Chapter 34 – Cody
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cody
Ican’t bear to keep her prisoner. The more I give her freedom, the more she loves me.
Shay loves coming home and I love the home we’re creating together.
The ranch has more order to it than it ever had throughout my career.
The more order my wife brings to my home, the more I wonder how I survived without her.
I don’t want to survive without her anymore – I can’t bear the thought of it.
I would lasso the moon for Shay Hollingsworth if that’s what it took to keep her on my ranch with me.
Maybe I let my guard down too much. I can’t help it. The more we settle into our life at the ranch, the more I find myself tempted to expand on that life with Shay rather than retreating into myself like the cranky old bachelor I was becoming without her.
I don’t want her hidden out on the ranch.
I want to watch Shay’s ass sashaying in a sundress in front of me.
I want to watch her whipping those long braids out of her face, shaking her head like the prettiest girl in my stable.
I break the seal by taking her line dancing downtown.
Beau and Coleton join us with dates – I don’t know where they found dates and I don’t bother asking – and Shay learns how to line dance faster than I’ve seen anybody pick it up.
I fall deeper in love with Shay when I watch her dance.
Her hips are divine. Watching a thin layer of sweat on her brow, and how that sweat shines on her dark brown skin gets me hard.
I love her skin – she’s a pretty shade of dark brown with a smooth, even complexion that provokes a lust in me I didn’t know existed.
There’s a part of me that feels wrong about my attraction to Shay’s sweaty, burnt umber skin, but she captivates me with both the smoothness and the color.
There’s something warm and special about the way her skin highlights her features, drawing all of my focus towards the shape of her eyes, the cuteness of her nose, and the soft round features that are so primally feminine.
Soft. Round. Woman. Those simple words draw the animal out of me and line dancing downtown turns to making love in our bedroom and paying the babysitter ahead of time for the next several weekends so I can keep going out with my happy, sweet wife.
By the time Shay has a little baby bump, she passes her driver’s test and earns her Oklahoma driver’s license with a scissor-tailed flycatcher and a picture where she can’t help but smile with her eyes, despite the serious expression demanded by the DMV.
She’s nervous about taking her first trip into town until something comes up that really sparks her fancy.
There’s a Native American jewelry and craft fair coming into town.
Shay has this fascination with their cultures, and I think it’s because of Oske.
I have to admit there does seem to be something more spiritual about the Indian folks.
Oske has a way of knowing things that might be her old ancestors or the Great Spirit or maybe God taking pity on them.
Jewelry doesn’t hold my interests, and I suggest Shay take the opportunity to enjoy time to herself.
“If I’m going to be a father, I should get used to looking after the kids on my own. I don’t need your help with Caleb.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. I’ll take him to feed the animals and show him how to water the plants. We’ll have a good time.”
Shay beams and I start peeling off fifty dollar bills for her to enjoy her craft fair. I expect a single pair of earrings could be anywhere from fifty to a hundred dollars, but I admit that I’m not familiar with female matters like jewelry.
“Is this enough?”
“Is five thousand dollars enough?” Shay asks, looking at me like I have two heads. I peel off an extra five hundred.
“Now?”
“I’ve never walked around with this much money before, Cody.”
“I’ll teach you how to shoot next.”
“I’m serious,” Shay says, eyeing the stack of money on the table like I used it to wipe my ass before setting it down.
“Leave half in the truck and put half in your purse. Don’t worry about it.”
“Cody–”
“Don’t argue with me, Shay. You’re my wife and I’m sending you out to a craft fair. I don’t want you to feel like there’s anything in this world that you can’t have.”
Her face softens. She takes the money and gives me a big kiss on the cheek. Then the lips. It feels good to be like this with her – the man she can rely on, the man who can give her freedom without losing his mind. I’m still worried about her.
“Will you keep your location on?” I ask her. “I want to know where you are for safety reasons and I’ll keep mine on…”
“It should be on,” Shay says. “Thanks, Cody.”
“I love you, baby,” I whisper as she kisses me again.
“I love you too.”
Shay leaves the house in the truck for the hour drive downtown to the craft fair. She shows off her outfit with a little twirl for me before she leaves and blood pumps to all the wrong parts of me as I see distinct signs of her baby bump swelling in front of her.
Our baby.
I feel this sense of pride and happiness at what we’re building here.
She looks beautiful in a royal blue maxi-dress with thick cotton fabric and large white orchids printed in a pattern across the front of the dress.
Her new dress highlights her curves and I no longer have to convince her that cowboy boots are the most comfortable and practical shoe for life out here.
Caleb waves goodbye to his mother as she backs out of the driveway in the truck.
She doesn’t hit anything this time – and I feel especially proud about that recent change in her driving skills.
She handles the truck almost as well as she handles Butters at this point.
I wave goodbye to Shay too without a clue of what would happen to her when I let her leave our home.
I wish I was better than this but I can’t shake the feeling that I can’t let my wife drive all the way out there alone. I watch her little location bubble travel down the highway, but then I text Chitto, Oske’s brother, to see if he’s anywhere nearby.