Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance)

by S. J. McCoy

  He watched in the rearview mirror as the woman pulled her suitcase along to catch up with her friends. She turned to look back at him before she went through the doors and gave him a shrug that clearly said your loss. He hadn't lost anything at all. More than that, he felt as though he was getting something back. He was getting back the guy who didn't want easy sex, the guy who knew how to love and cherish a woman. He only hoped that he was getting back the only woman who had ever made him feel that way.

  He watched the automatic doors close behind Miss San Diego then checked the drop-off lanes before pulling out. He hit the brakes in a hurry when he saw a very familiar truck pulling in a few spaces back. He watched as Gina climbed down from the driver's side and Liam and his friends got out onto the curb. If there had been tension in the air around this group when he'd first seen them at Chico, it was positively crackling now. Even from this distance, he could see that Gina was pale. Liam was stiff and formal. The guy, Ian, looked uncomfortable and busied himself collecting a baggage cart. Liam took a step toward Gina. Mason gritted his teeth. He couldn't stand to see the guy kiss her! He needn't have worried though. Kaitlyn put her hand on Liam's shoulder and Gina turned away. Liam shrugged his friend off and started helping Ian load the bags onto the cart.

  When Ian and Kaitlyn made their way inside, Mason wanted nothing more than to run over there, take Gina in his arms and send that asshole packing. He was talking to her, but Mason could tell that she was blocking him out. She was nodding and answering him, but Mason knew her too well. She was just going through the motions and waiting for him to be gone. It seemed that Liam understood that, too. He took hold of her arm and tried to draw her toward him. Gina pulled back and shook her head. There was none of her old fire to her. If anything, she looked tired and resigned. She smiled sadly and then leaned in to peck Liam's cheek. He put his arms around her to hug her and Mason couldn't hold in a little laugh when he saw the way she patted Liam's shoulder as she hugged him back. The pat was like the kiss of death on a guy's hopes with a girl. He knew that. He wondered if Liam did, too. Perhaps he did. He turned and followed the others inside without ever looking back.

  Gina hurried around and climbed back into the cab of her dad’s truck. Oh, shit! Mason realized he had to make a quick decision. Was he going to let her pull away or was he going to go talk to her before she left? He was out of his truck before his mind had caught up. His instincts decided for him that he could never again let her leave any place without making her talk to him first. She had her arms propped on the steering wheel with her head resting on them. He couldn't see her face, was she crying?

  He tapped on the window and her head snapped up. In the instant before she recognized him, she looked tired, defensive almost. A smile transformed her face when she registered who he was. That had to be a good thing, right?

  She rolled the window down. “Are you stalking me now?”

  He had to grin. “Sure am, babe. What you going to do about it?”

  She smiled back and shook her head. “It doesn't seem like there's much I can do, does it?”

  “You could admit defeat and let me in?”

  She looked at him for a moment and then unlocked the passenger door.

  Mason climbed in and smiled at her. “Are you all right?”

  She shook her head slowly. “I don't know. I think so. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “What I said. I don't know what to do.”

  She looked so small and pale, almost fragile. Fragile was not a word he would normally associate with Gina, and it worried him. He wanted her to be happy that Liam was gone. He was hoping that her words meant it was over between the two of them, and if that was the case, he knew exactly what he wanted her to do. He smiled. “So how about you start by spending the afternoon with me?”

  She shook her head. “I can't.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I need to be by myself. Think things through. Figure out what I'm going to do.”

  “What's to think about, G? You're done with him, aren't you?” Mason felt his heart pounding as he asked. He assumed that Gina had broken up with the guy, but he wasn't entirely sure. He needed to hear her say it.

  She nodded slowly. “I told him it's over, but he doesn't think I mean it. He thinks I'm having a little freak out, and will come around and come home fine.” She looked up and held Mason's gaze. “And you know, Mase. I'm not sure he's wrong. Maybe it's all the stress of being back here, of making dad sell up...” She took a deep breath. “...of seeing you again, that has me all out of whack. Maybe once I get back to the city and back to my life I'll see it differently again, just like he said.”

  Mason pursed his lips. “Bullshit.”

  Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, G. That's bullshit and you know it. All those things are only stressful because he's trying to make you go against what you know is right. You belong here. This is your home, this is your life. You shouldn't be making your dad sell up, and you know it. You should be finding a way to help him save the place.” He glared at her. “And seeing me again is only stressful because you know we belong together, and you've been trying to hide from that.”

  She pulled herself up straight and glared back at him. “Get out, Mason. I don't know any such thing!”

  He smiled, she was lying. He reached over and touched her cheek, sliding his fingers under her ear and into her hair. She closed her eyes as her cheeks flushed and she sighed. He had her. He leaned across and brushed his lips over hers. She didn't open her eyes, but her hands came up to his shoulders and pulled him closer. He smirked—no pat for him!

  He slid his arm around her waist and drew her against him, then covered her mouth with his own. She tasted as good as he remembered. She kissed him as though she'd never forgotten how, as though the years in between them had never existed. He took possession of her mouth, crushing her to his chest as he explored with his tongue, nipped her lips, and then nibbled her neck. Damn, he wasn't going to be able to keep kissing her without getting her naked very soon. She seemed to feel the same way. She clung to his shoulders, her breath coming fast as she kissed him back hungrily.

  ~ ~ ~

  Gina was drowning in his kiss. His arms closed around her, holding her to him, dragging her under. She'd spent so many years struggling, fighting against her feelings for him and now she was back in his arms. Part of her wanted to give up the fight, to surrender to the inevitable. She relaxed and kissed him back. Maybe she wasn't drowning, maybe what she was doing was flying? Flying high on the way he made her feel, letting him take her soaring away with him into the future that should have always been theirs.

  The sound of her cell phone ringing brought her crashing back to reality. She tried to pull away from Mason, but he held her close.

  “Let it ring.”

  “But, I...” His lips came back down on hers, but the magic of the moment was gone. She couldn't lose herself in his kiss while her phone kept ringing and her mind kept racing. “I need to answer it.”

  This time he let her pull away from him and she fished the phone from her purse. She was surprised to see the name flashing on the display.

  “What is it, Kaitlyn?”

  “I wanted to thank you. You've done the right thing, for all of us.”

  Gina didn't know what to say.

  “The guy you're with obviously loves you, and I love Liam. This is all for the best.”

  “What do you mean, the guy I'm with?”

  Kaitlyn laughed. “The guy in your truck. I'd be surprised if you make it out of the airport before he's the guy in your pants.”

  Gina looked around wildly. She spotted Kaitlyn standing outside the doors next to the baggage cart return.

  Kaitlyn met her gaze and waggled her fingers in a wave. “I guess you'll be coming back to New York, at least to collect your things. You’ll let me know if there's anything I can do, won't you? I have
to go. Liam's waiting.” She hung up.

  Gina stared at her phone.

  “What did she want?” Mason had followed her gaze and seen Kaitlyn. He watched as she disappeared back through the automatic doors.

  Gina shook her head. “To say thank you. And to say that I'd done the right thing for all of us. Oh and she'll be happy to help me pack up and leave once I get back to the city!” Her heart was racing. She'd been wondering if she was making the wrong decision. Wondering if Liam was right and she'd feel differently once she got back to New York. Now it seemed that she wouldn't get the chance to find out. Events were taking on a life of their own and the decision was being taken out of her hands.

  Mason smiled. “I didn't think I liked her, but I have to agree with her. You have done the right thing, G. You said she's always loved Liam. And I've always loved you. If you have to go back to New York, I don't want you to be gone for long. If she'll help you pack you can come home to me faster.”

  Gina was struggling to process this. “Mason...” She didn't know what to say, what to address first. He claimed he'd always loved her? He wanted her to come back home? To him? Both he and Kaitlyn were assuming that since she'd called it off with Liam she would leave New York—but how could she? That was her life, her livelihood. How could she just up and leave it all behind? And what would she do then?

  Mason tucked his fingers under her chin and turned her to face him. “What, Gina?”

  “I can't stay here.” Even as she spoke the words, she looked deep into the blue eyes she knew so well and wondered how she could ever leave them again.

  He seemed to read her thoughts. He didn't push her, just smiled and said, “You take your time, babe. You'll figure it out.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “Now we've come full circle back to when you climbed in here. I told you. I need to be by myself, take some time to do that—to figure it all out.”

  He wrapped her in a hug and she sagged against him. In the warmth of his embrace, she was no longer sure what she needed to think about. She was back where she belonged—end of story. He rested his chin on top of her head. “Okay. I'll leave you to it. Remember what I told you last night. I'll be waiting whenever you're ready.”

  She opened her mouth to reply but didn't get the chance. He closed one hand around the back of her neck and kissed her deeply, stealing her breath, as well as her words. His other hand found its way inside her jeans and stroked her through her panties. She moaned into his mouth as he teased. He eased the fabric to the side and traced her opening. His tongue thrust deep as he dipped his fingertip inside her. God that felt so good. She bucked her hips wanting more, pressing herself against him and drinking in his kiss.

  He lifted his head and smiled. “Sorry, babe. You want to be by yourself, right?”

  All she could do was stare after him when he broke away leaving her wanting. He got out of the truck and closed the door before tipping his hat up and winking at her as he walked away. She wriggled in her seat. The way he kissed her had always turned her on. Now she was all hot and achy with desire for him. He turned back to smile at her before climbing into his own truck and pulling away.

  She was still sitting there, squirming in her seat a few minutes later when her phone rang. It was him. “You know, babe. I'll scratch that itch any time you want me to. But you have to be the one to say it.”

  “What itch?” She wasn't going to admit that she knew exactly what he meant.

  He gave a low chuckle that made her breasts tingle just at the sound of it.

  “Don't try to fool me, Gina. You're wishing I'd finished you off before I left. When I asked you to give me a reason to keep it in my pants, you told me you were getting married. Now you're not. I want you, I need you, but we're not going to go there until you want me and need me just as badly.”

  Gina swallowed. Apparently he didn't understand just how badly she wanted and needed him right now!

  She could hear the smile in his voice as he added. “Actually, I mean until you tell me how much you want me.”

  Gina knew if she said it right now, his truck would be parked behind her again in a few minutes. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t let herself do it. He chuckled again. “Like I said, whenever you're ready, babe.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Did they get off all right?”

  Mason stared at Shane. It took him a moment to remember the dude ranch guests he'd dropped off. He spent the whole hour of the drive back from Bozeman thinking about Gina. Thinking about what they could have been doing if he hadn't forced himself to get out of her truck.

  “Huh? Yeah. I dropped them off.”

  Shane frowned. “Did you get them checked in?”

  Mason shrugged. “They're fine.” He turned to walk away. He needed to get out to the barn. He'd wasted too much time thinking about Gina lately. He needed to check on the mares and get caught up with his books.

  “Mase?”

  The concern in Shane's voice made him turn around. “What?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded and couldn't stop the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. “I think it's going to be.”

  Shane came after him. “What does that mean? What's happened?”

  Mason kept walking. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to his brother about it yet, but he didn't think he could keep his mouth shut either.

  “Talk to me, Mase. Is it Gina? I know she left alone last night and we couldn't find you after that. What's going on?”

  “She broke up with the fiancé...”

  “That's awesome! So are you two back together? Is she staying?”

  “I hope so, but she needs a little time to get her head around it. I saw her at the airport, she was dropping them off. I was going to stick around and persuade her that we’re back together, but she's got a lot to work through.” He hated to admit it, but Gina did have a lot to think about. In his eyes, it was simple. She was here, she was single, and she should stay. They should forget the past and get on with their life—together. But that didn't take into account the life and career she'd spent the last ten years building. She needed to figure it out for herself that she wanted him and wanted to be here. He was concerned that if he rushed her or forced her somehow, it would come back to bite him in the ass. He wasn't about to lose her again. This time it was forever, and if he had to wait a while for Gina to reach that conclusion by herself, then so be it.

  Shane nodded. As much as Mason hated to admit it, Shane probably knew more about Gina and her life than he did these days. The two of them had kept in touch while she had refused to speak to Mason. “She is going to have a lot to think about. Whenever we've talked over the years, she's said how much she would love to come home, but she couldn't make it out here. What would she do? There's not exactly a market for fine art photography, is there?”

  “Bullshit! Look at all the California implants who are moving here. Bozeman is full of them. Big Sky is like Little California these days, and half the land in the valley has been bought up by out-of-staters looking to build their Montana McMansions! Those are the kind of people who'd buy up Gina's photographs like crazy, and they'd pay through the nose for them. There's a perfect market here for her if she works it right.” He thought about it for a moment, it made all the sense in the world to him. “She'd probably be able to make more money here than she does in New York—and she'd be able to do the kind of work she loves. She could do all her wildlife photography and capture the Old West like she always used to talk about.”

  “I hadn't thought about it like that, but you're right.”

  Mason shrugged. “Don't sound so surprised, I usually am.”

  “Well, good luck convincing Gina of it.”

  “Why would I need luck?”

  Shane laughed. “Because it's like saying all her reasons for staying gone all those years were wrong. That she stayed away when she didn't need to.”

  “Oh.” Mason could see that. “But surely if she wants to
be here, she'll be glad that there's a way to do it.”

  Shane laughed again. “Maybe, but how much do you like it when you're proved wrong?”

  “Not much, but I accept it when it means that I'll be able to make things right.” He looked at Shane. “I know she's stubborn, but don't you think she'll just be happy to be able to stay, to see that there is a way to make it here, after all?”

  “Yeah, she should.” He held Mason's gaze for a moment. “As long as you go about it the right way. I'm pretty sure that if you lead with your usual that's bullshit line, she'll be less open to hearing what you have to say.

  Mason shrugged. Shane was right and he knew it. He'd already called her out on her bullshit this morning and her reaction then had been to tell him to get out of the truck. He'd have to find a more diplomatic approach to make sure that she didn't tell him to get out of her life. He wasn't entirely back in it yet, and he didn't want to screw up before he got the chance to be.

  ~ ~ ~

  “So what are you going to do, love?”

  Gina rested her elbows on the kitchen table and looked up at her dad who was leaning in the doorway. “I don't know. It's all happened so fast. A week ago I thought we were selling up here, thought I'd be marrying Liam, and bringing you to New York. Now it doesn't look as though the place is going to sell anytime soon. Liam and I are over, and I don't even know what I'm going to do in New York.”

  “Why the hell would you want to do anything there? You're going to stay here, aren't you?”

  “How, Dad? How can I make enough for us to survive on here?”

  He shrugged. “There are a couple of new galleries up in town. Couldn't you put your pictures in there?”

  Gina let out an exasperated little laugh. “Dad, the galleries in town don't sell much and what they do sell is a couple of hundred dollars at most. In New York, my photographs sell for thousands. I need the exposure and the big money buyers.”