After the Storm: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 2) (8 page)

              “Hi, honey,” Hope said.

              “May I use your phone for three minutes?  That’s all the longer I’ll be.  I don’t want to tie the line up in case there’s an emergency,” she said.

              One of the things Hope loved about Renee was her sense of responsibility.  “And I suppose you’d like me to step out for those three minutes?” she teased Renee.

              “Please?  I’ll tell you all about it when I’m done.  I just can’t do it with you here beside me,” Renee said.

              Hope put her pen down.  “I suppose.  Actually, I don’t mind.  I need to go get some coffee anyway.”

              She left, closing the door after her, and Renee picked up the receiver.

              “Switchboard,” said Black Fox.

              Renee smiled at his no-nonsense greeting.  “
Han
, Grandfather.”

              “
Hau
, Granddaughter.  I heard that you rented an apartment.”

              “Boy, word travels fast,” Renee said.

              “Yes.  It is a small town.”

              “Very true.  Would you put me through to the Dwyers, please?”

              “Yes.”  He came back in a moment.  “I have Chester for you.  Go ahead.”

              “Oh, Grandfather, I’ll be exactly two minutes.”  This indicated that she didn’t want him to listen the way that operators sometimes had to so they knew when a call ended.

              “Ok.  Two minutes.  Here is Chester.”

              “Thanks.  Chester?  It’s Renee Keller.”

              “Hello, Miss Keller.  How may I help you?”

              “Would you be a dear and fetch Tim for me, but only if he’s up at the house.  I don’t want to disturb him if he’s in the middle of something.  But don’t tell him who it is,” she said.

              “Certainly.  I believe he’s in the playroom.  One moment.”

              Tim came on the line in a few moments.  “Hello?  Who’s this?”

              “It’s your snuggle bunny,” she said, muffling a giggle.

              He laughed.  “It is, huh?  You mean the snuggle bunny I kissed last night?”

              “The very same.”

              “Mmm.  I like the sound of that.”

              “I’m glad.  Now, I only have a minute left before Grandfather comes back on the line.  I’d still like to come over to see Kyle tonight.  Is he going to be home?”

              “Yeah.  Come for supper.”

              “Ok.  I’ll see you then.  Snuggle Bunny signing off.”

              He chuckled.  “See you then.”

              Once they hung up, Tim let out a whoop and ran out of Joe’s important office, almost colliding with his mother.  He grabbed her and danced around with her in the hallway.

              “What’s going on?” she asked, laughing.

              “I am officially courting Renee Keller.  That’s what’s going on,” he said.

              Lacey’s eyes widened.  “You are?  I thought you were just friends.”

              “Well, things sort of developed.  I already asked Switch and he gave me his blessing,” Tim said.

              Lacey hugged him.  “I’m so happy for you.”

              “Me, too.  She’s so beautiful, Mama.  And funny and kind and sweet,” Tim said.  “Well, I better get back to it.  I have to get that mare ready for Captain Davis to try out when he gets here.  See ya later.”

              On Saturday, Tim, Switch, Skip, Devon, and Sawyer helped Renee paint her apartment.  She’d elected to paint the kitchen a soft, buttery yellow, and the parlor, bedroom, and water closet a pretty cream.  Renee had never painted before.  Her attempts were clumsy and had to be gone over by someone else.

              Switch finally sat her on a stepstool and said, “You sit here and look pretty and we’ll finish this.”

              “Is that your way of saying I stink at this, Pa?”

              “Yes,” he said, laughing.

              “You’re awful.  But you’re right,” she said.  “I know.  I’ll go to the bakery and get us a treat.”

              “All right,” Switch said, going back to his painting.

              Tim watched her leave, his gaze roaming over her shapely, jeans-clad backside while Switch’s back was towards him.  He smiled and turned around to see Devon grinning at him.

              “Shut up,” he said.

              They’d been out almost every night, including last night when they’d cleaned up pretty good at the Howler again.  He’d tried to give her his half of their winnings, but she’d turned him down again.  He liked that she didn’t want money from him.  Some women would since he was rich, but Renee wouldn’t hear of it.

              She returned with all sorts of pastries and some sandwiches.  Once the painting was done, which didn’t take long, they all sat down on the floor and ate the goodies.  Switch watched the byplay between Tim and Renee and he was glad he’d given Tim permission to see his daughter.  Tim was gentlemanly and respectful of Renee and Switch’s confidence in their relationship grew.

*****

              A week later, Renee was set to spend her first night in her new apartment.  D.J. and Frankie Samuels had come through with a nice bedroom suit and refused to take money from her.  She decided that she was going to make them a nice quilt as repayment for the furniture.  Switch and Hope had bought her a kitchen table and chairs.  Her parlor now contained a matching blue-and-gold sofa and wingback chair, a coffee table, and two end tables. 

              Tim had bought her an Edison Pathe windup record player and several records, telling her that it was a late Valentine’s Day present.  Renee loved the ornate cabinet and she looked forward to hosting little dances for her family and friends.  She and Tim had already tried the record player out and it had excellent sound quality.

              That night, her family stayed for quite a while, loathe to leave her.  Skip sulked a little.  He and Renee were close and he was going to miss having her at home to talk to whenever he wanted.  Finally, they left, and Renee changed into her nightclothes and fixed some tea.  She liked working in her kitchen and was happy with how the apartment had turned out, thanks to all of her helpers.

              She took the tea into the parlor and put a record on the player.  Sitting down on the sofa, she put her feet up and picked up a magazine she’d bought that day.  She’d begun reading an article on quilting when someone knocked on her door. 

              Going to it, she asked, “Who is it?”

              “Hello, Snuggle Bunny.”

              She smiled as she opened the door.  “Come on in, handsome.”

              He took in the sight of her in her pretty nightgown and practically salivated.  Her lustrous dark hair flowed over her shoulders in waves and the garment left no doubt that she was a woman.  “Good God, you look good enough to eat,” he blurted.

              Renee laughed.  “Thank you.  What’s in the basket?”

              Tim opened it and took out a fluffy orange kitten.  “I thought you might get a little lonely, so I brought you a buddy to keep you company.”

              “He’s so cute!”  She cuddled the little feline, who purred when she scratched behind his little ears.  “Thank you so much.”

              “You’re welcome.  His teeth are little, so I brought you some crushed-up chicken to get started with.  I also put a couple of little tin dishes in here for food and water.”

              Her eyes held wonder.  “You think of everything, don’t you?”

              He smiled.  “I try.  How’s it going so far?”

              “Fine.  The family left not long ago.  I was just having some tea and reading while I listened to music on the splendid phonograph a very handsome man gave me.”

              “Well, he must think an awful lot of you to do something like that,” Tim said.

              “Yes, he must.  Thank you again.”

              “No need to thank me.  Well, I’ll let you get back to your reading.  I just wanted to drop off your new roommate.”

              “Oh, no.  I’m not letting you get away that fast,” she said.  “Would you like a drink?  I have some scotch.”

              He smiled.  “Who am I to turn down a nice offer like that?”

              “Good.  Here, you hold Romeo while I fix it.  I had ice delivered today.  Do you want some in your scotch?” she asked.

              “No, thanks,” he said sitting down on the sofa.

              “Very well,” she said, going into the kitchen.

              She thought it was so nice fixing a drink for them in her new little place.  She cut up some cheese, put a few pieces of chocolate bar on a plate, and set it all on a tray.

              “What did you do?” he asked as she set the tray on the coffee table.  “You didn’t have to go to any trouble.”

              She sat down by him.  “It’s no trouble at all.”  She handed him his drink and took her own.

              Tim raised his glass.  “A toast to your new home.  May you have good times and happiness here.”

              “Hear, hear,” she said as they clinked glasses and each took a sip.  She tucked her feet up under her.  “So, tell me about your day.”

              As he did, he could hardly take his eyes off her.  They ate their snack and talked about all sorts of things.  She found that Tim was hands on, but in a nice way.  He squeezed her hand here and there and wound a long tendril of her hair around his fingers.  He’d never done that before and she surmised that he must have been holding back because their relationship hadn’t been romantic at the time.

              She liked his gentle touch and the way he looked her in the eye as they spoke.  He wasn’t constantly ogling her and he paid attention to what she said.  The kitten had gotten brave and jumped off the couch to explore his new home.  He got frisky and started playing with his tail.  They laughed at his antics and Renee thanked Tim again for giving him to her.

              “Well, I know you have to work tomorrow, so I’d better let you get some rest,” he said.

              “All right, although I’m not sure how much I’ll sleep.  I’m a little wound up about sleeping in a new place,” she said, running a hand over his arm.  “Will you stay just a little longer?”

              Her touch set him on fire and he thought,
I’ll do anything you want.
  “Sure.  What were you reading?”

              She moved closer to him, her hand moving up to caress the nape of his neck.  “Nothing that would interest you.”

              The look in her eyes fanned the flames of his desire and Tim put an arm around her.  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

              She gave him a seductive smile.  “I might have been told that a few times.”

              “Well, you are, and I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t kiss you right now,” he said.

              He was surprised when she rose up, pressing her mouth to his, and sliding her arms around his neck.  He wasn’t going to refuse the chance to hold her and kiss her.  He pulled her against him, kissing her urgently. 

              Tim’s kisses were unlike anything Renee had ever known before and she couldn’t get enough.  He knew what he was doing and he was thorough.  He tasted of scotch and chocolate and it was a heady combination of flavors.  His lips were warm and soft.  She lightly bit his lower lip and he growled against her mouth, burying his hands in her hair.

              His lips left hers to press kisses along her throat down to her collar bone.  “You smell so good,” he said, inhaling her slightly floral scent.

              “Thank you,” she said, threading her fingers through his short hair. 

              Tim shuddered slightly at her touch and knew he was reaching the point of no return.  He was perfectly willing, but he didn’t want to move too far too fast.  Reluctantly, he pulled away from her.  “I better go before something happens that we’re not ready for.”

              Renee appreciated his consideration.  “That’s probably a good idea, but for the record, you’re hard to resist.”

              “Likewise,” he said. 

              He got up and she followed him to the door.  “Goodnight, Timmy.”

              “Goodnight, Snuggle Bunny,” he said, giving her a last kiss.

              She locked the door after him and then sighed.  “How am I supposed to sleep after that?”

              She fed Romeo and then took him to bed with her.  He curled up on her pillow with her, his presence comforting to her in the new place.  Eventually, her eyes drifted shut and she slept soundly.

*****

              Art watched Hailey fire off four arrows at a target.  They pierced the target, forming a small cluster in the center of it.

              He let out a low whistle.  “We shoulda let you fight with us.  I see what Kyle meant now.”

              It still rankled with Hailey that Kyle had turned her in.  “Yes, you should have, but that can’t be changed now.”

              He heard the irritation in her voice.  “I’m sorry, Hailey, but he did the right thing.”

              Her eyes flashed silver fire at him.  “I don’t want to talk about it.  We’ll only wind up arguing.  Men will always think that women are inferior to them.” 

              She walked to the target and angrily extracted the arrows from it.  His eyes followed her, drinking in her beauty in the buckskin leggings, buckskin shirt, and high moccasin boots.  Her hair was growing out, but it was still only a little bit below her ears.

              “It ain’t that you’re inferior, it’s that there’s one area where you’re vulnerable and there are men who wouldn’t think twice about taking advantage of it,” he said.

              “That may be true for some women, but I’m not like them.  Anyone who tries anything like that with me will wind up dead,” she said.  “I’m as good a warrior as any man.”

              He could see he wasn’t going to change her mind about it.  “You’re right.  We’re gonna argue about this.  Best to drop it.”

              She gave him a curt nod and went back to practicing, although it didn’t look like she needed to practice to Art.

              “Do you hunt?” she asked.

              “It’s been a while, but yeah.”

              Flicking a glance at him, she asked, “Would you like to go hunting with me tomorrow morning?  We go every morning.”

              He jumped at the chance to spend more time with her.  “Sure.  What time?”

              “Five-thirty.  Don’t be late,” she said.  “There is a meadow where I go.”

              “Ok.  I’ll be here.”

              “Do you like your new job?”

              Joe had given Art a job over at the Benson ranch where he kept twenty-five of their horses since their property couldn’t handle any more horses than they already had.  Art did everything from grooming and exercising horses to repairing fences.

              “Yeah.  It’s the best job I ever had, and Caleb is a fair man.  Has a good sense of humor, too.”

              “The Bensons are good people.”

              “Yeah.  There’s one fella over there that don’t care for me, but I can deal with him,” Art said.

              As they talked, Hailey cast furtive glances at Art.  She judged him to be around six-foot-two and somewhere around the one hundred eighty mark.  He was muscular and handsome.  His mixed heritage was evident in his light brown skin that reminded her of nutmeg.  Art was quick to smile and liked to tease people.  His teeth were a beautiful shade of white and Hailey found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss his sensual mouth. 

Hailey wasn’t accustomed to having those sorts of thoughts and found it disconcerting.  She’d only been kissed once and that hadn’t gone well.  The boy had gotten frustrated because she hadn’t known what to do and he’d never kissed her again. 
Would Art be different?
she wondered.  She quickly shoved her musings aside.  She could tell that he was attracted to her; there were times when she could feel his gaze on her and it was exciting and confusing at the same time.

“I’m sure you can,” she said.  “Don’t worry about him.”

“I ain’t.  Well, I better get back to work.  I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Art said.