Cowboy Rough [Men for Hire 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6

  When she faced Collin again, his face was an empty mask with no facial features. Slowly his features changed, sliding into a mass of melting flesh, until at last, Dan’s face appeared. She screamed and struck out, trying to get away.

  “Sienna!”

  She jerked awake, one arm flailing outward to protect herself.

  “Sienna, it’s okay. You were having a bad dream.”

  Her eyes grew wide even as her heart continued to pound against her chest. She gazed around her, seeing nothing but pastures as they traveled down a two-lane road.

  “Are you okay? You were moaning”—West shot her a soft smile—“and not in a bad way. But then, all of a sudden, you acted like the Devil himself was after you.”

  She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, still trying to regain her equilibrium. “Yeah, I guess I was dreaming.”

  Her gaze slid over his hard body. Would he live up to the dream? Then again, why did she ever think she’d find out?

  “But you’re okay now, right?”

  “Of course.” She drew in a ragged breath. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Long enough.”

  She glanced around at the land surrounding them, looking at it with fresh eyes. “None of this looks familiar. Where are you taking me anyway?”

  “No need to say.”

  “What? Why can’t you tell me?”

  “Because I don’t need to.” He tipped his head forward, making her look in that direction. “See? We’re here.”

  West pulled up to a small camping trailer with an awning stretched over the door and a grill sitting next to several lawn chairs. She checked the area and saw that several other trailers were nearby. An arena that had hard bench stadium seating was about a quarter of a mile away and she could hear the sounds of an announcer broadcasting the end of a bull ride. The smells of horses, bulls, manure, and hay drifted to her and she fought back the urge to sneeze.

  “You brought me to a rodeo?”

  “Sure did.” He swung out of the cab just as Collin and Joe pulled up in their vehicle. “And this little trailer? This is your home, sweet home for a while. Come on. I’ll help you get settled in.”

  She slid out her side, taking the duffel bag and her purse along with her, and followed him to the door. Although she’d never gone camping, the little house-on-wheels was a sight better than other places she’d lived in while growing up with a drunken mother and a father who’d left them the day Michael was born.

  Collin and Joe came up behind her and she was hit with an urge to drop the bags, grab them by the shirts, and pull their mouths to her breasts. She rocked with the sensation and fought against giving in. Instead, with her knees weakened from the attack of her libido, she put her foot on the first step of the three-step stairs into the trailer and tripped.

  She landed inside and went down on her knees. The bag fell out of her grip as did her purse. She ignored the pain in her knees as she reached for the duffel bag, but it was too late. Somehow in her fall, the zipper had gotten hung on the ties of her pajama bottoms and had tugged it open when it had skidded to a stop. The clothes she’d worn the previous day tumbled out, followed by bundles of money that spilled across the floor.

  Before she could get her wits about her and gather the money, West had already squatted down and snagged one of the bundles. His gaze met hers.

  “Where the hell did you get all this cash?”

  Chapter Four

  A lump lodged in Sienna’s throat. She snatched a bundle of cash out of West’s hand and gathered the rest of them back into the duffel bag, leaving the clothes she’d worn yesterday strewn across the floor. “It’s none of your business.”

  Collin and Joe joined them in the trailer and grouped around her, making her feel like she was the subject of an interrogation. She’d never felt as small as she did at that moment, surrounded by the men who had just saved her.

  “Did you take that out of your joint account?”

  “What?” Then it hit her. Married people had joint checking accounts. “Yeah. And why shouldn’t I? It’s my money, too.”

  At least it wasn’t a total lie. A part of the money—albeit a very small part—was her money that she’d let Dan handle. She needed that money to help pay Shawna’s and Michael’s way through college and to keep a roof over Shelby’s head.

  “Oh, is that it? Am I supposed to pay you guys a fee?” She should’ve asked that question from the start when she’d phoned Gabriel, but in her hurry to get away it hadn’t occurred to her. She prayed they wouldn’t ask for much, but hiring three amazing men like them had to cost a small fortune.

  Joe dropped onto the bench seat on one side of the trailer. The other side was taken up by the galley kitchen and the dining area that was much like a booth in a restaurant. A door separated the trailer in half and she assumed a bedroom and tiny bathroom were behind the door. “No, we don’t take payment for our services.”

  “You don’t? Not any money at all?” Who were they? Sexy Robin Hoods? Daisy had called her Robin Hood, but these guys were so much more than that.

  Collin eased his long body down on one of the benches that formed the dining area. “It’s what we do. Helping women out who need help. It doesn’t matter if they have money or not. The only repayment we ever ask is that the women pass it along and help others whenever they can.”

  These guys are too good to be true. And if it sounds too good to be true, it usually isn’t. Yet hadn’t they already shown that I can count on them? But without paying them anything? Come on.

  Still, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  “Wow. That’s really nice of all of you.” She gathered the bag and her purse and got to her feet. Pulling herself together, she started toward the back of the trailer. The quicker she stopped their questioning, the better she’d be.

  “We still need to know about the money.”

  She cringed at West’s tone, then turned to face them again, as she clutched the bags against her chest. “Why?”

  “It’s like I said before.” West’s blue eyes seemed to darken as he studied her. “The more we know about your situation, the better.”

  “There’s not much to tell. It’s our joint money. I took half and left him half. That’s fair, right? Then I took off. I figured you guys could help me get relocated or something.”

  “Or take you to a women’s shelter. They know how to handle this kind of situation.” Joe held his body ramrod straight. As he had so much of the time since she’d met him, he shot her a scowl.

  She shook her head a little too emphatically at Joe. “No. I have the money to get my own place. I don’t want to go to a shelter.” She felt bad enough about lying, but to take someone else’s place at a shelter when she could pay to stay somewhere was just plain wrong.

  “Okay, then, we need to discuss your options.” Joe intended to say more, but was cut off by the ringing of his phone. “Joe here.”

  They watched him as he answered only with short “huhs” and then added an “are you sure?” at the end of the call. It was obvious that the caller was telling him things he hadn’t known. His dark gaze drifted to her and what she saw in them sent a chill through her.

  Oh, shit. He knows.

  Joe lowered the phone, ignoring his friend’s questions. Instead, he got straight to the point. “You’re lying to us.”

  She couldn’t speak, could barely think. Her mouth dried up. Would they toss her out on her own for lying to them? Or could she make them understand?

  “What are you talking about, bro?” Collin’s focus darted from Joe to her then back again.

  “That was Fletcher on the phone. He did a little checking on Miss North and found out that she’s not married. In fact, she’s never been married.”

  She sucked in air. “I can explain.”

  “I think you’d better,” added West. “And make it the truth this time.” Unlike Joe’s hardened expression, his frown held a hint of disappointment.

>   “There’s more. She’s not married, but she has a little girl about five years old as well as a younger brother and sister who are both in college.” Joe gave her a chance to refute him.

  “All that’s true.” She came forward, then rested the duffel bag and purse at her feet as she sunk onto the seat next to Joe. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t tell you the truth. I was afraid that if I did, you wouldn’t want to help me.”

  “So there’s no abusive husband.”

  Although Collin hadn’t asked a question, she answered anyway. “No. And I don’t have a boyfriend, either. The man I’m running from is my boss.”

  “Go on,” urged West.

  “He didn’t hit me or anything, but I got involved with him when I first came to town. I was young and stupid. And I needed someone, so I grabbed hold of the first man who showed any interest in me. When a girl’s my size, her choices are limited.”

  “That’s the biggest lie you’ve told yet.” Joe seemed angry for her instead of at her. “But go on. Tell us the rest.”

  “Our so-called relationship didn’t last long. But long enough for me to get pregnant. I thought he loved me and that we were in love.” She scoffed, “Once I told him I was pregnant, my delusional bubble burst.”

  “Let me guess. I’ll bet he denied that it was his child.”

  She nodded, confirming West’s guess. “He did and he convinced me that it would be better if I didn’t push the issue. Like I said, I was young and stupid.”

  “So you don’t know for sure that he’s the father?” Collin didn’t back down at her glare. “You didn’t have a paternity test?”

  “I didn’t need one because I wasn’t with anyone else. Oh, he accused me of cheating, of course. But he’s the father of my child. I wish he wasn’t since he’s never wanted anything to do with her.”

  “That sucks.” Joe leaned back on the cushions of the seat. “But it doesn’t explain why you’re hauling around a shitload of money. Why didn’t you transfer the cash into another account of your own?”

  “I couldn’t. I didn’t want any record of it. You see, I kind of had a feeling all along that he was shady. But I guess I didn’t want to know it for real so I ignored the signs. I didn’t want to think that the father of my baby was crooked. But each year it just got harder to deny it. It was almost like he wanted to flaunt it in my face.”

  “What changed? What made you decide to face the truth?”

  She searched Collin’s face and could see that he wanted to believe her. To believe in her. “I found out that he’s been ripping off his clients. Most of whom are retirees who can’t afford to have a penny go missing. He’s their accountant and they trusted him with their life savings. I trusted him with some of my money, too. So when I found the combination to his safe and opened it, I saw the money and the book containing all the information about his clients and his thefts and I didn’t think. I just took it and ran.”

  “And you think stealing from him makes it all right?”

  The tone in Joe’s voice raked through her. He probably hated her for what she’d done and how she’d lied. She was surprised at how much that hurt. “Like I said. I have the clients’ information, too. I’m planning on returning their money to them and letting them know that Big Dan is a thief. Then I’m going to take my part of the money, along with a little for back child support that he’s never paid, and start over somewhere else.”

  “And what about your kid? Where is she while you’re out playing robber?”

  Joe’s remark stung worse than any physical strike could have. But he was right. What was she doing?

  “She’s safe with a friend, and in a few days, she’ll be out of the state.” She let out a breath, glad to have everything out in the open. “Do you think you can help me? Will you still help me? Or should I leave?”

  “We should turn her over to the authorities and let them sort it all out.”

  The hurt she’d felt before at Joe’s harshness deepened to a dull ache. He had every right to feel the way he did, but she had to make him reconsider. “Please, don’t. If I do that, then I could wind up in jail as an accomplice. My little girl doesn’t have anyone but me.”

  “What if we could try and keep you out of it?” Collin leaned closer. “I can’t promise anything, but Gabriel has a few connections. We could ask him and see what he says.”

  Although his idea sounded good, she couldn’t risk it. “I can’t turn Dan in. He has too much money and too many lawyers. Plus, I’m afraid that if I did, he’d try to go after my little girl, Shelby, and get custody. Then, once he had her, she’d get raised by a nanny and never see either of her parents. Please, for the sake of my child, don’t turn either of us in.”

  “I say we give this some time and thought.”

  West waved off Joe’s grumbled protest. “Naw, man. We’re supposed to help women, not judge and convict them. Besides, we’re all tuckered out and could use the time to decompress. Let’s sleep on it. In the meantime, we can get Fletcher to dig into this Big Dan’s business. What’s his full name?”

  “He’s Dan Daniels, public accountant. You can find him online and in the phone book. He even has a few television commercials, but they play late at night. Most everyone who knows him calls him Big Dan.”

  “Why? Is he a big man?”

  She made a funny face. “Not where it counts.”

  Oh, hell. I shouldn’t have said it that way. Even if it is true.

  West’s eyebrows shot up. “Then why’s he called Big Dan?”

  “Because he’s known for this thing he says.” She puffed out her chest, trying to emulate Dan. “‘If you don’t play big, then you might as well stay home.’”

  He’d insisted on being called Big Dan. That should’ve been the first clue that he was a jerk, but she’d overlooked a lot of clues when they’d first met.

  “One of those guys, huh?”

  She chuckled. “Yeah.” She gave him an appraising look meant to tell him that she knew he wasn’t anything like Dan.

  West looked at her in a way that had her trembling with need. Was she letting the dream she’d had trick her into thinking they were interested? Yet she had to admit that if they wanted to get closer, she’d welcome them into her arms.

  It had been far too long since she’d felt the strength of a man’s arms holding her and she wanted that so much her body ached for it. She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from moaning as she imagined all three men taking her.

  “Give me that.”

  She blinked, coming out of her head and back to the conversation. “What?”

  Joe leaned over and took the duffel bag. She had to fight back the urge to grab for it, and fisted her hands in her lap.

  “I’m going to hide this. Leaving it lying around is just plain foolish.” He stood, then walked toward the back of the trailer. “I’ll stick it under the beds in the back, then cover it up with other stuff.”

  He wasn’t asking her permission, so she didn’t argue. Still, she watched him, taking careful note of where he hid it.

  “I realize it’s only noon, but we could all use some downtime.” West opened the door and stepped onto the first rung of the stairs. “I’ll let my friend know we’re here, then I’ll give Fletcher a call. But other than that, we keep a low profile. Collin, you’re first up on guard duty. Make it look as though you’re just hanging around and loafing off.” A wicked gleam came to his eyes. “That should be easy for you to do.”

  “Funny man. That’s what you are.” But Collin was right behind him when she took his hand. He paused, his hazel eyes meeting hers.

  “I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Or if you could trust us?”

  She nodded, then stopped as it hit her. “At first. But now I do. I trust all of you.”

  He was pleased. She could see it in his expression. Nonetheless, he tugged his hand out of hers.

  “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “You can always a
sk.” His tone was light, giving her hope that she hadn’t made them too angry. At least not all of them.

  “Is there any way you could find out if Daisy is okay? I saw her on the porch of one of her neighbors, but I still need to know that she didn’t get hurt when they grabbed her.”

  He slid his phone out of the back pocket of the jeans that fit him so right. “I’ll give one of our guys a call and ask him to check on her.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” He joined West outside just as Joe eased past her, shot her a wary look, then closed the door behind him.

  She slumped, the events of the morning having drained her strength. “I hope I did the right thing this time.” Yet her gut told her that she could trust them. Problem was, her gut wasn’t always reliable.

  * * * *

  How long am I supposed to stay in this trailer?

  Sienna peeked through the blinds on the window. Collin had stayed outside under the shade, nursing a beer that he’d popped in and grabbed a while ago. Since then, he’d stayed out there, never budging from his chair or paying her any attention.

  After changing into the clothes she’d worn yesterday—damn what I wouldn’t do for a washing machine!—she’d sat down and run through her options. But unless she was ready to steal their pickup for real, she was stuck.

  She was bored out of her mind, not to mention wanting to see what was going on at the rodeo, but after the way the men had reacted to the money and finding out that she’d lied to them, she wasn’t about to push them for any favors. If they wanted her outside, then they’d tell her. Besides, it made sense that she should stay out of sight. At least until they were sure Big Dan’s men hadn’t followed them. But it was lonely and boring sitting in the trailer without so much as a book or a television to distract her.

  Her mind drifted back to her dream. Although she’d had her fair share of dreams involving cowboys, she’d never had one that involved men she actually knew. And if anyone could make a girl dream, it would be the Young men. They were everything any woman could want. Not only were they drop-dead handsome with bodies that made her mouth water, but they were men of bravery and compassion. She’d assumed that Gabriel and the people in his organization got paid, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the men were risking their lives to help her without any regard for compensation. That just made them even better.