by Em Petrova
“Maybe you could talk to her, Mav.”
He jerked his head around to Buck. “What?”
“She won’t listen to family, but she respects your word. She might listen to you.”
If he sat her down and told her she was marrying the wrong man for her, he’d damn well be telling her who was right.
He shook his head and raised his hands as if to ward off a lion attack. Which he would be if he stepped foot near Wynonna with those words on his lips. “Nope. You’ve got the wrong guy.”
“We can’t let her figure it out on her own. Think of the misery she’d put us through if she finds out after she’s had three kids to him and he’s cheating on her while on the road ‘writing’ or whatever he does.” Ryder lifted a plank and set a nail in the end with a few taps of his hammer. The noise echoed across the land.
Shit, could Mav sit by and watch the woman he cared for fuck up her life that way? Could he trust himself to even talk to her without shoving her against the nearest wall and claiming her wide, sweet lips?
If he did, he wouldn’t stop at one kiss. And therein lay the problem—he was no good for her. Too old, too fucked up from his tour in the service. Hell, he couldn’t predict when his PTSD would flare up, and then would he leave her high and dry like his father had left his mom?
Mav took a plank from the pile but set his nail with a whack that drove it straight through the board.
“Save your strength, man,” Ryder joked.
But Mav had a hard time keeping light of heart. No future, no past, just now. His motto had never seemed so important to remember as right then.
Chapter Two
The ball of fur tucked in Wynonna’s lap squirmed. She cut the truck engine and scooped up the puppy into the crook of her arm. It bit at her fingers, and she laughed. “You’d better make a good ranch dog, because you have to earn your keep.”
She got out of the truck, holding tight to the pup. The barn was just a few steps away and getting it installed in a warm hay box with food and water meant it was already a fixture on the ranch—
“Wyn.” The deep voice grabbed her heart and squeezed. She whipped around, shielding the puppy from the one guy who wouldn’t appreciate another unneeded animal on the ranch he was paid to make profitable.
“Hi, Mav.” He looked grubby and delicious at the same time. Sweat stood out on his throat and his shirt was wrinkled from a day’s wear.
He circled her slowly, hat pulled low, but she knew he’d seen what she held.
“Okay, fine, you caught me.” She moved her arms to show him the pup. A white and black fluffball with the softest ears in the world.
He cocked a brow at her. “You were in town, weren’t ya?”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was at the general store this morning and saw the kids sitting outside the diner down the street with the box of pups. Mutt, looks like.” He peered at the puppy.
She cupped the squirming animal closer. “How can you look at those big brown eyes and call him a mutt? Besides, in my experience, mutts make the best ranch dogs. They’re smart.”
“You definitely have the professional say on stray dogs. What’s that? Number five? Six?”
“I don’t know.” She twisted her lips. Her father had groaned time after time when he saw her coming with another dog needing a home. Not to mention the cats. But they were good to keep around the grain, and besides, she wasn’t going to apologize for giving something a home that didn’t have one.
The corner of Mav’s lips cut upward into his tanned cheek. At breakfast, he’d been clean-shaven, but now he bore a dark shadow on his jaw and upper lip. So perfectly rough on a woman’s sensitive skin.
A sharp puppy tooth dug into her knuckle, and she yelped.
Mav laughed. “Serves ya right. Where you keeping it? Is it male?”
She held the puppy belly-up for Mav to see. “Impressive package, don’t you think? I bet most men would like a set like that.”
Mav shook his head. “You’re an outrageous woman, Wynonna.” He took off for the barn, and she followed a pace behind. By the time he reached the door, she’d caught up. The purples and dark blues of night were kissing the horizon in the east, but there was enough sun to see in the barn without lights.
Inside, she looked at the five other dogs tucked up for the night after a hard day of ranch work. The last pup she’d brought home was at least a year old now, and he gave her a tail wag as she approached.
There didn’t seem to be space for another bed, but she’d make it work. She set the newest puppy down and he frolicked over to his new friends. Mav folded his arms in typical Mav fashion, his expression unreadable as he watched her dump a wooden crate and stuff it with hay. She found an old food dish and filled it with kibble.
When she placed these near the other dog beds, the puppy romped to the food. Tail sticking straight up and vibrating with happiness, it buried its nose in the bowl.
She smiled at how roly-poly it looked, fat belly almost touching the floor. She glanced up to find Mav staring at her.
“You’re too soft, Wyn.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“In this case, yeah.” His lips gave a small twitch that wasn’t a smile. She was used to it. He hadn’t really smiled at her since that time he’d kissed her. She was all too aware of how hard he’d felt against her then. He was a few years older now, and he’d be even more steely from hard work. From the angles of his jaw down to his battered leather boots, he was the very portrait of a cowboy.
The stall where they’d shared a kiss that confusing day was mere feet away. If she wandered that way, would he follow and try it again?
“I hear you’re engaged.”
She snapped to attention. Crap, she was, wasn’t she? This would take some getting used to. She was accustomed to looking at—and fantasizing about—anyone she liked. But now she was committed to Austin. How could she have forgotten? She’d just texted him after breakfast to tell him she’d broken the news to her family.
“Yes, I am.”
“He treat you right?”
Her eyes widened at the force in Mav’s tone. He’d tried to act like one of her brothers for too many years for her to accept without retaliation.
“Would I be with him if he didn’t?”
He made a noise deep in his throat like he was clearing it but said nothing more.
“What about you?”
“What about me?” He turned those green eyes on her. In the dimness of the barn, the color seemed amplified. She ignored the flipping of her stomach she always got when he gave her the full force of his gaze.
“You know, dating. Marriage. You’re older than my brothers and you aren’t hooked up. Why not settle down?”
“Not interested.”
“You date though. What was her name? Candy? Crystal?”
That twitch was back at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t smile. He just continued to stare at her with a twinkle in his eye that made her lady parts wake up.
“I’m not seeing anyone.”
The simple statement shouldn’t leave Wynonna speechless, yet she couldn’t think of anything to say. Which was unusual for her.
“Where’s your ring?” he asked.
She blinked down at her hand. “I took it off to work on the ranch. I can’t be running around in diamonds while I’m working.”
“Hmph. You gonna live here on the ranch after you’re married?”
“I don’t know.” She tried to focus on the puppy, but Mav was tipping her off balance. She felt as though she were clinging to the edge of a 100-foot drop, about to take some plunge into unknown waters. What was it about him that always did that to her? It was part of the reason she’d been so infatuated with him in her younger days. But that was over now. She was mature, ready to settle.
With Austin.
Mav moved closer to her and crouched at her feet, wiggling his fingers to lure the puppy. “Whatcha gonna name him?”
> “Um… Austin.”
He stood so abruptly that she jumped back. His dark brows came down like Thor’s hammer as he glared at her. “That your fiancé?”
“Why do you have to say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you just ate a cow pie. He’s a nice guy.”
“Uh-oh. Nice? Sounds dull.”
“Shut up. He’s very amusing. Great sense of humor.”
“Good to hear. And in bed?”
She gasped. Never, in all the years she’d been around Mav, had he spoken to her this way. She sputtered for a second before finding a comeback. “He’s wonderful. Attentive.” It wasn’t a very good comeback.
“It sounds like he’s an insurance agent. He’s attentive to my accident claim.”
She bit off a scream. Why did he have to get under her skin this way?
He hitched his thumb in the pocket of his worn jeans as if he had all the time in the world to insult her. Still, he looked good enough to eat, wearing that casual grace like a movie star wore a tux.
“I’m guessing you had amazingly attentive, wonderful sex on the night of your engagement.”
She gaped at him. What the hell had come over this man? For years he avoided her like she soaked in manure instead of bubble bath and now this?
“We didn’t actually have that night yet. He had to catch his plane. There was barely time after he proposed.” She set her boot down on the floor in what sounded like a child’s stomp. She immediately regretted the action, especially when a real smile tipped his lips.
She’d spent a week since she’d said yes to Austin wondering if they’d had time for sex, whether her fiancé would have spiced things up for the occasion. If he’d be less… vanilla.
No. Restrained’s the word.
Dammit, she was going to shove Mav into the nearest shit pile for throwing her for such a loop.
He stared down at the pup, who was now curled up in his box, sleeping off his feast, bloated stomach heaving with every breath and his eyes twitching in a dream. Mav gave a nod. “Austin’s a perfect name.”
* * * * *
“Where the hell’d that come from?” Ridge stopped in his tracks as the puppy blasted out of his box to attack Ridge’s boots.
“Puppy!” Buck Jr. was a solid little boy, a cowboy in the making, and he’d taken a recent infatuation with his Uncle Ridge. He’d spent two weeks trailing his uncle everywhere he went. Mav thought it had a lot to do with Ridge sneaking him lollipops, but he wasn’t about to snitch on the kid.
The boy grabbed the puppy and held it, squirming, against his chest.
“That’s Austin,” Mav drawled.
Ridge stared at him. “Like Wyn’s fiancé?”
“Named after him.” Mav strode to the wall and grabbed some tack. Biting off the hundred other unpleasant things he had to say about the subject.
“I’ll be damned.” Ridge scratched the pup under the chin as it frantically licked Buck Jr.’s face. The little boy, who was the spitting image of Buck, giggled.
“Think I can take him home with me?” Buck Jr. asked.
Ridge grinned. “Heck yeah. Your parents will love a puppy in the house. Let’s go.”
Mav grunted in amusement and watched the pair leave with the dog. His cell buzzed in his back pocket, but he ignored it. He’d been ignoring it for two days now. His brother in Oregon had been sending distress texts to Mav that he needed help with their mother. She was at the end of her chemo treatments and while she was still weak, had gotten her feistiness back.
Which meant Chase was dealing solely with her bullshit. Mav wasn’t stupid—they didn’t want him back in Oregon. Chase just wanted to dump it all in Mav’s lap.
He’d told his brother countless times he couldn’t just get up and leave the Calhouns, especially when they weren’t always around to run the place. But his brother thought that since he was town sheriff, that he could boss everyone around.
He wasn’t bossing Mav.
He went over the tack carefully, as he did at least once a month, checking for weak spots in the leather or sharp bits that would hurt the horses. After he inspected each piece, he hung it back in its place. When he got to the grouping that Wynonna used, he paused. Thinking of her hands on the leather. Those long fingers wrapped around the reins as she galloped bent for hell across the fields. Her body rising and falling in the saddle, her tight little bottom skimming the seat.
“Where’s my puppy?”
His chest tightened and he threw a look over his shoulder. Then he did a double-take and whirled to face her. “What the hell are you wearing?”
She looked down at her tiny tank top in a bright blue that matched her eyes. The cloth barely covered her middle, and he got a clear view of her navel and the little silver stud jewelry pinned to it.
He reached up to rip his hat off his head but stopped himself. As he glanced over her denim cutoffs showing far too much long leg, he did tear the hat off.
“These are called clothes, Mav.”
“Looks like two hankies to me.”
She rolled her eyes and went to the dog beds, which were all empty. “Where’s Austin?”
“The dog or your fiancé?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “The dog.”
“Buck Jr. took him up to his place.”
She blinked and then laughed. “Buck’s not gonna like that.”
“Nope.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. His Levis were getting too tight in the crotch. If he didn’t stop himself now, he’d end up doing something he’d regret.
Like hitch those silky thighs over my shoulders and dive under that tiny strip of denim covering her pussy.
Jesus, what was wrong with him?
“Austin was okay this morning?”
“How the hell would I know? I don’t keep track of your men.” Which was a lie. He’d looked the asshole up and found him on Facebook. He was just the pansy Mav had expected. He kept his gaze averted.
She walked up to him and settled her hands on her hips. “I’m talking about the puppy, and you know it.” Irritation rolled from her tongue. Damn, she was cute when riled. Those freckles seemed to stand out more on her reddened cheeks.
“Why are you picking a fight with me, Mav?”
Now she was doing that head wiggle that made him want to tumble her into the hay and argue some more.
“I’m just answering your questions.”
“Being obtuse.”
“I like to think of myself as acute.”
She shook her head, a hint of amusement lingering at the corner of her mouth before she tucked her lips into a prim line. “How’d a smart guy like you end up on a ranch in Oklahoma anyway?”
He straightened and looked her in the eyes. “Smart people go where they’re wanted.”
She tracked him as he walked back and forth, taking care of odds and ends he hadn’t gotten to in weeks. He was far too aware of her, standing there like a damn supermodel with her long legs and flowing hair. The air in the barn seemed electrically charged, but he knew well enough it wouldn’t be better outside. There was no getting away from Wynonna and the super-energy she brought with her.
“You going into town before lunch?”
Glancing up was a mistake, because the strap of her tank top had slipped down her shoulder. Revealing creamy skin—no bra strap. He locked his gaze on her face. He would not let his eyes dip, no matter how much he wanted to see if her nipples were poking against her blue top. He would not. Nope.
The last thing he wanted to do was ride alongside Wynonna in a truck all the way into town, but he couldn’t lie to her. She knew his habits, and he always headed in to buy supplies on Wednesdays.
He pushed out the air he’d been holding. “Yeah, after I’m finished here.”
“I’ll ride with you.”
He twisted his gaze away. “I’ll pick up what you need.”
“Channing gave me a list, and Malou wanted to know if I’d get some special cream
for Cho’s bottom. Some all-natural butt paste. You sure you wanna pick those things up?”
“Oh. No.” There was no getting out of it. She was going to drive him crazy. “Fine, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Her footsteps retreated, and seconds later he heard her in the yard, talking. To the camera crew or on her phone to her fiancé? He hated himself for straining to listen, but damn if he could help it. Wynonna was a tornado. There wasn’t any way to outrun her, and she swept up everything in her path in her whirlwind.
It was part of her allure, but he’d been trying to steer clear for years.
He got a few more texts and dropped the handful of stray shoeing nails into their rightful place. With a sigh, he looked at his phone. Sure enough, Chase was at it again.
When are you going to man up and come back and help?
How long do you think you can break Momma’s heart?
I can’t believe how selfish you’re being.
There were more, but Mav stopped reading. He pocketed his phone again.
“Austin will come as soon as he can.” Wynonna’s voice carried through the barn door. A growl threatened at the back of Mav’s throat at her happy tone. “He said he might wrap up this job early.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. As an outsider of the Calhoun family, he did a lot of listening and he knew when Wyn was happy.
Shit, she was really going to marry someone who didn’t suit her. Then Mav would have to play protective mean guy and get rid of him before he hurt her. Even if it meant grabbing a shovel and finding a nice place to dig.
He looked around the barn, which was in order again. Everything neat and nothing left to do besides collect the woman and drive her to town. He yanked off his gloves and stuffed them in his back pocket with his cell.
The smell of fresh grass greeted his senses. West was mowing, and about time too. Mav thought he was going to have to get on the guy.
He strolled past Wynonna holding court with a group of production crew. “Ready?”
She looked up. “Yeah. I’ll give that interview when I come back, okay?”
In a few steps she’d caught up to him. He got into his older model pickup and waited for her. When she slid into the seat and he was faced with those smooth thighs and itty bitty tank top, he cursed himself for agreeing to this.
