The Cowboy Way [Carnal Cowboys 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  He grumbled something under his breath. “Fine. But you’d better call and let us know you got there. Understood?”

  “I will, Dad.”

  After doing the rounds and giving everyone a big hug once more, she handed her name badge and hospital ID card over to Al. “I guess this is it.” She moved toward the exit. As much as she was excited about her new life in Garner, she still felt a rush of sadness at leaving everyone she knew.

  Al grabbed her and brought her close. “You take care, you hear?”

  The first tear finally fell. “Damn it, Al. You’ve got me crying.”

  “Just take care like I said.” He wiped away his own tears.

  “I will.” Putting on a brave face, she strode out to the employee parking lot. She opened the car door then turned back to take one last look. Leaving her work and her friends behind was the hardest thing she’d ever done, but the bright future ahead of her—a future filled with helping people and loving her men—made it a little easier.

  * * * *

  An hour later, she wished she’d taken Al’s advice and let Mitch and Wy pick her up. She hadn’t noticed the car until she’d driven several miles outside San Antonio and had gotten on the main road leading toward Garner. Once she’d left the highway and turned on to the smaller road, she hadn’t passed by another car except one pickup. Even then, the driver had lifted his hand in greeting, putting her mind at ease. At least until she’d seen the black car in her rearview mirror.

  It didn’t help that the black sedan behind her had tinted windows. Or that every time she slowed down, hoping it would pass, the car slowed down, too.

  “Shit.” She checked her phone for the third time, although she knew the battery had gone dead not long after leaving San Antonio. If she hadn’t lost her car charger the week before, she would’ve been able to juice it up. As it was, she was flat out of luck trying to make a call.

  I’m just imagining things.

  That had to be it. She’d let Al get to her with his worries.

  But what’s a car like that doing out in the middle of the country? Does George Glasson drive a sedan?

  She squinted at the car via her rearview mirror. Had it gotten closer? Pressing on the gas pedal, she sped up.

  Please don’t let it stay on my tail.

  Going well over the speed limit, she kept her foot to the metal and her attention hopping from the road back to the mirror.

  Damn. He’s right on my ass.

  Her heart thundered inside her chest, and her mouth dried up. If she took the next country road she came to as fast as she could, maybe she could throw him off her track. But then, she might end up getting lost without the use of her phone’s GPS.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  She had to do something, but what?

  Wiping her palms on her jeans, she made her choice. She’d face getting lost if it meant losing the car behind her.

  When she finally saw a dirt road coming up on her right, she was ready. Waiting until the last possible moment, she swerved onto the road then stomped on her gas. Dirt flew up behind her to form a thick cloud.

  Please, God. Don’t let him still be behind me.

  She kept glancing at the mirror, holding her breath as the dust started to settle.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Where is she?” Wy paced back and forth along the porch. If he got any jumpier, he’d be leaping out of his skin. “Why hasn’t she called?”

  Although Mitch sat in one of the rockers and tried to act like he wasn’t nervous, his foot was tapping a mile a minute. “She called when she left.”

  “And not since then. Hell, cuz, we should’ve gone down there and picked her up.”

  “We tried telling her that.” Mitch’s foot came down hard, paused, and then started the incessant tapping again.

  “Telling her anything never works out. We should’ve just shown up. What could she have done about it?”

  “True enough.” Mitch tracked a hand through his hair. “She can’t be far behind the movers.”

  His cousin had to be right. The van carrying her things had arrived an hour earlier. They’d already managed to unpack everything, including the three large boxes of medical books. Other than her clothing and a few pieces of furniture, she hadn’t sent much. Then again, she’d lived in a small apartment and not a big house.

  They worried together in silence for another ten minutes or so, with Wy glancing at his watch every so often. Just as he was about to say he’d get in the pickup and go looking for her, a trail of dust rising up from the road leading to their house caught his attention.

  “It’s her.”

  “It’s about fucking time,” muttered Mitch.

  They were both off the porch and heading toward her car as she peeled up to the front door. He had the driver’s door open before she’d put the gearshift into park.

  Something’s wrong.

  He knew it the second his eyes met hers. Edging Mitch out of the way, he pulled her into his arms. She laughed, a brittle sound, and clung to him. Holding her close, he met Mitch’s worried gaze. His cousin had picked up on it, too.

  But nothing could be said before he got a kiss. He’d longed for that moment since last week when he’d gone down to San Antonio to check on her. Crushing her mouth to his, he took what he needed. Relief and lust made an odd, yet heady mix.

  “What’s going on, Chey?”

  Damn, Mitch. Let me finish kissing her first.

  She stiffened in his arms, the passion in her kiss fading. She turned to Mitch and hugged him. The hug, however, looked less sensual than needy in a frantic kind of way.

  “A car was following me.”

  He and Mitch pivoted toward the road, but there was no sign of any other car. “How long did it follow you?”

  “I think all the way from San Antonio and even after I exited the highway.”

  Her shiver didn’t go unnoticed by either of them. “What did you do?”

  “And why the hell didn’t you call us?” Judging by the snarl in his tone, Mitch’s temper was at the point of breaking.

  “I couldn’t. My phone was dead.”

  Wy pulled her against him. “But you lost him, right?” He assumed it had been a male driver. Had George Glasson finally decided to make his move?

  “Yeah. I did this hard right turn onto a side road. He didn’t have time to make the turn.”

  “What road was that?”

  She laughed, relaxing the more they talked. Or the more he held her. He liked to think it was the latter reason.

  “Beats me. I took the first road I saw and hoped it would shake him. It did, but then I got lost for a while. I thought for sure I was going to end up sleeping in my car.”

  “Maybe we should go for a ride and see if we can find it.” Mitch shot him a pointed look and pulled her away from him and into his arms. “What kind of car was it?”

  “I don’t know one car from another, but it was a black sedan. With tinted windows.”

  “Mitch is right. We’ll go check it out. After we take you into town and to Dr. Varner’s where you’ll be safe.”

  She clung to both of them as they started to move away. “No. Please. He’s probably long gone. Besides, I’ve waited long enough.”

  She released them and moved toward the porch. Her sexy sway was enough to have his cock tenting his jeans. He glanced at Mitch. “She has a point. Besides, she’s here now and safe.”

  “Yeah, she sure is. She’s here big-time.”

  He followed Mitch’s gaze to find Chey on the porch. Her jeans were gone and her shirt was open wide, showing the sweet curve of her tits all the way down to her bare mons. She’d grabbed the cowboy hat he’d left on the railing and had pushed it low on her forehead. He’d never seen a sexier cowgirl.

  Mitch dashed past him before he thought to get moving. “Hey!” He rushed after his cousin.

  She squealed as Mitch snatched her up and brought his mouth to her breasts. His cousin frantically pushed down his jean
s and already had her legs wrapped around his waist.

  “Damn it. Wait for me.” He shoved his shoulder against the screen door and past the opened front door, almost falling into the house. Running as fast as he could, he pounded up the stairs and into the bedroom. “I can’t believe I have to run and fetch it again.” He made a mental note to keep a tube in his back pocket from then on.

  Finding the lube took far too long. He dumped the contents of the nightstand drawers over the bed then finally found the tube resting in plain sight on top of the dresser. “Finally.”

  Taking the steps two at a time, he jumped past the last three steps and darted for the front door. The wall shook as the screen door slammed open.

  Mitch had Chey with her back against the house, his hips flexing, his grunts echoing her soft puffs of breath. Her eyes were closed, and her lust-filled expression brought him to a standstill. Watching her with his cousin was almost as good as fucking her. Almost.

  He grabbed Mitch’s shirt and tugged him backward. “Share, man. Now.”

  Chey opened eyes clouded with need, and gave him the softest, most alluring smile he’d ever seen. He hurriedly got his jeans out of the way and moved behind her.

  Working the gel into her anus was the perfect precursor for what he’d do with his cock. Slipping his fingers in and out, forcing her butt cheeks apart gave him time to feather quick kisses along her shoulders. Her fragrance was intoxicating.

  “Wy.”

  He answered her in the way he knew she wanted.

  As Mitch slammed into her from the front, he pushed his cock into her asshole. Logically, he knew it hadn’t been very long since they’d had sex, but at the moment right before his cock entered her, it had seemed like a lifetime.

  She was so beautiful, intelligent, and accomplished. How could any woman so amazing choose them? And yet she had.

  As frantic as he was to have her, it didn’t take long before his climax overwhelmed him. Locking eyes with Mitch, he saw his cousin’s determination not to break apart. Mitch’s groan rolled out of him and was followed by her scream of release. How could he resist coming with the sound of their orgasms echoing in his ears? Wy tensed then let his climax roar out of him.

  He closed his eyes and pulled out, his warm seed spreading over the small of her back. Like them, he was spent, yet somehow, he and Mitch managed to carry her upstairs and into their bed.

  Mitch grabbed some clothes from the bathroom, giving him the chance to lean over Chey and touched his lips to hers. She caressed his cheek, bringing another surge of passion. He pulled away to study her face and was blown away by her expression.

  And yet it was her words that undid him.

  “I’m home.”

  * * * *

  Chey entered the barn. The aroma of hay, animal, and manure struck her nostrils. Yet to her, it was a fragrance she’d waited far too long to smell. She’d dreamed of getting back on a horse and riding the ranch. Had dreamed of finding remote places where the men and she could take long walks and end up in each other’s arms.

  After the sexy greeting they’d given her, she’d cleaned up and had grabbed a quick nap. Her nerves were more jangled than she’d realized, but now that she was safely in her new home, she’d needed to revitalize her strength. Especially since the sex they’d had on the front porch had led the way to another, slower romp in bed. Hopefully, there’d be yet another round later tonight to celebrate her homecoming.

  “Hey, sweetie.” She rubbed the black horse’s nose. Breaker didn’t seem so scary. Being the horse that had kicked Wy and had brought them together gave him a special place in her heart. Without Breaker, she might never have met the loves of her life.

  Her life had changed so drastically in such a short time. Not only had she found a new practice, she’d found two men who loved her as much as she loved them. Although they’d never found out who was after her, they were her heroes in every way. They were brave and powerful, yet strong and confident enough to know when to be gentle.

  And the sex. Oh, damn, but the sex was incredible. She’d have to find a bumper sticker saying that Cowboys Do It Better. After all, it was the truth.

  “Thank you, Breaker. I’ll bring you a treat as soon as I get back from town. But first, Dr. Varner’s going to show me around his office and introduce me to a few of his patients.” The doctor had warned her that it might take some time for the older residents of Garner to warm up to her, but she understood. Besides, as long as she was with her men, she’d give the people of the small town all the time they needed to accept her.

  She patted Breaker’s long neck, loving the feel of his soft fur against her palm. He was gentle as long as he didn’t have someone on his back and that was fine with her. She’d stick to the horses that were already used to having a rider.

  She’d just started to turn around when she noticed the horse limping. “Hey, big fella. What happened?” Taking care to not move quickly, she opened the stall gate and eased inside.

  “Shh. It’s okay, sweetie. I’m not going to hurt you.” She paused before bending over to get a better look at his right front leg. “You’re not going to hurt me, either, right?”

  The horse snorted then jerked his head up and down. She skimmed her hand along his back then slowly down his leg. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Not that she’d trust him completely. After all, it was Breaker.

  A quick examination of his leg brought her no answer. He could’ve injured his leg or the problem could be something stuck under his hoof. Either way, she was going to have to delay her trip into town. First, she’d have to tell Mitch and Wy.

  “I’m sorry, Breaker. I’m not sure what’s wrong. You hold on and I’ll get the guys. Maybe they’ll have better luck helping you.”

  She gave him another couple of pats and turned to make her way back to the gate. Her breath caught in her throat, making her words come out in a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

  * * * *

  Mitch leaned against the counter. “You can stay here and take care of the herd on the east side.” As much as he liked sharing Chey with Wy, he wouldn’t mind spending time alone with her. Even if it was only during the ride to and from town. Dr. Varner would keep her busy most of the day while he ordered supplies and did a grocery run.

  “Nice try, cuz, but I’m going, too.”

  “Naw, man, we don’t need both us taking care of business. We’ve already let the chores slide as much as we can afford to.” He riffled through the bills lying on the counter. His argument was sound even if it wasn’t really the reason he wanted Wy to stay on the ranch.

  “Forget about it. I’m not leaving her.”

  He brought his gaze up to meet Wy’s. “You don’t think it’s over, do you?”

  “Do you? A car followed her here. Her losing it doesn’t change that fact. How many times have you gotten off the highway and had a car leave it at the same time?”

  “Maybe once.” He hated thinking she was still in danger.

  “Have you heard from Bruce?”

  “Not for a while.” He’d asked his private investigator friend to keep an eye on George Glasson as well as staying aware of any other possible suspects. “He should be checking in soon.”

  His phone started ringing as though on cue. “Hey, Bruce, we were just wondering when you—” He tensed up the second his friend interrupted him.

  “Is she there?” Bruce’s tone was all business.

  “Yeah. Why?” He lifted a finger, telling Wy to hang on until he knew more.

  “I found out an hour ago that both the Glasson men left George’s home. The neighbor I paid to keep an eye out for them said his son came home a couple of days ago, but then they left together in a hurry.”

  “And?” There had to be more to have Bruce concerned.

  “And they were carrying a couple of cases. She wasn’t sure what they were, but from the way she talked, they could be guns.”

  Shit. “Are you sure your witness is reliable?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah. She’s one of those old ladies who likes to snoop on her neighbors. Mitch, I suggest you get her somewhere safer than the ranch.”

  “When did they leave?”

  “She wasn’t sure. Seems it took her a while to find my card and give me a call. She said they pulled out of the street and made the turn headed toward the south. Toward the hospital.”

  “What were they driving?”

  “A black sedan. She wasn’t sure of the make or model.”

  Wy had come to attention, noting the way Mitch had stiffened. “Okay, thanks for calling. If you get anything else, let me know.”

  He ended the call and shoved the phone into his back pocket. “George and his son left their house and they might’ve been armed.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Fuck is right.” He strode toward the front door, knowing Wy would follow him. “It gets worse. They were driving a black sedan.”

  Together, they burst out of the house and onto the front porch. Horror and anger swamped him as he saw a black sedan parked several yards down the long driveway.

  “Mitch, look. I bet—”

  Mitch was already pounding down the steps toward George Glasson before Wy finished speaking. George tried to run, but Mitch grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the ground. The older man lifted his hands up, palms out, in defense.

  “No, please. I’m not here to hurt her.”

  Mitch’s arm was back and ready to hit George when Wy caught his arm. “Let him talk, cuz.”

  “He found out where she was. I don’t know how. I didn’t want to, but he made me come. I don’t blame her anymore.”

  “Who made you come?” He shoved Wy off him then pointed at the barn. “She’s in the barn.”

  Her scream tore him apart. Were they too late?

  Leaving George behind, Mitch and Wy ran into the barn.

  * * * *