Colton Family Showdown Read online

  His hooded gaze dropped to her lips and it felt like forever before his mouth covered hers. The hot, frenzied contact wrapped around her, them, a silky cocoon she didn’t want to escape. When he lifted his head they were both gasping.

  What was that? Off balance, she clutched his shoulders until the world righted itself. She couldn’t ask. Not until she was ready to hear the answer.

  His stomach growled and they both smiled. While she fixed a hot ham and Swiss sandwich for him they chatted about Wyatt’s cattle and Fox’s horses. She set the plate in front of him and poured a tall glass of water for each of them before taking a seat.

  Talking with him, exchanging ideas on everything from the breeding to John to the ranch operations in general, had become one of the highlights of her day.

  “The baby went down okay?”

  “He did.”

  Fox’s brow flexed. “And you’re feeling all right?”

  “Better than,” she said. “You haven’t changed your mind about having me here?”

  He pinned her with a look that left her breathless. “I haven’t changed my mind, Kelsey.”

  “Good.” Something in his voice left her unsettled, as if she’d missed a topic change or the punchline of a joke. “Do you want anything else?”

  He stared at her for a moment, his mouth curving into a sexy grin. Pushing his plate aside, he boosted her up onto the island and stepped between her open thighs. She welcomed his ravishing kiss, sliding her hands up under his shirt. She could almost hear the click as her world snapped back into place.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning in the office, Fox tried to put Wyatt’s advice to work. With his monitor full of data on horses, his mind worked full-time on a Kelsey analysis. More precisely, he was working on a solution to address the undeniable connection growing between them.

  He couldn’t be objective. Every assessment and review cycled back to the same conclusion: he loved her. Bigger than proximity or lust, this went into completely new territory. He’d known the love of family. That began with his mother. And he’d lay down his life for his sister or any of his other siblings. That was a love he understood with or without DNA markers.

  Granted, he’d only been a temporary dad for a few weeks, but he’d jump in front of a charging bull for Baby John, too. Seeing Kelsey with the baby added yet another layer of love every time. He hadn’t known his heart could hold so much joy.

  Clearly, love had nothing to do with the quantity of the genetic material involved or the duration of a connection. No, his initial analysis indicated love was more reliant on the quality of the connection. The X-factor, he thought with a snort.

  “Did you find something?” Kelsey asked.

  He glanced across the office to where the baby played on a colorful blanket while she continued her reading.

  “Time will tell.” What would she do if he blurted out an I love you or shared his top solution to send her brothers packing? He wrote those three powerful words on a notepad instead, staring at them. How could he convince her he wasn’t infatuated with great sex and a convenient arrangement?

  She hadn’t given him any verbal indication of her feelings, either. If there was a rule about who should say it first, he didn’t know it. No way would he do an internet search on that topic while she was right here in the office.

  After the run-in with her brothers he worried that she’d feel cornered if he told her how he felt. She’d overcome so much to shake free of her rigid expectations and make her own way in the world.

  Wyatt would tell him to man up. If the woman he loved had been courageous enough to blaze her own trail, she deserved a man courageous enough to risk rejection.

  Fox had muddied the waters with Kelsey. Why would she believe he loved her when the scales were so unbalanced? She was giving him and the baby so much more than he was giving her. He just had to put it all out there, had to be clear about what he wanted and listen to what she needed.

  What if she didn’t want him?

  He fought against a flurry of insecurities. His father had been a hard man, and Mara had done everything but shun him. Russ had raised him as his own, yet even that relationship had its pitfalls.

  “Fox?”

  His head snapped up, eager for the distraction. “What do you need?”

  “Do we have more highlighters?” She held up a neon yellow marker. “This one’s dry.”

  He rooted around in his desk drawer until he found what she wanted and walked it over to her.

  “Thanks.” She immediately put it to use. “This could be helpful when we finally dig into your losses last season.”

  “I’m pleased that we’re at zero losses so far this season.” It wouldn’t last, but it was an excellent start.

  One of the brightest minds in the field had sought him out and Kelsey’s enthusiasm and insight had sparked several new ideas already. He would change at least two of his breeding plans because of her. Whether or not she stayed, with him personally or professionally, he’d see her for years to come in the foals that resulted from those changes.

  He poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and watched her with the baby. John sat up and squealed, then rolled down to his belly again. Kelsey, engrossed with her reading a moment ago, gave him a big smile and heaped on praise. Satisfied, they both went back to their tasks.

  Great. The baby could articulate his feelings better than Fox.

  He opened his mouth to start the conversation about hiring a nanny and the baby made a sound of frustration, his little hands grasping for something just out of reach. Patiently, Kelsey helped him retrieve the toy. Baby John gurgled and tossed it out of reach again.

  In a corner of his mind, Fox could see the three of them bobbing along on a soft cloud of happiness. An unexpected family, but a family rooted in love. If he wasn’t careful, he might break into song. He was assuming too much, getting too tied up in what could be. Better to wait on any declarations, at least until they knew what would happen with John.

  Calling himself a coward, Fox returned to his desk and hid behind his monitors and his coffee. He’d find a way to convince Kelsey of his plans and his feelings just as soon as he had the words sorted out in his head.

  * * *

  Kelsey wasn’t sure if it was being inspired by Fox or having the built-in mental breaks between study and baby care, but she was making great progress catching up on the Crooked C breeding history. Of course, she couldn’t discount the effect of working with a sexy scientist who was so focused he rarely caught her staring.

  Sitting on the floor next to John, she highlighted another passage on managing mare breeding cycles while keeping him amused. He was winding down and soon she’d take him up out to the barn before his midday nap. She’d learned the short walk and some time with the horses helped him sleep more soundly.

  “Hey, Kelsey?”

  She glanced up, expecting to find Fox staring at a monitor. Her heart skipped when she caught him staring at her, his reading glasses hooked in the placket of his Henley shirt. “Did you find something new?”

  A shy smile curved his lips. “I’m not sure how to do this the right way.” The smile faded and a small frown puckered his brow. “We’ve crossed a few lines along the way, but I want this to be clear. I want you to hear me.”

  Her stomach clenched. Was he firing her? He didn’t have a reputation for sleeping with assistants and dumping them. It was her brothers—it had to be. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to eliminate the risk she posed to his business and his family and friends. She’d fallen in love with Fox, just in time for her past to wreck everything.

  The baby fussed, as if sensing her distress. She picked him up and bounced him gently on her knees until he giggled. “Just say it, Fox.”

  “Right, sure.” He had a dopey grin on his face. “You’re so good with the baby.” He cleared his throat an
d the furrow returned. “I wish you could be his nanny full-time.”

  “I don’t understand.” Was he unhappy with her work? She had no idea if the loose feeling in her belly was a good or bad sign. The heat rising in her face she understood. That was frustration exacerbated by the small, mean voice in her head screaming at the unfairness of life.

  Years of running and working and scraping by only to wind up as a nanny to the man she admired? She adored the baby, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t put her dreams and plans on hold, not even for Fox.

  “No,” he murmured. “No, I botched that.” He was across the room before she realized he’d moved. He plucked the baby from her arms and reached out to help her to her feet. “You’re so good with the baby and even better with the work you came here to do. I doubt we’ll find a nanny half as good as you, but we have to try. Whether it’s another week or a month, I don’t want your focus divided anymore.”

  “You’re putting the priority on me? Professionally.” That was more than she’d hoped for at any of stage of her career.

  “Yes. I should’ve done it right away,” he said.

  “Wow.” She looked around the office. “This isn’t because we’re, um, sleeping together?”

  He gave her a knowing grin that sent a sizzle along her skin. “No.”

  The baby, tired and growing fussy, leaned for Kelsey. Fox had a good hold on him, but she reached out automatically. The little guy snuggled in, his downy hair soft against her neck. She swayed from side to side and pressed a kiss to that sweet-smelling head.

  “What do you say?” Fox braced on the desk, his long legs crossed at the ankle, his arms folded as well, as if he was protecting himself from her answer. “I just want someone who can watch him for us during business hours. We can handle him the rest of the time, right?”

  Yes! Yes! Yes! A satisfied smirk teased the corner of his mouth and she gave in to the urge to kiss him.

  “You know, if we have a nanny, it’s possible we could connect on a personal level, inside the office, too.”

  As his meaning registered, she felt her cheeks flame. Her fair skin was useless at hiding her feelings. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Am I?”

  Not a bit, but she shouldn’t encourage him. She distracted herself with the baby for a moment, trying to maintain some professional decorum.

  “Kelsey, you’re a talented geneticist,” Fox said. “We’re a good team and we’ll do good things.”

  She tucked the baby’s pacifier into his mouth. “I agree.”

  “I also care about you. Us.”

  She lifted her gaze to his, deeply moved by the sincerity she found in his blue eyes. The man could talk science for hours, but the personal side of things seemed to muddle him up. She couldn’t read too much into it or make any big assumptions. What he’d learned about his family history had to be affecting him. The news he’d faced would rattle anyone.

  However awkwardly they’d begun, they were on solid footing now. He reached out and touched the baby’s hand.

  The stark love on his face when he looked at the baby filled her with wonder. Longing. And a little worry. What would he do when Baby John was settled with his father or a permanent family?

  “You’re amazing,” Fox said. “With him. With me. But you’re even more talented with genetics.”

  The compliment sent a shock wave through her system. It was like the Fourth of July and Christmas rolled up into one giant explosion of giddy happiness. “Thanks,” she murmured.

  He moved in, brushing his lips over the baby’s cheek, and then kissed her with more intent, the tender contact full of sensual promises. Her lips tingling, she carried the baby out of the office and into the crisp autumn air.

  * * *

  Alone, Fox pumped a fist, proud of himself for recovering from the rocky start. He didn’t know how to label their current relationship, but he didn’t let that mute the high of knowing they had time to figure it out.

  He returned to his work, only moderately distracted by visions of Kelsey’s fair skin blushing with pleasure at his compliments. She was so smart and competent, he forgot she was still building up confidence after her unusual upbringing.

  He ignored the sounds of a car outside. Ranch business meant vehicles came and went throughout the day. If anyone needed him, they’d find him in due time.

  A piercing scream sounded outside and shattered his concentration. Kelsey and the baby had gone for their daily walk to the barn. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911 as he bolted out of the office.

  Had her brothers returned? Was it the Avalanche Killer? No. He couldn’t lose her. Not her, not her, he chanted in his head, while he frantically gave his address to the emergency operator.

  He saw the van first, down the road from the barn. Then he saw her.

  Kelsey, her hair a trail of pale fire streaming behind her, fought off two men. Both much bigger than her—everyone was bigger than her. One had red hair and the other wore a Broncos ball cap.

  Her brothers. Damn it.

  For a moment, he marveled at the way she moved, the speed and strikes. She was holding her own. Ducking low, she rolled away from David and into Saul.

  David recovered and grabbed her in a choke hold, thumping her against the side of the barn. “You’re coming home.”

  “You’ve had enough time to play,” Saul added, straightening his shirt.

  Somewhere in the barn, the baby cried.

  “Stop right there,” Fox shouted. Why had he grabbed his phone instead of his shotgun? “You’re trespassing. The sheriff is on the way.”

  “She’s coming with us,” David snarled.

  John’s cries ratcheted up, as if he too protested that statement.

  Fox inched closer. “Only if I hear that from her.”

  David gave her a shake. “Tell him.”

  “Let me go,” Kelsey rasped.

  “Tell him.”

  Her brother screamed as she became a flurry of motion, stabbing him in the eye and turning him until he was trapped between her elbow strikes and knees to his groin and the unyielding wall of the barn. David slumped to the ground, choking on a nosebleed as he tried to crawl away.

  Saul raced to intervene. Fox lunged, tackling him from behind. Fox didn’t have Kelsey’s impressive skill, but he had the experience of brothers and fought dirty, driving Saul’s face into the dirt and pulling his arm up behind his back.

  By the time Trey and Deputy Bloom arrived, amid blaring lights and sirens, he and Kelsey had her brothers subdued.

  “Where’s John?” Fox asked Kelsey.

  “Tucked into the dry three-foot tank near the tack room,” she replied.

  The sheriff secured David and Saul with plastic zip tie handcuffs, and Kelsey rushed to comfort the baby while Fox gave a statement. When she returned, holding John, she’d never looked more beautiful.

  “Warrior,” he murmured, taking the baby. “The sheriff needs your statement.”

  Shaking out her arms, she walked Trey through the attack. Fox listened to her explain how the van rolled up, interrupting her walk with the baby. Her brothers had let her put the baby in a safe place, then David dragged her toward the vehicle.

  Goose bumps rose on Fox’s arms and he stopped swaying. The baby whimpered enough for him to resume the motion as she continued her story. “I slipped his hold and ran. That way.” She pointed to the spot where Fox had found her. “I had just enough time to scream.”

  It would be a long time before Fox forgot that scream.

  “This time they came at me together.”

  “This time?” the sheriff and Fox asked in unison.

  “They’ve tried to abduct me before.” Her chin lifted in defiance. “Usually one lies in wait and the other harbors delusions of grandeur as a getaway driver.”

  “How many time
s?”

  “This makes three direct attacks in the past two years.”

  Fox recognized Trey’s temper nearing the flash point. “All in this state?” Trey asked, glaring at the cuffed men.

  “No, sir,” Kelsey replied. “This is their first attempt in Colorado.”

  “Did you file complaints on those occasions?”

  “No, sir. In the past, after escaping, I went into hiding or moved.”

  Fox suppressed a chill. He would not allow Kelsey to run away this time.

  Trey stalked backed to David and Saul. “You two have harassed this girl enough.”

  “She’s our sister. It’s our business.”

  Furious, Trey and Deputy Bloom read the brothers their rights and loaded them into the car. “Someone will be by to tow the van,” Trey said to Fox.

  “Great.” Fox shook his cousin’s hand. “We appreciate this.” Though Kelsey’s reasons might differ from his, he knew they were both delighted and relieved to see her brothers in cuffs, facing charges for assault and attempted kidnapping.

  Beside him, Kelsey took a slow, deep breath. He put his arm around her shoulders, the quiver of nerves and adrenaline almost imperceptible now. The woman blew him away. “You can take care of yourself.”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the sheriff drive out of sight. “I appreciate the backup.”

  It didn’t matter to him that Kelsey was an expert in hand-to-hand combat and could hold her own in a fight. He would not take any more chances with her. His heart couldn’t take this. She had nine more siblings who might try to force her into fulfilling the hope for a family fortune.

  “That’s it,” he said, making his decision as they walked toward the house.

  “I’ll take the baby,” she said. “Make a bottle.”

  “You can make the bottle. I’ll feed him while you pack a bag for him and you. We’re leaving.”

  She paused, staring up at him. “What are you talking about?”