Breathing deepened as he pressed his body against hers. “Yes, ma’am, we have time.” He caressed her breast through the material of her blouse. “Would you like to remove this top? It’s pretty, but I believe it’s in my way. Let me kiss your breasts, honey.”
She glowed with an inner warmth and took a second to unbutton the buttons for him. Dane eased her blouse open. With expectation of what could come, her head tilted back. Her chest heaved with each breath. His kisses got to me again. Pushing at his shoulder, she pierced him with a stare, “I’m getting out of this bed. We’re short on time.”
“So beautiful.” He flipped open the front closure of her bra. His warm, wet tongue played havoc with her senses. A subdued growl escaped through his lips, and hers. Again, she checked the clock. “We need to go.”
“We will go, darlin’, in time.” Dane pushed himself up from the bed. “I’ll be right back,” he mumbled. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Instead of waiting in bed, she got up to button her blouse and gathered the rest of her things.
“Why are you up?” he asked when he returned. Dane caressed the side of her face and wiggled his eyebrows. Kissing her slowly again, he whispered beside her lips, “Your kisses are exciting.”
“Not right now they’re not. Get dressed.”
Dane sighed. “You win. It’s time to go, but when we get home you’re all mine.” Using his fingertip, he brushed hair from her eyes and stared into them as if searching for eternity. A little smile appeared on his lips. “When we go to Ft. Benning, we’ll take a couple days for us afterward. The baby could be born any time after that, so we’ll call it a honeymoon. I’m not sure we can call this a honeymoon. Are you?”
“We did have a sexy wedding night…after the chaos.” She caressed the side of his face. “I’ll be done working when we get back today, then there’s my doctor appointment, and your appointment at the VA Center this week. We’ll be so busy until we get home from your base. It’ll fall right into place and we’ll be settled in at your ranch before the baby comes.” Gracelyn smiled and brought him into a hug. “You’re right… Later, when we get home I’m all yours.”
“You’re such a tease,” he said as he grabbed his jeans.
Gracelyn grinned as he did a slow swagger toward the bathroom. He calls me a tease. Now, if only their life could be somewhat normal. Maybe she’d recognize normal when they found it.
***
The first stop after leaving the airport was the ranch to pick up Boston. His mom had asked them to stay for dinner. They came back two days early, and since they didn’t go to San Francisco, it’d be nice to have the dog for the rest of the week they’d be home. Paperwork needed to be taken care of, including the name on her driver license, and anything else that needed a quick fix.
“I’ll have to put some things away in my room before dinner. How long, Mom?”
“A good half hour to forty-five minutes,” Judy said, entering the kitchen.
Dane took his wife’s arm. “Come upstairs with me. I’ll show you my room.” He winked. “You’re probably the only woman who’s been in there that wasn’t family.” Or so Mom thinks. But it was true. She was the only grown woman.
“As it should be.” Gracelyn chuckled as she shook her arm free. “I’d rather stay down here to help with dinner.”
“No, honey, you go ahead. Everything’s taken care of. Even the table is set. I’m adding some finishing touches. Y’all have time.” Judy stopped them at the doorway. “Wait. Dane, your box arrived. Tristan took it upstairs to your room.”
“Thanks.” Finally. He’d made special arrangements to have it sent home once it had arrived on Ft. Benning. There were things in there he couldn’t wait to see. Dane waited in the doorway between the kitchen and great room. Concerning what they had learned in Vegas, this was the time he needed his wife to go along with him. Both families needed to know what was going on. After telling his mom later, he’d encourage Gracelyn’s call to her parents.
“Take me to your room, cowboy.” Boston ran up ahead of them but stopped at the top to wait.
On the way up, Dane patted her behind, saying, “I want you to see my room is large enough for both of us. We can even get a crib inside. It’s a huge room that’ll work for the interim.” He nudged her. “It’s even painted blue.”
“How perfect.” He held the door to the bedroom and she went in ahead of him. Boston, too, flopping down on the floor like he was home. Gracelyn went to the window. “Nice view of the whole area—a great sight to wake to.” Turning in a circle, she scoped out the size of the room. “Sure is large with a decent layout. A lot of wall space.”
“The closet’s big too,” he said on the way to flip the light on in there. “I hear women like big closets. There’s a bathroom right there.” He pointed to a doorway to the right. “It connects to what was Tristan’s room, but nobody’s in there now. My niece, Destiny—Tristan’s daughter, has a room down the hall, but that’ll get moved with Mom.”
“It wouldn’t bother me if her room remained here. Having a little girl around might be kind of nice. I bet she’d love the baby.”
“Uh huh.” Dane went over to observe his wall. “I didn’t mean to shock you when I mentioned Jamison to my mom. With us living here, everyone needs to know what’s going on. Even my mom is a good shot.”
She slid her arm around his waist while checking out more of the room. “I’m sure it’ll be taken care of soon. The police in Las Vegas didn’t seem like they’d give up on it.”
“True. We don’t know what they discovered about who sat in his seat on the plane. I’ll call one of the officers later.” He lifted hair over her shoulders and it fell down her back. “I mean, the man is using an assumed identity. That seems like it could’ve been a threat to anyone on that plane not knowing who he really was.”
Dane studied her eyes as the two of them stood there. The only light filtered in through the sheer curtains. She was more fearful than she wanted him to know. Good. Fear meant she’d stay on alert. “Start moving in now—tomorrow. Let’s make some progress until we leave for Georgia.”
Nodding, she said, “This is your home—a place I can live. Where we can bring up our child…or children.” A yawn interrupted her, but afterward, she spoke in a subdued voice, “I can’t think of a place he’ll be more loved—other than San Francisco.”
Observing his room that would soon be nothing like it used to be, he smiled inside. “Thanks about moving in early. It’s the best choice for us, and we’ll make it work here for now. Mom won’t be a bother or interfere with us. She’ll have her own home later, but we’re not going to push her about it.”
Gracelyn took a seat in the cushioned chair near the window. “I never assumed she’d interfere. She’s a genuine person. You’ll find that my mother is nothing like yours. But, I believe she’s with my dad because there was no choice. She had nowhere to go once her cheating beau left her, after she had left my dad to be with the jerk. She lives for drama.”
Pulling a drawer open, he peered inside to see how much he’d need to remove, planning on giving her the dresser space and he’d use his chest for the time being. “That must’ve been hard for your dad and you three, especially with him going off to war.” He took a step back and caught sight of the tough box out of the corner of his eye. Nothing more than a big, black box that held a sliver of his past. “Take a short rest if you want. I’ll remove this Army paraphernalia and old photos from the walls.”
“What about the box? It’s the one you waited for?”
“Yeah, I’ll look through it later,” he muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I want you here when I do. All right?”
Gracelyn agreed. “Let me help you with the wall. I want to see them all. To experience some of your Army life.” Pointing to a large, framed photo hanging in the middle of the east wall, she said, “I want to hear about that one right there. You’re on a wire in the air. What’s that sign say that’s hanging there?”
“Part of Ranger School. Well, a big part. The sign says Ranger. Maybe I’ll take you to a graduation or competition one day so you can see for yourself.” He gripped the arm rest and bent forward to give her a kiss. “Everything will be fine from here on out. We’ll get my brothers, and Davy, a young guy who works around here, to help you move. You pack, we’ll load.” He tapped his finger against her diamond stud. “One less thing to worry about.”
“My furniture will go into storage, but if you don’t mind, we’ll move my bedroom furniture into this room.” With one finger, she brushed his hair to the side. “But, what if instead, we took the new house that will be attached to the office section. Let your mom stay here in the home she knows. It’ll be easier for us to move instead of her. It doesn’t feel right to move into her house, I mean, after the new one gets done.”
“Well, we’ll have a heart to heart with her later to propose the idea. I know what you mean.” He sat and removed his shoes. Moving her bedroom furniture in here was a great idea. Her bed was a whole lot nicer than his. “We’ll do some of the move tomorrow after all our running around—especially the bedroom.” Dane started removing pennants and certificates from walls. An empty trunk in his closet waited for this stuff. His little guy might be interested in seeing it all one day.
Gracelyn stood. “Are my letters in that box? Maybe my letter about the pregnancy caught up?”
“Everything should be, better be in there. Really, it should be except any Army property. I know what it’s like to pack up a guy’s belongings.” He stacked what he removed onto the dresser at the opposite wall and would pack it away after dinner.
Later, he’d tell her about the scheduled dates for out-processing on Ft. Benning. She could either stay with him in a hotel or come closer to the end. By then she’d have the baby. A great time for them to show off their son.
She picked up pictures as he laid them down. “We’ll frame our wedding pictures.”
“Sure.” Dane took a minute to kneel down and pat Boston. Looked like he and the dog had some testing coming up. “You’ve had a great military life, boy.” Dane glanced up at Gracelyn when she sat on the edge of the bed. “So have I.” He gave another pat to the dog. “Onward to new lives, big guy.” Boston stood and barked at Dane. “See, he agrees. You know he’ll have a retirement and adoption ceremony, too? Isn’t that cool?”
“Cool…” Gracelyn got off the edge of the bed and came over to hug Dane. “You’re a survivor.” She lifted their hands to observe their wedding rings with a love-struck smile on her face. “This is all fantastic. Being here with you—everything.”
“Are you about to cry?” Dane unconsciously licked his lips. “Because if you are, I have a broad shoulder. Right here, babe. Let it all go.” He patted his left one.
She smiled as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m not going to cry, but thank you.”
“Too late.” He embraced her and affectionately smoothed his hand over the back of her hair. “So you know, it’s here whenever you need it.” The thought of his stubbornness throughout the years and the idea of losing out on this kind of love, ripped his heart down the middle. Maybe there was a reason he waited and here it was right in his arms. Maybe. If he believed in fate, which he didn’t.
She hugged him back and snuggled into his arms. “You know what? I have a soft chest to rest your head upon if you need it.”
“You sure do, even though I tried that earlier in Vegas. I’ll be sure to take advantage.” Especially after my own retirement ceremony. “I can’t wait any longer. It’s time to see this. Come on.” He knelt in front of the box, took a deep breath, and unlocked it. “It’ll be bittersweet.” Her letters would be the sweet. The smells—other memories would be the bitter. Not to mention all the photos of his guys, the forward operating base where they lived. A significant part of an army life packed into a box.
Upon opening it, the letters lay on top of his other gear—civilian clothes, ACU’s, cookie tins from home, books, photos, running shoes, notebooks and envelopes…his phone. Dane’s throat tightened. The odor of the desert filled his nostrils. He imagined the dry heat—flour-like sand they called moon dust, coating his sweaty skin… In a flat and monotone voice, he said, “Okay.” He lifted out the box of letters and nodded toward the bed with a ball of uncertainty in his gut.
“I hope it was delivered.” A sniffle slipped out as she crawled beside him, and she peered at each one he shuffled through. Then she spotted the pink one. “There’s one.”
Dane turned it over. It hadn’t been opened yet so this had to be it. Perusing others in the box, he pulled out more of her letters that weren’t opened. Those she continued to send when she hadn’t heard from him. His eyes raised to hers and he handed them over. A shaky hand went to his forehead. “Open them. Read it to me when you find it.”
Dates weren’t a factor, since sometimes newer letters arrived first. She opened the first unopened letter to read the beginning then moved on to the next when it wasn’t the one she needed. “My new address was in this one.”
“I’ll read them all later, but I need to see the other one.” His voice quaked as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It wouldn’t be long before he was shaking all over, but he didn’t know exactly why. A compilation of seeing the contents and her letters?
Judy called from the bottom of the stairs. “Dane? Gracelyn, dinner’s nearly ready.”
Gracelyn peered at him then got up to open the door and went to the stairway. “We’ll be down soon, Judy. Give us a few more minutes.” She came back in, but Dane had already found the letter. She stopped. He sat with one knee bent, his elbow resting on it—his body kind of in a slump. The letter remained in his hand. “Are you all right?”
Light words came out in a serious tone, and he held the letter up. “Will you read it?”
Gracelyn rejoined him on the bed and she hugged him. “Please don’t hate me for not telling you right—”
“I’d never hate you, Gracelyn. I don’t hold it against you. I’m eager to hear this in your words is all.”
Leaning against the headboard, she held her head between her hands. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and blew it out and took the letter from his hand to begin, “My Dearest, Dane. I received your text and eventually your letter where you said you loved me. Thank you for finally admitting it to yourself. So many surprises wait for you when you come home. I love you so much. I miss you terribly.”
She hesitated a moment before going on. Then… “Maybe now you can handle what I have to tell you. No, no, nothing bad like you might be thinking… I had to be sure before telling you something very important. Yet, I had tried those few times, but you kept getting interrupted. Other times, I was too frightened.”
She lifted her eyes to him. “I remember writing these words and how scared I was to tell in a letter, but it was time for you to know.”
“Everything happened the way it was supposed to.” Dane believed that. “Go on, please.” He stretched his legs, folded his arms, and retreated into himself as she read out loud, wanting nothing more than to feel the impact of her words, whatever that impact may be.
“A month after I moved into my new apartment, I figured I was coming down with something. There’s only one way to say it. Dane, I wasn’t sick. I’m pregnant with your child, and I’m happy about it. In some way, I hope you can be, too.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her voice trembled as she read, “We’re both waiting here for you, if you’ll have us. I understand if you’re angry with me for not telling you sooner, but I had to know for sure, because I wouldn’t force this on you if you weren’t—”
Taking her hand, his breath caught as he said, “That’s enough. Thanks.”
Gracelyn got up and kissed his forehead then trudged to the bathroom for a tissue to dry her face. At the doorway, she spoke quietly, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you immediately to let you make the decision, while I shouldn’t have assumed you couldn’t handle it.” She tosse
d the tissue into the trash. “That’s something that I have to live with for the rest of my life.” Her fingers wrapped around her locket and she held it. “I’ll be downstairs.”
Dane picked up the letter when she left. “It is what it is. In a few weeks he’ll be in our arms.” But still, a part of him wanted to be angry. His own words about everything turning out the way it was supposed to, kept the anger away. What she had done was risky and unfair, but…
He lay flat on the bed with his arms folded behind his head, trying to imagine what she went through—the turmoil knowing she held it back, or the knowledge that she’d be on her own through the pregnancy—maybe forever if he never returned. Then her agony over thinking he didn’t want them. It wasn’t only his pain. She had suffered in her own way for seven months.
She’d been honest with him about everything—the email, post office box, the baby… He loved that woman. Their future was the most important part now. Rising from the bed, he stood at the window. Sammy and Roark romped around out there. Watching them brought peace to his soul. Selva, the main ranch hand, stood at the gate waiting to take them to the barn as the sun lowered over the desert.
A subtle smile curved his lips. Here at home he had found what he didn’t know was lost. It was time to go downstairs. Everything was forgiven—always had been.
As he entered the kitchen, she stood at the counter with her back to him, and he turned her to face him. Her eyes lowered and her hands fell to her sides. Dane held her. “I understand,” he whispered, then placed a kiss against her temple. Taking hold of her arms, he placed them around his waist. “It’ll be all right.”
***
Of The Cowboy's Own Accord (Double Dutch Ranch; Love At First Sight #3) Page 23
