The Cowboy’s Targeted Bride

by Carla Cassidy

  His hands were so warm, and her nipples hardened eagerly beneath his touch. She gasped in delight as his mouth moved to lick and kiss first one nipple and then the other. Electric currents coupled with a sweet heat traveled from her breasts to the very center of her.

  As his mouth teased and kissed her breasts, his hands skimmed down her stomach and to her upper thighs, further tormenting her with a need that had her half-mad. The want for him crashed into her with a quickness that surprised her. She clutched his shoulders and then reached up to tangle her fingers in his soft hair.

  “Lily, are you sure about this?” His voice was deep and raspy against her ear. “I don’t want to rush you. I want you to be very sure.”

  She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I want you to make love to me, Jerod. Please make love to me.”

  Her words seem to unleash him. His hands moved over the silk of her panties, quickly heating the material with the warmth of him. His fingers danced over her as his quickened breaths filled her ears.

  She arched her hips up to meet his touch, and he took the opportunity to slide her panties down her legs and off. She plucked at his boxers, wanting him as naked as she was. He got out of them, and she immediately wrapped her fingers around his arousal. She tried to stroke him, but at the same time his fingers found the very core of her, and she couldn’t contain the moan that escaped her.

  All her energy coalesced at the place where he touched her as a tension began to build and build inside her. The tension broke as a climax shook through her, leaving her gasping and crying out his name.

  He immediately moved between her thighs and hovered there, as if giving her one more chance to stop him. But the last thing she wanted was to halt the sweet, hot sensations he evoked in her. She grabbed his buttocks and pulled him against her...into her.

  When he was completely inside her, he froze and a low groan escaped him. His gaze caught hers, and in the depths of his eyes, she saw the same flames of desire that she knew burned in hers.

  He began to stroke into her. Long and deep, he filled her up in a way she’d never been filled before. As the strokes became shorter and more frantic, she felt the throb of his climax approaching, and that caused her to fly over the edge once again.

  He groaned and buried himself deep within her as they finished together. He half collapsed against her, both of them breathless.

  He finally leaned up on his elbows and kissed her so softly, so sweetly that tears misted her eyes. He pushed aside the errant strand of her hair that always seemed to cling to the side of her face.

  “That was amazing,” he said softly and then rolled to the side.

  “Yes, it was,” she agreed, still boneless as she basked in the afterglow.

  “I guess we should get up and get ready to go to sleep,” he murmured, not moving.

  “As soon as I can, I’ll get up.” She laughed. “Right now I’m not sure I can stand up.”

  “Same,” he replied. “I love it when you smile,” he said. He reached and traced her lips with his index finger. “You have a beautiful smile.”

  She looked at him in surprise. She wasn’t used to compliments. “Thanks. Yours is pretty nice, too.”

  They smiled at each other, and Lily felt a peace rush through her that had been absent in her life. This man was her husband, and right now she felt like his wife. It was a wonderful feeling, but within minutes drowsiness overtook her.

  “Okay, I’ve got to move now, otherwise I’ll fall asleep and Caleb will find my naked, sleeping body in the morning.”

  He laughed. “We can’t have that.”

  “And now I’ll be right back.” She slid out of the bed and grabbed her nightgown and panties from the floor and then went into the bathroom.

  She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes held a sparkling glow. She looked like a woman who had just been thoroughly loved. She felt like a woman who had thoroughly loved.

  Making love with Jerod had been wonderful. He’d been gentle, and yet she’d felt the strength of his desire for her. She frowned and turned away from the mirror.

  No matter what she felt at this moment, she knew better than to fool herself and believe it had been love that had brought them together tonight. It had been an expression of the physical desire that had been building between them. And for him, he was probably hoping that she’d get pregnant and fulfill his desire for a child of his own.

  Even though she’d looked into his eyes and had believed she’d seen all kinds of wonderful emotions, she needed to keep in mind what his ultimate goal was in being with her. He was saving her ranch, and in return he expected her to get pregnant and have his baby. So, of course he was eager to make love to her.

  She cleaned up and pulled her panties and her nightgown back on. When she went back into the bedroom, Jerod was gone and she assumed he’d gone to the bathroom in the hallway.

  She got back into bed and beneath the covers, and a couple minutes later he returned to the bedroom. He slid into bed and immediately pulled her close to him. She relaxed into him, ready to fall asleep in his arms whether they loved each other or not. Even if he didn’t love her, she felt a closeness to him she couldn’t deny, especially after what they’d just shared.

  Sleepily she turned over, and he spooned her, his arm around her waist as he snuggled close against her back. “Lily,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Yes?” she whispered back.

  “Now this day is a definite ten.”

  She smiled, and within minutes she was asleep.

  She awakened the next morning to find herself alone in the bed. She glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was almost nine. She’d forgotten to set her alarm the night before, and she had majorly overslept.

  Her first thought was for Caleb, who was surely up by now and probably starving. She slid out of the bed, grabbed a robe and pulled it around her and then headed for the kitchen. She smelled both coffee and bacon.

  Before she got there, she heard the deep rumble of Jerod’s voice and then Caleb’s laughter, and she immediately relaxed. She should have known that Jerod would take care of Caleb. That’s what fathers did.

  “Hey, Mom,” Caleb greeted her with a bright smile. “Jerod was going to make eggs over easy, but he kept breaking the yolks, so we’re eating his mistakes.”

  She smiled at Jerod, who stood in front of the stove and then looked back at her son. “And how many mistakes has he made?”

  “So far six,” Jerod admitted. “Caleb is eating three and I’m eating three.”

  “Maybe I should try to make me a couple,” she said.

  “No, you just sit and relax,” Jerod replied. “On the last egg, I almost got it, and I’m determined to get one over-easy egg right. Caleb, why don’t you pour your mother a cup of coffee?”

  Her first instinct was to protest. Caleb had never poured her a cup of coffee before, and she knew how easy it would be for him to get burned if he spilled.

  However, before she could say anything, Caleb jumped up from the table, and he looked so proud she decided to keep her mouth shut. She watched as he got down a cup, and then she held her breath as he carefully poured the coffee from the carafe into the awaiting cup.

  As he delivered it to her, he gave her a big smile. “Just let me know when you’re ready for a refill,” he said.

  “Thank you, Caleb.” She returned his smile. Her son was growing up, and she realized she needed to let him do more in order to build both his independence and his confidence.

  “Oh no, two more mistakes coming right up,” Jerod said in dismay, making Caleb giggle. Jerod carried a plate with the two flattened eggs to her.

  “They all taste the same,” she replied. “And these look just fine for me.”

  As they ate,
the topic of conversation was Caleb’s horse. “Since it’s Sunday, can you work with me today?” he asked Jerod.

  “I think we can work something out once we finish our morning chores,” Jerod replied.

  “I already made my bed, and my room is clean,” Caleb replied.

  “That’s great, but since Rod is off today, maybe you can help me for a little while in the barn,” Jerod replied.

  “Sure, I can do that.” Caleb smiled at Jerod, and in her son’s eyes Lily saw more than a little bit of hero worship going on. It wasn’t going to take Caleb long to love Jerod with all his heart, and that scared her just a little bit.

  She wanted to tell him not to fall too hard, that there was no real guarantee that Jerod would truly stick around. Unfortunately, Lily was going the way of her son. She was appalled to realize she was falling in love with her husband, and she couldn’t forget that he had only married her as part of a business deal.

  * * *

  “Finally tonight I get to see the secretive science project,” Jerod said Thursday morning as they were all eating breakfast.

  “And we need to go over the schedule so everyone is on the same page,” Lily said to both of them. “You’ll pick up Caleb after school and bring him back here. I’m going to stay at school and help get things set up for the fair.”

  Jerod nodded. “I’ll feed Caleb something for dinner, and then around six thirty I’m supposed to spray him down, throw some nice clothes on him, slick his hair back and be back at the school at seven.”

  “Hey, you aren’t slicking my hair back in some kind of dorky style,” Caleb protested, making both Lily and Jerod laugh.

  “It was just a figure of speech, son,” Jerod replied.

  “Don’t be figure of speeching about messing up my hair,” Caleb replied and raised his hand to touch his thick brown hair.

  “And then when the science fair is over, I need you and Caleb to come on home, and that night you can tuck him in because I’m staying late to help with all the cleanup,” Lily said.

  “I’ve got it down, Lily. You just focus on what you need to do, and Caleb and I will be just fine,” Jerod assured her.

  “Thanks,” she replied with a smile.

  They had made love a second time the night before, after they had gotten into the bed together. It had been slower and an exploration of each other. It had definitely been just as great as it had been the first time.

  He found Lily to be an exciting, giving partner in the bedroom, but what would happen when she got pregnant? Once she fulfilled the terms of their “contract,” would she expect that intimacy to stop?

  Was she already pregnant? She wasn’t on any birth control, and there were plenty of teenagers who would be willing to attest that it only took one time for pregnancy to happen. Had it happened last night?

  Excitement shot through his veins as he realized it was possible Lily could be carrying his child right now. This was what he had always wanted, what he’d dreamed about for so long. She had all the qualities he wanted in a mother to his children, and his dream of a real family felt like it was finally going to come true.

  After breakfast she and Caleb left for the school, and Jerod headed for the barn, where Rod was already in the tack room oiling the equipment. “Good morning,” he greeted Jerod.

  “Back at you,” Jerod replied.

  The verdict was still out on Rod. He was a hard worker if given specific instructions, but if left on his own, he tended to do a whole lot of nothing.

  Jerod didn’t know if the man had been stealing from Lily or not, but now Jerod did the ordering and paying for supplies, so Rod would never have a chance to cheat or steal from Lily again.

  Each evening Jerod left a list of chores he wanted done the next day. Aside from the chores that had to be done daily, Jerod had been working on cleaning out the barn. There was hay that had gone bad and needed to be out to make room for the hay Jerod needed to get in before winter. The barn showed years of neglect, and that needed to be changed.

  “How is Lily doing?” Rod now asked. “I haven’t seen her around for the last week.”

  “She’s doing just fine. As long as we do our jobs, then she has less stress on her.” Jerod always found it a bit disconcerting when Rod asked about Lily.

  He assumed the man was just being friendly. However, Jerod hadn’t lost track of the fact that somebody had left a mutilated doll and somebody had sent those boxers to create issues between them. Was Rod hoping Lily would divorce Jerod so she would once again be dependent on Rod?

  The verdict was out. Thankfully he and Lily had been able to get past the boxer issue and hopefully whoever had left them now realized Lily and Jerod were a united front and intended to remain together.

  The day passed quickly. Jerod worked in the barn through the morning, went in to eat lunch and then spent the afternoon riding among the herd, looking over their health and welfare.

  At three thirty he drove into town to pick up Caleb from school. He waited only a few minutes before a flood of kids spilled out of the building. Some of them headed to awaiting parents’ vehicles while others loaded up in one of the three buses that were parked in front.

  He spied Caleb and waved out the window. Caleb ran toward his truck with a bright smile on his face.

  “How was school today?” he asked once Caleb was in the truck and they were headed back home.

  “It was good,” Caleb replied. “I’m just excited about tonight. After we have the official science fair stuff, there is going to be cupcakes and drinks.”

  Jerod laughed. “If there are cupcakes involved, it has to be a good night, right?”

  “Right. It’s going to be fun to see all the projects, but I think mine and Benny’s is the best. We’ve really worked hard on it.”

  “It’s going to be fun for me to see yours,” Jerod replied. “And I’ve noticed that you’ve been really good about controlling your anger.”

  Caleb released a deep sigh. “I was just so mad that my dad didn’t stick around to be with me, but I’m not so mad anymore. Besides, I think you’re a better father than he would have been.”

  Jerod’s heart squeezed tight, and love for this fatherless boy filled him. “I’m glad you feel that way about me,” he finally managed to say.

  “The only thing I worry about now is if you’re going to stay forever with me and my mom,” Caleb said.

  “That’s my plan, and you don’t need to worry about that. All I want you to do is be a nine-year-old boy who isn’t worried about any grown-up issues.”

  “That’s my plan,” Caleb parroted back to him with a grin.

  They had hot dogs, and Jerod opened up a can of beans for dinner. As they ate the two talked about what they each saw for their future, what Jerod had experienced in his past and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

  It was a good talk between two males, bonding moments that Jerod knew were good for Caleb and himself. It was obvious Caleb was hungry for this kind of male interaction and support.

  After eating, they both cleaned up to get ready for the science fair. Caleb put on his suit without Jerod prompting him, and Jerod wore a pair of black slacks with a gray dress shirt.

  They both pulled on jackets, and Jerod grabbed Lily’s coat from the hall closet to take to the school. The day had turned blustery and cold, and he knew she’d appreciate her coat later in the evening when she finally headed back home.

  Caleb could scarcely sit still in the passenger seat as Jerod drove to the school. He bounced and wiggled in obvious excitement. “I hope you like my project. Me and Benny spent a lot of hours working on it. We had to study and make stuff for it.” Caleb looked at him for a long moment. “I hope when you see it you’re proud of me.”

  The longing in Caleb’s voice once again tugged at Jerod’s heartstrings. “As long as you did your best, then I’m very proud of you.�
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  Caleb nodded and then sat back in the seat as if satisfied with Jerod’s response.

  The elementary school was a one-level brick building. Tonight the whole parking lot was full of the cars and trucks of the parents who’d come to see their students’ work.

  They wound up having to park on a side street a half a block away. The cold front that had moved in brought with it a nip of winter fast approaching. They hurried toward the school, spurred not so much by the cold but rather by Caleb’s excitement.

  “Hey,” Jerod yelled at Caleb as he raced across the street ahead of him. When Jerod caught up with him, he took Caleb by the arm. “Caleb, you don’t ever run across a street without stopping and looking both ways. You could get seriously hurt that way.”

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me,” Caleb replied, his blue eyes pleading. “I was just too excited.”

  “I’m not mad at you, but what you did was very dangerous, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” Jerod explained.

  Caleb nodded. “I kind of like it that you yelled at me. That’s something a dad would do. I want you to yell at me when I do something wrong.”

  Jerod threw his arm around Caleb’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get inside and find your mom.”

  The science fair was set up in the gym, with each grade’s offerings in different areas of the big room. It was noisy and chaotic, but everyone had smiles on their faces.

  They found the fourth-grade section, but before they could get to Caleb’s project, Maggie Rogers, one of Lily’s school friends, snagged them to see the project her son, Anthony, and his partner had done. It was a study on earthworms and their benefits.

  Before they could get away from Maggie, Krista grabbed Jerod by the arm to show him and Caleb her son Henry’s project. It was labeled “Talking to Plants,” and as Jerod and Caleb stood listening to Krista explain all about it, he found himself impatient to get to Caleb and Benny’s offering.