Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“ D addy do you like my dress?”
Benton Bridgestone was pulling on his boots when his daughter, Nora, came crashing into his bedroom with all the energy of a five-year-old. And then some. As always, the sight of her damn near melted his heart. This kid could wreck him without trying.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You’re going to get dizzy if you keep that up.” He got off the bed and walked over to her.
Her hair could use some brushing, so he pointed to his bathroom. “Pigtails or pony?”
She marched ahead of him, her leopard print tights clashing with her sparkly purple dress and shiny baby-blue cowboy boots. It was hot as hell out there, but Nora had a stubborn streak a mile long when it came to her wardrobe. He’d learned early on which battles to pick with his daughter, and clothing wasn’t one of them.
“Can I have it long?” She smiled up at him and handed him a brush.
“With the purple clips?” he asked.
She nodded and leaned back onto him while he pulled the brush through her waves. Her hair was getting long. He’d tried cutting it once and had damn near taken off her ear because she wouldn’t sit still. He’d decided after that the only person to touch her head would be a professional. He’d give Dolly a call and take her to the salon.
Once he was done brushing out the tangles, he handed her two clips, and she carefully pulled the front back on either side and pinned down the curls.
“Do I look pretty, daddy?”
“The prettiest in the world.”
Her face lit up and he scooped Nora into his arms, grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs laughing at the high-pitched squeals that fell from her as they made their way to the front door. It was nearly five o’clock and he was about an hour late, but this was still a working ranch, and he’d had business to attend to.
His cell pinged just as he buckled Nora into her car seat and he grabbed it from his pocket, then slid into the truck. It was from Daisy Mae and instantly his good mood vanished. Funny how seeing a name could steal all the good things and leave nothing but blackness in a man.
I expect my baby at eight pm. Don’t be late.
He didn’t bother with a reply and tossed his cell, before turning on his Spotify because his brother Calvin wasn’t the only singer in the family. Nora sang along to every single Hank Williams song that played, as well as a couple from Cash and Waylon. By the time they got to Cal and Millie Sue’s place, the little girl had made it through an impressive amount of material and knew every word.
He’d done something right, he thought, as he parked and let her run ahead of him into the house, her bag nearly falling out of her hands as she disappeared inside. His daughter was always running like she was ten steps behind. He smiled at the thought, though it faded as he took stock of the situation.
There was barely room for his rig on account of the twenty or so vehicles parked out front. That meant there would be a lot of socializing for the next couple of hours, and socializing wasn’t exactly high on his agenda these days. If he didn’t like Ivy so damn much he would have come up with an excuse not to attend.
But she was special, and Mike Paul would have given him hell if he didn’t show, so he’d agreed to come and would just have to deal with it. He’d find a quiet corner in the shade and nurse a beer or two until it was time to leave.
He jumped out of the truck and glanced up at the house. His brother’s place had been built the previous year, and it was something else. With the Rockies as a picture-perfect backdrop, it was one of the prettiest spots on the Triple B Ranch, and Cal and Millie Sue had made it their own. Set atop a knoll, it overlooked the valley, giving an impressive view from inside because there were floor-to-ceiling windows to let it all in.
As he climbed the steps to the front door, squeals echoed from the back yard—no doubt there was a pack of kids in the pool. He walked in, but it was quiet. Most everyone was outside, but he spied his oldest friend and foreman, not to mention his brother-in-law, Dallas Henhawk, coming from the kitchen. His buddy looked frazzled, and when he spied Benton, he stopped mid-stride.
“How’d the mare make out?” Dallas asked.
The mare was the reason Benton was late to the party.
“A filly. All good.”
“Right. Good.” Dallas nodded.
“You okay?” Benton asked.
Dallas nodded. “Yeah. I will be.” His eyebrows shot up. “Have you talked to your sister yet?”
“Which one?”
“The one I’m sleeping with.”
“Nope.”
Dallas pointed behind him. “She’s out back. I was just heading to the truck to grab something. I’ll see you out there.”
Benton sighed, then cranked his neck and, with no other option, walked through to the kitchen. He spied the crowd outside. It was impressive. There were a lot of folks from town in attendance, along with all of the Bridgestones, save for the youngest, Ryland. He was currently in Texas.
His sister Scarlett and her husband Taz sat by the pool, while Cal and Millie Sue were snuggled up near the bar area, their child asleep in Cal’s arms. He spied Mike Paul barbecuing up some ribs, while Ivy was deep in conversation with his sister Vivian and Ivy’s pal, Kip Lafferty. The guy’s right shoulder was in a sling which explained his appearance, though to be honest with all the crap going on in his life Benton hadn’t paid much attention to sports.
He walked over to his father, Manley, and grabbed a beer from the bucket on the table. His father sipped from a bottle of water while his lady-friend Martha Pulman was busy helping Mike Paul.
“That child of yours is something else,” his father said with a nod. Bent followed his father’s gaze and shook his head with a smile.
Nora was currently perched on the edge of the diving board, her mouth moving a mile a minute while Michaela Dawson put on her water wings.
“No doubt she’s trying to convince that woman she doesn’t need those things on her arms.”
“No doubt,” Bent murmured as Michaela glanced up. An attractive lady with an easy smile, they’d become reacquainted when she moved back to her family’s ranch after a nasty divorce. Single, with two kids, they’d been thrown together on more than one occasion, and there was some chemistry there. But his head wasn’t in the right space for anything other than sex with no strings, and he wasn’t sure she was the kind of woman for that.
Long, caramel hair. Pouty lips. Slender hips and thighs. Breasts that begged for his mouth.
He blinked away the image. Shit. It had been months since Nashville, and the woman with no name was still on his mind.
“Any news on the Daisy Mae?” His father’s question was quiet.
Benton’s mouth tightened at the mention of his ex. “She’s determined to waste a lot of my money and time on something that’s not going to happen.”
“Do you think she’s changed?”
Anger flared inside him, and he turned to his father. “She’s an addict, Dad. That shit stays with you.”
“I’ve had issues with booze and pills my whole life. It took losing everything, and me wanting to live more than I wanted to die, to turn my life around. I’m not saying it’s an easy thing. There are days I wake up and the first thing I think about is whiskey. But it’s my actions after the thought that count.” He offered a small, sad smile. “I missed a lot with you kids and made more mistakes than I can count, but it’s what keeps me sober. Being here with all of you. Watching my granddaughter sass that lady and dive into the pool like she’s a little boss makes the work I put in worth it.”
Bent’s grip on the bottle was so tight, his fingers ached. He knew coming here was a mistake.
“Son?”
He took a beat and clamped down on the darkness. His father didn’t deserve a spiky tongue. “She’s going after full custody, Dad. She wants to move Nora out of state with that new man she’s got. And while I don’t have a problem with her having a relationship with our daughter, there’s no way in hell I’ll let her take her from me. I’ve raised her. I’ve been there for all of it and she…” He clamped his mouth shut because he told himself he wasn’t going to be the guy who badmouthed his child’s mother.
His father frowned. “I didn’t know. I thought she just wanted to see Nora more.”
“No,” Benton finished the beer and tossed the empty into the bin beside the table. “It’s war.”
Mood as ugly as the rain-heavy clouds over the mountains, Benton moved away from his father and strode past Mike Paul. He stopped by Vivian and asked her to keep an eye on Nora.
“Are you leaving?” she asked, clearly surprised.
“No. I have to take a call.” He grabbed his cell to emphasize his white lie and kept on going. His feet found a path that led to the outbuildings, and the stress and anger slowly left when he walked into the cool interior of the barn. The horses Cal owned were turned out in the paddock, and inside it was dark and quiet. He liked the shadows.
It was times like these he wished that he still smoked. He’d just about kill for a cigarette.
Benton heard a squeak and wandered over to the far end of the barn. There were several bales of hay piled there, and nestled on top of one of them were three kittens. He wasn’t sure where the mama was, but they looked healthy with sleepy eyes that told him their bellies were full.
He stared down at the little balls of fur as a memory pulled at him. His mother cradling a kitten while he and Calvin waited for their turn to hold it.
“Shit,” he muttered. It had been a long time since he’d thought of his mother. Since he’d seen her face in his mind. Usually, he took comfort in that sort of thing, but today it only added to the cloud that hung in his sky.
He turned back with a frown and spied someone standing just inside the barn doors. It was a female, someone—those long legs couldn’t belong to anything but. However, with sunlight pouring in behind her, Bent couldn’t quite make out the face.
“Afternoon,” he said slowly.
“Hello.” Her voice had a hint of rasp to it. “The kittens look small.”
“About three weeks is my guess.”
“That’s young.”
He didn’t reply. He was still wondering who in hell she was, because one thing was certain, she wasn’t from around these parts. It was plain and simple. Benton knew every soul that resided in Big Bend. He didn’t know this woman and wished he could see her better.
“I have friends who ride, but I never acquired the taste for it. Never been in a barn before.” She laughed, and he liked the sound of it.
“Well, this here isn’t your typical barn. My brother spent more money on this building than most folks spend on their houses. Even the floors are heated.”
“He must love horses.”
“We all do.” He paused for a moment, then thought, why the hell not ask the question percolating in his head? “Do I know you?” He took a step forward. There was something about the way she held her head.
She didn’t reply at first and took a hesitant step. Then, after a few silent moments, the woman squared her shoulders and walked toward him. The shadows slipped away, revealing a face he’d thought about for months.
“The fuck?” he all but growled, eyes wide as he took all of her in. She wore a simple white T-shirt tucked into a pair of jean shorts cut to mid-thigh. Same slip hips. Long legs. Nice round breasts. But it was the face that was arresting, with the kind of cheekbones and eyes and mouth a man couldn’t forget.
And Lord, but he’d tried to forget.
“What the hell are you doing at Ivy’s party?”
She was nervous. He saw that now. Her eyes slid from his, and her breathing ramped up. “I came with my brother.”
“And that would be?”
“Kip.”
His eyes widened, and he frowned. “You’re Lafferty’s sister?”
She nodded.
“And we…in Nashville we… you and I…”
“Yes.” Her cheeks were pink, and that hair of hers was a riot of waves that at any other time, he’d want to tug and pull.
Benton shook those thoughts from his mind and considered things. He rolled his mind back. She’d been at his place before. And though he didn’t remember her exactly, he knew the Laffertys had come the previous Christmas.
“Did you know who I was when you sat down at that bar?”
“If I said no, would you believe me?”
“Probably not.”
“Then you’d be right.”
“You don’t remember me,” he murmured. “You said to me that back then.”
“I did.” She moved even closer, and he steeled himself as the most delicate, feminine scent he’d ever smelled washed over him. “I seduced you.” A dimple appeared when she smiled. She was too fresh. Too beautiful. Too perfect.
He studied her some more. Too fucking young. He took stock of what he knew about Lafferty. Senator father. Brother in politics. And the sister was a…
Model. Of course, she was.
She was probably bored with the silver spoon stuck in her mouth and looking for the kind of distraction a man like Bent could provide. The whole anonymous sex thing was good until a guy’s cover was blown. But then, she’d known who he was, so they hadn’t had a level playing field.
“How old are you?” he asked darkly, moving toward.
“Old enough.”
“Are you stalking me?”
“That would make me crazy, wouldn’t it?”
“It would make you something.”
“Do you think about that night?” She closed the gap between them, and though she was tall for a woman, he had at least four inches on her. Bent found himself staring down into the kind of eyes a man could lose himself in.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. She was trouble, this one. The kind of trouble Benton didn’t have time for.
“I came for the party.”
“Bullshit.”
“How do you know that?” Her tongue took a swipe at the corner of her mouth and damned if his body didn’t tighten.
“My bullshit meter is legendary.”
“What would you say if I told you that I came here because I wanted to see you again?”
“I’d say that you coming to Montana was a waste of time.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“Lady, in this case, my opinion is the only one that matters.”
“Collins.”
“What?”
“Collins.” She smiled and there was that damn dimple again. “That’s my name, Benton.”
“I liked it better when we had the anonymous thing going on.”
“Is that the only kind of sex you like?”
“Is that what you want?” He pulled her close so that she could feel the erection he’d been sporting since he inhaled that heady scent of hers. “A quick fuck in the barn? Because I’m fine bending you over that bale of hay. But when we’re done I don’t want to talk or hold your hand or listen to your dreams or any of that shit.”
“Why are you so angry?” Her question surprised him, and he found himself at a loss for words.
Benton pushed her away and took a few moments to get his shit together. When he did, he looked her way so there was no mistaking his meaning.
“You never answered my question.”
“What one was that exactly?” She all but batted her damn eyes at him.
“How old are you?”
“Old enough.”
“Only a kid would give that answer. You’re too young and I’m not into games. If you came to Montana to fuck a cowboy I’d suggest you head into Big Bend and grab a stool at The Sundowner. It’s Saturday. You shouldn’t have a problem finding someone to take out back and give you what it is you came for.”
He left her there, a bitter taste in his mouth, his mood much blacker than when he’d arrived. He’d seen the flash of hurt in her eyes, which made it worse.
As he crossed the yard, Bent glanced at his watch and winced. He had at least a couple of hours to get through before he could make an excuse and take Nora home.
In the end, they were two of the longest hours he’d ever had the pleasure of living. The only good thing to happen was that Collins seemed to have disappeared. Maybe she’d taken his advice and gone to town. Whatever the deal was, she wasn’t his problem.
He knew a headache when he saw one, and Collins Lafferty was one hell of a headache. His life was complicated enough and he sure as shit didn’t have the bandwidth for someone like her. He almost felt sorry for the dumb bastard who did.
Benton didn’t think too much about it. Pushed Collins to the back of his mind because, as much as he knew she wasn’t good for him, a part of him wanted her. What part that was exactly didn’t matter so much because there was no sense dwelling on it.
As he perused the party, he took note that she didn’t return; he hoped like hell she took his advice and left. At least, that’s what he told himself.