Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
M elanie made one last attempt to argue with Loni about the check for lunch. “It was my turn to pay.”
“I don’t think so.” Loni stood and then stopped. “Oh. Colton’s here.”
Melanie turned, still in her seat. Colton had obviously been working the ranch, dressed in faded jeans, cowboy boots, a dark T-shirt, and a black Stetson. As he strode toward her, he looked more sexy villain than smooth good guy.
Hence the black hat.
Heat spiraled into her abdomen.
He kept his dark blue gaze on her, but he kissed his mama on the cheek.
Loni patted his arm. “I have an appointment, but I think Melanie was considering dessert.”
No, she hadn’t been.
“Good.” Colton took Loni’s vacated seat and removed his hat. “We need to talk anyway.”
Loni beamed as she exited the restaurant.
Melanie focused on him. “I’m handling my own life.”
Colt slowly lifted one eyebrow in a curiously dangerous way. “There’s nothing wrong with leaning on friends.”
Frustration heated her lungs. “When did you start seeing me as some helpless female?”
He studied her for a moment. “I’ve never seen you as helpless, and I’ve always seen you as a female. You were a cute little girl, a pretty teenager, and now you’re a sexy woman.”
Heat climbed into her face, sparking her breasts on the way. “You’re giving me a headache.”
He grinned. “That’s the opposite effect I want.”
“What do you want?” The words rushed out of her, and she both wanted to know and didn’t want to know the answer.
“Right now I want to help you have a baby,” he said.
The waitress gasped as she approached the table. In her twenties, she’d dyed her hair a fun purple to match her eye shadow.
Melanie took a deep breath. The statement would be all over town within minutes. “Jana, I’ll take the chocolate sundae with extra chocolate, please.” The pizza place didn’t sell liquor, or she’d order tequila.
“Vanilla scoop in a bowl,” Colton said without flicking his gaze from Melanie’s face.
Jana almost tripped over her sensible shoes as she hurried from sight. Probably to start texting friends.
Melanie shook her head. “I-I don’t, I mean, you?—”
“Not with me.” Colton grinned.
A surprising disappointment swirled through her. “Oh. Of course not.”
Colton sat back and blinked. “You don’t want to, ah, have a baby with me, do you?”
Okay. The complete alarm he tried to hide wasn’t exactly complimentary. “No.” Having his kid and just being his good buddy would only cause heartache for her, especially when Colt finally fell for somebody. Somebody not her.
He frowned. “Okay.” Now he sounded a bit disgruntled.
She cleared her throat. “Um, I’m fairly certain the waitress misinterpreted your statement and is now texting everyone in town you offered to knock me up.”
Surprise lifted his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” she said.
“Hmm. You wouldn’t classify the statement as a declaration of love, would you?” Colton asked.
Goodness, her friend had lost his freakin’ mind. “No.”
His expression cleared. “Good.”
She blinked several times, searching for reality. “Why?”
“The bet. When I declare my love for you, the bet ends.” He stretched his neck.
Flutters cascaded through her stomach. Love? No. No way. “Says who?”
“Mrs. Hudson. She needs me to do so on St. Paddy’s Day and tried to bribe me with an easy niece.” Colton grinned.
The flutters turned into wild batwings. His smile was too much…just too much. Melanie swallowed. “That’s terrible.”
“Maybe.” Colton leaned forward and grasped her hands.
Fire shot through her with an electric arc. “W-what are you doing?”
“I called the doctor for more information earlier, and your window is short, Mel. If you want to have a baby, now is the time.”
She was the last Jacoby alive, and she wanted to have a baby. To keep her family line going strong. But at what cost? She’d felt all right freezing eggs, but to get pregnant right now? What other choice did she have? “I may go to the sperm clinic in Seattle.” Sure, a lot of women did it, but being a single mom running a ranch would definitely be difficult.
“Perfect. I have a list of specialists you can see in Seattle, as well.” His thumb stroked her palm, and she bit back a groan of need. The touch was light, sensual, and way more erotic than she would’ve dreamed.
“Well, I guess I might head to Seattle.” Right? She hated how her body forced her into this decision before she felt ready. But deep down, irritation welled at Colt's acceptance of her becoming pregnant. Maybe it stemmed from the fact that they wouldn’t know the sperm donor personally? Or maybe he really did only see her as a friend and didn’t wonder a little bit about a romance between them, like she did.
Colt released her and leaned back when the waitress delivered their desserts. “I’ll see if we can lease Hank’s plane for the ride.”
Private plane? Hank’s car dealerships succeeded all over the Pacific Northwest, and he owned a private jet that flew him around when he wanted. At about ninety and crotchety, the guy didn’t travel much any longer. “Um, we ?” Melanie slipped her spoon into the chocolaty mess.
“Sure.” Colt tried his ice cream, his gaze thoughtful. “You shouldn’t go alone, and I can combine the trip with business. I’m still worried about that firm I invested in so heavily, so I’d like to see if I can remedy the situation.”
Melanie started. “How heavily?”
He sighed. “Enough to have me concerned, but I’ll take care of it. Plus, on the plane, we can review the construction plans for the first gym. I’m picking them up from the architect later today.”
A plane ride, in a private jet, with sexy Colton…to go get inseminated with somebody else’s sperm? Gee. Now that sounded like a vacation dream come true.
Melanie forced a smile. “Can’t wait.”
Thunder bellowed across the wide Montana sky outside, and Melanie hustled around the ranch house to grab flashlights and candles. She loved a good storm. Since the temperature had warmed, they probably wouldn’t get a spring snow. But sometimes the rain became spectacular.
The house had stood proudly in place for generations and would easily weather the storm. Two stories, it held three bedrooms on the top floor, while the living areas were on the main floor. Her grandfather had raised her in the family home after her parents had died in a plane crash, and sometimes she still felt his presence.
Today while she’d mucked out stalls, she sang his favorite Garth Brooks tunes. She loved ranching. Loved the smells, the sights, even the uncertainty. She’d never want to do anything else.
She flicked off the kitchen lights and wandered into the large living room. A stone fireplace took up one wall, while a wide bank of windows framed majestic mountains out the back. Barely dusk, soon clouds would cover any remaining sun.
She’d donned comfortable yoga pants and a heavy shirt for the evening show. Placing her warm coffee with brandy on a table, she tucked herself into an overstuffed chair with an ottoman to watch the storm.
As if Mother Nature had waited just for Melanie, lightning sparked a fluorescent purple over the white-capped mountains.
Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
The skies opened with a crack, and icy rain slashed down. She fetched her mug and sipped thoughtfully.
Lightning jagged across the sky again, illuminating the creek outside the window. She gasped and rushed to the window. Waiting. Another flash, illuminating a massive heifer tangled in barbed wire.
Panic coughed up Melanie’s throat, and she slid her cup onto a table. The creek rushed fast with spring runoff, and if the cow didn’t stop kicking, it’d plunge into the stream and drown.
How did the animal get so close to the creek, anyway? Grumbling, Melanie threw on a jacket, hat, and gloves before securing a flashlight and wire cutters from the entryway table. She opened the door and ran smack into Colton.
He grabbed to prevent her from landing on her butt. “Where are you going?”
“To save a heifer.” She eyed the raging storm as her garbage can slammed against the side of the nearest barn. “Want to help?”
“Of course.” He shut the door. “Where?”
“This way.” She led the way down the porch and jogged around the house toward the rushing stream. Rain pounded down, soaking her hat. She shivered and tripping in the thick mud. “What are you doing here, anyway?” she screamed over the violent wind.
“Came to talk about the trip tomorrow,” he yelled back, shielding her from the storm.
Melanie swung the flashlight toward the flailing cow. Crap. It was one of the few pregnant cows, so not a heifer. She couldn’t lose both the cow and the calf. The cow bellowed in anger as its powerful hoofs smashed mud in every direction.
“Whoa there,” Melanie murmured, sliding through mush. “Calm down, baby.” Barbed wire cut into the cow’s neck as it fought, its eyes a wide, wild brown. “She must’ve fallen through the fence up the hill.”
Colton wiped rain off his forehead, peering closer. “She brought part of the barbed wire with her.” He squinted, focusing up the hill. “Mud slide with a side of more damn mud.”
Melanie turned to shine the flashlight up the hill just as the cow broke away from the bank. With a bellow, the animal leaped toward them. Melanie caught her breath on a stifled scream.
Strong arms wrapped around her, throwing them both to the side. They impacted slush and mud, sliding several feet. Colton rolled them over, holding her tight, taking the brunt of the damage, the side of his face smacking against the ground.
Mud whipped around them.
Melanie coughed out air and lifted her head, her body flush on top of Colton’s.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing pine needles from her hair.
She blinked, her heart racing, her breath caught. Everything had happened so quickly. The body beneath her felt harder than the unforgiving ground. His scent of musk and male overcame the smell of pine and storm, and warmth spread through her chilled skin. “Yes.”
“Good.” Blood flowed from a cut above Colt’s right eyebrow. He rolled them over and stood up. “Stay here.” Taking the wire cutters from her stiff hand, he stood and stalked over to the cow, now fighting with a pine tree that had caught an edge of the barbed wire.
Melanie scrambled to her feet, her boots sliding on the mud.
Without wasting a moment, Colt dodged in and tackled the cow, one knee to its neck, the other on its flanks, careful to avoid its belly. Sure movements had the barbed wire snipped in several places and removed. “Stand back, Mel,” he called over the storm.
She retreated against the side of the house.
Colton jumped back, and the cow struggled to its feet and snorted. For the briefest of moments, they looked at each other. Then the cow turned and ran toward the nearest pasture. “We’ll probably have to hunt her down after the storm,” Colton yelled.
Melanie nodded again, her body rioting. She could only gape as she focused the flashlight beam on her best friend.
He stood in the rain, blood and mud mixing with water across his chiseled face. Wet cotton clung to his hard frame, and passion all but cascaded off him.
He turned her way and…grinned.
Her heart clutched. In that very second, two things became frighteningly clear. One: she didn’t know her best friend as well as she thought, because his smile masked the nature of a truly dangerous man. And two: she was completely and forever in love with him.