Man Up

Chapter 14

After Shock

Calleigh walked out of the water closet with a sigh of relief. "I needed that, to get the Spangler stink off of me."

She toweled her hair one more time and the damp curls stretched down across her shoulders. "I thought you were going to join me? What happened?" Her half giggle stopped. She dropped her hands, the towel still hanging from her fingers. "Newly?"

He was too close in proximity not to have heard. She could tell, his body was there but her Newly was somewhere far away. Calleigh tossed the towel onto the bed and sat down beside him. She reached over, gently taking his hand and caressing it between hers. "Newly, sweetheart. What's the matter?"

Newly turned; his eyes glazed over from troubling thoughts. Slowly, his wife's concerned face began to materialize in front of him. He blinked several times to bring the present closer and push the past away.

"Calleigh?"

He said her name as though he was surprised to see her. Her smile was followed by a nervous laugh, "Were you expecting someone else?"

The young deputy shook his head; finally, a smile of recognition appeared. He wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her close. When he found her lips, it was more from need than desire. Finally, they pulled apart, and Newly felt stronger, ready to talk.

"I shot that man today, Calleigh, but, I didn't have to."

She looked into his eyes, his soft brown eyes. There were a thousand questions she could ask, but she remained silent, letting him unburden his heart. "It wasn't a wrong that I did, but it was still..." He held her hands between his own and stared into her soul. "All I could see was Abby Rogers' little body, lying bloody and still from what that man did to her, for no reason. I wanted him dead, Calleigh."

Calleigh slipped from the bed and dropped to her knees in front of her husband, desperately wanting to take this pain from him. "Newly, there is a lot of evil in this world. Sometimes it touches us in a way that reveals how ugly it really is. Today, that evil touched you." She held his face in her hands. "But you will never surrender to it, or become a part of it. You will always fight for the Abby Rogers of this world and you will always cry for those who are wronged. That...Newly O'Brian, is why I love you so much."

Newly was caught in the gaze of a love so strong it scared him at times, but he could never survive without it. A real smile—faint, but genuine—forced its way onto his lips. "I think there's still some dirt on your face; maybe you need another bath."

Calleigh grinned as she rose to her feet, pulling Newly up with her. "Maybe I could use one more dip..."

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It seemed to take forever to get the kids asleep. Cooper couldn't stop talking about Pete and Nip. Jake Worth had assigned the boy's safety to two of his most trusted ranch hands. Both men went out of their way to keep the Dillon boy occupied and unaware of the danger surrounding him.

Since this was mostly man talk—after all, Kitty had been at the ranch as well—she kissed the boy and left him to finish sharing the exciting details with Matt.

"They were so great, Daddy! Nip let me ride with him to round up the stray calf that got loose." Cooper kept rising up, as Matt kept trying to tuck him in. "Can I ride with you sometime?"

"I can always use an experienced man." Matt tried again to fold the covers neatly across Cooper's chest. "I was wondering if you were ever going to want to come back to the LadyK. Sounds like Jake's place is pretty special."

"Daddy..." The single word was spoken with such a weary tone. "You know I would never leave you and momma." Cooper wiggled down into the mattress and out of habit, reached up, fingering the edge of the cast metal piece on Matt's shirt. "I heard Mr. Clay talking to Mr. Jake. He said momma saved his life." The boy took his eyes from the badge and blue met blue. "Is she a hero too, like you and Calleigh?"

"Son, your momma is more of hero than either of us will ever be. She is the strongest woman I know."

"Stronger than you?!" his eyes grew wide at the very thought of anyone stronger than his daddy. "But she's a girl." Cooper fought the yawn that was bringing slumber closer. "Is Hadley going to be strong like them?" He closed his eyes surrendering to the sleep. "Cause she's real hard to make behave now."

Matt smiled, completely agreeing with his son's assessment. Matt was tucking the covers back into place when he heard the noise from the doorway.

"Psst." Kitty was peeking around the edge of the door. "Is he asleep?" She whispered.

He nodded and rose from the bed careful not to awaken the boy. "What do you need?"

Kitty laid her hands on the smooth, muscular surface. "Hadley won't go to sleep without a kiss." She took a step back allowing him to leave Cooper's room. "I'll be waiting for you in our room." Whatever her smile left unsaid, the look in her eyes and the lingering touch to his chest, completed.

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Matt closed the bedroom door behind him as he walked into the room. Kitty was in his arms before his hand had left the knob. Their kiss had all the passion these last few days had built up. When they finally parted, two voices in unison cried breathlessly, "I was so worried about you!"

The words spoken in concert gave them a momentary pause, as they smiled at each other. "Great minds." Kitty whispered.

"When I saw Calleigh and Newly riding in to Jake's..." Her eyes again filled with tears. "I didn't see you behind them at first..." The memory was too hard for her bear.

"Hey, I'm here. Everyone is okay." He rained kisses across her face. "I keep thinking about you and Garren Stinner, the things he had done to other women." Matt's breath was warm on her face, as his lips brushed softly when he spoke, "Oh, Kitty, please don't ever do something like that again." The thought caused him to hold her tighter.

Their lips remained locked, while they pulled and tugged at the cumbersome garments, until they stood skin-to-skin. Kitty backed toward the bed, pulling Matt with her, until they fell, landing with a thud. His lips wandered hungrily down her neck, as his hands slid down the smooth curve of her body, the feel of her satin skin warm against his fingers. A throbbing ache possessed his body as he pulled her closer to him.

His tongue found solace once again in the sweetness of her mouth, while his fingers probed deeply into the warm, moist place he longed to be. Strong, fingers reached farther, converting her whimpering into a guttural cry of pleasure. Kitty had become like a fine instrument, responding to his touch in perfect harmony. Matt played her like a gifted musician, never missing a beat until the final note sounded.

Like a sleeping beast, Matt's desire had waited, but now it was awake and demanding to be fed. Raising himself up, so that his massive physique loomed over her delicate form, completed the gothic image that symbolized his ravenous need. He did not devour her savagely, but invaded her slowly, in a gentle, but powerful thrust. Penetrating so deep, it evoked a gasp from each of them. For a moment, he was still, savoring the sweet taste of his prey; but soon he became restless. Matt relinquished control to his desire and his movements intensified. Kitty's body was the perfect hostess. Warm. Willing. Eager.

Suddenly, nature took control of them both, as Matt lunged forward, a white heat searing through his body like a Nova, increasing its intensity as it traveled. Again, he cried out her name, but she was beyond hearing. She too had fallen into an abyss of sheer ecstasy.

Exhausted but sated, he fell beside her. The silence of the room was broken only with the sound of two bodies each searching for that elusive breath. It was the low rumbling of his laugh that prompted her to look up into his face. "Private joke?"

Matt slipped his arm beneath her, pulling Kitty closer. "I always thought that somewhere there was a bullet with my name on it."

He paused long enough to place a kiss to her temple. "Now, I'm thinking instead, that someday your lovin' is going to kill me; and that would be... a most wonderful way to go."

FIN