Under the Cowboy's Control

Travis felt a kick in the gut and realized what direction she had been goading him into.

She continued in a more gentle voice, "You want me to have your baby, you want to hold me while we watch television, you hold my hand on the porch swing, you find my grandmother and take me to her, you buy me a huge diamond ring so no

one can miss it, you kiss me first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. If you say you do all of these things because you want to have sex with me, then that is fine with me. I like to have sex with you, too."

Travis watched her, the truth rocking him. Shocking him. He still didn't speak.

Selena said softly, "I just have one question. One small concern. Will you want to sleep with me forever?"

Travis closed his eyes for the pulse of three heartbeats, and then opened them. He took a step toward her. His voice was rusty when he spoke. "Angel, I love you."

Selena stepped into his arms. "Yes, I know you do, Travis. I love you, too." She took one of his hands in hers and placed it on her stomach. "And we are having a baby."

Epilogue

Travis sat on the porch swing with his arm around Selena. She had a light wrap around her shoulders as she sat and nursed their baby girl.

The baby weight had dropped off Selena again. She was just as slender as the day she had come to his ranch, five years ago. Her breasts were fuller, and her face had matured with seductive beauty. Her English was still not perfect. But Travis continued to want her, day in and day out.

He fell more deeply in love with her as the years went by. She was the perfect wife.

He continued to count his blessings, and he remembered to thank God every day that she was his.

He looked over at his four year old twins playing in the sandbox. The boys were in the rough and tumble stage. They were growing bigger every day and causing mayhem all the time.

"Don't you think it's time we started on the new house by the pond?" Travis said lazily, stroking her shoulder. "We're growing out of this house."

Selena loved this house. It was her home. The house where the romance began, the house where their marriage started. The house where the babies were conceived. Well, probably.

"Not yet. Maybe one day." She turned to Travis, sitting next to her. "But not today."

She leaned her head down and rested it on his shoulder. He lazily pushed the swing with his foot.

Selena gazed off into the distance, content. Her eyes wandered closer, past the sandbox, over to the fence line, not far distant.

She gripped Travis by the leg and raised her head. "Travis. Look." Her voice contained disbelief.

Travis looked in the direction she was pointing. A large male skunk with a smaller female and three babies walked in a line toward the house. They ambled closer and saw the humans. The female hesitated, then stopped with the babies, but the male turned and left his family there for a moment. He walked forward, past the sandbox and came within three feet of the porch.

Travis and Selena stared in awe at the grown male skunk. Selena made a little kissing noise that she had used with the baby skunks years ago, and the male turned and looked right at her. The skunk recognized the noise and stayed for a full three minutes, listening to Selena crooning to him.

And then, his visit over, he turned and left, his little skunk family following him.

"Can you believe it? That had to be him. The little male. He came back to show us his family." Selena was so happy that Travis didn't tell her that male skunk had probably had dozens of families by now. But she was right, it was the male skunk coming to visit.

"Yep, that was him all right. I'm sure he misses you just as much as you missed them when we had to let them go."

"Yes. But we didn't so much as let them go as they just left."

"Baby, they're skunks, not domestic animals, even though you made pets out of them." Travis pushed his foot, and the swing continued to move.

She cut her eyes at him. "Well, that old barn was the only place you let me go for weeks."

Travis looked down at her and raised her chin with his finger. He gave her a slow, leisurely kiss. "I wanted you chained to my bed." He searched her eyes. "I still do.

Is the baby asleep yet?"

"Yes. Now all we have to do is bathe the boys." She slowly stood up and moved the baby girl to her shoulder. "Will you bring them in?"