Rocky Mountain Home

by Vivian Arend

  “Jeez, Dare.”

  “I mean it,” she said sternly. “Don’t do that. Don’t be that guy.”

  “What if he finds out? Wouldn’t it be even worse to find out from someone other than me?”

  “Who else knows? I mean, I swear I’ll never tell.”

  Jesse made a face. “Rafe knows.”

  “Right.” Understanding dawned in her eyes. “That’s why he gave you the black eye—I like him, by the way.”

  A tiny sliver of amusement managed to push past Jesse’s frustration. “Of course you do. You should like all my cousins and brothers then. I’m pretty sure every one of them has given me a black eye at some point in my life.”

  Dare sighed in exasperation. “Here’s a clue, Jesse. That’s not something to boast about.”

  “Sorry.”

  Her lips twitched. “Regarding Rafe, he’s the only one you need to go talk to. Tell him how much it means to keep this quiet and let it go. Don’t let him dictate what comes next.” She lifted her fingers to stroke over his cheek and around his ear, caressing softly. “It’s up to you, but if I were Vicki, and what you’ve said she cared about? What I’d want most was for you and Joel to be tight again. I’d feel terrible if it seemed as if I was the one keeping you apart. You’ve got to put this behind you. Not only for your sake, but for theirs.”

  It was an awful lot to take in. Jesse sat quietly, running through every single one of her comments, and the hard truths that she’d smacked him with. When she leaned forward and curled her arms around his waist, nestling their bodies together, a shot of pure adrenaline raced through him.

  She wasn’t rejecting him. She totally should have, but she wasn’t, and he wasn’t going to be a fool and give that up.

  “Still going to feel guilty,” he confessed.

  “If you can feel guilty without acting like an ass then you go right ahead. Consider it your penance.” She spoke against his shoulder, her head twisted to the side. “I hope someday you’ll forgive yourself. Until then, keep your damn mouth shut.”

  She fell quiet again, and the silence in the room deepened. Jesse concentrated on taking slow, controlled breaths. Her body moved gently against his, and it was like a warm blanket had been wrapped around them to form a cocoon.

  He didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to break the spell that she’d seemed to cast over him. He held her in his arms, fingers drifting up to stroke through her long hair. There was still so much to deal with, but right then, for the first time in a long time, that knot of pain he’d been carrying eased the slightest bit.

  My God, her brain was near to exploding. Jesse had been dealing with the pain of this whole mess for years?

  In her mind he’d already been suitably punished.

  While it would take some time for the dust to settle, her opinion of Jesse hadn’t gone down. The fact he’d struggled with this, and known he made a mistake made it possible for her to want the best for him.

  But Vicki? Had gone way up in Dare’s esteem. It was impossible not to admire that even in her unconscious state the woman had been willing to sacrifice her own happiness.

  Dare didn’t think she could be that giving.

  Jesse’s confession explained so many things on another entire level. She wasn’t going to hold this over Jesse’s head, but it was clear he had a lot of bridges to rebuild with his family. Admiration grew higher for the Colemans as a whole. She bet Jesse had been an absolute bear to deal with over the past years, but here they were. Still willing to accept him back, and accept her into their midst.

  Jaxi’s comment about being family through thick and thin made much more sense now.

  Dare stroked her fingers along the waistband of Jesse’s jeans, curling against him tighter. She wanted to bring the conversation back to what they were going to do, but figured maybe it was time she let him take a breather.

  Besides, until the doctor gave her official word, it wasn’t as if they could make any decisions.

  Jesse adjusted position and suddenly she found herself being lifted into his lap, one arm supporting her back as his other hand tucked under her chin and lifted her lips to his. He kissed her slowly. A tender connection as if he was afraid she was breakable.

  No—as if he was afraid that they were breakable, and he had to be cautious.

  Dare welcomed his caress. Turned it around and sent back as much sweet longing as she could into her touch. She lifted a hand to his face, stroking her palm past the rough growth on his chin as he deepened the connection. Taking control and reigniting the wick of desire inside her.

  Of course, that’s when someone knocked on the door.

  They broke apart, but Jesse gave her cheek one final brush with his knuckles. “We’re not done,” he warned her in a soft whisper.

  “Mr. Coleman, if you would be so kind as to find a different place to sit,” Dr. Kincaid offered sternly as he marched forward, but there was amusement in his voice.

  Dare wiggled back on the mattress as Jesse hopped off the bed and straightened himself. The doctor stepped closer, chart in hands as he came to stand near the foot of the bed. He looked extremely happy, and everything else they’d been talking about that had been distracting her from her main fears vanished.

  Yes, her hands were on top of her belly again. “I didn’t expect you until later today,” Dare said.

  He waggled the clipboard in the air. “I happened to be in early, and Calgary got back to us with results, so I figured I would let you know the good news as soon as possible. Test results—I’ll give you the specifics later, but to put it plainly, everything we wanted to come back negative, did. There are no ongoing concerns for the baby, or for you.”

  “Thank God.”

  Jesse caught her hand in his and squeezed. “Okay. That’s…good. Very good.”

  Dr. Kincaid smiled. “It is good. I’m going to send a note to your doctor in Heart Falls. She’ll want to keep an eye on a couple things going forward, especially your blood pressure.”

  “What if we ended up staying in the area?” Jesse asked.

  Wow. Dare hadn’t expected that.

  He wasn’t looking at her, instead focused on the doctor. “We’re not sure what we’re doing yet, but if we move into the area, can you take Dare as a full-time patient?”

  Dr. Kincaid nodded immediately. “Of course. Not only do we already have a relationship because of this past weekend, I’m certainly not going to turn down the opportunity to deliver a Coleman baby.”

  Dare listened to the rest of the doctor’s comments in a bit of a daze, pulling out her calendar to add his office number so she could set up an appointment in a month’s time.

  Dr. Kincaid left a final prescription for a couple tests. As the door closed after him, she and Jesse stared at each other.

  It was fast. Really fast. “Are we staying?” she asked.

  Jesse dipped his head slowly. “Why not? We might have just come for a visit, but your point about having a good doctor makes this into a no-brainer for me. Rocky is the best place for you to have Buckaroo. I’m not messing with that, if you’re okay staying.”

  Yes. Of course. Dare pulled her brain back into line. This was about Buckaroo. It always had been.

  “So, what comes next?” she asked.

  Jesse pointed to the paper Dr. Kincaid had left. “I’ll grab Tamara or whoever is on the nursing roster this morning and let them help you finish up that final test. While you’re busy, I’ll take care of the other details.”

  Still buzzing from surprise and the emotion of the morning, Dare accepted Jesse’s quick kiss before he vanished. She moved in a happy daze, getting a few final bits of vital information along the way.

  Jesse returned just as she’d finished dressing, packing her things into her bag.

  “You ready for this?” he asked.

  “Are you?”

  He nodded. “I think staying in Rocky for now is a great idea.”

  That sounded a lot more confident than not even an hou

r ago. Dare eyed him closely. “You sure? You’re not going to have troubles dealing with…anyone?”

  He shook his head. “I’m a grownup, and you’re right—it’s my bullshit, not theirs. Time to keep my mouth shut and move on.”

  Cautiously optimistic, Dare agreed. “This isn’t a commitment on either of our parts to stay for good, right? Just to be clear.”

  “No, but we’ll stay for now. Until you have the baby for sure. We’ll take it from there, and see what’s best for Buckaroo.”

  “You can work?”

  Jesse offered a thumbs-up. “I got hold of Blake. He said no problem to putting me full-time on the schedule. I called Joel, and we’re welcome to stay at the trailer with him and Vicki until the rental is free. And before you ask again, it’s not going to be a problem for me. You might have to remind me every now and then to stop being an asshole, but I can do this.”

  A strange sense of wonder slipped over Dare. “Okay. That sounds great.”

  A familiar sound, one she hadn’t heard very much that day slipped from him. A soft chuckle, full of mischief and teasing. “I’m a little bit worried about putting you with Vicki, the way the two of you get along like a house on fire.”

  “It’s good to have backup to counteract you and your brothers. As in, there’s an awful lot of testosterone around when the Six Pack clan gathers,” Dare pointed out.

  He stepped toward her, slipping his arms around her. “I hope you don’t mind all of the testosterone.”

  She slid her arms up his chest until she could link her fingers behind his neck. “By the way, I got to chat with Dr. Kincaid one more time while you were gone.”

  His face folded into a frown. “Okaaaaay…”

  “Just wanted to double-check that it was okay to enjoy some testosterone, if you know what I mean.”

  A slow, seductive grin teased back. “Ahh, you asked the good doctor about sex.”

  “I did. He said it was fine.” There was a whole lot more snickering going on than Dare had expected in response to what she thought was a brilliant bit of research. “What’s so funny?”

  Jesse pulled her tightly against him. “I wondered why he was smirking when I tracked him down to ask him the same thing.”

  She dropped her head against Jesse’s chest. “Great. So now my doctor knows that we’re sex fiends.”

  A snort escaped him. “He’s the doctor to my entire family. I think he’s probably aware we’ve got healthy sex drives.”

  Dare slapped Jesse’s chest lightly, but even as embarrassing as it was, she was glad.

  They were doing the next thing, both she and Jesse. Like taking a step into the unknown. Buckaroo rolled, and she caught her breath at the sensation.

  It was all pretty unknown, to be truthful. An adventure, Ginny had said.

  Oh boy. Ginny…

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Blog post: Home Is Where You Hang Your Hat

  Great news to report. Buckaroo has been given the all clear along with yours truly, and we’ve decided to stay in the area. Yes. We’re moving.

  I know, all my home-loving creature-comfort blog followers are wondering if I’ve gone around the bend. Maybe a little, but I’m sure that’s a side effect of pregnancy.

  The funny thing is, as much as I love Silver Stone ranch, it’s not so much the specific items on the shelf as the emotions they evoke that make the place home. I was making a list of what I had to have to be happy, and I found myself writing down things like walks beside a creek, the sun on the mountains, watching chickens in the coop after you throw them a handful of feed. A hug that wraps around me like a warm blanket. A crackling fire.

  Neat thing, they have all those things here, and more.

  Ready for a challenge? Make a list—don’t think about it too hard, just write down the first things that come to mind. What makes you happy? What makes you smile? If you’d like, share the top three items on your list. Oh, and if any of them are things I’m not going to judge. It’s your happy list.

  They talked about the timing of the move on the drive back to Joel and Vicki’s trailer.

  Jesse laughed. “It won’t take much for me to move. I never unpacked at your place.”

  “I wasn’t planning on bringing everything. Not until we have more room,” Dare told him. “I don’t need too many clothes because my stuff isn’t going to fit for much longer, and I’ve already been offered more loaner maternity stuff than I could wear during a dozen pregnancies.”

  He nodded. “Just tell me how much time you want and I’ll arrange it with Blake. He knows we need to do this, so he won’t expect me around regular-like until we’re settled.”

  Dare considered. She didn’t have that big of a list she wanted to bring. “Could we go back tomorrow? Between your truck and mine, and the two horse trailers, we can grab everything and return on Wednesday. Morgan is probably missing us like crazy.”

  Jesse made a face.

  “Too soon?”

  “Oh, it’s not that. I just realized your brothers aren’t going to like this much.”

  She leaned back in the seat and adjusted the seat belt higher over her belly. “Good thing I don’t run my life by brother-led committee. They don’t have to like it. Besides, it’s not as if they can even be mad about losing my help around the place. Other than watching the girls for Caleb, I wasn’t going to act as a ranch hand for much longer, anyway.”

  “You want to grab Baby?”

  “Definitely.” She reached across the space between them to bump her fist gently into his arm. “Another thing I asked the doctor about. Yes, I can ride for a few more months, and I’ll be the safest on her. I know her, and she’s not about to act up.”

  He captured her hand before she could pull it back, linking their fingers together. “That’s pretty funny the two things you made sure you asked the doctor about were riding and sex.”

  “Nearly the same thing,” she teased.

  “Well, I am hung like a horse.”

  A laugh burst free. “Here I was expecting you to make some comment about wanting me in cowgirl position.”

  “That’s a given.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, nipping at her knuckles before using his tongue to outline the grooves between her fingers. Desire raced up her spine as he sucked her pinky into his mouth.

  She shivered. “Don’t start something we can’t finish.”

  Jesse sighed heavily. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles before setting her free. “I hate to admit you’re right, but I should go and let Blake know our plans. Rain check on this?”

  “You know it.”

  He pulled into the parking space outside the trailer. He made it around to her door before she could hit the ground.

  They pushed through the door into the cozy home. Dare put her computer on the kitchen table while Jesse deposited her clothes bag on a chair.

  “You need anything?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll give Vicki a call to find out what she’s got planned for supper to see if I can get it started.”

  For a split second he tensed before giving his head a shake. “You’ve got her number?”

  “She gave it to me when we first got here.”

  His grin reappeared. “Like I said, you two together are going to be so much trouble.”

  His tone of voice wasn’t quite normal normal, but he was trying. She decided moving forward was the best option. “As if you and Joel are innocent babes. Don’t worry about me. Go on. I’ll see you later.”

  It was actually a treat to wander through the small space alone. She hadn’t lied when she told Jesse she appreciated the company over the weekend. If she’d had too much time by herself she probably would’ve worked herself into a tizzy worrying about Buckaroo, but now that they were doing the next thing, this moment of quiet was much appreciated.

  Quiet, and time to catch up on a few things, including getting in touch with Ginny.

  When her call went to voicemail she sent a text.

  Dare: you around?

  Ginny: delivering boxes. What’s up? You okay?

  Dare: just got sprung from the hospital. Buckaroo and me are 100%

  Ginny’s message came a couple of minutes later: thank God. When are you coming home?

  Well now, there was a loaded question. Dare decided that this wasn’t something she wanted to do via text message or even over the phone. Because she bet even though Ginny had supported the idea of Dare going away, she probably wasn’t expecting it to happen this soon.

  Dare: I’ll see you tomorrow and tell you everything

  Ginny: rock on. Love you Dare

  Dare: Love you, Truth

  Dare enjoyed wandering around, examining the pictures on the shelf. Trying to learn more about Jesse’s twin and the woman closest to him by what things they felt were valuable.

  There weren’t a lot of knickknacks though. A vase on top of the bookshelf held an arrangement of dried flowers, and a collection of all sorts of rocks filled a glass bowl. Other than that there were pictures of Joel and Vicki, a picture of a woman in her midtwenties holding a puppy, and pictures of Jesse’s family, including a number of shots with just the twins.

  Dare took one down to examine it closer. It must’ve been from before Vicki had come on the scene because the two of them were shoulder to shoulder, like identical bookends. She could see the connection between them and how much they enjoyed being around each other.

  Maybe she did have something in common with Vicki. The woman had been willing to do anything to get the brothers back to this state of laughing connection. While Dare had other reasons as well for wanting to be around the Coleman family, letting Jesse and Joel work past their differences so they could be like this again was just as important.

  Their sheer joy and connection spilled out visibly from the picture. The fact that even while he had to have been angry with Jesse for running off, Joel kept the picture up—that meant something.

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