Texas Bossa Nova (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 5) (12 page)

“I’m not.” She could hear the lie. She wondered if he did too.

He looked toward the living room entry and back at her. “Coast’s clear.” He kissed her. “I think I like you being jealous of another woman.”

“I’m not jealous,” she hissed at him through clenched teeth. “I’m not.”

He just smiled and nodded. “Lunch ready?”

She huffed out a sigh and turned back to the beeping microwave. She wasn’t jealous, she told herself even as the dragon inside puffed out another gush of green smoke.

Before she could finish putting together a sandwich, she heard the front door slam and Darren came hobbling back into the kitchen.

“Hungry?” she asked. “Pulled-pork sandwiches.”

“Nah. Ate too many doughnuts. I’m going to go to my bedroom and lie down. My leg’s throbbing.”

“Can I get you an aspirin or something?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll be fine.” To Reno he said, “I’ll tackle the tack and repairs tomorrow, okay?”

Reno shrugged. “Sure. Fine with me.”

He waited until Darren had left before asking, “What’s bugging him, do you think? Five minutes ago, he was fine, and now he’s acting like someone ran over his dog.”

“No clue. But I bet he’ll tell you later.”

Later
arrived in two days. The three of them had been invited over to Mitch and Olivia’s house for Sunday dinner with the entire Montgomery family. As in the past, Magda had tried to beg off. She wasn’t a Montgomery and she didn’t belong at their dinners. However, once she discovered that her dad and Blanche would be there, she jumped in Reno’s truck to go.

Dinner was sixteen adults, three toddlers and one rumbustious seven-year-old crammed around a table for fourteen, but somehow it worked. The talk was loud and fast-paced. It was all Magda could do to try to follow any one conversational train. Finally, she sat back to soak it in.

And then the memories started.

She’d sat at big tables before having meals with lots of people that weren’t family. Quite a few of her foster homes had a lot of kids there. She was just another mouth to feed. It hadn’t been uncommon for there to be arguments, yelling, loud voices and crying babies. It’d seemed like every voice had been vying for attention. Except hers. She’d learned early on to keep her head and her voice down, especially after one of the foster dads had given her a little too much personal attention. He’d changed his mind after she’d kneed him in the balls. And of course, she’d been moved on to another foster home for being
difficult
.

So while the scene playing out in front of her had some traits of other meals from her past, at the same time it was totally different. This was a happy family. Sure, they argued from time to time, much as Olivia and Cash were doing right now. And seven-year-old Adam’s voice was loud. And now one of Travis and Caroline’s twins was crying, but this was so, so different. She smiled to herself, and as she did, Reno caught her eye from across the table and winked.

Yeah, this was a dinner table of a real family. Some were born into it and some married into it, but it was family nonetheless.

Mitch stood and tapped on his water glass for attention. “Well, this is definitely a dinner for the record books. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been at one table like this.” He lifted his wine glass. “We have a little announcement tonight.”

“Oh God,” Travis muttered. “Don’t tell me you’ve knocked up Olivia again.”

Everyone laughed, especially Olivia.

“This isn’t my announcement. Zeb?”

Magda’s head snapped toward her father sitting beside her. Her eyes widened with surprise when he and Blanche both stood. Their cheeks were a little red but bright smiles covered both their faces.

“Well, uh,” Zeb began, “I didn’t think I’d ever find myself in this situation.”

“Oh Lord,” Travis muttered. “He’s knocked up Blanche.”

That brought another round of chuckles and a slug on Travis’s arm by his wife.

Zeb laughed. “We’re both a little past that. Besides, I have the best daughter in the world now.” He put his hand on Magda’s shoulder. “I asked Blanche to marry me, and imagine my surprise when she said yes.”

Magda’s heart crawled into her throat. Zeb getting married? That’s why they were all here? Tears welled up in her eyes. How could he spring this on her and not tell her in private?

Zeb squeezed her shoulder. “I know it’s short notice, but I’ve discovered lately how fast life can change.”

Magda thought about his two stents and realized how much almost dying had shaken him up.

“And well, we’re getting married on February fourteenth. Mitch and Olivia have offered to let us get married here. So it’ll be small and simple, but I hope you all can join us.”

“February fourteenth?” Magda blurted. “That’s only about ten days from now.”

“I know, pumpkin, but once I got Blanche to agree, I didn’t want to give her any time for cold feet.”

That brought a chuckle from around the table.

“To Zeb and Blanche,” said Mitch, lifting his wine glass higher in the air.

She forced a smile and lifted her glass in a salute along with everyone else. But actually saying the word congratulations was just too hard. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Zeb to be happy or that she didn’t like Blanche. She did. She just didn’t know Blanche well. And she’d only had Zeb as her family for such a short time.

And she knew it’d never be the same between them again.

Chapter Fifteen

Magda was quiet on the ride home to the D&R. Reno had seen her face when Zeb and Blanche had made their announcement. He’d seen the smile, but he’d also seen the tears that’d gathered in her eyes.

In the back seat, Darren was stretched out, also quiet, much too silent for him.

“So what’s going on?” Reno asked.

“What do you mean?” Magda looked at him with a frown.

“Feels like we’re driving home from a funeral instead of a celebration of an upcoming wedding.”

Magda folded her arms across her chest. “Oh. Guess I’m just talked out.”

She was the worst liar he’d ever seen.

“What about you, bro? Why so glum?”

“I’ll tell you why,” Darren said, the anger in his voice evident.

Magda twisted around to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I am so mad I could just strangle somebody.”

“Not at me, I hope,” Magda said.

“And I haven’t done anything. But…” Reno paused and then said, “you’ve been a little pissed off since Porchia’s visit. What happened?”

Reno glanced in his rearview mirror in time to see Darren’s jaw clench.

“That damn Sarah Jane Mackey. Do you know what she did?”

Reno and Magda exchanged glances but neither said anything.

“That little bitch punched holes in all the condom packets in the downstairs bathroom, hoping she’d get pregnant and I’d marry her.”

Magda gasped. Reno gripped the wheel tighter.

“That’s crazy,” said Magda.

“Tell me about it,” Darren said.

“Porchia told you this?” Reno asked.

“Yeah. That’s why she came out. Sarah Jane and one of her girlfriends were in the Heavenly Delights the other day and Porchia heard the girl ask Sarah Jane how operation Snag Darren was going. Sarah Jane said she’d stabbed the condom packets with a needle like they’d talked about, but since my accident, she was going to have to wait to put her plan into effect.” Darren dragged his fingers through his hair. “Good God, Reno. You were right about her.”

Now was probably not the time to say, “I told you so.”

“Wow,” Magda said. “That’s totally, um, sucky.”

“I agree with Magda. So what are you going to do?”

Darren snorted. “First thing I’m going to do is get that box of condoms from the downstairs bathroom and put them in the trash.”

“You going to let her know that you know?” Reno asked.

“Haven’t decided.”

“I think you should,” Magda said. “She needs to know that her wonderful plan didn’t work.” She cocked up the side of her mouth in a sneer. “You know she’ll probably catch some poor bastard with that trap someday.”

“Maybe, but it won’t be me.”

“Thank goodness Porchia overheard it and came by,” Reno said, the disgust evident in his voice. “I never had a good feeling about Sarah Jane.”

That night, as Magda took a shower and got ready for bed, she realized it’d been a while since she’d had a period, which was very odd. She was usually as regular as clockwork. Confirmation came when she checked the calendar on her phone. She was about ten days late.

She thought about Sarah Jane’s needle stunt and searched her memory for where Reno had gotten that strip of condoms they’d used. Crap. It had to be the downstairs bathroom. Everywhere else had been sealed up to keep the warmth downstairs. Plus, he hadn’t been gone long enough to go far.

What if she and Reno were the unlucky ones to fall into Sarah Jane’s trap? The thought of Reno’s disgust at Sarah Jane’s stunt sent a shiver down her spine.

If she was pregnant… She sat on the toilet seat cover and held her head in her hands. Pregnant with Reno’s baby? The very idea sent dual responses through her. Having Reno’s baby was a fantasy. Being pregnant by a man who wasn’t a good bet for the long term was exactly what she didn’t want to happen.

She knew Reno well enough to know he’d never walk away from a child, but the idea of finding herself pregnant, dependent on any man for support and possibly setting herself up for a repeat of her mother’s life was the very reason she’d left town.

She’d fallen hard for Reno Montgomery last spring. Her thoughts and dreams were consumed with him. It seemed as if she lived for his kisses, his touches. That night in August when she’d almost blurted out that she loved him had been the night she’d decided she had to go.

Reno didn’t want to settle down. He’d be the first one to say that. Getting the ranch up and going had been his priority in life back then and still was today. Sure, someday he’d want to marry and have children, but she didn’t see that in his near future.

The last thing she wanted to do was take away his dreams.

All her childhood came rushing back. Growing up had been hard. No father in the picture. A mother who’d worked hard to provide for her daughter only to die young from cancer. Foster homes. No family. No security.

She was sure her childhood would have been markedly different if she’d had Zeb in her life earlier, but he’d arrived after she’d already experienced too much emotional trauma.

If she had any kids, she wanted them to have both parents. The idea that she could put another human through what she’d lived was unthinkable. She couldn’t do that to a kid. She wouldn’t do that to her child. No child deserved to relive her life.

Right now, she didn’t know if she was pregnant or if she wasn’t. So there were no decisions to make until she knew one way or the other. For tonight, she wasn’t ready to talk about the damaged condoms or any of the possible ramifications. Maybe tomorrow, after she’d had some time to think about what her options were should there be a baby.

She stood, dropped her extra-extra-large T-shirt over her head and went to her bed.

“Reno,” she said in a whisper. “I thought you were going to go back to your room. Darren isn’t stupid. He’s going to figure out what we’re doing.”

He flashed his panty-melting smile, which would have totally dissolved hers if she’d had any on. “I don’t care what he thinks.” He flipped back the covers, exposing his naked hip.

Magda’s gaze glided down his chest to his hip to his thick meaty thighs. She licked her lips.

Reno patted the sheet exposed by the flipped-back covers. His heart raced as he waited for Magda to make a decision…climb in with him or boot his ass out of her bed. The ball was in her court. He’d made his feelings known. Maybe not with words, but certainly by actions. Cowboys didn’t burst forth with words of love and passion. That crap didn’t happen in real life.

Magda licked her lips and let her gaze meet his. Then, to his relief, she nodded and slid into the bed beside him.

“If your brother discovers us, not only is he going to be pissed that we’re sleeping together, he’s going to be furious that we are doing it in his bed.”

Reno laughed and pulled her on top of him. “I’ll loan him my bed,” he said and then caught her head between his hands and held her for a long kiss. She opened her mouth for him, moaning with pleasure when he entered, working his tongue along the surface of her teeth, the inside of her cheeks and alongside her tongue.

She gyrated her groin against his hardening cock; each tilt of her hips down shot more blood to the region. He jerked his hips up, pressed against her sex, timing hips and tongue thrusts to work in concert.

Continuing to work her face and mouth with kisses, he coasted his hands down the side of her body to the hem of the T-shirt. He pulled it up until the material cleared her ass. He stopped removing the jersey long enough to spread both hands over her rear. The naked flesh there was so soft to the touch. It dented beneath the pressure of his fingers as he dug in, pushing her firmly against his dick.

Then she gasped out his name and he had to freeze his movement. The huskiness of her voice combined with the soft breeze of her breath across his ear almost made him lose it.

“Lean up,” he said. When she did, he lifted the T-shirt off to expose her luscious body. Not too thin. Not too heavy. Just perfect.

She settled back on top of him and then began wiggling her way down his body, leaving behind a path of hot, wet kisses, bites and long tongue licks. As she neared his cock, his breathing became uneven with short puffs of air. His head swam with lust. The first glide of her tongue across the slit on his cockhead sent a thunderbolt of aching desire arcing through him.

His fingers curled into fists at his sides as she took him into the wet heat of her mouth. Finally, he grabbed her head and pushed her down on him. He hit the back of her throat and hissed out a long groan. That started a series of thrusts and withdrawals until she pulled off his dick and nibbled down the side until she reached his balls. Cupping them in one hand, she licked one and then the other. When she sucked one ball into her mouth, Reno stiffened.

“Careful,” he warned.

He could feel her lips move on his sac as she smiled. She sucked gently as she rolled the other testicle in the palm of her hand.

“Where’s a condom?” she asked after releasing him.

“Here.” He handed her the foil package.

“Um, this isn’t one from downstairs, right? And she couldn’t have gotten upstairs to sabotage the others, right?”

He snorted. “Every condom in this house is new. When I went to town for feed, I picked up new boxes.”

“Thank goodness.” Foil ripped, and then she was back with her mouth at his stiff shaft. “I want to try something.” She put the condom in her mouth and then, as she slid her mouth down his dick, the condom unrolled to sheath him.

“I’ll never unroll a condom again,” he muttered, his forearm over his brow.

She laughed and crawled up him until her opening was poised on his penis. Placing his hands on her hips, he guided her down. With a growl of pleasure, he thrust up and filled her. He let her set the pace, enjoyed watching her breasts as they bounced with her movements, loved watching her head tossed back, her teeth biting her lower lip. He could see the flush on her chest as it climbed to her neck and she neared her climax.

“Come on, baby. Ride me hard,” he coaxed her. “I’m watching you. I love your boobs bouncing. You’re getting there. I can tell. Harder.”

Magda slammed herself up and down on him. She leaned forward and he caught a breast in his mouth and sucked hard like she liked it. She ground down on him and then cried out. As her orgasm took her, her vagina squeezed him, milking his cock, bringing him to his own climax.

With her breath heaving, she dropped flat on his chest.

“Damn, Reno.”

“Damn, yourself,” he answered, his breathing as labored as hers.

He decided right then that as long as Magda was here, he wasn’t moving across to his bedroom. His challenge was figuring out how to keep her in his life and in his bed.

Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. It’d been a while since Reno had even given the Hallmark holiday a thought, and yet he didn’t want to let the day pass and not do something for Magda. On the other hand, her father was marrying Blanche Jenkins that day, and the closer the day came, the pricklier Magda became. Some days she was worse than a pear cactus.

Women needed to come with not only an instruction manual, but also a translation dictionary. And wouldn’t Ms. Pear Cactus kick his ass if she heard him say that.

For February, the day had been unusually nice. Sunny. Temperature in the fifties. Darren had gone truck shopping with their sister. Reno headed to the house determined to drag Magda out for a ride. Layla needed some exercise and as their sweetest and gentlest horse, she was perfect for Magda.

Reno opened the kitchen door. “Whatcha doing?” he asked.

Magda smiled over her shoulder. “Putting a sirloin roast in the crockpot for dinner. Need something?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.”

“Sure. Give me a minute and I’ll be right with you.” She tossed some small potatoes and carrots in the pot. After that, she chopped up onion and celery and added those with a cup of water. After placing the lid on the pot, she set the temperature, dried her hands on the dishtowel over her shoulder and then leaned on the counter. “Now, what can I do for you?”

He arched one eyebrow. “Really? Anything?”

Tossing the dishtowel at him, she laughed. “Try again.”

He caught the towel and set it on the counter. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“What kind of ride?”

“The only kind of ride I’m thinking I’m going to get today. Horses.”

“Lord, Reno. I haven’t been on a horse in ages. I don’t think I even remember how to stay on one.”

“Didn’t you ride when you worked for Mitch?”

“Never.”

“Well, you’ll pick it up again. I need to give Layla and Archie some exercise. Since Darren’s been laid up, Archie is getting fat and lazy. And Layla’s just a sweetheart.”

She shrugged. “Fine, but if I break my leg, you’ll be taking care of me and Darren.”

He snorted. “I’m not worried.”

“Let me change clothes and we’ll go. Be right back.”

Five minutes later, Magda walked into the kitchen in a pair of tight jeans, boots, a long-sleeve shirt and carrying a short leather jacket. One look at her ass in that skintight denim made his considerably more snug.

During the walk to the barn, they talked about the upcoming wedding. It wasn’t the words she used when discussing the arrangements or even her tone of voice, but he was sure something was bugging her.

Reno could saddle a horse in his sleep. Each step was automatic, so in no time, both horses were ready to go. Magda had kept him company while he worked, but she deftly moved the subject to the weather.

Once they’d led the horse out, Reno made a step with his hands to help Magda up.

“Don’t need it,” she said, jabbing her boot into the stirrup and swinging up onto Layla.

“Nicely done,” he said, easing onto his own saddle. “Let’s head down to the pond. I’d like to check the cattle there. I had some mommas ready to drop. Maybe we’ll have a new calf or two.”

He led the way from the yard with Magda following behind. Once they were through the first gate, he waited for her to come alongside him.

“You’re handling her like a pro,” he said.

“Don’t kid a kidder. Layla takes no handling. I suspect she’d follow Archie just about anywhere, right?”