Evernight Publishing ®
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Copyright© 2014 Vanessa Devereaux
ISBN: 978-1-77233-051-9
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: JC Chute
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WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
For Jeff
THE TAYLOR RANCH: CADE
Big Sky County, 2
Vanessa Devereaux
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Cade Mallory rarely paid attention to gossip, which most of the time fell into one of two categories: either downright lies, or something that was in fact true, but became embellished as it passed from one pair of lips to another. Current tales circulating Pine Creek included Jacob Mead being in the Witness Protection Program… Ida Smith and Henry Morgan thinking about running away together… Ellie Jones carrying a baby that wasn’t her husband’s. However, there was one that had to be true, because he had proof of it in front of his very eyes.
The love of his life, April Dubois, was really back in town.
Cade sat in his truck, as spellbound as he’d been the first time he’d set eyes on her five years ago. He slipped on his dark glasses, and was halfway to opening the truck door so he could say hello, when he suddenly stopped. The last time they’d seen one another...well, it hadn’t ended well.
He shut the door and leaned on the steering wheel, watching her load bags of groceries into a truck. Even from this distance he could tell that she’d gained weight again, which was a good thing because she’d been obsessed with staying slim since ‘he who should not be spoken of’ had walked into her life. No––Ben Parker didn’t walk. He strolled. No sign of Ben now though, which was lucky, because the green-eyed monster had never been entirely put to rest.
Maybe the weight gain was due to a pregnancy, and she’d come home to have her baby in Big Sky County where she’d grown up. Where she truly belonged. No, she couldn’t be pregnant because the rumor mill would have picked up on that one immediately. Either that or the news hadn’t reached him yet.
He watched as she shut the back of her truck and then walked into the drugstore next to Pine Creek’s one and only grocery store. He had other things to do besides waiting for her to come back out, but he wouldn’t think of leaving just yet. He shook his head. She’d always had him under her magical spell, and he guessed the passing of time hadn’t changed a thing.
Five minutes later, she walked out of the drugstore and headed back to her vehicle. He had his binoculars somewhere in the truck. He’d take a quick look at her up close because for all her knew this might be the one and only time he’d see her again. Cade pushed his extra pair of cowboy boots aside and reached out until his fingertips met with the edge of the binocular’s strap. He pulled them toward him and hoped she hadn’t gotten into her car just yet, because he wanted to see her up close. He was in luck, as when he turned back she was chatting with some lady on the sidewalk.
Putting the binoculars up to his eyes, Cade realized he was spying on April and was about to ogle some other man’s wife. However, it would be his little secret.
Crouching lower in the seat, he refocused the lens, allowing him to zoom in on her. She still spoke with her hands, which no doubt had been her French grandfather’s influence. No ring on the third finger of the left hand. No wedding band, no engagement ring, and that thing had been hard to miss. It had burned into his brain night after night.
Slowly aiming the binoculars up to her face, his heart skipped a beat. She was just as pretty. No, that wasn’t true––now that she was older, she’d turned into a beautiful woman. She still took his breath away. He was hooked all over again and he knew how stupid it was. April was married to another man and she’d never be his.
She looked his way. Looked directly at his truck, as if she knew she was being spied upon and that Cade Mallory was the one doing the spying.
Shit.
He threw the binoculars down on the passenger seat and ran his hand through his hair.
She was heading his way. Now what would he do? What did a man say to the woman who had captured his heart and then broken it?
He couldn’t think of a single thing, and for that reason, he turned on the ignition, pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and took off, leaving smoke billowing from both back wheels.
****
April still couldn’t believe that it was Cade who she’d spotted while she’d been in town running errands. He’d seen her too, she knew he had, but he’d taken off like his truck was on fire before she could talk to him. Pretty damn rude of him to cover her in dirty smoke, like he had.
Rude. I shouldn’t be the one accusing him of that. Cade, of all people.
If she’d known he was back in Pine Creek…
She glanced outside, seeing her father head into the stables. She needed to talk with him. She hurried outside and across the courtyard, hoping to catch him before he got on his horse and went out for a ride as he did every day about this time. Old habits were hard to break. Well, at least they were in the Dubois family.
Inside the stables, her father was about to put the saddle on Toby, the same horse he’d ridden since as far back as April could remember.
“Dad.”
“Geez, you scared me for a minute. I didn’t hear you come in. I didn’t even know you were back from running errands,” said her dad. He tightened the strap on the saddle. “You want to come along with me and Toby? I can throw a saddle on Remy real quick.”
“Sure, that would be great.”
She stroked Toby as her dad led Remy out of his stall and got another saddle down from off the rack.
“So, you find everything you needed at the store?” he asked her. “I know it’s going to take some getting used to being back in a small community.”
“Got most of the stuff on my list, and what I can’t find at Mulligan’s I can buy online.”
He walked Remy over to her and handed her the reins. She took them, stroked the horse, and then climbed on, rubbing Remy’s neck. This would be her first time riding one of the horses since she’d been back at the ranch. Until now, she hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it.
Her father led the way out of the stables and she followed, close behind. Once they got onto the path she brought Remy up beside him.
“Beautiful day,” he said.
“Perfect.”
He reached across and squeezed her hand. “I can’t tell you how good it is having you around this place again.”
“I’m very happy to be home.”
She needed to ask him something, so she might as well get it over and done with.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Cade was back in Pine Creek?”
Her father swallowed, making his Adam’s apple bounce several times like he had something caught in his throat. She didn’t want to make him feel any worse than he obviously still did, but it wasn’t any secret how she’d felt about Cade.
“So you know,” he finally said.
“I saw him earlier today. Dad, I think you should have at least warned me.”
“I know, honey, I know. And I’m sorry, but I thought you’d have more chance to settle in if you didn’t know. I had no idea you’d see him so soon. You spoken with him yet?”
&nb
sp; She shook her head. “I saw him parked down the street when I came out of the drugstore. I tried to go talk to him but he took off, leaving just a puff of smoke. Guess he’s still pissed with me, and he has every right to be.”
He squeezed her hand again.
“So, how long has he been back?” asked April.
“Oh, it must be about three or four months now.”
They guided the horses through a stream and went to the other side of the pasture.
“And you never thought to mention it to me when I called or e-mailed you?”
“Would it have made any difference if I had?”
She shook her head. Nothing she could have done about it. She couldn’t have left Ben and run home. They had a contract that hadn’t reached its conclusion yet.
“I don’t suppose he tried to work for you again?”
“He didn’t need to work for me anymore, because when he came back he bought the Taylor ranch.”
April pulled up the reins, insisting that Remy stop so she could take the last piece of information into her brain and process it correctly. “He’s our next door neighbor?”
Her father stopped Toby and nodded.
“Shit.”
She knew her father didn’t like her swearing but she couldn’t think of a better word to sum up how she felt about that piece of news. Not telling her about Cade being back in Pine Creek was bad enough, but not informing her that he’d purchased their next-door neighbor’s ranch was a bit too much for her.
Their property lines were smack up against one another. On a clear day you could even see the Taylor ranch house from the top of the hill.
A wife and family. Cade probably had both by now. She couldn’t imagine him taking on a ranch and running it without the support of a spouse.
“What’s his wife like?”
They started riding again.
“He doesn’t have one,” said her dad.
“Girlfriend?”
“Gossip in Pine Creek says he doesn’t have one of those either. However, I know he has a ranch dog and I think it’s female, if that’s of any help to you.” He winked at her.
Her father’s dry wit. She’d missed it every single day she’d been away.
“You ever speak to him?” asked April
“No, I haven’t.”
“So you don’t know if he still hates me?”
“Honey, he never hated you and that’s his problem. That’s why he left Pine Creek before your wedding.”
It was getting hot, and as she hadn’t ridden for a long time her thighs and butt were growing sore.
“You mind if I head back to the stables? Maybe we can do this some other day?” asked April.
“Sure, let’s take a picnic with us one day, just like we used to.”
April nodded and pulled on Remy’s reins to turn him in the opposite direction.
“Don’t be late for dinner because I’m cooking your favorite.” She began to turn away.
“April,” her father called. She turned back to look at him.
“I’m sorry for what I forced you to do.”
“You had no other choice.”
“I did and that’s why I’ll always be in your debt. And why I want to make sure the rest of your life is happy and that you’re living it on your own terms and not mine. A life that might include Cade Mallory, so don’t think you can’t start over again, because everyone gets second chances.”
Chapter Two
Cade had assumed mucking out the stalls in the stables would help him.
It hadn’t.
He’d thought mending one of the broken fences would take his mind off her.
It hadn’t.
His last resort had been to saddle up his horse and head out for a long ride. That hadn’t worked either, but at least he was far enough away from the ranch, the workers, and the usual noise that at least he could hear himself think.
And what exactly did he think?
He pulled on the reins and stopped the horse. He looked to the west of his property. She’d be living just a mile away. That was if she was back at the ranch. Maybe she and Ben had purchased a house someplace. Maybe she and Ben were taking over running her father’s ranch.
Cade almost laughed. He couldn’t imagine Ben picking up shit, let alone being in the same zip code as it. However, stranger things had happened and maybe he’d run out of money.
Wouldn’t that be funny?
Not for April Dubois it wouldn’t. Why he was feeling sorry for her, he wasn’t quite sure. She’d chosen a life with Ben Parker. For better or worse.
Problem was, Cade still loved her like crazy, always had, and always would. Maybe that’s why he’d chosen to come back to Pine Creek. It wasn’t as if he’d grown up in the area or had any real ties to the community. He realized now that he’d returned because he’d always hoped that April would come to her senses, say goodbye to Parker, and come home where he’d be waiting for her.
He looked out over the pasture.
Pine Creek was a small town, and sooner or later they’d run into one another just like they had today. He couldn’t take off every time he saw her, or he’d be buying new tires every week.
That’s it––keep your sense of humor. It’s what his mother had always told him, and April had said it was one of the things she loved about him.
He had to stop by and see her. He’d have to learn to be strong and develop a thick skin. He’d have to learn to look Ben Parker in the eye and not continue to think of him in bed with April, touching her, being buried deep inside her.
Those last few thoughts made Cade want to throw up. They always had, and that’s why he’d tried his best to think of something else as soon as the image popped into his head.
He straightened his cowboy hat and pulled on the reins to turn his horse around. He’d stop by her father’s place tomorrow on his way back from town and break the ice. After that, he’d try and stay clear of Mr. and Mrs. Parker the best he could.
****
“That was the best meal I’ve had in forever,” said her father, leaning back on the kitchen chair, making it squeak under his weight. He rubbed both hands on his stomach. “Best meatloaf in the whole of Montana.”
“Don’t get used to me cooking every night because once I start law school, you’re on your own.”
“You’re not planning on working on the ranch with me?”
“How much are you willing to pay?” She smiled at him. “Ben’s given me the chance to get a really good education, so I don’t think I should let it go to waste, do you?”
He shook his head. She knew he still felt guilty but it was over and done with now and they’d only move forward and never back.
“I hope you’ve left room for dessert because it’s another one of your favorites, berry cobbler and whipped cream.”
“Oh my, I’m gonna need bigger pants now that you’re home.”
April laughed as she walked to fetch the cobbler and jug of cream for the table.
To Ben, things like cobbler, cream, and anything sinful were a no-no, so this was going to be sheer heaven. In fact, after she’d served her dad, she might pick up a large spoon and dive straight in.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked as she sat at the table again.
April hadn’t been aware the thought had translated to bliss, clearly visible on her face.
“Just happy to be having a great meal with my dad.”
“No regrets about coming home to ranch life? I mean, you could have had a penthouse in Chicago.”
“You know I love everything about this ranch, always have, and always will.”
He nodded and took his first bite of the dessert. “This cobbler is off the charts.”
April dived in, letting the cream melt on her tongue.
She’d probably gain a few pounds just sitting at the table this close to food that was so decadent. No at home gym and personal trainer to keep her in shape in Pine Creek. Well, not unless she found another fo
rm of exercise. She smiled again, hoping her father wouldn’t pick up on this thought, because it was X-rated and no way would she share it with him. This one involved her and Cade, arms and legs tangled together, his cock buried deep inside her. Both of them groaning and thrusting their bodies at one another like they were searching for the best and last climax in the world. She shook her head as if that would eliminate it from her mind. If only it were that easy. No, the chances of that fantasy happening after what she’d done were zilch to non-existent.
“I thought I might go pay Cade a visit tomorrow,” she said, knowing there was always hope. Her mother hadn’t offered her much advice before she’d abruptly left, but she’d told the young April the world was full of hope.
Her father stopped eating and put down his spoon before looking across the table at her.
“I thought it best to get talking to him again out of the way or it could get more difficult,” she said. That was partially true. The other reason was because she wanted to see him again.
“Probably a good idea,” said her father, picking up the spoon again. When it came to anything connected with Cade Mallory she knew her father tip-toed around the topic, probably because he would always be somehow connected to what had happened and what April had been forced to do. Her father knew how she truly felt about one of his ranch hands and what sacrifice she’d made.
“At least I want to be the one to break the ice and hopefully we can be on friendly terms,” she added.
Could people who felt as strongly about one another as they had, who’d had wild sex under the oak tree between their properties, ever go back to being just friends? She’d never known anyone who could, but she was determined they’d be the exception.
“Thought I’d go there after lunch,” she added.
She knew first hand that ranchers got up at the crack of dawn and while they were busy all day, lunchtime was probably the best time to visit.
The Taylor Ranch: Cade Page 1