“Fine, another time then. But I am going to taste you, Emily.”
“I look forward to it, now fuck me already, would you?”
He slid his cock into me but didn’t start thrusting. Instead he bent over me and started sucking on my breast. My back arched and my hips pressed against him, taking him even deeper.
He started moving in me, and he kissed his way up my neck. His lips found mine and I wrapped my arms and legs around him. We were moving together now, my fingers digging into his shoulders and my ankles locked around his waist.
He kissed my jaw and my ear and my cheek but mostly he kissed my lips. I took gasping breaths between kisses as the pleasure and desire built in me. He climaxed first, leveraging himself up and slamming his cock deep into me as he exploded.
I kept moving my hips, thrusting up against him until my climax stole over me leaving me gasping for air. He kissed me, leaving me even more breathless.
“So who took care of whom?” he said.
“I don’t care, I’m going to sleep.”
He chuckled as we rearranged ourselves and snuggled down under the covers.
I woke alone again and rolled out of bed. I dressed and went out to find Ryker having breakfast on the deck with Jeremy.
“That smells really good.”
“Head inside and help yourself,” Jeremy said.
When I came back out with a full plate Ryker was alone. “Where’s Jeremy?”
“Chores. The ranch doesn’t run itself.”
“Chores. I’m going to start hating that word.” We ate our breakfast in comfortable silence after that.
I was still chasing the last forkfuls of scrambled eggs when Ryker said, “Are you all ready?” He set his plate aside and drained his coffee.
“I think so, unless Katy things of something else I need to pack.”
“I wasn’t talking about the clothes, Emily, or food or gear. Are you ready to do this? To walk away from the city, your family, your whole life?”
“Ryker, I’ve had a hundred chances to back out of this and I’m still here. It’s not like we’re completely cut off. I like Jeremy and Katy, and I like the idea of leaving the hassle of the city behind. I love you, Ryker, I want to be a part of your life, I want to share this adventure with you. And I want you to buy me a horse.”
He laughed. “We might have to do some work on the camp before we add another horse.”
“You’d best get on that then.”
“And what will you be doing?”
“Laundry, cooking, dishes, chopping wood, feeding chickens, collecting eggs, brushing King …”
“Okay, I get it, I get it. You’re going to do fine.”
“Yes, I think I’ll be more than fine now.” I reached out and took his hand. “I really do love you, Ryker, and it’s going to be hard as we adjust to each other being around all the time, but this is the choice I want to make. I’m coming out there and you’re not chasing me away, no matter how grumpy you get about it.”
“You know, gruff and grumpy kept everyone else away,” he said.
“I like it,” I said. “If you’re grumpy with me I’ll probably just jump you for sex.”
“Great, that’s just wonderful. Well, I guess I’d better just accept it, I have no way to get rid of you.”
“None at all, but would you want to?”
“No. You’re a part of my life now, I’d miss you if you weren’t there to keep me warm at night.”
“Keep you warm!”
“And do my chores.”
I stood and pulled my hand away but before I could yell at him or storm off he was on his feet and pulling me into a rough kiss.
“Foolish woman, I love you.”
“Good,” I said, hating how grumpy my voice was. “Because I love you too.”
“If you’re done breakfast we should go home.”
Now I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”
HEIR TO THE RANCH
Chapter 1
Joy Henry roused from a deep sleep to the sound of the doorbell ringing over and over again. She swung her legs out of bed and looked at the clock. It was five in the morning. She grabbed her housecoat and padded down the hall as whomever was at the door began pounding on it as well as ringing the doorbell.
She pulled the sheer curtains aside. The face waiting on the other side of the glass was so like her own that for a moment she thought she was seeing her reflection in the glass. The dishevelled hair with the puffs of late-winter snow clinging to it, the tear streaked cheeks and the lack of wrinkles were enough of a difference to convince her otherwise.
She reached for the lock and yanked at the door. When she did get the door open she could hear sobbing. “Jenn, what’s wrong? It’s practically the middle of the night!”
“I’m sorry Mom.” The sob turned to a hiccup.
“Come in, you’re getting covered in snow. Come in, come in. I’ll put on the tea and you can tell me everything.”
A few minutes later mother and daughter were settled at the kitchen table with tea and some buttered toast.
“I’m sorry I woke you up,” Jennifer said. “I didn’t know where else to go. I know last time I was here we had a big fight …”
“No, don’t worry about that. You were forgiven as soon as my temper cooled. I wasn’t sure you’d ever come back but I’m glad you did.”
“You were right about Austin.”
Joy’s heart did a flip-flop and her stomach knotted but she forced her voice to be gentle. “What happened Jennifer?”
“He’d say things, mean things, and he made me think it was for my own good. He’d call me fat and tell me it was just because he cared about my weight, but he never helped me lose weight, he just made me feel fat and ugly. He told me no one else would love me.”
“It’s hard to see it when it’s happening to you.”
Jenn nodded, grateful she didn’t have to say the word abuse to her mother. “Last week he started hurting me. He’d grab my arm too hard. He’d push me sometimes. I thought it was my fault he was mad.”
“Something happened, didn’t it? Something that made you see it all.” Please, don’t let it be too bad.
Another nod. “We were getting ready for bed. He rubbed my back and kissed me and I told him I wasn’t in the mood. He told me it wasn’t my choice. He … He’s going to be pissed when I’m not there in the morning.”
“Did he?” but Joy found she couldn’t say the word either.
Jennifer rolled up her sweater sleeves revealing the beginning of ugly bruises on her wrists.
Joy was out of her chair in a flash and had her arms around her daughter as the younger woman broke down sobbing. “Do you want to go to the police and make a report?”
Jenn shook her head. “We were living together. No one will believe it was rape. I just want to be done with him.”
“Then you’ll stay here. We’ll get through this together. We’ll get your stuff back from the apartment and we’ll get you back on your feet. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks Mom.”
Chapter 2
The last of the snow had melted away. Most of Jenn’s belongings were moved back into her childhood bedroom and the rest she’d given up for lost. It hadn’t been as easy as going to the apartment while Austin was at work and packing up her belongings. The phone calls hadn’t stopped on her cell or the house line, and once a week at least he showed up at the house, pounding on the door and demanding to be let in.
Jennifer was hiding in her room now because he was at the door again. She was on her stomach in bed with the covers over her head. Her dad had taken the car to the shop, her mom was at work, there was no one she could call, no one to chase him away. At least the door is locked.
The knocking stopped suddenly and she could hear voices on the porch, loud angry voices. She stayed in bed. When the voices finally stopped she waited for the knocking to begin again but it didn’t. Then the phone downstairs rang. She crept down the stairs. There was no one on
the porch. The answering machine picked up and after her mom’s recorded greeting a female voice came on.
“Joy? Henry? This is Mary-Anne next door. There was someone trying to break into your house today. I called the police and they chased him off. I hope everything is okay. Call me this evening so I know you’re okay. Okay, goodbye.”
Oh thank-god for nosy neighbours, Jennifer thought. She grabbed some food from the fridge and retreated to the den where she’d been working on the computer when Austin had shown up at the door. She was still looking for work after two months of living at her parents. I’m tired of being unemployed and broke. I’m tired of living with my parents. I’m tired of being afraid.
“Austin called the office today,” Joy said at dinner a few days later. “He wanted to know if I knew where you were. I hung up on him.”
“I’m sorry Mom. I cancelled my cell phone today, that must be why.”
“It’s not your fault. Any luck finding a job?”
“No, not yet. I will find one, I promise.”
“I’m not nagging, sweetheart. I was only asking because I may have found a solution.”
“Oh?”
“Do you remember Jim and Trish Evans? We went out to their ranch a few times when you were young.”
“Sort of, barely. Wasn’t Trish a friend of yours from school?”
“That’s right. She passed away about six months ago.”
“You never told me.”
Joy shrugged. “We weren’t really talking at the time and you wouldn’t have been interested in an old schoolmate of mine.”
“But you’re still young,” Jennifer said.
“Thank-you dear. Cancer doesn’t know anything about age I’m afraid. I was talking to Jim the other day and he mentioned that he might have to hire some more help on the ranch.”
“I know nothing about horses or cows …”
“He meant for inside the house,” Joy said.
“Washing dishes, cooking, mopping floors, riding the lawn mower … that sort of thing?”
Joy nodded.
Henry pointed at Jenn with his fork. “It’s all stuff you know how to do. He’s willing to feed you and pay you. And it’s outside the city so maybe Austin won’t be able to find you.”
“Think of it as temporary,” Joy said. “You could take some classes. There’s a community college out there, or you could take online classes. And your dad is right, you’d be further away from Austin.”
“So it would just be me and Jim?”
“No, he has kids, remember?”
“Maybe,” Jenn said. “I remember there were other kids there but there were lots of people there.”
“Oh, that’s right. There was that anniversary dinner. Yes, he has three boys.”
“Boys? I’ll be living in a house full of boys?”
“I’ll tell Jim just enough that he can give his boys a stern talking to before you get there,” Joy said. “Besides, I think they were older than you.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll go out and meet them,” Jennifer said. “Maybe they won’t like me. But I’ll go out there and talk to them and we’ll go from there.” She smiled at her parents.
“That’s my girl,” Henry said, returning his full attention to his dinner. “Stew’s good tonight,” he said. “If she gets this job you’ll have to give her some recipes to take with her.”
Joy and Jenn smiled at each other and Joy rolled her eyes. “Yes dear, of course.” Neither of them felt like telling him that it was Jenn who had made the stew.
Chapter 3
It took thirty-five minutes to drive out to the small city southeast of the big city and another fifteen to get out to the ranch. There was a sign hanging at the end of the driveway that announced she was at the Brown-Eyed Ranch and she turned in.
The house that sat nestled among the trees was a low sprawling beauty with a classically rustic log cabin exterior. There was a covered porch running nearly the full length of the house. The wood was stained a deep cedar orange and the trim was a fitting forest green. It looked like something straight out of an old west movie. Until she pulled up beside the house to park and saw the massive deck with a very expensive barbeque grill and ornate gazebo round the back.
She was almost shaking as she got out of the car and didn’t notice the cowboy leaning against the pick-up truck until he spoke.
“You look lost.”
She actually jumped and nearly dropped her purse.
“Sorry to startle you. I’m James. Dad said someone was coming by today.”
“Yes, um, I’m Jennifer. My mom knew your mom. I’m sorry for your loss.” She was holding her hand out.
He shrugged and took the offered hand. His was callused, that rough-smooth of leather, and they dwarfed hers. “I’ll walk you inside.”
“If you’re James you must be the oldest.”
“Bingo,” he said. “My grandfather was James, my father too but we call him Jim. I got to be James again, better than being Jimmy. My father’s getting anxious to see me married so I can have a little Jim of my own I guess.”
She stiffened before she could catch the reaction and forced herself to relax, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m five years older than you so I’ll be looking elsewhere. And besides, Dad didn’t bring you up here so he could play match maker.” He knocked on a door and said, “Dad, she’s here.”
Jenn looked around. She’d been so preoccupied with the conversation she hadn’t noticed much of the house. From what she could see now the wood theme continued inside, and then the door opened and an older, greyer version of James stood in the doorway.
“Jennifer?”
“Yes.”
“Come in, we’ll talk.” He looked to his son. “You’re on your way then?”
He nodded. “Be back in a few days with that part.”
His father returned the nod and then stepped back, issuing Jenn a silent invitation to enter.
For all the classic architecture the room was completely modern. There were two desks, one with an impressive desktop computer system, while the other seemed to be home to all the portable device chargers. There was a mess of wires there and a single laptop sat waiting to be claimed. Jim grabbed the second chair and wheeled it over for her.
“Sit, relax, don’t think of this as a job interview.”
“Sure,” she said, smiling and trying to hide how nervous she really was.
“So you’re Joy’s daughter. I haven’t seen you since you were knee high to a calf.” His voice, at first boisterous, softened. “You look like your mother.” He sighed. “She told me you were looking to get away from the city for a bit. Maybe we can help each other out.”
“I’m good at housework,” she said. “My mom may not think so but …”
“Mother’s rarely do.”
“Exactly. What would you want me to do?”
“Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming as needed. We make our own breakfasts but having a lunch and a supper on the table so we can come in, eat, and get straight back to work would be great. The cooking was slowing us down so we’re eating mostly canned stew and frozen meals right now.”
She made a face.
“Yeah, my gut feels the same way. Trish left a whole collection of recipe books and all the dishes you’d need to make things I’ve never heard of. You’re welcome to use any of it while you’re here. Could use some help around the yard too – the flower beds, the front lawn, a little trimming on the trees in the fall, nothing that needs big equipment.”
“I don’t mind working outside. I was just afraid you’d throw me in the barn and ask me to shovel shit.”
He laughed. “I leave that to the boys. You met James already. Michael is out in the barn with Christopher.”
“Christopher is the youngest?”
“No, Christopher isn’t related to us in any way, he just works for me. He has the guest house to himself though he usually eats here in the house. Just easier that way
. Andrew is my youngest and he splits his time between the ranch and the college in town. Your mom mentioned you might want to take some classes?”
“I don’t think I want to be a housekeeper for the rest of my life.”
“Smart girl. Andrew can drive you down to the campus to talk to someone, if you want to be here that is.”
“Um, what about laundry?”
“I do my own and expect the boys to do the same. We’ve been throwing the dish towels through when we run out in the drawer so you’ll probably wind up with that, plus your own. And the dishes, we just don’t have the time and I cringe at the use of paper plates.”
“Good thing a lot of freezer meals come in their own little trays.”
He laughed. “Oh, I’m so glad you have a sense of humour. We need more of that around here. My wife, she was a sharp one. The boys too but they don’t laugh nearly enough.”
“There’s one other thing,” she said, becoming nervous again.
“Don’t be afraid to talk about pay ‘round here. You’ll get a room, access to internet, three meals a day, and some money on top of that. We’ll work out something fair once we figure out how many hours you have to put in on the house every day to keep up with the work.”
“Thanks, but that’s not it. It’s, well, if I’m cooking do I make you a grocery list or …”
“What? So you can yell at me for buying the wrong things? No thanks. You can take one of the boys with the ranch credit card the first few times until we figure out what weekly trips are going to run you. Then we’ll either get you a low limit card or work out a petty cash system for you.”
“This is all really laid back,” she said.
“Works for us. Keep all the receipts, the tax man isn’t nearly as casual as we are.”
She nodded.
“And for Christ’s sake, if you need help with something, or need help finding something, just ask!”
“Yes sir!”
He laughed again. “You’ll fit in just fine. The boys are a little rough around the edges but they’re nice enough. When can you start?”
“I don’t have my own car,” she said. “So I’ll have to wait until Mom can drive me and all my stuff up here this weekend.”
RED HOT RANCH Page 17
