What Price Paradise (20 page)

She moaned deep in her throat as her body began to match his rhythm. “I thought the books lied, that it could never be as wonderful as they made it sound. But it’s better.” Her breath caught as he pushed her into a sitting position, lifted her, and then buried his whole length inside her. “Oh,” she gasped. “Oh, Tate. It’s happening again. Don’t stop. Oh, please, never stop.”

She had nothing to worry about. Tate couldn’t have stopped if his life depended on it. He lost count of the times they made love as the afternoon wore on and each time only seemed to increase his hunger. Even now, as he watched her dress, he was still as hard, still as erect as he had been the first time.

Abby didn’t seem to find anything unusual in his condition, but then, she probably thought it was the normal state of affairs. He grinned at the thought. At the rate he was going, she might be right. The only reason he’d let her up now was because Buddy would be home soon.

But what had really stunned him was the fact that she’d not only kept up with him, she’d been eager to do it. Neither one of them had been able to get enough. Even now she was gazing back down at him longingly. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, Buddy can go to hell. We’ll just lock the barn doors and stay here forever.”

She smiled as she fastened her jeans then dropped down beside him again, legs crossed. Her gaze was locked on his erection and she reached out tentatively and ran one finger down it.

Tate’s eyes closed in bliss at her touch, his hips moving involuntarily as her hand closed around him. And because he had his eyes closed, he didn’t know what she was going to do until it was too late. With no warning at all, he felt her lips touch him in a soft kiss. He almost climaxed on the spot. “Abby!” His eyes flew open as he reached for her, but she was gone, her feet pounding on the wooden floor of the barn as she ran.

A groan of agony escaped him as he reached for his clothes. Oh, yeah. She was gonna kill him. But what a way to go.

* * * * *

Abby stood in the middle of the kitchen trying desperately to remember what she’d planned to fix for supper, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything but what had happened today. Had that really been her out there in the barn with Tate? Had those screams come from her lips? Had she actually kissed his…

Oh, God. She lifted her hands to her blazing cheeks, trying to cool them to no avail. She’d acted wanton, wild beyond anything she could have ever imagined herself doing before. And she wanted to do it again. Longed to feel him inside her even now. Was that what her mother had felt? Could that be the reason her mother had slept with all those men?

What if the people in this town were right about her? Maybe they had seen something in her that she’d denied until today. Abby’s lips trembled. Dear Lord, she’d fought that stigma all her life, but what if she really was like her mother? She wasn’t sure she could bear it if she were.

“Abby?”

She spun to face Tate. She hadn’t heard him come in, but there he was, looking at her with a concerned expression. He took a step closer and put his hands on her shoulders.

“What’s wrong? Please don’t tell me you’re regretting what happened.”

Regretting it? Never in a million years. It had been wonderful. Her body still tingled with echoes of the pleasure he’d given her. “No,” her voice was quiet. “I don’t regret it.”

“Then what is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Her chin quivered. “Maybe I have. Oh, Tate, what if I’m like my mother after all? What if I liked…what we did…too much? What if I don’t want to stop?”

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. “Abby, you could never be like your mother. She didn’t do what she did because she enjoyed it. She did it to survive. It’s not pretty, but sometimes it’s the only choice.” He leaned back a little and smiled down at her. “Are you feeling any urges to start dragging men in off the streets?”

She could feel her cheeks heating again. “No, of course not.” Abby lowered her gaze. “But what we did was so wonderful, you made me feel so wonderful, that…” She paused.

He tilted her chin up so she’d have to look at him. “That what? You’re afraid it has to be wrong to feel that way?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Oh, Abby,” he groaned, pulling her tighter still. “There’s nothing wrong with what you were feeling. It’s perfectly natural, what our bodies were designed for. Enjoying each other is just another way of showing how much—” His words came to an abrupt halt for a second before starting again. “Of caring for each other. Nothing we do to give each other pleasure is wrong or bad and feeling that pleasure doesn’t make you bad either. It makes you normal.” He brushed her hair back and suddenly his voice turned husky. “I’ll tell you something else, Abby. You gave me more pleasure today than I’d ever dreamed was possible. You are absolutely amazing.”

“But there’s so much I don’t know. I don’t know what you like, or even how to touch you.”

Tate laughed. “God help me if you ever do learn it all. I’d never be able to let you out of bed again.” His expression sobered a little. “Just do whatever you feel like doing, Abby, whatever you want to do. Don’t be afraid and don’t hold back. That’s what will make me happy.”

The front door slammed and Buddy’s voice rang through the house. “I’m home! What’s for supper?”

Abby groaned.

Tate put a quick kiss on her lips. “Don’t panic.” He grinned at her. “You throw some potatoes in to bake and I’ll go fire up the grill. We’ll have steaks tonight. I kind of feel like celebrating anyway.”

Tate leaned back against the rail that ran around the front porch of Joe’s house, his arms hooked backwards over the top. Buddy’s Apache yell drifted back to them as the old Ford pickup careened down the drive. “Think he’ll make it home in one piece?”

Joe was on the porch, leaning over with his forearms braced on the wood next to Tate. “He’ll slow down when he gets to the highway. He’s just excited. Don’t you remember how it felt to get your first vehicle?”

Tate shook his head. “I don’t remember ever getting that excited about anything.” He grinned. At least not until this last week. Now it was starting to feel like he stayed that way. The ranch was going to go to hell in a handbasket if he and Abby didn’t slow down a little.

Not that he was complaining. He’d never been so relaxed in his life, so totally replete. They had made love at least twice a day since Monday and, each time, Abby lost a little more of her shyness, became a little bolder. And each time, he wanted her more than he had the time before.

It was strange, in a way. Sex was something he’d never really paid much attention to before. Oh, yeah, he’d always enjoyed it when it was forthcoming, but when it wasn’t, he hadn’t spent a lot time worrying about it. There had always been more than enough to keep him busy, keep his mind off the subject. Now, no matter what he was doing or how hard he was working, he couldn’t seem to think of anything else. He’d even started making up excuses to go back to the house during the day and, when he did, they usually wound up in bed yet again.

For the first time in his life he dreaded school letting out for the summer. It was going to be hell having Buddy underfoot all the time. Tate unhooked one arm and tilted the brim of his Resistol up. He supposed he’d just have to start getting more creative with his timing.

“Damn, Hoss. You look like the cat that fell in the cream bucket. Can I assume you aren’t going to be spending our usual Friday night at Delly’s tonight?”

“Yep.” Tate’s grin widened. Why would he go to Delly’s when he’d only gone there in the first place to see— His smile faded suddenly as confusion swept over him. That couldn’t be right. Could it? He’d been engaged to Diane, in love with her. He’d had no business, no right, to even notice another woman. Sure, he’d told Abby that he’d watched her, but that had just been to build up her confidence. It was impossible. His memory was just playing tricks on him because of the last week. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind.

“Is Abby still in one piece?” Joe nudged him slightly, grinning.

His own smile returned. “Abby is great. You’ll have to come over for dinner soon. You won’t believe her cooking.”

“Just name the day. You know I never turn down a meal.”

“How about Sunday?”

“I’ll be there with bells on.”

“Well,” Tate straightened. “Guess I better head on back and make sure Buddy actually got there.”

Joe seemed to hesitate, then took a deep breath. “Before you leave, there’s something you need to know.”

Tate turned to look at him curiously. Joe’s hat was pulled down low over his blond hair, shading his eyes from Tate’s view.

“I don’t know if this is the right time to tell you or not, but you’re gonna find out sooner or later anyway and I figure it’ll be better coming from me. Damn, Hoss. I’d rather be tied naked to a wild bronc than have to do this.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Joe studied the ground at Tate’s feet. “Diane married Clayton Caldwell.”

It felt as though someone had taken a sledge hammer to his guts. All the air went out of him and he stood frozen in place, trying to pull his shattered thoughts back together. “When?”

“Tuesday.”

Dizziness threatened to overwhelm him. “Why is this the first time I’ve heard about it?”

“Because everyone knew how you were gonna take the news. Do you think your friends and neighbors want to do that to you?”

“Does Buddy know?”

“Yeah, he knows.”

“Shit.” Tate leaned against the rail again, using it to support his suddenly shaking body. “Why, Joe? Why would she do something like this? She doesn’t love that slimy little weasel.”

“Hell, Hoss. Who knows why she ever does any of the things she does? Revenge? Greed? Attention? Take your pick. It could be any of a thousand things. And not one of them has to make sense.”

He dropped his forehead to his arms. “What am I going to do, Joe? This all my fault. She never would have married him if it hadn’t been for me.”

Anger tinged Joe’s voice and every line of his body when he pushed away from the rail. “Unless you’re even stupider than I gave you credit for being, you aren’t going to do a damn thing. You’ve got a wife that most men would kill for. One better than ten like Diane could ever be. You’ve got a baby on the way. You aren’t responsible for what Diane does. You never have been. Why the hell can’t you open your eyes and take a good look around you, Tate?” Joe yanked his hat off and banged it against his leg in agitation. “And I’m going to tell you something else while I’m at it. You’re like a brother to me. I’ve never been jealous of you a day in my life before. But I am now. You’ve got something I’ve only dreamed about and you’re too goddamned blind to see it. You better wake up, Tate, and do it fast before you lose it all.” He spun on his heel and went into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Stunned into immobility, Tate could only stare at the house in shock, wondering what had just happened. Joe was jealous of him? For being forced to marry a woman he didn’t love? He turned and walked to his truck, climbing under the wheel in a daze of confusion. It made no sense. None at all, unless…

Could Joe be in love with Abby? As he started the truck and headed down the driveway, Tate’s mind replayed every single time he’d seen them together. Now that he thought about it, Joe had danced with her more than he had at the party. At least twice. And it had looked as though he was teasing her. Abby had been laughing, anyway.

Not only that, but every time Joe had been to the ranch during the last two weeks he’d stopped in to chat with Abby. Tate’s teeth suddenly ground together. Why was it just now occurring to him that Joe was a damn good-looking man? Any woman would be attracted to his charm and that “good ol’ boy” act of his. Hell, Joe was better educated than any other ten people put together. Yet he’d seen it work before, and with women a lot more world-wise than Abby.

But Joe had never seemed to want anything permanent before. He’d just been in it for the fun, a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” kind of guy.

What if he’d been wrong about Joe all these years? What if Joe had only been looking for something special? Something he’d now found in Abby. A tiny spark of anger lit in Tate’s middle.

How could Joe do this to him? Especially now. Joe had known the news about Diane would tear him in half. All he needed added on to that was worry about his wife and his best friend.

Tate cursed softly. What the hell was wrong with him? Joe would never encroach on his territory, even if he were in love with Abby. He knew that. Didn’t he?

* * * * *

Abby stood on the front porch, anxiously watching for Tate’s truck. What was taking him so long? Buddy had been back for twenty minutes. She exhaled a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar blue truck coming toward her.

By the time he pulled up next to the house she was at the truck door almost hopping up and down. In her hurry to have him exit, she barely noted his grim expression.

“I’m so glad you’re back! I thought I was going to have to call Joe. It’s Sugar Baby. There’s something wrong with her. I went to the barn right after you left, looking for Dog, and she’s acting funny. Buddy’s with her now.”

He gave a curt nod and headed for the barn. Abby followed him, half-running to keep up. “Do you think she may be in labor?”