Rocky Mountain Desire: Six Pack Ranch, Book 3 (14 page)

She shook herself. “Sorry, distracted.”

Jaxi snorted. “Once you get undistracted, can you come and play? Stay for supper, help me wipe baby bottoms. Bring over whatever you’re working on and I can help you.”

“Like you need more hobbies.”

“Seriously, I’m thinking about doing some more sewing. These cold days it would be a nice task to keep me busy.”

Hope hauled her things together, tossing in a prepackaged baby quilt kit she had done up as a sample. If Jaxi was serious about wanting to try something—and knowing Jaxi and her endless energy, she probably was—it would be a great chance to discover if her kit would help newbies to quilting.

The drive to the ranch was no warmer than in the days of using Herbie, but the massive truck’s tires gripped the road better, and she certainly sat high enough to have plenty of warning as she approached intersections.

She pulled into the yard at Jaxi and Blake’s, the second of the original Coleman homesteads. The older buildings of the ranch were well maintained, barns on the nearby section tidy and everything in their place. Hope appreciated the work the family put in even as she ached a little.

There was so much pride and love visible among the Colemans—with her own messed-up family and the lack of trust, it hurt to acknowledge what she’d never had.

Now, stepping more fully into their midst? Where she’d longed to be when her own family had exploded into chaos? She’d have given anything back then for the Coleman clan’s protection when the screaming and throwing and accusations had begun.

A horrible thought hit, and Hope actually stopped in the parking space and clutched the wheel hard. Was she with Matt to be with the Colemans? To experience the whole warmth of family because she’d missed it in her past?

Then his smile flashed to mind, the sexy lift of his eyes as he met her gaze, and she relaxed. There might be a part inside that wanted things associated with the man, but she was pretty sure the man himself was the first and most attractive draw.

Jaxi held the door open for her, a baby balanced on her hip. “I wondered if you’d gone to sleep out there.”

Hope put her bags on the table and got rid of her warm clothing. “Just thinking.”

“Good thoughts? And do you want a coffee?”

“I would kiss you for a coffee.”

Jaxi pursed her lips and blew before heading to the counter to deal one-handed with their drinks. Hope rubbed her palms together to make sure her hands weren’t too cold then reached into the playpen for the little girl staring up at her with wide eyes.

“You going to get fussy if I try to hold you?”

Jaxi laughed. “Becca will let you love on her all you want. It’s this one who’s being mama’s girl. Ain’t ’cha, Rae?”

Hope sat at the table and arranged the toddler in her lap. Rebecca played happily with the lace Hope had added to the collar of her V-necked T-shirt.

Jaxi passed over a cup then organized herself across the table. “Now, spill. What made you sit out in the car in the cold like that?”

Hope stared across the room at the pretty blonde. They’d been friends off and on over the years, more off for the past couple simply because of distance with Hope being away for school. Even though she was three years younger, Jaxi had been around the community since the start. She knew all the history of all the locals, including Hope’s. “Remember my folks? Every time they started to fight, I cut out and hid. Helen had Matt to hang out with to get away from the shouting, but I didn’t have anywhere to go.”

“Wow, you are going back in time. What’s making you think about the bad old days? You hear from Helen again or something?”

“Not since Christmas Day, but…”
Bah.
She didn’t want to do this, and yet if anyone would understand, it should be Jaxi. “What if I’m with Matt for the wrong reasons?”

Her friend’s grin flashed brightly and chased away some of the gloom threatening the shining goodness of the day. “Oh, you. Let’s see—he turns you on big-time, he takes caring for people to the extreme, he’s got an awesome sister-in-law—those all sound like great reasons to admire the guy.”

Hope stuck out her tongue briefly at Jaxi’s list before shooting back. “He used to see my sister, he takes care of everyone, and you’re already my friend. Not good enough.”

“Not good enough? What is this? I missed there was a checklist of things you had to have approved before you could get involved with a guy.”

Hope sipped her coffee then slid the cup farther onto the table out of the reach of little fingers. “I like your family, Jaxi. I’ll admit it. The Colemans, with their great big
take everyone under their wing
attitude makes something inside me ache at times. What if I’m just wanting that family thing, and going through Matt to get it?”

Jaxi’s teasing smile faded, but her eyes lit up. “Okay, I do understand this one, more than you think because I had to figure it out as well. You know I wanted Blake for years before I got him to…”

“Cave?” Hope got a huge grin in response to that one.

“Yeah, eventually all his protests collapsed like a rotten barn. Hope, my folks are nothing close to the disaster yours were, but still not the type of people that I longed to be with. Did I marry Blake to become a part of a family that’s huge and crazy and totally into being there for each other? Yes.”

Hope choked for a second. She totally hadn’t expected that answer. “Yes?”

Jaxi widened her eyes innocently. “Of course I did, but that’s because it’s the family around him that turned him into the man I needed. Everything he had growing up, all the fighting and playing with his brothers, and the hard work and the good times—that’s what made him who he is.”

“So me craving Matt’s company isn’t some weird obsession about wanting what Helen used to have?”

Her friend shrugged. “That I can’t tell you. You got jealousy issues regarding your sister? You have to deal with them. But I think wanting to be with Matt isn’t something you need to scrutinize this much. He’s a great guy. He likes you. You like him. Isn’t that enough?”

Hope looked around, feeling the warmth in the kitchen, taking in the wiggling girls and the contented smile on her friend’s face. “Then I’ll stop analyzing and we can enjoy some of those cookies. And some sewing, if you were serious.”

Jaxi rose and came over to hug her for a second, toddlers’ arms tangling the embrace like some crazy octopus of humanity, and Hope had to smile because it was completely what she’d come to expect in this house. Unconditional love, with sticky fingers and sloppy kisses thrown in as a bonus.

“You’re coming in for supper, right?” Blake poked Matt for a moment and drew his attention from the motor repair he was finishing on the seeder.

“I said I would. You okay with me showering at your place or want me to head home first?”

Blake called over his shoulder as he walked away, ropes in either hand. “Just come in. Get cleaned up in the basement. You know you have stuff in the spare room still.”

“I should get my things out of there soon. You’re going to need the room for your family eventually.”

“No rush. I imagine the girls will be sharing a room for a while. So until the next kid arrives, you’re good.”

Matt jerked upright. “You guys having another one already?”

“Who knows? The twins are already nine months, and just the other day Jaxi pointed out it takes nine months to grow one. She wants to space them out around two years, so if she gets pregnant during the next six months—”

The burst of laughter escaped involuntarily. “You’re as bad as Dad calculating when the heifers need to be bred.”

Blake turned and flashed a grin, calling down the length of the barn as he paced backward. “I want to be in the room when you call Jaxi a heifer. Go on, do it. I dare you.”

“Right. And you promise to come and visit me in the hospital while I’m in traction?”

They finished their jobs and headed toward the house. Even after a full day working, Matt felt relaxed from spending time in Blake’s easy company. His contentment grew as he spotted Hope’s truck in the yard. Although, as happy as he was to see she was there, he still planned to get Blake sometime for that travesty.

They entered the house together, the scents of home wrapping around Matt and hitting him hard.

“Where’s my girls?” Blake roared like a bear and squeals of delight echoed back. He ignored the little ones for a minute as they clamoured for his attention in the playpen. “I see one, two baby bears, but where’s…ah, there’s the mama bear.”

He swept Jaxi into his arms and kissed her soundly. The noises from the babies got louder, but Blake ignored them for another minute before finally releasing a breathless Jaxi who now wore a rather pink-cheeked smile.

“Blake, you gonna do that every day for the rest of our lives?”

He nodded. “Yup. Which is why short stuff one and two can just learn that I greet you first. So, no more complaining, okay?”

Jaxi planted her hands on her hips and grinned at her husband. “Hell, I’m not complaining. Just making sure I know what’s going on.” While Blake stepped away to pick up his happy little girls, she turned her smile Matt’s direction and winked. “Hey, you. Joining us for dinner?”

“Your cooking beats mine any day, and you know it.” He looked around, but other than the telltale sewing machines on the kitchen table, there was no sign of Hope. He glanced back to find Jaxi’s grin had gotten bigger. “What?”

“She’s either setting the dining room table, since we’ve got a mess in here, or she’s grabbing some potatoes from the cellar.” Jaxi sniffed then wrinkled her nose. “And you might want to go get cleaned up before you try anything funny on her—Blake can get away with more because he’s already signed, sealed and delivered.”

“Am I that rank?”

She lifted one brow. “You need to ask?”

Damn.
There went the idea of charging into the dining room and planting one on Hope before anything else.

“Fine. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Matt grabbed a clean set of clothes from the dresser in the spare room, then slipped downstairs and hit the shower. He’d enjoyed seeing Blake’s method of greeting his wife after the day’s labours. Of course, since his daddy still did pretty much the same thing to his ma every time they were apart for any length of time, he wasn’t sure why it had surprised him.

And the fact he wanted to kiss Hope the same way? Hell, he wanted to do more than that. This waiting business was beginning to irk him more than he’d thought possible.

His body stirred as he pictured her sweet smile with that added twist of mischief. His cock hardened, remembering the brushes and contact between the two of them. Imagining what other things he’d like to experience along with the taste of her lips and the flushed heat of her skin.

Washing quickly wasn’t going to work, not today. Not if he didn’t want to be sitting at the table with wood, because even the thought of kissing the woman got him going.

Matt gave in and lathered up before wrapping a hand around his cock. Long hard stokes followed, the soap letting him thrust easier, his other hand cupping his balls briefly as he imagined Hope on her knees in front of him, her hands caressing and working him. As he tried to figure exactly how good her mouth would feel on his dick, warmer than his hand, slick with her saliva, her tongue pressing and lapping all the right parts of his length.

He leaned back on the shower stall and thrust slower, wanting like crazy for this to be real and not be him jerking off by himself again. Would she try to tease in the bedroom? He liked her saucy attitude, but in bed, he wanted her to be his. All the ways he wanted her, her pussy, her mouth—totally under his command. He groaned as he pictured her, naked and waiting, tousled and tied on his bed with pillows shoved under her hips. Another slow press forward into his fist followed as he pictured his cock entering her body, fucking her completely, no part unclaimed.

A tiny sound caught his attention. His hands still moving, he glanced to his right. Hope stood in the now-open bathroom doorway, the slit between the curtain and the stall enough to reveal she was watching, her eyes huge, her lips wet from where she’d just licked them.

Whatever devil sat on his shoulder took control and he pushed the fabric back another couple inches, continuing to stroke his shaft with his other hand. He didn’t falter, only locked his gaze on her face to see what exactly she would do now that she’d been caught sneaking a peek.

She jolted upright, but didn’t flee. Their eyes met for a moment, then her gaze dropped, intent on his cock, staring as if mesmerized by his hands working his shaft.

God, he was going to last all of two seconds now. He squeezed harder, turning his stance slightly, giving her the best view he could. Tension built to the point of no return, and he slowed, his abdomen muscles tightening as his balls pulled up. Harder now, hard enough to ride the edge of pain. Semen blasted from the end of his cock, his head fell back against the stall, but somehow he kept his eyes open to enjoy every second of the expressions racing over her face. The way her cheeks grew redder, the way she squirmed, as if she was a part of the action. He slowed further, his breath escaping in short gasps, chest heaving as he fought for balance.

Jerking off with Hope as an audience was way better than by himself.

When she lifted her gaze to meet his, something violently wild and wonderfully intimate passed between them, and his cock jerked. Then she smiled and left the room.

Her ghostly presence lingered, urging him to hurry and dress. He had to sneak in a kiss before supper.

Chapter Twelve

“It all looked backward until the final minute.” Marion Coleman peered closer at the sample swatch. “That is amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. Sometimes it’s more complicated describing the technique than doing it.” Hope handed the square back to Marion, then moved around the table to the next quilter.

There was warmth in the room that didn’t just come from the fireplace. Hope smiled contentedly as she calculated the number of women who’d joined the new quilters club.