by Brynn Paulin
Before Moon could ask anything else, they drove to the edge of the scene. Pete parked far enough away to deem her safe then with an admonition to stay in the truck, he took off at a sprint toward the blaze.
Dirt spewed onto the sidewall of the vehicle, startling her, as Cord skidded to a stop next to Pete’s pickup. All business, they didn’t acknowledge her as they dashed toward the flames, too.
Feeling useless, but fascinated nonetheless, Moon unfastened her belt then leaned forward against the dashboard and peered out at the burning field. Quite a few people moved back and forth, their bodies only dark silhouettes against the bright blaze. Despite that, she had no trouble picking out Pete as he directed workers. She recognized Sully and Cord’s figures as they helped direct other ranch hands to the far left and right. Her guys were leaders, and it made her smile, proud of them.
To her surprise, there was a large tanker truck to the side, pumping out water on the flames. Several men looked like they had on backpack sprayers, but there didn’t seem to be a traditional fire vehicle to be seen. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t remember Daly having a fire crew. She’d just never considered it before. So it was up to the ranchers to take care of things themselves? It was such a foreign concept to a city girl like her.
The driver’s door opened, pulling Moon’s attention from the fire.
“Hey,” her sister, Sun said as she slipped behind the wheel. She smelled of smoke and since the wind was blowing away from Pete and Cord’s vehicles, Moon figured her sister must have come from the other side of the blaze.
“Hey,” she replied.
“So,” Sun tapped her hands on the wheel. “Welcome to the big party.”
“Hmm,” Moon intoned, the sound full of disagreement. She redirected her attention to the guys. “You’ve been doing this a lot?” she asked.
“Yeah, and I’m getting really sick of it, but when there’s a fire, everyone shows up—even the admin staff. Pete sent me over here because he’s going to back burn the area around the main fire to stop it from spreading. He didn’t want you to freak out, and he wanted me to be ready to move you out of the way if things don’t go as planned.”
Moon looked over at the other truck. “But—”
“I’m pretty sure you’re more important to him than the pickup, sis.”
An unfamiliar warmth moved through Moon’s center at the words. She shifted, willing away the uncomfortable pleasure. She couldn’t indulge in feelings of belonging. She didn’t.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine,” Sun said, obviously misunderstanding Moon’s tension.
“Okay.”
Sun looked over at her. “You all right?”
Moon shrugged. “Yeah. Thanks for helping them orchestrate my kidnapping, by the way,” she accused.
Her sister grinned. “My infinite pleasure. Oh!” Her hand reached for the ignition. “I think I need to back up a little.”
Moon reached for the door handle. “I’ll move back Cord’s truck.”
“No! Don’t—”
But Moon was already out the door. She slipped behind the wheel and cranked the key. The vehicle had barely roared to life when she shoved it into gear and backed it up. To the side, Sun moved back the other truck and Moon carefully kept aligned with her. Soon, Moon was back in the cab with her sister.
“Pete’s going to be pissed you did that,” Sun said quietly.
“Why?”
“He told me you promised to stay in the truck.”
“But I just…”
Sun shrugged. “Whatever. It’s not my guys. I’ve seen them in action. They’re a protective bunch. They missed you, you know. One or another of them was constantly pressing me for info about where you were, what you were doing, if you were seeing anyone. I almost considered telling them you had a thing with that rocker you work for, but I didn’t want to see the look on their faces if I did. It would have hurt them, you know?”
“I…I’m not sure what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay here and not go back to California.”
“Not you too.”
“You seriously think Paisley, Riv and I are cool with you being way over there by yourself?”
“I’m a big girl, Sun—”
“So be a big girl here. You didn’t try very hard to stay. I know how you are. You get all scared of letting someone close to you and you shut them out to protect yourself. The rodeo cancellation was just a convenient excuse.”
“Way to pull the punches,” Moon said drily, hoping her sister would take the hint to shut up. She didn’t.
“Do you think you’re the only one in the world who’s made mistakes? The only one who’s had a nomadic existence and lived a gypsy lifestyle? We were there too.”
“You didn’t sleep with any guy who wanted it, just because you wanted to feel needed or close to someone,” Moon retorted then sucked in a sharp breath that she’d let that out.
Her sister took it in stride, not seeming surprised in the least. “So be with someone who needs you for real.”
“Like they’ll want me when they know my past.”
“You’re wrong if you think they’ll care.” Sun reached for the door. “Looks like they have it under control. I’m gonna go help. Think about what I said.”
Moon shook her head, slumping back against the seat. As if she hadn’t thought about this a lot already. Problem was, she always came to the same conclusion and it ended with the three guys looking at her in disgust.
* * * *
Though Sun had claimed the fire was almost under control, Moon discovered that didn’t mean it was almost out. She watched the men keep working and admired their powerful frames as they skillfully battled the flames. Pete seemed so in command of everything.
The whole scene fascinated her and made her nervous at the same time. A knot fisted in her stomach. Eventually, despite the tension, the lull of safety surrounded her. She watched the ranch hands moving farther and farther from her.
Somehow, beyond any reasoning that she could fathom, she must have fallen asleep. Her head lolled as Pete gently shook her and she tried to come awake. She blinked at him, trying to remember what was happening.
He looked dirty and dog-dead tired. “It’s out and we can go home now,” he said.
“Oh…” The fire. Right. That was soot covering him, not dirt. That was the smell of smoke filling the truck’s cab. “Good.” She rubbed a hand over her face. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
He smiled tenderly. “You needed it. We kept you kinda busy today.”
She grinned then laughed. “Kinda.”
Moon hid a yawn behind her hand as he pulled away from the scene. They drove in silence back to the house. When she glanced over her shoulder, she spied Cord’s truck behind them.
“Is everyone okay?” she asked after a bit. “No one got hurt?”
“Everyone’s fine. We’re getting used to this.”
“That’s a sad statement.”
“Yeah.” His hand hit the steering wheel. “We’ve got to catch him, Moon. He’s destroyed so much property. The alfalfa in that field will grow back eventually, but it’s still a major loss. We need it to feed the cattle. I spoke with Robert out there tonight, and he told me not to worry over it—we’ve still got enough crop to get by—but damn it! I feel like Sam’s gunning for me!”
If Pete’s suspicions were true, that might just be the case. She clasped his hand where it lay between them on the bench seat, offering her silent support. She didn’t know what to say. All the things that came to mind seemed like worthless platitudes. Pete seemed to realize that, and he squeezed her fingers while he drove to the Red House.
In less than a half hour, they were home and all stumbling in the front door. Pete locked up behind them, and Moon remembered that Cord had needed to unlock the door earlier when they’d gotten home. Normal in the city, but unusual around here. She wondered if they’d taken to locking up because of the vandalism taking place on the ranch.
A shiver snaked down her spine, and she wondered just how dangerous this person was.
Before she could ask, the men were each heading off to shower. She stood in the entry for a few minutes, at a loss for what she should do. She didn’t want to assume she should sidle off to one of their beds. She didn’t want to be unwelcomed.
Hugging herself, she wandered back to the warm, cozy family room. The couch here would be just fine with her. Sinking onto it, she felt the exhaustion of the night weighing heavily on her. And she wasn’t the one who’d been fighting fires. How tired must the guys be?
After kicking off her shoes, she curled up on the leather sofa and rested her head on the big, overstuffed armrest then closed her eyes.
“Baby, what are you doing? Come to bed. The cows will be calling in a few hours.” Cool fingers stroked her cheek.
She blinked up at Pete, realizing she must have fallen asleep again. He’d had time to shower. His skin was now clean, and his damp hair framed his face. He was bare except for a pair of boxer briefs that hugged his frame and showed off his mouthwatering package.
Moon readjusted her gaze to his dark eyes.
“I wasn’t sure where I should be,” she mumbled then inwardly cringed at how needy that sounded to her ears.
“You should be in my bed. C’mon,” Pete said. Before she could move, he lifted her into his arms and turned toward the stairs.
“Put me down,” she protested. “I’m too heavy.”
He snorted. “I’ve carried feed bags heavier than you.” He kissed her neck. “I wish I didn’t have to be up in a couple hours. I’d much rather make love to you.”
“Insatiable,” she laughed, but she couldn’t deny she felt the same.
“With you, yeah.”
“Can’t you go in late since you’ve been up all night? Maybe we could…” She shrugged to complete her thought.
“Baby, you have no idea how much I want to take you up on that, but ‘in a few hours’ is late. Usually, I’ve left the house by now. Cows and chores don’t care if I was fighting a fire since midnight.”
She glanced at the clock over the mantel. It wasn’t even five a.m. Dear lord, he had to work ungodly early. Suddenly, it sank in just how little she really knew about ranching life. Sure she’d learned a lot about ranching activities when she’d lived in Daly, but as someone who lived in town, she’d missed out on the realities and hardships of running a ranch.
As foreman, Pete would lead the charge every morning, with Cord and Sully close on his heels.
Unreasonable pride flowed through her as she looked up at the rugged man holding her. It suddenly seemed overwhelming that these three stunning cowboys wanted her. Additionally, she felt sure she’d never fit in here. They were so close to the land, so close to living simply. She couldn’t imagine any of them having a past like hers.
She pressed her face into Pete’s shoulder. She needed to freaking get over it—she’d thought she was over it. Until she’d started contemplating something serious. She’d never allowed herself that before. Being that intimate and opening herself up would mean telling her secrets.
“You asleep?” Pete asked as he placed her on the bed.
“Nope.” She scooted over so he had room to slide in then get to sleep without distraction. Apparently, she’d moved too far because he immediately pulled her into the cradle of his body.
“I like this,” he said, pressing his face into the crook of her shoulder and hugging his arms around her.
“Mmm,” she agreed and wiggled closer to him.
He groaned and pressed his hips against hers, showing her his growing arousal. She shifted away slightly.
“Uh-uh, none of that. You need some sleep so you don’t ride your horse off a cliff or something later.”
He chuckled. “Not going near the mountains today and we do most of our work on ATVs not horses.”
“My cowboy illusions are shattered.”
“Don’t worry. We’re still cowboys enough to satisfy you.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she assured him. “So…last year when my car broke down, you guys were on horses out there on the far range.”
“Yeah, depends on what we’re doing. Sometimes, a horse is just better. I prefer the more traditional way of doing things, too, but the place is too big for that. We even do some of the work using Robert’s helicopter.”
He edged closer, and she felt her body softening once more. “Pete…go to sleep before I forget my good intentions.”
He growled low in his throat, making it known he wasn’t happy about her directive, but he made no move to press the point. She smiled. He was complying because she was right!
“Later…at lunch,” he promised, already sounding half asleep.
“Definitely,” she agreed. She closed her arms over his and sank into the slumber already claiming him. They still had several days together. They had time for fucking, sleeping and getting comfortable with each other.
* * * *
Leaving Moon in bed had nearly killed him. She’d been sleeping so peacefully, Pete hadn’t wanted to rouse her. But oh how he’d wanted to feel her lips moving under his and hear her groans of pleasure as she came awake to him.
He stretched his arms and yawned as he headed for his truck. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep, but he still felt as if he’d gotten the best slumber in months while holding her in his arms. Ironically, that bothered him a bit. She was dead set on leaving soon. When she departed, he’d feel just as alone as he had before. That wasn’t her fault though. She didn’t know he had abandonment issues. He’d have to work it out just as he always had.
But damn it! He wanted her to stay, and that had nothing to do with psychosis. He just loved being with her. She was smart, adventurous, snarky but thoughtful and pretty easy on the eyes, too.
Still, would she want to stay when she found out about his family—the family he’d like her to join? He couldn’t help who he was related to and he hoped she didn’t hold it against him. Still, being related to a criminal and having some suspicion leveled his way could be the deal breaker.
“Sleep well?” Cord asked, coming up behind Pete and startling him from his thoughts as he smacked Pete on the back.
“Pretty well.”
“Yeah, Moon looked all snuggled tight against you when I went past after my shower.”
A punch of guilt hit Pete in the gut. He wasn’t very good about sharing, and he hadn’t even thought about it until now. Selfish, selfish, selfish…just like always. Just as he’d been raised. “I’ve been kind of hogging her, haven’t I? Sorry, man.”
Cord shrugged. “Not a big deal.” He glanced over at Sully who was just joining them. “Right?”
“Right what?” Sully asked.
“It’s okay that Pete’s been monopolizing Moon. We’re cool with it.”
“Sure,” Sully said, addressing Pete. “Cord and I have each other. We like to get in on the action, but when it comes down to it, we’re already a couple. We enjoy Moon and all, but we’re not as…attached…as you are, I guess.”
“Yeah, what he said.” Cord laughed. “So when can we get in on the action again?” he teased.
Pete grinned, thinking about later. “Lunch.”
“Perfect,” Sully said.
It would be perfect, especially if there wasn’t another damn emergency stealing all their time. The fires really disturbed him. They were so random and unexpected. Whoever was doing the vandalism and starting the blazes—and he was pretty damn sure it was Sam—kept catching them off guard. Sometimes the events were a week apart, sometimes a month or even six weeks, but they kept on happening. Everyone involved—the sheriff, Robert, Pete, and a few others in the know—had all come to the same conclusion. The incidents were too similar for there to be more than one perpetrator.
Pete hoped to God that they caught the guy soon. He’d really like to get back to business as usual around here—all the “normal” unexpected trials of running a spread this big.
He glanced at his watch. “Meet back here at one?” he called to the other two men as they headed for Cord’s truck.
Cord grinned his Cheshire cat smile. “Perfect. We’ll be here.”
Chapter Five
The silence here was deafening. Moon wasn’t sure she’d easily get used to it. Though the huge house where she lived and worked in California was located far from the road, the constant buzz of traffic still hummed in the background. Here…nothing.
Moon was sure that was what had woken her. It was too quiet. As she lay there in Pete’s bed, her head cradled in his soft pillows, she closed her eyes and listened. Yep, there was the constant thrum of electricity, but otherwise, all was quiet. Not even a cow lowed nearby.
She stretched and her groan sounded loud in the stillness. She was alone in bed, and as she listened, she didn’t detect movement in the house. The guys had gone off to work, and she was the only one here.
To her side she heard a click then burst out laughing when she turned to look. Where the hell had Pete gotten that thing? A 70s-style alarm clock with number dials instead of LCD display showed it was half past eight. As she stared at it, the minute clicked to the next stop.
Shaking her head against a burst of nostalgia because her mom had owned the same kind of timepiece, she climbed from bed then headed for a shower. Since she still had no clothes here, she stopped at Pete’s dresser and swiped another T-shirt. She’d have to make do for the moment.
After her shower, since the guys were gone for a bit and she was all alone in the house, she trotted downstairs to the kitchen and tossed her few clothes into the washer crammed into an alcove to the side of the kitchen. She added Pete’s flannel shirt as well then went in search of coffee.
Someone had made something sludgy that morning, and an inch of the tar-like remnants remained in the pot. Wrinkling her nose, she dumped it in the sink, halfway afraid of what it might do to the pipes, then set about making something less lethal. Soon, the sharp, invigorating scent of coffee filled the air as it brewed. Leaning her elbows on the counter, she waited and let the peace and solitude here sink into her. She could almost see herself here, taking care of the place each day after the guys took off for work, enjoying the silence and the satisfaction of the order she brought to the home.
