Chapter 7
They’d only been on the trail for an hour when Owen asked if she needed to stop and rest. She was far from tired, in fact she’d discovered that Owen had been right about the boots. “I’m not tired at all; the boots are really helping.” She said, then rode on a head of him.
Owen was pleased to find that Tabitha was indeed a natural, she sat her horse like she’d been riding for years and seemed to understand what the horse was thinking and respond appropriately. Not only that, she looked very sexy on a horse, which was driving him crazy. The truth was that he wanted to stop so he could kiss her, but she seemed too oblivious to him right then, and too enthralled with riding and the view.
By lunch, they were well ahead of the schedule he’d set out for them. He’d assumed that Tabitha would need to stop, but she didn’t seem the least bit tired. “How about we stop for lunch?” he asked, then swung down from the saddle, giving her no choice but to stop.
“Is it lunchtime already?” She asked, letting him help her down from the saddle, then letting out a little cry when her legs threatened to buckle under her.
Owen felt Tabitha’s legs begin to tremble and knew that she was going to fall, so he grabbed onto her. “Wow, I think we should have stopped sooner, sorry.”
Tabitha didn’t mind being in Owen’s arms, but her legs quickly adjusted to her weight once more, and she was able to stand on her own. “I didn’t expect that.” She said, laughing when Owen wouldn’t let her go.
“It happens sometimes when you’ve been riding awhile.” He said, loving the feeling of her in his arms.
“I’m okay now.” She said, looking up at him.
“I know.” He said, still not letting her go.
Once they’d stretched their legs and had lunch, they got back on the trail, Tabitha eager to reach their destination which Owen had refused to tell her about. “Just a hint?” She begged for the tenth time that afternoon.
“If you’re just patient you’ll see.” Owen said, with a chuckle. He’d never seen this side of Tabitha and he liked it. “We’re just a mile or so away.”
Tabitha shot him a dirty look, but he knew that she really didn’t mean it. When they came to a fork in the trail, she turned back to see which way they should go and he pointed to the left where there was a faint path through the trees. She looked at the path, then back at him, then took it when he gestured at it again.
“It’s not much of a path, but I promise it’s the one we want.” He reassured her, but took the lead anyway. The path had only been built the summer before and it was still rough, so he led the way through the trees.
When they finally emerged onto a plateau high on the mountain, Tabitha sucked in a deep breath of the fresh air and looked around her. The plateau was only about a mile wide, but it was breathtaking, with a steep drop off on one side, a cliff along the back, and best of all a cute little cabin nestled in the trees. When they stepped into the meadow, the grass was as tall as the horse’s bellies, and they fought to drop their heads and graze.
“Owen this is beautiful. How did you find it?” She asked, a huge smile on her face.
“It belongs to Jack and Chloe.” He said, digging in his heels to get his horse moving.
“It’s wonderful, but how did it get here?”
“Jack built it for Chloe as a wedding present. If you look carefully, you’ll see a cave back there in the rocks. They got trapped up here together last summer during a bad storm. Chloe came up here to save him.” Owen explained, then added with a wistful tone of voice. “He says that this is where he realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Chloe.”
Tabitha was silent for a second, then she quietly said, “Owen Montgomery, I think you have a romantic side.”
Owen grinned at her, thinking that he might just have a romantic side after all. He’d never really considered how romantic the cabin was, all he’d been thinking about was taking Tabitha to a place where they could be totally alone, but that was exactly what Jack had built the cabin for. Sarah had always told him romance was about flowers, expensive dinners, and jewelry, but now he realized that romance was more about the thought behind the gesture than the gesture itself.
“Let’s see if you still think that tomorrow.” He said, with a wry grin, hoping that Tabitha wouldn’t be disappointed in the cabin and him.
Once they’d taken care of the horses, who were perfectly happy to be left alone to graze on the lush grass of the meadow, they made their way to the cabin. Owen threw open the door with a flourish, knowing that he’d done everything he could have to make the little cabin attractive. Tabitha took one look at the cabin and fell in love with it, although small, it was cozy and just big enough for two.
There was a little kitchen complete with a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink. Beyond that there a small living area, and finally a door that led to a small bedroom down a short hallway. The big fireplace in the living room had a comfortable looking couch in front of it, and Tabitha hoped it would get cold enough that night for a fire.
Owen was waiting expectantly for Tabitha’s reaction, but almost immediately he knew that she loved the little cabin, the look on her face was enough to tell him that. He had to admit that the place looked good, the trip up here last week well worth the sore muscles he’d gotten. He’d had to get help from some of the herders, but it had been worth the favors he’d had to redeem.
Tabitha looked around her in amazement. The little cabin looked like someone had been living there. There were fresh flowers everywhere she looked, and the smell of freshly baked bread, in the bedroom she found a plush cover on the bed and wanted to sink into the fluffy pillows. It was like stepping into a fairy tale, she the princess and Owen the prince.
“Owen how did you do this? It’s wonderful.” She finally said, when she came out of the bedroom.
“I might have had a little help from some of the herders, but it was my idea.” Owen said, embarrassed, which was surprising since he’d taken so much gruff from the guys when he told them what he wanted that the embarrassment should have long vanished.
“It’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.” Tabitha said, crossing the room and throwing herself in his arms, ready for the feel of his lips on hers.
Owen understood perfectly what she wanted and eagerly bent his head down to hers and captured her mouth in a kiss that left them both breathless. When they finally had to part for breath, Owen said, “As much as I enjoyed that, maybe we should think about dinner.”
When Tabitha whined and tried to kiss him again, he said, “We have all night.” But then gave in and kissed her again just to make sure she understood that they were only postponing the inevitable for later.
Tabitha normally wouldn’t have been so aggressive, and was a little shocked by her behavior. But when she’d seen the cabin, she’d known that this was right. Once she’d made up her mind, she didn’t want to wait, to worry about what it might be like to be with Owen. Most of her sexual experiences had gone along in similar fashion, one night of passion that eventually led to occasional sex that was never more than satisfactory. But she had a feeling that it might be different with Owen. He stirred her in ways that no man had ever been able to stir her before, and it wasn’t just physical; he’d managed to find his way into her heart.
That thought stopped her for just long enough to allow Owen to escape from her grasp and cross to the kitchen, a huge smile on his face. To her surprise, he pulled a casserole dish out of the refrigerator, which he showed her was cooled by a huge block of ice, then took off the cover. Tabitha knew at once what he was holding, the smell of pasta sauce wafting up to her nose.
“Did you make that?”
“Yep, all the Montgomery men can cook, my mother insisted on it.” He said, then added, “Jack’s more a gourmet chef than I am, but I can make a good lasagna.”
“It looks wonderful.” Tabitha said, then laughed when her stomach growled.
“See I told you that we needed to eat.” Owen said, sliding the lasagna in the oven and turning it on. “It’ll be ready in no time, the solar oven heats food quickly. Why don’t you go get settled?”
After they’d both unpacked their saddle bags, they made themselves comfortable on the porch of the little cabin in the swing that hung from the thick rafters. They sat in silence, conversation unnecessary as they listened to the sound of the forest, and enjoyed the fresh clear pine scented air. When the lasagna was nearly ready, Owen disappeared into the house, ordering Tabitha to stay put.
He came to get her a few minutes later and led her to a little table set for two complete with candles. The lasagna tasted just as good as it smelled and she couldn’t help but take a second helping when Owen offered. “I couldn’t have done any better myself.” She said, taking another bite.
“It was my mother’s specialty.” Owen said, a touch of sadness in his voice.
“You must miss her a lot. Tell me about her.” Tabitha offered, her heart going out to Owen, she may not live close to her parents, but they were still an important part of her life.
To both their amazement that was exactly what Owen did. Ge talked about his mother, stories about growing up with a woman who was determined to make her boys self-sufficient when by all rights they could have done absolutely nothing for the rest of their lives and still had money to spare. As he talked, it felt like something that had been tied up inside him began to unravel and he began to breathe a little bit easier.
Together they cleaned up the kitchen, Tabitha aware that she and Owen had grown closer over the day, a closeness that had nothing to do with the physical attraction between them. Owen too felt close to Tabitha and knew that she’d allowed him to open up as no woman had ever done, but his thoughts were also on the night to come. As they were drying the last dish, the horses began to whinny and stamp around outside the cabin.
“Stay here.” Owen ordered and grabbed the gun he’d set by the door when they’d first come in.
Tabitha hadn’t given it much thought, but she knew that they were in bear country, and although Owen had assured her that there hadn’t been any sightings, she suddenly had visions of a ten-foot-tall bear walking across their meadow. But Owen was back almost immediately, after he set the gun back where it had been, he pulled her onto the porch and pointed across the meadow.
There standing in the shadow of the trees was the moose they’d seen before, or at least it looked like the same moose. “Is it…” She whispered, knowing that Owen would understand what she was asking.
He nodded his head and took her hand, together they slowly crept up to the moose, being a quiet as they could. When they’d gotten as close as comfort would allow, Owen leaned up against a tree and pulled Tabitha back against him. Together they watched the moose, who looked over to where they were standing several times, but seemed to consider them no threat and kept grazing on the lush grass.
“He knows we’re here and doesn’t mind.” Tabitha whispered, looking up at Owen, thinking that this was even better than that night they’d gone out to dinner.
“He knowns we’re not a threat.” Owen whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
The sun had nearly gone down and it was getting cold. Tabitha had shivered several times, but she wasn’t willing to leave the moose just yet. She was hoping to see the mama and her baby, they’d been with the bull the last time, and they might still be. Just as the last rays of sunlight were touching the tops of the trees, her patience was rewarded when the buck bellowed deep in his throat.
In only a few minutes, the cow and calf came into the meadow and walked over to the bull who nudged the female, then pushed them both into the security of the trees. Tabitha had never seen anything so amazing in her entire life and it was all she could do not to cry, but Owen must have been feeling the same emotion because he took a deep breath. Tabitha hoped that he was seeing what she was, the perfect little family with the baby making them complete.
They walked back to the cabin in silence, no words necessary to explain what they were both feeling. By the time they got back to the cabin, Tabitha was shivering so Owen started the fire in the living room and pulled her onto his lap, then covered them both with a blanket. Within minutes between the fire and Owen’s body heat, Tabitha had quit shivering and was instead quivering with desire.
Owen could sense the change in Tabitha and was no longer willing to wait, so he captured her mouth in a kiss that told her how much he wanted her. His tongue ravished her mouth, his teeth biting her lip then his tongue soothing the spot until she thought she’d explode with need. Owen took them on dance, tasting and teasing, exploring the passion between them until only more could have satisfied them.
Owen gently stood Tabitha on her feet and pulled her into his arms, his heart thundering in his chest, his body suffused with the pleasure of simply having her in his arms. But he wanted so much more, tipping her head up, he smoothed the hair back from her face and looked deeply into her eyes.
“I want you sweetheart, but only if you want this too.” He said, the act of being gallant costing him.
“I want you too Owen.” She said, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
Owen’s heart was racing so fast he couldn’t respond to Tabitha’s words, so he let her unbutton his shirt and slide it from his shoulders. When she ran her hands over his chest, he sucked in a deep breath imagining those hands touching other places. Needing to feel her bare skin under his hands, he unbuttoned her shirt and stripped it off her shoulders, her bra quickly following it to the floor.
In the firelight, he took just a moment to look at her, before dipping his mouth to first one breast then the other, making her nipples stand in stiff peaks and a whimper escape her parted lips. When Owen’s mouth left her breast to trail kisses up her neck and reclaim her mouth. She felt a desperation unlike any she’d ever felt before and knew that only Owen would ever make her feel this way.
When Owen sank to his knees in front of her, her heart began to slam in her chest, her knees threating to collapse. He ran his hand up the inside of her leg, the heat of his hand burning through her jeans and making the tight coil of desire deep inside her begin to bloom. His hand brushed the sensitive spot between her legs, making her spread her legs, but he continued up to the button of her jeans. He paused only long enough to make Tabitha whimper before slowly stripping her jeans off, then her panties.
This time when his hand slid up her leg, his thumb found her clit and pleasure burst through her, nearly taking her down. She braced herself on Owen’s shoulders as he rubbed her clit in little circles, each subtle movement of his thumb intensifying the pleasure, until she exploded, her body shaking with the force of her orgasm. But Owen wasn’t finished; after giving her precious seconds to recover, he slid one finger deep inside her, growling when her body clamped around him.
Tabitha had no idea that her body was capable of the things it was doing, she’d never experienced pleasure this intense before, nor had she ever experienced an orgasm like the one Owen had just given her. She’d have been satisfied with just that, but when he slid his finger inside her, an even deeper need erupted in her loins and she knew what she wanted.
But first she wanted to give Owen as much pleasure as he’d given her, not sure what she was doing, she mimicked his earlier actions, until he was standing naked in front of her. His throbbing erection tantalizing close to her mouth, and she desperately wanted to taste him so she took him into her mouth. Owen groaned when her mouth slid over him, the heat and moisture almost making him cum right then.
Owen was only able to withstand a few minutes of the torture Tabitha’s tongue and mouth was putting him through. He pulled her to her feet, swept her up in his arms and carried her back to the bedroom where he laid her on the bed. Covering her body with his, he took a few minutes to kiss her, making love to her mouth with his tongue, until she was writhing underneath him in need.
“Please, Owen. I need to feel you inside me.” She panted, when his mouth finally left hers to trace kisses down her neck.
“Oh, Tabitha, those are the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.” He said, then slid between her legs and slowly entered her.
Once inside her, he paused, the feeling of her hot wet core nearly making him come undone. But he got control of himself, not willing to let it be over so soon, and slowly began to slide in and out of Tabitha. With each stroke of his powerful hips, he drove himself deeper and deeper inside of her, each thrust driving her higher and higher toward something she’d never experienced before.
Owen knew that he couldn’t hold out much longer, but sensed that Tabitha wasn’t quite ready, so he drove himself deeper, then found her clit with his thumb and began to rub her. Tabitha had never experienced so much sensation all at once and she was sure that she was about to break apart from the sheer pleasure. Holding on to Owen’s shoulders, she dug her nails in as the first wave hit her, making the room spin until she was forced to close her eyes. As the intensity of her pleasure increased she clung to Owen, panting his name as wave after wave washed over her.
The intense pleasure of Tabitha’s body shuttering beneath him drove Owen over the edge, no longer able to hold himself back, he buried himself deeply inside Tabitha and let go. His body beyond his control, Tabitha’s body only intensifying his pleasure, he came with a force he didn’t know was possible, the pleasure like noting he’d ever felt before.
Stunned, they laid entwined for a long time, neither able to speak, the intensity of what they’d shared beyond anything either had ever imagined. Tabitha listened to Owen’s heart racing, then begin to slow, smiling because hers was doing the same. She’s begun to think that Owen had fallen asleep, his breathing had become slow and deep, but he was far from asleep.
“Thank you.” He said, leaning up on one elbow to look down at her. When she just looked up at him, not sure what to say, since she felt like she was the one who should be thanking him, he added. “Thank you for trusting me enough to come up here with me.”