My Dearest Cal (22 page)

“No,” she said. “No message.”

Thoroughly dispirited, she replaced the receiver and turned to go back to work.

“You looking for me by any chance?”

She whirled around at the sound of Cal’s voice and found him lounging against the wall, dressed like she’d never seen him before. His suit was boardroom gray, his shirt a pristine white, his tie a vibrant and daring red. The man looked like business, but the
gleam in his eyes was something else entirely. Something dangerous. Something wicked.

Something vaguely vulnerable.

“You’re here,” she said, breathless with amazement and excitement. Her heart skittered crazily, and she jammed her hands in her pockets to keep from grabbing the man right here in the hall.

He straightened up and took a step toward her. “Seemed to me that a man ought to be in the vicinity when he proposes, just in case the woman decides to say yes.”

She ran her tongue over lips gone suddenly dry. Cal’s eyes were locked on the tantalizing gesture. He swallowed hard and took one more step. Marilou felt the wall against her back and Cal’s heat less than a heartbeat away.

“I do like a man who anticipates all the possibilities,” she said, breathless.

“Enough to marry me?” he said, and that whisper of vulnerability came back.

“Certainly enough to give it some thought,” she said, her expression all tease and challenge.

The expression on Cal’s face then told her he was past playing games. “It took me a long time to get to this point, Marilou.”

“Some might say too long,” she agreed.

“Don’t go playing coy with me. My heart can’t take it.”

“Neither can mine,” she admitted, moving away from cool tile and into the warm circle of his embrace.

“Is that a yes?”

Her arms went around his neck. “Yes, yes, yes.”

She was lost in Cal’s kisses when she heard the shocked voice of her supervisor. “Miss Stockton, is this any way to conduct yourself on government time?”

She promptly and dutifully tried to wriggle free, but Cal’s arms held tight. “Miss Stockton is no longer on government time,” he said. “From now on she’s on mine.” Apparently he heard her quick intake of breath, because he met her eyes. “That okay with you, Miss Stockton?”

After barely an instant’s hesitation, she threw the last trace of caution to the winds. “That is very much okay with me.”

Before her boss could react, Cal had scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the building. “I know that carrying the bride across the threshold is supposed to come after the wedding, but I’m anticipating. You don’t suppose we could get married yet today, do you?”

“Are you afraid if we wait you’ll change your mind?”

“I’m more worried that you’ll come to your senses.”

“Not a chance. I love you, Cal Rivers. I always will.”

“Don’t promise always,” he pleaded. “Just today.”

She touched a silencing finger to his lips. “No, my dearest Cal, always.” She sealed the promise with yet another bone-melting, breath-stealing kiss. “By the
way, in case it’s of any interest, that man you just insulted back there was a notary.”

Cal looked dismayed. “Think he’d forgive me long enough to perform a wedding ceremony?”

“He might be more inclined to forgive you if you let me finish working today.”

“I’m afraid his price is way too high. We’ll just have to wait. Besides, I think it might be nice to have a real family wedding in Wyoming. How would you feel about that?”

“I can’t imagine any place I’d rather have a wedding. What about you?”

“I think I’d feel as if I’d finally come home.”

“Do you mean that?”

“I’ve learned one thing over the past couple of weeks. Wherever
you
are will always be home to me. Besides, I think my grandmother ordered the cake the day I flew off to get you. She’ll be horribly disappointed if we don’t show up so she can make a fuss over you.”

“How long do you suppose this fuss will take?”

Cal grinned at her. “No more than twenty-four hours, if I have anything to say about it.”

“That sounds just about right to me, too,” she agreed. “What shall we do in the meantime?”

“I have a few ideas,” he said, and whispered several in her ear.

“I do like your ideas.”

“I thought you might,” he said, as he tucked her into the back of a limousine. He assured her he’d chosen the vehicle specifically for its very dark tinted
windows. “I wasn’t sure I could wait to get you home.”

She smiled slowly and reached for his tie. “Tell the driver just to keep going until he hears from you again.”

“That could be days,” Cal said.

“Then tell him he might as well aim this thing toward Wyoming.”

Epilogue

First Saturday in May, Three Years Later

I
t was not yet dawn when Cal pulled into the stable area at Churchill Downs. Mist still hovered in the air, creating an eerie ambiance. There was something almost mystical about this time of day at any backstretch in the country, but on the day of the Kentucky Derby an indefinable stir of excitement was added. Even the horses seemed aware of it, their ears pricked, their prancing steps livelier. The stable boys and grooms moved just a little faster to complete their chores. The hot walkers and exercise riders talked odds. The trainers definitely paced more nervously. Only the owners, most of them far more jaded than
Cal, were still sound asleep in their fancy Louisville hotel suites, recovering from the previous night’s Derby festivities.

Cal hadn’t slept a wink. Neither had Marilou. They had passed the night making love, making promises, perhaps even making the baby that would be the start of their family. It was barely four-thirty when Cal rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. Marilou had joined him, but for once they were too excited about the rest of the day to lose track of time in each other’s arms yet again.

In denims and boots, they left the car and went to the stall where Dawn’s Magic was dining on a special blend of grains in lieu of her normal early-morning workout. The filly whinnied when she saw Marilou, bobbing her head until Marilou held out a hand filled with chunks of carrot, her favorite treat.

“You are spoiling that horse outrageously,” Cal said.

“How do you know these carrots don’t provide the precise incentive she needs to win these big races? Are you willing to tamper with a successful formula?”

“I know I’m not,” Reeve Bennett said, joining them. The trainer had been hired by Chaney and Cal after an illustrious career in California. Dawn’s Magic was their first Triple Crown contender, though by no means the first major stakes horse Cal had bred. “Morning, you two. Couldn’t you sleep?”

“You have to be kidding,” Marilou said. “I didn’t want to miss a second of this.”

“Which reminds me,” Cal said. “I have something in the car for you.” He returned in minutes with a large package tied with a big red bow. Dawn’s Magic seemed to feel the ribbon was for her. She kept stretching her long neck in an attempt to nab it.

“Oh no you don’t,” Marilou said with a chuckle. “This is
my
treat. You’ve already had yours.” She tugged the ribbons loose and opened the box. Nestled amid the foam chips and tissue paper was a new camera, a top-of-the-line professional model. Her gaze rose to meet Cal’s. Again she caught that wavering uncertainty that came far less frequently now.

“I called all over the place to find out the best model. If it’s not what you want, you can trade it in.”

“It’s wonderful,” she reassured him. “Thank you.”

“I thought today might be a good day for you to finally begin that career you’ve put off. I’m having a darkroom built on the back of the house while you’re gone. You could do conformation photography. Goodness knows there are plenty of horses around. Or you could do studio work. If you want that, we’ll put on another room. Do you really like it?”

Tears sprang to her eyes. If she hadn’t been holding such an incredible piece of equipment, she would have dumped it on the ground in favor of throwing her arms around her husband. “You couldn’t have given me anything I would like more.”

“There’s film in it already. You’d better get started if you want to catch all of Dawn’s Magic’s big day.
I don’t think Reeve is likely to wait around for you to get ready.”

Marilou spent the next two hours getting a feel for the camera. Cal had obviously anticipated her fascination. He’d bought rolls and rolls of extra film. By the time they left to change for the race, she had already shot close to a hundred pictures and couldn’t stop talking about every one of them.

When they returned to the suite, though, she put the camera on the dresser and went to Cal, sliding her arms around his neck. She molded her lips over his, teasing his mouth with her tongue until she heard the soft moan low in his throat and felt his whole body shudder.

“Some thank-you,” he murmured huskily.

“There’s more where that came from,” she said, nudging him toward the bed.

“Marilou…”

“Hmm,” she said, as she tipped him backward until he was sprawling across the still-rumpled sheets. She reached for his boots.

“Sweetheart…”

“Yes, love?”

“We don’t have time…”

“You have to change,” she reminded him innocently. “I’m just helping.”

Her hand reached just a little high before she slid it slowly down his thigh, then on down to the other boot.

“You are not helping.”

“Of course, I am,” she said, tugging off the boot.
Her fingers slipped inside the cuff of his jeans as she reached for his socks. Her nails raked gently down his calves, before she bared his feet, then kissed each toe.

Cal’s protests seemed to have lost steam. The heat in the room had gone up by several degrees. She reached for the buckle on his belt. Cal cleared his throat.

“I think maybe I ought to get that.”

“No, dear. You just rest.”

“Marilou, I am not resting. Resting is a body’s natural quiet state. My nerves are on full alert.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“You have turned into an incredible tease.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Not about the teasing. Your timing could do with a little work. We need to be back at the track in exactly one hour.”

“We’ll be there.”

“But in what condition?”

“If you’ll be a little cooperative here, I’ll have us out of here in no time.”

Cal’s body bucked as she very, very slowly pulled down the zipper on his pants. “Holy…Okay, wench, enough,” he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down on top of him. In less than a heartbeat, she was flat on her back, her hands pinned above her head, Cal, half-dressed, looming over her.

“Let’s see if I understand this technique,” he said, freeing her hands long enough to run his knuckles along the open throat of her blouse. When the caress
slowed at the first button, he followed up with a kiss. One at her throat. Then another fraction of an inch lower. Then another, peppering them across her chest until she was writhing beneath him.

“How am I doing?” he inquired with lazy good humor.

“Like a pro,” she said, working on the buttons of his shirt and fanning her hands across his bare chest until she could reach every square inch of burning flesh with hungry kisses.

The game flew out of control with his first, hot claiming of her breast. Suddenly slow became needy, then need turned to urgency. Their remaining clothes were nudged just far enough out of the way to allow Cal to drive into her with a white-hot fervor that sent Marilou quickly into a shattering, earth-moving climax. Still in the throes of passion, she arched her hips up, giving back to Cal all the love, all the commitment he had dared to give her.

Slowly their breath returned to normal, their hearts beat in a gentler rhythm, their skin cooled. But still they didn’t move, Cal’s weight crushing her into the bed, his legs tangled with hers.

“I’m getting far too old for this,” he said at last, levering himself up and trying to figure out where her clothes ended and his own began.

Marilou chuckled. “Lordy, I hope not. I’m not even thirty yet and I have no intention of stopping with just one baby.”

“Then you’d better hope you’re pregnant now. I figure I’ve got another year, maybe two before you
exhaust me. Maybe you could manage twins. That would save a little on the wear and tear.”

“Say that when they both start teething at the same time,” she teased. “Get moving, love. We now have exactly twenty-seven minutes to get back to the track. I don’t want to miss one single second of Derby Day.”

“You should have thought of that before you decided to have your way with me,” he grumbled just as the phone rang. Marilou reached for it, but he beat her to it then waved her toward the shower.

They were only ten minutes late to the track. Chaney was waiting for them, looking uncomfortable in a suit. He kept running a finger around the collar of his shirt and tugging on his tie.

“You look very handsome,” Marilou told him.

“Don’t see why I had to get dressed up like this. Only time I ever wear this suit is for funerals and weddings.”

“Well, today you’re going to be wearing it in the winner’s circle,” Marilou declared. “What are the odds on our baby?”

“She’s a long shot, just like you knew she would be. Thirty-to-one in the morning line.”

“That’s okay,” Marilou said confidently. “That just means we’ll make more money betting her.”

“You know, missy, I wouldn’t go getting your hopes too high. She’s a danged good horse, but it’s a tough race for a filly to win.”

Marilou kissed his leathery cheek. “Care to go for a little side wager?”

He shook his head. “No way. You have a way of getting what you want out of life.”

“I haven’t got you fixed up with a good woman yet,” she said, deliberately taunting him.

He scowled at her. “And you ain’t going to, either. You just stay out of my love life and I’ll keep out of yours. Go take your pictures, girl. Maybe it’ll keep you out of mischief.”

Cal rejoined her then and linked his fingers through hers. “Ready to go to the box?”

She could feel the restrained excitement that practically vibrated through him. She squeezed his hand. “Let’s do it.”