Chapter 7 Liam
LIAM
I hoisted the old wood up over my shoulder and carried it over to the truck, tossing it into the back. Taking a rag out of my pocket, I wiped away the sweat and heat from my face, glad the day was almost over.
When we were operating as a ranch, the hours of the day lasted from sunup to sundown.
But times had changed. Our finances hadn’t allowed us to continue as we once had, and now we were nothing more than a destination vacation spot.
An attraction to see how the wild west operated, when in reality, they didn’t even get that anymore.
“I’ll take care of this,” Jeff motioned to the truck. “Don’t you have a date to prepare for?”
The vast landscape of mountain peaks rising as high as the sky once held a very different meaning to me. Now…there was almost something sad about our changing surroundings.
“Earth to Liam?” Jeff waved his hand in front of my face, laughing at me. “Man, you really are stuck on Bailey. I thought maybe you would chicken out, but you really are infatuated with her.”
“I’m not infatuated,” I lied, slamming the tailgate shut.
“Sure. That’s why you were staring off into the distance at the mountains.”
“For your information, I was thinking about the ranch. Or, what’s left of it.”
That sobered him up really quick. “It’s not the worst thing that could have happened.”
“We lost our business,” I grumbled. “Where we once housed ranch hands, we now rent to tourists who want to sneak a peek at our lives and think of us as a circus attraction. I’d say that’s pretty fucking low.”
“We could have lost all the land,” he countered. “I know you didn’t like the plan, but you saved this ranch.”
“I’m not sure Pop sees it that way,” I sighed, leaning against the truck.
“It was his father’s ranch. I’m not sure he’ll ever be okay with what we had to do. But we didn’t have a choice.”
“I keep telling myself that if I had just found another way—”
“There was no other way,” he argued. “After that last auction, there was no way we could keep going. And the price of feed, equipment, labor—”
“I know,” I snapped, sighing heavily. “Fuck, I know. I just…”
He nodded, knowing exactly what I felt. “It’s not the same. I get it. But getting pissed about it isn’t going to help anything. You have to look on the bright side of things.”
“Yeah?” I huffed out a laugh. “And what’s that?”
“Well, the hours aren’t as long. You get to sleep an hour later, even if you never do. You still have your house. And this season should be really busy. They’re predicting a shit ton of snow this year. That should help drive rentals, especially with the slopes being so close.”
I knew he was right, but it still cut deeply that everything was changing, and not in my mind for the better. I was the oldest son. I was supposed to guide this ranch into the future, and instead, I drove it into the ground.
“Hey, come on. You have a date with Bailey tonight. Now is not the time for pouting.”
“I’m not pouting.”
“Okay, maybe not pouting, but you definitely don’t look like a man who’s about to go out with one of the hottest women in town.”
I flipped him off, getting in the truck, ready to drive away. He just barely got in the passenger side before I hit the gas and headed back to the main house over the bumpy dirt road.
I purposely drove over every pot hole, making sure the ride was as uncomfortable as possible for him.
“Any chance you could drive around the giant holes in the ground?”
I hit another one hard, smirking when he hit his head against the window.
“Geez, alright. I take it back. You don’t pout. You’re the epitome of a broody bastard!”
I hit the brakes hard just as I pulled up in front of the house, sending him flying into the dash. Shifting into park, I tossed him the keys.
“Thanks for taking care of the wood.”
“Sure. You know me. Always willing to help a brother out.”
I opened the door and got out.
“I’ll be sure to tell my chiropractor the tingling down my spine isn’t that serious!”
I flipped him off and headed for the house to give Pop an update on the day, not that he ever cared much anymore. When the last of the cattle left, so did his fighting spirit.
“The south fence is fixed,” I said, walking up the steps of the porch.
I took a seat in the rocker next to him, taking off my hat and tossing it on the table where Ma had brought out drinks.
He grunted, but then again, that was his response to pretty much anything nowadays.
“I thought we could go look at some horses next week. Clover’s a good horse, but she’s getting a little old.”
“She’s good for the kids,” he answered, surprising me.
“She is, but it wouldn’t hurt to get another horse trained.”
Sighing, he picked up his glass of lemonade, effectively shutting down the conversation.
“I ran into town today to check on the truck.”
“Yeah? Did they figure out what was wrong with it?”
He shook his head. “Gasket issues.”
“Wyatt just checked all that shit.”
“Either he missed something or—”
“Someone’s fucking with us.”
This had gone on long enough. All this shit with the Callahans was getting out of control, and if we didn’t do something about it soon, someone was going to end up getting hurt.
“Pop, I know you don’t want to talk to John, but—”
“His kid is brain-damaged because of Jeff,” he snapped. “Do you really think he has any interest in hashing this out with us?”
“So, we just let his punk kids run around and destroy our property? No matter what you say, Jeff was not the only one at fault that day.”
“No, but he sure as hell didn’t help things,” Pop spat.
“That was years ago. He was a kid!”
Pop’s eyes shot to mine, and that fire I used to see on a daily basis finally rose to the surface. “He might have been a kid, but he was smart enough to know he was wrong.”
It wouldn’t do any good to argue about this now. I’d just have to keep a closer eye on things.
“The point is,” Pop continued, “when I ran into town, I saw Jack Harding. He said he was dropping off his bike at the shop and saw Austin with his hands on Bailey.”
I stiffened instantly. “What the fuck do you mean, he had his hands on her?”
“Wyatt came in and Austin backed off. That’s all I know. But with the rumor mill going, he thought we might want to know.”
I was out of my chair and running down the steps in a flash.
“Don’t do anything stupid!” Pop shouted.
But I was already getting in the work truck, ignoring Jeff as he came running out of the barn, shouting at me for stealing his ride. Dust kicked up behind me in a flurry as I sped down the long drive.
The only thing I could think about was Bailey being anywhere near that psychopath, with his hands on her and what he would do to her. If she was hurt in any way, I’d tear that fucker apart, limb by limb.
It took me half the time it normally would to get into town, and when I screeched into the parking lot at Gearhead Garage, Sheriff Wynne just shook his head at me, not bothering to cite me for speeding.
Slamming the door, I checked the parking lot for Bailey’s car, but she was already gone. However, Wyatt was still here, and before I left, I’d make damn sure he knew where I stood on her safety.
The door slammed against the wall as I shoved through it, putting a nice hole in the drywall. Wyatt barely glanced up from his paperwork as I stormed toward the counter.
“What the fuck was Austin doing anywhere near Bailey?”
“It’s a free country,” he said nonchalantly.
“Not where she’s concerned,” I growled.
He scrawled his signature across the bottom of an order and flipped it over. “Uh…yeah, I heard you were finally staking your claim on her. What’s your point?”
“My point is that your brother had his hands on her!” I shouted. “You fucking know—”
“He didn’t do a damn thing,” Wyatt interrupted. “He had her pressed up against the wall, but I walked in and told him to back off. No harm, no foul.”
My temper flared, and I reached across the counter, grabbing him by the collar, pulling him toward me. “Are you fucking kidding me? No harm? One of these days, you’re gonna make one too many excuses for that waste of air, and he’s going to do some real damage,” I hissed.
I thought I saw a spark in his eyes, but as usual, Wyatt just stared me down with a bored expression. “If you’re finished, I have work to do. Some of us still have a thriving business.”
His words bit into my skin like a razor, but I didn’t let him get to me. I still had to check on Bailey and make sure she was okay.
“I swear to God, if he comes anywhere near her—if he so much as breathes in her direction, I will fucking bury him.”
I jerked him back, releasing his shirt, still feeling my blood pounding just below the surface.
“Well, I’ll be sure to let him know. He’ll be quaking in his boots.”
“I’m warning you, Wyatt.”
“Considered me properly warned.”
I stormed out of the office, fuming and ready to murder. It had been a long time since something got me this riled up, but damn…where Bailey was concerned, I didn’t seem to have any sense of control.
Not even enough to wait until our date to pick her up.
I had cooled off to a minuscule degree by the time I reached Bailey’s apartment. Maybe it was a tad drastic to pick her up now instead of waiting, but the unease in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t allow me to leave her at her apartment when she could be in the safety of my house.
Hitting the buzzer, I turned and scanned the streets, sure that fucker Austin was lingering nearby, but all I saw was Mrs. Abernathy rocking on her front porch.
And she didn’t look all too happy to see me.
“Hello?”
I turned at the sound of Bailey’s voice crackling through the speaker. Relief washed over me, making me momentarily forget the danger.
“Bailey, let me up.”
“Liam?” The surprise and panic in her voice brought the first hint of laughter to my lips all afternoon.
“Bailey, let me in.”
It was silent for half a minute before the door buzzed and I was allowed entry into her building. My feet ate up the space between me and the woman I was in love with. I had to lay eyes on her. Only then would I be able to breathe properly.
The door swung open before I even raised a fist to knock, showcasing Bailey in only a towel with water dripping over her skin in tiny streams.
Goosebumps pebbled over her skin as her wet hair clung to every inch of her flawless body. Her towel was just barely large enough to gather at the center, gaping slightly at her thighs and giving me a peek of what awaited me tonight.
Momentarily distracted, all I could do was think of unwrapping this woman and having my way with her—of shoving her up against the wall and taking her right now instead of waiting until I had her home.
“You can stare all you want, but you’ll get to see the full package when—”
I shot forward, wrapping my arm around her waist as I kicked the door shut and spun her around, pressing her up against it. A small gasp left her lips moments before I sealed my lips over hers, sliding my tongue into that beautiful mouth and tasting her for the first time today.
Fuck, I wanted to wake up with her in my arms every day, feel her body against mine, and taste her on my lips every morning.
As I pressed my body against hers, I felt the towel start to give and inched back just enough to let it fall open. Rosy nipples peaked out, heaving as my hand found the outside of her thigh.
Smooth and silky, my fingertips couldn’t stop the upward motion, sliding over her perfect thigh until I felt the heat pouring off her. With just a light brush, she whimpered, her eyes falling closed as my fingers slid over her damp heat.
“Open your eyes,” I growled, needing to see those beautiful blues as I touched her.
With a flutter, they opened for me just as two fingers slid into her heat, settling deep inside her. Her pussy pulsed around me, but it was the whimper on her lips that drove me fucking wild.
My cock pressed against my jeans, begging to be released, but I would not fuck her against the door. Not for the first time.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t give her the pleasure she so desperately needed. Slowly, I pumped my fingers into her tight heat, commanding her to keep those baby blues locked on me.
Her body trembled in my arms, promising the most beautiful reaction if only I pushed her over the edge. Over and over, I rocked my fingers into her, driving her higher until she shook in my arms.
Her hands shot up, gripping my arms tight as she started to crest the wave.
Crushing my lips to hers, I murmured, “Come for me, baby. Come all over my fingers. Gush for me.”
A mewling whimper left her lips right before she sucked in a ragged breath. Her nails clawed at my arms and her thighs shook as her orgasm washed over her.
She was so fucking beautiful when she came, her eyes fluttering and her cheeks stained red. Fuck, I was a goner. I swallowed her cries, pumping my fingers hard inside her, dragging out every last second of her pleasure.
When she was well and truly spent, I slid my fingers from her heat, only to wish they were still buried inside her. But I had other plans for the night, and if I kept her pinned against this door, we’d never get to my house.
Brushing my lips against hers, I grabbed the towel from where it had fallen on the floor and gently wrapped it around her. “Get dressed. You’re spending the night with me.”
She nodded, still unable to speak as she stumbled away on shaky legs.
Glancing around her apartment, I took in all the small decorations that made this place hers. Little knick-knacks on the shelf over the sink, pictures of her and Cheyenne out having fun, throw pillows—bright and sunny—just like her personality.
There was even a small charm hanging in her window, catching the light. Spreading the blinds to get a better look, I was distracted by the very familiar vehicle parked across the street.
Anger surged as Austin grinned up at me just before peeling down the road, his tires smoking along the way.
This place was no longer safe for her. I’d be damned if she was going to stay here unprotected when that asshat was loitering outside her building.
She was coming home to stay with me for good.