Caught Between Two Cowboys [Carnal Cowboys 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 16
“Don’t tell me you’ve already finished painting.”
Seth grinned at her. The sounds of Jarrod moving toward the ladder reassured her. If he was going down, then Jesse wouldn’t be coming up.
“I ran out of paint.”
“How? I left you with a full can.”
“It got knocked over.”
Instead of laying into Jesse, Jarrod laughed, his voice growing softer as he led Jesse out of the barn. “Fine. Let’s get you another can from the storage building.”
Seth threw off the blanket, then grabbed his shirt, and moved to peer over the edge. “That was a close one.”
His luscious butt peeked out from under the tail of his shirt, distracting her. When he turned back to her, she was disappointed that his shirttail hid his cock. Jerking her gaze away, she grabbed her clothes and rushed to put them on. “Yes. Too close. This was a stupid thing to do.”
His grin grew bigger. “Bullshit. This was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
She matched his grin with one of her own. How could she deny it? “Yeah, it was. You stay here while I slip back into the house.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Peeking over the edge, she made sure the coast was clear then started for the ladder. A slap on her rump surprised her, almost sending her head-first over the edge. She didn’t need to look at him as she eased onto the ladder and started down the rungs. She had no doubt he’d have on an even bigger grin.
“Damn it, Seth. Behave.”
“Not a chance. Not around you. Not ever.”
His chuckle followed her as she dashed out of the barn.
* * * *
Amy was both nervous and thrilled to go into Garner. The town was small, but cozy and welcoming. The people were friendly, most of them waving and calling hello as they drove down the main road.
Jarrod took both her and Jesse in his pickup and let them out at the one shop with any kind of clothing for sale. There wasn’t much of a variety. The displays consisted of mainly jeans, denim shirts, and other work-related clothing, but simply the idea of going shopping was enough to have her grinning from ear to ear. The men had not only brought her and Jesse into their home, but now they were going to buy them some clothes.
When they’d mentioned the idea of going into town that morning, she’d once again shoved away the idea of telling them about the phone call. Her promise of telling them “later” kept getting pushed later still. But today was her last chance. Today was the day Jesse was supposed to meet his friend at the old barn. She’d have to tell them before they returned to the ranch. Before Jesse had a chance to sneak off and run away.
Jesse, sticking with his usual surliness, refused to check out any of the “country clothes.” But at least he’d stayed in the pickup as she’d ordered him to do. After buying her brother new underwear, she’d scooped up a few jeans and T-shirts for both of them. She didn’t want to take advantage of the generosity of the Hill brothers, but she couldn’t resist adding a pair of lace-trimmed panties and bra from the small women’s section of the store. After all, they’d get enjoyment out of them, too.
She hummed a favorite tune as she waltzed over to the pickup and tossed her packages into the back of the truck. “Are you ready to go grocery shopping?”
“Why don’t they do it?”
“Because Jarrod’s busy at the bank and because we’re pitching in. Helping out is the least we can do. Besides, you’re the cook. Don’t you want to get the ingredients you want?”
To her surprise and delight, Jesse had cooked a few meals. He seemed to enjoy putting food on the table and hearing the men tell him how good it tasted. Even more exciting was the news from both Jarrod and Seth, telling her that Jesse was getting up on time and helping them on the ranch without complaining. Or, at least, not complaining as much.
She enjoyed taking care of the house, but loved riding with both Seth and Jarrod even more. They’d taken her over the ranch, showing her their favorite spots and telling her about the cattle and the horses. To her delight as well as theirs, she’d shown herself to be a capable rider. Racing them back to the barn was the highlight of her day. Hell, spending time with them was the highlight of her day.
If only it could last…
“Fine. Then let’s get this over with,” grumbled Jesse.
She waited for him to slide his body out of the truck. How could anyone his age move so slowly? But as long as he was moving, she wouldn’t say anything.
She led the way into the Pig and Poke Food Market. The small store was nothing like the supermarket they went to in Selena with its multiple aisles, colorful advertising displays, and huge produce section. But what the place lacked in quantity, it more than made up for in warmth. The store had five aisles with a small display of fruits and vegetables off to her right. The frozen section consisted of one large glassed-in refrigerator in the back.
“Hey, there. Welcome to the P & P. Can I help you with something?”
A gray-haired, rotund woman stood behind the one and only checkout stand. Amy returned her smile while Jesse ignored her and grabbed a shopping cart.
“Thanks, but we’re fine on our own.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before. Name’s Elaine Harkens.” Elaine stepped out from behind her register and offered her hand. “Are you new in town?
When was the last time anyone at a supermarket had shaken her hand?
She took the woman’s hand and nudged Jesse to do the same. Once again, he ignored her. “Not really. We’re just passing through.”
Elaine didn’t believe her. The look in her eyes said as much, but she didn’t challenge her. Elaine didn’t seem suspicious of them. Instead, it was more like she knew something they didn’t.
“Oh, so you’re the folks staying with the Hill brothers. Nice men, those two. They’ll make good husbands.” Elaine peered at her, sizing her up. “For the right woman, of course. Well, then, welcome to Garner.”
“Elaine, are you going to stand there jawing all day?” An older man, well into his senior years, ambled toward them. He shook his cane at Elaine. “I don’t have all day, you know.”
“Hold your horses, Martin.” She winked at Amy. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you folks. With your shopping or with anything else.”
What could she mean by “anything else”?
“Thanks.” Was everyone in Garner as friendly as Elaine? Aside from Martin?
Hurrying, she caught up to Jesse as he headed for the produce aisle. “Remember, the guys gave us a hundred and fifty dollars, so don’t get anything too exotic or expensive.”
He scoffed as he pulled the cart in front of a pile of apples. “Does this place look like it has anything exotic or expensive? We’re lucky the meat isn’t still on the hooves.”
“Yeah, well, just be careful of what you spend.” She patted him on the shoulder. “And so you know, I’m proud of you for cooking. And for helping out on the ranch, too.”
“It’s not a big deal. Don’t make it one.”
But it was a big deal. She’d noticed a change in his attitude. He didn’t act as belligerent as before, even getting close to being downright friendly at times.
“You hang on to the cart. I’m going to grab a few things in the middle section. I’ll meet you back at the register, okay?” Not bothering to wait for him to answer—most likely he’d just grunt anyway—she took off.
It didn’t take her long to find what she wanted. In Selena, she would’ve had at least ten different kinds of bread to choose from. In Garner, she found two. But that was okay. How many kinds did a person really need? She gathered the bread then added peanut butter and jelly. A few minutes later and her arms were full. She headed toward the front, hoping Jesse would finish his part of the shopping soon.
“Are you ready, hon?”
She’d just opened her mouth to answer Elaine when she saw them. The bread and the jelly escaped her grasp and fell to the floor. Jelly and shattered shards of
glass splattered at her feet.
“Oh, my.” Elaine was already coming toward her by the time she finally found the strength to move.
The black van was parked in front of the store. Bandura and four of his friends slid out of the vehicle and gathered on the sidewalk. He gestured, obviously giving them orders.
“Hon, are you all right?”
She jerked back to life. “Yes, I’m fine.” Squatting, she dumped the rest of the items onto the floor then hid behind the woman’s larger bulk. “I’m so sorry. I’d help clean this up, but I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t worry about it none. Are you sure you’re all right? You look whiter than a load of laundry washed in bleach.”
“I’m fine. I’m so sorry.”
She didn’t have time to worry about what Elaine thought. Staying low, she darted down the middle aisle, then headed for the meat section. Jesse holding a roast in one hand and a package of ground hamburger in the other.
“Hey, sis, is a roast too much?”
She grabbed the meat out of his hands and tossed it into the shopping cart. “We have to go.” Clutching his arm, she tugged him along with her toward the swinging doors that led to the storage area at the rear of the store.
“What the hell’s going on?”
She didn’t stop until she’d burst through the doors and was halfway through the stock room. Frantically searching, she looked for a way out. There had to be another door. If nothing else, a delivery door or one for a loading dock.
“Sis, what’s going on?” He’d grown nervous, glancing around him as though he expected someone to jump out from behind the stacked boxes.
She would’ve sworn he’d already guessed. “Bandura and his gang are outside.”
“Shit.” He hunkered down as if expecting bullets to fly past him.
Several times that morning, she’d asked him if he planned on meeting the friend he’d called, but he’d never answered. She still hadn’t told the men about Jesse’s call, hoping against hope her brother would tell them. Or that he’d finally wised up and called his friend off. At least Jesse hadn’t told the person on the other end of the call exactly where they were or about the Hill men and Rolling Hills Ranch.
She’d kept close tabs on him, pushing him to tell Seth and Jarrod whenever she had a minute alone with him. He’d grown angry each time, warning her that if she squealed on him, he’d leave. If he had disappeared, she would’ve told Jarrod and Seth, then gone rushing to the old barn.
She’d been selfish and outright foolish to not tell them sooner. Each time she’d tried, she’d imagine them ordering her to get Jesse and leave, breaking the wonderful spell the past few days had given her. Instead, playing the fool, she’d clammed up. She couldn’t tell them. Not until she had to. Besides, when the trip into town had come up on the same day and even the same time he’d told his friend to meet him, she’d been relieved. All she had to do was to get him into town and keep him there. If Jesse hadn’t spilled the plan by then, she’d tell the men on the ride home.
But now time had run out.
“Your friend told them. Damn it, Jesse, I should’ve told Seth and Jarrod as soon as I found out.” She turned in a circle, still searching for the loading dock door. Once she’d found it, they’d have to take their only chance out.
“No. He wouldn’t tell them.” His tone, however, said he wasn’t sure.
“Then how’d they find us?” If only she’d told the men, they wouldn’t be in this mess, trapped inside a market. She’d thought she was protecting Jesse. But she’d also wanted to stay on the ranch, wanted to keep the fantasy going so badly that she’d risked all their necks. How could she have been so stupid? So ungrateful? “There. The loading dock door.”
“I don’t know. Fuck.” He rushed past her and took hold of the doorknob. Putting a finger over his lips to tell her to be quiet, he cracked the door open, then peeked out.
Come on. Let it be okay.
He motioned for her to follow him. She hesitated, second-guessing herself. Was it safer to stay in the building until Jarrod grew worried and came to find them? But she couldn’t let Jesse go outside by himself. Whatever happened, they’d face it together.
Damn it. If only I had a phone. I should’ve borrowed Seth’s when he offered it.
The bright sunlight blinded her for a moment. Once she was used to it, she stuck with Jesse as he dashed down the alley between the grocery mart and the next building. He kept low and headed toward the street.
“No, Jesse. Stop. They’re out front.”
“If we can get to the pickup, then we can get away.”
She’d questioned Jarrod about leaving the keys in the ignition and he’d reassured her that no one ever stole anything in Garner. If Jesse got his way, they’d be the first.
“And if we don’t make it to the pickup, what then? Invite Bandura and his guys out to the ranch for a cookout?”
Jesse stalled long enough for her to take his hand. “It’s too dangerous. They’ll see us.”
“Hey, Jesse, there you are! Bandura’s been looking for you, man.” Three of Bandura’s men stood at the entrance to the alley, blocking their way to the truck and their only means of escape.
Chapter Ten
Fuck.
Jarrod stared at the black van. Garner didn’t have many visitors, much less guys who looked like they belonged on a television crime show. And not as the cops, either. Taking care to act like he was simply strolling across the street, he worked his way over to his truck. Quietly, he opened the door, then reached into the glove box and pulled out his gun. He didn’t bother getting the second fully-loaded magazine. If the ten bullets in his Glock didn’t do the trick, he wouldn’t have time to reload.
Slowly, he made his way toward the gang. Three young men, all around Jesse’s age, blocked the way out of the alley next to the P & P.
“You’re coming with us, man.” Although the other two men had guns stuck in the waistband of their jeans, only one of them had a gun pointed at Amy and Jesse.
Jarrod shook his head as Amy’s eyes met his. Taking the hint, she jerked her attention away.
“You’re up shit creek, man. Bandura wants his money or his drugs. One way or the other.”
“I don’t have the money or the merch, but I’ll get it. You’ve got to give me a more time. I swear I’ll bring it to him, Miguel.”
Miguel chuckled and kept the gun pointed at Jesse. “You will? Promise? Well, damn, why didn’t you say so? Sure, man. No problem.” He stepped closer to Jesse. “What the fuck do you think I am, man? Stupid? I ain’t telling Bandura a damn thing. You can do all the talking when you see him. I’m sure he’ll get a big kick out of it.”
His friends laughed along with him. Jesse’s gaze widened at Jarrod, but he was smart enough to look away, too.
“Okay, boys, take it easy. Keep your hands where they are and don’t go reaching for your guns.” Jarrod pointed the barrel at Miguel. The three guys spun around to face him.
He gave them a shit-eating grin and motioned to Miguel. “Friend, put the gun down and no one gets hurt.”
Miguel’s grin met his. “Is that right, cowboy? What are you planning on doing? Covering me with horse shit?”
“Jarrod.”
What he saw on Amy’s face had his heart dropping to the ground. Someone was behind him.
“Man, you shouldn’t have put your nose in my business.”
Fuck.
He glanced over his shoulder to find two more men, both armed with guns pointed straight at his chest. His one gun was no match for the five of theirs. Still, there was no way he’d let them hurt Amy or Jesse.
“Put your gun on the ground, man.”
“You must be Bandura.” He pivoted around slowly, holding his gun barrel toward the sky.
From his jubilant expression, the gang leader thought it was cool that he knew who he was. “That’s right. And I know who you are, too.”
“You do, huh? Are you a rodeo fan?”
“Please, Jarrod. Do what he says,” begged Amy.
A flash of light glinted into his eyes. He didn’t need to find the source of it. He’d seen it often enough to recognize sunlight hitting metal.
“Oh, I understand, all right. But I’m not the sheriff.” He smiled, still holding his gun. If he had to, he’d at least take out Bandura before biting a bullet. “I do, however, have a posse.”
Bandura frowned. “I don’t see no posse. You’re outgunned, cowboy. Five to one.”
“I never was very good at math, but I can count. I’d say it’s more like my ten to your five.” He tilted his head, gesturing toward the top of the grocery mart.
Bandura followed his direction, then stepped back, surprise registering on his face. “What the hell?”
Nine men, including Seth, stood on top of the grocery mart and the next building. Each held a rifle in their hands. “You’re the one who’s outnumbered.”
Slowly, Bandura and his gang lowered their guns. “Look, man, we don’t want nobody getting hurt. All we want is Jesse.”
Jarrod glanced back at Jesse, then at Amy. She stood in front of him, using her body to partially block her brother’s. As always, she’d protect her brother any way she could.
“Then we have a problem. You see, Amy’s a good friend of mine. Now if she wasn’t, I might let you take Jesse with you.”
“What? Jarrod, you can’t.”
He continued, ignoring her. “But she is a good friend and because he’s her brother, that means I have to keep him safe, too. It kind of sucks, but you know how it is, right? Gotta keep the little woman happy.”
“This isn’t your fight.” Bandura was determined to get Jesse, but he was wavering, shifting back and forth on his feet, his eyes darting to the men on the rooftops.
“You’re right. It wasn’t at first. But all that’s changed. Now that you’ve brought guns into my town and threatened my girl, it is my fight. And because those guys are all friends of mine, it’s their fight, too.”