by Regan Black
She agreed. “My father died a few years ago but the contract is considered binding within the community. My brothers are determined to get rich.”
“And you left right away.” He rushed forward and hugged her again.
“No,” she confessed. “I left when my father pulled me out of school.” She was so embarrassed she could barely get the words out. “My friend, another boy, was sneaking me math and science books and assignments. We were caught.”
“Kelsey.”
She didn’t realize she was crying until Fox brushed the tears from her cheek. “It was bad.” She’d never told anyone just how bad. “My brother David found us. He refused to keep his mouth shut. They punished both of us.”
He tightened his arms around her and she held on until the worst of those ugly memories passed. “What happened to your friend?”
“He died.” Fox’s body stiffened. “The elders didn’t kill him intentionally. He died of internal bleeding from his injuries.”
Over her head, Fox muttered an oath. “I sent pictures of the van and your brothers to the sheriff. They threatened to destroy the ranch if I didn’t let you go,” Fox said.
She moved out of his reach. “I’ll leave. They’ll follow me and forget you.”
“You will not leave,” he said, his tone hard as the granite countertop. “You’re not in this alone anymore.”
“I can’t ask—”
“You didn’t ask.” He massaged his knuckles with his opposite palm. “But sweetheart? Maybe you should have. What do you think they’ll do?”
She rubbed her forehead, the shame pressing in on her. “In the past they’ve vandalized my car or apartment, but they’ve never done damage to other property.”
“They’re desperate now.”
“Seems like it,” she agreed. “I’d expect them to harass and annoy, maybe spread some lies or try to drum up some bad blood in town. Saul is the more logical of the two. He won’t let David do anything dumb enough to land them in jail.”
“All right.” Fox gave a gusty sigh. “I’ll tell everyone on the Crooked C to keep an eye out and to report anything suspicious.”
“I really am sorry, Fox.”
“None of us can choose the family we start with,” he said.
Through the monitor, they heard the baby waking up. “I’ll get him.” She started down the hall, relieved for a break from the hardest conversation of her life.
“I’ll fix a bottle,” Fox told her.
While she fed the baby, she answered more of Fox’s questions about where and how she was raised and how she’d adapted to life in the real world. It was almost fun sharing more normal high school and college moments. She felt as if Fox was leading them out of the wilderness and back onto a smooth path where they could be comfortable with each other again.
But when she looked up, the deep, contemplative shadows in his eyes worried her.
“Fox, listen.” She propped the baby on her shoulder and patted his back until he burped loudly. “I can handle my brothers.”
“They make you nervous.”
She didn’t bother denying it. “That’s why I’ve trained hard to protect myself. Why I have plans in place just in case they do overpower me.”
Fox’s face turned red, his fingers curling into his palms. “Have they done that before?”
“Not with any success.” His eyes narrowed and she rushed on. “When I walked away from my family, it was forever, even if they can’t accept it.”
“What will make it clear to them?”
“Nothing short of a husband,” she joked, though it was true. “Or plastic surgery,” she added to lighten the mood. “I stay in touch with my aunt. If she doesn’t hear from me at regular intervals, she knows to take my sworn statement to the state police so they can search the family compound for me.”
His mouth set in a hard line, she knew he was still searching for a better solution. “Marriage would make them go away for good?” he asked.
Had he been listening at all? She had it under control. Staying alert at the ranch should be enough to protect all of them.
Done with the bottle, the baby arched toward Fox and he obliged, sitting on the floor with the baby.
“Taking me from a real-world husband is too close to stealing in my brothers’ minds,” she explained. “I’m trying to be clear that if, by some misguided miracle, they do nab me they won’t have me for long.”
He looked up as she walked back in. She’d never seen such a hard, cold edge in his blue eyes. “I want your aunt’s contact information.”
“You already have it.”
He frowned. “I do?”
“It’s in my phone and in my employee file.”
“You have an employee file?”
She grinned. “I set it up for you on my first day in the office.”
His eyebrows arched and he laughed. She appreciated a man who could admit his weaknesses. The baby reached for the buttons on his shirt and when he smiled into that perfect little face, her heart melted a little more.
* * *
Fox appreciated her confidence that she could handle herself, but he couldn’t settle down. Kelsey’s brothers struck him as dangerous and money often made people desperate enough to do stupid things. Regardless of her martial arts training, there were two of them and only one of her.
The best solution was obvious to him. He just didn’t know how to bring her around to the idea of marrying him. It would keep her safe and keep them together. He wanted both.
Why did the woman who’d essentially rescued him from his baby-care ignorance have to be in trouble? Why now? And good grief, the whining voice in his head was annoying.
He needed a fresh perspective. Though he didn’t want to leave her alone again, he wanted to get an objective opinion. With dinner done and the baby content, now was as good a time as any.
“I’m going out,” he said. “I won’t be gone long. You’ll be okay?”
Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We will.”
“I know we planned to work tonight.” Confronting her brothers had ruined his concentration.
“Better to hit it fresh tomorrow,” she said. “We’ll be right here, safe and content when you get back.”
It sounded so perfectly domestic, he nearly changed his mind. “I’m only headed to Wyatt’s. Call if you need me.”
“I promise.”
He kissed her cheek and headed out. Only the baby kept him from slamming the doors on the way. He made up for it outside when he climbed into the driver’s seat of his truck and slammed that door closed. Recognizing the tantrum rolling through him, he felt more like Harrison than ever.
He wasn’t mad at her. She’d had no say in the family she’d escaped. She had no control over her two hotheaded brothers.
But should she have told him sooner? Would he be this worried if John wasn’t in the mix?
By the time he reached Wyatt’s place, he’d regained some self-control. He walked up and caught himself before he rang the doorbell. He took a seat on the top step of the porch and sent his brother a text message.
The front door opened a few minutes later and Wyatt stepped out, carrying two longneck bottles of beer. “You’ve had a rough day,” his brother said, planting himself in one of the porch rockers.
“Rougher than others,” Fox admitted.
“That’s saying something. Come up here and be civilized,” Wyatt said, holding out a beer bottle like a carrot. “I’m a dad now and I feel lost if I’m not swaying or otherwise in motion all the time.”
Fox took the offered beer and a rocking chair. “Kelsey does that with John,” he murmured. Standing, he realized he too had made a habit of the parent-sway. “Did you ever worry about becoming a dad?”
“Be a fool not to,” Wyatt said. “You didn’t get months to
adjust to the idea. How are you holding up?”
“Haven’t hit him yet,” Fox muttered.
Wyatt kicked Fox’s boot. “And you won’t, you idiot. Your dad’s issues were his own. You’re the science guy, but I doubt that kind of thing is hereditary.”
“Wouldn’t matter if it was.” Fox debated the wisdom of sharing the DNA results with his favorite brother. “Most authorities on the topic think that kind of thing is learned by example.”
“Nurture over nature?” Wyatt mused. “Then I’m glad you came to live with us, though I know you’ll always miss your mom.”
“True enough.” Fox took a long drink. “Russ was way different than my dad.”
“Not perfect,” Wyatt allowed. “One hell of a provider.”
Also true. “But at what cost to the family?”
Wyatt’s rocker stopped creaking and he sat forward, elbows braced on his hands. “We know we want more balance. Knowing it means we’ll take better care to make it happen.”
“You sound so certain.”
“Good. Maybe I’ll convince you. I admit Bailey is a big part of my attitude on this,” he said. “Having that partner in the trenches with you, one who shares your vision of family, makes it easier to stay the course.”
“Even when you’re not getting any sleep?”
“Even then.”
Fox wanted Kelsey as his partner. It defied logic and reasonable timelines, but it was as much a fact as the earth under his feet. “Those two men in a beat-up van will be back,” Fox said. “They’re Kelsey’s brothers and focused on harassing her, but be alert.”
“We’ll keep an eye out. Do you know why they’re hassling her?”
“Her family is more messed up than ours.” It was her story to share, not his, but Wyatt deserved an explanation. “She was raised in a separatist community. She escaped years ago, but they want her back.”
“What does she want?”
“To stay right where she is,” Fox replied. “Helping me with the breeding program.”
“Huh.” Wyatt sputtered and Fox kicked him this time. “Come on. A baby’s not a bad way to hook a woman.”
Maybe if that woman hadn’t raised her siblings and a few of the neighbor kids, as well. “That’s not exactly what happened,” he protested.
“Isn’t it? Even I appreciated your brilliant efficiency in moving a beautiful, competent woman into your place.”
“Baby John is temporary.” Fox tapped the bottle against the arm of the rocking chair. “His dad will come around.” Eventually. Hopefully?
“If he doesn’t?”
Fox only grunted. He wanted Kelsey to stay and he wasn’t sure she would if the baby was part of his life, too.
Wyatt stopped rocking. In the dark Fox couldn’t see the speculative glint that was no doubt in his brother’s eyes, but he felt exposed. “What do you want to hear?” Wyatt asked.
Fox shoved himself out of the chair and leaned against the porch rail, his back to Wyatt as he stared up at the stars winking into view overhead. “I don’t know. There’s a woman in my house, caring for a baby that isn’t mine. I think she’s in real trouble.”
“You think you can help?”
Fox nodded. “Yes,” he added, allowing for the poor lighting.
Wyatt’s rocker resumed the soothing pace. “You’re too smart to mix business and pleasure.”
Clearly not. He tried to put it into words his brother would understand without poking fun. “I see her with the baby and it’s...it’s like...”
“Easy?” Wyatt supplied. “Uncomfortable?”
“Both,” Fox snapped. “More. I didn’t want a family. How can that change on a dime?” he demanded, turning around.
Wyatt’s laughter carried out into the night. “You’re the data guy,” Wyatt replied. “Analyze.”
“You’re no help.”
“Seriously, Fox. Only you have those answers. Make a theory or hypothesis and find some evidence.”
“This isn’t science, it’s personal. How can I trust this mash-up of feelings?”
Wyatt’s rocking chair creaked for a few minutes. “How do you know which horses to breed for the traits you want?”
“Science,” he said.
“And?” Wyatt asked with infinite patience.
“Instinct.”
“Exactly. Trust your gut.”
“She’s a person. There’s a reason I deal with horses.” Other than Sloane, the people he’d trusted most, loved most, had been taken from him. To survive, he’d made a habit of treading carefully, never stepping out of line so he wouldn’t offend anyone.
Or, more accurately, so he’d be worthy of love. Fox couldn’t say definitively that the tactic had worked. He had his siblings, but he’d been reluctant to let anyone else get close enough to hurt him. Until the baby. And Kelsey.
She needed a husband to escape the trouble her brothers posed, but he wanted to be her husband because he’d fallen in love. He loved her. Although the work was central to his life and her interests, he also had a baby that was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
“If only there was a formula for the personal stuff.” Wyatt stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “Once you make quarter horses perfect you could work on finding the people formula.”
“Maybe I will,” Fox muttered. “Thanks for the beer.”
“Anytime. Us dads need to stick together.”
Was he a dad? He sure felt like one, thanks to Kelsey. Every time the three of them were together it felt like family. Could he convince her to take the leap with him?
* * *
Kelsey refused to dwell on Fox’s departure. He had a great deal on his mind and she’d just added to the burden. Technically, he’d needed the details of her past, but it did not alleviate her guilt.
Instead, she focused on the baby, enjoying his happy personality while she made herself a sandwich and stirred up cereal for him. Though she’d done this countless times for her siblings, often with a whip of resentment, with John it was different. Pure joy.
She was older, sure, but it went deeper. She’d established her career and made positive changes. This time around, she didn’t feel stuck or pigeonholed by taking on a nanny post. It helped too that Fox made it clear how much he appreciated her efforts with both the baby and the horses.
During bath time, she was no match for the memories that bubbled up. She thought she’d be ready for them after talking about her family as much as she had. Her mother had rarely asked for help, simply assuming her girls wanted to learn and pitch in and be useful around the house and garden.
For a time it had been enough. She hadn’t known to want more. Then her father started keeping her home from school more often with a variety of excuses. Tears blurred her vision as the baby splashed, trying to catch the washcloth. Those days were done. She wasn’t going back no matter what her brothers tried next.
“Why can’t they accept it?” she asked John. “They’d be happier if they did.” She couldn’t shake off the shame of Fox stepping into the breach and dealing with the stickier parts of her past.
She finished the baby’s bath and got him into clean pajamas. In the guest room turned nursery, she sat down in the glider and rocked, singing an old hymn as a lullaby.
If she hadn’t already been in love with Fox, she would’ve fallen when he reminded her that no one could choose the family they were born into. “It seems he’s chosen you, little one,” she murmured to the baby, now sound asleep. “Eventually you’ll know how lucky you are to have a man like Fox ride to the rescue.”
Restless after tucking the baby into his bed, she wandered the house. It didn’t seem right to just go to sleep or turn on a movie after her brothers had pulled that stunt. She wandered, looking for something to fill her time while she waited for Fox to come home.
Baby
monitor in hand, she changed clothes and cleared some space by the hearth to stretch. Yoga had become her go-to technique to settle her nerves and stay limber as she’d progressed from standard self-defense to Krav Maga classes. Letting her breath move through her, she felt empowered, free and safe. She moved slowly while her muscles warmed up, helping her forget her brothers and reinforcing who she had become despite her start in life.
This time she wouldn’t run. She’d stick. Her brothers would not steal one more hour of her hard-earned happiness and joy. Fox might have his doubts, but she was capable of defending herself and protecting the baby.
And she would do so at all costs.
The sound of a car outside startled her. Her body primed for action, she listened to the smooth rumble of the engine. Fox, not her brothers.
Her heart kicked again, this time with pleasure when she heard him walk into the house.
“Kelsey?” he called softly.
“In here,” she replied. Grabbing the baby monitor, she met him in the kitchen. “Did you eat?”
“No.” He pressed a hand to his belly. Her palm tingled, remembering the feel of his skin and taut muscles.
“We can fix that.” She smiled, trying to ease them closer to normal. “We have plenty of food.” As she came around the island, he caught her around the waist, drew her close.
Her yoga pants and long-sleeved T-shirt were no protection against the tantalizing heat of his body or the rasp of the heavier fabric of his oxford shirt and jeans. Her body molded to his in an instant, need pulsing through her veins. So much for her soothing yoga session. She was ready to climb him like a tree. Keeping her gaze on that space between his collarbones, she struggled for composure.
He tipped up her chin, his vibrant blue gaze hot on hers. “You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I don’t mind.” She meant it. In his embrace, she felt her earlier tension slip away. With him she didn’t have to be tough or aloof. She could relax and let down her guard.
Even knowing her brothers were lurking close by, Fox gave her a sense of peace and security. Here, she had a purpose beyond the miracle of bearing children. Doing something nice for him was her choice, her pleasure, rather than an expected tithe.
