Then Came You (7 page)

"Hey, I think your father and I will have to hold those boys back once that happens."

Gillian smiled when yet another two of Connor's nephews ran over to him, one approaching him from behind and throwing his arms around him, the other one pulling on his shirt collar.

"Hey, Uncle Connor, are you going to be Santa again for us?"

"Now, how many times have I told you that it's not me? That guy really is Santa."

Gillian smiled. She could imagine him dressed in costume. She only wished she could stick around to see it.

"It's you,” said the little boy, pulling on his collar again.

"I'll have you know it's not. Do I look as fat as Santa?"

He patted his belly.

"You stuff a pillow under there,” shouted the boy.

Connor winked at Gillian. It was obvious they loved him and he adored all his nieces and nephews. She wondered why when he'd been married that he and his wife had never had kids of their own. Maybe he liked them but just not his own. Some guys were like that.

"So who wants some pumpkin pie?” asked Connor.

"Me."

"Me."

"Not me, it tastes funny,” said the boy hanging on to Connor's neck.

"I'm taking a guess that you don't think the ice cream tastes funny,” he said.

"Can I have extra...I mean, because I'm not having pie?"

Connor rolled his eyes at Gillian. “So what do you think of my clan? A handful of rogues, don't you think?"

"I want to see Starlight now.” Bradley pulled on Connor's jeans.

"Hey, hey, let's show our guest that the O'Riordans have some manners. You'll wait until Gillian's finished eating her pie and then she'll take you. In fact, why doesn't she take your mom and aunts and you can all get to know one another."

Gillian had left Connor and all the guys sitting around talking and drinking beer in the barn while she headed over to the barns with his three sisters-in-law and various children in tow.

"Connor tells me you're the sales rep for his animal vaccines,” said Brenda.

"That's right. I cover Wyoming, Montana and Idaho."

"So have you always done that sort of work?” asked Janey.

"Almost. I worked in computer sales for a while but got laid off and out of the blue applied to Jensen's Pharmaceuticals. I was hoping to land the job with their human division but didn't get the job and a few weeks later they asked if I'd be interested in the animal vaccine division. It means travelling but this is a pretty country so it's not much of a hardship."

"And you and Connor. I hope I'm not being nosy but I was just wandering if you're his girlfriend,” said Sarah.

Gillian didn't know quite how to answer that. They weren't really dating—after all, they'd only entered into a physical relationship a day ago. And she wasn't sure how Connor thought of her.

"Let's just say we're very good friends,” said Gillian.

All three women exchanged glances.

"Mom, come and look at the new horse."

Lucky for her, one of the boys ordered them to go see Starlight, which stopped that line of conversation in its track.

"He's such a beauty,” said Sarah, rubbing Starlight's nose as he approached the stall door.

"He's Gillian's horse and his name is Starlight,” said the little boy clambering up the door to see over the top.

"Is that right?” asked Brenda.

Gillian nodded. “Connor very kindly gave him to me."

The three women exchanged glances again.

"Oh, I'd say if Connor gave you one of his horses he intends you to be more than just friends,” said Sarah. She leaned up against one of the posts in the stable. “In fact, he married the last girl he gave a horse to."

"She never rode that horse once,” said Brenda.

"She was too busy thinking about ways to throw up her food,” said Sarah.

They must have seen Gillian looking at them.

"Sorry, I know we shouldn't be talking about Connor's ex, especially in front you,” said Janey.

"That's okay, he told me he's been married before,” said Gillian, stroking Starlight's nose. “And that she had some issues."

"It was just so awful for poor Connor. He had no idea about it until she..."

She looked at the other women almost as if she was asking their permission to continue.

She stepped closer to Gillian. “Until she lost their baby."

"Poor Connor. I've never seen a man so heartbroken,” said Brenda.

"She miscarried?” asked Gillian.

Sarah shook her head. “She delivered the baby when she was about seven months along and it was stillborn. Connor was there when his son was delivered by C-section. The doctor said it was because she was bulimic and so malnourished she couldn't maintain her pregnancy. The whole ugly truth came out after that."

Gillian wasn't sure if she wanted to hear this or not. She would have preferred it to have come from Connor and not his sisters-in-law.

"He wanted a baby so much but after that—well, he tried to get her help but she had to be hospitalised,” said Janey.

"I'm so sorry to hear all this. Poor Connor,” said Gillian.

Her heart went out to him. So he had wanted kids. It must break his heart every time he saw his nieces, nephews and his brother's wives pregnant.

Brenda touched Gillian's arm. “You know, I haven't seen Connor look so happy in a long time, so I'm glad he's finally found a new lady."

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"So what is the deal?” asked Thom.

"About what?” asked Connor, setting his beer bottle on the table.

"Your house guest. She's very pretty."

"Oh, yes, she is, very,” said Connor, rubbing his hands together in front of the heater. He knew the questions would start coming soon. He was just surprised his brothers had waited this long to question him. He smiled. He'd play it cool and keep them guessing.

"So are you two an item or what?” asked Adam.

Connor pushed his hat back on his head. “I'm not sure what we are yet. I guess we're just taking it a day at a time and getting to know one another."

Connor noticed his brothers glance slyly at one another. Yeah, that should keep them wondering for a while.

"You slept together yet?” asked Thom.

Connor picked up his beer and took another swig. He usually didn't mind telling his brothers when he'd slept with a woman, but somehow Gillian was different. Theirs wasn't a kiss-and-tell sort of relationship.

"That I can't tell you,” he said and left it at that.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw Gillian heading back into the barn with his three sisters-in-law walking beside her. He hoped she hadn't been grilled like he had.

"That new horse is adorable,” said Janey, putting her hand on Connor's shoulder.

"Well, his parents are a pretty good-looking pair,” said Connor. He stood and put his arm around Gillian's waist. Maybe that would tell his family the whole story of how he felt about this pretty lady.

Gillian slipped her arm around him. “You warm enough?” he asked her.

"Now I am."

"Well, it's getting dark out there so I think we should start going home. Gillian, it was a pleasure to meet you and if you have time before you head home get Connor to bring you out to our place,” said Adam.

"I'd like that,” said Gillian.

Thom shook hands with her. “Hope to see you again next Thanksgiving."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see if Connor invites me a second time.” She looked up at him and he gave her a squeeze.

By the time his brothers and their families had packed up their stuff and gone, only a handful of his workers were left in the barn.

"Can I rely on you guys to put everything away? Because I have something planned for Gillian."

"Sure, don't you worry about a thing,” said one of the guys folding up a table.

Connor got hold of Gillian's hand and led her out of the barn towards the house.

"More romancing?” she asked.

"Sort of. I put in a hot tub out on the deck two years ago and I've never wanted to use it on my own. How about we christen it?"

The last thing she'd expected to do in Wyoming at this time of the year was swim and hence hadn't bothered to pack a bikini or swimsuit. Now she had to find something to wear in the hot tub. She'd opted for her white lace bra and panties. And here she stood at the back door waiting for Connor to turn the thing on and get it warmed up before she ventured outside.

"Okay, just make a run for it and get under the water as quickly as you can,” shouted Connor.

Connor was already in there with his shoulders underneath the bubbles by the time she reached it. He held her hand as she stepped on to the ledge and sat beside him.

"Mmm, this is fantastic.” She rested her head back and looked up at the stars twinkling in the sky above them. She breathed out purposely so she could see steam escaping from her mouth.

"So you've never used this?” she asked.

"No, thought I would after long days out on the ranch but then I figured a guy on his own in this big tub looked kinda stupid."

She snuggled in close to him and he put his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he placed his hand in between her legs. There was something she wanted to get off her chest...the fact that she'd learned about the loss of his child from his sisters-in-law. She never wanted any secrets between them, ever.

"Connor."

"Mmm."

"When I was showing your sisters-in-law Starlight, they told me that you once had a son."

His grip tightened on her shoulder.

"I'm telling you because I thought you should know that I know but if you never want to talk about it then I'll understand and it's fine with me."

He ran his hand up her right leg.

"Nope, there's nothing I don't want you to know about me and my past. I was planning to tell you sometime soon and, well, they obviously did it for me."

"I'm so sorry. It must have been horrible for you."

"Oh, yeah, worst time of my life. He was so beautiful. He looked so perfect when they pulled him out of Mia's belly but I knew straight away he wasn't breathing or moving."

Gillian rubbed her hand up his chest. Tears were forming in his eyes. “Oh, Connor, I can't begin to imagine how that felt to see him like that."

She kissed him.

"I blamed Mia for the longest time. I wasn't aware that she'd been making herself throw up all the time she was carrying him. The poor little guy wasn't getting enough nutrition. I hated her so much for killing my son."

"She was obviously very sick."

"I realised that a few months after. They said the pregnancy had sent her over the edge. She was so scared when she started to gain weight that it made her bulimia even worse. I had no idea anything was wrong with her, really I didn't. I used to look at her and watch how much food she ate and think how lucky she was that she didn't gain so much as a pound. I don't think she wanted a baby but I foolishly pressured her into starting a family because I'd always dreamed of having kids."

Gillian set her head down on his shoulder.

"I can tell it's upsetting you and I don't want to do that so how about we just say I know about it, not talk about it again and get back to enjoying ourselves,” said Gillian. She rubbed her hand up and down his stomach and chest.

"Yeah, and maybe I should get back to romancing you."

Gillian laughed. “You've done so much of that, you're spoiling me."

Connor reached for the bottle of beer he'd set on the side of the tub, took a swig and offered it to Gillian.

"I'm getting used to drinking this stuff and out of a bottle,” she said before she took a drink.

"Told you I'd turn you into a cowgirl."

Gillian put the bottle back down as Connor reached for her and pulled her onto his lap.

"That's a sexy bikini you have on there, little lady."

"Bra and panties, don't you mean. I hope the water doesn't shrink them."

"I know how we can prevent that."

Before she could say anything, he'd undone the bra, lifted it from her shoulders and thrown it out of the tub. Next was her panties—he pulled them then somehow eased them down her legs and eased them from her. They too joined the bra.

"Hey, that's an unfair advantage."

Gillian grabbed the waistband of his shorts and tugged them. He lifted his butt to free them then she tugged them the rest of the way and threw them out on top of her underwear. She straddled him and they kissed. Connor ran his hands over her breasts, paying extra special attention to her nipples that were so hard now.

He moved his hand down her belly into her pubic hair and found her clit.

They kissed as he tapped and rubbed it, making Gillian moan with each pass of his finger. She almost bit his lip when he slid it into her slit.

"You are always so tight and hot down here. You drive me crazy, lady."

Gillian reached under the water and found his cock hard and upright on his belly. She ran her hands over it.

"Hey, just don't go overboard because I didn't bring any condoms out here and we don't want to make any little cowboys or cowgirls here tonight."

Gillian laughed and they kissed again. Someone was now making an exaggerated coughing sound behind them.

She turned to see one of Connor's ranch hands standing beside the hot tub. She slid off his lap and ducked under the water so her boobs were well hidden.

"Sorry to disturb you...ma'am."

Gillian nodded.

"We need to put the tables and heaters away but we can't find the key to the storage closet."

"It's in my pant pocket...hell, if you don't mind seeing a nude guy with the erection of the century, I'll go get it for you."

Gillian smiled when Connor got out of the hot tub. Yeah, there was no mistaking she'd aroused him just now. She rested her head back while he was gone. The image of his cock still in her mind made her pussy beat like her heart. When he got back she was going to suggest they head up to his bedroom for some fun.

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