The Rancher's Unexpected Family

He stretched out and closed his eyes as fatigue settled into his muscles. It had been a long few days. Firstly, getting Maisy to agree to come to South Dakota had been challenging, especially when she insisted she was happy to go into the foster-care system. But he didn’t believe her. Sometimes, he was sure he saw glimpses of her actually settling into the life they had together, but her resistance was like a wall she felt she needed to keep up. One he wasn’t sure he could ever break down.

Cole sighed and relaxed against the scratchy sofa. It would work out. He had to believe that. He dozed for a while and when he awoke it was after five o’clock. Maisy was in her room and he tapped on her door and told her they were going up to the main house at six for dinner. He headed to his own room to unpack, and then shower and change. When he returned to the living room Maisy was standing by the fireplace, earbuds in their usual position.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Do I have a choice, Cole?”

The way she used his name made his nerves twitch. “No.”

Her scowl increased. “Then I guess I’m ready.”

They left the cabin and walked up to the house, side by side. Maisy’s arms were tightly crossed and he suspected he was in for one of her dark moods. He’d tried to get her to open up about her mom, but she’d always responded with some snappy retort about how he didn’t know anything about her and it didn’t matter since her mom was dead. And guilt always seemed to manifest itself in him whenever she talked about her mother. For Cole, Deanna was a dim memory. A pretty, young blonde woman he barely recalled. There’d been a lot of women back then. A lot of beds. A lot of meaningless sex and awkward morning-afters. That changed after the accident that almost killed him when he was twenty-seven. He’d spent three weeks in a coma, with a broken back, busted left arm, smashed-up kneecap and so many cuts and bruises he looked like he’d gone through a meat grinder. Four months in hospital, several surgeries and six months of rehab had taught him not to take anything for granted. The accident ended his racing career and drafted him into an early retirement from the track. Now, he managed the team and crew, including his cousin Lance, who was regularly one of the top three drivers in the country at the end of each season. He missed racing, but his cobbled-together bones weren’t able to withstand the endless workout that the NASCAR circuit demanded. And since he’d done everything he could to make sure he didn’t spend his life in a wheelchair, he wasn’t about to do anything that risked his long-term health. Even though the sidelines weren’t as glamourous, didn’t have the adrenaline rush of a podium finish, he could at least live the rest of his life on his feet.

Then he’d met Valerie. Beautiful, smart, self-destructive Valerie. He’d loved her. Married her. Divorced her. And then done his best to forget her.

Cole shook off the memory and walked around the front of the house. He could hear laughter and the sound of clinking crockery. It sounded a whole lot like dinner at his parents’ house and the idea made him smile. He climbed the steps, waited for Maisy to catch up and then tapped on the front screen door.

A woman around sixty, dressed in moleskins and a glittery chambray shirt and boots, appeared behind the screen and gave him a beaming smile. “Well, hello, there. I’m Nancy, Ash’s mother. Please come in.”

Cole introduced himself and Maisy as they were ushered down the hall and into a large dining room. The table in the center of the room was wide and covered in a tablecloth, while dinnerware and an array of platters ran down the center. Dinner was clearly a big deal on the McCune ranch.

There were several other people present—an older man he assumed was her uncle and three kids, a boy and a girl who were clearly siblings of Native American heritage, and a teenage boy with heavily gelled and spiked black hair. He also sported a couple of piercings in his top lip and a dragon tattoo on his neck. Cole wasn’t one to judge, since he’d gone through his own ink stage as a youngster. The older boy, Ricky, shook his hand and then grunted in a friendly sort of way in Maisy’s direction. Ash’s uncle came around the table to shake his hand and once the introductions were done, Nancy said she was heading to the kitchen for a round of drinks.

“Wish it was beer,” Uncle Ted said quietly so that only Cole could hear and grinned.

Another child appeared in the doorway. He had a shock of curly red hair and a face load of freckles. He also had a brace on his left leg and used a cane.

“Hi, I’m Jaye,” he said and ambled slowly toward them, a noticeable hitch in his gait.

Cole didn’t miss the disinterest in Maisy’s expression. “It’s good to meet you, Jaye,” Cole said, and introduced Maisy, who gave a half-hearted wave. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” the kid said cheerfully. “My mom was talking about you on the phone to someone today,” he said and then frowned a little and shrugged. “Though I probably wasn’t meant to hear it. Or tell you.”

Cole laughed softly. He already liked the boy. “Well, it’ll be our secret, okay?”

Jaye’s freckled face beamed. “Sure thing. Mom doesn’t ever need to know.”

“Mom doesn’t ever need to know what?”

Cole’s gaze instantly shifted to the doorway. Silhouetted in the door frame and wearing a short green dress that shimmied around her thighs and showed off a truly sensational pair of legs, Ash McCune just about dropped him to his knees. He noticed her hair was out of its band and fell just past her shoulders. Cole stared and then swallowed hard, trying to get his wayward thoughts off her smooth calves and the curves that had somehow managed to consume his thoughts for most of the afternoon.

I’m in big trouble.

“Nothing, Mom,” Jaye said and grinned. “Just guy stuff.”

She smiled and Cole’s stomach took a dive. Damn, she was beautiful.

“So you’ve met everyone?” she asked as she came into the room and stood behind her son, dropping her hands onto his shoulders.

“Yes.”

“Mom said you used to be a race car driver,” Jaye said, beaming up at him.

“That’s right.”

The boy’s bright green eyes widened. “I’d love to drive a race car. That would be so cool. Mom said that maybe next year I can enter the soapbox-derby races at the spring fair. I’d like to enter this year though,” he said and shrugged. “I’ve already got a plan drawn up for my cart and—”

“I said next year...maybe,” Ash said and kissed the top of his head. “Now, how about you show Mr. Quartermaine and Maisy to their seats and we can all eat?” she said to the whole room.

A minute later they were all seated and Nancy had returned with a pitcher of homemade lemonade that she placed in the center of the table. Uncle Ted said a short prayer before they ate and everyone stayed quiet, including Maisy. Cole had been raised in a strict Catholic household, but rarely went to church except for weddings and funerals. He found himself seated between Maisy and Uncle Ted, and while his daughter was sullen and uncommunicative during the entire meal, the older man talked incessantly about everything from motor racing to the current price of barley and wheat, and the last time he’d visited the nearby Mount Rushmore. Cole didn’t mind, though. Ted was friendly and personable, telling funny stories about the ranch and his years in the navy. But Cole was distracted. With Ash only a couple of seats away and holding court with the kids, who chatted about their day out, their haircuts and the upcoming spring fair, he couldn’t help but be aware of her as she laughed and bantered with her son and the two youngest children. There was a kind of natural energy around her, and he realized how out of the loop he’d been lately when it came to being around an attractive woman. He hadn’t been on a date for six months. And hadn’t had sex in longer than that.

Almost as though on cue, he met her gaze across the table. She was smiling just a little, as though she had some great secret only she was privy to. He wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Her smile deepened and he watched as she blushed. Whatever was going on, Cole’s instincts told him she was feeling it, too. He gave himself a mental shake, turned his attention back to his food and tried to start a conversation with his daughter, who’d barely spoken a word since they’d sat down for dinner. He managed to get a few sentences out of her and by the time the plates were cleared she was talking quietly to Ricky about music and the latest boy band. He relaxed a bit and pushed back the chair, got up and grabbed a few of the dishes still left on the table. The younger kids and Ted had moved into the adjoining living room to watch television and Cole headed for the kitchen.

Ash was alone, loading the dishwasher, but she stopped the task when she noticed the plates in his hands. “Oh, thanks so much.”

“No problem,” he said and placed them on the counter. “You’re an amazing cook.”

Her mouth curved. “Thank you. But the peach pie was my mom’s doing. Some secret recipe she’s been threatening to share for years, but still hasn’t. Can you cook?”

“Not a lick,” he replied and grinned. “Spoiled, silver spoon, only son—you get the picture.”

She laughed. “Can you make coffee?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

She waved an arm in the direction of the coffeepot. “Then you’re on beverage duty while I keep stacking.”

Cole moved around the counter. “You’re bossy, anyone ever tell you that?”

She laughed again. “Of course. Just ask my son and Uncle Ted.”

He grabbed the coffeepot. “He’s a great kid, by the way.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “And you can ask, if you want.”

Cole rested his behind on the countertop. “Ask?”

“About Jaye,” she explained. “And his condition. He had an accident when he was two and half years old and was badly injured. There were surgeries and—and he...”

“He’s a great kid,” Cole said again when her words trailed off. “That’s all I see.”

She stopped what she was doing and turned, resting her hip against the counter, arms crossed loosely. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not looking at me with the kind of pitying expression I usually get from parents of able-bodied children.”

“I don’t pity you,” he said. “Or Jaye. He’s obviously bright and well-adjusted.”

“Yes. And he loves reading and music and art.”

“And soapbox-derby racing?” he said, one brow raised. “He mentioned several times that he wants to enter this year.”

She nodded. “I know. Maybe next year. I may be an overprotective parent, but I don’t want him to get hurt, either physically or emotionally. The races can be really competitive and some of the other kids and their parents take it so seriously. I don’t want him to be singled out or be disadvantaged because of his disability.”

“That’s a fair call,” he said and rested his hands on the edge of the countertop. “But I don’t imagine you can protect him from soapbox spills or schoolyard bullies twenty-four seven.”

“My son is homeschooled,” she said pointedly. “And you’re right, I can’t watch him every minute of every day. But while he’s still a child, while he’s here under this roof, I’m sure as heck gonna try.”

Cole grinned. She had a lot of spunk. He liked it. He liked her. And it was getting more intense the more time he spent with her. Something had to give. One of them had to say what was now glaringly obvious.

He turned so they were facing one another. The heat between them had ramped up another notch. And then another. “Can I say something that might be highly inappropriate?”

She met his gaze without blinking. “Go ahead.”

He took a breath. “I’m...the thing is... Even though I know it’s kind of crazy because we’ve only just met, I’m really... I’m really attracted to you.”

The air between them was suddenly thick with silence and he immediately expected outrage. But it didn’t come. Instead, she inhaled deeply and spoke. “I know. It’s mutual.”

“But it’s out of the question, right?”

She nodded. “Absolutely.”

“And if I forget that over the course of the next few weeks, will you smack me upside the head to bring me to my senses?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I think we both know,” he said quietly, “what I want. This is about what’s best. I need to keep my head screwed on straight while I’m here, for Maisy’s sake.”

“I agree.”

She was in agreement. It was all going to work out fine. But still, Cole wasn’t entirely convinced that they could ignore the tension and awareness between them.

He pushed himself off the counter. “Great,” he said as he passed her and headed for the door. When he reached the doorway, he turned. “I think I’ll skip the coffee. And, Ash,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t wear that sexy little dress anymore. Because it seriously messes with my good intentions.”

Chapter Three

He thought she was sexy.

Ash turned hot all over just thinking about it. Had she ever considered herself sexy before? Probably not. It made her feel like someone else. Someone she didn’t know.

She wasn’t that person. She was the person other people confided in. In high school she was the girl always put into the friends-only category. Even her relationship with Pete had started out in the friendship zone. They’d been lab partners and then study buddies and then one night, over hot dogs and Kool-Aid, he’d kissed her clumsily. They dated for the last two years of high school and by then she knew they were perfect for one another. They’d talked about their future, made plans and imagined their wedding day and everything that would follow. She would join the police department while he would become an apprentice mechanic at a garage in town. Then they would travel and see the world together and one day start a family and live happily ever after. But then she got pregnant a year out of high school and everything changed. Not at first. In the beginning, Pete seemed as happy as she was. They got engaged and agreed they’d marry once the baby came. Jaye was born—beautiful and precious. But soon, her dreams turned to dust. Pete wasn’t interested in being a father. He was more interested in his motorcycle and drinking and other women.

The wedding was postponed and their relationship deteriorated. After Jaye’s accident things got worse because Pete had been watching him that afternoon. Or not watching him, as it had turned out. He’d taken his motorcycle out for a test run and left Jaye alone on the porch. Pete had insisted he’d only been gone for a few minutes. But it was long enough for Jaye to crawl out of his playpen and wander off. And Ash couldn’t forgive him for not protecting their son. For months afterward, she was consumed with sleepless nights, hospital visits and endless doctor and physical-therapy appointments.

Four months after the accident, Pete left town on his motorcycle and never came back, leaving a note saying he wasn’t cut out to be a father and wanted to see the world. Ash hadn’t heard from him since. His mother followed a few months after he did, clearly unable to deal with the shame that her son’s departure had left in his wake.

After that, Ash focused all her energy on her son, the ranch and her career. She graduated from the police academy in Rapid City and then joined the department in Cedar River. She had all the support she needed from her mother and Uncle Ted and carved out a valuable life for herself and her child. She rarely dated and didn’t want to think how long it had been since she’d shared any kind of intimacy with a man.

Sheesh...too long.

Because with dating came sex, and with sex came responsibility and the potential for a relationship. And she didn’t have time for that. She had too much going on. With the ranch and her job and Jaye and the kids she took in, sharing her life with someone seemed...impossible. At the very least, difficult. So, love and sex took a back seat. Or so she believed.

Since yesterday she had been thinking about sex. Sex that was hot and heady and scorchingly erotic. Sex that could made her senses sing and leave her breathless and wanting more.

Sex with Cole Quartermaine.

All night long.

At least, that’s what she’d imagined in her dreams. She’d had a restless night and now, at nine o’clock on Sunday morning, Ash wished she could hole up in her bedroom for a few more hours and not allow reality to intrude. But it would.

I’m really attracted to you.

Cole’s words echoed in her head.

She couldn’t remember a man ever saying that to her before. She had gone out with a few guys over the years and even had a couple of lovers, but there had been very little heat and even less real attraction. But this—this was different. This was heat and awareness on a whole different level.

Of course, nothing would come of it. Firstly, he was at the ranch for her help with his daughter. An affair would be a distraction from that. Secondly, she wasn’t about to start anything that had no future since he lived in a different state. And thirdly, it was too ridiculous to contemplate!

By the time she headed downstairs Jaye’s room was empty and Ash knew he would’ve already had his breakfast with Tahlia and Micah and was probably outside with his great-uncle. Ricky resided in one of the smaller cabins just a stone’s throw from the house, but the younger kids lived in the main house in the room next to her mother’s. Uncle Ted had moved into one of the larger cabins years ago, which made him a good chaperone for anyone staying in the cabins.

Ash poured herself a coffee and buttered a piece of toast and was just about to sit down at the table when her mother entered the room. She looked up and smiled.

“Everything all right?” her mother asked.

She nodded. “Sure. I overslept. My busy week catching up with me.”

“Well, you have a few days before you go back to work on Wednesday, so you have time to relax and unwind.”

“I know,” she said and drank some coffee. She’d planned a few days’ leave to get acquainted with her new guests, but now she wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. “Is Jaye with Uncle Ted?”

“No,” her mother answered. “With Cole.”

Her back straightened. “Why is he—”

“They’re in the barn,” her mother interrupted. “Tinkering with that old truck of yours, and there’s a good dose of hero worship going on. The kid is certainly smitten.”

He’s not the only one.

Ash put on a serious face. “Cole’s here to try and connect with his daughter, not to answer Jaye’s million and one questions. I should probably—”

“It’s good for Jaye,” her mother said, cutting her off again. “And probably good for Cole, too. I think he had a rough night with Maisy. When I went to check on Ricky last night after dinner and give him his lesson plan for this week, I heard them arguing. There’s a whole lot of hurt and anger in that young girl’s heart, most of it directed at her father.”

Ash understood the feeling. Her own father had left when she was ten years old. Her stepfather left when she was fifteen. And then Pete when she was twenty-one.

Men always leave.

She shrugged off the notion and ate her breakfast, conscious of her mother’s scrutiny.

“What?” she asked.

“Exactly,” Nancy said and came around the table. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” she said and got up. “I’m going to check on Jaye.”

“He’s nice,” her mother said and smiled, seeming as though she knew exactly what was going on in Ash’s churning thoughts. “Really nice. Don’t you think?”

Ash shrugged. “What I think isn’t important.”

Nancy chuckled. “Oh, stop being so sensible. There’s nothing wrong with admitting you like him. Or that you think he’s...nice.”

There was everything wrong with admitting that.

“Have you been reading Jane Austen again?” she asked and took her dishes to the sink. “You know how that always makes you sappy and sentimental.”

“And I love how you always deflect the conversation away from yourself whenever I mention the idea of you dusting off that cynical heart of yours.”

Ash dismissed her mother’s words with a wave of her hand. “I’m not a cynic. I’m a realist.”

“You’re a scaredy-cat,” Nancy said, grinning. “But with two failed marriages behind me, I’m probably not in a position to give advice.”

“And yet, you still do,” Ash said with a smile as she moved around the counter. “Can you watch Tahlia and Micah? I’ll be back soon.”

Ash headed outside and made her way toward the barn. The dogs raced around with sticks and the chickens were pecking around the yard. It was a warm morning and the ranch was buzzing with sounds and scents. The goats were bleating and walking the fence line of their pen, usual behavior when they spotted someone walking across the yard. And Rodney, the five-year-old alpaca who acted more like a dog than anything else, was following Uncle Ted around near the vegetable garden. It was a peaceful scene and Ash was consumed by a sense of how much good there was in her life.

And then she heard it.

Music. Loud and awful. Some kind of heavy, brain-draining rock that hurt her eardrums.

She followed the sound into the barn and stood by the doorway. Cole was bent over the hood of her old truck, dressed in worn jeans and a black T-shirt that molded to his shoulders and showed off way too much of his gloriously well-muscled arms. And then she spotted her son, perched on an old fruit crate, about two feet away from the truck, laughing and flapping his arms in time to the mind-numbing music and clearly having a fabulous time.

Ash stayed where she was and enjoyed the moment. She loved seeing Jaye so happy. He was mostly a cheerful child, and intelligent and compliant. He had something of a stubborn streak, too. Particularly when he wanted something—like entering the soapbox-derby race at this year’s spring fair. Part of her longed to let him spread his wings and enter the race. But she was scared for him and, as always, her priority was keeping him safe. If he got injured or bullied she would never forgive herself. It was better this way. Better to wait until the following year. He’d be older and better equipped to handle the risks. Sure, he was disappointed and made his feelings abundantly clear whenever he got the opportunity, but she was prepared to shoulder his frustration if it meant he was kept out of harm’s way. Overprotective...maybe. But she could live with that.

“Mom!”

Jaye’s voice broke through her thoughts and she frowned when she saw Cole jerk back and bang his head on the hood. He cursed loudly and then quickly apologized as he turned toward the radio and flicked down the volume.

“Mom has a swearing jar in the kitchen,” her son said matter-of-factly. “Ten cents for every bad word.”

Cole rubbed the back of his head. “I better start saving my dimes.”

Jaye laughed loudly. “I’ve got a stash in my piggy bank if you run out.”

Ash smiled to herself, enjoying the exchange between man and boy. Jaye’s only regular male company was Uncle Ted, and although he was kindhearted, he was also busy running the ranch and didn’t have a lot of spare time to spend with her son. It was nice to see him so relaxed and carefree and clearly reveling in Cole’s company.

“Is your head okay?” she asked and walked toward the truck. “Not concussed or anything?”

He gave her a wry smile and his blue eyes glittered spectacularly. “Nothing permanent. Just whacked the metal plate in my skull.”

“You have a metal plate in your skull?” she asked, frowning.

He laughed and grabbed the cloth Jaye was now holding toward him. “I’m kidding. About it being in my head. I do have two attached to my spine, though,” he said as he wiped his hands.

Her frown increased. “Really?”

“Really. I was in an accident around ten years ago.”

“I read about that,” she said and forced herself to stand back while Jaye slowly got to his feet. Helping him came to her as naturally as breathing, but she knew she needed to give him his space and independence. “It’s what ended your career as a driver?”