Trails of Love

by Melissa Foster

  Graham pulled Morgyn into his arms. “Never underestimate a Braden.” A coy smile appeared on his lips. “I just scratched Ask Morgyn to Marry Me off my bucket list.”

  She went up on her toes and kissed him. “Cracker, you just got a thousand times hotter.”

  “At least I’m heading in the right direction. The guitar only made me a hundred times hotter.”

  “You should see what getting her an extra piece of wedding cake will get you,” Brindle suggested.

  Graham took Morgyn’s hand and dragged her off the dance floor.

  Hurrying to keep up she said, “Where are we going?”

  “Dessert table, and if it’s empty, we’re hitting the bakery I saw on the way in.”

  TWO HOURS LATER, after they shared sugary kisses and danced until the band stopped playing, the wedding came to an end. Grace and Reed drove away in Reed’s truck with JUST MARRIED painted on the tailgate and noisy cans tied to the bumper. After saying goodbye to everyone under the stars and giving Pepper and Axsel extra hugs because they were both leaving town early the next morning, Morgyn and Graham made their way to his truck.

  “Hey, Braden!”

  They turned at the sound of Trace’s voice and found him with his arm around Brindle, heading for his truck.

  “We’re all heading over to JJ’s Pub,” Trace hollered. “You and Morgyn want to come?”

  Morgyn was elated that over the course of the evening her friends and family had gotten to know Graham. Trixie mentioned that Beckett had given him a hard time when they’d first met, but even Beckett was coming around.

  She turned to Graham, and the hungry look in his eyes told her the answer before she asked. Just in case she wasn’t reading him right, she said, “Do you want to go?”

  “Don’t take this wrong. I like your family and friends, but they don’t hold a candle to you, sunshine, and right now all I want is to finally kiss you like I’ve been dying to do all day.”

  Morgyn waved without turning around and hollered, “We’re good. It’s been a long day.”

  Sable brushed past them carrying her guitar and said, “Guess it’s going to be an even longer night.” She turned, walking backward as she added, “Nice to see you again. Hope you stick around for a while and live up to your new nickname.”

  Graham turned a curious gaze to Morgyn.

  “Don’t ask me. I have no idea what she’s talking about.” She looked at Sable and said, “What new nickname?”

  Sable unlocked the door to her truck and said, “Next in Line. Nice job catching the bouquet.” She laughed and climbed into her truck.

  “Your sister is awesome. She’s not afraid of anything, is she?” Graham asked as they came to his Land Rover.

  “Yes,” she said as he opened the door. “She and Brindle are both afraid of commitment.”

  “What is with you Montgomery girls?”

  “It’s not all of us. I don’t think Amber and Pepper have issues with commitment or marriage, and obviously Grace doesn’t.” Morgyn climbed into the truck, noticing the flower necklace she’d made hanging from his rearview mirror. Happiness wound through her as he settled into the driver’s seat.

  She touched the necklace and said, “You kept it.”

  “Yeah, I’m sentimental like that.” He leaned across the seat and drew her into a long, slow kiss. “At least when it comes to you.”

  He started the truck and she said, “To get to my house, you take a left out of the parking lot and then go through town. When you see the Marriott, turn left.” She knew he deserved an answer about why she wasn’t sold on marriage, so as he drove out of the parking lot she said, “Do you want to know why I don’t want to get married?”

  “I am curious.”

  “You brought up my parents’ marriage, and there’s no doubt that we have great role models. Around here, for whatever reason, couples seem to stay together. But I went to college at UVA in Charlottesville, and most of my friends had divorced parents. It kind of freaked me out. It made me wonder if I lived in this little bubble where everything is so focused on family, it helps keep couples together.”

  His brows knitted. “You don’t trust that whoever you fall in love with won’t love you outside of Oak Falls?”

  “Not exactly. I don’t know what it is, but I know that I want a love that will last no matter where we are. Our community focuses so much on family that even the idea of divorce is shocking. But in college, when I talked about Friday-night family jam sessions, when everyone goes to the Jericho barn to play music, or going to a pot-luck dinner hosted by Nana and her friends, people my age couldn’t relate. They couldn’t imagine wanting to hang out with their parents that much. And I get that, you know? My friends and I have our own parties and get-togethers without parents, but there’s something wonderful about those family events. Everyone’s so busy all the time, and none of us live at home anymore. It’s a time for us all to reconnect, and I know my parents reconnect with each other as much as they do with us, because during those events, they’re even closer than they normally are. I guess it made me wonder if those events, and being in a community where long marriages are the norm, help keep couples together.”

  She pointed up ahead and said, “Turn there, right before the Marriott. And then take the second right.”

  “I think I need to take you traveling with me, sunshine, so you can see the world from another perspective. Trouble isn’t caused by the effects of a bigger community on a marriage. Life is full of choices, from how you’ll bedazzle your boots to who you’ll let kiss you.” He followed her directions and turned down the road leading to her house. “If someone is going to fall out of love, it’s going to happen no matter where they live. For a lot of people it’s easier to move on than it is to work through a rough patch.” Graham glanced over with a serious expression. “You might not have more family events here than other places. Where I live we have parades and all sorts of family events, and I’m sure they’re offered in bigger cities, too. Your community is so small, it might only seem like you have the majority of residents attending. If you looked at statistics, you might find that the number of attendees in larger cities doesn’t differ much from your own, but because the size of the city is larger, it would seem like fewer people attended. But I bet if your parents lived in Washington, DC, Chicago, Illinois, or anywhere else, they’d seek out family-related events because it’s what they enjoy together. I don’t think it’s the location that changes love. It’s the people making the choices.”

  She thought about that as they drove down the long narrow road toward her house. “When you pass the mimosa tree, you’ll see a colorful mailbox. That’s my driveway.”

  “You live way out here alone?”

  “Mm-hm. My grandfather inherited the property from his father. He called it their hunting property, although they never hunted. That’s what his father had called it, because the two of them used to scour the land for interesting sights and treasures, so the name stuck. After the railroad stopped running, which was around when my grandfather retired, we would come out here and walk along the tracks. We found all sorts of cool stuff, and then we’d make things out of them in his barn. When he passed away he left the property to me and my siblings. Nobody wanted it but me. Grace moved to New York for college right after high school and didn’t come back until a few months ago. Sable lives above her auto shop. She’s a mechanic, by the way. Music is just a side gig for her. Pepper moved out to Charlottesville, and Amber is afraid to live this far away from everyone in case she has trouble. Medically, I mean,” she said as he turned onto her dark tree-lined driveway. “And Axsel travels all the time. But I couldn’t wait to live here. I built my house over summer break during my sophomore year of college.”

  “You built a house when you were in college?” he asked incredulously.

  “Mm-hm.”

  “How did you afford it?”

  “Bartering, of course,” she said as the woods fell away and her gorgeous property ca
me into view. Seven lush acres of woods, grass, flowering trees, and a beautiful little creek. Wild roses and other flowers sprouted up throughout the property. A mulched footpath led from the driveway to her 238-square-foot tiny house and to the greenhouse near her vegetable gardens and the barn.

  He parked at the end of the driveway and said, “Holy shit, sunshine. This is gorgeous. Your barn is adorable. It looks like a tiny house.”

  “That is my house. The barn is way back on the property and four times the size of my house.”

  “You live in a tiny house?” He leaned across the console and pulled her into a toe-curling kiss. And then he brushed his lips over hers and said, “Sunshine,” with so much emotion, it sent a rush of adrenaline through her. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you just got a hundred times hotter.”

  She laughed at his throwing her own words back at her. “Only a hundred?”

  “You haven’t invited me inside yet.”

  “Mr. Braden,” she said seductively, “would you like to come inside my tiny house?”

  “Inside the house, in the yard, and anywhere else the feeling hits us.”

  He reclaimed her lips, devouring her so intensely, she tried to climb over the console to get to him.

  “Forget a hundred times hotter,” he said in a husky voice. “You just broke a million.”

  THEY STUMBLED INTO her adorably rustic tiny house in a tangle of gropes and hungry kisses. They toed off their shoes and stripped off their clothes as they ascended the narrow staircase that led to a loft above the kitchen, ducking at the top of the stairs to keep from hitting their heads on the angled ceiling. Morgyn wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lowered them both to the mattress, which was on the floor. Just like his.

  “God, sunshine,” he said between hungry kisses. “How can I possibly miss you this much?” He rained kisses down her neck. “I feel like we’ve been apart for years, and we’ve known each other only a few days.”

  “Spiritually, we’ve known each other much longer,” she panted out as he kissed his way south. “Our paths—”

  She gasped as he took her breast in his mouth, and arched beneath him, moaning as he teased the taut peak, then sucked it into his mouth. His hands moved eagerly over her body, loving her softness against his hard frame. He lavished her other breast with the same attention, and then he took his time memorizing every dip and swell as he tasted and nipped his way down her body, learning every luscious spot that earned a sinful noise or a gasp of pleasure. He splayed his hands over her thighs, trailing kisses over her inner thighs. Her fingers curled into the covers as he lowered his mouth between her legs, taking his first taste of her.

  “Oh…Graham,” she said breathlessly.

  He lifted his gaze, drinking in the pleasure on her face as he loved her. Every slick of his tongue brought another sweet sound, a bite of her lower lip or a rock of her hips. Reading her like a map, he loved her harder when she moaned or grabbed his hands, her nails cutting into his flesh. When she pleaded, “There, there, there,” he eased his efforts, drawing out her pleasure. The way she writhed and mewled, angled and guided amped up his arousal. He ached to be inside her, to become as close as they had been at the festival. He dipped his fingers into her slick heat, earning a long, surrendering moan, and he used his mouth to send her over the edge. A string of erotic sounds rang out from her lungs as her inner muscles pulsed and her body quivered. She was so beautiful, he could barely control himself. When she sank back to the mattress, he moved up and over her, taking her in a rough and wild kiss as he clutched her ass, his cock perched at her entrance.

  “You’re protected?” He needed to make sure he hadn’t dreamed that when they were at the festival.

  “Yes.”

  She rocked up at the same moment he thrust forward, burying himself to the root. They both groaned, clinging to each other. He touched his forehead to hers, eyes closed, and whispered, “My God, sunshine…” There were no words for the immensity of his emotions.

  “I know,” she said. “I feel it, too.”

  They moved slowly at first, savoring every second of their coupling. Their bodies were in perfect sync, and their kisses quickly turned fierce, more possessive. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and just when he was sure he’d lose his mind, she tore her mouth away and her eyes slammed shut. His name flew from her lips like a plea—“Graham!” He slowed his pace again, keeping her at the peak even as she begged for more, clutching at his arms, his shoulders, anywhere she could find purchase. Every graze of her nails and every thrust into her tight heat sent a bolt of lightning down his spine. He was stuck between heaven and hell in the most blissful torture of all, staving off his own release to enjoy hers. Lust coiled tight and hot inside him like a viper ready to strike, until he was shaking with restraint. Unable to resist for a second longer, he drove into her harder, kissed her rougher, and followed her over the edge. His world spun, careening on its axis as pure, explosive pleasure tore through him. They clung to each other through the very last quake of their releases, gasping and panting as they collapsed to the mattress.

  He buried his face in her neck, kissing her warm flesh and wondering how in the hell his life would ever feel complete without her by his side.

  Chapter Eight

  BRINDLE SWORE THAT if Morgyn ever had a man spend the night in her tiny house, she’d wish she had more space. But Morgyn and Graham had woken with the sun, their bodies still intertwined, and it was the most glorious feeling Morgyn had ever experienced. When they were together, everything felt right. Waking up in Graham’s arms, his breath warming her skin and his body cocooning hers, was as wonderful as their lovemaking. Co-showering had been a little tight, but that had made it even more enjoyable, and there was no risk of knocking over tiled walls like there was in the flimsy shower at the festival. A shudder of heat tiptoed down her spine with the memory of his slick body against hers. Now music streamed from Graham’s phone as he cooked breakfast and she sketched at the bar. He stood tall and relaxed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt stretched over his broad back and narrow waist, bopping his head to the beat, his hair still damp from their shower. Her rust-colored kitchen might have been small, but it was efficient, with an under-the-counter refrigerator, shelves instead of cabinets along the back wall, and hanging hooks for pots against the wall that adjoined the bathroom. The window above the sink let in plenty of natural light, and the bar offered ample counter space. The apartment-sized stove was perfect for how little she cooked. Brindle was wrong, she decided. Her tiny home was perfect for the two of them.

  “Sure you don’t want eggs, sunshine?” He glanced over his shoulder, gracing her with the dimples that made her melt.

  She shook her head. “Unless eggs is code for a kiss.”

  He sauntered over, leaned across the bar, and kissed her. His lips were soft and warm. He touched her wrists as he rubbed his nose along hers. The intimate move felt familiar and special.

  “What are you drawing?”

  “A necklace I’m thinking about making using pieces of the toy trains we bought in Romance.” She turned the notebook toward him and showed him how she’d connect the three wheels in a triangular pattern and set a jewel in the center. “I have some tracks in my workshop, and I’m thinking about threading the chain through them, one on either side midway up the necklace so it’s a little more substantial.”

  “It’s amazing how you can see a toy train and come up with a necklace.”

  “It’s amazing to me how people can’t.”

  “That’s what makes you so special.”

  As he ate breakfast, Morgyn let her mind play with the idea of a future with Graham. Could they always be this happy? She knew she was getting way ahead of herself, but why shouldn’t she? The universe had brought them together. It would be a cruel joke to give her such immense joy only to break her heart.

  He washed the dishes and said, “I have to meet Reed at eight, but I’d love to see your workshop and your deer garden.�
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  “You remembered.” She slipped off the stool in her summer dress and he pulled her into his arms.

  “How could I forget? Your eyes lit up when you told me about it.”

  Well, that filled her with all kinds of goodness. And the kiss that followed felt even better.

  She grabbed her cowgirl boots from beside the front door and sat on the futon to put them on, watching Graham check out the funky blanket hanging over the back, and her colorful throw pillows. He crouched beside the coffee table, which she’d made out of a shutter using the iron base from an old end table.

  “Did you make this?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She popped up to her feet and said, “The shutter is from a house that burned down. The family had to rebuild, so I snagged it.” She tapped her toe on the wide-planked hardwood. “The floors are teak. One of my father’s friends owns a construction company. They were replacing the floors at a monstrous house in Meadowside because these were scuffed and worn. I traded for babysitting their granddaughter. My father and I sanded and laid the floors. We used something we got at the flooring company in town to fill in the deepest grooves. I think they came out pretty good.”

  “They’re better than pretty good. They look great.” He glanced at the stairs and the loft railing. “Repurposed barnwood?”

  “Yup. Our friends renovated their barn and built an apartment upstairs. They were happy to give it to me.” She waved at the walls and said, “I worked over Christmas break to pay for the lumber for framing. I bought the siding and shingles on Craigslist. And you probably noticed that the windows and door are odd sizes. They were custom orders a family purchased for their pool house, and then they changed their minds. I made their daughter’s class costumes for a play in exchange for them. I bought all of the appliances secondhand. And the guys you met last night? Trace, JJ, Beckett, Chet, and the others? They all pitched in to help me build the house. But I helped every step of the way, from digging footings to hammering nails. It cost me about twenty-two thousand to build, and that’s already paid off.”