Chapter Five

When Meadow paraded her horse around the ring wearing those skin-tight jeans and a tiny plaid country girl top, Colton could only shake his head. Why did he ever think some well-placed smacks on the ass would teach her a lesson?

Two guys paused in the shadow of the barn, watching her mount the mare and flick the reins with enough grace to make a grown man write love songs.

Colton knew better, though. They weren’t there to be impressed by Meadow’s skill with horses. They had their eyes all over her body.

“Marks. Webb.” He spoke their names as he passed by just so they knew he was on to them. Especially Webb. That son of a bitch had a thing for Meadow—Colton would bet his sidearm on it.

The pair jerked around. Colton grunted when he saw the deep black hue of the bruising beneath Webb’s eye and extending across his nose.

“Nasty bruise ya got.”

Glaring at him, Webb shifted his jaw but it must hurt enough to make him flinch.

“Fuck off, Nox.”

He lifted his jaw toward the training ring where Meadow was riding by in a small cloud of dust as if even the dirt couldn’t resist following the woman.

“You’re mighty invested in watching her.”

Webb spun on Colton, fists clenched.

Chest hammering with sudden adrenaline, he squared up to him. “Don’t think I don’t know what your motive is, asshole. If you lay a hand on her, I’ll give you a second black eye to match the first.”

Marks was a tall, lanky guy who stayed out of everyone’s business, from what Colton had seen. He took a step away from Webb, distancing himself.

Colton walked away, satisfied the guy had submitted to the real alpha on this ranch. Gracey didn’t know it yet, but Forest had. Colton had suspicions that Forest knew the ranch manager was a little too interested in his sister and sent Colton to fend him off the same way he’d fought off her attacker back at that high school party.

As he passed the training pen, he couldn’t help but glance over at Meadow. Her horse performed a perfect jump over a high bar. When it came down gracefully, Meadow scrunched her features in a display of discomfort.

He paused a moment, leaning against the fence, watching her closer. Then he realized he was the cause of her discomfort.

He’d struck her too hard. In his haze of anger that she took such risks with her safety, he’d not only lost control and spanked her but, caused her pain.

Goddamn if he didn’t want to bend her over his lap again.

His chest welled with that dark twist of desire that accompanied all of his unsuitable tendencies. What he wouldn’t give to inspect her plump, round ass in broad daylight to see if she bore his marks.

At that moment, she looked over. Their gazes locked for a beat too long. He broke contact first—something he’d never do with any man—and pushed away from the fence. In long strides, he reached the paddock, grabbed a horse and led it out into the field.

Riding came more naturally to him than he ever expected. This wasn’t his first time on a ranch, but he wouldn’t call himself a cowboy in any sense of the word.

Back in military school, one of the boys invited him to stay at his family’s ranch during holidays. The Texas spread wasn’t as impressive as this, though he’d learned fast to keep from looking inept.

As he galloped, he drank in deep pulls of fresh mountain air. The tang of pines and the loam of the earth flooded his senses.

Too bad none of it was as strong in his head as Meadow’s perfume. Or the luscious scent of her arousal.

In the cramped truck, he’d damn near drowned in that scent. It made his mouth water and his dick pulse with lust.

Riding grew difficult as his cock swelled again. He had to cut that woman from his mind—she wasn’t for him.

He navigated the fence line, inspecting the herd to make sure they were all healthy and happy as he was taught by Marks. The guys told him to keep an eye out for late calves. As he slowed the horse, he picked out one pregnant heifer from the rest of the herd.

According to Forest, the horses were the main income source of the ranch, but Angus beef was nothing to scoff at. From what Forest said, he thought his father was missing out by not concentrating more on this side of the business. Horses required training, boarding and money dumped into them before they turned a profit.

Cows were different.

Riding the fence to the very end of the line, he inspected every head of cattle there. His friend had talked about this part of the ranch often, especially how the pasture led down to a beautiful pond fed by a mountain spring.

The nostalgia of the talks he shared with the friend he missed so much pushed Colton to keep riding.

Where the fence ends, look down over the hill. The land curves to the left. The pond is there.

Inflating his lungs, he pushed on. As soon as he spotted the small pool shimmering silvery-blue, he paused at the top of the ridge to gaze out over the landscape. Imagining Forest here was easy.

It also caused a lot of pain.

He couldn’t even imagine what Meadow and her father must feel like, living and working where Forest had once thrived, laughed and enjoyed life.

His friend had embraced anything that brought him joy. He always had a smile on his face and often commented that Colton rarely smiled.

The excuse that he had less to smile about didn’t fly. Forest had lost a parent during his formative years. Colton’s parents were alive and well—he just didn’t want to associate with them any more than they tried to understand him.

A low moaning noise of an animal in pain sounded from somewhere behind him. He automatically turned the horse away from the view to go inspect the noise.

As he peered at the cattle grouped together, foraging in the tall grass, he spotted a black hump on the ground.

“Damn!” It might be nothing. Or it might be one of the brooding heifers.

He brought the horse to a halt and slid from the saddle. He knew the gelding he rode wouldn’t go far and a mere whistle would bring him back, so he didn’t bother to tie it.

The fence wasn’t electrified in this part of the ranch, so he was able to scale it and drop into the pasture. Luckily, the cows were desensitized to the humans who fed them, and they didn’t pay him any mind.

Swiftly, he hurried to the downed cow. It wasn’t unusual for one to lie down and sleep, but he could tell by the awkward way it listed to the side that nothing about this was natural.

He moved up to its side and leaned over it. The cow strained its neck forward, tongue out, and issued another of those long moaning sounds.

She must be hurt.

Or calving.

The huge bulge of her abdomen seemed to ripple. Placing a hand on her sun-warmed hide, Colton felt the contraction roll through her.

Crouching in front of the huge beast, he contemplated his options. Ride for help. A second opinion would be welcome in this situation that he knew little about. But asking the other hands for advice rankled.

He was a goddamn SEAL. He delivered enemies to the gates of hell. Watching nature take its course when it came to a cow should be nothing.

Only Forest talked about how calving wasn’t always foolproof. Often he and his father spent long, sleepless nights in the field assisting a birth so they didn’t lose the calf, mother or both.

Life meant a different thing out here. On those ops he and Forest fought in, they protected life in a much different way.

“Hey!”

The call came from the fence. He jerked around and his gut bottomed out even as it burned with arousal at the sight of the red plaid shirt. From here, he couldn’t make out the tanned band of flesh of Meadow’s flat stomach, but his cock sure knew it was there.

She cupped her hand around her mouth so her voice would carry. “You good?”

He pushed out of his crouch and stared at her, torn between asking for her help and telling her to go home and lock herself in her bedroom where he couldn’t get to her.

As he looked on, she settled a boot on the bottom rail of the fence and launched over it, landing with the same grace her horse had after that jump.

With each step she took toward Colton, his gut tightened until she stood before him and it was a total knot.

Did her eyes have to be blue enough to match the summer sky? Did she have to give him that innocent look half-filled with what he knew must be desire?

“The cow’s in labor.” His tone came out rough, as it always did around her.

Forest’s kid sister. He had to keep reminding himself of that. But fixing that image of Meadow—freckled and gangly in youth—would not stay in his head no matter how much he tried.

To him, she was stunning. Sexy. And fucking perfect.

At that moment, the cow released another moo that rumbled with pain.

She hovered over the cow. “Roll up your sleeves, cowboy. We’re going to need those long arms of yours to help deliver this calf.”

He arched a brow.

“I’m serious, Colton. This cow’s in trouble. She needs help. My guess is that the baby is probably turned the wrong way or the legs are trapped in her pelvis.”

Her factual manner of speaking had him stripping off the chambray shirt he wore.

She froze. “What’s that?” Her whisper burned with pain.

He went still. “What’s what?”

“That. On your shirt.” She pointed at the pocket. Two initials were hand-embroidered on the pocket, small and patterned in black thread. He was surprised she saw the letters at all.

Throat working, he stared at the stitches that formed the letters F and G.

“That’s Forest’s shirt.”

Colton’s gaze flashed to hers. He could only nod.

“Why do you have it?”

He rolled his shoulders, wishing he could escape her questioning.

The spark of tears in her big baby blues made him want to run farther.

Her hand moved toward him. Realizing she was about to touch the initials on his chest, he whipped the shirt off, balled it up and tossed it a short distance away in the grass.

He hit his knees beside the cow again. “What comes next?”

She knelt beside him, close enough for him to catch a whiff of her perfume that would be driving him to distraction long into the night and cause him to toss and turn in his bunk.

Her stare burned into him. “Why are you wearing Forest’s shirt?”

“Because it felt right to take it from his personal belongings.”

“Do you know who embroidered his initials on it?”

His eyes blurred until all he could see was the black hide of the cow they needed to help but weren’t. “Who?”

“I did.”

He jerked his head to look at her. “Let’s deliver this calf.”

“Colton—”

“Not now, Meadow. We’ll talk about your brother later.”

“All right, but when? You’ve been avoiding me.”

He refused to let her catch his gaze. Refused to acknowledge how her nearness affected him.

If he was going to share the ranch with Forest’s little sister, Colton must continue to avoid her too.

And he sure as hell would not be ordering her to lower her jeans so he could see if she bore his palm prints on her supple ass.

* * * * *

“One more pull! Yes! You got this!” Meadow’s excited voice bounced around the field.

Her urging for him to keep going, to pull harder on the rope she’d managed to tie around the calf’s small legs, infected him with excitement too.

She positioned herself beside the cow, one hand on its side in a comforting manner while she watched Colton dig in his heels and haul with all his might.

“That’s it! That’s it! Yes!” Her cry ended on a bubble of laughter as the calf burst free of its mother and he dragged it a foot across the grass.

Before he let go of the rope to check for proof of life, Meadow tore off a twist of grass and used it to brush the fluid from the baby’s nostrils. Its chest heaved once or twice before she cleared its nose enough for it to suck air.

“Woooo!” Meadow tossed away the soiled grass and swiped her forearm across her forehead.

Colton’s chest heaving, he scrambled to his haunches and observed the calf. Sure enough, it was breathing on its own. It would probably survive.

The momma rocked, readying herself to stand.

He threw out an arm to protect Meadow. “Get back!”

She scrambled to her feet and he did too. They stood back, watching the momma gain her feet and stand, wobbly-legged, for a minute or two. When she twisted her neck and began cleaning her calf, Meadow issued another joyous laugh.

He just knew he’d replay that sound in his head over and over again.

If he could keep his hand off his cock while he did, it would be a miracle. That noise edged into his system in a way nothing else ever had.

Her face lit with the miracle of what they’d just done. As their gazes connected, her smile faded just a hint, but the warmth in her eyes built into a blaze.

“You’re covered in birthing fluid.” He hoped his statement knocked that look she was giving him right off her beautiful face, but she only tossed her head on another laugh, blonde hair rippling down her spine.

“So are you.”

Flies buzzed. The humidity today was off the charts, and he was sweating from the work it took to pull that calf in conjunction with the effect of Meadow’s close proximity.

Before he could order her to go back to the barn, she whirled and took off at a run for the fence.

What the hell? The woman was insane.

She vaulted over it and whistled for her horse she’d left cropping grass. It picked its head up and trotted to her. She shimmied into the saddle and took off for the ridge—and the slope leading down to that pond.

He froze. He didn’t actually know that she was going there. She might know a different route back to the ranch.

Looking between the cow and her baby and the place where Meadow had disappeared, he felt a stab of indecision. Something he never experienced.

His squadron needed someone to step up? Colton leaped to action without even a beat of pause.

But deciding whether or not to go after a woman he wanted above anything else in the world was not easy.

Going would be suicide.

Not going would kill him.

Assured that the calf was fine, he ran for the fence. In seconds, he was on horseback too, riding down the slope. In the distance, he saw the small form that was Meadow approaching the silver disc of water cut into the earth.

She was an experienced rider on a fast horse, so there was no reaching the pond before she did.

When he got only a few steps away, his tongue dried out.

She was already half undressed. She’d abandoned her top on the ground, her bra too. Her boots lay in the grass, tipped where she kicked them off.

As he looked on, she shoved her jeans and panties down her body, and totally naked, walked to the water’s edge and dove in.

His heart stopped. Did she even know if the water was deep enough for diving? With a lump in his throat, he watched the ripples of the water for sight of her head breaking the surface.

It seemed too long for her to be under. Hitching up his leg, he yanked off his boot and then the other. He was half naked when she broke the surface on a gasp of pure delight.

Her tanned arms cut through the water in a side stroke. And her gaze was upon him.

Just then, she stopped swimming and slowly rose from the water. Her lovely shoulders and bare breasts emerged. Her blonde hair was dark like honey.

He stopped breathing. She was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.

She tossed him a smile that sent his heart into a sputter before she took off again, cutting through the water.

He didn’t remove his clothes or attempt to get in. As much as he’d love to rid himself of the filth of pulling that calf and the sweat clinging to every crevice of his body, he knew better than to skinny-dip with Meadow.

Suddenly, she flipped onto her stomach and he was given a perfect view of her bruised ass skimming along the surface.

His cock jerked behind his fly, and he suppressed a moan.

Looking away was impossible. It was as if the Devil himself pinned Colton in place and refused to let him even close his eyes against the tormenting sight.

Her pale skin displayed his handprint so well.

This time, she flipped again, onto her back, giving him a view of the rest of her.

Firm body floating on the ripples, the points of her nipples beaded to two tiny buds perfect for a man to take between his teeth. Her abs were toned and strong from riding horses.

And the cleft of her bare pussy between those long, long legs made his mouth water for a taste. Heart racing, he took a step toward the water’s edge and stopped himself before he dove in and took her right there.

She twisted her face to look at him.

All at once, he saw what she was doing. She might even have planned this all along.

In the distance, the trees and mountains surrounded them, cutting them off from the world. There would be nobody to stop him from claiming her virginity. Only the big Montana sky would serve as witness.

Next to the shore, beyond a screen of reeds, soft grass grew. He could lay her down on that and hold her firm body against him and claim her mouth.

He would devour her, drinking the clean water from her skin before making her scream his name.

He sank into a daydream—not of battle this time, but of how Meadow would look spread out for him on the grass, all perfect, tanned skin gleaming under the sun. Her breasts would taste so sweet as he drove into her.

Though he could also position her on her knees and take her from behind, leaving more handprints across her ass.

But he would not be played. Especially by a woman who didn’t care about how her actions might impact others.

Forest told her to save herself for someone who loved her.

Colton would never be that man.

Never could.