Once Touched (33 page)

She sat still, not daring to breathe, while his hands continued to move, brushing her middle, brushing the slope of her breast as he drew the seatbelt across her body and fastened it. Everything inside her tightened as her fingers dug deep into the leather seat.

He pulled away and shut the door. A second later, a door on the other side opened and from behind she heard a soft thump.
His camera bag,
she thought as that door slammed and then another opened. She heard him settle behind the wheel. Could feel the heat from his body. A second later, the engine roared to life.

It was pointless to ask where they were going, and she was too keyed up to speak coherently. She'd caught his scent as he leaned over her. It had left her dizzy with need. Now she inhaled deeply, hoping to catch it again. Hoping and yearning.

She knew Mia's road well, sensed when they turned onto Bartlett Road, counted the seconds in her head as they drew closer to Silver Creek Road, which led to the guest ranch, and passed it. So that wasn't their destination.

As if he read her thoughts, he said, “It won't be long now.”

They'd come to the end of Bartlett Road. He turned right, in the direction of town. A minute or so passed and then the car slowed and Ethan pulled off the road. She frowned in confusion as the wheels bounced over what felt like a plowed field.

The jostling came to a stop, and Ethan turned off the engine.

He helped her out of the car. Taking her hand this time, he guided her a few steps away from the car before he came to a halt. Her skin prickled with awareness, and she knew his gaze was traveling over her.

“Quinn.” She'd heard that low rumble in his voice before, when he was deep inside her, their bodies joined, his gaze locked with hers as her core began to clench about him, pleasure streaking as bright as fireworks through her.

Her lips trembled.

“Quinn,” he repeated as if he couldn't say her name enough. “Sweetheart, you're killing me.” Then his mouth was on hers.

The kiss was achingly tender, his lips moving just as she remembered. Coaxing and then sweetly commanding. Tears slipped from her eyes and down her cheeks.

His hands framed her face. “No, love,” he whispered. “Don't cry.” Reaching up, he pushed the scarf up off her eyes and then off her head. Stuffing it back into his pocket, he swept the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. “Here, take a look.”

She sniffed, and then blinked to clear her eyes. “This is Joe Trullo's property.”

“Yeah. I bought it. It's for you.”

“For me?” she said blankly.

“For you,” he repeated. “The advance from my book deal came in handy. You can open your sanctuary now. Only, I had this idea, Quinn.”

“Yeah?” she asked, dazed. He'd bought this land? For her?

“About the sanctuary. I was wondering whether you'd consider expanding it to help not only animals but military vets, too. The ones in need. It'd be something along the lines of what you did with me and Bowie.”

“What do you mean, you and Bowie?”

“You thought I didn't catch on, huh?” He smiled. “Of course it wasn't just me and Bowie you paired up. You gave me Maybelle and the other nannies, and then the horses once I was strong enough. You knew being with the animals would help me. Physically and emotionally. And you were right. Some of the soldiers coming home, they need that kind of therapy, too. Desperately.”

“I know. I've read about shelters reaching out to vets, matching them with rescue animals. I just never thought…” Her mind was awhirl as ideas came rushing in.

“I've done some research. California has a number of these organizations, but there's a definite need for one in this area, Quinn. We could give both the vets and the animals a chance to help each other. It'll take time and planning—”

“And training. It'll be tons of work, but yes—yes!” she repeated excitedly. “I want to do it.”

He smiled, a smile that lit his eyes, making them sparkle like polished silver. “I knew I could count on that generous spirit of yours. I have something else for you, too.”

He stepped forward and kissed her again with a fierce tenderness that left her clinging to him. When at last their lips parted, he whispered, “Here, Quinn.”

She looked at the small velvet box he'd pressed into her hand. With trembling fingers, she opened it. A heart-shaped diamond winked at her. “Ethan—” She swallowed and tried again. “Ethan, it's so beautiful.”

“I love you, Quinn. Will you marry me? When I left Walter Reed, I was lost. I didn't have a reason to live, let alone love. You changed that. You changed everything. Now I want it all. I want to build something important with you. I want to raise a family with you. I want babies—little girls with blond pigtails who grow up wanting to protect every animal they see.”

“Oh, Ethan, I love you.” Throwing her arms about him, she whispered “Yes” in his ear before raining kisses over his face.

With a laugh, he caught her hand. “Here, I need to do this.” Taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it onto her finger and then kissed her again. “Good. Now you're mine, Quinn. Forever.”

“I always was. Consider me swept off my feet.”

He grinned and found the spot behind her ear that never failed to make her shiver with pleasure. “What caused this miracle?” he asked. “My hunting down Randy? Finding the guts to finish my project? Buying Joe Trullo's land? The ring? My eloquent proposal? I rehearsed it on the flight from New York.”

“Can I check D, ‘all of the above'?”

“Ah, Quinn, that was just the warm-up. Wait until I get you home.”

Home.
Her heart felt close to bursting. “Wait. What about little boys who can ride every breed of horse under the sun?”

He grinned. “Anything for you. Although I know already they'll do their best to make every hair on my head turn gray.”

“Nothing wrong with that, since you'll only look more like a wolf.”

He laughed.

They began walking, and Quinn told him about the bucklings and doelings that had been born.

“I can't wait to see them. Bowie's good?”

“He's missed you.” Her hand tightened around his. “Like all of us.”

“I've missed you all, too, Quinn. More than I can say. I've even missed Alfie. He as colorful as ever?”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “More so.”

“I guess it was too much to hope that he'd taken a vow of silence.”

“Pretty much.”

“I love you, Quinn.”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I believe you do.”

Six months later…

T
HE
O
CTOBER SUN
was warm on Quinn's back as she filled the feeder with fresh fir branches, a treat from Ethan, who'd been clearing brush over at the sanctuary in preparation for the horses that would soon be living there. She shrugged out of her jean jacket and slung it over the top rail. The nanny goats were too busy enjoying the freshly cut spruce to destroy the jacket.

Gertrude ambled over, a branch sticking out of her mouth, looking a bit like a crazy old lady enjoying a stogie. She rubbed her creamy gray head against Quinn's thigh in a not-so-subtle demand for a good scratching.

She checked her watch. Gertrude butted her again.

“All right, I hear you.” She hoisted herself up on the top rail and leaned forward to scratch the side of Gertrude's face. “Luckily I'm ahead of schedule, and believe you me, that's a rarity these days. And with Mia and Reid's wedding, the next week is going to be even crazier, but I don't mind. It's gonna be great. I'm so excited for them—”

Gertrude swished the branch, slapping her knee.

“Yeah, I know. My chronic allergy to weddings seems to have disappeared. Good thing, huh, considering Ethan and I will be walking down the aisle—make that a freshly mown path—next July.” Even she heard the giddy happiness in her voice.

“I like how some things never change. Whenever I come down here I find you talking to your goats.”

“That's because we never run out of things to say to each other.” Her fingers continued to rub the bony lines of Gertrude's jaw as she returned Josh's smile. “You and Maebeth all packed up?”

“Yeah. We'll set out after lunch, get in a good five hours on the road, and then break for the night. I don't want to tire Maebeth out.”

Maebeth was five months pregnant and glowing, but her first trimester had been a little rocky. A concerned Josh had postponed their departure until he was sure Maebeth could make the drive back to Texas comfortably. In Quinn's mind, such consideration earned him major brownie points.

“Ethan around? I was hoping to say goodbye.”

Quinn gave Gertrude a pat and jumped down. “He's at the sanctuary. I was about to head over.”

“Can I give you a ride?”

“Sure. Thanks. We'll take Ethan's car to our class this afternoon. It's cleaner.”

“How's that course going?”

“Fantastic. We're learning a ton.” She and Ethan had enrolled in an animal-training class. They were also working with psychologists from the local VA to understand the range of needs the veterans had so that the best match could be made for human and animal alike.

“And here I thought you knew everything about four-legged critters.”

She laughed. “Not hardly.”

Josh and she chatted easily on the short drive. As they neared the sanctuary, Quinn's gaze took in the newly erected wood and wire fences running along the front of the property and bordering the asphalt drive Josh turned into. These were the future pastures for the larger rescue animals. Two buildings under various stages of construction came into sight. One was a barn to house the larger animals, and the second would serve as a kennel for cats and dogs. The space in between was destined for the staff office and visiting areas.

The ringing of hammers and the buzz of electric saws filled the air as she jumped out of Josh's truck. She spotted Francesco, Lorelei's fiancé, first. He was up on the roof, laying cedar shingles. When Francesco heard about the sanctuary, he had volunteered his and his crew's services. Lorelei and Marsha were playing an equally important role, working with Ethan and Quinn to help identify which dogs that came to their shelter might be suitable companion dogs for the veterans.

Her eyes scanned the construction site, passing over one blue-jeaned form after another. Then she found him, and her breath caught, as it invariably did, while her heart squeezed tight in joyful recognition.

Shirtless, his tee tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, he hammered nails into the barn's siding with smooth efficiency. He looked good slinging a hammer. Ethan looked good, period. Healthy and strong. The scars crisscrossing his shoulder were no longer an angry red, but now a few shades lighter than his tan.

She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Ethan!”

He turned, his smile a flash of white as his gaze focused on her. She broke into a run, her own smile spreading. Reaching him, she threw her arms about his neck. He caught her by the waist and captured her mouth in a kiss that was salty with sweat and sweet with love.

Josh had tactfully kept his pace to an amble, allowing them to finish their embrace before he reached them. “Hey, Ethan,” he said, by way of greeting. “Things are really coming along here. Seems like only a few weeks back the barns were just wood frames.”

“Yeah.” There was no mistaking the ring of pride in Ethan's voice. “Quinn and I are hoping to open the sanctuary on January first. With so many people chipping in, I think we're going to make it.”

“I've been meaning to say that I think what the two of you are doing here is great. For the animals and the vets.” He extended his hand with unaccustomed formality.

Ethan shook it, keeping his other arm wrapped about her waist. “Thanks, Josh.”

Quinn, too, shook Josh's hand. “I'm sorry you and Maebeth won't be here for Reid and Mia's wedding, but tell Maebeth we'll be expecting you and the little one next July to celebrate ours.”

Josh grinned. “We'll be there. Count on it. I'll be keen to see the sanctuary up and running.” He gave the site a final sweeping glance and adjusted his hat. “Well, 'bout time I hit the road.”

“Safe travels, Josh.”

“Yes, and good luck to you and Maebeth with everything. I know you'll be happy together,” Quinn said.

Josh's still adorable dimple returned as he smiled and tipped his head. “Like I said, you and I, we found the right people.”

“That we did.”

Ethan's hand squeezed the side of her waist.

Together they watched Josh depart. “I never thought I'd say this, but I may actually end up missing Josh,” Ethan said.

“Me too. He's changed. I think Maebeth and the baby have been good for him.”

Josh hadn't been the only one to evolve in the last year. Ethan often told her how she'd helped him heal. Quinn liked to think it was so. What she knew for certain, however, was how much he'd given
her,
how much he'd helped her grow as a person. Unlike Ethan, she hadn't been broken in body and wounded in spirit. She'd simply been afraid and filled with self-doubt. Yet those had been sufficient to stifle her.

Opening her heart to Ethan and seeing his courage in overcoming his darkest fears fueled her own determination to be better, to be braver…to be more.

“So were you nailing those shingles in happiness or frustration?” she asked. “What did Erin say to your idea for your next project?”

“She was all over it. She thinks photographing the veterans with the animals will be a really good and compelling way to show the public faces that are too often ignored or invisible.”

“I knew she was a smart woman.”

“Yeah. I can't wait to get the sanctuary up and running.” Ethan's hand shifted to the small of her back. “That reminds me. I've got something to show you. A surprise.”

Her gaze slid to his. “Yeah? A good one?”

“I think so. Come with me.” He took her hand, lacing their fingers together, and led her to the row of parked dusty cars and trucks. They stopped in front of a black one and she realized it was her dad's SUV.

“You borrowed the monster?”

“Had to pick something up. A big something. The monster was required.” He walked with her to the rear of the truck. “Since Anna retrieved her scarf to spread love in the Big Apple, you're going to have to promise not to look until I tell you. No peeking, Quinn.”

Impossible anyway, since the windows of her dad's truck were tinted like some super VIP ride, something she loved to tease him about.

“Fine, I won't peek.” She harrumphed just to make him smile. Crossing her arms, she squeezed her eyes shut and strained her ears.

She heard the click of the rear hatch being opened, then a heavy rustle—was he dragging something?—followed by a grunt and a thud and a whoosh.

“Okay, open your eyes, sweetheart.”

“Oh Ethan! It's the sign,” she cried. She stepped forward. “Oh my God—”

“You like it?”

“It's beautiful. They did such a fantastic job with Madlon's design.” Her gaze pored over the carved and painted wooden sign. Under the words
COBBLE FARM SANCTUARY
was a kneeling soldier in fatigues with an arm draped across the shoulders of a dog—a dog that bore a striking resemblance to Bowie. “It's Bowie.”

“Yeah. I thought you'd like that.”

“Did you tell Randy that Bowie's going to be the canine face of Cobble Farm Sanctuary?”

“He's stoked. His exact words,” Ethan said with a grin.

She blinked rapidly and sniffed. “Oh, Ethan.”

“Ah, babe, are you crying? Come here.” He pulled her gently into his embrace and she sniffed again, pressing her nose against the warmth of his chest. “So I thought maybe you and I could set the sign up together.”

“Now?” She tilted her head back to meet his gaze.

“Class doesn't start until five o'clock. More than enough time to dig some holes and mix and pour some cement, don't you think?”

“I do.” She beamed. She turned her head so her cheek lay over his heart and looked at the painted design. “The sign. It makes it all the more real.”

He closed his hand over hers and brought it to his lips before placing it over his heart. “Yeah. As real as my love for you. Now let's find some shovels,” he said with an eager grin.

“Bet I can dig my hole faster than you,” she said.

“You're on, Knowles. And I already know what I'll claim as my prize.” His smile alone was enough to send hot shivers through her.

Quinn didn't know whom to thank first—the higher powers, her mother's matchmaking prowess, the magical properties of the scarf Anna Vecchio had inherited from her beloved nonna, or the wisdom of her own heart. But some force, maybe a combination of all of them, had allowed her to find the man of her dreams.

A friend, a lover, and a partner.