Epilogue

Ben

Ever since Luke turned two, he thinks he’s too big for me to carry him. He likes to head out to the pasture after dinner and see the cattle one last time before the sun sets. He especially enjoys walking around in his new cowboy boots.

“You shouldn’t keep admiring your new boots, son,” I tell him. “You need to watch where you’re going. What would your Aunt Viv say about you stepping in a cow patty in the boots she bought you?”

He frowns. Normally, he’s got an argument for me, especially since he turned two.

Gracie and I follow him, walking hand in hand.

She chuckles softly. “When he gets that little, I-know-what-I’m-doing expression, he looks just like you.”

I shake my head and pull her closer. We fall into an easy step together. This is my favorite time of the day. The work’s done. We’ve had a nice dinner, thanks to Gracie, and we have the evening to look forward to. I always look forward to things winding down and having Gracie to myself.

Not that I don’t love every minute with Luke. Sometimes he wears me out, but I still want a dozen more. When he gets to the fence he climbs to the top rail and leans over. Luke loves the horses, but he’s all about the cattle. Especially the new calves.

The bull lumbers over, his nostrils flared and a rumble in his chest. He knows that one of us will have something for him. I have a hundred head of cattle, but not one as easy going as Jesse James. Yes, the undefeated, devil-bull turned out to be the biggest teddy bear of them all.

As an investment he’s been a good bull too. In the last year he’s sired scores of calves, all of them already spoken for by ranches across Texas. Everyone wants a youngster sired by an incorrigible bull, it seems. If only they knew the Jesse James I know. He’s no monster.

The bull noses Luke’s hand. Luke pulls a range cube from his pocket and holds it out. The bull sniffs. Gently, he takes it from Luke’s hand and crunches it.

A few of the cows wander over, but they’re too shy to come to the fence. They hang back and watch.

Luke waves to them and yells, “Moo.”

“The moos don’t want a treat, Luke,” Gracie offers. “Silly moos.”

Luke chuckles.

The bull stands there for a few minutes, but when he realizes the treats are gone, he wanders back to the herd and resumes grazing. A cool, spring breeze blows. Luke would be happy to stay another hour, just waiting, but we’ve got to head inside.

“Ready to see Aunt Viv on television?” Gracie asks.

Luke’s brow furrows, but he clambers down. He doesn’t really believe that he’ll see her on the TV, or maybe he doesn’t understand. We return to the house as the sun sinks below the horizon.

When I first came to the ranch, Gracie didn’t have television. I told her it was a necessity. I needed to keep up with football since I was done bull riding.

We sit on the couch, Gracie next to me, Luke on her lap and I turn on the television. The show starts. The credits roll: Cowboy Bachelor, Texas Edition.

Vivian’s marriage to the lawyer didn’t last a New York minute. Since then, she’s been engaged twice and broken up with the guys before we even got a chance to meet them. This show is her latest venture into dating and possible matrimony, done with her own, unique flare.

The show is a bit of a joke, if you ask me. Not only are a bunch of women vying for some fake cowboy, but the drama is through the roof. Last week, it was all about the bachelor, some oilman from Houston. I don’t think the guy has ever stepped foot on a ranch, until now. The whole season is going to be filmed in different locations across West Texas. Last week they had him riding a horse and he looked like he might faint.

This week, they’re introducing the girls. Twelve of them. Luke yawns. Grace sets him off her lap, goes to the kitchen and returns a moment later with a snack for him. He’s more interested in the food than the show, and I can’t blame him.

But then Vivian comes on and he yelps with surprise. He points at the television and stares in disbelief. His expression is pretty sweet. He’s crazy about his aunt and can’t believe she’s on television.

Gracie snickers at his response. Both of us are mostly watching Luke while Vivian’s talking on the television. The segment was filmed here on the ranch about ten days ago.

“Well, I just love the country,” Vivian drawls. “I’m out here on my family’s ranch every chance I get.”

Gracie gives me a look over Ben’s head. I smile. Vivian’s a pain in the neck, but I have to admit she’s very sweet to Luke. After getting off to a bad start with Vivian, I was prepared to simply tolerate her, or ignore her, but she redeemed herself after Luke was born. While she doesn’t come “every chance she gets,” she does come and visit. Mostly to see Luke, I suspect.

I hired a contractor to rebuild the small cabin at the end of the driveway. We fixed it up with Vivian in mind. Vivian requested specific bed sheets, and insists on a certain brand of bottled water. We try to accommodate her. Vivian thinks Luke’s the best child to walk the face of the earth, and it’s easy to get along with someone who’s so devoted to your kid.

For that reason alone, we make sure we have low-carb this, and free-range that, so the meals are to her approval, as well.

Luke watches, transfixed, while Vivian chatters on about spending her girlhood on horseback. “Far be it for me to brag, but I consider myself to be an expert at biscuits and gravy.”

Gracie scoffs. “When was the last time my sister ate a biscuit, I’d like to know.”

As soon as the segment is over, the phone rings. It’s Vivian who wants to know what we thought. Gracie chats with her as she takes Luke upstairs to have his bath and get ready for bed. I head up a little while later to read to Luke but he’s already half asleep. I tuck him in and kiss his forehead.

My phone dings as I shut Luke’s door. It’s a message from Gracie.

I have a confession. I’ve stowed away on your ship, Captain Calhoun…

I can’t keep from smiling as I stroll down the hallway. Grace loves her little games, and I have to admit, I do too. I never know what she’s going to come up with. A few weeks ago, she came to bed wearing a French maid’s outfit. Christmas Eve she was a naughty elf.

Candles light the bedroom. Gracie lies in bed, wearing a white, lacy, one-piece bodysuit. She smiles and bites her lip. I’m awestruck. The only thing I can think to do, besides stare, is lock the door behind me. From the first moment I saw Grace, I thought she was the prettiest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. I still do, of course, but sometimes she takes my breath away.

Need surges through my body. My blood heats. I adjust my cock because suddenly my jeans are way too fucking tight.

“I don’t have any way to pay my ship passage, Captain.”

I shake my head. “What?”

Her smile widens. “I’ve stowed away on your ship and have no money. I’m at your mercy.”

“That a fact?” I pull my shirt over my head, not bothering with the buttons. I kick off my boots and strip off my jeans. I crawl across the bed and look down at her. “Damn, you’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

The lace clings to her breasts. I cup her breast and stroke her nipple. Her breath catches and she lets out a soft moan.

“I need you naked,” I growl, running my finger under the lacy trim.

“Don’t rip it, Ben!”

I scowl. “I’m the captain of this ship, girl. You don’t tell me what to do.”

“I mean, please don’t rip it, sir.”

I return my attention to her delicious curves. “That’s better.” I give her nipple a slight squeeze.

She draws a sharp breath.

“You’re a pretty wench. I think you’ll warm my bed nicely.”

A giggle escapes her mouth. “Ben…”

I lower to kiss her and skim my hands along her sexy as fuck outfit. I’d like to tear it from her, but I’d also like to see her in it again. Soon. So I resist the urge to shred the lace. I’ll have to get at her the usual way, strip her down. But she pulls my hand between her thighs and I find the material’s opening.

I growl. “If you’ve been walking around my ship like this, I’ll turn you over my knee.”

She laughs, but her laughter vanishes when I trace my fingers along her pussy. She’s wet. When she closes her eyes, she parts her thighs, inviting me. My cock, already steel-hard, throbs, releasing a few drops of pre-cum. I swipe my thumb across and raise my fingers to her mouth.

“Taste what you do to me,” I whisper.

Her eyes widen. She licks her lips.

“Now I’m going to taste you.”

I lift her and turn her towards the head board. “Grab it and hold tight.”

She lets out a soft moan. “Ben, you know I can’t take too much of this.”

I smack her ass. “Should have thought of that before you snuck onto my ship.”

Immediately, she starts trembling because she knows what’s coming. I push her knees apart and settle beneath her. When I coax her lower, she’s panting even before I’ve started. Small little noises that are part arousal and part worry about how much I’ll make her beg.

Her scent makes my self-control slip. I imagine forgoing this, gripping her hips and taking her hard from behind. She’s so wet, I know she’s ready. But I’m going to take my time with her, even if it means holding off.

I lick her slowly, teasing her with my tongue. Her pussy is swollen. Her clit is a sweet and juicy berry. Cupping her ass, I hold her right where I want her. It’s not long before small cries begin to fall from her lips. Her legs shake. She writhes and sways. I push her down to my mouth, so I can give her a little more. Her sounds become even more frantic.

There’s no sexier sound than the sounds Gracie makes as she’s slowly falling apart. My cock pulses with the need to be buried deep inside her. I love the way her control slips away. I’d like to make her come. Right now. Just like this. But I want her to come on my cock even more.

I get up and she practically falls to the bed. I have to hold her to keep her from collapsing, and I want her just like this, on her knees, holding the headboard. Candlelight flickers across her. She’s gorgeous. A dream. The lace molds to her body. Her ass, lush and heart-shaped, makes primitive need wrap around me. She’s whimpering and breathing hard. I rub the head of my cock against her pussy and she shudders. When she arches her back, offering herself to me, I thrust hard. I can’t hold back when she does that.

“Bad girl,” I whisper. “Dirty little stowaway.”

She groans but arches again when I start thrusting into her. I grab a handful of her hair and coil it around my fist. With my other hand, I grip her hip. Times like this, when I fuck her like a demon, she can hardly handle it. Neither can I. She writhes and arches, every breath a ragged gasp.

“Ben,” she pleads. “I’m…” Her words drift off and she gives out a soft cry. Her pussy clenches around my cock. Her body tightens and then sinks toward the tangled bedding. I snarl and thrust hard, as I come an instant after her.

We collapse onto the bed. I pull her close and kiss her and hold her as we both recover from the wild bout of sex. Sometimes I worry that I might scare her, that I’m too fierce.

“You make me wild, sweetheart,” I whisper.

“I’m glad.”

I get up from the bed and wash up. When I tend to her, she tries to stop me, but I brush her hands away. I like caring for her in any way that she’ll let me.

“Sleep in that, Gracie,” I tell her. “You look like something right out of a dream.”

She salutes me, a sassy smile playing on her lips. “Aye, aye, Captain Calhoun.”

We lie together in the soft candlelight and I think about the first time I saw her, sitting with girlfriends in the dance hall. It felt like I’d been thrown from a bull and had the wind knocked out of me. It took some time to recover. I had to wait before I went to talk to her. I’d brushed off my response as nothing more than my imagination. But the feeling comes again every so often. Where everything feels right. Perfect really, and the realization steals my breath clean away.

 

 

THE END

 

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