Authors: Lorraine Nelson
They had both worked hard in the intervening
years—her to establish a business and bring up the girls, and him helping to
run the ranch and make it the most profitable cattle ranch in the province.
They deserved this time together. He found respite from the world in Lacey’s
arms and hoped she felt the same.
den, secretly glad he’d had the foresight to install a lock on it. He locked it
now to ensure their privacy and turned to Lacey.
This room faced the back of the property, the
only light coming from the full moon as it made its ascent. Her body immersed
in the silvery rays, Lacey appeared almost incandescent, as if lit by an inner
glow.
She reached to pull her sweater over her head,
but he stalled her with a hand on her arm. “Allow me.”
He cradled her in his arms for a moment,
relishing in the delight of having her near. Then he kissed her again, reawakening
the passion that was forever lurking beneath the surface. As they kissed, he
worked his hands up under her sweater, locating her breasts and giving them a
gentle squeeze before cupping them lightly and running his thumbs over the
turgid tips. She thrust out her chest, pushing against his hands, wanting more,
and he gave it to her.
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her
into position in front of him. Then he pushed her sweater up and over her head.
“So beautiful,” he mouthed against her skin as he lavished kisses all over. He
suckled one nipple while massaging the other, squeezing and rubbing it between
thumb and forefinger before switching sides. Her hands tangled in his hair as
she held him tight and arched against him.
He couldn’t get enough of her. She tasted like
creamed honey, so sweet that he had to taste his fill even as one hand wandered
down to cup her delicate mound through her jeans. Lacey reached to undo the
snap and zip, pushing the material down over her hips. He stood and laid her
down on the bed to pull them off and hurriedly divested himself of his own
clothes. Down on his knees, he kissed her belly and then parted her curls to
delve into her warmth.
She was wet for him, her honey-sweet juices hot
on his tongue as he laved her clit and dipped it inside, causing her back to
arch off the bed. He settled her legs over his shoulders and suckled to his
heart’s content as she writhed and moaned in pleasure. Only when she’d climaxed
did he release his hold and rise to stand at the juncture of her thighs, her
legs still over his shoulders and her bottom clear of the bed as he plunged to
the hilt.
Her insides clenched around him at the invasion
and then relaxed, and he began to move, in and out in an age-old rhythm to a
song only they could hear. She met his moves, thrust for thrust, their bodies
sweat-slicked, their breaths coming in short, hard gasps as completion neared.
Her hands were soft as they traveled over his skin, played with his nipples,
and rested on his ass to pull him ever closer…deeper. When he felt her insides
clench in readiness, he reached beneath her and pulled her upper body toward
his, capturing her lips in a mind-blowing kiss as sensation washed over him in
waves. Her scream of pleasure vibrated against his tongue but was silenced by
their kiss as he continued pumping in and out, draining them both.
The only sound in the room was their harsh breaths as they struggled to take in
much-needed air. He was almost asleep when Lacey moved beside him.
“What is it, love?”
“I need to get dressed and go to my room. As
much as I’d love to spend the night with you, I don’t want to fall asleep and
be discovered coming out of here in the morning.”
“Would that be so bad?” he asked softly,
brushing the hair back from her face so he could see her eyes, see the emotion
displayed there.
“Yes, I’ve tried to teach the girls not to
repeat my mistakes, and them finding us together like this…well, it just doesn’t
seem right.”
“You think our love was a mistake?” His voice
was gruffer than he intended, but he couldn’t help it.
“
is a minister of the church. Do you realize how hard it was for him to accept
that I hadn’t saved myself for marriage? How difficult it would be to explain
to the girls now? Loving you wasn’t the mistake, but sleeping with you was.”
“Everything would’ve, could’ve been so much
different if you’d gotten a message to me before you left.”
“There wasn’t time.”
“Wasn’t enough time to write a quick note and
leave it at reception in your hotel? You knew I’d go there looking for you.”
“Yes, but honestly, when I found out my uncle
had died, my only thoughts were for my family. It wasn’t until we were on our
way home that I realized you didn’t have any way to contact me. I’ve paid the
price for that, believe me.”
“Yes, I suppose you have, but we can’t go back, love.
We can only move forward.”
She rose on one elbow and leaned in to kiss his
cheek. “And I think we’ve made a jolly good start on that.”
“This is only the beginning, Lacey. There is so
much more in store for us…as a couple and as a family. Is it too soon to ask
you to marry this old lonesome cowboy?”
“Oh,
have so many decisions to make before I could even think of answering that
question.”
“Such as?”
“Where would we live? Here?”
He nodded.
“And what about the bistro and our daughters?
What if they don’t want to stay with us? It would tear me apart to live on
separate continents.”
“Lacey, I’m a cowpoke, born and bred. You’ve had
a hard time raising the girls by yourself. You’ve done a fabulous job of it,
but now that we’ve found each other again, I’d like to make your life easier.
Would it be so difficult to give up your restaurant and live here with me?”
“No, that’s the easy part, even though it’s darned
cold in your country.” She smiled as she spoke and he knew she meant every
word. “I like your family, and I think I’d enjoy being your wife, but I have to
know what the girls’ intentions are before making any kind of commitment.”
“Fair enough. Now off to bed with you while I’m
of a mind to allow you to go.”
She kissed him again, on the lips this time, and
he held her close, not wanting to release his hold as they lay skin-to-skin and
their passion reignited. The world outside was beginning to lighten with the
start of a new day as she scrambled off the bed and into her clothes.
dressed, and made his way to the kitchen after she’d gone.
The world outside was blanketed in white, and
snow was still falling so thick that he couldn’t see the trees lining the back
edge of his yard. Drifts halfway up the patio doors told him they were snowed
in. Good! He needed this time with his girls. So far, the power was still on,
but he’d have to go out to the shed later and make sure the generator was
gassed up and ready to go just in case. For now, he brewed a pot of coffee and
took a mug full of brew back to the den. He’d work on the ranch accounts until
the girls came down or the power went out, whichever happened first.
****
Slightly sore from all the unaccustomed physical
activity, Lacey still had a spring in her step as she went quietly up the
stairs to her room. She showered and wrapped her hair in a towel, turban-style,
and then decided a soak in the huge whirlpool tub was just what she needed. She
turned the taps on, adjusted the temperature of the water, and grabbed a fresh
towel while waiting for it to fill. A glance toward the window had her rushing
over to look out, amazed at the amount of snow that had fallen overnight. And it
was still coming down. So clean and beautiful, but there was so much of it! Her
forehead tightened with a frown. How did the Mannings cope with this amount of
snowfall?
about it, she turned back to the tub and slid into its warm depths. The jets
pulsed decadently against her sore muscles and she relaxed. Memories of their
night together kept thoughts of
forefront of her mind.
He’d asked her to marry him! She hugged herself in
excitement. She’d loved him forever, and there was nothing she’d like better
than to spend the rest of her days with him. Maybe she should just go for
it—put herself first for a change. She’d think on it. A lifetime habit of
putting her girls first would not be easily overcome, although they’d be the
first to congratulate her.
All three loved their father. They’d accepted
his presence in their lives without hesitation, something she hadn’t expected
but was totally grateful for. It would make her decision to stay in Thunder
Creek so much easier. And she would stay. Lacey knew she couldn’t bear being
parted from him again. The first time left her yearning and hurting. The second
time left her with regrets for what might have been. This time she wouldn’t let
go.
Already the ranch, this house, felt like home.
Had
remembered them talking about so many things they’d had in common, among them
the different styles of houses and how she’d always loved the look of a log home.
The lights flickered, and she sat up to reach
for a candle in its holder at the corner of the tub. A book of matches rested beside
the base. She lit the candle and wondered if the power would go out. It did.
She enjoyed the glow from the candle and lit a couple more. The meager light
from the window was enough to see by, but she enjoyed the ambiance of
candlelight. The jets had stopped with the power outage, but the water was
still warm enough to soak in. She wanted to close her eyes and lean back more
comfortably, but she was afraid she’d fall asleep. Instead, she decided to step
out and dry off, maybe lie down for a bit of a doze. A knock on the bedroom
door interrupted her just as she crawled between the sheets.
“Mama, are you awake?” called Abby.
“Yes, but I’m being lazy. What do you need?”
“We’re snowed in and the lights went out. Dad has
coffee made, and he said you might want a cup before it gets cold.”
“Coffee sounds good. I’ll get dressed and be
right down.”
“Okay.”
Apparently
and went downstairs. Cam had a fire going in the fireplace, and the wood stove
was spewing forth heat when she arrived in the kitchen, but
“Good morning, ladies.”
“Good? What’s good about it? Dad says the power
is sometimes out for days.” Rena sat with her sisters at the table, a frown
marring her beautiful features as she stared at the patio door.
“Where is your father?”
“He went out to clear the steps and shovel his
way to the generator shed,” replied Lynne.
“Maybe we should get dressed and go help him,”
suggested Lacey.
“No, we offered, but he said to stay in where it’s
warm and keep the fires burning.” Lynne got up and put another stick of wood in
the kitchen stove. “I’ll go check the fireplace.”
“It was burning good when I came through just
now.”
“I’ll go check anyway. Grab yourself a coffee
and have a seat, Mama.”
Lacey sat at the table with her coffee and
noticed the girls were slightly preoccupied. “What’s up?”
Abby shrugged her shoulders and pointed to Rena
who was avidly watching the patio door as if she could see through the snow
drifted against it.
“Rena, are you all right?”
No answer. No sign that she’d even heard her
ask.
“Rena,” she said a bit louder, “what’s on your
mind this morning? Is the snow making you nervous?”
She slowly turned her head as if in a daze. “My
dream. He’s out there, Mama.”
“Oh, honey. No one could survive out there with
all that snow.” As soon as she’d said the words, Lacey knew she’d added to Rena’s
anxiety. “I mean, how would he get here?”
“What dream, Rena?” asked Abby as the lights suddenly
came back on. “Daddy must have gotten the generator going,” she said, her gaze
fixed on Rena as she waited for her answer.
“I dreamed a man died…out there.” Rena pointed
outside.
“Really? Anyone we know?”
Rena looked at her mother as if to ask her
permission to talk. Lacey nodded and Rena started explaining as Lynne walked
back into the room.
“So that’s why you pleaded a headache and came
home,” Lynne said.
“That guy was really obnoxious. Michael had his
hands full trying to keep Walt away from us,” said Abby.
“Yeah, but I think he was too drunk to listen.
When the bartender refused to serve him, he caused such a scene they had to
throw him out.” Lynne laughed. “It was kind of funny.”