“Then half my work is done.”
“And the other half?”
“That may take some time,” he said as he put her down on the bed, slipped off his jeans then climbed in on top of her. “I haven’t been with a woman for awhile. I’d like this to last for a spell.”
“Define ‘a spell.’”
“Long enough so we both remember what happened here.”
“How can I ever forget the day I made love to a cowboy in a barn?”
“Believe me, you won’t forget and looking at you now, I know I’ll remember this moment forever.”
“Are you always this romantic?”
He laughed. “Only when I’m about to make love in a barn.”
“So you’ve made love out here before?”
“You’re the first.”
“And the last,” she whispered, and in that moment, he knew she would be.
When they finally kissed, her full lips parted and when her tongue met his, a deep passionate desire ignited that he’d been stifling for longer than he’d like to admit. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped when he reached under her nightgown and cupped her soft breast in his hand, then gently ran his thumb over a taught nipple.
At once her lower body melded into his, and he could hardly believe she was so willing, so open to him. He gently kissed her neck running the tip of his tongue along the side until he came to her breast, tugging her nightgown lower so he could linger on a nipple, gently biting and suckling it’s sweet flavor. His hands moved to slide down her body, found the bottom of her nightgown and raised it up over her hips, revealing tiny pink lace panties.
“May I?” he asked as dawn snuck into the barn and allowed him to see what he’d delighted in touching.
“Please,” she told him lifting her hips off the bed.
He kissed the soft skin of her inner thighs, then slowly kissed her stomach right above her panty line, taking his time to enjoy her silky skin on his lips. Then he sat back resting on his calves as he straddled her, and ever so slowly slid her panties down over her hips, only revealing a little at a time, and trailing kisses as he removed the pink fabric away from what would surely be heaven on earth.
As his hands slid down her legs, she reached up and pulled her nightgown over her head, revealing the slender curves of her body to him. His breath caught in the back of his throat as his eyes and hands feasted on a woman he now knew would make it impossible to say good-bye to come Christmas Day. Not only was she physically more beautiful than he could ever have imagined, but she had an easiness about her that could tame even his most ornery mare.
“You’re like no other woman I’ve ever met, Jolie Shepard,” he told her as his fingers gently danced over the soft folds between her legs, making him crazy with desire.
“In a good or a bad way?” she asked in a hushed throaty voice, her hips pushing up with his touch, her back arching as he ran a hand over each breast, then down the center of her body back to her glistening core. He lingered there, between her legs, enjoying how she gave everything to him, didn’t hold back and spread her legs so he could savor every inch of her sweetness.
“In a good way,” he whispered, “A very good way.”
He soon brought her to the edge, and quickly slipped off his boxers, unwrapped the condom he’d kept in his wallet for the last six months, placed it over his manhood, and repositioned himself to enter her, slowly so he could savor the moment.
He kissed the sly little smile that warmed her delicious mouth, slowly pushing deeper inside of her, wanting to feel the heat of her body as it wrapped around his.
When she draped her legs around his back, and ran her hands up and down his body, making deep throaty sounds, and thrust herself up to meet him, he knew this woman enjoyed his touch. Her complete abandonment sent a bonfire up through him that made each thrust quicker than the last, each movement more intense. His body ached for release, and when she cried out with her own release, he fell over the edge with complete abandonment, eager to join her.
And in that moment of total surrender he knew if he wasn’t careful, didn’t rein in his emotions, as sure as the sun came out each morning, he was headed for another heartache.
And this time, he knew his heart wouldn’t survive it.
~~*~~
It wasn’t as if Jolie had slept with many men and normally whenever she had sex she’d be apprehensive about her lovemaking skills. Hell, the first time she’d been truly intimate with a man she was old enough to legally drink. Even her last boyfriend hadn’t been all that wowed over her performance or, as he’d said, her spontaneity.
But this was different.
Red Wiseman was different.
No other man could have prepared her for the way Red made her feel: like a woman, a real woman. Now, as she lay nestled up next to him, skin against skin, savoring the memories of their intimate moments, she thought back to the various lovers she been with, and realized they’d been amateurs, rookies, boys, while Red was a passionate lover, a seasoned romantic, and one-hundred percent all man.
Red knew how to make love to a woman, and the passion that went along with that knowledge gave her pause.
“We should probably get dressed. My family might come in here at any moment, and who knows who else they’ll bring with them to see the foal. My mom had mentioned something about . . . ”
“Red will be so pleased when he hears that some of his students and their parents have stopped by to see the colt this morning,” Ida announced in a clear voice as giggles and whispers echoed through the barn.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jolie mouthed, as she searched for her nightgown and panties.
She was completely mortified by the entire intrusion, but she should have known better than to make love in a barn, of all places.
“I forgot all about them.”
“You forgot? That means you knew. How could you possibly have forgotten that”--she peeked under the gate that kept them somewhat secluded from the rest of the barn and counted several sets of feet, both big and little, and three wheelchairs--“several kids, adults, and three children in wheelchairs would show up in the barn this morning?”
“You’re kidding, right? Like I had the presence of mind to think about anything other than making love to you.”
“Shhh,” Jolie scolded. “Nobody can know about this. Especially your mom.”
“Why?”
Jolie found her nightgown and slipped it over her head, then, thank God, she found her panties. After sliding them up her legs she wrapped a blanket around herself as she slipped on her muddy rubber boots. Unfortunately, her coat was hanging on a hook right outside of Miss Ida May’s stall. She had left it there last night before the fireworks began with Red . . . which, in daylight’s hindsight, she should have never let happen.
Mistake.
Big mistake.
“Is there a back door out of here?” she asked, hopeful.
Red quickly shoved on his boxers, and pants, while Jolie tried to comb her wild hair with her fingers. Never mind that she noticed that ripped chest of his and had to tear her gaze away.
“Yes, but you don’t have to sneak out.”
He zipped up his jeans, and hurriedly pulled on bright red socks with flying Santas and reindeer—no doubt a present from his aunt or mom—then he stepped into his boots.
“Oh, no. I’m not going out there in my nightgown and a blanket in front of all those people. I know what they’d be thinking.”
But it wasn’t the kids Jolie was scared to face. It was Red’s mom. No way did she want to throw it in his mom’s face that she’d slept with her son after she’d been so clear about counseling Jolie not to hurt him. His mom came from a different generation, one that looked at sex differently than her generation looked at it. To Jolie and Red, sex was just that . . . sex.
Nothing more . . . or was it?
“And they’d be right. So? We’re adults,” he whispered, but his voice was a bit too loud, so she shushe
d him.
“I know. That was our problem, remember?”
“So you’re saying that what happened is a problem?” His voice was louder still.
“Isn’t it? We live in two different states.” She no longer cared who heard her.
“It’s merely a location problem to be solved.”
“How? Tell me how you’re going to solve it?”
He hesitated as he slipped on a shirt. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Well, when you do, give me a call. I’ll be in Vegas. My hometown.”
“Everything all right in there?” Ida hollered from somewhere in the front of the barn.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” Red yelled over the side of the stall.
He stared at Jolie for a moment, his deep blue eyes burning right through her. She knew he was hurting, but so was she. They should have never let this happen.
Adults, my ass, she thought.
He slipped his leather duster off a hook and handed it to her. “Here, put this on. No one will see your nightgown under this. You should meet these kids. They’re incredible.”
She stood there staring at his coat. Everything in her was screaming run in the opposite direction as fast as you can, but looking at him now, and seeing the look on his loving face when he mentioned those kids, she had no choice.
She took the coat and slipped it on, buttoning it up as she walked out of the stall behind Red. The coat almost dragged on the ground, but her boots gave it about an inch clearance. She pinned her hair up with the clip she spotted in the middle of the bed, and followed Red out.
As soon as she stepped out into the main barn she spotted the children. She’d never seen a group so eager to see anyone in her life. They called out his name with such exuberance and love that they caused Jolie to stand back and watch. Red seemed to be in his element and gave each child a loving hug and a warm greeting. A few of the children could barely lift their arms, but Red nuzzled in tight anyway. One child, named John, who sat in a wheelchair, seemed to be beaming from every inch of his frail body. He held out his tiny arms and Red bent over to accommodate him with a gentle hug. John squealed with delight.
Then Red turned to Jolie and held out his hand. “Everybody, I’d like you to meet my very good friend, Jolie.”
The children repeated her name as some of them hopped and twirled, while others clapped their hands, all of them grinning. “Hi Jolie!”
The parents even joined in on the welcome.
“She’s somewhat of a miracle worker,” Red said, hushing his voice. The children instantly calmed down and listened. “This morning when no one was around, Jolie snuck into Miss Ida May’s stall and sang her a Christmas carol.”
“Which one? Which carol?” two of the girls wanted to know. They each had curly blond hair with a bright red bows holding it back, cherub faces, and wore red tights, under matching pink coats. They appeared to be sisters, the older one in a wheel chair.
Red turned to Jolie, who had a lump brewing in her throat the size of a goat.
“I sang ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’,” she said in no more than a whisper.
“Can you sing it for us?” Ida asked, completely catching Jolie off guard. “And whoever knows the words can join in.”
Jolie had never sung in front of anyone, but looking around at all those sweet faces, she knew any apprehensions she might feel were completely misplaced.
And just like that, Jolie began to sing as she walked towards Miss Ida May’s stall, with a everyone following close behind, humming or singing along with her.
It took every ounce of grit Jolie could muster to keep from crying as she stopped in front of the metal gate and turned to see the looks on those sweet faces as they peered in at Miss Ida May’s darling foal.
Once Jolie had the chance, she snuck out the side door, and sent a text to Riley to please come and get her. She desperately needed some time to think . . . away from Red.
Away from this ranch.
But most of all, away from all those darling children.
What she and Red had shared earlier that morning had been much more than sex, and what she just witnessed had been so touching that she couldn’t seem to stop crying.
Now all she had to do was figure out what she was going to do about it.
Chapter Seven
By eight o’clock that night, Jolie and Riley pulled up two barstools inside what Riley had referred to as Stan’s, even though the sign outside read: Bar On The Lake. A huge taxidermied bear sat in the corner looking mad as hell, and a signed photo of the King of Rock ‘n Roll hung on the wall behind the bar. There were other accoutrements that hung around the walls that shouted this was hunting and fishing country, but once again Jolie chose to ignore it all just as she had inside the sporting goods store. Instead, she concentrated on the wall of windows that in the daylight must have showed off the majestic lake, and the mountains that surrounded it.
It had been a long day, culminating in chopping down what had to be one of the biggest home Christmas trees Jolie had ever seen. As it turned out, Riley’s parents’ house had nine-foot ceilings, and her dad liked his tree to almost touch that ceiling.
In the end, it had put such a strain on that old chainsaw that she and Riley had to drop it off at a repair shop in town called Andy’s. From what Jolie could tell, Andy could fix almost anything that was broken, including a computer.
“What’ll it be?” the bartender with an assortment of tats down his naked arms, asked with a curt nod of hello to Riley.
“The usual,” she told him as she slid a black knit hat off her head, her deep-brown hair snapping with electricity and flying in all sorts of directions. She ran her hand over it to break the static, which it did.
Riley wore a thick cream-colored sweater, jeans, and cranberry, tire-traction, snow boots with fake black fur around the ankles. The boots could take on even the slickest of ice and never give the owner pause. Jolie envied her boots.
“What about your friend here?”
“I’d love a glass of wine. Do you have a wine list?”
“Red or white,” he barked, maintaining his dour disposition.
His reply had taken her by surprise and she hesitated for a moment wondering if he was teasing. She gazed over at Riley, but there didn’t seem to be a reaction. Then she looked back at Mr. Tats who waited for her answer, his muscled arms spread, hands grasping the edge of the bar. He now stared at her as if she was holding up his plans for the evening.
“Red, thanks.”
He slapped down a napkin and hustled over to the far end of the bar to fetch their drinks.
Just saying the word red brought up intimate memories of that morning in Red’s arms and sent a flush over Jolie’s body. She had fallen hard for the cowboy she barely knew, and now she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.
There was no way she could stay in this white wonderland of frost, and even if she wanted to, she knew there was little chance he’d ever consider opening his heart to girl like her. She was certain there were plenty of women in this town who were a better match than she could ever be. So she thought she should end this little vacation before she fell even harder for that sexy, extremely good looking, kind-hearted, sexy, gentle, very sexy cowboy.
She sighed.
“Sorry there isn’t any better wine in this place, but most people who come in here drink beer or whiskey.” Riley was referring to the two boxes of wine that sat on the counter behind the bar labeled Red and White . . . appropriate for Jolie’s mood.
“That’s not . . . I’ve decided to leave tomorrow. I think it’s for the best. Would you be willing to drive me to the airport?”
“What are you talking about? You’re not going anywhere except to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. You can’t leave before the main event. It wouldn’t be right.”
The bartender delivered the red wine and a pint of beer and immediately hurried back to the other end of the bar where he was holding cour
t with a couple of guys who looked as if they were all cut from the same worn cloth.
“I’m sorry, but I have to get out of this place before . . . before I make a fool out of myself.”
“With whom?”
“With Red. I’m falling for him.”
“Every girl within fifty miles has fallen for Red Wiseman, and at some point, made complete fools out of themselves. Believe me. I know what I’m talking about.”
“That’s what I mean. I can’t fall for someone you’ve liked or do you still like him? Ohmygod… did I just sleep with a guy you’ve been perusing?”
Riley’s mouth fell open for a moment. “Okay. Wait. First off, I am not pursuing Red Wiseman. I’m in a relationship with my Benny, remember? And secondly, you’ve only been in this town for less than forty-eight hours and you’ve already slept with the biggest hunk in the county? Heavens girlfriend, whatever you’re peddling you ought to bottle it ’cause from what I know, that man has been a lone rider ever since his girl up and walked out on him. And that was two years ago. We all thought his heart was locked up with a missing key. How did this happen? You have to tell me. I’m your best friend.”
“There’s nothing to tell. It just sort of happened early this morning, when I finished singing a Christmas carol to his mare, Miss Ida May.”
Riley stared at her, mouth agape, forehead furrowed. “That’s all it took? A frigging song to his horse and the man bed you?”
“Okay, maybe there was a little more to it than that, but in a certain sense, yes. And now I’m smitten with him, and I can’t be because I live in Las Vegas and he lives here . . . in the frigid Antarctica, on a ranch, with his mom, aunt, and uncle who depend on him for their wellbeing. Who love him, and who know I don’t fit in, could never fit in. And what about all those kids? Why didn’t you tell me he taught special needs kids how to ride? How could I ever fit in with all of that? The man is a saint.”
“He didn’t used to be, but he turned his life around after his girl left him, but mostly after his father died. His father was born with cerebral palsy, and could barely walk. For most of Red’s life, he was ashamed of his dad. It wasn’t until Red got into his twenties that he began to see how ridiculous he’d been. He tried to make it up to his dad, but by then it was almost too late. For the last four years of his dad’s life, he was in and out of the hospital with several complications due to CP. It had always been a dream of his dad’s to open a riding school for special needs kids, so that’s what Red did. In honor of his dad he’s dedicated his life to those kids and they love him for it. The man has turned into a true cowboy in every sense of the word.”
Holiday Heat: The Men of Starlight Bend Page 37
