by HELEN HARDT
Or Jeff Bay agreed with her.
She walked back out to find Jeff waiting with her drink by the bike. He had removed his T-shirt, and his tanned, broad chest glistened with perspiration. Oh, God.
“So what’s your name, beautiful?” he asked.
Her cheeks heated. Damn, they were already ruddy from the ride. “Maria,” she said quickly.
He smiled. “Mia?”
“No, Maria.”
“Oh, okay.” He reached toward her and trailed one finger down the curve of her cheek. “I like Mia better. It fits you.”
Had his finger been a lighted match? He’d left a trail of sparks in his wake. She hadn’t thought her cheeks could burn any hotter, but they did.
“I’m Jeff. Jeff Bay.”
She gulped. “Yeah, I know.”
“So you’ve heard of me?”
“No, not really. My friend knew who you were.”
“Well, that’s good enough for me.” He smiled again. “How old are you, Mia?”
She swallowed. “Eighteen.”
His grin was wide and showed perfect white teeth. “Good. That’s real good.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers.
The kiss was deep and passionate…
Chapter Three
Jeff finished currying the last mare and stretched. Amazing how much he enjoyed ranch work after all these years. He’d rebelled against it with a vengeance on Grandpa’s ranch all those years ago, preferring instead to hang out with those criminal “friends” of his. He’d found out the hard way that they weren’t his friends.
He’d found out the hard way about Maria, too.
She was trying. He’d give her credit for that. She certainly didn’t owe him anything after what he’d threatened to do to Angie. Hell, I guess we’re even now. She betrayed me with my own brother and kept a child from me for thirty-two years. Course he’d been a loser back then and had done time to prove it. Maybe he’d gotten what he deserved.
He had an income now. Harper, his nephew, who legally owned Cha Cha Ranch now that Wayne had passed, paid him a good salary. Plus, Harper let him use the small house Angie had lived in before she married Rafe and moved to the western slope to manage Bay Crossing. He was lucky his nephew hadn’t booted him out after he’d tried to take Angie’s inheritance.
But Jeff hadn’t been able to go through with it, especially after Maria had told him Angie was his daughter and not Wayne’s. He’d never imagined they’d created a child during those few nights of nirvana. He hadn’t lived as a monk, but damn if those times with Mia hadn’t been heavenly. He hadn’t had anything comparable since then.
He feared he never would.
It was a loner’s life for him from now on. Well, not exactly a loner. Angie had let him into her life and had promised to let him be a grandpa to her baby when it came. He counted his lucky stars for that. Harper and Catie had accepted him as well. Harp said he had a job and a place to live as long as he wanted, and it wasn’t just nepotism. Harper made no bones about the fact that Jeff worked harder than any other hand on the ranch.
“Aw, hell,” he said out loud, looking at his watch. Time to go to dinner at Maria’s house. He didn’t have a lot of time to clean up, but he’d go home and shower anyway. His daughter was visiting.
* * *
“For goodness’ sake, Mama, he’ll be here.” Angie breathed out loudly. “This baby has determined that my bladder is a punching bag. Excuse me.” She left the table.
“The man can’t be on time to save his own soul,” Maria said to Harper, his wife, Amber, and Angie’s husband, Rafe. They sat around Maria’s round table in the kitchen. No sense using the formal dining room for family. They were all more comfortable here in her big country kitchen.
Jeff stumbled in a few minutes later, his hair damp, looking luscious in jeans and a clean white shirt. “Hey,” he said, “sorry I’m late.”
Maria pursed her lips, but the young people all smiled.
“Not a problem, Uncle Jeff,” Harper said.
Jeff nodded. “I’m going to call the vet in the morning. The gray gelding’s frog is looking a little inflamed.”
Harper nodded. “Silverstreak? Yeah, he’s had a chronic problem for a while now. Give Annie a call.”
“I will.” He looked around the room. “Where’s Angie?”
Rafe laughed. “One guess.”
Jeff smiled. “Bathroom?”
“Yup.”
So he’s really just going to stand there and not speak to me? Maria tapped her foot. Well, fine then. Two can play this game.
Angie returned to the table and Maria sat down without nodding to Jeff. He sat down, once everyone else was seated, next to Angie.
Harper and Rafe began a conversation about the steers at Bay Crossing, and Jeff joined in. Maria had been a rancher’s wife for over thirty years, so she knew a thing or two about the business. But she kept to herself, moving her food around her plate like a little kid who was trying to make it look like he was eating something he didn’t want to eat.
She loved beef empanadas, but her stomach felt like lead at the moment. She couldn’t force herself to take even one bite.
Jeff smiled at the others, even chuckled a time or two. Why? Why was he able to get close to her children but not to her? How long would he make her pay for her mistake?
Thirty years.
The words popped into her head without so much as a warning.
Thirty years.
The amount of time Jeff had spent in prison for a crime he hadn’t committed. He’d paid dearly for his mistake of hanging with criminals when he was young. Thirty damn years. That was a hell of a long time—more than half his life so far.
Would he make her pay for her mistake for thirty years?
Her eyes began to mist, but she inhaled and quickly stopped the tears from forming.
Fine. Thirty years. She could wait.
She had no choice.
* * *
Thirty-Three Years Earlier
That little Mia is something else.
Jeff had been around the block more than a few times, but never had a kiss affected him like this. Mia was a temptress, a siren, wrapped up in an innocent-looking package of beautiful dark hair, flawless olive skin, and an amazing body. Clearly liked Styx, according to her T-shirt. Only the best band in the universe. And those cherry-red lips. God, had that thought really entered his head? Cherry-red? Since when did he notice the color of a woman’s lips? When they were full and sexy and begging to be kissed, that’s when.
He hadn’t meant to kiss her out of the blue, but hell, he hadn’t been able to stop. She’d looked at him with that sexy little pout and he had to have those lips on his. Simple as that.
She knew how to kiss too, had sunk into him like the siren she was.
He kissed her like he’d never kissed a woman before. He wanted to mark her as his, claim her.
God damn, he’d just met her.
His cock rose inside his jeans. He loved kissing, but it usually took a little more than a first kiss to get a rise. But this was no normal first kiss.
This was a kiss to cherish, to savor—it was a kiss he’d judge all other kisses against in his lifetime.
And at that moment, he didn’t ever want to kiss another woman in his lifetime.
Her sweet little moan sang into his mouth like a bluebird’s song. He twirled his tongue around hers, swirled it over her teeth and gums, the insides of her cheeks. He wanted to taste every last millimeter of her sweet mouth.
When his lungs required air, he forced his mouth from hers, took a breath, and then rained tiny kisses over her smooth cheeks and neck. She smelled of wild berries and sweet vanilla. God, he could live on that aroma. He could live on her kisses alone and die a happy man.
Her skin quivered under his lips.
“Oh, God,” she said softly.
His heart hammered. Her skin was like velvet beneath his fingers, his lips. Soft, warm, tan velvet. He knew nothing about her,
only that she was eighteen and delicious to kiss.
She was young and probably not that experienced. And she was into him, and into this kiss. If he were a different kind of man, he’d go for it—screw her brains out and leave without finding out anything about her. But though he scoffed at authority and rebelled against the law, he respected the fairer sex. His mama had died when he was only five, but he remembered her somewhat—soft and feminine yet protective and fierce when it came to her boys. His daddy had treated his mama like a treasure. And she had been a treasure. Angelina. Her name was Angelina.
Mia.
Just as soft and feminine of a name. He’d take care of his Mia.
His Mia?
What the hell? Though it pained him, he removed his lips from the creamy skin of her neck.
He regarded her, her eyes closed, her breaths coming in rapid puffs. God, she was the picture of beauty and innocence all rolled up into one.
“What would you like to do, Mia?”
“Kiss some more?” she said shyly.
Damn. I’d like that too. His cock strained against his jeans. “Nothing I’d like better,” he said, “but if I keep kissing you like that I might not be able to stop. Where do you live, anyway?”
“In town.” She looked down, clearing her throat. “Near the railroad tracks.”
Not a great neighborhood. Poor thing was embarrassed.
“Okay. When do you need to be home?”
“Well, Mama thinks I’m at school, so not until around three.”
“You graduating?”
“Yeah. Going to CU in the fall with some of my friends.”
College. Wayne had gone to college. Jeff’s ACT scores had been darn near perfect, but he’d chosen to skip out on further education. That had been the beginning of the end with Grandpa Norm.
Nah, he was kidding himself. The beginning of the end had come senior year of high school when he’d been arrested for drunk driving with his buddies. After the five-day lecture and horse whipping, Jeff had rebelled against everything, including college. And that’s when Grandpa disinherited him.
Sure, he could have kissed ass and gotten back in the will. He could have started college a semester or a year later. Sometimes he played the “what if?” game, but what good did it do? He’d chosen his path. Or his path had chosen him.
Sounded better that way. Then he didn’t have to take the blame for his stupid-ass life.
Mia.
Somehow, his stupid-ass life seemed more purposeful when he looked into the warm eyes of this pretty girl he’d just met.
“How’d you like to go for a long ride with me?”
She blinked, and those long onyx lashes lay on her cheeks like fine silk threads. “Um, sure. I’d love to ride. Your bike is amazing.”
“Let’s go back in the store. We’ll get you something for your hair so it doesn’t get all out of control again. A rubber band or something. You’ll be more comfortable.”
“Sure. Okay.”
“I wish I had a helmet for you.” Why was he feeling so protective? “I’ll bring one the next time we go on a ride.”
“Why? You don’t wear one.”
“No, I don’t.” But he’d start. Suddenly, not having his brains glopped all over concrete appealed to him. “I have a few at home. Next time, we both wear them.”
“Okay.”
“In fact, we’ll stop at my place and get them. How’s that sound?”
“Sure. Okay.”
He chuckled. “You know any other words, Mia?”
She smiled and her eyes sparkled. “Sure.”
He grabbed her hand, and a tingle shot up his arm. “Come on. Let’s get something for your hair.”
Chapter Four
“Come on, bitch, open up, or I’ll fucking jam this fork into your eye.”
“Please. Please. Don’t…mmmfff.”
“Yeah, bitch. Take it all. You love my big cock shoved in your throat, don’t you?”
The boy, who looked no older than nineteen, pleaded with Jeff with his eyes. Help me. Help me.
Three other inmates held the boy down while Big Chuck forced his penis into the boy’s mouth.
Jeff lunged forward and grabbed Big Chuck around the neck.
They toppled to the ground. The boy turned and threw up in the gravel.
“You’re lookin’ for trouble, Bay,” Big Chuck said. “You don’t want little peewee here to take my cock? You can take it for him.”
Jeff punched Big Chuck in the gut. The large man let out an oof.
“You just bought yourself a heap of trouble.”
Chuck’s minions grabbed Jeff by the collar and forced him to the ground. Gravel sanded his face as one asshole rubbed it into the dirt. Both his arms were pinned, and his pants and boxers were forced from his legs. He lay helpless, spread eagled on the pavement.
The guards circled the grounds, but no help would come. They turned a blind eye. What the fuck did they care? The prisoners were nothing but animals to them—animals to be hosed down and slopped a couple of times a day.
No help would come from the other inmates either. They all knew better. Look out for number one, or your number’d be up pretty quickly.
“I’m going to fuck you, Bay.” Big Chuck’s voice slithered around him like a cunning rattlesnake. “And you’re gonna love it, you interfering little pussy.”
* * *
Jeff woke with a start and sat straight up in bed. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, his chest. His heart thundered against his sternum. His sheets were clammy and damp. The nightmare was always the same. Just as Big Chuck was about to rape him, he woke up.
Jeff closed his eyes.
Thank God it was only a nightmare. The scenario had never taken place. He’d learned to avoid the bulls in prison. He was big enough, strong enough, and though his pretty face had made him a target when he first went to Canon City, his strong fists had protected him. That and the few good friends he made early on, thank God.
Though he longed to intervene during one of the many rapes he witnessed, he’d learned not to. He suffered a beating that landed him in the infirmary for two weeks the one and only time he’d tried, with the boy from his nightmare. The poor boy had been gangbanged anyway for Jeff’s efforts.
The guilt still ate Jeff alive. All those poor boys, and he hadn’t been able to help. Hadn’t been able to do anything except close his eyes to the horror around him.
He looked at the clock on his night table. Four a.m. Well, might as well get up. The alarm would go off in an hour anyway. Funny, he hadn’t had this particular nightmare in prison. He hadn’t had to—the nightmare had been all around him. Each day was a new threat, a new horror.
No, back in prison, his nights had been reserved for Mia. She’d haunted his dreams, no matter how hard he tried to force her from his mind.
Now he’d been on her ranch for nearly a year. He’d healed a lot, pushed a lot of the resentment from his mind. Big brother Wayne had led the life Jeff should have had with Mia and their daughter. But he’d forgiven Wayne. Truly. Best not to resent the dead. What good did it do? He’d decided when he gave Angie back her inheritance that he didn’t want to live a life of resentment and become a bitter old man.
He truly didn’t want that.
But he couldn’t chase the nightmares away.
And then there was Mia.
Every time she came near him he wanted her more, longed for his lips on hers, his body entwined with hers. If possible, she was even more beautiful now than she’d been thirty years ago. She’d aged gracefully. Her hair was still black as night, and her face was still creamy and tan, with only the slightest laugh wrinkles around her eyes. Obviously, she’d laughed a lot over the years. She’d had a happy life. He’d stopped resenting that. He was glad she’d been happy with Wayne. No reason why everyone had to suffer.
And he was extremely grateful that his daughter had been happy, had lived the good life she’d deserved. He owed Wayne for that one. It w
as a debt he’d never be able to repay.
Yes, Mia. She invaded his thoughts once again. She most likely always would.
Her body was still perfect, just slightly curvier around the belly. She’d had three kids, of course.
God, he still wanted her. Had never stopped wanting her.
And she wanted him. A few months ago, she had finally come to him. She’d appeared one night at the foot of his bed.
She was a vision, her perfect body clothed in only peach-colored satin and lace. “I’m sorry for intruding, Jeff. I still have Angie’s old key.”
He shielded his eyes against her luminescence. For that’s what it was. She lit up the dark bedroom, as if the creamy-orange fabric reflected her light from within.
“It’s okay, Mia. What do you want?”
She edged a knee onto the bed. “I think you know, Jeff. I’m dressed this way for a reason.”
“Something from your drawers, I gather, that you used to wear for Wayne?”
She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled. “No. Something I bought today. In town. Just for you. I never wore stuff like this for Wayne. We didn’t have that kind of relationship. We weren’t…in love.”
He nodded. And gulped. “So you’ve told me.”
“How long are you going to make me wait, Jeff? You say you’ve forgiven me, that you hold no resentment. You’re forging a relationship with your daughter and your niece and nephew. They’re growing to love you.” She came closer, stroked his forearm.
Wild stallions trampled inside him. His cock roared to life.
“Why not me, Jeff? Why can’t we have what we once did?”
So many reasons—reasons he could never divulge to her. Reasons that wouldn’t make sense to her. They made sense only to him.
“I know you still love me, Jeff. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me.”
He said nothing. What could he say? Of course he still loved her. He’d never stopped.
“And you know I love you. My whole life, I’ve loved only one man. You.”
