Six Pack Ranch: Books 1-3

by Vivian Arend

  “Hope doesn’t want you around either.”

  A warm hand slipped over his arm as Hope nestled against his side. Helen stared at her sister with increasing dismay.

  “You didn’t learn very much in your time away.” Hope stepped in front of Matt, as if to defend him, and he would have laughed if the whole situation weren’t beyond unbelievable. “Please. You’re making a fool of yourself. You’ve seen for yourself that the shop is out of your grasp. Matt isn’t interested in you. Just give up and start again. There are plenty of things you can do instead. You can’t have what I’ve worked so hard for.”

  Helen sneered and twisted on her heel, racing down the hall and slamming out the emergency exit door.

  Hope sighed. “That was the most awkward thing ever.”

  Matt pulled her against him, cradling her carefully. Hope’s hug grew stronger and she rubbed her face against his chest.

  It was bizarre. He’d waited years for Helen to tell him that she loved him. Would have begged for the words at one point in his life.

  All he could think of now was how fortunate he was that she’d never said it—and how much he wanted to hear that Hope cared about him in the same way that he was growing to care for her.

  20

  “You can’t be serious. It’s going up to what?”

  “Forecast calls for temperatures to rise to a balmy summer day. The Chinook’s going to make that winter chill disappear and turn the snow into a slushy mess.” Joel tossed Matt the wrench in his hands then stood and wiped his hands on a rag. “If you’re interested, Dad gave us permission to play in the southeastern pasture. We’re digging a new ditch there come the spring so he doesn’t care if we tear it to hell. Want to join in?”

  “Mud bogging? In the freaking snow?”

  Joel snickered and Matt figured he must have looked borderline horrified. “You won’t melt.”

  “It’s going to be a pain in the ass when we get stuck.”

  “We won’t get stuck.”

  Matt raised a brow, and Jesse laughed from where he was hauling stuff out of the truck’s passenger seat. “He’s right, Joel—we’ll get stuck. But that’s part of the fun.”

  Joel grinned back. “So, you in?”

  Having the twins home during their February reading week was always an adventure. With Mother Nature cooperating this time and giving them a break in the weather, Matt should have known the boys would come up with something crazy to play at.

  Fine. “I’ll bring my block and tackle. I hope that we aren’t the only idiots going.”

  “Hell, no.” Jesse hung out the window like some ten-year-old on a caffeine high. “Everyone who’s got cabin fever is going to be there around two, and we set up a barbecue after for those who want to stick around. Don’t be late if you don’t want to enjoy the truck equivalent of sloppy seconds.”

  “Jesse,” Joel groaned.

  Matt slapped Joel’s shoulder.

  Joel snapped his head up and pulled a face. “What you hitting me for? It was him that said it, not me.”

  Matt snorted. “Right, don’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing.”

  “I…well, fine, I was thinking it. But I have enough restraint to resist spitting out every damn thing that pops into my head.”

  Matt turned away and headed to his own truck, still snickering over his youngest brothers and their crazy ideas. Since the day was insanely warm, maybe a little downtime would be a good idea. While there was enough work to keep at it every minute, that wasn’t good—all work and no play, that kind of thing.

  Joel ground the old Ford into gear and spun out of the driveway, heading down the narrow gravel road toward the rough pasture. Matt laughed at Jesse in the passenger seat, who had his phone up to his ear and an evil grin on his face.

  These two—barely controlled natural disasters.

  They were right, though. The underground spring in the area had made the right side of that field too boggy to cultivate for the past few years. Turning it into a proper dugout might help deal with the excess moisture.

  But in the meantime, seeing who could get their vehicles through the mess was a great way to spend the sunny Saturday afternoon. They were guaranteed to end up filthy and ready for more than a few drinks.

  A little family bonding time was always a good thing.

  The day flew past, the temperature rising high enough to make him peel down to a T-shirt outside the barns. Matt got stuck fixing a couple pens before he could get away, finally turning his truck toward the field. He dug out his phone and tried calling Hope, but there was no answer. He left a message on her machine and rounded the corner to see a virtual fleet of Coleman vehicles parked randomly over the field, a few running boards already covered with thick mud.

  He pulled to the side and hopped out, figuring he’d check the situation before committing to the chaos. Cheers and roars of laughter rose over the ridge. He topped the crest, and his stomach fell.

  “What the hell?”

  His brother turned to wave. “Hey, finally. Great timing.”

  Matt pointed forward. “What the fuck is that?”

  Jesse followed his finger. “You going blind? Hope and Joel are getting ready to cross.”

  Matt was tempted to drop his head into his hands and weep. “She’s mud bogging in that bucket of rust?”

  Jesse snorted. “Well, you got to admit, it’s not likely she’s going to damage much on the thing.”

  This was crazy. Matt stormed to the edge of the field that must have already seen a number of trips from the big trucks they drove. The day was warm enough the snow was melting, the ground was soft, and together with the weight of the vehicles, there were ridges and puddles appearing everywhere between one side of the field and the other.

  He waved and the trucks stopped revving their engines. Joel stuck his head out and cheered. “Whooo. You gonna see her fall this time. No mercy from me.”

  Hope lifted one hand and deliberately dropped all but one strategic finger. Jesse laughed over Matt’s shoulder. “You never told us Hope was a demon on wheels.”

  Matt’s brain was in a fog. “What the hell you talking about?”

  Hope spotted him and waved. “Hey, Joel. Give me a second.”

  Joel gestured her forward and hopped up on the front of his truck to wait. Matt glanced around the field as he moved toward Hope. There were at least twenty people on the hillside all watching with interest.

  “Hey! Good you finally got here.” Hope stepped right up and snagged him in for a kiss. She was warm and slightly earthy, with mud all over her boots. Matt still wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was willing to be distracted for a minute as he enjoyed the taste of her lips against his.

  There was a bump into his shoulder. “Enough already. It’s time for driving.”

  Matt leaned back and glared at Jesse. “Jealous?”

  “Hell, yeah.” Jesse looked Hope up and down far too intimately for Matt’s liking. “If she can do everything as well as she can drive…”

  The temptation to bury his younger brother in the mud grew rapidly. “Fuck off.”

  Hope laughed. “Don’t worry, Jesse, I’ll be glad to shame your ass after I finish dealing with Joel.”

  She grabbed Matt and tugged him toward her truck. “You want to ride shotgun?”

  “You’re actually driving this thing?” Matt walked with her, all sorts of disastrous scenarios playing through his brain.

  “Of course. It’s like the Sherman tank of the truck world. It’s been fine.”

  “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

  Hope stopped beside the driver side door and looked him over. “Jesse called and issued an invite. The shop closed today at two, so I came out right after. I left you a message. But you want to think about why you’re using that tone of voice?”

  Fuck. “What tone?”

  She crossed her arms. “The one that says you’re pissed off I’m here, and you think I’m a little-bitty crazy thi
ng and need to be protected, kind of all balled up into one ultra-bossy he-man package.”

  Matt dug deep, and fast, for an excuse. “Yeah, well. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Hope nodded. “I hear that. But it’s fine. I do know what I’m doing.”

  Matt crushed her to him, kissing the hell out of her. She clung to his neck, her fingernails poking into the fabric of his light coat hard enough he felt them to the skin.

  Then she pushed him away and crawled into the cab. She grinned down at him. “By the way, about riding shotgun? I just remembered you can’t. There’s no seat belt on that side.”

  Matt backed up reluctantly. “Have fun.”

  Being a spectator and hanging out on the hillside was way harder than any previous time he’d watched a pair take the field. Only she was right—he didn’t get to boss her around out here. Matt accepted a bottle of beer from someone but ignored the lawn chairs. He needed to be on his feet.

  Joel and Hope revved their engines again, rocking the trucks in place. Jesse waved them to start, and the trucks shot forward. Joel was ahead of Hope as they hit the first section of the field where the snow was down to brown soil and the faded yellow of dried grass. Hope drove farther to the right, avoiding a largish puddle. Her left rear tire hit the center of a pothole and dirty water sprayed everywhere. A loud cheer rose from the watchers, and Matt had to smile. Yeah. It wasn’t going to be trouble.

  Not until Joel jerked in too close, his truck shimmying sideways and totally cutting into Hope’s path. She pulled up short and paused for a moment, then slammed it back into gear and took Joel on the opposite side. Crossing behind him and racing past, her truck jolted and swayed, mud flying as she spun and readied for the return trip.

  She was well ahead of Joel by this time. He’d gotten stuck in a rut and was rocking his truck in a futile attempt to free it. Matt laughed and ignored his brother, instead enjoying how Hope barreled down the last third of the field, taking the most level path possible. The truck bounced and jerked, and people shouted.

  Wild and crazy, simple and dirty. The sort of fun that made his parents roll their eyes good-naturedly. The fresh Chinook wind surrounded them like a promise, bringing a shot of spring into the middle of winter.

  Hope turned at the end of the field and popped open her door to stand on the running board and raise her hands in victory. Matt whooped back and clapped as he sped down the hill, headed for her parking space.

  Two new trucks came forward for their turn while Jesse drove around the perimeter to rescue Joel who was still stuck.

  Hope’s face shone with delight as she leapt into his arms. “Damn, that was fun.”

  Matt brought their lips together again. He was a bit addicted to the taste of her mouth. To the touch of her body against his. He leaned back but kept their bodies in contact. “You did great.”

  Hope snorted. “Yeah, the way I went off the road before Christmas, you probably thought I couldn’t drive at all.”

  “Well, icy-road conditions are different than this. And Herbie was possessed.”

  She smacked a hand against his chest. “That’s like the worst compliment I’ve ever heard.”

  “Fine, you’re the queen of the mudhole.”

  They went back up the hillside. This time Matt grabbed one of the double lawn chairs his brothers had brought, curling Hope up in his lap and wrapping a blanket around their legs as they watched the rest of their friends and his cousins take turns tearing the field apart.

  “I didn’t know you enjoyed this sort of thing.” Matt pulled off his gloves and slipped his hands under her shirt so his palms rested against her bare belly. Her warm flesh in his hands was the best part of the afternoon. She leaned back and closed her eyes, face toward the fading sun.

  “I love it all. The picnics and the drive-in theater. Fishing and campouts. It’s part of the reason I wanted to live in Rocky. I like it here, and I like the things people do for fun.”

  The fact he could tell it wasn’t an act made her words that much more powerful.

  They pulled the last truck from the mess shortly after the sun dipped below the horizon, a few final red and gold streaks crossing the sky to light their way back to the main Coleman house.

  “I’ll turn on the grill and get the food started.” Joel gestured those joining them forward. “Anyone who needs to get cleaned up go ahead—guys use the bunkhouse shower room off the downstairs. Ladies, take the main floor bath and my folks’. They’re out for the evening.”

  Jesse glanced at the young woman tucked under his arm. “Well, you’re a damn spoilsport, Joel.”

  His twin sneered. “If I’m stuck cooking, there ain’t nobody having fun in the showers.”

  Hope laughed as Matt reluctantly pushed her toward the upstairs bath. “I need to go—I ain’t cleaned up since I finished chores.”

  She looked him over, long and hard, admiring everything from his jeans to his smile. “I volunteer to come and help scrub.”

  He smiled as he backed away. “You go on and keep thinking those thoughts. I’m pretty sure we can come to some kind of arrangement pretty damn soon.”

  By the time she’d washed off the mud and put on a clean pair of jeans, there was a delicious scent floating on the air. A plate piled high with ribs sat on the counter, a huge pot of baked beans on the stove. The crowd had dwindled to a dozen bodies, and after demolishing the food, that number dropped to just the unmarried Six Pack Coleman boys and three females—Hope included. Everyone else took their leave, happy smiles and sunshine-brightened faces following the laughter and content sounds of family.

  Joel turned on music as Travis lit the fire in the downstairs family room, the long row of windows facing toward the ranch showcasing the lights of the outbuildings as they sparkled in the winter setting. “Temperature’s fallen again. Those Chinooks never stay long, do they?”

  “It was fun while it lasted. Did you enjoy yourself, Zoë?” Jesse leaned closer to his date and lazily drew a finger down the buttons of her blouse.

  Zoë nodded. Jesse took her lips in a slow kiss, their tongues visibly touching as the young woman arched closer, lifting her hands around his neck. Jesse eased her to the floor and broke the kiss, whispering in her ear as he popped open her top buttons.

  Matt shook his head and brought Hope with him to the loveseat. “Those boys—all eager to get to the end of the chase.”

  Across the firelight Jesse stretched out to the right of the laughing young woman. Hope stared as he leaned closer and pressed his lips to her neck. There was a stir of something heated in Hope’s core as she watched them fooling around. Small touches, not too risqué, but enough she got hot watching. Beside her, Matt slipped his fingers into hers and pulled her closer. The guitar in the music strummed lightly, and Hope lifted her face toward Matt and eagerly accepted his kisses.

  For a while there was nothing but a gentle crackle and the faint drift of wood smoke from the fire. Matt threaded his fingers into her hair, pulling tight and making her gasp with the touch of pain. He rubbed with the pads of his fingertips and eased the smarting, keeping their lips in contact.

  Kissing wasn’t enough. She should suggest heading to his trailer so they could fool around, but she was reluctant to leave the warmth of the house. Lazy relaxation mixed together with rising desire. Hope curled her body against Matt’s and enjoyed all his long lean muscles pressed against her. Enjoyed the stroke of his lips over her cheek and the slow slide of his hand up her rib cage as he snuck a hand under her top and found her breast.

  She should feel embarrassed to be groping like teenagers, all of them in the same room, but it felt too damn good to stop. Besides—no one was watching her and Matt. They were all into their own partners. Intimate kisses, nuzzling bodies. Motion caught her eye and she twisted toward the fire, a small gasp escaping.

  Jesse was still with Zoë, but Joel stepped past and lay down on her other side. The woman rolled and eagerly kissed him as well, and a shiver raced over Hope
’s skin.

  Matt followed the direction of her gaze then chuckled lightly. “Those boys are going to be in a heap of trouble some day.”

  There was nothing to say—besides, Hope’s tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, her breath stolen as she watched the twins touching one woman between them. She couldn’t tear her gaze away, not even when they removed Zoë’s top. Joel drew a hand down her torso and followed the motion with his lips.

  Hope swallowed hard. Holy shit.

  Matt twisted himself around, sitting up and facing her. “You like watching, do you?”

  Hope hesitated for a second, then nodded.

  “Come here.” Matt tugged her into his lap, arranging her legs on either side of his strong thighs. “I’ve seen it before. It’s not my kink, but if you want to watch, you go ahead. In the meantime, I’ve got my own things to play with.”

  Hope stared over his shoulder for a moment, amazed that the boys were just going right ahead, right there. Licking and sucking Zoë’s breasts, fingers slipping over her now naked hips.

  They certainly weren’t shy. Well, she wasn’t usually either, in terms of dancing, but this—this—was a whole ’nother beast altogether.

  Her own top was untucked and lifted away. A cool breeze hit her heated flesh, but it wasn’t enough to make her want to stop. She gazed into Matt’s face and smiled. He only had eyes for her—fingers dancing delicately along her bra and bare skin. He traced the edge of the cups before moving over the center where her nipple was taut and tingling.

  “You object to me taking this off? I want my mouth on your tits…”

  Hope paused, glancing the opposite direction where Travis was disappearing into his room, a hand curled around his partner’s waist.