Nothing But Trouble (23 page)

It was nearly midnight when Melanie heard the faint knock on her bedroom door.  Within seconds, Stoney was inside her room, coming toward the bed. She noticed his quiet step was due to him having taken off his boots.

“What are you doing in here at this time of the night?” Melanie lifted the blanket up to her chin in a futile attempt to hide from Stoney.

He ignored her by sitting on the bed next to her and pulling at the blanket teasingly.  “I should think it’s obvious.”

She threw a plump, feathered pillow at him.  “With your parents just down the hall?  What will your mother think of me?”  She giggled as he nuzzled the soft flesh beneath her ear.  The warm, musky scent of his skin immediately triggered sweet memories of their love making in the mountains.

“Could we please not talk about my mother right now?  In fact, let’s not talk at all.”  He waggled his eyebrows and pulled her into the circle of his arms, pressing his mouth over hers.  He kissed her sweetly, not like the hard passionate kisses they’d share before.  But it was just as wonderful as the rest.

“If I didn't say it before, thanks,” he said.

Melanie snuggled deeper into his arms.  “For what?”

“For everything.  It's been a long time since I've seen my folks this happy.”

“I have to admit I was in a panic.  I didn't think Wally was ever going to get in that saddle.”

Stoney chuckled softly.  “There's going to be no keeping him out of it now.  That's for sure.”

“I'm glad for him.”

“I took your suggestion and talked to Mitch.”

She sat up and looked at him, startled.  “About buying the ranch?”

He shrugged.  “Yeah.  Well, buying a share of it.”

“He's open to the idea?”

Stoney turned to his side and propped his head up with his hand.  He fiddled with Melanie's long brown curls hanging over her chest.  “I think it's going to work out.”

Melanie couldn't help but smile.  “This calls for a celebration.”

He kissed her soundly.  “That's what I'm doing here, Sunshine.”

“No, I mean a real celebration.”

He rolled over on her, covering her body completely.  She could feel his hard arousal pressing against her thigh as his tongue traced her lips.  “Tomorrow.  After the rodeo.  There'll be plenty of time for celebrating then.  Right now, I think a private celebration is in order.”

Stoney stayed, making love with her into the night, holding her until the early morning.  Melanie wondered how life could ever be anything better that how it was right then.  He'd asked her to stay with him at Black Rock.  But he never once told her he loved her.  Without love, what did their future hold?  As wonderful as today had been, tomorow seemed so uncertain.

* * *

Stoney finished his early chores of feeding the horses and cleaning the stalls before he had to get ready for the Frontier Days Rodeo.  Even with this deal with Mitch pending, any money he could pull in for the ranch was going to be a big help.  He had his sights set high for a first place win today.

Melanie was in the kitchen helping his mother with some baking when he heard the phone ring.  He went about his business of getting ready for the rodeo as he listened to her talking on the phone, wondering if she'd finally decided to call her folks and tell them what happened.  A minute later, he heard footsteps in the hallway coming toward the dining room.

Melanie stood straight and hard as nails.  Her arms were knotted across her chest, and she was breathing heavy, just glaring at him.  Stoney knew he was in trouble for something, he just couldn’t figure out what.

He continued loading his spurs and chaps in his duffel bag, pulling away from her stare.  “What’s on your mind, Sunshine?”

“I just got a very interesting phone call,” she said hotly.

“You parents?”

“Ivan Collins.”  Her voice was low, he noticed, but had an edge that belied her control.

Damn, Stoney swore silently.  He’d hoped he didn’t have to deal with this now.  Not before a rodeo.  He knew that Ivan Collins would call eventually.  He just didn’t think it would be this soon.

His stomach churned, but he tried to act aloof. “Really?”

“Cut the crap, Stoney.  Why didn’t you tell me about Ivan’s offer to work with the Park Services?”

“You said you wanted to go to Kenya.  I didn’t think there was a point.”

She sucked in a breath that caused him to look up at her.  Her full lips trembled slightly, he noticed, even though she tried to keep her control.  “Is that what you want me to do?”

“It matters more what you want.”

She stood silent, her eyes drawn and filled with moisture.  It was if he’d just slapped her.

He hated to see her sad.  More than anything he wanted to hold her and tell her he wanted her to stay, that he wanted her here with him, in his arms, in his bed for the rest of his life.  He didn’t want her taking chances with her life.  But that wasn't the way it was going to be, and they both knew it. 

He forced air past the lump in his throat.  “You keep telling me you want your life back.  You have big dreams that...I can’t understand.  But no one should keep you from going to Africa if that’s what you want.”

“You know what's going to happen as soon as my father finds out-”  She stopped short and stared blankly at him as if she were processing the series of events leading up to that moment.  She lifted her hands and slowly brushed her dark hair away from her face with great control.  “That’s what you want, too, isn’t it?”

“They’re your dreams, Sunshine.  Not mine.  You should have the chance if you want is all I’m saying.”

She sniffed back a sob and advanced toward him.  For a moment, he thought she might be angry enough to strike him, and he had the gut reaction to take a step backwards.  But Melanie held her hands stiffly by her side.  She was too civilized for the kind of physical thrashing he'd seen at cowboy bars.  Instead she leaned forward and placed her flat palms on the dining room table, glaring at him.  “Liar.  It’s a whole line of crap, Stoney.  You’re trying to keep me safe.”  She drew in a deep breath, her anger mounting.  “You know my father will keep me from going to Kenya.  He has the money to do it.”

 And he had nothing, Stoney said silently to himself.  Nothing but a broken down ranch in need of a hell of a lot of hard work to keep it going. 

She was right, and what killed him the most was the coward he was being by not facing the truth himself.  He knew if he’d told her about the offer with the Park Services, she would have considered staying in Wyoming.  But he couldn’t keep her safe, and he had nothing else but his love to offer her to keep her in his arms.  That wasn’t enough.  She deserved much more than he could ever give her.

“I’ve got a rodeo to get to,” he finally said.

She laughed wryly.  “So that's it?  End of discussion.  You've got a rodeo to go to so why not take the easy way out.”

Every muscle in his face tightened.  He drew in a deep breath and lifted his head to look at her.  He gasped softly when he was met by her shattered expression.  Damn, he wanted to hold her.  He wanted to tell her how much he loved and needed her in his life.  Always.  He wanted to drink in her heavenly scent and roll with her through the night, making sweet love under the stars like they had in the mountains.  He wanted to hold her until the sun rose over the hills every morning.  And he wanted his sweet Sunshine to have and to hold.  But he had his pride.  A man had to provide for a woman, even if she had her own interests.  And he needed to keep her safe.  If she stayed in Wyoming with him, in his arms, he couldn’t do either. 

“You think it was easy for me watching you go through hell and back out there in the mountains?  You think it’ll be easy the next time you go out not knowing if you’ll be coming back to my arms?”

She let out a quick breath, her shoulders sagging.  “I can’t live in a bubble, Stoney.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“Yes, you are.  You want to keep me locked up just because you’re afraid.  I can't live like that.  Nobody can.”

“Okay, maybe I am.  But I don’t want to think about it every time you walk out the door.  I never want to feel that helpless, not knowing if you’re slipping away from me again.  I can't live like that, wondering if you're hurt or dying or-”

She pushed at the duffel bag holding all his gear for the rodeo.  “How is this different?  You can stand here and tell me you don’t want me to take chances, but your own mother is a wreck about you going off to this rodeo today.”

He forced his fingers through his thick hair.  “She’s always been like this.  It’ll be okay.”

“How do you know?  You've been hurt before.  How can you be so certain some bull isn’t going stomp all over you and you won’t be the one coming home?  How do you think that makes me feel?”

He reached out and tried to take her in his arms, but she flinched.  As hard as it was, as much as he wanted to comfort her, he let her go.  “I promise you.  Nothing is going to happen to me.”

She stared at him in disbelief.  “You can't make that promise.”

He knew she was right.  He was being pigheaded and male and prideful.  But dammit, he loved her.  And he’d be damned if he was going to help her put herself in harm's way again.

“Can't we just talk about this later?  I have to go,” he said softly.  “Are you coming with me?”

He saw her full lips tremble, but her eyes were dry. “No,” she said, turning away from him toward the stairway.  She gripped the railing and lifted one foot to the stair tread before she turned back and looked at him.  The determined fire in her eyes said it all.  “I’m not going anywhere if I stay here.”

# # #

Chapter Twelve

Stoney returned from the rodeo ready to celebrate his win only to find that Melanie had packed her things and left Black Rock.  He'd asked her to stay with him in Wyoming.  She hadn't given him any definite answer.  Apparently, she'd made up her mind. 

He gave no explanation to his mother about Melanie's sudden departure.  Since his foul mood had gotten the best of him, Adele didn't press the issue.  He was grateful for that. 

The business of saving Black Rock took over most of his time, not giving him much more than the quiet hours of the night to think about how much he missed Melanie.  They had to move quickly now. 

As Stoney had anticipated, Wally Buxton was madder than a bull dog whose bone was snatch from under his nose when he found out Stoney had approached Mitch about buying into Black Rock.  It had taken a little persuasion, but in the end, his father agreed that it was the only way to save the ranch, and calmed enough by the time the men moiled through the paperwork.  With a little more capital, they’d be able to get the loan.  As hard as it was to give up a piece of the ranch, selling off an interest to Mitch would save their home and livelihood.  When everyone finally emerged from the dining room, there had been plenty of hand shakes and smiles.  They’d found their miracle in the final hour. 

Stoney only wished he could find a miracle to help him with Melanie.