Surrender to Temptation (25 page)

The door opened, and she stood in the doorway. She had changed into one of her nightdresses, and it took all his strength not to take her in his arms.

“Sorry for spoiling this evening’s entertainment,” he said.

Heat melted her hazel eyes, turning them into liquid gold. “Take that up with your workers. Is there anything else?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re angry with me. Why?”

She sighed. “I’m tired, Chase. If you have nothing else to add, I would like to go to bed.”

“I tried to make her come upstairs, but she couldn’t move. I’m terribly sorry she interfered with our evening, Nikki.”

Nikki shook her head. “Why? She’s so tiny. You could have just picked up her up and thrown her up here.”

Chase tilted his head sideways as a realization hit him. “You’re jealous of her?”

“Me? Please. I have better things to do with my energy than be jealous of her.”

Chase smiled. She growled and started to close the door, but he blocked it with his foot.

“Sweetheart, you know there is no woman for me but you.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “I know I spent this evening with Keira, but she’s a guest in my house.”

“Her ankle is not hurt.”

“You don’t know that.”

She glared at him. “Goodnight, Chase.”

In one smooth motion, Chase pushed the door and pulled her into his arms. “The whole time I was with her all I thought about was you—when I’d be alone with you, how you feel in my arms, and when I’d do this.” His mouth closed over hers.

Nikki was stiff, but Chase knew how to make her respond. Within seconds, she melted against him. When her arms went around his neck, he groaned and pulled her closer. Her response was instantaneous, and he welcomed it.

No matter how much she fought him, Nikki belonged to him. She was soft and yet firm, vulnerable but with an underlying strength. And he wanted it all. He showed her with his mouth, his hands, and his body that
she
was the one he wanted.

When they came apart, he looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry for inviting her here, but I need to talk to her about something. Then she’ll leave.”

Nikki stared at his handsome face and sighed. “Okay. But if you carry her again, I will not be responsible for what happens next.”

He grinned. “What will you do?”

“Chuck something at you. Yank her from your arms.”

Laughing, he picked her up and started for his room.

***

Friday was sunny and bright, or maybe it was just Nikki’s mood. Just like he’d promised, Chase stopped carrying the bitch Keira around. The woman hobbled downstairs and stayed on the porch after breakfast because everyone was busy. Even Lex helped around the ranch.

Around eleven, Nikki, Keira, Lex, and Chase piled into the Land Rover for their aunt’s ranch. Nikki could feel Keira drilling holes in the back of her head since she sat in front with Chase. Chase pointed out Dean’s home before they crossed a bridge and entered a land with more grass than trees.

“We are on Hawk and Aunt Siobhán’s land now,” Chase said.

As they got closer to the homestead, they passed herds of cows and cowboys on horseback. A short, round woman hurried out of the sprawling ranch house and waved.

“And that is our unstoppable Aunt Siobhán,” Lex said softly from the back seat.

“You made it. How wonderful,” Siobhán greeted them as soon as the Land Rover stopped. “Chase, nice to see you again, dear. Is this your Nikki?” she grinned and tilted her head to the side. “She’s gorgeous. Give me a hug, sweetheart.”

Nikki bent to hug the shorter woman, but before Nikki could say anything, Aunt Siobhán was moving around the car.

“Lex, dear. Look at you. Oh, put me down, you naughty boy,” she scolded him when he scooped her up.

He planted a kiss on her cheek. “How else can I kiss you from up here when you are down there, Aunt Siobhán? How are you doing?”

“Put me down first, you big oaf. How do you think I’m doing?” she scolded after he put her down. “If you visited often, you would know. You can’t keep jumping from project to project without slowing down. You need to enjoy life.” She wagged her finger at him. “Find yourself a woman. And who is this?” she asked when she saw Keira.

“Keira Higgins. How are you, Aunt Siobhán?” Keira smiled. The two of them were around the same height. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Siobhán didn’t hug her. Instead she threw Chase a quick glance and locked Keira with a cold stare. “And I have heard about you, too.”

Keira smiled sheepishly. “I hope it’s all good.”

“Not at all, young lady,” Siobhán said, shaking her head. “You are the one who deserted my nephew. I hope you’ve apologized to him because that kind of disloyalty is not something we tolerate in our family.”

Keira grew pale and glanced at Chase. Nikki felt sorry for her.

“Aunt Siobhán,” both Lex and Chase said at the same time.

“Well, I’m just saying what you boys are too polite to say. She was wrong, and if she’s not told, she’ll repeat the same mistake. Welcome to my home, Keira.” Then she turned and smiled at Nikki. “Come along, dear. I want to introduce you around.”

Nikki left with her. When she glanced back, Keira was speaking to Chase and gesturing. It was obvious she was pissed.

“She has some nerve showing her face,” Siobhán snapped. “Estelle never liked her, and we thought it was because no one was good enough for Chase. You know how we mothers can get, but now we know Estelle saw through all that pretty to the rotten core.”

Nikki didn’t know what to say. Would they say the same thing about her once they learned she was Dee’s sister?

“Mark my word,” Siobhán continued. “She’s a self-seeking opportunist, and you’d better watch your back, my dear. Girls like that cause pain and never regret it. Oh, there’s Bill. “Bill?” Siobhán hailed a handsome, black cowboy who looked like he was in his fifties but had the lithe body of a much younger man. “This is our foreman, Bill Knight. Bill, this is Chase’s girl. The one Little Joe kept talking about when he and his father were here. Her name is Nikki Savoy.”

Nikki’s face grew warm. He had a firm handshake and direct, intelligent eyes. “It is nice to meet you, Mr. Knight.”

“The pleasure is mine, ma’am.” He tilted his hat politely. “Please, call me Bill.”

“And I am Nikki.” She smiled at him.

Siobhán introduced her to the three other cowboys who were corralling calves and sending them down a chute into some cage. Nikki realized the men were branding the calves. She didn’t have the stomach for branding and kept wincing every time the hot iron singed their skin.

“It’s not so bad,” Siobhán reassured her. “It is the only way to know which ones are ours. Around here, cows wander off and disappear for weeks and mix with other cows from different ranches. The brand is like an address. If another rancher finds some of ours, they know exactly where to return them.”

“Do you breed cows for milk?”

Siobhán laughed. “Oh no, dear. We are beef cattle people. When they are a year old, we send them to feeders who fatten them before selling them to meatpackers. At times, we skip the feedlots and sell them directly to the slaughter houses.”

If she lived on a cattle ranch, she’d never eat beef again. “You must have a lot to keep your cowboys busy.”

“Oh, there’s always something to do around here. Roping, wrestling, vaccinating, branding, castrating, dehorning, and much more. The other cowhands are out rounding up the cows and will be back by sundown.”

Siobhán had a way of asking and answering her own questions that was endearing and a bit confusing. They were walking toward the back of the house when they met a curvaceous brunette cowgirl. “This is Gina, Bill’s wife. Gina, Nikki, Chase’s girl.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Nikki said.

“Same here, Nikki,” Gina said then smiled at Siobhán. “Lunch is ready.”

“Good. Round up the guys. And thanks, Gina. C’mon, child. We must find Hawk.”

Hawk completely won Nikki over from their first meeting. He adored his wife and wasn’t afraid to show it. They found him in a shed having a smoke. He’d fallen from a horse and was wearing a brace. The more Siobhán fussed over him, the more he complained, but the twinkle in his eyes said he loved the attention.

He walked back with them to the corral where Lex and Chase were helping the cowboys with branding. Dean had also arrived and was talking to Keira.

Nikki stayed with Hawk after Siobhán excused herself. She wanted that kind of love they shared. The man still looked at his wife with lust in his eyes. As he explained what each cowboy was doing, Nikki’s eyes kept going back to Chase.

It still amazed her how much she loved Chase Fitzgerald. He filled her with happiness with just a smile. They could have what Hawk and Siobhán had. All she had to do was talk to him. Confess everything. Surely he would understand her reasons. From what she’d seen, he loved his family just as much as she did hers. He probably would’ve done the same if the situations were reversed.

Lunch was fun and long. There was beef and more beef—steaks, meat stew, burgers, corn, baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese with ground beef, and pies. The conversation was so stimulating that even Keira stopped pouting and joined. Or maybe Dean’s presence had something to do with that. She seemed to be focusing her attention on him, which Siobhán didn’t like from her expression. Lex and Hawk starting discussing some football game from the night before, and all the cowboys joined in.

Later, after the cowhands left, Hawk regaled them with stories from his youth to the day he met Siobhán Fitzgerald. But the twinkle in his eyes as he narrated how he’d thwarted her family’s attempt to stop them from getting married was his favorite story.

“They didn’t know we had something greater than the Fitzgeralds’ influence,” Hawk glanced at Nikki, “and that’s saying a lot, my dear, because they were just as powerful and scary back then as they are now.”

“You make us seem monstrous, Uncle Hawk,” Lex said.

“You don’t want to get me started on you, young man,” Hawk warned. “But if you are not careful and find love now, you’ll head down the same path as Mo and Vivian. At your age, you should be having your children bouncing on your knees, not your sister’s and brother’s.”

“What did you have greater than their influence, Hawk?” Nikki asked, coming to Lex’s rescue.

Hawk gripped Siobhán’s hand, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. “Love. My Siobhán wasn’t letting me walk away, and I wasn’t letting her go.”

Nikki’s eyes teared. Chase, seated beside her, squeezed her hand. It was as though he understood. Now more than ever, she wanted to tell him everything. Tonight if possible.

They stayed at the Mondales most of the afternoon, yet the visit seemed to be over too soon. Still, Nikki was happy to see how a cattle ranch worked. Like Chase, Siobhán and Hawk treated their workers like family.

“Come and see us again, Nikki,” Siobhán said as they stood by the Land Rover.

“I don’t know if I will. I’m leaving on Sunday.”

The older woman patted Nikki’s arm and whispered, “But you will be back. I just know it. And bring our Dean a girl,” she added louder and shot Dean a pointed look.

“Mom!” Dean protested, faking outrage. “I already told you I plan to remain a bachelor for as long as I can.”

Siobhán gave her husband an imploring glance. “Talk to him, Hawk.”

“Oh, no, my love,” Hawk said and shook his head. “The boys stopped listening to me the moment the nurses placed them in your arms. When they were in your stomach, they loved my singing.”

“He’s right, Mom,” Dean added, moving to his mother’s side. He dropped a kiss on her temple. “No woman will ever measure up to you.”

“Oh, you silly boy,” she said, but from her expression, she loved hearing her son’s declaration. “Of course, there is a woman out there for you.”

Seeing the interaction between the Fitzgeralds and the Mondales made Nikki realize just how lucky she was to have come to Montana. This was how families were supposed to treat each other. She and her sister needed to work on their differences and appreciate each other more. They should have learned about love and affection from their parents, who might not be big on public displays of affection but were still very much in love.

They arrived back at Eagles Hill, and Keira quickly disappeared into her room and the men headed toward the barn. Nikki went to check on Mrs. B, who wanted to know about the visit. Leaving Mrs. B, Nikki checked her phone. She’d received a text from Rod, the LASEC guy. They’d received her sister’s laptop.

“Did you find the e-mails from Keira to Finch?” Nikki asked.

“Not yet. Give us a few days. Okay? I promise to call you as soon as we find something.”

Nikki sighed. She wanted to give Chase the closure he needed and to reassure her sister when she came out of the coma. The last thing Dee needed to hear was the Fire Marshal telling her she would be charged with arson or that Keira planned to file a civil suit against her.

The sun was setting when Nikki left the house for the barn. The sky was a myriad of colors. Nature at its best. She inhaled and smiled. She would never get enough of this land.