Authors: Stacey Espino
“Okay. That’s great. I sent you all the information. Are you sure we can get all the cattle moved within the two-week deadline?”
He stepped closer, his eyes narrowed. She had to look up to see him, and when she did, he reached out and felt a section of her hair between his fingers. “That depends. How many men have you hired?”
She pulled away, smoothing her hair back into place. “Three. And I’d like to remind you this is a purely business relationship. If you can’t handle that, I’ll find someone who can.” Jane hoped he agreed, because she didn’t have time to find a third cowboy. They needed to get this show on the road if they were going to make their two-week deadline. Having some horny cowboy think she was going to put out like country trash was not going to happen. Despite her attraction to the brick house of a man in front of her, her only priority was getting this cattle run on the road so she could collect her inheritance and return to the city.
Chapter Three
Dawson hadn’t expected Jane Williams to be so darn cute. A city girl if ever he saw one, but there was a spark in her eyes that pulled him in. She had deep red hair he imagined came from a bottle and big green eyes he hoped were her own. His job would be easier if she hadn’t been so blessed in all the right places. Her suit was professional, but left little to the imagination. The skirt was above her knees displaying long, shapely legs. Her jacket only buttoned up near the bottom, leaving the full cleavage behind her silky blouse easy for him to visualize.
“Whatever you want me to do, Ms. Williams, I’ll do it.” He purposely licked his lips, offering her a tease of what he’d willingly give her.
“Good. And call me Jane.” She glanced around the house, adjusted her jacket, and took a deep breath. “Okay, we better head out and meet the other two cowboys.”
“You’re serious? There’ll be three men for five thousand head? On horseback?”
“That is what we agreed on, isn’t it?”
He supposed he shouldn’t complain too hard, or she might actually consider hiring more men. His mission was to ensure the cattle run never succeeded. There was a thirty thousand dollar paycheck waiting for him if the cattle didn’t reach their destination in time. With only three men to do the work, his mission just became a whole lot easier.
“Of course.” He almost felt sorry for the little filly. She was all puffed up with bravado, but by the end of their trip she’d be begging to go home. A city girl wouldn’t last a few days on the open fields, never mind weeks. His job was just too easy.
“Do you mind if I follow you to the city hall? It’s been ages since I’ve been here, and a lot has changed.” She hooked her purse up high on her shoulder and eyed the door.
“Why don’t you come along with me? I’m assuming that’s your Civic out front? It wouldn’t last a minute where we’re heading. It stormed for two days straight, and only a four-wheel drive will be able to navigate the mud on the outskirts of town.”
Dawson knew he’d have plenty of opportunities to slow them up once they were out on the prairies, but figured it couldn’t hurt to start stalling her now. The clock was already ticking toward the deadline when Ms. Williams would forfeit the fortune to her cousin Ronald. And Dawson would be thirty thousand dollars richer.
“I guess that would work.” He could practically feel her mind working, questioning her decision to give up even a little bit of independence. He knew her type well. This would be the easiest money he’d ever earned.
She set for the door, her heels clicking and ass swaying. Maybe he’d get a bonus out of the job and get to fuck the hot little number. It wasn’t totally out of the question. Once night settled over the open land, no artificial lighting to offer even the slightest illumination, it would take just a twig snapping for her to jump willingly into his arms.
He held open the passenger door of his truck. She looked at the entrance with a look of horror. “You expect me to get up in there?” He’d pimped out his pickup, raised the suspension, and added oversized tires.
“Problem? Just use the running boards.”
She scowled at him and then turned and hiked up her tight skirt to just below her ass, grabbed the side of the door, and climbed up. He had a brief view of her pink panties before she settled in the passenger’s seat, adjusting her skirt and growling her irritation. He chuckled which appeared to further annoy the little siren.
“I don’t know what motivates men to drive these monstrosities.” He shifted in the driver’s seat to hear what else she had to say. “Are you compensating?”
“Would you like to see?” He grabbed his belt buckle, taunting her.
Her face heated to a flattering blush. She faced the windshield. “We better get moving. The other cowboys I hired will be meeting me soon.” She tossed him her car keys. “My bags are in the trunk.” She still wouldn’t look him in the eye.
“Yes, ma’am.” He stifled a laugh, but couldn’t help but smile.
* * * *
Dawson pulled up to the old city hall and cut the engine. They sat in uncomfortable silence, no signs of life around them. The parking lot was deserted, but they were a bit early. She only prayed the other two men would show up as promised, or she’d be royally screwed. There wouldn’t be enough time to find and hire two other cowboys, and Dawson already complained about being understaffed for the job with three of them.
“So…have you done this before?” she asked, hoping to break the hush.
“Darlin’, I was born and bred on a working ranch. You won’t find a more experienced wrangler in Alberta than me.” He half ignored her, leaning over to open the glove box and grab some tan leather gloves. His proximity was disconcerting.
“That’s good to hear. But I’m sure it’ll be an uneventful trip. My uncle’s old employees have prepared everything we’ll need.”
“Such as?”
How the hell should she know? She assumed tents, food, and camping-type gear. The finer details had been left to her uncle’s old crew, and she trusted they knew what they were doing. Jane had to think positively, or she’d lose her mind completely. It hadn’t been easy arranging the whole trip and finding her cowboy guides. There was no one to fall back on because this was her mission, everything her responsibility. If things went bad, she’d lose a lot more than her pride.
“Cattle drive stuff. All you need to worry about is getting the cows from point A to point B.” She needed to remain professional. This was business, and she didn’t want to appear incompetent.
He wet his lips and entered her personal space. “Sounds nice and easy when you put it that way.” His voice was smooth, controlled, decadent.
Think business, Jane!
Dawson wasn’t the first heartthrob she’d seen. There were plenty just in her downtown office building. They may not smell like the outdoors, have fuck-me eyes, or muscles earned from working long hours under the sun, but they were still heartthrobs nonetheless. She considered herself immune to the charms of men.
He reached for the hem of her skirt, running a finger along the inner edge. Her pussy sparked to life as his skin brushed her sensitive inner thighs. His face hovered dangerously close to hers. She could feel his warm breath and the heat from his skin. When he bit his thick lower lip, she instinctively swallowed hard. “This what you plan on wearing?”
She hadn’t realized how far from reality she’d drifted. Had she really been awaiting his kiss? Jane focused on his words and looked down to where his hand rested. “I brought my jeans.”
He slapped her leg with his big, rough hand, shocking her into the present. “Good thing. You wouldn’t have much fun riding a horse in your little business suit. The open land is no place for a city girl.” With that, he effectively dismissed her, shattering the momentary bubble of intimacy. He opened his door and slammed it shut behind him, walking away as he donned his work gloves. She hadn’t even noticed the other trucks now parked in the lot. God, she was an idiot, and wanted a do-over. No more Mrs. Nice-Guy. She’d reign over these cowboys with her hormones tightly in check for the rest of the trip.
Jane carefully crept out of the ridiculously high truck and took a deep breath before facing the other men. They were gathered between the other two pickups—one navy, one red. Dawson had been right. What the hell was she thinking wearing a tight pencil skirt and stilettos to a cattle run? She supposed she was so used to dressing in her business wear every morning, and wanted to give off a good, professional impression to her three-man crew. As soon as she had the opportunity, she’d change into her jeans.
Walking along the rough, gravel drive was precarious when she had to balance on two thin spikes. Her ankle was still tender, but images had to come before comfort. She kept her shoulders back and approached the men with feigned confidence. If any one of them asked for partial payment up front, she’d crack right down the middle. This entire adventure, and her confidence, was held together by thinly constructed glass panes, so easily fractured.
“Bradley McCay and Chase Garner?” She prided herself on maintaining her composure, because these two men were cowboy gods. What did their parents feed them? Did they all look like this?
Dawson stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest, and a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Yes, ma’am. And who would you be?” The man with the tan cowboy hat stepped forward, his spurs ringing with each step. When he got closer, she noted his hair was thick and dark, his eyes catlike and hypnotizing.
“I’m Jane Williams, the one who hired you. Are you Bradley or Chase?”
He looked back to the other man with a look of utter disbelief marring his handsome features. “Chase Garner. Now, you said you hired us?”
“Problem?” She planted her hands on her hips and stood firm.
“No problem. I just thought you’d be a man, is all.” He plucked off his hat and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Can’t say I’m disappointed.” He looked at her with a twisted hunger, not much different to the way Dawson had devoured her with his eyes. Would she even be safe traveling alone with these men? Would she complain if either of them forced her to the ground and fucked her raw? God, how long had it even been since she had a real man as opposed to a battery-operated toy? She blamed her years of abstinence on the sex-laden hormones bombarding her.
“Well, where I’m from, women don’t spend their days in the kitchen. They run companies, and rule over their male subordinates.” They may be hot, but they were just backwoods heathens. The only thing they’d be good for is a quick roll in the hay.
Bradley, the dirty-blond stud, who looked more like a quarterback than a cowboy, joined Chase in front of her. They were all tall, heavily muscled, and unkempt in that rustic cowboy way. “Is that what you want? To rule over a man? If these two jokers have a problem with that, I’m all yours.”
She took a cleansing breath. This was not the time or the place to give into her desires. She had to maintain control over these men or she’d lose all credibility, and they’d be impossible to manage. Her entire inheritance, her future, was at stake.
“Never said I had a problem with a woman,” Chase defended. “I love my sister and momma more than anything.” He adjusted his belt, and her eyes dropped to follow his movements. His jeans hung down too low to be holy, and even with a tight T-shirt on, she could see the outline of ripped abs.
Now that’s a man.
A few of the men in her office building had been handsome, but it was the suit that made them. She was sure they’d be soft and toneless once the layers of Armani were peeled away.
“That’s good to hear, since I’ll be leading this cattle run. Are you all ready to head out? Time is of the essence.” The sooner she got deep in the fields with the cattle, the better. Until they were miles from civilization, she’d worry they’d bow out, especially if they found out they’d only get paid if she made the deadline. That little tidbit could wait until it would be more work to turn back than go forward.
Bradley hooked his thumbs in the loops of his jeans. “You realize these types of roundups are rarely done these days, don’t you? There’re easier ways to move cattle.”
“That’s all well and good, but the job was posted this way for a reason. If you’re not man enough for the job, let us know now.” Appealing to a man’s Neanderthal arrogance always guaranteed success. Right on cue, he scowled, looked to the other men, and then straightened his posture.
“Whatever you want, little lady.” He returned to his pickup. Chase dipped his hat to her, and also walked away. They were already essentially in the middle of nowhere, only endless fields behind the run-down, boarded up building. Soon she’d be one with nature, and felt apprehension and rising heat creep up her collar. Once she kissed civilization good-bye, she’d be at the mercy of these men and the elements. She’d never even gone camping, only enjoyed girls’ night out at various hotels for pampering. Dawson was right—she was a city girl, born and raised. This trip would put her limits to the test.