Dalton Boys Box Set Books 1-5 (The Dalton Boys)

by Em Petrova

When Ryan came out of the shower, she heard a truck engine roar to life. Listening hard, she stopped toweling her hair. A shout. Then another.

  She dropped the towel and hurried into her clothes. She burst out of the bunkhouse in time to see Ted Dalton’s truck flying down the drive. The brothers were gathered in a knot, talking urgently.

  Oh no. Ryan ran out barefoot, heart pounding. Something told her Mrs. Dalton was having a medical emergency. She’d gone to the doctor a while back, and he’d put her on medication to steady her heart rate. Since then, she’d seemed a little out of sorts. Ryan didn’t know her very well, but she knew when someone wasn’t feeling well.

  She laid a hand on Kade’s arm. He looked down at her but wasn’t seeing her. His blue eyes were fixed, pupils dilated. “What’s going on? Is it your momma?”

  He jerked. With a grunt, he spun away from her and strode to the house. She gaped after him for a moment before Hank rested a hand on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, Momma started feeling dizzy and nauseated. Pa’s rushing her to Vixen but since it’s such a small hospital, they might need to transfer her.”

  “Hell, why do we live in such an isolated spot?” Cash ran a hand over his face. Each Dalton boy wore the same expression of dread. All but Kade—his had been devastated, as if he’d already lost his mother.

  “It’s our land and we’d never give it up for more convenience,” Hank reassured his brother. “Momma will be all right.”

  Ryan looked after Kade. I’m not so sure your brother will be.

  Hank squeezed her shoulder. “Why don’t you go see what Kade’s doing? I have a feeling he’s going for the moonshine.”

  “Oh. Sure.” As she left the brothers standing in the drive, she padded barefoot to the house. Inside, she found Kade rummaging in the pantry. When he spotted her, he narrowed his eyes.

  “What the hell do you want?”

  She rocked back, a little hurt by his tone. She shouldn’t expect anything less, though. He still didn’t like her, and well…she reckoned she felt the same.

  “I’m making sure you’re all right.”

  “Hank sent you, right?”

  She nodded.

  “You can head back to the bunkhouse. I’m fine.”

  She stood there, barefoot, hair dripping down her neck, feeling more out of place than ever on this ranch. During a family crisis, she was only in the way. The other brothers would go home to their families for comfort, but Kade was turning to moonshine.

  The kitchen light shone through the amber liquid in the bottle. He went into the kitchen, sat down and uncapped the brew. Should she stay or go? The idea of leaving him here to drink off his worry didn’t sit well.

  She took a seat adjacent to him. “You made that?”

  “Yeah. I’d share but I don’t know if you can handle it. You’re mighty small.”

  She bristled but ignored him. Now wasn’t the time to defend her strength. He was hurting. Studying the brackets around his mouth, she shook her head. “I’ll pass, not that you’re offering.”

  With a throaty noise he brought the bottle to his lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed but he didn’t even wince. Either the moonshine wasn’t powerful or he was tougher than most. Probably the latter.

  Silence descended. He drank and she shredded a paper napkin left on the table. The old kitchen clock ticked the minutes, and finally Kade broke the quiet. “She was doing too much work.”

  “I’m sure she was taking it easier than you think. Your sisters-in-law are here all the time to help.”

  “I caught her in the garden earlier.”

  “Pulling the tops off the chives before they seed, yes. I saw her too.”

  “All that bending.” He didn’t look a bit affected by the alcohol, though about an inch had gone from the bottle.

  “If you have heart troubles, you need to keep doing light exercise. It’s better to keep the muscle worked.”

  “Too much, maybe too fast,” he said thickly. Okay, maybe the strength of the brew was hitting him.

  Ten minutes later he was slurring his words and pouring out his heart to Ryan. About how important his family was to him. They were all he had and probably ever would. He wasn’t getting the land. She had no idea why not. If the other brothers had received deeds, he would too. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t a love child but a full brother. And he was in good graces with his family.

  A cat jumped into his lap and he tried to pet it, but his hand kept missing the mark. Finally, it gave a loud meow of irritation and jumped down. It slinked out of the room and Ryan watched it go. When she turned her attention back to Kade, she found him on his feet, swaying.

  “Are you going up to bed?” she asked. It was the best place for him. He’d probably have a pounding head tomorrow.

  “Nope. Gotta piss.” He staggered outside and practically fell down the steps. Ryan followed, compelled to see him safe. Grief and worry manifested themselves differently in people, and she had no question that Kade had never dealt with anything major like an illness in a family member. It was something she knew too much about, and he needed a shoulder.

  As he unzipped, she turned her back. Once he was finished, she chanced a glance. He’d managed to right his clothing and was lurching across the yard.

  She jumped the porch steps and ran after him. “Where are you going?” Still barefoot, she hoped he didn’t plan to go into the pasture or barn.

  “Gonna ride, sweetheart. Get some air.”

  Sweetheart…

  “No, you can’t ride, Kade. Come back inside with me. We’ll turn on the TV.”

  “Haven’t watched TV in years. Got better things to do.” His words were coming slower, and she feared he might collapse out here. Then what? She couldn’t heft his weight and dragging his body back to the house wasn’t an option. She’d have no choice but to go for Manny or one of the other Daltons.

  She caught up to Kade and gripped his arm. He looked down at her as if seeing her for the first time. “You’re shorter than I thought.”

  “I don’t have boots on. C’mon.” The bunkhouse was closer, and since he was going in that direction, it would be easier to steer him there.

  “Where are we going?” Surprise crossed his face. If it weren’t so upsetting that he was drunk over his mother’s illness, she might have laughed. He looked like Hank Jr. when the boy had fallen off his pony the other day. The whole family had laughed at the moment, especially when the boy had gotten up and taken a big bow, complete with an arm flourish.

  Ryan didn’t answer Kade, but he didn’t seem to require one. She led him to the bunkhouse. There he wandered down the length of the room. He touched her plaid shirt hanging on her bedpost.

  She stopped dead as he pulled it free and brought it to his nose. Heart convulsing, mind spinning, she watched him inhale deeply. Then he abruptly crumpled onto her bunk and started snoring.

  * * * * *

  Someone was inside Kade’s head with a pickaxe. Boom boom boom. Hammer hammer drum. Nausea bubbled up his throat and he rolled to the side, breathing hard to control the urge to vomit.

  A quiet step made him crack an eye and he glimpsed an angel standing a few feet away. Curves silhouetted by the sun. Piercing sun, actually.

  He closed his eyes but even that felt too painful, as if he could have closed them more softly.

  Swallowing the bile in his throat, he tried to gather his wits. What had happened to him? Kicked by a horse. Punched by his brother.

  Another step made him open his eyes again. The angel was still there. Golden light beaded along her torso as she lowered the hem of her T-shirt. Ripe breasts seemed the perfect pillows to support a throbbing head.

  He groaned and reached out.

  “Dalton.” She hurried to his side, and as soon as he caught her scent, his mind snapped into place.

  Ryan. And he was in the bunkhouse.

  Hell, what happened? If they’d slept together and he’d been in an alcoholic haze, he’d never forgive himself. At he
r nearness, his cock hardened painfully. He reached for her again and his hand met warm thigh.

  She wasn’t wearing jeans. His eyes popped open all the way. Standing in nothing but panties and a T-shirt, hair loose around her shoulders, she was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen.

  “My head,” he moaned when he tried to move.

  She gave a short laugh. “No wonder. You drank a lot last night. I saw your parents pull in a few minutes ago.”

  All cylinders weren’t firing, especially with a sexy, sweet woman at hand. He flexed his fingers around her thigh. Hard muscle was covered in pure silk. His dick couldn’t get harder. God, he hoped he was wearing clothes.

  He looked down at himself. He was. But maybe that wasn’t a good thing, after all. He tried to pull her down, but she resisted.

  “Here, drink this.” She replaced the thigh in his hand with a cool bottle. With some trouble, he leaned on one elbow and brought the cold glass to his lips. The first sip of beer shocked him.

  She laughed again, and he felt the bunk sag as she sat on it with him. “Beer’s good for a hangover, my dad always said.”

  “Well, he must be insane.” The liquid tasted like cat piss in his cottony mouth. He wrinkled his nose.

  “No, not insane. He was a smart man with a lot of experience. He died last year.”

  Kade focused on her. She was so close and looked so small next to him. But so far away. He couldn’t bring himself to touch her, even to offer comfort for the pain he heard in her voice. Lowering the bottle, he said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She nodded, and the whole bed jiggled. He closed his eyes with a grunt of pure pain. “Sorry, I shouldn’t jostle you around.” She didn’t get up, though. He chanced shifting his leg, bringing it against the warmth of her hip.

  “What happened last night?” he whispered, though his voice carried in his head for several long seconds.

  “Nothing. You drank. I kept you company. You were going to ride, and I wouldn’t let you. I brought you here.”

  “And…? This is your bunk, right?”

  “Yes, but you passed out. I slept in the other bunk.”

  “Oh Christ, I hope I didn’t puke in your bed.”

  At that, she laughed. Hard. The jiggling of the bed made the room spin, but he didn’t want her to stop. Finally, her giggles subsided and she rested a hand on his cheek. It was cool and warm at the same time. He leaned into it, feeling sleep drift over him once more.

  “I’m going out to feed the animals. Get up when you’re ready, Dalton.”

  He caught her hand before she pulled it away. “I’m back to being Dalton again.”

  “Kade Dalton. Is that better?” The bunk shifted as she got up. His eyes slammed shut and he realized later he never got a chance to watch her slide her sultry legs into her jeans.

  Chapter Six

  If Kade had gotten three hours of sleep, he’d be surprised. Between the ache of a pulled muscle in his shoulder and his wet dreams, he was exhausted. For days since the bunkhouse incident, he’d been bombarded by dreams of Ryan.

  At least the muscle pain can be relieved.

  The throb in his groin was another thing.

  When he hit the bottom step, he unzipped his fly to tuck in his shirt—

  And stopped dead.

  “What are you doing here?” Kade nearly growled at Ryan.

  She dropped her gaze over the line of shirt buttons to his open jeans. A pink flush coated her rounded cheeks and she jerked her gaze back to his face. Acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary and they greeted each other with a peekaboo every day, she reached into a basket on the kitchen counter. While she stirred the breakfast snacks to find one, he stuffed the tails of his shirt into his jeans and zipped up.

  She glanced over just as he hooked his belt.

  His chest was too damn tight, his jeans tighter. How the hell was he supposed to work under these conditions?

  Striding across the room, he ignored the way she danced from cowgirl boot to boot. And the way her jeans hugged her ass so perfectly.

  Oh, and the way her red hair tumbled over one shoulder in a cascade of messy curls. What he wouldn’t give to push his fingers into that thick mass, trap her to the bed and kiss her.

  He narrowed his eyes instead. “You look tired.”

  “I hardly slept, and thanks. You look like shit yourself.”

  He cleared his throat twice before finding a response. “A little gal like you can’t run on no sleep.”

  She held up the power bar. “I’ve got it.” Then she stuck the end in her teeth and ripped the package open. It was impossible to tear his gaze from the blue wrapper and square white teeth that had spun him from lustful dream to lustful dream.

  The door creaked and they both turned to see Cash entering with Addie hooked in his arm. When he saw them, he gave a sheepish grin. “She’s fussy. Teething. I thought I’d take her and let Maya get some sleep.”

  “Must be going around,” Kade muttered.

  The baby flapped her arms and damn if Ryan didn’t step up to the child and hold out her hands.

  Addie tipped right into them with a squeal of delight. Grinning, head bent to look into the baby’s face, Ryan backed out of the kitchen. “Shh, you’ll wake up your grandma.”

  Kade stared after her. “How the hell does she know Momma likes to sleep in?”

  Cash lifted a shoulder in a shrug and stuffed half a slice of homemade raisin bread into his mouth. Through crumbs, he said, “She’s a good listener, I s’pose. She knows quite a bit about the family.”

  With his lips pressed together hard, he fought the worry he’d felt for his mother since she’d come back from the hospital on a different kind of medicine. So far, she was handling it fine and had no more heart problems. But he wasn’t going to let her work too hard if he could help it. “Be quiet going out. Don’t let the screen door bang.”

  Chomping his granola bar, Kade went outside, only to find Ryan holding up the baby and blowing on her chubby belly. Addie kicked in delight and Ryan lifted her head for another go. Before her lips met baby skin, her gaze caught on Kade’s.

  A choking feeling built in his throat and chest. Somehow he was able to grate, “I’m going with Cash today.”

  She blinked and held the baby away from her. “But what about Addie?”

  It surprised him she knew the child’s name—he could hardly keep them all straight. She really had fallen into the rhythms of the ranch.

  Somehow that thought led to him picturing her with her own little one, a dark-haired boy with bright blue eyes—

  Hell. If he didn’t get a grip soon, his brain would be equivalent to the stuff found in Addie’s diaper.

  He slid his gaze over her—top to bottom and back up slowly. “You’re a girl.”

  “And therefore a babysitter?”

  “Yeah. Maya will be by for her at second breakfast.”

  At that minute Cash came outside. His daughter practically leapt into his arms. He unbuttoned his vest to reveal a carrier pouch and slid the baby in. Her fat legs bulged from the holes. He looked up to find Ryan’s expression soft, her full lips open.

  A growl left Kade unbidden. Turning away, he stomped down the steps and across the yard before he realized he might have awakened Momma. As he fed the horses, Ryan got in his way. Then he tried to give the horses’ fresh hay and she was there again, checking for vermin.

  “Why don’t you get outta here?” he barked.

  She stared at him. For a second her eyes flashed green.

  The green comes out when she’s riled.

  He expected her to retaliate but she just continued to stare at him. “What?” he asked, not entirely nice.

  “Are you all right, Dalton? Something’s bugging you.”

  “How the hell would you know? You hardly know me.” He shoved by her and left the barn. Thank God his long legs could put some distance between them. By the time she came to the corral to choose her horse for the day, he was already
saddling his. They passed each other, but her gaze followed him.

  The morning drifted in a fog. He was too tired to think straight. Ryan was as maternal as she was handy with a rope or a wrench. Why did it rile him so much? He couldn’t puzzle her out, especially after that tender look she’d given him. Or the way she’d cupped his cheek that day in the bunk when he’d awakened with a hangover the size of Texas.

  He made up his mind to ask her that right before the heavens opened up and rain dumped on him by the buckets.

  In seconds he was drenched to the skin. Worse, he looked up to see Ryan riding hell-bent for the barn, her clothes pasted to her, hair dark with wetness. With a huff, he rushed after her.

  By the time he reached the dry space, she had a towel in hand, rubbing down her horse. Droplets zigzagged down her throat to cling to the top of her breasts before disappearing into her cleavage. He gaped at her for a heartbeat then sprang forward.

  “What the hell are you doing?” His voice came out harsher than ever.

  She whirled. “Rubbing down Beauty.”

  He did a double-take. “Beauty? You named her?”

  “Yeah, it fits. Now leave me alone, Kade Dalton. I got this.”

  He opened his mouth to say something smart but couldn’t. Not when she stood there putting her animal first. Most women would be squealing about their hair frizzing but she wasn’t a bit fussed.

  Outside the wind drove the rain at the side of the barn. They both turned to stare at the opening and the flood of water washing over the floor. Beauty stamped.

  “A bad storm.” Her voice was almost a squeak.

  Looking at her closer, he said, “My brothers are still out there. Manny too.”

  “Not your pa. He came out of the field early.”

  The crawling feeling was back. If something had happened to his mother again, he couldn’t afford another day with his head about to explode.

  He yanked off his hat and rubbed a hand over his wet face. When he let his hand drop, Ryan was staring. “Get a towel for yourself, Greenhorn.”

  She bristled. “You’re as wet as I am.”

  Oh hell, that was worse. He was wet, she was wet…in seconds their clothes could be in a heap and the pair of them tucked up in a warm bed of hay. Kissing, tumbling, sliding into her wicked tight sheath.