Chapter 2
Chapter Two
BEAU
A car’s engine cuts through the din of the Highlands crowding into the barn, hiding from the rain that they’re more than capable of handling given they were developed in the Scottish Highlands that are cold and gray for most of the damn year.
Molly—a cow carrying her second calf with a serious attitude problem—rushes the fencing as I pass with another bale of hay.
It’s the third time she’s done it since I pulled the hay from the upper storage an hour.
It’s the only reason I don’t flinch and cuss her out again.
“Back off, Mol,” I say, exasperated with her completely at this point.
My arms are burning, my entire body aching with the physical labor today’s required.
The last thing I want to deal with at the moment is the cranky ass cow.
After a couple weeks of lighter workload, it’s hitting extra hard.
My flannel and heavy jacket have already been abandoned, hung on the farthest corner post of the metal fencing that splits the barn in half, allowing for a large walkway and storage along the far wall of the barn.
Ten more bales to move and then I can drive to the larger barns where the main herds overwinter and help the other ranch hands.
With any luck, we’ll be done before the worst of this snowstorm hits in another four or five hours.
The wind kicks up as I think that, blowing a wall of mist right into the barn from the open doors on either side of the building.
It’s been raining on and off all damn day.
It’s not something I’d typically disparage, except it means there’s going to be a ton of ice on the roads once the snow starts coming down.
Light footsteps echo through the large building, boots scuffing on the concrete floor.
I glance over my shoulder as I settle the bale on the top of the third stack.
Emily leans against the fencing, reaching through the bars to pet one of the recently weaned steers from this year’s calving season.
Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun, her curves drowned by an oversized black sweater and dark wash jeans.
My blood heats at the sight of her, knowing exactly what she looks like under all that clothing.
It wouldn’t be the first time she intentionally followed me out here while I was moving hay and convinced me to press her up against the wall and cover her mouth to keep her from being found out.
Sneaking around has been our modus operandi for over six months now, since early April after a set of drunken confessions against that bar’s wall after closing.
It’s been over a month since the three of us had a wild night of fun before Triston left to start a circuit of exhibition rodeos at the encouragement of his agent, and I’d be lying if I said my body didn’t ache for hers above me and around my dick.
I quickly adjust myself while she’s distracted by the calf and then pull off the ball cap I’ve been wearing to keep the sweat out of my eyes.
I shake out my hair, needing the extra half-minute to pull myself together.
We’d agreed that was the last time, and I don’t really want to be stacking bales with Ethan in another hour while hard for his sister.
Not that I haven’t done it before.
Or had her scent all over me, covered by a messy application of cologne in my truck between the barns.
Triston’s, too, though his has always been easier to explain away.
He’s not all that strict about wearing scent blockers when he knows it’ll just be me and the other two Beta ranch hands working on that day’s projects.
I shove all the thoughts away.
“Hey,” I say once I’ve replaced the cap, situating it backwards.
I take my time closing the distance between us, glaring at Molly as she rushes the fencing again .
“I will tell Ethan to add you to the cull list next year regardless of how good your first calf turned out to be,” I mutter darkly, pointing at the obnoxious cow. “Do. Not. Test. Me.”
Emily snort-laughs. “How many dumb influencers do you think get Highlands because they see the cute calves and the docile steers and then get their shit rocked with a nasty nursing cow?”
“To be fair, Molly is notably worse than the rest of the herd.” I grunt, then take back that bit of grace as she rams the fencing. “Good grief, she’s not even nursing anymore. We weaned everyone at the beginning of September. It’s been a month at this point.”
Emily turns away from the docile steer and crosses her arms, taking in the bales I still need to get moved over. The movement makes her tits press against the dark wool.
There I go getting hard again. Fuck.
I clear my throat to distract myself. Thank God I’m a Beta and don’t scent every time I have half a sex-fueled thought. I don’t know how Hudson and Caleb survive. Ethan, too, though mint at least blends a bit better than cinnamon and green tea.
Emily’s gaze flies back to me, and the column of her throat moves with a heavy swallow. Without a word, I raise a single eyebrow. Her cheeks flush.
“You’re here alone?”
I nod and shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Everyone else is at the main duo.”
The main duo are the pair of barns that house the larger Hereford herds, the primary cattle we raise. They’re another ten minutes along the service road, deeper into the ranch’s land.
“Good,” she says.
My heart kicks into a higher gear, heat flashing across my skin and pooling between my hips.
Now I’m definitely hard. If she’s asking, I’m not going to say no.
Seeing her throat move around my length while she’s holding onto my thighs is one of my favorite views.
And in that sweater? It’ll be perfection.
But I stay put, waiting for her to say the words.
It’s always been her in the driver’s seat of this whole friends-with-benefits set up.
Her eyes flick to the barn door and then back to me. Her face is paler than before, her shoulders rounded in anxiety. There’s a clear conflict going on in that beautiful mind of hers. I take a step closer. Maybe I’ll just be the one to initiate this time, clear the air since Triston’s gone.
“I’m pregnant.”
The entire world stops. Just… just freezes. It takes an entire minute for my brain to recalibrate from the lewd fantasy to those two words.
“Pregnant?” I ask like a complete dumbass.
As if she’d play some horrid prank and lie about something like that.
She only nods once, her hands twisting into her sweater, her knuckles white.
“Does Triston know?” My voice is so damn detached, and I hate it, but I can’t quite get past the shock.
Pregnant .
My mind rewinds to that last time, the night before Triston left.
Who’d actually had her cunt? I can’t remember.
There were so many rounds. We’d been all over the place, a desperation to our actions that none of us were willing to put a name to—not when we’d agreed to no strings, just pleasure, for nearly six months at that point.
Voicing my sadness that Triston was leaving to finally live his dreams of going pro would have ruined the mood, especially since most of me was just so damn proud that he’d finally managed it after working through the lower semi-pro bull riding circuits for a few years.
Instead, we’d spent the night seeing just how many times we could go before our dicks gave out on us.
Emily’d been a sated, limp, bruised mess between us by the time we’d finally fallen asleep, the both of us not much better.
Not that any of that really matters now.
“I can’t get a hold of him.” My stomach clenches. “His number’s been disconnected since that stupid buckle bunny doxxed him a couple weeks ago, and his socials don’t seem to be anything he’s monitoring himself anymore. None of my messages there have been read at all.”
Her words grow closer together, nerves pitching her voice higher.
I close the space between us, palming her waist and pulling her against me, disregarding the way I’m covered in hay.
Fuck, how long has she been panicking on her own, knowing one of the people who got her into this situation is completely MIA?
Well, not technically. But getting catapulted into stardom from a viral social media video and consequently getting cut off from all of your old friends due to safety concerns is essentially the same thing.
“Hey, breathe, firecracker,” I murmur. “It’s going to be fine.”
Now my voice is warm like it always is when it’s the two of us alone. I breathe through more of my shock, trying to let the words settle on me like the flannel still hanging from the fencing. She’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. Cautious excitement simmers below my sternum.
“But Triston’s gone.” Her voice is so stark, so vulnerable. I know she’s probably hating it, that it’s making her want to pull back. I grip her chin before she can try.
Here we go, Pierce . Man up .
“I know.” I wrap my arm around her waist. “You’re not alone, though.”
I try to remember everything my brother’s done with Olivia since she got pregnant in the spring. What do you even do after finding out you’re going to be a parent?
Olivia got so sick so fast, even though they’d kept it hidden from us for the entire first trimester.
I should look up ways to help with that.
And start planning for her cravings. Fuck, and telling my parents.
Her parents. Which means admitting to everyone we’ve been fooling around for the last six months right under everyone’s noses.
Not to mention calving season in the spring or Misty Mountain.
The guy they’d hired in June to take the place of their general manager hadn’t worked out, so Emily’s been picking up the majority of the day-to-day work right now.
Bookings ease in the fall and close entirely through the winter, but it’s still a lot of time and energy to keep the behemoth recreational ranch running smoothly.
My mind whirls with all the tasks and worries and questions.
Emily swallows again. I notice with some chagrin that she doesn’t unclench her hands from her sweater, her arms still pressed protectively against her stomach. Maybe it’s just an instinct thing? Olivia is super careful about her stomach now, too, and was even before she’d really started showing.
“The paternity test is noninvasive,” Emily says. “The receptionist said it takes like five minutes in office.”
“You’ve called the doctor already?”
At least that’s one thing off the to-do list.
She nods. “I have an intake appointment scheduled for Monday. She said we can find out if it’s yours that same day if you’re willing to go with me.”
A band tightens around my ribs, making it hurt to breathe in a way entirely different from when I’ve pulled a muscle while working.
I don’t give a flying fuck if the baby’s mine genetically.
Our messing around as a trio got us here just as much as the times it was just some combination of two of us.
No way am I letting her navigate this alone.
“If you want it done,” I murmur, “then that’s fine.”
She nods, not quite meeting my gaze. Before I can kiss her or try to assure her everything’s going to be okay, another car pulls up outside the barn. Emily rips out of my hold, and I let my arms drop, just like every other time someone has wandered in and almost caught us together.
Camden comes barreling into the barn, giggling maniacally as he rushes right past us and to the fencing where the newly weaned calves are. A couple bound up to him and press against his outstretched hand.
“ Fuck , Camden,” Brielle mutters. My eyebrow rises. I’ve never once heard Brielle curse. “One of these days, you busting through doors is going to end very badly.”
Her cheeks are a dark red as she comes into the barn, too. Her gaze catches on Emily before flicking to me. It’s easy enough to see the wordless conversation. Emily quickly nods, and Brielle freezes. After a long minute, she clears her throat.
“We were sent to see if you wanted to join the afternoon’s baking plans. Camden insisted we ask, and you didn’t answer my calls.”
Emily quickly nods, though her nose scrunches. Is she feeling sick already?
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be right behind you.”
Brielle gives a hesitant smile and then ducks around me, quietly ushering Camden back to her car that’s still idling, the noise just barely loud enough to be heard over the cattle. Once both car doors shut, I focus on Emily again.
“Text me the time for the appointment, and I’ll pick you up for it.”
No way is she driving all the way to Jackson by herself for this.
“All right.” She turns around, but I grab her hand, pulling her close enough to press my lips to her temple. I don’t move until the tension in her body falls away and her sweet vanilla scent surrounds us both, overtaking the smells of the barn.