A Cowboy for Mom (8 page)

“I would like that.” She paused, “Wait, what?
Honeymoon?
Huh?” She was lost.
Honeymoon?
“And while I’m there, do you want to see if Carrie wants to stay here? See if
she wants to get to know her dad?”

“Yes, a honeymoon,” he clicked his tongue at her. “Rinse,”
he advised, stepping back a little. “And she’s more than welcome to stay if
that’s what she’d like to do. But you should probably warn her she’ll be
working while she’s here. Oh and the Wi-Fi will be turned off during daylight
hours.” He had an evil grin on his face as he said that part and shrugged when
she snickered.

“You are bad. But I love it,” she said as she rinsed her
body. She began to hum lightly, a happiness surrounding her that hadn’t been
there before. “She will stay though, I know that child. She wants to know you
and as long as she’s working alongside you, I think that you will be fine with
her.”

“All right, but you are totally not blaming me for anything
she may or may not get up to while here.
Just getting it out
there right now.
I grew up on this farm and mostly remember my teenage
years. She’ll be calling you in a week bitching about what a slave driver I am,
I’d nearly bet you on that one. I would except that it might take two weeks,
you never know with kids.”

Jennifer began to laugh, she so couldn’t help herself. “You
will hate yourself, darling. Just so you know. That girl knows how to twist and
get what she wants out of life, this much I can promise you.” Carrie knew just
how to get what she wanted out of her
mom, that
was
for sure.

“Ah, but darling, what works on you won’t on me. At least
not right off. I am the unknown factor in all this,” he reminded her, scrubbing
his own hair. Ducking under the water, he came out with a grin. “Besides,
what’s more fun than driving a teenager around the bend by being completely off
the wall and unpredictable?”

“This is true. She will figure you out though.” Jen
shrugged and then with a smile she got herself all rinsed off. “Now then, let’s
get out of here so that we can go and eat, and get our ‘I told you so’s’ all
out there.” Because she was sure that not only Carrie but Esther as well would
tell them “I told you so.”

“This is going to be a very long morning, isn’t it?” he
asked stepping out of the shower with her. “Thank God that a bunch of actors
and assistants and such who want to be real cowboys are coming out.
Cause
there’s nothing more I love than having people that
don’t even know the ass end of a horse around my animals. Thank God you have a
clue,” he said, grinning as he passed her a towel.

“Yes, it’s going to be a very long morning. We both know
it. I’m ready for it though,” she said with a grin. “I’m perfectly fine this
morning with you. I just know that it will be more than this one morning,
though, and I’m good with that. Are you?
 
And yeah, there will be a great
many
 
people
here far too soon. Dammit.
Please tell me that they’re sleeping in the barn or something?”

“Bunkhouse, every last one of them.
It was the one stipulation that wasn’t negotiable when we
did the contract. Besides, your director thought it would work best to ensure
they got into the role. They are really not going to be happy tomorrow when
they start living the life at the crack of dawn until dusk.”

“Thank freaking God,” she muttered. “I’m just glad that I
get to be here in the house with you.” She grinned and added, “Can I move my
things into your room later today? Carrie should be fine sleeping in the room
she’s in now, won’t she?” She hadn’t stopped to ask. She just knew she didn’t
want to sleep alone, ever again.

“She will be just fine there and yes, you can move on in
and take over,” he grinned. Bending over, he dried his legs before
straightening and hanging up his towel. “Come on woman, let’s go and eat while
we get smirked at and have them do their spiel. You know that by this point
they will have worked one out, right?”

She giggled at that and shrugged. “Does it matter? I have
you in my life again,
Carson
.
I will take all of the ribbing that they can dish out, and then some. We are all
that matters.
Us, together.”
And that was the God’s
honest truth. She was finally home.

Epilogue

The last year and a half had been very hectic. Jennifer had
done both her movies, including many long days and weeks where she’d had to do
retakes
of certain scenes. Though, at least for his sanity,
she’d gotten the sex scenes cut down to a bare minimum. He so wasn’t ever
watching that movie.

Between her filming schedule and the various things he’d
been doing on the ranch, they’d seen each other a grand total of five weeks and
eight hours, give or take a couple of minutes. Yeah, he’d counted each and
every second of their time together, just as he’d counted every second they’d
been apart.

Each and every night they’d gotten on the phone or Skype to
talk, usually ending with them both more than a little hot and bothered. That
usually led to a rather explosive meeting when they did finally get in the same
room together.
Very explosive.

But she was wrapping her last movie and he couldn’t be
happier. She’d fulfilled her obligations to the studios and, despite rave
reviews for the film prior to the one she’d just wrapped and many offers, she’d
turned them all down. Her reputation was golden but she was stepping out of the
spotlight. At least for now, he might let her back in eventually.

Carrie had blossomed on the ranch, turning from rebellious
teen into a rebellious cowgirl. Yes, she still tested his boundaries each and
every day, but he didn’t mind so much. And he’d been right, she’d called her
mom exactly thirteen days into the initial trial run, and begged to be released
from her ‘horse hell,’ as she’d phrased it.

Glancing over at her, he smiled. She was pretty damn
amazing, if he did say so himself. Of course he knew that was all Jen, she’d
raised their daughter to be independent and strong, just like her mother. She
caught him looking at her and gave him the standard eye roll that really said
so much. He turned his attention to the road again.

Jen didn’t know they were coming out. He’d talked to the
director of her last movie and he’d gotten the location of the wrap party. So
they were going to surprise her and then they would be checking into a hotel
for the evening, maybe two, to get reacquainted. Carrie, despite her sarcastic
eye rolls, was pretty excited. But she hid it well behind the “oh, woe is me”
teenage facade that proclaimed to the universe just how tortured she was. He
knew better, finally. He actually thought he was getting the hang of things.
Oh, he’d never know it all, not with a daughter around, but he’d definitely
picked up enough to know when the sneaky little shit was trying to pull the
wool over his eyes.

She was way, way too much like him. How Jen had stayed sane
the entire time on her own, he didn’t know. But the woman fucking deserved a
goddamned medal for it. Raising a teen was like going into a war zone in your
skivvies, dangerous as all get out.

Spotting a parking stall, he slid into it and shut off the
engine. He got out and went around
to help
Carrie down
from their SUV rental, earning his ninth eye roll of the trip so far. Yeah, he
counted those too. It was less than the trip before so he was aiming for a
record.

Letting her go, first he followed her into the hotel that
was hosting the wrap party. Nodding to one of the security guys he knew rather
well after all their many trips, he found out where Jen was currently being
held captive by some guy trying to talk her into doing his next film as the
leading lady.

Grinning when he spotted her,
Carson
could tell by her shoulders that she
was looking for an out, so he headed right for her. He stepped up behind her and
slid his arms around her middle. “Mrs. MacDonald, you’re looking absolutely
divine,” he whispered in her ear. Oh yeah, they’d gotten married too, but had
kept it on the DL for her career. Apparently, single leading ladies drew bigger
crowds of horny young men. Like a wedding band would ever stop a horny male for
long.

When the arms wrapped around her, Jen was about to turn
around and cold-cock someone, but when she heard
Carson
’s voice she went weak-kneed and all
but melted. Turning, she grinned. “You’re here. You are really and truly here.”
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. This was what she needed—him.

When she pulled back, she was gasping for air but grinning
stupidly. “And you brought our daughter.” She moved from his arms and gave
Carrie a hug. She then pulled back and wrapped her arms around both of her
favorite people and looked at the man who had been talking to her. “Sorry, but
I have plans for the rest of my life. I appreciate the offer, I really do, but
as you can see I have a daughter to
raise
. A husband
to
raise
.
And hopefully, one day a
son or another daughter.
So while the offer is tempting, I have to
decline.” With that, she turned to her family and they headed for the door.
Thank
God.

Laughing softly,
Carson
hugged her to his side. “I think you done broke his heart, darlin’,” he teased,
laying on the country boy a bit thick. Smiling down at her, he leaned in for
another kiss. “For the official record, only nine eye rolls to get here, it’s a
new low record for me.” They both looked to Carrie who rolled her eyes, right
on cue. Gotta’ love the kid and her perfect timing. Chuckling at that,
Carson
reached over and
ruffled her hair.

“Come on darlin’, we have a suite waiting where I plan on
devouring you. And if you’re really interested, I think we should get started
on some siblings for Carrie. She’s been terribly bored with life of late and a
few late night feedings and nasty diapers do sound like the cure for that.”

Jennifer grinned when Carrie groaned, but she knew that
groan, it was one of excitement. “I think that you are right, Mr. MacDonald.
Just please tell me that the teen girl has her own room and will be able to
order room service?” At his nod, she led them to the elevators, their happily
ever after starting then.

The End

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Other Books by Honor James:

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