Falling for Owen

by Jennifer Ryan

  Their bodies moved against each other, and Claire mapped Owen’s back with her hands down to his hips. She gripped tight and pulled him to her. She loved him like this. Fierce and loving, he filled her and loved her until she couldn’t think of anything but him. His breath came hard and fast against her neck. She moved her feet, digging her heels into the mattress and tilting her hips toward him. He sank deeper and ground his hips to hers, creating the most wonderful friction. He pulled out, nearly leaving her altogether before sinking into her again. She felt the tingle, and he grinded his hips to hers again. Finding that sweet spot, she rode the waves of pleasure. He caught her movement, did it again, and sent her flying over the edge. He thrust hard and deep and threw his head back, spilling himself inside of her.

  She expected him to fall on top of her and crush her into the bed the way he always did and she loved so much. Instead, he held himself up on his forearms and pressed his forehead to hers. She opened her eyes and stared into his serious blue ones.

  “What is it, honey?” she asked.

  “I love you.”

  Everything in her went still. She forgot to breathe. She knew how he felt about her, but hearing him say it made everything inside her align and feel right. Her heart swelled and a smile bloomed on her lips without her thinking a single thought except, He loves me!

  “I love you,” she whispered, because the moment seemed so poignant.

  “I want more than just you moving in here.”

  He wanted her to be his wife, but just like telling her he loved her without actually saying it, he made his point, so she made a point of her own. “I don’t want it to just be you and me in this big house.”

  His eyes went wide with surprise, but then softened with the mischievous smile he gave her. “We’ll work on that.”

  “That’s my favorite part.”

  “Mine, too.”

  He settled on the bed beside her on his side and pulled her to him so she lay with her back to his chest. With his arm draped over her, his hand cupping her breast, she held his hand to her and closed her eyes.

  Pumpkin jumped up on the bed and snuggled up next to her legs with a contented purr.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe I should take you to the hospital and a doctor can check you out to be sure.”

  “I’m fine. The wound hurts, but more like a deep bruise than anything else.”

  “You’re sure.”

  “Don’t you have to call your client Tom back?” she asked to distract him from worrying about her.

  He kissed her shoulder and then her head next to the two wounds. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep. You’re more important than any client.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  * * *

  OWEN HUNG UP the phone and wiped his hands over his face, rubbing his tired eyes. He closed the files on his desk and stacked them. He grabbed his briefcase from the floor and stuffed the pile inside. Despite harping on Shannon about coming to his house for business on a Sunday, he’d spent the last few hours on the phone with another client, going over the material for a fraud case going to court this coming week.

  He grabbed his pen, made a few more notes on his legal pad and stuffed it into his briefcase, too. The smell of chocolate caught him by surprise. He glanced at the clock on his computer and swore. He’d lost track of time and forgot to go up and wake Claire. Well, she’d gotten up on her own. He hoped she’d slept well after they made love. She worked so hard, made love with him nearly every night, woke up early because he did, made him most of his meals, and did a hundred other things in her day.

  She agreed to move in. In not so many words, she’d agreed to a hell of a lot more. He smiled, thinking of her as his wife, a couple of kids running wild on the ranch. Brody and Rain living just a hill away with their girls and a baby on the way. They’d be a family.

  A shopping trip loomed. He’d never bought a woman jewelry. He tried to think of what Claire might like for an engagement and wedding ring. She usually wore round peridot earrings in the same shade as her eyes, or a pair of gold hoops the size of dimes. She had a gold chain with a heart pendant her parents gave her on her sixteenth birthday, and a gold band on her thumb that was her grandfather’s wedding ring. Her grandparents had been married for fifty-two years. She said she wore it all the time to remind her that some men stick. Well, he’d show her he was the sticking kind.

  A thought occurred to him. Brody still hadn’t asked Rain to marry him. Maybe they could pick out rings together. That made him smile. They’d gone barhopping and picked out women together—separate women for each of them, of course. This time they’d pick out rings to keep the women they loved more than life itself.

  He and Brody had turned into the staying kind.

  Plans formed in his mind. None of them gave him pause. Not the ring, the commitment, the babies she wanted to fill this house with. Finally, everything in his life felt right. Now all he had to do is ask her to marry him. They’d spend their lives together happy on the ranch as a family. They’d fill this house with love and laughter, something it had sorely lacked during his childhood. He’d have it all with her.

  A dark thought crept into his mind. Only one thing threatened his future with Claire. Dale. The man needed to be stopped. Frustrated, he stood and walked out of his home office to go find the one person sure to change his bad mood back to good.

  He found Claire in the kitchen, standing by the counter, pulling cupcakes out of the hot tin tray she’d cooked them in and setting them on a wire rack. He leaned down and kissed her neck, stealing a cupcake while he distracted her.

  “I saw that.”

  “I thought you were making brownies for the girls.”

  “I did.” She pointed to the pan on the stovetop. “Rain likes vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting.”

  “You didn’t have to make so much.”

  “It’s no big deal. She’s making dinner, the least I can do is bring her something she likes.”

  “She loves the brownies.”

  “So do her girls and Brody. They always eat them all. This way, she’s got her own treat. She’s pregnant. She deserves something special.”

  “I’ll remind you when I’m spoiling you that you said that.”

  She stopped what she was doing and bowed her head, her chin nearly to her chest. “Do you mean that?”

  “Hell yes, I’ll spoil you when you’re pregnant with my baby.”

  “I mean, do you really want to have a baby?”

  He reached for her then and turned her to face him. She refused to look at him, so he touched his finger to her chin and made her look up.

  “Is this one of those times where you confuse me with the asshole?”

  “Do you really want a baby, or are you just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear?”

  He planted both hands on the counter behind her on both sides of her and leaned in, so they stood eye to eye. Locked in between his hands, she stilled, her gaze locked on his.

  “There is nothing in this world I want more than you and however many children we have together. I want you. I want to have children with you. I want to grow old with you on this ranch and watch our children grow and make us grandparents someday. If that’s not clear enough, I’m prepared to take you upstairs and keep you in bed until you are pregnant. It’s a sacrifice, but I’m willing to make it to prove to you how much I love you and want to have a family with you.”

  The smile finally came and she laughed, making his tight chest ease and the worry she wouldn’t believe him and in him fall away.

  “I love you,” she said simply.

  “Good. Because I love you, too, and everything I said is the truth.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. You asked me a question, I gave you the answer. There is nothing you can’t say to me. Anything you want to know, you ask me, and I will always tell you the truth.”

  “It goes both ways.”

&nbs
p; “I know it does. Sometimes you need reminding.”

  This time the smile came easily. “I do, huh?”

  “You’re stubborn.”

  She poked him in the ribs. “I am not.”

  “Sometimes, you are.” He closed the distance and kissed the disgruntled look right off her face.

  Her hands came up to cup his jaw. The kiss ended when she leaned her forehead to his. “I really want to have your baby.”

  He took her hand and held it up in front of her, so she could see her grandfather’s wedding ring. “We’ve got a few things to do first, but they shouldn’t take too long if you’re as serious as I am about this.” He tapped the gold band with his finger. “Want to give me a hint, or be surprised?”

  “Surprised. Round. Yellow gold. Six and a half.”

  Surprise her with the ring. Round diamonds in a gold setting to match her grandfather’s ring and her size. “Got it. We’ll work on the baby later tonight.”

  “I’m still on the pill.”

  “You don’t have to be.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it.

  “Okay, maybe we need to talk about this some more,” he suggested when she hesitated.

  “You changed your mind. You don’t want to have a baby.”

  “Shush. Listen. We do a lot of talking without really spelling things out. So here’s the deal. I love you. Someday soon, I’ll ask you to marry me. You will say yes.”

  She laughed, but he kept talking.

  “We’ll get married. I’ll leave most of the planning of that to you, except one thing. It has to be soon, as in the next six months. Keep taking the pill, don’t take it. I’m leaving that up to you. You decide when the time is right, because whenever you’re ready, I’m ready to do it with you.”

  “You’re always ready to do it with me,” she teased.

  He needed her to know he was serious, so he smiled but repeated, “I’m ready when you’re ready.”

  OWEN SAT ON the couch in Rain’s living room with Brody beside him in a chair. They watched the girls in the kitchen. All of them, Rain, Claire, Dawn and Autumn. They cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher, and put out dessert, all the while chatting and laughing and having fun.

  “She fits in,” Owen commented.

  “She and Rain have gotten close over the last two months.”

  “Rain loves anyone who brings her cupcakes.”

  “Rain likes her. I like her.”

  “I love her,” Owen confessed.

  “I can see that you do. What are you going to do about it?”

  “Marry her.”

  “Did you ask her?”

  “Kinda. I guess we have that in common. I told her we’re getting married, but I haven’t asked her, yet.”

  Brody gave him one of his elusive smiles. “It must be a McBride thing.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not taking as long as you to ask. I plan on buying her a ring this week. Want to come along?”

  “You’re serious.”

  “She wants to be my wife and have a baby.”

  “Are you ready for that?” Brody asked.

  “With her. Yes. She doesn’t want to wait on the baby. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, since taking care of Rain and your girls. I think of the past and I see our future in that kitchen and I want to hold on to it with both hands.”

  “What about all this business with Dale and Shannon?”

  “Nothing and no one is going to stop me from being with her and giving her everything she wants, because everything she wants, I want. As for Dale, one way or another, I’m going to stop him from ever hurting her again, even if that means I have to put him in the ground to do it.”

  “I’m free on Wednesday.”

  “To kill Dale?” Owen eyed Brody with one eyebrow cocked up.

  Brody gave him one of those not-so-nice smiles. “I have your back, brother. Any time you need me, I’m there.”

  Owen believed him. He’d never had to worry about facing anything alone. Not when he had Brody around to back him up.

  “I meant to get the rings.”

  “Oh, that should work. I have court in the morning through the afternoon, but I’ll probably be done by four.”

  “I’ll meet you at four thirty at your office.”

  “When are you going to ask Rain?”

  “Soon. The baby is on the way. I hope to do it when the house is finished in a couple of weeks. New house. Fresh start. Me and her, the girls, our baby, and forever.”

  “I hear you, man.” Owen clinked the neck of his beer bottle to Brody’s, and they drank to the girls in their lives.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  * * *

  OWEN CLASPED CLAIRE’S hand and stopped the truck in the driveway.

  “I need to feed the horses again. I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

  “Okay. Tonight was fun. You’ve got a really great family.”

  “Yeah. So, when do I meet yours?”

  She smiled and let loose a nervous laugh. “We’ll have to go for a visit.”

  “Invite them here.”

  “No way. If we go there, we can escape.” He laughed with her. “I love my parents, but they can be a little much. They’ll be supportive. They’ll love you. But . . .”

  “They’re your parents and will grill you about how we met, what’s been going on, and whether or not I’m the best choice for you.”

  “Yes. Exactly. See, you get it. When are you going to tell your mother?”

  “Oh, that’s not going to happen until the last minute. You don’t want my mother showing up here, taking over . . . everything. She’s a force unto herself.”

  “You like her.”

  “I do, in small doses. She’s got the best of intentions, but she’s a steamroller.”

  “She’s in Florida with her podiatrist husband. He has magic hands.” She laughed at his screwed-up face. “Brody said you make that exact face whenever you talk to her.”

  “As bad as things were with my dad, my mom is a whole other kind of crazy. But yes, I love her, despite the fact she drives me nuts.”

  “Let’s wait on both fronts then. I’m happy to keep things quiet and simple as long as possible.”

  “Things haven’t been easy.”

  “No, but that’s not your fault,” she reassured him.

  He wondered how this had gotten so out of control, but put those thoughts out of his mind for tonight. Though nothing was official, she’d agreed to marry him.

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

  She pressed her hand to his jaw, and he held it there.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  He slid from the truck and she dropped down next to him. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. She headed into the house, and he walked down to the barn. Something disturbed him. The barn door was left slightly ajar. Maybe Claire forgot to close it all the way. Maybe the latch hadn’t caught and the wind blew it open.

  Still, something else bothered him as he reached the door. The horses didn’t nicker and whinny like they always did when they heard the truck at this hour. They’d expect him to come and feed them.

  He entered the open door and still heard nothing but the wind blowing through another open door. Bo and Luke didn’t come to their stall doors to greet him. He rushed to Luke’s open stall and looked in. The rope had been left down, the straw disturbed, Luke’s lunch still in the bucket. He hadn’t eaten.

  Owen checked Bo’s stall and found the same scene, except the door leading out to the paddock was open. He raced out, thinking the two horses were out in the paddock, though he’d have seen them when he drove up. He didn’t find them, but one of the gates to the open pastureland stood open.

  Nothing added up. Did someone come and steal his horses? Not likely anyone would want the two old guys. He didn’t even ride them anymore and had left them to their retirement. Worried about their health and safety, he ran back into the barn and checked
the tack. None of the saddles were missing, but two bridles and lead ropes were gone. Someone had definitely come in here and taken the horses. But why?

  He didn’t know, but he had to find them.

  He ran up to the house and burst through the door, scaring Claire, who rushed out of the kitchen to see what happened.

  “Owen?”

  “Did you leave the barn door open after you fed the horses?”

  “No. You said it sticks sometimes, so I made sure it shut.”

  “Did you open the outside door to Bo’s stall?”

  “I left him inside to eat. Why? What’s happened? Are they all right?”

  “They’re gone.”

  “Gone? But how can that be? I swear, Owen, I took care of them just like you taught me.”

  He drew her close and held her. “I know you did, sweetheart. I’m not blaming you. I’m just trying to figure out what happened. It looks like someone set them free, but they put a bridle and rope on them, so maybe they rode them bareback out of here. Neither Bo or Luke is used to being ridden, so I’m not sure how the riders accomplished that without getting thrown, but either way, I need to find them and make sure they’re safe.”

  “Yes. Of course, but how are you going to do that?”

  “I’ll run up the road to my friend Grant’s place and borrow a horse and ride out.”

  “Call Brody. Have him help you. Don’t go alone. Maybe Dale is trying to draw you out, so he can do something to you.”

  “Or maybe he’s trying to draw me away, so he can do something to you.”

  The tremble that shot through her echoed in him. He rubbed her back and tried to think.

  “I’ll ask Brody to come and stay with you. I’ll go find the horses.”

  “Should I call the police?”

  “And tell them what? Someone let the horses out?” he snapped, pissed off this was happening.