The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series (18 page)

She nodded, the movement jerky. “Yes, but never for this long. I’m afraid he won’t be back this time.” Emotional tears filled her eyes, but she managed to keep them at bay. “He was a good man, Seth, despite his faults.”

“I never thought differently.”

She drew a deep, steadying breath. “It was common knowledge that he liked to gamble, and I tried my best to keep it under control, but he became obsessed with cards and poker after my mother died when I was a little girl. I suppose it was his way of dealing with her death, and I’d much prefer him gambling than drinking.”

“Like my father?” It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement of fact.

“Yes,” she agreed, lightly brushing a strand of hair off his forehead. “It couldn’t have been easy for you.”

He laced his fingers with the hand he held to his heart. “No more or less than it was for you.” Both of them had suffered as children, though in different aspects.

She hesitated for a brief moment. “I heard rumors that he was. . . um, a mean drunk.”

Seth valiantly tamped down the old resentment and bitterness trying to claw its way to the surface. “My father was just plain mean and spiteful, regardless of his drinking.”

“I’m sorry.” Compassion glinted in her eyes, soothing him. “Despite his gambling, my father’s got a heart of gold and deserves to be home with me and Kellie.” She closed her eyes, and swallowed hard, her voice wistful when she next spoke. “I wish. . .”

When Josie didn’t finish her request, Seth prompted, “What do you wish, Sweetheart?”

She opened her eyes, and they were bright with private recriminations. “That my father knew that I forgive him for gambling away the Golden M, and that I don’t hate him like he believes. But how can I tell him that when I have no idea where he is, or how to locate him?”

Seth had no answer for her, but he didn’t think she expected one, either. Her request was such a simple one, really, and as they sat there together beneath the shade tree lost in their own thoughts, Seth decided if it was within his power to grant Josie her selfless wish, he would do it.

“Mom, there’s a wild berry bush a little ways down the creek,” Kellie said, skipping back to the blanket. “Can I pick some so we can have them with ice cream tonight?”

“Go ahead,” Josie said with a smile as Kellie took an empty container from the knapsack. “But stay where I can see you.”

Seth closed his eyes, lulled by the warmth of the summer day, the soft, feminine scent drifting off of Josie’s skin, and the way she idly stroked her fingers through his hair. A nap beckoned, and he gradually drifted off.

“Seth?”

Josie’s soft, sweet voice tugged at his conscience, keeping him hovering between slumber and wakefulness. “Hmm?”

“What happened to make your father disinherit you?”

His mind immediately went on full alert, but he didn’t open his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I’d like to know, considering that’s the main reason why you wanted the Golden M so badly.”

His lashes drifted open, and he gave her a warning look. “Leave it alone, Josie.” His tone was gruffer than he’d intended, but he hoped it would at least serve to dissuade Josie’s probing of a very sensitive topic.

She fell silent, but wasn’t discouraged for long. “Did Robert do something so your father would disinherit you?”

His jaw clenched, and he admitted, “No, it was what
I
did.”

She frowned, as if she couldn’t quite believe he was capable of doing something so awful that it would result in losing his rightful inheritance. “Which was?” she persisted.

“Dammit, Josie . . .” Frustration burned through his veins, along with truth, until it threatened to strangle him if he didn’t let it out. “I was with
you
.”

Visibly shaken by his confession, her hand fluttered to the collar of her blouse and her face paled. “My God.”

Swearing heatedly beneath his breath, he sat up next to her on his knees. He clawed his fingers through his hair, angry with her for pushing the issue, and equally furious with himself for having so little restraint. “You wanted to know,” he said, his tone flat.

Her gaze searched his, compassion glowing in the depths. “You lost half of the Paradise Wild because of me?”

“Because of
us
.” He ached to touch her and tell her it no longer mattered, but couldn’t bring himself to open himself to her so emotionally. “Because I was involved with you and my father found out about it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “And because I’m a McAllister,” she stated, her voice holding a hint of anguish.

“That’s the short of it. It was no secret my father hated anything to do with a McAllister.”

She looked at him, her chin jutting out indignantly. “That’s awful, and hardly fair!”

He felt himself smiling, because never would he have imagined having Josie as an ally. “Life is rarely fair, Josie, as you well know. My father always knew something happened between you and I, but I didn’t find out about being disinherited until after my father died, when the will was read.”

She shook her head incredulously. “You must have been devastated.”

He shrugged, the gesture not as casual as he intended. “At first I was pretty angry, but then that’s my father for you. Spiteful until the very end. But none of that matters anymore. This is my home now, here on the Golden M, with you and Kellie.”

She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Not by your choice.”

“No, the circumstances weren’t ideal, but we’re both in this for the long haul, and I’ve accepted that.”

She cast him a skeptical look beneath the crease of her brows. “And the past?”

“Has no place in our future,” he said adamantly. “I . . . I care for you, Josie, and Kellie, too. I know we can make our marriage a real one if we work real hard at it.”

She glanced away from his beseeching gaze, but not before he saw something extremely emotional and private glittering in her eyes, like she was trying to hide a secret from him. Very gently, he grasped her chin and brought her face back around, but whatever he’d glimpsed moments before was gone.

“I’m willing to wipe the slate clean, how about you?” he asked, realizing in that moment just how important her answer was to him. How important it was to their marriage.

She bit her quivering bottom lip. A month ago she would have been snapping with fire right now, defiant and unwilling to compromise. He was gratified to see her relenting, softening, and considering everything they stood to gain as true, equal partners—in marriage, friendship, and business.

Since she was having a difficult time giving him what he wanted, he decided to offer her an incentive. Framing her face between his large palms, he leaned toward her and kissed her tenderly, deeply, passionately.

“Say yes, Josie,” he breathed against her damp lips. “Say you’ll be my wife.”

Tentatively, her arms slid around his neck, fingers delving into his hair, and brought his mouth back to hers. “Yes,” she whispered, and then her lips parted beneath his. The kiss she gave him tasted like a new beginning, and held the flavor of forever.

Yes.
Seth’s heart soared. That one word was all he needed to hear to know she was finally his.

It took Josie a week to work up the nerve to seduce her husband.

After her declaration at the creek last Sunday she’d expected Seth to make love to her, but he’d been a perfect gentleman, in their bedroom, and out. He still kissed her every night until she was pliant and dewy, still stole caresses that left her breathless, and murmured sexy, wicked things in her ear that made her blush. The anticipation he so effortlessly stirred within her was excruciating, and exquisitely sensual.

It was driving her crazy with wanting him.

She knew she was sending all the right signals, but it had taken her all week to realize Seth was waiting for her to initiate a more intimate union between them—when she was ready.

The time had come to be Seth’s wife in every way, as she’d promised him at the creek, and there wouldn’t be a more perfect opportunity to make her intentions known than that evening. Kellie was staying overnight at a nearby friend’s house, leaving her and Seth alone on a quiet Saturday night. Seth had gone out to the stables an hour earlier to check on things, as he did every evening, affording Josie enough time to prepare herself, physically and emotionally, for what was to come.

She’d never considered herself a seductress—she knew little about tempting men—but as she glanced at her reflection in the dresser mirror, she saw a mature woman who was both desirable and sexy. She supposed trading in her long flannel gown and socks for a silky, thigh length chemise and bare feet had something to do with the transformation, as well as leaving her hair completely unbound so it fell in wild curls over her shoulders and down her back. Her complexion glowed, and her eyes shimmered with feminine allure.

She was as ready as a bride could be about accepting her husband for the first time.

Downstairs, she heard Seth enter the house and she jumped as the moment of reckoning presented itself. Excitement and apprehension mingled, making her pulse race and her stomach flutter from nerves. Like a repeat of their wedding night she anxiously waited for him to come upstairs, and when she finally heard his booted steps echoing down the hall, she drew a deep breath for calm and courage.

The door opened, and he stepped inside, his gaze immediately drawn to where she stood in the middle of the room. He said nothing, but his dark, smoldering eyes spoke volumes. His gaze leisurely traveled the length of her, flickering from her unrestrained hair, to her breasts that swelled and pushed against the cool material of her chemise, to her hips outlined in silk, and down her slender legs.

His perusal was blatantly seductive and wholly possessive.

This time, she didn’t attempt to repress her body’s response to his heated, seductive gaze. This time, she didn’t bolt for the safety of the covers and wish that the lights were turned off. This time, she let him look his fill, let the hunger between them grow and build until she was inflamed and restless.

There would be no holding back tonight, no barriers, and that knowledge sent a thrilling shiver of anticipation dancing down her spine.

“Hi,” she said, her voice husky.

“Hi, yourself.” Taking off his Stetson, he flicked it onto the nearby dresser. He approached her with a lazy stroll, and stopped less than two feet away. “You look awfully nice, and sexy, too, without all that flannel covering you up.” His gaze narrowed and his voice lowered into a masculine, teasing drawl. “You expecting someone I should know about?”

She shifted anxiously on her bare feet, and the silky material of her gown whispered around her thighs, a teasing caress she wanted replaced with his warm, calloused hands. “Just my husband.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up in a beguiling, rakish grin. “And now that he’s here, what do you plan on doing with him?”

Her pulse quickened at the shameless challenge in his eyes. Taking a step toward him, she closed the gap between them, and sank her fingers into the soft hair at the back of his neck. “Maybe I ought to show you,” she said, and brought his mouth down to hers.

She kissed him, no holds barred. Deep. Passionate. Ravishing. His lips were infinitely soft, incredibly warm, his tongue flirtatious as it chased hers. She couldn’t get enough of his taste, didn’t want the kiss to end.

Too soon, it did, though it wasn’t her that put a stop to such a toe-curling experience. It had been her husband, and he was looking down at her with unbridled hunger burning in his eyes.

His finger traced the thin strap holding up her gown, then trailed a heated path along the bodice to where it dipped between her breasts. “Dressed as you are, and kissing me that way, you’re asking for trouble, bride.”

She knew what he was asking—did she realize what she had in store if she continued this game?

“I’d say I’m
looking
for trouble, cowboy,” she said, and began slowly opening the buttons on his shirt.

He watched her perform the task, not touching her like she wished he would, and the ache within her grew. She fumbled with a particularly stubborn button, and tried not to let her self-confidence wither. Tonight was very important to her. Not only did she want to please him, but she wanted to show him that she was willing to meet him halfway, willing to do her part to make their marriage work.

And it all started here, tonight, in their bedroom.

Finally, the sides of his shirt separated, and she slipped her flattened palms inside, gliding over firm, hot flesh that seemingly quivered from her touch. Impatiently, she pushed the material over his shoulders and down his arms, breathing in a warm, male scent that made her dizzy with longing. She greedily explored his hard and firmly muscled chest, discovering the man he’d become, indulging in the changes in his body, reveling in her own womanly response. She brushed her fingers down his belly, and was stopped by the waistband of his jeans. A frustrated sound rose into her throat before she could stop it.

Soft, intimate laughter rumbled from his chest. “Slow down, Josie, darlin’,” he murmured. “We’ve got all night.”