Gerard (6 page)

“Ask her.” Georgie had to fight hard to keep the smile from her face when Gerard kissed her on the cheek before turning to Susie again. “Ask my aunt how much flour we need for a week or so.”

“Do you bake?” Gerard nodded and Susie shook her head. “Are you planning to divide the chores at the house? Like the baking and then the cooking? It might help me answer you if I know that.”

“I don’t bake. I can cook, but not anything complicated.” Georgie would bet her last nickel that Susie could make anything if she set her mind to it. “Cookies maybe, if it’s not too hot outside. But if I had to make bread, I’d be lost.”

“I can make bread. Aunt Georgie showed me how.” Gerard noticed the look on Susie’s face when she did. Like the girl wasn’t feeling inadequate enough right now. “Of course, I have no idea how to cook a pot roast. Not like the one you said you’d make for our dinner. I had no idea you had to sear it first.”

Another lie, but Georgie loved him for it. When he winked at her, she wanted to hug him to her. Her baby nephew was all grown up. Georgie decided she could help them in ways she’d not been able to help the other girls.

“I have some of Gerard’s mother’s recipes. I can give those to you to follow. She liked to cook in a controlled way. Lay out each ingredient before she began, to make sure she had it all. Then measure each thing before she would mix it in the bowl. I bet you’re that way too.” Susie nodded at her like she’d thrown her a lifeline. “I have a few of them in my purse. Let me look.”

Georgie unearthed three. They were earmarked for Holly, who wanted to make Jace macaroni and cheese sometime, and the other two had been for Emma. She handed them to Susie, who started sorting things in her cart to make sure she had what was needed. Georgie looked up at Gerard while he helped her.

He loved her. Georgie had to hold onto her cart when she realized that not only had he grown up, but he’d gone and fallen in love as well. When it was evident that they were going to need more things, something else occurred to her. They were on a tight budget. She had no idea why it had only just occurred to her that they needed more than what was in their cart, but she felt badly for not thinking of it earlier.

It was on the tip of her tongue to offer to pay for things. She wanted to hand over her credit card when she heard Susie tell him that she could get herself some clothing next time they came to town. And Gerard said he’d get his boots then as well.

The ranches were making money, and both Mason and Jace had married into money, but Gerard and Susie didn’t have that. They were as poor as church mice, and they had nothing else to fall back on. They loved each other, that was evident, but it could be much easier on them if there was a little more in the coffers, she thought. When Emma reached out to her, she had to ask her to wait until she got some control over her emotions.

Are you all right?
Georgie told her that she was, then in an abbreviated version, told her what she had just witnessed.
Oh. I never thought…. We have to do something.

I don’t know what it would be. Susie is very…I’m thinking she’ll be hurt if we just step in and take over. I think she’s looking for work. I didn’t know that Mason wasn’t paying her for working the ranch for you guys.

He is. We all are. I’ll talk to him. He might not have thought to tell her that he was paying her. And for that matter, Gerard too, for watching over the house for the RA. And if she’s looking for a job, I might have one for her. Ed Clark is looking for someone to come into his new office and help out as a secretary. I don’t know how much it pays, but I’m sure it will pay well.
Georgie reminded her that Susie didn’t like people.
I’m sure that she doesn’t, not the way she’s been treated. But we can work something out. As for the ranch, Mason said that they’re going to keep an eye on the Mitchell place for him. He also mentioned to them they should buy it. I guess I know now why Gerard turned him down.

Georgie knew that Mason had asked them to watch the house so that nothing else happened to it. It had never occurred to her to think about money for them. While growing up, the boys had never had much and neither had she, but they had made due. Much like these two were doing. She knew that it wasn’t her fault, but she did feel bad about what they’d had to give up to keep afloat for all these years.

I’m going to give them some recipes and a few of my cookbooks. Susie said she can read one, and I think she’d feel better if she had a few she could follow.
She thought of something else.
I have so many gadgets at the ranch I can give her too. Measuring cups and whatnots. I have no idea if the Mitchells left any of that kind of thing behind.

Emma told her that she’d get back with her. And by the time that Georgie was checking out, she had a plan. Not a big one, just a little one that would help them out, but she was excited to do it. Georgie put her things on the belt, along with a few extras. It was time to stock up the pantry over there again, and this time with things that a young couple could use, not things to feed grown men working in the field. She was thinking of gathering her friends up and having an old fashioned housewarming party for them.

Going home, Georgie drove her car carefully. About a month ago, Jace and Holly had gotten her a newer used car that had four wheel drive, and she was still slightly nervous about driving it. She’d tried to tell them that she didn’t need it, but Holly pointed out that with the baby coming, they wanted her to be able to babysit for her when she wanted. It had been on the tip of her tongue to tell her that she’d watch the baby every day, but she held back. She didn’t want to be too pushy with her first grandnephew or niece.

The car came out of nowhere. Georgie wasn’t going fast, but the other car, a dark sedan, was. And when he ran her off the road and into a ditch, it was all she could do to control her cat. Georgie sat there for several minutes until she felt like she could talk without being hysterical before reaching for one of the boys.

As she got out of her car, the car that had driven her off the road pulled up beside her. A large man got out on the passenger side, so she got a good look at him. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she took several pictures of him as he moved toward her. When she saw the gun, she felt her fear level shoot up and her cat get pissier.

The sound of an oncoming car had her looking in that direction when the man did. It was Gerard and Susie. She didn’t want them to get hurt, but she’d never been so glad to see anyone in her life as she was them. As soon as the truck came to a stop, Susie shot out of the door and shifted in midair. The man ran to the car again and was getting in just as Susie got a hold of him. Her cat tore into the man’s leg even as gravel shot up from the road when the driver peeled out. Georgie nearly fell into Gerard’s arms when he reached for her.

“Are you hurt, Aunt Georgie?” She told him just scared. “Yeah, me too. What the fu…what the heck was he doing? Did he run you off the road?”

“No, I was wondering the same thing…what the fuck was he doing? And yes, he ran me off the road and into the ditch.” Georgie was shaking so hard that when Gerard let her go to check on the car, she had to lean on his truck. Susie came to her and rubbed her head on her leg. “You probably saved me from getting shot, dear. I swear you looked like an avenging warrior coming after him like that.”

“She told me to stay in the car in case he got away. I have never been so afraid in my life as when she jumped from the truck.” Gerard came up the bank as he continued. “Mason and the rest of them are on their way. But I’m afraid your car is trashed. You were very lucky.”

Running her fingers through Susie’s fur while listening to her purr, Georgie thought she was indeed lucky. But she was a little afraid of what the boys would say when they got there. Then she felt slightly light headed, and heard her name being shouted as the blackness took her.

Chapter 5

Gerard put the last of their food in the pantry and then turned to look at Susie. She’d been so quiet after they’d gotten his aunt loaded into Mason’s car. Georgie had been all right…just the situation catching up with her, she told them. And everyone agreed that she would stay at Mason’s for a few days, just to make sure she was all right. Palmer had even come over to sit with her when the two of them left.

“Are you hungry?” She shook her head, then nodded. Gerard laughed and went to her. “We could go into town and get a couple of burgers if you want. I know that the diner on Tenth has a pretty good one.”

“I want you to make love to me.” He felt his cock stretch, but he didn’t touch her. She was in charge of this, and he wasn’t going to take that away from her. Or at least he’d try not to take over. “I’ve had sex before, so you know, but it’s never been that much…it’s never been very fulfilling. I’m guessing that has to do with them not being my mate.”

“I would think that was some of it.” He moved behind her and put his hands on the table on either side of her. He could smell her. She was aroused some, but not where he wanted her. Nuzzling her neck, he heard her heart rate pick up. “I’ve thought about lifting you up to the counter and taking you that way so many times it’s hard for me to come into this room without hunting you down. Or against the wall. Either of those sound pretty good to me.”

“What about the bed?” He told her that could be for later. “You don’t want to go there and have sex? I mean, in the room?”

“I’ll go where you want me to, but the thought of taking you here, hearing you scream out your release, that sounds very good too.” Gerard kissed her shoulder, then moved his mouth along her neck to her spine. “Your skin tastes like sweet chocolate to me. I’m betting your juices are even better.”

“Gerard, we should go to the bedroom.” Her husky voice had him turning her on the chair and lifting her to the table. It was almost the right height for what he had in mind, and he lifted her hips up to bring her closer to his cock. “You’re hard. And thick. When I saw you coming at the river, all I could think about was how much I wanted to feel your cum burn on my skin.”

Kissing her now, her lips were warm and wet from her tongue. Suckling her lower lip into his mouth, he watched her eyes as they darkened with need as she wrapped her legs around his thighs. Rocking into her heat, he lifted her blouse up and over her head, then dropped it to the floor as she began to unbutton his flannel shirt. As her fingers moved over his nipples, Gerard cupped her bare breast in his hand and thumbed her nipple until it was as hard as his cock.

“I want to suck on you.” He leaned back to let her do as she wished to him. Her hot mouth over his nipple had him curling his fingers in her hair and holding her to him as she nipped and sucked. He cupped her ass with his free hand and fucked her this way while she feasted on him. When she lifted her head, he told her it was his turn.

Her breasts were larger than he’d thought. Her blouse, seemingly a couple of sizes too big, had held their bounty in secret for him. When he leaned to her, taking only the tip into his mouth, he nipped hard enough to draw blood and sucked the tiny wound just to have her crying out.

The table was just about big enough for what he had in mind. Laying her back over it, he moved the salt and pepper shakers to the floor to keep them safe. With her blouse opened and her bra up over her breasts, he wanted to fuck her this way. Needed to. He unsnapped her jeans, mindful of the fact that she had limited clothing right now.

“I’m going to eat you first.” She moaned, and he nearly pulled the zipper free of her pants when she curled her toes around his cock. He started to rock into her foot when she sat up and kissed him. He wasn’t going to make it. He knew for a fact when she wrapped her legs around his waist that he was going to be buried deep within her long before he ever got to taste her.

“Fuck me.” He growled, his cat wanting what she did. To mark her, to fill her with his cum. Laying her back on the table, all niceties gone, he ripped her pants and panties from her and freed his cock. “Now, Gerard. Fuck me now.”

He slammed forward, filling her with all that he had. Pulling free slightly, he growled again when she dug her nails into his back, drawing blood. As soon as he filled her again, she pulled his neck to her mouth and licked his pulse. When she bit him, he knew he was going to come. And as soon as she sank her canines into his flesh, he felt his cock explode inside of her.

Fucking her through his climax, he held her to him as he lifted her up to his body. The need to take her hard, pound her, had him taking her to the floor. As soon as she touched the cold tile floor, Gerard fucked her again, his body seemingly not his own. And when he felt her tighten around him, her scream filling his mind, he bit down on her shoulder and felt the bones there break under his teeth.

“Again, Susie, come for me again.” He watched her face as she bowed up from the floor. Her breathing stopped for several seconds; he could hear her heart stop as well before it raced forward. When she came this time, he came as well, his cock emptying into her twice before he knew that he could do nothing more.

Dropping over her, he tried to roll to his back, but there wasn’t enough energy in him to even make an effort beyond hugging her to him. As he lay there, his heart pounding a hard beat, his body trying to catch up to it, he knew that he was in love with her, and would love her for the rest of their lives and beyond. Her fingers trailed down his back, then fell from his body. Lifting his head, he looked down at her and realized that she was asleep or unconscious. Gerard laid his head upon her breast and smiled for no other reason than he had a mate and he loved her.

When she stirred again but didn’t wake, Gerard got up and pulled on a pair of pants that he’d been meaning to wash. Picking Susie up in his arms had him staggering a little. Not from her weight, which he thought was slight, but because she’d wrapped her arms around him and snuggled under his chin. He carried her to the back bedroom and laid her on the bed.

Sitting in the chair near the bed, he watched her sleep. Then, getting up and kissing her on the forehead, he made his way to the kitchen. He’d not realized how late it was until just then, and he knew that he was going to have to get to work soon. He pulled out the things to make French toast, which was the only thing he knew how to make well.

Susie joined him a few minutes after Zach showed up. She’d showered and put on fresh clothing, and he wanted to run his brother off and spend the day in bed with her, going over every inch of her delectable body.

“I have some news for you. Not great news, but news.” He sipped his tea as he spoke. Zach smiled at Susie when she told him to keep it to himself until after they ate. “Okay, I can do that. But congratulations are in order, I guess. I’m happy for you both.”

Susie said nothing, but Gerard thanked his brother. When he handed him a plate of food, Zach looked at him questioningly. Gerard only shook his head. She was quiet and thinking hard. Gerard was okay with that.

They ate with Zach doing most of the talking. When it came time to clean up, Susie told him she’d do it since he cooked. He made his way to the bedroom to take a shower. When he came back, dressed in yesterday’s shirt, she asked him if he wanted her to go and pick up things from his house.

“Your aunt said she had some things to give us, and that she had some of your laundry done. I don’t…there is no washer and dryer here.” He hadn’t noticed that and wondered how much that would cost to put in. She came to him and wrapped her arms around him. “There’s not much here, is there?”

There really wasn’t. He had some things in his room at his aunt’s house…a desk he was going to bring over, his old bed and dresser. There was a table that had been left behind, but only three chairs. The washer and dryer, of course, was going to have to be top on their list of things to get, and there wasn’t much in the way of linens. Just the things on the bed and a few towels that had been stuffed in the back of the closet.

The couch in the living room was worn out and had a nasty spring that would catch him in the balls if he wasn’t careful. There wasn’t a television, which really didn’t bother either of them as they didn’t watch much, and all he had in the way of a computer was the laptop that he’d had since he’d gotten out of high school. He felt his heart rate spike up a little when he thought of how much this was going to cost.

“We’ll be fine. And your sister-in-law said she knows of a job I can do. It’s working for Ed Clark. Do you know him?” He told her he did and that he was a nice man. “I have to go and find Mason first. He wants me to help him in the pasture today.”

As he made his way out to the yard to start working, he wondered how she was going to get around. There was only his truck, and while he didn’t mind her driving it around, the tires needed to be replaced and he knew there was a knocking sound coming from the engine now. He looked up when Jace said his name.

“What’s got you stressed out?” He wanted to tell him, wanted to unload on his big brother something terrible, but he didn’t. Jace would want to step in and make it right, and Gerard wanted to do this on his own.

“Nothing. Are we going to work on the barn today or finish up on the one from yesterday?” Jace stared at him, and Gerard felt himself squirm a little. “It’s fine, Jace. It’s just that we’re starting fresh on stuff. We’ll get it together.”

They went to the barn that they’d been working on yesterday, and when the rest of them showed up, they began to split up so that they could get it done faster. By noon no one had heard from either Mason or Susie, but he knew she was all right. And when his aunt pulled in the drive with the other women, he could see that she’d been busy as well.

It took them nearly an hour to take all the boxes in. While they’d emptied out the car his aunt had arrived in, two more cars had shown up. They were all full of things like silverware, plates, much needed mugs, and napkins; kitchen ware such as pans and potholders; baking dishes, as well as toothpicks and spices. One lady had even brought them some things that she’d been meaning to sell off…lamps for the living room, and a chair that didn’t match her things or theirs, but made a nice addition. Even things like toilet paper and paper towels had been bought for them. He was overwhelmed by it all, and hugged his aunt several times as the ladies helped by putting things away. Then the final truck pulled up and brought them the rest.

The pantry was stuffed with food, staples mostly, but some things that they’d had on their list yesterday that they’d had to put back. He knew it was from Holly and Emma…even his aunt had been a little surprised by how much was brought. But he knew that to fuss about it or to even say they didn’t have to do it would upset all of them, so Gerard thanked them and kept his mouth shut on the rest.

Gerard was the luckiest man in the world. He just hoped that Susie would be just as happy with the help and not be upset about looking like a charity case, something that she’d told him she never wanted to be again. Christ, he loved her.

~~~

“So you can just sort of connect with them.” Susie nodded. Mason had been irritated at that at first, her never answering him, but he realized after about an hour it was just the way she was. “And what is it you feel when you touch them? The connection is stronger?”

“Sometimes. It depends on the animal.” He waited for more from her, but when she laid her head on the forehead of the mustang that he was concerned about, he watched her face. And when she smiled and looked at him, Mason felt…well, renewed. “Mason, what if I told you that there were more than just these six up here? That this male is worried for his harras, but he is willing to trust me with them?”

“How many more?” He was a little nervous about the way she moved toward him. He knew she wasn’t going to hurt him, but he watched her all the same. When she told him to keep his cat calm and not to make any sudden moves, he felt his heartrate soar. And when he heard the thunder, he looked up at the sky. “You think it will rain?”

Her laughter caught him off guard, and when he looked at her to ask what was so funny, she was staring off in the distance. He looked too, and that was when he saw the dark cloud filling the sky behind the trees. She told him not to move again, and all he could do was nod. Because in that moment, he could see what the thunder actually was. And it had nothing to do with the weather.

There were hundreds of them, probably more like thousands. Horses of all colors and breeds running as a pack, a large harras of horses. And when the dark mustang that he’d brought Susie out here to see moved toward her, he experienced a kind of awe that Mason had never known before. Susie Douglas was spiritual.

The string of ponies were all prancing around as if they had not a care in the world when he realized she’d known they were coming. The rest of the harras were so beautiful that it took his breath away. To see so many wild horses at once had him wanting to pull out his phone and take pictures. When he reached for his phone to do that, Susie put her hand over his.

“They’ll be spooked by the noise. For now, we can just enjoy them.” He agreed with that, and asked her where they’d come from. “I don’t think they came from any one place, but they’ve been together for a while now. And like you, this mustang is their boss, their leader. And before you ask, yes, he sort of told me.”

They moved around them, careful of their feet when the ponies got too rambunctious. As he moved his hand gently along their flanks, he marveled at the fact that he was a cat and they seemed to have no problem with him. He looked up at Susie when she laughed again.