Rock Her (Crimson Romance) (26 page)

At the patio, the hostess led them to an area under big white umbrellas. An area that had been decorated for a party. There were arrangements of white and red flowers, silver streamers and silver and white balloons next to a “Congratulations” sign.

A huge cake with a blue fondant border around each of the four tiers sat in the center of the long table.

“I think there’s been some mistake … ” her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Ava talking with Dave and his wife under an umbrella.

Kate’s heart ceased beating for a moment.

Alec was here, his back to her. He was talking with an older couple.

Kate noticed the older woman’s resemblance to Dave. Were they the Thatchers? Her heart picked up its pace at triple speed. She glanced about her in bewilderment and spotted Roy and Diana talking to Asher. He was hard to miss in a tank which revealed his spectacular ink, jeans, and combat boots.

Emma shouted “Hello” to those gathered and continued to pull Kate’s resisting body forward.

Everyone on the patio was staring at Kate. She put her hand to her throat as Alec turned and met her gaze. He strode over and she put her arms up. To ward him off? To draw him to her? She didn’t know anymore. She’d never been so confused or so vulnerable.

He ignored her arms and gathered up her stiff body. An unnatural hush fell over the patio. Pulling back, Kate looked up at him, memorizing every one of his beloved features. She read intent in the set of his jaw, but there was something desperate in his sky-blue eyes.

“Alec,” she said softly.

“Yes, my love?”

She flinched at the endearment.

“What’s going on?” Her voice came out a reedy whisper.

There was a flurry of activity outside the fenced patio. She glanced past him to see men with cameras, shouting and lining up at the gated edge of the restaurant patio. Kate turned back to Alec, stunned. The paparazzi? Here?

Alec grinned.

“Did you really think I was going to let you go?” he asked. “Haven’t you figured out that you can’t protect the ones you love? Or are you trying to protect your own heart? You don’t need to protect it from me; I care for it more than my own.”

She barely even registered that she was crying. “I love you, Alec, but my father nearly killed you.”

“So he did. Nearly being the operative word. Kate, when I told you I love you, I’m not a guy who says that lightly. I’m not sure I believed in love the way I feel it for you. I’m in love with you, Kate. Did you save my life only to leave me miserable without you? Because I won’t let you do it.”

He slipped a black box from the front pocket of his well-worn jeans and went down on one knee. There was a slight tremor in his hand.

Her fingers went to her mouth, covering it in shock.

“Alec.” She found herself caught between laughter and tears. “What are you doing, you lunatic?”

“Will you marry me, Kate? I’ve invited all our loved ones and some,” he gestured to the paparazzi with a tilt of his head “who don’t love me so well, to witness this. No pressure though. Take your time.”

She leaned over, she didn’t have far to bend, and put her heart and soul into the kiss she laid on him.

The kiss got so heated, so fast, Alec dropped the box and crushed her to him, until finally she pulled away, breathless.

There was a collective laugh from the people gathered on the patio, and cat-calls from the paparazzi. Kate blushed, urging Alec to his feet, and he scooped up the box.

She stared at the ridiculously large stone he placed on her finger. She turned it this way and that.

“Like it?” he asked.

She bit back a smile. “It’s … obnoxious.”

He grinned. “That’s
exactly
what I was going for.”

“Maybe I could get my forehead tattooed with ‘Mrs.’ or ‘taken’ instead?”

“Babe, you get a forehead tattoo and it won’t matter what it says, people will stay away.”

She sobered. “Alec … ” She tried not to cry, she really did, but the tears kept flowing. “I want you to know how much I love you … ” Her voice broke on a sob and he hugged her fiercely.

“I do know, Kate,” His breath hitched. “But not nearly as much as I love you.”

Hours later they lay in his big bed, the last rays of the afternoon sun giving the room a soft, romantic feel.

“I quit my job.”

Kate bolted upright and half turned to stare at him. “
What?”

He pulled her back down.

“Quit. Yesterday. I’ve got a few things to wrap up, but I’m moving on,” he stated, calmly.

“To do what?” she interrupted, but he could hear the hope in her voice, she rolled over onto him and peered at him through tangled hair.

He beamed at her and she gave a shout.

“Oh, Alec. I’m so happy.”

“Me too, baby.”

“Are you sure?”

“As soon as I did it, I knew it was the right thing.”

She bounced up and down on him. He laughed. Their laughter turned to kisses and the white hot flare of passion.

An hour later he lay, watching her doze.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, confusion chased away by dawning awareness, then joy.

“Mmmm.” She stretched. “Did I fall asleep?”

They stared at each other across the pillow.

“Tell me everything,” she whispered. “Will you go on the road right away?”

He chuckled. “You don’t have any idea how it works do you?”

“No clue.”

“You ready to hear my plan?”

“Sure.”

“I’m starved. Let’s order in.”

He ordered their dinner while she dressed. He pulled on jeans and they went to curl up on the couch.

“I’m tempted to take you to Las Vegas tonight.” He checked her expression.

Amusement warred with horror on her face.

He grinned. “But I’ve done that. This has to be special. I’ve had Ava working on the arrangements for a wedding a few days before Christmas.”

She nodded, looking slightly crestfallen. “I agree. We’ll need a year to plan it if you want a big wedding.”

He laughed. “Not next year, in three weeks.”

“Alec,” she sputtered, spilling tea on herself, and brushing at it ineffectually. “There is no way!”

“Do you want a big wedding?”

“Of course not.”

“Me neither. If we have the wedding on the beach, we might have to keep the date a surprise so we don’t get inundated, but I figure a small catered reception at my beach house if you want. If that seems like too much, maybe at the country club?”

“I want to get married on the beach where we met in Cielito.” she said, dreamily, then sat up. “Alec! I’ll need a dress … work, I — ”

“You’ll have everything you want. And probably stuff you don’t, knowing Ava.” He laughed. “She’s on it.” He grasped her chin and pulled her head up until her concerned eyes met his. “If you don’t trust me, will you at least trust Ava?”

She smiled. “Okay, Alec. Yes, I trust you and Ava.”

“Okay. That’s settled. I can work any number of places but I’ll be collaborating for some of it, so while I’ll be able to do some recording in Cielito, I’ll be in L.A. a lot. Are you good with that?”

She bit her lip.

“Talk to me,” he said.

“I guess I envisioned us being together, not all the time, but not doing what we’ve been doing with these long absences. Especially if we’re married.”

He waited, but she frowned, twirling her hair.

“I’ve given that a lot of thought. Do you want to know what I’ve come up with?”

She nodded, meeting his eyes.

“Do you want to keep working?”

She frowned. “Of course, Alec. I’m not going to become your dependent.”

He sighed. “I knew you’d feel that way. You don’t
need
to work.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know, but I … I had this idea … ”

“Okay … ”

“I’d like us to be together, and at some point that will mean travel.”

“A hospital nursing schedule is pretty restrictive.”

She nodded.

He blew out a breath. “So my firm has set up foundations for some artists. I’ve been thinking about starting my own. My Reeking Bliss royalties can fund it.”

She cocked her head, listening intently.

“Eventually, we might be able to get other people involved, do benefits, that kind of thing. I thought you might be interested in the organizational piece. Maybe bring Ava on to coordinate some events, fundraising.”

“What kind of foundation?”

He took a deep breath. “There are all kinds of needs out there, but I can’t seem to get your mother out of my mind. Thinking about what she must have gone through. How much worse it could have been for you both if she’d died before you turned eighteen. If she hadn’t had a life insurance policy in place. If Roy and Diana were without means … ”

Kate stared at him, her hand at her throat, tears trailing down her cheeks.

His own throat thickened and he took her hand.

“Alec, I don’t know what to say.”

He nodded. “I know nursing is your thing, but--”

“I want to do it,” she said, fiercely, wiping at her face. “Of course I want to do it. I can’t think of anything more meaningful than helping families with a terminally ill parent.”

“I think with your history, it might be better if we went public. Tell your story. I’ve got some clients with pretty deep pockets who might be interested in contributing. I’ve done enough research in the last few days to know there is a real need out there. The families need all kinds of support, legal, financial, medical. You name it.”

“Oh, Alec.” Her hands were clasped together in front of her.

“We can start slow. We’ll have to have a system to investigate applicants, but we can work with local hospices and state agencies. We’ll need a board, which I can help with, and a team that might include nurses, social workers, physicians and attorneys.”

Her eyes were shining, rapt. “Yes. I could coordinate those groups. I’ve worked with families on end-of-life issues at the hospital. We can do this, Alec.”

“I’m pretty excited about it, too, almost as much as the idea of getting back into the studio,” he said, grinning. “By the way, I booked Emma on a flight first thing tomorrow.”

“Good. Is she coming here later tonight with Ava?”

“No, they figured we could use some privacy.”

“Are they staying in a hotel?”

“No. Asher said he’d take them out on the town, and then put them up at his place.”

She drew back. “Oh Alec, Asher?” she said with dismay, her hands searching for and finding the locket on her chest.

He grinned and pulled her back down into his arms.

“They’ll have fun. He’s a good time.”

“That’s what I’m worried about!”

The End

Fueled by black jelly-beans and pinot noir — never together — Rachel Cross writes sexy, sweet contemporary romance. She lives by the beach in California with her surfer/ helicopter pilot husband and two daughters. Before becoming a romance author, she was a firefighter, paramedic, clinical research manager, and
Weekly World News
tabloid model. Please visit her website at
www.readrachelcross.com

A portion of the earnings from
Rock Her
will be donated to local Hospices. Thank you for your purchase and contributing to the care and support of families facing life-limiting illnesses. For more information about Hospice please visit
http://www.nhpco.org/
.

Present Day, Utah

The early May heatwave poured down on the Utah arena, air so thick Monica wondered that she couldn’t reach out a grab a piece of it and toss it into the stands. Her horse, Jinx, shifted, restless in the heat.

But it wasn’t just the heat getting to her. It was seven weeks since that first night with Trickett Samuels.

Seven weeks of agony because she was away from Texas more than she was home.

Seven weeks of heaven because from the moment she arrived at his house in Lockhardt it was sensual overload.

The last three days had been pure torture. She was supposed to be home already, but her ranking was in the toilet because even when she was running barrels she was distracted. Thinking about Trick. Wondering what he was doing.

Remembering the things he did to her in bed. Imagining the things she’d do with him once she was back under the Texas sky.

Sleeping with Trick was supposed to ease the ache. Make it easier to stay on the road, continue forging her identity independent of the Double Diamond, her sisters, or the family strings that seemed to pull at her more every day.

What twenty-four year old longed to go home? Not a single one of her rodeo friends. They were content to live out of suitcases, drive for hours on end to hit another show and win another check. Her? Since Kathleen got married last summer all she could think about was home.

Home and Trick Samuels. The last man she should want because he was so intricately tied to Lockhardt, Texas. One thing Monica was certain of: Lockhardt would kill the identity she was trying to forge. If she returned to Lockhardt for good, Monica would disappear back into the shadows of Kathleen and Vanessa.

Jinx flicked his ears toward the cattle pens and tossed his head.

“Not now, boy,” said Monica with a light tug on his reins. “You can play with the steers later.”

Music filled the arena as the last competitor took her glory lap. Jinx, standing in the middle of the group of barrel racers with Monica, restlessly moved from hoof to hoof. He flicked his ears toward the cattle pen again, and this time pulled his head in the opposite direction.
Eager to get going. Just nerves.
Monica kept a smile plastered on her face and tugged once more, a little harder this time.

“No, Jinx.” What was wrong with him? In the three years she’d been running barrels with him, he had never once acted on the impulse to herd cattle. After washing out as one of her sister Kathleen’s racers, Jinx had been trained as a cow horse against Monica’s wishes. When she’d decided to go pro, her first investment had needed to be a good horse. She’d tracked down the rancher who’d bought Jinx for his spread in New Mexico, then purchased and retrained him as a barrel racer.