Chapter Ten
Colton
"Congratulations on finding the rustlers," Bethany said to me after everyone had gone.
Jackson Horn and his cousin Floyd were strangers in Riverbend, but I'd hired them when we were short staffed during calving season, and they'd stayed on ever since. The tire prints on the path leading from the pasture matched Jackson's truck, and they both had piles of cash hidden in their cabin that they couldn't explain. William and his deputies had taken the criminals to jail, and my only hope was that William could get them to tell us where my cattle had gone.
After the arrest, Mama had gone back to the house and everyone else had returned to their duties.
"Thanks." I grinned at Bethany, unable to contain my feeling of relief. I had finally figured out the reason the ranch was bleeding money when all my analysis said we should have been making a profit. Better than that, I had solved the problem by finding the thieves and having them arrested.
Well, in all honesty, it was William and his incredible staff who had done that, but it was still a huge weight off my shoulders to know that the ranch was no longer going to lose any more money. The pressure to figure out what was going wrong had been enormous, and now I was free of it.
Beaming at Bethany, I said, "Congratulations on reconciling with your father."
"Thanks. It's been quite a day."
"It really has. What do you say we celebrate together? Just you and me, at the Riverview Vista."
"You mean, like a date?" she asked, and I'd never seen her blue eyes so wide.
"Yes. A date. I think it's about time I took you out formally. What do you say?"
"All right." She blushed adorably, and I wanted to shout out in the air, but I kept my cool.
"Terrific. I'll pick you up at seven."
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. I had to go down to the Sheriff's office and make a statement. Then there were some last minute things I had to do in the office. Before I knew it, it was nearly time to go.
I looked at my closet of suits that I had always hated. Dad had felt it was important to have a professional image, and he was right, it did greatly improve our business dealings. I'd always felt out of place in them, though, while my brothers were walking around comfortably in jeans and flannel shirts.
Tonight, however, I wanted to look my best. Suddenly, I didn't mind the suits so much. They made me stand out, and the way Bethany looked at me when I was wearing them made me finally feel worthy of the tailored luxury. I was a king in her eyes, and I wanted to look the part.
Reaching into the back of my closet, I pulled out my best suit: an Armani made of black silk. I pulled on a pair of ostrich-skin boots I saved for special occasions, and a silver belt buckle and silver bolo tie completed the look. Last of all, I placed my favorite black Stetson on my head and a rosebud in my lapel.
I slipped out my bedroom window, ran around to the front of the house and knocked on the front door.
I heard Mama shouting from the other side, saying, "Bethany, can you get the door? I'm up to my elbows in the kitchen."
Seconds later, the door swung open and Bethany gasped with surprise. "What are you doing out there?"
"A gentleman always picks a lady up for a date." I bowed and she laughed sweetly. "Are you ready to go?"
"Ready," she said, and her smile lit up the night sky. She looked incredible in a little black dress that molded to her sumptuous curves like it was liquid. Her long legs were smooth and supple, and it took all my effort not to sweep her into my arms and kiss her.
I opened the passenger door to my truck for her and we drove the distance into Riverbend, to its finest restaurant looking out over the river. The maître 'd gave us a table out on the patio with a view of the water, with its currents running swiftly under the light of the half moon above.
I ordered a bottle of champagne and held my glass up for a toast after the waiter took our orders.
"To new beginnings," I said, thinking of Bethany's reconciliation with her father and the fresh start I'd now be able to make in turning around the budget for the ranch.
"To new beginnings," she echoed. Our eyes locked as our glasses clinked gently together, and I saw her cheeks color slightly as she swallowed the bubbling liquid.
We spent the evening talking and getting to know each other even more intimately than before. I told her about my ambitions for upgrading the ranch and making it even more profitable than it had been in my father's day. She told me about her plans for having her own art show one day, when her internship was done.
I didn't like to think about what life would be like when she had to leave. So, I looked for a way to change the subject. Hearing the sound of frogs singing along the riverbank, I held my hand out to Bethany. "Care to dance?"
"There isn't any music."
"Sure there is. Just listen." She closed her eyes, and in the distance, the sound of chirping crickets blended with the song of the frogs. I watched as her lips gently curved into a smile, and I knew she heard it, too.
So, I led her out onto the center of the patio, and we waltzed together in time to nature's song. I could feel the eyes of the restaurant's staff and guests staring at us, but I didn't care. The only opinion that mattered to me was Bethany's, and her smile and the look in her eyes told me she was having the time of her life.
After dinner, we walked along the riverbank hand in hand, laughing and discussing our hopes and dreams. By the time we got home, it was nearly one o'clock in the morning.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening," Bethany sighed happily at the front door.
"Aren't you going to invite me in for coffee?" I teased, making her laugh that beautiful sound that I loved so much.
"I'm not the kind of girl who lets just any guy into her home after a date," she taunted.
"Well, I'm not the kind of guy who tries to go home with just any girl." I leered at her playfully, and leaned in for a kiss.
"Well, I'm not any girl," she said, and her voice was husky.
"You sure as hell aren't," I agreed. "You're the most incredible woman I've ever met, and I don't want you to ever go." My mouth closed over hers insistently. She opened her mouth to me as my hands ran through her hair, pressing her to me, refusing to let her go.
She wrapped her arms around me, clinging to me, obviously not wanting me to stop. I scooped her into my arms, lifting her slight frame easily off the ground, and I carried her up the stairs like a small child.
There was nothing childish about her, though. She was all woman as she stroked my chest while our tongues intertwined.
I carried her to her bedroom, where I gently set her down outside the door. I wanted her so badly it physically hurt, but I wasn't the kind of man to force myself on a woman. Bethany needed to invite me on her own accord, and I desperately hoped she would.
She turned the knob, and the door swung open wide. Leaning back against the frame with a dreamy look in her eyes, Bethany said to me, "Aren't you going to carry me the rest of the way?"
"Only if you're sure you want me to," I said. My eyes stared intently into hers, and I saw them dilate with desire.
"I'm sure." It was all the permission I needed. I lunged forward, sweeping into my arms as I took her lips with my own, hungrily, like a starving man. She backed into the room, and I kicked the door shut behind me, hearing it latch securely shut.
Bethany was clawing at my shirt, ripping open the buttons with desperate fingers. I kicked off my boots and unfastened my belt as she stripped off my shirt and bolo tie. When I was naked, she started to take off her dress, but I stopped her with a gentle touch of my hand.
"Let me," I whispered. She turned her back to me, and I slowly undid the zipper of her little black dress, lowering it inch my inch, exposing her bare flesh beneath. I kissed her neck as I did so, and soft sighs of pleasure escaped her lips.
When the dress fell to the floor, she turned around in my arms, and I stared in fascination at her breasts, elegantly displayed in a lacy bra. I kissed the top of her cleavage before slowly removing the garment. When her breasts were fully revealed in their naked glory, I sighed in appreciation at their perfect beauty before taking them into my hands and exploring them with my mouth.
I covered them kisses while Bethany ran her hands through my hair and arched her back into me, wanting more. When my mouth enveloped her nipple and worked it into a taut nub, she moaned loudly with pleasure and pressed my head firmly to her breast.
Laying her down on the bed, I kissed my way down her stomach to the top of her panties. I kissed my way down, over the top of her silky underwear, while she squirmed beneath me with delight.
She reached down with her hands to take them off, but I stopped her.
"Let me do all the work," I whispered. She whimpered with impatience, but put her hands up at her head and let me keep going.
I took my time, pleasuring her through the thin fabric of her silk panties with my massaging fingers before finally peeling them from her body once they were soaking wet.
I climbed onto the bed beside her, kissing and massaging every inch of her glorious naked body while she stroked me with her delicate hands.
"Take me. I want you, now," she gasped between moans of pleasure. My manhood was raging with desire, but I forced myself to hold back. I entered her slowly, being careful not to hurt her, as she was so petite and delicate.
She spread her thighs, wrapping her legs around my waist and welcoming me in. She was so wet and tight, I was afraid I would climax too soon and bit my lip trying to keep control.
When I'd entered her fully to the hilt, I felt her body spasm with pleasure. It was more than I could take. I began stroke within her with wild abandon as I kissed her lips and cupped her round buttocks with my hands.
She undulated beneath me, matching me stroke for stroke, as she climaxed with noisy gasps. It pushed me beyond my endurance, and I had no choice but to climax with her.
My orgasm was more powerful than any I had experienced before, and my muscles shuddered and I convulsed with pleasure. The euphoria lasted endlessly as I kept stroking deeply with her tiny body, and I wondered if her screams were because I was tearing her apart. When at last I stopped and collapsed atop of her, I saw from the beaming smile on her face, that she had experienced pure pleasure and felt relieved.
I rolled over onto the mattress, and she cuddled up against my bare chest. My arms encircled her slender shoulders and I stroked her back lovingly as we snuggled together in the warm and moist afterglow.
I was so content, my eyes slowly closed and when I opened them I saw the sunlight of early dawn streaming through her bedroom window. Crap! I'd accidentally fallen asleep and spent the night in Bethany's room instead of my own.
"Breakfast is ready!" Mama's voice projected through the house, waking Bethany. Through the door, I could hear my brothers clamoring noisily through the hall, in a rush to get to the table first.
"What are we going to do?" Bethany looked at me with worried eyes.
"You do down first. I'll wait until I'm certain no one is left upstairs to see me come out of your room. Then I'll slip into my room, change my clothes, and meet you at the breakfast table. No one will suspect a thing."
Bethany looked doubtful, but she did as I'd suggested, going down to the dining room after quickly getting dressed in a cute pair of jeans and a pretty blouse.
It was about five minutes later that I walked casually into the dining room wearing a fresh suit, my face unshaved and scratchy.
"What's for breakfast? It smells great," I said a little too loudly as I sat down across from Bethany, being careful not to make eye contact with her.
"Nothing for you. We ate it all," Brett teased, snatching the last slice of bacon from the platter in the center of the table. "The early bird gets the worm – or in this case, the bacon."
Mama set down a fresh platter with more bacon on it, and I grabbed several slices with a cocky grin. "Thanks, Mama."
She ruffled my hair, and said, "It's not like you to be late to the table, but I was sure to save you some after what you did yesterday."
William objected quickly. "Hey, I think I was the one who deserves the majority of the credit, and I was at the table early."
"Actually, Bethany deserves the credit," I said. I gazed at her across the table, then quickly averted my eyes before anyone caught on.
"So she does," William agreed chivalrously and tipped his hat at her. Then he rose from the table and said, "I've got to hurry up and get to the jailhouse. There's a ton of paperwork to do today, but for the first time, I don't mind."
"I've got to go, too," Tom joined him. "I agreed to give one of my students extra tutoring lessons this summer, in addition to teaching summer school."
"Is that the kid with the hot mother?" Brett razzed him like he always did.
"You're the one with the good-looking mother," Tom teased good naturedly and gave Mama a wink.
"Oh, you boys knock that off and get out of here." Mama flicked her dishtowel at them, chasing them at the door. Then she turned on Brett and Travis. "You, too. Both of you, get out of here and get to work. We're two men down since those criminals got arrested, and there's no time to waste."
"All right, I'm going," Brett pouted, snatching a last slice of bacon from the platter as he rose. "Tell that Colton. He's the one who's got to hire two new workers, and he was the last one to the table. Probably sleeping in like miss city girl here. She's always late getting up in the morning, too."
"That's enough." Mama shooed her two youngest sons out the door, but when she turned around, her knowing gaze focused right on me. With a wise smirk, she said, "It is rare for you to be so late getting up in the morning."
"What are you talking about? I was up hours ago, and already out in the office getting a jump on the day's work," I lied, knowing full well Mama could see right through me.
"You were, huh?" She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. I felt myself squirm in my seat and had to look down.
Mama gave me a pat on the cheek and said, "Just be careful about what you're working on. I don't want to see anyone get hurt.”
Then she left the room, leaving me and Bethany alone.
"Does she know about us?"
"Mama knows everything," I said with a sigh.