Wicked Hearts (Poplar Falls Book 3)

by Amber Kelly

I start to take my coat off, and he stops me.

  “Leave it on. I want to show you something.”

  He pours a scoop of dog food into Woof’s bowl, and then he pulls his boots on.

  He flips a light switch, so the back of the cabin is illuminated, and he grabs a flashlight.

  “This way. Follow me.”

  He extends his hand to me, and I take it as he leads me out the back of the cabin and across the clearing to what looks like the beginning of a large barn or stable.

  He flips a breaker on a lamp post, and the entire structure lights up.

  I walk into the middle of it and twirl as I take it in.

  “Wow, this is massive,” I say as I look around.

  There are four large, open stalls to the right, and there is a loft on the far end.

  “Are you getting horses?” I ask, not quite sure what he is showing me.

  “No. I want to live here,” he says.

  “You want to live here, in the barn?” I repeat. I’m a little confused. Does he want to knock this thing down and build a house on this lot?

  He comes to me, wraps his arms around me from behind, and turns us to the space opposite the stalls. “Just imagine it with me for a minute. This space here would be a big, open living space with a stone fireplace against this wall and some huge industrial light fixtures hanging from the rafters. The floor would be dark grain hardwood.”

  He turns us to the left. “In that corner, I want to install a large kitchen with stainless steel appliances and have a big concrete-topped island with a double farmhouse sink, separating the kitchen from the living room. I’d like to put an eight-seat reclaimed wood dining table between the kitchen and the stalls. There could be shelves added to the wall behind it. Then, that first stall will become a bathroom, and the three after that will be bedrooms with large sliding barn doors on each one. They’re roomy, and they’ll fit queen-size beds or a bunk bed and a wardrobe. Out that back door over there, which will be a roll-up door, will be a patio with an outdoor fireplace and hot tub.”

  He walks us toward the back and points to the place where the ladder stands. “Over here, picture a set of rustic steel stairs that leads up to the loft. At the top, there will be a large bar with a pool table and dartboard. Then, sliding double barn doors behind the bar will open to a master suite with a huge king-size bed and a walk-in closet; the master bath will have a double vanity and a large jetted bathtub.”

  He points up. “A skylight above, so you can lie in bed and see the stars at night. Can you see it?”

  I can. It sounds magical.

  “Yes, I can see it,” I whisper.

  “Granddad started the build. He meant for it to be a barn. He wanted to start his own ranch, but I want a home. A home that is unique and lets me keep what he already did. He built it with his own two hands, and I want to finish it with mine.”

  “That’s exactly what you should do,” I encourage him.

  “Yeah,” he says as he looks around, “I should. It’s always been something I planned to do one day, but my ass has been too lazy and preoccupied to begin.”

  He brings his eyes to me. “It’ll take forever, only being able to work on it a little at a time.”

  “So what if it takes a while?” I shrug.

  “Yeah, so what? I have to start somewhere, and I have the shack right here to live in while I do the work. Then, if I need to move Mom closer one day, she can live in there, and she’ll still have her own space.”

  I lace my arms around him.

  “I’ve never shown this to anyone else,” he says as he presses a kiss to my hair.

  “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “Come on. The temperature is dropping out here. Let’s get you inside, where it’s warm.”

  We head back out and I stop at the entrance and point to a large object tucked in the corner covered by a well-worn tarp.

  “What’s under there?” I ask.

  “Never mind that, just keep walking, woman,” he says as he playfully smacks my behind. That answer piques my curiosity, so I dart over and tug the tarp to the side. There stands an impress contraption.

  “Walker Reid, is that a moonshining still?”

  “It sure is. That’s another thing Granddaddy built and left for me to enjoy. Now, pretend you didn’t see it. You don’t want to be an accessory after the fact if the sheriff ever finds it,” he says with a wink.

  I know with certainty that our sheriff has been to several of the bonfires at Rustic Peak and partaken of the fruits of Walker’s illicit recreation. I’m pretty sure his secret is safe in Poplar Falls.

  We head back to the shack, and he adds more wood to the fire that’s already in the fireplace.

  I climb up on the couch, and he joins me. I curl into his side, and we watch television until it’s time for me to leave.

  While I put my boots back on, he cranks the truck for me so it can heat up.

  He walks me out to the truck, and before I get in, he backs me up against the door and kisses me breathless.

  “Be careful and text me when you make it home,” he requests as I zip my coat.

  “I will.”

  I hop in, and he shuts the door. He stands in the drive and watches until I’m out of sight.

  When I get home, I take out my phone and send Walker a text.

  Home safe and sound.

  I set my phone down and go to wash my face and get ready for bed.

  When I return to my room, I pick up my phone to see he has texted back.

  My bed is cold and lonely.

  A thrill shoots through me. He misses me.

  So is mine.

  I wait to see if he’ll say anything else. When he doesn’t, I turn my lamp off and crawl into bed.

  Then, I hear my phone ding again.

  Sweet dreams, baby.

  With that, I pull up the covers, and I fall off to sleep. The night is filled with sweet dreams.

  Walker

  It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and we are hauling ass around the ranch, getting everything ready for winter, so we can, hopefully, slow down a little for the holidays. There is never a day of rest on a ranch, but if we can get the bulk of the work done ahead of December, we can enjoy slightly shorter workdays.

  Emmett and I just finished up cutting fence stays for the spring pasture. Now that all the cows have been moved to their winter grazing homes, we can start any repairs needed before spring.

  “Why were you so late this morning? It’s the first time in a while I had to wait for you,” Emmett asks.

  “I wasn’t that late, old man. I made it before Braxton did,” I say as Braxton approaches us.

  “Mornings have been rough lately. I feel like a damn asshole, leaving Sophie when she’s had her head in a toilet, heaving for over an hour,” Braxton defends himself.

  “No worries, son. You take all the time you need with her,” Emmett says.

  “And me?” I ask.

  “You have no excuse.”

  “Whatever. I’m going to see the women,” I say as I walk off.

  I ascend the steps that lead to the office. When I enter, Sophie and Charlotte are drinking coffee and going over sketches while Elle is sitting at her laptop.

  “Hello, handsome,” Charlotte greets as I step inside.

  “Hey, sweetheart. Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you knew when the new wood stove for the calving barn was going to arrive.”

  Sophie swivels her chair and taps the keys on her computer. “It looks like it’s scheduled for Friday. I’ll call to make sure that delivery is still good,” she offers.

  “I appreciate it. I’d like to get it installed before the weekend while we still have the extra hands. Looks like we might have triple the calves this spring, and it’d be our luck to get a damn late Colorado blizzard right in the middle of the births.”

  “Will do. Oh, and I have a truck coming with the extra feed bales this afternoon if you want to pull around the tractors so they can
be taken straight out to the haystacks,” Sophie informs me.

  “Ten-four,” I say before I turn to leave.

  “Walker, you want to go with us to Fast Breaks tonight? Payne and I were thinking about doing some Thanksgiving pregaming,” Charlotte invites.

  Elle’s eyes flit to me.

  “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’ll be here late tonight. We’ve got to get that hay distributed and feed out to the cows this evening,” I decline.

  “Ooookay,” she says, suspicious of my reasoning.

  I don’t blame her. I’m usually the first to give the other guys shit when they say they are too tired to go out and blow off some steam.

  “What’s gotten into you? You were the one I could always count on to be up for some backwoods fun. I’ve barely seen you this trip,” she points out.

  “Aw, you miss me, Char? I knew I was the one you were actually flying down to see,” I tease.

  She laughs. “Yep, and you have been letting me down as of late, cowboy,” she whines.

  Elle averts her eyes to her laptop again, but I see the hint of a knowing smile on her face.

  “Maybe tomorrow night after our big dinner,” I offer.

  Charlotte sighs. “All right, fine, we’ll wait. I’ll spend another boring night in with the preggo twins, but you’d better not back out. I leave Monday, and I have to get my Colorado beer-joint fix in before I go.”

  I spend the entire afternoon on a tractor with Braxton. We have ten different haystacks that are approximately twenty-five miles apart. It takes both of us over six hours to get all the bales in place.

  As soon as we’re done and the machines are put away, we head to my truck.

  “Walker’s dropping me by the house. Sophie and I will be back in a bit for supper,” Braxton calls up to Doreen, who is sitting on the swing with Emmett.

  “What about you, Walker?” she asks.

  “I’m heading on home.”

  “You not eating supper again tonight?” she asks.

  “No, ma’am. I’m just going to throw a pizza or something in the microwave and turn in early, but I’ll be here with my stretchy pants on tomorrow,” I promise.

  I have always celebrated Thanksgiving with the Lancasters. This year, my mom will be joining me at the ranch. Every year, she has been invited and declined, preferring solitude to the company of the big, boisterous family, but this year, she surprised me when she said she’d like to accompany me.

  “Suppers have been getting sparse around here with Elle choosing to go with Bellamy and Sonia and you choosing to eat frozen pizza instead of my home-cooking. I’m starting to get a complex,” she complains.

  “It’s just the busyness of this time of year. I’m sure your kitchen will be full again soon,” I assure her.

  “Yes, maybe once everything is resolved, I’m sure it will,” she says.

  Resolved?

  “You enjoy your night in, Walker,” she says before walking into the house.

  Jefferson appears from the barn and slaps me on the back. “You’re doing a good job, son,” he says as he walks past me.

  Pride fills my chest, followed by an altogether unpleasant feeling. I’m lying to them, all of them. I need to get myself sorted.

  Braxton opens the door to get in my truck.

  “What’s this?” he says as he lifts a woman’s off-the-shoulder red sweater from the seat before getting in.

  Shit. Elle must have left that in here.

  I grin to cover my fucking panic and take it from his hand. “That is the reason I was late this morning,” I answer before tossing it in the back before he has a chance to really recognize it.

  He laughs. “That’s what I figured, Casanova. Who was she?”

  “Sherry. She’s just a chick I picked up at Butch’s last night. I had to have her drop me at my truck this morning,” I lie.

  “Still not letting them come to your place, huh?”

  “Nope. You know my rule. No meaningless sex contaminates my bed.”

  I drop Braxton off and drive to town. I park outside of Sonia’s apartment and send Elle a text, saying that I’m here.

  I feel like complete shit, lying to him like I just did. I know Elle wants to wait, but we are going to figure out a way to tell him soon.

  Five minutes later, she emerges and practically sprints to the truck. Her arms full of supplies.

  I get out and take the bags from her. Then, I open the door so she can climb in.

  We make the hour drive out to Colorado Springs, and when we arrive at the bank of Cheyenne Lake, I pull into The Broadmoor hotel and park.

  “Are you going to be warm enough? It’s supposed to be freezing tonight, and it might start snowing,” Elle says.

  “I have my field jacket in the back. What about you? You warm enough?” I ask as I pull her to me.

  She looks like a snow bunny with her puffy pink down coat and wool hat, scarf, and gloves.

  “A little too warm at the moment,” she says before melting into me for a kiss.

  “I have been wanting to do that all day,” I tell her as I pull back and look at her face.

  I can tell that pleases her.

  “Me too,” she whispers.

  I open the door and extend my hand to help her out. “Come on, woman. You keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it,” I command, and she giggles and takes my hand.

  We walk to the waiting shuttle to Seven Falls.

  The Winter Lights celebration is a Pikes Peak holiday tradition when Seven Falls and Cheyenne Cañon are illuminated with colorful lights.

  Lights guide the way as we walk the path to the falls.

  Elle gasps when we get to the cliff face of the Pillars of Hercules. The water is a sea of vibrant lights as it cascades down the rock. Holiday music is playing, and families are milling around.

  “Wow, it’s so beautiful. I have always wanted to see this,” she says in awe.

  I grab us complimentary hot cocoa. We climb the steps to the top, and the view of the canyon is spectacular.

  After snapping a few photos together with the light behind us, we huddle together and watch as a children’s choir sings a melody of holiday classics for the crowd.

  “Come with me,” I say in her ear.

  We hike up a bit farther to Midnight Falls. It’s somewhat secluded with the surrounding trees and rocks, and I find us a quiet spot to spread our blanket.

  We dig into the bags she brought and set out our little picnic of wine and sandwiches and fruit. After we eat, I lie back, and she cuddles into me. We watch as the clouds move in and cover the stars. It’s serene, and I enjoy just holding her. We don’t get many private moments together without the chance of someone walking around a corner or driving up the road. Complete contentment washes over me.

  “Walker?” she calls.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  She raises her head and rests her chin on my chest. “I think my aunts know about us,” she says.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I don’t know. Just the way they are so quick to help me cover when I try to sneak off to see you. It’s like they are working together to make it easy or something. They don’t question me or pry. They seem almost happy that I’m giving them vague answers and evading them. It’s weird.”

  “They probably hope you’re off with the good doctor,” I say.

  She sighs. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Bring Brandt up all the time? Like you think they would prefer I be with him instead of you.”

  “Because we both know they would.”

  “You underestimate their love for you,” she says.

  I roll her over onto her back and look her in the eyes. “I know they love me, Elle. That doesn’t mean they think I’m a good man for you.”

  “I think you are, and that’s all that matters,” she breathes.

  I take her mouth with mine.

  She mewls, and her hands slide down my back and around to the
bulge in my jeans.

  “I need to get you back before you freeze out here,” I say as I break our kiss.

  “I’m not cold,” she says as she unzips her coat.

  I look around. We can still hear the faint sounds of music drifting from the festival below, but no one is up this high.

  I tug her shirt loose and bring it up, so I can kiss a trail from the bottom of her breast to her belly button.

  She arches her back.

  I pop the button on her jeans and place my hand inside to find her wet.

  My eyes stay on hers as I glide my finger through her folds.

  “Walker,” she moans my name as I slide a finger inside of her.

  “I love how ready you are for me, baby.”

  She writhes against my hand, but I can tell it’s not enough. So, I come up to my knees and pull her jeans down her legs. Then, I sit back against the rock that’s shielding us from the view of other hikers and undo my zip.

  She climbs on top of me and balances her hands on the rock above my head.

  I quickly cover myself with the condom from my pocket before lifting her to find her entrance and guide myself inside.

  “Yes,” she cries as she starts to shift her hips up and down, taking me deep.

  I pull her shirt up till I find her bra and undo the clasp in the front. As she rides me, I wrap my mouth around a nipple and suck it between my teeth.

  “Oh God,” she gasps as I bite down.

  She begins moving faster, and I find her clit with my thumb and firmly circle it.

  “Yes. Oh, you feel so good inside me,” she pants.

  I start to thrust up to meet her hips, and she clutches her hands to my shoulders, digging her nails in.

  That’s when I lose all control.

  I grab her hips and begin pounding into her as her cries grow louder and more desperate. My cock throbs as I pump harder and harder. I can feel the jagged edges of the rock scoring my back.

  When I think I can’t hold on any longer, her sweet warmth tightens around me, and my name explodes from her lips.

  I take her mouth with mine to absorb her cries, and I let go as she spasms around me.

  I’ve had lots of sex. I’ve had lots of good sex, but nothing has ever come close to being with her. Nothing.