A few minutes later, they arrived at the Saddler house. To Juliet, the majestic home looked almost as it did the day she attended Raine Ketchum’s wedding. Except the living room wasn’t cleared of furniture for dancing and the hordes of laughing, partying people filling up every nook and cranny of every room were now gone.
Geraldine herself met them at the front door and as she led the two of them to another room that she called the parlor, Juliet marveled at all the fresh flowers sitting here and there, the antique furniture and the photos and paintings on the wall. Everything in the house seemed to have character and history to it and the images definitely brought home the fact to Juliet that Geraldine was proud of her heritage. No wonder she was reluctant to dig into the unknown past of her husband’s death or that of her grandfather. She wouldn’t want her family’s image tarnished for any reason. And especially not for newspaper sales.
Juliet silently groaned. She didn’t want to think about that tonight. She loved Matt. And his family was becoming her family, too. She was finding everything her heart had ever hungered for. What would Matt and Geraldine think if she wrote a story about their ancestors, even if it was a good story? Would they be resentful? Would they ever forgive her? Dear God, she prayed, she had to do this right. Otherwise she was going to lose everything that had ever mattered to her.
Gracia and Lex were waiting for them in the parlor and Nicci showed up within a few minutes. Cook served the adults strong margaritas in cold, fluted glasses, while Gracia had to settle for a soda over ice.
Juliet was surprised to see the teenager dressed in a skirt and short-sleeved sweater tonight. Her long hair was swept demurely back into a neat French braid and she looked far more mature than the girl that Juliet had found crying on the lawn that day of the wedding. She appeared to be far happier, too, and Juliet truly hoped that she was a part of the reason a smile was now on the teenager’s face.
As for Matt, he seemed to be totally comfortable with the idea that she was sitting close beside him in the presence of his family. In fact, he took her hand often and each time he looked at her, she could feel the undercurrents of his desire throbbing through to her fingertips. The subtle glints in his eyes were tiny promises of what the night would bring, and Juliet found it a struggle to keep her mind on the conversations around them.
“Now that the house isn’t full of wedding guests,” she told Geraldine, “I can see just how beautiful it is.”
The older woman, who was dressed casually in jeans and a checked shirt with a turquoise bolo tie fastened at her throat, looked at her and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Juliet. After we eat, I’ll have Matt take you on a tour. When he was just a boy, he used to reside here, he knows all about the house.”
Juliet’s gaze vacillated between Geraldine and Matt. “What was that like, living with your sister and brother-in-law?” she asked the woman.
Geraldine laughed with genuine pleasure. “Oh, it was wonderful. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. Of course, Liz and I were both very young then and we had energy to spare. And believe me, we needed it with both of us chasing after young children and trying to help with chores here on the ranch, too. Paul’s job required him to do a lot of entertaining so I was constantly planning parties and welcoming executives into our home.” She turned a fond smile on Matt. “Mingo, Matt’s father, hated all the socializing and would always find some reason to stay down at the barn until all the guests had gone.”
“So now we know where he gets his antisocial attitude,” Nicci teased from across the room.
“I’m not antisocial.” Matt spoke up in his own defense. “I just prefer things quiet.”
“Yeah, like a tomb,” Lex put in.
Everyone laughed at that, including Gracia, who was curled up on the opposite side of her father.
“Aunt Geraldine says Daddy was naughty when he was little. But he doesn’t want to talk about that in front of me,” she said with smiling mischief.
Juliet laughed. “I’ll bet somebody around here is willing to tell on him.”
“Well,” Nicci said, “I have to admit that all of us kids were rather rambunctious. I’m surprised this house still looks as good as it does. We used to run up and down the staircase, skate on the floors and slide down the banister. We tried experiments in the kitchen and ended up blowing yellow food coloring all over the walls and floors. One time when we were about ten or eleven, Matt took his lariat and tied the door handle to my bedroom shut so that I couldn’t get out.”
Grinning, Juliet turned her head to look at him and found grooves of amusement bracketing his lips, but it was the twinkle in his eyes that told her he’d not always been a serious man.
“Always a cowboy, sounds like,” she said.
“Always,” Geraldine spoke up. “Matt used to howl when Liz would haul him out of the saddle and make him come in to do his homework.”
Not about to be left out, Lex said to his sister, “What about me, Nicci? You didn’t tell Juliet that I was the one who was your hero and came along and let you out of your bedroom. Took some doing, too. I had to get out my bowie knife and cut Matt’s rope. He was mad as a hornet.”
Nicci laughed. “That’s why you ended up with a black eye, little brother.”
The bantering and laughter continued until Cook appeared in the doorway to call them to the dining room. The group quickly made a noisy exit to that part of the house. Matt kept his arm firmly around the back of Juliet’s waist and she welcomed the affectionate contact. It made her feel wanted and connected to him in a special way.
Once they gathered around the table, Gracia was quick to point out Juliet’s chair, which was, of course, next to Matt’s. The teenager sat on the opposite side of her.
The dining room was large, with the long walls broken up by several wide arched windows. A long table with enough room for twelve people was covered in a deep red tablecloth and set with colorful Mexican pottery. In the middle, small bowls of yellow marigolds sat at intervals to lend a festive mood to the meal.
Nearly an hour later, the steaks and accompanying dishes had been eaten and Lex was beginning to stretch.
“Great supper, Mom, but I’ve got several phone calls to make tonight before I turn in.” As Matt’s cousin rose from the table, he looked over at Juliet and gave her a smile and a wink. “Juliet, your company really brightened the place up tonight. I hope we’ll see you again soon.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Once Lex had left the table Nicci quickly followed, saying she had medical reports to read. Matt said to Juliet, “If you’re ready, I think we’d better be going, too.”
Geraldine frowned at her nephew. “But you haven’t shown Juliet the house yet. Surely you can do that before you go.”
“I have to be up at four in the morning,” he explained. “And Juliet has to be at work early, too. We’ll do it another night, Geraldine.”
The older woman smiled her concession. “I understand. Besides, that will give you a good excuse to bring Juliet back for another visit.”
Nodding, Juliet quickly expressed her thanks to Geraldine for the meal and her hospitality, then rose from the table.
“If you don’t mind waiting for just a minute or two,” she told Matt, “I’d like to go to the kitchen and thank Cook for the lovely meal.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll be waiting out on the porch.”
Jumping eagerly to her feet, Gracia said to Juliet, “I’ll show you the way.”
The teenager grabbed Juliet’s arm and practically pulled her out of the dining room, then once they entered a wide hallway, Gracia tugged her to one side.
“You probably already know the way to the kitchen,” she said in a conspiring whisper, “but I wanted to talk to you without Daddy hearing.”
Juliet studied the teenager’s sweet, eager face. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“No! No, I think everything is cool! Daddy likes you. Really, really likes you! I can tell.”
With a cautious smile, Juliet said, “Well, honey, I don’t know about the really, really part. But we have become—close,” she said, unable to think of a more suitable word to describe her relationship with Matt.
Gracia sighed with a mixture of joy and hope. “Oh, Juliet, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you became my mother?”
Concerned now, Juliet carefully took the girl by the shoulders. “Gracia, listen to me,” she said gently. “I would consider it a great honor to be your mother. You’d be everything I could ever want in a daughter. But a decision like that isn’t entirely up to you and me. Your father has a say in this, too. And we all need time to think about how being a family would change our lives.”
Gracia opened her mouth with plans to argue that point, then just as quickly changed her mind and gave Juliet a knowing smile. “I guess you’re right. But I don’t want to be old and grown-up by the time Daddy decides to get married. I want to have you for a mother now.”
The idea that Gracia placed that much affection on her was enough to sting Juliet’s eyes with tears. She tried to blink them away as she gave the girl a brief hug.
Clearing her throat, Juliet said, “Sure I’m right. You wouldn’t want your father choosing your boyfriend, would you?”
Aghast at that idea, Gracia blurted, “No!” Then giggled with afterthought. “He’d choose some nerd who was scared of his own shadow. I’ll do my own choosing.”
“That’s how he feels about it, too. So just be patient. And in the meantime we can enjoy seeing each other as often as we can. Okay?”
Gracia’s expression turned sober and after a short nod, she flung her arms around Juliet’s neck and hung on for a long moment. “I love you, Juliet. No matter what my daddy does.”
Emotion swelled in Juliet’s throat, forcing her to swallow several times before she could manage to speak. “And I love you, too, Gracia. No matter what.”
A few minutes later, Matt and Juliet left the ranch. Throughout the drive back to town they made sporadic small talk, but for the most part Matt was quiet. By the time they reached her place, she was growing concerned that something was bothering him.
“You’ve been quiet, Matt,” she said as he parked the truck in the front driveway to her house. “Is anything wrong?”
After switching off the motor, he turned to her. “No. I’ve just been…thinking about tonight, at the ranch.”
The glow of a nearby streetlamp was enough to see his pensive expression and Juliet studied it carefully as she waited and hoped for him to continue.
“It was nice having you there with my family. I never realized how much I missed having someone beside me—to share things with.” With a heavy sigh, he reached for her hand. “For a long time now Lex has accused me of being dead. And I guess maybe he was right to a certain degree. I can see now how much I’ve cocooned myself.” He lifted her fingers to his lips. “You’ve come along and made me see things I refused to face before, Juliet. And now—well, you’ve made me feel like a new man.”
Shocked by his admission, she stared at him until her heart grew so full she could no longer keep her distance.
Quickly sliding across the seat, she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against the side of his neck. “Oh, Matt. You’ve made me feel all new, too. New and happy.”
Groaning, he caught her face between his hands and brought her lips to his. He kissed her for long moments, a slow, thorough search that left her insides quivering with need.
Once he finally lifted his head, she said, “You are coming in, aren’t you?”
He gently pushed his fingers through the blond waves dipping near her cheek and she turned her mouth into his palm to kiss the calloused skin.
“I shouldn’t,” he said ruefully. “Neither one of us has had much sleep. And we both have to work.” His mouth twisted as he leaned his forehead against hers. “But I can’t resist you,” he whispered.
Juliet brought her lips temptingly up to his, then kissed him softly before she finally eased away from him to gather up her handbag. Matt followed her cue and the two of them quickly exited the truck. The way to the house was dimly illuminated by a streetlamp, making it fairly easy for her to find her house key.
Once inside, she didn’t bother turning on a lamp. Instead, she took him by the hand and led him straight to her bedroom at the back of the house.
The green glow of an alarm clock sitting on the nightstand was the only light in the room. It was enough to direct their path to the side of the bed and after that, their hands needed no light as they quickly did away with buttons and zippers. Clothing and shoes were tossed aside and then Matt was laying her on the soft, down coverlet.
“You’re the first man to ever be in this house,” she whispered as he fit his naked body next to hers.
His hand paused on her shoulder and she knew her remark had surprised him.
“Don’t you mean the first man to be in your bedroom?”
“No. I mean the first to be in the house entirely,” she corrected as her hands hungrily began to roam his hard chest. “I haven’t had a male caller. Not since I moved here from Dallas. I guess you could say I’ve cocooned myself, too. And all this time I’ve been swearing I wouldn’t let another man get near me. I didn’t want to get hurt again, Matt.” She brought her hands to his face and stroked her fingers along his cheeks. “Please don’t hurt me, Matt. That’s all I ask.”
Her throaty plea brought a groan from deep within him. “Oh honey, no. You don’t need to worry about that. Tonight and all the nights ahead there’ll be no talk of hurting. We have much better things to do.”
Juliet had to agree. After all, it was way too late to be worrying about getting hurt. She was already in love with the man. The only thing she could do now was go forward and trust him to handle her heart with care.
“You’re right, Matt,” she whispered as she nestled her head beneath his chin. “And all evening I’ve been thinking about us being together again. I guess that makes me a wanton hussy, doesn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” he said with a chuckle.
His response lightened her dark moment and the pleasure of being in his arms took control of her senses.
Last night on the Sandbur the urgency of first coming together had made their lovemaking almost frantic, but tonight Matt seemed content to take things at a slower pace.
His hands took their easy time stroking, exploring, touching places that made her groan with need and writhe in search of relief, all while he whispered adoring things in her ears. He spattered kisses across her forehead, cheeks and lips, then turned his attention to her breasts.
Each rounded globe received the delicate trace of his moist tongue, the teasing nip of his teeth, until Juliet was aching with desire. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingers clung as she rode wave after wave of delicious heat.
“Matt,” she gasped. “Matt, I can’t take much more.”
“Oh yes you can, baby. We’re just now getting started.”
With that his head made a downward descent and his lips skimmed over her midriff and across her lower belly. At the same time, his hand found the intimate folds between her thighs and then thrust a finger inside.
A low, desperate groan began to vibrate in Juliet’s throat as her senses quickly spiraled out of control. She tried to hold back the powerful surges within her body. Tried to wait for each caress, each kiss. But the ache became too much and she began to cry out for relief at the same time his tongue replaced the tempting strokes of his finger.
The incredibly intimate contact instantly pushed her over the edge and she arched frantically against him as pleasure splintered her body into tiny, glowing pieces.
Above her Matt felt his loins tightening, begging to follow her to paradise. He waited until she’d caught her breath and then entered her with one desperate thrust. The hot sweetness of her enfolded him, tightened around him like velvet bands. Her hips rose to meet his and he knew she was ready to ride another wave.
He tried to make the minutes last, to keep the ecstasy going on and on. But all too soon he was clutching her hips, driving himself into her as he lost his seed, his heart and soul.
The end was draining for both of them and long minutes passed before they could move to the middle of the bed and snuggle their bodies comfortably together.
Juliet rested her head upon his damp shoulder and wrapped her arm across his chest. The scent of his skin enveloped her and filled her with contentment. His hard body was the anchoring rock she’d often reached for but never found until now and the realization left her sighing with happiness.
“You’re not going to leave now, are you?” she whispered drowsily.
His fingers skimmed across her cheek and into her hair. “No,” he said huskily, then pressed his lips against her forehead. “Go to sleep, my darling.”
Juliet didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to savor every moment of being close to this man that she loved. But exhaustion quickly overtook her and she drifted off before she could stop herself.
Amazingly, she didn’t waken until early-morning light was streaming through a nearby window. Matt was nowhere in sight and the comforter had been spread over her naked body. The scent of fresh coffee was coming from the kitchen and since her coffeemaker wasn’t automatic, she knew Matt had made the brew.
She was pushing the tangled hair from her face and trying to gather enough energy to throw her legs over the side of the bed, when Matt strode into the room carrying a steaming cup.
Dressed only in jeans and boots, his smile was a little sheepish as he eased down on the edge of the bed and carefully placed the warm cup into her hands.
“I’m not very practiced at this,” he said. “So I won’t guarantee that it’s palatable.”
Juliet wasn’t thinking about the taste of the coffee as her eyes took in his broad shoulders and wide chest, the patch of furry black hair growing between his nipples. The taste of him was far more interesting. But the coffee was what he was offering her now and with a grateful smile, she took the cup and lifted it to her lips. The drink was rich and strong, just like him.
“I expect Juan is wondering why you weren’t in the kitchen this morning for breakfast,” she said after several careful sips. “I thought—I half expected to wake up and see that you’d left in the night.”
Her eyes met his and with a gentle twist to his lips, he reached out and touched his fingers to her cheek.
“Sunshine,” he murmured. “That’s what you look like this morning.”
Incredibly, the sweet comment caused a blush to sting her face. “You’re being funny now. I know how I really look and it couldn’t be good.”
His face solemn, his fingertips faintly traced the hollow beneath her eye, then settled at the corner of her lips.
“I don’t know how to be funny,” he said. “You know that.”
Her heart thudded with love and longing and she knew if she lived to be a hundred his touch would still thrill her.
“Maybe I should teach you a few jokes,” she teased.
Sighing, he dropped his hand, then bent over and reached for his shirt that was lying on the floor. As he slipped his arms into the sleeves, he said, “Lex is going to forget all about joking if I don’t get home. We’re supposed to gather cattle this morning and I’m late. Very late.”
Glancing at the clock beside the bed, Juliet saw that she had forty minutes to get ready and drive to the newspaper office. If she hurried, she could do it in fifteen. The rest of those minutes she wanted, needed to spend with him.
As he finished buttoning his shirt, Juliet placed her hand on his forearm. “What about breakfast? I thought I’d fix us something.”
He cast her a rueful glance. “I’m sorry, Juliet. I’d like nothing better. But I’ve got to get going.”
Sometime between last night and this morning, Juliet had decided she could no longer put off talking to Matt about the Ketchum article she was being forced to write. She wanted it out in the open, before their relationship went any further.
“I understand. I just—” Uncertain now, she reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers tightly around his. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you and I thought this morning we could—talk about it over breakfast.”
A tiny frown marred his forehead. “If it’s something that important to you, then we don’t want to rush it through in a couple of minutes. We’ll get together again soon and then you can tell me all about it. Okay?”
Juliet had to agree. Explaining her situation with Gilbert was going to take longer than two minutes. Especially if she wanted Matt to fully understand the problem.
Nodding, she did her best to hide her disappointment and put on a happy face. “Of course. It can keep.”
A flash of relief crossed his face only to be instantly replaced with vague concern as he leaned earnestly toward her and threaded his free hand through her tangled hair.
“Juliet, this isn’t about you and me, is it? You’re still okay with the two of us being together?”
Hope, love and fear balled together and stuck in Juliet’s throat. For a moment all she could do was nod, then with a little cry, she buried her face in the curve of his neck.
“Oh, Matt. It’s more than okay. It’s—” She swallowed, then raised her face to his. “The best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Relief washed over his face and he smiled. “That’s enough to keep me happy.”
He placed a swift kiss on her lips, then quickly rose to his feet and stuffed the tails of his shirt into his jeans. As he raked fingers through his tousled hair and reached for his hat, Juliet wrapped the sheet around her nakedness and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” she told him.
Tugging the black felt low on his forehead, he looked at Juliet and winked. “You don’t need to be dressed just for that task.”
Clutching the sheet to her breasts, she tried to laugh and forget about the heavy concerns in her heart.
“I think I’d better, or you and Lex will never get those cattle gathered,” she teased.
“You’re probably right,” he teased back, then with a wicked smile, motioned for her to precede him out of the bedroom.
At the door he gave her a lengthy kiss, then left the house without any more words of parting.
Her heart full, Juliet watched him until he climbed into his truck and drove away. But once she moved away from the door and walked back into the bedroom where they’d shared such deep intimacies, her mind quickly began to spin with doubts.
Maybe she was the reason he’d woken from a deep sleep and started to live again. He certainly seemed interested in reviving his sex life. But none of that necessarily meant he could ever love her. And even if he could, would writing the Ketchum article wipe all his feelings for her away?
Unfortunately, the answer to that was going to have to be pushed aside until they met again.