Two Dude Ranchers for Dawn [Cowboy City 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (5 page)

“Drink up!” Julie handed the glasses around, and everyone drained theirs except for Dawn. She took a sip and tried to give Jen a reassuring smile when she asked what was wrong.

“I’m just tired. You know me. I can’t sleep in a strange bed.”

“I’m usually the same, but the beds here are so comfy that I’ve never slept so well. At least, I sleep well when Alan stops calling me ten times an hour.”

Dawn swallowed down the urge to give a shout of “hallelujah!” Was Jen finally starting to realize what an almighty pain in the ass Alan was? The urge to celebrate was replaced by a hollow pang of guilt. It wasn’t right to be so happy to hear Jen complain about the guy she was due to marry in less than two weeks’ time.

The show got started, and try as she might, Dawn couldn’t enjoy it. Sure, the guys were gorgeous, and watching Sally have to practically sit on Julie to keep her in her seat had them all in stitches, but the headache Dawn had been nursing all day just wouldn’t quit.

Dawn asked Sally to go to the ladies room with her and took advantage of the relative quiet to tell her friend that she was gonna go back to her cabin and have an early night. Sally’s disappointed groan made her feel even lousier.

“Sorry, Sal. I’m just exhausted, and I want to make sure I feel well enough to go on the horse ride tomorrow afternoon. I know it’s a shitty thing to do to you, but would you mind just letting me slip out without making a big deal of it and telling the girls after I’ve gone?”

Sally grabbed her hand. “I don’t want you walking home alone. Let me come with you.”

“It’s only a couple of blocks. I’ll be fine.” Dawn smiled, trying to chase the worry from Sally’s face. “Listen, get back out there and have some fun for me. When we meet up tomorrow, I want to hear torrid tales of what you did to a poor, unsuspecting cowboy tonight.”

Sally was tipsy enough to laugh, but not so drunk she didn’t blush at the thought. “You know, it never occurred to me before, but cowboys are hot, aren’t they? I don’t know what it is about them.”

Rough. Strong. Manly
. Dawn thought of half a dozen more reasons Sally might be suddenly horny for a cowboy, but she kept them to herself. “Me neither.”

She said her good-byes then and made her way out to the street, careful to hug the wall as she left the bar, desperate for the girls not to see her leave. Dawn sucked in a lungful of the sweet night air that was so clean compared to the city smog she was used to breathing on a daily basis. She thought about the city she called home as she headed down the Western-style street that lead back to the complex.

New York was a fabulous place to live and work, but the pace of life was frantic. Dawn checked her watch. It was just after ten, and she marveled at how safe she felt here. She wouldn’t have walked alone if she was home, at least not without her hand in her purse, clutching her can of mace. Her job didn’t pay enough for her to live in a good neighborhood, and although New York wasn’t as bad as the movies would have you believe, it paid to be careful.

Dawn looked up at the night sky, rendered almost speechless again but the beauty of the stars.

Living in the city had its plus points, but she’d forgotten how much light pollution there was. She couldn’t remember ever seeing so many stars.

The sounds of people having fun filtered out through the windows and doors of the wood-panelled restaurants, bars, and cafes she passed as she made her way through wide streets lit by the soft glow created by the imitation gas lights. She noticed an old, blue flatbed truck out of the corner of her eye as it slowed to a crawl beside her and, suddenly, she didn’t feel so safe anymore. Dawn dropped her gaze and fixed it on the street ahead as she quickened her pace.

“Dawn?”

A familiar male voice coming from the cab of the truck made her turn around, and she sagged with relief when she saw Ben’s friendly face smiling down at her. He stopped the truck and climbed out, and she only realized he wasn’t alone when she heard the passenger door slam shut as Garrett got out of the other side.

“What are you doing out alone at this time of night?” Garrett’s tone pissed her off instantly. She’d spent the last couple of days wondering about how things would be between them the next time they met, and the last thing she’d expected was for him to seem so hostile.

“Walking home.” The urge to defend herself increased when the guys exchanged a look that told her they both thought she was crazy. “I’m old enough not to take stupid risks. This place is a lot safer than where I live.”

“Why, because it’s a holiday resort? We get the same mix of good and bad here as you’d find anywhere else.”

Garrett interrupted Ben. “And you’d be at risk anywhere walking around dressed like that.”

“Dressed like what?”

“Showing all that skin.”

Dawn looked down at her stretchy, floral shift dress and laughed. Besides showing her arms and a little bit of cleavage, she was covered from her neck to her knees. “I’m not exactly naked, Garrett.”

He snorted. “You might as well be.”

She stared at him, struck dumb for a moment as she tried to put the angry words racing through her brain into some kind of order so she could shout them at him. But before she could speak, Ben threw Garrett a questioning look and shook his head, as if asking why in the hell he’d just said something so stupid. He turned back to her with his hands raised, as if trying to calm a skittish horse.

“What my tactless friend was trying to say is that dress fits like a second skin. It clings to every curve you’ve got, darlin’.”

Ben’s eyes locked with hers, and, even though he was smiling, she could tell he was being more than just friendly. He liked what he saw. Dawn’s gaze darted over to Garrett and found him looking a little less sure of himself.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” Garrett’s gaze raced over her again, and by the time his eyes met hers, he was wearing an almost-bashful grin. “You look very nice.”

“Thanks.” Dawn went from angry to charmed in a heartbeat, but then she got a little self-conscious as both men continued to stare at her without speaking for far longer than her nerves could handle.

The silence hung between them for a few awkward seconds more until Ben yanked off his Stetson and used it to gesture toward the open door of the pickup. “Can we give you a ride back to the compound?”

“No, thank you. I’m enjoying the walk. It’s a beautiful night. Besides, I’m almost there now.”

“Okay, then we’ll walk with you.” Ben leaned into the truck to grab the keys and slammed his door shut.

“Please don’t go out of your way on my account.”

“It’s not out of our way.” Garrett held an elbow out to her, and Dawn stared at it in confusion before realizing that he was offering her his arm. The thought of touching him again made her throat go dry, but she couldn’t think of a way to refuse without being rude, so she slipped her arm through his.

She tried not to focus on the way the side of her breast brushed against firm muscle as she slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and cupped his bicep with her palm. Dawn blew out a shaky breath, aware of a slight tremble in her knees. Touching him again was every bit as electrifying and terrifying as she’d feared it would be. Garrett was just too…well, too everything. Too big. Too handsome. Too sexy.
Too close for comfort?

Ben grabbed her attention by clasping her other hand and placing it around his arm, effectively trapping her between the two of them. Before she had time to wonder about the new and interesting sensations she got from Ben touching her at the same time as Garrett, they started walking, and she had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other without tripping up.

Dawn was average height but even with her three-inch heels on, her head barely grazed Ben’s chin or Garrett’s shoulder. She felt tiny sandwiched between the two huge men and very,
very
safe.

“So, where are your friends?”

Dawn looked up at Ben. “Back there in The Roughriders Saloon.”

Garrett chuckled. “All those naked cowboys were too much for you, eh?”

She laughed. “It was fun for a while, but I’ve got a bit of a headache, and I want to try and sleep it off so I make it for the ride out tomorrow.”

“Glad to hear it. Ben and me are group leaders on that trip. It’s a gentle trek that takes in some beautiful scenery. Have you ridden before?”

“I took a few lessons as a kid but I haven’t been on a horse in years. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Are your friends all coming, too?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, but some are not too happy about it. Jen is terrified of horses, and Julie just isn’t interested in spending hours looking at scenery, but we talked her into it.” She laughed as a thought struck.

“Actually, I’d better warn you about Julie. She gets bored easily. You might want to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t do something reckless.”

“Is she the one who was tearing up the yard with Brett, Mike, and Cody at the barn dance the other night?”

“Yep. That’ll be her.”

Garrett chuckled. “They’re helping out tomorrow, too. We’ll tell them to keep an eye on her.

‘Reckon they won’t mind.”

“They did seem mighty keen on her.” Ben grinned and looked down at Dawn. “It might be your friend we have to watch out for. Those guys can get pretty rowdy.”

“Julie’s never met a man she couldn’t handle. The fact there’s three of them will just make it more of a challenge.”

“What about you? Think you could handle more than one guy?”

Dawn jerked her head around to stare up at Garrett, eager to look into his eyes and figure out just what he was asking. She got her answer the second her gaze met his. But, before she had time to deal with the impact that his softly spoken words had on her body, her heel caught on a rock and her ankle twisted sharply, causing her to yelp in pain.

She let go of Garrett’s arm and bent down to clutch at her throbbing ankle, feeling stupid for being so clumsy but also relieved that she didn’t have to come up with an answer to Garrett’s question.

“Subtle, buddy. Real subtle.”

Dawn clutched at Ben’s arm, the anger in his voice making her feel even more of a klutz. The last thing she wanted was to cause trouble between them. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Don’t be mad at Garrett.”

“It is my fault. I don’t know why I asked you such a damn fool question.”

The pain, her embarrassment, and the tension crackling in the air between them finally overwhelmed her, and Dawn had to press her hand to her mouth to stop a sob from escaping when the urge to cry got the better of her.

“Honey, I’m sorry.” Garrett’s voice soothed her as his hand clasped her shoulder and she fought back more tears, desperate to show them both she was okay so Ben would stop being so mad and Garrett would stop beating himself up.

“I’m fine. Don’t apologize. It was an accident, that’s all.”

“Think you can walk?” Ben hooked his wrist under her armpit and helped her upright.

Dawn put her foot down gingerly and tried to put some weight on it. She winced as a hot spear of pain tore through her ankle. “No,” she said, her lip quivering as the tears threatened again.

The urge to cry was forgotten when Garrett suddenly bent down beside her and scooped her up into his arms. “We better let the doc take a look at this.”

“No, I don’t need a doctor. I’m always twisting my ankle. It’s the downside of wearing the stupidly high heels that I love. Just help me get back to the cabin and I’ll put some ice on it.”

“Okay.” Garrett nodded as if she’d just issued an order and took off walking in the direction of her room.

Dawn tried to wriggle free, but his grip on her tightened. “You don’t need to carry me the whole way. Just let me lean on your arm.”

He shook his head. “The way I figure it, I can either carry you to your cabin or carry you back to the truck. We’re about the same distance from both.”

“But I’m too heavy.”

Ben’s face appeared over the top of Garrett’s shoulder. “You can’t weigh that much. Besides, Garrett’s probably carried calves heavier than you.”

“Thanks.” Dawn laughed, despite her embarrassment. “I think.”

Garrett let out a hoarse bark of laughter, and Ben grimaced as if he realized what he’d just said but then he grinned and looked at his partner. “We better shut up. We’re not very good at this, are we?”

“Nope.”

“What aren’t you very good at?” Dawn directed the question at Ben, but it was Garrett who answered.

“Trying to be charming.”

“Why are you trying to charm me?”

Garrett looked down at her as he shifted her weight in his arms and tightened his grip again. “I’d have thought that was pretty obvious.” He was right. It was obvious, but Dawn just couldn’t make sense of it, or maybe she was just too scared to. “And you still haven’t answered my question.”

Ben flicked on the light as Garrett carried her over to the bed, placing her gently on the edge. He strode through to the kitchen area and rifled through the ice box, coming back into the room just as Ben dropped to his knees in front of Dawn and lifted her foot to rest it on his thigh as he undid the strap on her shoe.

Garrett handed the ice wrapped in a towel to Ben and stood back to watch as the other man applied it to the swollen ankle.

“How does that feel?” Ben’s large hand cupped the back of Dawn’s calf.

“Better, thank you.”

Ben smiled into Dawn’s face for a second, but then his gaze began to wander. Garrett watched as a muscle ticked in his jaw, a tell-tale sign Ben was resisting the urge to do something. Garrett figured he knew him well enough to guess what was going through his mind. Dawn had swept her hair up in a sexy, disheveled bun, exposing her long, elegant neck, and Garrett knew Ben would be desperate to get his mouth on it. He’d lost count of the amount of times Ben had bitten him there, sometimes harder than he meant to.