Cowboy Outcasts (14 page)

They
exited the store, starting the short walk to the truck.

“Run
while you can, darlin’. Get yourself a real man.” The voice originated from a
group of three cowboys standing out front of the general store as they exited.
Hailey ignored them. Callum ignored them.
Arden
didn’t.

****

Hailey
had wanted to hold onto Callum and never let go when they were in the store. He
always struggled in public places and she wished she could shelter him from the
world. It was the look of humiliation in his dark eyes that broke her heart. It
wasn’t his fault. It was society that needed to be educated and more tolerant
of others.

It
seemed every other time they came into town there was a confrontation of some
sort. Callum usually withdrew into himself, more embarrassed than angry. Today
they had
Arden
with them. The usually cool and controlled Irish cowboy lost it.

He
yanked off his plaid long-sleeved shirt, which he wore unbuttoned over his
black tank top. He tossed it to the dusty sidewalk and stormed over to the
group of men, not a hint of apprehension in his step.
 

“What
did you say to our woman?”

“
Our
woman? You two wouldn’t know conventional
if it dropped out of the sky and hit you on the head, would you?” the tallest
man said.

“You
all need to fuck off and mind your own business. Last I heard this was still a
free country.”

“
Arden
…” she warned.
Hailey didn’t want him to do anything he’d regret. The three cowboys leaning
against the glass windows of the store looked unsavory.

The
tall man laughed, the other two following suit. “She even has to stick up for
them. How pathetic can two men get? When are ya’ll going to realize you’re not
wanted in these parts? We’re God-fearing citizens in this town.”

Arden
’s muscled flexed, his Celtic bands moving as his biceps shifted.
She didn’t want him to get into trouble because of a few ignorant jerks.

“You’ve
never walked a mile in my shoes. God-fearing has nothing to do with it because
He abandoned us long ago. So I have no reservations about fucking all three of
you up.”

“Just
like your father,” said the man with the tan cowboy hat. He spat on the ground
beside him. According to Arden and Callum, their parents were always outcast as
the unwanted Irish immigrants. It seemed that hatred carried through the
generations in the backwards little town.

Arden
charged forward, driving his fist into the gut of the cowboy. His
body was lean and powerful, and as much as she was worried, she knew he’d come
out on top.

“Callum,
do something!” she cried.

He only
shook his head. “He likes it, darlin’. Just leave him be.”
 
Callum wrapped his arm around her, keeping
her safe and close. If things got out of hand, she knew Callum would step in.
But if she knew
Arden
,
and she did, he needed to let off the steam he’d been building up.

A
gunshot fired off, bringing the area to deafening silence. The small crowd that
had gathered froze, and the vicious fight ceased. A lone cowboy with a pot
belly stepped forward, holding his rifle in warning.

“Why
don’t you two get back to your God-forsaken ranch and stay out of town. You’re
both nothing but trouble.”

Arden
picked up his shirt and black Stetson, swatting it across his jeans
to clear the dust from the scuffle. “And a lovely day to you too, Mr.
Anderson,” said
Arden
.
As the three of them returned to the truck, he turned around. “And you ain’t
the only one who knows how to use a rifle.” He winked mockingly.

“Don’t
aggravate him,” Callum said. “We’ve got what we need. No more trouble.”

When
they were out of sight and back at the truck,
Arden
slammed the heel of his hand against
the side. “I can’t believe those assholes. They can’t leave well enough alone.”

“You
only encourage them by reacting,” she said.

“How
can I help it? They disrespected my brother and my woman. I won’t fucking have
it!”

His woman.
The two words
sounded like a dream. As much as the townspeople may reject Callum and Arden
O’Shea, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Her men were drop-dead
gorgeous, excellent lovers, attentive, loving, and fun to be with. She’d always
been a loner herself, focused on her research, so living off the grid wouldn’t
be a drastic change for her. If living on the fringe of society was a
prerequisite for her ménage relationship, she’d gladly accept it. It was a
small consolation to finding love in the arms of her two cowboy heroes.

Chapter Eleven

Hailey
had all her papers together. She stuffed them into her knapsack and then pulled
out of the driveway in her noisy old truck. With both men working together in
the fields, she didn’t want to disturb them. After finally achieving her goal
and pounding out the most convincing essay she could, the idea of waiting even
another day to turn in her proposal wasn’t an option.

As she
drove the back roads to the university, she realized she was more excited to
make Arden and Callum proud. Her focus no longer lingered on her proving her
parents wrong or trying to show up her professors. Her entire life had shifted
course, giving her a new drive and purpose.

After
turning her papers into Professor Fischer, he asked her to wait outside his
office while he consulted with two other faculty members. She’d paced the halls
for three quarters of an hour before the door opened. Her heart skipped a beat
when she saw the professor wave her to enter.

“Have a
seat, Ms. Watson.”

She
felt awkward and on display, the three men staring at her like a slide on a
microscope.

“We’re
very impressed with your new proposal. It seems you had something worth taking
notice in after all.”

She
swallowed hard and kept quiet.

“After
careful consideration, we’ve decided to offer you a very lucrative position in
Jacksburg
County
. You’ll head up a new division in
their university.”

Her
mouth dropped open. This was everything a young scientist could dream of. It
felt impossible, like she’d wake up from a dream. Then the reality slowly
trickled into her mind. Jacksburg was half way across the country in a thriving
city, nothing like her current little town. How could she leave Arden and
Callum? There was no way they’d leave their ranch and she’d never ask it of
them. Her initial excitement plummeted.

“Thank
you very much. I don’t know what to say.”

“It
would be wise to say yes. We’ll need your answer by the end of tomorrow,” said
Professor Fischer.

She
left the office and wandered the halls aimlessly, finally heading for the
second level where she still had a locker on loan. Hailey wanted to pick up her
remaining books and notes she’d left behind. It must have been between classes
because the hallways were suddenly swarming with students heading in one
direction or the other. She felt like a lifeless body carried along on the sea.

When
she reached her locker, she froze. There was graffiti across the front of her
locker, the others untouched. In red letters it read,
Mick Freak Lover.

Hailey
wasn’t sure how long she stood there like a rock in a river, the students
passing around her, whispering and giggling.

“I’ll
get the janitor to come clean it.”

She
turned around to find her good friend, Peter. It had only been a couple months
since she’d seen him, but he looked older, more mature. His career had just
started to take off when she moved in with the O’Shea men.

“What’s
it mean?” she asked, staring at the words.

“Nothing.
It’s a derogatory word for Irishman, but don’t think anything of it. It’s just
some students being stupid.”

“We
were those students a couple years ago, Pete.”

They
weren’t dealing with high school students. These were adults, and apparently
news in a small town spread like wildfire.

“Come
here. I need to talk to you.” He dragged her through the throngs of students to
an empty classroom, closing the door behind them.

She was
afraid to hear what he had to say, didn’t want to acknowledge any of the
drawbacks to her decision to live with the O’Shea men.

“What
are you doing, Hales?”
 
He held both her
arms to stop her from pacing.

“What?”

“You’ve
gone off the deep end. The entire community is blathering on about the
promising young scientist throwing her career away to hook up with the cowboy
outcasts.”

“Cowboy
outcasts? Really?” Did Peter actually fall for the gossip?

“Don’t
tell me you’ve never heard of them. You’ve always been one to investigate
everything, to reach conclusions with logic rather than emotion. What happened
to you?”

She
fell in love. She found purpose. Hailey shrugged.

“Don’t
throw away your career. I know Fischer offered you a major opportunity. Don’t
blow it.”

“But—”

“Since
you didn’t care to look into their history, you should be aware that they go
through women faster than you used to devour research texts. You’re the flavor
of the month, Hales. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“I know
what I’m doing,” she said, tugging herself free from his grasp. At least she
hoped to God she knew what she was doing. She still had a huge decision to
make, and wasn’t sure what to do. What if Peter was right? The O’Shea men had a
bad reputation for a reason. What if they tired of her and she lost her one
chance at a rewarding career? But what if it was love? Could she actually say
good-bye to the two men that controlled her heart? It came down to a primary
question—what was more important in life? Money and success or love?

****

“Where
is she?” asked Callum. Her piece of shit truck was missing, but she hadn’t said
anything about needing to head into town. A deep sense of unease whirled around
inside him. He’d expected this day but still hoped it would never come.

“You
heard her yesterday. Her research is over. She was writing up her proposal all
night. I suspect our usefulness is up.”
Arden
tossed his coil of rope over the fence post and disappeared into the barn.
Callum followed.

“That
doesn’t bother you?”

Arden
shrugged. “What did I always tell you, Callum? Never fall in love.
The last good woman died with our mother.”

“You
know that’s not true. You can play nonchalant all you want, but I know you love
her the same as me.”

Arden
grabbed the shovel they used for mucking out and began to work like
a man possessed, putting all his energy into his task. He knew
Arden
was hurting, but he continually bottled
things up rather than admit the truth.

“I’m a
free agent,” said
Arden
.

“And I
suppose you’re going back on the road now, risking your life in the ring. Maybe
hit the bottle? You’re more fickle than a bitch in heat.”

His
brother tossed the handle of the shovel and it clattered to the concrete floor
of the barn. He faced off with Callum, chest to chest. “Watch your tone, little
brother.”

“You
blame me for the town judging us, but who’s the one feeding into the
stereotype? You’ve been a drunk and a brawler since high school.”

“Fuck
you!”

Arden
was about to throw a punch, but whirled away instead.
 
They were both lost, nothing, not without the
woman who made them feel special, wanted, needed.

Callum
hoped Hailey was out running errands, but
Arden
’s
presumption weighed heavily on his heart. Had she finally had enough of them
and their reclusive lifestyle?
 
She’d
achieved her goal. What woman would choose a couple of bumbling cowboys when
she had the whole world ahead of her? She was a beautiful, educated woman. They
would only stifle her potential if they insisted she stay on their ranch. He
felt like a fool.

“She’ll
be back,” he said, his fire dashed. “Back…She’ll be back…Back… Fuck!”

He
didn’t want to see the sympathy swimming in
Arden
’s eyes. Not now. He turned away, still
forced to repeat the words he knew were a lie.

Callum
slammed the screen door shut after barreling into the kitchen. He was angry,
defeated, and hurt. He’d allowed an outsider into his life, a woman. They’d
laughed together, shared intimate moments, and she never judged him for his
constant tics. She made him feel human, normal, and now she was likely on to
bigger and better things. He felt smaller than a speck of flint.