And Then You Dance (Crested Butte Cowboys Series Book 2) (23 page)

They stopped at a curve on the side of the road. Billy backed the truck in and turned it off. He was right, the view was spectacular—in the other direction.

He got out, walked around to her side, and opened the door. “Come with me,” he said.

He’d lowered the tailgate of the truck when he came around, and Renie saw he had blankets and pillows in the back, along with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

“Ooh, romantic.”

“That was the plan.” He lifted her up so she could easily scoot back on the blankets. He opened the wine and poured her a glass first, then one for himself.

“Are you hungry?” He hadn’t thought to bring anything to eat for this part of their evening.

“No, I’m fine,” she snuggled into him and watched as the sky turned different colors.

“Good.” He turned his head toward hers and kissed her. It was heaven, being here with her, kissing her.
Heaven.
He took her wine glass and set it down along with his, so he could kiss her harder, and hold her, feel her against him.

“We’re missing the sunset,” she whispered.

He tucked her back against him and turned to watch it.

“Billy, I was kidding.”

“I know you were. But we’re here for a reason. So you’re right, let’s watch it.”

He brought her in closer, and she tucked one of her legs in between his. “Are you cold?” He grabbed another blanket and threw it over them.

“No, I’m fine,” she said again.

“Renie?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I figured out what you’re afraid of.” He heard the catch in her breath, and felt her body tense up. “And there are some promises I want to make you. Important promises.”

She didn’t say anything, but he hadn’t expected her to.

“The first thing I want to promise you is that I’ll never, ever stop paying attention to you. I mean it. Forever Renie— for the rest of our lives.”

He handed her glass of wine back to her, and touched it with his.

“That’s the first promise.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t say anything else for a few minutes. He wanted each promise he made her to sink in. He wanted her to have plenty of time to think it over and say anything she wanted to say.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” he said as the sun sank further behind the mountain.

“It is. I never knew about this place. I’ve never driven farther down this road than the ski area.”

“Most people don’t. That’s part of what makes it special. If you keep going, you eventually come to Gothic Valley. We’ll come out here and hike sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

He waited a few more minutes.

“There’s another promise I want to make you Renie.”

“Okay.”

“I promise that we will always have special moments, just like these. Time that we set aside for us. Just the two of us. Forever Renie—for the rest of our lives.”

She looked into his eyes, but again, didn’t say anything.

They sat in silence until the sun tucked all the way behind the mountain. He moved the blankets off of them.

“Come on, time to move on to our next stop.” He took her by the hand and pulled her toward the tailgate. He lifted her off and carried her back to the passenger door.

“Billy, what are you doing?”

“This way I get to hold you a little bit longer.”

“You can hold me as long as you want to Billy. We could—”

“Nope. I’ve got a plan and I’m stickin’ with it. I don’t care how hard you try to tempt me into doin’ somethin’ else.”

The way she smiled at him though, he wanted to drive back to Ben’s house, and take her straight to bed. But that wasn’t what tonight was all about.

Instead, he drove into town, and parked in front of a little cabin on a side street. Renie immediately recognized where they were. Soupcon was one of the most romantic restaurants in Crested Butte. They served French food, in two
prix fixe
seatings. It didn’t look as though they were open, however.

Once again Billy came around and opened her door for her. He took her hand and led her to the front door of the cabin. When he opened it, she gasped.

The entire dining area was awash in candlelight. One table was set, in the center of the room. The rest of the tables were bare, except for their tablecloths.

“Wow,” she murmured. “It looks so beautiful.”

“Welcome Mr. Patterson,” a gentleman Renie didn’t recognize greeted them. “Thank you for joining us this evening. Mademoiselle?”

He led them to the table, and before he could pull out Renie’s chair for her, Billy stepped in front of him, and did it himself. The man stepped back and smiled.

When Billy sat down, the man disappeared into the back.

“Who is that?” she asked him.

“That’s Tal. You’ve never met him?”

“I know Jason, but I’ve never seen Tal before.”

The sous chef rarely came out of the kitchen, but Renie was happy to be able to put a face with the name. Jason, the head chef, was more often the face of the team renowned in the valley for their superb cuisine.

Renie realized the wine glasses on the table had already been poured. She took a sip. It was the same wine they’d been drinking before.

She looked around. “Are we here alone tonight?” You couldn’t get into the restaurant without a reservation, and they were usually booked weeks in advance.

“Tonight? Yes, we are.”

“Why?”

“Because I requested it.”

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Look at me,” he said. “There’s another promise I want to make to you.”

He waited until he was sure he had her attention, that she was looking in his eyes, listening.

“I promise that I will always listen to you, even when you aren’t talking.”

“Billy—”

He picked up her wine glass and handed it to her, before picking his up and touching it to hers. “Forever Renie—for the rest of our lives.”

Jason came out from the back with their first course.

“Foie gras with brioche toast points on a bed of truffled apple and chive greens with raspberry coulis, sauternes gelee and demi glace,” he said before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Billy this is so…romantic.” She kissed him, hard, on the lips.

He reached around and grasped the back of her neck with his hand, holding her there, kissing her more deeply. “I love you so much,” he murmured before moving away from her.

Music played softly in the background. The voice was so familiar. It dawned on Renie who was singing. It was Ben, but in a way she’d never heard him perform before, just his voice, accompanied by a piano.

“What is this?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

“The music. What is it?”

“A gift, from Ben.”

“Why?”

“Because I requested it.”

“I’ve never heard him this way,” Renie murmured.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Like you.”

He brought her hand to his lips again, and kissed across the back of it. “Dance with me,” he said.

He stood and held his hand out to her. Someone turned the music up slightly, and he moved her across the open floor.

“I love having you in my arms.”

She leaned further into him.

“I remember the first time I held you this way. Close to me. Your body touching mine, this way.” He kissed her neck, below her ear, softly. “I wanted you then Renie. I wanted to make love to you that night. Did you know? Did you feel it?”

She knew exactly when he meant. And yes, she’d felt it. “I wanted it too Billy.”

He led her back to the table when the song ended, and pulled her chair out for her. When she was seated, he moved her hair over her shoulder, leaned down and kissed the back of her neck. She shivered as the current from his lips ran throughout her body.

He sat, and this time Tal came out from the kitchen.

“How is everything?” he asked.

“Wonderful,” Renie answered.

Jason joined him with their next course.

“Spiced carrot soup,” he said. “With paprika-roasted crab, and pistachio dust.
Bon appetit
.”

The two men disappeared again.

Billy raised his glass. “Another promise Renie.”

She raised hers too, and waited.

“I promise to dance with you, hold you close, touch your body with mine. I never want us to lose that connection.”

This time Renie touched her glass to his first. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them. The smile she gave him, he could conquer the world in the name of that smile. “Forever Renie—for the rest of our lives.”

They were both quiet, looking into each other’s eyes.

“What
is
this?” she murmured.

“He calls it
Patience.
”

Oh, love, it’s a difficult thing for me

I always want too much

And end up lonely

Over my head

Awkwardly

Hands in my pockets

Laugh in the wrong place and want to leave

Cause I’m not patient and I should be

Because I know I have it in me

“I love it. Is he recording it?”

“He said he might be.”

Tal came out and cleared their plates. He refilled their wine glasses and once again, disappeared.

“Another dance?” Billy asked.

“I’d love it,” she answered.

This time Billy moved slower, and kissed her. Their bodies stopped moving as their lips sought each other’s. Billy ran his hands down the sleeves of her sweater.

“So soft,” he said. “My favorite.”

“Why I wore it.”

“When you came upstairs and I saw you in it, all I could think about was running my hands under it, feeling your skin, caressing you with my hands.” He slipped his hands under her sweater and circled her waist, slowly inching up.

The song ended, but he continued to hold her close to him, his hands touching her, moving slowly up and down her back.

“I promise to show you with my eyes, my hands, my lips, and every other part of my body, how much I love you, how much I desire you.”

He began to sway again, to the music, dancing her back closer to the table. “Forever Renie—for the rest of our lives.”

“I love you Billy.” She held him tighter and lay her head against his chest.

“Our next course should be coming at any moment, although right now, the only appetite I seem to have is for you.”

He pulled her chair out again, and as before, he moved her hair to the side, to kiss the back of her neck.

“I love it when you let your hair down Renie, when you let it fall over your shoulders. You wore it this way for me tonight, didn’t you?”

“Mmm hmm,” she murmured, falling back against him.

When Jason came out from the back, Billy sat back down.

“Elk tenderloin with truffle-whipped potatoes, baby carrots, and roasted baby beets,” he said, setting a plate in front of each of them.

They sat quietly after they finished their entrée. More of Ben’s music serenading them.

That’s when I met your mother,

The girl of my dreams,

The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

She said boy can I tell you a wonderful thing

I can’t help but notice you staring at me

I know I shouldn’t say this

But I really believe

I can tell by your eyes

That you’re in love with me.

“This is such a different style for him.”

“He said he’s never written this way before.”

“He loves her so much, doesn’t he?” she asked.

“He does.”

Billy stroked her face. He looked into her eyes and she could see it, feel it—how much he loved her.

“I promise to love you, with everything I am and everything I’ll ever be, to give you my heart, to hold in your hand, forever Renie—for the rest of our lives,” he said.

She closed her eyes, and smiled.

“You are so beautiful,” he said.

“So are you,” she answered.

Jason joined them once again. “Your final course this evening,” he said, setting one large wine glass between the two of them. “Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, with Grand Marnier and Crème Anglaise.” He winked at Renie before he left them alone.

“Billy, this has been a magnificently romantic evening. I love it so much, and you so much, for doing this. I want you to know what it means to me.”

“I would do anything for you.” He gripped the back of her neck and brought her head to his, until her forehead touched his. “
Anything.
I love you so much. I cannot live without you. Do you understand me?”

There was a cry in his voice that she understood all too well. She felt it in her soul, whenever she thought about losing him. What if she lost him? How could she go on if she lost him?

And then, as if he could read her thoughts, he said, “I promise to do everything in my power to never, ever leave you—forever Renie, for the rest of our lives.”

She cried then. Because that was her fear. What if she had to go through life as her mother had, without him, the love of her life?

What if she fell in love with Willow too, and Billy left them both? How could she go on…without him? She wasn’t as strong as her mother was. She wouldn’t be able to do it. She couldn’t raise Willow on her own, without him.

His eyes bored into hers. Even through her tears she could feel the heat of them. He understood. That was what he was trying to tell her. What he’d been trying to tell her all night.

“Oh God, Billy,” she cried. “I’m so scared.”

“I know,” he whispered.

He took her hand. He slipped something on her finger. She could barely see it through her tears. It didn’t matter what it looked like. What it meant mattered.

“Marry me Irene Louise Fairchild. Love me and let me love you, forever, for the rest of our lives.”

“Yes Billy, I’ll marry you,” she answered. “And I’ll love you, and let you love me. Forever—for the rest of our lives,”

The drive back to the ranch was serene. That’s what he was feeling. Serenity.

“Where is everybody?” she asked when they drove up to the house.

“Camp-out.”

“Camp-out? It’s freezing. Where did they go?”

“My house.”

“Your house? All of them? Don’t the boys have school tomorrow?”

“I’ll take you there tomorrow. It’s in town.”

“Billy what are you talking about?”

“We have a house in Crested Butte now. You and me. And Willow.”

She gasped. “
What did you do?
You didn’t sell the ranch did you?”

He looked at her and smiled. “No, of course I didn’t sell the ranch. Silly girl.”

“But, you bought a house here?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to. Are you ready to go inside?”

“I guess so. Are we staying here tonight? Alone?”

“Yep, we are.”

“Then, yes. I’m definitely ready to go inside.”

They were just inside the front door when Billy spun her around, and ran his hands under her sweater.

“Everything else off, except this,” he murmured.

She led him into the great room and motioned for him to light the fireplace while she started to undress. “Light the fire,” she grinned.

“Oh baby, you have no idea how hot my fire already is.”

Renie spread a blanket out in front of the fireplace, and tossed a couple of pillows on top of it.

“C’mere, so I can hug you,” Billy said. “God, you’re so sexy.”

He sat down with his back up against the coffee table. Renie sat in front of him. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

“I want to remember every moment of this night.” He moved his hands up from her waist to her breasts. “I love this sweater,” he said, nuzzling his cheek against her shoulder. “But not as much as I love what’s under it.”

Renie turned around to face him. “Kiss me.”

“God, I can feel your heart pounding under my hand,” Billy said. His kiss was hard and raw. “Tonight is the night we started our forever Renie.”

His body was tight with everything he’d been holding in for so long. All of the emotion he’d felt for the last eight months, the uncertainty of what would happen between them, came flowing out of him.

He wasn’t gentle, he plundered. He didn’t give, he took. And she was as eager as he was, her passion for him was that of desperate need. She was no longer afraid, there was no fear. When she trembled, it was with longing.

Renie wanted to remember every moment as much as he did. She wanted to wrap it up and keep it in her heart, so when she felt doubt, she could pull it out and blanket herself in it.

She wrapped her body around his, taking what she wanted—tasting, savoring, lingering.

And then suddenly, everything changed. What was once frantic between them became a slow dance of hands and lips and murmurs. Billy started to stroke his hands, slowly, over her body. “I want to own every inch of this body.” He kissed down the side of her arm, then her waist, and down her hip. Her lips began taking their ownership of his body too.

“I’ve got to be inside you Renie. I need to be. I want to fill you, join with you, never be separated from you.”

“Hurry,” she answered, and again their pace changed. They were lost in each other, delirious as they quivered together.

Billy reached up and held her face in his hands. “You and me, forever—for the rest of our lives.”

“Billy,” she whispered, half hoping she wouldn’t wake him. She wanted a few minutes to look at him. They hadn’t talked about when yet, but soon Billy would be her husband. They would spend the rest of their lives together, as friends, as lovers, as soul mates. They would be partners, companions on life’s journey.

Tomorrow their journey would begin. And the first step would be meeting his daughter. The little girl Renie had been so afraid to share him with. She prayed she’d have the strength to let those fears go, and learn to love her without hesitation.

He told her, in all his promises tonight, that he understood. He promised to pay attention to her, to listen, to plan special moments for the two of them. And most importantly, he promised not to leave her.

Her brain told her it was a promise he didn’t have power over, but her heart knew that Billy understood how great that fear was for her. The more they talked about it, gave it words, the more that fear would distillate.

Her love for him was something pure, the essence of who she was. Acknowledging, rather than burying, her feelings would bring them closer together, instead of driving them apart. She should have trusted Billy would know that. He knew how she felt, he knew what to say, he knew how to comfort her. All those months she’d gone without his comfort, when it was the thing she needed more than air, or sustenance.