MVP

by Rhonda Laurel

  Morgan laughed. “He told me about his brothers. No luck in the daughter department?”

  “The harder I prayed for a girl, the more boys popped out. I think John was praying louder than me. He said he wanted a football team. I feel sorry for you, hon. You have three brothers at home and three brothers-in-law down here. There is no shortage of men in your life.”

  “Tell me about it.” Morgan sipped her wine.

  Teri-Lyn smirked. “My son is head over heels in love with you.”

  Morgan paused, at a loss for words. The term “heads over heels” always sounded crazy to her. Who would be that slap happy and idiotic over another person? That was exactly how she felt about Seth and to hear another person say it, his mother no less, gave her a warm feeling inside. If someone else could see the love they had for each other, then it was not a hopeful figment of her imagination anymore.

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  “So what are your plans for the future? Now that Seth is in your life, they had to have changed.”

  Morgan laughed to herself, thinking Seth must have inherited his diplomacy from his dad because Teri-Lyn didn’t mince words.

  “Seth has his football career and I have the bookstore. I am very active in the community and have been trying to get funding for a reading initiative that would go to services like the reading hour for the kids in the library and teaching illiterate adults to read. Seth and I have talked about having kids. When we get into the groove of our busy lives, we can start a family.”

  Teri-Lyn smiled. “I have a good feeling about the two of you. Who knows, maybe I’ll get some grandchildren this decade. Eden keeps stalling when JJ talks about starting a family.”

  “A family sounds nice. But to be honest with you the idea of motherhood scares me. Before I met Seth I didn’t think about having kids.”

  “No one is ever ready to be a mother. One day it happens and boom, you’re changing diapers and wondering why you didn’t have a baby sooner.”

  “Seth would be a good father,” Morgan sighed.

  “Yes, he would.” Teri-Lyn smiled. “How about we do some shopping after lunch? He told me your trip down here to Texas was kind of spur of the moment. We can get you some things from this boutique down the street.”

  Three hours later, and inundated with shopping bags, Morgan was ready to tell Teri-Lyn she was done for the day when she saw something in the next store window display that made her stop dead in her tracks.

  * * *

  Seth lifted a bale of hay and tossed it aside when he saw his mother’s car coming up the drive. He walked down the trail to meet her and Morgan, pulling off his gloves and patting down his clothes as he went.

  “Did you two have a good time?”

  Morgan jumped out of the truck and into his arms. “Your mom bought me cowboy boots!”

  He looked down to see a pair of pale pink cowboy boots on her feet. “They look good on you, baby.”

  “Whew! You smell like you’ve been digging a ditch all afternoon.” Morgan tried to wiggle out of his arms.

  Seth tightened his grip. “I’ve been doing manly work all day. I think Bodine is trying to kill me. Wait till you get a whiff of me after a game.”

  Seth looked up and saw his mother smiling at him. Teri-Lyn nodded her approval, and he smiled back, relieved that their lunch date had gone well. Then Seth glanced in the truck and saw the array of bags.

  “What did you two buy? Half of Texas?”

  “And my boots.” Morgan grinned.

  * * *

  Word was spreading like wildfire that Seth was home for a visit. A barbeque on the ranch had been planned and Seth’s attendance had become mandatory. Teri-Lyn assured him that the guest list would be modest and that he’d be able to slip away with Morgan at the first sign of a mob.

  “You really like those boots.” Seth chuckled as she walked the room, trying to break them in.

  “Yes, I do. But what I really liked was my conversation with your momma. You were right, Teri-Lyn shoots straight from the hip.”

  “Told you.”

  “So”—she stopped in front of the mirror to brush her hair—“what is the rest of your family like?”

  “Let’s see. JJ is named after my dad, John Jacob. He’s the oldest. He’s married to Eden, the meanest woman in Texas. She won the Miss Texas title seven years ago and has been impossible to live with ever since. JJ used to play pro ball too but got injured his third year on the team. After he accepted football wasn’t in his future, we became partners in a land development company.”

  “And your other brothers?”

  “There’s Tyler, he was born right after me. Tyler is a bit of a…free spirit. He thinks it’s his mission in life to sleep with every woman on the planet. Momma calls him the one card that keeps her from having a royal flush. And Channing is the baby. He’s the brain of our brood. He’s goes to Georgetown Law.”

  Morgan chuckled, shaking her head. “You have an interesting family.”

  “They’re your family now too.” Seth waggled his eyebrows at her.

  Chapter Two

  Morgan had a death grip on Seth’s hand as they waded through the sea of people who greeted them at the barbeque. The effortless way he charmed the crowd amazed her. Seth steered her toward a hulking, imposing man with graying hair. Seth and the man shook hands, beaming at each other, then Seth slung an arm over the man’s shoulders.

  “Bo, I want you to meet my wife, Morgan. Bodine has been working with my dad for a very long time. Everyone just calls him Bo. He was kind enough to take over the ranch when I started traveling for work.”

  Morgan extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You’re the same little lady that put her name on the work roster?” Bodine looked her up and down and chuckled. “What exactly did you think you were going to do?”

  Morgan huffed. “I’m stronger than I look.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. It was the thought that counted. But I must say you certainly pretty up the place.” Bo grinned.

  Seth glared at him. “Down boy.”

  * * *

  The afternoon seemed to fly by as Seth entertained the crowd, after being prodded by Bo, with stories of his Super Bowl win.

  “Seth, is there another Super Bowl win in your future?” someone yelled out.

  “Third time’s the charm.” He grinned and the crowd laughed.

  “If anyone can do it, this man can,” another voice yelled out in the distance.

  A hush fell over the crowd when up walked none other than country singer Tate McGill. Morgan recognized him immediately and felt like an idiot that she hadn’t correlated that when Seth talked about his friend Tate. He stood taller than she had imagined, his curly blond hair tucked beneath his hat. He had piercing, ice blue eyes that seemed to hide storms behind them and a mega watt smile just like Seth’s.

  “McGill! I thought you were on tour!” Seth hugged his friend.

  “I thought you were in Philadelphia.”

  “You know how it is when home is calling.”

  “I hear that. And you brought back a wife this time.” Tate winked at her.

  “I sure did.” Seth put his arm around Morgan’s waist. “Morgan, this is Tate McGill. My oldest and dearest friend.”

  “Oh, I know who he is. I love your songs.” Morgan beamed as she shook Tate’s hand.

  “Thank you. Always nice to meet someone who appreciates my music.”

  “So what are you doing in town, Tate?” Seth asked, a confused look on his face. “I thought you were on tour.”

  “The Cinnamon Festival is this weekend. I’m headlining.” Tate gave him an expectant look.

  “I forgot about the festival.” Seth sighed.

  “How could you forget all those good food vendors?” Tate raised an eyebrow and looked at Morgan. “Oh, you’ve had more important things on your mind.”

  Seth laughed. “You can say that again.”

  “Morgan, the festiva
l has the most delicious food you will ever taste in your life. Seth and I ate something from every vendor one year.”

  Morgan gasped.

  Seth laughed at that. “Morgan hasn’t adjusted to my healthy appetite yet.”

  Tate pointed at Seth. “This man will eat you out of house and home. I hope you know how to cook or he’s going to get pouty quick.”

  Morgan folded her arms across her chest. “As a matter of fact, I am a good cook.”

  “Yes, she is.” Seth nodded.

  “That’s a good start to a marriage.” Tate chuckled. “Blake, we doing a bonfire tonight?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Good, I’m going to grab some chow. Where’s your momma?”

  “Over there talking to Bodine.”

  “First, I kiss your momma, then I’ll grab some grub. Morgan, how about I sing you this new song I’ve been working on around the bonfire tonight?” Tate flashed a pearly white grin.

  Seth shook his head. “You ain’t serenading my wife, McGill.”

  * * *

  Most of the party goers from the barbeque had gone home; only about a dozen people remained. As promised, Tate was sitting by the bonfire with his guitar in hand, ready to entertain. Ray and Josh, two of the ranch hands, worked on the fire while Bodine poured some mysterious contents into jelly jars.

  “Here you go, Morgan.” Bodine handed her a jar and gave her a thumbs up.

  Morgan, who was on the phone with Michelle, her assistant at the bookstore, took a sip of the contents and winced. She ended the call thanking Michelle for taking over while she was away and told her she’d make it up to her.

  “Everything all right?” Seth dropped a few logs on the bonfire.

  “Michelle is just curious about what’s going on down here. And she wants me to bring her back a hunky Texas man like you.”

  Seth rubbed her shoulders.

  “Is this moonshine or bathtub gin?” Morgan took another sip from the jelly jar. “It tastes awful.”

  “Something like that. Bodine, don’t give my wife that swill. You’ll rot her insides.” Seth took the glass out her hand.

  “Trust me, you’ll thank me in the morning.” Bodine laughed.

  The stars illuminated the night sky. Morgan leaned against a fence, counting as many as she could. Seth retrieved blankets from his truck, insisting she put one on to fend off the night air.

  “Your mother warned me about your over protective nature.” She grinned slowly at him as he draped the blanket over her shoulders.

  “I got it honest. My father taught me many things about women.”

  “Yeah, like what?”

  “That the stubborn ones need the most attention.”

  “I think I like the word feisty better than stubborn.”

  Seth kissed her. “Look it up in the dictionary some time, your picture is next to both words.”

  Tate’s hand slipped off the guitar and Bodine burst out laughing. Seth put a few more pieces of wood on the bonfire before pulling Morgan down with him to sit on a blanket.

  Morgan stole his Stetson and placed it on her head. “So can we play hot cowboy when we get back to Philly?”

  “The hat stays here. So, if you want to see Reed’s Fire, this hat, and those cowboy boots, you have to come here to the ranch.”

  “That’s not fair, we play naughty librarian at least twice a week.”

  “The things I do to avoid a library fine.” Seth grinned. “Come here.”

  Morgan purred like a kitten when Seth pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

  Tate laughed. “Oh yeah, she’s feeling it.”

  Morgan looked at Tate. “So you two went to high school together?”

  Seth brushed a stray hair out of her face. “Actually, Tate and I have known each other since we were five. We did everything together. He even lived with us the last two years of high school. He’s a pretty decent football player, but he turned down a college scholarship to pursue music.”

  Tate cleared his throat. “My best friend is exaggerating. I was OK on the field but nothing compared to the feats he performed. Sometimes I think he has a robotic arm. It was clear which one of us was going to take it all the way to the NFL.”

  Seth scoffed. “That’s not true.”

  “It is. If it weren’t for him I would have been cut from our high school team the first year. Seth told our coach if I didn’t play, neither would he. Can you believe that?”

  Seth leaned in close to Morgan’s ear. “He just needed a little direction.”

  “I knew the best thing to do was to get him the ball.”

  Morgan smiled. “So singing was your true calling?”

  “Yeah, I’ve always been good with a guitar. Besides, with all the girls falling all over him, I had to come up with a gimmick.”

  Seth laughed. “You definitely got more action than me, Tate. He’d whip out that guitar and girls would be all over him. He was having concerts in high school.”

  “I remember one time when that cheerleader Rebecca tried to date both of us.” Tate howled with laughter.

  Seth put his hand over his face. “That was a nightmare. Thank goodness we found out before either of us sealed the deal. We always had one rule: no fighting over women.”

  Morgan nodded. “That was a good rule.”

  Tate paused, but his fingers remained on the guitar. “Rebecca figured neither of us would tell the other. But we’d compare notes to make sure we weren’t crossing over into each other’s territory.”

  “We both dumped her on the same day.” Seth raised his beer bottle in salute.

  “And then there was this time I saved his ass.”

  “When did you save my ass, Tate?” Seth crinkled his brow, puzzled.

  “That time I uncovered the plot the cheerleaders had to kidnap you. I don’t know how twelve dainty girls did it but they somehow kidnapped my boy and had him tied up in the girls’ locker room. They all got tired of fighting over him and decided that it was only fair that he deflower all of them at the same time.”

  Seth let out an exaggerated sigh.

  “Luckily I caught wind of it and told the principal. They found him backed into a corner fighting for his life.” Tate laughed. “They all got suspended for a week and couldn’t cheer for three games. The whole high school was in an uproar.”

  “Those girls were aggressive and had a thorough plan. I’d never done that much talking in my life.” Seth ran his hand through his hair.

  Morgan gave Seth a suspicious look. “Being trapped in a locker room with a cheerleading squad didn’t appeal to you?”

  “Men have the right to say no too.”

  “Seth has always been a one woman at a time kind of guy,” Tate said. “He was hung up on Penny at the time. I tried hostage negotiating and taking his place but they wouldn’t go for it.”

  “Penny was your high school sweetheart?” Morgan asked.

  “Something like that,” Seth mumbled.

  When Seth wouldn’t elaborate, Morgan just smiled. “Sounds like friendship is important to the two of you?”

  “Good friends are hard to find.” Tate nodded.

  “Amen.” Seth raised his beer bottle in salute again. “But it did give you a lot of song writing material.”

  “Hey McGill, I thought you were singing me a song?” Morgan murmured.

  “Your husband doesn’t look like he’s in the mood for another man to be singing to his woman. But I will be thinking about you while I sing it.” Tate winked at her.

  Morgan erupted in a fit of giggles.

  The sweet sound of Morgan’s giggles sent waves of pleasure to Seth’s heart. He loved her carefree laughter, a close second to the soft feel of her skin. The first time they had made love after their wedding ceremony, the feel of her skin was burned onto his hands, every part of him aware of the silky feel of her.

  As Tate sang his sweet love song, the words echoed what Seth felt. Morgan stretched her legs and crossed them, her
pale pink cowboy boots catching the light of the fire. She had been so excited when she had gotten out of the truck, showing them off.

  He wished they could stay like this, by the fire, under the stars at the ranch with those he loved around him. He was finally ready for love, ready for the children Morgan told him she wanted. She surprised him with that one. He thought he’d have to convince her to have at least one child, but she was open to a litter of kids. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that the Blake men had a long line of boys in the family and the chances for a girl would be slim. He remembered how rambunctious he and his brothers were and how they drove his mother crazy.

  Morgan looked up at him, studying his face. “I love you, Seth Blake.”

  “I love you too.” Seth placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “Are we going to go riding tonight?

  “I’m afraid it’s too dark. We can go out in the morning after breakfast.”

  “Can you teach me how to ride bareback?” she whispered in his ear.

  Seth rose to his feet with Morgan in his arms. “Gentlemen, we are turning in for the night.”

  Bodine laughed. “I told you. One sip of that and a woman is putty in your hands. Why do you think Bonnie is still married to me?”

  “Because you knocked her up twenty-eight years ago.” Tate plucked one of his guitar strings.

  “Goodnight, everybody,” Morgan murmured, her eyes on Seth and Seth alone.

  “Good night, darlin’.” Tate raised his jelly jar in salute. “As usual, I sing the love songs and Blake gets the girl. Brings back memories.”

  * * *

  When Morgan woke the next morning, she felt like a jack hammer was going off inside her head. Seth was still sleeping peacefully beside her with his Stetson covering his face. She tried to turn in the bed but her legs felt heavy. Morgan peeked under the covers to find she was still wearing her cowboy boots. What the hell were they doing last night?

  She lifted the Stetson and put it on the night stand. Seth didn’t make a move until she pulled back the covers to remove her boots.