by CP Smith
“Devin’s wasn’t,” Cali announced. “I felt it stickin’ out of his jeans pocket when he carried me out of the house.”
I turned and walked over to Devin. I could see his phone peeking out from his back pocket just like Cali said, so I snatched it out and turned back to the girls, grinning when I heard Bo chuckle.
I handed it to Cali. “Call Bernice so we can get the ball rollin’.”
A strong hand wrapped around mine and tugged me to the side and kept walking. I quickened my step to keep up with Bo. When we were far enough away from the girls, he turned me into his arms and kissed me. Thoroughly.
“This is not how I envisioned wakin’ up with you this mornin’,” he whispered. “How are you feelin’?”
With all that had happened, I hadn’t had time to process the night before. A blush began to spread up my neck and settled in my cheeks. I’d slept with this man, and now I had to look him in the eyes.
“I’m fine,” I told his chest.
“Look me in the eyes.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why?” he asked hesitantly.
“You’ve seen all my bits, and I’m embarrassed.”
His body shook as a low rumble of laughter filled my ears. “I’ve tasted all your bits, too.”
I buried my face in his chest. “You’re a very naughty man.”
“And you’re cute.”
I peeked up at him, and he winked at me.
“Was I any good?” I whispered, then held my breath. I would die a thousand deaths of humiliation if he said it was just okay for him. It had been . . . otherworldly, fantastic, perfect for me.
Bo blinked, then a sexy grin pulled across his mouth. “If you’d been any better, you would have killed me.”
It was my turn to blink. “You did most of the work. How could I have killed you?”
Bo pulled me in closer, then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I’ve never wanted a woman the way I wanted you. Every touch, every whispered word drove me wild. As long as you’re responding, I’ll keep giving you what you want. Even if it kills me.”
“So I almost killed you by enjoying myself?”
He grinned.
That wasn’t exactly otherworldly, but he did seem pleased.
I rolled my lips between my teeth and thought about what he’d said. He loved the way I responded? Hmm. “You’ll probably need some rest if that’s the case, because I don’t anticipate disliking anything you do to me in the foreseeable future.”
His grin turned arrogant.
I rolled my eyes.
“Time for a serious talk,” he said, pulling me deeper into his body. “First, we didn’t use protection last night. That’s on me. I should have been lookin’ out for you.”
“That’s not on you. I’m just as responsible for my own body,” I sighed. “But it’s not an issue since I’m on the pill.”
“All right. Then I need to tell you that the man who tried to rob you two days ago was found beaten. He’s in a coma, and my gut tells me it’s connected somehow to you three women. Now we have this mysterious fire on our hands, and I’m on red alert. I don’t want you or the girls out of our sight until we know different.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “You think the fire was on purpose. That someone set it to kill us?”
“I’m sayin’ I don’t like coincidences, and until the fire marshal gives me the cause for the fire, I don’t want to take chances with any of you ladies.”
“You’re scarin’ me now.”
Bo hugged me tighter. “Good. Bein’ scared will keep you on guard. And I need you on guard right now. So, no more takin’ off on four-wheelers. No more ridin’ horses unless it’s under my or Devin’s supervision. We’ve got a lot of work to do here, and I don’t have time to keep huntin’ you women down when you get a wild hair up your ass. So I need you not to be unpredictable until we know what the fuck is goin’ on.”
I nodded, but added, since he was disparaging me and my friends, “We aren’t unpredictable, just so you know. We spent years keepin’ to ourselves, so now we’re just makin’ up for lost time.”
“Don’t kid yourself.” Bo grinned. “You’re as unpredictable as a hornet, and the three of you together is like a swarm.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Careful, or you’ll get stung.”
Bo snagged me around the neck and pulled my mouth to his. “You won’t sting me,” he mumbled against my lips. “You like what I do to your body.”
“Arrogant,” I mouthed back.
“Truthful,” he answered and then kissed me hard, wet, and deep to prove his point.
Eight
I LIKE ALL OF YOU
“THE GRILL?” DEVIN BARKED OUT.
“That’s what the fire marshal’s sayin’,” Bo sighed, rubbing his face. The whole weekend was turning into a clusterfuck.
Devin looked over his shoulder at the Wallflowers. “Which one of them pulled the burgers off last night?”
Bo cringed. “Calla did.”
Devin closed his eyes and hung his head. “I predicted this when I arrived. But I sure as hell didn’t think my woman would burn down a house.”
“We can’t keep the truth from her,” Bo stated. “It’s gonna come out.”
Devin stood and cracked his neck, rolling it on his shoulders. “I need a vacation from my new life.”
“Nate said it best,” Bo chuckled, “There’s never a dull moment in Savannah.”
Devin shot Bo a look that suggested a dull Savannah would be fine with him. “At least we don’t have to worry this is related to Daniels.”
“Yeah, but I’d rather err on the side of caution until he wakes up and tells us if the beatin’ he took has anything to do with the girls.”
“I’ve already read Calla the riot act after she took off on the four-wheeler. She’ll toe the line.”
Bo raised a brow.
Devin grinned. “She’ll toe the line as best she can, I should say.”
Clint Black drove into the courtyard, his mouth gaping wide as he took in the smoldering remains of the ranch house.
“Black’s here,” Bo said, jerking his head in the man’s direction.
Devin stood and glared. “I’d send him packin’ if we didn’t need the help more than ever.”
“If you do, we’ll be shovelin’ shit for the next week. I’d rather brand cattle than clean out the stalls.”
Black made his way over to Devin and Bo, shaking his head in amazement. “What happened?”
“Grill was left on, and it caught the house on fire,” Bo replied.
“Jesus. It looks like a total loss. Do you still need me?”
“Nothin’s changed,” Devin returned. “The ranch still needs runnin’ until they hire more men and rebuild.”
Black looked shocked. “If you say so,” he said, looking back over his shoulder at the destruction. “Can’t imagine they’ll be able to recover from a loss like that.”
“They will,” Bo bit out. “So, clean the stalls and milk the cows or hit the road.”
Black raised his hands in surrender and backed away, heading for the barn. Both men watched him disappear inside.
“I don’t trust him,” Devin grumbled.
“You gettin’ a vibe other than ladies’ man?” Bo asked.
“A gut feelin’.”
“I trust your gut. If he steps out of line again, he’s gone.”
“Girls are headed our way,” Devin said.
Bo turned and watched the Wallflowers make their way slowly across the graveled courtyard. Two were barefoot due to the fire and, except for Sienna, draped with blankets to cover their lack of clothes.
“I need to run to town and get clothes and supplies. Bernice and Eunice are on their way up to take care of Natasha and Boris. When can I go?” Sienna asked.
Bo looked at Devin. “Fire was an accident, but I’m still uneasy about lettin’ her out of my sight. I need to deal with the police, so you’ll have to go.”
> “Y’all act like she’ll cause trouble,” Calla chuckled.
Devin looked at Calla then at the burnt ranch house. “Hurricane-force winds don’t stand a chance against any of you. Someone needs to go.”
“Very funny,” Calla snapped. “It’s not like we set fire to the house.”
Both men rolled their lips between their teeth.
Calla looked between them both. “We didn’t, did we?”
“It was the grill,” Devin finally admitted.
Calla blinked. “But I…I turned it off.”
“You’re sure?” Bo asked.
Calla’s brows drew together in concentration, and she shook her head. “No. I’m not sure. There were so many dials, I may have left one . . . Oh. My. God. I burnt down their home.”
“Baby, it was an accident,” Devin drawled, pulling her into his arms.
“I know it was an accident, but they lost all their belongin’s, their history. I . . . I have to make this right.”
“Calla, you’ve got that look in your eyes,” Devin said, looking ready to pounce. “The last time you looked at me that way you jumped on a trolley and took off. What are you thinkin’?”
“Give me your phone,” she bit out, raising her hand, palm up, ignoring him.
Bo shook his head. He knew determination when he saw it. Devin didn’t stand a chance in hell of talking Calla out of whatever was running through her head.
“What are you gonna do?” Devin asked, suspicious.
“Never you mind. This is my fault, and I’m gonna fix it.”
Devin shot Bo a look that suggested there would be a fight, so he grabbed Sienna’s hand and mumbled, “Time to go.”
Poppy caught on just as quickly and followed them as Bo walked Sienna to Poppy’s car. “Troy’s gonna have to go with you since Devin’s”—he turned back and looked at his friend—“gotta contain Calla now. I trust Troy as much as I can, but I want you to be on the lookout. If you see anyone followin’ you, tell him.”
“Why the caution if the fire was an accident?”
“I’m wired that way, and you three have already proven you have bad luck, so humor me.”
“I’ll be insulted for the three of us, since you’re sleepin’ with him now,” Poppy said.
Sienna grinned at Poppy. “Just say ‘Bite me, lawman.’ That one pisses him off.”
Bo opened the car door and whistled between his teeth at Troy, ignoring them both.
“I’ll leave the bitin’ to you,” Poppy continued as he kissed Sienna good-bye and helped her into the car. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to help herself, he shut the door on whatever salty retort Sienna had for Poppy and turned to glare at the other Wallflower. She snorted, completely unfazed by his scowl, then turned on her bare heel and walked away.
“The man who takes on that woman will need balls of steel,” Bo growled.
The sound of a bike roaring up the drive turned his attention away from Poppy. Nate Jacobs pulled to a stop next to Devin and pulled off his helmet, grinning.
“New bike?” Devin asked casually while he wrestled with Calla for his phone.
“I missed yours,” Nate responded, chuckling when Calla pulled the phone from his hand, threw her hands up in victory, and stormed off.
A gasp caught Bo’s attention, and he looked back at Poppy. She had stopped in her tracks at the sight of Jacobs, then began turning in circles, looking for something, then settled on the barn and took off. Bo followed her retreat with fascination, then looked back at Jacobs and caught him watching Poppy with a scowl.
Then he threw his head back and laughed.
Three hours, a trunk full of groceries, four new cell phones, clothes, purses, shoes, and a variety of toiletries for the Wallflowers and our men later, Troy and I were finally heading back. The road leading to the ranch wound around the hillside like a roller coaster, so I let him drive since he knew the roads better. I was just settling into the passenger seat for the drive back when my new phone began to ring. I looked at the caller ID. Crap. It was my mother.
Sighing, I answered. “Mom?”
“I’ve been tryin’ to reach you all mornin’,” she stated accusingly.
“My phone was destroyed in a fire. I had to get a new one.”
“A fire? Where are you?”
“On vacation.”
“On vacation? Where?”
Oh, Lord.
“Bullwinkle Ranch.”
“You’re in Canada?”
“Why would you think I’m in Canada?”
“Sienna, I’ll never understand you,” she sighed.
Ditto.
“Is there somethin’ you needed?”
“I just hadn’t heard from you in a while and thought I’d touch base.” Her tone of voice said she was lying.
“Okaaay,” I drawled out. “Nothin’ new to tell you.”
“Nothin’? No new man in your life?”
Oh, there was, but I had a feeling she knew that already. I had no doubt my brother had relayed Chase’s versions of events two days prior. And now that I understood what was running through Bo’s head, I’m sure my brother had already put two and two together and knew Bo’s interference was based on his feelings for me. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from filling my mother in on all the details. However, letting her in on my new relationship wasn’t gonna happen. I didn’t have the energy to play twenty questions.
“Nope. No new man in my life.”
Troy turned his head and looked at me, raising a brow. I mouthed, “My mother,” and he grinned.
“Then who was this man who manhandled poor Chase? David said he punched him.”
Poor Chase, indeed. He’d be poor Chase the next time I saw him.
“He’s a friend,” I lied.
She sighed dramatically. “I hope you’re not stirrin’ up trouble for poor Chase again,”—I felt the blood run from my face. She knew about what happened with Chase in the bathroom—“because he didn’t feel comfortable comin’ by the house for the longest time because of you.”
“Mother—”
“You know, you’re just like your father,” she went on, cutting me off. “You can’t let things lie. Why can’t you be more like your sister? She never causes problems.”
I felt like I’d been slapped across the face, and I reacted. “Which father? The one who ignores me or the one I’ve never met?”
Mother gasped at my response. “You only have one father,” she retorted. “Let that go.”
“How can I let it go when every time I look at my father, I’m reminded of what you’ve done, that I don’t belong anywhere? Who is he, Mother? Why is it such a big secret? Who the hell is the sperm donor?”
There was no response to my question, only a dial tone for my trouble.
I didn’t realize I was crying until Troy handed me a handkerchief. I glanced at his outstretched hand, then at his face. He looked terrified I might burst into tears. I grabbed the offered piece of linen, mumbling, “Thank you,” before drying my face.
As we rounded the next corner, the entrance to the ranch came into view, so I blew my nose to hide the fact I’d been crying from the girls and Bo, but the tears wouldn’t seem to stop. Years of frustration and loneliness rushed to the surface, and I couldn’t control the onslaught.
When Troy came to a stop in the courtyard, facing the burnt-out shell of Boris and Natasha’s home, the dam broke, sending me bailing out of the car and into the still smoldering ruins.
Boris and Natasha had memories of a happy life in that house that I envied. Memories of a happy family that cared for each other rather than pass judgment, and I was determined to save what I could. If I had to, I’d turn over every timber to find a single photograph or keepsake that meant something to them.
As I began climbing what was left of the front porch, I heard Troy call out Bo’s name. I ignored them both. I was on a mission.
Water and soot covered every surface, clinging to what remained like a black plague. Steppi
ng over what was left of the living room, I tripped on a hard object and looked down. One of the bronze cowboy statues that had graced a table in the living room was lying on its side like an abandoned doll. I reached for it and began wiping off the soot with the tail of my shirt, ignoring the heat emanating from the metal.
Footsteps on the porch alerted me to someone coming, but I didn’t look up. A crystal bowl had caught my eye. It twinkled in the sun like a diamond. I lowered the statue and reached for it, but a pair of large boots stopped in front of me, blocking my way. I tried to dodge them, but Bo squatted in front of me and grabbed my shoulders.
“Baby?” he rumbled low.
“We have to save their memories,” I explained, shrugging off his touch.
“We will once I’m sure the structure is safe.”
I shook my head. “No. There’s water on everything. It will ruin the photographs. We have to save them now!”
A charred picture frame peeked out from under a fallen truss. I lunged for it, tugging on the end to pull it free.
Bo moved to my side and laid his hand on mine, grumbling, “I’ll get it. You’ll hurt yourself.”
The strength in his hand made my bottom lip quiver. My mother’s call had unnerved me, reminded me how unwanted I was even in my own family. Would he eventually see what everyone else did? That I was a thorn in his side, not the sun he claimed I was in his gray existence.
My stomach dropped at the thought he’d eventually see the real me, and I pulled my hand away, distancing myself from him.
Bo’s eyes popped to mine, his brow creasing as I stumbled back.
“I need to leave,” I whispered, panting as if I’d run a mile.
“What?”
“I need to leave. I need to go home. I—”
Bo moved swiftly, wrapping his arms around my body until I was crushed to his chest. Then he leaned in and whispered, “Breathe, baby. In and out. In and out.”
I began to shake my head in protest, pushing at his chest. “This isn’t gonna work between us. You’ll figure out I’m not worth the trouble.”
Bo squeezed me tighter and then shook me once to gain my attention. “I’m not lettin’ you walk away from me because your mother’s a bitch. Whatever she said to make you doubt yourself, I’m tellin’ you right now, she’s wrong.”
