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“Don’t forget you asked for them, baby.” He pulled me to him and I placed my hand against his warm chest. “I look forward to the payback.” He grinned as his eyes fluttered closed again.
I watched the fog drift down the mountain all morning, and it made me anxious. The school decided it was too dangerous to be out, so Cooper was spending the night at Kristin’s where he would be spoiled.
The evening wore on and there was no sign of anyone. I’d never been afraid in this house, but tonight I was. There was something different in the air and it felt sinister. The shrill ring from the phone on the wall made me jump ten feet into the air. Running to it, I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Hi baby.”
“Oh my God, where are you?”
“We made it to Mom’s, more like we just happened to stumble upon it.” He chuckled but I didn’t find anything funny about it. “Cooper at Kristin’s?
“Yeah, he is. I’m glad you’re all safe.” I sighed, taking slow breaths. I tried to slow down my heart rate. “What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about. I’ll be home in a bit.”
“You’re not coming home, Kipp Miller. You’re safe at your mom’s. Stay there.”
“I’m not leaving you home alone.” His voice was forceful and I knew no matter what I said he wouldn’t listen.
“Kipp, you won’t do me or Cooper any good by not making it back here. Stay where you are.” I hung up the phone because I didn’t want to listen to him being a macho man. I loved him more than words could describe but he was stubborn and liked to argue.
Packing up supper, I put it into the fridge and went to the living room. The nagging feeling didn’t go away, so I made sure all the doors were locked. I turned on a movie and thought about the fact that I was alone in the house at night for the first time since I’d been here. I wasn’t fully alone, I was surrounded by photos of the generations of Kipp’s family on the wall. A large black-and-white picture of his father overlooked the entire room. I’d found it in Julie’s photo albums and asked if I could make a reprint. A magazine photographer had taken it when they ran an article years ago about the Miller family and what they meant to the area. Kipp looked so much like Miller, there were times I walked by the picture and had to take a second glance. If Kipp aged like his dad, I would never tire of staring at him.
Looking up at the dark square exposed timbers meant this part of the house was original, his great grandfather had built it. The large stone fireplace sat in the middle of the room, the fire I’d started crackled and flickered, making the room warm and inviting. Three photos in beautiful silver frames lined the mantle. When I first got here, I never imagined that one day soon we’d add a fourth beside the generations that had gone before.
The first time Kipp caught me staring at them he said, “It reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing. On the long days after branding, during the harsh winter when we lose calves before we can get to them or during the sweltering summer when the dugouts go dry and we have to move the herd into the mountains for better water, but then have to watch for bears and wolves. Some days, it would be easy to quit, but I would be quitting them too.” He’d stood beside me, holding my hand, which was the same pose as those three couples in front of us. Even at that moment, I didn’t let my mind go to the place I’m at now.
Exhaustion had set in and I melted into the couch. Pounding on the door shook me out of the hypnosis of Sweet Home Alabama. My heart raced, and I walked through the kitchen, peeking through the window to see if I could see anyone. I screamed bloody murder as a face suddenly popped through the fog and stared back at me.
“Nora, unlock the goddamn door!” he yelled, getting my attention again.
“Kipp, what the hell are you doing here?” I screamed back. The deadbolt clicked open, and I yanked open the door. He burst through the open doorway, his hat pulled down low, and the collar on his jacket up around his neck. He was covered in ice and freezing as he gathered me in his arms. The roughness of his unshaven face pressing against mine, the grip of his arms holding me to him, his sheer size making me feel like he could protect me from any danger, had my body on fire for him. I didn’t know what had made him feel like he needed to get to me, but right now it didn’t matter. Kipp pulled away and swiftly hooked his arms around my rear end and lifted me up. Wrapping my legs around his waist, his cold belt buckle pressing against my core only separated by the thin nightgown I was wearing, was a shock to my system.
“Thank God you’re safe,” he grumbled as he attacked my neck. We moved away from the door and I kicked it closed. Letting my head fall back and enjoy his lips on my neck, I suddenly realized what he’d said.
“What do you mean about me being safe?” I put my hands on his chest and made his mouth separate from my body.
Putting me down, he took off his boots, his old worn out boots, that now brought him home to me. He hung his coat and hat up before taking a deep breath. “The winter cabin was burned down, and a note on the fence said I better not let you out of my sight.” Kipp held me tighter against him. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you, Cooper, or the baby.”
“What do you mean, baby? I’m not pregnant, Kipp.” I struggled against him and he put me back on the ground.
“You’ve missed two periods since we got back from Texas. You fall asleep standing up, and while you won’t ever hear me complain you can’t have missed the fact your tits are bigger. Like big, big, Nora.” His eyes lowered to my cleavage, and a grin appeared on his face.
I shook my head. He couldn't be right. “I’ll prove it to you that you’ve lost your mind.” Turning, I went to our room and opened my night stand. Pulling out the box of tests I’d bought in the city last time I’d been there, I went to the bathroom. I knew eventually we’d have a slip up, and I was going to need them, and the last place I wanted to buy them was in town. Every nosy woman for a hundred miles would know.
“Nora, you better get out here, or I’m coming in,” he said when I wasn’t coming out of the restroom. I hesitated a moment too long and the door swung open, and he joined me sitting on the edge of the tub. “How long is it supposed to take?”
“The box said five minutes,” I said, not looking at him. I didn’t need to take the test; as soon as he said it, I knew. It’s how I felt with Cooper, and I’d just been so busy I hadn’t been paying attention. We stared at the test on the counter and watched the lines go from one to two. My heart stopped, and I closed my eyes. This wasn’t supposed to happen again, I was supposed to be his wife the next time.
“Nora?” Kipp prodded, putting his hand on my back. I didn’t want to look at him. I knew he’d be happy and I knew I would get there too but this wasn’t the plan. “Hey, I don’t care that we aren’t married yet.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smirk. “My commitment level to you, Cooper, and this baby doesn’t change with a piece of paper. You three are my life.” He held his hand out for me to take.
Wrapping my fingers around his, all my worry disappeared. “This wasn’t the plan,” I whispered, hanging onto him for dear life.
“I think maybe we should stop making one-sided plans, they don’t seem to work out well for us.” He put his finger under my chin and turned my head to him. “I’m here this time, you won’t be alone, you may wish you were, but you’re stuck with me now.”
Reaching up, I placed my hand on his face. “There’s nobody I’d rather be stuck with.” Smiling, I shifted. I traced his bottom lip with my thumb and licked my lips before I kissed him. His tender kisses made my doubt and fear vanish. “We’re going to have a baby,” I whispered.
“Yeah, we are. God, I can’t wait to watch you grow.” He moved his hand from my back to my abdomen. His touch was a balm to my soul. When I’d found out I was pregnant with Cooper I’d cried for days. I didn’t even have the memory of the night it happened. But now, I not only had the memories, I had the man who’d done it. Standing, I held out my hand for him to take. “Where are we going?” he asked, taking it.
