Picking Roses

by BA Tortuga

  She reached out, touched his mouth, loving on his face.

  “Rosie.” He kissed her fingers.

  “Uh-huh.” She was going to go crazy with pleasure.

  Les changed the angle of his thrusts a tiny bit, and suddenly the friction she needed was right there. Damn. Oh, damn. Her lips opened and the muscles in the pit of her belly went tight. Les groaned, the sound rough and deep, from all the way down in his gut. She could feel each sound vibrate against her breasts.

  “Love.” The word wanted to be a yell, but she couldn’t manage it.

  “Yes. Oh, honey.” He shuddered, his cock moving deep inside her, his hips grinding down. She could feel each wet pulse as he came, could feel his heartbeat.

  She held him, moaning through the fading aftershocks of pleasure.

  “Sweet Rosie. I swear, you’re it for me, girl.” He was kind of rambling, not quite coherent.

  “Good.” She needed to be.

  “We’ll be all right, honey. I promise.”

  “We will. Lonely for a few months, but all right.” She kissed his nose, smiled. “Love you, cowboy.”

  “I love you, too, Rosie.” He’d never had any trouble saying it to her. Timmy hadn’t either. Cowboys got a bad rap for that sometimes, and they didn’t always deserve it.

  She nodded, let herself rest with him a minute, let herself hold on tight.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Rosie pulled into the long drive and honked, just in case the pack was out and loose. Beau’s hounds weren’t mean, but they were big and there were a lot of them. A whole lot. And they were drooly.

  Mr. Sam was the one who came out of the house, and he pulled a big male bloodhound away from her driver’s side window, smiling at her. “Rosalie! How ya? How are you?”

  The poor man, since he’d been so hurt, talking wasn’t his friend.

  “Mr. Sam. I… Are y’all busy?” She’d called and said she was coming, but it was always good to make sure.

  “No. Beau is cooking.” Seeing her look, he laughed. “Jambalaya. He made it mild.”

  “Oh, yum. I brought pralines and divinity.” She wouldn’t make caramels until she got to her cowboy.

  “Hooee.” Sam opened the door for her, helping her out with one hand. “Come on.”

  She took his hand, kissed his cheek, and handed him the candy. The man seemed so good, so happy. There’d been that little bit where they all thought they’d lose him, but now… She’d never seen Sam Bell look so healthy. Especially since he had a hat on and she couldn’t see his scars.

  They chatted a bit on the way in, Sam haltingly telling her about the puppies and the new shed.

  She oohed and aahed, admiring Beau’s new truck and the neat front porch deal they’d built. “Y’all have been busy.”

  “We have, huh?” He opened the back door, and Beau was there in the kitchen, grinning at her.

  “Hey, Miss Rose.”

  “Beau!” He opened his arms and she got her hug. “Oh, God. I’ve missed y’all something fierce.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you. We love having you about, you know that.” Before she could blink she had a cup of coffee and a seat at the table and some amazing pie thing that had to be from Beau’s long-suffering granny.

  “Thank you.” She dug in, humming over the sweet. “Lord, this is good. So, y’all are doing good?”

  God, she wanted to tell them about Les.

  “We’re doing just fine.” Beau had sat across from her, and he was staring. Hard.

  “What?” She knew she was blushing.

  “You got something on your mind, Miss Rose. You might as well tell us what.”

  “I’m going to Colorado. I love him and he loves me and he doesn’t know I’m coming, because I want to surprise him, but I’m going. In ten days. I’m going to go. I wasn’t supposed to go until spring, but I can’t wait.” She just blurted it out.

  Beau sat back, glancing at Sam, who nodded, one eyebrow up. “This that Les feller?”

  “Yeah. I… You don’t think it’s wrong, do you? I loved Timmy, you know that, but…” She wasn’t dead, too. She had to grasp this with both hands.

  “No, ma’am. If he’s a stand-up guy, I think you deserve him, and to be happy.” Beau smiled, the expression lighting up his eyes.

  “He’s wonderful and I was going to wait, but… Mister Beau, I miss him. I miss him every day.”

  “Well, now.” Beau and Sam shared another look, this one a smile. “Then you ought to go. If he has a place for you there.”

  “If he doesn’t, I’ll get a baby apartment like I have here.” She’d been hunting and, Lord, those tiny places were pricey, but that was okay. It was.

  She was frugal.

  “Well, if you need anything, you holler, you hear? You’re family. We won’t let you go wrong.” Beau reached out to pat her hand.

  “No. No, you wouldn’t.” She grabbed his fingers. “I love him, Beau. I want to have his babies. Is that nuts?”

  “No. No, it ain’t crazy.” Beau held on, just smiling at her. He seemed happy for her. For real. “Love is a funny thing.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is.” She couldn’t fight her grin.

  “You know, I ain’t heard much about this guy.” Sam sat down, too, leaning back and looking like he was about to grill her.

  “He’s a working cowboy. Rode a little on the bulls, but he did broncs at the big shows.”

  “No shit?” Sam grunted when Beau’s foot connected with his under the table. “Pardon my French.”

  She chuckled, grinned. “Yes, sir. I…I saw him ride the once, he did good.” Then she winked. “He’s awful tall for a bull rider.”

  They both cackled, not being tall fellers. “Well, we know a few, huh?”

  “A couple. He’s got four inches on AJ Gardner.” Wait, did that sound dirty?

  “Well, now.” Beau’s eyes twinkled, and he chuckled. Okay, so it had sounded risqué.

  “Hush, you. Missy’d pluck me bald-headed for even thinking that and y’all know it.”

  “She would.” They cackled like a pair of old hens. “So, this boy lives where again?”

  “Colorado. In the mountains. Steamboat Springs.” It was like a ski place, way up high. She’d been reading on it.

  “That sounds fun.” Sam was a good soul. She could tell he was tickled for her, where Beau was happy but worried.

  “I’ve been real careful with Timmy’s insurance and with saving the last month or two. I can make it a year without a job, maybe longer.”

  “Sounds like you’ve really thought all this through.” Beau got up to stir his jambalaya and get her more coffee. “You’ll have to let me and Sam look at your truck. Make sure it will hold to the weather driving up there.

  “I’d appreciate that, Mister Beau. I want to get there and surprise him, be settled in time to make him Thanksgiving supper.”

  “That sounds like fun.” He patted her shoulder, and it wasn’t a bit condescending. “You’ll have to give me his number up there, just in case.”

  “Surely. That way you can always find me.” Beau Lafitte was her family, he had her back, and she had his.

  “You know it. We can come skiing.”

  They got to talking after that, just all about the families and all. It was a fine thing.

  By the time the sun was fixin’ to set, she was feeling a little wore. “I’ve got a drive home, y’all.”

  “No one will talk if you spend the night here, Miss Rose.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, Beau squeezed a little. “I don’t want you driving in the dark.”

  “You sure you don’t mind?” Presley was still outside, chasing the bloodhounds, really playing hard. She usually had him on a leash but at Beau’s she never had to worry. Those hounds protected her baby.

  “Not a bit. You need to eat with us, anyway. Beau will pout.” Sam headed outside to gather up her little overnight bag. Living with a rodeo cowboy, she’d learned to always have one packed.

  “I
was wondering if you might come help me pack my baby truck on the first. It’s a long drive and I’m thinking about buying a little hardtop to keep my things safe.”

  “Sure.” Nodding, Beau puttered around, getting out plates and all. He seemed good, too. Happy.

  “Retirement suits you.”

  “Thank you.” That smile went all the way to his eyes, warming them up so much. “I never thought I’d like it this much, but I sure do.”

  “Yeah? Y’all have been busy since.” What with the dogs and the TV and appearances and cattle.

  “We have. Been working, but not so hard that Sammy gets messed up, huh?” The cornbread came out of the oven, smelling like heaven. Beau could cook, no matter what everyone thought.

  “I think it looks good on both of you.” God, she missed Les.

  Beau gave her a spontaneous hug, which seemed to surprise him as much as it did her. “We’ll miss you being close.”

  “You’ll come visit. I’ll come home to see y’all.” She had to go.

  “I know. We won’t let you get away that easy.”

  “I hope not.” She grinned, nodded to Sam. “I don’t know what I’d’ve done without y’all.”

  “You’d best invite us to the wedding,” Sam said, which put the first doubt in her mind, because with all their planning, Les had never mentioned marriage.

  “If he asks. We haven’t talked on it.” She shrugged, hugging on herself a little bit. “I mean, y’all know me and Timmy didn’t have babies. He might want to make sure I could, first.” She wasn’t stupid. Cowboys loved babies.

  “We always kinda figured it was Timmy.” Beau’s cheeks went fiery red. “It happens to roughstock cowboys sometimes.”

  “That… Well, the doctors then said that I was good, but…I’m older now.”

  “Oh. Oh! Well, you still have a lot of good years. You’re not even thirty. Look at Missy Gardner.”

  “Yeah. She can catch pregnant if Aje walks through the room with a boner.” She blinked, then laughed right out loud. God, she hadn’t said something like that since before she lost Timmy.

  Sam and Beau blinked too. Then they hooted, both of them laughing so hard that the dogs set to howling outside.

  They all laughed until she was sore, then she grinned at her friends. “I’ll make us some coffee and we can have candy in the front room, if y’all want.”

  “That sounds like a plan, Miss Rose.” Beau nodded, and Sam grinned, and it was all good.

  She could only hope going to see Les turned out as well.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The phone rang just as Les and Iggy were settling in with a DVD and a beer. Well, Iggy had a rawhide, not a beer, but still. His heart kicked into high gear, and Les hopped up to answer. Maybe it was Rosie. He loved it when she called. “’Lo?”

  “This Les Jacoby?”

  Not Rose. Some male voice he didn’t know. “Yeah. This is Les. How can I help you?”

  “Les, this is Beau Lafitte, Rose’s friend.”

  “Well, hey.” Beau. Lafitte. Lord. Only one of the best bull riders ever.

  “Hey. Rose came by yesterday, spent the night here. She… She’s got good things to say for you.”

  “Does she?” Les grinned a little. Rose had told him about Beau and his traveling partner, so he wasn’t jealous. “Well, I sure am glad to hear that.”

  “Yessir. I… Well, I don’t want to step on any toes, now, but I reckon I’m the only thing she’s got to family and I think you and me oughta talk.”

  It actually did him good to hear someone say that. It made him happy that Rosie had someone in her corner. Still, why she’d gone to see Beau was a mystery.

  “Surely. Have I done something I don’t know about?”

  “No, sir. She’s fixin’ to do something you don’t know about.” Beau took a deep breath, and Les heard another male voice telling him to get on with it.

  “Is she?” What the hell? Was she gonna break up with him?

  “Yup. She’s packing her truck up, coming up there to surprise you. I wouldn’t spoil her surprise, normally, but…”

  “Packing her…” Les shorted out a little, the joy kinda overwhelming. Rosie was going to surprise him.

  “Yeah. Yeah, and if you don’t want her up there, man, tell me now. You let her drive all that way by herself and then turn her away and you’ll have a bunch of cowboys coming to beat your ass.”

  “No. No, I won’t do that.” Oh, god. This was really happening. Les couldn’t be more tickled. “I been working on the house. I even did up the extra bath in roses.”

  “Oh.” He heard a soft little chuckle. “Poot, he’s fixing her up a house.”

  “Fucking A! Go Rose!”

  Les laughed, just feeling it well up in his chest.

  “She’s leaving here on the first. Bringing her dog and a truckload.”

  “Oh. Oh, that’s…” The first of November. Shit. That could be dangerous. “I—is she gonna be checking in with you? It could be snowing already, time she comes across.”

  “She is. She’s a smart girl and she’s all fluttery about surprising you, but…well, that’s a big damn surprise.”

  “It is.” He might have dropped dead if she’d just shown up without him having any warning. That would have been bad. “You’ll keep in touch with me as she comes, yeah? That way I won’t be tempted to call her every five minutes.”

  “You got my word, man. You are intending on marrying her, right? ’Cause she’s not the shaking-up kind of lady.”

  “I know. I am.” He hadn’t asked before he left because, well, what if she hated Colorado? What if he’d gotten killed over the winter, working the cattle? What about a ring? He’d wanted to wait until spring to ask, just in case.

  “Good.” He thought that was satisfaction in Beau Lafitte’s voice. “She’s a good girl. You’re lucky. She… Well, you oughta know. She’s thinkin’ you ain’t asked ’cause she didn’t catch pregnant with her first husband.”

  “Oh. No. No, I mean I knew it was him. She mentioned it once.” Les rolled his eyes. Rosie was a dork. “I mean, she went on the pill with me, so I knew…”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I just thought the information might help. Remember now, though, you don’t know nothing.”

  “Right.” Shit, he was talking to a total stranger about having sex with Rosie.

  “Congrats, man. You got my number now, if you need it.”

  Shit. Shit, he was talking to the three-million-dollar cowboy, who was treating him like family. When had this become his life?

  “Thanks.” He actually had to clear his throat a little. “I—thanks. I’ll treat her right.”

  “You better. I’ll see you at the wedding, if not before. Keep me informed, man.”

  “I will. Thanks for letting me know.” If he’d lost Rosie on the road somewhere… God.

  “You got it. Night, man.”

  “Goodnight.” Les hung up, with Beau Lafitte for God’s sake, and resisted the urge to call Rosie right off. She’d know from his voice that something was up.

  Of course, it wasn’t a second later and his phone rang again. He knew it was her. Les took a deep breath, trying for normal. “Hello?”

  “Hey, cowboy.” Rosie sounded tired, but good. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. How are you, honey?” It was so good to hear her voice, one way or the other.

  “Pooped. Did a lot today. Missing you.”

  “What are you up to?” He bit his lip, holding in the string of questions he really wanted to ask.

  “Cleaning. I went to see Sam and Beau yesterday and ended up spending the night at the ranch.”

  “Did you? How are they doing?” He had to really push it, because he felt like he was lying to her.

  “Good. Happy. I had fun. Did you get the caramels I mailed you?”

  “I did. Thank you, honey.” He’d tried to email her about them, but he was never sure if that electronic shit went through from his satellite Internet. Texts were just
as bad.

  “Good.” He heard her sigh and heard the couch groan as she flopped. “We’re getting all the Halloween decorations ready for the library.”

  “Yeah? The kids excited?” He was… God, she was coming up on the first. He needed to clean. Get that kitchen cabinet project done.

  “You know it. You have to be so careful not to make the older ones frustrated, the younger ones scared. I have a gypsy costume.”

  “Got your crystal ball?” Les settled back down on the couch, stroking Iggy’s ears. No sense pacing.

  “Long skirt, lots of costume jewelry, and a scarf in my hair.”

  “You’ll have to send me pictures, honey.” That they had down. Les was way better with his cell phone than he was with the old computer.

  “I will.” Presley was barking in the background. “I’m having the house phone turned off, just to save the pennies. I’ll keep my cell, though.”

  “Okay.” Les paused, then went ahead and asked. “Do you need me to wire you some money, hon? Just in case?”

  “No. No, you keep your money, love. I’ll be fine. I have money in the bank, I just like to have a nice cushion, in case.”

  “Yeah.” Les had been surprised at how much he had banked since he’d taken on the foreman job. The boss was letting him have the house as a comp, hoping to keep him on, and the renovations were going along pretty cheap. Folks down in town had been generous, once they heard he was wanting to bring up a fiancée from Texas.

  He grinned at himself. Shit, it was like they’d all decided, if he was bringing a woman, he was staying permanent instead of haring off to rodeo all the time.

  Les guessed that wasn’t far off.

  Hot damn. “Well, I sure do miss you, girl. Been working hard, trying to keep busy so I don’t call you at work.”

  “I miss you, too. Bad.” She chuckled. “You know, this is why I don’t fall for cowboys.”

  The familiar tease was gentle, sweet and made him smile.

  “I know, honey. We just have another few months, right?” Not even that, but he couldn’t let on.

  “I know. I’m good, just pouting, maybe a little hormonal.”