Espino, Stacey - Hardcore Cowboys [Ride 'em Hard 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

“I’d be dead if it weren’t for you,” she whispered, not wanting the magic to end.

She let the weight of her body lean against him, anything to show him she was willing and not a victim. His frame was strong and solid, not budging from where he stood. Right now, she didn’t want to be the strong, independent woman in charge of her own destiny she’d strived to become. She was tired of life, tired of having the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“Doesn’t matter. You owe me nothing.” Did he purposely graze his lips along the shell of her ear? Her pussy pulsed, liquid heat escaping her body. “I’ll help you get your car, get it running, and anything else you need. I don’t expect any payment.” Why was he making this so difficult? She didn’t want to second-guess herself. For once, she wanted to live the fantasy, do what her heart desired, even if it wasn’t the proper choice.

“I know, Wyatt.”

* * * *

The sound of his name on her lips made his cock harder yet. Didn’t women know better? You didn’t ask a man to help dress a half-naked woman and not expect him to become aroused. The fact the woman in question was the little angel he’d rescued made the situation more complicated. Samantha wasn’t some tail he picked up in a bar. She was sweet innocence, the current center of his world. Her health and happiness had taken over his life since he found her. During the night he could hardly sleep, playing childish fairytales in his head. He had an unfamiliar urge to settle down. Wyatt blamed the combination of being unsatisfied with his life traveling the circuit, and his intense attraction to the girl he rescued for his newfound feelings.

He wanted Samantha for more than quick thrills but didn’t know much about her. He needed to slow down, to do things right before he messed everything up. As much as he wanted to cup her breasts and kiss every inch of her body, he had to resist. She was just recovering from her ordeal, and she probably thought he was some crazed rancher only wanting to use her for sex. It wasn’t true. On his worst day, he resisted the cream of the crop with little effort. Wyatt wasn’t easily seduced and couldn’t be brainwashed by gold diggers and loose women. But his sexual preferences were unorthodox. He craved to dominate his bedmates. Maybe it was the hardcore cowboy in him or his need to feel the power he’d lost when his father died. Wyatt wouldn’t subject Samantha to his whims.

“My brothers will skin me alive if they catch you half dressed. You need to keep warm.” He had to kill the growing lust in the room before he went so far that he couldn’t stop.

His saving grace was the loud ruckus from below. The front door opened and there was the pounding of boots and dropping of heavy equipment in the small foyer. It gave him the ability to pull away from Samantha. Cord and Val were home and offered him a much needed distraction.

Wyatt avoided raking his gaze up her body when he reached for the shirt on the bed. Her smooth, tanned skin was a temptation he had to avoid. She deserved better than him. He slipped the material over her head and assisted her in getting her arms through the sleeves.

“Thank you,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Was that disappointment lacing her words? If so, was she disappointed he hadn’t continued his advance, or disappointed he crossed that line at all? Wyatt didn’t have a clue how women thought, or what they wanted most days. All that mattered now was getting out of the room so he could think straight.

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” It was the hardest thing he’d had to do in a long time.

Chapter Seven

“How’s our patient?” Val kicked off his boots, shaking the snow from his hair. His muscles were stiff and weak from digging out trapped vehicles and entrances to neighboring homes for hour upon hour. There hadn’t been any deaths related to the storm, but with power still out that could change.

Val and Cord had offered to cut firewood for elderly townsfolk so they could stay warm until the hydro workers could fix the damage. But the emergency services had already decided to round up any people at risk and house them in the old city hall, complete with generators and volunteers. What a mess.

Wyatt acted off, an almost guilty look on his face as he leaned against the wall near the stairs. “She just took a shower. She’ll be down soon.”

“A shower?” Cord hung up his jacket, a smile on his face despite being as worked to the bone as Val. “I could sure use one of those about now.”

“At least she’s up,” said Val. “She lookin’ okay, Wyatt?”

“Mighty fine. She’s eaten, slept, and now showered. Well on the way to recovery.” Wyatt strolled to the kitchen, lacking his usual confident gait. Something wasn’t right.

“I’m gonna run and check on her.” Val wanted to make sure this brother hadn’t upset their guest. He knew his older brother was anything but sugar and spice. Wyatt was used to life on the road and probably lacked the manners he’d been raised with.

After shaking the snow from his hair and not taking a moment to rest his feet, he bound up the stairs in search of Samantha. The light in the stairwell was dim, but some natural light filtered down from the end of the hallway—Wyatt’s room.

Wyatt had bedded his fair share of women, but never trolled the bars or spoke crudely about the other sex like too many cowboys seemed to favor these days. His older brother had never been the playboy type. He was the so-called strong, silent type, but he did have a twisted sexual appetite, and Val knew too well the temptation of their dark-eyed little visitor. Even with the seriousness of their tasks on their emergency visits, he couldn’t help but think about Samantha. She was so petite, so soft-spoken, and had an exotic beauty he couldn’t resist. Cord wasn’t affected any less. His twin must have mentioned the girl a thousand times during the day, wondering if she’d had a relapse or continued to be sick.

Val knocked on the partially opened door to Wyatt’s room.

“Come in.”

He pushed open the door, his oversized reflective jacket scrunching noisily with every move. “Samantha?” She stood by the window, staring beyond the glass without turning to face him. “You okay, darlin’?”

She didn’t answer him, appearing to be in some sort of daze. “How much land do you have here? I can see all the way to the horizon.”

He joined her at the window, looking out into the vast white fields that went on forever like a great frozen ocean. He shrugged off his heavy jacket and tossed it on the end of Wyatt’s bed.

“Thousands of acres. We deal mostly in raising cattle, but also have feed fields—barley, corn, and a few others. You should see it in the summer, green and gold, with sunsets to take your breath away.”

“I’d love to see that. I don’t have much of a view back home, just the brick wall of the building next door.” She turned and gave him a little smile. It lightened up her face, which now had a healthy glow, but didn’t erase the sadness in her eyes. Her damp hair fell more than halfway down her back in soft waves.

He reached out and took a section between his thumb and a finger. “What happened to your pretty curls?”

“They’ll be back as soon as my hair dries.” She chuckled. “They’re a blessing and a curse.”

Val brushed the hair off her shoulder and ran the back of one finger along her jawline. “I love your curls.” He felt like saying he loved every detail about her, from her full lips to her big brown eyes, and every curve of her luscious figure. But he kept those thoughts to himself.

She took a deep breath and turned to face him. Even with Wyatt’s old duds on, she looked adorable. “You’ve all been so kind to me. I can never repay that.” She wrung her hands together in front of her. “Even when I get back home, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me here.”

“It’s nothing any decent man wouldn’t do.” He squinted his eyes as he assessed her. Val didn’t want her feeling down. She was in good health with only the future and its endless possibilities ahead of her. “You don’t owe any of us a thing.”

She reached out and placed a tender hand on his chest and sighed. “Why couldn’t all men be like you and your brothers?” she said reflectively.

Her comment struck his heart in a way he never expected. Why should other men need to compare when she could have the real deal? The thought of her moving back home, finding a new man, possibly one who would hurt her, made him bristle. Was he a fool for thinking anything could develop between them in such a short time? He knew for a fact that Cord wouldn’t allow her to leave until at least the end of the week. A woman who’d been through her ordeal needed warmth, rest, and stress-free days to fully recuperate, even if she insisted on being fine.

“They should. You deserve only the best from a man.” In his opinion, a man’s woman should be their pride and joy, their reason for getting up in the morning before working a tiring day, and they should be ready to protect her at any cost. If there was a man alive who would try and take advantage of the sweet little thing in front of him, Val would like a few minutes alone with him. Their daddy had treated their mother like gold, which is why he believed she fell apart after his disappearance and death.

“I wish it were that simple.” She halted, her dreamy gaze lifting. “I don’t even know which one you are. Are you Val or Cord?”

He smiled. Val had to constantly remind himself that most people couldn’t tell him and his twin apart. “I’m Val.”

She rolled his name along her tongue a few times.
“Val…”
After nibbling her plump lower lip, she asked him, “What’s it short for?”

His name had been a nightmare growing up in the small farming community where boys were raised to be men from the time they could walk.

“Valentine.”
He cringed upon hearing it. “Seems my mother had a sense of humor. We were born on Valentine’s Day after over twenty-four hours of difficult labor. I was breach, so the midwife had a lot of trouble. Being born on the day of lovers had been extra special for our mother after so many hours of torment. She said we were a gift.”

Her eyes beamed, and her smile spread. “That’s really special. What’s Cord short for?”

“Cordell. Can’t say I’m crazy about it either. My father loved that name. I’d still prefer it over mine.” He tweaked her nose. “Valentine’s not very manly, is it?”

“I really don’t think you have anything to prove to anyone.” She shifted her gaze to roam over his body. He could feel the heat of her stare, the intensity of her intimate inspection. Was this why Wyatt looked so frazzled when they came home? Had she brought him nearly to his knees as well?

Just then Cord came bustling into the room. “Everything okay?”

* * * *

When she studied them closely, she noted minute differences in the twins and stored that information to memory. Cord had a thin, barely noticeable white line from an old scar above his eyebrow. Val kept a small soul patch below his lower lip.

“I feel great. If the roads are clear, I’d really appreciate a drive to my rental car.” She had to focus on real life. Sure, it would be nice to sit back and bask in the attention of these three fantasy-like cowboys, but it was all an illusion. She was just an oddity, a lone woman in their house who entertained them for the short-term. Even if she indulged her fantastical thoughts that they actually wanted her, which man would she choose? They were all perfect—rugged, caring, and tempting. Wyatt had saved her, but the twins had brought her back to health.
It didn’t matter
. She needed to smarten up and get her ass back to the city. There would be a shit storm to pay if anything happened to the rental. Not to mention, her boss was probably calling her back into work by now.

“No, ma’am,” said Cord. “The plows are just starting to do their job on the main arteries. The back roads will be impossible to navigate for some time. Besides, what’s your rush to get back on the road again? You just went through hell and back.”

“I have a job, and that’s not even my car.” Her mind felt ready to burst from worry. Her rent payment was due in just over a week. She wondered how long they’d wait before cleaning out her apartment. Surely she’d be able to get to the rental car in a day, two at most, and then it was the long drive back to
Toronto
. Samantha hated the thought of imposing longer than necessary, especially when she didn’t even have money to offer as thanks.

“Minor things, darlin’.” Cord was just wearing the fitted navy T-shirt with the fire department insignia and pants that hugged his slim hips. His hair was matted slightly from wearing the helmet, but he looked adorable.

“My knights in shining armor?” She chuckled in disbelief, only realizing she spoke aloud a second too late. “I’m not your responsibility.”

“That’s right. She’s mine.” Wyatt stepped into the room, which suddenly felt too small. All the feelings she’d experienced with him before his brothers got home came racing back, desire burning in her veins. The fact he claimed to be responsible for her brought out new, unfamiliar emotions. Nobody took care of her. From the moment she woke up every morning, life was a battle. Whether fighting with the chefs and customers at the restaurant or braving the subway late at night, she was on her own in every way. The financial burdens, loneliness, and unfulfilled dreams stole her essence. Samantha was a work horse, a woman only set on surviving from one day to the next—but that wasn’t living and she knew it.

“Wyatt, you’ve already done more than enough. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”