by Zoe York
He sang along with the band, quietly so no one else could hear. Not because his usual self-consciousness demanded it but because he didn’t want to share the moment with anyone but her.
When the song ended, he kissed her, giving in to the desire and affection consuming him. It was like she had opened the gate with that first kiss, and now that the horse was sprinting down the track, he had no hope of holding back.
The band struck up a lively tune of their own composition, and Gabe frowned, mourning the end of the romantic moment.
“Up for another dance?” he asked.
“Actually, as much fun as I’m having, I’m ready to go home,” she replied. “I just want to sit someplace quiet with you.”
He studied her for a moment with a brow and one corner of his mouth lifted. “Is that all?”
“Okay, being away from Cody is freaking me out a little. This is the longest I’ve been away from him other than when he’s in school. And we should probably cut my brother off before he gets to the point that he’ll puke in the car. He and alcohol and moving vehicles don’t mix too well past a certain point.”
“Ah. In that case, let’s get out of here.”
Neither Robert nor Julie put up much of a fight; it appeared that even through the haze of alcohol, they weren’t any more comfortable being away from their twins than Annie was being away from Cody. While Gabe couldn’t personally relate to their parental worries, he still felt guilty about excluding Annemarie’s son, so he hooked his arm around Robert to help Annie’s inebriated brother out to the Suburban.
A fine rain had begun to fall, cold but refreshing after the heat of the bar. It glittered in Annie’s fine hair beneath the blue-white parking lot lights, and for a moment, Gabe was too mesmerized to climb in behind the wheel.
“What?” she asked, noticing his preoccupation.
“You’re beautiful. I don’t know that I’ve ever told you that before, but you are.”
They slid into the vehicle, and Gabe grabbed her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles before he started the engine and pulled out into the dark night.
The married couple passed out just a few miles outside of Casper and snored the entire way back to the Garretts’ house. Gabe and Annemarie didn’t talk other than to crack jokes at her brother’s expense, but after a while, they fell silent, content to enjoy each other’s presence and the quiet patter of rain on the windshield and the sluicing of water on the road.
Back home, they managed to get Robert and Julie into their room without waking the rest of the house. Annemarie’s parents had put the twins and Cody to sleep out in the living room on a blow-up mattress. Undoubtedly, it was a big, exciting deal to them—a campout indoors—but Gabe glanced between them and Annemarie’s room and shifted his weight. He had planned to sleep in the living room on his bedroll, but with the kids out here… would Annie try to convince him otherwise?
“Why don’t we sit outside for a while?” she invited.
“It’s still raining.”
“So? Didn’t you see the porch swing? It’s under cover for nights like this.”
“No, I guess I didn’t see it.”
“Come sit with me for a bit. Unless you’d rather just go to bed. It has been a long day.”
“It has,” he agreed, “but I don’t think I could sleep just yet.”
The swing in question was suspended from the partial roof over the deck that he’d been too busy thinking about lights earlier to notice. She sat close beside him, nearly in his lap, with his arm tucked around her and her head resting on his chest, and he kept the swing moving in a slow, relaxing rhythm. The rain continued unabated, filling the quiet of the night with a soft drumming on the metal roof over the swing, and Gabe let his eyes slide closed.
“Thank you for tonight,” she murmured. “I needed that. And this.”
He expected the kiss. He didn’t expect her to pivot in his lap until she was straddling him, but there she was with her body pressed against his and her knees resting beside his hips. He’d been close to dozing off a moment ago, but he was thoroughly awake again now with his body humming in readiness.
Old habits momentarily quarreled with raging desire, and then he wondered, Why? No one else was awake, and she had no hesitation. Wasn’t the idea behind taking it slow to make sure she was comfortable and unrushed?
As soon as that thought entered his mind, it and every other one fled, chased away by her seeking hands. She slid hands chilled by the cool, damp night under his coat and shirt, and the way she purred as the warmth of his body soothed away the cold hit him with a shot of pure need. He gripped her hips and rocked his pelvis up, and she let out a gasp.
“You’re serious?” she asked breathlessly.
“About making love in your parents’ house with them and your son and niece and nephew and brother and sister-in-law only a thin wall away?” He captured her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. “No.”
She sat back on his thighs and regarded him with a comical pout that somehow remained achingly adorable. He let out a groan. Her pout snapped into a triumphant grin. Sassy devil.
“Neither of is ready for that step just yet.”
She wiggled her brows and then her hips in a most distracting way. “I beg to differ.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He sighed. Gently, he brushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears. “I don’t want to chance repeating history.”
Understanding washed across her face, and he nearly laughed, supposing it was a compliment that she’d been so caught up in the moment that all rational thought and planning had abandoned her.
“See? We’re not ready.” He rocked forward onto his feet, lifting her with his hands under her rump. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms and legs around him. “And anyhow, when we are ready—as much fun as sneaking around can be—I’d rather take my time without worrying about being interrupted. In the meantime… it’s time for bed.”
“Bed?”
“Yeah, you know that soft, springy thing you sleep on?”
“I know what a bed is.”
Chuckling, he carried her inside, closing the door quietly behind them and stepping carefully across the living room so he didn’t disturb the sleeping kids.
“I assume I can’t talk you into forgoing your oh-so-comfortable foam pad and joining me on the horrible bed.” She gestured to her son sleeping out in the living room. “Even though my parents apparently expect us to share the god-awful thing.”
“I could be persuaded.”
“Oh, really? How might I persuade you?”
He tossed her unceremoniously on the bed and shut the door with a barely perceptible snick, then locked it. She eyed him with a startling combination of uncertainty and curiosity. Despite her eagerness only moments ago, she wasn’t so sure of herself now that she’d had a few moments to think it through. Further proof that he was right.
“Take your shirt and pants off and lie on your stomach,” he murmured.
“How is that going to persuade you?”
“Just do it.”
She peeled off her layers, slowly and tantalizingly, but her wide eyes made him think it was shyness rather than any intentional attempt to seduce him, and that had an interesting effect on him. It made this easier—both resisting the gnawing hunger and ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind telling him that he wasn’t strong enough or handsome enough or whatever enough for her—because he wasn’t the only one who knew what it was to be found lacking by a partner. Money in his case and sex in hers. That’s all he and Annie had been to Leigh and Tom.
But there was so much more to both of them, and it was freeing to know there was someone who saw it.
When she lay on the bed with her head pillowed on her forearms, he stripped out of his shirt and sat on the bed beside her. His gaze snagged on the long cut on her forearm and the puncture wound from the barbed wire. Both were healing nicely with no trace of infection, but he winced. He’d never been
bothered by the sight of blood, but seeing her in pain had damned near brought him to his knees. It was only the knowledge that cleaning and bandaging the cuts would alleviate some of that pain that had made it possible for him to subvert that strange intensity.
He shifted his gaze elsewhere, skimming his hands over her back. Lightly at first, then with increasing pressure. He followed his hands with his lips, trailing kisses from the small of her back up her spine to the nape of her neck. She twisted her body to kiss him, taking his hand and dragging it over her breast. Giving him permission—no, encouraging him—to touch her. She writhed beneath his caresses, and when he lowered his head to press a kiss between her breasts, she arched her back and let out a soft moan.
Boldly, he reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. Casting it aside, he cupped one breast in his hand, idly skimming his thumb over her taut nipple while he kissed and nuzzled her neck. She dug her fingers into his back, and he shuddered. Stroking his hand up her neck, he claimed her mouth again.
“Gabe….”
He turned his attention to her other breast and the other side of her neck. He wanted nothing more than to flick his tongue over her nipples, but that would be a very, very bad idea right now. His grip on his control was weak enough as it was.
“Gabriel.”
“Hmm?”
“I thought you said we weren’t going to do this.”
“I said we weren’t going to make love. I didn’t say we couldn’t have a little fun.”
“Much more fun and I’m going to lose it. I’m serious, Gabe. Either take it down a notch or take it all the way.”
With a reluctant sigh, he touched his lips to hers and sat up. “For the record, you started it.”
“I did not!”
“Yes, you did. When you rolled over. I was just trying to give you a nice back rub like the one you gave me the other night, and you—”
“Okay, you’re right. I started it. Have you been persuaded?”
“To do what?”
“Stay right here in bed with me.”
“Technically, we’re on the bed.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he chuckled.
“Add adorable to beautiful.”
“Uh-huh.” She crawled off the bed and snatched her pajamas out of her bag.
“Now who’s being shy?”
“This isn’t me being shy. This is me taking preventative measures.”
“I’m not going to jump you in the middle of the night.”
“I’m not worried about you.”
Grinning, he changed out of his jeans into his pajama pants, unlocked the door and opened it a hair, and crawled under the blankets with Annemarie. She snuggled against his side with her arm tucked around his waist, and he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of her body against his and the softness of her skin. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the gentle scents of woman and rain that clung to her silky hair.
“That was… unexpected and delightful,” she murmured. “What changed?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t hold back tonight. Not much, anyhow.”
“I don’t know.” He lifted the arm that wasn’t pinned beneath her head and threaded his fingers with hers. “Get some sleep.”
He did know. From now on, no more holding back. He’d let this play out how it would without second-guessing her, himself, or what was between them.
He trusted it.
He trusted her.
Chapter 13
With their bags all packed in “Minnie”, Annemarie did a final sweep of her parents’ house for anything she might’ve missed. When she didn’t find anything, she joined her mother at the snack bar, leaning against it to watch Gabe and Robert make complete fools of themselves with Cody and the twins in the monstrous fort they’d built in the living room yesterday.
Friday night’s rain had changed to snow overnight, and over the course of Saturday, the weather system had deposited a sloppy two inches of slushy white all over. Fishing and every other outdoor activity Cody had on his list had been scratched off, much to his disappointment, but just when Annemarie had opened her mouth to scold him for being obstinate, Gabe had stepped in with the fort idea.
If the squeals of laughter were anything to judge by, it was a resounding hit.
Cody and Gabe were having so much fun that Annemarie had packed their bags and loaded the truck while they played. Now, as the day headed into early afternoon, it was time to start for home. It would take them three hours or so to get to Collins Ranch to drop off Minnie and pick up Gabe’s truck, and then another hour and a half before they arrived home, and that wasn’t factoring in any time they were sure to spend with Gabe’s parents.
She couldn’t seem to bring herself to put an end to their fun just yet, though. They were just too cute. Thinking back to Cody’s out-of-the-blue question about whether or not Gabe wanted to be his daddy, she caught her lip between her teeth. Her little boy was too quickly growing into a big boy, and there were things he’d need a man to teach him. The more time she spent with Gabe, the more impossible it became to picture anyone else being the role model she wanted for her son. Her father and brother were, of course, wonderful influences on him, but he saw them only a few times a year. There were also Thomas Sr. and Jim, but Tom tainted those relationships.
“You about ready to head out?” her mother asked. “It’s getting late.”
Nodding, Annemarie turned to hug her. “I’m so glad we were all able to get together this weekend. It was wonderful.”
“Yes, it was. I’m glad we got to meet Gabe, too. I hope he sticks around. For a long time.”
“Me, too.” With a sigh, she finally headed into the living room. “All right kiddies, it’s that time.”
“Ah, Mom!” Cody whined.
“Cody,” Gabe warned. “Remember what I said?”
“When it’s time to go, it’s time to go.”
“That’s right. And it’s time to go. Come on, squirt. Let’s pack away our fort.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Judy said. “You need to get going. No telling what the roads will be like. And anyhow, Robert and Julie aren’t leaving just yet. I imagine Elijah and Erin would like to play in the fort a while longer.”
Gabe nodded in acquiescence. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Annemarie?”
“Hmm?”
“Your dad and I were thinking we might come out your way next weekend. There’s no school on Friday, and Bill already has the day off because we thought maybe we’d take a weekend away, so we could drive up Friday and be there by the time you get off work. Then drive back Sunday. I know it’s short notice, but would that work for you?”
“Absolutely!” Annemarie hugged her mother tightly.
“Maybe we could take Cody one of those nights?”
Judy glanced conspicuously between her daughter and Gabe. Annemarie shifted her gaze to him, but his expression was neutral. Carefully so.
“Um, why don’t we talk about that later?” she replied.
“Talk about what later?” Bill asked, returning from the garage with more fort-building supplies—a pair of folding sawhorses.
“About us taking Cody one of the nights we’re visiting Annemarie so she and Gabe can have a little more one on one time.”
“Sure. We’d love to.”
Annemarie rolled her eyes. “And where do you expect us to sleep?”
“We thought we’d hotel it this time,” Bill replied.
“Or you and I can stay at my place,” Gabe suggested. “You still haven’t seen it, you know.”
She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. No, she hadn’t. “I guess that’s because you’re always out at the ranch saving our backsides. That actually sounds like a wonderful idea.” Suddenly, she laughed. “I can’t believe my parents are trying to set me up.”
Judy gave her hand a squeeze. “We understand how difficult it can be to put yourself first sometimes, and we at least ha
d each other. Of course, you’ve had a lot more help lately.” She embraced Gabe and whispered, “Thank you for taking care of our girl.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Gabe replied just as quietly. Straightening, he said more loudly, “I guess we’ll see you in a few days.”
“We’ll be there with bells on.”
And then, before Annemarie knew it, she, Gabe, and Cody were buckled into Minnie and pulling onto Lakeshore Drive with her parents and brother standing on their porch waving, too far away to make out anything but the vaguest details of them. She stared at their house until Gabe drove around a curve that blocked it from her sight, then tipped her head back and smiled. Not a trace of the usual reluctance to leave plagued her. For once, she was looking forward to going home. It wasn’t that she was in a hurry to escape her family; quite the contrary.
She was at peace.
Occasionally, she watched Gabe as he drove. He handled the truck and trailer with the relaxed confidence with which he seemed to tackle every task, and after a while, she kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on the dash. In the backseat, Cody was thoroughly engrossed with the new coloring book Robert and Julie had surprised him with this morning.
Her lips curved, and she sighed happily, enjoying the ride and the company even more.
She could picture them doing this every year, hauling cattle to auction in Torrington and staying the weekend with her parents.
“Did you mean it?” she asked abruptly. “What you said at the bar Friday night?”
“I tend to mean everything I say,” Gabe replied, glancing at her. “But which part, specifically?”
She chewed her lip. Did she really have the guts to ask? “About wanting a family.”
He spared her a longer look. Then, turning his eyes back to the road, he nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“So… it shouldn’t scare you that I was just thinking we should do this every year.”
“Why would that scare me? Sounds like a fun tradition to me.”
“Well, it’s thinking about us in the long term.”
“Is that a problem?”
Here she’d been thinking he might balk at the idea of a long-term relationship, but she was the one suddenly turning shy about it. Again, he glanced at her.
