Crazy Little Thing Called Love (21 page)

“I finished the bedroom already. I’m doing
the tile and changing out the cabinetry in the bathrooms. When I
finish that I’ll probably start on the kitchen, update everything
with new appliances, hardwoods, granite tops, the works.”

“That’s a big project.”

“Yes, it is.” He nodded.

“Seems like you could have just built a new
house from scratch for yourself and it’d probably have been
easier.”

“Maybe, but like I said, I like demolition.”
He finished his sandwich and wiped his hands on a napkin, “Besides,
this is my home. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

For a man of few words, when he spoke he said
a mouthful. It was his home. He was making it his own but it would
always be his home, the place he belonged. She could understand it
though she’d never had it for herself.

“What about you? Don’t you ever miss it? Miss
the ranch and the house you grew up in?”

And there was the change of topic back to her
again. She shrugged, “I told you at the wedding, the ranch never
really felt like home to me, not like you feel about this place. I
never worked the land or the animals or really got involved.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a girl.”

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms
across his bare chest. His eyes dragged down her face, lingering on
her lips, her breasts, her thighs poking out from beneath his
shirt. When he looked back up he smiled, “Yes, that part is
obvious.”

“You had brothers. You don’t understand.” She
rolled her eyes, “Maybe if I’d had a brother it would have been
different but I’m an only child. My Daddy wanted a son.”

“Okay.” He still looked confused and a little
frustrated again, “That still doesn’t explain why he wouldn’t have
taught you about the family business.”

“You don’t know my Daddy. He’s very
old-fashioned, very set in his ways. To him, ranching is man’s
work, always has been, always will be. He tried to do right by my
mama and raise me how she’d have wanted. In his own way, excluding
me was his way of trying.”

“You think your mother would have wanted you
to feel excluded in your own home?” His brows were down and his
eyes were dark now so she avoided looking at him. “Even if that was
his reason, it sounds pretty crappy to me.”

She didn’t look at him when she answered, “It
doesn’t matter what his reasons were, he kept it from me all my
life but he can’t do it anymore.”

“What’s that mean?” He tilted his head as
she’d begun to realize he did when he was trying to figure
something out.

“It means I’m the last in a long line of
Montgomery’s even if my last name is Carter. I’m the only child of
an only child. Girl or not, my raising or not, I’m the only heir
left. When he passes I’ll have to deal with the ranch one way or
another.”

“Has he told you that? Talked to you about
it?”

“No. Not yet.” She played with the label on
her beer bottle.

“You don’t think that’s weird? That he knows
he’s dying and he hasn’t talked to you about something so
important?”

“Confusing would be if he had.” She admitted
in a near whisper.

Everything to do with her father and
Montgomery Oaks was confusing to her, it always had been. Her
feelings about the man and the place had darted all over like wild
ping pong balls throughout her life. She simultaneously loved and
hated. It was her past and her future but not her present, at least
not until she’d come home for a weekend wedding and figured out
just how in the dark she’d been all this time.

More confusing was the fact she was sitting
here telling Zach these things she’d never told anybody. Maybe it
was because he was a virtual stranger. Maybe it was because he was
only temporarily in her life.

Whatever it was, she needed to shut it up and
lock it back down. Talking about it wouldn’t do her any good and
was just a waste of a nice distraction. Zach didn’t really care. He
was just making small-talk until they could go back to bed.

That’s what this was all about. This one
night and then he would go on his way. She had better things to do
with her mouth since that was the case.

She shoved her beer aside and looked up at
him finally, “Are you done eating Zach?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I think you owe me.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, “I
thought we were even.”

“I seem to recall a promise to show me who
was in charge but if you’re not up for the challenge…” She shrugged
indifferently and started to stand but she didn’t make it half a
foot before big arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her off
the floor.

“Zach!” She squealed as he threw her over his
shoulder caveman style and she knew her ass was on full
display.

“I’m going to show you up to the challenge.
You can bet on it.” He nipped her thigh just below her panty line
and she squealed again.

Yes, this was the kind of conversation she
was allowed to have with Zach. Flirting innuendos were fine. Dirty
talk would be fine. Discussing her father, not so much.

He was a one-night stand. He was sex on legs.
He was a dangerously handsome man that gave her exactly what she
needed. He was a great distraction.

“You get laid last night?”

Zach looked up from where he lay beneath the
tractor trying to replace the oil and found his youngest brother
standing nearby. Riley leaned a shoulder against the side of the
barn. His dirty baseball cap hid most of his face but he was
obviously grinning that self-satisfied smirk that had always made
Zach want to smack him upside the head.

What did he know? Had somebody at the bar
seen them leave together and ratted him out? Or had Riley seen
Bluebell’s less than inconspicuous car in his driveway at some
point last night?

“Huh?” He played dumb.

“You’re listening to country music.” Riley
pointed to the radio. “You only ever listen to country when you get
laid.”

“Do I?” He snorted, “That’s kind of
embarrassing.”

“So you admit you got laid.” Riley chuckled
and for the first time all morning Zach was happy to be underneath
the big tractor so his brother couldn’t see him smiling.

The truth was, he had gotten laid and he was
in a good mood. It was probably his first good mood since his
brothers had started their push to run the ranch themselves. He’d
spent an entire night not worrying about anything or anyone else in
his life. He hadn’t had to think about any of his commitments or
make any decisions other than which position he might put Bluebell
in next.

And that was enough to put a smile on his
face despite the fact she’d run out on him again. He’d fallen
asleep after his fourth or fifth climax, he’d honestly lost count.
When he’d woken the sun hadn’t been up yet and he’d stretched to
pull her against him one last time before they went their separate
ways. Except she hadn’t been there.

He wasn’t mad about it. He wasn’t even upset
she’d taken off on him again. Well, maybe he’d been a little upset
because he’d have much preferred a round of morning sex to a cold
shower but he didn’t blame her.

He’d lain out exactly who he was and what
they were and she’d signed on for a night of fun, carefree
pleasure. He knew she’d had fun and so had he. The morning sun
could have shed a light on the other things they’d shared and he
hadn’t wanted that any more than she obviously did.

She’d saved them from that awkward morning
after moment. The one where you have to decide if you swap numbers
and make two nights of bad decisions or the worry that somebody is
going to say something stupid or want more. As it was, he could
smile and enjoy the aftereffects of a night of fun without any
repercussions.

“Who was she? One of the Little sisters? I
saw them hitting on you in the feed store the other day.”

“I don’t kiss and tell.” He snorted.

“Both of them?”

He rolled his eyes, “If you’re so interested
in my sex life you must not be getting any.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Working the ranch for one and then helping
Devin on the land deal too.”

Damn it. Zach smashed his fingers with the
wrench. There went his good mood. Just like that he knew Riley
hadn’t tracked him down in the barn for small-talk. He’d been
confronted by his mother and Devin so far. Apparently it was now
Riley’s turn to harass him.

“Don’t start.” He warned.

“I just want to talk to you about it. Get
your opinion.”

“I told Devin if he wanted to look at it to
do it. He’s handling it. Isn’t that what you both wanted?” He
growled and shoved out from beneath the tractor so he could sit
upright.

Riley had moved closer and he loomed over
where he now sat. He was taller than Riley, always had been. Zach
didn’t like giving him some semblance of advantage though even if
it was height so he pushed to his feet and leaned against the
tractor while he used a dirty rag to wipe grease and oil from his
hands.

“We want you involved.”

“See now, that’s the exact opposite of what
Devin said.” He shrugged, “You two wanted more responsibility, you
wanted to call the shots. I told him and I’ll tell you. I don’t
want the extra land. I don’t think it’s a good deal but you won’t
listen.”

“That’s because it’s a good investment. You
just don’t want the extra acreage to take care of.”

“Doesn’t matter. You two together own
two-thirds of the ranch. You can push it through without me if you
want. You wanted the right to make the decision I’m giving it to
you. You have the fancy business degree, handle it.”

“We still want your input Zach. You’ve run
the ranch and you’ve done it really well. At least help us look
over the documents, verify that what we think its worth is right.
You know more about this than we do.”

“Yeah.” He wiped at his hands and sighed as
the tension began to build in his shoulders again, “I do.”

Riley’s plea for help turned to a hard glare,
“That’s just because you kept us out of it for so long. Don’t act
like we haven’t wanted to help you run this place for years.
Devin’s been asking for more since he was eighteen.”

“He was eighteen!”

“Yeah, the same age you were when you took
over.” Riley argued.

“Sure and I fucked up a lot of shit in that
time. We nearly lost the place, lost everything. I couldn’t let
that happen again just because Devin thought he was ready.”

“I knew you were going to be a stubborn
son-of-a-bitch about this. I just figured you’d have come to your
senses by now and realized this is what’s best for the ranch and
also for you. We own the other two-thirds just like you said but
you’ve never given us that amount of decision-making power. If you
did, you’d have more free time to work on the house, do what you
want, to have a life.”

“This is my life.” Zach bit off the angry
retort.

“It’s our lives.” Riley sighed, “And look how
great they are?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means look at us. You’re still playing
big brother, still making sure mom remembers to buy groceries and
takes her medicine and that Devin and me don’t get into
trouble.”

“That’s my job.”

“No. It was your job maybe, when we were
little kids and needed you like that. We don’t anymore.”

“That’s gratitude for you I guess. You don’t
need me anymore so I’m just supposed to back off?” He could feel
his anger bubbling now.

“Yes. Back off, get a life of your own, let
Devin and me grow up and help you. You could finally do something
you want, have something you want for yourself.”

Zach clenched his jaw at the same words Devin
had spoken to him weeks before. The same strange need his brothers
had to set him free was disconcerting. He still wasn’t sure what to
do with it or how to respond.

“You sent me to college. I got my degree and
I came home to help. Let me help otherwise what was the point in
telling me I could live my dreams?” Riley shrugged.

“What about Devin?”

“What about him? He never wanted to go to
college. Hell, he was lucky to stay out of jail and that was thanks
to you. All he wants to do is be on the ranch, to work the land and
live his life. That’s his dream, it’s all he’s ever wanted.”

“Good. Well. I guess you’re both happy you
got what you wanted. I know I’m happy for you.” Zach tossed the rag
down, “I have to get back to work Riley.”

“What do you want Zach? It wasn’t this ranch.
Dev’s told me about the fights you had with Dad about going to
college, doing something else when he wanted you to stay here. You
stayed because you had to, because it was the responsible thing to
do when he died and we all owe you everything for that. So now it’s
your turn. What do you want?”

Zach had been walking away because his anger
was building but it suddenly flat lined. He felt his shoulders sag.
He could feel Riley’s eyes on him, waiting, watching, for what he
didn’t know. Finally he sighed, “Honestly Ry, I don’t know.”

“Then figure it out.” He heard the barn door
slam and knew Riley had left.

That night the dream came again. The dream
that was always the same. He shut his eyes and he was an adult. He
was responsible and in charge. But when he opened them on the other
side he was just a sixteen year old kid again and the terror of
that night came back to him.

His father had gone out of town to sell some
cattle and for the first time he took their mother with him. He’d
left Zach in charge of his younger brothers for the weekend. It was
the first time his dad had ever given him that kind of
responsibility and he’d thought he was finally a real man to be
taken seriously.

He’d been a total ass to his brothers all
day. He’d played the big brother card time and again. Riley wanted
to watch cartoons? No way, those were for babies. Devin wanted to
play Super Mario? No way, that was his game and off limits to
little kids. He’d given them a bedtime an hour earlier than their
parents usually did and ushered them off to bed so he could go see
his girlfriend.