“Oh Jordan, of course I still want you! I didn’t fall in love with you because you could carry a child. I love you because you’re beautiful and sassy and funny, and you make me crazy in all the right ways.”
She shook her head in amusement and smiled up at him. “I was a fool not to tell you how very much I love you, Nathan Butler.”
“So… you do love me?” He looked so unsure as he asked.
“With all my heart!”
He sighed and leaned down to softly kiss her, being careful not to press into her as he cupped her face.
“You just focus on you now. Let us worry about the rest of it. We’ll find you a good job once you are all healed up.”
“Job? I already have a job!” She frowned again.
“No… You quit, remember?” He smirked.
She narrowed her eyes at him. He laughed big and took her hand back in his.
“Kiss my ass, Butler,” she grumbled and adjusted the nasal cannula in her nose.
“With pleasure, my dear.” Nate winked.
Jordan would let it slide for now… but he would be giving her the job back. For now, everything was all right. She’d made her peace with Nate, the man her heart had chosen, and he finally knew how she really felt. Her surgery was over and she could now look forward to a brighter future. She smiled to her loved ones that surrounded her and thanked the good Lord for all that she had. To think, Jordan Tate had fallen in love…and with the notorious Nathan Butler no less. What were the odds?
Jack Kinsen walked into the kitchen that night to see his beautiful wife cooking, an apron on with what looked to be nothing underneath it.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
“Nat?”
She turned then and smiled provocatively up at him.
“What’s the matter, my love? You never seen a partially naked woman in a kitchen before?” she asked, humor in her voice.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve never seen a ‘partially naked woman’ as beautiful as the one before me, that’s for damn sure.”
She laughed; it was a throaty, sultry sound and it stirred his insides.
“Well.” She approached him then, her fingers flirting with the apron strings and he thought he would die from the sheer anticipation of seeing his wife fully naked— like this anyway— for the first time in many weeks. “I went to the doctor, you see,” she continued. Jack’s eyes fell over her as the apron dropped halfway down her waist and he sighed in instant arousal. “…and he’s cleared me for…well… for this.”
She pulled the apron over her head and Jack practically growled his pleasure.
He pulled her to him and kissed her roughly, eagerly, passionately as his hands explored the places he had missed far too much since the birth of their daughter. She began fiddling with the buttons on his shirt and he picked her up, practically vaulting the stairs two by two in order to get to the bedroom. He virtually tore the clothes off his body and brought her to the bed. He settled himself down over her, looking into her gorgeous face, then he frowned suddenly, remembering that he was forgetting something.
“Wait! The girls?” He absent-mindedly realized they were completely alone in the house.
Nat laughed. “With my Mom…”
He sighed and smiled before his lips found hers again. He began to stroke her soft skin, loving the sounds that came from her throat as he did so.
“Darlin’, I’m gonna love you like it’s our first time all over again,” he promised, gripping her hips, angling her up to him as he readied his sex to penetrate her.
“You’ve said that before, my sweet cowboy,” she murmured and he grinned at her in amusement. “But you know what? Each time with you is like the first time, Jack.” With that, he moaned and began making wonderfully amazing love to his wife.
He realized it was true. He tingled with each touch, each kiss, each caress. Love made it possible. It made every sweet, enticing moment feel like the very first moment...
Epilogue
Two months had seemed like a lifetime as Jordan Tate recovered from her laparotomy and hysterectomy. Doing easy, menial things like riding in the car, getting in bed, going to the bathroom, even taking a shower seemed to be not only difficult but utterly exhausting and painful. Nathan had been right beside her the entire time. He’d helped her dress and undress, assisted her to the bed, to the bathroom, and to the couch. He’d bathed her and fed her and organized the many pills she needed when she needed them. He’d waited on her hand and foot and made her meals and drove her to her follow up appointments and hadn’t complained or seemed overwhelmed when the pain had gotten too much for her and she’d lashed out or just burst into tears at the realization of what had been done to her. The pain hadn’t been too bad the first few days as the drugs still coursed through her veins. It was the nausea that seemed to be the worst, and she couldn’t eat very much. Some days, the pain had been worse than others and on those bad days, it seemed each sudden movement she made caused her to cry out. The pain seemed to shift too and move to different regions of her body. She tended to stay in her PJs most days and sleep for hours on end.
The recovery was slow going, and she got discouraged often, especially when she basically just wanted to sleep all day. She couldn’t do the things that she wanted to do or have the independence she was so used to. She had restrictions. Not only was she not able to drive or lift or bend, but Nate was stuck doing all the laundry and vacuuming and refused to let her even help with dishes or any other chore for that matter. She was rendered useless and she didn’t like it! Nate was there to reassure her and encourage her and was so patient with her, comforting her one night when she’d had an absolute and total meltdown while reading a good book.
Her mother and father had come to see her many times and so had Natalie and the girls, even Luth and Bella had come by. She’d been in too much pain to hold Savannah the first couple times, much to her dismay. She couldn’t get over how big Vanna was getting and how alert. She was a beautiful baby, and Jordan adored her and Dallie so much and was grateful to have them in her life. Buck had even come by with roses and movies and they’d had a movie day while Nate went down to the barn to work.
As time went on, Jordan got into a routine and eventually she was able to wean down on the meds and felt no pain. It was like a miracle. Then she was able to drive again, and lift and bend, Thank goodness. She could start light to moderate exercise after 8 weeks was up, but no sex until 12 weeks. God, she thought she might die! Four more weeks with no sex? Lord help!
Nate had hired a housekeeper to lighten the load, and Jordan was grateful. Now she could focus on just doing the accounting part of her job and not worry about the house. Nate even worked out an agreement so that the lady, Sally, made lunch for them all. The hands had been on their own for their meals for weeks and weeks now with Jordan being stuck in the house day in and day out unable to do for herself let alone anyone else. He didn’t want anyone disturbing her and he felt that they needed their privacy in the evenings, so he agreed to continue to house and board his ranch hands, but would only be providing lunch from now on. Jordan was grateful for that change too.
Staying with Nathan had become one of the best decisions she’d ever made in her life. She loved him with all her heart and he loved her as equally. They complemented each other so well and they made each other laugh a lot even in the wake of her surgery and recovery. They’d become best friends as well as partners. They talked about everything and anything and took solace in one another’s silence too. She’d even gotten him to come to church with her and he seemed to enjoy it. She looked forward to each and every day with him.
She awoke that morning in a good mood, with little to no pain, and she and Nate drank coffee as they watched the sun rise. She’d gotten used to waking with him. Sometimes she stayed up and others she went back to bed. Today, she stayed up and showered and dressed and decided to walk down to the barn, being careful to take one step at a time and use the railing. Despite that 8 we
eks’ time had passed, her doctor said a full recovery could take from 6 months to a full year. She believed it. Her stamina and energy weren’t fully recovered yet. Still little tasks winded her, and she found herself still napping through the day. Nate seemed in no hurry to have her return to full duty and told her to take her time and listen to her body. And she did just that, but she’d started walking to the barn after about 5 weeks just for exercise. Then she’d started working in the office again, periodically, at 6 weeks.
Now it was 8 weeks, and she felt good on this bright and sunny May day. She waved at Zack and Mitch, who still continued to apologize for what he’d done. She’d told him to stop worrying about it and set him up with a friend of hers. It seemed to be going well so far. She sidled up next to Nate as he came under the fence and straightened, peeling his cowboy hat off his head, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Hey baby,” he said with a smile and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his hard chest as his lips came down to meet hers. She kissed him back hungrily and couldn’t wait for another month to go by so she could be naked in his loving arms. He cupped her face and those beautiful sapphire eyes pulled her in. She still couldn’t believe how bright they were. They always seem to take her breath away, and to think, they were once so cold. “How are you feeling?” It was a question he asked her at least a dozen times a day.
“I’m good,” she confirmed. “I’m gonna work on some stuff for a little while.”
“Alright, but if you get tired or need a break…”
“I know, I know.” She gave him a sultry look as she walked by and into the office.
She set about the task of bills, emails and checkbook reconciliation as usual, and it felt good to be back into a working routine again.
She looked over on Nate’s desk to the photo she’d taken of him and Dallie, Christmases ago, and smiled to herself. She suddenly realized that’s what she wanted to do. Take photographs! Although her job duties had changed and things were different now, Nate was still paying her for her time doing the administrative work, but it was only a part time gig and she wanted more to occupy her time once she was fully healed. Now she might have a solution.
Once she’d finished the books, she walked back out to the corral where Nate was. He looked over at her and just beamed. It made her heart melt a little.
“You going back to the house?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just wanted to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” he asked, pulling her hand over the fence and kissing it.
“I’m going to start taking pictures. I want to be a photographer.”
“Honey, that’s great! You’re really good at it!” He nodded.
That was all the encouragement she needed and it made her smile. Later she would tell Natalie, who would encourage her to take some classes at their local college. And later, she would begin photographing the horses at sunset and sell copies as far away as Australia.
But for now, she was content in her beautiful hometown of Abundance with her handsome cowboy who looked at her as if he’d just won the lottery. All was right with the world…
Afterword
Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed getting to return to Abundance. Please do me a personal favor and take a moment to rate and review this book. This will make it possible for other readers to be able to search for it there and get the chance to read it as well! I truly appreciate all your support!!!
If you’re like me, you got wrapped up in these wonderful characters and fell in love with their antics. This book took a drastic turn as I opened myself up on these formerly blank pages. While I was out on medical leave for the exact same condition— prognosis, treatments and all— I chose for Jordan to embody my own personal journey with endometriosis.
Endometriosis is an incurable chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years (ie. usually between the ages of 15 to 49), which is approximately 176 million women in the world [3-4].* It can vary from debilitating to asymptomatic, which makes it very scary and unpredictable! I suffered, greatly, for over a decade before I was finally diagnosed with it, which sadly, seems to be the normal range. Almost 40% of women with infertility have endometriosis.** It’s a very complex disease and is subjective for each sufferer. It can affect many organs in the body, not just the female reproductive system. And frighteningly enough, it can also infiltrate them as well.
Through my own hard research and persistence, I was able to find relief, but many still suffer and must incur multiple treatments, including continuous surgeries. If you or someone you know suffers from this condition, please reach out and seek medical advice from an endometriosis excision specialist. To learn more about this condition go online to endometriosis.org and ACOG.org. It is not normal to have pain with periods as some of us are told. You are welcome to reach out to my fellow endo sisters at The Endo Alliance at theendoalliance.org or even myself. I am on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
-Works Cited-
* Rogers PA, et al. Priorities for endometriosis research: recommendations from an international consensus workshop. Reprod Sci 2009;16(4):335-46.
Adamson GD, et al. Creating solutions in endometriosis: global collaboration through the World Endometriosis Research Foundation. J of Endometriosis 2010;2(1):3-6. (Cited with permission from endometriosis.org)
** Cited with permission from ACOG (www.ACOG.org)
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On a high note, I am well into the third book in the series, Escape from Abundance. I’m hoping for a release date in summer 2019.
We’re headed back to our favorite make-believe town once again, only this time, Dallas is now eighteen years old… No, I didn’t stutter! That’s right— Dallie is all grown up and she’s about to head off to college. She’s having a hard time with it though, especially when her father hires on a handsome new ranch hand… Check out the blurb that follows ;-)
Blurb for Escape from Abundance
Trouble finds us all at some point…
Cole Callahan has been in trouble… or better yet— running from trouble— his entire life, so it’s no surprise that when his best friend, Adam, is murdered in cold blood, he’s once again running… Only this time, he’s running from the law and he’s a suspect!
When his get-away ride breaks down in the small Texas town of Abundance, Cole decides to take an impromptu job at Kinsen ranch. He’s thinking he’ll blend in and hide out for a while before heading out of the country. He’s soon astounded by the intense love this amazing family has for one another; a love that he’s never experienced before, and Dallas Kinsen starts to become the woman he simply doesn’t want to live without…
Little Dallie is all grown up, she’s eighteen years old now and spending her last summer at home on her family’s horse ranch before heading off to college. The thought of leaving home and going out to make her mark on the world is becoming an overpowering concern for her as she tries to mentally prepare herself to leave the nest. She’s not sure she’s ready for college life and a premature homesickness starts to tear at her fragile heart. She’s also not eager about leaving behind the new ranch hand her father has hired on… Cole is charming, good-looking and has a profound wanderlust unlike any Dallie’s seen before, but how will she take the deep, dark secret he’s been hiding when it comes bursting out from the seams?
Cole is on the run for his freedom! Can Dallie be his saving grace or will she become yet another let down in his second-rate life?
Let their love story carry you away as they escape from Abundance…
About the Author
Shanna Swenson is the author of Abundance, Return to Abundance, and Escape from Abundance, endearing romance novels that showcase true love’s healing power in the face of tragedy. She hopes to release the next book in the series mid 2019.
Shanna is a Georgia native who spent m
any of her childhood summers traveling across the south to her father’s home state of Texas, which only served to fuel her love of travel and family. Shanna has gone from being a bartender to a 911 dispatcher to performing cardiac ultrasounds, but writing has always been her true passion. She read her first amazing romance novel at thirteen and fell in love with dynamic characters. She started writing her first works, including the groundwork for her first three novels, at the age of fourteen and writes predominately romance including paranormal and fantasy.
She married her own "knight in shining armor" in 2015 and when she's not typing away her next novel or working a full-time job, she enjoys traveling, hiking, yoga, football, movies of the action and horror genres, taking pictures, and being on the water. She has an eclectic taste in music and books and is always reading something interesting!
Visit Shanna’s website at www.shannaswenson.com and sign up for her newsletter for free stuff, updates and more.
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