by Terry Spear
"Good."
"What did you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?" Ted asked.
She noticed the clouds were beginning to form again and she suspected they were going to get a repeat of yesterday's afternoon storms.
"It looks like more storms might be coming in this afternoon. So after grilling, we can watch a show? And whatever else that comes to mind." Taking a nap came to mind because they had made love a couple of times during the night as if to make up for the two weeks she would be gone. And of course if they took a nap, they would just have to make love too.
He smiled at her. "You read my mind."
Rather than barbecue the chicken, Ted made lemon and pepper chicken that was absolutely out of this world. Once they cleaned up the grill and put it under wraps, the clouds were darkening, worsening, streaks of lightning shooting down to strike the ground off in the distance.
"We timed that right," she said, grabbing the last of the plates and cups from the patio table before the rain came down in sheets, hitting the patio cover and Ted closed the door against the blowing rain. They laughed and hugged each other after they put the dishes and cups in the dishwasher.
Then the electricity shuddered and went out. It was still daylight, but it was dark because of the pounding storm.
"Bed, then the movie, if our electricity comes on after we're done taking a nap and whatever else we can come up with." Ted chased her into the bedroom.
They made love, napped, and finally woke to find that the electricity was back on. Snuggling on the couch, they watched a movie and she wondered how it would be to stay here with Kolby in residence also. It wouldn't be quite the same. After the movie, Ted and she went over house plans and they decided on one they both loved with an open kitchen/living room arrangement, a master bedroom and bath, and five bedrooms—one for an office, one for a game room, and the other three for guests when Ted's family came to visit and for kids when they had some.
"The dogs will stay with us, won't they, once we move into the house?" she asked.
"You bet, but don't be surprised if Kolby starts asking Hal if he can have a dog too."
Stella laughed. "As long as we have our two. Oh, and a garden wall, just like Tracey has with the fancy garden gates too."
“Naturally.” Ted kissed her.
She loved how Ted was a man of action and the first thing he did was call up a contractor—a cougar—who would build the house of their dreams.
Chapter 17
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you and stay the night tonight?" Ted hated for Stella to go home alone that night. He couldn't believe how much he felt he would miss her if she wasn't here with him, and he wouldn't care anything about the commute while being able to be with her.
"Friday, you have to come and stay with me."
"Okay." But Friday was a long time off, he felt. He didn't want to crowd her. Maybe she needed the time to herself to gather her thoughts, pack, and she didn't need him as a distraction. Maybe she needed to unwind from work and wanted to do it alone.
He wanted to have dinner with her, make love to her, go to sleep with her and he wanted to wake up to her in the morning and cuddle with her. He loved her.
"We'll be together shortly. Truly." But when she left him, he knew she wasn't as immune to being with him as she seemed to be, and she tried to hide her tears before she left.
He texted Kolby and said, "Stella has gone home."
"Okay, the other men and I are about finished with chores."
"I'll come out and help you." Ted had to get his mind off Stella, at least for the moment. When he went to bed tonight, she would be all he thought of.
Stella hadn't wanted Ted to have to make that commute day in, day out. Not that she didn't want to come home to him at night, or make love to him, or sleep through the night with him. But she just didn't want him to have to leave at oh-dark-thirty to get up and arrive at the ranch in time to work. It would be different when she lived at the ranch, and he could just fall out of bed, dress, eat and go to work and she would go in later when her day started. His days were much longer too since he had to do some night chores also.
So it was better this way. If he could get off next weekend, they could spend the whole time together. She just hoped it would be okay with the Havertons. They had done so much for them already, she didn't want to impose.
Still, by the time she went to bed that night, all she could think of was Ted and him wrapping his arms around her and kissing her goodnight. Friday wouldn't come soon enough.
When Stella returned to work to give notice Monday morning, the lawyers she worked for had to look up the new one she was going to work for.
"From Denver. Why in the world would Larry Pierce open a practice in some hole-in-the-wall location like Yuma Town?" one of the lawyers asked. "Why would you?"
"He's tired of the city life, and his remaining family lives there. As for me, I've met a man I truly care about." She smiled. And they're all cougars, like me, she wanted to add. That's what made living there so special.
"You'll be bored out of your skull," one of the other paralegals said.
"I don't think so." She could just imagine having lunches with Ted and the other ladies, doing a million things with the cougars while there. She spent most of her evenings watching TV series or reading books, wanting to really enjoy life, and now she could. She would still watch TV with Ted, but she'd also go horseback riding and run as a cougar, enjoying the camaraderie of the cougar families. Everyone was already talking about Thanksgiving, and she couldn't be gladder to finally have a real family to have dinner with.
Half the time, she made one of those turkey breasts for dinner and ate it afterwards in soups and sandwiches. But this time? She was eating a whole turkey with a whole family. She couldn't wait for her two weeks to be up so she could return to Yuma Town, that was feeling a lot more like home than this place ever did, no matter how many years she'd lived here.
"Really," one of the other paralegals said to her as the lawyers went off to defend court cases and she and her friend were alone, "why would you leave this job for a little town with a small population that can't have much in the line of real cases? Was the lawyer nearly disbarred and that's why he left the big city?"
None of them would ever understand the cougar’s reasoning. "When you fall in love someday, you'll understand."
Tori scoffed. "That's like an every-other-day occurrence for me. I can't imagine uprooting my whole life to go to live in some town in the boondocks." Then she smiled. "Wait, it's all about you living the fantasy of the old west, right?"
"I will be living on a large working horse ranch."
"The guy you're seeing is a cowboy?"
"Foreman of the ranch."
"I've never dated a cowboy. Maybe once you get settled in, you could hook me up with one. Just so I could say I dated one."
Stella smiled. "The other one I know who isn't married is in his twenties, a little young for you."
"Hey, I've been known to be a cougar before."
Stella chuckled. Not like any of them were.
Then a woman came bearing white roses and they had to be from Ted, but Stella didn’t want to claim them if they weren’t and embarrass herself. “These are for Stella White.”
“Oh, thanks so much.” Stella put the vase of roses on her desk. They smelled like a delightful perfume.
“Wow,” Tori said. “Looks like someone got shot in just the right place.”
Stella laughed. “Yeah, though when I was first shot, I didn’t think so at all.”
That night after giving her resignation first thing on Monday morning at work—and the paralegals working with Stella had still questioned her sanity, she was surprised to hear a rapping at her apartment door. She hung up her suit jacket on the coat rack and when she looked through the peephole, there was her cowboy, all smiling, Stetson on his head, and white roses in his hand.
Stella beamed. She just couldn’t believe it. She op
ened the door and pulled Ted into her apartment, kissing him at the same time, locked her door, then pulled his Stetson off and set it on her coat rack. "I never expected seeing you here."
"I couldn't stop thinking about you and I wanted to see how they had treated you after you gave them your resignation."
"Ha! You were worried I wouldn't have the nerve to resign." She began unsnapping the snaps on his western shirt, forget trying to figure out something for dinner to eat alone.
"No. I knew you couldn't wait to return to Yuma Town, and you wouldn't have put Larry in a bind, when he knows you're working for him in two weeks. And you would miss me too much unless you had changed your mind about you and me."
“No way.” She was kissing Ted again, pulling his shirt off his shoulders, remembering she needed to unsnap the long sleeves of his shirt first. Then she yanked them free and pulled his shirt off the rest of the way and kissed his shoulders, his pecs, his scruffy chin, then met his mouth again with hers, kissing smartly, then deepening the kiss.
Ted had ached to be with her even when he was working hard on the job. She was like a thirst he couldn't quench. Now they were together again, and the need had intensified all the more. In life and love, he would give her everything—commitment, protection, loving, sharing, caring. He was so happy to be with her, relieved even. He hoped once she moved in with him, he wouldn’t feel this desperate to see her, knowing they would be together every night and when she wasn’t working.
Her scent of woman and she-cat and intrigue and sex took his breath away, held him in hungry anticipation. He pressed his hands over her breasts and felt her nipples, tight peaks pressing against her clothes and his hands.
He pulled her close, their bodies flush, her breathing and his ragged with lust. They kissed and her tongue darted out to lick his mouth, and he invited her in, wanting the connection, the anticipation of being with her like this again feeling better than right. She deepened the kiss and hugged him tight.
"I've wanted to do this since I left you. I'm glad you came here and didn't wait."
"You know it," he said, sweeping his hands through her hair. "I didn't want to dream about being with you. I wanted to live it."
"Oh, I so agree."
A swirling, heady maelstrom of need rushed through his bloodstream, and a low groan rumbled forth from deep within his throat as he slid his hand up her skirt covering her thigh and she ran her hands over the front of his jeans, cupping his sex.
He had given her his heart, his body, his strength, his soul. He was hers forever. She kissed him with the kind of passion like he knew she would, just like he gave her back.
She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "I figured I'd bring some of my stuff to the ranch on the weekend to join you. I didn't think you'd be coming here during the week to see me. Not that I’m disappointed to say the least. I just didn’t want you to have to make that commute so early in the morning."
"I can’t stay away from you. Besides, this is a dangerous place to live," he explained, running his hand over her shoulders. He said it just in case she had any real objection to him being here. “I would be remiss not to be here to make sure you remain safe—at least at night." In truth, he couldn’t stay away from her for anything.
Chapter 18
"So you're staying the night?" Stella asked, breathlessly, their kisses renewing. She had thought maybe Ted was going to come just for dinner, make love, then he would return home again as early as he had to get up to work at the ranch.
"Yeah. Boss Man and Boss Lady expected it of me. They wouldn't have it any other way. The two new ranch hands are really working out and well, what can I say? I can't get enough of being with you." He ran his hands over her blouse covered breasts. “Of this.”
"Your overnight bag is in the truck?" She still couldn't believe he was planning to stay the night without telling her. Luckily, the place was clean. Though she should have started to pack or something.
Getting in late Sunday night and working all day Monday had kind of quashed the notion of packing. She'd actually planned to get some done every night. Tonight, even.
"Yeah, as long as you're fine with it."
She smiled at him. "Oh, absolutely. You can help me pack.” Though that's not what she really wanted to do with him right this moment. She resumed kissing and he began unbuttoning her blouse.
She hadn't even had time to change out of her business suit for work. At least she'd ditched her pumps and her suit jacket once she’d arrived home.
He removed her blouse and kissed her shoulders. "Hmm, I missed you last night."
She smiled and began working on his belt. "I missed you too." Though she had to admit she'd been worn out by all the activities this past weekend and all their lovemaking and she suspected her wounds and rattlesnake bite had had something to do with that too.
But once she was with him again, it was like he rejuvenated every cell in her body and she was raring to go. "I think you're just perfect for me."
"I know you are for me."
Not that they wouldn't have disagreements with each other. She wondered how building a house would go. But maybe he wouldn't care as long as she was happy with it. And truly, anything would be nicer than her ultra-tiny apartment. Which, for a single woman or man was fine, but she was ready for more—a family, and even more of an extended family. For having parties, dinner engagements at the house, yeah, that would be totally fine.
Then he was pulling off her skirt and she was wearing only her panties and bra—plain white, no frills. She hadn't expected her macho cougar to show up at her house tonight or she might have gone for sexier and more enticing. He didn't seem to notice, his hands on her breasts, his mouth on hers again.
Then she was moving her hands down to his belt again, tackling it, and unfastening it. She unfastened his jeans, but he hurried to lean down and jerk his cowboy boots and socks off. Then she was pulling down his jeans and he was kissing her mouth again, his hands on her breasts, massaging, making her feel sexy and needed.
She ran her hand over his boxer briefs as he kicked aside his jeans.
Then he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips, and he carried her into the—"Bedroom to the right," she said, as he almost took her into the spare bedroom turned into an office.
He set her on her feet on the floor in the bedroom and peeled her bra straps off her shoulders, kissing each shoulder before he reached around to unfasten the bra in back, a normal reaction, only the fastener was in the front. She moved his hand around the front, and he smiled and unsnapped it. Then he pulled her bra off, cupped her breasts, and kissed her mouth.
She cupped his buttocks and pulled him flush against her, kissing his mouth, tonguing him, loving him.
He was soon stripping off her panties, pulling them off all the way as she rested her hands on his shoulders to balance herself. Then she was pulling off his boxer briefs and they were on the bed, kissing, moving against each other, his hands cupping her face while she moved a leg over the back of his thigh and rubbed at him.
He groaned and slipped his hand between them and began to stroke her nub. Just breathing in his cougar scent and him, their pheromones dancing around each other, enticing each other, his touching her and his warm breath against her skin catapulted her into a climax.
She wrapped both her legs around him and he plunged into her, going deep, thrusting, just as into her as she was into him.
"I love you," she said, not afraid to tell him that every time she was with him or missing him.
"I love you too," he said, his voice rough with need as he paused to kiss her mouth, and then he was thrusting again.
She knew he would make love to her again tonight. She could count on it. He had stamina, just like she knew a cowboy would.
He continued to thrust, and finally came, groaning out her name in a loving way. "Oh, man, Stella, you are the only one for me, ever."
"I feel the same way about you."
They kissed ag
ain and then he finally pulled out, and he wrapped his arms around her.
She sighed. "This couldn't have been a better pick-me-up."
He chuckled. “I agree.”
They were spent, feeling satiated, lying tangled together, loving each other.
She loved him without reservation, knowing he was the only one for her, that she had finally found a home with a man who loved her unconditionally. A white cougar, an oddity, but to him, she was perfect, and he was the same for her.
"Love you, you big old cat. I hope you realize what we'll be doing again later tonight." She was overjoyed that he'd come to be with her and like usual, had made her life better than it would have been if he hadn't been here for her tonight.
"You can count on it." He smiled at her and kissed her again.
"Hmm, you are not going to be conducive to sleep."
He chuckled. "I know I'll sleep better being with you."
"Not me, being with you. I'll want to wake you up in the middle of the night." She kissed his beautiful bare chest. “I was going to just grab something to eat out of the fridge when I got off work, but do you want to go out and celebrate?"
"I sure do. Where's the best steakhouse around?"
"My favorite—Philly’s Steakhouse. I'll drive." She wanted to enjoy the places she always went to by herself with him now.
"This looks good," he said, when they arrived at the restaurant and went inside. "Smells good too."
"They have the best steaks.” They were ushered to a table. “I still can't believe you're here."
"I couldn't stay away.” He smiled. "All I thought of all day was being with you all night."
"I'm glad you came tonight. If I'd had any doubts you were the right one for me, that dispelled them," she said.
