Lone Star Daddy (McCabe Multiples) (15 page)

On the brink, she rolled him onto his back and moved on top of him. Draping her body over his, she caught his head between her hands and took the lead, kissing him languidly at first, then with building ardor, rubbing against him, driving him to the brink, even as the ridge of his arousal grew ever harder.

Liking the fact he was willing to let her set the pace, she slid ever lower, kissing and caressing, not stopping until he was throbbing every bit as much as she was.

And then they were changing places again; he was kissing her intimately, too, parting her thighs with his knee and rising above her. She gasped as he surged into her slick, wet heat. Wanting. Needing. Giving. Taking. As lovers, as equals, as friends.

He took everything she offered. She possessed him as well. Until there was nothing but the heart and soul of the moment, nothing but the two of them, and the never-ending, all-encompassing bliss.

Afterward they clung together. He captured her lips in another hot, lingering kiss. “That was...amazing,” he murmured finally.

Rose smiled at the wonder in his voice. Eyes closed, she laid her head on his chest and took in the steady beat of his heart. “It was,” she murmured back. She liked the sexy turn their relationship had taken as much as the rough sound of his voice.

So what if he hadn’t said he loved her? She hadn’t said she loved him yet, either. Even though she was beginning to feel like she did.

Aware of the time crunch, they got up and began to dress. He watched her shimmy into her undies with undisguised pleasure. “You look...happy.”

So did he
.

Wishing they had time to make love again, Rose smiled as she went to the closet to get a pair of shorts and another knit top to put on in lieu of her business suit.

“I am happy, and excited, and thrilled about the idea of working with you and sometimes traveling with you for the entire next year.” She nestled against him briefly before going to get a brush for her hair. “I guess I didn’t realize it, but maybe even with all my business success and the joy I get from bringing up my kids, my life has been in a rut in other ways.”

“Romantic ways?”

She nodded, admitting, “I’m finally ready for something more.”

He took her in his arms and kissed her again. “That’s good to hear.”

Miraculously, Rose thought, the two of them were on the same page. Would wonders never cease?

* * *

“T
HANKS
FOR
MEETING
me on such short notice,” Clint told Amy Carrigan-McCabe later that same afternoon when she arrived at the Double Creek.

“How can I help you?” the energetic blonde asked, getting out of her Laurel Valley Ranch pickup truck, clipboard in hand.

Knowing the plant nursery owner was also one of the best botanists in the area, Clint strode forward to shake her hand. “I wanted to talk to you about possibly moving the blackberry bushes on my property. Is there any way to dig up and transplant them?”

“Not with any real hope of success.”

“Is there another way to grow more of them, then?”

Amy pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. “We can propagate them from leafy stem cuttings and root cuttings.”

Clint wanted to be sure he understood. “So the very same bushes I have on my property now—”

“Can be duplicated elsewhere. Basically, there are two ways to do it,” she explained. “The most economical way is to take leafy stem cuttings when the canes are still actively growing and place the cuttings in a moist mix of peat and sand until the roots begin to grow.”

That did sound easy enough.

“With root cuttings, we wait until the plants are dormant—which is sometime in the fall or winter, depending on the weather—to take the root cuttings. Those go into cold storage for three weeks and then are planted in a peat and soil mixture, covered in clear plastic, and set in a warm place until roots appear. In either case, once we get good, healthy roots established, we can plant the new bushes in gardens or fields.”

He nodded, stroking his jaw with one hand. “And how long before they would produce the kind of yield I’ve got now?”

She looked at his fields. “I’d say at least five years.”

Not good. Trying not to think how this news would devastate Rose, Clint pushed on. “Okay, here’s my next question. You’re familiar with Rose’s property. Is there a place blackberries could be planted at Rose Hill Farm with good results?”

Amy’s face lit up. “Oh, absolutely.”

“Are there other places in Laramie County that would be equally hospitable?”

“Yes. A lot, actually.” Amy paused. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to do here, Clint.”

Make Rose happy.

Make myself happy.

Make everyone happy.

Clint shrugged, then finally said, “I don’t want my ranch to be the only place these blackberries can be found.”

Amy rocked back on the heels of her boots. “That’s mighty generous of you.”

Not really, given what he’d also be mowing down in the process. That was going to make more than a few people upset. Especially Rose. Which was why he had to do damage control now. Clint shoved a hand through his hair. “I was thinking about giving some Double Creek blackberry bushes to Rose, since she’s become so fond of them.”

Amy smiled. “That’s really nice. Very...sentimental.”

He nodded, sure hoping that Rose would see it that way, too. “So, you’ll work up an action plan and cost estimate for me?” he pressed. “I want to make sure that Rose knows what would be involved and approves the plan before we proceed.”

“Sure. No problem.”

“Great,” he said with a big sigh of relief. “I’d also like a list of any other local farmers or landowners you think might be interested in growing Double Creek blackberries, too—so I can talk to them about it when the time comes. Naturally, I’d hire your business to do the work, which is why I asked you out here.”

“All sounds good to me.” Amy tossed her clipboard into the seat of her pickup truck. “It’s going to take a few days for me to work up the proposal, though.”

“That’s fine. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to Rose or anyone else. It’s kind of hard to explain...but I’d like it to be a surprise for her when I do tell her.”

Amy mimed a zipper across her mouth. “I understand. My lips are sealed.”

Unfortunately, just as Amy drove off, Rose and her kids arrived at the ranch. Rose got out of the driver’s seat while Clint assisted the kids. Then Scarlet, Stephen and Sophia ran up to the front porch to get the Matchbox car set Clint had brought out for them.

Grinning, Rose ambled toward him. “Did Amy finally come out to talk to you about getting some plants?”

He nodded.

Assuming—wrongly—that her cousin’s wife had initiated the conversation, Rose continued cheerfully, “Well, I’d take her up on it if I were you. Could be a lot of money for you there.” She winked. “Not to mention what sharing the plants would do for the community at large.”

Reluctant to let anything spoil the evening ahead, Clint passed on the opportunity to correct Rose’s misconception. Instead, he gathered her against him for a welcoming hug. “Hey,” he chided gently, “I thought you were all here for pony rides and a picnic supper!”

“We are,” the kids shouted from the porch.

He pointed to the corral next to the barn, where the Shetland Pony he had borrowed for the occasion waited. “Then let’s get to it.”

* * *

“M
ORE
HUGS
,
M
R
. C
LINT
. More hugs!” the triplets said as they were leaving.

Aware it was several hours past their bedtime and they were all blissfully tired, Rose looked at her children. “Okay. But this is the last round. You-all have a big day tomorrow. Speaking of which...”

She paused and turned to Clint. This was a big step. She was ready for it.

He looked at her, waiting.

Rose bolstered her courage. “There’s a family barbecue being hosted by my Aunt Annie and Uncle Travis. It’s at their ranch—the Triple Diamond. I’m allowed to bring a date.” She swallowed around her sudden burst of nerves, aware she hadn’t put her heart on the line this way in quite a while, if ever. “So, if you’re interested...?”

Without warning, he played hard to get. “Depends.”

She caught the mischief in his eyes and returned it in kind. “Really. On what?”

He tapped a finger against his chin, thinking. “Are you going to wear a dress or jeans?”

Rose tried not to think what fun he’d had getting her out of a dress. “Most likely capris,” she said, trying not to blush at the sensual memories. “Why? Does that make a difference?”

Very aware—as was she—that the kids were listening to every word, he said, “I was thinking we should
match
. Like,” he gestured dramatically, “if you wore jeans, I’d wear jeans. Or, if you wore a dress...” he hesitated long enough to make her heart race “...I’d wear chinos and a button-down. But—” he paused dramatically yet again, while the kids and Rose all hung on his every word “—I don’t have any capris.”

Rose rolled her eyes.

The kids giggled.

Solemnly she told him, “I’d be worried if you did have capris.” Wishing she could pull him into her arms and kiss him senseless right then and there, she patted him on the cheek and declared, “But no worries, cowboy. Jeans and a shirt are fine.”

He sighed as if greatly relieved.

The kids giggled again.

Rose had to hide a smile.

Until her next thought hit. “Speaking of button-downs. Do you still have that shirt my kids ruined?”

He sobered, too. “Yeah. Why?”

“Well, I’d like to see if I can’t work my magic and have it looking like new again.”

He frowned. “You don’t have to do that.”

Yeah, she did. The guilt had been weighing on her. “It’s either that or buy you a new one in the exact same size, style and color,” she told him archly. “Which, by the way, I’m thinking about doing anyway.”

He held up a hand. “Don’t do that. I’ll get the shirt for you.”

“Thank you.”

He was only gone a couple of minutes, but by the time he returned, she’d managed to get the children securely buckled up inside her SUV. And a typically nonsensical preschool discussion was already underway.

“Mommy, how come you didn’t get to ride the pony and we all did?” Sophia asked.

“Yeah, it’s not fair!” Stephen chimed in. “Why couldn’t you?”

“Because I am too big. Isn’t that right, Mr. Clint?” She gave him a pointed look from the driver’s seat when he handed over the shirt.

“Absolutely,” he replied. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he opened the rear passenger door and leaned in. Their booster seats were lined up across the middle bench. “Ponies are for little children. Horses are for big kids and adults. And as it happens, I have gone riding with your mom earlier this week. So...it is fair. Everyone has had a pony or horsey ride, okay?”

Silence fell as they all ruminated on that.

“Can we do it again?” Scarlet finally asked.

“We sure can,” Clint promised.

Which was, Rose thought wistfully, a very nice idea.

He quirked a brow at the kids. “You-all ready to go home now?”

“Nooooo!” the triplets shouted in unison.

“Well, you have to be because I am about to dole out the final hugs goodbye. Okay, here goes,” he teased. “One hug for you, one for you, and one for you! And because she’s been such a good sport all day, a—”

Rose braced herself for him to come around to her side and plant a big kiss against her cheek.

“— simple wave for Mommy!” Clint stepped back to comically bid her adieu.

She narrowed her eyes at him. The triplets all dissolved into laugher, as they were meant to.

“I owe you one,” she mouthed at him as she started the engine, wondering all the while what she had ever done without him.

He leaned in and gave her a G-rated hug anyway. “And you can bet I will be there to collect.”

Rose was counting on it.

* * *

V
IOLET
CAME
OVER
the next morning to help Rose make cobblers for the family barbecue.

“You’re doing Clint’s laundry now?”

Rose knew that was a couple thing, but not in this case. Here, it was mainly guilt and responsibility at play. She held the blue-and-white tattersall up to the light. “Just the one the kids messed up.” Which now also happened to be Clint’s lucky shirt.

Violet eyed the stain. “Have you already pretreated it?”

Rose nodded. “A couple of times. I think the mustard and ketchup sat too long on the fabric. Either that—” she went to work with another concoction of dish soap, white vinegar and water and began to see some improvement “—or the stains really set while they were in the dryer, after they were washed the first time.”

Violet lifted her brow. “I hate to say it, but I think it might be a hopeless cause.”

Giving up on this would be like giving up on...well, her and Clint. “There has to be a way.” Rose went back to the washer and set it on the soak cycle.

“Why is it so important to you when you could easily go out and buy a replacement?”

Exactly what Clint had said.

“You’re not trying to show Clint how good a wife you could be to him, are you?”

“Come on, Violet. You know how I feel about marriage.” Rose had crashed and burned at it once. She wasn’t about to do it again.

“I know how you used to feel. But in the past few weeks, something’s changed.”

Violet was right. Something
had
changed.

And Rose was still thinking about that when Clint arrived to pick her and the kids up.

As they loaded the desserts and the kids into the back of her SUV, she couldn’t help but think about how quickly she and Clint and the kids had come to feel like family.

She loved being with him like this. The kids adored their group adventures, too.

Maybe it was time she rethought her stance on her own happily-ever-after.

And, as it happened, Rose wasn’t the only one who was pleased Clint was around.