Cowboy Rough [Men for Hire 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “I like it.” West’s crooked smile elicited one of her own. “The baggy shirt can’t hide your luscious body from the other guys as much as I’d like it to, but it helps. If Big Dan’s men manage to track us here, they’ll be looking for your long hair and your curvy body. Not that I think they’ll have figured out where we went. They didn’t seem like the brightest bulbs in the pack, if you know what I mean.”

  She hoped not. But underestimating Dan was a mistake she wasn’t about to do. Still, she couldn’t help but get excited about the action around her. Cowboys led horses around the outside of the arena, while girls in tight jeans and even tighter shirts tried to garner their attention. Some women were busy taking care of their own mounts while a few of them, wearing pretty clothing with rhinestones and colored hats, prepared for the rodeo queen competition. With her big, drab attire, she felt like an ugly duckling in the midst of swans. Yet she couldn’t help but notice that West and Collin still kept shooting her admiring looks.

  Take that, ladies! I’ve already found two men and I’m going for a third. That’s better than any queen title.

  It wasn’t her style to be so cocky, but didn’t she deserve a little fun?

  Laughter swirled around her and the parade of riders and horses continued. An announcer’s voice boomed overhead, announcing the start of another competition.

  Hadn’t they said something about watching Joe? “So where’s Joe?”

  “Over there.”

  She followed West’s nod to see Joe, on top of the beautiful bay horse, prancing toward the chutes at the side of the arena. “Where did he get the horse?”

  “From the same friend who’s loaning us the trailer.”

  “He must be a really good friend.”

  “She is.”

  Sienna jerked back. “She? You never said it was a she.” Her stomach did a strange lurch.

  “Does it matter?”

  She stammered, a bit embarrassed to realize that it did. She wasn’t sure why, but the idea of a woman helping them out made her uneasy. Not that she didn’t appreciate the woman’s help. At least, as long as the woman stayed away.

  “Is she a close friend?”

  She tried to squash the churning of her stomach that came from the jealousy twisting her gut. She didn’t have any right to feel that way. They’d had sex, but no one had promised anything more than maybe a possible foursome with Joe. Sure, they’d said they’d be there for her, but they had to have meant it as part of their job. They didn’t owe her an explanation. Nonetheless, she still wanted one.

  “I’d say we’re close to her.” West gave her a look that was part suspicious and part teasing. “Why do you ask?”

  “Uh, no reason. I guess.” She couldn’t help but notice the hint of glee in West’s tone, too. He either liked the fact that she was embarrassed, or worse, that she was green with envy.

  “We’re not that kind of friends, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  “What? Me? Of course not. I barely know you guys.”

  “Uh-huh. But don’t worry about it. She’s our friend because we helped her a while back. She’s happy to loan us the trailer whenever we want to attend a rodeo.”

  “Then where does she go if we’re using her trailer? She doesn’t haul it around wherever there’s a rodeo just so it’ll be available for you guys to use, does she?”

  Surely the woman wouldn’t be staying with them. If that happened, she’d have to leave. Or sleep in the truck. Friends or not, it would be too weird.

  West chuckled, took off his hat and tracked his fingers through his hair before putting the hat back on. “’Course not. She was here anyway, and once we explained the situation, she was happy to offer up a place for you to hide out. She’s staying with a girlfriend who lives nearby.”

  “And that’s how she’s repaying you for your help?” How would she ever repay them? She didn’t have much to offer. Yet, although she wasn’t sure how she’d do it, she promised herself she’d do her best.

  “Yep. That’s right.” He nodded again toward the arena. “Joe’s up.”

  She turned back in time to see Joe, atop the fine horse, burst out of a chute. The calf had come out of the smaller chute next to Joe and was running as hard as it could for the other side of the arena. Joe gripped the hog tie in his mouth and urged his horse forward. He swung the lasso in the air around his head, then whipped it out to sail over the ground. It landed around the calf’s neck.

  Joe was off the horse and dashing toward the calf even as the horse started backing up to take the slack out of the rope. As though the calf weighed no more than a small dog, Joe grabbed the animal and flipped it onto its side. He had the animal’s back legs and one of the front legs together and tied before Sienna knew it.

  “Wow. That was amazing.”

  Collin slid his hand along her waist. “You haven’t seen many rodeos, have you?”

  “Why do you say that? And yeah, you’re right.”

  “Look at Joe’s face.”

  She did and saw the now-familiar scowl. But this one was even blacker than the ones he’d given her. “What’s wrong?”

  “His time, that’s what.”

  “I thought he did it super fast.”

  “Not really,” added West. “His time was seven point nine seconds. That’s a lot slower than the guy before him with seven point one seconds. Hell, I think I can hear him cussing from here.”

  She studied Joe’s face as he guided his mount out of the arena. He was definitely saying something, and now that West had said so, she could tell that curse words were flying out of his mouth.

  “He’s out of practice. Otherwise, Joe would’ve taken the competition with no problem.” Collin took her arm and pulled her to one of the food trucks sitting in a line away from the stadium. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat and head back to the trailer. Joe wouldn’t care for us, especially you, seeing him get beat.”

  By the time they’d made it back to the trailer, Joe was waiting for them. His mood didn’t appear to have improved, but when they came inside, he accepted the food the men had gotten him and motioned for her to take a seat next to him.

  He took her in, noting her unflattering attire. “I was wondering what happened to you three. Now that I see how you’re dressed, I guess it didn’t do any real harm. If they’d found us, they’d have jumped us by now.”

  She nibbled on her hamburger as the other men slid into the bench seat opposite them. “We were outside for only a little while.” She took a sip of her soda and let the cool liquid slide down her throat. “How long do you think I’ll have to hide out?”

  The size of Joe’s bites were huge, but then again, after calf roping, he had to have worked up a big appetite. “Don’t know. We haven’t had time to think about what to do. If you contact the sheriff in Destiny, we won’t have to stay long at all.”

  She paused, her food in her hand and halfway to her mouth. She dropped the burger back onto the paper it’d been wrapped in. “I told you. I can’t do that. You didn’t call him, did you?”

  “Not yet.” Joe took another bite. “But if you don’t go to the sheriff, then what, Sienna? Are you going to stay on the run for the rest of your life? And what about Shelby? Do you want her running, never settling down and having a real home? Or were you planning on giving her up?”

  “Of course not. No to all of that. I’d never give up Shelby, and I don’t intend for her to live a life forever on the move.”

  “Then we’d better come up with a plan and fast.” Joe and the other men had almost finished their burgers. Joe shifted in his seat to lean his back against the wall, then took a huge gulp of his drink.

  “What about Gabriel? Let’s give him a call and get his take on the problem.” Collin popped an onion ring into his mouth.

  “No need. I can tell you what he’ll say.”

  When Joe didn’t elaborate, she pushed him. “Well? What would he say?”

  “He’d say that she stole the money. Gr
anted, she took it from a thief, but that doesn’t make it right. Plus, if she doesn’t turn Big Dan in, then even if she gets away from him and gives the money back to the people he stole it from, he’ll still turn around and rip off someone else. Without your testimony, Big Dan goes free and clear, ready to steal again.”

  “Like I told you before, I can’t turn him in. He has great lawyers who’ll get him off while I end up in jail. And then he’ll go after Shelby, not because he cares anything about her, but because he knows that’s what would hurt me the most.”

  Just thinking about never seeing her little girl again tore at her heart. She couldn’t live without her. And having Dan raise their child would be like sending Shelby to a different kind of prison.

  “Then we’re back to square one.” West finished off his meal and wiped his mouth before tossing the papers into the trash can.

  “Okay, then, until we come up with a solution, we stay put.” Collin chugged the last of his drink. “Either way, we need to get the money back to the people he stole from. Maybe once we’ve done that, we’ll have figured out what to do next.”

  “Fletcher could do it. He could set up an account that can’t be traced back to the ranch or to any of us, much less Sienna. Then, once we deposit the money, Fletcher could wire the right amount into everyone’s account. He could then send an email to them, again untraceable, telling them that Big Dan was ripping them off. Fletcher could even give them the name of a reputable accountant or investment broker.”

  Joe shrugged when he noticed everyone staring at him. “What? Like I don’t ever have a good idea? Shit, people, give me a little credit, will ya?”

  Sienna wanted to give him more than that. With the tension sliding out of her, she could concentrate on him more. Even with the aroma of horses and cattle on him, Joe exuded an underlying scent that was all him. His sexiness called to her as West’s and Collin’s had, and she couldn’t wait to get him between her legs.

  If what the other two men had said was true, Joe would be more than willing. She squirmed in her seat as the warmth in her pussy intensified. She reached out and put her hand on top of his. It was much higher than the place where she’d wanted to put it.

  “I think it could work. Thanks for thinking of it, Joe.”

  His dark countenance lifted in an instant. Dark, lustful eyes raked down her body. “Don’t mention it. Helping is what we do.”

  West cleared his throat, breaking her focus on Joe. Had he done it for that exact reason? She searched his face as well as Collin’s, yet didn’t see any signs of jealousy. But the desire that filled their expressions was unmistakable. The heady scent of hormones and libidos revving up drifted around her, making it difficult to breathe without dragging in gulps of air.

  She wasn’t sure what it was, but they could make her toss all her body image inhibitions out the door. It was more than that they were sexy. They pulled her in, her mind responding to their presence as much as her body did. But whatever it was, she wanted to act on it.

  She slid her hand up Joe’s arm, determined not to let anything keep her from having what she wanted. And what she wanted was Joe, West, and Collin Young.

  Joe blinked, then narrowed his eyes at her before widening them as she let her hand fall over the side of the table and land in his lap. “Sienna, are you trying to tell me something?”

  She was about to answer when Joe’s phone rang. He let out an expletive and tugged it out of his pocket. Sighing, she brought her hand back to her own lap.

  “Joe here.”

  She could sense him tense a second later, and from the way West and Collin reacted, they’d noticed it, too.

  “Yeah, Gabriel, she’s with us. Like I told you before, we’re handling it.”

  Joe gritted his teeth, making the muscles in his jaw work. What could Gabriel have told him that made him react that way? Her neck stiffened when Joe’s gaze slid to hers.

  “Yeah, that’s right. Her husband”—he ignored her quiet gasp at his lie—“sent three thugs to get her at Daisy’s place. Yeah, we checked later. Fletcher said Daisy was okay. That’s right, isn’t it? She’s okay?”

  He nodded, letting her know her new friend was fine. She relaxed, but only a little.

  But why did Joe lie to Gabriel? To keep her safe? Or to keep Gabriel from calling the sheriff?

  “Again. I told you we’re handling it. In fact, the situation should be resolved in the next day or so.”

  She wished she could hear Gabriel’s side of the conversation, and yet, when Gabriel’s voice grew loud enough that she could, she knew she’d been better off not hearing.

  Gabriel’s voice was filled with anger. “Damn it, Joe. I’m getting reports that she’s mixed up with stealing some money. And that it’s not her husband she’s running from. Hell, she doesn’t even have a husband. Where the hell are you guys anyway?”

  Joe paused, obviously trying to think of a way around the questions. “You should know better than to listen to rumors. I’m here and telling you what’s going on. As far as where we are? Just know that she’s safe and we’re on top of things.”

  “That’s not good enough, Joe. Tell me where—”

  But Joe had already hung up before Gabriel could finish his sentence. She gaped at him. “Did you just hang up on your boss?”

  “Yeah, man. Not cool.”

  Collin nodded, agreeing with West’s statement. “You know that’s going to make him even madder. First the so-called rumors and then you hang up on him? What the hell are you thinking? Gabriel’s going to chop off your dick and feed it to the vultures. Not that it’ll be much of a meal for them.”

  She rolled her lips under to keep from laughing, but Joe just ignored Collin’s joke.

  “I’m thinking it’s better that he knows as little as possible. At least, for now.” Joe bumped against her, urging her to get out of the booth. He slid out, then strode toward the back of the trailer. After digging out the duffel bag, he put it on top of the table.

  “Sienna, you said you have the names of the people he stole from. How about any other information?”

  She unzipped the side pocket of the bag and pulled out the small black notebook she’d stuffed there after finding it in Dan’s safe along with the money. “Do you mean account numbers and the like? Yeah, everything’s right here. Why?”

  “Now that Gabriel’s got his dander up, we’d better get to work. Collin, take that book and give Fletcher a call. And make sure he keeps it quiet. We don’t want Gabriel to know what we’re doing.”

  “Why not?” Collin took the book and leafed through it. “He’d probably go along with sending the people their money back.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” Joe was thumbing through his contacts list on his phone. “We’ve already gone through this. He’ll want to turn her over and the money along with it. Which means the cash gets taken as evidence and the people who got ripped off will be shit out of luck.”

  “Joe’s right. The best thing to do is to get the money back to them. After that, we figure out how to make Big Dan not so big.” West leaned over the table to catch her attention. “Don’t worry, Sienna. We’re going to handle this.”

  “I don’t want you to get into trouble with your boss.”

  Joe snorted. “Gabriel’s our unofficial boss. Those of us who work with the Cowboys for Hire organization work with Gabriel. Not for him. That’s why we’re going to do what we think is best for you, regardless of Gabriel’s concerns.”

  She nodded, unsure of almost everything, other than the strong attraction she felt for them. But her attraction wasn’t fueled only by their sex appeal. They were her heroes, the men who were willing to put their own lives at risk against Big Dan. Going a step further, they were even ready to put their reputation on the line with their boss.

  Collin was already talking to Fletcher on the phone as the men piled out of the trailer. Joe turned to her as she stood in the doorway. “If we don’t hear anything from Big Dan’s men by this eve
ning, I think it’ll be okay for you to get out and about more. I wouldn’t go telling anyone your real name or drawing any attention to yourself, though.”

  “Okay. I’ll do whatever you say.”

  Was that the first smile she’d ever gotten from him? If so, it was well worth the effort.

  “Then maybe we could take in the dance?” West sidled up to Joe. “What do you say, Sienna? Want to show us your moves?”

  The words “haven’t I already shown you my moves?” were almost out of her mouth before she pulled them back. He was definitely talking about a different set of moves, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hint at the other. “I’ll show you mine, if you’ll show me yours.”

  West winked at her. “Then it’s a date. By the way, Cela’s the name of our friend who loaned us the trailer. She said you could borrow any of the clothes she has in that second closet.”

  “Then why didn’t I borrow one of those instead of the man’s shirt?”

  “Because, sugar, we were trying to hide your body, not show it off.”

  * * * *

  Sienna wasn’t sure where the men had gone for the rest of the day. One of them was always outside the trailer, acting as though he was taking it easy, but on guard. She’d wanted to step out and talk, but every so often someone would drop by, keeping her hidden inside. And each time another person would stop and chat with whichever Young man was on duty, her heart would leap to her heart.

  Strange thing was that she wasn’t so much scared about that person being one of Dan’s men as the fact that, if they men got the impression that it was too dangerous for her to be out and about, she’d have to forgo the dance.

  At last, dusk had come and she couldn’t wait to try on the red dress she’d found hanging amongst all the T-shirts and jeans in Cela’s closet. She hoped it would look good on her since she’d lost a few pounds, mainly due to stress and worry, in the past month. Not that she still wasn’t a curvy girl. No one would ever use one of the wonderful terms they used to describe other women. She’d never be called lithe or lean, much less skinny. Yet for the first time in a long while, she saw herself as beautiful.