What had been her response? Her words came back to him.
“I’ve never been married, and I’ve never raised a child.”
Not a flat out lie, but a lie by omission.
He dropped his Stetson onto his desk and pushed his fingers through his hair. He moved to the office window and spotted Michael and Kit walking toward the guest house. His gut clenched as the pair headed around the house and disappeared.
What about the day he’d asked her if she wanted kids? He remembered her telling him she liked kids, but couldn’t have any.
Was that true? Had something happened that prevented her from having any more children?
He let his gaze drift over the crowd of people laughing, eating, playing horseshoes, and participating in other activities. His gaze stopped on the kids riding the pony in the small ring they had set up. Once he’d learned she couldn’t have children, his thoughts had immediately gone to adoption and he’d pictured raising several adopted kids with Kit. He hadn’t even known her that long, and he’d already been thinking about kids with her.
Adoption.
Michael had to be eighteen or nineteen. If that was the case, then Kit would have been no more than fifteen or sixteen when he was born. If she had given him up for adoption, that would explain why she hadn’t recognized him.
Kit had been homeless at that age. He tried to see the whole situation from the point of view of a scared, homeless teenager. She would have had no choice, of course. It wouldn’t have been right for the child to raise him on the street.
How would that have left her feeling?
Guilt, pain, sorrow.
He moved away from the window and picked up the scorpion paperweight his sister had given him when he was young. He thought about his little sister being homeless and pregnant, and having to give up her child.
The thought nearly drove him to his knees. God, what Kit had gone through…he couldn’t begin to imagine.
When he’d asked her the questions, she had barely known him. He could understand her not wanting to tell a stranger. However, as much as they shared since then, she should have told him everything along the way.
Yes, she should have, but did she deserve to be treated badly by him? Was it enough for him to turn his back to her and end the special relationship they shared? He loved her so deeply it hurt like hell to think of never being with her again.
She didn’t deserve to be treated anyway but as the good, wonderful person she was.
He scooped up his hat and tugged it low on his brow before heading out the French doors of his office and onto the back lawn. He nodded to guests but kept going. His strides ate up the distance between his home and the guest house.
When he got the arbor, he ducked under it, leaves brushing his hat. He hesitated at the door and heard voices on the other side.
He knocked and the voices went quiet. A moment later and the doorknob rattled and then the door swung open.
Kit stood in the doorway, her eyes damp. She’d been crying.
“What happened?” His protective instincts jumped by a hundred percent. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.” She looked over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Carter. “Michael and I were just talking about… I don’t know if it’s something he wants to share.”
“It’s fine,” Michael said from behind her.
Kit stepped out of the way to let Carter into the guest house. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Michael. The young man was completely bald.
Michael scooped his hat off the coffee table and pulled it on. “I have leukemia,” he said as he adjusted the hat.
“Damn.” Carter walked into the middle of the room, close to Michael. “Do you mind if I ask you what your prognosis is?”
The young man shrugged. “Sure.”
Carter took a chair while Michael and Kit sat on the couch. Kit was no more than a couple of feet from Carter’s chair.
Michael explained about his diagnosis, the steps that had been taken to date, and that he needed a bone marrow transplant. He talked about his search for a donor and hoping his birth father or mother would qualify as a donor.
“I hope like hell Kit or your birth father are a match,” Carter said. “I’d be happy to help look for Haymaker. Your mother and I can help finance the search.” He looked at Kit’s surprised expression and leaned forward to reach for her hand. He took it in his. “What’s mine is yours, Kit.”
She looked too stunned to speak.
“Thank you, Mr. McLeod,” Michael said.
Carter looked to Michael. “Call me Carter.” His gaze returned to Kit’s. “I think I’m going to be getting to know you a lot better.”
Michael seemed to realize Carter needed a moment with Kit. “Mind if I go have some barbeque? Those amazing smells have made me so hungry, it’s about to drive me crazy.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Carter said, and Kit nodded.
The moment Michael closed the door behind him, Carter took Kit in his arms and studied her beautiful features.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about Michael before.” She placed her hands on his chest. “I tried so many times to tell you I had a son I gave up for adoption when I was sixteen, but couldn’t get the words out.” She searched his gaze. “You also need to know why I can’t have more children. Michael’s birth was difficult and a doctor botched it up so that I am incapable of becoming pregnant again.”
“Shhh. Don’t worry about not being able to bear children. It’s okay.” He brushed hair from her face. “After I learned you have a son…I had to work it through in my head, why you didn’t tell me. I want you to know I do understand, the best I can without having been in your shoes. You were so damned young and going through so much with being homeless. You did the right thing.”
“I’ve felt so much guilt for so long. It’s so good to have met him.” Her voice trembled as she continued. “But he’s sick and I’m so scared for him.”
“We’ll do everything we can for him.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be here for both of you every step of the way.”
“Thank you.” She shook her head. “I can’t begin to thank you enough.”
“No thanks are needed, Kit.” He caught her face in both hands. “That’s what people do for the ones they love.”
She stilled but didn’t say anything.
“I love you, Kit.” He smiled. “I intend to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you.”
For a long moment she just looked at him. “You are the most amazing man I have ever met and I love you like crazy.”
He hugged her tight. “Good. Then it’s settled.”
She laughed. “What’s settled?”
“You. Me. Always.”
13
Kit sighed and leaned her head on Carter’s shoulder as they relaxed on the terrace of a popular Paris café, near the heart of the boho community. The café, along Rue Abbesses, teamed with life and made for fabulous people-watching in what felt very much like a multicultural bazaar.
She swirled her favorite French cocktail, kir, in her wine glass. She had adopted the drink the first night they had arrived in France. It was made from crème de cassis—a blackcurrant liqueur—topped with white wine.
Yesterday, they had gone to a world famous restaurant that she had always wanted to visit and now she had, thanks to Carter. The gorgeous, opulent restaurant, Le Meurice, served classic European cuisine.
It was so exquisite that the dining experience alone would have made the trip. Everything else was cake. Preferably Petit fours at the quaint bakery on Rue Saint-Dominique and Rue Malar.
The spring afternoon was beautiful with a seductive breeze drifting over her bare arms. She loved watching Parisians and tourists as they hurried past. She had always dreamed of coming to Paris and trying famous and unknown cafés and restaurants. The food had been nothing short of outstanding, everywhere they went.
She finished her kir, set the glass on
their table, and smiled at her new husband. “This has been the most incredible honeymoon a girl could ever want.”
“Or a guy.” He winked as he filled two champagne glasses with a bottle from the Champagne region of France. He set down the bottle and raised his glass. “To us, sweetheart.”
She loved when he called her that. The two-carat diamond solitaire glittered in the lighting as she picked up her own champagne flute. “To us,” she repeated and the light chime of crystal rang in the air as they clinked glasses.
The exquisite champagne went down easily,
When she lowered her glass, Carter held his up again. “To Michael being in remission and to Cody Haymaker for coming through as a match.”
After they drank to that, Kit was feeling a pretty good buzz from the champagne and the kir. She probably had an even bigger buzz from happiness.
Her life, since meeting Carter, had become incredible. It wasn’t perfect, but she knew she was more than blessed. The only thing that dimmed the light a little was that her sister, Sarah, had refused to get off the street. She was too strung out on drugs to care about anything but whatever she was wrapped up in at the moment. Kit knew Sarah had to live her own life, but it was difficult to watch. It gave Kit such a helpless feeling to not be able to do anything for her sister.
Everything else had been going well in her life and the lives of those around them. Of course there were bumps along the road for everyone, but that was life.
Carter had treated Michael like his own son from the beginning, and the two had developed a fast friendship.
The wedding had been wonderful. Daisy had been Kit’s maid of honor and Michael had given her away during the ceremony. Carter had flown in her mother from San Francisco.
“So much has happened over this past year.” Kit shook her head. “It’s been nothing short of miraculous.”
He nodded. “And the adoption will be final soon.”
“I feel like an expectant mother about to give birth.” She laughed. “We will be going home with two sweet toddlers soon. I can’t wait to be a mommy to the girls.”
Carter gave an adorable smile. “I’m looking forward to being their daddy.”
How could a woman not melt with a cowboy who loved children and was a fantastic husband?
Tomorrow, Carter and Kit would leave France and fly to China to finalize the adoption of two-year-old identical twins. His cousin, Lora, had adopted two girls from China a few years ago, and had recommended the agency he and Kit had gone through.
Two months after they returned to Arizona, they would be opening Kit’s new restaurant, a small place to start, just like she’d planned. Once that business flourished, she would open a fine dining establishment in Scottsdale.
Carter skimmed his fingers along her forearm. “How about an evening stroll to the Eiffel Tower for our last night here?”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
He stood, and like he always did when they went out, he pulled back her chair and helped her to her feet. He had already taken care of the check, so they left the café, Carter with his fingertips pressed against the base of her spine.
When they were out of the café, they walked hand-in-hand toward a future with nothing but love and amazing possibilities.
# # #
Excerpt…Silk and Spurs
“Rough and Ready” series
By Cheyenne McCray
The backyard was a haven with its tall sycamores, oaks, shrubs, and flowers. Jessie leaned against a pillar on the back porch and looked up at the stars, enjoying the evening scents and the night sounds.
She’d packed a bigger bag, climbed into her Mustang, and followed Zane’s truck from Tucson that morning. She had gone back to work photographing the ranch and he’d headed off to work. The entire day she wondered what would happen when he got back.
He’d taken a shower and then they’d had a dinner of roast chicken, new potatoes, asparagus, and salad. Just as they were finishing, he’d received a phone call and he’d had to leave to take care of a problem on the ranch.
The French doors leading from the kitchen opened behind her and she sensed Zane’s presence even before he put his hands on her shoulders. He started massaging her neck and shoulders, and she sighed. She leaned back against him, resting against his chest. It felt completely natural and comfortable.
“How are you doing?” he asked, his voice low.
“Good.” She tilted her head and looked up at him as he leaned over her. “That feels wonderful.”
He shifted and kissed her behind her ear then took her by her shoulders and turned her around to face him. He brought his head down and his mouth hovered over hers for a long moment.
“You’re beautiful, Jessie. Inside and out.” He slipped his fingers into her hair at her nape, causing her to shiver. His breath was warm against her lips as he spoke. “I can’t believe how crazy you make me. No woman has ever made me feel this way.”
She moved her mouth to his and kissed him. He drew her close, enveloping her in his firm embrace, his arms comfortable and familiar despite the fact that she had known him such a short time. He kissed her with intensity, like he had when they’d picnicked yesterday.
Her heart rate picked up, warmth flooding through her the deeper they kissed. His hands moved beneath her T-shirt and caressed her bare breasts. His fingers moved to her nipples causing her to moan against his lips.
His breathing was heavy, matching her own as he drew away. “Come on.” He took her by her hand and led her along the patio to a French door at the opposite end. When he opened the door she saw that it let into a huge master bedroom. He locked the door behind him and still holding her hand, walked across the room and locked the other door, then turned on a single dim light.
He placed his cowboy hat on a bureau, then caught her by her shoulders and kissed her again. She didn’t just want a kiss, she wanted more of him and she reached for his belt buckle. He moved her hands aside as he grasped the bottom of her T-shirt and she raised her arms as he tugged it over her head. The air in the room felt cool on her bare skin.
She had small breasts that were so sensitive that she could barely breathe when he grasped them, lowered his head, and licked and sucked her nipples. It was the most incredible feeling.
The way he looked at her when he raised his head made something dip in her belly and warmth to flood through her body. It was too soon to have fallen in love with him… Wasn’t it? Was there really such a thing as love at first sight, first touch, first kiss?
Just being around him made her feel special. Feel wanted. Maybe even loved. If she believed in reincarnation she’d have thought that she had loved him in another lifetime and their hearts and souls knew each other.
His hands found the button on her shorts and they dropped to the floor when he pulled down the zipper. She kicked off her sandals and her shorts at the same time.
Now wearing only royal blue panties with black lace, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him down for a kiss as she pressed her body to his.
She loved the rasp of his shirt over her nipples and the roughness of his jeans against her mostly bared skin. His kiss rocked her as he brought her tight to him and kissed her with pent-up passion that he’d been holding back until this moment.
He moved his palms over the silky panties and caught her by her ass and raised her, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. As he squeezed her ass in his palms, his cock pressed against her center and she squirmed with need to have him inside of her.
“Please.” Her voice sounded raspy. “I want you. I need you.”
“Hold your horses.” He smiled down at her but his expression was almost pained, like he was having trouble restraining himself. “I intend to take this slow with you.”
“Screw slow.” She knew her voice sounded urgent. “I can’t wait.”
“You can.” He tipped her head back using his finger beneath her chin. “And you will.”
She gave a
whimper of protest as he set her on the bed. He caught the waistband of her panties with his fingers and tugged them over her hips and down her legs until he pulled them all the way off. He pressed her thighs apart so that her legs were wide open and then he slipped one finger into her wetness and stroked her clit.
A gasp escaped her and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out.
It was like every touch had meaning beyond the desires of two people. Something more existed between them than simple lust.
Before stripping out of his shirt, he pulled off each of his boots and then his socks. She watched the flex of muscle beneath tanned skin with every movement he made. His blue eyes never stopped looking at her and his expression was dark and intense.
He unbuckled his belt buckle and pulled out his belt and tossed it aside before unbuttoning his Wranglers and letting them drop and stepping out of them. His thighs were as thickly muscled as the rest of him. He was wearing only boxer briefs and his erection pressed against the cotton, begging for her touch.
When he pushed down his briefs and got rid of them, her heart pounded harder. His cock was big and thick and she couldn’t wait for the moment that she would feel him inside of her.
She wanted to taste him. To feel him in her mouth. Before he had a chance to touch her again, she was on her knees on the floor and she wrapped her fingers around his erection. She needed to be closer to him in every way possible.
Excerpt…Zack
“Armed and Dangerous” series
By Cheyenne McCray
Zack had never had a meal that was a sexual experience like this one. Every bite Sky took made him feel as if she was thinking about going down on his cock, licking her tongue along his length, and swallowing his come.
She continued to feed him bites of grilled chicken with her fingers, and he returned the favor, until their plates were clean.
“Dessert?” the waiter asked when he cleared their plates away.
Country Heat (King Creek Cowboys Book 1) Page 11