The Legacy of Copper Creek (15 page)

She was…incredible. Amazing. Magic.

That was it. This woman was magic. She'd bewitched him. And instead of being afraid of her power, he was enchanted by it. Sucked in. Addicted. Intrigued.

In love.

Never.

Hadn't he vowed he would never get all sappy and stupid like his brothers?

All right. Not in love. It was just…lust. That thought seemed to steady him. He was in lust. And he wanted more of it.

It gave him little comfort, but it would have to do for now, until he could find his brain.

He eased her gently to her feet, then lowered both of them to the cool, damp grass. It wasn't enough to cool their fevered flesh.

Leaning up on one elbow, he touched her face. “You all right?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

He grinned. “I guess that's yes.”

“Mmm.”

“Sorry. Really sorry.” His tone was a low growl of guilt. “I didn't mean to be so rough.”

“We both were.”

“But I'm bigger. I shouldn't have been so rough. I could've hurt—”

“You were fine.”

“Really?” He looked down at the dazed smile on her lips. “You look the way I feel.”

“Is that good?”

“Very good.” He paused a moment before saying, “You know you're too tenderhearted for your own good. If you hadn't gone all soft and mushy about my grief, we might have made it home without…this.”

“Are you sorry?”

“Hell no.” He gave her one of those sexy grins. “You just made my day, Goldilocks.”

“You didn't call me that a few minutes ago.”

“I didn't? What did I call you?”

“My beautiful Cara.” Her voice sounded all soft and dreamy.

“I must have lost my mind for a moment.”

“Yeah. Just for a moment.”

He brushed his lips over hers. “I wouldn't mind losing it again.”

“Are you saying…now?”

“Well, yeah.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “If you're not too exhausted.”

“Don't you know that women are always ready? It's men who sometimes need time before they can…go for seconds.”

“Not this man.”

“Are you sure you're not just bragging, Cowboy?”

“I never make a claim I can't back up.”

Before she could say more, he rolled her on top of him. Her hair fell forward, tickling his chest.

As she wiggled around, she suddenly went very still. “Oh.”

He was laughing. “Told you.”

He touched a finger to her mouth, still swollen from his kisses. “I never meant to be so rough. I was in a strange mood.”

“I know.” She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “You were so sad. And I needed to comfort you.”

“Needed. That's a pretty strong word, Goldilocks.”

“It's what I felt.”

He brushed a kiss over her lips. “Know what I'm feeling right now?”

“Tell me.”

“Better yet, let me show you.”

And then there was no need for words as they took each other again.

This time, instead of a heated rush, it was a slow, easy, lazy and oh-so-tender dance of love, filling them with quiet whispers of tenderness and healing their wounded hearts.

I
like your family.”

Whit and Cara lay in the grass along the banks of Copper Creek, pleasantly sated. Whit had pulled on his faded denims, though he was still shirtless and barefoot. Cara wore his shirt, which fell below her knees.

“I can tell that they like you, too.”

“Who's older? Ash or Griff?”

“Griff by a year or more.”

“When I saw the portrait of your father, I thought at first it was Griff.”

He gave a dry laugh. “The first time I saw Griff, I thought I was seeing a ghost.”

At her raised brow, he filled her in on the family history.

“But your mother seems so…comfortable around Griff. It never dawned on me that he wasn't her son.”

“I guess that's just about the best compliment you could give her. Believe me, she was stunned when she learned that Pop had a son. According to Mason McMillan, so was Pop.”

“Who is Mason McMillan?”

“An old friend of my father's who has been our family lawyer for a lifetime. He recently retired, and his son, Lance, has taken over his law firm.” Whit stroked Cara's arm as he looked out over the waters of the creek. “I was so mad when I first heard the news about Griff. It was like a sucker punch. And then, when Mason told us that Pop had included this stranger in the will, I was blindsided.”

“How did your mother react to the news?”

“Like Mom always does. Whatever emotions she was feeling, she kept them to herself. And then we met Griff, and everything changed.” He smiled down at Cara. “Not overnight. But gradually. Griff is so damned decent, it's hard not to like him. And with that face, every time one of us looks at him, we see our dad. It was impossible not to accept him as family.”

She sat up, shaking her head. “That's so…amazing. But I'm not surprised. The more I know about your family, the more I admire them.”

He lifted both hands to her face, his fingers tangling through her hair. “And, Goldilocks, the more I know about you, the more I want to know.” He brushed kisses over her upturned face. “Want to go for thirds?”

She gave a playful smack of his hands. “Glutton.”

But she was grinning and practically purring as she said it.

It was late afternoon by the time Whit and Cara arrived back at the barn.

As he led their horses toward their stalls, Cara touched his shoulder. “I'd better get inside and start supper or your family will starve.”

He was grinning. “I'd much rather be back at Copper Creek, living on love.”

“You won't say that when you taste the meal I'm planning.” She hurried away.

A short time later, she heard the sound of the Cessna circling overhead before it came in for a landing.

She watched through the window as the little airplane taxied to the big barn that served as a hangar. Minutes later she saw Ash, Juliet, and Griff striding alongside Mad's scooter, while the two little boys sat happily on the old man's lap.

Ash followed the others inside and poked his head through the doorway to call a greeting to Cara. “Hey, I thought I'd warn you that Brenna's on her way to join us for supper. You're going to have the whole family here tonight.”

“Great.” She lifted a sack of potatoes from the pantry. “Dinner in less than an hour.”

“Is Auntie Brenna bringing Sammy?” little Casey called.

“You bet.” Ash ruffled the boy's hair. “He'd be lonely if we left him behind.”

The family crowded around inside the big room, enjoying the fire on the hearth and helping themselves to the appetizers Cara set out.

Whit strolled in from the barn, followed by Willow and Brady.

Whit helped himself to a longneck before pausing beside their foreman. “You'll be glad to hear that the fences are in good shape after so much snow this winter.”

“That's good news.” Brady winked at Willow. “Did you check the south pasture?”

Whit shook his head. “I didn't get that far. Figured I'd save that for another day.”

“Too busy down by the creek?”

Something in his tone had Whit looking at him a little more closely. “Yeah. I was down by the creek.”

“I thought I saw a pair of horses there.”

Whit avoided looking at Cara, though he could see, out of the corner of his eye, the way she paused to turn toward Brady and the others. “I invited Cara to join me for a ride.”

“A good day for a ride.” The foreman's voice was tinged with humor. “Actually, it's a good day for just about anything.”

Whit drank his beer, aware that his grandfather had turned to study him. As casually as he could manage, he turned away. “Guess I'll grab a shower before supper.”

As he passed Cara, he squeezed her arm. Then squared his shoulders and ambled away.

Across the room, Brady winked at Mad, and the two men shared a smile.

Dinner was a noisy affair.

Sammy lay under the table, panting from having chased a ball tossed by two busy little boys for the past hour. He lifted his head only when scraps of roast beef managed to land nearby.

Juliet was singing the praises of Mad, who had not only ridden across the fields for hours, but had also passed his latest pilot's test with flying colors.

“Do you realize you'll be the first patient treated at Hope Ranch to resume both your ranch chores and your pilot skills?”

Mad sat back, beaming with pride. “If someone had told me a year ago that my life would be so drastically changed, I'd have called it a lie.”

“Mama says lying is bad,” Casey said solemnly.

Everyone around the table smiled.

“That it is, lad. But I'd have never believed I could do the things I'm now able to do.” Mad turned to Brenna. “What are you working on in your studio, lass?”

“A statue of Dr. Mullin. He's celebrating twenty-five years here in Copper Creek, and his assistant Kate asked me to do something special.”

“I'm sure it will be, lass.” Mad turned to Cara. “And since we're giving out compliments, you deserve one for this roast beef. It's so tender, it falls off the bone.”

“I'm glad you like it, Mad.”

“Tell me about your day, lass.”

Cara felt her cheeks flush. “I rode along with Whit while he checked the fences.”

“I hope you weren't too bored,” Willow remarked as she sipped her coffee.

“Oh no. Not at all.” Aware that her cheeks were growing hotter by the minute, Cara ducked her head. But not before she saw Whit grinning beside her. That only made her flush more.

“Well, next time you go riding, let me know.” Willow glanced over. “Nothing makes me happier than riding across these hills.”

“I'll…Yes.” At a loss for words, Cara got to her feet. “Is anyone ready for dessert?”

“Let's take it in the great room.” Willow stood and led the way, with the others trailing behind.

At the kitchen counter, Cara let out a long, deep sigh of relief.

“You handled that pretty well.”

At Whit's voice, she looked over in alarm. “Do you think Brady saw us?”

Whit shrugged. “It doesn't matter.”

“Doesn't matter?” She looked outraged. “There we were, rolling around in the grass in our birthday suits, and someone may have been watching.”

Whit couldn't help laughing at her choice of words. “You can't bring yourself to say naked, can you?”

Before she could protest more, he walked toward her. “Goldilocks, Brady's not just someone. He's a good guy. Whatever he saw or didn't see, it will be his secret.”

“I don't want to be anyone's secret.”

He caught her hand. “I just mean that Brady's a very old-fashioned cowboy. If he happened to come upon something he shouldn't be seeing, he's the type of man who would turn away without investigating further.”

Cara lowered her head. “Am I making too much of this?”

Whit gathered her into his arms. “My family can be overwhelming. We're loud and rough and we pretty much say what we're thinking.” He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “But think of it this way. You've got a lot of people on your side, Goldilocks. If any big, bad bears come charging through the woods, we've all got your back.”

She was laughing as he lowered his head and kissed her.

She kissed him back. “Thanks. I needed that.”

The two stepped apart when the door opened and Myrna walked into the kitchen. “Do you need any help?”

Cara's face flamed.

Whit shook his head. “Thanks, Myrna. Cara and I can manage.”

The old woman merely smiled and turned away, calling over her back, “Of course you can.”

Cara gave him a weak smile. “Caught again.”

“Which just proves one thing.”

She waited.

Whit was laughing as he began filling the trolley with cups and plates. “Our only hope for privacy is to head back to the range shack up in the hills.”

“Where we'd find ourselves bunking with a dozen wranglers tending the herds.”

“Yeah. There is that.” He waited while she went to fetch the dessert and coffee.

Leading the way to the great room, he whispered, “There's always the hay loft. Back in our teen years, Ash and I managed to hide a few hot babes up there after dark.”

She burst into laughter. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Neither was Brady. But I don't think he ever ratted us out to Pop.”

They were still laughing like conspirators as they passed around cups of steaming coffee, liberally laced with whiskey for the men, and slices of fresh strawberry shortcake mounded with whipped cream.

Afterward, both Casey and Ethan begged Cara to read her story to them again. And when she'd finished reading it three times, they were still talking about the adventures of Arac and Peg and wishing they could join them in some of their wild rides through the countryside.

It was Juliet who spoke up first. “You really need to think about having a publisher read your story, Cara.”

“That's my dream.”

“Then do it, lass.” Mad fixed her with a stern look. “No dream ever gets realized until you act on it.”

Willow nodded. “If Mad hadn't come out to this wilderness, against the advice of everyone, none of this would be here.”

“And I'd've never met my sweet Maddie. I'd be nothing more than a lonely old man now, dreaming of what might have been. So listen, lass, when I tell you to follow your dream. I know what I'm talking about.”

Cara's smile bloomed. “My gram always told me to listen to my elders.”

“Your grandmother sounds like a smart woman.”

As the conversation resumed, Cara sat back, running her hand lovingly over the dog-eared notebook. If she'd learned anything from Jared and his spoiled, selfish attitude, it was that chasing dreams at any cost could cause a lot of pain and humiliation.

Still, old dreams died hard.

Maybe she'd give it one more try. But only because this family was so persistent.