Jess grabbed her suitcase off the bench and tossed it on her bed, her heart aching as the sight of him with those two women reminded her what this was, and more importantly, what it wasn’t. Her initial plan had been to have sex with Mac and walk away when it was over. She stole a glance at her clock and knew she couldn’t just leave without saying good-bye. Truthfully, she should be grateful for all he’d given her, and she wanted to be the bigger person here.
But that was hard when her heart felt as if it had been ripped in two.
Suck it up. You can do this.
Before heading to the lobby to arrange for the next flight, she made her way to his room. She knocked quietly on his door and unease moved through her, worried that she wouldn’t find him alone. He swung it open and a wide smile split Mac’s somber face when he saw her. “You’re awake,” he said quietly. He kicked off his boots and came toward her, then his steps slowed, his glance moving over her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to say good-bye.”
“Good-bye?” He ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell?”
“I know our time is up, Mac.”
“Like hell it is!”
She looked at his still-bare chest. “I saw you coming from the barn with Blake and those two girls.”
He scrubbed his hand through his hair, looking at her as though she’d sprouted a second head, then his brows shot up. “Oh, shit.” He pulled her into his room and shut the door. “Jess,” he began. “You’re the only girl I want in my life.”
“But I saw…”
“What did you really see?”
“I just saw you, Blake, those girls…no shirts.”
He pressed his fingers to hers. “Eleanor foaled last night. She went early. Blake came to get me. You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you, and I thought I’d be back before you woke up.”
Taken aback, she said, “Oh.”
“She had complications last time, so I wanted to be there with her. Sweetheart, believe me, the only one I want to give an authentic cowboy experience to is you. I wasn’t in the loft with anyone. Neither was Blake. He sat up with me all night. And our shirts, well, they got dirty.”
“But I saw those girls, and I just…”
He smiled. “I’m not saying Blake hadn’t been with them earlier in the night. I’m certain he was, but while they slept, he helped me keep watch over Eleanor.”
Feeling suddenly horrible for second-guessing this man, a man who’d done so much for her over the week, a man who was protective, sweet, genuine, and caring, and would go to great lengths for those he cared about, she asked, “Is she okay?”
The warmth in his smile set her heart racing. “Yeah, so is her little filly.”
“She had a girl?”
“Yeah, she’s beautiful.”
She felt her whole world shift, the sensitive side of Mac filling her heart with love. God, there really was more to this man than met the eyes. She took a moment to think back to her first day on the ranch, when he’d asked for her submission, for her to put herself in his hands. Now she knew why. He wanted to push her so he could help her open up, inside the bedroom and out. She might never have done that if she wasn’t under his guidance, his care.
Swallowing the knot punching into her throat, she whispered, “You’re a good man, Mac.”
She detected a glimmer of vulnerability in the depth of his eyes when he said quietly, “I’d do anything for those I care about.”
“I know.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke. I thought I’d be back in time, which is why I didn’t leave a note. I had some business to take care of.”
Just then the sound of a fax coming in caught her attention.
“Right, business first,” she said, sadness invading her gut.
Mac moved to the fax and his body tensed. He shifted so she couldn’t see what he was looking at.
“Mac?” she asked.
“Never business first, Jess.”
Confused, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“I didn’t want you to know.”
She put her hand over her stomach. “Didn’t want me to know what?”
He held a sheet of paper out for her to see. “I didn’t want you to know this, but I can’t let you think I’d put business over you.”
She shook her head, hardly able to believe she was looking at a business campaign for her studio. “I told you I didn’t…I wasn’t looking…”
“I know that. Believe me I know that, but I wanted to do this. For you. Yoga is important to you so it’s important to me, too.”
Her heart soared, amazed that he’d do this for her, but of course, she couldn’t afford such a campaign. “You know I can’t allow you to do this, right?”
“Which is why I didn’t want you to know.”
Her throat tightened, and tears pooled in her eyes. “Mac, you didn’t have to do this for me.”
“I know I didn’t have to. I want to.”
“I can’t afford it, and I’m not about to take something for free.”
He grabbed her hand, dragged her closer. “Who said anything about free?”
She caught the playful look in his eyes. “What are you suggesting?”
“There are other ways to settle a debt.”
Her insides warmed with the love she felt for this man. “You’re a very naughty boy, you know.”
He scooped her up and tossed her on the bed. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I found a very naughty girl.”
“A very good thing, indeed,” she agreed.
“And just for the record, Jess, I told you before I would always be honest with you. So when I told you I’d never put business above those I love, I meant it.”
“You…you love me?”
“Of course I love you!”
He climbed over her, holding her captive beneath him, like he was afraid she might flee. As he kissed her with tenderness and passion, she knew the boy from her past had grown into an incredible man, one she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with.
“And I love you, Tyler Mackenzie.” she said, letting him know she had no desire to run away from him again, and every intention of bedding down with him today, tomorrow, and forever. “I’m pretty sure I always have.”
Epilogue
Six months later
As the plane came to a rolling stop, Jess turned to look at the man who’d stolen her heart, the man she’d recently married and just honeymooned with in Jamaica. A big smile split his handsome face as he unbuckled his seat belt and turned her way.
“Are you ready?” he asked, looking more excited than a small boy on Christmas morning.
She eyed him skeptically. “I’m not sure.” Honestly, she had no idea what he was up to, but was sure it had something to do with the words he whispered in her ear in bed last night as their honeymoon came to an end.
We’ve been fulfilling all your fantasies, now it’s time to fulfill one of mine.
He dropped a soft kiss onto her mouth, and her heart soared. God, she was so crazy in love with him that sometimes it was impossible to breathe. Life had been full of wonderful surprises with Mac, and he always kept her on her toes. Truthfully, she loved his energy as much as he loved her calmness. While they might be opposites, they complemented each other perfectly.
She looked past his shoulders to take in the skim of snow on the ranch. Her hand went to her chest. “Mac, it’s so gorgeous.” She hadn’t been back since last summer, and before they returned home to Nova Scotia, to her flourishing yoga studio thanks to Mac’s help, he said he wanted to take her to the ranch for a special surprise. Something that involved his fantasies, she assumed.
The plane door opened and she found ranch hand Blake coming on board, winter coats and boots for both of them in hand. As she thought about the way Mac had enlisted the man’s help to fulfill one of her many fantasies, her heart warmed. What warmed her even more was knowing Mac hadn’t wanted to share her. He only had because he wanted to give her everything she’d ever desired.