Just Her Luck (73 page)

“Yep,” I sighed, “I could never be enough, fancy pants.
I’m too much.”

She wailed when she finally got her purse back, reached her hand inside and shrieked when clumps of mud came out.

I hopped off the fence, ignoring her as I took the napkins Eustice offered me and wiped my feet off, putting my socks and boots back on, carefully rolling my pant legs back down.

I turned around to face my unworthy adversary, giving her a salute.

“Well, crotch rot, it’s been fun, but I gotta go!” I smiled warmly.

Reeve scooped me up and gave me a hard, quick kiss.

I reciprocated, and he set me down, nodding at Eustice and Ten, who were still staring off after Maura, watching her struggling and spitting mad in her little piggy pen.

“Hey, Mary? Who’s the pig lover now?” I smirked.

She screamed.

“You about done yet, gremlin?” Reeve asked quietly, face full of mirth.

I tickled his tummy and hugged his arm, heading off.

“I know, I know,” I grinned, “you’re eating for two and you get cranky if I make you wait. Let’s go, hot stuff, my treat.”

I slapped his ass to get him going, gripping his arm to keep him from easily reciprocating the gesture.

I stared straight ahead, fighting a shit eating grin as we walked off, the sound of Maura’s hysterical ranting music to my ears.

Reeve kept glancing at me-
knowing me
- waiting for it.

I waited until we were out of ear shot, hidden from listening ears and prying eyes to let it loose.

It all spilled out and I busted up, laughing uncontrollably, holding my gut.

“You’re real proud of yourself, aren’t you, prison bait?” Reeve tried for irate, but couldn’t, cracking up along with me, kissing me long and hard, pressing me up against the side of the cotton candy booth.

I cleared the laughter from my voice and glanced up at him, rubbing my hands under his shirt, grinning when I hit a plethora of yummy tummy muscles.

“You’re welcome.”

“Welcome?” he guffawed. “You told her I was pregnant! With your love child! And about a million other things. Beautiful… everyone this side of the county line is gonna think you’re a nutcase when she’s done spreadin’ gossip.”

I grinned, tugging at the waistband of his jeans.

“And who’s gonna believe a load of shit like that? No,” I shook my head. “You’re wrong, moonshin
e. She’s
the one they’re gonna think is a nutso if she blabs. Who’d fall for a line of bull as stupid as that?”

I snorted and went to pull away from him, but he pulled me back.

“God, I love it when you’re like this,” he growled.

His lips nipped at mine, and I nipped back, reaching up on my tippy toes, arms winding around his neck.

“What is that supposed to mean, Mr. Harrison?” I used my haughtiest, snottiest voice.

“You’re mean, beautiful. Just plain mean.”

I laughed and tugged him towards the food vendors. “And don’t you forget it,
old man.”

I grinned when he chafed at that, pulling me back towards the back of the booth.

“I’ll show you an old man, gremlin.”

“You’re so hot when you growl everything,” I nipped his chin, “do it again.”

He growled, and I laughed, a happy, carefree laugh.

My low, quiet moans as Reeve showed me
exactly
what my older man was capable of were drowned out by the whir of the cotton candy machine and all the other general noises you come across at the fair.

Catching Is Only Half The Battle…

It was a quiet ride back to the ranch and I hummed along sleepily to the radio, tucked up into Reeve’s side.

“I actually had fun tonight,” I murmured quietly.

Reeve kissed my forehead, bumping along the dirt road in the truck.

“You’re welcome.” His smile was all male pride and smugness.

I tickled his side.

“Quit that, woman. Can’t you see I’m drivin’ here?”

“I meant the fair its self, dodo.”

“Do you want to head to your place tonight and we can crash there?” he offered.

“Really?” I peeked up, “You wouldn’t mind?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Oh, good. Then I can get a head start and I’ll be finished before you know it.”

This is awesome!
I thought to myself.

“Couldn’t you do all that stuff here? At home?”

At home.

He said ‘at home’. Our home.

I warmed at that.

“Well, some of it, but I have too much junk and nowhere to put it.”

He stared out the windshield thoughtfully, watching the road.

“You could always put it in Ruthie’s old room, move your things in with mine…” he ventured.

I sat up and looked at him.

“Reeve Harrison, are you asking me to move in with you?”

“So what if I am?” he grumbled, my grumpy lover getting testy, staring straight ahead.

On the brink of a girlish squeal, I stopped myself and my smile fell.

But what if he changes his mind?

“You can get that look off your face, woman,” he snapped, “‘cause I aint goin’ nowhere and neither are you.”

I relaxed and leaned my head against his shoulder again, pressing into his side, hiding a smile.

We rode on for a while longer, the companionable silence welcome.

“Have you had your lady stuff yet?” he asked quietly.

So quietly I almost didn’t catch it.

“You want to know if I’ve had my period?” My eyebrows tried to disappear into my hair line. “Why? Do you need a break?”

“Well, did you?”

I know he’s not one of those weirdoes that gets his rocks off on that kind of stuff, so what’s up?

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why does everything have to be so difficult with you? Why can’t I just ask a question and you can give me a yes or a no?”

I scoffed, scooting more towards the middle.

“Can you hear yourself, captain oblivious? You’re asking me about something very personal. I don’t have to tell you shit.” I harrumphed and crossed my arms over my chest, staring out the passenger side window.

“Besides…” I murmured into the quiet of the cab, “You didn’t answer mine first. Plus! You cheated at the fair, asking your mother about Ruthie.”

He sighed heavily and drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel.

“I never had it checked.”

I glanced over at him. “Had what checked?”

“My sperm count. You asked me when we were eating at the table earlier ‘how did I know for sure’. I don’t. I never checked to see if my swimmers were,” he coughed, “all still swimming. The doctor said I couldn’t, something about a blockage, and I took him at face value.”

“Reeve!!! Right now is not my safe time!
We
could get pregnant!
I
could get pregnant! I could already
be
pregnant! Are you insane?!!”

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing that had ever happened.”

“Ugh!! I’m going to kill you!”

My phone chose that moment to go off.

I glared at Reeve as I dug through my purse for it.

“Would it be so bad, having to marry me?” he asked quietly, glancing out his window.

I stopped searching, dropping my hands.

“Reeve? Is that what you were hoping for? What you’d wanted? To marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Of all the… that stupid deal your brothers made with each other about knocking me up had nothing to do with me, I never agreed to anything. I’m going to marry whoever the hell I want.
If
I ever marry at all.”

“You aren’t gonna bring
my
baby into this world without a ring on your finger and my last name on your driver’s license. And possibly tattooed across your ass.”

My phone started ringing again, I sent it to voice mail.

My eyes narrowed to slits.

“It would be
my
baby! Mine! And I would just like to see you
try
to make me do anything, you big galoot!”

“We can arrange that,” Reeve snarled, pulling over.

I wrestled with my seat belt, trying to unbuckle it.

My phone slid off the seat, ringing for the third time, clunking to the floor boards with a few tumbles and a thunk.

“Just great!” I snapped, still struggling with the jammed belt.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Reeve barked, gripping the belt to hold it in place.

“What does it look like I’m doing, asshole?! I’m walking!”

“Like fuck!”

“NO! More like fuck you!”

At this point, I’d wrestled free and was currently searching the floor boards for my phone.

“You aint walkin’, woman! It’s pitch black out and you don’t need to!”

“You domineering, control freak! I’ll do whatever I want!”

He tugged me up and turned me, gripping my shoulders to pull me close.

“Why do you always have to be so damn difficult?” His voice was low, but still grumbly, a major contrast to the yelling match of a minute ago.

He kissed me softly, ardently, resting his forehead against mine.

“Why can’t you just let me love you?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“I love you, beautiful. I love you. Just let me love you.”

I swallowed hard and kissed him back, hugging him to me tight.

“I love you too, asshole,” I mumbled.

He smiled against my lips.

I nuzzled my way to his ear, soaking up his warmth, parked next to the toxic sludge pond with the no skinny dipping sign.

“Oh, Reeve. What the hell am I going to do with you?” I sighed, hands tightening on him.

He chuckled and nuzzled me back.

“Same thing I’m gonna do with you, prison bait. Love you forever.”

****

It was early afternoon when I finished up, the sun shining merrily in through my window as I finished working.

“You ready to eat, gremlin? I got the burgers ready to go.”

I snorted and headed for the door.

“You just wanted to play with my barbeque,” I teased.

He didn’t deny it.

“Its’ nice.”

“Of course it is,” I grinned, “I only choose the best.”

He chuckled and followed me down the hall.

“Yes, you do. That’s why you’re with me.”

“I didn’t choose you,” I argued, “I don’t know if I ever really had a choice in the matter.”

“Nope.” He grinned and kissed my temple. “You wanna eat inside or outside?”

“Outside.”

He handed me a glass of lemonade and carried our plates out to the front porch swing, handing me mine when I got comfortable.

“What’s with the measuring tape?” I asked between bites, noticing it on top of my dresser earlier.

I took a long drink of lemonade and took another bite.

My teeth sank into perfectly seasoned beef, crisp lettuce and Thousand Island dressing, and I moaned out loud, drawing his attention.

Oh, my god.

Mwahahaha! Burger heaven! Yum!

He took a bite of his, smiling around it.

I love when he smiles.

I nudged him.

“The measuring tape?”

“Hmmm? Oh, I was measuring your dresser.”

“My dresser?”

“Yeah and a couple of other things too.” He took a long drink, a drop escaping his lips to drip down his chin, the wayward drop drawing a marked path down his neck as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

He set his drink down and used a napkin to wipe it off.

“You got any boxes around here?” he asked curiously.

“What?” I asked distractedly, looking up at him.

He’d noticed, cocky self-assuredness firmly in place, smiling smugly as I came out of my fog.

What a butt face.

Give me a look like
that
.

I can’t help it if he’s yummy, and has to eat, and happens to look good doing so.

He ate on and I was almost done before he spoke again.

“The boxes, gremlin, or do you need a few more minutes?”

I gave him a funny look and set my plate in my lap.

“You’re not funny,” I sing song-ed sarcastically, muttering under my breath.