Back in the Saddle (8 page)

“Not at all. Chance himself came up and told me about it. Said he didn’t want me to hear about from someone else. That there wasn’t anything to hide.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “That right?”

Warmth surged through her at the realization that Chance had been so upfront with her father about their growing relationship. Molly set her mug down carefully, choosing her next words.

“Daddy, I’m thirty years old. I’ve been married and divorced. I didn’t think I needed your permission to have a sleepover.”

Reuben gave her a long, slow look. “That’s right. You don’t. But you’re coming off a bad situation and I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing. That it’s not some knee jerk reaction.” He paused. “Besides. Chance has had his own troubles, you know.”

I’d know more if I could get him to talk about it.

She clamped down on her irritation. “Who are you more worried about? Chance or me?”

“Both of you.” He leaned forward and placed one of his meaty hands over her small one. “You’re my only child, Molly, no matter how old you are. With your mama gone, I feel a dual responsibility. But Chance McDaniel is one damn fine young man, responsible and a hard worker. I can’t say it wouldn’t please me to see the two of you together, but I’d hate for something to happen to screw that up for either of you.”

She found a smile for him. “Don’t worry. We’re both adults and we both know what we’re doing.”
I think.
“And it’s going to be all right.”
I hope.

“Okay, then.” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Chance. If there turns out to be a problem, work it out like the adults you tell me you are.” He rinsed his cup, set it in the sink and lifted his hat off the counter. “I’d better get out there and see to that bull.” He started to open the back door, then stopped. “You know, Molly, there’s a place for you here at the ranch if you want it.”

“Oh?” She grinned. “I guess you can always use an extra hand around the barn.”

His face darkened with momentary anger. “Don’t sell yourself short. You didn’t get that fancy education to shovel horse shit. John Trammel wants to retire and move to Arizona where the rest of his family is. Hayes Ranch could sue a smart brain as the ranch manager.”

She stared at him, stunned. For one thing, John had been running the ranch for her father—at least the business end—for as long as she could remember. For another, he’d never once said anything about her being a part of this operation.

She was so startled for a moment she couldn’t think. “You actually want
me
to be part of the ranch operation?”

He sighed. “Molly, you’re my only child. All that’s left of our family. You’ve worked as hard as the men and know about all there is to know. If I’d thought you were interested, I’d have talked to you about this when you got your fancy degree.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked, curious.

“Timing,” was all he said. “But I’m not getting any younger, and I want to make sure the ranch is in good hands. Chance McDaniel has probably turned out to be the best foreman around, but someone’s got to pay attention to the paperwork and details. It doesn’t appear you’re in a hurry to get anywhere now so I thought…”

“I don’t know what to say.” And what would Chance think about this? If he was intending to make their relationship permanent, working together like that would be far too uncomfortable.

“Think it over,” he said, as if reading her mind, “and see where this thing goes with Chance. You feel like you’re interested, we’ll sit down and work it out.”

Then he was gone, leaving her sitting in her chair in a cloud of astonishment.

****

Molly had chosen not to hang around the ranch all day, worried that Chance would think she was dogging him, so she’d taken herself off to San Antonio, deciding to do some clothes shopping. Everything she owned reminded her of Boyd and Houston, and she wondered if she shouldn’t just burn it all. It was close to six by the time she got back and Chance’s truck was still parked near the barn. Was he working late? Had he changed his mind about tonight? Had her father talked him out of it?

She shut off her chatterbox brain and headed upstairs for the hot soak she’d promised herself. She reinserted the plug and pulled on a tiny lacy thong, part of her shopping expedition. No bra. She could be bold, too. Selecting a new pair of jeans and tank top from one of her shopping bags, she looked out of her bedroom window. Yup, Chance’s truck was still there. Giving her hair one last fluff, she turned over all the options available and made some contingency plans.

At seven when Chance knocked on the back door, she was waiting for him. He was covered with dust, his already scuffed boots were even more banged up and his face had smears where he’d wiped sweat. He grinned apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Molly. Time got away from us—”

She held up a hand. “Stop. I was raised on a ranch, remember? I know how that happens. We’re good as long as you aren’t here to cancel on me.”

He shook his head. “Never that. But I need to shower and I haven’t done a damn thing about dinner.”

She winked. “Then isn’t it a good thing I took care of that.” She lifted a covered foil pan from the counter. “Josefina’s enchiladas. I filched them from the freezer. All we have to do is heat them in the oven.”

His grin showed off his even, white teeth. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Her heart stuttered.

It’s just an expression, Molly. Don’t get your panties in a twist.

“No, but I’ll give you plenty of opportunity. I’m ready.”

They’d barely pulled out of the ranch driveway before Chance said, “I let your father know about us this morning.”

“He told me. That’s good, Chance. I don’t want to feel we have to hide this—whatever
this
is.”

“I agree.” He rested his hand on her thigh. “And to be honest, Molly, I don’t know what
this
is yet, either, but I damn sure want to find out.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

His hand tightened slightly as he tensed, then relaxed again. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“Night before last, at Rusty’s. Were you just looking to take me home for a tumble in the hay?”

He was silent for so long she wondered if she’d made a mistake asking him that.

“It was never about that, Molly,” he said at last. “I hadn’t planned to say any of this until we got more…comfortable with each other, but I can’t ever remember a time I didn’t want you. Only, when I was nineteen and you were fifteen it wasn’t even near the realm of possibility.”

“But you got married,” she protested. “What about that?”

“Yeah, what about that.” He was silent again, obviously chewing it over in his mind. “There’s a lot about my marriage I need to tell you, and I will. Maybe even later tonight. The best excuse I can give is she wasn’t you.”

“And the worst?”

“That’s for later.”

The minute they reached his house, Chance headed for the shower and Molly set the pan on the counter, turning on the oven to preheat. For a few minutes she wandered around the house, listening to the faint sound of the shower running. When the buzzer sounded to tell her the oven was ready, she slid the enchiladas into it and headed toward Chance’s bedroom. Through the partly open bathroom door she could see him standing naked, towel drying his hair. His cock was semi-erect, but even in that state it was more than impressive.

With her hands trembling only slightly, Molly took off her clothes, folding them neatly and placing them on a straight-back wooden chair. Then she softly padded over to the bathroom and pushed open the door.

“Need me to finish drying you off?” she teased.

Chance lowered the towel and looked at her with eyes burning with need. He dropped the towel, pulled her against him and took her mouth in a hungry, needy kiss. His tongue traced the inside of her lips, the line of her gums, the roof of her mouth, then thrust deep inside, sweeping against her own small tongue like a marauding predator.

Molly clutched at him, pressing her body against his, rubbing her sensitive breasts against the crisp hair on his chest. His cock swelled and flexed against her softness. She loved the feel of the hard muscles in his arms and back almost as much as she loved the feel of his cock inside her.

Breathless, she broke the kiss, pulled away and turned around.

“I wore it all day.” She spread the cheeks of her ass to show him the plug. “I only took it out this afternoon for my bath, but I put it back in right away.”

“Jesus, Molly.” He ran his hand over the curve of her buttocks, fingertips touching the flange of the plug. “Just looking at that thing in you gets me so hard I could hammer nails.” He turned her so she was facing him and brushed his mouth against hers.

His soft kisses were just as erotic as the hungry ones, calling to all of her senses. How was it that this one man touched her and she opened to him like a flowers?

“I have another present for you,” he whispered against her lips.

“For me?”

“Uh huh.” His breath whispered into her mouth. “I think I want to give it to you now. That okay?”

“I like presents,” she told him. “Is it like this one?” She reached a hand back to touch her ass.

“Sort of. Come on.” He led her by the hand into the bedroom, pulled back the covers on the bed and arranged her with great care. “Spread your legs for me, sugar. Open those beautiful thighs as wide as you can and bend your knees.”

She fastened her gaze on him, watching as he took a small box from the nightstand drawer.

“That’s some busy piece of furniture you’ve got there,” she teased, trying to hide both her nervousness and anticipation.

His eyes darkened as he looked down at her. “Lots of toys for you, Molly. Think you’ll like them? You like what we do?”

Okay, enough with dancing around the issue.

“Chance, before we go any further, there’s something we have to talk about.”

His entire body tightened as if she’d dropped a noose over his head. “Oh? And what might that be?”

“You keep asking me all these questions. Do I like this? Is this okay? Am I okay with it? What’s going on here? If I didn’t like…” She waved her hand at the night stand and the box in his hand. “I’d have told you do. So what’s going on? I want to know before you give me my next little present.”

Chance let a breath out on a long, slow exhale, nudged her over and sat down beside her. “Okay, I guess you deserve answers. But fair’s fair. You have to tell me about Boyd.”

She nodded. “All right.”

“I met Sabrina my senior year in college. Truth be told, she reminded me of you in many ways.” He grimaced. “But you know what they say. There’s only one original. Anyway, we graduated, she went home to Austin and went to work and I came here to work on the ranch full time.”

“I remember when I heard you’d gotten married.”

“I took my time,” he told her. “Thought I was making sure everything was right. But I’d learned by then the things I enjoyed in the bedroom and I really didn’t want to have to pass on them. I introduced Sabrina to some of it while we were engaged and she seemed okay with them. But…”

“But?” she prompted.

“But apparently she was just reeling me in. Because once she had that ring on her finger and the honeymoon was over, she shut the door on me. Told me she hated all of this. It disgusted her. And if I loved her, I wouldn’t need any of this to—as she said—enhance our sex life.”

“So what happened?”

“You don’t need all the gory details. Just know that she never let up on me, never stopped digging at me, even when I said fine, we’d do things whatever way she wanted. But about that time I realized I really didn’t love her at all and she sure as hell didn’t love me. The last fight we had she said some things that really hurt. And then it was over.”

“So you’ve been wanting to make sure the same thing isn’t going to happen with me.”

“Doesn’t that make sense?” He brought his face close to hers. “I’d hate it if you felt the same way. I want you, Molly, and not just for one night. But I want us to want the same things in bed.”

She stroked her fingers across his cheek. “Would it shock you to know that I’ve fantasized about doing these very things with the right man? Read about them in erotic romances? Even talked to a couple of women about them? So no, Chance, none of this turns me off. Especially with you.”

She could see the level of tension decrease visibly, and the kiss he gave her held as much emotion as heat.

“Then I guess I’d better give you your present.” He opened the box and took out a beautiful metal butterfly, its multihued wings catching the light from the lamp.

“What’s that for?” she wanted to know. “You’re not going to pin something to me, are you?”

“No, sugar. You’ll love this.”

He took out a tiny tube of something from the box, squeezed a little ribbon of it onto one finger and rubbed it on the ridge of the butterfly’s spine. Then he squeezed out a little more and rubbed it into her clit. Finally, he pressed the butterfly’s wings together to open a tiny clamp in the spine and placed it on the tip of her clit.

“Now watch,” he told her.