Her Texan Temptation (14 page)

“Oh, Deke,” she murmured, and her heart slammed against her chest. “I thought I didn’t want to live here because of all the unhappy memories of my childhood. But I can’t think of a better place for you and me to start our life together than on Paradise. I don’t want to leave here,
ever,
” she whispered fiercely.

“I love you so much.” Her heart swelling with love, Mary Beth hugged him to her. She’d received her Christmas wish, after all.

Deke was her miracle.

A
s she stood at the front door of her newly built home, Mary Beth watched Deke’s truck come to a stop in front of the house. He got out, and her heart gave that special little thump that she always felt when she looked at her husband. She stepped outside and waited on the porch to greet him. “There’s Daddy now,” she whispered to the three-month-old baby in her arms.

Kissing the baby’s soft cheek, Mary Beth sighed with contentment. It seemed there was no end to the miracles in her life. So much had happened during the past year, it hardly seemed possible that she and Deke were just celebrating their first anniversary. Neither of them had wanted to wait to get married, so with the help of Deke’s family, they’d quickly put together a wedding and had been married on New Year’s Day.

Upon hearing the truck door slam, Lightning and Lady had bounded out of the barn and were now racing straight
for Deke. Mary Beth chuckled at their antics as they pranced around his legs, begging for attention. He gave both dogs a pat, then looked up at her as he reached the steps.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Her heart swelling, Mary Beth lifted her lips to his. Oh, how she loved this man. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent as he kissed her, savoring the taste of him.

“Hi,” she said, when their lips parted.

“I’m sorry we had to cancel tonight,” he told her with genuine regret. “I’ll make it up to you next weekend.” They’d changed their dinner plans when Lynn had called earlier that afternoon. Her baby, Shayne, was sick with an ear infection and she couldn’t leave him, and Russ had needed Deke’s help caring for an injured horse.

“We’re together, that’s what counts.” She tilted her head and smiled at him. “Come inside. I’ll put Andrea down while you clean up.”

Deke took the baby from her, pressed a kiss to his daughter’s velvety reddish-blond hair, then followed Mary Beth into the house. Andrea Nicole McCall stared at him with wide, innocent eyes.

He stopped in his tracks as they entered the dining room, then turned a startled gaze on Mary Beth. “How’d you put this together?” he asked, surprised that she’d had enough time to plan a romantic candlelight dinner in the time he’d been gone. He sniffed and smelled the enticing aroma of basil, tomatoes and warm bread. “Lasagna?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.

She chuckled. “Your favorite meal.”

He handed her the baby. “I’m starved,” he said, then he kissed his wife. When the kiss began to grow into more, she gently moved out of his arms. “Dinner first.”

Deke groaned, then hurried out of the room to shower.
Mary Beth went to the nursery and put Andrea to bed. She stood at the crib and stared down at her little girl. Never in her life would Mary Beth have ever believed that living on Paradise would be so fulfilling, so absolutely perfect. After a week of honeymooning at a remote resort in Mexico, they’d returned home to begin rebuilding the house. Soon after construction started, they’d discovered she was pregnant.

Not totally a surprise, since they’d talked and decided to start a family right away. At first Mary Beth had been hesitant, wondering if Deke was truly finished competing in the rodeo. But he had assured her that since he’d fallen in love with her, he was happier than he’d ever been in his life. He’d convinced her he was ready to put down roots right here, become a rancher and start a family. It had been a race to see if they could finish the house before the baby arrived. They had, but just barely.

She heard the shower go off. Turning out the light she went into the bedroom, walking inside just as Deke was buttoning his shirt. Desire stirred deep inside her at the sight of him. Walking over to him, she slipped her arms around him, aligning herself against his back.

Deke turned in her arms and pulled her to him. “I love you,” he whispered huskily, then his mouth took hers in a hungry kiss. Mary Beth clung to him, her body responding to the warmth of his. “I thought you wanted to eat,” he remarked, his eyes teasing as he lifted his lips.

“I do. Come on.” Arm in arm, they walked to the kitchen. Together they carried the food into the dining room and placed it on the table. Mary Beth smiled up at Deke as he held her chair, then waited as he took his seat and opened the chilled red wine. He filled two glasses and handed her one before taking his own.

“I never dreamed I could be this happy,” she said softly as she looked at him, her eyes misting.

Deke looked into her eyes. “I didn’t, either, sweetheart.” His heart throbbed almost painfully. But it was a good kind of ache. He cherished this woman and their beautiful daughter. After his father’s death, Deke hadn’t thought he deserved love. But through Mary Beth, he’d learned that true love was unconditional.

He leaned toward her, and she met him halfway, their lips touching briefly, then again, longer, clinging momentarily until he finally drew away and gazed into her eyes.

He was going to love this woman for the rest of his life.