"Woman, you are the dream filly every rancher tries to get."

  "What fancy words." We both laugh then realize we’re too loud.

  There’s a new depth of meaning between us, he’s giving me all of who he is, all his love.

  He caresses my face with his fingers tracing my lips, looking at me, beaming. How grateful I am to have found him, both times and have him here with me.

  "I love you to the absolute end, pretty girl."

  Soon his even breathing says he is sleeping.

  I leave him for the lady’s room getting my bottoms back on and when I see how comfortability he’s sleeping I decide to go to my bed and not disturb him.

  As I’m drifting off, I still hear the guys at the barn which tells me it’s after 4 am. I’m not sure how long it was after that when I thought Milt was sitting on the edge of my bed. It seemed like a dream, yet it felt very real. He was pushing my hair away from my face and gliding his fingers over my cheek very soft. I heard him talking to me… his voice sounded far away. I only understood part of the words. He told me he’d always loved me from the start and that he would take care of me. I saw a faint smile. I tried to wake up but I couldn’t. When I did come more awake opening my eyes a little, no one was there.

  I realized it was a dream.

  Chapter 11

  Jake

  The kitchen breakfast bar is laid out with a banquet of food, juice, and coffee in an elegant arrangement all done by Patrick, the cook. He took me as a friend the moment he saw me, a more outgoing man I’ve never met before. He’s an Irishman from the old country by his thick brogue.

  "Morning, Jake, Pat. How’s the coffee?" Milt asked.

  "Tasty, strong the way I like it," I offered. Pat grins with pride.

  "The princess still in bed?" he asked in a low tone grinning at me in an offhanded sarcastic way.

  "Sleeping deep, hasn’t moved yet," I tell him.

  "It must be deep. When she was a kid, I never could get away from her without her waking up. She was the same way a few years back when she dislocated her shoulder and I took care of her after surgery. I’d say I’ve slept most of my life with my clothes on."

  He wants to make damn sure I’m aware he’s been with her a long time and he’s the one who took care of her.

  "She needs sleep, that’s a fact," I add as Pat looks on, listening to size up the obvious off stroke between me and Milt. Pat is a man who doesn’t miss much around him.

  If I let Milt know I think the same thing he does, he might come off his guard.

  "I’ve never felt so guilty as when I’d wake up to find her in a chair at the side of my bed. She wouldn’t lay down on her sleeping cot and she wouldn’t listen to me no matter how much I begged. I’ve never begged a woman for anything before..." My tone makes it obvious begging isn’t something I do.

  "She has a way of making a man beg alright. She’s the only one I’ve ever begged to no good end. But that’s her. She’ll do what she thinks is right, what she wants to do, no matter the cost. Glad you see that part of her beings I doubt she’ll change now. It’s who she, head strong, set in her ways."

  "I don’t want her to change a thing. I’m happy with the way she is. By the way, we have a therapist coming to help me. He’ll be here today." He needs to realize I’m not expecting Race to wait on me hand and foot. Having her close to me is what I want, not to make her my maid.

  "Therapy will do the trick. I called the massage gal to come give Race a good going over. It helps her when we’re in track season."

  "She’ll like that. Glad you thought of it. When does she need to be in the saddle? She’s talked quite a bit about getting the horses in shape."

  "We’re behind, but I’m not going to let her work horses until she’s up to it."

  "Can you stop her?" I asked fishing to see how much control he thinks he has over her.

  "Not as a rule. This time I will stop her no matter what I have to do. I can’t let her take a chance. She needs to be fully ready, physically and mentally, to take on these stallions. Right now, they’re all on the muscle. It’ll damn sure take all of us to get things off on a safe start."

  "Don’t let her get hurt, Milt."

  He turns to face me, hesitating as he puts a hard ass glare on me.

  "Don’t worry pal. I love her a hell of a lot more than you do… for a lot longer." He flashes a smirk followed by a buddy slap on my shoulder.

  That son of a bitch… I can’t let him see how pissed I am.

  "I’m glad you told me since I’m not all together sure I’ll recover from this. If I don’t, can I count on you to take my place? She’ll need you to love her, to hold her like the woman she is."

  The silence is deafening. Milt’s all telling expressions confirm my suspicions. I hold my eye contact with him strong, real steady.

  He’s clearly shaken up.

  "I’ll take care of her, same as you do."

  "I’m holding you to it. I have to know she’ll be safe."

  Our hands come together in a shake. It’s now an agreement set in stone.

  Where in the hell did that statement come from? Nothing like it has ever been a thought of mine. It just blurted out. I have zero idea why. But it definitely made a dent in him changing his whole mood.

  I’m glad Pat wasn’t within hearing range.

  I knew the son of a bitch would be a problem long before I met him. He’s had his mind set on Race for a long time before I came into the scene. When we did meet, he tried to make the point he's in charge of her. It’s the message he put out to me.

  Fuck that. I gave him my own message.

  I don’t think so. This woman is mine.

  The bastard wants her, and he decided on it when she came to the hospital. That’s when he realized how much she loves me.

  That's the full truth right there.

  The question is what can I do to stop him. I don't want Milt to put her in a bad spot between me and him. If he tells her he loves her, she might feel she has to choose him out of loyalty. That’d be a fucked-up mess. Neither one of us is willing to let her go.

  I can't let it come to that. I'm willing to do the hard stuff to keep her.

  One thing for sure — I can't say a single word against the man. She’d come unwound from the inside out. This girl would fight the devil for him. I must be cautious since this could get way out of hand fast. I'm on the downside and outnumbered. He’s deep in the herd here with his words having weight. It’s not rocket science to see it.

  I wish to hell I was back on my feet for the reason of having to wonder if he's the kind of man who’ll kick me while I'm down. If he loves her the way I think he does, he’ll undercut me no matter what.

  He's a strong bastard, solid as a rock. Behind his funny little jokes, he's a mean fucker. Trust me, but he'd never let Race see the dark side of him. He adores her too much. We’ll find out what kind of man he really is down deep.

  I pour another coffee rehashing what just took place. trying to assess if it was good or bad. And why I said that to him.

  Chapter 12

  Milt

  What the hell is wrong with me. I just told Jake how I feel about Race. By the look on his face he knew it wasn't brotherly love I was talking about. He might tell her, which is exactly what I don't want to happen, at least not now. And not from him.

  What a fucking shock when he said he might not recover. I thought he was coming along in a good way based on what she told me. Maybe he hasn't told her the complete truth about his prognosis. But hey, the doctor released him, he must be getting better.

  What if he’s yanking my chain with this lie hoping to back me out of the picture. After all, I did tell him I loved her. It damn sure doesn’t make sense. He sounded too serious in wanting Race to be taken care of. He wasn’t talking about watching her like family. He meant take her as my woman.

  Still, I don’t trust the lawyer bastard which makes it hard to believe anything he says. I’d sure as hell like to know why he’d arrange for me to take Race if something happens to him. He cringes every time I look at her.

  If I’ve read Jake right, he’s willing to do the dirty deed. The man is a cold-hearted bastard except when it comes to her. There’s nothing, I do mean nothing, he wouldn’t do to keep her. So, telling a lie about not making it would be nothing to him.

  How am I this sure? Well, the two of us, we’re made from the same template. I see it, so does he.

  If we tangle up, nobody wins.

  I need to tighten up my act. I’ve waited this long to get her I can wait a little longer.

  But last night I couldn’t wait. I had to make sure he wasn’t in her bed. Thank God he wasn’t. Had I found him lying next to her I’m not sure what I would’ve done. It was hell fire in the RV knowing she was sleeping next to him even with her clothes on. Standing there looking at her, I wanted to be closer. When I sat down on the bed next to her, I had to touch her face, her curly hair. It took all my will power to not kiss her full lips. I didn’t. I wanted to drop my clothes, climb in bed next to her and take her in all the ways I think about. Then I heard Jake stirring and she started to move around. I left through the patio door without being seen. I thought. Now I have an idea he might have caught a glimpse of me. That pisses me off.

  This is pretty fucked up. I’d be happy for him to exit the scene on his own. I don't want anything to happen to him, she wouldn’t get over it. But I damn sure don't want him to be with her for the rest of my life. I'm definitely wedged in a tight place here. I need to find a way to live with this. It’s a fact my head’s in a major screw up about them. I can’t expect myself to be overjoyed. After all, I’m the man who’s loved her, protected her through everything. Now this bastard has her.

  I try to convince myself what I feel isn’t sexual. That's a complete lie. It’s been more than sister love for years, since she turned 19. That's when I first started seeing her as a woman. It’d be next to impossible to not fantasize about holding her, making love to her, it would be completely impossible.

  Race is the most seductive woman alive without doing a thing. Watching her move is mind blowing, it brings out every male instinct I have. And I have to hold all of it inside me. Sometimes I don’t get the job done.

  No matter how hard I fight it I still think how I want her every time I see her, the way I’d kiss her, how I need to ease my hard cock into her. It’s felt wrong to think about it.

  Then I remind myself.

  We are not blood related.

  I love this girl too much to let Jake waltz in here and take her without me knowing if I even have a chance with her. I could be barking up the wrong tree. She might not consider letting me be her man. How I'll find out I'm not exactly sure, it has to be in a way to not hurt her. She doesn't deserve to be hurt by anyone, absolutely not by me.

  It wrecks me to see how she coddles him like a mother hen. It’s something I’ve not seen her do much of in any situation. I can’t stop trying to figure out what it is about Jake that brings out these traits in her. Do I like it? Hell no.

  So now I’m left with trying to figure out if his request is real or a game.

  Chapter 13

  Race

  The smell of coffee stirs me enough to open my eyes and see the breakfast tray being placed on the table.

  "Good morning, Patrick. Where is our guest?" I asked.

  "He’s in the kitchen, already had breakfast I made for him."

  Pat likes to cook for people. What a grand cook he is. Pat, Bob, and my parents came to America together from Ireland. I have many secrets with Pat no one knows about. Some things of real importance and others that are small fun things.

  I hear my man’s call from the doorway of my bedroom. "Morning sunshine. Thought you’d never wake up." He’s smiling bright.

  "Good morning. How does it feel to be home?" I get up, slide a robe on taking the chair next to my coffee.

  "Come in babe. Coffee?"

  "Pat has over fed me. Then I had a few cups already."

  "Come sit with me, right here." I move my legs over for him to sit next to me on the lounge

  "Yes ma’am." He kisses me politely on my forehead in front of Pat. How I admire his old-style cowboy manners, his level of respect is high. Pat has a pleased look as he watches us.

  "Everyone’s had fun without letting me join in? Shame on you guys"

  Pat is quick to speak up as usual. "Brother put the law down to not wake you."

  Jake looks at me. "That’s true."

  "I see." I’m sure my eyebrows raise up, but I let it go and enjoy having my first morning coffee with my man. It perfect with him here.

  "Call me for more," Pat says as he goes back to the kitchen.

  "I’m glad you slept in your bed, but I did miss you," he tells me as he holds my hand.

  "I didn’t want to disturb you plus you were on my side. I didn’t like it much in here. It’s cold without you. I didn’t sleep all that great, either. I had a funny little dream. I thought Milt sat down on the side of my bed then I wondered if it was you, though I knew it was him. He moved my hair away from my face, he was soothing my cheek. I heard him talking, his voice sounded far away, then closer. You know how dreams are mixed up. It was like that. I never figured it out. Did you come to my room?"

  "I wanted to, but I didn’t. I woke up about daylight, you were in your bed when I checked from the door. Do you remember what was said in your dream?"

  "Something about, I’ve always loved you, I always will, things like that. Dreams are fuzzy. But I can say I would’ve slept better in your bed."

  "We need to fix it to always be in the same bed." Jake looks straight at me. I don’t think he’s joking.

  "Agreed. Very cold without you. Did your bed work out?"

  "It’s good. Not too hard, not too soft."

  He looks at me with a happy expression and those beautiful eyes full of light today. I believe we made the right decision in coming here.

  "How are you feeling? Tell the truth." To me his color is better. "What about a headache?"

  "None of those. I’m feeling quite normal this morning, a little weak but that’s it." He’s honest I believe.

  "I like it, babe. Last night was, what can I say? The best but I think we did more than what the doctor ordered," I tell him. We need to follow orders.

  "Race, I wouldn’t trade last night for anything. Forget the doctor and just keep being the magic woman you are." He leans close speaking low. "The doctor doesn’t understand how much I need you."

  "Oh, I’m sure I want you the most cowboy," I tell him with a smile of a lifetime on my face." Can you see how happy I am?"

  "That’s what I want to hear, baby. It’s my job to make you happy."

  "I’ll be ready to hit the barn in 15. You feel up to coming with me?"

  "I wouldn’t stay behind."

  "Meet you in the kitchen."

  "I’ll be there."

  I notice he’s walking straighter.

  I find him standing at the kitchen counter looking at my day calendar laying there open. I come up behind him quietly, slide my arms around his waist squeezing him in.

  "See something interesting?"

  "As a matter of fact, I do," as he brings me around to show me my notes from the many times I called him on his cell trying to reach him.

  "It makes me feel good to see you were looking for me. I knew you’d found me." I’m glad he saw these.

  "Believe me, I was counting the days, even the minutes for you to call. When you didn't, I started calling your cell phone with no luck. That's when I just completely panicked. I asked Bob what I should do. I’m not in the business of chasing after a man."

  "What did he tell you?"

  "He said to call every place that might have information. He told me to find you at all cost. When I tracked you to Salt Lake City, he got the planes arranged to get me over there. I was a complete basket case." I chuckled a little bit. "The main thing is I found you and now you’re here with me. That's what counts."

  He hugs me and kisses the top of my head. "We better get to the barn. I know a gal who’s had barn fever for weeks."

  "She has, Mr. Lancer."

  We meet the Lancer’s at the barn, and I tour everyone through the main parts showing them the viewing room, which they all like. It faces the track. Also, the wide screen TV shows the backside. Mrs. Lancer tired quickly and they went back to the guest house.

  "What a complete set up. I like it, especially knowing you can be seen on the entire track makes me feel you’re safer."

  "I never think about being safe out there. I learned to do things the right way before going on the track. It’s built into me. I do it without thinking about it. Being on the track is what I do, it feels wonderful, exciting. Plus, it’s an excellent income addition for the crew. I can’t imagine life without running horses."

  "One of these days you might have to rethink your position." He chuckles looking over to me checking my reaction. He’s teasing me again.

  "There's mountains to climb when I get old, plenty of those around here." I give him a smug face like ‘there’s always a way’.

  "Why did I know you'd say that. What about when our child is in this pretty tummy of yours."

  "Hum. That will require rethinking. We’ll talk it over when the time comes."

  Interesting he’s thought of a baby, so have I, but I won’t mention it at this point. Marriage comes first and he hasn’t asked me to marry him, nor even to become engaged.

  "Will I see that time come?" he asked with his best come on smile on those tasty hot lips of his. I flash back to last night with his mouth on my breast.

  "If you hang around."

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25