Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Jasper
Ilace my fingers through Abigail’s as we step out of the barn and start across the pasture.
She’s quiet for a minute, likely still processing Kat’s letter. I didn’t read it, but whatever it said, I know was well worth the risk of Sebastian finding her.
The ranch stretches wide around us, spring finally settling across the valley. The grass is greener than it was just a few weeks ago, soft under our boots, and the breeze carries that fresh smell of new growth and thawing earth.
And every time I catch Abbie basking in the sun, I’m more and more thankful for the unusually warm weather we’ve had this year.
The two of us walk toward the back pastures—toward the old hill that overlooks the stretch of land near Chris and Billie’s new house.
Abbie hasn’t been to their house in a couple of weeks, and ever since passed the first trimester, her doctor recommended not taking Griff for anymore rides.
Which means she definitely hasn’t seen this yet.
When we crest the small hill, she stops beside me.
The field below us is scattered with pale lavender lupines, their tall spires swaying gently in the breeze. They stretch across the pasture in soft clusters of purple and green, like someone reached down, painted a picture, and said, “Here. This is spring.”
Nestled in a dry patch beneath a random willow tree, its thin branches just starting to sprout fresh spring leaves, sits a small bistro table and two chairs.
And on the table, a picnic lunch Lawson and Beau hauled out here earlier this morning.
“Jasper.” One look at her face and it’s evident I was right. She had no idea this was here.
And what do I also see?
Tears welling up in her eyes.
“No,” I groan. “Abbie Girl. Why are you crying?”
She waves me off with a watery smile. “I cry at everything. Shut up.”
I bark out a laugh and press a kiss to the top of her head before guiding her down the hill. “Come on, Red.”
Once we reach the table, I catch her looking around. Probably trying to piece together how this all got out here. “How?”
“Law and Beau,” I tell her. She raises a brow.
“They knew I was sad about missing out last night,” I say, giving her my most dramatic wounded expression.
She just snorts and rolls her eyes. “So,” I continue, ignoring her ignoring me, “they figured they owed me. Helped me set this up before they left.”
Her brows pinch together. “Where’d they go?”
“Had to… run into Roundup.” I pull her chair out for her. “Needed to meet with a couple of local ranchers.”
She sits slowly, all while keeping her eyes glued on me. “What are the four of you up to lately?”
I shrug like it’s nothing and lean down to kiss the top of her head. Again. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
That earns me a narrow-eyed look. But she lets it go.
For now.
Sitting in my chair across from her, I open the picnic basket.
Inside are a couple of containers that Beau and Lawson packed up this morning.
Extra cold fruit salad—strawberries, blueberries, melon, and pineapple—and a stack of chicken salad sandwiches that Abbie’s been devouring lately.
Like these things are the only ones on earth that can give her the sustenance she needs.
“Stopppp.” I smile proudly at her. “You are my favorite person today.”
“I know.”
We eat slowly, the breeze rustling through the willow branches above us. The whole ranch spreads out behind Abbie—rolling pastures, distant fences, the mountains faint on the horizon.
She chews thoughtfully for a minute before looking up at me. “Do you miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“Rodeo,” she clarifies. “Did you miss competing all year?”
I don’t even hesitate. “Nope.”
Her brows lift. “Not even a little?”
I shake my head and lean back in my chair. “This,” I say, gesturing around us, “is exactly where I’d rather be.”
Something soft settles over her expression before she smiles and goes back to eating.
By the time we finish, Abbie leans back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. One hand drifts to her stomach without her even thinking about it. And I just… sit there.
Looking at her.
The sunlight filters through the tree branches, catching the copper strands in her red hair and turning them gold. Her eyes flutter closed for a moment as a breeze blows through, carrying with it the sweet scent of lupines.
The world I once thought was my everything now frames the person that’s my everything.
When she got here, Beau once told me she reminded him of fall.
Warm. Fiery. Beautiful in a way that makes you stop and stare.
But sitting here now, surrounded by new grass and wildflowers and the quiet hum of spring waking up the valley.
She looks like she belongs to this season.
Soft.
Alive.
Full of something new growing inside her.
Never wanting to forget it, I quickly pull out my phone and take a picture while her eyes are closed, her face basking in the afternoon sun.
Perfection.
My phone makes a noise when I set it onto the table, and she peeks her eyes open to look at me, still staring at her. “What’s that look for?” she asks.
I grin. “Just thinking about how damn beautiful you look.”
Her smile spreads wide. “Linc said the same thing earlier. You all are too good for a woman’s ego.”
“What can I say?” I shrug. “Us cowboys are suckers for a pretty lady.”
She belts out a laugh.
And damn.
That sound never gets old. It’s soft and raspy and something I hope I hear every day for the rest of my life.
Leaning forward, I reach under the table and grab her ankle before lifting her foot onto my leg.
“What are you—”
Her sentence cuts off when I tug her mud boots off, then her sock. Before she can protest, I start rubbing the arch of her foot with both thumbs.
She groans a long, satisfied sound that shoots straight through my spine. “Oh my god, Jasper,” she breathes. “I think this might be better than sex.”
My jaw tightens as she lets out another moan. I’m a strong man, but a man can only take so much. The sound goes straight to my cock.
“I’d sure hope not,” I mutter, leaning down and biting lightly at one of her toes. She yelps, and I smile. “But I’m glad I could help.”
She laughs again, head tipping back in her chair. “No. Seriously.” I work my thumbs deeper into her foot. “So good.”
Her cheeks are flushed now. Hair messy from the wind as loose strands dance beneath the brim of her hat. Hand still resting on her belly.
And suddenly the air between us feels different.
That’s the effect she has on me.
One second, I’m simply loving her—admiring the strength and quiet beauty of the woman in front of me. And the next, something darker takes hold. Something hungrier.
The urge to pull her close. To claim her mouth with mine. To remind her exactly how deeply I crave her.
I’ve always been a man who feels everything to the extreme. A man who chases one high after another. And sometimes, it’s done me a disservice. But I’ve never been more grateful for it than when I’m with Abigail.
She’s the only high I ever want to chase.
She must notice it too… the shift.
My grip on her ankle tightens just slightly. And if the small gasp that falls from her lips wasn’t the only invitation I need, the way she rubs her foot against my hard cock beneath my jeans is.
That’s my girl.
Smirking at me, Abigail lifts her other foot in the air in a silent request. I slide off her other mud boot and sock, set her feet gently back on the ground, and point my finger at her. Her eyes flare as I turn my hand over and wiggle my finger in a come-hither motion. “Come here.”
She stands from her chair and takes two small steps before she’s standing in front of me.
“Actually—hold on a second.” Leaning forward—momentarily ignoring the way my cock is throbbing beneath my jeans—I bunch up the hem of her dress in my hands and work it up her thighs.
Abigail’s hands shoot out and wraps around my wrists, halting my movements. “Jasper,” she hisses as she looks across the field toward where you can barely see Chris and Billie’s house.
I pinch the inside of her thigh with my free hand. “They’re not home. You’re all mine, Abbie Girl.”
She playfully rolls her eyes at my antics, but lets go of my wrist nevertheless.
Once I’ve pulled up her dress just enough to see her panties, a hungry groan slips from my throat.
They’re nothing fancy—just a simple pair of white cotton panties. The soft fabric clings to her curves, already damp for me at the front, and the sight of them has my cock leaking from the tip.
I run the pad of my finger along the seam of her pussy. “This for me?”
Her eyes narrow as she looks down at me, doing her best to act like my fiery girl. But I know the answer before she even says it. “If you want it.”
A deep chuckle rumbles from my chest. “Oh… I want it.”
Eagerly, I pull the cotton panties down her legs and past her feet, admiring the way her bare toes sink into the green grass.
Part of this place.
Part of me.
A gust of wind sweeps through the field, pressing the thin fabric of her dress against every curve of her body. And knowing she’s bare beneath it—bare for me—snaps my last thread of restraint.
Her eyes dart to the outline of my cock beneath my jeans, and I’m desperate for her to free it. “Take it out, Abigail.”
“As you wish.” Her mouth twitches with a mischievous smile as she repeats the phrase I so often give her.
Eagerly, her fingers work the button and zipper of my jeans while I lift my ass slightly off the iron chair.
Giggling, she does her best to work the snug denim and my briefs past my ass.
The second my cock is free, it slaps against my stomach.
Her eyes immediately dart to the precum leaking at the tip, and she bites her lip.
I take my cap off, set it onto the table, and run one hand through my hair before holding it out to Abbie. She wraps her small palm in mine and climbs onto my lap.