The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) (19 page)

“Fine. You’re right—I always have known I’d get the shaft in this family. So let’s talk about you.” Ned’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “You know what your problem is? You’ve got to turn around your thinking. Stop looking at Hannah’s four-year absence as an obstacle.”

“How else can I look at it?”

“As an opportunity.”

Jake found his temper fraying. “What kind of opportunity could it possibly be?” For once couldn’t someone just answer his questions directly? Did everyone in his family have to play games?

“It’s an opportunity for me to run the ranch if you go with her.” Ned’s quick grin didn’t reach his eyes.

“Perfect. That’s just perfect. Thanks for the help.” Jake knew he should never have brought this subject up with Ned. It wasn’t fair of him to complain in front of him, anyway.

“If staying here is your goal, I guess you’re right; you’re in a tough place.” Ned resumed his work.

Jake’s hands itched to grab his brother and shake him. Of course that was his goal. It had always been his goal. Instead, he grabbed the pitchfork from Ned, overcome with an anger that demanded immediate action. “Go on. Get out of here. I need to think.”

“Sure thing.” Ned disappeared swiftly.

Jake didn’t notice the wooden handle of the pitchfork in his hands, or the smell of the old hay and horse dung he scooped out of the stalls. When he ran the wheelbarrow outside and dumped the manure to age in a pile, he didn’t notice the cold air biting his cheeks.
If that was his goal. He could see Hannah going to Colorado as an opportunity
. Just like Ned had said—an opportunity for his brother to win.

Still, Ned’s words stuck with him while he worked. Could he choose another goal? One served by moving to Colorado with Hannah?

Jake trudged forward with his wheelbarrow load. What the hell would that be?

‡
Chapter Fifteen

A
ll day the
glittery diamond on her ring caught Hannah’s attention and each time it did, her stomach gave a little twist of hope and anticipation.

Mixed with fear.

What had happened between Holt and Jake after she left? Had they come to blows? Would Jake still want to marry her?

It was too good to be true, the way Jake had capitulated to her demands. Could he make good on those promises?

What if he didn’t?

Jake finally texted her at noon to let her know he’d handled Holt and she didn’t have to worry about him anymore. He sent her a picture of Gladys, too, which made her smile. Maybe Jake did understand what was important to her. Maybe this would all work out.

Maybe.

By the time she made it home she was all pins and needles. She couldn’t wait to be with Jake again. Couldn’t wait to talk to him more about their plans for the future. Couldn’t wait for a repeat of their previous night, either.

She knew the talking should come first. They needed to make sure they were really on the same page as far as plans went, but all thoughts of that went out the window when she walked in the door and found the table lit with candles. She’d planned an easy dinner, but Jake was there before her. She recognized the logo of a local Chinese restaurant on a bag on the counter. He’d placed the food in serving bowls and set the table for two.

“Wash up and have a seat.” He met her at the door with a soul-searing kiss. Tingles of desire swept through her, but she did as she was told and met him at the table a few minutes later. They took their time eating, but kept their conversation light. Jake held her hand through most of the meal and she could barely taste her food when his blue-eyed gaze held hers. She knew the night ahead of them would be one to remember. How would they make love tonight? Where would they make love?

The possibilities were endless.

After they’d cleaned up the meal, Jake led her to the couch and pulled her down onto his lap. She met his kisses eagerly, relishing the slow pace he was setting tonight. For once there was no question about the outcome of their relationship. They would be married. They would spend their lives together.

Starting with tonight.

Jake was on
fire. He hadn’t thought he could want Hannah more than he already did, but tonight was different. Tonight he knew without a doubt he’d be sleeping with her, so he could anticipate it all day. After working outside all morning, he’d come to a single conclusion; there was no way around the years that Hannah would be gone. He’d have to suck it up like a man and endure them until they were over. Then he’d have Hannah beside him for good.

Once that was settled, he’d let his thoughts wander to happier subjects. He’d imagined countless ways they could be together as he accomplished his chores. Her body was his playground and he loved every curve of it. He meant to play hard tonight. All night. If Hannah’s ardor was any indication, so did she.

As her fingers slipped to the buttons of his shirt Jake knew there were matters they should talk about, but he couldn’t remember what they were. Soon she had tugged the shirt off of his shoulders and smoothed her hands over his chest.

“You are so… yummy,” she said, trailing kisses over his chin, down his neck and across his shoulder. Jake decided two could play this game and found the hem of her shirt, tugging it up over her head. As she straddled his lap, her bra displayed her breasts to perfection and he bent forward to trace some kisses of his own down her creamy skin to the cleft between them. Hannah moaned and thrust them forward. Jake’s groin jumped.

He swept his hands up to cup them, relishing the lacy fabric of her bra under his fingers. He kneaded them until he felt the points of her nipples pushing hard against the layer of cloth.

Hannah rocked her hips against him, grinding against his hardness. There were too many layers between them still. Jake wanted them gone. He slipped his fingers under the band of the bra and snapped it with one jerk. When Hannah gasped, he cupped both breasts and sucked first one nipple then the other into his mouth. Laving them almost roughly with his tongue, he was rewarded when Hannah arched back and held onto him for dear life. He wanted to be inside her, now. Her bra was gone, but both their pants remained.

Jake surged to his feet with Hannah still wrapped around him. Reaching under her ass—pausing only to give it a good, two handed squeeze—he unbuckled his belt, unzipped his fly and dropped his jeans to the ground, kicking them away. He supported Hannah while she undid hers, then turned around, dumped her unceremoniously on the couch and pulled them off by their cuffs.

Hannah laughed, but didn’t hesitate to shimmy her panties off and throw them across the living room. Bared to his view, she lay back and stretched. As her breasts lifted, Jake heard an animal sound come from deep within his throat but he was already reaching for her, pulling her back onto his lap as he sat down on the couch once more.

“Like this?” Hannah got up and straddled him again. When she pressed up against him she was hot and ready.

“Exactly like this.” He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to feel every inch of her against him. Her breasts against his chest set him on fire, the peaks of her nipples tantalizing. He slid his fingers under her ass and lifted her into place.

As she slid onto him, slick with need, he groaned, trying not to spill inside her like some untried schoolboy. She was so hot, so sexy. So everything that he’d ever wanted. He flexed into her and pulled back, loving the position but frustrated at not having more control. Hannah pushed up with her thighs then sank back onto him and he thought he’d go over the edge again. It took all his control to hold back as Hannah found her pace, lifting and falling, lifting and falling, her tempo increasing as her body responded to him. She ground down against him and then lifted again, ground down as if hungry for every inch of his hardness.

As she moved faster, harder, Jake gripped her with his hands, encouraged her, loved what she was doing. Her movements bounced her breasts against him, increasing his pleasure, his desire. No longer in control, he thrust into her, going deeper, using his hands to press her down on top of him.

They reached their peak together, both calling out. Hannah arched back, her silky hair feathering over his hands, which still gripped her ass. Jake bucked against her so hard he thought he’d hurt her, but her cries of pleasure didn’t change to pain. He couldn’t help himself anyway; his need for release was so great—so overpowering.

When they collapsed together they were both winded. Hannah giggled against his shoulder. “Do you think we’ll ever get tired of doing this?”

He shifted to lay her down on the couch and cover her with his body. “Why don’t we find out?”

Hannah sighed as
Jake began to nibble her earlobe and trace lazy kisses down her neck. She felt as languorous as a kitten in the warm cabin. Jake had laid a fire in the fireplace before she came home and it added to the ambience. She could stay here forever with Jake, making love and just being together.

As his hand slid up to circle her breast she wondered for a moment whether she could keep up the pace. Surely he couldn’t be ready for another round so fast, but… yes, she thought maybe he was. Her own body responded to that idea with more desire than she expected. Normally she needed some recovery time, too, but now a pulse of want beat between her legs and she was warm and wet…

Hannah’s eyes flew open. She sat straight up, pushing Jake aside. “Damn it!”

“What?”

“You didn’t use protection! You…” A wash of cold swept over her, perking her nipples, but she didn’t care about that. “Damn it, Jake! I trusted you!”

He froze in his position on the couch, only his gaze shifting from side to side as if he was replaying the last fifteen minutes in his mind. “Shit.”

“Yeah—shit!”

“I forgot. You didn’t say anything!” From his expression he was just as shocked as she was. What was it about Jake that made her lose her mind? What made her trust him so much when he obviously wasn’t trustworthy?

She crawled off the couch, nearly losing her balance before she untangled herself from him. Standing up, she put her hands on her hips. “We’ve used it every single time. You thought something changed?”

“I didn’t… think.” Jake stood, too. “You didn’t either, I guess.” He tried to draw her into an embrace. “What does it matter? You already thought you could be pregnant. We’re engaged now. Whatever happens, we’ll be together.”

She pushed him away. “No, we won’t. I can’t even trust you to keep me from getting pregnant when you know I don’t want to be. You only care about yourself—what you want! You’d be happy if I couldn’t go to school. You probably planned this!” She raked her hair back from her face with both hands. “You did, didn’t you?”

“Of course not!” Jake said but she had already spun away. She headed for the stairs at a furious clip. “Where are you going?” he called after her.

“To sleep.” She spun around halfway up the steps. “And I don’t want company!”

‡
Chapter Sixteen

W
hen Jake woke
the following morning Hannah had already gone. He’d spent the night in his own room, his bed strange and uncomfortable after all the nights he’d spent in Hannah’s. He’d wracked his brain for something to say or do to fix the situation. He must have finally fallen asleep close to dawn. Now his head hurt, his mouth was dry and his eyes felt like they were on fire.

He stumbled through a hot shower, dressed and descended to the kitchen to find a pile of paperwork on the table pertaining to Hannah’s college admittance. She must have woken up early, eager to plan for a future that didn’t include him. She’d made notes on a piece of paper of all the courses she wished to take. According to the documents, she could go online to sign up for them.

Jake sat down heavily and read through all of the information, paging through the glossy pages that touted all that Montana State had to offer. He recalled doing the same thing back in high school in his guidance counselor’s office. He knew he’d never go to school—Holt would never have countenanced it—but the brochures had fascinated him.

Mr. Helmsly, the counselor, couldn’t understand why he didn’t apply. He was a city transplant and didn’t understand rural thinking yet. Jake had known what his occupation would be from the moment he was born. A rancher, just like his daddy. You learned ranching on a ranch, not behind a desk.