Chapter Seven
“So, how are things going at home?” Mike asked.
Caleb glanced over at his brother and nodded. “Good. Why?”
“Nothing. Martha was saying how well Paige is getting on. She’s always talking about Maddie, and of course Mom loves her as well.”
He smiled, thinking about his mother’s meddling. She didn’t have a clue that every single night in the past two weeks, he’d sneaked into Maddie’s bed, or what he’d been doing to her body. She’d started to wear scarves as he’d left some marks around her neck from his kisses. He’d also seen the bruises left on her hips from how tight his grip had been on her body.
Just thinking about her against him had him hard as rock. Leaning forward, he patted the mare, happy with the fence around the ranch. It was getting close to fall, and when the weather got colder, he didn’t like doing the more labor-intensive tasks of fixing fences, or repairing buildings in the winter. He had far more interesting plans than freezing his balls off.
“You know, I was sure I caught you the other day pressing Maddie up against the side of the house. You looked ready to fuck her brains out.”
He looked toward his brother, who had his brow raised up.
“What do you want to know?” Caleb asked.
“Are you fucking your nanny?”
He’d always been close to his brother. Mike had been the one to help him deal with his annoyance with Ivory. Mike and Martha had been there with Paige as well. From what he’d discovered, Ivory usually left Paige in her crib while she surfed the internet and talked with friends.
“Yes,” he said. “Don’t say anything though.”
“What?”
“Maddie is not comfortable with anyone knowing that we’re screwing,” he said. He thought about those books that he’d bought from her. They had been really insightful. The long-running theme throughout each romance book was the hero being on the dominant side, taking what he wanted, but giving so much in return, and of course, falling in love.
He didn’t for a second believe he was falling in love. They were having a lot of fun, but he didn’t know where it was going.
“Does Mom know?”
“No one knows. She’s not comfortable with crossing that boundary.”
“You dirty dog. You’re her boss.” Mike laughed and slapped his arm.
“I’m not making her have sex with me,” he said.
“I know. It’s just … forget it. You like Maddie, don’t you?” Mike asked.
“Of course. She’s a nice woman.”
“Yeah, but do you like her, like her?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” They trotted back toward the ranch, keeping pace with each other.
“You’ve sworn off women since Ivory, but I’ve seen Maddie. She’s nothing like your ex.”
“I know.” He was very much aware of how different Maddie was. She gave so much of herself. Whenever he went to her room at night, part of him expected her to give him ultimatums, or demand something for herself. Each time he appeared though, she opened her arms, and by the end of the night when she fell asleep, he didn’t want to leave her.
In fact, late at night when she was asleep, curled up in his arms, he loved watching her. She looked so peaceful, and he could allow himself for a few moments to believe that she belonged to him, that she was indeed his.
Approaching the house, he paused his horse, watching as Maddie and Paige were each washing the dogs. It was a relatively warm day.
His woman had on one of his shirts, a pair of jeans, and he’d even purchased some cowgirl boots for her to wear, which she had on.
Paige was holding the house as Maddie scrubbed each dog. Of course, they were both laughing and holding their hands up as the dogs shook off the excess water.
Mike stopped beside him, and they watched as Maddie took the hose pipe from Paige and sprayed the girl, who giggled. They were several feet away, and he still heard their laughter.
His daughter grabbed the bucket of water and threw the contents at Maddie, who gasped.
Maddie dropped the hose pipe and rushed toward his daughter. Paige screamed, but she didn’t get away. Maddie caught her up in her arms and began to tickle her.
The sight before him was such a beautiful one. He couldn’t recall a time when Paige had been so happy, and not just that, seeing their friendship blossom was so good.
Maddie was more than a nanny. She was the mother figure that Paige had never had, and it twisted something in his gut to see it.
He also knew she’d not spotted them both yet, so what he saw was natural for her. In fact, in that moment, watching her, he was sure, he saw her loving his daughter, taking care of her.
“She’s got a good heart,” Mike said, breaking into his thoughts. “Do you want my advice?”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Be careful with her. I know you try to pretend you don’t have any feelings, and that you like to be an asshole, but I think this girl is vulnerable,” Mike said. “You could break her heart, and in doing so, you’ll hurt yourself.” His brother slapped him on the shoulder.
“What about me?” Caleb asked, feeling like an asshole for even saying anything. “Aren’t you worried about my heart being broken?”
“Your heart wasn’t broken when Ivory left, Caleb. You wanted her to leave. I hope you’ve not closed yourself off to the potential of falling in love, or even finding a woman who can make you whole again.”
The moment Maddie and Paige caught sight of them, his little girl squealed for him, and Maddie stood up. He watched as she seemed to get a hold of herself.
They began to trot back toward the backyard, and when he was only a few feet away, he climbed off his horse, and gave Mike the lead so that he could take the horses back to the barn. By the time he turned around, Paige threw herself into his arms.
She was wet, laughing, and it made him so damn happy to see her this way. “I was playing with Maddie, and I got wet.”
“I can tell.” He kissed her head, putting her down onto the floor.
“How’s the fence? Is everything okay for the winter?” Paige asked.
After Ivory left them, in order to give his mother some peace he’d take Paige out, riding in front of him on the horse, and he’d tell her all the chores that needed doing.
“It looks like everything is in order, and we’re all set.”
“Yay.” Paige clapped her hands. “Look what we found in the garden.” She rushed toward the bench and held up an entire basket of vegetables.
“I was going to get around to pulling them out and cleaning them,” he said, looking toward Maddie.
“It’s okay. It was on the list of jobs that you placed on the fridge. It was no biggie. Honestly, Paige did most of the dirty work.”
Paige then held her hands up. “I’ve got to wash them before I go to dinner.”
He ruffled her head.
“Speaking of dinner, it’ll be ready soon. Go and get washed up, and I’ll carry these vegetables inside and we can figure out what to do with them tomorrow.” Maddie lifted the large basket, and Paige was already gone, looking excited about whatever they had planned for tomorrow.
With no one around, he moved up to Maddie, taking the basket from her hands. Placing it back on the bench, he cupped her face, tilted her head back, and slammed his lips down on hers. Her hands moved to his hips, holding him close.
Sliding his tongue across her lips, she opened up to him, and he plundered inside. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he said, pulling away.
“Anyone could see.”
“I don’t care. Mike already knows.”
Her gaze went to the barn. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“It’s my brother. I don’t care what he thinks.”
“What about Paige? It’ll confuse her.”
“She’s not here to see. We can wait.” He ran his thumb across her lips, and just the thought of them wrapped around his cock was enough to make him ache. Something was going on here between them. He enjoyed being with Maddie so much. She made his life easier, and not just that, he loved spending time with her. Caleb had a feeling that when the time came, he wasn’t going to be able to let her go.
He hoped when that happened, she didn’t want to go.
****
Maddie rubbed cream into her face, staring into her mirror as she thought about Caleb. His brother now knew, and it would only be a matter of time before his mother found out. She didn’t know what was going on, and at times that really scared her.
Paige was a dream child. She was so sweet, and always wanted to learn. They spent hours in the kitchen, standing at the counter, rolling out pastry, making cute little cupcakes and decorating them. While they worked, Maddie always asked her questions. Simple math sums, or equations, then of course spelling, and she was such a bright, intelligent child.
She loved her.
There was no doubt in her mind that she loved that little girl, and there were a couple of times that Maddie even wished Paige was her own.
A small knock on the door made her smile.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s Paige.”
“Come on in, sweetheart.”
She watched as Paige appeared. The door was slightly ajar. She wore a pair of bunny pajamas. Maddie had picked them up for her in town a few days ago. With it getting cold, she didn’t want Paige to get a chill.
“Can I brush your hair?” Paige asked.
“You certainly can.” She handed over the brush and moved so that Paige sat on the bed, and she sat on the floor, facing the mirror.
With Paige in the room, she didn’t think about the things the girl’s father had done to her in front of that mirror. When it came to Caleb, she also felt herself falling for the rough man. The moment he looked at her with that wicked smile, she was a goner. Her nights spent with him were the best nights of her life. She loved it when he sneaked into her room, they made love or fucked, and each morning, he’d wake her with a kiss before he left for the day.
“They’re having Mommy’s supper at the school next Friday,” Paige said.
“I heard. Your teacher told me.”
“Would you come?”
She looked at Paige, and saw the hope in her eyes. “Would you like me to be there?”
“I don’t want to be alone. I hate being alone, and I would ask Dad for me to have the day off, but there’s a spelling test, and I think I could do well.”
“You’ve been practicing amazingly well.” She knew Paige’s spelling meant a lot to her.
“They always laugh at me because I don’t have a mother.”
“You know, Paige, I wasn’t very close to my mother either.”
Paige looked at her then. “You weren’t?”
“She’s not come to visit me at the ranch, has she?” Paige shook her head. “Think of your Granny. She’s always stopping by, coming to see how you are. I often wished for a mother like that.”
Her mother was like that. The only problem was, her daughter had to be named Emily in order for her mother to care. Pushing that pain aside, Maddie focused on the little girl in front of her, who was running the brush through her hair.
Paige’s eyes filled with tears. “They all know my mommy didn’t want me.”
Pain swept through Maddie as the tears fell. “Paige,” she said, turning toward the little girl.
The brush was put down, and Paige pressed her hands toward her eyes. “She doesn’t love me.”
Maddie climbed onto the bed and pulled Paige into her arms, holding her close. “Then your mother is incredibly stupid.”
She didn’t care if she crossed the line right now. Paige was a funny, sweet, kind, amazing child. Whatever Paige’s mother had done, Maddie knew she could never turn her back on any of her kids.
“She left me, Maddie. She doesn’t even come visit, and she doesn’t want me to go to her. I know Daddy says she’s busy, but she’s never sent a card, or anything. I don’t even know what she looks like.”
Cupping the girl’s face, Maddie wiped away those tears. “Whatever your mother did, it has nothing to do with you.”
“But she didn’t stay.”
“And that’s her problem. Not yours, sweetie. Don’t ever, ever allow anyone to blame you for their own faults, okay? You’re perfect, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I love spending time with you. You make me laugh so much, and I enjoy every second of it.”
“Even when I get dirty?”
“Especially when you get dirty.” She gave her nose a little pinch. “I’ll come to the school on Friday, and we’ll eat, ignoring all those people.”
“Did your mother ever go to school for you?”
Maddie shook her head. “No. Mom was always busy with my sister. There was never any time for me.”
“I like you, Maddie. I love you very much.”
She held Paige tightly, hugging her close, and not wanting to let her go. She would protect this little girl at all costs. When Paige yawned, she chuckled. “I think it’s time for us to get you into bed.”
“I’m not so sleepy.”
Paige rested her head against her chest, and Maddie chuckled. “Come on.” She wasn’t as strong as Caleb, so she took Paige’s hand, and walked her toward her bedroom. Pulling back the blankets, she tucked Paige in bed. The little girl was already asleep by the time she turned off the light and closed her door. When she turned around, she saw Caleb standing there, looking heartbroken.
“Please go to the school on Friday,” he said.
“You don’t even have to ask. I will.” She brushed past him, and he caught her arm, pulling her close.
“Thank you. For the way you handled that.”
“I didn’t really handle it.” She patted his chest. “I hope I didn’t upset you.”
“You didn’t. I’m just pleased she came to you.” He stroked her cheek. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Caleb. I care about her a lot. It has nothing to do with what we’ve got going on.” She smiled at him and moved back into her bedroom.
He followed her, which she expected him to.
“I, erm, it’s that time of the month,” she said. She pointed to her pussy. “There’s not really a lot we can do.”
He closed the door, and moved toward her.
“Do you think all I want from you is sex?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Is that supposed to be a trick question?”
“No, it’s not. It’s not what I want from you. I think you’re an amazing woman.” He kissed her lips again and moved toward the bed.
Maddie watched as he lay down and patted the bed beside him. “Come, lie down. I will prove to you that I enjoy spending time with you.”
She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked, moving toward the bed and lying beside him. Closing her eyes, she placed a hand on her stomach. Cramps were the worst during this time. She tried to hide the pain, but most of the time at night, she usually held onto a pillow to help her deal with them.
His hand landed on her stomach and pushed her hands out of the way. “Is it hurting?”
“Yes.”
Caleb moved her so that he spooned her, with his much larger hand pressed against her stomach.
He rubbed in soothing circles, and she relaxed against him. “That’s nice,” she said.
“You don’t have to worry about how you treat Paige, or if you’re showing her a lot of love. Ivory never showed her any, and I know sometimes the kids say nasty things at the school.”
“She’s got friends though,” Maddie said. “It has taken her some time to get them, but some kids do take time to fit in.”
His breath was hot against her neck, and she closed her eyes, enjoying his attention. Their shared moments really did mean a lot to her. In fact, their time together had given some of the best moments she’d ever shared with anyone. She didn’t know if that was pitiful for a woman of twenty-nine, but she also didn’t care.
Caleb awakened a part of her just by being in his company. She adored him. In fact, she knew it was more than adore, but she wasn’t going to put a label on their feelings, or at least her feelings.
“Do you like it here?” he asked.
She smiled. “You know I do.”
His hand stopped stroking, and he pulled her in close, pressing a kiss against her neck. “I never want to let you go.”
She snuggled against him, sleep coming thick and fast. “Then don’t.”