Carrying the Rancher's Heir (8 page)

She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, wishing that everything would just turn out okay. Somehow. She needed a miracle, but she wasn't that big an optimist to believe she'd be granted one.

The bedsheets rustled and she sunk into the mattress when he lay down beside her. His warm breath caressed her cheek. “Callie? Did you go somewhere?”

He smelled of whiskey and lust and Callie's body reacted, her bare nipples pebbled at the sound of his voice. She opened her eyes. He was there, his beautiful face against hers, his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent.

“I'm here, Tagg,” she whispered, losing her nerve. She couldn't tell him. She had to give them more time. It wasn't selfish on her part, she told herself. The baby's future was at stake. Was it so wrong to hold out for the brass ring? To hope that given time, Tagg would come to love her? Was it so wrong to hope for a happy ending?

He nibbled on her throat, his lips drawing moist circles all the way down to the hollow between her breasts. “That's good. Stay with me.”

That's what she intended. To stay with Tagg. To be his for the rest of her life. But at the moment, the goal seemed out of reach and the guilt she felt also stayed with her. Even as he kissed her. Even as he ran his hands along her body, making her moan with pleasure. Even as he parted her thighs and stroked her with deft fingers, until her first orgasm slammed into her with enough force to make her cry out.

“You came so quickly,” Tagg said with a note of male satisfaction.

Callie let go of her mental fight and gave herself up to physical bliss. Her remorse would have to wait. She was with Tagg, naked on his bed, and there wasn't anywhere else she'd rather be. She gave him a little shove and he fell onto his back, a deep chuckle coming up from his throat.

“You do that so easily to me,” she whispered.

“You saying you're easy?”

Callie lifted up on her knees and straddled his lower legs. She took his penis in her hand. “Only with you.”

Tagg gazed into her eyes. His were pure liquid fire as she stroked his erection. “Nice to know,” he gritted out.

Callie loved bringing him satisfaction. Tagg's grunts of approval as she slid her hand up and down his shaft again brought shivers of heat to her body. She wasn't through with Tagg. She'd make love to him all night.

She watched his face twist and contort with pent up desire as her hand ran up and over the length of him, her thumb pressing the sensitive tip. A rumble emanated in his throat and Callie smiled. “Let's see how easy you are.” She bent her head and licked the moisture off with long fluid strokes, circling the tip like she would an ice cream cone.

Then she took him into her mouth.

His body stiffened; his erection went rock hard. She set her hands on his thighs and drank him in. She sensed his eyes on her, watching. She remembered from the last time they'd been together that Tagg never closed his eyes during sex. He liked to watch. It turned him on. Through the curtain of her hair resting on his belly, she looked up and their eyes met for an instant. The delicious expression on his face stilled her. She loved him so much that she physically ached. All she could do was show him. She slipped his erection back into her
mouth and loved him with her tongue. She stroked him with both hands until she knew the exact moment he was ready for release.

They were in sync that way.

She moved off him slightly. He grabbed the unnecessary packet, ripping it open and she helped him slide it down onto his erection. He reached for her then, lifting her up on her knees so that she was directly over him. With skilled hands, he guided her hips down and impaled her with his swollen shaft.

“Tagg,” she breathed out. The first initial thrust filled the tip of her. She wanted more. She moved on him then, undulating her hips, grasping him, letting him fill her slowly, taking in one pleasurable inch at a time. He felt so good, so warm, so right. She'd dreamed about this, about having him inside her again, feeling his body rock under hers.

She heard him curse in a way that brought a smile to her lips. He watched her, she knew, and that turned her on as well. She sank farther down, taking him in fully, and moved without thinking now, lifting her hair off her shoulders and letting it fall back down again. His eyes followed the flow of her hair. And then she touched her breasts for him, cupping them slightly, fingering the pebbled peaks once, twice. His eyes glistened with deep hunger and his expression was pure sin.

She rode him hard, sinking and lifting, both of them uttering deep throaty sounds of pleasure. She moved faster now, with his encouragement, the pressure building inside her. He reached for her breasts and caressed her with his palms, rubbing the insides of his hands over her nipples. The contrast of rough to delicate sent shooting jolts of electricity through her body. She loved his hands on her. She loved him touching her.

“Stay with me, Callie,” he whispered, barely getting the words out. “We're…almost there.”

They were close. So close. “Hurry, Tagg.”

It was all he needed to hear. Splaying his fingers out, he grabbed her waist and pushed her down onto his shaft harder than she could have alone. He filled her completely now and took control, thrusting up with potent, powerful force. It felt good to let go, to give in to him fully and take the sexy ride.

“I'm ready,” she moaned, holding back the waves that wanted to shatter within her.

He lifted his body, coming half off the bed, and held her bottom with both hands, moving her forward and back hard, harder. Then with one last deep, powerful thrust, their release came, together, forcefully, each of them huffing out guttural sounds of completion.

He held her tight until the last shreds of pleasure were wrought out of both. It was beautiful and satisfying, but now that it was over, Callie couldn't look him in the eye for fear of him seeing her every emotion.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded, then swallowed, but words wouldn't come.

He kissed a path up her throat, working his way to her mouth. She kept her face turned away.

He put a finger under her chin and applied slight pressure to turn her toward him. She met his gaze finally. “Are you sure?”

She noted the concern in his eyes and managed to answer, “Yes.”

He let go a relieved sigh, cradling her to his body. “That was pretty damn good.”

She nodded again.

“Callie?”

“Just…good?” she blurted. She was in love with him and
had given up her head and her heart for just
good.
It wasn't about sex for her. It was about feelings and emotions and love. While she knew she should be thrilled and delighted that they'd made love, she only felt empty inside and guilty about her secret as well.

Tagg lay back, holding her as they fell onto the cool sheets. “Great. Awesome. Perfect. You don't disappoint, Callie.”

“Neither do you,” she said. She lay her head down, snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes. He stroked her head, running his fingers through her hair. “But do you think it was a mistake?”

The muscles of his arms tensed and he hesitated long enough to worry her. “I don't think I could've stayed away from you, so no. Not a mistake.”

But he'd stayed away after Reno. He'd left her with a note and had gone home. And never called her.

“What about you? A mistake?”

She shook her head. “Definitely not.” Being with him could never be a mistake. Callie knew men always said nice things after a satisfying night in the sack. After-sex talk was usually warm and cozy, until the light of day shined through and reality set in.

Tagg didn't want a relationship. And he was just trying to make her feel better. She also knew that men didn't like to analyze their feelings after making love. So she bit her tongue from saying anything else that would destroy the moment.

“Do you want anything? A drink? Something to eat?” he asked.

“No, but you go ahead if you want something.”

Tagg chuckled and the muscles in his arms relaxed. “Really? I think what I want isn't in the kitchen.”

Callie smiled and looked into his eyes. “And what is it that you want?”

“You, all night long.” He kissed her then, a warm brushing of his mouth, less hurried, less frenzied than before. Callie returned the kiss, agreeing to his plan.

 

Tagg woke up before dawn, with Callie sprawled halfway over him. Her long dark hair rested in waves on his chest, her head tucked into his shoulder. The unique erotic mix of musk and flowers that he couldn't name drove him slightly insane as he breathed in. His hand lay atop the curve of her bare bottom, his palm filled with soft smooth skin. He'd convinced Callie not to put on her nightie last night. He'd wanted her naked next to him through the night and now he thought about the wisdom in that. He would have gotten a better night's sleep if he hadn't insisted. He'd woken up hard and ready twenty minutes ago. He wasn't going to wait much longer.

His erection pulsed and ached like a sex-starved teenager.

She moved on him, stirring a bit, her breasts crushing into his side.

He swore under his breath, wincing at the pain and wondering if he'd made a colossal mistake taking her to bed.

Sure as hell didn't feel like a mistake. It felt pretty damn amazing.

But he couldn't forget who Callie was. He couldn't forget that she wasn't a woman he could turn away after a night of wild sex. He'd done that to her once and had regretted it.

Callie stirred again and Tagg held his breath, waiting for her to awaken.

He wanted her. She was an indulgence he couldn't afford, yet one he couldn't seem to resist.

Her eyelids lifted and she looked at him with a sleep-hazy gaze, her hair in a tumble around her face, her lips parted.

Tagg claimed her mouth in a slow easy kiss. “Morning.”

It wasn't quite. The early light of dawn hadn't stolen into the room yet.

“Morning.” Her soft breath blew over his chest. She stroked her fingers into the scattered hairs there. “Did you sleep well?”

He ran his hand up and down the smooth sleek skin of her thigh. She cooed from his touch and his erection stiffened. “I've been awake for a while. Waiting for you.”

Callie lifted her head to look at him. Her gaze drifted down past his waist. Her smile was sweet, her words a little sassy. “Not my fault. You asked me not to leave. Or put on my nightgown.”

Stay naked. Sleep with me,
had been his exact words. “Wouldn't have mattered.” He told her the truth. “Just having you under the same roof is enough.”

Callie nibbled on her lower lip and a mischievous gleam brightened her eyes. “What are we going to do about that?”

Tagg rolled her over and set her shoulders against the mattress. He rose above her, his erection pressing into her flat belly. “I have a plan.”

Hours later, sated and holding Callie close, Tagg woke to dim sunlight pouring through the curtains. It was nearing time to get up and go about the business of the day.

Tagg could stay in this bed with Callie all week and that realization nagged at him. She was a fantastic lover, the best sex he'd had in a long time, if not ever. That worried him. He didn't have a plan for this. The truth was, he didn't have anything to offer her. Not a relationship. Not a courtship. He was done with those things.

So done.

And she was Hawkins Sullivan's daughter.

He wouldn't forget that.

When Callie stirred, Tagg draped his hand over her shoul
der and rubbed her arms up and down. He felt her fatigue as her body went limp. “That feels…good. I'm…so tired.”

He brushed a kiss to the top of her head. “Go back to sleep. We have a little time.”

“I'm not going to wake up to a note, am I?” She spoke quietly, holding on for his answer before she drifted off.

“I'm here, Callie. I'm not going anywhere.”

T
agg glanced at his watch, a tic working his jaw as he paced the floor in Clay's parlor. He'd been waiting for fifteen minutes for a meeting he had with his brothers and Callie about fundraising for Penny's Song. The usual bustling ranch looked like a morgue today. There wasn't a soul in sight. Normally, Tagg liked solitude but now he was anxious.

Damn anxious.
To see Callie.

Finally the door slammed shut and he recognized the sound of his brother's boots shuffling across the hardwood floor.

“Sorry, I'm late.” Clay marched into the room and tossed his hat onto the sofa.

Tagg grunted.

“Jackson's not coming. He's tied up in town. You want a drink?” Clay moved to the bar in the corner of the room and poured a glass of iced tea for himself, then turned to Tagg.

“Nothing for me.” He glanced at his watch again. It was
almost eleven-twenty. “What time did you call the meeting for?”

“Eleven.”

Clay took a big swallow of his drink, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand the way he had as a boy. “Where's Callie?”

Tagg shrugged. That's what he wanted to know. He'd dropped her off at Big Hawk Ranch after they'd concluded their business with the Cosgroves and said he'd call her. A couple of days slipped by as Tagg struggled with just the right words to say to her. Once he figured it out yesterday and had his speech all set, he'd called and gotten no answer. He'd left her two messages that she didn't return.

“Don't know. I haven't spoken to her since we got back from Vegas the other day.”

“How'd that go? I haven't seen either one of you since you got back.”

“Just fine. The Cosgroves let us ride a few mares and pick out the ones we thought best for Penny's Song. I'm arranging for their transport to the ranch. We should have them in time.”

“Thanks. That's a big help.” Clay downed the rest of his drink. “So you and Callie worked okay together?”

Tagg nodded. What could he say? That he and Callie wore out the bedsheets in the Bellagio suite? That she'd given him another night of great sex? And that he'd deliberately stayed away from her since that day because nothing was going to come of it? “We did fine. She does know horses.”

Clay sat down on a wide wing chair and stretched his legs out. “I'm surprised she's not here. This meeting was her idea. Seemed eager about it. You sure you didn't do something to piss her off? I know you don't like her.”

Tagg eyed his brother, his mouth tight. “Don't go putting words in my mouth.”

“So, you do like her?”

“You hired her. I've got to work with her.” Tagg clammed up after that. Fact was, he did like Callie. But that didn't change any thing.

“Surly this morning.”

“No more than usual,” Tagg said.

He glanced out the window again. There was no sign of Callie. Where the hell was she? He hated to admit it, but he'd been looking forward to seeing her. He'd gone home to an empty house and while that usually comforted and put him at ease, he'd found himself restless and tense. He'd thought about having a short-term affair with her and wondered if she'd want the same thing. He'd been ready to broach the subject on the flight home, but Callie had rested her head on his shoulder and fallen into a deep sleep. Tagg had draped an arm around her and closed his eyes to an unwelcome sense of peace with her in his arms. He'd attributed his softening emotions to another satisfying night of sex. Period. And thought better of getting more involved with her.

“It's not like her to forget.” Clay scratched his chin, contemplating. “I'm a good judge of character and Callie impressed me as someone you can count on. Don't suppose something happened to her father?”

“We couldn't get that lucky.”

Clay grinned. “He's really got your shorts in a knot.”

“He stole that Bender deal right out from under me. I still can't figure out how he did it. I thought I had it all tied up.”

“That was a tough one to lose.” Clay glanced at the antique walnut grandfather clock sitting catty-corner to the far wall. Another ten minutes had passed. “Well, looks like she's a no-show. Why don't you give her a call? I'll speak with Jed. See
if we got our signals crossed. Maybe she's waiting over at the site for us.”

Tagg got out his cell and punched in her number while Clay went into the other room with his phone. Callie's phone went straight to voice mail and her sweet, sultry voice came on the phone. “You know I'd answer if I could. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for the call.”

“This is Tagg, Callie. We're waiting for you over at the main house. We had a meeting at eleven. Clay wants to know if you're coming.”

He'd spoken in his business voice, blunt and to the point. No sense getting Clay suspicious about the two of them. If his brothers got an inkling of what had gone on between Callie and him in Vegas, they'd be riding his case about it.

Clay walked back into the room. “Jed hasn't seen her. She was supposed to stop by the site this morning and bring some children's books to the bunkhouse, but she's a no-show there, too.”

“Well, it's clear she's not coming.” Tagg let out a frustrated breath. “I've got work to do. No sense waiting any longer.”

“Yeah, so do I. I'll let you know if she calls.”

Tagg strode to the front door and let himself out. A bad feeling churned in his gut and he didn't know what to make of it. But if he couldn't reach Callie by later today, he was going to get to the bottom of it.

One way or another.

 

By seven that evening after two more unanswered calls, Tagg stood on the doorstep of Big Hawk Ranch—this time without a limousine waiting, this time without anticipation of a weekend fling with his enemy's daughter. Tagg hated to admit it, but he was genuinely concerned about her welfare.

The housekeeper answered his knock and Tagg felt a
measure of disappointment not seeing Callie at the door. “I'm Taggart Worth. I'm looking for Callie. Is she here?”

“Callie is home, Mr. Worth, but she's not—”

“I'll take care of this, Antoinette” came a voice from behind her.

Immediately the woman stepped aside for her employer. “Yes, Mr. Sullivan.”

Tagg now found himself face-to-face with The Hawk in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes. “I'm looking for Callie.”

“So I heard.”

“I know she's here. I'd like to see her.”

The big man shook his head, his gaze raking him over with fire in his dark eyes. “I oughta toss you off my land.”

“You gonna get your shotgun and chase me away?”

“After what you did to my daughter, I'm tempted to do more than chase you away.”

Tagg hesitated. He'd seen Sullivan in a state before, but his reaction went beyond anything he'd ever witnessed. What had Tagg done to Callie? She was an adult. She knew what she was doing when they took that overnight trip. If her daddy disapproved, he'd just have to get over it. “I'd like to speak with her.”

To find out why she won't answer my calls.

“Well, you're gonna speak with me first. I got something to say to you.”

Sullivan backed away from the door and Tagg took the opportunity to step inside. The place was massive with dark oak floors and rich wood paneling. As he followed The Hawk through the house, he took in the beautifully restored antique furniture in the anteroom, the parlor and the study. He kept an eye out for Callie, but he suspected she was in another part of the building. Maybe she was up the long winding staircase that led to other rooms.

Sullivan closed the double study doors and didn't mince words as he sat down behind a rectangular mahogany desk. “You got my daughter pregnant.”

Tagg stared at the older man. Then blinked, speechless.

“That's right. She's upstairs right now, sick as a dog. Puking up her guts. Can't keep anything down. I recognized the signs straightaway. Her mama reacted the same when she was with child.”

This was the last thing Tagg expected to hear. He let Sullivan's words sink in. Callie was pregnant with his child? A dozen emotions rolled through his system. He wasn't sure which one would take hold. Denial, anger and disbelief were at the forefront and battled for dominance as he went over the facts. She couldn't have gotten pregnant in Las Vegas. Even he knew it was too soon for a woman to go through morning sickness after a couple of days. Which meant Callie got pregnant in Reno. Six, seven weeks ago.

Sullivan folded his hands together and set them on the desk as he leaned forward. A knowing smile creased his face. “You seem surprised. She didn't tell you, did she?”

He shook his head an inch. The older man gloated. Tagg summoned his willpower to stand still and not put a fist in his face. He braced his hands on the edge of the desk and leaned forward, his mouth tight as he finally managed to speak. “How long has she known?”

The man shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Yeah, it matters,” he gritted out.

“A month. Maybe more.”

“And why should I believe you?”

“Callie likes to have a glass of wine with dinner. She stopped drinking weeks ago. Asking for lemonade, claiming the wine's been upsetting her stomach lately.”

“Maybe it's true.” Tagg voiced his thoughts aloud.

“It's bull. And you know it. Fact is, she ran off to Reno to see her cousin because I'd riled her. She was damn irritated at me for interfering with her love life with some low-life carpenter and what does she go and do? She takes you in her bed! A Worth. She did it out of spite. To get back at me. To show me that I couldn't dictate her life anymore. She knows how I feel about you Worths.”

Tagg plagued his memory for accuracy. What had Callie said to him about that night? Then it came back to him with near haunting clarity.
“When I saw you sitting on that bar stool, you looked how I felt. Lonely, disappointed, wishing things in your life were different.”

It all made sense now. Callie had thrown herself at him that night for a reason—to get back at her father. He'd meddled in her love life and she wanted retribution. She'd come on to Tagg like her life depended on it.

Any red-blooded male would have given in to temptation, especially when she'd looked at him with pure sin in her eyes and she'd fit her body into his like they were two halves of a whole. She'd seduced him, plain and simple.

To spite her father.

She'd used him for payback. And now an innocent baby's life was at stake.

A surge of white-hot anger raged inside. Tagg had been played, and this time he couldn't blame the old man. It wasn't The Hawk's fault, though he had to hand it to Sullivan. He'd taught his daughter how to manipulate well.

“Where is she?” Tagg turned and headed for the door.

“Not so fast!” Sullivan's coarse voice stopped him cold.

Tagg turned and glared at him, his nerves ready to burst through his skin. “What?”

“Sit down, Worth. You're gonna listen to me.” He pointed
to the seat in front of his desk. Tagg walked closer, but didn't sit.

“Say it and be quick.”

Sullivan opened the top drawer in his desk and pulled out a thick manila folder. He glanced at it for a moment, then tossed it toward him. The file spun and landed on the desk facing him. “Look at it.”

Tagg humored him, though he wasn't keen on doing any of Sullivan's bidding. He opened the file and raised his brows. “It's the Bender contract.”

“That's right,” Sullivan said, smug.

“So? You rubbing my nose in it?”

“No, I'm offering it to you. If you see there, the contract isn't signed. I'm holding off.”

Confused, Tagg glanced at the man. “For what?”

“It's worth a small fortune. More than three million over two years, I'd say. If current beef prices hold and the cattle sale goes through without a hitch.”

“Hell, I know that.”

“I'll back out and Worth Enterprises can step in with your offer. All you have to do is walk away right now. Leave Callie to me. Let her have the baby and I'll find her someone suitable to marry. She doesn't need your money. You know that. Just tell her you want out of any obligation to the child.”

Tagg stared at him. Was he a madman? Had he had one too many unscrupulous dealings in his past to believe Tagg would agree to this?

Tagg gripped the folder, his fingers curling around the edges. He spoke through clenched teeth. “Let me get this straight. You're offering me the Bender deal if I walk away from my child? I give him up? Lose all rights to him or her, and I get the contract?”

“That's the deal I'm offering.”

“So, to put it another way, you're using your grandchild as a…
a bargaining chip?
”

“That's just one way of looking at it.”

Tagg hissed through tight lips, “I don't believe this.”

Sullivan's mouth turned into a grim line. “You don't want my daughter. Or the child she's carrying. And we have no use for Worths around here.”

Tagg shook his head in disgust. “You think everyone's a ruthless bastard like you?”

Sullivan didn't back down. He gestured to the contract. “It's a damn good offer.”

“Keep your friggin' deal.” Tagg tossed the file down so hard, the papers caught flight and several sheets hit Sullivan smack in the face. Tagg found no enjoyment in that. He was beyond rage. “Go to hell, old man.” He turned on his heels and strode out of the study. He took the steps two at a time as he raced up the staircase. “Callie!” he called out. “Callie!”

He saw her before he reached the top of the stairs. She was standing by a window, dressed in a long light beige nightgown with the fading sunshine behind her back. She would have looked angelic but for her pale drawn face and the lack of luster in her eyes. They stared at each other for several long seconds. Tagg thought he knew Callie. Thought he liked her. But he found he didn't know her at all and right now he detested anyone named Sullivan. “Get dressed. You're taking a drive with me.”