The Climax Montana Complete Collection Read online

  He set his jaw. He was going home. No ifs, ands, or buts. Soon as the Doc left for the night, he was out of here. He might have been raised as the spare son, never quite good enough, but he’d be damned if he’d let the ranch fail. If that meant sucking up to a demanding female, then he’d do it.

  “Ma’am, I’ve got a ranch to run. I can’t afford to stay here, or let my animals starve because you have a stick up your… ahem.” She narrowed her eyes. “I mean, because you’re concerned about your patients. If you will kindly sign the release papers, I’ll get out of your hair.”

  She raised an eyebrow and looked at him from his hatless head to the toes sticking out of his full leg cast. He knew he’d broken something below his knee but had no idea it would need a cast on his whole frickin’ leg. He might’ve got Donny to splint it for him if he’d known all this rigmarole would happen.

  “Mr. MacDougal, I cannot in good conscience let you go home alone with a full leg cast. Is there someone who can stay with you?”

  “Nope. Don’t need anyone.”

  “Perhaps if you hired a caretaker, or even a housekeeper—”

  “Housekeeper?” He leaned forward, ignoring the twinge of pain. “We live in an old cabin in Tanner’s Ford Valley. Decent women say it’s too far to drive back and forth, and the ones willing to live in are not what we’d want anywhere near.”

  “You’re alone? No lady friends who’d move in to help?”

  “Nope. We wanted a wife but the local gals are all hitched.”

  She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes at him. He could see those doctor gears crunching away on something. She cleared her throat and looked at his chart.

  “What about taking in a woman who’d be content to act as housekeeper and caregiver in return for a place to live?” He shook his head as she kept on talking. “Unwed mothers, women escaping an abusive relationship—”

  “Got the first, but their kin takes care of them. As for the second, if a man puts his hand to a woman, he’s seen to by the rest of us. He doesn’t do it again.” He rubbed his right fist with his left hand. “Trust me, there’s no one. Send me home. I’ll do fine.”

  What was it about doctors and nurses? Did they learn that bug-under-a-microscope stare at school? His first grade teacher had the same look. Used to scare the bejesus out of him. But the Doc was big, busty, and blond. If Eric Frost was in town he’d be after her like a starving man facing a juicy steak. He’d take her down a few pegs as well. Too bad she seemed like the man-hater type. Or maybe it was just ornery cowboys that pushed her buttons.

  “Mr. MacDougal, you cannot be left alone on a ranch miles from the nearest neighbor.”

  “The hell I can’t! No city woman, doctor or not, is going to run my life!” He pushed his fists into the hard mattress and shifted his hips toward the side. She moved fast, slamming up bars that shut him in like a baby’s crib. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he roared.

  “Protecting you from yourself.”

  “Dammit, I’ve been taking care of myself for most of the last forty years!”

  The door pushed open. Brenda glared at him. He glared back. He just bet she was gloating over this. Thank God she didn’t carry tales.

  “Is there a problem, Doctor?”

  “Mr. MacDougal needs to rest.”

  Both of them talked so sweetly his head started to pound from the sugar buzz. Or maybe it was sheer irritation.

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  He didn’t like the evil glee in Brenda’s eyes. “You’re not sticking any needles into my ass!”

  “I’ll put something in his drip, Doctor Meshevski. Mr. MacDougal will sleep like a baby.”

  The two women shared a nod. The door closed behind them.

  “Hey! I said I want to go home!”

  The door stayed closed. He slammed his hand against the bed’s bars. They rattled but nothing happened except more pain. He slumped against the pillows, rubbing his hand. He had a ranch to run. Lance had a winter contract in Texas, a damn good one. He couldn’t come back early as they needed the money to keep the ranch afloat. It was Simon’s job to keep the ranch going while his twin was away.

  Gad, the Doc wanted him to take in a woman to care for him? Was she crazy? A woman needed sand to survive on an organic ranch run the old way. Unless she grew up with it, even modern ranch work was too tough for most women. In addition to the unending work everyone had to do, almost everything went back into the land or to pay bills. In really good years ranchers put money away for the bad ones to follow.

  City gals thought ranchers just rode horses when the weather was nice. An invitation for a week-long visit had brought a dose of reality to the only woman he’d invited to the MD Connected. Thank God he hadn’t wasted money on an engagement ring. What was her name? Charmaine? Chantal? No, it was Charlene. It sure as hell wasn’t Chastity. The only good thing she did for him was to teach him how to sexually satisfy a very demanding woman.

  He thought she loved him, but she kept urging him to sell the ranch for millions so they could live in the city and have fun. She didn’t believe Simon when he said they couldn’t legally sell the land. Even if they could, he soon realized nothing would satisfy her craving for diamonds, furs, and upscale travel.

  Her wanting to marry right off, without even seeing the ranch, should have warned him to back away slowly, as if she was a she-bear they’d interrupted in the berry patch. But he was dazzled by her beauty and the way she looked at him, as if he hung the moon.

  It hadn’t taken Lance’s ravens more than ten seconds to scream a warning when she stepped out of his truck in her three-inch spikes. Dumb fool that he was, he said he’d let her stay a couple of days to get used to things. But she wanted to change everything.

  She started out saying how much money they’d get selling their ancestor’s things to collectors. When Lance came home he’d caught her stuffing some of the more precious things into her suitcase. He’d removed everything before sending her back to the city with Keith to make sure she got on the plane, followed by a trail of loudly mocking ravens.

  That was when they found scribbled notes regarding divorce and child support laws. They figured she planned to marry Simon for a couple of years and produce the son he desperately wanted. She’d then insist on divorce and demand cash for half the ranch. If they didn’t pay up she’d make sure he never saw his kids again.

  That was when they’d given up on looking for a wife. If one came to them, someone sincere that they could get along with, then fine. Otherwise they’d just have to do whatever they could to survive.

  That’s what ranch life was all about. Survival.

  Mother Nature was a tough taskmaster but he couldn’t imagine another life. He reminded himself of what it felt like to ride out on a crisp spring morning with snow still covering the mountains. Wildflowers bloomed and newborn calves jumped and played. There was no better place to be. His eyes shot open at the warning squeak of nurse shoes. The door shoved open.

  “Back so soon?” he asked with sweet poison.

  “I have something just for you.” Brenda held up a needle the size of a branding iron. Her smile was as false as his.

  “You said you’d put it in my drip.”

  “Doctor suggested this would be better.” She had the same look in her eye as the mossy one-horn that tried to gore him every roundup.

  “I bet it was your idea, to get back at me for that tack I put on your chair in fourth grade.”

  She just smirked. But he was a descendant of the original founders of Tanner’s Ford, both the MacDougals and Elliotts. No mossy cow could sway his path, and neither would a nurse bent on revenge. He gave her a suggestive wink.

  “You just want a look at my tight cowboy ass, Brenda. That accountant of yours doesn’t measure up.”

  If she was a teakettle, steam would be screaming out her ears. “Are we going to be a difficult patient, Mr. MacDougal?”

  “No, ma’am.”


  He gave her a charming smile. It would make her even madder but it gave him the upper hand. Or butt cheek, in this case. He shoved down the thin sheet, lifted the lousy excuse for a nightgown and patted his thigh.

  “This is your one chance to kiss my cowboy ass, Brenda. Don’t waste it.”

  Chapter Three

  Nikki grabbed a Muppets Take Manhattan plastic cup from the communal kitchenette and filled it from the sink. She needed a drink of cold water to calm herself before finally reading Simon MacDougal’s chart. The man’s flaming red hair suited his temper. Not that he had been rude considering the circumstances. She leaned her thigh against the counter and drank, enjoying the crisp taste. Let the people in the cities drink Perrier. She’d take this anytime.

  She didn’t blame Mr. MacDougal for being testy. As self-employed businessmen most of the local ranchers hated anything that slowed them up. The embarrassment of slipping off a rock and breaking a leg would be worse than the pain. But while his body was drool-worthy and, from his records, four inches taller than her six foot, she liked a man with quiet authority, one who was in control of himself.

  She wanted that control to extend to herself as well, but she never admitted that to anyone. Her nipples rose to the occasion. It must be the talk with Marci that had her thinking these thoughts. Her sister wanted a strong man to be her equal. Nikki wanted him to grab her hair at the back of her neck, order her to her knees, and—

  “Doctor Meshevski?”

  Nikki dropped the cup. It fell into the sink with a clatter. Luckily only a few drops of water splashed onto her chart. She wiped at it with the sleeve of her whites coat, composing herself. She knew her face was still red, but when she turned around, Brenda Anderson was looking anywhere but at her. She was the most experienced of the few nurses in the small clinic people this part of rural Montana used as a hospital. They had started to forge a friendship. Brenda had never looked uncertain before.

  “I’m afraid I did something unprofessional.” Brenda pointed to the chart in Nikki’s hand. “I insisted Simon MacDougal get a full leg cast even though he only broke his fibula.”

  There were two bones in the lower leg, with the fibula being smaller. She flipped the chart until she saw the X-ray. The fracture was uncomplicated. All Simon required was a half cast, from above his toes to below the knee.

  “I’d heard cowboys were tough,” said Nikki, “but I did wonder how he did all that running around with a broken leg before coming in here.”

  Brenda grimaced. “It was highly unprofessional of me but I’ve been wanting to get back at that man for over thirty years.” Her lip twitched. “I also decided to give him a needle rather than use the drip.”

  “I wondered what that howl was about. A last bit of revenge?” Nikki fought the smile that threatened to take over. This was one aspect of small-town living she hadn’t thought of when she jumped at the chance to pay off some of her medical school bills by working in a rural area with a free apartment and nowhere to spend money. She knew about wanting revenge on a man. Unfortunately, she’d never had the chance. She was pleased for Brenda. “Was it worth it?”

  A wide smile lit Brenda’s face. “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Your hair is almost the same color as Mr. MacDougal’s. Are you related?”

  “Unfortunately, we’re distant cousins.” Brenda grimaced as she ran her fingers through her short curls. “We both get our hair from MacDougal ancestors. Simon always said I had Gillis MacDougal’s temper as well as his hair. But we’ve just seen that Simon’s got both as well. You might be surprised how many of us in Climax, especially those whose ancestors created Tanner’s Ford, are related.” She hesitated. “Maybe this will explain things. No one sends out wedding invitations. You mention it at the post office or the Roadhouse and soon the whole town knows. They show up with food, drinks, kids, and musical instruments if they have them. We’re family. And like most families, there are the nice ones, the super ones, and those we have to put up with for the sake of harmony.”

  A familiar pang of regret stabbed Nikki’s heart. She had no family other than Marci. Neither of them knew what it would be like to sit around a dinner table with lots of family. As they both looked like their respective fathers, one small and dark, the other large and blonde, they’d never ever met someone who looked like them. They did share some of their mother’s features. Nikki wondered if either she or Marci had inherited their mother’s fertility. Even using precautions, Lila Meshevski had fallen pregnant within a couple of months with each fiancé. Unfortunately, the men who’d promised to marry and love her forever, had disappeared at the word “baby.”

  Having a mother with barely a high school education who therefore had to work at two or three jobs just to keep them going, had spurred Nikki toward her career and away from anyone male. Her sister and mother had done so much to help her become a doctor. She’d dreamed of seeing her mother in the audience as she graduated. But just months before, when Nikki could have finally made her life easier, she’d died of complications of pneumonia.

  In a letter she’d left, she said she’d told no one, as she had no insurance. She didn’t want to worry Nikki as she worked around the clock in a flurry before completing her certification. She told of her love, her pride and joy, and that she never regretted keeping her daughters, no matter how hard it was.

  Her death was the reason Nikki had jumped at the chance to care for a small town. When she applied, one of her conditions was the ability to provide free services for those who were really sick and had no insurance. She’d found out later it was the main reason the hiring committee decided to hire a recent graduate with little experience.

  Nikki pushed old thoughts aside. They did nothing but cloud the present.

  “So, you and Simon know each other well?”

  Brenda laughed. “In a small town everyone knows who’s dated who, what happened when they broke up, and who had to marry fast. They also know who played tricks, and who got them back. Simon MacDougal was wild, and played a lot of tricks.”

  “But you never got him back?”

  “Not until today.” Brenda set her shoulders back and looked up at Nikki. “I know you have to report it, but losing a few days’ pay is worth the satisfaction.”

  Nikki thought over Brenda’s comments. Though the town doctor, she was an outsider who might never be allowed into the heart of the community. Brenda knew everyone, and was a wonderful person as well as a great help to the town.

  Nikki loved working at the Climax County Clinic. After the craziness of a major Eastern hospital she’d expected to find the pace slow. What she hadn’t realized was how much she enjoyed seeing her patients as people rather than body parts. But she’d been alone, and lonely. She knew Marci would never break her vow and leave Ted while he was alive, no matter how much she wanted her younger sister to live near.

  But now Ted was gone and Marci was here in Climax. But how long she would stay depended on whether she felt comfortable. And that meant Marci had to leave the apartment and meet people. Hot cowboys in particular.

  Even if Marci didn’t like Simon, she might enjoy the challenge of caring for the cantankerous bachelor. She’d finally have a chance to stand up for herself and talk back to a man. If Simon and Marci decided to share a bed for a few weeks, so much the better.

  “Mr. MacDougal will heal quickly with no lingering issues if he keeps off his leg. But from what you said, and what I’ve just experienced, he is not the type of man to put his foot up just because a doctor tells him to. If he had a half cast, he would drive himself home and go back to work as if nothing was wrong. He could do permanent damage to his leg. It is not in his best interests, medically, if that were to happen. He should stay off it for three days. He won’t have a choice thanks to that extra large cast.” She wrote a note in the chart to have the cast replaced on Monday.

  “You won’t report me?”

  “I have something to confess as well,” said Nikki quietly. “You know my sister’s b
een staying with me, and that she didn’t want anyone to know. The truth is, Marci lost everything in a fire. And I mean everything. She barely got out alive. Her face is permanently scarred because of that night. She hasn’t felt comfortable having anyone else see it.”

  “Oh, my lord.” Brenda pressed her hand over her heart. “Please tell me no one was hurt?”

  “Her husband didn’t make it out. There were no children or pets.”

  Brenda’s eyes shone with unshed tears. Nikki found herself blinking to hold her own back. Not for Ted. Never would she shed a tear for that bastard. It was for what Marci went through with him, and in hopes that her little sister would finally find happiness with a good man. One who cared for her and saw her as the intelligent, loving, sensual woman she could be.

  “I guess he tried to help her escape, but didn’t get out himself,” mused Brenda. “I can’t imagine losing my Derek like that, but he’d put my safety, and that of our children, before his own, day or night. He’s the rock of my life.” She sniffed, then wiped her eyes.

  “Your husband must love you very much.”

  Marci needed a man who would cherish her that way. But to find happiness she had to take the first step, showing her face outside the apartment. Brenda was known as having a big heart, open ears, and a closed mouth.

  “Marci’s husband was nothing like Derek, and he didn’t help her escape. He was a controlling bastard, to be polite. Neither she, nor I, will miss him.”

  Brenda grimaced. “Well, that puts a new light on things.”

  “My sister needs to spend time with a man she can boss around. Someone who won’t hurt her, but who has enough spirit to argue with her. What do you think about Marci taking care of Mr. MacDougal? If she doesn’t like him, all she has to do is hop in his truck and drive away.”