Resisting the Rancher

by Kadie Scott

  There. He’d said it.

  He watched her face closely as she absorbed that truth. “But you hardly know me.”

  At least that response didn’t involve running and screaming.

  He settled a bit, pulling her closer. “I think I’ve already proven how well I know you.” If he told her he’d fallen for her the moment he saw her, she would never believe him. His wife was both practical and skeptical. Not the easiest combination to convince that sometimes love didn’t ask for time.

  He tucked her head onto his chest. “You don’t need to answer now or say or do anything you’re not ready for. But you asked. Just… just consider staying. Okay?”

  She was silent long enough that he started to worry. But then she relaxed against him, pressing a kiss against his chest. “Okay.”

  He barely caught the whispered agreement and couldn’t help his grin. He wanted to pump his fist in the air. He’d never thought he’d get even that much from her.

  “And maybe, while you’re thinking, we can keep doing more of this?” He waved at their naked bodies.

  “Hmmm…”

  He wasn’t sure if that was an agreement, but it wasn’t a “no” so Will closed his eyes and held her tight.

  The bed jiggled as Rusty moved beside him, probably pulling up the sheet to cover up with. But then the bed shifted more, and suddenly he felt her weight as she lifted over him.

  Will jerked his eyes open to find Rusty straddling him, the sight of her naked and the feel of her above him had him hardening in anticipation, even as he tried to put on the brakes.

  “I didn’t mean right now,” he said. “I understand if you need time to think about—”

  She reached out and put her finger against his lips, silencing him.

  She smiled, and his cock twitched as she rubbed against him intimately. “I’m taking advantage of you.”

  “Are you sure…”

  “This is me making the move, Will. No guilt for you. I want this. I want you.”

  He swallowed. Even as his hands dropped to her hips, he had to try one more time. “I don’t want you regretting or thinking that I assume—”

  Suddenly, Rusty leaned forward and placed her lips over his, effectively silencing him.

  After a moment, she lifted her head, only enough to murmur against his lips. “You think too much.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Will gripped the phone as he listened to the rodeo organizer talking on the other end. “What do you mean you don’t need my bulls?” he demanded. “The Turtle is the top performing bull in the circuit right now, and several others are up there as well.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Hill, but we’re a small rodeo and usually only have one stock contractor. Turns out, we have enough with the bulls they’re providing.”

  Will let out a long breath. Dammit, he could’ve used the money Turtle was bringing him. Still, this was the business. The rodeo venue could ask whoever they wanted. “I understand. I hope you’ll think of us next year.”

  “Of course.” Then the organizer hung up.

  Which basically meant they wouldn’t be invited next year either.

  Will put down his cell phone and ran a hand round the back of his neck. “Dammit.”

  “Problem?”

  He jerked his head up to find Rusty standing in his open doorway, hand raised to knock.

  She was dressed in her usual attire—jeans, shirt, boots. Nothing crazy. But he knew what lay under those clothes now. He did his best not to drag her inside his office and shut the door, instead shaking his head. “The rodeo we were scheduled for in two weeks just cancelled on me.”

  “Why?” She moved inside to plonk down on the chair across from his desk.

  “Said they had enough with their usual contractor.”

  Rusty didn’t move, but she’d frozen in place. “Which rodeo?” she asked slowly.

  “The Heartland Rodeo in Colorado.”

  Her lips pinched so hard they went white. “They didn’t just cancel on you,” she said.

  A sinking sensation moved from his chest to his toes. “Don’t tell me…”

  “Rising Star is the sole contractor for that rodeo. Has been for going on twenty years now.”

  Will dropped back in his chair as the implications struck. “You’re not suggesting your father had me kicked out of the lineup. Why would he do that to his son-in-law?”

  She nibbled at her bottom lip in the most distracting way. “I guess he doesn’t believe us.”

  Will choked on that statement. “We haven’t even visited him yet. He was at our wedding for Pete’s sake. Why wouldn’t he believe us?”

  “The Turtle is the top ranked bull on the circuit right now, so that rodeo only canceled if they had pressure. Can you think of a better explanation? He must want something else.”

  “Like what? A contract signed in blood?” How had she dealt with this crap for so long?

  “I don’t know. Some kind of proof that makes sense in the land of crazy.” She jumped to her feet, pacing back and forth in the small space in front of his desk. “I can’t believe he’d mess with your business. What on earth could he—”

  She turned to Will, her eyes narrowed, suspicion radiating from her, and leaned both hands on his desk. “How are the partnership discussions with my father going, Will? I haven’t heard much along those lines.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “It hasn’t gone anywhere. I told you I’d only partner with you, and I meant it.”

  “Dammit.” She flung her arms wide. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I did tell you when I proposed. Plus, you said you didn’t want to be involved. I don’t see what my wanting to only partner with you has to do with this.”

  “He won’t see it that way. To him, the business is separate. You backed out.”

  “And he’d punish me for that when I’m married to his daughter?”

  “I can’t think of anything else.” She resumed pacing the room, only now she was muttering to herself. Something about “on her own” and “no stock contractors.” However, when he caught the words “find a replacement,” Will jumped to his feet.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m not letting my family fight affect your business, Will. That’s not fair to you.”

  “No.” He came around the desk and took her by the shoulders. “First of all, we don’t know if you’re right.”

  She stared up at him, chin jutted out, not giving an inch. “Even if that’s not the reason, it’s something else.”

  “Regardless, leaving here is not the answer.”

  “It’s the only answer. I’ll have to start my own business outside of a ranch, so it’s only me. Then he can’t hurt anyone else.”

  “With what money? You’ll need to stable the horses, feed them, a place to train them,” he pointed out.

  She twitched under his hands. “I know. I’ll figure it out.”

  “There’s got to be a better answer.”

  She stepped back, and he dropped his hands to his sides.

  “There is none,” she snapped.

  There was no arguing her out of it. As much as she tried to hide it, Rusty had a heart as big as Texas, and no way would she let people she cared about get hurt if she could help it.

  That he fell into that category—people she cared about—gave him a buzz of satisfaction. But at the moment, the buzz was overridden by bone-deep fear she’d follow through on leaving him in order to help him.

  Will shook his head. “I’m not letting you leave me. Not after what we’ve shared.”

  Rusty swallowed hard, but at least she didn’t keep arguing.

  He took her hand, halting her pacing. “How about this. Our first trip out to see him is next week. No major decisions until we have a chance to get a better idea of what he’s up to.”

  She sighed. “I won’t leave yet, but a week or two is all I’m willing to wait. I’m telling you, he wants something else and going a
fter you is how he intends to get it.”

  “You don’t leave without talking to me first though. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  The tightness in his chest eased a fraction. “Okay.”

  “What’s your lineup of rodeos coming up?” she asked.

  Will knew where she was going with this.

  He rounded his desk and punched up the schedule on his computer. Rusty came around to watch over his shoulder, her body brushing up against his.

  “There.” She pointed. “Rising Star is the major stock contractor for this rodeo in October. If he gets them to cancel, then we know he’s still after something.”

  He turned to lean against his desk, facing her, with a shake of his head. “What’s his motivation?”

  She shrugged. “On top of being good business to ensure he’s the kingpin in the area, he knows coming after me with whatever he wants won’t work. I’m too stubborn. But if he undermines my job or my husband…”

  “He forces you to agree?” Could her father be that much of an asshole?

  She nodded. “At least in his head, the end justifies the means. Dad had zero concept of how to deal with raising a girl. When I was little, he treated me like a boy. Short hair, boy clothing, learn to rope and ride. But then I grew up. His reaction was to try to control everything.”

  “Bet you loved that,” Will muttered.

  “You could say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the pig-headed department in our family.” She traced a crack in the top of his well-worn desk. “He got worse after Reed died,” she murmured softly.

  “Probably doesn’t help that you look like you do.”

  Wide brown eyes stared back at him. “Why Williams Aaron Hill…” She batted her eyelashes. “What a thing to say.”

  He crossed his arms to keep from reaching for her. “Who told you my middle name?”

  “Your mother. She seems to think I want to know everything about you. I’ve even see that picture of you running around with only boots on. What a cute butt…” She grinned.

  He knew the picture. He wasn’t more than two years old in it. When she got like this, hiding a vulnerability with banter, he just wanted to kiss her until she let him in.

  Instead, he played along. “Maybe I should ask your father to send baby pictures of your butt. To even us out.”

  She snorted. “Good luck with that.”

  He hummed his agreement. “I’m starting to realize why your father wanted to keep you under lock and key.”

  She frowned her confusion. “Oh?”

  “I’m having a hard time keeping my hands off you.”

  Her eyes went wide, then she smirked. “You’ve been taking flirting lessons from Autry?”

  But he wasn’t ready to let up yet. “What can I say, ma’am…” He used his thickest Southern drawl. “You rival the stars.”

  She rolled her eyes even as her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. But she didn’t step back or look away, and suddenly, Will didn’t want to ignore the pull she had on him anymore. He wanted to give into it, like the ocean followed the moon.

  He straightened and her eyes widened. Will took a step forward and Rusty took a step backward. “Will…”

  He kept moving. “Rusty.”

  “We agreed. No hanky-panky during business hours.” Their night together in his truck had led to what Will considered the best few weeks of his entire life. They worked side by side as if fate had meant them to, they enjoyed time with his family, and, at night, they enjoyed each other. No way was her father going to ruin this.

  He raised his eyebrows, still teasing. “I’m just walking.”

  Now she shifted to glaring. “No, you’re not. You have that look.”

  He couldn’t hold back a smile. “What look?”

  “Like you want to kiss me.”

  “Oh, that look.” He shrugged. “I want to do a whole lot more than kiss you, darlin’.”

  Rusty bumped up against the wall to his office and he stopped close, but not quite touching. With a small shove, he closed the door, giving them total privacy. Then, still not touching, he leaned down until his lips hovered above hers. “Tell me to walk away.”

  He waited while the debate raged in her expressive eyes. She wanted him, he knew she did. But her independence was important, something he got after tangling with her father in small ways. Plus, he suspected she’d been so sheltered, her experience with men was limited to keeping them at arm’s length, and, until today, he hadn’t brought their lovemaking out of the bedroom. But her father’s actions had altered his timeline for capturing the heart of one Rusty Hill.

  Her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip and he groaned. “Honey, don’t do that unless you want me to repeat the action for you.”

  Suddenly, something gave in her eyes and her shoulders dropped a fraction. “I guess I’m a sucker for a hot cowboy who stares at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.”

  Will opened his mouth to reply, but Rusty took over, going up on tiptoe to claim his lips, sweeping her tongue across his mouth in the way he’d just threatened to do to her. Tension that had been building ever since he’d let her out of his bed this morning, hell, ever since the first time he’d seen her ride Mischief, exploded between them.

  In an instant, he was hard and aching and urgent. And Rusty’s frantic hands, the way she pressed her body against his like she couldn’t get close enough, had him lost, adrift at sea… and loving it.

  He dragged his lips away from hers. “I need you.”

  “I know. Me too.” She was panting, her eyes dark and slumberous, lips wet and raw from his kisses. “Good thing you have a lock on your door and a couch in here.”

  The air punched from his lungs. “You are going to kill me, woman.”

  But he grinned as he reached for the lock on the door, then he yanked her back into his arms and lost himself in heaven.

  *

  Two weeks and not a peep from her father. Not even a comment about babies when she talked to him on the phone. No way has he given up. Rusty did her best to keep her churning suspicions at bay. Now that she was finally home she could get some answers.

  “Dad?” Rusty called as she walked through the pristinely clean rustic home where she’d grown up and lived almost her entire life.

  The wood floors gleamed. So did the floor-to-second-story-ceiling windows that looked out over the ranch. The house was set up on the side of a hill, built into it. This newer construction had replaced the original dwelling built a few generations back. They’d been smart, using the hill as protection from the winds and snows that could blow harshly in the winters. Her dad had seen no need to change the location. Though she missed the old house which had been smaller and cozier.

  “Dad?” she called again, as she walked toward his office situated at the back of the house off the master bedroom where he wouldn’t be disturbed.

  Except for right now.

  She checked his bedroom, which was empty, but saw the light on under his office door. Halfway across the room, she happened to glance at his dresser, and stopped in her tracks. The picture of her father and mother on their wedding day—both young and vital, her father stoic as ever, her mother glowing with happiness—was still there. She’d often snuck in here to stare at it and wonder about her mother, and what her parents had been like before.

  But now, beside that picture was one of Rusty and Will. They were sharing their first kiss. The justice of the peace who married them in Cheyenne smiled indulgently behind them. Rusty had no idea this picture even existed. But why had her father framed it and put it in here?

  Doris must’ve snapped one with her phone and put it in here for him. That could be the only explanation.

  Rusty gave herself a little shake then crossed the rest of the room to knock at her father’s door.

  “Come in,” came his gruff call.

  She took a deep breath and entered. She’d only been gone a short while, but already this felt for
eign. Nothing had changed. The massive oak table he used for a desk, the wingbacked leather chairs seated across from him, the large windows with a direct view of the barn. All the same. The leather and wood polish smell that she associated with this room washed over her and Rusty was back to the twelve-year-old girl whose father didn’t want her.

  Will had made her promise to remain calm. “Hi, Dad,” she said when he didn’t look up from his computer.

  Irritation clawed at her until she noticed the medical-looking machine to his right, all white and silver and plastic tubes. Had he been doing his chemo treatments in here?

  Faded blue eyes lifted to regard her for a long moment. “About time you came to visit.”

  “We told you at the wedding that this was when we’d visit. We needed to get set up at home before starting to go back and forth.”

  Funny how High Hill Ranch felt more like home now than Rising Star ever had.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  She searched his weathered face for any sign of the illness destroying his body, but he appeared much the same as always. Most of the times she’d called home since leaving, her father had been out doing ranch business or asleep. But Doris had kept her informed of his progress, so Rusty wasn’t too surprised.

  “So far so good. Doc thinks I’m a walking miracle. Says I should be bedridden by now.”

  “That’s great, Dad. Maybe we get to keep you a while longer.” And strangely, despite their strained relationship and his recent antics, she suddenly wanted that. She couldn’t imagine Rising Star or her life without him.

  He grunted in reply. “How long are you here?”

  “I can’t leave the horses too long. We’re planning to stay for a week this time. Then we’ll be back once a month for three or four days each visit.”

  Another grunt greeted the information. She’d already told him this once though. Was that a sign of his illness?

  “Better get unpacked then,” he said.

  “Will is taking care of that right now.”

  Her father rose from his seat. “Why didn’t you say so? I’d better go say hello to my son-in-law.”

  Huh. She had no doubts her father knew exactly when they arrived. But she had to come find him while the new son got sought out. That would’ve stung once upon a time, but somehow she found him predictable rather than irritating or hurtful now.