His to Claim
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Brenda Jackson
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17
One
Thurston McRoy, called Mac by all who knew him, got out of his rental vehicle and slid the keys into the pocket of his jeans. There was a dark blue sedan parked in his driveway.
At two in the morning.
It looked like a brand-new luxury Lexus and had a Georgia license plate. The only people he knew who lived in Georgia were his parents. Was this their vehicle?
They would often visit Virginia to check on his wife, Teri, and the kids whenever he was away for long periods of time. With his work as a navy SEAL, he often took part in missions where he was out of communication with his family. He appreciated his parents for all they did to make his work easier on his family. However, he was surprised to see their car here, tonight. Over the last year or so, they’d begun staying at a nearby hotel whenever they came to town. Unfortunately, there were no longer any spare rooms at the McRoy house.
The last time Mac had come home, he’d discovered Teri had given Tia, their oldest daughter of nine, her own room—namely the spare room. According to Teri, Tia was at the age where she now wanted privacy from her three younger sisters, Tatum, Tempest and Tasha. But did she have to take the only spare room in the house? The one that doubled as his man cave whenever he came home?
He and Teri had always talked about buying a bigger place. Frankly, he had more than enough means to make it happen thanks to the investments he’d made on the advice of his friend and teammate, Bane Westmoreland. However, over the past several years, he’d been gone a lot, sent on several missions, and he was too hands-on to even think of letting her make such a major purchase like that without him. He knew exactly what he wanted in a home and Teri knew what she wanted. And their wants were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. She wanted a two-story home and he wanted ranch style. The fewer stairs he had to climb, the better.
Tonight, he was returning home from an eight-month-long, highly classified covert operation near Libya. During that time, he hadn’t been able to let anyone, not even Teri, know of his whereabouts. He had left home in the wee hours of the morning after making passionate love to his wife, without being able to tell her where he was going or when he would return.
As a toddler he recalled sitting on his maternal grandfather’s knee and listening to stories of his military days, specifically as a SEAL. His paternal grandfather had been a military man, as well, an army ranger. Although Mac’s father hadn’t been in the military Mac had decided early in life protecting his country was something he wanted to do. Being a SEAL had always been his dream and he’d worked hard to make that particular dream come true. Now after almost twenty years whenever he thought it was time to retire, a part of him was convinced there was one more mission, one more opportunity to defend the country he loved.
The last operation had been brutal, but all the members of his team were alive and accounted for. Now he was glad to be back home with his wife and kids, and as much as he loved his parents, he hadn’t counted on having any company. He needed a cold beer and his wife. Not necessarily in that order.
He figured everyone was in bed, yet an uneasy feeling crept over him as he entered his home. He paused in the foyer. Was that the television he heard coming from the living room? Typically, Teri would be in bed before ten because she got up around six to jump-start her day.
Tatum was seven and attended a different school than Tia. Tempest was five and attended kindergarten at the same school as Tatum. Tasha, their baby, who was barely three, attended day care. He hadn’t liked the idea of Tasha in day care, but Teri claimed Tasha needed to be around kids her age at least a few days a week to start developing her social skills.
Mac hadn’t wanted Teri to work outside the home, either, but she’d insisted that she needed to get out of the house for a while during the day. So now she was working part-time at one of the libraries in town.
Mindful of not waking the kids, while at the same time intent on not scaring his parents, he took out his phone and texted Teri. She practically slept with the phone beside her. When the message didn’t immediately show as delivered, he frowned, wondering what was wrong with her phone. He’d tried calling her earlier, twice in fact, when his plane had landed in DC. He hadn’t gotten an answer either time.
What was going on?
He placed his gear down and was headed toward his bedroom when his father rounded the corner. Carlton McRoy nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw his son.
“Damn it, Mac, you trying to give me heart failure?” his father asked. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
Mac crossed the floor to give his father a bear hug. “You weren’t supposed to hear me. I’m a SEAL, Dad.”
“Why didn’t you ring the doorbell?”
Mac thought that was a crazy question. “I live here. I don’t need to ring the doorbell. Besides, I didn’t want to wake anyone. By the way, I like your new set of wheels.”
His father beamed. “Thanks. It’s your mom’s car. I surprised her with it as an early anniversary gift. It’s been almost forty years, you know.”
Yes, Mac knew. He was the oldest of two and Carlton and Alexis Youngblood-McRoy hadn’t wasted any time after their wedding to start a family. He’d been born a week shy of their first anniversary. He figured he was supposed to be one and done, but his sister Kylie had been born on his parents’ tenth anniversary. “That’s a nice gift.”
“I thought so, and Lex was more than deserving,” his father said.
Mac smiled. His parents were special. There weren’t two adults he admired more and they had always been great role models for him and his sister. Their interracial marriage had worked for them because they’d always said love got them together and it would be love that kept them together.
“Thurston!”
Mac glanced around and chuckled when his mother practically threw herself into his arms. “Hey, Mom,” he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.
“I heard voices and thought one of the girls had awakened.”
“No, it’s just me and Dad. He saw me when I was headed down the hall to my bedroom to let Teri know I was home.”
He still had his arms around his mother’s shoulders when he felt her tense up. “Mom? You okay?” he asked, looking down at her.
He thought the same thing now that he’d thought while growing up. His mother was a beautiful woman with eyes a unique shade of blue and ash-blond hair. His father had a dark chocolate complexion, which accounted for Mac and his younger sister’s skin tone being a combination of the two.
When his mother still hadn’t answered his question, he turned his eyes to his father, who had the same wary expression on his face that Mac’s mother wore. Releasing his arm from around his mother’s shoulder, Mac straightened to his full height of six feet three inches. “Okay, what’s going on?”
When his parents glanced at each other, that uneasy feeling from earlier crept over him again. Not liking it, he turned to go down the hall toward his bedroom when his father reached out to stop him.
“Teri isn’t here, Mac.”
Mac turned back to his father. His mother had moved to stand beside his dad. “It’s after two in the morning and tomorrow is a school day for the girls. So where is she?”
His mother reached out and touched his arm. “She needed to get away and she asked if we would come keep the girls.”
Mac frowned. He knew his wife. She would not have gone anywhere without their daughters. “What do you mean she needed to get away? Why?”
“She’s the one who has to tell you that, Thurston. It’s not for us to say.”
His mother looked up at him with an uncomfortable expression on her face. His gaze left his mother and moved over to his father, who was wearing the same look.
“What’s going on, Dad? Mom? Why can’t you tell me the reason Teri felt she had to get away?”
“Because it’s not our place to do so, son.”
Mac drew in a deep breath, not understanding any of this. Because his parents were acting so secretive, he felt his confusion and anger escalating. “Fine. Where is she?”
It was his father who spoke. “She left three days ago for the Torchlight Dude Ranch.”
Mac’s frown deepened. “The Torchlight Dude Ranch? In Wyoming?”
“Yes.”
“What the hell did she go there for?”
His father didn’t say anything for a minute and then gave Mac an answer. “She said she always wanted to go back there.”
Mac rubbed his hand across his face. Yes, Teri had always wanted to go back there, the place he’d taken her on their honeymoon a little over ten years ago. And he’d always promised to take her back. But between his covert missions and their growing family, there had never been enough time. Teri, who’d been raised on a ranch in Texas, was a cowgirl at heart and for a short while had competed on the rodeo circuit due to her roping and riding skills. She’d even represented the state of Texas as a rodeo queen before they’d met.
When they’d married, she had given it all up to travel around the world with her naval husband. She’d said she’d done so gladly. Why in the world would Teri leave their kids and go to a dude ranch by herself?
He knew the only person who could answer that question was Teri.
“I tried calling her twice from the airport and she’s not answering her phone,” he finally said, his tone truly filled with anger now.
“She probably couldn’t. We talk to her every day when she calls to check on the girls. The reception at the dude ranch is not good and she has to drive into town to call out. Teri usually phones us around five every evening. I’m sure she’ll be calling today as usual, so you’ll get a chance to talk to her,” his mother said, smiling.
He stared at his parents. Did they honestly think he intended to hang around and wait for Teri’s call?
“I want to see the girls. I won’t wake them, but I need to see them before I leave.”
“Leave?” his father asked, looking at him strangely.
“Yes, leave.”
“Where are you going?” his mother asked.
He met their gazes. “I’m going to the Torchlight Dude Ranch.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
Moments later, he slid open the door to his oldest daughter’s room. Tia was asleep but he needed to look at her for himself to see that she was all right. He smiled as he studied her in sleep. She had her mother’s mouth, but that was about it. Everything else was his. Her eyes didn’t need to be open for him to know they were the exact color of his. A color so rich they looked like dark chocolate.
He’d been the one who’d chosen the name Tia for their first child and it had been Teri’s decision to name all the other girls with the starting letter of T like his and Teri’s names. Tia was determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a cowgirl, which was why she’d been taking horse-riding lessons since she turned five. He still didn’t like the idea of her competing, though, not even in her age group, which was another thing he and Teri couldn’t agree on.
Leaning down, he placed a kiss on Tia’s cheek before leaving the room to check on Tatum and Tempest. Both had honey-brown eyes like Teri and favored their mother a lot. There was barely a two-year difference in Tatum’s and Tempest’s ages and the two were extremely close. They looked out for each other. He liked that about them. He figured that unlike Tia, they would never grow up and ask for separate rooms. They would enjoy being in each other’s pockets for as long as they could. Placing kisses on their cheeks, as well, he moved to the room that was closest to his bedroom. The one where three-year-old Tasha slept.
Although he tiptoed into the room, he wasn’t surprised when Tasha’s eyes flew open and she stared at him a minute before a huge smile touched her lips. “Daddy!”
She threw himself into his arms and he held her. After three girls, he and Teri had been hoping for a boy, but when the nurse had placed Tasha in his arms, it hadn’t mattered that he had gotten a fourth girl. Tasha looked more like him than any of the others. She was his Mini-Me.
Picking her up into his arms, he went over to the rocking chair he’d gotten for Tia, the one that had been passed down from daughter to daughter. He gazed down at his daughter and saw dark brown eyes staring back up at him.
“Tasha loves Daddy.”
He smiled. “And Daddy loves Tasha.”
Cradling her against his chest, he began rocking her back to sleep. Having come back from such a dangerous mission, he needed peace in his life at that moment, but he knew true peace wouldn’t come until he went after Teri and found out what was going on with her. Why she’d called his parents to keep the girls so she could get away.
Other than him, his sister and his parents, Teri had no family. Her parents had died when she was young and her grandparents had raised her on their ranch in Terrell, Texas, which was a stone’s throw from Dallas. When Mac had met her, the grandparents she’d adored had died and at twenty-three Teri was trying to run the ranch alone. After their whirlwind romance she’d made the decision—one that he knew had been hard for her, even though she’d never complained about it—to sell the ranch and accept his marriage proposal. She’d turned in her spurs to become a SEAL wife.
It had been her suggestion that they go to a dude ranch for their honeymoon, which would be her last hurrah as a cowgirl. That had been two weeks he’d totally enjoyed, and he’d gotten to show her how well he could handle a horse, thanks to his mother’s family, who’d owned a horse ranch in Ocala, Florida.
The timing of their meeting had been perfect. He’d just graduated from the naval academy three years before and was enjoying being a SEAL. It had been his intention to remain a bachelor for quite a while, but all that had changed after he met Teri.
As he continued to rock his daughter back to sleep, Mac closed his eyes, recalling the day Teri Cantor walked into his life...
Ten years ago
“Damn, Lawton, will you slow down?”
Mac glanced over at the man walking beside him. Lawton was walking so fast you’d think he was rushing to put out a fire. Against his better judgment, Mac had let Lawton talk him into coming here of all places—a rodeo—just to see a woman.
“You shouldn’t walk so slow,” Lawton said, grinning, not breaking his stride.
“Whatever. Now, how did you and this woman meet again?”
“We met online three months ago and officially met last month when I flew to Atlanta for the weekend. She’s a photographer for the Bill Pickett Rodeo circuit. LaDorria mentioned they would be in the DC area, so I figured this would be my chance to see her again.”
As they neared the entrance to the arena Lawton slowed down and so did Mac. “Is there a particular spot where the two of you plan to meet once we’re inside?” Mac asked, looking around.
“Yes. She said to meet her at the booth that sells the commemorative booklets.”
Ten minutes later they were there, and Lawton introduced Mac to LaDorria Clark. Mac had to admit she was an attractive woman, and just for the hell of it, he asked if she had a single friend. She quickly replied, “It just so happens I do. Her name is Teri and she’s competing tonight.”
LaDorria grabbed one of the commemorative booklets and flipped through to a certain page, pointed and said, “This here is Teri.”
Mac figured if a man could fall in love with a photograph, then he had done so in that moment. The very beautiful woman in a cowgirl outfit was smiling for the camera and she captured his heart then and there.
“What event is she competing in?”
“Roping and barrel racing. She’s the current champ in the women’s division. She was also rodeo queen last year.”
Mac looked at the photo again. He could definitely believe that. He figured her age was around twenty-two or twenty-three and she had the most gorgeous pair of honey-brown eyes. They were perfect for her high cheekbones and full, shapely lips. Her skin was the color of rich mocha and he loved the way the mass of curly hair fell around her shoulders.
He looked over at LaDorria. “And you’ll introduce us?”
She laughed. “Yes, just as soon as the rodeo is over, and only if you cheer for Teri tonight. Like I said, she’s competing.”
As far as Mac was concerned, Teri Cantor didn’t need him cheering for her because she had her own fan section in the stands. And she was good. So good that she won both competitive events easily. He couldn’t help admiring how well she handled a horse, how skillfully she rode the animal. Nor could he fight his attraction to her—she was a beautiful woman in person and in action in the ring. And he definitely liked the way she looked in her cowgirl outfits. She had changed into a couple of different ones and each one he would claim as a favorite.
He liked the way she handled a rope and how easily her lasso fell over the cow’s head. He knew that sort of aptitude came from hours of practice. That meant she was well disciplined.
Mac had heard the comments from the men around him. Men who’d made it obvious they had the hots for Teri. Some had even admitted to hitting on her and striking out. He hoped he wouldn’t be one of those men.
He thought about other women he’d dated in the past. Most liked the idea of dating a military man, but none ever fancied marrying one. They’d all heard the life of a SEAL’s wife was too demanding. The thought of not knowing where their husband was and when he’d be returning was just something they couldn’t tolerate.
Their attitude was something he hadn’t been able to tolerate, either. Although he had no intention of acquiring a wife for years to come, it still bothered him how some women thought a relationship was all about them. They had no idea that a navy SEAL wife was, in a way, serving her country, as well.
“I just got a text from LaDorria,” Lawton said at the end of the rodeo. “They asked us to give them thirty minutes and then they’ll meet us by that souvenir table again.”
“Okay, and it looks like you’re kind of serious about LaDorria,” he said to Lawton.
“I am. I just hope she’s serious about me.”
Mac hoped she was, as well, since Lawton was a pretty decent guy.
It was almost forty-five minutes later, but Mac was convinced it was worth every minute of waiting for LaDorria and Teri to arrive. When he saw Teri Cantor walking toward them, he thought she looked even better up close and in person.
She had changed out of her riding outfit into a pair of slacks and a blouse that made her look feminine as hell. Her hair was no longer tied back away from her face but hung in loose curls around her shoulders. He could tell the moment their gazes connected that there was interest between them and he didn’t intend to let that interest go to waste.
“So, what do you think?” Lawton leaned over to ask before the two women had approached them.
Mac’s response was quick and honest. “I think I’m in love.”
Lawton laughed but Mac was totally serious. That was how his father claimed it had been for him when he’d seen Mac’s mother for the first time, when the two had been attending classes together at Ohio State University.
Mac drew in a deep breath and didn’t release it until the women had reached them. Introductions were being made by LaDorria. “Teri, I’d like you to meet a friend of Lawton’s. Thurston McRoy.”
Teri offered him her hand and the moment he took it, he felt...something flow through him. From the look in her eyes, he knew she’d felt it, as well.
“Nice meeting you, Thurston.”
He smiled down at her. “My friends call me Mac.”
She nodded. “Okay. It’s nice meeting you, Mac.”
“Same here.” And he truly meant it.
That night they went to one of the bar-and-grills that stayed open late. He got to know her better but not as well as he wanted to. They exchanged phone numbers and stayed in touch, sometimes talking on the phone at night for hours.
They had their first official date a month later, when he’d flown to Montana to watch her perform in another rodeo. That was when he was about to be stationed in Spain and he’d wanted to see her again before leaving the country.
They exchanged texts and phone calls whenever they could, and it was two months later that she’d told him she was thinking about selling her ranch and moving to New York. She felt that maybe it was time to put her college degree in business to good use. He’d known it would be a tough decision for her to make. From their talks, he knew how much she’d enjoyed living on the ranch.
Once she made the decision to sell the ranch it had sold quickly, and before she could pack up and move to New York, he had persuaded her to visit him in Barcelona. When she said she would, he’d made all the arrangements and had sent her an airline ticket within twenty-four hours. He had been there to pick her up from the airport and the moment he saw her again he’d known he wanted to make her a permanent part of his life.
Teri had spent two wonderful weeks with him in Spain and it was during that time that they’d shared a bed for the first time. Making love to her had been just like he’d known it would be.
She’d literally rocked his world.
The intensity of their sexual joining was powerful. It was as if her body was made for him and his for her.
Before leaving to return to the States, he’d asked her to marry him, and she’d accepted.
A month later they were married.
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Mac opened his eyes and glanced down at Tasha. She had gone back to sleep. Standing, he placed his daughter back in her bed and then he walked out of the room.
It was time to go find his wife.
