Chapter Eight
Mav set his gaze on the road leading away from the airport and thought about Wynonna. Crazy woman—what had she been thinking to come up here looking for answers? Only thing she’d figure out was that his family was crazy.
He navigated onto the highway and hadn’t gone a mile before police lights flashed in the rearview mirror.
“Fuck.” He pulled over and reached for his wallet, which he’d tossed on the passenger seat, tired of sitting on the unfamiliar wedge of leather. He didn’t often wear a wallet to work on the ranch.
The tap on the window made him glance over. When he saw that stare from under the wide-brimmed sheriff hat, he groaned.
He rolled down the window. “Fuck do you want?”
“Step out of the vehicle.”
“Seriously?”
“Step out of the vehicle,” Chase said in a more forceful tone.
He grated his molars and stepped out, boots crunching on the pavement. He spread his arms. “Happy?”
“Not yet.” Chase cocked his fist and punched him square in the mouth. His inner lips split against his teeth and his head rocked.
With a growl, he jerked aside and glared at his brother. Okay, he didn’t just glare—he threw a punch. Chase doubled over as the breath whooshed from him.
“What the fuck’s your problem, Chase?” He danced back a few steps, unwilling to take another hit to the mouth like the last.
“You. Staying away for all these years. Won’t come back when we need you, when Momma’s got cancer, when I get married or my wife leaves me. You son of a bitch.” He arced his fist.
Mav caught it with a smack. He shoved him back, and Chase stumbled. “You know why I don’t come home. Might be because I’m attacked for everything I do. Even now you’re trying to knock out my teeth.”
“Damn straight,” his brother snapped and lunged at him again.
Mav was getting plenty sick of this shit, and he’d been dealing with it for less than a minute. “Don’t make me kick your ass, sheriff. Back the fuck off!”
“You threatening me? I’ll throw your ass in jail so fast your head will spin.”
Mav threw up his arms and turned back to his rental car door. “Fuck off, Chase.”
“Put your hands on the car and spread your legs apart.”
“Fuck you. I’ve got someone who needs me, and I’m not wasting time with your bullshit.” He slid into the seat. He moved to shut the door, but Chase blocked it with his body.
His brother glared down at him. “You wouldn’t come for your own family, but you’ll come up here after a woman.”
“Damn straight. She doesn’t treat me like I should be committed or tossed in prison.”
“She doesn’t know about your past, does she? Has no idea about that time you flipped.”
He’d just gotten home from Bosnia, fresh scars and battle wounds covering him inside and out. And PTSD had been a struggle those first few months. All his war buddies had dealt with it, some worse than others. But Mav’s family made it seem like he needed the straitjacket and around-the-clock sedation.
When they’d started talking about it behind his back, he’d taken off and never looked back. Sure, they’d sicced agencies on him, trying to get him “help.” But in the end, all he’d needed was a spot of calm and a new fucking family.
“Dad flipped recently again too, you know. How many times is that?” Chase wondered aloud. “Nine? Ten? He’s been in and out of jail and hospitals for years and right now, he’s living with the other bums, thieves and meth-heads down by the tracks.”
“I couldn’t give a fuck less about the sperm donor.” Which was only half true. Mav had always known their dad, after coming home from Korea, had faced the same shit Mav had after Bosnia. Only difference was, his dad also suffered from manic depression and refused his meds.
Well, refused all legal meds, that was. He kept himself self-medicated.
“Let me shut the fucking door, Chase. I don’t have time for you.”
“No, you never have. Not when my wife left me to raise our daughter alone. Not when our mother was diagnosed with cancer.”
“Look, I feel bad about those things. And I might have come back, if you didn’t treat me like I’m ready for the nuthouse. I’ve managed to live a perfectly normal life in Oklahoma for almost two decades.”
“Down there takin’ care of everyone else’s business while your family struggles. Son of a bitch.” Chase spat out the words.
Mav reached out and tried to yank the door shut even if it meant crushing his brother in the hinges. He had to get to Wynonna. He couldn’t trust his crazy family when they said she had flu. He was beginning to think they’d evaluated his own problems all wrong too—that he wasn’t nuts so much as dealing with shit, and they were bad for him. Like a poison. He felt it creeping through him even now.
“Mav, stand down or I’ll have to place you under arrest.”
“For what? Coming back to this shithole town? Or not picking up the pieces of your broken heart after your wife finally wised up and realized you’re an asshole?”
“You have the right to remain silent.”
Mav groaned. What the fuck was he supposed to do? He could shove his brother on his ass and drive away, but he’d have the whole force on his tail and waiting for him back at his mother’s house. He’d never get Wynonna out of this without telling her the whole truth about his past.
He stared at his brother as he read him his rights.
It’s not me who’s fucking crazy.
The realization made him fist his hands. Chase yanked him from the car and slapped the cuffs on him. He was shoved into the back of the sheriff’s car. His phone kept ringing, but he couldn’t reach it. After the third time, he was frantic.
“What if it’s Wynonna? Let me answer my phone, you motherfucker.”
His brother stared straight ahead. “You’ll get your one call. Now stop calling out insults before I charge you.”
He dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. “This is what I get for coming back here. Warm welcome. Thanks, brother.”
“You didn’t have to push me to it, Mav. This is all your doing.”
He recalled taking the first punch, so that wasn’t all true. “Staying away from you and our batshit mother isn’t a crime. I’m so gonna kick your ass when I’m free.”
He couldn’t think about Wynonna lying in bed, ill and fevered, calling out for him. He’d lose it if he thought about it. Not being able to reach her… Letting her down…
His phone buzzed again as another call came in. “At least pull over and get my phone and tell me who’s calling.”
“It ain’t Wynonna. She’s laid up, pretty bad off.”
Mav almost bit off his tongue. “You fucker. You’re going to pay for not letting me get to her. She’s calling me, goddammit!” He felt that fury rise up, a latent beast that hadn’t reared its ugly face in years and years. Not since he’d started cowboying and had come to the Calhouns’ ranch.
“You sound out of control, Mav. Should I call ahead for the psych evaluators?”
“Go to hell!” His throat felt it would shred from his roar. The car windows vibrated with the force, but Chase didn’t flinch. He drove on to the station and put Mav into a cell. Before he closed the door, he looked at Mav’s phone.
“Buck. Seen him lose his temper a time or two on the show. Bet he won’t be happy to hear his foreman’s in the slammer.” He held up the phone with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes and walked away from the cell.
* * * * *
“You get one call,” the officer said to Mav, leading him out.
He’d agonized over who his one call would be—Wynonna was too ill and couldn’t help him. Besides, she wouldn’t appreciate bailing him out of jail, when she’d done it for her brothers on several occasions. West in particular.
His mother would side with Chase—always had.
That left Buck. If he didn’t post bail for him, Mav would at least get the chance to explain about his sister and get her the help she needed.
He slumped against the wall where the phone hung and ran his fingers through his hair. His anger was spent—after planning nineteen ways to murder his own brother, he’d sunk to the cot with exhaustion. He didn’t shut his eyes, though. He hadn’t slept in eighteen hours.
Fatigue washed over him, compounded by feeling totally helpless. How the fuck did his family do this to him every time?
He got Buck on the line. “Where the hell have you been?” the brother demanded.
“Uh, jail. My asshole brother arrested me as soon as I got out of the airport.”
“What the fuck? Why?”
“Because that’s Chase,” he said tiredly. “Look, can you post bail? I’ll pay you as soon as I’m home. But I need to get to Wynonna.”
Buck cussed but didn’t speak for a long while. “Fine. Just get to my sister. Make sure she’s all right. Should we send the police to get her?”
“No. They’re corrupt in this town.” His brother’s face loomed in his mind’s eye. “I’ll get to her. I’ll bring her home, I promise.”
Buck pushed out a sigh. “Damn, you’d better. And you still owe me an explanation about what’s going on between you and my sister.”
“I know. Thanks, Buck.” He ended the call and was ushered back to the cell. Within a few hours, he was a free man. What really pissed him off Chase had dropped the charges and he hadn’t needed to place that call to Buck at all. He’d only set him up to sound like a loser in front of the Calhouns.
The sooner he got out of this town, the better. His rental had been abandoned somewhere along the highway, and more than likely had been towed. That left him on foot.
He could use the walk to clear his head. Besides, it wasn’t far.
When he reached the street he’d grown up on, anxiety flared up inside him, hot and bright. It crawled over his body, and he itched to get away from here. How many times had his family told him he was fucked up, that he needed help? And he’d denied it all while secretly believing it. But he’d been so wrong.
He went to the door and didn’t bother knocking. He walked right in to find a little girl and his mother sitting on the couch, watching cartoons. “Think it’s loud enough?” he asked without preamble.
His mother shot to her feet and the little girl stared at him with wide eyes. “You’re the prince come for the princess, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, show me where she is?”
“This way!” She bounced ahead of him, ponytail bobbing on the back of her head. Despite the people she was living with, she seemed to be well-cared for and happy. That was something.
He strode to the room Macie showed him. He pushed open the door and stared at the beautiful, ghostly-white woman lying under a pile of covers. From here, he could see she was shaking.
“Damn. I need the doctor. Momma!”
“Oh now you speak to me. Walk right past after not seeing your mother for sixteen years, and now you need me.”
“Hi, Mom. You’re looking well. Has the doctor come yet?”
“No, said he’d be here in a few hours. Where the hell have you been?” She settled her hands on her thin hips and glared at him the same way Chase was prone to.
He pushed out a sigh. “Your dumbass son threw me in jail for disagreeing with him. Now tell me about Wynonna.”
“She’s your girlfriend—how should I know?”
Oh God, his mother was a piece of work. He pressed his lips against the torrent of angry words he felt like spewing. About how he’d needed support he’d never gotten. That she’d been so quick to just classify him as a no-good, worthless bum like his father the minute he’d shown signs of stress or breakdown.
He turned to his mother and their gazes met. Mav hardly felt anything toward the woman who’d given him life. After all these years of her trying to interfere and get him “help” he didn’t need… Well, he’d cut her out long ago.
“Look, Momma, I’m sorry I haven’t come home in years. You know why I’ve stayed away. And I’m happy in Oklahoma. I have a good job and a purpose.”
“Yeah, to take care of those spoiled Calhouns. Don’t think I don’t see them on TV—you too—and I know what’s going on. You’ve gotten star-struck. The money’s more important to you.”
“I don’t get paid for being on the show. I just happen to be around sometimes when they’re filming.” He sank to the edge of the bed. Wynonna trembled in her delirium as the chills gripped her.
“I need the doctor.”
“I told you, he’s coming,” she snapped.
“Okay, then I need a heating pad if you have it. And a wet cloth.”
“What the hell for? She’s got the flu. She’ll sweat it out sooner or later.”
His heart constricted with pain. He couldn’t bear to see his lover this way. Strong, beautiful Wynonna lying here so vulnerable and trembling with illness. He was seeing sides of her he’d never imagined.
“Okay, I’ll find the things myself.” He got up and took a step past his mother.
“Fine, I’ll get it.”
“I’ll show Uncle Mav,” Macie piped up.
He gave the pipsqueak a small smile. She seemed full of piss and vinegar—she’d probably grow up and realize these people were crazy and leave too. When that happened, he’d be happy to set her up in Oklahoma. He’d have to find a way to keep in touch throughout the years.
Macie danced ahead of him. He followed her to the linen cabinet, where he got out a blanket, the heating pad and a couple hand towels. His mother watched him wet one with cool water and return to Wynonna’s room.
He plugged in the heating pad and sank beside her again. Maybe he could get her to stop shaking and with luck, wake up to take some fever reducers.
“Mav. I want Mav,” she mumbled.
A knife twisted in his heart. He cupped her hot cheek and leaned in to brush a kiss over her forehead. “I’m here, honey. I’m taking care of you. The doctor’s on his way.”
“Mav.”
“Yes, I’m here. Try to rest. Can I get you a drink?”
She was out again, slumbering a little less fitfully but still shaking. He shucked off his boots and crawled into bed with her, wrapping her body tight to his chest to absorb all her tremors.
“Kiss her again, Uncle Mav. It didn’t work,” Macie said.
“I’ll just hold her a while first, Macie girl. You’d better leave before you catch the germs too. Okay, sugar?”
His mother shooed the girl out, and she left and closed the door, leaving him alone with the woman he loved. He closed his eyes. Dayummm. What a fucked-up reunion.
* * * * *
Her throat felt like she’d swallowed razor blades and she felt as if she were swimming through thick pudding, unable to move her arms and legs. Paddling but not going anywhere.
She forced open her eyes and stared at the man beside her, trying to swallow and to think of where the hell she was and why she felt so bad.
She must have made some noise, because his eyes flew open. He jerked his hand to touch her face, stroking damp hair away. “You’re awake. Let me get you water.”
He jumped out of bed and she followed the sound of his footsteps. She tried to focus on the surroundings but they made no sense in her addled brain. She wasn’t at home on the ranch, and this wasn’t Mav’s room in the barn either.
He placed a big strong hand beneath her head and helped her sit up enough to sip the water he held to her lips. The first attempt spilled down her lips, but it felt good. Great, actually. They were hot and cracked, and the water soothed.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Can you sip, Wyn honey?”
She followed his orders, and precious water trickled down into her desiccated throat. She swallowed again and brought her hands up around Mav’s on the glass. He flinched. “You’re still burning. Your hands are like fire. Drink all you can, okay?”
She drained the glass. By the time she’d finished, some of her senses had returned. She dropped her hands to her lap again, too weak to hold them up anymore. And her eyes were slipping shut.
“Damn, you’re like a newborn kitten. Lie back now and sleep, honey. I’m here with you. You’re safe. Just heal.”
“What…” She couldn’t finish the sentence because she forgot what she was going to say.
“Shhh. You can tell me later. Doctor says you need lots of rest. You’ve got a really bad case of flu B. Whatever the fuck that is,” he mumbled.
She wanted to smile, would have if she had the energy. She drifted off in his arms.
When she woke again, she had no idea if it’d been hours or days or maybe just a few minutes. Mav wore the same soft cotton plaid shirt and was still hatless. She rested a hand on his chest, and he started, eyes widening.
“More water,” she asked.
“Comin’ up.” He popped out of bed and gave her a drink. She asked for another, and her throat was starting to feel like she’d only swallowed gravel instead of razorblades. Did that mean she was starting to get better?
“How long…”
“Have you been out?” His concerned gaze loomed close and his brows puckered. “Two days of sleeping nonstop. You woke once this morning, though.”
She swung her gaze to the window and realized it was dark behind the curtains. She’d slept all day? For two days? Where the hell was she?
He seemed to know she was too confused to grasp what was happening, so he drew her into the ring of his arms. She rested her head against his soft shirt and listened to his story. She’d come to Oregon looking to talk to his family, but she’d passed out from a bad case of the flu and landed in bed for two days. He’d come to her the previous day, and somehow her mind latched onto a little girl standing next to her bed. Had she dreamed that?
“Macie?” she croaked.
“My niece. Yes, she’s been in and out of here bugging me all day. We’re trying to keep her out so she doesn’t catch the flu too, but I say she’s too stubborn and sassy to catch it. Of course, I’d thought that of you too.” He studied her face and eased her hair off her forehead.
“I feel like hell.”
“No doubt. I’m going to get you something to eat. Some toast? Orange juice?”
She nodded, but even that felt like it took too much effort. She rested against the pillows.
“Honey, it’s so good to see those beautiful eyes. I’ve been so worried.”
Her throat knotted. She was feeling so ill and her emotions were running wild. If she thought about Mav coming here for her, taking care of her, she’d break down crying, and that would only exhaust her more.
He leaned in to press a kiss between her brows. Then he left the room. She might have drifted off while he was gone, but when he sank to the bed again, she opened her eyes.
On a tray, he had a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice. She took a sip and nibbled the toast, but the crumbs hurt her throat and she abandoned the slices.
“Your family’s a little whacky,” she said, her filter gone, burned out by fever.
He chuckled. “You got that right. Did they fuck with you? Tell me if they did and I’ll take care of them.”
“Your mother kept saying things I don’t understand. And Chase too.”
“They say shit I don’t understand all the time, which is why I steer clear. But I’ll answer all your questions.”
“I’m tired.”
“Then sleep.” He took the tray away and set it aside. Then he looked at her, like she was the most beautiful woman on earth even though she was sweaty and her hair hung lank around her.
“Mav, why did you tell me we can’t be together?”
He dropped his head and was silent a long minute. “You deserve someone your own age, someone without all the baggage I have.”
“What baggage, Mav? Your family has some, yes, but not you. You live to work the ranch and I can’t see how you have anything weighing on you.”
He rubbed a tendril of her hair between his fingertips. “Maybe you’re right. But I’m still too old for you.”
“You don’t fuck like you’re too old.”
He laughed, a full, deep laugh that made her remember she really was a woman, not a limp, feverish puddle of goo that couldn’t get out of bed without her legs threatening collapse. Mav had practically carried her to the bathroom earlier.
He pulled the blankets over her, and she closed her eyes as soon as her head hit the pillow. The next time she opened them, it was to a raging fight between Mav and his family.
* * * * *
Mav hitched Wynonna into his arms. He maneuvered her out of the bedroom, careful to keep her head from smacking any doorframes.
“Where are we going?” She was still clammy but looked much better.
“Out of here. Back home.”
“Home? This is your home, Mav.”
“It hasn’t been mine for a lot of years, honey. I know you came here thinking to get answers about my past, but you won’t get them from these people. They’re caught up in their own world, and I never belonged. I’m good with that.” He looked down into her eyes. “Question is, are you?”
“I…”
“Can you handle the fact that I don’t have a big happy family like you do? I don’t fit with these folk and never will.”
“I’m so sorry I forced you to come back. I never should have—”
“Shh. Now you know. And I did learn that the problem isn’t mine. It’s theirs. So thank you for that.” They reached the front door, and he kicked it open. Nobody seemed to be home, and he felt bad about leaving Macie without telling her goodbye. Once he got back to Oklahoma, he’d visit the general store’s toy aisle and send her a half dozen princess dolls to make it up to her.
They broke into the sunshine, and he carried her to the waiting cab. He’d already loaded their bags into the trunk, and the instant the door closed behind them, he let out a pent-up breath. Relief made his body hum—or maybe that was Wynonna’s nearness.
Her round little ass settled perfectly in his lap, molded to his groin. If she wasn’t feeling so down and out, he’d show her how hot it could be to orgasm in the back of a car flying down the highway to the airport.
She curled against his chest, and he rested his chin on her soft hair.
“Sleep if you can, honey.”
“I’ll sleep on the plane. Gotta be rested when we land. I can’t let my fans see me like this.”
“You’re beautiful. I wouldn’t know you’ve been sick, except you have dark smudges under those lovely eyes.”
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
He flexed his arms, bringing her closer. The sweet ache in his core bloomed, spread through his body. He’d never seen her less than herself, and this new, vulnerable side of her got his protective instincts prepared for anything.
“I’ve never seen you this way except with cattle.”
He laughed at her words. “I’ve never seen you sick before, Wyn honey.”
“I guess we’ve both seen new sides of each other. Can we stop playing cat and mouse now and call ourselves a couple?”
“There’s the small matter of your five brothers and the fact that your family doesn’t even know you dumped Austin.”
She pushed out a sigh. “I’ve got some business to take care of. Want me to tell my brothers?”
“Hell no. Just let me think on the situation for a bit, okay?”
“You’d better not be blowing me off. As soon as we get back home, you’d better not avoid or ignore me.”
He smoothed a hand over her cheek. “Couldn’t if I tried.” But maybe he should. Fuck, she was so young.
She snuggled closer, and he felt her body relaxing against his. Whether she wanted to sleep now or not, she needed it. She wasn’t recovered from her bout of illness yet.
“Sleep, love. I’ll wake you when we get to the airport.”
She made a small noise but a minute later her breathing pitched to a rhythmic cadence of sleep. Her thick hair tickled his nose and every bump of the highway made his hard cock jerk up into her backside. He was getting good at biting off the groans, but much more of this and he’d go mad with lust.
It was impossible to stop his mind from wandering—to taking Wynonna as his bride and building their own place on the ranch, of coming in from the fields and holding her all night. Raising horses together, their little ones rodeoing, as was the Calhoun way. And dogs—they’d always have room for dogs.
Would her brothers really mind him being so much older? They hadn’t approved of her being with those other guys. But dammit, he was the type of man she needed. A man who would care for her and protect her.
The kind to love her right.
Dammit, he did. Had forever. Wynonna Calhoun was a whirlwind of a woman, and there couldn’t be one more suited to him. If she was smiling, he knew she wanted to do something bad. If she was laughing, she’d already done it. Who knew how to tame her—or bring out her wildest side—better than him?
Sure as fuck not that pretty boy city slicker.
In the airport, she took time to sign autographs and snap photos with fans. She even gave a short interview for a young girl’s school paper. Mav knew she’d be the most popular girl in school that week, for sure.
He’d never been anywhere with Wynonna this way. In town, she got stampeded by fans and he always kept an eye on her. But here, he wanted to tuck her under his arm and guard her from everyone.
“Wynonna! Is the Rope ‘n Ride show in its last season?” someone called.
“Sure as hell hope so,” she muttered but smiled for the man approaching.
Mav pushed her slightly behind him and eyed the man. “Ms. Calhoun has a flight to catch. We’re sorry, but no questions please.”
“She didn’t even answer my one and only question.”
“And she won’t be if you use that tone. Now please back away.” Mav fisted his hands and squared his shoulders, prepared for a fight. But the man stepped off. Mav gripped Wynonna by the upper arm and led her through the small gathering crowd toward their gate. The faster he got her on the plane, the sooner he’d be able to draw a deep breath.
When they outstripped the people, Wynonna shot a glance at Mav from the corner of her eye. “You make a good bodyguard.”
He grunted. “I didn’t appreciate how forceful he was with you.”
“I don’t have to tell you I’ve had worse. But thank you, Mav.”
He caught her gaze, and his heart gave a slow roll. It was a sweet tea sippin’ on a summer’s day roll. A fireflies at twilight in the back of his pickup roll.
“The faster I get you home, the better I’ll feel,” he said to cover his emotions. The last thing he needed was to start spewing love words. Especially since they needed to keep things on a slow pace. She couldn’t barge in and announce she wasn’t marrying Austin anymore, because she was in love with Mav.
They found their seats, and he gave her the window. She didn’t look out it as they got into the air, high above the fluffy cloud layer, though. No, she was looking at him the whole time.
And damn if he could look away.
* * * * *
“Oh my darling girl. I’m so glad you’re all right.” Wynonna’s momma bracketed her face with her hands and searched her face for verification she was whole.
“I’m fine, Momma.”
“Come sit down. Let me get you a glass of orange juice.”
The kitchen was filled with cameramen, and Wynonna ignored them as she settled at the long table. She felt like weeping with relief to be home. The minute she’d met Mav’s family, she realized she’d made a mistake in going there looking for answers. They couldn’t tell her anything about Mav—because they didn’t know him. What they believed was wrong to the millionth degree.
And she felt terrible about dragging him up there.
Momma set a glass of juice before her, along with a plate with two blueberry muffins. Wynonna’s appetite had been nonexistent for days, but now her stomach cramped with hunger. She reached for a muffin and broke it open.
“Here’s the butter. You could use it. I swear, it looks like you’ve lost ten pounds.”
“It was a bad flu.” She buttered a muffin and bit into it. For thousands of miles of air travel, she’d tried to form a speech to her mother about why she’d taken off. Especially at this time of year when they were preparing for her father’s ceremony. Those thoughts were suddenly gone, and she was left scraping up new ones.
“I’m sorry I left at a bad time.”
Her mother nodded, a crease of concern between her brows. “The girls got the preparations handled. We’re all set for tomorrow.”
“Good. They’re better at it than I am anyway.” She swallowed another bite and met her mother’s stare. “You’re probably wondering why I left.”
“That thought’s been on my mind, I’ll admit,” she drawled in her even tone. The one that said she wouldn’t yell but didn’t exactly approve.
“I’ve been confused, Momma.”
“About what?”
She stared at the few crumbs on her plate and the second muffin she hadn’t touched. The one she’d eaten seemed too big for her stomach, making her uncomfortable. “About marrying Austin.”
“Oh dear.”
“I know y’all think I was hasty in getting engaged to him, and I hate admitting you were right, but I realized it.”
“So you went after him to tell him this?”
“No. You know I went to see Mav’s family.”
Her mother captured her gaze, and Wynonna squirmed like a little girl about to be told her punishment.
“I broke things off with Austin over the phone. But then something happened. With Mav.”
A camera was at her left, and she waved a hand for them to give her some room. “This is private, and I don’t want it on the show. Got it?”
“Sure thing, Wynonna,” the guy said. “We’re under contract to roll at all times, though.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She returned to her mother and waited for her to say something about what Wynonna had just told her.
Her mother covered her hand with hers. The warm, comforting weight of it pinning her own to the tablecloth brought tears into her eyes. “Oh sweetheart, you’re in love with Mav, aren’t you?”
Relief at not needing to say the words rushed through her system, and she bowed her head. A tear fell to wet the tablecloth, leaving a darker spot on the checked cotton. “Oh Momma.”
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“How’d you guess?”
“I know you better than anyone, Wyn. I’m your momma, and mommas see things other people don’t. Like their little girls eyeing men that her brothers wouldn’t think are right for her.”
Wynonna looked up. “What do you think?”
“That you’re a strong and beautiful woman who needs a man with enough strength of character to stand by you. Those other guys weren’t right.”
“But you let me date them.”
Her mother gave a loud laugh, and the camera guys smiled too. “How was I meant to stop you? Like puttin’ the brakes on a bull.”
She sniffled and swiped at a tear, a begrudging smile tugging at her lips. “I guess you’re right.”
“I am.” She got up from the table and breezed to the fridge to get her more juice. “You say something happened with Mav?”
She nodded. Thinking of the tenderness he’d treated her with when she was ill. And the authority with which he’d gotten her through the airport crowds demanding so much from her. Not to mention the extreme flames between them in bed.
Her momma plunked down in the chair again and leaned back to stare at Wynonna. “He’s finally realized he’s in love with you too.”
“I… He hasn’t said anything like that.”
“But he took you to bed.”
“Momma!”
“Don’t ‘momma’ me. I’m a modern woman, and it’s impossible to have six children without knowing a little about sex.” She gave her a look from the corner of her eye, and Wynonna waved her hands.
“TMI, Mom! I don’t want to know anything about sex from you.”
She chuckled again and swiped the muffin off Wynonna’s plate. “That’s a man who’ll treat you right in bed, young lady. Don’t let him go.”
“Oh God, please stop. I can’t take it, Momma. But seriously, I’m not sure I can push him to go forward with a relationship. He’s worried about betrayal of trust and what y’all will think. And he says he’s too old for me.”
“Lord, I say it’s about time. And if you believe your brothers prefer a city slicker to Mav, you’re crazy. Ask them.”
“Nooo, I’m not asking them. I don’t want to breathe a word of this yet.”
“Ask us what?” Buck stood in the doorway, looking between them.
Wynonna dropped her face into her hands in an attempt to hide the blush climbing her face. “Let’s just get through the memorial first, okay, Momma?”
“You’re running the show. Or haven’t you noticed, dear?”
* * * * *
“Cattle bloat. No question.” Mav stared at the calf.
“That’s what we thought.” Ridge hitched a thumb into his back pocket.
“How long she’s been like this again?”
“Last night we found it poorly, lying down. Then we got her up and she walked into the barn under her own steam. Now…” He waved at the animal lying on its side. “I’ll get the tube,” Ridge said.
“We can try it, but we might need to puncture the stomach to let the gas out.” He’d done it before, but he didn’t relish it. It was a downside of the cattle business—a necessary evil. And it only meant relief for the animal.
Ridge gave a hard nod. “Guess we let her go too long.”
“Sometimes there’s no way of telling without giving it time. Let’s do this.”
Mav was on edge, but this would be the highlight of his day. After facing the Calhoun boys’ interrogation, puncturing a cow’s stomach would be a treat.
They’d made demands about what was going on, but he’d managed to keep the focus on his past. Told the story of his PTSD after the war and how he’d always believed he was on the verge of going crazy. At that, the Calhouns had been shocked but agreed with Mav that he wasn’t that man his family always believed he was.
Still, they wouldn’t want him fucking with their little sister.
The screen door banged so hard that Mav winced. He knew damn well who was slamming the door with that much force. Wynonna hadn’t been home for an hour and she was already terrorizing the ranch.
Mav didn’t look around when he heard her footfalls, but when a warm puff of air washed over his nape, he froze.
“Hey, Cowboy. Told my momma.” Her breath was gone, leaving his flesh chilled. He looked up in time to see her sashaying around the corner of the barn. Those hips… And damn, how did she turn the nickname Cowboy into something so erotic?
Seconds later, Zodiac thundered across the yard, its rider clinging to the saddle with red hair streaming from under her hat.
Ridge let out a whistle, the hose in hand. “She’s feeling better.”
“Seems so.”
Ridge made a noise in his throat and handed Mav the tube. As Mav got to work guiding the tube down the calf’s throat to help remove the trapped air, Ridge was silent. Mav knew it was just a matter of time before he started firing more questions at him.
He hadn’t gotten the tube inserted halfway when Ridge opened his mouth. “Wyn hasn’t said a word about Austin. Mighty odd, wouldn’t you say?”
“She’s been pretty sick. Hold this, would ya?” He passed the end of the tube off to Ridge as a way to distract him.
“You feelin’ okay?” Ridge asked.
“Me? Yeah, feel fine.”
“Looks like your face might be red.”
Son of a bitch. Mav grunted and turned his attention to the calf. The air wasn’t budging from its stomach despite the tub. Which meant the next course of action was to puncture the stomach.
The calf was bellowing, which was common. They got mouthy in this situation, and they protested a tube down their throats. Mav dropped the tube to the ground and grabbed the trocar and cannula.
“Wyn hasn’t said anything about her fiancé to you?”
Mav closed his fingers around the instrument and took care of the calf’s problem with one quick jab. He gained his feet, watching the animal closely. “Nope.”
“He’s all wrong for her,” Ridge said.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
“Not often we aren’t. Look, she’s already looking more alert.” He nodded toward the animal.
“I think she’s about to get up.”
The cow folded its legs beneath itself, and with a heave, stood.
“Wobbly but standing,” Mav said with a puff of relief. Now if he could get out in the open and avoid the Calhouns Interrogation Round Two, he’d be happy.
“Hey, you got the calf feelin’ better.” West arrived on the scene. “Now maybe you can do something about our little sister.”
Mav looked between the brothers. He hadn’t been born yesterday—he knew when someone was trying to lure him into spilling more than he was willing. Wasn’t happening.
He brushed off his hands and sidestepped the brothers.
“Wyn seems fine to me. I’ve gotta check the feed stores and head to town.” He lengthened his strides and got the hell out of there before they ambushed him with more questions about Wynonna. He didn’t want to discuss her yet—not when he had no idea what was really going on between them.
Sure, he wanted her naked and wet all the fucking time, that he’d take a swing at anyone who hurt her. But he’d never be selfish enough to act on something that wasn’t good for her.
And I haven’t decided if that’s me yet.
* * * * *
“Memory jar’s on the front table, and the photo board’s in the kitchen where everyone will see it when they sit down.” Joy pointed in the directions she spoke of. The house gleamed from top to bottom, after Momma had organized them into a cleaning party. Or whipped them into doing it, rather.
“The Halls are here.” Ryder stepped into the kitchen, and Joy turned into his arms. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “Looks beautiful in here. Love the flowers.”
“Thanks, baby.” She went on tiptoe to kiss him.
Wynonna watched the exchange, feeling a small pang of regret that she couldn’t grab her man and hug and kiss him too. The couple went outside, and their voices reached her as they greeted the Halls, neighbors who’d known her parents all their married lives.
When was Mav going to quit being so stubborn and just let it happen? She knew he wasn’t so wimpy that he’d avoid telling her family, so was he still hung up on the I’m-no-good thing? Because she thought she’d proven he wasn’t what his family had made him believe all these years with one little trip to Oregon.
“Wyn!”
She pushed out a breath and walked to the screen door to see who was calling her. She saw a group of rodeo people standing there—people she hadn’t seen in many months, and she pushed through the door and leaped the steps.
“Girl, I haven’t heard from you for too long! Where you been hiding?” The tallest female in the bunch was still a head shorter than Wynonna herself. She hugged Maren tight, knocking their hats askew in the process.
“Just been busy.”
“Training your horses?” Maren asked, pulling free of her embrace and righting her hat.
She was too embarrassed to admit she hadn’t done much with her horse training business lately, so she just nodded. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Mav rounding the porch. She tried to control the skitter of her heart at his close proximity, but she still ended up a little breathless.
Mercy, if this feeling never went away and he never accepted they could have a relationship, what was she going to do?
She turned to the two rodeo guys standing there. “Where’s my hug?” Olean Reynolds asked, holding out his arms and slouching so he could hug her. He was known as String Bean in the circuit, as tall and lanky as his nickname.
She threw her arms around him. He lifted her off her boots, and she kicked a little for show. He set her firmly down again and Jamie Darringer lifted her next. She squealed as he whipped her in a tight circle and swore she heard a familiar low growl coming from behind her.
She didn’t dare look around when Jamie set her down. Let Mav get jealous. If he wanted her, he knew where to find her. He could ask her to walk away from the group right now, spend all day in bed and miss her father’s own memorial party and she would go in the drop of a Stetson. She couldn’t think of a better place to spend the day than in Mav’s bed.
With a wave toward her friends, she led them up onto the porch, where they all took comfy chairs. The camera crew rotated around her, annoying her today. When Lane and Delaney showed up with the new little Calhoun and got the attention off her, she was glad.
As her friends bantered about who was out with an injury in their sports and who would be on top this year, she listened with only half an ear. She was very aware of a tall, broad figure lurking around the edge of the porch railing. That black hat was Mav’s better hat, the one he wore for funerals and such. He looked dashing as hell, though she preferred his battered hat. It was part of him, completed the whole package.
Lane tipped his brim to Mav and clapped him on the back. “Good to see you, man.” She was sure her brothers had filled Lane in on everything.
“You too,” Mav replied, trying his best to drift into the background. But several other guests greeted him, and he leaned against the railing shooting the breeze with the old-timers.
Lane mounted the porch steps, and Wyn got up to hug her brother. Once Lane’s arms came around her, he tucked his lips next to her ear. “Good to see you’re well. Seems like Mav’s still keeping watch over you.”
She couldn’t think of a response, so she pinched his ear to make him yowl. After that, it seemed the yard was flooded with guests, and the house filling up. She was lost in a whirlwind of activity. Momma needed her to help serving lemonade and sweet tea. She grabbed a few bottles of alcohol to spike it, and her mother gave a shake of her head, though Wynonna saw the twinkle in her eyes. Daddy wouldn’t mind a little whiskey with his lemonade.
Standing behind a table like a kid at a lemonade stand, she served Buck Jr. a cup, which he promptly tipped into a puddle on the ground for the puppy to lap. She peered over the table with a laugh. “You know you should give him water.”
“He likes lemonade. Can I have another?”
“For you this time?”
He nodded, so she served him. When little Merry toddled up, Wynonna smiled at the little girl. Her blond pigtails and summery dress screamed country girl.
“You want lemonade? I’ll have to see some ID if you’re having a splash of whiskey.”
Buck Jr. howled with laughter, holding his belly. “She can’t have whiskey! She’s too little.”
“Oh good thing you reminded me. Here you go, Merry. Can you drink from that cup?” She passed the child a cup half full of lemonade, which she took with both hands and proceeded to dribble down her clean sundress.
Wynonna’s daddy would have been so darn proud of his clan. It was sad to think he’d never met her sisters-in-law besides Kashley, since she’d been the neighbor girl. And he’d never meet whoever Wynonna decided to settle down with.
Except, the man who I want my daddy DID meet.
He’d met him and stamped him with approval. She looked around for Mav and spotted him standing not far off, staring at her. She pointed to the lemonade and raised a brow. He gave her a small crooked smile and sauntered over.
“Belly up to the bar, Cowboy. Can I offer you a cool one?”
“Sure. No alcohol.”
“Why not? Afraid you’ll lose control?” She gave him a coy look.
His eyes seemed to burn out from under the brim of his hat. “Don’t tempt me, woman.”
A shiver of excitement moved through her body, and she barely kept from hurling herself across the table and knocking him flat so she could straddle him. What happened if she took things that direction today? Showed all her family and friends who she really wanted?
“I don’t like that look you’re givin’ me, Wyn.”
“Is that so?” She leaned a hip against the table.
Just as she’d expected, he followed the movement, his gaze latching onto her body. Good—she hoped he was picturing her naked, gyrating as she ground down on his cock.
His eyes flashed back to her face, and he grabbed the neck of the whiskey bottle and dumped a copious amount into his lemonade. “Thanks.” Before she could make sense of the fact he was walking away, he was gone, immersed in the crowd again.
She saw him later, talking to West and Ridge. He glanced at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. But her friend Maren caught her looking his way one time too often and commented.
“What’s up with you and that cowboy in the black hat?”
“That’s Mav, the foreman here.”
“That isn’t what I asked.” Maren’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “He hasn’t peeled his eyes off you all day.”
Spoken in that deep Southern drawl, how could Wynonna ignore what her friend had said? She cast Mav a look and found his stare riveted on her.
“I don’t know what’s going on, Maren.”
“He’s half in love with you, that’s what. Believe me, I’ve seen lust and I’ve seen love. That’s both.”
She didn’t want to talk about it, so it was good at that moment that Momma needed her.
She went onto the highest point around—the top step of the porch—and stood before the huge group who’d come to remember and honor her father.
“Thank y’all for coming today and celebrating the life of my father. A respected man in the community, and one still talked about in rodeo bars.” A cheer went up. “Beloved husband and father.”
Several heads bowed, but not Mav’s. He was standing at the base of the stairs, lingering close to her as he’d been all day. Their gazes caught and electricity zapped between them.
The big pickle jar filled with bits of paper was thrust her direction, and she blinked at her mother. “Read the memories, please, Wynonna.” Her mother gave her a soft smile as if she understood Wynonna was dazed and confused. If Maren could see what was going on, then surely her whole family caught on. They all knew Wynonna better than anyone in the world.
She dipped her hand into the pickle jar and pulled out a folded slip of paper. She read what it said in a clear voice that carried across the yard.
“I once saw Buck Sr. dancing out in the field and rode up to him to ask what sort of music he was listening to. ‘The humming of bees. Not so good to dance to,’ he replied, and started humming to a popular country tune.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Wynonna smiled at the memory, seeing her father so clearly in this way she hadn’t ever seen him before. But thanks to the neighbor who’d shared the memory, now she did.
“I knew Buck Sr. back in high school, when he rode a motorcycle that smoked more than a Vermont chimney.” More laughter. “And somehow, he always got the ladies on the back of it. I always wondered if he dropped them off at home for their daddies, hickory smoked.”
At that, tears of mirth squeezed from Wynonna’s eyes, and she swiped them away as she tried to regain her breath. She read several in a row that were sentimental, with times her father had helped people out. Then she got to one that made her throat close.
“Buck Sr. gave a chance to a beaten-down ex-soldier coming off a tour in Bosnia and needing refuge. He gave me a chance even though I hardly had any experience. Some people were born to cowboy, he’d told me later, and I think of that every day.”
She looked up directly into Mav’s eyes, her own trickling over with tears. At his side, Buck rested a hand on Mav’s shoulder. It was so obvious that Mav belonged with them. He was already one of them. All he needed to do was take that step to claim her, and they could live happily ever after.
Later, when he didn’t say another word to her and disappeared early from the party, she figured she might be fifty before the stubborn ass came around.
* * * * *
Mav leaned against the side of the barn, staring up at Wynonna’s window. Her pull on him was strong tonight. She was the moon on his sea, making waves.
He wasn’t ever going to shake her, was he? Did he even want to?
After seeing her hugging those young rodeo studs in an all too familiar way, he couldn’t stop thinking about having her.
“Fuck,” he muttered and slicked his fingers through his hair.
He bent and scooped up a pebble by his bare feet. Then he crossed the yard and aimed it for the windowpane. It smacked the glass true, and his heart thundered as he waited to see if she’d catch on to what it was. What it meant.
He wanted her.
His heart spun a donut. Had the curtain just twitched? He fisted his hands and held his breath to try to slow his hammering pulse. When the front door opened and the screen door creaked, he nearly swallowed his tongue.
Wynonna stood there in a tank top and shorts, and he knew—just fucking knew—she wasn’t wearing anything under them. His cock dug into his zipper with raw need.
“You called?” Her voice, always throaty, seemed to be edged, a blade of honey meant to slay him. She descended the stairs with the light step of an angel and crossed the yard to where he stood.
“You answered.” He caught her against his chest and crushed his lips over hers. She molded her body against his, and he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth. A rough noise filled the night air, and he realized it was him.
As he dipped his tongue in again and again, pulling moans from her, he felt a high overcome him. This woman… He couldn’t let her go. But he couldn’t keep her.
I should open my arms and tell her to walk away from me.
Just one more night.
This inner war he’d been waging for years was a losing battle. He tore his mouth from hers and stared down at her, panting. He stroked his thumb along her high cheekbone.
“I never believed there was someone on earth who could make me feel this way,” he grated out.
He saw what his words did to her, and though his mind was telling him he couldn’t ruin her life by binding her to a much older man, he pulled her back in for another kiss.
Small mewls of need left her throat, rolling over his skin. His cock hardened to the point of pain, and he could smell her need.
“Take me to bed, Mav.” She placed little nipping bites along his lips.
He groaned and lifted her. She was the perfect weight in his hold, long legs slung over his forearm as he rounded the barn to his quarters. He’d left his door open and he nudged it farther, carrying her directly to his mattress. His sheets were twisted from sleeplessness, but she looked so beautiful lying there that his heart stopped.
“Honey, I can’t wait. I’m sorry.” He stripped her with quick movements. Sure enough, she wore no panties, and her slick seam glistened in the moonlight. He growled and dived between her legs.
She drew her knees up and back, splayed open for his hungry kisses. Her juices coated his lips—he couldn’t get enough. He delved his tongue into her slick opening, and she started to squirm, tightening around his invasion.
“Mav. Oh fuck, Mav.”
He sucked her clit into his mouth and batted it with his tongue. She stiffened, trembling… and tipped over the edge.
Her flavors poured over his tongue, and he spent long minutes drawing out her orgasm while his cock dug into the mattress, demanding its own ecstasy. He’d waited too long to claim her again. He’d pump his cock into her twice and blow. He had to slow it down.
“Hands above your head,” he commanded.
The whisper of her movements only heightened his senses. His hands shook, so he braced them on either side of her rapturous face as he hovered over her.
“Take me, Mav. I need you inside me.”
“Not yet,” he forced out.
Pressure built from his balls, but he focused on Wynonna. “I plan to taste every inch of your beautiful body.”
“Then I’m going to eat you up, cowboy.”
He hummed amusement and desire, but somehow kept his cock out of her tight pussy for another minute. He lowered his lips and skimmed them across hers. The barest of caresses that ended somewhere around her nipples. He plucked at the juicy buds with his teeth until she bucked for more.
Then he worshipped that tattoo wrapping around her ribs and found her soaking center with his fingers again.
She came in seconds, and he closed his eyes around the feel of her pulsating around him. His cock oozed precum, the skin close to bursting.
He started working his way back up her body, leaving a new trail of kisses.
“Please, Mav. I can’t wait anymore.” She stopped lying there at his mercy and became the wildcat he knew and loved. She sat up and hooked her legs around his hips as she dug her nails into his shoulders and yanked him down.
The ridge of his cock was cradled by her moist, plump pussy lips. He looked into her eyes and slid forward. Then stilled.
“Fuck.”
“Yes,” she cried out.
He filled her in one hard, smooth glide and didn’t stop until his balls struck her ass.
* * * * *
Mav’s hard cock filled her so damn perfectly. Wynonna’s untamed cry seemed to resound in her ears as he fucked her. Each thrust striking that innermost point only he seemed to know existed.
She clasped his face and looked into his eyes. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was fevered. His eyes glittered.
Passion flared to life inside her, and she brought him down for a tongue-tangling kiss that only fueled their desire. He hooked his arm around her knee and threw it over his shoulder, drilling deeper into her body.
Her mouth opened on a silent scream.
“Fuck, are you coming? Jesus.” He gazed down at her as he slammed deep. She shook apart with a third orgasm that left her mind a puddle of goo and her body weak.
“Shit, Wynonna, you okay? You’re still weak from that flu.”
Her chest rose and fell, pushing her breasts against his sculpted chest. After a few moments, she recovered enough to shove him onto his back. Then with a grin, she threw her leg over his body.
“You’re in peak condition. I love touching you,” she murmured. Instead of starting at the top as he’d done, she wiggled down his body and trailed her lips over the light hairs on his inner thighs.
“Fuck.” He twisted his hands in her hair, and the sting on her scalp was so good. She bit his flesh, and he jerked upward, nearly bucking her off.
“Didn’t know I was bull ridin’ tonight.”
“If you keep that up, you’ll have to hold on better.”
She smiled against his skin, edging up to his balls. His sac was tight to his body, his scents alluring. She snaked out her tongue and flicked it over his sensitive skin.
“You mean to kill me?”
“Mmm-hmm. Are you saying you’re too old to handle me?”
“Fuck no.”
She smiled wider and lapped around his balls to the base of his cock. With short brushes of her tongue, she tasted his every ridged inch. In the darkness, his face was carved from marble. It stole her breath and distracted her so he was able to toss her off him and into the covers.
She barely bounced before he was covering her with his hard body, hands pinning her wrists and his gaze dark with intent. She had a feeling she’d pushed him one step too far. A shiver ran through her, and her pussy spilled fresh want.
His warm breath washed across her lips as he jerked his cock high into her body again.
They shared a groan and began to move in tandem. Bucking together, her clit rubbed against the hard steel of his body. Her mind clamped onto the feel of him coupled with the words he’d given her earlier. He’d never believed a person on earth could make him feel this way. That person was her.
Tenderness rolled through her, and she wished her hands were free so she could cradle his face as he fucked her to a frenzy. His chest vibrated with each thrust as a growl echoed there.
She was beyond words, though so many lay dormant inside her. She wanted to tell him she’d loved him forever, that today his memory of her dad had touched her more deeply and made her fall harder.
A long groan escaped him. The sound roused one from her, and when she felt the first splash of his cum in her pussy, she burst with a cry.
* * * * *
Watching Wynonna come down from a high he’d given her made him feel like he could conquer the fucking world. Take on a dozen bucking bulls and run the ranch backward blindfolded.
She lay in his arms, breathing just starting to return to normal rhythm and her thick hair spilled over his pillows. He knew when she left his bed, she’d leave her scents behind. Which was good, because it had to be the last time. A farewell fuck.
He winced at his own thought. He didn’t think of it as a fuck, but some part of him needed to throw up a wall or lose his mind. He couldn’t have her. She had so many good years left, and how long before his muscle tone faded, or he couldn’t even perform for her?
“I wish to fuck I was fifteen years younger.”
She stopped drawing circles over his shoulders. “What does age matter?”
“How can it not matter?”
“Because we love each other.”
His heart tumbled hard, hit the dirt and slammed to a stop. She loved him. Or believed she did. There was still time to make her see this was all wrong. Step one was evicting her from his bed.
By some deep-rooted perversion, he flexed his arms, drawing her closer. “Wyn—”
She slapped a hand over his mouth. The sting woke him completely from his daze of bliss, but the fight in her eyes brought him to full alertness.
“Don’t start that crap about you being all wrong for me, or me being self-destructive by being with you. We took care of that myth up in Oregon when you realized your family’s made you believe that bullshit about yourself. And I won’t listen to you say you’re too old for me. You said yourself I don’t need a boy toy—I need a man. Aren’t you man enough to step up, Mav?”
Their gazes locked. Then he rolled off. “Don’t know why I ever bother thinking I can convince you of anything. You’ve got your mind set.”
She sat up and crossed her arms over her bare breasts. The sight nearly landed him in bed with his cock buried in her again, but he had to draw the line. Find some self-control.
“Damn right my mind’s set. I’ve made plenty of mistakes when it comes to men, but you’re not one of them. Which is how I know it’s meant to be. Don’t deny it, Mav.”
“We’ve gotta be up early. You’d best go back to the house.”
He had no idea how he looked away from her when she climbed out of his bed and pulled her pajamas back on. Or how he kept from calling out to her when she slipped out the door and into the darkness.
He battled to keep from getting up and at least making sure she made it to the house okay, but he knew if he looked at her retreating back, he’d go after her.
It was for her own good.
She’d done so much for him even if she didn’t know it. Going to Oregon and making him see his family was the problem, not him. But there were still fences between them that he couldn’t climb.
Dammit, he never should have toyed with her.
Or with his own heart.
Now he had to suffer the consequences.