The Rancher’s City Girl: Wells Brothers Book One

by North, Leslie

  The words had been washing over her, not really sinking in. She took another bite of her sandwich.

  “I don’t really look forward to all that time on the tablet and computer, but maybe it’ll be better this way. I can look things over in the evenings and keep closer track of the herds. Danny called it. Once we’ve got all the data entered, it’ll be a hundred times easier.”

  Becca blinked at him. He was talking about RFID tags. He was talking about tech.

  Cade got up and paced the kitchen, slapping his cowboy hat against his leg. She kept eating. Finally, he leaned against the counter and huffed a breath. “Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  Becca popped the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and took a drink of the beer he’d set out in front of her. She wiped her mouth on her napkin then put the napkin down next to her plate. “What do you want me to say, Cade? That’s great. It’ll be a big help to you and save you lots of time and money down the road.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his boots. After several heartbeats he looked back up and scanned her plate. “Are you ready for dessert?”

  “Sure,” she said with a shrug.

  Cade went to the fridge and pulled out a pie pan covered with tin foil. He lifted the top and peeked in, then brought it to the table, grabbing a fork on the way. He put it down between them and took off the tin foil.

  There was one slice of pie in the pan. Lemon meringue, by the looks of it.

  “Is this the last of Jayne’s pie?”

  “Yep.”

  Becca sat back in her seat. “You should have it, then. You love her pie.”

  “Some things are more important than pie.”

  The hair on the back of her neck stood up. “Such as?”

  “You.”

  Becca couldn’t breathe. “Me?”

  Cade looked into her eyes, his green gaze on fire. He shoved a hand through his hair. “This is supposed to be a grand gesture, in exchange for screwing up. I’ve gotta fix it. And I thought the pie—”

  “Cade, slow down.” She put a hand on his arm, warmth sparking low in her belly. “What are you trying to say?”

  “I’m trying to say that this place isn’t the same without you. From the moment you got here, you—you were working to make things better at the ranch. And I could try to take all your ideas and put them to good use, but it won’t matter.”

  “It’ll matter to the guys,” she pointed out. “They want this place to succeed as much as I do.”

  “No,” Cade said fiercely. “The only thing that will make it better here is if you stay. Not as the new owner, but as my partner. I want you to run the ranch with me. I want your name on the title.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Becca. I fell for you a little more every day that you were here until there was nowhere else left to fall. I love you.”

  She went to him then, folding herself into his lap and throwing her arms around him. “I love you, you stubborn cowboy,” she whispered in his ear, and then she kissed him. Deep and long, exploring him. His arms went around her waist and pulled her in close. She ran her fingers through his hair and flicked her tongue against his lip. Every nerve ending flickered to life, sparking with desire—a deep, inexplicable desire.

  But it wasn’t inexplicable, was it? Cade might be stubborn and infuriating, but he was a good man at heart. He loved his daughter. He took good care of the people he worked with. And he cared about his ranch. He cared about Becca. And…he hadn’t been willing to give up his home and uproot his daughter when it became clear she belonged right where she was, on Wells Ranch. Becca felt like she’d broken down the last wall between them.

  She pulled away, and Cade put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back in. She laughed against his mouth, tasting him like she might never get another chance. But she would get another chance, wouldn’t she? She’d never leave Wells Ranch for good again.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Cade said against her neck.

  “No way.” She slipped off his lap and went back to her seat, tugging it a little closer to his own chair. Then she picked up the fork.

  “Are you going to sit here and eat that pie?”

  Becca could feel Cade’s eyes on her, hot and wanting. It was exactly as hot and wanting as she felt. But there was pie in front of her, and she was done waiting for the things she wanted. “Yep.” She took one bite. The meringue was light and fluffy and melted on her tongue. Becca tipped her head back and savored the flavor.

  “But I love Jayne’s pie,” Cade said in a strangled voice.

  “Me too.” She opened her eyes and looked into his.

  “You’re not even going to share?”

  “Cade Wells…” She took another bite of the pie. “I might love you, but this is bigger than our love. This is Jayne’s pie we’re talking about. It’s serious.”

  He let out a grumble, and Becca couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. She hopped up from her seat with a laugh and grabbed the pie pan and fork. Then she headed out of the kitchen, letting her hips sway. She’d never felt sexier in her life than she did wearing her ranch jeans and carrying the last slice of pie.

  “Where are you going now?” Cade called after her.

  “Upstairs,” she called back.

  “Why?” His chair scraped against the kitchen floor.

  “So you can make sure I don’t get a good night’s sleep.”

  15

  All the exhaustion from her six-hour drive had lifted away, and by the time Becca reached the top of the stairs, she felt brand-new again. She stopped outside her bedroom door. She’d heard Cade’s chair when he got up, but no footsteps. What was he doing?

  Then a muttered curse floated up the staircase behind her and excitement zinged through all of her. She swallowed a giggle and ran into her room, turning around just in time to see him framed in the doorway, a light in his eyes. “What took you so long?”

  “Had to lock the doors,” he said. “My daughter doesn’t listen to me. Jayne took her out to the barn, meaning she’s not in her room, the house is empty, and I want it to stay empty for the next half-hour at least.”

  “Only a half hour?” she teased, taking another bite of pie. “That’s not going to keep me up all night.”

  “It’ll keep you up til dinner,” he said, and then he came in and kicked the door shut behind him.

  Cade came to her and took the fork and the pie tin from her hand, setting both carefully on her bedside table. Then he looked down at her and Becca swore she could see the entire future there in his eyes. All the sunny days and cold winter mornings and dark nights they’d spend together at the farmhouse, cuddled up in bed together.

  Or…not cuddled up.

  He brushed his fingertips down her sides and she closed her eyes. Cade’s touch made her feel drunk in the best way. But she picked up her head again. “No, wait.”

  “What?” Concern darkened Cade’s face. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to do this here. Not in the guest room. I want us to do it in the room that’ll be ours.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Your wish is my command.” He took her hand and led her across the hall.

  Cade’s room was as sparse as the guest room, only in here, the bed was adorned with a navy checked quilt. The rest of the room was all him. Not a single extra thing graced the bedside table except a picture of Joey grinning in a party hat. A pair of slippers lay at the end of the bed. “You wear slippers at night?”

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “It’s so cute,” Becca said. “I love that about you.”

  “I love other things about you,” he said, and then he set about pulling her shirt over her head and her jeans down to the floor, methodically stripping her until she was bare before him. Becca’s nipples tightened and peaked even before Cade teased them with his fingertips.

  “Not fair,” she gasped. “You’re fully clothed.”

  “I can fix that.” And he did, shedding
his clothes like they offended him. She traced the ridges of his abs with her nails and watched as his body came to attention at her touch.

  Becca reached down and took his hard length. He was hers now, and the silky feel of his skin made her groan. He pulsed in her hand. Cade put three fingertips under her chin and lifted her face to his. He kissed her deeply. “As much as I want you to keep your hand right where it is, I don’t think I can wait to take you,” he said, his voice a murmur that had her knees going weak. “I need you now, Becca.”

  She let go of him and pressed her hands against his chest, pushing him backward until he sat on the bed. Then she pushed him down against the pillows. And she straddled him, her legs wide. The air in the room kissed the hot center of her. “I can’t wait, either. I thought I was driving away from you forever.”

  Cade buried his fingers in her hair. “Don’t do that anymore, okay? Don’t be a runaway.”

  “Never.”

  She lowered her mouth to his and explored him again, rocking her hips to line herself up with him. His crown pressed against her opening and she sank down, taking all of him in. Cade let out a soft groan. “Sweet Jesus, Bec, that’s somethin’ else.”

  Becca rocked against him, letting her eyes flutter closed so she could swim in all the sensations. Cade, stretching and filling her in a sensuous rhythm that stole all rational thought from her mind. His rough hands on her waist, guiding her, lifting her, pulling her back down. His mouth against hers, his stubble scraping against her skin. She felt raw and open and free, all in his arms.

  “I never want to be anywhere else,” she said against his mouth.

  “I never want you to be anywhere else either. But—” He worked his hips upward, driving deeper into her. “We’ll have to eat sometime.”

  “We—”

  Cade reached between them and stroked at her clit, working the nub of nerve endings. Pleasure enveloped her, starting low in her belly and wrapping around her hips. She bucked up against his hand and he held tight to her waist. He held her like he really wasn’t going to let her go. “We—”

  “You gonna talk to me about food, or are you going to come for me?” She came hard then, her release so powerful she felt like the farmhouse might come down around her. “That’s it,” coaxed Cade. “That’s it—” His voice went tight and his muscles went tighter and then he followed her over the edge.

  She tipped off him when it was all over, burrowing into the quilt on his bed, struggling to catch her breath. “You’re something else,” she said softly, dragging her fingertips down the front of his chest. “You really want me on the title with you?”

  “I want you on the title with me.” He put an arm around her and pulled her in close enough to hear the beat of his heart. “I want you next to me in that Jeep. I want you next to me in the pastures. I want you next to me in this bed. I don’t want anybody else. You hear me?”

  “I hear you,” she said with a laugh, and then she threw her legs over the side of the bed and headed for the door.

  “Didn’t you hear what I said?” Cade bellowed, not getting up. “I want you right here.”

  She darted into the spare bedroom and picked up the pie tin, then scampered back into Cade’s room. She jumped under the covers and let him pull her close. Then she lifted a bite of the pie onto the fork and held it to his lips. He ate it, a grin wide enough to be seen from space on his face.

  “That’s what I have to do to get you to share?”

  “Sure is, cowboy.”

  “Then put the pie tin down. I have more work to do.”

  Epilogue

  Snow had fallen deeply over the Wells Ranch, socking them all in for a white Christmas. Luckily, everybody was already there for dinner by the time the storm hit. Becca looked over the full-to-the-brim kitchen and grinned. What could be better than a Christmas like this? Loud and busy and warm?

  But she couldn’t join in just yet.

  She backed out of the door silently as Danny started telling another story about tagging the cows. It had all gone according to plan until they realized they’d entered the wrong codes in the database. For every cow. And had to start over. It didn’t matter that everybody in the room had been there for the tagging—he still liked to tell it. His wife leaned into his side, gazing up at him like she was hearing the story for the very first time. The other ranch hands groaned, but they still pulled up the kitchen chairs to listen while Jayne bustled around the stove.

  Becca still had work to do.

  She crept up the stairs on soft feet, moving quickly to the room that had been the spare bedroom. Now it was an office, with a corner desk that hosted a big computer with two separate screens. She sighed with delight when she saw it. In more than one way, it was a dream come true. The computer at her old job in the city had been one of her favorite things about that job. Now Cade had purchased a similar setup for the farm.

  She dropped into the seat in front of the dual screens and jiggled the mouse to bring them to life. Early on, when they’d been implementing her tech suggestions, Cade had thrown up his hands. “You’re better at this than I am,” he’d said. “I’m putting you in charge of data analysis.”

  So Becca had set up the spare room as an office, and bit by bit, it had all come together.

  But now they were busy making plans for the spring, and Becca couldn’t let it alone—even on Christmas. She’d gotten up early this morning to work on it, sneaking away from Cade’s snoring form in the pitch dark of the night. It was just so exciting. They were going to be able to do so much with the new data she’d gotten. She scrolled through the live datastream, checking in on the herd. It was a bit of a habit, now, checking in on all their animals.

  She also wanted to tweak the spreadsheet one more time. Becca knew as well as anyone that Jayne’s cooking would have her pinned to the sofa for the rest of the evening and probably the next day, so she had to do it now. Her fingers danced over the keyboard. There—and there. It wasn’t so much a spreadsheet as a database now, with up-to-the-minute information. There was just one more thing, now that she thought of it—

  Joey burst through the door, the loud bang making Becca jump in her seat. “Come on, Becca. Come back downstairs. Dinner’s ready.” Joey hopped close to her chair, waving at Becca like she was directing a plane to a jetway. “Did you hear me? Jayne’s done cooking. She’s putting it all in the dining room right now. And Uncle Liam says that he’s not waiting on you.”

  “That sounds just like him,” Becca said, her heartbeat slowing down. “I’ll be there in just a minute. I’m almost done.”

  Joey put her hands on her hips and nudged herself between Becca’s chair and the desk, pushing her backward. “Is this life or death? Is our ranch going to fall over if you don’t finish whatever it is you’re typing right now?”

  “Well, no,” Becca admitted.

  Joey tugged Becca’s hand away from the mouse. “Then come on. There’s so much food to eat, and I’m starving. Besides, you know what happens when Dad gets to the pie first.”

  “Okay, okay.” Becca reached for the mouse and saved the changes she’d made to the database with Joey watching over her shoulder the entire time. As soon as she closed out the program, Joey took her by the arm and marched her out of the room.

  When they got down to the living room, Joey dropped her hand and ran over to her uncles. Liam and Tucker, Cade’s youngest brother, stood next to each other with matching beers in their hands. Becca stopped in the doorway. Come to think of it, they were all standing in a semicircle around the dining table. Something was up.

  “Stop right there, Becca.” Cade’s voice came from the kitchen door, and goose bumps ran rampant from her wrists up to her shoulders.

  “I already stopped,” Becca said with a laugh. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll get to the pie?” A chuckle filled the room, and it filled her heart, too. Cade came slowly across the dining room and pointed up above her head. Becca looked up into a sprig of mistletoe. “Aww, you wanted a kiss
. You didn’t have to hang mistletoe for that.”

  He took another step forward, but instead of lowering his mouth to hers, he got down on one knee.

  Becca’s heart banged happily in her chest, adrenaline pumping like silver bells into her veins. “Cade, what on earth—”

  “My life is so much better with you in it,” he said.

  “All our lives are better with you in it,” called Danny.

  “Hush, you,” Cade said. He pulled something from his pocket—a velvet ring box—and held it up to Becca. He flipped it open to show her what was inside. The delicate ring, set in silver, was clearly an antique. It had been polished to a high shine and a single diamond glittered in the center of the patterned setting. “I love you, Bec. I can’t imagine life without you. You’d make me the happiest man alive if you’d do me the honor of being my wife and making the perfect ranch family with me.”

  Becca let her fingertips rest at the edge of the box. “This is gorgeous,” she whispered. “Is it…it’s—”

  “It was my mother’s,” Cade said softly. “And my grandmother’s before hers. It’s been in the family a long time. Now I want you in the family, too.”

  Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. There was simply too much joy to contain. “Yes,” she said, pulling him up so she could kiss him first. “I’ll marry you. I love you so much.” Joey ran up and threw her arms around both of them, cheering. The rest of the room, filled with people who loved them both, burst into applause.

  “Why are you crying?” said Joey, her voice high with excitement. “This is supposed to be a good thing!”

  “I’m so happy to kiss your dad under the mistletoe.” Becca did just that, one more time.

  “Ew.” Joey pulled away and ran back to Jayne. Then it was time for everybody to sit down together to the world’s most delicious meal. Roast turkey. Stuffing and cranberry sauce and a mountain of rolls. And, of course, pie.