Wildest Dreams: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (The Wilds of Montana Book 3)

I’ve been trying to take things at a slower pace. It pissed me off that Polly thought that all I wanted from her was sex. She’s worth more than that.

But damn it, I want her. And by the way she’s clinging and reacting to me right now, I’d say that feeling is completely reciprocated.

“No sound.” I nibble on her lips and set her on her feet long enough to strip her jeans off of her, along with her panties, and I tickle her most intimate lips, satisfied that they’re already wet. “Fuck, you’re wet.”

“Your fault,” she breathes and whimpers in the back of her throat as I push one finger inside of her. “Oh, God, Ryan.”

“Shh.” I cover her mouth with mine again and easily lift her, brace her on the wall, and bury my face in her neck. “I love how small you are. I can just lift you, move you, or throw you wherever I want you.”

“Why do I have to be quiet but you don’t?”

I grin against her skin, then reach down to unfasten my own denim and curse under my breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“No condom. Shit.”

Polly frames my face in her hands and grins. “I’ve got the birth control handled.”

“There’s been no one since you,” I tell her and watch as those emerald eyes go wide in surprise. “Are you sure?”

“Ryan,” she whispers and bites my lower lip. “Shut up and fuck me already.”

I slide so easily inside of her and have to grit my teeth because she’s so snug, so fucking perfect, and I don’t want to ruin this by coming in less than five seconds.

But the long months of being without her, wanting her for so long, and finally having her, won’t let me take it slow. I ram into her, hard and quick, and cover her mouth with mine to keep her from calling out.

She quivers in my arms, shudders, and moans long and low when the orgasm moves through her. Like a man possessed, I keep up the pace until I feel my own release pulse through me, and I let go.

She’s clinging to me as we recover, out of breath, and when I finally set her on her feet, she lets out a half laugh.

“I’m going to need to visit one of your fifty bathrooms on the way to get snacks.”

“Not a problem.” She wiggles into her pants, and then I tip her chin up and cover her lips with my own, more softly this time. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Oh, yeah. More than okay.”

I kiss her once more and then open the door for her. “Let’s grab snacks.”

She makes a pit stop in the half bath by the kitchen, and I open the pantry to take stock of what’s inside.

“You have a lot of food in your kitchen.” She grins as she joins me in front of the pantry, and we stare inside. “Like, a lot.”

“Jake likes food,” I reply. “And I think the assholes who had him before me withheld food when they punished him.”

She stares up at me, and then her eyes fill with tears. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“He won’t talk about it,” I continue, shaking my head. “I’ve asked, but he changes the subject. He won’t talk about his biological family, either. I get the feeling that his home life wasn’t stellar even then. I didn’t know his parents well, other than that his dad worked at the ranch for a while before they passed. Remington told me that he didn’t talk about his family much.”

I grab some cookies, Polly snatches up some cheesy crackers, and we make our way back upstairs, not talking about it again until we’re in the observatory and the door is closed.

“I could hear him playing his game when we walked past his room,” she says as she pops a cracker into her mouth. “He was calling someone a sonofabitch.”

“It happens often,” I reply with a laugh. “If he swears in front of me, I discourage it, but he’s a teenage boy, and they all swear. Hell, I did. If that’s the worst thing he does, then I don’t have much to complain about.”

She grins and nibbles that cracker. “You’re right. Okay, what kinds of things are you going to show me with your big…telescope?”

I narrow my eyes at her, and she giggles. “You’re just full of innuendos tonight.”

“Yeah, and it finally got you into my pants, so yay me.” She reaches for a cookie. “What took so long, anyway?”

That’s Polly. Blunt as fuck and unapologetic about it. I love that about her.

“I’ve been attempting to be a gentleman.”

“Are you about done with that?”

I raise an eyebrow, set the food aside, and crawl over the couch to her, pinning her beneath me. “Did you miss my cock, Pollyanna?”

She snorts, narrows her eyes, and tries to wiggle out from beneath me, but I hold firm.

“My name is not Pollyanna. I hate that name. I’m no goodie two-shoes. As evidenced by all the dirty sex we’ve had.”

That makes me pause. “Dirty sex?”

“I mean, it hasn’t been clean sex.”

I drag my thumb over her nipple, through her shirt and bra, and feel it pebble beneath my touch, making me grin in satisfaction. “We haven’t done one thing that was dirty. Hot. Fucking incredible. But not dirty.”

“You didn’t like that word.”

My gaze finds hers, and I hold it steady. “No. I didn’t. Because it implies that we did something wrong.”

“That’s not what I said,” she counters and drags her nails down my cheek. “It wasn’t wrong. Anything that feels that good can’t be wrong. It was…not the typical boring missionary sex.”

“We’ll do that,” I reply and kiss her lips. “Whenever you want. Now, I’m not going to push my luck and take you twice when my kid is downstairs. He claims he’s in for the night, but⁠—”

“But you never know,” she agrees and pushes up to kiss me sweetly. “Tell me more about the sky. I want to learn everything that you know.”

“We’ll be here a while.”

“I have all night.”

Before I can reach for the iPad to change the direction of the telescope, my phone rings, and I frown.

“This is security,” I mutter and answer. “Wild.”

“We have a situation, sir.”

“Here, at the house?” I stand and look down at Polly, who’s watching me with wide eyes.

“Yes, sir. We just apprehended some kids who were trying to break into the premises. You’ll want to come down here.”

“Where are you?”

“We have them in the office,” Axel replies. “You might want to bring Jake with you.”

That gives me pause. “Why?”

“Because he knows these boys.”

I sigh and look back at Polly. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“What’s happening?” she asks.

“We have some kids that tried to trespass, and my security detail wants me to bring Jake.”

Polly’s eyes go sharp and hot with anger. “Why?”

“Because he knows them, apparently. You can wait⁠—”

“I will not wait,” she insists, hot on my heels as I make my way to the door. “I’ll be going with you and Jake.”

“If that’s what you want, that’s fine with me.”

I knock on Jake’s door and relay the information.

“Russ, I gotta go, man. I’ll be back.” He shuts down his game, shoves his feet into some shoes, and hurries with us down the stairs and out to my truck.

The security base is on the other side of the property. It’s a nice building with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a big command center for monitors and computers, and when I walk inside, that’s where I find my two men and the two boys who have attitude written all over their faces.

“I’m gonna sue you,” the one says, his chin tilted up in defiance. “I’m gonna take everything you’ve got.”

“Okay,” I reply and turn to Axel. “What do we have here?”

“These two were caught cutting the fence about five hundred feet down from the main gate,” Axel begins, delivering the report as he would if he were still on the police force. “They trespassed onto the property, carrying bags that we now know are full of spray paint and grain filled with poison.”

“What the fuck?” Jake exclaims, eyeing the two boys about his age. “Are you kidding me?”

“Fuck you,” boy one sneers, as the other one, white as a ghost, looks like he’d love it if the floor opened up and swallowed him whole.

“What were you going to do with the poison?” I ask and cross my arms over my chest, eyeing them both with pure anger.

“None of your business.”

“What are your names?”

“None of your fucking business,” boy one repeats.

“Todd Wells,” Jake says, pointing to boy one, “and Steve Taylor.”

“You’re such a fucking rat,” Todd says, obviously pissed off.

“Hey!” I shout, getting his attention. “Eyes on me. What were you going to do with the poison? Kill my horses?”

“Like you’d miss them,” Todd replies. “You’re fucking rich; you can replace them.”

“These were the two boys caught shoplifting in my store last year,” Polly murmurs behind me. “Ex-associates of Jake’s.”

“Have the police been called?” I ask Axel, who nods.

“Affirmative, sir. They’re on their way.”

“Dude, this is stupid,” Todd says. “It’s just a little paint, and nobody got hurt. It was a prank.”

“You’re an idiot,” Jake shoots off.

“You’re a piece of fuck,” Todd fires back, using his obviously favorite word.

“Dude, just stop,” Steve mutters, but Todd doesn’t listen.

“You think that just because this asshole adopted you that you’re better than us? Bullshit. You’re nobody, who comes from shit people, and that makes you shit. You’re worthless.”

“Enough!” I yell and step forward. “You’ll keep your mouth shut. Do you hear me?”

“Whatever,” Todd snarls as we hear a car pull up outside, and for the first time, a little sliver of fear shows in his young eyes. “I don’t care about this. You’re all fucked.”

An hour later, after the boys have been cuffed and hauled off to jail for the night, I walk into the house with Polly and Jake and sigh.

“I’m sorry,” Jake says mournfully.

“What?” I turn to him and scowl. “Why are you sorry?”

“It’s because of me that they came here,” he replies. “If it wasn’t for me, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“You can’t control what other people do,” Polly reminds him and rubs her hand up and down his back. “And you did the right thing by breaking away from them after the incident at my store. So this is definitely not your fault, Jake.”

“Feels like it is,” he mumbles. “I can’t believe they were going to hurt the horses. What kind of sick asshole does that?”

“Hey.” I step to him and cup his young face in my hand. “You need to take a breath, buddy. The horses are fine. Nothing happened to them, and the boys are most likely going to juvie for a while.”

“They should,” Jake says. “You don’t know half of what they’ve done and gotten away with. They’re no good, and I can’t believe I tried to be their friend.”

“You were going through a hard time,” Polly reminds him. “We all make bad choices when things get rough. You fixed it.”

“You fixed it,” I echo with a nod. “And now, we move on.”

“Are you going to press charges?” Jake asks me, holding my gaze with his.

“Hell yes, I am.”

“Good. That’s good.” He licks his lips and steps back. “I’d better go log back in and tell Russ about it.”

“Good night,” Polly says, patting his back as he walks past, then she looks over at me when we hear Jake’s door close upstairs. “That poor kid.”

“He’ll be okay,” I reply grimly. “I’m sorry that interrupted our star gazing.”

She holds her hand out for mine. “We can still go do that. Come on.”

“Watch me, Uncle Ryan!” Holly waves enthusiastically from the side of the pool, and when I smile and wave back, she runs and does a cannonball into the water. When she comes up sputtering, she looks for me. “Did you see?”

“I saw,” I call back and give her a thumbs-up. “Good job, pumpkin.”

The house is a hive of activity. There are plenty of people in the pool, others sitting on chairs and chaise lounges beside it, and even more seated in the outdoor living area, watching and eating and laughing.

It’s the most chaos that this house has ever seen, and I love it.

I love it.

“Thanks for having me, Mr. Wild.” Jake’s friend, Russ, nods at me and takes a bite of his cheeseburger. Brady’s been at the grill, making everyone lunch for the past hour. “This is legit.”

“Glad you could come. And glad I could meet you in person. I was wondering if ‘I’m gonna shoot zombies with Russ’ was a real person.”

“Totally real,” Russ replies with a laugh before he and Jake walk off to have their lunch at a table with Chase and Remington.

Scanning the crowd, I find Polly sitting with Erin, Summer, Millie, and Abbi. The five of them have their heads together, laughing and clearly gossiping about something.

And when I walk over to find out what they’re talking about, they clam up and smile at me.

“Hey,” Polly says and reaches for my hand. “This is a great party.”

“I didn’t know you had it in you,” Millie adds and grins in that I’m your sister, and I can annoy you if I want to way she has. “You do know that this will be the epicenter of all family functions all summer now. What with the pool and everything.”

“I don’t mind,” I reply and force a smile. When I glance down at Polly, her eyes are narrowed.

“I’ll be back, guys,” she says as she stands. “I want to kiss Ryan in private.”

“That’s disgusting,” Millie calls after us as Polly leads me inside.

“Do you really want to make out?” I ask her, pulling her against me. “Because I can oblige you.”

“No, I want to know what’s wrong.”

I frown down at her, but she doesn’t back down.

“Seriously, something’s on your mind. I just saw you last night, and everything was fine, but now, something’s bothering you.”

It’s been a week since the night in my observatory, and we’ve managed to see each other every day since. I look forward to my time with her, even if it’s just a few stolen moments here and there.

“I really am glad that everyone’s here and having a good time,” I insist evenly, and drag my fingertips down her jawline.

“But?”

“I have to go out of town tomorrow.” I sigh and don’t mask the frustration in my gut.

“Oh, for how long?”

“A few weeks.”

“A few…weeks?”

“Yeah. I’m needed in Europe and Asia, so I figured I’d stop in at all of my main properties to make an appearance and take meetings in person. I have to swing by my place in Manhattan first for a few days, and then I’ll be traveling pretty much every day.”

“But, what about Jake?”

“I thought about taking him, but he insisted on staying with the horses. Brady and Millie will take turns staying here with him. He’s mostly fine by himself, but I want an adult here at night. My parents will look in on him. I have a village.” I smile at her, touched that her first thought was of my teenager.

“He can call me if he needs anything,” she offers.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Polly simply walks into my arms and hugs me around the middle, her ear pressed to my chest.

“It sucks that you have to go for so long.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” I kiss her hair and breathe her in. “But the time will go by fast. I heard you tell Millie that business is picking up for you, too.”

“It’s the crazy season,” she confirms with a sigh. “Yeah, I’m busy. And I’m being selfish. I hope you have a productive, safe trip. I’ll text you inappropriate messages.”

“I’m looking forward to that.”

The door slides open behind us, and I glance back to find my mom walking in with an empty pitcher of what was lemonade.

“Oh, excuse me,” she says, and the grin spreads wide over her face. “I have to pour more lemonade for the troops.”

“I’ll help,” Polly offers.

“Oh, thank you, dear, but do you mind if I have a conversation with my son?”

Polly laughs and shakes her head. “Not at all. Sounds like you’re in trouble.” She pats my arm as she heads for the door. “Good luck with that.”

She closes the door behind her, and I pat the ache in my chest before turning to my mother, who has a gooey look on her pretty face.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“Do you, now?” She clucks her tongue and pours lemonade into the pitcher. “And what is that?”

“That Polly and I make a handsome couple, and you’re wondering when you can marry me off.”

“That feels a little fast, but sure. When can I marry you off? I like Polly so much. Her mother is in my book club, and she helps out at the food bank with me. Hell, I went to high school with her. I’ve known her a long time.”

“I know,” I reply and take the heavy pitcher from her. “Mac is my oldest friend. I know that you know their parents.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun if they were in-laws?”

I hadn’t really thought of that. “Mom, Polly and I are just dating right now. I like her a lot, but no one is talking about marriage.”

“You’re an idiot.” It’s said with so much love and a big smile on her face as she pats my cheek. “But, you’ll come around. Bring that lemonade outside, will you? The kids want some of it.”

I don’t remember the last time anyone dared call me an idiot. Probably Remington, when I told him about my plans to move off the ranch and leave Montana.

And I’m a little disconcerted that the one who called me that is my own mother.

“Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”

Mom grins back at me. “You know your mother so well.”

I follow her outside, and there’s Remington himself, holding Holly’s hand.

“I have to poop,” she announces, and I can’t help but laugh at her.

“How about if I take you?” Mom offers, and takes Holly’s hand, leading her back inside to the bathroom.

“Your kids are the best,” I say to Rem, who nods and shuffles his feet. We’re alone, with everyone else off talking or swimming or playing games in the grass.

And, despite the fact that I’ve been home for a full year, Rem is still uncomfortable with me.

“We have to cut this shit out,” I say, my voice low. “I need my brother, man. It’s been a long-ass time.”

“Six years,” he says with a nod. “It was six years ago that I needed my brother, and he couldn’t be bothered.”

His eyes meet mine, hot and angry all over again.

“That’s not how it was.”

“Fuck that,” he bites off, shaking his head. “That’s exactly how it was. My wife died, I had two babies, and I needed you to stay at the ranch for a few weeks.”

“You had Mom and Dad, Chase and Brady. Millie.”

“I needed you,” he bites out. “You were my goddamn best friend, and I needed your help. Instead, you couldn’t get out of there fast enough. You showed me that day where your priorities are, and they aren’t with your family.”

“Rem—”

“No. You can have us all out here, play with my kids, and pretend like you’ve figured it all out, that you’ve come home for good, but you’ll just leave again, Ry.”

“I’ve been home for a year. And in case you missed it, I have a kid of my own now. A ranch with horses and a kid and a goddamn girlfriend. I have a life in Bitterroot Valley, so to stand there and accuse me of being ready to bug out at any time is a fucking dick move, and you know it. I couldn’t stay six years ago. I wanted to, and I felt so fucking guilty⁠—”

“Yeah, so guilty that you just sent stuff. Baby stuff, groceries, all kinds of shit. I didn’t want that.”

“I couldn’t give you what you needed in that moment, and I’ve apologized for it until I’m blue in the goddamn face, Rem. Jesus, I love you and those kids, and there isn’t much that I wouldn’t do for any of you.”

“Except stay.” His smile is humorless. “You wouldn’t fucking stay.”

He marches away, past the pool and the games, and out to the trees beyond, obviously walking off the anger that I always seem to bring out in him.

Erin runs off of the patio and follows after him. Rem slips his hand in hers, and they don’t say anything as they walk into the treeline.

“It hurts a father’s heart,” my dad says next to me. I didn’t even feel him join me. “To see his sons at odds, the way you two are.”

“I hurt him,” I murmur and exhale sharply. “And no matter what I do, I can’t seem to fix it.”

“Sometimes, all you can do is give it time, son.” He lays his hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “He loves you a lot. The two of you were always so close, only being a year apart, and maybe he expects a little too much from you.”

“No, he should expect a lot from me. I’m the one who fucked up.”

“It was a bad situation,” Dad replies. “A sad one. And we’ve all moved on from it. Remington will let the hurt go sooner or later. Give it some more time.”

I nod and look over at my father. All of us boys look so much like him. “Thanks, Dad.”

He squeezes my shoulder once more and then walks over to talk to Chase and Brady. Holly and Mom come out of the house, and Holly races up to Chase.

“Let’s play chicken in the pool,” she announces. “Come on, Uncle Chase, let me get on your shoulders!”

“Who are we playing chicken against?” Chase wants to know.

“Daisy!” Holly says.

Chase looks at Brady. “Put Daisy on your shoulders and get in the pool. We’ve been given orders.”

Daisy claps her hands and eagerly lets Brady lift her into his arms as he wades into the pool. Both men put the girls on their shoulders, and the game starts. The girls try to tug each other off the men’s shoulders.

“Daisy’s so stinking cute,” I hear Millie say to Abbi. “And she likes Brady.”

I glance over and see Abbi smile.

“He’s a Wild brother,” Summer says smugly. “Of course, she likes him. They’re all hot.”

I can’t help but smirk as Abbi’s cheeks redden.

“I think Abbi likes Brady, too,” Millie adds.

Not wanting to eavesdrop and hear about how anyone has a crush on my brother, I return to my place by the pool and sit on the chaise, watching the game in the water.

“Can I sit here?” Polly asks, indicating the tiny square available on my chair.

“Sure.” I simply tug her into my lap and kiss her, right here in front of everyone. I can feel their eyes on us, and I don’t give a shit.

“Well, that turned out better than I planned,” Polly says with a laugh.

“Good.” I settle her against me and look around. “I like this. I like it a lot.”

“I know.” She sighs and leans more heavily against me. “I do, too. It’s fun. When you get back from your trip, maybe you can have another party like this for the Fourth.”

“Done.” I kiss the top of her head. “But only if you promise to come, too.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it.” She frowns up at me. “Speaking of missing things, you won’t be here for the IWC summer soiree.”

I tip her chin up so I can look her in the eyes. “What’s that?”

“Every season, we put on a formal party so we can invite significant others, and I was actually going to invite you today, but you’ll be out of town. I mean, it’s fine. Maybe I’m being presumptuous to assume that you’d want to go.”

It means a lot to her. “I’d want to go. Shit, I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay. Really.”

She’s far too understanding. I hate the timing of this trip. I don’t want to promise her that I can make it back in time, but I don’t want to disappoint her, either.

“I’ll try to figure it out.”

“Ryan.” She cups my cheek and smiles reassuringly. “It’s okay. There will be others. Don’t sweat it.”

I kiss her forehead and then glance at the pool and find Johnny and Holly watching us. They make gagging noises and then laugh hysterically.

And I decide here and now that I’ll do everything in my power to wrap this trip up as quickly as possible. I don’t want to be away from any of them for long.

“This could have been handled remotely.” My voice is cold as I stare at the man sitting across from me on the jet as we fly from Stockholm to Berlin. “Why have I been pulled from my home for three fucking weeks for this shit? So far, in the five days we’ve been traveling, there hasn’t been even one thing that was urgent or warranted my attention in person.”

Arthur’s expression doesn’t waver. “Because you haven’t been on-site anywhere since last fall. You need to be in your respective offices several times a year. Sir, your people need to see you in person. It helps morale.”

I narrow my eyes on him and cross one ankle over the opposite knee.

“You’re telling me that you decided to send me on this ridiculous tour because it’s good for fucking morale?”

“Yes, sir.”

His throat moves now as he swallows hard, the first indication that he might be regretting his decisions.

“You told me that there were dire situations that required my immediate attention.”

“Yes, I did. And I still believe that’s true.”

I tap my fingertips on my chin and think about the fact that I have a teenager at home alone and a woman whom I’m just starting to make headway with, and rather than being with either of them, I’m in my jet halfway around the world when I don’t need to be.

“I’m going to finish this trip in two weeks rather than three,” I inform my assistant, “and I’ll be working around the clock to fit everything in that you had scheduled. Then I’m going home. If you have a problem with that, I’m quite sure you can find another position somewhere else.”

Arthur’s eyes just about bug out of his head. “Mr. Wild, you’re blowing this out of proportion.”

“You know,” I interrupt him, leaning forward. “You’re one of the few people who knows what I went through late last year, what my kid went through, and why it’s important to me to be home with him. If I’m needed in London or Dublin or fucking Berlin, that’s fine, I’ll go, but you will not parade me around the world to make an appearance at my own fucking offices because you think it’s good for morale. I’m in constant contact with my people, and you know it. I expect you to have my back, not decide to be my boss or my goddamn father and dictate how I run my business.”

“That’s not⁠—”

“That’s exactly what you did, Arthur. I won’t have it. No, I don’t work twenty-hour days anymore, and I’m not going to. I don’t have to. Are we clear? Because I won’t discuss this with you again.”

“I understand.” He clears his throat and then shakes his head. “You used to be so focused, so ruthless.”

“And you think I’m not now?”

“Not like you used to be.”

“I’m thirty-four, with an empire that anyone would envy. And now, I have a family and a life outside of that empire, and I won’t apologize for that. Nor will I explain myself to you. When we land in Berlin, I’m sending you back to Manhattan.”

His nostrils flare. “You’re firing me?”

“No, I just don’t want to continue this trip with you.”

“But I have all the information⁠—”

“Send it to me. Yes, I depend on you for a lot, but you’re not irreplaceable. It’s time you remembered that.”

I stand and walk to another seat on my jet, buckle in, and pull my phone out of my pocket. It’s two a.m. in Montana, so not exactly a great time to call Polly, although I’d really love to hear her voice right now.

I’ve been gone for five days, and it’s been fucking frustrating. At every turn, I’ve been disappointed in Arthur, and the men and women who run each of the offices we’ve visited have been confused as to why we’re there. I hire the right people to make sure that things are handled without me.

I can’t be all around the world at once. Nor should I ever have to be.

I miss my ranch, my kid, and my girl, and I have another week of this bullshit. Since I’m already here, I’ll finish the trip, but I won’t take the leisurely pace that Arthur originally set out for me. I’m going to make sure I get home by that summer soiree that Polly wants me to go to.

I open the photo app on my phone and smile at pictures of Jake with the horses and then feel frustrated that there aren’t any pictures of Polly.

I’ll change that soon.