Page 33 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

Her eyelids fluttered.

Just one quick taste. He knew he shouldn't do it. They agreed it would cause nothing but problems, but the decision was out of his control. Something bigger than him, some force he wasn't able to name, pushed him in her direction. He brushed his lips against hers. One, twice, and a tad longer on the third time.

Outside a horn gave one long blow followed by three short ones.

Meredith jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand. “We shouldn't....”

He nodded, stepping toward the door. “Yep, we shouldn't.” But man he really wanted to.

15

Desire was a new thing for Meredith. Well, sexual desire. She’d long thought that emotion wasn’t in her since she’d never been remotely attracted to any of the people in her father’s circle, but Jace, he’d woken those urges that had been dormant for so long.

And all he had to do was take a shower.

She was worse than a sixteen year old after her first kiss. She was crushing on Jace Shepard something fierce. Maybe it was because she liked the way he made her feel when he drew out those desires, or maybe it was simply the way the water from his shower clung in beads to his hair and how the scruff of his chin made him look softer, yet rougher, and she liked the idea of both.

His dimple deepened when he’d laughed earlier, something she found knee-wobbling sexy, and between that and the bit of peanut butter that had clung to his upper lip, she’d had to fight the urge to lick him.

She’d never had a sexual fantasy, but standing in the kitchen with him, she’d pictured sex on the countertop. If it wasanything like what they’d started in the car, they could repeat it any and every location, and she’d be satisfied.

Wait. Hold up. Thoughts of that nature weren't smart, and Meredith wanted to play this smart.

Needing a distraction, she decided to do as he’d suggested and made herself at home. She took a shower, exploring her body in ways she’d never done before. Seeing herself as a woman for the first time. A woman with needs and urges.

A woman who could ask to be satisfied.

That one simple fact terrified her. She knew it could bring her so much pleasure, but so much pain as well. Undoubtedly, everything that encompassed sex was out of her wheelhouse and though she was beyond curious to learn more about Jace, his man parts, and how she felt pressed against them, she wasn't so naive to believe sex wouldn't muddy the water.

After the shower, Meredith, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, set out to make something for them to eat. In the small pantry off the kitchen, she found a freezer full of beef, no surprise there, and a cookbook in an old sideboard on the far wall. Flipping through the pages until she saw a recipe she liked she settled on a savory dish that had few ingredients and, therefore, less opportunity of error. She explored the kitchen, trying to get familiar with where things were located. She was laying out the required cooking and baking accouterments when she noticed a pickup driving toward the house. It wasn’t Jace or Tuck’s truck since they’d left on horses hours earlier.

Was this one of those times where she might need to know how to use a gun? She did feel a bit vulnerable. She followed the truck’s path, having moved across the house to watch it park by the garage, and when Jace’s mom got out from the cab, Meredith sank back against the wall with relief.

The tall woman reached for the door, then paused, her hand raised to knock. Not wanting his mother to think they wereinside doing naughty things, Meredith flung open the door and smiled widely. “Boy, am I glad to see you.” And it was true. Having someone else around was nice.

“You are?” Marjory stepped into the house and smiled.

“Absolutely. Jace has been gone all morning, and it’s just me with my thoughts.” Meredith tucked her hands in her back pockets, something she’d always done when she was nervous, and it drove her father nuts. Said it wasn’t ladylike.

“Do you mean to tell me my son is out working, and you all haven’t even been married twenty-four hours?” The older woman shook her head. “Where did I go wrong with that boy? He was never dropped on his head that I can recall, but he sure acts like it. Do you know he was seven before he learned to tie his shoes, and I still can’t get him to cook. I have failed as a mother, and you are paying the price.”

“That can’t be true. He’s very nice and considerate. That’s more important to me than cooking.” She wanted to share this morning's incident but remembered Jace's request not to tell his mom.

“Any coffee still in the pot?” Marjory asked while hanging her coat on the hook by the door.

Meredith shook her head. She'd spent some time staring at the coffee pot, wishing it would magically produce the dark nectar of life but hadn't worked up the courage to give it a try. With the Internet not coming up, she decided to err on the side of less risk. Ergo, no coffee.

“We'll have to fix that right away.” Marjory bustled to the kitchen. “What's all this?” She pointed to the items Meredith had put out on the counter in prep for dinner then stopped at the cookbook. “You want to make Hamburger Pie?”

Meredith nodded and slid into a seat at the island.

Marjory's attention was on Meredith who tried not to squirm in her seat as the older woman appeared to be studying her.Marjory smiled kindly and said, “Well, honey. I know it’s called a pie but it's actually more like a casserole and this––she held up the small pie tin–– is too small. You'll need a deep dish pie plate if you want to make it round and cut it in triangles.”

“Oh, okay.” Meredith went to the cabinet that held the pie plate and pulled out a bigger one. When she set it on the table Marjory held up an egg.

“You washed this, right?”

Meredith swallowed and nodded.

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