Ambushed!

The country band from Spirits and Spurs had set up in a makeshift bandstand near the watermelon contest, and a few people were two-stepping on the asphalt. Red, white and blue banners and crepe paper hung from windows and doorways all along the street and every business was flying a flag. Kids with squirt guns chased each other through the crowd.

Gabe looked for Morgan, but a quick glance around told him she wasn’t in the immediate vicinity. With her bright-red hair, he’d spot her immediately. If Jack had ruined this day for her, Gabe might have to go back to the ranch and pound on his brother, after all.

Then he saw her over by the Shoshone Diner, where Madge and Edgar Perkins were distributing plastic bibs advertising their business. Apparently they were still sponsoring the contest, as they’d done for as long as Gabe could remember. He’d never paid much attention to that kind of comforting stability, but after talking with Morgan, he had a new appreciation for it.

As Morgan tied on her bib, Gabe noticed that she was wearing a baggy T-shirt instead of her satin Western shirt. She might have decided to change clothes because of the snap issue, but he could also believe Jack’s comments might have had something to do with it. His older brother had a lot to answer for.

Adjusting the brim of his gray Stetson, Gabe walked over to the diner. Morgan was laughing at something Edgar had said and obviously hadn’t spotted him yet.

“Hey, Gabe!” Madge called out. “Come on over here and get a bib. You were always real good at this.”

Morgan’s head came up with a start, and the happy laughter faded as she looked in Gabe’s direction. Her body stiffened and she clenched her jaw.

Yep, Jack would pay for this. “You bet I’ll take a bib, Mrs. Perkins.” Gabe accepted the piece of plastic and tied the ends around his neck. “Hi there, Morgan.”

“Hi, Gabe.”

“Say, weren’t you two riding together in the parade a while ago?” Madge asked.

“Yes.” Morgan turned to her. “Gabe was nice enough to switch horses with me. His was better trained than mine, and I’m not a very good rider.”

“You had a very stubborn horse,” Gabe said.

“Yes, well.” She swallowed. “Did you happen to talk to Jack?”

“I did, as a matter of fact. I gather you talked to him, too.”

“Yes. We had a … conversation.” Her expression was carefully controlled.

“You two can catch up later,” Edgar said. “It’s time to eat us some watermelon!” He lifted an old-fashioned school bell and started ringing it. “Watermelon-eating contest! Last chance to enter!”

Morgan reached for the ties around her neck. “You know what? I don’t think I’ll do this, after all.”

Gabe caught both her hands in his. “Don’t you dare chicken out on me, Morgan O’Connelli.” He hadn’t counted on her hands being quite so soft and warm. Or her mouth being quite so close and inviting.

She glanced up at him. “Gabe, it’s not a good idea.” Her eyes darkened as they had when he’d chased down Geronimo.

He didn’t think fear was the reason this time. He’d bet good money she was as sexually aware of him as he was of her. As further evidence, pink tinged her cheeks and her breathing changed.

“Go on, both of you.” Madge shooed them toward the table as if they were five-year-olds, and Gabe was forced to let go of Morgan.

She allowed herself to be herded toward the table, but fumbled with the ties of her bib along the way. “Seriously, I’m taking myself out of the competition.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Madge shot back. “There’s too much seriousness these days. It does people good to act foolish once in a while. Sit right there, Morgan. Gabe, you take the next seat.”

Gabe sat down and glanced over at Morgan with a shrug. “I think you’re outvoted.”

“All right.” Morgan met his gaze and a flicker of her usual good humor returned. “But I need to warn you, I’ve been looking forward to these events for a long time, and when it comes to watermelon contests, I eat to win.”

Gabe smiled. “Them’s fighting words, ma’am.”

Madge put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Morgan, it’s only fair to tell you that when Gabe was in high school he won this competition three years out of four.”

“Because one year I beat his ass.” Nick clapped Gabe on the back and sat down next to him. “You’re toast, bro. I’ve been practicing.”

“So that explains the love handles!” Gabe had never been so glad to see Nick in his life. Maybe Nick’s cheerful acceptance of Morgan would erase the bad impression Jack had left.

“A guy has to do what a guy has to do.” Nick leaned around Gabe to talk to Morgan. “Watch out for my brother. He cheats.”

“I do not!” Gabe looked at Morgan and was gratified to see a smile back on her face. “Don’t listen to him. It’s character assassination, pure and simple. Nick’s the sneaky brother.”

“I’ll vouch for that.” Aiming her camera at the two men, Dominique crouched in front of the table and took a shot. “Nick is very sneaky. I found this taped to my lens cap an hour ago.” She waggled the ring finger of her left hand, where a diamond caught the sunlight.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Gabe left his seat and came around the table. “Could we have a short delay in the proceedings? My brother Nick just had the good sense to propose to Dominique.”

“And I had the good sense to accept,” Dominique said.

Gabe hugged her. “Welcome to the family. Nick’s a lucky guy.”

Nick joined them on the other side of the table and put an arm around his fiancée. “Grandpa Archie used to say that Chance men are lucky when it counts.”

“Nice going, Nick.” Gabe shook Nick’s hand as the rest of the people at the table and in the surrounding crowd came up to offer their congratulations.

Morgan joined in as naturally as if she’d lived in Shoshone for years. Gabe liked seeing her relax back into her normal upbeat personality. Best of all, he didn’t detect any envy or wistfulness on her part. No engagement fever going on, there. She probably wanted to keep focused on her career, and that was a good thing.

At last Edgar Perkins rang the school bell again. “This is all very exciting, but we’re falling behind schedule. I need the contestants to be seated so we can bring out the watermelon.”

Gabe watched Morgan to make sure she didn’t use this interruption to sneak out, but she hurried back to her chair beside him.

Once Nick sat down, Gabe leaned toward him. “Does Mom know about this?”

“Yeah, and Jack and Emmett and Mary Lou. You would’ve, too, but you were over dealing with the Appaloosa.”

“Must’ve been a pretty quiet announcement. I didn’t hear any commotion over there.”

“It was a quietly emotional announcement, not a wild and crazy one. Mom’s feeling kind of teary today, anyway, and this started up the waterworks again. You know how Jack gets when she cries.”

Gabe’s gut tightened. “Speaking of Jack, I—”

“Here are your watermelon wedges, ladies and gents.” Edgar came over with two plates and Madge followed with two more. On each plate sat a quarter of a melon sliced lengthwise. The process was repeated until all ten contestants had watermelon.

“We’ll talk,” Nick said. “But not now.”

“Nope, not now.” Gabe tucked his Stetson under his chair before giving Nick and then Morgan the evil eye. “I hope you both know you’re going down.”

Excitement sparkled in Morgan’s blue-green gaze. “We’ll just see about that, Gabe Chance.” Pulling a scrunchie out of her pocket, she tied back her hair. “I intend to chomp my way to victory.”

Now that was the Morgan he liked to see—full of piss and vinegar. He thought again about that Italian mother of hers. This could be a very interesting day, and quite possibly a more interesting night.

4

WHEN MORGAN had heard about the watermelon-eating contest a week ago, she’d decided to sign up for it, as well as any other activity going on during the celebration. She’d always enjoyed contests, but her parents frowned on competition. Besides, their wanderlust had pretty much guaranteed Morgan wouldn’t be playing organized sports.

Watermelon-eating wasn’t exactly a sport, but she would take what she could get, although she hadn’t expected to be squaring off against the Chance brothers. Somewhere she’d heard that a woman had to be careful of a man’s ego and not beat him at games. Forget that noise. As long as she was here, she planned to whip everyone at this table, including the gorgeous Gabe Chance.

Edgar Perkins raised his hand. “The rules are that you may not hold on to the plate. You can touch it to pull it closer, but you may not hold on. Anyone caught holding the plate will be disqualified. We’ll start on my signal.”

Morgan’s blood was up. After her set-to with Jack she’d headed to town ready to show everyone this girl knew how to have a good time. She’d changed her shirt because it was a pain in the ass having to worry about that snap, but otherwise, she intended to enjoy herself fully.

Then Gabe had appeared, and her bravado had disappeared. His family didn’t like her, so she’d decided she didn’t like them, either, and that had to include Gabe. No doubt he’d choose pleasing his family over pleasing her, so why bother with him? She’d only set herself up for heartbreak.

Madge Perkins hadn’t made it easy to duck out, though, and now Morgan had recommitted herself to the contest and to a day of fun. Gabe’s mother and his oldest brother weren’t around, so if he wanted to share that day with her, she wouldn’t push him away. It was a free country—which was what they were celebrating—after all.

“On my signal,” said Edgar. “Ready, set, go!”

Morgan dove in. She ate without stopping, swallowing pieces whole and biting off gigantic chunks of the sweet melon. She swallowed her share of seeds in the process.

She might be sick after this, but she didn’t care. Watermelon juice coated her mouth and her chin. As she buried her face deep in the cool pulp, even her cheeks became slicked with pink slime.

She paid no attention to Gabe, chomping away on his melon next to her. Focus was the name of the game. But even through her intense concentration she heard people starting to chant her name. Dominique was pulling for Nick, of course. All the other contestants, including

Gabe, had cheering sections. But Morgan didn’t know many people, so if they were shouting her name, she must be ahead.

She ate faster and realized Edgar was leaning close, watching her and Gabe intently. She was down to the white part when he sang out “winner!” Looking up, she discovered Edgar’s hand poised over her head. She’d done it.

“Congratulations, champ.”

She turned, her chin dripping with juice, to find Gabe in the same condition, and he was grinning at her.

“You did it.” He didn’t sound upset. He even seemed happy that she’d won. Then he did the most amazing thing. He put his hand behind her head, pulled her close, and kissed her, watermelon juice and all.

A cheer went up from the crowd.

Morgan was too shocked to react at first. Gabe was kissing her? In public? When they were both totally slimed with watermelon juice?

Then the heat of his kiss began to register. He was using his tongue. And so was she. Watermelon juice made for one sexy kissing session.

She forgot where they were. She forgot to breathe. She forgot her name. Whistling and stomping noises caused her to realize vaguely that their behavior wasn’t particularly appropriate for this venue. Even so, she had the urge to pull Gabe under the table and continue the kiss a long time.

Mercifully, he drew back before she did something really embarrassing. A low chuckle rich with implications told her that he’d been a little surprised by the intensity, too. “We might want to try that again sometime,” he murmured.

She lifted heavy-lidded eyes to his. “I’m game.”

“So I gathered.”

Edgar approached with the prize, which was a gift certificate for two lunches at the Shoshone Diner. “Well, Gabe, you are sure a good loser. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a good loser in my life.”

“No kidding,” Nick said. “Good thing I didn’t win. I don’t think I could have handled playing tonsil hockey with my brother.”

Dominique walked forward. “Wanna see the pics?”

“You took pictures?” Morgan wasn’t so sure about that.

“Get used to it,” Nick said. “Dominique takes pictures of everything. Don’t be surprised if this ends up in a gallery in Jackson, although I promise she’ll ask first.”

“Don’t worry,” Dominique said. “Just say the word and I’ll delete it. But I hope you don’t tell me to, because I think it’s great.” She turned the camera so that Morgan could see the shot on the back screen.

There she was, kissing Gabe for all she was worth. Good thing he was kissing her for all he was worth, too, or she’d have been mortified. As it was, she was sort of … fascinated. She’d never seen a picture of herself kissing anyone, let alone a hottie like Gabe Chance. She couldn’t look away. The photo captured exactly what she’d been feeling—wonder, passion, discovery.

“I want a copy,” Gabe said.

She stared at him. “You do?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at her. “Wouldn’t you like one, too? To commemorate winning the watermelon-eating contest?”

“Maybe.” She thought about it. “But what would you be commemorating?”

His gaze was open and his voice rang with sincerity. “Our first kiss.”

A chorus of awww went up from the crowd.

Morgan felt as if someone had poured warm syrup in the general area of her heart. She couldn’t remember any guy saying something that sweet to her. She studied Gabe to make sure he wasn’t poking fun, but she saw no evidence that he was.

“I’ll be happy to get each of you copies,” Dominique said. “But how would you feel about me turning it into a gallery shot?”

Gabe shrugged. “It’s okay with me.”

Morgan wondered if he’d thought about potential consequences. “Maybe you should check with your family first.”

Gabe didn’t hesitate. “It’s none of their business.”

“That’s the spirit.” Nick pushed back his chair and accepted one of the wipe cloths Madge handed to each of the contestants. “Maintaining the Chance family reputation has been highly overrated, wouldn’t you say, little brother?”

“That’s for sure, big brother.” From his tone of voice, Gabe seemed to be making more than a casual remark.

Morgan recognized the kind of unspoken communication that happened between siblings. She and her brothers and sisters, all seven of them, shared certain truths that could only come from weathering a common past. From the look that passed between Nick and Gabe, she gathered that both of them had some problems with what had happened in that shared past. Well, join the club.

“Sack races in fifteen minutes!” shouted someone from the door of the Shoshone Feed Store. “Come collect your sacks if you’re gonna be in it!”

“That’s me,” Gabe said. “Morgan, are you up for this?”

She grinned at him. “You couldn’t keep me away.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. Nick? You racing?”

“Yes, he is,” said Dominique. “I made him promise to be in everything so I could take pictures.”

Nick groaned. “Pictures that will be used against me when we have kids.”

“And grandkids!” Dominique said, laughing.

Morgan listened without a smidgen of envy. As the oldest in a large family, she’d grown up taking care of her brothers and sisters and in many cases sacrificing her own needs to theirs. She wouldn’t mind hooking up with someone for fun and games, but she wanted to enjoy her freedom a while longer. The idea of having kids didn’t excite her at all.

GABE HADN’T MINDED losing the watermelon-eating contest, but the sack race was going to be all his. When he crossed the finish line only a foot ahead of Morgan, he claimed a victory kiss. Games that ended in kissing Morgan were a good thing.

Hanging out with Morgan, Nick and Dominique was a good thing, too. If Morgan hadn’t been there, Gabe might have felt like a fifth wheel tagging along after Nick and Dominique. A foursome was better, and they made up their own team for events like the spoon-and-egg relay.

Gabe couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a pressure-free day. Sure, he played the games to win, but when he didn’t win, he could still dream up an excuse to kiss Morgan. Kissing Morgan beat winning all to hell.

Late in the afternoon the four of them helped Josie, owner of Spirits and Spurs, carry her tables outside. Traditionally Shoshone’s Fourth of July ended with a street dance, and Josie was no fool. She’d figured out that serving food and drinks in the open air made a lot more sense than trying to coax people into the saloon.

She rewarded the four of them with bottles of beer and a prime table next to the section of street where the dancing would take place. Once they were settled, Morgan and Dominique left to repair their hair and makeup in the saloon’s bathroom.

That presented Gabe with his first chance to talk with Nick alone. He might not have another one, so he latched onto it. Taking a pull on his beer, he glanced over at Nick. “Jack’s getting out of hand.”

“He’s been out of hand for a while now. Demanding that you stop competing is only the latest stunt in a long line of weirdness.”

“I’m gonna find a way to compete so Top Drawer can make the Hall of Fame.”

Nick picked at the label on his beer bottle. “I know you are. And you should.” He glanced up. “Of the three of us, you have the most right to be out there representing the family, and Top Drawer deserves his shot.”

“Let’s not start that half-brother shit again. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all just brothers.” Gabe had never felt any differently, but convincing Jack and Nick was an uphill battle.

Jack’s mother had left the ranch and her marriage when Jack was a toddler. Despite Sarah’s continued requests, Jack had never called her Mom, as if he felt obligated to make the distinction that he was her stepson.

Nick and Gabe had both thought they were Sarah’s kids, but just recently Nick had found a document proving that Sarah wasn’t his biological mother, either. Instead he was the result of an affair his father had had prior to meeting Sarah. Nick’s mother had died, and Nick had come to the ranch as a baby. His father and Sarah had never told him the truth, and the community had helped keep their secret.

That left Gabe as the only son born to Jonathan and Sarah. Three sons, three different mothers. It made no difference to Gabe. In fact, he was determined to hang on to a sense of unity, even though Jack was currently behaving like an ass. But Nick and Jack weren’t so dedicated to the concept. Jack was the most stubborn about it, but Nick had his moments. Like now.

“Dad had a special feeling for you,” Nick said. “That’s why he encouraged you to get into the cutting-horse competition in the first place.”

“He had a special feeling for all of us. You know damned well he didn’t play favorites. He was busting his buttons over you becoming a large-animal vet.”

“Nah, that wasn’t the same. My degree isn’t exciting.

You winning ribbons and trophies and then getting prize money on top of it—that’s exciting. He got a vicarious thrill out of you being out there.”

Gabe considered that as he took another swig of his beer. “Is there any chance Jack is jealous of how Dad felt about me competing and that’s why he wants to shut me down?”

Nick shook his head. “Don’t think so. Jack’s never seemed jealous of either of us. I think he’s always cherished his position as first-born. But, dear God, is he turning into an anal son of a bitch! All he thinks about is the bottom line, preserving the ranch exactly as Dad left it. He’s taking his responsibility way too seriously.”

Gabe sighed. “Yeah, well, guilt is a powerful thing.”

“And so stupid! That rollover was all Dad’s fault. He should have waited for better weather or until Jack was available to go fetch that horse.”

“What horse?” Morgan asked as the women returned to the table and took their seats.

“Nothing,” Gabe said. “You know cowboys. Always talking about some horse or other.”

Morgan didn’t pursue it. Gabe liked that about her. She was interested in things without being nosy. He hadn’t had time to tell Nick about Jack’s treatment of Morgan, but maybe that should stay between him and Jack, anyway.

Gabe didn’t know for sure where this new friendship with Morgan was headed, but every time he looked at her, he thought of mixing it up on some rumpled bedsheets. More important, he didn’t see white lace and promises, so whether Jack ever warmed to Morgan might not matter.

What a great day they’d had, though. Night was settling in, soft and mild, and the mosquitoes hadn’t been bad at all. Gabe looked forward to dancing with Morgan and having a reason to hold her close. In the meantime, they’d drink beer and eat some of Josie’s food, probably hamburgers. It was that kind of night.

“You know what?” Morgan’s eyes shone with excitement. “Dominique just told me about the ghosts that supposedly hang out in the bar. I want to help carry the furniture back in when Josie locks up so I can see if any come around tonight. Fourth of July seems like a prime time to me.”

Gabe chuckled. “There’re no ghosts. Josie came up with a marketing angle and she’s playing it for all it’s worth, even renaming the place Spirits and Spurs. I gotta hand it to her.”

“Aw.” Morgan looked disappointed. “I was all set to see some—what was the name you used, Dominique?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.