Rescued by the Rancher (4 page)

She turned in the bed and reached for her phone, perched at the edge of the nightstand.
Don’t look at it, Mer
. She didn’t need to know if Ron had called back. Up until now she’d been able to forget all about Ron and his phone call. Because of Gage. Somehow, he had the power to take away her problems and her fear right from the first time she’d met him. She wasn’t going to look. No. She wasn’t bringing anything about Ron into her bed. She slid her phone across the nightstand, but not before noticing that it said two missed calls.

Meredith stared up at the ceiling trying to push out all thoughts of Ron, but ugly words surfaced, the ones she only let enter her mind at night, when she was by herself.
You’re lucky I’m still marrying you, even though you managed to screw up the one thing that made you worth something.

She squeezed her eyes shut and didn’t realize until she felt Gage move that she was holding on to him. She didn’t want to look at Gage, but he wasn’t the type of man to be ignored, so she shouldn’t have been surprised when he rolled over, bracing his forearms on either side of her. Good God, just the feel of him on top of her was robbing her of rational thought. She avoided eye contact. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him what was wrong.

“Meredith, are you all right?”

She nodded, staring at his shoulder, and then down the smooth, taut expanse of biceps, the scar…never mind, she was going to stare at the wall. She nodded at the wall.

“Because it sounded like you were crying.”

“No.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t cry.”

“Okay, darling.”

He obviously didn’t believe her. She’d be the natural choice for a crier. He probably thought she went through boxes of tissues.

His sweet denial of her obvious vulnerability confirmed everything about the kind of man Gage was.
Darling.
Endearments certainly shouldn’t be uttered during a one-night stand.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“No. I should get going, one-night-stand rules and all.”

“Rules are overrated.” The way he said that made her think of all the rules Gage must have broken. Rules that would send goose bumps all over her skin, no doubt. She needed to get up and out of Gage’s bed before she made a blubbering fool of herself.

She cleared her throat. “No, not when it comes to…delicate situations such as this.”

“Delicate? Who was delicate? I have nail marks in my shoulders.”

She sucked in a breath and turned to him. She’d just had sex with the man, mauled him apparently; the least she could do was get up the nerve to look into those blue eyes of his. It was part of her
new me
motto, the one where she promised herself not to be a darn doormat anymore. She took a deep breath and met his gaze. Sweet baby Jesus, this man was a work of art. With only the moon softly lighting the room, every strong line of his face was highlighted, and the softness of his mouth. The mouth that had managed to catapult her into another realm of existence for the first time in her life. Then she spotted his shoulders, the sculpted, wide, tanned shoulders…that did indeed have nail marks in them. Hers.

She reached out to touch the marks, wincing as she did. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Best battle scars I ever got.”

She struggled with the banter. None of this was funny. It was confusing. Or what she was feeling for him was confusing. She’d love to brace herself against him. Lean on him. Put her head against his chest, her hand on his heart, and feel it beat.

Instead, she gathered the sheet around her, preparing herself to leave because she didn’t want him to get out of bed first or to tell her it was time for her to go. She didn’t want him to leave her alone. She could handle that with Ron because he always left after. Into his office. Out. Anywhere but beside her. And every damn time, he took with him a little piece of the woman that she wanted to be. At first she’d felt cheap. And then she stopped feeling.

Gage raised his arm, his one hand cupping the back of her head. His eyes were lit with a sweet mix of tenderness and heat. He pulled her down and her hands splayed across his chest. Her fingers tingled at the feel of his hard, hot flesh beneath hers. He reached up for her and her eyes closed, but he didn’t kiss her lips. His lips touched her closed eyelids before traveling to the soft spot below her ear, nipping her lobe, and then finally landing on her mouth. “Technically, it’s still nighttime.”

In a few minutes her body was covered in Gage and she held on for dear life.

Chapter Five

“Could have sworn I heard the door open this morning at four a.m.”

Gage peered at his best friend, and constant pain in the ass, Cole Forrester, over his mug of coffee. No way in hell was he going to take the bait. Yes, the front door closed at that time because he’d walked Meredith home hours past his official one-night stand cutoff time. But he’d been to blame for that, because he hadn’t wanted her to leave. Gage had given her a long good-bye kiss and then she’d run upstairs before anyone spotted them entering the house together.

Melanie, Cole’s wife and Meredith’s sister, glanced at the doorway, a mischievous smile on her pretty face. In the last year, he’d grown to love Melanie like a sister. From the moment she’d arrived at the ranch last year to help with Cole’s little sister’s wedding, he knew she was the woman for his best friend, and after a helluva rocky start, those two had come together.

Melanie refilled her mug of coffee. “I heard that, too.”

“And then it sounded like Meredith’s door closing.”

“Good job, Nancy Drew.”

Cole glared at him. “Don’t call my wife Nancy Drew.”

Gage smiled at Cole. “I wasn’t. I was calling you Nancy.”

“Good morning,” Meredith called out from the doorway. Gage turned from his best friend’s glower to Meredith, letting his gaze roam over her, not caring what the hell Cole thought of that. Hell, he had nothing to hide, except the fact that maybe last night meant a lot more to him than he ever thought it would.

Mrs. Harris, housekeeper, family friend, and resident busybody, swooped into the kitchen like a mama bear ready to feed her children. Sometimes he didn’t know how the woman could move that fast with her arthritis and more than slightly plump form.

“Sit down, dear child,” she said, ushering Meredith to the chair beside him. Meredith wasn’t looking at him. In fact, she was doing her best not to look at anyone. Poor thing had no idea that wasn’t going to fly here. Every detail of her personal life was now going to be up for the most intense, embarrassing scrutiny that existed. At six o’clock in the morning, before she even had one sip of coffee.

“You must be exhausted after last night,” Mrs. Harris said, while pouring Meredith a cup of coffee.

Meredith gasped. “I, um—”

Gage had to intervene. “Well, you know how those cowboys like to stay out late. Took us a while to convince them it was time to turn in.”

Meredith nodded rapidly, her head still bent over. It bothered him to see her looking embarrassed. It gave him a glimpse of the woman he remembered when she first came here. Not the woman who dug her nails into his shoulders last night. But then maybe there were still pieces of the old Meredith last night. Something had bothered him, something he could never really ask her, because he’d hate for her to interpret it as him finding her lacking. That wasn’t it. Last night had been better than even he’d known it would be. She’d accepted him, made love to him with passion and heat, but she’d held back emotionally, and that shouldn’t bother him, because he didn’t do emotion.

He stared at Meredith while her sister tried to engage her in conversation. Minutes later the two were talking a mile a minute about some upcoming wedding and the evil Bridezilla who was apparently stalking Melanie. Within seconds of hearing them engaged in animated chatter, with the expressions “omigod” and “no way” being inserted at regular intervals, he relaxed and leaned back in his chair. And then he smiled. He liked hearing Meredith engaged in her new job. Speaking with her sister.

A hard kick on his shin jolted him back to reality and his coffee sloshed onto the table. He scowled at Cole. “What the hell was that for?”

His friend smiled at him and leaned back in his chair. “I was getting tired of that dumbass grin on your face.”

Mrs. Harris
tsk
ed as she dabbed at the coffee he’d spilled on the flower-printed place mat. “Gage, really,” she whispered. “I know your mind is still on your night of passion, but try to be careful. These are my favorite place mats.”

He dragged his hands down his face as Cole doubled over with laughter.

“We should probably get going, Mel,” Meredith said, standing up so fast her chair almost tipped over. He reached across the table to steady it. She still didn’t make eye contact. It was as though she didn’t know who he was.

Melanie stood as well. “Right. Bridezilla number thirty-four is getting married today, which is wonderful because she’s the last of the crazies for the season. The rest of our brides in the next month are perfectly normal.” Cole stood to give his wife an annoyingly long kiss and then the sisters were saying good-bye.

Gage didn’t take his eyes off Meredith as she left the kitchen, Melanie grabbing on to her arm as they walked and leaning into her. Her extra-enthusiastic whispering about
needing all the details
trailed behind as they walked out of the kitchen.

Once they were out of the room, he turned to look at Cole, bracing himself. He didn’t have to wait long.

“What the hell were you thinking, man?”

Gage reached for his mug of cold coffee, not answering, because he really didn’t know what he’d been thinking. He still hadn’t figured it out. There was no explanation, nothing that made sense, other than that he’d wanted Meredith for a long, long time, and the fact that Meredith had propositioned him. But he wasn’t going to tell Cole that. Actually, he had no intention of telling Cole anything. He needed time to sort things out. He hadn’t counted on still wanting her, now even more, and more than just in bed.

“Yes, young man. I’d like to know what you were thinking as well.”

He dragged his eyes from his coffee to look up at Mrs. H, who was currently holding the carafe of piping hot coffee in one hand and her infamous tea towel, which she used for swatting whenever the need arose, in the other. “It was a private evening.”

She placed the carafe on the table with a loud thud. “Well, no one was asking for front-row seats to the exhibition, we just want to make sure you don’t hurt that poor, sweet girl.”

“Gage does like exhibitionists…”

Gage flipped Cole the finger and then rapidly retracted it as Mrs. H’s swatting towel appeared.

“Look, I get you’re all worried about Meredith. She’s perfectly safe with me. She’s a grown woman and doesn’t need to be coddled. I didn’t take advantage of her delicate state, if that’s where you’re going with all this. We’re both adults.”

Mrs. H pursed her lips, deep lines etching themselves around her mouth. “I do not approve of that kind of behavior, Gage Mackenzie.”

Gage shut his eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them. He looked up at the woman who knew him better than his own mother. “I know, but I’m not going to hurt her.” He recited that to himself over and over again. It had been his first thought when he’d woken during the night to Meredith’s sniffling. But then she’d looked at him, with those eyes that cut right through all his defenses, and all he’d wanted was to make her forget everything.

All those insecurities she’d confessed, the vulnerability in her face, the self-doubt had killed him. He’d been more than happy to prove her wrong. Meredith had been as passionate and hot as he’d known, and he’d confirmed that Ron had been an ass of the worst kind.

Cole stood, jarring him from his own thoughts, obviously ready to start the day. “Good. That’s established. You’re not going to hurt my wife’s sister. So I assume you told her that in a few months you’ll be long gone from Tall Pines?”

…

“I look fat.”

Meredith paused, glancing up from the ivory rose bouquet she was holding to look at the
slim
, beautiful bride who was currently complaining.

Melanie stood behind the bride, straightened out the woman’s sparkling diamond choker, and squeezed her shoulders gently. “You look lovely.”

Jade huffed and spread her hands wide across her flat abdomen. “I look
fat
and
pregnant
and pretty soon everyone will be thinking the same thing when they see me walk down the aisle.”

Meredith fiddled with the pearls glued onto the rose petals and tried not to look as though she was eavesdropping. In the last year, she had come to realize that her sister was utterly brilliant when it came to handling brides, their families, and all the wedding day drama that inevitably came up. Melanie never lost her cool, and always found a smile and some sound advice for the person who was on the brink of losing it. There was always one at every wedding.

“No one will know anything. Today is your day, Jade. You are about to marry the man of your dreams.”

“We’re getting married because of the baby. I don’t
want
to be pregnant.”

Her sister didn’t miss a beat. She firmly grasped Jade’s thin shoulders and looked her squarely in the eyes. “You told me on the first day we met that George was the love of your life. Even though this baby wasn’t planned, I’m sure you and George will be wonderful parents. I think you’re just having wedding-day jitters.”

Meredith tuned out of the rest of the conversation, her sister’s hushed, gentle but firm voice fading as she remembered.
I don’t
want
to be pregnant.
Jade’s harsh admission made her turn from them. She needed to regain her composure.

There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t remember and hate herself. How could she have been so stupid when Melanie had been so smart? Her sister had the guts to walk away, while she had been too weak.

She toyed with the idea of telling Melly everything, but how could she? How could she deal with the disappointment in Melanie’s eyes when she told her the truth? She could barely look at herself in the mirror some days. And now that she and her sister had finally reunited, how could she risk everything they had rebuilt? Melanie would never understand.

She squeezed her eyes shut as her mother’s voice took over, drowning out the conversation in the room.
Life isn’t always perfect; you just have to pretend it is. As long as the world sees your smile, you’ll be fine. Being strong means staying, not running. Fake it, Meredith. There aren’t any better men out there. Your sister was a fool for leaving—a traitor. Thank God I’ll always have you, Meredith.
Meredith accidentally pulled at one of the petals too hard and winced, trying to tuck it back into the bouquet. How could she have not seen her mother’s manipulations until it was too late?

Every day since she’d come to Tall Pines had been a learning experience in how wrong she’d been. Melanie had been right to leave when she did. Even though Meredith knew she’d grown so much as a person, there were certain things, triggers that managed to yank her into a past that she just wanted to forget. She had come here for a new start, but she’d never make it to the finish line with all these secrets keeping her at the starting gate.

And now there was Gage. Just thinking about the man made her hot from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. It was like a perpetual heat wave washed over her when she thought of him. He had been beyond anything she could have imagined. He’d made her into someone she didn’t recognize. And he’d blown her no-orgasm theory out of the water. Three times.

How was she supposed to pretend none of that happened? She could barely look at the man that morning, fearing that whatever it was she felt for him would be written all over her face. Because she did feel. Gage made her feel. There wasn’t a fake bone in that entire beautiful, strong body of his. Gage epitomized strength, from the inside out. He carried himself with this easy sort of grace and power. She’d always been an observer, her entire life, knowing it was better to silently watch than interact. So this year she’d watched him, and sometimes she’d see a part of him, like a carefully controlled, tightly wound hostility, and then it would disappear before she could think too much about it, but he’d never directed it toward her. To her he’d shown her nothing but kindness and friendship…and now passion.

It had been days since she’d seen him, and all she knew was that he was away on business. She told herself she wasn’t hurt that he hadn’t said good-bye, especially since she hadn’t attended breakfast with the family after that one awkward morning. And then every night, she’d purposely stayed late at work so she wouldn’t have to see him at dinner, until she found out he wasn’t around, so there was no point in hiding. So what did she think? That he’d come and give her a special good-bye? Really, he didn’t owe her an explanation. One night meant no commitments.

“I’m feeling much better. Thank you,” Jade said, giving Melanie a hug.

Meredith ran a hand over her stomach before walking over to join Jade and her sister. It was time to hand over the bouquet to the bride for her walk down the aisle. She loved working with Melanie, but she hated the actual weddings. She loved numbers, accounting, bookkeeping. Always had, and stupid her, she’d let herself get talked out of pursuing a career in accounting, or a career in anything. She was actually thinking of taking some online college-level courses in accounting during the bridal slow season.

Working with Melanie meant taking over the books, and for the first time in her life she was in control and in charge of something important, and she knew she was darn good at it. Unfortunately, being part of Melanie’s business also meant hanging around brides. She had no qualms about doing it—she’d do anything to help out her sister.

“Meredith, are you okay?” Melanie whispered, her hand on the doorknob.

Meredith whipped around and nodded. “Of course.” She knew this was the time in the ceremony where her sister had to oversee everything. She just needed to be backup for Mel, which was easy enough. All she had to do was stand there, plaster a small smile on her face, and get lost in her own thoughts. She was counting down the hours until this wedding was over and she was back at the ranch, alone in her room, where she could go and look up her online courses, maybe even register if the price wasn’t too high. And she wouldn’t look at her phone for the rest of the night.