Loving Lauren (13 page)

Again, he stopped her by pulling her close. She saw the smile on his face before his lips claimed hers again. This time she was prepared. Her booted foot came up and connected with his shin. His boots protected him from most of the impact, but he still grunted and pulled away.

“Damn it, Lauren.” She watched as he jumped up and down on one leg. His hat had fallen off and had landed in the dirt. He looked so funny jumping around like that, she couldn't help it, she started to laugh. When he looked over at her, a frown on his face, she laughed harder. The horses even stopped drinking water and looked over at her.

It might have been all the stress finally getting to her, but she just couldn't stop herself from laughing. Finally, she sat down on the bank of the brook next to where she'd dropped her bag and held her sides. Chase hobbled over and grabbed his bag off Buster's saddle, then sat down next to her in the short grass, rubbing his shin. Dingo ran around in the field behind them, enjoying the freedom.

“Feel better?” His smile was a little crooked. His eyes were scanning her, like he was trying to gauge her emotions.

Smiling over at him, she nodded. “I guess I needed that. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He rubbed his shin while keeping his eyes on her. Then he chuckled and she felt warmth spread throughout her body.

Taking her eyes off his, she opened her bag and pulled out a sandwich and a bottled water and focused on her lunch. After a few bites, she started talking about everything and anything. She hadn't felt nervous around him since...well…ever, but now for some reason she couldn't stop herself from talking.

“I was heading to my dad's cabin.” She waited for his approval. He nodded and she continued. “If you want to tag along, we should be there around nightfall. I always love staying there in the summer. The place just feels right when I need some time away. Living with my two sisters has its ups and downs.” She smiled over at him. “You’re lucky that you never had any siblings.” Then her smile fell away when she remembered that his mother had died while giving birth to his stillborn sister. “I'm sorry.” She took another bite of her sandwich to shut herself up.

“It's okay.” He took a drink of his own water. “I would have loved having a younger sister. I can only vaguely remember my mother. I remember laying my head on her large belly, listening to Jessie's heartbeat. That's what they were going to name my sister. Actually, they didn't know it was a girl at that point.” He chuckled a little. “My father told my mother it was a girl and he wouldn't hear anything else, so my mother said Jessie could be a boy’s name, too.” He sighed and looked off across the small creek and field. “I envy you your family. I know we both lost our mother's around the same time, different circumstances, but you have your sisters. Being raised alone has its moments, but I always dreamed of having siblings like you do.” He looked over at her, his eyes searching hers.

“I guess I've never thought about not having my sisters around. They do make life...interesting.” She smiled as she looked off to the far side of the field. She was surprised to see a medium-sized doe nibbling on the grass near the edge of the trees. Nodding her head, she smiled. “Look.” She pointed towards the deer and watched as he looked, then smiled as he spotted it. “In a few more months she'll be hiding from the hunters. But for now, she's enjoying the sun and the tall grass.” Lauren took a deep breath and lay back in the grass, folding her arms behind her head as she watched the clouds slowly drift by in the blue sky.

Chase finished his sandwich and then lay down next to her. “Why is it so important for you to do everything on your own?” She turned her head a little and looked at him. He turned onto his side, his left arm supporting his head as he propped up on his elbow and looked down at her.

“I don't like to be dependent on others. My father was and he worked himself to death trying to pay back the loan he took.” She looked off to the sky again. “I don't want to be like that. I want to answer to no one. If something at the ranch needs fixing, I want to be able to have the money to do it. I just need another year and I'll be at that place. The ranch pays for itself. Actually, with the sale of the cattle this fall, I'll be able to pay you off completely. Then I can do whatever I want.” She smiled and closed her eyes for just a moment.

Chase looked down at her dark eyelashes. Her hair was spread out on the green grass on the bank of the stream, blowing lightly in the breeze. Her cheeks were flushed from the ride and the heat of the day. Her tan shirt was a little dusty from the trail. She'd unbuttoned the top three buttons so he could see the dip on her throat and instantly thought of what it would taste like.

“You don't have to pay me back. I don't want or need your money.” It was an old argument, one he knew he'd probably never win.

“I know. I need to do it for myself. I need to know that I can.” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He'd moved closer to her, so that he was hovering just above her. He saw her eyes go wide, then she recovered and put her hand on his shoulder. “Chase, please don't.” It was just a whisper.

“Why? Why can't you take a moment to enjoy things? Why can't we just enjoy what's between us?” He leaned closer. “You're not afraid of me, are you?” He smiled slightly, enjoying the challenge he saw in her eyes just before she reached up, took his hair, and pulled him down to her lips.

He couldn't explain the zing he felt when she touched him, when her soft lips touched his. She let out a low moan, and he rolled until she was lying next to him and their legs were tangled. Her hands were fisted in his hair as his fingers roamed over her hips, pulling her closer, exploring every inch he could.

As he reached up and put his hands on her face, he gently pulled her head back so he could feast on her neck. He nibbled the sweet column until he reached the top of her blouse, then with shaky fingers he unbuttoned the next small buttons until he could see a white silk tank top. Once he had her blouse open, he leaned back and looked at her. The silk was bunched up, so that her flat belly was exposed. He slowly ran a finger down her neck, over her shoulder, lower, until he reached the exposed skin. He watched her arch her back and could tell she wanted more. Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her belly button and heard her catch her breath.

“More?” He trailed his finger over the edge of her jeans and watched her hips jolt. His eyes flew to hers. She was watching him, her green eyes the color of the grass below her. He lost his breath at how beautiful she was. His hand stilled as her hand reached up and touched his face, then she was pulling him back down, and he was a slave to her every command.

She rolled him over until she straddled him, then in a quick motion, she discarded her shirt, leaving her with just the white see-through silk above. Her skin looked so soft, he just had to reach up and touch her hips as she started unbuttoning his shirt. A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she fumbled with the last button. Finally, she tried to pull his shirt off his shoulders. He had to sit up a little so she could finally pull it free. He had a white tank top on underneath, but she was satisfied with shyly running her fingers over his forearms. He leaned up and started kissing her shoulders; the way the sun was hitting them, he had to have a taste. She tasted as good as he'd imagined. She smelled of something sweet and tasted even better. He slowly moved his hands up her hips until he ran his fingers just under the silk and touched her sensitive skin. Her head fell back, and her dark hair flowed over her shoulders and gleamed in the sunlight. Using his tongue, he wet the silk over the dark circles he'd seen, using the wet silk to please her until her nipples puckered for his exploration.

Her fists clung to his hair and her hips started to move against his. He swore that if he made it out alive, he'd do all he could to make sure she knew how much he'd wanted this, wanted her.

Just then a shot rang out a dozen yards from them. The horses jolted, pulling on their reins until the small branch they'd been tied to threatened to break loose. Chase jumped up and grabbed their reins before they could bolt. Dingo let out a few low growls, then began to bark towards the trees. When Chase looked over, Lauren had her shirt in one hand and a pistol in the other.

“Where were you hiding that?” he asked, while trying to calm the horses.

“Someone's shooting on my land. Probably after that doe we just saw.” She was scanning the tree line as she yanked on her shirt, tucking it in with quick, jerking motions. “Stay,” she told Dingo, who looked like she wanted to bolt into the trees. Lauren walked over, tucked the gun back into her boot, and grabbed for Tanner's reins.

“Oh, no you don't.” He held them up, away from her. “If you think that you're chasing after some illegal hunters, you'd better think again. Besides, it was probably one of the ranch hands. Aren't they usually around here?”

She shook her head. “Jimmy's got them all fixing the fence on the east ridge. They'll be at it all weekend. That's someone hunting on my land, illegally, and I have the right to make sure they—”

“Lauren.” He stopped her. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. Illegal hunters don't think twice about bending the law. They don't care whose land they are on or what season it is. And”—he emphasized his next words—“they don't hesitate to remove any obstacle. No matter how pretty she may be. You are
not
getting on this horse to hunt down some hunters.”

She stood there, her arms crossed over her pretty chest, her eyes flaring with anger. “Fine.” She walked over to retrieve her bag and jacket from the water's edge. “They're probably long gone by now, anyway.” She shook off her jacket and put it on. “We'd better get going if we're going to make the cabin by nightfall.”

When he had gathered his stuff, she expertly mounted her horse then watched him jump onto Buster's back.

By early dusk they had reached the small clearing and the cabin came into view. Its tin roof shined in the fading light.

“It doesn't look like much, but it's home away from home.” Lauren was smiling as they moved closer to the old building. Then she frowned and furrowed her brow and she looked towards the cabin.

“What?” He looked back at the building and could see that the door stood wide open. “Stay here.” He turned his horse and stopped her from moving forward. Dingo started growling, and the hair on the back of Lauren’s neck stood up. Lauren told the dog to stay as Chase slowly removed his shotgun from the holder. He always brought it with him when he went into the woods. He’d been raised in the country and knew it was invaluable to ensure your safety, especially since there were a lot of wild boars in the area. “I mean it Lauren. Stay put. Promise me.”

She nodded her head. He turned the horse around and went a few more yards. Then he tied Buster up to a tree and started walking towards the building, slowly. He didn't see any vehicles or horses and doubted whoever had broken in was still around. When he got closer, he saw some four-wheeler tracks. It appeared that whoever had been staying there had had fun peeling out in the muddy fields. They’d most likely been there in the early spring, since the mud was now dry and flaky from the summer heat.

Still, he approached the cabin carefully. When he got to the porch, he noticed the lock had been shot off. There was a hole in the door where the padlock used to be. He used the barrel of his shotgun to open the door the rest of the way. It was dark in the cabin and it took a minute for his eyes to adjust. Pulling out the flashlight he'd brought along, he flipped it on and almost shot a pair of raccoons as they jumped from a table full of empty food cans. He moved aside so they could scurry out the door as fast as their fat bodies would go. Dingo gave chase. Laughing, Chase turned around and saw that Lauren had not obeyed him. She stood two feet away, smiling at the raccoons.