Chapter Nine
It didn’t take them long to reach the ranch house, and Rachel hurried to change into a pair of shorts instead of her damp blue jeans. The last thing she needed was more chafed skin when she still had twenty-four hours of horny men ahead of her.
By the time she reentered the kitchen, Rogan had scrounged up sandwich fixings and was already digging into a plate of food.
He glanced up at her with a guilty smile, “Umm… help yourself.”
“I see you wait like a hog at a trough,” she said with a giggle.
“Sorry, I was really hungry. I promise I’ll be a perfectly polite gentleman later.”
She leaned forward and licked a dab of mustard off the corner of his mouth before whispering, “I prefer you when you’re not being polite, and I avoid gentlemen.”
Lust speared through her as she watched his eyes darken and his jaw clench, but before he could respond Hudson walked in the kitchen door. He froze as he surveyed the scene and then let out a low wolf’s whistle. “Damn, you two could melt an igloo with the heat coming off you. What did I miss? Catch me up so I can play too.”
Rachel let out a loud laugh, and accepted the hug and kiss Hudson offered as he reached her side. “Rogan took me out skinny dippin’, and now he’s feeding me so I don’t wither away after burning so many calories last night with you fine gentlemen.”
She winked at Rogan as she enunciated the word, and he grinned back.
“Ah yes, we must make sure to keep your energy levels up. We don’t want you wimping out on us before the end of our contract,” Hudson said with a serious look on his face.
“Wimping out? If I didn’t know you were joking, funny man, I would hurt you for that comment,” she said flippantly, throwing a potato chip at him. When he caught it in his mouth and shot her a wicked grin, she stuck her tongue out at him.
“Honey, do your worst. I promise I’ll love it.”
“On that note I have to leave you two. I have some work I need to get done this afternoon. Hudson, Mack said that there is a fence down on the North ridge, can you make a run up there and check it out before dinner?”
“Yep, maybe I’ll take Rach out with me.” Rogan disappeared into the office shutting the door behind him, and Hudson shot her a questioning glance to which she shook her head in the negative.
“Uh uh. This cowgirl needs to rest her weary ass and stay off a saddle for a few days. Wet denim isn’t good for soft skin, and it’s been years since I rode regularly.” She stood to put her plate in the sink, and Hudson snagged her arm tugging her into his lap.
“Rode hard and put up satisfied, right, Rach?”
She couldn’t stop the laugh that tumbled out of her, or the feeling of comfort and contentment she got when one of her men was holding her. Her men. That’s how she was beginning to think of them. What a scary thought. If they knew she was starting to have feelings for them, how would they respond?
Ice cold fear filled her belly, and she pushed away from Hudson, shutting that line of thoughts down quickly.
“Something like that I suppose. Where are Sawyer and Parker by the way?” The distinct wobble to her voice belied her airy question, but she refused to meet Hudson’s questioning gaze, focusing instead on clearing away the dishes from her own meal.
“Parker is in the barn, and Sawyer…um…honestly, I’m not sure where he wandered off to. Hey, Rachel, are you okay? Did I say something wrong there?” She turned away from the dishwasher and ran into his broad chest, letting out a squeak of surprise.
“Oh, sorry, Hudson. No nothing is wrong. I think I’m just antsy. I don’t sit still very well.”
He stared down at her with a curious frown marring his beautifully chiseled face, and for a moment she thought he would argue with her, but he didn’t. He just pressed a kiss to her lips, stealing her breath and leaving her week-kneed, before he lifted his head and smiled. “Alright, I’m going to head on out but when I get back this evening, you and I are going to take a bubble bath I think. A good hot soaking and a massage will ease those aching muscles.”
She sighed and let her eyes roll skyward, “That sounds heavenly. You’ve got a date, cowboy.”
Hudson gave her another brief kiss then headed back out the door leaving her alone in their kitchen trying to keep her emotions under control. When she agreed to this last night, she had no idea what a veritable rollercoaster of feelings she would be jumping on. From one moment to the next she wasn’t sure if she wanted to walk away from them, or if she wanted to fall to her knees and ask them to keep her. This was truly not her brightest moment. She should have walked away last night.
Like a movie, the events of the last twenty-four hours rolled through her mind. Every single explosively hot orgasm tightened her stomach and made her pu-ssy clench. No, she wouldn’t go back and change her decision. If nothing else, she would have those memories to fantasize about for the rest of her life. She knew there was no future here. Four men and one woman was not a stable relationship. All of her life she had watched her mother struggle with a broken heart, and if she bared her soul to the four brothers, she knew she would find herself nursing an emotional wound too. It just wasn’t worth it.
Gaining her control back, she decided the best way to keep her mind off the future, was to focus on the present. A smile graced her face as she prepared a couple of sandwiches and headed off toward the barn in search of Parker.
****
Parker had just finished spreading hay in one of the stalls when Rachel sauntered into the barn looking sexy as hell. Short denim shorts that rivaled anything Daisy Duke ever wore showcased her long, slim legs that ended in tiny bare feet with sexy pale pink toenails. The afternoon sunlight caught her brown hair making it glow a copper color, and her big brown doe eyes looked a little apprehensive as she looked around the barn.
“It must be my lucky day,” he said as he leaned the pitchfork against the wall and began removing his leather gloves. He waited for her to come to him, pleased when she did so as soon as she spotted him.
“I figured you probably hadn’t had anything for lunch yet, and Rogan, Hudson, and I just had sandwiches.” She held a plate out to him with two sandwiches on it, both neatly made and cut in half diagonally. For some reason the little extra effort sucker punched him in the gut. How many years had it been since a woman cared enough about him to make him lunch? When he tore his gaze away from the tiny triangular sandwiches, he found her staring at him with an odd expression. “Well?”
Embarrassment flooded through him, “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”
Her lips turned down in dismay, and she suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “I just asked if you could take a break, but if you’re busy it’s no big deal. I could use a nap, so…yeah…maybe I should just go back inside—”
She started to turn away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her words and her motion. “Wait, don’t go. I will gladly make time for a break as long as you promise to sit with me while I eat.”
The smile of pleasure that graced her beautiful face was nearly enough to unman him, and he swallowed back a groan.
“Sure.”
He led her out the doors of the barn and over to several bales of hay that were stacked near the corral. She barely glanced at the seat he gestured to, and he watched in surprised fascination as she took several steps closer so she could lean on the fence and watch his horse in the enclosure.
“Did you enjoy your ride this morning, sunshine?”
She gave him a confused look before nodding, “You mean with Rogan? Yes, I had a great time. He took me out to the pond, and I taught him how to skip rocks.”
Parker laughed loudly. That was what he loved about Rachel Morgan. She found the fun in everything she did. “Good, you’ll have to grant me the privilege of taking you out on the trail sometime. The Carrion River is only about a day’s hard ride from here, and there are several good camping sites around there.”
A wistful expression drifted across her features and she pursed her lips as though deep in thought. She didn’t even acknowledge his words, and it stung. He bit into a sandwich and forced himself to chew. It was probably a great sandwich, but at the moment it tasted like sawdust. His normally take charge attitude was suffering a major setback and the blame lay solely at her feet. When she was around he couldn’t seem to focus on anything, but her. The idea that she wasn’t feeling the same way was painfully sharp in his brain.
“What’s his name?” she asked as she watched the stallion graze in the field.
“Romeo.”
She laughed and it rippled through him teasing at the need in his gut. “Really? Where is Juliet?”
“Pregnant in the other barn. She should foal anytime, so she can’t be with her lover.”
Rachel’s eyes lit up as she finally turned and faced him. “That seems rather unfair. To take two star crossed lovers and keep them apart when she’s obviously facing something so monumental.”
He couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Yeah…well, I have a pretty good feeling they will be back together soon enough. Besides, Romeo here is quite the ladies’ man. Juliet is the third mare he’s knocked up this year.”
“Really? Wow! Impressive odds. Guess Juliet probably learned her lesson. The pretty ones are always the playboys.” She looked up at him through her eyes lashes with a teasing smile, but he couldn’t help but think there was more to her statement than just a joke.
They sat watching the big black stallion as he slowly moved around the corral, and Parker hurried to eat the rest of his meal. When he swallowed the last bite and put the plate down on the hay bale, he looked up to find her watching him instead. A wave of apprehension went through him. This was the first time he had been alone with her, and all he wanted was to strip her clothes off and claim her in every physical and emotional way, but it was more important they talk. He had questions he needed answered.
“Do you want a quick tour of the horse barn?”
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, “That would be great!”
They headed across the yard to the main horse barn where most of their pregnant mares were housed. He reached out and took her hand as they walked, lacing their fingers together when she didn’t resist.
“I’m glad you came with us this weekend, Rachel,” he said softly, and she turned surprised eyes up to him. A warmth filled the chocolate pools as she smiled back.
“Me too. I haven’t had this much fun in years.”
“You could stay longer, you know. You don’t have to leave tomorrow.” His breath caught in his chest at her silence, and he felt her pull away from him. Emotionally she was bruised, maybe scarred, and he wasn’t sure how to overcome her fears just yet. Choosing to let the subject drop, he started to talk as they walked through the barn. “This is Freckles here, and she is having her first foal, and next to her is Magic. Doc is pretty sure she is having twins this time. The gray one there is Ghost Dancer, she’s new to the ranch, and she isn’t pregnant, but she’s awfully skittish. She’s a rescue horse, so we have a ways to go before she’s comfortable here. We’re taking our time getting to know each other right now.”
“A rescue horse?” Rachel moved very slowly to the door of the stall where Ghost Dancer was moving restlessly.
“Yeah, I don’t know the whole story but the way I understand it, she was found nearly starved to death and badly injured from whipping sores that hadn’t been treated and hadn’t healed. A few more days, maybe a week, and she would have died. Sawyer can probably give you more details. He was the one that went and got her when the agency called. I couldn’t leave that weekend.”
She watched him closely, and he reached out to brush her dark hair away from her cheek. “So you’re telling me that Mr. Parker Brooks, badass cowboy, has a soft spot for abused and injured animals?”
He shrugged in response, and she giggled, stepping closer to him.
“Well, Mr. Brooks, just so you know, I find that to be a very sexy quality in a man.”
That got his attention. His cock throbbed behind his zipper, coming to life in a painfully obvious way, and he groaned when she pressed a little kiss to the bottom of his jaw. “You’re playing with fire, sunshine.”
“Yeah, so maybe I’ll get a little burned. It is awfully hot in here.” She reached for his zipper and he stopped her with his lightning fast reflexes. “Hey! What’s the problem?”
“Rachel, there are things about me you don’t understand yet.”
“Really? So fill me in. Tell me something that would surprise me.” Her chin tilted up defiantly and she stepped back crossing her arms over her chest. The stance was pure brat, and he wanted to bend her over his knee and spank her ass red for challenging him, but that would be too much too fast. If he wanted to keep her, he needed to proceed with caution.
“I want kids.”
She stared at him in shock as her jaw fell open. “What?”
“You said, ‘tell me something that would surprise me,’ so I did. I want kids. I love kids, and I’m hoping when I settle down to have a half a dozen of them.” His gut tightened waiting for her reaction. He had left off the part about wanting kids with her, but being the first time he had ever admitted his desire for children out loud, he figured he could be forgiven for the omission.
“Wow. Okay, yeah, you surprised me. I think you’d make a great dad. All four of you guys will make good dads someday.” She turned and faced the horse in the stall in front of her, attempting to put distance between them again.
When he stayed in place and waited silently, she fidgeted, and moved on to the next stall. “Who is this?”
“Cashmere. She is actually Hudson’s horse, but he wanted to try breeding her. This is her first foal too.”
The silence grew and he could almost hear her brain spinning. She was deep in thought as she stared at the solid black mare in the stall.
“My dad bailed on my mom when I was young. He fell in love with his secretary, and they had an affair. In a matter of moments one Sunday evening over dinner, my life went from perfectly happy to a complete wreck. They moved to Seattle to be close to her family when the divorce was final, and she got pregnant. He has a whole new family there, and has completely forgotten about the daughter he left in Texas.”
Parker’s heart broke for her, but he remained quiet, afraid if he spoke up now she would stop talking. Cashmere moved closer to Rachel so she could stroke her hand over her face, and Parker tried not to fall to his knees. Rachel was everything to him at this point. Years of watching and wanting her had taken their toll on his life. Sure, he had been with other women, but none of them meant as much to him as this little spitfire did after only twenty-four hours in his home. Several minutes passed before she spoke again.
“You know, Mitch had a lot to say about my dysfunctional family, but then again compared to his perfect life, mine seemed pretty fu-cked up.”
“Don’t curse.” The words slipped out of his mouth instinctively and he saw her stiffen at his demand. Damn it. He couldn’t change his nature. This was who he was, and if she couldn’t tolerate it, he should know it sooner rather than later.
“I’m sorry. Talking about Mitch just brings out the worst in me.” Her words eased an odd pressure that had been building in his chest, and he finally moved to her side reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist and draw her back against his chest.
“What happened with Mitch, Rach?”
“Ah you know the story, small town white trash girl from a broken family hooks up with the son of a political giant in said small town, only to be raked across the coals when he realizes he can do better.”
Her snarky tone sent his blood pressure sky rocketing, and he felt himself squeezing her a little tighter. “Cut the bitchy attitude. You and I both know Mitch could never do better than you, and if he thinks that Connie is better…well then he’s just a special kind of stupid.”
She laughed, and relaxed a little in his arms. “I have a bad habit of picking the wrong man.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re only allowing yourself to pick one man.” He knew he was pushing her, but he couldn’t resist the opening.
“Or maybe I’m just not meant to be in a relationship.” She turned in his arms and rose on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m going to go back in the house and take a nap. Thanks for showing me the barn.”
Parker wanted to argue. Every fiber of his being was telling him to keep her there and make her keep talking, but he knew in his heart that if she wanted to be with the four of them, eventually she would make the decision on her own. He couldn’t force it. Nodding, he smiled back, “Thanks for lunch, sunshine. You make on hell of a bologna sandwich.”
“It’s so nice to be recognized for my many talents,” she said playfully as she sauntered out of the barn, leaving Parker chuckling and Cashmere staring after her forlornly.
Parker reached out and stroked the soft hair on the horse’s nose, “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing isn’t she? With any luck she’ll let us keep her.”