Possessor (Doms of Mountain Bend Book 5) Read online

  Leaning against him, Melanie traced one finger over his bicep, saying, “Tell me about the tomboy who stopped by on that big black horse. Who is she to you?”

  “Jealous?” Randy didn’t mention how ludicrous the very idea was.

  She cocked her head. “Should I be?”

  “No,” he returned shortly. “We kind of adopted her around here ages ago. Mickie’s a fucking fantastic rider and rancher for one so young, and I care a lot about her. She’s special but not like you, baby.”

  Randy cupped Melanie’s nape and drew her up for a deep, tongue-probing kiss, keeping her head immobile with one hand and her body still with a tight grip on one hip with his other. Innocent enough in appearances for public. He couldn’t fathom why Mickie’s disgruntled face popped into his head at the moment, but it was easy enough to shove the image aside and replace it with a picture of Melanie bound spread-eagle on his bed.

  Well, now I know where I stand. Mickie inched away from the open stable door, opting to go out through the front after hearing that exchange between Randy and the woman he preferred over her. She scrubbed an angry hand across her watery eyes, refusing to shed a tear over him or anyone else. Crying over what couldn’t be helped was a pathetic waste of time. Speaking of which, she thought, striding down the swept brick aisle between stalls, it was time for her to pull up her big girl panties and move on. This wasn’t the first bitter disappointment in her life, and she would get over it as easily as she had others.

  As much as she loved the ranch, Black Jack, and everyone here, she needed to forge her own path, find a place that was hers, not hang around someone else’s home wishing it was hers for real. But why did that decision have to hurt so much?

  Chapter Three

  Seven years later

  Exhilaration swept through Mickie as the difficult birth came to an end with the foal finally sliding from the mare’s body. With gloved hands, she assisted the little filly’s hind legs, its poor mother exhausted from the hours of labor and pain as Mickie worked to unwrap the umbilical cord from the foal’s neck. There was nothing like the heady feeling of success, and she had Doc Adams to thank for her advanced veterinary skills.

  Considered an expert in farm and ranch animals, Doc had offered her an internship her senior year in college and a job when she graduated. Between her education, the time she’d spent on the Daniels’ ranch, and working for Doc, there wasn’t much, if anything, she couldn’t handle in running a spread, her ultimate goal.

  “There you go, Mr. Dawson, another addition to your stables. From the looks of her, she’ll be a beauty.” Mickie gave the filly a quick onceover so as not to traumatize either of them and then stepped out of the stall.

  “I appreciate you getting out here so fast, Mickie,” Evan Dawson said as they walked out of the stable. “Especially this late at night. I worried I couldn’t handle whatever was keeping Dancer from delivering.”

  “No, problem. I’m glad all went well.” He held the truck door open for her, and she slid behind the wheel, tired and pumped at the same time.

  “Drive careful, and I’ll give Doc a call tomorrow.”

  She nodded with a smile. “Good night, then.”

  Starting the Honda Ridgeline, Mickie stifled a yawn as she got on the highway back to Littleton, where she’d lived for the last seven years. She spent a lot of time on the road driving out to ranches and farms to administer veterinary care, both when accompanying Doc and alone, when he couldn’t get away from the clinic. It kept her busy, away from her apartment enough to keep her from getting homesick too often. Not that she hadn’t returned to Idaho since moving away. She made it a point to visit her parents several times a year, and when she did, would arrange to see Caroline, Ron, and Steven. While she never planned to spend time with Randy, there was no way she’d let him, or any guy keep her from those she cared about or from her second home.

  It was inevitable they would run into each other on occasion, but what irritated her most about those times was the longing that swept through her just seeing him again produced. Whether that need stemmed from missing his big brother friendship or the sexual itch that had popped up without warning back then she didn’t know, and wouldn’t care if it would disappear once and for all. But without fail, every time they encountered each other, her body turned warm, and her girly parts throbbed, leaving her with an indiscernible ache and in a bitchy mood. Like a cluster of small gnats invading her space, annoying her, she didn’t like it, and certainly didn’t want the tingling sensation association with him.

  The long stretch of highway whizzing by while she drove cloaked under the star-studded inky Colorado sky lulled her into melancholy. To keep from nodding off, Mickie recalled the last time she’d seen Randy, and the first time she’d met his wife, Melanie, the woman she’d seen him with the day his words to Melanie had squashed Mickie’s hopes of forming a new relationship with him.

  Eighteen months ago

  Mickie placed the last grocery sack in the back seat of her truck and closed the door. She always liked coming into Mountain Bend. The friendliness of the store owners where she shopped always brightened her day, and God knew she could use a pick-me-up today. She’d given her parents advance notice of her visit this week, but when she arrived late yesterday, her mother was supposedly still at work. Since she remained a no-show today, Mickie and her father were aware of the truth. Unlike her father, she didn’t much care where or with whom her mother spent her nights other than the pain her infidelity caused her dad. What little attention she’d gotten as a child had come from him.

  Discovering there were few groceries in the kitchen this morning, she’d headed into town earlier, already eager to get away from listening to her dad curse and complain about her mother. She took the time to stop by Cee Cee’s salon for a visit with Chelsea, the only friend she’d kept in touch with from high school. After taking her up on an offer of a trim, she bought a maple-scented candle at Anna Lee’s Candle and Gift Shop, hoping it would help dispel the trailer’s musty odor, then went grocery shopping. Picking up the to-go order she’d phoned in earlier was next, and she hoped surprising her dad with his favorite dish, chicken fried steak, would improve his mood.

  Driving the two blocks to Mountain Bend’s steakhouse, the only dining establishment that wasn’t fast food or bar offerings, she tried not to let her parents’ volatile, inexplainable relationship get her down. That was easy enough when she was in Colorado, but difficult when she returned, even for short periods. Had she been paying more attention to her surroundings, instead of bemoaning her parents’ dysfunctional relationship, she might have been better prepared for seeing Randy and his wife exiting the restaurant as she parked in front of the renovated old mining company.

  “Well, fudge,” she muttered, eyeing the blonde clinging to his arm and gazing at him with a look that hinted at a willingness to do his bidding.

  It hadn’t taken long for the rumors about Randy’s private club to reach her ears a few years ago, or for her to research what he was into. Her lip curled as she imagined Melanie kneeling at Randy’s feet, addressing him as Sir, keeping quiet and spreading her legs whenever he commanded. She’d dodged a bullet there, unable to comprehend why any woman would submit to a man’s bidding, swearing she was glad Randy’s sexual interest hadn’t included her. She’d rather remain the kid he’d befriended than try to be something or someone she wasn’t just to win his favor.

  Which didn’t explain the heat suffusing her as she got out of her vehicle and caught his attention. As soon as his dark-chocolate eyes landed on her, her pussy fluttered, and her nipples peaked. As much as she enjoyed sex, she’d never reacted with such a strong sexual tug toward any other man, not even those she’d slept with. Of all the hip-swaggering, loose-limbed striding, Stetson-wearing cowboys she’d clamped eyes on since reaching maturity, only Randy’s tall, broad-shouldered, muscled body, and searing gaze could ignite instant arousal.

  What the heck was up with that?

  As he came toward her with a heart-stopping smile creasing his tanned, dark-bristled cheeks, Mickie almost caved to the temptation to leave. But she wouldn’t let him, or any man keep her from her home, and she wouldn’t allow her wayward libido to dictate her life.

  “Mickie.” Pleasure infused his voice. “Why didn’t you let me know you were back?” Randy disengaged Melanie’s clinging arm and pulled Mickie against him for a bear hug.

  No, no, no! His wife is standing right there, for God’s sake! She pulled away from his comforting hold and stepped back, berating her stupid, hormonal driven body. “I just got in last night and won’t be here long.” Turning to Melanie, she held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Mickie.”

  One slim brow winged up as Melanie barely touched her hand. “Melanie Daniels. Is that a nickname?”

  Mickie’s lip curled at the derision etched on her face. As if she cared what Melanie, or anyone else thought. “If it is, I don’t know for what. Whenever Mom or Dad decided they should talk to me, it wasn’t about my name.” She eyed the other woman’s curvy figure showcased in a bright- pink summer dress, her heels adding length to her already long legs. Yep, she mused, quite comfortable in her old jeans, boots, and T-shirt, she’d definitely dodged a bullet with Randy. Turning her head up to him, she caught the scowl he sent his wife and took pure feminine pleasure in it. “I’ll try to come by before I go. Good seeing you again.”

  “How about tomorrow afternoon? We’ll go for a ride,” he suggested.

  Mickie started to give him an excuse, but the angry glare Melanie sent him caused some perverse part of her to accept, just to rile her further. “Sure. I’ll call when I’m on my way. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Daniels,” she added in a sugary tone that made Randy’s lips twitch.

  She’d just e
ntered the restaurant when fingers curled around her arm, long nails digging into her skin as Melanie jerked her around to face her glare. “Don’t bother coming out to the ranch tomorrow. Randy has me now, and you’re not needed around there anymore.”

  She’d never thought so highly of herself as to believe her visits to the Daniels’ ranch were ever about being needed, but this woman didn’t deserve to know that since Randy hadn’t stopped his wife from this confrontation. Masking her anger and her hurt, she lifted Melanie’s hand off her arm with a look of disdain.

  “No problem. I certainly wouldn’t want to go where I’m not wanted. You can run along to do your husband’s bidding now.” Mickie pivoted and strolled to the checkout counter for her order without looking back again.

  Mickie had canceled their ride after that confrontation with Melanie when she informed her she wasn’t welcome anywhere near her husband. Instead of getting into a cat fight right there in public or putting Randy in an untenable position, she’d walked away. She couldn’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for Randy, but what did she know about his tastes other than they didn’t run in her direction? Last she heard, Randy and Melanie divorced less than a year later, and he had taken off somewhere. Mickie hadn’t seen him since, and they’d spoken only twice on the phone, her birthday and Christmas.

  Pulling into her apartment complex, Mickie yawned, eager for bed. Thinking about that day and the last time she’d seen Randy had put her in a grumpy mood, which worsened when she awoke at the crack of dawn to her cell buzzing and saw her dad’s name on the caller I.D.

  “Dad, why are you up so early?” she asked, rolling over in her double bed, wishing she had a better view out the bedroom window other than the parking lot.

  “She’s gone.” His voice broke on a tortured sob, which alarmed her more than his words.

  Sitting up, she flung the covers aside. “Who? Mom?”

  “Yes, of course. Her clothes, everything. You need to come home. I can’t handle this alone,” he insisted.

  She sighed and rubbed her brow. “She’ll come back; she always does.”

  “Not this time. She left a note, said she’d had enough and found something better, which means someone.”

  The bitterness and worry in her father’s voice came through the phone, and Mickie didn’t know whether she wanted to snap at him or try to soothe his wounded feelings. He was weak, lazy, and temperamental, but he was her parent. She never understood why she felt guilty for her parents’ troubled relationship, but nothing about her family dynamics made sense.

  “Dad, I can’t just…”

  “You have to, Mickie. You know I can’t do as much since I went on disability.”

  She wondered how long it would take him to play his trump card. A fall at the mill last year had dislocated several vertebra in his lower back and left him unable to continue working on his feet all day and worsened his attitude and outlook on life, which he took out on everyone who tried to help. Since he’d hit the bar at lunchtime, his only compensation was a small stipend from workman’s comp. Sensing the inevitable, she couldn’t help but try one more time.

  “I can’t turn my back on Doc after all he’s done for me.”

  “But you can your old man, is that it?”

  Fudge. He knew just what to say to cause a cramp of guilt. What choice did she have? “I’ll talk to Doc this morning and call you back.”

  ****

  “I’m going into town to get a few things. Do you need anything?”

  Mickie picked her purse up off the sofa and turned toward her father. The cramped space of the trailer with its musty odor was getting to her, along with his belligerent attitude. He’d changed since her mother had left two weeks ago, and not for the better.

  “Pick me up a few six-packs,” he replied from his slumped position on the worn recliner.

  Shaking her head, she tried to curb her frustration. “Forget it, Dad. I don’t have the extra money, and you aren’t eating well. The last thing you need is more alcohol.”

  “Don’t sass me, girl,” he snapped, glaring at her. “How could I eat with no one here to cook? Now that you’re back, I can eat better. What are you fixin’ for tonight?”

  This was what she’d been afraid would happen when she returned – he would expect her to take her mother’s place, demanding she wait on him hand and foot. Not going to happen.

  “Meatloaf,” she tossed over her shoulder, walking to the door. “But we need to talk. I’m not here to cater to you.” She left, shutting the door on his angry tirade about the injustices of his life.

  Sucking in a deep lungful of fresh, spring air, she lifted her face up to the sun’s warmth, and took a moment to get herself under control. Doc’s understanding and support had come close to unraveling the suppressed emotions of a lifetime of dealing with her parents, but she’d managed to keep herself in check. If she broke down over spilled milk, there would be no one other than her to clean up the mess, so why bother?

  Unbidden, Randy’s face flashed in her mind, a reminder of his and his family’s friendship and support over the years. Yet, she mused, driving into Mountain Bend, here she was, still coping alone with whatever life threw at her. It was your choice to run away with your tail between your legs, her nagging, inner self pointed out. Too bad she couldn’t tell that voice it was wrong.

  “Suck it up and move on,” she lectured aloud. Randy was off who knew where, still licking his wounds and mourning the end of his marriage to that twit. Oh, she could call him, or Steven, or the Daniels and enlist their help with finding a job and even with dealing with her father. But when she’d opted to stay in Colorado after college, she’d vowed not to lean on anyone again. She would either make it on her own or not. At least Doc had been generous enough to promise her a job if she decided not to stay. She was giving herself a month to get her dad more self-sufficient. If that miracle occurred, she could return to Colorado without guilt.

  As she approached Mountain Bend’s city limits, she slowed to watch a herd of gazelle run across the range, never tiring of seeing their graceful leaps, marveling at how fast they could run. Colorado’s terrain and wildlife were so similar to her home state that living there didn’t mean she had to give up what she liked best about Idaho’s landscape. In fact, the only negative about Colorado was the hordes of people, even in the more rural towns.

  Mountain Bend’s shopping district consisted of one street, one over from its business district where century-old buildings had been restored and converted into the sheriff’s department, city hall, and the prosecutor’s office. Mickie spotted a new ice cream parlor next to the library as she turned off of Main, an incentive to shop fast and treat herself. Parking in the lot next to the city park, she started down one side of the street and worked her way up the other side, checking off her list and wincing as the cost kept adding up. Her mother never had been big on keeping up with the trailer, and, after taking an inventory of necessities, she’d discovered her mother had left her dad with very little.

  By the time she stowed everything in her truck with the only thing left on her list to pick up her dad’s prescription for his back pain, she was ready to check out the new ice cream parlor and delay returning home a little longer. She locked the door and turned, halting when she spotted Caroline coming out of the library. Just seeing her again brought a lump to her throat. She didn’t miss her mother, didn’t much care she was gone except for her dad’s pain, but she’d really missed Caroline.

  “Mickie!” Caroline came rushing across the street and enveloped her in a hug. “Why didn’t you let me know you were visiting?” Her face clouded over with sadness. “Oh, dear, I’m sorry about your mom. Is that why you’re here, to help your dad?”

  “Yes, at least I’m trying. I’m sorry, I haven’t had time to get in touch.”

  “I understand and wish I could be of some help. I took him a casserole last week.”

  That was just like her, always thinking of others. “Thanks, I’m sure he appreciated it. I was headed to get an ice cream. Can you join me?”

  “Love to! How long are you staying?”