by Becky McGraw
God, but she was so damned tired right now, she couldn’t think straight. Her mouth opened wide on a soul-deep yawn. Chris walked around the end of the truck and started toward the bunkhouse. Dylan turned to follow him, but Carrie put her hand on his forearm. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”
Dylan stared at her a moment, then reached behind her to shut the truck door. He shoved her into the side of the truck, and his mouth covered hers. He held her tight against him, and kissed her hard and fast. So fast her head was spinning when he stepped back.
“Oh, yes you can. You’ve already made a down payment,” he said with a wink and a sexy grin, before he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away whistling.
A thrill zipped through her body, raising goosebumps all the way to her toes. She folded her arms, and rubbed them away. “Lord have mercy, what have I gotten myself into?” Carrie whispered, as she walked toward the front porch of the house.
If that’s what Dylan had in mind, Carrie had absolutely no intention of paying that debt back. She was not sleeping with the man to get him to help her son. And she was going to tell him that first thing in the morning. When her head didn’t feel like it was filled with cotton. When the urge to go make her first installment was so great inside her, she could barely make her feet continue up the steps and into the house, instead of reversing to carry her to the bunkhouse too.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Carrie stirred and pried one eye open to stare at the closed bedroom door where someone was knocking loudly. Izzy stirred beside her, whining in protest. The persistent knocker wasn’t giving up, that was obvious when another round of banging, this time a little louder began. With a sigh, Carrie threw back the covers and rose. She walked to the door and opened it.
Smiling widely, Terri shoved a cup of coffee at her. “I need to talk to you,” she said firmly. “This is a bribe. Drink up, we’ve got to make plans.”
Shaking her head, Carrie took the cup and slugged down a large hot sip then coughed, holding her throat as it scorched all the way down to her stomach. “What plans?”
“I’ve had five calls, bookings for the pavilion, since the wedding. All of them said they would have their event here, only if you baked their cakes. And you need to tell me what happened with Chris last night. I have to call Ronnie and fill her in. She was a little pissed to be left out of the loop.”
“I didn’t mean to leave that fast. Dylan had my head spinning too.”
“What did he do?” Terri asked. Carrie looked back over her shoulder at Izzy who was now sitting up in the bed rubbing her eyes and shook her head.
“Drink your coffee and I’ll see you downstairs. I talked to Rocky, and she’s going to give little miss some riding lessons this morning.”
“Oh,” Carrie gasped. She wasn’t sure if she wanted her daughter riding or not. Izzy was small, and had never been around horses, except for the last couple of months at her parents’ ranch. She took another swig of the coffee and flinched. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Oh. My. God!” Izzy screeched behind her then she was standing at Carrie’s side, yanking on her night shirt. “I want to ride again! Who is Rocky? Dylan said she taught kids to ride, but I want him to teach me.”
Carrie looked down at Izzy, and sighed. It looked like son and mother weren’t the only ones Dylan Thomas had charmed. Her daughter seemed to be just as enamored with the handsome ranch hand. Not good. He wasn’t a permanent part of their lives, and her getting attached to Dylan would only result in her little heart being broken. Like Carrie’s would be broken when he was no longer in their lives.
“Honey, Dylan has work to do on the ranch. Rocky’s job is to teach riding lessons. You’ll like her,” Carrie said then looked at Terri for help. She had no idea who Rocky was, she’d never met the woman. That was another reason she was hesitant to turn her over to the cowgirl for riding lessons. But she felt sure Terri wouldn’t have her managing that part of the ranch operation if she wasn’t good. And it would keep Izzy occupied and out of her hair so she could talk to Terri about the cakes.
She dropped her hand on Izzy’s shoulder, and hugged her to her hip. “Get dressed, and we’ll introduce you to Rocky,” she said. Izzy grinned, and ran to pick up her clothes which were scattered all over the floor. She quickly put them on.
The same clothes she’d worn yesterday.
That reminded Carrie that the kids didn’t have clothes with them. What she’d sent to Trace and Ronnie’s with them was still there. The rest were at her parents’ ranch. Even she was running low, since she’d overstayed her welcome here at the R & R. Carrie groaned and Terri looked at her curiously. “We’re all out of clothes.”
“I have a washing machine, but that’s what I wanted to talk to you about…” Terri gnawed her lower lip.
“What?”
“I want y’all to move here to the ranch, so you can bake for me. We have plenty of room for each of you to have your own room.”
“Chris won’t be here for three months,” Carrie said and her heart squeezed in her chest. She knew going to that residential counseling program would be good for her son, but she would miss him terribly.
“Where the hel—“ Terri started, but her eyes dropped to Izzy. “Um, heck will he be?”
“Dylan found a counseling program he thinks will help him.”
“Inpatient?” Terri said with surprise.
Carrie glanced down at Izzy who was staring up at her with fear in her green eyes. “No, it’s not like that. He’ll stay there, but it’s more of a training program. Dylan went through it. Um, that’s where he learned to rodeo.”
Terri’s eyebrows shot up, and she smiled. “Sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Distraction is a good thing.”
“Yeah, but I’m going to miss him. I get to see him on the weekends though. He’s coming here on the weekend to work with Dylan to earn money to pay back Trace for wrecking his truck, and pay me back for bailing him out.”
“Well, I’ll be dam—“ Terri started, but glanced at Izzy. “That’s fantastic, honey. I know that has to be a relief.”
“It is—a big relief,” Carrie agreed with a sigh. “Now, if Chris can keep his nose clean, maybe the judge will see he’s trying to change, and go lighter on him.”
“Ronnie will be glad to hear that. I know she was worried.”
“I’m glad to hear it too.” She was so relieved to finally have some help for her son, and with her son, it was like a fifty pound feed sack had been lifted from her shoulders. The jury was still out on whether it would help, but at least she was doing something. They were doing something. These people who before last week didn’t even know her name were helping her.
Emotion, which wasn’t ever far from the surface these days, shot to her eyes. “I’m so thankful for all of you,” she said with a tremble in her voice.
“You’re very welcome,” Terri said, stepping forward to hug her. She stepped back and smiled. “But you know I have an ulterior motive. I want your cakes.”
Carrie laughed, and Izzy did too. “My mommy makes d’licious cakes,” she chimed in licking her lips. “And a lot of them. Her cupcakes are the best though.”
Her daughter was right, she’d baked a lot of cakes in the last three years. To work off stress, and worry. It had been her only outlet. Now, they would be the cause of her stress and worry. She would be baking them for a living. It was just unbelievable. But the success of that cake she baked for the wedding had given her confidence she hadn’t had in a long time.
Things were going to work out for them. If like Dylan said, she just tied a knot and hung on, they would all be okay soon. Thanks to these wonderful people. Carrie teared up again, and stepped forward to hug Terri. “Thank you.”
Terri pushed her away. “Stop all that blubbering, and get yourself dressed. We have things to talk about,” she said with a laugh. Turning she gave her a little finger wave and a wink, before walking off down the
hall.
Carrie took the last sip of now-cold coffee from the mug, then sat it on the dresser. “You go ahead downstairs, and I’ll be down in a few minutes. Get Miss Terri to introduce you to Rocky.” She would talk to the woman later to give her a head’s up on how inexperienced at riding Izzy was. Just to be safe. She knew her daughter tended to think she was an expert at things, because she’d done them once. Dylan had evidently put her on a pony last night. Like Carrie had been at her age, it now appeared that her daughter had been bitten by the horse fly.
Dylan. What the hell was she going to do about him, she thought, as she shut the bedroom door and leaned back against it. They’d made love down at the lake. The cow was out of the barn now, and there was no getting her back inside. His goodnight kiss last night told her he expected an encore performance. It was understandable. She was here, he was here, and he was helping her. They couldn’t just pretend the session at the lake didn’t happen. There was definitely some sparks flying between them.
But those sparks could burn her if she wasn’t careful. Dylan Thomas was just so…lovable. It would be easy for her to love him, to fall in love with him, if she wasn’t careful. She had two kids who could just as easily come to love him. Carrie had to protect herself and her kids from that happening.
The level of his freak out about forgetting the condom at the lake told her he did not want kids. Carrie knew there wasn’t a possibility she was pregnant, she’d just gotten off of her period and knew how her body worked. She had been concerned for another reason, but his reaction settled her mind that he usually used a condom with other women, so she was probably safe.
If she was going to get back in the dating game once this mess with Chris was settled though, Carrie had to be better prepared in the future.
And she wasn’t going to forget Dylan wasn’t a permanent part of that future.
You’re not my type. He was right, she wasn’t his type. You bake cookies. Dylan liked to eat cookies, but he didn’t like women who baked them evidently. Too domesticated for him. He only wanted something casual and temporary. With her, he’d already gotten the milk for free, and he acted like he wanted more on the same terms. Dylan needed to learn he couldn’t get the cookies to go with free milk, without buying the baker.
If he wanted sex with her again, he was going to have to change his way of thinking, because Carrie was not having sex with him again unless he did.
***
Dylan picked up two plates from the counter. “Thanks, Jarvis,” he said as he turned to walk to the table and set one in front of Chris Collins. “Eat up, cowboy. We’ve got things to do, then we have to head out.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied with a broad smile. He picked up his fork, and dug in to his scrambled eggs. Typical kid-style with his mouth full, he asked, “What are we doing this morning?”
“We’re going to your grandpa’s to get your stuff. Your mom and sister are moving to the ranch, so she can work for Terri,” Dylan explained, before digging into his own breakfast.
Chris choked, beat his chest then grabbed his glass of milk and swigged it down. He wiped his arm over his mouth. “They’re moving here?” he asked.
Dylan swallowed and took a sip of his milk. “Yep, and so are you as soon as you finish at New Hope,” he replied.
Chris’s tawny brows shot up. “Mom has a job here?”
“Yeah, they have weddings and stuff at the pavilion. Your mom’s cakes are popular. She baked one for a wedding last weekend.”
Chris thought about that a second, as he shoved his grits around on his plate with his fork. “Are you and my mom dating?” he asked, and it was Dylan’s turn to choke on his eggs.
Thank God the other cowhands had already eaten and were out working. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Jarvis hadn’t heard. If he heard above the noise he was making while he cleaned the kitchen, he needed to hear.
“No, we’re not dating. I’m just helping her out, because like I told you, I’ve been in your situation. I’m not staying at this ranch. As soon as my shoulder is better, I’m going back to the rodeo,” he explained, trying to embrace the words he’d been saying for a year and a half. Why did they feel wrong tripping off of his tongue this time?
“That’s too bad,” Chris replied shoveling a bite of grits into his mouth. He shrugged nonchalantly, but Dylan could see the tenseness in his shoulders, hear the disappointment in his words. “I wouldn’t have minded.”
“Eat your breakfast, we need to get going,” Dylan said gruffly. He finished his breakfast, and grabbed their plates then took them to the kitchen.
Jarvis shoved him aside, when he tried to rinse them. “Get out of my kitchen.”
Dylan grinned, and shoved him back. “Grumpy old bastard. You’d have some help if you wouldn’t be so mean.” As he usually did, Jarvis grunted, and picked up a scrubber from the bottom of the sink and attacked the plate.
“When’s the next drive?” Dylan asked, knowing they’d pull out tomorrow. That meant he’d be eating up at the house, since Jarvis was going out on the trail drive with the new round of guests who would arrive that afternoon.
“Pulling out tomorrow afternoon, if they’re not too green.”
He didn’t think Sheedy, Rocky and the other hands had ever met a greenhorn they couldn’t whip into shape by the time they were ready to hit the trail. With Zane Lawrence in the mix now, they would have help, so he knew they would leave on time.
The Aussie wasn’t going on the drive, but he was helping them with the training. But first he had to help Dylan move Carrie Collins’ things out here to the ranch. They had a few minutes, so he figured he’d mess with Jarvis a little more. If he didn’t do that, Jarvis would probably think he was mad at him. “As usual, I’ll be glad to see your backside old man, but I am going to miss your pancakes.”
“You should take your lazy ass on the drive, then.”
“My shoulder’s messed up, and you know bulls are my specialty,” Dylan said with a wide grin, as he patted his shoulder.
Jarvis grunted. “Yeah, bull is your specialty all right. You’re feeding enough of it to that kid and woman to fill up a pasture.”
The grin slid off of his face, as shock shot through him. The old cook evidently had heard his conversation with Chris Collins. “Mind your own business old man,” Dylan growled, turning to leave.
Jarvis’ gruff voice stopped him at the doorway to the living room. “What happens at this ranch is my business, boy. Keep it in your pants, or Joel’s gonna chop it off. You know better than to mess with guests.”
Dylan stopped, his fists clenched as tightly as his jaw. “She’s not a guest.”
“She was when you took her out to the lake.”
Did the man know everything? Dylan was starting to believe he had eyes in the back of his head or something. Thank goodness Chris had gone outside. Jarvis didn’t seem to care if the kid was there to hear his words or not. “Just leave it alone.”
“Take my advice, boy,” Jarvis shot back. “I’ve kind of got used to having you around here. You mess with that woman and you’ll be gone.”
“I’ll be gone anyway. My shoulder is getting better. I’m going to the doctor this week. If I get my papers, I’m out of here.”
“Uh, huh.”
Dylan spun back around, but Jarvis was still bent over the sink. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asked angrily.
“You don’t want to admit it, but you like it here. We’re family, and actually give a shit about you. Leaving ain’t gonna be as easy as you think it is.”
Chris came bursting through the front door. “Hey, you gotta come see my sister riding!” he shouted. He grabbed Dylan’s arm and pulled him through the living room.
We’re family. Bullshit. Dylan didn’t have a family. He didn’t get attached to people and set himself up for disappointment. He would load up his truck and leave this ranch as easily as he’d left the other temporary places he’d lived in his life. The R & R Ranch was
simply a stop off point until he could hit the road. He was not attached to these people.
“Dylan!” Izzy screamed and waved as Chris dragged him up to the board fence surrounding the outdoor arena. Rocky held the reins to the white pony she was riding, and Izzy held onto the horn, as the tall blonde cowgirl walked the pony around the ring.
“Pay attention,” Rocky growled, stopping the pony to glare at her. “You’ll slide out of the saddle.”
“Sorry,” Izzy grumbled, her shoulders slumping.
Rocky started walking the pony again, and Dylan nudged Chris. “Let’s go get Zane, so we can get going. We have to have you at New Hope by two.”
Chris smiled up at him, and nodded. Seeing the kid smile made Dylan feel good. He knew how rare smiles were to kids like him, like Dylan had been back then. “Go get Zane, and I’ll pull the truck up to the house and get your mother.” So we can get this shit over with.
Dylan was going to stay the hell away from Carrie Collins from now on. He wanted her again, badly. To take the time he hadn’t taken at the lake to explore the wonderland he knew her clothes hid. To hear those delicious little sounds she made when he stroked inside her again.
But he couldn’t do it.
He was leaving this ranch, and he was leaving her and her children. He was going to help them get their lives back on track, but he was going to get his life back too. The rodeo was his life. Not women who baked cookies, or little girls with crooked smiles for him, or bad ass troublemaking little boys who reminded him of himself. Or grumpy, three hundred pound trail cooks who said they cared about him.
Dylan drove his truck up to the front of the big house and parked it. He hopped down and went into the house. Carrie Collins and Terri were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and talking. Both women looked up at him and smiled. His heart tried to do a wiggle in his chest, but he slapped it. “Let’s go,” he said gruffly.
“You’re a ray of sunshine this morning,” Terri said tilting her head to study him.
“I have things to do, and we need to get going. Get your ass in gear. I don’t want to be late getting to New Hope.”