She glanced at him and her lower lip trembled.
“I’m tired of people I trust telling me what to do. Don’t do that to me, Dax.”
“Fine. Let me say my piece and if you want to go home afterwards, I’ll take you back.”
“You promise?”
“Promise.”
“Fine.”
He said he was going to say his piece, yet he led with a question.
“You going to tell me what I walked into back there?”
He still wasn’t certain he knew everything that had been going on with Scott. Then her father dropped a bombshell, essentially selling his daughter off to an asshole.
“You’re the great reader of the situation.” Her tone grew snippy. “What do you think?”
“Fine, you want to play it that way, we’ll play, but remember I’m on your side.”
When it didn’t look like she was going to jump in and explain what was going on, he let out his breath and did his best to connect the dots.
“I don’t know everything, but I can guess a few things. Your father is in debt and whatever it is, it’s bad enough for him to make an arrangement with that asshole which includes you. I’m also guessing your father is being taken advantage of by Scott, which is something I intend to verify. If you think the best thing for you right now is to hop back into that shit-storm, then I’ll turn around and take you home. If, however, you’re as smart as I think you are, and if you’re feeling any bit of what I’m feeling, then I’m hoping you’ll consider another option.”
“What option is that?”
“Come home with me.”
“I can’t leave. I need to make sure my father’s okay.”
“What do you know about whatever arrangement he made with Scott?”
“Not much, except it has to do with mineral rights and tying the knot with me.” She shuddered and looked like she was going to be sick.
He felt the same.
“That’s what I figured. Now, we’ll sort everything out, but I can’t stay.” Not now. He made a promise to his mother he would keep, and if the worst happened, he needed to see his father one last time. “I have a jet picking me up in Bozeman and I’m hoping you’ll be on it with me.”
“I can’t.” The snippiness in her voice turned to honest disappointment. He felt it deep in his bones. She wanted to come with him, but was torn by her duty to her father.
“Why not?”
“First of all, I don’t have the money for a ticket.”
He couldn’t help the smirk which landed on his face. Dani was in for a big shock.
She misunderstood his expression, because she continued. “And I don’t care what you say, you’re not buying me one. I don’t borrow from boyfriends.”
“Well, at least we sorted that out.”
“What’s that?”
“My status. Although I’m considering something much more permanent than boyfriend.”
“Cocky much?” The grin lifting the corners of her lips made his heart lift for joy. He was breaking through her anger.
“You haven’t seen anything yet. Now, how about we discuss Texas.”
“I don’t think you’re listening.”
“Hun, I listened to every word. You don’t need to buy a ticket, and I’m not buying one for you. You weren’t listening to me. I said I have a jet picking me up. I never said I was flying commercial.”
Her brows drew together. “You have a jet?”
“Actually, my family owns a few jets, but only one flew up to get me.” He reached for her hand. “I really need to get home. Something happened to my father.”
There must have been a hitch in his voice because she suddenly lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him, trying to offer him comfort.
“Oh, Dax!” All she accomplished was getting him hard in under three-seconds flat.
He laughed and shifted her around, settling her on his lap. That may not have been the best move, because once she was in his arms he didn’t want to let her go. She wiggled, rubbing her ass over his growing erection.
“You should stop that unless you want me to fuck you right here.” His warning came with a low growl.
She glanced down the darkened highway. They hadn’t seen a single car since he left the ranch.
“How about you tell me how a drifter cowboy has a jet picking him up?” She wiggled again, this time with seductive invitation. “And I’ll decide whether to relieve your…um…discomfort.”
“My discomfort? Having problems with your words again?”
Her face flushed and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He tried to get her to look at him. For some reason, he had an irrational urge to hear her say the word cock. Or dick. Hell, at this point he wanted her mouth on his dick, because the pressure was building and the more she squirmed the harder he got.
“My words are perfectly fine, and appropriate for a lady.”
He tugged her tight. “Be a lady in public. With me, I want all the filthy words and your darkest pleasures.”
She poked him in the chest. “I thought you needed to catch a plane.”
“It’s a jet, not a plane, and yes…” He vented a deep sigh. “We do need to get going.”
“I’m sorry about your dad. What happened?”
“I don’t really know. My mother was vague on the phone. She doesn’t really understand medical stuff. All I know is that he’s in the ICU.”
She practically hopped off his lap. “Shit Dax! Why didn’t you say something? We need to go.”
He made a point to reach down and adjust his erection. “You have a way of distracting me.” A quick debate in his head occurred, wondering if he should take her in the truck and relieve the pressure, or do exactly as she said. At least one thing had been settled. Dani was coming with him.
Unwilling to press his luck, he put the truck in gear and guided them back down the highway. Bozeman was still some distance away.
In the darkness, silence descended between them. He enjoyed these moments as much or more than their banter. He’d never really been the kind of person who enjoyed silence, and it often made him uncomfortable. With Dani, the absence of conversation surrounded him in a welcoming warmth. He didn’t need to be anything around her, or struggle to impress her. It was relaxing to just exist.
Dynamo whined a few miles down the road and Dax pulled off at an intersection.
“Sorry, ‘Mo needs to stretch his legs and pee.”
Dani climbed out of the truck and joined him on the side of the road. They stood shoulder to shoulder, not quite touching, as Dynamo peed on every bush in sight. Off in the distance the lowing of cows rolled through the still air. Crickets chirped. And the wind rustled through the long grass.
“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” Dani bumped his shoulder with hers.
He reached down, took her hand in his, and brought her knuckles up to his lips.
“Because you’re here.”
Moonlight glittered in her eyes as she stared up at him. Then her brows pinched together. “You never answered my question.”
“Which was that?”
“How you have a jet coming to pick you up.”
“How much do you know about cattle?”
“Quite a bit considering I grew up on a ranch and I’m studying to be a large animal vet. I know pretty much everything.”
“Okay, that might not have been the right question. How much do you know about the cattle industry?”
She shrugged. “I’m not really vested in the business side of things.” A frown pulled at the corners of her lips, tipping her gentle smile upside down. “I guess I should have paid more attention. If I had, then my dad…”
He squeezed her hand. “I don’t want you to worry about your dad. I have thoughts about what we can do.”
“We?” Her shoulders hunched forward. “I’m afraid I’m the whole reason he’s in this mess. He financed my education. Eight years of school is a minor fortune.” A gasp escaped her and she squeeze
d his hand. “What am I going to do about next year?”
She released his hand and stabbed her fingers into her hair. Dynamo trotted back, then stopped suddenly to take a dump not ten feet from them.
“‘Mo! Really?” He grabbed Dani’s arm and spun her around while Dynamo dropped his load. “Dani,” he tried to get her attention, but she wasn’t listening. Sensitive to what happened earlier, he gave her the slightest of shakes, just enough to get her to look at him, and hopefully not enough to remind her of the brutality of that asshole Scott.
She wiped at her cheeks and did the most amazing thing. Instead of pulling away, she practically threw herself into his embrace. Her tiny form fit perfectly in his arms and the top of her head tucked right under his chin.
“I don’t know if I can finish school. I don’t want to drop out, but now…”
He ran his fingers through the long length of her hair.
“I’m going to take care of you. I’ll pay for the rest of your school.”
“I can’t accept that.”
He gripped her arms and held her away from him. It was the only way to duck down and get eye level with her. She needed to hear what he had to say.
“I take care of what’s mine, Dani. Do you hear me? You’re the one I want, and I want all your dreams to come true.”
“I don’t feel right taking money from you.”
“You mean from us.”
Her brows scrunched with confusion.
“Everything I have is yours.”
“Dax…”
“Don’t argue with me. Where I come from, that’s usually how it works in a marriage.”
It may not be the best proposal in the world, but he hadn’t really thought about making a grand gesture. It felt right, however, and he didn’t regret it. Not having Dani by his side for the rest of his life made no sense. In his mind, being married to her was a foregone conclusion.
“We’re not married.” Her voice was so soft, he strained to hear.
“But we will be.”
“Is this a proposal?”
“I guess so.”
“You need to step up your game, because that’s the worst proposal I’ve ever seen.”
“You don’t like it?”
“No.” She started ticking points off with her fingers. “First off, you’re not even on one knee. Second, there’s no ring. Third, and this is the most important part, you don’t have my father’s blessing.”
“Is that all?”
“Isn’t it enough?”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“I don’t think you actually asked?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to give him a stern expression. But she couldn’t hold the fierceness that required and wound up giggling instead.
Dynamo finished his business and headed for the truck.
“Well, considering you didn’t say Hell no! I’m calling it a win. It’s a done deal, Miss Dani Studer, or rather the future Mrs. Dani Kingston.”
She stumbled backwards. “Kingston? As in Kingston Ranch, the largest ranch in the United States?”
He gave a shrug. “Yeah, guess I should have said something sooner.”
She punched him in the arm. “Seriously!” She made air quotes. “I just know a little about ranching. Shit, Dax, my father is going to piss on himself. That’s like rancher royalty. Home of over 35,000 cattle, with holdings of nearly a million...a million!…acres. And you’ve been hanging out on Crowbar Ranch during calving season?” She gathered her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. Her fingers absently threaded through her hair, dividing it, and weaving it into one of the sloppiest braids he’d ever seen.
“I guess so.”
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you helping out at home?”
His cell phone buzzed.
“The jet landed.” He scratched at his head. “Do you mind finishing this rather enlightening conversation on the way to Texas? I kind of need to get home.”
She released her hair and the strands unwound. “Shit. Your father. I’m so sorry. I’m rattling on and on while he’s…” She lifted a finger and shook it at him. “This conversation is not over.”
“Of course not. We have the rest of our lives to finish it, my future wife.”
“I have not said yes.” She stomped her foot.
“No, but you will.” He laughed at her indignant huff and climbed inside the truck. Dynamo had already curled into a ball and opened a lazy eye as if wondering when they would get the show on the road. Dax kind of wondered the same thing, and it occurred to him if he should give his mother a heads up that she would soon be meeting her future daughter-in-law.
Chapter 22
Dani
Kingston Ranch?
Dani shook her head with disbelief as they drove into the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Instead of parking in the parking area and heading to the terminal, Dax drove to the industrial side of the airport.
“Where are we going?”
“Private jets don’t use the commercial terminal,” he said.
Since he seemed to know what he was doing, she sat back and exchanged a look with Dynamo. Strangely, her biggest fear wasn’t about her family losing everything, but losing the man she’d come to love.
Was the jet-setting Dax the same man who rescued her from the bluff? The same Dax who held her in his arms on horseback? The one who slept beneath the stars because he didn’t like being close to too many people?
Did she even know him at all?
The first, and most immediate answer, was unequivocally, yes.
That did nothing to stop her doubts. The man who parked outside the small private terminal walked with casual grace, like he’d done this a thousand times. His family owned jets, pleural.
She was still wrapping her head around that.
And they owned one of the largest cattle operations in the country, maybe the world. What the hell brought him to the tiny town of Bear Springs and Crowbar Ranch?
Her mouth gaped the entire time as he held her hand and drew her into the private terminal. Airport security amounted to stepping through a metal detector. There was none of the highly invasive full body scan that revealed everything to some nameless person behind a screen. She didn’t have to kick off her shoes. Remove her jacket. Or place her laptop in a bin.
Dynamo explored every nook and cranny of the place. No leash. No crate. Just a dog running amok. It felt surreal. Not that Dynamo misbehaved. He was the most attentive and smart dog she’d ever known. He triggered off Dax, constantly checking in with his master for the next command. For now, Dax let the dog explore.
Dax placed his wallet on a conveyer belt to be x-rayed when she realized she had no form of identification. Her departure from her house had been rapid, and that was putting it lightly. There’d been no time to grab a purse, pack clothes, or grab a toothbrush. She basically had nothing other than the clothes on her back.
“Um, Dax?” She halted at a small grouping of plush chairs. There were no uncomfortable rows of plastic seats crammed into a crowded waiting area. This was a space designed for those accustomed to the best in life. She expected a waiter to appear at any moment and offer them champagne.
“What’s up?”
“I don’t have my purse. No ID. I can’t get on that plane.”
He tugged her to his chest. “You don’t need any of that.”
“I’m pretty sure I need ID to get on a plane.” She almost said she needed a ticket, but stopped at the last minute. She was fairly certain tickets were not required, but there had to be some kind of manifest? Didn’t there?
“Only when you’re flying commercial, but not for a private jet.”
“But I don’t have a change of clothes.” She could feel herself digging in her heels. There was something intimidating about climbing onboard his jet, as if a veil were lifting and she was seeing a whole new person.
Her Dax was gone and that terrified her. It would be better to run home and face whatever plan
s Scott had for her than watch the man she loved transform into a stranger.
“We’ll take care of that.” Again, he gave reassurance.
And he used that word again, We, like it was a foregone conclusion she had accepted his very lame proposal. His money wasn’t her money, and she didn’t accept charity from others.
“I don’t have a toothbrush.” She was running out of excuses.
Dynamo returned and nuzzled her palm. Maybe he sensed some of her distress, because Dax wasn’t listening. He did sweep her off her feet, silencing her next outburst with a kiss meant for the movies. It even came with the requisite dip.
She loved the little flutter in her belly and that solid sense of rightness beating in her chest. That was the Dax she remembered.
“I don’t have a toothbrush either, but we’ll make do. You promised to trust me.”
Actually, she didn’t remember that. But she did trust him. Dax would take care of her. Maybe that’s what scared her the most. Her father didn’t raise her to need a man to take care of her. She didn’t mind choosing to let a man help out, but need? That felt wrong.
A gentleman in a pilot’s uniform entered through a set of glass double doors. When the doors slid open the roar of jet engines rolled in with him.
“Nice to see you, Dax.” He greeted Dax with a firm handshake.
“You too, Saul. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Anytime.” The pilot’s attention shifted to her. “I was only expecting one passenger.”
“This is Dani Studer. She’s coming with us.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Studer.” The pilot extended his hand and she returned a hesitant shake.
“Likewise.”
The pilot turned back to Dax. “If you’re ready to go, we can leave any time.”
“We’re ready.” Dax followed the pilot out the double doors, dragging her behind him with a gentle tug. It was the warmth in his eyes, however, which had her feet moving. This man loved her. She saw it. Felt it. And knew it with all her heart.
She thought to argue one more time about why she couldn’t go, but snapped her mouth shut when she saw the jet he led her toward. She had expected something small, not a plane with one, two…ten windows along the fuselage? How big was this thing?
Dax: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 4) Page 17