Heat Wave (Riders Up) (31 page)
Read Heat Wave (Riders Up) Online
Authors: Adriana Kraft
“So Prater
confessed to more than we actually knew?”
“Yep,” Ed replied. “In
the note Maggie read, she indicated that Burdette and Fellows claimed not to
have killed me. If I had been killed, then Prater did it himself or hired
someone else to do it. I’m sure Prater was too distraught by that point to
distinguish the word
if.”
“Well, it worked. Well
done.” Ben walked over to the coat tree and put on his coat. “Don’t expect I’ve
had so much fun in a long time. Think I’ll go home for the rest of the day. This
is too much excitement for an old man like me. Hope your life settles down some
now, Maggie.”
“Settle down sounds
real fine to me,” Maggie concurred, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks
for everything, Ben. Thanks for trusting this little game without having all
the facts.”
Ben laughed. “I’m
glad I didn’t know what was coming, or what was true or not. I didn’t have to
worry about giving anything away to that shrewd bastard. The nerve of him,
trying to take on Colt Magee’s daughter.”
- o -
The next afternoon,
after the Travers returned to Chicago, Maggie and Ed walked through the stable
reacquainting Ed with each of the horses. Each came to him like greeting an old
friend. Smells of liniment, horse sweat, manure, straw and hay massaged his
nostrils. Breathing deeply, Ed knew he was home.
With his arm around
Maggie, Ed fought back tears. She stopped and hugged him tight. “Life is pretty
good, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“I don’t know how
it could get any better,” he mumbled.
“You’ve been though
a lot on my account,” she murmured into his work shirt.
“Hah,” he groaned. “Where
would I be if I hadn’t?”
“I think it may be
time to focus on the future rather than the past,” Maggie said, pulling away
from him to sit on a bale of hay.
Ed joined her. “There
hasn’t been much time for us since I’ve been back. The Travers are great, but
they are company, and then we had to move quickly to snare Prater before he had
a chance to get wind of my return.” Cupping her chin, he said, “I’ve missed you,”
then brushed his lips lightly across hers.
Her tongue wetted
his lips. “Can you ever forgive me for doubting you?” she asked, holding her
breath.
“There’s nothing to
forgive. Given the same information you had, I likely would have assumed the
same thing.”
“It still gnaws at
me that my daughter and brother could see things more clearly than me.”
“They weren’t as
emotionally hooked as you were.” Grinning, he added, “Even teenagers and
brothers can be sources of wisdom at times.”
“Well, you might
not want to share that thought around the kids until they turn old and gray.”
“Maggie,” Ed said
seriously, turning to face the woman he loved, “I never had the chance to tell
you why I went to Des Moines that day back in November.”
Reaching into his
pocket, Ed pulled out a small jewelry box. “This is yours, if you’ll accept it;
if you’ll accept me. I love you, Maggie. I always will.”
With quivering
fingers, Maggie lifted the lid. Her mouth fell open. “Oh, my goodness,” she
squealed. “It’s beautiful. The engagement ring was a simple gold band with a
striking diamond at its center. Next to it was cradled a wedding ring with a
row of three diamonds set off at either end by tiny sapphire stones matching
the color of her eyes. “This is too much,” she whimpered.
“Then you don’t
want it—you don’t want me?”
Maggie made a
croaking sound. “No, no! I love the rings. I love you. Forever, I want you. I’m
just not used to wearing such gorgeous things.”
“Well, you better
get used to it, woman,” Ed teased, “You can’t walk around Keeneland or Barretts
looking like a pauper. Maggie, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met—inside
and out. You are the most beautiful thing to ever happen to me. Please get used
to wearing beautiful things, at least now and then. I don’t want you to give up
working with the horses, though.”
“No need to worry
about that,” Maggie chuckled, moving to sit on his lap. “I want to be right
next to you, mucking stalls, buying horses, training them, watching them run. And
I want to look beautiful for my handsome husband. I want you to be proud of
your wife.”
“I couldn’t be more
proud. You battled and fought hard for this land, and you won.”
“Yes, but I was
ready to give up after the fire. If it hadn’t been for you and the children, I
don’t know what I might have done.” Maggie shuddered.
“That’s the past,
again. I like the idea of you being by my side and me being by yours.” Ed grinned
broadly. “Not only in the stable and at the track, but at the breakfast table,
in the shower, and in our bed.”
“Ah,” Maggie moaned,
kissing his chin and the corners of his mouth. “That breakfast table certainly
has more possibilities than I ever imagined before you came along. I look
forward to so much that I feel like I’m going to burst. Do you think that dark
cloud over us has actually moved on?”
“I believe it has,”
Ed said, scooping her into his muscled arms. Carrying her toward the house, he
wondered when the kids would be home from school.
EPILOGUE
Resting on her
knees, Maggie watched proudly as her husband rubbed his hands all over the tiny
body of the newborn filly. Her coat was as dark as coal. The animal wobbled on
miniature feet and legs. Her mother, Midnight Dancer, accepted Ed’s presence
and had been cooperative throughout the birth. Carolyn had been inside the box
stall assisting Ed during those critical birthing moments. The teenager
continued beaming proudly as she now knelt beside Maggie, observing closely
everything Ed was doing and how the foal responded to him.
He had told them
that these first minutes and hours after birth were very critical for the foal’s
future. Just as it was important for the mare to bond with her offspring, it
was also vital that the foal bond with human touch. That bond would make the
eventual training process much more manageable. The foal would more likely
become a trusting yearling and two-year-old because of the time now spent. Ed
had told them that what they were watching was called imprinting.
Glancing to her
left, Maggie smiled at Johnny, who had finally succumbed to sleep. It was three
in the morning. Horses seldom birthed at a more suitable hour for humans, she’d
been informed. With eyes bulging, Johnny had watched as Ed and his sister
assisted the mare in giving birth. And then he’d giggled when the newborn
attempted to stand. First, the little foal tried accomplish that task by resting
on her front knees and raising her butt. Then she tried the opposite. After
several false attempts, with the aid of her mother giving a push from behind,
the foal stood on seemingly matchstick-sized legs. Looking around at her brand
new world, her large soft brown eyes expressed curiosity and eagerness. Maggie
had been glad to see that they evidenced no fear.
As her son snored
softly and her daughter watched intently, Maggie hugged herself, pleased with
her life and with sharing this special moment with her loved ones. A late
January snowstorm howled outside the stable, but inside there was warmth and
contentment.
Maggie nodded in
agreement as she read the words formed and whispered on Ed’s lips while he
rubbed the foal’s belly: “This is what it’s all about.”
The stable oozed
awe and love. This was far better than their planned honeymoon could ever have
been. Not that she still didn’t look forward to it, and to a time to be completely
alone with the man she loved. But there was something unparalleled about
helping bring new life into the world. It was like watching a dream come to
reality.
They’d been right
to postpone the honeymoon. Midnight Dancer wasn’t supposed to foal for another
month or so, but Ed had detected signs that she would be earlier than expected.
Horses, like women, weren’t always predictable, he’d explained. She remembered
his joshing and she smiled. He’d no more leave a horse that needed him than she
would leave the land.
Prater was wrong. His
obsession with the Magee farm was not simply about being jilted by a young
love. It was very much wrapped up in the land, since her mom had chosen another
man with whom to share her life who also had valued the land as much as she
had. As much as her mom’s mother and dad had. As much as her grandmother and
grandfather had. Prater never understood that he could not have measured up
because he failed to possess that indefinable affinity for the land and the
values it embodied. Her mother would have settled for no less than that.
As Maggie watched
Ed, she knew that she, too, had found a kindred spirit. Just then the little
filly whinnied and stared directly at Maggie.
“Oh you’re so
loveable, little one,” Maggie murmured, her eyes growing watery. How long
before she’d know for sure? Another month? Maggie shook her head. It might be
another month before she’d tell anyone, but she already knew for sure. She
could feel it in her bones; she was pregnant.
It was not
difficult at all for Maggie to imagine that before the year was out, her family
would gather around her bed to welcome a new member into its midst. Bonding was
something experienced often on the land; it never became old or routine.
Maggie winked at Midnight Dancer, envying her for the moment. The mare snorted softly, as if to acknowledge
the hope and pride of mothers.
The End
About the Author
Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a
husband/wife team writing sizzling romantic suspense and erotic romance. The
award-winning pair has published over thirty erotic romance novels and novellas
to outstanding reviews.
Long
and Short Reviews
:
“scorching hot…refreshing...something to read when
you want straight up hotness.”
Romance
Junkies
:
“filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed
characters…not for the faint of heart.”
Romantic pairings include straight
m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and
paranormal settings.
We hope you enjoyed
Heat Wave,
and
we love hearing from readers! You can find us on line at these links:
Adriana’s Author
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Adriana Kraft
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What’s supposed to be a brief, hot affair becomes so
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