Between the Pines (Black Springs Ranch, #1)

by Amber Palmer

His red flags were a mile long, flying high for all to see from the very beginning. But red was my favorite color, and I had a stubborn streak a mile long.

I didn’t have the best track record when it came to being level-headed. Overthinking was my middle name, and I’d damn well earned it.

Bringing the bottle of beer to my lips, I smirked. “Oh, darlin’, if dirty secrets are what you’re after, all you had to do was ask. I could make those pretty cheeks blush.”

I was a simple man with simple beliefs. I’d never held much stock in that lovey-dovey bullshit people clung to, talking about soulmates and destinies. It was just a way for folks to feel better about their lives. But this woman? Something told me she could make me a believer.

“See something you like, cowboy?” Lincoln’s throaty laugh caught me by surprise, but he didn’t break his gaze. “Yeah, actually… I’m thinking about what it would be like to fuck this pretty mouth. How I’d want to see it dressed in some pretty color only to fucking destroy it and then proudly wear the remnants around my cock so I could see precisely where you’d been.”

I’d never considered myself a smart man. I’d made a lot of mistakes and fucked up more times than I could count, but the smartest thing I’d ever done was kiss the beautiful dark-haired tornado that swept into my bar.

He ran his hand along her neck in gentle strokes. “Good girl,” he murmured. “You remind me of someone I know. Prettiest girl in the room, scared to let anyone in…” My heart kicked up as his words trailed off. I could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. “A terrible snoop.” Lincoln looked over his shoulder, zeroing in on me.

“Baby, I’d tell you you were wrong every day if you’d let me, but that isn’t what you need. You don’t need me to convince you of your worth. You’ve got to do that shit yourself.”

“Break, Josie,” I whispered, running my hand along her back in slow circles. She shook her head, refusing to let herself cry. Her body was rigid, holding tension in every muscle. “I’ve got you, darlin’. Go ahead and break so you can put yourself back together.”

“You’re gonna get me in trouble, darlin’. I’m supposed to be a gentleman, and you’ve got me thinking about being everything but.”

“Break up with that piece of shit you call a boyfriend, and I’ll tell you every sordid detail. Then, when you’re writhing underneath me, just like you are right now, I’ll make good on every word I said.”

“What’s wrong with you, Josie?” I muttered to myself, welcoming the fresh air. A sweet summer breeze blew my hair from my face, tickling the back of my neck. “Only one thing, far as I can tell.” I turned over my shoulder, watching Lincoln leave the barn. He still wore his dirty shirt and jeans from earlier. “Huh?” He stepped up beside me, staring at the spot Ellis’ car had just been. “You asked what was wrong with you, and I said there was only one thing.” “And what would that be?” I asked. Lincoln didn’t answer immediately, letting my question hang between us. “You’re not mine.”

Ever since I walked away from Josie on Sunday, it seemed like she spent the next week avoiding me at all costs. As much as I hated it, maybe it was for the best. I’d already chosen her, would choose her every damn day if she let me, but she had to choose me too.

don’t have much, Josie. I’m a simple man with simple needs. And for the longest time, I thought I’d be okay living alone. Frank had done it, and I thought he’d fared well, but then I met you. Something just clicked.” She rolled her eyes, but I tightened my hold. “I know it sounds cliché, and maybe it feels like a cop-out, but dammit, Josie… I don’t think I fully understand it either. All I know is some things are certain—the sun will set, it’ll rise again, and you’re it for me. That’s just the truth.”

Josie deserved so much more than a handful of meager words. I’d done my best, but I wasn’t a damn poet. I hated that I couldn’t explain why I felt the things I did. My love for her had become part of who I was, stitched into the fabric of my soul. It ran as deep as the oceans, as pure as freshly fallen snow. It existed and was tangible and beautiful, just like her.

Lincoln studied the bottle, his lips pressed into a hard line. “The thought of him touching you. Of him thinking he has any claim on you, when you’ve been mine since the moment you walked into Frank’s last summer.”

He pulled back, just as he’d done when I kissed him outside the bar. “God, how I want you—don’t think that I don’t—but,” he paused and let his hands travel from my hips to my neck, cupping it tenderly. “I wanna do this right, Josie, and that means not taking you on top of your dad’s desk. I wanna show you that this is real for me. I wanna show you how you should be treated.”

He chuckled and pressed his hips against my ass again so that I could feel his arousal. “I just didn’t want you to go thinking I didn’t want you,” he whispered. “Because I may be a gentleman right now, but make no mistake, darlin’... When I fuck you again, you won’t be able to walk straight the next morning. You’ll remember exactly what it feels like to be worshipped by a man who cares about your pleasure. I’ll happily spend hours with my tongue in your sweet, little cunt to prove my point.”

I wouldn’t settle for anyone other than Josie Hayes—the storm-eyed cowgirl who’d knocked me off my feet the moment I laid eyes on her.

“You know damned well what,” he bit out. “That hat on your head means you’re mine, Josie. There are no takebacks, not as far as I’m concerned. So, don’t do that to me and then take it away. Don’t fucking tease me, baby. I can’t take it.”

He pulled back, peppering kisses all along my face. “Josie⁠—” “Sometimes, you’re a pain in my ass, but I love you, Lincoln Carter. I love you in a way that is terrifying because I know you could destroy me if you wanted to, but oh god, I wouldn’t have it another way.” “Shit, darlin’. There ain’t a damn thing you could do to get rid of me at this point. You’re a part of me and have been since you ordered that double whiskey. How could I possibly let you go after that? My only mistake is not going after you earlier. I shouldn’t have ever let you think I’d moved on.”

“You don’t have to be perfect, Josie. You don’t have to be a damn thing you don’t want to be. Hell, you can turn into a fucking worm tomorrow, and I’ll still love you. You’re—fuck—you’re it for me, baby.”

Did she not understand what she did to me? That was adorable. I’d been dreaming of this day since I'd laid eyes on her, and now she was mine. Mine to love, mine to fuck, mine to do whatever I wanted with.

She could ask for anything, and I’d give it to her. She could tell me to walk off a bridge, and I’d do it. Josie held the reins just like she had that first night when she bent over the pool table in Frank’s.

“Then, fill me up, cowboy. I want to walk back in the house with your hand in mine and your cum in my pussy.”

“That’s so hot,” she panted, watching as I swiped through the mess with my cock. I met her gaze as I slid my fingers deep, fucking our cum back into her. “Oh God, that’s even hotter.” “Want a taste, baby?” Josie’s eyes widened, and she nodded, opening her mouth and laying her tongue flat. Fuck. Me. I freed my fingers and placed them on her tongue, holding her gaze. “Then, suck.” She closed her mouth around my digits, greedily cleaning them before letting me go with a wet pop. And then she smiled and hummed, licking her lips like a goddamned fiend. “My turn,” I murmured, closing the distance. Josie moaned into my mouth as I tasted us on her tongue. It was erotic and dirty and the most incredible fucking kiss of my life.

“Oh god,” Lennox said, faking a vomit sound. “I learned way too much about my sister’s sex life.”

I coughed. “We aren’t getting married…” “Yet,” Lincoln added. “I’ll wear her down eventually, though.” “Oh my god,” I said, turning to slap his arm. “You can’t just say that shit.” “Why not?” he asked. “It’s the truth. I can’t wait to be Mr. Hayes.” My cheeks flushed. This was absolutely not the time to have this conversation. “Mr. Hayes?” Lincoln shrugged. “I have no connection to Carter, but you do with Hayes. Figured you might want to keep it.” I didn’t know why the thought of Lincoln taking my surname got me all emotional, but it did. I’d always assumed I’d hyphenate, seeing as most guys I knew expected their wife to take their last name.

“Wait, Frank said something about us?” Lincoln asked, his voice wavering. He looked down at me in question, but I was just as confused as he was. I reached over and took his hand as Dad nodded. “Now, I didn’t know the extent of y’all’s relationship when I called you up and offered you the temp job, but Frank had mentioned the two of you met when Josie went up there. He thought it’d be damn good for the both of you if I gave you a job and brought your ass to Texas. I didn’t get it then, but I sure as hell do now.” He paused, and looked up at me. Tears lined my eyes, mimicking the ones in his own. “You know, I used to think there wasn’t a soul alive who was good enough for my daughters, but I’ll say this, son…” His gaze shifted to Lincoln. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong before.”