Authors: Cary West

The Price (47 page)

The wind shifted and the son of Black Thunder lifted his head as he caught scent of something other than the McBride’s. He stepped back then darted in-to the foothills, his strong legs gliding across the Nevada earth as the wind blew through his mane.

He climbed the foothill and blended with his herd, then released a warrior cry. Then like a flash of lighting he was gone, disappearing behind the ridge with his mares following behind him.

Like his father, Black Thunder, he was destined for greatness, and his kingdom was the Nevada hills, where he, White Lightning, would carry on the legacy of roaming wild and running free.

Coming Soon!

Black Thunder Series, Book 3

The Legacy

The wheel of life turns again with a
parental bang
!

Jack McBride always envisioned he and Kate sitting on the porch swing with their children playing at their feet. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine how difficult raising three children would be.

Now on the cusp of adulthood, the three McBride children give their father a run for his money with their practical jokes, sibling rivalry, and antics that are making him gray before his years.

In between managing the ranch and Kate juggling her new position as principal, Jack is left to guide his oldest into manhood while also trying to manage a daughter who is wanting to discover the joys of womanhood, too soon. Not to mention his youngest son who doesn’t have a lick of sense in his genius head.

There are new lessons to be learned for Jack with Kate’s guidance, and his overbearing need to hold on when his children are ready for him to let go.

EXCERPT

The four o’clock winds blew across the Carson Valley spreading its heated dust through the parking lot of
Benson’s Feed and Tack store.
The custom Ford Pick-Up with chrome exhaust and oversized wheels sat in the parking lot with its bed lowered waiting for a supply of feed to fill it. A young man, with hair the color of sand and eyes as green as jade, was leaning against the truck. He removed his hat and wiped the thin line of sweat from his brow. He was rugged and handsome—a real looker as some women called him, with strong built arms and broad chest.

Jesse McBride was twenty. Beside him was his brother, Michael, three and a half years his younger. He was tall, thin and not so filled out like his brother and he resembled a combination of both his mother from who he inherited her blue eyes and the same sand colored hair as his father and brother. He was sitting on the bed of the truck swinging his legs through the air as his hands rested on the edge of the bed.

“How much longer do you think Daddy’s going to be?” asked Michael.

“How should I know,” said Jesse as he walked to the back of the bed and hopped up. “You heard him the same as me.”

“It’s going to take some time to get the feed loaded and I need to be back by five,” said Michael, pulling out his cell phone and checking the time. He texted a quick message to one of his friends then slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“You got plans tonight?” Jesse raised a brow.

“Me and some of the guys are heading to
Misfit Flats
,” said Michael. “You want to come?”

Jesse just shook his head. He wasn’t much interested in hanging out at the dry lakebed, where he was sure there would be drinking and silly school girls fawning all over him.

“Hell no,” laughed Jesse. “Daddy will have your hide if he finds out!”

“What he don’t know won’t hurt him,” grinned Michael as he knocked his brother’s cowboy hat off his head and watched it roll to the ground.

“Don’t be a smart ass or I’ll drive your head into the ground,” said Jesse as he hopped off the truck and fetched his hat, placing it back on his head.

Just then a car pulled up and parked beside them. A woman with long dark hair stepped from her car. She was a fine looking woman and Jesse couldn’t help admiring her even if she was close to his mother’s age.

“Well look who it is,” the woman said as a sweet little smile pursed her lips when she saw the two boys, especially the elder. “Why Jesse McBride, you are looking more like your daddy every day.”

“Hi there, Heather Sue,” Jesse gave her the infamous grin, inherent of the male McBride clan.

Michael rolled his eyes and leaned back and watched as the older woman flirted with his brother and he returned the flirtation. He looked over the woman’s shoulder and saw her daughter cowering behind her like she wanted to die of embarrassment by her mother’s shameful ways.

“Hey, Mandy.” Michael waved at his classmate.

“Hey.” She nodded back. “Mom, come on, can we just get the dog food and go home?”

“In a minute.” She shot back then returned her attention to the fine looking young man in front of her. “What are you boys waiting around here for?”

“Daddy’s inside, most likely listening to Frank talk his ear off.” Jesse smiled again. “Once he’s done jabbering, we got an order of feed to load.”

“Well I would love to stick around and watch that. Three McBride’s flexing all over this parking lot, why a girl could just combust on the spot.”

“Oh, Heather Sue, you do have a way with words,” Jesse grinned. “I, for one, wouldn’t mind it if you and your daughter got all steamy over it.”

Heather Sue laughed and practically fanned herself.

“You are Jack McBride’s son,” she beamed.

“So you keep telling me.” He leaned over and gave her another grin. He looked at her daughter and couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the scowl on her face.

“Loosen up, Mandy,” he laughed. “I was only having fun.”

“You’re disgusting,” she grumbled, and she grabbed a hold of her mother’s arm ready to drag her toward the feed store.

“I’ve been called worse,” he called out to her as he watched Mandy and her mother disappear through the glass double doors.

Jesse broke out into a full blown laugh then hopped up on to the bed of truck.

“Why do you that?” asked Michael, shaking his head from side to side.

“I just like to play with them a little,” he chuckled again.

Truth be told, he’d been doing it since he was fourteen. It wasn’t his fault women were naturally attracted to him. He blamed his father for that. Being the spitting image of the infamous Jack McBride it seemed he had an image to uphold, though exactly what that image was he wasn’t sure, but he did like all the female attention. But he was more talk than anything else. He just liked to play along, but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to use women for his own personal satisfaction though he had many opportunities and propositions to say otherwise from women young and old.

They heard the sound of the metal garage door open and saw their father standing in the doorway with a bag of feed slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, thank God,” exclaimed Michael, jumping down from the truck. “It’s about time!”

“Load her up boys,” said Jack McBride as he walked to the truck and tossed the bag of feed in the back.

Jesse and Michael went to work loading the bags into the truck from the pallet in the store. They worked alongside their dad and in no time at all the truck was dipping from its weight. Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse caught sight of Heather Sue and her daughter Mandy exiting the store and walking to their car. He flexed his muscles a little more to give them a show as he tossed another bag into the bed.

“Hey there, Jack,” Heather Sue called out to him.

Jack just waved, but didn’t stop as he reached for another bag and carried it to his truck. Jesse walked over to the passenger side of the car and hung his elbows on the window, looking in at Mandy.

“You going to the party at the
Flats
, tonight?” he asked with the most adorable smile he could muster.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” she lied, gritting her teeth and rolling her eyes at him to be quiet.

“Me neither,” he laughed and stepped away from the vehicle. “See yah round, Mandy!”

“You going to a party at the
Flats
?” her mother scowled and her eyes narrowed in suspicion at her daughter.

“I have no idea what he is talking about?” said Mandy innocently before glancing out the window and glaring evilly at Jesse McBride.

Jesse laughed and returned to loading the truck, not bothering to watch Heather Sue and her daughter back out of the parking lot and head down Highway Fifty.

“What was that all about?” asked Jack as he passed his son.

“Beats me,” said Jesse, shrugging his shoulders.

“Why do I get the feeling that I don’t quite believe you?” Jack stopped and raised an eyebrow.

Jesse just smiled and threw another bag in the back of the pickup.

“She seems like a nice enough girl, but stay clear of her mother,” said Jack, pausing to catch his breath. “You got that?”

“I got it, Dad,” said Jesse.

“Good, ´cause your mother would skin both our hides if she found out you were stepping with someone twice your age.”

“Trust me, Dad, I’m not stepping,” laughed Jesse.

“No, he just likes to look,” Michael added.

“Shut up,” said Jesse as he barreled his body against his brother and shoved him into the truck.

“That’s enough you two,” bellowed Jack. “Let’s finish loading, then you can knock each other’s brains out.”

Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he watched his boys finish loading the feed. They were growing too fast for his liking. Hell, Jesse was practically a man. Jack remembered at his son’s age he was alone and on his own. Back then he thought he was mature enough to handle the world, but now looking at his son he realized he too was just a boy trying to live in a man’s world. He also wasn’t blind to the fact that his elder son carried the same charm he did in his youth. He was hoping to have instilled different values in his sons than his father did with him. He worked hard at it and it grated on his nerves that many from the female persuasion worked just as hard to contradict it.

The McBride men finished loading the truck and were now heading back to the house. Jesse sat up front with his father staring out at the Nevada desert terrain while Michael sprawled out in the back seat.

“So what are your boys’ plans for tonight?” Jack eyed his heirs closely.

“I haven’t decided,” said Jesse, eyes still focused on sagebrush and dirt.

“What about you?” Jack looked in the rearview mirror and glanced at his other son.

“Brandon is picking me up and we’re going to hang out at Spanky’s house,” said Michael.

“Sure you are,” Jack got that fatherly frown on his face. “Wouldn’t suppose you boys are thinking about going to the
Flats
by any chance?”

“Now why would we do that?” said Michael trying to hide his mischievous grin.

“´Cause I know what boys your age do,” stated Jack. “Hell, I was one of them once.”

“You know about the flats?” asked Michael as he sat up in his seat.

“You think I’m an idiot, of course I know about the
Flats
and what goes on there.” Jack shook his head and chuckled to himself.
If they only knew
? “You better not come home smelling of booze or your mother will go all out Comanche on your ass and so will I!”

“Well I’m not going,” said Jesse. “So you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Why aren’t you going?” asked Michael, leaning over the seat and looking at his brother. “Everyone is expecting you to show up. How do you think we got so many of the girls to say yes to coming?”

“You’re a moron, Mickey.” Jesse shoved his palm into his brother’s forehead and returned him to the back seat before shaking his head and looking at his father. He just spilled the beans and now his dad’s suspicions were confirmed.

Jack couldn’t’t help but laugh. He played his youngest son like a fiddle and in no time he was jabbering away all their secrets teenagers like to keep from their parents. For once he was grateful that Michael spoke before thinking, spilling his mouth like running water.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cary West

Cary West currently resides with her husband and three dogs in Central Pennsylvania. Her books are diversified from women’s fiction, romance, historical, erotica, and paranormal.

When she isn’t writing, Cary can be found entertaining family and friends at their private Shenanigan’s bar, serving up Ardbeg Whiskey and Guinness Stout.

She hopes you will enjoy her books as much as she has enjoyed writing them.

Connect to Cary online:

I love to hear from my readers and thank everyone for supporting my love of writing.

Please feel free to send your comments and encouragements.

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www.carywest.org

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Works by Cary West

The Black Thunder Series

The Taming