Never Kiss a Cowgirl, page 21
“Asher, don’t give up. Tell me what happened.” Jacqueline said uh-huh as she explained, and it made her realize why Reagan was mad. If she wasn’t angry before, she was angry now. “She thinks you played her to get what you want.”
“I agree with you, and I promise I’ll be okay, but I’ve got to go.”
“Please, try to calm down, and talk to her. You’re special to me, and you deserve to be in love and happy.”
She said her good-byes and hung up. Being in love and happy with someone who thought so little of her wasn’t going to happen. This had been their last chance, and Reagan had killed it yet again without giving her a chance to explain. There’d be no more chances.
* * *
“Reagan Samantha Wilson, stop or I swear I’m grounding you,” Wade yelled, and she did as he asked. “What in the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” She gave as good as he did and screamed herself. “What in the hell is wrong with you? I didn’t think my own family would conspire against me to sell off the land my father left me.”
“Thank all that’s holy you never became any kind of law enforcement officer. There’d be a ton of innocent people serving time.” Wade took his hat off and didn’t appear happy in any way. “Who do you think is conspiring against you? And I swear if you say the names Asher or Wade, I’m going to show you the door, niece or no.”
“I heard you. Don’t deny it. She needs a little finessing. Were you talking about Frida?” She knew he and Asher weren’t since she’d heard most of the conversation. “I can’t fucking believe I fell for her act that was only to get her hands on the deed to Moon Touch.”
“Calm down the language and listen. Believe me or no, but Asher was interested in buying a large tract of land I’m not interested in using. I doubt you are either, so it should go to someone who wants to use it and understands how special it is.” He started back for the house, and she got the impression he didn’t care if she followed him or not. “I told you we needed to talk about it, and you refused.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to sell. Have you thought about what Daddy would say about that?” Right now she couldn’t give a crap about the land, but that Asher had so easily gotten her into bed and gotten past her defenses stung. “You both loved this place.”
“I still love it, and I’m not going anywhere. All Asher and I discussed was grazing and pastureland. The house and a bunch of acres around it will remain with Moon Touch.” He sat on a rocker and threw his hat on the table. “When you said you were coming back, Asher rescinded her offer to lease the land because she knew you’d never sell or give her use of it. I didn’t believe you’d do that, but you just proved me wrong.”
“Lease it?” Why wouldn’t Asher have talked to her about this?
“She needs a way to get to the land she wants to purchase on the other side of us, but history is a bitch, ain’t it. Asher figured you wouldn’t want anything to do with her, so she told me she’d just have to put an outpost over there, like the cabin she has.” Wade swept his sweaty but still thick hair back and glared at her. He didn’t get mad often, but when he did it took a bit to calm him down. “I doubt she’s going to want to have much to do with either of us now.”
“Why didn’t she tell me this herself? I ask because finessing isn’t a word you use unless you’re trying to get something over on someone.” She saw Frida coming out of the barn with blood on her bright yellow shirt. “Now what?”
“What happened?” Wade stood and flew down the steps. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine—the blood’s not mine. Asher tripped and knocked herself out in the barn,” Frida said.
“What?” Reagan stood and started for the barn. “And you left her in there alone? What’s wrong with you?”
“I brought her to, and she insisted on leaving. Since she’s an adult capable of making her own stupid decisions, I couldn’t chain her to the wall until she came to her senses.” Frida put her hands on her hips. “Girl, there’s slow learners, and then there’s you.”
“This is not my fault.” She wasn’t making shit up, and Uncle Wade could bend the truth all he wanted but it wasn’t going to change anything.
“Listen”—Wade pointed toward the porch—“the land belongs to both of us. I’m not going behind your back, and neither is Asher. If you don’t want to sell or lease, then drop it. Accusing people who love you is not only rude, it’s obnoxious. Before you keep doing that, if you have questions, we’ll answer them.”
“Why do you want to quit so bad?” No matter what he’d said, she couldn’t shake the suspicion that he was sick.
“I was in the barn before, telling Asher not to mess with you. If she was serious about you, then I expected her to act accordingly. The other thing I told her is that Frida purchased tickets to Italy, and we’re going after the finals.” Wade held up a finger every time he made a point. “You’re not interested in ranching, so I wanted Asher to lease so she’ll keep our guys on. We’ll keep the herds separate until we wind down, but they can start working for Pemberley and I won’t feel guilty for wanting to retire and enjoy some downtime with Frida.”
“I wish you’d said something,” she said, close to tears.
“I’m not going to play that game with you, Buckaroo. You heard what you wanted to hear, and now it’s time to apologize. It’s also time to stop thinking the world is against you.” Wade sounded tired, but his anger had subsided some. “How you ever thought Asher or I could’ve done something to hurt you is something I can’t wrap my head around.”
“I’m sorry, and you’re right. I wasn’t thinking, and I let my anger overrule my head and my heart. Those simple words won’t cover it, but I am sorry.” She stood and thought about how she was going to get back to Asher. She’d call an Uber, and the wait for them to get here would give her time to think of what to say. “You two go ahead and eat. I need to see Asher.”
Uncle Wade threw her the keys to his truck and finally cracked a smile. “Don’t take no for an answer and make it count.”
She drove back to the road and headed to Pemberley, glad she had the code, doubting either Asher or Rickie would open the gate. Asher’s SUV was parked, but there was no four-wheeler close to the house. God, she’d really fucked this day all to hell, and there was no taking it back. She sat in the truck and thought about what to do. The realization of where Asher was came to her as she stared at the barn.
This was one of the nicest barns she’d ever been in, and there was a staircase up to the loft. Both loft doors were open, and Asher was stretched out at the back with her ankles crossed and her eyes closed. There was a butterfly bandage over her left brow, and her shirt was streaked with blood. Reagan had done this, and she was ashamed of her behavior.
“I know you don’t want me here, and as soon as I say what I need to, I’ll go.” She didn’t move any closer, not wanting Asher to throw her out before she apologized. “I was wrong. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“Uh-huh,” Asher said, not opening her eyes.
“This morning we were on our way to something wonderful, and I messed that up.”
“You want to know the truth?” Asher said, turning her head and finally looking at her.
She took a chance and sat at Asher’s feet. That Asher was talking was a minor miracle. “What?”
“I love you. You’re killing me, but I thought about that when I was holding you this morning. I love you and today showed me that won’t change even if we never see each other again.” Asher put her hand up to keep her quiet, so she didn’t say anything. “You think I don’t know how important what your father left you is to you. Moon Touch will always exist as long as I’m alive.”
“I was so wrong, and I can’t imagine not ever seeing you again.” She put her hand on Asher’s ankle and moved it up to her knee. “Please forgive me.”
Asher opened her arms, and she didn’t give Asher a chance to change her mind. She dove into what was her salvation, and there was no doubt it always would be. The salt from her tears coated Asher’s lips, but she’d never felt anything more exquisite than the kiss they were sharing.
“I don’t deserve you, but I’m lucky you’re willing to give me another chance.” She pressed her face into Asher’s neck and breathed in her scent. “And I love you too. I’m horrible at showing it, but I love you more than anything or anyone.” She kissed the shell of Asher’s ear and hummed to release some of her tension. “What changed your mind? About me, I mean.”
“Jacqueline called me and told me to not give in to the anger, or something like that. She’s right. I was plenty angry, but denying you would hurt us both.” Asher sat up still holding her and pointed out toward the levee that was barely visible from here. It was at the top of the list of their favorite places, a place where they could look out at their tomorrows. “Are you sure about all this?”
“Will you keep Uncle Wade’s hands on if you get the land?” She pressed against Asher, not wanting to be away from her.
“If they want to stay, but maybe you should take over for him. You could still work at the clinic after hiring a foreman. That way it’ll stay in the family.” Asher widened her fingers when Reagan took her hand. “That’s not exactly what Silas wanted, but that might be a good reminder of what you love about this place.”
“I know what I love about this place, honey. The cows, the land, the work don’t add up to you. Being here with you, I’ve come to realize I belong here…with you.” She turned, wanting to look at Asher and have her see how much she meant it. “The future I want is right here with you.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but this terrifies me more than the competitions I have coming up.” Asher didn’t turn away from her, and that, more than anything, gave her hope.
“It’s about doing the things that scare us, isn’t it?” She put her hand on Asher’s cheek and leaned in to kiss her. “Sure bets don’t come around too often, but I think you know this time, I’m sure.”
Asher pulled her back in and kissed her with her hand on the back of her neck like she wanted to possess her. She moved but didn’t break the kiss as she straddled Asher’s lap. Once she had Asher’s hands on her hips, she leaned back and pulled her shirt off and threw it behind her. Right now she needed Asher inside her, claiming what was hers.
“Please, love,” she said, pulling Asher’s hair. “I need you.”
Asher twisted and laid her down in the hay, taking her own shirt off first so she could use it as a blanket to keep her from getting poked by the dry stalks. She wasn’t sure how they were both naked so quickly, but it didn’t matter. All she could think was that Asher’s hand was between her legs and she was sucking on her nipple.
“Open it up for me,” Asher said, lying next to her. She raised her knees and let them fall open. The want of Asher over her, putting her fingers in, and driving her to come was making her crazy.
“I need you to go inside…I’m so ready for you.” She sounded as if she was on the last mile of a marathon, but Asher was making her desperate and not above begging. “Like that,” she said when Asher entered fast and hard. “You feel so good. Fuck me.”
Reagan could hear the slap of Asher’s hand as she kept up the stroke that she loved. It was slow, deep, and relentless. Her thighs closed around Asher’s hand, and Asher opened her back up by lying over her. She scraped her nails up Asher’s back as she lost control. “Like that, don’t stop doing that.” The orgasm made her tense and grab Asher’s ass as she bucked up into her.
“Tell me what you want.” Asher spoke with authority, and it turned Reagan on that much more. “Tell me or I’ll stop.”
“I want you…oh fuck…I want to belong to you,” she said, looking up at Asher while she rode out the peak of her orgasm. “Tell me.”
“I love you and you do belong to me.” Asher circled her clit with her thumb and slammed in one more time. It was an act of possession and what Reagan had been waiting for. She had belonged to Asher for what seemed her whole life, and being away from her had damaged something vital.
“Yes, oh yes,” she said before wrapping her arms and legs around Asher, not wanting her to move. “I do, you know.”
“You do what?” Asher sounded tight and on edge.
“I belong to you.” She released Asher and rolled on top as soon as she moved. “Let me show you how much.”
She moved slowly down Asher’s body, kissing all the nicks that’d scarred over from a lifetime of ranch work. They were markers of Asher’s dedication to the things she loved. Reagan stopped and kissed over her heart knowing that’s where the biggest scar lay, and days like this would be the only thing that finally healed it all the way through. She covered Asher’s breasts with her hand and squeezed, getting that grunt she loved.
Asher not being overly vocal during sex was one thing that had remained consistent. Asher was as quiet in bed as she was most days. It’s what had made those days in the cabin so special. Their talks had been the catalyst to this. She’d admitted her mistake, of tearing them apart just as much as Asher’s kindness in making it right. While that hadn’t been pleasant, there’s no way they’d have gotten back to this level of comfort without it.
“God, baby, you taste so good,” she said, sounding muffled since she hadn’t raised her head from Asher’s sex. She flattened her tongue, and Asher put her hand at the back of her head.
“Fuck,” Asher said.
There was no way she was stopping, but she did open her eyes as she sucked Asher in and thought about how happy this view was going to make her for the rest of her life. She sucked harder and slid her fingers into Asher, wanting her to belong to her as much as she did to Asher. This was theirs, and no one would ever come between them.
Asher tensed and released faster than Reagan would’ve liked, but touching her had always turned Asher on, and it was nice that hadn’t changed.
“Do you remember that first day we saw each other again?” She rested her head on Asher’s chest and listened to her heart.
“At the restaurant, you mean?” Asher asked.
“Yes, I was so upset. It was the way you stared at me with that hard gaze that telegraphed you’d never forgive me.” How close had she come to losing all this? If she had given Jacqueline the chance to spend lazy days in the loft, she’d be living with the truth that she had no one to blame for losing Asher but herself.
“I’m sorry about that. Frida told me you were coming back so I could start preparing mentally to see you again.” Asher’s voice was slow and thick like cane syrup in winter. It’d be easy to blame it on the lethargy from the sex they’d just had, but she knew Asher better than that. “When she said you were coming home with someone, I was glad I had a few months to perfect my poker face.”
“I didn’t say that to blame you for anything, honey. When you walked in and didn’t notice me it was because the beautiful woman who greeted you with a boa constrictor kiss had your full attention. You have to admit, Jacqueline Blanchard is one beautiful woman.” That same queasiness to her stomach and pain in her chest came again as she thought of Jacqueline kissing Asher. Everyone handled jealousy their own way, she guessed, like anger, and hers had always been like a virus that made her ill. “I wanted to pull her off you, but I didn’t have the right.”
“The hard gaze came from seeing you being held by Ms. Delmonico. I was irrationally angry that I’d been replaced.” Asher ran her fingers through Reagan’s hair and kissed her forehead. “Any need for a hug is my job from now on.”
“How did I get this lucky?” She really was. Asher put a world of hurt aside because she loved her, and she wasn’t ever going to take that for granted.
“You’re Reagan Wilson. No luck needed.” Asher gazed down at her and smiled. “You’re imprinted on my heart, and only dying is going to change that.”
“See, I never understood why you want to ride bulls when you’re this poetic.” She laughed when Asher did, and it was freeing. Asher always told her eggshells were meant to be broken, and there’d be no consequences if they were honest. The emotions of the day—no, really the whole time they’d been apart—crept up on her, and her laugh turned to tears. Through it all, Asher just held her and didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to because she knew her.
“I love you, and that’s not changing. All I want is for you to be sure.”
She was about to answer when she heard talking in the barn. A glance outside gave no clue as to who it was, but one of the voices was female. “I’m sure. I have no doubts, and I’m also sure we’re about to get embarrassed.”
Her shirt came flying up the stairwell and landed on Asher’s head.
“It’s Helki and her assistant,” Asher said with a laugh. “They were due to come by today with the vet to check on Booker.” Asher plucked the shirt off her head and threw it behind her.
“Please tell me she’s not coming up here to get hay.” She started laughing again when she gazed at Asher. Once upon a time it had been her father and uncle down in the barn, and Asher had been convinced Silas was going to chase her off with a shotgun. He’d at least given them time to get dressed, but they’d each had a slew of chores added to their slates because one of the legs of Asher’s jeans had been hanging down into the barn like a big clue to what they’d been doing.
“No, and if we hurry, we can make it inside and into the shower before anyone else shows up.”
She rolled off and grabbed her clothes as Asher put her underwear back on. That big smile on her lover’s face meant that sex was going to be not only mind-blowing, but fun again. “Honey?”
“Hmm?” Asher said as she stood with her jeans on but unbuttoned.
God, she was sexy. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Asher moved closer and picked her up so their naked chests pressed together. “I love you and you’re mine.”
