“Except for when you fell into that cactus,” Mabel said calmly, continuing to eat her enchiladas.
“Now, Mabel, that don’t really count,” Ed protested.
They all laughed because Ed’s attempt to arrest a man a few years earlier had resulted in the man pushing Ed away, causing him to fall into a cactus. While not lethal, the removal of the cactus spines had been painful.
“Jess,” Cal said quietly as the laughter died, “being sheriff is who I am. As much as I love you, I can’t change that.”
He was pretending in front of his parents, Jessica reminded herself. He wanted them to continue to believe in the engagement, that’s all. But, oh, how his words took her breath away. Playing her role wasn’t difficult. She loved him with all her heart. “I know,” she whispered. “But I want you to be safe.”
He leaned over to brush his lips across hers. “I will be, baby. You’re stuck with me for the next fifty years.”
She stiffened her spine. “Do you think you’re getting away that soon, mister?”
“Okay, okay, we’ll make it seventy-five, but you’re driving a hard bargain, lady. I’ll probably
have to demand at least four kids to make it worth it.”
Mabel applauded. “I’d love four grandchildren.”
“Now, Mother...” Ed warned, “don’t mess in their business.”
“Oh, Ed Baxter, you know you’re just as excited about the grandchildren as I am,” Mabel argued.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing the patter of little feet again,” Ed admitted. “It sure was fun when Cal was little.” A reminiscent smile on his face almost brought a tear to Jessica’s eye. As a child, the only father figure she’d had was Ed, who had made her feel he loved her almost as much as he did Cal. She wanted that for her children. A father, a grandfather.
Cal smiled at his parents. “I imagine all of us would be happy about that, Dad. Just be patient.”
“Of course, son. The decision is yours and Jessica’s.”
Jessica trembled. How disappointed they were going to be when Cal told them the engagement had been a sham and there would be no precious babies.
CAL DIDN’T SEE Jessica the next day. It was the first day he hadn’t spent at least some time with Jessica since his accident. He missed her.
He called that evening to reconfirm their riding date. “You haven’t forgotten about tomorrow, have you?” he asked when she answered the phone.
“Tomorrow?” she asked. “What’s tomorrow?”
He could hear the teasing in her voice and played along. “Our ride. Remember?”
“Cal, are you sure you’re up to a ride?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m ready for it.” And a lot more, but
he wasn’t going to tell Jessica that now. “Mom is going to pack us a picnic lunch. All you have to do is show up, baby, looking as beautiful as usual.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she returned in a sultry voice.
“I’m counting on it.”
“Seriously, Cal, we probably shouldn’t ride long. Aren’t you still sore?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve ridden since you have. But we’ll take it easy. I’ll pick you up about ten. Okay?”
“Okay. But I could meet you at the ranch.”
“Nope. I’ll pick you up. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Baby?” he called softly before she could hang up.
“Yes?”
“You owe me a good-night kiss.” Then he hung up the phone.
He hoped she’d forgive him for the plans he’d made. But he couldn’t wait any longer.
CAL HAD A PROBLEM.
As sheriff, he was easily recognizable. Any move he made was carefully watched. Especially since his recent notoriety. Having stopped by the office, he put his hands on his hips and surveyed the officers on duty.
“Pete, can I see you a minute?”
The rookie officer jumped. He hadn’t enjoyed the lecture Cal had given him a few days ago about being overly zealous in passing out traffic tickets. Cal knew
he was worried he’d done something else wrong. He smiled to ease the young man’s fears.
Once they were inside the office, Cal ran his finger around the collar of his denim shirt. “Uh, Pete, I need a favor.”
Relief filled the young man’s face. “Sure, Cal, anything.”
Cal rubbed his chin. “This is a personal favor, and you can refuse, if you want.” He paused. “I need you to buy me some condoms.”
Pete stood still, as if waiting for something else.
“Well?”
“That’s it?” the young man asked cautiously.
“Yeah, that’s it.” When Pete acted as if he didn’t understand, Cal added, “Hell, man, everyone knows me. I might as well announce my intentions with a skywriter.”
“But...I mean, what do you usually do?”
“I buy ’em in Lubbock. But I don’t have time to go today and... Will you do it?” He wasn’t going to explain the urgency of his need.
“Well, sure I’ll do it, Cal. No problem.” The man started out of the office.
“Wait. Here’s some money.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“Great. Don’t...don’t tell anyone they’re for me.”
He felt like an idiot. He’d always had this problem.
When his father was sheriff, he knew word would get out if he bought condoms in town. Of course, his father had given him a talk about responsibility, but he hadn’t wanted to announce any personal plans to the town.
Betty knocked on his office door. “What are you still doing here? I thought you were taking the day off.”
“I’ll be gone in a few minutes. Any problems?”
“None that we can’t handle. Get yourself out of here before a problem walks in the door.”
Cal felt his cheeks heating up. “Not till Pete gets back. He’s, uh, running an errand for me.”
Betty gave him a knowing look, and Cal felt as if he’d been caught pulling the pigtail of the redheaded girl in the second grade.
“I’ll...I’ll go through my mail,” he muttered, sitting back down behind his desk and reaching for the stack of envelopes in his in-box.
“You do that,” Betty agreed with a grin. “I’ll send Pete in when he gets back.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Cal got up from his desk again. He was too edgy to worry about the mail. He had plans for today, big plans.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in.”
Pete walked in with a grin on his face. “You didn’t say what kind you liked, so I got—” He reached into the brown paper sack and Cal realized he was about to show him what he’d bought. Unfortunately, he’d left the door open and Betty was watching them.
Cal leaned forward and slammed the door. “I don’t care what kind. Thanks, Pete.”
“Here’s your change,” he said, holding out his hand.
Cal took it and vowed to drive to Lubbock soon to stock up on, uh, personal purchases.
For today, however, he had what he needed.
Now all he had to do was convince Jess to cooperate.
Chapter Fourteen
J
essica paced the floor of her living room, pausing to stare out the front window. She’d trained herself over the years to get used to not seeing Cal. Amazing how worthless all that training was now that they’d spent some time together.
Frowning, she noticed some clouds. She didn’t want anything to spoil their ride. She was looking forward to spending the day with her pretend fiancé.
In fact, she had big plans.
Yesterday she’d gone to the drugstore and made a purchase. She was glad Melanie wasn’t there to wait on her. Otherwise, she’d have been embarrassed. But she wasn’t going to trap Cal into marriage by an unexpected baby, in spite of Mabel’s plans.
But that didn’t mean she was going to keep her hands off him. After his accident, she’d realized she was going to make love with him at the first opportunity. And that decision had stayed with her.
In fact, she could think of little else.
Lying in Cal’s arms, being one with him, kissing him until her lips were numb with exhaustion, if that could ever happen, were all that filled her mind.
The sound of his truck alerted her to his arrival. Her stomach did a double flip. Okay, their engagement was a pretense, but she wanted some memories for her heart. Memories she would have as she lived out her life alone.
She opened her door, a smile on her lips, hoping Cal wouldn’t realize how nervous she was. If he did, he’d want to know what was going on.
He wasted no time.
“I missed you, baby,” he said, and swept her into his arms, his lips covering hers.
Oh, yes, she thought, and then she didn’t think at all. Her mind was overcome with rapturous sensations, and she enthusiastically cooperated.
“Whoa,” Cal finally said, breathing heavily as he set her away from him. “We’d better slow down or those horses aren’t going to get any exercise.”
Jessica put a smile on her face, but she was a little frustrated. He was more concerned about the horses than making love to her!
Never mind. She was patient.
“Of course. I’m ready.” She walked past him to his truck. A neighbor waved to her when she stepped outside. Obviously Cal’s kiss was for his benefit. And she’d hoped it was really because he’d missed her.
Cal didn’t seem inclined to talk once they were on their way, but Jessica asked about his day at the office and about his mother and father.
“Mom fixed a big lunch. She must think you’re underfed,” he said. “She made me promise to make sure you ate. Especially dessert.”
“Mmm, what kind of dessert?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me.”
She had another kind of dessert in mind, but she’d eat some of Mabel’s, too. She wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.
When they reached the ranch, she discovered Cal had their two horses already saddled. “I would’ve saddled my own,” she protested.
“Actually, I had Dad come out and help me. It still hurts to lift something heavy,” Cal told her. He pushed his Stetson back and grinned at her.
She smiled but worried that her plans were too ambitious today. What if it caused him pain? She took a deep breath. No, it would be all right. If he could ride, he could make love with her.
He loaded the food in two saddlebags and tied one on each saddle.
“Where are we going to picnic?”
“I thought we’d ride to the far side of ranch, near the old line cabin. Remember that big old tree we used to climb?”
“Of course I remember it. I almost fell out of that tree when I was seven.”
“That’s the one. I thought we’d picnic in its shade.”
Jessica looked up at the sky as she absentmindedly stroked Red’s nose. “I don’t see any sun.”
“It is a little cloudy now, but I’m sure it will change later. Did you bring a jacket just in case?”
“No, but my sweater should be warm enough.”
“Okay. Let’s mount.”
Soon they were riding across the pastures, as they had a hundred times over the years. The richness of their past only added to the wealth of their future.
She’d shared so much with Cal. Sharing the ultimate intimacy seemed the only thing to do.
She smiled at him as he turned to look at her. “Are you hurting?”
“A twinge now and then. Nothing important. Of course, my chest looks like someone painted it with yellow paint from kindergarten.”
“Is it still sore to the touch?”
“I don’t know. Betty doesn’t stroke my chest much.”
She sent him an exaggerated look. “I should hope not.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “And my fiancée has been ignoring me.”
“Really? I heard she’d taken good care of you.”
He reached out and pulled Red to a stop alongside Olé. Then he leaned over and kissed her. “I think you’re right.”
“Thank you. And for agreeing, said fiancée will do a little stroking after lunch.”
“After lunch?”
She nodded, noticing his sparkling eyes, their gray suddenly appearing silver.
“You know,” he said, “I feel hungry all of a sudden. Let’s have our picnic here.”
She laughed and took her reins again, urging Red forward. “I don’t think so. You promised me our favorite tree.”
But she was growing more optimistic about her plans. She didn’t think she’d have to work too hard at persuading Cal to make love.
CAL’S PULSE WAS RACING.
All he could think about was making love to Jessica.
He didn’t intend to let anything stop him today. It was time to take their friendship to another level.
“How are your parents doing?” Jessica asked. “Have they recovered from your accident?”
He looked at her sharply. “You heard them at dinner the other night. They understand.” After a pause, he asked the difficult question. “Do you?”
“I suppose.” She shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye. “You said it was a rare occurrence.”
“It is. Besides, I don’t try to run your business.”
“You told me I wouldn’t have time for marriage and a restaurant.”
He’d forgotten those rash words. “I was trying to encourage you to keep thinking about marriage. You’re the one who seemed to think it was one or the other. Do you still?”
She leaned forward to stroke Red’s neck, then sat back up with a sigh. “I don’t know. I couldn’t manage a lot of restaurants and have a family, but I don’t think I’d want a chain of restaurants again. I could manage one restaurant, as long as my...husband was flexible and helpful.”
“Hmm, a flexible husband. I haven’t heard of that variety,” he teased.
“Me, neither, but I think it’s up to the wife to train him.”
“Train? You make him sound like a puppy.”
She smiled and reached over to touch his arm. “No. But I believe both members of a marriage should communicate their needs and wants. I’m not into martyrdom, like some women.”
“Good. ’Cause if I get married, I want to know what makes my wife happy.” He hoped his plans for the afternoon would make his future wife happy. It was something he’d want to do over and over again.
He grinned at his thoughts, and Jessica raised an eyebrow in question. He shook his head and pressed his heels into Olé’s side for a little more speed. He didn’t want to wait any longer to feel her against him.
He could barely guide his horse, he was so busy watching Jessica. Her rear lovingly molded in her tight jeans, her breasts moving up and down. How he longed to cup them in his hands, feel their fullness. His body stirred even more, making him uncomfortable.
Damn, this ride was longer than he remembered!
Finally, they were approaching the tree they’d played in as children. Its low, wide branches had been perfect for their adventures.
He hoped his plans for today were going to work out. The package Pete had bought for him was in his hip pocket. He’d thought about slipping it into the saddlebags and letting Jessica find it, but he was afraid she’d be too shocked.
But life was too short to put off loving Jessica.
Just as they rode up the rise toward the tree, he heard the rumble of thunder. A quick look at the gathering black clouds told him he’d been preoccupied and hadn’t seen the storm approaching. They were going to have to adjust their plans.
“Jess, we’re going to have to take shelter. Head for the line cabin,” he ordered quickly.
She took a look at the sky and nodded in agreement,
urging Red toward the old shack. Cal’s father and the neighboring rancher had built it together thirty years ago, for just such instances as this.
They didn’t make it in time. The rain started pouring down in sheets, and when they reached the cabin they were soaked to the skin. Cal grabbed Red’s reins as Jessica swung out of the saddle.
“Get inside,” he yelled over the noise of the storm. “I’ll take care of the horses.”
There was a shelter behind the cabin for animals. He took both horses there and pulled their saddles off, using the saddle blankets to rub them down. Then he grabbed the saddlebags and dashed for the cabin.
Jessica had been watching for him and swung the door open as he arrived. Inside the cabin, he dropped the saddlebags on the rough-hewn table and shook himself.
“Wow. So much for the sunshine,” he said to Jessica.
She smiled and wiped off a rivulet of rainwater running down the side of his face. “I think we’d better get out of these wet clothes.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’m all for that.” In spite of his wet clothes and the cold, he heated up again.
“Behave.”
“Okay, at least until I get a fire started. I think the temperature is dropping.”
“Do we have any dry wood?” she asked.
“Yeah, back here,” he said, gesturing to a wood box that had been left full. It was a rule for anyone who used the place.
“Good.”
While he built a fire in the old stone fireplace, Jessica began taking the food out of the saddlebags. “Your mom did pack a lot of food.”
“Good, ’cause we may be here awhile. Is there anything there we can heat up to drink?” His gaze fell on her breasts, almost visible through the wet blouse, and he had difficulty concentrating.
“There are two bottles of water and four cans of soda,” she said, then sneezed.
“I think we’d better do what you suggested earlier,” Cal said, grinning, grateful for her sneeze.
“What was that?”
“Get out of our wet clothes.”
Since that action would only increase the likelihood of what Jessica had planned to pursue, she reached for the buttons of her blouse, all too eager to comply.
“Wait!” Cal said, jumping to his feet. “First let me find those old blankets we keep here.”
Jessica stared at him. After his injury, he hadn’t seemed interested in modesty. Was her seduction of Cal Baxter going to be harder than she’d thought?
She watched him as he found the blankets and shook them out. They were old and rough, but she supposed, if one were cold enough, they would be better than nothing.
He handed her one of the blankets. “I’ll be a gentleman and turn my back,” he said, offering her his place by the fire.
She said nothing, but she took the blanket and moved closer to the fire. Cal turned his back, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. Jessica made quick work
of stripping off her sweater. As she unfastened her jeans, she kept her eyes on Cal, admiring the way his broad back tapered to narrow hips. She wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to admire his physique.
Her jeans sank to the floor as his did, weighted down by the water. But she’d forgotten to remove her boots first, distracted by his unrobing. She hurriedly did so, knowing he was going to turn around quickly.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his back still to her.
“Just a minute,” she said as she discarded the jeans. She’d worn matching peach underwear, which she left on. As she picked up the blanket, she said, “Okay,” knowing he would catch sight of the peach ensemble. She wanted to whet his appetite.
Cal turned around, expecting to see Jessica wrapped in a blanket. Instead, he caught a delicious sight of peach silk barely covering her golden skin. Then the blanket fell into place and he began breathing again.
“Uh, are you hungry?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Sure. Breakfast was early this morning,” she confessed, a pleasant smile on her face, as if it didn’t bother her that they were alone and nearly nude.
Obviously she wasn’t as affected as he. Now he was really grateful for the blanket since it hid his outrageous response to her body. Without it he’d be embarrassed to face her, much less try to eat.