Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys [Hellfire Ranch 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

Hellfire Ranch 2

Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys

Texas Sheriff Taggart Cain has been framed for murder. Spunky Boston lawyer Rebecca Lyons has been called in to clear him. Tech savvy Wade Merritt has the skills to prove it. A night of poker, whiskey, and wild three way sex forges a bond that surprises them all.

Tag’s military history holds secrets to the real killer, but skeletons in his closet make any relationship with him an emotional minefield. Rebecca knows there is something deeper beneath Tag’s gruff exterior, and she’s not one to back down from a fight. Wade’s calm demeanor simmers both of the hotheads down to a slow burn.

Together, the trio investigates the evidence mounted against Tag. When the trail leads to an unlikely killer and an even bigger cover-up, they have to race time and the ruthless killer to save the day and their newly discovered love.

Genre:
BDSM, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

Length:
92,050 words
 

Hellfire Ranch 2

Jennifer August

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

HER HEART-STEALING COWBOYS

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-144-9

First E-book Publication: July 2013

Cover design by Harris Channing

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of
Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys
by Jennifer August from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

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This is Jennifer August’s livelihood.
It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. August’s right to earn a living from her work.

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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For Christopher, who gave me the first push to write professionally. I hope I’ve made you proud.

HER HEART-STEALING COWBOYS

Hellfire Ranch 2

JENNIFER AUGUST

Copyright © 2013

“Hey, Tag, you up?” Wade Merritt juggled the box of donuts he’d picked up from Dolly’s and jabbed at the doorbell again. The coffee carrier—including his bottle of soda—lurched to the left, and he nearly dropped the whole thing. On a good day he was not a coffee drinker. Especially not the rotgut mess Tag preferred. Wade never showed up in the morning without something decent to drink.

Locks flipped from inside the house and the door swung open. A sloe-eyed Olivia Martinez stared up at him. She wore a pair of cutoff denim shorts topped by a white V-neck T-shirt. Metal dog tags nestled atop the shirt and between the valley of her full breasts. “Wade, you know it’s only six in the morning, right?”

He blinked a couple of times and tried to focus but her long legs distracted him.

She sighed and pushed the screen door open. “Give me some of that coffee,” she said.

“I would but I’m out of hands here.”

She reached up and plucked one of the steaming cups from the carrier. Thankfully it didn’t try to tip again.

“Good Lord, that smells heavenly. Come on in. You’re forgiven.”

“Anyone else up?” he asked as he stepped into Tag’s sprawling ranch house.

“Yeah, we all are. Old habits die hard.” She smiled. For the first time he noticed her left eye didn’t crinkle as much as her right. He jerked his gaze away from the fake eye and told himself not to stare.

Olivia either didn’t notice or chose to ignore his rudeness. “Tag is in the kitchen trying to poison us with that mess he calls coffee. Jake and Hud are with him.”

He followed her down the hall and into the bright kitchen. He squinted against the screaming yellow of the walls. “Man, when are you going to get rid of this crazy color?”

Tag took the donuts from him. He shoved aside a couple of glass-jar candles and plunked the box on the table. He flipped open the lid and inhaled deeply. “I don’t care what Doc Mayers says about clogging my arteries with Dolly’s Donuts. She makes the best in the world.” He picked up a heavily frosted chocolate donut and bit into it with obvious relish. “Someday I’ll paint,” he said around a mouthful.

“Well, hurry up,” Wade muttered. “Damn room gives me a headache every time I walk in here.” He handed out the other two cups of coffee. “Morning, Hud. Jake. How are you guys faring?”

“Better than Fischer,” Jake said drily.

Wade cast a quick glance at Tag whose face darkened just at the man’s name. The animosity his best friend held for his old squad mate went way beyond the events of the last few days.

“I heard you shot him, Olivia.”

She grimaced as Hud and Jake both chuckled. Her small fist balled and landed with a loud smack against Jake’s solid shoulder. He grinned and caught her hand then raised it to his lips. Her frown melted away.

Hud leaned forward to tuck a tendril of curly black hair away from her face and stroked her cheek.

Wade inhaled sharply and looked at Tag for his reaction.

Tag leaned against the white and gold Formica countertop, chewing on a donut. He propped one booted foot over the other and winked.

Wade jerked his attention back to Olivia, Jake, and Hudson. They all stared at him with identical mischievous looks.

“Yes?” Jake asked silkily.

Wade opened his mouth then closed it around a frosted cherry donut. He chewed with slow, even bites as he processed the information he’d just gleaned.

I’ll be damned.

He met Jake’s eyes and saw how clear and content he appeared. His friend looked like he’d found a measure of peace for the first time in years.

Wade swallowed and grinned. He lifted his soda bottle in silent salute. “So, Olivia. Shooting?”

She laughed as she reached for another donut. Her fingers hovered between chocolate and maple before finally settling on the syrup-flavored favorite. “I did shoot him, yes. But I sort of missed.”

“Wait, you hit him, didn’t you?”

“I was aiming for his head.”

“But she hit him in the shoulder,” Jake said.

They all laughed.

“So you think Fischer is the one who shot at you at the Calico?” Wade asked.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “Right after he shattered the window, he tossed in a grenade. Definitely looked like ones we used in the military.”

Tag frowned and pushed away from the counter. “He’s out of the service. How would he get his hands on that?”

“Tag, you can get anything these days from the Internet.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Still, I don’t really understand why he tried to shoot you.”

Olivia shrugged. “He couldn’t take the chance I’d put two and two together on the antiquities scheme he had going.”

“I can’t believe we didn’t know,” Jake said.

The mood in the kitchen grew a little grim, and Wade cleared his throat. “Have any of you met Kristen and Lewis? The kids in town to get married? They’ve brought their entire entourage for a week of shopping and relaxing. Lewis said it was like an extended pre-wedding party.”

Hud nodded as he took another donut. “Yep, I ran into them at Hank’s Goods & Gets the other day. Miss Hank was giving Kristen a talking-to about lingerie and the wedding night. The poor girl must have turned at least ten different shades of red.”

“Oh, that’s horrible,” Olivia said.

Wade thought he saw a smile in her eyes. She looked at him. “Hank is a bit forthright,” she said. “After my experience with her, I can just imagine how Kristen felt.”

“Hey, she picked out some very nice undies for you,” Hud said.

She elbowed him then stared at Wade’s arm. “Nice tattoo,” she said.

He looked down at his shirt sleeve, where a portion of his black tribal tattoo peeked out. He rolled the sleeve up and held out his arm. Olivia came in for a closer look.

“Excellent artistry,” she said.

He nodded his agreement. “I had it done in Hawaii a few years ago.”

“I love the way the lines are so sharp and clean.” Olivia pushed at the shirt some more then lifted the sleeve and peered inside. “It’s massive. Is that a phoenix?”

“It’s a variation of a phoenix and griffin combined. I wanted something to signify family, rebirth, and joy.” He grinned over her head at Jake and Hud. “It goes up my shoulder, down my chest, and around my waist. I can show you if you want.”

Jake glared and checked his watch. “It’s close to seven. Tag, you have any word on the house? Think we can get back in yet?”

Tag also looked at his wrist. “Probably. It’s been more than twelve hours since the shooting. The crime scene techs should be done by now.” He cocked his brow at Jake. “You anxious to get back for some reason in particular?” His sly gaze slid to Olivia.

“Shove it,” Jake muttered.

“Ah, if only,” Tag said. “I’ll call dispatch and get the sit-rep.”

“What’s a sit-rep?” Wade asked.

“Situation report,” Olivia answered. “Tag’s slipping back into his
oorah
days.” She smiled up at the tall sheriff. “You thinking of re-upping?”

“Hell, no,” he said and set his coffee on the countertop. “I’ve got enough problems corralling the good folks of Edwards County.” He looked at Wade. “I’ve heard that wedding party is a little rowdy. Can you talk to them?”