by Vi Summers
Louisiana’s laughter vibrated through her back and onto my chest. She sat on my knee watching Jake pour drained diesel on the large bonfire. I snaked my arm tighter around Lou’s waist and nuzzled into the side of her neck, right where she smelled the sweetest.
She twisted in my lap. “Why are you so impatient to see her? You normally grumble about her being here.”
“She’s tardy,” I deadpanned.
The truth was, she was bringing a cake for Louisiana, and I was annoyed that she was unjustifiably late; she collected the damn cake this morning from town, so there was no reason for it.
Jake stepped back from lighting the bonfire and raised his beer bottle to his lips. “That woman is a law unto herself, Bran. Lord help the poor bastard who ends up with that one.”
I scoffed and laughed. “Thank Christ, that’s not my problem. Bring on the day she tears up someone else’s yard instead of mine.”
Jake chuckled, then Louisiana subtly nudged me in the ribs.
“What was that for?” I murmured against the side of her head.
“Look,” she whispered and tilted her head toward Wyatt, sitting on a log to our right.
I glanced over to see his head lowered and a smile evident on his face as he picked at the label on his beer bottle.
“What?” I whispered to Lou.
Her head bumped against the brim of my hat as she leaned much closer. “He went like that as soon as you mentioned Rory.”
My eyes cut back to Wyatt and narrowed sharply. “Bullshit.”
“Mhmm, for real. What’s going on between them?”
“Nothing,” I replied, genuinely surprised by what she picked up on.
She shrugged against me. I pressed a kiss to her exposed shoulder, allowing my lips to linger on her warm skin, getting lost in the sun-kissed scent radiating off her.
“Mmm, you smell so damn good, sweetheart.”
“So do you,” she said with a breathy exhale.
The teasing touch of her fingertips exploring their way over my exposed forearm made me smile. I never got enough of her touching me, and now that she was a free woman, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
The sound of a vehicle dropping down a gear on the road before gunning it along gravel made my teeth grind. Although my annoyance flared, I was glad my wayward sister had finally shown up.
In true Rory fashion, she not only sped into the yard, but drove alongside the house—narrowly missing my goddamn washing line—and parked her truck on my back lawn as close to the bonfire paddock as possible.
When she stepped from the Chevy, Wyatt was already on his feet and glaring.
“The fuck?” he breathed out.
The dismay in his voice caused me to look over my shoulder, and the same cuss fell from my mouth.
Gently moving Lou to the side, I rose to my feet and strode toward her.
“What have you been up to?” I demanded. It was obvious she’d been doing something she shouldn’t have.
Rory completely wore black. No blue jeans, plaid top and dusty brown boots like she normally wore. Instead, it was black jeans, top and black boots that seemed to be high heeled.
“Doing badass shit.”
Jake sniggered in the background, apparently connecting the dots before Wyatt and I could. When I glanced at my best mate to see his jaw hanging open and him brazenly looking over my sister with a look I knew too well, my attention snapped back to Rory.
“Rory!”
She strode toward me carrying a large manila envelope in her hand and slapped it against my chest.
“You, big brother, are welcome.”
My palm pressed it in place as my eyes narrowed on her. “What have you done?”
Rory popped a hip and crossed her arms across her chest. “I didn’t do anythin’. But you should open that.” She flicked an impatient finger at my chest, then cast a look that could only be described as trouble at Wyatt.
He moved closer, and I felt Jake and Lou flank my sides as I started tearing open the sealed edge.
“Where did you get this?” I asked my smug-ass sister.
She shrugged. “Found it.”
“Where?” Wyatt cut in, appraising her out of character clothing with raised eyebrows.
“The less you know, the better, right, Jake?”
Jake immediately snapped up his hands. “Fuck, my ass is stayin’ outta this one, but I’m on to you, Rory.”
“And where’s the damn cake?” I added, remembering that she had one task that I was yet to see the results of.
She waved me off impatiently. “Cake, shmake. This is far more important. Just open it already!”
Eyeing her with caution, I reached inside and pulled out a document that made my stomach drop.
“Christ, Rore!”
Her chest inflated with pride. I didn’t know how she’d got it, but I held in my hand Jolene’s petition with pages of signatures, complete with an addressed letter to the county mayor’s office.
I stared at my sister, utterly gobsmacked. “How’d you get this?”
“Found it,” she repeated with a devilish smirk.
Louisiana’s hand landed on my arm as she read over my shoulder. The touch alone was enough to pull my attention away from Rory, and when I looked down at Lou, her blue eyes gazed up at me in revelation.
“You know what this means?” she asked breathlessly.
I stared at her, then cut my eyes back to my sister.
She rolled her eyes as if I was thick. “It means that after tonight, that anti-Christ petition never existed. Just burn it already,” Rory sassed, when I did nothing but purse my lips.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting on me to take action. As much as I wanted to follow through, the part of me that knew this was wrong held back.
“Oh, screw this,” Louisiana exclaimed.
The papers were snatched from my hand, and she marched toward the fire like a fearless warrior. An incredulous laugh fell from my open mouth when she cocked her arm back and hurled the petition into the flames without so much as a beat of hesitation.
A celebratory roar of jubilation rose from Rory, Wyatt and Jake, and all I could do was gape in disbelief. Louisiana turned her back on the burning petition and strode toward me with nothing but victory lighting her expression.
“You little deviant!” I grinned and laughed.
A world-altering smile broke out across her face. “You’re free now, Brandon. We both are.”
“Best you come here, sweetheart,” I drawled and opened my arms to her.
She stepped close and giggled when my hands found her booty and squeezed. Best goddamn sound ever. Her ear pressed against the spot where my heart galloped wildly within. She hummed as if the erratic rhythm gave her peace, and nuzzled closer.
“This better not come back to bite us on the ass,” Wyatt murmured beneath his breath.
A contemptuous snort came from Rory, then a poorly concealed growl from Wyatt. He grabbed Rore’s hand, and even in the waning light, I could see how tight his grip was. She struggled to pull away, but he refused to let her slip.
“Dude,” I warned over the top of Lou’s head.
The flare of annoyance didn’t dissolve in the slightest when his attention momentarily shifted to me.
“I just need a word with her, privately.” The enunciated word was emphasized with another demanding tug that propelled my sister in his direction.
Wyatt towed her into the shadows, and I stared until they were out of sight, then looked back to Jake. He pressed his lips into a down-turned arch and shrugged.
“Things are coming to a head with those two,” he murmured nonchalantly.
It made me bristle. “You’d better be seeing somethin’ that ain’t there, Jake, because I’m not okay with Wyatt and Rory-”
“Fucking?” he offered with a cocky smirk.
“Gah, fuck, man, enough already. As of this second, that topic is totally off-limits.”
He roared w
ith laughter while Louisiana giggled against my chest. It was the perfect melody to pull me from my darkening thoughts. I gazed down at her until her laughter faded.
“What?” she whispered.
Pressing a kiss to her parted lips, I lingered and lost myself to her taste and her smell until she pulled away.
“What is it?” Lou asked softly again.
“It’s you,” I murmured, looking down into her pretty face. An adorable crease formed between her eyebrows.
“Me?”
I smoothed the crinkle away with one thumb while the other hand anchored on her waist.
“Yeah, you. From the moment you stepped onto my property, it has always been you. For me,” I added quietly, just for her to hear.
My chest ached so hard I struggled to breathe. Pulling her impossibly closer, I buried my nose in the crook of her neck.
“Christ, I love you, darlin’.”
Her hold around my waist tightened in response. “I love you too.”
I fought the wave of emotion that rose and crippled me from the inside out. I wasn’t the kind of man to express my feelings openly, but goddamn, she was exposing every one of them.
Louisiana had captured my heart and broken me without breaking a sweat, and she was the best goddamn second chance I ever took a shot at.
Epilogue
Louisiana
Two years later.
After our whirlwind romance swept me off my feet, I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to get any fuller.
Yet, as I leaned my elbows against the porch railing and watched my husband teaching my son how to use a lasso, the reminder of our beautiful creation kicked in my belly.
Our baby girl was due any day now, and I’d been getting niggles all morning of impending labor. I was excited to meet her as well as apprehensive about becoming a momma all over again. Lord knows I hadn’t exactly been a great one in the past, but this time was different. This time around, I had a man who loved me through-and-through and who was already a doting father to Ollie.
Brandon’s eyes had shone with pride for days after I told him we were expecting a baby, and until everyone in town knew our exciting news, the announcement was always the first words to pass his lips whenever he stopped to talk to someone.
My smile pulled wide. Seeing Brandon and Ollie together always made my heart soar skyward like an eagle riding the crest of the breeze.
Who would have thought two years ago my son would be riding a horse like he was born to do it, and now learning to wrangle calves.
Jake leaned against the fence rail, keeping a close eye on Ollie even though Brandon was in the breaking ring with him. While Jake no longer lived on the ranch with us, he was still a permanent feature around here. He’d become an uncle figure and was often overheard filling my son’s head with life-lessons he’d learned over the years. Some were censored, others were full-bodied and adventurous.
Another cramp squeezed my stomach, and I focused on breathing through the pain until it eased again. I hadn’t yet told Brandon I was getting mild contractions out of wanting him to make the most of his last uninterrupted time with Ollie.
As if Brandon felt my eyes on him, his gaze lifted and connected with mine across the yard. The concern pulled his brow-line lower.
He murmured something to Jake that made him look my way, then climbed over the yard fence. Brandon’s strides were hurried and purposeful as he made his way to me.
“Lou, darlin’, are you…?”
I nodded and gave a nervous smile. “Mild contractions started about an hour ago.”
The grin that never ceased to make my heart swell a thousand times over, lit his face. His expression filled with awe and excitement, and it shone with nothing but wholehearted love.
“It’s time,” he whispered.
“It’s time, cowboy. Our baby girl is on her way.”
-The End-
Acknowledgments
These are always the easiest, but hardest, to write!
As always, the first thank you goes to my husband. One day I’ll make enough to buy you that catamaran. No pressure, right? I love you, you little shit. Hahah!
The next thank you goes without saying and I’m almost at the point where one word will suffice to sum up her entire acknowledgement: #badass.
Nicole has been my badass alpha, beta, proofer, and everything-in-between reader right from the start. Now a baby author yourself, I like to think I’ve inspired you in some way, shape or form. Either that, or you really just like me for my tea. *Legit laughing right now*.
Looooooooove you! #teambatmanandbatmanforever
Third shout-out goes to CJ—Texan who grills like a king, and Julia Jarrett—fellow indie author of beautiful words; thank you both so much for beta reading Montana Moonshine. Your honest feedback is valued and welcomed—especially when highlighting Kiwi slang and sayings that aren’t used in the US. I appreciate the hell out of you both!
A McMassive thank you to my author babe DL Gallie. Thank you for beta reading my sexy cowboy. I kind of want to keep him for myself, so back off Dana! Bahahahhahaahah. You know I love you! *grin*
Also thank you to to Kellie for beta reading for me. Your feedback is invaluable and so appreciated xx
Thank you to Amanda Williams from Dark Raven Edits. I am wholeheartedly grateful for your time and expertise, and I appreciate the hell out of you for editing my words!
Thank you to my woman Jessica at Diamond Editing and Proofreading for proofing my baby at short notice!
A huge-ass shout-out to all the epic ‘Book Chat’ ladies. You’re my cheering squat, my mad support group, fellow weirdos, and true friends. I appreciate you all and everything you guys do! Much love xx
To my ARC team—THANK YOU for your loyalty, for reading my work while I’m low-key freaking out the entire time. Thank you for reviewing honestly, sharing posts and going the extra mile. I love you guys hard!
This acknowledgement is a super special one… It’s for YOU!
Thank you for purchasing and reading Montana Moonshine. Thank you for supporting my indie journey. I am grateful for each and every one of you.
I hope you fell hard for these characters and loved every single moment. I can’t wait to bring you Jake’s story next. *Wiggles brows*.
Until next time,
Much love, Vi xx
About the Author
Vi Summers hails from New Zealand. She is a tea addict, cheese fiend, beard lover and hot-mess mumma, all rolled into an international bestselling romance author.
When you read Vi’s books, you can expect 'heat, heart and suspense'. She loves breaking her characters before putting them back together.
For more information on Vi Summers, visit www.authorvisummers.com or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, BookBub and Goodreads.
