“I just ate an orange.” She breathed deeply, enjoying the sound of the water and the feel of Cary’s arms around her and the taste of his lips on hers. “Did you get lunch?”
“I did. Your mom brought sandwiches out.” He nudged her chin up and began kissing her neck. “I’m still hungry though.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s been a while”—he gripped her bottom with both hands—“since I had a really full meal.”
Oh,thaaaatkind of hungry.“Well, in two more months you’ll be able to have…” She started to go cross-eyed from the feel of his mouth on her collarbones. “You’ll get an all-you-can-eat… buffet.”
Cary snorted and stopped kissing her neck. His shoulders started shaking with laughter. “Did you just call yourself an all-you-can-eat buffet?”
“I admit that metaphor got away from me.” She had to smother a laugh. “But you get my point.”
“Two months.” His smile was slow and wide.
“Yep. Just two months.”
Since Emmie and Ox wanted to invite most all the same people to their wedding that Cary and Melissa wanted to invite to theirs, they decided to do a double wedding at the beginning of May. It wasn’t a fancy occasion, but Abby was getting averyfancy dress, lots of friendly people were coming, and there would be an old-fashioned Santa Maria barbecue with lots of beer.
Goat participation was still being negotiated, but the most important thing was that Melissa would be marrying the best man she knew.
It was exactly what she had dreamed of.
“You know, I was thinking about your mom when she brought out lunch,” Cary said. “Is she sure she wants to move? I don’t want her to feel like she has to move out just because I’m moving in.”
Melissa shrugged. “She says we’ll be newlyweds and she wants to give us as much privacy as possible.”
“Okay.” Cary lowered his voice. “Do you think we could get her to take Abby with her?”
“Ha!” She laid her head on Cary’s shoulder. “I have no doubt sleepovers will be common.”
“Careful, I’m sweaty.”
“And I smell like horses.”
He kissed the top of her head. “My favorite.”
Plans were already in the works to build Joan her own cottage on the ranch, but in the meantime, she’d be moving in with Rumi, taking over Cary’s old apartment.
“Personally,” Melissa said, “I think your mom and my mom have wanted to start a wild retired-lady commune for a while now.”
Cary started to laugh. “Really?”
“Just think about it,” Melissa said. “They can sleep in. Only cook for themselves. No laundry to wash but their own. They’ll read all the sexy books Emmie can get her hands on and drink wine all night.”
“You’re right. We may never see them again.”
“I may leave you and Abby to fend for yourself and join them.”
“Really?” Cary kissed her long and hard, pulling her body into his. By the time he let her up for breath, she really was cross-eyed. “Really?”
“No, not really.”
“Good. You know the kid would only use me for brute labor and I’d end up serving the goat queen.”
“I just got a very clear mental picture, and it’s not that far from believable.” Melissa glanced at her watch. “Okay, sexy. We have five more minutes to kiss before I have to go get the goat queen from school.”
“Five minutes?”
“That’s it.”
“Hmm.” He slid his hands up her back, teasing her spine. “That’s not much time.”
“You don’t think so?” Melissa pulled him closer. “I bet you and I could do a lot in five minutes.”
“I told you before, Missy. I never bet against you.”
THE END
