Colton bit back a laugh. “Tell me the truth, or I’ll go propose to Mel right now.”
Mrs. Hudson gasped, her head shooting up so she could meet his gaze. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would.”
“Fine.” Mrs. Hudson sighed. “I have St. Paddy’s day as my date, and I sure could use the money, Colton Freeze. If you’d just declare your love that day, I’d really appreciate it.”
He couldn’t believe she’d tried to bribe him with a slutty niece. Mrs. Hudson was a pimp. He laughed. “I will certainly keep your date in mind. Who’s taking the bets and keeping the money, anyway?”
“Can’t tell you,” she said sadly. “When you make the bet, you have to swear not to tell, or you forfeit your money.”
When he found the bet taker, he was going to kick some ass. “What happens if your chosen day passes?”
“You get to make a new bet.” She tugged him back into moving toward a blue compact with new tires. “Then you give new money and have to make the promise again.”
“Those are lovely tires, Mrs. Hudson.” Colton escorted her around to the driver’s side.
“Thank you. I won the raffle for new tires at the sheriff’s station,” she said proudly, opening the door and slipping inside the driver’s seat.
Quinn had made sure she won after having bought the tires for her in the first place. “You’re a lucky one,” Colton said.
She nodded. “Have a nice day, Colton, and remember who covered for you in the fifth grade when you picked flowers from Mrs. Leiton’s garden. She’s still wondering who took her prized tulips, and as you know, she has a terrible temper.” Shutting her door, Mrs. Hudson drove down the street at least ten miles under the speed limit.
Good lord. Mrs. Hudson was a blackmailing pimp.
Chapter Nine
Melanie gave one last chance at arguing with Loni about the check for lunch. “It was my turn to pay.”
“I don’t think so.” Loni stood and then stopped. “Oh. Colton’s here.”
Melanie turned. Colton had obviously been working the ranch, dressed in faded jeans, cowboy boots, a dark T-shirt, and a black Stetson. As he strode toward her, he looked more sexy villain than smooth good guy.
Hence the black hat.
Heat spiraled into her abdomen.
He kept his dark blue gaze on her, but he kissed his mama on the cheek.
Loni patted his arm. “I have an appointment, but I think Melanie was considering dessert.”
No she hadn’t been.
“Good.” Colton took Loni’s vacated seat and removed his hat. “We need to talk anyway.”
Loni all but beamed as she exited the restaurant.
Melanie focused on him. “I’m handling my own life.”
Colt slowly lifted one eyebrow in a curiously dangerous way. “There’s nothing wrong with leaning on friends.”
Frustration heated her lungs. “When did you start seeing me as some helpless female?”
He studied her for a moment. “I’ve never seen you as helpless, and I’ve always seen you as a female. You were a cute little girl, a pretty teenager, and now you’re a sexy woman.”
Heat climbed into her face, sparking her breasts on the way. “You’re giving me a headache.”
He grinned. “That’s the opposite effect I want.”
“What do you want?” The words rushed out of her, and she both wanted to know and didn’t want to know the answer.
“Right now I want to help you have a baby.”
The waitress gasped as she approached the table. In her twenties, she’d dyed her hair a fun purple to match her eye shadow.
Melanie took a deep breath. The statement would be all over town within minutes. “Julie, I’ll take the chocolate sundae with extra chocolate, please.” The pizza place didn’t sell liquor, or she’d order tequila.
“Vanilla scoop in a bowl,” Colton said without flicking his gaze from Melanie’s face.
Julie almost tripped over her sensible shoes as she hurried from sight. Probably to start texting friends.
Melanie shook her head. “I-I don’t, I mean, you—”
“Not with me.” Colton grinned.
A surprising disappointment swirled through her. “Oh. Of course not.”
Colton sat back and blinked. “You don’t want to, ah, have a baby with me, do you?”
Okay. The complete alarm he was trying to hide wasn’t exactly complimentary. “God, no,” she said. Having his kid and just being his good buddy would only cause heartache for her, especially when Colt finally fell for somebody. Somebody not her.
He frowned. “Okay.” The word sounded a bit disgruntled.
She cleared her throat. “Um, I’m fairly certain the waitress misinterpreted your statement and is now texting everyone in town you offered to knock me up.”
Surprise lifted his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely.”
“Hmm. You wouldn’t classify the statement as a declaration of love, would you?”
Good God, her friend had lost his freakin’ mind. “No.”
His expression cleared. “Good.”
She blinked several times, searching for reality. “Why?”
“The bet. When I declare my love for you, the bet ends.” He stretched his neck.
Flutters cascaded through her stomach. Love? No. No way. “Says who?”
“Mrs. Hudson. She needs me to do so on St. Paddy’s day and tried to bribe me with an easy niece.” Colton grinned.
The flutters turned into wild batwings. His smile was too much…just too much. Melanie swallowed. “That’s terrible.”
“Maybe.” Colton leaned forward and grasped her hands.
Fire shot through her with an electric arc. “W-what are you doing?”
“I called the doctor for more information earlier, and your window is short, Mel. If you want to have a baby, now is the time.”
She was the last Jacoby alive, and she’d wanted to have a baby. To keep her family alive. But at what cost? She’d felt all right freezing eggs, but to get pregnant right now? There was no other choice if she wanted to have a child. “I may go to the sperm clinic in Seattle.” Sure, a lot of women did it. But she wasn’t sure it was fair to plan on being a single mom.
“Perfect. I have a list of specialists you can see in Seattle, as well.” His thumb stroked her palm, and she bit back a groan of need. The touch was light, sensual, and way more erotic than she would’ve dreamed.
“Well, I guess I might head to Seattle.” Right? She hated that her body was forcing her into this decision when she wasn’t ready. But deep down, irritation welled at how accepting Colt was about her becoming pregnant. Maybe it was because they wouldn’t know the sperm donor? Or maybe he really did only see her as a friend and didn’t wonder a little bit about them, like she did.
Colt released her and leaned back when the waitress delivered their desserts. “I’ll see if we can lease Henry’s plane for the ride.”
Private plane? Henry’s car dealerships succeeded all over the Pacific Northwest, and he owned a private jet that flew him around when he wanted. At about ninety and crotchety, the guy didn’t travel much any longer. “Um, we?” Melanie slipped her spoon into the chocolaty mess.
“Sure.” Colt tried his ice cream, his gaze thoughtful. “You shouldn’t go alone, and I can combine the trip with some business. I’m still worried about that firm I invested in heavily, so I’d like to see if I can fix the situation.”
Melanie started. “How heavily?”
He sighed. “Enough to have me concerned, but I’ll take care of it. Plus, on the plane, we can review the plans for the gym. I’m picking them up from the architect later today.”
A plane ride, in a private jet, with sexy Colton…to go get inseminated with somebody else’s sperm? Gee. Now that sounded like a vacation come true.
Melanie forced a smile. “Can’t wait.”
…
Thunder bellowed across the wide
Montana sky outside, and Melanie hustled around the ranch house to grab flashlights and candles. She loved a good winter storm. Since the temperature had warmed up, they probably wouldn’t get full snow. But sometimes the rain became spectacular.
The house had stood proudly in place for generations and would easily weather the storm. Two stories, it held three bedrooms on the top floor, while the living areas were on the main floor. Her grandfather had raised her in the family home after her parents had died in a plane crash, and sometimes she still felt his presence.
Today while she’d mucked out stalls, she’d sang his favorite Garth Brooks tunes. God, she loved ranching. Love the smells, the sights, even the uncertainty. She’d never want to do anything else.
She flicked off the kitchen lights and wandered into the large living room. A stone fireplace took up one wall, while a wide bank of windows framed majestic mountains out the back. It was barely dusk, but soon the clouds would cover any remaining sun.
She’d donned comfortable yoga pants and a heavy shirt for the evening show. Placing her warm coffee on a table, she tucked herself into an overstuffed chair with an ottoman to watch the storm.
As if Mother Nature had waited just for Melanie, lightning sparked a fluorescent purple over the snow-white mountains.
Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
The skies opened with a crack, and icy rain slashed down.
Lightning jagged across the sky again, illuminating the creek outside the window. She gasped and rushed to the window. Waiting. Another flash, illuminating a massive heifer tangled and kicking ice.
Panic coughed up Melanie’s throat, and she slid her cup onto a table. The creek wasn’t frozen all the way through, and if the cow didn’t stop kicking, it’d plunge to an icy death.
How the hell did it get so close to the creek, anyway? Grumbling, Melanie threw on a jacket, hat, and gloves before grabbing a flashlight and wire cutters from the entryway table. She opened the door and ran smack into Colton.
He grabbed her arms to keep her from landing on her butt. “Where are you going?”
“To save a heifer.” She eyed the raging storm as her garbage can slammed up against the side of the nearest barn. “Want to help?”
“Of course.” He shut the door. “Where?”
“This way.” She led the way down the porch and jogged around the house toward the almost frozen stream. Rain pounded down, soaking her hat. She shivered and plunged along the snowdrift. “What are you doing here, anyway?” she yelled over the violent wind.
“Came to talk about the trip tomorrow,” he yelled back, shielding her from the storm.
Melanie swung the flashlight toward the flailing cow. Crap. It was one of the few pregnant cows, so not a heifer. She couldn’t lose both the cow and the calf. The cow bellowed in anger as its powerful hoofs smashed ice in every direction.
“Whoa there,” Melanie murmured, sliding through snow. “Calm down, baby.” Barbed wire cut into the cow’s neck as it fought, its eyes a wide, wild brown. “She must’ve fallen through the fence up the hill.”
Colton wiped rain off his forehead, peering closer. “She brought part of the barbed wire with her.” He squinted, focusing up the hill. “Ice slide.”
Melanie turned to shine the flashlight up the hill just as the cow broke away from the ice. With a bellow, the animal leaped toward them. Melanie caught her breath on a stifled scream.
Strong arms wrapped around her, throwing them both to the side. They impacted ice and mud, sliding several feet. Colton rolled them over, holding her tight, taking the brunt of the damage, the side of his face smacking against the ground.
Snow and dirt whipped around them.
Melanie coughed out air and lifted her head, her body flush on top of Colton’s.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing pine needles from her hair.
She blinked, her heart racing, her breath caught. Everything had happened so quickly. The body beneath her felt harder than the frozen ground. His scent of musk and male overcame the smell of pine and storm, and warmth spread through her chilled skin. “Yes.”
“Good.” Blood flowed from a cut above Colt’s right eyebrow. He rolled them over and stood up. “Stay here.” Taking the wire cutters from her stiff hand, he stood and stalked over to the cow, now fighting with a pine tree that had caught an edge of the barbed wire.
Melanie scrambled to her feet, her boots sliding on the mud.
Without wasting a moment, Colt dodged in and tackled the cow, one knee to its neck, the other on its flanks, careful to avoid its belly. Sure movements had the barbed wire snipped in several places and removed. “Stand back, Mel,” he called over the storm.
She nodded and retreated against the side of the house.
Colton jumped back, and the cow struggled to its feet and snorted. For the briefest of moments, they looked at each other. Then the cow turned and ran toward the nearest pasture. “We’ll probably have to hunt her down after the storm,” Colton yelled, turning around.
Melanie nodded again, her body rioting. She could only gape as she focused the flashlight beam on her best friend.
He stood in the rain, blood and mud mixing with water across his chiseled face. Wet cotton clung to his hard frame, and passion all but cascaded off him.
He turned her way and…grinned.
Her heart clutched. In that very second, two things became frighteningly clear. One: she didn’t know her best friend as well as she thought, because his smile masked the nature of a truly dangerous man. And two: she was completely and forever in love with him.
Chapter Ten
Colton forced his hands to unclench and his voice to remain calm. “Are you all right, Mel?”
She nodded, her eyes too wide in her too pale face. “Yes.”
Frustration swept through him, and he fought to keep calm. The sight of Mel’s frightened face would keep him up for nights. She shouldn’t be managing a ranch all by herself—accidents always happened.
He strode through the storm, grasped her arm, and began leading her back to the house. “Are you all right?” he asked, once he stepped onto the covered front porch.
“Me?” she laughed, the sound slightly off-kilter. “You’re bleeding.”
He wiped blood off his forehead. “Just a scratch.” Clearing his throat, he tried to stomp mud off his boots while tugging a clean bandana from his inside coat pocket to wipe his hands clean. “I, ah, need a shower.”
She stepped toward him, and he lifted an eyebrow. After what seemed like a small mental debate, she grabbed his destroyed shirt and tugged. Stretching up on her toes, her mouth slid against his.
Fire lashed through him so quickly he swayed. A million thoughts exploded at once, and he shut them down. Completely.
Groaning, he hauled her close and took over. The fear, the storm, the fury all comingled into raw need inside him. There were no more thoughts, no more uncertainties.
There was only this woman and this moment.
So he took both as deep as he could. He angled his mouth, and she drew a sharp breath, holding it.
Her lips softened beneath his as he explored her, learning her taste. Wild huckleberries and brandy? The most delicious combination in existence. She moaned deep in her throat, the sound sparking down his torso to his balls.
Her grip on him was strong and sure. He bent her, his hands full of woman. Brushing a hand across her firm ass, he shuddered. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted you?” Punctuating his words, he cupped a handful. Firm and tight, her flesh was better than he’d dreamed.
He shouldn’t have said that. But the connection between his mouth and brain had disappeared.
She sighed against him, pressing closer. “Hurry.”
“Hell, no.” He reached behind them to shove open the door, backing her inside. Heat blasted them. His hold tightened, and he lifted her to sit on the rugged entryway table, legs spread, shirt now muddy and wet.
The storm raged outside, rain clashing down past the cove
red porch. He kicked shut the door. Even so, the wildness inside him overtook any sense of caution. Of reality.
Letting go of any doubts, he fisted her hair and twisted, putting her right where he wanted her. She returned his kiss, gyrating against him, the calm Melanie turning into a wildcat.
Her nails bit into his coat. She unclenched her hold and released him in a primitive display of trust.
He wouldn’t let her fall. God, this was Melanie. He gentled his touch, leaning back. Slowly, he ran his knuckles across her smooth cheekbone. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed. The woman mattered, and he’d take care of her.
She blinked, freezing for a second. Then her eyes darkened, and she yanked on the hem of his coat and shirt, pulling both up and over his head. He ducked his head and allowed her to tear it off. The cold wind slapped his skin right before her warm palms slid across his pecs.
She breathed out and pinched his nipple.
He stilled. Heat spiraled through him, and he allowed himself one small breath. Control. He needed control. Glancing down at her upturned face through heavy lids, he felt the first snapping of it spinning away.
Her eyes were melted chocolate and glazed with need. He’d bruised her lips, and they pouted pink and gorgeous. But he needed to slow down and show her how much she meant to him.
Much more than he’d be willing to admit to either one of them.
Keeping her gaze, he slid a hand over her undulating abdomen and down into her yoga pants, not stopping until his fingers touched a very thin cotton barrier. Swallowing, he moved the material aside and found her.
Hot and wet, her soft skin almost dropped him to his knees. Tapping his fingers in place, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and lifted her. She slid both arms around his neck and pressed closer, her thighs hugging his hips, her core tilting against his hand. A soft moan of need escaped her, and his cock zipped to full attention.
Holding tight, he headed straight for the sofa to sit her on the back. A quick twist, and he yanked her shirt over her head.
Oh God. She was perfect.
Small, white, and sweet, her breasts tempted him. Teased him. He dropped and licked one pink nipple, circling the bud until it was hard as glass. The intimacy of the moment caught his breath.