“Hey, relax, you don’t have to worry. We’re good.”
“But you were so quiet on the drive back. I’d make a comment about something, and you’d barely say a word. You can’t say things aren’t weird with us, because they are.”
“You are frighteningly straightforward,” he mumbled, shifting his eyes to stare through his windshield. “I wasn’t ignoring you, I was thinking about what you’d said.”
“Sorry,” she said quietly. “I only want to make things more comfortable so when I see you again, there won’t be any weirdness.”
“Again with that word!”
“I know, I overuse it, but it always seems to fit. Maybe it would be better if I just asked if you’re mad at me? I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
“Cathy,” he said patiently, “I am not mad at you, but I am…”
“What?”
“Let me put it like this. I’m not going to shoot the messenger, but the messenger has delivered news that cannot be accepted unchallenged. I’m not challenging you, I’m challenging what you said, within myself. That’s what you’re feeling. You’ve thrown me into a bit of a tailspin. Do you understand?”
“Of course I do, and I spoke out of turn. I had no right to-“
“Hush. You’ve said all that. Now go and see Scott. He’s been worried about you all day, and he’s waiting for you.”
“I’ll never forget this afternoon. It was…very different, but then, you’re very different, and I think you’re someone very special.”
“You are too,” he said warmly, “and I mean that, boy, do I mean that,” he added with a wry smile. “Cathy, you should know, I’m going to be calling your parents as I’m driving back to the hotel. I’ve decided I need to go back to Italy for a short time, and if I don’t do it right now I might not do it at all.”
“Can I ask,” she said tentatively, “is it to see someone?”
“Someone I haven’t spoken to in many years,” he replied solemnly.
“I hope it goes well for you.”
“I don’t have any idea what going well even means,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead, “but thank you. My departure will also put an end to your mother’s designs for us, at least for the short term.”
“That’s a relief.”
“You need to tell her about you and Scott.”
“Scott wants to keep it quiet for a little while. I’m not sure why, but I have to respect that.”
“Don’t wait too long. These things have a way of coming out by themselves. It’s always better to control the information flow.”
“That’s profound,” she said with a soft smile. “I’ll remember those words.”
“You take care of yourself, and now I need to go.”
“I’ll do what you said with Cinnamon and Moon Doggie.”
“I know you will, goodbye, Cathy.”
“Bye, Renaldo, safe trails.”
Impulsively she leaned across the console and kissed him on the cheek, then climbed from his luxurious automobile and hurried to her car. Renaldo waited until she’d started the engine and had pulled out from her parking space, then followed her down the driveway and watched her turn right on the road to head into the countryside. He was turning left to go into the city, and it almost seemed like a metaphor. They’d met, had an extraordinary, possibly life-changing few hours, and were now going their separate ways.
Scott had just stepped out of his shower. It had been a long day, he was exhausted, but his new home was organized, everything was in its place, and he could relax with a glass of wine and put his feet up. Donning his bathrobe he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, opening one of his better bottles of French Merlot. He was pouring it into a glass when his phone rang, and picking it up he broke into a smile. It was Cathy.
“Hello. How was your day? Are you takin’ a break before you have to go to dinner?”
“My day with Renaldo is done. I can come over any time.”
“Really? That’s great, come now if you want.”
“There is nothing I would like more,” she sighed. “I’m in my car and I’ve left the barn, it won’t take me long, there’s no-one else on the road.”
“You sound tired.”
“I am, but you must be too, after your busy day.”
“We can compare notes.”
“I can’t wait,” she said. “I’ll be there soon.”
Scott felt a wave of relief. If the roads were empty it meant she wasn’t being followed. Either Marianne had backed off, or she thought Cathy was with Renaldo and she didn’t have to worry. Did her latest note mean she didn’t care that her private detective had been challenged? It was the only thing it could mean, but shaking it off, Scott wondered why Cathy’s dinner plans had changed.
“I’ll bet Cathy made it clear she’s spoken for. I wonder how Marianne is gonna to take that news. Speakin’ of dinner, I’d better see if I have anythin’ here.”
Taking another sip of his wine, he moved into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. As he’d thought, it was virtually empty, and he grimaced as he opened the cabinets.
“Mother Hubbard’s cupboards,” he grunted. “I guess we’ll be goin’ out.”
Pouring some of the smooth Merlot into a second glass ready for her, he dug out a box of crackers and laid them on a plate, then thinking they looked pitiful, he put them back. Picking up both glasses he returned to the lounge and settled down to wait, and made a mental note to go shopping the next day.
It wasn’t long before he heard the sound of her BMW stopping at his door, and jumping to his feet he hurried to meet her. As he opened it up and saw her getting out of her car, he felt a swell of happiness.
“Hey, sugar. Come on over here and get a hug.”
“Yes, please,” she replied, and walking swiftly across to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s so good to see you. I’m so happy to be here.”
He held her tightly, smelling the fragrance of her hair and loving the feel of her body molding against his, and as he glanced out over his land and saw the sun disappearing behind a distant hill, his heart did a strange jig. An epiphany suddenly washed through him. Cathy, his new home…the moment was showing him their future.
“Let’s go in,” she murmured. “It’s getting a bit cold out here.”
Her request broke the spell, and feeling a little peculiar, with his arm still around her shoulders, he moved them inside, kicking the door shut behind them as he did.
“I have some wine for you,” he murmured. “It’s in the living room.”
“Scott, are you okay?”
“Yeah, sugar, fine, just real happy to see you. Come and sit down, tell me what happened.”
“I’m not sure how to explain it,” she sighed, and dropping on to the couch she reached out to pick up the wine glass. “Is this for me?”
“Sure is.”
“I need it,” she said, taking a swallow.
“So, how was he?”
“Renaldo is nothing like he seems. It’s all an act, that car, his clothes, it’s all a sort of shield. I think he has a broken heart, as in, a seriously broken heart.”
“No kiddin’?”
“I think it happened a long time ago and he’s never gotten over it. He’s going back to Italy, and I’m pretty sure he wants to track down whoever it was, and…what? Make things right? Talk it out? I don’t know, but he’s leaving right away.”
“He told you all that in a few hours?”
“I think I was just in the right place at the right time, but talking to him, and watching him, made me realize…” she said pensively.
“Realize what?”
“I’m going to say something now, something that’s a bit out there. Something…shoot…I promised myself I’d be brave.”
“You are brave, and whatever it is I’m gonna be fine with it. I won’t judge you, or freak out, you know that, right?”
Taking another swallow of her wine she set the glass on the tabl
e, and fighting a sudden burst of heat in her throat, she turned and stared at him intently.
“The thing is,” she began hesitantly, “you…uh…”
“Go on.”
“You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met,” she whispered, unable to stop her emotional tears, “and I’m falling…no, I’ve fallen…totally in love with you, and if that’s not how you feel, that’s okay. I know things have just started between us, but it’s honestly how I feel, and I had to tell you because if I didn’t…shit…I’m making a total fool of myself. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be sorry,” he said quickly, pulling her into his arms.
“I was standing up at Crystal Valley Point, and it made everything feel so clear,” she managed. “All this crap with mother, it’s just that, crap. You make me so happy, Scott, and I feel so connected to you, and I had to tell you, I just had to.”
“I feel the same,” he whispered, “exactly the same.”
“You do?”
“Of course I do. It near killed me today when you drove off with that man.”
“Scott…!”
“I love you, baby, I do.”
His lips were suddenly on hers, and though their kiss started with a soft, loving, gliding of their mouths, their feelings were firing hot. Scott pulled off his robe, then quickly tore off her clothes, popping buttons and ripping her lace panties as he tugged them off her. Laying her on the couch, he traveled his lips across her body, sucking in her nipples as she gasped her joy, but he suddenly paused.
“What is it,” she bleated. “Please, don’t stop.”
“My condoms, they’re upstairs.”
“I don’t care,” she groaned. “I know I’m safe, and you’re such a lunatic about them, I’m sure you are too.”
“What about…you know…”
“Getting pregnant? I’m on the pill. I’m on it for other reasons than birth control, but the birth control part still works.”
“Praise the Lord,” he muttered, and laying on top of her, he placed his cock at her entrance and thrust home.
“Scott, you feel so amazing.”
“I just wanna love you, baby, no ropes, no teasin’, I just wanna feel you and love you.”
“Me too,” she sighed.
Closing her eyes, she lost herself in the delicious feel of his hardness moving inside her, and his lips devouring her neck. His ripped body rubbed against hers, his wiry chest hairs pricked her nipples, and unexpectedly his strong arms came around her, holding her up from the couch as his lips moved across her shoulders and chest to consume her breasts. She was swimming in a sea of sensations, and as her climax drew near, she felt him accelerate, riding her forward.
“That’s it, baby, all the way, come with me.”
The orgasm shuddered through her, sending tingles to the ends of her limbs. She could hear his groaning, and as the convulsions began to wane, she called out his name, wishing it would never end, and they could stayed locked together forever.
“Sugar,” he murmured, kissing her softly as her body fell limp, “I do love you, so much, so very much.”
A short time later, she stepped from his shower and donned the robe he’d been wearing when she’d arrived. She found a brush on the bathroom counter, and running it through her hair, she smiled at her reflection. She was happy, happier than she could ever remember being, and walking into the bedroom, she found he’d slicked back his hair, and was dressed in black slacks, a maroon shirt, a black tie, and a charcoal grey herringbone sports jacket.
“Wow. You look incredible!”
“Thanks,” he grinned. “I wanna take you out for a real nice meal. We’re gonna celebrate, and we’re gonna take our time. Appetizers, wine, main course, wine, dessert, coffee, conversation over an after dinner cocktail, and in the mornin’ we’re gonna sleep in. We both need it.”
“That sounds like heaven, but who’s going to be driving us home after all that alcohol,” she laughed.
“I thought about that, and I’ve just ordered us a town car. It’ll be here in about fifteen minutes, so you’d best start gettin’ ready.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Why are you so surprised? Cowboys know how to do things right, even things like town cars and limos. Believe me, sugar, there’s quite a bit more to me than you think.”
“You said that to me before,” she said, tilting her head to the side and grinning at him. “You were right then, and I suspect you’re right again.”
“I guess you’re gonna find out,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye.
“Shoot. I don’t have anything to wear. You tore my shirt, remember?”
“We can swing by your condo.”
“I, uh, I’d rather not,” she muttered, worried that the car that had been following them might be there waiting for her return. “Why don’t we swing into Madison’s? I’d love to buy something new. It won’t take me long. How about it?”
“Hey, that works for me. I’ve got nothin’ here except pancake fixin’s. You buy yourself somethin’ pretty, and I’ll zip over to their grocery section and grab some stuff.”
“Done! The only thing left is to decide where to go for dinner.”
“Did you like that lasagna the other night?”
“I loved it.”
“That came from a new Italian place that just opened. Bellissimo. They have gourmet pizza there too.”
“Really? I’d love to go there. Let’s do it.”
“I brought the remains of your clothes up here,” he smiled, pointing to the bed.
“Thanks,” she giggled. “I have a jacket in the car. That’ll take care of me until I buy something, but you do realize we’ll be out in public. Aren’t you worried about us being seen? I thought you wanted us to keep things low key.”
“You know what,” he said, walking forward and taking her hand, “I know your mom is gonna have a cow, and we need to figure that out, but I just wanna enjoy ourselves tonight, and not worry about all that stuff. Let the chips fall where they may.”
“Wait! Is that why you wanted to keep this quiet? Because of what my mother might think?”
“Somethin’ like that,” he said vaguely.
“Don’t worry about her,” Cathy said confidently. “She’ll come around. She’s not going to disown her only child, believe me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I’ve already decided to talk to her. I’m not sure when, but soon. She’ll know by now that Renaldo is gone, and I’m going to tell her about you and me the first chance I get, and believe me, Scott, even if she doesn’t want to accept you right away, she will.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” she declared, trying to close her blouse by tucking it into her slacks.
As he watched her, he thought about Marianne’s last note. He had until Wednesday, and if Cathy could make her mother see sense before then, he’d could return the saddlebags and that be the end of the drama.
Heck, the way things stand now, I should just drop the bags off anyway. I’m not breakin’ up with Cathy, not now, no way. I just need to figure out when to take the bags back, and what to say when I do, but I’ll give it until Wednesday and see what happens.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Marianne and David Coleman were seated in a booth thoroughly enjoying their night out at Bellisimo. David had ordered a small barbecued chicken pizza as a side dish, and after her second glass of wine, Marianne had finally agreed to pick up a slice. She was raising it to her lips when she suddenly stopped, and literally dropping it on her plate, she gaped across the dining room.
“Marianne?”
“I can’t believe it,” she said, her voice a shocked whisper.
“What can’t you believe,” he asked, swizzling around in the bench seat to follow her gaze.
“It’s Catherine, and look who she’s with.”
David didn’t immediately recognize the dapper man who was pulling out a chair for his daughter, but t
hen it hit him. It was Scott Sampson. Taking a breath, worried his wife was going to cause a scene, David hastily turned back and faced her.
“Now, Marianne,” he said calmly, “before you-“
“I wonder who he is. Isn’t he handsome? Such a sharp dresser, don’t you think?”
“Yes, he is,” David said slowly, slightly confused, then realized his wife had scarcely laid eyes on Scott Sampson, and if he’d barely recognized him, she certainly wouldn’t.
“Darn it, his back is to me now,” she said impatiently. “I think I’ll go over and introduce myself.”
“No! Absolutely not,” he said quickly, “and when we leave we’re going through the banquet room to the front the restaurant so they won’t see us.”
“What banquet room? How do you know about that?”
“I had a business lunch here last week, that’s how I knew about this place, and I did tell you about it. Anyway, that’s what we’re going to do. I don’t want to walk past their table.”
“You’re a spoilsport,” she grumbled. “I want to meet him. Oh, my goodness, they’re holding hands. I wonder what happened to the cowboy she was so interested in. Is she really so fickle?”
“Right, that’s it,” he declared, worried Cathy would see her mother. He didn’t know what his daughter might do, but it wouldn’t be good.
“What do you mean?” Marianne frowned.
“We’re going to switch sides,” he said firmly, and sliding out of the booth, keeping his back to Cathy and Scott, he stepped to Marianne’s side of the table. “Come on, out you get.”
“No, I-“
“We switch sides or we go home. I’m not having you staring over there for the rest of our meal. Now move, quickly. I don’t want Cathy to see me, and I especially don’t want her to see you!”
“You’re very sexy when you try to take charge with me,” she grinned.
“Try?” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I’m going to count to three…”
“I’m not five years old,” she grumbled.
“One, two…”
“Fine, fine,” she said irritably, not even sure what would happen if he reached three, but not wanting to find out, “don’t get your boxers in a bunch. I’m moving.”
Her Forbidden Cowboy (Cowboys After Dark Book 12) Page 14
