To Tame a Wilde (Wilde in Wyoming) (6 page)

“I know, Pika... I’m sorry,” she said as he reached over and gave her a quick impromptu hug.

“You didn’t do anything, Sonia. It’s me.” He laughed without humor. “Just trying to figure all of this out. Figured us coming together, showing unity, would send a message, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck in an unconscious gesture he and his brother shared when they were uncertain.

Sonia recognized the gesture and her face softened even more.

“That’s pretty important to you, isn’t it? The family showing unity?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning to put away the supplies. There was a short silence before Sonia spoke.

“Well, that’s good enough for me. What can I do to help? And, yes, Pika...I know that my husband put this ball in your court,” she said.

He turned to face her, surprised.

She shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I can’t—or won’t—help my favorite brother-in-law out,” she said, volleying back his earlier words with a spin. “So...what’s the plan?”

He glanced at Sonia as she rubbed her hands together, preparing to plot like that cheesy villain in a badly produced horror flick he’d thought of earlier.

He laughed outright.

Chapter 9

N
ick was unlike anyone that Sinclair had ever met.

After the dinner with his family the night before, a few days after her arrival at the ranch, he was more of an enigma than ever to Sinclair.

She’d been glad for the reprieve; instead of facing his family that same horrendous day of her arrival, she’d been able to take a few days, acclimate to the time change as well as relax a bit.

She’d gone back to her room, unpacked and gotten herself “comfortable.” She was a self-proclaimed “neat freak,” preferring things be put in an orderly fashion.

It came from a lifetime of living in smaller quarters. She and her father had lived in one of the guest cottages on the Wilde Ranch, as many of the families had, and although the cottage was nicely kept—quaint—it hadn’t been large. However, it had been enough room for the two of them.

Dorm life and a series of smaller studios and apartments had strengthened her habits. So, after making sure she’d put everything in its place, she’d also set up all of her gadgets: laptop, iPad, iPad mini and iPhone. She was a self-proclaimed gadget junkie.

Then she’d promptly fallen asleep after taking a long hot shower. The last thought on her mind: Nick Kealoha.

After waking up the next day, refreshed, she’d called the ranch. When Ellie Wilde had answered, she’d smiled. Sinclair loved all of the Wilde women. Each woman was unique, with her own very distinct personality, and they were all very loving women.

Yet, of all the Wilde women, she identified with Ellie the most.

Studious and serious, Ellie, too, had grown up around the ranch. Although she hadn’t actually lived on the ranch, as she and Yasmine Wilde had, Ellie knew ranch life just as well, if not more. Her father had been the veterinarian for the Wilde Ranch and Ellie had followed in his footsteps.

The reason Sinclair identified with Ellie just a little more than Yasmine was that in addition to being an academic, as Sinclair had been, Ellie tended to be quiet, and had also grown up with only her father as a parent.

She smiled, now, as she took out a mug from the small overhead cabinet and poured herself a cup of the coffee she’d brewed. Taking it, she sat at the small table in the kitchenette of her suite and recalled their earlier phone conversation.

“Hi, ladybug, how’s it going?” Ellie had asked in her low-toned, melodic voice.

“It’s going!” she’d said, grimacing.

She’d laughed when Ellie replied, “Oh, Lord...what’s happened so far? That didn’t sound so good!”

She’d briefly retold what had happened to her during her trip so far, making light of the entire thing. As well as glossing over the effect Nick Kealoha seemed to have on her. She was close to the Wilde women, but not ready to disclose how she felt about Nickolas Kealoha.

She herself wasn’t even sure how she felt.

“And how’s it going with Nick Kealoha?”

The direct question had made her tense. Had Ellie somehow known about her odd relationship with the Kealoha?

“Nate mentioned that he was your point of contact? Or are you dealing with the other brother...Keanu?”

She’d felt her body relax. Ellie hadn’t known. Sinclair had briefed her on what had occurred, and asked Ellie to relay the message to the Wilde men that she’d met with the Kealohas and everything was on task.

After that, she’d caught up on ranch life with Ellie. She’d smiled and given her loving congratulations when Ellie told her that she and Shilah recently found out they were pregnant.

“How is he taking it?” Sinclair had asked, a grin on her face as she’d pictured Ellie’s husband watching her every move. Just as his brothers were when it came to their women, Shilah Wilde was fiercely protective of Ellie. Although she had a practice in the city, seeing domesticated animals of the town near their ranch, Ellie was not only the vet for the Wilde Ranch but would also lend a hand when needed on the smaller ranches nearby. The work could be hard and grueling, particularly when it was a difficult birth for one of the larger animals.

Because of this, Shilah tended to...worry about her. And that was putting it mildly. The man was crazy about his wife, she knew, which seemed to be a running theme with the Wildes.

Even before learning of the pregnancy, he would go with her when he could to help her in her practice, particularly when her father or one of her assistants was unable.

“Oh, my goodness...don’t get me started,” she had said with a wry laugh. “Now what do you
think,
Sinclair?” Ellie’d then asked, sounding exasperated. But Sinclair knew that the woman loved every minute of her husband’s overprotective ways. The Wilde men were alpha men; no two ways about it, they protected what they considered theirs.

“I can only imagine.” She’d laughed along with Ellie and listened as she’d filled her in on the other happenings on the ranch.

Sinclair sat back in the chair and finished her coffee, the smile on her face slowly dropping as she thought back over the dinner she’d had with the Kealohas and what she
hadn’t
told Ellie.

* * *

Not knowing what to expect, Sinclair dressed carefully for her meeting with the Kealohas. Although he’d made it seem as though it were just a friendly meet-and-greet dinner at the ranch, in her mind, Sinclair firmly placed it in the business-only category.

It was bad enough she was having a difficult time separating business from pleasure with Nick, thinking not only of their six-month-long...foreplay, she thought, blushing, but of their over-the-top explosive first meeting, as well.

She still blushed thinking of their first meeting earlier that week. The way he’d been instrumental in taking feelings that she’d already begun to sense—feelings she didn’t want to name—to the nth degree, turning her on, making her sweat...making her wet.

She ran her hands over her hair.

She’d spent the past few days learning as much about the Kealohas and their ranch as she could, all low key, not asking overt questions of anyone, just casual questions, as though she were another tourist. Her objective: knowing who she was dealing with from a different vantage point.

Which wasn’t difficult; everyone knew the Kealohas, both the locals as well as the tourists. She’d learned more than she’d wanted to while on a tourist shuttle and listening to the two young ladies giggling in front of her. Twins, from the looks of them, they spoke loud enough for anyone to hear about how they were going to meet the “dynamic duo” and what they were going to do to them once they did.

Sinclair prided herself on being a grown woman, confident and accomplished.

Although somewhat inexperienced, she still thought herself to be sophisticated and aware...but after listening to the young women, she didn’t know the last time she’d blushed and been more uncomfortable...yet strangely intrigued. Were some of the things they’d said even humanly possible to perform? she wondered.

Besides her encounter with the amorous twins, exploring the island the Kealohas’ A’kela Ranch was located on had been an eye-opener for Sinclair. She had seen for herself the amazing impact their ranch had on their community as one of the most profitable family-owned ranches in all of Hawaii.

She’d gone into one of the local shops and listened as the owner had been on the phone with someone from the Kealoha ranch. After hanging up, there’d been a relieved smile on the woman’s aged, dusky face. “Thank God for the Kealohas,” she’d said and smiled at Sinclair.

“Something good happen?” Sinclair had boldly asked, yet kept her voice and question light.

“My grandson attends the University of Hawaii,” she’d said, gathering Sinclair’s small items and preparing to ring them up. “Money was getting tighter, and the Aloha Keiki Foundation is going to pick up the tab for his senior year!” she’d told her, a wide smile on her brown, leathery face.

Sinclair had smiled and congratulated the woman, yet she’d been bothered by the idea that she had been wrong about the Kealohas. A pensive mood engulfed her for the rest of the day, as she’d toured the small town and learned of other small ways the Kealohas impacted the community they lived in.

* * *

She arrived at the family’s sprawling ranch home on time and ready. She’d brought everything with her, armed herself with her beloved electronic gadgets as well as the documents she’d again gone over to make sure she’d covered all of the facts Nick had made bullet points about. She was ready for the family meeting with her guard up, ready to defend her Wildes
if
and
when
the opportunity arose.

Surprisingly, as the night wore on, the need for a swift defense would never come up.

She was greeted at the door by the housekeeper, who she learned was known simply as Mahi. Although concise in manner and speech, she felt the warmth in his welcome of her into their home.

She smiled at his demeanor. It reminded her keenly of Mama Lilly, the woman who had been the housekeeper for the Wildes from the time Clint Jedediah Wilde had bought the ranch. Like Lilly, Mahi’s easy manner was one that instantly put her at ease.

And if she’d thought Mahi had been a fluke, she’d been mistaken, quickly.

“Come in, come in! You must be Ms. Adams. So nice to meet you. I’m Sonia Kealoha!” No sooner had she been ushered into the large, majestic-looking foyer, than a beautiful woman was headed her way, hand outstretched. Close behind her was a man Sinclair knew had to be Nick’s identical twin, Keanu Kealoha.

Forcing a smile on her face, and telling her feet to move forward, she placed a hand within the woman’s and shook it, her grip firm.

“Mrs. Kealoha, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, keeping a pleasant expression on her face. “I saw the new documentary on ranching and the impact on the environment from a naturalist point of view that you directed a few months ago on the network. Very impressive.”

The woman’s eyes widened fractionally before the smile blossomed even more.

“Why, thank you so much. That means a lot! It’s a new venture of mine, producing documentaries. It’s been quite a change from my normal undertakings. A little scary, but hey, change is good.” She stopped and smiled, her cheeks dimpling as she did. With a shrug she continued, “And not only did I direct it, I produced it,” she said, and Sinclair caught the way her husband’s hand tightened more on her waist and the pride in his blue eyes as he glanced at his wife as she spoke. “I’m very proud of the reception it has been receiving. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!”

“I did, very much. I rarely have time for television, but when I saw the reviews of your documentary, it was something I knew I couldn’t miss. And I was right. It was brilliant!”

Everything she said was true. The documentary had been riveting, and unlike many documentaries on the environment, it had been vibrant and at times even funny.

Sonia Kealoha was eating up the compliments with a big smile on her face. It didn’t hurt Sinclair in her end game;
keep the enemy off guard.

“And as I’m sure you know, this is my husband, Key...Keanu, that is,” she said as the man came closer. He stuck out a hand for her to shake.

Okay, this is it,
she thought.
No way is he going to be as welcoming as his wife, or even the housekeeper, for that matter.

To say she was surprised with the honest warmth reflected in his blue eyes—eyes that were identical to the man she’d once referred to as a blue-eyed devil—was putting it past mild.

“Honey, I told you about Ms. Adams joining us for dinner, right?” the woman asked, upping the wattage on her smile a hundredfold.

He smiled down at his wife. The arm he had casually wrapped around her waist when he’d first come by her side tightened just a fraction, the long fingers massaging the indenture of her waist.

Hmm. Interesting,
Sinclair thought.

She caught the passing glance between the pair. It was...a conspirator’s look they had exchanged.

Sinclair cataloged it. And promptly pushed it to the back of her mind for later contemplation.

“You mean the text you sent to the phone I left on our bedside table this morning? The phone that got trampled when I broke in one of the new horses? The phone I asked, since you were headed to town, if you could take with you to see about getting me a new one? That phone?” He said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

His wife’s feigned look of surprise didn’t even look real to Sinclair, and she didn’t know the woman.

Sonia bit her bottom lip, fighting the grin that Sinclair could see was tugging the corners of her generous mouth as she grinned unrepentantly up at her handsome husband.

She reached a hand up to pat his lean cheek. “Oh, baby, I forgot about that!” she replied. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?” she asked, and again she had the butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth expression on her pretty face.

If anything, her grin deepened.

Against her will, Sinclair found herself intrigued by the couple’s playing.

“Hmm. Maybe,” he said, his gaze catching on her mouth before sliding up to her face. “I’m sure I can think of something. We’ll talk about your punishment later tonight.”

“Am I in trouble?” she asked. But the way she said it... Sinclair fought against a blush. She felt like a voyeur.

“You might be.”

Sinclair caught the way Sonia’s eyes widened and the look her husband gave her made Sinclair’s blush break completely free.

She’d seen that same look on his brother’s face just two days prior, when she’d been in his office.

Directed at her.

She felt a fine line of sweat bead on her brow and trickle down her cheek.

If she didn’t know any better she’d swear she had bypassed her productive years and been slammed straight into menopause with the swamp of heat.

She felt her entire body heat up, wondering if it had been a good idea to accept the invitation to dinner, after all.

“I see you’ve met my brother and sister-in-law.... Please, don’t mind them. Come on in.”

All three turned when Nick’s deep voice interrupted. Sinclair had never been so glad to hear his voice.