A Rancher's Heart

by Vivian Arend

  They climbed into his truck to have room for four, but Caleb insisted she take the wheel. “You know where we’re headed.”

  A collection of vehicles had gathered to the side of their destination, and Caleb reached into the back of the truck and pulled out the sleds he’d transferred from her vehicle to his. One was old-fashioned, long with a gentle curl at the front. The other, a sit-upon with a steering wheel, like a mini ATV without an engine.

  Which was when Tamara realized she hadn’t thought this out, because as they marched up the hill, children running around them, the toboggan arrangement had been perfect for three people. Not so much for four.

  Sasha jumped up and down as she pointed to where she wanted her sled positioned. “Push me, Daddy,” she ordered after settling into the seat.

  “You need a push? It’s a pretty steep hill,” he warned.

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “I like to go fast.”

  Caleb glanced at Tamara, his lips twitching. “That’s kind of what I’m afraid of.”

  Tamara snickered, lining up the other sled and sitting down so Emma could crawl in front of her. With a squeal, Sasha was off, Caleb sending her on the way with a gentle push before standing to watch her steer her way down the slope.

  Then he turned toward them. “You two ready for a push?”

  Emma shook her head, then sweetly made a request. “Ride with us.”

  Tamara’s heart was in her throat. Since Christmas Emma had taken to speaking out loud around her far more often, and every time it happened she felt as if she was privileged to be trusted.

  Only as Caleb moved to fulfill his daughter’s request, Tamara was about to be enveloped in his arms.

  “Scoot,” Caleb said, patting her familiarly on the butt.

  Tamara glanced around, but none of the families racing up and down the hill were watching them with anything more than a moment’s interest. She shuffled forward, tucking her feet into the front of the sled and curling around Emma so Caleb had room behind them. He settled, his legs tucked under her knees.

  There might have been a million layers of fabric between them, but Tamara didn’t care. Caleb got their forward momentum going, then reached around her waist and grabbed hold, locking their bodies together to guide the sled.

  They made it safely past where Sasha stood, arms raised high in a victory salute. For a split second after they came to a stop Tamara leaned back against Caleb, pressing as close as she dared. His chin was tucked over her shoulder, the scruff on his cheek brushing hers as his warm breath created a cloud in the cold wintry air.

  A small moment of intimate pleasure in the midst of an innocent childish activity.

  Emma was up like a jack-in-the-box, giggles escaping as she attempted to help Tamara to her feet. The little girl tugged her forward, but it was Caleb’s hand on her butt that sent her vertical, his palm lingering for the briefest of seconds. With a smile in his eyes, he grabbed the sled rope, striding over to Sasha to help pull hers up the hill as well.

  There were other families playing, childish laughter and squeals of delight ringing out, and the longer it went on, the more Tamara knew this was what she wanted with all her heart.

  Now if one irritatingly stubborn man would get his act together and say something, they could move toward making this a full-time reality.

  The perfect afternoon of tobogganing was followed by a quick dinner out at a local diner—quick because both the girls were falling asleep at the table.

  She and Caleb continued to work with each other, sharing evenings. His brothers began to drop in a lot more often, though, and she wondered if Caleb had actively encouraged them to show up as chaperones. Most nights she was the one to say good night before the living room was empty.

  She tried to tell herself going slow was a positive thing, but she missed him in her bed.

  Funny—they’d only had two days to themselves, but she wanted the man desperately. She could only imagine what it was doing to him to know she was just down the hall and yet out of reach.

  But while she waited, she worked.

  The whole puzzle of how to help Silver Stone became her new quiet obsession. She talked to everyone she could, being careful not to reveal why she was asking.

  Ashton gave her a slow nod when she mentioned the feed orders seemed steeper than in the past. “Floods a few years back were rough, but we’ll get back on track. A man’s got to work with the land, not against her. She’ll take care of us. She always does.”

  She called Josiah out to do a checkup on Stormy, which was kind of overkill considering how well all the horses were treated at Silver Stone, but gave her a chance to ask him about trends in ranching and what he’d observed recently.

  Thankfully, Caleb’s best friend had stopped flirting with her. He was a lot more talkative than Caleb, and before Stormy was checked head to toe, Tamara knew enough to start her own ranch in the area. She also knew enough about the current state of the economy to know she’d be crazy to think about it.

  “Things are tight everywhere,” he finished bluntly, patting Stormy on the withers before rejoining Tamara outside of the stall. “All it’ll take, though, is one good break and it’ll all turn around.”

  What he didn’t say was one bad break could just as easily be the end, which was what Tamara desperately didn’t want to happen. Silver Stone was Caleb’s home. It was home for Emma and Sasha, and all the others who’d become incredibly important to her.

  Karen gave her the first real push towards a seed of an idea. They were texting one morning, Tamara bundled up in her warmest coat, with a toque on her head and a quilt wrapped around her, hiding her phone under the massive pile to keep her fingers from freezing between messages.

  Karen: guess what’s arriving today

  Tamara: a herd of elephants?

  Karen: smaller, and far more woolly

  It couldn’t be something as simple as sheep because they already had a number of flocks on the Coleman land.

  Tamara: long-haired rabbits?

  Karen: you get cookies for being close. Alpacas

  Tamara: get out!

  Karen: seriously

  Tamara: please videotape yourself the first time you ride one, and post it on YouTube

  Karen: ha! Don’t tempt me. No, this is Hope’s fault. She convinced the family Alpaca yarn can be a good moneymaker, so we’re going to try

  It made sense. The Colemans had enough land and enough workers to add to the operation.

  Tamara: maybe I need to get you to send some to Silver Stone

  Karen: hell, no. It was bad enough we brought goats to the property. The horses are too valuable to mess up bringing in other animals. The only diversification Silver Stone should try is mineral rights

  Did Karen know something she didn’t? Diamonds? Rubies?

  Karen: black gold

  Sudden disappointment hit: I think they’d know if they had oil on their land

  Karen: they’ve never tested. I asked Ashton when I was there, and he said they’d never had the time or inclination to worry about it after Caleb’s parents passed on

  The conversation drifted to other things after that, but Tamara was intrigued at the idea.

  She did a little Google research later that day, digging into what testing involved, but found a lot of dead ends and not very clear information.

  In the end, she decided before she said anything to Caleb, she should have possible solutions for him. She sent an email to Karen asking if she had any contacts in the industry, then the kitchen door slammed, and the sound of Sasha complaining loudly and Emma crying dragged her from her chair to find out what the girls were fighting about.

  Thankfully something solved easily with a couple quiet apologies followed by milk and cookies. Tamara’s quest to help improve Silver Stone’s future was tucked aside in the daily routine of dealing with the girls and not accidentally blurting out to Caleb that she loved him.

  There were few things that Caleb detested. Cruelty, laziness�
��he hated to think of it as a diss list of his ex-wife’s personality traits, but the one thing he’d never had to personally deal with before in his life was jealousy.

  He worked hard, and he was good at what he did, so when they were out roping and one of his brothers managed to pull faster or drive harder, he could pretty much say he felt a sense of pride in that as well. It wasn’t him accomplishing the task, but it was family, and that was just as good.

  So this strange beast in his belly that wanted to rip and tear and shred was mighty uncomfortable.

  Caleb glanced at the delivery truck still parked outside the house, and finally couldn’t take it anymore. He abandoned his chores and strode across the yard, slowing to step softer on the deck so he didn’t appear to be a madman rushing into the house.

  As he’d approached he’d caught a clear glimpse in the window of Tamara laughing, the blond-haired young man who’d brought out the filing cabinet she’d ordered leaning on his dolly as he flashed her a smile, admiration in his eyes.

  Caleb’s feet marched him forward. He was through the door an instant later. The two of them glanced toward him, Tamara with a welcoming smile, the young man grabbing hold of his equipment and subtly backing away from Tamara.

  Yeah, Caleb’s expression might hold a little more heat than was polite, but damn it all—

  “Need some help?” His tone was almost civilized.

  Okay, maybe not.

  “We’re done.” The kid hauled himself toward the door, but more importantly away from Tamara who was now regarding Caleb with one brow raised.

  He opened the door before the kid could even put his shoes on, and now Tamara had her arms folded and she gave him the evil eye.

  She turned to send the boy off with a kind word. “Thanks for your help. I’ll make sure I stop by the store once I’ve talked to the girls about the bookshelf.”

  The young man didn’t do more than offer a quick smile before taking off, swerving away from Caleb as if to stay out of reach.

  Caleb pushed the door shut with a solid click before turning back to Tamara.

  Her lips twitched.

  “What?”

  She took a deep breath and let it out, her amusement showing through. “He’s just a kid. And he was being helpful. Did you need to mark your territory that hard?”

  He crowded toward her. “Nobody knows you’re mine, so excuse me if I find it a little frustrating.”

  “You don’t think I’m entertaining kids barely out of high school right here in the house, do you? Because if you do you think that, we have a problem.”

  “I’m not worried about you, but I know what it’s like to be that age and in the presence of a woman sexy enough to give me dirty dreams.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Oh. I’m the type of woman who inspires dirty dreams? I like this.”

  Caleb’s control wavered. “You know damn well you inspire more than dirty dreams. I’m so fucking hard all the time around you it’s amazing I can walk. I know I said no fooling around, but it’s fucking killing me.”

  Tamara looked around the room before deliberately glancing at her watch then back at him.

  “The girls aren’t home for another couple hours.” She stepped closer, drifting her hands up the front of his body to pop open the first button on his coat. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  God, he shouldn’t do this, but there was no way he could stop. He crowded against her, ignoring the faint voice of reason that suggested he at least take her to her room before stripping her naked.

  Screw reason. He wanted her here. Now. Branding her and marking her thoroughly so that every time she looked around this room she’d remember them.

  He grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt and ripped it over her head, reaching behind for her bra hooks. His fingers fumbled for a second before he had it loose. She helped, shrugging the straps off her shoulders, soft fabric falling to the ground.

  Her lush womanly curves were bared before him, a spark of mischief in her eyes. Caleb picked her up around the thighs, a squeal of surprise bursting from her as she caught his shoulders for balance, peering at him through cheerful yellow-framed glasses.

  The extra height put her breasts level with his face, and he licked one nipple before taking the other into his mouth, sucking in pulses as he stumbled blindly the rest of the way to the living room.

  Her fingernails dug in as a hearty moan escaped her lips. She slid her fingers higher, threading them into his hair so she could pull him tighter to her breasts.

  He wanted to drop her on the sofa, strip her down and drive into her. He wanted to take his time, and tease every inch of her skin. Somehow he couldn’t do either of those, because she was gripping him tight, pulling and tugging where she wanted him, and suddenly he knew the one thing he needed.

  Control. Over her, since it appeared he didn’t have a damn bit over himself anymore.

  He settled her hips on the back of the couch then caught her wrists in his fingers, jerking them away from himself then slowly pressing her arms behind her back. The move thrust her chest forward, and pleasure grew inside him as she squirmed in his grip.

  “Sit still,” he ordered, adjusting her until he could clasp both wrists in one hand, leaving his other hand free to cup one full breast in his palm. He squeezed, then again, massaging the heavy weight as he stroked his thumb over her nipple. The nip tightened up, pressing against him.

  Her moan of approval grew louder, and her head fell back as she pressed into him harder.

  Still trying to take control.

  Caleb tugged her wrists again. He placed his other hand against her lower back and arched her so she was precariously balanced. Fully exposed as he leaned closer and stared into her flushed face. “Sit still means I’m in charge. Don’t move.”

  Her eyes widened for a second, and a flash of heat reflected back—not anger, lust.

  That was all it took for him to keep going. Lowering his head to work one nipple then the other, sucking and biting until her breasts were rosy red from the brush of scruff on his cheek and the pressure of his lips.

  “Oh God, Caleb. More,” she begged.

  Just because he agreed didn’t mean she’d get what she asked for. Not right away.

  He leaned her back farther until her shoulders rested on the seat, her hips still raised on the padded armrest. He placed a hand on her belly to keep her trapped with her hands underneath her. “Stay like that, and I might let you come.”

  He got a deliriously delicious growl back in response.

  He ripped her jeans open then stripped her. Hands under her ass, he adjusted until her butt hung slightly off the edge of the armrest. One foot rested beside her hips, the other leg he placed over the back of the couch, spreading her wide. She was exposed to his gaze now, moisture clinging to her curls.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, he slipped a finger through her curls to open her. “I get hard, but you get damn wet, don’t you, darlin’?”

  “Yes.” She sucked in a gasp as he dropped to the floor and placed his mouth over her and drove his tongue deep. “Oh yes.”

  The taste of her did nothing to cool the flames, but the noises she made were enough to allow him to slow slightly. He needed to hear her trembling on the edge, as desperate for him as he was for her. Teasing now, flicking his tongue against her clit, circling again and again until she squirmed, hips thrusting against the firm grip he used to pin her in place. When he sucked her clit into his mouth, strumming rapidly with his tongue, her ass cheeks tightened, hovering on the edge of an orgasm.

  He slowed, enjoying the sound of her cursing as he rose a little higher to gaze into her flushed face.

  “Open your mouth,” he ordered. Eyes glassy with a haze of passion, she obeyed. He slid his fingers past her lips and over her tongue, pumping them in and out as if he were fucking her mouth.

  Another moan escaped her, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The pulse at the base of her throat throbbed, matching everything in him.

  He
pulled his fingers back and took control of her nipple, leaving it wet after pinching lightly.

  Another time past her lips, their eyes locked as he painted her other nipple with more moisture, the peaks standing upright, eager for his touch.

  The third time he trailed his hand down her body until he finished between her legs, her wet heat beckoning him in. Just the tips, around, then dip. Around, and a little farther. Around, and to the first knuckle.

  Tamara arched against him, trying to move, but he kept her pinned in place, teasing over and over until his fingers were buried in her, the soft pads brushing the inside of her sex.

  He hit the right spot and her eyes widened. “Oh my…”

  It was too good to stop. Caleb bent over and added his tongue to the party and Tamara bucked as if she was going for an eight-second, full-score ride. Deliciously dirty noises escaped right before her sex tightened around him like a trap, her orgasm grabbing hold and tearing her over the edge violently.

  Caleb had his pants to the floor and his cock covered seconds later, dropping to the couch and dragging her into his lap.

  Tamara grabbed his shoulders and as he guided her hips over him she reached down and helped aim.

  He loved teamwork.

  He loved it even more when she straightened and there was no reason for him to go slow. He jerked her down, deep and fast, setting off another set of rollers, her sex wet and tight around him.

  That’s when he locked her in place and enjoyed the ride, her body squeezing the hell out of his cock as she writhed and moaned and came hard. Her torso shook wildly, and every time she stilled the slightest bit he pressed deeper, retriggering her pleasure.

  “Caleb. Oh my God, stop, stop…”

  He paused, as difficult as it was, but she was clutching his hands, riding him now. Driving him into her core even harder.

  “Tamara? Yes or no?” he demanded.

  “Yessssssssss…”

  Thank God. He fisted her hips tight, thrusting up like a piston. The pressure of body around him sent him whirling as she took everything, and gave back just as much. Pleasure and aching need and desire for even more. Her body was his, her hands on his shoulders clutching as if she didn’t want to let go.