Small children ran underfoot and Renee managed to memorize their names. Chelsea was the oldest and the only girl. That left Chelsea’s baby brother and three boy toddlers.
“There’s someone else you need to see.” Zane rested his hand on Renee’s shoulder and guided her toward the kitchen table where an older woman was sitting and smiling. She had watery eyes but they were Cameron blue. A cane was propped up against the wall behind her.
“Aunt Grace!” Renee went to the woman and knelt to give her a hug. Grace felt much more fragile than she had before, but it had been over two decades since Renee had seen her.
She drew back, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. “I missed you so much, Aunt Grace.”
The elderly woman took Renee’s hand in hers and Grace’s voice was clear and strong. “I’ve missed you too, honey. I’m so glad you’ve come home.”
Home. Renee liked the way that sounded. I’ve come home.
“I’m glad to be here, too.” Renee gripped Grace’s hand in hers.
“Have a seat, honey.” Aunt Grace nodded to the chair behind Renee. To Dan she said, “You take the chair next to my little Reenie, Sheriff Cooper.”
Dan grinned. “Good to see you, Grace.”
Aunt Grace released Renee’s hand and Renee pulled the chair closer to the older woman. Grace asked her about her life after leaving the ranch and told her how much everyone had missed her.
“You don’t know how badly I missed all of you, too.” Renee smiled. She asked Grace how she liked being a great aunt to the five little Camerons and the elderly woman seemed to delight in talking about them.
Aunt Grace had sacrificed a lot to raise Zane, Wyatt, Wayne, Dillon, and Danica when their parents died. Grace had never married, but she seemed happy to have raised the bunch and to now have little ones who were like grandchildren to her.
The kids had already eaten and their parents put them down for naps. It took time to settle them but eventually it was quieter without the laughter, squeals, chatter, and cries of the children. Renee had enjoyed the kids. She loved everything about this big family.
They made her feel a part of them and she longed to have this family as her own again.
Tacos, enchiladas, burritos, refried beans, Spanish rice, and salad were served for dinner with homemade salsa and hot sauce. They drank iced tea, sodas, and beer. The caramel-frosted golden cake, a couple of lemon meringue pies, and a platter of fudge nut brownies were set out for dessert and devoured.
After dessert, Zane took Aunt Grace home because she’d said she was tired and needed to rest. The kids were up and the moms and dads were chasing the little ones and the house became even rowdier.
“How about a game of horseshoes?” Wyatt asked after Aunt Grace left. “I think you skunked me the last time we played.”
“That was a very long time ago. I haven’t played the game since,” Renee said with a grin. “But you’re on.”
The kids came outside to play in the mud while the adults played horseshoes. Jessie held the baby as Chelsea and the toddlers ran around in their bare feet, splashing in puddles, toes squishing in mud, all of them shrieking with laughter.
Zane didn’t ask Renee what had happened to Jerry. It was clear that she was with Dan now and Zane probably figured that Jerry was long gone. Since Dan had been the one to pick her up, Zane didn’t know Jerry had been arrested.
Wyatt handed Renee a pair of horseshoes. “You go first,” he said.
Renee took the horseshoes. “Let’s see if I remember how to do this.”
The other members of the Cameron bunch gathered around to watch.
Renee stepped up to the stake closest to her and looked at the other one that was forty feet away. The layers of sand that had been put around each stake were high enough to keep puddles from forming at the bases.
“How far out is the foul line?” she asked Wyatt. “I’ve forgotten.”
“Three feet.” He gestured to the approximate distance she had to pitch from.
She held up the horseshoe, lined it up so that she was aiming for the stake, then pitched. The horseshoe landed in a puddle a good four feet from the stake.
Wyatt grinned. “A little rusty?”
“Just wait until I’m back in form.” She lined up the next horseshoe and pitched it. The shoe landed about a foot from the stake.
Wyatt’s turn was next and he pitched two ringers, the horseshoes landing neatly so that both edges could be touched with a straight edge.
Renee shook her head. “I think I have my work cut out for me.”
They played until Wyatt scored twenty-one to her fourteen and then it was time for the next opponent to step up. Dan challenged Wyatt and only lost to him by one point.
While they took turn playing horseshoes, a soft warm rain started to fall. It felt invigorating and they stayed outside.
Someone brought out a lariat and tied a honda knot to make a lasso. Zane and his brothers took turns doing tricks with the lasso that they’d learned as kids and were even better at now.
When it was Dan’s turn, he did a couple of tricks and Renee smiled as she watched him. She looked away for one moment when Wayne spoke to her.
Next thing she knew, the lasso was around her shoulders. She gasped in surprise as the lasso tightened and Dan reeled her in toward him. He brought her up close and he grinned as he brought her flush against him.
Warmth flooded through her at his nearness and she wanted him to kiss her. But he only smiled then let her go.
For a moment she wondered why he hadn’t kissed her, then realized it was probably for her sake since she’d been here with another man just a few days ago.
She stepped close to him and murmured in his ear. “Let’s try that again sometime later.” She drew away and he gave her a wink.
Renee found herself smiling more that day than she’d smiled in a very long time. When she’d first come to see the Camerons with Jerry just days ago—what now seemed like a lifetime ago—she hadn’t been sure what to expect. Would they be cordial? Friendly in an acquaintance sort of way? Or treat her like a friend who had been gone a long time but welcomed back?
What she hadn’t expected was to be treated like family. She hadn’t expected to be brought into their circle so easily, as if she’d never left, as if they still considered her to be a sister. She had nothing like this back East. She’d only been here a short time and between the Camerons, their kids, and Dan, already felt like she’d found a long lost family. They cared about her.
It all made her feel like she might truly belong here. That this was the right place for her.
She found herself meeting Dan’s gaze throughout the afternoon and warmth traveled between them, the connection stronger than ever after last night.
In the late afternoon, the parents needed to get their tired and over-stimulated toddlers home. Dan and Renee said their goodbyes with promises of getting together again soon.
As they drove back to Dan’s ranch, Renee settled in the passenger seat with the empty cake pan on the floor at her feet. Dan reached across the console and took her hand.
She gave a happy sigh as she looked at him. “This has to have been one of the best days of my life.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you had a good time. Everyone missed you and they’re glad to have you back.”
“I missed them, but I didn’t realize just how much until now.” She linked her fingers with his. “They treated me like family again. It was one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever experienced.”
“To them you are family,” Dan said.
“Yes.” She nodded. “And they are family to me.”
While the late afternoon rain pelted the truck, Renee thought of the day and how good it had felt. She didn’t want to let that feeling go.
Philadelphia had never really felt like home to her and she never felt like she quite fit in. Sometimes over the years she had wondered why that was, but now she was certain of what had only been a s
uspicion before. She’d always been a country girl at heart, just stuck in a big city.
While her mind turned over each and every thought, she wondered once again if moving back to Arizona would be the right thing to do.
She tucked the thought aside. There was time enough for that when she was able to think clearly about everything that had happened recently as well as her future and her past. She wasn’t going to rush into anything despite what she felt with Dan. When she made her decision she’d make sure it was the right one with no questions lingering in her mind.
Chapter 15
Renee stood with her back to the bedroom door, humming to herself. It was the day after the get-together with the Camerons and it had been a beautiful day outside. She’d spent the time with Dan as he took care of chores because the ranch hands were off for an extended weekend.
She had just taken a shower, her hair hanging long and wet down her back. She slipped into a pair of red panties then reached for a matching red bra.
A startled cry came from her as a rope flew over her head and tightened around her shoulders. The lasso was jerked hard enough to turn her around to face Dan who was holding the rope. The lasso was pulled snug so that her arms were pinned to her sides.
His gaze drifted over her from her head to her toes. “Look at what I’ve caught.”
The way he looked at her sent heat through her belly. She tossed her head, flipping her wet hair over her shoulder. “Now that you’ve got me,” she said in a seductive tone, “what are you going to do with me?”
He tugged on the rope, pulling her toward him until her body was flush with his. Heat rushed over her skin at the feel of his clothed body against her almost naked form. Her nipples brushed his shirt, his belt buckle pressed into her belly, and his jeans felt rough through her silky panties.
Her breathing hitched as she looked up into his beautiful sea green eyes and saw desire smoldering in them. “How did you know I’d like this?” she murmured.
He gave her a sexy grin. “Yesterday you did say to try lassoing you again later. I took that as an invitation.”
He grasped her hair and pulled her head back so that her face was tilted up and she couldn’t move. His mouth came down hard on hers.
She parted her lips and his tongue delved into her mouth. He tasted her and she gave a soft moan as he bit her lower lip.
With her arms secured to her sides she couldn’t touch him. She was under his control. He moved her to the side of the bed and when the backs of her legs hit the mattress she dropped onto the bed.
He picked her up and put her in the middle of the bed, then slid the rope from around her shoulders and up and over her head. Before she had a chance to react, he grasped both of her wrists together and tied them with a length of rope to a spindle on the metal headboard directly over her head.
She tugged against her bonds as he grasped her panties at the waistband and pulled them off. An ache grew between her thighs as she lay completely naked before him.
He eased off the bed, turned, and picked up more rope that she hadn’t noticed sitting on the straight back chair next to the French doors that led out onto a deck.
“What do you think you’re going to do with that?” she said.
“I know exactly what I’m going to do with it.” The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile and he grasped one of her ankles.
“Hey.” She kicked at him but he had too good a hold on her and she tried not to laugh.
He tied the rope to the metal bedpost so fast it was like watching a cowboy hogtying a calf. He grasped her other ankle and she struggled. It felt hot and sexy fighting against him while she was naked.
When he had secured her other ankle, he studied her with a look of pure satisfaction. She was spread wide with her arms over her head and her ankles tied to each bedpost.
Butterflies flipped through her belly as he sat on the edge of the bed and he skimmed the back of his hand over her nipples. She caught her breath as her nipples tightened from the sensual touch.
“What are you going to do?” she asked as she looked up at him, her voice breathy with desire.
“I have plans for you.” His smile was sensual.
She watched him as he stood and toed off his boots before stripping off his socks. She studied his face and the intense look in his eyes. His jaws were rough with stubble and his hair mussed from his hat.
Hunger for him went through her as he unbuttoned his shirt and laid it on the chair by the French doors. As he moved his muscles flexed, each one well defined. She sighed as he unbuckled his belt and unfastened his Wrangler jeans, then pushed them over his hips, leaving him in his boxer briefs. He stripped out of them and her mouth watered at the sight of his large erect cock.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she murmured.
He went to the chest of drawers where she’d been keeping her clothing. He opened the top drawer then pulled out a pair of her nylons and went back to her.
Her eyes widened. “You’re going to blindfold me?”
She saw his smile just before he wrapped the nylons around her head then over her eyes, and tied them behind her head. He arranged the nylons over her eyes so that all light was eliminated.
A helpless feeling came over her. She was tied down and she couldn’t see. She pulled against the bonds and bit her lower lip.
“You’re not going anywhere.” The bedsprings creaked when he shifted his weight. Then his mouth was on one of her nipples and a moan escaped her. While he sucked it, he played with her other nipple with his callused fingers.
He moved his mouth and hand away. “I’m going downstairs for a few minutes.”
“Don’t leave me alone.” She pulled against her bonds as she teased him.
“I’ll be back,” he said as she felt the mattress rise again when his body weight left it. She heard the top stair creak as he stepped on it then the middle step squeaking as he went down.
The fluttering in her belly grew more intense. What was he doing? Being under his control made her feel tingles up and down her skin, a sense of excitement that made it hard to remain still. The ceiling fan stirred the air and it brushed over her, making her naked body feel even more sensitized.
Banging around downstairs in the kitchen caught her attention and she wondered what he was up to. Her hearing seemed more acute with the blindfold on. It was so dark but it felt completely erotic being naked, bound, and blindfolded. She wondered what it would be like if he took her hearing away, too.
The creak of stairs caught her attention again and she found herself holding her breath. She slowly let it out as the bed dipped again and she felt his presence by her side. She heard a thump as he set something down on the nightstand.
Her heart beat faster as she felt him smear something cool and sticky over one nipple and caught the scent of chocolate. Then she heard the sound of whipped cream coming from a can and felt the topping’s coolness on her breast.
“The perfect sundae,” he said before he lapped up whipped cream and chocolate sauce and then his warm mouth slid over her nipple.
A moan rose up inside her as he sucked off the sweet treats. “You taste so good,” he murmured.
She felt the warmth of his breath as his mouth hovered over hers. He kissed her slowly, sensuously, and she tasted the chocolate and whipped cream as he kissed her.
He moved his mouth from hers and shifted. She felt more of the sticky stuff as he spread it over her other nipple and felt the cool whipped cream as he sprayed it on. He sucked her nipple that had grown bullet hard from his attention, licking the sweetness away.
Again he kissed her and she tasted more of the sweet toppings.
“What would you do if I kept you like this?” He skimmed his palm over her nipples. “Kept you here as my little prisoner?”
Her belly flipped as she imagined being tied up for his pleasure whenever he wanted her. It was an erotic thought that had her catching her breath.
“Well?” he said as he
pinched her nipple.
She gasped. “I’d like to be yours in whatever way you want me.”
“I like that answer.” She heard the sexy smile in his voice and wished she could see him.
She squirmed as she felt the smooth glide of chocolate sauce as he spread it between her breasts with one finger then moved downward. He paused and swirled the sauce around her bellybutton before moving to just above her mound.
He moved back up her body and she felt his tongue on her skin as he began licking the path he’d just made, starting between her breasts. Every lick and taste was slow and tantalizing and had her breathing harder and harder. He traveled down to her bellybutton and dipped his tongue inside it. Electricity zinged from that spot straight to the apex of her thighs.
With her sight taken away, every sensation felt magnified. He continued to ease down until his big shoulders were between her thighs. Her breathing came more rapidly at every touch, every movement.
He applied chocolate to her slick folds with his fingers and she felt hair-trigger sensitive at his every touch. He slid his hands under her ass and nuzzled the curls of her mound before blowing warm breath on her between her thighs. A rumble of pleasure rolled up inside him and he pressed his mouth against her folds.
She cried out, her body arching up off the bed. Her whole body writhed as she made sounds of pleasure when he started licking and sucking her clit. She found herself crying out and fighting against her bonds, struggling to get away when she really didn’t want to be freed. It was just so much sensory overload that she didn’t know if she could handle it.
An oncoming climax barreled toward her as he pressed his mouth even tighter against her folds. He slid two fingers inside her and started moving them slowly in and out and she cried out from the intense sensations.
Her orgasm came closer and closer, the pleasure so exquisite that her eyes watered behind her blindfold.
He stopped.
She almost shrieked with disbelief. “Why did you stop?” The words came out on a tortured moan.
Lingerie and Lariats (Rough & Ready#7) Page 11
