Page 46 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

“What the fuck were you doing?” When the words exploded from him, Meredith cringed. She dare not look to see where Willow was.

“Don’t yell at me.” She kept her voice low.

“You could have been killed. I’ll yell if I want. It’s the only thing keeping me from shaking you to death.” For emphasis he shook her at her hips.

“I made a mistake when I opened the corral. Live and learn.” She didn’t want to fight with him. What she really wanted to do was go inside and cry in the shower. She felt cold to her core, fear having driven the heat from her. Any minute now she was going to turn into a sobbing mess of a girl.

Please don’t let it be in front of everyone.

“You almost didn’t live and learn. Jesus, Meredith, you should stay inside or in the garden. Let us handle the cattle.”

A sudden ignition of anger burst through her, removing any need for heat. Using her forearms, she broke his grip from her hips. “Oh, so that’s my role. I’ll just stay inside and clean the house and venture outside to collect fruits and vegetables. Are you sure that’s safe? I might get stung by a bee or a thorn in my thumb.” She pushed at his chest, moving him away. “Your sister can work outside with the cows, but not me. I’m too stupid.” She punched his chest for good measure then stormed up the stairs.

“I never said you were stupid. Just maybe dangerous because you lack knowledge and, for the record, Willow grew up on this ranch. You didn’t.”

She stood at the door and faced him. “So it’s too late for me to learn anything? Is that what you’re saying? I’m a dangerous dumb-dumb. A moron?” She flung the door open and stormed inside to flee up the stairs.

She heard Jace pound up the outside steps then stomp across the porch, but she didn’t care. She could make noise, too, and she began to stomp up the last handful of stairs toward her room, mumbling about mouth breathers and knuckle draggers.

“Meredith,” Jace yelled and slammed the door.

She didn’t bother to respond, continuing to stomp down the hall all while trying not to cry or apologize. She knew she should, but she felt so useless around the ranch, and now she’d disrupted the work because of her idiotic actions. He wouldn't need to point that out—she felt like every single synonym to dummy a person could list.

He thudded up the stairs behind her and, with a squeal, she bolted for their room, trying to get behind a closed door before he reached her. But he had speed, and she had Jell-O legs, and bythe time she got into their room and turned for the door, he was already in the space blocking it.

She pointed a finger in his face and had every intention of telling him to get lost. Instead she said, “Don’t you yell at me, Jace Shepard. I am one second from falling apart here, and I don’t need you to make me feel any worse.”

Instantly, his face softened. “You scared me to death. At first I didn’t see you. I was watching the calves, and then I saw Willow pointing and jumping around like a crazy person. That’s when I saw you running, and I froze. For one second, one second when you could have been caught under hoof, I froze and, after that, I kept thinking that I might have killed you. That one second when I did nothing might have been the one you needed.”

Meredith reached out, her hand coming to rest on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

He covered her hand with his.

“But how awesome was that rescue?” She needed to lighten the mood, or else she was going to say something he might not be ready to hear. Something she’d realized when she’d been running from the cattle, believing a painful death was pending. To think she had only this short time with Jace, and so much was left unsaid or…untried.

Her mind went to a wicked place. Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear how she felt about him either. If she confessed her blooming love, and he did a Han Solo on her, it would wreck her, and there’d be no arranged marriage to get her out of this one.

He smiled, linking his fingers through hers. “Intense trust exercise. That’s how we vet people on the ranch.”

Meredith laughed and stepped closer. Jace reached out with his other arm and snagged her around the waist, tugging her toward him. He kicked the door closed with his booted foot.

“Meredith,” his voice was low. “I may seem calm now, but inside I’m not. To know you’re all right, I need to feel you. I wantto hear those sounds of pleasure you make when I kiss you, the ones deep in your throat. That needs to replace the sound of your scream.” He stepped up to her, his front pressed to hers, their hands between them. “I want to push you against the bed, strip your jeans to your ankles, and take you roughly from behind. I need this. I need you.” He tugged her even closer, his fingers squeezing hers.

She met his gaze. “What’s stopping you?” Then using every ounce of courage she could muster, she stretched up on her toes, let her body rest fully against his, and kissed him.

20

The whole point of taking the four days out to camp was to get away from Meredith, not be stuck with her. Not that he would be stuck, per se. Just that he wouldn’t have the space to think. They'd consummated their marriage and then repeated the act over the last three nights––Willow sleeping in the cabin to “give it a test run” was an additional incentive. Then his parents had moved home, Willow had moved back into her room next door, and everything came to a screeching halt because privacy was lost with the thin walls.

Coming together for the first time had started out with all the urgency possible for a human to possess. Rough kisses, shoving her against the wall, and quick hands stripping her of her clothes. Then he'd laid her on the bed, covered her body with his, and time slowed, touch softened, and two people connected so deeply it had left him stunned.

The hell with all the potential awkwardness they might be creating. The hell with it all. He'd found a new nirvana and wanted to wallow away his time there––with her. Continuing this practice was all he could think about. He felt like a topspinning recklessly out of control, and he needed to topple over and catch his breath. When she was around, he lost the capacity to use skills that separated man from beast. Like reasoning and calculation. He became primitive and only wanted to constantly mate and promise her the world.

Now the whole damn family lived within spitting distance of each other, and this pent up whatever-it-was-called was making him crazy. Yeah, he was happy to have Pops back on the ranch, but the early mornings and late nights were becoming the highlights of his day. Something intangible had shifted. Together he and Meredith worked in harmony getting chores done, and though she occasionally would turn a perfectly good steak into unintentional beef jerky–– Jace didn’t care. He’d eat canned soup everyday if that was what it took to keep things just the way they were. Last night they'd gotten into bed talking about the ranch and laughing as he shared stories about growing up with the mountains outside his backdoor. He loved her endless questions about the workings of his family business. Then he had lain there for hours dreaming about exploring her body.

All the reasons why he decided to get outdoors for a few days. Clear his head.

Leave it to a meddling mother to jack up those plans.

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