Cowboy's Bride: A Secret Baby, Ranch Western Romance (Rainbow Canyon Cowboys Book 6)

by KC Crowne

  He moved his hands from my shoulders to my hips, pulling my body close to his. He still loomed over me, all six-and-a-half feet of him. But instead of feeling like he was some dominating brute, it felt like he was a man who’d move Heaven and Earth just to keep me safe.

  All I wanted was to kiss him. As the thought popped into my head, I could see the look in his eyes saying he felt the same way. So he kissed me.

  What happened as he did was strange as all get out. I went loose and limp in his arms, as if Gerald holding me made me feel like I could give myself to him, that I could trust him.

  He moved his right hand from my hip to the small of my back, guiding me to the bed. I sat down on the edge, our lips still locked, the two of us lost in the kiss. Quickly, smoothly, without either of us saying a word, we undressed. It didn’t take long before we were both naked, our clothes in twin piles at the side of the bed as Gerald laid me down on my back. I spread my legs, eager to give myself to him.

  “You know I mean it right?” he asked, his voice a low growl as he positioned himself on top of me. “I’d do anything for you.”

  “I know. I know.” He meant it, and I meant it too. God, how I wanted him in that moment.

  He lowered himself, his thick head grazing my pussy, which was slick and wet and ready for him. There was no foreplay this time, no playful teasing, no screwing around. We kissed as Gerald guided his stone-solid cock slowly inside me.

  The moment he was in me, buried to the root, I knew something was different. Something had changed between us. There was a sweetness, an intimacy to our lovemaking that hadn’t been there before.

  Gerald gazed into my eyes as he moved inside me, my soft sighs filling the air as I tilted my head back against the pillow, my fingers wrapped around his shoulders. Only kisses broke our moans. And like the lovemaking, they were different – passionate. I’d heard that lovemaking was like two bodies joining together, becoming one. But only with Gerald did I really understand what that meant.

  I drew closer and closer to orgasm, my body squirming and writhing underneath him, my eyes opening just enough to take in the sight of his expression of hard concentration, or the flexing of his muscles, or the view of his big, thick cock vanishing inside me over and over.

  I came hard, right in the middle of a deep plunge. My body filled with electric warmth, soft cries of pleasure escaping my mouth. Gerald’s body tensed as he came with me, his cock pulsing inside as he released within me.

  We continued to kiss after our orgasms faded. Then Gerald rolled to my side and pulled my body flush against his. Neither of us said a word as we lay there, Gerald occasionally moving close and kissing my shoulder, my neck, the curve of my upper back.

  I broke the silence. I rolled over, gazing into his golden eyes and smiled. “That was somethin’ else. But I hope you don’t think that means I’m not goin’ with you.”

  He grinned. “Didn’t think it did. So let’s do it – together.”

  “Together.”

  Chapter 21

  Crystal

  The issue was tabled for the rest of the night. We, without saying, agreed to take the night off from everything, to spend a little time at Rainbow Canyons to relax, to try to get ourselves ready for the meeting tomorrow.

  And it was kind of nice. Actually, it was more than that – it was one of the better evenings I’d had in a long time. The girls and I spent time with the Walker family, having drinks and relaxing, getting to know the people I’d considered my closest competition.

  Later in the evening, Adie ended up going for a little stroll around the property. Silas, one of Gerald’s cousins, showed her around, eventually meeting up with his family. Sabrina took advantage of the ranch’s massive library, retiring there with an Irish coffee and staying up into the wee hours reading curled up in one of the room’s comfy antique chairs.

  Gerald and I decided to spend the night together, sleeping in his bed. I realized how serious it would be to do something like that, but it was what we both wanted. And hell, it was nice falling asleep curled up next to him, his big arm wrapped around my body as I drifted off.

  He was next to me when I woke up, and we started the day with another session of lovemaking, tender and slow like the day before. When we finished, it was beyond time to get up and get ready. We showered and dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out. I wore a professional outfit of gray slacks and a white blouse, finished off with a pair of dark red heels. Gerald, who wasn’t attending the meeting, wore his usual cowboy clothes.

  Chance, Gerald’s cousin, was waiting for us as we walked out. He was built strong like all the Walker boys, a solid wall of muscle and quiet confidence. He greeted us with a tip of his hat and an easy smile.

  “Howdy,” he said, stepping toward us. “We ready to go?’

  “Wait,” I said, surprised as I glanced at Gerald. “He’s coming with us?”

  “It’s for the best,” he said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my time with the Rangers and in the service, it’s the importance of backup. The more we’ve got on our side, the better our chances will be.”

  “I can stay,” Chance offered. “If she’s not okay with me comin’, I can sit this one out, cousin.”

  Gerald opened his mouth to speak, and I could tell he was about to say something like, “it’s fine – you’re comin’.” Instead, remembering our conversation last night, he spoke to me instead. “What do you think, Crystal?”

  I was pleased he asked because it meant he’d listened to what I’d said, given me a voice instead of attempting to silence me by making decisions without me.

  “It’s fine. But let’s come up with a precise plan before we head out.”

  “Right,” Chance said, nodding. “Good call.”

  “Plan is you go to the meeting, Chance and I hang back, ready to jump in if anything gets out of hand. But when you’re in there, you act like nothin’s wrong, that as far as you know it’s just a business meeting like any other.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “And try to see how much information I can get out of him, anything we can use to make a case.”

  “The lady’s got a good head on her shoulders,” Chance commented.

  “You bet she does. Glad you’re on our side, Crystal.” He followed this up with a smile that was so much like Chance’s it was kind of funny. All the Walkers seemed cut from the same cloth – tough, hard-headed, but sharp and thoughtful deep down. I was growing to like my competition more than I’d expected.

  “I spoke with your friends,” Chance added. “They’re gonna hang out here. But they were both insistent that we keep them posted.”

  “Naturally,” Gerald agreed. “We’re all in this together.” He checked his watch. “It’s about that time. You got the info, the meeting place and all that?”

  I took out my phone and checked the email Michael had sent. “We’re meeting at one of the conference rooms at the Halbrook Hotel in downtown Idylwood.”

  Gerald received this news with a confused expression.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Nothin’. Just that he chose neutral territory for the meeting. Means they might not be thinkin’ of gettin’ up to anything shady.”

  “Right,” Chance agreed. “Doubt he’d try anything untoward in the middle of a hotel. But still, we need to keep on our toes.”

  Gerald nodded in agreement. “Let’s move. Time’s a-wastin’.” He glanced at me. “We’re gonna stay out of sight after we leave. We don’t want Diaz knowin’ we’re backin’ you up, might spook him. But we’ll be there. Anything gives you a fright, anything happens, you send me a text and we’ll kick the damn doors down.”

  We left the ranch, taking separate cars. I left first, dust kicking up around my vehicle as I drove away from Rainbow Canyons. As we reached town, Gerald and Chance hung back, waiting for me to put some distance between the two cars.

  I was on my own, or at least I felt like it. I was ready for the meeting, eager to ge
t some answers. But I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous, worried that it might go sideways. Or what if I was walking into a trap? Nothing to do but do it.

  I drove through Patterson, the small town near Rainbow Canyons, and on to Idylwood. The hotel was downtown and easy to spot. A trio of sleek, black luxury cars were parked among the humbler vehicles. I had no doubt they belonged to Diaz and his men.

  Time to do it. I was ready. I wasn’t about to be intimidated by some low-rent thugs. I’d worked too damn hard to let that happen.

  I stepped into the hotel, the lobby what I’d expect from a standard budget inn. A bored woman was at the front desk. I asked her where the conference rooms were, and she responded with a vague sweeping gesture toward the hall to her left.

  “Down at the end. They’re already in there,” she said before turning her attention back to her phone.

  I took a deep breath and walked with quick steps to the conference room. The door was ajar, and I announced my presence with a firm knock.

  “Come in.” The voice was professional and polite, and I recognized it as the same one from my call.

  I opened the door and stepped in. Seated at the table was a handsome, middle-aged man, trim and dressed in a nice but definitely unflashy tan suit. His skin was olive-colored, his hair dark as Texas crude and styled in an office-ready part. He rose as I entered, greeting me with a smile.

  Two tough-looking men in business-casual clothes, sunglasses tucked into the top button of their Oxford shirts, were also in the room. They, like the Walker boys, were built solid and looked ready for action. I had no doubt they were muscle. My stomach tensed at the sight of them.

  “Ms. Peterson,” the man at the table said, rising from his seat and circling the round conference table and coming toward me, his arm outstretched for a shake. “Michael Diaz. Pleasure to meet you.”

  “Call me Crystal,” I said, shaking his hand. “And good to meet you, too.”

  My actual feelings weren’t anything of the sort, but I had to play it professional, just like he was. Gerald’s number was pulled up on my phone if anything were to happen – all it’d take would be a reach into my pocket to call him if I needed help.

  “Please,” he said, releasing my hand and gesturing toward it with the table.

  There were a few folders on the table, all packed with documentation. A silver, late-model MacBook was open next to them. The meeting had all the trappings of any other business discussion. No doubt it was anything but that.

  I sat down, glancing at the two men, who said nothing, greeting me with professional nods.

  “These are my, ah, associates, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Smith. They’ll be keeping minutes and taking notes and all that. Don’t worry about them – pretend they’re not even here.”

  Taking notes. Bullshit. They were there to let me know that whatever Michael said during the meeting, it was backed up by muscle.

  “So,” he began, folding his hands on the table as he sat back down. “It appears we’ve reached something of an impasse with your business.” He spoke with a slight Mexican accent, but his English was otherwise perfect.

  “I guess you could call it that,” I said. “The truth of the matter is that you wanna buy, but I ain’t sellin’.”

  He nodded, as if I’d said exactly what he’d expected, and he was ready to move to a pre-planned response. “I understand that. But I also understand that you’ve come into some difficulties with your business. And I heard through the grapevine that you had an unfortunate incident with some vandalism.”

  I held my tongue, my first instinct to tell him to fuck off with that bullshit, that he was behind what had happened, and I knew it. But it wouldn’t have been a smart move to tip my hand.

  “Vandalism is a light way of puttin’ it,” I said. “My whole business was ransacked.”

  He nodded sadly, like he really wanted me to know he felt my pain. “Awful stuff. But it’s not uncommon. I’d put my money on bored kids. You know how these Texas teens can get,” he said with a shake of his head and a good-natured chuckle. “Nothing to do but steal liquor from their parents’ cabinets and get into trouble. It’s a damn shame you have to deal with the consequences.” He paused, considering, and asked, “Tell me, have you heard anything from the police about what happened? I’ve got a few friends on the force, which is how I found out about it.”

  Fucking hell. I hadn’t said a damn thing to a single police officer. How had Michael heard through them that I’d been vandalized? I knew the answer. But again, I held my tongue.

  “Nothin’ yet,” I said, lying. “But I don’t have much hope they’re gonna find out who did it.”

  “It’s a shame. But the best you can do is trust them to do their jobs.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, regardless of the precise circumstances, I don’t have any doubt the vandalism has made a difficult situation only more so. Insurance will likely cover it, but you don’t need me to tell you they’ll likely drag their feet cutting you a check. Between that and the improvements you need to make, I’m sure you’re in a tough position.”

  “You’re right as rain about that. Every day that I can’t open, my place is money I’m losin’. How’d you hear about the improvements?” I realized as soon as I’d spoken, I shouldn’t have said anything. But I couldn’t resist.

  He only smiled. “Because I work as a city inspector – that’s my nine-to-five. My holdings company…consider it a side hustle, as the kids say. I didn’t file the complaints about your business, but I work with the men who did.”

  “So you know my situation.”

  “I know it well. It’s my job to know about such things, so I hope you don’t interpret my knowledge as snooping or anything like that. I wouldn’t be doing my job if matters like these went under my radar.”

  “And that’s what this is about?”

  “Well, no. Your situation is of interest to me because I’ve actually been planning to purchase that property for some time. I had my eye on it and was ready to pay the asking price. But then you happened to come along and offer more.”

  “Right. I wanted to make sure the place was mine, so I offered the broker a little more than the listed price. Thought that’d save me the trouble of havin’ to bid for it.”

  “It was a shrewd move, I have at admit,” he complimented, smiling. “But now the place is yours, and that means you’re on the hook for the improvements and bringing it up to code. Between that and the vandalism, I’m guessing even if you were to start getting the property in order today, you’d still be closed for…two months? Three? Can you afford that?”

  He’d been dancing around the issue, and I wanted to get right to it. As I sat there, the two men, whose names I’d already forgotten, didn’t take their eyes off me, like they half-expected me to pull out a six-shooter and light the place up.

  “I don’t really see how that’s your business,” I said much more politely than I felt. “Why are we here?”

  He offered a sly smile, as if pleased to know he wouldn’t have to hold back what he wanted any further. “I want to buy the building, take it off your hands. I’m sure you’ve already lost money at this point, and I’m giving you the chance to avoid taking even more of a hit than you already have.”

  “No chance,” I said, not needing to think about it for even a second. “The bed and breakfast is mine and my friends, and that’s all there is to it. We’ve put too much time and money and effort into it to give it up.”

  He said nothing at first, letting my words hang in the air. “Ms. Peterson,” he said. “Are you familiar with the sunk-cost fallacy?”

  “Refresh my memory.” I knew damn well what it was, but the more I let him talk, the more likely it was he might slip up and say something.

  “It means that people tend to feel like because they’ve invested time or money or what have you into something, that means the only sensible thing to do is to keep investing until they get the payoff they’re hoping for. It tends to be
used in gambling situations, but I think the current issue is applicable.”

  “You think this is like gambling?”

  “That’s exactly what it’s like. Every day that you keep that place open and under your name is another roll of the dice, hoping nothing else will happen.”

  Was that a threat? “Like what?”

  He shrugged. “You never know. Imagine if you were to, say, have a fire break out on the property. That’d put you more in the hole than you already are.”

  “A fire?” The men at his sides continued to regard me. The more he spoke, the more it felt like he was threatening me.

  “Or whatever,” he said, waving a hand. “You never know with these sorts of things, do you?” He took out a piece of paper and a pen, jotting something down. “Cutting to the chase, I want to buy the property, like I said. And here’s what I’m prepared to offer you.”

  He passed the sheet of paper over, and I took it. To call the number a low ball would’ve been an insult to low balls everywhere. It was damn near insulting.

  “Are you kiddin’ me?” I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. “This ain’t even a fourth of what I paid for it.”

  “I know it’s likely not what you were expecting, but considering the state of the property, it’s the best you’re going to get.” He held his hands up, palms up. “Anyone else looking to buy it would have to repair the damages and bring the place up to code. I’m offering you a fair price to cut your losses and walk away. Hell, I can give you a check right now. But I’m sure you’d like to consult with your partners first.”

  “I don’t need to consult with anyone,” I said, a sharp tone to my voice. “It’s not happenin’. If you think I’m selling it at all, let alone for a price this low, well, then I’d say you might be out of your mind.”