by Sandra Brown
As the storm increased its fury after nightfall, Rudy, Gloria, Maria, and Lauren sat around the fireplace enjoying the peace and quiet that descended as soon as the children were put to bed. Gloria had nursed little Lauren and handed her to her namesake. Lauren held the baby on her chest, stroking the small, dark head under her chin. Gloria was appeasing Benjamin’s hearty appetite while Rudy and Maria looked on lovingly.
They all jumped in startled reaction when they heard heavy boots thudding across the porch. Still edgy about the charcoal burners, Rudy reached for his holster, which was hanging over the mantel, pulled out the Colt, and had almost reached the door when it was flung open, accompanied by a gust of snow-laden wind.
Chapter 21
The looming figure entered, closing the door quickly behind him. He turned slowly and Lauren gasped when she recognized her husband under his heavy clothing. He followed the sound of her reaction and almost repeated it as he saw her sitting in the glow of the fire, hair tumbled around her shoulders and down her back, holding the baby at her breast. He stood as if struck dumb.
“Good Godalmighty, Jared, aren’t you full of surprises!” Rudy clapped his brother on the back. “You almost got shot, you stupid sonofabitch. Why did you plan your homecoming on the night we have the season’s only blizzard?”
Jared shook his head as if to clear it. “I… I didn’t know it was going to get so bad until I got halfway here.”
“We’re glad you made it safely, Jared.” Maria looked at him fondly and he returned her affectionate smile.
“I think it was a crazy thing to do, but I’m glad to see you anyway.” Gloria went to him with her arms extended. She was still piqued at his abandoning Lauren, but her natural fondness for him temporarily overcame it.
“Well, look at you, Sister. You’ve got your figure back. I’d better hug you before Rudy pumps you up again.” He took her in his arms in a bear hug despite her protestations.
“Come see what we’ve done,” she said, extricating herself from his embrace.
She had laid Benjamin in one of the two cradles set near the fire where the babies slept during the day when their brothers and sisters permitted it. Jared bent over the cradle and hesitantly stroked the baby’s cheek. “Who is this?” he whispered.
“That is Benjamin,” Maria said proudly.
“And this is Lauren,” Gloria said, turning Jared toward the twin still held by his wife.
Lauren hadn’t been able to move or speak, his presence in the room stunning her into silence. She couldn’t take all of him in at once and was glad to have had time while the others greeted him to look at him closely. He untied the bandana that held on his hat and ran his hands through the long, unruly hair still damp with snow before shrugging out of the shearling coat as he crossed to the cradle to view Benjamin. He looked gaunt and tired. The stubble on his face was twenty-four hours old at least.
But he was Jared. And he was here.
He dropped down to his haunches in front of her chair. He met her swimming eyes over the top of the baby’s head. A silent communication more puissant than words passed between them.
“Lauren delivered her, so we named her after her aunt,” Maria said.
“You delivered the baby?” Jared asked softly, incredulously.
Lauren nodded as she turned the small bundle toward him. He took the tiny fist in his and smiled as the baby made a sucking motion with her mouth.
He looked closely at Lauren once more before he straightened to his full height. He eyed his brother derisively, spread his arms wide, looked heavenward, and pleaded, “Is there no end? Twins!” Then he broke into a broad grin and slapped Rudy on the back as he congratulated him. “Does this entitle me to a drink?”
“You bet. I haven’t even celebrated properly. I’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
“Are you hungry, Jared?” Maria asked him.
“Yeah, but let me warm up a little first. It’s cold enough to freeze your… it’s cold out there,” he finished lamely, and everyone laughed.
He and Rudy shared a couple of glasses of whiskey while they caught up on general ranching business.
Gloria and Lauren took the babies into the bedroom that they shared with their parents for the time being. Maria kissed Rudy and Jared in turn and excused herself for the night.
A short while later, Gloria said, “Jared, please forgive me, but you have no idea how exhausting twins can be. I’ll see you in the morning and you can tell me everything that’s going on in Austin.” She leaned over him and kissed his cheek. He smacked her bottom soundly with the palm of his hand. “Jared Lockett, my husband is sitting right there,” she said indignantly.
“Yeah! Let’s do something that will make him really jealous.”
“You! You’re incorrigible.”
“Yes, but you love me.” He grinned winningly.
“A little bit,” she conceded, suppressing a laugh. “Coming, Rudy?”
“In a minute.” He ignored her exasperation as she stalked out of the room.
“I’m hungry, Lauren. Could you get me something to eat?” Jared’s voice was curt, and Lauren felt that she had been summarily dismissed. Rather than make a scene in front of Rudy, she nodded just as curtly and went into the kitchen.
She warmed the soup that was still on the stove, cut thick slices of bread baked that afternoon, poured a steaming cup of coffee, and, almost as an afterthought, added a large slice of apple pie that she had baked to the tray.
The men were talking low with their heads close together when she came back, and stopped abruptly when they saw her. A knowing glance passed between them. She read it to mean that they would continue their conversation later.
“Rudy.” The plaintive cry came from the direction of his bedroom. “Please come to bed. I’m cold.”
Rudy stood and tossed his cigar into the fireplace. He stretched his long frame and gave an exaggerated yawn. “The babies are just barely three weeks old and already that woman can’t keep her hands off me.” He shrugged in feigned helplessness and sighed, “What’s a guy to do?” He winked at Jared and swaggered into the hall toward his waiting wife.
Jared chuckled as he turned his attention to the tray. Lauren had practically dropped it onto the low table in front of the easy chair by the fire. If he had noticed the loud, angry clatter of dishes, he didn’t show it. He took several bites of the scalding soup, ignoring her completely. Angered by his calculated indifference, she whirled around and headed toward the hallway.
“Lauren.”
It was hard for her to face him, but she forced herself to stifle her anger and pivoted toward him. “Yes?”
He studied her a moment as she stood framed against the darkness of the hall. She was poised for an attack, but her militant stance was belied by the vulnerability she conveyed in her white woolen robe and slippers. No warrior Jared had ever seen had hair that cascaded in a riot of thick waves and curls.
“How have you been?”
She folded her arms across her chest and laughed mirthlessly. “I don’t believe for one moment that you care about my well-being, but as was taught me, I’ll answer politely. I’ve been well, and you?”
He raised one eyebrow in quizzical surprise at her tone. “I’ve been fine. But please refrain from doing my thinking for me. I do care about… about you.”
“Then I can only surmise that all your messages and letters were diverted.” She loathed the sarcasm in her voice, but she was angry, had a right to be, and he deserved this. “I assume your business in Austin went well.”
He glanced back down at the tray quickly. “Some of it, yes,” he replied in clipped tones. His own anger wasn’t far from the surface.
“No doubt you’re pleased. I think I’ll go to bed now. We took the children out in the snow today, and I’m tired.”
“Yes, go on. I’ll clear this up when I’m finished.”
“I’m sure Gloria will appreciate that. Goodnight.”
He didn’t look at h
er as he mumbled a response. He seemed dejected, the hollows of his cheeks and the lines around his mouth and eyes emphasized by the shadows the firelight cast on his face. Lauren steeled herself against the temptation to go to him. Instead, she walked down the dark hall to the bedroom.
She had just warmed a spot under the covers where her body huddled when she heard the bedroom door open. Jared came in, closing the door behind him.
She sat up quickly, pulling the blankets up to her chin. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.
He didn’t even look toward her as he sat down on the ottoman and began tugging off his boots. “If I recall correctly, this is my bedroom in my house. It is a very cold night out, and I have no inclination to seek another place to sleep. If it offends your sensibilities to sleep with me—and I stress sleep—then I suggest you find yourself another bed. This one belongs to me.”
He had pulled off his socks, shirt, and the top of his underwear, and was working on his belt buckle. The firelight picked up golden tints on the hair that furred his chest.
Lauren flounced back against the pillows and scooted to the far side of the bed, putting her back to him. She heard his pants drop to the floor followed by the soft swish of his underwear. No! He couldn’t sleep like that on such a cold night! He padded across the floor and tossed a few more logs onto the fire in the fireplace, then went to the trunk at the foot of the bed. He raised the lid, which squeaked slightly, and took something out. She dared not look. He flung whatever it was over the bed.
“Thorn made this for me. It’ll keep us warm as toast.”
She opened her eyes to slits and saw that it was some sort of fur blanket. She closed her eyes quickly when the cold air rushed in under the raised covers as the bed sagged with his weight.
“Goodnight, Lauren,” he said. She lay perfectly still and didn’t answer. He laughed and turned away from her, settling himself in the warm cocoon of the bed. It wasn’t too many minutes before she heard the even breathing of his sleep.
She didn’t sleep for a long while.
* * *
At some point during the night, they turned to each other. Whether it was for warmth or something Lauren didn’t want to name, she awoke to find herself lying against Jared’s chest, his heavy arm imprisoning her, their legs wrapped together.
She lay still, savoring the nearness of the body next to hers. The hairs tickled her nose as his chest rose and fell gently beneath her head. She could feel his breath on the top of her head. The dull thudding of his heart echoed in her ear.
Afraid to move for fear she would wake him, her eyes wandered as far as they could and delighted in their perusal. The fire in the grate had all but burned itself out, but one small log caught and flickered in the dark room, illuminating it briefly. Lauren saw Jared’s broad chest under her head, the hair fanning out at his throat and tapering to a slender, silken column on his stomach.
Hesitating only a moment, she lifted her hand and, placing it against him, began slowly tracing the pattern of hair on his muscular chest, down the corded, flat stomach, until she felt it grow thick and coarse on his abdomen. She rested her hand on the wiry mat, unable to bring herself to explore further. Only then did she notice that the breathing above her head was no longer steady and the heartbeat beneath her ear was more rapid. She raised her head quickly and met the amber eyes glowing in the fading firelight.
“Ah, Lauren, Lauren.” Her name was half-sigh, half-groan before his mouth melted into hers. He kissed her hungrily, wildly, while his hands sought the hem of her nightgown and raised it past her waist, her quivering breasts, over her head, and flung it away.
Raising his head, he looked deeply into her bright eyes as he lifted her hand. He kissed the palm ardently, teasing it with his tongue. Without taking his eyes away from hers, he drew her hand beneath the covers and placed it over his awakened manhood. He studied her reaction, fearing that she would be repelled. Jealously he watched the tip of her tongue disappear between her lips after nervously wetting them.
Don’t be afraid of loving this man, Maria had told her. Don’t be afraid. Her slender fingers closed around the warm shaft with its velvet skin stretched smooth. Gently her fingers played over him, curious, wondering fingers, fingers made exultant by their discoveries.
Reflexively Jared arched his back. His head went back in a gesture of exquisite feeling. Then his chin lowered and he was searching her face again. His golden eyes shone bright with emotion. “Touch me, Lauren. Touch me until I die from the pleasure of it. Know all of me.” His voice was breathy and uneven.
Emboldened by his impassioned plea, she stroked and caressed until she found the smooth spearhead lubricated with the precious nectar of his desire. “Oh, God,” he groaned as he lowered himself over her and took her mouth under his. His hands found her breasts and massaged them in rhythm to her own caresses. He squeezed the soft mounds gently while his thumbs appreciated the aroused centers.
For Lauren, every vestige of reluctance, doubt, and mistrust disappeared as she thrilled to the mysteries of her husband’s body. Instinct instructed her in the best ways to show her admiration, and she was rewarded with his urgent, whispered words of praise and encouragement. Her hands glided over the firm muscles of his buttocks, down the hard thighs, up the sinewy back. She touched him unafraid. Imitating him, she kissed him passionately, using her mouth and tongue to explore his thoroughly.
His mouth and fingers were gentle stimulants that tormented her mercilessly. Relentlessly they trailed her neck, chest, breasts, and stomach, until she was making small whimpering sounds that surprised him as much as they shocked her.
“Put your hands around my neck,” he instructed as he rose above her. His fingers found her feminine threshold moist and pliant and trembling. She tightened around his fingers like warm, closing petals as they entered that haven. He withdrew a fraction and stroked her lightly, but the mere touch struck her like a lightning bolt.
Her eyes opened wide in astonishment as she began to writhe uncontrollably. “Jared—” she gasped.
He replaced the seeking fingers with his tumescent shaft. Guided by his own hand, it rubbed against her, that magic spot, until she didn’t think she could bear the pleasure any longer. She felt herself swelling, reaching out to him, opening, squeezing, dying brief little deaths to know his magnificence fully.
Jared, who before now had boasted of his sexual prowess, learned from the woman moving with him in such perfect tempo that he had known nothing of lovemaking. Not until he saw her face radiant with joy as she reached the peak of fulfillment under his manipulation did he realize the immense satisfaction of giving. Then he filled her completely, giving her all of himself, leaving no room for the frustration and fear that had come between them.
She clung to him tenaciously, matching his ardor, his fervent kisses that deepened even as he delved into her. In one shattering instant, they met on a plane where joy replaced sorrow, trust reduced uncertainty to insignificance, unity conquered loneliness, and indecision became commitment.
After the tumult, they held each other tightly, still unable to comprehend the upheaval of emotions that continued to race through them. Jared looked into her face and smoothed the ebony tendrils from her temples. Satiated, he slid down her body to cushion his head on her breasts. He kissed them lightly in turn, flicking his tongue over the rosy nipples, swollen and agitated with their recent lovemaking. “Beautiful, beautiful woman,” he sighed.
He laid his head on that welcoming pillow. He was almost asleep, drugged by the fragrance of her dewy skin, when he heard her voice coming from far away and whispering, “Jared, I love you.”
* * *
It continued to snow until noon the next day. The accumulation was in excess of six inches, which was unusual for that part of Texas. The world, from the view of those in the ranch house at Keypoint, appeared to be covered by a vast blanket, white, clean, pristine, and soft.
The bedroom occupied by Lauren and Jared was off-
limits to the other occupants of the house. When the two failed to come to breakfast, and Gloria noted that Jared’s coat still hung on the bracket by the door—evidence that he had not gone out to the bunkhouse the night before—she was thrilled. She forbade Rudy or any of the children to go anywhere near the bedroom. Rudy was amused by her protectiveness, but at the same time glad that his brother was finally sleeping with his beautiful, neglected wife. He would tease him later, away from Gloria’s hearing.
The two people in the closed bedroom were totally unconcerned about any of the others in the house. In fact, they had not given them a conscious thought, so absorbed were they in each other. After sleeping for a while, they talked long hours about themselves. Lauren told him of her lonely childhood with a remote, undemonstrative father. Jared, in turn, reminisced about Ben, and about his slain friend Alex.
In the months they had known each other, they had never discussed personal things, except for that one brief conversation in the library in Coronado. Now they talked of trivialities—food preferences, favorite things, aversions and fears, birthdays—revealing the bits and pieces of themselves that made them what they were.
Early in the afternoon, there was a light tap on the door. The entwined figures on the wide bed moved but slightly, resentful of anything that separated them by more than inches. Jared muttered to himself as he crept out of the covers and crossed to the door. He was quite unashamed of his nakedness, and Lauren gloried in his physique with equally unashamed interest.
“What is it?” he asked through the heavy door.
There was no answer. He opened the door a crack and peeped around it. No one was there. Then he began to chuckle.
Lauren sat up, puzzled by his amusement. He knelt down and picked up a tray laden with food and drink. He closed the door with his foot before bearing the repast to the bed.
Lauren saw a platter of light, fluffy eggs, thick slices of ham, biscuits and tortillas dripping with butter, a pot of coffee, and even a decanter of whiskey, along with plates, napkins, cutlery, and glasses.
