For Keeps

by Rachel Lacey

  “Go dancing on a Friday night? Almost every week. Call up an old boyfriend? Not that often.” She winked. “And never when I’m dating someone else.”

  “Good to know. Because whatever you want to call this, if you’re sharing my bed, you aren’t dancing with any other men.”

  “You’re not the jealous type, are you?” She slid closer and draped an arm over his lap.

  His brain promptly quit functioning. “Uh…”

  “Because you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She slid her fingers up his thigh. “I was hoping you’d take me dancing tomorrow night.”

  “Dancing?” He stared at her hand, silently begging her to slide those fingers a few inches north. His dick hardened in anticipation.

  “My dad plays at The Watering Hole on Friday nights. It’s bluegrass, I bet you’d like it. Lots of great beer on tap. Totally casual.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “You’ll have fun, I promise.” She lifted her hand from his leg to snag another slice of pizza, leaving him aching for her touch.

  “All right then.” T.J. couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d gone to a bar or taken a woman dancing. He spent most of his nights working or riding. No wonder it had been so long since he’d had a woman in his bed.

  “Oh, come on. He was safe!” She shouted at the TV, leaning forward just enough to give him a glimpse of the pink lace he’d been fantasizing about all day.

  Hallelujah.

  They polished off most of the pizza and beer by the time the Red’s lost, 4-5, to the Padres.

  “Son of a bitch.” Merry clicked the TV off with a scowl.

  T.J. gripped her waist and slid her onto his lap. That was better. She scooted closer, wiggling her hips against his, and he damn near lost his mind. “You make me absolutely crazy.”

  She bent her head to his. “Likewise.”

  And then she kissed him.

  Everything he’d been holding back since that morning surged to life as her tongue tangled with his. He’d been waiting all day for the chance to touch her like this, to feel that lace beneath his fingers.

  Merry’s hands wandered beneath his shirt, stroking fire over his skin. He unclasped her pants, revealing the pink lace beneath. He touched her, and she gasped, arching against him. He’d intended to take things slow, but here, now, he couldn’t wait.

  His own need was overpowering, but even more erotic was the look on her face as he teased her through her panties, the way her hips thrust against him, her groan of pleasure when he slid his hand beneath the lace.

  He couldn’t resist the satisfaction of watching her lose control. Sweet Jesus, it was beautiful. He stroked her with his fingers, completely overtaken by the look of abandon on her face. Her eyes closed, and she cried out as she found release, grinding her hips against his.

  Holy shit, the only thing more powerful than his own orgasm was watching hers. His dick throbbed, aching for her. He rocked against her, feeling her pleasure, letting it fuel his own need.

  He felt greedy as he slid her pants over her hips, helping her as she shimmied them to the floor. She grasped her panties as if to yank them off, and he stopped her. Hell, no. He was not finished with the lace.

  “Hurry, T.J.,” she whispered. She yanked off her blue top, leaving her in a matching pink bra and panty set.

  Christ. He hadn’t counted on even more pink lace. He trailed his fingers over the contour of her bra.

  She slid a hand inside the waistband of his jeans, gripped him, and squeezed.

  And he forgot all about the lace. He thrust into her hand, momentarily overcome by his own need. Her fingers were like heaven, gripping and stroking, urging him toward release.

  He fumbled with her panties, but she pushed his hand away. “How about I keep these on, since you like them so much, and let’s focus on you for a little while.”

  She unzipped his jeans and took him in her hands.

  He gripped the couch and fought for control. “Jesus, Merry, I can’t—”

  “Relax, Cowboy. I’ve got you.” She winked, then lowered her head.

  He almost lost it just from the feel of her breath on his dick. Then she closed her lips over him. He swore, trying to hold back, fighting for control and losing to the thrill of her tongue swirling over him, her fingers stroking him closer and closer to the edge.

  He buried his fingers in her hair and surrendered. His whole body tightened as his world narrowed to the sensation of her mouth on him. It was magic. It was…

  Abruptly, she lifted her head, leaving nothing but cold air where her lips had been. He groaned in frustration.

  “Your phone’s ringing. Turn it off.” She thrust her hand into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone.

  “What?” Through the haze of arousal, he heard his phone ringing, saw the name on his screen. Fred Lamboutin, a farmer out in Creedmoor. “Shit.”

  He flung his head back against the couch.

  “Turn it off,” she whispered, trailing her fingers down his cock.

  He shuddered. Fuck. “I have to take this, Merry. It’s a client. He doesn’t call after hours unless it’s an emergency.”

  She glanced down at his dick. “This is an emergency too.”

  Damn right it was. Fuck. He slid her out of his lap, zipped his pants, and answered the call.

  Merry sat on the couch, looking pouty, wearing nothing but the pink lace bra and panties that would fuel his romantic fantasies for possibly the rest of his life.

  “T.J., sorry to bother you this late, man, but I’ve got a cow in labor. Calf’s not coming, so I examined her. Uterus is twisted.”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” T.J. told him. “Keep her on her feet until I get there.”

  He hung up the phone and looked at Merry. “I have to go. I have a cow in labor with a twisted uterus. If I don’t get there quickly, she and the calf could both die.”

  Merry sobered. She, more than anyone, understood the urgency of an animal in distress.

  “Will you wait here for me? Stay the night?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, my dogs…”

  He nodded. There was no time to argue. Hopefully by the time he got to Fred’s farm, he would have recovered enough composure to do his job.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Merry watched from the doorway of the barn as the kids sat around the picnic tables, eating lunch beneath the shade of the big oak tree where she and T.J. had shared that incredible rain-soaked kiss only two days ago.

  It felt like a lifetime.

  Since Wednesday, she’d become hopelessly tangled up with him, so much so that she had done her rounds with Ralph at the hospital a day early so that she could spend the rest of the afternoon here at the farm with him and Noah, then she was bringing T.J. with her to The Watering Hole tonight to see her dad play.

  That felt like a lot more than casual sex, but she was loving every minute. So what if she enjoyed his company? Hopefully the fact that she genuinely liked him would make it easier to walk away on friendly terms.

  At the picnic table, Jules chattered a mile a minute about how her parents were taking her to see the Fourth of July fireworks tomorrow night for the very first time. Lucy listened and smiled in between bites of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Parker ignored the girls, bouncing in his seat as he maneuvered an action figure around in his potato chips. Across from him, Noah sat quietly, eating grapes.

  He’d be having his real lunch in a little while with Merry and T.J. when they took the horses for a picnic trail ride down to the stream. She couldn’t wait. T.J. had even given Peaches the day off from lessons so that her legs would be sound enough for the ride.

  Merry was hoping the extra time with Noah would give her a chance to find out why he was stealing from her purse and lying to his mother. This was a child who never disobeyed, never misbehaved. Whatever had happened was something he didn’t feel comfortable talking to his mother or uncle about. That left M
erry.

  She was determined to gain his confidence and help him before his problem got any worse. Because lying and stealing never led to anything good.

  T.J. came up beside her. “I peeked inside the picnic basket Amy dropped off. I saw homemade blueberry bread.”

  “Mmm. That sounds heavenly. She really didn’t need to cook for us though.”

  “She loves baking, and when I mentioned taking Noah for a picnic this afternoon, she insisted on providing the food.” He shrugged. “Which is probably best, since I’m not much of a cook.”

  “You don’t have to cook for a picnic. Sandwiches, fruit, drinks. Not that I’m complaining about the homemade blueberry bread.” But she was feeling rather inadequate that T.J.’s sister had provided their picnic. Merry was entirely unsuited for domesticity. Her idea of a home-cooked meal was a TV dinner.

  “I never complain when someone gives me food.”

  “Good point. I was thinking Ralph and Amber could come along with us.”

  He looked down at her. “Really?”

  “They both mind well off leash. I think they’d enjoy it.”

  “I don’t know.” His brow furrowed. While he’d loosened up around the dogs in camp, he was still distrustful of them in general. She wanted to fix that too, before camp ended.

  “It will be fun. Trust me.” She patted his arm.

  “If you lose one, I’m going to say I told you so.”

  “I won’t lose one.”

  Not one of the dogs anyway. But the stubborn cowboy and his troubled nephew? That was a different question entirely.

  * * *

  Merry gripped the saddle horn and watched them run. Ralph darted in and out of the brush, ears flying in the breeze. Amber trotted behind him, tongue lolling, tail up.

  In front of Merry, Noah rode Peaches. T.J. and Tango led the way. She tipped her face toward the sun and breathed in the fresh air. It really was infectious. She still hated being sweaty and dirty, but wow, the warm scent of earth and wildflowers, the rhythmic gait of the horse beneath her, the soft clop of hooves against the earth. She could see how it got inside a person and refused to leave.

  “Everyone okay back there?” T.J. called over his shoulder.

  “Perfect,” she answered.

  “Noah?”

  “Good,” he answered in a small voice.

  The boy looked solid as an oak in that saddle. His uncle had obviously taught him well, and camp had improved on his already admirable horsemanship skills.

  The path widened, and Merry nudged Twilight up beside Peaches. The mares nickered to each other. “You think you’ll work with horses when you grow up, like your uncle and your granddad?”

  Noah shook his head. “I’m going to be a mathematician and have a lot of dogs.”

  “Oh, I like that plan. Maybe you’ll foster a few for me.”

  He nodded. “I want to save all the good dogs like Amber from the shelter.”

  “You and me both, kiddo.”

  Noah looked over at her and smiled, and Merry felt an uncomfortable pinch in her heart.

  “Promise you’ll stay in touch after camp’s over, okay? You can come play with my dogs any time.”

  “Okay.”

  T.J. rode ahead of them, silent through the conversation, but now he turned to give Merry a deep and searching look that made her stomach quiver. She hoped she could stay in touch with Noah, hoped she’d see him blossom past this socially awkward stage and come into his own, hoped maybe her dogs could help with that.

  And she still hadn’t given up on the idea of T.J. keeping Amber. She hadn’t mentioned it to him yet. He wasn’t ready, but she’d broach the subject before camp ended. It would be so perfect for all three of them. Amber could keep her happy farm life, Noah could keep the dog he’d bonded so deeply with, and T.J., well, he’d be taking a step past his fear and distrust of shelter dogs.

  They reached the clearing by the stream. Ralph leaped in and hopped around like a frog. Amber stood at the edge of the water and watched, then dipped her head to lap from its silvery surface. The horses followed them in for a splash and a drink.

  T.J. led Tango back onto the grass and dismounted. He looped the horse’s reins over a nearby tree and took their supplies from his saddlebags. Merry followed with Twilight. T.J. helped her and Noah off their horses and left all three in the shade of the tree, happily munching grass.

  Merry busied herself spreading out the blanket and arranging their picnic. Amy had sent chicken salad sandwiches, blueberry bread, fruit salad, cookies, and lemonade. Merry decided she needed to stay friends with her too, because wow, that all looked and smelled amazing.

  Noah sat beside her. She handed him a plate, and he filled it quietly. He helped himself to a big slice of blueberry bread, then carefully picked all the blueberries out of the fruit salad and lined them up on his plate.

  Merry smiled as she watched.

  “Look up there by the tree line,” T.J. said as he dropped down beside his nephew. “See that red-tailed hawk? Wonder what he’s hunting.”

  Noah fiddled with the blueberries on his plate.

  Merry bit into her sandwich. Poor T.J. He seemed to have an especially hard time communicating with Noah, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe he just tried too hard.

  “Think it’s a mouse?” T.J. asked. “Could be a mole, or a lizard even.”

  Noah popped a blueberry into his mouth. Amy had mentioned once that round foods were his favorite. No doubt why she’d included blueberries and cookies in their picnic.

  After they’d eaten, T.J. went to tend to the horses, and Noah followed the dogs into the stream. Merry curled her feet underneath her and watched them. Ralph hopped and splashed while Amber lay at the water’s edge to cool herself.

  Noah rolled his cargo pants up and fastened them at his knees, then waded out to the middle of the stream. He bent and searched beneath rocks, looking for whatever little boys loved. Bugs? Fish? Frogs?

  Merry shuddered. Pretty much anything that lurked beneath the slimy rocks at the bottom of a stream ought to be left alone as far as she was concerned. But this was a prime opportunity to bond with Noah so she rolled up her jeans and followed him in.

  “What are you looking for?” she asked. The water rippled around her legs, making her toes seem to wiggle like snakes. Snakes! There weren’t any snakes in streams like this, were there?

  She cringed, curling her toes under her feet.

  Noah grabbed at something and held it up proudly, a little lobster-like creature that wriggled and pinched its claws in her direction.

  “Holy sh—” Merry clapped a hand over her mouth. There were things like that in the stream? That might be worse than a snake.

  “It’s a crawfish,” Noah said. “It won’t hurt you.”

  Ralph stuck his fool face at the thing, and it pinched at him. He jumped back just in time, then bounced in the water and tried to sniff it again.

  “Not too smart, Ralph,” she said.

  Noah put the crawfish back in the water, and it scampered away. Merry’s toes cringed.

  “There are fifty-two different colors of Legos,” Noah said.

  Merry smiled. She’d noticed he often recited Lego facts when he was trying to start a conversation. “You know a lot about Legos.”

  “I have two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three, counting the ones at my house and here at Uncle T.J.’s.”

  “That sounds like quite a collection. You and Amber did great today with that stay. I had a feeling she’d outlast all the other dogs.” She gave Noah a friendly nudge, and he beamed.

  “She’s smart.”

  “So are you. What do you think of the other kids in camp?”

  He shrugged.

  “Your mom was telling me about your new friend, Brendan.”

  Noah stooped to peek beneath another rock.

  “My best friend when I was your age was a girl named Britney. She and I hung out after school almost every day. She lived right down the stre
et, just like you and Brendan.”

  Noah nodded. “We play Legos a lot.”

  “I had a lot of Legos when I was a kid too. My favorite thing was to see how tall I could stack them before they fell down.”

  “A hundred and fifty-three,” Noah said.

  “What?”

  “A hundred and fifty-three bricks. That’s my tallest.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I can’t remember mine, but that sounds pretty tall.”

  He nodded and turned over another rock. Merry said a silent prayer that he didn’t uncover another creepy-crawly stream dweller.

  “One time, Britney and I snuck out of her backyard and went down the street to these big cement pipes we’d seen there for construction work. We played in there for hours until my mom came to get me, and Britney’s mom realized she had no idea where we were. We both got grounded for a week.”

  “A whole week?” Noah looked up with wide eyes.

  “Yep. You and Brendan ever break the rules when you’re together?”

  He shook his head emphatically while flipping over another rock. He lunged after something, and Merry winced. Whatever it was got away, but Noah kept his back to her.

  “I had another friend when I was about your age, Tabitha. She liked to break the rules, and she was always trying to get me to do things I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want her to stop liking me either, so sometimes I did them.”

  “That’s not a nice friend,” Noah said.

  “No, but it’s hard to see that while you’re still friends with them. Being a kid is really tough, Noah. It’s not an easy gig. And kids can be mean. Sometimes it’s hard to talk to your parents or your family about it. I can’t ground you, right? And I give pretty good advice.”

  He stared at her for a long beat in silence, and she held her breath.

  “Will Amber live with you after camp?” he asked.

  “Until she finds her forever home.”

  He swiped his hands against his pants. “I wish she could be mine, for keeps.”

  Oh, Noah. “I wish that too.”

  He turned away and poked underneath another rock. Her feet were tingling by this point, terrified of a creepy creature shooting out from under one of those rocks and biting them. She stuck it out another minute in case he had anything else to say, then sloshed her way to the shore.