Rancher Read online

  Rancher

  Exiled Guardians MC

  Hope Ford

  Contents

  1. Rancher

  2. Rancher

  3. Rancher

  4. Nova

  5. Rancher

  6. Nova

  7. Nova

  Epilogue

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  1

  Rancher

  I grip the crutches in my hand and throw them to the floor before falling to the couch. “Fuck!” I scream at the top of my lungs. I lean forward and rest my head in my hands.

  I’ve dealt with a lot in my lifetime. The death of my parents, the death of my comrades in war, my wife leaving me while I was in the army. I’ve handled it all, and pretty well, I’ll admit.

  But this, this fucking injury is going to kill me. I can’t do anything. I can’t ride my hog, I can’t ride my horse, I can’t take care of my ranch, I’m a fuckin’ liability with the club. I can’t do nothin’.

  A loud knock sounds on my front door and I don’t even attempt to get up. I’m hoping that whoever it is, they take the hint and just leave.

  But of course, I have no such luck.

  “Rancher! Where are you, brother?” I hear Sniper and the sound of multiple boots stomping across the floor.

  “In here,” I holler, leaning my head back on the couch. I’m preparing myself for what I know is about to happen. This isn’t the first time that they’ve come and tried to get my ass off the couch.

  They walk in, Sniper, Brick, and Keeper, members of the Exiled Guardians, the club that I’m a patched member and road captain of. Well, was. I can’t be any kind of road captain if I can’t get my ass on a bike. Instantly, I get pissed off because of the looks on their faces. That’s the same look every brother in the club has given me… pity.

  “What do you want?” I ask them.

  I was in a bar fight a few weeks ago and tore ligaments in my leg. They say I should be okay, but I’ve had to take a few weeks to heal before starting physical therapy. I went to one session and quit. I told them I thought it was a waste of time, but honestly it was because I couldn’t do half of what they asked me to do and it was frustrating as hell.

  “We brought you something,” Sniper offers.

  “Well, unless it’s the Fallen King that jumped me and put a knife into my leg, I don’t want it.”

  Sniper shakes his head, and honestly I don’t blame him. I know I shouldn’t be talking to him like this. He’s taken a lot of my shit, but I’m pretty sure my time is running out.

  He smacks his hand to his leg and looks at me fiercely. “Ranch, you know he was dealt with. We weren’t going to let them get away with it.”

  I nod my head and lay it back again, closing my eyes.

  “All right, boys, well, if that’s it, you can leave now.” I wait to hear the shuffling of feet, but don’t hear any.

  Then out of nowhere, I hear a soft feminine voice, “Yeah, boys, it’s fine, you can leave now. I got this.”

  I open my eyes and my head jerks up, looking for the source of that voice and I’m not disappointed when my eyes land on the absolute prettiest filly I’ve seen in a long time. She’s curvy, with long red hair in a ponytail and bright green eyes that are sparkling back at me from the other side of the room. She’s covered in what looks like a nurse’s uniform, but it does nothing to hide her curvy body.

  I peek over her shoulder and Smoky follows in behind her, carrying a suitcase. “Miss Lane, I’m going to take this to the spare bedroom.”

  She never takes her eyes off me, but she thanks Smoky for carrying her bags.

  I lean forward and rest my hands on my knees. I want to get up, but refuse to do so with so many people watching me. “Well, now, boys, this is more like it. Finally, you brought me something I will like.”

  Keeper steps in front of the goddess and blocks my view. He walks toward me with his hands up. “Rancher, it’s not like that. She’s a physical therapist. She’s going to stay here for a while and help you use that leg again.”

  “Fuck, no she ain’t,” I yell at him and then remember my manners. “Sorry, ma’am. No offense.”

  She looks surprised by my apology, but accepts it readily. “None taken.”

  “I’m not doing it, Keeper. Y’all can just take her back wherever you got her. I can figure this out on my own,” I tell the lot of them fiercely. I hate being like this. I hate being weak.

  The woman that will probably be starring in my dreams tonight walks toward me and sits on the edge of the coffee table right in front of me. Her knees are touching my legs and I swear I can feel my cock twitching at her closeness. I fight the urge to adjust myself. It’s been too damn long since I’ve been buried in pussy, I tell myself. But honestly, I know I’ve never had pussy like hers. Her smell, a fresh lavender scent, hits my nose and I take a deep breath in until I realize what I’m doing and the fact that I’m still surrounded by bikers.

  “Sniper, Keeper… you all can go. I got this from here,” she tells them but still doesn’t look away from me.

  Keeper walks up behind her. “Rancher, are you okay with this? I don’t want you kicking her out and her having to walk back into town.”

  I stare at her a few seconds, but she doesn’t seem affected by Keeper’s train of thought.

  I glance up at him. “Keeper, I think you know me better than that.”

  She smiles up at Keeper. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine. No worries here.”

  I smile at her. She thinks she’s won, but she hasn’t. I’ll let her stay, because fuck, I’d be dumb to kick her out. But I’m not going to let her “work” on me. No, I have other plans for her.

  “You heard her, boys. She’s good. See ya tomorrow.”

  Nova

  I wait until the other men walk out of the house before I say anything else to him. I use that time to try and get myself collected. When the bikers showed up at the clinic today, I couldn’t help but be interested in what they had to say.

  The way they talked about their “brother,” well, they may be big, burly, tattooed men, but they also seem to be genuinely worried about him. They came prepared too. They handed me his folder and after reading the doctor’s notes and seeing his file, I knew I could help him. I felt it to my core that this was something I needed to do.

  So here I am, sitting on a strange man’s coffee table in his house, watching him watch me.

  I smile and hold my hand out to him. “I’m Nova, by the way. Your friends told me to call you Rancher, not Michael.”

  He looks at my hand before reaching out and wrapping his around it. Mine looks so small in comparison.

  He smiles at me with a nod, and I ignore the jolt I feel in my lower belly. “Nova? Like the car?”

  I shrug my shoulders and pull my hand back from him. “Yep, something like that.”

  His hands go to my knees and slide up my thighs. I don’t let him see my body tremble and I hope he doesn’t notice the goosebumps on my arms. “So, Nova, I have a bum leg, but I can think of a few things to keep us busy.”

  I put my hand on top of his to stop them and then I get up and put some distance between us. “I have plenty of plans for you, Rancher. But not tonight. We’ll get started tomorrow morning.”

  He just shakes his head. “Nope, I’m not interested. The only thing I want from you is to tuck me in.”

  I cross my arms across my chest. I hope this isn’t the real Rancher. I’m hoping this is some kind of defense mechanism, because honestly, this Rancher is an ass. A handsome ass, but still an ass. “With my help, you’ll be walking without a limp in six to eight weeks. The damage is minimal.”

  Surprise garners his face. “No way.”

  I sc
runch my nose at him. I wouldn’t lie to him and I tell him that. “I looked at your file. With the right amount of therapy, you will definitely be walking again without the help of these.” I gesture to the crutches I pick up off the floor and lean against the couch so he’ll be able to reach them.

  He still looks at me skeptically. I put my hand on my hip, a litt(le offended. “Do I need to promise you? Swear on a Bible? Pinky promise? What?”

  He struggles to his feet and stands up without the help of his crutches. Oh yeah, this will be a piece of cake.

  “And I won’t have a limp?”

  I blow out a breath. I can hear the desperation in his voice. This is not a man that is used to being down. “Rancher, there are no guarantees. But I feel one hundred percent certain that I can help you. Will this leg bother you? Probably when it rains or if you are on it without rest for long periods of time. But you will be able to ride your bike, your horse, whatever you want to ride again.”

  He looks at me for a minute, like he's trying to see if I’m being completely honest with him. I don’t look away, no matter how uncomfortable I am. This is too important. I want him to trust me. But I don’t want him to see the attraction on my face either.

  When he finally nods, he mutters, “Tomorrow then.”

  I turn quickly and start walking to the hallway, relieved to put some space between us.

  “Second door on the left,” he yells. “Right next to my room, honey. Just holler if you need me.”

  2

  Rancher

  I couldn’t sleep all night. I tossed and turned thinking about Nova in the room right next to mine. Am I excited to think that I might be able to walk without a limp? Absolutely. But what I can’t get my mind off is Nova.

  I heard her moving around her room a few times, probably putting away her things. And that had me thinking about the fact that she’s probably naked or in some nightgown right now, and my cock stayed hard all night.

  I struggle through a shower and go to the kitchen at five am to start a pot of coffee. Looking out the window, I can already see a few of my brothers have arrived to help with the animals. My brothers have really stepped up. I would have lost the ranch without them.

  I see Smoky pulling in on his hog, dust from the dirt road flying behind him. I’m sure he was at his club last night until around three am. He owns the strip club in town. He has every excuse not to be here, but he still shows up every day.

  Lost in thought, I startle when I hear “Good morning” from behind me.

  Turning around, I see Nova standing in the doorway watching me.

  “Mornin’,” I say and gaze down her body. She’s wearing a pair of blue jeans and a V-neck shirt that is stretched across her large breasts. “How about breakfast?”

  “Sure, I’ll just have some fruit or some yogurt.” She walks over to the refrigerator and pulls a little carton out.

  I look between the carton and the fridge. “Where’d that come from?”

  She starts opening drawers until she finds the silverware. “Oh, Keeper actually thought of it. He had me make a list of what I like to eat and he went to the store and brought it with us last night.”

  I turn my head side to side and crack my neck. It’s a bad habit that I started in the army. It’s what I do when I get uncomfortable about something. And right now, I’m uncomfortable. I don’t like the fact that Keeper is looking out for her. Thinking back to how protective he was with last night, well, I don’t know, makes me mad, to tell you the truth.

  I gesture to the small carton in her hands. “That’s all you’re going to eat? That’s not enough to feed you.”

  As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I realize my mistake. Her eyes widen and shock hits her face. She clears her throat. “Yeah, I know for a big girl like me it’s not much, I guess, but it’s good enough. I’m going to set things up. After you eat, meet me in the living room and change into some shorts.”

  She stalks from the room and instantly I’m upset with myself, probably more than she is. Fuck, I’m not used to women and I wasn’t saying anything about her weight. She looks perfect to me.

  I put some bread in the toaster and open the fridge. Cracking a few eggs, I fry them up real quick and eat my breakfast. That’s about the only thing I do quick these days. Trying to do anything else with these crutches makes me work twice as hard and I think about bringing her food as a peace offering, but I decide the best thing for me to do is not mention food to her today.

  Nova

  I just finished setting up the table in the living room. I have my tools set out.

  I realize now that I’ve already made a fool of myself. I’m usually not so sensitive about my weight. Honestly, I know what he said was not meant to hurt my feelings.

  I can feel my heart beating in my chest, knowing that I’m going to have to apologize to him.

  I’m reaching down to get more things out of my bag when I hear him walk in.

  I stand up, all ready to apologize when my mouth falls open.

  He’s standing in the doorway wearing only a T-shirt and a pair of boxers.

  “Sorry, Nova. I don’t have shorts. I’m a rancher and a biker. Neither one of those things really call for shorts.”

  Flustered, I look away. “It’s fine. No problem.” I can handle this, I tell myself. He’s just another patient. It is wildly inappropriate for me to have these feelings toward a patient. Hands off, Nova. But really, my hands are going to be on him. You’re a professional, I keep chanting in my head.

  “Climb up here.” I pat the therapy bed.

  He walks over toward me with the help of the crutches. He pulls himself up on the bed and flinches. I know men like Rancher. He hates for people to see him like this. I turn away and busy myself until he’s settled.

  Turning back to him, I inspect his leg. I look over his stab wound and it seems to be healing perfectly. The damage he did was mostly from his fall.

  I grab the heating pad and place it over the tight muscles, hoping to loosen them up before we get started.

  He’s lying back and his eyes are closed, so I watch him for a second before clearing my throat. “So about this morning, I’m sorry I overreacted.”

  He doesn’t respond for a moment, making me wonder if he heard me or maybe I pissed him off. But then he opens his eyes. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I think you are perfect the way you are.”

  Just that one sentence from him has me almost tearing up. I start to turn away, but he grabs my hand. “Hey, you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. You just need to keep the heating pad on for a few more minutes and then we’ll get started. I’ll be right back.”

  I walk out of the room, leaving him on the bed. I rush back to my room and shut the door and lean against it.

  I can’t do this. I can’t. I should have known when I read his file, and was drawn to it, to him, that there were red flags.

  He’s too much for me to resist. I can’t lose my job. Hell, I’ll lose my license.

  I take a few deep breaths to calm myself and walk back to the living room. I walk up to him and avoid looking at his face. Removing the heating pad, I work in silence. Usually, I tell the patient what I’m doing step by step. Today, I don’t do that. I don’t say anything. Not until I’m massaging the tight muscles of his thigh that I notice the bulge in his shorts expanding so much that I’m sure his dick is about to come out of them.

  I pull my hands back. “Oh!”

  I look at Rancher and his eyes are filled with heat and desire, but also embarrassment. “Nova, I know I’ve been an ass to you, but honestly, I didn’t do this on purpose. It’s just you, being this close with your hands on me, it just happened. I’m sorry. I tried counting back from a hundred, hell, I tried thinking of anything but your hands on me. Nothing worked.”

  I clear my throat again and look back at his penis and then to his face again. Normal. It’s normal, I tell myself. I hold my hands up. “No need to apologize,” I reassure him. “
It’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. It’s a natural response. It happens.”

  He jerks up and leans on his elbows. “Other bastards get hard-ons when you work on them?”

  Taken back, I answer him honestly. “Well, no, it’s never happened with me, but I’ve heard it’s happened before with other therapists.” I go and grab a blanket off the couch and cover his lower body with it. As I’m arranging the cover, I stroke along his hard cock with the back of my hand and he moans.

  “Shoot, I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.” I cover my face with my hands. Darn it, get yourself together, Nova.

  3

  Rancher

  The rest of the session is uneventful. As soon as we get through the embarrassing situation, I get up from the table and make my way back to my room. Before the door fully closes, I have dropped my crutches, my boxers are down around my ankles and my cock is in my hand. It only takes a few strokes before I’m moaning Nova’s name and spewing my cum on the bedroom floor.

  Knock, Knock

  “Rancher, you okay? I thought I heard the crutches fall. Do you need my help?” she calls through the door.

  Fuck. I lean my head back against it and try to catch my breath. “No, I’m fine,” I tell her, but really, I want to beg her to come in here so we can take care of each other.

  There’s no way I can continue this. She thinks we are going to have another session later today. She’s mistaken.

  I get dressed, grab the crutches and walk past her on the way to the front door. “I’ll be out at the barn,” I tell her before slamming the door behind me.

  Smoky and Keeper see me coming and meet me next to my horse, Dagger.