Tied Up, Tied Down (5 page)

An hour later the front door slammed. Thundering footsteps echoed down the hallway. Before he turned around, an angry female voice demanded, “What the fuck are you doing in my sister’s house?”

Kade tossed in a can of beans in the enamel pot. “I’m makin’ supper.”

“You think that’s funny?”

He shrugged.

“Who the hell are you?”

Kade spun, giving his accuser a once over. Definitely a stunning woman, despite her unnaturally colored scarlet-tipped black hair. Despite her irate posture and angrily tapping a combat-booted foot. The motion rattled the chains attached to her purple leather mini-skirt. His gaze swept her colorful arms. Whoa. Was that tattoo circling her wrist a flesh-colored snake? Or a very large, very erect cock?

“Eyes off the ink, buddy. Who are you?”

He met her angry gaze head-on. “I’m Kade McKay.”

She actually stumbled back a step. “Holy shit. You’re Eliza’s father.”

He nodded, noticing the woman’s arched eyebrow was pierced, as was her nose and her lower lip. Both ears were weighted with a variety of sparkly stones and shiny hoop earrings.

“She looks just like you.”

“I know. I saw her today for the first time.”

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“For the first time? She’s over three months old!”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“You
heard
? How could you abandon my pregnant sister, you worthless piece of shit?”

“First off, no more name callin’.” He soldiered on despite the woman’s mulish look.

“Secondly, who are
you
?”

“Skylar’s sister, India.” India crossed her arms over her chest. “Sky knows you’re here?”

“Who do you think gave me a key?” Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Do
you
live here?”

“Not anymore. I did while Sky was expecting, since the jerk-off loser who impregnated her vanished and someone needed to keep an eye on her out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Before you keep rippin’ on my character, let me assure you that I didn’t know Skylar was pregnant. If I had known, no way would I’ve left her. No. Way.”

“So where’ve you been that she couldn’t call you up and tell you the news about her bun in the oven?” With mock sweetness, she asked, “Prison?”

“Funny.”

“No, really, what were you doing?”

India was a nosy thing, but Kade appreciated she was protecting Skylar. “Ranchin’.

We bought new grazin’ lands about forty miles northwest of our place. Rugged country.

No phone, no Internet, no satellite TV. Don’t have electricity in the cabin half the time.

Closest town is sixty miles further north up into the mountains, and the road leadin’ to it is damn near impassable from the end of October to the end of March. I volunteered to stay to see if it was viable to keep a year-round cattle operation up there. I returned home two days ago after havin’ been gone for a year. Today I find out that Skylar and me have a baby girl.”

India stared at him for the longest time. “You said your last name is McKay?”

“Yeah.”

“You related to all the McKays living around Sundance?”

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He resisted the urge to deny it. “Yeah.”

“Those McKay men have reputations as wild men and womanizers, boozers and brawlers and I cannot believe my straight-laced sister would get mixed up with one of them.”

Story of his life. “I’ve been out of the loop, so I have no earthly idea what some of my rowdier cousins might’ve been doin’.”

India cocked her head. “My first thought when Sky became an unwed mother, was that she was embarrassed by who knocked her up, so that’s why she didn’t want anyone to know.”

Very evenly, Kade said, “Did you ask her who the father was?”

“Repeatedly. Can’t say I blamed her on keeping mum. I made no secret I’d planned on tracking down the lowlife to beat him within an inch of his life.”

“There you go with the name callin’ again.”

“If the spur fits.” She smiled nastily. “Far as I know, she didn’t tell anybody else either. I didn’t even know she’d been seeing anyone, so her pregnancy was a complete shock.”

“Hell, I didn’t even have time to get used to the pregnancy; I gotta wrap my head around my baby.” Kade sighed. “And like you said, my family has quite the reputation.

Maybe she was embarrassed. Can’t say as I blame her since I wasn’t around.”

“What really happened between you two?” India shifted from boot to boot.

Her nervous energy set Kade on edge. “I did a dumb thing, she broke it off when she found out, wouldn’t let me explain, and I ended up leavin’ because of it. I wasn’t happy, but she’d left me no choice but to let her be.”

“She’s good at pushing people away.”

“I sorta figured that out,” Kade said dryly.

“Tell me this. If the misunderstanding between you two would’ve been cleared up, would you have left?” He shook his head. “Does she know that?”

“Not yet.”

“When do you plan on telling her?”

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“When the time is right.”

“You play your cards pretty close to the vest, McKay.”

Kade thought that was better than wearing his heart on his sleeve.

An uncomfortable moment followed.

“Fine.” India threw up her hands. “Pull that strong, silent cowboy crap. So what happens now?”

“If you’re askin’ if my intentions toward your sister are honorable, I asked her to marry me today.”

“She immediately said no, didn’t she?”

He frowned. “Yeah. How did you know?”

“Because she’s been…” India shook her head. “Because I don’t think she has a spontaneous bone in her body. She’s always been that way. So, in addition to her all-pro status of pushing people away, Skylar excels at taking an eternity to make a decision, any decision. She’s meticulous. She weighs every opinion, thought, word, action and deed from every conceivable angle before she really gets down to the nitty-gritty of making a final determination on a course of action.”

“Great.” He squinted at her and challenged, “Doesn’t sound like you like her much.”

India’s blue eyes nearly turned black with anger. “I worship her, I’d do anything in the world for her, and I’m thinking about punching you in the mouth for suggesting I don’t, McKay.”

Kade held up his hands. “Sorry.”

“Skylar and I are polar opposites, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s the greatest person in the world and she’s a wonderful mother.”

“Which is all good and well, even if she won’t agree to become my wife, I am movin’ in to help care for Eliza.”

“You are?”

He nodded.

Another pause hung in the air. Then India smiled like a loon. “That’s hysterical. She won’t marry you, so you just bulled your way into being her roommate?”

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Lorelei James

“Pretty much.”

“Surprises me she allowed it.”

“Me too. Sky might be all kinds of reserved, but I am damn determined to have my way on this, India.”

“I can see that. Since I’ve already given you the 4-1-1 on her, I should also warn you Skylar is used to being in charge of everything.”

“So am I.”

“Yeah? Then it oughta be interesting to see if she’ll even let you be a father to Eliza.”

“
Let
me? I
am
Eliza’s father. I ain’t givin’ her a choice. I’m here for good. Eliza better get used to it. Sky’d better get used to it.” Kade sent Skylar’s sister a half-menacing smile. “You’d better get used to it too.”

“Please. You don’t scare me, cowboy. I deal with drunks and druggies and bikers all damn day. But one thing my sister and I do have in common? We’re both fighters.

Hardheaded.You determined to get your way is not gonna be easy. For either of you.”

He didn’t rise to the bait. Nor would he back down. “Nothin’ worthwhile ever is.”

India considered him without malice. “No pain, no gain, huh?”

“Not the phrase I’d choose, but yeah, I suppose that fits.”

“Good luck, because, man, are you gonna need it.”

Kade grinned. “Oh, I don’t need luck. I’ve got something even better.”

“What’s that?”

“A strong set of ropes, an iron will, and all the patience in the world.”

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The spicy aroma of tomato and chili powder greeted Skylar at the front door. She half wondered if she’d stumbled into the wrong house, especially when a gorgeous man strolled down the hallway with a grin a mile wide. A grin aimed at her.

“And here I was hopin’ you’d yell, ‘Hey honey, I’m home’.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Maybe next time. Lemme take her.” He plucked the baby carrier from her arm like it weighed nothing.

“Thanks.” Skylar kicked off her sandals and noticed Kade was barefoot. She also noticed he’d changed out of his usual cowboy attire. Instead of Wranglers and a long-sleeved shirt, he wore faded black sweatpant shorts and a gray tank top, which showed off his muscular arms and broad chest.

“Supper’s done whenever you’re ready.” He headed for the living room.

She followed him and bit back a groan. The view from the rear was just as good as the front view. His wide shoulders tapered into a narrow waist, ending with an ass so round and tight she could’ve bounced a quarter off it. Or sunk her teeth into it to double-check if it was as firm and yummy as it looked.

Get control of yourself, Sky.

Why was she having this physical reaction to him again? Strictly hormonal on a biological level because he was the father of her child?

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Lorelei James

No. You’re reacting this way because that man—your new roommate—is smoking
hot.

He set the car seat on the floor. “You wanna show me how to get her outta this contraption?”

“Sure. Push the red button, move the handle up until it locks. Then unfasten the seatbelt. Just like that. See? Easy.”

Eliza’s eyes blinked open and she stared at Kade as he lifted her out.

“Well, aren’t you a bright-eyed little thing?”

Skylar watched him, chattering away to his daughter like it was an everyday occurrence. Her emotions shifted from jealousy to relief to flat-out amusement. The man was a goner for Miss Eliza Belle. He’d taken to her faster than Sky ever imagined.

“Is she always this good?”

“No.” Sky glanced at the clock. “Give her an hour. She gets really fussy around dinnertime. And then right before bed.”

“I’ll keep her entertained if you wanna eat.”

“She does have a baby bouncer. You don’t have to hold her all the time.”

Kade’s eyes met hers. “I wanna hold her. You’re gonna have a devil of a time gettin’

her away from me.” When Skylar balked, he amended, “That didn’t come out right. What I meant was…I’m just pretty much stunned by her. Not only that I didn’t know she existed, but if it’ll ever sink in that she’s really mine. And I’m responsible for her for the rest of her life.”

“It’s a daunting concept, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I really haven’t been around babies all that much, if you wanna know the truth, so I’m gonna need your help.”

Skylar expected gruffness, not Kade to act as bewildered and awestruck as she’d been. She touched his forearm, offering him reassurance “Give yourself more than a day to process it all, Kade. I had six months to get used to the idea of a baby, while she was growing inside me. You’ve had six hours. The more time you spend with her, the easier it’ll get.”

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“You trust me with her?”

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Besides, I didn’t know all that much about babies either. To some extent, it is instinctive. Only way to learn is by doing.”

Sky sidestepped him and wandered to the kitchen, shocked at how easy it was to leave Kade with their daughter.

He’d cleaned the counters and washed dishes. A pot of chili simmered on the stove.

A round bakery box with a chocolate frosted cake sat in the middle of the table. She sagged against the doorway. He’d remembered her favorite dessert.

Dammit. It’d be easier to keep this situation impersonal if he was a complete dickhead.

Impersonal. Right. A little too late for that. They had a child. The man had proposed to her not four hours ago. Apparently, he’d moved in. And apparently, she didn’t mind.

She expelled a heavy sigh and muttered, “Maybe I should’ve just said yes.”

“The offer still stands, Skylar.”

His deep voice next to her ear sent a shiver through her. “You scared me.”

“I know.”

Did he mean he knew sneaking up on her scared her? Or was he talking about his marriage proposal? Rather than dig herself into a hole, she bit back the demand for clarification.

During dinner she shared the abbreviated version of her pregnancy and Eliza’s birth while Kade pored over the pictures and information in the baby book. When Eliza began to fuss, Skylar taught him how to mix formula, how to warm a cold bottle and how to test the temperature. After he finished feeding Eliza, Sky tossed him a spit-up rag and instructed him on burping.

Kade listened so attentively Skylar half-expected him to whip out a notebook and jot down notes. It didn’t faze him when Eliza barfed all over him. Changing a diaper didn’t make him turn green. He walked the floor until Eliza fell asleep in his arms, and he still wouldn’t relinquish his hold on her.

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“Seriously. Put her in the bassinet. She’ll nap for an hour and then she’ll want to eat again before she’s out for the night. Or part of the night. She still doesn’t sleep straight through.”

Reluctantly, Kade laid Eliza on her back in the bassinet, tucked a blanket around her and flopped on the opposite end of the couch.

He expelled a long slow breath. “We need to talk.”

She waited, half-afraid/half-curious about how this’d play out.

A beat passed. “First off, I wouldn’t have taken the job if I woulda known you were pregnant.”