by Becky McGraw
"I'd say you called me on it at the lake house, wouldn't you? Jesus, that was a grand exit for sure...you were fucking incredible."
She grinned up at Gabe then said cheekily, "You liked that huh?"
"I was dumbstruck...I've been thinking of the sight of you in that morning light with the lake reflecting up on you for weeks. I'm sure the neighbor who was putting his stuff in the boat next door to go out fishing was astounded too."
Karlie's hand flew up to her mouth and she felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh, Lord, say it ain't so," she begged.
"I'm afraid so, darlin'. I could hear his pacemaker ticking all the way over on our dock, after you took off. Thought I was going to have to give him CPR."
She slapped his shoulder then chuckled, "Oh, quit it..."
He put his hand over his heart then finally smiled that beautiful smile at her and said, "It's the truth!"
She put her hand to his cheek, "Kiss me, Gabe."
Finally, he lowered his mouth to hers and took her lips in a soft, gentle kiss that related how much he loved her and had missed her, then she took it up a notch by finding his tongue with hers and inviting him to play. With a groan his hands went to her ass and he pulled her tightly against him, then shoved her against the car and lifted her up so they fit together perfectly.
Karlie whimpered and devoured his mouth, pouring out all the loneliness and pain she'd been going through for weeks, purging it from her system, renewing herself like a wilted flower finally getting rain.
Gabe pulled back and kissed her neck up to her ear then his hot breath floated over the shell as he asked her, "Who do you love, baby?"
Breathlessly, she whispered against his cheek, "Only you, Gabe...always you." His mouth closed over hers again ravenously and her heart felt like it was a pinball shooting around in her chest, her breathing hot and shallow.
Someone cleared their throat behind them and Gabe reluctantly released her and then turned around, his breathing not any steadier than her own.
"Um...I was going back to the Double B now...do you need a ride?" Beau asked her with a grin, then studied Gabe intently.
Once her brain kicked back into gear, Karlie introduced them, "Beau Bowman, this is Gabe Kelley, Bowie's Chief Deputy."
"And Karlie's fiancé," Gabe added in a possessive tone, then stuck his hand out to Beau.
Gabe heard Karlie suck in a breath then she looked up at him with questions in her beautiful blue eyes. He had plenty of answers for her when he got her alone. That episode at the lake house and his almost losing her had definitely cured him of his commitment phobia. Being without her wasn't something he ever wanted to experience again.
Beau shook Gabe's hand then told him, "Karlie tells me you're from Phoenix?"
Gabe wondered why this guy was asking questions about him. He wasn't here investigating him, he was interviewing Karlie, but he answered anyway, "Yeah, my sister and I moved here from Phoenix...well I moved here from Mesa."
"Sabrina?" he asked leadingly.
"Yeah, she's Cole Jackson's wife, the Sheriff, you know him?"
"Cole and I went through the academy together..." he told Gabe then hesitated like he wasn't sure he wanted to ask whatever was on his mind. "Can I ask you something...I know it's odd, but I have to know."
"Yeah...shoot," Gabe said and got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like that feeling, and braced himself for a question he might not want to hear.
"What's your mother's name?" Beau's face turned red and his gaze moved from Gabe to Karlie then back again.
"Why would you want to know that?" Gabe asked incredulously, then his arm dropped from around Karlie's waist and his body tensed up.
"My mother is Jolie Marie Kelley Bowman, and I know I have a brother and sister who lived in Phoenix...haven't you noticed we kind of look alike? That's why I asked."
"I don't want to talk about that bitch. If she was a good mother to you, then good for you. I don't have a mother..." Gabe told him angrily.
"Whoa...whatever she did to you is not my fault," Beau raised his hands and took a step back then told him, "She was pregnant with me when she left Phoenix, she told me that on her deathbed, and she told me about you and Sabrina. I've been trying to find you ever since. I thought for twenty-five years that Ben Bowman was my daddy."
"So she's dead?" Gabe asked and couldn't figure out why his heart pinched, because he had absolutely no feelings for the woman other than hatred.
"Yeah, she died two years ago," he told Gabe, then added, "If it's any consolation, she wasn't a great mother to me either. She was a socialite who cared more about appearances than anything else, and my daddy could keep her in that style, so she was happy. I don't know what made her confess to me about you two when she was dying...but I'm glad she did. I'd like to get to know you."
"Did you talk to Sabrina?" Gabe asked gruffly, reeling from the information this man had just dumped on him.
"No, but I helped her when she was running after you and got a stitch in her side earlier in the cafe."
Panic surged through Gabe and he pushed around them and ran for the Blue Bird. God, he wouldn't be able to survive if he'd caused something to go wrong with Sabrina's baby. Guilt ripped a hole in his chest, as he crossed the street and ran through the door, then yelled his sister's name. She came running out of the kitchen and her face was frightened and pale. He wailed then ran over to her and grabbed her up against his chest, murmuring against her hair, "Oh, god, sis...tell me the baby is okay. I'm so sorry..."
Her mouth was pressed against his chest and she mumbled, "I'm fine, Gabe...put me down before you squeeze me to death." He let her slide down to the floor then put his hands on her shoulders and inspected her from head to toe, looking for signs that she wasn't telling him the truth.
"The baby and I are fine, and will stay that way as long as you don't keep scaring the shit out of me," she told him then put her hands on her hips. Gabe looked around and saw that everyone in the restaurant was gawking at them. Right then, Karlie and Beau ran into the restaurant and over to them. He grabbed Sabrina's arm and said, "Let's go to your office, we need to talk."
Sabrina nodded then led them all to her small office in the back of the cafe. There were only two chairs, so Beau and Gabe remained standing...right next to each other. Once Sabrina took a seat behind the desk and turned around to get a good look at them, she gasped then put her hand over her mouth, "Oh, my god, you two could be twins," she said in dismay.
Gabe walked behind her desk and knelt beside the chair taking her shoulders in his hands, "That's what I need to talk to you about..." he said then looked over at Beau Bowman and corrected, "What we need to talk to you about."
"Holy, moly..." Sabrina huffed in a breath then blew it out, then looked at one then the other of them again.
"Stay calm, please Bri...I couldn't bear something happening to you or the baby because of me," he told her roughly and squeezed her shoulders.
Sabrina slugged his shoulder then laughed, "I'm fine, Gabe...stop being dramatic and tell me what the hell is going on here."
"Our mother was evidently pregnant with Beau here when she left us...we have a brother. She didn't tell him about us until she was dying two years ago..."
"And he found us?" Sabrina asked amazed.
"Not exactly...fate stepped in it seems. He's the Texas Ranger they sent to the Double B to interview Karlie about what happened with Jake Johnson, and she just happened to mention our names."
"Wow, that is too weird," Sabrina said shaking her head. "What are the odds of that happening."
Beau piped in, "A couple of million to one? I think I'm going to buy a lotto ticket on my way back to the ranch. I've been looking for you guys, since mom told me about you."
Gabe saw Sabrina's eyes fill with tears, before they overflowed and tracked down her cheeks. "I never knew her really, I was only two when she left...I never even saw a picture of her, my dad threw them all away."
"You didn't miss much,
sugar. She wasn't a nice woman," Beau told her shaking his head, then added, "She wasn't mean, just disconnected...her friends and social status meant more than her family to her. Thank god, my dad was a really good father...or who I thought was my dad."
Sabrina got up and Gabe stood then moved aside, so she could walk around the desk to stand in front of Beau. She put her hand to his cheek and looked into his eyes, and said in a fervent whisper, "My god, you look just like Gabe," she glanced down at Karlie who nodded, then took a step forward and put her arms around his waist and hugged him. Beau Bowman looked stunned then put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
Karlie got up and Gabe thought she was going to leave the room to give them some privacy, but she didn't, she walked over to him and put her arms around him instead. "I love you, Gabe," she said into his chest, where she rested her head.
He looked down into her eyes and smiled, then said in a choked voice, "I never thought I'd hear you say that again, baby...say it again."
"I love you..." she told him with a wider smile, the chuckled, and said, "You'll get tired of hearing it soon, I promise."
"Never..." he told her then lowered his head to kiss the beautiful woman in his arms, because he couldn't help himself. So much emotion poured through him, he felt like he was going to burst with it.
"It's about damned time...I thought I was going to have to shoot him," Sabrina turned toward them and said with her hands on her hips. "He's been a bear, since you dumped his dumb ass." Sabrina's words were playful, but her blue eyes were filled with stark relief.
Karlie squeezed Gabe's waist then admitted, "I haven't been a ray of sunshine myself...I thought Wade was going to shoot me too."
Gabe growled then pulled her against him, he didn't even want that man's name passing her lips. Karlie might not have been feeling romantic toward Wade, but Gabe saw how he had looked at her, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Will you come back to the cabin with me, so we can talk?" Gabe asked her hopefully.
Karlie nodded and pulled back from him, "Lead the way..." she told him grabbing his hand.
Beau eased out of Sabrina's arms, then asked them, "Can we have dinner tomorrow night somewhere? I don't have to be back in Lubbock until Monday."
Gabe nodded and Sabrina said smiling up at him, "You can meet Cole, my husband...and we can get to know you better."
"I know Cole," he told her with a half-smile, "We went to the police academy together."
Sabrina shook her head then told them, "No, kidding...wow, this whole situation gets weirder and weirder, but better and better too."
Gabe took Karlie's hand and pulled her toward the door. He was all for family reunions and kind of liked the man who was evidently his brother, but there was a burning urge inside of him to be alone with the woman he loved. There were things he needed to say to her...now.
"We'll talk to ya'll later," Gabe told Sabrina and Beau then pulled Karlie out into the cafe, and then through the front door.
Karlie was in shock from all that happened in the last hour...she had Gabe back, and he had a brother he didn't know about. She was sure Gabe must be feeling the same way. The brother thing, though, didn't seem to be bothering him, which surprised her. They'd never talked about his family really, other than Sabrina was his sister, and his daddy had owned a farm outside of Phoenix, she just realized how little she really knew about how he grew up.
Gabe led her to his police car, then opened the passenger door for her, before going around and getting inside himself. He was focused, his face showing grim determination, while he drove them to the cabin, and Karlie would have given anything to know what was going on inside that handsome head of his. That was the thing with Gabe, she never knew what he was thinking, he kept it all inside, and that wasn't good for him...or her.
"You, okay, baby?" she asked finally to break the silence.
He looked over at her and his eyes lit up, as did his face with a wide grin, "Better than okay, sugar...perfect."
She snorted, then he laughed when she said, "Nah, you're not perfect, darlin'...but then neither am I...we're both just screwed up enough that I think we deserve each other. Nobody else can put up with out sorry asses."
"I've missed you so damned much, Karlie...thank you for giving me another chance," Gabe told her, his voice roughened by the emotion she saw in his eyes.
"I honestly don't know why I am...the only thing I do know is I was damned miserable without you," Karlie told him sincerely.
"Me too, darlin'...Sabrina wasn't kidding, she was about to shoot me," he told her with a chuckle, as he pulled up in front of the cabin and shut the motor off.
He got out of the car and flew around to her side, then flung the door open and hauled her out of the car and into his arms for a kiss that set the soles of her feet on fire, then he stepped back and she gasped when he swung her up into his arms, and headed for the front porch.
"Gabe, put me down...your arm," she reminded him with a laugh.
"Is fine, now...and I want you in my arms, sugar...it's been too long," Gabe said gruffly, as they reached the door and he leaned down and dropped a light kiss on her lips. He reached down and turned the knob then carried her inside.
Right inside the door, Gabe set her on her feet, then pulled her to him for another kiss that had her leaning into him to deepen it. Karlie couldn't seem to get close enough to him, wanted to crawl inside of him and bask in the pleasure she was feeling...pleasure that only he could give her. Moving her calf up to his thigh, she rubbed against him trying to douse the fire he was fanning inside of her. He was right, it had been too long, and she needed him inside of her now. With a wiggle of her hips, she begged with a groan, "I need you so bad, baby...love me, Gabe."
He pulled her arms from around his neck, and stepped back then pinned her with dark blue eyes glittering with desire. Holding her hands in his, he shook his head then said,
"Not yet, baby...there's a lot I want to say to you first." Gabe led her to the sofa in front of the fireplace, then pushed her down on it. "Sit tight, I'll be right back."
Karlie sat there, her body smoldering, wondering what in the hell could be more important to him than making love to her. Gabe came back a few minutes later, and she saw that he'd taken a shower and changed into Wranglers and a western shirt. He'd also put on a new black Stetson and boots. Her heart rate kicked up, because he looked smoking hot, but he didn't look like her Gabe. She stood up, then took off the hat and tossed it on a chair then ran her fingers through his dark wavy hair, before tiptoeing to kiss him.
"There, that's better," she told him with a grin.
"You don't like my new cowboy duds, sugar?" he said in an extended drawl, with a sexy grin.
"I like you anyway you come, darlin'," she told him in a voice thick as honey, then leaned up to kiss him again. "Preferably, in the bed naked and loving me," she teased him then licked his lower lip and he groaned then pushed her away again, which frustrated her. Karlie plopped down on the sofa and folded her arms under her breasts in agitation.
"Patience, sweetheart...I have several things to say to you that can't wait," he told her seriously, then sat down beside her and took her hand in his. "I love you, Karlie Upton," he said then hesitated.
"I love you too, Gabe Kelly, now let's go get nekkid," she told him with a laugh.
He pinned her with serious eyes, and her smile dropped and she cleared her throat, "Sorry, baby...go ahead," she told him.
"I am so damned sorry for what I said to you at the lake...that dream I had kind of had me running scared, and I lashed out at you."
"I told you I forgive you...you don't have to apologize again...but out of curiosity, what was the dream about?"
"I dreamed that you married Wade Roberts, because I was too stupid to ask you," he said in a choked whisper, as the feelings inspired by that dream coursed through him again.
"And that made you run me off?" Karlie asked him with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah, be
cause I decided when I was really young that I wasn't ever getting married...after my mother left my dad," he said and shook his head. "It almost killed him, he wasn't the same after that...all he did was work his ass off to raise us. He had no life left in him. I was young, but I saw it...and learned from it."
"That you can't trust women, because they'll run off on you," she filled in for him with a sad smile. Gabe nodded because he couldn't speak around the lump that formed in his throat. Karlie leaned over and put her arms around him and hugged him to her. "I'm sorry you went through that, darlin'. It must've been as hard as when my parents dumped me," she told him sympathetically, then added with a watery chuckle, "See we're both screwed up, but we understand each other."
