Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
M arti stood and helped herself to the food at the breakfast bar. Hetti had put out scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast. Once she had the food on her plate, she took it to the microwave and heated it for about twenty seconds. Just enough to warm it and not enough to get it too hot. Once back at the table, she took a bite and thought for a minute before answering. “I guess that could be fun. We could have a picnic and while the kids play you and I can talk. I want to know more about Caleb Malone.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Fair is fair. I want to know more about Marti Parker, too.”
Her face heated, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire. “All right. What time should we leave?”
“About ten o’clock should do it. We’ll get there, the kids will have time to wade or swim and then we can have a picnic while they dry off and then we’ll head back.”
“Sounds good. That will still give me more than an hour or so and I can hopefully watch Sophie’s lesson this morning. Will Hetti make us a picnic, or do you want me to?”
He frowned for a moment. “Can you cook?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I’ll have you know that I make a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Seriously, I can cook if you’d like.”
Caleb laughed. “I’ll ask Hetti to make us something. She’ll get her feelings hurt if we do her job. And we’ll take jugs of lemonade and iced tea.”
Marti frowned. Sophie doesn’t need that much sugar . “We’ll also need water.”
“How about lemonade and water? We can skip the iced tea.”
Nodding, she picked up her fork and lifted a bite of eggs to her mouth. “Deal.”She took the bite of eggs, chewed and swallowed, then set about eating her breakfast. When she finished, she set her silverware across the top of her plate. “I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s go out to the barn and see what the kids are up to.”
“I’m following you.”
They left out the kitchen’s back door toward the barn.
Marti and Caleb arrived to find the kids and Bethany taking care of the horses. They were brushing them down, at least as far as they could reach.
Bethany brushed the animals’ backs.
“Hey, kids,” said Caleb. “How do you feel about going on a trail ride and having a picnic?”
“Yay!!” shouted Sophie.
Danny shouted the same thing simultaneously.
They both erupted into giggles.
“Sophie, how do you know what a trail ride is?” asked Marti.
Sophie shrugged. “Danny’s been talking about them and how much fun they are.”
Marti looked over at Caleb and then back at the kids. “Okay, well you finish helping Bethany, and then you can spend a little time playing your games inside before we go. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great, Mommy.” Sophie ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Marti laughed and held her daughter close. “Where did this come from?”
“I just wanted to hug you. I love you, Mommy.”
Marti leaned down and kissed the top of her daughter’s blonde head. “I love you, too, sugar bear.”
Two hours later, the horses were saddled and ready to go.
Caleb tied the picnic lunch behind him, and they were ready to leave.
“All right, until we get out into the open pasture, I want Sophie directly behind me, followed by Danny and Marti will bring up the rear. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Sophie, in a hat borrowed from Danny, urged her mare behind Caleb’s stallion.
“Yes, Dad.” Danny guided his horse behind Sophie.
“Aye, Captain.” Marti, wearing one of Bethany’s hats, followed Danny.
Caleb shot her a look that said, don’t mess with me .
Marti laughed.
They walked the horses through the barnyard and out the gate into the pasture.
One of the ranch hands closed the gate behind them.
“Okay, we can spread out now.” Caleb opened his arms wide.
Danny made his way over to Sophie, and they talked and laughed together.
Marti came up on Caleb’s left side. She pointed toward the kids. “They get along so well. I wonder if their relationship will stay the same when they go back to school.”
“I don’t see why not. They’re in the same grade. The school is one of the smaller ones, so I don’t anticipate any reason they can’t stay friends.”
“Ah, but they’ll have all sorts of new people to meet, and sometimes, friends find they don’t have as much time for each other as they once did.”
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure they find time to be together and remain friends.” He glanced ahead at the path they followed and then over at the children.
Marti followed his gaze.
The kids were in their own little world, talking and laughing. They teased each other like brother and sister.
She turned her gaze back to Caleb. “I’ll bring Sophie out as often as possible for riding lessons. Did you hear Bethany says she’s a natural? I’d like to encourage her and continue her lessons, so she can discover her abilities. She already seems to love it, and I want something that will get her outside and away from her games.”
“Well, Bethany would know. She’s been teaching kids long enough now that I trust her instincts completely. I know what you mean about getting them outside. If Danny didn’t love riding so much, I don’t think I’d ever get him away from his gaming system. Sometimes I wonder why I bought the dang thing.”
Marti saw a little copse of trees ahead. It reminded her of an oasis in the desert. “Is that where we’re going?” She pointed in that direction.
“It is. Do you think Sophie can gallop yet?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s ask her.”
Caleb gazed over at the children. “Hey, Sophie.”
The girl looked over at him. “Yeah.”
“Can you gallop?”Caleb asked.
She brightened. Her smile was wide as he nodded enthusiastically. “It’s my favorite thing to do.”
“Well, then, we’re headed for those trees.” He pointed. “I say I’ll beat you and I’ll give you, a ten-second head start. What do?—”
“Hee Yah!” shouted Danny.
Sophie touched her heels to the palomino’s side. “Hee Yah!!”
Marti followed suit and touched her heels to her horse’s belly. “Hiyah!”
“Hey, what about the ten-seconds?” shouted Caleb.
“You said you’d give them the head start. I didn’t.” She laughed like a loon and leaned over the neck of her mount while urging her on.
She heard, rather than saw, Caleb come up behind her. Then she looked over, and he was passing her.
The race was nearly over, Caleb looked like he’d win.
Then Sophie’s horse got a second wind and passed the trees before Caleb. She slowed and turned toward the other horses as they raced in.
“Mommy, you’re slow.” Sophie leaned on the saddle horn with her arms crossed, like she’d been riding forever.
She was right. Marti was slow. She was the last person to arrive at the little oasis in the pasture.
She lifted her shoulders. “What can I say? Caleb gave me a slow horse.”
He laughed. “I didn’t. The kids picked out the horses. Blame them.”
She grinned. “Can’t do it. It’s more fun to tease you.”
Shaking his head, Caleb dismounted and untied their picnic basket from behind his saddle. “We can leave the horses here. They have plenty to eat, and the creek is right there.” He pointed toward the stream about ten feet across and what looked like about six inches deep.
Caleb walked over to the children and lifted each one to the ground. Then the three of them walked over to Marti.
The horses were ground broke.
Marti had seen nothing like it before. Caleb, Danny, and Sophie simply dropped the reins on the ground, and the horses stayed as if they were tied up to something.
“What about us?” asked Danny.
Caleb placed his hands on his hips. “Did you wear your swimsuits under your jeans like I told you?”
“Yes, sir,” said Sophie.
“Yup,” said Danny.
“Then take off your clothes and go on down to the creek. You can wade or paddle in the swimming hole. In this heat, it will probably feel really good.”Caleb looked up, shading his eyes from the sun.
Marti lifted her arms, palms out. “What about me?”
Caleb turned toward her and lifted a brow. “I thought we could go wading. You just need to roll up your pants. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d want to get wet.”
“Well, you thought wrong. Luckily, I listened when you told the kids to wear their swimming suits and,” she began unbuttoning her shirt, “I wore mine, too.” When she was fully unbuttoned, she pulled her shirt out of her pants and tossed it over her saddle. Then she removed her boots, socks and jeans, tossing the clothes over her shirt. Then, wearing the white halter top swimsuit that did great things for her figure, she slipped her boots back on and walked down to the swimming hole.
“Don’t tell me that after you told the kids to wear their swimming suits, that you didn’t wear yours,” she called out to Caleb.
Caleb laughed. “I always come prepared.” He undressed and joined her at the swimming hole.
“So, how deep is it?” She looked from Caleb to the kids, who were already in the water, and then removed her boots.
“Well, there’s no diving, but it’s definitely over your head. But not mine, so I would guess it’s about six feet deep.” He took her by the hand, ran across the grassy ground toward the pool and then right into it.
When he was about in the middle of the pool, he plummeted to his knees, taking her with him.
She came up sputtering and pushing her hair back from her forehead while she treaded the cold, yet refreshing, water. “That was just mean.” But she laughed. “Just remember, paybacks are a bi?—”
He lifted a brow and then wagged a finger. “Language, Parker.”
“Grrr,” she sputtered. “I’ll get you back, Malone. Just wait and see.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I’m shaking in my boots.”
“You’re not wearing boots.”
He grinned. “I’m not shaking, either.”
She poo-poo’d him. “Whatever.” Then she jumped into his arms and tried to shove him under the water. Too late, she realized her mistake as he dunked them both.
When they came up, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, and her face was right in front of his. She looked down at his lips. They were close, so close, and then she lowered her head and took his lips with hers. The kiss wasn’t deep, but it was hard. His lips were firm and soft at the same time.
He held her tight and returned the kiss.
When they broke apart, they were both breathless. She gazed around and saw the kids.
The children were looking at them, smiling.
Turning her gaze back to Caleb, she tried to swim out of his arms.
He refused to let her. “They seem to approve.” He jutted his chin toward his son and Sophie, then back to Marti. He took her lips again. This time he was in charge, and he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened.
The kiss was long. He circled his tongue around hers, then retreated and peppered both corners of her mouth with tiny, soft kisses.
By now, the kids were giggling and pointing.
“You need to let me go.” This isn’t appropriate behavior for in front of the kids. She felt like her cheeks were on fire.
“I don’t think so. We’ve just found out we’re compatible. That’s a wonderful thing.”
“How are we supposed to explain this?” She nodded toward the laughing children. When she finally looked over, she saw they’d tired of watching the adults and were back to splashing each other with the water. “Well, I don’t guess we have to now, do we?”
Caleb grinned. “Apparently, not.” He kissed the tip of her nose and released her. “That was very nice, by the way.”
Marti smiled. “I thought so, too. Maybe we can try it when we’re dry, hmm?”
“That’s a good idea. Maybe after the kids go to bed. I don’t want to have to stop kissing you for any reason.”
“That’s a very nice thing to say, and I agree…wholeheartedly. When I said I wanted to know you better, this is what I meant, and I was hoping you wanted to kiss me as much as I do you.”
He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and then cupped her face. “I want to, but we also need to talk before whatever this is between us, goes too far.”
“Agreed. Tonight, I’ll meet you by the pool, and we’ll talk then. We’ll see where we go from there.”
After giving Sophie a bath, Marti put her to bed with a story and a kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight sugar bear.”
“Goodnight, Mommy.” Sophie grabbed her stuffed giraffe, turned onto her left side, and was out like a light.
The events of the day had worn her out.
Marti turned on the night-light, then exited the room and closed the door behind her. She hurried to her room, brushed her hair, put on a dab of lip gloss, and then headed out to the pool.
At first, she thought she’d beaten Caleb, then she saw the back of his head where he sat on one of the chaise loungers.
He held up a glass of red wine. “Will you join me? I poured you a glass.”
She walked over and sat on the adjacent lounger. A small, clear, plastic-topped table stood between them. She picked up the wine and sipped the smooth beverage, and then set it back on the table.
“So, what do you want to know that you haven’t already gleaned from my sister or perhaps my son?”
Marti leaned back on the lounger. “Tell me about your marriage. Who was she in your heart?”
Caleb was quiet for a while.
Marti felt maybe she was being too invasive. “Never mind. It’s not my business, I’m?—”
“Sarah was my first love. We married right out of college. We didn’t find out about the cancer until she was four months pregnant with Danny. The doctor recommended she terminate the pregnancy, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She said this might be her only chance to have a child, and she was taking it.”
Marti didn’t know what to say, because nothing she said would ease a pain like that. Still, she had questions which he could answer or not…his choice. “How long after she gave birth, did she live? Was she able to enjoy Danny for a while, at least?”
Caleb smiled.
Marti leaned back and looked at the stars while he continued. She had a feeling he was seeing Sarah with Danny.She knew then that he still loved Sarah.
“Danny was almost two when she passed away. I am so grateful now that she made the decision that she did. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“I know what you mean. Sophie has been with me through the divorce and the move. She’s been my rock. Everything I do, I do for her. I know it might not seem like it, but I do. I take chances so she won’t have to. I’m trying to shut down the cartel, so she doesn’t ever have to make the choice between taking drugs or not taking them.”
“Do you truly believe that stopping the KT Cartel will stop the drugs?”
She heard the incredulity in his voice. She sat up and looked over at him. “I have to believe that otherwise what is the point?”
Caleb sat up on the side of the lounger, facing her. He reached over and took her left hand. “We’re just shutting down one arm of the octopus. Another arm is always waiting in the wings. Waiting for us to make a mistake or for the cartel to make one, so they can move into the territory.”
She nodded. “I know, and that scares me more than anything. You know the old saying about the enemy you know being better than the enemy you don’t.” Her voice was shaky as she thought about what could happen. “What if the next distributor is worse?”
He made figure eights on her palm with his thumb. “Then we’ll shut them down. And we’ll keep doing it. We don’t have a choice.”
She realized she was giving up before fighting the good fight. “You’re right. We must keep after them, no matter what. We have to.”
“Come here. Let me hold you for a while. Just hold you.”
She lowered her lashes and then slowly raised them. “What if I don’t want you to just hold me?”
He smiled and held out his hand. “Then we’ll just have to figure that out, too.”
Marti moved over to his lounger and sat on his lap, leaning back against his chest. Her head rested perfectly under his chin. “This is nice.”
“It is.” He took a single knuckle and lifted her chin until she was looking at him. “Tell me you want this, too, or tell me to stop.”
“Don’t. Stop. I want this. I want you to kiss me more than I want my next breath.”
“Good.” He lowered his head, and his lips took hers in a searing kiss. He used his tongue to beg her for entrance.
She allowed it and met his questing tongue with her own. He tasted like the wine they were drinking, smooth, fruity, and just a little tart. Marti couldn’t get enough. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest.A bolt of need traveled through her. Then she buried her hands in his shirt and held on for dear life as he took them on a magical ride.
Caleb pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “I want you, Marti. I won’t deny telling you that. When this is all over, I want us to talk about where we want this relationship to go. I know that it’s too new to be thinking that far ahead, but I must tell you, I’ve never felt like this.”
“I haven’t, either. I’ve gotten more passion tonight than in six years of marriage to Vance Parker.”
He leaned back. “Why did you keep his name?”
“Because of Sophie. Keeping it makes it so much easier at school. I think, if I do marry again, I might hyphenate it just for her. I don’t know. I guess it will depend on the man and how he would feel about it. Nothing is etched in stone, yet.”
Caleb kissed her along her jaw, easing her head to the side, and then he trailed kisses down her neck.
She leaned her head away, giving him the access he seemed to want and she definitely desired. She shivered as he gently nipped her where her shoulder and neck met. Marti didn’t know she was so responsive to kisses. She’d never been so before. Maybe because Vance hadn’t been the right man or, for that matter, a good lover. Even a mediocre lover would have been better than the pathetic one he’d been. Maybe, if she hadn’t been a virgin when they married, she would have known better. The way she responded to Caleb’s kisses was new. She leaned in and took his lips with hers, being the aggressor for the first time in her life.
She felt him smile and knew she was doing something right.
“Caleb, I want you, but I can’t. Not now. I…I have to think about Sophie and you need to think about Danny. How will it affect them? We could try to keep it secret, but I don’t like that idea, either. Somehow, it makes something that should be beautiful…ugly, and I don’t want that.”
He sighed. “I don’t want that, either. I want us to be open with our children and our family. I can’t keep us secret, no matter what. We should wait until we can be upfront about what we want. Since we don’t know that yet, we need to take it slow. Do you agree?”
She rested her head on his chest. Hearing his heartbeat beneath her somehow soothed her. “I do. We should probably head to bed. It might be the first night we get a full night’s sleep this week.”
“If things go well, it might be the last night we get a full night’s sleep. We must hope your friend, Rocket, can give us more information.”
“I know.” She worked her fingers between the snaps on his shirt and smoothed them against his chest. The curly hair wrapped around her fingers as if to trap her there.
He sat up, taking her with him. “You’re right. We should head to bed.”
She moved from his lap and stood.
Caleb rose next to her, then he took her hand and brought it to his lips, where he placed a kiss on the top. Then he laced his fingers with hers and walked back into the house.
They stayed that way until he dropped her at her bedroom.
He kissed her on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.” He let her go.
She opened the door to her bedroom.
As he walked away, he turned. “Dream of me.”
She blew him a kiss and shut the door. Marti leaned against it for a while, unable to move away. She undoubtedly would dream of him. Finally, she walked to her bureau and pulled out her nightgown.
Would they be wonderful dreams? She certainly hoped so.