Cowboys Mine (5 page)

“You’re gross!” She tried to wriggle away, but he
wouldn’t have it.

North’s voice softened. “I’m only looking out for you.”

“He said I was gorgeous.”

Colton chuckled. “He says that to anything with two
legs and a pigtail, I promise you that.”

Eva’s mood soured. Wade had built her up so high in
just a few minutes. She was soaring in the clouds. He was sincere and friendly,
not looking to get into her pants. Not every man was a pig. But in a second she
was brought down to Earth by the unforgiving McReed brothers and their seeds of
doubt. Why couldn’t they be happy for her? Just because they didn’t see the
value of taking wives for themselves, didn’t mean she wanted to be alone
forever, too.

“He likes me,” she insisted. “Have you never heard
of love at first sight?”

“You’re in love now, are you, little one?” asked
Colton, humor in his tone.

She shrugged.

“Horny cowboys are a dime a dozen at these rodeo
events. Guarantee you he’s already forgotten your name, darlin’.”

“Thanks a lot, Colt. Just help me get the cows out.”

Eva wasn’t naïve enough to give her heart to the
first stranger she came across, but she wasn’t going to throw away any
opportunities either. Wade was handsome and made her feel attractive and
desirable. Just thinking of seeing him again at his bull riding event made her
stomach flutter. She wondered if the McReed brothers would be a wrench in her
plans the entire week.

After getting the animals checked into the holding
paddock for new arrivals, they had to line up at the registration desk set up
just outside a large barn. It was a mad house, people arguing and shoving,
cursing and threatening. Eva kept her mouth shut and stayed safely between
Colton and North. There was a makeshift tarp set up to keep the direct sunlight
off everyone waiting in line, but the rays still managed to get to where she
was standing.

Another thing she noticed were the number of buckle
bunnies hanging around the periphery, just waiting to sink their claws into an
unsuspecting cowboy.

One of them wore a barely-there shirt, showing off
her midriff. Her jean shorts didn’t even cover her whole rear end. Eva knew the
woman wasn’t a real cowgirl because her boots didn’t have a scuff on them and
her make-up and hair were coiffed to perfection. It was all an illusion, a trap
to snag her prey.

Eva didn’t wear make-up. If she was lucky, she
remembered to put on moisturizer in the morning. Her mother frequently told her
about the benefits of keeping the skin supple and natural. When she noted
Colton and North whispering and gawking at the scantily-clad women, she looked
down at herself and began to feel self-conscious. Her jeans were fitted but worn
out, and her blouse covered all her skin except her forearms. But Wade seemed
to think she looked good enough, and that’s all that mattered. She hoped he didn’t
judge a woman by the size of their chest like the twins. They were so busy
staring at all the cleavage that she had to prod them to move forward in the
line every time it shortened.

After registering, they unhitched the trailer in the
large field on the perimeter of the main event areas. Colton fell asleep within
half an hour of entering the camper, and North rummaged through the small
fridge. They’d had a long day and early start. Now it was almost dinner hour.

“I can’t believe they made us come here today when
the event doesn’t start for five days,” she said. “You could have had all that
time to work your fields.” She felt bad forcing the brothers to be idle when
they had a massive workload back home. But they were the ones insisting on
accompanying her.

“Everyone has to register today, Eva. If they don’t,
they’re out,” said North.

They sat on either side of the small laminated
table. North bit into an apple, the crunch obscenely loud in the small trailer.
He wouldn’t look her in the eyes, obviously still upset due to the drama from
yesterday.

“You’re still mad at me.”

He scowled. “I’m not mad at you.” After another bite
of apple, he continued, “I just wish you hadn’t come over without asking.”

“Like you? You must crawl in through my window at
least twice a week. Sometimes I don’t even know you’re in my room until I climb
into bed.”

“That’s different.”

“Really? How so?”

He leaned back in his chair, some of this stiffness
softened. “You don’t have any skeletons in your closet.”

“I have plenty.”

His interest piqued, an eyebrow lifting. “You turn
red as a lobster when someone says the word
shit
in front of you.”

“Do not!”

“You’re a good girl, Eva. Don’t try to deny it.” He
tossed his apple core on her side of the table.

“Jerk.” And just like that they were back to normal.
They could never stay mad at each other. North settled his head on his bend arm
and fell asleep just before her eyes became too heavy to keep open.

Chapter
Four

“Where’s Eva?” North woke up to the wash of pink
across the table. The sun was setting, darkness stealing the last bit of
daylight. He’d checked the trailer, only to find Colton asleep in the upper
bunk, his big feet dangling off the end.

“She ain’t up here.” Colton rolled over,
uninterested.

“It’s after eight.
Fuck!”

He looked out the windows. Chinese lanterns were
strung outside the makeshift trailer park. A bon fire blazed in the near
distance, and a gunshot rang off. All the rodeo riders and drifters were
getting ready for a night of debauchery. And little Eva was out there somewhere.

Colton climbed down, rubbing his eyes, his
dirty-blond hair sticking up in every direction. “What time is it?”

“I already said it’s after eight. Eva ain’t here.
God knows what trouble she’s gotten herself into.” North remembered the look of
lust on that drifter’s face earlier in the day. Even worse was the way Eva fell
for his charms like a calf to the slaughter. All he could think about was
knocking that cowboy into next week for looking at Eva with those wicked eyes.

“We’ll take a walk. There are only so many places
she could be at this hour.”

After donning heavy plaid coats to keep out the
evening chill, they headed out on foot to look for Eva. They came on the trip
to protect Eva. They’d promised Mr. Ford that not a hair on her head would be
out of place, and on the first night they’d lost her.

They weaved through the different campfires set up
throughout the camp ground, looking at all the blonde girls in hopes of
spotting just one. Nothing. When they reached the epicenter of activity, the
local bar, they decided to check it out. As soon as they opened the door of the
country and western bar, the music and raucous laughter spilled out into the
night.

“Let’s split up,” said Colt.

They went their separate ways, pushing through the
rowdy cowboys in search of Eva. North felt like a bomb waiting to go off. Every
time a man bumped against him, he clenched his fists in anticipation of a
fight. All he kept imagining was Wade and his fucking silver buckle. A tap on
his back stole his attention. When he spun around, ready for anything, it was Eva
who looked up at him. The first thing he noticed was the top buttons of her
blouse were left unbuttoned.

“What’s going on?” he demanded. “Why in God’s name
are you in this shithole?”

“Wade bought me a drink.” She held up a bottle of
beer and giggled. He snatched it from her and set it on the nearest table.

“Unbelievable, Eva.” North practically dragged her
out of the bar. Colton must have spotted them because he was right behind them.

Once outside in the crisp, cool air, he cupped Eva’s
face and made her look him eye to eye. “What were you thinking?”

She shrugged away. “I watched Wade ride, and then he
bought me a drink. I’m twenty-two, North. There’s nothing wrong with going on a
date.”

“
A date?
”
North couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She’d known Wade all but a few
hours, and now they were some sort of item? Eva was setting herself up for some
serious heartache or much worse.

“I’m not twelve and I
don’t
need saving.” She walked away from him, heading in the
direction of the trailer. “Both of you need to give me some space.”

Colton grabbed his arm before he could chase after
her. “Relax. She’s in one piece.”

“But—”

His brother shook his head. North took a cleansing
breath and began to follow behind Eva. Colt was right. If they pushed too hard,
Eva would fight back harder. They had to play their cards right if they wanted
to keep her out of trouble the entire week.

****

Eva was pissed off and thoroughly embarrassed. She
didn’t even have a chance to say good-bye to Wade since the McReed brothers
practically dragged her out of the bar. The only reason she agreed to go along
with them was to avoid any more humiliation. They were worse than her father,
like overbearing mother bears.

She stormed into the trailer, letting the door slap
back into place—hopefully right in North’s face. She climbed up into the sleeping
area, kicked off her boots, and disappeared under the covers. There was no way
she wanted to argue all night. She just wanted to close her eyes and remember
how good it felt being with Wade. He made her feel like a princess, buying her
a drink and staying by her side most of the evening. She couldn’t believe he
wanted
her
when there were so many
beautiful women in Chester. Eva was shy, inexperienced, and didn’t own any
fancy clothes. Wade was a champion rider with so much worldly experience. They could
be a match made in heaven, but Colton and North were going to ruin everything.

“Stop being a sour puss.” Colton crawled up the
mattress beside to her. The flimsy bed sank due to his weight, forcing her body
to roll in his direction.

“Go away.”

He forced her to turn and face him, holding her
wrist so she couldn’t strike out. “Don’t be running off after dark again, little
miss, it’s not safe.”

“It wasn’t after dark, and I was with Wade, not by
myself.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

Eva scowled, wishing she could get through to him,
to make him understand it was her life to live. If she made mistakes, she’d
learn from them. They couldn’t coddle her forever. “There’s nothing wrong with
Wade. He’s a perfect gentleman. He lives on a farm just south of here when he’s
not on the road.”

Something dark crossed Colton’s eyes. “I don’t want
to hear about him, Eva.”

“Fine, let’s just go to sleep then.”

They were all exhausted, overly so. She only hoped
things would be better in the light of day when they were all refreshed. And
she needed to find out what events Wade was riding in tomorrow afternoon. She
needed to apologize for her disappearing act and get to know more about him. He
was reluctant to talk about his private life, so she was anxious to learn
everything.

North joined them, flanking her other side. She felt
like a sardine in a can with the two oversized cowboys stealing all the
space—and the blankets. They started a silent tug-of-war until North finally
agreed to share a blanket with her. He’d taken off his jeans and shirts. His
bare skin felt hot, like cuddling up to a warm fireplace. She closed her eyes
and leaned against him, breathing in his familiar scent.
 
His presence put her at ease, her anger and
worries fading away as she tried to fall asleep.

She was so busy hating Colton and North for cutting
her date short that she forgot they were there for her benefit. They had their
own lives to lead, and more problems at home than she could even comprehend.
Eva still remembered the hurt in North’s eyes, and she never wanted to see it
again. Maybe the break from reality back home would do them all good.

The next morning, Eva awoke when the guys started
tossing and turning in the small bed. She opened her eyes, glad to see the
beams of sunshine coming in the windows. A new day was exactly what they all
needed.

“I’m starving,” said Colton, stretching out next to
her.

North slipped down out of the bed. “Do we have
anything to eat?”

“Mom stocked the fridge. We can make bacon and
eggs,” said Eva.

After washing up and partially dressing, they fought
for space in the tiny kitchen. There was a hot plate and limited running water.
Eva added the bacon to the frying pan while Colt scrambled the eggs in a mixing
bowl beside her.

“What’s the plan for today?” asked Colt.

“I have to tend to Bessie and Ruby this afternoon.”
Eva didn’t mention her plans to hook up with Wade at some point. She decided
her extracurricular activities were best kept from the meddling brothers.

“I heard they’re paying a hundred dollars cash in a
pig wrangling competition this morning,” said North. He kept sneaking peeks at
her, and she wondered if he knew what she was thinking.