The Private Stable [Iron Spur Ranch 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

“I can drive, you know!”

Wyatt would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Isabella, the boss man’s little sister. She was back early from vacation, a blessing in disguise. Maybe she’d help him find a room for Rachel. He needed her out of sight so he could stop obsessing.

“I won’t have you driving at this late hour,” said Damien. “Steel will bring your bags to your room for you.”

“I don’t need Steel’s help. I’m perfectly capable.” She sounded more irritated than usual. The woman was a beauty, but none of the cowboys dared to mess with her. It was one thing that Damien was her brother, but Isabella had the mouth of a sailor and ran the ranch like a well-oiled machine.

He used the opportunity before it passed him by. “Damien,” he called out. “You have a trailer free for the new girl?”

The three of them turned to the darkness where he was hidden.

“What’re you doing?” Ethan whispered harshly. “She’s staying with me!”

Wyatt brushed his hand away when he grabbed him. He stepped out into the glow of the floodlights, his arms crossed over his bare chest.

“You’re troubling me with this now?” Damien wasn’t impressed, but Wyatt wasn’t trying to impress him. He wanted Isabella’s interest.

“What girl?” she asked as he expected.

“We have a new handler, but we’re not set up for a woman on-site. Seems a sin to throw an innocent thing like her in the shark tank.”

She flung her purse over her shoulder as she bumped past her brother. “Well, it’s a good thing I came home early then. Where is she?”

“My trailer.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting her bunk with you, cowboy. Send her to the house. I’ll talk with her when she gets there.” Isabella glared at him, Ethan, and then her brother before stomping away to the main house.

“What’s with her?” he asked.

Damien massaged behind his neck with one hand. “She’s pissed I cut her vacation short by two days.”

“She
is
the lifeblood around here.”

“It’s the busy season, and she knew it. Who takes a vacation at this time of year? She’s purposely trying to push my buttons,” said Damien.

“That’s what sisters are for,” he said, not knowing from experience. He had no siblings, no parents, nothing to give him roots in the world. Drifting was all he knew until settling at the Iron Spur Ranch. Now even that meager future was uncertain.

“Yeah, for driving a man mad.” Damien started to walk away and then stopped short, turning around. “I’m assuming you’ve both kept your hands off her. I don’t need Isabella bringing the wrath of God on me tonight any more than she has.”

He crossed his heart with his finger. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

His boss shook his head with a scowl. “Let’s hope.”

* * * *

“He’s mad at me,” said Rachel. She held the blanket tight to her chest after sitting up.

Wyatt was still outside. Ethan couldn’t believe he’d willingly send her away, especially after everything they’d done together. His rage calmed just looking at Rachel. Maybe his friend was right. Perhaps he was rushing things.

“He’s not mad at you. You did nothing wrong.” He passed Rachel her clothing. “Here, get dressed.”

“Why?”

“Wyatt’s found a place for you to stay. Well, the boss’s sister will find one for you. She’s the office manager and waiting for you in the main house.”

She didn’t rush to dress. “Oh. Okay.”

Ethan was still pent up, raring to go like a stud horse. Looking at Rachel with her hair draped over her milky-white shoulders set him afire all over again. If she didn’t leave soon, he’d have her on her back in no time. She began to slip on her shirt, and he helped her get her arms into the sleeves. “You’re quiet.”

She shrugged. “I feel stupid. I don’t usually do things like this. Actually, I never have.” Rachel pulled on her pants.

“You’re a grown woman. Nothing to be ashamed of, darlin’. Sex is a natural thing. People make it dirty.”

Ethan had a lot of old-fashioned values passed down from his parents and grandparents, but when it came to sex, he was happily in the twenty-first century. He may not go as far as Wyatt and the other cowboys on the ranch, but he wasn’t one to say no to a willing woman. As far as he was concerned, he was young, single, and his dick was hard half the time, so why not use it? When he found the right woman to settle down with—even better.

They reached the doorway. She touched his back to get his attention. “Will you still be showing me the ropes tomorrow?”

He smiled, glad she wasn’t ready to cut him loose. Ethan braced an arm next to her head and leaned close.

“I’ll teach you everything you need to know,” he whispered. How could one woman affect him so much? They were encased in an intimate bubble of time and space. He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips. Just once. Any more and he’d be lost to her.

“Okay…” She looked down.

He tilted her chin up. “Why do you keep doing that? My momma always taught me to look someone in the eyes when speaking.”

“I’m not trying to be rude,” she said.

“I know, darlin’. But there’s a reason for everything. I wish I could get into your head and know all your secrets.” He ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip.

“No secrets. Not really.”

He’d have to settle for that. Isabella was waiting for Rachel, so he’d have to wait until tomorrow to learn more about the girl getting under his skin.

Rachel’s nerves were frayed. She tentatively entered the house they used for their meals. Now it was dark and quiet, unlike the bustling life when a dozen cowboys shared the kitchen. She was standoffish with men, terrified of Damien, but even more afraid of meeting Isabella. With no friends due to her forced isolation, she wasn’t used to socializing. Women often looked down on her, and to be honest, she wondered if the boss’s sister was competition. She hoped she was old and just as crabby as Damien so she didn’t prove a temptation for Wyatt and Ethan.

What am I thinking?
Wyatt obviously wanted nothing to do with her. She hadn’t even seen him since he took off in a fit. She was oh for two. What was so wrong with her? He knew what she looked like without her clothes and apparently accepted her extra pounds. But he kept pushing her away, now right out of his trailer.

Maybe she was the crazy one, dreaming of relationships and happily ever afters when no potential existed. These were sexual men. They probably screwed every woman to ever work the ranch. And they were both still very single by choice.

She sighed as she walked deeper down the long hallway. It felt like the green mile. When a woman darted out from an open door to the right, she squealed.

“Sorry. You must be Rachel. I’m Isabella.” She rubbed Rachel’s arm like they were old friends. It made it hard to hate her. And she wanted to. Isabella was beyond beautiful with long legs, a fit body, and thick black hair. She was everything Rachel always dreamed of being. Instead she was the exact opposite—short, fat, and ordinary.

“Ethan told me to come here.”

She motioned for Rachel to follow as she reentered the same room. “I had no idea they’d hired more handlers when I was away. I hope they weren’t too bad.” Isabella pulled the drapes closed and then sat on a Victorian-style sofa.

“No. Everyone’s been great.”

“Have a seat.”

Rachel sat on a matching love seat. The room was large, keeping the same theme as the hallways. Wainscoting covered the lower half of the walls in a dark mahogany. Everything about the home screamed quality and wealth.

“When did you arrive?”

“Yesterday by taxi.”

“Where did you sleep last night? Not with Wyatt?”

She didn’t want the men to get in any trouble on account of her, regardless of the fact Wyatt had decided he’d had enough of her. “They were perfect gentlemen.”

Isabella narrowed her eyes. Rachel noted her eyes appeared as black as Damien’s and there were other similarities such as the dark hair and defined facial features. “That doesn’t sound like
any
of the cowboys on our crew.” She chuckled, reaching down to unclasp her heels.

“I’m just thankful to get the job.” But even the position was temporary. If Wyatt’s job wasn’t on the line, she doubted he’d fight for her now.

Isabella tucked her legs up on the couch, settling in comfortably. “Sorry, I’ve had a very long day—flights, car rides, and fighting with my brother.”

“I know how you feel. The bus ride here was half a day long. And the roundup today was even worse. I couldn’t even stand afterward.”

She laughed, the story providing some common ground. “I’ve given up working with the horses,” said Isabella. “There’s more than enough to keep me busy in the office.”

There was a long silence. Isabella occasionally examined her. Other times she checked her fingernails.

“So…which one is it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Wyatt or Ethan?” asked Isabella. “Both have their appeal, I suppose. Ethan has that cowboy-next-door charm, and he’d never break your heart. On the other hand, Wyatt’s a loose cannon when it comes to women but also hard to resist. You’d get a thrill, but it’d last as long as a roller coaster ride.”

“Neither,” she snapped. “I just got here. I want to do my job, nothing more.”

She leaned over her knees and whispered. “Honey, you may have the menfolk fooled, but I know for a fact you can’t bunk with two of our best cowboys and not feel a little something.”

Should she keep lying? Or should she spill it all? She was in lust with two men she barely knew. Every time she closed her eyes she envisioned them devoting themselves to her, her own white knights. She also had a shattered past that would no doubt come back to bite. All those years of abuse were already rearing their ugly head. She didn’t even know how to gossip or converse with another woman. Rachel was suspicious of everyone, slow to trust, and scared to love. She wasn’t even sure if she knew what love was. Maybe all she really desired was her freedom.

“I’m really not interested. I just got out of a very bad relationship. Starting something new wouldn’t be in my best interest.”

“
Really
?” Isabella cocked her head. “What happened?”

Was it normal to share intimate details of your life with near strangers? She got a wholesome vibe from Isabella, but her judgment could be flawed.

“He–he abused me. For years.” And like the floodgates on a faulty dam, everything came gushing out. She covered her face with both hands to try and contain her outburst. The tears wouldn’t stop, and all the pain she’d been stifling for so many years suddenly fought to come out. She’d carried the burden, shared the truth with no one, not even her own mother. Saying it aloud forced her out of denial and it hurt, a confirmation of what she’d endured. So much wasted life.

“What?” She flipped her legs around and sat right next to her. “Did he hit you?” Isabella wrapped an arm behind her back and used her free hand to tuck Rachel’s hair behind her ear.

“That wasn’t the worst of it.” The emotional abuse cut her much deeper, leaving her the shell of a woman at twenty-eight years old.

“I promise nothing like that will ever happen here. Around these parts, a man knows not to raise his hand to a woman.”

Like Ethan and Wyatt?
She couldn’t get them out of her mind. If only…

“I’m not qualified for the job!” she blurted, the lies unfolding, her sobs making her chest convulse. Everything had changed. The truth, the pain, the consequences—she had to face it all head-on. “I came here to escape Jason, to start over where he couldn’t find me.”

“He won’t find you here,” she cooed, rocking them slowly side to side. “If he does, he’ll have a very unwelcome greeting, I can promise you that.”

“I’m sorry, it’s not fair to you or your business that I came here. I was selfish.”

“Darlin’, you did what you had to do. And womenfolk have to stick together. If you want the job, my crew will have you whipped into shape in no time.”

“But Damien…”

She scoffed. “Damien nothing. He wouldn’t dare test me on this one.”

Rachel was in shock. Isabella was the exact opposite of her older brother, caring and accommodating. She felt warm inside, safe and accepted. For once, she felt like she just may belong somewhere.

“Where will I stay?” What she really wanted was to return to the trailer she’d slept in last night, but she was no longer welcome.

“Here with us. There’re nine bedrooms and just the two of us. You won’t be any trouble.”

“
Thank you
.” Words weren’t enough to express her gratitude. Even the listening ear alone was priceless. Rachel felt like the weight of the world had been eased off her shoulders now that she’d exposed the ugly truth. There really was something therapeutic about confessing one’s pain.

* * * *

Wyatt tried to convince himself it was an ordinary morning, the same sun rising, same birds chirping as every other day. But in truth, he was scanning the yard for Rachel when he should have been thinking about all the work that needed to be done.

“Stop looking,” said Ethan. “They’ll obviously be keeping her for breakfast.”

“I ain’t looking.”

“Sure. You tossed and turned nearly all damned night.” They reached the mess hall, a small crowd of men cramming to get into the door.

“That’s because she left me with a hard-on. So don’t blame me for that, blame her.”

“You’re the one who took off like a spoiled child. And you’re the one who sent her away. Life isn’t a game, Wyatt.”

He felt heat escape from under his collar. It was best he end this discussion before he took it to the next level and made a scene. Since when was his life ever a game? It was one struggle and disappointment after the other. Nothing came easy. Everything he had, he’d worked for. And what did he have? A small savings account, a few pairs of worn jeans? All he really had was his job at the Iron Spur Ranch. It defined him, made him feel part of something larger—like a family. He was foreman now, not an easy feat with Damien calling the shots. But each passing year, he realized it wasn’t enough. Finding the missing pieces in his life was harder than winning the lottery. He could dream about finding his answers but knew they’d never come. Now he wasn’t so sure.