Rocky Mountain Romance (Six Pack Ranch) (16 page)

Steve spent more time checking his watch that afternoon than he had in a long time. By the time his phone finally rang, he was done for the day and eager to get together with Melody. He’d done some thinking about their evening, and his plans for the night included more than just rocking her socks.

Although, that was on the agenda.

Only she didn’t have good news for him.

“I have to cancel.” She let out a long groan as if stretching sore back muscles. Steve recognized the sound—he’d been there often enough himself. “I’m so far behind I can’t see the finish line. I need to finish this round of shots at the Daltons’, plus I just got a message from the clinic that I have to head over and check the last animal I did surgery on—Tom insists it’s my work, and he doesn’t want to interfere.”

First day Mathis was gone, and Tom was already being a dick, but Melody probably didn’t need anyone pointing that out. “I don’t mind waiting,” Steve said.

“I have no idea what time I’ll be done. Let’s call it quits for the night and get together later this week.”

The urge to deny her request was so strong he nearly bit his tongue in two, but instead he pulled in his hard-earned smarts and listened. At least for now.

“Take care of yourself,” he ordered, not sure what else he could do.

“I always do.”

Frustration swept him.
He
wanted to be taking care of her.

He’d barely hung up when the phone rang again.

“I’m looking for trouble, and I know you’re the man to help me find her.” The familiar voice of his cousin Jesse.

This could be a good distraction from the fucked-up change of plans. Maybe. “I don’t know if I want any of your brand of trouble,” Steve warned.

“Wimp.”

“Jackass.”

“Fuckhead”

“Stupid.”

Jesse snickered. “We could do this all night. Or you could get your ass over here so I can show you what I’ve got.”

“What? You’re actually at home? I thought you’d decided to turn into a hobo and live out of your truck.”

“Screw you.” Only the words were said without any heat. It appeared the enthusiastic smartass version of Jesse was back—the guy everyone enjoyed spending time with. “Come on, Steve, I can’t keep this under wraps for much longer.”

His curiosity shot skyward. Steve turned his truck reluctantly away from Melody and down the back roads.

On the low porch outside the rental house, Jesse, Trevor and Lee were gathered in a tight knot, their broad backs blocking the view of whatever the hell had Jesse in an uproar. He ordered Prince to stay, his dog settling back on its haunches by the truck, peering toward the house with interest.

Steve made his way forward, jerking to a stop at a low growl that rang out as the first step creaked under his foot.

Instantly, Jesse spoke, employing the low, singsong tone used everywhere to soothe a cranky animal. “It’s okay, Charlie. That’s Steve, and he’s okay. No, wait. He’s a bit of an ass at times, but he’s
mostly
okay.”

Trevor and Lee chuckled as Steve pushed himself between their shoulders to check out the center of attention. On the ground before them lay a sleek German shepherd with four large pups nestled against her nursing.

“Seriously?” Steve didn’t know if he should laugh or smack Jesse one. “You called me over because you want to show me a dog?”

His cousin squatted and ran a hand over the bitch’s head. “Isn’t she a beauty?”

Steve glanced at Trevor and didn’t bother to hide his amusement. “She’s gorgeous. So, where did you meet your new girlfriend?”

Jesse multitasked wonderfully, continuing to pet the dog while he gave Steve the bird. “Consider it my good deed for the day. I’m thinking about keeping one of the pups. If any of the rest of you want one, the bitch is supposed to be a prize-winning tender.”

“And you know this? How?”

His cousin stiffened before shrugging and answering noncommittally. “Oh, something I heard.”

“Does she have papers?” Trevor asked.

Jesse shook his head. “If she did, I don’t have them, and I’m the one in charge of her now.”

There was something his cousin wasn’t saying, but Steve wasn’t sure he wanted to know much more. “Just tell me no one’s going to come after you for having stolen their
prize-winning
dog.”

“I am shocked and dismayed at your lack of trust,” Jesse muttered, sniffing the air before flashing a grin. “Well, no, I’m not. But since I’m a bigger man than you, I’ll put your mind at ease. I won her in a bet.”

“Gambling?” Trevor caught hold of the pup that was now exploring by their boots, picking up the little thing and looking him in the eye. “I don’t know you’re much of a bargaining chip, tiger, but I suppose you might be worth a buck or two.”

Inside the house, the phone rang, and Lee shook his head. “I’d better answer that. It’s Mom, Aunt Dana or Auntie Marion. Our moms are the only people who call the landline.”

As he vanished inside, Trevor passed the pup in his hands to Steve. “Which reminds me—I left my phone charger here the other day when I had supper with the guys.”

“Do you ever eat at your own house?” Steve demanded.

“Not if I can help it.” Trevor pushed through the door with his back, his grin lighting his face. “I like to eat. I don’t like to cook.”

“Bad thing to confess,” Steve shouted after his brother. “We’ll find a way to make you pay for that.”

“I’m shaking in my boots,” Trevor called.

Steve turned back to Jesse with a chuckle, the small animal in his arms wiggling in an attempt to rejoin his family until he replaced the pup next to his mom.

She thumped her tail a couple of times, knocking against the wood of the deck. “She’s pretty good-natured,” he commented. “And I have to admit the pups are damn cute, all feet and big wide eyes.”

“They’re old enough to wean. So let me know if you want one.” Jesse rose to standing, his mischievous grin suddenly gone solemn. “Don’t let this get around. The truth is the guys I was playing cards with weren’t going to keep them, so I made a big show of wanting to try my hand at training.” He made a face. “I don’t know what came over me. They’re just some dogs.”

“Award-winning dogs. Don’t forget that part,” Steve reminded him. Maybe rescuing the pups didn’t make a lot of sense, but it was a generous thing to do, and Steve had no problem encouraging Jesse in that direction.

His cousin had been running hot and cold a lot over the past year. The entertaining and good-natured man was still there, somewhere underneath the cocky, almost impossible arrogance that could show up at times. Steve enjoyed Jesse’s company when he wasn’t being an ass.

Probably a little like himself, before and after his makeover. Before, selfish asshole. After? Decent human being who looked out for others instead of just himself.

Even as he thought it, another idea struck. “Hey, what are your plans for the bitch?” he asked.

Jesse paused. “It’s funny. She’s already well trained, and I could use her on the ranch once the puppies are claimed, but…”

It was his turn to scoop up one of the litter, stroking between the ears of the black ball of fur as his eyes got a far-off look to them. Steve shuffled his feet away from the pup that’d crawled over and started chewing on his boots.

“I wasn’t kidding around when I said I want to train a pup. My last dog passed away two years ago, and he was kind of my dog and Joel’s.” Mention of his twin brought a momentary grimace to his face before he pasted on a smile and presented it to Steve. “You interested in the female?”

“Not me. I already got Prince, and there are a couple other dogs on the ranch, but I’m wondering…” He wasn’t sure if he should mention the idea to Jesse first, or check with Melody. “I’ve got a friend who might like her. Can you give me a few days to find out?”

“Not a problem with me. I have to find homes for the rest of the pups, first,” Jesse said. “The dog population at the Six Pack ranch is going up rapidly.”

It was kind of amusing. “You know these things happen in cycles. Always seems as if we have a lot of dogs around then suddenly the place is empty, and we all start looking for new animals.”

They moved the pups and the bitch farther under the eaves, Jesse bringing out a blanket for the box. The pups curled up around their mom. Steve took an extra minute to check her over, but as far as he could tell she seemed sound.

“Hey, Steve. We’re going to go grab some burgers in town.” Trevor called over his shoulder as he and Lee shot out the front door and went for their trucks. “Maybe hit Traders for a while and shoot some pool. You want to come?”

He was torn, but only for a moment. Over the past half hour he’d figured out exactly where he wanted to be. “You go on without me.”

Trevor waved a hand and didn’t bother to look back. Jesse took off as well, and Steve headed home for long enough to grab a bag and shove a few things into it, just on the off chance his idea was successful.

The lights were still off at Melody’s house, so he drove on past and picked up food at the grocery store. Some of that premade dinner stuff that was far better than anything out of a box.

Then with the bags sitting on the small table outside her door, Steve pulled his guitar from the crew cab and found himself a comfortable spot on the porch to wait for her to come home.

He didn’t play as much as he used to. He didn’t have dreams of making it big and heading out to commercial success. He didn’t want to play in Nashville—he just enjoyed playing.

And frankly, even that was difficult at times with the wear and tear ranching placed on a man’s body. Hands and fingers got rough from the cold, and sometimes in the middle of winter it was impossible for him to play anything, his fingers like thick slabs of unresponsive meat. Trevor teased him for it, but Steve used cream and took care of his hands best he could.

The reward was moments like this, when his brain was rambling too hard to settle in one direction. Better than any drug, a bit of time at the strings, and a kind of blissful calm settled over him.

He picked songs he loved as the sky grew bright, the sun just starting to set behind the mountains. Reflections of brilliant bronze and gold highlighting against the wisps of cloud strung over the sky.

Music calmed him. Soothed his soul.

He was downright mellow by the time a set of lights bounced toward him as Melody’s truck approached.

She swung down from the cab, shutting the door firmly before heading his direction. As she drew closer, he put the guitar aside so he could focus on her.

She’d probably worn coveralls for most of the day, so her jeans and T-shirt were mostly clean. But there was dirt on her face and in her blonde hair, her hands scrubbed but with traces of dirt under her nails as she came to a stop in front of him, her expression bemused.

“I thought I told you not to bother coming over.”

Steve rose to his feet. Even with shit on her boots and God knows what in her hair, he still thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. “I brought supper.”

“Oh, God, thank you,” she breathed, opening the door with one hand and offering a tired smile as she gestured him forward. “I was going to have a shower and pass out.”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Steve teased. “We’ll just add a little food to your list.”

He placed his guitar to one side before dropping the bags on the countertop. “Go have your shower,” he encouraged her. “I’ll get things ready.”

She hesitated.

“Go,” he commanded.

Melody hesitated. “How come you’re in my house bossing me around?”

“Because you didn’t come over to my house so I could boss you around there. And it’s more private here than bossing you around down on Main Street.”

She groaned. “Lord, I’m so tired, I’m not going to attempt to figure that one out.”

“If you hadn’t argued in the first place, you’d already be under the shower,” Steve pointed out. He let his gaze drop over her. “Or are you looking for some assistance? I can get you naked damn fast if you want.”

She held up a hand in protest. “I can’t even think of flirting with you right now.”

She certainly wasn’t going and doing what she needed to do, either. Steve scooped her up and headed to the bathroom, ignoring her laughter and mock attempts at beating her fists against his chest. “I’m just getting you into the shower,” he protested.

Her smile widened as he lowered her to the floor and helped her find her balance, her fingers brushing his chest as she stared at his eyes, passion there in spite of the exhaustion.

“Maybe I should come in with you,” he offered. “Help scrub your back. Stop you from falling over, that kind of thing.”

Both their stomachs picked that moment to rumble, and she burst out laughing.

“I won’t be long, honest.” Melody didn’t wait until he’d left the room before peeling her T-shirt over her head.

Steve resisted the temptation to join her. He’d barely made it to the hallway when the water turned on, her sigh of exhaustion drifting after him.

Warming up the food in her kitchen was a strange sensation. They’d been together for nearly two years before she’d left. The number of times he’d made a meal for her—he was sure it had happened, but somehow this felt different. More intimate.

Heck, he’d even considered carefully when he bought the food. Not picking his favourites, but trying to remember what would put a smile on her face.

As if there were a giant calendar on the wall, and every day another block was marked off with a bold black X—he only had so much time. Which meant the rest of the evening had to be uniquely Melody-aimed and making-Melody-happy focused.

Changing had taken a lot of work over the past ten months. Proving it would take even more.

Chapter Eleven

Melody stood in the center of the shower, hoping the water would wash away the cares and worries that had built over the past twelve hours. She was exhausted and furious—not a great combination. Right now she was ready to claw somebody’s eyes out, but that wouldn’t be a very professional way to react.

The entire crew working Daltons’ had been pissed. Most of them were too polite to say much, but she’d heard it. Grumbles and under-the-breath comments she couldn’t defend herself from. And of course, having the timing on one job messed up meant the other couple appointments she’d hoped to work into her afternoon schedule also fell through, leaving those ranchers wondering what the heck she was doing.