Chapter Two
The ball of fur tucked in Wynonna’s lap squirmed. She cut the truck engine and scooped up the puppy into the crook of her arm. It bit at her fingers, and she laughed. “You’d better make a good ranch dog, because you have to earn your keep.”
She got out of the truck, holding tight to the pup. The barn was just a few steps away and getting it installed in a warm hay box with food and water meant it was already a fixture on the ranch—
“Wyn.” The deep voice grabbed her heart and squeezed. She whipped around, shielding the puppy from the one guy who wouldn’t appreciate another unneeded animal on the ranch he was paid to make profitable.
“Hi, Mav.” He looked grubby and delicious at the same time. Sweat stood out on his throat and his shirt was wrinkled from a day’s wear.
He circled her slowly, hat pulled low, but she knew he’d seen what she held.
“Okay, fine, you caught me.” She moved her arms to show him the pup. A white and black fluffball with the softest ears in the world.
He cocked a brow at her. “You were in town, weren’t ya?”
“How do you know?”
“Because I was at the general store this morning and saw the kids sitting outside the diner down the street with the box of pups. Mutt, looks like.” He peered at the puppy.
She cupped the squirming animal closer. “How can you look at those big brown eyes and call him a mutt? Besides, in my experience, mutts make the best ranch dogs. They’re smart.”
“You definitely have the professional say on stray dogs. What’s that? Number five? Six?”
“I don’t know.” She twisted her lips. Her father had groaned time after time when he saw her coming with another dog needing a home. Not to mention the cats. But they were good to keep around the grain, and besides, she wasn’t going to apologize for giving something a home that didn’t have one.
The corner of Mav’s lips cut upward into his tanned cheek. At breakfast, he’d been clean-shaven, but now he bore a dark shadow on his jaw and upper lip. So perfectly rough on a woman’s sensitive skin.
A sharp puppy tooth dug into her knuckle, and she yelped.
Mav laughed. “Serves ya right. Where you keeping it? Is it male?”
She held the puppy belly-up for Mav to see. “Impressive package, don’t you think? I bet most men would like a set like that.”
Mav shook his head. “You’re an outrageous woman, Wynonna.” He took off for the barn, and she followed a pace behind. By the time he reached the door, she’d caught up. The purples and dark blues of night were kissing the horizon in the east, but there was enough sun to see in the barn without lights.
Inside, she looked at the five other dogs tucked up for the night after a hard day of ranch work. The last pup she’d brought home was at least a year old now, and he gave her a tail wag as she approached.
There didn’t seem to be space for another bed, but she’d make it work. She set the newest puppy down and he frolicked over to his new friends. Mav folded his arms in typical Mav fashion, his expression unreadable as he watched her dump a wooden crate and stuff it with hay. She found an old food dish and filled it with kibble.
When she placed these near the other dog beds, the puppy romped to the food. Tail sticking straight up and vibrating with happiness, it buried its nose in the bowl.
She smiled at how roly-poly it looked, fat belly almost touching the floor. She glanced up to find Mav staring at her.
“You’re too soft, Wyn.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“In this case, yeah.” His lips gave a small twitch that wasn’t a smile. She was used to it. He hadn’t really smiled at her since that time he’d kissed her. She was all too aware of how hard he’d felt against her then. He was a few years older now, and he’d be even more steely from hard work. From the angles of his jaw down to his battered leather boots, he was the very portrait of a cowboy.
The stall where they’d shared a kiss that confusing day was mere feet away. If she wandered that way, would he follow and try it again?
“I hear you’re engaged.”
She snapped to attention. Crap, she was, wasn’t she? This would take some getting used to. She was accustomed to looking at—and fantasizing about—anyone she liked. But now she was committed to Austin. How could she have forgotten? She’d just texted him after breakfast to tell him she’d broken the news to her family.
“Yes, I am.”
“He treat you right?”
Her eyes widened at the force in Mav’s tone. He’d tried to act like one of her brothers for too many years for her to accept without retaliation.
“Would I be with him if he didn’t?”
He made a noise deep in his throat like he was clearing it but said nothing more.
“What about you?”
“What about me?” He turned those green eyes on her. In the dimness of the barn, the color seemed amplified. She ignored the flipping of her stomach she always got when he gave her the full force of his gaze.
“You know, dating. Marriage. You’re older than my brothers and you aren’t hooked up. Why not settle down?”
“Not interested.”
“You date though. What was her name? Candy? Crystal?”
That twitch was back at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t smile. He just continued to stare at her with a twinkle in his eye that made her lady parts wake up.
“I’m not seeing anyone.”
The simple statement shouldn’t leave Wynonna speechless, yet she couldn’t think of anything to say. Which was unusual for her.
“Where’s your ring?” he asked.
She blinked down at her hand. “I took it off to work on the ranch. I can’t be running around in diamonds while I’m working.”
“Hmph. You gonna live here on the ranch after you’re married?”
“I don’t know.” She tried to focus on the puppy, but Mav was tipping her off balance. She felt as though she were clinging to the edge of a 100-foot drop, about to take some plunge into unknown waters. What was it about him that always did that to her? It was part of the reason she’d been so infatuated with him in her younger days. But that was over now. She was mature, ready to settle.
With Austin.
Mav moved closer to her and crouched at her feet, wiggling his fingers to lure the puppy. “Whatcha gonna name him?”
“Um… Austin.”
He stood so abruptly that she jumped back. His dark brows came down like Thor’s hammer as he glared at her. “That your fiancé?”
“Why do you have to say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you just ate a cow pie. He’s a nice guy.”
“Uh-oh. Nice? Sounds dull.”
“Shut up. He’s very amusing. Great sense of humor.”
“Good to hear. And in bed?”
She gasped. Never, in all the years she’d been around Mav, had he spoken to her this way. She sputtered for a second before finding a comeback. “He’s wonderful. Attentive.” It wasn’t a very good comeback.
“It sounds like he’s an insurance agent. He’s attentive to my accident claim.”
She bit off a scream. Why did he have to get under her skin this way?
He hitched his thumb in the pocket of his worn jeans as if he had all the time in the world to insult her. Still, he looked good enough to eat, wearing that casual grace like a movie star wore a tux.
“I’m guessing you had amazingly attentive, wonderful sex on the night of your engagement.”
She gaped at him. What the hell had come over this man? For years he avoided her like she soaked in manure instead of bubble bath and now this?
“We didn’t actually have that night yet. He had to catch his plane. There was barely time after he proposed.” She set her boot down on the floor in what sounded like a child’s stomp. She immediately regretted the action, especially when a real smile tipped his lips.
She’d spent a week since she’d said yes to Austin wondering if they’d had time for sex, whether her fiancé would have spiced things up for the occasion. If he’d be less… vanilla.
No. Restrained’s the word.
Dammit, she was going to shove Mav into the nearest shit pile for throwing her for such a loop.
He stared down at the pup, who was now curled up in his box, sleeping off his feast, bloated stomach heaving with every breath and his eyes twitching in a dream. Mav gave a nod. “Austin’s a perfect name.”
* * * * *
“Where the hell’d that come from?” Ridge stopped in his tracks as the puppy blasted out of his box to attack Ridge’s boots.
“Puppy!” Buck Jr. was a solid little boy, a cowboy in the making, and he’d taken a recent infatuation with his Uncle Ridge. He’d spent two weeks trailing his uncle everywhere he went. Mav thought it had a lot to do with Ridge sneaking him lollipops, but he wasn’t about to snitch on the kid.
The boy grabbed the puppy and held it, squirming, against his chest.
“That’s Austin,” Mav drawled.
Ridge stared at him. “Like Wyn’s fiancé?”
“Named after him.” Mav strode to the wall and grabbed some tack. Biting off the hundred other unpleasant things he had to say about the subject.
“I’ll be damned.” Ridge scratched the pup under the chin as it frantically licked Buck Jr.’s face. The little boy, who was the spitting image of Buck, giggled.
“Think I can take him home with me?” Buck Jr. asked.
Ridge grinned. “Heck yeah. Your parents will love a puppy in the house. Let’s go.”
Mav grunted in amusement and watched the pair leave with the dog. His cell buzzed in his back pocket, but he ignored it. He’d been ignoring it for two days now. His brother in Oregon had been sending distress texts to Mav that he needed help with their mother. She was at the end of her chemo treatments and while she was still weak, had gotten her feistiness back.
Which meant Chase was dealing solely with her bullshit. Mav wasn’t stupid—they didn’t want him back in Oregon. Chase just wanted to dump it all in Mav’s lap.
He’d told his brother countless times he couldn’t just get up and leave the Calhouns, especially when they weren’t always around to run the place. But his brother thought that since he was town sheriff, that he could boss everyone around.
He wasn’t bossing Mav.
He went over the tack carefully, as he did at least once a month, checking for weak spots in the leather or sharp bits that would hurt the horses. After he inspected each piece, he hung it back in its place. When he got to the grouping that Wynonna used, he paused. Thinking of her hands on the leather. Those long fingers wrapped around the reins as she galloped bent for hell across the fields. Her body rising and falling in the saddle, her tight little bottom skimming the seat.
“Where’s my puppy?”
His chest tightened and he threw a look over his shoulder. Then he did a double-take and whirled to face her. “What the hell are you wearing?”
She looked down at her tiny tank top in a bright blue that matched her eyes. The cloth barely covered her middle, and he got a clear view of her navel and the little silver stud jewelry pinned to it.
He reached up to rip his hat off his head but stopped himself. As he glanced over her denim cutoffs showing far too much long leg, he did tear the hat off.
“These are called clothes, Mav.”
“Looks like two hankies to me.”
She rolled her eyes and went to the dog beds, which were all empty. “Where’s Austin?”
“The dog or your fiancé?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “The dog.”
“Buck Jr. took him up to his place.”
She blinked and then laughed. “Buck’s not gonna like that.”
“Nope.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. His Levis were getting too tight in the crotch. If he didn’t stop himself now, he’d end up doing something he’d regret.
Like hitch those silky thighs over my shoulders and dive under that tiny strip of denim covering her pussy.
Jesus, what was wrong with him?
“Austin was okay this morning?”
“How the hell would I know? I don’t keep track of your men.” Which was a lie. He’d looked the asshole up and found him on Facebook. He was just the pansy Mav had expected. He kept his gaze averted.
She walked up to him and settled her hands on her hips. “I’m talking about the puppy, and you know it.” Irritation rolled from her tongue. Damn, she was cute when riled. Those freckles seemed to stand out more on her reddened cheeks.
“Why are you picking a fight with me, Mav?”
Now she was doing that head wiggle that made him want to tumble her into the hay and argue some more.
“I’m just answering your questions.”
“Being obtuse.”
“I like to think of myself as acute.”
She shook her head, a hint of amusement lingering at the corner of her mouth before she tucked her lips into a prim line. “How’d a smart guy like you end up on a ranch in Oklahoma anyway?”
He straightened and looked her in the eyes. “Smart people go where they’re wanted.”
She tracked him as he walked back and forth, taking care of odds and ends he hadn’t gotten to in weeks. He was far too aware of her, standing there like a damn supermodel with her long legs and flowing hair. The air in the barn seemed electrically charged, but he knew well enough it wouldn’t be better outside. There was no getting away from Wynonna and the super-energy she brought with her.
“You going into town before lunch?”
Glancing up was a mistake, because the strap of her tank top had slipped down her shoulder. Revealing creamy skin—no bra strap. He locked his gaze on her face. He would not let his eyes dip, no matter how much he wanted to see if her nipples were poking against her blue top. He would not. Nope.
The last thing he wanted to do was ride alongside Wynonna in a truck all the way into town, but he couldn’t lie to her. She knew his habits, and he always headed in to buy supplies on Wednesdays.
He pushed out the air he’d been holding. “Yeah, after I’m finished here.”
“I’ll ride with you.”
He twisted his gaze away. “I’ll pick up what you need.”
“Channing gave me a list, and Malou wanted to know if I’d get some special cream for Cho’s bottom. Some all-natural butt paste. You sure you wanna pick those things up?”
“Oh. No.” There was no getting out of it. She was going to drive him crazy. “Fine, I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Her footsteps retreated, and seconds later he heard her in the yard, talking. To the camera crew or on her phone to her fiancé? He hated himself for straining to listen, but damn if he could help it. Wynonna was a tornado. There wasn’t any way to outrun her, and she swept up everything in her path in her whirlwind.
It was part of her allure, but he’d been trying to steer clear for years.
He got a few more texts and dropped the handful of stray shoeing nails into their rightful place. With a sigh, he looked at his phone. Sure enough, Chase was at it again.
When are you going to man up and come back and help?
How long do you think you can break Momma’s heart?
I can’t believe how selfish you’re being.
There were more, but Mav stopped reading. He pocketed his phone again.
“Austin will come as soon as he can.” Wynonna’s voice carried through the barn door. A growl threatened at the back of Mav’s throat at her happy tone. “He said he might wrap up this job early.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. As an outsider of the Calhoun family, he did a lot of listening and he knew when Wyn was happy.
Shit, she was really going to marry someone who didn’t suit her. Then Mav would have to play protective mean guy and get rid of him before he hurt her. Even if it meant grabbing a shovel and finding a nice place to dig.
He looked around the barn, which was in order again. Everything neat and nothing left to do besides collect the woman and drive her to town. He yanked off his gloves and stuffed them in his back pocket with his cell.
The smell of fresh grass greeted his senses. West was mowing, and about time too. Mav thought he was going to have to get on the guy.
He strolled past Wynonna holding court with a group of production crew. “Ready?”
She looked up. “Yeah. I’ll give that interview when I come back, okay?”
In a few steps she’d caught up to him. He got into his older model pickup and waited for her. When she slid into the seat and he was faced with those smooth thighs and itty bitty tank top, he cursed himself for agreeing to this.
She could drive herself, but he was practical. Might as well save on gas.
While he was at it, he’d like to share a shower and a bed too. Conserve water and body heat.
“Got your list?”
She tapped her temple, eyes shining. “Right here.”
“Last time didn’t you forget something important?”
Her face fell. “Oh yeah. You got pen and paper?”
“In there.” He pointed to the glove compartment. She struggled with the faulty lock for a minute before he leaned over—over those gorgeous legs—to pop it for her. When he straightened again, he carried her tormenting scent in his head.
He cranked the key in the ignition so hard he feared it might bust off and then blew down the driveway. Wynonna bounced in the seat. She freaking bounced. And she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra.
Hell, by the time he got her home, he’d deserve sainthood. Keeping his hands off her was always a struggle, but now…
She bit into her plump lower lip, and he nearly veered off the road. “I’m forgetting something.”
“More dog food.”
She slowly turned her head and pierced him in her blue stare. “You’re grumpy about me bringing home that puppy.”
“Got nothing against a dog, as long as it earns its keep.”
“You’re all about the bottom line, aren’t you?”
“Your family pays me to make the ranch profitable, so yeah.”
“If he turns out not to be a herding dog, then I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.”
He didn’t say anything, and she went back to writing her list. The cab felt too hot, and he rolled the window down a crack. By the time they got to town, his shirt was clinging to the sweat on his back, though. He got out and didn’t wait for Wynonna. “Meet you out front in a half hour.”
“Okay.” As soon as she stepped from the truck, she was mobbed by people who recognized her from the rodeo and the show.
He took in the situation, looking for any dangers. But no one seemed to be a threat. “You all right?” he asked.
She waved him away and started dashing off autographs using the pad of paper from his truck. He shook his head and went inside. In ten minutes flat he had all he needed, but half an hour came and went and she wasn’t outside. He leaned against the side of the building and thought about hunting for her, but decided standing in the sun was preferable to dealing with her crazed fans or buying women’s supplies.
“Hey. I’ve been waiting for you.”
He stared at Wynonna, in front of him. She hadn’t come from the store. “Where’d you come from?”
“I came out that door.” She pointed.
“Did you get all your stuff?” She wasn’t holding any bags.
“It’s already in the truck.”
“Oh.” He pulled away from the wall and gathered the big bag of chicken feed he’d set down.
“Look, isn’t that your ex?”
He followed her where she was looking. He groaned. Not only did he not want to see the woman he’d dated for a few months, but he didn’t want Wynonna anywhere near her.
“Why’s she just standing there?” he asked.
Krystal wasn’t moving. She just stood rooted in front of the glass door.
“She’s waiting for the doors to open,” Wynonna said.
“Why aren’t they? Are they broken?” He’d just used those same doors.
“They’re not automatic.” Wynonna drew so close to Mav that he felt the whisper of her arm against his sleeve and her amused tone tickling his neck.
He hitched the feed higher on his shoulder. “Don’t say a word, woman.”
She tossed her head back and laughed, which had everyone looking. “But she’s soooooo pretty, Mav.”
“I mean it.” He headed into the parking lot.
“I’m just sayin’ she’s pretty.” She matched his strides with those long legs everybody had gotten a big old eyeful of.
“It’s not what you mean.”
“How do you know what I mean?”
“I know you.” He dumped the bag into the bed of the truck and went to the driver’s side. They got in at the same time and their gazes met. Fuck, she was beautiful even when she was being a pain in his ass.
“I can’t see why you aren’t still dating her.”
He yanked his hat lower. “You have no room to talk. Look at your pretty boy.”
She stiffened her spine. “Who?”
“Your fiancé. How’s it feel when he touches you with those soft hands, Wynonna?” He reached across the console and snagged her wrist. Her eyes flared wide and bright—and filled with that longing he’d seen so many times in the past few years since that kiss in the barn.
He could have her. He’d known it for a while but held back.
He rubbed his thumb over her wrist where her pulse pounded. Rather than see her with some asshole, maybe it was time to intervene. Her dad would rise from the grave if he knew his one and only daughter, a cowgirl at heart, was about to waste her life on some jerk who’d never make her happy.
Or never satisfy her like she needs to be satisfied.
She pulled her wrist free, breaking the moment. He started the truck and navigated the way from the parking lot onto the road home. Neither of them spoke the entire way.
* * * * *
What the hell had just happened? Wynonna dumped all the bags on the kitchen table for her sisters- in-law to go through and went to the refrigerator. The pitcher of cold sweet tea beckoned. She poured herself a glass and drank it off. The second glass she sipped more slowly while resting against the counter.
Thinking of Mav. That touch on her wrist. He never touched her—except for the kiss. But she’d convinced herself he’d been comforting her when she was most upset. Now she wasn’t so sure. He was getting mighty personal lately, asking if Austin could satisfy her. If he’d sealed the deal with sex after giving her the ring.
If he was getting touchy-feely, why now? She’d pined for him for years. Flaunted her abilities on horseback with stunts that would have paralyzed a less skilled rider. She’d worn her skinniest jeans and sexiest tops. He’d never looked at her twice.
And now that she was engaged?
She issued a low growl of frustration and put her half-full glass back into the fridge. She stomped out of the kitchen and found a pair of discarded gloves in the mudroom. They weren’t hers, but she didn’t care. She just needed to work out her frustrations. And collect her thoughts.
She was as straightforward as women came—what you saw was what you got. But right now, she couldn’t figure out which end was up.
She was engaged but her heart was racing for Mav.
Maverick James Stonewall. A man who didn’t talk about where he’d come from or where he was going. She only knew bits and pieces of his story, and maybe that mystery was part of her fascination with him.
She hit the porch and leaped the stairs, landing easily in the yard. A few free-ranging chickens shied from her. Maybe she should clean out the chicken coop to busy herself. Her first instinct was to jump in a saddle, but riding would give her mind too much time to roam, and she needed busywork.
But after striding into the barn and looking around, she impulsively grabbed a bit. When she neared Zodiac’s stall, the horse moved against the door, making it rattle.
Oh yeah, he was eager for a gallop, and he was just wild enough for her right now. She popped the latch and Zodiac burst out. Bit forgotten, she gripped his mane and swung onto him bareback.
They hit the yard at a trot and by the time they’d passed the house, they were in full gallop. The horse stretched to gain more ground with its long forelegs, and the wind washed over Wynonna’s hot face.
Actually, she was hot all over. Mav’s firm grasp, his callused fingers and the look in his eyes had cylinders firing that shouldn’t be.
She set her heels into the horse’s sides and raced faster. Faster still. She clung to Zodiac’s back and let the rush hit her full force.
Suddenly something hit her out of nowhere. She barely registered the hard chest before they hit the ground rolling. All the air in her lungs burst out, and she couldn’t suck air again.
“Wyn! Dammit, the air’s knocked out of you. Calm down and let it back in.” Mav hovered over her, looking like some damn sun-kissed god.
She cocked her fist and swung. Connecting squarely with his jaw and rocking him. She jackknifed onto her side, gasping as blessed air filled her lungs again.
“Are you okay? Hon?”
She wheezed and ignored him. What the hell had happened? She didn’t remember falling off Zodiac. That meant—
“You knocked me off! What the fuck?”
“He was racing out of control, and you were barely holding on. What the hell possessed you to ride him bareback?”
She lay there glaring up at him, and his eyes shot bullets right back. Fury dumped enough adrenaline into her system to help her sit up. “You thought I was on a runaway?”
His eyes cleared and he searched her face. “Yeah.”
“I was going so fast you could have killed me if…” If he hadn’t cradled her like a fragile egg in his arms. He’d done this to protect her.
She ran her tongue over her dry lips, and he tracked the movement. Then he slowly reached up and cupped her face in his big hands. Leaning closer and closer. Her mind couldn’t function and she sat there dumbly until his mouth met hers.
A sharp rasp of desire left her, and she parted her lips. He swept his tongue into her mouth, questing, a kiss that was anything but gentle. She moved her tongue aside to make room for his, and he groaned. The vibration sent shocks of want through her nipples.
She threw her arms around his neck and raised another noise from him, this one more guttural. She angled her head to give him access, letting his flavors infiltrate her head.
“Shit. No.” He ripped his mouth away and jumped to his feet.
She exploded to hers too, pissed off, turned on and irritated as hell. “What the fuck’s going on with you, Mav? You’re losing it.”
His eyes narrowed, and then he jammed his hat on hard, pulling it down over his ears. Without a word, he walked over to his horse and mounted.
What? He was fucking leaving?
As the hooves kicked up dust, she screamed at Mav’s infuriatingly sexy back. She threw her arms out and screamed, “What the fuck was that?” Her voice carried for a long way, but there was no answer.