Diamond in the Rough (Precious Gems) (20 page)

Margarite had moved to Houston from South Texas three years ago.  She had no family and no home.  For the past year she had lived in and out of shelters and on friend’s couches.  Cheyenne felt like they met for a reason and she sensed that Margarite felt the same way too.  Cheyenne showed her around the home, explaining her duties and then showed her the room that would become hers.  The young girl cried as she walked around the room. 

“Miss Cheyenne, you have no idea how much this means to me.” The girl said as she wiped away tears.

“Margarite, please sit back down and I will tell you a story.”

As they sat, Cheyenne told the girl how she had come to live at this house and about her past.  Margarite sat in awe of the story Cheyenne was telling.

“You were like me then?  I cannot believe it.  I can also understand why it took you so long to hire a house keeper.  You have really had a rough time the past few months.  But, God is good.  Just look at all that you have now, a baby on the way, a man that loves you and a beautiful home.”

Cheyenne agreed and truly did feel blessed.  Her life had sure come a long way in the past five months. 
Now, she had things that she had only ever dreamed of.  Her life had become a fairytale and she was living out her fantasies.

She heard Brian’s truck pull up and walked outside.  Cheyenne loved meeting him at his truck door and getting a kiss before
his feet could hit the ground.  

“I hired a house keeper today and also a wedding planner.” She said as she stood on her tip toes to kiss him. 

“Well baby, it sounds like you have had a productive day.” Brian said as he hopped from his truck.  He wrapped his arms around his future wife and walked inside with her. 

Margarite was waiting in the living room to meet Brian.  As they walked in, she rushed up to them and introduced herself to him.  He shook her hand and was genuinely happy that Cheyenne would have help. 

Margarite came from the kitchen with a tumbler of bourbon for Brian and a glass of juice for Cheyenne.  “I will be starting dinner in a moment but I wanted to make sure that you all are ready to eat before I begin.”

“Thank you Margarite for asking.  Yes, you can start any time you like.” Cheyenne assure her. 
   

Chapter Twenty-One

             
Life was going so well for Cheyenne and Brian.  Both were basking in the glow of happiness and Cheyenne was meeting with the wedding planner later that day.  It was hard for her to believe, but their wedding would be in just a few weeks.  The thought excited her and scared her all at the same time.  She hoped that she would be a good wife and she had no doubt that Brian would be an incredible husband.  He was one of the most thoughtful men she had ever met and felt like the luckiest women in the world that he would soon be her husband. 

The wedding planner arrived at noon and Margarite had lunch prepared and served it on the patio.  The weather was warming up and spring was in the air. 

“I am Stephanie Burch.  Angie spoke very highly of you.”

“Thank you.  I am Cheyenne and I am so excited to meet you.  You have no idea what a relief it is to know that this will become your headache.  I love the idea of getting married but being pregnant and trying to pull all of this together has proven to be too much for me.”  Cheyenne laughed as she sat at the table.

Cheyenne let Stephanie know what she and Brian wanted for their wedding as they ate.  Both had similar taste and only wanted a simple affair with their closest friends and what little family they had.  Cheyenne knew that Matthew would not be able to attend but he had promised to visit as soon as he could take leave.  She knew that it would be next Christmas before she could see her brother though.  The thought saddened her but at the same time, she was very proud of his commitment to his country.  Looking back, she knew that she had made the best decision for his future when she allowed Edna to adopt him.  It had been a hard decision at the time, but now, she could not have been more proud of herself or him.

Turning her attention back to Stephanie, she explained that it would truly be an intimate affair.  Without going into details, she informed Stephanie that most of the guests would be friends of Brian’s from the HPD.
  The woman did not question the guest list but did push Cheyenne to go a little over the top. 

“You only get married to the man of your dreams once in your life.  Invest in the day.” Stephanie urged.

“I will tell you what.  You have seventy five thousand.  Make it as grand as you can for that amount.  I am giving you free reign, surprise me.” Cheyenne said with a grin on her face.

She had never thrown around money but certainly nothing as large as seventy five thousand.  It felt good but also irresponsible.  Cheyenne had not grown accustomed to having money and still found herself pinching pennies on everything from toothpaste to a cute sweater she had wanted.  She would be become used to being wealthy but it would take time.

Stephanie left with a smile on her face and a check from Cheyenne in her wallet.  Cheyenne had all confidence that the wedding would be amazing and Stephanie seemed like a very capable planner.  Cheyenne could breathe easy knowing that her involvement was over except for showing up and saying “
I do.”

Brian called Cheyenne around three o’clock and invited her to dinner at their favorite steak house.  She gave Margarite the night off and set about getting ready.  Taking extra care with her hair and makeup gave her confidence.  She could not rely on her body to take center
stage for the next few months so she played up her other assets.  Leaving the house an hour later, she noticed that she had not been sick all day. 
I hope the morning sickness is over…
she said to herself.  The nausea had taken over her life.  Every activity she planned was scheduled around when she normally got sick.  She had been craving crawfish but was sure that the smell would send her over the edge.  If her morning sickness was over, she would be excited to eating whatever she wanted.  With her fingers crossed, she drove to the restaurant. 

Brian had already arrived and was sitting at a table in the back.  The candle in the center of the table was casting a dim light against his chiseled face making him look more handsome than ever.  She walked to the table and Brian stood up and walked around to pull her chair out for her.  Before sitting back down, he bent and kissed her soft lips.  Breathing deeply he said, “If I live one hundred more years, I wou
ld never get enough of your perfume.”

Cheyenne blushed and pushed her hair off of her forehead.  “I love you baby.” She said to Brian.

He had already ordered an appetizer and the waiter was approaching the table with it now.  One dozen oysters on the half shell were placed in the center of the table on a bed of crushed ice.  She nervously picked one up and dressed it with cocktail sauce before eating it.  It tasted heavenly and she was relieved that the smell had not made her ill. 

“I thought we needed a night out alone, just the two of us, before things get busy.
  I have missed you the past few weeks.” Brian confessed to her.

She had missed him too but life had become so busy that she was only just then realizing it.  “I have missed you too.  I am getting so excited about the wedding.  I cannot wait to become Mrs. Brian Russell.” She said eagerly.

Both ordered steak and enjoyed their meal while they talked.  For the first time in over a month Cheyenne felt turned on.  She did not know if it was the oysters of Brian or maybe even a combination of both but she wanted him badly. 

“What are the chances of us getting out of here and going home to finish our date? She asked boldly. 

Brian grinned, obviously knowing what Cheyenne wanted.  He paid the bill and walked her to her truck.  They drove home in separate vehicles but were definitely headed to the same bed.  When they arrived at the ranch, each raced for the front door and up to the bedroom.  The sexual tension had grown so thick in the air; one could have cut it with a knife.  Cheyenne ripped her clothing off and hopped into the bed just as Brian was entering the room.  He was not far behind her and when his body landed on the bed beside hers she felt whole.  His lean muscular body felt hard and nice against her.  She sought his lips and captured his mouth.  The kiss began tenderly and soon grew to epic proportions.  Without much fanfare, she pulled him close the rolled on top of him.  He entered her waiting pussy gently.   She pushed harder against him but he would not match her thrust.

“Are you worried about the baby?” She asked knowing in her heart that the answer was yes.  Cheyenne decided to lay back and enjoy his gentle lovemaking.  He pushed in and out of her, his cock gliding like silk within her cunt.  As he made love to her, he bent and kissed her nec
k, feather light kisses were rained on her body as she moaned and writhed in ecstasy.  Pressure was building in her body and she knew that it would not be long before she exploded.  Her nails dug into the tender, tan flesh of Brian’s back.  He moaned loudly as she wrapped her legs around his waist.  Needing him more than ever she looked deep into his eyes and said, “I love you more than you’ll ever know.”  Just then she spasmed on his hard cock.  Her cunt tightened around him like a vise and he responded by shooting his hot come deep into her.  His body went rigid and he held his breath.  As his climax came to an end, he rolled onto his side and kissed her on the cheek. 

“You
mean the world to me Cheyenne.  I am so excited about marrying you and even more excited about becoming a father.  You are the best thing that ever happened to me.  I do not want you to ever think that I’m not grateful that you saved my life.  If I ever had any doubt that you loved me, it was erased at that moment.  I will love you until the day that I die and I owe you my life.”

“I love you too baby, but what has gotten into you?”  Che
yenne asked.

“Tonight was a celebration of sorts.  After Maria’s trial is over, I will be promoted to Captain.  No more daily danger
for me and no more sleepless nights for you.”  He said happily.

“Congratulations!  I am so happy for you.  I knew that you would run the place someday.” She laughed.

Cheyenne was so happy as she fell asleep in Brian’s protective arms.  Brian had been right about his job taking its toll on her.  She worried constantly about his safety and could not exhale until he walked through the door in the evening.  Cheyenne had never imagined that she would be one of those women.  But, she had turned out to be.  One thing she prided herself on was that she never once nagged him to change careers.  She knew from the start how important his job was to him and never dreamed of making him choose.  Of course she would have won but she did not have the heart to put him through that.  His announcement of the promotion meant the world to her.  She truly felt free and happy.  No reservations and nothing making her unhappy.  Even the thought of Maria did not carry the same negative weight that it used to.

Chapter Twenty Two

Cheyenne’s thoughts had not been on Maria lately.  Her life had become so fulfilling that her thoughts rarely ventured to the dark side of her past.  The case had busted wide open when Cheyenne killed Ed and Jason.  The full story had come out and if they had lived, all three would have realized that they had each betrayed each other.  They had proven that there was no honor among thieves.  The entire situation had been sad but some parts were still unbelievable.  Their level of deceit was immeasurable and most who heard the story, could not believe that they had gotten away with so much for so long.  They had proven that evil come with a price and sometimes that price is too high to pay. 

Maria’s trial would start the following Monday but Che
y
enne would not have to attend.  Maria had pleaded guilty which made that portion short and sweet.  No one would have to testify or speak until her sentencing hearing.  The district attorney originally wanted to seek the death penalty but he soon found that doing that would serve no one except Maria.  Cheyenne wanted her to have to wake up every morning and live with what she had done.  She still thought of her mother and father often.  Everywhere she turned she had reminders of her dad.  She was not sure if she wanted to raise her baby in the house at Wingate Ranch.  So many bad things had happened there but she felt very close to her father while she was living at the ranch.

Maria had recently
asked for a visit from Cheyenne but she could not bring herself to accommodate the request.  Having no idea what the maid could have wanted had plagued Cheyenne from time to time, but she knew that in order to begin healing, she would need to put it all behind her.  Maria had brought nothing but pain and misery to her and she refused to let her add anymore.  Her life would now be happy and she would let nothing interfere with that happiness.  Anything that brought stress or unrest to her simply needed to go.  That is why Cheyenne decided to sell Wingate Drilling.  After being on the market for only two weeks, the company sold for two billion dollars.  She knew that she would never want for anything in her life and owed it all to her father.  His lifetime of hard work would now give her family a type of security that most could only dream of.  Her father’s dream had been for the drilling company to stay in the family and be successful but Cheyenne was not cut out for that life nor the business aspect of it.  So many things in her life had changed but she was still true to herself.  She began the journey as a lump of unmolded coal.  Cheyenne Wingate knew that she was a work in progress but now felt like a diamond in the rough.