Chapter 6
Walker
I grip the rough cedar post harder than necessary, my knuckles whitening against the hard wood. While I pretend to be checking the joints, my gaze locks on the woman across the corral.
Her blonde hair sparkles, literally, in the winter sun. She seems to have tinsel in her hair. She looks so familiar, but I don't know anyone who wears tinsel.
Her expression hints at a struggle beneath her happy exterior. She balances a squirming toddler on her hip—sufficient enough reason for a struggle.
Something primal stirs in my chest—protectiveness, the need to claim her, the desire to make her mine. Whatever her struggle, I need to fix it.
She's here with a girlfriend, not a husband or boyfriend, and I already confirmed there's no ring on her finger. Is the baby daddy a deadbeat?
I force my gaze to the parent tending to a kid who's having a meltdown. I don't have the patience for that. Why am I letting my dick get hard over a mom?
Fuck, I don't even know if she's available. Why can't I shake this need to be with her?
Her gaze fixes on me, and I hold it for a moment, then nod. Adrenaline races through me. Did she stare because I was staring or because we have something?
I step into the corral and rub my hand over one of the reindeer’s backs, making sure I look official.
I'd continue across the corral in a heartbeat if she didn't have a kid.
My mind flashes to pinning her against the barn wall, her breath hitching as I slide my hand up her thigh.
But I'm the ranch owner, not some rutting buck.
The toddler points at the reindeer, her giggles slicing through the crisp air. The blonde leans in, murmuring something that draws a brighter squeal from the kid.
"Thanks for coming, Molly. I had to get out with this little one, and Bellamie and Starla were busy. Have you ever been to a reindeer farm?" The blonde's voice carries. "Did you even know they existed?"
Molly hesitates, eyes flicking to the antlered animals milling in the enclosure. Reindeer snort and paw the ground. Molly seems to be studying them before she says, "There's a first time for everything. Life's just one big adventure, right?"
Interesting. She didn't answer either question.
The blonde laughs, a hint of sadness weighing it down. "Yeah, adventure. That's how I've always rolled. Until this little one." She holds the toddler up as if taking a better look. She returns the kid to her hip, and they both peer over the fence.
A sharp scream erupts from beside them—a different kid, red-faced and wailing as a reindeer nudges too close.
"I'm so glad Jane's not afraid of reindeer. Not sure I'm ready for a meltdown." Blondie sounds grateful, but surely she's managed meltdowns before. She ushers the comment away by pressing a big, fat kiss to Jane's chubby cheek.
I'm decidedly a selfish prick for wanting to give her something else to plant a big, fat kiss on. Yet, I move one fence panel closer.
Brighter than before, she says, "One perk of having a kid is that I get to do all these fun things I would've skipped otherwise."
Molly ponders the statement and seems almost longing. "Yeah, a kid opens up activities that would seem weird solo."
The blonde tilts her head. "Want to hold her?"
Molly pauses longer than the question deserves. Most people have a pretty clear idea if they want to hold a kid or not. I'm a no—unless Blondie asks me to. Then I'd figure it out.
"I'm not really sure how," Molly admits. That makes a little more sense.
The blonde cups a hand over Jane's ear and stage-whispers. "I didn't even want kids. Do you?"
Molly seems caught off guard. "How can you really know for sure?"
And we're back to the not-so-straightforward answers.
Blondie holds the kid toward Molly, who hesitantly accepts her. Even though she indicated she's not familiar with holding kids, they fit together seamlessly.
"If you'd gotten an invite to the auction, would you have gone the standard route of starting a family right away?" Curiosity laces Blondie's odd question.
The question's so unexpected, I have to replay the words in my mind.
Molly shrugs, smiling warmly at Jane. "Hard to say since I didn't get one."
"Surely you thought about it. For me it was the happily ever after but not the babies. And of course, it’s super cool that the Christmas Cherry Auction gives us a way to use our virginity."
Christmas Cherry Auction. The words slam into me. My throat tightens. I cough hard, doubling over, resting my forearms on the top rail.
Blondie's in the auction—she has to be a virgin. Was I wrong to think Jane was her kid?
Crap, Blondie's looking at me like I'm contagious. I rush to one of the water stations as if something got caught in my throat. In my periphery, I track them. They move to the barn that houses the children's exhibits.
That's a place I rarely set foot in, even at our first location. I hire someone to hang out near the kids. But as the owner, I won't get questioned for spending a little time there.
Blondie, Molly, and Jane stop at the Make It Rein exhibit. Wooden reindeer pull a pint-sized Santa sleigh the kids can sit in. The wall contains an exhibit of different types of reins.
Jane climbs into the sleigh seat, her giggles bubbling as Molly hands her the reins. The kid flaps them wildly.
"Will you stay with her?" Blondie asks Molly. "I want to snap a picture."
"Absolutely. You sure you don't want me to take it so you can be with Jane?"
"Not ready to see myself in full mom mode yet."
Hmmm.
Blondie steps backward while watching her phone screen.
She's more focused on getting the right shot than her surroundings. She doesn't notice the kid running toward her.
I rush forward to intervene. I'm pretty sure my movement causes her to glance sideways and notice the kid.
Carefully swiping the kid to safety, I'm one step too far away to stop Blondie from stumbling. Her arms windmill. Her diaper bag swings. And she crashes into the wall.
It's sturdy enough to withstand the impact, but multiple reins fall free. They're designed to be interacted with, but not quite like this.
As she scrambles to contain herself, she inadvertently tangles with the various reins. It's like watching the sexiest trainwreck of all time.
My hands find her first—fingers closing firmly around her tiny waist and all of the errant straps. The intimate touch combined with the leather hits me in a way I haven't felt before.
Steadying her, I move my hands to her shoulders. "Stop moving," I growl. "I'll untangle you."
She freezes, breath catching. I worry that I sounded angry, but her eyes lift to mine—green, wide and unflinching.
That moment we shared from across the corral is nothing compared to this. My cock lengthens against my thigh—getting hard in the children's barn is more proof that I'm not cut out for being a parent, but I want nothing more than to put a baby in this woman.
"Are you okay?" Molly calls out from the sleigh.
We both answer yes and I get to work pulling the reins from her. How the hell did she wrap three loops around one wrist? I stroke my thumb over the inside of her wrist. Is she into this kind of thing… in the bedroom, not in the children's barn.
"Thank God I wasn't holding Jane," she says, half-laugh, half-groan.
Sliding the last rein over her shoulder, I'm unable to step away. I fail to do anything but stare. I force out, "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. Bet no one's ever done that before." She returns the strap of the diaper bag to her shoulder. "I'm pretty special."
"Yes, you are." I grab her hands again, not really sure why. The air electrifies. Her sweet vanilla scent floods my senses. I could pull her closer, see if she tastes—what the fuck is wrong with me?
She glances down at our hands, then back up. We just stand there, lost in the moment. I should ask her out. I have to stop her from going to the auction.
Jane's fuss kills the mood. Molly carries the squirmy kid closer, a ripe, unmistakable whiff in the air. Sweet vanilla gone.
"Ewww." Blondie slips free, grabbing Jane. "Gotta handle this."
"Bathroom's that way." I point down the hall and watch her go.
Molly helps rehang one of the reins that fell to the ground. "She's new to this."
"To crashing displays?" I grunt, smoothing my fingers over a leather strap to mask the pounding in my chest.
Molly laughs. "To being a mom." Molly glances toward the door. "Wouldn't even know this place had a kid exhibit if her brother hadn't tipped her off."
Seizing my chance to get more information about Blondie, I ask, "Does he work here?"
"Kind of. He's a mechanic. Comes when needed."
"Jeremy?"
"Yeah."
The pieces slot together. This is Jolene. She looks a lot different than the picture I saw of her, different hair color and without makeup. But now I see it. That’s why I’m so drawn to her. She’s the forbidden woman I’ve been craving.
I can't ask her out, Jeremy would kill me. But if I win her, I’ll have a contractual obligation to claim her. Jeremy wouldn’t have the heart to kill his sister’s baby daddy.
She emerges minutes later with Jane fresh and happy. "That was the last diaper, we better go."
Molly falls in step, and they head toward the exit. I trail at a distance, mind racing. The auction's in two days.
Rushing to my office, I pull out my phone so I can educate myself about this auction. There's no room for error. She's mine to claim.