Saved by the Rancher

chapter Fifty-One


JACK STAYED WITH Jenna while the doctor repaired her stitches. She held his hand, eyes locked on him while the doctor worked. Long looks, a touch here, there, a soft kiss. Connected.

Jack helped her get cleaned up and dressed. Summer brought a loose sheath dress and button-up sweater for her to wear. The dress accommodated Jenna’s wounds without pressing on her back or ribs. Jack brushed her hair, and while she was enjoying the closeness, he draped something around her neck.

Jenna looked down at the gold chain, her diamond engagement ring hanging from it.

“Your hands are still swollen, but I wanted you to be able to wear your ring. The doctor told me how upset you were when they had to remove it.”

“I thought I’d lost it,” she said and held the ring up, letting it catch the light and sparkle.

“I’d buy you a dozen more if it meant you were always safe.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“It’s me who doesn’t deserve you. But I’m selfish and I’m keeping you.”

“I’m keeping you, too. We need to get married soon. I want to wear a nice dress, and since you gave me two wonderful gifts, I don’t know how much longer I’ll actually fit into a dress. I’ll need a tent in another few months.”

“You’re beautiful now, and you’ll still be when you’re round carrying my babies. I don’t care what you wear as long as you say ‘I do’.”

“I do.” She liked how that sounded. “Take me home. I hate hospitals and Ben will arrive soon.”

“Let’s go.”



JENNA LEANED INTO Jack, his arm wrapped tight around her while she rested against his shoulder with her eyes closed in the back seat of the car. Sam drove and spoke with his friends at the FBI, setting things up for their trip to San Francisco. He’d already increased security at the ranch. He wasn’t taking any chances. They’d underestimated David’s ability and determination to get to her for the last time.

They arrived at the ranch house. Jack traced lines up and down her forearm with his fingers to get her attention. “Jenna, wake up. We’re home.”

“That’s the best thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Just wait. I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? Really?”

She turned from the car and glanced at the front yard for the first time since she and Lily had planted the flowers. Beautiful, the house truly looked like a home. Then the memories of everything that happened came flooding back again. She remembered how close David had come to Lily, how he’d stabbed Sally, and how he’d looked when he came after her. She couldn’t take it. She needed time to adjust.

She turned away from Jack and Sam and limped to the barn. She wrapped her hands around her middle and kept her head down as she made her way along the gravel drive, her every step a painful reminder of what David did to her.

“Jenna?” Jack called.

She didn’t say anything, just kept walking, trying not to be upset that Sam had three men following behind her. That they were necessary.

“Where’s she going?” Sam asked.

“To see Blue. I don’t know if bringing her back here was such a good idea. Did you see her face? She couldn’t even go inside the house.”

“Give her time. Let her get her bearings back. Who is Blue?”

“You’ll see. She’ll be out in a minute.”

Jenna walked out leading Blue by a rope, the three guards following. Blue sidestepped and nearly knocked down one of the men.

“You let her ride that stallion. Are you crazy? He’ll kill her.”

“Watch. That horse is the meanest sonofabitch I’ve ever put into that barn. He’s bitten just about every ranch hand on the spread. Given a chance, he’ll kick the shit out of you.”

“And you trust him with your pregnant fiancé?”

“Patience,” Jack said and smiled with pride.

Jenna stopped just outside the doors and stood in front of Blue and rubbed a hand down his long nose. He bent his head and rested it between her breasts and down her chest and belly like he did every time she came to see him. She rubbed his ears and his face.

“Oh my God. She just turned that big, giant stallion into a puppy.”

Jack’s pride swelled. She was amazing. “Just watch, Sam.”

Jenna kept rubbing and talking to Blue. Blue raised his head and rested it over Jenna’s shoulder and down her back as if giving her a hug. She wrapped her arms around his head and neck. He raised her right off her feet. He put her down gently again. She whispered into his ear and walked to his side. She pulled on the lead rope indicating she wanted him to go down to the ground, and he happily obliged.

Sam watched in astonishment as the stallion literally kneeled on the ground with his front legs and allowed Jenna to mount him. Still very high off the ground, even when kneeling, but Jenna managed as if she’d done it a hundred times. Then she gave him a tap in the side with her heels and the horse stood up.

“Amazing,” Sam said. “That horse is in love with her.”

“Yes, I know. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I’m jealous.”

Jenna turned to Jack and pointed to the pasture, then made a circle motion with her arm. She gave Blue a gentle nudge and they walked to the pasture.

“Where’s she going?”

“To take a walk around the field. She needs time to think. Normally, when she’s trying to work something out in her head, she’ll take off at full speed and let Blue have a good run. She likes the speed and the freedom. Today it will be a nice walk. Her ribs can’t take the run. And I imagine she knows it wouldn’t be good for the babies. Blue will take care of her, and she’ll feel better when she gets back.”

Sam raised his hand, indicating the three guards watching Jenna to follow. He indicated, much the same way Jenna had, for them to spread out and circle around the pasture to keep her in site. The pasture beside the barn wasn’t that large and the guards took positions like a triangle around her. She and Blue walked in wide circles.

The sun warmed her face. Thanks to the full skirt of her sundress, her legs stayed covered as she rode. Blue read her mood and kept the pace slow and steady. She took in the trees, the grass, and finally the house with the garden out front. She was home.

She returned Blue to the barn and Pete, who would take care of him for her. She walked out of the barn and couldn’t help but smile at the two men in the driveway. Identical down to the way they stood, both men leaning over the engine of the Camaro Jenna had given to Jack a few short months ago. She made her way up to them.

“I’m going inside to take a nap before Ben arrives. Will you come with me?”

“Yeah, honey. I still have a surprise for you.”

“Oh, God. I forgot. I’m sorry. I needed to—”

“I know,” he interrupted and pulled her to him and hugged her. “It’s okay. Let’s go inside.”

Sam slammed the hood of the car and they all walked up the front walkway into the house. As soon as Jenna stepped inside the front door, the quiet and something else hit her. The house didn’t feel right.

“Jack, there’s something missing.” And then she figured out what was bothering her. “She’s gone and now the house is empty. I’m sorry. He killed Sally, and it’s all my fault,” she cried, taking in the empty house.

Jack stood in front of her and cupped her face in his warm hands. “Nothing is your fault. This house could never be empty. It’s ours, yours and mine, and soon it’ll reverberate with the sounds of babies. This house has a family, our family.”

“But Sally. She was more than just a dog to you, to me.”

“Come upstairs with me. I have a surprise I think you’ll like.”

Jack led Jenna to their bedroom door. He pushed the door open and let her go in first. Beautiful. He’d redecorated to reflect them both. Before, the bed had a blue comforter, but now a beautiful amethyst silk quilt accompanied it along with matching pillows. He’d added an antique dresser for her. On top sat a beautiful set of glass perfume bottles and a huge crystal vase full of Stargazer lilies. Their sweet scent filled the room. Between the bed and the large window sat an antique cradle lined in pale green fabric with a small white ruffle.

“Jack, it’s beautiful. You didn’t have to change the room for me. I liked the way it was, even if it was a little single-guy blue.”

“Single-guy blue? That some new weird color name?”

“No,” she laughed. “Why did you add purple?”

“Because it’s our room, and I wanted you to feel at home. You like to wear purple and it looks good on you. I figured it must be one of your favorite colors, and, well, it went well with my blue.”

“It does make a nice compliment.”

“You’ve been scrunched into my closet and small dresser. I thought you might like the antique dresser. The perfume bottles where my great-grandmother’s.”

“They’re beautiful,” she said and traced a finger over the delicate crystal. She smelled her favorite jasmine perfume. “It’s been a long time since I had something pretty in a room. Most of the time the places I stayed were sparsely decorated, and everything belonged to someone else. Isn’t it funny? I have tons of money and hardly any possessions. What little I managed to keep, I sent to my mother.”

“Honey, this is your house, too. I thought that, since we are engaged, I’d try to show you this room is ours. It’s not just the bed we share, but everything.”

“That bed looks really inviting. I’m so tired. You must be too.”

“You haven’t seen all of your surprise yet. Look inside the cradle.”

“It’s beautiful. Was it yours when you were a baby?”

“Mine and my brother’s, Summer’s, and my father’s and his siblings and his father’s. It’s been in the family for several generations. I think it was carved by my great-great-grandfather. There might be one more great in there. Now we’ll bring our babies home and they’ll sleep in it. I’m beginning to really like all these traditions, now that I have you.”

“I can see that. So, what’s in the cradle?” She walked past the bed and nearly fell to her knees when she saw Sally sleeping on a dog bed on the floor at the foot of the cradle, her midsection wrapped in bandages.

“Jack, Sally.” She covered her mouth to hold back the happy sob of tears. A puppy jumped up in the cradle, large paws dangling over the side. She let out a happy bark.

“There’s a puppy in the babies’ cradle.”

“Sally made a friend at the hospital,” Jack joked.

“She’s okay.”

Sally wagged her tail and raised her head to look at them.

“She will be in a week or so. She needs lots of rest, but she’ll be just fine. Like you.”

Jenna knelt beside Sally and pat her softly on the head. Jack kneeled behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

The puppy let out a bark and pounced back and forth, trying to get their attention. Sally whined, but lay back down.

“So, what do you think? She’s four months old and she’s already housebroken.”

“How did you do all this? You were at the hospital with me.”

“Busted,” he said and grinned. “Summer helped. I told her what I wanted, and she and Beth took care of the house. Summer picked up Sally this morning and called to tell me about the pup, who needed a home. I wanted something special for you to come home to.”

“It’s a wonderful surprise. She’s so cute.”

Jenna scooped up the puppy, who turned into a ball of energy. She licked Jenna’s hand and pawed at her as Jenna tried to keep a good hold and not hurt herself in the process.

“I think she needs a name.”

“You didn’t name her?” she asked.

“I thought you’d like to name her,” Jack said, and gave the fur-ball a pet.

“Really?”

“Yes, so what do you think? What are you going to call her?”

“Anything I want?”

“That’s kind of a long name for a puppy, but if you want to call her that,” he smiled and shrugged.

“Funny. Anything-I-Want sounds like a racehorse, actually.”

“She’s a golden retriever, not a racehorse. So what’s her name?”

The puppy rolled around on the floor, trying to bite Jack’s boots. She barked at his feet and pounced again. Bored with the boots’ lack of response, she bounded onto the dog bed with Sally, gave her a lick on the nose, plopped down and cuddled up to Sally for a nap.

“I’m thinking. How about Trixie?”

“I like that. Trixie will suit her fine. It’s a spunky kind of name, just like her.”

Jenna went into Jack’s arms. “Thank you, for all of this. It’s wonderful.”

Jack kissed her softly and tilted her head back, so he could take the kiss deeper. “I’m so glad to have you home.” He kissed her cheeks and her forehead and trailed kisses down her neck. “With you wrapped around me, I finally feel whole again.”

“I feel the same way. I know it’s the middle of the afternoon, but I really need to lie down.” Jenna rested her head against his chest. “Will you crawl in bed with me? You must be exhausted. You’ve hardly slept for days.”

“That’s the best offer I’ve had today, but more than I need to sleep, I need a shower and a shave. Why don’t you get in and I’ll join you in a few, once I’m cleaned up.”

“How about I join you for that shower, and then we both get in bed together. You can shave later. I kind of like you all scruffy looking.”

“You do, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.”

She kissed him again and followed him into the bathroom and a hot shower. Jack helped wash her hair. After drying her with soft strokes, he carried her to the bed, laid her down in the soft sheets and showed her how much he’d missed her. All the emotions he’d held inside, he poured into making slow, sweet love to her. He stroked her softly and kissed her gently. When he entered her it was with slow aching strokes that had him melting into her. He kept his hands gentle on her hips and kissed her with all the passion and love he had in his heart.

The sweetness of the leisurely rhythm relaxed her and made her feel even closer to him. She clung to his shoulders and pressed her hips to his, taking him deeper. She held him inside her and clung to him with her face buried in his neck. She couldn’t get any closer to him, yet she tried.

She needed the closeness more than anything. He kept his pace unhurried and rocked his hips harder and deeper into her. Her passion built, her inner muscles squeezed tight, and he increased his speed. He drove home again and again, and they both reached the peak together. He held her close and kissed her long and slow until the flame inside both of them simmered to a smolder. He remained awake, stroking her hair softly until she fell into a dreamless sleep nestled against his chest.