Leaning over the bed rail, she looked into his eyes and saw the pain he was in. His pupils looked OK, but she still worried that the doctor might have missed something important, like a concussion. He brushed the back of his hand along her cheek. “You could come back to the Circle G with me and keep an eye on me. Of course, you’d have to come to bed with me.”
The floor shifted beneath her feet as her world narrowed down to this one man, in this defining moment. “I guess you don’t hurt all that badly if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
His lips lifted into the crooked smile she loved. “Darlin’, I hurt all over, I’m tired, and I want to go home… but I’m not going without you.”
“What about Lacy?”
“Your uncle could drop her off when she wakes up.”
“The gossips would have a field day if we were staying out at your ranch.”
“Are you worried about your reputation?”
She shook her head, and he smoothed the hair back off her forehead and said, “I’ve got an idea… but I need to talk to my brothers alone first.”
Danielle wanted to ask what he had in mind but didn’t want to press him. He’d been through so much.
“All right. Why don’t you close your eyes while we wait?”
“Just for a few minutes,” he said as he closed his eyes.
With a silent prayer of thanks that he’d survived the accident, she held his hand. They didn’t have long to wait. His brothers walked back in with their women in tow. “I talked to the doctor,” Tyler said.
“What did he say?” Jesse reached for Danielle’s hand and waited for the news.
“Badly bruised and sprained, but nothing’s broken—including your hard head.”
“And?” Jesse prompted.
“The doctor will stop by to release you after he makes his rounds.”
He squeezed Danielle’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I need to speak to Tyler and Dylan alone for a minute. Will you excuse us, ladies?”
They looked at one another but agreed. Danielle led them out into the hallway where Ronnie asked, “What’s up?”
“I don’t know,” Danielle admitted. “He said he had an idea but that he had to talk to his brothers first.” Worry ate at her until she asked, “So the doctor really thinks he’ll be OK?”
Emily put her arm around Danielle’s waist. “Our men might be stubborn, but they wouldn’t do anything to put one another in danger.”
Ronnie agreed. “They might beat on each other, but that’s different.”
Relief started to ease the noxious roiling in Danielle’s stomach. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Jesse’s got in mind, then.”
“You can come back in.” Dylan was grinning at her, but when she started to ask what was going on, he shook his head at her. “Jesse’s got something he wants to say to you.”
Tyler’s smile mirrored his brother’s. “We’ll be right back.”
Hesitating on the threshold, not sure what was going on or what to expect, she finally called out, “Hey.”
He turned to look at her and held out his hand. “Hey, yourself.”
She dragged a chair over to the side of the bed, reached for his hand, and sat down.
“Do you trust me?”
She tilted her head to one side and studied him. His face was covered with bruises and tiny cuts from the safety glass; his left wrist and left ankle were both immobilized. He had to be in intense pain and should be resting, yet he wanted to know if she trusted him?
“Not exactly the response I was hoping for,” he grumbled. “I already told you, I’d let my pride get in the way of telling you—”
“Yes,” she said softly, knowing that it was the truth. “I trust you with my heart and with my daughter.”
“Then come on back to the Circle G with me… I need you, Dani darlin’.”
She got up, leaned over the bed, and kissed his cheek. “Let me call my uncle.”
Chapter 21
It was a tight squeeze, but everyone piled into the two pickup trucks and headed back to the ranch. “Easy,” Tyler said as he helped his little brother out of the cab.
The back door opened and their cousins walked out. “We’re just about ready to feed the stock and muck out the stables.”
The look that passed between the Garahan men and their cousins added to the feeling of rightness that filled her every time she was at the Circle G. While they discussed the day’s list of chores and the order in which things should be done, Danielle felt like she belonged, was accepted, as if they’d been waiting for her and Lacy to come along and slip into the fabric of their lives. She was doing the right thing.
She had followed her heart once before, but she’d been too dazzled to look beyond what she thought was love to accept that what she felt for her ex didn’t go below the surface. How could it, when he never gave her the chance to see beyond the bright and shiny veneer he showed the rest of the world when he was competing for that silver buckle?
“We’ll go see about breakfast.” Ronnie said. When Emily and Danielle caught up, Ronnie added, “We’ll divide and conquer.”
Emily grinned at Danielle. “I’ll start the coffee and set the table if you can make up the couch with sheets from the basket of clean clothes in the laundry room.”
Working as a team, they had food for everyone and a bed for Jesse by the time the brothers walked inside with Jesse braced between them. “You ladies ready for me?” Jesse called out.
“I am.” She walked over to where he stood and got up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Now, let’s get you to bed.”
“Darlin’, if I wasn’t in such sad shape, I’d make it worth your while.”
She laughed and it felt good. “Later, darlin’. Come on.”
“I can take it from here, guys,” he told his brothers.
Bracing herself on his injured side, she took as much of his weight as she could and helped him through the kitchen to the living room. “Can you sit by yourself?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Once he was on the couch, she eased him back and couldn’t keep from kissing him again. “I’ve never been so worried in my life.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’ve been through a lot with Lacy, but nothing like this.”
“Life’s not always easy, Dani, especially a rancher’s life.”
She knelt on the floor beside the sofa. “I don’t need it to be easy.”
He was fighting to keep his eyes open. “What do you need?”
She brushed the tips of her fingers across first one of his eyebrows and then the other and whispered, “You.” She watched his smile bloom and his eyes slowly close. The sound of his even breathing was music to her ears. With a glance at her watch, she mentally started the timer. The doctor said it wasn’t a concussion, but she wasn’t taking any chances with Jesse’s headache.
***
The kitchen was a mess by the time the men filed out to get on with the rest of their day. There were fences to mend, the herd to check, and the never-ending list of chores that were all part and parcel of ranch life.
“Why don’t you and Emily go lie down for a bit? I’ll load the dishwasher.”
“You were up all night, same as we were,” Emily protested.
“I’m going to go sit with Jesse when I finish up here.”
“If you’re sure,” Ronnie said slowly.
She nodded and bustled around the kitchen while the other women headed upstairs. She’d been checking on Jesse every ten minutes or so, and had been relieved that he’d seemed to be resting comfortably.
With one last look around the room, satisfied that she hadn’t missed any dirty pots, pans, or dishes, she checked the coffeepot. It was ready for someone to come along and press the brew button. She wished she’d thought to bring a spare shirt; she looked like she’d been rolling around in her T-shirt.
Shrugging that thought aside, she went to check on Jesse. Rousing him wa
sn’t as easy as it had been the last time she’d tried. He was sleeping so deeply, fear edged its way into her heart until she had to take a deep breath to settle her nerves and the need to call for help. He was just tired, she kept telling herself.
Inspiration struck and she got down on her knees and moved close to press her lips to his. Jesse’s soft moan was music to her ears, but he hadn’t opened his eyes yet. “If a simple kiss could rouse you this much, I wonder what would happen if I added a little oomph to it?”
Gently cupping his battered face in her hands, she tested the fullness of his bottom lip with her tongue, swirling it around the rim of his mouth before taking his in a devastatingly erotic kiss.
The arms banding around her were a testament to her powers of persuasion. “You wouldn’t wake up,” she whispered against his lips.
“I’m up now,” he groaned. “Want to see how much of me is up?” he teased.
“And take a chance that your brothers or your cousins will end up walking in on us? I think I’ll wait a bit until we can be alone.”
“I’m glad you woke me up. I made some plans for this afternoon.”
His dark and dangerous gaze had her juices flowing and her hot spot doing the hoochie coochie. “You are supposed to be resting… doctor’s orders.”
He didn’t like the reminder. “I already rested this morning. Besides Tyler and Dylan will be here in case I need a hand.”
“What about the herd?”
He smiled. “Now you’re thinking like a rancher’s wife.”
She liked the way that sounded, but couldn’t help but wonder if he would still think so a few months down the road. “I might not be what you need, as far as a wife goes, but I’m real glad to be what you want, because you are definitely the man I need in my life.”
He stared at her for a moment and then struggled to sit up. “What type of a wife do you think I need?”
She didn’t hesitate to tell him. “One without baggage, one who can focus all of her time, talents, and love on you.”
“I’d be crazy not to make enough room in my life for you and Lacy,” he rasped. “I think your heart’s big enough to make room to love Lacy and me.” The look in his eyes told her how much he wanted this to work.
“It’s not that I doubt you, it’s just that I’ve—”
“Been hurt by a no-good, lying, son of a bitch who didn’t know a good thing when he had it. His loss is definitely my gain, and I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of making the most of the fact that you and Lacy love me back.”
Danielle knew there were many types of love: love for a parent or grandparent, love for a child, love for the father of your child… but she’d been blindsided, not realizing that there was such a thing as a second chance at love.
Her momma didn’t raise no fool; she was grabbing this chance and holding on to it for all she was worth. Hell or high water, as soon as Jesse was able, they’d set the date and get married.
“So when were you thinking we should get married?” Her mind was already creating the to-do list; so much went into the perfect wedding.
“I’m thinking the sooner the better.” He toyed with a lock of hair that had slipped free from the elastic band she’d wrapped around it on her midnight dash to the emergency room. “Are you flexible?”
She laughed. “I’m a mother… it’s part of the job description.”
His smile was slow and easy, reminding her of the second time he made love to her. “Your lips are too far away,” he whispered. “Come ’ere.”
Need for this man overwhelmed her, but she needed to be careful of his injuries; needing him whole was more important than satisfying her raging libido. Promising herself to go slow and easy, she leaned closer until her lips met his.
His kiss was sweet, his touch tender, lulling her into a state of contented bliss. She gently eased back and sighed. “It’s going to be hard to wait until you heal,” she confessed. “When all I want to do is climb up on that couch and—” She shook her head. “Can’t go there right now, or I’ll tie us both up in knots.”
***
Jesse stroked the lock of hair that had slipped free. The gentle movement hypnotized her so that she wasn’t prepared for the shock when he wrapped her hair around his finger and tugged her close. “I ain’t waiting that long to have you, Dani darlin’.”
His lips molded to hers, and her breath caught in her lungs. He took full advantage of her gasp of surprise, tracing the rim of her pretty mouth with the tip of his tongue. He felt her softening by degrees, and when she was putty in his hands, he took full possession of her mouth in a tongue-dueling, heart-pumping, soul-wracking kiss.
He was so hard he hurt. Reaching out, he wrapped his good arm around her and hauled her up on top of him. When he had her heat nestled against him, he pressed his hand to the curve of her backside to bring her even closer. Her breathy moan of need sprinted through him. He could feel her heart pounding, echoing the frantic beat of his own.
“I’m not waiting for all the bells and whistles, Dani.” He ached to be inside of her but wasn’t eager for the audience that would be guaranteed the moment he threw caution aside. If things went his way, he’d have her in his bed tonight.
“Did I mention that Garahans aren’t long on patience?”
She laughed and rested her forehead against his. “I kind of figured that out on my own.”
“Tell me you’ll love me no matter what life brings: good or bad, easy or hard.”
“You know I will.”
“Convince me,” he rasped, pulling her mouth back to mate with his. When she started squirming on top of him, he rolled them off the couch and onto the floor. She was pinned beneath him.
“Perfect.” And she was; her lips were rosy and moist and begging for more. Her eyes held the promise of heaven and the need to take them both there had him bracing his good hand beside her head and nudging her legs apart. Now that he knew they fit like a hand in a glove, the thought tortured him.
He wanted her now but needed to rein in his libido if he was going to get through the rest of the day. “I want to make love to you, right here… right now.”
The passion in her slumberous gaze nearly undid his resolve to wait. He shook his head, but with what he had planned, it would be worth it. “I need you to promise you won’t be angry with me today.”
“You are a hard man to say no to, Jesse Garahan.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “I promise.”
“Have I told you I love you yet today?”
“Mmmm.” She smiled. “But tell me again.”
His eyes met hers. “I love you, Dani darlin’.”
“What the hell—” Tyler broke off what he was going to say when Jesse got to his feet and held out his hand to Danielle. “I thought you needed to rest.”
“You know a better way to relieve stress?”
His brother’s laughter was a welcome sound. He’d been afraid he’d never hear it again. Pushing those thoughts aside, he tugged Danielle close to his side and wrapped his good arm around her. His head was starting to pound again, but he ignored it asking, “Is everything ready?”
Tyler glanced at Danielle before answering. “Yeah.”
“What’s going on?”
He shook his head at his brother and told her, “You’ll see.”
“But—”
“You going back on your promise already?”
She laughed. “No, I promised I wouldn’t be mad at you today and I meant it.”
Tyler’s chuckle had Jesse glaring at his brother, but Tyler ignored him and asked, “Did you have a chance to rest yet, Danielle?”
She smiled at Tyler and shrugged. “I’m used to getting through the day with little or no sleep.”
“She’s going to lie down with me for a little while,” Jesse told him. “We’re going upstairs.”
She pushed out of his arms. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You will,” he promised. “There’s aspirin in
the bathroom upstairs,” he said, tugging on her hand. “Come on.”
“But I—” Her protest was cut off when he silenced her with a kiss.
“I’ll call you when it’s time.” Tyler turned and walked away.
“Time for what?” Danielle asked. “And why did you let your brother think you were taking me upstairs to make love with me?”
Jesse chuckled and tugged her toward the stairs. “You just think on it while we’re walking.”
Halfway up the stairs, she gasped. “I am not—”
He cut off her words with another kiss. By the time they’d made it to the top, she’d stopped protesting, but he figured she had more on her mind. Sure enough, when his hand was on the door to his room, she blurted out, “You’re not up to it.”
With a grin and a tug, she was in his arms and the door was closed. Just to show her he meant business, he locked the door and backed her up against his bed. “You underestimate my stamina, darlin’.”
He pulled off her shirt one-handed and yanked her close. Whispering kisses along the side of her neck, he rasped, “Your skin tastes like wild honey.” Nipping the spot beneath her ear, he inhaled her womanly scent and trailed kisses along the edge of jaw. When he got to her chin, he nibbled it, drawing a gasp from her.
“I’m going to love you in the daylight, Dani.”
She started to protest, but he pressed his fingers to her lips. “When I got hit and my car started to roll, I thought I’d never see you again, never be able to be with you like this again.” He ran his hands up and down her sides, ignoring the twinge of pain shooting through his wrist. “Let me lay you down and love you.”
Her sigh was one of acquiescence; he eased the top button on her jeans skirt open and slid it down over her hips, the rasp of the denim fabric a contrast to the silk of her skin. Everything was brought sharply into focus by the near-death experience he’d had. If the car hadn’t had a superior roll cage, he wouldn’t be here, about to make love with the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispered, trembling as he hooked his fingertips in the waistband of her panties.
Jesse Page 26
