by Megan McCoy
Sure, he had his share of women, but there hadn’t been a serious relationship in his life since Blaze’s mom left when he was little. While she could handle ranch life, she told him she simply didn’t want to. It was too dirty, too messy, and just too much work. All she wanted was a nice apartment in the city with no yard work and no horse poop to clean up.
She took his kid, a nice hefty settlement, and went back to St. Louis. He missed her, but he’d missed the kid more, and despite all the teenage hell they’d gone through, he was glad when Blaze decided he wanted to live with him. Even happier that Kim let him move back.
Throwing his truck in drive, he headed out toward the lake, one of his favorite places on earth. He never got tired of this view. One of the prettiest places he’s ever seen, not that he’d traveled much. In the moonlight, it especially seemed like it had been kissed by paradise.
His granddad had bought this land—or won it in a poker game or something. No one was ever sure. Then he did nothing with it. His dad had inherited it, brought his mom here on their honeymoon, and they never left. Starting out with a small bed and breakfast, it had grown into a thriving tourist ranch that employed over seventy-five people in the summer season. He loved it here, almost as much as Blaze did. That boy thrived on the hard work, horses and the rich black earth of Illinois.
Matt parked his truck on a low rise of land and looked over the lake. He could see the boat dock from here. His dad, Jeb, often rowed in the evening to unwind. He spent lots of hours in the rowboat growing up. He and his dad had the best talks out there, and he often got the longest lectures and the sternest warnings out there. Nowhere to go in a rowboat to get away, and all he could do was listen. His dad had been a strict dad, and Matt often wondered if he’d been a little stricter with Blaze if the wild years would have been less so. He’d turned into a great man, though, so apparently things evened out in the end.
Sighing, Matt gazed at the moon. Would this be the last summer he spent here? He’d lived on this ranch all his life, and even commuted to college daily. Lately, he’d wanted to travel, wanting to see the world. Talking to his new stepmom made him realize what all he’d been missing out on. She had worked in the hotel business for years before she and his dad got married, and had many tales of life in five star hotels. He had a business degree and a lifetime of hospitality management experience. With Candy as a recommendation, he could do something like that for a few years. Or he could just take some vacations. Or find a new ranch and build his own business.
He hadn’t made any decisions yet, but serious thought to leaving had been niggling in his brain and working its way into his thoughts for a while now. He’d stay through the busy summer season, but as soon as it was over, he was going somewhere. He didn’t know where yet, but travel, a vacation to start, was in his future.
He hoped a quiet sleeping house was in his future too, and that the cabin was empty by the end of the week. It might not be as far as his dreams, but he was ready to travel to that new cabin soon. Then further.
Chapter Two
Liz frowned at Ben. “Seriously? You haven’t packed yet?”
“I’m not going,” he said, calmly, not looking up from his computer. “You can’t make me.”
Struggling with her composure and wishing he was little enough again to just tuck under her arm and haul him to the car, she said, as calmly as she could, “Why don’t you want to go?”
“It’s going to be boring. I don’t want to hang out with you old people for two weeks, and I need to be here. I have a tournament next weekend.”
She really didn’t know what kind of computer games he played, but he was intent upon them, and nothing got in the way of his computer games. His dogged determination reminded her a lot of his dad. But. He was twelve and not the boss around here.
“I am pretty sure there is computer access there, and if you are semi human and act like a decent person the rest of the week, I’ll make sure you have a day to play your tournament game, okay?” She hoped it was okay, at least.
He glared at her. “I still don’t want to go.”
“That’s okay,” she told him cheerfully. He’d just capitulated without much of a fight. “You don’t have to want to go, you just have to go. Now am I packing you, or are you packing yourself?”
“I’m busy,” he pouted and turned back to his computer.
That was fine with her. He’d probably pack game stuff and disk things and forget underwear and socks and his toothbrush. Besides, she could pack him for two weeks in less than fifteen minutes. It wasn’t a big deal. Fighting down the thought that she should probably make him do it because good parenting, character building, yada, yada, yada, Liz just sighed. She could make herself crazy with guilt, or she could just be excited for a two-week vacation that she wasn’t going into debt for. Choosing the latter, she started singing her latest favorite George Strait song, as she started opening dresser drawers, and wasn’t at all offended when, without saying a word, he picked up his big head phones and blocked her out.
Hoping this vacation with her brothers, out in the open air, and working with animals would be good for him, she decided not to worry about that either. Sure couldn’t make things worse, could it? She didn’t think so. Besides, she needed the break. One thing about being a widow, as opposed to divorced, like many of her friends, was that when you were widowed, there were no every other weekend, and one night a week breaks while the kid went to the other parent’s house. It was all you, all the time.
“Suitcase is ready,” she told him, though he didn’t act as if he heard. “I’m putting it by the door. We’re leaving at seven in the morning. Make sure your stuff is charged.”
“I have a car charger,” he mumbled. Oh, so he could hear her. Fine. Whatever. She’d let him play as late as he wanted tonight. Maybe that made her a bad parent, too, but she was tired and had a long drive ahead of her tomorrow. Right now she was going to take a bubble bath and go to bed with her book. Her favorite romance author just put out a new book and she couldn’t wait to read about someone else’s love life. Because, of course, she had none.
Maybe that would change this vacation.
Snorting, Liz shook her head and started hunting for her electronic reader. Yeah. That was likely. Maybe she could sneak away and get laid by a horny cowboy. That would be tension relieving at least. Should she make an early store run and buy condoms? Did she still have any in the nightstand drawer? Oh! That was where she left her latest book reading material. Peeking in the drawer, and grabbing her reader, she wasn’t surprised at all to see there were none. Yeah. It had been a while since she needed them, and she’d tossed them last time she cleaned. They probably expired anyway, if there were any stuck away in a corner.
Turning on the water and lacing it with lavender bubbles, she decided, why not? Since there weren’t any, she’d run out and get some before Ben got up in the morning. Better safe than sorry, she thought. Maybe she’d get lucky. A girl needed dreams. And condoms. Just in case. Slipping her e-reader into the plastic bag, and sealing it, she opened her book before sinking down in the flowery scented bubbles. Liz smiled and tried to relax for the first time in a long time.
Her brothers would be taking care of her, and of Ben, for the next couple weeks. No work, no bills, just fun and relaxation. Her first vacation in over five years.
She hoped she remembered how to have fun. She’d hate to waste a vacation by being all tense and stressed and motherly.
Smiling, put her reader on the side of the tub, then she held her nose and dunked under the bubbled water, just like the Pretty Woman. Coming up for air, she smiled. Yes, that was fun! Starting tomorrow, she was going to have fun for the next two weeks, beginning with the drive down. Where did she put all those CD’s she and Troy used to listen to? She was going to find them and rock out all the way to southern Illinois. Five hours of singing to the oldies. Maybe she could even get Ben to sing along like he used to on family road trips. Well, maybe she could get Ben to n
ot moan and groan and complain the music was too loud.
She wondered when he got to be the one criticizing her instead of vice versa? Well, that was changing this weekend, too. She was going to be the mommy version of Disney Dad. It seemed all she ever did was yell at him or grudgingly give in to him. This vacation it was going to be all spoiled fun, all the time.
Wistfully, she thought of her early married days, and wondered if she would ever be spoiled again.
One day.
Maybe.
Would she remember what it felt like? Did she even have any nightclothes that weren’t sweats and t-shirts? Maybe the handy 24-hour store that sold condoms had something cute and frilly in nightclothes too? What was one without the other? Not much.
Surely there would be a hot cowboy out there somewhere for her to play with. That was all she wanted. A bit of play, for a few days. Then she would come right back here to play straight-laced mommy and hardworking dental tech and part time early morning stocker. She’d like to do that with an ache between her legs and a huge smile on her face with lots of fun memories, though.
It just didn’t seem like too much to ask. Did it?
Sighing, she sat up, dried her hands and grabbed her book. Probably the smarter thing to do would be make sure her reader was loaded with lots of interesting books. For those long afternoons sitting on the veranda watching the cowboys far away in the field. Pasture? She didn’t know.
On the upside, Holly and Meredith were going to be there, and she had a brand new shiny credit card with a fresh new limit she’d been saving for just this sort of vacation. Shopping with the girls! She hadn’t met Meredith yet, but had chatted with her on line, and adored Holly. She’d pawn the kid off on the brothers and shop till she dropped and work out a payment plan later. She could always pick up another morning or two stocking shelves at the hardware store before work, and get it paid off. When you didn’t vacation but once every five years or so, a person deserved to go a little crazy.
Thinking of new shoes and wasted condoms and horses, she climbed out of the tub and headed off to bed to dream.
* * *
“Holly, aren’t you ready yet?” Eric’s voice boomed up the stairs.
“I’m looking for that spare suitcase. I thought it was in the back of the closet,” she called back. Where was that thing? Spare room? Hearing Eric’s feet on the stairs, she hurried into the other room to check.
“I thought you were done packing,” he asked. “I’ve already loaded the car.”
“Oh, I wasn’t packing anything else. There it is!” She pulled it out of the closet, gleefully. She held it up for him. “This is to bring back the new stuff I’m buying on vacation!”
“Cute,” he said, dryly.
Smiling sunnily at him, she asked, “Me or the suitcase?”
“Don’t push your luck,” he told her. “Are you really done now?”
“Yup, yup!” she said. “Soon as I make sure all the lights are off and go to the bathroom one more time, and check the coffee pot and…”
“Just get moving!” he growled playfully. “I want a vacation, not a lecture on housekeeping.”
“Me, too!” she jumped out of the way of his swat. “Hey! Go make sure all the stuff’s off in your office while I do everything else as usual! Oh, and don’t forget to put the empty suitcase in the car.”
“Yes, Ma’am! We’re only half an hour ahead of schedule,” he noted, smiling at her. “Not bad at all.”
Holly knew his penchant for being early everywhere they went, and she also knew he wanted to get there before Liz and Ben so he could discreetly put all the charges on his card. He and Ethan would divvy it up later, but they were both treating their sister and nephew and she thought it made him the sexiest thing ever.
Not that she didn’t already, of course. She knew she married the hottest guy on earth, even if other people disagreed. They were simply mistaken. Sure their husbands or boyfriends were okay, but no one was as great as her guy. Simply one of those true facts in life, where she lucked out big time on the man front. She did her best to make sure he thought the same. Though she sometimes failed, but happily he had a good cure for that, one that made them both feel better.
“Upstairs all turned out,” she skipped down the stairs, trying to remember where she’d left her overstuffed purse. “We need to vacation more often,” she launched herself into his arms as he came out of his office. “We’d get better at this leaving thing then.”
“You better not get good at leaving,” he hugged her so hard she wiggled in protest.
“Don’t be silly,” she kissed his nose. “And don’t get me all turned on. We have a long drive ahead of us, in the daylight. With trucks on the road. You are going to have to behave!”
“Am not,” he let her go and began to chase her down the hallway. “I put a blanket in the front seat. You can be all naked under it and no one will know but me.”
Her giggle floated behind her as she darted into the kitchen, flipping lights off and checking the coffee pot. Then grabbed her purse and darted out the back door, hoping he’d lock it behind him. Would he think of it? “Lock it!” she yelled, just in case, and ran to the car. Yes, all loaded and ready for vacation! She’d packed a cooler of water and snacks to take with them, and he’d stashed it in the car, too. He was a good boy. Deserved a treat or two along the way and she knew it wasn’t the fruit and chocolate in the cooler he’d be craving soon.
Well, she knew what he’d be wanting, but she’d make him work for it. He appreciated it more when she wasn’t too easy, she figured. Maybe. She’d find out.
It was going to be such a fun journey to get to their vacation spot! Six-hour drive and two weeks of fun times in a gorgeous laid back setting with the family. It wasn’t quite whale watching in Maine, but, hey, if you were lucky, a magical honeymoon only came once. Vacations should come every year or so, and she was quite certain, knowing her husband, they would be sneaking away for some private honeymoon time. Hopefully their bedroom had a lock, and they needed to get there first to get the best room, she decided.
“Hurry up, boy,” she told him, as he shut her car door. “I’m ready to roll!”
“Yes, Sir,” he said, saluting, and sliding into his seat a few seconds later. “Got the GPS all set up? What’s our time to beat?”
“It’s not a time to beat,” she protested for the umpteenth time. “Just a general idea of approximately when we could perhaps almost get there. It doesn’t need bathroom or stretch or sex breaks, and doesn’t that realize we do!”
“Woman, I just let you have all the sex you wanted last night. Don’t tell me you’re going to want more today?” he said, moaning and pulling out of the driveway.
“Oh, no. That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” she said, leaning forward and unsnapping her bra. Slowly pulling the straps down her sleeves, she wiggled it off and tossed it over the steering wheel. “Sex is so not on my radar. I just want to get there as fast as we can. You?”
“Ditto,” he agreed, picking up her bra and tossing it in the back seat, on top of a few bags and her empty suitcase.
“Hey! I might need that later!” she protested.
“Huh. What for?”
“For going out in public! For when we stop!”
“We won’t be stopping for a few hours. By then I’m sure you will have wiggled yourself back there to get it,” he said. “In the meantime, why don’t you go ahead and take off everything else? The blanket is on the floor.”
Holly giggled. “I see it! But why should I get naked? We can’t do anything in the car!”
“Anything? Or everything? Doesn’t matter what we can or can’t do anyway.” He pulled onto the interstate and set the cruise. “I just want my wife naked.”
“You are so controlling,” she said. “If you wreck and kill us both, I promise I will never speak to you again.”
“Duly noted,” he said. “Clothes off.”
Holly couldn’t stop smiling even as a fris
son of nerves shot through her. Was she really doing this? She guessed so. Eyeing the blanket, she figured in the worst case, she could wrap it around her body like a toga. Yes, officer, just going to a party! Shaking it out, she draped it over her head like a tent and started wiggling out of her clothes.
“Details!” he said, playfully. “I want to hear what’s coming off.”
Laughing, she complied. “Sandals off! Now am unbuttoning my shirt, ever so slowly. Button one, button two.”
“You’re lucky my hands are on the wheel or those buttons would be flying off,” he said.
“I know! Luckiest girl in the world I am!” she agreed. “Okay, got that unbuttoned. Now there’s my shorts. Unbuttoning them, can you hear the zipper come down?” She wiggled it up and down a few times, to make sure. “You really want them off off?”
“I want your shorts and your panties in my hand before I count to five, or I’ll stop this car!”
He probably meant that as a threat, but she giggled, delightedly. Gyrating in the car seat, fighting around the seatbelt and shoulder strap was challenging. Lifting her butt up, she pulled her shorts and panties off, glad she’d worn something cute, anticipating they’d be doing something fun on the way. Pulling one tanned leg out from under the blanket she had her shorts and panties dangling from an ankle. “As always, your wish is my command!”
She felt him pull her shorts off her foot, then he grabbed it and with one hand, encircled her ankle and the other fingers tickled her foot, making her squeal. Giggling and twisting, trying to keep the blanket over head, she didn’t try too hard to get away.
Then he let go of her ankle and said, “Put your foot on the dashboard. I have a couple things for you.”
“Seriously?” her head popped out from under the blanket, but keeping it pulled up to her shoulders. Smiling at him she said, “I love presents!”
“I didn’t know that about you,” he replied and pulled a little box from his shirt pocket. She struggled to keep the blanket up, knowing he’d frown upon her flashing an unwary trucker. Snatching it out of his hand, she opened the box to find a gorgeous ankle bracelet. Delicate, silver with interlocking hearts at the clasp, and moaned appropriately.
