***
Before dinner at my parents, I took Adam out to the wagon; the wagon that had really become our wagon. We had gotten quite a few things done and moved around at his place, and I had called a moving company to get the rest of my things from my apartment up in Denver. They were to arrive in a couple of weeks so I could go through it all and see what would fit and what wouldn't.
I laid my head back in the wagon and looked up at the cover. It was like being in a tent only larger. Adam lay down gingerly next to me and took my hand before leaning over to give me a passionate kiss.
Everything had come full circle, it seemed. I admired the beautiful ring that fit perfectly on my hand. I couldn't believe I had come home to spend time with my dying grandmother and now I was engaged to the enemy. Plus, my grandmother was alright. In fact, she was back home with my parents, staying in my old room. That was another reason to move out; there was no space.
Feeling overwhelmed with all the happy emotions, I rolled to my side and began gently running my fingers up and down his arms and chest before leaning down for a kiss. I slipped my tongue in his mouth and moaned into it. Kissing him was as good as making love to him, or at least it was a close second. I could taste sweet tea on his mouth that he'd had while we were at his house. "Mmm, you taste really good," I told him, smiling down at him. Adam smiled back at me with ease.
"Do you want to repeat history, sweetheart?" he asked slyly as I faked a shocked look.
"Oh, I'd love to, but I see just two teeny tiny problems with that my love. You see, it's daytime and my father is in the house over there awake and aware. We'd never get away with that. The second one is that you are not supposed to be exerting yourself that much because of the surgery. It hasn't been six weeks yet."
"Well, I don't have to exert myself," he teased. "I could just lay here and let you take advantage of me. I think I can swallow my pride for today."
I shook my head and laughed. "I think you can keep your pride and we can wait. Besides, it'll be more special that way." I looked over him with his baggy flannel shirt and tight pants that could easily get me going and smiled. I couldn’t believe I was going to marry such an amazing man, and I hoped he knew just how excited I was about it. I knew we were young, but it didn’t feel that way.
I sat up straight and peeked my head out from the wagon to see that the sun was starting to set. It was a beautiful sight, and I hoped that my grandmother was watching through the window. I knew she must have missed views like that.
"Hey, Iris?" Adam said, sitting up next to me.
"Yes?" I said, looking into his eyes that I had come to love so much. I swore I could see my heart beating in them.
"Before I marry you, there's something I want to tell you." He seemed nervous, and I wasn't sure what to expect.
"What is it? Did you used to be a woman or are we really distantly related and this is incest? Oh wait, I know! You are running a drug ring!" I joked, clapping my hands together and laughing. I didn't think anything he had to say would worry me as much as he seemed to be acting that it would. "C'mon, out with it," I told him, tickling under his chin with my nails and kissing the side of his lips.
He opened his mouth to answer me, but before he could, I heard my mother calling for me. "Iris!" I saw her coming out of the house and walking towards the wagon. I hopped down, wondering what it could be. I doubted she walked all the way out there to tell me that dinner was ready.
"Iris, someone is here to see you!" she called, and I ran towards her, motioning for Adam to stay put for a moment while figured out what was going on.
I approached my mother with an inquisitive look. Who in the world would be visiting me in Melville? In fact, who even knew where I was? I didn't have that many people in Denver I was close with, and most of them had no idea where I was from or how to find me. I was strictly tight lipped about that because of my insecurity about my burns.
"Who is it, Mom?" I asked, looking around to see if the person was following her. But no one else was around. I could hear male voices coming from the house in the background though.
"There's someone here to see you. It's Tom, Iris." My mother wrung her hands nervously as I stood there in shock. I had only brought Tom home once to meet my parents, and it had been a long time. But shortly after that Tom and I had gotten engaged. But we hadn't been in quite some time. Why in the world was my ex fiancé visiting me in Melville?
I looked back to where Adam was sitting, feeling nervous. I had no idea how I was going to explain Tom to Adam or Adam to Tom for that matter.
I looked back towards my mother and followed her inside, taking a deep breath. It was time to face the music with a ring on my finger to explain what I couldn't.
To be continued...
Thank you for reading!
Please visit your favorite eBook retailer to view the next books in this series.
The Cowboy's Love
by
Julie Allen
Copyright © 2015 by Julie Allen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Cowboy's Love
All rights reserved.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording and faxing, or by any information storage and retrieval system by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use.
This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Julie Allen, except in the case of a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages for the sake of a review written for inclusions in a magazine, newspaper, or journal—and these cases require written approval from Julie Allen prior to publication. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.