Wicked Cowboy (Steel Series Book 4)

by Victoria Pinder

  My head tilted and she glided toward me. The night of the wedding, she’d worn crystals in her upswept hair. No one had ever captivated me like that before.

  I offered my hand to shake when I said, “Miss Ridley Steel.”

  She widened her stance and didn’t blink. “Maybe, you remember me? I was Chloe’s best friend. We met at their wedding.”

  Her hand fit in mine, and she wasn’t wearing a ring. No ring just as I’d been told. Had no man claimed this angel as his own? I kept that to myself and pointed her toward the house. “Yes, right. That was ten years ago.”

  She massaged her temple and her lips thinned. She kept her distance and hugged her waist. “Time doesn’t ever stop, yeah.”

  I’d met her after boot camp and before my first mission. My mind had been on proving myself then, but I realized through the years it was always the married men who made it through missions a little better off than the single ones. Studies on the topic made it seem like married men tended to make more measured choices. The theory was they had a reason to return home. If Ridley had been mine, maybe I’d have come home sooner myself.

  Not that I’d ever marry. Dora’s blood on my hands was enough reason to keep my distance from good women. I ignored the heat in my veins. “How can I help you?”

  She tugged her shirt and her face turned red. “Chloe and Bernie’s daughter was left to both our care, it seems. Chloe asked me to watch her daughter if something ever happened to her, but she never mentioned you.”

  I stepped up to open the door. “Bernie asked me the same thing.”

  Her eyes widened. “Did he mention me?”

  “No.” Hopefully, I figured out her price and sent her home. “You came a long way. My lawyers said you live in Pittsburgh.”

  She sized me up like I was a teenager. Most women only notice my muscles then offer their panties. When they discover my bank account, they swear they love me.

  She glowered. “Yes, and that doesn’t matter. A promise is a promise.”

  Her hips swayed when she stepped past me and let herself inside. I swallowed as I’d noticed. But I closed the door and followed behind her. The way she swiveled her hips made me hard. “I’m getting the picture now. How is it you aren’t married with children of your own?”

  “Completely inappropriate.” She curled her nose at me, and it was like her scold was a siren call. I was unexpectedly sprung, like I needed to mate my own filly, as she said, “My marital status doesn’t mean I’m not capable of taking care of Chelsea.”

  I kept my distance, half afraid I’d touch her and she’d brand me when I asked, “What makes you equipped to watch the girl?”

  Her shoulders were tight and straight, and she stood like she was sure of herself. “I’m a nurse. And taking care of others is in the job description. Do you have any experience with children, Mr. Rockson?”

  If we could work this out between us, without lawyers, I’d get to go inside and tell Chelsea tonight. Bernie would want me to do that. So I pointed her toward the couch in the living room we never used. “Carter, please, and unlike you, I know Chelsea and picked her up the moment I heard about the accident, and she knows me.”

  “She’ll know her mom and I were close and, hopefully, in time, we will love each other.”

  “Love.” I nodded. “It seems you and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Okay.” She pivoted and stared at the huge room with a marble floor with red and gold Persian rugs covering the cold stone. Sun shone in the windows and bounced off the crystal chandelier that made the walls sparkle. My mother had created this room to prove to her friends she was as close to royalty in Texas as she could be.

  My gut twisted that Ridley wasn’t impressed. She held her head high and marched forward.

  I’d not met a woman that stirred anything inside me in a long time, but watching her hips sway stole my breath away.

  Chapter 2

  Ridley

  I stepped inside a modern-day palace. The walls were white, but not hospital white, where we saw everything we needed to see. No. Carter Rockson’s house was shiny white, like it needed to reflect the power embedded in the huge R encrusted in gold near the front door.

  The chandelier was finer than the one in the White House Tour. And the natural light shone everywhere.

  My sister had just married a billionaire, but he’d been fine having a burger with family. After seeing this luxury, he probably wasn’t the sit-around-in-jeans-and-eat-a-burger type.

  Carter Rockson clearly enjoyed luxury. How did a man who lived here have that muscle density? He had the build of an action hero and those lips made my own water.

  I was never weak, and he’d never be mine. I was way too plain for a man like him. It’s why he never spoke much at the wedding years ago when I’d practically shone, the nicest I’d ever looked.

  Years later, near him again, and when the door clicked shut, I trembled, and my knees went weak. He came toward me and adrenaline pumped in my veins as he said, “You haven’t told me your preferred name, Miss Steel.”

  Be smart. My pulse zipped and I wished I taken the time to put makeup on. When I stiffened my spine, all we’d ever have is business. I refused to be intimidated. “Fine, you can call me Ridley, everyone does. I was named after the girl hunting aliens in some movies years ago.”

  He folded his hands in front of him and his lips quirked higher. “Are you expecting to fight an enemy here?”

  I ignored the flutters though I adjusted my shirt and nodded. “I hope not.”

  He patted me on my shoulder, and a zap raced through me when he said, “Then let’s start this meeting as two people who want to help their best friend’s daughter.”

  Right. It was good she had a place to go immediately. I hopped right on a plane within hours of being told Chloe had died. I didn’t care if he saw how the vein in my forehead pulsated. I felt the throb now. I hadn’t had a moment to process that my best friend was gone. Forever. I folded my hand on my chest when I asked, “Has she been here since that night?”

  He motioned to the couch to sit. “Yes. I picked her up from the babysitter and she’s settling in and likes her room. I read the will, with both our names, yesterday.”

  I’d not be rude. For now, I ignored how the rugs were perfect and I’d dirty the place with my sneakers. “Do you know why they picked us together? We don’t know each other.”

  “Doesn’t say.” He sat beside me and the huge couch now felt small, like he’d break it in half with his brute strength if he wanted, but he said, “Chelsea said you were the closest family her mom had and I’m it for her dad’s side.”

  The heat of the day clearly twisted my brain like a margarita mix. I pressed my knees together, so this remained professional, and I blinked and tried to remember why I needed to be on guard right now.

  His gaze went to my chest. My body zapped in excitement with adrenaline filling my veins, but that shouldn’t be. My mind cleared enough to say, “They had to have known we never spoke before.”

  “That’s not completely true.” He pointed toward the crystal bottle on a table and I nodded, hoping it was water and not vodka, though I’d take either right now. He handed me a glass and asked, “Maybe you remember me? I was best man at Bernie and Chloe’s wedding, and you were her maid of honor.”

  A thrill raced through me. Ten years had taken their toll on me, but when I was eighteen and just graduated high school, I’d been beautiful then but hadn’t seen that in myself. Though I was probably right that we’d never fit together. I swallowed. “Yes, I remember you, but that’s not mutual parenting decision conversation.”

  “It might have been if I hadn’t joined the SEALs.” He made a circular motion near his short dark hair. “You were stunning with your hair up.”

  My face heated and my blush was not the Texas weather affecting me. I curled my lips higher. “Well, I don’t have a hairstylist for normal life.”

  His eyes widened. “My mother had a hairstylis
t at this house every day of my childhood.”

  I don’t have a stylist for everyday life. I raised my eyebrow and asked, “Seriously?”

  He jumped out of his seat and motioned for me to follow, as he asked, “Want to see the salon?”

  “Sure.” I stood and walked with my arms around my waist. I was the last person who’d ever fit into a mansion like this with its vaulted ceilings. He opened a side door and it was like I entered a hair salon.

  There was a black leather seat, with space for all products, and a nearby sink made from marble. This was fascinating.

  What would the world be like if staff waited on me so much that I’d not have to brush my own hair?

  I couldn’t even form the picture in my mind. I traced the chair and half expected some woman to wave me out like I offended the point of the room. “This is crazy.”

  He shrugged like this wasn’t a big deal. “It was her life.”

  I batted my eyes. This wasn’t the life for anyone I’d ever met, including Chloe, my best friend. I straightened my spine. “I’m here to get Chelsea or figure out how best to co-parent with you as the will said.”

  His muscles hardened like he’d take the weight of the world on them, like the Greek god Atlas. “I understand, but she wants to stay in Texas, in a house she already knows.”

  My body froze. I wasn’t ready to give up my job, and sisters, and move. And, that wasn’t the point of the conversation, so I raised my eyebrow and asked, “With you?”

  He gave a curt nod. “With my father and me.”

  And, I was now his enemy, for real. I tensed. I’d not walk away from Chelsea and my solemn promise to Chloe, her mom and my best friend. I might not have everything I’d ever want a snap away, but I was here on a mission. “I have all the paperwork and we’re supposed to do this together. Since the moment I got the call about what happened, I’ve been working nonstop to ensure Chloe’s daughter would have a home.”

  He didn’t move when he said, “She has a home here.”

  I swayed on my feet. He was handsome, rich, and probably had women on speed dial. I should have gulped a dozen water bottles so my brain could function, but I blinked and tried to form my argument anyhow, “You’re a single man. Don’t children generally prevent… gallivanting around and sleeping with any woman you want?”

  He took a step away and his lips thinned. It was like a river sprung that sent a chill through me. “I don’t gallivant. I’m not twenty-one anymore.”

  I massaged my forehead. If I made him angry and this formally ended in war, then I was absolutely unequipped. I’d never have his money. My shoulders slumped. The scuffs of his black boots meant he wasn’t spending all his time in either the gym or with hairstylists. I glanced up at him. “You joined the Navy SEALs years ago. And, today, I found out you’re… important and own oil companies.”

  I’d almost said rich. He motioned for us to head to the living room. At least his house was cool everywhere we stepped. “All of that is true. You said you were a nurse?“

  My mind relaxed. I retook my seat and gulped the water. When I put it down, I said, “I am.”

  He folded his hands in front of him. “So are you dating someone?”

  I curled my hand on my neck and looked out the window. “This is super personal, Mr. Rockson.”

  A brief redness came to his face as he said, “It is. I’m trying to ascertain how willing you’d be to a deal.”

  He refilled my glass and he brushed his shoulder to mine for a second. My heart raced. I asked, “A deal?”

  He put the glass back in my hand and dropped his hands in his lap while he said, “Yes. Look, I’m not married, no girlfriend, no children.”

  “You’re completely single, so what?” A man like him could have sex every night with a different girl. He probably didn’t even remember names, but this wasn’t the life for Chloe’s kid. “All of which means your less likely to take care of a young girl.”

  His tone was steady when he said, “I’m the only one of us she knows personally. She used to call me Uncle Carter until I picked her up and now I’m just Carter, which I’m taking as a good sign.”

  During the three days from their deaths to me standing here, they had time to bond. I hadn’t been allowed to see her until now and it was a two-person game where I didn’t know much about Chelsea. I lifted my chin. “Her mother wasn’t just my foster sister. She was my best friend. I talked to her on the phone more than I saw my actual sisters, but I threw myself into working so much at the hospital because I thought there would always be time for the people I love in my life. I was wrong.”

  He took my hand. A spark of awareness rushed in my veins as he said, “Bernie’s friendship and his family made me feel almost normal growing up. Bernie was the best man I’ve ever known.”

  He brushed my palm with his thumb like that was some sort of deep contemplation.

  I sucked in my bottom lip and let it out to drink more water. I missed my friend. Once I finished, I pushed my hair behind my ear. “I don’t want to fight with you. I’m still in shock, to be honest.”

  He leaned closer and my heart thundered in awareness as he said, “Me, too. It’s why I have this idea and I hope you’re on board.“

  I sniffled. His arms reminded me of my own dad and how he protected me. Tears formed in my eyes. I couldn’t stop them. “Give me a minute. I don’t mean to cry.”

  Streams raced down my face. I’d refused to fail, but since I found out and hopped on a plane, I'd been in a nonstop nightmare where I’d not slept or eaten much.

  He hugged me like we were close and, for one moment, I let him. His large hands were bigger than my head, but he massaged me like I was a cherished doll as he said, “It must have been hard to upend your life and fly thousands of miles on such short notice.”

  The streams turned into rivers, but he didn’t seem to care if I got his black shirt wet.

  Finally, I sniffled and let out a small laugh. I let his neck and shoulder go. He handed me a tissue and I wiped my face. “I’ve not slept in days.”

  He stayed next to me, and our legs brushed together, “Maybe you need rest before we talk.”

  “No,” I said. He didn’t move, but I patted his knee and pocketed the tissue when I said, “I’m used to making decisions on almost no sleep.”

  He tilted his head like he understood when he said, “That’s hard.”

  Understatement. I sucked in air to calm down and then cupped my empty glass to hold onto something. “I work the ER every day and most nights. My life is pretty intense.”

  He squeezed my knee. “That’s not good for a girl. She’ll need someone full-time. I can provide staff.”

  I’d not fall for this. I needed to be strong. I stiffened and shook my head. “Staff don't provide love and stability and I can lower my hours to human levels. Until Chloe married, she’d fostered in our home for years and knew our family loved her deeply. Her adoption was stuck on technicalities. She aged out of the system, but we didn’t need paperwork to tell us anything.”

  His eyes widened like I’d shocked him. “Your family?”

  I pressed my hand against my womb that never had the desire to reproduce but now had these flutters. He was magnetic, but I wasn’t any man’s type. “I am from a large family, though my parents died a few years back. My parents and sisters always accepted children in need in our home, and Chloe knew her daughter would grow up loved with me. I hoped she’d live with me and I’d live on full-time hours and I’d be there for her.”

  He swayed next to me and the butterfly in my stomach had wings that flapped fast inside me and sent pulses through me I hadn’t expected.

  “Bernie knew his daughter would be protected with me. It’s why he named me in his will, too.”

  I had no answer for that. I pivoted toward him and asked, “So what are you proposing?”

  His body tensed and he stood like he needed to get away from me when he said, “Interesting word choice, Ridley. You beat me to the
punch.”

  I stood so I’d not slouch as I asked, “Huh?”

  He snapped his fingers like he had all the answers. “I think you should meet my father and Chelsea herself and then we’ll talk more.”

  Just like that, whatever was happening snapped. I shouldn’t expect anything. Our one dance years ago had lived in my fantasy life for years, but that wasn’t mutual. It was tradition and he hadn’t asked me. Just like prom, I wasn’t the one men saw beside them when I wore a fancy dress. I widened my stance. “Okay. I’d like to see her. Thank you.”

  He squeezed my palm. “Don’t go far. I still have to ask you a question.”

  Why did he touch me? I swiveled away and marched forward when I said with a salute, “Okay, I will look forward to our adult brainstorming session, Carter.”

  He guided me inside. My hairs stood on their ends, like he intended something more intimate, but that was probably just my fantasy. I knew better than to believe in chemistry.

  A sexy, billionaire, cowboy wasn’t the kind who fell in love with a workaholic nurse. And I wasn’t a fool. I’d see Chelsea was fine and then figure out what to do about Carter.

  Chapter 3

  Carter

  Ridley Steel’s ass swiveled as she strode. I’d not seen a woman with perfect curves exactly like hers in years. Ridley reminded me of a long-forgotten dream. In the SEALs, my ex was hard and muscular, but Ridley had a sweet softness to her that made my cock stand to attention.

  Dora had hated anything too girly, which had been nice for a while, until I realized all we did was argue about money. And then she stepped in front of enemy bullets, which was my fault for breaking up on a battlefield and proof I wasn’t meant for relationships.

  I walked behind Ridley to enjoy the view but kept my distance. I’d never have the pleasure of touching her in any meaningful way.

  As I directed us to the kitchen, I noticed my chef now wore her hair bun, and hat, and her grimace. My father must be interrupting her preparations for dinner, but I directed my guest to the others. “Chelsea, Pop, this is Ridley Steel.”