by Becky McGraw
But then some things he was just better off not knowing.
Like whether his son was really his son. And whether Tina Montgomery’s tasted like sweet honey between her legs. Getting addicted to another woman was not in Dean’s life plan.
She walked away from him then stopped to dig in the pocket of her jeans. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Calling Hope to have Cord come pick me up,” she informed shortly.
Anger shot through him, because his brother was busy holding down the ranch so he could be out here with her. Or he should be busy. Odds were he was hanging out at the bunkhouse with his wife. “Cord is busy. You can ride back with me,” Dean growled as he stood.
“You just head on back,” Tina said, folding her free arm around herself while she cradled the phone to her ear. “I’ll be fine waiting here alone.”
“I’m not leaving you out here by yourself,” Dean said firmly.
Tina Montgomery was a city girl. If a frog came out of the lake, they’d probably hear her screaming in Amarillo. And there had been an overabundance of bobcats out here recently. Lord knew what would happen if she saw one of those. Probably climb a tree, because he had a feeling the city girl was just that dumb when it came to taking care of herself out here.
“Hey, Hope. I’m out by the lake at the back of the ranch. Dean says there’s a road that leads back here. Can you get Cord to come pick me up? I don’t want to get back on that horse.” She disconnected the call then pocketed the phone. Turning toward him with a glare, Tina demanded, “Where’s the road?”
Dean tilted his chin toward the west tree line, and she spun on her heel to stomp off in that direction. He watched her for a second, then with a sigh, he walked over and picked up his hat and slammed it down on his head, before he hefted the saddle bags over his shoulder. Blaze was busy munching grass at the edge of the lake, so he went over and tossed the bags behind the saddle. After he swung up into the saddle, Dean followed Tina Montgomery, because there was no way in good conscience he could leave her out here and head back to the ranch until he knew she was safe. The damned rattlesnakes were out in full force now too. If she got bitten, before Cord got there she could be half dead.
She didn’t seem to notice him behind her though. Either that or she refused to acknowledge he was following her, because she was ignoring him. “I could give you a ride to the end of the road to meet him,” Dean offered.
Her back stiffened. “No thank you.”
“It’s a long walk to the main road,” he informed.
“I need the exercise,” she replied stubbornly.
Dean didn’t turn back, he just followed behind her for the twenty minutes it took his brother to meet them on the road. By the time she walked around the truck to get in, she was limping a little. He imagined those new boots were giving her blisters. She needed to soak her feet tonight or tomorrow she was going to be in a world of hurt.
If she wouldn’t have been so damned stubborn, she wouldn’t have those blisters, he reminded himself. What the hell did he care anyway?
He had accomplished his goal of getting her to back off. Letting her know he cared would just invite her back into his business, which he had no intention of doing. Cord waved at him, and Dean notched his chin at him. He watched as Cord made a series of front and back motions with the truck until he got it turned back toward the road. Dean turned Blaze back the way he’d come and kicked him into a gallop. He hoped by the time he got back to the ranch, the run would get rid of the tension inside of him.
When he rode back into the barn nobody was around. He glanced out the front door and saw his pickup parked in front of the bunkhouse, which meant they were back. His brother was messing around at the bunkhouse instead of working, just as Dean suspected he’d been doing all day. Dean quickly unsaddled Blaze and rubbed him down. He stashed the saddle and bridle in the tack room, then headed to the bunkhouse. He’d had enough of his brother’s laziness. There were things that needed doing around here, a long list of things, as his brother well knew from the list he’d given him this morning.
Dean stomped across the yard, up the steps and had his hand on the doorknob when it opened. His brother stood in the doorway, but he looked back over his shoulder to say, “Okay let me finish the chores, and I’ll be back to clean up. Zack said he’d be here at seven.”
“Be here for what?” Dean demanded with his fists clenched at his sides. With as much work as they had to do, it could be eight before they finished. And yes, it would be they, because he was going to make sure things got done.
Cord turned toward him. “He’s coming out and we’re having a bonfire, why?” Cord asked and Dean heard the defensiveness in his tone.
“We have work to do.”
“I’m well aware of what needs to be done,” Cord shot back. “You might work twenty-four seven around here, but I don’t. Besides Zack and Ryan have an idea for the ranch, and I want to hear it.”
“What kind of fucking idea?” Dean grated then took a threatening step forward, so that he was nose to nose with Cord. “I’ve heard about enough of your hair-brained ideas lately. Did you talk Daddy into buying that new tractor? If so, you better figure out how to pay for it.”
Cord pushed him and Dean staggered back. When he regained his balance, Dean charged back at him and they locked up in the doorway. Cord pushed him backwards and Dean stumbled down the steps landing on his ass in the dirt. With a growl, he scrambled to his feet and grabbed his brother’s arm then threw his weight to sling him away from the steps. Cord fell and Dean landed on top of him then they rolled across the dusty yard as they fought for position. Adrenaline surged through him as they rolled, and Dean realized this is exactly what he needed to get rid of his anger and frustration.
A good old fistfight with his fucking brother.
It had been brewing since Cord came back, but they had both kept themselves in check. Until now. Not upsetting Hope was the only thing that kept Dean in check so long. Now he didn’t really give a shit. His brother needed a reality check, and Dean needed the release of giving him that. Cord’s fist landed a glancing blow on his cheek, and Dean welcomed the stinging pain. He returned the favor by landing a solid punch to his brother’s jaw.
“Boys, stop it now!” Barb Dixon shouted, as she stopped near the steps of the bunkhouse. Cord landed a blow to Dean’s stomach and he grunted. Their mother put her hands on her hips and yelled again, “I’m going to take a switch to your asses if you don’t stop this stupidity now! You’re brothers and you need to start acting like it, before I call your daddy!”
Dean had gained position. He sat on top of Cord with his fist cocked back ready to deliver a blow to his brother’s perfect nose, when his mother’s words cut through the adrenaline and anger shooting like lava through his veins. Silas Dixon had just gotten well. If his mother bothered him with this he would get upset. Stress could make him sick again.
Dean rolled off of Cord onto his back heaving for breaths, while he swiped the back of his arm over his mouth to wipe away the blood he could taste in his mouth. “I’m sorry, mama,” he said without a helluva lot of remorse in his tone. Dean glanced at his brother, who was rolling to get to his feet. Cord had a long scratch on his jaw, and a bruise starting at the corner of his eye. Dean looked at his knuckles and saw they were pretty banged up too.
“You are both grown men, and you have a son who sees you doing this stuff, Dean Dixon. You want him to think fighting is the way to solve problems?”
Who the hell did she sound like right then? She sounded a lot like fucking Tina Montgomery. Dean was tired of being preached to by women today. “I’m going up to the house,” he said rolling to his feet. He shot his brother a hot glare, as he passed him.
Hope was fussing over Cord like a mother hen. He’d had worse. Dean had given him worse, and gotten worse from him too. They were brothers. That’s just how they settled things. And they knew when to stop. Before they did serious damage to each other.
&nbs
p; “Dean wait!” Cord yelled behind him, but Dean kept walking toward the ranch house. His brother caught up to him at the front porch. He grabbed his arm and Dean tensed up, getting ready for round two. “What the hell is wrong with you today?”
“Same thing that’s wrong with me every day. I’m tired of carrying the entire load around here alone.” Dean took the three steps and was at the door when Cord stopped him again.
“Zack and Ryan are coming out here tonight with some of the guys and their girlfriends. They have a business idea I think you should listen to. It could really be the answer to our problems. After looking at the tractor, and running the numbers on planting a crop with Daddy, you’re right, it’s not a good idea, but this is.”
Fucking fantastic. Another hair-brained idea of his brother’s to fix things. If he’d work half as hard as he thought about working, the ranch would be in high cotton. And now he had his damned rodeo buddies on the bandwagon. Like they knew their ass from a hole in the ground when it came to ranching.
“I need to be alone,” Dean replied shortly as he twisted the doorknob. He was halfway into the foyer when Cord caught him again. Before Cord started again, Dean growled, “The mood I’m in isn’t fit for company, polite or otherwise.”
“So get rid of it. You need some stress relief. We both know that’s what that fight in the yard was about. Mama’s watching Jeremy and Laney. We’re going to build a bonfire out back, and have some beer.”
“I said I need some space,” Dean growled, jerking his arm from Cord’s grasp as he headed for the living room.
“Goddammit, Dean. Don’t make me beat your ass again,” Cord threatened from the foyer.
Dean spun around to glare at him. “Beat my ass again?”
Cord huffed out a breath and had the audacity to smile at him. “Just get your ass cleaned up, and stop being a hard ass. Meet us in the field at seven-thirty. I’m driving the golf cart, so you can have as many beers as you want.”
Damn, a beer did sound good. Several beers. He could have those here at the house, but drinking alone just sounded so…pathetic. “Just don’t give me shit tonight. I don’t want to end up in jail, because I had to kill your ugly ass.”
“Promise,” Cord replied with a wider grin, marking an X over his chest with his finger. “The guys are bringing women with them, so who the hell knows, maybe you’ll even get lucky tonight. Lord knows you need to. Maybe it would improve your mood.”
Another person telling him he needed to get laid. They just all needed to mind their own fucking business. He was fine. What Dean needed was every one of them to get off his back.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After he showered, Dean decided he might as well go to the damned bonfire and drink. He didn’t have anything else to do, other than lay in his bed and stare at the ceiling thinking about the damned woman he couldn’t seem to get off his mind. And with Cord’s rodeo buddies coming, if he wasn’t out there, those saddle tramps would probably be all over her, while he laid in his room thinking about her.
He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get a pre-beer to settle his nerves. Pulling open the drawer, he found the opener and popped off the cap. It had been a helluva long time since he’d been around people in a social setting, and that’s exactly what a bonfire in the country was. As close to a party as country folk got. Even though this was a spur-of-the-moment gathering, by the time all was said and done, they could have half the county at the ranch. Word usually spread like wildfire through town, and invitations weren’t needed. Anyone who wanted to come showed up.
Dean had liked them when he was younger, but he was a different man now. Groups of people made him itchy and nervous since his divorce. Cindy used to drag him down to the Electric Cowboy often, and other than the dancing all he had to look forward to was a fight. He could always count on her doing something with someone that made him angry. So, toward the end of their marriage he figured out he was best to avoid crowds.
Thank God his brother hadn’t suggested going to the only bar within fifty miles.
This would be a lot more laid back than the Cowboy and maybe he could reinitiate himself into polite company since his ex-wife wouldn’t be in the mix. But there would still be people out there. People who he no longer had a damned thing in common with. Young freewheeling guys who were just looking for their next good time. Dean had responsibilities now, including a kid. They had women to chase.
“Oh, honey, you look nice,” his mother said with a wide smile as she walked into the room. She stopped in front of him to study his face. With a frown she reached up and touched his cheek, and he flinched at the sting. “You have a bruise,” she said, with a click of her tongue and a frown. “You and Cord don’t need to be fighting.” Dean pulled his face away and after a shake of her head, she turned to walk to the oven. “Do you want dinner before you leave?”
“No, ma’am. I ate a sandwich. And I think they’re roasting hot dogs out there too.”
Dean glanced at the clock above the wall phone. Six fifteen. Maybe he should head back to the field, or walk over to the bunkhouse now. The sooner they got this show on the road, the sooner it would be over and he could come home. Dean took a long drink of his beer, then another to finish it off, before he threw the bottle in the trash.
“I’m just gonna go over to the bunkhouse, Mama. You need anything before I go?”
She was keeping two six-year-olds tonight alone, and he was sure she had forgotten how trying keeping even one that age could be. Dean was usually around to take care of Jeremy. Even though she helped out a lot going it alone at her age could be nerve-wracking. “Mama, if they give you any trouble, call me and I’ll come home.”
Dean was almost thinking about changing his mind.
“Don’t be silly, Dean. I raised you two boys, and if I can do that, I can take care of Jeremy and Laney. Ya’ll broke me in well,” Barb Dixon said with a snort. “Almost broke me.”
It was a wonder they hadn’t broken their mother. He and Cord were hellions of the first order. He was surprised his mother’s hair wasn’t gray by the time she was thirty years old. She was right, she could handle the kids. He kissed her cheek then gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Thank you for babysitting.”
“I’ll do it more, if you’ll start going out and enjoying yourself again,” she said seriously. “You’re getting too old too fast, son. You’re a young man and you need to start acting like one again.”
“Mama, I wouldn’t want to be young again.” Dean laughed dryly, then reminded, “Think about what you’re saying there. I was a hell-raiser from the seventh ring of hell.” His father had bailed him out of jail enough to know, even though he hadn’t always told his mother. Thank God.
Barb Dixon narrowed her blue eyes. “You still are, just in a different way. Not a good one either. Son, lose your attitude, and get your head right tonight.” She tilted her head then winked at him. A small smile eased up the corner of her mouth. “Whatever that takes. I have the kids all night.”
Oh, good Lord—did his mother actually just tell him to get laid too?!?
Heat rushed to his face. “Good night, Mama!” he said with disgust, then turned on his heel and headed for the front door. Dean was getting out of there, before his father chimed in with the same opinion.
It looked like his whole damned family thought he was a crazy, sex-starved idiot.
Who knew, maybe he was. Dean really hadn’t realized what a grumpy asshole he must’ve become, but it looked like everyone was calling him on it. Some in nicer ways than others.
On his walk to the bunkhouse, the beer he’d drank started working its magic. By the time he opened the front door, he was feeling a lot more relaxed than he had been. Dean had no idea what he would find out there. Paulo and Belinda were still at the ranch, even though they hadn’t done the photo shoot today. It looked like even though it was only a little over an hour back to Dallas, they were staying at the bunkhouse until the photos were done.
A
nd Tina Montgomery was still there too. Would probably be there until next weekend. They would all probably be at the bonfire tonight. Thank God there would most likely be a lot of people at the party, so he could avoid her. He certainly didn’t want any more of her advice or questions. And he sure didn’t want to give in to the temptation to have her be the one to clean the pipes his family thought needed cleaning.
That temptation would be there until she left the ranch. But he had a feeling Tina wasn’t the pipe cleaning, head out the next morning kind of woman. She’d want a side of relationship with her sex, and that wasn’t something Dean was willing to give her.
It was only Tuesday. If Dean planned on avoiding her, he had a long row to hoe until next weekend when she and Laney would leave. If he could just last that long though, after that he’d probably never see her again, except for the occasional visit she might make to see Hope.
His heart did a strange little twist in his chest, but he untwisted it fast. The thought of never seeing her again did make him think more though. Maybe he was thinking wrong and she was a clean-the-pipes-and-head-out-town type of woman.
This afternoon, if he had been agreeable, they would have had sex out there in that bluebonnet field by the lake, and Tina Montgomery knew she was leaving in a few days. Maybe she was the perfect solution to his problem. Or what everyone thought was his problem, including her. They could have sex, then she would leave. Go back to her big job in Dallas. He’d never have to see her again. Problem solved, and no hard feelings or hassle.
His pool of potential candidates out here in the country was as dry as the creek bed in a drought. It was now or never, and her or no one. If she came back for a visit with Hope, he could just make himself scarce. Dean had become good at that.