Briar's Cowboys (4 page)

Thankfully, Jax was on the same page as Ram. Conferring about this wasn’t necessary. The two of them had worked together so closely over the past years, they almost read each other’s thoughts.

At the bemused expression on Briar’s face, Ram glance over at Jax. Immediately, he understood, having secretly experienced the same attraction on more than one occasion. With his jacket around Briar, Jax was left in an olive-colored thermal shirt with a second cream-colored thermal beneath it. The sleeves were pushed up, exposing his powerful forearms while the garments molded Jax’s muscular torso as if they were a loving, second skin, the fabric delineating his firm pecs.

“You were…sixteen when your mom moved you from Daly, right?” Jax asked, cutting to the chase.

“Yes,” she replied, her brow furrowed.

“Do you…were you aware of how things are here?”

“Rustic and a little backwoods?” she said. Understanding filled her intelligent gaze, and one side of her mouth tilted upward, even as the color in her cheeks deepened. Obviously, she meant to give Jax a difficult time though he was being so careful.

“Polygamous,” he countered baldly. Ram liked that about Jax. He struck deep to the point and didn’t bother with pussy-footing around a subject.

Her eyes widened slightly, before she schooled her expression—a talent she’d no doubt learned in the big city. As a bartender, she probably had to hide her thoughts a lot. Right now, she didn’t appear shocked. In fact, she looked a bit intrigued. Ram hoped she was interested enough to consider trying on a ménage for size while she was at the Last Chance.

“I heard rumors,” she hedged. “My friend, Verity, dated two guys back then.”

Ram tilted his head. “Patrick and Sim, right? She’s married to them now. Well, in a Daly-type of marriage.” He put his hand on Jax’s warm shoulder, enjoying the new experience of freely touching the man. “A lot of men in town like men. And a lot of those same men like women.”

“Okay…” she replied, drawing out the word. She didn’t pull her hand free or run—that was a good sign.

Briar wasn’t dumb. From what Jax had discovered about her—and shared with the crew—she’d graduated in the top of her high school class then gotten a double, if somewhat useless, degree in photography and anthropology. Getting by in the big city while tending bar in a rowdy joint, she’d earned street smarts. Ram suspected she understood exactly where he and Jax were coming from.

As he watched, cogs clicked into place in her mind and she looked from one man to the other, knowledge darkening her eyes. Her hand flattened over her breasts as her breathing accelerated. “Are you…? I…I just got here.”

Ram steadily studied her, letting her know he wanted her and timing didn’t matter. He was confident Jax conveyed the same. They wanted each other, and they wanted her. “In Daly, we’re driven more by opportunity, lightning strong need and the willingness of the woman we desire.”

Briar pursed her lips, amusement dancing across her features. “So it’s just because I’m available, then? You boys should probably get out more.”

“Hardly.” Ram shook his head, stepping closer, but as he reached for her, she shoved Jax’s coat into Ram’s arms.

“I, uh…I think I’ll start that coffee now. I’ll see you inside later.” And with that, Briar pivoted away and dashed across the snowy gravel to the house.

Chapter Two

Briar’s insides tumbled as wildly as the acrobats she’d once seen at a Barnum and Bailey circus. Her heart raced as she recalled the intent gazes of the two men in the barn. The touch of Ram’s hand… And when she’d interrupted them—

Oh…

She sighed in wonder, her belly clenching as arousal gripped her. Deep down, she understood her fascination and lack of shock. She’d indeed grown up with this sort of thing around her. When she’d gone away, nothing had seemed right. Dating just one man hadn’t seemed…enough. She wanted more. She wanted to feel two bodies pressing to her, many hands touching her skin as they brought her the intense pleasure of sense-stealing orgasm. In Chicago, she’d thought of the desire as some strange predilection in which she shouldn’t indulge. No one would understand it. No man would be able to fulfill her urge for ménage sex.

Even she hadn’t understood. The second she’d stepped into the barn, clear, unabashed knowledge had emerged as fully as if a veil had lifted and revealed all. She’d been raised around this lifestyle. She’d always known she’d be in a ménage; it was what her mother had been so afraid of.

Watching the men kiss had taken her breath away. Both were so muscular and solid. Manly. Seeing such masculine guys together like that… Hell, it had been freaking hot! It had also stunned her, because she hadn’t guessed Jax was gay. Well, he wasn’t, was he? He was bi-sexual. And so was his friend Ram. Dark, serious, intense Ram. Her pussy had gotten wet under their blatant regard. She’d been naked to those stares though fully clothed. It was as if they saw every intimate bit of her. Those hot eyes had stroked her, and her legs had wobbled.

From their intent gazes, she’d known to get out of there or else find herself pressed between the two cowboys, sharing kisses and much more. Despite the cold, she would have let them take her to the hard floor and have their way.

A tremble worked through her as she considered the possibility.

Dear lord! She’d just met them today—well, not Jax, but close enough. She didn’t know them, and somehow, that just tantalized her more. The very idea of being with more than one man at a time triggered fiery arousal within her, as she considered an act in which she’d never before indulged. Being with those two rugged cowboys would have been the culmination of many dreams of faceless men fucking her.

She’d fantasized about it enough times while alone in her bed in the dark, her hands wandering over herself. She needed to know what it really felt like to have more than one hot, male body pressed to her, more than one steely length filling her.

She bit her lip, sinking her teeth deep to draw her attention from her increasingly lurid thoughts. The guys’ interest intrigued her, but she’d just gotten back to Daly. No matter how much she wanted it, starting any sort of relationship, one-night or otherwise, would be foolhardy. The two in the barn had given her more fodder for daydreams, but that was all she dared let it be.

Why?
the petulant girl inside her protested. Why? Because she was a grown-up who didn’t do things like this.

“You
are
a grown-up,” she muttered as she opened the canister of coffee. “You’re allowed to do grown-up things—very grown-up.” She sighed. “If they want you, why the hell not? You’re free. They’re free.”

Her mom could have a cow out there in the afterlife, and Briar wouldn’t know about it, she reasoned. She, Jax and Ram wouldn’t be hurting anyone.

Briar’s sigh was loud in the quiet kitchen just before she set the coffeemaker to brew. It was too quiet in here. Her own thoughts were echoing through her, giving her a headache. She needed to refocus before she became an overwrought mess.

Tension vibrated through her as she braced her hands on the kitchen counter.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe…

Glancing out the window over the sink, she saw Ram and Jax had driven the truck behind the house to a stockpile of bales she hadn’t seen from up front. A couple black and white collies bounded around while Jax stood next to the truck bed and directed another cowboy who operated a forklift carrying a circular bundle of hay. A fourth man jumped into the bed, and Ram took off.

Jax spoke briefly to the remaining guy who shortly later went to get a second bale. The snow flew so thick now that Briar could barely see them.

As the strong aroma of coffee wafted into the kitchen, she decided she had to help. That would distract her and also get the crew out of the blizzard more quickly. The remaining pair of men obviously had to wait for the other two to return. She owned a pickup that could carry a second bundle of hay, doubling the work that could be done. She’d emptied it of her things earlier, and it was just sitting in front of the house, unused and ready.

Grabbing her coat this time, she hurried out to her vehicle then drove over to the barn. She knew enough about ranching to remember that one cowboy used a pitchfork to shovel hay from the truck while the other drove. With that in mind, she ran inside and located the needed implement. The bitter wind bit at her skin when she dashed back outside. She could barely see as she squinted against the gusts of ice while she threw the pitchfork in the back.

Relief flooded her as she climbed into the cab. The truck wasn’t warm yet, but the shelter from the storm was welcome—and those cowboys were out in this. On purpose! She couldn’t imagine choosing this life—

But you’re about to. What do you think owning a ranch will entail, bonehead?

Ignoring her inner voice, she flipped the wipers on high so she could see. Carefully, she drove to the back of the house and waved to Jax as he looked up at the unfamiliar vehicle.

“You’ll get done faster if you use my truck, too,” she yelled to him after she’d rolled down her window. “I’ll move over, and you can drive.”

He nodded then said something to the other man who grinned and saluted her. Moments later, Jax lowered the tailgate then ran around to climb into the driver’s seat as she scooted over to make room for him.

“We appreciate this, ma’am,” he said, as he turned to look over his shoulder while he backed toward the other cowboy.

Briar laughed. “You’re not going to start ma’am-ing me now, are you?”

“You are the boss,” he replied.

“It makes me feel old.” Not to mention distanced. Was he calling her “ma’am” to dissuade her from making anything of the incident in the barn? Maybe it had been a farce started in the heat of the moment, but they all wanted to forget it now. Heat rushed into her cheeks. She was a fool. Why had she gotten all worked up? Wouldn’t they have a laugh if they knew?

“Old?” he echoed and shook his head, chuckling as he leapt from the vehicle and directed the bale onto the truck bed. It thunked down, shifting the truck’s balance and startling Briar. She grabbed the armrest instinctively. Then Jax was back, and she forced herself to relax. After his partner jumped into the back, Jax drove in the direction the first truck had gone while the other man leaned on the bale and wrapped his fingers into it for balance.

“You’re far from old,” Jax commented with an appraising look as he resumed their conversation as if there’d been no pause. “I was just being polite.”

She forced a grin. “I’d rather you all called me Briar.”

“Will do.”

“Besides,” she added, taking a chance and adding fuel to the earlier fire. She needed to know the lay of the land, even if the answer might embarrass her. “I’d think after the looks I got in the barn, you’d want to call me something other than ma’am.”

“I suppose you’d be right on that,” he agreed. “Thanks for helping with the feeding. This sure will make things easier.”

Briar wanted to growl at his lack of answer and implacable expression. Right. He didn’t want to talk about or remember earlier. She just needed to shut up about it. She looked away before he saw her disappointment. She’d never been good at hiding her thoughts when the subject was deeply personal.

“How many trips do you think we’ll need to make?” she asked, turning her head to business. They all had a job to do and she needed to learn it.

“Your herd eats sixty of bales a day.”

“What?” she asked in shock, calculating what had been in the field behind the house. “Do we have that much to last us the season?”

“No. You’ll have to put in a feed order soon, but we do have bales throughout the ranch to make it easier to supply where the stock grazes. With a full-time staff, there’d be more bales put up and you wouldn’t need to order, but we’ve been pressed to get everything done with just the four of us.”

She nodded, the weight of the new responsibility starting to settle on her. This was what she had to worry about, not attraction to the two cowboys from the barn. Still, as his manly scent filled the cab, she found herself drawn into arousal once more. He smelled of hard work and soap, a heady combination none of the up-and-comers in Chicago could duplicate. She found it intoxicating, and it quickly sidetracked her determination to steer clear of thoughts of him and Ram. When she was alone in the dark, she’d let their faces fill her mind.

“Does the ranch have money in its account for the purchase?” she asked, trying to stay on track.

“Yes. Be right back.” He leapt from the truck again, though this time, he left it in drive. It made a slow path forward as he ran over to speak with Ram. As she looked around wildly, she saw the man in the back quickly shoveling hay to the ground. No one seemed to worry that the vehicle was unmanned, and she gradually calmed as she realized it was making a slow straight path. She could stop the progress before there was any danger.

Before she needed to reach for the wheel, Jax was back. Ram came with him and jumped into the cab first.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said.

“Sweetheart?” she echoed.

Ram grinned while Jax shook his head. “She doesn’t like ma’am, either.”

“Neither does my grandma. You need to stop that with the ladies.”

“Most of them kind of like it. It’s called being polite around here,” Jax mumbled.

“It’s fine, Jax. I’m just not used to it. So what’s the plan now? Who’s driving your truck, Ram?”

“Hawk is. That’s him over there.” He pointed, and as she watched, the man finished shoveling then climbed over the side of the truck bed and into the unmanned cab. He drove toward the supply field.”

“Amazing,” she commented.

“It’s not too unusual,” Jax told her. “Smaller places with less staff do that all the time. Actually, with the four of us doing different jobs around here so we can get as much done as possible, we usually do the same.”

“Because there’s not enough staff?” she asked, recalling his earlier comments.

“Yeah,” Ram answered. “A place this size should have at least eight men to run everything—especially if you plan on more stock.”