Branded (9 page)

The cowboy in front of her made her
knees wobble, and she knew he was Ted.

He was as sexy as his brother, and
even though she could see some resemblance, they were not the same.
They both had blond hair and were muscular, but the similarities
ended there. Matt had tidy hair, and whenever she’d seen him he’d
been dressed in a smart-casual way, but always topped off with the
boots and hat. Ted, on the other hand, had wild, untamed hair with
a hint of curl. He also had on clothes that said he’d been working
outside around and with animals and the land.

Where Matt had looked strong, his
brother looked powerful and a bit rough. They were brothers, both
ranchers, and had their own personalities. She actually couldn’t
wait to get to know this brother, and discover first hand more of
what was the same and different about each of them.

“Welcome to Gardiner, Sakura,” he
said with an essence of sincerity as he wrapped his arms around her
and pulled her close enough to place a gentle kiss on her lips.
“I’m glad you two made it safely. I never believed you wouldn’t
come, but it’s still great to finally see you in person. Matt said
you were gorgeous and he wasn’t lying.”

It wasn’t something that had ever
happened to her before, but he left her tongue tied. All she
managed in return for the compliment was a blush and small smile.
As the fog in her head started to clear, she wondered if he’d heard
Sunny’s question about bondage and ménages, and the red heat on her
face spread.

“How about if my friend and
foreman, Jon Black, and I join you ladies for lunch, tell you
anything you want to know? When we’re done, we’ll take you out to
the ranch. The guest house is ready. You two can get settled and
rest up before dinner tonight.”

“Sounds great, doesn’t it, Molly?”
She ignored everything else racing through her head and answered as
best she could. There wasn’t anything wrong with getting to know
the two men they’d be working with better, and Sakura looked over
at her friend for confirmation.

No answer came from the other woman
because she was busy staring at something beyond Ted. Sakura looked
around him and discovered the other cowboy, only this one was
different. He was tall, powerfully built, with darker skin. His
straight, silky black hair which fell shy of his shoulders and
startling clear blue eyes were striking.

There was an element of stillness
about him she found intriguing, and apparently her best friend
found him attractive.

Sakura had never before seen Molly
give a man the time of day, but she couldn’t pull her gaze from
this one. Just in case she was reading her friend wrong, Sakura
gave her another verbal push.

“Molly?”

“Fine, yes, yes, sounds great.
Lunch.”

“Good. I’m going to the restroom to
freshen up and will be right back.” She started to walk in the
direction she’d seen her friend go earlier and was joined by
Sunny.

“I’ll show you the way.” The other
woman smiled and put her arm through hers as they moved through the
diner. When they were in the hallway, they stopped and finished
their conversation. “It doesn’t matter what experience you have or
are looking for. All you need to do is remember what I said
earlier. You’re the one in charge.”

“Thank you, Sunny. I appreciate
your advice. I don’t know what to do next.”

“Trust me, with Ted and Matt,
nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—will happen until you demand
it. From what Court told me, they’re too afraid to lose you to do
anything to scare you away. They’re determined to let you set the
pace.”

“I’m glad we stopped here for a
bite to eat. Thank you for your help.” Sakura reflected. If they
ended up staying longer than the job entailed in Gardiner, then
Sakura knew she, Molly, and this woman would be good
friends.

“My pleasure. Now, you’d best hurry
up. You’ve left your friend with Jon Black and he couldn’t take his
eyes off her. He’s stunning, strong, and a real sweetheart, but
don’t let him fool you. The man may be quiet, but he never ends a
day without the woman of his choice in his bed.”

Understanding what the woman was
talking about, they laughed together and separated with the promise
to meet up again. As she splashed cool water on her face, she knew
they would meet again because she wasn’t leaving. Even though
they’d talked on the phone, meeting Ted in person, feeling him hold
her close and kiss her gently, put the decision in her head and
possibly her heart.

No longer would she look for a
reason to stay after the job was finished. She already had
it.

She was home.

“Have you seen anything you hadn’t
expected while driving across America?” Throughout lunch and now
driving to the ranch, Ted tried to keep the conversation away from
where his mind kept traveling. Sakura coming to Montana meant she
was willing to consider them both as partners. No matter how much
he wanted it to happen, there was a chance it wouldn’t.

She may be smart, but she was
delicate and feminine, and his protective instincts rushed forward.
He was a big guy used to dealing with cattle and getting dirty from
riding all day. He didn’t want to do anything to scare her back to
Japan.

“I’ve discovered how diverse your
country is. State by state, even on a smaller scale, from town to
town, the people were all unique. Accents varied and not by north,
south, east and west like you see in the movies. They changed
within the same state. However, we have found one thing common
everywhere we stopped.”

“Okay, you’ve got me, what is it?”
It was interesting listening to her talk and was glad her friend
rode with Jon in the rental car with their luggage. He had time and
space to get to know her better and that was what he wanted
most.

He heard a hint of a Japanese
accent, but in person she sounded more British English than he
expected. Yes, he’d spoken on the phone with her, many times,
except apparent nuances of someone’s voice were easily lost along
the way. He looked forward to asking her to teach him some
Japanese.

“Cheese and potatoes. Americans
seem to have affection for these two things and they are
everywhere. In the morning with eggs, although at lunchtime is
where we noticed them listed the most. Then, at dinner, we found no
matter where we were in the country, diner or restaurant, macaroni
and cheese with French fries was offered.”

“You’re right. I like my eggs in
the morning covered in salsa and cheese with a side of bacon and
hash browns. I make great grilled cheese sandwiches with potato
chips and will never walk away from a big steak with a baked potato
on the side. Interesting.” Ted laughed at what she told him. He
never noticed the oddity before and knew he would from now
on.

“Nothing wrong with it. Molly and I
noticed them everywhere we went for a meal.” The smile on her face
was matched by one in her voice.

“What route did you take here? All
we knew was you’d be here sometime this weekend, or at least we
hoped you’d come.”

“We weren’t sure how long the drive
would take or the length of the other meetings we’d scheduled.
Doing things this way allowed us to err on the safe side and we
over-estimated our arrival time.”

“No big deal, we’re glad you made
it safely. Probably would’ve made us worry more if we’d had a
specific time and you were late, especially considering you were
two beautiful ladies driving alone. What did you see along the way
you liked the best?” It actually bothered him not to have had more
details about the trip they made on their own. Matt hadn’t wanted
to push, but he’d been concerned and wished she’d offered more than
generally where they were and when to expect them to
arrive.

“Well, we started out in Charlotte,
North Carolina and got settled into the time differences. From
there we drove to Pittsburgh, over to Chicago, and finally here.
The first part of our drive was incredibly green and lush. I
remember Virginia the most. No more palm trees like there’d been in
North Carolina, but plenty of historical sites, grassy hills filled
with horses, and eventually steep mountains. It was beautiful,
although I think Chicago was my favorite stop. I’ve read about the
city in books and seen it in movies, but there was much more to it
in person.”

“And the drive from there to here,
how did that leg go?”

“Long,” she sighed, speaking
volumes about that part of the trip.

“Can’t fault you there. It’s many
miles of driving along relatively straight roads across flat
plains. Not always exciting, although striking. Unfortunately the
trains aren’t an option anymore and flying is cheaper than it used
to be, although it’s going up in price. Many people choose to fly,
which allows them to get where they’re going all the sooner. Time
is money and all that, but they miss out on discovering the real
America found best in small towns like ours.”

“You’re right. If we’d flown into
Bozeman and rented our car there, we would’ve missed out on meeting
some nice people, trying new foods, and seeing a small portion of
this huge country. It’s the little things that make a trip special
and make the adventure ours.”

“Well, here’s another first.
Welcome to the Big W Ranch.” Ted turned to look at her and smiled.
He turned off the highway and drove through the tall gates, pleased
she was finally on their territory. By passing over the cattle
grid, he had a new feeling about coming home he’d never had before,
and figured it had everything to do with the woman at his
side.

For the next couple of months,
they’d be working hard to double tag the newborn calves, and get
the tracking program up and running without any hitches. It wasn’t
going to be an easy project to put into action, although it would
definitely give them all a chance to become better
acquainted.

As the idea formed, he needed to
clarify things for himself. From listening to Matt talk about her
and from his own conversations with Sakura, he already knew they’d
fit well together. They’d be happy living behind a white picket
fence. However, no matter how much he wanted her, Ted knew he and
his brother needed to give her time to decide what she wanted for
herself.

The future would be much better
with her in their lives.

“It’s big and open, do you have any
neighbors?”

Ted liked her wide-eyed expression.
He wanted a woman in his life, one who hadn’t seen it all and tried
anything for a quick thrill. It looked like he’d found one who was
that, and smart and beautiful. Sakura was an intriguing mix he
couldn’t wait to learn more about.

“Except for Sunny and Court, who
breed and train horses to the southwest, and the Flemings to the
north who are trying their hand at bison, there are none for quite
a distance. When we were growing up there were more farms being
actively worked by families with multiple generations under one
roof. Unfortunately, the recent trend is for conglomerates to buy
up land to ranch on a much larger industrial scale. We weren’t
ready to give up our way of life and are trying to make it
work.”

Turning to the right, he bypassed
the barn where everything happened and where he normally parked.
Wanting to give Sakura a nice introduction to their home, he pulled
in front of the small house where he and Matt grew up.

“This is a beautiful home, Ted.
Exactly how I pictured it,” she exclaimed, and her enthusiasm made
him smile. Walking over to her side, he was thrilled when she put
her hands on his shoulders as he helped her out of his truck. Even
though he wanted to pull her close and kiss her soft lips, he
wouldn’t because he was dirty. At least his hands were clean and
they were the only bit of him to touch the beautiful woman as he
set her carefully on the ground.

“Matt and I were born and grew up
in this house. Once we both returned home as adults to live and
work, it became obvious it was too small for us. We had another
place built and use this one for company. Let me show you around.”
He motioned with his hand for her to walk before him.

There was a small front garden full
of their mother’s rose bushes, with a white picket fence. There
wasn’t one at the moment, but when a gentle breeze wafted through
it would cast their scent far and wide. They never hid the smell of
a working ranch, but it reminded him of when they were young and
his mom spent hours tending her flowers.

He liked the memories. They made
him think the white picket fence lifestyle was still out there.
Their friends Sunny and Court, two people as kinky as he, had the
life he wanted and made him wonder if it was attainable for
him.

Watching Sakura slowly take in her
surroundings as she walked the path to the front door sent passion
rushing to pool between his legs. His dick hardened as an image
formed of coming home after a day of dirty work to find the
delicate beauty in front of him naked and on her knees, eager to
play with either him or his brother, or both. Yeah, he wanted a
white picket fenced household, and he wanted it with
Sakura.

Reaching around her, he opened the
door and held it for her to walk through. She was a tiny thing and
walked under his outstretched arm with ease.