Chance For Love (Colorado Blues) (9 page)

Tyson stepped away as Chance came back with a cover
for the calf. He shuffled into the stall and handed it to Callie, waiting while
she rugged the newborn up. “I’ll have to come and feed him every four hours,
otherwise he’s not going to make it.”

“We can set an alarm. Now let’s get you back into the
house to get warm and dry. No point you getting sick.” Chance stood aside to
let her walk out of the stall, shutting the door behind them.

“Thanks for coming over, brother. I appreciate it.”
Chance patted Tyson on the back.

“I have to unsaddle Sultan. I’ll be up soon.” Callie
hurried over to the horse, and rubbed her hand over his nose, ignoring the
chatter from the two brothers. The wind howled when the door opened and Tyson
left, his mood no better than when he’d arrived. She took the horse’s bridle
off and the saddle, making sure to rug him up well before shutting him in his
stall.

When she was finished, Sherbet was sitting waiting for
her. Callie crouched down and hugged the dog. “If it wasn’t for you, we
wouldn’t be here now. Such a good girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes, she is. Come on you two, let’s get you inside
and warm.” Chance pushed his hat back down over his face and waited for Callie
to take his hand before leading her back to the house.

Once inside he insisted she take off her boots and
jacket and have a long hot shower before sitting in front of the fireplace. By
the time she came down with dry clothes on, Chance had made her a bowl of soup
and it was sitting on the table in front of the roaring fire.

“Canned I’m afraid, but better than nothing.” He
reached for her, pulling Callie into his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
“You had me so damned worried you know. I couldn’t bear to think about what
would have happened if you got hurt or lost in that storm.”

“Hmm, it’s kind of different to what I’m used to. I
have to say I think I prefer the heat to the cold, although looking at it from
inside the house it’s kind of pretty.” She snuggled against his chest, her gaze
on the white curtain of snow outside the window blocking them in from the
outside world. “There was no way I wasn’t coming back to this either.” Callie
lifted her mouth to his. With a passion fraught with images of loss, she
slid
her hands up under her husband’s shirt. His nipples
pebbled when she ran her fingertips over the small beads of flesh and Chance
groaned.

“You need to eat something warm.”

She nibbled at his ear, laughing as the goose bumps
rolled over his skin and he was unable to stop her. “I need this more. The soup
can wait.” Callie pulled him down onto the rug in front of the fireplace,
straddling him, careful not to place too much pressure on his hip. Button after
button was undone and she spread his shirt open, exposing the wide expanse of
chest and stomach to her hungry gaze.

She kissed his throat, making her way down to the
small trail of hair that disappeared under his jeans. With hurried moves,
Callie undid his belt buckle before popping the button on the blue denim jeans.
“Lift up, cowboy.” Chance lifted his hips and she slid his jeans and boxers
down to his knees, exposing his need to her greedy eyes.

He’d wanted to go out and look for her himself, but he
knew it was best to get help since he wasn’t able to ride just yet, not unless
he wanted to do some major damage to the bones. What would he have done if
Tyson hadn’t found her? The only reason he let his brother have the last word
was because he’d brought her back to him. And now he wasn’t ever going to let
her put herself in danger again.

“Take it all off for me.” He pulled her shirt from her
old cozy track pants and pushed it up so he could reach her full soft breasts.
Chance tweaked the nipples as she lifted her arms and pulled the shirt up
before throwing it on the floor beside them.

“Come down here.” Chance opened his mouth and took in
one of her nipples as she leaned down over him. She shuffled lower so she was
sitting over his erection, moving around carefully but with enough pressure to
make him groan in pleasure. “Oh my fucking God, stay right there.” He switched
nipples, lathering as much attention on her other breast as he did on the
first.

“I need you right now.” Callie gasped and moved her
heated core over his erection. She lifted herself and reached for him. Slowly,
inch by inch, she lowered herself until he was buried deep inside her. The
warmth of her body wrapped around him, almost sending him over the edge. He
wanted to savor the moment, but knew they both needed sex hard and fast after
this morning’s tension.

Chance started to move his hips, thankful the pain was
almost non-existent now. He glanced up into Callie’s face. Her eyes were closed
and she had a look of unbridled joy on her face. Her mouth was open emitting
small sounds of pleasure that reminded him of a cats purr. She started to move
faster, pushing herself down harder and spreading her legs to take him as far
as she could.

He gripped her hips and upped the pace, plunging
deeper and harder with each stroke.

***

She rolled off of Chance and onto her back, staring up
at the ceiling above them. It might be snowing outside but in the lounge it was
hot. She knew that was more to do with the
great panic over losing you
sex they’d just shared and not the fire crackling in the hearth in front of
them. Callie glanced at her half naked cowboy and reached for his hand.
“Thanks. I really needed that.” They lay together until the pangs of hunger
made it impossible for her not to move.

As she rose to her feet, she gathered her clothes.
Callie dressed in front of the flames before helping Chance pull up his jeans.
She stood over him, smiling as he made lewd remarks of where they should spend
the rest of their afternoon, making the most of the bad weather. “You’re
forgetting I have a job to do and a small bull calf who needs to be fed in a
couple of hours. As much as I’d like to do what you suggest, not
gonna
happen.” She looked at the cold soup and picked up
the bowl. “Might have to reheat this, back soon.”

In the kitchen, she put the bowl in the microwave and
walked over to Sherbet who was sleeping on an old horse blanket Chance had
given her. Callie leaned down and patted the dog’s head, forever thankful she
had been chosen by the beautiful girl and not decided to take one of the pups.
“You are the best dog out, you know that right?”

Sherbet licked Callie’s hand and snuggled back down to
sleep, content in the knowledge they were warm and safe inside.

After washing her hands, Callie made a plate of hot
buttered toast and put it on a tray with the soup and two spoons before heading
back into the lounge where her husband was still sitting on the rug in front of
the fire. She put the tray down in front of him and sat cross legged, taking a
piece of toast.

“I’m sorry you were so worried about me.” She took a
bite, the melted butter running down her chin. Chance leaned over and licked it
up before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

“I was frantic and not being stupid enough to try and
get on a horse myself, I had no choice but to call on Tyson. I’m sorry he was
such an ass to you. He’s just being protective, I know that, but it might be
wise if I came up with another reason why I stayed on the circuit and not
because I wanted the money for them to get a good start in life.”

“Could be a good idea. I’d hate for this to drag on
for too long. I can only take so much crap from people who have no idea what
they’re talking about.” Callie picked up a spoon and tried the soup. “
Yummo
, have some.” She dipped her toast in, soaking up the
fragrant juices before popping it in her mouth. “How come he’s not married
himself? If he had his own wife he might not have the time or inclination to
worry about you so much.”

A look of wonder crossed over Chance’s eyes. “Hell, I
never thought of that. He’s never mentioned a girlfriend and I’ve been too
focused on myself to even give it a thought. I might bring it up next time I
see him. Come to think of it, none of my brothers are hitched with the
exception of Rory who is widowed.” He picked up a piece of toast. “Did I tell
you he’s coming home?”

“Nope, you didn’t.”

“I spoke to him yesterday. Suggested he move back here
so he’s close to family and he let out that he’s put in for a transfer. We
could use a good sheriff like him in town.”

Callie smiled at the enthusiasm Chance showed at the
mention of his brother. She hoped she could see her sisters again before too
long too. It would be nice to have them over to stay and show them where she
worked and now lived.

“What’s that frown for?” Chance cupped her chin in his
hand.

“I was thinking about my sisters. They don’t know I
answered a mail order bride advert. I told them it was a job. Not sure they’re
old enough to understand what I did just yet.”

“You can always get them over for a holiday and break
it to them when they’re here. Once we win them over with my charm and the ranch
that is.” He grinned and Callie let the sadness slide away. She would deal with
it when the time was right. Now she had to finish her soup and get rugged up to
go and feed the calf again. Every four hours—it was going to be a long night.

Chance opened his eyes and rolled over, reaching for
his wife. The spot where her head rested last night on the pillow was cold and
empty. He sat up and called her name. “Callie, are you there?” When she didn’t
reply he lay back. She must be out feeding the calf again. He looked over at
the window, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the snow had stopped. The
clouds were still there, but Chance could see patches of blue peeking through.
He might as well get up and go and see how his dear wife was coping with the
calf.

As he pulled up his jeans, Chance noticed how much
better his hip was feeling. The stiffness had gone out of it and he could walk
to the bathroom without the cane. Must be one of the benefits of married life.
Sex kept your body supple and loose. He snorted a laugh. Wait until he told
Callie that. Not that he thought she would mind considering she was to blame a
lot of the time for initiating more than half of the times they had sex.

The sound of her singing to herself made him smile
when he walked into the barn, her off tune voice heavy with the Australian
twang he was getting to love. The door was open on the horse stalls and both of
them were outside in the paddock, snuffling around in the snow to find a blade
of green grass. Chance stood at the door and watched her pitch forking the
dirty shavings into a wheel barrow. When she noticed him, she grinned and his
heart soared. Who would have thought choosing a bride over the internet would
work out so well for him. Mail order brides had been something he associated
with strange people who liked to hide away and not be social. Older men who
tended to choose brides from impoverished countries who were willing to
overlook their new husband’s weird behavior.

Once his brothers found out the truth, he would take
flak from them. He would gladly take any amount of ribbing so long as they
didn’t get offended with his reasons for staying away.

“Hey, cowboy. You’re looking mighty fine and rested this
morning.” She leaned on the pitch fork and watched him move closer. Just her
gaze alone had his cock twitching in his jeans. He’d never met anyone that had
that kind of control over him. The sexy cowgirl from the strange land down
under was going to find herself on her back in a clean stall if she wasn’t
careful. The thought warmed his blood.

“Uh, Chance, hold on. You have that look in your eye
and you’re not using your cane. What’s going on?” She backed away, laughing as
he held his hands out to grab her.

With a squeal, Callie ran over to the stall with the
calf in it, opening the door and slipping in before closing it behind her.
“Wait, just wait. I have work to do here.”

“Really? Well so do I.” He looked over the door at the
calf nudging at her legs searching for a feed. “Hey, good job. He’s looking
wonderful.” Suddenly Chance was sidetracked. The little bull was the image of
his father, Terror. Seemed the old guy was good for something other than
inflicting pain after all. “Well, I’ll be. I never noticed it last night but
he’s a little beauty.”

“Yeah, he is. It’s a shame about his mama though, but
it would seem he’s going to pull through. I’ll give him another bottle since
it’s only about half an hour before he’s due anyway. Don’t think he’s going to
let me get away from him without it.” She ran her hand over his silken ears. “I
did a quick ride around the paddock. Another couple of calves born overnight
but they’re up and suckling fine. We’ll have to go out and bury the cow before
the wild animals come in and cause any grief. Don’t want them taking calves as
an easy feed.”

“No, we don’t need that. I can bring out the tractor
and dig a hole.”

“So long as you’re up to it. Don’t want you overdoing
things and getting a strip torn off you from the doctor.” She opened the door
and slid out, avoiding the calf.

Chance watched her make up the bottle. When she
returned to the stall, the calf had her pinned against the wall for the short
amount of time it took it to empty the formula. His libido was working overtime
and it was all Callie’s fault for looking so damned sexy and getting his
imagination running wild. When she stepped out, he took her arm and guided her
into the next empty stall.

“What do you think you’re doing? I have jobs to do and
a boss that will whip my butt if they don’t get done.” She tried to act
offended when he pinned her to the wall but he knew she was loving it as much
as he was. Chance undid the buckle on her belt, popped the button on her jeans and
pulled them down around her knees. “Turn around baby, this is going to be hard
and fast.”

The look in her eyes gave away just how hot and horny
she was. With a whimper, Callie turned and faced the wall, her butt poking out
and exposed in his direction. He undid his belt and dropped his pants, pushing
himself against her, his cock hard and ready. Callie pushed herself up on her
heels and leaned forward more, bending at the waist so her bottom was raised.
When she spread her legs and exposed herself to Chance, he positioned his cock
at her moist entrance and pushed himself all the way home.

Her sigh of pleasure broke the silence of the barn and
the groans coming from her lips were the only noise he could hear as he slammed
into her, crying out with his own release when he came. She peaked just after
him, stifling a squeal that somehow turned to a grunt that went on for a long
shuddering breath. Chance rested with his arms around her belly while they both
got their breath back.

“You sure know how to please a girl, cowboy.”

“I aim to please, ma’am.” Chance pulled out of her and
reached for his pants, pulling them up.

***

Callie turned around, still breathing heavily. “You
know, I have this fantasy you might be able to help me out with. There’s this
cowboy who drives me wild.” She picked a piece of hay from the rack and poked
it between her teeth, glancing at him as she stood there with her lower body
still exposed. “I want him to drag me up the hay loft and have his wicked way
with me, but I’m afraid we’ll be caught.”

“And that’s putting you off?” He did up his belt
buckle, his gaze on her body.

“No, not at all. It adds to the pleasure and
excitement of it all.”

“Well, tell you what, little lady. Let’s go and do
some of your jobs while I think about letting that cowboy loose to pleasure you
and then if you’re really good, I’ll organize it for another day when said
cowboy is feeling up to climbing that ladder. Does that meet with your
approval?”

“I guess if that’s the way it has to be.” She pouted
and pulled up her jeans, then leaned in for a kiss. “Let’s get going so we can
enjoy the view from up top.” Callie slid out of the stall and called to Sherbet
who was sleeping over near the door. “Lead me to the machinery shed and let’s
get this poor old cow buried.”

The ground was hard where the cow had died but with
the tractor, Chance managed to dig a fairly decent hole and push the cow in.
Once she was covered with dirt, Callie breathed a sigh of relief. She had no
urge to see a cougar any time soon.

Once the animals were all fed and her jobs done for
the day, they headed for the house where the fire was still glowing in the
hearth. Now was a good time to learn more about each other. Callie stood in the
kitchen making a big pot of vegetable soup while she grilled Chance about his
past exploits in the rodeo circuit.

“You know, I never knew it was such a lucrative sport.
We have them at home, but I’m not sure it pays the same kind of money.”

“It’s almost a national sport in America. I was
thinking of running small classes for kids that want to learn the ropes. Just
one of the things I’ve been tossing over in my mind to make this place pay for
itself.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I’m sure there would be
plenty of people interested. Although I reckon with the breeding you plan on
doing, there’ll be enough to keep both of us busy.” Callie tossed in a large
tub of chicken stock and stirred the pot, smelling the aromas filling the
kitchen.

“When this hip comes good and I get the pins out, how
about a trip to buy more cattle? If I’m going to do this properly we need a
heap more cows. What we’re running now we can more than triple. We have the
land for it so we may as well.”

“Sure and I agree, but won’t you then have to take on
more hands? I doubt between us we will be able to keep up with everything.”

“I was rather hoping to talk Luke into coming home and
working here. He’s always loved the cattle and I think it’s time he came home
too.”

“Where is he?”

“Not too sure. Last I heard he was traveling around
South America. I’ll have to get Tyson to find out and we can make contact with
him.”

“Did all of your brothers leave home as soon as they
were able to?” Callie stirred the pot, watching the soup come to a soft simmer.

“Yeah. Guess they got sick of the old man too. Can’t
blame them. Not like I hung around so they didn’t have a good example to
follow.”

Callie kept her opinion to herself. It would be good
for Chance to have his brothers at home, but she wondered if there was any way
she could encourage him to mend the rift between himself and his father.