Lone Star Daddy

by Stella Bagwell

  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out so smoothly. When his answers included forensic evidence, the defense immediately called for a delay. Arguments between the state and Daniels’s attorney swiftly ensued, and a big uproar erupted over evidence made available to the defense.

  Fed up with the whole thing, Jonas went to his captain and tried to argue that Wesley could tell the court everything that needed to be said. He tried to convince Leo that he was needed much more on the rustlers case than in the Bexar County courtroom. But Leo wouldn’t budge.

  Three long weeks passed before Jonas was finally able to finish up his testimony and get cleared by his captain to leave San Antonio. He immediately chartered a small plane to fly him straight to the Ruidoso airport, and once there he called Laramie to come fetch him.

  Now, as the two men drove up the pine-lined lane toward the ranch, twilight was falling, casting the graveled road into deep shadow.

  “I hope your mother is doing better now,” the other man said as he steered the truck past the house and on toward the ranch yard. “I take it that she is. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be back.”

  If the trial could be compared to a sick mother, then all was well, Jonas thought. Only minutes ago he’d gotten a text message from Leo. The jury had turned in a guilty verdict after a little more than an hour of deliberation. In spite of all their delays, the defense had not been able to camouflage the truth to the jurors. And in the end, Jonas realized, he’d done his job. He had to feel good about that. No matter how much he’d missed Alexa.

  “Yes, she’s better. And it’s good to be back. Has Quint been keeping in touch?”

  “Calls me every day. But we’ve not had any problems to speak of. One of the men broke his finger fixing a truck flat. And I’m still having trouble finding all the alfalfa we need, but that’s not unusual. I’ll find some, if I have to go all the way to Idaho to get it.”

  “What about the fence with Pickens? Anything else like that happen?” Jonas asked as casually as he could.

  “Nope. I had a couple of the hands ride the whole border fence just last week. They reported that all was fine.”

  Jonas didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed at that news. He wanted to catch the rustlers, but it puzzled him that they’d not returned while he’d been away dealing with the Daniels trial. It made him wonder if information had been leaked somewhere. Could be that Pickens had become suspicious himself over the incident and had made some remarks to his hands, and these remarks in turn had eventually made their way to the rustlers.

  But Jonas wasn’t going to worry about the case tonight. He was going to see Alexa and the baby. Right or wrong, that was all he was thinking about.

  Laramie parked the truck in its regular spot near one of the cattle barns, and after a bit more conversation, he bade Jonas good-night and left for the bunkhouse.

  Jonas headed straight to the house, and as he neared the low stone wall that bordered the backyard, he spotted Alexa sitting on the patio, flipping through a magazine. She was wearing a sundress with bright red and yellow flowers, and her feet were bare.

  Seeing her again filled his heart, and these emotions that swelled his chest and thickened his throat. And he realized that he could no longer deny that he loved this woman.

  For three long weeks, he’d tried to forget her, tried to tell himself that he didn’t want her. None of it had worked, and now he couldn’t stop himself from hurrying straight to her side.

  His footfalls must have alerted her, because she suddenly looked up and spotted him crossing the yard. With a little cry, she flung the magazine aside and leaped from the chair.

  “Jonas! Oh, Jonas!”

  The next thing he knew, her arms were around his neck, and as their lips met, nothing else mattered. Touching her, kissing her, was like coming home. The cold emptiness he’d been feeling for the past weeks was swept away with her heated welcome, and he didn’t bother to wonder who might be watching them.

  “Alexa,” he finally mouthed against her lips. “This is…I’ve been thinking about you—this—for so long! I’ve missed you.”

  “And I’ve missed you.”

  To underscore her words, she planted her lips on his, and for the next few moments, they were too caught up in the heated contact to say another word. She felt so good in his arms. So right. At this moment he felt as if he could hold her forever and die a happy man.

  Eventually, though, Jonas forced himself to lift his head before he lost all control. “Where is everyone—the baby?”

  Twisting her head, Alexa looked behind her, under the eaves of the patio. “J.D. is over there. Asleep in his bassinet. Sassy is out for the evening, and Mother has gone on an overnight shopping trip with a friend.”

  “You’re here all alone?”

  She chuckled sexily. “I know you probably don’t like the idea of me being alone and unprotected, but it’s perfect timing, don’t you think?” Grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the baby. “Let’s get J.D. and go upstairs,” she whispered urgently.

  Jonas opened his mouth to tell her that they needed to slow down, to argue that it wasn’t time for them to make love. That maybe it would never be time. But his mouth refused to work.

  These past days without her had left him empty and hungry. He wanted her, and she wanted him. He was tired of fighting the logic of that reasoning.

  She placed the baby in his arms, and together they entered the quiet house and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Inside the dimly lit room, he placed J.D. in his crib. Then, after making sure the baby was comfortably settled, he turned to reach for her.

  “This is insane, Alexa!” he mouthed against her lips even as he felt her fingers reaching for the buttons on his shirt. “I’ve not been here five minutes!”

  “You’ve been gone a long time, Jonas. Too long,” she said as she smothered his face with kisses. “I want every moment I can get with you!”

  She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and he groaned as her head tilted forward and her lips glided against the heated skin of his chest.

  “You—you’ve had a baby and—”

  Lifting her head, she smiled as though she understood the awkward question he was trying to ask. “Nearly two months ago. And my doctor put me back on birth control that’s good for breast-feeding. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

  Jonas should have been worried about a thousand things, but he pushed them out of his mind as he brought his hands up to her hair and threaded his fingers through the shiny black waves.

  “Are you sure you want this, Alexa? I mean, really sure?”

  She nuzzled her cheek against his. “If you thought that my being away from you for three long weeks was going to change my mind about you—us—you’re wrong. I know what I want.”

  Jonas knew what he wanted, too. And with her already standing in the circle of his arms, there was no way he could deny either of them.

  Wrapping her tightly in his arms, he kissed her until Alexa was certain her knees were going to buckle. Then, finally, he lifted his head, and as they both gulped for air, he went to work easing the straps of her dress down over her shoulders.

  As the smooth fabric slid down her body and pooled at her feet, she shivered with longing and, with her breath in her throat, waited for him to react. Because she’d been feeding J.D. only minutes before he’d arrived, she wasn’t wearing a bra, and now his eyes feasted on her breasts, the brown areolae and moist nipples. His hot gaze thrilled her long before his hands touched her, and she moaned deep in her throat as he dragged her against him, brushed his bared chest against the sensitive nubs, while his mouth sought the tender curve of her neck.

  Every nerve, every muscle in her body began to hum with heat and excitement as his lips began to explore first her neck, her shoulders, then, finally, the smooth, plump curve of each breast.

  She reached for the waistband of his jeans and worked loose the button. As her fingers eased down the zipper, she could hear his sharp int
ake of breath and knew that he was feeling the same urgency she felt that he needed her, wanted her, and this time he wasn’t trying to hide anything.

  “Make love to me, Jonas,” she whispered desperately. “Don’t make me keep waiting.”

  Her plea had him lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. After he’d laid her down on the smooth bedcover, he hurriedly removed the remainder of his clothes, then joined her on the bed.

  Across the room, the door to the balcony stood open, and the night breeze wafted across their bodies like a caressing hand. She started to ask him if the air was too cool for him, but she quickly decided the question would sound insane. As he pulled her into his arms, she realized that both of their bodies were so hot to the touch, they felt as though they’d been dangled over a fire and were now on the verge of combustion.

  “I’ve thought of this for so long, Alexa,” he murmured as he pressed kisses along her cheek and across her chin. “And while I was gone, I kept imagining you like this. It was hell thinking about you and not being able to touch you.”

  His words soared through her heart like a high-flying bird. “I wasn’t sure, Jonas. I wasn’t sure that you would ever want me like this.” Her hands cupped his face as she looked into his eyes. “But now—do you know what it does to me to touch you like this? To have you lying next to me?”

  “Oh, baby,” he said, with a soft growl. “Let me show you what it does to me.”

  He eased her back against the mattress, and Alexa closed her eyes and let the magic of his mouth and hands swirl around her, lift her to a warm, sweet place where there was nothing but him. Him loving her.

  Soon, though, the warm, delicious sensations pouring through her became too much to bear, and it was all she could do to keep from crying out as she thrust her fingers into his sandy-brown hair and twisted her body back and forth beneath his as she sought the relief that only he could give.

  Partial ease finally arrived when he split her thighs with his knee and entered her with one deep thrust.

  The intimate connection momentarily stunned her, and for a second, all she could do was cling to his shoulders and pant for breath. Then just as quickly, wild, sweet exhilaration shot through her veins, sending heat and need rifling through her like a speeding bullet.

  Groaning, she wrapped her legs around him and arched her hips toward his. After that, all sense of control seemed to leave her body. Suddenly and completely, she became his, and she could do nothing to stop the exquisite journey he was taking her on.

  She lost all sense of time, of the long, long minutes ticking away, until she became aware of sweat slicking their bodies, of his harsh breaths above her and the sound of her heart hammering wildly in her ears. But it was the pounding thrusts of his body that were snatching her breath and pushing her ever closer to the edge of the cloud on which they were riding.

  A choked noise sounded in her throat as she tried to bite back a cry of utter pleasure, while above her Jonas could feel her body tighten and arch into his.

  Certain he was going to float away, he allowed his hands to dive urgently beneath her hips, and he clutched her tightly to him as he cried her name and felt himself pouring into her.

  Eventually, after her breathing had returned to normal and she was lying alongside Jonas, Alexa realized one incredible thing. Until tonight, until Jonas, she’d never made love.

  Nothing could compare to what she’d felt with this man who was now stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. Love and desire had twined together like the braid of a lariat, and the bands had wrapped tightly around her heart, squeezed it with bittersweet pleasure, even while his body had driven her to shaky heights.

  Her movements languid, she reached for his hand, and he drew her fingers to his lips.

  “I didn’t know I could want like that,” he whispered hoarsely. “I didn’t know it would be like this between us.”

  Tears stung her eyes as she tried to speak, tried to push her words through a throat thick with emotion. She wanted to remind him how much she loved him. She wanted to tell him that he was holding her heart in his hands. But she held it all back, afraid to ruin these precious moments of being in his arms.

  “Neither did I,” she murmured.

  He nuzzled his lips against her neck, and with a satisfied groan, she turned to face him.

  “It’s gotten dark outside,” she said as she rested her palms against his chest. “Are you hungry?”

  A chuckle stirred his chest. “I am,” he said huskily. “But I don’t want either of us to move. Not just yet.”

  Just as lips moved to cover hers once again, a faint whimper sounded from J.D.’s crib.

  Jonas lifted his head to listen. “Is he waking?” he whispered.

  “Probably. We’ll know in the next minute or two.”

  Deciding to make use of the time, Jonas bent his head to kiss her again. But his mouth only managed to make contact before the baby cried loud enough to say he didn’t want to be ignored.

  “He shouldn’t be hungry,” Alexa said. “I’ll see if I can figure out what he wants.”

  She started to rise from the bed, but Jonas put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me,” he insisted.

  After pulling on his boxer shorts, Jonas switched on the lamp and bent over the crib.

  “What’s the matter, little guy?” Jonas crooned to the baby. “You want to get up and look around?”

  Carefully, he lifted the swaddled baby up from the crib and into his arms. J.D. quieted instantly, and Jonas carried the infant over to a nearby window, where faint shafts of moonlight streamed through the glass panes and illuminated the child’s face.

  “He’s grown a lot since I’ve been gone,” he said to Alexa. Then, bending his head, he kissed the child’s forehead and breathed in his soft baby scent. J.D. gurgled at him.

  Alexa’s soft chuckles sounded behind him at the same time that her arms slipped around his waist and her hands flattened against his midsection. The sound of her laughter, the feel of her body next to his were surely as good as a piece of heaven, he decided.

  “You’re so good with him, Jonas.” She rested her cheek against his spine. “Did you ever want children?”

  “Sure I did,” he said lowly. “When Celia and I first married. We had it all planned. The kids, the ranch, even down to the cattle and horses we’d raise.” He heaved out a heavy breath. “I have the ranch now. And a small herd of cattle and a handful of horses. I don’t have the wife or kids. But I have no one to blame but myself for that.”

  She moved from around his back, and resting her cheek against the side of his arm, she glanced up at him. “Really, Jonas? Somehow I don’t believe you should be shouldering all the blame.”

  Looking away from her sweet face, he lifted a finger to the baby’s black hair and began to smooth it gently to one side.

  “You should believe it,” he said gruffly. “Because it’s true.”

  “Have you ever stopped to think that Celia might have been too needy? That she didn’t understand or appreciate your job or the sacrifices it would require both of you to make?”

  He stifled a groan. “She wasn’t a bad person, Alexa. She tried. And I didn’t.”

  She grimaced. “I don’t believe that, either. Or—” She continued to study his face. “Did you decide you didn’t really want to be married to her?”

  If there was a guilty look on his face, he wasn’t going to try to hide it from Alexa. She needed to see the man he really was. And maybe then she’d come to her senses and decide she didn’t love him.

  Is that what you really want, Jonas? Do you want her love to turn to disrespect? Do you want her to turn her back on you once and for all?

  The questions made his insides shudder with a black fear that he’d never faced before. More than anything he didn’t want to make a mess with Alexa’s life. He didn’t want to hurt her as he’d hurt Celia. But to think of life without her was like looking into an empty hole where even his own echo couldn’t be
heard.

  “I wanted to be Celia’s husband for a while,” he admitted bleakly. “But then it seemed that the more I tried to please her, the more demanding she got. The more I tried to give of myself, the more needy and clingy she became. I was probably the reason for that—I don’t know anymore. I just know that I was suddenly seeing the same woman that my mother had been with my father. And I didn’t want to live through that sort of hell—the same hell that my dad had gone through.” He drew in a breath, then released it in a weary sigh. “So after a while I suppose I subconsciously started to draw away from Celia. Both physically and emotionally.”

  Her hand moved up and down his arm in a soothing gesture. “You’ve never told me much about your family,” she said. “Especially your mother. Are you not close to her?”

  “Not very. She’s a stern sort of woman. I can’t hardly recall a time that she hugged or kissed me or my siblings. I’m sure she loves me and my brother and sister—in her own way. But while we were growing up, she was always more concerned about keeping the household running and money in the bank. She hated Dad being a lawman. All the years they were married, she hounded and whined and nagged for him to quit the job and be something else. Mom was all about business instead of emotions. She didn’t have a clue that Dad was unable to be something else. A lawman was who he was, what he was. The job might have killed him, but at least he died doing what he’d chosen to do.” He looked at her and was suddenly embarrassed as a sheen of moisture glazed his eyes. “Is that too much for a man to ask?”

  Her gentle smile went straight to his heart.

  “Put the baby back to bed, Jonas,” she whispered. “We’re not going to talk about this anymore tonight. We’re going to forget about yesterday and tomorrow, and you’re going to let me love you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Jonas left the house at an early hour, and for the rest of the day, he threw himself into his work. The men all appeared happy to have him back at the helm, and he was grateful for their friendship and respect. He was also grateful for the distraction of dealing with the men’s work orders and with the minor problems that had cropped up while he’d been away.