I watched Cindy grit her teeth as she bore down with all her might. I wrapped my free arm underneath her leg, so she had something to push against. I breathed with her, screamed with her, panted with her, and cried with her. I was watching the fury of a woman come to light. I was watching the strength of the tiger within my wife burst forth. She pushed, and she groaned. She cursed, and she screamed. I strained to keep a force against her as her entire body lifted to bring our son into the world.
Then she collapsed in a fit of heaving and sweat as his sweet, beautiful cry filled the room.
“You did it,” I said breathlessly. “You did it, Cindy.”
She released my hand and cupped my cheek, her eyes fluttered with exhaustion.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said as I kissed her lips. “I love you so much.”
Cindy fell asleep from pure exhaustion before I even had a chance to lay Landon on her chest. I gave him his first bath while the nurses cleaned Cindy up. Then, they quietly lifted her by the sheets of her bed and moved her to another one. I settled down beside her, cradling my newborn son in my arms.
Funny, how things had a tendency to come full circle.
“Is he okay?” Cindy asked, waking from her nap.
“Why don’t you see for yourself?” I asked.
I helped Cindy push her hospital gown away before I handed her our son. Landon rooted around to find her nipple and promptly began drinking from her breast. I was constantly amazed at the female body and at the things it could do that mine never would.
I was mesmerized by her, the woman I loved.
“Oh, I remember this with Lily,” Cindy said.
“I remember it with Kason too.”
I felt Cindy’s eyes on me as I cupped the tiny head of my son.
“You know there will be a small part of him in Landon,” she said.
I nodded my head as tears brewed behind my eyes.
“I love you, Landon,” I said as I stroked his head. “And I’ll go to the ends of the earth for anything you’ll ever need.”
I bent down and kissed his forehead as he fell asleep against Cindy’s breast. She handed him to me, and I wrapped him up tightly before laying him down in the bassinet. I sat next to Cindy and dipped my lips to hers, taking in how beautiful she looked only an hour after giving birth.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” I asked.
“Only because you make me that way,” she said.
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“More than anything else on this earth,” she said with a smile. “Lily’s going to be very excited to meet her brother.”
“Especially when she finds out we used the name she suggested,” I said.
“She was so proud of that name. How could you deny those eyes of hers?”
“I’ll never be able to. You and Lily and Landon? You’re my weaknesses.”
“Do you regret it?”
I furrowed my brow as tears rose in Cindy’s eyes.
“Regret what?” I asked.
“Allowing us to be your weaknesses?”
I pressed my lips against Cindy’s, shutting off her silent sobs as my thumb dried up her tears.
“The only thing I would’ve ever regretted was walking away from you. The life you’ve given me, the hope you’ve filled me with, no one’s ever given that to me before. Ever. I could never regret you, or us, or this. Or any of it. You’re my home, Cindy. You’re my strength. And so long as I have you next to me, nothing can touch what we’ve built.”
“I love you, Graham,” she said in a whisper. “With all my heart.”
“And I love you, Cindy. With all my life.”
The End
It’s not over! I love my readers so much that I’ve included a brand new, never before published steamy romance: Broken Cowboy.
Check it out on the next page…
He's the first friendly - or semi-friendly face - I've met since moving to this small town.
I'm drawn to him.
It’s not because he looks good in a pair of tight blue jeans.
Okay, maybe that has something to do with it.
But, he reminds me of my father.
Both ex-Marines.
Both good men.
Even if Chase doesn't care to admit it, he's a good man.
Why else would he go through such great lengths to protect me from my ex?
If only he wasn't so damn set on being miserable.
Just like me, he’s not from around here.
What’s his story?
And where did this mysterious man come from?
EXCLUSIVE: BROKEN COWBOY
CHAPTER ONE
CHASE
My farm was my little slice of paradise; my little haven, tucked away from the world. The nearby town of Fox Run was just down the road, but standing there on my back porch, you wouldn't be able to tell. On a clear day, all you'd see was nothing but land – my land – stretched out as far as the eye could see. Trees, tall and thick, surrounded the outskirts of the property, blocking the town from view, giving the illusion of perfect solitude.
Except for me and the animals, the place was completely solitary. Most of the time, anyway. The sound of a loud high-pitched voice sounded from the nearby field, shattering the silence.
“Shoo!” the voice called. “Get away from me! Go!”
A female's voice.
In my field.
When nothing but the cows was supposed to be out there.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath as I walked back behind the house. Standing in the middle of the pasture was a small, young-looking woman. I don't think she could've been more than twenty-three or twenty-four. She stood just a few inches above five feet with long, honey blonde hair that hung in a loose ponytail down her back.
She had a stick in her hands and was brandishing it menacingly. It wasn't a very long or big stick, but I still didn't appreciate her waving it at my cows. Especially since all they were doing was staring at her with nothing but curiosity. They weren't harming or threatening her.
“Shoo, bull,” she said, waving the stick in the air. “Shoo!”
I stifled a laugh and simply watched the spectacle unfolding. The woman – whoever she was – wouldn't even go near the cows. Thankfully, all the bulls had already been put away. The cows stood around her, trying to graze on the grass, but there was this annoying little lady trespassing in their field, waving a stick all about, keeping them from eating.
A black cow moved behind her, making her jump and spin around so that she was facing me. Her eyes widened when she saw me standing there, trying hard not to laugh. Her face darkened, and anger flashed in her eyes. Her vibrant blue gaze was suddenly filled with heat.
“You're just going to stand there and laugh?” she yelled. “Help me!”
“You seem to be doing just fine on your own out there,” I said with a shrug. “Besides the cows are only doing their job.”
“Their job?” she asked, glaring at me with sweat beading on her forehead.
“Yeah, they're guard cows, don't ya know?” I said, struggling harder to keep from laughing. “They guard the property against trespassers, like you.”
“Bullshit,” she said.
She tried to sound tough but I heard the tremor in her voice. The woman's eyes widened and darted around, fear and uncertainty on her face. Suddenly, she didn't sound entirely sure of herself. I turned around, pretending to go back to the house.
“I'll just leave them to their job, then,” I called over my shoulder.
“No, wait!” she shouted. “Please, help me. I'm sorry for trespassing. I was only trying to take a shortcut into town.”
I stopped moving, knowing she was probably telling the truth. A little city slicker like her probably was trying to find her way into town. Though, the question was, how did she get out there in the middle of nowhere Texas anyway? Where had she come from? But, most of all, how had she ended up in my field?
With a sigh, I turned back and walked over to her, taking her arm and dragging her past the cows. She dropped the stick and stared wide-eyed like she was afraid they were going to attack. All the cows did, though, was stand there, chewing their cud and staring at her.
“First of all, princess, these aren't bulls. They're cows,” I said. “And if you think these are scary, you're lucky you didn't meet my bull. He's not nearly as friendly as these old girls.”
“Don't call me princess,” she spat, yanking her arm free as soon as we were a safe distance from the cattle. “And sorry I don't know the difference between friendly cows and angry ones.”
I shook my head. “You also need to watch out for the emus. They're mean bastards,” I said, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Ever been chased by an emu, princess?”