The Cowboy's Autumn Fall

by Shanna Hatfield

  “I don’t know,” Cady said, glancing outside. “Anything can happen around here with the weather.”

  “That’s a fact,” Bailey commented, remembering the ice storm that trapped her in Burns with Brice. Thoughts of that made her face fill with warmth and turned her cheeks pink.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Bailey, but I’m guessing it is something naughty about my brother,” Tess teased, noting that Bailey’s cheeks were nearly the same shade as the burgundy of her sweater.

  “Now, sugar plum,” Denni said, giving Tess a squeeze, “you quit teasing her. It wasn’t that long ago you were blushing every time you thought about my baby.”

  “He still makes her blush,” Cady said, pointing a gravy-coated spoon at Tess. “Just ask her about what they saw in Vegas other than the hotel room and her cheeks turn bright red.”

  Denni laughed as Tess’ cheeks turned pink and she grinned at Bailey. Putting her arms around both Tess and Cady’s waists, Denni gave them each a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad to have all you girls in the family. Who’s up for a shopping trip tomorrow?”

  “Count me in,” Cady said, remembering all the fun she and Denni had last year hitting the day after Thanksgiving sales. “I’ve already warned Trey he is on his own tomorrow and he and Trent better not gorge themselves on leftovers like they did last year.”

  “What did they do?” Bailey asked, looking at Cady.

  “I went with Denni shopping all day last year. When I got home, those two cousins of yours had eaten through a good portion of the leftovers and could barely waddle to the couch to lie down in bloated misery. They’ve been on tight supervision since,” Cady said with a grin.

  “If Trav was here, he would have been in on it, too,” Tess said, placing rolls in a cloth-lined basket.

  “In on what?” Travis asked as he retrieved three cans of pop from the fridge.

  “The eating frenzy your brothers went on the day after Thanksgiving last year,” Denni said, patting Travis on the arm. “You boys will not do that this year.”

  “Are all you girls going shopping tomorrow?” Travis asked, hopeful of being able to sneak whatever he wanted from the fridge unseen.

  “No, we’re not. Lindsay doesn’t feel up to it and decided she could stay here to keep an eye on you three,” Tess said, shaking her finger at her handsome husband.

  “I’m offended that you girls don’t trust us,” Travis said, slapping a hand to his chest. “What kind of gluttons do you take us for?”

  “The very worst kind, Tee,” Tess teased as Travis kissed her cheek and went back to the football game.

  Trey was summoned to carve the turkey while Cady sliced a ham. Bailey, Tess and Denni dished up the rest of the food while Nana sat with Lindsay in the parlor.

  It seemed like all at once the company began to arrive and Cady sent Cass to be the door greeter.

  Bailey wiped off her hands and went running down the steps when the Morgan family parked by the mud room door. Ben hurried around the pickup to help Brice out onto his crutches while Michele and Mike gathered up their contributions to the meal.

  Giving his cheek a kiss, Bailey walked with Brice to the door, her eyes intently watching him. Ben held the door for everyone as Brice slowly made his way up the steps and inside the warmth of the kitchen.

  “Happy Turkey Day,” Brice called as he leaned on one crutch and Bailey helped him remove his coat.

  In the past several days since his accident, she spent the majority of her time at the Running M, helping care for Brice.

  Although no one would have deemed it possible, Bailey provided attentive and gentle care. She gave Brice back rubs, read books, told stories and made him laugh. When he was ready to go for his first little walk outside, Bailey was the one who helped him on with his coat and walked with him around the yard.

  Even though they still hadn’t gotten around to a serious talk yet, Brice seemed to know that something was different with Bailey. She was no longer holding a part of herself back from him and Brice was thrilled to see the changes in her.

  “Look at you, Brice. You’ll be dancing the two-step again before we know it,” Denni said, giving him a careful hug. “Why don’t you go ahead and sit down at the table then you won’t have to get up and move again in a few minutes.”

  “If no one minds, I think I’ll stand until we’re ready for dinner. I’m already tired of sitting and lying down. It feels pretty good to be vertical,” Brice said, turning to see Cass leading Hart Hammond down the hall from the front door. He was grinning at the little redhead as she chatted a mile a minute, talking about her family, horse, and dog Buddy. Travis invited the gas-station owner, saying no one should be alone on a holiday.

  “Brice, I should have known you’d be here,” Hart said, tipping his head Bailey’s direction. “A house full of lovely ladies and from what I hear some of the best food in the county.”

  “You’ve got me pegged, Hart,” Brice said with a smile.

  “Hart, glad you could make it,” Travis said, sticking out a hand toward their guest.

  “Thanks for the invitation, Travis. I appreciate not having to warm up a microwave dinner or trying to find a restaurant open today,” Hart said with an engaging grin.

  “Have you met everyone?” Travis asked, sweeping his hand around the room.

  “I’ve met all the Morgans and your family, but I see two lovely ladies I have not yet had the pleasure of making their acquaintance,” Hart said, walking toward Denni where she stood with her arm around Nana’s shoulders.

  “This is my grandmother, Ester, but everyone calls her Nana,” Travis said, as Hart took Nana’s hand and kissed the back of it. “And this is my mama, Denni Thompson.”

  Denni’s faced turned a bright shade of pink when Hart kissed the back of her hand, holding it just a minute longer than was necessary.

  “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Thank you for having me at your home today,” Hart said, his blue eyes twinkling at Denni. “I thought Travis was going to introduce you as a sister I hadn’t heard about yet. You don’t even remotely look old enough to be a mother to those three strapping boys of yours, let alone a grandmother, if what I hear is true about Trent and Lindsay.”

  “You are a charmer, aren’t you Mr. Hammond?” Denni said, blushing an even brighter shade of pink. “The rumors about a new Thompson arriving in the spring are true.”

  “Well, congratulations to you all, then,” Hart said, stepping forward to shake Trent’s hand and nod his head politely at Lindsay.

  Cass broke the moment with childish squeals of joy when Ashley and her parents arrived. Once they were all inside, Trey asked everyone to be seated and shared a heartfelt blessing for the meal.

  Trey smiled at Cady when he finished and nodded his head.

  “We thought it would be fun to start a new tradition of going around the table and having everyone say one word that symbolizes what they are most thankful for this year,” Cady said, looking around the group and smiling. “Trey said since it was my bright idea I had to go first, so here is my one word - family.”

  As they progressed around the table, Bailey slid her hand down to capture Brice’s, loving the feel of his strong, calloused fingers meshing perfectly with hers. When it was her turn, Bailey looked at the wonderful man sitting beside her, hoping he could see what she felt in her heart reflected in her eyes. “Brice,” she said as she gave him a tender smile.

  Brice sat staring at her a moment, lost in the depths of her turquoise eyes before he felt a nudge from Travis on his other side. “Dude, one word.”

  “Weddings,” Brice said, kissing Bailey’s cheek.

  “Why weddings?” Cass asked from where she sat next to Ashley.

  “Because if it wasn’t for Trent and Lindsay’s big shebang wedding, I’d never have met Bailey,” Brice said, winking at Cass.

  Travis, who said home as his one word, made most of the females teary eyed, when he leaned toward Tess and said “because home is w
ith you and it’s where my heart was all those years away, where it will always be.”

  Once Ben said “last” everyone laughed when he explained he was the last one to offer a word so they could start eating the feast before them.

  An hour later, as waistbands felt too tight and stomachs were painfully full, the men cleaned off the table while the women did the dishes. Cass and Ashley went to her room to play fairies and Nana decided to go lie down for a quick nap.

  Trey and Travis put away the extra chairs while Trent and Ben folded the card tables and stored them before joining the other men in the great room to watch football.

  When the kitchen was set back to rights, the women put desserts out on the counter along with a stack of plates, made a big pot of coffee and sat down at the table to browse through the sale ads for the following day.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come, Lindsay?” Denni asked, patting Lindsay’s leg where she sat next to her at the table.

  “I don’t think I have the energy for it and I know at some point I’ll be sick in the morning,” Lindsay said, sipping on a cup of mint tea, hoping to make it through the afternoon without feeling nauseous. “You girls will enjoy the day more without having to worry about me tagging along. Trent has promised me some surprise tomorrow that will take my mind off feeling like a weak-stomached invalid.”

  “We’ll miss you being with us but will somehow carry on without you there,” Denni said with a teasing smile. “Bailey, you’re going with us aren’t you?”

  “I was thinking I should probably stay home. I’ve got to head back to work Monday and I’ll only have a few more days to spend with Brice. I’m not a great shopper and you girls know I’m only good at dealing with masses of people for very short periods of time,” Bailey said, not interested in the early-morning shopping frenzy that seemed to have Cady, Tess and Denni all excited. “Thanks for the invitation, but I’ll pass.”

  “I know Brice will be grateful to have more time to spend with you, Bailey,” Michele said from across the table where she sat next to Tess. “I plan on joining these girls shopping tomorrow, so Brice will be glad to have someone to talk to besides his dad and Ben.”

  “Nursemaid Bailey just wants to stay home and have BB all to herself,” Tess teased with a sassy grin.

  “Maybe I do,” Bailey admitted, making them all laugh.

  “Sounds like you girls are having too much fun in here,” Brice said as he slowly worked his way to the table.

  “Do you want some dessert?” Bailey asked, getting out of her chair and moving toward the impressive display of sweets on the counter. Along with the pumpkin pies she made, there were cakes, gooey bar cookies and Cady even made a pumpkin trifle just for her. Too full to indulge now, she hoped there would be plenty left later.

  “I sure do, but the sugar I’m craving I’ll get outside,” Brice said giving Bailey a sexy grin that was pure male flirtation.

  “Oh,” was all Bailey managed to say as she followed Brice into the mud room. She helped him with his coat and put her coat on then held the door as he maneuvered outside and down the steps.

  “Where are we going?” Bailey asked, walking slowly beside him as he made his way to one of the four-wheelers.

  Deciding he couldn’t straddle the seat to drive, he turned to Bailey. “You know how to drive this thing?”

  “Sure, but I don’t think you should be riding on it,” Bailey said, looking at Brice like he’d lost his mind.

  “You let me worry about that. Climb on and start it up,” Brice said, motioning to Bailey with his crutch. When she had the machine running, Brice sank sideways onto the seat with his side to Bailey’s back. Handing her his crutches, she placed them in the gun rack on the front of four-wheeler and waited for his direction.

  “To the pond, if you please,” Brice said in her ear using his best imitation of a British accent.

  “Yes, sir,” Bailey said, feeling like giggling. She was the last girl on the planet that would giggle, finding it frivolous and ridiculous, but today it fit her lighthearted mood. The past few days with Brice had been some of the most wonderful she could remember. They spent a lot of time just getting to know each other better. The more she discovered, the deeper in love Bailey fell.

  Driving slowly and carefully down the hill to the pond, doing her best not to jostle Brice, she parked the four-wheeler close to the bench beneath the willow tree. She discovered from Tess the Thompson boys had dubbed it the kissing bench. Apparently she and Brice weren’t the only ones to make use of its secluded location.

  Handing Brice his crutches, she waited while he got himself upright and moving forward before getting off and stepping beside him to the bench where he eased himself onto the seat. Laying the crutches on the ground, he waited for Bailey to sit beside him before putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close. She placed her head against his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath her ear while his chin rested on top of her head.

  Neither spoke for a while, just enjoying the crisp autumn day and the spectacular view of the pond with the rolling hills in the background.

  “Brice?” Bailey finally said, breaking the quiet.

  “Hmm?” he answered, sounding content and happy.

  “I’m so sorry,” Bailey said, not wanting to lift her head and expose the tears in her eyes to him.

  “For what, sugar?” Brice asked, rubbing his hand lightly on her back. She could feel his warmth, even through her coat and sweater.

  “For hurting you, for leaving you, for putting up walls between us,” Bailey said, swiping at the tears that were making tracks down her cheeks. She felt such remorse for the time she’d spent pushing Brice away when all he’d ever offered her was love. Unconditional love and true friendship.

  “I know you are,” Brice said, kissing the top of her head. “What I need to know is if you’re going to do it again.”

  “No. Never again, Brice,” Bailey said, raising her head so she could look in his eyes, so he could see the sincerity and love shining in hers. “I’ll never leave you again.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Brice said, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed both cheeks, her forehead and the tip of her nose before gently kissing her lips. Although she’d seen him yesterday, it seemed like so long since he’d truly held and kissed her. Between the weeks they were apart, his injury and having family constantly around, this was the first time they’d been alone since a few days after Halloween.

  “I need to tell you something, sugar,” Brice said, pulling back and cupping her face in his hands.

  Bailey looked into his warm brown eyes, feeling drawn into the sparkling depths. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “What is it?”

  “I know how important your career is to you and I never intended to take you away from it. Dang it, Bailey, you’re unbelievably brilliant. Sometimes that brain of yours runs circles around all of us and I feel like an illiterate idiot next to you. You need to use your mind, do what you love, and be everything you dream of being,” Brice said, swiping a hand over his face as he sat back and looked at Bailey. “I won’t hold you back and I won’t be a stumbling block to you. What I would like, very much, is to walk right along beside you. I want for you to be happy, sugar, and I hope you can somehow figure out a way to allow me into the equation.”

  “You think I’m brilliant, Brice, but I’m truly quite ignorant,” Bailey admitted, looking at Brice with the hint of a saucy grin. “I might be able to rattle off all sorts of unimportant facts and figures, but I have a hard time with the basics. Like one plus one equals something magic.”

  “Sugar,” Brice said, starting to draw her close, but Bailey put her arm against his chest and pushed back, smiling.

  “If I agree to find a solution to this equation, I think you need to agree to help me learn some very important things as well,” Bailey said, tipping her head toward Brice.

  “Like what?” Brice asked, fingering the fo
ssil necklace she always wore. It was warm from her skin and made his temperature kick up a notch.

  “For starters, I’m a complete dunce when it comes to relationships. You are going to have to coach me on how to be a proper girlfriend. With no prior experience, I honestly don’t have a clue,” Bailey said, trying to look serious. “I’m hopeless at idle chit chat, I’m terrible at parties, and I really must insist you begin a series of rigorous lessons in teaching me the fine art of kissing. I’m feeling terribly uneducated in that department.”

  “I’d be happy to start those lessons right away,” Brice said, wrapping his arms around Bailey, holding her close to his chest. She could feel his smile against her lips. “Lesson one, always taste as sweet as you do right now.”

  Brice kissed her softly on her bottom lip. “Lesson two, always carry ChapStick for when our lessons require extensive practice and extra effort.”

  Bailey felt Brice kiss her upper lip as tingling sensations started working their way up from her toes to her head.

  “Lesson three, always remember how much I love you, Bailey Bishop. Always, always remember that,” Brice said, kissing her square on the mouth. “Lesson four, never forget to practice your lessons. You have to diligently devote time to it every day.”

  Brice nuzzled her neck, trailed kisses up her jaw, and sent goose bumps skittering over her skin when he teased her ear with his lips.

  “Lesson five, and this one is very important, kisses should only be given if you really mean them.”

  Bailey surrendered to Brice when his lips met hers in a fiery kiss full of passion. As his arms wrapped tightly around her, she felt at home, cherished and loved, and knew here was where she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

  “What’s the next lesson?” Bailey whispered, her lips tantalizing Brice’s as they brushed his once, twice.

  “Lesson six, if you want to make me lose my mind, kisses should be long, slow and deep.”