A Family for the Rancher

by Allison B. Collins

  Mr. Sullivan took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “It’s a pleasure meetin’ you, ma’am. Just call me Angus. Both of you.”

  Kelsey stood next to them, trying hard not to laugh. Bunny was pouring on the Southern charm, and Mr. Sullivan pulled out his inner cowboy.

  He pressed her hand into the crook of his elbow just as the band slowed the tempo down into a Tennessee waltz. “May I have the pleasure of this dance?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Her mother’s voice had gone breathless, and she put an extra swish into her skirts as they walked away, completely ignoring Kelsey.

  “Seems I’m not the only one taken with your family.” Hunter joined her, carrying a sleepy Madison.

  She took her daughter in her arms, and Maddy tucked her head against her shoulder. Her arms strained with the weight, and she tightened her grip, hating that her daughter was growing up so fast. And Rob wouldn’t be there to watch.

  “I better get her home. Do you think someone could bring my mom home after the party?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take her home. Although—” he broke off and glanced toward the dance floor “—my dad may beat me to it. They seem to be gettin’ along pretty good.”

  Angus twirled her mom around the floor, then dipped her. Bunny squealed and laughed, beaming up at him.

  There she goes, flirting again. On the one hand, she needed this job, but on the other, she needed to get Nash up to speed so they could move on before Bunny got too attached. Again. She drew men to her like bees to honeysuckle, and she loved it.

  “You go on ahead and take your daughter home. I’ll make sure your mom is fine. Sleep tight.” He kissed her cheek, then smoothed a gentle hand down Maddy’s back.

  “Thanks, Hunter. I appreciate you doing that. And for keeping Maddy entertained. She loved dancing with you. Good night.”

  Once she had Maddy buckled into the car seat, she leaned against the driver door and looked up at the sky. There had to be more than a billion stars. She’d never seen so many, or so clearly. Montana could definitely grow on her. Not humid at all like back home in Florida. No lights, except from the ranch. Inhaling a deep breath, she smelled nothing but clean air, hay and wood smoke.

  A cow mooed not too far away, followed by a coyote’s long undulating howl. Chills snaked down her back, and she climbed into the car quickly and started it, making a mental note to make sure Maddy never went outside alone.

  Once she’d reached the cabin and gotten her daughter settled, she made a cup of tea and carried it to the porch. She sank into one of the rocking chairs and sipped. What a perfect night. Well, perfectly confusing. Memories of the episode with Nash crashed into her mind, and her blood ran hot. “Why the heck did I do that? He’s a grown-ass man, doesn’t need me to come to his rescue,” she muttered.

  “So why did you?”

  She shrieked and bolted from the chair, dropping the mug, and it smashed on the wooden floorboards. A shadow detached from the corner of her cabin, and Nash appeared in the dim light shining out the window.

  “Don’t do that!” she snapped at him.

  “Do what?”

  “Sneak up on me and appear out of the darkness.”

  “I figured you’d have heard me coming a mile away.”

  “Well, I didn’t,” she griped, looking at the ruins of her favorite mug on the floorboards.

  “I guess you were too busy castigating yourself to pay attention to the hitch in my gitalong.”

  A laugh burst out before she could stop it. In fact, she couldn’t stop laughing and had to bend double to catch her breath.

  “What in tarnation are you laughing about?”

  She plopped down in the rocking chair and wiped her eyes. “I can’t quite figure you out. One minute you’re twanging up your speech with cowboyisms, then you go and use castigate.”

  The light caught his face as he frowned. “I’m not a hick. I may not have graduated from college—”

  “That’s not what I meant at all. Your dad came up to us at the party and he pretty much did the same thing when I introduced him to my mom.”

  The scowl on his face deepened, and he muttered something under his breath.

  “I didn’t hear you.”

  “I said he’s always been a flirt, even before my mom died.”

  She sobered instantly, uncomfortable. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

  She picked at a loose thread on her shirt. “So why are you out here? Checking up on us?”

  “Now why would I do that? You’re a grown-ass woman, ain’t ya?” The corner of his mouth lifted as he threw the words back at her.

  “Ha ha. Why are you here?”

  “Couldn’t sleep, needed some air. Forgot this was the cabin my dad put you in.” He pushed off from the post he’d been leaning against, looked around. “Y’all settle in okay?”

  “We’re just fine. It’s a gorgeous cabin. Hard to believe something like this is out in the middle of nowhere. I’m surprised it was sitting empty and not snatched up by some tourist.”

  “Plenty of cabins to go around.”

  “It’s an amazing ranch. I’ve always thought dude ranches were small, with rickety, dusty cabins and city slickers wanting to experience a cattle roundup.”

  “It used to be that way. But my mom was a dreamer, and she wanted to build this place up into a five-star guest ranch. So, here we are.”

  “How come you left here, joined the Army?” His shoulders tightened, and she almost regretted asking him, but the question had been rolling around her head all evening.

  He shrugged. “Restless, I guess.”

  “I get restless, I take up a new hobby, or go on a trip. Joining the Army is pretty drastic.”

  “College wasn’t doing it for me, and Dad and I kept butting heads, so, I left.” He shifted, leaning against the railing. “Did y’all have a good time tonight?”

  “Yup. Maddy had a blast dancing with Hunter.”

  He grinned. “He’s got a way with kids. Has three of his own.”

  She laughed. “The triples. I got a kick out of Toby’s name for them.”

  “They’re good kids. So’s Toby.” He looked up, and she followed his gaze to the stars.

  The longer he stood there silent, the more she wondered why he seemed to be drawing out his visit. “Do you need anything? How’s your leg?”

  He glared at her, the corner of his lip curling up. “I’m fine,” he said, his words clipped. “’Night.” He walked away, his limp more pronounced.

  Instead of calling after him, she bit her tongue. He wouldn’t appreciate her treating him like an invalid. Best just to leave him alone.

  But now she knew what he tasted like.

  Felt like.

  How could her body know his so quickly?

  Crave it?

  Chapter Four

  Several days later, after a grueling session with Kelsey, Nash had snapped at her to leave him alone. All he wanted was a soak in a cool tub. But he needed to be outdoors, not cooped up in his cabin. His mind flashed to the pond where he used to go skinny-dipping. The cool water would feel good on this abnormally warm July day.

  He grabbed a towel and climbed into the truck, his leg aching like a sonovabitch. He drove to the hidden spot, cursing a blue streak. Good thing his momma couldn’t hear him now, or she’d take a spatula to his backside. He’d loved her a lot, and it nearly broke him when she died. He’d only been ten, and Hunter was barely a year old, with the other three ranging in age between them. No-nonsense, good Christian, but a lot of fun. The light left their house that day.

  Seeing the split in the trees that led to the pond, he pulled over and parked. Out of all his brothers, he’d been the only one to consider it his sanctuary. Why hadn’t he
come back here before now?

  He tried to get out of the truck, and had to lift his left leg out. Yeah, that was why. Damn leg.

  Throwing his Stetson on the dashboard, he slammed the door, then picked his way across the uneven ground. About a hundred feet through the trees, the path opened up to sparkling blue water. He wanted in that pond so bad he could taste it. Yanking off his T-shirt, he threw it on the flat rock that sat a few feet up from the water. Leaning against it, the trapped warmth heated his backside, and he stripped off his jeans as fast as he could. Hauling himself onto the flat rock wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped, but he made it.

  A flash of light blinded him for a minute, and he realized it was the sun glinting off his leg. He punched the prosthesis, and was rewarded with stinging knuckles.

  Rustling from the bushes about six yards to the left caught his attention, and he squinted in the sunlight. Didn’t see anything. Probably some animal coming for water. As long as it wasn’t a bear or a mountain lion, he didn’t care. Unwrapping the binding on the leg, he pulled it off, held it up in the air, tempted to pitch it into the pond.

  A bloodcurdling scream split the quiet afternoon, scaring him so much he almost fell off the rock. He looked around for a predator crouching to attack. Standing near the water’s edge was a little girl with dark curly hair.

  Screaming.

  He froze. What the hell should he do? He was naked, holding a fake leg in the air, with a little girl screaming bloody murder. He grabbed his T-shirt and clamped it to his privates.

  “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. Who are you?”

  The screaming continued, and he knew she hadn’t heard him.

  He tried to fit his leg back into place, but his hands shook so bad this time he really did almost drop it into the water.

  “Maddy! Madison!” a woman’s frantic voice called. Kelsey? A light dawned and he realized this must be her daughter.

  “It’s okay, Madison. I know your mommy.” His words were still drowned out by her voice. Her very loud voice.

  “Maddy! What is it? Are you hurt?” Kelsey stumbled through another break in the trees. She knelt down in front of the girl and frantically checked her over. “Sweetie, what’s wrong? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

  The little girl’s screams subsided into gulping sobs, and she pointed at him.

  Even though he was a few yards away, he saw Kelsey freeze, prepared to pounce on whatever threatened her daughter. She grabbed a thick stick next to her, leaped to her feet and whirled around to face him.

  “Nash?” she asked, looking around the perimeter of the pond.

  He waved. “Hiya.”

  “Um...is there a wild animal here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why is my daughter screaming?”

  He held up his leg. “I was getting ready to swi—”

  Maddy screamed again, Kelsey dropped the stick and picked her up. She walked several feet away and turned around so the girl wasn’t facing him anymore.

  This was the damn reason he didn’t want to be around people. Ever again. They’d see him as a freak. He’d come home to prove he was still the same person.

  But even a little girl knew he wasn’t.

  He started to climb down, then realized he was still naked. Looking up to ask Kelsey to leave, he could tell she’d just realized he was naked, too. Color swept up her neck, then her face, until she looked like a sun-ripened strawberry. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, her tongue darting out to lick her lower lip.

  He hardened instantly and hunched over, trying to hide it with the T-shirt. How could one look from her turn him on so much? Even when she was trying to calm her daughter down? Glancing at the water, he knew he needed to get in there. Fast. Or he’d embarrass both of them to no end.

  He looked up to ask her to leave, but didn’t see either of them. Great. He dropped the leg on the rock, wincing as it hit the granite with a clang. Scooting to the edge, he lowered himself into the water, grateful for the freezing runoff from the glacier that fed into the stream, filling his pond.

  Scanning the area once more, he was satisfied they were gone. Letting himself go, he floated, the sun heating his front, and the water cooling his back. His muscles relaxed, bit by bit, and the pain in his leg reduced to random twinges.

  He let the cold water soothe his aches. If only it could soothe the noise in his head. Squinching his eyes closed, he still heard the little girl’s screams echo in his brain. She’d been terrified of him. Without even opening his eyes, he knew he looked like a monster. Between the white scars against his tanned skin, and no leg—no wonder the poor kid had screamed.

  Great reinforcement for not having kids. Not that any woman would want him anyway. He didn’t want to mentally scar the kids he used to want, and hoped Madison would forget what she’d seen an hour ago.

  Maybe I can just stay here, never leave this place. A flash of Kelsey’s blue eyes squinting at him as she pushed him in rehab made him think she’d just hunt him down here so she could torture him some more. “Screw her,” he mumbled.

  And of course those words made him think about what it would be like to do that to her literally. Not that she’d let him. But considering the way his body reacted just thinking about her, he could at least fantasize in case he needed to take matters into his own hand. The cold water wasn’t helping right now, and he cupped himself, wishing...

  “I wanted to apol—”

  He jackknifed up, then his foot slipped off a rock, and he went underwater. Thrashing around for balance, he rose up for air, coughing up the water he’d swallowed.

  Kelsey stood at the edge of the pond, her hands plastered over her eyes. From what little he could see of her cheeks, they were blazing red.

  Great. Just great. Did she actually see me...?

  “Why’d you come back? Where’s Maddy?” he asked, moving his arms back and forth for balance, trying to stay upright.

  She lowered her hands to look at him. “She’s with my mother back at the car. We finished our picnic and I wanted to say I’m sorry for Maddy’s—” Her hands flew up again to cover her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That’s really clear water in the pond there. Did you know that?”

  “Sure. The water all over the ranch is like this.”

  “You can see every rock, every plant, real clear.” She still hadn’t lowered her hands.

  He looked down and saw everything magnified in the waist-deep water. Dammit. He started swimming, or trying to, and ended up practically dog-paddling to the edge. The rock ledge loomed over him, and he reached to pull himself up. It had been a long time since he’d been to the pond, and he’d forgotten that to get out, he needed to push off. With his legs.

  “Uh, Kelsey?”

  “Yes,” she answered, still covering her eyes.

  “I need a hand to get out.”

  “Oh.”

  He waited, could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Maybe we could turn this into a session.” She peeked out through her fingers, he assumed to assess the rock, shoreline and find a way he could get out.

  “Just get me out of here,” he growled.

  “You’re going to have to learn how to do this on your own if you come back here. Might as well start today.”

  “Get me the hell out of this pond. Don’t lecture me about rehab. I can’t get out by myself. You think that makes me happy?” If she said one more damn word about rehab, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.

  “Fine,” she huffed, dropping her hands to her sides. She stomped to the edge and held her hand out.

  He reached up to grab her hand, and she pulled. Using his foot, he tried to scramble as best he could up the slippery slope.

  She gripped his wrist with her other hand and pulled again, just as he st
arted sliding backward. He tried to let go, but she followed him with a big splash and sank underwater. She rose to the surface, spluttering and coughing.

  “Kelsey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  Her outrage was so absolute he was surprised the water didn’t start boiling around them. Her black as sin hair plastered to her head, and she scooped it out of her eyes.

  A tickle rose up his throat, and he tried to cough it back. Which only made it worse. It turned into a snort.

  “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” The accusatory finger aimed his way could have been a lethal weapon.

  Choking back another laugh, he held his hands up. “No, ma’am. Honestly, I didn’t.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and she swiped a hand down her face. “Better not have, mister,” she muttered, heading for the shore.

  Another laugh bubbled up, and it felt so foreign, he let it out. Which was followed by another laugh, sounding rusty even to his ears.

  She froze and slowly turned to face him. Drawing her hand back, she swooshed it across the surface, sending a tidal wave of water into his face.

  It should have pissed him off, but even as he coughed out the water, he admired her feistiness.

  Reaching the shore a few yards from the rocky ledge, she turned around to wait for him. “Hurry up. I need to get packed up and back to the cabin for Maddy’s nap.”

  He swam forward, cursing himself for being naked.

  “The bank is more of a gentle slope here. I’ll put my arm around you, and you lean on me however much you need to.”

  God, he hated this. Having to depend on someone to help him grated on every last nerve. And to rely on a woman, any woman, made it worse.

  Her hand slid across his back and around his side as she tried to support him, leaving a trail of fire over his slick skin. Oh geez. Think of something else. Anything else besides her hand on me. He pictured the pile of horse manure he’d had to shovel as punishment one hot summer as a teenager just to get him the few yards till he could grab his towel.

  He tried not to pant as they hobbled together out of the water. Hated showing weakness, even if she was a therapist. As soon as they were close enough, he leaned forward and grabbed his towel off the rock, wrapped it around his waist. “Thanks.”