She threw her arms around him, whispering his name, her mouth finding his, cherishing him, getting as close as she could to him. Her lips were warm, eager, and he eased himself down on the blanket with her on top of him. His body went to scalding as her hips fitted perfectly against his. Her breasts pressed into his chest and a groan started deep within him as she kissed him with a passion he’d not encountered before. There was no question Shay liked the rings! A mountain of relief flooded him.
As much as he wanted to love her, Reese knew they had more work to do. Besides, the rain clouds were skidding off the steep slopes of the Wilson Range and were quickly heading out across the valley in their general direction. Gently bringing Shay to his side, he languished in the joy shining in her eyes and in the curve of her ripe mouth.
“I love you, Reese,” she whispered, sliding her hand across his jaw. “I’ve never been so happy.”
He took her mouth tenderly, kissing her for a long time, savoring the feel, the taste, and sweetness of Shay. As he eased away, he drowned in her glistening blue eyes. “So?” he asked, moving his thumb near the corner of her eye as a tear leaked out. “When do you feel like marrying me?”
“What about in early October? It’s such a beautiful month. I know it snows a little off and on, but the trees are so gorgeous in their fall colors. I love color. What do you think?”
“I think it’s fine. It’s going to take a bit of time to find the right dress.”
“And invite our friends.” Her voice lowered a little. “And family . . .”
Reese knew she was thinking about Ray. “I want you to invite whoever you want, Shay. If you’re not comfortable with your father being there, he doesn’t come.” Protectiveness swirled strongly within him as he watched her consider the situation. Yes, a little progress had been made with Ray and her. But they had a long, rough road to go with one another, and Reese knew it. Ray was a constant reminder to Shay of her eighteen years of pain, and the loss of her beloved but abused mother. He knew she had a lot of anger toward Ray and rightfully so, but Shay was trying hard to repair the bridges between them. And Ray wasn’t exactly eager to change his habits. The only reason he was trying was because Reese wasn’t going to allow him to verbally abuse Shay anymore. And intuitively Reese felt Ray was after something, but he didn’t know what. Reese felt Ray was setting Shay up. He’d sure as hell like to know what the man was planning. He didn’t like how he manipulated Shay. So Reese watched, and waited, not trusting Ray one iota.
Reese eased her into a sitting position and he kept his arm around her as she thought deeply about the situation. Finally, Shay sighed and shook her head.
“I can’t not invite him to our wedding, Reese.” She looked into his eyes. “Will you be okay with it?”
“I’ll be fine with it as long as he isn’t abusive toward you, Shay. He already knows I won’t stand for it.” He saw pain and then relief in her eyes as he spoke to her in a low, thick tone.
“Okay, he’ll be invited. I need to try to get on a better footing with him. I know it’s up to me to do it.”
He rubbed her shoulder in a protective gesture. “You did fine on the Saturday he came out while we were roofing the arena. There were some positive steps taken.”
Grimacing, she shrugged. “Some forward, some back.”
“It’s not going to get better overnight. It will get better in stages, with a whole lot of effort on both your parts.”
“I think he wants to try.” She licked her lips, watching the storm clouds darken over the Wilson Range, starting to drift over the valley toward them. “He looked lonely. I think he misses the ranch so much. I know I would.”
“The only one who put himself in his present situation is him,” Reese told her gently, keeping his anger to himself. “Ray had a choice after he had that stroke. He could have gone into rehab right after it happened and probably gained back most of his physical mobility, but he didn’t. Instead, he sat in that nursing home and sulked. It’s his story. Not yours.”
“I know,” she whispered, holding out her hand, admiring the engagement ring. Lifting her chin, she gave him a warm smile. “I can’t begin to tell you how nice it is to have you standing with me when I have to deal with him. I didn’t have what it took to stand up for myself. I could for everyone else, but not for me.” She grimaced, shaking her head, confusion in her expression.
“You don’t have to do this by yourself anymore. There’s work you have to accomplish, but Shay, I love you. I’m not going to stand by and let Ray take you apart with his anger. He’s angry because he’s made bad choices. And he’s always blaming and taking it out on you.” He kissed her wrinkled brow. “It’s not going to happen again.”
“To tell you the truth, it’s nice not having to visit him three times a week. Once a week is enough.”
“I’ll always be there to protect you, Shay. And the minute he turns on you, starts making you feel bad, you tell me, okay?”