by Vivian Arend
Soft, slow strokes that ignited her senses and built a spiral of need deep within her.
The warmth in her heart was rock-solid—the connection to this caring, giving man had grown steadily over the past couple of months. It seemed a mere whisper of time but was compounded by their earlier summer and all the moments over the past five years when she’d thought of him. Hoped for him.
Wished for him to be with her—and now it was real.
A nip against her thigh made her gasp.
He leaned over her. “Someone’s daydreaming.”
Her fingers drifted through his hair. Stroked the crest of his cheekbone. “Dreaming about you. Always about you,” she confessed.
He twisted his head to drop a kiss on her fingers. “I love you, ma chérie.”
Her heart welled with happiness. “I know.”
The usually stoic and quiet man who owned her heart laughed so loud his joy echoed off the trees around them.
Then he put his energy back between her legs. Teasing and touching until the spiral inside her tightened then uncoiled in a rush. Pleasure streaked from her core outward as he climbed over her, his jeans pushed aside, a colourful condom wrapper abandoned beside them.
He crawled between her thighs, and the broad head of his cock nudged against her sex.
He paused, notched against her, powerful arms holding their torsos apart as he hovered over her. Staring into her eyes and letting her see everything in him. “You’re mine.”
“Always.” Forever echoed in her head as he slid deeper. Impossibly slow. Wicked sensations built between them as he touched her perfectly.
The blue sky ranged above them, tall trees waving slightly in the wind. The scent of summertime and the hazy heat coming off the asphalt mixed into a symphony of countryside experiences.
As Finn drew his hips back, cock teasing over sensitive skin, Karen breathed out, “Home.”
The corners of his lips curled, and he pressed in faster. Harder on the next thrust, catching hold of her hip and changing the angle to drive deeper still.
Each time the word echoed in her mind and from her lips. This was coming home.
He was her home.
The pulses sped up, and she reached around him, fingernails digging into the soft fabric of his flannel shirt. The rough scratch of his jeans played against her inner thighs, and where they connected, it was heat and fire and perfection.
“Finn.” She lifted her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his ass as he made a final thrust and threw his head back, calling her name to the sky.
Then he was kissing her. Nuzzling his lips along her neck. Pressing sweet endearments against her mouth. Lowering his torso over hers until she felt him along every inch.
Over her and in her. A part of her forever.
“I like my present so far,” Finn told her as he licked her earlobe delicately. “We might need to stop a couple more times along the way to make sure, though.”
Happiness welled. “You goof. We’ll never get home.”
Joy lit his face. “From what you just said, we’re already there.”
Now that Finn was a hundred percent mobile, Karen never knew when he would show up, eager for her. Eager to be together. Delight danced every time she stole away with him—something far beyond what she’d felt that long ago summer during their fling.
This wasn’t a temporary thing, and the mere idea of that sparked a massive amount of joy.
As the week moved forward, work fell into a smooth routine. The guys barreled ahead on the construction parts of the ranch while Karen concentrated on staffing.
They still took time to spend with their friends and family. Finn insisted on it, which Karen appreciated because it would’ve been too easy to go overboard striving to meet the deadline.
She did her own share of wrangling to make sure everyone important in Finn’s life was included. Like the day when Finn’s phone rang while he and Karen had stopped for lunch.
Duncan ended up on speakerphone.
They chatted with him the entire meal. Duncan caught Karen up on the latest and greatest innovations in trucking. Told them all about the online games he played in the evening with friends from around the world.
“Right now I’m doing a run from Toronto to Detroit, but I asked to get moved to a more western route,” he told them. “If it happens, I hope you don’t mind me dropping by more often.”
The expression on Finn’s face was worth the effort it had taken to track down his brother.
“You’re always welcome,” Finn assured Duncan. The words came out a little rough.
After Duncan hung up, Finn came around the table and scooped Karen into his arms, squeezing her tight. “Mischief-maker. You did something, didn’t you?”
No use in pretending. “I got hold of Levi. I wanted Chelsea’s number to update my birthday calendar with the kids’ information. He was really excited to talk to me and instantly invited us to come out for Christmas. I told him we weren’t sure of our plans this year, but we would definitely find a way to get together at some point.”
He nodded slowly. “I think I’d be okay to go visit them. They’re making the ranch theirs and filling it with new memories. It might be good to see that in person.”
She agreed. “And I called Duncan. Didn’t bring up any specific topic but let him know we’ve got lots of nice, quiet places around here, and we’d love to see him. Anytime. It seemed to be all he needed.”
Finn kissed her then, and what with one thing and another, they didn’t get back to their work list for over an hour.
Zach wore a constant smirk any time he came around. Which Karen figured they probably deserved.
The only bad part hanging over their heads was the deadline. Construction progressed at its own pace. If they wanted to hire quality people for permanent positions in and around the ranch, that required giving them time to organize their lives.
Karen muttered her frustration at Finn as they stood side by side in the little cottage kitchen, washing dishes after dinner. “I know exactly who I want to hire as a house mom, but until we have a place for her to stay, there’s no use in getting her to start work. All she needs is two weeks’ notice, though, and she’s willing to join us.”
“This is the hard part that always comes into play with Bruce’s challenges,” Finn told her. “If it was just us, we can turn on a dime. Tossing other people into the mix makes it tougher. We’ll figure it out,” he promised. “Tonight, don’t worry about it. You enjoy your outing with your girls, you hear me?”
Warmth scooped into her belly again.
What a difference a month had made. Barely thirty days ago, she’d skipped out on her friends and been moping around the house, confused about her future and where to go to find happiness.
Impulsively, she wrapped Finn up in a hug, wet hands from the dishwater pressed against his back. “You remember that day I told you I felt all gloomy inside and didn’t know why?”
He held her tight. “That night is etched in my memory.”
She bumped her nose against his. “I don’t feel like that anymore,” she assured him. “Thank you for being a good listener and for giving me some pretty damn good advice.”
“You’re welcome. Now get your ass in gear. Your sisters will beat us to the barn if we don’t get a move on.”
He was partially right. Kelli was already there, carefully coaching Tansy, Rose, and Brooke in the fine art of patting a horse’s nose. Hanna was the only one of their friends not joining in. Brad had stolen her away for a birthday weekend in the mountains.
Kelli spotted Karen first. “Getting our greenhorns warmed up,” she informed them. “Your sisters are about ten minutes out.”
“Perfect. Now we need a few more horses, a bit of moonlight, and a touch of magic, and we’ll be ready to go.” Karen twisted to go finish preparing the horses and spotted Finn already coordinating the task with some of the hands. Zach showed up as well, chatting easily with her friends, his h
andsome face lit up with his usual smile.
As Lisa, Julia, and Tamara joined them, it was clear the one thing Karen already had in her life was magic.
22
With Starlight nickering happily under her, Karen led her friends into the fading light. Twilight fell as the animals moved at a steady gait along the wide access trail toward their first destination.
Her sisters were competent riders, and she’d made sure to give the less experienced friends bombproof horses. With Kelli bringing up the rear, Karen was confident they’d have no problems on the trail.
Julia nudged her horse forward enough to be able to chat easily at Karen’s side.
“I’ve missed this,” Julia confessed. “I mean, I like being a paramedic, but after growing up constantly around horses, not having access twenty-four seven kind of sucks.”
Karen knew exactly what she was talking about. “You’re welcome to come over any time you need a fix.”
Julia nodded. Sitting easily in the saddle, she stared at the mountains looming over them. “I’ll take you up on that offer, as long as I get to ride with you at least some of the time.” Her smile was a little cheeky. “I do want to get to know my sisters, not just take advantage of their awesome access to horseback riding.”
It had been a good thing, getting to know Julia better. “You fit in with us,” Karen assured her. “I hope you’ve been enjoying yourself and not feeling too overwhelmed.”
“It’s been okay,” Julia assured her. “Except for the learning how to deal with diapers. I could’ve done without that part. So gross.”
Karen laughed. “Are you sure you’re a paramedic? I thought that meant you had an iron stomach.”
“Blood and guts? No problem. Toxic baby poop? That stuff requires an entire hazmat training level I haven’t aspired to yet.”
They rode on the gentle trail for about forty-five minutes before reaching the lookout spot Karen had found. With the fire pit ready to be lit and the stash of supplies for s’mores and thermoses of hot chocolate in her saddlebags, her girl gang gathered around.
Soon they were all happily roasting marshmallows as they waited for moonrise. The conversation went in a dozen different directions at one time, chatter looping and overlapping in a way that only made sense in a close-knit community.
Karen sat in the middle and soaked it all in.
“No, I’m not going on another date with him,” Rose repeated in response to Tansy’s teasing. “Zach was nice enough, but I’m not looking for a steady boyfriend. I told you I wanted to dance, and he delivered. That doesn’t mean I have to see him anymore.”
“Wait. That’s right. I had a question about this,” Brooke spoke up. She reached back and tightened her dark ponytail before turning an inquisitive gaze on Rose. “I was totally shocked when I saw you with Zach at Hanna’s wedding. I thought you were dating Alex, the ranch hand from Silver Stone and volunteer firefighter. You know, another tall, dark, sexy dude.”
“I did. For a while. We had fun, but we’re just friends. We didn’t want to get serious.”
“Heaven forbid you get serious,” Tansy muttered.
Rose glared at her sister. “Don’t you go making any comments about my sex life.”
A chorus of snickers went around the campfire.
Brooke deliberately placed another marshmallow on her stick, grinning as she held it toward the fire. “Didn’t hear anybody mention sex until you brought it up.”
“It’s Tansy’s fault.” Rose said through her teeth.
A slow chin dip from Brooke, along with another sly smile. “Probably. Usually is.”
“Hey,” Tansy protested.
Which brought another round of laughter from the collected group. Ties were being built; friendships strengthened.
“Speaking of sexy…” Tamara leaned toward Brooke. “How’s that firefighter of yours these days?”
“We’re good. Slow and steady, but that’s fine. I was thinking—”
Julia shot to her feet, hand pointed toward the east. “Sorry, Brooke. What’s that?”
The group quieted as they peered in the direction of Julia’s pointed finger. The moon had risen, the full circle overhead shining like a spotlight toward the meadow between them and Red Boot ranch.
By ones and twos, wild horses slipped out of the trees toward the broad expanse of river. Silver sparkled on the water’s surface as the herd of a dozen and a half made their way through the meadow.
“There’s the stallion, far left at the lead,” Karen said. “What a beauty.”
“He’s huge,” Rose said. “Is he dangerous?”
“If you got directly in his path, possibly. Otherwise, I’d prefer to face him over a cougar,” Kelli said quietly.
The herd wasn’t going anywhere at any great speed, so the group of women stood in silence, admiring the animals as they grazed across the meadow to the water’s edge.
That’s when Karen saw her. The mare with the off-kilter gait. The one whose foal she had rescued.
Instinctively, she caught Lisa’s fingers and squeezed, her throat tight with emotion.
Lisa made eye contact. “You okay?”
Nodding gave her a moment to pull herself together. “I just spotted Moonbeam’s mom.”
Lisa wrapped an arm around her, comfort in the touch. “She made it. I’m glad.”
Lightness rushed through Karen’s body, washing away the final bit of sadness that had been nestled against her core in spite of all the good things that had happened. She leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder. “I was so tangled up at having to leave her there.”
The arm around her waist tightened. “Oh, sweetie, I get it. Just because you knew it was the right thing to do, that didn’t make it any easier.”
That magic Karen had thought about earlier—it was out in full force right now. Seeing the wild horses in their element filled her soul with a peacefulness and beauty that couldn’t be defined.
The stallion jerked alert, pawing at the ground and shaking his mane before letting out a shrill call.
“What’s going on?” Rose asked. “He sounds upset.”
“I’d say he was serenading some new ladies, but that shouldn’t be possible.” Karen moved to the side to get a better look at the overall area.
Julia swore softly, pointing in a new direction. “Unless someone left the barn door open after we left.”
Karen dug in her saddlebag and grabbed a set of binoculars. With only moonlight shining down, it was hard to pick out the individual animals as they crossed the field toward the river, but some of them were familiar beasts she’d brought from Whiskey Creek. She’d recognize them their movements anywhere.
And then—
“Son of a bitch.”
Literally. Someone was down there, standing beside a gate that wasn’t supposed to be open.
She pressed the binoculars against Lisa’s chest then dug in her pocket for her phone. “Give me a second.”
“Those horses aren’t supposed to be there, are they?” Tansy straightened. “What do you need us to do?”
Karen lifted a finger in the air. “Finn? We’ve got trouble. Someone just let out a bunch of our mares. They’re headed straight toward the wild stallion.”
It had been a perfectly laid-back evening. Finn and the guys had pulled out a card table and a deck of cards with a plan to play once they finished shooting the breeze. They’d hauled in Cody as their fourth, and the man turned out to be a great addition. Easy going, entertaining.
An hour and a half after the girls had taken off, they still hadn’t dealt the first hand.
It felt good, though, to catch up. Not just a what the hell do we need to get done next? type of conversation, but relaxed. No agenda. Guys who truly enjoyed each other’s company.
The only thing missing was a good glass of scotch, which Finn planned to enjoy once Karen returned.
“Every time they have a girls’ night out, we should get together.” Josiah leaned his chair back f
ar enough he was nearly horizontal, boots propped up on a hay bale.
Cody lifted his beer in the air in agreement. “You’ve got my vote.”
“Boys’ night in,” Zach suggested.
“What is it with you and this irresistible urge to name things?” Finn asked his friend. “Can you not find your way to a place unless you label it? Somewhere down the road, you’ll have a house called Green Gables, and I will gag every time I visit.”
“You’re just jealous because—” Zach paused as Finn’s phone went off. “You’re just jealous. That’s all.”
“A superior naming ability is a highly sought-after skill,” Josiah offered.
“Everybody shut up for a minute,” Finn ordered so he could hear Karen. “Say that again.”
“Somebody’s got at least eight of our horses out in the far west field. This isn’t the animals breaking away from the rest of the herd and wandering off. I see a person as well, waving their arms and shouting to get the horses to head outside our fences.”
“Shit.”
Three sets of eyes were on him now, all amusement vanished as everyone went on alert, probably freaking out that something had gone wrong with the girls.
Karen continued, “In a stroke of bad luck, the wild stallion is in the area.” Even as Finn swore, she moved to reassure him, confidence in her tone. “Yeah, that’s what I said. Don’t worry, we’re close enough to head down and make sure he doesn’t grab our girls. But you need to go deal with the jerk who let them out in the first place. Bastard’s got some explaining to do.”
“Don’t take any chances,” he ordered.
“We’ll be careful. You watch out—that person isn’t where they should be. Who knows what they’re up to or if they’re alone.”
That issue hadn’t even occurred to him.
The instant she hung up, Finn headed toward where he and Zach stabled their horses. “Someone is trespassing and stealing our horses. Is it still called horse thievery if you’re shoving them toward the wilderness instead of the back of a trailer?”
Cody started getting his horse saddled in double-quick time. “If it’s one of our crew, I swear I’ll skin the bastard.”
