Lexie and Killian (2 page)

He pushed away from the corral fence to meet her at the little SUV she loved to drive. It was his first big gift to her and he’d had a hard time getting her to accept, even though they were already married. He had to keep reminding her he gave out of love and not for any other reason.

“Sure I can’t talk you into staying?” he asked, curling his arm around her.

She laughed as she leaned into him. “Are you kidding? The last thing you want around here is a woman right now. Besides, I have to get to work, and you guys need this bonding experience.”

He pulled her in for a quick but hot kiss, tasting the sweetness of her lips and inhaling the light fragrance that always wrapped around her.

“Just don’t get into too much trouble,” he warned with a grin.

She lifted an eyebrow. “At Heart Starter? Not a chance.”

“I thought you said Liz was working today?”

Liz Branson, a friend of Lexie’s from high school, was one of the few people Lexie had reconnected with when she fled Savannah and the only one besides Killian and Lexie’s parents who knew the details of the disaster. The woman was at loose ends with all her kids in school now, so Lexie had offered her the part-time position. The woman loved working at Heart Starter, and Killian knew Lexie loved having girl time with her friend.

“She is, but I need to work on inventory and get caught up on my bookkeeping.” She brushed her mouth over his then took a step back. “You guys have a good time and don’t get too drunk.”

“You think that’s what we’ll do?” He lifted an eyebrow.

“You never know what goes on when the Walker brothers get together.” Her smile let him know she was teasing. Then she was gone.

Killian watched until she turned onto the highway. God, she was just the best thing that had ever happened to him. Bar none. Next, he thought, were the three half-brothers he hadn’t even known existed until old Dusty died and left a will that had shocked everyone. Now they were all doing their best to settle down with their women and make themselves into a family.

He was damn glad he’d convinced Lexie not to wait to get married. He still remembered the night they’d made their plans.

*****

“We love each other, right?” Killian asked.

“Of course.”

They were lying in bed in her little apartment over her coffee café, Heart Starter, after more of the spectacular sex that exploded between them.

“Then let’s not wait.” He pulled her tight to his body “Life can be really short, Lexie. You never know what’s going to happen.”

“You’re thinking about Dusty,” she guessed.

“I am.” His heart pinched painfully. Despite his failings, Dusty Walker had been a man who loved life and believed in living it to its fullest. Then he was gone in the blink of an eye, with so much living yet to do.

Lexie snuggled against him, her body soft and warm.

“Then I think getting married’s the right thing to do. And Killian?”

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“I don’t want a big fancy wedding. Really, I don’t.”

He looked down at her, studying her face, and wondered if she was thinking back to the one she’d planned with the man who’d sold her out, her and her art. He planned to do his best to wipe those memories clean from her mind.

“You can have whatever you want. Your choice.”

*****

Killian remembered that simple wedding now, in her parents’ backyard, with her family and close friends, his mother and his newly discovered brothers flown in for the day. He knew he’d always remember every minute of it, especially when the pastor pronounced them man and wife.

They’d barely gotten settled when they’d been meeting again with the attorney. And hadn’t that just been like rubbing sandpaper on a hangnail. Jackson’s idea of a fishing trip to get them in a more relaxed environment would have been great if he hadn’t gotten nailed with a lure. Killian had thought a casual barbecue with just the four of them might be a good step in that direction.

He was the one who brought up the idea, but everyone else agreed it would be a great thing to do. They were all finally beginning to adjust to each other, to learn about each other and to put aside the hostility that exploded when they learned Dusty had actually fathered four sons with four different wives.

They all had challenges right now. Jackson was in town for the week, taking the time off from the rodeo circuit and doing his best to adjust to the new situation. And deal with the up and down situation with the love of his life, Rori. Rogue had been reunited with Kit, the love of
his
life, and Killian wondered how that was going. And he knew Dylan was doing his best to hustle Zoe to the altar.

Killian was glad that he and Lexie were already married for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was not crowding the old homestead. Dylan was there doing his damndest to get some alone time with the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with.

Killian wanted to get a sense of how all their lives were going, not just with the women they loved but with Jackson’s rodeo events and Dylan’s tour with the band. Where in the beginning he’d resented the whole situation, now he realized how glad he was to have three brothers and how much he wanted things to work out among them.

He had a tiny underlying motive, too. His Appaloosa breeding ranch was just in its infancy. He’d barely bought the place—the house and the land, and purchased a small amount of stock from a breeder to give himself a start. Maybe it was childish, but he wanted to show it off. And today was a beautiful Kansas day with everything bathed in a honey-gold glow, the trees shook their leaves in the faint breeze, and the horses in the corral were prancing as if they knew they needed to perform.

He walked back to the corral and leaned against the split rail fencing that circled it, inhaling the scent of sunshine, hay and horses he loved so much. He had his eyes closed and his face tipped up to the sun when he heard the distinct sound of tires on gravel. He opened his eyes and watched the car heading down his driveway to the house. Everything was ready for today—the steaks for grilling, the potatoes and corn for roasting, and two big tubs were filled with beer on ice. This would be his first meal in his own place with his brothers, and he was really looking forward to it.

The black SUV wheeled into the parking area and, in a moment, his brother Dylan stepped out, grinning from ear to ear.

“Glad you could make it,” Killian said, walking forward.

“Me, too.” Dylan stretched. “Damn! It sure feels good to be off the road for a while. I love my music, but this place is really growing on me. Plus, I’ve got that band camp thing going.”

“Jackson should be here shortly,” Killian told him.

“Isn’t he getting ready for the Cheyenne rodeo?”

“Uh-huh. But he’s glad to have some time at home with Rori.” Killian winked. “He’s really gone on her.”

“No more than the rest of us,” Dylan said. “I mean, with our own women.”

“Rogue’s probably not far behind him. He texted me a little while ago. Say, did you know he and Kit are going on a cruise?”

“Yeah. Sounds like fun, but not my kind.” He stretched. “But I guess we’ll all do whatever makes our women happy.”

“You got that one right.”

“Well, I’ve got some damn good steaks, corn and potatoes to roast, and tubs of cold beer.” He grinned. “And some fine horseflesh to show off.”

“And here come the others,” Dylan said as a dual cab pickup turned off the highway and headed down the gravel drive.

Chapter One

Killian shaded his eyes and looked up at the Kansas sun casting its warm rays down on the pastures and the ranch buildings. Everything was bathed in gold, a symbol, he thought, of his life now. The soft breeze carried the sweet smell of hay and grass and the familiar aroma of horseflesh. When he let his gaze roam over the ranch house, the barns, and the other outbuildings, he had to pinch himself to believe it was really all his. The dream he’d always believed too far beyond his reach was actually a reality.

And then, of course, there was Lexie, a woman he loved desperately. From the first moment he’d seen her, he knew she was
the one
. At first, he’d been afraid to think of forever with her, reminding himself that he was one of four offspring of a man who sired sons out of wedlock. Who’d betrayed his marriage vows. But then his mother had convinced him she had to hold tight to the fact she’d been supremely happy with his father whenever they were together. And that a wandering dick wasn’t something you inherited.

But Lexie herself had convinced him he was a man worth loving. Thank god for that. Her smile warmed every inch of him and every corner of his heart. Just being in the same room with her, breathing in her light floral scent, brushing his hand over the fall of shimmery, sable-colored hair with its scattering of gold streaks. Tasting her lips or even just sitting next to her. And the sex! Holy shit! Hot didn’t begin to describe it. But some of the best times were when they lay in bed at night and he held her in his arms, her soft, warm body snuggled up next to his, a gift he’d cherish for the rest of his life.

He hoped, too, she knew how proud he was of her painting. It had taken her a while to get back to it after her disaster in Savannah, and for a long time she’d done it in secret. But he encouraged it, even taking one of the bedrooms and putting in skylights for better lighting so she could have a proper studio at home.

And last, but far from least, were the three brothers who’d turned out not to be the bastards he feared when they first met. They were finally beginning to seem at ease with each other, having hashed out the details of the estate distribution and parceled out who would take what trips and when.

They were all in Red Creek now, at least for the week. Well, Killian for good, since he’d managed to grab this land next to Dusty’s property and buy that premium Appaloosa stock. They were trying to use this time to get to know each other better and maybe establish the family situation Dusty had seemed to have in mind for them.

Today’s barbecue offered another get-to-know you bonding experience. At least he hoped so. It was late afternoon, and they sat on Killian’s patio, pleasantly full of steaks, roasted corn and potatoes, and good beer. Conversation was at a momentary lull, and, at the moment, no one seemed eager or interested in moving. The afternoon had been an enjoyable one, full of jokes and storytelling and thoughts about the future.

He was sure he was the luckiest bastard in the world.

“So, how many horses do you figure to have when you get yourself all stocked?” Rogue asked, breaking the silence. “I have no idea what’s a good number for a horse ranch.”

“Me, either,” Dylan chimed in. He was in Red Creek for a while, taking an extended break from touring to start up a band camp for underprivileged kids.

“You done research, Killian?” Rogue wanted to know. “I mean, I guess you must have before you laid out all the bucks for this place.”

“I’ve been doing my research for years,” he reminded them. “This was always my dream. Now it’s coming true. Shook my mind, though, to find out how that number varies. But, for right now, I’ve got two high-value stallions and four mares of the same quality.”

“So, how does this breeding thing work?” Dylan asked. “You just turn ’em loose and let them go at it?”

“Hell, no. You wouldn’t believe what all goes into it. In fact, before I even bought the stallions, my vet tested their motility to be sure they were worth the money.”

“Motility?” Dylan frowned.

“Yeah. Of their sperm. It’s the ability of the sperm to move actively for insemination.”

Jackson burst out laughing. “You should know all about that, Dylan. Seems your motility is just fine.”

Killian looked at his brother. Dylan reddened slightly but he was grinning. They all knew Dylan and Zoe had connected after a long time apart, and they were living in Zoe’s farmhouse with her son. And that was a story and a half.

Jackson looked at Dylan. “We need to get busy on your bachelor party, bro.”

“Yeah, we do,” Killian and Rogue chimed in.

“Whatever you guys want works for me. I promised Zoe no strippers, though.”

“Hell.” Killian scratched his head. “I think all our women would castrate us if we had strippers at the party.”

As a group, they shuddered at the thought.

“Definitely no strippers,” Rogue agreed.

They lapsed into silence again, broken suddenly by the whinny of horses.

“You taking care of the animals all by yourself?” Dylan wanted to know. “That’s a pretty big job.”

Killian snorted. “No shit! Doesn’t allow much time for sleep.”

“Especially with that pretty wife to take care of, too,” Jackson teased.

“It’ll work out. The breeder I bought from sent one of his hands over for a couple of days and helped me with an ad. Gave me the online site to place it where it would get the most action. And Ed at the feed store posted it on his bulletin board for me, too. Tomorrow, I’m talking to some of the guys who responded they might like to hire on.”

“Hope you know what to ask them,” Rogue joked.

“The breeder’s kindly offered to meet me here about two o’clock and help with the interviews. They’ve got good references. Just looking to make a change for different reasons. Hope they work out because, on top of the Appaloosas, I’ve also got the riding horses.”

Rogue stared at him. “You don’t ride these others?”

“Hell, no. They’re strictly for breeding purposes.” He grinned at his brothers. “Too expensive for me to use. I’ve got some good saddle horses in the barn, though, including one Appaloosa too old to make a good sire anymore. He’s a pleasure horse now, and the one I ride.”

“Yeah?” Dylan quirked up an eyebrow. “How many and who rides them?” He glanced around. “I don’t see a crowd waiting to saddle up.”