“So you’re gay?”
“Hell no! Not at all...” he awkwardly reached for her hand. “Look at where I live Abigail. I cannot just go out and party and meet women. I have been born on this farm and I worked here since I was four. I was home schooled until I was ready for college. I went to college in Dallas. There I met Jason, our mutual acquaintance, and Lisa.”
“Lisa?”
“Lisa was my first and last girlfriend. She was from Amsterdam and we shared a few classes. She was very sexual and very patient with me. We were together for almost two years. We graduated at the same time, but she left to go back to Europe. I came back to the farm. That was six years ago.”
Abigale touched his hand. “It has been years for me too, Clayton. I just could not get back into the whole dating thing after the accident…”
They both fell silent for a while. It was Abigail that broke the silence. “We are to be married, Clayton. I know it is just a business transaction, but are we not going to make the best of the next two years?”
“What do you mean Abigale?”
“Show me your room, and let me show you.”
He scooped her up and carried her out of the pool. They left a wet trail all the way up the stairs that ended in front of his room. He gently placed her on his bed and she pulled him closer. She kissed him and he returned the kiss. His strong arms enveloped her and she could feel his excitement press against her leg. He was big and heavy and she felt a bit claustrophobic. She gently pushed him away and got out from under him. They both got up and removed that last bits of clothing. He blushed when she looked down at his erection. She pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him. She took his hands and placed them on her breasts. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt him pulse against her. She took his wrists into her hands and pushed his arms all the way back onto the bed. As she leaned forward, she brushed herself against the entire length of his erection. She lined up the tip of his cock with her wet entrance and slowly sat back – taking all of him into herself in one long, slow movement. She sighed feeling him fill her up.
He did not move. His face was a study of concentration. “You OK?” she asked. “Yes,” his tight-lipped reply, “but I don’t think I’ll last very long.” He closed his eyes when she leaned forward again to kiss him. He returned the kiss but she could feel his orgasm building. She broke off the kiss and moved down on him again. His whole body shuddered as he his orgasm took control over his body. Abigale felt a bit disappointed, but she did not say anything. She lifted away from him, but he pulled her close “Please don’t stop. Not now, please.”
She kissed him again and felt him move under her. She lifted herself up slightly to make room for him to trust into her. She quickly matched his thrusts and slammed herself against his body every time he moved his hips up. She leaned forward to kiss him again and he slowed down a bit. She broke off the kiss and arched her back so that she could take all of him into her. He placed both hands on her breasts. Her breathing increased as his one hand moved down her torso and over her abs. He used a bent finger against her clitoris as she rocked against his hardness. Time stood still as her orgasm bloomed. Her whole body was on fire. She lost control over her motions, and they were out of sync. Clayton knew that she was close and knew what she needed. He pulled her onto his chest and started slamming himself hard into her. She screamed her orgasm into his shoulder and she collapsed onto his chest as she felt him shudder again. With a long moan he joined her in ecstasy.
It took them a long time to float back to reality. He stroked her hair and whispered “Want to go again?”
“Hold your horses cowboy! I need to go to the bathroom.”
She got up and let him slowly slide out of her. He was still rock hard.
She went to the bathroom and on her return he was fast asleep. She climbed onto the bed next to him and placed her head on his chest. His soft breathing gently rocked her to sleep.
It was late evening when Simon came to the house. He found them in the kitchen eating a late dinner. “Sorry for the intrusion,” he said “I just came by to tell you that Eli is doing well. They operated on his leg, and he will be out of hospital in time for the wedding!”
Abigail got up and gave him a hug. “That’s great news Simon, thanks for letting us know.”
Simon bid then a good night and left the kitchen.
The next two weeks flew by in a blur. Abigail’s days were filled from dawn to late at night. Their love making brought them close to each other and they indulged at every opportunity. Abigail started falling in love with Clayton. She learned about him in a thousand small ways laying in his arms and listening do his now familiar drawl.
One afternoon she asked him about his parents, and the way he changed the subject made her realize that she might never know. She also realized that the never asked her about her parents or the accident. For the first time in years a whole day would pass without her thinking about it. It made her incredibly happy and sad at the same time.
Her emails to Sally got longer and longer as she shared her life and emotions with her best friend.
The wedding day arrived and Betty was like a field general organizing her troops. A giant marquee dominated the garden and the barbeque fires were lit before the sun came up. Large trays filled with home-made sausage and steaks stood in neat rows on the kitchen table. Betty removed another tray of Kolaches from the oven and set it aside to cool as Abigail finished her tea.
“Get upstairs and into a bath, miss Abigail. I’ll be there shortly to come and help you.”
Abigail got up land left the kitchen. She passed her room and went into Clayton’s room. He was dressed and in the process of putting on his boots. “Good morning Abigail!”
She sat next to him and gave him a big hug. She looked up into his blue eyes and said, “Clayton, I think I have changed my mind.”
He went ice-cold and she felt his body stiffen as he stopped breathing. She sensed his alarm and with a playful shove pushed away from him. “Relax, Clayton. We are still getting married!” she laughed. He started breathing again. Relief washed over his face.
“What I meant to say is that I’m falling in love with this place and I don’t know if I want to go back to London.”
Clayton looked like a dear caught in a car’s headlights, “And me?” he asked “Are you falling in love with me?”
She hugged him again “You are this place Clayton. I feel you in every tree, bush and sand grain on this ranch…”
He reached onto the night stand and pulled the drawer open. He found what he was looking for and knelt before her. He presented her with a beautiful but simple diamond ring. He went down on one knee and said, “In that case Abigail, will you marry me? For real and forever?”
She slipped the ring onto her finger. It was too big, but she did not care, “Mrs. Clayton Wright” she said with a smile, “I like that, because I finally found ‘Mr. Right’.”
Epilogue
At ten o’clock there was a knock on Abigail’s door. She was dressed and almost ready to go. Betty was fixing a last stray lock of hair with a pin.
“Come in,” Abigail said. Simon was standing there with the same faded suit he wore on the day they met.
“Simon! Come in what are you doing here?”
“Sorry for the intrusion Miss Abigail, but I was just thinking that you don’t have to walk down the aisle alone. If you will have me, I would be honored to walk you to Clayton’s side.”
Abigail hugged him tightly, “No, Simon. It is I that would be honored. I cannot think of anyone I would rather have but you!”
Betty beamed at Simon with tears rolling down her cheek.
Abigail took Betty’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Ma-Betty, you better get downstairs before the bride runs you over!”
The name did not escape Betty’s attention and she burst out in tears as she hugged Abigail tightly, “Welcome home my child, welcome home!”
Simon presented his arm to her after Betty left. She
took it and as they wended their way downstairs, Abigail felt how she was literally walking into a new life. She felt so happy and a little scared at the same time.
THE END
Pregnant and Rescued by the Cowboy
Chapter 1
Penelope Cruz knew she was in trouble the minute she realized she was pregnant. She worked for a rich white family and the Mistress would throw her out when it became more obvious what had happened. She was worried. Marvin and Lucille had been good to her for the most part while she'd worked there. She felt like she'd failed in her duty.
As a servant, you don't say no when the Master wants attention from you, especially if you want to keep your job. The pay had been okay, and they'd provided her room and board. Knowing that a baby would change all that, she didn't know quite what to do. No other family would take her if they knew about her pregnancy, they'd be afraid she was tainted and it would rub off on their family. Especially if they had daughters. It would also give the wrong impression about what type of woman she was.
Hoping that maybe the Master would be willing to at least give her enough money to leave and go back east to her family so she could have the baby in privacy, she went to find him. She could always claim to be a widow and try to find employment somewhere else. She didn't love Marvin. She knew the first time he'd come into her room that it was a real possibility that it would blow up in her face, yet she hadn't been able to stop it.
She'd been like clockwork since she was young, and now she'd missed two cycles. There was no way she could continue to deny it. Afraid for her future, she went to talk him and hope that he was reasonable and would help her.
They lived in a rural town in Montana. The family had hired her from back East using the paper. She could read, and she'd been educated. Despite being dark skinned, her mother had raised her with a family who'd been open to her learning with their children. She'd gotten the same education they had until she was a teenager, when they went off to finishing school.
Penelope knew the family she'd grown up with wouldn't take her in, but she knew her mother was still alive and might be able to help somehow. Maybe she'd be able to at least help her get a job if she went back home. With the civil wars breaking out though, staying in small towns in the pockets of safety had been ideal for her. But now she felt that traveling back home might be her only choice.
Finding the Master in the study, she went in to talk to him. Praying for the best she took a deep breath and approached him.
"Sir?" Penelope asked from the door way, her head bowed as she waited for him to let her come in.
"What is it Penny?" Marvin asked in a gruff tone as he looked at some papers on his desk. He was a big bear of a man, with a full salt and pepper beard. His suspenders held his pants up and his riding boots were stained with mud. He must have gone riding this morning. Hunting was his favorite past time besides women. His wife had never given him children, they always assumed he'd been the problem due to getting the measles as a child, but Penelope knew it wasn't true now.
"Sir, I have something I need to tell you," Penelope said as she came in and shut the door. "I think I'm pregnant. I wasn't sure at first, but now I am pretty positive. I think the best course of action is to go back home to my mother and try to find a different job. I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes you and the Mistress."
"Penelope, you realize that I can't do that, right?" He put the papers down and looked at her. "Do you know why I was visiting you?"
Blushing, Penelope at least understood the sex part of it, but she didn't understand he had other reasons for it. She shook her head no, feeling confused.
"My wife wants a baby. It was her idea; she wasn't sure that I was the problem. Now we know I'm not and it's her. You can stay here until you have the baby, then you'll give it to my wife. We will pay you well for the pregnancy, and for you to be discrete about the situation." He went back to working on his desk sorting through papers.
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not just going to hand my baby over to your wife. I've already decided I was keeping it. I just came in here to ask if you'd be willing to give me some extra funds so I could get home so I wouldn't bring shame to your household." Penelope was shocked, and couldn't believe that the two of them would assume they could just take her baby from her. Or that she'd just willingly trade her baby for a few gold coins. She was offended, and it lowered her opinion of them. She was shocked.
"You cannot afford to care for a baby. We can give the baby a good life, and my wife wants a child. I love my wife and would do anything to make her happy, even if it means breeding with a servant. You will give her the baby, or we will throw you out on the streets and I won't even give you the last paycheck. You'll starve to death." He told her, speaking so coldly to her she couldn't even understand it. This was not the man she'd worked with for the last two years. This man didn't see her as a human, just an incubator for the child he expected her to hand over to his wife. They hadn't even asked her if she wanted to be involved in any of this.
"Sir, be reasonable, please. I've worked here for over two years. I'm not giving up my child, and I am sorry if that hurts you." Penelope told him and slowly backed out of the room when a look of anger crossed his face.
"Then get out. If you won't give up the child, you're no longer welcome here in our home. You're fired, and don't expect to get your money. Just pack your bags and leave. Now. Get out!" He yelled at her and showed her a side she hadn't seen in all the time she'd worked her.
Frightened, Penelope ran to the small room she'd stayed in and packed what little belongings and clothes she had. She'd had a tiny bit of money saved up, but it wouldn't be enough to get her home. Frantic, she wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she had to get out of here first before something bad happened. She'd go from there.
Leaving the house, she walked outside and realized it was starting to snow. Her jacket was threadbare and she shivered in the cold. She knew that to survive the night she had to make it down town to the local inn and hope they'd rent her a room for the night while she tried to figure out what to do. She knew the smart thing to do was give them the baby, but as she put her hand over her belly she knew she couldn't. She'd do anything to keep her child, and they proved with their devious plans that they didn't care who they hurt to get a child.
That was not the kind of parents she'd want raising her child, and trying to force her into a situation where her survival depended upon their generosity, and then force her to give the child to them was cruel and malicious as far as she was concerned.
Penelope would take her chances on her own.
Chapter 2
Lugging her bags outside and shivering in the cold, Penelope felt a tear fall down her cheek. She tried to figure out how she was going to haul her belongings to the nearby inn before she froze to death. The light snow fall had turned into a much heavier down pour and it was now getting dark. The temperature was dropping quickly.
Her Mistress had tried to convince her to change her mind while she'd packed her bags, but she wasn't giving up her child. In a fit, Lucille threatened to make sure she never got a good referral, or any help from anyone in town. Penelope was broken hearted. She'd come to love these two people she'd worked for, and felt like they'd stabbed her in the back.
Penelope knew they had a lot of sway, but she hoped that she could at least get out of here before that caused a problem for her.
Her toes were freezing and she was struggling to get her luggage unstuck from the mud as she tried to get it across the road to the side where there was some grass so she could pull it easier.
Hearing a horse approach, she looked up and saw the local Sherriff on his horse. He stopped when he saw her and tipped his hat at her, watching her struggle with her bags.
"Greetings Sheriff," Penelope addressed him, trying to be polite. Almost falling backwards, she managed to catch herself before she landed and embarrassed herself in front of him.
Dave Locktine was a golden boy, white
with blond hair, and the muscles that had women swooning over him. He was a good old fashioned country boy. He had a small plot of land on the edge of town, and he spent most of his time working as the Sherriff. He had a couple others helping him and they took turns working the night shift. It must be his night if he's walking the roads at dusk.
"Do you need some help?" He asked her, watching her with a raised brow.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Penelope told him looking hopeful at him. Maybe things would be okay. Sighing in relief that he didn't just abandon her on the road she felt thankful, more than he'd know.
"Going to your house, or away from it?" He asked quietly, surprising her with his attention to detail.
Penelope dropped her gaze, hoping if she told him the truth he wouldn't abandon her to freeze to death. "Away. I quit, sort of. Or they fired me, I'm not sure exactly which way it went, but either way I can no longer stay and work there."
"Do you have money for the inn?" Dave asked her and then asked a question that made her cringe. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
Penelope hesitated long enough that when he jumped off his horse to pick up her luggage and hitch it to his horse for her, he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. She never got a chance to give him a real answer, when he moved on and realized she needed more help than it appeared at first.
"How about instead of the inn, you stay in my spare bedroom? I'm working tonight and we can talk in the morning and maybe I can help you out?" He offered, kind enough that Penelope almost started to cry when it sunk in what he was giving her as her way out. Like a knight in shining armor.
Penelope stared at him in shock. She'd never have expected such generosity, and nodded before she could consider the consequences. He got back on his horse after he secured her bags and grabbed her hand, helping her sit in front of him. Leaning against his chest, she almost fell asleep as the horse lulled her into a deep relaxation state. She could hear his heartbeat and felt the warmth of his arms. For a small while, she felt like she was really safe.
Taken Captive By The Highlander (Scottish Highlander Romance) Page 28
