of reality. She raged with him, beat for frenzied beat even when her eyes glazed over with an orgasm.
She shuddered with it, but didn’t stop.
Her hands clutched at his hair, dragged his mouth down to hers again. “More. More. More.”
He gave her more, and more, still more until she cried out again, until her hands slid away and her body went limp. Then he buried his face against her throat, drew her scent in, and let himself break.
She lay sweaty, soft, and oh-so-wonderfully sated. She felt his heart pounding against hers, yet another wonderful sensation.
When he rolled over, bringing her with him, she realized she could breathe again. And her breath came out in a long, satisfied sigh.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he told her.
“You’re good at keeping things to yourself. I wasn’t all the way sure until you were showing me how to milk—what’s the cow’s name I started on?”
“Bossie.”
“You’re making that up.”
“There has to be a Bossie in a milk cow herd. It’s the law.”
“If you say so.” Trailing a hand over his chest, she thought of the boy he’d been, the skinny build.
He’d filled out just fine.
“Until then.”
“I didn’t want to mess things up.”
“Me either. We’ll have to talk about that.”
“Right now?”
“Maybe not right now, because I need about a gallon of water.”
“I’ll get it.” He sat up, looked down at her. Another image for his collection, he thought. Caitlyn, naked in starlight. “I’ve got a lot of pictures of you in my head.”
Her eyes, her lips gave him a sleepy, satisfied smile. “Do you?”
“This might be my favorite one. I’ll be right back.”
She lay as she was when he went downstairs, and realized she had a number of pictures of him in her head, too. Starting with the one of the skinny kid coming down the back steps to raid the refrigerator.
Something to think about, she decided. Later. She didn’t want to think tonight.
She sat up when she heard him coming back up the steps, realized every inch of her felt soothed and smoothed.
He paused at the doorway, bottles of water in his hands. “You really are so beautiful.”
She followed her heart, opened her arms.
His internal clock woke him before sunrise with Cate sleeping warm beside him. She had an arm flung over him, and he could smell her hair, feel the long length of her leg pressed to his.
There were moments, rare ones for him, when ranching had real disadvantages.
This ranked as number one.
But he slid out of bed to dress quietly in the dark. Because he couldn’t quite remember furniture placement—he’d been a little preoccupied—he sat on the floor to put on his shoes.
She stirred.
“It has to be the middle of the night.”
“No, just really early in the morning. Go back to sleep.”
“Count on it. Travel cups in the, uh, cabinet to the left of the coffee maker.”
“Thanks.” He got to his feet, leaned over the bed. Brushed at her hair, kissed her. “I want to see you again. Like this.”
Shifting, she drew him down for another kiss. “Is tonight too soon?”
“Not for me.”
“Good. You can experience my reasonably amazing pasta from my limited culinary repertoire.”
“Really? You want to cook?”
“Tonight I do, because I want to see you again. Like this. And going out takes too much time.”
“You’re going to have to seriously think about marrying me. How about seven?”
“That works. Good night,” she added and rolled over.
He went downstairs, made coffee. He drank it, thinking of her, on the drive home.
Maybe he’d toss out that marriage thing, all casual, now and then. That way she might not be shocked when he actually asked her.
She really needed to marry him. Not only because he was crazy in love with her, but because they just worked. If she needed time to fall for him, well, he had time.
He drove up the ranch road, caught the gleam of the downstairs light through the window. He’d never given a lot of thought to fate, but he decided fate had guided Cate toward that light so many years before.
To the light, and to him.
He parked, went into his house. As he showered, changed, grabbed something to eat, he went over the work for the day. Feed and water, move any stabled horses out to pasture. And it was time to herd the beef cattle from Marvel Field to Hawkeye Field, let them graze on fresh grass and get busy fertilizing.
He’d ride Beamer for that job, take the dogs. A good day for all.
He’d tap Red