By the time they reached the upper pasture and made camp for the night, he’d convinced himself that he and Tabitha just weren’t meant to be, they were just too different. They’d only been sitting around the fire for a few minutes when Chloe announced she was going to bed and gave Jack a look that only the two of them understood. After she left, there was a long silence, one that made Owen uncomfortable. When Jack cleared his throat, and crossed his arms over his chest, he knew that he was in for a lecture.
“What’s going on Owen? You’ve been acting like a jerk all day.” Jack and Chloe had been enduring Owen’s sour mood all day and it had to stop if they were going to spend two weeks together.
“Nothing.”
“Give me a break. I’ve known you your entire life and something’s wrong. I know I haven’t been home much lately, but when I got home you seemed so happy, now you’re worse than you were when I left.” Jack wasn’t letting Owen out of talking to him.
Owen was tempted to storm off to his tent, but he knew that Jack would only follow him, so he gave up and said, “I had a fight with Tabitha. I wanted her to come along with us but she chose the restaurant over me.”
“You’re mad because she had to stay home and do her job?” Jack asked.
“If she’d really wanted to come, she could have found someone to cover for her.” Owen said, stubbornly, “Chloe’s here with you.”
Jack gave him one of those looks he remembered from childhood, when he’d done something especially stupid. “Sometimes I think you’re an idiot. Have you forgotten that this is Chloe’s job? Do you think I expect her to stop doing what she loves to be with me all the time? I can’t tell you how many times I go to bed alone because there’s an emergency with one of the animals in the park, but it’s part of who Chloe is, so I have to accept it.”
“But it’s just a restaurant, I could buy her another one.” Owen wasn’t going to give an inch.
“Now I know you’re an idiot. Are you telling me that you want Tabitha to give up something that she’d worked so hard for so that she can follow you around? Seems to me that you already had one woman who did that, and it didn’t turn out so well.”
“This has nothing to do with Sarah.” Owen practically growled at Jack.
“Really, seems to me that your trying to turn Tabitha into Sarah, she was perfectly willing to make her life all about you. If you’d married her, she’d be here with us right now.” Jack said, not the least bit fazed by Owen’s anger.
“But I didn’t want that.” Owen said, reality finally getting thought the hurt he felt.
“I didn’t think so, being a chef is part of who Tabitha is. If you take that away from her, she won’t be the same person. Is that what you want?” Jack was relieved to finally see that he was getting through to Owen.
“She said that we needed some time apart.”
“Well, she might not have been wrong. I haven’t been here but it seems like you two might have been moving a little too fast. Maybe you do need to take a step back and think about what you want. Think about who Tabitha is and what’s important to her.” Jack said, hoping Owen would do just that.
Owen hadn’t expected his brother to agree with Tabitha, but as he sat there he realized that maybe that were both right, but he wasn’t ready to admit to anything. “I’m going to bed.” He said, stalking off to his tent, to lick his wounds in private since his brother was no help.
Jack watched his brother go, knowing that he’d eventually come to his senses, but feeling sorry for him all the same. He’d chosen a strong woman to fall in love with and he knew all too well how difficult that could be, especially for Owen who had always gotten his own way with Sarah, it had been for all the wrong reasons, but a fact nonetheless. It would be good for him to have to bend a little bit, but it wasn’t going to be easy for Owen to see that.
It had been the longest two weeks of Tabitha’s life, she regretted the way they’d parted the night before Owen left for the high country and had almost immediately wished that she’d handled it differently. But Owen had to understand that her career was as much of a part of her as anything else. She wasn’t going to give it up to for anything including a man, even if that man stirred things in her she’d never felt before. As wonderful as their physical relationship was, it wasn’t the foundation for a life together. They had to connect on a much deeper level, and she wasn’t sure that they would ever get there.
Still, she wasn’t ready to give up and she hoped Owen wasn’t either, she could still see them together with an adorable baby making the picture complete. She knew that he’d be home the next day and hoped that he’d come see her, but if he didn’t she’d go find him. Deep down she felt like there might still be hope for them and she was going to do everything she could to give their love a chance to survive this hurdle.
She was just getting ready to close the restaurant when Flynn showed up looking for dinner. Happy to see him, she got him some food and some for herself and they sat down to eat together. They’d been sitting in companionable silence for a while before Flynn said, “Owen will be home tomorrow.”
“I heard. Did things go well?”
“The sheep did great, they’re all in excellent health and we should get a record amount of wool in the fall. Looks like we’re going to be able to pull this off.” Flynn said, finishing his last bite of food.
“That’s good.” Tabitha said, without much enthusiasm.
“I bet you miss Owen.” Flynn said, thinking Tabitha’s bad mood was because she missed him.
“I don’t know; I want him home but I’m kind of dreading it. We had a fight before he left.” It hurt to talk about it, but she hoped that Flynn might give her some insight into his brother, so she told him about the fight.
Flynn was silent for a while, then he said, “He’s probably already realized that he was being an idiot. My brother can be stubborn and stupid sometimes, but give him a chance, he’ll figure it out.”
“I hope you’re right.” She said, taking their plates back to the kitchen. When she came back she added. “I really care about him, but this place is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll work out.” Flynn said.
When he’d left Tabitha thought about his words and hoped he was right, but one way or another she’d find out tomorrow if they’d survive this. She went to bed that night missing Owen in the bed next to her and wondered if she’d have to get used to sleeping alone again. It was a sad thought, but she’d done it before and she could do it again.
Chapter 9
Tabitha was glad that she had the morning shift the next day, it helped some to take her mind off Owen coming home and what might happen when they saw each other. But he was still on her mind, sneaking in every time she let her guard down. By lunch time, she’d resigned herself to a long day of worrying and thinking about Owen, but then one of the ranch hands walked in and she was immediately concerned because she’d never seen Steve in the restaurant during the day.
“Hi Steve.” She greeted him, her voice shaking. “I’m surprised to see you here this time of day.”
“Well…I… ummm.” Steve looked embarrassed.
Tabitha was instantly more worried, “What’s wrong?”
Steve took a deep breath and handed her an envelope. “Flynn sent me over with this, he said that he wouldn’t be home tonight and that Owen should be home by dinner.”
Tabitha took the envelope from him and felt a key inside and immediately knew why Steve had been so embarrassed. “Thank you, Steve.” she said, then asked. “How about some lunch since you’re here?” Hoping to save them both any further embarrassment.
When her shift ended that afternoon, she showered and dressed in one of the new outfits that Owen had bought her, it was a small gesture but she hoped that Owen would understand. Then she went back to the kitchen and gathered everything she’d need to cook a dinner that hopefully would make it clear to Owen that cooking was wh
at she should be doing. Joe gave her a quick hug on the way out, boosting her confidence just when she needed it.
She was just putting the finishing touches on dinner when she heard Owen’s four-wheeler coming down the road, suddenly nervous she went out on the porch so he’d know that she was there. When he finally came around the corner and she could see him, her heart skipped a beat, even after two weeks roughing it, he looked good. No better than good, she thought, trying to squelch the rush of desire that followed.
He looked surprised to see her at first, but then a huge grin spread across his face. Relieved that he wasn’t mad that she was there, she went down the steps to meet him, some of her fear melting. It was reassuring that he was happy to see her, at least that much hadn’t changed.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” He said, getting off the four-wheeler.
“Well, ummm…. Flynn got me the key, he won’t be home tonight.” She was stammering like a teenager, but couldn’t help herself.
“Of course he did.” Owen said as he crossed the yard to meet her. When he reached her, she expected him to hug her, but all he did was kiss her quickly on the cheek and then continued into the house.
She followed him inside unable to tell what he was thinking, she opened her mouth to ask him about the trip, but before she could, he said, “I need a shower.” Then went straight to the back of the house before she could say a word.
Owen was completely caught off guard to find Tabitha waiting for him at the cabin, he’d already worked out a plan to talk to her and now he wasn’t sure how to proceed. At first, he’d been overjoyed to see her standing on the porch, but then he realized that he was still filthy from the trail and slightly off balance. He’d wanted to take her into his arms, but realized just how dirty and smelly he was and simply kissed her on the cheek which had seemed inadequate.
Locking himself in the bathroom, he cursed himself for being so cold to her, it wasn’t intentional but there was so much hanging between them and he wanted time to rehearse what he was going to say to her. There was so much he wanted to say that it kept getting confused in his mind, a hot shower and some clean clothes might be just enough to help him collect his thoughts.
When he got out of the shower, he found Tabitha in the kitchen just putting their dinner on the table. “Something smells wonderful.” He said, this time crossing the room and pulling her to him.
Tabitha breathed in Owen’s scent, some of her fear draining away, the butterflies in her stomach disappearing. “I made you Mexican food. Do you like it?” She asked, when she was sure her voice wouldn’t quiver.
“I’ve only had it a couple of times, but if it tastes as good as it smells I’m sure I’ll love it.” Owen said, taking a deep breath of the fragrant air in the kitchen.
“Then let’s eat it before it gets cold.” Tabitha said, feeling on more solid ground.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, neither sure where to begin the conversation they needed to have, but the silence finally got to Tabitha who asked, “How did it go up there?”
There were so many ways Owen could have answered her question, but he took the easy road and stuck to the sheep. “The sheep are doing amazingly well, even Jack was surprised at how well they’ve done. We’ll actually make a profit this year, which is amazing since it’s only been two years.”
“Wow, that’s great.” She said, deciding not to tell him that Flynn had already told her about the sheep.
“I have to admit that I thought we’d be leaving here in defeat, but Jack’s crazy scheme looks like it’s going to work. Those sheep are so much more resilient than I ever imagined they’d be. In fact, I think they’re doing better here than they did at home.” Owen seemed excited about the sheep which surprised her since he’d never seemed that excited about them before.
“Well, you all have worked really hard to make it happen.” Tabitha said, offering him more food, which he turned down.
“That was very good, but I’m stuffed and it’s making me so sleepy I could fall asleep right here.” Owen said, pushing his chair back from the table.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Tabitha said, and jumped to her feet to begin clearing the table. “You probably want to get some sleep. I’ll just clean up the dishes and get out of your way.”
Owen could see the tears that sprang into her eyes when she thought that he was trying to get her to leave and jumped to his feet. He took the plates from her hands and set them back down on the table and pulled her to him. “I didn’t mean I wanted you to leave, that’s the last thing I want right now.”
He could feel her shutter, fighting back tears and rubbed her back until she relaxed in his arms. It was time for them to talk, past time he realized. It had been wrong to wait until after dinner he realized now. He also knew that he’d have to tell her everything that had happened to him in the mountains over the last two weeks. He’d planned to just apologize for being a jerk, but now he understood that he had to tell her how he’d come to realize just how big of a jerk he’d been.
“Forget the dishes, we need to talk.” He said, pulling her out onto the porch and the swing they so loved.
Once he had her settled firmly in his arms, he began to talk. “Tabitha I’m sorry we fought. It was my fault. I guess I’m more used to getting my way than I thought. And you were right, I didn’t understand what you’d been through to get to where you are today. I’m not sure I’ll ever be completely able to understand, but something amazing happened when I was up there that did help me to understand a little.”
Tabitha looked up at Owen relief washing over her, he sounded like a man who’d had a life changing experience, the exhaustion that had been in his voice gone. “Tell me about it.” Was all she said, just to reassure him that she was listening.
Owen paused trying to collect his thoughts, he needed to say this just right. “I think what you were trying to make me understand was how much more important something is when you’ve created it yourself. After we realized that the sheep were thriving, thanks in part to our hard work, I realized that for the first time in my life I created something. I grew up knowing that no matter what I’d always have our ranch in Australia and my money, but I’ve never felt any kind of ownership for those things. I didn’t understand how important that was until I realized that with the few sheep we brought with us, we’re creating an entirely new breed.”
Tabitha was shocked by the emotion in Owen’s voice, it was like something had woken him up from a long slumber. “Owen that’s wonderful. I know exactly what that feels like.”
“It is wonderful, but even better is that I now understand how important the restaurant is to you. I never should have asked you walk away or belittled what you’ve achieved. I did that and I’m sorry, it will never happen again, I promise.” Owen said, his voice becoming husky with emotion.
Tabitha was speechless, her emotions were raw from all the worrying she’d done, the tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back. When she opened her mouth to speak, he covered her lips with his fingers and hushed her. “I’m not finished. I know I always said that when the two years were up I was going home, but I’m not leaving. I want to make this my permanent home. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Her heart soaring with happiness, Tabitha’s only answer was to pull Owen’s head down so she could kiss him. That first contact of their lips brought all the passion between them swimming to the surface instantly. Tabitha turned in the swing and wrapped her arms around Owen and pressed her body against his and seductively rubbed her breasts against his hard chest.
Owen grabbed her hips and swung her around and onto his lap, her legs straddling him, his erection pressed firmly between her legs. He deepened the kiss and rocked her hips, sliding her against him until they were both gasping. When his mouth found her breast through the fabric of her shirt, she moaned with pleasure and threw her head back.
Owen slid his hands up Tabitha’s back under her shirt and unhooke
d her bra, then took each globe in his hands. Pinching her stiff nipples between thumb and finger, he ground his hips into her, and growled deep in his throat. But when he started to pull her shirt off her head, she became aware of where they were.
“Owen,” she whispered in his ear, “Your neighbors can see us.”
Without a word, he lifted her to her feet and pulled her into the cabin, barley letting the door close behind them before capturing her mouth with a searing kiss, that left her breathless and desperate for more. They managed to remove each other’s clothes in seconds, only breaking the kiss when it was necessary. When Owen removed the last piece of Tabitha’s clothing, he stepped back and looked at her, wanting to remember this moment forever.
But some primal instinct took over and before he could stop himself, he’d driven Tabitha back against the door and pinned her there, his mouth devouring hers in a kiss so possessive she had no choice but to submit to the sheer power of it. He felt Tabitha’s submission almost instantly and an overwhelming need to possess her came over him, he picked her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around him and drove himself into her.
Tabitha cried out with the sheer pleasure of having him so suddenly deep inside of her and the moisture gushed out of her, running down her legs. Owen felt Tabitha’s moisture slide over him and lost control, he drove himself into her over and over again, unable to stop himself until he climaxed, shuttering with the force of the pleasure of being joined with Tabitha.
Tabitha had never been possessed by a man before, and the realization that she couldn’t stop him if she wanted to was both frightening and exciting. Even more thrilling was the fact that her body responded to his, her pleasure spiking as his did, leaving her trembling and shocked in his arms.
But Owen was instantly sorry he’d been so rough with Tabitha, sliding her down to her feet, he pressed his forehead against hers, and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen that way.”
You're The One: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 12) Page 9
