Rancher's Deadly Reunion

by Beth Cornelison

  “Talk,” she repeated emphatically. “Not yell or accuse.”

  He lifted a hand of acquiescence. “Of course.”

  She shifted her weight from one foot to another, and a shadow skittered across her face. “Because I truly want to do what’s right. For everyone, but...especially for Connor.”

  “Agreed. Same here.” He tugged up a corner of his mouth, and she drew and released a slow breath that seemed to calm her.

  She looked so damn beautiful standing there. The soft glow of the living room lamp made her dark hair shine with chestnut highlights, and her plum lip gloss tempted him to take a bite. He moved closer to her, staring deeply into her quicksilver eyes. “Piper, forgive me.”

  Her brow dipped. “For what?”

  “This.” He cupped the back of her head and caught her lips in a fierce kiss. Her startled gasp faded into a pleasured sigh, firing his desire. Slanting his mouth across hers, he drew her closer. His hands settled at the small of her back, and she canted her hips forward.

  That alone encouraged him to be bolder. He held her tighter, kissed her more deeply and dared to hope that they’d turned a corner in their relationship.

  Piper feathered a soft stroke along his cheek, then speared her fingers into his hair. When her lips parted and the tip of her tongue darted out to tease his, he groaned and met her invitation.

  He moved his kisses to her throat, and Piper tipped her head back, offering better access. He nibbled his way along the curve of her chin to the hollow of her collarbone where he encountered the sleek strand of silver pearls. As pretty as she looked tonight, what he really wanted was to see her dressed only in the shimmering necklace and her high heels. The image he conjured in his mind sent a flash of heat through him. He wanted her so much, he ached from it. Seven years. He’d waited and prayed to have her back in his arms for seven long years.

  “Piper,” he murmured against her skin as he moved his lips to where her snug dress caused the top of her breast to swell above her dress.

  “Shh,” she whispered, the sound muffled as she pressed kisses to the crown of his head.

  “I’ve missed this. Missed you so much,” he said, ignoring her shush. He slid his fingers up her spine to the pull of her zipper. He dragged it down an inch, then another, pausing to give her time to protest. She didn’t.

  Turning her with a slow dance step, their bodies swaying together, he walked her backward toward the couch. Then hesitated. How many make-out sessions had they shared on that very couch as kids? He couldn’t count them all, but he could do better than a worn-out couch for her now. He didn’t want to make out with her. He wanted to make love to her.

  He tugged the zipper an inch lower, enough that one of the cap sleeves of her dress slid off her shoulder. The front of her gown puckered out, and he slid a hand up her ribs to cup her breast. He lifted the ivory swell and sucked in a sharp breath as he brought the full of it into view. Her nipple was darker than he remembered, a dusky pink, and it beaded when he flicked it gently with his thumb.

  She caught his head between her hands and, murmuring a husky “Please,” pulled him down to her breast.

  Covering her with his mouth, he suckled and lashed the taut nipple with his tongue. The sexy hitch in her breathing brought back memories of their bodies wrapped around each other, of cries of ecstasy in an empty hayloft, of sensation so sweet and pure his younger self had wept for joy. He skimmed his hand up her thigh, under her dress. He squeezed her bottom and felt the tremor that shook her.

  When he shifted his other hand down her back and prepared to lift her, to carry her to his room and relive all those special, sensual moments, her arms looped around his neck in silent agreement. He glanced up at her, smiling as he hoisted her up. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and he kissed her mouth again. Hard.

  He turned to take her down the hall, and—

  Stopped.

  “Brady?” his father said, squinting at him from the hallway. “Where’s Conn’r?”

  Piper gasped and dropped her feet to the floor, struggling to right her dress and smooth out the evidence of their foreplay.

  “He’s at Joey’s, spending the night,” Brady growled, knowing that the moment with Piper was lost. Already she was pulling away, straightening her clothes and backing toward the door. He wanted to throttle his father for interrupting. Not because he wanted the sex so badly his body hurt, but because he’d felt inches away from really breaking through the wall Piper had erected between them. If he could rekindle the intimacy between them, he could remind her how well they meshed, how perfectly they fit emotionally as well as physically. “I told you that earlier. Go back to bed. You’re drunk, and you’ve done enough damage tonight.”

  Roy’s gaze moved to Piper, and Brady tensed. If the old man said one thing about...

  “Piper. Is the party ov’r? Your parents’?”

  “Uh...no.” She drew a deep breath and flashed a nervous grin. “And I really should get back to it.” She hurried toward the front door and gave him a backward glance. “Tomorrow night then? We talk?”

  He nodded. “Tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 10

  “I shouldn’t be out late,” Brady told his father as he pulled on his coat to leave for dinner.

  “Don’t cut the evening short on my account. I can handle the boy just fine.”

  “Make sure Connor brushes his teeth before bed. Lights out at nine thirty if I’m not back yet.” Brady started for the door, then paused. “Bye, Connor. Listen to Grampa and behave yourself.”

  “Okay! Bye!” he shouted back.

  Brady put on his nicer cowboy hat, meaning the one not covered in dust and all forms of ranching detritus, and headed to his truck. Piper was waiting for him near the front door of the McCalls’ house.

  She swung up onto the passenger seat and brought the waft of female scents—fruity shampoo and sweet lotions—with her. Her skin glowed with a natural rosy hue no makeup could recreate, and her hair shone with golden highlights from the setting sun. She’d donned a short dress with knee-high boots and a snug cardigan that left no secrets about her womanly curves. Tiny gold hoop earrings winked in the glow of the amber sunset, and his heart bucked when he recognized them as ones he’d given her when they were dating.

  Brady had been starved for dinner when he left his house, but one whiff, one glimpse of Piper had him hungering for something altogether different. Something only Piper could sate.

  “Hi,” she said with a smile as she settled in and fastened her seat belt. “I’m famished. Where are we going? Zoe’s?”

  He didn’t answer right away, and she waved a hand in front of him. “Yoo-hoo. Brady?”

  “Um...not Zoe’s. Too public. I made reservations at Cam’s Lakeside Bistro.” He tugged up a corner of his mouth. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  Her face brightened, but she ducked her head. “Thank you. Just...remember, this isn’t a date. It’s business.”

  Her chiding served as cold water to his nostalgia, and he put the truck in gear to head out. He squelched the growing heat in his blood, knowing he needed to keep the business of Connor’s welfare at the fore tonight, unmuddled by his desire for the boy’s mother. “Right. Of course. Sorry I complimented you.”

  “I didn’t mean...” She grunted. “Can we start over? I want an amicable dinner. I want to be on good terms for our discussion, but I didn’t want you to think...” She sighed and turned to face the window. “And isn’t Cam’s just as public as Zoe’s?”

  “Maybe so. But there should be fewer Boyd Valley people. I prefer not to be the source of gossip or risk someone we know overhearing our conversation.”

  “Yeah. I get that. It’s just... Cam’s is—”

  “Where we had our first real date. I know. But short of driving into Denver, we don’t have many options around here.”

  She con
tinued to stare out the window.

  “Is it a problem for you...going to Cam’s Bistro?”

  She drew a deep breath and faced him with a warm smile. “No. In fact, I’m looking forward to their trout almondine.”

  As if by silent agreement, they didn’t broach the topic of Connor on the twenty-minute drive to the restaurant. Instead, they managed an easy banter about what high school friends were doing now, humorous misunderstandings she’d had with coworkers because of their Boston accents and plans Piper had heard her brothers making in regard to setting up their grandfather’s land for the adventure trips.

  “They’re going up to the property later this week to clear an area to be the main campsite. They’ve been in touch with a company out of Jackson Hole to come and rig the lines for the zip-lining, and Josh thinks they can set permanent anchors for the rock climbing without outside help.”

  “Did they get any word back from the insurance company about rates to cover the liability costs yet?” he asked, taking the turn down the narrow street that led to the lake where he and the McCall triplets had gone to swim, sail and water ski every summer since they’d been old enough to want those warm-weather entertainments.

  “I think Zane has figures from a few companies, but he’s still shopping around for the best rates. It’s pricier than they thought.”

  “Gotta be covered, though.”

  Piper nodded her agreement, and her gaze swept the lake and surrounding buildings. “This place never changes. It’s so peaceful and pretty.”

  The wooden building next to the bait shop and ski boat rental was a refurbished cabin that housed the small bistro, with a large deck overlooking the mountain lake. Brady agreed that the setting was magnificent, and the bistro owner had enhanced the restaurant ambience with the perfect touches of landscaping and lights.

  “I hope Cam’s children don’t sell out or close the bistro when he retires. Zoe’s is good, but no one beats Cam’s fresh fish or barbecue pork.” Brady parked on the gravel lot near the front door and escorted Piper inside with a proprietary hand at the small of her back. To her credit, she didn’t shrink away from his touch, and when a chill breeze buffeted them as they neared the door, she even tucked herself closer to him, giving a squeak of displeasure at the biting wind. Though recent days had been pleasantly warm, tonight the temperature had dipped dramatically ahead of a cold front that held the potential for freezing rain and sleet in the next couple of days. He almost questioned Piper on why she hadn’t worn a coat but decided he rather liked the idea of her cuddling close for warmth, and he didn’t want to start the dinner with anything she could take as criticism.

  They were shown to a table on the deck, tucked in a corner out of the breeze and near a large stone fire pit, where a cozy blaze crackled. Tiny white lights were strung in the trees, and tiki torches burned at the perimeter of the porch. The indoor dining room had a view of the lake and surrounding mountains through plate-glass windows on two sides of the room.

  When their server arrived at their table to take drink orders, Brady’s hope of avoiding anyone who knew them burst like a bubble on a pin.

  “Oh, my gosh! Brady and Piper together again,” the familiar woman gushed.

  Brady racked his brain for her name, but he’d not been as popular in high school as Piper had, and he couldn’t be sure he’d ever known her name to begin with. “Well, well. I’d heard you two broke up. It is so great to see you together again!”

  Piper gave their waitress a strained smile. “Hi, Jodi.”

  Jodi, then. But...he was still at a loss for her last name.

  “This isn’t what it looks like.” Piper rushed to explain. “We’re just talking business.”

  Jodi looked disappointed, but then brightened again, saying, “Business? Oh, that’s right. The new adventure tours company. You two are partners with your brothers. And I heard you may even be moving back to take an active role in the company?”

  “Wow.” Piper chuckled wryly. “The grapevine has been working overtime. Where’d you hear all that?”

  Jodi shrugged. “Here and there. Gill Carver comes in once a week for the prime rib special, and he told me some of it.”

  “Gill told you?” Brady growled.

  “Yeah. He’s at the bar now, watching the hockey game on the TV with Steve, our bartender.”

  A coil of disgust twisted in Brady’s gut. He craned his head to see through the plate glass to the bar, but Piper kicked his leg under the table and sent him a look that said Forget Gill.

  She was right, of course. He wouldn’t let Gill spoil their evening.

  “You remember Steve Ponticelli, right?” Jodi wrinkled her nose as she tipped her head to study Brady. “Cam’s grandson? He was in the class behind us.”

  Brady bobbed his head vaguely.

  After Jodi took their drink orders, Piper leaned across their table. “We can go somewhere else if Gill’s being here bothers you.”

  Brady gritted his teeth. “Hell, no. I’m not gonna let that jerk run me off. He’d better keep his distance, though.”

  Piper looked unconvinced but didn’t push the issue. “The fire’s nice. I’d forgotten how nippy it gets this time of year around here.”

  “We’re not really going to talk about the weather, are we? Have we fallen that far?”

  She winced. “Sorry. A weak attempt to stall.”

  “You’re dreading the conversation?”

  “In a way. No. Well, I guess it’s just...so explosive. Potentially. I don’t know where to start.” She bit her bottom lip, then shook her head. “No, I do know. Tell me about Connor. Tell me what he likes, what his first words were, how old he was when he walked and all the stuff I’ve missed.”

  “All of it?” He chuckled and reached for Piper’s hand, curling her cold fingers into his warmer ones. “That’s a pretty long conversation. And tonight we have to cover our plan going forward.”

  She dropped her gaze to their joined hands but didn’t pull away. “So hit the highlights.”

  “I could let you see his baby book. Pam kept a detailed scrapbook of his early years. I only saw him occasionally back then. Holidays, the sporadic dinner invite. Back then he was just my nephew, and while I loved him, I didn’t have a deep interest in the minutiae of his day-to-day life.”

  She twisted her lips in a moue of disappointment. “So we both missed the milestones of his babyhood.”

  He only grunted in reply. He wouldn’t make the obvious statements about why that was true. They’d covered that before, and tonight was about reconciliation and moving forward.

  “Brady,” she said softly, squeezing his hand tighter. Her sad, guilty expression told him where she was going before she spoke.

  “No need, Piper. Not tonight.”

  “But... I feel like I have to preface this whole discussion with...something.” She stared at their joined hands, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment, and he kept quiet. Waiting. He stroked her thumb with his in silent support.

  “Please, please, know that everything I did back then, I did because I honestly thought it was the best for everyone involved. I didn’t want you trapped in a marriage you thought you had to be in because of the baby. I didn’t want our baby to miss his best chance to be raised by two loving parents, instead of one struggling single mom. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. I didn’t want to quit college.” She jiggled his hand, as if making sure she had his attention, and she met his gaze straight on. Her eyes were damp. “But most of all, you have to know I didn’t want to give up Connor. I almost changed my mind...when I held him and saw you in him...” She inhaled deeply before continuing. “But the adoptive parents’ lawyer arrived to pick the baby up—” she shook her head and raised her eyebrows “—little did I know he was going to his uncle and aunt—and I let him go. I cried...big ugly crying with a snotty face and hiccups and t
he works, when they took him away. I did not make the choice to give our son away lightly.” She paused a beat for a breath. “And I am so grateful, despite all the lies and deception and secrets—”

  He stiffened as defensiveness clawed his spine.

  “—on both sides, that I have a second chance to be part of Connor’s life.”

  He quashed the edgy resentment that had nipped at him, focusing on the moment and the possibilities that lay ahead if he played his cards right. He was here with Piper. They had a child together and a second chance—a viable, promising second chance—for a future together. Though Piper had made a life for herself in Boston, she now had two very strong reasons to move home. The new adventure business and Connor. Her confession regarding her struggle with giving Connor up fueled his hopes that she’d choose to return.

  “To second chances.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. The sough of her breath catching sent an answering tickle to his belly. The stirring of a dormant desire that Piper alone could conjure. A yearning that was more than physical, more than simple attraction. His soul was involved. Everything he’d ever wanted from life, his dreams of family and fulfillment. Piper. She’d always been the one. And now he stood on the edge of that future, looking forward with more hope than he’d had since he was eighteen.

  “Oops. Sorry to interrupt,” Jodi said with a wink to Brady as she set his beer and Piper’s wine on the table.

  He’d been so focused on Piper, he hadn’t seen their server approach. Piper gently withdrew her hand from his and sat back in her chair.

  “I think I know the answer to this question, but...have you had a chance to look at the menu?” Jodi gave them an impish grin.

  “Don’t need to look,” Piper said, lifting her chin and smiling politely. “The trout almondine.”

  “Make it two. And bring us the artichoke dip to start.”