Wolf Ranch Boxed Set - Books 4 - 6

Chapter 5

5

BECKY

Well, crap on a cracker.

After tugging my mitten off with my teeth, I pulled out my cell from my purse and called in to work. As it rang, I took in the snow that had fallen overnight. Not much, but enough to add another inch to the last round. It was flipping cold out, and I stomped my booted feet on the driveway as I stared at my car.

“Talia, hey, it’s Becky,” I said when a fellow nurse answered in the labor and delivery department. “Look, I’ve got a flat tire, and I’m going to be late.”

My driver’s side tire had been slashed. It had been obvious when I’d come down the walk, seeing the car off kilter, and even more obvious when the cut was on the side wall. No nail ever punctured that part.

I needed only one guess who’d done it. Todd, my deranged ex.

Yes, Todd. Slashing my tires will definitely make me come back to you.

“That sucks,” she replied. “Don’t worry. It’s quiet now. Only one patient, only four centimeters dilated, so you’re good.”

I sighed in relief, my breath coming out in a white cloud. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I hung up, tucked my phone away and went around to the trunk to find the jack and the spare. There was no way I was driving anywhere right now, and no way I could afford a tow truck to help.

I stomped my foot on the ground again, this time in total frustration. Why couldn’t Todd just leave me alone? Sign the f*****g papers and move on with his life? What guy wanted to be with a woman who didn’t want to be with him?

I’d met Todd when I’d worked as a nurse in the ICU at a hospital in Billings. It had been my second job out of school. I’d been warned about dating a doctor, but I’d fallen for Todd’s attention and charm. He’d been sweet even. Told me everything I wanted to hear. Growing up with parents who considered me their accident, I’d craved love. Looking back, it was so obvious how desperate I’d been. How stupid. But Todd had been good, though. Manipulative. Twisted. Cutting me off from friends, deciding which shifts I worked. Hell, even which department I worked in. Little by little, he’d chipped away at my independence.

I hadn’t even noticed as it happened, adapting as best I could to keep him happy. In love with me. Until he hit me. Only once. Sure, it was a d**k move, but I was actually thankful for it. It was literally the slap in the face I needed to wake up and catch on to the shitshow that was my life.

He’d gone out to drink after blaming me for making him angry enough to hit me. I’d quickly packed my car with whatever I could fit and left him that night. I’d gone to an attorney, got divorce papers started.

Almost two years later, I lived two towns over and on my own, yet I was in the same f*****g situation. Still married to the asshole who refused to sign. Who went before the judge and threw out all kinds of s**t to drag it out. To drag out the costly expense for my lawyer. At this point, I had no doubt my bills would be putting her son through college.

I huffed and kicked the flat tire as I thought about having to pay for Todd’s school loans. Being married still meant being legally tied to Todd’s debts. It had been one thing to float him as he finished his residency while I worked, but another to pay his bills now when we hadn’t lived together for years.

“Fucker,” I muttered. I hadn’t seen him in months, not since the last court visit when I had to argue that the new granite countertops he’d had installed at his house, in my name, were not my financial responsibility.

And now this.

I put the jack under the car and managed to pump it until the carriage lifted enough for me to get the wheel off the ground. Then I put the lug wrench on one of the lug nuts and turned it counter-clockwise. Correction. I tried to turn the damn thing counter-clockwise, but it literally wouldn’t budge. It was hard to grip with my mittens on, and I wasn’t strong enough to get it to move. Not even an inch.

I was sweating beneath my heavy winter gear from the strain.

I ignored the sound of a car pulling up the street. I’d never been one to play a helpless female. Yeah, a decent guy would stop if they saw a woman trying to change a tire. Especially in this small Montana town. But I wasn’t going to flag someone down or anything. I could figure this out on my own. I was used to dealing with s**t by myself.

The car stopped, even though I didn’t think I was visible from the road. I heard a door slam and the sound of a heavy pair of boots packing down the snow. I peeked around the side of the car, and my heart skipped a little.

Clint. All six feet plus of him.

My sexy cowboy was here to check up on me. No, not my sexy cowboy. Just a super sexy, bossy, sexually potent and skilled, cowboy. He had on sturdy leather work boots, jeans and a thick coat. He wore his cowboy hat, even in twenty-degree weather. His hands were bare, and I doubted he felt the least bit cold. I was sweating now for an entirely different reason.

It was his dark stare that took in every inch of me that had me licking my lips.

He might have the most impeccable timing imaginable. If I wasn’t happy to see him because of it, I’d wonder why he was here in the first place.

He was quick on the uptake because he was already taking in my tire with narrowed eyes.

I cleared my throat. “Hey. What are you—”

“Someone slashed that?” he barked, cutting me off. Like he was pissed off. No, more like he was going to kill someone over it.

It immediately reminded me of the punch he’d taken to the nose at Cody’s. How he hadn’t even winced when he’d been hit or when I’d set it later. He hadn’t even shown anger, really. He’d just delivered his form of justice—swift and sure—by lifting the loser by his neck right off his feet which showed how strong Clint was. Unusual. Most guys would have decked a guy right back. But no, Clint had just shown the guy his strength. The potential for harm. He left my would-be suitor practically scrambling home to his mama.

“Yep,” I said, standing up and setting my hand on the car window since I was lightheaded. f**k, for a second there, I’d forgotten I was pregnant. I hadn’t been nauseated yet this morning. s**t. I shouldn’t have been doing the stupid tire.

“Any idea who did this?” he asked, looking around as if Todd lurked behind the bushes.

It was tempting to tell him everything. Maybe unleash that protective streak he seemed to have for me, having him go all Incredible Hulk on Todd. Boy, that would have been awesome.

But no.

That would complicate things even more. If I thought Todd was making my life hell now, I could only imagine what he’d do if he thought I was dating someone. He still considered me his, and getting a guy into the mix, even one as big and brawny and who could clearly take care of himself as Clint, was just stupid. I had no idea what kind of spin Todd would put on it before a judge. I was already desperate to get our divorce finished before he discovered I was pregnant.

I shrugged. “Probably some neighborhood kids.”

He c****d his head, searching my face like he didn’t believe me, but then took the tire iron from my hand. He stood so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. He brushed his finger over my cheek. “Go wait inside where it’s warm. I’ll get this changed for you and get you on your way.”

That bossiness again.

I didn’t know why it was so damn sexy coming from him. It was the complete opposite of Todd who was manipulative. A gas-lighter. Always making me feel like I screwed up and needed to scramble to fix my mistakes.

Clint hadn’t suggested I couldn’t fix the tire on my own, only said he’d do it for me. Somehow, he made me feel like I was perfect, and he’d take care of everything.

I wasn’t sure he’d still think that if and when he found out I hid my pregnancy from him. Our pregnancy. God, that sounded strange.

I let him nudge me toward my door and went inside, taking the opportunity to get some more food in me before I got queasy. That was the trick with morning sickness—never let your stomach get empty. It was counter-intuitive because I’d learned the hard way once I felt sick, I sure as hell didn’t want to eat anything, but eating down the nausea was the only thing that worked.

I kept a sleeve of crackers in my purse at all times, but since I was still at home, I fixed myself a second piece of toast with avocado mashed on top. When I wasn’t nauseated, I was ready to eat for ten. I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

I ate the toast quickly, but it wasn’t quick enough because a knock at the door indicated Clint was already done. I swore that guy was so manly he made the Marlboro Man look weak.

I threw open the door just as he was about to knock again.

“All set,” he said. His gaze raked over me in my pink scrubs beneath my opened coat. “You’ll have to get a new set of tires for the front. I called Bishop’s, and they should be able to hook you up this morning if you have time to stop there now on your way to work.”

Two new tires. Yay! Not.

“Thanks, I do,” I said calmly. It wasn’t his fault I was wasting my money on things I shouldn’t even need. “I really appreciate your help. It was really nice of you to stop.”

He stood in the doorway and watched as I zipped up my coat and grabbed my purse then locked up. I followed him out to my car.

“Guess you must be feeling better,” he said, turning to face me, like he wanted to make small talk. Like he didn’t want me to leave.

Oh God, this guy. I wished he wasn’t so damn sweet, not that I’d tell him that to his face.

I glanced up at him and smiled. He smiled back. Oh s**t, was that a dimple in his scruffy cheek? My stomach flip flopped and not from morning sickness. What was he doing hanging with me when he had a hot grocery-store-shopping girlfriend? No, she was family, but there were hot, single women all over Cooper Valley eager to nab a hot cowboy like him.

“Much better,” I said when I realized he was waiting for a response instead of me staring at him. “Promise not to puke on you today. So how was your, um, family thing, that you went to with your cousin?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Shelby. My cousin, yes.” We stood beside my car. He advanced, like a hunter stalking his prey, backing me against my door and caging me in. One hand was on the roof, the other at my hip over my thick coat.

“You weren’t—you know—a little bit jealous when you thought she was my girlfriend, were you?” A dark brow winged up as he waited.

I let out an exaggerated pfft and stared at his Adam’s apple. Even that was manly. “What?” I blinked, and I knew my cheeks turned bright pink. I could feel the heat of it in the frigid air. “No. I mean, you and I… we hooked up one time, months ago. Of course, you’ve had other women since.”

Oh God. Why was I prying into this? I really, really didn’t want to hear the answer because if there were others just as pretty as Shelby, I might have to crawl back in bed and throw the covers over my head for… forever.

He shook his head slowly, a little smirk playing on his lips. I remembered how those lips had felt against mine, how he kissed. Wild. Potent. God, he’d been as into it as I had that night.

Okay, maybe I did want to hear. I had to know.

“No one?” Those two words sounded way too hopeful.

His face moved closer to mine until our lips were centimeters apart. I heard him take a deep breath and… growled?

“No one,” he swore. He smelled of cinnamon and a scent I remembered as… Clint. Some kind of soap because he wasn’t the kind of guy who wore—or needed—cologne.

My n*****s hardened beneath all my layers as if my body remembered him.

I wasn’t going to kiss him. I definitely had a plan to actively avoid doing anything resembling kissing with Clint. I had a plan to actively avoid Clint, but that wasn’t working.

I stared at that mouth. “Then you haven’t… with anyone… since we—”

“Nope.”

With that one word from his lips, I went up on my tiptoes. That was all it took for my lips to encounter his. As if the devil himself was pushing me up with a nudge from Hell.

And, oh damn, a kiss never felt so good. Because the moment I made contact, Clint took over, kissing me aggressively, plowing his tall, firm body into mine and pressing me against the car. One of his thighs slid between mine, and I rocked my pubis down on it, finding friction for my clit as he slanted his mouth with a searing intensity.

I had no idea how long we made out in my driveway, but I was sure all the snow around us had melted by the heat we were putting off.

“Clint!” The startled cry came out of my mouth when we broke apart, our breathing ragged.

I may have initiated, but hell, I’d surprised myself, and then, he’d surprised me even more with his response.

Damn, did we have chemistry. We might be the definition of chemistry.

But no matter how wet that kiss made my panties, getting involved with Clint would be a major, major complication right now.

And the pregnancy muddled things too much. When I’d decided not to tell him about the baby, it was because I never really expected to see him again. But twice in less than twenty-four hours was proving I’d been stupid. And the kiss? He’d been just as into it as I was. That was a really big problem. Now, not telling him about the baby made me out to be… a total b***h.

But I didn’t want to rush into a new relationship when I hadn’t signed the papers on the old one. Sure, the stupid divorce had been in the works for years, so it wasn’t rushing, but it wasn’t over. The tire proved it. I still had to deal with Todd.

On paper, I was married!

When Clint learned I was pregnant with his child? Well, he seemed like the kind of guy who’d want to “do right by me and the baby” and marry me before I gave birth. Just like with my parents. I’d been an accident and so was the baby I carried. I refused to be an obligation. He wouldn’t want me to have a bastard. He’d probably be all chivalrous and save my reputation or some old-fashioned crap like that. That was what made my parents’ lives miserable.

One thing I knew for sure—I wasn’t rushing into marriage again. And definitely not for the wrong reasons. Not even with a guy as hot and d**k-skilled at Clint.

The longer I stood here with my lips tingling from Clint’s kisses and the need to beg for more of them, the worse this was going to get.

“Clint, listen.” I set my hand on his chest. His rock hard, broad chest. Bad move! “I really like you—a lot.”

His brow furrowed, wariness replacing the lust I’d seen there a moment ago.

I rushed on before I could take the words back. Because God only knew, I didn’t want to say them. “We obviously share a mutual attraction.”

He frowned.

“But I’m married.”

Clint reared back as if I’d punched him. “What?”

I glanced around to see if his roar brought out the neighbors. The word sliced through me like a hot wire, leaving me in two pieces—the one piece that desperately wanted to take my words back and the other that knew this was the right thing to do.

I swallowed. “Separated two years ago but still legally married,” I explained because I didn’t want him to think I was a cheater. “I’m not… not an adulterer. I’d have been divorced eighteen months ago if Todd hadn’t blocked all my petitions.”

I looked down at the wet driveway. It almost hurt to see the look on his face now.

“So, you see, I’m not really in a position to enter a relationship or keep kissing you. Whatever you want to label it. It’s just... bad timing for me.”

When he didn’t say anything for a long time, I glanced up. His expression changed to stormy. “Bad timing,” he repeated, taking another step back. His hands clenched into fists then released. Over and over. I didn’t get the impression he was trying not to punch me, but it seemed like he was holding himself back from grabbing me. Holding me close. “Definitely.”

I swallowed the urge to apologize. Sorry wasn’t going to fix this—it just was what it was.

I’d done the right thing. We couldn’t get involved now. My life and world were far too complicated, and Todd was going to continue to ruin everything. I had to wonder if I was divorced now, if Todd had signed, if I wouldn’t push Clint away. If I would tell him about the baby. Too many ifs.

As Clint tipped his cowboy hat at me and walked to his truck, I knew the answer would be yes. I felt the strange urge to cry at the loss of something that never really got started.

That was the hormones talking.

It wasn’t real.

Just like this thing between me and Clint could never be real.