Melting Megan: a Cowboy Fairytales spin-off (Triple H Brides Book 5) Page 4

  "I want to learn how to do clover barrels," Julianne chirped.

  Megan winced. There was no way. As far as she was concerned, riding was dangerous and racing was twice as bad.

  She took a big gulp of her coffee, burning the back of her throat. Enough.

  She set the coffee mug down and went to the sink to scrub up. Dan saw her coming and moved out of the way.

  Once she'd washed and dried, she moved back toward her bag on the counter while, silently, Dan unbuttoned his shirt and slipped his arm out to give her access to his injury. His miles of muscles affected her only for a millisecond this time, because she was prepared for it.

  "Local?" she asked softly.

  He shook his head.

  He jumped when she touched him again, a brush of her hand against his lower back.

  He inhaled on the first stitch, but remained perfectly still otherwise.

  "At least you've only pulled half," she murmured.

  "You're gonna have a wicked scar," Miles said from the table. He sounded far too excited for her taste. "Maybe it'll impress the ladies."

  Julianne dissolved into giggles.

  Megan frowned. "Some women aren't impressed with scars. Especially when they're stupidly earned. How'd you get this any way? From a bull?"

  The back door banged shut.

  "Dad!" Miles yelled.

  Megan glanced up only for a second, noting the hard gaze that passed between Nate and Dan. Dan had tensed up beneath her hand, and whatever tenuous connection had been between them disappeared.

  "The lady asked you a question," Nate said tightly. "How'd you get that?"

  "Scraped against a nail while I was tearing out the fence in the west pasture."

  Brady and Julianne had gone quiet, somehow sensing the tension between the adults.

  "Try not to do any lifting or straining this time," she said.

  "I couldn't let her fall," he murmured.

  Megan knotted the last stitch. "Done."

  Dan turned away from Nate, shrugging his shirt up over his shoulder. He looked at the floor as he buttoned up. "You can send me the bill," he said quietly.

  "No charge."

  His jaw worked.

  Nate said something to the kids that she didn't hear.

  Dan flicked a gaze over his shoulder at the other man. Muttered something under his breath. Then, to her. "I pay my debts."

  Over Dan's shoulder, she saw Nate shoot a hard gaze at the injured cowboy. What was going on between them?

  Nate's son jumped up from the table, breaking the tension that had grown from uncomfortable to super-sized. "Are we heading home?"

  "Sure." Nate’s ease with his son was in direct contrast to his manner with Dan. "Better go check on your mom and the pups. Buster's all loaded up. We'll just stay and walk out with the good doctor."

  Dan's tension seemed to ratchet up even higher, but he didn't say a word. He kept his eyes focused on the floor in front of him.

  "Goodbye," she said.

  He didn't answer, even as she walked out the door with the kids.

  Chapter 4

  Megan woke the next morning to whispers coming from down the hall.

  She dragged herself out of bed, glancing at the clock on the way. Six-thirty.

  Between checking on Kelsey and repairing Dan's stitches, she’d gotten the kids home to her little bungalow in Taylor Hills an hour later than the kids' normal bedtime.

  So why were they up at the crack of dawn? She usually had to wake them up for church services.

  She padded down the hall in bare feet, squinting against the early-morning light streaming in from the living room windows. It still felt like all that rodeo dust was soaked in her pores.

  Sleep had been evasive. Her brain had decided to replay those frightening moments when she hadn't been able to find Brady. And then when she'd finally been able to fall asleep, she'd dreamed of Brady riding into a rodeo arena, Julianne on horseback behind him, racing around with wild war whoops.

  She'd woken from the nightmare just as they'd fallen from the horses and broken their necks.

  And then she'd locked herself in the tiny hall bathroom with her phone, knowing it was crazy, and looked up videos of all the varieties of riding accidents kids could have.

  Ads had started popping up on the videos. For learning to ride. She'd finally clicked on one, and the narrator's voice overlay had spoken of the fact that giving the kids the right training could prevent riding accidents.

  She'd gone back to bed with that thought on her mind.

  Now, she shuffled down the hall. Brady's door was cracked, and she peeked inside. Both kids were huddled on the bed with a sheaf of papers between them.

  "Hey, guys." She moved into the room, trying to ignore the way Brady shuffled the papers so whatever they'd been looking at was now on the bottom. Maybe they needed a rule about keeping secrets.

  She crawled onto the bed with them, tickling Julianne until the little girl squirmed and giggled. She ruffled Brady's hair and lounged back against the pillows.

  "You guys are up early. Want to get donuts before church?"

  Julianne clapped her hands together. Brady shrugged.

  And her stomach pinched again. She and Brady had had a special relationship as aunt and nephew. Now, he wouldn't even look at her, his focus still on hiding whatever was buried beneath the scratch papers on his bed.

  She wasn't one to mince words or pull punches. She reached beneath the pile of papers and drew out the bottom one. "What's this?"

  Brady made a grab for it, but she tugged it just out of his reach. Stared down at it.

  It was a map, a crudely drawn one, from their house to what appeared to be the Triple H ranch. And an arrow going beyond.

  Brady's expression was both angry and defensive.

  Megan looked from him back to the map. Had the two of them been planning to run away?

  "Miles told us his ranch is right around the corner from where we were last night," Julianne blurted.

  Brady's jaw was locked.

  Megan stared at him. "Brady?"

  He didn't answer, just stared out the window where dawn was brightening the edges.

  Everything she'd seen last night flew through her brain at high speed.

  "Look, I know things are tough right now. You miss your mom and dad. I do, too."

  Julianne leaned into her shoulder, and Megan curled her arm around the girl. "We're a team now, right?"

  Julianne bobbed a nod, but Brady stared at the bedspread, tracing a pattern with his forefinger.

  "I like it here in Taylor Hills. Don't you?" Megan asked. They'd all needed a change from the city. The long hours her job had required had been too much, and every time they’d driven by a familiar place, it hurt too much.

  "Yeah," Julianne said softly.

  "The rules suck," Brady said, chin popping up defiantly.

  Well. At least she knew how he really felt.

  "I know things are different with me in charge, but the rules—"

  "Mom and Dad didn't have so many rules."

  "I'm not Emma." She tried to get the words out evenly, but a catch in her throat betrayed her emotion. She never would be.

  But maybe for this moment, right now, she shouldn't be focusing on the rules.

  "Could we call a truce?" she offered. "No more running away."

  Brady still stared at the bedspread, but nodded slowly.

  And Megan swallowed back her fears.

  "Would you like to take riding lessons?" she asked.

  Julianne bounced off the bed with the force of her enthusiasm.

  And Brady looked straight at Megan. She couldn't miss the hope shining from his eyes.

  Sunday afternoon, Dan had one of the stock geldings tied off in the barn aisle and was picking and brushing its hooves, clearing them of dirt and small rocks, when a shadow fell over him.

  He didn't have to look up to know it was Nate.

  "Today's your day off. What d'you think you're do
ing?"

  He kept his head down, concentrating on his task.

  Nate waited him out. Dan knew he'd stand there all day if he had to. Stubborn cuss.

  "There's always work to be done," he said evenly. "Even on a Sunday."

  He didn't answer the unspoken question. When are you gonna leave the ranch? When are you gonna mess up again? He didn't ask what Nate was doing here. It was his day off, too, and Nate had proved to be a family man through and through in the months that Dan had been back on the spread.

  "Finish up. We need to talk."

  Nate stalked off leaving Dan bristling at his order. It was the work of a few minutes to put the old boy back in his stall, but Dan worked the latch as slowly as he could.

  He couldn't avoid the coming confrontation forever. He met Nate outside the barn, the sun harsh on his shoulders, the scent of baking fields in his nostrils.

  The other man stood with feet braced apart and arms crossed over his chest, a hard light in his eyes.

  Dan kept his hands at his sides. Tried to appear unthreatening. He had to fight against the behaviors ingrained in him from his time in prison in order to look the other man in the face. In prison, insubordination earned you a blow from the guard's club.

  But this wasn't prison and Nate wasn't his guard. Wasn't his friend, either. Only his boss.

  "You wanna tell me why you hid that injury from me?" Nate asked. What else are you hiding?

  "It didn’t affect my work."

  Maybe he should've mentioned it, but Dan didn't want to give the foreman any reason to think he was shirking his duties.

  "That's not what the doc seemed to think. She said no lifting."

  "I'm fine."

  Again, Dad resisted the urge to lower his gaze. He hadn’t done anything wrong. And he needed the manual labor to keep him busy. The more exhausted he was at night when he fell into bed, the less he felt the ever-present itch to gamble.

  Not that he would admit it.

  Nate's stare didn't waver. Finally, he said, "You're on light duty until further notice."

  "No."

  Dan couldn't help instinctively bracing for a blow after his near-instant refusal. He clamped his back teeth together when Nate's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. Had the other man noticed?

  "It's not a request."

  Dan ground his teeth. "So what'm I supposed to do? Sit around and knit a baby blanket for Kelsey?"

  Nate didn't crack a smile, but Dan knew his friend… former friend… well enough to know he was gloating about something. It was the light in his eye.

  "You're going to be giving riding lessons. To the good doc and her kids."

  "No."

  Nate didn't bother to argue about it. He turned toward the house, where his truck was parked. He called over his shoulder, "You don't like it, you can always leave."

  Dan was left steaming in the sun.

  Riding lessons? He was no teacher.

  Seeing the doc again would cause more pain than pleasure.

  He liked her.

  Was Nate trying to punish him? Laughing all the way?

  Nate had always known when he was sweet on a gal.

  Fine. Dan would do it. He wouldn't quit. Wouldn't give his ex-friend the satisfaction.

  He'd do the riding lessons. But he'd keep his distance from the pretty doc.

  Chapter 5

  Evening was falling as Dan checked the saddle cinch on Peanut, probably the tamest gelding on the Triple H. He'd already saddled Tad and AC, and they stood inside the corral next to the barn.

  Their tails swished. Reading his nervous anticipation?

  He'd showered while he'd waited, but he’d already sweated through his clean shirt in the humid afternoon air.

  He waited.

  Was always waiting. To get out. To be free. Really free.

  Nate had kept a close watch on Dan all week. He’d been prevented from doing his part to load a bunch of steers for sale and hadn't been allowed to help with inoculating the heifers the ranch was keeping. He’d basically been sitting on his hands all week, grooming horses. There was only so much of that to be done.

  The itch to gamble was worse than ever.

  Or maybe the itch felt like fire because he was going to see the doctor again.

  He wanted to see her. Even though he shouldn't.

  Even the kids, Brady with the chip on his shoulder and the little girl, Julianne, who was as cute as a baby bunny.

  He shouldn't want to see them. He knew he was only setting himself for disappointment, knew that someone like her would never get involved with someone with his past.

  But none of that stopped him from watching the drive with eagle eyes.

  And there they were, the Subaru throwing up a trail of dust behind it as it came up the drive.

  The doctor parked halfway between the house and barn and almost before the tires had stopped spinning, both back doors popped open and the kids jumped out. The little girl let out a wild war-whoop.

  He grabbed the riding helmets he'd dug out of the barn tack room and met them near the car, holding his free hand up.

  The kids skidded to a stop, their boots creating small puffs of dust.

  "Hi, Dan!" Julianne chirped.

  Brady jerked his chin.

  "Hi, guys."

  Dan waited for the doctor to join them. She wore jeans that were so stiff, they looked like the could stand up by themselves. Must be brand new.

  "I was going to stop by the ranch house, but I didn't see any trucks outside. How's Kelsey? Do you know?"

  "Last I heard, she'd seen her regular doc and the baby was fine. She's still on bed rest."

  He'd been immeasurably relieved when Matt had shared the news.

  "You ready to do this?" he asked.

  The doc's smile faded.

  He might've balked when Nate had given him orders for this, but he wouldn't do the job halfway. And step one was to help allay her fears. He couldn't forget how she'd cringed at the rodeo.

  "Before we introduce ourselves to the horses, let's talk."

  "Good,” the doc said. “Rules."

  Julianne looked at him wide-eyed.

  Brady slid a glance to his aunt. The easy smile he'd arrived with faded.

  "More like guidelines," Dan said. "Horses are a lot of fun. They can be your best friend. They also have their own personalities. Do you know what a personality is?"

  Julianne's head tipped to the side. "Is that like how I'm happy all the time and Brady is so grumpy all the time?"

  Ouch. Rough words, but Brady did have an excuse, losing both of his parents.

  The doctor rested one hand on Brady's shoulder. Maybe she was thinking the same thing. "That's kind of it. It's more like the way you”—she focused on Julianne—“make quick decisions. Quick friendships. And Brady”—she turned her focus to the boy—“likes to think about things. To make sure he understands how things work before he decides."

  Dan had guessed right. The kids would match up well with the horses he'd chosen. The doc...? That would remain to be seen.

  "The more time you spend with a horse,” Dan said, “the more you get to know them. Just like your human friends. And when you know a horse, you can tell if something unusual is going on. A horse can feel sick. Or get a rock in its shoe—just like you. If you think something's wrong with your horse, you should tell an adult immediately."

  Both kids nodded gravely.

  "Let's talk a minute about personal space." Dan shifted the helmets in his hand. So far the doctor hadn't counted. "Do you like it if one of your friends puts their hand in your mouth? Or pokes you in the eye?"

  "No!" Julianne laughed.

  "So let's not do that to the horses, okay?"

  The kids nodded solemnly.

  "One more important thing about space. Don't walk directly behind a horse. Any horse. It's better to give a horse a lot of space or walk in front. A horse has really powerful legs, and it can't see you when you're behind it. Believe me, you don't want to be
back there if the horse decides to kick."

  There was the doc's frown. He hurried on.

  "Horses have special diets. Don't feed them unless you have permission. You can bring a treat from home next time. For now..." He reached into his pocket and drew out the carrots he'd sliced up earlier. "Put a few in your pockets."

  He handed some to each kid, who eagerly stuffed them in their jeans’ pockets.

  He extended two carrot sticks to the doc, and their fingers brushed when she took them. Her hair wisped around her face in the breeze. A sweet scent carried to him—her perfume? Or maybe shampoo. There was a smudge of ink on her jaw, and his fingers itched to wipe it away.

  "I hate carrots," Julianne muttered.

  Dan quickly shoved away the wave of attraction that hit him low in the belly. He couldn't get distracted. He cleared his throat. "Couple more things to discuss, then you can meet the horses."

  Brady's eagerness had returned.

  "Horses can get scared, just like you can. Don't run or shout or be wild maniacs when you're around them. Capice?"

  There were those twin nods again.

  "Do you think a horse speaks English?" he asked Julianne.

  "Nu-uh."

  He turned his gaze on Brady. "What about you?"

  The boy considered, eyes slightly narrowed. "Maybe a few words. Like commands?"

  "Yeah. Good. But the biggest way you're going to communicate with them is your body language. And your legs, once you get in the saddle."

  Julianne's nose scrunched. "What's body language?"

  "It's how you hold yourself, short stuff," he told her. He made a show of slouching down, shoulders hunched. "If you walk up to a horse looking like this, the horse might think you're scared or don't have very much confidence." He straightened, standing tall. "If you stand and walk like this, the horse will know you believe in yourself. You're the boss. You’re strong and confident and ready to ride."

  While he'd been talking, Brady's spine had straightened incrementally. Julianne was already there, but her chin was up. The child exuded joy.

  "Y'all ready to do this?"

  The kids opened their mouths as if they were going to cheer, but they quickly stifled it.

  "Yeah," said Brady gruffly.