by Donna Alward
“What do you want to talk about?” he asked. And then he rolled to his back and stretched out his arm, inviting her to curl into his side.
Melly got off the bed, went to a chest at the foot and took out a soft blanket. She spread it out and then got under it and covered them both as she cuddled into his body. Mercy, he felt good. All heat and muscle and lean strength.
“How about you tell me what you’ve been up to?”
“Just the regular ranch work. It’s not that interesting. Besides, you probably have some school stories that are more entertaining.”
“A few that would curl your hair.” She chuckled. “You know, I love teaching literature. And this can be such a great age. But oh my God, the hormones. The drama.”
He chuckled. “I remember my sisters at that age.”
“Oh, it’s not just the girls.” She turned her head and looked up at him. “Boys are almost as bad.” She grinned. “Almost.”
She sighed. “But you know, sometimes I envy them. At that age, the world is your oyster. There are no limits, only ambitions and dreams.”
“And you’ve given up on dreams?”
“I don’t know.” She pursed her lips, considering. “It’s not even that. It’s more…I don’t know. The world changes. Things that you count on that disappear.”
He shifted his weight a little. “You mean your marriage?”
She supposed she did, in a way. But lately, she’d been thinking more and more about her mom and dad. They’d been her one constant through everything. Home was always home. The idea of the ranch not being a place to go home to anymore…
If only her cousin Dustin could get approval from the bank, at least it would stay in the family. But this week her mom had confessed that they’d had an offer and they were tempted.
“Mel?”
She liked how he called her Mel, not Melissa or Melly. It was like the shortened version of her name was only for him. Once more, she sighed, feeling weary. “It’s my mom and dad’s place. Dad’s heart won’t let him work it anymore, and to be honest, they can’t afford to keep it. It’s up for sale. And I know they’ve had an offer and it makes me sad.”
“Of course it does. It’s your home.”
“Yeah. It’s kind of…well, it’s not just a house. It’s a whole way of life, constant and secure. Only it’s not. That freak storm last year? It cost Dad a quarter of the herd. Between that and his illness… But I thought it would always be there for me to go home to.”
She was mortified to find her eyes had watered and her voice wobbled.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get emotional on you.” She lifted her hand and scrubbed her eyes. “Honestly, I’m kind of mad. I don’t even know who at. Circumstance, maybe. Shit, Melly Carmichael is supposed to be tougher than this.”
Brett’s hand had been stroking her arm, but suddenly he stilled. “Did you say Carmichael? I thought your last name was Walker.”
“Walker’s my married name. I never changed it back.”
“And your parents live where again?”
A little bit of unease trickled through her. “Just east of Lincoln.”
“Christ.” Brett shifted, sat up a bit. “Not Jim and Becky Carmichael?”
She pushed herself up on the bed, clutching the edge of the blanket to her chest. “Wait. You know my parents?”
“We’ve met. Mel, I’m the one who put in a bid on the ranch.”
She stared at him. “You? But…” God. Little things started racing through her brain. Was it all a coincidence? That out of all the girls on the dating site, he’d picked her? That he’d just happened to mention a purchase over coffee last week? She knew for a fact that her parents had turned down his offers. Three of them, to be exact, but they were weakening. He wanted the property, and he wanted it badly. The question was how far was he willing to go to get it?
Enough to use her? She scrambled off the bed, snatching the blanket and wrapping it around herself, leaving him exposed. “You need to go.”
“Mel.” He had the audacity to look surprised. “Look, I had no idea…”
“Really? You really didn’t?” She lifted her eyebrow in a cynical arch. “Was this all part of your plan? What was the idea, get me talking and find out if my parents were softening or what it would take to get them to say yes? I’ll answer that right now. Never. You are never going to buy our ranch.”
Forget the nerve to be surprised, he was actually angry if the thin slash of his lips and furrowed brow were anything to go by.
“What exactly are you accusing me of? Sleeping with you to…what? I didn’t even know who you were.”
“So you say.” She was naked under the blanket. Naked. She thought she might actually be sick. “My sister set up my profile. My sister contacted you first.” She shook her head as she mimicked him. “You really expect me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth. A dating site is not my speed at all. And I only agreed to meet to be polite.”
Ouch. Why that actually hurt her feelings was a mystery. “Well, what a gentleman you are. You wine and dine me and get me in bed with you and during the day you’re working to destroy the one thing that still matters to me.”
Brett reached for his jeans and pulled them on. He shoved the rivet through the hole and glared at her. “This had nothing to do with you. It’s business. I want to expand our operations and the ranch is perfect for us. I didn’t even know you existed. I’m not trying to take advantage of anyone here.” He rammed his shirt tails into his jeans and zipped them up. “Least of all your parents. The price I offered your folks was more than fair. More than.”
“Well, aren’t you just a paragon of virtue.”
“You’re angry,” he said, straightening his shoulders. “I get it. You don’t want them to sell the place. But they are going to sell it, Melly. So maybe you should take some time to decide who you’re angry with. Because I don’t think it’s me. It’s them. Or yourself. Or whatever.”
She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“I’ll see myself out.”
He left her standing there in the bedroom, and she heard the door shut behind him.
Chapter Five
Brett was still angry days later. Even the grueling branding weekend hadn’t eased the knot in his chest.
He ran the brush over Charley’s hide, putting lots of energy into it. The old horse loved every stroke, closed his eyes lazily, his skin shuddering from time to time. Brett sighed and dropped his forehead to Charley’s smooth neck, just for a moment.
“Women,” he breathed, then straightened and rolled his shoulders. “You’re smart to steer clear, Chuck.” Charley’s eyes stayed closed, but he flickered his ears at the sound of Brett’s voice. “I didn’t even want to go on that date. And then I ended up liking her. Damn, I liked her a lot. And then she hit me right in my pride.”
Charley’s lashes fluttered. Brett gave another long stroke of the brush.
“I mean, I understand her being surprised. And even upset. But she insulted my character. My ethics. My manhood.”
“What about your manhood?”
Manda was standing at the stall door, one shoulder resting on the frame.
His sister was not the person he wanted to see right now. “This is all your fault,” he said, pointing the brush at her. “So don’t bat your eyes like you’re innocent and give me that wounded-girl look. That hasn’t worked since we were kids.”
No batting of eyes. She raised one eyebrow. “What the hell did I do now?”
“You set me up on that website, that’s what.” He tossed the brush into a bucket. “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…”
“What are you muttering about?”
“Melissa, that’s what.” He gave Charley an absent pat, picked u
p the bucket and headed out of the stall, passing his pregnant sister with as much indignation as he could muster. He hated that he had a soft spot where she was concerned. “Shut the door.”
“What about Melissa? I thought you went out again.”
He wheeled on her as she was latching the door. “The ranch I bid on? Turns out it’s her parents’. And she’s pissed.”
Manda’s eyes widened. “That’s a crazy coincidence.”
“Yeah. Except she doesn’t think it is a coincidence. She thinks I engineered the whole thing.”
“That hardly seems likely.” Manda frowned.
“That’s what I said.” And he realized that Melissa had spoken in the heat of the moment. But it had been over a week now, and there hadn’t been one single text, let alone a phone call.
It wasn’t just the accusation he couldn’t forget. It was the hurt look in her eyes. That he even had the power to hurt her was surprising. They hadn’t known each other that long. Long enough to sleep together, he reminded himself.
“So what’s the status on the bid now?” Manda’s question brought him back to the present.
“There was a counter offer. I’m upping my bid.”
“How long before you top out?”
His smile felt grim. “I can’t go any higher,” he said. “I’ve thought about just letting it go. But that’s hardly logical, is it? I mean, someone’s going to buy the place if I don’t. And it’s perfect for what I want.”
Manda came over and put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Brett. If you don’t get it, there’ll be another place to go up for sale that’s nearby.”
“I know. It’s just a pretty piece of land. And with Mom and Dad and you guys sticking around here…”
“I know. You want your own place. To make your own mark.”
“To expand Lazy H. There’s a difference.”
“Maybe your loyalty to this place is how Melissa feels about her folks’ place too.”
“I’ve thought of that. I’m not blind or stupid. But I didn’t date her with an ulterior motive. Hell, you’re the one who set us up.”
“And if I’d known who she was, I never would have suggested it.”
For all Manda’s manipulations, he believed her. Because he had faith in her. Something that had been completely lacking between himself and Mel.
Then again, they’d gone on exactly two dates. How was she supposed to have faith in someone she barely knew? Chemistry, desire…that was one thing. But trust was something entirely different.
“Brett, maybe you need to talk to her again. If you argued, you both probably needed time to cool off.”
“If she’s cooled off and hasn’t been in touch, doesn’t that mean she still thinks I used her?”
Manda let out a huge sigh. “Maybe she’s waiting for you to cool off and deny it. Maybe she thinks your silence indicates guilt. Until this misunderstanding, did you like each other?”
Heat crept up his neck and he turned away and walked towards the feed room to get Charley a scoop of oats. “We got along okay.”
Okay, hell. Maybe he’d be less offended if he could get the picture of her on top of him out of his head for five minutes.
“Then maybe you shouldn’t give up so quick.”
“Manda, two dates isn’t really a huge emotional investment. I’ll get over it.”
“Great. Then we should browse the site again—”
“No.” He held up his hand. “Just no.” He scooped up some oats and started back to the stall. Anything to keep his hands busy. Keep moving. Because if Manda took one look at his face, she’d figure a whole lot of stuff out. She’d always been able to read him like a book, and it drove him crazy. Having a twin was sometimes awesome but sometimes a big ol’ pain in his ass.
“Well, you’ve turned into Crabby McCrabby Pants. Maybe you should just talk to her, instead of leaving things the way they are.”
“She has my number.”
Manda smacked herself in the forehead. “Will you forget your pride for two seconds? Men.”
“Women,” he responded. But then he couldn’t help it. He smirked. And she smirked back. “All right. I’ll call her or something. At least clear the air. Calmly.”
“And what about the ranch?”
He shrugged. “It’s exactly what I’m looking for to complement our operation, but my budget isn’t limitless. I’ve got one more chance, but if the other party counters, I’m out.”
And wouldn’t that make Melissa happy. Except someone else would still be buying the property. She had to realize that the problem wouldn’t go away even if he were out of the picture.
It took him two more days to work up the nerve to send her a simple text that said “Can we talk?” And a day after that for her to reply with a blunt, “About what?”
He waited until work was done for the day and his parents were inside watching the evening news. Part of the reason he was excited about the prospect of expansion was the chance to get out on his own again. Since the divorce, he’d stayed at his childhood home while his house had sold and the proceeds split between himself and Sherry. It was time. A man his age had no place worrying about a phone conversation being interrupted by his parents.
The June evening was mild, and he sat on the back porch, overlooking a hayfield that would be ready for cutting in another week or two. He dialed her number and waited. By the third ring, he assumed it was just going to go to voice mail. Instead, there was a click and her breathless voice said, “Hello?”
“Mel? It’s Brett.”
A beat of silence. “Hi.”
She was breathing hard and he felt compelled to ask, “Is this a bad time?”
“I was out for a run.”
He pictured her in short shorts and a T-shirt with her hair in a ponytail and thought she probably looked both adorable and formidable. “I can call back.”
“No, it’s fine.” Her tone said anything but, but he hadn’t expected a warm greeting.
“Listen, I just want to talk. About what happened, about what you think happened. I don’t like how we left things, you know?”
She’d still been naked and wrapped in a blanket when he’d walked out of her apartment.
“You’re the one who left.”
“I was offended. And…hurt, to be honest. And unless I was reading things wrong, you were really upset. I’m not sure staying would have helped to clear the air much.”
She sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
It was a start.
“Maybe we can meet up this weekend. Sunday afternoon or something,” he suggested.
“I’ve got plans on Sunday.”
She was not making this easy. And damn it, he hadn’t even done anything wrong. He ran his hand over his hair, wondering what to say next, when she spoke again.
“I could stop by on Saturday. I’m driving up to Great Falls for a baby shower Saturday night.”
“Saturday afternoon would be fine.” He swallowed, inexplicably nervous again. What was it about this woman that got under his skin so easily? “Do you want to meet for coffee again somewhere? Or you could come here. That way you’re not locked in to a specific time. I’ll be here all day.”
“You mean come to the Lazy H?”
“Only if you want to.”
There was another long pause. “Let me think about it, okay?”
“Of course.”
His excited mood deflated. Thinking about it would probably mean waiting a day or two and then cancelling, saying something had come up. But he’d tried. And he did feel better knowing he’d at least reached out to her.
“Mel?”
“What?”
“I swear I didn’t know who you were. Please believe me.”
“I’ll be in touch,” she replied, her voice tight. “Bye, Bret
t.”
The connection clicked off in his ear and he frowned, dropping the phone into his lap as he stared out over the fields.
Two dates. It really shouldn’t matter what she thought. But it did. More than he cared to admit. If nothing else happened between them, he’d at least convince her that he wasn’t guilty of using her.
Mel figured she had to be ten kinds of crazy to be visiting the Lazy H after all that had happened. But she was curious. How prosperous was the ranch anyway, that he could afford to beat every offer her cousin had been able to scrounge together? Dustin had offered ten thousand more than Brett’s last—her parents had told her that yesterday. And Brett hadn’t countered. Maybe he was finally letting it go.
That encouraging thought was the only reason she was driving up the dirt lane leading to Brett’s house. Maybe there was some hope for them after all. He’d been the one to call her. He’d invited her here. Maybe, just maybe, he’d reconsidered and was going to tell her to her face.
The Lazy H spread was huge. As Mel drove closer to the house, she saw several barns and outbuildings, long lines of fencing sectioning the rolling hills, and a big, rambling ranch house with a front porch that looked welcoming and a bit worn, in need of a fresh coat of paint. She could tell it was a much bigger operation than her family’s. A couple of trucks were parked next to a long building, and she recognized Brett’s as one of them.
She pulled up close to the house, next to a silver sedan that looked out of place among all the pickups, and took a breath. He said he’d be home. She’d texted for directions, but that was it. They hadn’t actually spoken. Now she was nervous as hell.
The last time she’d seen him, they’d had sex. Mind-numbing, fantastic, amazing sex. And then they’d argued.
What on earth was she going to say?
She cut the engine and took a deep breath, only to have it come out in a whoosh as a woman appeared on the porch. A pregnant woman, she noticed, and one who looked a lot like Brett. Her hair was darker, but the face shape was the same, and so was the mouth. Was this his twin sister, Manda? The one he claimed had set them up?
Maybe this was her chance to go directly to the source for the truth.
