by Sable Hunter
Thunderstruck, Molly stared at Ten. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve presumed him to be jealous.
Tennessee shifted from one foot to another. “Slip of the tongue, means nothing.” Reaching out to take Molly’s arm, he guided her toward his horse. “You need to get off your feet.”
Molly struggled against him. “I don’t want to ride.” Meant nothing. She could walk back.
“Shush, you remember what the doctor said.” He mounted his horse, then clasped her around the waist and swung her up into the saddle by him.
“Let me down!” Sitting almost in his lap, Molly trembled. “We were just talking. I hadn’t walked far.” Tennessee rode off and Philip lifted a hand in farewell, an amused smile on his face.
Tennessee wrapped his arm around Molly, his palm cupping her belly. “If you’ll be good, I’ll give you a foot rub when we get back.”
“I don’t want one.” She was certain of that. Almost.
“We’ll see. Most everyone is gone down to Tebow to have dinner with our cousins in Kerrville. It’s always someone’s birthday. So, supper tonight is ‘everyone fends for himself’. Philip felt sorry for us and barbequed some chickens for us. I’ll fix sandwiches, bring them to your room and give you a foot rub.”
He almost sounded like he was looking forward to spending time with her.
Molly knew better. All she could figure out was that he was taking his promise to the doctor seriously. “You left your brother standing alone back there.”
“He’ll find his way home,” Tennessee assured her, completely unconcerned.
She tried to think of something to say – anything. “The Highlands is a very beautiful place, I know you’re proud.”
“I am. This will be our daughter’s legacy too, you know.”
“I know.” In truth, she’d been picturing her little girl running through the wildflowers. Molly wondered if she’d be welcome here when that time came. Being in Ten’s arms again was torture. She couldn’t lean back, because she didn’t want to give him the impression she was relaxing. She couldn’t lean forward because his big unmovable hand was anchoring her down. So she sat stiffly, attempting to pay proper attention to the cattle that grazed on either side of the trail. “I wasn’t flirting with your brother.”
“I know.”
* * *
As promised, Tennessee made sure she ate, bringing her a plate. She wondered if she were ever to be allowed to eat with the family. To be fair, last evening, the decision was hers. And tonight, if she wasn’t mistaken, he was attempting to be polite. It was hard to trust the nice things he did.
When he stayed with her to eat, they sat at the same table where she’d dined with the girls the night before. Molly was surprised she had an appetite. At Ten’s urging, she’d eaten two tacos and tonight, he’d brought her a sandwich brimming with thinly sliced tender chicken breast garnished with spring greens and a tangy sauce. She’d eaten every bite.
While he’d gathered up the dishes, she’d escaped to the bathroom to take the aspirin the doctor had ordered. Yes, she stayed a little longer, hoping he would leave. Once she heard him head downstairs, Molly took a quick shower and put on a sleep shirt, convinced he wouldn’t be back. Surely there were many things he had to do other than babysit his pregnant ex-wife.
To Molly’s surprise he returned in about ten minutes, entering her bedroom like he had every right to be there. “Sit down and put your feet in my lap.” Tennessee ordered as he sat, pulling her down beside him on the couch.
She looked at him like he was crazy but he ignored her glare, picked up her legs and arranged them on his lap. Slipping off her shoes, he examined each foot carefully. “I don’t see any swelling, that’s good.” Then he began to rub her feet, a massage so gentle she almost melted into a puddle of euphoria. “Feel okay?” All she could do was nod as his talented fingers kneaded the tops, his thumb applying exquisite pressure to her arch.
“Amazing,” she whimpered.
He chuckled. “You shouldn’t have been on your feet so long today.”
His touch was pure pleasure, so she tried to ignore the censure in his voice. As long as he kept rubbing, she’d let him talk. “I’m fine.”
“You have to take this seriously, Molly.” Ten’s expression was intense as he massaged the soles of her feet, making his way up to her toes. “I want to apologize to you about something.”
Molly’s whole body went rigid. An apology? “What about?”
“I should have just left a check or a credit card with you, I didn’t think. I should’ve realized you wouldn’t be able to pay for the items you needed, even if I offered to reimburse you for them later.”
“Oh yeah, I’m just made of money.” She made light of the situation, wiggling her foot so he’d know she wanted more.
He accommodated her unspoken request. “You’re made of something all right,” he cautiously teased. “Sugar, spice and everything nice.” He held her gaze as his hand strayed up her leg, with a long slow caress.
“Tennessee?” she asked, wondering what was happening.
Rising, he bent and unexpectedly picked her up.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking you to bed.”
When Molly jerked in his arms, he grasped her tighter so as not to drop her. “Relax, Reyes. I’m just going to give you a real massage.”
“I don’t need a massage.”
“Yes, you do.” Maybe she didn’t. But now that he’d had his hands on her again, he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Molly was almost in a panic, she didn’t know if she could endure his touch and not react in some way. “This is a very bad idea,” she grumbled, pulling on the hem of her shirt, trying to make it cover more of her than it did. But Ten didn’t play fair. After he laid her down, he knelt by the side of the bed and took her feet in his hands again, rubbing the souls and the arches. “We just did that.”
“Patience, I’m starting at the bottom.”
And working his way to the top was implied.
Almost methodically, he began kneading the muscles of her calves, his strong fingers caressing and stroking. Molly closed her eyes and tried to shut out the sensation, even clutching the sheet in desperation.
“Roll over, you’re tense.”
She wasn’t the only one, his voice sounded more strained than she’d ever heard it. Molly obeyed. She rolled over, nearly dying when he pushed her shirt up to expose her back. Her bottom was turned up, the only thing covering her body was a pair of tiny panties and her blouse bunched up at her neck.
Tennessee knew he had lost his mind. He’d set out to relax her, to assure himself she was all right. Walking so far and standing out in the heat like she had couldn’t have been good for her and the baby. In his mind, Ten thought if he could just get his hands on her, he could alleviate this sense of helplessness that pervaded his heart. Even knowing she’d betrayed him, he still felt this overwhelming responsibility for her welfare. Hearing the doctor speak of the serious possibilities if she didn’t take care of herself had almost been his undoing.
But holy hell, here he was touching her perfect body and he was so aroused he was shaking.
Her skin beneath his hands was the softest silk. She was so supple and smooth, he wanted to stretch out by her naked, touching and kissing her all over…the way he used to. As he massaged the muscles of her slim thighs, Ten felt his package expand until he knew the imprint of the teeth in the zipper of his fly was clearly etched on his cock.
Molly tried to be still. She sought to detach herself from the glory of Tennessee’s hands on her body. His fingers were magic as he massaged her back, rubbing her shoulders, tracing her spine. In response, she felt her nipples grow hard and her sex grow wet. Despite her great efforts, her hips undulated in a slight up and down motion, her legs parting in invitation. “Tennessee,” she moaned.
He took the sweet sound she made as approval. Doubling his efforts, he worked over every muscle he could reach, ev
en rubbing her arms and small hands. Soon he was panting from sheer unmitigated lust.
Molly felt completely boneless. She’d given a lot of massages in her day, and had received one or two from trainees – but this was a whole different ballgame. This felt so good, she was putty in his hands. For the first time in months, she could relax.
Tennessee went on as long as he could. Touching her was incredible, but he needed more. “Turn over, baby.” He was kneeling on one knee, his body shadowing hers. All he needed was her permission. “Let me love you.”
She didn’t move.
“Molly?”
He leaned over to look at her face.
She was sound asleep.
For a long moment, he drank her in. A sudden urge to kiss her came over him, but he didn’t. “Sleep well, sweetheart.” He stood, backed up and left.
Walking away from her wasn’t getting any easier.
* * *
Molly couldn’t sleep. Usually an early riser, it was nothing new to her to be up when the sun rose. After dressing in another pair of jeans and one of the tops Ten had packed for her, this one a peasant style with embroidery around the neck, she made her escape and went downstairs. Sneaking into the kitchen, she was grateful no one else was there. After a small debate with herself, she decided against a cup of coffee. The baby didn’t need caffeine. Instead, she poured a small glass of milk, drinking it over the sink. Hopefully, no one would mind.
Staring out through the window, she saw a light was on in the barn. Curiosity got the best of her and as soon as she rinsed out the glass and put it in the dishwasher, Molly slipped out the back door and made her way across the lawn by the gazebo toward the two story red wooden structure. Sounds of the morning met her, the lowing of cattle and the crowing of a rooster. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fragrant fresh air.
As she entered the half open door, an odd slurping sound met her ears. She followed the hay strewn path, walking between stalls that held horses munching on their hay. Toward the end, on the right, she saw a man kneeling down holding an oversize baby bottle for a small red and white calf to suck.
The little beggar was pulling hard on the nipple, grunting with every breath. After several sucks, he would butt upward, an apparent attempt to get the milk to flow more quickly. He was so cute, she giggled.
Jaxson heard the sound behind him, started to turn to look and almost lost his balance. Damn leg. “Molly!”
“Hello.” She eased up closer, her eyes on the cute calf. “You must be Jaxson.”
“Yes.” He watched her carefully. “You like little animals?”
“Oh, yes,” she said in wonder. “Can I come closer?”
Jaxson stood up awkwardly. “Hell, you can take over if you want to.”
With a huge smile, Molly got into position. “Like this?” She angled the bottle so the calf didn’t have to tilt his head up so high. “Oh, he likes it. Don’t you, boy?”
“You’re a natural and he’s a little glutton.” Jaxson always prided himself on being a good judge of character. And a person who loved animals always scored high in his book. “How are you feeling, Molly?”
Molly glanced hesitantly over her shoulder. “I feel better. I’ve been eating and taking lots of naps.”
“Good. You need to take care of yourself.” She was just a little bit of a thing.
“How often does he eat?”
“I feed him three times a day, he’d eat more if he could, but that’s plenty.” Jaxson leaned on the gate. “Where’s Tennessee?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Molly sat up on her knees, holding the bottle with both hands. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since last night.” Last night. The memory of Tennessee touching her made her heart rate go wild. The last memory she had of the evening was his hands on her.
Jaxson just grunted. Interfering in his brother’s affairs wasn’t a wise move.
In a few more seconds, the little bull had drained the bottle. Molly leaned over and kissed him between the eyes. “Good boy.”
“You probably shouldn’t do that, he might head butt you. He wouldn’t mean anything by it, they do their mother like that.”
“Oh, okay.” She stood up and handed Jaxson the bottle. He looked so much like Tennessee that it made her nervous. “Taking care of him must eat up a good chunk of your day.”
Taking the bottle, he walked over to a sink and rinsed it out, placing it upside down on a shelf to drain. “Yea, every time I get busy, I have to come back for a feeding. I’d turn it over to one of the men, but they don’t have a lot of patience with little things.”
“Could I do it?” She asked out of the blue. “I mean, I’m here for a while and I need to do something worthwhile.”
Jaxson studied his brother’s ex-wife. Her big doe eyes were innocent and full of sparkle. If she was guilty of what Ten said, he’d eat his felt Stetson. “Sure, if you want to.” He slapped his bad leg. “I understand about needing to feel useful.”
“I’m glad you’re doing better. As talented as you are, I’m sure this place couldn’t function without you.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Jaxson shifted uneasily. “So, you want to do this?”
“I sure do.”
“Great!” He showed her where the formula powder was kept and how much to mix with water. “What’s his name?”
“Anything you want to call him. Your choice.”
“I’ll see you later, Prince,” she promised the calf, giving him a pet.
“Prince?” Jaxson fought not to scrunch up his face.
“Yea.” She began to sing, “One day my prince will come.”
Jaxson just laughed.
“Thank you, Jaxson. I appreciate you very much.”
“Good morning.” Tennessee had come up behind them. Looking from one to the other, he asked, “What’s going on?”
Jaxson bit his cheek. Ten was so jealous, his eyes were turning green. “Molly’s gonna take over feeding the little bull.”
A rumbling noise came from Tennessee’s chest. “Do you think that’s wise?”
Molly put her hand on her hip. “I can’t just sit in the room all the time. I want to do something,” she protested. “Please?”
Jaxson started easing away, trying to give them privacy. He didn’t get very far.
“Wait up, Jax.” Ten called. “Is there any way she can do this through a fence? The calf will grow fast, Molly might get hurt.”
“Sure, we can fix a place so there’ll be a barrier between them.” He turned back to find a proper spot.
“Thank you.” For the first time, she felt a bit at home. Impulsively, she went up on tiptoe and hugged Tennessee. To Jaxson, she spoke next. “I’ll be back this afternoon and feed him again.” With that, she left them, returning to the house.
“Hand me that hammer,” Jaxson held out his hand.
Tennessee gave his brother what he asked for. “So, how did that come about?”
Jaxson hit a nail a few sharp blows. He’d cut what looked like a pet door in the fence with a hinged door so Molly could give the calf the bottle but he couldn’t reach her with his hooves. There was no danger now, but the little bull would grow fast. “She wandered in when I was feeding this little mite and asked if she could help.”
“I’m sorry if she bothered you.”
Jaxson looked at Ten like he was crazy. “I think the person she bothers is you, but not in the way you’re implying.”
Ten just snorted.
“How sure of her guilt are you?”
Sighing, Tennessee shook his head. “You can’t argue with black and white.”
Jaxson picked up his tools. “If I were in your shoes, I’d have made damn certain I was right.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ten challenged him, following his brother out into the morning sun.
Jaxson’s gait was uneven, but his voice was sure. “I don’t mean nothing more than what I said. I’d just be sure before I threw someone like her a
way.”
“I guess I could say the same about you and Tamara.” Tennessee threw back at him as he walked away.
Jaxson lifted a hand and waved his middle finger in the air.
Brothers.
Inside the house, Molly was drawn to the living room by laughter. Since Pepper’s outburst, Molly had stayed fairly clear of everyone. She didn’t want to be a source of contention in the family. But in light of her excitement over Prince, she felt empowered. Joining them, she saw the two McCoy girls bent over a sewing machine. “Hey, what are you working on?”
Ryder smiled, but it was Pepper who answered. “We’re trying to make this antiquated outdated beast work. It belonged to our mother.”
“We volunteered to make receiving blankets for newborns at the hospital,” Ryder explained. “We may have to go buy them. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be. We haven’t sewed much since home economics in high school.”
“I can sew fairly well.” Molly walked closer. “This machine is a little nicer and more complicated than I’m used to, but I could try.”
“Please do.” Pepper gave Molly her first smile and rose to give up her seat.
Molly sat down and checked out the mechanism. “Oh, I see what’s wrong. The thread is fed backwards through the needle.” Quickly she changed it, picked up the rectangle of soft pink material and sewed a straight seam. “How does that look?”
“Perfect!” Ryder exclaimed. “If we cut them, could you sew the seams?”
“Sure.” Molly agreed. They went to work and in a couple of hours, the blankets were finished except for some decorative bows that could be added later. As they’d worked, the girls shared simple conversation and soon they were laughing and talking like they’d known each other forever.
Molly ran her hand over the soft cloth. “If I get some material, do you think I could make some baby clothes?”
Ten’s sisters grew very quiet, looked at one another and squealed. “Yes!”
Relieved, Molly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “We found out yesterday it’s a girl.”