Espino, Stacey - Corralling the City Girl [Ride 'em Hard 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (5 page)

A dog sidled up next to her, making her jump in surprise.

Bradley turned and the dog was eager to greet the man, tail wagging a mile a minute. “This is Butch. Hope you don’t mind if he tags along.”

“He’s yours?” He didn’t look like a Butch. The dog had black and white patches, medium-sized, and friendly.

“He’s my shadow.” Bradley laughed, and his smile was infectious. “One of the best cowdogs out there, too. He’ll be a benefit to us, especially since we’re so understaffed.”

Her heart sunk on the word “understaffed.” She didn’t want the men deciding the workload wasn’t worth it and walk out on her. “Are you sure he can keep up? We’ll be on horseback.”

Another healthy chuckle. “Don’t worry about Butch. He’ll be just fine.” He closed the flaps to the saddlebags.

Bradley stood back up and since she was directly behind him, their fronts rubbed together briefly. Bradley was tall, and she had to bend her neck back to see his face. He steadied her by the shoulders before she toppled backwards. “Why’d you take a job like this?” she asked, barely above a whisper. He seemed like a good man, one who should have the perfect wife, perfect children, and the whole white picket fence deal.

“It’s good money.” She could tell he wasn’t comfortable opening up, so she didn’t push him. If he asked about her, she’d have done the same thing. Jane didn’t realize his hands were still on her until he began to slide them down her arms as he bent down in front of her. “Lift your leg.”

She obliged him, curious about what he was doing. Had she stepped in something gross? He slipped off one of her best stilettos and before she could blink, snapped off the three-inch heel.

“What the hell?”

“Next.” For some reason she complied. Another quick snap of her other heel, and she was even shorter than before. Damn, these men were massive.

“Those weren’t cheap.”

“You’ll thank me later.” He winked at her, and then left to rejoin the other men, his dog following faithfully behind him. Jane had noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. She felt a sense of brief abandonment when he left her standing there. He’d been thoughtful and sweet, and she had the deep-seated urge to connect with another human being, anything to anchor her in this time of uncertainty.

Chapter Five

Brad felt sorry for the woman who’d hired them. The other two cowboys were giving her a hard time, and although he found it amusing, he also felt her frustration. He was the youngest child with three older sisters, so he was more sensitive and in tune to women than most men. He’d normally advise her not to bother with the trip, that it was one of the most foolish and ill-planned cattle runs he’d ever heard of. But she looked ready to jump the ledge, and he didn’t want to be the one to give her that final push.

So he decided to humor her and earn his ten thousand dollars. He was hired for a job, and no matter how destined to failure it may be, he’d give it his all. If his colleagues had any sense of work ethic, in addition to a little luck, they may just get the cattle moved as requested.

“You from around here?” asked Chase, holding one of the acreage maps out on the open flatbed of Dawson’s pickup.

“Not too far,” he said. He’d done deliveries to this town several times in the past, in addition to driving through. Everyone he knew had heard of the Williams ranch. It was one of the largest cattle operations in this neck of the woods.

“Good. I’m from way up north. Never even heard much of the Williams’ until I took this job.”

He turned to see what Jane was up to. She was still enamored by the horses. Most city girls were. The sun shimmered off her coppery hair, which fluttered gently in the breeze. She was a beauty, the type of woman he’d expect to find on a glossy magazine cover. Jane was nothing like his sisters, homegrown cowgirls who’d never seen nail polish or earrings. She certainly piqued his interest. He wondered if the stories were true about modern women keeping their pussies clean-shaven.

“The Garrow Pass? Bradley?”

He blinked his eyes and turned back to the men who he hadn’t even heard speaking. The little redhead had invaded his thoughts, pulling him from reality. “Sorry. What?”

Dawson trailed a finger along a river system on the map that cut through the territory they needed to pass. “Do you think we should follow The Garrow? It would be a good locator, and we wouldn’t have to worry about water for the cattle and horses.”

“But it might be impassable, especially with the recent rain. Could be a mistake,” said Chase, pointing out an alternative, but longer, route. Bradley didn’t know these two men from Adam, but hoped to God they were everything they claimed to be. With just three of them, it would take hard work, long hours, and plenty of determination to round up so many cattle. There were just six horses, so they’d have to rotate them to keep them fresh.

“I never trust these old maps. This one probably hasn’t been updated in years. Besides, obstacles like gorges, forests, and smaller rivers won’t necessarily show up.” He instinctively turned toward the horses again, but Jane was gone. “I say we take a day at a time and reevaluate as we go.”

“She’s a looker, ain’t she?” Chase smirked, raising his chin to where Bradley continually glanced.

“That she is.”

“Either of you know anything about her?” asked Dawson. The maps now forgotten, they all shifted to face the wooden lean-to.

“Don’t know her, but I don’t know you either,” said Brad, not attempting to disguise his callous tone. He knew Dawson’s type. He had no doubt the man was a drifter, and more often than not, drifters were womanizers. Brad couldn’t stand men who offered false, sweet words in exchange for a woman’s trust. He had to dry the tears of his sisters on more occasions than he’d like because of men looking for a few nights of fun and nothing more. Although he didn’t know anything about Jane, and she wasn’t his concern, he wouldn’t just stand to the side while one of these men decided to work their twisted charms on her.

Dawson glared at Brad as he straightened his posture. “We’re all strangers to each other, aren’t we? Only makes sense to try and trust each other if we’ll be living together day in, day out for weeks.”

Chase lit up a cigarette, seemingly nonchalant considering the hostile energy passing between Brad and Dawson. “Trust has to be earned. So does respect.” He exhaled a cloud of smoke and sat partially on the open tailgate. “What we need to do is get along so we can get this shit done, and I can get paid.”

Dawson nodded, his rigid stance softening. “You’re right. Nobody says we have to be best friends, but the job will get done faster if we work well together.”

Brad took a few steps away, the gravel crunching beneath his boots. He looked to the sky, a clear, pale blue, but the distant horizon was dark and ominous. The storm that had passed through the town appeared to be retreating, but a rancher could never truly trust the weatherman or signs in the sky. Mother Nature had a perverse sense of humor. He wasn’t worried about himself. Brad was a man, a cowboy, and didn’t fear the elements or hard work. What he worried about was the petite little redhead who didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

He decided to find Jane so they could get this show on the road. The spare horses needed to be loaded with all their supplies, and watered. They also needed to load their saddlebags with personal effects. He’d brought his own saddle and noticed the other two riders did as well. Maybe they weren’t all show. Real cowboys wouldn’t be caught on a run in another man’s saddle.

Thinking about personal items, he recalled the toy they’d found in Jane’s bag. They had just been curious to see if she’d actually brought appropriate travel wear, and came across the pink dildo tucked between her clothing. It didn’t take much effort for him to envision her using it to pleasure herself. She had a fiery temper and would no doubt be passionate in bed. Unlike his companions on this trip, he wouldn’t mind letting her use his body, as opposed to him using hers. Brad didn’t care about male dominance or bravado like the common cowboys in these parts. He had nothing to prove. And his momma taught him how to treat a woman. He’d learned on his own how to worship the female body.

“Will you look at that,” said Chase from right behind him, letting loose a barely audible whistle. Brad looked up, shifting out of his daze to see Jane walking toward them. She’d changed, now wearing skintight blue jeans and a hot-pink T-shirt with sequins designs. Her breasts jiggled as she walked, even more so since she moved with a limp. So it wasn’t just the heels. She was hurting.

“If you’re not too busy, it would be nice if you’d help load the horses.”

Brad ignored her, but bent down in front of her. Chase seemed to know what he was up to and moved behind her, his hands planted firmly on her hips. “Lift your leg,” ordered Brad.

“What do you two think you’re doing? You’ve already destroyed my shoes, Bradley McCay.”

“Just call me Brad,” he said, never having liked his full name. “And I’m trying to help you. It wouldn’t kill you to tell me that your ankle hurts, you know.”

“Real women don’t worry about inconveniences like pain and suffering. Life goes on, bills need to be paid, and clients demand results. Right now I have five thousand filthy animals waiting for an escort across this godforsaken land. Don’t worry about my ankle.” She took a breath after her minitirade.

“Well, she’s a live one,” said Chase with a chuckle in his voice. After he spoke she shifted her head, her back falling against the cowboy’s chest. Her face matched the shade of her hair, and she struggled to upright herself with only one foot planted on the ground.

“You stink of smoke,” she muttered, but her face was still flush. Brad let her chatter on while he massaged her ankle, feeling for swelling or breaks like he did with the horses on his family ranch. Any worthwhile cowboy was also a vet, a mechanic, a handyman, and about a dozen other titles.

“Nothing’s broken,” he said, giving her one final assessment.

“I could have told you that. It’s just sore. I’m fine.” She began to hop about on her good leg, struggling in Chase’s grasp. “The longer we stand here, the further we are from the deadline!”

Chase swung her up into his arms to her great disbelief. “The only one going to slow us down is you, darlin’.” He carried her toward the horses. Dawson and Brad followed. The woman could sure cuss. He wasn’t used to women talking like men. His sisters had been raised with a leather belt, same as him. They all learned quickly not to talk back or curse in front of their momma, so the belt rarely made an appearance. He couldn’t blame his mother for her hard ways, not when she had to raise the four of them alone.

“I don’t think you understand who’s in charge here, mister! Put me down this instant!” Chase finally obliged her when he’d reached his destination. She immediately started fussing with her hair and tugging her shirt back into place after being set on two feet. “Better. Now we just need to load all that gear onto those horses and we can be on our way.” She pointed to the pile of supplies in her dictator-like fashion.

“What’s the rush, baby doll?” Dawson leaned against the shelter, one leg bent up. “Thought you were lookin’ for an adventure on the open land? All I’ve heard so far is talk of deadlines.”

* * * *

Jane couldn’t come right out and tell them she had to meet a deadline to avoid forfeiting her entire inheritance, including their salaries. She’d have to control her temper, keep on a poker face, and appear less rushed.

“It may be an adventure, but I only have a certain amount of time off work. We can’t just round up the cattle to a certain point and abandon them. They need to get them to their new territory before I have to go back to work. I don’t have the luxury of lollygagging around like the three of you.”
There
. That made sense.

The cowboys moved in around her. Brad halted his brief rummage through the supplies, Dawson’s spurs chimed as he closed the distance between them, and Chase attempted to light up another cigarette. She wanted to smack the satisfied smirk off his face.

As Brad stood and joined them, he asked, “What do you do for a living, Ms. Williams?”

Her defenses rose. “I’m an executive assistant for a very prestigious accounting firm.” Jane crossed her arms over her chest feeling suddenly claustrophobic with the three of them cornering her, asking her questions she didn’t want to answer, and an invisible time clock clicking down to certain detonation in her mind.

“Sounds mighty fancy,” said Dawson. “I suppose that’s why you’re acting like a spoiled little rich girl.”

“Excuse me?” Her jaw dropped from his gall.

“Sounds about right to me,” Chase agreed, blowing out a puff of putrid smoke. “Maybe we should hogtie her and load her on a horse with the supplies.”