“What’s wrong, love?” Mackenzie asked him, leaning close.
“Nothing. Just hungry.” He patted his stomach and she rolled her eyes.
The door to the dining room banged open. “Who here means to take our sister away from her family and her homeland?” boomed a deep voice with a thick Scottish accent.
Hunter looked up to see four men with hair the color of Mackenzie’s walk in. It’s about damn time. He blew out a relieved breath.
“Oh!” cried Mackenzie. She scooted her chair out and ran full tilt across the dining room, holding her flowered skirt up, her red hair streaming behind her.
If Hunter hadn’t been watching, he never would have believed it, but she launched herself in the air, landing in her brothers’ arms. She kissed their faces over and over, crying and laughing all at once.
They set her down, and she gathered them all into a group hug.
Hunter got up to join them. When she turned to look at him, the happiness on her face damn near poleaxed him.
“Did you do this?” she asked, sniffling back tears.
“I figured they should be here—” He didn’t even finish the sentence before she flung herself at him, and he got the same treatment her brothers did.
“Come meet me brothers,” she said. “Hunter, that’s Fergus with the messy beard, the oldest of the four, then Ian comes next, and Scotty and Graham are the twins. Boys, this is my Hunter.” She beamed at all of them as if she expected them to be the best of friends now.
Her brothers all faced him as one unit, legs apart, arms crossed, thunder on their faces. Hunter started wondering if maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to fly them from Scotland to Montana for the wedding. They hadn’t spoken on the phone but the one time, and then he’d emailed them the details. Up close, he realized they were all just a bit taller than him, and much brawnier.
“You,” Fergus said, pointing a beefy finger at him. “You dare ta think ye can make our sister happy?”
Hunter swallowed hard, nodded. “I aim to.”
“Ha’e ye made her cry?” Ian asked.
“Uh...” He looked behind him at his own brothers. “Guys? A little support here?”
His brothers all stood up and walked toward the group, his dad following close behind.
Mackenzie eyed her brothers. “What’re you lot up to?”
“Ne’er mind, sissy. We’ll handle this,” Fergus said, his eyes narrowing even more.
The Campbell brothers all took a big step forward, crowding Hunter back a few feet. He once again looked back at his brothers. “Well?”
Nash folded his arms, nodded at the Campbell men. “We’ll see. Depends on how you answer their questions.”
“So, lad, ha’e ye made our sister cry?” Ian asked again.
Should he lie, or tell the truth? Which would get him less of a pounding? “Only a little. And I didn’t mean to.”
The Campbell brothers all stepped forward again, flexing fists, heaving muscles.
A bead of sweat ran down Hunter’s forehead. Great—no backup. He threw a dirty look at his brothers, who all grinned at him.
“You boys can pound me into the ground, break every bone in my body and feed me to Nessie. But it won’t keep me from loving Mackenzie, taking care of her and wanting to be with her the rest of my life.”
All four redheaded men grew even more stern, more forbidding. Then the one she’d called Scotty started laughing, and before long, everyone in the room was laughing.
Except him. What the hell?
Fergus stepped forward, hand outstretched. “We’re jus’ messin’ wi’ ye, lad.”
Hunter clasped Fergus’s hand, then as he started to pull it back, Fergus gripped it tighter, to the point of pain, and leaned forward. “But make no mistake. You hurt her, e’er, and we end ye. Got it?” Then he backed away, all smiles again.
Hunter shook hands with each of the brothers, each one saying something to the same effect, low enough for only him to hear.
Mackenzie beckoned the triplets forward. “Cody, Tripp, Eli, these are my brothers. Lads, these handsome boys will be my sons.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she dashed a tear away.
“Whoa, now we got eight uncles!” Eli said.
“Oh, great. I guess that means I have eight brothers now,” Mackenzie said. Hunter glanced at her, and even though the words were dry, she was beaming.
“It looks like ours is no’ the only family wi’ multiples,” Fergus said. “Yer family will be growing by leaps and bounds.”
Hunter swallowed, hard, choked on his saliva and coughed. Ian, who stood closest to him, pounded him on the back.
“Here, drink some water.” Mackenzie handed him a glass.
He sipped, finally able to breathe again. “You never told me you had a set of twins for brothers,” he whispered.
She shrugged. “I never thought about it.” She faced him. “Is that a problem?”
“We haven’t talked about having children of our own,” he said, his head slowly spinning. He glanced behind him and saw the door to the butler’s pantry. He took her hand and pulled her inside, turned the light on and shut the door for some privacy.
“Do ye want more?” she asked, her voice so quiet he had to stoop to hear her.
“I hadn’t ever considered it. There was no one in my life to consider it with.”
Her face grew even paler than normal, and she pressed a hand to her stomach.
“I also never thought I’d find the love of my life,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “What about you? Do you want children of your own?”
She leaned back, meeting his gaze. “Those boys already are my own. I couldn’t love them more if I’d given birth to them myself. But do you want more?”
“In all honesty?” Her body tensed in his, and he pulled her closer so her head rested on his shoulder. “I can just see a little girl with wild red curls, running around the corral, learning how to rope hay bales and jump onto a moving horse while she shoots a bow and arrow. I just hope she gets my love of pie.”
She burst out laughing, and leaned back, punched his arm. Then she cupped his cheeks and pulled his head down to smack his lips with a quick kiss. “I love you, Mr. Sullivan.”
“I love you, ‘almost Mrs. Sullivan.’” He leaned forward and captured her mouth in a hot searing kiss. He cupped her butt and pulled her flush against him.
The door flew open. “There you are,” Bunny said. She reached in and snatched hold of his ear, then pulled until he let go of Mackenzie and followed Bunny. “There’ll be no tomfoolery in my brand-new butler’s pantry, young man. You have to wait for the honeymoon tomorrow night.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and grinned at his bride-to-be.
* * *
The next evening, their wedding reception at the lodge was in full swing, and people milled everywhere. The light winked on Hunter’s shiny new wedding ring as he lowered his hand.
Mackenzie looked beautiful. She’d decided on a simple cream wedding dress, no fancy frou-frous or lacey bits to clutter it up. Her brothers had brought her the Campbell clan tartan to wear diagonal over her dress like a sash.
Maddy had been in heaven, getting to play flower girl again. This was the fourth wedding she’d been in since Kelsey had moved her little family here. He’d bet anything that she’d already started planning her own wedding.
Kade walked over to stand beside him. “I can’t believe you let her talk you into a kilt.”
“Why not? Mackenzie’s brothers wore kilts today.” Even he had to agree that when her brothers all walked her down the aisle, it had been a sight to see. All that red curly hair on the whole bunch, matching kilts and macho muscles surrounding the love of his life.
“Yeah, and on them it looks right. On you? Different story.”
Hunter stuck a leg o
ut, examined the dark knee socks and cowboy boots he wore. “You’re just jealous ’cause I’ve got great legs.”
Kade sputtered his beer. “Hardly. Your knees are knobby.”
Hunter leaned forward and raised the blue, green and black plaid kilt enough to see his knees. “No they’re not.”
“What are you morons doing?” Nash asked.
“I say his knees are knobby,” Kade said.
Nash moved his head to the side and looked down.
Hunter stuck his leg out. “See? Normal knees.”
Nash frowned. “Hmm. They look kinda girlie.”
“What’s goin’ on?” Wyatt asked as he and Luke joined them.
Nash grabbed the kilt and lifted it up. “We think his knees are funny-looking. What do y’all think?”
Hunter shoved Nash’s hand away. “Hey, watch it. Don’t mess with the goods, dude. I don’t want to flash anyone.”
Nash yanked his hand back. “What’re you wearing under that thing?”
“Fergus explained that Scotsmen go commando under kilts.”
His four brothers all took a step back, like choreographed dancers.
He spread his legs apart, bent his knees slightly and shook his butt. “It’s very freeing, actually. You should try it.”
It took everything he had not to bust a gut laughing at the horror on his brothers’ faces as they scrambled back away from him even farther. One by one they peeled off in different directions.
“What’re you up to, husband?” Mackenzie asked, sliding her arms around him from behind.
“I told them I’d gone Scottish, and I’m not wearing any drawers under my kilt.”
“Oh, I like that.” She slid one hand down his hip to the back of his leg, and she began pulling the kilt up.
It tickled his thigh, and he grabbed her hand, pulled her around in front of him. “What’re you doing, lady?”
“Perhaps I don’ want to be a lady right now,” she said, a wicked expression on her face.
He held her hand and rubbed his finger against her wedding ring. “In the first place, much as I hate it, we’re in public. Second, your brothers are here, and they would bury me if they knew what I was thinking right now.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” she asked, stepping closer to him.
“Something about the butler’s pantry, kilts, free access and making you my wife in all ways until we’re both too exhausted to walk.”
Her breath hitched, and she pulled his head down to kiss him very thoroughly. He was about ready to make good on the butler pantry idea when someone yanked on his tux jacket.
“Now, now, now,” Bunny said. “There’s time for that later.”
Mackenzie gave an exaggerated pout, and Hunter bent down to her ear. “I’ve got briefs on—I wasn’t sure if Fergus was yanking my chain or not.”
“Oh, no. It’s traditional for men not to wear anything under kilts.”
“Huh. Go figure.” He kissed her cheek. “Then when it’s just you and me, I’ll wear it the traditional way.”
She smiled, and started to say something, but Bunny grabbed her hand.
“Come on, Mackenzie. Ready to throw the bouquet?” Bunny said. “Now remember what I told you?”
“About the tradition?” his new wife asked as they started walking away.
Bunny nodded, and they both turned back to look at him.
Tradition? What tradition? There hadn’t been any family traditions when his dad got married, or Nash—
The bouquet.
Hunter looked around the banquet room, spotted Nash and Wyatt standing with their wives by the cake table.
He strode over to the group and walked up behind his brothers, draped his arms on their shoulders and stuck his head between theirs. “We gotta see how she does it.”
Wyatt looked at him. “Who does what?”
“Bunny. She’s got Mackenzie ready to throw the flowers.”
“So?” Nash asked, and lifted his bottle of beer. His hand froze midair, and he turned his head to look at Wyatt, then Hunter. “Oh, yeah.” He grinned. “This’ll be good. Wonder who it’ll be?”
The DJ called all the single girls forward to the dance floor as Mackenzie walked in front of them.
“Where do all these single girls come from anyway?” Hunter muttered.
“It’s a wedding, bro. Brings ’em out in droves. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night can keep a single girl from a wedding,” Nash said.
“Hey, watch it, pal,” Kelsey said, and punched his arm.
Nash grinned then leaned sideways and kissed her.
Hunter grinned. Kelsey was the best thing that had happened to Nash. Wyatt had fallen hard for Frankie, and was a much happier man now.
And himself? He had snagged the love of his life. He faced the stage, just as Mackenzie held the flowers up high. She turned her head around to view the waiting women. “Ready?” She faced the DJ again, and everyone counted.
“One. Two. Three.”
She tossed the flowers backward. He, Nash and Wyatt all craned their heads to follow the trajectory as it sailed over the crowd of single women and straight at Kade and Luke.
Kade glanced up. His eyes widened. He dove to the side as fast as a calf avoiding a lasso.
The flowers hit Luke square in the face, showering rose petals all around him. His hands came up reflexively and caught the bouquet as it fell.
Luke stared at the bouquet, several expressions flitting across his face. He finally looked up and realized everyone was staring at him. Raising the bouquet, he used it to salute Mackenzie and Bunny, then his brothers, and walked to the bar and got a beer, clutching the bouquet under his arm.
“So, should we start a pool?” Nash asked.
“When’s the next group coming to the ranch?” Kade asked. “I’ll take two weeks in.”
Nash started laughing. “That romance authors retreat that Bunny booked is up next. They had to postpone it, but they’ll be here in the next few weeks.”
“Aw, man, that’s killer,” Wyatt said, and laughed.
Mackenzie joined them, and Hunter put his arm around her, pulled her close.
“Did I do it right with the bouquet?”
“You did it just right, Miss Mackenzie.”
The cake had been cut, the first dance danced, the flowers flung.
It was time for them to leave.
Time to start the grandest adventure of their lives.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Home on the Ranch: Montana Redemption by Amanda Renee.
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Home on the Ranch: Montana Redemption
by Amanda Renee
Chapter 1
A backbreaking day on the ranch was better than his best day in prison. Ryder Slade welcomed hard work after getting paroled a week earlier. Unfortunately, his body had forgotten the punishing side of ranch life and he’d pay for it later. He wouldn’t complain though. It may be in his job description to help rescue and care for animals at the Free Rein Wild Horse and Donkey Sanctuary, but they were rescuing him. So was his ex-wife, Tori James.
Despite their divorce and her subsequent remarriage, Tori had remained his dearest friend. She’d stood by him during his five-and-a-half-year stint behind bars, when most of his family had kept their distance. Not that he blamed them. After all, he’d been sentenced to ten years for killing his father. Confessing to involuntary manslaughter had been the best and worst decision he’d ever made. It had also had more consequences than he’d ever imagined.
“How are you doing out here?” Tori braked beside him and handed him a bottle of water through the window of her seen-better-days pickup.
Ryder used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, then thirstily twisted off the cap. “Thank you.” He took a long swig as he gazed out over the couple hundred acres his ex-wife had purchased after his incarceration. “I’m almost finished replacing this post, then I’ll head in. What time did you say the hay delivery was coming?”
Tori checked her watch. “Around four, so you have an hour. I’m on my way to pick up Missy from school, but I should be back by then. And Nate will be home this weekend, so he can help you replace the remaining fence posts.”
He still couldn’t believe Tori’s husband of two years had agreed to allow Ryder to live and work on the ranch while he stayed out on the road as a long-haul truck driver. “There’s more than a weekend’s worth of fencing to repair. For now, I’m choosing the absolute worst ones to keep the cost down.”
Home on the Ranch: The Montana Cowboy's Triplets Page 18
