In the Rancher's Arms

Seven



“I’m too heavy for you, honey,” Eli said, levering himself away from Tori. When he moved to her side, he gathered her to him. “Are you all right? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Not at all,” she said, shaking her head. “And you were right about what you told me this morning in your office.”

“What’s that?” He wasn’t sure how it was possible so soon after making love to her, but her smile caused the blood in his veins to surge and he felt himself becoming aroused all over again.

“Your hands really are magical.” He wasn’t sure if the rosy glow on her cheeks was the remnant of passion or a touch of embarrassment. Either way, she’d never looked prettier to him.

“Now that I can think a little more clearly,” he said, grinning, “could I ask you something?”

She nodded. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m so inexperienced.”

“Yup.” He kissed the top of her head. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s no way in hell that you’ll ever hear me complain about being the only man you’ve made love with. But by the time most women reach their mid-twenties, they’ve lost their virginity.”

“I can’t really say I was dedicated to waiting for my husband or that I didn’t come close a couple of times,” she said, snuggling closer to his side. “It just never felt like it was the right time or I was with the right man until now.”

Even though it would probably be considered his due as her husband to make love to her, Eli couldn’t help but feel privileged that Tori had waited for him. It not only supported her claim to have high moral standards, it told him that she considered him to be the right man for her.

The thought was so arousing, he had to dig deep for the strength to resist making love to her again. But that wasn’t an option at the moment. She had never made love before and although he had managed to make her first time a pleasurable experience, her body had to be tender from the newness of it all, and he didn’t want to run the risk of making her sore.

“Are we going to make love again?” she asked.

She must have felt his reaction. When she looked at him, Eli could see the blush of desire on her cheeks and knew as surely as the sun rose in the east each morning that she wanted him again as much as he wanted her.

“No. As much as I would like to, we won’t make love again until tomorrow.” He would pay a high price for his nobility, but he refused to cause her any more discomfort than he already had. “You’re new to this and you need a little time to adjust.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding a little disappointed as she laid her head on his chest and snuggled close to his side. “I am a bit tired.” Within a moment or two, he heard a slight change in her breathing and knew she had fallen asleep.

Reaching over, Eli turned off the bedside lamp and closed his eyes. But sleep eluded him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the woman with her head pillowed on his shoulder.

The final report from the investigation would only take a few more days. Why hadn’t he been able to wait to make their marriage real until he had heard that everything was fine with Tori’s background?

The preliminary word indicated there was nothing to worry about and that’s what he’d concentrated on. He took a deep breath. He should have been thinking with his head, not his hormones.

When they’d both agreed to waive the rest of the get-acquainted period, it had greatly upped the stakes. Instead of ten thousand dollars and a quick annulment if things didn’t work out between them, Tori would get a million dollars and he would end up with a very expensive set of divorce papers.

But he didn’t think that was going to be the case. Surely a woman who waited all this time for the right man to make love to her wouldn’t share that part of herself if she wasn’t completely committed to the marriage. Besides, he trusted her. She’d lied once, but now that they were together, he didn’t believe she’d keep anything else from him.

Deciding the die had been cast and there really wasn’t anything he could do now, Eli forced himself to relax. Only time would tell if he was the luckiest man on the planet to have advertised for a wife and ended up finding the woman of his dreams. And he didn’t want to spend any more time dwelling on the other possibility.

* * *

“How are my girls this morning?” Tori asked as she entered the spacious enclosure where the two orphaned calves were kept.

At the sound of her voice the two calves trotted over to vie for her attention. She knew they were only wanting their breakfast of milk replacer and grain starter, but she didn’t care. Daisy and Buttercup had become her adopted babies and she loved spending time with them.

While the calves devoured their meals, Tori thought about her evening alone with Eli. She had become Eli’s wife in every sense of the word and nothing would ever make her regret that. But making love with him had greatly complicated their situation.

She had tried to tell him that she had something they needed to discuss before they made love. But he hadn’t been interested in listening and she had been so caught up in the moment, she had quickly forgotten why it was so important to tell him about her past before they took the next step in their unusual relationship.

Sighing, she stared off into space. Eli had been so considerate, so caring, last night—surely a man with that kind of compassion would listen and be able to understand why she had made the decision to keep her identity hidden. Now all she had to do was find the right time and way to tell him.

“It looks like you and the bucket babies are getting along pretty well,” Eli said from behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled. “Checking up on us?”

He shook his head as he let himself into the enclosure. “After I took care of the mare and foal, I thought I’d see if you want to build a snowman with me.”

“Really?” He had mentioned building one the other night, but she wasn’t sure he remembered it.

His smile warmed her through and through as he nodded. “Yup.” He put his arms around her. “By the way—Buck called and it looks like the poker game has turned into a marathon. He said he won’t be back until late this evening or tomorrow morning.”

“Is that unusual?” she asked, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

“Not really.” Eli gave her a quick kiss. “But this time, I think he’s making an excuse to give us some more time alone.”

Her cheeks heated. “He knows that we... Oh, dear heavens.”

“No, he doesn’t know anything,” Eli said, grinning. “But he’s been hoping we’d make this arrangement permanent and I’m sure he thinks by giving us time alone, we’ll come to that conclusion.”

She felt a little better. When Buck did return from spending time at the bunkhouse on the other side of the valley, his room was downstairs and on the opposite side of the house from the master bedroom upstairs. At least they would have that privacy.

“Are you doing okay?” he whispered close to her ear. “You aren’t too sore, are you?”

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Tori rested her head against his broad chest. How could she not love a man so concerned for her comfort and well-being?

“Other than waking up alone, I’m fine.” She leaned back to look up at him. “Why didn’t you wake me to help out with the chores?”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “I thought I’d let you sleep in.”

“Thanks to you, I’m fully recovered from my dip in the icy pond,” she said, frowning.

He smiled as he used his gloved finger to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. “That’s not why I wanted you to get your rest.”

“Then why—”

“I plan on keeping you up tonight making love,” he said, his voice low and intimate.

“Oh.” She buried her head in his chest. “Forget that I asked.”

“Do you have any idea how cute you are when you get embarrassed?” he asked, his rich laughter making her feel warm all over.

“No, and a gentleman wouldn’t call attention to it,” she said, shaking her head.

“Honey, I’m as much of a gentleman as the next guy,” he said, kissing the side of her neck. “But there’s no need to be embarrassed with me. I’m the man who explored all of your secret places last night and I intend to do so again tonight.” His candidness caused her heart to skip a beat. “Now, if you’re finished here, let’s go wash up the buckets and get ready to build the best snowman you’ll ever see.”

More comfortable with the change of topic, she nodded. “I’ll see you two girls this evening.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that,” Eli said, opening the gate to let them out of the enclosure. “With Buck staying over at the bunkhouse, I thought you might make supper for us while I feed the calves.”

Tori caught her lower lip between her teeth as they rinsed out the bucket she had used for the milk replacer. Heating up a pizza was one thing, but making dinner was something else entirely. Especially when she had grown up with a family cook and the culinary skills she’d acquired lately only extended as far as the directions on the back of a package.

“That sounds fine,” she said, deciding that it couldn’t be that hard to tear up a salad, put a couple of steaks on the built-in stovetop grill and bake a couple of potatoes in the microwave.

“Now let’s go build your first snowman,” Eli said when he returned from storing the buckets in the feed room.

As they walked the distance to the house, Tori dismissed her concerns over making dinner. If she ran into any problems, she could always consult one of Buck’s cookbooks or use Eli’s computer to do an internet search.

“What do we do first?” she asked when they reached the front of the log home.

“Make a snowball and then roll it along, packing the snow around it as you go,” he said, bending down to get a handful of white fluff. “We’re lucky last night’s snow wasn’t as dry as it is most of the time.”

“That makes a difference?” she asked, doing as he instructed.

He nodded. “Dry snow is like powder and better for skiers, but wet snow packs tight and makes a better snowman.”

In no time the ball she had started with was a large sphere of packed snow. “Do I make one slightly smaller for the middle?”

“Yup, then I’ll lift it up on top of this one while you make one even smaller for the head,” he said, flattening the top of the ball she had just made.

When they had the three sections in place, Tori stood back to survey their effort. “This is fun, but there’s a lot of work that goes into making a snowman, isn’t there?”

Nodding, Eli handed her a handful of dark rocks. “Push these into the head for his eyes and mouth while I go raid the refrigerator for a carrot.”

When he returned with the carrot, he held a couple of sticks, an old cowboy hat and a battered leather vest. “I thought you might like to give him an outfit,” he said, smiling.

“I think it’s only fitting that we make him a snow cowboy,” she agreed, laughing. Adding the finishing touches, Tori stood back to look at her first snowman. “I think this is the best snowman...cowboy ever.”

“Stand beside him,” Eli said, taking his cell phone from his pocket. He clicked off several pictures of her with the snowman, then started toward the house. “Now that we have the pictures for posterity, let’s go inside and see what we can rustle up for lunch.”

“Not before I do something I’ve wanted to be able to do all my life,” she said, shaking her head as she bent down to pick up a handful of snow.

Packing it into a tight ball, she lobbed it at his broad back. It hit dead center, leaving a dusting of snow on his shearling coat.

“Oh, no. You did not just do that,” he said, laughing. He bent down to get a handful of snow in one smooth motion as he turned to face her. His evil grin promised retribution. “This will not go unchallenged, honey.”

Laughing, she took off, but running through the knee-high snow was like moving in slow motion. “Sorry!” she called over her shoulder.

“No, you’re not,” he said at the same time a blast of snow hit the middle of her back.

Realizing she was no match for his long throws and accuracy, she fell on her stomach into a snowdrift. Quickly grabbing a handful of snow, she waited for Eli to come over to see about her.

“Tori?”

She remained silent and perfectly still as she waited.

“Honey, are you all right? I swear I didn’t think I threw the snowball that hard.” Was that a hint of panic in his voice?

When Eli knelt down beside her and turned her face up, she smiled as she smeared the handful of snow across his lean cheek. “You didn’t throw it that hard.”

“So it’s going to be like that, is it?” he asked, grinning as he wiped the snow from his face with his gloved hand.

The teasing promise of revenge in his dark brown eyes quickly had her wishing she had given more thought to what she would do for a quick getaway. Lying prone on the soft snow with Eli hovering over her, she was trapped.

If she could distract him, she might get away with it. Reaching up to put her arms around his neck, she pressed her mouth to his. As she moved her lips over his, a surge of feminine power flowed through her when he groaned and caught her to him. Encouraged by his response, she used her tongue to coax him to open for her, and, slipping inside, she teased and stroked him as he had done her so many times over the past week.

“I think you’re going to send me into orbit,” he said, easing away from the kiss. He sounded as out of breath as she felt. Getting to his feet, he pulled her up from the snowdrift and held her to him. “Let’s go inside, warm up and have some lunch.”

“That sounds good,” she said, loving the way he held her to his side as they walked toward the back porch. He was apparently going to overlook her rubbing snow in his face.

“Then after lunch we’ll discuss how I intend to get even with you for making me think I hurt you,” he said, opening the door for her.

She glanced up at his handsome face and saw that if the look in his eyes was any indication, the payback he had in mind was going to be extremely enjoyable for both of them. “Would it help make amends if I said I was sorry and kissed you again?” she asked with a smile.

“Probably not,” he said, laughing. He gave her a quick kiss. “But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a lot of fun for both of us if you tried.”

* * *

“I think it’s time for me to go take care of the calves,” Eli said, stretching.

After lunch they had gone into his office to work on inputting the information into the new breeding-records program and it had taken the entire afternoon to get it finished. But it would have taken him twice as long if not for Tori. She had been a tremendous help and he could envision them working together to make the Rusty Spur even bigger and better for future generations of Laughlins.

“I suppose I should start making supper,” she said, rising from the desk chair. “How does a steak, baked potato and salad sound?”

“Honey, you’re talking to a cattle rancher,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hall toward the kitchen. “It sounds like the perfect meal.”

“How would you like your steak?” she asked, going to open the refrigerator while he pulled on his boots.

“Medium, but I rarely get it that way,” he said, shrugging into his coat. “Buck thinks that if you toss it in a pan and brown both sides, that’s good enough.”

“Isn’t that a bit undercooked?” she asked, frowning.

“Not for Buck.” Eli laughed. “He likes his steaks rare and has no problem telling anyone who will listen that as long as the horns are lopped off and it doesn’t moo anymore, it’s cooked just right.”

“Remind me to cook my own from now on,” she said, placing two steaks on the stove’s built-in grill.

As he walked out to the barn to feed the bucket babies, Eli looked forward to getting the chore finished so he could get back into the house with Tori. He still hadn’t evened the score with her for the face full of snow and making him think he had hurt her when he’d hit her with the snowball.

Grinning, he thought about ways to make her pay. Every one of the scenarios he came up with ended in them making love.

As he scratched the back of one of the calves, Eli wondered if he would have to keep them close to the house until after Tori had their first child as Buck said he’d had to do with Eli’s mother. Just the thought of Tori growing round with his child, watching his baby nursing at her breast, sent a shaft of heat streaking through his veins at the speed of light.

He took a deep breath to ease the sudden tension gripping his lower body. When had he started thinking about pregnant women being sexy? The thought alone was reason enough for him to question his sanity.

But as he gave it more thought, he realized it wouldn’t be just any pregnant woman he would find desirable. Only Tori.

Eli shook his head. How had he gotten in so deep, so fast? They had only been married a week, and they had made love only once.

None of that seemed to matter. He wanted Tori with a hunger that was staggering, wanted to have babies with her and spend the rest of their lives making the Rusty Spur Ranch the biggest and best it could be.

He frowned as he let himself out of the enclosure to wash the buckets and store them in the feed room. Had he fallen for her?

Shaking his head, it was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud at his own foolishness. Love hadn’t been and wasn’t going to be a factor in his decisions regarding their marriage. There was no doubt that he was fond of Tori and that he desired her, but when he’d set out to find a wife, he had been determined to keep emotions out of the equation. It was the only way he could be objective about what was best for the ranch. Just because they had made love didn’t mean that had changed. Starting a physical relationship with Tori just meant that they had made more progress toward their arrangement becoming permanent.

Satisfied that he had his perspective firmly in place, he walked back to the house. “Do you need help finishing up supper?” he asked, entering the kitchen.

“No, I think I have everything under control,” she said, glancing up from the two small bowls of salad she had just finished tearing up. “While you wash up, I’ll set the table.”

He nodded as he went down the hall to wash his hands in the downstairs bathroom. The thick, ominous odor of something burnt hung in the air like a bad omen and Eli couldn’t help but wonder if he would have to wait until he went down to Eagle Fork in the spring to get a good steak.

“I’m not sure, but I think the steaks may be just past the medium stage,” she said, setting his plate in front of him.

Glancing down at the charred piece of beef on his plate, Eli was certain that in biblical times it would be considered a burnt offering. But one look at the hopeful expression on Tori’s pretty face and he knew as surely as he knew his own name, he was going to eat the damned thing and tell her it was the best steak he’d ever had.

“It looks good,” he lied. He just hoped Buck had a stash of antacids somewhere in the first-aid cabinet in the pantry. He had a feeling he was going to need them.

As they ate, they talked about his strategy for the breeding program and her plans for a garden, and by the time the meal was finished, Eli decided that he would talk to Buck about teaching her how to cook. Many more meals like the one he had just consumed and he was certain he would have to seek medical attention for the treatment of an ulcer.

“How would you like to spend the evening in front of the fireplace again?” he asked.

“That sounds nice.” She rose from the table to rinse their plates and put them in the dishwasher. “When I was looking for potatoes to bake for supper, I found some marshmallows and graham crackers in the pantry.”

“There should be some chocolate bars around here somewhere,” Eli said, leaving the table to walk up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. “Buck developed a sweet tooth in his old age and always keeps them on hand.”

“Making s’mores sounds like fun,” she said, turning in his arms to face him. “I’ve only had them once, when I was in Campfire Friends, and that was years ago.”

“I’ll bet you looked cute in your uniform,” he said, thinking about how she would look now in a pair of shorts and a formfitting camp shirt. His body tightened predictably and he had to shift to relieve the pressure in his suddenly too-snug jeans.

“The troop never got around to ordering uniforms because it disbanded almost as soon as it was formed,” she said, oblivious to his dilemma. “After a night in the troop leader’s backyard, most of the kids decided that outdoor activities weren’t for them.”

“Were you one of those kids?” he asked, hoping she wasn’t.

“Not at all.” She shook her head. “I was really looking forward to going on a camping trip somewhere, but that never happened.”

“I’ll take you camping,” he promised. Grinning, he added, “There’s nothing like sleeping outdoors, especially if the sleeping bag is designed for two.”

“That sounds interesting. Do you have one of those?” she asked.

He laughed. “No, but you can damned well bet I will by the time we go camping.”

“You’re incorrigible.” Her smile indicated that she didn’t mind at all.

“Nope, I’m just a man who’s looking forward to getting cozy under the stars with his woman.” The thought caused his body to tighten further, and he had to force himself to move away from her. “I think if we intend to spend a little time in front of the fireplace, I’d better find the roasting forks for the marshmallows and build a fire in the fireplace while you find Buck’s chocolate bars.”

A half hour later, Eli sat on the plush rug in front of the crackling fire in the stone fireplace, watching Tori lick the sticky marshmallow residue from her fingers. It was all he could do to keep from groaning.

“This was a nice idea,” she said, smiling.

“When we go camping up in the mountains this summer, they’ll taste even better,” he said, leaning over to kiss away a small drop of melted chocolate at the corner of her perfect lips. “There’s something about sitting around a campfire on a mountaintop that seems to enhance everything.”

“Everything?”

He nodded as he pulled her into his arms. “Kisses are sweeter, and when we make love under the stars they’ll seem so close that you’ll feel like we’re a part of them.”

“I do believe you’re a romantic, Mr. Laughlin,” she said, kissing his chin.

“Just wait and see,” he said as he stretched them out on the rug in front of the hearth.

Lowering his mouth to hers, Eli quickly forgot about anything but the woman in his arms. She tasted of chocolate and marshmallow and he didn’t think he had ever savored anything quite so erotic or sexy.

“I’ve tried to do the right thing and not make love to you too soon after taking your virginity,” he said, kissing his way to the hollow at the base of her throat. “But I want you more than I want my next breath, Tori.”

“I want you, too,” she said, staring up at him with a light of desire in her violet eyes that caused his mouth to go dry. “Please make love to me, Eli.”