Joss looked to where her breasts almost spilled over the top of the bra. “Well, I’m glad you’re wearing it now.”

  She laughed and he liked that the mood between them was like that—not too serious.

  He flipped off his boots and socks and stripped out of his shirt, watching as she pulled back the duvet and lay on the bed, looking more provocative than he’d ever imagined. He swallowed hard, felt all the blood rush to the lower half of his anatomy and figured he’d have trouble getting out of his jeans if he kept looking at her. But looking elsewhere was impossible. He sat on the bed and traced a long finger from her throat and down her chest and over her rib cage. She shivered and arched her back and he leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t like before, when they’d both shown restraint. There was no one to interrupt, no boundaries to worry about, nothing to keep them apart.

  Her hands were instantly at his shoulders, her tongue in his mouth, her breath mingling with his in a way that was mind-blowing. They kissed over and over and then he trailed down, pausing between her breasts and the creamy flesh that tipped over the bra. He kissed her there, cupping her, rubbing his thumb over a straining nipple. She moaned and the sound reverberated in his chest, clanging at his heart. He wasn’t sure how long they kissed for, how long they touched, but it would never be long enough, he realized.

  He stripped off her underwear and touched her intimately. There wasn’t anything shy or reserved about her response. She knew what she wanted, she asked for it, uttering words against his mouth that were so damned erotic he could barely draw in more than one ragged breath at a time. Her hands were at his belt, impatient almost, pulling the leather through the loops before she undid the snap on his jeans.

  “Take them off,” she demanded, smiling in a way that almost sent him over the edge. “I’ve wanted to see you naked since the first night I met you.”

  He chuckled at her admission and did as she asked, quickly extracting the condom he had in his wallet. She unclipped the bra and as her breasts surged forward he sucked in a breath. He cupped one breast, and then the other, feeling the weight of them in his hands and then gently stroked the nipples with his thumbs. She groaned, low and raspy, in her throat, and finally they were both naked, lying chest to breast, hip to hip. He kissed her again, anchoring her head gently, taking and giving, finding her tongue over and over.

  “Marnie,” he whispered against her mouth, tasting her lips. “You take my breath away.”

  She smiled against his mouth. “I think that’s the loveliest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  Joss quickly had the condom in place and moved over her, resting his weight on his forearms. “Okay?”

  “More than okay,” she assured him. “Everything I want.”

  Everything I need...

  That was all he could think as he moved inside her, as he felt her body so wondrous beneath him. She was all curves and soft skin, the cradle of her thighs made for him, he thought, finding peace and solace amid the desire that thrummed through him. Perfect harmony. A calm and perfect union. It had been years since he’d experienced such an intimate connection to another human being. The memory of all those one-night stands suddenly faded until all he saw was Marnie, her glittering blue eyes linked to his, her body moving with his in perfect unison.

  Her hands were in his hair, then on his back, his hips, urging him closer, deeper, and they created an erotic rhythm that set his skin on fire. She said his name, arching her back as pleasure overtook her and he watched in wonder as she came apart, joining her moments later in a white-hot surge of release.

  When it was over, he could barely draw enough breath into his lungs. He looked down at her, mesmerized by the rosy hue of color on her chest and neck. He kissed her jaw and the tender spot beneath her ear, nuzzling a little, and the action made her giggle.

  “That tickles,” she whispered, still gripping his hips as she inhaled deeply. “You smell good.”

  “It’s just soap.”

  “It’s nice,” she said and sighed. “Everything about this feels so nice.”

  “Mmm,” he agreed. “But I need to get up for a minute.”

  She nodded and he experienced a sharp and bereft sensation the moment he was up and off the bed. He headed for the bathroom to dispose of the condom and when he returned to her bedroom she was lying on her side, one knee curled up a little, her generous breasts uncovered and the duvet at her feet.

  Joss stood in the doorway, still semi aroused and getting more turned on as the seconds ticked by. “You know, I kind of had you pegged for the shy type.”

  Her brows rose. “Well, you’ve seen all of me that there is to see, so there’s really no point in being coy, is there?”

  He laughed. “I guess not.”

  “But you’re right,” she said as she looked him up and down and without any modesty or regret. “I am usually modest and shy. But not with you. I don’t know why,” she admitted and shrugged. “Are you coming back to bed?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied.

  “Good,” she said, “because I think I want to do that again.”

  She was a spontaneous and enthusiastic lover. He liked that about her. He loved that about her. Whoa...where did that come from? He’d only known her a few weeks. People didn’t fall for someone in a matter of weeks. At least, he didn’t. He was cautious in relationships. In everything, really. He made good decisions. He didn’t take risks. He worked hard, played safe, did the right thing by his kids and the people he cared about.

  But as he joined her on the bed, Joss knew he was all out of excuses.

  Chapter Ten

  Marnie had one plan when she’d moved to Cedar River. And that didn’t include falling in love.

  But she knew, without a doubt, that she was head over heels in love with Joss.

  It was different from how she’d felt about Heath. From her college boyfriend. Different from anything she’d experienced before. There was no angst, no resistance, no self-doubt. She simply loved him. It didn’t matter that they’d only known each other for a short time. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t told him the real reason why she was in Cedar River. All that mattered were the feelings in her heart. Making love with him had confirmed what she’d been suspecting all week.

  “Everything okay?”

  It was late, well after eleven, and they’d dozed for a bit after a long and erotic marathon session of touching and tasting and doing a whole lot of things she knew were now imprinted in her memory. With Joss, she had no self-doubt, no body image issues, no concerns about being beautiful enough, or thin enough or sexy enough. He was an incredibly generous lover and she couldn’t get enough of touching him.

  She rolled in his embrace, running a hand up his chest. “Perfect. And not sleepy, which is odd since I’ve expended more energy in the last couple of hours than I have since forever. You may have noticed that I’m not exactly the sporty type. I do like walking, but since it’s been snowing I haven’t—”

  He laughed. “I love that you talk a lot.”

  Marnie looked at him, her throat tightening. “You do?”

  “It’s very endearing,” he said and kissed her softly.

  So, he didn’t just say he loved her, did he? No...impossible. She was reading way too much into the words and quickly changed the subject. “I think I want a cup of tea.”

  “Good idea.”

  Fifteen minutes later they were sitting on the sofa, Joss in his jeans and she in an old college T-shirt that came just below her bottom. The heater was on and the room was toasty warm. She sat close to him, her legs curled up, twirling her fingertips through the hair on his chest, thinking how it was the loveliest way to spend the evening. Or morning, since it was just after midnight.

  “It’s your birthday,” he said, almost reading her mind. He sprang up and walked out of the room for a moment, grabbed his jacket from the hall stand, returned to the sofa and quickly resumed his position. “Happy birthday,” he said, passing her a wrapped gift.

  She could tell it was a book and unwrapped the paper to find a small, red clothbound first edition of a book about Wild Bill. “It’s wonderful,” she said, inhaling the scent only old books had.

  “I figured, what better thing to get a history professor who’s just moved to the Black Hills than an old book about Wild Bill Hickock.”

  “How did you know I collect old books?”

  “I...assumed,” he said.

  “That I’m a book nerd?” she said and smiled, her throat tightening. No one had ever spent the time to get to know her before this, she realized, thinking how Heath had bought her a necklace for her last birthday—jewelry she had never worn. “Guilty as charged. It’s lovely, thank you. I am a bona fide book nerd and proud of it.”

  “You should be,” he said. “I hope my daughters grow up to be as successful and independent as you, Marnie. You’re a fabulous role model.”

  “Do you think? Sometimes I feel like a complete fraud. I’ve learnt languages I never speak, from countries I’ve never been to. I can cook but rarely do anything more than a noodle cup for dinner because I live alone. I left a perfectly great career in California to come here to teach elementary school because I was looking for...for...” Her words trailed off.

  “A new life?” he prompted.

  God, if only it were that simple. “I was looking for answers.”

  “Have you found them?”

  Marnie swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes, I think I have.”

  His arms moved around her. “Then, maybe it was the right decision.”

  “Joss...have you ever needed to just find yourself?” she asked and then shook her head. “My guess is you’ve always known who you are and what you should be doing, and I imagine that with losing your wife so young and with two kids, you needed to be in control of who you are every single day, correct?”

  “Something like that. But I’ve made mistakes. Hurt people without intending to. The good thing about life, Marnie, is we all get a do-over.”

  “My mom didn’t,” she said and dropped her head to his shoulder.

  He pointed to a picture on the sideboard. “That’s your mom?”

  “Yeah. She suffered with bipolar disorder and there were times when she was so hard to love, hard to be around, even...but I stuck with her because I loved her.”

  “There were bad times?” he asked gently.

  She nodded. “Yeah...days of silences. Days of her laying in bed. Days of her not eating, just sleeping, just blocking out a world she found so hard to be a part of.”

  “That must have been difficult for you to watch,” he said, tracing tiny circles on her back with his fingertips.

  “It was,” she admitted, her heart aching as the memories flowed. “I’d sit outside her door and talk for hours, just trying to break the silence, you know. I do that a lot,” she said and sighed. “I mean, talk a lot. It’s my go-to response when I feel like I’m out of my comfort zone, or when someone is quiet.”

  He nodded, like he knew exactly why she sometimes chatted on. “That’s not a bad thing, though. It means you’re caring and trying to fill in the gaps.”

  Marnie shuddered. “I’m not sure my mom ever saw it that way. You know, when she was on a high, she was amazing. I think I told you she was adopted,” she said quietly, trying to find the words she needed. “Well, a few months before she died, she finally found her birth mother’s identity. She’d been looking for so long and wanted to put the pieces together. But then she got sick and died not long after. She had a cut on her leg and it got infected and the infection attacked her heart and her immune system couldn’t fight it. She was gone in a matter of a week. Her fever got so high she slipped into a coma. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. Afterward, I felt so guilty that she never got to finish her journey.”

  “But you can’t live that journey for her,” he said gently.

  “I can try,” she replied and closed her eyes wearily, feeling his nearness wrap around her like a cloak.

  They headed back to bed shortly after and when she awoke it was a little after six. There was light beaming through the crack in the curtains and she reached out for Joss, only to find the sheets cold beside her. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she’d imagined their night together. But then she saw his shirt hanging over the chair near the window and sighed with relief. Her body ached with an unusual but not altogether unpleasant lethargy, and when she dragged herself out of bed she was smiling. She could smell coffee and followed the scent to the kitchen.

  And there he was, standing behind the counter in his jeans, the top button undone, his glorious physique all hers to ogle even at the crack of dawn. She spent a few seconds admiring him and then cleared her throat.

  He turned instantly. “Hey, birthday girl.”

  Had she ever woken to a lovelier birthday? It was so easy being with him that she didn’t question it, didn’t dwell on how long their thing would last. Because it felt right. Instead, she walked further into the kitchen and kissed him.

  * * *

  Joss had made the arrangements to give Marnie the second part of her birthday gift—a horse ride at the Triple C—and was delighted by her excitement. She was dressed in the right gear, from jeans to a pair of Sissy’s cowboy boots that easily fit her, and was now standing beside her mount, an aged liver chestnut mare named Pepper, who had had more than her fair share of novice riders and beginners on her back over the years.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Marnie said and patted the mare’s neck.

  “You ready?” he asked and came up behind her.

  She nodded. “For sure.”

  He helped her into the saddle and then spent half an hour with her in the corral. Thankful that his brother and sister had given him some alone time, even though he suspected they were watching from the house. Once he was confident she had the reins under control, he clipped on a lead and mounted his sister’s horse, Valiant, and headed off. There were several riding trails on the ranch and he took the shortest one, since it was her first time in the saddle. But he watched the way she moved with the horse and realized she was a natural.

  “Having fun?” he asked, keeping the horses to a gentle amble.

  “Amazing,” she said. “One thing off my bucket list.”

  Joss eased Valiant back a little. “What else is on your list?”

  “I want to go to Paris and walk along the Champs-Élysées, and then go to Venice and ride in a gondola,” she supplied. “And I want to see the aurora borealis. And I want to have the courage to skydive. I’d like to try colored contact lenses. And of course I’d like to get married and have a couple of babies one day.”

  It didn’t seem like such an outrageous list—and some of the things he could certainly help her with!

  “I think all those things are achievable,” he remarked, not looking at her for fear she’d see the truth in his eyes. That he could give her those things. That they could share them—together. That they could be a family.

  “I hope so,” she said. “What about you?”

  He shrugged. “I guess I’d like to travel a little. I’m not sure about the skydiving thing. And I think I could handle another baby or two—I’m an expert diaper changer.”

  “I suppose you’d like a son?”

  “Yeah,” he said and looked at her, imagining a little boy with his hair and her eyes. “I think I would.”

  She was quiet for a while after that, enjoying the ride, the horses, the wide-open space of the ranch. Joss hadn’t been out pleasure-riding for a long time and didn’t realize how much he’d missed it. They stayed out for a couple of hours, taking a break near the creek, drinking from the water bottles he’d stored in the saddlebag. They tethered the horses up and sat on an old tree stump.

  “It’s so beautiful here. I can’t imagine what it must feel like knowing you’re a part of something so expansive, so vast. I grew up living in a small brick-and-tile bungalow in suburbia. But this—” she opened up her arms expressively “—it’s spectacular. You can trace your family back here how many generations?”

  “Five,” he replied.

  “I envy you.”

  He didn’t respond, didn’t know what to say to her earnest words. She was so effortlessly open, and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to be with her. And of course he recognized that for what it was—he might be a guy, it might have been years since he’d had the feeling, but he knew what falling in love felt like.

  She moved sideways a little and pressed against him and it was all the invitation he needed to kiss her. They made out for a while, just kissing, just getting to know each other a little more. Her hands were on his chest, in that spot over his heart, and he wondered if she knew she did that. When they finally dragged their lips apart, she was panting, her blue eyes luminous in her face, her cheeks flushed with a heady glow, her mouth full of temptation. He thought then, a sharp sensation that arrowed deep down in his belly, that her mouth was the one he wanted to kiss for the rest of his life.

  But what could he say? Don’t leave Cedar River in five months. Don’t let my kids love you and then walk away. Don’t let me love you and then walk away.

  Joss got to his feet and suggested they get back. The return ride took over an hour, most of which they did with him keeping silent, just listening as she talked, hearing the whimsy in her voice as she absorbed their surroundings. When they got back to the barn, one of the young ranch hands greeted them and took the horses to remove the gear and brush them down. She gave Pepper a lingering pat and promised to come back and see her again.

  “So,” he said as they walked toward the house, “what do you think?”

  “I loved it,” she replied and then winced. “Although I think my thighs will be feeling it for the next few days. Could be a combination of things, though,” she added and gave him a long, flirty look that almost dropped him to his knees.