He stared at her. "John again?"
"No. I've been going through my father's papers," she explained. "Your birthday is May twenty-first."
"That's right." He took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down. "There wassomething I wanted to talk to you about tonight."
"I wanted to talk to you, too," she heard herself say. "I've put it off for awhile now but it's only fair that you know what's going on." She took a deep breath.
"You're ending the cattle operation," he said, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"Well, no-"
"No?"
"There was an article in the paper about a ranch near us that's raising some special breed of beef cattle." She wished she could remember the name of thedam things. "Saint something."
"Santa Gertrudis?"
"That's it. Are they very expensive?"
"They are." He leaned back in his chair. "Sweetheart, I thought you wanted abed-and-breakfast operation, not a cattle ranch."
"Eventually," she said. "But I need to keep money coming in so the ranch isself-sufficient."
"Like its owner," Cal said.
"Yes." She finished the rest of her dessert while he discussed the merits of a new breeding program.There would be other times to talk to him, she promisedherself. And maybe she needed to do it somewhere private, without anex-girlfriend watching or a waitress interrupting to refill his coffee.
There was time,Addie told herself.Neither one of them were going anywhere.
Chapter 9.
"Ilet the little fellas watch TV after they put their pj's on," Johnwhispered. "And they fell asleep so I just left them here."
"That's okay. I'll get them to bed." Addie smiled. Matt lay sprawled on thecouch while Ian was asleep on the floor, his head nestled against an oversizepillow. "I'll take them upstairs. Thank you for taking such good care ofthem."
"No problem, Miss Addie," the old man drawled. "They're fine boys. Didn'tgive me no trouble at all, except for falling asleep before I could get themupstairs in their beds."
"I'm glad they behaved themselves." She had given them strict instructions toobey John and to go to sleep when they were told to, but she suspected Johnwas too softhearted to be strict with them. "They were pretty excited aboutyou being here."
"Did you two have a good time?" The old man grinned. "It's sure nice when twoyoung people can go out and be alone together."
"We had a lovely dinner," Addie assured him, but Cal frowned. John stifled alaugh and moved toward the door. "I'll be heading home now, though. I'mfeeling a bit sleepy myself. Good night, Miss Addie. 'Night, Cal."
"Good night," she said, before leaning over Matt to wake him.
"Don't bother the boy," Cal said, stepping closer. "I'll carry him upstairsfor you."
"All right." She followed him up the kitchen staircase and turned on a small,corner lamp so Cal could see. "It's this one," she said, pulling back thecovers on her son's bed. Cal deposited the sleeping child onto the mattressand Addie covered Matt with the striped sheet.
They did the same with Ian, who grumbled in his sleep and opened his eyesonce to stare blankly at the rancher holding him. "Mr.Cal?"
"Go to sleep, boy,"Calwhispered. "You're in your own bed now."
Ian blinked twice before closing his eyes and rolling over on his side."Okay," he mumbled before falling asleep.
"Thanks," Addie whispered, once the boys were settled in theirbeds.Calstarted for the stairs, but Addie stopped him. "Wait," she whispered."I have that article up here, the one about the fancy cattle and how thatranch is making money selling beef that doesn't have additives or chemicals."
She hurried past her bathroom and closets, through the narrow passageway thatconnected her room to the children's, to find the magazine forCalto read. Sheheard his footsteps behind her as she knelt down and rifled through the stackof reading material next to her bed. She wasn't surprised to see the manstanding there, looking at her in the dim light that came from the bathroom'snight-light.
"I found it," she said, coming to her feet. "There's an auction every Juneand-"
"Addie." He reached out to take her hand. "Forget the cattle for a minute."
"But-" His hand was warm, the skin rough around her fingers.
"I'm going to kiss you good-night now,"Calsaid. "I'm done talking aboutcows."
"Are you sure?" She couldn't help smiling up at him in the darkness. "Thismagazine article has a lot of information you might want-"
"I'm sure," he said.Caltook the magazine and tossed it onto the bed, thentugged her closer so that their bodies touched. Her breasts were against hisbody, and she had the overwhelming desire to rip off his shirt and bury herface in his naked chest. She remembered it being a very impressive part ofhim. "No more ranch talk, sweetheart. I'm going to take advantage of being inyour bedroom for a few minutes."
Oh, good,she wanted to say. Even though she had no business kissing the man,or starting something that she shouldn't really finish. But she was onlyhuman, she told herself, gazing up at the man who held her so gently. "And howare you going to do that?"
He brought his mouth down to hers, brushed her cheek with his lips. "Well, Ithought I'd kiss you for a while," he whispered. "Maybe a few hours."
"Hours?"
"Mmm." His lips moved across hers. "Unlike our first date."
"Please don't remind me." The immediate physical reaction to his kisses wasall too familiar. She told herself she was lonely. She reminded herself thather hormones were raging out of control. She forgave herself for kicking offher sandals and pulling him closer.
"It's one of my fondest memories," he murmured against her mouth. "Up untilthe end, when you ran out of the motel room."
She wasn't running now, she realized. That wide expanse of king-size bed wasonly inches away, but Addie knew she had to resist hauling the cowboy onto themattress. She was a respectable woman, a mother, a landowner and a woman ofreason and good sense. But he kissed her again, not so gently this time. Andthe respectable woman of good sense looped her arms around his neck and pulledhim even closer.
"We shouldn't," she managed to say, once he'd lifted his mouth. Her bodytingled in all the right places and reminded her that she was courtingtrouble.
"Yeah," he said. "I know."
"Although I suppose it's not that terrible, since we've done it before-"
"That one time doesn't count," the man growled. "Not really."
Oh, it counted, she wanted to say. Enough to make a baby, despite thecircumstances.
"I have to lock the doors," she managed to whisper into his chest.
"I did." His fingers lifted her blouse and caressed her bare skin. For oneinstant of panic, she wondered if he could tell that her body was rounder. Butshe told herself that there was no way he could remember the shape of herwaist or the curve of her abdomen, not from the brief time they'd spent nakedtogether.
"How can we do this?" she whispered. "Weknow each other now."
His hands swept along her back and unhooked her bra. His soft chuckle tickledher neck. "You only have sex with strangers, Addie?"
"Of course not, but-" Oh, dear. Those wonderful hands of his unbuttoned thefront of her blouse. He swept it off her shoulders and down her arms beforetossing it to the floor. Then he did the same to her bra, releasing herbreasts so that her sensitive nipples brushed against his starched cottonshirt.
"Addie?"
She'd closed her eyes and leaned against him as his hands stroked her bareback, then lower, to unzip her skirt and ease it past her hips to the floor."Mmm?"
"You're beautiful, just as I remembered."
"It was dark," she countered, embarrassed by the compliment as she stoodthere wearing nothing but pale-blue bikini underpants.
"Not that dark."
No, not that dark. And not that long ago, either. But this time they kneweach other. This time they were friends, or something more than acquaintances.And this time they were in a house-her house-and weren't exactly alone. Hislarge hands caressed her breasts, weighed their heaviness, moved lower to herwaist. His fingers skimmed the satin cloth that covered the last bit of skin.He made short work of removing her underwear, surprising her by loweringhimself on his haunches and working the scrap of fabric down her legs. Sheheld his shoulders and lifted one foot and then the other, kicking theunderwear aside with an abandon she didn't recognize in herself. His lipstouched her stomach and his hands held her hips still.
"Cal," she breathed, wondering how much longer she could stand up as his lipstrailed kisses lower. His warm breath moved over her like hot silk, strokingand teasing the sensitive flesh exposed to his lips. It was like every eroticnovel she'd ever read, but this was real. He rested his head on her abdomenand took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Come to bed, Addie."
"Yes."
He lifted her easily and deposited her on the bed. She pushed the coversaside and slid beneath the sheets whileCalundressed.
"This is crazy," she managed to say as he tossed his shirt to the floor."We're going to regret this in the morning."
"Why?" He sat down on the bed and tugged off his boots before he turned tosmile at her. "It's going to last longer than ten minutes this time. Andhopefully neither one of us is going to run off into the night."
She thought about running. But she was naked, and didn't want to be anyplacebut in bed with Cal McDonald, who was taking too long to remove his jeans. Shewanted him, plain and simple. Her breasts ached to be touched, her body hummedwith unspent passion, and whenCal, now blessedly naked and impressivelyaroused, slipped into bed beside her, Addie shivered.
"What's wrong?" He leaned over her and brushed a lock of hair from herforehead. "Are you cold?"
"No." He urged her closer, and she went into his arms as easily as if she did so every night. It was like coming home after a long, hard trip, an eroticreunion of two people who might not have realized how much they missed eachother.
She'd missed him, though. She'd known that every night she'd lain alone inher bed and remembered how he felt deep inside of her. His body slid againsthers as he kissed her, his tongue teasing hers as their bodies entwinedunderneath the cotton sheet. His deep, low sound of pleasure echoed her ownneed, and she wanted him inside of her again, wanted to feel him as part ofher. He moved her onto her back and took his time caressing her body andkissing a path downward, to the vee between her legs, then gently pushed herthighs apart to allow him entrance.
Addie bit back a cry as his mouth found her. Her body, so newly pregnant andsensitive, reacted quickly to the touch of his lips, and she flinched at thestartling pleasure that his mouth gave her. His long fingers slid across herwetness, slipped inside, opened her for him. She tried not to climax rightthen and there, but her body was on fire and there was no stopping thespiraling orgasm thatCalcoaxed so easily from her. She closed her eyes andgasped as the climax burst from her, whirling from the very core of her beingand turning her breathless and shaking.
He didn't leave her for a long moment. His mouth absorbed the aftershocks ofher orgasm while his fingers moved in and out with slow, soothing motions. Sheeventually caught her breath and wondered how on earth this man could havethis kind of effect on her.
He eased away from the bed, retrieved the condom he had left on thenightstand and returned to her. She reached for him before he could coverhimself; she wanted to feel him, needed to run her fingertips along the hardlength of him and learn how he liked to be touched.
Calgroaned, but when she would have taken him in her hand and pleasured himwith her mouth, he gently removed her hand and lifted it away from his body.
"It feels too good, sweetheart," was all he said, his voice raspy withpassion as he slid the condom on. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture,but keep that up and I'll embarrass myself and have to go home early."
"We wouldn't want that." She smiled into his eyes before he leaned forwardand kissed her. And she was lost once again asCalmoved over her and urged herthighs apart. She was ready for him, of course. He'd made sure of that. Andthey fit together as perfectly as she remembered, though tonight she couldappreciate it for more than simply sating lust, filling a lonely need tobeloved, if only for a little while.
Tonight was so much different, so much better. Tonight she knew his name. Shecalled it a long time later when she climaxed, moments before he plunged deepand hard, finding his own release inside of her.
He pulled the covers over them, settled her into his arms. She was asleepalmost immediately, but not before thinking that she might have made anotherbig mistake. Not by making love toCal, she realized, snuggling into his widechest, but by falling in love with him.
"Hi."
Calopened his eyes and saw the twins' faces inches away from his own. They looked at him as if they were happy to see him this morning, which wasunsettling to a man who had made love to their mother twice last night andcould have done so again this morning if he'd been left alone to seduce thewoman curled so contentedly against him.
"Hi," he whispered, knowing Addie was still asleep. Her face was tuckedagainst his back; he could feel the length of that beautiful body pressedagainst him. Thank God they were both covered with the sheet, or the kidswould really have something to tell their grandmother next weekend.
"What are you doin' here?" Ian asked, looking over at his mother as if hecouldn't believe that she was sleeping so late.
"Sleeping," was the only thingCalcould think to say. He knew he'd locked thedoors, but the boys must have gone downstairs and come up the frontstaircase.Calhadn't thought of locking the door that led to the hall. Nexttime he'd be more careful.
"Oh. Mommy's sleeping?"
"She sure is. Don't wake her up, all right? She's really tired." The boysfrowned.
"We're hungry," Matt said. "And we hafta go to school."
Calpeered at the clock on the nightstand. "It's only five-thirty. I think youhave plenty of time." They didn't look convinced. "Go downstairs and watch TVor something, and I'll be down in a minute."
"Really?" Ian's face brightened and he turned to Matt. "See? I told you."
"Told him what?"Calasked, but Matt only grinned before the boys turned andhurried out of the room. He heard them laughing as they hurried down the mainstaircase, and hoped the sound wouldn't wake Addie.
"Oh, no," she groaned.Too late,Calrealized. He turned to watch her make afrantic attempt to sit up. She was tousled and lovely, caught in a tangle ofsheets and cursing quietly under her breath.
"Addie, it's okay. They didn't see anything." He put his hand on her arm butshe shook it off.
"They saw you in my bed. What on earth are they going to think?"
"That you were sleeping. They're only five."
"Going on six. Old enough to remember they saw their mother in bed with aman. A naked man." She managed to get out of the bed, a sheet draped modestlyaround her body, and hurried across the room to close and lock the door. "Iknew it was a mistake."
"What was?"
"This. Us. You." She stopped at the foot of the bed and gazed at him."Definitely a mistake."
Calshook his head. "Come here."