The Texas Cowboy's Quadruplets

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Chase’s gaze softened with aching tenderness. He wrapped his arms about her waist and brought her close. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” he murmured, lowering his face to hers and looking deep into her eyes. “I’m never too busy for you.”

  Feelings rushed over her as their lips met, and it was more than just the combustible chemistry between them that was turning her world upside down. It was the way he was present in a way he never had been when they’d been previously involved. The way he’d been able to step back, when all she really wanted to do was leap forward.

  And suddenly Mitzy realized they were still doing what they’d been doing for the last ten-plus years.

  Wasting time.

  Way too much time, as a matter of fact.

  Doing what she had wanted to do all week, she tugged off his coat, encircled her arms around his neck, pressed her body against the warm hard surface of his and kissed him without restraint.

  Loving the way he kissed her back.

  As if there were no tomorrow, no yesterday, only right now. Here. Tonight. And maybe in the grand scope of things, Mitzy considered, dancing him backward toward the stairs, tonight was really all that did.

  Chase made a low sound of pleasure in the back of his throat and smiled, while they kissed ravenously all the way up the stairs and down the upstairs hall.

  She’d left on the lights that decorated the sleigh headboard of her king-size bed, and they glittered in the darkness of the room. “Festive.” He grinned.

  “And the perfect amount of lighting,” she said.

  “For?”

  “Seeing only what I want you to see.”

  Her body had changed since they’d last made love. “I’ve got stretch marks, a C-section scar...”

  “Don’t care.” He helped her get off her sweater, jeans, undies. She stripped him down, too. He threaded his hands through her hair. “You’re still beautiful.”

  She felt beautiful, when he kissed her like that.

  Womanly.

  And hot. So hot...

  The next thing she knew, he was stepping back, pausing to take her in. His eyes roving the fullness of her breasts, the nip of her waist, before sliding down to encompass her hips and thighs. “Really beautiful,” he rasped.

  Clasping her to him, he kissed her again, with startling possessiveness, bringing her closer still, enveloping her with his warm, hard strength. She shivered as his fingertips and then his mouth caressed the curves of her breasts, the taut aching tips.

  Lord, she had missed this, missed him...

  Thrilling at his touch, she drew him back to her bed. Eager to explore his body, too, to make up for lost time, she lay facing him. Still kissing, their fingertips roved. She felt the hard ridges of muscle, lower still, the throbbing velvety heat. He found her wetness, stroking, teasing, until nearly delirious with want and need, she shimmied up against him. Her pulse pounding, she pressed her lips to his, feeling wild, wanton. His breath was hot against hers, the lazy ministrations of his tongue tangling with hers, giving her a whole-body shiver.

  The exploratory nature of their touching brought them closer yet. But only when she was writhing with hot, burning desire, until there was no doubt how much they needed each other, needed this, did he part her thighs and move between them. Taking this gift for what it was, she caught her breath as pleasure flooded her in hot, irresistible waves. And then there was no more holding back. He retrieved a condom. She sheathed him. He rolled her onto her back, cupped her bottom and took her slowly, sweetly.

  She took him deeper, accepting the feeling of belonging that he gave her, shuddering as he demanded more. And then there was nothing but the hot mesmerizing slide of pleasure, the building heat and friction, the magic of their connection that had them soaring, flying, free. And together, once again.

  * * *

  Afterward, Chase felt Mitzy’s usual thoughtful manner return as their shudders subsided, their breathing slowed.

  Aware this was likely an impulsive action on her part—a way of taking command of the unexpected flare of unmanageable feelings between them—he drew the covers around her.

  He was also aware that did not make their lovemaking any less significant. Whether she realized it or not, this had been an important first step to reconciliation. Not a step toward the closure she had once said she wanted, or a way to say goodbye to the love they had shared in the past.

  Still holding her close, he pressed a kiss into the fragrant softness of her hair. “Doing okay, darlin’?” he asked gently.

  She lifted her head. Put her fist on his chest, and rested her chin on that. “I want to say this was a mistake—the kind I usually caution others about.”

  He kept her close. “But?”

  She tilted her head at him, feisty as ever. “It didn’t feel like an error in judgment. It felt right.”

  He ran his hands through the tousled ends of her hair. “To me, too,” he admitted huskily.

  She bit her lip and paused.

  “Then?” he prodded.

  Sighing, she rolled over onto her back, and lay her forearm across her eyes. “I don’t want whatever this is between us to end as badly as our relationship did before.”

  “It won’t,” Chase promised, rolling onto his side. He studied her quietly. “If we take it a step at a time.”

  She lifted her forearm to peer at him. “And what step would this be?” she returned wryly.

  Ignoring the doubt suddenly gleaming in her eyes, he shrugged. “The first one in the right direction.”

  She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

  His knee touched hers beneath the sheets. “Sound about right to you?”

  This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Not to rush. Or make any of the myriad mistakes they’d incurred before?

  Her aquamarine eyes sparked again—with an entirely different emotion. She nodded, reaching for him again. “Sounds perfect,” she murmured, as their lips met.

  * * *

  Mitzy and Chase made love one more time, their encounter as sexy and thrilling as ever. Before he left, he told her he’d be by the next day to help her with getting a tree—the old-fashioned way.

  And sure enough, he arrived Saturday afternoon, looking like the cowboy he’d been raised as, in a flannel shirt, vest, boots and jeans.

  They loaded up all four boys in her SUV.

  Content to let him drive, she relaxed in the passenger seat. “So where is this perfect place?” she asked, as they headed out of town, her body still humming from their unexpected lovemaking the night before.

  “My place. The Knotty Pine Ranch.”

  Trying not to notice how masculine and capable he looked behind the wheel, she laughed at the double entendre. When he wasn’t working, he could be such a tease. “Did you really name it that?”

  He slanted her an ornery glance. “Wait and see.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she did.

  There it was, bold as ever on the black wrought iron archway that fronted the entrance to his property. She surveyed the beautiful Texas landscape that seemed to be a rugged combination of flat land and rolling hills. “How many acres?”

  “Three hundred, give or take.”

  “How much is pasture?”

  “About a hundred. The rest, as you can see, is all woods. In which,” he added significantly, “is a lot of pine.”

  “Ah.”

  “Which is where we will get our trees.”

  “Plural?”

  “I figured we’d both want one.”

  “True.” She looked around a little more, taking it all in. She could see him being happy out here. For that matter, she could see herself and the boys doing well in a place like this.

  Not that she should be going there...

  She forced her attention back to the property. “The barns
are nice. So is the house.”

  There were half a dozen very handsome horses grazing in the fields. “All yours?”

  “No.” His lips twisted ruefully. “They belong to a riding academy down the road. They needed space, and I had it, so we made a deal. Their staff comes in and feeds and cares and exercises my two horses, and I let some of theirs board here for free.”

  “Nice.”

  He nodded. “Works out.”

  He slowed her SUV as they neared and passed the barns, which were new and neatly maintained. Her respect for all he had achieved grew. She turned back to him. “How often are you usually gone?”

  His broad shoulders relaxed. “Depends. A lot of my businesses can be managed remotely, but it’s also important to regularly visit each facility. You can’t substitute that for getting a feel for what is going on.”

  Mitzy’s guilt returned. She drew a deep breath. “About Monday.”

  “Nervous...?”

  She wished he didn’t look so handsome in profile, or that she didn’t react so strongly to his nearness. But some things were just beyond her control. “I feel out of my league. My dad was such a larger-than-life presence. I fear I will never be able to fill the void left with his passing.”

  Chase understood, which gave her the courage to admit, “When I first took over, as the new CEO slash owner, the staff assured me I didn’t have to be involved in the day-to-day operations. They thought they could handle everything simply by sticking to the tried-and-true, and so did I.” She shook her head miserably. “But now that presumption doesn’t seem to be correct.”

  Chase braked, and put the SUV in Park. One hand on the wheel, he turned to her. “Look, there’s no question MCS has been going through a sea change with Gus gone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be put on the right track.” He squeezed her hand, infusing her with a warmth and tenderness not unlike his lovemaking.

  He finished soberly, “It absolutely can be with the right guidance.”

  Which she did not have the experience or knowledge to give. Yet, anyway.

  But maybe with Chase by her side...?

  Mitzy swallowed. “I looked at the spreadsheets you emailed me, this morning. There’s still a lot of data missing.”

  He gave her hand another squeeze. “Most of which you should be able to get from the people who work at MCS and/or the MCS bank records. You could also ask Buck Phillips directly.”

  “But?” She sensed his hesitation about that.

  “You might not want to tip him off about what you’re doing, before you get a fuller picture on your own, in case he is the problem.”

  Mitzy wasn’t really surprised to find Chase wasn’t sure whether to trust Buck or not. Because Buck didn’t trust Chase, either. And hadn’t since Chase had proposed the changes to MCS, years ago, that would have boosted profits and eliminated jobs, leaving some of their employees out of work.

  “Because that might incent him to try and cover his tracks,” Mitzy guessed.

  Chase nodded. “Which would muddy things a lot.”

  Feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, Mitzy exhaled. “I can’t imagine Buck deliberately running the business into the red.”

  “No one says he has,” Chase returned gently. “Which is why you need to keep an open mind and gather data from every source available. So you will get a fuller picture of everything.”

  She wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. But she was leaning on Chase. And liking it—which was a surprise. She looked down at their entwined fingers, then back up at him. She knew in the past he had been focused on her family business’s financial bottom line, to their detriment, but her heart told her she could trust him on this, that he cared more about her feelings than any potential fiscal loss. So she would go with that. “Would you mind making a list for me? Of the things I’ll need to find out or ask about?”

  Chase smiled. “Be happy to.”

  Reassuring herself that they would get this figured out, with Chase’s help, she relaxed as he put the car back in Drive, and they traversed the circular drive in front of the handsome adobe ranch house with the red tile roof.

  “So. How are we going to do this, cowboy?” Excited to finally be out there, she favored him with a perplexed look. “Cut down a tree for me and a tree for you, with all four babies in tow?”

  He parked and cut the engine, confident as ever. “We’ll figure it out. Meantime—” he slanted her a sly look “—want to see my house?”

  “I do.”

  The babies were all awake, so they detached their infant seats from the bases, left the infants strapped in and carried them inside. There was an arched roof over the big central living area, with dining and kitchen on one side, fireplace and seating area on the other. Glass walls overlooked a central courtyard sandwiched between two U-shaped wings.

  One, she soon discovered, held two guest suites and laundry, the other side held a luxuriously appointed master bedroom and bath, and a private study, not too dissimilar from the one her father had enjoyed.

  They went back to the main area and set all four infant seats down on the floor. “So.” Chase propped his hands on his waist. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Her enthusiasm ran rampant. “I love it,” she said sincerely, moving close enough to see his face. “It really seems to fit you.”

  He scored the pad of his thumb across her lips. “But does it fit you?”

  She wanted to kiss him, too. More than anything.

  But fearing how fast they were starting to get ahead of themselves, she stepped back. Warning softly, “Don’t tease me about that.”

  He started to say something, then stopped at the sound of multiple vehicles in the drive.

  Mitzy paused. “Expecting company?”

  He gave her a “guilty as charged” look. “Ah—yes.”

  Mitzy had never liked being blindsided. She caught her breath. “Mind telling me who?”

  He made a face. “My entire family.”

  Mitzy did a double take. “What?”

  He lifted a palm, explaining languidly, “I had already invited them over to get their trees today. And, as you’ve already noted, we can’t exactly manage four babies and select and chop down two full-size Christmas trees without assistance, so... I figured why not.” He smiled at her persuasively, then continued in the husky baritone she loved, “Besides, everyone has missed you at the family potlucks.”

  It was all she could do not to smack her forehead with her hand. “You’re having one of those, too?”

  “Well,” he said, shrugging again. “We gotta eat.” Another pause. “It’ll be fine, Mitzy.”

  Would it? Interacting with Chase’s extended family on her own was one thing. Socializing with them as Chase’s unofficial “date” at a family potluck, with her four new babies in tow, was something else entirely.

  “You’ve been saying you wanted an old-fashioned Christmas for your boys.” He wrapped a warm, comforting arm around her shoulders. “And what’s the yuletide without lots of family?”

  Indeed.

  Mitzy had no chance to comment further.

  The doorbell rang, and Chase went to answer it.

  And the next thing she knew, the entire McCabe family was swooping in, with Chase’s handsome rancher father and tax-attorney mother taking the lead.

  “Mitzy,” Frank said, embracing her in a warm bear hug.

  “It’s been too long,” Rachel said thickly, hugging her, too.

  His law-enforcement brother, Dan, followed with his wife, Shelley, and their preschool-age triplets. “Which just goes to show,” Dan teased, “when it comes to love, there’s always hope for a happy ending.”

  Mitzy and Chase both groaned.

  Lulu elbowed her brother. “Hey, I’m glad you’re finally coming to your senses, too! How long has it been since the two of you
said, ‘We won’t’? Ten years now?”

  Cullen and his pregnant wife, Bridgett, and their infant son, Robby, came in with the beagle-retriever-mix Riot, who seemed to go everywhere with them. Cullen gently interjected, “I think Chase and Mitzy can do without the commentary, little sis.”

  “Cullen’s right,” Jack agreed, ushering in his own three preschool-age daughters. Jack was a surgeon and a widower. “I’m sure Chase and Mitzy can manage their own personal lives without any help from us.”

  And last, but not least, there was his brother Matt, a military vet. “Don’t think you’re getting out of any of the heavy lifting just because you showed up with your gorgeous ex and four babies,” he warned.

  “Wouldn’t think of it,” Chase drawled. He turned and winked at Mitzy. “I’m in this for the long haul.”

  And so it went, for the next five hours. Teasing, laughs, climbing back into pickup trucks and trooping through the woods in order to get eight perfect trees. One for Chase and each of his sibs, another for his parents, and then of course one for her.

  By the time they finished with the tree cutting and the brisket dinner, and then divvied up the leftovers as well as the cleanup chores, Mitzy felt as if she’d been put in a time machine and the last ten years without Chase had never been.

  Chase turned to her as they waved goodbye to the last of his family and walked back inside his ranch house, where the quadruplets were sleeping contentedly in their infant seats.

  Beaming, he pulled her close. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  The primary thing Mitzy felt at that moment was renewed pressure. “Your entire family thinks we’re on track to getting engaged again.”

  He inclined his head to one side, as at ease as she was tense. “We don’t have to do that.”

  “We don’t,” Mitzy echoed drily. Wondering what in the world he was going to suggest next.

  Chase sobered. “We could just get married.”

  Chapter Seven

  Was he serious? He was so poker-faced it was hard to tell.

  “Married,” Mitzy repeated, still feeling a little stunned to even hear him bring it up.