A Cowboy Worth Loving (Canton County Cowboys 1)

by Charlene Bright

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lucy got to the hospital just as the doctor was writing discharge orders for Gavin. He was relieved to see her. He’d been afraid that she would change her mind about coming. He hated that he seemed to be afraid of something all the time lately. It wasn’t how he had ever lived his life, at least not since he was released from prison. Either way, he was happy to see her and happy that she looked pleased to see him as well. The nurse insisted on taking him down to the car in a wheelchair; although he was perfectly capable of walking, he didn’t argue with them about that. He just wanted out of there, home on the ranch, and most of all, he wanted to be with Lucy.

  Once in the car, she said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t have time to pick up my things from my apartment.”

  “No, not at all,” he told her. The drive was mostly silent. Lucy seemed to have a lot on her mind, and Gavin was more content with silence than small talk on any given day. He was surprised when they pulled up in front of a large glass building that had to be at least thirty stories high. The valet came over to take her keys, and Lucy looked at Gavin. “It might take me a minute. Do you want to come in?”

  He didn’t really want to. He took the looks of the place as further proof Lucy wasn’t going to want to be with the likes of him. But he didn’t want to be rude either, so he agreed. They walked into the lobby and the whole place screamed pretentious. She must have noticed the look on his face because when they got on the elevator she said, “Heath and I bought this place together. When we split up, it was just easier for me to stay here, so I bought him out. He gave me a good deal, out of guilt, I suppose. I’ve stayed here, but I redecorated. The modern deco wasn’t for me.”

  When they walked inside her apartment, Gavin had to laugh out loud. The expansive living room with floor to ceiling glass walls on the east side that looked out over the city was decorated in country chic style. The furniture was red and black plaid with thick, plush cushions and pillows, and the floors were wood, but they had that weathered look to them. It was something they did on purpose now, but it gave the whole place a barn dance kind of atmosphere. There were plants and flowers and some really gorgeous photographs of a black quarter horse against different backgrounds around the room. She had beautiful hand-painted milk jugs on her fireplace, and a sign hung above it that simply said “Home”.

  “Wow, this is really something,” he stated.

  “I like it. I would like it better if I didn’t have to look out on the smoggy city. But it’s home and it’s comfortable.”

  Gavin walked over to one of the photos of the horse and asked, “Who is this guy?”

  “His name was King Thunder,” she said with a laugh. “I was only six when I named him. He was my daddy’s horse. He loved him as much as he did me, I think. I loved him too, but mostly because I always felt like he was a part of my father. I like to believe that there is an afterlife and Daddy’s running free across a green pasture somewhere.”

  Gavin couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to kiss her. He might get one of those slaps that Brance told him she’d given to Tuck, but if he got to at least skim her beautiful lips, it would be worth it. He slipped his arm around her waist, and when he didn’t feel any resistance, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. She didn’t slap him. In fact, she kissed him back. Gavin kissed her deeply, letting his tongue explore her mouth hungrily and then pause to dance against hers and glide softly against her lips. She tasted so good, and he was suddenly aware of the fact that he’d never felt so intimately connected to a woman before. He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t want to analyze it either. All he wanted to do was kiss her, touch her, and if she would let him, make love to her.

  He cautiously slid one of his hands under the soft silk of the blouse she wore. The warmth and softness of her bare skin only served to excite him more. As he slid his hands up along her smooth back, he felt her hands on the buttons of his shirt. He could feel her tremble slightly as she began unbuttoning them. He hoped it was with excitement and not doubt. When she finished unbuttoning, it he had the distinct pleasure of feeling her hands slide up underneath it slightly and push it back off his shoulders and arms. It dropped to the floor, and now his bare chest was against her and her soft, warm hands were touching his skin. He could feel the heat emanating through them. He wanted to feel more of her. He needed to taste her. He broke the kiss and pulled his head back, opening his eyes she met his gaze.

  “I don’t recall ever wanting anything or anyone as badly as I want you at this moment,” he said in a husky voice. Lucy remained silent, breathing in his scent. She returned to her exploration, slowly tracing her fingertips across the lines of his brawny chest. He grabbed hold of the hem of her shirt and kept a close eye on her face as he lifted it up. She had desire in her eyes, the searing heat of a woman overtaken by passion. He pulled her in for another kiss and let his hands slide behind her to unhook her bra. He felt her breasts spill out against him and had to catch his breath. He pulled his head back to admire the goddess standing before him. “Oh my God, Lucy, you’re gorgeous.”

  She smiled, and he leaned running his mouth against her collarbone to weave a line of kisses across her upper chest and the swell of her breasts. When he reached her nipples, he looked at her silently waiting for permission. She took his head in her hands and guided him there.

  When his lips and tongue made contact with one, she moaned. She let him explore first one and then the other, making little mewling noises as he did, and then in a husky voice she said, “Gavin, I want you. I need you.”

  Gavin swept her up off her feet, and while she was cradled in his arms, he kissed her. Up to that point, the kisses had been tentative, gentle, and only slightly tinged with the hunger they were both feeling. This was the moment when that changed, and their kisses were pressured and urgent, driven by pure need. Before they reached the bedroom, his mouth broke from hers and found her neck. He left a trail of hot kisses and tiny nibbles while one of her hands wrapped in his hair, urging him on.

  When they reached the bedroom, he carried her over to the bed and let her down gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down into her. They lay there kissing, reveling in the fact that they were at long last doing what both of them had wanted to do for some time. His hand found the front of her jeans finally, and he began to unbutton and unzip them. He felt her hands begin to work on his.

  “Oh Jesus, Lucy. You’re so beautiful,” he said, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on her belly. He felt her shudder and let out a little moan as she used her legs to push back onto the bed and reach for him. He laid down next to her, sliding his hand down her side from the top of her breast across her hip and down her thigh. Lucy bent her leg up so that it was draped across his side, and he pulled her in against him and his lips crushed down over hers once again. It felt so good to be lying here with her like this. Nothing between them any longer, not even secrets. He let one hand drape across her and press against the small of her back while the other was wrapped in the glorious long hair that he had grown to love so much.

  Lucy pulled back and breathed, “Gavin.” It was one simple word but the sound of her voice was pure, savage desire. Gavin could feel the flames burning in his core; he needed this. He needed her. Nothing else in the world mattered other than the feel of her breasts against his chest and the sweetness of her kisses. The way she clung to him and let her leg rest against him surpassed anything he’d ever felt, even if they’d stopped right there. His tongue ravaged her mouth as his hands roamed across her luscious body. Begrudgingly, he let his mouth leave her lips and trace the line of her jaw down to her neck and across her chest until he reached the swell of her breast again, allowing his tongue to circle one of her hard, rosy nipples, letting his hot breath blow across the cool trail of saliva he’d left behind.

  Lucy arched off the bed and wrapped her arms tightly up around his neck. She writhed underneath him and felt her body rub against his excitement. H
is ragged breaths were matched only by the sounds of hers. He felt himself growing with excitement with each touch, each sound, and each breath she took.

  “I need you Gavin.” Her green eyes burned with passion, and the sound of her sweet, sexy voice against his ear was almost more than he could stand.

  He used one of his knees to slide her legs open and blissfully entered her in one, long, slow move. Her breasts crushed to his chest, and he knew he’d never get any closer to heaven than this. They fell into their own rhythm, with nothing between them but a light sheen of sweat that made their bodies glide easier and quicker. He felt her quiver underneath him once, then twice. The sound of her breathing, the loudest thing in the room, and the feel of her hot breath against the side of his face was intoxicating.

  He cried out as she clutched onto him, and when he stopped shaking, he collapsed next to her. They lay there, basking in the aftermath and listening to each other’s breathing as it returned to normal. Gavin always wondered how he’d knew that he’d found the one. He knew now. It was a feeling that he couldn’t fight if he tried. It was like falling through the sky without a parachute and not caring where you landed, as long as it was with her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Gavin sat looking at his sister. She’d been sitting down on the couch when he told her about the rape charges. He also told her about Heath and Tammy and what they were trying to do to help them keep the land without having to take their chances on going to court against the state of Texas. She listened attentively but quietly. That was unusual for Kay. She usually had a million questions. He could see the hurt look on her face when she realized that neither he nor their parents had told her all of this was going on. When he finished talking, she’d got up and paced the length of the room before finally asking, “Why did no one ever tell me? Am I not part of this family?”

  “Of course you are, Kay. It was me, I asked them not to. I begged them. I was so afraid of what you would think of me. I had no way to prove I was innocent. I was scared to death that you would think I was guilty.”

  She paced some more and, at one point, got so close to the front door that he thought she was just going to walk out. He didn’t say anything though; he just let her do what she needed to do. Finally, she turned to him and asked, “You understand that I’m a grown-up, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You understand that I’m a smart woman with a good head on my shoulders?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you also understand that, when we were growing up, I thought of you as my nemesis? You poked fun at me about everything. I had no secrets, because if I did, you would find out and use them against me. But when we were out in town or at school or at the park, you were my big brother. You could shut down a bully with a look, and I have never once been afraid of anyone or anything when you were around. You never hurt me, Gavin. No matter how irritating I got. No matter how much we fought. Never once, not even a little bit. I will go to my grave defending you. You are the best man I know, and it would never enter my mind to believe you would hurt any woman.”

  Gavin got up and his sister came into his arms. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head, and when he looked down at her, he realized that she was crying.

  “Hey, what are the tears for? It’s all okay now, right?”

  “I can’t stand the thought of you in that place. You need to be free. That had to be so awful for you.”

  “It was. But it’s over, and it will never happen again. I’m okay, better than okay. I have you and Lucy, and we’re going to get to keep our land. I can’t think of anything that could make my life better right now. We’re only going up from here, little sister. Salt Cedar Ranch and the Walker’s cannot be broken.”

  “You think the Senator is going to agree to help us?” she said.

  He nodded. “Lucy is talking to him now with Heath and…”

  “That woman?”

  “Yeah,” he said softly. “Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on her. Maybe I didn’t think about what she must have been going through.”

  “Gavin! What she did to you was awful. I can’t ever imagine doing that to someone, let alone a teenager. She took away a big part of your life. How can you forgive her for that?”

  “Because, like I said, she was going through a form of her own hell. I like to think that things happen for a reason. Maybe the reason this all happened was to bring Lucy into our lives. I don’t know what I’d do without her already, Kay.”

  “I know,” she said. “Me too. Are we going to keep her?”

  He laughed. “I guess that will be up to her.”

  “You are going to ask her, right? I mean to marry you?”

  He laughed again. “I know what you mean, and let me do that in my own way at least, pushy little sister.”

  “Okay, but don’t take too long about it. She’s smart and pretty. Brance might snatch her up if you wait too long.” She had a mischievous look in her eye when she said it, and Gavin grabbed her and rubbed his knuckles on her head like he did when they were kids.

  “Brance would never think of it. Besides, Lucy knows that she got the better of the two.”

  He let go of her, and she said, “I guess that’s a matter of opinion.”

  ***

  Lucy, Heath, and Tammy walked out of the senator’s office together. Tammy looked at Lucy and asked, “Do you think he can ever forgive me?”

  “That would be a question that you would have to ask him. At least you’re finally doing the right thing. That would have to go a long way for being able to forgive yourself, I think.”

  “It does,” she said. “I’m glad that Bobby is going to help him and his sister keep their land.”

  “Me too,” Lucy said. “I have to get over to the courthouse to file these papers before five. I’ll see you.”

  Lucy turned to walk away, she but hadn’t gotten six feet before she heard, “Hey Red!” She stopped and rolled her eyes. Finally, with a deep breath, she turned to face Heath. “I’m sorry for everything. I don’t know why I do the things I do. I loved you, I really did.”

  “I think your problem has always been that you didn’t know how to love yourself, Heath. You go looking for ways to pump up your self-esteem in all the wrong places. I would think by now that you would figure out that’s not working for you. Your father is never going to love you the way you want him to, but that’s not your fault.”

  “Thank you, Red.”

  “Don’t thank me. I still don’t like you. And don’t call me Red.” Lucy turned and walked away. She really didn’t like him, and although she was glad he was around to help them with this, she hoped she didn’t have to see him again. She thought about Gavin and what an ass she’d thought he was when they first met. It was proof that first impressions didn’t really mean much.

  ***

  They were sitting on Lucy’s couch in her apartment. “Okay, well, I got good news about the ranch today. It looks like Tuck has been talking with realtors. He’s thinking of selling his.”

  “That is good news.” The senator had put pressure on Tuck, and he’d eventually dropped the lawsuit. Somehow he had managed to get the BLM to back off as well. Lucy wasn’t sure how, and she really didn’t care. She was just glad they were moving forward. That had been three weeks ago, and since then, Lucy had been working on having the surveys all read and making sure the property was really and truly in the Walkers name so that this couldn’t happen again. She and Gavin hadn’t had much time together, and she had only been out to the ranch once in those three weeks. She missed it very much.

  “I don’t want to talk about Tuck either or the ranch.” He let his hand run along her hairline and tucked one long, silky piece behind her ear.

  Lucy shuddered. “Okay. What did you want to talk about?” He moved closer, closing the gap between them and put his mouth to her ear.

  “Us,” he whispered.

  She shivered again. “Okay, that’s one of my favorite subjects.”

>   He let his lips brush the side of her face and whispered, “You’re beautiful, do you know that?”

  “I like that you think so,” she said.

  He ran his thumb down her neck, caressed the pulse obviously pounding there, and breathed, “I’m really glad I met you, Lucy Lancaster.”

  Lucy giggled. “I’m glad you met me too, Gavin Walker.” He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips and let his forehead rest against hers as he looked into her eyes.

  “You have really pretty eyes. I love getting lost in them.” He sighed.

  “You too.”

  “Mmhmm,” he mumbled. “I bet we’d make really pretty babies.”

  Caught off guard, Lucy pulled back and looked at him wide-eyed. “Babies?”

  He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “You don’t want babies?” he asked.

  “Um… yeah, someday.”

  “Would you like to have them with me someday?” he asked, leaning in to let his tongue run seductively across her bottom lip.

  She made a little squeaking noise before saying, “Yes, absolutely.”

  He put his mouth next to her ear again nibbling her earlobe and murmured, “I love you, Lucy.” It was the first time he said it.

  Her chest swelled, her heart raced, and her breathing stopped. “I love you too, Gavin.”

  He grinned and took the hand that was holding hers and slid it down into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny little box. Lucy sucked in another audible breath. She watched in wide eyed amazement as he slid off the couch onto one knee and asked, “Lucy Lancaster, will you marry me?”

  Lucy grabbed his face with both hands and brought her lips to his. She kissed him, hard and passionate, nibbling at his bottom lip and then kissing him again. When she let him up for air, his eyes were filled with lust. “Is that a yes?”

  “That’s a yes. A definite yes.” Gavin took the sparkling diamond ring out of the box and slid it onto her delicate finger.

  “It fits!” he said, obviously proud of himself. It was beautiful. It looked antique. It was white gold with a sapphire stone in the center and diamonds around the outside.