by SJ McCoy
Alan smiled through pursed lips. “Well, damn. I’m glad to be wrong about Frankie.” He glanced at Spider’s head and chuckled. “Don’t think I’m wrong about the hair, though.”
Spider laughed with him. “You might be right. But I earned who I am the hard way, I’m not going to give it up.”
“I can appreciate that.” Alan blew out a sigh as he said it. “I told you when I first came in that I don’t like you. But I can see that I might change my mind about that.”
Spider was tempted to ask if he might change his mind enough to consider staying on at the bakery, but it was too soon. He had time to maybe win Alan over before the sale went through.
“Don’t expect it’ll be this easy with the MacFarlands, though.”
Spider ran his hand over the back of his head. “I don’t. You have any suggestions for me there?”
Alan smirked. “You said you’re meeting them all tomorrow. Does that include the big guns?”
“The big guns? I don’t know. Who are the big guns? She said we’re going because Tyler is cooking for … ” He had to think. There were so many cousins. He couldn’t keep track of all the names. “Ford? Is he the one who runs the lodge? The guest ranch?”
“That’d be Wade. Ford runs the cattle. There’s Ford, Wade, Tanner, Laney, Jane, Kolby and Ty.”
“Yeah,” Spider agreed. “I think they’re all going to be there except Laney, who doesn’t live here, and Kolby who’s away. Is that right? I don’t know which of them are the big guns, though.”
Alan smirked at him again. “You got ‘em all. But they’re not the big guns. That’d be Frankie’s brother, Mav. And their eldest brother, Cash. They’re the ones you need to worry about.”
“Ah. Right.” He’d already gotten that impression from both Frankie and Ace. But she hadn’t said anything about them being there tomorrow.
Alan rolled his sleeves up and pulled an apron over his head. “I need to get out front. I doubt you’ll meet Mav or Cash this weekend. But if the two of you are making it official, then I doubt it’ll be long before they show up.”
“Thanks.”
Alan laughed. “Wait till you meet ‘em before you thank me. You might want to wait till you meet ‘em before you agree to buy this place, too.”
Spider raised an eyebrow.
“If anyone’s going to run you out of town, it’d be those two.”
Once Alan had gone out front, Spider blew out a sigh. Was he crazy? He’d been in town for a week. He was on his way to buying a business and was involved – and hoping to get more involved – with a gypsy cowgirl who had already told him that she’d be blowing out of town soon enough. To top it off, he now had the specter of her older brother and cousin hanging over him. If he had any sense, he should go out front and tell Monica that this wasn’t the right move for him.
He smiled to himself. It might not make sense on the surface level, but something inside him, something deep down, kept telling him that it didn’t need to. It felt right, he just needed to trust that feeling and go with it. It was a new one on him. He was more used to knowing when something felt wrong – and how to survive it. But the sense of rightness about buying the bakery and making this valley a part of his life, and especially about Frankie, was so strong that he was confident to follow it – to wherever it might lead him. He was too much of a realist to go all in on believing that everything would turn out wonderfully. But his realistic approach meant that he knew that even if it turned into a shit show, there’d be some lesson in it – something useful he could take forward in life.
~ ~ ~
Frankie had to wait for someone to pull out of a space in the lot behind the bakery before she could park the truck. It was always like this on Friday afternoons. She smiled at the thought that in some places, folks had pre-dinner cocktails at their country club. Out here, folks had coffee and picked up their bread and pies before going home to make dinner – or grabbing a burger.
Her smile faded when she got out of the truck and spotted a MacFarland Ranch truck parked a little closer to the door. With any luck it would be one of the hands either come to do the pick-up or taking a well-earned break. But knowing her luck it would be one of her cousins.
Her bad luck was confirmed when she saw Wade sitting at the counter chatting with Alan. Great. She looked around but didn’t see Spider. Hopefully, he was in the back and hadn’t been interrogated yet. Her heart sank, maybe the interrogation had already happened, and they’d run him off? No. He was made of stronger stuff than that. She knew it, even before she saw him pop his head out from the back.
She started toward him, hoping to get to him before Wade called him over. She knew he was going to.
“Frankie!”
She pretended she hadn’t heard Julianne Saunders call her name. That woman could talk. She kept going. Wade, as she’d expected, had already called Spider over, and she didn’t want him to …
“Frankie.” She stopped and managed not to curse when someone caught hold of her arm. “Julianne’s calling you, honey.”
She managed to smile, but only because it was Jim. He must be ninety if he was a day, but he kept going strong and was a well-loved member of the community.
“Thanks.”
Jim winked at her. “I was going to let you pass, darlin’,” he said in a low voice. “I mean, none of us want to get stuck with her chatter. But then I figured you were just ignoring her to get over there.” He inclined his head to where Wade and Spider were now talking. “It’d be a mistake to try and keep ‘em from talking to each other. You might as well just let it happen. The two halves of your life need to come together if they’re going to make a whole.”
She stared at him, and he winked again and walked away.
The two halves of her life? She’d only known Spider for a week, and Wade and the cousins? They were family, a part of her life. But most of the time she didn’t even live here, so she could hardly call them half of her life.
She watched Jim all the way to the door. He pulled it open and then looked back over his shoulder at her and grinned.
“Frankie!” Julianne’s voice was beside her now.
Shit. She turned and plastered a smile on her face. “Sorry. I was coming but then I ran into Jim and …”
“Not to worry.” Julianne grasped her arm, and it was all Frankie could do not to shake her off. Funny how that worked – she hadn’t minded when Jim did it. “I’ve been hoping to catch you. Have you heard from your brother lately?”
Frankie frowned. “No.” She should probably be more polite about it, but she couldn’t. Julianne was the same age as Mav. She’d gone to high school with him and Cash and the others. And Frankie knew that she’d always had a crush on him. It pissed her off. Mav and Libby had been together in high school and ever since. Well, on and off. Mostly off in recent years. But as far as Frankie was concerned, they belonged together. And there was no way she’d encourage another woman – especially not Julianne – to start pursuing him.
“Could you let me have his number?”
“No.” She didn’t even try to think of an excuse.
“Oh.” A flush rose on Julianne’s cheeks, and Frankie couldn’t help but compare the blotchy red to the pink hue that Libby wore when she was embarrassed. It wasn’t a favorable comparison. “I … err … I want to ask him if he’ll be coming home for our high school reunion. It’s our thirty year, so I’m trying to get everyone back.”
That sparked Frankie’s interest. She never knew when Mav would show up. But if she could get him to come for the reunion, she could do some scheming to get him and Libby some time together.
“Could I have his email address, at least?” Julianne was persistent, she had to give her that. “I could send him the details.”
“You have my email address. Send the info to me and I’ll pass it on.”
“Oh. Okay then.” Julianne forced a smile over her obvious disappointment. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Frankie.”
“Yeah.�
�� Frankie turned away from her to check on Spider and Wade and was relieved to see the two men laughing together. Thank goodness for that! She was glad that it was Wade who’d come in. He and Tanner were the easiest going of the brothers. She made her way to them with a smile on her face.
“I see the two of you have met then?”
Spider nodded happily, and Wade greeted her with a grin. “We have. I wanted to make sure that you guys are coming tomorrow.”
Frankie punched his arm. “You know we are. I told you.”
Wade laughed. “You told me that you’d ask Spider. I needed to make sure that you had. And to be fair, Frankie, I wanted to come and meet him first.” He smiled at Spider. “So, he knows he’s got a least one friendly face waiting for him when he comes out to the ranch.”
“You’d better all be friendly, or we’ll just turn right around and leave.” She looked at Spider. “Won’t we?”
He didn’t get the chance to reply before Wade spoke again. “That’s the kind of shit I mean, Frankster. For you, it’s perfectly acceptable to turn around and walk away. For your man here, it’s not that simple. If he’s going to buy this place and become a part of this valley, he needs to get to know everyone, and everyone includes us. It wouldn’t occur to you that you’d be putting him in a difficult position if you walked out on us.”
“Oh.” Frankie made a face at him and then looked at Spider. Wade had a point. And she should be grateful to him for coming over to meet Spider first. For thinking about him and how things would work out for him.
Wade grinned at her. “You’re welcome.”
She pushed at his arm but couldn’t help smiling. “I’m not going to say thank you.”
He laughed. “I didn’t expect you to.” He turned back to Spider. “She has no manners, and I don’t think she’s ever apologized for a damned thing in her life. I don’t know what you see in her.”
Spider opened his mouth, but she hurried to speak over him, figuring that whatever he said might either embarrass her or piss Wade off somehow. “He sees the real me,” she smiled at Spider as she said it, wondering if he understood how true that was, “while you only see the bratty little kid you grew up with.”
She expected Wade to have a comeback for that, but he surprised her when he put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You were never a brat. Headstrong? Yeah. Wild and free? Absolutely. But you were strong enough to survive all the shit that life threw at us and come out smiling.” He looked at Spider. “Actually, I take it back. I imagine that’s what you see in her. And I’m glad that you do.”
Frankie saw the look the two men exchanged as Spider nodded. Damn. Wade was the last one she’d expect to get all deep and meaningful on her. But she liked it.
Wade got to his feet and shook with Spider. “I’m glad we had this little chat,” he said with a laugh. Then he pulled Frankie into one of his trademark bear hugs. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. They’ll all be fine, and if any of them give you any shit, I’ll back you.”
She relaxed against him for a moment, resting her cheek against his chest. “Thanks, Wade. Uh-oh. It’s time for you to go and you might want to take the back door.”
“What’s up.” She felt Wade tense even as she stepped away from him. “Did you see who I think you saw?”
“Yep. And she’ll be coming through the front door in about thirty seconds.”
She laughed as he dropped down and ran at a crouch to the doorway in the counter. She loved that Spider had reacted instinctively and was there to open it. He let Wade through the second he reached it. They both watched Wade’s ass disappear through the door to the back.
“Who’s he hiding from?” Spider asked just as Josie walked in the front door.
Frankie ducked behind the counter to join him before she answered. It was bad enough trying to fend Julianne off of Mav. She didn’t have the patience to cover Wade’s ass, too. She grabbed Spider’s hand and dragged him into the back before Josie reached the counter.
“His ex-wife,” she answered as the door closed behind them.
Chapter Fifteen
Spider couldn’t stop smiling as he rode back down the highway to the ranch. Frankie had asked if he’d mind bringing her back for her truck in the morning – because she’d wanted to ride home with him. The feel of her, leaning against him, her arms clasped around his waist made him want to ride forever. Of course, he’d had girls ride with him before. For some of them that was part of his attraction, and he knew it. But damn! Having Frankie back there was something else.
She rode herself, so she moved with him and with the bike like the three of them were one being. It felt like she was part of him. His heart raced even faster at the thought. He wanted her to be part of him – part of his life, part of his being, and not just when they were on the bike. He knew it wouldn’t last for long, but with the wind whipping past his face, and her clinging tightly to him as the river sparkled in the sun beside them and the mountains towered above them, he wished that it could. He made a promise to himself in that moment that he was going to make the most of every moment that he got to share with her. Whether it was another week or a whole year. He was going to treasure every minute and live the hell out of it.
When they got to the ranch, he rode past the house and went straight on to the cabin. He hadn’t asked where she wanted to go. He wanted her in his space with him. They’d spent every night together in the cabin since that first night. He was already seeing this as his life, even though so much about it was going to have to change.
He watched her take off her helmet and shake out her hair, then had to adjust his pants. The way she did that got to him every time. How in the hell had he gotten so lucky? She was his ideal woman in so many ways. Her looks were one thing. He’d never thought he’d find a woman with long, dark hair and big blue eyes, let alone with a body like hers, who was attracted to him right back. Not only that but she rode a motorcycle, she understood him, she knew who he was – and where he came from – and she got him. He didn’t like that at least some of her understanding came from her own dark childhood, but then if she’d been the child of a happy home, he would have pushed her away that first night when they talked down by the river.
But even more than the obvious stuff, she was perfect for him in ways he never would have guessed a woman could be. She was a free spirit. She was a gypsy who moved from place to place. And even while he’d lived in one city his whole life, he understood what drove her. She felt like she didn’t belong, so she kept moving. He dealt with it in a different way, but he more than related to the feeling of not belonging. And she was a freaking cowgirl – whatever that really meant. He knew that at least for him, it meant that she was strong and capable, and independent and that she had a whole set of skills that he knew nothing about but admired anyway.
He came back to the present when he realized that she was looking right back at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement and something that looked a lot like lust.
“What?” he asked with a grin.
She laughed. “I was trying to figure out what you were thinking. What the intense look on your face was all about.” She wiggled her ass, making him laugh. “Are you thinking that it’s my turn to put on a show?”
She’d surprised him when she’d gotten into her truck and changed into her leathers before they got on the bike. She’d even brought her helmet with her. He’d pretended to peek through the windows while she was changing but she’d laughed, and he hadn’t managed to see a thing.
His dick perked up at the thought of her stripping off her leathers to reveal just bare skin underneath. But his brain fought for control. It was one thing for him to kid around, but he’d hate for her to get naked out here and for Ace to stop by – or worse, for her brother to choose that moment to show up.
Reluctantly, he shook his head. “I’d love it, but we should go inside.”
She pouted and started to unzip her jacket, proving his suspicions right – she was naked undern
eath it. “You don’t want to see?”
He wrapped his arms around her and walked her back into the cabin as fast as he could. “Hell, yeah, I do. But I don’t want to take the chance that someone else will.”
He held her to him with one arm while he opened the front door with the other. Once they were inside, he closed the door with his hip and then crossed the short distance to the bedroom, holding her close as he walked her backward until they hit the bed.
She lay back and held her arms above her head. “I was planning to strip for you so that you could watch. But since you turned this from a spectator sport into audience participation, I’ll let you do the honors.”
She arched her back, and her breasts rose up toward him. Her jacket was unzipped just enough that he could almost see her nipples. He tugged on the zipper until the jacket fell open and he sucked in his breath at the sight of her.
“You’re perfect,” he breathed as he closed his hands around her breasts.
She smiled and her eyes closed as his fingers teased her nipples into taut peaks. “I’m not even going to argue. If you want to see me that way, I’ll be happy to be perfect for you.” She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Because I have to tell you, mister. I can’t stop thinking that you’re perfect for me.”
Spider’s heart beat faster, and his cock grew harder. “I want to be, Frankie.”
Her eyes opened and she searched his face. “You really are.”
He had to rein it in. The way she said it felt like she meant all the things he wanted her to mean – that he was perfect for her in every way, that she wanted him in her life. But he knew better. She’d already told him how it was for her. All she meant was he was perfect for her in bed. And he’d be a damned fool if he wasted time in his head wanting more than that instead of devoting himself to proving her right.
He moved down over her body, loving each breast in turn with his hands and his mouth before moving lower. His hands splayed over her hips as he kissed her navel.