Chapter 7

Hank walked into his kitchen, took one look around and wondered if he'd been robbed.

"Macie?" he yelled out. Silence answered him. He'd spent the entire day in Douglas at a stock sale and had called earlier to say he was running late. At the time, he noticed Macie sounded flustered.

Stepping into the room, he tried to take stock of the disaster surrounding him. There was a scorched skillet soaking in the sink that was never going to be saved. The stench of burned meat assaulted his nose. He followed it to the trashcan under the sink, where he discovered a huge pile of black…something. Maybe chicken.

There was flour all over the counters, the floor and the table, and in the midst of the sea of white was a very flat pancake-looking thing in a cake pan. Next to it was some concoction that looked like butter, sugar, milk and food coloring. He didn't have a clue what that was supposed to be.

There were lumpy mashed potatoes in a pot, raw broccoli in a bowl and a half-drunk bottle of wine.

Concerned when she didn't appear, he dug out his cell phone and called her. And was instantly greeted by her ring tone, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," coming from beneath a pile of sticky paper towels on the counter. The woman was infamous for leaving her phone behind. Most of the time, he thought it was funny. Right now, it was frustrating.

"Whoa. What happened in here?" Porter asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

When Porter looked around and mumbled a curse, Hank looked his way for an answer. "You figured it out?"

Porter nodded. "It's your birthday."

"I know." And the light went on. "Macie tried to make me dinner."

"And a cake, I think," Porter said, pointing to the pancake and blue milk in a bowl. "I might've mentioned how Sharon always went all out for your birthday. Home-cooked dinner, cake, presents."

Hank closed his eyes and sighed. "I wish you hadn't done that."

"I didn't realize her skills were quite this…I mean…shit, man, she works in a restaurant."

"As the bartender. And she's sort of sensitive about Sharon comparisons. She feels like she needs to compete or measure up or something." Hank thought he'd talked her off that ledge last week after delivering the cow, but given her efforts tonight, he feared there was still some convincing to do.

"She what?" Porter asked. "Why does she think she needs to compete with Sharon? Macie's awesome the way she is."

Hank grinned. His best friend was definitely starting to come around after his initial assessment of Macie. "I know. And I've told her that. More than once."

"Guess I can't blame her really," Porter said after a moment's contemplation.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Sharon were the perfect couple, happy, in love, devoted. It's kind of a tough act to follow."

"It's not like I'm holding up a measuring stick or keeping notes about who did what better. I love Macie for who she is. I'm not worried about who she isn't."

Porter looked around the kitchen. "I'm thinking that's a good thing. Because damn, man, you can't ever let her loose in here again."

"Yeah. That's a given. Doesn't help me figure out where she is now."

"Knowing Macie, when she realized she'd lost the battle with," Porter pointed to the charred meat in the trashcan, "whatever that poor creature was, she probably went in search of other food."

The light went on for both of them at the same time. "Sparks Barbeque," they said in unison.

"I'll fire up the truck," Porter offered.

"You don't have to run into town with me."

Porter shrugged. "I know, but it's that or breathe in this noxious, scorched air. Might grab my own dinner while I'm there."

Twenty minutes later, the two of them had parked the truck. One quick glance around the parking lot told Hank her car wasn't there. "Maybe we missed her."

"Only one way to find out," Porter said, climbing out of the truck. "Let's go inside and ask."

"What are you doing here?" Sydney asked two seconds after he and Porter walked into the restaurant.

"I'm looking for Macie," Hank said, spotting her girlfriends, Lela and Lorelei sitting at the counter. From the looks on their faces, he could tell they were surprised to see him too. Apparently Macie had shared her plans for his birthday with everyone. Not that he should be shocked by that. The woman wasn't known for keeping her thoughts to herself.

"She's at your place, isn't she?" Lorelei asked.

Hank shook his head. "No. The only thing at my place is a bunch of burned food and a path of destruction unlike any I've ever seen before."

Sydney laughed. "I told her fried chicken was tough and she was going to have to concentrate."

"Yeah," Hank sighed. "It definitely went south, and now she's not there. I can only assume she got upset when everything went to hell and took off. Any idea where she would go?"

"It's Macie," Adele said as she wiped the counter. "She could be anywhere. Did you try to call her?"

"Yeah. She left her cell behind."

Adele laughed. "God, I don't even know why she owns a phone. She never remembers to carry the damn thing anywhere."

Lela patted Hank on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Once she calms down, she'll come back."

"Does she run away often?" he asked, unable to shake the feeling that didn't sound much like Macie.

Lela shook her head. "No. Never. But she's never really been in love like this before. She wanted today to be special. Knowing her, once plan A failed, she went out in search of plan B."

"Oh yeah. It's probably plan B," Adele said in agreement.

"What was plan B?" Hank asked.

Adele shrugged though it was apparent she had a hunch.

"Where is she, Addie?" Porter asked.

Hank looked up, surprised by his friend's overly familiar tone with Macie's sister.

"I hate that nickname," Adele said, arms crossed. "And I told you. I don't know. Besides, this is all your fault anyway. Telling Macie about how special Sharon made Coop's birthday every year and how he didn't celebrate it last year without her."

"You told her that too?" Hank asked, exasperated. Clearly, Macie had felt a great deal of pressure to make the day perfect. And given the current state of his kitchen, she was upset at failing.

Before Porter could answer, Adele's phone beeped with an incoming text. She snickered.

"Macie?" Hank asked.

Adele nodded. "Yeah. She wants me to swing by KFC to pick up a bucket and deliver it to your place."

"So she's back at the ranch?"

Adele grinned. "I'm gonna say yes, since that's where her phone is."

Hank chuckled. "Shit. Yeah. Forgot about that. Don't worry about the chicken, Adele. I'll grab some on the way home. Save you a trip."

Adele groaned. "She's going to hate that. She really did want your birthday to be perfect."

"It'll be fine." Hank was touched by Macie's efforts.

The bell over the door to the restaurant rang and Macie's aunt, Beverly walked in with a box. "Hey, Adele. Macie wants you to take this cake out to the ranch. It's for…" She spotted Hank standing there. "What are you doing here?"

Hank grinned and pointed to the box. "My birthday cake?"

Beverly looked as if she wanted to lie, but in the end, she just handed it to him. "Happy Birthday. Hope you like chocolate."

Hank accepted the box. "I love it. We better get rolling, Porter. I don't want to be late to my birthday supper."

Porter rolled his eyes. "The one you're buying? Why don't you head on back? I'll catch a ride with Addie later."

Adele scowled. "No, you won't. I don't live anywhere near the ranch."

Porter appeared to ignore her words. "What time do you get off, Addie?

Adele threw up her hand. "I'm not talking to you as long as you persist in calling me that. And I'm sure as hell not driving you home."

She walked back to the kitchen and, to Hank's amazement, Porter started to follow her. "Catch you later, Coop."

Hank's curiosity about Porter and Adele was short-lived, his excitement about his birthday dinner growing. He hopped in his truck, swung through the drive-thru at the KFC for a bucket, and then headed home.

Macie's car was parked in its usual spot when he arrived.

He wasn't two steps in the front door when he heard her in the kitchen. From the sounds of things, she hadn't finished the cleanup.

When he walked into the kitchen, he realized she hadn't made much headway at all. At least ninety percent of the disaster he'd witnessed earlier remained.

"Shit," she said when she looked up and spotted him. Then she saw the bucket of chicken and the cake box in his hands. "Where did you get that?"

"I was at the restaurant when you texted Adele and your aunt. Told them I'd save them a trip."

His response appeared to be the last straw.

Macie sank down in a chair and bowed her head, exhaustion and frustration taking over. "Shit." Her voice broke. She was near tears.

Hank set the food down on the table and knelt in front of her. "Hey now. Don't do that, Whiskey. This is the perfect birthday surprise."

She glanced up at that, almost sneering. "Oh yeah. Just perfect." She gestured at the destroyed kitchen. "I burned the chicken. The mashed potatoes are chunky and sort of raw. And I don't have a fucking clue what happened to that cake. The kitchen's a wreck. I owe you a skillet, by the way."

He lifted one shoulder casually, trying very hard not to laugh. "I still owe you a nightie, so we'll call it even."

"Sharon gave you perfect birthdays. All I've given you is a gigantic mess."

"Stop it. I don't ever want to hear you compare yourself to her again. It's not a competition, Macie. Jesus. You're you and she was her. You're not the same woman, and I sure as hell don't want or expect you to be."

"You would think you being sweet about this would help, but it doesn't. Just makes me feel worse." She sniffled. "You even had to buy your own dinner. And it's in a bucket, not on nice plates. Just feels like I'm not really cut out for this."

"For what?"

"Ranch life. I mean, what do I contribute around here? I can't cook for the hands or you. There are more wrinkles in a shirt after I iron it than before. And I typically get my apartment cleaned through blackmail."

"Blackmail?"

"Adele's no angel."

Hank didn't bother to hide his grin anymore, which only served to tweak Macie even more. Clearly she thought he was laughing at her.

"Anything else?" he asked, deciding it was probably good that they got all this out on the table now. He wasn't sure what had gotten her so down on herself, but he'd noticed a definite change in the last week or so. Given her usual overabundance of confidence, he hated seeing her questioning her worth.

"I'm not overly fond of horses. Or cows—lot of flies come with those damn cows. I grew up in town, so I'm used to streetlights. It gets really fucking dark out here. Like, unnaturally dark."

"So you don't want to live on the ranch?"

Her eyes widened. "I didn't say that. I just said I didn't grow up like this. I'm pretty sure there are things I should—or could—be doing to pitch in that I don't even know about. Like," she waved her hand around, "mucking a stall or something."

"You want to clean up horse shit?"

She crinkled her nose. "Christ, no. I'm just making a point. And you're being contrary on purpose."

Hank got up from the floor, dragging a chair over so he could sit close to her. "You're right. I am. Because nothing you're saying makes sense. I pay ranch hands to muck the stalls. I'm not dating you because I want a housekeeper or a cook. I could pay somebody to do that too. Or, like you said, I could just blackmail your sister. By the way, what's going on with Adele and Porter?"

"I have no idea. It started a few days ago."

"Are they fighting?"

She shrugged. "I think it looks a lot like sexual tension. Which is weird because I didn't think they ever really talked to each other beyond her taking his order at the restaurant."

"Yeah." The squirrel he'd tossed in her path only distracted her for a minute. Then she looked around the kitchen again, and he could see fresh tears filling her pretty brown eyes.

"Macie. Don't cry. I mean it. There's nothing here to cry about. This is probably one of the best birthdays I've ever had."

"You're just being nice."

"No. I'm not. You can't cook and you know that. Even so, you stepped way out of your comfort zone to try it. For me. That's one of the nicest things anybody's ever done for me, Whiskey."

"I thought after last year's birthday…"

"Porter really filled you in on everything, didn't he?"

"I asked."

"I got wasted. Locked myself in the living room and fell into a bottle of whiskey. Not my brightest move. Paid for it with the mother of all hangovers for two days after."

"That's why I wanted to make sure this year was different."

He cupped her cheek and then, because he couldn't resist her a second longer, he kissed her. "You did, believe me."

He grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant different in a good way. All this room makes me want to do is fall into my own bottle of bourbon."

"That's funny. I look around and feel really good. Every single thing in here shows me how much you care about me. And that is the best gift a man could ever get."

Macie softened in his arms, and he sensed some of the tension seeping out of her. He hoped—prayed—that he'd set her mind at ease once and for all.

Then he realized he knew exactly how to relax her even more. He kissed her again, letting his hands drift to her breasts.

The second he touched her, she gasped. "Oh! Your gift! I forgot."

He tightened his grip on her. "The only thing I want to unwrap right now is you, in my bed."

She shrugged off his hold and hopped up quickly. "This can't wait. Sorry." She darted across the kitchen to the mudroom in the back. She opened the door and bent down to pick something up.

When she turned around, she had a squirming puppy in her arms. Around its neck, she'd tied a big red bow.

Hank was speechless as she returned to him.

"Porter said you love dogs, but you never had one because Sharon was deathly afraid of them. Said something about her being bitten when she was younger."

"You got me a puppy?"

She bit her lip. "That was stupid, wasn't it? Pets are horrible presents, I know that. I mean, God, I just saddled you with a bunch of work, and they're expensive and?—"

"You got me a puppy," he repeated.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. That's where I was when you came home and found the mess. I was supposed to pick her up earlier, but Rodney was late getting home from his granddaughter's birthday party in Douglas."

"Can I hold her?"

Macie held the wiggly dog out to him. "Of course you can. She's yours…if you want to keep her."

The second the puppy was in his arms, Hank fell in love. The dog tried to climb his chest and suddenly his face was covered with sloppy kisses as she licked every part of him she could reach. Hank laughed and realized Macie really had given him the best birthday ever.

"What's her name?" he asked.

"She doesn't have one yet."

He looked at the sweet dog and studied her face. "Sally. She looks like a Sally."

Macie stared at the dog, then shrugged. "Yeah. I guess she kind of does. So, you like her?"

"I love her. Jesus, Mace. This is…" He swallowed, surprised by the lump that had formed in his throat. This time last year, he'd been in the darkest place imaginable. Alone, angry at the world.

This year, he had the sweetest, silliest, sexiest woman giving him puppies and making him laugh and burning his favorite dinner.

"This is perfect. All of it."

He wasn't sure what she saw in his face or heard in his tone, but for the first time since he'd walked into the kitchen, she appeared to believe what he was saying.

"She's adorable, isn't she? I mean she's a mutt, part black lab, part whodunit. Rodney said she'll probably get pretty big."

"Macie?"

"Yeah?"

"Get upstairs. Now."

She giggled. "What about the chicken?"

"Take the bucket with you. We'll eat it cold, in bed, after."

Macie picked up the KFC bucket and headed for the stairs. Hank considered putting the puppy down for all of two seconds, and then decided to bring her along. He wasn't quite ready to put the sweet girl down yet.

Macie narrowed her eyes when they reached the top of the stairs. "You're going to be one of those people who spoils his pet beyond reason, aren't you?"

Hank grinned. "Yep."

"Dog in the bed with us?"

He laughed as they entered his bedroom. "Only when we're sleeping."

Macie rolled her eyes. "You heard the part about Sally being a big dog, right?"

Hank tossed an extra blanket on the floor, creating a makeshift dog bed for Sally. The puppy crawled onto it and laid down, her chin on her paws as she sleepily watched the two of them.

"I'll buy a bigger bed. Figure we'll need one once kids come along anyway."

Though it didn't happen often, every now and again, Hank was able to render Macie speechless…for a few seconds.

"That was a hell of a leap."

"Told you from the beginning where we were headed, Whiskey. My goals haven't changed. If anything, I'm anxious to jump to the next part. This past month with you has only made me greedy for more."

"Like kids more?"

He nodded. "I'm not getting any younger, Mace. In fact, as of today, I'm another year older. Forty-two. I'd like to have babies while I'm still able to pick them up." Hank hadn't intended to bring up this conversation, but seeing the squirming puppy in Macie's arms downstairs had fired up a mess of desires he'd kept on the back burner for most of his life.

Hank wanted to be a father. Wanted to have kids with Macie.

"When do you get your next birth control shot?"

Macie's forehead creased as she did some mental calculations. "Um…" Apparently the date clicked and she winced. "I was due last week."

"Don't get it."

"You're insane. We've dated one month, Hank. If this is some sort of midlife crisis, brought on by the birthday and the puppy, then I think you need to take a couple steps back and think a little harder on all of this. We're still working out the relationship bumps."

"What bumps?"

Macie's nose crinkled adorably as she clearly tried to come up with something. "Well." She paused, and then, because she obviously couldn't think of anything, she raised her hands as if she'd proven some point. "And there you have it. The fact that there haven't been any proves that this is still the honeymoon phase. You can't make life-altering decisions in the midst of all this amazing sex. You gotta let it get old, have a few fights."

"So we can't discuss having kids until we're sick of sex and pissed off at each other?"

She lifted one shoulder. She appeared to realize how silly that sounded, but Macie never backed down easy. "Uhhhh…yeah. Exactly."

"Whiskey?" Hank said, stepping close enough he could grasp her waist with his hands.

"Yeah?"

"I'm never going to get sick of fucking you. And I'm pretty sure there's nothing you could do that would piss me off for long."

She chuckled. "Give me time."

"I want to make babies with you. How long do those damn shots last?"

"The one I get lasts three months."

"Can we compromise?"

She tilted her head curiously. "How?"

"Instead of getting the shot again, how about you go on the Pill? We can take it one month at a time. Until I wear you down."

Macie grinned. "Cocky bastard. You really think you're going to win this argument, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yep." He turned her away from him, so that her back was pressed against his chest, both of them facing the bed. "Imagine the two of us in that bed, Whiskey. With a couple of squirming kids between us."

"The kids and the dog are going to be in the bed with us?"

"Just on nights when they're scared—if it's storming or they have a bad dream or wet the bed."

"You're going to spoil our kids as much as the damn dog."

Hank's hands tightened on her waist when she said the word our. Much as Macie might demur and try to play the common sense card, deep down she knew the same thing he did. Even if she struggled to admit it.

They were going to get married. They were going to have a family.

"Don't worry so much, Whiskey. I'm going to spoil you too." As he spoke, he lifted the hem of her shirt, tugging it over her head. Within seconds, she was naked, still facing away from him as he reached around to cup her breasts.

Their conversation had stirred up too many emotions in him. He took her nipples between his thumbs and index fingers and applied pressure, pinching them until she gasped.

"Hank." His name fell out on a whisper.

"Speaking of spoiling," he murmured as he kissed her bare shoulder. "Get on the bed. Hands and knees. I bought you a present."

"But it's your birthday."

"This gift is for both of us." He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the vibrator that had arrived in the mail yesterday. He'd spent the weekend doing a little online sex-toy shopping while Macie had been at work.

The vibrator was just one thing he'd purchased, but he intended to introduce her to the rest of his stash one kinky night at a time.

He placed the vibrator on the bed next to her, letting her see it, letting her overactive imagination play out all the ways he'd use it on her, as he dug for the lube as well.

"I'm guessing you didn't buy condoms."

"Does the shot wear off that quickly?"

She shook her head, slowly. "No, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Oh, I don't have a fucking clue. I'll call tomorrow about switching over to the Pill."

He grinned. He'd won the first battle.

Uncapping the lube, he squeezed some into her ass. Macie jerked briefly in surprise, but he'd anticipated the response. His free hand gripped her hip tightly, holding her in place as he added even more.

"Have to admit that wasn't what I'd envisioned when you put that vibrator on the bed."

Hank placed a kiss in the middle of her back. "Figured you might want a taste of what it would have been like to take two men to bed with you."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Not sure Porter would like knowing you're replacing him with that vibrator. It's not exactly," she hesitated, "big."

Hank laughed. "You'll be glad I didn't grab a bigger model in a second." Picking up the toy, he placed the tip at her anus, enjoying her shiver of arousal. Macie hadn't shied away from anything he'd done with her. To her.

Her desires seemed to match his perfectly.

Slowly, he pressed the vibrator deeper. He'd fucked her ass a few times with just his fingers. The vibrator was smooth and narrow and it slid in with ease. Macie's back arched as it went deeper, and her soft moan told him she liked the sensation.

Hell, pretty soon they were both going to enjoy the new toy. Once it was seated to the hilt, he turned the vibrator on slow.

Macie jerked again. "Oh. Oh my God."

"You like that?"

She nodded.

Hank always swore he'd go slow with her, take his time, tease and tantalize her. And he failed in that endeavor. Every time.

The image of Macie on her hands and knees with the slender toy vibrating in her sexy ass was more than he could take.

He put the head of his cock against the opening to her hot, wet pussy and shoved in. His forward thrust pushed the vibrator as well. He could feel the pulsations along the top of his dick, the sensation so overwhelming, he had to stop for a minute to suck in some much-needed air. He needed to get a grip or this was going to be over before it started.

Hank gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and fought for control, as Macie unwittingly did everything in her power to destroy him. She didn't appear to have noticed he'd stilled. How could she when the sexy minx was working overtime to grab her own pleasure?

She'd begun thrusting back and forth on his cock, her little sex sounds driving him wild. When she reached down to rub her clit, Hank realized it was time to take over before it was too late.

Gripping her wrists, he tugged them roughly behind her back. It was something he did often. One, because he loved it, and two, because it never failed to make Macie's pussy clench even tighter against him. The woman loved being restrained, rendered helpless.

His abrupt actions sent her head and upper chest down to the mattress, leaving her ass in the air. As such, his cock went in even deeper.

Hank leaned over, rummaging through the nightstand again. He'd intended to pull the toys out one by one over several nights, but he wanted both hands free tonight. Grabbing the fur-lined handcuffs he'd bought, he clicked them onto her wrists, which were still resting at the base of her back.

The new form of bondage provoked the right response. Macie's body trembled with arousal, her inner muscles tightening down on his cock so hard he saw stars.

"Fuck, Macie. You're so sexy, baby. So fucking gorgeous."

Much as she liked to talk, in bed, she liked to listen. His words of praise worked against her own struggle for control. And when he reached around her hip to touch her clit, it was game over.

She cried out loudly as she came. Hard.

So fucking hard.

It took all the strength in his body not to follow. Once her climax waned, he held still. He pretended he was giving her time to recover, but the reprieve was all for him. He wasn't finished with her. Not by a long shot.

After a few minutes, Hank was ready. He cranked the vibrator in her ass on high, gripped her hips tightly and took her. Forcefully.

Macie's hands were clenched in fists at her back, even as she sought for some semblance of control. Somehow she managed to find a way to push back each time he thrust forward, urging him on with her moans and pleas.

God. He loved her.

"Harder," she demanded. "Fuck. Harder, Hank!"

Reaching up, he grasped a handful of her hair, tugging it to lift her chest off the bed until her bound hands were pressed tight against his stomach. He used his hold to turn her head so he could kiss her.

Wrapping his free hand around her waist, he found her clit, rubbing the small nub. She was soaking wet, making it easy to stroke the sensitive spot with so much speed, she came again within seconds.

"Motherfucker," she choked out as her body shook roughly.

Between the vibrator in her ass and her pussy's tight clench, Hank was a goner. He pushed her chest back down to the mattress, cupped her shoulders to hold her still and gave in to every desire, every need, every fucking impulse he had to fuck her until they both died.

He couldn't get enough of her. He never would.

Macie came once more. Or maybe her last climax was still going. Either way, it rang the death knell for Hank. His balls tightened and then he erupted, his cock pulsing as he came.

Macie's legs gave way mere seconds after the last drop filled her, and her body collapsed completely, leaving her facedown on the mattress.

Hank tugged the vibrator free without turning it off, loving the way it sent one more soft shudder through Macie's exhausted body.

Then he shut the thing off and tossed it onto the nightstand. Rummaging for the keys to the cuffs, he freed her hands. Macie remained lifeless through it all and he wondered if she'd fallen asleep.

As if on cue, Sally left her makeshift dog bed and walked over to his side of the bed, whining softly.

He chuckled as he picked the puppy up and placed her at the foot of the mattress. Content now that she was closer, the dog settled in, leaving no doubt she'd claimed that spot forever.

"You big softie," Macie mumbled, though she didn't lift her head to look at him.

Hank slid next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he kissed the back of her head. "How mad will it make you to know I'm hoping I put a couple strong swimmers inside you just now?"

He lifted his head just in time to see the corner of Macie's lips tip upward. "You're insane," she whispered, repeating the same sentiment she'd made earlier. "And you're taking me down with you."

"How so?"

"I'm sort of hoping one of the little guys breaks through as well. But I'm pretty sure that's the afterglow talking. Tomorrow, I'll be reasonable again."

"Let me know when that common sense kicks back in."

"Why?"

"I plan to fuck it out of you again."

Macie chuckled, then sighed. "Happy birthday, Hank Cooper."

He knew she was asleep the second after she'd spoken, so he didn't bother to reply.

Instead, he kissed her soft shoulder, glanced down at his adorable puppy and then lay there with a big-ass grin on his face until sleep claimed him as well.

Best birthday ever.