Kellie and Josie brought their mares to a smooth stop a few yards away from the creek. After sliding out of their saddles, they jogged to the edge of the water, both laughing and breathing hard from the ride and warm sunshine.
Kellie pointed at Seth and did a merry dance as he brought Lexi to a stop next to the other horses. “You’re the big loser,” she said jovially.
“Oh, yeah?” Dismounting Lexi in one fluid motion, he dropped the reins so the horse could graze and sprinted toward Kellie. She squealed in surprise and darted in the opposite direction, with Josie egging her on.
Seth caught her and gently tackled her to the soft grass. He tickled her with fast, sure fingers, unmerciful in his attack.
“Stop! Stop!” Kellie demanded around peals of laughter and gulps of breath.
Seth grinned and continued the playful torment, finding all the places that made her break into fits of giggles. “Who’s your favorite guy?”
“You are!” Kellie was forced to confess.
Satisfied with her admission, Seth stood and held out a hand to help her up. “And don’t you forget that, either,” he said with feigned gruffness.
“You’re a lightweight, Kellie,” Josie said with a grin. She still stood near the creek, enjoying the scene before her and making the mistake of thinking she was safe from Seth’s attention. “You gave up way too easily.”
“I had to say it!” Kellie pressed a hand to her aching side. “I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe!”
Seth stalked toward his bride, slow and predatory like. “Do you think I’m a loser, too, Josie?”
Casually, she inched away from the edge of the creek. A smile quirked the corner of her mouth, and her eyes shimmered sassily. “Oh, Absolutely.”
Like a lithe cat, he unexpectedly leapt toward her. Her eyes grew round in panic and she had just enough time to whirl away, but Seth was faster, and more agile. He caught her around the waist with a strong arm, but instead of tumbling her to the ground, he swept her up into his arms and strode purposefully back to the creek.
She gaped at him, her expression reflecting a mixture of disbelief and uncertainty. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“I’d dare just about anything, Josie, darlin’,” he drawled.
She squirmed in his embrace as they neared the crystal blue water. “You can’t be serious!”
A slow grin curved his lips. “I’m about as serious as that water is cold.”
She stiffened, sliding her arms around his neck as if to hold on for dear life. He couldn’t deny that she felt like heaven all snuggled against his chest.
“Seth!” she admonished.
He stopped at the edge and met her gaze. “Who’s your favorite guy?” he asked, his tone low and taunting.
Defiance sparked from her eyes. “Mac.”
He chuckled at her rebellious behavior. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
She closed her eyes for a brief second, as if it pained her to say the words. He prompted her by loosening his hold, just enough to make her suck in a panicked, outrageous breath and cling to him.
This time, her admission came swiftly. “You are! You are!”
“Do you mean it?” he murmured.
She glanced down at the glittering pool of water beneath her and obviously thought better of her answer. “Yes!”
Finally, he released her, letting her body slide down the length of his until her booted feet touched the ground. Keeping his hands secured on her hips, he angled his lips near her ear. “I’m gonna make you prove it later on.”
Her cheeks flushed a becoming shade of pink.
“Aw, Mom,” Kellie groaned in disappointment as she trudged over to the adults. “I can’t believe you gave in.”
Josie stepped around Seth, severing the contact between them. “I’m not in the mood for a swim.”
Seth shared a grin with Kellie. “Where’s your sense of adventure, bride?”
“I must have left it back at the house,” she retorted, and added under her breath, “And quit calling me that!”
He would, as soon as her status changed from bride, to wife. He used the endearment as a constant reminder that they’d yet to consummate their marriage, and she knew it, too.
He’d been patient the past month, giving her time to get used to him, and the thought of them being together intimately. He touched and kissed her at every opportunity, and it was getting more difficult to end the petting and caresses before they escalated beyond the point of no return. He took satisfaction in knowing that Josie was becoming just as restless as he was, and more often than not she initiated a kiss or touch of her own.
He was ready to make love to her, ready to make her his in every way a man longs to claim his woman, his bride. But it wouldn’t happen, not until Josie was ready, physically and emotionally.
Soon, he thought.
While Josie spread a blanket beneath a nearby shade tree, and retrieved the knapsack tied to Lexi’s saddle, which held their picnic lunch, Seth taught Kellie to skip stones along the surface of the water. The three of them ate ham sandwiches, potato chips, cookies for dessert, and washed it all down with lemonade. Their conversation was lively and fun, and the hour passed languidly.
After the remnants of lunch were cleaned up, Kellie rolled up the hem of her pants to her knees and waded into the shallow end of the creek to pitch more stones. Josie relaxed against the trunk of the tree, legs stretched in front of her. Stomach full and feeling wonderfully relaxed, Seth removed his Stetson, reclined on his back, and rested his head in her lap. She appeared startled by his bold move, but she didn’t object, and gradually the tense muscles in her thighs eased.
Sighing contentedly, Seth smiled up at her. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”
“Yeah, me either,” she said softly, her gaze taking on that melancholy look he’d yet to understand. “My father and I used to take Kellie out for rides and picnics on Sundays when he was around . . .”
Her voice trailed off and she grew quiet. A faraway look touched her expression, and he finally realized what evoked such sadness in her at times. Her father’s absence.
“I hope he’s okay, wherever he is,” she said, more to herself than to him, he suspected.
Grabbing her hand, he placed it over the steady beating of his heart. The tender gesture was meant to comfort her and maybe show her, in his own simple way, that he did care. “Has he ever taken off before?”
She nodded, the movement jerky. “Yes, but never for this long. I’m afraid he won’t be back this time.” Emotional tears filled her eyes, but she managed to keep them at bay. “He was a good man, Seth, despite his faults.”
“I never thought differently.”
She drew a deep, steadying breath. “It was common knowledge that he liked to gamble, and I tried my best to keep it under control, but he became obsessed with cards and poker after my mother died when I was a little girl. I suppose it was his way of dealing with her death, and I’d much prefer him gambling than drinking.”
“Like my father?” It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement of fact.
“Yes,” she agreed, lightly brushing a strand of hair off his forehead. “It couldn’t have been easy for you.”
He laced his fingers with the hand he held to his heart. “No more or less than it was for you.” Both of them had suffered as children, though in different aspects.
She hesitated for a brief moment. “I heard rumors that he was. . . um, a mean drunk.”
Seth valiantly tamped down the old resentment and bitterness trying to claw its way to the surface. “My father was just plain mean and spiteful, regardless of his drinking.”
“I’m sorry.” Compassion glinted in her eyes, soothing him. “Despite his gambling, my father’s got a heart of gold and deserves to be home with me and Kellie.” She closed her eyes, and swallowed hard, her voice wistful when she next spoke. “I wish. . .”
When Josie didn’t finish her request, Seth prompted, “
What do you wish, Sweetheart?”
She opened her eyes, and they were bright with private recriminations. “That my father knew that I forgive him for gambling away the Golden M, and that I don’t hate him like he believes. But how can I tell him that when I have no idea where he is, or how to locate him?”
Seth had no answer for her, but he didn’t think she expected one, either. Her request was such a simple one, really, and as they sat there together beneath the shade tree lost in their own thoughts, Seth decided if it was within his power to grant Josie her selfless wish, he would do it.
“Mom, there’s a wild berry bush a little ways down the creek,” Kellie said, skipping back to the blanket. “Can I pick some so we can have them with ice cream tonight?”
“Go ahead,” Josie said with a smile as Kellie took an empty container from the knapsack. “But stay where I can see you.”
Seth closed his eyes, lulled by the warmth of the summer day, the soft, feminine scent drifting off of Josie’s skin, and the way she idly stroked her fingers through his hair. A nap beckoned, and he gradually drifted off.
“Seth?”
Josie’s soft, sweet voice tugged at his conscience, keeping him hovering between slumber and wakefulness. “Hmm?”
“What happened to make your father disinherit you?”
His mind immediately went on full alert, but he didn’t open his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I’d like to know, considering that’s the main reason why you wanted the Golden M so badly.”
His lashes drifted open, and he gave her a warning look. “Leave it alone, Josie.” His tone was gruffer than he’d intended, but he hoped it would at least serve to dissuade Josie’s probing of a very sensitive topic.
She fell silent, but wasn’t discouraged for long. “Did Robert do something so your father would disinherit you?”
His jaw clenched, and he admitted, “No, it was what I did.”
She frowned, as if she couldn’t quite believe he was capable of doing something so awful that it would result in losing his rightful inheritance. “Which was?” she persisted.
“Dammit, Josie . . .” Frustration burned through his veins, along with truth, until it threatened to strangle him if he didn’t let it out. “I was with you.”
Visibly shaken by his confession, her hand fluttered to the collar of her blouse and her face paled. “My God.”
Swearing heatedly beneath his breath, he sat up next to her on his knees. He clawed his fingers through his hair, angry with her for pushing the issue, and equally furious with himself for having so little restraint. “You wanted to know,” he said, his tone flat.
Her gaze searched his, compassion glowing in the depths. “You lost half of the Paradise Wild because of me?”
“Because of us.” He ached to touch her and tell her it no longer mattered, but couldn’t bring himself to open himself to her so emotionally. “Because I was involved with you and my father found out about it.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “And because I’m a McAllister,” she stated, her voice holding a hint of anguish.
“That’s the short of it. It was no secret my father hated anything to do with a McAllister.”
She looked at him, her chin jutting out indignantly. “That’s awful, and hardly fair!”
He felt himself smiling, because never would he have imagined having Josie as an ally. “Life is rarely fair, Josie, as you well know. My father always knew something happened between you and I, but I didn’t find out about being disinherited until after my father died, when the will was read.”
She shook her head incredulously. “You must have been devastated.”
He shrugged, the gesture not as casual as he intended. “At first I was pretty angry, but then that’s my father for you. Spiteful until the very end. But none of that matters anymore. This is my home now, here on the Golden M, with you and Kellie.”
She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Not by your choice.”
“No, the circumstances weren’t ideal, but we’re both in this for the long haul, and I’ve accepted that.”
She cast him a skeptical look beneath the crease of her brows. “And the past?”
“Has no place in our future,” he said adamantly. “I . . . I care for you, Josie, and Kellie, too. I know we can make our marriage a real one if we work real hard at it.”
She glanced away from his beseeching gaze, but not before he saw something extremely emotional and private glittering in her eyes, like she was trying to hide a secret from him. Very gently, he grasped her chin and brought her face back around, but whatever he’d glimpsed moments before was gone.
“I’m willing to wipe the slate clean, how about you?” he asked, realizing in that moment just how important her answer was to him. How important it was to their marriage.
She bit her quivering bottom lip. A month ago she would have been snapping with fire right now, defiant and unwilling to compromise. He was gratified to see her relenting, softening, and considering everything they stood to gain as true, equal partners—in marriage, friendship, and business.
Since she was having a difficult time giving him what he wanted, he decided to offer her an incentive. Framing her face between his large palms, he leaned toward her and kissed her tenderly, deeply, passionately.
“Say yes, Josie,” he breathed against her damp lips. “Say you’ll be my wife.”
Tentatively, her arms slid around his neck, fingers delving into his hair, and brought his mouth back to hers. “Yes,” she whispered, and then her lips parted beneath his. The kiss she gave him tasted like a new beginning, and held the flavor of forever.
Yes. Seth’s heart soared. That one word was all he needed to hear to know she was finally his.
It took Josie a week to work up the nerve to seduce her husband.
After her declaration at the creek last Sunday she’d expected Seth to make love to her, but he’d been a perfect gentleman, in their bedroom, and out. He still kissed her every night until she was pliant and dewy, still stole caresses that left her breathless, and murmured sexy, wicked things in her ear that made her blush. The anticipation he so effortlessly stirred within her was excruciating, and exquisitely sensual.
It was driving her crazy with wanting him.
She knew she was sending all the right signals, but it had taken her all week to realize Seth was waiting for her to initiate a more intimate union between them—when she was ready.
The time had come to be Seth’s wife in every way, as she’d promised him at the creek, and there wouldn’t be a more perfect opportunity to make her intentions known than that evening. Kellie was staying overnight at a nearby friend’s house, leaving her and Seth alone on a quiet Saturday night. Seth had gone out to the stables an hour earlier to check on things, as he did every evening, affording Josie enough time to prepare herself, physically and emotionally, for what was to come.
She’d never considered herself a seductress—she knew little about tempting men—but as she glanced at her reflection in the dresser mirror, she saw a mature woman who was both desirable and sexy. She supposed trading in her long flannel gown and socks for a silky, thigh length chemise and bare feet had something to do with the transformation, as well as leaving her hair completely unbound so it fell in wild curls over her shoulders and down her back. Her complexion glowed, and her eyes shimmered with feminine allure.
She was as ready as a bride could be about accepting her husband for the first time.
Downstairs, she heard Seth enter the house and she jumped as the moment of reckoning presented itself. Excitement and apprehension mingled, making her pulse race and her stomach flutter from nerves. Like a repeat of their wedding night she anxiously waited for him to come upstairs, and when she finally heard his booted steps echoing down the hall, she drew a deep breath for calm and courage.
The door opened, and he stepped inside, his gaze immediately drawn to where she stood in the middle of the room. He said
nothing, but his dark, smoldering eyes spoke volumes. His gaze leisurely traveled the length of her, flickering from her unrestrained hair, to her breasts that swelled and pushed against the cool material of her chemise, to her hips outlined in silk, and down her slender legs.
His perusal was blatantly seductive and wholly possessive.
This time, she didn’t attempt to repress her body’s response to his heated, seductive gaze. This time, she didn’t bolt for the safety of the covers and wish that the lights were turned off. This time, she let him look his fill, let the hunger between them grow and build until she was inflamed and restless.
There would be no holding back tonight, no barriers, and that knowledge sent a thrilling shiver of anticipation dancing down her spine.
“Hi,” she said, her voice husky.
“Hi, yourself.” Taking off his Stetson, he flicked it onto the nearby dresser. He approached her with a lazy stroll, and stopped less than two feet away. “You look awfully nice, and sexy, too, without all that flannel covering you up.” His gaze narrowed and his voice lowered into a masculine, teasing drawl. “You expecting someone I should know about?”
She shifted anxiously on her bare feet, and the silky material of her gown whispered around her thighs, a teasing caress she wanted replaced with his warm, calloused hands. “Just my husband.”
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a beguiling, rakish grin. “And now that he’s here, what do you plan on doing with him?”
Her pulse quickened at the shameless challenge in his eyes. Taking a step toward him, she closed the gap between them, and sank her fingers into the soft hair at the back of his neck. “Maybe I ought to show you,” she said, and brought his mouth down to hers.
She kissed him, no holds barred. Deep. Passionate. Ravishing. His lips were infinitely soft, incredibly warm, his tongue flirtatious as it chased hers. She couldn’t get enough of his taste, didn’t want the kiss to end.
The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series Page 13
