Bonner Men of Clifton Montana Book 8 Read online

  “Not your fault, Emma.” Bonner removed his wallet, and after Emma entered the amount into the computer, he swiped his debit card paying the outstanding bill and for the additional feed.

  “Thank you. It will be loaded for you in a few minutes.” She touched his hand when he started to turn away. He looked back at her. “Is she doing all right, Bonner?”

  He shook his head. “She’s going to end up losing the ranch, Emma. She can’t keep it going if no one will work with her.”

  “I’m so sorry. What will you do?”

  “Not sure yet. Maybe buy my own place. I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’ll see you later, Emma. Tell Gabe hello for me.”

  Bonner walked out of the store to the loading dock and waited for the men to load the feed. Damn it to hell. That’s four hundred dollars I’ll never see again. Stephanie sure as hell won’t be able to pay him back. Fuck! Why in the hell was he sticking around?

  He thanked the men once they finished then climbed into his truck and drove out of the parking lot to head back to the ranch.

  ****

  Stephanie sat at the kitchen table going through the mail when she heard Bonner’s truck pull up outside. She’d memorized the sound of it and the butterflies in her stomach went crazy as she pushed the chair back and walked to the door to look out the window. She watched as he backed his pickup truck into the barn with the feed in the back. A few minutes later, he came striding out and headed toward the house. By the expression on his face, he wasn’t happy.

  Not wishing to be caught watching him, she quickly made her way back to the table and resumed her seat. The door opened and he stepped inside. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from groaning. The man was too damn good looking for her peace of mind. When he slammed the door, she jerked.

  “Did you know that Kyle and Lloyd quit?”

  “What?” she asked, shocked at not knowing.

  “So you didn’t. That leaves us three men, including me. You can’t keep this up. You need to sell.”

  “I will not sell this ranch,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Would you rather the bank foreclose?” He leaned back against the door, folded his arms, and crossed his booted ankles.

  “The bank can’t foreclose. The house is paid for.”

  “Then why the hell won’t you take a loan out against it and buy some new horses? Get some business in here.”

  “I refuse to take the chance that I won’t be able pay the loan and lose the house.”

  Bonner ran his hand down over his face. “We’ve had this conversation before. You’re going to lose it anyway. And while we’re at it, did you know you no longer have credit at the feed store?”

  “But you bought feed. I saw it in the bed of your truck when you backed into the barn.”

  “Yeah, you got that right. I bought feed because I paid for it.”

  “You paid for it? I’ll pay you back. Let me write you a check––”

  Bonner burst out laughing. “I’d rather you didn’t. It will probably bounce.”

  “You are such a prick.”

  “I’m a prick? I bought you the feed you needed plus I paid the bill you owed. Can you write me a check for four hundred dollars that I can actually cash?”

  Blinking tears from her eyes and thinking how she’d like to crawl into a hole, she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “Christ, you are a piece of work. I’m going to the barn. With only three of us now, I’ll be working until midnight.” He pushed himself away from the door, opened it, and slammed it behind him.

  Stephanie put her hands over her face and burst into tears. She cried until she had no more tears left. What in the world was she going to do? If she had just kept her mouth shut, none of this would ever have happened. Being a daddy’s girl, she should have known that all the pissing and moaning she did about Wyatt and Olivia would make her father do something stupid. He probably thought he did nothing wrong. Only doing what he could so his daughter could have what she so desperately wanted, and that was Wyatt Stone. Only she hadn’t really wanted him so much as making sure Olivia didn’t have him. The green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head and she’d lost everything that meant anything to her, and was about to lose more. Her mother would be so ashamed of her if she lost her ranch. Caroline Taylor had bought this ranch two years before Stephanie was born with money her father had left her. It had been her dream to own a horse ranch. Now it could all fall apart and Stephanie had only herself to blame. Not only would her mother be ashamed of her losing the ranch, she’d be ashamed of the reason why Stephanie had lost it.

  When Stephanie thought back to the way she’d treated everyone, she felt sick to her stomach. Especially Wyatt. She’d finally gotten him to ask her to marry him and what does she do? She broke off the engagement a week before the wedding. She’d simply gotten cold feet. That really was a godsend though, because she was sure they’d be divorced by now had they gone through with it. Stephanie had wanted him only because other women did but once she had him, she knew it wasn’t what she wanted, and now he hated her for it. Then if that wasn’t bad enough, she told Olivia that she wanted him back and even went so far as to make a fool of herself over him. Her father wanted her to be happy and she’d made it seem like nothing but having Wyatt would make that happen. Blake Taylor had hired Olivia’s birth mother to come to town to try to run her off but when that didn’t work, he hired a disgruntled ranch hand Wyatt had fired to run Olivia’s car off the road. Thank God, she hadn’t been hurt.

  When they arrested her father, Stephanie had been in shock. She’d had no idea what he’d done. She’d even gone so far as to apologize to Olivia but although she hadn’t thrown it back in Stephanie’s face, she hadn’t accepted it either. What a mess. Her father was still serving time for paying Ben Collins to run Olivia off the road. He’d been charged as an accomplice to attempted murder while Collins had been charged with attempted murder. No matter, that both had said they didn’t do it to harm her, just to scare her, the jury had seen it differently. No matter their thinking, the thing was that Olivia could have easily been killed when her car ran off the embankment.

  Now, Stephanie was in danger of losing the ranch because of her selfishness. When the clients they’d had for years heard what had happened, they refused to work with Stephanie, and now Caroline’s Dream’s future was in danger of becoming a nightmare. Sighing, she pushed the chair back, stood, and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. Wishing, just once that all her problems would go down the drain with the water.

  Chapter Two

  By the time Bonner got home, he was exhausted. He’d repaired fencing, shoed horses, baled hay, and cut the north pasture. The heat and labor had left him drenched in sweat. A shower sounded good. He just hoped he didn’t fall asleep in it.

  His Bernese Mountain dog, Bodie, sat waiting for him when he entered the back door. He bent over and rubbed the dog’s ears. When he straightened up, he held open the back door and the dog ran out. Bonner had adopted the dog three years ago when Bodie was just a year old. He loved the dog and the feeling was mutual. He leaned down and lifted the pet door so Bodie could come back in when he was ready. Bonner always kept him inside while he was working.

  Pulling out a chair at the table, Bonner plopped down onto it, toed off his boots, and then stood to pull his T-shirt off over his head. Then he walked into the mudroom, stripped off his jeans and strode through the kitchen in his boxer briefs to head for the shower. It seemed to be calling his name. What a long damn day, and it wasn’t going to get any easier. Just what did she plan to do? If she didn’t sell the ranch, she was in all probability going to lose it anyway. She didn’t even have the money to pay her bill at the feed store. How was she managing to pay for her food and utilities? Add to that the fact that she had to fire men because she couldn’t pay them. Where did that leave him?

  He blamed a lot of this on Blake since he’d spoiled her from the day she was born. No matter what Stephan
ie asked for, her father would get it. Bonner understood daddies and their daughters but there had to be a point where they had to say no. Something Blake had never reached.

  “Poor little rich girl,” Bonner muttered as he entered the bathroom.

  Heading for the shower, he reached in, and turned the water on. As the room filled with steam, he stripped off his boxer briefs then stepped inside the stall. He groaned when the water hit his overworked muscles. He hadn’t worked this hard since he first started on the ranch fifteen years ago. He didn’t mind the hard work but that was what the ranch hands were for but since there was only three of them now, it took them all longer to get things done. Before the ranch started going downhill, he’d only worked around the stables, working in the stalls and with the horses, along with doing paperwork. Now, he had to do other work which took him away from doing what he loved most, and that was working with the horses.

  “Damn it,” he growled.

  She had two choices—sell or ask for help. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to talk to Wyatt, but Bonner had a feeling Wyatt would help her if only she’d ask. His brothers probably would too. They didn’t hold grudges and were good people. Bonner couldn’t see them turning anyone away.

  After washing his hair and himself, he turned the water off and opened the door. Reaching for a towel, he dried off then wrapped it around his waist. He swiped his hand across the mirror to wipe off the steam. He was so tired he was surprised he could stand. Once he finished shaving, he took the towel off, wiped the excess shaving cream off his face, and then tossed it into the hamper then pulled on sweatpants. He walked to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, hoping he had the energy to even do that.

  Walking to the freezer to see what he could fix quickly, he looked inside but nothing appealed to him. He was just too damn tired. With a sigh, he shoved the door closed and headed back to his bedroom, pushed the sweatpants off, pulled the covers back, and crawled into bed. Bodie jumped up onto the bed and flopped down making the bed quake.

  “You can’t just lay down, huh? You have to fall down,” Bonner muttered then laughed when Bodie let out a big sigh. Bonner’s last thought was wondering how much longer he would have a job here.

  ****

  The next morning, Stephanie sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee and thinking over what Bonner had said. Should she ask the Stones for help? Would they help her or snub her? Her father had sold some of the best bloodlines in Quarter horses, but she used to train barrel racers and was good at it. She’d made her own money doing it but it had dwindled since everything happened. When everyone quit bringing their horses to her, she knew it would be hard to get any new clients.

  Setting her cup down, she put her hands over her face. God! If she could just go back and change everything, she would in a heartbeat. She’d been such a bitch and everyone hated her now. Poor little rich girl was what Bonner had called her and he was right. She’d had everything she’d ever asked for and her father never failed to get her what she wanted so it should be no surprise that he went as far as he had to make sure she got Wyatt back. But it had all backfired because Wyatt had fallen in love with Olivia, and they belonged together. Stephanie could admit that. Wyatt had never loved her the way he loved Olivia. Anyone could see it by just looking at them, and now they even had a little boy. Stephanie wished them the best, she really did, but she also knew no one would believe that for a second.

  Hearing footsteps on the porch, she stood and walked to the door. A knock sounded before she reached it and the door opened. Bonner stepped inside. She mentally groaned looking at the man. No man had ever affected her in this way, not even Wyatt. Sure, she had gotten butterflies when Wyatt would look at her but with Bonner, the excitement inside her had her wanting him on the spot. Sex with Wyatt had been okay and she really believed it wasn’t better because they really hadn’t had any chemistry. Would she have chemistry with Bonner? Probably not. He didn’t really seem to like her much. Even before all of this happened, he rarely spoke to her. Oh, he’d be polite and say hello or put his fingers to the brim of his hat in the usual cowboy fashion but as far as just talking to her, it had never happened and even now, he would only talk to her about the ranch. She blew out a breath as she looked at him.

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “What was that for?”

  “Just frustrated about everything. Please tell me no one else quit.”

  “Not yet. I did a lot of thinking last night and I really think you should talk to one of the Stone brothers about horses. You should also ask Emma if she knows anyone looking to have their horse trained for barrel racing.”

  “Emma hates me. They all hate me.”

  “Hate’s a strong word but I’ve never known the Stones to hold grudges, and Emma isn’t like that either.”

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked as she moved to where the K-Cup machine sat on the counter.

  “I don’t have time for one. I’ve got to get started on cutting the east pasture. I also think we should talk to Ash Beckett and see if he’d be interested in growing feed here. The pastures here are great for that.”

  “I don’t know Ash Beckett.”

  “I do.” He sighed. “Look, Stephanie, I’m trying to do all I can to help you but if you don’t do something soon, I’ll have no choice but to leave. I can’t stick around and I’m certainly not going down with the ship. Even rats are smart enough to jump off when they know it’s going down.”

  “I understand. You’re right. When would you want to talk to him?”

  “We can go later this afternoon. I have too much to do this morning. I’ve been at it since four already, but things are far from done. The men are out checking the fence, so I’m going to cut the field. I’ll be in later.”

  He stared at her so long she began to fidget. She nodded then he turned and walked out. Blowing out a relieved breath, she made herself another cup of coffee then headed for the office. She had to look through the list of her past clients to see if they’d be willing to let her train their horses. Begging wasn’t something she was used to doing but if it came to that, she’d do it.

  At about one o’clock, she let Bonner into the house. He looked tired and his T-shirt stuck to him from sweat. He smelled like horse, leather, hay, and sweat, and Stephanie found it so damn appealing that she had to step back from him or climb him like a tree.

  “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to grab a quick shower then I’ll be back. We can go talk to Ash then stop at Wyatt’s place. Unless you’d rather talk to Jake or Gabe.”

  “I’m not talking to any of them yet. I just can’t, Bonner. I’ll make more calls when we get back.” She blew out a breath.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. How did he know she was upset?

  “I’ve already called twenty of my past clients. Not one of them is willing to work with me again.”

  “I see. Well, we’ll just have to get new ones for you. We’ll do all we can before we quit.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it, Bonner.”

  “Sure. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. Be ready.” With that, he opened the door and left.

  He lived in a small home on the other side of the ranch. It had sat there empty for years but when her father made Bonner ranch manager, Bonner had asked if he could use it if he fixed it up. Her dad had been more than happy to let him do it. She’d never been over there and she was sure she’d never be invited, but it made her wonder if he had a woman. Of course, he must. He was so good-looking and sexy that she was sure he must at least be seeing someone. A man like Bonner would probably be seeing someone, if just for sex.

  Stephanie shivered thinking about sex with Bonner. He was just so male and that chest of his was so solid. His pecs were hard and covered with a thin layer of chest hair and his six-pack abs had her wanting to follow that happy trail that arrowed around his belly button down to his…

  Stop it! He wants nothing to do with you! He was probably li
ke everyone else and thought of her as a bitch because of how she’d been before and what she’d done. Would anyone ever get past it or forgive her? Maybe she should sell and just move away, but Clifton was her home. She’d been born and raised in this little town. Although, she’d never had a lot of friends and that too, was her fault. She’d always looked down her nose at people. If her mother had been alive, Stephanie knew her mother would have been ashamed of her and frankly, she was ashamed of herself for being that way. No, even though people in Clifton didn’t like her, she couldn’t give up on Caroline’s Dream without a fight.

  Heading for her bedroom, she pulled on her cowboy boots, tugged the tie from her hair then brushed it and pulled it back up into a ponytail. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked in the mirror. She was excited to be going somewhere with Bonner and sitting in the cab of his truck with him.

  “Good heavens, you’re acting like you’ve never been around a man before,” she chastised herself in the mirror. “At least, never around a man who made you as hot as Bonner.”

  Walking back to the kitchen, she took a seat at the table to wait for him. He surprised her by returning in only ten minutes. That was a fast shower. She opened the door before he had a chance and closed her eyes as she inhaled because he smelled so good.

  “Are you ready?” he asked her.

  “Yes.”

  “All right. Let’s go.” He opened the door and waited for her to go out then followed her.

  She walked around to the passenger side of his red pickup, reached for the door handle, and was surprised when Bonner reached around her and opened it for her.

  “Thank you,” she told him. He has manners.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He closed the door once she climbed in and walked around the front of the truck.

  Stephanie had trouble keeping her eyes off him through the windshield then when he climbed in, the scent of his aftershave filled the cab and made her wiggle in her seat. When he glanced over to her, she forced herself to sit still.