Her Renegade Rancher EPB

by Jennifer Ryan

  He tipped his head to acknowledge her words, but he didn’t say anything, just gave her a look that said so much about their unfinished business.

  This close to him, her body heated, anticipated his touch, even though he’d made not one move to close the distance between them. The man wouldn’t step foot inside her house. She wondered why he held back when she wanted to close the distance that had separated them for so long, when that kiss they’d shared proved a fire burned inside both of them for each other.

  After the loss she’d suffered tonight, the emptiness building inside her, she wanted so bad to feel Colt’s arms around her. For him to make her feel alive, when her insides and her mind wanted to turn numb and block out the pain and grief.

  “Are you going to kiss me again?” She asked the bold question, but her stomach fluttered with nerves that maybe she’d been too forward yet again. She’d overstepped once, with disastrous consequences. She hoped she hadn’t done the same again. She’d always been one to speak her mind, tell the truth, even when she should probably keep her mouth shut.

  “Yes.” Colt shifted his weight from the door, stood tall, looking down at her, then headed to the stairs, softly brushing his fingers over her hand as he passed and took his time stepping down each tread to the gravel drive below. He didn’t look back, but she thought he hesitated for just a split second on the driveway. She stood on the dark landing, the light from her home spilling out and making it difficult to see him climb into the cab of his truck. He started the engine, and again there was that tense moment of hesitation before he pulled out of the drive and disappeared.

  She closed the door and leaned her back against the wood, staring at her empty, quiet apartment, and she wondered if those small hesitations even existed or if they were just her imagination and hope that this time Colt noticed her as more than just his best friend’s girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend. Heavy on the ex. Thank God. She’d dodged a bullet with Billy. Oh, she liked him well enough back in the day—for the most part. But she’d learned her lesson. He wasn’t a forever kind of guy.

  That one just drove away.

  She walked into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, but stopped short with one word ringing in her head. Colt’s simple reply to her bold question. Yes.

  A soft smile spread across her lips. Anticipation fluttered the beat of her heart.

  One question rattled around her head since the kiss they shared, and it moved to the front of her mind now, past all her grief and the worries about her life.

  When will I see him again?

  Chapter 5

  Colt walked in the back door, smelled the cinnamon and coffee from the kitchen, and headed straight for both, but not before he wiped his feet on the mat. Sadie would kill him for tracking dirt into the house. Funny how he’d gotten used to her living with them. She really had become a part of the family.

  Luna’s comment about Sadie and Rory falling in love like lightning stuck with him since last night. So did the feel of her skin from when he’d touched her hand before he’d left. He’d nearly gone back up for that kiss the second his boots hit the gravel drive, and again when he’d sat in his truck about to pull out of her place. He’d ordered himself home and away from her, because . . . well, he’d had several reasons last night. None of which made a whole hell of a lot of sense this morning when he woke from one hell of a dream about her, his bed, his hands and mouth all over her naked body.

  He poured himself a mug of coffee, snatched up one of the cinnamon muffins from the plate on the counter, and stuffed half of it in his mouth.

  “Hey, Colt,” Sadie said from the table behind him.

  “Hey,” he said around the muffin filling his mouth. “Whose car is outside?” He poured milk in his coffee.

  “Mine.”

  Her voice jolted through his system like a California quake, making him stop and take notice. Colt turned with the milk jug in his hand and faced the owner of that soft voice, the one that followed him into his dreams and asked him outright if he planned to kiss her again. Hell yes—only not on the night her friend died and she was upset. Taking advantage of a vulnerable woman wasn’t in his playbook. They’d gone about it all wrong the first time. If they tried this thing again, he wanted to do it right. Play by the rules. Ask her out on a proper date.

  Lay her out on the kitchen table and kiss her senseless—the way she made him feel every time he saw her.

  He shook off that thought and focused, but she went and swept her finger along her brow, drawing her hair away from those amazing eyes, and he lost all thought but one. Damn she’s beautiful. And sexy. And I’m losing my mind all over again.

  “Uh, where’s your Jeep? I thought you were going to pick it up this morning at the diner.”

  “I did, but when I got there I discovered someone had thrown a brick into the windshield, so it’s at the shop getting fixed.”

  Colt didn’t like the sound of that, especially after the way Wayne’s family treated her at the hospital last night. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why they came to mind, but they seemed the type to knock people out of their way to get what they wanted. Still, the family stayed at the clinic after he took Luna home. They had enough on their plates to handle. He couldn’t imagine they’d do something as petty and mean as wrecking Luna’s car just because they didn’t like her friendship with Wayne.

  “What did the cops say?”

  “Nothing. They took the report for the insurance company, but otherwise things like that happen all the time. The bar is only a couple blocks up. Some drunk and rowdy cowboys probably did it, thinking they were having fun.”

  “Colt, do you think it’s something more?” Sadie asked.

  He shook his head, having no reason to raise the red flag without any cause, despite the warning tingle at the back of his neck. “No. Unless something else like that happened to you recently, or around the diner.”

  “Cars get broken into all the time.” Luna tilted her head, looking off and thinking. “Nothing stands out.”

  “Was anything taken from your car?”

  “I don’t keep anything in there worth taking.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “Nothing was taken. The doors were still locked. Nothing but a busted-up windshield.”

  Her response should have eased his mind. It didn’t. Not all the way. “You’re probably right. Just vandalism.” He said the words but didn’t quite believe them.

  “Thanks for creeping me out anyway.” Luna’s body shook with a pretend, overdramatic shiver.

  “Sorry. Just being cautious.”

  “When did you two start talking to each other again?” Sadie asked, eyeing him, then her friend.

  “Last night.” Luna kept her steady ice blue gaze on him.

  “You didn’t tell her about Wayne?” he asked.

  “I just got here a couple of minutes ago.”

  “What happened to Wayne?” Sadie asked.

  “He died,” Luna whispered, her gaze dropping to her lap.

  “Heart attack right there in the diner,” Colt added. “Luna tried her best to save him, but he was already gone.”

  Sadie wrapped her arm around her friend and hugged her close. “Oh my God, Luna, why didn’t you say anything?”

  “It’s just so terrible. One minute we’re talking, then the next he’s gone.”

  “He died during your dinner?”

  “No. He sent me to talk to Colt. The next thing I know, he’s dropping to his knees and he’s gone.”

  “Why did he send you over to talk to me?” Colt found that interesting and strange. Maybe the old guy hadn’t been trying to set her up with one of his sons.

  “To apologize for what I’d done.”

  “You never owed me an apology.”

  “Is anybody ever going to tell me what actually happened between you two?” Sadie asked, staring him down.

  “I broke up an argument between Luna and my best friend. She’d been dating Billy forev
er. I didn’t want to see things turn ugly between them, and Billy was drunk enough to say or do something he didn’t really mean.”

  “For all Colt’s good intentions, Billy decked him. A couple of the guys Billy came into the bar with got him out of there. I found Colt in the parking lot and somehow during my thank-you, I kissed him.”

  “I kissed you back.”

  He’d never forget that kiss. In fact, he wanted more. If Sadie wasn’t sitting next to Luna right now, he’d pull her up out of that seat and kiss her until the need finally eased. Which would probably be never, judging by how long that first kiss stayed with him.

  Sadie hid a smile, watching the two of them stare at each other. Colt didn’t care, because he saw the same desire reflected back in Luna’s bright blue eyes. She wouldn’t likely forget that kiss either.

  “Are you working late at the diner again tonight?”

  “No. My shift starts in a couple hours and runs through the dinner rush. I’m done at eight. I just came by to help Sadie pick out invitations.”

  “Not anymore,” Sadie said. “We’re going to have a cup of tea and reminisce about Wayne.”

  Tears gathered in Luna’s eyes. He hated to see them there instead of the happiness and humor that danced in them most days.

  “I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got work.” He snatched another muffin off the counter. “I’m taking this with me. Thanks, sis.”

  “Don’t thank me, Luna baked those.”

  He stopped on his way to the door and turned to her. “You did?”

  “Yeah. Is that so surprising?”

  “No, not really. It’s just, I like a woman who can cook.”

  Luna’s mouth dropped open despite herself. Colt walked out the door, happily chewing the cinnamon pecan muffin she’d spent the morning baking because she couldn’t sleep for thinking about Wayne. Oh, who was she kidding, she couldn’t stop thinking about Colt, the way he touched her hand last night on his way down the stairs, and that “Yes.”

  Now the man walked out after dropping that little comment about liking women who cook. Did he really mean he liked her? She wasn’t sure, because he had yet to ask her out on a date.

  “Should I get a bucket of ice water to cool you down after that scorching look he gave you?”

  Luna laughed. “I truly don’t understand that man.”

  “Take it from someone who fell hard for a Kendrick brother, what they say, they mean.”

  “He might mean what he says, but so far he’s done nothing about it.”

  “Did I mention how stubborn they can be?”

  Luna laughed again but caught herself.

  Sadie’s hand settled over hers. “You miss Wayne.”

  Such a great friend to understand that despite all this business with Colt, deep down Luna grieved, and everything else was a distraction to help her cope with the loss. “Yes. I feel like my grief over losing Wayne and my happiness that Colt and I finally resolved this whole kiss thing are at war inside of me. I’m lost in my memories of all I shared with Wayne, but the hope that what I feel for Colt will turn into something surges up, and I feel guilty.”

  “Wayne was your friend, not your husband or relative. You miss him, but his passing doesn’t mean you stop living. He’d want you to go on, live your life to the fullest. You said he told you to talk to Colt. He wanted you to work things out with him and maybe have a chance at something more. He wanted you to be happy.”

  “I guess.”

  “You know I’m right.” Sadie touched Luna’s arm. “So tell me, what is going on with the two of you?”

  “I’m not sure on his end.”

  “How do you feel about Colt?”

  Luna tilted her head and stared out the window at Colt, who was walking into the stables. “I’m wondering that myself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What’s not to like? The guy is gorgeous. But he’s so much more than that. He’s funny, but never in a mean way. He’s kind. He’s the last person who’d pick on someone for any reason. He’d never start a fight, but he can sure as hell finish one. When Billy hit him, I thought Colt would slug him back, but he didn’t. He kept his cool, even when Billy spouted off about Colt always getting whatever the hell he wanted. But that’s not Colt at all.”

  “No, it’s not. He’s had kind of a rough life.”

  “Yeah, I imagine it’s been difficult without his parents.”

  “He misses them and doesn’t remember them at the same time.”

  Luna pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Which makes it all worse, right? You know what you’re missing, but not precisely who you miss, which makes you wonder all the more. One of the reasons he’s so close to his brothers. Anyway, I’m not sure where this thing with Colt is going, or if it’s going anywhere. We resolved the past, but we don’t seem to be doing much different than we’ve done the past couple years in the present.”

  “Give it time. After what you two went through last night, maybe he’s just giving you time and space to grieve before he asks you out.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe he’s just letting it go now that we don’t have to avoid each other all the time. Oh, and we won’t be scowling at each other in your wedding photos.”

  “He told you about that.” Sadie laughed.

  “Yes at the diner, right before . . .” The tears came again.

  “I know. It’s not going to be the same around the diner on Tuesday and Thursday without Wayne.” Sadie dropped her voice and leaned into Luna. “Will you be okay without the special tips he left you?”

  Not many people knew that Wayne left her a hundred-dollar tip those nights he came into the diner. She’d used that money to help pay for school. Sometimes that extra money meant she got to keep the heat on in the long winter months when the diner crowd thinned out and she made a hell of a lot less money.

  “I’ll be fine.” Luna picked at an imaginary piece of lint on her jeans, afraid to tell Sadie her news, but needing to all the same. “I got a teaching job offer.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Out of state.”

  “That sucks.” Sadie gave her a halfhearted smile. “I really hate to think about you moving away. I’d miss you so much.”

  “I don’t want to, not really, but I need a job that pays more than my rent, student loans, and food.”

  “The area’s growing, expanding. Maybe they’ll need another teacher here soon.”

  “We’ll see. The school has more special needs children than the teacher and two aides can handle, but there isn’t enough money in the budget for the district to hire another teacher.”

  “Maybe they can apply for more state and federal funding?”

  “Until then, and they stop cutting education funding, I have to do what I have to do to get by. I’ve only got a week to make my decision.”

  “I really hope you stay, but I understand this is what you really want to do.”

  Was it?

  Sadie frowned. “When is Wayne’s funeral?”

  “I’m not sure. His family was at the hospital last night. I was the unwelcome guest.”

  Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “Everyone knows how close you two were. Why would they be upset if you paid your respects?”

  “Because they think I was sleeping with him, trying to get his money.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Nonsense.”

  Luna laughed without any real humor. “Even you can’t pull that off when the grapevine grows every time Wayne and I are seen together. Uh, were seen together.”

  “The people who said such things don’t know anything.”

  “No, they just had a grand time making stuff up. Anyway, that’s over now.”

  “So you’ll start tongues wagging over you and Colt.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “Why not? Where there’s a spark you can ignite a flame.”

  “I’m not sure if that bridge already burned.” The disappointment and regret that might be true fi
lled her up and deepened her sadness.

  “I don’t think so. The way he looks at you . . . He’s definitely interested.”

  “But do we want the same thing?”

  “What do you want?”

  “Someone to have fun with, eat a meal with, talk to about my day. Someone who makes my heart race and makes me feel protected, like they care, because they really do. I want someone who can be honest even when it’s hard.” Luna sat back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. “After what happened last night, seeing Wayne pass away and the way his family acted, I want to wake up every morning in the arms of someone I love and have that person by my side when times are tough. When it’s my time to go, I want him to be the last person I see and the last words I hear to be him telling me he loves me.”

  Sadie squeezed her hand and held tight. “I’m sorry you’re lonely.”

  Yes, that was the heart of it. Luna had never felt lonely, not really, until last night, when Wayne died and Colt left her in her tiny box with nothing but her thoughts and a loneliness that grew, filling up her aching heart.

  “It’s silly. I have my family. Friends. You most especially. I see dozens of people at the diner every day. You’re all a part of my life.”

  “It’s not the same.” Sadie spoke the words that echoed in Luna’s head even now.

  “No, it’s not.” Luna shook off her melancholy thoughts and mood. “Sorry. I’m just upset about losing my friend. I’m fine. Really.”

  Sadie pushed the open laptop back on the table. “We don’t have to do this today.”

  “It’s the perfect thing to distract me and lighten my mood.” Luna turned the laptop and scanned the eight different invitations shown. “I think I like the white paper with silver foil script the best. It’s elegant. What’s your favorite?”

  “Luna, it’s okay to be sad and grieve.”

  “I am, but one thing overrides both those things. Something I think that hit you, too, after your father died.”