On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 2

Piper Larson winced as her hands burned from the sudden impact with the concrete. One minute, she was being lectured and made to feel like a naughty girl in serious trouble, then, without warning, she found herself being thrust to the ground. That alone was enough to make the average person’s head spin, but to top it off, Piper was pretty sure she’d had a close call with a bullet.

Which probably should have been her main concern, but she found that she could barely think about it at all with the sexy cowboy’s face mere inches from her own. In fact, she was struggling to hold onto a single thought that didn’t focus on his hard jaw. She was close enough to see that it was rough with stubble, and all she could think about was stroking her finger along his jawline, or better yet, licking it.

The thought made a little shiver run through her as her eyes flitted over his tanned face, taking in the cleft in his square chin, the fullness of his lips, the long, Roman nose.

He’s the hottest man I’ve ever seen. Piper felt her mouth go dry as she gazed up at him, his body hovering over hers as she lay flattened on the barn floor. He might be the rudest I’ve ever met, too. Anyone having gone through such a brush with danger would have shaky nerves, but her tummy was doing somersaults that had nothing to do with her near brush with a bullet.

When Piper saw his eyes, she was taken aback. They were dark and something of an anomaly because even this close she couldn’t quite discern their color. Gray? Brown? Deep blue? She couldn’t tell for certain, and the thought crossed her mind that they only added to his mystery. While she thought about this, her thighs began to quiver. She was tired not having slept much the night before, and adrenaline was pumping through her body. Add to that the fact she hadn’t gotten laid in exactly sixteen months and three days and the desire that showed first in her thighs became a wave of longing that moved across her entire body.

Think about something else, damn it!

But she couldn’t. His face loomed mere centimeters from her own. She could feel every breath he took, could see his heaving chest, the tendrils of dark hair peeking out beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

Then, without warning, his gaze shifted and locked onto hers.

Shit.She’d been caught staring and her cheeks blazed instantly.

He grinned at her.

It was an arrogant smile of a man who knew she wanted him. Under normal circumstances, that would have killed any attraction she’d felt, but this was far from normal.

Still holding himself in perfect plank, he lifted a hand and put a finger to his lips.

Wordlessly, she nodded.

In one quick movement he rolled into a crouching position beside her.

Maybe I’m still asleep. Did I dream myself into ‘The Matrix’?Piper used his shifting movement to take a better look. If she’d been turned on by the masculine beauty of his face, it was nothing in comparison to the tightening in her belly when she got a better look at his broad shoulders, strong chest, and a six-pack so well defined she could see it through his flannel shirt.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice gruff.

“I… I think so…” Her heart was pounding against the wall of her chest so hard she wondered if it might break through. It wasn’t every day she had such a commanding, stern man astride her in a way that, albeit completely nonsexual, still made her panties damp. Oh, and then there was the fact that there was a bullet embedded in the wall barely an inch from where she’d been standing.

The cowboy moved and crouched beside her, his mouth hot on her ear. “Stay down, y’hear me?”

His authoritative tone and hard expression said or else.

Piper had no idea what or else even meant, but she felt his unspoken warning in every inch of her body. Wordlessly, she nodded.

He pressed a finger to his lips again, his dark eyes burrowing into hers until she couldn’t take the intensity for another second and was forced to look away. He must have felt that his message had been delivered, because he nodded before turning away and slinking out of the barn without so much as a sound.

As soon as she dared—which wasn’t until he was out of sight—Piper sat up and rocked back on her heels, trying to process what had just happened. Her mind was spinning. She turned her palms up to examine them, grimacing when she saw the scrapes in the center of her palms. They stung like hell, but somehow only fueled the fire that was coursing through her. Was it pure sexual attraction to the stern man who had rousted her from her hiding place, or adrenaline from nearly getting shot? Or a strange combination?

A plaintive whinny followed by a sharp stamp to the ground captured her attention.

She glanced toward the open barn door and seeing no one there, decided to risk going to the horse. After all, wouldn’t noise attract whoever had been shooting? She would be doing her currently nameless cowboy a favor by keeping things quiet. Piper crawled toward the animal, marveling at how much her life had changed in twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning she had woken up in the bedroom of her studio apartment not imagining in the next twenty-four hours she would be startled awake by a severe, scowling man.

Piper wondered what he must have thought seeing her without a bit of makeup, rumpled hair with bits of hay in her honey-blonde hair. She cringed at the mental image. Not her best look, that was for sure.

And now, to make matters worse, she had been shot at and was crawling on the floor. Awesome. Could it get much worse? She didn’t think so.

“Hey, girl,” she whispered, reaching up to pat the horse’s flank. “Well, at least I think you’re a girl. Are you?”

The horse in question snorted and stamped her foot again.

Whether in agreement or denial, Piper couldn’t be sure. She glanced around the barn, suddenly self-conscious. Well she felt assured she was quite alone, she turned back to the horse, but kept her voice in a whisper, just in case. “Shh, it’s okay, girl. You can’t be having a worse day than I am, I promise.”

The horse let out a soft whinny.

“Don’t believe me? Well, for one thing, you have this nice stall of hay, which, you know, I don’t think is very comfortable, but horses seem to like it, right? Whereas I’m homeless at the moment, so…” She continued to stroke the horse’s flank, finding it strangely comforting. As she did, she allowed her mind to drift back to the day before.

She’d been jolted awake yesterday morning, too…

Piper bolted upright in her bed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to figure out where the pounding was coming from. Annoyed at being roused from the first good night’s sleep she’d had in forever, when she realized it was someone at the door she was less than gracious as she bellowed, “Coming! I hear you, knock it off already!” She threw back the covers and stomped to the door, not caring that she was in nothing but an oversize T-shirt.

Whoever was standing on the other end of the door must have heard her because the knocking stopped. But it did nothing to quell her irritation, which was why when she threw it open she snarled, “What?”

“Listen, I’m really sorry to bother you, Piper…”

Her mouth dropped open and a second later heat suffused her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she’d been yelling at Mr. Laskey, who was the sweetest man alive in addition to being her landlord. “M-Mr. Laskey… I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was you. Not that I should, um, ever talk to anyone like that, I just didn’t… I didn’t know,” she finished lamely, her face getting hotter by the second.

“That’s okay, I understand, it’s early.”

Which was a nice thing to say and all, except it only made her feel more like crap. She cleared her throat, pulling down on the hem of her T-shirt self-consciously. “Uh, thanks. So, um, what can I do for you, Mr. Laskey?”

The older man scratched his balding head and avoided her eyes. “Listen, I really hate to do this…”

Piper’s hand tightened on the doorknob as her stomach sank.

“The thing is… ah, you’re really far behind. I was stopping by to see if you have any idea when you’ll be able to catch up the rent.”

She took a deep breath, hoping that her voice wouldn’t shake when she spoke. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Laskey. I know I owe you for the last two months, but I’ve been paying on it whenever I can.”

Now he was the one with pink cheeks. It was clear he didn’t enjoy this part of his job. “I know, and I get that things have been rough for you, but you already owe eight-seventy from the last two months, and now this month’s is due, too.”

Her grip on the doorknob was so tight the metal was hot in her hand. “Is it the fifth already?” She laughed weakly, but he didn’t join in. In fact, her words only seemed to make him more embarrassed.

“Yes. Now while I’ve waived any late fees—”

“Thank you, I really appreciate that.”

He still avoided her gaze as he said, “Your balance at this point is pretty significant. I know you haven’t been able to find work…”

“I’ve been looking for a part-time job while I work on my business,” she offered.

“Ah, yeah, I know you’ve told me that, but—”

“Give me just a sec, I’ll be right back.” Piper left him standing in the doorway as she walked to the end table and grabbed a brochure off the top. She also snatched up her robe and was tying it around her waist as she made her way back to him. “Here.”

Mr. Laskey hesitated for a moment, but he was too nice of a man to refuse her. “It’s… nice.”

She beamed at him. She was very proud of the pamphlets she’d designed and ordered. The top said ‘Piper’s Playthings’ in large teal cursive letters and beneath it were four pictures. The first was of a large stuffed gray bunny with a pink flowered ponytail holder over each ear wearing a blue gingham dress. There was a dapper elephant in a top hat and tuxedo, a monkey dressed in pajamas, and the last one was a black and white photograph that showed a well-worn though dapper bear. It was her own bear she’d had since she was five years old.

“This is my business. Or, I mean, it will be. One day.”

“Forgive me for asking, Piper… I’m an old man and I don’t always know these things…”

“You’re not old.” She reached out and gave his arm a squeeze.

His normally ruddy complexion deepened. “So, what is it? A store that sells stuffed animals?”

“Yes, but…” She trailed off, unsure of how to explain what her vision really was. Or if she even should. “I want it to be a place where people can go to be themselves. Not necessarily the person people see when they look at them, but their truest selves, the person they really are, deep down. And maybe other people will come in looking for a birthday gift, and find something that speaks to them, and discover a part of themselves they never knew existed.” Piper flushed, but it was a mixture of embarrassment for babbling and pride in her dream. “I don’t know if that makes sense.”

Mr. Laskey gave her a long, assessing look before he slowly began to nod. “Yes. Yes, Piper, I think it does.”

“Really?” A grateful smile spread across her lips.

“I do. And it’s clear you’re passionate about what you’re saying, which is more than some folks have. But Piper…”

“I know,” she cut in. “I know you can’t keep cutting me breaks. See, I took out a loan for my business, and I thought I should be able to get it off the ground, but it’s taking longer than I thought, and…” She trailed off helplessly because that was only half the story. The other half was that she was out of money and still needed more. Worse still, she had plenty of other bills to catch up on top of worrying about where the additional money to fund her business would come from.

“I really need you to pay up, or, ah, find somewhere else to stay. I’m sorry, I really am, Piper, but…”

The pride she’d felt only moments ago vanished, replaced by shame that felt like a physical weight in her soul. “I know.” She blinked her big green eyes rapidly to keep the tears that threatened at bay.

Her landlord’s neck was turning bright red as he watched her. He looked down at the pamphlet in his hand and let out a big, regretful sigh. “Maybe I could give you one more month, but then I really do need you to pay the balance in full.”

She gave him a tiny smile. “Thanks, Mr. Laskey. I appreciate it, truly, but you’ve already done so much. I don’t want to keep asking you to do me favors when I have no idea when I can pay you back.”

“Are you sure?” He looked torn between feeling relieved and being miserable.

She knew how he felt. She put a hand on his and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s time. And I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I promise I’ll get the money to you as soon as I can.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. You’re a good girl.”

Her smile widened, and felt genuine this time. “Thanks.”

“Where will you go?”

She pulled a face. “My aunt’s, I guess. I hate to ask you for one more favor, Mr. Laskey…”

“Go on and ask.”

“Is there any way I could leave some stuff with you? My aunt isn’t a fan of my stuffed animals.”

“Sure. Of course you can. I’ll keep ‘em safe downstairs for you.”

Piper felt a pang of sadness as she thought of all her pretty things—the stuffies, so soft you’d swear you were stroking a brand-new puppy, the beautiful clothes she’d labored over, careful to make sure each stitch was perfect, that each accessory matched and gave the stuffie added personality—that was slightly soothed knowing that Mr. Laskey was keeping them safe.

Though she had bigger things to worry about—like a place to live, for one—she couldn’t help but worry. She had never worked so hard on anything in her life. If she didn’t have the dream of her business, she didn’t have anything.

“Who the hell are you?”

A gasp lodged in her throat as Piper whirled around, half expecting to see a gun-toting felon behind her. Instead, the man watching her was wearing a cowboy hat atop his head, gray hair spilling into curls nearly down to his shoulders. His hands were empty, but the way they were propped on his hips was only slightly less threatening. The scowl he wore very much reminded her of the other cowboy who’d told her to stay put.

“Who are you?” he barked again.

Clearly the men in this family had a thing for being answered immediately. She opened her mouth to answer, but her vocal cords seemed paralyzed by the increasing drama and Piper couldn’t manage to squeak out a reply.

The furrows on his brow deepened. “Never mind. I heard shots. Where is my grandson?”

Swallowing hard, she raised her hand and pointed in the last direction she’d seen him go.

“I’ll be back. And when I am, I expect an answer.” Giving her a hard glance that left her frozen, he ran off, moving just as swiftly and stealthily as the other man—his grandson, apparently—had.

This is just not my day. Piper felt tauter than a ball of rubber bands and didn’t dare exhale until several minutes had passed. I’ve got to get out of here.

“The next surprise is likely to give me a stroke,” she murmured.

The horse whinnied, and she swore she could hear the sympathy.

But the question was did she dare? Now that she had been confronted by not one but two stone-faced cowboys, both who expected to find her whenever they deigned to return, it would take a lot of courage to try to escape. Did she have enough?

This is ridiculous. Why should I sit here, waiting to be yelled at some more? I don’t owe them anything. Of course, I did borrow their barn for an evening… not even an evening, really, just a few hours…

Now she wished she could turn back time. If she could do last night over again, she would have kept her head down and her feet moving. She had been on the way to her aunt’s—knowing she’d have to eat humble pie when she got there made her steps more leaden than usual. She had sold her car two months ago to try to stay afloat and a normally ten-minute drive dragged out even further since she was on foot.

She had broken down and cried when Mr. Laskey had left, and again when she’d packed up. She had to leave behind anything that wouldn’t fit in her backpack, and as she weighed her options and made the heart-wrenching decision of what to bring and what had to stay, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would even be welcome at her aunt’s. Even if she allowed Piper to stay, would she let her come back for any more of her stuff? Those questions and the awful not-knowing made every decision feel crucial. By the time she’d finally gotten walking, she was drained from all the tears, and feeling defeated in a way she’d never experienced.

Which was why eventually she just couldn’t take another step. That was when she’d spotted the barn. Sure, she’d seen the house a few yards off, but she’d been sure that she could grab a few minutes’ sleep, just enough to recharge her energy so she’d be able to make it the rest of the way to her aunt’s.

But that plan had been foiled by a cowboy that apparently rose long before the sun and didn’t have an ounce of compassion in his lean, hard body.

“How was I supposed to know he gets up at five in the morning?” she muttered.

The horse stamped its foot, which set the other two to stamping in their stalls.

“You knew?” Piper stood up, brushing the hay from her pants. “Well, you could’ve warned me.” She ran her hand along the creature’s soft, long nose.

The horse turned her head side to side, making Piper laugh.

“Oh, you wanted me to stay, huh? Well, thanks for getting me in trouble!” She cast a longing glance at the open doorway. It was now or never. It should be a no-brainer—the last thing she wanted to do was face either of those stone-faced men. “What do you think, girl? Should I stay? Or…”

The horse whinnied and shook her head.

“You think it’s dangerous out there? Sure, the way this day is going, I take one step outside and bam!” She shuddered at the thought. “But he’s dangerous, too.” Piper bit down on her bottom lip and worried it between her teeth, thinking. She was between a rock and a hard place. No matter which way she turned, danger threatened.

When she thought of the younger cowboy, the one who had found her, her stomach did a weird flip-flop that didn’t feel entirely uncomfortable. It was a strange feeling, knowing that if she stayed, she’d have to face him, and there had been consequences implied in his dark, hot gaze. And yet… her stomach churned, letting her know that she was excited as well as scared.

The horse stamped again, pulling her out of her thoughts and making her jump. As soon as she’d done it, she laughed at how silly she was being. “I guess I’m a little jumpy,” she admitted, giving the horse more attention by patting it again. “Hey, you would be too if you’d been woken up by… well, I don’t know his name. I wish you could tell me.” What name suited that fierce scowl, those dark, glaring eyes? There was something about his gaze that made goosebumps rise on her arms and her tummy do flips again in that uncomfortable yet strangely delicious way. He’d told her to stay put, and she had no doubt he’d meant it. So who was she more afraid of? The unknown possibly of a bad guy with a gun, or a man that was already angry with her?

She rolled her eyes skyward. Easy choice.

“Sorry, girl.” She leaned forward and kissed the wide bridge of the horse’s nose. “I’ve gotta get out of here.” Piper began to move toward the open barn door.

The cowboy had made a quick, silent getaway. Before she’d taken five steps, she had to concede that it wasn’t a talent she possessed. Every step she took, her foot crunched down on the hay. It might have been gravel for all the noise it made. “I guess I’m not cut out for a life of crime,” she muttered sheepishly. Still, she was determined to get the heck out of here, and she moved forward, noise be damned.

* * *

“You catch ‘em?”

Chase, unsurprised by his grandfather’s sudden appearance at his side, shook his head. “Nope. Far as I can tell, they’re long gone.”

Senior arched his gray, bushy brows. “What makes you think there was more’n one?”

He nodded his head toward the tracks he’d followed until he’d lost the trail.

His grandfather whistled, low and long. “What d’ya reckon they want?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged a shoulder, staring moodily out toward the trees.

“You see anyone?”

“Nope. Not so much as a twig out of place. I was a tad preoccupied, but that gunshot sure as hell got my attention.”

“I’ll bet.” He clapped Chase on the shoulder. “Don’t fret over it none. Can’t catch ‘em all, and if I had a beautiful blonde in the barn I imagine I would be a bit preoccupied, too.”

He laughed at Senior’s knowing look. “Yeah, maybe if that was the case, but as it turns out, she’s a stowaway.”

“You don’t say.”

“Found her a bit earlier hiding in the shed.”

“Hmm, how d’ya reckon she ended up there?”

“She says she needed a place to sleep.”

“Yeah? You think there’s more to it?”

Chase’s mood turned grimmer. “I sure as hell intend to find out.”

“You smell trouble?”

“Can’t say for positive. Could be.”

“You think it’s…” He let his sentence trail off meaningfully.

“Could be,” he said again.

Senior mulled this over a bit before giving two definitive shakes of his head and spitting on the ground. “Nah. Not a young thing like that.”

“Who knows? Maybe they think they can catch us off guard. Maybe that’s the plan.”

“It’s not just that she’s young. There’s somethin’ about her…”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

“Doesn’t seem like the hardened criminal type, you know?”

“Do they ever?” His words came out hard, bitter. But he did indeed know what his grandfather meant. There was something about the pretty blonde that screamed of innocence, but he didn’t want to let that cloud his judgment. Maybe the people who sent her expected he would let his guard down, and that possibility made it impossible for him to do so. “I best get back. I need to make sure we’re not missin’ anything.”

“Well, you might wanna hurry. She looked to be on her way out when I saw her.”

Chase’s brow furrowed as he scowled. “I told her to stay put.”

His grandfather shrugged. “Jus’ what it looked like to me.”

“In that case, I better be goin’.” But something held him back another moment. “I know you don’t like hunches…”

“Go on.”

Chase considered his next words carefully before saying, “I can’t swear by it, ‘course, but I think that we haven’t seen the last of those guys, whoever they were. I feel it in my gut.”

His grandfather didn’t answer, but merely followed his gaze out toward the trees.