Two Dude Ranchers for Dawn [Cowboy City 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (13 page)

Read Two Dude Ranchers for Dawn [Cowboy City 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Online

Authors: Luxie Ryder

Tags: #Siren-BooKStrand, #Inc.

“Me, too.” Garrett stepped forward suddenly, as if volunteering for duty. “I mean, I love you, too.

We both do.”

Dawn hid her face in her hands as she felt it crumple, and the tears she’d been barely holding back started to flow.

Ben let go of her. “Look, no pressure, okay? We just wanted to make sure you knew.”

She heard the disappointment in Ben’s tone and realized he’d taken her reaction as a rejection.

Dawn swallowed painfully, determined to find the voice to explain how she felt.

“You have no idea how much that means to me.” Another painful sob tore through her chest, and a few seconds passed before she could speak again, tears still coursing down her face. “But, what happens now? I live thousands of miles away.”

“Honey…don’t cry.” Garrett’s gentle words only made Dawn’s tears flow faster, and she buried her face in his shirt, taking advantage of the opportunity to inhale his scent one last time. “We’ll find a way to make it work. Come back as soon as you can, and if you can’t for any reason, send us your address and we’ll come to you.”

The engine of the bus roared to life, making it clear that the driver was about to leave with or without her. Dawn kissed Garrett on the cheek and pulled out of his arms and into Ben’s.

“This isn’t the end. You don’t get rid of us that easy.”

Ben was doing his best to be as strong as Garrett, but the gruff tone in his voice made it clear he was struggling to keep his emotions at bay. Dawn smoothed her hand over his handsome cheek, scratching her palm on the stubble dusting his jaw, pressed a brief kiss to his lips, and turned away before she begged them to let her stay.

Dawn walked back to the bus on shaky legs and climbed in, keeping her head down as she made her way to her seat. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead during the few agonizing seconds it took for everyone to get settled back in their seats, too emotional to care that they were all still throwing curious glances her way.

The bus jerked forward and Dawn surged to her feet, yanking at the window to slide it open, and standing on her seat to stick her head out through the gap.

“I love you, too!” she shouted as loudly as she could as the bus gathered speed.

Garrett took a step toward the bus, as if intending to make it stop, but Ben’s hand on his shoulder held him back. He tried to shrug him off, but he gave up struggling and simply held his arms out, as if inviting her to come back.

“Stop the bus!”

Dawn almost fell to the floor as the driver slammed on the brakes, swearing one more time as he did so, and she wiped away her tears as she struggled to her feet and grabbed her purse from the overhead locker. Someone coughed in a way designed to catch her attention and she looked around the bus, suddenly aware of the fact that she wasn’t alone and that her friends were all staring at her in amazement.

“What?” she asked, unable to resist the urge to tease them a little.

Dawn couldn’t remember a time when they’d been collectively struck dumb, and she knew it wouldn’t last for long. She put up a hand to try and stem the flow of questions she sensed the girls were about to bombard her with.

“Look, I don’t have time to explain. I’m gonna stay for another week or two. You guys call me as soon as you get back to New York, okay?” She turned to run down the aisle, but didn’t make it off the bus before the interrogation started.

“What about work?” Julie shouted.

“I’ll call in sick.”

“Never mind work,” Jen said, her voice panicked, “What about my wedding?”

Dawn stopped and turned to look back down the aisle at Jeanette, ignoring the sea of faces staring at her in amazement and focusing on her friend. “Honey, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m coming home for that.”

The sound of galloping horses made her duck to look out of the window, and she saw Garrett and Ben come to a dusty stop next to the open door of the bus. With one last wave to her friends, Dawn ran to them.

The driver followed her out and lapsed into his native dialect, no doubt cursing her out in Spanish.

Garrett exchanged a few words with him in the same language, making the guy throw his hands up in the air as if he couldn’t be bothered with them anymore and climb back onto the vehicle, still muttering under his breath.

Garrett reached down and offered her his hand, then pulled her up to sit behind him on his horse.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, half turning in the saddle to look back over his shoulder at her.

“Not really.” She laughed, a little breathless from the excitement surging through her body. “But I didn’t want to leave. Not quite yet.”

“Mighty glad to hear it,” Ben said, his eyes telling her much more than his words ever could.

“You ready?” Garrett waited for her answer and grinned when she nodded enthusiastically. “Then hold on tight,” he said, urging the animal forward, “I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna be a wild ride.”

THE END

WWW.LUXIERYDER.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I live in a beautiful part of the Southwest of England. My first experience of writing was creating what is known as ‘fan fiction’ on the Internet forum of one of my favourite artists. Lots of my readers gave me really positive feedback and encouraged me to write more and take things further. Without them, I would never have had the confidence to submit a manuscript. I enjoy the process of writing and creating characters I would like to meet and situations I would love to be in. The best way to describe my novels? Sexy stories for real women!

For all titles by Luxie Ryder, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/luxie-ryder