Hard-Riding Cowboy

by Stacey Kennedy

  Shep nodded, as did Chase.

  Clay’s easy smile grew. “A family affair, then.” To Nash, he said, “If you have any trouble cleaning that wound, stop on by and one of the nurses can help you. Give it two weeks and you should be back to yourself.”

  Nash couldn’t help but respect the man. He had balls and didn’t seem easily rattled.

  He had parted his mouth to reply when Jenny interjected, smiling at Clay. “You don’t need to worry about Nash, I’ll be there to help him.”

  “Excellent.”

  Nash huffed. “Am I even here?”

  Soft chuckles filled the room.

  The doctor gave Mom another beaming grin. “I hope to see you at the festival, Ms. Jenny.”

  She blushed.

  He left the room.

  The moment they were alone, Harper gasped, “That doctor was totally flirting with you.”

  “He was not!” Ma’s cheeks blushed a deeper shade of red. Her hand pressed against her chest. “He was being friendly, that’s all.”

  Emma laughed softly and gave a knowing look. “Friendly in a flirting kind of way.”

  “Oh, stop it, you two.” Ma gave Emma and Harper a weak glare. “I’m too old for any of that nonsense.”

  “No, you’re not,” said Shep, pressing a hand against Ma’s shoulder. Silence filled the room, Ma’s eyes growing wider by the second. Shep did his thing, comforting her with a soft smile. “The doctor seems like a nice man. Why not get to know him?”

  Next to him, Harper elbowed Chase.

  “Oof,” he grunted. “Yeah, what Shep said.”

  “Well . . . I . . .” Jenny looked at Nash.

  He shrugged. “I have no opinion on this, other than if you go, we’re going with you.” He’d never tell his mom to date again. She wouldn’t want that, and neither would he. Still, he’d be there to make sure his mother was treated right. Until she kicked his ass out of there, of course.

  Ma paused then gave a tender smile. “I think I would like to go to that musical festival.”

  Harper rubbed her hands together, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Let’s go dress shopping.”

  Emma nodded. “I’ll do your hair real nice.”

  Ma smiled. A bright smile. Nash glanced at Shep and Chase, seeing that his brothers took note of that smile too. For all that the family had been through, maybe it was time for everyone to have a little luck on their side. And maybe in all the strain and pain, everyone deserved happiness too—which suddenly made Nash wish Megan were there with them.

  When Ma looked back at Nash, he wanted to tell her about the baby, knowing how happy that would make her. But his mother would hover over Megan once she found out. Nash needed things to settle with Megan before they let their families into their circle. Even Nash knew of the storm that awaited him once their families got involved. They needed to be strong and solid, and while Nash could feel they were getting there, he knew one wrong move could cost him what he wanted most.

  Megan.

  “My poor, poor baby,” said Ma, dragging him from his thoughts as she rose. “You look upset.” She ran her hand across his forehead. “Are you hurting?”

  “I’m fine, Ma.” A lie. His shoulder burned like someone had used a cheese grater on his skin until there wasn’t any skin left. To get the focus off him, he asked Shep, “Any word on how the guests are taking the fire?”

  “Most are handling the situation fine.” Shep reached into his pocket, taking out his cell phone, and began tapping the screen. “Others, I’m afraid, are not.” He handed Nash the cell.

  Nash groaned at what he saw on the screen. “Seriously, a one-star review already?”

  “Some people like to complain,” Harper interjected quickly. Her arms were folded across her chest, her wedding rings sparkling in the light. “Try not to take it too personally.”

  “The ranch seems to be falling apart.” Nash arched an eyebrow. “How do I not take that personally?”

  Harper gave a tight smile. “Grow a thicker skin?”

  Nash sighed heavily. “Might I remind you that I just lost a few layers of skin?”

  “Because you risked your life to save kittens,” Shep added with a smile.

  “All hail the savior of kittens.” Chase grinned.

  Nash would never live this one down. Yeah, the girls seemed to like his rescue of the day. His brothers would goad him for years. Even Nash still couldn’t believe what he’d done. Apparently, the baby wasn’t only making Megan soft, but him too. He flipped Shep off then extended the gesture to Chase.

  “Nash Blackshaw,” Ma gasped. “That was rude.”

  Emma laughed then wrapped her arms around Shep’s one arm, leaning into him. “What does the review say?”

  “First, the cattle went missing,” Nash reported. “Then the barn burns to the ground. Things are not up to standard at this guest ranch. We will not be returning.”

  “It’s expected,” said Chase. “There will always be people who are pissed, no matter what.”

  “Not on my watch,” Nash grumbled, glancing down at the square bandage on his shoulder. The burn throbbed and the pinch on his hand from the IV wasn’t helping any.

  When he looked up at Shep, he let loose the thoughts that had weighed heavily on his mind while the nurse applied the bandage. “Something is going on here. First the cattle. Now this? It can’t be a coincidence.” He ran a hand over his tired eyes. “There were explosions.”

  “Explosions?” Shep repeated, scratching his chin. “I can’t think of anything in the barn that would explode. Are you sure that’s what you heard?”

  Ma nodded. “I heard them too. Three of them, it seemed like.”

  Shep frowned and glanced at Chase. “Can you think of anything that would cause that?”

  Chase shook his head. “Nothing at all.”

  “Which is exactly what I’m saying,” said Nash, glancing at Chase. “You were targeted during the build.” It turned out that another builder, and a close friend of the family, hadn’t been thrilled Chase was in competition with him. “Just like then, this feels like someone is trying to shut us down.”

  Emma agreed with a nod. “I’m with Nash on this one. It’s beginning to feel weird.”

  “I second that,” Harper said.

  Nash gave both women a smile. He’d come to like having them around. They were both strong and funny and made his brothers happy. Christ, where was Megan?

  Silence descended on the room. Heavy silence that Nash knew came from confusion. From day one of learning Blackshaw Cattle was facing bankruptcy, they had met trouble at every turn of this new venture. Nash had known it wouldn’t be easy when he took over, but he hadn’t been expecting it to be this hard.

  He also knew he would give anything to get away from it all. He didn’t want the responsibility of the guest ranch on his shoulders. He wanted to hand off the control to the employees who did a fantastic job and were happy doing it. But he couldn’t do that until everything ran smoothly. His brothers had done their part, and he needed to do his.

  Up until a week ago, he thought he was well on his way to quietly handing over control of the guest ranch to someone else. His life felt more unstable now than ever. And he had a baby on the way.

  Shep’s brows furrowed as he studied Nash, his expression revealing nothing. “It does seem unlikely that this is all a coincidence, but what else can it be?”

  “Clint Harrison,” Nash said through gritted teeth. “If anyone is behind this, you know it’s him. My gut is telling me he still wants our land. I’m sure of it.”

  Chase frowned and shook his head. “No matter what you think of him, Nash, I don’t think Clint would set a fire that would engager Ma’s life.”

  “It’s too extreme,” Ma agreed with a soft nod. “Clint has never been a violent man before, and he and your father have gone through many rough patches.”

  Nash drew in a long deep breath. Even he doubted Clint had that much evil in him, but at the same time,
he said, “I don’t know how he’s involved, but I’m telling you that dirty sonuvabitch has his hands in this somehow.”

  At that exact moment, Megan entered the room.

  And Nash realized there was something he hated more than hospitals—hurting Megan. One look into her unique eyes told him his words had not only hurt her, they had crushed her.

  Chapter 9

  Every single thought that Megan had telling her everything would be all right vanished with the harshness in Nash’s voice. She wanted to scream up to the sky, When will this stop? Pretending she hadn’t heard his scathing voice and the way he spoke of her father, she entered the hospital room. “Hi.” She forced a smile.

  “Hi,” Nash said, carefully watching her.

  He wore a hospital gown, but it was off his one shoulder where the bandage had been placed. Even in a hospital bed, he looked strong and unbreakable, but he was used to hospital visits. Likely much more comfortable there than the random person. She moved next to the bed and knowing exactly what he wanted, she figured she better get over the slight awkwardness of PDA. She dropped her head and pressed her lips softly against his. When she leaned away, he looked beyond smug. She took a seat on the end of the bed and met Jenny’s gaze. Her eyes were beaming and her smile bright. Even Emma and Harper gave loving looks. “Okay, you can all stop looking so happy.”

  Emma grinned. “But we are happy you’re together now.”

  “Yup. Real happy.” Harper nodded.

  Even Jenny gave a quick nod. “It’s about time.”

  Shep wasn’t laughing, though. His gaze was on Megan, concern there. He placed his arm around Emma’s neck. “Come on, beautiful, let’s give these two some time alone.”

  Emma smiled and said to Megan, “Call me later, all right?” She followed Shep out of the hospital room.

  Megan nodded, swallowing the emotion threatening to explode.

  Chase stepped closer and tapped his fingers against Nash’s calf. “If you need anything, I’m a phone call away.”

  “Appreciate that,” Nash said, “but I’m counting on getting out of here and won’t need shit.”

  “Just call if you need anything,” Chase repeated before vanishing through the doorway.

  “I’ll be around if you want to talk,” Harper said to Megan, pressing a hand on her shoulder.

  Megan didn’t even know where to start.

  Jenny rose from her chair and pressed her lips against Nash’s forehead. “You need rest. Make sure to get it.”

  “Will do, Ma.” Nash smiled, his head resting against the pillow.

  Jenny wrapped Megan in a warm hug before she said softly in her ear, “He’s been waiting for you to get here. You brighten him up, my dear.” With a soft kiss on her cheek, Jenny then strode out the door.

  “What did she say to you?” Nash asked, once they were alone.

  “Nothing you need to know about.” Megan scooted closer to Nash. He rested his good hand on her leg. So perfect. So comfortable. God, she felt so safe and content around him. And that was where things got so confusing. The hardest part in all this was that the hatred between Nash and her father darkened the news of the baby. Earlier this morning, Megan had been happy, beyond happy now that the shock of the pregnancy had worn off, and Nash seemed happy too.

  She’d decided when she left the vet’s that this was happening between them. No more fear. And yet now, the harsh words Nash said about her father replayed in her mind, over and over again. Her motherly instincts were beginning to feel strong and protective, making her want to keep a bubble around this baby to ensure all the stress and anger Nash and her father caused each other wouldn’t ever touch the baby. The last thing she wanted was their child to feel like she had growing up. Even how she felt now. Torn in two directions. Her heart wanting both men but struggling to find a way to do that.

  To stop thinking about all this, knowing she would never figure out that answer tonight and needing to be there for Nash, she switched subjects. “I wouldn’t count on getting out of here anytime soon. The nurses were chatting at the nurse’s station out there and said the doctor wanted to keep you overnight.”

  “Terrific,” Nash grumbled.

  “I called in some extra staff for tonight, so I can stay with you.”

  He winked. “That’s better news. How about the kittens?”

  “They’re good. Leah said they were really lucky. My mom is watching them tonight.”

  Nash nodded then watched Megan intently for a long time. He finally sighed and took her hand with his uninjured arm and tangled his fingers with hers. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that about your father.”

  Her throat tightened. Her blood pressure rose. She had no idea what to say anymore. For so long she had been running from Nash. Now she couldn’t run anymore, but the truth was even harder to face, breaking her heart in this impossible situation. To avoid all that, she glanced at the large bandage on his shoulder. “How much pain are you in?”

  “Megan. Look at me.” Her eyes connected to the warmth in the depth of his. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that about your father.”

  “But I did hear it,” she retorted softly. And suddenly there was a flood of emotion and her mouth had no off switch. “I hear every time you say something about him and the venom in your voice. I see the hatred on your face. And every time I do, I can’t help but ask myself: How can we be a we when you hate the man who raised me?”

  “I don’t need to like him,” Nash said, as if this was all very simple. “I need to put up with him, and that I can do.”

  She placed her hand on her belly. “I want our baby to know love.”

  His gaze flashed with intensity. “Our baby will only know love.”

  He believed that, Megan was certain. She saw his truth written all over his face. Hell, she had no doubt that he wanted to believe everything was going to work out. But . . . “How can you be certain?” Her lip quivered, nearly pleading for him to explain all the things she couldn’t see.

  “Because this”—he took her hand and squeezed it tight—“this is real and honest and good. Nothing will get in the way of that.”

  Before she would have shut him down, thrown up a wall, not let him close to her heart. To protect herself. Not now. There was nothing keeping him out anymore. Because maybe if she put herself on the line, he’d mirror her action.

  She placed her hand over his. “You’re the realest thing I’ve ever had. And now that I’ve had us, I can’t imagine life being any other way.”

  The surprise in his eyes was a rare and stunning thing for Nash Blackshaw.

  Though before he could respond, the nurse strode into the room. “How’s the patient doing?” she asked.

  “Ready to be discharged,” Nash said, staring at Megan.

  “That won’t be happening tonight, and there will be no arguments about it.” The nurse went for the IV and began looking it over and pressing some buttons. “But we can leave you alone for the rest of the night since you’re all topped up here.” She examined a second bag of fluid on the stand. “If you need anything, press the call button and we’ll come right in.” She turned to Nash and smiled warmly. “What you need more than anything now is rest.” She pointed to the morphine drip. “You have yet to take any pain medicine. Don’t be too tough. The first couple days of a burn are excruciating. The morphine is there to make you more comfortable.”

  “Mm-hmm,” said Nash.

  Megan rolled her eyes at the nurse. Tough Nash would never deign to take morphine. That would simply be beneath him.

  “We’ll check in on you in the morning.” The nurse moved to the door and flicked off the lights, bathing the room in a soft glow that came from the small light above the bed.

  When Megan looked back, Nash was still staring at her. He slid his fingers over the strands of hair near her face. “Freckles, why are you looking so sad?”

  Tears she fought hard against welled in her eyes and she barely managed, “I’m just emotional.” Her
heart was weak, exposed.

  “You’re killing me here.” Nash’s voice became tender as he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “Please tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh, my God, stop.” She wiped away the tear. “You’re the one in the hospital. Let’s focus on you. You need to rest.”

  “Megan.”

  Her palms grew sweaty. Her head felt dizzy. She couldn’t talk about this right now. She needed to think past all the emotions. “The nurse said you should rest.”

  He arched a defiant brow. “I say we have to talk.”

  Desperate for space, and time to think all this through, she reached for the morphine drip and pressed the little red button.

  Nash’s eyes narrowed. “You did not just do that.”

  “Now you’ll sleep.” She forced a smile, keeping it together for one more second.

  His eyes went a little cross-eyed. “Oh, fuck. Sleep. Yeah, that’s good.” A moment later, he was snoring softly.

  Megan’s breath whooshed out, and then she let the tears fall, softly sobbing into her hands.

  * * *

  Late into the night, Nash opened his eyes to a dark room with only the full moon casting light into the space. The morphine haze made him slow to fully wake. It took a good few minutes for his mind to clear, and then he realized he wasn’t alone. Megan slept, all tucked against him like she always belonged there. Her head rested on his good shoulder, and she breathed deep with sleep. The other shoulder burned in agony. That didn’t matter now. He marveled at how she felt in his arms like this—so perfect, so right. Though also in that comfort, he remembered the pain on her face before sleep had stolen him away.

  He felt like the world’s biggest asshole. He didn’t even question why she’d pressed the button. She had been raw, exposed, and he had crushed her. Brutally.

  Yeah, he’d done that. You fucking idiot.

  For as long as Nash could remember, he’d thought of Megan as strong and steady. She was the tough girl that took no shit from anyone. The sassy girl with the smart mouth. Now he knew some of that was for show, and that toughness concealed a beautifully gentle and loving heart. One that was torn in two directions, that was so desperate for love. True love. Real love. The love she told him her grandparents had. Love where anger and hatred did not exist.