Lenox Ranch Cowboys: Complete Boxed Set - Books 1 - 5 Page 5

  "But—"

  "Shh," he soothed. "You have all the say, remember?”

  He would stop if I told him to. I knew that about him. He was pushing me past anything I’d ever imagined, but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel good. We were in the privacy of his bedroom. Alone. Safe. I could share with him my darkest secrets, secrets I hadn’t even known I’d had.

  “Don't you want to come?" he asked.

  Yes. Yes, I did. I bit my lip, then nodded.

  "Good girl." Using his other hand, he circled a finger around the opening to my pussy. The combination was remarkably intense. "Then do as I say, close your eyes and I'll make you scream."

  Realizing I couldn't fight him or what he was doing to me any longer, I let my head fall back on the pillow and let my eyes slip closed. It was true; I could do nothing but savor his attentions. I didn’t want to do anything else. I panted when he started pushing his finger into my back entrance, but it didn't hurt. His other finger provided ample distraction. I had no idea how long he played, but when his fingertip breached that tight ring of muscle, he used his other hand to work that spot inside my pussy and I groaned, a mixture of surprise and pleasure.

  Chance was no novice, but an expert at working my body. I came instantaneously, my muscles clenching down on both of his fingers as the hot, scalding pleasure washed over me. I did just as he said. I screamed.

  After a simple breakfast, we rode home. Well, to the Lenox ranch which was home up until the day before. I'd grudgingly agreed with Chance that I share the news of our wedding with my family. It wasn't the news that had me dragging my feet while I'd dressed, but the fact that I would be returning as a failure. It hadn't even been a day, and here I was, riding up to the kitchen door rather than a ranch of my own. I'd failed at my dream.

  Chance dismounted his horse first before helping me down as everyone came spilling out from the kitchen to meet us. As I went up the porch steps, Chance tied off the leads to the rail. I glanced at all of the familiar faces and I offered a weak smile.

  Miss Trudy stood with hands clasped together, quiet and calm as ever. Miss Esther had a frown on her face and her hands on her hips as if she’d known I'd cause them all grief. Dahlia, Marigold and Iris watched and whispered to each other.

  Chance's warm hand on my elbow surprised me. He'd removed his hat.

  "Something you want to tell us?" Miss Esther asked, looking down at my attire. I had on the skirt I'd worn the day before, but Chance had ripped the buttons clean off my blouse in his haste to bare my body, so I wore one of his shirts, the bottom tails tied together about my waist. It was so big that I had to roll the sleeves up.

  What she couldn't tell was that I wore no drawers. Chance had told me they'd been lost out on the prairie. Those words I doubted to be true, but that didn't make them appear. So I was naked beneath my skirt. Not only that, but Chance had helped me take a bath a short while earlier, and then actually shaved me as he'd promised. He's spread me out on the bed once again, my knees bent and heels spread wide as he set about the task with a very high level of diligence. It had been slightly embarrassing, but the look in his eyes as he’d done it made me feel feminine, wanted and surprisingly powerful. It helped that Chance had done the shaving while he was naked. It allowed me the chance to see the effect I had on him as well, his cock long and hard, a vein pulsing along the length. He had no modesty and when he was done, he hadn't hesitated to fill me up. He'd said he was insatiable, that seeing my pussy all bare with just a hint of curls at the top of my mound had him needing me again. Yes, I’d felt powerful.

  I blushed just thinking about it and most assuredly both women, Miss Trudy and Miss Esther, could read my mind, or at least have an idea of my thoughts.

  Of the two sisters, Miss Esther was the one who vented her spleen with regularity. She shared her opinion on everything from the saltiness of the soup to the way the owner of the mercantile overcharged for flour. She knew who was courting whom, and could tell a woman if she were pregnant before that woman knew herself. She was the practical sister while Miss Trudy was the calm one. Growing up, they balanced each other well when dealing with eight little girls, like equal weights on a scale. And when she told you to do something, you upped and did it.

  I glanced at Chance. Why did he look different today than just yesterday? He still had the unruly hair, the same clear eyes, that ruthless dimple, that wry mouth. I flushed as I considered the answer. He'd done things with that mouth that would make Miss Esther faint dead away, yet he stood beside me, silent and resolute. I wasn't alone.

  "We married," I said, my chin lifted.

  Dahlia, Marigold and Iris squealed and shouted, running inside most likely to spread the news to the others, while Miss Esther pursed her lips. "Took you long enough, young man." She wiped her hands on her apron with a nod of her head and went inside.

  Miss Trudy was left alone on the porch, although chatter escaped through the open door.

  "I see you found her," Miss Trudy said to Chance.

  He gave her a nod. "Yes, ma'am."

  "You sent him to find me?" I asked her.

  "I didn't have to."

  I looked between the two of them. "I don't understand."

  "I knew from our conversation yesterday you were going to do something rash," Chance replied. "Besides, I had to make sure you were safe before I headed off to Parsons to pick up those head of cattle."

  I felt riled at the use of the word “rash.” My activities of the night before had been rash, but they were my rash actions, no one else's. Besides, I'd say the wedding itself had been somewhat rash.

  "I'll go visit with Big Ed for a spell." Chance gave my arm a quick squeeze as he leaned down and gently kissed my brow, then turned and headed in the direction of the stable. Fled would also have been a more apt word. No man wanted to step foot in a house filled with ten women, especially the morning after marrying one of them surreptitiously.

  "Coward," I called out.

  He turned and grinned. "Self preservation," he called. He gave me a little salute with his fingers and turned back around.

  "Come inside and have some coffee."

  I climbed the steps to the porch and Miss Trudy wrapped her arm about my waist as we entered the kitchen together. Once inside, I took a deep breath in fortification.

  "You're married?"

  "Chance Goodman is so handsome!"

  "How could you not tell us, Rose?"

  "I bet you wore those infernal pants to your own wedding."

  "What did he do, return you?"

  All of my sisters spoke at once and there was no chance to get a word in. They continued their eager questions until they realized I hadn't answered any of them.

  "Yes, I married him." I pulled out a chair and sat down, my sisters following suit and sitting down in their usual places around the kitchen table. I'd expected comments about my departure or the reason for leaving, not about being married. These questions were remarkably easier to tolerate.

  "Is it like they say?" Poppy asked, her voice hushed.

  "Yes, does Chance make you happy...in the bedroom?" Dahlia added.

  I could feel my cheeks heat and when I glanced at Miss Trudy, she didn't offer me any aid, only gave a woman's smile. She stood by the stove and poured a cup of coffee, just following the conversation from the edges. I had joined the married women's club and I now knew why the maidens remained without a clue. I had absolutely no interest in sharing any details about what Chance and I had done or what he told me he planned to do soon. How could I?

  I’d not known the things we’d done were even possible, and still couldn't be sure that other couples did them. Did other husbands take their wives from behind just like rutting animals? Should I have liked it so much? Did other husbands shave their wives...down there? Did other husbands put their mouths on them? My entire body warmed at the thought. I knew if I couldn't think about it without blushing, I most certainly couldn't talk about it. Besides, most of the things we did hadn't been done in the bedroom.

  "Chance is...is—"

  Seven eager faces stared at me, reminding me of when we were little and Miss Trudy read us stories.

  "What?" Dahlia asked. "Handsome? Smart? Funny? Nice?"

  "Well, yes, but you knew all that. He's lived nearby forever."

  "So why did he marry you? Hyacinth's older," Lily remarked.

  Hyacinth lowered her gaze and a bright red flush crept up her cheeks. "I am not interested in Mr. Goodman, Lily, and he knows it. I think Rose is his perfect match."

  Bless Hyacinth, for she was always the calm voice of reason. I hoped she found a man of her own, for she was deserving of his love.

  "I'm not so sure about that, for the wedding was a surprise," I said.

  "You didn't know?" Marigold asked, eyes wide. "How romantic!"

  "Tell us how he found you," Miss Esther asked. She was folding clothes from a basket placed at the end of the table.

  "I was in Clayton and he talked me into it." I was not going to mention my predicament with the other man or the events on the second floor of the saloon.

  "That's it?" Daisy wondered. "Did he ask you?"

  "Did I ask her what?" Chance came through the door and all heads turned to him.

  "Did you ask Rose to marry you?" Daisy repeated.

  Chance glanced at me. "Of course, I did. Miss Trudy, Big Ed wanted me to tell you the wheel on the wagon's fixed and that he received a letter from his son and he'll be joining him soon. The letter was fairly long in coming, so he could arrive anytime."

  "Jackson, yes. I've hired him to help out around here."

  "You weren't going to tell me about him?" I felt as if she'd punched me in the stomach, the very idea she'd planned to give my job to someone else painful.

&
nbsp; She gave a soft shake of her head. "It was only a matter of time, Rose, before you left. Besides, Big Ed isn't getting any younger. I'm sure having his son with him will make the man happy."

  "Maybe he's handsome," Dahlia cooed, shifting from the claimed Chance to the possibilities this stranger possessed.

  I could only roll my eyes at her singular focus.

  "I doubt you've had a chance to gather your things," Chance added, placing his hands on my shoulders.

  I shook my head and looked up at him. I was glad he'd come inside, for the questions would have gone on forever. I stood.

  "Just collect some clothes, for now. You can get your other things another time." He leaned down and whispered directly into my ear so only I could hear. "Pack a corset, kitten, or you'll go bare." His breath fanned over my ear and I shivered.

  "You seem to be in a rush. Are you going somewhere?" Lily asked, completely unaware of what just passed between us. I had an inkling why he seemed to be in a rush. Lily, on the other hand, did not.

  Chance looked at Lily and grinned. "Do all newlyweds get all these questions or is it just from you, brat?"

  Lily grinned and flushed, pleased with the attention Chance was giving her. "Just from me."

  "You're my sister now, so you keep the boys away. Or else." Lily was the youngest, although only a few months younger than me. She was also quite lovely and I had no doubt suitors would be flocking to her like bees to honey soon enough. Chance had good reason to be protective.

  "You didn't answer her question," Dahlia said.

  Chance came around the table and wrapped his arm around my waist. "I know," he told Dahlia.

  8

  ROSE

  * * *

  "Are we really going somewhere?" I asked, once I'd packed a bag with some of my clothes. I'd hugged and kissed everyone and promised to visit after our return—from wherever it was he'd planned. Our horses plodded along side by side, the morning still cool, yet the sun warm. We both wore hats to shield our faces and necks from the intense rays.

  "I've put the cattle drive on hold for two days," he replied. "Until then, we're not leaving the house and if I have my way, we won't be leaving our bed."

  My mouth fell open. "What? Then why did you infer otherwise?"

  "So they'd leave us alone. If they knew we were home, we'd have visitors stopping by all day long. You have seven sisters, kitten, and they'd plan the day so that each one came by at a different time. They're crafty like that. Except Hyacinth."

  What he said was true. My sisters, being conniving busybodies, would invade like a plague of locusts, and bother us all day long. Hyacinth wouldn't stop by until she received a written letter of invitation or I dragged her to the house by her hair.

  "You know my family well. If we're not going anywhere, then what are we going to do?"

  He grinned. "It's been three whole hours since I’ve had you last. I've been a neglectful husband."

  I flushed at his words and was surprisingly eager for him to remedy his neglectfulness. We weren’t back yet though. "What's this about a cattle drive? I heard you mention it earlier."

  We went over a rise and Chance's house—my house—came into view. The vastness of his property could be seen from this vantage.

  "I see you've changed the subject. Until we get to the house, I'll answer your questions. Once inside, the only words I want to hear from your pretty lips are Please, Chance and more. Deal?"

  I couldn't help but blush and wonder what he'd do to make me utter such things. I felt my nipples tighten in anticipation. "Deal."

  He sighed and shifted in his saddle. "It's a contract that I signed over the winter. I told you about this, at least in passing, and it's time for the cattle to be moved."

  "How many head did you buy?"

  "Five hundred."

  I couldn't help being surprised by the quantity of cattle he was taking on. His ranch was successful—I'd always known this—but since he'd taken over after his parents died, it had thrived and grown three- or four-fold.

  "When do we leave?"

  "For Parsons? The men and I leave on Wednesday."

  I nodded. "Good, I'll be ready."

  He turned his head and looked at me. "Oh, no. You're not going."

  I gave the reins a slight tug and stopped my horse. "What do you mean I'm not going? I thought I was going to run the ranch with you. This is part of it."

  "Going on a cattle drive with a group of randy and unmarried men is no place for my wife."

  "If I was a man you'd let me go," I countered.

  "If you were a man I wouldn't have married you."

  "So you're just going to leave me here to embroider?" I waved my hand at the large ranch, outbuildings and animals dotting the landscape.

  "Hell, no. Your embroidery is terrible. I'm leaving Chappy and Walt behind, but you can't be alone with them. They're good men, but it seems I'm a little protective."

  I'd heard their names before but never met any of Chance's ranch hands. He had quite a few with a spread of his size. I was coming to realize he'd kept me away from them on purpose.

  "Then what are you going to do with me?"

  "Send you back to Miss Trudy."

  My mouth fell open and I felt my cheeks heat, and it wasn't from embarrassment this time. "You...you're sending me back to live with the girls? What are they to think? That I've failed you? Just like I failed in leaving Clayton, is that it? You're giving me back?" I narrowed my eyes. "I see. You've fucked me and now you're going to send me home."

  Chance was a peaceful man. A calm man. I'd never seen him overly riled until now. The night before in the saloon when he'd faced my perpetrator he'd been riled, but this? I'd never seen Chance like this before. There was a little tick in his jaw and his eyes narrowed. When he spoke, his voice was very, very quiet.

  "You better get that horse moving, kitten, before I catch you. If you aren't in that house when I do, I'll lift that skirt and spank your ass wherever you are."

  Spank my—

  My eyes widened at his very quiet, very lethal sounding voice. I'd pushed him too far, but he'd done the same with me. When I saw him reach toward my reins, I nudged my horse with my heels, spurring him into action. The animal seemed pleased to be allowed his head and took off as if he were being chased. Perhaps we were, but I wasn't going to look back and find out. If Chance wanted to spank me, he'd most certainly have to catch me.

  CHANCE

  * * *

  Rose was uncontrollable. If she thought, even for an instant, that I would take her along on a cattle drive, then she must not have known me at all. I may have let her go off on wild hairs when she was younger, but she'd been safe on the Lenox land, where little more than her pride could be hurt. But childish imaginings and dangerous antics of a grown woman were two different things entirely. The previous night, she could have been raped. Going on a cattle drive was akin to spending the evening playing cards in a saloon. The men were rough, the language crude and their sexual bents talked about over beef jerky and thick black coffee. It was no place for a lady. Hell, it was no place for a woman, lady or not.

  It was no place for my wife.

  I wasn't leaving her behind because I didn't want her. Hell, if she could have seen how hard my cock was, she'd have known leaving her was the last of my desires. Why would I want to leave a voluptuous and voracious lover for a miserable week in the saddle? I'd rather sink into her plush pussy in a comfortable bed than sleep alone on the hard ground with a saddle for a pillow.

  Unfortunately, Rose didn't have the same perspective and that only got her into trouble, as she spewed unreasonableness that had my palm itching. And so she'd fled. Good. It gave me time to cool my head, for I would never deal with her antics while angry. I was going to spank her perfect ass until it had a pretty pink glow to it and she was limp and contrite across my lap. And then...then....

  I spurred my horse to catch up and only did so when I was inside. I found her standing behind the comfortable chair by the fire. I spent many a long winter night reading in it as the weather raged outside. Now, however, her anger raged inside.

  "You are not going to spank me," she vowed.

  I hung my hat on the peg by the door. "I am," I countered. "You're getting five for your complete disregard for your safety last night and you'll get five more for your ridiculous ramblings."