Dude Ranch Bride
Page 16
Her eyelids fluttered down, all else forgotten as he kissed her as her husband for the first time.
Ethan’s arms tightened around her. She fit in them as though she had been sculpted for him, and he kissed her with all the love in his heart, unable to believe that she was his. His hands moved up her back, feeling the smooth satin of her gown, moving up her neck, his fingers delving into her hair.
She moaned softly when he took his lips from hers, so he kissed her again, might have kissed her forever if Lance hadn’t whispered, sotto voce, “Geez, sis, come up for air, will ya?”
Cindy laughed and Ethan laughed with her.
“And now,” the minister said, a smile in his voice, “I give you Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Stormwalker.”
Their families and friends stood, applauding, and then they all gathered around, eager to shower the bride and groom with hugs and good wishes.
Later that night, when a big white limo pulled up in front of the ranch office, the bride wasn’t alone.
Chapter Twenty
Ethan carried his bride up the stairs and into his cabin. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to a hotel for the night?” he asked, kicking the door closed with his heel.
“No. I want us to spend our first night here. After all, this is where I found you again. Where we fell in love again.”
“I never stopped loving you.”
“Don’t you want to put me down? I must be getting heavy.”
He shook his head, then claimed her lips with his own. She felt good in his arms. Tonight, he felt like he could move mountains and leap tall buildings with a single bound.
He kissed her until they were both breathless, and then, very slowly, he lowered her to her feet, letting her body slide intimately against his.
“Did I tell you how very beautiful you are?” he murmured.
“Once or twice in the limo, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
“You’re beautiful.” He ran the tip of his forefinger over her lips.
Her heartbeat slowed, then sped up.
“So beautiful.” His hand cupped her breast, his dark eyes smoldering.
“I’ve waited all my life for this moment,” she whispered. “For this night.”
He lowered his head and rained kisses along the curve of her throat. “I hope the reality lives up to your dreams.”
“Oh, it will, I’m sure of it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Ethan?”
He paused in the act of kissing the inside of her ear, stayed by the tremor in her voice. “What is it, darlin’?”
“Have you made love to many women?”
He lifted his head and gazed down into her eyes. “What kind of a question is that to ask now? Have you made love to many men?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. “None.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “None?”
She had told him she hadn’t slept with Mr. Moneybags, and he’d admired her good sense. He had always known Cindy was a good girl; it was one of the things that had attracted him to her. Still, he’d figured that sometime in the last five years she would have experimented, just once.
“I never wanted anyone but you.”
“Cindy!” Touched beyond measure, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He held her close, kissing her gently at first, and then with increasing passion as he undressed her, baring her beauty to his gaze, pleased beyond measure that no other man had seen her or touched her.
He caressed her until she was quivering in his arms, until she reached for him, warm and ready and unafraid.
Her nails raked his back as she writhed beneath him, her breath fanning his face as little moans of pleasure rose in her throat. He moved slowly and carefully within her, afraid of hurting her, wanting this, her first time, to be everything she had ever dreamed of, as she was everything he had ever dreamed of.
She cried his name as pleasure rose and crested deep within her.
With a cry of his own, he followed her over the edge into ecstasy.
Later, holding her close, one hand stroking her hair, he renewed his vow to love her with all his heart, soul, mind and body for as long as he drew breath.
Tomorrow, they would catch a flight to Hawaii. They would walk along the white sandy beaches and swim in the clear blue ocean, buy souvenirs for their families, and in the evenings they would sit in some outdoor café and sip drinks that sported little paper umbrellas.
But for tonight, she was his, only his.
Murmuring her name, he gathered her into his arms once more, determined to make her every dream come true.
And later that night, she danced, just for him.
Epilogue
Elk Valley Dude Ranch
Six months later
Cindy sat on the steps watching Ethan put the big buckskin stallion through its paces. They were a magnificent sight, the proud horse and the proud man.
She never tired of watching them. The stallion moved effortlessly, guided by the pressure of Ethan’s legs and the subtle shifting of his body.
Wolf came and plopped down beside her, and she absently stroked the big dog’s head. The last six months had been the best, the happiest, the most exciting of her whole life. She loved living on the ranch. When they were busy, she helped Dorothea up at the office. Sometimes she went along on trail rides with Ethan. Sometimes she helped out in the dining room. And some days she just sat back and enjoyed the beauty around her. They had hired an architect to design a floor plan for a house of their own. It would be finished in another few months. She could see the chimney just beyond the trees.
A smile curved her lips as she placed her hand over her belly. They had a bet going as to which event would occur first—the birth of their son or the completion of the house.
Her mother was constantly sending them presents for the baby. Dorothea had offered to baby-sit anytime. Even her father was coming around. Just the week before he had sent her a dozen roses for her birthday, and a child-size baseball and bat for his grandson.
Cindy walked toward the corral as Ethan dismounted, then stood with both of her arms crossed over one of the rails while he stripped the rigging from the stallion. He dropped the saddle over the top rail, laid the blanket over the saddle, draped the bridle over the saddle horn, and then ducked under the bars and drew her into his arms.
“Hello, Wife,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
“Hello, Husband.”
“How’s my son?”
“He’s doing handsprings,” she said. “And jumping on the bed.”
Ethan grinned at her. “Why should he have all the fun?” he said, taking her by the hand. “Come on, let’s go inside and do some handsprings of our own.”
“Best offer I’ve had all day.” She squealed when he swung her into his arms and carried her up the stairs and into the house.
Cindy kicked the door shut with the toe of her boot. As Ethan carried her toward the bedroom, she glanced around the cabin that had been her home for the last six months. The place lacked many of the creature comforts she had once taken for granted. For a moment, she thought about her parents’ house and everything she had left behind, and then she wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck and thought how amazing it was to think she had found everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever needed, in a rustic four-room cabin in the wilds of Montana.
Smiling, she rested her head on her husband’s shoulder as he carried her into the bedroom and shut the door.
About Madeline Baker
Madeline Baker started writing simply for the fun of it. Now she is the award-winning author of more than thirty historical romances and one of the most popular writers of Native American romance. She lives in California, where she was born and raised.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
About Madeline Baker