Chapter Ten
Reba
The kittens were too tiny for her to risk giving them a sedative for the flight. But luckily, they weren't fretting because they had full bellies. She and Shane made it a point to keep their fingers through the holes of the carriers when they were allowed to have them on their lap after take-off. Although, she had to steady his when he fell asleep.
It was fun to take a last-minute flight to another state. This wasn't something that she got to do very often. Usually when they traveled, she was the driver. And she certainly never had a handsome man sitting next to her—even if this handsome man was snoring his fool head off.
She nibbled on a cookie and watched out the window of the airplane, fretting a little bit about whether the change in cabin pressure would affect the kittens.
"Don't worry, guys," she said. "Once we get you to the Viking Ranch, you'll be at your forever home. There will be lots of food, mice, and people to love you." At least, she hoped so. To be honest, she didn't know how his family had reacted when Shane told them there would be four more mouths to feed. But the Viking Ranch had a stellar reputation and who didn't love kittens, really?
Still, she was a little nervous about meeting his father and brother. Would he introduce her as his girlfriend? Were they even boyfriend and girlfriend? She would like to be. Reba did catch the bouquet at LeAnn's wedding after all. Of course, she had to elbow Dolly in the tit in order to steal it away from her.
Shane woke up about half an hour before landing. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I can't wait to show you around the ranch," he said.
"I'm looking forward to it, too."
"I've got to warn you, though, my father can be a little abrasive sometimes."
"That's okay," Reba said. "So, can I."
Because they had only carry-ons and the kittens, they deplaned and went right out to grab a rental car.
"I don't suppose you want to stop at a liquor store for a bottle of whiskey to give me a little liquid courage?" she asked.
"Not that you'll need it," he said. "But trust me, there will be a full bar available for you as soon as we get to the house."
They made it to his ranch in record time, but Reba was exhausted. She didn't think she could handle a big family thing right now. But it didn't look like she was going to have a choice. Shane's family was waiting for them on the porch. His mom and dad stood up as they came up the driveway. A pretty woman with red hair and freckles and a younger man who had to be Shane's brother were there, too. The redhead came bounding down the stairs and took one of the cat carriers from Reba. "Are these the kittens? I can't wait to see them."
"Hello to you, too, Lainey," Shane said.
"Right," Lainey said, flustered. "I'm Lainey Evans." She held out her hand to Reba. "I'm a big fan of your sister."
"Hi, I'm Reba Keller." Reba remembered Shane telling her that Lainey was his brother Rick's long-time girlfriend. "LeAnn's something else, isn't she?"
"Are you a bull rider, too?" Shane's father asked.
Reba could see where Shane got his piercing eyes and forbidding scowl from. Shane's mother rolled her eyes behind her husband's back.
"This is Dr. Reba Keller," Shane said, emphasizing the word doctor. He handed Lainey the other cat carrier and hugged his mother. "Reba, this is my dad, Bill, and my mother, Mary."
"It's nice to meet you. You have a beautiful home," Reba said.
"My brother, Rick." Shane pointed to a younger version of himself who was standing in the doorway of the house.
"Come inside," Mary said warmly.
"Can I get you guys a beer?" Rick asked, holding the door open for them.
"That would be great," Reba said. She cautiously moved around Bill, who was still glowering at her suspiciously.
Everybody piled into the house. Rick handed her an ice-cold beer and gestured to the large but cozy family room. She gratefully sank into an overstuffed chair and immediately wished she could kick off her boots and close her eyes. Everyone got drinks and sat down as well. Shane's father turned on the TV. Rick reached over and turned the sound down.
"I was watching that," Bill said.
"I'll put on the closed captions." Mary fiddled with a few buttons.
Bill made a face and turned back to scowl at Reba. "So what are you a doctor of?"
"I'm a veterinarian," Reba said.
"You take care of kittens?" He pointed to the four little ones that Lainey had freed from their carriers. She and Mary had sat on the floor and were feeding them from the snack tubes. The kittens were mewing and pawing in an adorable manner.
"I mostly do large farm animals."
It was like the sun suddenly came out. "Oh really?" Bill said, now all smiles.
"Here we go," Shane said.
"Before we start in on that…" Mary said. "You mentioned that you had some important news to tell us." She looked from Reba to Shane. "Isn't this rather sudden?"
Reba choked on her beer.
"No, it's not like that," Shane said, shooting Reba an apologetic look. "Reba agreed to come with me to help with the kittens."
"So you're not pregnant or getting married?" Mary asked, disappointment flashing over her face.
Reba put the beer bottle down on the coaster on the table before she had an accident.
"No," Reba said.
"Mom, really." Shane sighed. "I wanted to wait until tomorrow morning when we were all rested, but I hadn't realized you were playing guessing games."
Lainey shrugged. "I thought it might be you were getting back into bull riding."
Shane shot his brother an incredulous look. Where was all this coming from?
"I kept my mouth shut," Rick said.
"You know what this is all about?" Lainey looked hurt and betrayed.
"You're not getting back into bull riding, are you, son?" Mary asked.
"Fu—" Shane corrected himself. "Of course not. What I wanted to discuss in person has to do with the UPRC's new rules for the bull breeders that are providing livestock."
"What bullshit hoops do we have to jump through now?" Bill asked.
"Starting next season, they're only going to be using three bull breeders."
Mary slumped and put her head in her hands. "We worked so hard to get in there. Why did they have to move the goal post?"
"Who gives a shit?" Bill said. "We don't need them anyway."
"Actually, they want us to be one of three breeders."
Mary looked up in shock. "Really?"
"What's the catch?" Bill said.
"The catch is we have to be exclusive to them for five years."
Bill was already shaking his head.
"Are they paying for the privilege?" Mary asked.
Shane nodded. "They sent me over the terms and contract via email. I'll send it to you guys to review."
"I don't want to read on the tiny screen. Go print it out," Mary said.
"Read it over," Shane said, getting up. "We can discuss it tomorrow. Reba and I have had a full day and we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I want to take her out around the ranch. Let's plan on discussing what we're going to do over dinner."
"Fine," Bill said. "But I don't think I like this deal."
"Lainey, can you show Reba to the guest room. I want to talk to Shane for a bit," Mary said.
"Sure, I'd be glad to." Lainey gently dumped one of the kittens into Mary's lap and got up.
Reba hoped Shane could convince his parents.
"I think this would be good for ranch," Shane said.
Reba gave a small smile of encouragement to Shane. Picking up her overnight bag, she followed Lainey up the stairs. The guest bedroom looked like something out of a cozy retreat. There was a large king-size bed covered with an antique wedding-ring quilt.
"How long have you been dating Shane?" Lainey asked.
Good question."Not too long."
"Well, I hope you're in it for the long run," Lainey said sadly. "I've been dating Rick since high school." She showed Reba the back of her left hand. "No ring yet. And not one in sight, either."
"It's way too early for that for us," Reba said. "Shane and I are just enjoying each other's company."
"That's nice." Lainey showed her the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom and handed her a set of fluffy blue towels. "Sometimes, I forget what that's like. Especially when you live in a small town like this and every day someone asks you: so when are you two ever getting married?"
"I can see how that would be uncomfortable." They talked about the care of the kittens, while Reba unpacked. By the time she was finished, Reba was satisfied that Lainey would check in on the kittens daily, and make sure they were well taken care of.
"I'm here for several hours every day anyway. And I love cats, so this is a real treat. I can't believe you got Shane to adopt all four, the big softy."
"He was the one who found them, after all," Reba said. "Or maybe they found him."
"I'll leave you to get settled," Lainey said. She gave Reba her phone number in case she needed anything. "I'll see you at dinner tomorrow."
After she left, Reba took a quick shower and got into her nightgown. She was near dead on her feet. The bed beckoned and she got under the covers. She planned on reading a bit to settle down before going to sleep.
She was surprised at a soft knock on her door about half an hour later. It was Shane.
"Congratulations," he said. "You survived the first round."
"What happens in the next round?" Reba asked, smiling as she put away the book she was reading.
"That's when you dodge my father as he tries to get free veterinarian services on all thousand head of our cattle."
"That's a lot of exams," Reba said.
"I'd avoid him at all costs unless you're with me," he said. "I won't let him be a pest, but if he does catch you alone, be firm and don't be afraid to set boundaries."
"I'll try."
"So, are you tired?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to her.
"Depends on what you had in mind. Jogging? Yes, way too tired. Having more mind-blowing sex? I'm all in."
"Excellent." He reached under the covers and picked her up in his arms.
She gave a little shriek. "Shane, what are you doing?"
"I'm taking you back to my bed, where you're going to sleep all night with me after I lick and kiss every single inch of you."
Reba shivered, her toes curling at his husky words.
"No need to keep it down, either," he said. "My father's deaf as a post and my mother wears headphones so she doesn't have to hear him snore."
"What makes you think I'm going to get loud?"
"Trust me."
He carried her out of the room and down the hall like she weighed nothing. He nudged open a solid onyx door with his foot and then lightly kicked it closed behind him. Shane's bedroom looked like paradise to her. It was three times as big as hers in the RV. Another king-sized bed was in the center of the room. Above the bed was a large skylight through which Reba could see the stars overhead.
"Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?" he asked, gently putting her down. Shane made short work of pulling her soft cotton nightgown over her head. She wasn't wearing anything underneath that.
"Not today," she said, resisting the urge to cover up. She wasn't used to anyone looking at her with such frank admiration.
Reba kissed down his strong muscled chest, sinking to her knees before him. She unbuckled his pants and pushed them down to his ankles. After he stepped out of them and kicked them aside, she gripped his hardness in her hand.
"Now that's a pretty sight," he said huskily.
Cupping his balls, she ran her thumb lightly over them and licked up his shaft. "You taste good," she said and swirled her tongue around him.
He gripped his fingers through her hair and brought her mouth down on him. "Why don't you show me what you can do with that pretty mouth of yours," he said.
Reba drew him slowly in and out of her mouth, dragging her tongue and just a trace of teeth alongside him.
Shane groaned in appreciation and pushed deeper into her throat. She let him control her head as he rocked his hips slowly. She looked up at him, mesmerized by the sweet play of emotion on his face. She liked giving him pleasure like this.
"Maybe I'm the one who's going to get loud," he said, his breath heavy.
Reba increased her efforts, never taking her eyes off him as she pleasured him with her mouth. His muscled ass felt good as she squeezed it.
"Sweetheart." He gasped as she swallowed around him and moaned.
He clenched and lost control, swearing softly and incoherently.
When she finished him, Reba let him slowly out of her mouth with a soft pop and kissed back up his chest.
"That was incredible," he said. Shane laid her down on the bed and spread her legs wide so he could return the favor.
The rasp of his beard on her inner thighs made her aquiver in anticipation. Shane took his time, licking and probing her sensitive spots with his tongue before lapping away at her tiny bud.
Now it was her turn to grip his hair and guide his mouth to where she wanted it. His soft sucking made her eyes cross with pleasure and she felt sweet pressure build up as she moved her hips in time with his mouth on her core.
"Shane," she whispered, every inch of her on fire for him.
Trembling with each pass of his tongue inside her, Reba stared up at the night sky. The stars seemed to twinkle just for them, and she moaned long and loud as the orgasm built up in her and then cascaded over until her back arched and she gripped the bedspread as she shook apart.
Reba was barely aware of Shane putting on a condom. He lay on his back and pulled her on top of him. She teased her breasts in his face while they fumbled to put him inside her. When he slipped in, she sank down hard, gasping at his thickness.
"Come here, sweetheart," he said, taking her breast in his hand to guide her nipple into his mouth.
Reba bounced on him, while he sat up, holding her tight so he could play with her chest and suck hard on her nipples while she rode him. She liked being in control, liked how their bodies contorted so they could give each other maximum pleasure.
Her thrusts became too vigorous for him to hold on and he fell back to the pillows. Shane kept his hands on her hips as she went wild, loving the hard feel of him hitting all the right places. The friction was sweet. Reba was desperate to reach that pinnacle again. She groaned his name, and he cupped her swinging breasts to tease her nipples again.
"Oh," she cried out over and over again. Every plunge of his body into hers was sweet torture and she wanted it harder, deeper, longer.
She shook her hair, arched her back and held on to his shoulders while she rode him. It took more than eight seconds, more than eight minutes, but she was on the ride of her life.
"Coming," Reba shrieked, and Shane grinned.
"Fuck yeah," he said.
Squeezing him, she shuddered and quaked. Her mouth opened in a startled cry as the pleasure rushed through her, shredding any sense of self-control she had. Sagging, Reba let him roll her over until he was on top.
And then it began again. Her ankles hooked behind his back, Reba gripped his strong biceps and kissed him fiercely as he pounded into her. The bed was making a racket and she was glad they wouldn't be overheard because Shane was taking her to places she had never even imagined of.
She came again as his body relentlessly drilled into her. Moaning into his mouth, she welcomed his returning shout as he shuddered and emptied himself inside her. Shaking and breathing heavily, she still couldn't stop kissing him and another tiny starburst of pleasure thrilled through her as he pulled out.
"I could get used to this," he said, kissing her once more before leaving to go clean up.
"Me, too." She sighed, watching his muscled ass as he went into the bathroom.