by C. R. Moss
“Dak? Did you hear that?”
“The sound of climax? Yeah, I thought it was you moaning in pleasure.”
“Nope, not me.”
He chuckled. “Seems that some others had the same idea we had. Wonder if it’s my brother in the old playhouse.”
“Mmm. Good for them if it is.” She bent over again, claimed his lips, kissed him like there was no tomorrow as an orgasm racked her body.
She repositioned herself on top of him, laid her head on his chest and listened to the strong beat of his heart.
Living a so-called normal life for the past couple of days had been more than a dream come true. The experience had been liberating. Cassie shuddered at the thought of any man other than Dak touching her anymore.
“You know, Cassie, I’d never expect you to change who you are for me. I don’t want a cookie-baking wife who keeps track of slippers. I want a wife who’ll remind me there’s more to life than trying to manage everyone and everything. I want a woman who’ll occasionally submit to my more romantic ways, and who will work with me on finding a nice compromise between the two once in a while. I want someone who will keep me in line and help me not be such a hard-ass micromanager at work. I want you. I want you as my wife.”
Surprise overcame her, siphoned the blood from her limbs. She expected him to ask her to stay but not propose. Continuing to listen to the beat of his heart, which was picking up cadence with each second that ticked by, she stared off into the distance, noticing the Joshua trees and cacti that dotted the landscape. “Dakota, are you asking me to marry you?”
“Yeah… yes, I am. I’d get down on one knee all proper like, but I’m kind of tied up and pegged down at the moment.”
She laughed and stroked the side of his torso.
“All I get is a laugh? Are you refusing me?”
“No. I’m not refusing you, but I’m also not saying yes at the moment either. Hold on to your proposal and ask me again some other time. When we aren’t otherwise… um… involved.”
“Oh.” The little word held a pound of sadness. “Okay. I still love you anyway.”
Any fears she had remaining about commitment melted with his declarations. “Don’t feel bad, Dak. Remember, I have to do things in Salt Lake City and move out this way if we’re going to be together. So I’ll have to go back to Utah as planned, make arrangements to move again, leave my job. All that fun stuff. Once I get back, then you can do a proper proposal.” She kissed his chest. “How’s that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Chapter Ten
Out riding the next day, Dakota directed Phantom to a trail leading back toward the stables and emerged from a trail line near the front gate.
Son of a bitch.
Not only was the security gate open, but there was more graffiti again. He hung back in the shadows, surveying the scene. Could be that way from some of the local kids, he thought, then wondered if they might be on the ranch.
The teens were known to be aggressive. Davis had said that a few had been in and out of juvy several times. God knew what else they could be doing on the ranch. He imagined them vandalizing equipment, taunting the horses. Their shenanigans weren’t needed. Dak rubbed his temples. Neither was the headache he felt coming on. He closed the gate, headed to the stables, thinking of the woman who’d come back into his life.
He couldn’t believe Cassie had left the grounds after breakfast without saying a word to him about where she was going or what she was doing. Later in the day she had a plane to catch. He was supposed to take her to the airport. He’d only turned his back for a moment and she was gone. Again. All that talk about marriage and being together, was it for naught?
He leaned on the pommel, staring at the dirt within the main riding ring next to the stables. As he sat there under the bright morning sun, he thought about his to-do list. He hated to do it, especially after the late night everyone had, but he pulled out his cell phone and called a wrangler. When Hugh answered the call with What’s wrong now?, he sighed.
“I need you to come out riding with me.”
“Why?”
“The front gate was left open or there’s been a breech. The sign’s been fucked with again. I think there might be some juvies on the property.”
“Great.” There was a heavy pause. “Any word on that car?” Hugh’s question came out soft, concerned.
Dak understood Hugh wanted to ask about Kate but couldn’t. Maybe there was someone else near Hugh who didn’t need to hear that particular bit of business. “No. I’m hoping that driver’s drying out on one of the ranches. Meet me at the corral as soon as possible.”
He replaced his phone in his jeans’ pocket. Here’s hoping today turns into a better day, and Cassie’s back in my arms soon.
Phantom was still saddled and ready along with Hugh’s horse when the wrangler got to the corral. He felt bad that he had to disturb him, but he needed another pair of eyes to help him secure the ranch. He didn’t feel in his gut there were any trespassers, but he wanted to be sure. There was always that slim chance someone was on the property. It had happened before—teens tearing up the trails with their mountain bikes, starting fires, breaking the fences, spooking the horses. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face.
Hugh finished saddling his horse and swung up.
Dakota handed him the reins and looked away. “Ready to do this?”
The wrangler nodded. “Sure. Let’s see if we can make an example of someone.”
Armed with rifles, they trotted down the nearest trail to start the security sweep. As they rode, they surveyed the property. Images of punk kids and an asshole driver filled his mind along with thoughts of how people could have gotten more seriously hurt. And then there were the costs of repairs to his property should any damage have been done. What if it had been his brother or a guest in the accident? What if it had been more serious and someone had been killed? Fear and anger ripped through him. How could the people living in the area let their friends and family members run around causing havoc? Why couldn’t the tourists stay within the loop surrounding the city if they were under the influence? He’d have to say something at the next town meeting.
In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Hugh’s jaw growing tighter and tighter. Maybe he was having the same worrisome thoughts. If his wrangler wasn’t careful, he might crack a molar. They continued to ride the fence line in silence.
“So. How’re things with you and that filly?”
Dakota looked to the sky and smiled, rubbed some of the lingering soreness out of his upper arm. “Fine, I guess,” he said, his tone non-committal. He didn’t want to give too many details and jinx the situation should she come back.
“Oh, that good?”
His gaze shot to his wrangler. He smiled but said nothing.
“Ah, that good.”
The morning sun beat down on them. Hugh raised his hat and wiped a forearm across his forehead. The horses plodded along at a steady pace, their coats gleaming from the golden light of the sun. To their relief, nothing had tripped their radar during the search. They headed back to the corral.
Though he was trying to change and not be so controlling and meddling, he needed to know what the deal was with his wrangler and the daughter of the neighbouring ranch owners. If there was trouble coming from that direction, he wanted to be prepared. “Something going on between you and Kate?”
“Yeah.”
After Hugh’s single word admission, the wrangler closed his mouth. The muscle along his jaw line clenched and twitched. Silence filled the space between them.
Dakota stared out at the mountains. He wasn’t going to pry or offer unwanted advice. His mouth curved in a reluctant grin. Cassie would be proud of his decision to not butt in further.
Back at the stables, Dakota rubbed down Phantom and fed him. The lack of word from Cassie, the police and Davis bothered him. He’d feel much more at ease when she was back on the ranch, and the driver was
caught.
Hours later, as he fed some horses, he took a quick glance at the sky. The blue had deepened. Streaks of clouds the colors of white, dark bubble gun, violet and orange. He checked his watch. It was time to go back to the lodge for dinner. Cassie still hadn’t returned. The time of her flight had come and gone. Was she winging her way back to SLC? Had she left him again without a fare-thee-well?
“There you are.”
Dak cringed at the unfamiliar high-pitched, sing-song voice. How dare one of the workers come down and disturb him when he had told the staff repeatedly he hated being bothered during chores. He turned around, ready to give the employee a piece of his mind.
The fight went out of him. All his worry disappeared. All that mattered was that Cassie stood in front of him. Hope thickened the air in his lungs. “Cassie.”
“In the flesh.” She strolled up to him, more cocky and confident than she had been all weekend.
And what flesh it is, he thought to himself, taking in her form. She wore a white blouse with the top three buttons undone. A hint of a lacy black bra showed beneath the shirt. Tight blue jeans fitted her long legs and covered the top part of a pair of black high-heeled boots. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. His cock twitched. He didn’t want to appear too eager, though, but curiosity got the better of him. “Where the hell have you been?” he practically growled the words to make it seem like he was mad.
She shrugged, acting as if her absence was no big deal. “Here and there. I took a run to downtown with Miguel and Marianne, needed to take care of some things.”
“Things, huh?” He crossed his arms to keep up the angry act and bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling like he really wanted to. “And you couldn’t have told me where you were going and when you’d be back?” She opened her mouth. He held up a hand. “Before you say anything, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. It’s a courtesy thing. I was worried.”
“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. Next time I’ll know better. Anyway, I went with them. I had a chance to speak with each of them individually. Did you know that Miguel has a crush on Ms. Mattina Marianne Stella, otherwise known as Marianne Star? Pretty name isn’t it? Mattina Stella. Means morning star. He’s, as you cowboys say, real smitten with her.”
“Can’t say that I did know, but it may not matter once I have a chat with Marianne myself.”
“Yeah, about that. I got the feeling there was an interesting dynamic between her and you boys so we had some girl time together. I have to admit, she’s a piece of work. Like one of those spoiled rich kids I used to know at boarding school. She’s from New York City and an affluent family. If she didn’t try so hard to talk with a southern drawl, you’d definitely know she was from the city and a bit snobbish. She and her sister were stuck growing up with her materialistic, younger-man-chasing grandmother. From what Marianne was saying, I gathered she has a shopping addiction, which I can totally understand. We went down to the Forum Shops, and I almost had trouble myself not walking out of there without bags upon bags of purchases.”
Dakota huffed. “Cassie, you’re babbling. Do you have a point?”
“Are you trying to control my conversation? Do I need to teach you some patience, too?”
Her threat didn’t faze him in the least. “More of your lessons can come later. Right now finish telling me about your jaunt into town, so I can finish feeding the horses and clean for dinner.”
“Fine. Marianne told me that Damon spoke with her. They worked out what happened between them and apologized to each other. She was shocked because when she asked Damon if you made him do it he said no.”
“Damon and I talked, but I hadn’t gotten that far yet on my to-do list of telling him to take care of it. Glad to hear he grew up some and took initiative.”
Cassie nodded. “Marianne also told me how you kissed her while you were drunk. She wants you to know she’s not mad about that. She said you two had talked about it, and she thought it had been worked out. She’s upset because she thinks she’s being misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood? What are you talking about?”
She placed a hand on his arm. “She’s a nice girl, Dak. She comes off as a big flirt, but it’s because she has a bubbly personality. I’ve known lots of people like that. Granted, she did have a big thing for Damon, but that’s over now.”
He lifted his hat, ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Resettling the hat, he sighed. “But the way she talks to me, always hanging all over me, pulling attitude when I want her to do things a certain way.”
“She mentioned that stuff, too. She changes her speech to try to fit in. She gets close to you so she can see how you’re doing things and to make sure she’s listening to what you want since you’re so particular. As for the attitude, hell, I’d throw ‘tude around, too, if my boss kept dumping work on me and never said thank you or you’re doing a good job.”
“Oh.” Embarrassment ran through him. His cheeks heated. He’d been a real heel, hadn’t he.
“Oh is right.” Cassie poked him in the chest and levelled a stern look at him. “So first thing tomorrow morning, you’re going to get her something nice. She likes to read on her Kindle so you’ll buy a gift card to an online bookstore. Then you’re going to give it to her with a small bonus, say two hundred dollars, and tell her that she’s a valued member of the team.”
“Yes ma’am.” He mocked with a smile and salute.
“Ma’am?” She cocked an eyebrow and poked him again with a chuckle.
“Cassie?”
“That’s better. I may be pushing forty, but I still feel too young to be a ma’am.” She laughed, reached around and pinched his ass.
He grinned, grasped her hand and brushed his lips over the backs of her fingers. “Time enough for that later, my dear. So what happened to your flight? You should have been in the air by now on your way back to Utah.”
“That brings me to the other part of why I needed to go to town. My cell phone reception is sketchy up this way, and I didn’t want to use the phone in the lodge. I contacted some friends in Salt Lake and my roommate. There’s no need for me to fly back. My friends will go in to my apartment, get my stuff and ship it out to me here. My roommate will find someone else to live with her. Plus, I called the airport to cancel my flight. You really should consider getting some better phone service out here. Maybe allow a cell tower on your land somewhere.”
Dakota didn’t care about the phone service or cell towers. He was ecstatic she’d returned and wrapped her in his arms, picked her up and swung her around. “That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you’re staying!”
As he moved in to kiss her, a truck drove up toward them. Rocks clinked in the wheel wells and against its undercarriage. Dust billowed around it as it came to a stop. Dak released her.
Miguel stepped out and walked over to them. “Here you go, Mr. Dakota.” He handed Dak a black jewel box.
Dakota stared at the small box on his palm. “I know you and I are good friends, Miguel, but you shouldn’t have.” He smiled and winked. “What is this?”
“Ask your lady friend,” Miguel replied with a laugh. He returned to his truck.
“So, lady friend, what’s this?” he asked once the cook was gone.
“Well, I had Miguel help me with a project in exchange for some pointers on wooing a Yank like Marianne. Open it.”
Dak popped open the box with his thumb. His gaze widened. “Our rings.” The jewellery, nestled within the blue velvet, glittered in the late afternoon sun. “I wondered where my chain and ring had gone this morning.”
“Yeah, I snagged them before you got up. I had the ring and enhancer resized. Did it as a rush order. Now you can properly propose to me.”
Her words and actions made his spirits soar with joy. Restless desire for the striking woman in front of him clawed at his insides. Gladdened to know she still wanted him, he yearned to pick her up and twirl her around again, but he didn’t
want to come off like a lovesick pup too much. He chuckled. “You can’t give up control either, can you? I think I’m going to have to break some of your habits as well.”
“We make a nice pair, don’t we?” She held out her left hand, palm down, and wiggled her fingers. “Now, give me my rings.”
Dakota checked the ground, then kneeled, holding up and presenting the open box to her. “Catherine, love of my life, mistress of fantasies I didn’t know I had, will you be my wife, my love forever?”
“Of course I will, Dakota Dougan.”
He slid the ring and the enhancer onto her left ring finger, then clasped her hand. “Let’s go tell everyone.”
* * * *
That night she stood in the bathroom hallway of Dakota’s cabin studying him. They’d move up into the Main House that was about a mile or so from the lodge and guest area after his parents returned from their month long cruise and they were able to tell them the good news. He looked so sexy lying in his bed. A corner of the comforter pooled over his cock. The rest of the material snaked around one long leg. Moonlight graced his profile. His ruggedness, enhanced by the silver glow, made her think of a warrior camping out near an enemy’s land. God, how she wanted him.
“Hey there handsome. Ready for me?” she purred and posed against the wall.
He opened his eyes halfway. Through hooded lids he gazed at her with a devilish smile creasing his face. “I’m always ready for you.” With a wink, he reached under his pillow and produced a crop.
Cassie couldn’t help her shout of glee. She ran and jumped onto the bed. Her eyes widened and a mischievous grin lit her face. “Ooh, can I ride you?” She straddled him and slapped his nipple with the leather tab of the riding instrument.
“My lovely cowgirl, Cassie. You can ride me anytime.”
Part Three
Epilogue
New York City—Seven weeks later
The theater lights dimmed over the full house at The Marquis Theater. Feeling a bit of nervous tension, Damon glanced around the Victorian looking establishment one more time anticipating the moment the theater would turn completely dark.
