The Taylor Ranch: Cade (6 page)

April
shook her head. “He didn’t want me to do it but I said if I did it then it
would only be for two years, he’d clear all of Dad’s debts, and he’d pay for me
to continue with my education and after that our business would be concluded
and we’d never see one another again.”

“April, why the hell didn’t you tell me
this?”

“Because
that was our deal, no one was to know the real reason.”

“So
Parker saw
you,
fell in love with you and wanted you,
but why did he agree to let you go after just two years?”

“He
didn’t love me, he just needed a cover. People would start asking why he didn’t
have a wife. He travels in some big circles and to connect with the people that
mattered he needed a trophy wife for a while.”

“He’s
gay?”

April
shook her head. “He’s impotent, and hence the reason he couldn’t even get a
woman to date him longer than a few months.”

“He
can’t get it up?”

She
nodded.

“Maybe
that’s the reason he walks like he has a stick up his ass.”

April
smiled. It was true he did have a ‘one of a kind’ gait.

Cade
turned toward her, running his hand along her arm again. “So he never touched
you, never was inside you?”

“He
touched me for outward appearances only when we went to functions with business
people he wanted to impress or threw dinner parties, but no… our marriage was
never consummated. It’s the only reason I went along with it. He’s definitely
not my sort of guy.”

“Oh
baby, I can’t tell you how many nights I lay awake, almost throwing up thinking
about him making love to you and owning your pussy.”

“We
had a bedroom for the sake of the hired help, but I had a door leading to my
own room and that’s where I retreated every night.”

“Did
you ever go crazy?”

“For
sex…sure I did. However, money can buy you the best vibrator in town.”

Cade
burst out laughing. “Well, now, little lady…you won’t be
needing
one of those things ever again.”

“Really?”

She
turned over onto her belly and grinned at him.

“I
remember that look,” said Cade.

“Look?”
she asked.

“The
one that says I’ve been a naughty girl, come and spank me.”

He
gave her ass a light smack. “I love the extra fat you’ve gained on your ass.”

“Are
you saying I’m fat now?”

“Nope,
I’m saying I love the curves you’ve gained.” He ran his fingers over her skin,
making her nerve endings pulse. He nibbled on her earlobe as one of his fingers
delved between her butt cheeks, quickly finding the entrance of her pussy.

He
teased her, pretending he was going to slip it inside but instead circled it.
She set the side of her face down on her upstretched arm and enjoyed the
sensation that his teasing was bringing her. Cade kissed her neck, this time
pushing his finger inside her.

“Poor
Ben Parker never knew what he was missing,” he whispered in her ear.

“See,
now you feel sorry for him.”

“Yeah,
I do because he’ll never have what I have, not for all the money sitting in his
bank account.”

Cade
pulled out his finger and pushed her legs apart, running his hands up and down
her thighs until the juices seeped from her.

“You
have the sexiest body in the world. How a guy couldn’t get hard looking at you
is beyond me.”

April
grabbed the quilt as Cade slide his cock inside her and began a slow, steady
thrust. She closed her eyes, so relieved that she’d finally told Cade the whole
story. Things were back as they were. She held the pillow under her face. His
thrusts were hard and urgent, bringing her pussy to life. Her shoulders
relaxed, wondering if they’d make love every day. Yeah, she’d like that.
 
Her butt muscles seized and she pushed the
cheeks together as her orgasm took her so hard she groaned into the pillow.
Cade pushed harder inside her, panting and breathing heavily until he too
groaned. He pulled out and she turned over. He leaned toward her body and
kissed each of her nipples.

“
Mmm
, taste like cherries.”

She
laughed. “You are so goofy.”

She
ran her hand down his face, feeling the sweat and stubble.

“So
now that you’re free, what do you think about marrying this goofy cowboy?”

Chapter Eight

Cade
paced up and down.
Why wasn’t anything in
life easy?

“So
you never want to marry me?” he asked. He climbed onto the bed, resting his
back on the headboard just like April had when she’d told him she wasn’t quite
ready for it yet.

“I
didn’t say that, but haven’t you forgotten that I’ve just gotten out of a
marriage…?”

“Hell,
that wasn’t a real one so it doesn’t count.”

She
grabbed his hand. “I know but I want a career now.”

“Baby,
you can have one of those along with a husband.”

“I
know that too, but I just want a year or so to be single again. To do things I
couldn’t do for the last two years because I had to pretend to be someone’s
wife.”

“A year.
You want me to
give you a whole year? This cowboy’s not getting any younger. I found three
grey hairs when I looked in the mirror this morning.”

“Wow, three!
I think Dad has
some hair dye still sitting in the bathroom cabinet that he’d gladly give you.”

She
was mocking him. He loved it when she did that.
The dry sense
of humor.
The way she brought him back down to earth,
to reality.
He smiled because the least of his worries were three grey
hairs. Hell, he loved this woman and he was going to marry her this year, not
next.

“I
want babies…children before I’m too old to teach them to ride a horse, or rope
a calf.”

“I
want babies too, but not just yet. I saw my parents’ marriage fall to pieces
and it’s because my mother wasn’t ready when she married my father.”

“Your
mother was a b…”

“It’s
okay, you can say it…most people in Pine Creek refer to her that way.”

He
squeezed her hand. “I am going to convince you that life is short and we need
to get married ASAP.”

She
kissed him and he pulled her onto his lap.

“Maybe
you’ll get pregnant and you’ll have to marry me.”

He
smiled, thinking about making a hole in one of the condoms.

“That’s
a naughty smile on those lips,” she said. “The way it curls up at the ends
here.” She touched his lips by his cheeks. “Just what were you thinking?”

He
shook his head.

“Spill
or I’ll tickle you.”

Hell,
she knew he gave in only after one tickle. She had fingers that put a man at a
disadvantage.

“Holes in condoms.”

“Cade
Mallory, don’t even think about it. In fact, sex is off the table now.”

He
knew her better than that. He slid his hand down her belly, into the curls and
found her clit.

“Cade,
stop it!” She smacked his hand away.

“You
couldn’t resist me even if your life depended on it.”

“Okay,
you’re right, but just in case you get any crazy ideas I’m going to the
doctor’s office and getting a prescription for the Pill.”

Wow,
that meant no more condoms. He liked the sound of that.

****

“So
everything’s good between you and Cade again?” asked her father a few weeks
later.

She
hadn’t told him about the two of them falling into bed the minute they’d been
back in one another’s company. Not that he was a prude or anything, but some
things a girl kept all to herself.

“Yes,
I told him everything. I hope you didn’t mind me filling him on the trouble you
were having.”

He
covered her hand with his own. Such big
hands,
rough
and calloused, from all the work he did. A lot like Cade. In fact, Cade
reminded
her a
lot of her dad.
Strong
and tough and a man of principle.
Maybe that’s what she loved so much
about him.

“I
don’t mind at all. I’m just so sorry that I had to get you involved in my
mess.”

“It
was mine too. I wouldn’t have had anywhere to live, no horses to ride if the
bank would have repossessed this place.” She smiled at him.

“Guess
that’s the problem when a man has a beautiful daughter and money problems… men want
to use her to show off to the world and their friends.”

“I’m
just glad he’s out of our lives and we can continue as we were.”

“And
you and Cade, wedding bells, maybe?”

“He
asked, but I turned him down.”

“Honey,
no, you shouldn’t have done that. You love him.”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “I want some time just to be April Dubois again.”

“Geez,
now I feel even worse.”

“You
don’t have to. The last few years have taught me a lot about life, marriage,
relationships, and what I want.”

“But
I always thought you wanted Cade.”
“I did and I still do, but I think if I’d married him before Ben strolled into
our lives, well, I might have wondered what if I would have gone to college,
what if I had a career.”

Her
father’s Adam’s apple bounced up and down. Maybe that had been too raw because
it had sounded like her mother’s excuse for running off like she had. He patted
her on the hand again.

“I
think that’s very wise. Maybe I shouldn’t have swept your mother off her feet
like I did. Maybe we should have taken things slower.
Even
waited a little longer until we had a baby.
Not that I ever regret you
coming into our lives. So you turned him down, but I hope the two of you are at
least dating.”

“Dating…which
reminds me, he said to meet him at noon between the properties because there’s
something he wants to show me,” said April, standing and checking her watch.

****

How
could a woman resist this? He stepped back and looked at the table he’d set.
Tablecloth, china plates, none of the paper variety, wine glasses, and best of
all, a bunch of April’s favorite flowers. She’d soon weaken and say yes to his
proposal.

He
heard someone approaching and turned around to see April heading his way. She
had the biggest smile on her face. It was already working.

“Is
this for me?” she asked.

“Hell
no, I have another woman coming along to dine with me and just wanted your
opinion.”

“Wouldn’t
happen to be
Jenine
, would it? Strange how she likes
the very same flowers as I do.”

April
picked them up and put the carnations right up to her nose.

“Are
you ready to eat, Mademoiselle Dubois?”

“I’m
starving, but you do know that heavy rain is forecast?”

“No problem, because I have a back-up
plan.”

He
pulled out the chair and she sat. Cade opened up the cooler and removed a
bottle of wine and then took out a quiche and tossed salad.

“Don’t
tell me you made the quiche?” asked April.

“Yep,
been rolling pastry all morning.”

“Liar.”

He
laughed. “Okay, Eloise made it for me. Would it impress you more if I had made
it myself?”

“Nope,
because it probably would have been awful and I love Eloise’s cooking.”

“Speaking
of, she also thinks it’s a good idea that the two of us get married very soon.
She’s even offered to do the catering for free.”

“Really, and from one of the few single
ladies over fifty in Pine Creek.”

“Guess
she knows what you’d be missing.”

“I
want to marry you, Cade, but just not yet.”

“We’ll
see.” He winked at her.

They
began eating and Cade poured her a glass of wine.

“You
remembered my favorite. And thank you for going to all this trouble.”

“I’m
trying to woo you.”

Woo
, they both said
at the same time and laughed.

Cade
took his first bite of quiche when he felt rain on his cheek and then heard a
crack of thunder.

“Do
you think we should be under this tree in a storm?” asked April.

“Nope,
you’re probably right. Let’s grab everything and head to the barn over there,
which by the way is my back-up plan.”

Cade
slipped everything back into the cooler while April picked up the flowers and
wine bottle and they both made a mad dash for the barn.