Rocky Mountain Romance (Six Pack Ranch Book 7)

by Vivian Arend

  Jeez. “Ian had a cougar in the house?”

  “It happens. Happens more often than you’d think. Someone finds an abandoned den with kits or wolf cubs, and for whatever reason decides to keep one and raise it as a pet.”

  “Bet that doesn’t work out well in the end.”

  “No. Usually we find these after the ‘pet’ turns on their owner. You can only train a wild animal so far. They’re not domesticated, and it shows.”

  Steve slipped his fingers over her shoulder, needing that extra assurance she was safe. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

  “Thanks.” She snorted. “At least it wasn’t totally outrageous to find a cougar in our neck of the woods. Imagine walking into a house in Calgary to discover a full-grown lion staring you down—I’ve heard of that as well.”

  He wasn’t interested in letting this time with her vanish in inane small talk. “I came after you to tell you I was sorry about being an idiot the other day.”

  “Steve—”

  “Because I was an idiot. You were right, you’d made it very clear what you wanted, and I still went around you, and I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are.”

  God. His apology wasn’t enough. She wasn’t looking at him with those eyes of mesmerizing blue. She wasn’t slipping her hand into his. She wasn’t his…not in all the ways he desperately needed her to be.

  He reached for where she had her fingers linked, hands resting in her lap. “What do I need to do to prove I’ve learned my lesson?”

  All he could spare was a second’s glance off the road—just long enough to read her face as she examined him. There was hope written there, and his heart rate accelerated.

  She spoke softly but clearly. “Back at Ian’s. You were pretty damn bossy about me leaving.”

  “Damn right.”

  “Even though it means I didn’t finish my job? You don’t think that shows you’re still trying to run the show?”

  He shook his head. “Not the same thing, sweetheart. You’ve got Bear to get to town and take care of, and you’ve been hurt. I’m not letting you put yourself in harm’s way. You bet I’m going to be bossy if you try that nonsense.”

  She hesitated. “And that’s different than you taking a swing at someone who insulted me because you don’t want my feelings hurt?”

  Night and day different. He opened his mouth to explain that, and got hit by another two by four.

  He glanced at her. “You’re sly. And you’re brilliant, and you’re so damn beautiful because you’re sly and brilliant. Yes, those things are totally different, and I promise I’ll only be an asshole when it comes to protecting you from real dangers. Although, it was all you protecting me at the cabin.”

  She snuggled against his side and breathed out slowly. “I already forgave you, by the way. Before you came up to the cabin.”

  Another ray of hope struck. “You’re okay with us being together?”

  “Yes, only…”

  The silence went on for far longer than it should have.

  “I don’t like sentences that end with ‘only’. Tell me what you’re thinking.” He squeezed her fingers. “Tell me how I can be there for you.”

  This was about so much more than sex, or liking how he felt around her. How much he admired her, and wanted to be with her all the time. It was everything at the same time, and so much more than everything added together.

  Somehow falling in love had taken all those bits that were enjoyable by themselves—very enjoyable, he would admit—and churned them to create an entirely new sensation. Something as vital to him as air.

  There was no denying it any longer. He’d fallen in love.

  She twisted in her seat, grimacing as she adjusted position. With one elbow resting on the dashboard, she hung onto his good arm with her other hand so she could look at him, and he could peek glances without driving them off the mountainside.

  “I need to deal with the ranchers. I need to have that put behind me, and the only way it’s going to be solved is when Mathis gets back. He had enough faith in me to put me in charge, and whether I screwed up like the men think—”

  “You didn’t.”

  His insistence dragged a reluctant smile from her as she finished her thought. “—or if they’re a bunch of idiots, I have an obligation to Mathis to finish the job and see how he wants to handle it.”

  That made sense. But… “What does that have to do with us?”

  “It’s just a few more days. He’ll be back by Saturday, and until then, I don’t want to give anyone anymore ammunition against me.”

  “Dating me isn’t a crime,” Steve drawled.

  “No, but you are a distraction, and I…” She sighed. “Maybe this is mixed up and wrong, but I need to finish the damn job before I start anything new, even if the new is being with you.”

  The words horse hockey sprang to mind, but what he said was, “I get it.”

  Melody wrinkled her nose. “Then you’re smarter than I am, because part of me thinks I’m crazy. But—”

  “No, I hear you. You want a fresh start. Put the things behind you that weren’t good and move forward.”

  He was bullshitting one hundred percent right then because the longer they talked, the whiter her face grew, the pain in her leg obviously hitting hard.

  This wasn’t the time to berate her and tell her no bloody way would he sit back and let her mope through the next few days without him to hold her hand.

  But his comment did the trick. Quieted her enough that she curled up, her head on his shoulder in spite of the bumpy road carrying them back to town. Silence filled the cab, but Steve didn’t mind. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to say—when the time was right.

  He put his arm around her and hung on tight, the way he intended to hold on for the rest of their lives.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Wake up, sweetheart.”

  Cool, comfortable sheets surrounded her, along with a cloud of fog in her brain, which didn’t feel as good. “Steve?”

  “I hope so. There shouldn’t be any other men in your bedroom while you’re scantily clad.”

  The mattress shifted, and she looked up into his blue-grey eyes, concern creasing the corners. “Am I scantily clad?

  One brow cocked higher. “There’s only one way to find out…”

  Melody stretched cautiously, a smile rising to her lips. She had aches and pains in parts of her body she hadn’t expected, yet a blissfully numb sensation on her right thigh. She sat up, Steve reaching to help her, his arm curling around her shoulders.

  She glanced at what she wore. “That looks an awful lot like your T-shirt.”

  He shrugged. “I was all for naked, but you were insistent. You had to have something on in case there was an emergency at the clinic.”

  “You’re making that up.”

  His head shifted from side to side. “You also had a very strong opinion about what kind of ice cream we should stop for—one guess what type you didn’t want?”

  Okay. She thought she’d woken in a fog, but it wasn’t getting any clearer. She glanced around the room, gaze settling on the alarm clock beside her bed. Two a.m.? But light was streaming in the window. She hesitated. “What time is it?”

  Steve traced a finger down her shoulder and over her biceps. “Two in the afternoon.”

  That made no sense. “We went out to Ian’s past three…”

  She figured out the solution the same time he offered it. “You’ve slept for nearly twenty-four hours.”

  The hospital. She twisted away and threw back the quilt to discover her right thigh wrapped in a crisp white bandage. She pressed lightly. The limb felt bruised, but nowhere near as painful as she’d expected.

  “You can check mine too,” Steve offered. He lifted his left arm, showcasing the shiny packaging of his own. “I take it you don’t remember?”

  Melody racked her memory. “We dropped off Bear at the clinic, and you took me to emergency.” She paused,
pretty sure she hadn’t imagined this. “You were going to drop me off, but I made you come in with me.”

  “Thus the matching bandages,” Steve agreed. His smile twisted. “We’re also going to have matching scars from the sound of it, but the scratches weren’t serious. Neither of us needed stitches—they used that tape stuff.”

  She was still missing details. “How come it’s the middle of the afternoon, and how come you’re here?”

  He pointed to the top of her dresser where she spotted a prescription bottle. “Painkiller. Between the post-adrenaline-rush crash, and whatever is in that prescription, you’ve been out like a light.”

  She swung her legs off the edge of the bed, pulling his arm toward her to examine it closer. “Doesn’t explain why you’re here and not working.”

  Then his hand cupped her face and turned her toward him, his expression gone serious. “There’s nowhere else I’m supposed to be when my girlfriend needs me.”

  She wanted to complain. Protest that he wasn’t listening, because she was pretty certain they’d talked about waiting until Mathis got home.

  The other part of her, the part that was being brutally honest, was damn glad he was there. She was tired of being alone and tired of being strong.

  Steve traced his thumb over her cheekbone, his gaze fixed on her as if she were precious. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m glad we’re both okay.” She leaned her cheek into his caress. “You don’t need to baby me.”

  “Ah, there’s where you’re mistaken. This isn’t about what you need, not really.” He gazed intently at her. “This is all about me, sweetheart, because the sight of that cougar just about killed me. Not being able to protect you—brutal.”

  She caught his hand in hers, pulling his knuckles toward her lips and giving him a kiss. “You don’t mind that I saved you?”

  “Hell no. Crack shot as well as everything else you bring to the table?” He gave her a lecherous grin, and she had to fight to keep from laughing. “I’m a happy man, except I feel a little uneven on the playing field. So for the next twenty-four hours you get to just be you. Not Ms. Langley, large-animal veterinarian, taking names and kicking butt. Not the woman who had to teach a slightly stupid cowboy how to mind his Ps and Qs. Just Melody, who had a bit of a run-in with a cougar and needs some TLC.”

  “I think, maybe, I can go along with that.”

  He helped her up, steadying her as she wavered on spaghetti-like legs. “They said you shouldn’t operate any heavy machinery for a couple of days,” he teased.

  “Drat, there goes the test drive on the earth mover I had scheduled for this weekend.”

  He grinned as he led her to the bathroom. “You’re definitely waking up.”

  He gave her some privacy, and by the time she’d made herself feel human again, there were amazing smells drifting from the kitchen.

  She settled at the table. “Chicken noodle soup?”

  “From Allison.” He stirred slowly, gesturing toward the fridge. “Of course, if you’d like something different we also have tomato, mushroom, beef barley, Mexican taco, Italian—”

  “Did you raid the kitchen at the restaurant?”

  “That’s only what you got from the Coleman side of the family.”

  He lowered a bowl in front of her, slipping a package of saltines beside it before catching her eye. “Everybody’s been worried about you, including Emily Dalton, who sent a casserole.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Check the freezer. I think I’m going to get attacked by a cougar more often—it’s a great way to stock the pantry.”

  Well, it was good to know that half of the Dalton family was willing to give her another chance. Melody savoured the soup, grilling Steve for details. “Bear. Did Tom do the surgery?”

  “He did, and he did a great job—Callie told me that. Bear is under surveillance in the clinic. If you feel up to it after you eat, we can check up on him.” He urged her spoon toward the bowl. “My brothers went out to Ian’s to deal with the cougar, and while they were there they gathered up the cats that were hovering around the house. They’ve been relocated to a bunch of Coleman barns.”

  “Thank you.” She placed her left hand over his fingers, holding him while she ate, more of her worries sliding away. “I can’t believe I slept that long.”

  “You’ve been under a lot of stress—it makes sense.” He cleared his throat. “And I promise I’ll take you to see Bear, but then you need to rest. One more good sleep, and you’ll be back up to speed.”

  The idea of crawling into bed should have been terrible, but it was actually quite appealing. “I won’t even argue with you.”

  “Melody?” His expression had gone serious. “I’m telling you this now so you can try to put it aside, and I didn’t think it was my place to keep it from you. Mathis phoned. He returns tonight, and some of the locals have been in contact with him. They want to hold a meeting first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “Damn. He’s home early.” She put her spoon down on the table and deliberately relaxed as she exhaled. “I figured that would happen, I just didn’t expect it to happen that soon.”

  “Sooner the better,” he insisted. “Once we get the meeting out of the way, everyone can move on.”

  It was one thing to nod in agreement, but there was still an edge of uncertainty twisting her gut. She tried her best to shove it aside, laughing as Steve helped her pull on sweatpants and escorted her across to check on Bear.

  He was awake but groggy, his furry black tail moving slowly as he lay on his side and stared up at her. She stroked his fur, careful to stay away from the fresh stiches that seemed to cover far too much of his body. “You’re a survivor, aren’t you, boy? Such a good dog.”

  Another thump from his tail, then he closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling in waves as his breathing settled.

  Melody looked around for his paperwork. “Did he have any internal injuries? How long until he—”

  “Slow down, sweetheart.” Steve helped her to her feet, guiding her out of the clinic even as he soothed her. “Tom said everything went well, and he’ll give you a full report tomorrow. Let Bear rest. You need to go give Charlie a hug as well. She’s been worried about you.”

  Thoughtful, caring. Melody held on to Steve, grateful for everything that had changed between them as he led her to Charlie’s doghouse and waited for her to pet and soothe another animal.

  When he slipped a treat into her fingers for her to share with Charlie, she was seconds away from tears all over again.

  This man? She could trust him with her heart. With everything.

  By the time they were back in the house, she was exhausted and sweaty.

  Steve ixnayed her request for a shower. “One more day with dry bandages. That’s what the doctor ordered.”

  “I’m not going to sleep feeling like I just ran a marathon,” she complained.

  “Of course you’re not.”

  She was too tired to ask any questions as he led her to her bedroom. She was too tired to lodge a protest when he stripped off her clothes and laid her on the quilt. The second dose of painkiller she’d taken after eating hit her system, and she wasn’t complaining about anything when he put a warm cloth to her skin and proceeded to give her a sponge bath.

  “I think this is turning me on,” she commented, the words dripping lazily off her tongue.

  He ran the sponge over her breast. “I know this is turning me on, but that’s not the goal.”

  “Oh.” She dragged her fingers through his hair, pulling him toward her until his smiling lips met hers. Such a soft, tender kiss, combined with his touch, and she was completely relaxed. On the verge of falling asleep. “I like when the goal is to turn me on.”

  “Soon. Right now we’re doing something else that’s special.”

  “What’s that?” She closed her eyes, caressing her fingers over his biceps and upper body. “Those are good drugs,” she commented.

>   Steve laughed. “And on that note, it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

  Maybe she shouldn’t have said it, but there was no stopping the honest truth from escaping. “I want you to stay with me.”

  Steve pulled off his shirt, his pants hitting the floor a moment later. Then he was under the covers and curling himself around her like the best human blanket in the world. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

  He slipped one arm over her, hand resting across her belly. His hard, muscular body was pressed against her, his legs carefully arranged to cradle her bandaged thigh.

  Melody laid her hand over his, linking their fingers. “You said we were doing something special,” she reminded him.

  Behind her, his chest moved in rhythmic waves, slow and even, the timing urging her to join him. “This is another way to make love.”

  She fought to stay awake. It didn’t seem as if they were about to have sex, and she highly doubted that’s what he was talking about considering she was higher than a kite. “Making love?”

  “Everything we do together, every time we touch. Every time I get to care for you, or you care for me—it’s part of love.”

  She wasn’t far enough gone to miss that Really Big Clue. “Are you saying you love me?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  Huh. “I hope you plan to say that sometime when I’m wide awake.”

  “Hell, yeah,” he repeated. “Now, go to sleep, and when you wake up, we’ll deal with the next thing. Together.”

  That sounded like a great plan, and even if it had been a terrible one, she was all out of energy to protest. She cuddled against him and let sleep take her.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Mathis stood at the side of the room, his expression serious in spite of the tan and casual clothing. Melody felt horrid that the first thing he had to deal with upon returning from vacation was controversy.

  He was never going to go away again.

  Her mentor had brushed off her attempts to explain when she’d walked in and found them setting up. Instead, he led her to a chair, smiling as he seated her. He dipped his head toward her ear, speaking quietly as the first of the ranchers joined them. “I put you in charge for a good reason—I trusted you. Now, trust me.”