With the wind in his face, and Midnight’s hooves pounding the ground, his brothers whooping and hollering by his side, Adam could almost believe he was a carefree boy once more. But he wouldn’t trade those days for what he had now, even if he had a difficult decision to make. Because to do so, would be to forget Lynn, and that he would never want. Ever.
Chapter Eleven – Lynn
“Good girl, Jesse,” Skyla said softly as her horse watched the others racing. “Boys will be boys.”
“Yes, they will.” Lynn held her reins tighter, and then loosened them when Honey showed no intention of wanting to go faster. “Good girl.”
“It’s good to see four brothers who get along, though,” Skyla said, relaxing as her horse followed Honey’s lead, walking at a steady pace after the others. “You seem to get on well with Adam.”
“I like him. But we’ve only just met.”
“He asked you to come today. That means he thinks a lot of you, wouldn’t you say?” Skyla asked, trying not to sound as if she were prying.
“He is a little intense,” Lynn admitted. “It’s like he thinks we’re going to be together.”
“And you aren’t so sure?” Skyla asked, patting her horse.
“Was Jordan the same?” Lynn asked. “I wondered, since they are brothers, if it’s something in the way they were brought up. You know, lonely cowboys seeking wife.”
“It is in the way they are made up, rather than brought up.” Skyla cast a sideways glance at Lynn. “You’re not from around here, are you? With the talk about your ranch, and the family being surprised the ranch was left to you, I figured you were from out of town.”
“I am. I visited my uncle a few times, but my mom and dad never talked about him. And I haven’t been this way for years.”
“OK, all I can tell you is that the family has this thing where they know when they meet their mate,” Skyla said evasively.
“Their mate?” Lynn frowned at the strange term. “You mean their true love? They all believe in love at first sight?”
“They do. True love. Yes. Let’s go with that,” Skyla said, stumbling over the words. “All you need to know is that if Adam thinks you are the one for him, I can say with almost certainty that he is right.”
“And I’m supposed to go along with it?” Lynn asked.
“Oh, I didn’t say that. Make him work for it,” Skyla said, giving her a wicked grin. “I believe the best kind of relationships have to be worked at, not taken for granted. But if you give him a chance, I can tell you, it will be the best thing you have ever done.”
They had reached the stand of trees and followed the trail that led beneath the branches, the cool shade welcome. Honey called softly to the other horses, who were standing in a line beneath a big ash tree. Their riders were nowhere to be seen.
“Looks like the men have gotten a head start.” Skyla pointed through the trees to where the three Williams brothers were stripping down, thankfully not completely naked, but down to their underpants, and then with a holler, they jumped into the inviting water of a large pool.
“Looks as if they have,” Lynn agreed.
“I don’t think I’m going to be swimming in there, but I am going to sit with my feet in the water,” Skyla said, sliding down off her horse, and stretching her legs. “What do you say? A little man-watching?”
“I think I’d like that,” Lynn said, getting off Honey, and wincing as her feet touched the ground. “Definitely out of practice.”
“I’m not looking forward to getting back on. No offense, Jesse,” Skyla said, kissing her horse’s nose, “but this place is beautiful.”
Skyla was right. The trees hid what could almost be an oasis. The falls, as Adam had called them, emptied into a hidden pool, like a sapphire amongst the emerald trees. Deep blue, with only the frothy water of the falls breaking the surface, this was a perfect place. Skyla and Lynn found a place by the north side of the pool, where the sun broke through and gave them some warmth, while they dipped their feet in the cool water of the pool.
As her feet numbed, Lynn tried to figure out how the Williams brothers could stand being under the freezing water. “They must have hot blood,” she muttered to Skyla.
“You better believe it,” Skyla said with a knowing smile. “You ever want a man to keep you warm, then Adam would be it.”
“I can believe it,” Lynn said. She was starting to come around to the idea of being part of this family. Skyla’s words had stuck in her head, and she liked the idea of true love, and all that went with it. No room for doubt, or for second-guessing. Life would be simple.
Adam was a good man. She should count herself lucky. However, she was not willing to just go with someone else’s plans. She wanted to be her own woman and make her own decisions, and that included choosing her man. Just because the Williams men thought they knew their true love at first sight didn’t mean she had to cave in and do what Adam wanted.
That was a lesson she had learned from dealing with her parents. But as she watched him get out of the pool and drag his jeans up over his wet legs, she sure did wish she felt the same way.
“What have you two ladies been talking about?” Jordan asked, coming over and sitting beside Skyla.
“How lucky we are to have such hot-blooded men,” Skyla said. “You know, the kind who run off into the distance on their horses. Not exactly white knights, are you?”
“I knew you could take care of yourself,” Jordan said. “I know how you would hate for me to think you a damsel in distress.”
“Of course,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Unless it’s when you have a flat tire,” Jordan said. “Then you are more than willing to play that card.”
Skyla kicked water at him from out of the pool, and he put his hands up to defend himself, laughing at her indignant expression. “Once. Once I called you to help me. And if you hadn’t done the lug nut up so tightly, I would have been able to take care of it myself.”
“I’m joking.”
“And I’ve lost my sense of humor since I’ve been married to you,” Skyla said.
“It’s good to see you have a healthy relationship,” Adam said to Jordan and Skyla. “I was worried it was so perfect none of us would ever be able to match it.”
“Perfect?” Skyla asked. “You grew up with him. You know about his aversion to admitting he is ever wrong?”
“I do,” Adam said, sitting down next to Lynn, and placing his hand over hers. Skyla was right; he did burn hot. His hand should have been freezing cold, but it wasn’t, it warmed her. Lynn shuffled a little, trying to hide the sensations that crept through her body at the thought of this man being hers. Watching him swim in the pool, seeing his large, well-muscled arms carve their path through the water, had made her stomach flip with longing.
“Thanks, what happened to family sticking together?” Jordan asked. He’d sat down next to Skyla, his arm resting on her shoulders as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Would she ever get to that stage with Adam? With anyone?
“Which is kind of what I want to talk to you about,” Adam said.
Lynn’s breathing went shallow as she waited for the conversation about the ranch to begin. It was hard not to feel like an intruder, a voyeur on this family’s private business. As she watched Jon, Sam, and Jordan turn their attention fully to Adam, and saw Skyla stroke her husband’s back, as if comforting him, it was hard not to want to be part of this, to be part of a group of people who obviously cared for each other, to learn all the minute interactions that made a family work.
For Lynn, it had been her mom and dad’s rules. Sometimes subtle rules, but she had never had the backup of brothers or sisters to help support her. Always outnumbered, that was how she had slipped into a routine of always going along with what they wanted.
Until the keys to the Hawkins Ranch landed in her hands and she took them and ran.
“Go on, Adam, it looks as if you have something you need to say,” Jordan
said.
“I do. It concerns the ranch and its future.” He raked his hand through his wet hair, and for a moment Lynn wondered if he was going to go through with it. This was difficult, she imagined, because the two men here were strong men, with strong personalities, and Jordan had already made his opinion clear when he relinquished his claim to the farm as the eldest son.
“You don’t want the farm?” Jordan asked, as the silence stretched on.
“Yes, and no. I want us to have equal shares,” Adam finally blurted out, with no more preamble.
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Jordan said. “But my life is in Bear Bluff, and always will be. I have roots there, the same as you all still have your roots here. The ranch was never for me. Sure, I love the place, but my life is not going to be spent in the saddle. My accident was just a way of me seeing that for certain.”
“But we do appreciate the offer,” Skyla cut in, her voice choked with emotion. “I know Jordan thinks the world of you three and your parents. Even if he is not always good at expressing his emotions to you.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Adam said, looking at Jon, who had remained quiet. “I want us to have equal shares, as if this was a company. And then, if Jon and I work the ranch, we get paid a wage.” He took a deep shuddering breath, and then laid it out plain and simple. “I don’t feel it’s right for one of us to inherit what we all love. I know how I felt when it passed to me, after you let it go, Jordan. I’d worked here all my life, I always thought I’d be a hired hand, and then when it became mine, something shifted, and I looked at Jon, and thought how unfair it was. We’ve worked here together for so many years.”
“Don’t sweat it, Adam. I always knew the place would never be mine,” Jon said.
“But why shouldn’t it? Why should it matter who was born first or last? I know Dad wants to keep the place together, and I’m all for that, but not at the expense of my brothers.”
“And what do you think of this, Lynn?” Jon asked, his face serious.
“Oh, it’s nothing to do with me,” Lynn said. “This is a family matter.”
“And you will be part of this family one day. You, as Adam’s mate…”
“Jon, don’t…”
“Sorry. Let me rephrase it. If you were Adam’s fiancée, would you be happy about him giving up his inheritance? This whole place could be yours and Adam’s and now, instead, you are part of a company board with votes and choices made, which you might not agree with.”
Lynn shuffled uncomfortably as all eyes settled on her. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves, making sure she had full control of herself; if they wanted her opinion, then she was going to give it. “My mom and dad were never big on choice. And I have no siblings, so this is difficult for me to have any perspective on. But I know it means a lot to Adam, and I also believe that children should not be forced into what their parents believe is right. Things move on, children change.”
“And you would be happy for your children to inherit a third of the ranch, rather than all of it?” Jordan asked.
Wow, these guys were serious, talking as if she was one of them, as if this truly was her choice too.
“I think that if I had four boys, that they should all be entitled to part of their home, if they want it.”
“We do,” Jordan murmured.
“Thanks, Adam,” Jon said, standing up. The three brothers hugged, and then turned to Samuel, who was seated a little apart from them. “Sam?”
Samuel nodded his agreement. “All we have to do now is tell Dad.”
“And that is for you boys to do. I think we should get back, and after dinner tonight, you lock yourselves in a room and don’t let him out until he agrees,” Skyla said.
“We may be in there a while. Dad has always been hell-bent on the ranch staying together, and the Hawkins Ranch being part of it. The thought of there being any small risk of it being torn apart is going to be difficult for him to handle.”
“Then we persuade him that brothers stick together and we won’t make the same mistakes as his father did. This way no one is tied to it. But we all reap the rewards.”
“I never knew I had such a smart brother,” Jordan said, patting Adam on the back. “You have a good man there, Lynn.”
“If you’ll have him, of course,” Skyla teased.
As they rode back through the late afternoon, Lynn came to the conclusion that having Adam would be a good thing. A really good thing.
Chapter Twelve – Adam
“I promised you I’d help you clean,” Adam said, as they arrived back at the Hawkins Ranch. The others had gone into the main house at the Homestead, and she had been asked to join them, but Lynn declined the invitation. Adam wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to avoid his father, or she was displeased about being dragged into the discussion about the ranch.
“Why not take a rain check? On the cleaning.” She opened the door of the truck, about to slip out. He had the terrifying image of her slipping out of his life forever.
“I’m sorry. About today.” He was nervous, unsure. Having Lynn in his life was so important, so precious, that any thought he might lose her made him feel like grabbing hold of her with this strong hands and never letting go. Yet he knew this had to be her choice, that she would be unhappy if he forced himself into her life.
Hadn’t he witnessed firsthand how she had rebelled against her parents and their idea of what her life should be?
“I’m not,” she said, her feet touching the ground, and her hand resting on the truck door. “It was fun.”
“You’re not mad, about being caught up in the discussion?” Adam asked.
“There was nothing to be mad about. You all seemed to be of the same thought. I figured there would be some kind of argument, at least.”
“That will be tonight. With my dad.”
“And that is why you need to go. Be with your brothers. Family is more important than cleaning.”
He opened his door and got out of the truck. Adam moved so fast, letting his other side, his bear, help him—it was part of the shifter gift, and he welcomed it now, pulling a shocked Lynn into his arms. “I can’t tell you how good it is to have you in my life.”
“As your mate?” Lynn said.
“Yeah, about that…” What was he going to say? I’m a bear shifter and you are mine.
Sounds good to me, his bear said.
That would send her running back to her mom and dad, Adam answered.
Are you so sure? his bear asked. Lynn might like the idea of us always wanting the best for her, of always fighting for what she wants.
Let’s give it a little more time, Adam told his bear.
“It’s OK. I know you probably do things differently around here. And I’m an outsider, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Lynn said.
“I’d like to explain everything to you,” Adam said. “Later tonight?”
“If you have time,” she said.
“I’ll always have time for you.” Adam stroked her cheek with his fingertips, letting the sensations she evoked in him wash over him. Then he leaned forward and kissed her, pouring all the love and need he had for her into it, hoping to make her experience, in some small way, the way he felt for her.
Their kiss deepened, and Lynn threaded her hands around his neck, holding him close, no longer a passive bystander. Maybe he had awoken something inside her. It might be passion, or lust, or love. He would take whatever she offered, and plant it as a seed, and nurture it until she agreed to be his wife, to be his mate. To be his woman for the rest of eternity.
Adam slid his hand down her back, and lower, pulling her close, so that their bodies were pressed tightly together, her soft curves against his work-hardened muscles. They would always complement each other in life, rough and smooth, soft and hard.
“You should go,” Lynn said, pulling back from him.
“I have a little more time before dinner,” Adam said.
“If you don’t go now, I’m likely to drag you in the house so we can make out on the lumpy sofa,” Lynn said.
He chuckled. “I am well-known for my big appetite and always turning up in time for any meal. But an offer like that? I would miss breakfast, lunch and dinner for.”
She giggled. “I am a bad influence on you.”
“No, you are changing me. I actually have something on my mind other than the price of beef and whether we have enough grain to feed the livestock.”
“Let’s hope your dad doesn’t think I’m changing you for the worse when you tell him your new plans. He’s probably going to think I have been sent here to undermine him. To try to split the ranch up even more. Like it’s in my genes, or something.”
“True.” He kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers. He would rather stay here. He would rather make love to her on her lumpy sofa. But his family was waiting for him, and no matter how much he wanted to be with Lynn, this had to be dealt with now.
Tearing himself away, he kissed her cheek, and watched her walk to her front door, where she turned and waved to him, while he went back around his truck and yanked the door open. Then he climbed in, his heart aching to be with his mate, but his head telling him it would be better to get this all finalized and out of the way.
One less obstacle to overcome. And once it was dealt with, he would be back here, racing through the trees, and across the open plains, to spend the night with his mate. That was what she offered him, wasn’t it?
He’d come back later, and see what happened, he had all the time in the world. Today had taken him one step closer to being with his woman. And he would take it, and then take one step more, and then one more, until they were married with kids, and living… Where? The ranch, or here?
These were the things he mused over, as he drove back to the Homestead. So much he had taken for granted in his life, and the arrival of Lynn had tipped it all upside down. He had always thought, as had his father, that when they found mates, the Williams boys would all live under the same roof.
Cowboy Bear Blues: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Cowboy Brother Bear Book 1) Page 8
