Ridden Hard: A Surprise Baby Romance (Ryker Ranch Book 3)

by Kim Loraine

  Winking, I said, “Your secret is safe with me, Justin.” I glanced at the bed, which was in a serious state of disarray. “Do you two want me to maybe go take a bath or something so you can…continue?”

  Justin shook his head. “I best get goin’. Erin, I’ll call you?”

  She nodded and bit her lower lip as he left with a tip of his hat. As soon as we saw him on horseback leaving the cabin, she spun around to me with her fingers pressed against her mouth. “Oh. My. God. Cowboys.”

  I laughed. “I’m tired. Go on without me. Leave me here to die,” I said, mocking her earlier performance. “Give me a break. You just wanted to get laid.”

  “Are you mad at me? We just sort of, clicked, you know?”

  Oh, I knew. “He is really good looking.”

  She sighed. “Yeah. And he knows exactly how to use his hips. He’s a rodeo cowboy too.”

  “Are you gonna see him again?”

  Nodding, she plopped down on the bed. “He’s taking me on a trail ride tomorrow.”

  “Tristan told me it’s supposed to snow in the next few days.”

  Her expression changed. “Snow?”

  “Yeah. There’s a cold front coming in.”

  “Okay. We’ll need to keep an eye on things. Maybe leave early.”

  I knew her so well. “That’s what I told him. We don’t want to get stuck here, or worse, somewhere on the highway.”

  “I have chains in my trunk, but I just don’t like making long trips in bad weather. It makes me nervous.”

  “Me too.” She had good reason to be uncomfortable. I’d almost lost her when we were sixteen to a car accident during a freak snowstorm. If she wanted to leave, we’d leave.

  “We’ll keep an eye on things. I really can’t stay longer. I’ve got sponsors I need to record spots for.” She frowned. “I should have brought all my stuff. I could have just recorded here.”

  Shrugging, I said, “You couldn’t have known. It’s not a vacation if you bring work with you anyway.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be a vacation. It was supposed to be you finding your baby daddy and me getting some material for my series on Saddle Up.”

  “True. You are wildly unprepared. What kind of influencer are you?” I teased.

  “Okay, okay. Do you want to tell me about supper?”

  I poured a cup of tea and took a seat at the table as it steeped. “They’re wonderful. All of them. Sera is protective. She gave me the third degree about my intentions with her brother. But once I explained what happened, she backed off. It was sweet how worried she was about him. And I think Mama is just overflowing with love for anyone who needs it.”

  “That sounds too good to be true.”

  “I know, but it’s real. I can tell. They all just really love each other.”

  She smiled. “I’m a little jealous.”

  “Right? I didn’t think families like this existed outside of TV shows.”

  “Mom tried her best.” Erin’s defensiveness came out instantly. “You can’t say she didn’t.”

  “I never said that. But she’s never been what you could call warm.”

  “No. She was too busy working three jobs to support us. It didn’t mean she didn’t love us.”

  “I know. I know.” Now I felt bad. “If things had been different. If our dad hadn’t left…”

  “She wouldn’t have worked herself to death, and we’d still have her.”

  Anger at our father’s selfishness blossomed in my chest, but I pushed it aside. No use dwelling on the choices of someone I’d never met. “Okay, enough sad talk. The Rykers are great, this baby will have a huge support system, and you took a ride on a ranch hand. Did I miss anything else?”

  She tossed a balled-up napkin at me. “No.” Her laugh was a balm to my soul. “It was a good ride, though.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  11

  Tristan

  The last two days had been bitter cold, but there hadn’t been a single flurry, and I had to admit, I was relieved. I wasn’t ready for Hazel to go yet, but I knew it had to happen eventually. At least now I had a way to get in touch with her once she was six hours away.

  I hadn’t spent as much time with her as I wanted to. Yesterday our bull, Lucifer, busted through two huge sections of fence, and we had to round up nearly a hundred head of cattle who got loose before anyone realized what had happened. It was a stupid mistake, something we should have been watching for. Lucifer was a problem. We all knew it. Shit like that happened all the time, but that was before Hazel arrived. I needed every second I could get with her.

  “Did you know there’s a pretty girl waiting for you in the lodge?” Sera asked as I put Ranger away for the day.

  My stomach twisted as excitement raced through my veins. “Is there?”

  Nodding, she grinned. “I really like her, Tris. Don’t fuck this up.”

  A shocked laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Thanks, Sera. Nothing like pressure to motivate a guy.”

  “I only speak the truth. If she doesn’t want a relationship with you, I still want her to be comfortable coming to the ranch and bringing the baby.”

  That was something I’d thought about over the last few days. Mama had made us all attend supper every evening, along with Hazel and her sister Erin. That frustrated me because I wanted time alone with Hazel. We had some serious things to talk about, plans to make before she went home.

  “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she knows she’s welcome here whenever she wants to come.”

  Sera nodded. “Good.”

  Walking into my mom's house, my palms were sweaty, and I was once again nervous to talk to Hazel. We hadn’t planned this, but I was glad she wanted to see me. I found her sitting at the kitchen table, working on a puzzle that Mama had out for all of us. Ever since we were kids, she’d put a random puzzle out and expect that we would each work on it for a few minutes every time we came inside. We must've done thousands.

  This one was a fifteen hundred piece landscape. A field of wildflowers. Deceptively hard. Hazel stared down at it, not even realizing I was there as I moved in closer.

  "You gotta start with the sky and work your way down. Otherwise, you get lost in the field of flowers." I grabbed a piece of sky blue with just a tiny bit of cloud on the edge and placed it right where it needed to be.

  Hazel looked up at me, something like regret in her eyes. "I haven't done a puzzle since I was a kid. I forgot how much I like them." She cocked her brow. “What happened to you?”

  I’d completely forgotten about the bruise on my jaw. “Horse head-butted me as I was saddling him. I’m used to it. Ranger and I had a fair few arguments growing up. When I was a kid, I always fought my horse for control. He was young too. We were both bullheaded. Now, I end up with a fat lip or a shiner at least once every time we get in a new horse who needs breakin’.”

  “Working with someone new today? Obviously not Ranger.”

  "Yeah, I’ve been working hard with Wildfire to get him ready. Ranger and I have grown up together. But, unfortunately, he’s just not cut out for a full workday anymore. It's time for him to retire and just enjoy his life however he wants."

  Her brows pulled together. "How do you feel about that?"

  I hadn't really thought about it. It was just something that happened. Horses got old. They worked hard and deserved to rest. "Well, it's not like we're sending them off to the farm." I use air quotes on the word farm to make sure she understood my meaning.

  "We had a dog that went to the farm once." She grabbed a puzzle piece and snapped it together with mine. "But Erin and I knew exactly what my mom meant when she said that we took Buddy off to live on a farm."

  "I don't understand why parents do that. Why not just explain to their kids what happened?"

  "It's a lot more complicated than that. You've clearly never spent time with an inquisitive seven-year-old. The questions they ask are endless. Questions even I can't answer, a
nd I'm a nurse."

  That had my heart pounding. There was so much I didn't know about kids. When would I learn? When I do something or say something to mess them up? What if I traumatize our kid by answering the question honestly and scaring the ever-loving shit out of them? Her hand rested on mine and squeezed, pulling me back from my racing thoughts.

  “Hey, there. Your pulse is going a mile a minute. What just happened?"

  I took the seat across from her and looked right into her beautiful blue eyes. “What if I’m a terrible dad?"

  The sweet smile she gave me eased something in my chest. "The fact that you’re even asking that question means you won't be. We're just going to do the best we can.”

  "I know you and your sister are leaving tomorrow. I overheard you guys talking because the snow is finally about to hit."

  A guilty look crossed her face. "I was going to tell you. I just needed to find the right time."

  I nodded, knowing that fighting about this wasn’t going to solve anything. "Have dinner with me tonight. Just you and me, no family, nobody asking us questions," I blurted.

  My words hung in the air between us, and her mouth dropped open for just a moment before she gathered herself. "All right. Where are we going?"

  "There's a little place I know. Bring gloves, because it’s getting cold. I'll pick you up at six."

  She bit her lower lip, but then she smiled. "Are you cooking?"

  "Do you doubt my skills?"

  The dubious expression betrayed her. "Kinda."

  "I'll have you know, I am Sandra Ryker’s son. That means we know how to take care of ourselves, and we know that accounts for the people around us."

  The flicker of interest in her eyes had my cock twitching behind my fly. Goddamn, if she could do this to me with one look, what could she do with time?

  I stood, but not before taking her hand and bringing her knuckles to my lips. I pressed a kiss to the soft skin, and I reveled in the feel of her on my mouth. I wanted all of her on my mouth.

  "Tristan?” The tension in her voice didn’t dull my arousal one bit.

  "Hazel?"

  "Don't be late."

  I winked at her before opening the kitchen door and heading out to my waiting horse. I wouldn't be late for her. I’d never be late.

  * * *

  “Shit,” I muttered as I looked down my body at the muck and grime layer I’d added over the course of a day’s work. I couldn’t go pick up Hazel looking like this. She’d never agree to give me a chance if I smelled like horse shit and looked worse.

  “Shit is right. I thought you trained the horses, not let them school you.” Buck chuckled as soon as I came through the door of my house. He stood at the kitchen counter, a beer bottle in his hand.

  “Don’t you have a house? A fiancée waiting? Why the fuck are you here in mine?”

  Buck laughed and slid his keys across the counter toward me. “Take it easy, little brother. I’m just dropping these off. I forgot I had a spare set in my truck. Found ‘em this morning.”

  Shaking my head, I hung my hat before pulling off my boots. “And you felt like it was so important you needed to let yourself into my house?”

  “Well, someone might have mentioned you had a date tonight with your baby mama. I just wanted to check in, see if you needed any sage words of wisdom.”

  “I know how to seduce a woman.”

  He scoffed. “Sure, that’s obvious. But do you know how to keep one?”

  Pushing off the counter, he snagged his hat and put it on before walking past me and out the door. “You want her to fall in love with you, or just fuck you?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Can’t I have both?”

  He didn’t answer me, and I wasn’t gonna go after him. But his question rolled around in my brain. I’d fucked my share of beautiful women, but I’d never loved anyone. Never wanted a woman as much as I wanted Hazel. Sure, I was dying to get my hands on her again, to taste and touch her, but I needed her around me as much as I needed her in my bed. Hell, I just wanted her in the same room as me.

  I’d been dying to get her alone, to remind her of how good we were together. Because there was no way that had all been inside my head. The two of us were magic. Pure and simple.

  I tugged my shirt off before slipping out of my dirty jeans and tossing everything in the hamper. Even bare, my limbs wore streaks of grime. It had been a hell of a day and I was dog-tired. But there was nothing that would keep me from my chance with Hazel tonight. Sleep was for the weak. That wasn’t me.

  The second I stepped under the spray of the shower, I let out a sigh. The hot water eased my sore muscles, and before long, I was clean and just letting the warmth soak into my bones. I’d go pick Hazel up in an hour, enough time for me to pack us our dinner and get my truck set up with everything we’d need for a night of stargazing.

  The thought of her next to me, snuggled up for warmth as we watched the stars in the clear sky had my cock hard and aching. And what if she let me kiss her again? Really kiss her, like I did that night. “Jesus, Hazel. What are you doing to me?” I muttered, sighing heavily as I took my length in my hand and gave a slow stroke.

  A hiss of pleasure escaped me at the contact. I’d been resisting the urge to fantasize about the woman staying on my ranch, but I had to admit, I wasn’t handling the temptation very well. I was strung tighter than piano wire and I didn’t know how I was gonna go without her if she rejected me this time.

  Memories of her soft skin on mine, the hitch in her breath as I’d filled her that first time, as deep as I could get inside her, hit me hard as I picked up the pace and began sliding my fist over my cock. She’d been slick and hot, even through the condom. I wanted it again. I wanted to feel her bare. Fuck.

  My palm shot out to brace myself on the wall at the end of the tub and I stroked in earnest now, breaths harsh and tense as my orgasm raced up my spine. Flashes of Hazel’s lips parting and back arching as I made her cry my name sent me over the edge. I came so hard my knees buckled, and I was thankful I lived alone because the groan I let out filled the bathroom and echoed off the walls.

  Breathing heavily, I shut off the water and grabbed a towel before I stepped out of the tub. I stood in front of the mirror and wiped the fog off the glass. Jesus Christ, this woman was in my veins.

  A few minutes later, I was dressed—looking sharp if I did say so myself—and packing up a meal for the two of us to share. I was looking forward to spending the night with her and no distractions…until my phone rang and my entire world changed.

  Hazel

  I sat with Mama while we worked on the puzzle together, concern prickling the back of my mind because she wasn’t acting like her normal self.

  "Mama, are you feeling okay?"

  She looked up at me, her eyes tired and face pale. "Oh, honey, I'm just fine. It's just a touch of the flu."

  Unease curled in my chest. Something didn't feel right. She’d slept most of the day, moving slow, breathing heavily. She was a fit woman. But I'd seen her regularly taking her pills, and I couldn't shake the feeling this was something other than a touch of the flu.

  “I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me take your vitals."

  She looked at me as though I were a silly child, but she nodded.

  I sighed. “Thank you. You stay right there. I have a kit in my car. I need to go grab it."

  As fast as I could, I went to my car, grabbed my kit in the trunk, and came back. I took her blood pressure first, and as soon as I got the numbers, I pulled out my cell and dialed 9-1-1.

  "What are you doing?" Mama asked. Her tone was full of frustration and annoyance.

  "Mama, I need you to stay calm. I think you're having a heart attack." I handed her an aspirin and waited as she took it.

  Her eyes widened in pure disbelief. "What are you talking about? My chest doesn’t hurt."

  "A lot of the time symptoms for women are very different from the classic symptoms for men. I need you to trust me
. We’re going to take a little trip to the hospital. If I'm wrong, there's nothing to worry about. But if I'm right, I want you to be in the best place you can be."

  I got the emergency workers on the way within minutes, and because I was a medical professional, they let me hang up so I could contact the rest of the family. Of course, Mama didn't want me to bother any of them for a silly little flu, but Tristan was the first one I called. He answered the phone immediately.

  "Hazel? What's going on? Are you okay?

  "I'm fine. But I called 9-1-1. They're on their way. I'm pretty sure your mom is having a heart attack." He didn't say anything else. All I heard was the phone rustling and the sound of feet hitting the ground.

  In moments, every member of the Ryker family was inside the house and standing over their mother. I got her to lay down on the couch and was working at keeping her calm. She was sweating and clammy, and I didn't have any way to treat her. But I was ready to intervene with life-saving measures if I had to.

  Before long, the fire department arrived. They got her hooked up to a monitor and took preventative measures to stop the damage to her heart before they loaded her into the back of the aid car.

  "Does she have heart problems?" I asked Tristan.

  He nodded. “The last five years or so. It's been something she's been trying to manage. But she won’t tell us how bad it really is.”

  “You should follow them. I’ll—”

  Tristan nodded and reached for my hand. "You're part of this family. I can't do this without you.”

  Clint and Ever were already in their car, heading toward the flashing lights, while Buck was on the phone with Penny as he raced to his waiting truck. I couldn't leave Tristan alone. Even if he had his siblings, I could see in his eyes he needed me.

  We followed behind the caravan of Ryker family members, Sera riding with us and crying softly in the backseat. When the ambulance stopped at a football field behind the high school, my heart sank. They were airlifting her. That was not a good sign.