by Vivian Arend
Jaxi Coleman (Six Pack ranch, Rocky Mountain House)
Huh. Dare read the message over again, confusion stirring. It was a connection to her missing man, but if his…sister?…didn’t know where Jesse was—
Did she contact them to say, Hey, if he does show up, tell him I need to talk? Potentially awkward, and she wasn’t letting anyone else know about the baby before he found out.
If he found out.
Drat, this was impossible.
She pushed the email aside to think about it a little longer before responding. Worrying about her missing baby daddy wasn’t going to keep her blog running, and in the end, that was the most important thing.
She’d do whatever it took to remain standing on her own two feet. If there was one thing she’d learned over the years, no matter that others had good intentions, if it needed to be done, in the end she really needed to rely on herself.
She finished by lunch, then spent needed time on cleanup tasks she’d been putting off. About two o’clock she wandered over to the main house to find her friend arguing on the phone.
“It’s not rocket science. Are you sure you can’t—?”
Dare hid her grin best she could.
Ginny huffed into the phone a few more times, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner before muttering fine and hanging up.
“Trouble in paradise?” Dare teased.
Ginny flipped her the finger. “I have to go. They’re having trouble sorting this week’s orders and can’t figure it out without my help.”
Dare slipped past her into the living room. “No worries. I’ll look after the girls when they get home if you’re not back yet.”
“Thanks.” Ginny eyed her. “Ummm…is there something you’re not telling me? Like, you’re auditioning for the part of a homeless person?”
Oops. Dare glanced down at her outfit. “It’s comfy, okay?”
“If you’re comfy being half-naked, whatever. I should be back in thirty minutes, and I’ve already got the crockpots going.”
“I’ll get the cake in the oven before I start my yoga.”
She was talking to empty air—her friend was already gone.
Dare didn’t mind the time to herself. She headed into the big old-fashioned kitchen, and ten minutes later she had her cake in the oven. Time enough left to pull her yoga mat from where she’d stashed it behind the couch in the sunroom.
The big ranch house was as familiar as her own. She’d spent hours and hours here growing up, her parents and Ginny’s sharing meals on a regular basis.
They’d shared everything, including—morbidly—their untimely deaths.
She moved into position on the yoga mat and began her practice. As huge and life-changing as her family’s deaths had been, after ten years it was more of an echo than a constant buzz.
There were times that brought to mind what they’d all lost—her and the Stone family—but usually life went on.
Including the unexpected bits of life…
Dare glanced down at her ratty outfit, the leggings so full of holes and the fabric worn so thin it was barely there. Definitely time to buy a new set, but she’d been trying to hold off until her expanding waistline made it impossible to wear her old things.
She had her butt in the air and feet tangled over her head when the door opened and Caleb’s oldest daughter let out a shout. “Auntie G, Auntie D.”
Dare slowly worked to untangle herself. “I’m here, honey. Auntie Ginny had to go into town. She’ll be home soon.”
“Emma’s hurt.” Sasha seemed more excited than worried.
A loud, exaggerated sniffle accompanied the announcement, and Dare shot to her feet, teetering for a moment as she turned to face the door to discover the little girl cradled in the arms of her missing cowboy.
Chapter Two
He’d come looking for Dare, but after months apart, Jesse hadn’t expected the first thing he spotted to be her spectacular ass.
Her all-too-memorable ass, wiggling in his direction as his wild child untwisted herself to stand before him. Her red hair was barely tamed back into a ponytail. Threadbare leggings caressed her legs, and her faded sports bra hugged every curve while leaving a lot of skin uncovered.
He pulled his jaw back into place, suddenly thankful the little girl in his arms and her talkative sister stole the spotlight.
“Auntie Dare, Emma fell down and she was crying, but Jesse said you’d make it all better.”
Jesse met Dare in the middle of the room. She checked the faint scrape on the little girl’s knee, clicking her tongue soothingly. “Wow. Were you riding the bucking broncos again?”
Emma shook her head, teeth digging into her bottom lip.
“She was chasing Demon, and she tripped,” Sasha announced. “There was a big rock.”
“She was pretty brave,” Jesse offered. “But Sasha said it hurt too much for Emma to walk on, and I didn’t think she should hop all the way to the house, so I offered to help.”
“Because you just happened to be hanging out on my front lawn?”
“Little Ranch on the Prairie? Yeah, I was hanging out pretty hard.”
Dare pressed her lips together, but she smiled. “So… Hey. You found me.”
“Hey. I did.” Emma squirmed in his arms, and he lowered her to the floor. “You okay, cowgirl?”
She nodded, one hand drifting to her mouth. She chewed on the side of her fingers as Dare dropped to her knees so they could talk face-to-face.
“Does your knee hurt lots?”
The little girl shook her head.
“She needs a Band-Aid, though.” Sasha’s suggestion. “Maybe two.”
“Hmmm.” Dare looked over the teeny cut again. “Let’s see after we get it cleaned up. No use putting anything on that’s going to fall off right away.”
Emma dipped her chin.
“Okay, I’ve got an idea. How about a bath before supper instead of after? That way your scrape will get clean, and we’ll knock all the road dust off at the same time.”
“I want a bath too. Emma wants me to help her. And she wants to wear her new pyjamas, right, Emma?” Sasha had her sister by the hand as they walked backward toward the hallway. “And I want to wear my pyjamas too. Only we don’t want to go to bed early. Emma wants to watch movies.”
“Bath, yes. Pyjamas, yes. Movies—not until after your homework is done. I’ll come help get the water started.” Dare pointed down the hallway. “Hurry up. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Is Jesse staying for supper? Emma wants to sit beside him,” Sasha tossed over her shoulder.
“Bathtub.”
The one word quickened the girls’ steps, and Jesse chuckled as they vanished around a corner. “Well done, Auntie Dare.”
“They’ll take every advantage they can get.” She glanced at him. “Give me a minute to get them in the water?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
Jesse strolled around the room after she left, a million questions darting through his brain. Emma hadn’t made a sound since he’d seen her fall, not even to cry. She’d defaulted to her big sister speaking for her—there had to be a reason for that.
In the meantime, though, he looked for clues to his mysterious woman, glancing at the pictures scattered everywhere. There were a few with a redheaded little girl, maybe Dare, but far more of Emma and Sasha. It was a comfortable room, like in any ranch house. Could have been the one he grew up in, although his mom kept things a little more spit and polished.
Then again, he had no idea what it had been like when he and Joel were little and his mom had been wrangling a houseful of boys.
He glanced out the window toward the lake and the outbuildings neatly arranged east to west. Arenas, paddocks—the Silver Stone ranch was impressive. Something extra was going on today. A whole lot of trucks were parked over toward the barns, and a group of men had gathered beside one of the split-rail fences.
Jesse double-checked to the west, but his
truck was far enough to the side of the main drive to be out of the way. He’d seen the little girl fall, and he’d been out from behind the wheel before he’d thought it through. He figured carrying her to the house would cause less trouble than loading her into his truck.
“Hey.”
He turned to face Dare as she reentered the room. “All settled?”
She wiggled her fingers. “For now.” She broke her gaze from his to stare past him. “We need to talk.”
“We do. Plus, I have something of yours.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Yeah, I have something you left behind too.” She pointed him toward the side of the house. “We can sit on the porch.”
“Hello? Dare?” A new voice.
“There. There, see?” The helpful and talkative Sasha burst into the hallway leading another woman into the room.
Dark-haired, her brilliant green eyes were filled with a great deal of curiosity. “I see him.”
“I told you he was a cowboy.” Sasha pointed straight at Jesse’s waist. “He even has a buckle. Not as big as Uncle Walker’s, though.”
The woman pushed the child’s fingers down. “Be polite, please.”
“He’s strong, Aunt Ginny. Maybe as strong as Daddy,” Sasha piped up, waving at Jesse as she offered a gap-toothed grin.
Ginny made some noncommittal noise as she all but stripped him with her gaze before turning to Dare. “This him?”
“Yeah.”
“Niiiiiiiice.”
Jesse grinned. They’d obviously talked about him at some point. “Thanks.”
Dare gave Sasha a pointed look. “I thought you were having a bath and doing your homework.”
Sasha’s eyes widened, then she twirled and ran from the room.
Dare caught his hand in hers and tugged, speaking to Ginny as they moved. “Since you’re home, we’re going to my place to talk.”
“I’ve got dinner. And the kids. Oh, and I’ll set an extra place at the table.”
His wild child took a deep breath. “Ginny, I don’t think—”
“I’m taking Dare out,” Jesse cut in. Family dinners with little tykes were okay, but his main agenda for the evening involved adult-only entertainment.
Ginny shrugged. “Text me if you change your mind.”
Dare guided him outside. He figured she would drop his hand the instant they left the porch, but she kept a firm grip, leading him away from the main house and the barns.
He whistled for his dog who came running from where Jesse had told him to stay in the shade on the other side of the house. “Remember him?” Jesse asked Dare.
She glanced at the golden retriever, a smile sneaking out. “Morgan, right? Hey, boy. Good to see you again.”
She held her free hand to Morgan without slowing her pace. The dog sniffed her fingers then put on a burst of speed to race ahead of them to the next field to sniff and explore.
“He’ll behave,” Jesse assured her.
“Our dogs are good too. There’s about a half dozen all told. If they spot Morgan, they might do a little jostling to figure out who’s most dominant, but if you’re comfortable with bringing him, I’m good with it.”
The gathering by the barn was still there, a few horses being put through their paces in the arena. “Nice-size spread.”
“Silver Stone? It’s… Yeah, it’s okay.” She gestured to the group. “Family from Lethbridge area sent up a group of new hands, and they’re getting the welcome spiel.”
A big enough operation to need extra hands—Jesse slowed to try and get a better look while Dare all but hauled him across the lawn toward a small cottage with a porch.
Their rapid-fire trip across the yard didn’t go unnoticed. A sturdy young man separated himself from the group and headed their direction, jogging at first, then picking up speed as he set what was obviously a line to intercept.
“Expecting company?” Jesse asked.
Dare swore and jerked on his hand, damn near making them run. “I’ll explain in a second, but we need to get inside, stat.”
It went against Jesse’s instincts to hide, but they were already up the steps and into the house. She pulled the door shut on his heels.
The banging started a moment later.
“Dare?” A youthful, masculine voice.
“Go away.”
“Who’s that with you? Open the door, Dare, or I’ll break it down.”
Jesse bristled on her behalf. “You need me to take care of him?”
Dare blinked, then rolled her eyes. “Oh, jeez. I forgot the whole express opinions with our fists bullshit is genetically built into all males. I can deal with him.”
She stood to one side of the door, blocking the bottom with her foot before undoing the lock so the wooden frame could only open an inch. “Dustin. Is there a reason you want me to rearrange your face?”
“There’s a man in there with you.”
“Really? Gee, I never would have known without you telling me.”
“Who is he?”
“None of your business.”
“Dare, I’m going to count to ten, and—”
She cracked the door open farther but spoke softer, her voice dripping icicles. “Seriously? You want to try that bullshit? Forget it. I was going to be polite, but you blew it. Go away, or I will tell Tansy at Buns and Roses you have a crush on her again.”
The blustering outside the door came to an immediate stop. “You’re nasty, Dare. I’m just trying to—”
“—be bossy and overbearing? You nearly succeeded, only I care enough to nip bad behaviour in the bud. I will rip you a new one if you so much as touch my door again.”
Barely visible through the narrow sliver Dare held open, the young man glared daggers in Jesse’s direction, dark brown eyes flashing in frustration. “Bring him to the house when you’re done. If he leaves without seeing us, I’ll track him down and peel the skin from his body to make a rope.”
Jesse held his tongue until the door was closed, taking a deep breath as she turned toward him. “That was interesting.”
“He’s a jackass, but he means well.”
Jesse paused. “Old boyfriend?”
She gagged. “Hell, no.”
“Protective.”
“You have no idea.”
He ignored the comment because waiting wasn’t making this any easier. It’d been ages since they’d been together. There really wasn’t a proper way to restart something after a memorable one-night stand, let alone ask some awkward questions.
Tracking her down—that was a good place to begin. “Thanks for putting up my picture. I had no idea how to find you until the guys at the bunkhouse spotted that damn meme.”
Dare frowned. “Sorry for the whole posting without your permission, but…meme? I just noticed today my blog post had a lot of hits.”
“Yeah, because someone found the picture about a week ago and slapped Prime Alberta Beef across my backside. It’s been making the rounds on social media. It took me until yesterday to track it back to your blog.”
She shook her head. “Sorry about the invasion-of-privacy issue. I’m usually a lot more careful about that.”
“Like I said, no problem. It was the breadcrumb trail I’d been looking for.”
Dare shifted farther into the little house, pointing toward the living room couch. “You were trying to find me?”
He offered a grin. “Is that so surprising?”
“We both said it was only one night.”
She looked uncomfortable, and he kicked his own ass for assuming just because he wanted another ride that she’d be available. “You seeing someone? Because I don’t want to get in your way, or anything.”
“No—I’m not seeing anyone.” Her eyes widened. “You?”
“Hell no.” Although he wasn’t sure why. Lack of time? Lack of privacy in his new digs in the bunkhouse?
He’d hooked up plenty before, even with those kind of deterrents, but for the last couple of months every woman he’d
looked at paled when he thought back to Dare. Fucking around to fuck around had begun to leave him cold—and that’s when he’d begun searching for her in earnest.
He wasn’t such a shit as to keep seeing random women when he was picturing them with Dare’s face. Now that he’d found her, he was ready for a second serving.
Which would never happen if he didn’t get them past the tough issues.
“I’m glad I tracked you down, and first up, I’m sorry if I was too…enthusiastic…last time.”
She looked lost. “What?”
Damn, there was no way to say this delicately. “Back in February. There was blood on the sheets.”
She thought for a moment before holding up her hand, a smile teasing her lips. “The glass broke, remember? We were kind of distracted and didn’t notice that the cut reopened.” Her amusement slipped to distress. “Oh my God, no. I wasn’t a virgin. You didn’t…” She kept rambling while he enjoyed the relief rushing his system. “I mean, your enthusiasm was very much appreciated.”
“I was thinking of the whole cherry thing, and it got me confused. Oh, and there’s something else. I have this. I don’t remember why.” He pulled the chain around his neck from under his shirt to show her the ring.
“You’re kidding. I thought I’d lost that. I’m so glad…” She reached toward him, then stopped. “Wait, this isn’t what we need to talk about. I mean, I’m glad you have my ring, but I need to tell you something important.”
Jesse stepped closer, the scent of her teasing his senses. He tugged a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. “Want to tell me over dinner? I hear there’s a great steakhouse in the area.”
“There is, but we’re not going anywhere right now. You need to sit down. And…maybe you should put your head between your knees.”
He laughed. “Isn’t that what they tell you when a crash is imminent?”
Guilt flashed over her face. “Can’t you hear the sirens in the distance?”
She hadn’t struck him as the melodramatic type, but hey—they’d only had the one night, well-lubricated at that. “Come on, it can’t be that bad.”