“Hunter,” she cried out.“Please…”
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered as he slipped his fingers into her folds again.
“You, I need you!”she sobbed, grabbing the bedding in her hands.
As he hoisted himself above her, her hands slipped around his shoulders.“Now, please…”
“Look at me?”he said, his eyes nearly black.Slowly, painfully slowly he inched inside of her.
With an impatient cry, she wrapped her legs around him, bringing him home.
“Willow, babe, this… you…” Their eyes locked, his words dried up and he moved.
“I’ll never forget tonight,” she gasped.
“Told you when we made love, you wouldn’t forget it, remember?”His voice was raspy with emotion as he increased the pace.
Trembling with need, she quickly matched his rhythm, keeping up even when he moved faster and faster.She tried to focus her eyes on his face, she didn’t want to miss anything, but this time the wind was merciless and way too strong.Without any sympathy, she was flung far up a steep mountain and with a cry she broke free.
As she came apart, the last thing she heard was her name on his lips.
*
Somewhere toward dawn,they managed to fall asleep for a little while, but Hunter’s body wasn’t satiated, not by a long shot.They’d showered together earlier.What should’ve taken a few minutes because he wanted Willow back in bed, ended up being another leisurely discovery of each other’s bodies.He simply couldn’t resist her after he glimpsed her naked body behind glass.The water ran cold before they’d returned to bed.
Turning on his side, he pulled her close to him.Maybe spooning with her like this, would relieve this frantic need to become a part of her again.Like him, she’d hardly slept, and she was leaving in a few hours’ time.She needed to rest.
But as their legs entwined, she pushed her bottom against him.“Mmm, ready for me again?”she asked groggily.Without turning around, her hand moved back, and she touched him.“Wow, cowboy,” she chuckled.“This is impressive.You are impressive.”
“Ignore it, you should try and get some sleep.”
Her hand continued to stroke him up and down.“And waste this?Not on your life.”And lifting her top leg, she gave him access.
“Damn, Willow…” was all he managed to say before he slipped into her.As her heat welcomed him home, he pulled her tightly against him.
As their pace quickly increased, he buried his face in her hair.How the hell was he supposed to live without her?
*
It was stilldark when Willow stopped at the family graveyard on the ranch.Tears were streaming down her face, she had tried to stop them, but she had no control over it.Damn it, she hated crying.
There was no way she could face Hunter this morning and not tell him how she felt.So, she’d quietly slipped away without waking him up.Fortunately, her bag was already packed and in her car.
Both paintings she’d made of him were still in her studio.Greg Davis, the owner of the gallery had assured her he could arrange for a company to pick up any other paintings she had even if they weren’t quite dry yet.
In the end, she’d decided she couldn’t take them to the exhibition.At this point she couldn’t bear to part with them.Also, she and Hunter weren’t engaged any longer, but anyone looking at those paintings would be able to see how she felt about him.
She hadn’t planned on making this stop, but Cooper’s words had somehow surfaced during the night, and here she was, ready totalkto Walker.As she got out, she switched on the light on her phone.Damn, it was cold, and the wind didn’t help.
It was way too dark to see anything about the surroundings, but she’d been here often enough, it was easy to conjure up the bare, tall cottonwood trees surrounding the graveyard, the gorgeous view from here of Yellowstone National Park, the snowcapped peaks of the Absaroka Range and the Gallatin River.The quiet peace she always experienced when she came here welcomed her back.
As she opened the gate, she tried to wipe the tears from her wet, cold face but it was no use, they seemed to have a mind of their own.Sniffing, she moved down the row of graves from her great-grandfather’s, past her great-grandmother’s, her grandpa, and their nana.In front of her dad’s grave, she stopped.
Crouching down, she touched the grave.“I’ve finally found someone like you, Dad, but he’s not staying.”For a moment she saw her dad as she always remembered him—on his favorite horse, laughing.He’d loved this land, the cattle, his family.
Slowly she got up and moved to Madeline, Hayden’s first wife’s grave.Touching the cold stone, she had trouble breathing.“He’s happy, Maddie.Luke, too.He has your eyes.We all still miss you.”
As a soft sigh filled the air around Willow, she moved to Walker’s grave, and hands in the pockets of her coat, she stared at the engraving on his stone.Walker Weston—you were loved.
