Authors: Jennifer Ryan
She dressed quickly, sat on the blanket, and put her own socks and boots back on while he cleaned up the food wrappers and packed up the containers. He tapped her in the shoulder with a water bottle. She took it, noting he didn't really look her in the eye. She hoped by the time they got back to the ranch he'd have it all worked out in his head.
Rory packed up the rest of their supplies and readied the horses. It gave her a minute to think about being a mother. She'd thought about it in the abstract. She loved kids, and babies especially. She placed her hands over her lower belly and smiled, the image of a tiny blond-haired hazel-green-eyed bundle in her arms who looked just like his daddy filled her mind. The spark that image flared to life in her heart grew until her chest ached with wanting it.
She turned to Rory, spotted him staring at her. He held the reins to both horses. God, the man couldn't look more gorgeous in jeans, boots, and that black Stetson. His eyes narrowed on her and she smiled, because deep inside she was happy. Under all the grief about her father's passing, the worry she always carried for Connor, and the uncertainty about her future, she couldn't deny the well of happiness building as dreams of her life with Rory and their child sprouted and bloomed in her heart and mind.
She closed the distance between her and Rory.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice soft with concern.
“Honey, I'm fine. You brought the condom. You used it. What happened isn't your fault. Until we know for sure, don't dwell on what was nothing more than an accident, or fate.”
He gave her another of those silent nods that said nothing, but spoke volumes. She took her reins, planted her foot in the stirrup, and raised herself up into the saddle. Her horse danced sideways.
“Careful,” Rory warned, his grip tight on the horse's bridal, steadying the horse.
By the time they rode into the ranch driveway, the silence between them had grown deafening. Rory dismounted and walked to her. He grasped her hips and pulled her from the horse, setting her gently on the ground. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he stared down at her for a long minute, then turned and pulled the blanket and lunch sack from his horse.
“You two have a good time?” Ford asked.
“Great,” she said.
“Sure,” Rory said, still stuck in his head. Rory handed her the supplies and turned to walk the horses
into the stables. “Take that up to the house. I've got work to do. I'll be in later.”
“Uh, did you two have a fight, or something?” Ford asked. “I haven't seen him like this in a while.”
“No, something else,” she said, her gaze locked on Rory's retreating back. “Hey,” she called out to him. “Come back here.”
Rory stopped in his tracks and looked at her over his shoulder. She dropped the blanket and bag on the ground and planted her hands on her hips, staring him down.
Ford ran forward to take the horses' reins Rory held up to him. Rory walked back to her and stopped three feet in front of her. “What?”
“Is that how you say goodbye to me now? No kiss. No âSee you soon, sweetheart.'”
“Sadie, I have to get the horses settled. We'll talk more later.”
She swept her hands out, indicating the ground in front of her. “Do you feel the bricks you're laying between us? I can barely breathe for the suffocating silence. Don't do this. Don't be the quiet, distant guy I thought you were. Be my Rory.” She couldn't hide the tremble in her voice or the sheen in her eyes.
He rushed her, wrapping his arms around her waist, lifting her right off her feet, and kissing her like he did when he made love to her, like she was his everything. His mouth softened over hers and he took the kiss deeper, sliding his tongue along hers. He tilted his head, melded his mouth to hers and held her tight with his arms banded around her back. He kissed her again and again until she placed her hands on his cheeks and pressed her forehead to his.
“It's all right, honey. Everything is fine. Make me a promise. Until I tell you one way or the other, let's go back to the way things were. No worrying about what might be. Please.”
“I'll try, but I want to know as soon as you know.”
“I'd never keep something like that from you.”
“I know.”
“For now let's do the same thing we've been doing. We stick together. We keep working on us.”
“Us.”
“Yes. Us. You and me.”
“I like that.”
“Good. I'm starting to like you again.”
That made him smile. “You like ordering me around.”
“It worked. I got my kiss.”
“All you had to do was ask.”
She eyed him. “Right. Go do your work. I've got to finish an assignment for school. I'll see you at dinner.”
Rory kissed her softly on the lips, lingering for a long moment, hoping that extra time he took showed her how much he loved her because even now he struggled to find a way to actually tell her.
He kissed her one last time, set her back on her feet, handed her the things she'd dropped, and watched her walk away. He hoped she didn't ever leave for good.
Rory walked into the stables. Ford stood just down the aisle brushing down Sadie's horse.
“What did you do to upset her?”
Rory rubbed his fingers over his lips, remembering their kiss and all they shared this afternoon. He hadn't meant to upset her. “Nothing. Something happened. It was no one's fault.” He believed that, but still the consequences
weighed on him. “I went quiet on her, and she didn't like it.”
“She's the best thing that ever happened to you. Don't fuck this up.”
“Thanks. I'll take that under advisement.”
“Seriously, she's perfect for you. She told
you
to come back to her.” Ford's broad smile made Rory smile back. “That chick's got balls.”
“No, well yes, but mostly she knows I'm at her beck and call.”
“Then why the tension?”
“Leave it alone for now. We'll work it out.”
“Do it fast. With everything going on with her family, she needs to know she can count on you when things get crazy again.”
“Did something happen?”
“No, but I'm sure it will with her brother on the loose.”
Ford was probably right. Sadie had just lost her father. Her brother was wanted by the cops. The DEA was breathing down her neck. He'd overreacted about something they'd tried to do right, but went wrong. Or maybe it didn't. She might not be pregnant at all. But the thought of having a baby with her didn't scare him. It didn't faze him in the least. In fact, as much as he'd fought the idea because of his granddad's prodding, the thought of a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed little girl made him unexpectedly thrilled.
“There's something wrong with your face.”
“What?” Rory cocked his head at Ford.
“You're smiling. What are you thinking about?”
A wife. Not any wife, Sadie. Babies. A life here on the ranch that was more than hard work, but raising a
family. He and his brothers used to run wild on this land. He'd love to see his kids, Ford's, and Colt's running around, riding the horses, playing and having fun.
“Sometimes, things happen that you want but didn't plan on happening right now. It's all good. At least, I hope it will be.”
He'd wanted more time with Sadie, to grow closer to her, solidify their relationship and let it build into something lasting. Now, the stone in his gut felt as if everything was on a nine-month timetable. Sooner than that really. If she was pregnant, he needed to put a ring on her finger, marry her, and prepare for their child to arrive.
“She's really nice and thoughtful. She believes in doing the right thing. I'm sure you two can work it out.”
Ford's words hit home. Would she marry him and be his wife and a mother to their child because it was the right thing to do, or because she loved him and wanted to make a life with him?
The question ate at him for the next couple hours while he caught up on work with Ford.
Rory walked into the house and smelled the chili Sadie had cooking on the stove. She took such good care of them, the house, her father and brother. Him. And he might have just given her someone else to take care of, too, just when her life was her own now, and she only had to look out for herself. Great. After the day he'd had, he hit the landing, worked up into a mass of tight muscles and a pounding headache.
S
adie set her
laptop on the bedside table, stuffed her papers in a folder, stacked it on her textbook, and
set them aside, too, just as Rory walked in the bedroom door.
“Hey, honey, all done working?”
“Yeah. You?”
“For now. I have some work to do on one of my papers, but it can wait until tomorrow.”
Nothing. Not a word. He stood there staring at her, his face a mask, hiding his thoughts and feelings. He'd fortified those walls she broke down earlier when he went quiet on her the first time. She loved him. She thought maybe he loved her, too. She hated to see him retreat on her again.
“Rory, honey, why are you looking at me so hard?”
He started and finally focused on reality and not the deep thoughts that stopped his tongue and made him so distant. “Sorry. Uh, I need to shower. I'll be down for dinner in a few.”
She tipped her head and studied him. From the set of his mouth, the tic in his jaw, and the slouch to his shoulders, she thought he carried the weight of the world, planning all he needed to do if she was pregnant. The last thing she wanted was to build a relationship on responsibility. Oh, he'd do the right thing, no doubt. But she wanted something solid, built on love, understanding, and an openness with each other that she didn't have to fight for every time things got tough.
Making love, the kiss they'd shared when they returned, well, she'd felt the depth of feelings Rory had such a hard time putting into words. He might have a hard time sharing his emotions, but he had no problem showing her how he felt. Rory spoke through action. She'd let their bodies do the talking for now to keep him close and break down those walls again. If she
showed him how much she wanted him, loved him, maybe he'd open up and drop his guard for good because she couldn't live being kept at an emotional arm's length.
She put thought into action and grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head.
Struck by her audacity, his eyes went wide. His gaze swept down her face to her lace-covered breasts.
Oh yes, she had his attention now.
She pulled the button on her jeans free, then ever so slowly pulled the zipper down. She reached behind her to unclasp the lace bra. He didn't say a word, but his hot gaze roamed over her, heating her bare skin.
He stood mesmerized, then caught himself. He kicked his leg out, catching the bedroom door, and pushed it closed. “What are you doing?”
She dropped the bra at her feet on top of her shirt, looked him right in the eye, and walked toward him half naked. She went up on tiptoe, locked her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Not a soft, gentle coaxing, but a full-on, mind-blowing, take-what-she-wanted kiss. Sparked by her need, he dove in for more, taking over the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She rocked her hips into his, grinding on him until he was hard against her belly. She broke the searing kiss, grabbed his shoulders, and jumped up, locking her legs around his waist.
“Take me to bed, cowboy.”
“I'm all sweaty and dirty. I need a shower.”
“I need you.” She crushed her mouth down on his for another all-consuming kiss. She smoothed her hands down his back, grabbed hold of his shirt, and yanked it up. He let go of her ass long enough to hold
his arms up so she could pull off his shirt. She stared down between them at his chest. “Now that is what I'm talking about.” She rubbed her hands over his shoulders and down his chest over his tight pecs. “You are so gorgeous and strong.” She scanned up his body and locked her gaze on his. “Make love to me the way we did under the trees. Let everything else go, and let it be you and me again.”
The tension left his big body and his hands softened on her hips. This time, he kissed her. Soft. Slow. Sweet. Like he had all the time in the world to be with her. She wasn't going anywhere. She didn't want to. She wanted to be with him. He finally got it.
He walked toward the bed, his lips brushing hers. His legs hit the mattress and he climbed up and gently lowered her onto the bed, his body covering hers. He stared down at her, his eyes filled with tenderness.
She cupped his face, her fingers gently brushing his skin. “You and me,” she whispered.
Nothing else mattered right now.
He dipped his head, kissed her lips softly, then trailed kisses down her neck and chest to her pink-tipped breast. He took the hard bud into his mouth, sucked softly, then hard. She sighed out his name and her fingers slid through his hair and held him to her breasts, feeling everything he put into touching her, loving her.
Too many barriers in the way. He kissed a trail down her belly to the lace edge of her panties peeking out the top of her open jeans. He leaned back, hooked his fingers in the lace and denim, and tugged.
She smiled. “Now I've got your attention.”
He pulled her boots off, then her clothes. His gaze
swept up her legs, over her curves, to her face, his eyes glowing with appreciation and a greedy hunger that matched her own.
“You've got my undivided attention.”
“But not those big hands on me.”
He placed his hand on her knee, then slid it up her thigh and back down. Her body relaxed under his palm, but she wanted so much more.
“Better?”
“No. Not until every inch of you is touching every inch of me.”
He leaned over her, holding himself above her on his hands and knees. He pressed down and kissed her, still not touching her with his body. He pushed back up and stared down at her, thinking he had the upper hand. Not so. She nimbly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, sinking one hand into his boxer briefs. She had him well in hand then. Her fingers circled and squeezed his swollen flesh. His eyes went wide, then softened as pleasure replaced surprise and she worked her hand up and down his hard length.