The Rancher takes his Best-Friend's Sister

Chapter One Four years ago… "I keep telling you guys that girls are nothing but trouble." Grizz agreed with the words of his best friend. Not because Keaton was his best friend. It was because Grizz knew the girls eyeing him at this party were mostly underage. True, about two-thirds of them were seventeen with just a few days or months until they were of legal age. The truth of the matter was that their minds were still wrapped around high school issues, final exams, who was dating whom, and what they would be doing for the rest of their lives. But that's what he got for hanging around at a high school graduation party at twenty-one. Grizz had aced all his exams in high school, he’d had to. It was the only way he would have a future. He already knew what he was doing for the rest of his life. Dating was not a part of the plan. "I don't plan to get married for at least five years after I'm out of the service." Keaton ran his hand over his buzz cut, courtesy of the United States Army. Grizz scrubbed his fingers through his short-cropped hair and then across his chin. There was already stubble there even though they'd only been on leave for a few days. Grizz didn't plan on ever getting married. His mother had always said he had too much of his dad in him. Malcolm Hayes had never been able to stay put for more than a couple of weeks, a month if they were lucky. Amanda Hayes divorced his father and then proceeded to work all hours of the day and night to repay the debt the man had left them in. His mom's workaholic tendencies also left Grizz mostly unsupervised as a kid. Grizz hadn't gone in search of trouble. But as the child of a single mom, he was an easy target for trouble to find. "But she's the one." That moan came from the third person in their group. Mac Kenzie also scrubbed his hands through his blond spiked hair. The tendrils were curly when they were long, but after they’d been kissed by a razor, they stuck straight up. The man, who had enough muscle to spare for a weight set, crossed his arms over his broad chest and pouted. Grizz wasn't the only one trouble had found. But unlike him, Mac’s trouble didn’t follow him around on the streets. Mac followed his own special brand of torture around begging for her to kick him in the heart again and again. "It was love at first sight with her," Mac continued. "I knew it the moment I saw her that I would spend the rest of my life with her." "So, where is she tonight?" asked Keaton. Keaton wasn't being mean. At least not on purpose. He had always preferred things to be concrete. He liked to plan. Mac kicked at a rock. "She had to work late." "Seems to me she's more into her job than she is into you," said Keaton. "For now," said Mac. There was a knowing gleam in Mac’s eyes that Grizz only ever saw when the big man was planning something crazy in the field, something that usually blew up all over their faces. "You asked her to marry you again," said Grizz. "Didn't you?" Mac didn't answer. "I take it you got the same answer as the first five times?" said Keaton. "Wrong," said Mac. Both Keaton and Grizz turned to their friend with interest in this change of events. Mac's glee was short-lived. "I've only asked her four times," he confessed. "Well," said Grizz. "I'm sure the fifth time will be the charm then." Mac brightened. "You think?" Keaton and Grizz shared another look. Mac was the jokester of their group. Except when it came to this particular topic. He could never see the irony. He couldn't see anything when it came to this girl. But it looked like he was going to catch on this time. Mac’s features morphed from clear rapture to cloudy confusion and then stormy indignation. "Just wait until it happens to you," said Mac. "With how tightly you’re wound, Keaton, love will definitely knock you on that big head of yours. And I'll bet it'll happen within five years." Keaton scoffed. He wasn’t so rigid as to believe his plans would work perfectly. But, he planned for so many contingencies that things rarely strayed far from his expectations. Anthony Keaton was rarely surprised or caught off guard. "And you, Grizz,” Mac continued, “with how thick you two thieves are? You're going down soon after him." Grizz didn't bother to answer. He may not have a lot of contingencies in his life plan, but this one thing he knew for sure. Unlike his father, Grizz had no debts. He owed no one. He handled all of his responsibilities. But where he resembled his old man was in his inability to hold still. Which wreaked havoc on any potential relationship. Which was why he had never been with a girl for longer than a month. They simply couldn't hold his attention. Grizz could hardly hold still, which was why the army suited him. After the drilling of Basic Training, which kept him on his toes, he was never bored working twelve-hour days and being on call for the other twelve. He would often wake up in a new and exotic locale. But he craved even more, which was why he and his friends would all be taking the Army Ranger Exam soon. With his restless spirit, Grizz knew he would never make a good family man. Which was fine, because he’d long ago decided he wouldn’t become a father or a husband. He’d be free to travel the world with nothing tethering him to a single spot. His gaze lifted as though tugged by an invisible force. She was a force to be reckoned with, all right. Wherever Patricia Keaton moved in a room, Grizz could always pinpoint her exact location. She was dressed in a simple sundress and sandals, but she could've been a model walking right out of a fifties family drama, like Leave it to Beaver or The Donna Reid Show. Those black and white episodes that seemed far more fantasy than the cartoons on the next channel. Patty’s curly hair sat obediently on her shoulders. The dress hugged her hourglass figure, but not too tightly. Just enough to showcase those curves. What captivated everyone here was her smile. It was brighter than the setting sun. That's probably why the sun was setting. Because it couldn't outshine her. Whenever she came near, something always ballooned inside Grizz. A feeling he could never name, that he could never quite put his finger on. And always, like a needle seeking true north, he kept coming back around to be in her presence. She’d blossomed from the girl in cutoffs and pigtails to become the Homecoming Queen and the Prom Queen. She'd even won a beauty competition a year ago. In the high school yearbook, she was voted Most Liked. Everybody liked Patty Keaton. What was not to like about her? Nothing. Except that she was Keaton's baby sister, and Grizz had known her since she was in diapers. True, he'd been in kindergarten at the time. When his new friend, Keaton, had brought Grizz into his quaint little cul-de-sac after school one day, Grizz had peered into the playpen and saw a bundle of red hair and pink cheeks. The little one who had gripped his finger had fascinated him. Grizz made daily visits to the Keaton household. Each time, he’d peek into the playpen. He liked watching little Patty Keaton in her sleep. He liked talking to the growing toddler as she babbled on and making her smile. While Keaton had wanted to play soldiers, Grizz had preferred to read to the little girl who listened with rapt attention as he told Dr. Seuss’s stories. Patty would smile and grin up at him like he was her hero. Right now, she was smiling and grinning at some other guy as she walked right past Grizz. "Mac," said Patty. "You made it." "Hey, Patty Cakes." Mac swooped her up in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground so that her dress twirled about her long, lean legs. Grizz wanted to growl. Partly because Mac had her in his arms. Mostly because Mac had dared to call her by Grizz’s pet name for her. Grizz had known Patty for her whole life. In the past, he’d always been the first one she ran to. He’d always gotten her grins and smiles. Mac hardly knew her. He didn't know that she didn't have a sweet tooth and put cinnamon in her tea. He didn't know that she still slept with a stuffed giraffe named Jemmy instead of a teddy bear. Or that she had a smile that made Grizz believe he could wrestle down a bear. "The Army's been good to you." Patty felt at Mac's biceps. "Look how big your muscles have gotten.” Mac preened under her attention and flexed. Patty's grin widened, showing off that brilliant light in her crystal-blue eyes. The light that turned on when she was up to mischief. Still, knowing she was up to something, didn't temper Grizz's mood. "He has a girlfriend," Grizz growled from behind them. Patty turned her head and looked over her shoulder. Her dazzling eyes came to rest upon Grizz’s face. Finally. And there was that ballooning feeling inside of him, pulling him toward her like she was the doorway to home after a long day of work. "Hey, Grizzly Bear." "Patricia." Patty frowned. Using her full name was like pulling her pigtails. Which he hadn’t done in years because she no longer wore her curls in pigtails. She no longer wore cutoff jeans and scuffed sneakers like the tomboy she’d used to be. Patricia Keaton was a tomboy no longer. She wasn’t a kid any longer. She was eighteen. A woman grown. A slow smile spread across her face. Gone was the baby fat in her cheeks. Her high cheekbones were sharp angles that young men started doing acrobatics for. Her once gangly limbs now went on for days, ending in strappy shoes that would likely give normal men a foot fetish. "Well, I knew you'd make it to my party, Grizz. I can always count on you." Grizz's gaze slid back to that smile. He'd made her giggle as a kid. He'd delighted her when he'd pushed her on a swing set. She’d grinned up at him as he’d read her the silly poems he’d loved so much as a kid. She’d smiled politely, if uncomprehending, as he’d tried to explain the more complicated poems he enjoyed as a young man. Patty was the only girl he could spend long afternoons with and not feel the need to rush away. He’d never felt the pressure to be anything more than what he was with her. Likely because they’d known each other so long. "What about your big brother?" said Keaton. "Am I chopped liver over here?" "I happen to like chopped liver," she said. "Because you're weird," said Keaton. Keaton poked her in the shoulder. Patty ducked and smacked at his hand. The two tussled; Keaton in his sturdy army boots, Patty in her delicate sandals. She'd had to learn to defend herself as the only girl in a house with a military father, a brother who was aimed for the same path, and Grizz, who didn't understand that girls shouldn't learn how to box. Patty, even in a dress and heels, could hold her own. At that moment, Grizz saw the girl she used to be. The one he could wrestle with out in the backyard. The one he’d spent quiet Friday nights with watching a marathon of the Andy Griffith Show or Happy Days. The one he didn’t have to think twice about when she rested her head against his shoulder. Keaton feinted right. Patty had the space to sneak in for a strike. Instead, she stepped back and fell into Grizz. He caught her, bringing her lush body into his. All the fight went out of her. The resistance went out of him as well. It had been a long time since Grizz had touched Patty. Years since they’d sat close together on a couch while she’d rested her head on his shoulder. This was why. Grizz’s gaze dipped to Patty’s mouth. Patty parted her lips. Her pink tongue darted out as she wet those lips. Grizz’s hold tightened on her. Everything inside him screaming one single word. Mine. "Ha!" shouted Keaton. "Gotcha. Hold her Grizz." Yes. That’s exactly what he wanted to do. Hold Patty tight and never let her go. Tuck her head against his chest so that she could feel how his heart pounded for her. Lift her chin to watch her wet her lips again and then claim her mouth. Grizz let Patty go. His arms straightened as he shoved her away. Patty wobbled on unsteady feet, and Grizz had to stop himself from reaching for her again. When his gaze met hers, gone was the brightness in her eyes. The glittering azure had faded into smudges of a blue that could’ve almost been called gray. Patty stepped away, rejection in her gaze. She gave them all a curt nod and then walked away. "Why'd you let her go?" Keaton gave him a shove. The blow from his best friend was light. Grizz’s whole body canted to the side like he might fall over from the light tap. He’d just released the one and only thing in the world he wanted desperately but couldn’t have. He’d just let go of his best friend’s little sister. "I see you understand me about The One." Mac clapped Grizz on the back. "You are so screwed." Grizz was so screwed. He had the hots for Patricia Keaton. Mac may have figured it out. Grizz just hoped he could hide his feelings well enough so that his best friend never found out.