Patty's Homecoming, page 9
part #1 of Montana Wranglers Series
She nestled against him and rubbed her lips over his shoulder. Finally, against his ear she whispered, “I think I’m so going to keep you.” Her eyes closed and she relaxed over him. This was heaven to her, the feeling of him under her, knowing that he was there for her. Hell yes, this was perfection.
Chuckling, he gave her the slightest squeeze, ever careful of her injuries. “I hate to rush you darlin’, but we should likely get dressed. It is the middle of the afternoon and, as much as I don’t want to move, the others will be coming in sooner than later. Plus, and I know you’ll like this part, Corbin should be here any time now as well.”
“Yes, I do like that idea a great deal.” Leaning in, she brushed her lips to his again. “Have you told him anything yet? If not, then I look forward to the look of surprise on his face.”
“Just that I had a surprise for him when he got back.” Kissing her, he sat up and rubbed his hands down her arms. “Let’s get dressed and we will open the doors again. Not fully, I want to keep it as quiet in here as possible for Matilda. Poor girl’s stressed enough as is, don’t need to add more to the mix.”
“Good point. Doesn’t help that the poor girl just had me screaming in here too.” She did blush, however, as she said those words, and dropped her forehead to his chest again. “Good heavens, let’s hope my father didn’t hear or he will be asking what the ever-loving hell was wrong with me.”
“Babe, if he came and found the doors locked, I’m pretty sure he put two and two together with the screaming. If not, maybe we do need to get him on a date and soon,” he said. Chuckling, he helped her to her feet and, standing, kissed her lightly.
Patty didn’t want to leave his arms but she did. Licking her lips, she nodded and touched her hand to his cheek. “I love you, cowboy. However, next time, no hay? That had to have hurt you.” She had noticed that his shoulder had some angry red places. Even though they had a blanket under them, she had felt the hay on her knees, so she was sure that he had felt it as well.
“No pain, no gain.” He grinned, grabbing his jeans. Tugging them on his legs, he pulled his boots on before he stood up. Doing up the buttons on his fly, he looked around. “Tish, darlin’, you haven’t seen my shirt have you?”
Patty was doing up her shirt when she turned around and then grinned. “Yeah, it’s up on top of the stall door?” How the hell it got up there was beyond her, but there it was. “Well all that I know is that I need to find my hair tie. Have you seen it? Pink scrunchie.”
“Hot damn.” He stared past her, obviously to his shirt. Shaking his head, he turned and then tossed her a pink scrunchie. “Thankfully it landed near my hat,” he said with a chuckle. Moving to the stall, he hopped up to drag down his shirt. Pulling it on, he buttoned it up as he walked toward her again.
Patty was fully back to rights and she looked at Blake. “After you dust the hay out of your hair no one will ever know that we did what we did.” She wasn’t ashamed of it though and he knew the moment she added, “Too bad too. I honestly wouldn’t mind it at all if everyone and their brother knew just what we had done.”
“I know, darlin’.” he ducked his head and swatted at the hay. “And we’ll advertise it soon enough. But for the moment we need to stay under the radar. Mostly.” He winked as he collected his hat and set it back on his head.
“Sounds good to me.” In his arms she felt as if life were truly going to be okay. In his arms she felt whole. She felt as if things would work out perfectly. “Well, you know as well as I do that dad already knows. I’m sure that everyone and their brother already knows as well.” She shrugged and added, “And I really couldn’t care. As long as you are happy and I’m happy and hopefully Corbin, we are good. Right?”
“Absolutely. And yes, your father knowing could be interesting. He’s always going on about the old biddies and how much they gossip. But in reality he’s just as bad, if not worse, than they are,” he said. “What he’ll actually tell everyone is anybody’s guess.”
“Oh, he’s totally just as bad. That man loves to talk about everyone and everything. I swear that man would go insane if he didn’t know everything that was happening at every single moment in time. You know it and I know it.”
“He does have his high points, of course.” He grinned. Moving to the doors, he lifted the bar and unlatched the hook. But he didn’t open them fully, just left them open a crack. “He’s a great source of information when it’s something you want to know. When it’s not, on the other hand, he’s a pain in the ass.”
“Yes, this is true. Dad does have his high points and that’s only a part of it. He’s a good man. He really is, the only trouble with him is that he seriously needs to get a life of his own instead of trying to control mine. I love him, but there are days.”
“The joys of parents.” He grinned at her. “Oh well, enjoy him while he’s around. Even when he drives you to the point of committing murder, enjoy him.” He moved to gather the blanket and shook it out before folding it.
“I know.” She touched her fingers to his cheek. “I do enjoy him. I love him a great deal and he knows it every bit as much as I do. He’s an amazing man. I hope that he is with us for a very, very long time.” She didn’t think that she could ever survive her father passing. At all.
Leaning in, he kissed her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you down, darlin’,” he said softly. He was obviously remembering the passing of his own father. It had been sudden, shocking everyone, and had left his mother a mess for so many years after. Blake had struggled at the age of fourteen to be there for her, to be the man of the house even though he had been still just a boy.
“You didn’t, honey,” she promised him even as she leaned into him. “I’m sorry…that you lost your daddy so young. He was a good man.” She barely remembered him, but he had been a good man. Kind and decent, just like Blake. “We will always remember him in our hearts. And when that day comes that God thinks he’s ready for my daddy, then we will remember him as well.”
“Always.” He nodded, wrapping his arms around her. Holding her tight, he sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The ones that touch us the most are the hardest to forget. They leave little reminders throughout life that we come upon when we least expect them but always when we need them the most.”
“This is very true. I know that, God forbid, if anything happened to you or Corbin I would be in a looney bin. I need you boys in my life. Forever. I never want to be without you. I think that I would die of heartbreak if anything did happen to you, honestly.”
“Not going to happen, not for a long, long time. And by then, you’ll probably kill us both just so you can have a couple moments of peace.” He grinned. Kissing her gently, he backed her across the barn slowly, his hands on her ass as they moved.
“Doubt that’s ever going to happen.” Patty moved right along with him. When her back hit the wall gently, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “You are such a dangerous man.” She nipped his lip with her teeth and pulled him impossibly closer. “And I fucking love it.”
Growling softly, he nipped her lip in return before he grinned. “Corbin’s back,” he said quietly. “I can hear Pepper coming in. Stay here for a moment, but close to the door, hide just behind it in fact. I’ll let him in and then you can jump him, but warn him about your back first darling.”
That had her grinning and she nodded. “That sounds good. I will shout ‘surprise’ as I jump into his arms.” She looked forward to it. So very much so. She wanted to have Corbin’s complete and utter surprise. “Go. I will warn him first, I promise,” she told him quietly. “I love you, B. Go and do what you need to but don’t let him know that I’m here,” she said.
“I won’t.” He kissed her again and then let her loose. Heading for the door, he waved her to the side so she’d be out of sight when he pulled it open. Winking at her, Blake stepped outside.
“Hey Blake, Matilda have her foal yet?” Corbin asked.
“Not yet, but she’s getting close. I’ve got the stall shielded so you can get Pepper in and bedded down if you want,” Blake told him.
“Probably should, she needs an extra rub down today. I rode her a little harder than normal getting back. Speaking of which”—his voice was getting closer—“what’s this surprise you have for me?”
“You’ll get to see it,” Blake said as the door eased further open. “But get Pepper dealt with first. The surprise will hold for a couple of minutes at least.”
Chuckling, Corbin came into view on her side of the mare that was being led inside. “You know I hate waiting for anything, bro. I’m going to keep harassing you until you just spill it. To hell with showing me, just tell me dammit.”
Closing the half door, Patty came out and grinned. “I hate surprises too.” She spoke just a moment before jumping into Corbin’s arms as he dropped the bridle for Pepper. “I’m home,” she whispered against the side of his neck and held onto him. When his arms tightened around her, she whimpered. “Please, not too tight. That hurts like hell right now.”
He held her, but his arms did loosen enough so she didn’t hurt. “Tisha,” he whispered, sounding stunned. Setting her on her feet, he held her out at arm’s length and blinked. “Holy hell, girl! When did you get in? Why the hell didn’t I know sooner?” He turned and punched Blake in the arm. “Asshole.” Then he scooped her back up, his hands on her ass as he held her to him.
Patty held onto him and nuzzled against his neck. She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, Cor. I’ve been hiding for so long from you and Blake and that was so stupid of me,” she whispered. “But I love you. So very much. I love you and I’m never letting you go. You need to know that.”
“I love you, too,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “But don’t think I didn’t notice you avoiding my questions. You have a lot to answer for. Including, but not limited to, why are you hurting so badly I couldn’t hug you like I want to?”
“I will tell you everything, later,” she promised him. “I will show you.” She pressed her forehead to the curve of his neck. “I will never hide anything from you again,” she promised him. “Blake has already offered to keep me, are you keeping me too?” she asked quietly as she rubbed her cheek to his shoulder, simply holding onto him.
“Of course I’m keeping you,” he said sounding confused. There was a bit of movement from him and then she was straddling his lap. “Why wouldn’t I be keeping you? I love you, Patricia, have for a very long time. I am glad, though, that you finally came around,” he told her quietly.
“I just had to know,” Patty said simply. “I had to know that you wanted me as much as I wanted you. That you wanted to keep me as well.” Her forehead pressed to his, his hat long gone in the wake of her kissing him. “I just plain love you, Corbin, and I never want to let you go. There are things you need to know though. Trouble is coming for me and wants me bad,” she admitted.
“Tell him, Tish,” Blake told her as he went past with a saddle. He was obviously tending to Pepper since she’d accosted Corbin.
“Yes, definitely, tell me.” Corbin nodded. “What’s going on, darlin’?” he asked softly. Lifting a hand, he brushed her hair back and then gently stroked it over and over again.
Patty licked her lips and leaned in closer to Corbin, the heat from his body helping to calm and soothe her. “Okay,” she whispered and then began to tell him her story. Her story of how she had been stupid enough to let the government talk her into doing what they wanted her to do, her story about being pursued and abused by a madman. “So I came home,” she whispered. “And later, when I know that we are alone, I will show you the bruises and damage to my body, but you have to swear not to have a shit fit.”
“I’m the calm one, remember,” he said and pointed to Blake. “That’s the one you worry about but, since he’s not overreacting to anything you’ve mentioned, I’m guessing he already knew it all. And since he didn’t wig out, you truly think I will?”
“Good point. All right. Well no, I doubt you will give me a hard time about it,” she admitted quietly. “Which I’m thankful for.” Taking another deep and calming breath, she pulled back to look up at him. “Tonight I will show you, okay? I don’t think that you want to go through the rest of the day knowing. You can ask Blake though.”
“No, I’ll wait and see it first hand,” he said quietly. Cupping her face, he leaned in and kissed her gently. “I love you, Tisha. No matter what, we’ll figure a way through it all. That and we’ll find a way to ensure this bastard and his goons never get their hands on you. Well, Blake will, but I follow directions well enough.”
“Sounds good to me.” She leaned into him and pressed her forehead to his. “I love you and we will figure all of this out together. I want to be in this relationship with the three of us. I want to have that with the two of you. I want us to find our own home, to live in it and be happy. This is what I need more than I can possibly tell you.”
“Then that’s what you will have,” he said, wrapping her loosely in his arms. “Did Blake tell you we have a place for you to unleash your God-given skills on? It’s pretty naked and needs some lovin’, but we figured if we could ever get you back here you might feel up to the task.”
“Yes, he did.” She smiled and nodded. “I’m completely good with giving the place a touch of home. I’ve shot off an e-mail to a friend of mine that makes custom beds to have us a massive one made up. If the bedroom isn’t big enough, we will just have to knock down walls. I want a big bed, one that will fit all three of us but not one that’s so big we will lose each other during the night.”
“The master suite is plenty big enough,” he told her with a smile. “The house is four thousand square feet. The master bedroom is, I think, nine hundred not including the closets and bathroom. That’s right isn’t it?” he called out, looking toward the stalls.
Blake leaned an elbow on the door and nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s just under nine hundred square feet. It’s set to have different areas like the bed, a sitting area, and a place for a vanity or whatever else you want. We’ll go over tomorrow if Matilda actually has her foal tonight. Then you can do all your measurements and get a feel for the place. There are three smaller bedrooms, a fairly large office, a den, a library, the living space, dining room and modern kitchen. Laundry of course, bathrooms all over the place, and then the solarium too.”
That had Patty grinning. “Sounds as if you boys have totally thought this all out. Do you know how much that I love that? I love that you boys have thought about me. I look forward to every moment that we have together. I can’t wait to see our home. I look forward to it actually.” She wrapped her arm around Corbin’s waist and hugged him close. “How is she doing, Blake?”
He turned his head and lifted his chin as he looked into the next stall. “Well, if she had expressions like a human, I would say that she would be pissed. And extremely uncomfortable given the grumbling I can hear. We’re in the home stretch but we’re definitely not there yet.”
“What do you need for me to do?” She gave Corbin another squeeze, since him squeezing her hurt, and turned her face up for another kiss. Smiling, she said, “This is nice. We get to bring a new life into the world together. I like this a great deal.” To Blake she asked again, “Blake, honey, what do you need from me?”
“Not much at the moment, darlin’,” he said with a shrug. Patting Pepper’s neck, he slid out of the stall and shut the door. “I need to finish what we were doing. But it’ll be dinner time in another hour so you might want to head up to the house and grab a bite.”
“All that I know is that I want to be able to be with you. How about I go up and pack us all a basket and come back? How about if we all eat out here?” she asked with a smile. “I want to spend time with you boys. I very much want to be with you every moment that I can. If that means that we will be out here, then this is where we will be.”
“You don’t have to, Tish,” he said, moving toward her. Touching her hair, he smiled. “But I also won’t turn down the company. If you’re going up to the house, you should grab a jacket. It will chill down in here once the sun drops behind the mountains.”
“Good. Glad that you won’t because I’m totally going to be here.” Patty laughed. “Baby, I remember how it is around here. Trust me. I totally know how it is. I will be back soon. I promise.” She leaned into Blake and gave him a kiss too. “Love you, honey.” She then looked to Corbin and said, “And I love you too. Now then, let’s go and get food. I’m totally having you help me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Corbin grinned. “I’ll grab your jacket too,” he said to Blake. Getting a nod, Corbin took her hand and tugged her out of the stables. He didn’t say anything until they were about halfway between the house and the stables. Then he pulled her to a stop and looked around. “Are you really okay, darling?” he asked softly.
“I hurt, I won’t lie, but other than that I’m okay. I just need to grab a couple of pain pills. Don’t be surprised if I might nod off from time to time, okay? But do not even for a moment try to keep me from the barn with you boys. You will be out there and I will be there too.”
“Tisha, darlin’, I know better than to get between a woman and her mission,” he said. “But I can’t lie and say I’m not worried for you and about you. So we’re going to grab the old inflatable and blow it up for you to sit on. You won’t be comfortable perched on a bale of hay for long.”
“This is true. Are you sure that the blowup will survive the hay?” She asked with a grin. “Because I’m not sure that it will. So maybe I should bring up one of the really thick comforters as well as pillows and a blanket?” Because she knew she would be sleeping before too long, sadly. She was just weird like that and knew it. Well, the pain meds would knock her out anyway.
“It’ll survive just fine. We toss a couple horse blankets under it to protect the bottom. They can take a beating and keep on tickin’.” He grinned. Taking her hand, he walked with her toward the front of the house. “So, have you had the displeasure of being in Trevor’s company since being back?”
