Operation Mustang [The Service Club 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (14 page)

Diek hefted a bale of hay off the truck trailer and winced, and he tossed it to the ground. Pain etched his chiseled face, and he grabbed his right bicep with his left hand.

Mustang took a half step toward him before she stopped herself. She dropped her head, took a breath, and turned back to Chester.

“You could’ve used that.” The old man tipped his chin Diek’s direction. “All that yammerin’ you were doin’ about me firin’ him. That right there’s as good an excuse as any you could’ve come up with.”

“He’s injured.” Mustang nodded and wiped her palms on her jeans. “He was honest about that upfront. He’s nearly a month down in his three-month probationary period, and he’s handled himself, handled the work pretty well so far.”

He’d been handling her pretty well, too, but she didn’t add that in her comment to Chester. Three weeks had passed since he and his brothers had torn through the final shreds of her resistance, and they hadn’t let up. She spent her days working the ranch as she’d always done and her early evenings dealing with the office work that came along with it. Her nights belonged to the Rylon brothers.

“He won’t slack off either. Gotta say it’s been right handy havin’ Gunner around, too.”

Mustang wouldn’t disagree. Gunner had jumped in, working the ranch alongside his brothers as if he were an employee, too. Neither brother gave her any lip about anything she wanted done, which she appreciated more than they likely understood. They had not only moved into her life, but into her bedroom as well, and she knew word of that had gotten around fast. So far she hadn’t been slapped with any ridicule by any of the other ranch hands. She’d been privy to a few looks she’d dismissed more as concern than disapproval by those who’d been around awhile. She knew everyone on the ranch watched out for her same as they always had.

“It has, but we can’t get too dependent on him to carry the workload. We never know when he’ll go wheels up again.” A knot twisted in her gut at the thought of him leaving. He lived for the team just like Diek had done. And, just like Diek, he could come home injured next time or, God save her, come home in a box.

Mustang shook her head. She couldn’t think about that now. She knew, as she’d always known even before she let the Rylon brothers completely into her life, that each time Diek or Gunner left, there was a chance she could lose them forever.

“Make the most out of it while you got it, girl.” Chester stared at her with those knowing eyes that told her he saw straight to her soul. “’Bout time you’re doin’ that. ’Bout time you’re lettin’ yourself be happy.”

She opened her mouth and started to say she’d always been happy, but she closed her lips before a word spilled, knowing it would be a lie. She’d been content with her life on the ranch, but being in the arms of the men she loved had made her life complete. Her days were a hell of a lot easier, too, now that she didn’t spend every waking hour fighting to keep herself from taking what she wanted most.

The sound of an approaching truck pulled her from her thoughts. She flicked a glance over her shoulder and spotted Lucky’s pickup coming to a stop a few feet away. Her gaze slid to the passenger seat and narrowed on Stewart Roscoe. She turned full to face the men as they got out of the truck and headed her way. Stewart tipped his worn cowboy hat in greeting. His gaze moved past her to Diek and Gunner before locking onto hers once more.

Mustang squared her shoulders even as she sighed inwardly. She’d pretty much stuck to the ranch these last three weeks, venturing into town only to make a short supply run here or there. When she’d left, she’d been alone. She hadn’t caught wind of any rumors flying about her even though she believed the news of her hooking up with the Rylon brothers had already spread. In truth, the majority of the townspeople and their opinions had never concerned her as much as those of her neighboring ranchers. Those were the men she faced, the men she worked with, the men for whom she’d worked to gain their respect as a rancher. Stewart Roscoe was one of those men. He was also Austin Roscoe’s older brother.

“Stewart.” Mustang smiled and did her best to appear happy to see him. “What brings you out this way?”

The man shook hands with Chester when he reached them, then extended his hand to her. “Well, I’d like to say I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by, but truth is I came to talk a little business with you if you’ve got a minute.”

“I’m sure I can spare a few.” Intrigued, Mustang hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans and glanced at Lucky. He shrugged and gave her a look that clearly indicated he didn’t have a clue what Stewart had in mind. “Is this something we can talk about out here or do we need somewhere more private?”

“Here’s as good a place as anywhere. I stopped by the barn first, took a peek at that new colt Kinger and Raven made together. He sure is a beauty.”

“Yes, he is.” Mustang waited. She watched the way Stewart’s gaze continued to move from hers to each of the Rylon brothers as he took his time getting to the point of his visit.

“I heard you had a little scare with him the day after he was born.”

Mustang nodded. “He’s made a full recovery. There don’t seem to be any lingering side effects. Lucky has been keeping a close eye on him and, as far as he can tell, the colt is as healthy as, well, a horse.” She grinned at her own pun.

Stewart chuckled. “So Lucky tells me. That colt is actually what I want to talk to you about. I know Lucky sees to the horses on the Circle M, but all the decision makin’ falls to you.”

Mustang relaxed at those few little words. Not so little to her, she realized, but truly monumental ones. The respect she’d worked to earn remained despite the choices she’d made in her love life. Business and pleasure weren’t mixing a horrid concoction, at least not with Stewart Roscoe. She’d expected scorn from him above all others. She knew he didn’t approve of his brother’s dealings with the Service Club and looked down his nose at the lifestyle the members chose to lead. Yet, this was ranching business, not sex. He wasn’t allowing his personal views to cloud his work ethics. More, by coming to her, he was proving he still saw her as head of the Circle M ranch regardless of how many men shared her bed.

“Yes, they do,” she confirmed. “So what kind of business proposition do you have for me to chew on?”

“Like I said, it’s about the new colt. I want to make a racing horse out of him.”

Mustang blinked and started to speak, but he rushed on before she got the chance.

“I’m not lookin’ to buy him, at least not yet. I didn’t figure you’d be up for sellin’ him anyways. Besides, it’ll give me somethin’ to keep on you about later down the road.”

Mustang smiled at the glint in his eyes. Stewart was a damn fine cowboy and a hell of a horse trainer and racer. She’d been half expecting a similar offer from him when it pertained to the new colt. She believed as well as he did that the colt would make a fine racehorse.

“Tell you what. I’ll give it some thought.” She already knew she’d do it, but a good businesswoman didn’t make impulse decisions. “Give me a few days, maybe a week.”

Stewart nodded. “Fair enough.” He seemed to hesitate. His gaze once again slid to each of the Rylon brothers in turn. “The trouble with the colt”—he stopped and licked his lips—“I heard it wasn’t the only problems you had on the ranch lately.”

“There was another incident that occurred the night before.” Obviously, somehow the news someone had broken into her bedroom had gotten around, too. “Things have been pretty quiet since, though.” Since she’d let her relationship with the Rylon brothers become public knowledge. It happened just as they’d suspected. If the two events had been somehow connected to the Service Club as they’d believed, then their making it clear they weren’t backing down had driven the culprit back into his little hiding hole.

“That’s good to hear. It ain’t nobody’s damn business but your own what you do in your personal life, and you shouldn’t be subject to danger because of it.”

His response rocked Mustang back on her heels. Stunned, she couldn’t think of a thing to say to that.

“You let me know if you need anything around here. We ranchers have to watch out for each other.”

Mustang didn’t need to glance at any of the men surrounding her to know they were all grinning like loons with big fat
I told you sos
on the tips of their tongues. She extended her arm, shook hands with Stewart, and held his gaze. “Thank you. And the same goes for you, if you ever need anything.”

* * * *

Your ranch. I told you that wouldn’t change.

Mustang smiled as Diek’s softly spoken words reverberated through her memory. They’d advanced on her after Stewart Roscoe left that afternoon, not caring that Chester stood on watching. Each of them had pulled her in for three of the tenderest kisses they’d given her yet. She hadn’t told them how much she appreciated them holding back in Stewart’s presence, letting her take care of the business at hand without so much as a word from any of them. Thinking back now, she realized she hadn’t needed to say it. They already knew.

“And you should have, too,” she told herself aloud, tying the belt of her robe as she walked to her closet and pulled open the double sliding doors. All the years she’d spent fighting and she should’ve known it wasn’t necessary. She should’ve had faith in the Rylon brothers that they would never want to change her, never want to take away the life she’d built for herself. They only wanted to be a part of that life, to give her the love and sexual pleasures she craved.

Your ranch, our body.

Diek had told her that more than once, too, and he was right. She belonged to them, mind, body and soul, but they wouldn’t break her, wouldn’t put into jeopardy the ranch she so loved.

“So how does it feel to have everything you’ve ever wanted?” she asked herself aloud, giggling girlishly as she rifled through her hanging clothes in search of just the right blouse to wear tonight. Excitement zinged through her along with a bolt of trepidation as her thoughts switched to tonight, to the meeting with the Service Club that she would finally attend.

It hadn’t been a month since the club last met. Not that they generally stuck to any particular time frame in the past. She had a feeling why they’d chosen to meet again barely three weeks after the last time, though, and that reason was her. She shivered as anticipation burned a sizzling path through her system.

She settled on a low-cut teal blouse with her favorite denim skirt. Pulling them from the closet, she gave her head a backward toss to dislodge the towel wrapped around her damp hair. She froze, her heart clogging her throat when the back of her head connected with a solid body behind her. Before she could turn or even utter a sound, a hand covered her mouth.

“Are you sure you have everything you’ve ever wanted?”

Fear turned her blood to ice in her veins. That wasn’t Gunner’s, Diek’s, or Lucky’s voice. Her mind registered that in an instant. There was a slight familiarity to the voice, though the speaker was obviously working to disguise his tone.

“Only a whore would do the things you’ve been doing. You’re not a whore, but you’ve let them turn you into one. Do you know what happens to whores?”

Her mind reeled, trying to put a face to the voice. She forced herself to take deep, steady breaths, willing herself not to panic. The hand over her mouth smelled faintly of Irish Spring soap and a hint of cologne she knew she’d smelled before, but couldn’t place.

“Do you, Mustang?” He gave her a hard jerk. “Do you know what happens to whores?”

Unable to speak, refusing to move her lips against the callused palm covering her mouth, she shook her head.

“They die.”

Oh, Dear God.
Mustang caught the wrist over her mouth and balled her free hand in a tight fist. She put all her strength in the turn, wrenched his hand from her mouth, and managed a solid connection with her fist to his jaw. She’d caught him by surprise, but he recovered quickly. He caught both her wrists in one of his larger hands even as he covered her mouth once more, stifling her scream before she could let it loose. She hadn’t even gotten a look at him before he had her pinned again.

His grip on her wrists tightened like a vise, cutting off the circulation to her hands and giving her a good indication of his strength. His breath smelled rancid as he growled in her ear. “Try that again, and you’ll die, too.”

Mustang stilled and tried to calm her rapid breaths as her mind raced for more options of escape. Hindsight being what it was, she realized she should’ve gone low, lifted her heel and kicked him in the balls. She’d been raised around men, taught to fight like one, but when it came to matching strength for strength, her legs possessed the most power. All she needed was one more chance. If she screwed up again, he might follow through on his word and kill her, but damn if she would go down without a fight.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Maybe not yet, but he would. She felt a bone-deep certainty that, despite his claim, this would end very badly if she didn’t get away.

“Time to get out of here,” he said, sounding as if he were talking more to himself than her this time.

Bullshit, it is
. The more time they spent in her room, the better chance she had of getting out of this alive. She’d left Diek, Gunner, and Lucky in the horse barn, but they would be returning to the main house any minute to shower for tonight.