by Ward, Alice
“He’ll do no such thing,” I insisted. I wrapped the puppy in my arms and carried him towards the cabin. “He’s my little buddy. He’ll go where I go.”
I’d grown up with a handful of mutts running around the ranch. Daddy had always allowed them in the house, but after the oldest died while I was away at college, no one had thought to replace him.
I stepped into the cabin and set the puppy down on the floor while I checked the oven. The biscuits were just starting to brown, so I turned off the heat and closed the door. I looked up to see James step inside carrying the pet carrier and a large plastic bag.
“I have puppy chow, chew toys, a collar… everything this little guy needs. My buddy, Waylon, has his parents. He’s been working with him, said he’s nearly housebroken already. Which is amazing, considering he’s only ten weeks old,” he added as he offered the puppy a large beef bone.
I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around James’s neck. “Thank you so much, baby.” I gave him a long, soft kiss and hoped he realized how much I appreciated my surprise.
“You’re welcome,” he said as our lips parted. He held me by the hips and stared down at me with tired but happy eyes. “I have another surprise for you,” he confessed. “More of a suggestion, really, but I think you’ll be surprised by it.”
“Oh yeah? What’s on your mind?” I asked with a seductive smile. It felt so good to be in his arms again after days full of panic and stress, and making love was all I could think about.
“I was thinking that we should wait,” he said. “To tell everyone about us, I mean. I know Cole insisted that he doesn’t want to be treated with kid gloves and kept in the dark, but…”
“You don’t want to shock him,” I finished. I was so grateful that James felt the same way I did.
“Exactly,” he agreed. “I hate hiding how I feel about you, but if the truth makes Cole have a setback, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Do the old rules apply?” I asked, pressing my body into his. “Does everything have to wait until we’ve told the truth?”
Back in Baltimore, James had insisted that we shouldn’t have sex again until we’d told everyone about our relationship. The rule had gone out the window when I agreed to tell Daddy and Renee as soon as we got back to Colorado. But so much had happened since then, and I didn’t know where we stood.
James didn’t reply with words. Instead, he leaned over, shoved his hands into the back pockets of my jeans, and dropped his face to my neck. He licked and teased a trail to my ear.
“What about dinner?” he whispered before sucking my lobe.
“I turned the oven off,” I said breathily. “Nothing will burn.” I wrapped my hands around his head and turned his face to mine. “Dinner can wait… I can’t.” I planted a soft, teasing kiss on James’s lips. He lifted me in his arms and carried me to the bedroom. I pulled off my t-shirt and bra and he gently lowered me to the mattress.
“I love you, Willow,” he said, diving for my breasts. He teethed on my left nipple while I wrapped my legs around him and pushed into his erection.
“I love you too,” I moaned.
James traced circles with his tongue from my breast to my navel. I melted beneath his touch, my whole body burning with desire.
“God, I want you,” I gasped as James tugged at my yoga pants. He slid them down my legs and slipped two fingers into my wet, waiting pussy.
“You have me, baby,” he said as he probed and teased me. He dropped his head and gave my clit a long, firm lick. I let out a long sigh of pleasure and ran my fingers through his silky chestnut hair. I tugged on it and he pushed his fingers deeper inside me.
“Oh God… James…” I gasped as he closed his lips around my clit and teased it with his tongue. He teased and sucked as his fingers worked their magic and in a matter of moments, my body exploded in release. James wiggled out of his jeans, his face still buried in my dripping pussy. The waves of my first orgasm subsided and the beginning of my second started burning in my loins.
“I need you inside me,” I begged urgently. He pulled away from me and dug through the bedside drawer, retrieving a condom. I sat up, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of his long sleeved work short as he rolled the rubber down his shaft. He tossed the shirt to the floor, pushed me onto my back, and climbed on top of me. He slid his arms beneath me and balanced his weight on his elbows as he nuzzled his lips against my neck. The tip of his cock found my eager opening without guidance and he pushed into me with one swift motion.
As our bodies joined again, everything that had happened since the last time we’d connected faded from my mind. Nothing mattered, nothing but that moment and the glorious man on top of me. Our skin stuck together as James rocked his hips slowly, his cock stirring and sliding deeper and deeper inside me.
“God Willow, you’re so tight,” he gasped. “You feel so amazing.”
He let out a long sigh as I tightened my pussy around him like a vice. I rocked my hips in the opposite direction his were moving and arched my back into his body. His pelvis pushed against my clit and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.
“You’re going… to… make me come… again,” I gasped through waves of pleasure.
“Yeah?” he asked, his tone encouraging. “Should I stop?” He pushed into me harder and bit my earlobe.
“No,” I begged, gripping him tighter. “Don’t stop… don’t ever stop.” I dug my nails into his firm, muscular shoulders as spasms of ecstasy took over my body. I came loudly as his thick, solid cock impaled me over and over again.
“Oh God, Willow,” James moaned. “Oh God… I’m so close.”
“Give it to me, baby,” I gasped. “However you want to.”
He pulled his arms out from under me and rose to his knees, pushing my legs back and driving even deeper into me. After six long, hard thrusts, I felt his cock tremble and explode inside me. James cried out and collapsed onto my chest. I cradled him and kissed his head as our breathing slowed to normal.
“I know it’s only been a few days, but it felt like forever since the last time we touched,” I confessed.
“I know,” he agreed. “Sitting on the other side of that waiting room was torture. But things will settle down soon. Cole will get strong again and we won’t have to hide anymore. We’ll find a way to settle in to our new normal.”
The puppy whined from the living room, reminding us he was there.
“Speaking of our new normal, it sounds like someone wants some attention,” I laughed.
James rolled off of me and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. “I’ll take him outside, if you’ll check dinner,” he offered, passing me my clothes.
“Deal,” I agreed with a smile. He left the room and I heard the front door open as I pulled on my yoga pants and t-shirt. I padded barefoot into the kitchen, turned the oven to warm, and then stepped out onto the porch. James was sitting in the grass holding a tug-of-war rope while the puppy danced around him with the other end in his mouth.
“Who’s a big strong boy?” James baby talked. The puppy let out a playful, high pitched bark and pulled on the toy. “That’s right,” James continued. “You’re a big strong boy. You’re our little buddy.”
“Careful, or he’ll think Buddy’s his name,” I teased from the porch. James turned and realized that I was outside. I sat down on the swing and he joined me, the puppy weaving in and out of his legs as he walked.
“Maybe we should name him Little Underfoot,” he suggested with a smile. The puppy put his front paws on my legs and I lifted him into my lap.
“No, he needs a strong name. Something meaningful,” I insisted. “He’s a cattle dog… and he’s solid white. Why don’t we name him Frost?”
The puppy let out an excited bark, as if he was giving his approval. The side of James’s mouth turned up in a smile and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Frost… like Lane Frost?” he asked. I knew that the bull rider was James’s ultimate hero.
&n
bsp; I nodded. “He’s your puppy too. I think the name is perfect.”
James rubbed the puppy behind the ears and leaned down to his face. “What do you say little buddy? Do you want us to call you Frost?”
The puppy barked again and licked James’s face. “I think that’s a yes,” James laughed.
My stomach rumbled and Frost’s ears perked up. James took him from my lap and carried him towards the door.
“Come on, Frost. Let’s make your mommy a plate before she wastes away,” he cooed as he stepped through the door. My heart was full and content as I followed my little family into the cabin.
***
“You look nice,” James said as I stepped into the kitchen. I smoothed the jacket of my black suit and poured myself a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” I replied as I joined him at the kitchen table. “Do I look professional enough?” When I arrived home from Denver, I called the DA’s office and faxed over Thunder’s paperwork. The prosecuting attorney had filed to amend the charges against Bradley. James, Matt, and I were about to go to the courthouse for the hearing.
“You look like a classy business lady,” he assured me. “Should I go back to the cabin and get my blazer?”
I shook my head. James already looked perfect in soft grey slacks, a white dress shirt, and a deep green tie that complimented the golden flecks in his eyes. “It’s too hot outside. I’ll probably melt before we get to the courtroom. Did you get Frost settled in the barn?”
James grinned. “Not exactly. We were on our way down there and Dallas spotted us. Frost will be getting his first cattle herding lesson while we’re in town today. And Huck wants to train him to ride on the ATVs.”
“Lord, we’re gonna have to get three more of them if we ever want to get our puppy back,” I laughed.
A knock echoed through the house and we heard the front door open. “Willow?” Matt called out.
James and I rose to our feet and met him in the hallway. Matt was dressed almost identical to James, but his slacks were khaki and his tie was blue.
“Good morning. We’re ready when you are,” I told him.
Matt nodded and turned back towards the front door. “I’m sure you’re even more ready to get this over with than I am. What did the prosecutor say when you talked to him yesterday?” he asked as we stepped outside. He pulled his keys from his pants pocket and we all walked towards his truck.
“He said that we should have no problem getting the charges amended,” I said. James held open the passenger door and offered me his hand. I took it and he helped me into the truck before sliding into the backseat.
“He also said that with the video evidence, there’s no way Bradley will get off,” I continued after Matt climbed behind the wheel.
“I can’t wait to see that bastard get what’s coming to him,” James said as Matt pulled down the driveway.
My stomach tied in knots as I thought about facing Bradley again. Lucas had destroyed the pictures and given Bradley plenty of incentive to keep his mouth shut about James and me, but I knew that there was still a chance he’d tell our secret… especially now, when he had very little left to lose.
“I’m not looking forward to seeing Dale and Jan,” I confessed. “I know they’re going to pressure us into dropping the charges… do they even know about what happened to Daddy?”
I’d spoken with my father several times a day since I’d left Denver, but I hadn’t asked if he’d heard from his former best friend.
Matt cleared his throat and stared straight ahead. “Lucas told Dale not long after I left the ranch on Sunday. He showed up pissed off and demanding to talk to Cole. Lucas told him what happened and basically kicked him off the property.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”
He shrugged. “To be honest, with everything else that’s been going on I didn’t even think about it.”
I crossed my legs and frowned. I couldn’t believe Dale’s nerve. Bradley tried to kill two innocent animals and stole another, and his father expected us to roll over and take it with a smile.
“Maybe they won’t be confrontational, since they know what you’re dealing with,” James suggested hopefully.
“I doubt it,” I snorted. “I don’t know how we were ever friends with these people.”
I stared out the window and watched pasture land rush by as Matt drove towards Durango, paying careful attention to the homes we passed. I’d become fascinated by architecture since I’d decided to build my own house. I silently debated the pros and cons of two story verses ranch style and before I knew it, we were pulling up at the courthouse.
“Ready or not, here we are,” Matt said as he slid the truck into park.
“And there they are,” I added, staring up at the stone courthouse steps. Bradley and his parents were standing on the landing.
“If you want, we can wait here until they go inside,” James suggested. “I know you don’t want to cause a scene or make this any harder than it already is.”
I shook my head. I didn’t relish the thought of facing the Millers, but I wasn’t going to cower away from them. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said. “I have no reason to hide.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the truck. Matt and James did the same and both offered me their arm as we stepped towards the courthouse. I took Matt’s and whispered “sorry” to James. He gave me a silent nod as we approached the staircase. We were halfway up when Dale called down to us.
“Just the people I want to talk to,” he said. The whole family sneered down at us, their hands on their hips.
God, it’s like they rehearsed this.
“We have nothing to talk about, Dale,” I called back, my eyes fixed on the door.
We just have to get inside.
“Oh, I think we have plenty to talk about,” Dale said, his voice hard, his words clipped.
We reached the top of the stairs and Dale stepped in front of us, blocking our path to the door.
“Listen Dale, you need to back off,” James said, his voice patient but firm.
Dale turned to him, his face full of rage. “I don’t take orders from disgusting sister fuckers,” he spat.
I felt my face flush and watched James’s turn a deep shade of red. Matt tightened his grip on my arm, while Bradley and his mother stood a few feet away acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
“That’s right,” Dale continued. “I know all about the two of you and your disgusting relationship. Bradley told me everything. And to think, Willow. I used to believe you were good enough for my son.”
His condescending attitude was more than I could take. I straightened my back and stared at him, determined to stand up for myself. I narrowed my eyes and put my hands on my hips.
“I can’t believe you ever thought your piece of shit son was good enough for me,” I hissed. “I don’t know what Bradley told you and I don’t care. You can’t prove anything. But I can,” I finished with an evil smile.
“Our lawyer will get those surveillance tapes tossed out of evidence,” he growled. “You should save us all a bunch of time and drop the charges today. I’d hate for my dear friend Cole to hear about what you and James have been up to and have another heart attack.”
I couldn’t believe he was trying to use Daddy’s heart attack to blackmail me. Rage boiled through my body and James stiffened beside me.
“I wasn’t talking about the surveillance tapes, though good luck getting them thrown out,” I snorted. “I was talking about your financial ledgers. You know. The ones that prove you’ve been embezzling from your own company. ”
Dale’s mouth dropped and he visibly shrank in front of me.
“I guess Bradley left that out when he was telling everyone’s secrets,” I continued, still furious. “Let’s just say a friend stumbled across the info and saved it for a rainy day. I won’t drop the charges against Bradley, because your son is a criminal. So are you. And if y
ou push me one inch, I’ll make sure the IRS gets copies of your ledgers. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a hearing to get to.”
I took Matt’s arm again. As we pushed past Dale and stepped into the courthouse, I felt like I was floating on air.
***
“Hi Daddy, how are you feeling today?” I held my phone to my ear with one hand and brushed Glory’s mane with the other.
“I’m feeling pretty good, pumpkin,” he assured me. “I did six laps around the cardiac floor today. Dr. Gulley’s confident I’ll be able to come home on Monday.”
“It’s about time,” I said, hoping the tone of my voice reflected the smile on my face. “James and I were thinking about driving up to visit on Saturday.”
“I’d love to see you, but I hate for you to make such a long trip. Besides, don’t you have a new baby to take care of? How’s my granddog doing?”
I glanced at Frost. He was curled up on a mound of hay, gnawing on a small deer antler.
“He’s already spoiled rotten,” I laughed. “He thinks he’s the king of the ranch.”
“And the foals, they’re both recovering well?”
I gritted my teeth, then relaxed my jaw to assure him, “Bradley still refuses to say what he gave them. But yes, they both seem to be back to their old selves.”
“Have you heard from the prosecutor since the hearing yesterday?”
“Yes, that’s actually why I’m calling,” I said. I hung the horse brush on the tack wall and leaned against the countertop. “Bradley’s attorney called the DA’s office this morning and accepted the plea deal.”
The judge had no problem amending the charge against Bradley from petty theft to grand larceny. With my permission, the prosecuting attorney offered him a plea deal. Accepting it meant Bradley would serve four years in jail, as opposed to the ten to twenty he would have faced if he’d been convicted at trial.
“I hate this for Dale and Jan,” Daddy sighed. “But I’m glad to see Bradley get what he deserves. Anything else going on I should know about?”
“I’m meeting with Stan Travers this afternoon,” I said. “We’re going over my plans for the barn expansion and my house. In fact, I think I see his truck pulling up the driveway now.”
