Wild Rugged Daddy_A Single Daddy Mountain Man Romance

by Sienna Parks

  Her reaction at the new building has me stumped. Her words said no, but her body said yes. I know it’s fast, we’ve only been seeing each other for three months, but I’m certain she’s the person I want at my side on this venture. It’s a chance to take my life in a different direction, and I crave that. If I’m going to stay in this town, it has to be on my terms. I need people to take me seriously and stop heaping coals for behavior that is part of my past.

  Savannah is the fresh start I’ve always wanted. When she looks at me, she doesn’t see the idiot, the player, the unfeeling bad boy, or the boy whose daddy didn’t want him. I like the man I’m becoming when I look into her eyes. She sees who I’m trying to be—the potential of the man I will be one day. No one has ever looked at me that way before.

  “Just over the horizon and take a left up that hill.” Her smile beams brighter than the noonday sun shining light on the darkest part of my soul. I can tell the moment the barn comes into view—her eyes widen, and she comes to a grinding halt.

  “It’s… like something from a fairytale.”

  “Fit for my princess. Come on, let me show you around.” We take it slow, the horses trotting the incline with practiced ease. Her joy is palpable as we reach the top and hitch the horses outside the entrance.

  “This is so beautiful. Why have I never seen this place before?”

  “We were renovating it. This place had been rundown since before I was born. Mad’s grandparents were married in here, and he always saw himself marrying A.B. on the ranch. We plan on using it to host weddings, but the way you see it now was all done with them in mind. I wish you had been in town for the wedding.”

  “Me, too. I’m sure it was stunning. What an amazing place to get married. If I could have changed my trip back home, I would have. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  “Don’t apologize. I can’t expect you to change your plans for me. Anyway, I have more cool upgrades to show you in here.” I flip the switch on the electricity—thousands of twinkling lights come to life throughout the eaves. I hook my phone up to the sound system and music begins to gently play in the background. “Now come with me.” Holding out my hand, I lead her to the center of the barn, her boots echoing on the hardwood floors.

  I lie down and beckon her to join me. She positions her body at a right angle and settles her head on my chest. From above, we must look like a human ‘T.’ I run my fingers through her hair enjoying the tranquility.

  “Look up.” With the doors to the barn closed, you can’t tell the time of day, and the twinkling lights resemble a clear night sky… but with air conditioning! “I come up by myself sometimes and do this. It’s become my thinking spot.”

  “Why did you decide to bring me here now if this is the place where you like to be alone?”

  “I wanted to share it with you. The old barn was… a different kind of spot for me. I didn’t want to taint you with that part of my past, but since the renovation and the wedding, it feels different… somewhere I’m proud to bring you, not the seedy place I’m ashamed of.” She turns to face me.

  “Why do you feel ashamed? Do I make you feel like that? It’s never been my intention.”

  “It’s not you. It’s me.”

  “Jax, I’ve never asked or wanted you to apologize for who you were before we met. Your journey made you the man I know. A good, honest, caring man who makes me proud. Do you think I would be here if I felt you should be ashamed of your past?” Her gaze falters staring off into the distance. “We’ve all got skeletons in our closet. I’m not some perfect princess. I have flaws, and I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. If we can’t see the good in ourselves, how are we supposed to value the good in other people? You’ve got to give yourself a break once in a while. You’re a good man, Jackson McKinney. I think you’re a great man.”

  “Really?”

  “Truly.” She presses her lips to mine in a tender kiss before moving back into her position on my chest. I don’t know how long we lie in contented silence—the length of a dozen songs or so. It’s relaxing, all my worries ebbing away like the tides of Galveston Bay.

  “Thanks for coming up here with me today.”

  “I could stay here forever and never tire of it.” Her voice is almost dreamlike as she lets herself open up to me. “Can we stay a little longer? This place… you… make me feel safe like everything’s going to work out. I’m always on edge waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s been that way since my mom died. Then I met you, and that gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach has slowly transformed and evolved into… butterflies of anticipation. You give me hope.” The music stops, and it’s as if she’s awoken from her dream realizing her vulnerability at this moment. Scrambling to her feet, she wipes herself down and brushes her hair back behind her ears.

  “Savannah.” I grab hold of her hand and stand to face her. Her gaze finds mine as I slide my fingers over the soft skin of her cheeks cupping her delicate features in the palm of my hands. “Do you know how much I want you?” My lips find hers in a whisper of a kiss—a plea for more. Her tongue licks at the seam of my lips before finding mine in a slow, sensual fuck. Our tongues twist and tangle as I make love to her mouth—her hands fisting in my hair, pulling me closer, begging for more.

  “Jackson… I…” She’s lost for words as I tug at her hair angling her neck just right to kiss, caress, and nibble from her shoulder to just below her ear making her squirm and writhe against my chest.

  “What are you doing to me?” Her moans of satisfaction drive me wild. “I can’t get enough of you. I want you so much it fucking hurts. I love you, Savannah.” I continue my ministrations, my hands roaming, kissing between the lapels of her shirt edging closer to the swell of her breasts.

  “Thank you.” Her words slam into me like a brick wall. My chest tightens, and I feel like I’m having a heart attack. I back away—the look of horror on her face is like a knife slicing into my soul. “Jax.”

  “Thank you? After all this time, that’s all you have to say to me?”

  “I… you took me by surprise.”

  “Okay.” I’m waiting for some other response. I didn’t say it to force her to say it back, but thank you?

  “I need to go.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now? I’m not asking you to say it back, but it would sting a whole lot less if you weren’t looking at me like I just killed your dog.”

  “This wasn’t the plan, Jackson. This was never the plan!”

  “Let’s go.” I need to take a breath. I don’t want to say something I’m going to regret—more than I regret the three little words that just changed everything. She follows close at my heels but doesn’t say another word. I unhitch the horses and give her a leg up. When I’m certain she’s fine, I throw myself up onto the back of Misty and pull on the reins. Savannah is by my side the whole way back to the stables, her eyes fixed on my every move, but I can’t look at her.

  It’s not in my nature to offer myself up for rejection. I got enough of that from my parents, and I didn’t like the way it made me feel growing up. This feels exponentially worse. I’m not proud of myself, but the moment Maddox appears close to the stables, I bark orders at him and jerk Misty in the opposite direction. “Stable Artemis and make sure Savannah gets home safely. I have something I need to take care of.”

  “Jax, please… stay and talk to me.”

  “I gave you the chance to talk, and you left me hanging in the wind. I need some air. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry.” The pain in her voice crushes me.

  “Me, too.” I take off, my lungs filling with air the further I get from the stables—distance giving me room to breathe before I suffocate.

  I ride until I reach the creek stopping to let Misty drink and rest a while. As the sun sets on the horizon, I welcome the darkness. I can lose myself out here—and find myself. I know I can’t let Savannah go, even if she doesn’t love me, but I don’t know how to do this stuff.
Relationships are foreign ground, and maybe I’m not the quickest study, but I’ll figure it out.

  I ride long after dark only returning to the ranch when I’m sure I won’t jump straight in my truck and drive over to Savannah’s cottage. Self-restraint has never been my strong suit. I take my time feeding Misty and brushing her before taking my usual space on the back porch. Mad is waiting with a beer and no judgment.

  “You okay, bro?”

  “No.” I down my beer and reach for another.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  SAVANNAH

  The weather is wild today, but I need to see Jax. I’ve been putting it off all day, and if I don’t tell him now, I think I’ll explode. I froze the other night when he told me he loves me. I wanted to say it back, but there is still so much he doesn’t know about me. I was afraid, but every moment since, I’ve been more scared about not telling him how I feel.

  Rain lashes off the ground, wind howling through the trees, and the wiper blades on my rental car snapping back and forth trying to keep up with the torrent of water obscuring my vision of the road ahead. The car sways with each gust of wind making me increasingly nervous as I try to navigate my way to the ranch.

  As I drive through the gates of Mustang knowing it will be the last time, my tears fall freely. Maddox is outside securing storm shutters, and there’s an eerie quiet in the air. There are no horses in the fields, no machinery—even the trucks are inside the barn. When he hears me pull up, Maddox makes his way over to the car.

  “What the hell are you doing here? There’s a tropical storm coming.” His concern for my well-being tugs at my heartstrings.

  “I need to talk to Jax. Is he inside?”

  “He took off after one of the mustangs that got spooked by the thunder.”

  “I thought you said there’s a storm coming? Why did you let him go?” He rolls his eyes.

  “Since when does Jax listen to anyone? I begged him not to go. That was an hour ago. If he’s not back soon, I’m going after him.” My heart starts to pound with worry.

  “Why didn’t you stop him if it’s that serious? You know he’s hardheaded.”

  “Yeah, I know him better than you do. There was no persuading him. Maybe if he didn’t seem to have so much on his mind lately, he’d be thinking more clearly.” He’s right. I’ve been throwing so many mixed signals at him—this is all my fault. With that realization, I cut the engine and jump out of the car.

  “Which way did he go?”

  “He was heading up to the north side of the ranch. You can’t go out there. A city girl like you, you’ll get yourself killed. I thought you were good for him, but he came in here looking more pitiful than a three-legged dog. Why don’t you just leave him be?”

  “I love him, and I need to tell him. I can’t just stand here waiting for him to return, or worse, wait until it’s too late.”

  “Jax knows this ranch like the back of his hand. This isn’t the first storm he’s been through. He can take care of himself.”

  “Well, maybe if you weren’t so wrapped up in your own life, you’d see that he needs someone who cares about him and puts him first.” I can’t listen to him any longer. I thought he was a hero, the man I came here for, but my hero has been in front of me all this time—it’s Jackson. If I don’t tell him now, I may not get another chance. I take off running into the field with Maddox shouting for me to come back, but everything inside me propels me forward, the resistance of the wind and rain unable to stop me. For the first time since my mom died, I know what I want and where I’m supposed to be. The secrets that brought me to Kingsbury Falls can stay secrets if it means I can be with Jax.

  Running turns to a jog before slowing to a walk. The fields are becoming more difficult to navigate as water begins to saturate the ground making it harder to lift my feet as they sink into the mud. I start screaming Jax’s name as I listen for any clue as to his direction.

  “Jackson! Jax! Where are you? It’s Savannah! Jax!” The wind is picking up becoming so loud I doubt whether he would hear me calling him or I would hear his reply. Then it dawns on me—he knows where to go if the weather is too bad to make it back to the ranch—the barn. I grapple through the now marshy field toward the barn. Thank God, he took me there. I doubt I could find my way back to the ranch house at this point. It’s my only option for shelter.

  It takes a lifetime for the dilapidated barn to come into view, and even then, it’s obscured by torrential rain. I have no idea how long it took me to get here, but I stumble toward it like a man in the desert afraid it’s just a mirage.

  The moment I get inside, I begin to feel the stinging effects the rain had on my skin and drop to the floor in relief.

  “Jax! Are you here? Jackson, please. I’m scared.” I crumble, my stubborn resolve battered and bruised by a storm unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. As I scream and curse panicking about what to do and where to find Jax, I failed to notice the wild mustang in what looks like a make-shift stable. It bucks with every rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. Jax must have been here. The stable gate shakes as the horse’s hooves make contact filling me with dread. If he gets loose, I’m in trouble. “Jax!” The floorboards start to move, and I scramble into the corner scared of what animal is underneath. A trapdoor opens, and the silhouette that appears makes my heart sing. It’s him!

  “Savannah? What the hell are you doing out in this storm? Are you crazy?” I run into his arms never happier to feel the warmth of his embrace. Tears stream down my face as I thank my lucky stars that I managed to get to him.

  “I came to the ranch to talk to you, but Maddox told me you were stupid enough to go out in this weather.” He pushes me back holding me by my shoulders.

  “Because I know how to shelter myself and wait it out. You don’t.”

  “Chicago has bad weather, too. You don’t have a monopoly on it.”

  “Come with me.” He takes my hand and leads me into a bunker.

  “Is it safe to be below water level?”

  “It’s not a cellar, it’s a bomb shelter. Mad’s great-granddaddy was worried the Germans were coming for him. Bit of a conspiracy theorist if you ask me, but it serves its purpose at times like this. We can ride out the tornado warning in here, and then I’ll get us back to the ranch before the worst of the rain hits.” I step into the darkness unafraid now that I’m with Jax. Just being with him soothes all my fears. He grabs a lamp and a towel before sitting me down on an old couch. As the soft light uncovers our surroundings, it’s like stepping back in time. The supplies are basic but comfortable enough to get a family through for at least a week.

  “This place is…”

  “A trip?”

  “Yeah.” He kneels before me wiping the rain from my skin before wrapping the towel around my shoulders.

  “I need to find you some clothes. You can’t stay in those, or you’ll catch your death.” I grab his hand as he turns to search the bunker.

  “Wait!”

  “What’s wrong, Savannah? Why did you risk your safety to come up here?”

  “I…” I need to tell him how I feel. “I love you, Jackson. I never expected this when I came to Kingsbury Falls, and I got scared the other day when you said it, but I had to tell you. I love…” His lips find mine with a passion I’ve denied for too long.

  “I love you, too.” He pushes the towel from my shoulders, his hands roaming my body as the tension between us rises to a fever pitch. I reach to loosen his belt buckle, but it startles him, and he puts some distance between us. “Let’s get you dry. I’m sure there’s something around here you can wear.” I’ve pushed him back every time things have become heated between us. I can’t blame him for reacting this way now. He doesn’t even glance in my direction as he disappears into the darkest corners of the shelter.

  I’ve never wanted to give myself to someone the way I do with him. I want to share every part of my body, mind, and soul even though I know it�
�s dangerous. Today feels like we are lost in our own little world, if only for a short time. I pull my dripping wet t-shirt over my head and push my shorts to the ground. My bra and panties are soaked. Emboldened by the darkness that surrounds me, I slip the straps over my shoulders unhooking the black lace bra before dropping it to the floor and sliding my fingers under the sides of my panties. As they fall to my feet, I take a step forward.

  “Jackson.”

  With an oversized plaid shirt in his hand, he turns to me knocking over the lamp. I watch his reaction with apprehension as the lamp casts a light over my body. His jaw drops as he throws the shirt to the floor.

  “Fuck me, Savannah.” He averts his gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were naked.”

  “Look at me, Jax. I want you to… I need you to. We’ve waited long enough.” A fire ignites in his eyes as he takes in the sight of me willing and ready for him.

  “Why have you been hiding from me? And why now?” I pull the towel from the couch to cover myself.

  “Sorry, I thought you wanted…”

  “I do! I fucking do. I just need to know you’re sure.”

  “I am.” He strides toward me snatching the towel from my hands. I move to unbutton his shirt, but everything feels too urgent to waste time. He rips it open, buttons flying in every direction.

  He dips his head to my breast flicking his tongue over my pebbled nipple, and his warm, callused hand grips my other breast.

  “God, you’re stunning.” His hands begin to roam my body before settling on my ass and hoisting me into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist, the denim of his jeans tantalizing my folds as I grind against him taking his lips in a desperate kiss. I can’t get enough tugging on his messy hair to elicit a sexy-as-hell groan. Pressing my back against the cool concrete wall, he makes short work of his belt and fly with one hand shoving them to the ground. Skin to skin, I shudder in ecstasy and anticipation.