Chapter 21
21
Walker
I’d always loved the sound of the river, as if it had something to whisper to me, if only I’d take the time to sit by its banks and listen. Today, though, I wasn’t there for the murmurs of the water or the rustle of the cottonwoods; I was there to set a scene that’d be more memorable than any rowdy night I’d ever been known for.
As I trudged up the gentle slope that rose from the river’s edge, my boots left soft impressions in the rain-softened grass. The afternoon sun was doing its best to dry the land after last night’s rainfall, but it had some catching up to do.
This was my spot, as it was my pa’s before me. This was where I came to think, to dream, to escape. It was as much a part of the ranch’s legacy as the brand seared into the weathered wood of the stables.
I laid out the old quilt Mama made years back, smoothing the edges over the springy grass. Can’t say I’ve ever been one for details, but today, it seemed right to make an effort. Besides, Caroline deserved more than just half-hearted attempts. She deserved the full picture—the quiet beauty of the land, the comfort of pillows like you were sinking into a cloud, all the simple pleasures she missed while cooped up in her office, seeing patient after patient and not taking time for herself.
That ended today. At least temporarily.
Tucking a wildflower behind my ear to give her later, I chuckled at my own foolishness. Who’d have thought I would be out here playing Martha Stewart? But here I was, arranging cushions and fluffing pillows like they were part of some glossy magazine spread.
The ranch, with its endless pastures that rolled like waves towards the sky, watched me, an ever-present witness to the man I was trying to become. One who cared about things that lasted longer than a cold beer on a hot day. One who could build something that mattered.
“Alright,” I whispered to the ranch, tipping my hat to the expanse before me. “Let’s hope she likes the view as much as I do.”
A short drive later, I was back at my house preparing a picnic with a basket I’d borrowed from an all too enthusiastic Eryn. She hadn’t hesitated to give me a list of tips and ideas she thought I should implement for Caroline, but I was overwhelmed enough already and promptly forgot everything she’d said.
The kitchen was never my battleground, but there I was, a warrior armed with a bread knife and a mission. Caroline’s favorites weren’t exactly cowboy chow, but when you’ve got a woman like her coming over, you don’t serve beans and beef jerky. Turkey and cranberry sandwiches, the crusts meticulously trimmed, sat alongside plump strawberries and grapes so ripe they looked ready to burst with sweetness.
A bottle of chilled white wine, something a buddy in town had sworn by, had me second-guessing. Would she think it was too much? Nah, Caroline was all sophistication wrapped in a laid-back package; she’d appreciate the gesture.
Glancing around the kitchen, I caught sight of myself in the reflection of the window—big, burly, and suddenly unsure. But this was for Caroline, and if there was something worth betting on, it was seeing her smile after a long week patching up the folks of Whittier Falls.
I’d asked her to meet me at my place, and when I heard her car tires crunching on the gravel, I rushed to the front door like a little kid waiting for the ice cream truck. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm the fuck down. There she was, emerging from her car with a puzzled look that turned into a grin that could knock the wind out of any man.
“Hey, Walker,” she called out, walking up the steps with the grace of a summer breeze. “I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting your text. Everything okay?”
“Better than okay,” I assured her, leaning against the doorjamb. “You’ve been runnin’ yourself ragged at the office, and the other day was a real doozy. Figured you could use something . . . nice.”
“Something nice?” Her green eyes twinkled with curiosity, reflecting the vast sky above us.
“Yup, something nice,” I repeated, feeling a chuckle bubble up from my chest. I nodded toward my truck. “Hop in, and I’ll show you.”
I grabbed the basket and dropped it in the back while she settled in the cab. As we drove, I couldn’t help but sneak glances at her. She’d changed from the shy girl I remembered into someone who could command a room—or an emergency at the clinic—with just a steady gaze. It was more than her smarts or those deep-green eyes; it was the air about her, like she carried a piece of the wide-open spaces wherever she went. And today, I was bringing her back to where the sky kissed the earth, hoping she’d find there was more to me than just calloused hands and dusty boots.
Even if I was confused as to what that meant.
The engine hummed a low tune as I steered my truck down the familiar dirt road that snaked through the ranch. My grip on the steering wheel was firmer than usual, betraying a nervous energy I couldn’t quite shake off. It wasn’t like me to get all twisted up inside, but then again, Caroline Cressley had a way of turning my usual calm into something akin to a dust storm whirling in my chest.
“Quite the mysterious detour,” Caroline mused from the passenger seat, her voice pulling me back from the edge of my own thoughts.
“Life’s too short for straight roads and no surprises,” I replied, aiming for a tone lighter than the lead settled in my gut.
I cast a sidelong glance at her, catching the sun playing hide and seek in her auburn hair. Once again, I was struck by just how beautiful she was. How had I never noticed it as a kid?
And damn if she hadn’t stitched something up in me without either of us realizing it.
“Here we are,” I announced as I pulled over and killed the engine. The spot I’d chosen looked out over the rolling green pastures, the river cutting a lazy path through the land my family had worked for generations. It was more than just property; it was a testament to sweat, blood, and love—much like the life I was beginning to imagine sharing with someone special.
“Wow, Walker,” Caroline breathed out, stepping out of the truck. Her eyes lit up brighter than any star I’d ever seen in the Montana sky as she took in the scene before us. I watched as her gaze swept over the picnic setup, each detail meticulously arranged to offer comfort and charm amidst the wild beauty of the ranch.
“Thought you might like a break from the clinic walls,” I said, grabbing the basket and trying to keep my voice steady while my heart raced like a thoroughbred at the starting gate. “You like it?”
“Like it?” She turned towards me, an incredulous smile spreading across her face. “This is . . . it’s wonderful.”
The way she said it, like every syllable was a treasure she was afraid to fully unwrap, did funny things to my insides. I found myself hoping she’d find this small gesture as a sign of the deeper feelings I was only now admitting to myself.
“Come on,” I urged gently, leading her by the elbow toward our private oasis. “Let’s make the most of this afternoon.”
The cushions sunk a little as we settled onto the blanket, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the contrast of it all—us sitting atop luxury in the middle of untamed nature. Caroline tucked a stray lock behind her ear and reached for a sandwich, her green eyes dancing with mirth.
“Turkey and cranberry, isn’t it?” she asked, unwrapping the sandwich with delicate fingers.
“Your favorite,” I replied, my chest swelling with pride at getting it right.
“Reminds me of Thanksgiving dinners back when I was a kid,” she said, taking a bite. “We always used to have turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce for a week after.”
“Me too,” I agreed, popping a grape into my mouth. “Though most Thanksgivings here involved chasing errant turkeys who thought they could escape their fate.”
“Ever catch one?” Her grin was infectious.
“Every time,” I boasted playfully. “I had a knack for it. Sort of like a turkey whisperer. Well, whisperer turned executioner, I guess.”
Her laughter rang out, clear and sweet as the river beside us, and I found myself wanting to make her laugh again just to hear the sound.
“Speaking of animals,” I started, leaning back on my palms and looking out toward the pastures. “Did I ever tell you about old Bessie?”
“Old Bessie?” She tilted her head, curiosity lighting up her face.
“Ah, Bessie was a horse like no other. Stubborn as they come.” I couldn’t suppress a smile at the memory. “She’d let you saddle her up but the second you tried to hop on, she’d bolt like a bandit with your loot.”
“Sounds like quite the character,” Caroline chuckled, sipping her wine.
“Character, terror, the line was thin with Bessie.” My gaze drifted to the rolling hills where the sun cast long shadows over the land. “But she taught me a lot about patience . . . and about knowing when to hold on and when to just let go.”
“Is that why you love this place so much? The horses?” Caroline’s voice was soft, almost reverent, and it nudged at something deep within me.
“It’s part of it,” I confessed. “This land, these animals . . . they’re in my blood. It’s hard to think of being anywhere else.”
“You know, you’re much more introspective than your party-boy reputation would have us all believe.” There was a teasing lilt to her voice now.
“Hey now,” I protested with mock indignation, “a man’s got to have some fun. But this—” I gestured expansively at the ranch around us “—this is where my heart is. Always has been. And this spot here is what has always meant the most. My spot to come and think. To appreciate the land. To sit with it and breathe it in.”
Caroline nodded, her eyes reflecting a sunset I felt rather than saw. We sat there in comfortable silence, munching on our sandwiches, lost in the tranquility of the moment.
“Thank you, Walker,” she murmured after a while, “for sharing this with me.”
“Thank you for appreciating it,” I replied, more sincere than I’d been about anything in a long time. “It means more than you know.”
The laughter bubbled up from my belly, an echo of Caroline’s own infectious giggles, as I recounted the tale of the Great Chicken Escape of ’09. The way she threw her head back, letting her auburn hair catch the sunlight, had me momentarily spellbound.
“Stop,” she gasped between laughs, “you’re making it up. Chickens can’t be that cunning!”
“Swear on Bessie’s grave,” I said, raising my hand like I was taking an oath. “Took us three days to round ‘em all up. Dad was fit to be tied.”
“Three days?” She snorted, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “What were they doing, forming a union?”
“Wouldn’t put it past them.” I grinned, feeling lighter than I had in years.
As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in shades of burnt orange and deep purple, the humor faded into a comfortable silence. We lay there side by side, watching as the golden light washed over us, turning the blades of grass into molten threads. This land, with its unending sky and the gentle murmur of the river below, held stories in every crevice and corner—stories that were mine but felt richer now, shared.
“Beautiful,” Caroline murmured, her voice holding a note of wonder that matched the awe swelling in my chest.
“More than you know,” I replied, turning to face her. Our eyes locked, and something in her gaze—a soft vulnerability mixed with quiet strength—struck a chord in me.
I didn’t plan it; it was instinct, or maybe fate. Leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers, feeling a jolt of electricity as our mouths met. Caroline stiffened for just a second before melting into the kiss, her fingers tangling in the curls at the nape of my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild rhythm that seemed to sync with the pulse of the earth beneath us.
“Seems like a good time for a practice session,” I said, leaving a trail of kisses on her neck. I felt her stiffen again and regretted my words the moment they left my mouth. But Caroline reached for my face, bringing it back up to hers, and took my mouth in a searing kiss.
We broke apart only to come back together again, our kisses growing deeper, more urgent. The blanket became our world, a soft island in the midst of the vast ranch. As I ran my hands along her curves, the cotton of her dress rough against my calloused palms, I felt her shiver beneath my touch.
I sat up, pulling her into a sitting position so I could pull her dress up over her head. Her emerald green lace bra matched her eyes and that nearly sent me spiraling.
I dropped my mouth to her tits, licking and sucking through the thin fabric, feeling that familiar swell of pride when her nipples pebbled underneath. My hands skimmed along her ribs, her hips, her thighs. I wanted to touch her everywhere, couldn’t stop touching her. And at the sound of her throaty moan, I dug my fingers into her skin, surely leaving bruises but unable to stop. She just leaned into me and moaned again.
“Fuck,” I whispered, reaching around to unclasp her bra. It fell to her lap and I leaned down again, relishing the feel of her soft skin under my lips. “I could play with these tits all day,” I said as I trailed kisses along each one.
“Walker, please.”
“Please what, baby?”
“I need you naked.”
Shit, she didn’t need to tell me twice. I backed off only long enough to shed my clothes in record time.
“Lay back,” I ordered, and when she did, I slipped her panties down her legs and threw them somewhere on the grass. “I need this pussy,” I said, settling myself between her legs and feasting on her. My tongue lapped at the wetness already pooled at her entrance. It was intoxicating, making me drunker and drunker with each lick.
I reached up to slip two fingers inside her as I licked my way to her clit, finding a rhythm that soon had her muscles tensing. “You gonna come for me, baby?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Louder.”
“Yes, Walker. God yes.”
I flattened my tongue against her and that was all it took. Caroline’s hips lifted, her legs shook, and her moan sounded like the sweetest music to my ears.
Before she even finished riding out the aftershocks, I rose up and thrusted into her, swift and hard, bottoming out as her pussy spasmed around me.
I groaned. The sensation was almost too good and I had to take a moment to collect myself.
It may have been a moment too long, because Caroline started moving her pussy on me, and when I looked down, the vision of her fucking me from below, taking every inch of my cock in and out of her, was the sexiest fucking thing I’d ever seen in my life.
“Dammit woman.”
“What? You like this?”
Oh, she thought she could tease me and get away with it. She’d just awakened the beast. My vision went white around the edges, purely lost in a haze of lust. I slammed into her, driving my hips against her with a vengeance as she met me stroke for stroke. My thighs burned, my arms shook, and my heart pounded like a war drum, matching the fierce rhythm of our fucking.
Each cry, each moan, each gasping breath spurred me on, fueling my passion, stoking the fire within me. I reached around, gripping her ass, pulling her even closer against me. I could feel her body trembling, her nails digging into my hips. The sight of her face—flushed, wild-eyed, and hungry—was all the encouragement I needed.
Her hips rocked faster, and I pushed into her harder, matching her frenzied pace until we were one primal, driving force, our bodies slamming together with a fury.
I felt the familiar tightening in my balls, the familiar throbbing in my cock and I knew I was close. I reached down to brace myself, hooking my thumbs under her knees and pulling her legs around my body. I was deeper insider her now. I celebrated with a biting kiss.
“Oh fuck, Walker,” Caroline gasped, her eyes wide with surprise and arousal.
“I want to feel you,” I growled, my voice rough with desire. “Feel you against me when I come.”
With her legs wrapped around me, I adjusted my angle, and with one powerful thrust, I hit her G-spot, causing her to arch her back and cry out in pleasure.
“Fuck, yes,” I groaned, feeling her walls clench around my cock like a vice. “That’s it, baby. Just like that.”
Our hips moved in perfect unison, our bodies slamming together with an animalistic rage. Each thrust sent waves of pleasure coursing through me, building higher and higher until it was almost too intense to bear.
My chest was heaving, my breaths coming out in gasps as I drove into her harder and harder, my cock sliding in and out of her wet pussy, the friction sending shockwaves of pleasure through my entire body.
“I’m close, baby,” I grunted, my voice hoarse. “I’m gonna come.”
Caroline’s eyes widened, and I could see the mixture of fear and excitement in them. But she didn’t back down. Instead, she met my gaze, her lips parted and her breathing ragged, and she nodded. “I want to feel you come inside me.”
And that was all I needed. With one final thrust, I pushed myself over the edge, my cock pulsing inside her as I unloaded shot after shot of cum. I felt it spurting out of me, coating the inside of her, and I groaned loudly, my body shaking as I tried to process the intense pleasure coursing through me.
A minute later, I collapsed next to her, panting and spent. I pulled her to me, our naked bodies glistened with sweat and our ragged breaths intertwined. I don’t know how long we remained like that, but eventually, I raised myself up and looked into her eyes. They were still wide with awe and wonder.
“God, Walker,” she whispered, a hint of amazement in her voice. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
I smiled, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction wash over me. I’d given her something she’d never experienced before. But she’d just done the same for me. And that made our connection even more strong.
“I know, baby,” I replied. “That was something special.”
“It was,” she agreed, leaning up to kiss me gently. Our lips met, soft and sweet this time.
The world seemed to still as we lay entwined on the blanket, our breaths mingling with the cool spring air. A cotton candy sky stretched above us, streaks of pink and orange and lavender painting a perfect picture in the heavens. Caroline’s head rested against my chest, her auburn hair spilling over me like a silken waterfall. I could feel the steady beat of her heart, a comforting rhythm that spoke of life’s simple pleasures.
“Look at that sunset,” she whispered, her voice laced with awe. “It’s like the sky’s on fire.”
“Every night,” I said softly, my fingers tracing lazy circles on her bare shoulder. “But it’s never looked quite this beautiful.”
For a moment, I thought about saying it—about telling Caroline how she’d turned my world upside down, how she made me yearn for things I’d never dared want before. But the words lodged in my throat, stubborn as the old oak next to our blanket.
“Thank you, Walker,” she murmured, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from my forehead. “For today . . . for this.”
“Caroline,” I started, but hesitation crept in, wrapping around my tongue. Instead, I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, hoping the kiss could say all the things I couldn’t.
As we broke apart and she settled against me again, the weight of my unspoken confession felt heavy on my chest. There was a certainty in the way our bodies fit together, a promise etched into every touch. Yet, despite the clarity of the connection between us, uncertainty shadowed my thoughts.
A soft breeze rustled through the grass, whispering secrets only the land knew. My gaze drifted across the expanse of the ranch—over the rolling hills and pastures, the sturdy fences enclosing years of hard work and dedication. This land was more than soil and grass; it was a testament to the Anderson legacy, a legacy I suddenly found myself wanting to share with her.
The word ‘home’ lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back. Home wasn’t just a place anymore; it was wherever Caroline was. Caroline was home. I just didn’t know how to tell her that.
“Let’s stay here a little longer,” she suggested, snuggling closer.
“Sounds perfect,” I agreed, feeling the truth of it ripple through me.
We lay there as the sun set, a silent witness to the slow unfurling of a love I wasn’t ready to name. And though the words remained unspoken, the truth of them settled in the spaces between us, as vast and enduring as the Montana sky.