Branndon Jr. (2 page)

“On
my count of three, I’m going to lift you up and pull you back,” said Jackson.

Branndon
braced himself for what he knew was going to be a sharp pain. He gritted his
teeth as Jackson counted. As his brother pulled, the photos he’d been sent
slipped out from under the covers and one by one, just like rainfall, fell to
the carpet. Jackson made sure Branndon was comfortable before picking them up.
He whistled as he shuffled through them.

“Fuck,
Branndon, I wasn’t wrong when I said women were going to consider you hero of
the year.” He flipped through the photos, whistling louder at each one. “Some
very nice asses and pussies here. I hope you’ll be kind enough to share some
with your little brother.”

Branndon
snatched them from him. “I hope you know that getting more pussy isn’t the
reason I gave my kidney to Brody. Okay, it’s a nice side benefit, but when it
comes down to it, I like our half-brother. I mean he’s half Pa, so what’s not
to like?”

“You
think Mom would have liked Brody?”

“Mom
liked everyone and I guess if I was more like her, I wouldn’t have been such an
asshole to Brody when I first met him. Shit, you think Maddie will ever tell
him about the joke I played on her?”

“For
you own sake I hope she doesn’t or you’re going to end up back in the hospital.”

Branndon
had thought it funny at the time, but now he realized what a jerk he’d been,
making her get naked thinking that she was going to have to let Branndon fuck
her in order to get Brody that kidney. He hoped it would remain his and
Maddie’s little secret forever because he didn’t want Brody to ever hate him.

“You
look tired so I guess I should let you rest, but I’ll be by tomorrow to feed
the horses.” Jackson picked up his cowboy hat and placed it on his head.

“I’ll
try and join you. I hope they’ve missed me,” said Branndon.

“Sure
they have. You get a good night’s sleep and thanks for the chocolate pudding.
And watch out for Susanne.”

Oh,
he was definitely going to do that.

****

Susanne
wiped the tears away from her eyes as she walked back down the hallway and
almost ran straight into Jackson’s chest. For some strange reason, the Mckinney
brothers always seemed to be around when she was at her lowest point. Jackson
had often been the one responsible for making her cry at school, but tonight he
was blameless. It was her daughter who’d brought on the waterworks. Her baby
was starting school tomorrow and while she already knew she’d have to raise her
all by herself, for some reason, she’d suddenly realized just how scary it was.
She’d thought coming back to Riker’s Creek was the answer. Not that she had
family here anymore, but she’d always loved the mountains and the lakes, and
she wanted her daughter to live a different life to the one she’d had. When
Branndon Mckinney Sr. had approached her about taking the job as junior’s live-in
nurse, she hadn’t thought twice. It would give her and April chance to settle
back into the community and find a permanent place to live. However, now she
wasn’t so sure she’d made the right decision. This was Branndon’s house and he’d
been part of a gang who’d given her hell. Seeing him and his brother again
brought every horrible memory back into her mind.

“You
okay?” asked Jackson.

Wow,
that question must mean he’d grown up. Usually her crying was a sign of victory
for him. He was still as cute as ever, taller too. People had always teased her
that she’d had a crush on Jackson, but they’d been wrong. While his teasing had
made her sad, Branndon’s words and antics had been worse because it had always
been him she’d secretly adored.

“I’m
fine, just having a tough time getting April to go to bed.”

She
walked with Jackson as he headed to the front door.

“Yeah,
me and Branndon never liked going to bed early either. We used to pretend we
were asleep and then get up and play some game we’d hidden under the sheets. We
grew out of it and so will she.”

“I
hope so.”

 
“Branndon seems to be in lots of pain with his
back. He’s stubborn about taking painkillers but maybe you can talk him into
doing just that,” said Jackson, slipping on his coat.

“Sure,
I’ll go see what I can do for him.”

“Great,
I’d appreciate that.”

Susanne
opened the door for him and a swirl of snow circled on the doorstep before
heading inside.

“Looks
like the snow’s in for the night,” said Jackson, stepping outside.

It
sure did and she hoped the roads would be clear enough for her to drive April
to school.

“Night,”
she said shutting the door.

She
crept along to April’s room and slowly opened the door. She sighed of relief
when she saw her baby girl was now fast asleep. She hoped she’d love school,
make lots of friends, wouldn’t be teased like Susanne had been, and wouldn’t
end up getting involved with a guy who didn’t love her.

Susanne
crossed the door, thinking how stupid it was to go down that road of misery
again. Everyone made mistakes in their lives. It was all part of being human.
She took a deep breath. She had a patient to go check on.

She
walked to Branndon’s room and tapped on the door before going inside. He was
looking at something, but quickly slipped whatever it was into the drawer in
his bedside table. He winced as he did so.

“Your
back still giving you trouble?” she asked him.

“Now
and then, yeah.”

She
took the tray from off the bed and put it on top of the dresser next to his
cowboy hat. Branndon’s face and body had been made to wear one of those. She’d
never seen a guy look even half as good as he did. She was almost tempted to
put it on his head right now so she could swoon and forget about her troubles.

“How
about taking a pain pill before you go to sleep?” said Susanne.

“I’m
trying to wean myself off them. I’ve heard horror stories about people getting
hooked on them. People that you’d never expect would end up as junkies and all
because they took a couple of pain pills. It’s the last thing I want to have
happen especially when I get back on the circuit.”

She
admired him for that. She also thought what he’d done for his half-brother, a
guy he didn’t know existed until recently, was a wonderful thing. A selfless
act she would never have believed Branndon Mckinney Jr. capable of. She turned
around to look at him. “How about I give you a back massage instead?”

“You
want to massage me?”

“Medical
sort, not the…”

Had
she suddenly gone red? Probably, because she felt an intense burn in both her
cheeks.

“I
guess if you think it will help me without resorting to pills, then yeah, it’s
fine with me.”

“I’ll
just go get some oil and a towel. You want to take your t-shirt off while I’m
doing that?”

She
took the tray out, walked to the kitchen and put it on the countertop, and then
headed to her room for her supplies. She pulled out the bottle of oil and then
went to the bathroom and picked up a large white towel that hung on the rack by
the shower.

When
she got back to Branndon’s room he was sitting naked from the waist up with
legs perched over the side of the bed. Wow, he’d been hunky when he’d been in high
school but now he was male model material. No one had made her panties this wet
so quickly, not even April’s father. Maybe giving him a message was a bad idea.
No, she was a professional and he was her patient, she could handle this. The
in-home care company she’d just launched was going to be her and April’s
livelihood and she was going to make it work.

He
looked at her with those big, blue eyes of his and felt the same way she had at
school. She put the bottle of oil down on the bedside table. They were
grown-ups now and it was time to start acting like one.

“I’m
going to put the towel on the bed. Do you think you’d be able to lie flat on
your stomach or I could sit beside you and massage you while you’re sitting?”
asked Susie.

“I’d
prefer to sit if that’s okay because lying down and getting up still hurts like
hell,” said Branndon.

“Sure,
whatever’s most comfortable for you.”

The
fact that he was going all through this discomfort when he really didn’t have
to made her see him in a whole new light. She wondered if she could have donated
an organ to someone. He must have been so scared going into the ER.

Susanne
squirted some oil into her right palm and then rubbed her hands together before
sitting on the bed beside Branndon. Their thighs bumped and the heat from his
body permeated into hers.

Keep focusing on
the fact that he’s your patient. Your first client.

She
touched his shoulder and then let her fingers glide down his back. The incision
looked like it was healing well. When she reached the muscles around it, he
flinched.

“Sorry,
I’ll go lighter by that spot.”

There
was suddenly an uncomfortable silence between them and then they both chose to
speak at the very same time.

“Go
ahead,” said Branndon.

“I
was just wondering what made you want to be a rodeo rider. I know your dad had
the ranch, didn’t you want to join him and Jackson in running it?”

“No,
that’s something to do when I’m old and ready to retire,” said Branndon.

Susanne
moved her hands over the muscles in his shoulders.

“You’re
very tense, maybe that’s why your back’s hurting so much.”

“It
hurts because a doctor cut into it.”

That
remark sounded more like the Branndon she remembered. Sharp and to the point.

She
swept her hands lower, feeling each muscle, feeling her own pussy muscles
clench with the thought of having him make love to her. The great body moving
backward and forward as he thrust deep inside her. Perspiration broke out on
her forehead and not because the room was overly warm. Branndon was hot and he
made her sweaty with desire.

Susanne’s
hand slide lower until she was almost touching the top of his butt. He groaned
and as she glanced at the front of his PJs, she saw the bulge gradually getting
bigger. All guys reacted like this, even patients. She should not read anything
into this. She definitely shouldn’t think that Branndon was reacting to
her
touch.

She
almost leaned over and kissed his shoulder but stopped herself in time. She had
to get control of herself. She moved to her right and a bunch of photos fell
from underneath the blanket.

Susanne
glanced down at them. They were photos of women and they’d obviously taken
selfies and sent them to Branndon, women topless, women with their legs spread
and wearing nothing but a smile.

She
bit her lip. Branndon could have any women he wanted. He wasn’t the settling down
type, he was what the world called a player. She’d already had one of those.
Been there, done that, won’t ever make that
mistake again.

Chapter Two

For
some reason, Susanne had left his room like her butt was on fire. He wondered
if she’d seen his erection and hence the swift exit. The hard-on had been
difficult to conceal with just his PJs on. When she’d touched him, she’d not
only taken his pain away, but every nerve ending had gone on high alert. Her
fingers had turned him on like he never would have thought possible. He’d never
been attracted to her before, but now he’d wanted nothing more than to lie her
down on his bed, kiss her, and then do a whole lot more.

He
shifted around on the mattress, pulled himself back into bed and covered
himself with the blankets. Maybe his erection hadn’t been the cause of her
speedy departure but the dirty photos that had spilled onto the floor. Not that
he’d solicited a single one of them, but he had been looking at them. And to be
honest, he’d enjoyed every single one of them. What guy wouldn’t? What did she
think he was a monk or something?

Sure,
some ladies might get offended by men ogling women, but she was his nurse not
his girlfriend. Bottom line was this was
his
house and it was also
his
business and no one else’s as to what he looked at. If women sent him photos of
their tits and pussies, he wasn’t going to throw them in the bin.

He
glanced at the photos again, his cock stirring, but this time not from the
images he saw. He still was in a state of excitement from Susanne giving him
the message. He eased down in the bed, feeling the pain return to his body. He
wanted to jerk off so badly. Not only to focus his mind on something else other
than the discomfort gnawing at him, but Susanne had stirred up his libido.
Usually when a woman did that, he had sex with her. That was definitely out of
the question this time around.

To
hell with it. This was his house and that meant he could jerk off whenever he
pleased. Branndon slipped his hand under the band of his PJs and began stroking
his cock. An image of Susanne sprang into his mind which he knew was oh, so
wrong. She no doubt still despised him for all the teasing he’d done. Probably
hated Jackson more, although he knew she’d always had a thing for his brother.

His
hand moved faster and with each stroke he felt guiltier about using Susanne as
his visual clue to reach a pleasurable release. He would be one happy man when
her stint as his nurse was over. Maybe he should try and get her and Jackson to
hook up and that would cool down whatever it was he was feeling for her. The
brothers had one cardinal rule. You do not steal the other one’s woman.

He
closed his eyes, feeling himself close to coming. A vivid picture of Susanne in
the buff sprang in to his mind and that was all it took to find the release he
needed. He panted and tried to get his breathing back to normal. Did she look
as good naked as he’d just imagined? Guess he’d never know.

Shit,
he’d have to go search for another pair of PJs now. If this sort of behavior
kept up, he’d run out of clothing. Maybe he would play matchmaker for Jackson
and Susanne. His father was always pressuring both of him and his brother to
get married, so maybe if he married off Jackson that would take the burden off
Branndon who was in no hurry to tie himself down to one woman.

****

Susanne
hoped the early morning shower she was taking wouldn’t wake Branndon, but she’d
been up before five a.m. for several reasons. One, she had to get April up and
ready for school. Two, she hadn’t been able to sleep. And not just because she
was in a new bed and room. It was because of Branndon. Unlike junior high and
high school, it wasn’t so much something he’d done or said that got her all
worked up, but this time it was all down to her wanting the sexy cowboy to make
love to her. Touching him had been pure heaven. Being so close to him, pure
bliss. Not having him kiss and fuck her, pure torture.

She
let the jet of cold water hit her in the chest. She’d turned on the cold water
despite it being January and Montana where it had been snowing all night. Women
needed cold showers just as much as men did. She stood it for as long as she
could and then turned the dial so the water got slightly warmer. Susanne took
the soap and formed a lather before working it over her body, all the while imaging
that her hands were Branndon’s. Right this minute he was working his way over
every inch of her skin.

In my dreams, in my
fantasies, that was the only way this would ever be real.

“Mommy.”

April’s
voice jarred her out of her train of thought.

Susanne
slid the shower curtain back. “I’ll be right there, honey-bunny.”

As
she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the shower, a still
sleepy-looking April stood looking at her.

“What
you doing?” April asked her.

Fantasizing about
a cowboy.

“I
am getting ready to make you breakfast and then we’re going to pick out an
outfit and you’ll look the prettiest girl in the kindergarten class.”

“But
what if I’m not?”

Susanne
put her hand on April’s cheek. “You will be. Believe me, you will.”

One
thing she’d thought about as soon as she knew she was pregnant was that her
child, whether it be a boy or a girl, would be raised with more self-respect
for her or himself than she had. Susanne knew that she’d tolerated the teasing
and comments because she’d thought she deserved it. That she wasn’t as good as
the other kids. April would never think that. If she was ever teased she’d give
them comeback lines that would leave the kids speechless at her repartee.

“Let
me go get dressed and then we can eat. And while I’m doing that why don’t you
go and knock on Branndon’s door to see if he wants to come join us for
breakfast.”

****

“What
the fuck?”

Branndon
stuck his head up from underneath the blanket. It sounded like someone was
kicking his door in.

“Brannon,
Brannon, get up, it’s breakfast.”

It
was the kid and she obviously couldn’t pronounce the ‘d’ in his name and she
had a voice like a foghorn as she continued to pound on his bedroom door. He
looked at the clock on the bedside table. It wasn’t even six a.m. yet.

Suddenly
there was nothing but silence. Maybe she’d gone and now he could get some more
shut eye. He tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. After five
minutes, he decided to get up and go get something to eat. It was the first day
that he’d felt like his usual ravenous appetite was back. He stood, still a
little shaky on his feet, but managed to pull on his sweats. As he opened the
door, the smell of bacon tickled his nose. He guessed oatmeal was being made,
too. He hadn’t smelled that since he’d lived at home and his mom had been still
alive.

Branndon
made his way into the kitchen to see April sitting in the spot he usually
occupied. She looked up at him.

“There’s
Brannon.”

He
was going to correct her. Going to move her out of
his
chair, but somehow didn’t have the heart to do it. It was the
kid’s first day at school. He wasn’t that old that he couldn’t remember how
nerve wrecking it had been.

“Good
morning,” Susanne said, turning around from the stove to look at him. “I hope
April didn’t wake you. She sometimes gets over enthusiastic when I ask her to
do something.”

“What’s
that?” asked April.

“What’s
what?” Susanne asked her.

“Ent…”
said April.

Branndon
could tell she was struggling with the word.

“Enthusiastic
means you do it something like you really mean it. You do it with all your
heart, said Susanne.”

April
shook her head. “I did it with my hand like this,” she said, pretending she was
knocking on a door.

Branndon
didn’t know whether he should laugh or what. Would Susanne think he was making
fun of her kid if he did? Because of their past it was like he was walking on
eggshells.

He
looked over at Susanne and saw her grinning at her daughter. She looked at him
and winked. Branndon hadn’t been around too many kids so maybe what she’d just
said had been cute and perfectly acceptable to laugh at. Guess he’d learn the
rules as he went along.

He
sat down just as Susanne brought a plate of bacon to the table. April was
already devouring a bowl of what looked like Rice Krispies.

“Would
you like some oatmeal? I love it, but I know most people don’t share my passion,”
said Susanne.

“Sure,
I would love some,” said Branndon. He thought he and his mom had been the only
two people who would often eat oatmeal any time of the day.

Susanne
spooned some into a bowl for him.

“Yuck,
yuck, yuck,” said April.

“It’s
great stuff,” said Branndon. “Warms your belly on a cold Montana morning.”

Branndon
never bothered making this for himself, not even the instant kind, so this was
going to be a real treat.

 
“Okay Miss April, go to your room and put on
the outfit I’ve placed on the bed for you. We have to leave in fifteen
minutes,” said Susanne, pointing to the clock on the wall.

Without
even arguing, April slid from her chair and ran toward the bedroom.

“Big
change from last night,” Branndon said, almost waiting for the wailing to start
up again.

“She
was tired and I did eventually have to resort to bribing her. I hope you don’t
mind.”

“Why
should I mind?” asked Branndon.

“I
told her when she got home she could go see your horses and brush one.”

His
horses were his prized possession and he was super picky who got to even be
within five feet of them. However, if it stopped that awful whining sound, it
wouldn’t be too bad, but they had to get the rules in place here.

“I
don’t have problem with that, but let’s get one thing straight, she can’t
wander out to the stables whenever she feels like it because I have a lot of
money invested in my horses.”

“I
can assure you she won’t do that. Horses are dangerous so I wouldn’t want her
being with them all by herself.”

Had
she just maligned his favorite beast? “Horses are not dangerous, it’s human who
are stupid when they’re around them,” he said, tapping his fingers on the
table.

Susanne
didn’t respond but turned her back and began loading the dishes into the
dishwasher. Then she suddenly spoke up.

“You
know, Branndon, you always did need to get the last word in and you have
changed one tiny iota.”

He
tapped his fingers on the table faster. This was his house and a man shouldn’t
tolerate snarky remarks being thrown around by guests. He was about to open his
mouth and tell her just that when April wandered out with wearing a pink
sweater under a blue denim jumper complete with black leggings and denim cowboy
boots.

“I
knew you’d look so pretty in that outfit,” said Susanne, wiping her hands. “I’ll
just grab my coat and car keys and we’ll be off. Are you going to be okay on
your own?” she asked Branndon.

“Sure,
I’m not going to play with matches or anything dangerous.”

She
didn’t take the bait, but simply walked away, and five minutes later he heard
the door closing and her car starting up outside. He got up, flinching as he
did so, and looked out of the kitchen window. Last night’s snow had finally
tapered off, but he saw Susanne’s car spin a few times as she headed down the
driveway. Usually Branndon would have been out and cleared it with the scooper
he fitted on his truck. Maybe he’d ask Jackson to do it. Yeah, the more ways he
thought of to get Jackson to come over to the house, the better the opportunity
to pair those two up.

Branndon
got back to his breakfast. The oatmeal was getting cold, but it still tasted
pretty damn good. No lumps either. Every time he’d attempted to make it, he’d
ended up with either one big gooey mess or runny with lumps. It was the reason
he’d finally given up and switched to cornflakes.

He
took a few more bites. Shit, this was beyond damn good. Jackson would be a
lucky guy if he found himself with a woman who could cook like this.

Chapter Three

Susanne
grabbed April’s hand as they made their way toward the school. So many memories
flashed back to her. All of them somehow connected to Branndon. It had been
years since she’d seen him and the sudden recall wasn’t only because she was
living and working under his roof. In all honesty, her crush on him had never
gone away. When she’d been pregnant and her life had begun to unravel yet again,
she’d thought back to her life in Riker’s Creek and to Branndon. And then as if
it was kismet, she’d seen his name and photo in the paper and the story about
how he was donating a kidney, it was almost as if fate was reminding her life
always gave her second chances at something she’d always dreamed about. When
she’d phoned his father to see how he was doing and just happened to mention she
was now a nurse who was opening her own in home care business, he’d been the
one to suggest that Branndon be her first client. Yes, sometimes fate was a
strange creature.