Hawk's Way: Rebels: The Temporary Groom
She glanced at the clock, then dropped her forehead to her knees and groaned. “I must have turned off the alarm.”
“I figured as much when you didn’t show up in the kitchen. I’ve already had my breakfast. I left some coffee perking for you. The kids’ll be up in a little while. You probably have time for a quick shower.”
Thinking about her naked in the shower had about the same effect as contemplating kissing her. Billy needed to leave, but he was too aware of what Cherry would see if he stood right now. So he went right on sitting where he was.
Unfortunately, she now had the sheet flattened against herself, and he could see the darker outline of her nipples beneath the soft cotton. He found that every bit as erotic as seeing her naked.
“Hell,” Billy muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the edge of the bed.
“What’s the matter?”
Billy’s lip curled wryly. “I’m not used to looking at a woman in bed without being able to touch.”
“Oh.” She clutched the sheet tighter, exposing the fact that her nipples had become hard nubs.
Billy bolted to his feet and saw her gaze lock on the bulge beneath his zipper. He froze where he was, his body aching, his mouth dry.
He watched her until she lifted her eyes to his face. Her pupils were enormous, her lips full, as though he had been kissing her. She was aroused, and he hadn’t even touched her.
“Tell me to go, Cherry.” He wanted to consume her in a hurry, like ice cream on a hot day. He wanted to take his time and sip at her slow and easy, like a cool mint julep on a lazy summer afternoon.
She licked her lips, and he felt his body harden like stone.
“The girls will be up soon,” Cherry reminded him. “I need to get dressed.”
Heaven help him, he had forgotten all about his daughters. He shoved a distracted hand through his hair and huffed out a breath of air. “I’ll be working on the range today. If you need anything…”
Cherry smiled. “Don’t worry about us, Billy. We’ll manage fine.”
“All right. So long.”
He was almost out the door when she called him back.
“Billy?”
He turned and found her standing beside the bed with the sheet draped around her in a way that revealed as much as it covered. “What?” he asked, his voice hoarse from the sudden rush of desire he felt.
“You didn’t kiss me goodbye.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Cherry.”
Before he realized what she had in mind, she closed the few steps between them and lifted her face to him. “I thought a lot about our situation last night, when I couldn’t sleep,” she said earnestly. “And I realized that if we’re going to convince Mrs. Trask that this is a real marriage, we’re going to have to act as much like a happily married couple as possible.
“Zach always gives Rebecca a kiss goodbye in the morning.” She gave him a winsome smile. “So, pucker up, Mr. Stonecreek, and give me a kiss.”
She didn’t give him much of a choice. She raised herself on tiptoe and leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.
Billy gathered her in his arms and pulled her close as his mouth opened over hers, taking what he had denied himself only moments before. His hands slid down her naked back, shoving the sheet out of his way. Then he held her buttocks tight against his arousal with one hand while the other caught her nape and slid up to grasp a handful of her hair.
He took his time kissing her, his tongue thrusting hard and deep, and then slowing for several soft, probing forays, seeking the honey within. She made a moaning sound deep in her throat, and he gave an answering growl of passion.
When he let her go at last, she gave him a dazed look through half-closed lids, then grabbed at the sheet that had slid down to her waist and pulled it back up to cover herself. He grinned and said, “That was a good idea. I think we’ll keep it up.”
It took all the willpower he had to turn and walk out the bedroom door.
Cherry watched Billy go this time without calling him back. She was still quivering from his kiss. She forced her wobbly legs to take one step, and then another, as she headed for the bentwood rocker where she had thrown her robe. She slipped it on and let the sheet drop to the floor.
She was tying her terry-cloth robe closed when she heard a knock on the door. She hurried to open it and found Billy standing there with his hat on, his hip cocked, and his thumbs in his front pockets.
“Did you forget something?” she asked.
Not a thing, Billy realized. He remembered exactly how she had looked in bed. And you look as delicious in that robe as you did in bed. He couldn’t very well tell her he had come back just to look at her again. So he said, “I forgot to say good morning.” He smiled and tipped his hat. “Mornin’, ma’am.”
Cherry laughed.
And then, because he was looking for an excuse to spend more time with her, he said, “I wondered if you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee before I leave.”
“I should get dressed,” Cherry said, tightening the belt on her robe. “The girls will be up soon.”
“You’re right about that.” Billy searched for something else to say, because otherwise he would have no excuse to linger.
“By the way, I never got around to telling you, but you’ll need to go grocery shopping today. The ranch has an account at the store in town. I think Harvey Mills already knows we’re married—I doubt there’s anyone in the county who doesn’t know by now—but just in case, I’ll give him a call and tell him to put your name on the account. Feel free to get anything you think we’ll need.”
It was more than Cherry had heard Billy say at one time since she had met him at the pond. But the words had nothing to do with what he was saying with his eyes. His eyes were eating her alive. Her heart was pumping hard. Her breasts felt full. Her mouth felt dry.
She cleared her throat and said, “Shopping. Got it. Anything else?”
“Not unless you’d like that cup of coffee.”
Cherry slowly shook her head. She had to send him away or she was going to invite him into her room. “I need to shower and dress before the girls wake up. Have a nice day, Billy.”
“Yeah. I’ll do that.”
When he didn’t leave, she raised a brow and said, “Is there something else, Billy?”
“If you want, I can go with you later today to see your family…to explain things.”
Cherry felt a sense of relief. “Thanks, Billy. I’d like that.”
“Well. I guess I’d better get started.”
It took him another moment or two before he moved away from the door. She watched his sexy, loose-limbed amble until he was gone from sight, then scurried up the stairs to the shower.
However, when she reached the bathroom, it was locked. She would have to wait her turn. She leaned against the wall, a towel over her arm, one bare foot perched atop the other and waited. And waited. The door never opened.
She leaned her ear against the door, but there was no sound coming from inside. She knocked and said, “Is someone in there?”
No answer.
“Raejean? Annie?”
Nothing.
She walked down the hall to the girls’ bedroom. Their unmade twin beds were empty. She checked the other doors along the hall and found an office and Billy’s bedroom, but no sign of the children.
“Raejean!” she called loudly. “Annie! If you’re hiding somewhere up here, I want you to come out right now!”
Nothing.
She crossed back to the bathroom door and listened intently. She thought she heard whispers. She banged on the door. “I know you two are in there. I want you to come out right now.”
Nothing.
She grabbed the doorknob and yanked on it, then slammed her shoulder against the door as though to break it open. “Open up!”
Nothing.
Cherry leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily. She hadn’t counted on this sort of misbehavior when she had nobly volunteered to rescue Billy’s daughters from their grandmother’s clutches. Right now, Mrs. Trask was more than welcome to the two of them!
Cherry smiled. Actually, she had pulled the same trick on one of her foster parents. She had spent almost two days in the bathroom before hunger finally forced her out. Which gave her an idea.
“All right, fine, stay in there. But you’re going to get awfully hungry before the day is out. I’m going downstairs to make myself some blueberry pancakes with whipped cream on top and scrambled eggs and sausage and wash it all down with some hot chocolate with marshmallows.”
Loud, agitated whispers.
The bathroom door opened and one of the twins stuck her head out. “Whipped cream on pancakes?”
Cherry nodded.
An identical face appeared and asked, “Big marshmallows? Or little ones?”
“Which do you prefer?”
“Little ones. Mrs. Motherwell only bought the big ones.”
“Then we’ll cut them into little pieces,” Cherry suggested.
“All right.” Annie shot out of the bathroom before Raejean could stop her and took Cherry by the hand. “Let’s go.”
Cherry waited to see what Raejean would do. The twin obviously wasn’t happy to see rebellion in the ranks. She seemed unsure whether to stay where she was or abandon the fort. Her stomach growled and settled the matter. Raejean left the bathroom and headed down the hall toward the stairs, ignoring the hand Cherry held out to her.
Cherry realized as she followed Raejean down the stairs, Annie chattering excitedly beside her, that she might have won this battle, but the war had just begun.
CHAPTER SIX
BREAKFAST WAS A HUGE success. Cherry sat at the kitchen table giving herself a pat on the back for having pleased both girls so well. Two plates had been licked clean. Annie must have eaten almost as many additional marshmallows as the two of them had cut up together for her hot chocolate. Raejean had devoured the entire batch of whipped cream. The kitchen was a mess, but Cherry would have time to clean it once the twins were at school.
“Uh-oh,” Annie said.
“Daddy’s going to be really mad,” Raejean said.
Cherry followed the direction of the girls’ gazes out the kitchen window and saw the school bus at the end of the lane. It paused momentarily, honked, and when no one appeared, continued on its way.
“Oh, no!” Cherry raced to the back door, yanked it open and shouted to the bus driver. “Wait!”
He didn’t hear her, which was just as well, because when she turned back to the kitchen she realized the girls weren’t dressed and their hair wasn’t combed.
Billy hadn’t asked much of her—only that she feed his children breakfast and get them to school and be there when they got home in the afternoon. She couldn’t even manage that.
She looked at the clock. Seven-thirty in the morning and she was already a failure as a stepmother. Before despair could take hold, it dawned on her that elementary school surely couldn’t start this early. Maybe she could still get the girls there on time.
“When do classes start?” she asked Raejean.
“Eight o’clock sharp,” Raejean answered. “Mrs. Winslow gets really mad if we’re late.”
“You still have time to get there if we move like lightning,” Cherry said.
She hurried the girls upstairs, but the more urgency she felt, the slower they both seemed to move. She ended up accidentally yanking Annie’s hair as she shoved the hairbrush through a knot.
“Ouch!” Annie cried. “That hurt.”
Cherry was instantly contrite. She had too much experience of her own with substitute parents who were in too much of a hurry to be gentle with her. She went down on one knee in the bathroom beside Annie and said, “I’m sorry, Annie. I should have been more careful. I guess I’m worried that I won’t get you to school on time.”
“Yeah. And Daddy will be really mad,” Raejean reminded her through a mouthful of toothpaste.
“Spit and rinse,” Cherry ordered Raejean as she finished putting Annie’s hair into pigtails. “I’ll get to you next.”
For a moment Raejean seemed to consider putting up a fight, but she stood still while Cherry pulled the brush through her tangled hair.
“My mom always put ribbons in our hair,” Raejean said.
Cherry heard the wistful longing in the complaint, but there wasn’t time to fulfill any wishes this morning. “Tonight we’ll see what we can find and have them ready for tomorrow morning,” she promised.
It wasn’t until she had dressed herself and was ushering the girls out the back door that she realized she had no idea what they were going to use for transportation. There had to be some vehicle available, because Billy had suggested she go shopping during the day. But the only thing on four wheels she saw was a rusted-out pickup near the barn.
A set of hooks inside the back door held a key attached to a rabbit’s foot. She grabbed the key, shoved the girls out the door, and prayed the truck had an automatic transmission.
It didn’t.
“Don’t you know how to drive?” Annie asked, concern etched in her young brow.
“I can drive. I have the license to prove it.”
“Then why aren’t we moving?” Annie asked.
Cherry stared helplessly at the stick shift on the floor of the pickup. “I’m not sure how to get this thing into gear.” She tried moving the stick, and it made an ominous grinding sound.
“If you break Daddy’s truck, he’s going to be really mad,” Raejean said.
Cherry was getting the picture. If she didn’t figure out something soon, she was going to be dealing with a seriously annoyed teacher when she got the girls to school and a fierce, wild-eyed beast of a man when Billy got home.
She crossed her arms on the steering wheel and leaned her head down to think. She could call her sister Jewel to come rescue her, but that was so mortifying a prospect she immediately rejected it. She felt a small hand tapping her shoulder.
“I can show you how to do it,” Annie volunteered.
Cherry lifted her head and stared suspiciously at the six-year-old. “You know how to drive a stick shift?”
“Sure,” Annie said. “Daddy lets us do it all the time.”
Since there wasn’t anyone else to show her how, Cherry said, “All right. Go ahead and show me what to do.”
“Put your foot on that pedal down there first,” Annie said. “Turn the key, and then move this thing here.”
Cherry pushed down the clutch, turned on the ignition, and reached for the black gearshift knob. To her amazement the gearshift moved easily without making a sound. However, she ended up in third gear, didn’t give the truck enough gas, and let the clutch go too fast. The pickup stalled.
“You have to follow the numbers,” Raejean chided, pointing to the black gearshift knob. “See? One, two, three, four, and R.”
“R isn’t a number,” Cherry pointed out.
“R is for Reverse,” Annie piped up.
Maybe Billy did let them drive, Cherry thought. At least they knew more about a stick shift than she did. “All right. Here goes.”
It was touch and go at first, but she managed to get the truck into second gear, and they chugged down the lane headed for the highway. She stalled a couple of times and ground the gears more than once before she got the hang of it. But she felt proud of herself when she finally pulled into the school parking lot and killed the engine.
“We made it,” she said, glancing at her wristwatch. “With five minutes to spare.”
“You forgot our lunches,” Raejean said.
“What lunches?”
“Mrs. Motherwell always made us a sack lunch. We’re going to starve,” Annie said.
“Daddy’s going to be really mad,” Raejean said.
“Maybe you could buy your lunches today,” Cherry suggested.
“I guess we could,” Raejean conceded.
Annie and Raejean held out their hands for money.
Cherry realized she hadn’t brought her purse with her. She checked both her jeans pockets and came up empty. “Look, I’ll go home and make lunches for you and bring them back to school. How would that be?”
“Okay, I guess,” Raejean said.
“I don’t feel so good,” Annie said, her hand on her stomach.
“Probably all the excitement this morning,” Cherry said sympathetically. “You’ll feel better once you’re settled in class. Have a nice day, Raejean. Enjoy yourself, Annie.”
She watched the two girls make their way inside, Raejean skipping and Annie holding on to her stomach.
To be honest, her own stomach was churning. It had been a hectic morning. And it wasn’t over yet. She had to get home, make lunches and get back, then get the kitchen and the house cleaned up before the girls got home in the afternoon.
It was a lot of responsibility for someone whose biggest problem before today was whether she could figure out her calculus homework or get the formulas right in chemistry class. The entire responsibility for the house and two lively children now rested on her shoulders. It was an awesome burden.
She should have thought of that sooner. Now that she had made the commitment, she was determined to see it through. There were bound to be a few glitches at first. The important thing was to keep on trying until she succeeded.
Of course, she wasn’t going anywhere until she figured out how to get the pickup into Reverse. No matter how many times she put the gearshift where she thought R ought to be, she couldn’t get the truck to back up. When the final tardy bell rang, she was still sitting there.
She was going to have to call Jewel after all.
“Hey, Cherry, what’s the matter?”
Cherry looked up into the sapphire blue eyes of her eleven-year-old brother, Colt. A black curl had slipped from his ponytail and curled around his ear. He was wearing tight jeans instead of the frumpy ones currently in style, and a white T-shirt and cowboy boots reminiscent of James Dean. Colt truly was the rebel in the family. But he somehow convinced everybody that doing things his way was their idea.
Cherry glanced at the empty schoolyard and said, “You’re late, Colt.”
He grinned. “Yeah. Looks that way.”
“You don’t seem too concerned about it. Zach will be—” Cherry stopped herself when she realized she was about to echo Raejean and say “really mad.”
“Dad knows I’m late,” Colt said. “Things were a little crazy this morning because of you disappearing and all. You really did it this time, Cherry. Mom went ballistic when she heard what you did, and Dad hasn’t come down off the ceiling since he got back from the Stonecreek Ranch. Are you really married to Billy Stonecreek?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Neat. He really knows how to use his fists to defend himself.” Colt shrugged his book bag off and did some shadow boxing. He was tall for his age, his body lean, his movements graceful. “Billy’s been in three fights this year,” he said. “Do you think he’d show me a few punches?”
“Absolutely not! And where did you find out all this information about Billy?” Cherry asked.
“I heard Mom and Dad talking. They’re worried that Billy’s a bad influence on you. They said he’s gonna undo all the hard work they’ve done, and you’re gonna end up back in trouble again.”
Cherry felt her face heating. Not that she didn’t appreciate what Zach and Rebecca had done for her. But she had come a long way since the days when she had habitually cut school and been ready to fight the world.
“You’d better get inside,” she told Colt.
“It’s all right. Mom called and told them I’d be late,” Colt replied. “What are you doing here?”
“I drove Raejean and Annie Stonecreek to school.”
“Why didn’t they take the bus?”
“They missed the bus.”
Colt grinned. “Overslept, huh? You never were very good at getting up in the morning.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t over-sleep. I merely lost track of the time.”
“Same difference,” Colt said. “So why aren’t you headed back home?”
“I can’t figure out how to get this damn truck into Reverse.”
Colt laughed. “It’s easy. Press the stick down and over.”
“Press down? You have to press down on the stick before you move it?”
“Sure.”
Cherry tried it, gave the truck a little gas, and felt it move backward. “Good grief,” she muttered. “Thanks, Colt. I owe you one.”
“Will you ask Billy if he’ll show me a few punches?”
“I’ll think about it,” she replied as she backed out of the parking lot. “Tell Rebecca I’ll come see her tonight,” she called out the window as she drove away.
It was the coward’s way out to have Colt relay her message. She should have called Rebecca and told her she was coming. But she didn’t want to be forced into explaining things to her mother over the phone, and she knew Rebecca must be anxious for some sort of explanation for what she had done. The truth was, she needed the rest of the day to think of one.
By the time she made it back to the ranch she was a pro at shifting gears. She parked the truck behind the house, stepped inside the kitchen, and realized it looked like a tornado had been through. What if Billy came back home for some reason and saw it looking like this?
But she didn’t want to stop and clean it right now and take a chance on being late with the girls’ lunches. The mess was even worse by the time she finished making sandwiches. She vowed to clean up the kitchen as soon as she returned. She was out the door half an hour later, sack lunches in hand.
When she arrived at the principal’s office, Cherry was surprised to be told that Annie still wasn’t feeling well. Her teacher had asked the office to call the house and have someone come and pick her up.
“I was concerned when I couldn’t reach anyone at the ranch,” the principal said, “so I called Mrs. Trask.”
“Oh, no,” Cherry groaned. “Call her back, please, and tell her it isn’t necessary to come. I’ll take Annie home.”
“I’ll try,” the principal said. “But she’s probably already on her way.”
Cherry’s only thought was to get Annie and leave as quickly as possible.
“I’m Cherry Whitelaw, Mrs. Winslow,” she said when she arrived at Annie’s classroom. Cherry flushed. “Except it’s Stonecreek now. My name, I mean. I’m here for Annie.”
“She’s lying on a cot at the back of the room, Mrs. Stonecreek. Raejean insisted on sitting with her.”
It felt strange to be called by her married name. Only she really was Mrs. Stonecreek, and responsible for the twins’ welfare. She sat on a chair beside the cot and brushed the bangs away from Annie’s forehead. “How are you, sweetheart?”
Annie moaned. “My stomach hurts.”
“She ate too many marshmallows,” Raejean said from her perch beside her sister.
“Marshmallows?” Mrs. Winslow asked.
“Annie had a few marshmallows with her hot chocolate this morning,” Cherry said.
“How many is a few?” Mrs. Winslow asked.
Cherry hadn’t counted. “Too many, I guess. Can you walk, Annie? Or do I need to carry you?”
Annie sat up, holding her stomach. “I don’t feel so good.”
Cherry picked her up in her arms.
“Where are you taking her?” Raejean demanded.
“Home,” Cherry said.
“I’m going, too,” Raejean said.
“There’s no reason for you to miss a day of school,” Cherry said reasonably. “I’ll take good care of Annie.”
“How do I know that?” Raejean demanded. “You’re practically a stranger!”
“Raejean,” Mrs. Winslow said. “Mrs. Stonecreek is right. There’s no reason for you to leave.”
“I’m going with Annie,” Raejean said to Mrs. Winslow, her face flushed. “I’m not staying here alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” Mrs. Winslow soothed. “You’ll—”
“I’m going with Annie!” Raejean cried.
“Raejean—” Cherry began.
“I’m going with Annie!” she screeched hysterically.
Cherry knew the dangers of giving in to a tantrum. But in her mind’s eye she saw Mrs. Trask arriving to find a scene like this and knew she was over a barrel. “All right, Raejean, you can come. I’m sorry for the trouble, Mrs. Winslow.”
She turned and headed for the door with Annie in her arms and Raejean a half step behind her. She was almost out the door when Mrs. Trask showed up.