“On the count of three,” I said, and together we doused perfect Charlie with two quarts of scalding miso soup.
4
Amber
Now
I stumbled off the tiny plane that had flown me the last leg of the trip. The turbulence had been so bad I thought I might get sick. The nausea had passed but now my legs felt rubbery, and I was a little dizzy as I descended the shaky ladder towards the ground. It definitely did not feel sturdy enough to hold the guy who was waiting to come down after me, and I was fairly certain it hadn’t passed FSA inspections.
I exhaled in relief when I made it to the ground. A gust of October wind swept across the tarmac, bringing with it a dry chill that felt somehow wild and spooky. I shivered as I wheeled my suitcase across the tarmac towards the glow of the airport, which was really just a hangar. The night around us was so…black. Beyond the airport, I could see everything and nothing at once. No tall buildings obscured the view, but then, no lights lit it up, either. There were a few small buildings, and houses in the distance.
The air smelled so clean and fresh that I kept inhaling until I got even more dizzy. I stopped myself, because I really didn’t want to pass out on the expensive shoes of my mother’s new husband’s old wife.
Gripping the handle of my suitcase as another gust of dry, cold wind whistled across the tarmac, I hurried forward. Something about the place made me want to run, as if something were going to jump out of the dark and chase me.
Get it together, Am, I told myself. I wasn’t seriously afraid of the dark. Except, it never really got dark in New York, so how would I know?
I reached the airport and went through, got the rest of my luggage, and pulled it outside. A single bench sat off to one side, but most of the airport appeared deserted. I glanced along the lane that ran in front of the building. The nosepicker was jumping up and down on the bumper of a minivan while his family loaded in suitcases. A little closer to me, a beat up old red pickup sat idling. And against that leaned the hottest guy I’d ever seen.
He gazed out into the night from beneath the brim of a cowboy hat. His dark lips moved slightly as he chewed on the end of a piece of dry grass. He was tan and tall, with broad, sculpted shoulders shown off to full advantage by a plaid shirt with the sleeves torn off. He’d left his shirt untucked above a pair of jeans that fit him oh-so-well and a pair of dusty cowboy boots.
Damn. If all the guys in Wyoming looked this good, maybe the next three months wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Hey there,” he said to me when he caught me checking him out. “Are you Amber?”
I gulped. “That’s me. Are you picking me up? I mean, like, giving me a ride. I wasn’t asking if you were trying to pick me up. Nope. Totally was not even thinking about that. Not even a little.”
He laughed and strode over, thrusting out a work-worn hand. When it closed around mine, it felt like it could pulverize my bones if it wanted. Luckily, he was only after a handshake, not bone-meal. He gave my hand a tight squeeze, which, ridiculously, made my legs a little more quivery than they already were. “I’m Sawyer,” he said with a grin. “And I’m here to pick you up.”
I couldn’t help but smile back. “Awesome,” I breathed.
“If you’ll just unhand me, I’ll get your bags.”
“Oh! Right. Yeah, sorry about that. It was the plane ride. I blame that. Seriously. It was long.” I dropped his hand and continued to ramble as he picked up my bags, as promised, and swung them over the side of the truck bed and settled them in. I watched his muscles flex as he lifted them. They were really, really nice muscles. He must spend hours in the gym, I thought as I headed for the passenger door.
He slid in front of me and pulled it open, holding it for me until I’d climbed in before closing it gently behind me. He patted the hood of the truck like it was a beloved horse as he circled it before climbing into his seat.
“You all ready?” he asked. “Buckle up, Princess. It’s gonna be a long one.”
“Oh boy. I like the sound of that.”
He shot me a surprised grin as he laid his arm across the back of the seat and twisted around to see behind him as he backed up. I didn’t know this guy from Ted Bundy, but I was kinda disappointed when he didn’t oh-so-casually drape his arm around me afterwards.
Instead, he dropped his hand to the radio and dialed across the stations as he pulled away from the airport.
It was totally the rebound thing. I’d just been dumped in the worst way. Of course I was lusting after this sexy, sexy cowboy.
“What kind of music do you like?” he asked as we edged away from the few businesses and out of town.
“Oh, all kinds,” I said, marveling at how far apart the houses were. There were entire blocks of darkness between them!
“We might as well start getting to know each other,” he said. “It’s our job to keep you out of trouble for the next three months. I guess that starts with knowing what kind of bar you’re likely to run off to.”
“What?” I squealed, turning to him. “You live with Mrs. Westling? Are you, like, her ranch hand or something? She does live at the ranch, right? Because I didn’t get the full scoop from my mom and Senator Westling, but they did tell me that much. And that, you know, I was an embarrassment to their family name, and I had to go babysit his kids until I learned to make better decisions. Wait, oh my god, you’re not her new husband, are you? Because if you are, I’m just going to come out and say it, she totally won the divorce. Not that my mom isn’t pretty, because she totally is, but Mrs. Westling must be a real cougar. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Is that really all you’re saying?” He grinned sideways at me as we sped along a straight road that disappeared into…nothing. It stretched on as far as I could see, without a single car in sight. Suddenly, I felt as if we were hurtling through space. I gripped the dash and stared straight ahead.
“Sorry,” I muttered, sinking down in my seat, my face warming. “I talk a lot when I get nervous. It’s better than sweating, though, right?” I winced that I’d put that lovely image into his head and vowed to shut the hell up. Otherwise, I’d have told him my entire life story before he dropped me off and disappeared into the night forever.
But apparently, that wasn’t happening. Apparently, I was going to see a lot of this guy.
I wished I wasn’t quite so excited about the prospect.
“To answer your question,” he said with a slight drawl. “I’m not married to Mrs. Westling, or anyone else. Actually, there is no Mrs. Westling. Our mother remarried a few years ago and took new name, and none of us are married.”
“Us?” I said, suddenly feeling the unmistakable butterflies of premonition as his words sank in.
“That’s right,” he said. “Dad told you there were three of us, right?”
“You’re the snot-nosed kid I’m supposed to babysit?”
Sawyer laughed. “I guess so.”
“And you all live on the ranch?”
“Yup.”
“And I guess they’re all grown up, too?” I squeaked.
“All grown up,” he agreed with a grin in my direction.
I was in so much trouble.
5
Amber
One Week Before
“I’m staging an intervention,” Haley said as we hurried to the cab. “This is too big for wallowing at home, and we’re out of miso soup. We’re going out dancing.”
“I look like I’m going to a fundraiser.”
“You look hot,” Haley said. “Unbutton a few buttons, and you’ll give off a sexy librarian vibe.”
“At least he had the decency not to say it’s not what you think.”
“His dick was literally still in that bitch’s mouth,” Haley said, slamming the cab door behind us. “How could it not be what you think?”
“Four mouths are better than two,” I raged. “I barely passed math and even I could count five people in that room.”
“Maybe he forgot a
bout the girl sucking his dick.”
“Maybe he wasn’t counting me,” I said, my voice cracking. “He obviously doesn’t want to have sex with me, or he already would have. Waiting until marriage, my ass.”
What really hurt was that he’d had no reason to cheat. I’d have done all that with him. I’d wanted to do all that. But noooo. Charlie had wanted to “preserve my chastity.”
And for three years I’d let him, missing out when all my friends got laid, listening to Haley’s horrible and hilarious sex stories, while I pretended I didn’t mind that my boyfriend didn’t want to go beyond kissing with me. I’d respected his beliefs. But it turned out, his beliefs were bullshit. He wanted sex, too, he just didn’t want me.
“Shut up,” Haley said, her nails digging into my forearm. “This is absolutely in no way your fault.”
“You’re right,” I said, allowing rage to replace the shattered feeling inside me. “It’s not like I was the one holding out so he had to get it elsewhere.”
“And even if you were holding out, there’s no excuse for cheating,” she said fiercely. “Besides, did you see his dick? That thing was not very impressive. No offense, but I think you dodged a bullet right there.”
“It did kind of look like a bullet, didn’t it?”
“That’s better,” Haley said. “Now. We’re going to go out dancing, and loads of guys are going to want you, because you’re amazing. And I’m going to buy you so many shots you puke, and take care of you all the way home.”
“I’m not going home,” I said. “I’ve been waiting to have sex for three years, and now I don’t have a reason not to. I’m going to get laid tonight.”
6
Amber
Now
It was after midnight when we pulled up at the ranch. I had passed the last hour in a semi-conscious state, somewhere between awake and asleep. It was so dark here that it was hard to see anything out the windows, and I was tired after flying across the country.
Finally, the truck stopped and Sawyer threw it into park. “You awake?” he asked, giving me a gentle shake. Heat sank into my shoulder from his touch, and I had to resist the urge to sleepily crawl into his lap and curl up there.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said with a smile. “You look like you could use a good night’s rest.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling through a yawn. “If you’ll just show me where to sleep, I’ll grab my bags and crash. I’m beat.”
“I’ll bring your bags up,” Sawyer said. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
With that, he hopped out of the truck. A whistling wind slammed his door for him. As I climbed out, the wind tore at me like a wild animal. There were no buildings to block the wind here. A big lodge loomed over the drive, but it was dark inside, and I couldn’t make out much detail.
“Go on in,” Sawyer called from the back, where he was unloading my bags.
When I turned towards the house, a giant loomed out of the darkness at me.
I screamed.
“Whoa, Nelly,” he said in a soft voice.
I almost screamed again when a huge paw reached out for me.
“Don’t go scaring the girl,” Sawyer said, coming around with two of my bags.
“Sorry,” said the giant. He switched on a headlamp, which pretty well blinded me. I threw up a hand to shield my eyes.
“You know this guy?” I asked, huddling against Sawyer.
“This is Holden,” he said. “He’s my—our—brother.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Holden said, holding out a hand.
Awkwardly, I took it. His huge, hot hand engulfed mine, firm but gentle, and a feeling of comfort immediately settled my nerves. Instead of snapping at him, my words came out teasing. “Well, Holden, you should really think twice about sneaking up on girls in the dark. You’re lucky I didn’t have out my pepper spray. That would probably not have fostered the warm and cozy feelings our parents are aiming for.”
“Probably not,” Sawyer agreed with an easy smile.
“I apologize,” Holden rumbled, holding out an arm like he was going to escort me to a royal ball. “Can I make it up to you by welcoming you to the Coyote Ranch?”
“You may,” I said, slipping my hand into the crook of his elbow. Let me just say, if Sawyer’s muscles were nice, this guy’s were world-class. He could do some serious damage if he ever decided to punch someone. A cheating, pussy-eating ex-boyfriend, for instance.
We climbed the wooden steps and crossed the wooden porch. I felt like a dainty fairy next to the giant as we stepped inside a large room with polished hardwood floors, rough wooden walls, and high ceilings with exposed wooden beams. A fireplace glowed gently at one side of the room, topped by an empty mantel and a rack of antlers. Three leather chairs and a matching sofa formed a semi-circle around a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. Otherwise, the room was bare, making it feel cavernous rather than cozy.
“Your room is upstairs,” he said, nodding at a set of stairs set against the far wall. He led me up the wide wooden staircase that turned at a sharp angle before reaching the second floor. A long railing stretched along one side of the landing, which looked over the main floor of the lodge below. Holden led me along the hall to the last room, which he opened to usher me inside. The large room was warm and spacious and obviously empty. Like the rest of the house, it had no decorations and showed no personality.
“Is this mine?” I asked, turning around in the empty space at the bottom of the king bed. A bathroom door stood open to one side, a huge closet to the other. “Did you give me the master suite?”
Holden cleared his throat and scuffed his toe against the floor. “You’re the only girl,” he said in his deep, soft voice. “We figured you’d be more comfortable having your own bathroom.”
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the huge upheaval in my life, but suddenly, emotion choked up my throat. I had to stop myself from throwing my arms around this soft-spoken giant. In truth, I kind of wanted to, if only to see what a mountain of solid muscle would actually feel like. I wondered if he was as hard as he looked.
Naughty Am, I scolded myself. This is your brother!
I’d come out here to have a break from partying, to slow down and relax and enjoy the scenery…outside the house. But I couldn’t help but look over Holden as he flicked the switches in the bathroom and closet, showing me everything in the room I’d be sleeping in for the next three months. He was huge, easily six-and-a-half feet tall, and equally big in every other way, with a massive chest, arms, and shoulders. His brown hair was cut short and neat, though he had sideburns and a shade more than five-o’clock shadow on his strong jaw.
“Make yourself at home,” he said. His phone rang just then, and he checked it before slipping it back into his pocket without answering. “We don’t have a lot of company, so if there’s anything you’re missing, just let us know, and we’ll do our best to help you out.”
“Thanks,” I said, my eyes straying to the bed.
“This is your house now, too, so you don’t have to ask to use anything or go anywhere. We got a couple hundred acres, so walk around and get acquainted with how it all works. Be careful of the electric fences, and don’t wander onto the neighbor’s property, but otherwise, you’ll be fine here.”
“Thank you,” I said, emotion welling in my chest. Why was he being so nice? A guy had never even asked me to stay the night with him before, let alone given me free reign of his apartment. This guy was giving me the ranch.
“From what our dad said, I got the feeling you didn’t exactly come here willingly. But for what it’s worth, I’m glad you came.”
“Me, too,” I said, avoiding his gentle brown eyes. I was afraid I’d start crying if he didn’t quit giving me so much sympathy.
“Don’t look so sad,” he said, stepping closer and brushing my blond hair away from my cheek. “I’m glad you came to us to keep you out of trouble. I can’t imagine how many temptations wait around every corner in a b
ig city. But don’t worry. No harm in the whole world will reach you here—not before it goes through the three of us.”
If only he knew. The temptations in the city might be plenty, but here, I was dealing with a whole new kind of temptation.
7
Sawyer
Now
I could tell by the silence at breakfast that Waylon hadn’t gotten over his anger at our father for sending us a glorified babysitting job. Amber’s confusion at the airport the night before replayed in my mind, and I smiled to myself as I tossed a dozen eggs into the spitting skillet on the woodstove. That made two people who thought this was a babysitting job.
Holden stepped inside, wiped his boots on the mat, and dumped a towering armload of wood into the wood box. “Frost is coming soon,” he said, opening the door to feed the stove. Usually, we’d let it burn down when we went out to do chores, but all of us were thrown off by the presence of a woman in the house. It had been a long time since we had one of those.
I slid a pile of eggs onto each of our plates, and we all dug in.
“You gonna make me ask?” Waylon grumbled after a few minutes.
“What’s to say?” I answered. “She’ll be gone in three months.”
“She’s beautiful,” Holden said, not looking up from his eggs.
“So she’s just what Dad said she’d be,” Waylon said, pushing his chair back. “A spoiled socialite. Whatever that is.”
“She’s a city girl,” I said. “We knew that.”
“And we’re saddled with her because she can’t get her shit together on her own.”
“It’s three months,” I said. “She didn’t murder someone. She just got a little wild. We’ve all done as much after a night of too many whiskeys.”
“If Dad’s happy, we should be happy,” Holden said.
“Three months,” Waylon said, rising from the table. “That’s too damn long. Anything can happen in three months.”
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