“I know King loves me, Aiden, even if he’s never said the words. Surely—”
“Nothing is certain where that sonofabitch is concerned.” He sounded as angry and frustrated as Leah felt herself.
She caressed the too-long hair at his nape, not correcting his unkind, but generally held to be accurate, description of her stepfather. Instead, she said, “You need a haircut.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
She smiled. “I wasn’t. You need a wife, Mr. Flynn.”
He laughed. “I do. I do.” His face sobered. “When can we meet again? Where can we meet?”
She knew what he was asking. It was as though they were teenagers still in high school. Or illicit lovers. They’d made love in his truck. In hers. In horse stalls. In barn lofts. Even in hotel rooms in town, when it was too cold outside. But not in his home. Or hers. There was too much chance of getting caught.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just tell them,” he argued.
“We’d lose the leverage we have with your dad. And with mine.” She pulled his head down to kiss him, in an attempt to assuage him, but he wasn’t satisfied anymore with just the taste of her. He slid his hand inside her coat, inside her shirt, inside her bra to the warm flesh of her breast.
“Hmm.” He made a hungry sound. His callused hand was equally greedy.
Leah realized that in a moment he would have her naked and they’d be down on the frozen ground. Aiden didn’t care. He would take her anywhere, anytime. She shared his desperation, but she was still rational enough to call a halt.
“Aiden,” she whispered. And then, more urgently, “Aiden.”
“What?” He lifted his head, and she saw shining blue eyes, radiant with passion.
“We can’t.”
He jerked his hand free, accidentally popping the first button on her blouse, which went flying. “I’m done with this, Leah.”
For a moment she thought he meant he was done with her. Her heart skipped a beat and then threatened to stop altogether.
Then he continued, “Don’t ask to see me again until you can take me home to your father and introduce me as your husband. To hell with this pretense of dating. Nobody needs that sort of charade, least of all us.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I think you do. You just don’t like what you’re hearing. No more furtive lovemaking. I’m cutting you off cold.”
“Cutting off your nose to spite your face is more like it,” she retorted.
“Maybe so. But if you’re suffering as badly as I am, maybe you’ll get this thing done.”
“I told you I’m doing the best I can,” she protested.
“Do better.” He turned and marched toward his horse.
“Aiden!”
He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder. He didn’t speak, just waited for whatever it was she had to say.
“I love you.”
She hadn’t said it in a very long time. She wasn’t sure what reaction she expected. Maybe that he’d turn around and march right back and take her in his arms.
He just stood there staring at her. At last he said, “I love you, too.” He mounted and spurred the gelding to a gallop, its hooves slinging mud and snow as Aiden raced across the pasture.
Leah’s throat was swollen so thick she could hardly swallow. She’d lied to Aiden. The real reason she hadn’t asked King for the ranch yet was because she’d been too afraid. What if he said no? What if he said hell no? It would break her in half to lose the ranch. It would break her heart to discover her stepfather didn’t love her enough to do whatever it took to make her happy.
She trudged toward her horse. She might as well get this over with.
LEAH KNOCKED ON King’s office door and, as she always did, entered without waiting for him to respond. She caught him with his head back, holding a bloody handkerchief to his nose. “What happened? Are you all right?”
He sat up and dabbed at the last of the blood. “Don’t fuss, Leah. It’s just a little nosebleed.”
She hurried to his side and examined a sun-and-wind-ravaged face that was gaunt and pale. “You’re getting a lot of them, lately.”
“It’s nothing.”
She noticed a bruise on his forearm that hadn’t been there earlier, and all he’d done was work in the office today. “When was the last time you saw a doctor?”
“Don’t like doctors.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
“Haven’t seen anyone since MD Anderson gave me a clean bill of health after that cancer scare.”
That had been years ago. Leah’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that King’s leukemia might have returned. Nosebleeds were a symptom, along with bruises and unexplained loss of weight. King had exhibited all of those warning signs and one more. Fatigue. He’d given her a lot more responsibility lately. She’d taken it as a good sign. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Because of Matt’s departure, they were shorthanded, putting even more stress on King. That was partly her fault. She was the one who’d told Matt about Jennie’s cancer. She was the one who’d sent him haring off to Texas. She could handle most of the slack left by Matt’s departure, but she’d been counting on King to pick up the rest of the burden until she could hire extra help. Right now, he didn’t look well enough to swing a loop.
She stuck her hands on her hips and said, “You should hand this place over to me and get some rest.”
“The hell I will!” He shoved his coffee cup away, causing it to spill, and swore as he jumped up to get out of the way of the steaming liquid dripping over the edge of his desk. He turned on her and bellowed, “Don’t go putting me in my grave before I’m dead, young lady.”
Leah’s jaw dropped. She’d come here intending to ask for control of the ranch, but not in the awkward, insulting way she’d done it. “I didn’t mean— How could you think— Don’t be an old fool!”
“So now I’m an old fool?”
Leah flushed when she realized what she’d said. “Damn it! I’m worried about you.”
“You’ve been hinting that you want control of Kingdom Come for the better part of a year. You’ve made no secret what you thought about my deal with Matt, and you’ve done everything in your power to thwart my intentions. Well, Matt’s gone, but I’m still here, alive and kicking.”
“And you aren’t about to give this ranch to some girl who’s no relation to you,” Leah said bitterly.
“Don’t go putting words in my mouth.”
“It’s true, though, isn’t it? When I was a little girl, I was afraid every minute of every day that you’d realize my mother had left me behind, and I didn’t belong here. First, I made myself invisible, so you wouldn’t throw me out. Then I made myself indispensable, so you’d keep me around.”
“Leah, I—”
Her body was trembling with rage and frustration. “You’re not getting rid of me! I won’t let you. You need me, old man. And don’t you forget it!”
She whirled to flee, but he caught her arm and flung her back around so she ended up imprisoned in his arms. She struggled not to cry, battled the weak, female tears as she resisted his enfolding arms, which cinched tight around her. Her heart was thumping so hard it hurt, and she was having trouble catching her breath.
“Leah, Leah, calm down. Be still. Let me speak.”
She dropped her forehead against his chest, hiding her moist eyes, and swallowed the sob that threatened to break free. But every muscle in her body remained taut, warding off whatever dirty trick this unfamiliar embrace represented. She’d never seen King hug any of her sisters, who were his blood relations, which left her suspicious of his motives now.
“Are you ready to listen?” he said in a quiet voice.
She didn’t answer. She had fists full of his shirt and was hanging on for dear life
, afraid that if she let go, she would splinter into a million pieces.
“Of all your mother’s children, you’ve always been my favorite.”
Her head snapped up, and she stared into his blue eyes, not believing what he’d said or the fact that he’d made such an admission. She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was too swollen with emotion for any sound to get out.
“I’ve watched you grow into one helluva businesswoman. I know you could run this ranch with one hand tied behind your back.”
When he stopped there, she cleared her throat and said, “But…”
“I’ve always dreamed of my eldest son running Kingdom Come. I’m not willing to give up on Matt. Not yet.”
“He broke his agreement with you,” Leah cried. She let go of King’s shirt, put both palms flat on his chest, and gave a tremendous shove. He let go, and she stumbled backward. She quickly found her footing and put herself toe-to-toe with him. “Matt left! He walked away without looking back. I’m here. Why not give the ranch to me?”
“I’ve already answered that question.”
“You’re not being fair.”
“Never said I was.”
“What can I do to change your mind?”
He smiled crookedly and shook his head. “That’s what I love most about you, Leah. You never give up. You never give in. Keep up that attitude, and someday this place may be yours.”
“How is that possible?”
His eyes looked bleak. “Matt might not come back.”
What good did it do to be his favorite daughter, when what King really valued was his eldest son?
“What I should do is move in with Aiden Flynn at the Lucky 7 tomorrow,” she muttered.
“Now, just a minute,” King said. “Don’t be hasty.”
“There’s nothing for me here. From the start, Matt has made it clear that once he owned Kingdom Come we girls had to move on. If you’re determined to give the ranch to him, you won’t be seeing any more of me.”
“Matt never said anything like that to me,” King protested.
“He never said much of anything to you.”
King made a face. “Matt still blames me for something that wasn’t my fault. I only told him what Jennie’s parents told me. I had no idea either Jennie or their baby was still alive.”
“Have you told him that?”
“He never gave me a chance. He ran straight to Angus, and Angus did his best to separate me from my son. It was one of the cruelest things that sonofabitch ever did to me. I didn’t kill his sister. Jane was mentally unstable long before I divorced her. I believe Angus fixated on punishing me for her death, because he feels guilty for not keeping a closer eye on her himself. She was living with him when she swallowed the pills that took her life.”
Leah’s brows lowered as she shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, my God. I see everything so clearly now. Giving Matt the ranch has nothing to do with loving your eldest son. It’s really about shoving Angus’s nose in Matt’s return to the fold and undoing a bit of his nasty revenge. You two bitter old men deserve each other. I don’t know why I’ve wasted so much time worrying about you.”
“I can take care of myself,” he blustered.
“Fine. See a doctor or don’t. Just leave me out of it. I’ve got plenty of work to do until Matt shows up again.” She stopped at the door and turned to say, “And I’ll be here if he doesn’t.”
LEAH LAY NAKED in Aiden’s arms in his bed at the Lucky 7. She’d known he was glib-tongued, but she hadn’t realized how susceptible she was to his entreaties. She hadn’t wanted to tell Aiden on the phone that she’d failed in her quest to get possession of her father’s ranch, and today was the first chance she’d had to meet up with him in person. He’d accepted her news with such a downhearted look, it made her want to weep. Was it any wonder she’d let him talk her into bed?
“We’re going to get caught, Aiden.”
“By whom?” He kissed her throat, sending a thrill through her body, and she turned her head so he could reach her tender flesh more easily.
“Your father.”
“Angus is on a business trip.”
“So is King. Do you suppose they’re meeting up somewhere in secret?”
“I seriously doubt it.” He raised his head and met her gaze with heavy-lidded eyes. “I don’t want to talk about them, Leah. I want to make love to you.”
“Again?”
He laughed and kissed her on the nose. “We’ve always been in such a hurry there hasn’t been time for seconds. Or thirds.”
“Thirds?” she said breathlessly.
“Unless you have somewhere you have to be.”
She shook her head. “I hired a foreman yesterday to take Matt’s place. He seems to know his business. Who’s managing things here while you’re in bed with me?”
“No more talk about work, Leah.”
“But—” His mouth seized hers and cut her off. She didn’t say another word for the next hour, but she contributed quite a few moans and groans and sighs, culminating in some animalistic cries she couldn’t quite believe had come out of her mouth.
They lay in each other’s arms, their sweat-slick bodies still connected, their lungs heaving, and Leah knew this was where she belonged.
King just had to give her the ranch.
Or you’re going to have to give up your dream of owning it. Push was coming to shove. Time was running out. It wasn’t fair to ask Aiden to wait forever to live as husband and wife. If she had to make a choice between spending the rest of her life with Aiden or owning the ranch…
“What are you thinking?” Aiden asked.
“How much I love you.”
Enough to give up her lifelong dream of owning Kingdom Come for a future that included him? Leah wasn’t willing to give up the fight. Not yet. Not while there was still a chance that she and Aiden could accomplish something that would help not only them, but also their fathers and brothers and sisters, live a lot more happily ever after.
“Leah,” Aiden murmured in her ear.
“What?”
“We forgot about using a condom.”
“If I haven’t gotten pregnant after all the times we never used a condom—” Leah cut herself off. And separated her body from Aiden’s so she could lie on her back with her arm across her eyes. When was the last time she’d had a period? She did a mental calculation and realized that she, who was as regular as clockwork, had missed the last one. How could she not have realized it sooner?
“I wouldn’t mind if you got pregnant,” he said, kissing her ear.
“Because that would force us to tell everyone we’re married,” she said, swatting at her tickled ear, letting her irritation at herself leak into her response to him.
“You’d look beautiful pregnant with my child,” he said, brushing an errant curl behind her shoulder so he could press a kiss there.
Leah sat up abruptly and reached under the covers in search of her bikini panties.
Aiden, his head perched on his hand, held them up on a forefinger. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
She reached for them, and he snatched them away. “Aiden, hand them over.”
“Uh-uh. We have a lot more loving to do today.”
Leah was no longer in the mood. She wanted to get to a drugstore and buy a pregnancy test kit and find out whether she was going to have Aiden’s baby. At least, that was her last thought before Aiden began to kiss and touch and kiss some more, arousing her to a point where she could no longer think, she could only feel.
She let her fingertips roam in return, looking for places she knew were sensitive, reveling in Aiden’s guttural groans of pleasure. She sought to give as much pleasure as she took, tantalizing and tasting, loving the feel of his rough beard against her belly and lifting her hips as he slid his
hands beneath her and raised her up to be teased and tasted in return.
He forgot the condom again. But she had a horrible, wonderful feeling that it really didn’t matter.
RYE WAS FILLED with dread as he approached the place where he’d found his brother lying in a pool of blood the previous day. He looked for the red stain on the grass, but it was already covered by a sparse layer of snow. The grizzly had killed and partially eaten one of Rye’s seven-hundred-pound Angus calves, but the carcass was gone. Either this bear or another scavenger had dragged it away somewhere.
“I found blood in the grizzly’s right forepaw print,” Rye told the deputy. “Which suggests the bear was hit in the shoulder, or maybe his leg. I also found splashes of yellow-brown fluid.”
“So he was shot in the stomach or intestines as well,” Pete said. “Why isn’t that bear lying here dead?”
“Maybe the shots only grazed him,” Rye said.
“Likely that grizzly crawled off and died,” Pete replied. “What I want is the idiot who shot your brother.”
Rye wondered what had brought the bear, his brother, and the poacher, who had to be trespassing, into this clearing all at the same time? With any luck, Mike would have the answers to all his questions. He sent out a silent prayer that his brother would get well and refused to imagine anything else.
“We’ll need to work fast if we’re going to find evidence that’ll lead us to that poacher,” Pete said, eyeing the large flakes of snow threatening to cover everything up. “Where was Mike’s body when you got here?”
Rye showed the deputy the spot between a blue spruce and a lodgepole pine where he’d found his brother.
“Face up?” Pete asked.
“Face down.” Before he’d moved Mike, Rye had pressed two fingers into the sticky blood on his brother’s throat and shuddered with relief when he found a thready pulse. He’d been shocked when he turned Mike over and saw the horrific damage to his chest and scalp. Mike’s eyes had remained closed, but he’d groaned. Rye’s insides had clenched at the thought of the pain he’d caused his brother by moving him.
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