The Texas Cowboy's Quadruplets

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  The rest of their clothes fell to the floor. Sheathing himself, he brought her against him, taking possession of her with earth-shattering skill and affection. She opened to meet him, savoring his heat and his hardness. And still they kissed, their mouths mating as avidly as their bodies. Until there was no more holding back, no more pretending they didn’t need and want each other as much as they needed and wanted this. Together, they went soaring into bliss, and slowly, incredibly, wonderfully came back down.

  * * *

  They took the babies upstairs and tucked them into their cribs, then made love again in her bed. Afterward, Chase held Mitzy against him. He was happier than he had been in a long time. Yet frustrated, too, because he knew he was still a long way from getting her to take that final leap of faith and say yes to marrying him.

  Loving the feel of her head on his chest and her soft body pressed up against his, he stroked a hand through her hair. Hating for anything to spoil the magic of the moment, yet sensing something was bothering her, he finally prodded gently, “Something on your mind, sweetheart?”

  Mitzy sighed and lifted her head, looking relieved to finally admit, “I’m always telling the people I’ve counseled in the course of my social work not to rush things. That if it’s right, an emotional connection will stand the test of time.”

  Chase thought of everyone he knew with a solid marriage and happy family life. “That’s true. It will.” Ours definitely has...

  She nodded. Resting her chin on her fist, she continued, while looking deeply into his eyes, “But, on the other hand, I also know that too much caution, too much holding back, can be equally dangerous.” She sat up, dragging the sheet over the soft curves of her breasts. “Because sometimes if you slow things down too much life gets in the way again and you don’t get that second chance,” she worried aloud.

  “Life” as in her family business troubles?

  Or something else?

  Something more...?

  He joined her, sitting against the headboard. Reaching over, he took her hand in his. “I guess the trick is finding that middle ground,” Chase replied carefully. He lifted the inside of her wrist to his lips.

  “Not moving too fast. Not keeping the barriers up around your heart.”

  Which, as it happened, was exactly what he and Mitzy were trying to do, Chase thought.

  Find that middle ground and stick to it.

  Mitzy shifted toward him, the sheet dropping low across her breasts. “The funny thing is, Chase,” she said as her bent knee pressed against his thigh, “playing it safe is suddenly not what I feel like I’m doing at all.” And they both knew that wasn’t typical.

  “Me, either,” Chase confessed, his lower body hardening. Even though he knew in most cases slow and steady won the race.

  Appearing to fear that it was all going to blow up in their faces, she raked her teeth across her kiss-swollen lower lip. “Think it’s the holidays making us so wildly impatient and reckless?” she asked, squinting at him hopefully.

  Or love, Chase thought.

  Found.

  And squandered.

  And now found again.

  But sensing she wasn’t ready to hear anything that serious or binding, at least not tonight, he merely eased her back down onto the pillows, glided a hand down her midriff, lower still. Then smiled and rumbled, “I think—” he kissed her throat, her collarbone, the taut tip of one breast “—this is the time of year when wishes come true.”

  She shuddered with pleasure. “Oh, cowboy...”

  “Oh” was right.

  He rolled, so she was beneath him, caught her wrists in both hands, secured them on either side of her head and captured her lips with his. As she arched against him, he kissed her sweetly, hotly, deeply.

  Plundering, until she kissed him back. Again and again and again.

  “And speaking of what I wish for...” he said, working his way down her body. Past her navel to the sweet, silky wetness.

  She arched against him and let out a sultry chuckle. “Round three?”

  Savoring the increasing intimacy between them, he spread her legs and whispered back, “Sweetheart, you read my mind.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chase was long gone by the time Mitzy’s helpers arrived early Monday morning. Bess Monroe, who was known to be grinchy around the holidays, studied Mitzy as she took off her coat and hung it up. Finally noting with delight, “You look really happy. I know you have a lot to celebrate this year, with the quads and all...”

  Her twin sister, Bridgett Monroe McCabe, wife to Chase’s brother Cullen, winked. “I think it’s all that, plus the love of her life.”

  Mitzy tilted her head, pretending to be perplexed. “And who would that be exactly?”

  Bess chuckled. “Your former fiancé. The ruggedly handsome Chase McCabe, of course.”

  Chase was making her happy, Mitzy admitted. So much so that she didn’t quite trust it. She didn’t want to go through her days waiting for the next seemingly insurmountable problem. The way she had before, when his ambition had constantly come between them. And she hadn’t really tried to understand where he was coming from. Never mind support his life goals or cut him any slack. Now, years later, she could see her dad had been right about Chase. He had always been destined for greater things...

  “Speaking of Chase,” Bridgett said, pausing to see the memorabilia Mitzy had spread out over the kitchen island.

  Too late, Mitzy realized she should have kept everything in the box until she was alone. “I was making up an album.”

  Bess lifted a brow. “Looks like it goes pretty far back.”

  “And includes the formal announcement of your engagement,” Bridgett noted.

  Bess, who was normally as cautious as Mitzy, looked taken aback. “The program for your wedding ceremony—if it had happened.”

  Mitzy recalled how upset and disappointed Judith had been that it hadn’t. “Are the two of you getting back together?” Bridgett persisted.

  Mitzy lifted a hand, wordlessly pleading the Fifth. “I don’t know. I got this stuff out the other day, and I thought I should probably organize it, instead of just leaving it stuffed in a box.” She looked at the twins sternly. “And I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell Chase.”

  Identical grins flashed. “Is it a surprise for him?” Bridgett asked hopefully.

  “A little one,” Mitzy conceded. Or big, if he took the gesture the way she privately hoped he would... She shrugged. “You know how sentimental people can be around the holidays.”

  The twins watched Mitzy hastily gather things up and put them away. “So we repeat, are you and Chase getting back together officially?”

  Were they?

  It seemed so.

  But then, she’d thought she would marry him, too.

  And that hadn’t happened.

  “All I can tell you is that we’re taking it one day at a time.” She found her bag and keys. “And speaking of today, I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to do the business meeting on my schedule, so I’ve got more help to relieve you-all at two p.m., if need be, and I’ve written out instructions for even longer than that, just in case...” Things are even worse at MCS than I already suspect, she finished silently.

  Her friends wished her luck, and Mitzy was out the door.

  Unfortunately, the meeting at the CPA was as bad as she had feared it would be. Having realized just how much help she was going to need to turn things around at MCS, she headed straight out to Chase’s ranch, where he said he’d be if she wanted to talk to him about the results of the internal audit.

  To her surprise, she wasn’t his only visitor at the Knotty Pine.

  MCS’s COO Buck Phillips’s dark green pickup truck was parked in front of Chase’s ranch house. The two men were standing on the porch, deep in what lo
oked like a surprisingly friendly but sober discussion as Mitzy drove up and parked.

  The two men shook hands.

  Feeling shut out and betrayed, Mitzy emerged from her SUV.

  Wondering if her life was about to implode all over again, she spoke to Buck first. “I’m surprised to see you all the way out here.” Especially since you’ve been telling me not to trust Chase! And were the one who encouraged me to get the audit from the CPA firm, rather than just let Chase do it.

  Buck ignored her upset. “Chase and I had business to discuss.”

  “Martin Custom Saddle company business?” Mitzy probed.

  The men exchanged glances. Chase nodded slightly. Buck turned back to Mitzy. “I know about your father’s request to Chase and what Chase promised him in return, too. Gus told me before he passed.”

  So blindsided that she stumbled as she mounted the steps, Mitzy gaped. “Is there anyone besides me who didn’t know?”

  Chase caught her around the waist and helped her the rest of the way onto the porch. His grip as protective as ever. When he was sure she was steady, he let her go and stepped back. “Gus just talked to Buck, Judith and Walter, and me, Mitzy.”

  Her indignation grew. “Well, that makes me feel better,” she huffed, the heat of Chase’s touch still making her tingle.

  She whirled back to Buck. “So if you knew my dad wanted Chase involved,” she started emotionally, “why did you tell me not to trust Chase?”

  “Because I didn’t think I could count on him to do the right thing.”

  Buck picked up on the awareness simmering between her and Chase. His craggy features softened. “But I was wrong about Chase, Mitzy,” he said quietly. “I should have been encouraging you to listen to his advice all along, instead of letting my own emotions...about what Chase tried to do, years ago...blind me. You need to listen to him, too.”

  Buck shook hands with Chase. “Let me know if you need anything else regarding the financials,” he said, man-to-man. To Mitzy, Buck tipped his hat, then settled it square on his head. “I’ll see you at the MCS holiday party on Saturday, if not before.” He headed off to his truck.

  Tension simmered between Mitzy and Chase.

  Seeming to understand he had made a big mistake in not telling her in advance of his meeting with Buck, Chase said, “Let’s go inside and discuss this.”

  Mitzy was not in the mood to be placated. She folded her arms in front of her and forced a mirthless smile. “Let’s not.”

  Chase regarded her steadily, no more willing to give up on this than he was on the two of them. “I can bring all the data out here that I just showed Buck,” he offered cordially, coming close enough to inundate her with his crisp leather-and-pine scent. “Or you can go inside and view it there.” He paused to let his words sink in. “It’s up to you.”

  He had a point. She was being childish. Hadn’t she come over here to get his help and his advice? “Fine.” She brushed past him and strode into the wing that housed his business. A lot of which seemed to be conducted at home.

  Mitzy stared in mute amazement.

  There were huge placards on easels showcasing new marketing plans built around her dad’s legendary image. Financial data, much of it in red, showing the current miserable state of the business. Projections on what could be.

  She exhaled roughly. “I’m guessing you already know what the CPA firm just told me—that my dad’s company is on the brink of bankruptcy.”

  Chase nodded, appearing neither surprised nor alarmed. He took her hand. “Buck just gave me the details.”

  “And...?” Mitzy resisted the urge to break down in tears.

  He squeezed her fingers gently and led her over to sit down. “You need a million in cash to pay off the existing debt, give out holiday bonuses and make the kind of capital investment needed to get MCS not just back on sound fiscal footing but at the top of its game.”

  He may as well have been talking about a billion dollars. It was so far out of her league. With a deflated sigh, she settled in the oversize leather reading chair. “I don’t have that,” she said glumly. “I don’t even have the money for the bonuses.”

  Once again he did not look surprised. Or, she noted curiously, even particularly dismayed. “Do you have that kind of cash just sitting around?” she asked, incredulous.

  Chase shook his head, once again the levelheaded businessman, driven to the core. He settled on the ottoman in front of her, so they were face-to-face and knee to knee. “No,” he said, all signs of the tenderhearted lover she adored fading. He paused to look her in the eye, even more serious now. “But I can get it if I do what your father asked of me and buy the company by year’s end.”

  Buy MCS? When he knew she was opposed to selling out? To anyone?

  His dispassionate attitude made her angry and scared. This was obviously all just another deal to him, an asset to add to his leather goods empire. To her, it was the culmination of everything her father had spent his entire life building.

  She knew what her father had apparently told others he wanted. For her to be relieved of the enormous stress of running his company. But she still wasn’t sure ending her family’s connection to the company was the right thing.

  Especially since she hadn’t really yet tried to effectively run MCS. Feeling disgruntled and upset, Mitzy searched for another option.

  Maybe they needed to stop thinking about long-term plans. And concentrate on the immediate needs.

  She rose stiffly and stepped to the side, to put a more suitable distance between them. “How about the two hundred thousand dollars I need for Christmas bonuses?” She moved behind the chair, curving her hands over the back of it. “Do you have that?”

  Shaking his head, Chase stood, too. “Not without first purchasing the company. It’s not just me at McCabe Leather Goods, Mitzy. It hasn’t been for a long time. I answer to a board of directors and am required to demonstrate appropriate fiscal judgment in every action I take.”

  She focused on the downward curve of his sensual lips. “Or...?” What were his risks? She knew hers...

  His eyes narrowed even more. “If they perceive me as being reckless, or not exercising sound business acumen, the board could vote me out as CEO. I’d still have a fifty-one percent share of McCabe Leather Goods, but I would no longer be in control of everything that went on there, the way I am now.”

  “And you’re not about to risk that.”

  “No.” He continued to study her as if trying to figure something out. His expression turned as implacable as his voice. “I’m not.”

  Feeling abruptly transported back to a much unhappier time in her life, when it had always been business—and ambition—first, Mitzy rushed past him. “I have to get out of here.”

  He caught her arm, stopping her forward motion, and swung her around to face him. The reserve was back in his stormy blue eyes, along with lingering desire. “Mitzy, please. Sit down and calm down.” He brought her closer still, wrapping both arms around her waist. “Let’s talk about this, and go through all the options logically.”

  She splayed her hands across his chest and worked to keep the disillusionment out of her voice. “Logically?” Emotion welled within her. “My father’s legacy is at risk, Chase!”

  He continued to hold her stubbornly. The chivalrous, protective look was back in his eyes. “Exactly my point,” he countered with gruff affection.

  She knew how convincing Chase could be. She also knew this was something she needed to handle on her own. Because if she didn’t at least try to figure out how to hang on a little while longer, she would always wonder if she’d given up too easily.

  She extricated herself from his arms. Ignoring his entreating look, she shook her head at him. “I have to think...” Have to find another way... Heart pounding, she rushed out.

  By the time she got back home, she knew w
hat she had to do. She said hello to the new shift of volunteers and checked on the boys, then went into her father’s old study. The fact it had never been redone had once been comforting to her. Now, as she sat behind his massive wooden desk, she felt even more disloyal. As if she’d let him down. Worse, it seemed Gus had known in advance she would do so, just hadn’t had the heart to tell her.

  Determined to do a better job of protecting the MCS employees than she had done thus far, she picked up her cell phone and asked to FaceTime with her stepfather.

  Maybe because she never called him, especially during the workday, Walter picked up immediately. He was wearing a suit and tie, and was obviously in some kind of business meeting at his Dallas office.

  He stepped all the way out of the boardroom, shutting the door behind him. “Mitzy, darling, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  She told him. “If you could just loan me the money for the bonuses, Walter, so I can hand them out at Christmas—” and not have to sell out to Chase “—I promise I’ll pay you back every penny.”

  Walter, who was usually quick to indulge her even when she didn’t want to be indulged, frowned. “If I did that, your mother would never forgive me,” he replied kindly but firmly.

  Stunned, Mitzy sputtered, “But...”

  Walter moved down the hall and into his private office, again shutting the door behind him, insuring them total privacy. “She’s my wife. My first responsibility is to her.”

  “I’ll talk to Mother...” Mitzy promised desperately.

  Walter sat down behind his desk with a sigh. “Please don’t. A conversation like that will only make you both unhappy. You know how she feels about the business.”

  It was Mitzy’s turn to sigh unhappily. She parroted back, “That my father’s devotion to MCS caused the demise of their marriage.”