Fortune's Way (6 page)

Rebecca wasn’t in the kitchen when she passed through. Miranda grabbed an apple and munched it on her way to the stables. She spotted Dean’s truck and knew he’d returned, but he wasn’t with the horses.

She tossed the apple core and continued on to the small office the men worked out of. The door was ajar, and she paused before walking in.

Voices came from inside.

“She said she had some numbers to go over with you.” It was Kyle speaking.

She stopped to listen.

“I haven’t seen her yet today,” Dean replied.

“You need to find out what she’s talking about. She knows we’re against the dude ranch option. Hopefully last night was enough to bring her around to our side.”

Miranda gasped.
Last night?
Was that what their encounter had been about? Insurance that she’d recommend their ideas for saving the ranch, rather than the plan his father had in mind?

Her heart raced and her body flushed. She knew her face had gone beet red.

It wasn’t about me at all.

She’d been had.
Foolish, foolish woman
. Dean had insisted her scars were no big deal. Kyle hadn’t even mentioned them. She thought they were being romantic and noble. Nothing could have been farther from the truth.

They didn’t want me.
They wanted what she could do for them.

A sob escaped from her lips before she could bite it back. Turning on her heel, she ran from the office, tears flooding her face.

She heard shuffling noises behind her.

“Miranda!” Dean shouted.

She didn’t turn around.

Chapter Five

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Dean slammed his hand against the office door.

Kyle moved to stand behind him. “What do you think she heard?”

“Possibly something about last night being effective in changing her mind? Damn it, Kyle! You know last night wasn’t about that.”

“Not completely, perhaps. But you and I know we need all the help we can get with this thing. If she’s on our side—”

Fury coursed through Dean’s blood.
“Our side?
Honestly, Kyle, I’m not sure you and I are on the same side anymore.” He took off after Miranda.

He found her in the guestroom, her suitcases on the bed. She was crying and throwing things in the luggage at the same time.

“Miranda, wait.” He went to her.

“Leave me alone! I quit. I’m not going to tell your father anything, so I’m of no use to you anymore. Sorry you wasted your time.” Another armful of clothes hit the suitcase.

“You’ve got it all wrong.” He had to make her believe him.

Her laugh held no mirth. “Oh, no. You’re the one who had it wrong. You thought you could play me? Well, maybe I played you! Maybe I wanted a roll in the hay with two stupid cowboys who couldn’t see they didn’t mean anything to me. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that’s my motto.”

She turned to the closet and paused, her shoulders shaking.

Dean stepped close behind her and said quietly, “I don’t believe that. And you shouldn’t believe everything you heard, either. Kyle was wrong. I never said that.
I never felt that way.”

“Whatever.” She wiped her eyes and reached for more clothes.

“Stop.” He clasped her hands and lowered them to her sides. Pushing his body against hers, he wedged her between him and the closet door.

Her face turned to the side and he could see how hard she’d been crying.

He thought his heart might break. “Miranda,” he whispered in her ear. “You have to listen to me.”

“I don’t have to do anything except pay taxes and die,” she spouted back.

He chuckled, but didn’t release his grip. Instead he pressed closer, his lips almost touching her earlobe. “Last night was amazing—the most incredible night I’ve ever spent with two people. I know you took a huge chance opening up to us, I get that. I would never put you in that position for my own gain. I simply could never do that.”

“Why did you do it, then?” Fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

“Because you captivated me from the moment you arrived here. You’re all I could think about. Kyle knew it, he could sense it before I ever told him how I felt. Jesus, Miranda. I fucking love him, yet I risked that to be with you.
Do you get that?
I’m in way too deep for you to walk out now.”

“I don’t know what you expect from me. It’s pretty obvious what Kyle expects. But what do you want, Dean?”

“Kyle’s a big dummy. I could kick his ass for saying what he said, but in his defense, he has the best interests of the ranch at heart. And that’s the reason I love him so much. He and I want the same things.”

“I understand. I just don’t see where I fit into this picture.”

Dean released her then turned her to face him. “I’m working on that. I honestly don’t know either. All I know is that last night was too fucking hot for words. I want that again. And tomorrow, I’ll want it again. I realize we don’t know each other well enough. But I feel this in my heart. We owe it to each other to explore what we started last night, and figure out where it might take us.”

She gazed into his eyes. “How can I be sure? The ranch—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Take the ranch out of the equation. That’s what I was doing in town today, figuring out my assets, and whether or not I could make a go of it off the ranch.”

“You what?” She blinked, surprised.

He shook his head. “I hated kicking you out of my bed. I always hated kicking Kyle out, too, but he didn’t complain as much.”

“I don’t remember complaining.”

Dean smiled. “You didn’t. I saw it in your eyes. ‘How come a man my age can’t live his life the way he chooses? Why does he do everything his father wants him to?’ Hell, I put the opinion of the fucking cook ahead of what I truly wanted. I saw all that in your face, Miranda. And it hit me like a ton of bricks.”

She smiled. “I said all that? Wow, I must be wise.”

He circled her waist with his hands. “You are
very
wise. Just being with you has made me wiser too. I’m going to talk with my father when he comes this weekend. I’m going to spill everything. He needs to know that I love Kyle, and if I’m going to stay on the ranch, then Kyle’s moving into the main house with me.”

“Good for you.”

“And then I’ll tell him about you.”

She laughed. “Um, no, I think you can leave me out for now. He doesn’t need to know you’re exploring a polyamorous lifestyle. Drop the gay bomb on him first, and see how he takes it.”

Dean chuckled. “You may be right. Okay, I’ll leave you out of the conversation for now. But I’m not leaving you out of anything else, you got that?”

“I got it. And if your father doesn’t take too kindly to your new lifestyle?”

“Then he doesn’t have to think about it. Kyle and I are two educated, reasonably intelligent men. We can find other jobs in a place where we can be ourselves, if necessary.”

“That sounds wonderful, Dean.”

“I mean it, Miranda. I want you with us. I won’t ask for a commitment because that’d be nuts. I just want to know you’re interested in being with us, and that you’ll give it a shot.”

She placed her hands on his chest. “Of course I’m interested. I’ve thought about the two of you all day. I nearly collapsed when I thought you’d been using me to get what you wanted.”

“I hope you realize that was not the case. Except sexually, of course. I’m totally using you sexually.”

“Totally.” She kissed him, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips.

Dean opened his mouth and let her do the plundering. It was such a relief, and it felt so wonderful to be in her arms again.

“I need you,” she murmured. “I’m not sure if it’s against the polyamory rules or whatever, but I want you to fuck me, Dean. I need you now.”

He smiled. “We’ll figure out the rules as we go along. For now, I think Kyle owes us one for starting all this shit today.” He walked her backward into his bedroom and kicked the door closed. He fumbled for a condom in the nightstand drawer while scrambling to remove his clothes.

Miranda got naked and tossed back the covers. On the bed, she got on her hands and knees and glanced over her shoulder at him seductively.

“Fuck!” He groaned, his cock already throbbing. The sight of her poised and waiting for him almost made him come on the spot. He hurried to roll the rubber over his shaft and gave it a few good tugs.

Kneeling behind her, he fingered her pussy. “Waiting for me?” She was hot and wet.
No doubt.

“All my life.” She winked at him, then turned to face the headboard.

With a sigh of pleasure, he took her with one fell swoop.

Miranda gasped and squealed, then moaned as they worked into a rapid rutting rhythm.

“Fuck yeah,” he gasped, pounding her pussy as he clasped the round globes of her ass. One hand snaked forward and found a swaying tit. He massaged it roughly, evoking more sexy noises from the foxy minx beneath him.

“Yes!” she growled. “Fuck me! Aw, yes. That’s it.”

Sweat trickled down his temples as he drove into her, deeper and deeper until she cried out her release. Once she was duly satisfied, he let go, shooting his pulsing stream into her core.

They collapsed on the bed, still joined, spooning. He kissed everywhere he could reach.

She rubbed his legs and arms, whatever she could find.

“Thank you,” he whispered, feelings of gratitude flooding him. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”

“Giving us a chance,” she corrected.

“And you’re willing to give the big dummy another chance too?” He kissed her cheek.

“Absolutely. He’s pretty cute. I think he might be trainable.”

Dean laughed. “He thinks you’re cute too. You do realize that he hasn’t been with a woman since some fumbled attempts in high school. You’re the first one who’s interested him.”

“Thanks to you.”

“No, it’s all you. I can’t take any credit for how gorgeous you are. Kyle sees it too. And you know what? He never once mentioned the scars. They’re like freckles to him, he just doesn’t see them. That’s another thing I love about him.”

She snuggled against his back. “Thank you, Dean. This was just what I needed. But we should talk, now. I have something important to tell you.”

* * * *

Miranda had her bags packed and waiting by the door. Dean’s father was due soon, and she’d be leaving shortly after that. She wasn’t as sad as she’d feared. Dean and Kyle had already made arrangements to come to her apartment the next weekend and spend two nights.
Two glorious nights
. She could hardly wait.

“Wonderful to see you, Mr Fortune.” Mrs Carson led him in.

“You look fit,” he told the housekeeper. “I hope things are going well, and the job’s not getting to be too much for you.”

“Not at all. Of course, we’re just looking after these two.” She nodded to where Dean and Kyle sat. “If we brought in guests, that would change things very much, wouldn’t it?”

He smiled. “Yes, I suppose it would.” He turned his dark-eyed gaze on Miranda. “Hello, Miz McCabe. How did you enjoy your week at the ranch?” He extended a hand, and she shook it.

“It’s a beautiful place. I enjoyed my time very much.” She tried not to look at Dean or Kyle, though she envisioned them both smirking.

“Son.” The elder Mr Fortune shook hands with Dean then Kyle. “Kyle. How are things running from your end? Smoothly?”

“My end is nice and tight, sir. Couldn’t be better.”

Miranda thought she might burst. She didn’t make eye contact with either Dean or Kyle, but could almost sense the smiles behind their eyes at that moment.

Dean’s father motioned for her to sit, and they all took seats.

“I’ll leave you,” Mrs Carson said.

“No, Frances, this concerns you too. Please stay.” He waited for her to sit, then began. “I think you all know that the ranch is floundering financially. I was given a suggestion that the best way to pump money back in would be to make the place a guest ranch. We’d allow families to come and stay, ride horses, do all the cowboy stuff that city folks don’t get to experience. We’d have to plan activities, so it would require some additional staff.”

“Additional housekeeping staff as well,” Mrs Carson added.

He nodded. “And when the demand outgrew the rooms here in the house, we’d have to build cabins for other guests to stay in. That will be costly, so I need to make sure this is the right plan for us going forward.”

“I don’t believe it is,” Dean said bluntly. “This is our home. I don’t want strangers staying here, night after night. Snotty-nosed little kids breaking our things. It sounds horrible to me.”

Kyle spoke up. “I’d have to agree. I understand the need for additional income, but for what you’d be giving up, that money comes at too great a price.”

Dean’s father waved a hand. “A little bit of privacy. No big deal.”

Dean challenged him. “Not for you, since you no longer live here. It’s a very big deal to me.”

Before he could reply, Miranda said, “I came up with another idea. I’ve spent the last couple of days crunching the numbers and talking with other stables to determine the feasibility. I truly believe it’ll work.”

Everyone looked at her.

“Riding lessons,” she said simply. “We could start a riding academy. There’s a huge demand for that right now. People in Los Angeles pay top dollar to give their kids lessons. Adults take them too. It’d require very little in the way of changing the structure of the ranch, and it won’t affect the main house. I believe you could hire one person to run the operation, and utilize the grooms who are interested in making a little extra income.” She handed some paperwork to Dean’s father. “You’ll see with these calculations, there’ll be some minor changes outside, including updating the ranch office to handle the new side of the business. Those are one-time expenses. The additional pay needs would be ongoing, but I think you’ll agree, the potential for inflow far exceeds the outgo I’ve projected.”

“Riding lessons,” he echoed, studying the paperwork.

She finally allowed herself a glance at Dean and Kyle. Both men appeared nervous and hopeful. “There would still be the snot-nosed children, I’m afraid. Some of the population who are able to afford lessons won’t be that easy to work with. But there’ll also be a large group of people who love horses and want to learn more about them. Friendly, wonderful folks who you’ll be glad you got to know. I took lessons for many years, and made some life-long friends from those days.”