Chapter Eight

The minute Colton saw Meadow come into the bar, he set down his drink. It was impossible not to watch while she rubbed her sexy body all over that asshole on the dance floor.

He might have continued to do nothing. After all, the woman was grown. Despite what Forest asked of him, Meadow shouldn’t need looking after.

But when the guy took her outside, Colton peeled Gabby’s hands off him and went after her, ready to take matters into his own hands.

Now she was shaking like a leaf in a stiff mountain wind, looking up at him with those big, frightened eyes.

His chest heaved as he stared down at her beautiful, pale face. Goddamn her for taking risks.

On the ground behind him, the guy who’d laid his hands on her, and continued to grope her even after she yelled at him to stop, let out a pained moan.

Meadow tried to peer over Colton’s shoulder, but he gripped the dainty point of Meadow’s chin and held her firmly in place. “You don’t want to see that, Meadow.”

She let out a quiet whimper.

The sound set him in motion. Grasping her by the arm, he took off at a fast pace across the parking lot.

“Where is your vehicle?” he demanded.

“W-why?”

“I’m going to drive you home.”

“Why don’t we take your truck?”

He couldn’t risk another scene in his truck like the last. The memory of yanking her across that console and spanking her bare ass was too damn fresh in his mind to take any chances.

She dug in her heels, trying to drag him to a stop. He whipped around, his chest hot and tight with anger and lust and something he never wanted to think about. A feeling that he’d only experienced that one time when he saw what was about to happen to his best friend.

Fear.

Locking his arms around Meadow’s waist, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her, kicking and shrieking, to the end of the parking lot. There, he spotted the black truck with the Gracey Ranch brand logo on the side.

When he set her on her feet, he might have been a little too rough, but she was a tough woman, despite all her childish behavior.

“Give me the keys.”

She jerked her jaw up a notch. “No way.”

He braced a palm on the truck and leaned close enough to her that he caught her scent—the perfume she wore and that tang of female. And sweat that probably came from almost being forced against her will for a second time in her life.

His lips hovered even closer to hers. He detected her quick inhalation of breath but did not kiss her.

He would not.

“Give me the keys. Now.”

“Frisk me for them.”

His gut tumbled with desire he refused to acknowledge further. “You have no idea what you’re asking for, little girl.”

Those words got her. She dug in the front of her jeans and thrust a key fob at him. He took them and walked her to the passenger door, forcing her in.

They drove halfway to the ranch before he realized how wonderful the silence was.

If Meadow Gracey wasn’t talking, she must be fuming with anger.

He swung his gaze to her and found sparks glittering in her eyes.

“You can’t ignore me forever, Colton.”

“Try me.”

“I’m not a little girl.”

“Then quit acting like one.”

She remained silent the rest of the trip. At the ranch she jumped out of the truck, and he leaped after her to take her by the arm.

She attempted to shake him off. Darkness closed in on them, making him even more aware of her standing so close.

Fucking hell, he wanted her.

Her plump lips called to him. The urge to claim them for his own and wipe away any trace of the man who’d been forcing himself on her shook him to the core.

Her lips parted on a soft puff of air.

“I can walk to the house by myself.” Despite her strong words, her voice wobbled.

“I’m making sure you actually go inside. And lock the door.”

To keep me out.

“I’m not going back to the bar tonight. I’m going to stay home.”

“Safe and unmolested like you should have been all along.” He reached out and hooked a finger beneath the hem of her short shorts. “When are you going to learn your lesson, Meadow? When are you going to start acting like the responsible woman Forest expected you to be?”

She sucked in a gasp. When she lifted a hand to slap him, he was faster and grabbed her by the wrist.

“Let me go!”

“I’m making sure you go to bed—and stay there.” Before she could fight him, he picked her up and carried her to the back door. He knew from the ranch hands it was typically left unlocked, and it was now. He pushed his way through it and hurried inside.

“Which way’s your room?”

“Put me down!”

“Tell me which way or I’ll—” He stopped short of telling her he’d warm her ass cheeks with the palm of his hand for a second time.

He couldn’t risk that temptation ever again.

“Fine, I’ll kick open every door until I find it,” he growled.

Reaching the first door, he made good on that promise, slamming his boot into the wood.

The splintered destruction echoed through the hallway.

“Stop! Daddy will kill me if all the doors are busted! My room’s at the other side of the house—last door!”

He took off in long strides. The faster he reached her room, the faster he’d be able to go to the bunkhouse and shower away the feel of her in his arms.

Who was he kidding? Not even ice-cold water could stop him from taking his hard cock in hand and stroking it over and over until he spurted hot streams of cum for her.

Thank Christ it didn’t take long to find her room. When he threw open the door, it banged off the inner wall. He stomped to the bed and dropped her on it.

She started to scrabble up, but he hovered over her.

Fuck.It was so tempting to kiss her right now. He could almost fucking taste her sweet, sweet lips.

He wanted to dive between her legs and thrust his tongue into her honeyed center until she bucked against him.

He would make her come for him, over and over, and show her what it meant to be a well-loved woman.

Shoving away from her, he let out a noise of disgust that had her shrinking back like a threat never would.

Barely resisting temptation, he strode to the door. Before he cleared the doorway, she called out, “Not going to spank me for being bad again?”

He whipped around, more turned on with each throbbing heartbeat. “No. Bad little girls who like to be spanked get put in time-out.” He grabbed the door handle and shut the door.

At the back door, he made sure to lock it. He had to keep himself out of her room—her bed. His cock ached. His balls throbbed. Hell, he was leaking precum, he wanted that woman so goddamn much.

He stormed into the bunkhouse and already had his phone in hand, Ross Wynton’s contact pulled up.

Luckily, the bunkhouse was empty, the guys still down at Badlands. The phone rang twice before Ross picked up.

“Nox. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you tonight.”

“Is the offer still good?” His chest heaved.

A beat of silence followed, then Ross said, “Absolutely. We’d love to have you on our team.”

“I can’t stay here.” He ripped the hat off his head and threw it on the floor. “I have to get out of here.”

“I get the feeling it’s not because they let you go.”

“No.” His voice was gravel. “I can’t be here. My buddy’s sister—” He broke off, struggling hard, fingers biting into the phone he gripped.

“I think I see.” Ross’s tone edged into Colton’s psyche.

It cut.

It injured.

He didn’t like being judged by someone he respected. He didn’t like looking like a failure. Hell, he didn’t even know Ross well enough to share, yet right now, he needed a listening ear.

His throat worked. “I have feelings for Meadow that I shouldn’t. Forest…he didn’t want this.”

“Nox. I hear what you’re saying, but did it ever occur to you that Forest wanted you to be with Meadow?”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “No way. I’m going to leave as soon as possible. But first, I have to tell her father.”

* * * * *

Meadow let out a low groan as pain stabbed her temples. This time she wasn’t going to be so lucky, getting off without a hangover. She knew better than to drink tequila.

The heavy throb behind her eyes exaggerated the sick knot in her stomach.

She deserved whatever she got. Colton was right—she should act like the woman Forest expected her to be.

So what was the matter with her? She could blame her behavior in her teen years on losing her mother young. But a decade had passed, and it was time to grow up and act accordingly.

Slowly, she cracked open an eye. Luckily, her blinds were closed against the bright rays of sun that would shoot directly into the back of her skull. Long minutes ticked by as she replayed the events of the previous night.

Seeing the man she wanted with Gabby had set her off.

No, that was no excuse either.

She had to get her life together. For Forest, for her baby sister Ivy who couldn’t bring herself to even come home to this broken godforsaken family with a brother who was dead, a father who’d hidden his emotions behind a mask for the past decade…and a fucked-up sister.

What was Meadow doing with her life? She didn’t contribute to the ranch at all. She’d taken off far too many days from training horses. That didn’t help the ranch’s bottom line when they depended on getting top dollar at auction.

At some point, she began seeking attention—negative attention was better than no attention. She knew she wasn’t the person she portrayed. The girl who drank too much and put herself in dangerous situations.

Forest had been concerned about her. That both stung and left her heart weeping even more for his loss. Out of anybody in the world, she only had her brother.

That didn’t excuse her behavior. Her family had a reputation to uphold—three generations’ worth—and she was dragging it down each time she stepped foot in Badlands with a bad attitude and worse behavior.

She never should have gone there last night. Looking for Colton had led to even more trouble. Now the man only saw her as an immature kid who needed punished…when all she was looking for was love.

A tear leaked from the corner of her eye to wet her pillow. Another fell in rapid succession.

She had no one in this world. Her mother could never come into Meadow’s room and sit on the edge of her bed, talking for hours about these things. Her father cut himself off from a world of pain. Her little sister was on the run from life…and Forest…

Well, he’d brought Colton to her, hadn’t he?

Why? What was that man supposed to do to help them? He refused to even speak to Meadow unless she provoked him beyond reason. Even if he sat down with her, what were the chances that he’d actually talk about Forest?

She let out a sniffle and got out of bed. She was finished feeling so low. Done making mistakes. From this moment on, she would do better.

After a quick shower and slugging down a couple of pain pills with strong coffee, she donned her hat and boots and went outside to face the new day.

As soon as she neared the barn, she heard voices coming from within. One voice she recognized as Zach Webb’s. The other sent tingles directly to her stomach.

Colton’s rough tone tore through her senses, but what he said turned her blood to ice. “When is Gracey coming back? I need to speak to him.”

“Not for another few days. He’s known to stay at these conferences a while, talking to other ranchers and making connections to better the business.”

“Can’t wait that long. Can you give me his number?”

“What’s so damn urgent, Nox? You sick of working hard for a living?”

A deadly heartbeat followed. Then Colton’s tone came out even rougher. “You son of a bitch. You know nothing of hard work. You’ve been in nursery school compared to what I’ve seen and done for my country.”

Meadow shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Just tell me what you need and I’ll take care of it.” Zach’s tone held an edge of tension too. He’d always been fair to everyone on this ranch. He was nice to Meadow, sometimes bending over backward to help her, and the way he was treating Colton surprised her.

“That’s my business. I’ll just have to wait until Gracey gets back.”

Dread wove through Meadow. Was he going to run to her daddy and tattle on her for what she’d done in the bar? She couldn’t let that happen—her father was in no state of mind to handle another thing when it came to his family.

Before she realized that the conversation between Zach and Colton had ended, Colton appeared in the doorway. At the sight of her, he stopped dead in his tracks. Then he let out a grunt and took off walking so fast that she didn’t know if she could catch up to him without running.

But she had to try.

She whirled and took off after him. Each thump of her boots on the ground jarred her tender head, but she endured the punishment and pushed on.

“Wait!”

He didn’t stop, only rounded the corner of the barn.

Meadow jogged faster. “Colton, stop!”

He did, so abruptly that she would have plowed into him if she hadn’t skidded to a halt soon enough. They faced each other.

Her chest heaved. “Are you planning on telling my father about what happened down at Badlands?”

His stare arrowed straight to her heart. “No. I’m not.”

She melted in relief but tried not to let him see her reaction. “What do you need him for then?”

“As I’m sure you heard me tell Webb when you were eavesdropping, it’s my business. Now I’ve got work to do.”

He left her standing there, gaping after him, feeling dumb and small. The wind cut across the field, bringing notes of fresh pine off the mountain and carrying the noises of the cattle pastured there.

Well, she could stand here feeling sorry for herself or she could do something with her life. Starting now, she would be an asset to the ranch. Her strength lay with the horses, so she’d start there. Then maybe after she proved her worth to her father, he’d let her in on other operations. He might let her talk to the strangers who stopped by regularly asking for him.

Trying to forget Colton and the way his eyes blazed when he looked at her, she turned and headed to the paddock. She spent the rest of the morning training two different horses. One was more advanced than the other—proof that she wasn’t doing her job and needed to step up her game.

When afternoon rolled around, her appetite returned. Sitting alone at the kitchen table was too depressing, so she decided to pack a bagged lunch and ride out to her favorite spot on the ranch to eat.

She didn’t mind the solitude, but often she was lonely. When her father was around, he put up with her chatter the way fathers indulged young daughters—only she wasn’t young anymore.

The ranch hands were too busy and polite to tell her to get lost. Her few girlfriends had lives of their own and jobs to occupy their time.

With a sigh, she settled on the crest of the hill overlooking the ranch. The sky seemed low with clouds that rolled in since that morning. In the far distance, she saw the bottoms of the clouds were tinged with gray, as if ready to let loose with rain. She had just enough time to eat and get home before it poured on her.

She tucked her knees up to her chest and pulled the ham and cheese sandwich out of her bag. As kids, she and her siblings used to come here for picnics with their mom. Those were such good days, spent eating and hunting for four-leaf clovers.

It wasn’t until much later that her mother told her that clover didn’t grow in that field—she’d only sent her offspring to find the rare plant so she could get a bit of peace.

Now, the thought made her smile. Raising three kids with so little input from her husband must have been difficult. Maybe she was even as lonely as Meadow was now.

The pickles she’d added to the sandwich, just like her mother made it, meant Meadow enjoyed the day more. She polished off her food and crumpled the wrappers to stuff in the saddlebag for the trip home.

At that moment, she heard a sound coming from behind her. The noise sent ripples up and down her arms.

The fierce howl of a coyote.

The animals weren’t out much during the day, but over the years, she and the ranch hands had spotted them more and more in broad daylight. They seemed to be growing bolder when it came to humans, and she’d heard Zach talking to her father about how the neighboring ranch owned by some city slickers thought it was fun to feed them, which only made them less afraid of humans.

Shooting a glance at her horse grazing a few yards off, she saw the mare standing with her legs stiff, her head up, scenting the wind.

As slowly as possible, Meadow pushed to her feet and stepped toward her mount. Another shrill howl pierced the air, coupled by the drum of hooves.

In a blink, the scene played out in front of Meadow. The heifer that had wandered too far from the herd thundered past her with the coyote darting right behind.

Meadow gripped the pommel on her saddle and swung upward. Spurring her mount, she shot after the beast bearing down on what some people saw as a burger or steak, and her father saw as three thousand dollars the ranch needed.

In Meadow’s eyes, it wasn’t food or money—it was a living thing to protect.

“Yah!” She dug her heels into her mare’s sides, sending it thundering forward even faster. They gave chase around the crest of the hill until they reached the other side. Still, the coyote didn’t give up and run off. It must be really hungry and desperate to be out in broad daylight and continue even under pursuit.

She let out a holler to scare it, which sent it zigzagging in an erratic pattern. Just as she thought it would slink off into the woods, it shot straight for the cow’s legs.

Just then, the first drops of rain struck Meadow in the face. Two, then three. Suddenly, the fat plops gave way to a torrential downpour.

The coyote took off for the trees.

But the heifer was nowhere to be seen.