Control (Kenshaw Ranch Book 4)

by Piper Frost

  The minute she steps into the shower my phone starts to ring again and I groan. I'd just ignore it, but it's Brandt and when he calls this late at night it's never anything good.

  “Make it quick, Kenshaw,” I answer, kicking my jeans off to join her in the shower.

  “Berta's in labor,” he says. “She's not doin' so good, Tommy. You need to get out here.”

  Berta's their oldest goat that somehow got herself knocked up. From the looks of how big she is she's either having a massive fucking kid or there are multiples in there. I let out a frustrated groan and my head falls back. I have to go, but I can't leave Affton right now.

  “Yeah, I'll be there soon,” I mutter, ending the call and setting the phone on the counter. “Hey, Beany?”

  She turns in the shower to look at me, her arms covering her chest. My gaze flits to her shield and I narrow my eyes. She's regressed an entire fucking month with just one act from that bastard.

  “Brandt's having issues on the ranch tonight.” God, I feel like an asshole for this. “But I'm going to need to get over there and I need you to come with me.” There's no way I'm leaving her here right now. I know for a fact that in her right mind she wouldn't ever think about going back to that man, but tonight ruined that state of mind.

  “I can't stay?” she asks in confusion.

  “I may need help,” I lie. “Plus it could be fun.” I push a smile to my lips and pull my jeans back on. “Baby goats.” I wiggle my eyebrows even though I feel anything but playful with her right now. I need to snuggle her. I need my arms around her, in my bed.

  For my sake, she smiles and moves slowly to get out of the shower, trying to hide her body from me. I hate when she hides her body from me. Fucking hate it. And I hate the fact that all she's doing is being compliant again. All this time I thought we finally had our girl back, but...fuck! I huff and growl, taking the towel away from her and pushing her hands down, forcing her to look me in the eyes.

  “Don't do this, Beany,” I whisper. “Don't go back there. Get out of your head, it's a dangerous place to be right now.”

  “Please don't be mad at me,” she says with a tremble to her voice.

  “I'm not mad at you, Bean. Jesus.” I pull her in for a hug. “I'm upset at the situation but not at you. Never at you, you hear me?” Leaning back I cup her face in my hands. How one man has that much power over someone is beyond me. “Do you want to come with me tonight?” I'll give her the option and just pray she takes the easy choice. “Because if you want to be here alone, I get it.” I'll have her brother watch the house, but that's another shit storm I'm not sure I'm ready for tonight. Thank god he didn't see the video.

  She's staring at the wall a minute before she nods. “What's it mean if I'm afraid I'll do something stupid if you leave me here alone?” she whispers.

  “It means he's almost lost his grip on you.” I rest my forehead on hers. “It means...” It means she's starting to use her brain instead of the fight or flight she's so used to. “It means you're more country than you thought you were.” And it means she loves me like she's been saying.

  She laughs and grips me tight. “That's over the line.”

  “A man can dream.” I push my lips to hers. “It's totally up to you, but I think you'd have fun at the ranch tonight. Who can resist baby goats?” I smirk at her and a slow, small smile spreads on her lips.

  “I can't resist the sexy vet.” She leans in for a kiss, slowly coming back to me.

  We leave her phone in a drawer on silent in the spare bedroom after she texts her lawyer that she'll be out tomorrow. On the way to the ranch I call Grant and set up the flight and by the time we get there she's been silent the entire drive.

  “I haven't been so excited to spend time in a barn overnight as I am right now.” I nudge her as we walk for the barn door.

  “I...” She starts to laugh. “Don't share your enthusiasm but I appreciate yours.” Her real smile's back as she looks over at me.

  “Ginnie's going to have a new best friend by the end of the night!” I give her a little dance as we walk through the barn to the goat pens in the back and I can't help but laugh.

  “What was that!” She laughs. “Do that again.”

  I roll my eyes, but because I like my girl's laugh so much I stop and do it again, a little more dramatic this time and she rolls in laughter.

  “This ain’t a strip club, Barns!” Brandt yells from the back of the barn. “Get your ass over here. I've never done this before! Whose idea was it for us to get goats anyway?” He curses and pulls off his hat, swiping at his head.

  I glance back at Affton and take her hand in mine. “It was mine,” I whisper, making her giggle harder.

  “Even Kenshaw can't say no to you.”

  “It's the magic dick,” I whisper before stepping around the door and into the goat pens.

  She's laughing, but stays on the other side, looking over the wall with a look of excitement on her face.

  “What's up?” I walk over to Bertha and kneel down. She's resting her head on Brandt's knee and breathing heavy.

  “Something's not right, I don't know. Google didn't teach me how to help pull a kid from a goat, but that thing's stuck and I don't think there's just one in there.” He runs his hand over her head.

  I spend an hour on that barn floor with Brandt, making sure this baby goat gets out safe. I've done a ton of kid birthing's but never anything like this one. Maybe it's the unusual amount of stress I'm in tonight with everything else going on that I figured I was bound to fail this. But when that kid comes out and starts breathing on his own I let out a small victory cheer.

  “Bean, grab that towel,” I blurt, motioning to the bench on the other side of the pen.

  She does what I ask quicker than expected but she's been practically biting her nails the past hour. After tending to the kid, I stand. The mom's still uncomfortable and from the looks of it there's another one on the way. Walking over to Affton, I smile at her and hold the swaddled goat out to her.

  “All you gotta do is bounce it. Like... Think of dancing. While holding a baby goat.” I chuckle at the look she's giving me.

  “B-bounce it?” She slowly takes the swaddled kid. “Bounce it,” she repeats and glances at Brandt before doing what I asked.

  I watch her for a moment and my chest warms seeing her so focused on making sure this kid's healthy, then I move back to the doe for another round. This time isn't as easy as the first, and when we finally can see what's going on we see that the other kid is breech and hasn't made any progress for too long. Brandt's a ball of nerves but I know what the end game is here before it's even official. She's not going to make it. I'll be lucky if the mom makes it through this the way the baby's positioned.

  It takes an hour full of curse words and silence, and when it's all over there's a knot in my throat threatening to break free. Brandt's jaw is set as his eyes lock on the mom, trying not to look at the stillborn.

  “I'm sorry, Berta,” he whispers, running his hand down her back.

  This part of the job is never easy, and it's never fun. Two kids, but only one to raise. I look up at Affton, the pure joy I had completely gone. She's still bouncing the kid and I meant to tell her she only had to do it for a few minutes but I lost track of the last hour or so.

  “Baby two didn't make it,” I say, standing up and walking over to Affton.

  The look on her face makes my gut twist. I thought bringing her here tonight would be good for her, but it turned to shit like everything else has tonight.

  “I'm gonna get things cleaned up. You alright with that one?” Brandt's tone is less enthusiastic than it was earlier. He's been a rancher his entire life. It’s in his blood and animals having a stillborn is just a part of life. Doesn't make it any easier in the moment though.

  “Yeah.” She nods, holding the goat closer and glancing toward the stillborn before turning her back. When she nuzzles her face to the kid in her arms, I can't tear my eyes from her.

>   “What should we name him?” I ask, walking around her and leaning back on the workbench, watching her coddle this goat that needs to get on its feet and start feeding soon. I don't have the heart to tell her she needs to put him down yet though.

  “I can name him?” She grins at me.

  “Sure.” I shrug. “Why not?”

  “S...Sa...mmm...Simon.”

  I smile wide, because she looks so proud to name this kid.

  “I love it. Simon and Ginnie.” I smirk, walking over to her and pushing my lips to hers before locking our gazes. “We gotta put Simon down now so he can go eat.”

  “Oh.” She laughs. “Right.” Her cheeks turn pink as she hands him over to me. “He became my baby for a while there.”

  “I think he likes you.” I slowly set him on the ground and it takes him a few failed attempts to figure out how to walk correctly but when he does he makes a beeline for his mom. “Thank you for your help tonight. We couldn’t have done this without you, Bean.” I nudge her. I want to wrap my arms around her but I also need a very hot, very soapy shower.

  “I'm not sure about that, but getting a glimpse at your job was exciting.” She's staring at me like earlier tonight didn't happen, but when Brandt clears his throat, she moves away.

  Today's been one massive roller coaster ride, and I'll be glad when tomorrow's over.

  We head home and I wrap my arms around her in bed, just breathing her in and trying to figure out how to keep her here. Because if after all of this, she still wants to leave? I can't. I can't do that to my dad or to myself, because I know for a fact I won't be happy anywhere else. Call me selfish, but I've seen how happy she's been here when the weight of the world isn't on her shoulders.

  I know she can be that happy again.

  With Tommy close enough to be my shadow, Grant flew us to California. I kept my head down and cowered every step we took. When we met my lawyer at his office, he was pissed, releasing a verbal tirade because I wasn't honest about the abuse. There's grand ideas of pressing charges and getting Corey locked up but I know how all this happens and since Douglas is my friend, he's respected my wishes to let me lay low for a while. He's doing everything he can to get my divorce settled without Corey signing, but that'll require court time and that means seeing Corey. I cried the entire flight home because I'm trying to move on. I'm happily in love in the most twisted turn of events and I can't divorce my husband so me and Tommy can at least let go of that part of my life. When we get home, Tommy knows what to do to make me forget the bullshit I'm trying to leave behind. Falling asleep and waking up with his arms around me is something I never realized I was missing.

  “How often does Grant stay here?” I ask Tommy, changing the sheets on our bed.

  Grant's been here three days this week, and I don't mind, but I'm just curious if I'll need to get used to Grant Matthews being around. He was a constant when we were kids, but it was fine back then. We were all friends. We’re still friends, but I feel like he's judging me.

  “Used to stay the majority of the week,” Tommy says, pulling on a t-shirt, cutting off my view of muscles and tattoos. I've never been blind, but I never appreciated a body like I do Tommy's. “He's backed off a bit though. It bother you?”

  “No,” I answer honestly. “Sometimes I feel like he's watching me.” When I look at Tommy, his eyebrows are high, but that's not what I mean. “I mean, judging me. Like he thinks I'm not actually making an effort in this relationship.”

  “I think he's worried my heart's on the line with the girl I've always pined for,” he says, smirking. “But I know he doesn't think that about you, Bean.” Tommy steps across the room and rests his hands on my shoulders. “No one in this town is judging you, Affton.” He pushes his lips to mine. “Grant, Bo, Kinlee, Chase, Brandt. They're all more excited than you know that you're still here. If it makes you uncomfortable that Grant's here this much, I'll tell him to go back to his place.” He chuckles. “He pays for a damn apartment, but he's always just ended up here because it's closer.”

  “I'm not trying to change your life.” I smile. “Besides, maybe Grant can rent your house when we move out of the country.” We've never had this conversation and I don't see it going well, but I have to start working again. I've been here over a month and I'm too young to retire. My divorce papers aren't signed yet, but my lawyer advised that I start moving on with my life. We can't press for no fault for a few months, but that'll be the next step.

  “Grant can't afford this place,” he whispers. “Plus, I wouldn't trust him to take care of Ginnie and Simon.” He grins and starts slowly walking us backwards, forcing me to drop the pillow I was fluffing.

  “Maybe we can take the goats.” I chuckle, grabbing the waist of his jeans. “I need to start looking for work, Tommy.” My fingers unbutton his pants.

  He dips his lips to my collarbone and groans. “Can I hire you to be my maid?” His hands grip my hips and his fingers start lifting my dress. “I've never had a maid before. I can pay with my magic dick.” I feel his smirk on my neck.

  “I think we've already got this agreement anyway.” I pull his shirt off before pushing his pants down. “You think Grant likes to listen to us fuck?” I slide my hand into his boxers and grip his hard cock.

  “I don't think he's annoyed by it yet,” he chuckles, then moans when I stroke him. “You wanna go ask him?” He quirks an eyebrow at me.

  We haven't gotten drunk and messed around with Grant again, but I can't lie and say I haven't thought about it at least a dozen times since.

  “You'd like that, wouldn't you? So is it Grant that does it for you? Or do you just like an audience when you make girls come?” I slide my thumb over the slick tip of his cock and withhold my chuckle.

  He bites his lip, grinning. “I like watching you come, Affton. With me. By yourself. Maybe one day from him, sure...but it's all about you, Bean.” His eyes close briefly. “What about letting me watch? To be able to watch you completely come unraveled from someone else? Shit,” he puffs out a breath. His hands unzip my dress before it slips to the floor and he wastes no time to check if it's on my mind now.

  “You want to watch Grant fuck me?” I'm not a prude but I've never done it and I can't say I ever thought I would, but the idea gets me hotter than I imagined, especially when Tommy's breathing like the idea could make him come instantly. I gasp when his fingers slid over my pussy and my grip around his cock while I stroke him tightens.

  “God, I do,” he moans. “The thought of watching you makes me so fucking hard, Beany. Does it make you wet? Turn you on?” He smirks and pushes his fingers into me. “So you've been thinking about it, huh?”

  “Maybe.” I moan, thrusting against his fingers. “It's not Grant that does it for me though. I just like the thought of how hard it gets you.”

  “So hard,” he mutters, his hand cupping my breast and his lips wrapping around my nipple, making me moan. “You just have to say the word, Bean.” He pushes his lips to mine and grips my hips. “Turn around.”

  I face the wall and push my ass against him. It's on the tip of my tongue to have him bring Grant in here but I close my eyes and press my forehead against the wall while he rubs his hard dick over my ass.

  “I fucking love this ass, Affton,” he huffs then chuckles. “I mean, I love the rest of you, too. But my god.” His hands roam my ass and he moans. He trails his fingers down, then pushes them into me before slipping them out and pushing his cock inside. “Fuck, Bean,” he whispers, his hands gripping my hips tight.

  “Shit,” I whimper and spread my legs a little wider. “I'm fucking dripping,” I moan when he pushes as deep as he can and my hips start to vibrate.

  “You feel fucking amazing, Beany.” He slams into me over and over. His hand grips my shoulder as he rocks his hips, then lets his hand trail down my back. “Fuck.” He's breathing heavy and the noises that fill this room have probably drawn Grant's attention if he's still inside the house.

  “Harder,” I mo
an, my nails scratching down the wall as he drills into me harder. As my orgasm gets closer, a string of obscenities, that I've never spewed, fly from me and not because I didn't want to, but I couldn't say this with anyone except Tommy.

  “I'm close, Bean,” he huffs, slamming into me and grunting. “You gonna come on my dick?” He hits me so deep it's almost painful but it's a weird pleasure pain.

  “Shit!” My knee hits the wall for support to help keep me on my feet and I reach over to use the dresser because he's hitting a spot that could bring me to my knees in tears strictly out of pleasure.

  The orgasm that rushes through me makes me scream loud enough my throat hurts. The feel of my come rolls down my thighs and my eyes are so wide they could fall out of my head. Tommy Barns has always had a magic dick. I press my forehead against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Tommy curses loud and finishes with a bellow that rivaled my scream. His hands are tight on my hips and his breathing erratic. His hand slaps the wall next to my head when he finishes, heavy breaths and full of sweat, he presses kisses to my back and up my neck.

  “I fucking love you so much, Affton.”

  I grin and spin around, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him. “I love everything about you. Especially that magic dick.” I glance down at the mess we've made on the hardwood floor and thank god it's not carpet. “I need another shower.” I kiss him again then grab my robe.

  When I look back at him, he's leaned against the dresser still catching his breath and I open the door, stopping when I see Grant standing in the hall, staring at me. I slip out and close the door behind me, not really sure what to say, especially when I see he's gripping himself over his jeans. I shake my head.