CHAPTER TWELVE

Three weeks later

– MARVIN –

"Are you ready for your present?" I ask when I'm about to open the trailer.

Kathleen rubs her hands, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Get it over with already, I need to see what had you up at the crack of dawn. You've been moving your stuff into the ranch for the past week and I really thought all your stuff was already here. Hell, even your horse, Babe, is in the stables."

"I own more than one horse," I mutter, mainly to myself.

She falls silent as soon as the trailer opens. I get inside to guide out the white Quarter horse that's a carbon copy of Babe.

"Oh my gosh, you couldn't move her because of the foal?" Kathleen gushes when I unload the precious cargo.

Smiling I tell her, "Yeah, I had to wait till Baby had a…baby."

Kathleen shakes her head. "Really? This one is called Baby? With the other white one you own called Babe, I'm almost afraid to ask what you named the foal."

"Dude," I grumble.

Kathleen's head falls back. "Not a mare I assume."

"You assumed correct." I lead both Baby and the foal into the pasture and let them get settled after the long ride home.

Kathleen and I lean on the fence to watch the mare and her foal dart away in the open field.

"They're gorgeous," Kathleen gushes.

I keep my eyes pinned on her when I say, "You are, and that's the horse who was born to be yours, and hopefully the foal will be our kid's horse once we manage to knock you up."

Her gaze meets mine. "How can a horse be born to be mine? How old is she? You've only known me for a few months, most of that time I hated your guts."

"My father bred a horse for his old lady, he's the one who started the tradition. Over time he's had several. Baby, Honey, Darlin', Sugar. His favorite horse was Baby and he trained her especially for his old lady, even if he never met her when he did. When he met the woman he knew was going to be his, he let her ride Baby." Emotions warm my chest and I stare into the distance. "When I was young Baby gave birth to a mare. It was gonna be my horse and I witnessed the birth and told my folks I was gonna call her Babe and train her for my old lady, just like my dad did."

A hand slides over my forearm and I feel her head fall onto my shoulder.

"Babe's seventeen and was my favorite horse until she had a foal, Baby. That mare right there I trained for you 'cause of Babe's age and me not knowing how long it would take for me to find the right woman."

"Was Dude your backup plan?" Kathleen chuckles.

I shake my head. "Nah. I ran across a stallion with a perfect bloodline. I want to keep breeding and training horses. Moving and passing the president patch over to Dean was always the plan. Solving cases I could never do without, but I don't want it to consume me. When my father sent me here all those months ago? It was like he did it on purpose. Hell, maybe Decker and my Dad played matchmaker, knowing what I wanted for my future and how perfectly we'd match."

"I always suspected my father had something to do with the undersheriff retiring," Kathleen muses. "The undersheriff had lunch with my dad and later that day he retired."

"Creating the perfect job for me." I lean my forehead against hers. "We never stood a chance between our parents interfering, our jobs crossing paths, making our souls collide."

"We did collide in more than one way." She brushes her soft lips against mine.

I grab the nape of her neck to keep her in place as I deepen the kiss. Her hands slide to my chest, fists digging into the leather of my cut to pull me close. She groans and pulls back.

Dazed eyes stare right at me. "I love my gift. She's gorgeous and I can't wait to work with her. I'm sure the little nugget growing inside me will be fierce enough to get into the saddle when Dude will be at riding age."

I hear her words but they take a breath or two for my brain to fully process.

Grabbing her by the shoulders I croak, "You're…we…really? We're pregnant?"

One nod from my woman makes happiness flow hot through my veins. "While you were gone I went to the doctor. We're pregnant."

"Fuck yes," I bellow and scoop her into my arms to whirl her around.

Placing her back on her feet, I take her head in my hands and give her a gentle kiss to pour every bit of emotion I'm feeling into it. I'm so fucking thankful to have this woman in my life, to build a future, start a family, and combine everything I love in life. Our jobs, this ranch, life couldn't get more perfect than this moment right here.

"I love you," I tell her against her sweet mouth.

I feel her lips tug into a grin before she gives me the words, "Love you more."

"Good, let's go celebrate." Grabbing her ass, I hoist her up and carry her into our home.

The first two weeks there was a lot of work to be done. Her parents along with a few brothers of my new MC helped out and it also gave me a chance to get to know all the people Kathleen grew up with.

Kathleen couldn't do much and was bound to her desk to catch up on administrative work. When Davey shot her point blank, hitting her Kevlar vest, she bruised her ribs. The bullet that grazed her shoulder only needed a few stitches.

She didn't mind me and the club handling some of the redecorating. The last week we've moved in completely and even her own horses are in the stable along with mine. Being the undersheriff allows us both to work different shifts.

We could easily be around one another all the time, but dividing shifts and tasks around the house suits us just fine. Dean also sent over a file of a cold case we are working on together. It's always good to have fresh eyes on a case that's been stuck for years.

Besides, this small town doesn't have a massive amount of crimes. At least, now it's all back to the quiet town Kathleen told me about with Davey Carville handled. Hopefully, he's the first and last serial killer this town will have to deal with.

I kick the door shut with the heel of my boot and with it leave the world behind us. For now, it's just me and Kathleen, and the tiny little bundle growing in her belly. Fuck. I'm gonna be a dad. Thankfully, we still have months ahead of us to prepare for what's coming.

Nights without sleep is something we're both familiar with being the sheriff and undersheriff of this town. Though, one can hope our kid turns out to be an angel who wants long naps and has the voice of her mother.

She doesn't sing often, but when she knows no one is around? Yeah, she definitely makes my spine tingle with just the sound of her voice. Her mother is a famous country singer, and I know she's joined her on a record or two. Kathleen's ambition was never in the entertainment business. She followed in her father's footsteps, as I did.

Law enforcement runs in our blood. It's what made our paths cross and what we still do day in, and day out. My woman might be pregnant, but I'm sure she'll keep working until she's ready to give birth. Even if it's only behind her desk.

I lay her down on the bed and stare down at the strong woman beneath me. Even if the urge to protect her runs fierce through my veins, I know deep down this woman is capable of handling anything. By supporting her, standing strong together, is how we will handle anything that comes our way.

Peeling away her clothes, I get her naked and am kicking off my boots to shed my clothes as well. Her tits rise and fall when I take my cock in hand and flip the piercing.

"Spread your legs," I order, my voice filled with the lust that's boiling inside my blood.

She follows through and lets her fingers slide down her body to tease her clit.

I bat her hand away. "What did I tell you about touching what's mine?"

"Then you should hurry instead of just standing there with your dick in hand." Oh, the sass of this woman drives me completely nuts.

A growl rips from me and I grab her ankle to flip her over. Bare ass in the air, I let my hand fly out and flick her ass cheek. Mag-fucking-nificent. The way her ass jingles, a red print brands her skin. Everything about her makes my cock harder than steel.

Her pussy drips with desire when I climb on the bed and let my cock slide through the drenched lips of her pussy. She moans and pushes back while at the same time, I surge forward to let her impale herself on my hard length.

I grip her hips to gain balance as I throw my head back and close my eyes. Utter bliss flows through me. I will never get used to this feeling of euphoria. No matter how many times I bury myself inside my woman, pussy, mouth, her delicate fingers wrapped around me or my lips on hers…anything that involves her makes my blood sing.

The chemistry our bodies create is a good indication that we belong together. Starting off our lives to see what we can achieve in the years ahead of us.

I barely manage to hold back my orgasm as I slowly start to fuck her. She moans and fucks me back with determination. Sliding my arm in the direction of her pussy, I feel myself pumping inside her body while I tease her bundle of nerves. She starts to clench around me, already close to the orgasm I'm about to give her.

Speeding up my rhythm I give up. There's no damn way I can hold back when she's driving me nuts. Besides, what's the fucking point if I can fuck her any time during the day? I might need a few minutes to recover but then it's on again.

It's for this reason I pluck her clit and with the other hand tug her nipples, making her go off like fireworks. Her pussy strangles my cock in rapid waves and it's then I grip her hips and tunnel a few more times in and out of her pussy before shoving deep and letting stream after stream of cum coat her insides.

"Fuuuuuuuuck," I bellow.

My heart feels like it's ready to leap out of my damn chest as I try to get oxygen into my burning lungs. My knees buckle and I let myself drop beside her. Cock slides out, cum leaking everywhere and I couldn't give a fuck.

I pull her close and murmur, "Nothing's more perfect than this moment right here."

Sliding a protective hand over her belly, I feel her sigh as a happy smile tugs her adorable lips.

"Couldn't agree more." She turns and lets her mouth find mine.

The kiss turns hot. My cock twitches and doesn't have time to go soft. I might not need a few minutes to regain my strength. This woman is all the life force I need to keep going.