Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection (9 page)

Chapter 18

Luke

The horse flew off all four feet, but hell if I was going to let him win. Our battle of wills was going to come to an end, but I wasn’t going to be on the losing side. My ass slammed the saddle hard, forcing me to grunt in pain. The ranch, the barn and the house passed by in a jumpy blur. My hands and legs were tired, but I held on. Eventually, the horse decided bucking and kicking was taking too much effort. He snorted in short, fast spurts as he dropped into an easy lope around the pen.

Getting on an angry horse, when I was angry myself, had probably not been the best plan. But I needed to finish breaking the colt, and I needed to blow off some steam. I figured I could do both in the round pen. I’d been neglecting everything— working out, riding, practicing with the bulls and work I needed to do on the ranch because I’d been completely preoccupied with McKenna. It had been worth every damn minute. The time with her had been amazing. But, it seemed she was determined to give up on the whole thing as easily as someone might return a pair of ill-fitting boots.

Lionel, one of the ranch hands, had come out to watch, just in case I took a header or got stomped. Maybe I needed a little stomping. After the scene with McKenna, it already felt as if someone had pounded on my chest.

The horse kept up the lope without too much prodding. I sat back and pulled the reins. “Whoa.” The animal wasn’t stopping or turning on a dime yet, but he’d get there eventually. He was happy to slow down to a walk.

“What have you decided to name him?” Lionel asked.

“I think I’ll name him Stubborn.”

Lionel laughed. “Good idea.”

“Don’t know why it’s taken me so long to break this one. I guess I’ve had other things on my mind.”

“I guess so.” It was impossible to miss the sarcasm in his tone.

Along with Drake, Lionel had been the only other person on the ranch who knew that McKenna and I had been seeing each other. But I wasn’t in the mood to get into it with him. That was for damn sure.

“When I went up to the house before I came out here, I noticed your dad had a visitor,” Lionel said.

“Oh yeah? What visitor?”

Lionel stared up at me as I passed, shocked that I didn’t seem to know what he was talking about. “You mean you didn’t invite her?”

“You’re talking in circles, Lionel. Invite who?”

“Your tie-me-up and strip-me-down girl was in the office having a conversation with your dad. Just figured you would have known.”

“Chloe?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Fuck.” I slid down off the horse. “Unsaddle him and give him a rinse. I’ve got to head inside.”

“You think she was here to cause trouble?” Lionel asked as he took the reins from my hand.

“When isn’t she causing trouble?” I lumbered across the barnyard and headed toward the house. I had no real way of knowing what the hell Chloe had come for, but I doubted it had to do with the fact that we’d been fucking for the last six months. Her husband was, after all, a friend of my dad’s. Maybe something was wrong with Mike. I kept that possible thought alive as I strode across the yard. Chloe’s Jaguar was nowhere in sight. At least I wouldn’t have to see her too.

The second I stepped inside, Britty, the housekeeper, let me know that Dad wanted to see me in his study. I was definitely not in the mood for one of his fucking lectures. I knocked and pushed the door open. Dad looked up from his desk with that stern brow I had always feared as a kid. But these days, it just annoyed me.

“Luke, step in here and close the door.”

Chapter 19

McKenna

My limbs felt like lead, and an achy feeling consumed my whole body. Heartbreak. I was feeling the horrible after effects of heartbreak. I’d warned myself not to fall for Luke. But the warnings had come from my head, and my heart had never been a great listener. But I’d pouted long enough.

The hunger pangs in my stomach prodded me up and out of the room. Earlier, I’d seen Luke walk out to the barn, so I was sure I could make it to the kitchen for a quick snack without running into him. After I’d finally stopped crying, I’d given some thought to all this. I needed to get back on my feet, sooner rather than later. If John didn’t mind, I would stick it out here just until I found a place to stay. I’d decided to give Texas a try. The job prospects here were better than California. And sadly, I had no one waiting for me back home. Joshua had managed to offend and scare off the few friends I’d had. Hooking up with him had been such a mistake. I’d really screwed up with that relationship. It seemed I should have learned my lesson by now. But apparently not. Only this time, it was my heart that had been left in tatters by my bad decision. I couldn’t even let my mind drift to thoughts about Luke. It twisted me up inside just thinking about him. 

The hallway was quiet, which was a good sign. I would scurry downstairs, grab a banana or some crackers and then carry the food to my room to eat. My whole plan seemed comical as I pictured myself moving stealthily through the house with my stolen snack. But I couldn’t possibly face Luke yet. I needed a day or two without crossing his path. I knew it wasn’t enough time to heal the rip in my heart, but it would be easier not to see him. It would make leaving simpler too.

I rounded the hallway that led to the kitchen. As I passed John’s office door, I could hear loud, angry voices inside. The words were mostly muffled, but it was easy to hear that John and Luke were arguing.

I spun around, deciding the snack mission was too risky. As I hurried back down the hallway, one word came clear and sharp to my ear. Stepsister.

I froze and tiptoed back to the door. I knew eavesdropping was wrong, but I needed to know what they were arguing about. A sudden panic swept over me. Had Luke told him?

I pressed my ear closer. The thick paneling on the expensive door made it hard to hear inside.

“Excuse me, Luke, for thinking that you had an ounce of self-control. I invited her here because she needed a place to stay. I was married to her mother, for fucksake,” John shouted.  “I admit, I was a little worried when I saw how pretty McKenna was, especially knowing your extreme lack of willpower when a beautiful woman is involved. But I expected better of you, Luke. Christ, you are a disappointment. And you’ve both been disrespectful to her mother’s memory.”

The tears rolled again. I didn’t wait to hear Luke’s response. God, what a mess I’d made of things. And now, John’s opinion of me had changed forever. I needed to right this. I needed to leave the ranch, so they could go back to normal. Soon, I’d just be a distant memory to the Maverick men.

I ran back to my room. I would use my credit card to get a room in town for the night. I’d be away from here and away from everyone. It would give me a chance to clear my head and decide what the heck I was going to do next.

Chapter 20

McKenna

The dreary little motel room with its tobacco stained walls, faded floral bedding and sour smelling carpet fit my mood perfectly. I’d managed to leave the ranch unnoticed, and now I was sitting alone in one of the dingiest motel rooms I’d ever seen.

One thing about living in a massive home, it was easy not to run into the other inhabitants. My bedroom at the ranch had a window that afforded me a view of the front drive. After the argument in his dad’s office, Luke had stormed off in his jeep. I’d seen John leave as well. I’d used my phone to book a room in a nearby motel and had thrown my clothes and belongings into my suitcase. Only Britty, the housekeeper, had seen me leave, and that had been the fault of the taxi driver. I’d left specific directions for the cab to meet me on the street, but the silly man had come to the door.

With a heavy heart, I’d left the boots and hat that Luke had bought me in the bedroom. Along with the gifts, I’d left a short note telling him I was sorry and to thank his dad for the hospitality. But that was all. I didn’t have the courage to write more. The three pregnant mares had watched from their pasture as I rolled past in the yellow car. A lump had formed in my throat as I watched the ranch disappear.

After all the questionable decisions I’d made lately, I knew this one, the one to leave the ranch, had been a good one. The ranch could get back to normal.

So many times during the past few days, I’d worried that all of it would come to an ugly end. It had all been such a dream, such a wonderful dream. But that sinking feeling that it was too good to be true had plagued me through it all. And for good reason. It
had
been too good to be true. It seemed I was alone, after all.

The sun had set, and the only lamp in the room had one working bulb. The television had three channels and a dust coated monitor. Just after I’d arrived at the motel, I had walked to the corner liquor store to stock up on sugary crap to eat. I figured I deserved it.

I plucked a cookie from the box and leaned back against the rattling headboard. It wasn’t quite like my gorgeous room at the ranch, and there would be no visit from the equally gorgeous cowboy tonight. Hell, I missed his touch already. I would never find that kind of physical connection with anyone else. Maybe that was for the best too. Connections like that only brought heartbreak.

The motel was situated just a few feet from a busy highway. Every time an eighteen wheeled truck rolled past, the entire room shook. There seemed to be a lot of cranky, horn-honking drivers and loud motorcycles on this stretch of road too. As exhausted as I was from the day, a day that had started so perfectly and ended so badly, I was sure I wouldn’t sleep much.

The pillows smelled even worse than the rug as I lowered my head down. Just when I’d convinced myself that things couldn’t get any worse, someone knocked on the door. My first instinct was to yank the comforter over my head. They would go away if I just stayed perfectly still. It was probably someone who couldn’t remember their room number.

I peeked above the edge of the blanket. A tall shadow floated across the curtain on the front window, and footsteps plodded down the strip of cement running along the rooms. The person had left. I tried to relax, but my heart was still racing.

I sat up, more sure than ever that I wouldn’t get any sleep. The moment of fear I’d just experienced made me miss Luke even more. I’d never felt as safe as I had in his arms. When he held me, it seemed as if he’d truly wanted me. I had definitely wanted him.

As I reached to the nightstand for another cookie, a key clinked into the door lock. It had to be the manager. Who else would have a key? Maybe my credit card had been turned down. I jumped off the bed. The door swung open.

“Joshua.” A breath caught in my chest.

A lecherous smile crept up on his face as he swung the spare room key around on his finger. “Told them I was your husband and that I didn’t want to wake you.” He swung the door shut. “Hello, sweetheart. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Chapter 21

Luke

I shoved my gloved fingers beneath the rope and signaled to Drake that I was ready. The chute sprung open and Tornado kicked out of the gate. My free hand waved in the air as I tried to catch the rhythm of the animal beneath me. Tornado was a veteran. He’d won Bucking Bull of the Year twice. His owner had tried to retire him and let the bull have pasture time, but Tornado had grown depressed. Between competitions, he was my practice bull. Most of the time, we were completely in unison. My body flowed with his kicks, spins and twists, giving me that eight second ride I needed to earn a score. But the events of the day had left me off balance. Five seconds in, instead of moving with the bull, my body was being jarred and launched. I had to bail out. My body thudded across the dirt ground. Drake helped the ranch hand distract Tornado while I climbed out of the pen.

I yanked off my gloves and ripped open the Velcro on my vest.

“What the hell was that?” Drake asked as he came up behind me.

“Just off today, that’s all.” Drake had had business in the city, and he hadn’t been around most of the day. Right after the shitty fucking scene with Dad, he’d called to see if I was up for some practice at the training pens. I took him up on it. I still hadn’t told him what’d happened.

He walked alongside me. “That was more than just an off day out there. You looked as if you’d never sat on a bull in your life.”

I scrubbed my face with my hands. My skin was covered in sweat and grit. “Dad knows,” I said.

“Dad knows what?” he asked, and then it seemed to penetrate his thick head. “Oh shit. So was he pissed?”

“Yep. I had to endure one of his lectures about propriety and morality and all that other crap. He is such a damn hypocrite.”

I began taking off my chaps. I was done getting body slammed today. I’d already had my heart thumped and my face slapped and my judgment questioned. I didn’t need any more fucking abuse today.

“How did Dad find out?” Drake asked.

“Chloe. She came to the ranch personally to tell him.”

“I figured she was the kind of girl you don’t cross.”

I stripped off my vest. Sweat dripped down my shirt. “Yeah, that little affair has hurt me in more ways than one today.”

“What do you mean?” Drake carried my vest and chaps into the equipment room and walked back out.

“Let’s just say that Dad wasted one of his most obnoxious lectures today. McKenna was already through with me long before he started his rant.”

I grabbed a water bottle from the jeep and chugged it.

“Sorry about that, Bro. I know you really liked her. Don’t know when I’ve ever seen you become attached to a girl like that.”

“Yeah. Figures I’d pick the one girl that I’m not supposed to have.”

Chapter 22

Luke

By the time I’d pulled up the driveway to the ranch, I’d convinced myself that I needed to talk to McKenna. Having her mad at me was eating me up inside. Fuck my dad’s protestations. I wasn’t willing to give up on her that easily. She’d already invaded both my heart and my soul. I couldn’t just let her go without a fight.

I’d gone straight in for a shower and shave, then I headed to McKenna’s room. I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to say, but this time I would let my heart lead. I would tell her what I felt and try hard to keep the asshole side of my personality silent for a change.

I knocked and wasn’t surprised that there was no response. “McKenna, let’s talk.”

Silence.

I reached for the doorknob. It was unlocked. I pushed it open. The boots and hat I’d bought her were sitting on a chair with an apology note. She was gone.

I rushed downstairs and found Britty in the kitchen having tea. “Where’s McKenna?”

She looked confused. “She left this afternoon. Right after you and your father drove off. I assumed you knew.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“Taxi driver came to the door and said he was here to take her to the Driftwood Motel.”

“Driftwood. Right.” I turned to leave.

“Seems everyone is looking for that girl today,” Britty commented.

I swung around. “Everyone? Who else was looking for her?”

She put some cream in her tea and stirred it. “Just after the taxi picked her up, her brother came to the door. I told him that she was at the motel.”

“Her brother?”

Britty lifted the tea cup to her mouth but stopped halfway when she saw my expression. “Have I done something wrong?”

I shook my head. “Not your fault, Britty. But I need to get to that motel. McKenna doesn’t have a brother.”