Rocky Mountain Romance (Six Pack Ranch) (22 page)

“As often as I came over to your place,” she admitted. “Not very often.”

“That was different.” Steve shook his head. “I didn’t want you stopping by and being surrounded by the guys. Besides, the place was a wreck most of the time.”

Her point was still valid though. “I’m just saying it wasn’t
only
your responsibility to make our relationship something more than casual sex and party partners.”

It took a long time before he nodded. “I hated it when you left, especially because you left pissed off at me. For good reason.”

They’d never really talked about that day. She’d been so angry, and then one thing had led to another.

Melody adjusted her chair so she could hold his hand and look him in the eye. “I was disappointed, I’ll admit that.”

“Disappointment and full-out furious look a lot alike, then,” he teased.

“You forgot me, Steve. You left me stranded at the Calgary airport four hours away from my vehicle and all my stuff, simply because you weren’t paying attention.”

“It was terrible.”

She leaned forward and slid her palm against his cheek, cupping his face so he had nowhere to look but straight at her. “Yes, I was furious, which is why when I finally made it back to Rocky Mountain House you got assaulted by a pitcher of beer. But back to our earlier comment, even that wasn’t
just
your fault.”

“Right, it was your fault for asking me to pick you up in the first place,” he drawled.

“Actually, yes.” His eyes registered his shock, and she hurried on to complete her thought. “Steve, we were never a couple. We were two people who got along in the bedroom, and occasionally hung out, but there was nothing else to us. No sense of protectiveness or companionship, or anything that would make it important for either of us to go out of our way for the other. It wasn’t that the potential wasn’t there, but nether of us chose to make it more than what we had.”

He pressed his hand over hers, dark eyes burning. “Tell me you feel something different this time, because I sure the hell do. I want what’s best for you, and I want you to be happy.”

It was good to be able to answer him honestly. “That’s why I was hesitant when you first asked me out—I didn’t want a repeat of what we used to be, which was not much. But I think we’re doing better. I feel like there’s a connection between us.”

Pure relief lit his eyes. “Sweetheart, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. And I’m going to keep working to make sure you feel that way two months from now.”

“I’ll do the same,” she promised.

He leaned forward and kissed her, tender and sweet. Her heart skipped a beat, and something inside seemed to crack open a tiny bit. Maybe she’d been holding back. Worried this was going to end the same way as before?

Not anymore. He’d done enough to prove that
some
things were different.

“Hey, did you want to meet up with the dog I found you?” Steve asked when they were walking back to his truck, hand in hand.

A shiver of excitement hit. “You think she’s ready?”

He nodded. “The pups have all been adopted. I had Jesse bring Charlie over to our ranch, and she’s been hanging out with Prince and the other dogs. She’s definitely got some moves, so if you’ve got time this weekend, let’s set it up.”

She waited until he’d put the lawn chairs into the back of his truck before wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him lift her in the air for a hug. “I’m excited. I really hope this works out.”

“Me too,” Steve agreed.

New dog, new relationship.

New tomorrow.

Chapter Fifteen

Steve’s truck pulled into the driveway, and Melody found her heart fluttering. She jiggled on her feet with both anticipation and concern, which was kind of crazy when she considered it.

She was getting a dog. Holy moly, and
oh my goodness
.

She also didn’t know who she was more excited about seeing—the dog or Steve.

Steve’s dog Prince hopped out of the back of the truck and made a beeline for her. She squatted to greet him, her gaze lingering on the truck to take in the two men striding toward her. Every move Steve made seemed to threaten the existence of his black T-shirt, and Melody smiled as she gave Prince a final pat on the head and stood to continue to admire the view.

Solid arms and broad shoulders, with trim hips filling his
faded in all the right spots
jeans. On every step the toes of his cowboy boots poked out, and he adjusted his hat as he sauntered forward.

Man, did she ever love living in cowboy country.

It was only after she’d ogled him for a while that she took a quick peek to discover Trevor was the other man rapidly approaching. The two of them stopped a few feet away as Prince ran in excited circles around the three points of their triangle.

“Good to see you again.” Trevor offered a wink.

Melody tore her gaze away from Steve’s bewitching eyes, nodding politely at his younger brother. “Good to see you, as well.” She glanced around in confusion. “But I don’t see Charlie, only Prince.”

“We didn’t bring her.” Steve held a hand out. “We’ve been working with her at our ranch, and she’s familiar with the location and the animals. I thought maybe you’d like to run her through her paces there for the first time.”

“Good idea.” Melody patted her pockets to see if she had everything she wanted. “You should’ve called. I could’ve driven over to your place.”

“We were in town anyway,” Trevor admitted. “Picking you up works better than trying to coordinate where to meet.”

“And don’t fuss about anything else. Come on.” Steve caught her fingers in his and pulled her to the driver side of the truck, whistling for Prince who obediently came away from where he was sniffing fence posts.

The dog raced forward like a banshee until he was within jumping range, crouched momentarily then sprang into the truck box without pausing. He moved to the front of the box and vanished.

Melody glanced over the edge, curious to see what he was doing. She was surprised to discover Steve had a dog bed in the corner, and had trained Prince to stay.

Interesting.

“There’s a sight I don’t see very often in this community.” She reached her hand over and gave Prince a quick pat. He pressed his head against her hand, his tail thumping, but he didn’t get up.

“He’s not riding in the cab with us,” Steve explained, “but I’ve never liked seeing dogs bouncing all over the place.”

“You baby him,” Trevor teased. “Everyone else lets their dogs ride as they will.”

Melody had seen it often enough, and most of the time it was fine. “This is a lot safer, though.”

“I don’t like the distraction. There’s no reason why he can’t lie down and take it easy for the trip. He gets to run around every other hour of his day.”

Steve helped her into the cab, and Melody slid to the middle, boxed in on both sides by one hundred percent Coleman male in their prime.

It wasn’t a bad place to be.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Prince lying contentedly on the thick mat, the animal curled up as they headed to Moonshine land. “I like that. I’ll have to see if I can train Charlie to do the same thing.”

Steve lifted his hand off the wheel and laid it on her thigh. He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to because Trevor started a travelogue, pointing out all sorts of things outside the window.

This was a good thing, as well as a great distraction. Melody knew bits about the area, but missed the history. “Hey, do me a favour,” she begged. “Point out some of the old landmarks.”

Trevor paused, twisting in his seat to give her a confused look. “Old landmarks?”

“You don’t know how frustrating it is when people give me directions. Even after having lived here for a couple of years, I often have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Steve chuckled. “I know what you mean. People tell you to ‘turn right where Pearson’s barn used to be’?”

“Exactly.” Melody glanced out the window at an old shed and snapped up a finger. “See that? I got heckled the other day for not knowing the locals call it the Crestview Castle.”

This time Trevor laughed out loud. “Hell. That’s a tale I haven’t heard in a while.”

“You know the story?”

“That place has been there on the edge of Winston Crest’s land forever. Anytime he went out drinking, his wife, who didn’t approve of hard liquor, would lock the house doors and refuse to let him in, and he’d end up sleeping in the shed for the night.”

“Only she was nice about it,” Steve cut in. “She had the soul of an angel, just hated liquor with a vengeance. She didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, so she hauled an old rocking chair under the overhang. And she didn’t want him to catch cold, so she bought him an extra pair of slippers and robe on sale one time and kept them in the shed. In the morning after he’d tied one on, everyone driving by would see Winston sleeping in the rocking chair, all done up in regal purple.”

Melody found herself smiling. “How come nobody’s ever written a history of the area?”

Steve thought for a moment before answering. “Probably because it doesn’t feel like history to us. It just is.”

She caught hold of Steve’s fingers with hers, squeezing tighter the closer to the Moonshine ranch they got.

He flipped his hand over, linking their fingers together, and while Trevor continued to ramble, Melody sat and enjoyed their company. Protected and surrounded for a short period of time by a couple of gentle giants.

But by the time they’d reached the ranch, her butterflies had returned.

“I’ll go get her from the barn,” Trevor offered, sauntering on ahead.

Melody was held back, Steve’s hand firm but gentle on her arm to keep her in place as he turned her toward him. He tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her face to his as he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her lips.

She let herself enjoy the moment. Running her hands from his wrists up his arms until she was holding onto his broad shoulders. Just a momentary interlude in the middle of the excitement, and it was amazing how pleasurable she found it.

She was the one who stepped back, breaking contact between them but offering him a smile. “I guess I forgot to say hello to you properly before, didn’t I?”

“That was part of my master plan. Right now there’s no one around, so it’s not considered a kiss in public,” he teased. “I’m still good to lay one on you whenever I want.”

Prince let out a bark, and she turned her focus toward the new dog joining them, shuffling around their feet.

“Oh, she’s a beauty.” Melody offered her hand to the shepherd who sniffed her before turning her attention back to Prince and other more important dog-type duties.

Steve motioned toward the side of the yard. “Trevor said he’d get some of the calves ready if you want to see her in action.”

Melody nodded. “Let me say hello first.”

She dug her hand in her pocket for one of the ever-present treats she carried. Prince paced forward eagerly—he already knew the routine. Melody offered him a treat, patted him on the head and got another biscuit ready, this time extending it to Charlie. “Hello, girl. I hear you’re looking for a new job.”

Charlie took the treat then nudged forward as Melody scratched behind her ears. It was comfortable, and it was right, and a few minutes later when Charlie bumped her head into Melody’s leg for attention, it felt like the start of a beautiful friendship.

For the next hour they put the dogs through their paces. Trevor and Steve ordered their dogs to round up the calves or herd them into the side corral. Melody observed how Charlie reacted, both while she was waiting, and when she was allowed to join in the work.

“She’s been here for a week, and we’ve had no incidents.” Steve smiled as the dogs danced around each other for a moment before coming sharply to heel when Melody called them. “Damn if Jesse didn’t do something right. Charlie might be a better-trained dog than Prince.”

Another rush of joy hit as Melody smoothed her hand over the dog’s head, happiness rising. “I think Charlie’s going to work out well,” she agreed.

He’d caught himself staring far too often, but there was no way to resist. The expression of sheer delight Melody wore was enough to make the strangest sensation rise in his gut.

It wasn’t nervousness, so he couldn’t call them butterflies. But there most definitely was something going on as she got to know Charlie.

Trevor took off ahead of them, but Steve laid a hand on her shoulder. “Stay for supper,” he offered.

Melody glanced toward the ranch house. “Here? With your parents?”

“I mentioned you were going to be around, and Mom insisted you should join us.”

“Okay. I didn’t have any other plans, and I like your folks.”

He tucked an arm around her and led her toward the back door. “Of course you like them. I’ve trained them to be fabulous parents.”

“All your doing. Are you sure about that?”

Steve jerked to a stop and grinned guiltily at his mother. “The only bad habit I haven’t been able to break them of yet is eavesdropping.”