A Rancher's Bride Read online

  Luke glared at his friend, finally peeling his attention off Kelli. “You’re not seriously giving her an acting critique.”

  “I’m saying Kelli helped somebody tonight, and while I might not approve of how she stepped in, giving her shit is not going to change her impulse. Plus, it’s not what she needs right now.” Josiah reached for Kelli and tugged her against him, hugging her tight.

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A shudder shook her from head to toe. She pressed her forehead against his chest and took a second to calm herself.

  When she finally managed to get her racing heart to slow, she gave him a squeeze and he let go.

  Kelli looked up with a grateful smile. “Okay, point made. I will work on less dangerous impulses, and my acting.”

  Josiah tweaked her nose and turned to Luke. “What about you?”

  “Gee, do I get a hug too?” Luke snapped.

  Good grief. “And on that note, I’m going home. You can stay here and be Mr. Cranky Pants without me.”

  She really didn’t care why Luke had such a stick up his butt right then. She’d done the right thing, but as Josiah had somehow realized, the adrenaline rush was fading and she was close to crashing. It would be far better if she was in her room before that happened.

  “Fine. I’ll take you home,” Luke grumbled.

  No way. “I have my truck.”

  “I said. I’ll. Take. You. Home.” He bit out every word as if they were torturous.

  She glanced at Josiah, hoping for his support again.

  Only this time, he shook his head. “I think you should go with him,” Josiah offered softly. “I’ll drop your truck off in the morning.”

  Irritating males, all of them. Kelli growled out her frustration, but she handed over her truck keys before glaring at Luke. “Fine. Let’s go, sunshine.”

  Luke didn’t trust himself to say anything as they walked. It was dead quiet as he guided her across the road and down the alley to where he’d parked.

  Him carting her off like this left a bit of a mess for Josiah and Kelli’s friends, ferrying vehicles back and forth. But as he yanked open the passenger door and waited for Kelli climb in, he realized he didn’t really give a crap.

  Most women would’ve sensed his level of frustration and kept silent, at least for the first part of the journey.

  Not Kelli.

  She twisted in her seat, arms folded over her chest, and started up the instant he opened his door. “If you want to yell at me, you can do it right here. Then no one has to worry about getting my vehicle home.”

  He stared at her long enough that she twitched, but she didn’t look away, matching him glare for glare.

  It took forever until she flopped back in the seat and did up her buckle, staring straight ahead as if her eyes were laser beams that let her blow up shit. Probably imagining he was standing in front of her.

  Fine by him. Because he was imagining more than a few explosions himself.

  He made it onto the main highway before his temper eased enough to speak in a reasonable tone.

  “You know, I’m the Stone brother considered to be levelheaded and cool. Caleb could go off the deep end and get far too protective. Walker was always throwing himself off of something dangerous. But I was the one who could calm the waters. I could talk everybody off the edge and get the world back on track. Would you agree with that?”

  He was doing it now, the calm and cool thing. Or at least faking it well enough that she shifted her attention and instead of mainlining the road, she glanced at him for a few seconds. “Yeah, I guess.”

  Luke pulled off on the side of the road in a section that had been cleared of snow and ice. The plows were using it as a turnaround, because the drifts were well over the top of the truck.

  A few deep breaths later he put the truck into park then adjusted position so he could partially face her across the bench seat. “So, this is me being calm and collected and telling you if I ever see you pull that sort of stupid, impulsive act again, I’m going to lose my ever-loving shit, and someone will get seriously hurt.”

  Her mouth dropped open slightly as she stared at him, her dark brown eyes dancing over his face in a decidedly un-Kelli fashion. She didn’t seem nearly as in control as she had when facing down the bastard at the bar.

  Her body trembled, shaking slightly even though she was putting on a tough act.

  It pissed him off she was ignoring the truth here. She was probably going to write this all off as a blip on the map, and sure enough, when she spoke it was with a slight lift of her shoulders.

  “I don’t go around answering bat-signals, and I won’t accost someone that size in a dark back alley. But I’m not about to let some guy be abusive in a public place without letting the woman know she’s got options.”

  “Even if it means you could end up on the floor?” He caught her wrist, keeping his grip loose even as he raised her arm toward him. He pushed up her sleeve, and sure enough, as he’d suspected, faint red marks marred her skin. “Even if it means you’re the one who gets hurt?”

  Her shoulders had gone as rigid as two by fours, and she stared at the rising bruises on her forearm as if utterly surprised to see them there.

  She quivered even more noticeably, still focused on her arm. That’s when he finally clued in about what Josiah had tried to tell him earlier.

  “Shit.” Luke unlocked his seatbelt and reached over to hit the release on hers. “Come here, baby girl. You’re having a reaction.”

  He hauled her across the seat and scooped her up like he would’ve one of his nieces, pressing Kelli’s head against his chest and holding on tight. It was the same thing Josiah had done briefly before, but for a man who prided himself on his smarts, it seemed Luke had a wide gap in understanding when it came to figuring out what made this woman tick.

  She was like a scarecrow in his arms at first, arms sticking out it awkward angles, her shoulders as tense as if there were straw stuffed up her sleeves.

  He made soothing noises and tried his best to relax, which was hard since he was still freaked the hell out over the danger she’d thrown herself headlong into. The same way she threw herself off things in the barn.

  “Nobody got hurt too bad,” he assured her. “Your white-hat routine helped someone, and I won’t shout at you anymore tonight.”

  She wiggled in his arms, rocking slightly, and he realized the damn woman was laughing softly. “No more shouting tonight? Good to know. That means you’ll save the shouting for later?”

  No use in lying. “Probably.”

  He patted her on the back, turning the motion into a slow rub between her shoulder blades. “Take a few breaths and try to relax. You’re wound up tighter than Chili Pepper when she first arrived at the ranch.”

  Another snicker escaped. “Good one, boss. Compare me to a misbehaving horse.”

  “If the shoe fits—”

  They sat in silence until Kelli let out a long breath and finally relaxed against him. He held on to her for another moment, debating which way the conversation needed to go next.

  Drop the topic for now? Distract her with something else?

  Maybe it wasn’t the wisest choice, but then again, he could be totally upfront with her about this being only a possibility. “You good to move to the next subject?”

  Her head rubbed across his chest as she placed a hand against him to wiggle herself free. Strong fingers lay over his biceps as she levered herself back to the passenger seat.

  She still looked tense, but he didn’t blame her. Not after what had gone down tonight.

  Distraction was definitely in order. “Do up your seatbelt. I’ve got something to tell you. This is not one hundred percent going to happen, but Silver Stone got an invite to an important event happening soon in Kananaskis. No horses present, but a whole lot of people who like spending money and earning money from horses—”

  All the tension drained away instantly as Kelli lit up like a firecracker. “Silver S
tone got asked to the Triple Crown? Oh. My. God.”

  That was borderline creepy. “How the hell did you do that? I know you’ve got ears attached to the walls in the barns, but I haven’t told anybody about this except Josiah. Heck, I only found out a few hours ago.”

  She did up her seatbelt then faced him again, enthusiasm back on high. “It was just a guess, but am I right? Because, jeez, Luke. The topic came up on one of the blogs I keep an eye on. They did a couple reports about previous attendees from that kind of event. If Silver Stone got an invite that’s stupid fantastic.”

  He buckled up and headed onto the highway, his distraction working better than he’d planned. “I forgot you’re knee-deep in a bunch of those online groups.”

  “Stop being so righteous. You go online just as much as me, only in different places. TCG got mentioned because it hasn’t happened yet,” Kelli admitted. “Nobody is connected enough to be headed there, of course, which makes Silver Stone getting to go even more incredible.”

  “Invitation-only at this point,” Luke warned her. “I sent in my registration, but I haven’t heard back yet.”

  “You’ll get in,” she said firmly. “Hell, I’m shocked you’ve never hit their radar before. Especially two years ago when a couple of Nemo’s offspring grew up enough to start placing on the circuit.”

  That had to be a factor in their favour. Having a good strong horse was one part of the equation, but when a stud’s foals grew up and started winning races, it made a huge difference to a breeder’s bottom line.

  “You helped broker a couple of those deals,” he reminded her. “That was you chatting him up at the Stampede.”

  “Didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Kelli insisted. “I didn’t even know who the other owners were when I started bragging on him.”

  “Still, Nemo’s stud fee keeps rising steadily. If this keeps up, the income will make a huge difference in the ranch’s bottom line.” He glanced over at her. She was smart enough to know what was going on, especially considering how much she learned with her damn eavesdropping.

  Kelli fidgeted. Twisting her fingers together on the strap of her seatbelt. “So, if you’re gone, I guess it’ll be a good time for me to take over Chili Pepper’s training.”

  Luke chuckled. “Nice try.”

  She gave him puppy-dog eyes. “Please? You’ll be gone for a few days, maybe more. Someone will need to take care of her while you’re away.”

  “It’s a full six days, and you’re right. Someone will need to take care of her, but it’s not going to be you.”

  “Luke. That’s not fair.” All of her indignation and energy was back to full force. It seemed she’d gotten over her upset from earlier in the evening. “You said that I could—”

  “I want you to come with me,” he interrupted.

  That shut her up fast.

  “I think you’re the perfect person to help represent Silver Stone. You know just about everything there is to know about our horses and our breeding program. Plus, you’re not intimidating, and you get along fine with people.”

  “With cowboys,” she pointed out. “And with the ranch hands and ordinary, everyday people. Not with the highfalutin’ moneybags who’ll be hanging out at that event.”

  He made a rude noise. “They’re just people, Kelli. The fact they’ve got a little more money in their pocket isn’t a reason for you to think less of them as people.”

  She didn’t answer. This time it didn’t seem to be shock, but embarrassment. So be it. It wasn’t right to judge anyone except on what was in their hearts and came out in their actions.

  He filled the quiet rattling around in the cab as quickly as possible, keeping his tone light. “Hey, as we just remembered, you talked to some of those people a couple years ago, and they liked you plenty. And you liked them, and this is something I could really use your help with.”

  A low groan escaped her as if she were being tormented. “Okay, fine. I will come with you to a fancy hotel where I don’t have to shovel shit for nearly a week. And I will eat donuts for breakfast and steak for supper, and I will talk nice to everyone while I pretend that they have nothing more than a couple of toonies in their pocket, same as me.”

  “That’s my girl,” Luke said with a grin as he turned down the drive and headed toward the bunkhouse. “Keep your lips sealed until I find out more, and that goes double for your online community. Not a word, before or after.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t post private stuff online. I just read the articles.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Kelli grinned. “Thanks for giving me the opportunity. I promise if this goes ahead, I will do everything I can to make sure Silver Stone sounds bright and shiny so we can impress all those ordinary people.”

  The other topic of discussion—her acting like a masked vigilante—was also better to drop for the night. Leaving her happy now meant when he approached the topic tomorrow to get her promise to not do it ever again, she should be more receptive.

  He pulled up outside her bunk. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks.” She hopped out.

  Luke was in the middle of backing up to change directions when she tapped on his window, guilt painting her features. “I acted irresponsibly at the bar and scared you. You’re right. That wasn’t the proper way to go about helping, and I’m sorry.”

  She was stronger than just about anyone he knew. The confession had come far quicker than he’d have been able to spit one out. “I’m sorry I went all stubborn and made you leave without your truck.”

  She shrugged, a glimmer of mischief back in her eyes. “Eh. I’m used to you being a stubborn overlord. It’s okay. I would never expect a donkey to change their nature overnight.”

  Bam. Apology and insult, just like he’d expected. “Good night, Kelli.”

  “Night, boss.”

  4

  Sheer willpower got her into her room without flipping out with excitement. Or was that panic rushing through her veins?

  The entire evening had been one rush of adrenaline after the next, and she knew better than to slip into bed without dealing with it.

  She was pumped to the max. Between the bully at the bar and Luke being all alpha dude, and then him hugging her out of the blue—

  Not to mention the gala.

  If she crawled into bed now she’d end up staring at the ceiling for hours, buzzing.

  Kelli stripped out of her dancing gear and pulled on a worn set of sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, dragging out her yoga mat and plopping down in the middle of her floor to try and find some Zen.

  Being all guru-y wasn’t something she’d ever aspired to, but the Stone family’s foster sister, Dare, had sworn by it. If there was anyone who Kelli trusted to know ways to successfully deal with a mass of bullshit in their lives, Darilyn Hayes was one. The woman was now married and living elsewhere, but she’d passed down this legacy.

  So Kelli sat on her brightly coloured mat, legs tangled like a pretzel as she took deep breaths and worked on relaxing. Breathing in peacefulness and breathing out all her stress.

  The way her insides had tangled so hard the instant she saw the bully—breathe out.

  The way her heart rate picked up when Luke Stone gazed at her with those dark brown eyes—breathe out.

  Breathe out.

  Breathe out.

  It took a few more breaths before the tension eased just from the thought of him. That was the first time he’d ever wrapped his arms around her in a way other than a friendly clap on the back. It sucked that she’d been on the verge of tears.

  No, that was a good thing, her brain shouted. That was not the moment for him to look at you like anything other than a friend. Definitely coworkers would be the limit.

  Competent—at least he believed she was competent enough to be invited to the gala with him, and good Lord, that thought took a good dozen breaths to relax her way out of as well.

  Silver Stone ranch was
in trouble. Kelli knew it, and not just because people liked to speak where she could overhear. She’d been around for long enough to see the signs. It felt as if the whole ranch was at a tipping point.

  The troubles were through no fault of their own, just time and circumstances, which was really unfair considering the family’s positive presence to the community.

  Breathe out.

  It took an hour to loosen up, slowly moving from sitting in one spot and working on her breathing to moving into her relaxation routine. Upward dogs and downward dogs and twisting rotations that worked out the kinks from not just her long day but her impact with the floor at the bar.

  Thankfully, by the time she slipped under her quilt she was relaxed enough to fall asleep almost instantly, eyes popping open five minutes before her alarm was set to go off at six a.m.

  The next day passed quickly. Kelli timed the end of her first shift to coincide with chore time so she could visit with Caleb’s little girls as they cared for their pet goats.

  “Come here, Meany,” Emma said firmly as she pointed to the ground in front of her, grinning when one of the dapper creatures danced over and batted his nose against her side. “Good boy.”

  “He doesn’t know you’re talking to him,” Sasha said authoritatively to her younger sister. “He just wants food.”

  “Don’t say that,” Kelli interjected. “You can teach goats their names. Even train them to come when they’re called.”

  Sasha twirled toward her, jaw dropping.

  “Yep.” Kelli slipped off the top railing as the girls moved in closer. “Lots of animals are smart enough for that, but goats especially. They were one of the first animals people tamed—domesticated—way back when. Of course, some of that wasn’t just so that they could be enjoyed as pets,” she admitted.

  Emma wrinkled her nose. “People eat goats. But not our goats.”

  “No. Eeny, Meany, and Miney are not on anyone’s menu, but that doesn’t mean eating goat meat is bad. We respect people’s choices.”