Riding the River (19 page)

The wave rolled to shore… Sarah opened her
eyes to see Matt gazing at her with total adoration.

“What?”

“I adore you, Sarah…”

“Please don’t stop telling me that – ever.
Promise?”

“… I promise.”

Matt lay back in the bed to quiet his
breathing. Then his arm went under Sarah to bring her back into his
arms.

“Can’t stay away from me, huh?” she
teased.

“No…not at all.”

She began leaving little kisses all over his
handsome face… Down his jaw, throat and chest…

“Honey…”

“Hmmm?” She kept kissing around his
chest.

“You have to give me a few minutes to be able
to respond to you.” Sarah raised an eyebrow and he smiled at her.
“You don’t feel like sleeping?”

“With you? Ha. Not a chance...”

Matt actually blushed… “I guess I’m pretty
obvious.” Then he grew more serious. “Sarah, look at me.”

She stopped kissing him and looked up.
“What?”

“Would you go with me to meet my grandfather
tomorrow?”

“Your grandfather?”

“Yes, he’s been wanting to meet you. In fact,
we can stay with him a few days at his ranch. I’d like to show you
around.”

She smiled. “That sounds nice.”

“Also…”

“…Also?”

Matt laughed. “Yes, there’s a place near his
that I’m going to buy.” He looked at her shyly. “Would you come see
it with me?”

“Yes, but I have a request too.”

“Okay.”

“When we’re finally able to get out of bed,
could we please talk about our future. I need to know some
things.”

“Like what?”

“… Where I’m going to live next week, for
one. I can’t live at the ranch forever – New guests will be
arriving.”

“No, you can’t,” he smiled. “How about you
live with me at my grandfather’s place?”

“Would we be able to stay together?”

“I think he’s modern enough to allow that. So
you want to keep on sleeping with me, is that it?”

Sarah laughed again. “I doubt sincerely that
we’re going to be sleeping very much for a while. It’s all too new
for us. We haven’t gotten our fill of each other.”

Matt shook his head. “I hope I never get my
fill of you. I can’t see my desire for you waning…”

“Maybe after you see me brushing my teeth
again.” He laughed. “Which reminds me, I should do that…” Sarah
tried to get up, but Matt pulled her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“… To brush my teeth…”

“Will you come right back? We’re not finished
here yet…”

She kissed him and pushed back. Getting off
the bed, she picked up his shirt from the floor and put it on. She
modeled it for him.

“That just makes me want to take it off
you…”

“I know,” she teased and walked into the
bathroom.

Matt fell back in the bed with the air
whooshing out of his lungs.
What’s the matter with me? I can’t
stop wanting her. How’d I make it before?
Well, there was no
going back now. And when she returned to bed, he made sure she
realized that it was her and only her that he needed.

Eventually, they fell asleep, spooning with
Sarah’s back against Matt’s body. Even in sleep, he couldn’t let
her go. Sarah had never, ever in her entire life felt as wanted and
desired as Matt made her feel. She fell asleep thinking her heart
was about to burst.

A few hours later, Sarah woke up deliciously
happy. She practically purred… Slipping out of Matt’s warm arms,
she looked down at him… What a handsome guy. Even asleep he was
smiling… She leaned over to kiss his lips and touch his sweet face.
He sighed but didn’t wake.

She picked up his shirt again and slipped it
on. Walking to the window, she saw a small porch with a chair just
outside his door. Sarah walked out to take a deep breath of fresh
air and looked up at the black sky. With no light pollution, the
stars were many and magnificent. She sat down, just letting
contentment wash over her about this magical night.

Tess had been right… Sarah smiled thinking of
all the words of wisdom she’d gotten from her that all boiled down
to the same thing – good sex is the greatest. Sarah blew out a
breath… She sure couldn’t argue with that one. Thinking about him
made her want to wake him up, when he showed up in the doorway. She
glanced over at him … Matt had put on his jeans and she wanted to
run her fingers through his sexy, tousled hair. He yawned…

“… Honey, what are you doing out here?”

“Looking at the gorgeous night sky…”

“Here… Let me join you. Stand up.”

Matt sat down on the chair and pulled Sarah
onto his lap. That way, he could put his arms around her and kiss
her neck and shoulders at the same time.

“I so hope you never tire of doing that…”

“This?” He said while kissing her neck. “Do
you think there’s a chance of that?” His kisses sent welcome
shivers down her back. Then he leaned her back in his arms, so he
could see her pretty face. Her blue eyes stared back at his dark
ones… His adoring gaze went on and on…

“Matt, honey…”

“Hmmm?”

“Quit fooling around and kiss me.”

“Pretty impatient, aren’t you, miss?”

“Yes…”

“If you insist.” And he was brushing his lips
against hers again and again in that way he had of sending her
senses out of this world. When her lips parted, he angled his mouth
against hers for a deeper kiss that she felt down to her quaking
knees
. What is it about cowboys anyway?

For Matt, his head and heart were overloaded
with emotion. He’d never felt anything in his life before as how he
felt about Sarah. He was overwhelmed and took it out on her body.
He loved seeing her rise and fall, and that he caused her to do
that. She was irresistible and he had to have her…

“Come on, honey. Let’s finish this in
bed.”

Sarah nodded, stood up and Matt took her hand
to lead her back in the house. Once inside though, he backed her up
against the closed door, unable to wait any longer and tugged off
her shirt. After discarding his jeans, he melded his body into hers
-- Sarah stroked his muscled back and his hands ran up and down the
length of her. Matt’s kisses again seared through her and she was
caught, unable to escape if she’d wanted to.

He took her down, down to some magical place
where she’d never even known she wanted to go. Through their kisses
and roving hands, Sarah and Matt found that special place that only
they would ever know. He raised her up to accommodate him and they
swayed to their own particular rhythmic music. She nibbled and
whispered in his ear as his eyes misted over, and then he was
kissing her again.

Crashing against him, she felt weak and
whimpered. Matt held her up while his hands continued their sexy
route over her body. When he finally let go, both their bodies
became soft putty. Eventually, they found themselves back on the
bed. Matt kept her close and pulled the covers around them
both.

“Huh…” Sarah tried to speak, but nothing much
came out. Matt softly stroked her back.

“… Cat got your tongue?” She smiled against
his torso.

“No, you’ve got my tongue… and the rest of
me.” She looked up at him. “When did I become such a limp
noodle?”

“A few orgasms will do that, honey.”

Sarah laid her head back on his chest and
closed her eyes. Matt continued softly stroking her arms and back,
with occasional kisses in her hair. She couldn’t remember ever
being this relaxed or happy in her entire life. And with that, she
fell asleep, making those little bubble sounds again that were
becoming so dear to Matt, making him smile. As he drifted off,
being contented rushed through him like a river, as did the touch
of sweet Sarah in his arms…

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The next day was the last of Sarah’s trip to
the guest ranch. She and Matt had gotten some sleep, not much, but
enough for her to help Dale with breakfast that morning. When she
yawned, he smiled slyly at her like a big Cheshire cat – and she
wanted to slug him.

“I don’t want you working today, Sarah,” said
Dale. “It’s your last official day as a guest. Go have fun… I’ll be
that taskmaster tomorrow.” He mixed the pancake batter and started
putting it on the hot griddle.

“Okay, thanks.” She got the biscuits out of
the oven and took them out of the pan.

“So…”

“So?”

“What are you going to do today? I’m sure it
involves Matt.” He still had a big, dopey smile on his face.

“Yes, Dale,” she laughed at him. “As a matter
of fact…”

“Yeah?”

“… Matt wants me to meet his grandfather
today… And to see the ranch he wants to buy.”

“So he told you about that?”

“Yes, last night.”

“During a break in the action?”

“Dale!” Sarah turned a few shades of red as
he bent over laughing.

When he calmed down, he continued.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Sarah. I’m just
so happy for you both. Honestly…” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Okay… You almost sounded sincere that
time.”

“Has he asked you yet?”

“Asked me what?”

“…To marry him, of course.”

She blinked in surprise at him. “No…”

“Do you want him to?”

“We’re still getting to know each other.”

“…And…”

“And you’re really being nosy today.”

He threw up his hands in front of him. “Okay,
don’t get mad at me. Here, take the first batch of pancakes out to
the breakfast table.

They finished cooking breakfast and had
everything out when the guests started filing in. Tess eventually
came in with Richie and Sarah sat down to eat breakfast with
them.

“Didn’t see you much at the dance last night,
Sarah,” teased Tess. “Go somewhere?”

“Yeah,” laughed Richie. “Matt disappeared
too.”

She ate part of her pancake, chewed for a
minute and swallowed. “Well, fancy that… We disappeared at the same
time. What are the odds?”

Just then Matt walked into the dining room,
looking better than any man had a right to. Sarah noticed his pale
blue shirt and dark blue jeans that set off his gorgeous black
hair. Of course, Matt noticed everything about her too. Her blonde
hair pulled back into a pretty ponytail, Western shirt and jeans.
His eyes took her in hungrily and it was all he could do to sit
down casually by her. He would have preferred to kiss her crazy,
like last night.

Tess and Richie smirked at how Sarah and Matt
acted toward one another now. Something had definitely happened
between them last night. Their behavior, once self-conscious, was
now intimate and personal. He touched her possessively and they sat
close together. She jokingly fed him a bite of pancake off her
plate. Richie was expecting him to drool over her any second, while
Tess could smell sex in the air…

“So what’s the plan for the last day,
ladies?” asked Richie.

“What do you think, Sarah?” inquired
Tess.

“…Well…um…” Sarah looked at Matt who
nodded.

“We’ve got plans…”

“Can you say what they are?” asked
Richie.

“I’m taking Sarah over to meet John after
breakfast.”

Richie’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
“Really?”

Tess was confused. “Who’s John?”

“His grandfather…” said Richie.

Tess’s eyebrows raised a notch as well. “Is
that kinda like going home to meet the folks?”

Sarah blushed while Matt grinned.

“… Something like that…”

“Are you showing her that ranch you want to
buy?” He finished his breakfast and pushed his plate away.

“… Thought I would. It’s not far from
John’s…”

“It’s a pretty spread, Sarah. The ranch house
needs some work but it’ll be great,” added Richie. He looked over
at Tess.

“All right, sweetie. It’s just you and me
today. Got any suggestions?”

Tess laughed. “Yes, but most of them are not
for polite company.”

They all laughed at that.

“How about a ride then?”

“… Let’s do it.” They got up to leave the
dining room. Tess glanced back at Sarah. “See you for dinner
tonight?”

Sarah nodded her head smiling. “Definitely.
Our last night together… We’ll do something…”

After they’d left, Matt helped Sarah finish
her pancakes.

“Why am I so hungry today?” He pretended to
think that over. “Oh, yeah… I was up most of the night making love
to a beautiful woman.”

“…Shh…” said Sarah glancing around. “Do you
want that information written up in the ranch bulletin?” He laughed
and leaned in to whisper.

“… I love you, Sarah Hughes…” He kissed her
ear.

She looked at him with clear, blue eyes. “I
love you too, Matt Garth.”

He tilted up her chin to kiss her briefly.
“Let’s go, honey.”

She nodded and they got up together to leave.
Dale and Mr. Walker watched them walk out of the dining room
holding hands.

“So… that’s what’s been going on…”

“And right under our noses,” smiled Dale.

“Well, he’s the nicest guy…”

“… And she’s the nicest girl. They’re made
for each other.”

They shrugged their shoulders… Dale went back
into the kitchen, while Mr. Walker headed outside to coordinate an
activity. Cowboy golf was being organized again and they’d need
help…

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

John Garth was a character out of the Old
West. He was tall and rugged, not handsome, but imposing. He set
his big cowboy hat a certain way that gave him an air of authority.
In the saddle, no one could outwork him – He gave as good as he
got.

Matt’s parents had been lost unexpectedly
when he was young, and John had raised him up to be much like him.
He always wore a leather vest, shirt with a knotted scarf around
his neck and his typical jeans.
Think John Wayne…