A Family for the Rancher

by Allison B. Collins

  “I guess even fairy princesses need a nap, don’t they?” Kelsey kissed Mrs. Green’s cheek. “Thank you for making the party so special. I’m embarrassed you all went to so much trouble for her.”

  “Nonsense, dear. Maddy will be Mr. Angus’s granddaughter before long. I think he’s hankering for all his boys to settle down, give him more grandchildren.”

  She thanked the older woman again, then gathered up Maddy and her wagonful of presents—presents that she had protested before the party.

  Maddy fell asleep as soon as she was settled in her car seat. Kelsey drove the short distance to her cabin, trying to quell her racing thoughts. Actually, if she dug deep down, she was hurt Nash hadn’t stayed at the party very long.

  They reached the cabin, and she was shocked to see Nash’s truck parked in front. She got out and herded a sleepy Maddy out of the car and to the porch. Just as they stepped up to the door, it opened, and he stood framed in the doorway.

  “What are you doing here? Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

  He grinned and shook his head, then looked down at Maddy. “I had to get some little girl’s birthday present all set up.”

  Maddy squealed and threw her arms around his leg, then raced inside.

  “You didn’t need to buy her a present.”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to.”

  Curious now herself, she walked in and set her purse down just as Maddy squealed again, and louder this time.

  Nash gestured to Maddy’s bedroom, and she headed that way.

  It was like walking into a fairyland.

  White starry lights were strung around the room, woven into the drapes, along the bedposts and among her stuffed toys and dolls. A child-size table and chairs graced the corner, with brand-new stuffed animals seated in the chairs, all sporting pink-and-white bows. An elegant tea set sat on the table, with cups and saucers, plates of cookies and a beautiful teapot.

  Kelsey’s eyes filled as she watched Maddy examine everything, a look of wonder on her face, her eyes so bright they rivaled the tiny white star lights.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Maddy cried, and flung herself at Nash’s legs. “This is the bestest birthday ever!”

  He patted her back, looking extremely awkward. “You’re welcome. Why don’t you go try it out? There’s a special seat just for the fairy princess.” He pointed to the one open seat... Actually, it looked more like a throne.

  Kelsey stepped back out of the room and tugged on his arm till he followed her out, then pulled Maddy’s door shut. She led him into the main room. “Thank you for making my baby’s day so special.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t do anything. My dad had a party for her, and everything.”

  “Yes, you did. And that’s just it. You did all this for my daughter. You thought of something so incredibly special. You went and bought her amazing gifts. You strung all those lights. You came over and set all this up, so it would be ready when we got home.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  She shook her head and slid her arms around his neck. “It’s not nothing. Thank you,” she said, and kissed him. She poured all the love she had for this hard man into her kiss, for this man who had a heart made of marshmallow. Because who else would go to all this trouble for a little girl he barely knew?

  She felt his arms slide around her, and he pressed her closer to his body. Her nipples tightened, almost to the point of pain, and she rubbed against his chest. Wished he would touch her...

  Then miracle of miracles, he cupped her butt and pulled her hard against his erection. Tingles and sparks danced in her blood, and she wanted to pull him down to the floor and take him inside her.

  But Maddy was just a few feet away behind a wooden door, and they couldn’t do anything. She eased back a bit, until almost all that touched were their lips. His incredibly talented lips and tongue that gave her so much pleasure.

  “Are you gonna marry my mommy?”

  Kelsey jumped away from Nash and whirled around to face Maddy. “What did you say?”

  “Are you gonna get married?” Maddy’s head tilted to the side and looked like she was trying to decide whether to be happy or sad.

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Cuz Grandma kissed Mr. Angus, and now they’re getting married.”

  “No, sweetie, we aren’t getting married. I was just thanking Mr. Nash for getting you such a special present.”

  Maddy stuck her lower lip out and pouted. “Oh.” She cocked her head to the other side and looked up at Nash. “Grandma said when people kiss, it means they love each other. So you love my mommy, right?”

  Kelsey bit her lip and turned her head up to look at him. His face had turned bright red, and he yanked on the collar of his shirt.

  “Uh,” he stuttered, then cleared his throat. “Your mom is a real special lady.” He glanced at the wall behind her head. “I didn’t know it was so late. I need to go and get some work done.”

  Fighting laughter the whole way, she followed behind him to the front door. He yanked it open and hurried out.

  “Coward,” she said to him.

  He glanced around at her. “You better believe it.” He grinned, then limped down the stairs holding on to the railing and made a beeline to his truck.

  She laughed and blew a kiss to him.

  He waved and took off as fast as the lead car in a drag race.

  * * *

  ARE YOU GOING to marry my mommy? kept playing on a loop in his head. No matter how loud he turned the TV, or how much whiskey he drank, it wouldn’t stop.

  Since Mindy had dumped him for his best friend all those years ago, he’d decided marriage would be a long way off. Then he’d lost his damn leg, and he knew he’d never get married.

  So why was he now thinking of Kelsey walking toward him down an aisle? Then seeing her grow round with their baby? Maybe a little boy with her eyes and his hair?

  Did he love her? He couldn’t stop thinking about her, hadn’t since she’d walked in his front door and took him down with her wit and her self-defense move. They may have argued and fought over his therapy, and other things, but she’d always backed him up, always been in his corner.

  And in bed... God, she was amazing. For someone who thought he’d never be with another woman, she’d made him feel almost whole, like a man again.

  But was that enough for love and marriage, committing to each other for a lifetime?

  Hell, they’d never even gone on a date.

  His thoughts turned to Maddy, and how she’d called him Daddy in the cave. He’d be honored to have her call him that. To have her look up to him like a father.

  But did he have the chops for that? How would he stand up against the memories of Kelsey’s first husband? He didn’t think the guy had been a saint, but she’d never said anything bad about him, either.

  Maybe he could get the scoop from Bunny.

  A sharp pain twinged again in his thigh, and he reached for the bottle, started to pour another tumblerful.

  “No,” he muttered, and set the bottle down.

  If he really wanted to make something with Kelsey, then he had to turn over a new leaf. No more relying on whiskey to dull the pain.

  He picked up his phone and saw he’d missed a text from Kelsey.

  Need to cancel therapy in a.m. Sorry.

  He typed in a text to her. No prob. Dinner Tuesday night? He hit Send, then set the phone on his leg.

  So it would be handy.

  Not that he was anxious about her answer or anything.

  A few seconds later, the text chime sounded.

  Why?

  He frowned. Want to spend time with u.

  The phone sounded again.

  You’ll see me Monday @ therapy.

  Can’t. Labor Day celebration. Will u & Mad
dy go?

  Where?

  Lodge. Family does all work, employees get day off to celebrate.

  Like Boxing Day?

  Sorta.

  Can I help?

  Nope. So dinner Tuesday?

  Why?

  Gripping the phone, he typed again.

  Want to take u on date. OK w/ u?

  He stared at the phone, willing it to chime again, with a response. The right one.

  It was like watching paint dry with a blindfold on.

  A text chimed. Finally.

  Ok

  “Awesome.”

  See u.

  Then he settled back and started plotting how to keep Kelsey and her daughter in his life.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Labor Day dawned bright and sunny, with a slight chill in the air. Kelsey filled a thermos with steaming chamomile tea and hoped it would calm her stomach.

  “Good morning, pumpkin,” her mother said as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Morning. Can you watch Maddy for a couple of hours? I need to run an errand.”

  “So early on a holiday morning?” Bunny asked, pouring a cup of tea for herself.

  “Did you have plans?”

  “No. But if you’re going to town, can we go with you? I need to pick up a few things myself.”

  “No!” She winced, hearing the harsh tone. “I mean, I’d love a little time to myself. Is that okay?”

  Her mother glanced at her. “Are you all right? You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine. I think the party just wore me out.”

  “Well, you go on into town and I’ll take care of Maddy.” Bunny wrote a couple of things down on a pad and handed the list to her.

  “Thanks, Mom. I won’t be gone too long.”

  Gathering her things together, she hurried out to the car, anxious to get her errand over with.

  The long drive into town gave her too much time to think, so she rolled the windows down and turned the radio up as loud as she could stand, hoping to distract herself.

  Finally pulling in to town, she headed straight for the drugstore and parked. The store was almost deserted, and she quickly found the aisle she was looking for. With a fast glance around to make sure she was alone, she chose the box she needed and added it to her basket.

  A couple more stops to gather the items her mother needed, and she headed to the checkout counter. She set the basket on the counter, and the clerk started ringing up her items.

  “Hey, Kelsey.”

  She froze, recognizing Wyatt’s gravelly voice. Slowly she turned her head to see him looming behind her in line. “Wyatt. What are you doing here?”

  “Had to pick up a couple of things for the party today. If I’d have known you needed anything, I’d have picked them up for you.” He gestured to her basket.

  “Oh, no worries. Had to get some girlie things for my mom.”

  Even as she stared at him, his eyes glanced at the items in her shopping bags, then cut back to hers.

  He studied her face. “You okay?”

  She nodded, so nervous she felt like she was coming out of her skin. Yanking her wallet out, she handed over the cash, then grabbed the shopping bag and held it close. “Guess I’ll see you later, right?”

  “Yup.”

  She turned around, ready to run to the car, but dying to know if he’d seen anything.

  “Drive careful, Kelsey. Keep your head on straight.”

  He knows. She barely nodded, then hurried out the door and to her car.

  All the way back to the ranch, she worried so much that he would say something to Nash or one of his other brothers it almost made her sick.

  Finally reaching her cabin, she went in and found her mother and Maddy ready to go up to the lodge to help with preparations. She handed over her mother’s items, then hid the shopping bag in her closet.

  Her mother had explained that Angus told her about the Sullivan tradition of giving their employees the day off to really celebrate Labor Day. The family took care of all the chores, as well as fixed a big feast for any of the workers who wanted to stay on the ranch for the day.

  They drove up to the lodge and headed inside. Bunny went straight to the kitchen to help with the food, but Kelsey didn’t think her stomach would hold up just yet.

  The front door opened, and Kade and Toby walked in.

  “Maddy! Come see how much the kittens have grown!” Toby said, and took her hand, leading her to the back of the lodge.

  “Morning, Kade.”

  “Kelsey.”

  Unless it was her imagination, Kade didn’t look real happy about seeing her. She had no idea what she’d done to him, but he’d been somewhat curt to her lately. There were times he looked at her as if she had a big scarlet A on her chest.

  Or maybe that was just guilt talking, knowing what she had tucked away in her closet.

  The scent of something roasting drifted out of the kitchen, and her stomach roiled. Fresh air might help, so she hurried out the door, away from the food smells, away from Kade’s penetrating gaze.

  Following the path led her to the corral, and she saw the big black horse that had pinned Nash galloping across it. His coat gleamed in the sunlight, his mane and tail streaming behind him as he ran.

  Her breath caught at the beauty in motion in front of her. Tears pricked behind her eyelids. She wanted to be as free as that horse, galloping out of pure joy across the fields. Swallowing hard against the sob rising in her throat, she fought not to cry even as a tear trickled down her cheek.

  Freedom.

  Freedom from bills.

  Freedom from the constant worry of making ends meet.

  Freedom from worrying about what she knew deep in her heart was true.

  “Hey, babe.”

  Nash walked up next to her and hung his arms over the top rail of the corral.

  She brushed the tear from her cheek and pasted a smile on her face, but didn’t turn her head.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, gripping her shoulders to turn her to face him.

  This time she did smile. He sounded so worried. About her.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing doesn’t make you cry.” He brushed her cheek, catching another tear on his finger.

  “I guess I just got caught up watching Midnight. He’s a beautiful horse.”

  “Talk to me, babe. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  She cupped his hand to her cheek. “Honestly, it’s nothing. So what can I do to help for the party?”

  His eyes searched hers.

  She could get lost in his blue-gray eyes. They didn’t look so haunted any longer, and she was glad for him. He’d lived through a nightmare in the war, and brought one home with him, a daily reminder of what he’d suffered and lost.

  Her job was to help him live with his new leg, but she cared so deeply for him, she wanted to heal his soul. She could only do so much with therapy. She’d just have to love him, be there for him, for as long as he would let her.

  If only he’d love her back.

  * * *

  SOMETHING WAS BOTHERING KELSEY, and Nash wished he knew what it was so he could help her. She’d been crying when he came upon her at the corral, but wouldn’t tell him what had upset her.

  They’d been interrupted before he could delve further, and he’d been called up to the lodge to set up for the picnic.

  Every minute he’d been forced to be apart from her made him that much more anxious to be with her. Which surprised the hell out of him. When had he become so dependent on a woman?

  He’d watched her throughout the afternoon. Something was still bothering her, and he could tell she was trying to cover it up.

  When he was finally free to join her after the food had been cleared up, night
had fallen and the big campfire pit had been fired up. The ranch employees always enjoyed this turnabout day, so they liked to linger late over the fire.

  He wandered over to Kelsey and sat next to her. She looked up and smiled at him, and his breath caught. She was so beautiful, inside and out. A natural-born caregiver, she rarely took time off to enjoy herself. Flames from the fire flickered, sending shadows over her already-pale face. He couldn’t help running a finger down her silky cheek.

  Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear. “Having fun?”

  She shivered, and nodded. “Looks like everyone has had a great time today. Pretty nice of you and your family to do this for them.”

  He shrugged. “Tradition.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but Hunter walked up to the fire and held a guitar out to Wyatt.

  Wyatt shook his head, but everyone started clapping and chanting his name. Reluctantly, he took the guitar and set it on his knee.

  “Wyatt plays the guitar?” Kelsey leaned closer to him and whispered.

  Nash nodded. “Just wait.”

  Wyatt started strumming the guitar, then began singing.

  Next to him, Kelsey sat up straight and looked at Nash, her eyebrows raised. “Wow! He has a great voice.”

  Nash agreed, proud of his brother. For having such a great singing voice, he really hated playing in front of people and rarely made an exception.

  The song continued, a haunting melody of love and loss. Nash knew his brother had been through some hard times in the years away from the ranch, and his songs always spoke to something in those years.

  As Wyatt sang, at one point he opened his eyes and looked directly at him and Kelsey. He stared, then seemed to nod. Or maybe Nash had imagined it.

  Kelsey shivered again, and he took off his jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders. She felt so good next to him, so he left his arm draped around her. As she leaned closer to him, he realized how right she felt next to him. Both her and Maddy.

  Wyatt finished his song, and everyone clapped, then began moving to leave.