“It is the finding of this court that Mr. Mitchell coerced his mother-in-law into changing her will for his benefit. Furthermore, it is the finding of this court that he is responsible for the encouragement, shall we say, of the loss of Mrs. Hansen’s staff over the last eighteen months. Both of these acts, in the eye of this court, carry penalties. I’m going to leave the matter in the sheriff’s hands for his consideration. For now, I find in favor of Mrs. Hansen. The original will stands.” He picked up his gavel and slammed it down. “Good day to you all.”
*
Joy sat stunned at the judge’s words.
“You won, Joy. You won.” Sadie pulled her to her feet and gave her a smacking kiss on each cheek.
“We did.” Her breath came in short puffs, the excitement almost too much. She glanced at Nate staring at her, openmouthed. He’d been freaking out as much as she had. After that dustup on the courthouse steps, she didn’t blame him. The thought of it damaging the case was only slightly overshadowed by the fact he’d done it for her.
“You did it, Joy. I almost wrecked it for you, but you did it.” He leaned in and kissed her, almost chastely.
Joy fanned her face. “Wow. Just wow.” She let herself be led out of court, avoiding the penetrating gaze from her father-in-law, who was being held back by his lawyer.
As they stepped out into the sunshine, the shakes started. Nate pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. “It’s okay, honey. Let it out. It’s been a long time coming.” His masculine aftershave was the only thing that kept her remotely grounded when all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and give way to the emotions she’d held down ever since Bradley had been diagnosed with cancer.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you. Let it all out and then we can get our boy and go home.”
Home. Finally, nobody could take it away from her. She could stay there forever and do what Bradley wanted—raise their son somewhere safe. And she had Nate to thank for it.
She stared at the dark hair curling over the collar of his work shirt, and gathered herself together. Suddenly, she felt almost shy around him. Now that it was over, would he want to stay or would he feel she was safe enough on her own? Nate was so much a part of their lives now; she couldn’t let him go. Now she could focus on her marriage and make him see that they were good together. She just had to let him know that having him around meant more to her than keeping the ranch. She wanted him to stay because she knew he was the man for her.
“Yes, let’s go home. We have lots to catch up on.” She reached for Sadie. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. I can’t imagine we would’ve won without you.”
Sadie blushed. “You were in the right, Joy. You had to win, but I hate to count my chickens before they hatch.”
“Me too. We’ll celebrate one night soon. For now, me and Nate have a little man to collect and take home. Things to talk about.”
She slid her arm through his and pointed him in the direction of her car.
*
It was later that night before Nate and Joy managed to get a chance to talk without being interrupted by either someone calling to congratulate them or Toby wanting all their attention.
Nate walked into the bedroom with a towel around his waist and water dripping down the back of his neck. “Some day, hey?” He perched on the end of the bed. The sparkle in her eyes said it all.
“Yeah, some day. I can’t believe it’s finally over.” Joy put down the book she was reading and smiled at him, more relaxed than he’d ever seen her. It was enough to make his belly flip. “We don’t have to worry anymore, Nate. We can move on and be a real family.”
He wiped a trickle of water that ran down his neck across his chest. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I don’t blame you if you want to tear up our contract now.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I want to tear it up. Wouldn’t you? There’s no need for it now that I’ve won.”
The smile on his face slipped a little before he caught himself. “I guess so.” He stood up and moved back toward the bathroom to gather his clothes. “Better contact Sadie and tell her what you want to do. I won’t fight you on it, you can be sure of that.”
Joy scrambled across the bed and grabbed his arm before he got to the door. “What the heck are you saying, Nate? Is this where you and I part ways?”
He looked up at the ceiling trying to gather his words before he spoke. “You just said you wanted to tear up the contract. Your own words.”
“Yeah, I did. But I didn’t mean I don’t want you anymore.”
He searched her face to get an idea of where she was headed. If this was the kiss good-bye, she could’ve done it before he started to relax and let down his guard. “I don’t understand.”
Joy wrapped her arms around him, rested her face against his bare chest.
“You wanted a husband is what you said. If I recall rightly, you didn’t want me exactly because of my reputation.”
Joy laughed and looked up. “True, but I had to keep my feelings close to my chest in case this didn’t work out. I had to focus on the final goal. I had to secure the ranch for Toby, and if it meant I had to sign you up to be my husband against my better judgment, I was prepared to do it.”
He had to come clean or he couldn’t live with himself. “Joy, we need to talk.” Her face dropped. Nate unwound her hands from his body and stepped back.
“I thought we did that.” Uncertainty crossed her eyes.
“It’s about Cassie.”
The shutters came down on her eyes.
“What she said wasn’t true. I didn’t want her, not then.”
“But now?” Bitterness coated her words.
“I don’t want her now either, but before I applied for the job, I considered getting together with her again.”
Joy slumped to the bed, her face in her hands. Nate reached for her then changed his mind. If he were her, he’d slap him for that confession. He hadn’t meant to upset her, but living a lie didn’t sit well on his shoulders. Must be the new, responsible Nate, because the old Nate would’ve bragged about how easy it would be to score a night between the sheets with Cassie.
Joy’s shoulders shook.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t not tell you. I’d have felt like a heel, like I was cheating on you or something.”
“Cheating.” A muffled voice came from the bed. “How exactly is that cheating?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. It just is.”
Joy raised her head. The tears he expected were nowhere in sight. Instead a huge grin lit her face. She was laughing at him. What the heck?
“Sorry. But if that’s the case, I have a confession, too.” She wiped her cheeks on a sigh. “That first night you slept in here? I had the biggest case of guilt you’ve ever seen. Spent most of the night apologizing to Bradley for cheating on him.”
“But we didn’t do anything.”
“I know that. But the intention was there, Nate. Same as you intending to catch up with my stupid sister again. It didn’t happen.”
“Not going to either. I’m married to you now and I don’t cheat. That’s not who I am.” He’d never be that man again. There was only one bed he wanted to be in.
“I know that. But we both have things that make us feel guilty. We have to get over that and move on. I don’t know how many times I had to kick myself out of feeling that way.”
“But you’re okay now? With me being in here, I mean?” Sleeping on the couch had no appeal, but if it was what he had to do until Joy managed her feelings about Bradley, then so be it.
“I’m okay. We’ve come a long way in a short time, Nate. That says a lot to me.”
“So, you have everything you want. What now?”
“I don’t have everything I want, Nate.” She licked her lip. God, this woman could make him lust after her with barely a move. “I want you without the contract binding us. I want you because you might care for me like I care for you.”
He cupped her f
ace in his hands. “You care for me? Really?” He shook his head. “After all the grief I gave you with my past and the way it’s nudged its ugly head into your business, you still want to be married to me? Knowing about all the women I’ve let down and the fights and everything. You want that?” How could she possibly mean it? If only it were true.
There you go again, you idiot, doubting yourself.
Joy laughed and the sound went straight to his heart. “You silly man. Of course I want you. Never would’ve married you otherwise. I’m not that mercenary, no matter how it looked. Sure, I was desperate for someone to work for me, but I would’ve given them an out clause if I didn’t think it was going to turn out. Made it a stipulation that at the end of the case, they could go their own way.”
“So you’re not throwing me a ‘get out of marriage’ clause?”
“Well, yes. If you don’t want to stay with me, you can leave, but I’m hoping you won’t do that.”
“This is more than I thought I’d ever have. A wife, a child, and a home. I’d be a fool to give that up, wouldn’t I?”
Joy trailed a finger down his chest, following a drip of water over the muscles and ridges.
She gave him a seductive glance as her fingers heated his skin. “Some would say no. I won’t hold you to the contract if it’s not what you really want. I know you tried to get out of it a couple of times, but I’m really hoping it was because you had some misguided sense of pride or something that made you offer. That given the chance, you want to stay.”
How could he deny her when she did this to his body? It was more than he could’ve wished for. “I do want to stay, Joy. I can’t imagine life without you and Toby. You’ve come to mean more to me than I would’ve thought possible.”
“I’m glad.” She pulled his face down and teased his mouth with hers.
The towel fell to the ground and Joy pushed him toward the bed. They fell onto the covers in a tangle of arms and legs.
“Are you sure this is what you want? Remember what I said about when you’re ready?”
“I’ve never been more sure in my life. Make love to me, Nate.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nate lifted the sleep shirt over her head, doing his best not to rush her. He focused on the pulse in her throat while she adjusted to being half naked in front of him.
“You can stop anytime you want. If you decide you’re not ready for this.”
Joy swallowed and shook her head.
He put his hands on her shoulders, leaned in, and kissed her, softly at first. Her hands flattened against his stomach and his breath hitched before he could remind his brain to keep functioning. Nate cupped her cheeks, tracing his tongue over the bow of her lips, her soft floral perfume reminding him how fragile his wife was.
Joy was like her name. Gentle, soft, and kind with a steel backbone that she kept hidden most of the time.
Her hands went around his back and rested on his butt, her gentle tug doing nothing to keep down his erection. She breathed against his mouth, took his bottom lip between her teeth, and bit down enough to make him pause. Nate opened his eyes and stared at her. The gleam of satisfaction in her gaze made him smile. Her earlier fears seemed to have flown the coop.
He pushed her down on the bed, spread her legs, and settled between them. “So, my wife likes a little bit of rough-and-tumble, does she?”
Joy arched underneath him. “No. I like to play, but I don’t like rough.”
Nate grinned and slid down her body, stopping at her breasts. He took a nipple into his mouth and worried it with his tongue, staring at Joy to watch her response. She gasped and pushed up, egging him on. He grazed the tightened bud with his teeth, pulling just enough to stretch her skin before letting it plop out of his mouth before he moved to the other breast.
Joy sighed, kept her eyes closed, and wiggled her hips. He gave the other breast the same attention and slowly made his way down, taking the time to tongue her belly button, teasing her mercilessly as she moaned beneath him. He hooked a finger under the elastic of her shorts and pulled them down her legs, and she kicked them to the floor, exposing herself to him.
When he latched his mouth against her heat, she gasped and froze. Nate looked up. She stared back at him, eyes wide. The turmoil in her eyes tore at his heart.
She wasn’t ready as much as she liked to think she was. Well, he could wait some more if he had to. “You can stop anytime you want to, you know that, Joy.”
He lifted himself to move away from her.
“Don’t you dare stop now, Nate. I need this more than you know.” She smiled, closed her eyes, and threw herself back on the pillows. Nate got back to business. Now he had a woman worth fighting for, he’d do everything in his power to keep her happy.
*
She’d come so close to stopping him, a gut reaction that had kicked in seconds before her brain slapped her silly. She could do this. She wanted to do this and push the guilt away once and for all.
Nate used his teeth on her clit, sending any remaining argument out of her head. The volcano buried inside her roared to life. She was going to enjoy this orgasm and the ones that followed. She lifted her hips, reached down, and tangled her fingers in his hair, guiding him to stay exactly where he was.
There was no way she’d feel guilty about taking pleasure with the man she’d chosen to be her husband and help raise her son.
Nate did a little flick with his tongue at the same time he slid a finger inside her, and she cried out. Her breath caught deep in her chest as the orgasm took her on the steepest slope she had ridden for ages. It built and built, threatening to tear her apart with its intensity. It was impossible to open her eyes, the blinding flashes in her brain almost too much to bear.
A roar ripped from her throat as she tumbled over the other side, Nate dragging out the pleasure until she pushed him away. “Stop, please.” She gasped for air as her body shuddered with the follow-up tremors she couldn’t control.
“You okay?”
“Holy crap.” Joy sucked in a few deep breaths as her body tingled with electric pulses, stinging her sensitive spots. How the heck was she supposed to recover from this?
“Good holy crap or bad holy crap?” Nate crouched between her legs, worry clouding his eyes.
“Nate. If I hadn’t stopped you, I’d have lost the ability to breathe, let alone function.” She laughed and fanned her face. “Now I know why the ladies wanted to keep you.”
He shrugged. “They didn’t mean anything, okay? Not that I’m dismissing them, but with you, it’s different.”
Joy lifted herself up on her elbows. “That’s sweet, but you don’t have to say that to make me happy, Nate.”
“I’m not. If nothing else, I’ll always be honest with you. But you’ve given me something special and it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I feel more settled, better prepared to work at this husband business than I ever was back then.” He leaned over her, kissed her chin. “Did you want to stop?”
Joy kissed him back. “No. Bradley’s ghost isn’t here, Nate. It was all in my head, and you’ve chased him away. You don’t have to worry anymore about me thinking of another man while you’re with me. I doubt my brain could form a decent thought, to be honest.”
He eased her back on the bed. “I’m glad because I’m not finished yet.”
Thank goodness. “I love you, Nate. I honestly do.”
He grinned. “Truly?”
“Yeah, truly.”
“You know how long I’ve loved you?” She shook her head. “That day you told me Toby called me Dada and you didn’t mind. I had no idea I could feel this way about someone, but you’ve opened me up to a whole world of possibilities. I love you more every day, Joy, and I hope you know that.”
“I do. Now less talk and more work, husband of mine.” Joy pulled him down on top of her and opened her legs wider to accommodate him as he eased inside her.
When she opened her eyes the following morning, Joy
found herself tucked into Nate’s side, and he had a wicked grin on his face.
“What?”
“I can’t believe I got so lucky to marry you, that’s what.”
“Guessing Rory was right then. He said we could make each other happy. I’m glad.” She snuggled against him, hooked a leg over his. Maybe they had time for another bout of lovemaking before Toby woke up.
Joy was willing to find out.
The End
The Hansen Brother series
Book 1: Cowboy to the Rescue
Buy now!
Book 2: The Convenient Cowboy
View the series here!
Book 3: Coming soon!
More books by Ann B. Harrison
The Watson Brother series
Four Montana brothers searching for love…sometimes in the most unexpected circumstances.
Book 1: Chance for Love
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Book 2: The Sheriff’s Mail-Order Bride
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Book 3: The Doctor’s Husband
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Book 4: Her Favorite Cowboy
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The Moore Sisters of Montana series
Book 1: Christmas Glitter
Dakota’s story
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Book 2: Valentine Kisses
Bella’s story
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Book 3: Doctor’s Orders
April’s story
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Book 4: Wedding Surprise
Mari’s story
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The Convenient Cowboy Page 14
