Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
M elanie stretched her calves in the front seat of Colton’s truck and bit back a wince as his headlights illuminated a downed fence on her property. Then another—both nearly covered by dead leaves and branches.
“What’s going on here?” he asked.
“I’ve been busy,” she said.
He glanced her way, a new tension cascading off him. “What about your crew?”
“Let them go. No money to pay them, but I do contract with Hawk’s crew whenever I need help on a case-by-case basis.” Her feet pounded in pain, and goose bumps covered her bare arms. She hated working in the bar outfit with a passion rivaling a Freeze temper.
“Is that why you’re working three jobs?” he asked quietly.
Her neck prickled. “Yes, and don’t even think about offering me money.” Sure, he was rich. She didn’t want his money—she never had, and she sure as heck didn’t want to discuss her reasons for needing money. Not now, anyway.
“How’s the ranch doing?” Colton asked.
“Great. I have fifty head in the south pasture, the Angus bulls in the north pasture, and all of my foals to the west.” She loved ranching and had never considered another career. Montana was home, and she had no problem mucking out stalls when necessary.
“Crops?” Colton asked, his genius mind obviously doing calculations.
“Winter wheat, barley, and Camelina.” The oil seed crop was used in biofuel, and it had been Colt’s recommendation she plant it last year. “The money will come in, and I’m not worried.” Right.
He rubbed his chin, settling back in the seat. “How about a loan?” In the moonlight, the many colors of his hair still shone, even though the mass no longer touched his shoulders. It seemed like the finest genes from both his Native American and Irish ancestry had combined into a hair color women paid a fortune for.
“I don’t want a loan.” She studied his angled profile. Hard and sharp, his even features showed a rugged toughness he’d lacked as a cute teenager. Now he was all man.
A pang hit her that someday he’d settle down. Finally become one woman’s man. Lucky wench. The man planned his entire life down to exactness. His future wife was probably some PTA president with as many college degrees as he had.
Melanie hadn’t had time for college, and she liked her boots muddy. Dirty boots didn’t belong at PTA meetings.
His muscled shoulders rolled, and he kept his gaze focused out the window. “Working three jobs is too hard and too stressful.” Colt stopped the truck in front of the porch she’d painted the week before.
Thank goodness something looked fresh.
Distant or close by, he’d always been overprotective, and she could take care of herself. Time was short, and she needed money, not protection. “Stop worrying.” She slid from the truck. “Thanks for the ride home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Slamming the door shut, she loped up the steps and unlocked the front door.
The engine cut behind her. A door slammed, and heavy boot steps echoed behind her. “I can’t help but worry. You’re going to work yourself to death.”
There was no alternative. She needed to get out of the skimpy clothes. She hurried inside, kicked out of the high-heeled boots, and dropped her purse onto the sofa table.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?” He remained on the porch.
Sighing, she allowed her shoulders to drop as she turned to face him. The man had excellent instincts. “I’m not telling you everything.”
Colton stilled. “Excuse me?” he asked softly.
She swallowed. The tone of voice was something new. “Some parts of my life are private.”
He blinked. “No, they’re not. If you’re in trouble, Hawk and I are here. The three of us.”
Exactly. This was a problem the three of them couldn’t solve. It’s not like she’d ask either one of them to impregnate her. “I know, but I’m on my own with this one.”
“There is no on your own . It’s not how we work.” Colton vibrated with a rare display of temper.
Irritation crawled up her throat. “Listen, Colt. I know you’re used to meddling family members and the security that comes with that, but back off. I’m alone, and I need to figure this out by myself.” It was a low blow, considering he’d always felt badly about her lack of family and his abundance of it, but she had to get him off the topic of money and her need for it.
“You’re kidding me. I can’t believe you said that.” His chin lowered.
She’d known him her entire life and had seen him truly angry twice. Maybe three times. The man had an incredibly long fuse, but if it blew, everyone scattered.
As he shut the door behind himself, blue eyes blazing, there was no question as to his fury.
She lifted her chin and casually moved toward the nearest chair, suddenly feeling vulnerable in the tight outfit that revealed way too much. “I don’t need your help.”
“Sit down.” The order held bite and rumbled in a deep tone she’d never heard. Yeah, she may have poked a slumbering bear. Her butt hit the cushion even before her mind clicked into gear. Instant anger swelled through her at how quickly her body had followed his order. She shot to her feet.
“Too late.” Long strides propelled him so close she could feel his heat. “Stick with your instincts and not with that stubborn mind.”
She turned slightly to outmaneuver him. “I don’t take orders from you, Colton Freeze.”
He mimicked her motion and stepped into her space. “If you’re not smart enough to take care of yourself, you damn well do take orders from me.”
Anger and a well-earned instinct for self-preservation battled for dominance inside her. She took a step back. “Get out of my house.”
He mirrored her step. “No.” Crimson angled across his high cheekbones, enhancing the dangerous hollows beneath them. As a kid, he had been adorable. As a teenager, handsome. As a fully grown, tough, battle-scarred man, he was all predatory male.
One she was smart enough to back away from, even as her nipples sprang to attention from his intense gaze. Oh, this couldn’t happen. Down nipples . Down . Several steps later, her butt hit the wall.
A second later, they stood toe to toe. His palms flattened against the cedar logs, caging her. “We’re about to come to an understanding here, Melanie Murphy Alana Jacoby. Got it?”
Heated air filled her lungs with delicious tingles. She breathed out slowly, trying to control herself.
He’d been her best friend for decades. She knew how to appease him, how to make him laugh. The right words were there and would smooth everything over. For two seconds, she considered saying them. But she was past that. He’d come into her home, he’d ordered her around, and now he wanted things his way.
Not a chance.
So she said the one thing guaranteed to push him over the edge. “Fuck you, Colt?—”
His mouth was on hers before she finished saying his name. Heat and power slammed from the kiss, and her mind swam.
Fire lashed through her so quickly her knees weakened. Her nipples scraped his chest, and lava consumed her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into the storm created by a man much more dangerous than she’d known.
She kissed him back, her body alive, her mind shutting down.
There was nothing but the whirlwind of impossible need cascading around them, through her, into her, beyond her.
The kiss was hard, angry, and more passionate than she could’ve dreamed.
Many times they’d come close to kissing, but one of them had always backed away. With a grin, or a joke, they’d escaped ever taking the chance. The one thing Melanie knew for sure was if Colton ever kissed her, if he ever showed her that side of him, there’d be no turning back. Ever.
As he released her mouth to pin her with a dark gaze, there was no question he knew it, too.
Determination filtered through his eyes, and his jaw firmed. Something new and intriguing fluttered alive in her abdomen. Her eyes widened, and satisfaction lifted his lips.
Holy crap. Colton Freeze didn’t want to turn back.