Chapter Nine #2
The pulse in her wrist quickened, and her eyes dropped to the sheet barely covering his lap. His arousal had to be obvious.
She raised her gaze to his, but she didn’t make a move to leave.
He continued to hold her wrist, his thumb tracing slow circles on her skin. Their gazes met and locked. He lifted his free hand and cupped her jaw. Yet she didn’t seem to be the least bit worried about what might happen if she continued to stay with him.
He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers—gently, just in case she came to her senses and decided to pull away.
Instead, she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore her warm depths. She pressed in, her own tongue matching his with equal fervor. He pulled her closer, her breasts splayed against his bare torso.
He was tempted to tear the thin fabric so he could feel all of her warm fragrant skin against his. He needed the intimacy, the closeness of another person.
No, not just any person. He needed Chloe.
He drew back slightly, trying to read her expression, to gauge her thoughts.
Her eyes, glazed with passion, searched his face, too, as if trying to assess what he might be thinking, feeling.
“Are you sure?” he whispered, loud enough to appease his conscience, yet soft enough for her to realize she had the power to slow things down or bring them to a complete halt.
She reached for the back of his neck, drew his mouth to hers and whispered against his lips, “I’m sure.”
They kissed again, long and deep. As his hands slid along the bare curve of her back and down the slope of her hips, a surge of desire shot clean through him. He lifted the hem of her nightgown and removed the barrier before laying her down beside him.
He paused a moment to drink in the angelic sight of pretty Chloe, lying on his bed. Her throat flushed, her lips plump from their kisses.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
A slow smile stretched across her lips. “So are you.”
He didn’t know about that. He was beat up from a hard day’s work and scarred from battle—and who knew what else. But her words pleased him.
Her nails skimmed across his chest, sending a shimmy of heat through his blood, and he kissed her again until they were both drowning in need.
She pulled her lips from his, yet she continued to hold him. “I want to feel you inside me, Joe.”
Words he’d been hoping—maybe longing—to hear.
As she opened for him, he entered her. She raised her hips to meet him, and their bodies became one, taking and giving.
As they both reached a peak, he released with her, and their climax set off a sexual explosion that left him seeing stars.
The night stood still, and nothing mattered but the two of them and what they’d just experienced in each other’s arms. That is, until reality settled over him.
He had nothing to offer her. At least, not until his memory returned. So he hoped she wouldn’t consider this another mistake she’d made, or him to be another bad choice.
While he was tempted to tell her that she was safe with him, another more pressing, more daunting reality slammed into him.
He’d been so caught up in desire that he’d neglected to even consider using any means of protection.
Did he dare mention that to her? Had the thought even crossed her mind?
He stroked the length of her arm, then took her hand in his. “As nice as that was, as much as I enjoyed it, we got a little carried away. We didn’t use any protection.”
“I know,” she said a bit breathlessly. “I just realized that.”
He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’m not an irresponsible lover. It’s just that...”
“I know,” she said again. Then she smiled. “I don’t think we have to worry about pregnancy. It’s not the right time of the month. But we’ll need to plan ahead next time.”
Thank goodness. He was relieved that she wasn’t too worried. And glad that she’d said “next time.”
He blew out the breath he’d been holding, then drew her close, wrapping his arms around her.
Still, his momentary relief and gladness couldn’t block out the regret that began to settle over him.
His body was in the most relaxed state of bliss it had been in as long as he could...well, at least since he woke up in that hospital bed. But his mind was still reeling. And the dream Chloe’s presence had chased away thirty minutes ago came back to haunt him once again.
In that nocturnal window to the past, Dave had been talking about a woman right before he’d made a suicidal run straight into enemy fire. A woman Joe suspected was Chloe.
If she doesn’t want me, then what do I have left?
Had Dave really said that? Or was Joe’s spotty recollection once again playing tricks on him?
What exactly had been between Chloe and Dave? She said they were only family friends, but what if Dave had believed they were more than that?
The woman dozing softly beside him felt perfect in his arms. But nothing else felt right. Not even his name. Who in the hell was Joe Wilcox? And what was he doing on the Cummings ranch, living Dave’s life?
Joe was staying in the man’s house, sleeping in his bed, riding his horse. Had he just slept with Dave’s lover, the blonde who’d driven him to risk death over life without her?
If so, Joe had no right to any of it.
As Chloe stretched her arms over her head, she listened to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom down the hall.
She should be mortified that she’d woken up naked in Joe’s bed, but thinking about the way he’d brought her body to life last night, she felt nothing but contentment.
Still, she couldn’t just lay here and bask in the memory. She should get up and get dressed before Tomas arrived for work.
Instead, she pulled the sheet tighter around her and snuggled deeper into the mattress.
Why didn’t she feel any remorse for her behavior last night? For enjoying their lovemaking so much that she was hoping Joe would get out of the shower and come back to bed?
When she’d hurried into his room to waken him from his nightmare, he’d given her several opportunities to leave. Yet, despite what her mind had told her, she hadn’t been able to get her traitorous body to follow suit.
She had no job and, once the attorney started probate on the ranch, she would have no home. In short, she had absolutely no future. On top of that, she had no idea who Joe really was or where he’d be going once he regained his memory.
So then why was she smiling and frolicking with a stranger in bed as though she had nothing to lose?
The sound of an approaching pickup—the foreman, no doubt—reminded her that there was work to be done today. And that she still had a reputation to uphold, even if her stay on the Rocking C was only temporary.
She sat up and spotted her nightgown on the floor across the room, lying right where Joe had tossed it.
Joe. How would he act toward her this morning? He was usually so lighthearted and playful—never taking things too seriously. Maybe some of his attitude was rubbing off on her because she didn’t much feel like taking any of this seriously, either.
If she did, it might hurt too much when it was all over.
She crossed the hall to her bedroom, her steps faltering. Maybe there was plenty to regret. They’d made love without protection last night. And while it was a fairly safe time of the month, accidental pregnancies occurred.
While she showered and shampooed her hair, she tried to shake off the remote possibility—and the fact that she’d been reckless again last night. Not that she regretted what she’d shared with Joe. That part had been amazing. But she should have considered using a contraceptive.
After drying off with a fluffy towel, she slipped on a pair of jeans and a white blouse.
She topped it off with the only Christmasy thing she could find—a red sweater.
By the time she entered the kitchen, Joe already had the coffee made.
He stood at the counter, cracking eggs into a bowl.
A steaming cup of java rested within his reach.
She smiled to herself as she thought of the appetite he must’ve worked up last night.
“Good morning,” she said, the softness in her voice revealing more vulnerability than she’d had when she woke this morning.
“Hey, you’re up. Good. Breakfast is almost ready.”
She told herself not to look too deeply into his eyes for hidden messages. But maybe she shouldn’t bother. Reading men didn’t seem to be her forte. At least, not in the past. So she decided to just go along with the flow.
“I see you’re cooking again,” she said.
“It’s the least I can do after keeping you up so late last night.”
A blush warmed her cheeks, and while she headed for the coffeepot, she avoided eye contact. She reached into the cupboard and removed a mug. Then she filled it with the fresh morning brew, adding a splash of cream and a spoonful of sugar.
“Just for the record, I didn’t mind waking up in the middle of the night.” She smiled, then lifted her cup and took a sip.
Their brief morning-after banter was cut off by a rapping on the back door.
It was Tomas standing on the porch, his hat off, his brow furrowed, his expression laden with worry. “Hurry, Miss Chloe. It’s Lola. She’s going to foal, but something’s wrong.”
“Did you call the vet?” Chloe asked, her mug quickly forgotten on the counter.
“Yes, but Dr. Peterson’s answering service said he was on vacation. Another doctor is handling his patients while he’s gone. They gave me his number.”
Chloe followed the foreman to the barn, Joe close on their heels.
“Were they going to contact the other vet?” she asked. “Or should we do that?’’
“He’s just down the road at the Beecham ranch. The woman at the answering service said she would call him on his cell, but the reception isn’t very good there. Maybe I should just drive over and get him myself. It’ll be faster.”
Poor Tomas. Chloe’s heart went out to him. He was a good man and a hard worker, but he hadn’t wanted the foreman position. He was good with the animals, though. And he was obviously worried about the mare he’d been babying for her entire pregnancy.
“Okay,” Chloe said, “you go get the doctor. I’ll stay out here with Lola and try to keep her calm.”
Tomas nodded, then hurried from the barn, presumably to his own truck, which was more reliable than Ol’ Greenie.
“You okay?” Joe asked.
Chloe hoped her own worry wasn’t reflected in her eyes because Joe looked concerned enough for both of them. One thing she’d learned early on in her work with patients was to keep the family members calm.
“Yes, I’m fine. The Beecham ranch is only about ten minutes from here, so the vet should be here soon enough.”
“Do you have much experience with horses and breech births?”
“Honestly, I don’t have much practice with any type of births. Horse, breech or otherwise. I’ve always specialized in geriatric care. Not too many labors happen at the Sheltering Arms.”
Joe stepped away from Lola and placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “Relax. I’m sure she’ll be okay.”
All the stress that Chloe should have been dealing with this morning as she lounged around in his bed rushed into her heart, and reality grew as big as Lola’s belly.
“But what if Lola isn’t all right? She’s our prize mare. That foal she’s carrying is worth thousands. We bred her with Night Wind, a stud from Houston who’s sired plenty of prize cutting horses. The Rocking C has a lot riding on this birth being a healthy one.”
“What happens to the ranch if Lola can’t pay her way?”
“The whole place could go under.” She blew out a ragged sigh, revealing the truth she struggled with each day. “I’ve tried my best to run things since Teresa died, but I’m a nurse, not a rancher. Now that Dave’s gone, who knows what will happen to the place?”
And more worrisome of all, who knew what would happen to Chloe?