Home on the Ranch: The Montana Cowboy's Triplets

by Allison B. Collins

  “Know what those are?” Hunter asked.

  “A castle? Not a clue about the rest, sorry.”

  “Ghosts. Tripp must have remembered your story about the haunted castle.”

  She laughed and admired his creativity. The next one hung in the middle. “That’s definitely got to be Nessie. And she’s wearing my hat!” She leaned closer. “And is that...?”

  Hunter walked up next to her and pointed with the spatula. “Yup. Dead farmer.”

  Cody’s name was scrawled across the bottom of that one. “Bloodthirsty little lad, isn’t he? Where does he get that from?”

  Hunter walked back to the stove, shaking his head. “No idea.”

  Giggling again, she moved on to look at the last picture. Eli had drawn the lake, mountains and trees, and five people holding hands. Hunter, Eli and his brothers, and a woman with a bunch of curly red hair. Touched beyond belief, she then noticed he’d drawn an angel with yellow hair, looking down at them from the sky. “Is that...?”

  Hunter glanced up. “His mom.”

  “Wow.” She swallowed the tears in her throat. For him to include her in the family meant so much to her. “What a beautiful drawing. He’s talented.”

  “He loves drawing.”

  “Remind me to take a picture of these, if that’s okay with you?”

  “I’ll get copies made for you—they’ll love it that you want copies for yourself. They all consider you part of the family.”

  She smiled, her heart full of love for those little lads.

  While he finished up the eggs and steak, she set plates and silverware down on the island. Somehow it seemed cozier to sit there with him, instead of at the big family table.

  The toast popped, and she plated it, set it on the island, too. She sat and watched him as he placed eggs and steak onto their plates. The aroma made her mouth water.

  She cut into the steak and took a bite. “Well tidy scran. This is the best steak I’ve ever eaten in my life,” she said, cutting another piece. She shoved it into her mouth, anxious to taste it again, and noticed him staring at her. “Wha’?”

  “You want me to put another steak on the grill for you?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “This is plenty for me.” Taking another piece of toast from the plate, she slathered it with strawberry jam, then dipped it into the egg yolk and ate it. Finishing up the steak and eggs, she sat back, finally sated. “Thank you for cooking.”

  She looked up to see him staring at her. “Do I have something on my face?” She swiped her lips with the napkin, but he didn’t say anything.

  He leaned toward her, slow-like, keeping his eyes on her. “You’re one hell of a woman, Mackenzie Campbell. Where have you been all my life?”

  Chapter 20

  Hunter’s words made Mackenzie’s heart sing. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She was wearing pajamas, no makeup, sitting in the middle of his kitchen, and she felt happy, desirable and more like a woman than she ever had.

  “You’re pretty incredible yourself, Hunter Sullivan.”

  She leaned forward, meeting him halfway. Their lips touched, soft kisses that led to more intense kisses. Lips meeting, sliding, testing, tasting.

  He got up from the bar stool to pull her up. She went gladly, wanting to laugh with joy as his arms wrapped around her.

  “I want you,” he whispered in her ear. “Stay with me tonight?”

  She nodded, and he led her to his bedroom.

  She hadn’t been in his room yet. Like her room, the walls were wood paneled, with a wall of windows looking out to the mountains. It was masculine, like he was. Heavy wood furniture, a bed as big as the lake outside, and dark green and navy accents furnished the space.

  What a coincidence. Two of her clan tartan colors.

  Then she spied a giant squishy chair shaped like a cherry pie sitting in front of the window. Several smaller pillows that looked like cherries were thrown in the middle.

  And she started laughing. She laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  She pointed at the chair.

  “What’s wrong with my pie chair? It was a Christmas present from the boys. I’ll have you know it’s very comfortable. See for yourself.” He picked her up and dumped her in the middle of the pie chair.

  She sank into cloud-like softness. “I must admit, it is very comfortable—for a pie chair,” she said.

  He stood over her, hands on hips. “Although there’s one thing I’ve wondered about that chair.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If it’s big enough for two.”

  And he turned around and tumbled backward into the chair next to her. His added weight made her side rise up, and she rolled over on top of him.

  “Aha! Right where I wanted you, my pretty Scottish miss.” And he cupped her cheeks, pulling her head down to meet his lips.

  He devastated her with that kiss. His hands roamed over her back, molding her to fit against him.

  Sparks followed wherever he touched her, igniting her blood, sending her spinning out of control.

  She craved him—his touch, his kisses, his body.

  All of him.

  Straddling him, she untied her belt, then took her robe off. He watched her, his eyes gleaming in the soft lamplight.

  She slid her hands up to the buttons on her pajama top and flicked the first one open.

  “Let me,” he said, his voice low and husky in that way that made her insides flip. He brushed her hands away and unbuttoned the second button on her tartan plaid flannels.

  With each button he opened, his fingers trailed fire down her skin. Then he slid the top off and stared at her.

  “Man, you’re beautiful.”

  Liquid heat pooled in her belly even as her face warmed from his blatant admiration.

  “Maybe you should take your shirt off so I can see you,” she said saucily.

  He sat up so fast, she almost fell backward. This time, he didn’t play around as he took his thermal off.

  “You’re pretty beautiful yourself, cowboy,” she said, tracing the line of muscles on his chest and stomach.

  “Not handsome?”

  “Oh, aye, handsome, too. Beautiful. Like a Greek god.” She hadn’t meant for the words to be spoken, but they’d tumbled from her lips before she could stop them.

  He grinned. “Awesome.” Then he looked down. “We need to lose the bottoms, don’t you think?”

  “Why yes indeed. They’re covering the best part.”

  He looked back at her and burst out laughing.

  She stood and put her hand out for him, helping him up. But as soon as he was on his feet, he swooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

  Instead of setting her on the floor, he encouraged her to stand on the bed. He pressed a kiss to her belly and hooked his fingers into her pajama bottoms, sliding them down, taking her panties with them. He kissed her belly again, then shucked his own bottoms.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his head against her.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, just savoring this moment.” He lifted her to the floor, then kissed her.

  She slid her hands down his back, feeling the muscles shift beneath her fingers. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him.

  Somehow he maneuvered them to the side of the bed and pulled the covers down. He followed her onto the bed with continuous kisses.

  As they made love, she felt a bone-deep connection with him. This was the first time she’d ever felt this way.

  Who would have thought she’d have to leave Scotland, move to Los Angeles, then go to Montana to fall in love?

  Love? She rolled the word aro
und in her head, realized that yes, indeed, she’d gone and fallen in love with this Montana cowboy. Her heart galloped even faster.

  She’d have to proceed with caution. Her mum’s words of warning ran through her head, albeit a bit quieter this time.

  But still, best to be careful for now.

  * * *

  Hunter woke the next morning under a heavy weight. He glanced down and realized it was Mackenzie, sprawled halfway on top of him.

  He grinned. She didn’t hold back. She was comfortable being herself.

  She was the perfect woman for him.

  He glanced at the clock. Ten minutes before his alarm was due to ring. Maybe he could wake her up and they could—

  No, he should let her sleep. She’d had a rough day and could use the rest. She’d told him during the night she wasn’t needed on set till this afternoon. Besides, they’d woken each other up several times during the night—not that he was complaining.

  Their lovemaking had been phenomenal. Earth-shattering. He’d never used words like that before, in bed or out.

  He needed to get up now, or he would end up staying in bed with her all day. He tried sliding out, but she was pretty much deadweight on top of him. He rolled slightly toward her, until he could slide her off him. She grunted something, then rolled back onto her stomach.

  He hurried through his shower and shaving. With a towel slung around his hips, he walked back into the bedroom. Mackenzie was sitting up in the middle of his bed wearing his thermal shirt. Her red curls were wild, and he decided he liked her hair best that way. Completely natural and free.

  He walked to the bed and pressed one knee on it, leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Morning, sunshine.”

  “Hmmph,” she said, and rubbed a hand over her face. She did not look quite awake yet.

  “My shirt definitely looks better on you than me,” he said.

  She glanced down at herself, as if surprised at what she was wearing. “It was the first thing I came across.” Then she looked up at him. “I like that towel on you.” She smiled.

  He struck a pose. “It’s from the Bathroom Collection.”

  “You should take it off and come back to bed,” she said, running a finger along the edge of the towel. Her touch jump-started his libido, and he was tempted to do just that.

  He glanced at the clock. “As much as I’d love to get wrapped up in you again, I have to go to work. But why don’t you stay here and get a few more hours’ sleep?”

  The words surprised him, but he found he meant them. He liked seeing her in his bed. And wanted to keep seeing her there.

  But he shouldn’t want that with the boys at home. He had to be a role model, a responsible dad. She could maybe take some vacation time, live up at the lodge, and they could date. But he’d miss her being in his cabin all the time, laughing with his boys, looking at him with those pretty green eyes.

  Then maybe he should think about marrying her.

  He blinked.

  Marriage?

  They’d just met a short time ago.

  “Hey, Hunter? Where’d you go?” she asked.

  “Huh? What’d you say?”

  “I said, I think you need to play hooky this morning and get back in here with me.” She tugged on the towel, and it started slipping from his hips.

  He backed away. “Tell you what,” he said, yanking the towel off. “How about this stays with you?” He flung it at her, then walked to the closet, buck naked.

  She wolf-whistled behind him, and he shook his butt a little.

  Her laughter followed him all the way into the closet.

  And he realized it was just one more thing he wanted to hear every day for the rest of his life.

  Chapter 21

  Mackenzie worked out, then met with Brody about the last stunt she would do on the film. This one would require her to walk the narrow rafters near the barn’s roof. Filmed out of sequence, this would actually lead up to the fire scene they’d shot the night before.

  The character was supposed to cross from one hayloft to the other to avoid being caught by the bad guy. She and Brody spent a couple of hours in the barn while she walked the rafters, making sure they were all sturdy enough.

  Once they were through rehearsing, Mackenzie hopped down and took the safety line off. It had to be sturdy enough to hold her if she fell, but thin enough to be hidden on film.

  Brody climbed down from the hayloft to go meet with the director. She coiled the safety line, checking it for any tears or nicks that could endanger her safety.

  She heard something creaking down in the barn and looked over the edge. Nothing she could see.

  She decided to get a sandwich at the lodge, and climbed down the ladder. Once on the ground, she turned around to see Eli crouched next to one of the hay bales. She laid the safety line with the rest of the stunt equipment.

  “Hey, sweetie. What are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be in school?” She sat on the bale next to him.

  “It’s recess. I wanted to see what you’re doing.”

  “I was rehearsing.” Had he seen anything?

  “I saw you. You’re brave to walk up there so high. Were you scared?”

  “Well, I’ve been trained for this, and I was wearing safety equipment. My stunt boss was here to make sure I was okay, too. And you should never try it, remember?”

  He looked up at the rafters, then nodded slowly.

  “Shouldn’t you get back to school?”

  “I guess.” He kicked at something with his boot.

  She put an arm around his shoulders. “What’s wrong, lad? You don’t look too happy.”

  He sniffled. “Grampa said you’re leaving soon. I don’t want you to leave,” he cried, and flung his arms around her.

  She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. “Shh, it’s okay. I promise I’ll keep in touch.”

  “No, you won’t. You’ll go away and we’ll never see you again, just like Mommy.”

  “My love, it’s not like that. You know the difference, right? I’m going home to Los Angeles. It’s not too far from here. I can come visit you, or maybe you and your dad and brothers could come see me. We could go to Disneyland.” She rocked him till he stopped crying.

  “You live by Disneyland?” he asked, and hiccupped.

  “Yes, and it’s a lot of fun.”

  “Promise we can see you?”

  “I’ll do everything I can to make sure we stay in touch, and get to see each other.”

  “Oookay.”

  She found a pack of tissues in her bag and wiped his eyes, then had him blow his nose. “Now come on, you need to get back to school.” She took his hand and walked him to the building where classes for the ranch kids were held in winter.

  Her heart broke for Eli. He’d looked so forlorn. She’d have to talk to Hunter, let him know Eli was still struggling with his mother’s death.

  She’d come so close to promising him she would stay. Deep in her heart, it was what she wanted to do. Montana was a far cry from Hollywood, though, and she worried that if she was out of sight, she’d be out of mind for future jobs on movies. She’d worked hard to get where she was in the difficult world of stunt work.

  She’d fallen in love with Hunter and his boys.

  Could they make a life together work?

  * * *

  Hunter walked back into his office after a meeting. It had been hard concentrating on the details when all his thoughts were on Mackenzie, and trying to figure out when—and how—he should tell her he was in love with her. Should he talk to his boys first? Make sure they were okay with it?

  He grinned, knowing instinctively they’d be fine with having her around all the time.

  His cell rang and he saw it was Wyatt calling. He hit the speaker button. “Yo, Wyatt. How the heck are y
ou? How’s the family?”

  “Get down to the southwest barn right away. Eli’s fallen and is unconscious.”

  Hunter’s heart stopped. He hung up and ran out of the office, bumped into his dad.

  “What’s wrong, son?”

  “Eli’s hurt!” He kept running out the lodge doors and across the lawn to the barn. The snow had started melting, making it harder to get traction.

  A group of people stood outside the barn, and he looked for Wyatt. Just as he reached the door, Mackenzie ran up.

  “Someone said Eli’s hurt. Where is he?” she cried.

  “I don’t—”

  “In here,” Wyatt shouted from inside the barn.

  He hurried in, Mackenzie close behind.

  Cody and Tripp sat on one of the hay bales, crying.

  Eli lay facedown on the wooden slats of the barn floor. Not moving.

  A thin rope and a couple of hay bales sat near him.

  Oh, God no. Not my baby.

  He knelt on the floor. “Has he been out this whole time?”

  “Yeah. I was outside fixing the fence. Cody came and got me. I called Nash. He’s bringing Kelsey to look at him.”

  “There’s a medic on the crew. I’ll get him.” Mackenzie squeezed his shoulder, then hurried outside. She was back shortly. “He’s on his way.”

  “I don’t understand why he was in here,” Hunter said. Eli hadn’t moved. He was afraid to touch his son, yet wanted to gather him up and hold him close.

  Mackenzie knelt next to him and Eli. “He was in here a few hours ago while I was rehearsing in the rafters—”

  A cold spike of fear struck his heart. “You let him watch you?”

  “No. I didn’t know—”

  A red haze clouded his vision, and he couldn’t breathe.

  “Get out,” he snapped.

  “Hunter—”

  “I said get out. I don’t ever want to see you near my sons again. You’ve done enough. It’s okay if you want to keep putting yourself in harm’s way doing stunt work. But you can’t do it around my boys.”