“Wow,” Robbie whispered.
“Yeah, it’s pretty great, Robbie,” Claire said, laughing softly.
“Does Uncle Jake have to hold your hand all the time?” Cooper asked quietly. “When Robbie holds my hand, I don’t feel so scared. Maybe he’s like a shield, too.”
“That’s a possibility,” Jake said thoughtfully. “Everyone on McKade land has a gift. It takes time to find out what it is, but every gift is a good one. They all help everyone.”
Robbie smiled slowly, finally feeling better. “I help,” he said finally.
“You certainly do,” Claire said, hugging him gently.
“But what about you, Aunt Claire?” Cooper asked, worried. “Does it hurt you if Uncle Jake isn’t holding your hand?”
“It used to. Not anymore.”
Claire looked at Jake and smiled. He reached out and touched her cheek lightly before looking at all the adults who seemed to have filled their room. Deuce and Gracie were there. So were John and Jamie, Spence, Lainey, and Tim, Marc and Madison, and Rafe and Becca. It seemed as if the entire family was there to check up on him.
“When did all of you get here?” he asked, his voice gruff with emotion as he saw the concern in each family member’s eyes.
“We’ve been waiting downstairs,” Deuce spoke up. “We wanted to wait for Robbie to talk to you before we invaded your privacy.”
“We couldn’t wait any longer, Jake,” Gracie added. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Jake said quietly.
“He’s better,” Claire offered. “He still needs to rest, and he still needs to take his pain pills.”
“Claire, I’m not taking any more pills,” Jake told her firmly.
“I just want you to take them today, Jake,” Claire said softly. “Brody said it would be good to take them today. You can stop taking them tomorrow.” She leaned over and kissed his shoulder lightly. “Please, cowboy.”
Jake sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to deny her request. “I’ll take the pills today, and only today,” he said after a moment. “On one condition.”
“What?” Claire asked, smiling widely.
“You give me another massage today.”
Claire laughed softly, blushing lightly. “It’s a deal,” she said, covering her face and hiding from the many knowing eyes that watched them both.
“It smells good in your bedroom,” Cooper said quietly. “It smells like flowers.”
“It’s the massage oil,” Claire explained. “It has lavender in it. It helps to calm you and make you relax.”
“Can I see it?” Cooper asked, intrigued by the thought of something that smelled like flowers that would help to calm someone. “I get worried sometimes. Do you think the flowers will help me?”
Claire nodded as she slid out of bed and walked around it to grab the bottle of oil. Walking back to the bed, she climbed up onto it and opened the cap, pouring a small amount of the lavender scented oil into the palm of her right hand. Closing the cap, she rubbed her hands together to spread the oil before offering her hands to Cooper to allow her to smell the scent.
“It smells nice,” Cooper said, smiling. “Robbie, smell it.”
Robbie leaned forward and smelled his Aunt Claire’s hands. He looked at Cooper and nodded. “It smells good, Cooper. Aunt Claire should put some on you.”
“Will you, Aunt Claire?” Cooper asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Sure. Give me your hand. You, too, Robbie,” Claire said, smiling when both kids immediately stuck out their hands.
Claire took hold of Cooper’s right hand and Robbie’s left hand, and began to massage their hands and wrists. She smiled as both kids pulled up the long sleeves of the sweatshirts that they were wearing to bare their forearms to her. She massaged their arms slowly, using her thumbs to rub against the muscles of their arms, hands, and fingers before slicking their fingers and pulling on them gently.
“When I pull on your fingers like this, it releases all the tension in your body,” Claire told them, stretching the truth a little but sensing that Cooper needed to hear just that. “Do you think the smell of the lavender is relaxing you?”
“Yes,” Cooper answered without hesitation. “This is really nice, Aunt Claire. Do you think you can do this for me all the time?”
“Sure, honey. Whenever you need me to,” Claire promised. “I’ll get you your own bottle so you can always have it. Your mommy can get some candles that smell like lavender, too. If she burns them in your house, you can always remember what it feels like to have me massage your hands and arms. It will help you to relax.”
“Mommy, can we get lavender candles?” Cooper asked as she turned to face her mother.
“Of course,” Madison answered without hesitation. “We can get some today. Maybe Aunt Claire can go shopping with us to help us get the right ones.”
“Can you, Aunt Claire?” Cooper asked hopefully.
“I need to take care of Uncle Jake first,” Claire said quietly, seeing the immediate soft smile that came to his lips. “How about if we plan to go after lunch? Does that sound good?”
“That sounds good,” Cooper said, happily. “Robbie, do you want to come with us to buy candles?”
Robbie nodded, grabbing for Cooper’s hand and squeezing it. “Yes. Do you feel better, Cooper?”
Cooper smiled and nodded. “I feel good,” she said, getting up and kneeling in front of Claire and hugging her. “Thank you, Aunt Claire.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Claire said, warmth and love filling her as this adorable little girl cuddled into her.
“Come on, kids,” Luke said, stepping forward and scooping Robbie off the bed. “We need to give Aunt Claire and Uncle Jake some time to get dressed.”
Marc stepped forward and reached out for Cooper, smiling when she went to him immediately and allowed him to hold her securely against his chest. Claire looked at Madison and saw the obvious love in her friend’s eyes as she looked at her daughter and the man she was obviously meant to be with.
“Are you happy, nidonni?” Marc asked Cooper quietly.
Cooper nodded. She cuddled against him and sighed. She loved it when he held her so carefully. She felt so happy when her daddy held her. Robbie had said that Marc was her daddy, and she knew that Robbie never lied. Robbie could see things that were going to happen. Cooper could see them, too, but mostly she saw colors around people. She didn’t know what that meant, but the pretty colors that were around her family made her happy. She especially loved the color of bright gold that was always around Robbie. It sometimes twinkled like stars. She never told anybody about what she could see except Robbie, though. It was a secret just for the two of them.
She looked at her mommy and smiled. She could see the bright light around her and felt good when she saw a special vision that showed her that her Mommy was going to have five more babies and was going to be very happy. Cooper was glad. Mommy was so sad lately. She didn’t like seeing her mommy sad.
John Blackstone looked at his cousin Marc and smiled. Marc had once again called Cooper nidonni—my daughter. It was about damned time that his cousin accepted his role in both Madison’s and Cooper’s lives. He hugged Jamie to him carefully, rubbing her very pregnant belly possessively.
“He’s hooked, Jamie,” he whispered in his mate’s ear.
Jamie nodded, smiling at him. “I’m glad,” she whispered back.
“Come on, everyone,” Deuce said firmly. “Let’s go and have some breakfast. We have ranch work to do. Robbie, you and Cooper can help Uncle Spence and Uncle Tim with the horses today.”
“Wait, Deuce,” Claire called out to him before any of them could leave. “Jake and I have something to tell all of you.”
Jake looked at her and smiled. He knew exactly what Claire was going to say, and he was happy that she was over her fear of announcing her pregnancy too soon in case something happened. He looked at his family who were all looking at them and smiled.
“Jake and I are going to have a baby,” Claire announced, laughing when the women rushed her, and the men stood by with wide smiles on their faces. She knew that if Jake wasn’t hurt, they would be pounding on his back with congratulations.
“That’s wonderful,” Deuce said for all of them. “I guess your home has been finished just in time to be filled with your kids.”
Jake smiled, accepting the kisses and gentle hugs from the women, and the careful handshakes from the men. “We should have moved in this weekend,” he said, a little disappointed that his injury had delayed the process. “Even though everything isn’t finished, I wanted us to start living there this weekend, Claire.”
Claire reached out and touched his hand gently. “It’s okay, Jake. I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together. Honest.”
“Next weekend will be soon enough,” Deuce said calmly. “You just take care of yourself and heal up, Jake. We’re all here for you.”
Jake nodded, watching with a lump in his throat as his family left the room. He turned to Claire and saw her smiling at him. When she leaned forward and kissed his lips quickly, he tried to hold her against him to continue with loving her, but she eased herself out of his arms and walked around the bed to pick up the bottle of pills.
“Here you go,” she said as she unscrewed the cap and poured out one capsule into the palm of her hand. Handing him the pill and what was left of the water in the bottle on the side table, she stepped back and crossed her arms, waiting for him to take the pill as he promised her he would. “I’ll go and get breakfast and bring it up to you. You are to stay in bed today, and maybe tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Will you be joining me, angel?”
“Yes, I’ll be with you until after lunch. I promised to go shopping to get the aroma therapy candles with Cooper.”
She leaned forward and kissed Jake one more time. Nuzzling against his temple, she whispered how much she loved him then turned and walked out of their bedroom.
Jake watched her go, smiling at the soft sway of her hips. It was going to be a long afternoon waiting for her to come back from her shopping trip. When she did, he was going to show her just how much he missed her.
“At least three orgasms for you, sweet angel,” he said, smiling as he thought about the ways he was going to love his mate when she returned.
Chapter 35
“Marc, don’t stand there and tell me that you don’t already love Madison and Cooper,” John Blackstone told his cousin as they stood in the kitchen of the ranch home that was a haven to all of them. The McKade family had protected all of them and welcomed each and every friend into the fold of their love.
John had been taken in as part of the family from the time he had been a kid and his father had been the elder Jake McKade’s ranch foreman. Jake and Mary McKade had accepted his Cheyenne father and his Italian mother with open arms. They had loved their son without hesitation. So many of the friends of the McKade family had been accepted, protected, and cherished, and John considered himself blessed to be one of them.
Marc stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at John with a passive expression. He would not admit to a thing. To admit that he loved Madison would open himself up to the possibility of betrayal and hurt. It was not something that he was willing to do. He had gone down that road once before, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to survive it if the same thing happened again.
“I’ve heard you, Marc,” John said quietly, seeing the hurt in his cousin’s unique brown eyes. The flecks of gold within Marc’s eyes always flashed when he used his gift—the gift that he kept hidden from the world.
“You’ve heard what, John?” Marc asked, shrugging his shoulders as if whatever John had to say was of little importance to him.
“I’ve heard you whisper ne mehotaste to Madison. I’ve heard you call Cooper nidonni and niniso,” John said softly. “You would not declare that you love Madison if you didn’t, Marc. You would not call Cooper my daughter or my child if you didn’t think of her as being yours.”
Marc only grunted. He would not give credence to John’s words. To admit to loving Madison or that he thought of Cooper as his child would open his heart and soul to the crushing reality of being denied.
“Madison is not Lia, Marc,” John said softly.
Marc’s head snapped toward his cousin at the mention of the evil woman’s name. Anger filled him as memories of Lia’s betrayal took hold in his heart. It was as if sharp hooks of pain tugged at his chest and burned into his soul.
“This discussion is over, John,” he said firmly, turning to leave the kitchen.
John reached out and took firm hold of Marc’s right forearm, preventing him from leaving. “Cousin, this discussion has just begun, and it’s a long time in coming,” John said angrily. “You’re going to screw up the best thing that has ever happened to you if you push away the love that’s right in front of you. Madison loves you. Believe me, I don’t know why. You’re such a stubborn ass.”
Marc wrenched his arm free and turned to face his cousin. His own eyes were blazing with anger as he looked at the anger that flashed from his cousin’s gray eyes. John was wrong.
“I will not allow this,” Marc said firmly. “I will not allow Madison to enter my heart.”
“Too late, cousin. She’s already there. So is Cooper. Are you going to stand there and tell me that you’re going to hurt both of them by denying the love that they obviously have for you? Are you going to allow havese to fill you? Lia was havese. Madison has no evil within her. She is goodness and light. Do you not see this?”
When Marc remained silent and looked at him with haunted eyes, John sighed as understanding filled him. He knew how Lia had lied to his cousin. She had manipulated him. Lia had crushed Marc’s dreams and had destroyed his confidence. Marc looked like a powerful man who could take on the world and win, but he was a sensitive man who had experienced the same prejudice and cruelty that John had experienced growing up. It was hard to put aside old hurts and take a chance.
“Marc, I can only tell you that I’ve found unconditional love and acceptance with Jamie,” John said softly. “She’s shown me what it means to love with your whole heart and soul. She’s shown me that I am valued for the man that I am, not the labels that are put upon me. She carries my child with pride and wants every baby that we will be gifted with because she loves me, she loves our child, and she loves the life that we share.” He reached out and rested his right hand on Marc’s left shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Madison was destined to be your mate. You were given the gift of dreams to help you find the woman with blue eyes that you were destined to help and protect. Those dreams have guided you to Madison. She’s yours, cousin. Cooper is destined to be your daughter. You know that you must protect her from the evil that will be coming her way. To deny your dreams will cause unimaginable pain to both your woman and your child. Do not deny the gifts that the Great Spirit has given you. He knows what will make all of you happy.”
Marc’s entire frame sagged as the weight of his emotions filled him. “I want those gifts, John.” He hesitated a moment, looking directly into his cousin’s eyes. “I am not worthy.”
“Yeah, you’re an idiot,” John agreed, liking the way Marc fought the smile that his words pulled from him. “But you’re a worthy idiot, Marc. I think so. Madison thinks so. Cooper thinks so. Most importantly, the Great Spirit thinks so. Are you going to deny His plans for you, your mate, and your daughter? If you are, I’m taking a giant step away from you because your ass is about to be hit with a lightning bolt by a very pissed off deity.”
Marc sighed and wiped his large hands over his face. He wanted to take the chance. He wanted to declare his love for Madison and begin a family with her. He wanted to claim them both as his.
“Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, cousin,” John said gently. “And you need to stop hurting Madison every time you push her away. It’s really starting to
piss me off, Marc. She’s a good woman. She deserves to be treated with respect. She deserves to be valued. What you’re doing to her right now is wrong. She’s going to leave your ass, cousin. And I wouldn’t blame her one bit.”
Marc looked at his cousin and couldn’t muster up one ounce of anger toward him. John was right. Madison was going to leave him, and he wouldn’t blame her one bit, either.
“Gia is getting so big,” Melanie said as she sat beside Gracie on the double recliner in the nursery. Gracie was nursing her baby daughter. Melanie felt such joy for her sister. It had been a long life of loneliness for her. To see Gracie so happily mated to Deuce and the mother of his little girl made Melanie very happy and content.
“She is,” Gracie agreed. “She looks just like her father.” She reached up and brushed back the black fuzz of hair on Gia’s head, laughing softly when her daughter leaned in to her touch. “She acts like her father, too.” How many times had Deuce leaned in to Gracie’s touch? More times than Gracie could count.
“Those McKade men are certainly tactile creatures,” Melanie agreed.
Gracie laughed softly. “I’m going to tell Luke that you called him a creature,” she teased her sister.
Melanie could only laugh. She loved her McKade man more than life itself. Luke had taken her within his heart when she had been a young woman and hadn’t let go. She thanked the Great Spirit daily for the man and the children that they had created together.
“Happy, Gracie?” Melanie whispered, holding her own daughter Mary Grace against her shoulder and patting her back lightly.
“I am,” Gracie said softly. “I love my life.”
Melanie nodded. “Me, too.”
Mary Grace let out a soft burp, settling peacefully against Melanie’s shoulder. Standing slowly, Melanie walked over to the crib where Gracie had just placed Gia and lowered her daughter to lie beside her cousin.
Mary Grace cuddled against Gia immediately, making both women smile. The bond that was already in place between the cousins was obvious.
Jake's Angel [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 37
