Coming Home

Cover art: S Wantling

Editor: M Shalosky

Coming Home © 2012 M.A. Stacie

For my sister, Stephanie, because two cowboys
will always be better than one.

My editor, Monti, whose honesty made me see
things with new eyes.

trademark owners of the following wordmarks
mentioned

in this work of fiction:

Stetson
: John B. Stetson Company 

The sharp sounds of her ringtone woke Sydney
Jamieson with a start, ripping her from thick layers of slumber.
Something had to be wrong. No one called at two in the morning for
idle chit chat.

She fumbled, reaching blindly in the dark for
her cell and managed to croak out a greeting. "Hello?"

"Syd? It's Paxton. I'm sorry I'm callin' so
late, but—" The deep drawl rumbling into the receiver had her toes
curling, even though fear seeped into every pore. She knew the
owner of the voice, had dreamed of him on a few occasions since
she'd left Idaho, and many while she lived there. There could only
be one reason Pax Dane would call her.

Her father.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her anxiety
threatening to asphyxiate her. She climbed from the bed and removed
her pajama bottoms.

"I want you to know your dad's doin'
fine."

"You called me at two AM to tell me my dad is
fine
? Are you serious?"

Pax cleared his throat. "There's been a fire,
Syd. The house… it's a wreck. There's nothin' left."

Sydney slumped down onto the bed, combing her
fingers through her sleep-messed hair. Her brain, working slower
than her body, finally started to function. Gone. Her home… gone.
"How? Why?"

"There was a fire," he repeated. "Electrical,
the fire marshals think." She gasped, but Pax continued. "Luckily,
your dad was in the stables."

"Where is he now?"

Pax proceeded to explain Jack would stay in
the cottage situated within the 4D Ranch land. Her father's horses
had been moved to the stables at the 4D Ranch and even her beloved
cat, Socks, had been saved. However, the house would need
rebuilding.

"Can I talk to him?"

"He doesn't know I'm talkin' to you." She
could just imagine the sheepish expression on Pax's face. "I
promised him I wouldn't tell you. Jack isn't going to be happy with
me. He'll have my hide when he finds out."

"Is he really okay to stay with you at
4D?"

"Yeah, you know he is. He's gonna need help,"
he added.

Sydney didn't need the hint to know what Pax
tried to get at. She already had the bag out and started packing.
"I'm on my way. I'll drive. It makes sense for me to have a car
while I'm there."

"Can you do that? Just pack up your life and
relocate here for a while?"

The skepticism in his tone annoyed her.
Choosing to ignore it, she carried on tossing lotions and sprays
into a large case. "I write. As long as I have my laptop and an
Internet connection, I can be based anywhere. Is there room in the
cottage for me too, or do I need to try and find somewhere
else?"

The sound of his breathing, punctuated by the
odd bark of his dog, filled the silence on the other end of the
fun. Leaving Pax to his thoughts, she shoved underwear and T-shirts
into the bag, zipping it up and dragging it through her
apartment.

"You can stay at the main house with me. The
cottage isn't really big enough for you and Jack."

"Okay, but why the reluctance?" His long
stretch of quiet had her curious.

"Um, shit, all right. Syd, Caleb still lives
here too. He helps out on the ranch."

Trying to feign nonchalance, she assured him
it wouldn't be an issue and that she'd soon be on her way. Pax
promised to call her if there anything came up while she traveled,
ending the call with a short goodbye. Sydney tried not to think
about what she'd be headed toward. Not only would she have to deal
with her childhood home, now burned to the ground, she'd also come
face to face with her past.

Caleb Lowe—the man she left at the altar.

To say she left him at the altar would be a
slight exaggeration. It hadn't been exactly there. Nor had it been
on the wedding day.

Sydney had ended her engagement with Caleb
Lowe the day before they would've said their vows, never telling
him the real reason it couldn't go ahead. She'd left Hailey, their
hometown, the following day. So instead of walking up the aisle,
she'd driven out of Idaho.

Five years ago.

She'd returned on a few occasions but had
always managed to dodge Caleb. The most difficult part had been
avoiding the questions from her father. How could he understand she
had been in love with more than one man?

And her feelings hadn't changed.

Sydney had known Pax all her life. His
family's ranch sat next to her father's. However, her feelings
changed toward him around the age of seventeen. Four years older
than her, Pax garnered his fair share of attention. Most females in
the area melted at his model good looks and his toned six pack. Pax
showed little interest, firmly referring to her as the little
sister he wished he had. It left her worshiping him from the
sidelines, watching girls fawn over him, kiss him in public and
gossip about him in the bathroom at school. There were a great many
dirty little tales about him and the way he liked to have sex.
Sydney committed each one to memory, only recalling them when
alone. Maybe those memories were the reason her toes still curled
at the sound of his voice?

Caleb had been her diversion. He'd been a
waif Pax's father had taken in, after the two boys became friends.
He'd treated her like a princess, adoring the ground she walked on.
Sydney got lost in a whirlwind of emotions. Caleb swept her off her
feet, but it never erased her love for Pax.

And now she'd be living with both men,
inhabiting the same space, and breathing the same air. They would
come home from a day working on the ranch all sweaty and worn,
needing food, relaxing massages and… good grief, she'd gone to
daydreaming again. How could she be thinking such erotic thoughts
after all that had happened?

Swallowing her nerves, along with a good dose
of guilt, she cranked up the AC. It had grown oddly hot in the car.
The stereo blared and she focused on the road. She avoided looking
in the rearview mirror, not wanting to see her own regretful green
eyes staring back at her.

Invariably, her thoughts drifted back to the
two men and she tried to work out how to deal with them. Caleb
would want answers, and so would her father. She'd managed to avoid
talking about the past when she'd visited him, but she had a
feeling sidestepping their questions with ones about the house
would only work for a short time.

Pulling into a gas station, she checked the
GPS. In another twenty minutes or so she'd be entering Twin Falls,
which meant she needed to sort out what to say to them—how to deal
with the situation.

In less than half an hour, she'd be home.

*~~*

"Busted!"

Sydney spun around, the world tilting on its
axis when she tried to focus on the shadow walking toward her.
Under the dark bleachers, the only light came from the moon and the
embers of her cigarette.

Clutching the bottle of tequila tightly, she
blinked. "Pax?"

"Daddy's gonna be real pissed if you're
drinkin' liquor, Syd."

Sydney slurred her words, "I'm nah t-that
drunnnk."

Pax didn't believe her. "Liar. I knew you
were up to somethin' when I saw you slip under the fence. You know
the library's not open when school closes, don't you?"

"Shut it," she spat, annoyed he knew exactly
where she usually ran to. She heard a low chuckle, one she didn't
recognize. "Who's with you?"

Someone stepped forward, shuffling into the
slats of light. She squinted, making out large, expressive eyes and
a shaved head. He appeared to be slightly taller than Pax, but
since she swayed on her feet, she couldn't be certain. He also
looked more toned than Pax—not that Pax didn't

have loads of definition. His friend just
had… more.

"This here's Caleb. We came to see if you
needed help with the tequila. Wouldn't want you drinkin'
alone."

Waving the bottle in front of his face, she
pouted. "Did my dad send you?"

"Nope, can't say he did, but I can see
somethin' sure rattled your cage." Pax moved forward, placing his
hands on her shoulders. "What's goin' on?"

Sydney shook her head, causing the ground to
shift beneath her feet. Pax's fingers shot to her biceps, gripping
them tightly and holding her up. He laughed, taking the bottle from
her hand and passing it to Caleb who proceeded to take a large
swig.

"Hey!" she complained, reaching around Pax to
get to it.

"You need to sit down and tell me what's
eatin' you. Your dad's looking for you, turning up every rock he
sees. You should be happy it was Caleb and I that found you. Now
sit your ass down and spill." Pax pulled her to the ground with
him, leaning back against the supporting wall of the bleachers and
taking the bottle from Caleb. Sydney's head slumped onto Pax's
shoulder and felt the sparks from their contact even in her
inebriated state.

"It was a stupid argument," she
confessed.

Pax took a drink of the liquor, hissing when
he swallowed. Caleb grunted, snatching the bottle back and moving
to sit on the other side of her. It felt nice to be snuggled
between two hot guys. With anyone else she would have been scared.
But with Pax? She could never be afraid of him.

Over the next hour they drained the bottle
until they ended up laying side by side, laughing raucously and
telling each other dirty jokes. Pax turned on his side, his hand
resting on Sydney's waist. Caleb's hand lay lower down on her
thigh. She gazed into Caleb's eyes, licking her lips, desire
curling low in her belly. Pax lowered his head to her shoulder, his
breath skimming across her cheek.”Is it still a secret?" He
whispered into her ear.

"Huh?" she responded, her head far too
clouded with alcohol and lust. Two attractive men in close
proximity overwhelmed her senses.

Trying to focus on Pax, she became aware of
Caleb's hand, crawling slowly higher up her thigh.

"Your argument with your dad?"

Her skin heated, mortification searing her
flesh when she recalled what her dad had found in her bedroom.
Confessing to Pax would not be an option.

"What time is it?" Caleb asked, his voice
gruff. Arousing. He toyed with her red hair, curling a strand
around his finger.

Lifting her arm, Sydney stared at her watch
but the hands kept blurring. "I think it's after twelve."

Caleb cursed, propping himself up on his
elbow. He grunted toward his friend. "Gotta go."

Sydney closed her eyes, feeling Pax exhale.
His warm, liquor-laced breath floated across her shoulder, causing
delicious little tremors to breakout along her body. "How about a
goodnight kiss, Sydney?"

Her eyes flew open, startled by the close
proximity of Caleb's face to hers. She averted her gaze, moving it
toward Pax, almost like seeking permission. Her body felt so hot,
so taut with desire that any minute she thought she might go up in
flames.

Caleb lowered his head, his lips millimeters
from hers when Pax spoke up. "If you get a kiss then so do I."

Sydney's gasp of surprise got captured in
Caleb's mouth, lost when he slid his tongue against hers. She
wasn't innocent, she'd kissed plenty of boys before, but Caleb's
felt different, like nothing she'd ever experienced. Slow and
gentle, but it left her with no doubt he led the kiss. He gained
exactly what he wanted from it.

She'd barely adjusted to his delving tongue
when he ripped it away, only to be replaced by a hot, much more
thorough one. Pax. The man kissed like he owned her, and she had no
complaints. His mouth locked to hers, nibbling and sucking her to
oblivion.

A hand cupped her breast, kneading softly,
and another hand swirled her navel. It had to be a dream, she mused
when Pax nipped at her bottom lip. There could be no possible way
two guys were currently kissing her.

Sinking into Pax's lips, she moaned and
reached up, trying to grasp his shaggy brown hair. She delved her
fingers into the soft strands, tugging lightly and he tilted his
head to deepen the seduction. His hands cupped her jaw, the rough
pad of his thumb skimming her cheeks.

Caleb's fingers crept up under her top,
tickling along the edge of her bra. A nervous anticipation built
within her, along with a healthy dose of shame. Maybe she should
stop? What if someone caught them? No normal woman allowed two men
to fondle her, did she? But then most people didn't have fantasies
like Sydney did, nor did they write them down.