The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 1 [Book 1 - Divine Grace, Book 2 - Her Gentle Giant, Book 3 - Heavenly Angel] (Siren Everlasting Collection)

by Heather Rainier

  Teresa tidied up and got herself ready for bed. Angel had asked if he could have Michael during the day on Christmas Eve. He had the whole day planned for the two of them while she went to work on the wildest shopping day of the year. Their plans included having supper ready for her when she got off work the following evening. She fell asleep looking forward to seeing Angel in the morning.

  Teresa woke early and got ready while she listened to holiday music on her stereo. Michael chattered excitedly while they ate breakfast about getting to go with Angel for the day.

  At one point, he got a little serious, and then he asked, “Mama? Is Angel my daddy?”

  She was standing at the sink, rinsing her cereal bowl. She paused then shook her head. “No, honey. Angel is Mommy and Michael’s good friend.” No, Angel wasn’t Michael’s father, but he was the kind of father she would have wished for. She attributed it to the sentimentality of the season and missing her parents when tears filled her eyes and a large lump formed in her throat. Her heart pounded a little at the thought that this was the question on his mind, right before Angel picked him up and spent the whole day with him. She hoped he didn’t put Angel on the spot, asking him more questions along that same line.

  “Mama cryin’?” Michael asked softly, sympathetically. She smiled, noticing that he had developed Angel’s habit of sometimes dropping the “g” at the end of words.

  “No, I’m fine. Mama just loves you so much.” She got up from the table and kissed the top of his head and allowed him to pat her cheek before nibbling his neck and making him giggle. A few minutes later, he came screeching from his bedroom when he heard Angel’s big dually pickup truck outside.

  Angel took one look at her face when she opened the door and smiled when she immediately went into his arms for a hug and Michael tugged on his leg and babbled.

  “What’s the matter, beautiful?” he whispered in her ear. She could hear the concern in his voice. The lump reformed in her throat, and she shook her head. Teresa gathered Michael’s backpack and cowboy hat, and Angel lifted Michael up onto his arm to carry him out to the truck. Michael loved being outside when Angel’s diesel truck was running.

  “Berbbbbbbbbb!”

  Teresa held Michael while Angel installed his car seat, and then he buckled the little boy in. After handing him his hat, Angel closed the truck door and turned to her. She’d had a minute or two to compose herself and will the lump trying to reform in her throat into submission. “Are you all right?” He brushed away a wisp of hair the chilly wind blew in her face.

  “I’m fine, Angel. Just feeling sentimental, you know? Michael is so excited about spending the day with you. Thank you for taking care of him for me.”

  “We men are going to have a good time.” Then focusing the attention back on her, he murmured, “You looked sad when you answered the door. What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  It was difficult to speak through the thick huskiness that formed in her throat as she battled tears. “Nothing is wrong, Angel. I feel…very blessed,” she said as her lips trembled, “like my cup is running over. It got to me, I guess.”

  “All right,” he replied, smiling down at her with a look of understanding in his eyes. “Don’t bother packing a lunch because me and the little man are going to bring your lunch up to the store. I know you only get a few minutes because of the rush, so we’ll stop by with it then you can eat whenever time allows.”

  “You are the most thoughtful man I’ve ever known, Angel.”

  Angel smiled flirtatiously. “Wait until you meet Joaquin.”

  “Is he coming today?” They still hadn’t heard for sure when he was planning to arrive.

  “When I talked to him this morning, he said he was tied up. When he calls later today, I’ll have a better idea of what time he’ll arrive. He tends to be more spontaneous. I should know something by the time you get off of work. Now, you don’t work too hard today.” He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her.

  They both laughed when they heard a loud squeal from inside the cab of the diesel. He released her and opened the driver door.

  “What’s all the ruckus in here for, boy?”

  “Mama kissin’ Daddy!”

  Teresa’s hands flew to her mouth in utter mortification. Angel roared with laughter then gathered her into his arms, flaming cheeks and all, and kissed her again for good measure.

  “Angel, I swear I didn’t teach him that or encourage him to say it!”

  He laughed softly, the sound resonating in her ears like a reassuring caress. “I know. He’s been calling me Daddy for at least a month when we’re together at the ranch.”

  “He asked if you were his daddy this morning. I think he sees other daddies picking up their kids from daycare and wondered where you fit into our lives.”

  Angel nodded in understanding, filling her heart with relief. “Out of the blue one day last month, while I had him on one of the mares, he called me Daddy. I saw no reason to correct him or confuse him further, so I let him. Don’t worry, sweetheart. It doesn’t bother me.” He tilted her head up for one final kiss. “I know you need to get to work. I’ll see you around eleven with lunch, all right?”

  “All right. Thank you, Angel. It will give me something to look forward to in my hectic day.” She backed away when he closed the door and buckled up then backed out of the parking spot and drove away.

  * * * *

  “Mama sad?” Angel asked as he tuned the radio to a country station then glanced back at Michael in the middle of the backseat.

  “Yeah. Mommy looooves Angel. Kissing is yucky!”

  “Naw, not when you love someone like I love your mommy. Ready to run errands?”

  “Running errins? Gonna go get Mama’s ring?”

  “Yeah, but you’re gonna keep the secret, right?”

  “I not telling! Angel gonna be my Daddy!” he screeched at the top of his lungs and clapped his hands. Angel smiled at him in the rearview mirror and fought the lump that was growing in his throat. That’s what the expression on her pretty face was about. Michael must have dropped a hint, and it was on her mind when she answered the door. He smiled, knowing the time had finally arrived.

  * * * *

  “Pretty Mama, you planning on untying me sometime today?” Joaquin drawled, feeling way too comfortable tied to the woman’s bed. She returned to the bedroom totally nude, brushing out her long, wavy blonde hair. His naked hips flexed lustfully as he watched her full, pink-tipped breasts sway slightly with her movements.

  “Mmm. Maybe I want to keep you under my thumb as long as I can, cowboy,” she murmured sexily as she admired her handiwork with the ropes.

  Joaquin growled hungrily and stretched his shoulders. “Well, if you’re gonna keep me here like this, you might as well put me to good use.” He gazed at her through half-shuttered eyelids. His lazy smile was an invitation for her to mount up on the cock that was rock hard and begging for attention from between his thighs.

  She giggled as she slowly climbed onto the bed and prowled over him like a jungle cat. “Cowboy, I sure do like this big, thick cock.” Lifting his heavy shaft from his abdomen, she stroked him, her little hand unable to wrap around his entire girth. “Someday you’re going to make a woman real happy with this beautiful monster of yours.” She licked her lips and smiled. He groaned as her lips descended over his cock in a slow up-and-down sucking motion, engulfing him in her moist, hot mouth. He pulled against the soft ropes that were tied securely around his wrists and ankles and thrust upward into her mouth, groaning.

  He’d met her in El Paso the day before. They’d gone out that night and had a good time then came back to her hotel room and had an even better time. They both had to head out that morning. He was expected at his brother’s place later that day, and her family was expecting her back in time for Christmas in Colorado, which meant she was going to need to leave soon. Even then she’d have to haul ass and hope for good weather.

  She’d told him she did
n’t normally hook up with strangers but wanted to enjoy herself a little while she was away from home, and she felt attracted to him. Joaquin had assured her the attraction was mutual, and she’d said she was clean and always used condoms.

  Joaquin had been perfectly willing to saddle up for an adventure, and they’d shared a few exciting memories last night. He figured they had time for one more before she hit the road in her fire-engine red dually pickup and horse trailer. His truck and trailer waited outside parked next to hers.

  She straddled his hips and held his cock, sheathed in an extra large condom, and slid down onto him. He laid there and enjoyed the view as he thrust into her slick pussy. Her eyes glittered with pleasure as she rode his cock in sinuous strokes to an orgasm that left her panting with ecstasy. She kept up the rhythm for him and pumped him to a growling orgasm.

  Afterward, she reached over and untied the knots, one handed. She allowed him to kiss her before he got up to lose the condom and take a shower. He appreciated that she didn’t try to make small talk, nor did she become clingy or sentimental. She jumped in the shower after he was finished and then got ready while he checked on their horses.

  When she was ready and the hotel room was cleared out she said, “Well, cowboy. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime. You’re always welcome in my bed if we cross paths again.” She leaned in to kiss him but made no move to hold him or hug him. It was just too intimate now.

  “You drive safe, darlin’, all right?”

  “You bet. You, too.”

  He appreciated the clean break. No promises or requests to call. She called him cowboy, he called her darlin’, they never exchanged phone numbers, and he had no idea where in Colorado her ranch was.

  Joaquin climbed into his truck and headed southeast to Divine. His tumbleweed lifestyle was uppermost in his mind on the lonesome drive. His pretty face and easygoing, flirtatious manner got him all the free pussy he wanted on the circuit, but he had grown weary of living out of a horse trailer and a duffel bag, even if the lifestyle did have its perks. He hadn’t seen Angel in a couple of years and looked forward to stopping for a while, see if any roots took hold in Divine.

  * * * *

  “Purty, purty,” Michael whispered in awe when Angel opened the small, leather-covered box and showed him the pretty platinum and diamond engagement ring and wedding band he planned to propose to Teresa with the following morning. Michael sat comfortably in the crook of his left arm and reached out a chubby little hand to touch the rings. “Mama loves you. You be my Dad. Everybody’s happy!” he crowed enthusiastically. Clay and the other female showroom employee grinned at the little boy’s happiness.

  “Proposing tomorrow?” Clay asked him in a deep Texas drawl.

  “Yep. Lord willing, she’ll say yes.” Angel handed him his debit card. He’d been saving for that ring for a while and hoped she would like it.

  “Ride the horsies now?”

  “In a little while. Let’s go see Rosie and get Uncle Joaquin a little something.”

  “Yeah! Go see Rosie! Wah-keen needs a cowboy hat, too?” Then he very dramatically clapped his hand over his mouth.

  “Uh-oh, kid. I think you let the cat out of the bag, didn’t you?” Angel chuckled at the look of consternation on the boy’s face. He was too smart for his own good. He put his chubby little hand over Angel’s mouth and put his other index finger to his lips and said, “Shh! I in big trouble now.”

  Angel and Clay both had to fight laughter when Michael not so subtly changed the subject. “Then we go see Gracie?”

  “Sure. We can stop in if you want to.”

  “Good. We go see Rosie and ‘Dette now?”

  “Yes, Rosie and Bernadette can help us out. So you think he needs a hat, huh?” Angel asked as he waved to Clay and his sales clerk and strode out the front door into the mild December chill.

  At Cheaver’s, they found a nice, black felt Stetson for Joaquin. Angel set Michael down for a moment and whispered to Rosemary to wrap up a set of spurs and authentic leather chaps for itty-bitty boys they had on display, for Michael.

  “Anything else we can’t live without, Rosemary?”

  “Well, now that you mention it. Let me show you something that I happen to know Teresa likes. Come with me.”

  Angel smiled, knowing he’d asked for it.

  Rosemary led him to another rack and lifted a top from the rack in her size and said, “This would be gorgeous on her with her long black hair and dark brown eyes. I know she liked it but wouldn’t buy it for herself because it wasn’t on sale. It will go perfectly with the skirt she purchased.”

  He smiled and nodded. “And of course, there’s a necklace or some other trinket that is perfect with it also, yes?”

  Rosemary’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “I like how you think, Angel. Of course, I have just the thing. It’s right over here.” She happily led the way to the jewelry counter. When Rosemary finally let them out of the store, Angel was loaded down with the Stetson, Teresa’s blouse, a pretty necklace and earrings set done in shimmering onyx stones, and the chaps and spurs. He reminded Michael that secrecy was absolutely necessary for the Christmas gifts he’d found for Teresa, and Michael promised happily.

  They stopped in at Rudy’s to pick up lunch for Teresa, ordering her favorite food, and then drove over to Stigall’s. The parking lot was full to bursting, and they wound up parking at the curb on Main Street.

  Michael grabbed his cowboy hat and popped it on his head, imitating Angel. Angel carefully lifted the container with her food in it and held Michael’s hand as they walked across the parking lot and approached the glass doors. Angel caught their reflection in the glass. Michael walked beside him like a miniature version of himself, his little chubby hand held securely to his own, and it wrenched his heart when he thought of how much he wanted that boy to be his own and call him Daddy, for real, for good.

  Angel sauntered through the store with Michael walking just like him by his side. Teresa was floating today, working wherever she was needed. Angel found her tidying up the dressing rooms in the menswear department, one arm loaded with clothing.

  When he spotted her, Angel released Michael’s hand, and he ran to her. “Mommy! We bring-ded you some lunch! Your favorite!”

  “You bring-ded me lunch, huh?” She squatted down to give him a hug then stood to hug Angel. Her face glowed when she smiled up at him. It was all he could do not to take her in his arms right on the spot and lay a hot, wet kiss on her in front of the whole store. Then he remembered this was the spot where they had been introduced to each other the previous spring by Grace, back when she worked there on the weekends. Dang, but he was sappy today.

  “There are beef fajitas, fresh tortillas, extra guacamole, and pico de gallo in the bag. We also brought you a sweet tea. You look like you’re busy, so we won’t stay long.”

  “Angel, thank you so much for doing this for me. It’s a real treat on a crazy day. I’ll look forward to it and be thinking of you. What are you going to do now?”

  “Well, we have presents to wrap, and Michael wants to stop in and say hello to Grace. I thought I’d let him take a little nap after lunch and then take him for a ride with me this afternoon.”

  “Don’t need no nap. I’m good to go,” Michael said reasonably, giving Angel a thumbs-up, then yawned hugely.

  “Uh-huh,” Angel replied, smiling, “you want to ride horses with me, buddy, you’ll take a little rest first. I don’t want you worn out when your mama gets home. She doesn’t want you to be a cranky boy, you know?”

  “Uh-huh.” Michael said with his little lip stuck out as he held out his arms for Angel to lift him up.

  “Wow, you must have had a busy morning, if he’s this subdued already.”

  “We had a few errands to run.” He grinned at her curiosity. “We also had last-minute shopping to do. I needed to get something for Joaquin for Christmas.”

  After saying goodbye, he leaned in and kissed her cheek then let Michael do th
e same. He glanced back at her as he walked with Michael to the main entrance, and her cheeks flamed adorably when he caught her ogling him.

  Chapter Eight

  Angel was on horseback with Michael riding in front of him when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He smiled when he saw the caller ID.

  “Hey! I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you.”

  “Oh yeah? Remember how I told you I was…tied up in El Paso?” Joaquin chuckled suggestively.

  “Too much information, little brother. Are you on your way?”

  “Yeah, I just stopped in San Angelo to gas up and get a bite. I should be there right after supper time.”

  Angel shifted the reins and placed his forearm protectively in front of Michael as he squirmed in Angel’s lap. “Listen, I have some news for you. You’re going to be here for a special occasion.”

  “This have anything to do with the ‘perfectly lovely young woman with the perfectly gorgeous long hair and perfectly perfect hourglass figure’ that Mom has been going on and on about?” Joaquin asked with obnoxious emphasis in an imitation of their mother’s voice. If she’d been there, she’d have popped him good for his disrespect.

  “Mom has been talking about her? She only saw her a couple of times at the hospital after I got shot.”

  “Yeah, about your records with girlfriends—?”

  “This one is completely different. What did Mom tell you?”

  “That she was shy and innocent, respectful and very beautiful.”

  “She’s all of those things. I’m riding with her precocious two-year-old right now.”

  “She has a baby?”

  “Long, long story. So Mom liked her?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s another reason why she was nudging me to visit with you.”