Long Hard Road (Crestwood Valley)

14. Madison

Ellison returned not long after he left and he slapped a stack of papers on the coffee table. I opened my mouth to tell him off but Nate just grabbed a pen and starting signing.

“Nate, I told you I don’t want you to do that.” I tried to snatch the pen out of his hand, but he shrugged me away.

“I have nothing to hide, Madison. If this will make it easier for your security team to protect you, I’m happy to do it.” He scribbled one last signature and stood, turning his attention to Ellison. “I need to head back to my place for a bit. Will you stay with her?”

Ellison nodded with his pissed-off glare leveled at me. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

Nate’s strong hand squeezed my shoulder as he walked past me. “I’ll be back soon.”

A simple touch had no business making my heart race like that. Every interaction with Nate Sullivan was more intense than anything else I’d ever experienced. He was under my skin. Deep.

“What the hell are you doing, Madi?” Ellison asked once Nate was gone. “That man is a stranger. You’ve known him for, what, two days? He’s a decade older than you and lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. And you decided to invite him into your home? Into your bed?”

“I’m sorry, are you my father?” After working with him for a couple of years, I was used to Ellison’s antics. We had formed a close connection with him acting as an older brother of sorts. It was usually sweet, like when he sent me cupcakes on my birthday or stopped by to visit on a random Tuesday when we both happened to be in the same town. It was not so sweet when he pulled his overbearing-man act.

“I’m not your father but I am your friend, Madi. I’ve spent the last year fending off your stalkers so you’ll have to excuse me if I find this recent behavior a little reckless.” He shoved a hand through his hair and sank into the chair across from me. “What do you even know about that guy?”

The only way to alleviate Ellison’s concerns would be to get him to see that Nate was one of the good guys. “Nate was born and raised in Crestwood. His family owns a ranch in the valley. Two, actually. A working ranch and a guest ranch. His brother Evan runs the working ranch and his other brother, Chase, runs the guest ranch. They have a sister, Harper, who owns the bookstore downtown. From what I’ve seen, the Sullivan family does just fine financially.”

“But what do you know about Nate specifically? Don’t you think it’s strange that the threats showed up right after you met him?”

“You think Nate is the one threatening me?” I let out a loud laugh.

“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that it’s a little quick to be putting all your trust in a man you barely know.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You don’t usually do shit like this, Madi. I’m worried about you.”

“I know you are. I appreciate that.” The reason that Ellison was so great at his job was that he didn’t just go through the motions. He actually cared about the people he was hired to protect. “Doesn’t it mean anything that a person who is so reluctant to trust anyone has chosen to trust Nate?”

“Sure. It means that he’s a cowboy with rugged good looks and you’re a woman with eyes.” He smiled so I would know he was kidding. I didn’t always pick up on his dry humor. “Look, I’m not going to fight you on this. If you trust Nate, that’s good enough for me. But I’m still doing a background check. He might not be behind the threats, but it could be someone with connections to him. Maybe a pissed-off ex-girlfriend or business associate.”

“You can check, but I really don’t think that’s what this is. I’m the one who has weirdos and perverts stalking me all the time.”

“I brought some security cameras and alarms for the doors and windows. It will be a quick setup. That should at least give us a heads up if anyone is lurking around this place.” He looked at where Nate had left his coffee mug. “Plus you’ve got your own personal bodyguard now and I doubt that he will let you go anywhere alone.”

“He’s a good guy, Eli. Promise. In fact, he reminds me a lot of you, minus the surly attitude.”

“I am not surly. I’m serious.”

That earned him an eye-roll. “You are seriously a pain in my ass.”

“Then I’m doing my job.” He pushed out of his chair. “I’m going to get started on setting everything up. Once you find a permanent place in Crestwood, we’ll look into a more advanced security system.”

“Permanent? Eli, I’m not moving here.”

He smirked and headed to the door. “Madi, the cowboy isn’t going to let you leave without a fight and you are never going to fight him on it.”

A few minutes later, Nate returned with a duffle bag over his shoulder and a bundle of fur in his arms.

“What is that?” I asked nervously.

“Relax. It’s a cat.” Nate shifted so I could see a tiny pink nose and ears nestled in the crook of his elbow. “This is Meadow.”

“You have a cat?” I couldn’t hide my surprise. I thought that cowboys had horses and dogs.

“More like I have a cat that moved in with me.” He grinned as I came closer to get a better look at Meadow. “She’s been hanging around the cabin and I felt bad leaving her out in the cold and snow. We’re roommates until the weather improves.”

Meadow lifted her head and used her claws to dig into Nate’s flannel shirt and pull herself up until her nose nudged his jaw. I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to ever look hotter than he had in my shower, but seeing him be gentle with a cat had my core clenching.

“You want to hold her?” Nate’s knowing look said that he’d caught the flash of desire in my eyes. “Or do you want me to hold you?”

“Give me the cat.” I plucked it from his arms and gasped. “Nate Sullivan, this cat is very thoroughly pregnant!”

“I’m a rancher, angel. You think I didn’t notice that?” He watched Meadow settle into my arms and then scratched her chin and she purred happily. I understood that purr completely. “We have dozens of cats on the ranch. They mostly live in the barns and keep the mice and other vermin away. When I was a kid, I always wanted to bring them inside. My parents insisted that cats were outside pets only. But now that I’m a grown man, I’ve decided to ignore that rule and become a crazy cat lady. I’m hoping Meadow pops out a dozen kittens.”

“You can’t just say shit like that,” I groaned. “How am I supposed to not take you to my bed right this second?”

“I’m not going to stop you.” He grinned and moved his hand up to my chin, drawing his thumb over my lower lip. I nearly let out a purr myself. “But I’d prefer if you wait until another man isn’t right outside that window glaring at me.”

Ellison was securing a camera to face the front door, but he was multitasking by making sure that Nate knew he was watching us. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned my attention back to Meadow.

“Why did you bring this sweet girl over here?”

“Because I don’t want her to be alone. She could have the kittens any day now. Since I won’t be leaving your side for the foreseeable future, I thought it only right that I bring her along, too.”

“But I don’t have anything to take care of a pregnant cat.”

“I’ve got a litter box and food in the back of the truck. We’ll put down some old blankets for a bed. Cats are pretty low maintenance.” Nate leaned down and brushed a soft kiss to my lips. “You stay with her and I’ll bring everything in.”

I knew that Nate had an ulterior motive for bringing the pregnant cat to my cabin. He was trying to distract me from the threats. Give me something cute and cuddly to focus on instead of my stalker. It was a sweet gesture and damn if it didn’t make me fall just a little more for the sexy cowboy next door.

“We need kitten things. If she’s going to give birth soon, we need to be prepared,” I said after Meadow had settled into her blanket bed. “Is there any place in Crestwood that sells that kind of stuff?”

“We don’t have a pet store. Plenty of feed stores, though.” Nate thought for a second. “Let’s drive over to Waverly. They’ll have more options for us.”

I didn’t know anything about the nearby towns, but I would’ve gone anywhere with Nate. Even Ellison agreed it was a good idea for me to be out of the cabin while he got everything set up. We stopped at Amelia’s on our way out of town to grab more coffee and then we headed to Waverly.

The town was about three times the size of Crestwood and had a pet supply store, a couple of larger grocery stores, plus a Target. After we grabbed a bunch of toys, collars, treats, scratching posts, and anything else a cat could possibly need, I stocked up on more warm clothing and a legitimate pair of boots and gloves from a shop dedicated solely to leather goods meant to be worn when working outside.

We both loaded up on groceries that couldn’t be bought at the Crestwood Market and the freezing cold weather ensured that nothing would melt or spoil before we got back to the cabin.

“You don’t mind if we make a stop, do you?” Nate asked, turning on his blinker at a stop sign. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Who?”

“My grandma. Maribelle.” He smiled shyly. “She lives in an independent living community here in Waverly and I don’t get up here to see her as much as I’d like.”

“You want to take me to meet your grandma?” Good lord. This man might as well light my panties on fire for how hot I was between my legs.

“She’s always giving me shit for being single. Might move me up the favorite grandchild list if she sees me with you.” He winked at me. “Just to warn you, she’s going to want great-grand-babies.”

Nate’s grandmother was thrilled to see her grandson on her doorstep. She ushered us inside and gave him a big hug even though he was holding bags of groceries he’d bought for her. Yet another piece of information that made me swoon over the man.

“Alright, who is this beautiful young thing?” Maribelle eyed me carefully behind her thick glasses. “Nathaniel, she’s gorgeous! You’ll have beautiful babies together.”

“Gran, don’t scare her away. I’m still trying to convince her to fall in love with me.” He finished placing the grocery bags on the counter.

“I’m Madison. It’s nice to me you, Maribelle.”

“Call me Mary for now.” She had the same playful wink as her grandson. “Soon you’ll be calling me Gran, though.”

“What did I just say?” Nate asked in exasperation.

Mary took my hand, her wrinkled skin soft and warm. “Come, Madison. Nathaniel will put those groceries away while we chat.”

Nate’s visit with his grandma ended up being us visiting while he moved around the small apartment fixing things or doing other chores that Maribelle gave him without moving from her rocking chair.

“You are smitten with my grandson,” she said when she caught me staring at him as he changed a lightbulb in the kitchen.

I blushed and hurried to look away. “He has been a good friend to me.”

“Oh please. Friends don’t look at each other the way you’ve been staring at him. And Nathaniel has never brought a friend to meet me.” She had been working on a knitting project throughout our conversation and I was fascinated by how quickly her hands moved the needles.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to knit,” I said.

“Oh, I’d be happy to teach you sometime, sweetheart. Maybe next time you visit, I can make us a nice meal and then give you your first lesson.” She smiled hopefully.

“I would love that. Maybe you could even give me a cooking lesson, too. I’m afraid I’m not much of a chef.”

She nodded. “Yes, yes. That will be necessary. My grandson will need a wife who can cook for him.”

“Gran, it’s not 1950 anymore. Men can cook for themselves.” Nate’s exasperation said that he’d had this conversation with her many times.

“I am aware, Nathaniel. I expect you to cook for her, too. It’s important for a couple to be equal partners in a marriage. The only reason your grandad never cooked was because his meals never turned out edible. He did the laundry instead.” She looked at me. “You may want to consider that arrangement. Working men tend to have terribly messy laundry.”

“Thanks for the tip.” I gave Mary a conspiratorial smile.

“I finished up your list, Gran. We’ll come back in a couple of weeks for that meal. Maybe you’ll even make your famous roast?” he suggested.

“For you… absolutely.” She walked us to the door and gave me a hug almost as fierce as the one she gave Nate. Her blue eyes were misty when she pulled back. “You made this old lady’s day with your visit. Anytime you want to bring your pretty girlfriend around, please do.”

“I will, Gran.” He kissed her cheek and then turned to me, holding out his hand. “Ready?”

I nodded. “Bye, Mary. It was so nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure was mine.” She smiled wide as she looked at our joined hands. “I’ll be seeing you real soon,” she said confidently.

I hoped she was right.