King's Fancy Read online

  Her moans of pleasure had King spiraling out of control. She was taking him, all of him. His lust. His passion. If he didn’t slow down, this would be over far too soon.

  Uncertainty gripped Fancy’s heart when she felt his pace slow down. Had she done something wrong? “Why are we stopping?”

  They were both slick with perspiration and King licked a salty line across the top of her breast, flicking her nipple with his tongue. “No one’s stopping, I’m just trying to make it last.” To prove his point, he lifted Fancy high and dropped her down on top of his swollen cock again, forging deep.

  Fancy gasped as the shock and pleasure went through her. King hammered deep inside of her, whispering in her ear. “You want more of that?”

  Fancy was unable to answer audibly. Her breath had been stolen. Instead, she bit his lip, yanked on his hair, and tightened her grip around his neck, telling King all he needed to know. He lifted her again and brought her down hard on his cock – over and over until Fancy was writhing in a cloud of pure bliss. She was close, so close.

  Sliding his hand between them, he found her hot button, and proceeded to rub it relentlessly – tweaking, tugging, pinching – until he could feel her inner walls begin to squeeze him, rippling, massaging and milking every inch of his cock.

  “Oh, God, King, this is so good!”

  Pride washed over him. This was his woman and he was pleasing her. Him. “Now, Fancy. Let go for me. Now!”

  She heard him, and she obeyed. Raking her nails down his arms, she rode a tidal wave that was mounting higher and higher. She could’ve stopped a steam engine easier than she could have staved off the bliss building in her core. “King!” Fancy cried. “I love you, King!”

  He was so far gone, he heard the rapture in Fancy’s voice without comprehending her words. Holding her tight, King took her with all the intensity, with all the passion in his heart and soul. Slamming deep, he ground against her, and when his own white-hot explosion came, he buried his face in her neck and chanted her name like a prayer. “Fancy, my Fancy.”

  The feel of King erupting inside of her made Fancy feel complete and she held him as he held her and together they touched the sky.

  Long moments later, Fancy recalled how she’d spoken words of love, words that had not been reciprocated – exactly. She remembered he’d called her his own, mine he’d said. As she nestled against him, while he stroked her hair, she had to wonder – was being King’s Fancy enough?

  * * *

  In contrast to the first night she’d spent in King’s arms, this night was one of turmoil. She couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t rest. Fancy questioned everything, especially the wisdom of her decision. She’d given her heart to a man who might not want it.

  This morning, when King awoke, he found her dressed and sitting by the window. She wasn’t taking any drastic steps, not yet. After much thought, she’d decided to go along with her previous decision and bide her time. If there was any possibility he could love her, she had to take the chance. What she needed to do now, was confess her dealings with the neighbor ladies before word reached him some other way.

  “What are you doing up so early? And dressed?” He’d given her a mischievous grin and held out his hand. “You know how I like to begin my mornings…with breakfast in bed.”

  As tempting as he might be, she had other things on her mind.

  “King, I need to tell you something.”

  He wasn’t in the mood to talk. His cock was hard and aching, but he couldn’t ignore the odd tone in her voice. “All right, I’m listening.”

  She rose from her place and stepped away, putting extra distance between them. “You had visitors yesterday and I think I acted less than hospitable.”

  “Visitors? Who?” He couldn’t imagine Fancy being anything but cordial to anyone.

  “Gladys Hewitt and her very beautiful sister. They came to see you and I gave them tea.”

  “Okay, why were they here?” As if he didn’t know.

  “I’m not sure, other than they wanted to tell you that a man came by their farm asking for you and that Gladys wanted you to meet Mavis.”

  He ignored the part about Mavis. “What man was asking about me?” He immediately thought of Jubal Pierce.

  “They didn’t say, he might not have told them, or perhaps he just told Mr. Hewitt.”

  King rose from the bed and began to dress. “Anything else?”

  Fancy bristled. “When I was out of the room, they inspected everything. I could see them from where I stood in the kitchen.”

  King chuckled at the thought. “Foolish biddies. Good thing I don’t have anything to hide. What else?”

  Fancy hung her head, letting her hair partially cover her face. “They made it clear that they hoped you would court Mavis and when you did, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay.”

  “I have no plans to court Mavis.”

  Fancy felt a burden lift, yet there was still more to tell. She shifted uneasily on her feet. “I…got jealous.”

  King tensed a little. “Jealous? What did you say?”

  “I didn’t say anything about us, but I implied we had plans to host a party soon.”

  “A party?” King shook his head, chuckling. “Well, I guess we’ll have to throw a party, won’t we? Is that all?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t like the way they were talking to me, so I asked them to leave. They thought I was impertinent.”

  This time King laughed out loud. “I would like to see you impertinent.”

  “You aren’t mad?”

  “I don’t want our personal business fanned out for the public to pick apart, but we can’t stop people from gossiping. For as long as you’re under my protection, we’ll do what we can to quell those rumors.”

  At first, she thought his words were soothing…and then they sank in.

  For as long as you’re under my protection.

  Is that what he meant?

  A finite amount of time?

  Not forever.

  * * *

  As she cooked breakfast, Fancy weighed every word King had said to her in their time together. She hashed and rehashed every moment. Every time he smiled at her, she looked for a hidden meaning, for love in his gaze. She couldn’t eat for worrying what the future might hold.

  After breakfast, things became even more complicated. Before King left, he kissed her in front of God and everybody. The men had watched indulgently, and the roof hadn’t caved in. He’d held her hand and told her he’d be back soon…and then he’d said the magic words...

  “Tonight, we’ll go for a walk in the moonlight. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  Glory be!

  Now, her head was spinning, and her thoughts were going crazy. What was he going to say? Would he tell her he loved her? Would he propose? She wanted to run to him, grab him by the collar and demand that he reveal to her whatever he was going to say - now!

  She rubbed her eyes and tried to calm down. He was probably going to talk to her about making new curtains or weaving a rug.

  To settle her nerves, she’d come to work in the garden. Hoeing weeds was a very therapeutic exercise when a person was unsettled. Fancy swung the sharp blade and cut down every offending weed she could find. The nasty little buggers weren’t going to be allowed to smother her tiny plants. With every stroke of the implement, she felt as if she were slicing through her own obsessions, exposing them to the harsh light of day. For too long she’d let her fears and insecurities rule her world.

  It was time she was brave. It was time she was positive. It was time for her to expect good things to happen to her. Not since her parents and Thomas died had she ever mattered to anyone, and this was her greatest wish. She knew she soaked up every bit of attention anyone gave her, almost as if she was starving for it. Without a doubt, this what she was doing with King. Fancy shook with a full body shiver.

  Waiting all day to find out what he would say to her might kill her.


  “Whoa! Whoa there, Suze!”

  Hearing the strange voice, she propped the hoe up on the fence and made her way to the front yard. To her surprise, a covered wagon was parked in the front and a grizzled man sat on the buckboard, talking to his horse, who wore a straw hat on its head. “We’re finally here, Susie Q. I’ll get you some oats soon, just be patient.”

  Fancy couldn’t imagine who their visitor could be. “Hello, may I help you?”

  The gentleman looked up and squinted at her, spitting a stream of tobacco juice to her right that made Fancy jump out of the way.

  “I’m Stinky Rodriguez, little lady. I’m here about the job. I know I’m early, I was supposed to go on one more cattle drive, but I changed my mind.” He stretched. “These old bones are tired.”

  “Job?”

  She repeated the word weakly, remembering what Domino had told them about the cattle drive cook saying he’d stop by to discuss terms. The day she’d learned about this was the day Beauty had been stolen and she’d almost been cat food. It was also the day King had kissed her and kissed her, telling her that he’d come to his senses – that he wanted her. Just her.

  Since then, she’d put this out of her mind. Forgotten about it. Pretended this day would never come.

  And now, it was here.

  “You look a mite pale. Can you tell me where I could find Kingston Ramsay? I’m here to discuss terms of employment.”

  Fancy hung her head. “I’m not sure. You can check in the barn, someone will know where he is.”

  For her part, she couldn’t stand still another moment. Turning on her heels, she fled into the house and raced to her room. Opening the small wardrobe, she pulled out her ragged reticule. She didn’t want to take the clothes he’d bought, but what choice did she have? She didn’t own anything else. After pacing back and forth, she settled on taking the dress she was wearing and leaving everything else. Especially the pink dress, she didn’t want the pink dress.

  As she put things aside, she picked up the lace handkerchief. This she would keep to remember King by, she could use it to keep her other treasure safe. Spreading it out, she opened a drawer and took out the coin that her childhood friend had given her. The boy she’d only known for one day. The boy she’d never been able to forget. Placing the coin on the handkerchief, she was about to tie it into a knot, when the tears began to fall.

  How could she leave? How could she walk away?

  She loved him.

  Sinking to her knees, she cried her heart out.

  “How could he do this to me?”

  As she sobbed, the words he’d spoken this morning rang in her ears.

  Tonight, we’ll go for a walk in the moonlight. There’s something I need to talk to you about.

  What did he mean? She needed to know.

  For the first time, she decided to put some steel in her spine and stand up for herself. Throwing her flaming red hair over her shoulder, she ran out of the house to find King. She was going to come right out and ask him – did he love her or not? Did he plan on marrying her or not? Was she important to him or not?

  Running out to the barn, she looked around. Where was everyone? Even Stinky Rodriguez had disappeared. Checking every out building, she began to call his name. “King? King? Where are you?”

  When he didn’t answer, she went to the barn, ready to ride out to find him. This was too important to wait. Finding a pair of reins, she approached one of the horses. “Okay, I did this once, I can do it again. I’m brave.”

  She was just about to open the stall door when a voice came out of nowhere.

  “You might be brave, but you’re still as ugly as sin. I never understood why they named you Fancy, you should’ve been called Fido. Woof! Woof!”

  Startled and shocked, Fancy whirled around to find Jubal Pierce, the man from Hearts and Hands. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I came to see an old friend. We have a few things to settle between us. He owes me.”

  Fancy backed up from him, not liking the menacing look she could see in his eye. “I’m not sure where King is, I was just about to go find him.”

  “Oh, you’re not going anywhere, Red.” He grabbed her arm. “Kingston Ramsay stole from me and I’ve come to take from him what he values the most.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tried to pull away.

  “I know, it’s strange.” He began dragging her out of the barn and around to the side next to the woods. “I’ve been in town for a few days talking to people. And I’ve been lurking around the ranch and watching all of you. At first, I thought the ranch was King’s prize possession. I planned on burning his house and barn to the ground. Then, after observing things for a while, I thought his prize possession might be his cattle, so I killed a couple and he got angry, but he didn’t seem hurt.” He steered Fancy to a wagon parked on the far side of the barn. “And I want him to hurt.”

  “I don’t know what you mean!” Fancy struggled and struggled, but Jubal Pierce was strong. His fingernails were long and digging into her arm. “Let me go! King!”

  “Shut up, I’m talking!” He shoved her in the back of the wagon and picked up a length of rope. “There’s no use calling for him, they’re all down by the river, looking at another cow I killed.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe.” He pulled her hands behind her back and tied them tight. “King is crazy for sure. Imagine my surprise when I find out what he values the most in the world is you!”

  Fancy laughed. “That’s not true, that’s not true at all.”

  “Oh, it is. I’ve watched him. I watched you two at the river. I’ve even stood at his window and watched you two in bed. So, if I want to hurt him, if I want to destroy what he loves the most – it has to be you.”

  The thought of Pierce watching them horrified her, her skin crawled at the thought.

  But the rest of what he said…made her think…

  “You’re wrong, King loves his home. He loves his friends. I’m not the best bargaining chip.” Even in her fear, she felt hope. This man was crazy, obviously. But what if he was right? What if King did want her in his life. “Let me go! Please!” If King did love her, she didn’t want to die.

  “Time to be quiet.” He crammed the rag in her mouth, then pushed her to the wagon bed. “Just settle down, this will be over soon. He’ll find you with your throat cut like the cattle – and I will have my revenge.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I’m sorry, King. We didn’t hear or see a thing last night.” Domino said as he and Reno stood by King over the body of another dead Longhorn. The cow had been killed in the same manner as the others, her throat slashed from one side to the other.

  “This is crazy. I just don’t understand it. We’ve got to stop this before we lose our whole herd,” Reno said as he tied his long black hair back with a strip of leather.

  “I agree. This is just sick,” King observed with a long exhale. “I’m just afraid the nut that’s doing this will start attacking people next. I don’t think we’re safe in our beds, to tell you the truth.” He raised his head to look back toward the ranch. “With the others out searching the ranch, we probably shouldn’t leave Fancy and Ace unprotected.”

  “I agree.” Domino nodded. “Why don’t you go on back now.”

  Reno followed King’s gaze, shielding his eyes to look closer. “What in the world? Look up on the ridge. Who’s that coming in a wagon?”

  Domino let out a frustrated whistle as the visitor drew closer, the wagon making its own music as pots and pans hanging from hooks on the sides of the buckboard clanked together. “Well, I’ll be damn. I’d almost forgotten about him. King, that’s Rodriguez, the cattle drive cook you wanted to hire. I guess he decided to come early.”

  King walked forward to meet the wagon, his mind whirling with possibilities. When he’d issued this man the offer of a position, he didn’t know he was going to fall head over spurs for his little redhead.r />
  “You aren’t going to send Fancy away, are you?” Reno asked with an edge to his voice.

  King looked at him like he was crazy. “Hell, no. I was just debating with myself about asking Rodriguez to stay to make Fancy’s life easier.”

  As the wagon creaked and groaned, covering the last five hundred yards or so down the hill, King recalled how he hadn’t slept forty winks the night before. He’d lain in the bed awake, holding Fancy to him, working through his feelings and the fact that his vision of the future was fast changing. As the moonlight shone through the window, he’d gazed at Fancy’s beautiful face and recalled her telling him she loved him, not once – but twice - while they’d been making love. He was ashamed that he hadn’t responded. He should have, because he loved her to distraction. His only excuse was that he’d been struck dumb, too caught up in the rapture of passion to enunciate words he’d thought to never say to anyone ever again.

  “Does she know this?” Domino asked. “Have you told her how you feel?”

  “Not yet,” he muttered with regret.

  “I distinctly remember you telling her that she could stay until Rodriguez arrived,” Reno reminded him. “She doesn’t still think that, does she?”

  King frowned. “Hell, I hope not. I know I’ve been hardheaded.” She’d come into his life like a Texas tornado, turning his world upside down. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. “I intend to tell her tonight. I plan on getting down on one knee and asking her to be my wife.”

  “Maybe she didn’t even see Rodriguez come through, so she won’t misunderstand what’s going on.” Domino said as he moved forward with King to greet the cook, raising a hand in welcome. “Hello, Stinky!”

  “King, I hope Fancy’s not up at the cabin, thinking her time here is over,” Reno muttered, hanging back a little bit.

  King nodded. “I’ll go up there as soon as I talk to this fella.”

  He moved forward and introduced himself. “I’m Kingston Ramsay.”

  “Rodriguez. Good to know you.” The old man climbed down from the wagon. “I understand you’re looking for a cook.”