Espino, Stacey - Corralling the City Girl [Ride 'em Hard 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

She began to move once Chase rode off after Brad in search of a place to wash up. Her skin felt tight and dry, the mud from the previous night had cemented into every nook and cranny of her body. Even bending her limps felt uncomfortable.

“Good mornin’.”

Jane opened her eyes, scowling from the effort it took. How had she gotten her face plastered with mud? “What time is it?”

“Time to head out. There won’t be any breakfast or rest until we find the missing cattle and horses.”

“Why not?” After her heavy-duty sex party with Brad and Chase, she was hungry and thirsty.

“All our supplies were packed on the spare horses.”

She stood up. “Well isn’t that just lovely. What am I supposed to do like this?” All her intimate parts were hidden under a layer of grime. She’d had all the hair lasered off her pussy years ago, so only her pert nipples shone through the disguise. Dawson’s eyes still travelled up and down the length of her, making her feel more exposed than she was.

“I’d wash you, but I have no water.” He stepped closer, his jaw set hard. “Would you like that?” His voice was husky and sensual, leading her into an erotic trap.

“Dawson, what game are you playing with me? I offered myself to you yesterday, but you blew me off as if I repulsed you. I don’t know many men, actually I don’t know
any
men who could deny a woman begging to be fucked.”

“Chase and Brad took good care of you.”

“Maybe I wanted you, too. Maybe I wanted you to live up to all your teasing about safe words and submission.” She swallowed hard, wondering if she should regret opening up or not.

“I’m no good for you, baby doll. You should thank me for walking away when I did. It wasn’t easy.”

“Only I know what’s good for me, Dawson Reed.” He stood tall and defiant when she needed him to accept her, show any slipup or weakness to prove he had feelings for her.

“You think I’m good for you? You’re only falling for the temporary lure of the prairies, darlin’. Once this roundup is over you’ll forget all about this cowboy in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t know me at all!” As her pulse quickened with her rising anger, she became more aware of her nudity. She cupped her breasts, wishing she had something to cover herself with.

As if sensing her insecurities, Dawson wrapped one of the clean saddle blankets from his gear around her shoulders and tugged her against him. “Don’t hide yourself from me.”

“Why? You obviously don’t want me. Stop making excuses and putting words in my mouth. You don't want anything to do with me, that’s fine, Dawson.”

He licked his thumb and used the moist pad to clean the dried mud on her lower lip, and then he bent down and kissed her. “I do want you, that’s the problem.” He inhaled near her neck, holding her close. “Tell me who hurt you."

Where would she even start? She should keep her mouth shut and save him the boring life lesson, but the words came tumbling out. “Everyone. My father deserted us, and my mother decided she’d date every known loser after he left. Every man I gave the time of day as an adult only disappointed me…the same way you are now. Maybe I’m unlovable.” She whispered her last words. The magnitude of the statement she’d secretly believed for years hit her hard, clogging her throat with emotion. She realized that trying to attain success at work, and building up a stone-cold reputation, was all in a futile attempt to become a better woman than her mother. She didn’t want to be a single welfare mother broken apart by every jerk who didn’t stick around.

Dawson sighed and hugged her tighter. “I’ve been a fool. I never intended to hurt you. You have to believe that.” He was so strong, his arms swallowing her up. She felt like a child in a comforting embrace, and she reveled in that momentary sense of security and belonging.

The ensuing silence was uncomfortable. Where did they stand now? She felt uniquely vulnerable after spilling her guts.
Say something, dammit!

“You’re a good man. I’m the one with stupid illusions. I’m sorry.”

He tilted her chin up and scolded her with his expression. “No illusions here, darlin’. I’d like nothing more than to carry you off into the sunset with me, but it’d be no life for you.”

The elusive happily ever after. She’d avoided love like the plague all her life, terrified of getting burned like her mother did time and time again. Jane didn’t want to grow old alone and resentful. Could she open herself up enough to let another person in? Maybe three?

“Because I’m a spoiled brat from the city?”

“Because you deserve better than a drifter with no fixed address. I’d want to give you everything you wished for, and it’d kill me not to be able to.”

That sized her up in a sentence. Before coming to the prairie, she’d judged herself on her appearance—the label on her suit, make of her shoes, and designer of her purse. It was all a deceptive paradise where no one was truly happy, only going through the motions to be better than the Joneses. It was supposed to somehow compensate for years of emotional abandonment, but it was a poor substitute for real happiness.

Chapter Fifteen

They’d barely spoken for two days straight, any of them, as if they’d all gone mute. The camp fire at night was quiet. Riding alongside each other on the soft grass was quiet. Any more quiet and Chase would lose his mind completely. Everything had changed after their night in the rain. That magical night he’d never forget. He thought things would shift to the better afterwards since he’d mentally committed to Jane, whether she knew it or not. The idea of returning home just to hear his mother nag him about getting hitched would claw his innards when the only woman he could imagine by his side was the feisty, sensual little spitfire.

“We’ll never make the deadline,” Jane finally said. She cleared her throat after, as if her throat couldn’t handle speech after so much silence. They’d survived on such little food the past couple days, that he was surprised they had the energy to chase after the cattle. The missing horses had finally come into sight early in the morning, so they’d all indulged in jerky and dried apricots until nearly sick. Tomorrow they’d reach the nearby forested land where they could use their survival skills to snare a rabbit.

“Don’t talk like that,” said Brad. They all rode their horses in a calming walk as they scouted an area to rest for the night. The cicadas in the distant forest could be heard as a faint drone all the way to their location.

“If we don’t make it, we don’t make it,” said Chase. Going home empty-handed would get him teased by his brothers for months to come, but Jane was more important than money. He wanted to see her smile, ask a question about the wildlife around her, or even give him some sass. She’d been so sullen, as if hanging on to life by a thread. It made no sense, unless Dawson had said something to upset her. Brad looked at her with love-sick puppy dog eyes, so Chase knew he’d never intentionally upset Jane.

Jane pulled on her reins, bringing her horse to a standstill. “You make it sound so simple, Chase. Have you forgotten that nobody gets paid if we don’t make the deadline? It’s only five days away now, and only a miracle will get us there in time.”

Even though she spit her words, at least they were talking. “It’s just money.”

“Really?”
Her voice dripped of sarcasm. “I thought this was all about getting your ten large and splitting. Remember, you have a ranch you should be working, not wasting your time on a wild-goose chase.”

She threw all his past words at him, which wasn’t fair because things changed so much since he found out about her underhanded arrangement. Jane would be getting the shortest straw anyhow, losing her entire inheritance, not just a few thousand dollars like them.

“Jane Williams, don’t test me. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to argue with you.” Twilight encroached on the land. The fire-orange sunset had already begun to fade, and they needed to set up camp for the night. With the sky clear, they wouldn’t be night-blind as they had been days earlier when the cloud cover was heavy.

The same thoughts he’d had on that very first day came to the forefront of his mind—the little smart-aleck needed a good spanking. He suspected that would be the only way to convince the redhead that his intentions were honorable, that he wanted her, and that she didn’t have to continually play the stone-cold bitch. Chase liked Jane, the real her, honest and vulnerable.

After the horses were secured, Chase joined the others by the fire. The rainfall had doused the wicked humidity, making the long rides bearable. He sat across from Jane, who stared mesmerized at the leaping flames. The firelight danced in her sultry green eyes. If only he knew what she was thinking. Brad had three sisters, maybe he’d know what ailed her heart. It was much more than not meeting a deadline.

Dawson’s spurs chimed with each slow, heavy footfall. He squatted near the fire and dropped his leather bags next to Chase. “Open them.”

He complied, flipping open the flap. There were extra fixings, the ones thought to be lost when the pack horses took off from the lightning. “Where you find them?”

“I didn’t.” Dawson stood back up. “I took them. I’m the one who set the horses loose and scattered the herd.”

“What!” Jane hollered.

Chase and Brad both stood to attention. Chase pushed Dawson in the chest, an aggressive shove meant to taunt the man into more than an argument. If anyone could fight, it was Chase. He had two brothers he regularly brawled with, and he did the same with the Carson brothers the next ranch over from them. “Why the fuck would you do that? Don’t you want to get paid?”

“I was hired to sabotage the drive, to ensure Jane didn’t get the cattle to their destination in time.”

Brad's face was more severe than he thought possible. "We've been working our asses off, including you, or so I believed. Fuck, I can't believe this! I thought I knew you, Dawson Reed. A real man doesn't try to swindle his friends."

And they were all friends, weren't they? More than that. They were all brought together through Jane, and through the magical enigma of the prairies. "Everyone makes mistakes," said Dawson.

"Not like this!" said Jane, tugging his shirt. "I trusted you! God, I was even falling for you..." She went quiet, her fists holding onto his clothing as if it were the only thing left linking them together.

"You complained about Jane being a materialistic city girl, but you care more about money than the next guy. I hope you have a clean conscience when you sleep tonight," said Brad.

“Sabotage? You were paid more than ten thousand?” Chase asked in utter disbelief.

“Triple the amount. When the job's complete. Apparently not everyone wants Jane to get her due. If she fails in her task, her cousin will have the next chance at inheriting the Williams’ fortune.”

“Ronald?” Jane stomped to her foot. “That little weasel!”

“Never met him myself. I was just contacted through the grapevine and offered the easiest money imaginable. Everything was going along great…until one little city girl opened my eyes.”

Chase’s defenses lowered slightly, but he was still pissed off. “You realize you won’t get paid now—from anyone.”

“I know. But I had to come clean. It’s been tearing me apart holding onto this secret.”

“Good,” shouted Jane. She pushed Dawson in the chest with both palms. His body didn’t budge. “I trusted you! What happened to the cowboy way?”

“I only had my own way until I met you.” He grabbed her wrists and brought her arms down to her sides. “I’ll never lie to you again. That’s a promise.”

She writhed in his grip, but he didn’t give her an inch of freedom. “That’s it? I’m supposed to trust you now, Dawson? Was anything between us real?”

“I’m no different than you, darlin’. When we started this trip you were an empty shell, and nearly impossible to like. Now look… You’ve managed to get three hardcore cowboys to fall head over heels in love with you.”

"Love? You have a funny way of showing it." She swallowed hard, a mix of emotions playing on her face. "I gave up everything and tried so damn hard to make this work. Meanwhile, someone I grew to respect was trying to make me fail."

"I'll make it up to you, Jane. If it's the last thing I do, I'll make it up to all three of you. I was wrong. There's no sugar-coating what I did."

"It's honorable to admit when you're wrong," said Brad. Where had the malevolence gone? It was clear that Dawson wasn't out for blood, or proud of what he'd done. Although knowing he'd made a terrible mistake didn't make up for screwing them all this time, it softened the blow.