The Cowboy Who Strolled Into Town (61 page)

To get your 3 free bonus books below!

Just tell me where to send it

Pregnant by the Seal

Pregnancy Romance

By: Riley Moreno

1

Jenna leaned over and ran her hand along the side of Riley's face. She smiled with contentment as she looked at his masculine beauty, and nuzzled in closer to him. Although he was still asleep his body responded naturally and enveloped her in his strong arms. As she looked at their entwined bodies she felt a thrill about seeing their different complexions mix. Her skin was like chocolate, and soft and curve, while his was milky white and muscular and hard. They fit together so well, and Jenna couldn't believe that she had lived most of her life without him in it. They'd only been together a short time but already they had enjoyed so many good memories and had formed a strong bond. Jenna leaned in to kiss him softly, and Riley began to stir. He murmured and yawned as he woke.

“You need to have a shave, this is getting pretty long,” she said, pressing her palm to the side of his jaw, feeling the stubble scratch at her skin.

“I was thinking about growing a beard. They seemed to be a big thing nowadays.”

“Ew, gross,” Jenna said, making a face of disgust, “please don't.”

“Okay then, for my princess I shall keep my face bare,” he said, then leaned in to kiss her, and playfully rubbed his face against her skin. She slapped him and squirmed out of his reach.

“That's horrible! It feels like sandpaper,” she squealed, and Riley stopped to laugh. He ran his hands up her back and through her hair. Her body began to tingle as it always did when he did that, and her eyes closed. Jenna smiled softly, and the two of them kissed tenderly, holding each other tightly in the early morning. They took great delight in enjoying each other’s' naked bodies and feeling their hearts beating as one.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked.

“Probably just take care of the store again. Dad is still recovering from his attack,” she said.

“He'll be back to his best in no time.”

“I'm sure he will. Having all this time off is killing him. He's getting so grumpy. I think soon I'm going to have to tie him down just to stop him from coming into the store! Do you know the other day he came in pretending that he needed to find something round back? He was there for ages and when I went to get him I found him doing a stock check!”

“You have to admire the man's dedication to his job.”

“Yeah, well, that dedication is not good for his health. Thanks again by the way for helping out around the place, we both appreciate it.”

“No worries, it gives me something to do anyway, and I get to spend more time with the most beautiful woman on the planet.”

“Only the planet?”

“Okay...the galaxy...the universe...the most beautiful girl in all the dimensions in every place and every time!” he said, rolling on top of her and kissing her again. “I also kinda like the fact that you're my boss there as well,” he whispered into her ear, letting his hot breath wash over her.

“Oh really?”

“Mm, well, I am used to following orders,” he said, giving her a deep kiss and laying his body on top of hers. They kissed deeply for a while.

“What are your plans anyway? Are you going to do another tour?” she asked. He stopped kissing her and rolled back onto his side.

“I don't know. I don't think so but I don't know what else I'm going to do. Its all well and good taking some time off but I don't want to be a bum. I'm going to look around; maybe I can get into some security work or something. I'd rather not leave again if I can help it, I like being around you too much.”

Jenna's heart swelled as she looked at him with adoration, and clung onto him tightly. She pressed her head against his chest, and she could feel his powerful heart beating.

“You know, if you have to leave I won't blame you. I love the fact that you're a hero and I know you have your duty. There are some things bigger than me and you. Of course, I'd rather you stayed because I've gotten really used to having you around...”

“Jenna...I've done my time. I think I've served the marines, and my country, well. From what I've seen over there I want to have something to cherish. That's what I was fighting for, and I don't want to have to be in that war zone again. I've seen enough of that for one lifetime.”

“You know, you never talk about your experiences over there.”

“There's a reason for that. I...I saw so many things and it's hard. It's like a whole different world over there. Coming back here and sleeping in this bed in this small town, it's so strange to me. Part of me is still getting used to it and sometimes it feels like a dream that I'm going to wake up from at any moment.” As he said this Jenna hugged him tightly and kissed him deeply.

“This is no dream, I'm no dream,” she said, and as they lay in bed she persuaded him that it was real.

“How's soldier boy?” Emily asked as she laid out the cakes for the day.

“Oh, he's fine,” Jenna said. She was sitting in Emily's cake shop while keeping an eye on her own general store. The early mornings were always slow, especially on a Tuesday, so Jenna and Emily always took the opportunity to have a chat. They'd already seen Mr. Johnson, who owned the hardware store in between the two of them. It was still odd for Jenna to see him and Emily together as a couple, not only because of the stark age difference between them but also because for a long time they had been her friends. But the two of them were getting on well together and she was glad that they had found happiness with each other.

“Whenever you say things are fine they never are,” Emily said, narrowing her eyes at Jenna.

“It's nothing serious; it's just that he never talks about his time in the marines.”

“Can you blame him? He probably just wants to forget about it and move on. I know I would.”

“Do you think that's all it is? You hear all these stories about soldiers returning from war and dealing with PTSD and things like that...I just worry about him. I want to know that he's okay.”

“Well, has he shown any symptoms of that? Has he been having any nightmares or anything?”

“No, not that I can tell.”

“Then you're probably just worrying over nothing.”

“Probably. I guess I'm just worried that things are somehow going to be messed up. Sometimes I'm convinced that the universe doesn't want me to be happy,” Jenna said, half-jokingly.

“Do you really think that the universe has picked you out of everyone else to make miserable? Face it Jenna, you've met your perfect match and you're going to be together forever. You're just going to have to deal with that,” Emily said as she marched over to Jenna and placed a cupcake in front of her. Jenna tilted her head and picked up the cupcake. She took a big bite and was overwhelmed with the tasty sweetness, then licked the remaining frosting off her lips.

“How are things you are Mr. Johnson?”

“It sounds weird calling him that now. He's so sweet! And so just...I don't know, he just takes care of me, you know? I feel safe with him, like I don't have to worry about anything. He’s so different from every other guy I've ever dated as well. He buys me flowers and always opens doors for me. It's really different from what I'm used to.”

“I'm glad; it's good that you're happy. Maybe we should double date sometime.”

“That's a great idea!”

They chatted for a little bit more and then Jenna noticed that a customer went into her store, so she excused herself. She stayed in her store for the rest of the morning, but in the early afternoon the door swung open and a tall giant of a man walked in. He was wearing jeans and a jacket, with a faded t-shirt underneath, and had a rucksack slung over his shoulder. He picked up a few packets of chips and a drink, and ordered some cigarettes. When he swung the rucksack onto the counter some dog tags became visible.

“Can you tell me how to get into town?” he asked. She gave him directions, and watched him leave the store, wondering if it would have been rude to ask him about his dog tags. The town was small and she thought she knew everyone in it. Riley had been a surprise because he had been visiting his mother after coming back from his tour, but she didn't know of anyone else that had served in the military. Was there just a sudden influx of people?

Later on in the day Riley came to surprise her, just before she was closing up.

“I thought we could go out for dinner tonight,” he said, and she gladly accepted the offer. There weren't too many options in town but they went to Diego's, which was a small Italian place. Riley had a big pizza while Jenna had some pasta. While they chatted Jenna idly mentioned the soldier who had come into the store that day but she was so into her meal that she didn't notice Riley tense and stiffen. The conversation moved on, but for the rest of the night he was distracted and she didn't understand why.

“You know, I've been thinking about what you could do. Maybe you could write a book about your experiences? There are a lot of biographies out there, and maybe you could even get a movie made out of it one day! I was thinking about who could play you and I think Ryan Gosling would be perfect,” she said excitedly.

“I'm not much of a writer,” Riley said, looking downcast.

“You don't have to be nowadays. All people care about is the story. As long as they can understand what's being written that's all you need! And I'm sure you must have some good stories to tell, and you can talk about why you went into the marines in the first place, and what your life is like now. People eat that stuff up, and it'd give you something to do in the day while I'm at work.”

“I don't think my experiences are that great. I just did my job, that's all,” he said.

“Don't be so modest, I really think there could be something here.”

“I said I don't want to.” He spoke tersely, and Jenna was taken aback. Tension rose between them and they looked awkwardly at the people around them.

“I'm sorry,” he said, “I just...I'd rather not relive that time, that's all. I want to move forward with my life, with you. Please, can we just forget about my past?” he asked earnestly.

“I'm sorry too, I guess it's just hard for me to picture you in that environment, and it's such a big part of your life I feel like I'm missing out on it,” she said, but agreed to his request. However, her mind was still plagued with curiosity and no matter how hard she tried she continued to wonder about his past in the marines. For the rest of the evening they spoke about idle things before they descended into silence. They could both feel the tension as they walked to the car.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked, eventually breaking the silence.

“No, at least, I don't think so. I guess I just...I don't know,” she sighed, “I want to be a part of your life and at the moment it feels like there's a big void. I know you were in the marines but other than that I don't know anything about it. I want to know, I want to share this with you.” They stopped as they reached the car. Riley turned to her and took her hands in his.

“Jenna, please, I'm not keeping this from you because I'm trying to be secretive. That time...it changes a man, you know? I saw things, I did things that no-one should have to do and it made me question myself and my beliefs. I'm proud that I served my country but there are some things I'd just rather forget. And I'm afraid that if I share this with you then it'll change the way you feel about me. I want you to know the Riley that I am today, not the one that was in the war. Please don't ask this of me again. I really don't feel comfortable sharing that part of my life. It happened and it’s in the past, and that's where I'd like to leave it. All I want is to focus on my future here, with you.” From the tone of his voice and the look on his face Jenna could tell that he was deadly serious and if she was going to get the information she wanted she was going to have to push him in a direction that he didn't want to go, and she was mature enough to know that it was selfish of her. However, the way he spoke only made her more curious, and as they got in the car to drive home she found herself chewing on her lip, trying her hardest not to think about what he did in the marines.

When they pulled up at her house they got out of the car and stopped instantly. There was a man sitting by the front door. In the dim light of the night it was difficult to make out his features. Riley stepped in front of Jenna and held out his arm, gesturing for her to stay back. He walked forward slowly and braced himself, ready to defend the woman he loved. As he approached the man stood up, and as Riley got closer his expression changed. The man walked forward. Jenna watched, afraid of what might happen.