12-Alarm Cowboys (17 page)

Well, this morning, the sun is up and I have other things to worry about, like the job I already have and the ranch I get paid very well to take care of.

Those words made her think that maybe the idea had been brought on by the adrenaline and excitement of the call. Or maybe the marijuana. Now that had worn off, and in the light of day he realized he had it damned good where he was.

Austin elbowed her and Sunny stumbled. “Stop frowning, or you’ll get wrinkles on that gorgeous face of yours.” His wide, warm grin melted the ice in her veins, and showed he had wrinkles of his own around that sexy smile, crinkles beside his smoky gray eyes.

Those lines said he took life about as seriously as her brother did. He could—he wasn’t a single parent worrying about feeding and clothing his child. “I have a feeling I’ll earn every one of them before Billy is eighteen,” Sunny replied.

“You have a long row to hoe, Sunshine, so you should pace yourself.” Austin laughed again, and winked. The man laughed at everything, winked as if it were a habit or a tick. It was beginning to irritate her a little. What irritated her more though, was she liked it.

Jolie walked up to stand beside Austin, and shot a glance at Sunny as she waggled her eyebrows then put her hand on Austin’s arm. “Ooh, hi again,
Austin
, was it?” she purred, setting Sunny’s teeth on edge.

Austin turned, leaned an elbow on the counter and his eyes lit up as they streaked down Jolie’s body to her toes. His face split into a wide smile. “Hi, Jolie—How’s Tanner doing?”

Jolie chuckled, and gave him a saucy wink. “Other than having an extra hole in his behind, which made him damned grumpy, he was fine when he left the ER.”

The electricity buzzing between Jolie and Austin, their easy comradery, pissed Sunny off too. They both acted like they had nothing better to do than flirt. Well she had better things to do than spend her rare day off
watching
them flirt.

Sunny glared at Austin who was busy checking out Jolie’s curvy little body. “Is this the fricking social hour at the hospital, or are we actually here for a purpose?”

He dragged his eyes back to hers, and they sparked with agitation. “I need to check on Tanner to see when he’ll be released so I can update my boss,” Austin said shortly.

His boss?
Sunny had a hard time believing this man answered to anyone. He was too busy taking control of everything and everyone. “Then get it over with so I can drop you off at the ranch and get back home. I have things to do today.”

Austin’s smile slipped, and he leaned around Rand to talk to the nurse at the desk. When Jolie’s eyes fell to his ass, Sunny ground her teeth.

“When are we going to have that drink, Sunny? You free tonight?” Jolie asked, without dragging her eyes from Austin’s ass. Her friend was so tuned into the cowboy-firefighter, Sunny was very surprised Jolie even remembered she was standing there. Jolie puckered her lips and blew a breath, before her gaze swung to Sunny. “Sharkey’s at seven?”

“Yeah, I guess, if I’m back in time,” Sunny replied grumpily. She really wanted to tell Jolie she couldn’t make it now, she just wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat tonight. But she’d already put her off two times now, and promised the next time Jolie asked she would.

Austin stood back up and turned toward them. Jolie’s eyes immediately locked on his and she smiled that smile that could drop a man at fifty paces. Those slanted, cat-green eyes of hers traveled down Austin’s body to his boots, and glided back up. “You wanna come with us to Sharkey’s tonight, cowboy? I’ll teach you how to play pool.”

“He won’t be here,” Sunny interjected, grabbing Austin’s arm to forcefully turn him and push him toward the elevator. “We’re taking him back to his ranch.”
Where he belongs, and hopefully he’ll stay
. She released Austin’s arm and jabbed the button, but Billy tugged on her hand.

“Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” he said in distress, dancing from one foot to the other which told her he needed to go right then.

“I’ve told you time and again not to wait til the last minute,” she grated. Taking her son’s hand she towed him down the hall. “I’ll meet you at the truck.”

During the hour ride out to the ranch, things were eerily quiet inside the cab of the Suburban. The earlier games and giggling were gone, replaced by a strange tension. Billy had fallen asleep, and Sunny was tempted to wake him up just to break the silence.

Instead, she leaned her head back against the seat trying to sleep herself. Anything she dreamed while she slept couldn’t be any worse than the nightmare her life had become in the last two days. Well, hopefully it would be over soon. Austin said he needed to call his boss with an update on the ranch hand, so that must mean he was still employed at the ranch, right?

He obviously had a lot of responsibility, and she took him saying he was well taken care of there to mean financially. As far out in the boonies as the ranch was, there was no way it could be financially feasible for him to drive all the way to town for part-time shifts at the station, even Captain shifts, to get his foot in the door. That meant applying for the Chief’s job was out of the question too. The board always hired from within if someone qualified applied for the job. She was a qualified applicant, he wasn’t even an employee. Case closed.

The tightness in her shoulders eased some, and Sunny’s head lolled as she eased into a welcome, peaceful nap.

‡

A
ustin parked the
truck by the barn and glanced in the rearview to see his backseat passengers were sound asleep. One was making cute little sounds that reminded him of a kitten purring. The woman on the right side of the truck whose face was finally peaceful. Those tiny furrows that separated her tawny eyebrows relaxed. He figured the only time Sunny Gleason was truly relaxed, and not on guard and trying to control everything around her, was when she was sleeping. And like the guys at the station—her son, on the opposite side of the backseat, couldn’t relax either, unless his mother was sleeping.

With a huffed breath, Austin opened his door and walked around the truck. He met Rand on the other side. “I think the guys are out right now moving the broncs to another pasture. Go look around.” He pointed toward the long wooden building off to the right behind the largest barn. “The bunkhouse is over there.”

Rand gripped his shoulder smiling, and it reminded him of the one and only smile he’d seen on Sunny Gleason’s face out at the fire in the marijuana field. That woman needed to learn to loosen up and have a little fun for a change. Her brother was right about her being wrapped entirely too tight.

“Thanks man. You have no idea how much I appreciate you rescuing me from those women. Between Sunny and my Momma, and staring at the four walls I was real close to begging them to send me to the county mental hospital.”

“I appreciate the help,” Austin replied. “If you’re sure you’re back on your feet enough for the job?”

“I’m good to go,” Rand replied, tilting his chin arrogantly, again reminding Austin of the man’s sister. “This limp is not going to hold me back. They can shove the rest of that therapy and the damned cane they told me to use up their ass, because I’m way past done.”

More of that arrogance and bravado. It must be a family thing. Ditching therapy probably wasn’t the best idea for a man who had his hip and other body parts almost crushed by a bull. Neither was pushing his recovery by immediately getting back on said bull. At least if he was out here, he wouldn’t be getting back on a bull. Austin was going to make sure of it. Just like he was going to with Tanner, who he knew would be just as hardheaded as Rand when he got out of the hospital tomorrow.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, buddy,” Austin said, shaking his head.

“I got this,” Rand assured him with a cocky grin. “This will be a cake walk compared to what I usually do.”

“Okay, then. Go look around and we’ll catch up with you later. Let me know if you have any questions.”
And try to stay out of trouble. We’ve had enough of it around here lately
.

Austin watched Rand limp toward the barn before he turned to open the back door of the truck. Gently shaking Sunny’s shoulder he said, “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

And she was beautiful right then with the sun glinting off of her golden hair, her gorgeous face relaxed. She stirred, but Billy sat straight up, his face a comical mask of disorientation. Sunny though, just nuzzled her face into his hand and delicious fire sizzled up his arm.

Cupping her face, Austin lifted her lolling head and leaned near her ear. “Wake up, beautiful,” he murmured, taking the opportunity to inhale her fresh flowery scent. Austin knew he wouldn’t have the chance to do that when she was awake, because she’d never allow him, or anyone for that matter, close enough for that.

To his surprise, Sunny’s face rolled toward him and her lips brushed his. With a moan, she lifted her chin as if seeking out his mouth, her hot, sweet breaths scorched his lips, and those soft, wet lips drew him like a magnet. Austin knew he shouldn’t, really shouldn’t, but he had no control as he closed the fraction of an inch between them to press his mouth to hers.

Waves of liquid heat licked through his body setting every nerve on edge when she responded. Squirming closer, her mouth opened and Austin took advantage to deepen the kiss. He drank as much of her sweetness as she’d give him, lapped it up. Sunny’s breath quickened, the pulse at her neck pounded as he invited her tongue to dance with his. His cock went rock solid as the rasp of her tongue against his made every hair on his body stand on end. A whimper was his only warning she was awake, so shock rocked him when she bit down on his tongue. Hard enough that he tasted coppery blood, as with a yelp he pushed her away and staggered back.

His eyes darted past Sunny to Billy who was sitting on the other side of the seat grinning. How in the hell could he forget the kid was awake? When Sunny’s mouth touched his, when she responded to him, Austin had forgotten everything except her taste.

“You kissed my Mommy. Does that mean I’m going to have a brother?!?” Billy asked, with excitement.

Horror flowed through Austin. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Sunny gasped, and her angry eyes swung toward her son. “
No!
Why would you think that?” she demanded.

Billy shrugged, his face falling. “Grandma says that’s where babies come from. She said you kissed my daddy and made me.” His chin notched down toward his chest, and Austin’s heart jerked. “I wish I could’ve met my daddy.”

Sunny’s eyes were hot pools of misery when she averted her gaze from Billy to pin Austin with a glare. After a few deep breaths, she blew one out. “Well, Grandma missed one very important detail. I have to
agree
to be kissed, before that magic happens.”

“So, you liked kissing my daddy? You let him kiss you to make me?” Billy asked quickly.

Closing her eyes, to Austin it looked like Sunny was gathering every ounce of patience she had before she replied. “I gave him permission to kiss me, yes.”

Well, Austin would definitely look forward to the day when Sunny Gleason gave him permission to kiss her. He wanted another taste of those lips, and more. Maybe when she was sleeping again, next to him in bed, he thought, as she swung her long legs outside of the truck. Or when she was wide awake and moaning as she wrapped those long legs around his neck so he could kiss her there too. At that minute, doing that was all Austin could think of—and more.

“Mommy, I want you to give Austin permission to kiss you. I like him and I want a brother to play with!” he shouted, as he opened his door and slid out of the truck. Sunny groaned, leaning her head on the headrest of the front seat. Austin turned toward the barn, and discreetly adjusted himself.

“Come on Billy, let’s go see the barn,” he said gruffly, having mercy on Sunny, who looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown.

Sunny sat in the truck a few more minutes letting the hot sun beat down on her tingling legs and other body parts while she pulled herself together, both from her son’s unexpected words and from Austin McBride’s unexpected kiss.

I wish I could’ve met him
. Guilt pressed heavily on her shoulders and her soul. Had she done right by running away from Carrolton? At the time, Sunny was hurting so badly and was so desperate there hadn’t been another option.

Jason didn’t want to be in his life, she reminded herself.

“I’m not father material, Sunny. It’s your damned fault for not getting on birth control
.
There’s no way I’m paying for eighteen years for your mistake.”

“It takes two to make a baby, Jason. You decided to forget your condoms, remember?”

“It takes two to prevent it too—you should’ve been on the pill like I told you. This is your problem, not mine. I already have one kid I’m paying for that I didn’t want. Firefighters don’t make a lot of money, so there’s no way I can help you.”

A kid he’d never told her about, and they’d been dating two years. When she found out the other baby was less than a year old from one of the other firefighters, Sunny had been devastated. That meant Jason had been cheating on her when the other baby was conceived. Had probably been cheating with Lord knew how many women the whole time he called himself her boyfriend. When the guys at the station started apologizing for him, looking damned guilty, she knew. They’d all known about it. When the Chief called her into his office to talk about her pregnancy, her plans to continue her job at the station considering the pregnancy and the tension between her and Jason, she figured out he’d known too. And he was telling her, without telling her, he thought she should be the one to resign, which she’d done.