Winston wasn’t wrong that he needed to open a dialogue with the other man the way he did with all the others that worked with him. But every time he got close to the man all he wanted to do was pull him into his arms and do more than just hold him. And he wasn’t sure if Winston’s courting idea would work, but he made a promise to himself to try to talk to the man rather than kiss him.
He knew he was going to regret it. Cole stared at himself in the mirror and couldn’t believe he had actually listened to Marla and was going to the dance. He’d finished up work a bit early at the cafe and walked over to Marla’s cabin.
Cole let himself in with the key she’d given him, he’d been spending more time there than at his parents’. I should just move in. He decided to take a nap, even though it was still early. He quickly woke up when he heard the door close.
“Hey, hon, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Marla said to him. She set a few bags down at her feet and walked over to the sofa, lifting his head putting it in her lap.
“I see you went shopping,” Cole commented. He shifted his head, getting comfortable.
“Yup, I figured it was time for you to snag yourself a cowboy.”
He raised his head off her lap. “What are you up to, woman?”
“Now, don’t get mad at me, but I think you two really need to stop avoiding each other. It was a kiss for crying out loud and if I remember correctly, you said you liked it, a lot.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“We’re not avoiding each other, Mar. He’s my boss, and that’s that.”
“He’s not Ryker, Cole. He can be an asshole sometimes, I will admit, but he wouldn’t do what that fucker did to you.”
“I’m not talking about this anymore.” Cole got up from the couch and started walking up the stairs.
“I’m going to let it go, for now, Cole. But mark my words, you two belong together. I see the way he watches you and you him.”
“I’ve done no such thing,” he lied.
“What color shirt was he wearing today?”
“His blue and green flannel shirt,” Cole answered quickly. He blushed when Marla’s laughter reached his ears. “Still not going to happen, Mar, so let it go.” He made it to the top of the stairs then called down. “What did you buy for me to wear tonight?”
“You still want to go?” she asked coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m your date, right? I just hope you know I’m not dancing.”
She smiled up at him. “I’m going to get your fine ass on the dance floor for one dance if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Again, not going to happen. I swore men off for a while remember?” She didn’t answer him but Cole knew she was plotting something.
Hours later Cole was staring at himself in the mirror and, even to his eyes, he didn’t look like himself. He was used to jeans and T-shirts and sneakers, his hair, that he usually ran his fingers through, was gelled and slicked back and curled at the ends. “I need a haircut.”
The only thing he recognized about himself was the black jeans. Marla bought him a black buttoned-down shirt with thin silver stripes, and paired it with a black shoestring leather tie with a silver bull skull slide. One side of his shirt hem was tucked into the waist of his jeans that were being held up by a black leather belt with a round silver belt buckle that matched the bull skull on his tie.
He really didn’t need the belt because his jeans fit him perfectly, as if they had been painted on him but still gave him room to move around. He looked down at his feet, he was wearing expensive black leather cowboy boots with a heel that gave him some height to his short stature. He looked down at the Stetson that was sitting on the bed. It wasn’t him. He should take it all off and crawl back into bed.
“Get that thought out of your head right now.”
He turned and saw Marla standing at the door looking at him. She was dressed similarly to him in black and silver. She wore a silver corset under her black mesh shirt. Her hair was down and the tips were resting on the top of her breasts teasingly. She looked sexy, if that was the look she was going for.
“What was I thinking? And you look good by the way.”
“Thank you, but you’re still going.”
“Do I have to?” he whined.
“Yes, you do.” She stepped closer to him and touched his cheeks. Even with the heel on his shoes, she was still taller than him and he had to look up. “Look, you’re about to be a daddy.” She smiled and touched his belly that was starting to show a little bump. “And I think you need a night out before the shop opens and before this little guy comes along.”
“Fine,” he relented. “Just don’t keep me out late. I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning. And if you find someone you want to go off with, giving me a heads-up.”
“Deal, but I don’t plan on going home with anyone but you tonight.” She reached across the bed and picked up the black Stetson before dropping it on his head. She tapped the brim then stepped back. “Fuck, you are one sexy-ass dude. Now let’s go catch you a cowboy.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. It did no good for him to protest. She wasn’t going to let things go, so he might as well go along and have fun.
Chapter Six
Kane sat at the bar watching the crowd. He was simply doing his duty as the owner of the ranch by showing his face, but he never stayed long at the parties. This was primarily for the ranch hands to relax a bit and for the guests leaving the next day. He was about to get up and leave when Winston’s words stopped him.
“Holy shit.”
Kane turned and saw Winston looking in the direction of the door and gasped when the most sexist thing on two legs walked into the bar. Kane didn’t like the way his friend was looking at Cole but there was nothing he could say about it. He had to keep telling himself that the man wasn’t his. He turned and looked back at Cole.
His eyes drawing in every inch of the man. Tight black jeans that hugged his legs perfectly. He had to admit that the slim little body looked good enough for Kane to undress and lick. He watched as Marla walked over to him, handing him a glass of punch.
“I’m going to see if I can get on his dance card. Looks as if it’s going to be filled before the end of the night.” Winston got up with a drink in his hand, making his way over to where Cole and Marla were standing.
Kane looked around the dance hall and noticed that he and everyone else was looking at Cole. He’d been avoiding the other man for the past couple of weeks. The conversation he had with Winston the day before kept running through his mind. Kane had never thought of himself as a one-man kind of guy.
He knew what most people thought: that an alpha had a destined omega and vice versa. But he had never lived his life that way. As he’d told Winston, it was a bunch of bullshit. To Kane, it all had to do with attraction and common interests. He’d heard the stories of how his mother and father met and instantly fell in love and he claimed her.
That was another thing. How can biting someone on the nape of their neck and knotting them mean they belonged to me? It had never happened to him, ever, he’d never felt the urge to want to do something like that to any of his bed partners. Mates, that’s the word everyone used, and he had doubts that there was one person like that out there for him.
It also occurred to Kane that he never wanted to know any of the men he’d slept with. But he also couldn’t deny that there was something about Cole that made him want to get to know the man. His mouthiness made Kane want to spank him or kiss him. Hell, maybe both. Since he’d never raised a hand to any of his lovers, he resorted to kissing him, which seemed to do more harm than good.
Since their second kiss, Kane had tried to keep his distance, it was the only thing he could think of until he knew what he wanted to do. That also included leaving the remodeling of the bakery to Cole, he knew about the changes the other man had made to the interior. The contractor had found him and argued with him, saying it was too late to change things. Kane h
ad told him to do whatever Cole wanted and just send him the damn bill.
That should have been another sign proving to him that he was more than a little attracted to the other man. Kane had promised himself never to fall in love. Most would believe he’d been jilted by some man or woman. But it was by choice. Love or relationships didn’t play a role in his life. But lately, he’d been thinking the reason why he’d written relationships and love off was that he hadn’t met the right person. Not like the mate crap everyone thought, but someone who understood him.
He never realized how empty his life was until his thoughts were consumed by a certain pregnant man. That was another thing that he was conflicted about. Cole was pregnant by someone else. And from what little he could decipher, it was from his former boss. Children. Kane had never seen himself as a father of any type.
Shit, I’m thinking like Cole and I are going to have some kind of relationship. The man isn’t mine, no matter how much I want him to be.
Kane ordered another beer and sat back, watching as some of the men and women approached Cole, asking him to dance. The only person he’d seen the other man dance with was Marla who was currently walking over to him.
“Are you planning on asking him to dance or watch him all night?”
Why is everyone saying that?
“I’m not watching him,” Kane said. He turned around facing the bar.
“Yeah, and I’m blind.” She rolled her eyes and ordered a beer.
“How did you get him to come out with you tonight?”
Kane knew that not even Cole’s fathers could get him to even go out in town for the simplest things. It was like he’d kept himself bound to the ranch.
“I told him that I wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of him, unless it’s a certain cowboy.”
Kane was about to say something when the entire bar whooped as the D.J. played a favorite that had everybody getting up out of their seats and dancing.
“Come on,” Marla said dragging him off his barstool and on to the dance floor. He could have stopped her but didn’t.
He was in between Marla and someone else, one of the ranch guests, dancing and stuttered a bit when he noticed the cutest little butt wiggling in front of him. He watched as the cute little body attached to the sweetest butt he’d ever seen, kick then turn and faced him. Cole.
So the man does know how to dance.
Kane smiled and wrapped one of his arms around his waist, pulling him close. He looked up at Kane and smiled but didn’t miss a beat as they continued to dance in step with each other. It could have been the alcohol, but the fact that the other man didn’t fight him off energized him. They danced together until the song ended.
When one dance turned into two then three, he didn’t complain. They didn’t talk, just simply danced. It was the first time Kane had stayed longer than having one beer and one dance before going on home. When a slower song came on both Cole and Kane stopped and stared at each other. Cole was about to walk away when someone bumped into him. Kane reached out and caught him and Cole’s hands grabbed onto his chest. They continued to stare at each other. Kane’s hands instantly went to Cole’s hips. He looked up at Kane, his blue eyes sparkling.
“Hi,” Cole said.
“Hey,” he responded back.
They started swaying to the music as they gazed into each other’s eyes. There was something happening between them and he wanted to know what it was. That was when Kane vowed to get to know the man better.
“So how was the dance last night?” Bill asked him.
Cole felt his face heat up as he tried to look away from his pop. “It was fun.”
It was all the gossip on the farm before Cole had gotten out of bed that he and Kane had danced all night together. He had no idea that others were interested in his love life, or that they were watching him and Kane. It was only a couple of dances, for crying out loud. It all happened so quickly, he’d gotten up to find Marla and was pulled onto the dance floor. He’d tried to get away but the person who’d pulled him on the dance floor refused to let him go.
Giving up he nodded for them to show him the easy steps and started dancing. When he turned around and was grabbed around the waist he was surprised when he looked up and noticed it was Kane that was holding him. He didn’t try to pull away and found that he liked being in the other man’s arms. Other than saying hello, they didn’t say anything else to each other and after the dance, Cole went home tired to a cold bed and fell asleep.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Bill asked him. “You know I stay out of your business, but I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“I won’t get hurt, because nothing is going on between me and Kane.”
They were alone in the waiting room of the clinic waiting for the doctor to call them back. Denny had to work and wasn’t able to take off that morning to join them for his appointment since he’d told them that they were going to be grandparents.
“Do you want something to happen?” Bill asked him.
Cole couldn’t answer because honestly, he didn’t know. He was attracted to Kane, but he knew nothing about the man. He was still healing from his relationship with Ryker and was sure he didn’t want to rush into anything, or better yet, the same type of relationship he had run away from.
Bill chuckled. “Not sure how to answer that, huh?”
“It’s not something I can say yes or no to easily.”
“I know you’ve heard the story of how your dad and I fell in love many times.” Cole nodded. “The truth is, I knew he was my forever one, what you don’t know is he questioned if he was mine.”
“What? What do you mean?” His parents seemed so in love, could he have been wrong all this time?
“I know that he doesn’t act it now, but there was a time Denny doubted the fates and the whole being mated or finding a forever one thing.”
“I . . .” Cole started but wasn’t sure what to say. His papa was right, his dad was always going on about love and finding that one person that was made for them as the fates intended. He’d always wondered how Bill and Denny made relationships look so easy, but now he was wondering if it was all a facade. “What changed his mind?”
“Our first night together . . .”
Cole groaned and covered his face. “Please, not about your sex life.”
His papa chuckled. “It’s nothing like that. I would use other stories to torture you with.”
He looked at his papa through his separated fingers. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He smiled.
“So, on your first night,” Cole said for his papa.
The smile from earlier wasn’t erased from his face. “I love your dad so much it’s hard to see my life without him and I wasn’t going to give him up. After our first night together, he told me something had changed the way he saw love and mating. He said it was the first time he’d experienced a need so bad he couldn’t control himself. He said when I bit the nape of his neck it was as if he could literally see the threads of our lives entwining together. He felt as if our souls were coming together, making us one. And believe it or not, I felt the same way.”
Cole had never felt anything like that with Ryker. The sex between them was good, it was also the only thing that the other man didn’t complain about. He’d never felt like one with his ex-lover, even when Ryker knotted him. If anything, it felt forced for the first time in their time together. There wasn’t a mark on his neck showing that he was claimed, and he never had the desire to have Ryker bite him. He sighed and slouched down in his chair.
“In all the time Ryker and I were together I’ve never felt that.”
“That’s unfortunate, son,” Bill whispered.
Cole hated the pity and not sadness he heard in his father’s voice.
“You know I won’t push you into anything.”
“I know you just got out of a relationship. But there’s something I need you to think about before you answer my next question.�
�� Cole looked at his pop, giving him his undivided attention. “Were you really in love with Ryker, or was he someone to hold on to when you felt lonely?”
Since being away from Ryker, Cole had the time to think about the mistakes he’d made while they were together. He’d made a couple of them: going back when he shouldn’t have and staying far longer than he was supposed to.
In the beginning, things were good between them and maybe something almost like love was there between them. But you don’t care about someone and hurt them the way Ryker did, thinking back, his affection was based on fear. He wanted someone who would love him the way he needed to be loved.
“I cared about him,” Cole answered.
“Caring is all fine and good. But did you love him? Think about it this way, how easy was it to walk away from your relationship after almost two years together?” Cole went to ask how Bill knew he had left Ryker once before but the sad smile on his pop’s face said it all. He knew more than Cole had said with words.
“What do you and Dad know?”
“We know he hurt you more than you’re telling us. Denny and I try to be the best fathers that we can be, but we blame ourselves for not being there for you.”
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have gone back to him after the first time he hit me.”
Bill gasped and Cole looked at him. “He hit you?”
The steel in his tone scared Cole, and he was afraid to answer. “Yes. I got so used to . . .”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bill asked. “We . . .”
“Pop, what could you have done?” He didn’t wait for his pop to answer. “I brought it down on myself by keeping it from you and Dad. I went back to him over and over. But I couldn’t this time. I couldn’t let my child be brought up in a home that would never feel like one.”
“Oh gods, Cole.”
Bill wrapped his arms around him and for the first time since he’d made his mad dash from New York, he was able to relax in his pop’s arms, letting go of all his fears and anguish. Everything that he was holding onto he released it, holding to his pop for dear life. Bill pulled back from their hug and cupped his cheeks.
The Cowboy's Baby: Mpreg Romance (Black Meadow Ranch Book 1) Page 7