Chapter 41

A Tangled Web

Winona awoke to Raylan softly kissing the back of her neck. She stretched and felt him pressing against her. "Good morning to you, too," she chuckled.

"Didja sleep okay?" His lips moved close to her ear.

"I did," she said, rolling over to face him. "And I know you did."

"Was I snorin'? Sorry. I guess I was pretty tired.

She brushed the hair off his face. "I didn't mind, really. It was nice just knowing you were there."

"I'm here now." He grinned.

"Um hmmm." She smiled into a kiss. "I noticed."

Glancing over at the crib, she asked with a start, "Where's Willa?"

"Your mom came home this mornin' to pick up a few things for Davis and to see her grandsons off to daycare. Your sister went to the hospital for a little bit. I told her we'd be up there, later. Anyways, when I went down for coffee, Margery asked if it'd be alright if she had some 'Grandma Time' with Willa." After a beat, he added in a soft whisper, "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Oh, you didn't, huh?" She kissed him again, and his hand tugged at the hem of her t-shirt. She raised her arms to wriggle out of it.

"I'll make it quick," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I know you want to get to the hospital."

"Oh, I think I can spare a little time, all things considered. But you better make it worth my while," she teased.

"Yes, ma'am." Raylan wasted no time, kissing his way down, pausing briefly at her breasts before continuing on to his destination. Winona gasped and threaded her fingers into his hair, urging him on.

When she was satisfied and had stopped trembling, she reached for him, pulling him back up beside her. "Wow," she murmured.

"That good?" He grinned at her.

She flopped onto her back. "I really needed that."

"I could tell," he said.

Still breathing heavily, she teased, "Give me a second here to recover, and we'll see about what you need."

"What I need is to make a stop at the hospital pharmacy," he gave her arm a squeeze. "I'm outta condoms, and we agreed Willa's brother or sister is gonna be a planned event." He gave her a weak smile. "I can wait. And besides . . . I like it when you owe me one."

"Alright," she giggled. "Game on, Cowboy."

"Hmmm. I'll be thinkin' about that all day long," he suggestively uttered, smiling at the thought of it all.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Before visiting Anna, Raylan stopped at the nurse's station on the surgical floor to find out how Ellstin was doing. As the nurse on duty left to get an update for him, Raylan noticed a couple of guys he'd seen around Noble's Holler down the long hall, in the waiting area.

"He's in good condition after surgery," the young nurse reported when she returned. "He's resting comfortably." She looked up at the marshal. "Are you here to visit him? He already has two ahead of you."

"Naw," Raylan shook his head. "I was one of the marshals who brought him in. I just wanted to know how he was doin' today." He politely tipped the brim of his Stetson and said, "Thanks for the update."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

"So, Ellstin is my uncle?" Anna asked. She pulled her knees up, making a tent of the stiff hospital sheet. Adam squeezed her hand but didn't say anything.

Raylan nodded slowly. "From what he told me, anyways." He went on, explaining what had happened to her biological father, wincing when he had to reveal Andre Dumois' part in it.

Her brown eyes widened. "Did my mother know?"

Raylan assumed she meant her adoptive mother. "I don't think so," he assured her. "I doubt your father would've told her about it. Look," he paced at the end of the bed, talking with his hands. "I'm not defendin' what he did, but from what I know, he and your mama had been wantin' a baby for a long time when they got ya'. He was only tryin' to protect his family. You included."

"And Ellstin is responsible, too," Adam jumped in. "He set up his own brother."

"Again, to protect other people he loved." Raylan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "It is a tangled web. I'll give ya' that."

"And it effected you, too," Anna said, her voice soft. "Your mother . . ."

"Shoulda left Arlo when she had the chance," Raylan finished her sentence.

Anna looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Our lives would've been so different. We could have grown up together."

He swallowed hard and nodded again. "Who knows? Francis might still be alive if she'd listened to Nelson, instead of her sister and Ellstin."

"Or from what you've said, your daddy might have killed all of you," Adam interjected.

"That's true," Raylan admitted. "He was a violent, racist son-of-a-bitch."

"And you had a good life, Anna," Adam leaned in, wiping away a tear. "You love your mother, and your daddy, too, despite your differences. And I know how close you are with your sister."

"You're right." Anna looked from Adam to Raylan. "And now I have the older brother I always wanted, too."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Raylan drove. His conversation with Anna was still fresh on his mind. After a long day at the hospital, on the way back to Gayle's house, Margery sat in the backseat of the Lincoln with her granddaughter.

"He looks so good," the older woman raved, referring to Davis. "I'm thrilled they stepped him down, today. Why . . . he'll be home in no time!"

"Have you and Daddy given any thought about what you might do when he comes home?" Winona asked from the passenger seat. She couldn't help but notice that Raylan hadn't said a word in quite some time. He appeared to be off somewhere in his own head, oblivious to anything but the road ahead of him.

She coyly scooted herself closer to him, reached over, and placed her hand on his thigh. Her fingers slowly began to slither their way up, toward their intended target. She continued to talk to her mother. "I mean, have you thought about whether he'll go back to that dreary retirement place he's in, or will you go back to Miami?"

Suddenly brought back to the 'here and now' and amused with Winona's naughty, bold move, Raylan tried to keep a straight face in the rear view mirror where he made awkward eye contact with his mother-in-law and just as quickly, diverted his gaze. All the while Winona, continued her playful foreplay that was having its desired effect.

Margery answered her daughter. "I was thinking about staying around here a little longer. That is, if you girls don't mind." She glanced down at her granddaughter and shook the monkey up in the air, much to the baby's delight. "I know I'd love to spend more time here with little Willa."

Winona's nimble fingers worked their magic. Becoming aroused to the point of distraction, he turned to her and almost pleaded, "Remember, Dear. I'm drivin' the car."

Unaware of Winona's gamesmanship going on in the front seat, Margery continued. "As a matter of fact . . . How would you two like to have some time alone, tonight? You haven't had any time to yourselves, after that long ordeal you've been through."

Winona's fingers gripped around his growing manhood, methodically milking him into a state of rising pleasure. "I don't know. Raylan? Would you like to have an evening out . . . with me?" She quickened the pace of her skillful strokes. "Just the two of us?"

"Uh. Yeah." Raylan's pelvis involuntarily thrust into Winona's hand. "That'd be real nice." Ever aware of the precious cargo he had on board, he reached down, grabbed Winona's hand, and pulled it away from his throbbing crotch.

"Well, then, it's a date. Isn't it, Willa?" Margery made the monkey dance, evoking shrieks of laughter from the baby.

Still holding her hand in his, Raylan leaned over and whispered into Winona's ear. "You are evil. Deliciously evil."

She smiled at him, satisfied with herself.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Raylan's mouth covered Winona's in a hot, fevered kiss that pinned her against the motel door. Unwilling to divert his attention away from her for even a second, he fumbled with the card key until finally, the door 'clicked.' He pushed the door open, flipped on the light switch, and kicked it closed with his good foot. The lock 'clicked,' again.

Still breathlessly lip-locked, he guided Winona in backwards, until the backs of her legs met with the bed. Kissing all the while, he hurriedly unburdened himself of his car keys, phone, and holstered gun and laid them on the nightstand. Winona's handbag slipped out of her hand and dropped to the floor. The two of them spilled on top of the mattress, each devouring the mouth of the other. They held each other tightly, and Raylan began to writhe against her body, underneath him. Grunts and moans escaped his mouth and entered into hers. She pulled away from his, revealing chapped skin around her mouth and lips from his stubble and the grinding roughness of his kiss.

"Slow down there, Cowboy," she coaxed him in a breathless pant. .

Mindful of his walking cast, Raylan raised up on his knees, grabbed the wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and rifled through it, until he found what he wanted. He tossed the wallet onto the nightstand with the rest of his belongings and frantically unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his Levis. Down came his zipper followed by his jeans and boxers over his hips, revealing to her his full arousal. On went the new condom.

"We're having sex with your boots on?" Winona asked in both disbelief and fascination, in another attempt to slow his pace.

He couldn't be slowed. There was a fire in his eyes, and he answered her by reaching down and pulling up her skirt, grabbing hold of her lacy black panties and easing them down over her hips, pulling them down one leg and over her high heel, and then the other. Tossing them onto the floor, he proceeded to head for the source of her longing for the second time that day. He knew how to play every note of her with his tongue. Combining erotic skill with a little patience, he brought her to where her urgency rose to his level, as evidenced by her little pleasure moans.

Winona fingers dug into his hair to steady herself, and she moved against him. "Raylan." She purred his name. "I'm so close," she gasped, signaling for him to join in her rising urgency. Instead, he continued to play her, steadily increasing the intensity of the notes until she couldn't hold on any longer.

Her body quaked in time with the rhythmic spasms of her release, and Raylan gently rolled her onto her side and entered her from behind. Another moan of immense pleasure escaped her, followed by his own. He marveled as her waves crashed all around him, and he thrust slowly yet deliberately. Her waves slowed, but before they stopped, he rode them back up . . . bringing them to another crescendo. This time, she was ready, and she helped him release his pent up energy. They played their duet to a frenzied culmination of new heights, even for their experienced, long-time coupling.

Afterwards, Raylan held onto her from behind with all his might. His heart beat wildly, against her back.

"My God." Winona's chest heaved, as she lay wrapped in his arms, their bodies quaking in unison. They held onto one another until their breathing slowed and returned to normal. Finally, Winona spoke. "I wish I smoked. I could really use a cigarette about now."

"Hmmmmm." Spent, Raylan smiled, closed his eyes, and nuzzled the back of her neck, taking in the light lilac fragrance of her hair.

She wriggled from his grip and turned to face him. Tenderly placing her fingertips on the side of his face, she asked, "Whatever got into you? That was . . . I never."

"What?" His face screwed up. "Ya' didn't like it?"

"No. I loved it," she explained. "It's just that . . . in all our years, good years. I mean, WOW."

"I'm sorry if ya' had somethin' else planned for tonight. I did kinda jump in and took control there." He smiled. "But in my defense, I've been thinkin' about ya' all day."

She mirrored his smile. "We've played this waiting game before." Not buying his explanation, she pressed further. "No. It's something else."

His eyes searched hers, and he leaned in for a gentle kiss. Then, he came clean. "I thought about ya' when I was in that compound, Winona. About you and Willa. And I thought about what I wanted to do to ya' as soon as I got outta there."

"Ravage my body?" she teased.

"No," he nuzzled his face into her fragrant hair. "I just wanted to be with ya'. Like this."

She melted. "I thought about you, too." Her eyes glistened. "A lot." And then, void of all her defenses, her bottom lip began to tremble and tears began to flow.

"Hey, now. What's this?" he asked with a tenderness in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I told myself I wasn't going to do this."

Raylan hugged her closer. "It's okay. I'm here." He held her as she began to cry. Stroking her hair, he said, "I'm sorry ya' got scared while I was on the case. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"I know," she sniffled. "Anna told me."

"She did?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," Winona said, even laughed a little through her tears. "She asked me not to be so hard on you, this time."

"I noticed. You've been fantastic."

Winona shared, "She told me why you went back into that compound. She and Adam are grateful to you." After a beat, her sniffling subsided, and she asked, "You love her, don't you?"

He thought for a moment, rewinding Anna Rulé in his mind. "Never had a sister before. Let alone one I didn't meet until we were both older." His lips gently kissed Winona's forehead and added, "When she was in that compound, and I had to go in . . . That was the first time she really felt like . . . family."

The two lay there in silence for a moment, until Raylan was the one to break it. "Ya' do understand, I'd have gone in there for Art or Rachel or Tim, too. And they woulda gone in there and done the same for me. Anna's one of us, now. We all have each other's backs."

"You'd have gone in there for me and Willa, too. They are all family. But now, it's a little different with Anna."

"Yeah. It sure is."

"Speaking of family." She changed the subject to one of an admission. "I have a confession to make. I had a hard time with Rachel . . . while we were waiting for news."

"Didja give her a hard time?" He rephrased, getting right to the point, while giving her a supportive squeeze in his arms. "She's in a tough spot when it comes to you. She doesn't enjoy it . . . that power trip she appears to be on. I've learned over the years that's really not what's goin' on with her."

"I know," she said and gently kissed his arm, feeling one of his scabs against her lips. "It's just that Adam and I didn't feel like family, waiting for news. It felt like we were on the outside, looking in. Everyone knew what was going on but us."

"Welcome to my world," he tried to make light. "Art wouldn't have been able to tell ya' anything, either." He sighed. "If it makes ya' feel better, I happen to know Rachel would do most anything for ya'. Tim and Art feel the same way. You're anything but on the outside. They do consider you family. You're my family."

"Thanks for that." She kissed his arm, again. His explanation didn't change the situation, but it did take a little of the sting out of it. Changing the subject again, she asked, "How's Tim?"

"He was released this afternoon. Looks rough, but he should heal up just fine. I'm sure the ladies will be happy that Deputy Marshal Gutterson's baby face remains intact."

Winona gave a little smile. "And Anna?"

"She's s'posed to be released tomorrow, too." He then let out a heavy sigh. "I laid a whole shit load on her about her biological father when I saw her, this afternoon."

She felt him bristle a little. So, that was why he'd been preoccupied on the drive home from the hospital. "That must have been hard."

"It wasn't fun."

After a beat of silence, she guessed, "So . . . are you going to have to go to Chicago?"

"We didn't get that far," he answered. "I left her with a lot to process." Wistfully, he added, "But she's got Adam. He's so good with her."

"She's got you, too," Winona pointed out. "She is one lucky woman."

They lay together, coupled for a little while longer. All talked out and sexed out, Raylan glanced at the digital clock, the red numbers glowing in the dim light. It was just before midnight.

"Guess we'd better leave this 'no tell motel' and head on back to relieve your mother."

"I wish we could stay here like this . . . forever," she said in his arms.

"I propose we resume this position back in the bed . . . over at your sister's." He placed a little kiss on her temple.

"And I propose we start talking about getting a place . . . and a bed of our own. We're a little old to have to find a place to have sex."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she definitively confirmed with a smile, forcing herself to get up and leave those sinewy, protective arms she always wanted to return to.

(To be continued . . .)