Home on the Ranch: Tennessee Bull Rider

by April Arrington

Oh, gracious, he smelled good. Heat radiated from his impressive frame, cutting through the chill in the air surrounding her. She wanted to slide her arms around his back, nuzzle her face against the base of his throat and hug him tight.

  He stared back at her, grinning slightly.

  Great. Just great. Say something, you ninny. Anything. “You felt something?”

  Oh, geez. Something more sophisticated than that.

  His smile widened and he drifted a finger over the curve of her bottom lip. “Yeah. Didn’t you?”

  Her mouth trembled against his fingertip. “Maybe.”

  “Why don’t we find out for sure?” he asked softly.

  Oh, no. Distance, remember? Boundaries? Don’t do it, girl. Don’t. Do it.

  She ignored the voice in her head, then lifted her mouth to meet his, whispering, “Okay.”

  It wasn’t a barely there kiss like last night’s, but a full-on exploration. His lips parted hers, his tongue swept in to taste her and his big hands slid around her waist, tugging her closer. Her heart pounded and the echoing throb of his against her breasts made her melt inside.

  No matter how the night they’d spent together had ended, it began with this. This crackling connection that made her body tremble. The comforting strength of his hold that made her feel protected. Oh, sweet heaven...cherished, even.

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and wound her fingers through his hair, returning his kiss for all she was worth. He groaned, slid his hands beneath the hem of her long shirt and caressed the small of her back.

  “It’s on the left,” a deep voice said beside them, boots scraping across the concrete floor. “Third from the...”

  They sprang apart, and Nate stepped in front of her. Face flaming, Amber peeked over his shoulder.

  Mac stood in the doorway with a ranch hand by his side, a hammer in one hand, gaping at them.

  “Sorry.” Voice gruff, Mac eyed her, then shook his head slowly at Nate. “We need to fix the latch on a stall. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  A muscle ticked in Nate’s jaw as he stared back at his brother.

  “You’re not interrupting anything.” Amber scrambled around Nate, Mac and the ranch hand, turned the stroller around, then headed for the door. “I was just taking a tour of the stable.” She ducked her head on the way out, stammering softly, “Hi, Mac.”

  “Hey, Amber.”

  Dylan squealed in response to Mac’s tense greeting.

  Cheeks scorching even hotter, Amber pushed the stroller faster toward her SUV. Gossipy Elk Valley opinions never amounted to a hill of beans for her, but Nate’s brother was different altogether. What must Mac think of her? What had she done? And with her children in tow?

  Heaven help her. If tongues weren’t wagging before, they’d sure be wagging now.

  * * *

  “Muck the stalls in the second stable.” Nate jerked his chin at Tex, a new ranch hand, who stared at Amber as she left. “I’ll help Mac with the latch.”

  Tex grinned and palmed the hammer in his hands. “There’s more lookers around these mountains than I thought.”

  “You keep looking and I’ll knock your ass right off these mountains.”

  Tex faced him, smile fading, then held up his hands. “Hey, man. I didn’t mean nothing by it—”

  “Start mucking.”

  Tex handed Nate the hammer and headed toward the back exit. “I’m on it.”

  When they were alone, Nate shoved his balled fist in his pocket, then looked at Mac. “Well?”

  Mac didn’t speak. Just kept staring at him with that judgmental gleam in his eyes. The one he’d cast at him a million times over the years. Pretty much every time Nate screwed up.

  “Go ahead and say it.” Nate gripped the hammer tighter, the silky warmth from Amber’s skin still lingering on his palm and her sweet taste still touching his tongue.

  Cringing, he recalled the deep red stamping her cheeks as she left. Of all the damned times for Mac to walk in.

  “What do you want me to say?” Mac returned quietly.

  “What I know you’re thinking.”

  Mac scoffed. “All right. How ’bout this? You couldn’t find a more private location?”

  “It was private until you showed up.” Nate gritted his teeth. “Thought you were leading a trail ride.”

  “I’m not.”

  “I can see that.”

  Mac moved closer. “Amber’s a good woman.”

  “I know that.”

  “She’s also Landon’s sister.”

  Nate nodded. “I’m aware of that, too.”

  “And she has three children.”

  “They’re mine.”

  “Plus, she...” Mac froze, his eyes widening as they bore into him. “What’d you just say?”

  “I said they’re mine. Mason, Dylan and Savannah are mine.”

  Mac’s jaw slackened. “What the hell, Nate?”

  “Is it so hard to believe?” Nate asked. “That Amber might’ve actually thought—”

  “Neither one of you could’ve been thinking much of anything to—”

  “—more highly of me than most people I know?”

  “—go about this the way you did.”

  “That, at one time,” Nate bit out, “Amber might’ve believed in me more than my own brother?”

  Mac stopped and stared at him. “You actually think that?” He shook his head. “You really think I don’t believe in you?”

  “What was your first thought, Mac? When you walked in and saw me with Amber, what was the first thing that went through your head?” He dragged a hand over his face. “I can tell you. Word for word, probably.”

  Mac shook his head and stepped back.

  “Here Nate goes, screwing up again and ruining someone else’s life.” He walked past Mac to the sliding stall door and gripped the broken pin lock latch. “He’s gonna leave another mess I’ll have to clean up. He’s always been a mess. An embarrassing, undependable mess—”

  “I have never said that. Would never say that.”

  “Maybe not.” Nate looked at him. “But you’ve thought it for years now. More times than you could count, I’m willing to bet.”

  Mac closed his eyes and rubbed his temple.

  “Not that I blame you,” Nate added. “I’d resent you, too, if you’d run off at eighteen and left me to take care of this place on my own like I did you. And that was after I—” He refocused on the stall, examining the loose hook and dangling chain. “After I screwed up so bad Paul didn’t get a chance to see eighteen. My track record for being an upstanding Elk Valley citizen hasn’t been all that great and so far I’ve deserved it.” He removed the chain, tugged the loose hook from the wood and repositioned it at a better angle. “But I’m trying to fix that.”

  “Fix it how?” Mac asked.

  “By staying put and being a good father like you.” Nate hammered the hook home, then tested the pin lock. It was solid. “By showing Amber she can trust me again.” He turned back to Mac. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t know she was pregnant when I left. Had no clue I had children until last week—not that any of that makes a difference. I should never have left her to begin with.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “Hell, a lot of reasons. Didn’t think I was good enough for her. Was worried about what everyone would say. They talk enough about her already. Didn’t want ’em tying her to my bad rep, too.” Nate clenched his jaw. “I didn’t want to mess up my friendship with Landon, either. He doesn’t know about any of this yet and Amber asked me not to tell him, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself for now.”

  Mac released a heavy breath. “I will, but there’s no way you’ll keep it from him for much longer. Not after what we just walked in on.” He gestured toward the back exit. “Tex is pro
bably running his mouth about that kiss as we speak.”

  “I can handle that part of it.” Nate looked at his boots. “It’s the part about Savannah, Mason and Dylan I’m worried about. I just need some time to prove to Amber and Landon—hell, everyone—that I’m serious. That I mean to do the right thing. That I’m good enough for her and my own kids.”

  “And if it goes bad?” Mac asked. “Forget whether you knew or not. When Landon finds out you’re the one that wasn’t here for Amber and that you’ve been keeping it from him...”

  No need for Mac to finish that sentence. Nate could fill in the gaps himself.

  But what was the alternative other than coming clean with Landon now? If he told Landon the truth now, he’d blow his shot at regaining Amber’s trust.

  On the other hand, remaining loyal to Amber’s request meant lying to his best friend. And, God knows, with Landon’s unreachably high standards and short temper, Landon might not forgive him for this deception. Not unless he proved to Landon that he could trust him to treat Amber right first.

  He tapped the hammer against his thigh. Not much of a choice either way he looked at it. Better to stay the course he was already on. But what would he do if things went bad? If Landon, like the rest of the town, didn’t approve of him after he found out the truth?

  There was no way around that. The damage had already been done. Nothing left to do but prepare as best he could for the fallout and hope he could manage to earn Amber’s trust again in the process.

  Nate rolled his stiff shoulders. “It’s a chance I have to take, I guess.”

  Mac studied him for a moment, then said, “For what it’s worth on my end, I’ve always believed in you. Still do, no matter what’s happened in the past. Maybe I’ve given you a different impression, but it’s the truth.” He nodded. “I’m your brother and I’m here for you. However you need me to be.”

  Nate managed a grin, a speck of hope lifting his spirits. Man, it felt good to have someone in his corner for a change. “You could start by pulling on all your wisdom of women and give me some advice on how to win Amber over.”

  “Just be you. The best you.” Mac returned his smile. “And maybe get a haircut.”

  Chapter 6

  The Elk Valley Café dessert booth, stocked with warm pies, caramel apples and a crystal bowl of spiced apple cider, fit perfectly beside the entrance to Exie Johnson’s Pumpkin Patch and smelled delicious, if Amber did say so herself. It was a perfect cool Saturday afternoon for the Elk Valley Fall Festival. An annual event that allowed everyone to see and be seen.

  Amber glanced around, taking in the sprawling fields of Cool Creek Acres. Bursts of autumnal color splashed across the trees at the base of the surrounding mountains, growing crowds strolled through the fair entrance and milled around various craft, game and food booths, and an aromatic mixture of hay, popcorn and cinnamon floated on the chilly air.

  “Landon did such a great job building this booth.” Bobbie Jean rolled the baby stroller back for a better look, then smiled. “Everything looks great.”

  Mason, in the front stroller seat, squealed around his teething toy. Savannah and Dylan looked with wide, excited eyes at the activities surrounding them.

  “Thanks.” Amber managed a smile and smoothed the wrinkles out of the lace cloth draped over her booth’s counter.

  If only she felt as prepared as this fancy booth looked. Instead, her hands trembled, her legs were stiff and an irritating-as-all-get-out tic kept returning to her left eye. She’d been an uncoordinated mess ever since she arrived with Landon an hour ago to prepare for the fall festival. Landon, more quiet than usual, had sent her strange looks all morning and had been forced to straighten out her clumsy mistakes several times as they’d set up the booth.

  “Hmm.” Bobbie Jean took another step back, squinted against the early-afternoon sun, then pointed. “Everything’s perfect except for that last bow on the left. That joker doesn’t want to stay put, does it?”

  Amber eyed the orange ribbon flapping in the breeze. “Nope. It’s hanging on by a thread.”

  Just like her.

  She harrumphed and grabbed the dangling end of the ribbon from the ground. Dramatic, much? Running the dessert booth was no big deal; she did it every year. So what if she’d invited Nate to join her? He was coming solely to spend time with his kids and it was not a date. Not by a long shot.

  So if this wasn’t a date, then why was she so nervous?

  That kiss. Good gracious alive. She squeezed her eyes shut. Those sexy, delicious kisses from Nate yesterday and the day before. That was why she was so off-kilter today. She couldn’t stop thinking about them or the sweet words he’d whispered.

  I had a heck of a time forgetting how great it feels to kiss you.

  Surely, he felt something for her—just as he’d said—to be able to kiss her that way? Not that she should focus on romance with Nate. She should be focused on helping him build a good relationship with their sons and daughter rather than with her.

  Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Amber squatted by the booth, retacked the ribbon, then tied it back into a bow. Her fingers shook so badly she had to start over twice. When she finished, the bow flopped a good four inches below the two lined up beside it. The ends stretched toward the ground as though it wanted to spring out from under the tack and run.

  “You know, I’ve got a new roll of ribbon in the truck.” Bobbie Jean gestured past the crowd of people milling about toward the vehicles parked in the field behind her. “I could go grab it and fix you a new one.”

  Amber stood and shook her head. “No, thanks. Landon should be back with the money lockbox soon, so I need to start slicing pies, then open up.” She nudged the dangling bow with the toe of her boot, mind drifting back to the feel of Nate’s solid chest beneath her fingertips. “Besides, I think it’s good just the way it is.”

  So was Nate. She touched her lips, tingling with the memory of that swoony kiss. He was just as good with his hands and mouth as he’d always been.

  Her fingers froze against her mouth. “Oh, no,” she groaned. “Oh, no.”

  “What is it?” Bobbie Jean nudged her as she arrived at her side.

  “Nothing.” She was just reliving her kiss with Nate and hoping for another. Falling for him all over again. Exactly as she’d promised herself not to. Amber dragged her palms down the front of her jeans. “I...I just forgot to—”

  Bobbie Jean’s low whistle cut her off. “Dani is a lucky woman. Just when you think Mac can’t get any hotter...”

  Amber followed her gaze to the tall, muscular man striding up the crowded dirt path toward them. Short blond hair, collared shirt, clean-cut. “Oh, Mac always looks—”

  Hold up. Powerful strides with a hint of sexy swagger? A slight tilt to his masculine chin? That wasn’t Mac. That was—

  “Wait. Is that Nate?” Bobbie Jean leaned over the stroller, narrowed her eyes, then gaped. “Girl, it is.”

  Amber stared. What twisted, beddable vision is this? She swallowed hard. “He’s wearing—khakis?”

  With each step Nate took, the material stretched around his muscular thighs and lean hips just within the bounds of decency.

  “Oh, no, honey,” Bobbie Jean said, fanning herself. “That majestic hunk of bod is rocking those khakis.”

  Wearing, rocking, whatever. Nate always wore jeans and never put on khakis or a dress shirt. Well, except for Mac’s wedding, and Amber couldn’t remember the last time he’d cut his hair so short.

  Nate edged his way past a trio of women, their gazes clinging to him as he passed, but his green eyes locked with hers. He smiled slightly, one corner of his mouth lifting higher than the other, adding to his charismatic appeal.

  Gracious, he was gorgeous. Only, he didn’t look like Nate. At least, not the Nate she knew.

  “I know he and Mac are identical twin
s but they never looked it until now,” Bobbie Jean said. “Naughty Nate just went right to the top of my hottie list. Past charismatic Mac, higher than luscious Landon—”

  “Bobbie Jean, please.” Amber rubbed her forehead. “Can we not discuss my brother in that way?”

  “Well, it’s true. Everyone knows Landon is luscious.” Her hand shot out, wrapping around Amber’s upper arm. “Oh, speaking of Landon, I didn’t want to say anything earlier while he was here but there’s something I think you should know.” Her smile dimmed, a nervous expression appearing. “I heard some gossip last night when I was over at Frank and Jennifer’s.”

  Amber tensed. “Oh?”

  “It was convoluted and ridiculous...and about you. I didn’t think it was true and I said so, but I thought I should tell you.” She glanced at Nate. “Only, now might not be a good time—”

  “You know you can tell me anything.” Nate was getting closer and closer. “Please just spit it out.”

  “Okay, here goes.” Bobbie Jean looked at the babies, leaned in and whispered, “A few of us got together last night at Jennifer and Frank’s—including Landon—and grilled out. During dinner Jennifer told Landon there was some talk going around town about you and that if you were her sister, she’d want to know so she could tell those gossiping ninnies where to stuff it. She said that Darlene Norton is saying that she saw you at Elk Valley Ranch the other morning and that you were acting odd—kinda like you were hiding something—and that Nate was cozying up to you. Then Frank said his uncle’s brother-in-law, the one that works at Elk Valley Ranch, overheard some hand named Tex telling everyone that he saw Nate making out with a blonde that same morning—one who had triplets with her—so he assumed it was you. Frank said if it was true, he thought Landon would want to know on account of Nate’s, um, reputation with women.” She sighed. “Sorry. I told you it was convoluted.”

  Oh, Lord. No wonder Landon had acted so strange this morning. Amber wrapped her shaky hands tight around the handle of the stroller. “Wh-what did Landon say?”

  Bobbie Jean studied her shoes. “Not much. Just got real quiet, then asked Frank for Tex’s last name.”