"You?" She moistened her lips. "Why should I be scared of you?"
"You tell me." He turned his attention to landing, effectively blocking her out for a few moments. When he brought the plane to a stop, a ranch hand hustled over.
"Yeah?" Cole asked as he pushed the door open.
"Some woman's been calling from the hospital every half hour. Looking for Mrs. Fleming," he announced with a speculative look at Joey.
Cole caught himself before he corrected the younger man. Like it or not, Joey was Joey Lassiter now. Once he got things straight with her, he'd be broadcasting the news. "Take care of the plane for me. We're going into town."
"Sure, boss."
Cole helped her out. "Do you want to call first or go straight to the hospital?"
"Let's go."
He got her into the pickup and patted her knee, wishing he could take her into his arms and comfort her properly. "Don't worry, honey. It'll be okay."
He made the trip into Dillon in record time. She didn't seem to notice the rough road, nor the way the truck bounced and shuddered as he couldn't avoid all the pot-holes at the speed he drove. Staring straight ahead, she gazed blindly at the road ahead, as if willing him to go faster.
He pulled up by the RV. "We'll go see your Dad, then we'll settle things."
She nodded, already half out of the truck.
She took off at a run across the parking lot. He took a minute to lock up, then set out after her. His long, loping stride quickly caught up with her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her to a stop.
"Let me go! I have to see Poppa."
"In a minute. Get a grip on yourself first. You want him to see you like this? Calm down, Joey."
She stiffened, then her shoulders slumped. She closed her eyes and took one deep breath after another. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him. "Okay. I'm better now."
He examined her carefully. Her eyes were still wide, but the pupils seemed normal. Flushed and tousled, she looked like she'd just ridden a wild mount, or come from a lover's bed. Groin tightening, he released her shoulder long enough to turn her around, then laid a protective arm around her as he led her to the hospital.
Marie met them at the doorway to Frank's room. Rather than let Joey enter the room, she grabbed her elbow and dragged her down the hall out of Frank's hearing and away from Cole. "Where on earth have you been?" she hissed.
"How's Poppa?"
"Your father is fine," Marie answered angrily. "Wondering where you are, wondering why you haven't been in to see him. Where were you all this time?"
"Didn't you get my message?" Joey asked blankly, barely able to stand once relief made her knees go weak.
"The one that said you were with him," she said with a jerk of her head at Cole, "and would be back later?"
Cole cleared his throat. Afraid of what he'd say, Joey sent him a pleading look.
"We couldn't fly back last night," he said.
"Fly?" Marie asked, her voice rising. "Fly from where?"
"Calm down. This isn't doing any good. Joey's here now."
Marie looked Joey over thoroughly. "I don't know what your father will think. I can't believe you'd be so thoughtless-—go off without a word to anyone. Making us worry like this."
"That's enough, Marie." Cole's words were firm, brooking no argument.
"If you don't mind," Marie snapped, "This is family business."
Joey saw Cole's jaw clench as he bit back the words she knew he wanted to speak. She motioned for him to back off. Throwing him a grateful glance when he did, she urged Marie a few paces away.
"Mom, enough. You're getting all upset over nothing-—"
"Nothing?" Marie echoed. "You go off and spend the night with that man and you call it nothing?"
"I'll explain later, but now I'm going to see Poppa."
On her way back to her father's room, Cole fell into step with her. "Are you all right?"
"I'm sorry you had to get involved in that."
His lip quirked. "Happens in the best of families. And I'm family now, remember?"
She stopped and looked up into his face. "Can we drop that for a while? Please?"
He narrowed his eyes. "It's that important?"
"I can't handle everything all at once."
Her broken whisper got him in the gut. His anger drained away, leaving him empty for a moment. He scanned her face and saw the remnants of hangover in her reddened eyes. Pain lingered there. Cole suspected it wasn't only too much to drink, but the emotional stress of the morning that made her look so washed out. She didn't look her usual vivacious self this morning. In fact, she looked one helluva mess and he liked her all the better for it. Protective feelings zoomed in to fill the void in his heart. He raised her chin, feeling the vulnerable soft skin of her throat. "All right."
"You won't say anything?"
"Not today," he conceded.
She smiled tremulously and went into her father's room, closing the door behind her. Cole supposed he'd get to meet his father-in-law at some time, but the thought of keeping his mouth shut grated. He leaned against the wall, preferring to wait here rather than face Marie again, but a minute or so later, she came down the hall.
Inwardly groaning, Cole straightened. He couldn't guarantee to keep his promise to Joey if Marie lit into him the way she had done to her daughter.
"Mr. Lassiter-—"
"Cole."
"Well, Cole, then, I'm sorry you had to hear all that."
Blinking in surprise, he took a moment to answer. "Sorry I heard it, or sorry you said it?"
She hesitated. "Both, I guess."
"Joey's a grown woman, Marie. She doesn't need you treating her like she's a kid."
Marie stiffened. She glared at him. "I don't see that it's any of your business."
"That's up to Joey, isn't it?"
"What's going on between you two?"
"Joey will tell you when she's ready."
"You're not denying you're interested in her, are you?"
"No."
"Don't hurt her, Cole. I don't think she's over Tom's death yet—-did she tell you about him?"
"Some," he admitted, thinking he'd better hear more. "I have no intention of hurting her."
"Sometimes intentions don't mean much."
He winced, thinking of Joey's expression. He'd already caused her enough trouble. Maybe he should just let her get the divorce she wanted and chalk it up to experience. He considered that and immediately rejected it. There was something between them. It wasn't love, not by a long shot, not after Sally, but whatever it was he felt for Joey, he wasn't willing to let her go.
He shifted. "Listen, I'm going to go see Sam. Tell Joey I'll be back in a few minutes. Tell her to wait for me."
He found Sam ready to be checked out. "Whoa, boy, isn't this a little early?'
The harried expression on the nurse's face as she swung about to stare at him made him add, "But best place for you is home, huh?"
Sam grunted. "If I have to be trussed up like this, then for damned sure I'm going to be out of this torture chamber."
Cole watched his son awkwardly maneuver himself into a wheel chair. His broken leg extended in a long cast from hip to toe. Another cast covered his shoulder and arm. Cole grimaced in sympathy. Sam had inherited his looks from him, but his impatient nature from his mother. Sally had hated anything less than perfect health. It was why she'd put off seeing a doctor until it was too late. Seeing Sam struggle, he asked Betty, "Is everything set up for him at home?"
Betty, a tall, slim woman with attractive light brown hair and blue eyes, shoved Sam's ruined boots into a paper sack. "The hospital bed came yesterday afternoon. I would have thought you'd be there to see it set up."
Betty might have an inferiority complex, Cole knew, but she knew how to wield a wicked jab of the tongue. "I had business," he said, feeling at a loss. Damn it, why couldn't a man come right out and say he was off getting married?
"Well, everything's ready now," Betty said, ignoring Sam's cursing as she helped him try to find a comfortable spot.
"Good. Can you get him home on your own?"
"Stop talking about me as if I wasn't here!"
"I suppose," Betty said, eyeing Sam with a skeptical look.
"See you at home, then. Sam, mind your manners."
Sam's lusty swearing followed him out the door.
At the entrance to the coronary care unit, he almost ran in to Marie. "Sorry. Where's Joey?"
"She went to the RV. She'll be back later."
"Damn. I told her to stay put."
Marie gave him a funny look. He ignored it and headed for the door.
His long strides carried him across the parking lot. He made no effort to control his growing frustration as he knocked on the RV's door, once, twice, then louder. "C'mon, Joey, open up," he shouted over the dogs yapping and yipping. How anyone could stand that noise was beyond him.
He tried the door and found it unlocked. He shoved it open and strode inside, yelling again, "Joey?" The dogs barked and snapped at him. Ignoring them, he made to step over them when one nipped at his ankle. He barely felt it though his boot, but it slowed him. "All right, you vicious mutt, where is she?"
Surprisingly, the dogs contented themselves with a last yip and settled down. He heard the sound of running water and followed it down a short hall to the RV's bathroom. He braced his hands on the wall and leaned his head against the door. Thought of Joey, naked and wet on the other side, jammed his windpipe.
He opened the door.
"Cole!" Joey yelped.
The thought was nothing compared to the reality of Joey standing naked in front of the sink. Cole could only stare at a droplet of water sliding down her neck, over her collar bone and down the slope of her breast. Without thinking, he lowered his head and licked it off her nipple. She shivered and stiffened.
Then he was kissing her as though starving, deep, ravenous, eating kisses that fed his growing hunger. His tongue searched out the sweetness of her mouth; his hands pressed her closer yet. He slid his hands down the ridge of her spine to the lushness of her buttocks, caressing as the followed the curve of her cheeks and the softness of her upper thighs. The moisture from her body dampened his clothes, but not his ardor. Pulling her closer, his erection straining against his zipper, he groaned, "Joey."
Her mouth opened wider under his. She was kissing him back, kissing him with a hunger to match his. He lifted her, pulling her breast into his mouth, sucking hard, then soft, nibbling, laving, caressing her with every bit of him, rubbing his pelvis against her, showing her without words how much he wanted her, needed her. Right now.
She grabbed handfuls of his hair, urging him closer, rubbing against him until she reached down and fumbled frantically with the big silver buckle at his waist. She got that open, then reached for his zipper. It rasped as it opened, a sound lost in their gasps as she reached in.
Oh, God, he moaned as her hand closed around him. So good, so hot. He was going to die if he didn't get inside her right this instant. Never mind that they were cramped in this tiny bathroom. Never mind he couldn't get enough air to breathe. He had to have her. He lifted her, then impaled her, sliding in with a shudder that rocked him to his toes.
She tightened around him, urging him on, kissing him wherever she could, the side of his neck, his shoulder, his chin, until he gave her his mouth and took hers. Thrusting, he filled her, lost in the haze, the heat, he took her standing up, filling his senses with the sight and sounds of her, the noises she made, the feel of her against him, around him. And then, he couldn't hold back, he strained and tried and lost it in an explosive burst. "Joey!"
He heard her whimpers, heard her soft, sexy sounds and felt the contractions of her body as she climaxed an instant later. He held her close to him for long moments, then slowly, gently, he pulled out of her. He lowered her to her feet again, feeling now the strain in his muscles. He rested his head against hers and felt his body subside.
"Cole?"
He heard her tremulous whisper, heard the confusion in her voice and couldn't bear it. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to jump you like that.."
She shivered in his arms. "I'm cold. Could we go in there?" she jerked her head at the bedroom.
Unbelieving, he lifted his head to stare at her. "You're not mad?"
She shook her head. "I wanted you, too." Disengaging herself, she took his hand and pulled him into her parent's room. She locked the door behind her.
Cole felt his heart thump against his chest. "Are you sure?"
Her slow nod made the blood rush to his groin. What a woman. Later, after loving her slowly, bringing her to pleasure over and over again, he repeated his words out loud.
She buried her face in his chest. Damn. It felt good. A man could get to like that. Nuzzling her temple, he brought his arm around her to bring her closer.
"I can't believe we did this," she murmured.
"Why? Wasn't it good?"
"You know it was." She sighed. "It makes things more complicated. How can I think when we're...when...
"When it's right, like this, what's to think?"
"A lot," Joey said ruefully, "But just now, I can't seem to get my mind in gear."
"Don't," he said as he placed warm, tender kisses along her shoulder. "Not now. Just be here with me. Think later."
Joey stretched and pressed closer to Cole. When he held her like this, she never wanted to move again. It wasn't the way she'd have planned making love with Cole, but she was glad it had happened that way, fast and hot, with no time to think. It had saved her from having the willies about their first time together. Or at least the first time she could remember, she thought with a wry grin.
There was no denying how much she'd wanted him, or how good it was, or how good Cole made her feel. She'd gladly put off making a decision so long as she could feel as cherished as she did now.
They lay there cuddling, not saying much, content to run questing fingers over still damp flesh, learning the curves and planes of the other until the dogs started up again.
Joey sat up with a jolt. "Mom!"
Cole cursed. That woman had the worst timing.
"What are we going to do?" Joey whispered.
He pulled his jeans up. "If you think I'm hiding in the closet until the coast is clear, think again."
The door knob rattled. "Joey? Are you in there?"
Joey shuddered then took a deep breath. "Just a minute, Mom."
She pulled on a T-shirt. Cole glanced at it and chuckled. "Where do you find clothes like that?"
She flashed him an inquiring look and then glanced down at herself. Forgetting her mother waiting outside the door, Joey cocked a hip. "I suppose you like lace and stuff?"
His lip quirked. "They have their place. I might have had second thoughts about making love to you if I'd seen that alligator first."
She pulled the shirt away from her midriff and studied the wide open jaws, the hungry look in the sequined alligator's eye. "Looks just like you," she teased. "Big mouth and all."
He grinned and pulled on his boots. Standing, he tucked in his shirt tails and ran a hand over his hair. "That'll have to do."
She went to him and smoothed away a lock of dark hair falling over his forehead. He grabbed her hand and moved it to his mouth. His kiss in her palm made her knees unlock.
"Like that?"
She could only nod.
"Better try it again to make sure." He pressed another moist kiss in her palm, tickling her with the tip of his tongue, nipping gently at the fleshy base of her thumb.
"Joey? Who's in there with you?"
"Ohmigod!" Joey yanked her hand away. She leaped to the bed and frantically straightened it. "I can't believe we made love on my mother's bed."
"Next time, we'll use mine," he promised in a low voice that sent shivers down her spine.
Joey slanted him a quick look, a half-smile on her lips, then looked at the door. "Well, here goes." She unlocked the door and opened it on her mother hand raised to knock.
Marie's jaw dropped. Cole hid a grin. Marie looked like an old-time movie, indignation bristling from her, her eyes bigger than half-dollars. Her voice gurgled, "Joey?"
"It's all right, Mom." Joey braced herself. "We're married."
Ready for the next chapter?
Chapter Ten -- posted December 14, 1997
Last updated: January 4, 1998