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“You’ve melted my bones and I barely have strength to lift my head, but I’m going to try,” he said, starting to get up, but she pulled him back into her arms. Their legs were entwined and they lay on their sides facing each other.

  “Five more minutes here,” she said. “Just wait. This is special, and I don’t want it to end so soon.”

  “I had no intention of letting it end,” he said softly, “but if you want to stay here a little longer, we’ll stay a little longer.”

  He trailed his fingers down her hip to her thigh, and tingles stirred in her again. Everything he did was exciting and magical. Every touch made her want him; every smile made her melt.

  He trailed kisses from her temple to her ear to her throat. She wrapped her arms around him to hold him and really kiss him, a calmer kiss, but one filled with the love she felt, yet had not told him.

  She debated declaring her love, but tonight was a golden treasure, one special night, and she didn’t want to do anything to tarnish it. Declaring her love for him should be good, but she feared those were not the words he wanted to hear, because he would not be able to say them back.

  Placing her head on his chest, she continued to hold him tightly, thinking that for this moment he was hers—her husband, her lover. It might not last, but right now, she had it all with him.

  After a few minutes, he shifted and she released him. When she did, he stood and leaned down to pick her up. Then he carried her into the house.

  “I thought your bones had melted,” she said.

  “I’m getting a little strength back. You don’t know what effort I’m expending here, but it’s worth it to have such a beautiful, sexy, naked woman in my arms.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked, amused.

  “You’ll see,” he replied as he headed up the stairs.

  “Mike, put me down. I can walk upstairs.”

  “You’re a feather,” he said, not sounding winded at all.

  “I’m impressed. Are you showing off for me? Male machismo and all that?”

  “Maybe a little,” he said, smiling at her. “Is it working?”

  “I told you I was impressed.”

  He carried her to the tub in his bathroom where he turned on the hot water and in minutes had it swirling in the tub.

  They bathed each other and soon Mike was aroused again. He stepped out of the tub to pull her up beside him and towel her dry, slowly drawing the soft terry cloth over her body while she did the same for him, until at last they tossed aside the towels and he pulled her into his arms to kiss her.

  They made love more slowly this time. Finally, they were both lost in passion, as Mike moved her over him on his bed and stroked her breasts, while she lowered herself onto his shaft.

  He was hot and hard, filling her completely, and she began to move, the sensations driving her wild. He continued to stroke her. At last she cried out her climax, collapsing on him, and then he thrust into her, shuddering with his release, his arms closing around her to hold her tightly against him.

  Through the night they made love, until finally Mike slept near dawn. Savannah lay pressed to his side, his arms locked around her, and she twisted to watch him sleep. She stroked his chest and his jaw ever so lightly.

  “I love you,” she whispered, brushing a kiss on his throat.

  His arms tightened around her and her eyes widened as she looked at him, but he still lay sleeping, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even.

  She was in love with him, wildly, totally, forever. She kissed his jaw and settled in his arms, closing her eyes to drift to sleep.

  She awoke to tingling sensations and stirring desire, discovering that Mike was stroking her breasts. Looking into his brown-eyed gaze, she inhaled deeply as desire ignited in her.

  When he shifted, leaning his head down to kiss her breast, circling her nipple with his tongue, she wound her fingers in his hair and moved her hips against him, feeling his hard shaft.

  With all the urgency of the night before, they made love again, and after they had bathed and were back in each other’s arms, Mike turned to her.

  “Mike, it’s six in the morning—”

  “And Jessie is still sleeping, so we have a little more time to ourselves. Move in with me, Savannah.”

  Ten

  A fter thinking it over, Savannah nodded. “I suppose I will, but wouldn’t you rather be in the big bedroom?”

  “Only if it’s more fun to make love in there than in here.”

  “Well, the bathroom is bigger, the tub is bigger and the room has more mirrors, if that’s what you want. I think you have a truly decadent streak in you.”

  “Nope, I just want to look at you and bathe with you and make love with you all over this enormous house. Maybe we’ll try a different room every night.”

  She laughed. “No way. I’m not explaining changing all those beds to Helga.”

  “I think you have a prim streak, darlin’, but thankfully, it disappears when we make love.”

  “You do that to me.”

  He smiled. “Hey, I’m starving and I remember some uneaten steaks from last night. Let’s shower together and I’ll fire up the grill and heat up those steaks. We can eat them now. I might scramble some eggs to go with them.”

  “Now there’s a healthy breakfast,” she said.

  “It’s damned healthy. Makes you strong and able to roll around in the sack for hours at a time.”

  She laughed and he hugged her close. “Savannah, this is good. Not lions and tigers at all.”

  “I don’t know. I’d say I had a tiger in bed last night.”

  He chuckled and stood, reaching to pick her up, but she slipped away from him, swiftly wrapping the sheet around her and heading out of the room.

  “You shower in here and I’ll shower in my room, because I’m famished and if we shower together, we won’t get to eat. Jessie might wake up anytime now.”

  “Spoilsport,” he called as she hurried out of the room.

  When Jessie awoke, Mike got her and insisted on feeding her. Savannah watched him with the baby, marveling at the change in him, loving him with all her heart and wondering how much more he could change. Could he fall in love?

  They spent the day playing with Jessie, but the sexual tension between them began to build, and by dinner, Savannah was looking forward to being alone with him again.

  When Jessie was down for the night, they moved into the master bedroom and made love until the early hours of the morning.

  On Monday, Mike took Jessie to his mother-in-law’s house, and he and Savannah both returned to work.

  Wednesday night, when Savannah got home from work, she bathed and changed into cutoffs and a T-shirt. About an hour later, Mike returned home, entering the downstairs family room where she was playing with Jessie. He was in a navy suit and Savannah’s pulse jumped at the sight of him. She got up to greet him, winding her arms around his neck and standing on tiptoe to kiss him soundly.

  His arm banded her waist and they kissed until they heard Jessie banging a toy on the floor. They stopped to look at the baby, and then they smiled at each other. “How’re my girls?” Mike asked in a husky voice. Keeping his arm around Savannah’s waist, he crossed the room with her to pick up Jessie, who held out her arms, clearly begging to be hugged, too.

  “We’re both fine,” Savannah replied. “Constance called and said her dad is much better. She thinks she can come back to work next week, although Mom is beginning to like keeping Jessie.”

  Mike smiled at Savannah. “Well, we have something to celebrate tonight. I solved my first case today. Wyatt will get his horses back. They won’t even have to hold the horses for evidence, because Gandy had a lot of stolen goods, and the sheriff is letting Wyatt take his animals home.”

  “Congratulations!” she said, smiling at him. Then she caught Mike’s wrist. “We can really celebrate tonight. I haven’t told you the best yet. Mike, the court date is set for the adoption!” she exclaimed. “I guess with us mar
ried and you already her guardian and all the connections I have in the legal system, this moved through quickly.”

  Her eyes sparkled, and he caught her up to swing her around in his arms, laughing with her. “You got your way, Savannah. Jessie will be your baby. When’s the date?”

  “A week from Friday,” she said, thinking that would be one of the happiest days of her life. The wedding, loving Mike, adopting Jessie—all were wonderful, joyous happenings, and she felt incredibly blessed. And if Mike walked after Jessie was adopted? She looked at him, hoping he would stay, because both she and Jessie seemed to be more important to him with each passing day.

  She warned herself that she might be looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, wrapped in euphoria from his lovemaking and the adoption.

  The Friday of the following week, as they stood before Judge Delancy Taggert, Savannah had butterflies in her stomach. Never in any trial had she been this nervous. She was afraid something would happen to keep the adoption from going through. Even though she knew everything was set and all the red tape had been cleared up to this point.

  Both Mike’s and her parents were present. All the rest of her family was also present, but Mike’s brothers hadn’t been able to make it this soon after the wedding.

  Jessie was dressed in a pale-blue dress with a matching bow in her hair, and Savannah thought she looked beautiful. Savannah was holding her, but when she began to fuss, Mike took her, and she curled up in his arms and went to sleep. Savannah glanced at him. He looked handsome, dangerous, sexy. Yet when he looked at Jessie, his tender expression melted Savannah’s heart.

  And then they had to rise for the judge, and the proceedings commenced. It was far simpler than Savannah expected and soon over. They signed papers, witnesses signed papers, and then the judge declared that they were legal parents of Jessie Frates, whose name was changed to Jessie Remington.

  It was over and Jessie was her baby. Hers and Mike’s. Savannah took the baby from Mike and held her close while court was adjourned. Then all the family crowded around to give congratulations. Savannah looked at Mike, standing nearby. He seemed relaxed, happy, and she wondered what he was thinking. This was supposed to have been the moment that would give him his freedom. His gaze met hers, and he smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

  They went back to the Frates mansion for a catered celebration, and it wasn’t until nine o’clock that night that the last guest left.

  Mike picked up Jessie to carry her to bed and Savannah went with him. “I’m sorry your parents couldn’t stay longer,” she said. “It was a long trip for them to be here such a short time.”

  “They already had a cruise planned, so they have to get back for it or cancel it. They promised to come back here in a month.” Mike looked down at Jessie in his arms. “This was a big day in her young life. She doesn’t know it, but it was,” Mike said. “And a big day for us. And when I put her in her bed, you and I can begin to celebrate.”

  The phone rang and Savannah answered it, talked a minute and then handed the phone to Mike.

  “It’s Wyatt. He wants to talk to you. Probably wants to thank you again.”

  She kissed Jessie and tiptoed out, finding Mike still on the phone, which he had carried to the upstairs family room. When he told Wyatt goodbye, he turned to her. “Did you know about that?”

  “About what?”

  “Wyatt wants to show his gratitude. Besides paying my fee, he wants to give me that damned stallion.”

  She laughed. “You can keep it at my folks’ and ride it when we go out there on Saturdays.”

  “Listen, you,” Mike said in a mock-threatening voice, crossing the room to sit beside her on the sofa and look her in the eye. “Who’s been telling people about my ability to ride?”

  “Well, after all, you did stay on Jester, and few can say that.”

  “Yeah, well, Wyatt heard about it and knows how much your family enjoys riding, so he wants to give me the stallion as a token of appreciation. He’s already talked to your dad about keeping the horse at their place.”

  “So why are you unhappy? Scared of the legend that whoever has the white stallion finds true love?”

  “Hell, no. I didn’t even think about the legend. I just don’t want Wyatt to give me a horse. I charged him plenty for finding the animal. It’s like this inheritance from John Frates. I was just doing my job.”

  “People are grateful,” she said. “I think you’re scared because if you take the horse…well, you know the legend. You might be in love forever.”

  Mike looked at her twinkling eyes. “Savannah, you’re laughing at me. So help me…” He pushed her down on the sofa to tickle her, and she screeched and laughed and kicked, protesting loudly.

  In minutes he sat up and pulled her onto his lap. “I’m not scared of a horse, and I can’t get out of taking the horse any more than I could get out of taking this inheritance. Here I am with a wife and a baby because a man was grateful to me for doing what I got paid to do. Now I’m going to have a horse because of that.”

  She giggled again, and he nuzzled her neck and rubbed his stubbly jaw across her cheek. She laughed and tried to wriggle away, and then they looked into each other’s eyes and the moment transformed. He bent his head to kiss her until they were both breathless. Mike carried Savannah to their bedroom to make love to her.

  Later, Savannah lay in his arms while he slept. She thought about Wyatt giving the stallion to Mike. She didn’t believe in the old legend, either, but she wished it was true and wished that when Mike became the owner of the horse, true love would come into his life.

  On Saturday, Savannah’s family all stood watching while Mike saddled the white stallion and rode around the corral for the first time. Everyone applauded, and then Savannah and her family mounted their own horses and headed out. Mike moved along with them.

  “Wyatt said this horse can be ridden, but I think for our usual Saturday morning rides, I better go back to Bluebonnet,” he told Savannah. “I feel like I’m holding a lot of energy in check. I suspect this horse would like nothing better than a good run.”

  “You can do that. We’ll catch the others later.” She called to Lucius and motioned them to go on.

  “Since Jester, your two younger brothers have more or less accepted me, but I don’t think Lucius ever will.”

  “Oh, yes, he will, and if he doesn’t, don’t worry about it. I told you, you can take care of yourself where Lucius is concerned, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah, right,” Mike said. “He’s bigger than I am, taller, and he’s got anger on his side.”

  “Don’t be scared of my big brother,” she teased in a patronizing voice. His dark eyes flashed.

  “You’re asking for it, Savannah. I know why you’re a lawyer. You like the fight.”

  “No, I don’t. I certainly don’t want to fight with you. Now here,” she said, leading him to a pasture that was flat ground. “I’ll race you to that oak, and you’ll see what your stallion can do.”

  “All right. You say go. You get a head start, because I think this horse can outrun yours easily.”

  “We’ll see,” she said smugly, and Mike grinned.

  “You always have to challenge me, Savannah.”

  “You bring that out in me,” she answered smoothly. “Winner gets to decide how we spend the evening and where.”

  His brows arched. “Now that’s a prize! If I win, I want your folks to keep Jessie tonight so I can have you all to myself.”

  “Oh, my! You might cause me to want to throw the race. All right, Mike, get ready, set—” she turned her horse “—go!” With that she urged her horse into a gallop.

  Mike gave the stallion his head, and the big horse pulled ahead of Savannah’s mount to win by a length. They reined in and she was laughing. Mike’s heart thudded and he wanted to pull her down on the ground and take her now, but he knew they might not have privacy. But it wouldn’t matter for a kiss. He rode close to her. “I get what I want tonight, S
avannah,” he said. “Can you ask your folks to keep Jessie?”

  “You know they’d love to,” she said. She gestured at the stallion. “That’s your horse, Mike. He likes you.”

  “I’ll tell you what I like,” Mike said, moving the stallion close to her and standing in the stirrups to lean over and kiss her.

  Savannah wound her arms around his neck to return his kiss, thinking she would never get enough of him. Every day with him she loved him more. She wished she could weave a spell of love around him where he would never want to leave her.

  Finally, Mike’s horse shifted and Mike released her. As he leaned down to catch her reins for her, he looked into her face, and she saw there the promises of the night to come.

  She straightened her shirt and took the clip out of her hair, shaking her head and letting her hair fall over her shoulders. “Want to race back? Another hard run ought to wear him down a little.”

  “Sure, let’s go,” Mike said, turning his horse and urging him forward. He galloped across the pasture with Savannah beside him, then let the stallion pull ahead. The stallion was a powerful animal, and Mike still wished Wyatt hadn’t been so generous. He reined the horse in and waited for Savannah.

  “He may be wild,” Mike said, “but he’s got stamina.”

  “You or the horse?”

  “The horse,” Mike answered dryly. “There’s nothing wild about me.”

  “Not much, there isn’t! And I saw that Harley you have in the garage now.”

  “I’ll give you a ride whenever you want.”

  “No, thank you. Come with me and let me show you a part of this place I like, and the horses can have a drink.”

  They rode past a grove of scrub oaks and then entered another stand of oaks, where they rode in tandem until they reached a clearing on a creek bank. Savannah dismounted and led her horse to the creek to let him drink, and Mike did the same.

  Savannah breathed the cool morning air. Her nerves hummed with excitement, and she was aware of Mike only a few feet away. She looked at the clear, swift-running creek that she had loved since she was a child.