Trusting Them (5 page)

Their spread was by no means huge, but they did run a good head of cattle. He knew at last count they had sixty calves. Most of them would go up for sale, but he would keep a few to keep their herd young. They would sell out some of the older ones to make room for the newer blood. They usually bought new blood every spring to keep down the inbreeding that often doomed a herd.

He finished all four water troughs and climbed back over the fence to check on the bulls. They had two masterful guys in separate pens who serviced their heifers. He put out more hay and broke up their water as well. Then he headed back towards the stable to see how his brother was coming with the horses. The ranch hands would continue breaking up the water throughout the night.

“Brady?” he called out.

“Back here. Sunfire has a damn splinter in her hind quarters. I’m cleaning her up.”

“How bad?” Brock stepped up to the gate and peered over the slats.

“Not bad, but it took a good thirty minutes to soothe her and get the damn thing out. I’ve searched her walls and the slats on the gate and can’t figure out where it came from.” Brady gathered up his supplies and walked out of the stall when Brock opened the door.

“Never know how they get into the shit they do. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t get out and get into stuff when we’re in bed at night.”

Brady laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, and stable themselves back up come morning.”

“Almost makes you want to set your alarm for three a.m. to come out and see,” Brock said.

“Yeah, except right now, we got someone in bed to keep us warm, and I don’t plan on leaving her to check on some damn horses.” Brady’s voice had turned deep.

“Brady. Don’t go getting too attached to her. She isn’t some damn puppy we bring home and take care of. She’s a grown woman.” Brock knew he was talking to a brick wall.

“Yeah, she is definitely a grown woman. One who needs us. I, for one, don’t plan on letting her go without a fight.” Brady stomped off out into the cold wind and blowing snow.

He didn’t even bother closing the door. Brock cursed and rushed to close the door and follow his brother inside the house. There was no telling what his little brother would do if he wasn’t reined in.

Brock needn’t have hurried. He found Brady kneeling next to the bed with a hand lying across their visitor’s forehead. He turned worried eyes towards his brother.

“She’s burning up again and wheezing in her chest.”

“Ah, hell. I was afraid of this.” Brock rushed over to check for himself.

Jeni’s face was dry and hot to the touch. Her breath wheezed in and out of her lungs in a rapid rate. When he brushed the hair from her eyes, they opened. They were dull and listless.

“Easy, baby girl. We’re going to take good care of you.” Brock stood back up and looked around the room as if something would jump out at him as an answer to his prayers.

“What do we do, Brock?” Brady asked.

“Go turn off the damn generator and bring up a handful of bottled water. We’ve got to get her temperature down. I’m going to run a tepid bath and we’ll soak her in it until the fever breaks.”

Brady rushed out of the bedroom intent on his job. Brock ran the massive tub full of water. He would add cold to it once they had her in the water. First, he needed to get four of the ibuprofen in her and more liquid as well. He sat on the edge of the bed and poured four of the pills into his hand. Then he reached behind Jeni and pulled her to a sitting position.

“Come on, baby. You got to take this medicine and swallow it down.” He pushed the four pills into her mouth and held the glass of water to her mouth.

She tried turning her head, but Brock refused to let her balk at swallowing them. Finally, she choked down the pills that ended in a rough bout of coughing and wheezing and tears. Some were hers, and some were his.

Chapter Four

So hot. Jeni felt like she would die if she didn’t get some relief soon. Then, suddenly she was plunged into an icy cold river of frigid water. She fought and thrashed the best she could but was no match for the ruthless men holding her down. Why were they doing this to her? She hadn’t done anything to them—had she? She couldn’t seem to remember. Everything was so confusing.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of mind-numbing cold, they pulled her out of the icy waters and wrapped her in a warm towel. She began to shiver uncontrollably until her teeth rattled in her head. Someone spoke to her in a soft voice of warm beds and comfortable pillows. She tried to latch on to that beautiful voice, but it disappeared. So did the towel drying her weary body. She felt herself lifted off her feet and carried into another place. Her head lolled to the side and she recognized the room to be somewhere she knew, but couldn’t place.

“Careful, Brock. She’s still sore from all those bruises.”

What bruises, she wondered? Who was Brock? Who was the other one? She felt herself lowered and nearly cried at the warm soft bed she found herself sinking into. She curled up on her side and shuddered. It wasn’t until another body pushed against her that she realized whoever they were, they were getting into her bed with her. At first, that worried her, but then something told her it was okay. They belonged with her. She moaned and curled into them and fell deeper into sleep.

* * * *

Sometime close to dawn, she woke up stiff and sore but without as much tightness in her chest. She needed to cough but didn’t want to wake up the two men sleeping on either side of her. She tried swallowing several times, but it didn’t help and finally she erupted into a coughing fit that woke both of the men up.

“Easy.” Brock patted her on the back as she coughed. Each strike knocked her a little closer to Brady.

“Careful, Brock. You’re hitting her too hard.” Brady pulled her hair from out of her eyes.

“I’m...” She swallowed. “I’m okay now.” Her voice sounded hoarse, as if she’d been yelling all night.

“Here.” Brock shoved an opened bottle of water towards her. “Drink up. You need the fluids.”

She grabbed the bottle and drank greedily of the cool contents. As she did, the covers fell from her body and cold air snapped her back to herself. She gasped and tried to grab the covers to pull them over her body. Heat flushed through her face and neck.

“It’s okay. We’ve seen you without clothes on before.” Brock laughed.

“Brock. Don’t be an ass.” Brady rubbed circles around Jeni’s back.

“It’s dark as pitch in here. Neither one of us can see that well,” Brock reasoned.

Jeni shuddered at the thought of them seeing her body over the last few days. She hated the way her body looked. She was heavier than most of her friends had been. At least when she had friends.

“Why don’t you go get her some juice? She needs the vitamins,” Brock said.

“No. I can’t swallow juice. It hurts my throat.” Just the memory of the acidic burn on her raw throat sent shivers down her spine.

Brady smiled but burst her bubble. “I’ll water it down some. He’s right, though. You need it.”

She watched in misery as he pulled on his socks and jeans and ran from the room with all the zest of a track star. She could almost see her breath in the cold air of the bedroom.

“Why is it so cold in here?” she asked.

“Electricity is off, remember?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah.” She wished she could see better.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom? I have flashlights over here if you do.”

“No, um, thanks, though.” Jeni was glad it was dark now. She was sure she had turned five shades of red.

“What time is it?” she finally asked.

A faint glow told her that Brock’s watch had a night light on it.

“Quarter of four. Still plenty of time for you to sleep. Just as soon as Brady makes it back up here with the juice, you can try and go back to sleep.”

The glow of a flashlight drew her attention as Brady walked in with a glass of juice in one hand and the flashlight in the other.

“Here you go.” He handed the glass to Brock, who handed it to her.

“She needs to take some more ibuprofen. It’s been about five hours since we got the last down her.” Brock reached for the bottle.

“I’m okay now, right? I shouldn’t need anymore.” Jeni needed to be strong. She needed to leave before Glenn found her.

“You’re doing better, but you’re not out of the woods yet, baby. Let’s get these down. I’ll only give you two since you’re not running a fever right now.” Brock handed her the two pills.

She swallowed before bringing the pills to her mouth. Her throat was scratchy and raw feeling. She knew that juice was going to be rough on her throat. It would probably burn like a live fire going down. Throwing a nasty look towards both Brock and Brady that the men probably couldn’t appreciate in the dark, she tossed back the pills and brought up the orange juice and swallowed with all intentions of getting them down the first time. It almost worked.

One of the stupid pills got hung in the back of her throat and began to dissolve. Between the juice and the disintegrating pill, she gagged and coughed and sputtered. Both men thumped on her back until she was sure she would have new bruises in the morning. Finally, after a round of heavy coughing, Jeni settled back down in the bed.

“Damn, you scared the bejeebies out of me!” Brady said, rubbing circles around her back.

“Sorry. One got stuck.” It came out all scratchy. Definitely not her normal voice.

“Settle down now and let’s get some more sleep. It won’t be long before dawn.” Brock turned off his flashlight and set it back on the bedside table.

“Cuddle on up to his back, baby. I’ll keep your back warm.” Brady snuggled up against her.

“Stop your fidgeting and relax, Jeni. No one’s going to hurt you,” Brock grumbled.

She couldn’t help it. If felt so right to be between them, but they were all wearing next to nothing. Well, she was wearing nothing. They had on underwear. Where was the justice in that, she wondered. She let her face rest against Brock’s back. His scent set her heart stuttering and her breath coming in small gasps. She became more aware of her breasts flattened against his back and her nipples hardened to two points wanting to be noticed. She stifled a groan. Jeni jerked her attention away from Brock and thought about Brady instead.

Bad move, she realized. One arm lay over her waist just below her breasts. When she breathed, the coarse hair on his arms tickled the underside of her breast. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. His breath tickled the back of her neck, and she couldn’t ignore the press of his hard cock against the crack of her ass. Oh, God. What was she going to do? There was no way she could ever fall asleep like this. Not as aware of them as she now was.

Seconds ticked by, then minutes, and still she struggled to be still.

“Aw, hell,” Brock growled.

He turned over and dragged her out of Brady’s arms and on top of his chest. She straddled his hips, and her hands splayed across his chest. Never had she felt so small as now, with him beneath her and surrounding her, all at the same time.

“What in the hell did you do that for?” Brady asked.

“She’s lying there too afraid to move, let alone breathe.” Brock tightened his hold around her. “Scoot on over and cover her up with the blankets.”

She felt Brady pull the cover over her, then lay a gentle hand across the back of her head as if he were petting her.

“Get some sleep, baby girl. We’ll take care of you,” he said.

* * * *