Her Secret Ranger (The Men of at Ease Ranch)

by Donna Michaels

  She wasn’t the only one pent-up. God, he was so thick and hard her eyes crossed as she rocked against the bulge tenting his pants, the feel so incredible she moaned.

  “God, Beth,” he said against her neck, one hand shoved in her updo while the other cupped her breast through her dress.

  Unable to keep her hands at bay, she skimmed his quivering muscles, brushing her nails over his nipples, relishing the low groans rumbling in his chest. His skin was on fire. She was on fire, aching, quivering, rocking, already shockingly close to a release.

  Until a truck door slammed outside her room and she stilled. Oh God. Dread replaced every last ounce of emotion in her body as she scrambled to her feet.

  Cord.

  She knew before she heard her brother curse under his breath. Before a fist pounded on her door over and over.

  “Brick! You son of a bitch! Open up! I know you’re in there!”

  “Cord? What the hell?” Brick shot to his feet, anger flushing his face as he rushed toward the door, cursing under his breath.

  “No! Don’t!” She lunged for his arm, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Brick barely cracked the door open before Cord pushed in. A wild green gaze took one look at Beth, the ties hanging from the lamps, then swiveled to him, taking in his undressed state, and…Jesus, his face turned red.

  What the hell flew up his shorts?

  “You son of a bitch!” Cord threw a right hook.

  Fuck.

  He easily ducked, but the bastard had the other fist ready and it connected with Brick’s cheek. Stumbling back, he muttered a curse as pain reverberated through his face. “Cord? What the fuck’s your problem, man?” Left with no choice, he tackled the guy to the floor, but the idiot was hell-bent and they rolled into the dresser. Hard. Twice.

  “Stop it! Stop,” Beth yelled at the top of her lungs. Panic and anger and fear all mixed in her throaty tone.

  Brick’s chest tightened. Once he knew Cord was calm and not a danger to anyone, he’d go to her. But damn, what the hell had gotten into his friend? The guy was supposed to be at a wedding tonight, too. He didn’t appear drunk. Did someone slip something in his drink? Brick inhaled but didn’t smell any alcohol on him. PTSD related? Cord had never had any episodes.

  Just didn’t make sense.

  “Stop it!” Beth yelled again.

  Cord stilled then shoved him away before he pushed to his feet.

  Brick stood, too, his damn face throbbing. It was already beginning to swell. Beth apparently noticed because she grabbed an ice bucket and disappeared from the room.

  “Can’t believe you did this,” Cord snapped.

  Ah hell. He didn’t have time for bullshit. “Did what?”

  “Slept with her.” His buddy motioned toward the open doorway, face pinched with disgust.

  White-hot anger sliced through Brick so fast he shook. “Don’t you ever talk about Beth in that tone.”

  “Beth?” Cord reeled back then pointed to his angel when she walked into the room with ice. “This is the Beth you’ve been sleeping with for weeks now?”

  His buddy was fucking pushing it. Brick’s fingers curled into fists. “It’s none of your damn business.”

  “Like hell! She’s my fucking sister.”

  “Your sister?” He would’ve laughed, but even as a cruel joke it wasn’t funny. “I’d never mess with your sister. Cut the crap. This is Beth. Your sister is Lizzie.”

  “This is my sister E-liz-a-beth.”

  For Christ’s sake. “Cord, just stop. This is Beth Madison. Tell him, Beth.” He glanced at her, ready with a reassuring smile, but what he saw wasn’t reassuring at all. In fact, what he saw stopped his damn heart. Guilt clouded her gaze and slumped her shoulders. He tried to draw air into his lungs, but nothing made it past the blockage in his throat. “Angel…tell me Cord is not your brother.”

  She set the ice bucket on the dresser and sucked in the very breath he needed. “I can explain.”

  Son of a bitch.

  That little sliver of hope he’d held out for just splintered under the weight of her words. Everything inside him shriveled, along with all the good he’d felt the past few weeks. “Don’t bother.” Pivoting around, he strode for the door.

  He had to get out. He couldn’t comprehend what the hell all of this meant. Didn’t want to. Not until he was alone.

  “Brick! Wait. I’m sorry. Please let me explain.” Beth stepped in front of him, her gaze anxious and frantic and filling with tears.

  He hated tears. He needed air. Definitely time to go. “You’re Cord’s sister. End of story. Good-bye.” Since Lizzie didn’t move, he stepped around her.

  “That’s it? After all we’ve done and said to each other?”

  His gut rippled on that one, and he noted Cord’s gaze was still full of fury, but Brick wasn’t sure at whom it was directed anymore. At least he understood why his buddy had lost his shit. God, that’s exactly what he needed to do. But not here. He preferred to take it out on a punching bag at the ranch. “Trust me. You don’t want to hear my thoughts.”

  “Brick, please.”

  He ignored her, so damn furious he couldn’t feel the pain in his face anymore. He turned to Cord. “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know she was your sister.”

  “He’s telling the truth, Cord.” Beth stepped close. “He didn’t know.”

  Brick shot her a look. “I don’t need your help. I can defend myself.”

  “At least put some ice on your cheek.” She tried to hand him a hand towel with ice, but he pushed it away. “Quick acting like a baby. This has nothing to do with any of us. You’re injured. Fix it.” Again, she shoved the towel at him, and again, he refused.

  “No. I deserve the pain. As a matter of fact, Cord, here…hit the other side.” He offered his unmarred cheek to his buddy. “I deserve much worse than you gave me.”

  Cord didn’t say anything or do anything. Just glanced from him to his sister.

  He shook his head. “How the hell did you even find out?”

  “Someone mentioned my sister dancing with Brick. Not such a common name.”

  “Wait, you were at Rachel’s weddi…never mind.” Of-fucking-course he was. Rachel was Beth’s friend. Beth was Cord’s sister. He stiffened as the night began to make sense—and piss him off. His mind reeled as he turned to Beth. “Now I know why you rushed me the hell out of there tonight, and it wasn’t to have your way with me.” The sexy rendezvous she’d implied had been a damn ploy, and he’d jumped at it, falling hook, line, and fucking sinker.

  Christ, he’d never felt so stupid. Or used. Manipulated.

  “That’s not true,” she said, but he wasn’t listening.

  He couldn’t trust her to be truthful, and he sure as hell couldn’t trust his fucking body around her.

  Damn.

  It was hard to believe his warm, loving, giving angel was Cord’s kid sister they’d heard about all these years. Too bad she was also a liar. A conniver.

  Done being a patsy, he turned from her and walked right out the door.

  …

  The next fifteen hours were a bit of a blur for Beth. She’d lost so much. So damn much her poor mind couldn’t quite take it all in. She was operating on autopilot. Her brain was mush. Heart was crushed. Future shot.

  Time to go home and lick her wounds, or whatever one was supposed to do when their world went to pot. At least that had been the plan, but somehow her autopilot got the directions wrong, because instead of heading south, she’d headed east and just turned onto the road past Skeeter’s garage in Joyful.

  And still she continued on. Two men had invited her to At-Ease for brunch, and she was going to take them up on that invitation. Both guys had left last night before she’d had a chance to explain. Brick had ripped out her heart and taken off early on, and her brother, oh he stayed around long enough to make her feel worse.

  “You can have anyone you want, Lizzie. Why
the hell did you have to take my best friend?”

  Then he left without waiting for her reply.

  He was going to get one now.

  She turned onto the long driveway and drove under the sign, her heartbeat picking up speed. That first statement was untrue. If she could have anyone she wanted, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

  The man she wanted was the one man she couldn’t have…and the one who now didn’t want her.

  Pulling up in front of the ranch, she was relieved to note both trucks in the drive. She had some owning up to do and some chewing out. Kind of hard to do if the men were missing. Getting out, she dug up some bravado and wore it like a superhero cloak as she rang the doorbell.

  Not allowed to chicken out, she was going to say her piece and leave. Hopefully, there wasn’t a huge crowd. She didn’t want to cause a scene or bring tension to the veterans. That bravado started to slip. Shoot.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

  The door swung open. “Beth? Come on in.” Vince smiled, grasping her arm and pulling her inside as if he thought she was going to bolt.

  It had crossed her mind.

  “Boy, you stirred up a hornets’ nest. Wish I would’ve been there to see the brawl.” He laughed as he led her down the hall. “But not to worry. They’re cool. Most of the food is gone. I’ll go into the kitchen and whip you up something quick.”

  “No.” She tugged them to a stop. “Thanks, but don’t bother. I didn’t come to eat. I just have a few things to say that they never gave me a chance to.”

  His smile returned. “Good for you.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “Me? No. Why should I be? With Cord for a brother, I don’t blame you for trying to keep Brick a secret.”

  Relief eased some tension from her spine. “Thanks. Too bad Brick didn’t see it that way.”

  “Ah, he will. But he’s thick-headed. It’ll take longer to get through to his brain.”

  Her lips twitched. “Hope you’re right.”

  “I am.” Confidence mixed with the amusement in his eyes. “So…are you ready?”

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Yes, but I also don’t want to cause a scene if there are a lot of men in the dining room.”

  His smile broadened. “You’re in luck. Most of the guys ate and left. Just Jovy and the yahoos are left. Hey…” He laughed. “Sounds like the name of a band. Jovy and the Yahoos.”

  The sweet man was trying to help her relax. Beth attempted a smile. Maybe she succeeded. She didn’t know; her mind was too occupied with her task. “Okay, let’s do it.”

  With a firm nod, he led her the rest of the way straight into the dining room. “Look who came to dinner,” he announced, then dipped his head toward her. “I always wanted to say that.”

  “Beth!” Jovy rose to her feet.

  “Don’t get up.” She stepped closer, weathering the hard stares from the Rangers. Leo. Cord. Stone. Brick.

  But not Vince. He set his hands on Brick’s shoulders and pushed him back down when her secret cowboy made to get up, too. “Listen to what the lady has to say.”

  Her chest ached at the sight of Brick’s face swollen and discolored. Kind of like her heart. Battered and bruised.

  The men stuck together. She got that. She understood their concern. But Vince was right. They were damn sure going to listen to what she had to say. “I came here to tell all of you I’m sorry for the deceit I brought to the ranch. It was never my intention. But sometimes it’s necessary.”

  “It’s okay,” Jovy said.

  The woman was sweet.

  “No. It’s not. It’s far from okay.” Brick glared at her. “I don’t appreciate being lied to and used.”

  Her heart squeezed as it hammered out of control. “Technically, I did neither.”

  “Bullshit, Beth. You told me—”

  “What?” She stepped forward. “What did I tell you, Brick? That I like being with you? Not a lie. I’m an event planner? Not a lie. I’m from Austin? Not a lie. In town temporarily while I was planning my friend’s wedding? Not. A. Lie.”

  “That your name was Beth Madison.”

  Her chin lifted. “Madison is my middle name.”

  He let out a curse. “Well, you led me to believe it was your last name.”

  She nodded. “I’ll own up to that one.”

  “That’s awfully big of you,” he grumbled. “Was this some kind of game to you, Beth? Did you think it was funny to sleep with your brother’s friend? To mess with my head?”

  “It wasn’t like that. When we first met, I had no idea you were Cord’s friend. All I knew was that you were funny and handsome and I liked being with you. Believe me, I had no idea you were from this ranch. If my damn brother just once in his life referred to you all by your given names, I would’ve known immediately when you introduced yourself that first night. God, I never would’ve let you buy me a drink, had I known.”

  Silence fell around the room. Leo stared at his hands. Brick clenched his jaw. Her brother… Who the hell knew what he was thinking? He had his closed expression on tight.

  “When did you figure it out?” Stone spoke up, his gaze no longer hard. It hovered somewhere over neutral.

  She blew out a breath. “The first time Brick brought me here.”

  Brick cursed under his breath. “That was over two weeks ago. You’ve been playing me for two weeks, Beth. Lizzie. Whatever the hell your name is.”

  “It’s Beth, and I told you, I wasn’t playing you. I was trying to hold on to you, you idiot.”

  Vince snickered and Stone’s lips twitched.

  “By the time I realized you were Cord’s friend, it was too late. I was already halfway in love with you and I knew…I knew you’d drop me faster than a live grenade.” She held his gaze, watching as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “Damn straight.” His fist slammed down onto the table, sending dishes and silverware into the air before they landed with a loud crash. “You’re my buddy’s sister.”

  “And that is also your answer as to why I did what I did. It’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth, and I just wanted you to know.” She leveled her gaze on him. “I’m not proud of it. But I’m also not sorry. So sue me for freaking wanting to hang on to you for as long as possible. Sue me for wanting to feel good. For enjoying the company of someone who enjoyed mine. It was wonderful and I loved being with you. I am guilty of those things and for being selfish. I admit it. What I am sorry about is not considering what this would do to you and Cord. I was thinking about myself and what it would do to me when you dropped me. And since that was inevitable, I decided to wait until after my friend’s wedding, so I could get a few extra days with you.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” Jovy said. “You did come here two weeks ago to tell them. You did try to own up.”

  “You did?” Brick frowned at her while Stone frowned at Jovy.

  Beth nodded. “I felt awful, so I drove up here to tell you, but then you kissed me and took me on a picnic, then shielded me from hail.” Tears filled her eyes and her throat burned at the memory. “I just couldn’t do it then. You were hurt physically. I just couldn’t add to your pain. Anyhow”—she sniffed—“poor Jovy caught me trying to hide from Cord when he came home before I could leave.” She turned her attention to Stone. “Don’t be mad at her. She made me promise to tell you both or else she would. I told her I would after the wedding.”

  “I figured it out, too,” Leo said quietly, and five startled faces stared at the poor guy. “I knew I’d seen her somewhere, and yesterday morning I figured it out and confronted her. Like Jovy, I agreed to wait until today.”

  “They didn’t do anything wrong. I did,” she said, rushing to their defense. “And I’m sorry I put them in that position. And I’d also like to apologize to you, Cord.” She folded her arms across her chest and held his intent gaze. “I never meant to come between you and your friend. I’m sorry. I hope
you two aren’t too asinine to figure something out. I can only assume that’s what you’ve been trying to avoid all these years by sequestering me from your life. Kind of sucks that it didn’t work.” She tried to feel bad for him, but at the moment she was too angry. And her bravado was starting to slip, so it was time to go. “That’s all I wanted to say…oh, other than it’s nice to finally meet the Ranger rifle squad that had my brother’s back. Thank you for bringing him home safe.” She turned to go.

  Jovy stood up. “Aren’t you going to stay for brunch?”

  “No. I just wanted to apologize, and to make sure Brick was okay.”

  He grunted but didn’t look at her, and her heart shriveled tighter. She had to try to convey…

  “I never meant to hurt you, Brick. I’m glad to have met you. The last four weeks…God, they were the best of my life.” She willed him to look up and prayed he’d stand up and take her in his arms and forgive her and never let her go.

  He stared straight ahead.

  Super. She swallowed, her body tightening each passing second. Definitely time to go.

  “You sure you can’t stay?” Jovy grasped her hand. “Oh, wait, that’s right. You have that other event…the birthday princess thing.”

  Beth snorted because otherwise she’d cry. “Nope. Got fired. So I’m heading home. Or maybe not. I don’t know yet.”

  Last night really sucked, and she didn’t relish going home to lick her wounds. Over the past few weeks she’d kind of outgrown home.

  Shock widened Jovy’s eyes. “Wait, fired?”

  “Why?” Cord frowned.

  God, she just didn’t want to get into it. Lord knew she’d aired enough of her dirty laundry in that dining room. “Don’t worry about. It’s my business. You don’t like me in yours, so I think maybe I’ll take a page from your book, Warlock. Anyhow.” She hugged Jovy. “It was nice meeting you.” Then she released her and stepped back, her attention returning to Brick, who was still sitting woodenly. “Nice meeting all of you.”