Heart of a Cowboy (Heart of Colorado #1)

Epilogue

4 months later

Corinne hurriedly took the cake out of the oven, setting the pan on a cooling rack before putting the finishing touches on dinner. Tonight was a special night. It was Ryne’s birthday. He’d been out all day, working in the fields, tending the animals, and readying the crops for harvest. He hadn’t even come home for his midday meal. She knew he was famished. 

As the cake cooled, she readied his favorite dinner: chicken and dumplings with vegetables, made sweet tea, coffee, and even bread for bread and butter. 

Her thoughts were a-flurry with details until she saw him riding towards the house. She suddenly went into overdrive getting water ready for a bath, setting clean clothes out for him, and making sure he had a large glass of water when he walked in. Corinne knew she had about fifteen more minutes before he actually made his way inside. He still had to brush down his horse and all of that. 

Her mind went back to their wedding day.

*****

“Welcome home, Mrs. Wilkinson.” Ryne said in a deep, husky voice as he picked her up under her knees and carried her into their house. 

The scent from the kitchen filled her nostrils with a delicious fragrance. A note on the parlor table said there was food in the oven; a slow cooked ham with sweet potatoes and cornbread waited for them. 

Ryne set her down on her feet and kissed her deeply, but this was even more private and personal than even the kiss they shared outside the church. A hunger stirred within her as his lips caressed hers. She knew it would build to an incredible evening of romance and passion. 

He stopped short, sending a wanton moan out of Corinne involuntarily.

“Are you hungry? I, for one, am starving.” The look in his eye told Corinne he wasn’t just referring to the meal. 

“HMM, we can eat in a little while. I’m ready to change. This dress, though beautiful, is not the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn. Without seeming too forward, I will need help with the buttons in the back.” 

Ryne’s grin broadened. “I’m always willing to do my part.” He laughed as he all but pulled her toward their bedroom, which he’d added on to the house when they’d returned from Boulder. His kisses branded her lips once more before they ate their wedding dinner and retired for the night. 

*****

Corinne shook her head. The memories of that night, and almost every night since then, crowded her brain. She was amazed that the mere thought of Ryne’s lovemaking still sent shivers through her being. 

As she finished pouring the water into the bathtub, she heard the door open. Her heart skipped a beat. She rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the glass and handed it to him. He quickly finished it and then gathered her in his arms, kissing her with more intensity than he had in a few days. 

“I’ve been thinking about that kiss all day. It took every ounce of my will to stay out and work when I would rather have come home and spend the afternoon in bed with my wife.” Corinne blushed at his intimate words. 

With a grin, she led him to their bathroom, part of the new addition to the bedroom. 

“Get cleaned up while I put the finishing touches on your cake.” She whispered, kissing Ryne’s chest as she removed his shirt.

“Love, you can be downright cruel to a man.” He tried to pout, but he was too busy just trying to keep a straight face.

“There’s plenty of time for that later. Dinner’s done and I know you’re hungry. Besides, I have a little surprise for you.” She grinned, winked, and purposely walked out slowly, swaying her backside. Ryne groaned, and she giggled as she went back to the kitchen.