Country Frost (King Creek Cowboys #8)

Chapter 11

11

A shley dragged herself from bed and plopped herself at the kitchen table. She put her chin on her folded arms and mumbled, “Morning, Porter.”

“Good morning, kiddo.” Porter flipped a pancake on the griddle. “Chocolate chip banana pancakes sound good to you?”

“Yummy.” Looking bleary-eyed, she yawned. “It smells good.”

“How’d you sleep?” He used a spatula to move a pancake to a plate and put a domed lid over it.

“Fine.” His sister stifled another yawn. “Are we doing anything today?”

“I’m going to Leeann’s this evening.” He poured batter on the griddle. “Do you want to go?”

“I’m too tired.” She gave an impish smile. “You two need some alone time, anyway.”

He glanced at her. “As long as you’ll be okay home by yourself.”

“I’m twelve.” She waved away the thought. “I could be babysitting at my age.” She cocked her head. “If parents needed a sitter, would you let me? ”

“We don’t know anyone well enough that I’d feel comfortable with that.” He furrowed his brow. “When we do get to know folks better, it would probably be fine.”

“Okay.” Ashley rested her chin on her arms again, her lids droopy. She was clearly too tired to argue.

“What are your plans for today?” He used the spatula to slide a pancake off the grill and beneath the dome onto the plate.

Her shoulders rose and fell in a light shrug. “Probably watch TV or read.”

“How many pancakes?” He slid one onto a plate.

“Two.” She got up, went to the fridge, and got out a gallon of whole milk. “Do you want any?”

“Tall glass.” He gave her a smile. “You know us country boys and girls need our milk.”

“Yup.” She poured two tumblers full, put away the jug, then carried the glasses to the table.

Porter brought over a couple of plates of pancakes and a bottle of syrup, along with forks and napkins, and doled out everything.

She drenched her pancakes in syrup, cut off a bite, and proceeded to push it around her plate with her fork.

“I don’t want you picking at your food.” Porter pointed at her plate with his own fork. “You need to eat to get healthy.”

“I ate a lot yesterday.” She shoveled the piece of pancake into her mouth and chewed.

“You did, and that was good.” He poured syrup on his tall stack. “Today’s a new day.”

“You’re such a parent,” she grumbled.

“Just eat your pancakes, Ash.” He shook his head to himself. He had a hard time imagining himself as a dad, but that’s what he was doing—parenting.

She grumbled and took another bite. Once she got going, she downed more than he’d expected. Chocolate chip banana pancakes were her favorite, and he made a point of keeping ingredients on hand and served them when he knew it would be harder to get her to eat. Most of the time, getting her to consume a good breakfast wasn't too difficult.

After the meal, Porter told Ashley he’d take care of dishes and feed the horses. So, the girl went to the living room with a book and, no doubt, her phone as well.

He cleaned up then headed to the barn and took care of chores. When he returned to the house and walked into the living room, Ashley came racing toward him, her eyes wide and her expression upset.

“Porter, they’re saying terrible things.” She held up her phone, and she sounded frantic. “Your picture is on social media, and they say you’re part of an illegal adoption ring.” Her face had gone white. “They said I’m illegally adopted.”

Porter had never known fury like he did at that moment. He clenched his jaw and tried not to show how pissed he was.

“Let’s sit.” He gestured to the couch, and she slid onto the seat while he sat next to her. “Someone out there with the same name as me is into some bad sh-stuff.”

“Why do they have your picture?” Her lips trembled. “Why do they say I’m illegally adopted?”

“There are some messed-up people out there.” He blew out his breath. “Reporters started calling me a couple of weeks ago, and I talked with Hal Holbrook, my attorney. He looked into it and told me what’s happening and that there’s crap going around on social media.”

She clenched her phone in her lap. “Katie Bryant texted me and told me about it. Her parents knew ours, and they don’t believe it.”

“They know better.” Porter’s shoulders ached from tension. “But there’s a lot of people who don’t.” He shook his head and sighed. “Ash, I don’t know the first thing about social media, so I can’t tell you what’s going on there.”

“I looked.” Ashley bit her lower lip. “People are saying you’re a terrible person.”

“And you know better.” He held her gaze. “Hal said to ignore it and wait for the frenzy to blow over. From what I gather, there’s nothing we can do about it. The record will be set straight once they find the real criminal.”

“There has to be something you can do.” Ashley’s eyes glistened. “Ask Leeann. One time, she said her cousin is a social media expert. Maybe she can help.”

Porter gave a slow nod. “That’s a good idea, Ash. When I see Leeann tonight, I’ll talk with her about it.”

“Good.” Ashley threw herself at Porter and wrapped her arms around his neck. She shook with the force of her sobs. “I—I don’t want them saying bad things about us.”

“It’ll be okay.” He patted her back. “I’ll figure this out.”

When Ashley had calmed down, he left her in the living room to watch TV while he called Hal. There had to be something he could do.

Porter headed into his office and sat heavily in his hair behind his desk. “Sonofabitch.” He ground his teeth. How could people say things about a young girl like Ashley? She didn’t deserve to be in the middle of this f-upped situation.

When he called Hal, he got voicemail and left a message. He tossed his phone onto the desktop and stared at it without seeing. Maybe Leeann’s cousin would have some answers since she was an expert. He hoped to hell someone did.

Leeann’s belly fluttered when she heard a knock at her door. On her way to answer, she paused to look in the mirror and studied her reflection. Not too bad .

She wore her hair long and loose in waves around her shoulders, a peridot gemstone at her throat. Matching stones dangled from her ears. She tugged the peasant blouse around her shoulders and rubbed her palms down her new pair of faded jeans.

She paused, put on a big smile, and opened the door.

And there he was, looking bigger, badder, and more handsome than ever. He wore a white Stetson, his jean jacket over a button-up shirt, a nice pair of Wranglers, and polished black boots.

He was so virile and powerful-looking that the sight of him stole her breath. This man would never let anything happen to anyone he loved. He would protect them to his dying breath.

“Hi, stranger.” She stepped back. “Come on in.”

“Hi, beautiful.” He removed his hat as he walked in, and she took it from him and set it on an end table as he shut the door.

She turned back to face him, and he caught her arm. He pulled her toward him, wrapped her in a tight embrace, and crushed his mouth to hers.

A groan rose up in him as he kissed her with just as much pent-up passion as she felt, passion they hadn’t been able to display the other times they’d been together. He kissed her long and hard until her head spun.

When he broke the kiss, she was unsteady on her feet, grateful for his strong arms. He looked into her eyes, and she felt drawn into those hazel depths.

“Wow.” She struggled to catch her breath. “You need to come over more often if I’m going to get kissed like that.”

“Not too much for you?” The intensity of his gaze and the throbbing timbre of his voice sent a shiver through her.

“Never.” She smiled. “You can kiss me like that any time, cowboy.”

“I like the sound of that.” He kissed her again, exhibiting just as much power, and she had to hold back a moan of desire. This man was dangerous to her libido.

When he raised his head, she placed a steadying hand on his biceps. “Whoa.”

He looked to the right. “I see you got a live Christmas tree and decorated it.” It twinkled with colored lights and all the ornaments she’d collected over the years.

She smiled. “Come into the kitchen. Dinner is almost finished.”

He followed her, and she gestured to the kitchen table. “You can sit if you’d like.”

Instead, he hitched his shoulder up against the doorway. “Mind if I watch?”

She smiled at him. “Go right ahead.”

He drew in a breath. “Smells good.”

“Beef stroganoff.” She lifted the lid and stirred the bubbling mixture. “It’s almost finished.”

He watched her slide cooked steak into the sauce, then dollops of sour cream. “Do you like to cook?”

“When my sisters lived with me, I did most of the cooking.” She stirred the mixture again. “I like to experiment sometimes.” She pointed to the saucepan. “This is one of them, and you’re my guinea pig.”

The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement. “Happy to help.”

“If you have dinner with me often, you’ll have to get used to it.” She grabbed a couple of plates out of the cabinet, set them on the counter, and used a clawed spaghetti spoon to scoop egg noodles onto each of the plates. “I get bored eating the same thing every day.”

“I could get used to that.” He shifted his shoulder against the doorframe. “Ash likes to make pasta with red sauce. She does a good job. ”

“You make a good dad.” Leeann set down the utensil and picked up a soup ladle for the stroganoff mixture. She glanced at him. “I know she’s your sister, but you’re in a parenting role and doing a great job. It’s easy to see she’s a happy kid.”

He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I’m doing my best, but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”

“Trust me, you’re doing just fine.” She flashed him a smile. “I’m from the biggest family in the area, and all five of my brothers are dads now.”

“I’ve only met Carter.” Porter watched her movements. “From what I’ve seen, he’s a good man.”

“One of the best.” Leeann handed Porter the plates. “Mind setting these on the table?”

His stomach rumbled as he took the plates, and she laughed. “That answers the question as to whether or not you’re hungry.”

“I could eat that whole pan myself.” He set the plates on the two placemats on the table.

Leeann laughed and grabbed silverware and napkins and placed them on each placemat. “Iced tea fine with you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave a nod.

She took a pitcher from the fridge and poured two tall glasses. “Sugar?”

He shook his head. “I prefer mine straight.”

“Like your whiskey?” She glanced at him with amusement.

“Yep.” He didn’t smile, but she had the feeling he wanted to, he just wasn’t used to it.

“Have a seat.” She set the glasses on the table.

He waited for her to take a chair, then sat in his own.

She speared a piece of steak and cut it with a knife. “How was your morning?” She bit into the chunk of meat and chewed.

His brows narrowed slightly before he cleared his expression. What was bothering him?

“Good.” He shrugged one big shoulder. “Made Ash her favorite breakfast and did chores.” He took a healthy forkful of noodles, steak, and sauce and ate it.

“What’s her favorite breakfast?” Leeann loaded her fork.

Porter swallowed “Chocolate chip and banana pancakes. It’s the one thing that almost always gets her to eat.”

“I take it Ashley is a picky eater?” Leeann sipped her iced tea.

“More like she doesn’t feel like eating.” Porter loaded his fork. “Her illness tends to make her not hungry.”

Leeann studied him. “How is she doing?”

“The tumor has grown.” He cut into a piece of steak.

Leeann’s brow furrowed. “Does that mean her treatment isn’t working?”

“Not yet.” Porter sighed. “The doc thinks we need to give Ash’s treatment time to work. He thinks it’s the best course of action.”

“Ashley is a brave young lady.” Leeann blew out her breath. “She’s facing something most adults would have a difficult time dealing with.”

Porter nodded. “I’m proud of her.” He pointed to his plate with his fork. “This is real good, Leeann.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “Just wait ’til you see what I made for dessert.”

“Looking forward to it.” Then his face clouded a little. “You mentioned a cousin who is involved in social media.”

“Yes, her name is Ellie.” Leeann focused on his features, wondering why the dark look before asking about her cousin.

“Would you mind giving me her number?” He met Leeann’s gaze. “I have some social media questions to ask.”

“Sure.” Leeann was certain her expression appeared puzzled. “Are you looking at doing more for your farrier business?”

He hesitated, like he didn’t want to talk about it, but then forged ahead. “I’m dealing with something I don’t know my way out of.” He paused. “Some idiot has been involved in an illegal adoption scheme, and he’s got the same name as me.”

Leeann turned that over in her mind. “And now it’s a case of mistaken identity that you’re caught up in?”

Anger sparked in his gaze. “If it was just me, that’d be one thing. But they’ve involved Ash, saying she’s illegally adopted. She found out about it this morning, and she’s upset.”

“Whoa.” Leeann leaned back in her chair. “That’s terrible.”

“I don’t know much about social media.” He nodded. “I want to ask your cousin for advice on how to handle it. The whole thing’s getting out of hand.”

“I’ll bet Ellie can give you some ideas on what to do.” Leeann frowned. “I’m so sorry you both are dealing with this.”

“Me, too.” He heaved a sigh. “Reporters have been calling for the past two weeks.”

“What about the guy who actually did it?” Leeann cocked her head to the side.

Porter pinched the bridge of his nose before lowering his hand. “My attorney said the guy’s in the wind.”

“Your attorney is involved?” Leeann grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’m probably being too nosy.”

“You’re fine, Leeann.” Porter gave her a slight smile. “Hal’s a good friend, as well as my lawyer, and I called him to ask his advice. He said to keep my head down and let it blow over.” Porter’s expression darkened. “But now they’ve involved Ash, and I can’t let that slide.”

Leeann put her hand over his and squeezed. “I’m here for you both. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thank you.” He turned his hand over and linked their fingers. “You are a hell of a woman, Leeann.”

Heat blossomed in her chest as he held her gaze. Her voice came out low and throaty. “I kinda think you’re special, too.”

“I’m trying to think what you were like as a kid.” He let her fingers slide away as he changed the subject. “I have a feeling you got in your fair share of trouble.”

“How’d you guess?” She laughed, and the moment seemed lighter. “My sisters and I were little imps and played tricks on our brothers. Sometimes they blamed each other, which we got a real kick out of.”

Porter’s eyes sparked with amusement. “What kinds of stunts did you pull?”

“We’d hide Carter’s and Justin’s stuff, like their hats and car keys.” She grinned at the memories. “But we did some real ornery things too. Once, we ate all the filling from a bunch of Oreos and replaced it with toothpaste. Should’ve seen Colt’s face when he bit into one. He spit it out all over the kitchen island.”

Porter actually cracked a smile. “You were a hellion.”

“Oh, that’s not close to being all of it.” Leeann laughed. “There was the time we took Bear’s Cheetos and put baby carrots into the bag. Oh, and when Brady ate our snacks, we made salt cookies and put them into his lunch sack.” She grinned broader. “Another time, we put bubble wrap under the rug in Brady and Colt’s bedroom. That had them hopping.”

Porter’s lips twitched, and she thought he was holding back a laugh. “Did you girls play tricks on each other?”

Leeann shook her head. “Not really. But we did do things like ‘borrow’ each other’s clothes, shoes, or jewelry without asking and read one another’s diaries. It was almost a game to see if we could find the diaries.”

He actually chucked, and the sound of it made her smile. “You didn’t have any siblings, so who did you play tricks on?”

“Girls I thought were cute and teachers.” The corner of Porter’s mouth lifted. “My best buddy, Bobby Dale, and I put slugs in our first-grade teacher’s water jug and plastic roaches in her middle drawer. We put strings on the bugs and taped the strings to the inside of the desk so that the roaches moved when she opened the drawer.”

Leeann giggled. “I take it you weren’t crazy about your teacher.”

“Not at all.” Porter shook his head. “She was mean as could be.”

“Any others?” she asked.

“Mr. Oleander was right down cantankerous,” Porter said. “We popped the keys off his keyboard and mixed them up and put tape over the sensor light on the bottom of his mouse. Should have seen him cussing up a storm when he thought no one could hear him.”

“And the cute girls?” Leeann smiled. “What did you do to them?”

“More bugs.” Porter looked like he was lost in the memories for a moment. “We put a spider on a string in Sally’s locker, and that sent her screaming down the hall. Then there was Grace, who hated mice, and we placed one under her chair in class. Should have heard that girl shriek.”

Porter told a few more stories, and Leeann giggled until her belly hurt.

When they finished dinner, Leeann served a crème br?lée cheesecake and decaf. Porter practically inhaled the dessert and drank two cups of coffee.

“The stroganoff and cheesecake were fantastic.” Porter patted his flat belly after eating his last bite, and she imagined how well-defined his abs probably were. “Thank you for both.”

“I’m glad you came over.” She smiled, stood, and started to clear the table when he took her hand. He pulled her into his lap, and she giggled. “Whoa there, cowboy.”

He captured her chin in his fingers, tipped her face up, and held her gaze. “You are a beautiful woman.” He moved his lips over hers and she sighed into his mouth, then kissed him in return.

When he drew away, he brushed hair away from her cheek. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to keep my hands off you.”

“Can’t say that I’d mind.” She placed her hand on his chest. “I like being in your arms.”

“Good thing.” He kissed her again, long and slow, and surprising her with the sweetness of it. He tasted of crème br?lée and coffee, and smelled so delicious she could have eaten him up.

This time, when he raised his head, she cupped his jaw and ran her thumb over his beard. “Your mustache and beard suit you.” She stroked his chin. “It’s incredibly sexy.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Let me help you clean up from dinner.”

“I won’t say no to help.” She smiled. “I love to cook, but it would be better if I had a maid to clean up after me.”

“Happy to be of service.” He eased her off his lap and got to his feet. Instead of letting her go, he rested his hands on her waist, keeping her close. He brushed his lips over hers, then released her.

Heart pounding a mile a minute, Leeann got out a container and spooned leftover stroganoff into it. “Would you like to take home the leftovers? You and Ashley could have it for dinner tomorrow.”

“I’m sure Ashley will enjoy it.” Porter carried the dirty plates to the sink. “I know I will.”

“I’ll send some cheesecake home with you, too.” She finished putting dinner into the container, then got out another one and added four pieces of cheesecake to it. Lord knew she couldn’t eat it all.

After they finished cleaning up, she took him by the hand and led him to the living room. “Would you like to watch a movie?”

“I’d like to see the jewelry you’ve made,” he said.

“That’s right.” Leeann shifted directions and led him toward the hall. “I keep it all in my craft room.” She took him to the room at the end of the hall, directly across from her bedroom.

The walls were painted a shade of turquoise, and cabinets lined the wall on the left. A desk stood on the far side of the room, and she’d placed a worktable in front of the window, the table currently piled high with unwrapped gifts, bows, and wrapping paper.

“I keep my finished jewelry in here.” She moved to the cabinets and opened a door. Inside were stacks of drawers, and she pulled out one. “Some of the bracelets I made are in here.”

She stepped aside, and he moved in front of the drawer and looked over the rows of bracelets.

“Your work is beautiful.” He selected a silver number made from multiple pieces of turquoise. “You’re an artist.”

“Thank you.” She smiled as he placed the bracelet back in the drawer.

“Ash would love this.” He perused the jewelry and picked up a gold one with five small tiger eye stones dangling from it. “These are her favorite.”

“I was wondering what she’d like for Christmas.” Leeann moved closer to him. “I’ll give it to her as my gift.”

“I can buy it.” Porter set it down.

“Nonsense.” Leeann shook her head. “I was going to ask you what she’d like.”

“That will be perfect for her.” He stepped aside as she closed the drawer.

“I have a matching necklace in here.” She opened the next drawer, then paused and met his gaze. “Don’t offer to buy it because I’d feel funny taking money from you.” She picked up the tiger eye necklace. “This is appropriate for Ashley’s age. I’d like to give it to her with the bracelet.”

Porter took the necklace from Leeann and held it up, the brown stone’s golden “eye” glowing as it turned in the light. He handed it back to her. “Ash will love them both.”

Leeann took the jewelry to the table and set it next to a roll of wrapping paper. She smiled at Porter and gestured to the mass of gifts. “I need to wrap all of this before Christmas. There’s nothing like a big family.”

He looked amused. “Not something I’ve ever had to worry about.”

She cocked her head. “What are you getting Ashley for Christmas?”

“Probably not enough.” He pushed his fingers through his brown hair. “A charm bracelet, a couple of books, and video games that were on her wish list so far.” He looked helpless. “I could use some ideas for other things. This is our first Christmas together.”

Leeann took both his hands in hers. “I’ll be happy to give you some ideas.” She smiled up at him. “I’ll come up with a list.”

“Thank you.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, causing a shiver to trail her spine.

“I’d like to invite you to join our family for Christmas Eve.” She gripped his hands. “I think Ashley would enjoy meeting all the nieces and nephews, and I know everyone would love her.” She moved closer to him and linked her arms around his neck. “It’s a loud, chaotic, and wonderful way to spend the night.”

“I don’t want to impose.” He studied her. “We’re strangers to your family.”

She smiled. “Believe me, with our family, the more the merrier.”

He looked like he would refuse, but then he gave a slow nod. “ I think it would be good for Ash. Otherwise, it’s just the two of us. I know Thanksgiving was lonely for her.”

Leeann pressed her body against his. “I know it’s more family than you’re used to, but it’ll be fun, and I’m glad you’ll be there with me.”

She rose up on her toes and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss fiercely, with enough passion to rock her off her feet.

His kiss was hard and demanding, and she happily gave in to it, loving the feeling of being possessed by him as if she belonged to him. Right now, as far as she was concerned, he equally belonged to her.

Their kiss grew more frantic, and he moved her to a bare wall and up against it. She wrapped her thighs around his hips, and he pressed his jean-covered erection against her center, causing her to gasp.

Porter broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, and he shifted her so that she could stand again. “I’d better go.” He closed his eyes, his hands clenched at his sides as if battling himself. “I can’t control myself with you.”

Leeann cupped his face with her palms, and he opened his eyes. “You’re not going anywhere, cowboy.”