Chapter Eight
Cecily couldn’t believe she’d agreed to go with Judd to his family ranch. She gripped the edges of her seat as they bounced up the driveway toward the sprawling home. Perched on the console between them, Echo woofed, and Judd rubbed the dog’s ears.
“He knows where we’re at, don’t ya, boy?”
This was actually what had gotten Cecily packed and into Judd’s truck—the way he acted with his dog. The tough, unsmiling sheriff had a soft spot for his dog. Echo adored him, and Judd even let him kiss his face. Which was freakin’ adorable, even though Cecily wouldn’t be putting her lips there anytime soon.
“It’s beautiful,” she said as they pulled up in front of a garage and parked.
“Can’t complain. Fresh country air.”
“As if Bracken’s a polluted metropolis.” She laughed, growing lighter by Judd’s infectious happiness at being home.
He leaned forward to look around the dog at her. “Cecily, my family can be difficult. They say things that embarrass people.”
“I expected that. Parents always do that.”
“And my twin, he’s a pain in the ass.”
“I know his brother pretty well and expected that too.”
“Ha-ha,” he said dryly. “And my cousin Wes could be coming up. There’s a little trouble with my momma hating him being in a biker gang and him thinking he’s bulletproof.”
“Again, I know someone else like that. Look, I’m not worried about meeting your family.”
He eyed her. Echo’s tongue lolled out, panting with eagerness to get out of the truck and start running the acres of fields.
“What are you worried about then?” he asked.
She rubbed a hand through her hair. “Leaving my shop. Who knows what I’ll come back to.”
“About that, Cecily—”
The passenger’s door whipped open, and Cecily glanced up in surprise to see a woman with dark hair who could only be Judd’s mother standing there beaming at her. “You must be Cecily. Welcome, welcome! I’m so glad to meet you. C’mon out and let me look at you. Are you hungry? It’s past lunchtime, and we ate already, but I’ve got enough ham for sandwiches for both of you. And homemade pickles.”
“Jesus, Momma. Let her blink before you push the pickles onto her.” Judd jumped out, Echo barreling past him and disappearing around the garage. Cecily got out more slowly, thankful when Judd rounded the SUV to stand next to her.
“Watch your mouth, Judd Roshannon. You’re not too old for me to pinch your ear.” She gave Cecily a smirk. “He hates having his ear tugged. In case you ever need to make him listen.”
A laugh bubbled up in Cecily’s throat, and she cupped a hand over her mouth to hold it in. Judd’s brows were drawn like a thundercloud over a rainy day. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you, Mrs. Roshannon.”
“Call me Winter.”
“Winter? A lovely name.”
“Was born in the winter, which is Judd’s most hated season, in case you didn’t know.” The woman hooked her arm into Cecily’s and led her away from the SUV. “Oh there’s Echo. Sweet dog but Judd spends too much time alone with him.”
“Momma,” Judd’s warning tone came from behind them. Cecily twisted to glance over her shoulder, meeting his gaze. The corner of his mouth tipped up in the way only a country boy’s could and melted some of her worry away. She was here, there was nothing she could do about her shop back in Bracken, and she’d just have to trust everything would be intact when she returned.
“Look at the ugly mug on that.” Aiden crossed the yard with Amaryllis beside him.
Cecily was a bit embarrassed by the way they’d met earlier. She’d looked like shit and acted like an imbecile. As the couple approached, she smiled and held out her hand to Amaryllis first and then Aiden. “Judd talked my ear off about you on the drive up here. I’m sorry I wasn’t very talkative the last time we met.”
Aiden smiled at her, and Cecily had to blink to clear the thought that she was looking at Judd. When he spoke, he sounded exactly like him as well. “It’s fine. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up. Judd, all your whips are up in the attic in a trunk. Want me to help you get them down?”
Judd clamped a hand in a vice grip on Aiden’s nape and dragged him several steps away. Amaryllis was pink in the cheeks, and Cecily couldn’t shake the feeling she was missing something. Or that she was on the verge of understanding.
“I’m thrilled you’re all here. If I could only convince Wes to skip out on the biker gang’s ride this weekend and join us.”
“Wes is okay, Winter. Aiden just spoke to him last night.” Amaryllis’s eyes softened as she comforted Mrs. Roshannon.
“Yeah, he’s fine, Momma. Let him be,” Aiden said as he joined the group again.
Judd stepped up behind Cecily, his body heat washing over her. She resisted the urge to lean back against him.
“I’m so afraid Wes will be destroyed like Judd was with Cassie.”
“Fucking hell. Can we shut up in this family for once?” Judd bit off.
Aiden started laughing, and their momma seemed nonplussed. She started for the house, waving them along like chickens in her wake. “Come get those sandwiches and Cecily and I will chat while I start the roast for supper.”
Judd didn’t move. He took Cecily by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “I’m sorry my family’s nuts. This wasn’t a good idea to bring you.”
She eyed him. Dark hungers and whips? She wanted to ask him so bad what that was about, but his firmed jaw told her to stay quiet for a little while longer. She was drawing conclusions, though, and the glint she remembered in Judd’s eyes when he’d tied her up in the SUV was the missing link.
For some reason, he was against showing her these desires of his, and maybe it was because he didn’t trust her. She hadn’t known him very long, after all. But one thing was sure, being with him, seeing him with people he loved in a place he adored made her feelings toward him grow in a matter of seconds.
Her life may be a shamble right now with the upset of her business, but she definitely couldn’t deny she was falling for the sheriff.
* * * * *
Damn his brother to hell, and his momma wasn’t helping matters any. Not to mention Amaryllis had worn a blush that told Judd she most likely bore Aiden’s paddle marks right now.
And Cecily was throwing him questioning looks every three minutes until the womenfolk dragged her out to the yard to see the chickens.
“You look about to grind off your teeth, brother,” Aiden said cheerfully.
“I know looking at the chickens is a pretense to ply Cecily with questions and tell her more about where I went wrong with my ex-wife. Why the hell’s this family in everybody’s business, I have no damn clue. And the whips comment, Aiden? Seriously? That part of my life’s over.”
They strode toward the paddock to saddle a couple horses. Their pa was out with the hired hands checking the herd and the miles of fence keeping the animals safe.
“Over, you say? Why the hell would that part of your life be over?” Aiden asked.
Judd lowered his glare at him. “Cassie burned that out of me when she told everyone I was a sick fucker in the bedroom and left me.”
Aiden stopped with his arm in the air, reaching for a saddle from a shelf. “You’re kidding me.”
“Fuck no. She claimed to like it at first, and then twisted everything around to make it sound like I was abusing her. So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk whips and ropes in front of Cecily. Or Momma, for that matter.” He whirled on his brother, ready to do real damage.
“Calm down, man. Momma makes up everything in her own mind. I didn’t tell her anything. Neither did Wes. You know he’s dirtier than you and I put together, and he isn’t about to let Momma get a whiff of that.”
Judd stared at his twin for a heartbeat. “Fine. I believe you. But cut it the fuck out, okay?”
“Sure, sure.” They saddled up in silence, and by the time they rode out, Judd was feeling a little less edgy. Though the idea of his mother and Amaryllis alone with Cecily had him clenching his jaw again.
“Your woman gonna talk about me to Cecily?” Judd asked.
Aiden cast him a sidelong look. “Amaryllis is a bold woman but she’s not a gossip. Can’t guarantee she won’t answer questions Cecily puts to her, though.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Look, if you like the woman—and I see you do—then why do you want to hide your personality from her? Do you think that might be where you went wrong with Cassie?”
Judd scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling hot despite the cold breeze whipping in from the mountains. Tonight would be a chilly one, and he planned to slip into Cecily’s bed and wrap her close to keep her warm and safe.
“I told you I’m not talkin’ about Cassie anymore. The woman’s dead to me, and I’m over her.” He snugged the strap around his mount and checked to make sure the horse was comfortable.
“I know you are. Because you’re so far into Cecily, your legs are practically sticking outta her throat.” Aiden hitched a boot in the stirrup.
“You’re a freak.”
“We share the same chromosomes, dude. If I’m one, you are too.” He swung into the saddle and Judd did too. They rode out in silence, Judd’s thoughts snowballing through a dozen scenarios revolving around what was happening back at the house with Cecily.
He spotted some riders up ahead, and his pa’s telltale white Stetson among them. He pointed, and Aiden followed his finger. They exchanged a look and simultaneously put their heels to their horses, spurring them into a race.
In the rush of flying along the field, Judd wished he’d forget his worries about Cecily being on her own for a few hours, but it didn’t fade one bit. By the time he got back to her, she’d know things about him that were better left unspoken.
* * * * *
Cecily stretched her legs out in front of her and tipped her head back to let the sun warm her skin. The wind was teasy, cold one minute and then seemingly warm when the sun popped out from behind the clouds. Amaryllis sat next to her, huddled in a thick quilted coat that obviously belonged to her husband.
“My temperature’s been off lately since my hormones are all over the place,” the woman said. She’d told Cecily about the pregnancy when, after lunch, Amaryllis had run behind a bush to throw up. She came out red-faced and sweating, whispering a thanks to the Almighty that Mrs. Roshannon hadn’t seen her and thought she’d caused it with her good lunch.
“My sister was the same when carrying my niece. She was always throwing on a sweater and then stripping it off,” Cecily said.
“Aiden’s already getting irritated with me at night, cold one minute and the next asking him to get away from me because I’m too hot.”
“My sister evened out after the first few months.”
Amaryllis nodded. “Hope so. You know, I wanted to visit your spa for a massage when we were in town, but we got a call that the guy we were investigating was sneaking out the proverbial back door.”
“I would have loved to have you come by. Maybe next time. I can’t imagine working as a team with my husband. Do you guys get sick of each other?”
Amaryllis smiled at her. “Not really. I think we’re so completely different and we argue enough to keep the spark. Plus, we’re still newlyweds. But I don’t see myself getting tired of Aiden even when we’re ninety.”
She pondered her words, her thoughts centered on Judd. If Aiden and Judd were twins, how much alike did that make them? Aiden and Amaryllis got along perfectly, and she was as far from Cecily’s personality as the moon from the sun.
“The Roshannon men are hard. Stubborn, unwilling to let go of whatever thought’s lodged in their thick heads even if they’re not right. But I’m sure you’re learning that.”
Cecily nodded, a trace of a smile on her lips.
“Their teasing sends their momma off the deep end, but she sometimes gets them back and embarrasses them good.”
With a chuckle, Cecily rocked a little, arms around her knees. “I can totally see that happening.”
“And when Wes is here, all three of the guys are unbearable, tossing out insults to each other day and night. When the whiskey comes out, it gets worse but they’re having so much fun, nobody wants it to end. Not even their parents.”
“But you said Wes is their cousin.” Cecily was trying to straighten family ties in her mind, but the ribbons were twisted.
“He is but was raised like a brother. I guess I just see him as a younger bro. The guys are protective of him like that. Also, they pick on him for the same reason.”
“Interesting, for sure. I’m glad to be a part of it today.”
After a beat of silence, Amaryllis said, “Judd’s crazy about you.”
She twitched to attention. “How do you know?”
“This might sound odd, but I see the look on his face, and it’s the same one I see on Aiden’s when he looks at me.”
She gave a soft laugh. “Well, I guess they would share expressions.”
Amaryllis nodded.
Cecily conjured the strength to ask the question she’d been dying to all day. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Amaryllis studied her. “Yes.”
“It’s just that… I think Judd likes me, but I feel like he’s holding back.”
Amaryllis twisted her lips.
“In the bedroom.”
Silence pulsed between them, filled only by the far-off bark of a dog and some chickens squawking over the food Mrs. Roshannon had scattered earlier.
“What makes you think that?” Amaryllis asked at last.
“He looks like he’s about to do more when we’re… you know, intimate. Then he doesn’t. The only time he has was when there was some rope on the floor of the SUV and I told him to use it.”
Amaryllis sat up straighter and folded her hands over her belly, though it was completely flat. “I can’t speak for Judd’s tastes, but the Roshannon boys are known for their different bedroom play.”
“Meaning whips and ropes, right?” Cecily’s heart pounded.
Amaryllis nodded. “Spanking, hair pulling. Does Judd order you around in bed?”
“He starts to. A few times, yes. But mostly, he just swallows something down and I know he’s restraining himself. I can’t help but feel that if we’re going to move on with this relationship—if that’s what it is—then we need to be completely open with each other.”
“You’re right. Have you talked to him about it?”
“Not yet. Maybe this trip is a good opportunity.” She needed to discover what he wanted so she could give it all to him. And he wouldn’t hold back with her at all. She couldn’t help but feel this next step in the bedroom would also be the next step in their relationship.
She didn’t know much about BDSM, but she trusted Judd and the few glimpses into him controlling her in the bedroom she’d liked. Okay, more than liked. Whenever she thought about him tying her up or giving commands, tingles raced through her.
She thought on that mythical trunk in the attic full of whips. She wasn’t about to go looking for it. But staring toward the barn, she was pretty sure she could come up with some rope.