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

by Beth Walker

  "I don't think so. You two wiped me out," she answered. She nipped at his chest with her teeth and he yelped. "Don't piss me off, mister. I bite." Her laugh turned into a shriek when he dropped her in the middle of the bed.

  "Quit hogging the bed, Nat. Move your ass over in the middle." Kale chuckled and whipped the blankets back on the king size bed.

  She quickly snuggled into the warm blankets and waited for the two men to get into position. Cade wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side so her head lay on his chest.

  "Perfect," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

  Kale's warm body found her back, and he lay one hand across her abdomen, before he placed a kiss her to her shoulder. "Sleep, princess. All will be worked out in the morning."

  Her eyes grew heavy with the warm maleness surrounding her, and she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Morning came way too early for Natalie. The warmth at her back and the crisp hair under her cheek told her the experiences of the night before weren’t a naughty dream. She really had sex with both Cade and Kale at the same time. The soreness between her legs reminded her of the wild ride they had taken, but she knew it would be a onetime only thing.

  "Mornin', darlin'," Cade whispered against her hair.

  She tipped her head back and stared into his baby blues. "Morning. I guess it wasn't a dream, huh."

  His amused chuckle made her smile. "Nope. Not unless you high jacked me and took me along for the ride." His eyebrows crunched as he frowned. "We need to talk, Nat."

  "I know, but can I get some coffee first? I'm not good at negotiations without coffee."

  "Negotiations? Is that how you see us? Something we have to work on terms about?"

  "Look, Cade," she said, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Up until you kidnapped me from my grandmother's, I didn't want to see you again. Remember? Which, by the way, I will have words with her about, since I know damned well she was involved."

  "Keep it down you two. Someone is trying to sleep here."

  "To hell with you, Kale Dunn!" she yelled as she scooted off the bed and threw on a t-shirt she found on the floor.

  "What did I do?" he grumbled.

  "You're guilty too. Both of you. Drag me out here against my will when all I wanted was to figure out whether I really do love you Cade Weston or whether I—"

  "Love me?" Cade asked, grabbing her hand and tugging her closer. "You love me, Nat?"

  "No, I mean yes, I mean, I don't know, Cade." She inhaled quickly and blew it out in a rush. "I think so. You drive me crazy when we're together, but I can’t get you out of my head. I dream about you at night. I want to be near you all the time. I'm jealous when you talk to other women. These are all new things for me. I've never felt like this before and it scares me to death." The soft click of the bathroom door made her realize Kale left. "We shouldn't be discussing this here. This is Kale's home."

  Kale poked his head out of the bathroom and said, "No. It's fine. Go right ahead, princess. I know what you and I had wasn't anything compared to what you just described you feel for Cade and I'm thrilled for you two. I hope someday I can find a woman like you who feels those same things for me."

  "I do love you, Kale, but only as a friend. Thanks for last night."

  "You're welcome, babe. My pleasure. Now get on with it you two. A man needs his privacy." The beaming smile he gave her told her he was completely okay with the way things turned out. Another click and the door closed.

  Cade stood and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Kale thoughtfully grabbed all their clothes from the living room while he carried Natalie upstairs the night before. After snapping and zipping himself into his pants, he sat down on the bed and rubbed his palms down his thighs.

  "Natalie, darlin'. God, I wish I knew what to say."

  Great. I'm in love with a man who doesn't love me. Why am I not surprised things turned out like this. I mean come on! I've been back in Red Rock two weeks, and I'm thinking I love him? This is nuts. She found her clothes and pulled them on with jerking motions. I need to go home. Back to Oregon. The time spent with him is too much. I can't handle this. I don't want to. I want my simple, nonexistence back where no one pays any attention to me. I have my cat and my lonely life. A choking sob broke from her lips and a single tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away in angry motions.

  "It's fine, Cade. I understand. I mean we only got reacquainted a few short weeks ago. I can't possibly think how you would come to care for me in that short amount of time. It's ludicrous."

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on his lap. "Don't put words in my mouth, honey. I didn't say I didn't care about you. I didn't say I didn't love you, because I do."

  "You what?"

  "I love you, Natalie Bennington. You've become my whole world and I don't want to return to feeling alone. I made Kale help me kidnap you last night because I couldn't bear the thought of you mad at me. What I said yesterday was completely uncalled for, and I've been kicking my own ass for being so stupid. Your laughter brightens my day. Your smile warms my heart. I want you to stay in Red Rock with me."

  "Stay?"

  "Yes. Will you marry me, Nat? Marry me and stay with me in my unfinished house up in the middle of nowhere?" The warm chuckle from his lips had her heart singing. "Raise babies with me? And love me until the end of my days?"

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose against his throat. His unique scent filled her senses and the love she felt for this man, overflowed her heart. "Yes to all those things, Cade. I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

  The tears returned, but this time they were happy tears. She couldn't believe the man of her dreams had been right here in Red Rock the whole time.

  Home. She'd finally come home.

  Epilogue

  The high-pitched wail of a baby's cry echoed in the clearing, and Cade couldn't help but smile. His first-born. His son.

  "Well, Daddy. How does it feel?" Kale asked, pounding him on the back.

  "You have no idea."

  "I think it's fabulous. My two best friends' have a child together, and I couldn't be happier for you, Cade. When are you two going to have another one so you have a matching set?"

  "Ask Nat. I doubt after the fifteen hours of labor she endured, she'll let me near her for a while."

  "Yes, well I'm sure, given time, she'll let you back into your bed and not make you sleep on the couch anymore."

  "It's about time you figured out how that thing between your legs works, Cade Weston," Mrs. Oliver said from the rocking chair on the porch. "You and Natalie have been married two years now."

  He smiled and shook his head before bending down and kissing her on the cheek. "I love you too, Gram."

  "God, I hate when you get all mushy on me. I have to keep you in line, you know." Her eyes sparkled as a playful grin spread across her face, and she winked.

  The door opened and Marie stepped out carrying a blanket wrapped bundle. "Do you want to see your son now that's he's all cleaned up? The mid-wife is working on Natalie, so it'll be a minute before I suggest you go back in there."

  Marie handed him the baby and he pulled back the soft wool from his son's face. "Hey there, little guy? You gave your momma a hell of a night, huh." The baby blinked several times and opened his eyes. "I'm not sure if you're gonna have my blue eyes or your momma's green ones, but your hair is definitely light like hers."

  "What did you and Natalie decide to name him, Cade?" Marie asked, taking the seat next to her mother.

  "Alan Mitchell Weston."

  "It's a beautiful name, and I'm sure your father will be thrilled you've given your son his grandfather's name," Marie said. "I forgot to tell you how sorry I am about your mother's death. I can't imagine the pain your father is going through."

  He swallowed hard, fighting the tears of sorrow along with the tears of happiness at the birth of his child. His mother would never
get to hold her grandchild in her arms now and it made him very angry. A drunk driver hit her two months ago when she headed home from town. Lucky for her, she died instantly and didn't suffer, but the man who hit her would if Cade had any say in the matter.

  "Thank you, Marie. It's been really rough on all of us. I thought for a bit during the whole thing, Natalie might go into labor early, but this little guy…" He kissed the baby's forehead. "Managed to stay put until it was time." The baby started to squirm and screw up his face. "Mmm. I think he needs his mama."

  The group chuckled when the baby let out a piercing scream, and Cade hurried into the house to find his wife.

  Natalie lay propped up in the bed, dosing quietly when he walked in, but her eyes opened and a beautiful smile graced her face as he approached the bed.

  "How are my two favorite men?"

  "This favorite man needs a kiss," Cade replied, bending down to brush his lips over hers. The kiss went on for several minutes, and he had to pull himself away to keep from ravishing her right then. "This favorite man needs food I'm thinkin'."

  "There you go with your thinking again," she replied with a laugh. "Here. Let me have him. He probably needs to nurse."

  Cade's cock twitched in his pants when she dropped the edge of her nightgown and positioned the baby at her breast with a soft 'oh' when he latched on.

  "It'll take a bit of getting used to, Natalie, but you'll be a pro in no time," the mid-wife said. "I'll check on you in a day or two. If you have any trouble, call me."

  "Thanks, Leslie. You've been a dream."

  "You made it easy. Get some rest."

  The soft click of the door signaled her departure and he pulled up a chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling, darlin'?"

  "Sore and exhausted, but I'm thrilled our baby is healthy."

  "Me, too." His fingers danced down her arm and he watched in fascination as the goose bumps rose in their wake. He loved how responsive her body was to his touch.

  "What's wrong?" she asked entwining their fingers.

  "I'm just sad my mom couldn't be here. I know how much she looked forward to holding her grandchild."

  "I'm sorry, Cade, but I'm sure she's watching over us from above and will be at God's elbow looking out for our children while they grow."

  He nodded and said, "You know her favorite time of the day always used to be sunrise. She loved to get up bright and early and wait for the sun to creep over the horizon. She used to tell me it made her feel close to God."

  "I'm thrilled our son decided to make his entrance into the world as the sun came up over the hills this morning. He's his grandmother's special baby."

  "I love you, Natalie Weston."

  "I love you too, Cade. May God bless us with many more just like this one," she said, brushing her fingers down the baby's cheek.

  "From your mouth to God's ears, my love."

  *The End*

  About The Author

  Sandy Sullivan is a romance author, who, when not writing, spends her time with her husband Shaun on their farm in middle Tennessee. She loves to ride her horses, play with their dogs and relax on the porch, enjoying the rolling hills of her home south of Nashville. Country music is a passion of hers and she loves to listen to it while she writes, although when she writes sex scenes, it has to be completely quiet.

  She is an avid reader of romance novels and enjoys reading Nora Roberts, Jude Deveraux and Susan Wiggs. Finding new authors and delving into something different helps feed the need for literature. A registered nurse by education, she loves to help people and spread the enjoyment of romance to those around her with her novels. She loves cowboys so you'll find many of her novels have sexy men in tight jeans and cowboy boots.

  www.romancestorytime.com

  Secret Cravings Publishing

  www.secretcravingspublishing.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue