Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 18
“Casey girl, you’re looking mighty good today,” Ridge said to his wife later that morning, as she passed him in the ranch suite where they often stayed.
“You said the same thing last night,” she answered with a breathy laugh. Casey enjoyed staying at the ranch, but found herself talking in whispers, as if in a museum. When in fact they were completely isolated from the rest of the family.
“It was true last night, and it’s true now.”
Ridge reached out for her hand and pulled her to him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he sunk his face into the warmth of her neck and kissed the lines of her jaw as she worked her arms up and down the muscles of his arms and shoulders. She seemed to enjoy his strength, he noted, like other women enjoyed ice cream, or fancy coffee drinks. Probably because she’d been on her own for so many years. Casey drew courage from her husband, breathing him in with great appreciation.
He made sure that every day she knew beyond a doubt that he would be strong for her, and that he cherished her. Ridge was making up for lost time. He couldn’t imagine a beautiful woman such as Casey having to wait until practically fifty years old to know the love of a good man. It was boastful to think of himself as such, he knew, but in comparison to the lowlife who crushed her heart and her business back in Phoenix, he was an undisputed saint.
So he wooed her and courted her. Flirted with her. He sent fresh flowers to her office and fancy boxes of chocolate-covered cherries. In the night, Ridge kissed the place on her neck that made her inhale sharply and reach for him, and caressed her arms and neck in the dark until she fell soundly asleep.
This was no “rocking chairs-on-the-porch” sunset marriage—Ridge West was working harder and more intentionally than he ever had. After being the man who rescued Casey from a blizzard and a pack of ravenous wolves, he refused to live by halves. In other words, the way he’d been carrying on since the death of Randi Lynn.
As a result, he could swear Casey West looked younger and more youthful each day as cares were stripped away from her heavy heart. Secretly, it was Ridge’s new benchmark for success. Putting that vulture, Casey’s ex, behind bars, had been a guilty pleasure.
The scumbag wouldn’t stay locked up forever. Just long enough to mark him guilty for his embezzlement, and for the local newspaper to absolve Casey of the pain she felt at leaving her father’s real estate business in ruins. As a result, she was more at ease returning to Phoenix and visiting her childhood home—which had been thoughtfully renovated into a retreat for the two of them.
The guilty verdict also triggered a restraining order, following the dude’s attempts at blackmail.
All in all, their first years of marriage didn’t have the same highlights as other newlyweds, but both Ridge and Casey came with a bit of baggage, which they both eagerly signed on to help each other carry. Now, they could put the more unpleasant things behind them and just enjoy each other’s company.
“It’s great having Ash home,” Casey said as they sat with their mid-morning coffee in their private rooms.
While they were in Europe after their wedding, Kat had the suite completely updated with plush carpet, sage green walls, and decadent crown moldings. She hung new paintings, and brought in swivel club chairs with a shared ottoman so the couple to enjoy the view of the gorge. Thanks to a polished walnut butler’s pantry, they could make their own coffee and toast in the morning when they wanted to linger.
“He’s looking good,” Ridge agreed. “Says he might move into his bungalow for the summer, though. I don’t know how I feel about that.”
Casey shrugged.
“He’s finding his way,” she said. “He’s not a kid anymore, or a student. Certainly his neighbors in town are easier on the eyes than his family.”
Ash’s bungalow, which he inherited from his grandmother, sat next to the Parks Place rental that Freda and Sassy were living in for the summer. Ridge grumbled once he connected those dots.
“More reason for Ash not to move there.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“I like that Sassy,” he said carefully, “she’s just… too pretty. That could be trouble.”
Casey frowned at the comment, but didn’t have to say anything.
“Oh, I know how bad that sounded, and I’m sorry,” Ridge said. “I just sense she’s going back home after the summer, and I hate to see Ash get hurt. But I can’t protect him from pain—he’s a grown man now.”