The Rancher's Unexpected Twins--A Clean Romance

by Trish Milburn

  All the while, Sunny kept looking out into the dark pasture where her family’s livelihood grazed. But her thoughts were less for the cattle than the men who’d ridden out to protect them. One man in particular.

  By the time all signs of the wedding had been cleared away and everyone had left except Maya, Ken and Susan, Sunny was really beginning to worry. Maya, bless her, fed, diapered and put the twins to bed. Ken sat with Sunny’s dad on the porch reminiscing about all the times over the years they’d had to battle animals, disease and everything Mother Nature could throw at them to protect the herd. Susan busied herself in the kitchen, used to years as a ranch wife. She was performing some sort of kitchen magic to make all the leftovers fit into the refrigerator. Sunny wasn’t going to have to cook for days.

  Unable to sit still or coop herself up in the house, she headed toward the barn. Playing with kittens should help calm her nerves.

  The moment she looked into the stall, however, she saw that the normally laid-back mama kitty was on high alert and actually hissed at her before it must have registered Sunny didn’t pose a threat.

  “You heard your much bigger cousin too, huh?”

  Even recognizing Sunny, mama kitty stayed close to her babies, who’d grown an amazing amount in the short time Sunny had been back at the ranch. This time when she sat in the hay next to them, they immediately used her as a jungle gym.

  “At least you little guys seem unconcerned.” Much like the twins, completely oblivious that danger lurked nearby. It must be nice to exist in blissful ignorance of all the potential hazards and heartbreaks the world held.

  She laughed when a little gray fluffball made it all the way to her shoulder.

  “Aren’t you quite the mountain climber?” She plucked the kitten off her shoulder and placed him in her lap so she could pet him. He lifted his head into her touch. “You like that, huh? Nothing like a good massage.”

  “Maybe your new husband can give you one.”

  Sunny startled so much that the kittens went scurrying and mama kitty tensed for battle.

  “It’s okay, mama. No danger other than my best friend scaring me half to death.”

  “Your mind must have been elsewhere.” Maya’s teasing grin was back.

  “Or you’re being sneaky on purpose. Not a good time for that considering what sent everyone speeding off in different directions.”

  Maya sobered. “Sorry. Have you heard anything?”

  Sunny shook her head. The night had been eerily quiet since everyone had left. No more indications the mountain lion was nearby, no rumble of cattle stampeding, no gunshots.

  “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “Hopefully, they’re all fine,” Sunny said.

  “Of course.”

  “You should go on home.”

  “Had more than enough of me today?”

  Sunny exhaled a small laugh. “If journalism finally dies, I think you have a future as a wedding coordinator. You can call it Bulldozer Wedding Planning.”

  “I like it. You’d know what you were getting with a name like that.”

  “Maya Pine, the queen of truth in advertising.”

  Maya grabbed a black-and-white kitten that had meandered her way.

  “Hello, you adorable little thing. I may just have to adopt you when you’re old enough to leave your mama.”

  Sunny and Maya turned at the sound of approaching horses.

  “Sounds like your man is back,” Maya said.

  “Would you stop with the teasing already? I mean, you know the truth.”

  “Yes, yes I do.”

  Sunny sighed and shook her head. “You can go home now.”

  “Nope, I’m spending the night here tonight.”

  “What? Why?”

  “One, so you don’t accidentally forget you’re married and try to go sleep in your bedroom. And two, so you don’t have to worry about your dad or the twins tonight.”

  “Maya,” she scolded. “You know nothing is going to happen tonight.”

  “But your dad doesn’t know that. He expects you to go enjoy your wedding night.”

  “Okay, eww, I don’t want to envision my dad thinking about...that.”

  Thankfully, Maya didn’t continue that line of conversation, though the grin on her face told Sunny she was still quite amused by her teasing.

  “If nothing else just enjoy a good night’s rest while not worrying about your dad falling or changing the diaper of a squalling baby in the middle of the night.”

  That did sound nice.

  “Though I could do without the teasing and how big the wedding got, I do owe you a lot of thanks for helping out today.”

  “What are best friends for if not to throw you an awesome wedding?”

  Sunny didn’t even bother mentioning again that the showy wedding had been unnecessary, would likely end up making things more difficult in the end. For today, it had made people happy.

  Sunny didn’t want to feed her friend’s delusions that there was something between her and Dean, but she also really needed to know that he and the others were okay and if they’d crossed paths with the mountain lion. She placed the kitten back in the hay next to the others.

  “Here, baby, go to your mama.”

  Sunny walked out of the barn alongside Maya. When she spotted Dean still in the saddle talking to his dad and hers where they stood on the front porch, she breathed a sigh of relief. The two ranch hands who’d ridden out with him, Carlos and Billy, approached the barn with their mounts.

  “How’d it go?” she asked Carlos.

  He shook his head. “Didn’t see the cat, but the herd seemed fine from what we could tell. Won’t be able to be sure until daylight tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad you’re all okay. That’s what’s most important.”

  “Congratulations, by the way. I was too busy wrangling my heathen children earlier to tell you that.”

  She laughed at the image because she’d seen him with his two boys, giving them a good talking-to.

  “Easier to wrangle cows, I’d imagine.”

  “You got that right.”

  As he moved to take care of his horse, she noticed that Maya had already made her way toward the house. At that moment, Dean used his reins to turn his horse toward the barn.

  “This may be a first,” she said as he stopped next to her and dismounted. “I doubt too many people ride the range in suits.”

  He’d actually left his suit jacket behind at the table they’d been sitting at earlier and his bolo tie was nowhere to be seen. Though his white shirt, the top couple of buttons undone, and his dark suit pants were not the right kind of attire for ranch work, he looked good in them. More than good.

  Maya’s earlier teasing echoed in Sunny’s head, and she wanted to somehow vacuum out those thoughts and dispose of them. She wasn’t supposed to think of Dean in any way other than as a really good friend who was willing to do crazy things for her.

  “Wyoming’s most stylish cowboy,” he said as he spread his arms and struck a pose.

  Sunny laughed. This was the Dean Wheeler she knew and...well, the one she knew.

  “Carlos said you didn’t see the mountain lion.”

  He shook his head. “It’s getting bolder though. That was too close for comfort earlier.”

  She got chills thinking about all the children who’d been at the wedding, especially the twins. If one of the kids old enough to be mobile had wandered off... She didn’t want to think about what could have happened.

  “We’re headed home,” Ken called out. Both he and Susan waved, and Dean and Sunny returned the gesture.

  “I better let you finish up here,” Sunny said to Dean. “I’ll go grab a couple of things and meet you at your house in a few minutes.”

  He nodded.

  When she stepped i
nside her dad’s house, however, she spotted her packed bags sitting behind the couch. Maya pointed toward them from where she had parked herself on one end of the couch.

  “I packed all your stuff for you.”

  “Um, thanks.”

  Maya gave her a mischievous wink, and Sunny promised herself she’d devote time each day to brainstorming the perfect way to deliver payback to her friend.

  Not wanting to give her dad any reason to question his daughter’s new marriage, she grabbed her suitcase, backpack and laptop case.

  “Don’t worry,” her dad said. “We’ve got baby duty covered.”

  Sunny made a noise that indicated she understood then headed out the door, her face on fire. Thank goodness Dean was still busy in the barn. She tossed her bags into the car she’d extended the rental on and headed to Dean’s house.

  It felt weird letting herself inside with him not being there, but she had to get used to this being her temporary home. She stowed her bags in the corner of the living room and took her laptop to his kitchen table. She had work to do, work she hadn’t looked at in two days thanks to all things wedding.

  A zing of nerves hit her when she heard Dean’s truck pull up outside, then reminded herself there was no reason for it. They were cohabitating friends, nothing more. She couldn’t even believe she had to tell herself that.

  When the front door opened, she looked up to see Dean standing there but not shutting the door behind him.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t wait for me to carry you over the threshold,” he said.

  Sunny’s mouth dropped open, which evidently made her look hilarious since Dean started laughing.

  “I’m kidding.” He closed the door then toed off his boots that had been a lot cleaner and shinier earlier.

  “Ha ha, very funny.”

  He nodded at her open laptop. “I see you wasted no time getting back to life as normal.”

  “Yes, because pretending to be married is so normal.”

  “Technically, we are married.”

  Honestly, she didn’t need to be reminded of that because this day had already messed with her brain and her nerves enough.

  “Details, details.” She sat back and pecked the edge of the laptop with her fingernail. “I’ll be as quiet as possible so you can sleep.”

  He nodded and headed toward the bathroom, most likely to wash the smell of animals and dust off him. Her assumption was confirmed when she heard the shower. But despite staring at the computer, she couldn’t concentrate knowing there was a naked man on the other side of the bathroom door. One she was married to. When Maya’s teasing about Sunny’s wedding night echoed in her mind, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers back through her hair.

  She forced herself to focus on the suggestions she’d been typing up regarding a new potential client for the company. Each time her mind wandered to the crazy situation she’d put herself in, what everyone must think she and Dean would be doing tonight or the fact that her husband was not currently wearing clothes, she mentally smacked some sense into herself. Or tried to at least.

  She’d only just gotten back on track for the umpteenth time when Dean strolled into the room wearing shorts and a T-shirt, with bare feet and carrying a quilt and a pillow, which he proceeded to place on the couch.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  When he looked at her, she noticed his hair was still damp too. He could not possibly know how attractive he looked like that. Of course, he wasn’t used to having to share his space with anyone.

  “For what?”

  She pointed at the pillow and quilt.

  “Those are for me. There are fresh linens on the bed though.” He lifted her suitcase and backpack and headed toward his bedroom with them.

  Sunny hopped up and followed him.

  “Dean, I’m not ousting you from your own bed. You’ve done enough for me already. I’ll stay in the other bedroom.”

  “Can’t. No bed. Mom and Dad took theirs when they moved, and I moved mine in here.”

  He placed the bags at the foot of the bed in question then turned and walked past her back out of the room. Again she followed him, in time to see him stretch out his tall body on the couch.

  “Dean, don’t be ridiculous. It makes more sense for me to sleep on the couch. I’m the guest here.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m getting the better end of the deal. This is a comfy couch.”

  Sunny crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow.

  “Are you going to try to make me believe that you sleep on your couch every night when you have a bed?”

  He pulled the quilt over his bare legs and feet and rolled onto his side, tucking the pillow under his head.

  “No comment.”

  “Dean!”

  “You’re not going to win this argument so you might as well save your breath.”

  She couldn’t very well hoist him onto her shoulder and carry him into his bedroom, so she huffed and spun to retrieve her laptop.

  “I feel sorry for your real wife one day, having to deal with your stubbornness.”

  He lifted to his elbow and propped his head in his upturned hand.

  “I could say the same about you, Mrs. Wheeler,” he said, teasing thick in his words.

  She pointed at him. “Cut that out. I’ve had enough out of Maya today.”

  “What did she say?”

  “You don’t need to know.”

  Dean was still chuckling at her when she retreated to his bedroom and shut the door.

  “Good night, wife!”

  She ignored him, which resulted in more laughter from the other room. She felt like smothering him with his pillow, in a nonlethal sort of way of course. He, like Maya, was having one hoot of a time with the whole situation while she was beginning to question her sanity.

  Especially when she allowed herself to think about Dean in a way that she’d never expected. When she thought about how he’d kissed her to seal their wedding vows...and how she’d kissed him back.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  JOKING, THAT WAS the only way Dean was going to survive his marriage to Sunny. That and pretending he hadn’t let his true feelings get the better of him when he’d kissed her at the end of the wedding ceremony. And ignoring that she’d kissed him back.

  Maybe she’d thought he was going all in to convince any doubters among the guests and had decided it was a good plan and silently gone along with it. That had to be it because she’d given him no other indications that her feelings might have changed. Whatever the reason, he was pretty sure he was going to be reliving that kiss in his mind when he was rocking away his senior years.

  As he lay on the couch, not even remotely close to falling sleep, he could hear her pecking away on her laptop. He wondered what she was working on, for what company in what country. He couldn’t fully imagine all the places she’d seen with her own eyes. Someday she’d probably end up with a guy as cultured and worldly as she was, someone the opposite of her current husband who didn’t even have a passport.

  His mind wandered, and he found himself wondering if he’d like traveling if he tried it. Where would he want to visit? He’d seen some things about Australia, particularly the Outback, but he wondered if it looked interesting because it was more similar to what he was used to than France or Japan or any number of other places Sunny had probably been. Would he actually like going outside his comfort zone if he tried it?

  He shook his head on the pillow. When would he have the time? Ranching wasn’t exactly something that could be put on hold for a couple of weeks while you jetted off to some faraway destination. Animals had to be fed and cared for, predators kept away, fences mended, buildings repaired, equipment maintained.

  Yes, it was a lot of work, but he loved it. There was nothing like the freedom of not having to punch a clo
ck to sit in a stuffy office all day long. As he stared at the ceiling, he tried not to think that at least now he had something to look forward to when he came home at the end of each day. Though Sunny would be sleeping at his house, most of the rest of the time she would likely be with her dad, the twins or Maya.

  He needed to purge the memory of their kiss from his mind, couldn’t assign it more meaning than it was due. Even knowing that, it kept replaying in his memory. As he closed his eyes, he remembered how he’d felt in those few moments—free to allow his true feelings to show.

  For the first time, he hoped his marriage with Sunny ended quickly. The longer it went on, the more nights she spent under the same roof as him, the more difficult it was going to be to not let those feelings have free rein again.

  * * *

  SUNNY YAWNED AS she exited the bedroom early the next morning. She’d stayed up way too late working after a long day of wedding festivities. When she noticed Dean had already left, she shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d always been an early riser, typically hard at work while most people were dragging themselves and their bed hair toward their first cup of coffee.

  She’d thought he might stick around the house a little later this morning for appearances, but she supposed too-real kisses were the extent of his acting.

  Why am I thinking about that again? She needed to make like a famous cold-climate princess and let it go.

  Her phone buzzed with a text.

  No need to hurry to the house. The twins are taken care of, your dad has eaten and now I’m off to interview a man about his collection of shot glasses from around the world. Yes, this is Pulitizer-Prize-winning journalism at work. Remember, you owe me a feature by the end of tomorrow.

  Well, Sunny guessed she knew how she was going to spend her day. After quickly showering and dressing, feeling weird doing both in Dean’s house, she grabbed her laptop and headed to the main ranch house.

  “You’re here awfully early,” her dad said from his spot next to the coffeepot when she walked in.

  “I missed you so much I couldn’t stand it.” She gave him a big smooch on the cheek before reaching for a coffee mug for herself.