by Ali Vali
The desire in Cain’s voice made Emma moan and lift herself so she could reach the tempting lips again. This time when she pulled away she lowered her hands to the button of her jeans and undid them enough so Cain could fit her hand inside. “It’s too cold to take them off completely, but if you don’t touch me right now you’re going to have to carry me back.” Her last thought before the long fingers sliding over her robbed her of the ability to think was how thrilled she was her hopes hadn’t been shot down.
“I love you, lass, and I’ll love as many children as you wish to bring into this world with me.”
It was done. No matter the consequences, Cain set her sights on trying again, regardless of her self-doubts. With so much to fight for, she was ready to enter the fray, no matter what waited for her at home.
It was time.
Chapter Nineteen
As Ross stared out at his barn from his living room and sipped his coffee, he thought of the spring they’d brought baby Emma home from the hospital. The ordeal of childbirth had wreaked havoc on Carol’s body, and the doctor had told them it would be risky to have other children. For a man who’d come from a family of ten, it was the hardest news he’d ever had to take.
It had made no difference. He looked out at the yard and in his mind’s eye could see the small blond tagalong hanging from the fence waving to him when he’d ride back from the fields. Emma had filled his heart so completely, Ross hadn’t regretted not having any others. Yet he’d let Carol subject her to the kind of treatment she didn’t deserve. At night when he had trouble sleeping, he’d pray God would forgive him for his weakness. He should have done something about his wife a long time ago. He certainly didn’t miss her right now.
Jerry’s truck pulled up to the house, and as Ross watched Cain get out of the cab and survey the area, he wondered how she’d gotten away from Lou and Merrick. She seemed to be back to normal, and Emma had told him that Cain had a little pain only if she moved too quickly. Grabbing another cup from the kitchen, he carried the pot of coffee out to the porch and sat in one of the rockers.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” Cain said, not taking her eyes off his fields. “Not heading out today?”
“Just spending a lazy morning in for a change. There’s enough feed in those bins to keep until this afternoon. Why, you looking for a job?”
Cain slowly shortened the distance between them and picked up the cup he’d filled. “I actually miss our little rides out to see your lost flock of bovines. And I miss the talks we had when I was here.”
“Cain, am I anything like your father?”
If it seemed a strange question, Cain’s face remained passive and relaxed. “You’re like him in some ways, but overall I’d have to say no. I mean, you love your child, and I think you have a connection to the past and your family’s traditions that would most probably have made you friends, but Dalton Casey was one of a kind. Why do you ask?”
“I wonder sometimes if my child will speak so highly of me as you do of him. I see it in Hayden as well when he talks about you. Lately I’ve felt like Emma got the short end by being born into this family.” He took an interest in the bottom of his cup, not having the courage to face her judgment of him.
“Did Emma ever tell you the story of how we met?”
The question made Ross stare off into the distance, as if the answer would somehow be broadcast on the front of his barn. “She just mentioned you one day. I can’t recall if there was a story of how she met you attached to that.”
Cain launched into the story, not leaving out anything about the night that had changed her life forever.
Ross laughed, trying to picture Cain covered in beer and not getting angry about it.
“Do you know what happened for the next year and then some?”
He shook his head and set his chair in motion. This was a nice way to spend an early morning.
“She got me to court her in a way I’d never dreamed of. It was always dinner, a movie, maybe, or something that we could spend time together getting to know one another. When all those dates ended, I got a kiss and a nice pat on the head before she sent me on my way. At first I thought it was cute, then it got frustrating as hell, but I never pushed her any further than she was willing to go.”
Ross glanced at Cain, feeling better knowing that his little girl hadn’t gone to the big city and run wild.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Ross, and you didn’t fail. What you did was raise a young woman with self-respect, who demanded the respect of others. The woman I married was raised by a man who loved her and was enough of a parent to make up for anything lacking in her life.”
“She made you wait?” Ross asked in an amused tone.
“And then some, old man, so wipe that silly grin off your face. You raised a good girl, and it just about killed me.”
Ross finished his coffee, relieved that he hadn’t failed Emma as much as he feared.
Cain set her cup down and stood up. “Take me for a tractor ride, Ross.”
He cranked up the new piece of equipment Cain had bought him during her last visit. For the longest time he really did think it was just about the ride, but at their second bin Cain started talking and asking his opinion on a few subjects. Ross kept quiet until she was done, stunned by the way her mind worked. In the time Cain had spent in the small community of Haywood, she’d considered every consequence to every problem that faced her and the action she’d have to take to fix each one.
“What do you think they’d say?”
“I honestly don’t know, Cain. That’s something the Raths have always wanted, and it was denied them. If it came to pass, then I really don’t see them turning down the opportunity. No one would get in any trouble, right?” Ross took his hat off and scratched the top of his head. This was certainly more intrigue than he was used to.
“Life isn’t always a hundred percent guaranteed, Ross, but I don’t plan mine that way. When I do something like this, I cover every possible angle. Don’t worry. If the heat comes down, I’ll be the only one sitting in the pan.”
Ross put his hat back on and his hand on her shoulder. “You won’t be alone. Emma made you wait, but she did some waiting of her own. If you go down for any reason, she’ll never be happy with anyone else.”
“Thanks for the advice, and I’ll do my best to keep my nose clean. And thanks for hearing me out. I had some doubts, but you helped me through them.”
“Anytime. If you learn to like talking to me, maybe I’ll see my grandchildren more often.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that either. All this fresh air has my mind humming, so I think I have a solution for that little problem too.”
Cain took her time getting off the tractor. She’d seen the doctor in Haywood a couple of times, and he’d said her injuries were healing nicely, but not to push herself. The wound was a little past the itchy stage, and she could get by with a smaller bandage.
Back in the yard, she shook Ross’s hand. If she hurried, she could make it back to Maddie’s in time to have breakfast with Emma and the kids.
Ross waved, feeling melancholy for the opportunities with Emma he’d squandered, but the emotion eased with the knowledge that his daughter had found someone to share her life with who wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.
Chapter Twenty
“Did you have fun playing dairy farmer, love?” Emma was still in her robe and pajamas when Cain walked into Maddie’s kitchen. She held a platter of pancakes and was serving the kids.
“I had a good time, thanks for asking. Why, don’t you think I’d make a good cattle baron?”
“For about a week, then I figure you’d be running cow races on the side to pass the time.”
When Hannah saw her new favorite person, she climbed down from her chair and went to sit on Cain’s lap.
Cain kissed Hannah’s head and smirked at Emma. “You want to stop sassing me and get Hannah and me some pancakes, eh?” Cain tried to take on a Northern accent. �
��Or better yet, why don’t you sit, and I’ll get Hannah and you some pancakes.”
“You aren’t going to spill anything, are you?” Emma tried her hardest to keep a straight face.
“Oh, yes, because that worked out so badly for you,” Cain shot back. “You didn’t drench me in beer on purpose, did you?” She stood, took the platter from Emma, and put it and Emma on the counter, causing both Hannah and Hayden to laugh. “I told your father that story this morning.”
“You told my father I worked in a bar?”
“Why, did you tell him you met me at Sunday mass?” The familiar arched brow appeared, and Emma broke out in a long laugh. Cain hugged her, and the merriment died down to a long sigh.
“Mama, Grandpa Ross said he was coming by to pick me up for a ride down to the feed store,” Hayden said.
“Can I come too?” Hannah squealed. The excitement in her voice was hard to miss.
Emma was waiting for Hayden to say no and explain why Hannah couldn’t go, but was surprised when he said sure, as long as it was all right with Emma and Cain. Emma gave him a hug and kiss for his generosity.
“Finish up, Hannah, so I can get you dressed if you’re going with your brother,” Emma instructed as she gave Cain a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee, as well as a wink. “You finish up too.” Emma wished every morning with her family could be as uneventful as this one.
Forty minutes later Ross stood smiling as Emma strapped a thrilled Hannah into her car seat in the back of her father’s extended cab. Merrick, Lou, and Mook loaded into a rented Suburban behind them. Ross and Hayden would have a chance to visit, but the guards weren’t going to let either of the Casey children out of their sight. Emma had also asked her father for the keys to his house.
“Want to take a ride?” Emma asked Cain. “I want to talk to you about something else in private, so Dad said we could use his place.”
“Would this talk entail the wearing of clothes?”
“Well, for a little while anyway,” Emma answered, feeling aroused.
When Katlin started for the vehicle Cain and Emma were taking, Cain waved her off. “Take a break. I doubt there’ll be a hit team waiting for me at Ross’s place.”
“You’re the boss.” Katlin wandered back inside.
The ride was quiet as Emma leaned against Cain, looking out the window at the landscape that had changed little since she was young. She was starting to miss New Orleans. When she got out of the truck, she took a deep breath before following Cain onto the porch of her childhood home.
“Will you rock me?” She looked at the old rockers on the porch as she asked and thought of all the times she’d spent sitting in them holding Hannah. “If your side hurts we can just go inside and talk.”
“I’d love to rock you.”
To get more comfortable Cain took off her jacket and used it as a blanket over both of them. Shedding the extra layer allowed her to feel Emma pressed up against her.
“We need to get one of these for the house,” Emma said.
“Can you go back to that house after what happened?” Cain didn’t want to pressure Emma. She simply wanted to give them all what was best, and since she hadn’t been there when the shooting happened, she’d have to rely on Emma for guidance.
“We’ll get to that, honey, but I want to ask you something else.” The boards under their chair creaked every time Cain rocked back and forth, a comforting sound in the otherwise quiet morning. “I can understand that Katlin is your cousin and she works for you, but can you tell me why Merrick can’t stand her?”
“What?” Cain pulled her head back to look at Emma’s face to see if she was serious. “They hardly know each other.” She paused and started again. “I take that back. They hardly see each other, so I don’t think they’d know enough about one another to not like each other.”
“I’m telling you, Merrick bristles whenever Katlin walks within two feet of her.” Emma unbuttoned one button over Cain’s stomach and slipped her cold hand inside. “At first I thought it was something sexual, but then I remembered Merrick already has a love in her life, so there might not be enough room for Katlin.”
“What did you do, bug my house?” Cain stopped to kiss her just because Emma’s lips were so close. “How do you know all this stuff?”
“Because the love of her life hasn’t changed in all the time I’ve been gone.” The hair around Cain’s ears ruffled a little in the wind, and Emma combed it back with her fingers. “Not that I can blame her, really.”
“If I’m supposed to know who you’re talking about, I’m still at a loss.”
“It’s you, honey.” She pressed her fingers to the soft lips and smiled. “I didn’t say you returned Merrick’s feelings, and if you slept with her when I wasn’t with you, I don’t blame you.” Emma pressed harder on Cain’s mouth when she tried again to say something. “I know you didn’t, but if you had, I wouldn’t have had the right to say anything.”
“You have every right to say whatever you like. Just like I have the right to be honest with you. But when it comes to Merrick you have nothing to be worried about. She works for me and that’s where it ends.” Cain had pulled the small hand away and held it to her heart. “Let me tell you something, darlin’. If you’d found some cowpoke out here to spend time with, he’d be planted under a pile of manure by now.”
“Have I told you lately how romantic I think you are?” Emma kissed her, but Cain laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“You left me because you thought I planted some guy who put the moves on you, and now you think it’s romantic.”
“Well, time has shown me that I’ll never find a better champion than you, and you’ll never do something to harm someone if they didn’t throw the first punch. Sitting here alone all that time made me realize that I love you, all of you, and I don’t want to change who you are.”
“I love you too, and it’s good to know that you feel that way. As for Merrick and Katlin, I’m at a loss there. I haven’t noticed any strange behavior.”
“That’s because you have me to look out for you and notice the things that you’d most probably find trivial anyway.”
Cain stopped rocking as she thought about that and resumed the motion when she started talking again. “It could be something important, though. I can’t afford for two of my most important people be more interested in getting laid than in watching for what’s coming at us.”
Emma pinched a bit of skin on Cain’s abdomen between her fingers and laughed. “I don’t think you can control who your employees date, honey. Unless, like I said, Merrick is still interested in you. Then you can be as controlling and cold as you want.” The last bit was delivered with a bit of heat.
“This really is bothering you, isn’t it?”
“Considering she thinks I’m wearing a wire in my bra and has a tendency to undress you with her eyes at every given opportunity”—she pulled her hand free and held up her thumb and index finger an inch apart—“it bothers me a little.” Emma released a sigh and put her head down on Cain’s shoulder. “When I first got home I’d sit out here and think of how I’d finally given her the chance to get close to you.”
“Put those feelings to rest, lass. Nothing went on at the house that wasn’t going on before you left. I trust Merrick with my life, but not with my heart. I’ve only done that once, and she’s sitting in my lap now.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“Anything else you’re worried about?”
Emma shook her head.
“Then you keep an eye on what’s going on between Merrick and Katlin and let me know if there’s something I should be worried about. I don’t want to change the subject, but now’s a good time since it’s just the two of us.” Cain pulled her closer and tried to make her hands behave and not veer somewhere that would cut their talk short.
“Before any other shit happens to make Giovanni think he’s closer to taking over, I have to go back and deal with all this. We had a life befo
re all this, with a certain number of businesses and a feeling of safety in our home, and I fully intend to return to that security. If you want, we can start fresh somewhere else. You taught me that a house is just that, a place where you keep all your stuff; but having you and the kids there makes it my home.”
“When do you want to leave?”
“That’s the other thing I want to talk to you about—”
Emma pulled back far enough so she could point her index finger at Cain. “You said no more leaving me behind.”
Cain took hold of the menacing pointer and bit down gently on it. “Calm down, wild thing. No one’s leaving you if you don’t want to be left. What I was going to tell you is I want the kids to stay here with Jerry and Maddie, along with a few of the men. That house has enough bedrooms to put up Mook and some others until we’re done. It’s okay, though, if you want to stay behind. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“You can’t be that delusional, can you?” Emma put her hand back in Cain’s shirt after another button came undone. “If you’re going, I’m going with you. While we’re there you can take care of whatever you need to do, and I can tend to what we’re going to do about the house. Just think of it this way. If we’re there together we’ll have each other to rely on.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?”
“I’m as positive as I am about wanting to show you my room right about now,” Emma said as she pinched an alert nipple. “That way if my mother ever gives me another problem, I’ll tell her what I let you do to me in that little bed.”
Cain let her up and took her hand. She figured another month of recovery and she’d be carrying Emma wherever she wanted to. But for now, the sway of those enticing hips wasn’t a real hardship to study all the way up the stairs.
Emma smiled at Cain when they reached the top step, because while she was positive their relationship was built on more than sex, it was good to see the want back in Cain’s eyes.
