A Family for the Rancher

by Allison B. Collins

  “Nash, stop.”

  He kissed her, murmuring against her lips, “Don’t you want me?”

  “Your leg is too warm. We don’t want infection to set in.”

  He sighed, then leaned back. “Go ahead. Have at it.”

  “Oh, I intend to, as soon as I get a look at your leg.”

  His mouth kicked up in a half grin, but he turned his head as she stretched the bandage away from his thigh. It didn’t look red, just warm, the scars puckering his skin.

  “Does it hurt right now?”

  He shook his head. “The covering makes my leg hot and sweaty sometimes, but it’s not hurting right now.”

  “Then let’s take the prosthesis off for the night,” she said, and reached for it.

  He grabbed her hand. “Not yet. I want to feel whole again. At least while I make love to you.”

  Her heart beat faster at his words, and she moved her hands away, then slid them up to his T-shirt and pulled it off.

  Pulling her close, he unbuttoned her blouse, and gazed at her chest as if she were a work of art. Licks of desire flamed from low in her belly outward, and it empowered her. That he would look at her—at her, the mother of a young child, a widow, in that way. Like a man looks at a woman he wants and thinks is sexy.

  She slid her hands up his muscled arms, up his neck, finally to tangle her fingers in his short hair. Being outside so much had burnished the tips to golden brown, and the softness was a stark contrast to the hardness in him.

  Since her husband had died, taking a part of her with him, she never thought she’d be with another man. And now here she was, again, about to be with this strong, vulnerable man.

  She let her fingers drift down to his jawline, tipped his head up and kissed him, pouring all the things she wanted to say to him but was afraid to into the kiss. His fingers clenched on her hips, as if he was holding on for more than just sex.

  A tremor ran through her body, shaking her to her core.

  She held him close, her pounding heart echoing his own. He lay back, pulling her with him, and she nestled close to him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

  She loved the way he ran a hand down her spine, then cupped her butt.

  She loved the way he turned his head just enough to kiss her forehead.

  She loved...

  Him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nash picked up the pillow and tossed it on the couch. He’d never look at that sofa the same way again. The things he and Kelsey had done on it, just an hour before...

  His front door opened, and in walked Wyatt, followed by Kade, Hunter and Luke. He blew out a breath, grateful he’d refused to take his prosthesis off before Kelsey left, even if she had lectured him. And after great sex, too.

  “What the hell do y’all want?”

  Kade held up a round box. “Poker night.”

  Nash glared at his brothers as they made themselves at home. Wyatt set up the portable poker table that had been in the family for as long as he could remember. Luke rummaged through the bar cabinets, then brought glasses and whiskey to the table.

  “What brought this on?” he asked, angry about his loss of privacy.

  Kade shrugged. “Haven’t done one since you’ve been home. Figured it was ten years past time for a boys’ night, what with all these women invading the ranch.”

  Nash frowned. “You mean Kelsey and her family?”

  “Yeah. Don’t you feel it? Bunny’s up at the lodge or Dad’s house all the time now, making plans. Kelsey’s here all the time, or with her daughter, cute as she is, roaming around.”

  “I don’t see it that way. She’s here to do a job—”

  Kade plopped into a chair at the poker table. ‘I don’t believe it. You were pissed that Dad hired her to begin with. You crossing over to the dark side?”

  “You sonuva—”

  “We gonna play cards or yap all night?” Hunter asked, shuffling a deck of cards.

  Nash gritted his teeth. “Just ’cause you hate women in general doesn’t mean they’re all like her.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed, and his face got stony.

  Nash almost regretted bringing up Kade’s ex-wife. They’d gotten married right before he shipped out, and he couldn’t believe Kade had fallen for that calculating, cold woman. And from what Hunter had emailed him, she’d really done a number on Kade, and on Toby. Good thing she’d decided to leave when she did, although the divorce had been nasty, leaving Kade with a dim view of women in general.

  “I’m not saying Kelsey, or Bunny, are like Sheila,” Kade said, then slammed a shot of whiskey. “They just haven’t been here very long, and already Dad’s popped the question.”

  “Dad’s been a widower a long time. Doesn’t he deserve some happiness?” Hunter asked, and dealt the cards.

  “Happiness? Sure. But what’s Bunny in it for? And who’s next?” Kade shrugged. “Better watch your back, Nash, or Kelsey might try the same thing with you.”

  “Geez, you really have gotten bitter, haven’t you? Kelsey isn’t like that.”

  “Just sayin’. She’s a widow with a little girl to raise. And from that POS car she drives, she doesn’t make a lot of money.”

  Heat flushed through Nash’s body, and his fists clenched. But before he could say anything, Hunter flung his cards on the table, his face beet red. “Bull. She’s one of the hardest-working women I know. Look who she has to work with!” He flung a thumb in Nash’s direction, and it pissed him off even more. “No offense, bro.” Hunter glanced at him, then turned his attention back to Kade.

  “You sniffing around her, too?” Kade sneered.

  Nash gripped the edge of the table, his fingers biting into the felt covering. He rose up from the chair, ready to fling the table out of the way and pummel first Hunter, then Kade.

  She’s mine, dammit. Had she really been flirting with Hunter right beneath his nose?

  A hand came down on his arm, and he glanced at Wyatt, then flung it off. “Calm down and listen,” his brother said so quietly Nash had to strain to hear it.

  Sitting back down, he tuned in again to what Hunter was saying. “Anyone with a lick of sense can see she’s focused on getting Nash healthy.”

  “Sure, so she can clear the field, get the job done, get her hooks into one of you.”

  Spots flashed across his vision, and Nash blinked hard, his stomach tightening. He shot up out of the chair, catching himself as a cramp burned through his thigh and the chair crashed behind him. He lunged around the table, determined not to show any weakness in front of his brothers, and grabbed Kade by the front of his shirt, yanking him up. “You don’t talk about her that way,” he growled.

  He shoved his younger brother so hard he fell over the coffee table.

  Kade started to get up, then looked down again. A bitter I-told-you-so smile crossed his face. “You still saying she’s not trying to get something out of you?” he asked, then held up a pair of women’s lacy blue underwear. “Unless you changed in the Army and these are yours, I think we know what she’s been up to.”

  He grabbed them from Kade’s hand and shoved them in his pocket. Almost blind with rage, he drew back, ready to punch Kade’s lights out, teach him a lesson long past due.

  “What in tarnation is goin’ on here?” Angus thundered from the front door.

  Everyone turned to look at their dad, freezing in place like wild bucks sensing danger. For several seconds, the room was as quiet as a Montana meadow after a heavy snowfall.

  “Just a little misunderstanding, right guys?” Hunter said, always the peacemaker.

  Nash dropped his arm. He’d have to kill Kade later. When there weren’t so many damn witnesses.

  Hunter reached a hand out to Kade and pulled him up.

  Kade blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. �
�I’m sorry, bro. I didn’t mean any of it.”

  “Does this have something to do with that email from your ex?” Angus asked, looking at Kade.

  Kade closed his eyes and his head dropped back. “Yeah.”

  Nash frowned. “What’s she want? I didn’t think you ever heard from her.”

  “I usually don’t. But she crawled out of her snake pit, wanting her alimony increased.”

  “You’re still paying her alimony? She left you, pal. You shouldn’t be paying her a dime.”

  “Hey, it’s worth it to keep her out of our lives.”

  No wonder Kade had walked into the cabin tonight with all that bitter venom bubbling under the surface. Nash felt for him, he really did, but the divorce had soured Kade’s view of women for too many years.

  Wyatt yanked a chair out and sat. “We playing cards or not?”

  “Hey, Dad, were you looking for one of us?”

  Angus hefted a box. “Bunny asked me to bring y’all some snacks.” He set it on the kitchen island and unpacked bowls of chips and snacks, then turned around. ‘Well, I’ll let you boys get back to it.”

  Crap. Nash looked up at him, and dang if he didn’t look like he felt left out. “You want in?” The words seemed to tumble from his mouth faster than a weed blowing across the desert.

  Angus grinned, and hung his hat on the rack by the door. “What’s the buy-in?”

  Nash caught Wyatt’s grimace before he turned his head. He’d bet anything Bunny had done this on purpose. “Fifty.”

  They sorted out bills and chips, then Wyatt shuffled the deck and dealt the cards.

  “Shorty turned in his notice this morning,” Angus said, tossing a chip on the table.

  “First Curly, now Shorty?” Hunter asked.

  “Guess they are both at retirement age,” Kade said. “At least Curly’s easy to replace now that Nash is home.”

  “We need to start looking for a new foreman. He and Helen will be leaving in two months, before their next grandchild is born,” Angus said. “We can run an ad, but I’d rather see if there’s someone we can promote who already knows the setup here. Any ideas?”

  A few names were thrown around the table, most were vetoed. It’d be hard to replace Shorty, even if he was getting up in years.

  “Whoever we hire needs to be willing to use the computer. Too much has been slipping through the cracks since Shorty refuses to use it. I’m always finding slips of paper with the chore list floating around,” Kade said.

  “Speaking of chores, I was out on a call at the Henderson ranch yesterday, saw a northeast section of fence was down,” Luke said, then anted up. “Need to add it to the foreman’s list.”

  “It’s fixed,” Wyatt said, then flipped in his own chips.

  “Need to have Shorty start winterizing the chicken coops.”

  “Did it,” Wyatt said.

  “Tractor broke down in the southwest field, still needs to be towed in.”

  “Hauled it in before I came here.” Watt reached behind him for the bowl of chips and grabbed a handful.

  Nash looked up from his cards and studied Wyatt. He’d left home about the same time Nash had enlisted—hadn’t finished high school, just up and left one night. Wyatt had finally come home recently, refused to talk about his time away from the ranch. Now that he was home, he’d pitched right in without being asked. He’d been picking up the slack for Shorty lately—maybe he’d be the right choice for foreman.

  His younger brother had gotten in trouble a few times in school, had a rebellious streak a mile wide. Long dark hair, with a big chip on his shoulder—the girls had gone mad for him, and he’d had to beat them off with a stick. Although he hadn’t tried too hard, if memory served correctly.

  Looking down again at his cards, he folded his lousy hand and wondered what Kelsey was doing, then caught himself.

  No use mooning about like a lovesick calf. He needed to keep his head in the game, not on how her dark-as-night hair gleamed in the sunlight, or how she felt moving against his body.

  Damn. He had no business thinking about her this way—as if he wanted her to stay. She’s a widow with a little girl—last thing she needs is someone like me in her life.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “But I wanna see the kitties!” Maddy wailed.

  So not what Kelsey needed today. She was still reeling from her time with Nash the week before. A headache bloomed behind her eyes, and it was all she could do to hold on to her temper.

  “Sweetie, I have to go to work for a few hours. We can’t go up to see them right now, okay?”

  Storm clouds passed over Maddy’s face, and her normally sweet-tempered daughter pouted and crossed her chubby arms over her chest. “I don’t care. I want to see them. Toby said I could help name them.” She stomped her foot. “And I want to go. NOW.”

  Praying for patience, Kelsey wondered where this attitude was coming from all of a sudden. “It’s so cold and rainy outside that I’ll bet the kitties are snuggled up with their mommy, keeping warm.” At least she hoped they were as she looked out the drizzle-covered window at the rain coming down fast and furious.

  “I think it’s nap time, but I promise we’ll go later to see the kittens, okay? Come on, let’s go.” She picked her daughter up, which was getting harder every day, and took her to her bedroom. Setting Maddy on the floor, she pulled the covers back and waited for her to climb in to bed.

  “Now you take a good nap, okay?” She kissed her plump little cheek, currently red and tearstained. “I love you.”

  “Love you, Mommy,” Maddy said, still pouting, and pulled her favorite bear closer, clamped her eyes shut.

  Hopefully the nap would restore her good nature.

  Kelsey glanced at her watch, then hurried into the living room just as her mother walked in. “Mom, I have to run—I’m late for Nash’s therapy. Maddy’s taking a nap, and will hopefully be in a better mood later.”

  “She’ll be fine. Just growing up. I seem to remember someone else who threw a tantrum about wanting to see the newborn foals when she was about Maddy’s age.”

  Kelsey grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She kissed her mother’s cheek. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  She gathered up her bag, raincoat and umbrella, and headed out to her car. Getting in, she tried to start it, but it groaned and clunked. Closing her eyes, she prayed it would last just a little bit longer. A new car was not in her budget for a long time.

  The engine finally caught, and she drove slowly through the storm to Nash’s cabin. Pulling her resolve around her like a cloak, she swore to herself no more sex with him, as wonderful as it was. He was becoming too important to her, but with no future in sight, she couldn’t just sleep with him.

  He opened the door as she walked up to it. “We could have canceled the session. You shouldn’t have driven over here in weather like this.”

  “We need to continue your sessions so you keep progressing. Just think of me as a mailman—neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will keep me from my job.”

  “In that case, want to play post office?”

  Laughter bubbled out of her. “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?”

  * * *

  A COUPLE OF hours later, Kelsey’s phone rang, and her mother’s name flashed on the screen. She picked it up and told Nash to take a break.

  “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Is Maddy with you?” her mother all but screeched.

  “No, I’m still at Nash’s cabin. What’s wrong?”

  “I fell asleep reading. When I woke up a few minutes ago, I went to check on her and she’s not in her bed. I can’t find her!”

  Fear grabbed Kelsey’s throat. “I’ll be right there. She must be hiding.” She hung up and grabbed her jacket. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.” Snatching
up her keys, she raced out the door and slipped in the mud.

  “Kelsey, what happened?” Nash asked behind her.

  “Mom says she can’t find Maddy. I need to get home and find her.” She got in her car and tried to start it, but nothing happened when she turned the key. Her heart hammering against her chest, she opened the door and got out, started running down the slick path. It was still raining, but the air had turned much colder while she and Nash had been working.

  She hadn’t gotten very far when Nash pulled alongside her in his truck. “Get in!” he hollered and shoved open the passenger door.

  Please be okay. Please be okay, became her mantra as they made the quick drive to her cabin.

  The minute he pulled up to her door, she flung herself out and up the stairs to the front door. Lights blazed inside, and her mother rushed up to her, cradling her arm.

  “I still can’t find her! I’m so sorry I fell asleep.”

  “Mom, calm down. Let me take a look around, okay? You know she loves playing hide-and-seek. Maybe she crawled into a closet and fell asleep.”

  A heavy clomp sounded on the porch, and Nash limped inside. “Did you find her?”

  “Not yet.” She tried to keep the fear out of her voice—her mother was already near hysterical.

  They methodically searched every room, closet and hiding place in the cabin.

  No Maddy.

  Now the panic set in, and her stomach roiled. A sob tore from her throat, and she couldn’t stop the flow of tears down her cheeks.

  “Shh, shh. We’ll find her. I won’t leave until we do,” Nash said, and pulled her close to him.

  She burrowed in his arms and tried to calm herself. His arms tightened around her, but his heart pounded against her chest.

  “I can’t lose my baby... I just can’t.”

  “We’ll find her. Now think,” he said, stroking a hand down her back. “Did she say anything before you left?”

  “No, she was taking...” She stepped back, had to stand on her own. “Wait, she did! She was upset because she wanted to go see the kittens. Toby and she were going to name them. I told her we’d go later. Do you think she went there by herself?”