how to crank up the heat."

  She felt totally wicked. "Heat? You want heat?" Her hand slipped between them and cradled his cock through his jeans. "Oh yeah. Hot and hard."

  "You're a wicked woman, Natalie Bennington." He leaned down and nipped at her earlobe. "I want to get you alone so bad, I ache. How about we skip the sleddin' and go back to my apartment?"

  Two steps back and she grinned. "Nope. You promised me sledding and sledding is what we're going to do. Saddle up, big boy. Ride 'em hard."

  "You're a witch," he growled.

  The wicked giggle coming from her lips almost sounded witchy too.

  Cade set the sled down and climbed on. "Come on, honey. You wanted between these thighs. You got it."

  Her breathing hitched, and her lips dried just thinking of climbing between his legs and wiggling her butt against his cock. The dream from the night before came back in a sharp picture. He was about to slide his hard length into her ass when the phone woke her from it. Now, the images seemed real, causing her nipples to bead into hard nubs.

  "You comin'?"

  Not yet.

  "Mmm. I'd love to."

  His eyebrow arched and his lips twitched. One finger crooked in invitation as his smile widened. "Right here, honey."

  She crawled onto the sled, slipping between his thighs, wiggling her butt backward until she felt his cock pushing against her ass.

  "I want to fuck you there so bad," he growled in her ear. "Tight." He licked her neck. "Hot." Her pussy throbbed as blood rushed in, and she moaned.

  "Hey, mister! Move it! Some of the rest of us what to slide down too," a small boy, about ten, yelled, drawing their attention.

  "I guess we should get moving, huh?"

  "I'm movin' all right," he murmured, grinding his cock against her ass.

  "Sledding, Cade, sledding."

  "Oh, yeah, right," he replied with a chuckle. He pushed them off the hill, and tucked both booted feet in next to hers. Cold wind rushed passed her exposed ears, stinging her unprotected cheeks. Nothing could compare to the thrill of sliding down the hill at breakneck speed with one of the most gorgeous guys she knew snuggling against her back.

  When they reached the bottom, she laughed out loud, jumped to her feet and yelled, "Let's go again!"

  The smile on his lips took her breath away when he joined her in laughter. "Okay." He grabbed her hand and they headed back up the hill.

  Over an hour later, exhaustion set in. It had been a long time since she'd done this much climbing and walking. "Wow. I'm beat."

  "I can imagine. We've been down the hill probably fifty times."

  "Not that many," she replied. "Twenty."

  "Nope. I'm sure it's at least fifty."

  "I need something warm to drink. How about we hit the diner in town and get some coffee."

  "Sure. I could use some lunch. I'm gettin' kind of hungry."

  "Is it lunch time?" A quick glance at her watch confirmed what she already suspected. "Wow. I didn't realize it was so late. Maybe we should go by the house and check on Gram."

  "Why don't you call her? I'm sure everything is fine or your mother would have called you."

  "All right. I'll call her while we walk back to the truck."

  "Perfect," he replied, tucking her hand in his.

  The phone rang in her ear soon after she dialed.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, Gram. How are you?"

  "I'm fine, honey. How's sledding?"

  "It's been great, but now we’re heading into town for some coffee and lunch. Can we bring you anything? Are you okay?"

  "We're fine. Don't interrupt your fun. Have a good time and don't worry about being home for dinner. I'm sure you'll need some snuggle time to warm up certain parts."

  She couldn't help rolling her eyes, and Cade mouthed 'what', but she shook her head in answer.

  "I'll be home after while, Gram. Don't kill Mom while I'm out, all right?"

  "Of course not, Nat. I only gagged her and tied her up in the basement until you get home."

  "You did not!" Her grandmother laughed hysterically. "Please tell me you are kidding, Grandma."

  "I'm kidding, Natalie. I've got her tied to the bed in the guest room. Have a good time and I'll see you later." The phone went dead with a click in her ear, and she fought the urge to call back. She stared at the phone for a second, debating.

  Cade took the phone from her fingers, stuffing it into her pocket. "She's fine, Nat. Your grandmother is kidding."

  "I'm not so sure." She giggled. "My mother is a handful when she wants to be."

  "Your grandmother can handle your mother and twenty Marines along with her."

  "Very true."

  "Let's get lunch and we can swing by the house afterwards," he said, opening the door to the truck.

  "All right." Her stomach growled. "I am kind of hungry."

  Within minutes, they parked at the diner and took a booth in the back. The waitress came by their table, asking what they wanted to drink.

  "Coffee, please," Natalie said, rubbing her cold fingers together.

  The woman gave Cade a frown when he took Natalie's hands between his and stroked them over her freezing digits.

  "Make it two, Audrey."

  "Sure, Cade. I'll be right back."

  "Someone you know?" Natalie asked.

  "Audrey? Sure
. She grew up here too. Why?"

  "The dirty look I got."

  "What dirty look?"

  "When she comes back, you'll see it."

  Audrey returned a few minutes later with their coffee and took their order. The anger Natalie saw on the woman's face gave her pause. Obviously, Audrey has a thing for Cade.

  When she finally walked away, Natalie asked, "Did you ever date her?"

  "No."

  "Well, she must want you to, by the look in her eyes."

  He took a small sip of his coffee and said, "What look?"

  "The one that told me she'd meet me in the parking lot on some dark, rainy night to beat the shit out of me, if given the chance."

  "You're imaging things, Nat. I have never given her the impression I would be interested in dating her."

  "She wants you to though."

  Cade grasped her hand in his, squeezing her fingers. "I don't want her. I want you. On the couch, in my bed, in the shower, on the countertop—"

  "Enough! You're making me blush."

  "I want to make you hot."

  "Um, that, too."

  "Then I'm doing a good job?"

  "An excellent job."

  "Will you come back to my place so we can take care of our little heater problem?"

  "I can't."

  "Can't?"

  The tentative shake of her head made him frown.

  "Why not?"

  "I promised Kale I wouldn't have sex with you again until he's had a chance."

  "Chance at what?"

  "To woo me, or whatever you want to call it."

  "You told me you didn't have sex with him last night."

  "I didn't."

  "But you had phone sex with me."

  "Well, yes, but that's different. It wasn't real sex. I can't have real sex with you again."

  "We can have phone sex then?"

  She looked at the ceiling and shook her head. "I'll have to clear it with Kale."

  "Clear it with Kale? This is ridiculous, Natalie. If we want to have sex, then we should be able to have sex," his voice started to rise, drawing several pairs of eyes to them.

  "Please, keep your voice down. I don't really want the whole damned town to know about us."

  "They already know about us, Natalie. Watch." He stood and turned toward the crowd. "Folks! Most of you know who I am, but many of you don't know this beautiful lady." His hand swept to her, and she wanted to crawl under the table.