Home on the Ranch: The Montana Cowboy's Triplets

by Allison B. Collins

  “Smells good in here,” she said.

  “Good timing,” he said, picked up the tray and led the way to the couch by the fireplace.

  He set the tray on the coffee table, then lit a match to the waiting logs. Settling back on the couch, he felt like he had on his first date. Only now he was an adult, the girl he liked was a grown woman and no one’s dad lurked in the other room.

  He glanced at Mackenzie. She was sitting up straight at the other end of the couch, looking as uncomfortable as he felt.

  “This is ridiculous,” he muttered.

  Just as she turned to him, he reached over and picked up her slippered feet. He put them on the coffee table, grabbed the bowl of popcorn and sat closer to her, puting his own feet up.

  “Relax,” he said, and shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth. He held the bowl between them, and gradually felt her relax next to him.

  “I’m sorry,” she finally said.

  “For what?”

  “I don’t do this much.”

  “Eat popcorn in front of a crackling fire?”

  She chucked a kernel of popcorn at him, and it hit his nose.

  “No. Eat popcorn in front of the fire with an attractive man,” she said, then took a drink of hot chocolate.

  “You think I’m attractive?”

  She rolled her eyes, and he liked that she was finally comfortable enough to do that.

  “No, actually I don’t,” she said.

  “You don’t find me attractive?” he asked, surprised at the shot of hurt he felt, and purposely pouted.

  She turned sideways and tucked her feet up on the couch. “Nope. I think you’re wildly hot, incredibly funny, kind and so sweet it makes my teeth hurt.”

  He set the bowl on the table, let her words sink in. “I’m wildly hot?”

  She sputtered a laugh. “Is that all you heard?”

  He waved a hand. “I heard the other stuff. It’s the hot part that makes me want to do this.” He took her in his arms and lay them both down.

  He kissed her once, twice, then paused, watching her face. Her expression went from surprised to sensual in five seconds flat.

  “Then by all means, proceed,” she said, and pulled his head down.

  He dove right in and kissed her, encouraged when she met his lips with a hunger of her own. Her tongue darted out and touched his, shyly, then slid away.

  He cradled her head gently, angled his own to take it deeper. She was like no one he’d ever been with before. Fun, exciting, she didn’t take his shit, and spoke up when she felt something was wrong.

  Finally indulging himself, he threaded his fingers through her hair. It was soft and silky, exactly how he’d known it would be.

  His body was so hot, so hard, he thought he’d explode. But he didn’t want to scare her away. Yeah, she’d admitted she found him hot. Didn’t mean she was ready for more.

  Was he?

  He eased back, his breath heaving as much as hers was. He took his time, kissing her nose, her eyelids, her cheeks. His thumb stroked her neck, and her pulse jumped beneath it.

  “Mackenzie,” he groaned.

  It took a few seconds until she finally opened her eyes, looked at him. “Yes?”

  “I want you,” he said, but before he could go on, he felt her body tense beneath him. Which gave him his answer. “But I don’t want us to do anything until you’re completely comfortable with me. With us.”

  “Is there an us?” she asked so softly he had to strain to hear it.

  “I’d like to explore that. If you want to.”

  She smiled, then the light in her eyes dimmed. “But I’ll be leaving before long.”

  “Then maybe we should explore a relationship faster.”

  “Faster?”

  “Yeah, like light speed faster. I don’t know how long I can keep away from you.”

  Her smile came back, and grew and grew until she was laughing so hard he felt it through his own body.

  He pulled back. “What’s so dang funny?”

  “I just got the vision of us moving in fast motion—eating and drinking at supersonic speed, dancing, taking long but very fast walks. Like if you fast-forward through a show on the telly.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, see? Great minds think alike. The only thing I don’t want to speed up is kissing you. Deal?”

  “Oh, aye. I agree with that one, boyo.” She grinned and lifted her head up enough to kiss him.

  Damn.

  What an amazing woman. Did he have the right to ask her for this?

  Did he really want to explore a relationship with her when Montana wasn’t her home?

  He looked down at her, smiling.

  God help him, he did.

  Mackenzie tossed and turned for what seemed like hours in her bed. Alone. She knew it was good that she and Hunter hadn’t gone any further, but she was still frustrated. Aching for him, she finally relaxed enough to drift off to sleep.

  Smoke filled her lungs till she was near bursting. Her eyes streamed, and she couldn’t see anything—none of the safety equipment to make sure she could escape unharmed. Her voice was so weak she couldn’t cry for help.

  She pounded on the door, desperate for someone to hear her. Kicking her legs didn’t help; something had trapped her on the ground.

  She didn’t want to die, leave her brothers all alone. She had to be there for them. See them grow up, get married, have children. Putting as much energy as she could into it, she tried screaming again.

  Someone was shaking her, shouting her name. That hadn’t happened before.

  “Mackenzie! Wake up. Come on, honey, wake up.”

  She opened her eyes, filled her lungs with fresh air, then coughed. Remnants of the dream clung tight, and she tried to shake her head, get it free of the terror.

  “You okay? You back now?” Hunter asked, holding her in his arms.

  “Where are we?”

  “Your room. I heard you screaming. It was a dream.” He rocked her back and forth. “You’re okay now. Shh, shh, shh,” he whispered, until she could finally release some of the tension holding her so rigid.

  “It wasn’t just a dream. It really happened.” She pulled away from him, shoved the twisted blanket and sheets off her legs. That must have been why she felt trapped.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Stunt gone wrong. Months ago.” She coughed again.

  Hunter got up and went to the bathroom, brought a glass filled with water to her.

  She sipped, thankful for the icy cold water as it soothed her raw throat. Then she said, “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  He walked around to the other side of the bed, climbed in and pulled her into his arms. “Want to talk about it?” he asked, and she rested her head against his shoulder.

  She hesitated, then remembered what a therapist had said. Get it out in the open, take the power away from the terror. “We were rehearsing one of the stunts. The lead actress was supposed to be trapped in a closet in a burning building. The fire that was supposed to be contained suddenly wasn’t, and I got trapped. The door jammed and I couldn’t get out. The stunt coordinator finally realized something was wrong, and they had to break the door down.”

  “Shit,” he muttered, his arms tightening around her. “How long?”

  “Felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes, from what they said. They had extinguishers and put the fire out. But I was burned so I had to spend time in hospital.”

  “God, I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “It’s okay now. I’m okay now.” She nestled her head on his sturdy shoulder, wished she’d had it—him—when she was going through all that.

  “Is that what those marks on the backs of your thighs are from?” he asked.

  “How did you—oh, right.” Embarrassment flooded her all
over again that he’d seen her naked.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “They’re kind of hard to miss.”

  “Are those the only scars?”

  “Some smaller ones on my stomach, but the legs were the worst. Closer to the fire.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask how you got to be a stuntwoman.”

  “A movie was being filmed in Aberdeen, and one day a production assistant happened to be passing by when I was teaching a tumbling class and asked me to audition. I got the job, thinking it was just for that movie. The director passed my name along to someone else who was looking for a woman who could ride, so I got that job. After several other recommendations, one of the stunt coordinators suggested I go to Hollywood where I could find steadier work, so here I am.”

  “What do your brothers think about it?”

  “They tease me about being on screen and no one knows it’s me, but I think they’re proud of me. I don’t always tell them about some of the stunts—even though they’re younger than me, they’re pretty protective.”

  “Have you ever thought of getting into another line of work?”

  She sat up and looked at him. “I know how to do my job,” she snapped.

  “Hey, I know you do. You’re very much a professional, and you’ve worked hard to get where you are. I care about you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She studied him. He was all rumpled, hair sticking straight up on one side. His T-shirt was wrinkled, he wore dark blue pajama bottoms with polar bears dancing on them, and his feet were bare.

  And she wanted him.

  Bad.

  She just had to make sure her heart was protected this time.

  Chapter 14

  Hunter opened the door to his cabin, and walked in to loud voices and something that smelled so good his mouth watered.

  He dropped his packages and followed his nose to the kitchen, not sure what to expect. Certainly not Mackenzie at the stove, her hair pulled up in a messy knot, steam rising from a pot as she stirred, his boys sitting at the counter, all trying to talk over each other. She was laughing at something they were saying, and as she turned around, he was struck again by how pretty she was.

  Soft curls had escaped the knot and framed her face, no makeup, smiling brighter than the sun, and the way she looked at his sons was...

  Awesome. It was the only word that penetrated the fog in his brain.

  When she noticed him, her smile grew even bigger. “Good evenin’.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I thought I’d make dinner tonight. I hope that’s fine wi’ ye.”

  “Sure. What are you making?” he asked, a little worried since she’d said her brothers loved haggis.

  “Beef stew and bannocks,” she said, and opened the oven door.

  “Bannocks? Is that like haaaagis?” Tripp asked, making the word so guttural Hunter was surprised he didn’t spit everywhere.

  She turned from the oven, holding a pan. “No, silly, it’s what you Americans call biscuits.” She held the pan up for them to see, then dumped them in a basket lined with a cloth napkin.

  Turning around, he saw the table was set all festive-like.

  Was it a holiday? Someone’s birthday?

  Shit.

  Maybe he could sneak out and get a gift—

  Where? It was after six o’clock, snowing, and she’d already seen him.

  “You want to wash up for dinner?” Mackenzie asked him.

  “Oh, sure. Be right back.” He headed to his bedroom and yanked off his cold-weather gear, then pulled his boots off. While he washed his hands, he tried to think what he could do for her, since she’d gone to so much work already.

  Man, he hadn’t had a woman, other than Mrs. Green, cook for him since his divorce. He could get used to this...

  Walking back out to the living room, he saw the grocery bags he’d dumped on the table. Picking one up, he saw sprigs of something poking out. Mrs. Green periodically sent vegetables home with him, convinced all he fed his sons were toaster pastries, hot dogs and potato chips.

  He grabbed the other bag and went back to his bedroom, dumped everything out on his bed and sorted through it. Herbs and vegetables. A little bunch of this, a little bunch of that, some purply stalky thing and some of the other stuff. He shoved them all into a bouquet of sorts, and searched for something to hold it all together. He finally settled on a narrow leather strip, tying it best he could into a bow.

  He shoved everything back into the bags and carried them to the kitchen, set them on the counter.

  “You’re just in time. Have a seat,” Mackenzie said.

  The boys all popped off the bar stools and sat on the bench. No shoving, no pushing, no arguing.

  He leaned closer to her. “Who are these boys, and where are my kids?”

  She grinned. “They’ve been very sweet today.”

  He brought his arm around from behind his back and held the bouquet out to her. “I wanted to get you fresh flowers, but we’re a little short on them this time of year.”

  Her mouth opened and formed a perfect O, and she took the bouquet from him, then buried her face in it. She inhaled, and finally looked up at him, beaming. “Thank you.”

  “You like it?”

  She sniffed it again. “It reminds me of my granny’s kitchen from so long ago.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “You’re a verra sweet man.”

  He’d have to remember to thank Mrs. Green.

  Mackenzie brought the stew pot to the table and filled everyone’s bowls, then brought the biscuits and sat down. She set the bouquet next to her plate on the table.

  “What’s that?” Tripp asked.

  “Your da brought herbs for me.”

  The boys looked at him like he was nuts. “Why’d you do that?” Cody asked.

  “I thought she might like them,” he said.

  She picked up the bouquet and held it toward the boys. “Just smell the wonderful scents from these fresh herbs. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” She pointed at each one. “I can use them next time I make dinner. And whatever’s left, I can press in a book and take it home with me to remember my time here.”

  The boys looked at each other, then got up and ran around the table to where she sat. “We don’t want you to leave. You have to stay,” they said, voices crowding each other.

  “Hey, guys,” he said, hating how sad they looked. “Miss Mackenzie doesn’t live here. She has to go back home so she can be in other movies. You wouldn’t want her to miss out on more adventures, would you?”

  “N-n-n-o-o-o.” Eli sniffled. “But we love her.”

  “Oh, boys. I love you, too,” Mackenzie said, and gathered them close in a hug. “I’ll write to you, and send postcards, and email, if that’s okay.” She looked up at him, and he nodded.

  Damn, he didn’t want her to leave either.

  “Okay, boys. Sit down and eat.” He waited till they’d settled back down, this time with the pushing and the shoving, then picked up his spoon and tried the stew. Rich and savory, it was different from anything he’d had before. “Hey, this is really good.”

  “Don’t sound so surprised. Did you think I’d make something disgusting?” she asked, grinning at him. “If I did, then I’d have to eat it, too. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like gross stuff.” She made a face and the boys laughed.

  They ate in silence, which meant the boys actually liked the stew. He’d have to get the recipe from her before she left. Which sent a little pang through his gut.

  They needed a distraction.

  “Boys, how about we set out early tomorrow and ride the fence line?”

  The boys cheered.

  “What does that mean?” Mackenzie asked.

  “We have to ri
de along the fence constantly, make sure nothing is broken so our herd doesn’t wander off. My brothers and I split up the acreage and ride out weekly. The boys are learning what it takes to be ranchers. They’ll inherit all of this one day, with their cousins, and I’m teaching them what they need to know.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Think my horse and I could ride out with you? We’d both like to see more of your land, get some fresh air.”

  He wondered at the wistful look on her face. She seemed almost sad.

  Sliding his hand across the table, he squeezed her fingers lightly. “You okay?”

  She gave him a watery smile. “Yes. Just missing Scotland. Some parts of your ranch remind me of home.”

  “Are you working tomorrow?”

  She shook her head. “We went o’er the schedule earlier, and the director is filming inside scenes tomorrow, so I’m no’ needed.”

  He grinned. “Okay, it’s a date. The more the merrier. But we’ll be setting out early.”

  She beamed. “Brilliant. I’ll be ready.”

  Wow. If he’d known it was that easy to make her smile like that, he’d have asked her to ride the fence ages ago. Because in the last couple of days, it had suddenly become important to him to make her smile.

  The next morning Mackenzie took up the rear of the little group as they left the barn on horseback. She breathed deeply, inhaling air so cold it made her lungs hurt. It was what she’d grown up on, so this part really did remind her of the Highlands. The forecast said it would warm up today, but she much preferred the cold.

  Clouds hung low, melding with snow-covered hills on the horizon. Occasional breaks in the clouds showed her the mountains rising high, standing silent and tall.

  Ahead of her, the boys rode single file behind their dad, who broke the snow on the trail for them. The kids wore their usual colors, but she’d gotten to know them enough now she could tell them apart even without the distinguishing colors.

  They plowed through the snow, farther and farther from the ranch buildings. She hadn’t realized how big the Sullivan ranch was. The snow blanketed all sound, but she bet it was quiet like that even in summer.

  Ahead of her, Hunter raised his hand, and the boys all reined in their horses. She dismounted when he did, and her feet slid down a small embankment into a four-foot-high drift. She tried stepping out of it, but it didn’t help. Tried to walk forward, but the snow was too packed by then.