by Kennedy Fox
No amount of drinking into a self-loathing coma could make me forget.
Once Maize and I are out of the house, we walk down the path toward the stables. Kiera’s truck and trailer are pulled up to the barn, so we head over to see her and Jackson.
“Hey!” I say as we approach them. Kiera’s dressed up more than usual in a sundress that shows her long tan legs, and by the look on Jackson’s face, he’s noticed too.
“Hi, y’all!” She smiles, walking toward the stroller. “How’s my sweet girl?” She peeks into the stroller, and Kiera’s eyes light up as soon as she notices Maize’s little sun hat. “Oh my goodness, how precious is that?”
“Isn’t it cute?” I gush.
“What the hell did you do to my niece?” Jackson barks behind me. “She going to a tea party?”
“She looks adorable. Shut up, Jackson,” Kiera retorts, and I laugh at their banter.
“She needs a cowgirl hat, not whatever the hell that is.” He moves to take it off her head, then groans when he sees the bow headband. “Seriously?”
“Well, until she has one, this hat is staying on. It’s keeping the sun off her face,” I remind Jackson as I yank the hat from his hand and place it back on Maize’s head.
He snarls, crossing his arms as if he has a say in this. “Don’t worry, kid. Uncle Jackson will get you the right gear for livin’ out here.” He winks, and the tone of his voice has Maize kicking her feet and smiling like crazy. It’s ridiculous how much she responds to him, but not at all surprising, considering he looks like John.
“I’m her favorite,” Jackson taunts.
I snort, laughing. “That’s because she thinks you’re Daddy. You share the same face, so don’t go getting a big head about yourself.”
“Too late,” Kiera chimes in. “It’s so big, he has to get custom-made hats to fit his rather large ego.”
“The only thing large around here is your mouth,” Jackson shoots at Kiera. If looks could kill, Kiera’s glare would’ve brought him to his knees begging for mercy.
“So…” I turn toward Kiera to change the subject. “What are you doing here all dressed up?”
She chews on her lower lip as her eyes light up. “I was just dropping off a horse before I head out of town. Trent took a few days off, so he’s taking us to Fredericksburg for a little getaway as soon as I’m done here.”
“Oh, nice! That’s exciting.”
“It is! We really need some time alone. Between our work schedules, we barely find time to really be together, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Jackson’s mood instantly changes, and it’s no secret as to why. He rolls his eyes and starts to walk away before a black sedan pulls up and parks near the B&B. It catches all of our attention.
Jackson returns, crossing his arms as he studies the vehicle.
“What is it?” I ask, noticing his expression.
Before he can respond, his phone chimes.
“Great,” he mutters, reading over the message on his cell. “Looks like a realtor bringing clients out again,” he responds.
“Again?” I ask.
“Rich, high-profile oil tycoons from the big cities come to ranches like these to try to talk the owners into selling by throwing around big numbers,” Kiera explains. “They come around my parents’ ranch about once a year, and I’m constantly forcing them out, threatening to put my boot in their ass.”
“But they don’t normally come to the B&B like this,” Jackson explains. “Usually go right to the main house, where Mama shoos them away.”
“Maybe they’re trying a new tactic,” Kiera suggests.
“Won’t matter anyway. We’ll never sell to money-hungry city twats.” Jackson shakes his head as if he’s disgusted at the thought of it.
“Why would they want to buy ranches?” I ask, curiosity eating at me.
“Because ranchland like this is worth a fortune, especially considering the thousands of acres we own. Most want to capitalize by building extravagant corporate hunting ranches, where they stock the land with large game, like elk, to allow rich assholes to kill for fun. They don’t even keep the meat and actually eat it. Motherfuckers.”
“Way out here?” I ask, stunned.
“That’d just be the start. They’d eventually try to expand and push the ranches out to start fracking without consequence,” Jackson explains.
“That or…” Kiera adds. “They also buy the land, so they can split it up and sell it to numerous buyers and keep just enough property to stay profitable.”
“Whatever they want to do won’t matter because there’s no way Mama and Dad will sell. Even when they pass away, the ranch will get split up between the five of us. It’s our inheritance. The ranch is our life and has been passed down for five generations. Can’t put a price on that.”
We end up talking for another ten minutes as we watch a gentleman and woman finally walk into the B&B. Jackson says John will put them in their place, so he’s not even worried about it until a few minutes later when we hear commotion and loud voices coming from the back of the B&B.
“Shit,” he mutters, jogging down the path that leads to the back porch.
“Watch Maize, I’ll be right back,” I tell Kiera, and she nods in agreement.
I follow behind Jackson, not exactly sure what I’ll be walking in on, but the moment I see John, I can tell something’s wrong. His arms are crossed, his face is red, and by the vein popping in his forehead, he’s boiling. Jackson gets to the porch just in time to block John from making a move that’d inevitably come back to bite him in the ass. I can’t tell exactly what’s being said, but Jackson tells the couple he’s worse than his brother, which can’t be good.
Somehow, I don’t doubt that.
Once the couple of walks back into the B&B, John throws a punch at a wooden post, making me jump and cringe as I watch him self-destruct. I can’t even imagine what was said to make him that angry.
I want to go to him, but considering the way things started this morning, I don’t think that’d be the best thing right now. I watch as Jackson puts his hands on John’s shoulders and speaks quietly to him. A moment later, John’s walking off the porch with his head down, avoiding my gaze. Turning my eyes toward Jackson for clarification, he shakes his head at me.
The black sedan backs out of the drive as John rounds the front of the B&B. I wait and watch until John makes his way into the house before following Jackson inside.
“What happened?” I ask frantically, pulling on Jackson’s arm to stop him.
He turns around, and his face has anger written all over it. Not good.
“Were they trying to buy the ranch?” I ask.
Jackson shakes his head, and I notice the way his jaw tightens. “Worse.”
Furrowing my brows, I’m confused by what that means as he licks his lips and releases a deep breath.
“Those were Maize’s grandparents. They offered John money in exchange for the baby; said she’d be better off with them instead, and when John declined their offer, it got nasty.”
“Oh my God,” I mutter, gasping. “They wanted to buy Maize?”
“I guess.” He shrugs. “I only caught the last bit of it, but it seemed they were implying John couldn’t give her the life they could.”
My blood boils at the thought of someone saying that to him. “What a bunch of assholes,” I snarl.
Jackson agrees. “Yeah, I sent him to the house to cool down and told him I’d watch things here for a bit.”
“Okay. I’ll let Kiera know.” I turn to walk toward the door when Jackson stops me.
“Mila…” I turn and look at him. “He could probably use a friend right now, even if he doesn’t think so.”
The corner of my lips tilts up just the slightest. Nodding my head in understanding, I go outside and back to Kiera and Maize.
“Mila!” Kiera says as soon as she sees me coming back. “What happened? Is everything okay?”
I shake my head and frown. “Jo
hn put his fist into the wooden post, and he’s pretty upset. Would you mind watching Maize for a second while I go check on him? Jackson’s watching the B&B.”
“Yeah, sure. Take as long as you need. Miss Maize and I were talking to the horses anyway,” she reassures me sweetly.
I make my way back to the house, and as soon as I open the door, I hear John cursing in the bathroom. Grabbing the first aid kit I found in the back of the linen closet, I go to the bathroom and knock.
“John, it’s me.”
“What do you want, Mila?” His voice is gruff, and I know he’s in agony.
“Let me clean up your hand.”
“I’m fine,” he clips. “Go back outside.”
I hear the water running and figure it’s safe to walk in, so without warning, I turn the knob and enter.
“You’re not fine,” I retort as he rinses his hand under the stream. “Let me take a look, at least.” I hold up the kit in my hand as I step toward him. I unzip the pack and start taking things out. He doesn’t say another word as I take his hand and pat it dry. He has two cuts on his knuckles and a small gash on his middle finger.
I feel his eyes bearing into my face as I inspect his wounds. My heart drums hard in my chest as I take his hand in mine, gently holding it. Swallowing hard, I dab some alcohol onto a cotton ball and prepare him. “This might sting a little.”
As soon as I place it over the cuts, he stiffens. I know the alcohol burns against an open wound, so I try to be as careful as possible. When he flinches, I hold back.
“Sorry,” I say softly. “Just trying to make sure it’s clean.”
“It’s fine.”
Keeping my eyes down, I rub some ointment on the cuts before placing a bandage around his hand to cover the knuckles and finger. He winces slightly. “Sorry,” I say again. “I gotta make sure it’s tight enough.” I cringe, hating to bring him more pain.
“Stop apologizing, Mila,” he demands. “It’s not your fault.”
“Okay, sorry,” I say, then laugh. The faintest smile appears on his face but quickly vanishes the moment he sees me looking at him.
Once I finish wrapping his hand, I throw out the garbage and zip the kit together. The silence puts me on edge, and I hate the tension stewing between us.
“Jackson told me what happened,” I speak up, blinking as I look in his eyes. His gaze hasn’t faltered since the moment I walked in. “I don’t blame you for reacting the way you did. They sound like horrible people.”
His jaw twitches, and that vein in his forehead starts throbbing again. I know he’s still heated about it, so I figure I’ll leave him alone now that his hand is cleaned up.
“I better get back to Maize,” I say softly, reaching for the kit and turning toward the door to leave.
“Mila, wait.” The urgency in his tone has me stopping in place. I turn halfway around until our eyes meet, and seeing the way he’s looking at me has my entire body shivering. “Thank you.” When I blink at him in confusion, he holds up the hand I just bandaged. “You’re good at taking care of people.”
A smile touches my lips as I take him in. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Chapter Eighteen
JOHN
Fuck. My hand throbs like a son of a bitch, but the moment Mila barges into the bathroom, I’m no longer worried about the pain. All I can focus on is how close she is, how amazing she smells, and how soft her skin is against mine.
She’s stunning, which isn’t news, and every day she’s here, it gets harder to deny my attraction to her. She’s gorgeous on the inside and out, caring, sweet, and nurturing—all without even trying. The most attractive quality is how she treats Maize like her own and is always eager to help even though I tell her it’s not her responsibility. She’s so effortlessly molded her way into our lives that even thinking about losing her has me scared out of my mind.
The moment I needed her, she arrived, and though I pushed her away, she didn’t let my stubbornness stop her. Mila’s strong-willed, but she’s so much more. She’s fun to be around and is good at making people laugh, although most of the time I’m trying to avoid her, so I can get her off my mind.
Though it never fucking works.
Waking up with her in my arms this morning was just the tip of the iceberg. It wasn’t nearly enough to feed the animalistic desire that burns inside me, so when she walks out of the bathroom after bandaging my hand, the need to have her back in my arms is in full force.
Stepping forward, I walk until I can grab her by my good hand and pull her back until she crashes into my chest. She stumbles and looks up at me in a haze.
“What are—”
Covering her mouth with mine, I close the gap between us as I silence her with my lips. She startles for a beat before her body relaxes against mine, and I hold her close. Warm, delicate lips brush along mine before I slide my tongue between them and taste her. The first aid kit falls to the ground as her arms wrap around me. We both sink into the moment, and when she tilts her head back, I deepen the ever-consuming kiss that is surely going to change everything.
A vibrating moan escapes her throat, and I catch it with my mouth, the sound working up every part of my body. As I lose myself in her taste and touch, I push her up against the hallway wall. My cock throbs against my jeans, and I know she can feel it against her stomach the moment she arches her hips and presses against me.
I slide my arms around her waist and hold her hips in place as she grinds against my groin, causing my dick to harden even more. My lips move along her jaw, kissing her neck and making sure not to miss an inch of skin. A hand slides up her body and cups her breast. Her nipple hardens underneath, and I know she’s not wearing a bra.
“Fuck,” I mutter, moving my lips back to hers. “Pretty sure that violates the dress code,” I tease, squeezing as I rub my thumb over her taut nipple.
“I already told you I wasn’t going to follow one. And considering the first time we met you were in a towel, I figured clothing was optional.” She smirks, making me laugh, and when she bites down on her lower lip and releases it, I cover her mouth again.
We’re lost in each other, our hands and mouths exploring every inch of skin we can find. Fingers brushing through hair, tongues tangling, and chests heaving. Losing myself in Mila has never felt more right.
A door slams shut and footsteps approach, and within seconds, everything changes.
“Shit,” we both mutter, stumbling apart.
“Sorry to barge in but Miss Maize—” Kiera comes to an abrupt stop when she sees us pushing away from each other in the hallway. Maize’s on her hip, fussing and getting antsy in her arms. Glancing over, I notice Mila’s hair is a mess, and her face is flushed. I’m sure mine is ten shades of red because it feels like we’re teenagers who just got busted by an adult.
“I’ll take Maize off your hands. She’s probably getting hungry.” Mila quickly breaks the awkward silence as she steps toward them, fixing her shirt.
Kiera gives me an odd look, and I know she suspects something. Not that I can blame her considering what she just walked in on.
“Well, she started to get cranky, and I figured she was getting hot or hungry.” Kiera shrugs with an apology, and Mila tells her she’ll take care of Maize, leaving Kiera and me alone in the hallway.
“What?” I finally speak, brushing my good hand through my hair, realizing there’s a line of sweat along my brows.
“Why do you look like y’all just got caught rollin’ around the haystacks?” She eyes me with a knowing smirk. “I thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure?”
“I thought you knew how to mind your own damn business,” I retort, walking around her but not before she catches my arm and stops me.
“I hope you know what you’re doin’.” Kiera looks at me, her green eyes meeting mine, and she’s searching my face.
“What’re ya talkin’ about?”
“Mila Carmichael isn’t a hit-it-and-quit-it kinda girl. She falls deeply, and I�
��ve gotten the impression she’s pretty fond of you. So…I just hope you know what you’re doin’,” she cautions.
“Thanks for the warning,” I grunt, walking past her toward the kitchen.
Mila is already preparing Maize’s bottle, and though she’s facing the other direction, her body stiffens the moment I enter.
Kiera’s words are on repeat in my mind, and I wonder if I’ve done more damage than good. I don’t know exactly how this will affect our professional relationship.
Maize’s on Mila’s hip, nuzzling her head in Mila’s neck and hair. She adores Mila so much—not that I can blame her. It tugs at my heart every time I see them together. I often wonder if she thinks Mila is her mother, and if it’ll end up confusing her if Mila ever decides to move on.
The thought of her leaving has my heart aching with sadness—for both Maize and me.
“I should get back to the B&B,” I say, approaching them just as Mila turns around. Her lips are swollen, and I like knowing I’m the reason why.
“Okay. I’ll probably put her down for an hour or so and start dinner.”
“How about I worry about dinner tonight?”
She tilts her head, and the slightest smile forms as she bites down on her bottom lip. “Okay.”
Closing the gap between us, I dip down to press a kiss on Maize’s head and rub my hand along Mila’s arm. I feel the goose bumps along her skin and know she’s just as affected as I am.
“See you two later.”
My heart is still hammering in my chest as I walk into the B&B. Between the altercation with the Kensingtons and mauling Mila’s mouth in the hallway, my mind is a fucking mess.
“You doin’ okay now?” Jackson asks when he sees me approaching. He narrows his eyes as if he’s inspecting me.
“I’m fine.” I pat him on the shoulder. “Thanks for…” I linger, trying to find the right words.
“You’re welcome.” He smacks me on the back. “Didn’t feel like bailing you out of jail tonight anyway. Got me a hot date so that really would’ve fucked with my plans.”
