Big Sky Eyes (23 page)

Chapter 36

“What?” she barely squeaked, unwilling to believe what he
was
asking.
Her body tingled excitedly, her breaths
grew short and hot. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and her bottom lip
quivered slightly. Brent ran his thumb over it to still the quaking.

“What?” he teased. “Do you need another three and a half
years to decide whether I’m the man for you?”

At that she laughed and grabbed his hand, kissing his palm. “I’m
not the one who needed three and a half years,” she chided.

“Yeah,” he drawled sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“You’re making up for it right now,” she said with a smile.

“How about I spend the rest of our lives making up for it?”

He pulled her until she sat across his lap. Her arms went
around his neck, causing the blanket to fall down around her waist. Her breasts
pressed against his bare chest and she stared up at him with love shining in
her eyes.

“Is this really happening?” she asked in wonder. “Tell me
I’m not dreaming.”

“You’re not dreaming,” he said, his body warming against her
nakedness in his lap. “You’re the one I want, Mackenna, the one I've always
wanted.
As my wife.
As the mother of
my children.
As the woman in my bed.”
He
smoothed his hand over her hair, his thumb catching at the tears dripping from
her eyes. “So, what do you say?”

She had to swallow a few times to still the emotions taking
over. As she found her voice again a smile stretched across her entire face.

“It’s about bloody time!” she said with a laugh and leaned
forward to plant a long kiss on his lips. He laughed deep in his chest until
she leaned back to look at his face.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For saying yes.”

“Thank you for asking,” she returned.

The humor slowly faded from his eyes only to be replaced by
a deep blue hunger. She traced the lines of his face with her eyes, following
his strong jaw until it disappeared beneath his days’ old beard. Her fingers
followed the path of her eyes and as she drank in the sight and the feel of his
face, the face of her soon-to-be-husband, her heart swelled until it would
burst from her chest.

Her eyes never leaving his, she adjusted her position until
she straddled him. The blanket bunched around her hips but as his hands
smoothed around to grip her behind, it slid away even further. She could feel
his erection stabbing at her through the soft cotton pants he wore. Slowly, she
leaned forward and took his bottom lip in between hers, suckling its softness
while the whiskers beneath it tickled her chin.

He reached the tip of his tongue out to wet her upper lip,
and when she finally opened her mouth to his once again, their tongues danced in
a slow and sensual rhythm. He was hot and ready, but in no hurry. His hands
curved around her buttocks and he pressed her body over his erection, each of
them moaning at the pleasure that simmered there.
 

With great effort, she pulled her mouth free of his and
painted a trail down his neck and throat with her tongue, skimming his torso
with her fingernails as she went. His hands made their way into her hair which
was brushing his arms. She reached the top of his jogging pants and pulled them
slowly down until his hardened flesh was free. She studied its rosy head before
sending the tip of her tongue out to sample it. He sucked in a deep breath and
lifted her head with his hands.

“What are you doing?” he gasped.

“I’m acquainting myself with what’s mine,” she said in a
husky voice and a raised eyebrow, shattering his vision of Mackenna, the timid
and unsure lover,
the
girl who once told him she
didn’t know what to do. He was sure that his hard-on grew another inch at the
look in her eyes. Before he could utter even the slightest sound she lowered her
head with a smile and acquainted herself to her heart’s content, and he was
left panting and sweaty minutes later as a result. When she finally raised
herself up, a triumphant glow lit her eyes.

“So, I did all right then?” she asked with a crooked grin.

“What do you mean?” he asked with heavy breaths.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” she said with a
shy giggle, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. “I never wanted to with Rick,
but with you it’s all I could think of since I woke up on that couch.”

“Well,” he said, “I’ve got no complaints.
None
whatsoever.”

She ran a hand through her hair and tucked a chunk of it
behind her ear. He stared at her and saw the photograph that had been his
companion for more than three years, only this Mackenna was real. She was
older. She was his. He moved his arms until they went up beneath her armpits
and wrapped around her shoulders. She shrieked as he pushed her to the ground
and hovered over her. It was time for
his own
wicked
grin.

“I think it’s only fair that I get to know more of you as
well,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Shh,” he said, putting a finger over her mouth. “I’m
talking about not talking at all.”

He used that same finger to draw a line down her chin, along
her throat, through the valley in between her breasts, atop the flat panes of
her belly and into the juncture of her thighs. His face followed and as he
lowered himself between her thighs, his intent became clear to her and she
panicked. She couldn’t say why but she crunched up, reaching for his head.

Before she could stop him he lit her world on fire with one
bold stroke of his tongue. Her stomach jerked inward, as if her naval were
trying to touch her spine and she gasped. Then, she lost all control of her
muscles and sank back down onto the floor. As he worked his mouth around the
most sensitive place on her body, her thighs parted wider and wider, her
breaths drew shorter and shorter.

He was calling every hot inch of her body to him, feeding
the fire as well as controlling it. She had never felt such a sensation. It was
a pleasure so intense that it was almost painful. She teetered on the edge,
biting down on her lip to keep from losing control. She knew that if she
uttered even the tiniest cry that the entire roof would shake from it.

Suddenly, all that he had called to him began to build as if
it was too intense to sustain itself and at once collapsed, flooding into her
veins, bursting into her core with
a brilliance
she
never could have imagined. She tried to breathe but there was no room even for
air. She gasped in a succession of tiny breaths, and rather than stop, her
rasps only made him quicken.

Just when she thought she could take no more, a final fist
of pleasure spiraled through her so strong that when it reached her throat she
released the cry she’d held in check. Her body arched, pressing into him and
her fingers curled around wads of the blanket beneath her.
 
When the pleasure left her body on the cry,
relief again flooded her and she sank into herself, feeling spent. So that was
what an orgasm felt like!

Next thing she knew, Brent was curling up
beside
her, drawing the blanket up to cover them both. She saw him through glazed
eyes, but closed them once again as her lungs pulled at the room for air. She
felt his hand cup her cheek and his fingers caress her lips.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever done that, too,” she said
wistfully.

“So, I did all right then?” he asked, a proud grin straining
his beard.

“I have no complaints,” she said on a deep breath.
“None whatsoever.”

He laughed and folded her in his arms, kissing the top of
her head. He sighed happily.

“This is better than I imagined,” he said, “being with you,
holding you.”

She smiled against his naked chest, listening to his
heartbeat thudding against her ear. She knew, then, what Leslie had known about
Ty, and she shifted to look up at him.

“Brent,” she said, “Let’s
get
married.”

“I thought we were,” he said with a chuckle. “You did say
yes, didn’t you?”

“I mean right now,” she said, the seriousness brightening
her eyes. His smile faded into a thoughtful pose.

“Don’t you want a wedding?
Your family and
everyone there?”

“I don’t care about that,” she answered honestly. “I just
want to be your wife. We could grab a couple of homeless guys to witness for
all I care. You’re my best friend and the only one I want standing beside me.”

He saw the sincerity in her eyes. She was as committed as he
was, and as eager. He leaned down and lightly kissed the tip of her nose.

“I’m ready if you’re ready.”

“What do you mean you’re not coming home?” her mother’s
worried voice screeched through the cell phone.

“I didn’t say that I’m not coming home. I said that I’m not
coming as soon as originally planned. I’m going to stay another couple of days.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Uh…yes and no.”

“Well, what does that mean?”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Mackenna said. “Brent needs me
here to help him go through his mom’s things. I can’t really leave him right
now.”

After a long pause Helen sighed. “Fine,” she said. “Just let
me know when you change your flight details. By the way, have you heard from
Rick at all?”

Mackenna grimaced at the sound of his name. “No. Why?”

“He’s been sending flowers here every day since you left.
I’ve got roses coming out of my ears.
Maybe you oughtta talk
to him, Macks.”

Mackenna sighed. “I’m sorry
you’re having
to deal with him. I will talk to him when I get back, okay?”

“Okay, honey. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Mom.”

She hung up the phone just as Brent was coming to her side.
She smiled as he took her hand in his.

“It should be another fifteen minutes before they get us
in,” he said, and she nodded.

The Justice of the Peace office doors swung open behind her
and she turned in time to see Ty and Leslie walking through, still dressed in
the same clothes they’d worn at the funeral. She looked askance at Brent and he
shrugged.

“I know you said a couple of homeless guys would do, but I
figured we could do one better.”

She read the genuine happiness on their faces and spoke the
words as they formed in her heart. “You’re right. This is better.”

Leslie approached and Mackenna went right into her arms.
They hugged until fresh tears glistened in their eyes.

“What a day,” Leslie said as they pulled apart.

"This is how Mom would want it,” Brent said. “She was
never one for wallowing in sadness.”

The four exchanged glances that were at once filled with
sorrow and hope. In some ways, they had made this journey together. Yes, this
was the perfect way to get married.

Chapter 37

“I’m sorry, what?!” her father’s suspicious and somewhat
angry voice rose above the neighing horses nearby. “Did you just say that you
are married?”

“Yes, Dad,” Mackenna answered, gripping Brent’s forearm for
support. “I’m married.”

Her parents stood, shocked pale and wide-eyed. Helen looked
from her, to Brent, to her father, then to the ground, unsure what to say. Her
father swelled with protectiveness, stretching every inch of his six-foot-four
frame.

“Last week you were engaged to Rick,” he said as though
trying to reason through a riddle, “and this week you’re married to…” he broke
off and turned his penetrating gaze on her husband. “I’m sorry, what is your
name again?”

“Brent,” he offered casually and unafraid.

“Brent,” her father repeated, rolling the name off his
tongue as if doing so would help him learn more of the man. “Do you mind if we
speak to our daughter alone, Brent?”

“Not as long as she doesn’t mind speaking to you alone, Sir”
he answered bluntly, if respectfully.

Mackenna couldn’t help but smile at his protectiveness. She
looked up into his eyes, showing him that there was nothing of regret or fear
inside of her. He smiled in reply and they exchanged a light kiss before he
walked back to her truck. She turned pleading eyes onto her parents. Her father
spoke before she could say anything.

“Macks,” he said. “What’s going on here? Who is this guy?
How can you be married to him when you were just engaged!?! Did he force
himself on you?”

“No! Dad, no!” she cut him off before he continued on his
tirade. “Look, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I love Brent.
I’ve loved him for three years. I never loved Rick, and I should have never
agreed to marry him. I only did so because I thought it would help me get over
Brent, but I was wrong. I accept responsibility for that, and I
will
talk to Rick. Trust me.”

Her mother looked sympathetic.
Her father
untrusting.

“He’s a good man, Dad,” she said. “I wish I could tell you
all the ways he is good, but I can’t. You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

Her father sighed through his nose, casting a glance of thinly-veiled
dislike toward Brent and she stepped between them, bringing her father’s eyes
back to hers.

“Dad, he makes me happy,” she said her eyes filling with
tears. “Look at me. I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. That man is
all I’ve ever wanted. Please don’t push him away because I’ll follow him
wherever he goes.”

“And where will he go, Mackenna?” her dad asked, emotion and
worry softening his features.

“Wherever I go,” she said with a smile. “He’s a talented
photographer, and a skilled ranch hand who has worked for the McCraes for
almost ten years. He’ll work wherever we are, but he has chosen to follow me
wherever I want to study to become a vet.”

Her father eyed Brent, leaning casually against her truck.
He was only half-convinced.

“Dad,” she said, drawing him back to her. “Please, just
trust me. Trust that I’ve chosen well for myself. Give him a chance.”

He looked at his wife, who shrugged lightly as if to say
“why not?” and he
huffed
a hot breath.

“Fine, Mackenna,” he relinquished, “but you better talk to
Rick. He deserves to hear this from you.”

“I know,” she agreed. “And I will. I promise.” She threw her
arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank you, Dad. This really means a lot to
me.”

“He just better be good to you. That’s all I got to say.”

She laughed. “He is.”

“So, what happens now?” Helen asked. “I mean he lives in
Montana. You live here. Or do you even still live here?”
 
Her brow suddenly creased with worry.

“He doesn’t live in Montana anymore,” Mackenna answered.
“That’s why I had to stay the extra days. We had to go through his mother’s
things and pack up the apartment. He didn’t have much of his own stuff.
Everything he wanted to keep flew back with us in two large duffel bags. He
sold his truck to Ty McCrae and his motorcycle is in storage. We’ll make a trip
up there sometime in the spring to bring it down.

“So, we figured that we would get an apartment somewhere
near here and that I would continue to help you out until the fall term starts.
I want to go to UC Davis. It’s only about two hours away and they have one of
the best schools.”

“And what’s Brent planning to do until then?” her father
asked.

“He’s going to find work, of course,” she answered evenly
with a roll of her eyes. “We should get going, though. We want to go look at apartments
and hopefully find one to stay in tonight.”

“Mackenna,” Helen called before she could turn away. “That’s
just silly. You just got back in town. Why don’t you guys stay here for a few
nights? Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and we’re having a few friends over.
Besides, it’ll give us a chance to get to know your husband better.”

Mackenna’s father looked at her mother, his eyes widening at
her extended invitation.

“Don’t look at me like that, David” she shot at her husband.
“You know I’m right, so just suck it up.”

Mackenna laughed and said that she’d have to talk to Brent
about it first, and as she walked back toward him, David leaned in to speak to Helen.

“She needs to talk to him about it first?” he said
incredulously. “Last week, this was her home. Now, she needs to ask him if she
can stay
here?
”

“Well, a lot has changed in the last week, honey,” she
answered her husband. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so bothered. I’ve
never her seen her shine this way before.”

David studied his daughter’s face as she smiled up at her
new husband. Her eyes were glistening with a happiness he never saw when she
had looked at Rick. Her entire being glowed. His gaze shifted to the man beside
her, and he saw the same look in his eyes. That they were in love was certain.
That she had been engaged to someone else less than a week ago was disturbing.
The couple hugged and walked toward him, hand in hand. Brent thrust his other
hand out toward David.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Sir,” he said. David shook
his hand and answered with a nod.

“Let me help you with your bags,” David offered, extending
the olive branch.

“Much obliged,” said Brent and the men headed toward the
truck while Mackenna and her mom went to the house.

As soon as she stepped through the door, the heavy scent of
roses infiltrated her nostrils. Every spare inch of shelf space, be it on a
table, a hutch or a stand, was covered with bouquets of roses. Red, pink,
white, even yellow ones filled the house and Mackenna’s shoulders sagged
beneath the weight of the guilt she felt.

“They’re all from Rick,” her mother said.

“Shit,” Mackenna muttered under her breath. She sighed. She
would have to face him sooner rather than later. Brent and David entered behind
them, their hands burdened with bags. Mackenna saw Brent’s eyes go wide at the
sight of the flowers, but he respectfully kept his mouth shut.

“This way,” she told them as she led the way to her bedroom.

Once the bags were deposited, her parents left them alone to
get situated. As soon as the door was shut, Brent turned an amused grin onto
her.

“Your mom really loves roses, doesn’t she?”

“Uh…yeah,” she said uneasily. “Those were all sent here for
me from Rick.”

Brent straightened and the grin vanished. “Ah,” he said. “I’ve
suddenly decided that I don’t care for roses.”

Mackenna chuckled and closed the distance between them,
running her open palms over his torso.

“Husband, are you jealous?” she cooed.

“No,” he said, running his hands down her back to grip her
buttocks as he added, “but I am possessive.”

“Mmm,” she moaned. “Possess away.” She leaned her face up to
his, waiting to be kissed.

“I can’t,” he sighed, releasing her and taking a step back.
She looked up in question.

“Why not?”

“We can’t have sex here,” he said in a hushed whisper, his
eyes widening at the
very
thought. “This is your
parents’ house.”

“Yes, and we’re husband and wife. What’s shameful about
wanting to be together?”

“We just…can’t,” he said nervously. “Your dad already wants
to kill me.”

“Well,” she huffed impatiently, “I’m going to kill you if
you don’t get over here and rip my clothes off!”

“Sshh!” he said as he laughed. “I’m serious. Not here.”

Mackenna harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest in a
pout. “If I had known you were going to turn all nineteenth century on me, I
would have insisted we stay in a motel.”

He looked her up and down, an appreciative smile tugging at
the side of his mouth. Her hair was tumbling over one shoulder, covering her
crossed arms. Her eyes were on fire with desire and love for him. One hip was
cocked out to the side in an impatient stance. This was his wife. Damn, he
couldn’t be happier!

“I love you,” he said.

Her agitation melted and she shooed him away with her hands.

“Oh, get out of here then,” she said playfully. “I have to
make a phone call.”

He laughed and let himself out of the room. As she studied
the cell phone in her hand, her own smile faded. This was going to be
difficult. She had been too furious with Rick to care about his feelings the
last time she saw him, but her happiness with Brent had softened her heart
toward her former fiancé and his unreturned love.

She swallowed and dialed his number. The rings drew out in
four long purrs before his voicemail message came on. She sighed in relief.
Before she had time to compose her thoughts, the beep rang, signaling her to
speak.

“Rick…um…it’s Mackenna. Look, thank you for all of the
flowers. They’re beautiful, but please stop sending them. Things are over
between us. I’m sorry for hurting you. That was never my intention. I really do
hope that things work out for the best in your life. Please take this as my
final goodbye. Take care.”

She hung up the phone, nursing an uneasy tingling in the
back of her neck. Something inside told her that it wasn’t over with Rick. He
was too emotional to just walk away at a voicemail. No, she knew that it would
come down to her facing him. She just hoped that by the time it happened, he would
have grown more accustomed to the idea of life without her.

She left the room and before she even made it down the stairs
she heard the ring of laughter floating through the air from her parents’
kitchen. She heard Brent’s, her mother’s, and if she wasn’t mistaken, even her
father’s. She stopped and listened as Brent recounted tales from the summer of
their first meeting. She let the memories invade her on a rush of sentiment.
Three and a half years went by in a blink and yet seemed so long ago.

Rounding the hallway, she joined them and Brent reached out
to her from his perch on a barstool as he carried on speaking. She went to him
and settled comfortably on his lap. His story never missed a beat as he told
them of their long night in the meadow with the grizzly.
 

“I’d have died of a heart attack,” Helen said with an
astonished shake of her head.

“I was just about there,” Mackenna added. “It was the
scariest night of my life. Coincidentally, it was also the night I realized I
was falling in love with Brent.”

“Really?” he said, leaning his head forward to look at hers.
“I didn’t know that.”

“Mmm hmm,” she nodded. “I was in agony with my leg. I was
out of my mind with fear. I just knew that I was going to die that night. Then
you wrapped your arms around me and all of that just suddenly went away. As I
started to fall asleep, I thought if you could make all of that go away with a
simple hug, you were the man I wanted with me in life.”

They locked eyes and in the background she heard her
mother’s “aww” on a sigh. She turned to face her.

“Oh, don’t you ‘aww’ him,” she teased. “He made me suffer
for the next three years!”

“Hey!” he defended. “I resent that. I did my own suffering.
Every single day for the past three and a half years, I carried your picture
around. Yours was the last face I saw before I went to
bed,
and the first one when I rose.”

“Yeah right!
Even
when you were with Leann?”

“Even then.”

“Please,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Don’t believe me?” he raised his eyebrows in challenge and
then reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He withdrew the
folded square of paper and pulled apart the folds, tossing the photograph on
the island counter for them all to see.

“Count the creases on that thing,” he said. “I’ll bet you’ll
find over a thousand.”

 
He was right. The
photo was so creased that it had torn in places, and her image was barely
recognizable. A ball of emotion formed in her throat, imagining him staring at
her picture every day for the past three years while she cried her eyes out
with longing. How could they have dragged things out so long? How could they
have mistimed, miscommunicated and misunderstood what seemed so blaringly
obvious now?

Her father reached out and lifted the photograph from the
countertop, drawing all eyes to him. He peered intently at it until his brow
wrinkled in confusion. He turned the photograph
around,
displaying its image to them all before he posed a question to Brent.

“So, is this supposed to be Mackenna as an old woman?”

They all stared at the used image, with fold lines
criss-crossing over her face. In a way, it did look like an aged Mackenna. The
timing and nature of the question was so odd that one by one they began
chuckling. Soon, they were each doubled over in laughter, their tears wetting
the countertop. As they regained control of themselves, her mother put a pot of
coffee on, and they wore away the night in much the same way.