The Maverick Cowboy

by Kate Pearce

  “And Dave said the pig was fine, but I reckon Jenna would’ve said differently. She’s got a real way with those animals, you know?”

  Blue looked up. “Why is Dave looking at the pigs?”

  Roy shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe Jenna is busy.”

  “But it’s her job to deal with Morgan Ranch.”

  “Not her official job. She hasn’t accepted my offer yet,” Chase chimed in.

  “You made one?”

  “Yeah, last week. Didn’t she tell you?”

  “She’s not telling me a lot at the moment.” Blue wiped his mouth with his napkin. “She’s still around, right?”

  “How the hell would I know?” Chase smiled at January. “I have my own woman to take care of. Why don’t you know?”

  “Because I’m an idiot?”

  “True.” Chase nodded solemnly.

  “She’s still here, Blue,” January said. “I saw her at Yvonne’s yesterday.” She hesitated. “She seemed okay.”

  “Great. So it’s just me she’s avoiding.”

  “I wouldn’t say avoiding, more like keeping busy doing her own stuff.”

  Blue raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Yeah, stuff that doesn’t involve being around me.”

  “No, I really think she’s trying to work through some personal issues before she has to deal with you. Give her some space, Blue. I’m sure she’ll work it out.”

  He nodded, his gaze drawn to Maria, who was looking downright miserable.

  “You okay, honey?”

  She jumped and looked away. “I’m just a bit tired.”

  “You did a lot of riding today. Maybe you need an early night. Want me to come up and say good night when you’re settled?”

  “Okay.”

  She slid out of her chair, kissed Billy, and was gone. Blue frowned after her. She’d been quiet ever since they’d returned from their ride together, and he had no idea why. He gave her another half an hour to get settled and then went up the stairs, knocking gently on her door until she told him to come in.

  She’d braided her hair and wore one of her favorite rainbow pony T-shirts. The ponies looked nothing like a real horse. Blue was getting used to them, but he had no intention of learning all their stupid names.

  “You did good today.” He sat on the side of her bed. “We’ll make a real rancher out of you yet.”

  “Marigold is the best horse ever. Much better than Sugar.”

  “She’s perfect for you right now. When you get a bit older we’ll choose something with a bit more fire in her.”

  “But what if I’m not still here?”

  “Honey, I thought we’d settled all that. You’re here for as long as you want to be because we all love you and you’re part of our family.”

  She bit her lip. “But what if my other dad wants me back?”

  Blue went still. “I went and saw him, Maria. All I can say is that if you want to stay here, I’ll make sure he can never take you back. Don’t worry about it.”

  She stared at him. “But what if he says he’s sorry?”

  “Do you think he’ll do that?” Blue asked as gently as he could.

  “He might.”

  “If he does then we’ll talk to him, okay? But I won’t let him take you. This is your home now, and you don’t have to have anything to do with him ever again. Period.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Try and get some sleep. It’s your birthday in a few days, so you’ve got to save your energy for that.”

  “Night, Blue.” She reached up and hugged him hard. “I had a lovely day.”

  He went down the stairs with a sense of something still not being right, of something he’d missed, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He poked his head into the kitchen and focused on Ruth.

  “I’m going out. Can you check in on Maria later? She’s worrying about something.”

  “Sure I will.” Ruth nodded. “I thought she was quieter than usual.”

  “I think she’s worried about Daniel snatching her back. I told her it wasn’t going to happen on my watch.”

  “I’ll make certain she’s settled. You going to see Jenna?”

  “I might be.”

  “Give her my love, won’t you, and don’t forget to invite all the McDonalds to Maria’s party.”

  “Will do.”

  “And, BB? Sort things out with her. She’s way too perfect for you to lose.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Blue saluted smartly and left the house. He figured if he just turned up at the McDonalds’, Jenna wouldn’t be able to avoid him for long.

  * * *

  “So when will you be coming out here?” Jenna walked back and forth in her bedroom, one finger stuck in her ear as she tried to concentrate on what her mother was talking about. “No, that’s fine. I wanted to see you both anyway, so that weekend works perfectly. Yeah, you can stay here with Ron and Amy.”

  Her mother talked on and she half listened as the gleam of headlights swept around the drive and a truck rumbled to a stop in front of the house.

  “Okay, then. I have to go. Let me know your exact arrival time, and we’ll take it from there. Love you both.”

  She peered closer at the truck and her heart gave a little bump as she recognized the lean-muscled shape of Blue Morgan striding up to the front door. She clutched her cell to her chest so hard that it slipped out of her grasp and clattered to the floor.

  She wasn’t ready to see him yet. She had a plan and everything and—dear God, was that him knocking at her bedroom door? Had he just walked right on in and up the stairs like he owned the place?

  She opened the door. “What?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Can I come in?”

  “It depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Whether this is a social call, which means we should be downstairs in the den with Dave and my uncle and aunt.”

  “There’s nobody down there. I checked.”

  “And came up here anyway?”

  “Says the woman who broke into my grandmother’s house and got into my bed.”

  She felt her cheeks heat. “That was an aberration.”

  “It was a good one. I liked waking up finding you wanting me.”

  “It was a terrible infringement on your personal space.”

  His smile was slow and so intimate her knees weakened. “I like you in my space. Can I come in? I promise to behave myself.”

  She sighed and stepped back, letting him close the door behind him. He wore his usual well-fitting faded jeans and a gray T-shirt that somehow made his eyes look even bluer.

  “So what’s up?” she said brightly.

  “We’re going to be social?”

  “What else were you planning?”

  His gaze ran down over her long nightshirt to her bare feet. “Getting you naked and getting inside you as fast as humanly possible.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “You said you’d behave.”

  “You don’t want to do that?”

  “Fast is not necessarily what every girl wants, you know.”

  Still holding her gaze, he reached out and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I’ll start fast because I’m desperate, but I promise I’ll slow down for round two.”

  A small whimper escaped her lips. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m still thinking.”

  “Can’t you think and make love at the same time? I thought women were supposed to be the multitaskers of this world.”

  She shook her head. “When I’m with you, all rational thought goes out the window.”

  “That works for me. You don’t think, and you count this time spent with me as one of your ‘aberrations’ and pretend it never happened.”

  “But that’s not fair to you.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll be okay. I’m a tough guy.”

  She inhaled his warmth and the subtle pine scent of his shower gel. He was so beautiful
. . .

  “I’m scared, Blue.”

  “Of me?”

  “Of how I feel.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “Then that makes two of us.” He bent his head and kissed her gently on the lips. “Maybe we could try and work this out together?”

  She couldn’t help but kiss him back. When he was close and when he touched her, she forgot everything except her desire for more of him, more kisses, more skin, more...

  His hand slid up inside her T-shirt, and he groaned into her mouth. “God, I missed you so much.”

  He went back to kissing her, walking backward to sit on the edge of her bed. She followed him down, straddling his lap, the thin barrier of her panties the only thing keeping her away from the hard ridge of his jeans-covered erection. She rocked into him and his hand fisted in her hair.

  “I want to be inside you right now, I want . . .”

  She carefully unzipped him, cupping the heat and stretch of his cotton-clad shaft, rubbing her thumb over the wetness dampening the fabric. He groaned, pushing himself into her palm as she covered him, wiggled out of her panties, and slid down, taking him deep and hard.

  He wrapped one arm low around her hips, controlling her motion, and drove upward in quick urgent thrusts, one thumb sliding over her most sensitive flesh until she came hard, startling her and making him curse and follow her over the edge.

  His breathing was as ragged as hers as they remained locked together, his face buried against her shoulder as she gulped in some much-needed air. A strange buzzing sound reverberated against her thigh and she looked down to see Blue’s pocket vibrating.

  “Your phone.”

  “If it’s important they’ll leave a message or call back.” He eased her away from him and she fell back on the bed. He rolled on top of her, his smile lazy, but also determined. “Round two?”

  His phone buzzed again and then there was the ping of a text. Across the room where she’d plugged it in for the night, Jenna’s phone started to ring as well.

  “What the hell—?” Blue delved into his pocket and took out his cell. Jenna leapt off the bed to get to hers.

  Downstairs a door banged, and there was the sound of booted feet running up the stairs.

  “BB, are you there?” Dave yelled. “Ruth’s desperate to get hold of you.”

  Jenna put on some clean panties and wiggled into her jeans as Blue set himself to rights.

  “What’s wrong?” Jenna asked Blue.

  “I’ve got to get back, Maria’s not in her bed.”

  Jenna opened the door to Dave. “He got the message. He’s coming, okay?”

  Dave made a face. “I could make a terrible joke about that, but considering what’s going on, I won’t.” He looked over her head at Blue. “Do you want me to come and help?”

  “I’ll let you know.” His eyes were blazing and his mouth hard. “Thanks for the offer.” He nodded at Dave and moved past him.

  Jenna followed down the stairs. “I’m coming with you.”

  He gave her a brief glance but didn’t try and stop her. She put on her boots and went out to his truck. Within seconds they were moving off, and she held fast to the sides of the seat.

  He thumped the steering wheel with his fist. “I knew something was up. I should’ve stayed there and made her tell me what was wrong.”

  “There’s no point beating yourself up about that now,” Jenna reminded him. “I shouldn’t have been such a coward and made you come and find me. You would’ve been at home right now.”

  He flicked his gaze her way. “I’m not blaming you.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  “I’m her father. Something happened today to make her doubt everything, and I don’t know what it was.” He groaned. “I can’t deal with this again, Jenna—someone I love disappearing on me—I just can’t.”

  She put her hand on his knee. “We’ll find her, Blue.”

  He didn’t answer, his attention on the rugged terrain as they left the McDonald property and headed back toward the ranch.

  * * *

  Ruth wasn’t downstairs, so Blue raced up to Maria’s bedroom, where he found his entire family awaiting him.

  “BB, I’m so sorry.” Ruth came toward him. “She must have slipped out when I was watching TV.”

  He gathered her into a hug, acutely aware of how small she was and how hard she was shaking. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I should’ve stayed here and got to the bottom of what was worrying her.”

  “This might have something to do with it. I didn’t read beyond the first sentence.” Ruth handed him a folded sheet of paper. “She must have gotten this in the mail, but I didn’t see it come in, did you?”

  Blue took the letter and sat on the side of the bed. “It’s from Daniel. How the hell—?” He smacked a hand down on the quilt. “She picked up the mail from Brian today at the lower gate. It must have been in there.”

  “Talk about bad timing,” Chase muttered. He was sitting in the window seat, January perched on his knee. “What did he say?”

  Blue read out loud.

  “Dear Maria, I know you must be thinking all kinds of bad things about me right now. I want to say that I am sorry for how I behaved. When your mom got sick, I was so worried and upset that I kind of lost myself for a while. You know that better than anyone because you had to live with me. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I miss you, and I hope one day you will forgive me and let me see you again to apologize in person. With all my love, Dad.”

  Dad. Blue slowly exhaled. “Well, that certainly puts things in a different light. Maybe she decided to go back home?”

  “She wouldn’t just up and leave in the middle of the night, would she?” Ruth demanded.

  “She might if her new dad had just told her that he’d do everything in his power to keep her away from her old dad.” Blue groaned and rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw. “I thought she was scared he’d take her away. I didn’t realize she was having second thoughts.”

  “You don’t know that, and we have no evidence that she’s decided to go back to Daniel Lester,” Ruth said. “She’s probably just confused and wanted time to think things through.”

  “So she gets out of bed and wanders off in the dark in the middle of nowhere?” Blue cleared his throat. “Yeah, we all know what happens with that scenario.”

  “Not necessarily, son.” Billy’s voice was gentle. “We’ll find her. She has a few special places on the ranch where she likes to go. If we split up we can easily cover them all.”

  “You didn’t see her on the main trail down to the gate, right?” Chase asked.

  “No.” Jenna shook her head. “I looked the whole way.”

  “Then she’s probably in one of the places Billy knows.” Chase stood up. “Did anyone check the barn to see if she took a horse?”

  “Roy’s out there looking right now.” Ruth stood, too, and straightened her spine. “She’s a smart girl. We’ll find her.”

  Blue went straight to the barn and Roy came to find him, his expression concerned.

  “Marigold’s not in her stall.”

  “So Maria might have gotten farther than we thought.” Blue patted the older man on the back. “Why don’t you keep Ruth company up at the house while the rest of us search? She’d probably appreciate it even if she’d never admit it.”

  “I’ll do that.” Roy stomped off toward the main house. “I know she’s feeling pretty bad right now.”

  “Blue.”

  He spun around to see Jenna at the door of the feed store. She had something in her hand.

  “Is this Maria’s?”

  He took the rainbow hairband from her and swallowed hard. “Yeah. It’s covered in those stupid ponies she loves, but she might have dropped it at any time because she’s always in there with those darn kittens.”

  “What kittens?”

  “There should be a basket of them right . . .” Blue went into the room and stared at the empty shelf. “Where’d they go?” He
turned a slow circle in the room. “Is it just me, or does it look like there was a fight in here?”

  “It’s certainly a mess.”

  “And Chase doesn’t let us make a mess anywhere, so what happened?” Blue frowned. “Maybe she thought she had to save the kittens from something?”

  “And take them where? Why not up to the main house?” Jenna asked. “She must have known Ruth wouldn’t mind.”

  “Maybe they weren’t her priority,” Blue said slowly. “Maybe she just decided to take them with her when she left.”

  “But she’d soon find out that dealing with a bunch of kittens and managing a horse was harder than she’d anticipated.”

  “So where would she drop them off?”

  Their eyes met. “Roy’s place?”

  He ran back to his truck, Jenna at his side, and then they were off into the darkness. Billy had gone to the hot springs, and Chase was searching around the old silver mine. Blue was supposed to go toward the ghost town of Morganville, but a detour to Roy’s place wouldn’t hurt.

  When they reached Roy’s house, it all looked quiet. Blue cut the engine. As he got out of the truck, he heard the whiny of a horse and went still.

  “Could be Marigold,” Jenna whispered. “Let’s check out the barn.”

  Blue put a hand on her arm. “Listen. Do you hear that?”

  She turned her face up to his and breathed. “Kittens.”

  Blue made his way past Roy’s two horses, and toward the open door of the last stall in the row.

  “Maria?”

  A stifled sob made him speed up. In the corner of the stall, well away from Marigold’s bulk, was Maria. She had the basket of kittens in her lap and looked as if she had been crying for quite a while.

  Just as his knees gave way with relief, Blue sank onto his haunches in the straw.

  “You okay, darlin’?”

  Maria rubbed a hand across her nose and shook her head.

  “Did something happen to the kittens?”

  “Their mama’s dead . . .” She gulped. “There was a coyote, and she was trying to stop it getting near the kittens and . . .”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Blue sighed. “So you decided to save the kittens?” He wanted to point out that the damn coyote could’ve taken her out as well, but even he knew there was a time and a place for that discussion. “That was a brave thing to do.”