by Vivian Arend
Chapter Five
They’d had sex and crawled into bed before, albeit drunk as skunks, so getting into bed wasn’t an issue. It was after, as they lay in the dark for a while until it was clear neither of them was sleepy yet.
“I should talk to your brothers,” Jesse murmured against her neck as he spooned behind her. “Who’s going to be my biggest trouble?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’m your biggest trouble.”
He smiled into the dark. “Of course you are, darlin’, but I don’t want one of them to get the wrong idea and grab the castrator.”
Dare considered for a moment. “He’s not your biggest trouble, but you should talk to Caleb first.”
“The oldest, right?”
She nodded. “Sasha and Emma’s daddy. You can find him in the barns in the morning. Now go to sleep. I’m tired.”
“Good tired, I hope,” he teased.
“Shut up,” she whispered.
Silence fell again, but while she stayed quiet, Dare wiggled and squirmed and jerked far more than he remembered.
She finally rolled over, shoving his arm away. “I don’t mean to be rude, and thank you for my orgasm and all, but I can’t sleep with you right now. It’s too hot, and my skin twitches every time we touch, and normally I’d just get over it but I’m really, really tired…”
“Say no more.” Jesse kissed her nose then tucked her in again. “I saw a bed in your office, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
He paused in the door—she gave one enormous sigh then slipped right into dreamland.
Rest didn’t come as easily for him.
Every time he tried to close his eyes, her voice poked him awake. Just repeating one word, over and over.
Pregnant.
Which meant a baby. Which meant his life path had altered.
It had been simple to push that detail aside as they talked, as huge and life changing as it was. Like a single note hit off key during a song, the idea had slapped him upside the head and he’d reeled for a moment, but then it passed, and the things he’d been dwelling on drowned out the reality—
Not for long, but for long enough that every time the phrase pregnant hit his consciousness, his heart pounded and his breathing kicked up a notch all over.
It didn’t help that Dare was so matter of fact about it. Hell, if she’d been panicking, he would have an easier time dealing. Calming her down, offering his assurances. Lying through his teeth that everything was going to be okay.
He’d missed that stage, he guessed. The thought left him floundering.
He must’ve fallen asleep at some point, but come four a.m. he was wide awake like usual. No use lying in the postage-stamp-sized bed any longer, so he got dressed and headed outside.
Morgan joined him instantly, tail wagging hard enough that his hindquarters quivered.
Jesse petted Morgan’s head for a moment as he sat on the porch, feet on the stairs to put on his boots, looking around the ranch. The faintest pink light etched the distant horizon to the east.
A long, hard walk helped, the familiar scents of the ranch enough to set some of his panic aside. Okay, so this wasn’t what he had planned, but it was the hand he’d been dealt and he’d have to do the best he could. He felt like crap Dare had already dealt with months of this on her own.
That was the central thing on his mind as he wandered into the biggest of the barns after exploring for nearly an hour.
A dozen heads all turned in his direction. No, make that a baker’s dozen. The horses examined him briefly in the hopes he was going to offer them food.
A calico cat balanced daintily along the ridge of a railing, making its way along the length to a post where it sat to greet him with a good morning meow.
“Morgan, stay.”
His dog sat, hindquarters plopping into the dirt as Jesse moved confidently toward the cat to offer it a quick scratch under the chin.
The animal graced him with its presence for a moment before stretching regally. Then it jumped to the ground and, after offering Morgan a disdainful sniff, walked away with tail upright, the very tip flicking back and forth as she headed off hunting.
Comfortable. Familiar.
Not home.
Regret swamped him much in the same way the shock of that life-changing statement pregnant kept intruding.
As much as he wanted to go home, he couldn’t.
As much as he wished Dare had greeted him with different news, there was no going back.
Noise travelled in the quiet of the barn, and Jesse made his way toward the distinctive scrape of a rake at work. The barn was warm, the scent of horses and hay a rich, earthy wash in his nostrils. Silver Stone had a lot of quality animals, and Jesse took his time walking past the stalls, pausing to brush a nape and pet a nose.
“Are you lost?”
Jesse turned slowly, even though he’d been surprised, making sure not to spook the animal he stood next to. “Morning.”
The man stepped forward into view, and Jesse recognized him as one of the Stone family. There was enough of a resemblance to Ginny, although this man had to be in his early thirties, and his face held nowhere near the laughter and impulsive mischief painted on every inch of Dare’s best friend.
Dark hair, dark eyes. He was as solidly built as any of the Coleman clan, perhaps a little shorter than Jesse, but obviously a man of the land.
Also someone who was probably prepared to take off Jesse’s head.
No getting around it. Jesse held out his hand. “We haven’t been introduced. Jesse Coleman.”
“Caleb Stone.” He stared at Jesse’s hand for a moment as if it were smeared with shit. “You the one who got Dare pregnant?”
It was a little awkward with his arm just hanging there, so Jesse let it fall to his side. “I am.”
“Ginny told me you were here.” The man eyed Morgan.
“He won’t make trouble,” Jesse promised.
Caleb squatted low and offered a treat he’d pulled from his pocket. Morgan didn’t move until Jesse gave him leave, then took the treat and head-butted Caleb as thanks before returning to Jesse’s side.
The other man nodded in approval at the dog, then grabbed a second rake off the wall and held it out to Jesse.
Thank God.
Not only did it give Jesse a familiar task for his hands, it was also a pretty good indicator he wasn’t about to be shot or hogtied, since both were tough to accomplish if Caleb’s hands were full.
He followed Caleb to a section where the horses had been moved, stepping into an empty stall and willingly getting to work. Over the years he’d had an awful lot of conversations through wooden walls like this. Jesse wondered briefly if it was one of those things that cowboys did because men talking about emotional shit—
Walls were a damn good metaphor and made some of these tough talks a hell of a lot easier.
He’d taken a half-dozen drags with the rake when Caleb spoke, his deep voice clear in the otherwise quiet of the barn.
“You didn’t expect to hear Dare’s news.” It wasn’t phrased as a question.
The man would want honesty. “Could have knocked me over with a feather, yeah. Bit of a shocker, but I’ll do right by her.”
“Can you?” Noises in the stall one over paused. “She’s family. I’m not going to let her ruin her life by hooking up with someone who needs babying. The last thing she needs right now is another person to take care of.”
Jesse held back a flash of anger, knowing it wasn’t a personal attack. This was a man looking out for someone under his protection. “I’m not a slacker. It wasn’t my fault she’s had to manage things by herself until now.”
Caleb grunted. “Dare made it clear she didn’t blame you when I offered to hunt you down, which is why you’re not lying in a ditch, bleeding. Nothing you could’ve done, other than protect her a little harder in the first place, but that boat’s sailed.”
“It wasn’t from a lack of trying,” Jesse proteste
An awkward pause from the other side of the wall. “I don’t want details.”
Right. Dare was like a sister. No sex discussions with the man. “I wasn’t an asshole then, or an asshole now. I offered to marry her.”
“Did you now? What did Dare have to say about that?”
Jesse played it up as best he could. “She didn’t say yes, but we’ll get there.”
“Is this something you do on a regular basis? Treat a woman’s no like it’s a yes?”
Well, that sounded slimy. “Hell, no. I didn’t mean that at all. I just meant… Well, you know how it is. Sometimes women change their minds.”
If anything the disapproval in Caleb’s voice grew stronger. “You’ve got a high opinion of women.”
Jesse thought he had the highest opinion of women. They were a hell of a lot more complicated than guys while being soft and smelling fantastic. He worshiped women, but he figured there was no way he was getting out of the barn that morning without physical damage. Better to get the anger in the open.
He leaned his rake on the stall wall then stepped into Caleb’s line of vision, hands hanging by his sides. “Go ahead.”
Caleb stared back, iron-cold.
Jesse shrugged. “Everyone in my family has laid me out at some point, and I usually deserved it. I feel like shit that Dare had to deal with things without me, but if you want to put me on the floor—”
The man’s poker face was deadly. Jesse wasn’t sure if his offer was going to be taken up or not.
After the longest time, an exasperated sigh escaped Caleb. “Already told you Dare’s opinion on the matter. Until she wants you beat up, you’re in the clear.”
Huh.
Jesse stood silently until Caleb resumed raking, then he went back to his side of the wall, the practical exchange a little anticlimactic.
“You plan on sticking around?” Caleb asked.
“I’ll have to do some juggling for a while, but I’ll be there for her.”
“Job?”
At least he could answer this one with something positive. “Bar M, outside of Pincher Creek.”
“That’s a high-class operation. They’ve got some quality animals.”
“I’m planning breeding programs for them.”
“Really?” A touch more interest lit Caleb’s voice at that bit of info.
Jesse grinned. He wasn’t just a hayseed cowboy. He loved working with his hands, and had no objection to being in the field with the men, but he had more to offer. “Got a diploma in genetics with a minor in computer programming. Considered going for a degree, but I figured some hands-on experience with the programming was worth more to the family than another piece of paper.”
Another oh from Caleb, his curiosity continuing to rise as the rake-motion sounds slowed. “Got any samples of your work?”
Most of it was planning he’d done for the Six Pack ranch. He’d been trying to not exploit the connection, but considering this man was a potential brother-in-law… “For you, sure.”
Nothing more was said, but Jesse hoped the gears were already turning. He wasn’t going to bail on Dare, and if he kept his word, Caleb might offer him a job at Silver Stone before the dust settled.
They worked in silence. Caleb showed him where the fresh pellets were, then glanced into the stall when Jesse was done.
There’d be no qualms over his work. He’d been cleaning stalls since he was barely able to lift the rake, him and his brother working together to try to impress their father.
A far-too-familiar twinge hit his gut. He hated how long it’d been since he’d seen the man.
Seen his brother.
“You got any other kids?”
The glib answer that would normally hit his lips—not that I know of—stuck in his throat, and now Jesse had another rock in his belly.
Had there ever been another accident somewhere over the years? He didn’t think so—at least not with anybody in the Rocky area, but he’d flirted and fucked his way through a lot of Alberta, and the thought he might unknowingly have more kids left him a little shaky.
Instead he answered the implied part of the question. “No one special in my life. I wasn’t with anyone back home, and I’ve been trying to…” What did he say? He’d hadn’t felt like joining the debauchery he’d normally thrived on? “There’s no one.”
“And your family?”
There was the million-dollar question.
“My family is fine, but I’m going to talk to Dare more before you and I start exchanging life histories. I just wanted you to know I’m in the picture. I’m not running.”
Because running doesn’t solve anything. His cousin’s parting shot before Jesse had gone and done exactly that.
He looked up to find Caleb standing less than a foot away.
“You sound like a decent guy.” Dare’s brother by choice looked him over, the lazy, half-hooded gaze hardening as a steely edge came into his eyes. “Don’t screw up with Dare.”
“I won’t.”
Caleb grunted and turned away.
Jesse walked the opposite direction, lost in thought. What he did had to be up to Dare as well, but if he was going to give up his position at Bar M to be close to her, he needed a way to make money. He’d have a family to support—
Another hard rock slid into his belly.
He wandered around a corner, jerking to a halt as he came face to face with a tall youth, obviously a younger brother of Caleb’s. His features were familiar—and when a hard gleam of anger swept across the young man’s expression, Jesse identified him as the irate door-banger from the day before.
“Dustin?”
The young man narrowed his eyes. “You.”
Jesse held out his hand. “Jesse Coleman. I want—”
Pain splintered his concentration. His eye throbbed and his cheek suddenly lit on fire.
What he wanted was for people to stop punching him in the face.
Dustin had moved without any warning, and while Jesse was usually more alert, it was because he hadn’t expected to get whaled on. Talking so reasonably with Caleb had set him off his guard, although he should have anticipated Dustin would go off half-cocked and use his fists instead of laying out a welcome mat.
Jesse backed away, raising his hands to a protective position even as he warned Morgan off from where he’d slid between them, teeth bared in warning at the newcomer. “You think I’m going to stand here and let you beat on me?”
Dustin bounced closer, fists at the ready. “You made Dare cry.”
“I didn’t know, but now that I do, I’m going to take care of her.”
“You don’t get to march in and do that. We’ll take care of her, like we always have. Go on and get the hell out of here.”
Dustin took another swing. This time Jesse dodged to the side, the kid’s fist sweeping past with a hell of a lot of force. “You’ve got some nice power behind that mitt, but if you do that again, I’m taking off the gloves and giving you some of your own medicine.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
A soothing quiet settled over Jesse as he stepped back and pulled off his shirt. In a way, this was what he needed. A hard, fast brawl would fix a lot of what was currently ailing him.
He and his brothers had done this many times. Frustrated? Upset? Find a reason to mix it up it and scrap until you got it out of your system.
He slammed a fist into Dustin’s gut before the kid had a chance to anticipate the blow, then reveled in the sound of his pained exhale.
The next moments were a blur of hands and elbows, curses flying as fast as their fists. The swearing was all on Dustin’s side. Jesse didn’t waste energy talking—it was more satisfying to figure out where and how to land another punch then watch Dustin reel backward.
“What the hell is going on?”
Someone ripped them apart, and Jesse braced himself in case it ended up two against one.
Only the dark-haired newcomer shoved them back hard enough Dustin stumbled and fell. Jesse kept his feet with a great deal of difficulty.
“Dusty? You were warned about fighting with the hired hands.”
“He’s not—”
“Shut up.” The man turned his attention to Jesse. “I don’t remember you from the orientation. What’s your name?”
“Jesse Coleman, and I don’t work here.” Yet, and it seemed his chances were going down instead of up.
“He’s the bastard who knocked up Dare.” Dustin used the stable wall to help get to his feet, disgust in his tone.
Maybe the attitude was all about Jesse’s actions, but it sounded a lot like a diss on Dare, and fuck that. Anger rolled through Jesse at high speed.
He rushed forward, slamming Dustin into the wall and shoving an arm across his chest. Pinning the youth in place, Jesse moved in until their noses were almost touching. “Darilyn is not knocked up. She’s expecting a child, hers and mine, and if you talk about her in that tone of voice again, I will make you sing soprano.”
A heavy shoulder hit the wall next to Dustin as the newcomer leaned on it, glancing between the two of them. Amused judgment on his face as he checked out Jesse.
Jesse ignored him. The baby with the attitude had all his attention.
Dustin slammed his mouth shut, but kept jerking unsuccessfully to try and break Jesse’s hold.
Damn if the stranger didn’t chuckle before straightening up and offering some advice. “You might want to ask him to ease back a bit, Dusty. It’s hard to rope with broken ribs, and I don’t think this one—Jesse, was it?”
“Yeah.”
“—I don’t think he’s in the mood for you.”
“Fuck you, Luke. He hurt Dare.”
“Dare is a big girl, and unless you want her even more pissed at you than usual for getting up in her business, back off. You deserved the slam into the boards for that knocked-up crack.”
Dustin stopped writhing. Jesse stepped back so suddenly the kid lost his footing again. He slammed himself upright and gave Jesse one final dirty look before storming off, wiping blood from his mouth.
Derogatory comments about Jesse’s ancestry and his personal habits slowly faded into the distance.
Jesse took in his new companion more closely. “One of the Stone boys, I take it?”
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