Pumpkins, Cowboys & Guitars

by Patti Ann Colt

  “One touch. I told you one touch and it was going to take us here. God.” She kissed him again, pressing her mouth desperately against his and he staggered.

  She pulled away. “Put me down and come with me.”

  He didn’t want to, but his legs and arms were done. He dropped her to the floor. “I’ve been hauling hose for hours.”

  “Then you don’t need to be holding my weight.” She took his hand and pulled him down the hall.

  “I disagree with that. I needed it more than you know.” She paused and gave him a half smile, shaking her head. “Look at you. You can hardly stand up.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  “Shower? Have you got enough energy for one?”

  He couldn’t decide so she did for him. “No. You’re a sleeping man walking.” She pulled at him again to the last door at the end of the hall.

  Her bedroom.

  He’d imagined being in this room, but not like this.

  The small room held a big bed and little else. There was a Monet on the wall of a garden painted in thousands of vivid colors. The mountains of pillows on the bed were a mass of lavender, lime green and blues matching the patchwork quilt.

  She swept the pillows off, rapidly stacking them on the floor by the nightstand and yanked the matching drapes shut, darkening the room. She pulled back the sheets and the light blue of them made him want to roll in.

  “Strip.”

  “What?” He was already anticipating closing his eyes, sinking into her comfort, treating himself to her smells and letting go.

  “You aren’t sleeping in my bed in those dirty clothes. Strip.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  She stood for a minute and looked at him. “Well?”

  “Out. I can do it.”

  She gave a half-laugh. “You don’t want to strip in front of me? I thought all guys were comfortable with their… you know.” She rolled her fingers in the direction of his crotch – which currently wouldn’t be able to do anything.

  “Blondie, the first time I strip in front of you we are going to make love. Long and slow, honey. You can see and taste ‘my junk’ then. Out. I’m fine.”

  Her cheeks flamed, but her eyes softened. She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek.

  He grasped that hand and kissed her palm. “Thank you.”

  “No thanks. Sleep well. I’ll cook for you when you wake up. I mean something besides a cake.”

  “I’ll eat cake, too.”

  She stepped around him and eased the door closed.

  He managed shedding his clothes and did what he’d anticipated. He rolled onto the soft sheets, noted the womanly smell of his Kendra and fell asleep.

  ∞∞∞ ∞∞∞

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Jess O’Hare was a lucky man.

  His father had taken on the chores this morning and was minding the ranch for the day so Jess could have some time off.

  Amy Rose was at his side in his big bed, taking an afternoon nap. She was struggling with the exhaustion from the long day yesterday, the emotion of losing her grandmother’s homestead and the quirkiness of morning sickness.

  He was damn thankful they were both alive. He’d been at Ethan Hardy’s ranch fighting the blaze. She’d been asleep at her house on the adjoining property when the roof had caught on fire. Thank God Shane had anticipated the direction of the fire and sent him to get her. The scenario of the afternoon could have been completely different. He swallowed hard against a rush of emotion.

  “Quit thinking so loud.” Amy Rose rolled toward him.

  “Not thinking. Thankful.” He kissed her forehead and enjoyed the smile that spread across her face. “Not feeling too hot?”

  “Yeah. I know I need to rest more, but I can’t. If I don’t move or smell anything that triggers the nausea, I’ll be okay.”

  His hand slipped to her tummy and savored the warmth of her, nervous at the bit of a notion that he could feel his child, too. “I thought morning sickness implied morning, not all day long.”

  “Yeah, me too. Doctor and I are going to have a conversation.” She grimaced and gave him a wan smile. Once again, he was stunned by the blueness of her eyes much the same way he had been in tenth grade.

  He laced his fingers with hers. “I love you so much. You did agree to marry me, right? I didn’t imagine that?”

  “Yes, I believe you asked me yesterday and I believe I said yes.” Her eyes clouded. “The house is completely gone, isn’t it? All of it.”

  “I’m not sure. Some of your things may be salvageable. We’ll have to go look. Together. It isn’t going to be livable though, honey.”

  “Did anyone call my parents?”

  “No, not that I know of. Unless the fire chief did.”

  She sniffed. “It doesn’t matter, you know. I’m done with them. They wouldn’t let me be me. They actually wanted me to go back to their house in Dallas, and let them make my choices for me. I knew the confrontation was coming when I left the house to come back to you. I’d been hoping to get them to understand without breaking off our relationship.” Her voice caught.

  He pulled her close. “I know, honey. I know. I made the same mistake trying to tell you what to do, too. I wanted you to choose me, us.”

  “I did choose you. I’m pregnant, aren’t I?” Her exasperation was cute.

  He kissed her lips this time. “I’m sorry, sweets. Give your parents time. That’s what Mama would say. She’s generally right. Do they know about the baby?”

  She carefully sat up and put her cheek to her upraised knees. “No. I wanted to tell you first. No one knows but us, and a couple of paramedics who heard me scream it at you.”

  He laughed outright. “Yeah, that’s a forever memory.”

  He rubbed the back of her neck for a few minutes, happy she was letting him pamper her.

  She finally reached for his hand to stop the massage. “Don’t you ever do that again. I need you and so does the baby.”

  “It’s who I am, honey. I couldn’t let those animals be trapped in the fire. Couldn’t do it.”

  She sighed. “I’ll have to speak to Shane about kicking your ass for the chance you took.”

  “We got them out and no one got hurt. That’s what matters. In all that burned, no one lost an animal and only one injured fireman, no deaths. I’ll take that result.”

  “Is Ethan ruined?”

  “Well, he took a hard hit. I talked to him this morning. Says he’s going to sell off part of the stock, rent a parcel or two of Angie Dunn’s land on the back side of his to run the rest, and see what he can do. He’s got his brothers to think about. Thank God, their house was spared.”

  “Yes. I’ll miss my house, but it was only me. I’m glad they still have theirs.” Her eyes teared anyway.

  “Let’s talk about something more cheerful.” He adjusted the pillows behind her and helped her lean back.

  “Like what?”

  “When are we getting married?”

  She groaned. “Sorry, I don’t have the energy for a big wedding. Can we do small? Like really small? At your parent’s house on the patio, friends and family?”

  “I’m sure my mom would be thrilled. When?”

  She bit her lip. “Now? Before I look like a hippo in a white dress.”

  “I’m sorry? Did you call my future wife and mother of my child a hippo?”

  She started to giggle. “Yeah, I think I did.”

  Jess rolled carefully on top of her, balancing his weight on his forearms, and dipped to kiss her neck. “You are beautiful and will continue to be beautiful until the sunset of forever.”

  “Awww, dammit, you’re gonna make me cry.”

  “Let me see what I can do about that.” He settled his lips on hers and drowned in the surge between them.

  She slipped down in the bed, aligned her body with his and matched his sigh of contentment.

  ∞∞∞∞

  Darkness finally claimed the summer night. Kendra put away her readi
ng glasses and shut down her computer. She put aside her list of possible ways to market her business, filed the recipes she’d posted to her blog, and noted how many visitors she’d had and comments on her posts.

  Something about a strong man being vulnerable in sleep in her bed pulsed the ache deep inside her core. She wanted to join him in the worst way.

  She’d baked instead.

  Lemon meringue pie – experimenting with a new recipe for the lemon filling.

  Chocolate cake pops decorated like red firemen helmets – practicing with her new cake decorator set.

  She quit before starting éclairs – stymied by whether to choose chocolate or raspberry filling. She ended up fanning herself in memory of Shane’s enjoyment of her cake from their first date.

  She’d broken down once a couple hours ago and checked to make sure he was still breathing. He was. Spread eagle on her bed with a sheet stretched across his lower body.

  All skin. All muscles. All tender, relaxed vulnerability.

  God, she liked him in her space. No, she loved him in her space. Could she lie down without waking him and slide close enough to wrap her arms around him?

  Nope, probably not. Because if she got in bed with him she wanted to wake him and talk and kiss and touch and love.

  So she’d scooped up his dirty clothes and quietly closed the door. She ignored a call from her mother, started the washing machine and baked more.

  Again it was the bewitching hour. There was one bed in the house with a hot sexy fireman in it!

  And she was going to sleep on the sofa.

  Because he’d looked like hell.

  She did the bedtime ritual of locking doors and brushing teeth. She searched the linen closet for a spare light blanket and a pillow and went to the living room. She collapsed onto the sofa, the only other piece of furniture in the house that would let her lie down. Just because it sagged a bit, well, she’d work out the kinks in the morning.

  She was tired enough, she really was, but she couldn’t sleep. The living room was lighter than her room and she couldn’t stop thinking of Shane down the hall or her parents or her business. It was like a continuous loop of worry. “Geesh, Kendra. You’re like an iPod stuck on repeat.”

  She didn’t have cable hooked up; it was all she could afford to keep an internet connection. She didn’t want to put a movie in the DVD player for fear of waking Shane. She rolled over, punched her pillow and tried deep breathing. She had no idea how much time had passed before she heard Shane up and in the bathroom. She figured he’d go back to bed, but he didn’t.

  “Kendra?”

  She rose on one elbow and turned the lamp on. “In here.”

  One glance and her temperature overheated. Rumpled and cranky and gorgeous in blue boxer briefs and nothing else. Lord!

  He took one look at her sleeping spot and got that disgusted look men got when their woman did something stupid. It put her back up. “What?”

  “You should have woke me up. For crying out loud, I am capable of sharing.” He coughed, his voice little more than a rasp.

  “Sharing what?”

  He gave her another look. “The bed. That sofa’s uncomfortable as hell. I am capable of keeping my hands to myself unless invited.”

  Yeah, but she wasn’t.

  “Are you all right?” She pushed back the blanket and sat up, her green polka dot sleep shorts and green tank top sufficiently covering her.

  “Yeah, took a bit of smoke. It’ll work itself out.”

  He rubbed his neck. “Come on. You won’t sleep like that.”

  “Shane…”

  “Blondie, I feel like I got run over by the hook-and-ladder truck. I can’t drive home. I need four ibuprofens and about six more hours of sleep. But I refuse to do any of that if you’re going to sleep on that excuse for a bed.”

  If he was hoping to prod her nurturing side, he succeeded. “A shower might make you feel better, and some tea. Sooth the junk in your throat.”

  He looked up to the ceiling and sighed. “Will you come to bed with me if I do that?”

  She didn’t say “yes,” but she didn’t say “no.” She rose and folded the blanket. “I’ll make tea and find the ibuprofen. Towels are in the linen closet.”

  He didn’t exactly huff, but he turned and went back to the bathroom. A couple seconds later the shower turned on.

  She flipped the light on in the kitchen and slapped her forehead. “He missed dinner. Gads, I bet he’s starving.”

  She went to the fridge and pulled out the leftover chicken from dinner and then checked the pantry. Yes, she had all the ingredients to make him shredded chicken tacos. He shouldn’t take that much ibuprofen on an empty stomach anyway. He could eat some of the lemon meringue pie, too.

  She started chopping lettuce, tomatoes and avocado.

  “What are you doing?”

  She glanced his way and caught sight of slicked back wet hair. One of her yellow-striped towels slung around his hips, causing her to choke on lust. For once, though, she bit back the babble. “You didn’t eat.”

  “It’s two a.m.”

  “And your stomach knows that?”

  “I need my keys. Do you know where I laid them?

  She dropped her knife and whipped around to him. “You aren’t leaving. You’re too tired. You need to eat and sleep more. I cook when I’m tired and upset. Get over it!”

  He gave her an indulgent smile. “Good to know. I have spare clothes in my truck. My running gear.”

  “Oh. Well…all right then. I put them on the hook by the front door.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You sure you want to go out there in only a towel?”

  “I’m sure the neighbors aren’t peeping, Blondie. I’ll be right back.”

  She let him go and took down a frying pan. Was she stalling to keep from getting into the bed with him? Maybe.

  She shredded the chicken, put the mixture in the frying pan to heat and added some taco seasoning.

  She heard him come back in the house, but she didn’t turn to look. She was jittery and anxious and needy and he could get dressed by himself.

  “You’re right. I’m hungry.”

  She dared to turn, half wanting the towel to still be there, but the other half relieved to find him in black shorts. His bare chest was a hell of a distracter, but she could live with that.

  In minutes, the chicken was hot. She dished up the food and set it on the island. “There’s pie, too.”

  He sat, as if he’d done it a million times. “You said you’d make cake.”

  “Well, there’s cake pops if you’d rather, but I was planning on giving them to the boys next door.”

  “Those two are getting to be serious competition.” He lifted the taco and took a bite. “Oh God, that’s good.”

  “I can cook other food besides pastries and desserts.”

  “I never doubted it, but hadn’t tasted it.”

  She put four ibuprofens on the counter in front of his plate along with a glass of water.

  He cleared two tacos and started coughing. She thought he’d never quit. “I thought y’all wore masks.”

  He took several sips of water. “We do. But the whole area was pretty darn smoky. This will pass.” He palmed the pills and swallowed them with a big gulp of water.

  She leaned her elbows on the counter and propped her chin on her hands. He devoured a third taco and she made him one more. Then it was time to dish up pie and cake pops.

  He laughed when he saw the red fire helmets. “These are great. Steven has a son who would love these.”

  “Well you can take some to him, because I won’t eat them. I was practicing.”

  He shoved his plate her way. “Thanks. I needed that. You were right. Let’s go to bed now. I’m ready to be asleep again.” His eyes had been drifting further and further shut.

  “I’ll be there in a minute. I want to put the food away.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  She opened her m
outh to argue, got one good look at the lines of his face and changed her mind. “Okay.”

  It was the fastest she’d ever cleaned her kitchen.

  She turned out lights while he checked the front door. Then he took her hand and led her down the hall. “Sleep, Kennie. We both need it.”

  He let her get in first. Her sheets smelled a bit like smoke, but she didn’t care. She may love him in her space, but the act was pushing her comfort zones. Right now, she was too sleepy to care. She punched her pillow and lay down.

  He turned out the light and moved next turn her, covering them both with a sheet. “You okay?”

  “Mmmm, yes.” More than okay. But she wouldn’t tell him.

  She turned to the wall and got comfortable, but Shane put an arm around her and drew her close to him, then nuzzled and kissed her neck.

  “Night, Blondie. Sleep well.”

  Oh, boy!

  She could have moved and made a fuss about his side and her side.

  She didn’t want to.

  She was ready for this new chapter in their relationship. She wanted Shane. Whether it was love or not, she wouldn’t decide. Couldn’t decide.

  She had to tell him the truth first.

  Tomorrow.

  ∞∞∞ ∞∞∞

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Shane woke before the sun rose, more comfortable than he’d ever been. Kendra was curled up next to him, her head cradled on his shoulder and legs entangled with his. He never slept over with other girlfriends. That letting go and permitting a woman to watch him sleep wasn’t something that ever fit with him before. Could have been that her house was a home that fueled his desires. Her house had her business, her things and some semblance of home order. His apartment had boxes and a blanket on the bed. He ate at the station or with his parents. But it was more than that. Kendra was here, so he was here.

  If things were more sure between them, he’d have woken her up for some early morning lovemaking. But the first time between a man and woman deserved a memory moment, not a drowsy grope.