The Cowgirl’s Secret Love: The Colemans of Heart Falls, Book 2

by Vivian Arend

  How the hell to make this clear? “Those aren’t goals, that’s a laundry list of what you’re doing. What do you want? When you look deep inside yourself, what do you see yourself doing five years from now? Or if that’s too far off, think about a month from now or tomorrow. What are you doing to put a smile on your face? I don’t mean a shits-and-giggles smile like life is a constant party. Work isn’t always fun, but even when Zach and I are dealing with the knottiest problem, there’s a satisfaction to getting it done if it’s a step toward the real goal I want to achieve.”

  “I can’t declare my long-term goals that easily,” Karen complained, pushing away from him slightly. “I mean, I have to analyze what I’ve done in the past, then—”

  “Screw being systematic, go with your gut,” Finn ordered. “Close your eyes.”

  She gave him a dirty look but followed his instructions.

  Her slightly damp lashes rested against her cheeks. A crease lay between her brows, and tension gripped her body.

  Finn wanted to fix it all.

  He gently caressed her cheek. “Take a deep breath then picture yourself waking up tomorrow morning. What’s the first thing you think of that would make you happy, deep down in your gut? What are you looking forward to?”

  “Dandelion Fluff jumping on me.”

  The words shot out of her as if jet-propelled. Her eyes popped open. The expression of shock that followed made Finn’s lips twitch into a smile.

  “Why don’t you have him anymore?” Finn asked gently.

  “Because animals don’t belong in the house,” she said automatically.

  “Some don’t,” he agreed. “Some do. Why can’t Dandy be your in the house to cuddle with pet?”

  Her lower lip trembled. “I’m going away to school in the fall,” she repeated. “I can’t take a kitten to college.”

  “Maybe not, but that’s a problem for down the road. If you want, we can go out and grab the furry beast tonight. I’m sure he’d love to jump on you first thing in the morning.”

  Damn. The expression in her eyes was tearing him apart. As if she couldn’t believe she was allowed the simple pleasure of a cat in her house.

  He pushed his luck. “What else do you want when you wake up tomorrow? Don’t think about if it’s on your current to-do list, because you didn’t make that list when you were thinking about yourself.”

  Her gaze dropped to his lips. “I want to be in your arms.”

  Hell yeah.

  She straightened slightly, hand rising to cup his face. “I want to wake up in the morning in bed with you, but even as I say that, I know it’s a crazy idea considering you’re still hip deep in a cast, and there’s—”

  “Yes.” His fingers tightened on her chin. “The thing you want. I’m saying yes to that. Screw the excuses that instantly popped to mind saying you can’t have it, or you shouldn’t have it, or you need to do something before you get to have it. That’s the stuff you need to say fuck it to.”

  “But—” She slammed her lips together. Breathed in slow and deep then tried again. “What I want is you, Finn. Period. It’s what I’ve wanted since forever. I’ve done a shitty job showing that. I don’t know what I’m doing going forward, but if this is teach Karen new tricks night, I will absolutely say that when I picture tomorrow morning and the morning after that, what would make me smile is to have you beside me. And Dandy.”

  Finn had zero problem ranking up there with a handful of fur, especially considering exactly how big a change it was for her to admit that particular desire.

  “Then you’ve got me. I’ll worry about how to deal with my damn broken leg. Now wiggle up here a little more and give me your lips because someone just set an outstandingly clear goal. She needs a reward.”

  Karen pushed up on the arms of his chair, still trying her best to keep her weight off him. But when she tilted her head and leaned in close, it was all warm breath and sweet offering, no holding back. Their lips pressed together slowly. Softly. Tentatively, not because they weren’t certain they should be doing this but because it was a moment to savour.

  Finn threaded his fingers into the hair at the back of her head and cradled her close. Tasting and teasing, slowly bringing up the heat until she squirmed so hard he caught hold of her hips.

  He broke them apart only to look into her eyes. “Time to take this inside.”

  “Your leg—” Karen paused. Her expression firmed. “I’m not going to be a pushover, even though I’m now second-guessing every one of my comments. I want to be with you, which means I want you to hold me. And I want to hold you, but I do not want you to hurt yourself.”

  “You plan on hogging the entire bed or pushing me onto the floor in the middle of the night?” He lifted her in the right direction for her feet to hit the ground.

  “Only if you deserve it,” she said with barely a hint of amusement in her tone. He accepted her outstretched hand, making it to his feet in one moderately smooth motion.

  He gestured her toward the house. “Inside. We have unfinished business.”

  She’d been living in the cottage for over a month, sharing it with Finn for over two weeks, and this was the first time she’d felt awkward. At least until he crowded behind her, pressed his lips to the side of her neck, and nuzzled softly.

  “Need to turn off that busy brain of yours,” he whispered. “Anything dire you need to take care of tonight?”

  There were messages from her sisters on her phone, considering she hadn’t told any of them she wasn’t coming to girls’ night out. She considered the possibility of continuing to ignore them but decided that wasn’t a smart idea. “Give me a minute to head my sisters off at the pass before they all show up here.”

  “You want to pick up Dandy?”

  She had her phone out, opening a group message instead of responding to everyone individually. “I still can’t believe you’re encouraging me to get a pet.”

  He leaned around and got in her face. “I figure he picked you. We can go grab him, no problem.”

  Her thumbs moved over the keypad even as she shook her head. “I doubt Silver Stone security would enjoy finding us the barn in the middle of the night trying to track down an errant kitten.”

  She double checked her message then hit send. Hopefully it was enough to keep her sisters at bay.

  Had a rough day, but I’m okay. Hitting the sack—I’ll see you all tomorrow. XOX

  She stabbed the send button then laid the phone aside, twisting on the spot to cup Finn’s face in her hands. “Tomorrow we will go and get Dandy, because as awkward as it feels to admit it, I really want him around.”

  “Then you get to have him.” Finn kissed her softly. The corner of her mouth. Her cheek. A long slow tease along her jaw until he reached her ear. “Tonight, I get you.”

  A shiver struck.

  “Is that a yes?” His hands moved to her hips, busily untucking her shirt.

  “I think so,” Karen answered. “You don’t plan to just cuddle, do you?”

  His lips tugged on her ear briefly before his mouth latched onto the tender spot on her neck that always drove her wild. He sucked lightly, his tongue doing dangerous things to her blood pressure.

  His fingers slipped beneath her shirt, calloused fingertips skimming gently over her skin before one heated palm pressed against her lower back. He tugged her toward him, and their torsos met. His firm muscles rubbed her shirt, which in turn teased skin that was far too sensitive.

  “We might have to get creative,” Finn warned her. “But I don’t mind starting with a repeat of where I finished last time.”

  “Where was that?”

  “Between your thighs with my tongue on your pussy.”

  “Oh. There.” It wasn’t that she didn’t remember, but that words were beginning to lose all meaning. “Okay.”

  Finn chuckled, scooping his hand between her shoulder blades. He hummed happily. “No bra.”

  “Woman home alone, having a pity party? Trust me.
No bra.”

  His amusement rippled over her skin along with the goose bumps formed because his hand slid forward and he cupped her. Her breast rested in the palm of his hand, and his thumb teased circles over her nipple.

  “Are we doing this here?” she asked.

  “Doing what?” Finn murmured.

  He was going to make her say it. “Having sex.”

  “Right now I’m playing with your tits. Which is part of having sex, I suppose.” His grin grew wicked.

  She was tempted to grab his ears and shake him. “You’re enjoying this.”

  “Yep. I hope you are too.” He stared down at the fabric moving over his thumb. “I suppose we should either go to the bedroom or close a few curtains.”

  “Great idea.” She made sure he was balanced before she stepped away. “I vote we stay here. One second.”

  It only took a moment to shut the curtain over the sink, and when she’d locked the two doors, front and back, she returned to the kitchen to find Finn leaning on the counter, grinning at her.

  “I like it when you take charge,” he told her.

  She whipped her shirt off over her head and tossed it on the chair.

  A low growl escaped him. “Come here.”

  Instead of joining him, she slipped off her sweatpants, stripping down to her underwear.

  Then she hopped up on the sturdy kitchen table, opening her legs wide as she reached up to cup her own breasts. “I thought you liked it when I took charge. This might work best for our purposes.”

  Finn lost his shirt even as he crossed the short distance between them. With one hand braced on either side of her hips, he leaned their bodies together as he took her lips.

  The next minutes vanished in a haze of rising sexual heat. His big palms were all over her, teasing and caressing. He kissed her as if it had been years and she was saving his life.

  Karen gave in to temptation and let her fingers explore as well. Ridges and dips called to her, teased her senses, and made her heart pound.

  He kissed her mouth. Kissed her breasts. Dragged over a chair and sat, hauling her hips forward. “You didn’t think this through,” he growled.

  An instant later, her underwear was on the floor, the elastic snapped at the hips. Then his mouth was on her, licking and sucking and biting, and watching only made the sensations that much more intense.

  Pleasure streaked upward, whirling around her. She dug her fingers into his hair and dragged him even closer.

  He lifted her, and Karen fell back onto her elbows. The bristles of his beard dragged against her inner thighs as his tongue on her clit went wild.

  “Finn.”

  The orgasm started in the usual place, but it seemed to develop tendrils, wrapping around her body in increasingly thick waves. Her entire body tingled, pulsed.

  Finn lowered her hips then stood to shove down his pants and underwear. His thick cock rose toward her, and Karen curled up enough to wrap a hand around him and stroke.

  He swore, grabbing for his pants to pull out a condom. It was one of the speediest suit ups she’d ever seen, but she didn’t care. She was so ready.

  Her feet on the tabletop, thighs spread wide. He notched his cock against her sex, rubbing up and over her clit. And again, aftershocks made her gasp.

  “Dammit, Finn. Do it already.”

  His expression grew darker. Serious. “You want this?”

  She wanted to scream in exasperation, and yet she knew what he was asking. “Yes. I want you. All of you.”

  His hips eased forward slowly, the thick length of his cock pressing in an inch at a time. Mesmerizing, sensitive. Perfect.

  When he was fully buried, Finn caught hold of her hips and tugged her even tighter. Pleasure flared again. His gaze slid up her body from where he’d been watching his cock disappear into her, paused on her breasts, and slid higher until he met her eyes.

  The rocking motion continued. This was so much more than just a connection of his body and hers. Karen grabbed hold of his wrists and held on as ecstasy spiraled.

  For a man balancing on one leg, Finn was doing a damn good job of blowing her mind. It was everything in combination. His expression, the caress of his fingers now sliding to rub against her clit.

  His words.

  “Come on my cock. I want to feel you grab me tight.”

  She didn’t need to come for this to be perfect, but she did. The explosion was unstoppable and inevitable because of the way he looked at her, the way he teased her exactly right. Because he knew her, he wanted her.

  He cared for her.

  Maybe even loved her.

  Karen gave in to the demand, arching her back and calling out his name.

  Finn grimaced, pushing her thighs apart farther, speeding up again. He pumped into her, thrusting madly. Every drive set off another aftershock, and she cried out over and over.

  He stilled with his cock buried deep, his cry echoing off the walls. The ironclad grip he had on her thighs eased slightly. A little more. Finn gasped, drawing back slowly, pressing forward so she felt every inch.

  He collapsed over her, elbows resting on the table, forehead against her body as he breathed heavily.

  Quiet. Peaceful. Connected.

  He pulled out, dealt with the condom, and was right back over her a second later before she’d had a chance to get cold.

  “I missed you.” Finn spoke against her belly, kissing her softly, and for a moment, she was headed toward being a weepy mess again.

  Then he blew a raspberry, and all bets were off.

  She reached down to tug on his ears, and he wiggled out of her grasp. Karen curled her way upward, wrapped her arms around him, and squeezed tight.

  She kissed him. Long and lingering before moving far enough away so they could stare at each other. No words, because they didn’t need any.

  What followed was laughter and kisses and a sweet time together until they ended up in the master bed. No more serious words, just two people getting to know each other all over again. Comfortable, quiet.

  Intimate silence.

  Karen woke in the middle of the night, the stillness broken only by Finn’s gentle snore. She leaned up on one elbow, the moonlight sneaking in the window just bright enough to let her examine him closely.

  That night had not been what she’d expected. And yet, Finn had been the catalyst for change—that part she could have guessed.

  Five years ago, they’d been together because they’d gotten along and they’d both had an itch to scratch. But the reason she’d fallen so hard in the end was because of more than chemistry and charm.

  Finn Marlette was a good man.

  A good man for her, she corrected mentally, because even as he’d been gentle tonight, he’d been blunt.

  As she replayed conversations in her head, it became far too clear that he was right. Not much use in arguing about the fact horses liked her. She was good with them—damn good. If anything, she was overconfident in that area.

  But even with that talent, she still didn’t expect people to take her suggestions seriously. That first day working with Zach—each time she’d offered up an idea, he’d nodded and moved to the next point.

  She’d been floored to discover he’d actually taken her ideas and run with them.

  Counterpoint to that, she didn’t always follow through when she did have a good idea—didn’t fight for what she really wanted.

  She didn’t want to wake Finn while she pondered, but not touching him was impossible. She brushed the back of her fingers whisper-soft along his shoulder, sliding up to push back the hair on his forehead.

  He smiled, still sound asleep.

  Tonight’s discussion might have been a turning point, but she felt a little as if she’d gotten off the main thoroughfare and suddenly her GPS had gone silent.

  What were her goals?

  She’d done goal setting on a regular basis, but perhaps the truth was she needed to emphasize that question slightly differently. Because everyt
hing up to now had been based on expectations of others and working toward the common good of the Whiskey Creek ranch and the Coleman clan.

  What were her goals?

  She snuggled against Finn’s side, stretching her legs away from his to be sure she didn’t bump him when she moved.

  His arm curled around her, drawing her to his body. Even asleep, it was clear he wanted her as close as possible.

  What do I want?

  What makes me happy?

  When I wake up in the morning, what do I want to aim at that will bring me joy?

  A snort escaped. She stilled instantly.

  Finn didn’t move, which was good.

  The amusing thought remained.

  All she could think of was that show her cousins-in-law were obsessed with. The one about downsizing possessions where this incredibly smart woman kept asking the people she worked with, ‘does this spark joy’?

  Karen had never quite understood the purpose of the question before—but then she’d never had a problem with possessions. What it seemed she did have a problem with was picking activities, daily and ongoing, that were truly important to her.

  She was already half-asleep as the questions tumbled in her brain and images mixed with them.

  The last thing she remembered on the edge of falling asleep was a dream where the tight knot in her belly was gone. She wandered through her day, picking items up one at a time and watching as some lit up hard enough to make the entire room shine.

  So be it. It wasn’t quite as original as Finn’s question about endgames, but it just might work.

  Tomorrow, she would start looking for sparks of joy.

  17

  It was like watching springtime come to the prairies. That slow change of seasons when the snow would keep trying to hang on a little longer but determined green growth insisted it was time to move on.

  That’s what Finn saw as Karen slipped into the day.