Rope 'n Ride Box Set Books 1-6

by Em Petrova

  She dug her nails into his backside, and he set the pace. Hard, quick thrusts that drove them both upward in a minute. Her wet walls clutched at him with every downstroke, and oh fuck, he was so close.

  “Mav.”

  “Look at me when you come.”

  Small gasps left her, and she bit into her lower lip hard enough that the flesh swelled around her teeth. Her momma was just inside, after all. And the camera crew tucked away in their trailers around back.

  He jerked his hips and shoved her down on his cock at the same moment. She squeezed him tight, eyes rolled back in bliss as her orgasm struck. He didn’t get two more pumps in her hot, pulsating pussy before he shattered.

  Their rough breaths filling the night air was the first thing he noticed when he regained his wits. Wynonna held him around the neck, her lips at the corner of his mouth, moving back and forth with that tenderness that undid him every damn time.

  He kissed her thoroughly. This had to be the last time. He couldn’t take her again.

  Then he pulled free and let her slip to her feet. She leaned into him, and he took a moment to right her clothing and then shoved his cock firmly away. No more play time for him.

  “Go back inside, Wynonna.”

  Her brows pinched, but her whisper came out furious. “You’re sending me away again? I gave you what you wanted and that’s it? You’re finished?”

  Oh, now she was really getting fired up, her hands braced on her hips and her head at that certain angle that meant she was about to give him a big piece of her mind.

  He disarmed her with a brush of his knuckles over her cheek. The fight went out of her stance. “There’s a million stars in this sky, and you’re the brightest one I see. But I’m a mere mortal, and you’ll tire of someone not as bright as you. Go on inside.”

  She gaped at him. He could see he’d silenced her for the night. Come morning, he’d face some gunfire, for sure, and he deserved it. If he didn’t want her hung up on him, then why had he sent that friend of hers away? Why had he sent all of them away?

  Damn, he needed time to think, about something besides burying himself in her and looking into her eyes, watching her laugh. All her antics thrilled him, and he was drawn to her like an addict to a drug.

  Hell, he was confusing her more than anything, and that was the most unfair. He had to figure out how to stay away from her and let her live her life.

  He took a step backward and without a word, turned toward the barn. Where he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep and would drift into the yard several times to stare up at her window and wonder if she was lying there thinking of him too.

  Chapter Ten

  Wynonna bumped up the driveway and turned her head to look at Mav driving down it. Hauling one of the big horse trailers. She hadn’t heard any plans for horses today, but then again, she’d skipped breakfast. She’d waited until she couldn’t hear anybody in the kitchen before she sneaked down and grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee.

  Then she’d stolen back to her room and made a call to Brandon. He’d been glad to hear from her and agreed to come up around lunchtime.

  The whole family seemed to be at the house. Kids playing in the yard and their parents standing around talking. When Wynonna got out of her truck, she said, “Where’s Mav headed?”

  West shrugged. “Didn’t say.”

  Her brothers went back to talking. Buck Jr. was trying to teach Skippy to sit and obey, but the little girls toddling around distracted the pup. They wanted to pull his ears and get him to chase them, which Skippy did. But it was irritating Buck Jr.

  Wynonna reached into her back seat and pulled out a box. She set it on the ground and walked away.

  She hadn’t made it ten steps to the house before she heard the high-pitched squeals, followed by the roars of her brothers.

  “Wynonna! Puppies?”

  “Had a couple at the feed store.” She kept walking.

  “Puppy! My puppy!”

  “Oh God. You’re in for it, sis. You wait.” The oath came from Ryder, obviously put out that his little Merry had claimed a pup for her own.

  Wynonna smiled to herself and went into the house. A couple cameramen were inside, following Momma around. Early on, having the crew at her heels while she was working would have driven her batty, but she’d made friends with them all over time. When the show ended, and eventually it would, since nothing lasted forever, Wynonna could see her momma having reunion dinners for the old crew, and she’d be happy to see them.

  “Smells good in here, Momma.” She crossed the room to kiss her on the cheek. “I’ve got Brandon coming for lunch.”

  “That’s okay, because Mav just left.” Her mother gave her a pointed glance. “There’s always more than enough anyway.”

  “Where’d Mav go?”

  Her mother shot her a sideways look. “Said he was going out for the day.”

  “With the trailer?”

  Her mother shrugged and went back to making gravy in a saucepan. “The man doesn’t tell me his business.”

  “He doesn’t tell me either,” Wynonna muttered.

  She was more confused than ever. Mav acted like he couldn’t exist without her one minute and the next, she was invisible. At times she wondered if he just wanted in her pants, but then he said things like he had last night—about her being the brightest star—and she knew he was just being stubborn.

  She’d never believe he was too afraid to face her family and tell them the truth, but now she wondered if that was exactly what was going on. She thought about cornering one of her brothers and asking his thoughts on the topic. Who would be the most open to a relationship between her and Mav? Probably the brother who no longer lived on the ranch. Lane would want whatever Wynonna wanted for herself. And that was Mav.

  She pushed out a sigh, and her mother eyed her. She had her lips pulled in, puckered in that way that told Wynonna she was biting off her words.

  Good—let her keep doing that. Wynonna had enough thoughts of her own without her mother’s rattling around her brain.

  And just what the hell was Mav doing with the sixteen-foot trailer anyway?

  The front door banged open, and stomping sounded through the house. Wynonna and her mother looked up as the entire Calhoun family spilled in, minus Lane and his crew.

  “No dogs in my house—you know the rules!” Her mother made shooing motions as the production guys got in the best places to capture the moment.

  “But Grammy, Merry and Addy May gots their own puppies too now! Look!” Buck Jr. pointed to the little girls, each holding squirming dogs. Addy May looked about to strangle hers, as it dangled kicking. And Buck looked about to strangle Wynonna.

  “One puppy wasn’t enough? Are you gonna buy a second dog house too?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said nonchalantly, raising laughter from production.

  “Just because you drag home every animal in the county doesn’t mean you can fill up my back yard.” He narrowed his gaze.

  “You know, you look just like Daddy when you do that,” she said.

  Her brothers and mother turned to stare at Buck.

  “He’s right, bro. You even get that crease between your brows,” Ryder said. “But don’t think I won’t get even with you, Wyn. I hardly have time for my family let alone a pup. Rodeo starts soon and who’s taking care of these animals while we’re gone?”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say she would. That she wasn’t leaving the ranch all year if she could help it. She was sick and tired of traveling, and that last adventure to Oregon had been the final reminder that home was where the heart was. She belonged right here on the ranch.

  And right quick Brandon would be here to talk horses with her, and she could start going to auctions, begin her business in earnest. The sooner she got out from under the rodeo’s money, the better. She’d set herself up with another income besides the show’s too.

  She started setting the table while Buck and Ryder continued to complain abo
ut the new additions to their family. She didn’t hide her smile over it.

  “Ryder and I are plotting something good for you in return, Wyn,” Buck promised.

  “You’re all show. I see the way you pat Skippy, and you’re practically melting at the sight of little Addy May cuddling her pup. Y’all are welcome.”

  She waved a hand at the table, and they took their seats. Before her behind could touch her chair, there was a knock at the door. She went to let Brandon in, and they all got up again to shake hands and thump him on the back.

  Talk at the table was easygoing, but she kept slanting glances at Mav’s spot.

  “Anybody know where Mav went with the trailer?”

  “Four-horse or seven?” West asked, passing his wife his napkin to use on baby Cho’s drool.

  “Seven.”

  His brows went up. “No idea. Maybe it needs inspection or something. Get it ready for the road this season.”

  Once again, she wanted to tell her brother that they wouldn’t need that big trailer because she wasn’t putting her horse inside it. She might follow them to events once in a while, come to think of it, just to cheer them on. But leaving the ranch gave her a sharp pang.

  She didn’t want to be away from Mav.

  She had it bad, and there was only one thing to do. Make him see they belonged together. Hopefully a little flirting with Brandon later on would set Mav straight.

  * * * * *

  Hauling all the weight up the driveway at a slow pace made Mav’s older model truck grind. Evening was falling, and he was bushed. A long day on his feet buying stock for Wynonna, talking sturdy legs and speed and the age of horses had tired him out.

  Of course, he’d hardly slept the previous night. He’d lain awake for hours staring at the ceiling and smelling Wynonna all over him. First thing in the morning, he’d gotten the chores out of the way quickly, his mind made up to do something nice for her.

  He’d hurt her. The look on her face had shown that clearly. And he’d been aching ever since. Sometime around three in the morning he’d decided he’d been a total asshole. It seemed like he was toying with her, when really he was just battling his own self-worth. Could a free-spirited, sassy and sweet woman want a man like him? She said she did, but she was young. She could change her mind. After all, she went through boyfriends like she did underwear. Not that he’d seen her in any of those.

  But when it came down to it, the question he kept asking himself was, Why am I being such a goddamn wimp?

  When he swung the truck wide to accommodate the trailer, Calhouns scattered. He noticed some little ones scampering after small animals and squinted to see if they were chickens. But when he got out of his truck, he heard the high-pitched yipping that came along with puppies.

  Buck approached.

  “Wynonna at it again?” Mav asked.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna kill her. Now we’ve got two dogs.” He was grinning, though.

  “Where is she?” Mav scanned the yard but the bright red hair wasn’t visible, though Mrs. Calhoun sat on the porch with one of her daughters-in-law.

  “Out in the barn with Brandon.”

  Mav’s chest walls squeezed hard. What the fuck? Another asshole for him to tell to take a hike?

  “Thanks.” He headed past Buck toward the barn. His mind spun with what he might find. If I find some guy balls-deep in my woman, I’ll break his neck.

  When he burst through the doors, the barn cats skittered away. And Wynonna looked up. Her face so open, a smile of such elation to see him that Mav had to swallow hard before all the emotions he’d been pondering for miles bubbled up.

  He shot a look to her side and stared at the young man she was with. The kid wasn’t looking at Mav, though. He was looking at Wynonna. And she wasn’t giving him the time of day now that Mav had entered.

  Mav sauntered forward. “Got somethin’ to show you out in the yard.” Why did his voice sound like he’d chugged a bottle of tequila?

  Wynonna didn’t look away from Mav as she nodded. He turned and walked out, and she followed. He heard the third set of boots on the floorboards but tried not to think on it too much. If this Brandon guy was remotely astute, he’d pick up on the expression on Wynonna’s face when Mav had walked in.

  He sure as hell had. Fuck, his heart was hammering wildly and his hands twitching to get on the woman. To show her what he should have weeks ago.

  They got into the yard, and he glanced over his shoulder.

  His blood ran cold. Ice sluiced through his veins as he settled his gaze on Wynonna’s hand clutched tight in Brandon’s. The breath whooshed from him.

  Fuck, that didn’t take long.

  Mav pointed to the horse trailer and then turned and walked out of the yard. She called after him, but he didn’t stop walking until he was a mile out. He trudged along the fence line, barely noting whether there were any breaks or not, his stomach hollow and his shoulders sagging.

  He’d gone out and bought Wynonna her stock to raise and train up. He’d been about to confess his love for her, right there in front of her family. Not to mention the production crew and the jerk-off Brandon if he was too stupid to walk away before that.

  He circled back toward Ridge’s place and noted the old tractor was still sitting there in the field. He remembered Ridge saying it had died on him before he could get it home. Ridge was the best with engine repairs, but Mav was no dab hand. And what the fuck better did he have to do? He had to stay away from the main house and Wynonna for as long as possible.

  After opening the hood, he peered at the engine. Grease and grime coated the parts, but after a few attempts to get it started, he realized what was wrong. He fiddled with some wiring, rerouting the electric source to the part that would spark and let the engine roll over.

  Any other time, getting an old engine running would have given him a rush of satisfaction. Not now. The only thing he’d believed would make him happy was seeing Wyn’s face when she opened that horse trailer. But he’d never see it.

  He gripped the steering wheel and set a boot on the running board to hoist himself into the seat. The old vinyl had been cracked and duct-taped over the years to keep the padding from falling out, and the springs were long shot. But he hardly noticed the bumping as he made his slow way across the field toward the main ranch.

  He had it in mind to park the tractor with the other heavy equipment and slip away again. But the tire hit a hole. The tractor bogged down, skidded to the side. Next thing he knew, it was tipping.

  * * * * *

  Wynonna burst through the emergency room doors, screaming for Mav. The whole ride to the hospital, she’d gone from crying inconsolably to cussing the man under her breath. What the hell had happened to him out there?

  Mav was far from careless, but he had gone off in a temper. Dammit. Damn. Triple damn.

  A nurse blocked her way before she reached one of the curtains separating patients from the rest of the space. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be back here.”

  Wynonna shoved away from her and sidestepped. “I’m looking for Maverick Stonewall. He was brought in after a tractor tipped over on him.”

  Getting the words out hurt. Oh God, they hurt. Her throat felt like it’d been sliced by a thousand knives, and if she let herself think of Mav trapped under that tractor—

  Thank God her brothers had found him. But her mother had asked Brandon to help her hold Wynonna back from going to the scene of the accident, and she’d left both of them with blistered eardrums.

  “Are you Mr. Stonewalls relative? I’m afraid I can’t—”

  “Yes,” Wynonna barked.

  “Nice try, Ms. Calhoun. We know you’re marrying a reporter and the wedding’s set for summer,” the nurse said.

  Showed how much the tabloids knew. She pushed by the nurse and made it two more steps before two security guards grabbed her by the upper arms.

  “Buck! Make them let me go! Let me go, dammit!”

  “Let her in.” Mav’s vo
ice came from another space, and she started fighting in earnest. She wrenched free of the guards—wrestling with her big brothers had taught her a trick or two—and she yanked curtains aside until she found the man she wanted.

  In a blink, she took stock of his physical health. Lying there without casts or bandages. Not prepped for surgery.

  He gave her a small crooked smile.

  She stalked up to the bed and smacked him. “Dammit, Mav. You scared me to fucking death and you’re lying here smiling like a kid on Christmas?” She hit him again. He raised a hand to ward her off, and several nurses rushed in to stop her.

  “If you don’t stop harassing the patient, we’ll have to call the police. Ms. Calhoun, please!”

  “She’s okay,” Mav said to them. “Wyn, look at me. Stop.”

  She glared at him, arms folded and foot tapping. Seeing his rugged, handsome face shouldn’t piss her off, not when she’d spent the ride to the hospital and long minutes before that losing her mind with fear.

  “What the hell did you do?” she demanded.

  “Apparently there was an accident,” he drawled.

  She wanted to slap him again and raised her hand, but he caught it and drew her to him. She sank to the bed next to him. “You scared the hell outta me.” Her voice revealed the terror she’d experienced.

  His eyes softened to a blur as he stared at her. “Wyn honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “You stormed off.”

  He pushed out a breath. “You seemed pretty occupied with your friend.”

  She’d wanted to call out to Mav when he’d turned and seen Brandon grab her hand. But he hadn’t seen her tear her fingers free or later tell Brandon that she was in love with Mav.

  Her throat closed off as she stared at the features she adored. The straight nose and chiseled jaw, dusted with the dark growth of beard. And his eyes, crinkled at the corners with sadness.

  He lifted a hand to her face and brushed his callused thumb over her temple. Warm heat bloomed from that spot and spread through her whole being.

  “I’m sorry I scared you,” he said again.

  She gave a reluctant nod. “I’m glad you weren’t…”