by Katie Lane
She pushed down her melancholy and reminded herself it was time to put on her big girl panties and quit acting like a homesick kid at summer camp. “You don’t need your little sister living with you.”
“And yet, you wanted me to come back to the ranch and live with you.”
Evie did have a good point. “Okay, so maybe I’ve finally grown up and realized that adults need to have their own lives.”
“You could have your own life living with me. I’m not going to try to bulldoze you like Daddy.”
“No, you’ll just mother me to death like you do Clint. Besides, what if you get married? You can’t expect me to live with newlyweds. That’s just weird, Evie.”
“What’s weird is you living at Dixon’s Boardinghouse where you don’t even have your own bathroom. You have to share with strangers.”
That was going to take some getting used to. While the garden room was cozy and quaint with its four-poster bed, overstuffed floral reading chair, and French doors leading out to Reba’s beautiful garden, it would be nice to have her own on suite bathroom.
“You have a point. This morning, I ran into Miss Gertie coming out of the bathroom in her wrinkled birthday suit. She just rolled right past me with her cat Rhett Butler sitting in the plastic basket of her walker as if she wasn’t naked as a jaybird. But I wouldn’t have my own bathroom at your house either,” she said. “I’d have to share with Clint. And I love my nephew to death, but he’s a little piggy.”
“Tell me about it. He cleans his room and within an hour it smells like a boys’ locker room again.”
“Sadie will whip him into shape when he gets to the ranch.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not sending him to the ranch this summer if you’re not there to watch out for him.”
Penny had been afraid of that. “You can’t do that to him, Evie. Clint is so excited about coming to the ranch this summer. And so is Daddy. Just because I’m mad at Dad doesn’t mean you have to be mad at him too.”
“I never stopped being mad at him. He’s a jerk. And I’m so proud of you for giving him hell for once. He more than deserved it.”
Penny couldn’t argue the point. But she couldn’t help feeling bad for him either. When Evie left, he still had her. Now both his daughters were gone. As ticked as she was at him, she didn’t want him to lose his grandson too. “Please think about letting Clint stay on the ranch this summer. Maybe being around Clint will soften him up a little and make him see the error of his ways.”
Evie snorted. “If you’re expecting an apology, I wouldn’t hold my breath. He probably doesn’t even think that going behind your back with the energy company was a big deal.”
“You’re right. He said it was none of my business.” Penny plumped up one of the fluffy pillows on the bed with her fist. The pillowcase was a crisp white cotton with pretty embroidered lilacs around the edge. The other pillows on the bed were embroidered with different flowers—roses, daisies, and impatiens. No doubt, Reba’s grandmother, Miss Gertie, had done the delicate handwork. The old woman was meaner than sin, but could certainly stitch a fine seam.
“I thought Daddy was against drilling,” Evie said. “He used to fume and fuss every time we drove by a new pump jack.”
“I did too.” Penny leaned back on the pillow and tucked her feet up on the bed. “You should’ve seen him cuss out the guy who stopped by to see if his company could lease some land for wind turbines. Which is why letting some energy company lease our land to survey for oil just doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe he needs the money.”
“I don’t know why he would. Cattle prices are up and the ranch should be doing great. Not that I’d know since he insists on doing all the bookkeeping himself.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
It was a good question. “I don’t have a clue. I guess I need to get a job.”
“Doing what? The only thing you’ll be happy doing is ranching.”
“Then I’ll get a job with one of the other ranches.”
“You know that will make Daddy have a conniption fit.”
“Yep.”
Evie laughed. “You have grown some balls, baby sister.”
“Not really. I’m scared to death to be on my own. But sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.” An image of Cru flashed into her head. She should be embarrassed by how she attacked him in the barn, but she wasn’t. She’d wanted Cru for what felt like forever. It was time she owned up to it. Even with her sister.
“I like Cru.”
There was a long stretch of silence before Evie heaved a sigh. “I was afraid of that. I hoped you’d grown out of your crush, but when I saw you two together at the hospital, I knew you hadn’t.”
“You knew I had a crush on Cru?”
“Everyone knew you had a crush on Cru. It was pretty obvious, Pen.”
“And yet, you let me believe he was Clint’s father and confront him about it.”
“You confronted Cru about being Clint’s father? Why would you do that?”
“Because I really believed it was him. You liked each other that summer. And I saw you kiss him.”
“Yeah, I liked him like a little brother. And he kissed me. I didn’t kiss him. If you’d spied longer, you would’ve seen me push him away. Not only because I wasn’t interested in kissing Cru, but also because my little sister liked him. And I would never break the sister rule.”
Penny leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, I broke it. I thought you and Cru had gotten together and I kissed him anyway. Twice.”
“Why, you slut.”
She sat up. “Evie!”
Evie laughed. “I’m kidding. Geez, Pen, you’re so serious sometimes. You didn’t break any rules because Cru is not the one I got with that summer. And I should’ve told you it wasn’t him. Especially after I saw the way you two were looking at each other in the hospital. I guess I was hoping that if you thought he was Clint’s father, you’d stay away from him. You’re still my baby sister and I want to protect you.”
“I’m a big girl, Evie. I can take care of myself. But my relationship with Cru isn’t going anywhere. All we shared were a few kisses and some knock-knock jokes.”
It was a lie. They had shared much more than that. While working the ranch together, they had become friends. He had told her about living at St. James’s Children Home and she had told him about her childhood on the ranch. He had shared stories about Father Stephen and the nuns and she had shared stories about her family.
A family she still couldn’t help trying to keep together.
“Please let Clint come out for the summer,” she said. “Please give him the opportunity to love the ranch as much as I do . . . as much as you do. Daddy isn’t as grumpy with him as he is with us. And it’s not like there won’t be a lot of people there to keep an eye on him. You know Sadie will protect him with her life. And I’ll be around if he has any problems or just needs to talk.”
Evie released her breath. “Fine. I’ll let him come. Clint would kill me if I changed my mind anyway. He’s been packed for the last week. And maybe I’ll stay a couple days and hang out with my little sister and visit with Chester and Lucas.”
“I’d love that and so will they. Although they won’t have much time for visiting. They’ll be getting ready to move into their new house.”
“How did you get them to go along with the house raising?”
“We didn’t. Sadie and I decided that it’s best if we just build it and let them raise holy hell afterwards.” A knock on the door startled Penny. “Listen, Evie, someone’s at the door, I have to go.”
“I’m not going until you find out who it is.”
Penny rolled her eyes as she got to her feet. “City life has made you a scaredy cat. It’s probably Reba with a plate of snickerdoodle cookies. She promised she’d bring some up when they came out of the oven. I’ll call you later.” She hung up the phone and hurried to the door.
>
But it wasn’t Reba holding a plate of snickerdoodles. It was Cru. He was hatless and it looked like he’d been running his fingers through his hair because the raven locks were mussed and sexier than usual. He looked tired, his eyes red-rimmed like he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the night before. But the rest of him looked spit-polished, from his starched western shirt to his pressed jeans and polished boots. She felt like a complete slob in her stretched out t-shirt and comfy gray sweatpants with her hair up in a messy bun on the top of her head.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Did something happen at the ranch?”
He lifted the plate. “Reba asked me to bring these to you.”
“You came here to bring me snickerdoodles?”
His cheeks turned pink. She’d never seen Cru blush before . . . or act so awkward. He shuffled his boots and cleared his throat. “So did you mean what you said in the barn?”
“About not coming back to the ranch?”
“No. About—“ He held out the plate. “Could you put these somewhere? I can’t talk with a plate of snicker-whatevers in my hands.”
She took the cookies and carried them to the little glass table by the French doors. When she turned, Cru was standing right behind her. His gaze was intense as he studied her.
“I like your hair like that.”
She fiddled with the strangling strands. “It’s a mess.”
“It’s beautiful. It’s always beautiful.” He lifted his hand as if to touch it, but then tightened it into a fist and let it drop. “Look, I came here because I just want to make sure that you understand.”
“At this point, I don’t understand anything. If you could just be a little more specific—”
Her words cut off when he pulled her to him and kissed her. Not a little peck, but a deep, greedy kiss that turned her mind to mush and her bones to butter. When he drew away, she had to hang onto his shoulders to keep from slipping to the floor.
“I want you, Penelope Anne Gardener,” he said. “I’ve wanted you ever since I almost ran over you with my Porsche. And that want has grown into something I just don’t understand. It’s not the kind of want like when I want a burger because I’m hungry or a pillow because I’m tired. This is a deep, aching need that has almost been the death of me these past few weeks.”
She knew exactly what he was talking about. The ache in her was almost unbearable. And it made her feel even more melty that he felt the same way.
“You ache for me?”
He smoothed a strand of her hair back from her face and his hand trembled as if he was trying hard to keep a handle on his emotions. “Like I’ve never ached for any woman in my life. And I want to ease that ache. I want to spend the entire night easing that ache deep inside of you.” If a woman could reach orgasm just by words, Penny was on the brink. “But I need to know you understand that a night of sex is all I can offer.”
If it were any other man asking for a one-night stand, she’d tell him to get the hell out. But this was Cru, and she understood he was giving her all he thought he could give. All he knew how to give. And she was willing to take whatever he offered.
She took his hand and held it to her lips, pressing a kiss to the callus in the center of his palm. “I understand.”
His fingers curled around her chin and he lifted it until their gazes locked. “Promise me you won’t get hurt.”
She spoke just about a whisper. “I promise.”
His breath whooshed out as if he’d been holding it, then he lowered his head and kissed her. This kiss wasn’t as desperate as the previous one. This kiss was slow and thorough and as perfect as a kiss could get. When he finally pulled back, Penny felt lightheaded and woozy. She kept her eyes closed and wrapped her arms around his waist for balance, letting her head rest against his hard chest. Beneath her ear, she could hear the rapid thump of his heart.
“Your heart is beating fast,” she said.
“You seem to have that effect on it.” His fingers gently furrowed into her bun and pulled the hair tie free, allowing her hair to fall around her face and shoulders. Cru gathered the wild mass into his hands and tugged until she lifted her head for another kiss. Time seemed to stand still as they stood there exploring each other’s mouths with insatiable lips and marauding tongues. And she wanted time to stand still. She wanted this moment to last forever.
Finally, he drew back and swept her t-shirt over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra. When he glanced down at her bare breasts, he made a sound deep in the back of his throat that was part growl and part groan. He stared at her breasts for so long she should’ve felt uncomfortable. She didn’t. Right now, she was Cru’s to do with what he wanted. And he was hers.
She slid her fingers inside the open neck of his shirt and tugged each snap open one at a time. When she reached the end, she pressed her open palms to his lower abdomen like she had done in the barn, then slowly slid her hands up each hard ridge and tempting hollow until she reached his collarbone. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and studied the sculptured body before her like he still studied her.
“You’re perfect,” she said.
“Not even close,” he answered before he hooked the waistband of her sweatpants with his fingers and pushed them down her hips. Once she was standing completely naked in the pool of cotton, he spoke in a croaked whisper. “Now you, on the other hand, are the definition of perfect.”
He gave her one more sizzling onceover before he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He laid her across it, her legs dangling over the edge. But before she could scoot up, he knelt on the floor in front of her and parted her legs. While she could deal with him looking at her boobs, she couldn’t deal with him looking at her there. She tried to close her legs, but he held them open.
“I want to see you,” he said. She sucked in her breath as his warm lips settled on the inside of her left knee. “I want to taste you.”
Her breath remained lodged in her chest as he kissed his way up her thigh, his mouth and tongue leaving a trail of moist heat. She thought she’d felt like melted butter before. When his mouth finally settled on her quivering center, she felt like someone had lit a match to the melted butter and set her aflame.
She gasped and her legs reflexively tightened against his head. But this time, instead of wanting to hold him out, she wanted to hold him in. She wanted him to never stop the gentle kisses, the deep pulls, and the sizzling flicks. He fanned the fire higher and higher inside her until it exploded in a shower of intense sensation that left her pawing at his back with her bare feet and rambling in a jumble of incoherent words.
“Oh . . . please . . . damn . . . so good . . . I . . . yes!”
After the sparks settled inside her and she was left with only glowing embers, she puddled into the mattress like a boneless mass of contentment and smiled at the ceiling fan that whirled overhead.
“Wow.”
She could feel Cru’s breathy chuckle. He gave her one last sweet kiss that sent an aftershock rippling through her before he removed her limp legs from his shoulders and got to his feet. He sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots and socks, then stood back up to peel off his jeans and briefs. She knew she had thoroughly enjoyed the oral sex, and from the looks of things, so had he.
“You’re a little bigger than when I spied on you out at Mesquite Springs when you were fifteen,” she said teasingly.
“That was called shrinkage. Something I haven’t had to deal with since I saw how you had grown up.” He pulled his wallet from his jeans and set it on the nightstand before he leaned a knee on the bed. “Now scoot over so we can continue doing naughty grown up things.”
She scooted over and he lay down next to her. When she’d been thirteen, she’d fantasized about kissing him. Since he’d come back, she’d fantasized about this—about lying naked with him and doing whatever she wanted with his hot body. But now that it was a reality, she felt a little overwhelmed. Cru seemed to sense her trepidation
and he didn’t push her. He lay on his side next to her and smoothed her hair back with gentle fingers as he gazed into her eyes. The emotion she read in those spring-green eyes said she wasn’t just a one-night stand to him. She was more. Not enough to hold him forever, but enough to make her realize she didn’t want to waste one second of their time together because she was nervous.
She pushed him over to his back and straddled him.
His eyebrows lifted. “So that’s how it’s gonna be, Miss Gardener?”
She smiled. “That’s how it’s gonna be, Mr. Cassidy.”
He held open his arms. “Do with me what you will, cowgirl.”
She did.
Taking her time, she explored every inch of his hot skin and hard muscles. First with her hands and then with her mouth. And he let her, not saying a word, just releasing deep “mmms” when she hit the spots he liked the most. Although she didn’t need to hear his moans of desire to know how her touches affected him. His fists clenched and his legs grew restless as she moved closer and closer to his rigid length. When she finally took him in hand, his control snapped and he rolled her over and slid deep inside her.
She had been a little worried about the fit. But he fit just right. Perfect, in fact. For a moment, she felt sad that once he left, she would never feel so right again. But then he started to thrust and she forgot about the clock ticking off time. Soon all she could think about was holding on to this moment and this man for as long as he’d let her.
Chapter Nineteen
“Did you know you have a little mole right here? No, wait. I think that’s a snickerdoodle crumb.” Cru nibbled on Penny’s stomach. He didn’t realize he’d hit a ticklish spot until she squirmed and giggled. “Yep, a cookie crumb,” he said against her soft skin. “But let me get another nibble just to be sure.”
“Stop, Cru,” she gasped in between laughter. But he liked hearing her laughter too much to stop. She finally used her feet to push him away and shoved him right off the end of the bed. “Oh my gosh!” Her concerned blue eyes peeked over the edge of the mattress at him. Eyes that he was going to have one hell of a time forgetting. And maybe he didn’t want to forget them. As painful as it was going to be, he wanted to remember every second of the time he spent with Penny.
