“I think we can do more than think about getting you pregnant, Gracie,” he told her softly. “Get dressed, honey. I want to show you something.”
Gracie pulled away from him and walked into their bedroom. He was right behind her. He dressed quickly in a fresh pair of jeans and T-shirt, waiting until she had pulled on her panties, bra, and red sundress before walking to their bedroom door and opening it, reaching out his hand for her to take. She went to him willingly and placed her hand in his.
He led her out of their bedroom, down the hall, and stopped in front of Spence’s old room. He opened the door and reached in to turn on the overhead light. Pushing the door open wide, he tugged gently on Gracie’s hand to pull her into the room.
Gracie’s mouth fell open in complete shock. The room before her was the most beautiful bedroom she had ever seen. It was the bedroom that she had always wished for as a child. The beautiful mahogany four-poster beds were gorgeous. The canopy over each bed was exquisite, each a pastel purple that tugged at her heart. He had listened to her when they had been shopping. He had made this room because of her.
When she looked at him, her eyes were filled with tears. “You did this for me?” she whispered.
“I did this for you and for our daughters,” he told her honestly. “I hope someday we’ll have two daughters who will love this room.”
“Two daughters?” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“And the room that Robbie is sleeping in is for our sons. Both of them.”
“You want four kids?” Gracie nearly squeaked.
“I want a houseful of kids with you, Gracie Lee Emery,” he told her seriously. “There are plenty of rooms in this house to make into bedrooms for the kids we decide to have together. What do you think?”
“I think I’m afraid, Deuce,” she told him honestly. “I want more than anything to have children with you, but I don’t want my babies to have to live with the fear of touching someone and causing pain.”
“I know, honey,” he told her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will work out. I just know it will.”
Gracie leaned into Deuce’s chest, hugging him tightly. She looked at the room he had decorated for the little girls he wanted to have with her and sighed sadly. She wished she could be as sure as he was about their future family—but she wasn’t.
* * * *
They all sat around the dining room table, enjoying their meal as a family. Gracie helped Robbie with his chicken, cutting it up into small pieces. When she spooned some mashed potatoes and buttered corn onto his plate, she couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her face as the little boy quickly picked up a piece of chicken with his little spoon and pushed it into his mouth.
“Good, Robbie?” she asked him.
Robbie nodded happily. He reached out with his empty hand and held her thumb tightly. The sparkle of his blue eyes pulled at her heart. Maybe Deuce was right. She hadn’t caused any pain to anyone in a long time. Nearly a month now. Maybe everything would be all right after all.
“Robbie, you did a very good job jumping into Uncle Spence’s arms when Daisy got scared today,” Deuce told his nephew firmly. He needed to make sure the little boy wasn’t frightened by what had happened earlier.
“You were pretty strong when you hung onto my arms, buddy,” Spence told his nephew seriously. “I think you’re going to have as many strong muscles as your daddy.”
Robbie smiled up at Spence before turning to face Deuce. “I’m strong like Daddy,” he said proudly, placing a good helping of corn into his mouth.
“You sure are,” Deuce agreed. “Wait until I tell him what you did today. Do you think you’d want to ride with me again tomorrow, Robbie?”
“Yes, Unca Deuce!”
Robbie’s enthusiasm made them all release a sigh of relief. It was evident that the excitement of the day hadn’t scared their nephew.
“Okay, Robbie. You can ride with me on Daisy or with Uncle John on Brutus,” Deuce promised him. “Uncle Spence and Uncle Tim will be around later if you want to ride with them, too.”
Robbie smiled as he looked at all of them, swinging his feet happily as he sat in the high chair they had made just for him. Deuce looked at the chair and realized that he would soon be needing another chair for Mary Grace and one for his and Gracie’s daughter—or son. He would have to contact the furniture maker he had commissioned for the original chair to order two more. Looking around the table at his brothers and the women who were going to be their mates, he mentally counted the number of possible babies. Maybe he needed to order more chairs.
“Unca Deuce, did Daddy fall off Daisy, too?” Robbie’s young voice interrupted Deuce’s musings.
“No, buddy. Your daddy didn’t fall off Daisy.” Deuce looked at his nephew and saw how serious the little boy had become. “Why?”
“I think he did,” Robbie insisted. “I saw him fall off a horse. He hurt his arm.”
“No, honey,” Gracie told her nephew, touching his hair lightly. “It was just a dream. Your daddy is fine. He didn’t fall off a horse.”
Robbie nodded then reached forward to fill his spoon with more chicken. When he went back to eating without any more questions, Gracie looked at Deuce worriedly.
Deuce reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly. Gracie smiled then pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles lightly. Deuce winked and pulled her toward him, kissing her lips tenderly.
“So, are there any new rules you want to share with us, Deuce?” Spence spoke up from his end of the table.
“Rule number one is touching often, skin to skin,” Becca spoke up, smiling despite the serious mood she was in.
Gracie blushed but smiled at Becca. “That’s right, Becca. Good memory,” she complimented her.
“What’s rule number two, Gracie?” Lainey asked, putting down her fork and facing her friend calmly.
“Rule number two is that we always have to tell each other what we need,” Gracie told them softly. “We can’t expect each other to know what we want or need unless we tell each other.”
“That’s a good rule,” Tim spoke up, looking at Spence pointedly.
Spence nodded, knowing Lainey had no idea what significance that rule had for them. “I think so, too,” he agreed.
“Is there a rule number three?” Claire asked from her seat beside Jake, cuddling Mary Grace to her chest as she moved just slightly away from Jake’s side.
“Rule number three is for safety,” Deuce spoke up. “I need to know Gracie’s plans—where she’s going and what she’s doing.”
“That’s a bit much, don’t you think, Deuce?” Jamie spoke up.
“Do you really have to question that one, cara?” John interrupted her. “What would I have done if Luke hadn’t seen you being taken by Brad?”
Jamie blushed guiltily. “I guess you’re right, Deuce,” she admitted softly.
“That rule isn’t about controlling what Gracie is doing, Jamie,” Deuce explained carefully. “She’s able to make her own decisions and plans. I just need her to tell me so I won’t worry.”
“I need the same from him,” Gracie added. “I have a tendency to worry, too.”
Deuce smiled at her, reaching out to touch her face with the back of his knuckles. “Your concern touches me, Gracie Lee,” he told her softly. “You’ve always been the one to worry about your sister and the rest of us. But you’re not alone anymore, honey. We’ll all be here to help take care of each other.”
“What’s rule number four?” Jamie asked.
“That rule is one that Gracie needs to work on,” Deuce spoke up, smiling at the look of indignation that Gracie immediately shot him.
“Hey!”
“It’s true, honey,” he reminded her gently. “Rule number four is that we never hide thoughts or feelings from each other.”
“I only keep my sexual fantasies to myself,” Gracie defended herself, blushing immediately
as the men at the table erupted into laughter.
“But those are the thoughts I want to know, baby,” Deuce teased her. “I want to help you make those fantasies come true.”
“He’s got you there, Gracie,” Jamie told her, laughing.
“Yeah, well, we all should be able to have secrets,” Gracie mumbled, defending herself. “And we don’t need to discuss them at the dinner table,” she admonished Deuce.
He had the nerve to smile at her and wink. “Whatever you say, Mate,” he agreed with absolutely no conviction in his voice.
“Yeah, right,” Gracie muttered.
“So, is there a rule number five?” Jake’s deep voice asked, startling Claire as she sat beside him.
She looked at him in surprise. He had never initiated a question before unless it had something to do with the ranch or the construction company. Without thinking, she reached out and was about to cover his hand with hers, remembering immediately that she was determined not to initiate any contact with him anymore. She noticed that he saw the way she pulled her hand away before she made contact with him.
There was a brief flash of emotion on his face as he saw her replace her hand on Mary Grace’s back to rub it soothingly. He straightened his spine and schooled his features, his face calm and stoic as he faced his oldest brother.
“No, there are no more rules,” Gracie supplied the answer.
“Actually, there is one more rule, but we haven’t discussed it yet,” Deuce offered, calmly scooping another helping of buttered corn into his dish. “But the rules are an ongoing and evolving thing. Each of you is going to have to figure out your own set of rules because Gracie and I aren’t sharing anymore. They’re private between the two of us. You’re going to have to work out what rules work for each of you. End of discussion.”
“There’s another rule?” Gracie whispered to Deuce as she leaned in toward him.
“Yes, Mate,” he whispered against her neck. “I’ll tell you later.”
Deuce’s cell phone rang. He reached to unclip it from his belt and brought it up to look at the display. Touching the button to connect the call, he brought the phone to his ear.
“How are you, Luke?”
Everyone quieted down at once as they watched Deuce listen to their brother on the other end of the connection.
“Okay, we’ll be there within the hour,” Deuce spoke, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening his eyes and looking at his family, smiling.
“Melanie has woken up and is demanding that we bring her children to her,” he told them, leaning back in his seat and rubbing his hands over his face. “Let’s finish dinner and head out to the hospital. I’m not about to be the recipient of her wrath if we don’t do as she’s demanded.”
“Thank goodness,” Gracie whispered, leaning into Deuce, thankful when he pulled her onto his lap and cuddled her tightly against his chest.
“Melanie is a strong woman, honey. There’s nothing that can keep that little spitfire down.”
Gracie sniffed against his chest, burrowing in deeper, thankful for so many things. She was thankful that her sister was awake and healthy. She was thankful for the family that surrounded her that she was now a part of. And she was thankful for the strong, caring man who held her like he was never going to let her go.
Chapter 22
Melanie walked out of the kitchen carrying Mary Grace against her shoulder. Gracie watched her from her seat on the floor in the living room as she was sitting beside Robbie. Her nephew certainly loved to work on puzzles. They had five puzzles spread out on the floor in front of them. All the pieces from all five puzzles were mixed up, and the pieces were in one huge pile in front of Robbie.
Gracie watched in amazement as Robbie picked up one piece after another and placed them in the correct puzzle form before him. Before her eyes, he reconstructed all five puzzles in less than three minutes time.
“You certainly are Mr. Puzzle Wizard!” she told him happily.
He turned to look at her with a huge smile on her face. “I’m good at puzzles.”
“I think we need to get you some harder puzzles, baby boy,” Melanie told her son, chuckling as she sat on the couch and settled a pillow on her lap to support Mary Grace.
Gracie smiled at her sister. The last two weeks had been nothing short of miraculous. Melanie had been released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and she and Luke had come to stay on the ranch. All of them had settled into a comfortable routine, and the children were thriving.
Melanie opened the buttons of her blouse then unclipped and lowered the cup of her nursing bra, settling Mary Grace against her breast and smiling as her daughter latched onto her nipple and began suckling voraciously. She ran her hand lightly over the baby’s hair, humming lightly as she nursed her.
“You’re doing so well, Melanie, I won’t feel as guilty as I thought I would about leaving you to go back to work on Monday,” Gracie told her softly. “I think you’ll be just fine here with everyone helping while I’m away during the day.”
“I think you should quit your job, Gracie.”
Melanie’s voice was serious as she spoke, and the way she looked at Gracie made her know that she was thinking something significant. She wished her sister would just come out with it.
“Why should I quit my job?” she asked her finally.
“First of all, you hate that job.”
“I don’t hate my job.”
“Yes, you do, honey.”
Melanie faced her calmly. Her hazel eyes sparkled with happiness as she looked at her.
“Second of all, Deuce needs you here,” she told her softly. “He’s not just saying he could use your help just to give you something to do and keep you here. He’s overwhelmed with running the ranch. Jamie helps with the accounts for the ranch and the construction company, but he needs someone to help with the day-to-day responsibilities. Someone has to help him order supplies for the upkeep of the ranch and make sure there’s enough food on hand for the animals. He makes phone calls to buyers when he can, but he’s really spreading himself thin. He needs you, Gracie.”
Gracie thought about Melanie’s words very carefully. She knew Deuce worked every night after dinner for at least an hour before he was able to join the family in the living room. He was a strong man, but she could tell he was tired. Despite his tiredness, he still helped with taking care of the kids and the rest of the family. She never saw him turn anyone away when they needed help.
“I would love to help him, Melly,” Gracie whispered. “I love him so much.”
“I know you do, honey,” Melanie told her. “That’s why you need to quit your job and work here on the ranch. It’s time you started your life with him.”
The front door opened and Luke and Deuce entered, closing the door behind them and keying in the security code on the alarm system before making their way into the living room. Gracie’s heart fluttered at the sight of the patriarch of the family. She loved him with everything that she was. Just the sight of him made her heart beat a little faster. He filled the room with his power and his caring. Every one of them knew he would protect and love them without question or hesitation.
Luke walked over to the couch and sat next to Melanie, leaning over to kiss her lips lightly before kissing his daughter’s little hand as it rested against his wife’s breast. Robbie climbed up onto Luke’s lap and cuddled into his chest.
“Hi, Daddy,” he told him happily.
“Hello, little man,” Luke answered, kissing his cheek noisily. “Have you been busy with your puzzles?”
“I did five puzzles,” Robbie told him proudly, holding up his little hand and spreading his five fingers.
“Wow! That’s awesome, Robbie,” Luke told him, wrapping his arms around his son and hugging him tightly. “Maybe you can show me how you do that.”
Deuce walked over to Gracie and stood in front of her. She knelt before him and reached up to touch his thigh lightly. The immediate flas
h of desire that filled his eyes made her smile.
“And how was your day, Gracie?” he asked her softly.
“It was good,” she told him, winking as she used his thighs to steady herself as she rose to her feet and stood before him. She reached her arms up to rest them on his shoulders. “I like my days much more when you come home.”
Deuce didn’t hesitate to pull her body against his. Leaning down, he claimed her mouth tenderly, kissing her lips lightly over and over again until he pulled a giggle from her. He loved it when she giggled.
“What are you doing?” she teased him.
“Just kissing my mate,” he whispered, leaning back and smiling down at her. “Want to take a ride with me?”
“Sure. Where are we going?”
“We need to get more diapers.”
“Deuce, I told you I was going to do that,” Luke protested, standing up with Robbie settled securely in his arms.
“No, Luke,” Deuce interrupted him. “You should stay here with Melanie and Mary Grace. Relax and enjoy your time with your mate and your new daughter. Gracie and I will take Robbie with us. Come on, Robbie. Let’s go to the store,” he told his nephew, reaching out to take him into his arms, smiling when Robbie went to him willingly. “We’ll be back in time for dinner.”
Before Luke could protest, Deuce grabbed Gracie’s hand and walked them to the front door. Gracie picked up her purse from the table by the door.
“Do you need anything else, Melanie?” Gracie called to her sister.
“Just some alone time with my cowboy,” Melanie called to her, laughing.
“And on that note, we’re out of here!” Gracie pulled open the door and led the way to the garage.
She waited for Deuce, knowing he would be sure to reset the alarm before leaving the house. He never forgot to make sure the house was secure for all of them. When he finally made his way to the garage, she couldn’t help but smile as Robbie reached up and grabbed his face between his little hands.
Touching Deuce [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 27
