by Em Petrova
From what she could see, Wynonna wasn’t being pressured by him, but she’d need to talk to her just to be sure. Ryder could handle the rest—he was damn good at throwing a punch, after all.
“Have some of this,” Ryder said, placing a spoonful of corn casserole on Joy’s plate. “You’ve never had it like Ma makes it.”
She looked up at Mrs. Calhoun. “Thank you for having me.”
In a flurry, their mother got up and bustled around the corner to give Joy a head-lock of a hug. She smelled good, of spiced cookies and a faint hint of leather like her children. Joy’s chest swelled with emotion.
“You’re part of us now, Joy. Welcome to the family!” She patted her and Ryder’s still-joined hands and returned to her seat.
Ryder glanced at her, brow arched and his eyes twinkling with a should-we-tell-them light.
“Timing,” she mouthed, but he released her hand and settled it on her lower belly where nobody would likely notice.
Joy had been shocked—but very happy—to learn that during one of their wild rendezvous that the condom had failed and another little Calhoun was growing inside her. When she’d told Ryder, he’d dropped to his knees, buried his face against her belly and whooped with delight for their baby. He was so loud that it was a good thing their baby couldn’t hear yet or he’d be deafened.
She didn’t protest when he added a second scoop of corn casserole to her plate. She’d been in a ravenous state for the past two weeks. So much so that she’d even swiped the Franklin girls’ potato chips once they’d finally passed out asleep back in Houston.
“How’s that new horse training up, West?” Ridge asked.
In his sport of tie-down roping, having a reliable and fast horse was key. West had won a lot of loot with his old horse, and the whole family had seemed upset when he’d recently sent it out to pasture, saying it was getting tired and deserved to munch sweet grasses for the rest of its life.
“Doing fine. He’s no Mighty Mouse,” he said about his old horse, “but he’ll do just fine.”
They tucked into their meal of roasted chicken and scalloped potatoes. The best was the dessert, though.
“Oh my God,” she said around a mouthful of what seemed to be ambrosia sent from the heavens, “this is so good.”
Several chuckles rippled down the table. “Our ma’s known for her desserts,” Wynonna said around her own bite. It was chocolatey and light but with a crunch in the crust of nuts and graham crackers.
“Didn’t you have dessert on your ranch, Joy?” Lane teased.
She shook her head. “Actually, not often. My father’s a meat and potatoes man. He doesn’t have a sweet tooth, and if I wanted something, I had to go into town for ice cream or the local restaurant for a slice of pie.”
When she’d polished off her last bite, Ryder quirked a brow at her, the pie server raised in question. She shook her head. She was going to weigh as much as a sow if he kept trying to feed her this way.
She rested against her seat back to “let it settle” as Wynonna had put it, when several chairs slid out. The guys got up and started clearing the table. Joy started to move too, but Channing waved her back down. “We cook, they clear up. That’s the way here.”
“Oh I could get used to that.” She didn’t say she wouldn’t be much help because she couldn’t cook. At their ranch, her father had always employed one and she’d had no chance to learn. But she figured she’d learn off the other Calhoun women. She was too sleepy to worry about it.
But she’d barely sat there for five minutes before the Calhoun boys had the table cleared, the dishwasher loaded and the kitchen counters wiped down.
“Wow, they work fast, don’t they?” she remarked when she found his mother staring at her.
“Had a lot of practice.” Ryder came to take her by the hand and draw her out of her seat. “Time for some fresh air.”
“More likely kissin’,” one of the brothers put in.
Ryder wagged his brows at Joy. “And kissin’.”
He led her out to the wide porch. The breeze washed over her, carrying the fresh tang of hay that had just been put up and the distant cattle.
Ryder turned her into his arms. She leaned close, loving the feel of him. And wanting so much more. That was another thing about her pregnancy—she was insatiable. Or maybe that was just Ryder. Either way, she wanted him morning, noon and night as well as afternoon and midnight snacks.
Judging by the bulge in his jeans, he was more than happy to oblige.
“We haven’t tried out the tool shed yet,” he rumbled against her ear.
They were having a hard time finding alone time, but so far they’d been pretty creative. The house was normally packed with people in the evenings, and Joy didn’t fancy screaming Ryder’s name for everyone to hear. And during the day, they were guaranteed to be sneaked up on. Every inch of the ranch would find Ridge, West, Buck or Lane working the cattle or fixing fence. Not to mention the ranch hands and a good amount of the production team.
They’d checked out the possibilities of a clean haystack, a copse of trees and he’d even bent her over an ATV after a long ride. “The tool shed sounds pretty good right now.”
“Mmm. C’mon.” He grabbed her hand and began towing her down the steps and across the yard.
A baseball struck the dirt in front of them, and Joy turned to see Ridge grinning. “Thought you wanted to play ball, Ryder?”
Ryder shot her a look of regret before saying, “Thought you had to let your chicken dinner settle.”
“We’re settled. Let’s play ball.” Ridge and the whole family stood on the porch. They descended into the yard and Wynonna started dropping empty feed sacks to use as bases.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll catch up to you later.” Ryder brushed his lips over the crest of her ear, raising a shiver. Then he moved away to organize the game he’d called in the first place.
She watched his backside move away from her, thinking of clutching those tight buns and yanking him into her.
Jeez, I need to get a grip. All she wanted was a big bed with Ryder, though. They’d discussed at length their desire for a house of their own, and she knew her father would lend her the money for a down-payment, but Ryder would never go along with such a suggestion.
“You know you’re going to be asked to sign a contract soon,” Wynonna said as she strolled by Joy.
She tore her gaze from her husband-to-be’s butt and blinked at Wynonna. “Really?”
“Yeah, you’re going to be getting a lot of air-time. Besides, it seems the ladies of the family are gathering their own following. The cooking network has Channing and Ma doing video clips of some of their recipes. Have you seen the number of views they’re getting on YouTube?” Wynonna shook her head. “Makes me wish I was a proper girl who likes that stuff, but I like horses too much.”
Joy wrapped an arm around Wynonna and squeezed. “I don’t think the kitchen needs another cook. You’re perfect where you are.”
“And what about you? Going to try your hand with a soufflé?” Wynonna teased.
They pulled apart and watched the guys divide into two teams. Ryder waved her direction, and she knew he’d just recruited her to join his team along with Ridge and West.
“Actually…” Joy bit her lip, wondering how much to say about a hair-brained idea she hadn’t even mentioned to Ryder yet.
Wynonna picked up on the secret immediately. Her eyes tipped at the corners in a mischievous way that echoed her smile. “Tell me what you’re up to, Joy Calhoun.”
A thrill spiked through her system at the name. “I’m not a Calhoun yet.”
“Close ‘nough. C’mon, spill it. I’m your favorite sister-in-law.”
They both looked to Channing, installed in a lounge chair in the shade by Buck, with a cold glass of water at hand. Joy had to admit she was closer to Wynonna, but she had a feeling once her pregnancy started progressing she’d be seeking advice from her other sister-in-law-to-be.
/> “Okay, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything yet. I haven’t run this idea past Ryder.”
Wynonna practically bounced, and her excitement was infectious. Suddenly, Joy could see the promise of her idea and how the extra income would help her and Ryder pack away a little nest egg.
“I’ve been thinking of running a youth program this summer. Of course, I’d never assume it would be here on the Calhoun ranch—that’s asking too much. But I know my father would go along with the idea because he loves to teach so much.”
Wynonna shook her by the arm. “Tell me!”
The guys were all staring at them now, and Joy turned away from the group a little after catching Ryder’s what-are-you-up-to look.
The freckles on Wynonna’s nose and cheeks stood out, making Joy lose her train of thought as she envisioned a freckled little girl in her arms.
Wynonna shook her again, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Ryder take a step toward them. At once the other woman released her arm. “Your fiancé’s getting his chaps in a bunch. I’d better stop trying to shake the information from you. Just tell me the rest.”
“To invite young people to train with horses and learn the skills you use in rodeo events—roping, tie-down, speed. Teach them how to care for the cattle and their equipment.”
As she talked, Wynonna’s grin spread, alerting Joy that her idea wasn’t so farfetched as it had sounded in her own mind. She felt her own smile widen and her ideas started flowing. Of course, she couldn’t share them all right now, and especially not since she hadn’t spoken to Ryder about it. She didn’t feel he’d mind her bouncing the idea off his sister first, though. She was a trusted friend to Joy, and more and more she was feeling as if she’d finally gotten that sister she’d always wanted.
She glanced at Channing. And now she’d have two sisters by marriage.
“Let’s play ball!” Ryder shouted. They all stretched across the yard. Wynonna was on the team with Buck, Lane and the camera girl, Adrianna.
When she and Lane started razzing each other about who was better, Joy noticed Ridge stalking farther away from them. Ah, so that’s what’s going on. Some sibling rivalry over a woman neither of them technically could have, at least not according to their contracts.
Ryder patted Joy’s ass as she took her spot in the batting lineup. “You’re going to tell me what you and Wynonna were whispering about.”
She nodded at once. “Of course. I’d never keep anything from you.”
“You didn’t tell her…?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s our secret.”
He gave her a wink and handed the bat to Ridge. He widened his stance and gripped it as if he was ready to knock somebody’s head off with it. She could guess whose—Lane was laughing and carrying on with Adrianna now.
“Buck’s pitching. Number one of the Calhoun family,” Joy automatically began commentating.
Everyone stopped to stare at her. She shrugged. “I grew up with boys and men as my best friends. I picked up a few things. Number three is up to bat, Ridge Calhoun.”
Laughter carried over the yard. She got a little more confidence, narrating Ridge’s moves as well as the fast or slow pitches Buck was throwing. “Ridge hits it big. It’s in the air!”
Ridge was blasting through the bases while Lane scampered after the ball.
“Safe on third!” Joy called.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Ryder said with a slow wink.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Oh now I see some sass coming out too. I guess we’ve got a lot to learn about each other, but I’m looking forward to every year it takes to learn it.”
She smacked his behind, finally getting a chance to touch the hard muscle she’d been dying for. He yelped and took his batting stance.
“Number two chokes up. He’s serious about this game.”
He chuckled. “Not as serious as you are, apparently. I’ll think twice about suggesting the next game.”
She delivered a hard slap on his ass and rushed away before the pitch was thrown. He swung and missed. “This batter is distracted. Strike one!”
“You’re in for it later, Princess.” His dark promise only sent tendrils of heat through her whole body.
Cameras zoomed around them, but Joy hardly noted their presence. She was too busy watching her gorgeous bull rider run the bases. He made it to second and hunkered over, hands on his knees, prepared to steal the next base.
“One run for the Calhouns. Joy is up to bat.”
Everybody cracked up, and Buck threw a wild pitch that rolled away under the porch. A minute later one of the cattle dogs came out with it, dropped it at Channing’s feet and panted, waiting for her to throw it.
“Keep that up and he’ll walk you, Princess,” Ryder called.
Joy gripped the bat. “I don’t need walked.” She swung and connected. As she ran, she commentated her own play. “And she’s off. Running to first. Rounding the base. Can she make it to sec—ooomph!”
She collided with Lane as he tagged her out. Before she fell over, he grabbed her arm and righted her.
Ryder had forgotten about running to home and wheeled back around toward Joy. “Be careful! You could have hurt her.” Dust rose off his boots.
“I’m fine, Ryder.”
“She’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal,” Ryder bit off.
Uh-oh. She recognized that forceful look on his face. The one he’d worn before beating up Cody. She placed a hand on Ryder’s arm. “I’m all right. Really.”
“Is she made of glass?”
“No, but she’s carrying my child, dammit. Watch how you treat her.” He pivoted to glare at Wynonna too, obviously holding a grudge about her shaking Joy earlier.
The field went silent. Then from the sidelines, their ma jumped up from her chair and ran into the field.
“A fan is storming the field,” Joy said with a bubble of laughter. She shook her head at Ryder. “What about that timing, babe?”
“It ain’t always perfect, but I’ll always be right by your side, Princess.” He caught her around the shoulders just as his mother threw her arms around both of them.
Joy’s happy tears trailed down her face as she accepted congratulations from the family clustering around her. Ryder yanked her off her feet and kissed her with all the love inside him. She barely had a chance to respond to his caress when he set her back down and looked right into the camera pointed at his face.
“Guess there’s gonna be another weddin’ this season, folks.”
THE END
Ridge
Rope ‘n Ride Series
Book 3
Em Petrova
Grab the popcorn—someone is about to get slapped or kicked on this episode of Rope ’n Ride.
The season finale of the Calhouns’ rodeo reality show ends with Ridge being stood up by the woman he loves and humiliated on national TV. If that isn’t bad enough, an old knee injury has him wincing every time he gets on the back of a bronco, making it difficult to put winning scores up on the board. But he’s determined to shake off his streak of bad luck—and all these marriage proposals from fans pouring in now that the show has aired.
Kashley grew up with the Calhouns, playing hide and seek in the cornfields while their fathers talked ranching. And she’s been in love with Ridge…well, forever. He’s never noticed and she’s too shy to make any attempts, but when she sees him struggling after his breakup, coming to his aid is a no-brainer. Which lands her on a whirlwind tour of rodeos, where she’s falling more for him while struggling to rein in his self-destructive behavior.
The cameras love to catch Ridge losing his cool, his family is riding him to cut it out and he can’t keep his eyes—or every other body part off Kashley. Then a secret is revealed that has him going after her ex even as his own ex pops into his life again. Between the drama, his old injury and Wranglers that fit too tigh
t after being around the woman he shouldn’t toy with, Ridge is fed up. Plus, he couldn’t be in love again so soon, right?
Ridge
Rope ’n Ride Series Book 3
All Rights Reserved
Ridge
Copyright Em Petrova 2016
Ebook Edition
Cover design by Bookin’ It Designs
Electronic book publication September 2016
Chapter One
Ridge fingered the circle of metal in his pocket, running his fingertip around the sliver until it reached the big stone—a two-carat halo diamond set in platinum and sized perfectly for one petite blonde bombshell.
She was gonna flip over this ring. He could nearly hear her squeals of yes, yes, yes now.
He leaned back in this chair and smiled to himself. If he were to describe his relationship with Anna over the past four months he’d known her, he’d use the words exciting and adventure.
Describing the woman he was about to ask to marry him, though… Whoooeee, that was a hell of a lot harder. Anna couldn’t be put into a box. She had so many layers, and well, he couldn’t wait for her to get here so they could get on to the night of hot sex.
He fidgeted on the hard metal café chair and nudged the growing bulge in his jeans. A single thought of Anna had him growing hard, and that wasn’t going to go away. Ever.
The small-town café was the perfect place to pop the question. She was going to love the twinkle lights setting the mood and the big moon hanging like a silver medallion on the dusky Tulsa horizon.
Ridge pushed his hat back on his head to look at the sky and check the time. He didn’t need a watch to know that she was late. When he’d asked her to meet him at seven, he’d chosen the time with a thought in mind. At seven he normally finished up chores on his family’s ranch, and he’d be able to go inside the house he intended to build for the two of them, look at his bride and remember that at this time of day, she’d become his.