The Marine's E-Mail Order Bride (Heroes of Chance Creek Book 3) (16 page)

He kissed her again, under her ear, over her forehead and on her lips.

She clung to him, never wanting to let him go.

As his breathing slowed, he pulled out and rolled over until they both lay on their sides. As he wrapped his arms around her, she could hear his heartbeat loud in his chest. She knew he’d been as swept away as she was.

He murmured something into her hair as they lay there entwined, but Storm couldn’t make out his words. “What?” she breathed.

“I love you.”

Her eyes pricked with tears as she pressed herself closer. “I love you, too.”

‡

“D
id you have
fun last night?” Austin said when Zane met him in the barn the following morning.

Fun didn’t even come close to describing it. He bit back a telltale smile at the memory, then sobered again. “Yeah. Could do without the bumps and bruises, but it was worth it.” Last night had been the best of his life so far, but this morning Zane’s guilt was gnawing at him. He’d taken advantage of Storm in all kinds of ways—especially by letting her convince him to have unprotected sex. He should have waited until she was sober to make such a momentous move. She had a career to consider—one she’d previously made clear was her top priority. She’d been swept away by the moment. After a fun afternoon with Regan and Ella, she’d been well on her way to hammered before he even made it to the bar. Then he’d defended her honor when Steel harassed her. He must have looked like a hero to her at one in the morning, but how would he look today?

Would she still want him? Or would she hate his guts?

“Something wrong?” Austin asked.

“No. Just something I need to sort out with Storm.”

“Sort out. That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

Austin didn’t look like he believed him. Zane wished he could convince himself.

When Storm woke,
her tongue thick in a mouth so dry it propelled her out of her bed and into the bathroom for a drink of water, neither her pounding head nor the queasy feeling in her belly could dampen her happiness.

She’d slept with Zane without a condom. She rested a hand on her belly and wondered if she was pregnant even now, growing a new child within her that would link her to Zane forever.

That was probably wishful thinking, she decided as she squinted at her reflection in the mirror, grateful Zane couldn’t see her now. There were bags under her eyes and her hair looked like she’d combed it with an egg-beater, but a smile lifted a corner of her mouth as she searched for pain reliever in the cabinet. She didn’t look forward to the conversation she’d have to have with Kenna, but she wouldn’t let that get her down. Making love to Zane had become her favorite thing to do. The sweet soreness between her legs reminded her of the way she’d thrown caution to the wind and met his passion headlong with her own. She hadn’t held back, hadn’t pretended not to care for him. In fact, she’d declared her love to him.

She wanted to do it again.

When her phone trilled, she picked it up, saw her mother’s name and almost didn’t answer it, but guilt followed quickly, and she tapped to accept the call.

“Hi, Mom.”

“They took my car.”

“What? Who did?”

“The bank. They just came and repossessed my car. I’m at work! Now what am I supposed to do?”

Her shrill voice cutting through the line made Storm wince. “Take a taxi home and get mine. It’s paid off and it’s not like I’m using it.”

“That’s not the point! The point is I need more money. You should be here—”

Guilt squeezed Storm’s gut again. She’d been so caught up in her own happiness with Zane, she’d almost forgotten how Cheyenne must be struggling back in California. Her problems would get worse when Storm informed Kenna that their deal was off. Kenna wouldn’t pay her bonus—the bonus Cheyenne was depending on to square her debts.

Which led her to another problem. She’d married Zane as Kenna. Did that mean he needed to divorce Kenna in order to be able to marry her for real? Storm clutched the phone as she thought that through. And how would Zane react when he found out that she’d tricked him? Would he understand, or would he be furious?

Would he stop loving her?

She placed a hand over her belly again, willing there to be a baby growing inside her to link them together no matter what happened. But no, that wasn’t fair to Zane, or the baby—

“It’s so hard!” Cheyenne kept on talking. “You don’t know what it’s like—”

Something snapped in Storm. She
did
know what it was like. She’d worked by her mother’s side for eight years, stepping straight into her father’s shoes when she was barely fifteen years old. What right had Cheyenne to commandeer her childhood like that? She should have been hanging out with her friends, meeting boys—surfing. Instead she’d started what already felt like a lifetime of work.

“Mom, stop it.”

Cheyenne broke off. “What did you say to me?”

“I said it’s time to stop complaining about money. I’m sorry that you’re in this predicament, but you don’t need to be. Sell the house. You’ll be set for years—until after the girls grow up. Meanwhile figure out what you want to do with your life and train to do it.”

“Sell the house? What about your bonus?”

“Are you listening to yourself? You’re right; it’s
my
bonus. I’m twenty-three years old. I’m supposed to be making my own family, not supporting yours.”

“You’re not even dating anyone!”

“News flash, Mom. I’m married, remember? To Zane Hall, Kenna’s cowboy. And there isn’t going to be any bonus because I plan to stay married to him.”

“I can’t believe… I don’t…”

“Believe it. I’m not your husband, Mom. I’m your daughter.”

“The most ungrateful daughter who ever lived!”

“Mom.” Storm struggled for the courage to complete the conversation. “If you really needed me, I’d always be there for you. You don’t need me, though. What you need is to let go of the past and move on. We can’t keep the house.”

With a cry, Cheyenne hung up, leaving Storm to brace herself against the wave of shame that crashed over her a moment later. How could she say those things to her mother?

Even if they were true?

“Are you going
into town today?” Zane asked later when they met on the stairs. She’d spent the intervening time trying to plan her next move. Should she call Kenna? Or talk to Zane? Or see a lawyer? She didn’t know where to start.

“I plan to if I can get a ride.”

“Come find me if no one else is going in and I’ll see that you get there.” He hesitated. “Are we… okay after last night?”

“I want to be.” Sadness pierced her at how complicated it had all become.

“I’d like to kiss you but I’m worried you think I took advantage of you.”

He looked so appealing standing one riser down so that they were practically face to face. Worry shadowed his handsome features and she longed to kiss it away. She chuckled. “I think I might be the one who took advantage.”

He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her jeans and pulled her close. He kissed her softly yet thoroughly until Storm’s body woke up and wanted more. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I meant what I said last night. I do love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Find me if you need a ride.”

“I will.”

She walked the rest of the way downstairs slowly, her whole body tingling, and found Ella and Regan in the kitchen, as they usually were at this time of day. They seemed to be moving as slowly as she was and they joined her at the table to eat.

“Was that a normal Friday night around here?” Storm asked them as she got her breakfast.

“All except the bar fight; that was a new one,” Ella said.

“I can do without that happening again,” Regan put in.

“You and Zane looked like you were having fun.” Ella took a bite of her cereal.

Storm shrugged, hoping they wouldn’t press her further on that topic. Her love for Zane was far too new to share with anyone. “I think I’ll go into town today to work on the store a little.”

“If you can wait a half-hour, I’ll drive you.” Regan smiled. “I have a hair appointment this morning.”

“I’ll be in town later this afternoon if you need a ride home,” Ella said.

“Thanks.” Storm appreciated their offers but she was beginning to feel like a teenager whose social life had outstripped her mobility. Zane had said he meant to purchase a truck now that he was home for good, but that still left her without a set of wheels to call her own. If she was going to stay here much longer, she needed to get a car. She thought of the one she’d left in California. She guessed that was Cheyenne’s now.

A knock on the front door interrupted their conversation. Ella went to open it and Storm and Regan followed her.

“Hi Heather. Hi Richard,” Ella said. “The men are already at work, if you want to find them.”

The tall boy was off like a shot. His mother—as Storm presumed the curvy blonde to be—remained on the stoop. She was dressed in jeans that hugged every contour and a pretty sweater that made the most of her figure. “Thanks. He couldn’t wait to get over here today. I had to force him to wait for a decent hour.”

“He can come any time he likes. Besides, the men are up before daylight—you know that.”

“I figure it’s best to give them a few hours to shake off their Friday night before I inflict Richard on them on a Saturday morning,” Heather said. She looked at Storm curiously. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you Zane’s fiancée?”

Storm nodded.

“I’m Heather. Richard is Colt’s son.”

“Oh.” Storm wasn’t sure of the proper etiquette in this situation. “It’s nice that Richard likes to spend time with his uncles.”

Some kind of significant look passed between the other women, but Storm didn’t know what it meant. “Yes, it is,” Heather said. “Well, I’m off to the hardware store.”

“Are you going into town?” Storm jumped at the chance not to be a burden to Regan and Ella. “I could use a ride if you are.”

“Sure.” Heather recovered from her surprise at the request quickly. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“Thanks—I’ll just grab my purse.”

She said good-bye to the other women and assured them she’d make her own way home, then climbed thankfully into Heather’s truck. She rested her head against the back of the seat, still woozy from the previous night. “I really need a car.”

“I’ll bet. It’s not convenient to live in the country without your own vehicle.”

Now that they were alone, Storm was fully aware of the awkwardness of the situation. “I’m sorry I ambushed you—asking for a ride like that.”

“No problem. You aren’t having trouble with Miss Perfect One and Two back there, are you?”

“No! Not at all. It’s just…” Storm examined her emotions. “I feel so useless around them. They have this ranch wife business all sewn up. Meanwhile, I’m flailing around like a beached dolphin. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

“Marrying Zane, presumably.” Heather shot her another curious look.

“Right. Of course.”

“Is everything all right between you?”

“It’s getting there.” She laughed uncomfortably. “You’d think we’d already be there with our wedding coming up, wouldn’t you?” She closed her eyes, realizing she still hadn’t called Mia Matheson. The wedding planner must be frantic. Or maybe she’d stopped making any plans.

Heather sighed. “Love can be rough. From what I’ve heard, though, Zane really adores you.”

“Really?” What had she heard? And from whom?

“This is a small town. People talk—a lot. There aren’t many secrets around here.”

Storm twisted her hands in her lap. She wondered what people were saying about her.

“Someone told me Steel Cooper tried to hit on you last night and Zane came in swinging.”

“And that’s the local definition of true love?”

“No. The local wisdom is based on the way Zane danced with you afterward. Like he couldn’t hold you close enough, was how Renee Peterson put it. Look, I’m not going to tell you how to run your life—I just met you. What I do know is that the Hall men are pretty special. When one of them falls in love with you, you want to hold onto that.”

It was Storm’s turn to look curiously at Heather. “You said Colt was Richard’s father, but you didn’t say he was your husband.”

“He’s not.” Heather’s expression turned grim. “We were together when we were teenagers. It was just… stupid. It should never have happened. I used to date Austin—for a long time.”

“Oh.” That explained the atmosphere back at the ranch. “So you weren’t in love with Colt?”

Heather’s glance held a world of pain. “I was. I loved him so much. I just couldn’t have him.”

“Oh, Heather.” Suddenly her own problems seemed trivial in comparison. At least she had a choice if she wanted to be with Zane or not. Heather would probably give anything to be in her position. She remembered Heloise’s requirements for the brothers. “He’s going to get married before the deadline…”

“Not to me.”

Storm’s heart ached for the other woman. “But you’re the mother of his child, and you love him. Does he know that?”