Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(47)

“Yeah. But I—”


“No excuses. Get going, she’s waiting. There’s a bucket hanging on the fence post by the garden gate.”


The boy crawled under the bottom of the tent and disappeared.

“I hope he wasn’t a pest.”


“No. I was grateful for the company. He’s an entertaining kid. He was looking for Kade. Have you seen him?”


“He and Colt and Blake were headed for the barn. Why? Do you need me to track him down for you?”


“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”


“Sheesh. It’s no trouble at all.”


“AJ. There you are.” Macie loped toward them, a dark-haired, brown-eyed baby boy planted on her hip. “Can you take Thane? Carter and his dad are off somewhere and I need to lay down before I throw up again.”


“Sure.” AJ cocked Thane on her hip. “Are you doing too much?”


“I’m done cooking for now. I’ll be fine if I can just close my eyes for a bit.” Macie looked at Skylar and Eliza. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing contagious. Carter knocked me up again. I swear that damn virile man intends to keep me barefoot and pregnant for our entire marriage.”


“Or he’s competing with Cash,” AJ said. “Have you met Macie’s dad, Cash Big Crow and his wife, Gemma?”


Skylar nodded.

“Their twins are fifteen months and Gemma is pregnant again. Damn, maybe it is contagious.”


“Channing would be happy about that.”


AJ grinned. “I take it Channing is still going through with the plan to seduce Colby?”


At Skylar’s blank look, Macie said, “Channing had sort of a rough pregnancy with Gib, so Colby is gun-shy about her getting pregnant again so soon.”


“How old is Gib?”


“Nine months.”


“Why would Channing want to get pregnant again when she already has a baby?”


“Like me, she wants to have kids close together. Besides, once you have a baby, your life is chaos, how much harder could it be to add one more?”


Skylar hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Anyway, since Channing is nursing and can’t take the pill, Colby is adamant about using condoms. We all know how…insistent these McKay men are,” Macie said dryly.

“She’s managed to hold out on him for the last week. So the next couple of nights she’s pulling out all stops to drive him wild and into having sex without a condom.”


“If they haven’t had sex for a week, he’s toast,” AJ said.


“No kidding.”


Skylar froze. Not only were these women confiding something incredibly personal in her, neither of them realized Eliza’s existence was due to lack of a condom. Which meant Kade hadn’t told anyone the down and dirty details about their initial encounter.

“Oh, crap.” Macie clapped a hand over her mouth and raced out of the tent.

“Poor thing. I’ll see if I can’t track Kade down for you,” AJ said.

Skylar’s respite was short-lived. A gorgeous woman with legs up to her armpits, sporting the dark McKay hair and sparkling blue eyes approached her.

“This is the girl muscling in on my territory.”


“Excuse me?”


“Can I hold her?”


“Maybe you oughta introduce yourself first,” Chassie suggested from behind her.

“Oh. I’m Keely McKay.”


“Ah. The prodigal McKay daughter,” Skylar said. “I’ve heard about you.”


“Don’t believe any of it. All lies perpetrated by my brothers and cousins to distract everyone from their wild ways.”


Skylar handed Eliza to her and Keely cradled the baby like a pro.

“Oh, lookit you, beautiful girlie-poo. Whoa, she really looks like Kade.” Keely displayed a dazzling smile. “No offense.”


“None taken.”


“So, Skylar, you own Sky Blue? I love that store, especially the essential oils. I always stop and load up whenever I’m in town. I never see you in there.”


“I’m usually at the manufacturing plant in Moorcroft.”


“Well, India rocks. She is amazingly talented to boot.”


Talented was always the tip-off. “Where’d she tattoo you?”


“On my butt.” Keely mock-whispered, “Don’t tell. My mother would have a cow if she heard about the big red lips tattooed on my derrière.”


“Your secret is safe with me.”


“Cool. Don’t mention the McKay brand inked on my hip either.”


Sky motioned zipping her lip. “You said whenever you’re in town. You don’t live here?”


“No. Right now I live on the road. Middle of September I’ll be back in Denver to finish my sports medicine degree.”


“Sports medicine? What kind?”


“I’m specializing in physical therapy for cowboys who participate in the various pro rodeo tours.”