Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends)

by Christi Snow

  He gave a terse nod. “She refused to give it back, but it’s my mom’s.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “It’s one of the few things I have that belonged to her. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see it again.” His emotions were getting the better of him and he didn’t want to break down in front of Penelope. “Let me go put it away and then we can get back to our discussion.”

  When he came back into the room, he nuzzled up behind her neck and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Now where were we?”

  “Hmm, I like what you’re thinking, but unfortunately I have someplace I have to be today. Want to give me a ride?”

  “Sure. Where are we headed?” He leaned back to look over her tight worn jeans, cowboy boots, and long-sleeved tee. She had her hair done in a low ponytail and carried a baseball hat. Hmm, a bit sedate for Penelope’s normal free-styling look.

  She shrugged on her leather jacket and gave him a teasing look as they walked out the front door. “I think that should be a surprise.”

  “That’s gonna be kind of tough since I’m driving,” he said as he handed her the helmet out of the saddlebags on the bike.

  She simply smiled at him. “Just head out toward Buffalo Springs Lake and I’ll direct you from there.”

  “You do like to give directions, don’t you?”

  Her jade eyes suddenly started to smolder. Oh yeah, she definitely liked giving directions. They weren’t even on the damn bike yet and he was hard again. Damn. He couldn’t resist. He pulled her into his arms and dove into her mouth, but instead of those luscious breasts pressed up against him, he felt something hard and pointed.

  He pulled back. “What the hell?” He reached into her jacket and pulled out a book from her interior breast pocket.

  She giggled. “Sorry about that. It’s my emergency reading. Do you mind if I put it in the saddlebags?”

  He smiled at her indulgently. “Be my guest.” He undid the buckle for her. “Still worried you’re going to get bored with me?”

  “Never, but it’s like a security blanket for me. I don’t go anywhere without a book, or two, or ten.”

  He closed the saddlebag and gave her a hand so she could settle onto the motorcycle behind him. “Whatever keeps you happy, sweetheart.”

  * * *

  When they drove onto a ranch, Colton glanced back at Penelope to give her a puzzled look. She just smiled at him and gestured him to go on down the road.

  The ranch itself was about 35 miles east of Lubbock where the caprock dropped off and the landscape drastically changed from the flat plains surrounding the city. Out here, the land ebbed and rolled in gentle hills. There was also a drastic change in the plant life. Around Lubbock, there were miles and miles of cotton fields. On the ranch, there were bushes, wildlife, and even real trees. That was something they rarely got to see in Lubbock.

  When she’d first made contact with the family, there was an instant attraction between her and the second to youngest boy, Thomas. They’d connected through their mutual issues with their parents. Thomas’s mother died when he was younger and he blamed his father for that loss. It made things rather touchy for him since he had to work with his father. But Thomas loved the ranch and couldn’t give that up even with the conflict between the two of them.

  They’d dated for about six weeks before their romance fizzled out. In that time though, Penelope became part of the family and the ranch. Still all these years later, she came out to help exercise the horses at least once or twice a month, more in the summer when she helped out with the summer camps. She loved it out here.

  As they rode up on Colton’s Harley, Thomas came out to greet them. He was a great looking guy, even if he wasn’t the guy for her. He had on a straw cowboy hat and she could already see his ice blue eyes peering in curiosity out from under the brim. He had about two days’ worth of scruff and he looked worn out. He’d obviously been working hard today. His worn boots were dusty, as were his threadbare jeans and t-shirt. She could see the sweat stains from where he’d been working out in the hot sun.

  She wished she knew a girl who was perfect for him. He was, flat out, too nice of a guy to be alone and he desperately wanted a wife and family. That was a lot of the reason why they hadn’t lasted. Back then, she hadn’t wanted that for her life. As she looked over at Colton, suddenly she questioned all the convictions she’d held for so long. Was this what love did to a girl?

  As they got off the motorcycle, Thomas walked forward looking confused, but friendly. It wasn’t until she removed her motorcycle helmet that he realized who she was. When he did, his stride faltered a bit before he flashed her his trademark smile.

  “Well, hey there, Penny.” He scooped her up into a full-on Texas hug, which meant he lifted her off the ground and swung her around a time or two before putting her down. By that time, Colton was scowling heavily. “I didn’t expect you out for at least another week. Is your wrist feeling better?”

  “Hiya, Thomas. It’s feeling better and healed much faster than I thought it would. I thought we’d come out and exercise some of the horses for you, if that’s okay?”

  “You know it is. We always love having your help and the horses have missed you. Is this your archeologist friend?”

  She shook her head.

  Colton stepped up and presented Thomas with his hand. “I’m Colton Robertson, Penny’s boyfriend.” He emphasized that last half in such a way that Penelope knew she was in trouble.

  “Thomas Martin.” As Thomas shook his hand, he looked back over at Penelope with curiosity. “Your boyfriend, hmmm? I didn’t think you let any guy close enough to claim that title.”

  As Penelope reached around Colton to draw him closer. “I never thought it would happen, but I guess I just needed to meet the right guy.”

  “Ouch,” he exclaimed, but the good humor in his eyes belied his words. “Hell, Penny that hurts.”

  She just grinned at him. “Aw, don’t pretend I broke your heart. You and I both know that’s not true.” She just shook her head at him. “Is anyone else around? I’d like them to meet Colton.”

  “Dad’s in the barn doctoring Lucy with Ethan.”

  “What’s wrong with her? Is she okay?” Lucy was one of her favorite horses. She was sweet-natured and a wonder to ride, but that darn horse was always getting herself into mischief and trouble.

  “Yeah, she just got into something and cut her chest up, so he’s applying some antibiotic to it. She should be fine in a few days. Matthew and Scott are out working the north pasture fencing. You’ll see them if you’re planning to go riding. Andrew’s in town doing some work for the Rangers. Maybe he’ll make it back before you leave. The horses have missed you.” He looked over at Colton. “Do you have much experience riding?”

  “It’s been a few years, but yeah, I used to ride pretty regularly.”

  “Okay, well in that case,” he turned back toward Penelope, “why don’t you put him on Thunder to start with?”

  Penelope nodded. Thunder was an older gelding. He was a huge black horse that once upon a time was probably more than a handful, but he’d mellowed with age and would be a good ride for Colt. He still had enough spirit in him to be fun to ride and he could easily handle Colton’s size.

  “Thanks, Thomas. We’ll probably see you again before we leave.” She led Colton toward the barn.

  As they walked, he grabbed her around the waist and tugged her toward him. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you Penny? Who would have guessed that within that VW Bus hid a tried and true cowgirl?”

  “It’s definitely not my natural state of being, but I’ve learned to love it out here.”

  As they entered the barn, Penelope inhaled the musty smell of hay, leather, horses, and old wood. She laughed at the pure joy of it and sharing it with Colton. She pulled him further into the dark interior as she called out, “Michael, Ethan, are you guys in here?”

  “Back here,” a voice called from the back corner. “Penny, is that you?�
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  They rounded the corner of the horse stalls and there he was coming at them, the original Marlboro Man, without the cigarettes. Michael was in his late fifty’s with salt and pepper hair. He’d worked the ranch his entire life and had the physique that showed it, regardless of his age. His wife died in a car wreck when Thomas was young, so Michael basically raised all four of his boys by himself. “Hello, Michael.”

  Immediately he picked her up into a big hug just like Thomas had, but without the extra swing. “Well, hey there, girly. We’ve missed you.”

  When he put her down, she pulled him over to Colton. “Michael, I’d like to introduce you to Colton, my boyfriend. Colt, this is the patriarch of the Martin clan and the Rocking M ranch.”

  Colton reached over and shook Michael’s hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  “Likewise, although I’ll admit, I never thought I’d see the day where this one introduced me to a boyfriend.” Michael cocked an eyebrow at her and she grinned as she interlaced her fingers through Colton’s. “I’d given up on that a long while ago. There may be hope for my boys to settle down yet.” Michael looked him over and seemed pleased with what he saw.

  Penelope smiled. “They just haven’t met the right girls yet. Don’t give up hope.”

  Ethan walked up behind Michael, brushing off his hands. “And this is Ethan, the only guy on the ranch without the Martin name. I’m not sure what he does besides cause trouble, but they seem to think he does something valuable here.” She smiled at the easy-going young man who grinned at her, obviously not bothered by her teasing.

  Michael added, “He may not have the Martin name, but he’s definitely part of the Martin ranch. Ethan does as much work here as any of us.”

  “It’s a good place to work with good folks running it.” Ethan gave an easy smile.

  “Well darling, it’s awfully good to have you back. We’ve missed you the last couple of weeks. The boys need a female presence every once in a while. It keeps them calmer.” Michael gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning back to Colton. “Nice meeting you, son. You take good care of this girl. She’s a keeper and I hope we see you out here with her often.”

  “Yes sir. I appreciate the invitation and will take you up on that as often as Pen is willing to bring me.”

  After they got the horses saddled and Pen spent some time reacquainting herself with the other horses, they settled into riding a well-worn trail around the fields of the ranch.

  Colton turned to her to ask, “So tell me about the Martin’s and how you know them.”

  “Michael is the head of the Martin family. This is the ranch that’s been in their family for several generations. There are four boys: Andrew’s the oldest. You didn’t meet him. He works on the ranch too, but he’s here less than the others because he’s also a Texas Ranger. Scott is the second oldest. He’s a part-time paramedic with the volunteer fire department, but mainly runs the ranch with the rest of them. You met Thomas. He’s third in line. We dated for a few weeks before deciding we made better friends than lovers. The baby is Matthew. Hopefully, we’ll run into Matthew and Scott out here riding so you get to meet them.”

  “No females? No significant others?”

  She gave a sad smile. “Nope, not yet, although Michael keeps hoping. He wants the boys to settle down with wives. His wife died in a car wreck when the boys were still little. Thomas was in the car with her and still has nightmares about it. I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that things are strained between him and Michael because of it. He blames his dad for her death.”

  After riding a while, they rode up to the old homestead, which had been abandoned by the family years ago. Penelope loved the ramshackle old house with the big wide porch. She confided in him, “I have daydreams of owning a porch like this where I can watch the sunset in the evenings and rise in the morning. Me sitting out here in a rocking chair with my cup of tea and a good book.”

  “Is it just you or are there a few kids running around in the yard and a husband inside making dinner?”

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Hmm, he’s making dinner?”

  He nodded.

  She shut her eyes as the image of Colton standing at the kitchen with a boy and a girl playing in the yard with his eyes assailed her. What was she thinking? A husband and kids were not in her future. She needed to get that fantasy under control immediately. She shook her head to dispel it. “Nope, it’s just me. I like the quiet and don’t want a husband and kids to disturb it.”

  “But just imagine it… he makes dinner, they put the kids to bed, and then make mad passionate love on the swing on the porch.”

  “There’s a swing on the porch?” Why was her heart suddenly galloping faster than this horse ever would? Why was it so easy to imagine? This was dangerous territory and she didn’t need to think along these lines. These kinds of dreams would lead to heartache.

  “Of course. Every porch needs a swing. I bet this one had one. Look you can see where it hung.” He pointed toward the empty eyehooks in the ceiling of the porch. “It looks like the house has been abandoned for a while.”

  Penelope was grateful for the change of subject to less personal things. “Yeah, I don’t think the Martins have used it in over fifty years. They built the other house on the other side of the ranch, closer to the highway. I just love this house though.”

  Colt looked over at her. “So explain to me how this happened.” He gestured up and down to her riding a horse.

  “I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and have never really been out of the city. I was working on a project…” she hesitated, “for the bookstore, and a friend thought the Martins might be able to help me out. I fell in love with them and the ranch and have been coming out ever since. I try to come out as often as I can. They board a lot of horses, so if I can come out and ride a few of them, it leaves them to do other chores on the ranch. In the summer, I help with camps to teach kids how to ride and care for the horses. I love coming out here.”

  “I can tell. You’ve been smiling ever since we arrived.”

  “How can you be anything but happy when you are surrounded by all this? I’m continually amazed by how beautiful it is out here once you drop off the caprock.”

  “You’re constantly a surprise, Ms. Penny.”

  “Hopefully, I stay that way. A girl has to maintain some of her mystique. Although I have to admit, I never saw you as a cowboy either.”

  “When I was in college at A&M, I worked part-time on a ranch. I’ve always managed to find some place to ride almost everywhere I’ve been stationed except England. I just never could find myself wanting to try my hand at riding English-style.”

  She giggled. “Yeah, for some reason the idea of you posting to the trot doesn’t quite do it for me either. I’m glad to know that you enjoy riding because I love coming out here. I’m happy I can share this with you.”

  “Me too, sweetheart. Me, too.”

  She had another flash of Colton and her, relaxing on their own big, rambling porch. It was a disturbing one, only in the fact that it felt so right and natural.

  Chapter 28

  It was late by the time Colton and Penelope headed back toward Lubbock. The night was cooling off, which was a relief for Colton. He needed as much cool air as possible to deal with Penelope’s wandering hands. She was obviously in a sexy mood after so much fresh air. At first, she’d just taken advantage of their position on the motorcycle by lightly tracing her fingertips along his abs, but the longer they rode, the more daring those fingers had become. As they wandered dangerously close to his ever-hardening cock, his breath hitched.

  Finally they hit the edge of Lubbock and Colton couldn’t drive fast enough to get back to the loft parking lot. He was ready to detonate by the time he turned the motor off. He quickly swung off the bike, got his helmet off, and waited impatiently as Penelope removed hers. He didn’t miss the flash of surprise which crossed her face as he pinned her to the wall of the
parking garage for a soul-scorching kiss. She was just as turned on as he was because she quickly wrapped those long legs around his hips.

  Her breasts pressed up against his chest were exactly what he wanted. What he needed. He groaned low and hard as her heat pressed up against him. She was soft in all the places where he was hard and he couldn’t resist the urge to push his cock against her even more.

  Both of them were breathing raggedly by the time he pulled back. “Sweetheart, we need to move this upstairs before our neighbors get an X-rated show down here in the parking lot.” Despite his words, he still wasn’t pulling back as he fingered the snaps on her jeans. It would be so easy to strip her and pump into her right here, right now. Judging from the dazed look on her face, she wouldn’t have a problem with that. either.

  He took a deep breath to regain control of his arousal and gently lowered Pen’s legs to the floor. “Come on. Let’s move this upstairs.”

  Penelope licked her lower swollen lip and nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

  He chuckled. She seemed a bit dazed. He liked that he could do that to her. In fact, he loved that he could do that to her. As they rode the elevator up, she began to nibble on his neck. He closed his eyes against the rapture of Penelope’s warm breath on his neck and earlobe. She whispered right into his ear, “Do you know what my favorite part of making love to you is?”

  He shook his head, too aroused to even speak.

  “There’s a moment right before you come, when I can feel your dick inside me thicken and pulse. It’s like you’re reaching my soul. We’re standing on the edge of an incredible cataclysmic event and it’s just you as deep into me as you can go. There is no better feeling in this world.” Her voice was low and hoarse with emotion and desire. She gently nibbled and licked at his ear lobe.

  His cock throbbed. They would be lucky if they made it past the doorway before he was inside her. He was desperate with need. Hopefully, she was just as aroused as he was, because he wasn’t going to last long once he finally got inside her.