9781618857279MakeMineaCowboySullivanNC (4 page)

“Of
course we do. I have a special room in the main house you can have all to
yourself.”

“Which
room, Mom? I’ll make sure it's ready for her. I imagine she’ll need to go back
to town to get her clothes.”

“Yes,
I will. Thank you, Joel. You’ve been more than kind.”

“So
what kind of books do you write?” Jacob asked.

Mesa
pressed her lips together as a deep blush stained her cheeks. Apparently, she
thought it embarrassing to tell a bunch of cowboys she writes about them with
sexy heroines. He would have to learn more about her writing while she stayed
at the ranch. Having never read a romance novel, he really had no idea what
they had in them.

“She
writes about cowboys,” Joel said, earning himself raised eyebrows from his
brothers. He shrugged his shoulders as he put a potato chip in his mouth. “What?
I already asked her.”

“It’s
true. I write about cowboys in modern day and historical settings.”

“How
hot?”
Nina questioned, sitting forward in her chair. “I
love the erotic stories.”

“Very
hot,” Mesa answered.

“If
you have some with you, make sure to bring them back. I would love to read some
of yours. Cowboys are right up my alley.”

The
boys laughed as the subject changed to other topics including the buyouts of
the other ranches.

“The
Mitchells are selling,” his father said as he approached the table with a plate
in hand.

“Mesa,
this is my father, James Young. Dad, this is Mesa.”

“It’s
nice to meet you, Mesa.”

“You
too, sir.”

“Shit,
seriously? They’re selling?” Jeff cursed. “Excuse my language, Mom. Mesa. How
many more are we gonna lose to these sharks?”

“I
don’t know, Jeff. They seem to be buying up the ranches who have been hit the
hardest by the beef prices. The drought hasn’t helped either. Feed is scarce in
this country half the time anyway, but when it doesn’t rain, it’s worse.”

“We’ve
managed to stay ahead by doing the dude ranch thing, right, Dad?” Jonathan
added to the conversation.

“So
far, yes. We’ve had a great clientele of guests to keep things going, but the
prices are hurting even us.”

Joel
knew their whole lives depended on this ranch. They couldn’t lose it. But the
developers driving the local ranchers out only spelled harder times for everyone.
The hill country was home, had been since before he could walk. The five
thousand acres encompassing Thunder Ridge Ranch would be their legacy.
Each of them.
They all had a stake in the place and as far
as he knew, they all planned to stay and ranch their own small section deeded
to each brother when they turned eighteen.

His
parents bought the ranch when his mom had been carrying his younger brother,
Jonathan. Little did she know there would be a total of nine before she
finished. Now, she wanted daughter-in-laws.

He
chuckled under his breath. Little did his mother know, none of them had any
aspirations of a bride at the
moment.
She wouldn’t
care, though. Fixing them up with decent women had become her pastime these
days.

The
rest of the conversation around the table went back and forth between who might
be going out tonight to the rain pushing through the area earlier. Even though
flash flooding could be a constant worry, they needed the life-giving essence
of the rain. The ground right now needed it badly.

“If
you want to head back into town after supper to get your things, I’ll make sure
your room is ready.”

“Thank
you, Joel.”

“If
you’re back in time, we’re having a bonfire later out near the pit. Most of the
guests will be there.”

“Sounds
like fun. I haven’t been to a bonfire in ages.”

“We’ll
get you countrified while you’re here if it kills us, city girl.”

Mesa
laughed. The sound sent chills down his back as goose bumps spread across his
arms. The soft tinkle of her laughter reverberated along his nerves before
settling in his groin. Not good. Getting mixed up with a guest on the ranch
always came back to bite a guy in the ass He’d caved into the urge once or
twice, much to his regret and his brothers’ enjoyment. Not to say he didn’t get
his shots in when they decided to play. “I can show you more of the ranch
tomorrow so you can get some ideas of the life.”

The
fork disappeared between her plump lips.
God,
I never thought watching someone eat was sexy before
. Her brown eyes
sparkled in the overhead lighting of the dining hall. He shook his head. Thoughts
of her in any kind of romantic situation would just lead to trouble.

“I
would appreciate it. I have a vivid imagination but to have firsthand knowledge
is priceless.
Makes it much easier to describe scenes when
you have information.”

“Do
you know horses?” he asked, pushing his empty plate back.

“A
few.
I don't have any of my own, but I’ve ridden before.”

“We
can do some ranch work tomorrow if you like. Ride fences and the like.”

Her
smile lit up the room like a beacon for wayward ships at sea.

“Awesome.
I haven’t been on a real working ranch before so this will be the best
experience I could ask for.”

“Joel,
you’ve got roundup tomorrow,” his dad interjected.

“Do
you think it would be okay for Mesa to go with us?”

“If
she doesn’t mind watching you and your brothers branding.
Castration might be a bit much for her to watch.”

“Oh
no, Mr. Young.
I would love to watch!”

“Please,
call me James.”

“Very
well, James. I think it would be a great experience for me to watch everything.”
Her excitement almost bubbled over like a boiling pot.

“It’s
smelly, dirty, nasty work. The boys can tell you.”

The
group murmured their agreement, but she wasn’t to be dissuaded. If she wanted
to watch branding, she'd watch branding, he decided. He was going to give her
the full experience for the time she would be in his care.

Most
of the guests had finished their meal and put their plates in the tub for the
dirty dishes so the group of men picked up their plates too. Mesa followed with
her own until she spied the chocolate mousse cake sitting on the side cupboard
for the guests. “May I?”

“Of
course.
It’s dessert for everyone. You’ll really like it if
you are a chocolate person. It’s very rich, though.” He grabbed two cups and
headed back to the table. “These are my favorite.”

As
she spooned a little bite into her mouth, her eyes closed and she groaned. It
was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. His cock jumped to attention behind the
fly of his jeans.
Fuck!
She looked
like she might orgasm at any moment and he wanted nothing more than to see the
same look on her face as he drove into her hot pussy.

He
cleared his throat and swallowed hard past the lump. Her tongue slid over the
surface of her lips, swiping at the bit of chocolate clinging to her bottom
lip. He wanted to suck her tongue into his mouth and taste the decedent chocolate
mixture on her lips for himself. The groan rumbling in his chest stopped at his
lips. If he let it out, she'd know how much her little display turned him on.
I’m so screwed.

“You
okay, buddy?” Joshua slapped him on the back and grinned.

“Yeah.
I’m fine.”

She
opened her eyes and he noticed they twinkled with mirth. Of course she knew
what she did to him. Didn’t every woman have the ability engrained in her
psyche to torture a man until his balls turned blue?

“This
is fabulous, Joel. I’m glad you suggested it. I’ve never tasted anything this
good.”

“Glad
you like it,” he squeaked. He cleared his throat as he blushed. His brothers
laughed, as they filtered out of the room joking around and punching each other.
Damn them all.

The
dining room slowly cleared of guests, leaving her and Joel alone at the table.

“I
guess I should get going so it doesn’t take me long to get back. I hate driving
in the dark on roads I don’t know.”

“Would
you like me to go with you?”

“Would
you?”

“Sure.
You know, so you don’t get lost coming back.”

“True.
I probably will. Of course, you’d have to come rescue me again.”

“I’d
rescue you anytime, darlin’.”

She
blushed and dropped her gaze to the table. Surely, she wasn’t embarrassed by
his attention? Women like her should be showered with it. Curvy, cute, and sexy,
with a rack big enough to bury himself in, would get her lots of interest
around these parts, especially from his brothers. They all liked curvy women.

“Is
that a southern boy endearment you all use to get in women’s pants?”

“Huh?”

“Darlin’.”

“I
use it for anyone I like, so it doesn’t apply to just getting into a woman’s
jeans.”

She
took his hand between hers, stroking her finger over his knuckles. The
sensation reminded him of what she could do to his cock if he could get far
enough with her. She’d only be there a few days. Maybe she’d be interested in
some wild sex.

“Sorry.
I didn’t mean to insult you. I use it a lot for my characters. I’m curious if I’m
doing it right is all.”

“It
is an endearment southern men commonly use, I guess. I never noticed before.”

“Do
you mind if I write all this down? It’s great to have someone I can base
characters off of now that I've met a real cowboy.”

“You
never met a real cowboy before?”

“Well
some, yes, but not one who works on a ranch or lives the life every day. This
is great!” She scrambled to her feet dragging him up with her. “We should go if
we’re going to get back.”

“I
need to let my parents know I’m leaving with you.”

“All
right.
I’ll meet you outside by the car. Jeremiah slipped
me the keys at dinner.”

As
she headed down the middle of the room toward the door, he couldn’t help but
notice her cute little ass. His mother’s sundress molded to her like a second
skin, emphasizing the round curve of her backside. Her long legs would look
good wrapped around his hips.

“Damn,
I need to get my head out of the gutter. She’s a guest. We don’t fuck guests.”
He shook his head to clear the lingering thoughts as he headed to the ranch
office.

“Mom,
I'm going to town with Mesa to get her stuff.”

“How
sweet of you, Joel.
I’m sure she’ll appreciate the
company. It is a forty-five minute drive back to San Antonio.”

“I’m
afraid she’d get lost coming back.”

His
mom looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not just to spend
more time with her? She’s an interesting young woman.”

“She’s
a guest, Mom.”

“I
know. You boys don’t mess with guests, no matter how beautiful they are.”

“That’s
right. It’s your rule.”
Never mind the
two times before. Mom would kill me if she knew.

“It
hasn’t been a problem for you…until now.”

“No
problem.”

“Are
you sure? I think you’re trying to convince yourself more than me.” She stood
up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Son, if you’re interested in
Mesa,
go
after her. There is nothing wrong with
finding the right woman in a strange circumstance. God has a way of bringing us
together with our soul mate.”

“Soul
mate?
Mom, I’m only thinking of fucking her for a few
days, not marrying her.”

“You
never know. She might get under your skin so fast you won’t know what hit you.
Love works in mysterious ways sometimes.”

“Stop
trying to get us married off so you can have daughter-in-laws. I’m only
twenty-eight.”

“Plenty
old enough to have a family of your own.
You’re all stubborn
mules when it comes to women.”

“No,
none of us have found the one. I personally won’t settle for anything less.”

“Good
for you, Joel. I don’t want any of my sons to settle for less. Y’all need to
hurry the hell up with this woman thing though.”

Joel
rolled his eyes. After a big hug, he stepped back and kissed her on the cheek. “I
love you, Mom, but I’ll find the right girl someday. Don't rush me.”

“Rush
you, hell! It’s time all of you settle down. Especially, Jeff, Jackson, and
Jacob. They’re all in their thirties.”

“Then
go bug them. I know Jacob had a hot date with a girl from town last night. He
didn’t get home until early this morning.”