Compromised Cowgirl (10 page)

Frank motioned for Trace to deal with his brother later. “What’s that got to do with the Double Diamond?”

Ranger raised an eyebrow at Sin, who gave the same back. He focused on Frank.

“Ace, Sin, and Henry joined the herd when we were a few days south of here. I watched how they worked and took measure of them. They rode well but had a lot to learn. They worked damned hard with no complaints. I liked what I saw. I asked Trace about them, since they’re valley neighbors.”

“I already figured out why,” said Trace.

“Jessie was so damn eager to buy in with Ben, Patrick, and me. I couldn’t turn her away, but, dammit, she needs to get married, and not to Fin MacDougal!” Ranger turned to Sin. “I figured one of you three would make a damn good husband for my sister.” Ranger’s shoulders relaxed, and he snorted a laugh. “From the way things are done in this valley, I guess all three of you’ll be her husband. If, that is, she marries one of you.”

They all looked at Sin. His eyes almost twinkled, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Ace will marry Jessie,” said Sin. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

“He’d better not touch her before the wedding,” growled Trace. He held up a finger and pointed it at Sin like a revolver. “None of you better touch her.”

“What does Jessie think of this plan of yours?” asked Frank.

Her brothers groaned and cursed.

“She better not find out until she’s happily married,” replied Ranger. He grimaced and scratched his beard stubble. “Otherwise she’ll use the skills Ross taught her and stake me out by a red ant nest.” He chuckled and turned to Frank. “She did it once to Fin, only she put honey in a trail to his unbuttoned pants. He was passed out drunk and didn’t notice until the bites woke him. Just thought you might need to know she has a wicked way of getting back if someone hurts her.”

All four men winced.

Ranger’s smiled faded. “Fin liked to hurt her. The MacDougal kept us from her as much as possible. We taught her all we could, so she could protect herself.”

Trace pressed his lips together so hard they turned white. He turned to Ranger. “It hurt like hell to let you four go to The MacDougal when Ma and Pa died. I wanted to keep you, but—”

“You weren’t much more than a kid back then,” replied Ranger quietly. He met Trace’s eyes and shrugged away the past. “It’s the way it is. We’re all here, now.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know if Fin will come after her, but The MacDougal plans to put her inheritance into more land. As long as Jessie’s married before Fin shows up, she’ll be fine.”

“I take it Jessie doesn’t like this man,” stated Sin.

“He’s as mean as a wolverine with a couple of rotten teeth,” said Ranger. “Fin’s hated Jessie ever since she was a kid. She stands up to him, and he doesn’t like it. The night Louisa got married, he attacked her—”

“What!”

Ranger held up both hands to hold back Trace and Sin’s outrage.

“She damn near gelded him,” continued Ranger, grinning. “Ross taught her never to go anywhere without a couple knives. Fin never expected her to carry one under her dress.”

“That’s my little sister,” said Trace with a hint of a smile. He raised an eyebrow in warning. Sin shifted his hand to cover his belt buckle and what lay behind it. “The MacDougal promised Pa he’d take care of Jessie. As Clan Chief, he thinks that means marrying Jessie to his oldest son, Fin Junior.”

“That man will touch Jessie over my dead body,” declared Sin quietly.

“I doubt Fin would leave
Texas
,” said Ranger. His frown lightened. “If he did, he’d get an education. The MacDougal name won’t protect him outside
Texas
. I’d pay to see someone take that bastard apart.” Ranger rubbed his hands eagerly. “Hell, I’d pay someone to watch me do it!”

“If this Fin MacDougal’s out of the picture, all we have to do is get Ace and Jessie together,” said Sin. “Once he realizes she’s a woman, and available, I think he’ll smarten up and propose.”

“From what I see, they can’t stand each other,” said Frank. He gave the young bucks an innocent look, hiding his knowledge from years of marriage to a strong wife.

“Ace gets a hard-on when he looks at what he thinks is a fourteen-year-old boy,” said Sin. “He doesn’t like that, so he keeps far away from Jessie.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t have to see her to get a hard-on,” drawled Sin. “Just thinking about her—”

“That’s my little sister you’re talkin’ about,” growled Trace. “You’d better keep your pecker in your pants until after the wedding.”

Sin leaned a shoulder against the wall and met Trace’s glare head-on. “Jessie will marry into the Double Diamond,” he said quietly. “But she’s a grown woman and will make her own decisions.”

Frank hid a smile at the challenge. It was about time Trace had someone to butt heads with. Trace’s fingers curled into fists. Sin raised an eyebrow and flexed his crossed arms. Even through the material, Frank could see large muscles move. Sin had two inches and a couple dozen pounds on Trace, but Trace was wily. Though he’d banned the older Elliotts from town for fighting, he’d love to see a knock-down, drag-’em-out fistfight between the Elliotts, MacDougals, and Double Diamond men. A real free-for-all where the idea was to let off steam and have a good time.

“You’ve got a wife to go home to,” said Sin to Trace. “Ranger and me, we’re stuck with plenty of nothing. The best we can get is a rise in our pants.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Ranger. “At least you got a wife in sight, thanks to me.”

“I thought you said Ben would bring a wife when he returns from the East,” said Frank.

“My twin’s never broken a promise, but this time…?” Ranger scowled. “Ben’s a lawyer now. He thinks more about what’s between a gal’s ears than under her dress. He’d end up with a brainy sourpuss who talks about things that don’t matter a damn and won’t share her bed on a cold night.” He sighed. “I don’t expect to have a wife until Patrick heads East in a couple-three years.”

Frank, Sin, and Trace looked at Ranger. He shrugged. “No decent woman wants a rough cowboy like me. If Ben doesn’t bring one, Patrick will wrassle a woman to the altar for us.”

Frank let the silence ring for a moment before speaking. “So, boys, how you gonna get Ace and Jessie married?”

“First we have to stop her talking to him with an accent so thick it’s hard to understand what she’s saying.” Sin smiled, perhaps in admiration. “Drives Ace nuts.”

“Everything about Jessie drives Ace nuts,” said Trace. “That’s why Beth says they want each other.”

“Beth knows about Jessie?” Ranger looked at Sin, then they both glared at Trace.

“I don’t keep much from my wife, but I keep a fair bit from my brothers.”

“Thanks a hell of a lot for the warning,” muttered Ranger. He shut his mouth when Trace shot him a trail boss look. They might both head ranches, but Trace would always be the oldest brother.

“This morning I caught the two of them sneaking glances at each other. Beth says that means they don’t want to admit what they feel.” Trace shared a well-married husband look with Frank. “Ace snarls at Jessie. She answers him in a way that would bring Beth a spanking. Jessie stomps off, and Ace glares like he wants to take her over his knee but for some reason, won’t.”

“The reason being, he thinks Jessie is a boy,” said Sin.

Ranger grinned. “Soon as Ace figures out that Jessie-the-woman has been sassing him for weeks, he’s gonna make sure she can’t sit down for a while.”

“He’d better not touch her until after the wedding,” growled Trace once more. “Beth also says a woman needs a home of her own. Jessie’s not been welcomed in a home since Ma died. Building her one would make her feel more settled. Might get her to nest a bit.”

“We have a cabin—”

Ranger snorted at Sin. “It leaks air like a window. My sister lived in
Texas
for years, then in a fine house in
Virginia
. She’s not used to the cold.”

“I’ll order some squared timbers and other supplies,” said Trace. “They’ll be ready to go when needed.”

“We don’t take charity,” declared Sin quietly. He stood straight, hands by his sides.

“We owe Jessie more than you know, and we’d be doing it for her, not you lot,” said Ranger. His neck and cheeks flushed a bit. “Beth’s right. Jessie needs her own home.

“First she’d better get married,” said Frank.

“I want the wedding before the bedding,” growled Trace.

“That’s up to Jessie,” said Sin quietly.

Chapter Ten

Ace settled himself comfortably on his horse and looked at his ranch. His, along with Sin and Henry. They’d all given up a lot to make a new life here in this wild country, but they’d gained as well. His eyes closed in spite of his need to keep going. They’d all worked almost day and night for the past few months, ever since he won it all from Smythe.

Sin and Henry could snore all night, but he had to make plans for all contingencies. He didn’t think he’d slept more than a couple of hours a night since he threw down three of a kind and
won it all.

Thanks to the insolent brat, they’d learned how to do the tasks required to run the Double Diamond. Not everything and not very well, but it would come with practice. They’d have lots of opportunity to do it themselves now that the three weeks were up.

If that boy wasn’t so good at what he did, Ace would have thrashed him a dozen times a day during the last three weeks. He knew Jessie used that blasted accent just to push him. He’d overheard discussions where it seemed the boy might even have read a book or two.

His cock twitched, as it did every time he thought of, spoke to, or saw Jessie Bonham. He shifted in the saddle, cursing his need for a woman. Only two ranches in the valley had wives, so he wasn’t the only one wanting. Maybe he’d invite the Circle C, Flying X, and J Bar C over to celebrate their misery together with his last bottle of good whiskey.

It would be a long time before they could afford anything but rot gut. But the Double Diamond had no debt, and he’d keep it that way. No borrowing gold and no taking help with a future debt to be paid. He would not be beholden to anyone.

It would still be busy for the next few weeks until they joined Ranger to take the steers to
Bannack
City
. Once the steers were gone, he’d sleep. The gold would buy food for the winter. The log cabin needed chinking, but he had time. Lying in bed at night he could see stars from between the logs. A cool breeze was nice now, but there was much to be done to survive winter. He believed the warnings about
Montana
Territory
weather.

When they were ready, they’d build a home in the lower part of the valley, not far from the river and road to Tanner’s Ford. It wouldn’t be until one of them married, however.

A flash of white to his left caught his eye. Was someone riding near the ridge above the cabin? He backed his horse into the brush and got out his eyeglass. He opened it up and searched until he found…

Jessie, riding Trouble! A perfect name for a trouble-maker’s horse.

“Blast that boy!” He watched Jessie steer Trouble uphill. “Blast it, Sin was supposed to have the brat in town by now!”

Was he stealing Trouble, riding over the rim on the long way to town? Ace watched the boy ride toward a rock outcrop he’d not investigated. Boy and horse passed between the boulders and disappeared. Though he watched for a while, they didn’t emerge.

He’d seen Jessie ride high on the ridge before. Had the boy found gold on Double Diamond land and now returned to steal it?

A shaft of rage flashed through his body, heating his blood. His cock throbbed as well, caught up in the surge. The boy had damn near laughed in his face every time he gave an order. He’d waggled his ass in those tight pants, bending over to pick up wood for the fire and creating a fire inside Ace as well.

He’d put up with weeks of the same look his family used to sneer at him. The one that said Kenrick Langford, the third son, was useless. He’d had to put up with his father and older brothers. No bratty child was going to get away with it!

He’d informed Jessie that morning his services were no longer needed. That meant the brat was trespassing on Double Diamond land. By George, he was going to take him down a few pegs, even if he had to use the flat of his hand on the boy’s backside!

Ace slid his eyeglass back into its slot and rode just under the ridge until he came to the clump of rocks. A stream ran down, yet no water flowed above. He dismounted and touched the water.

Warm!

He’d heard about
hot springs
in the area but never guessed one was on his land. How many weeks of aching muscles when he could have relaxed in hot water each night? The boy knew, and withheld the knowledge. With every insolent look, Jessie had thumbed his nose at him. His rage rose a notch higher.

He strode toward the rocks, his horse following. He stopped when he heard a high-pitched noise. A scream? He tilted his head to listen. The horse flicked his ears back. That wasn’t—singing? Was the boy a soprano? In ancient days he’d be gelded to keep that voice. Anger returned to Ace. He had half a mind to geld the lad himself.