Rough Stock, the Novel Read online

  “My grandmother. Believe it or not, I’m quite the chef.”

  “Oh I believe it, if you can make anything else as good as this, I’ll believe anything you say.” I smiled and kept eating.

  He piled his plate high with fresh berries and syrup and I watched him eat out of the corner of my eye.

  I was fascinated by his full lips and the careful manner with which he moved. He appeared to be the shyest of the four, but he was also the most self-aware. He was very conscious of his movements.

  And it was so damned sexy. He was self assured, something that might come off as a bit arrogant to a lot of people, but I knew the softer side of him so it only seemed like strength to me.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked, noticing me watching him.

  “You are,” I replied. “And this entire situation, I guess. There’s no point in me trying to hide it.”

  I paused and laughed, hid my mouth; I was so flabbergasted by my responses.

  “What’s that for?” he asked.

  “This is so weird. I can’t even explain to you why this is so strange. If you knew me well, you would know how out of character this is. Maybe it’s the head wound.”

  “Maybe you’re feeling what we’re feeling,” Ty replied and placed his hand on mine. “Stop questioning it, kitten, just feel it.”

  I sighed and sipped my coffee. He was right; maybe I was overthinking it. That had been my problem all along, overthinking situations, especially with men.

  I’d always envied Selena’s easy personality and how open she always seemed to new situations. I made the choice right then to work harder on being spontaneous and stop analyzing every little move.

  “That could be it,” I mused. “It probably is. Or the head wound.”

  I laughed but his eyes grew serious. “How is it, by the way? I feel like a real jerk not asking you earlier.”

  “It hurts, I’m not gonna lie.” I said and held my hand up to the hard lump on the side of my head. “I hope I feel better soon though, I still have so much work to do.”

  “You mean on the story?” he asked.

  “Yeah, the story for the newspaper.”

  “You can’t go back to it,” Ty said, alarm tightening his features. “That’s what got you hurt in the first place.”

  “I’m not going to back down,” I replied evenly. “I obviously stepped on more than a few toes, which means I’m close to the truth.”

  “The truth could get you killed,” he said, his brows furrowing. “There’s no way we can let you go back into that situation again.”

  “You guys don’t have any say,” I said, anger flaring up in my mind. “It’s my life and you don’t have the right to tell me what to do.”

  “That might be true, but I want to keep you safe,” Ty said stubbornly. “We don’t want you in harm’s way.”

  “Sometimes my job is dangerous, it’s just the way it is,” I replied, thrusting my jaw out with determination.

  “Surely you can see reason, kitten,” he said, grasping my hands in his. “Think this through, why don’t you take a few days off?”

  “I can’t take a day off, somebody else will get the story. This one is mine, I’m the one who worked for it and I’m the one who took a shot to the head for it.”

  Ty sighed heavily and rubbed his chin in irritation. “Fine,” he said, “but one of us is going to come with you.”

  “That’s ridiculous, this isn’t eighteen ninety three, I don’t need a bodyguard.” As angry as it made me, it also made me feel protected and secure. It was strange, to give my security over to another human being, but here I was thinking about any of the four men watching over me in the city.

  “I think you do,” he replied calmly. “And we’ll decide who comes with you.”

  “I get no choice in this?” I asked.

  “Come on, kitten,” he said with a lazy smile. “You were all out of choices from the moment you saw us, just admit it.”

  I rolled my eyes at his cheesy line, but it made my stomach do a little flip-flop. He was right though; I was smitten from day one with these cowboys. What a strange and wild world I was entering.

  Chapter 19

  “You’re kidding, you guys are drawing straws for this?” I asked with a chuckle. “You’re leaving this all up to fate?”

  “It’s all been fate, darlin’,” Charlie said with his rakish crooked grin. “From the moment we met you, our fate has been in your hands. So let’s put this into fate’s hands and see who the lucky fella is.”

  “Whatever,” I said and dramatically rolled my eyes. “I just hope whoever it is knows how to fold laundry.”

  Each one of them groaned but laughed as I slipped a few straws into my fist. I held out my hand and offered each one of the men a chance to pick one. The one with the red marker on the end was the lucky guy who got to come back to the city with me and protect me as I pursued my story.

  I was pleased; I had made myself clear and drawn my line in the sand. They understood how important my work was to me and seemed to respect it.

  And let’s face it, this was fun.

  “All right, show us your straws,” I said and looked at each one of them.

  Charlie was first, flipping his over with a grin. “Sorry, darlin’” he said, “Looks like you’re stuck with one of these guys.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine, won’t you, sweetheart? I’m sure fate is gonna make you mine,” Clive told us and flipped his straw over. There was no red mark.

  He frowned in a good-natured way and glared at Ty who was next.

  “I guess it’s gonna be you and me, kitten,” he smirked and turned over his straw. It also had no red mark.

  “Dammit, maybe I should have put more than one red straw in there,” I said and pursed my lips together. “This might not work.”

  “You forgot one,” Harley piped up. “Now I don’t have a cutesy nickname for you yet, but I’m sure we’ll think something up while I’m at your place.”

  He slowly turned his straw over and showed us the red mark on the end.

  “You lucky bastard,” Charlie said with a growl. Ty and Clive joined in with some good-natured ribbing.

  The most amazing thing about the four of them was how bonded they were. They were tighter than brothers, closer than most friends, and their loyalty was a stark contrast to the lack of love I’d gotten from my own family.

  That alone was attractive enough to pique my interest in them.

  “Well Harley, looks like we’re going to get to know each other,” I smiled. It was Tuesday, if we made it into the city tonight we’d have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for me to dig into this corruption scandal and get it in to Mr. Monty before the weekend.

  I had already planned on coming back out here for Saturday and Sunday, but having an excuse was very convenient.

  “I’m happy about it, to say the least,” Harley said with a suggestive glance in my direction. I realized I knew nothing about him at all beyond the fact that he was another tall, well-muscled man with dirty blond hair and amber eyes.

  His eyes were stunning; they captivated me every time he looked at me. His eyelashes were ridiculously long, what every woman paid good money to get, and his skin was naturally tanned.

  His lips were full, kissable, and his personality was playful as far as I could tell. It was going to be a good few days, I looked forward to it.

  “I need to get my things and we’ll head back now,” I said. “I want a good sleep so we can get up and get working first thing in the morning.”

  We loaded my things into Harley’s truck, I let each cowboy kiss me one by one, and Charlie helped me into the passenger seat.

  Harley was a good driver; he was skillful as he sped down the highway towards my home. My head began to throb so I closed my eyes and let the motion of the truck lull me into a comfortable state, almost hypnotized.

  It was nice, very familiar. Harley played The Ramones at one point, something that totally caught me off guar
d, but otherwise he was the perfect example of a kind and respectful cowboy.

  I was once again amazed at how well he handled his huge pickup truck through the city traffic. They must teach some kind of cowboy driving course on the ranch or something.

  “Is it always this busy?” Harley asked as we came to a grinding halt along the expressway turn off.

  “Pretty much,” I laughed. “You get used to it though.”

  “I’m not sure I ever could,” he replied, creeping forward behind the line of cars. “This is exactly why I live on the ranch. The only traffic jam we have there is at branding time with the cattle herd.”

  “That sounds appealing sometimes,” I said, staring at the miles and miles of lights ahead of us and behind us, stretching seemingly from horizon to horizon. “I grew up in the city, though, so it’s in my blood I guess.”

  “You’ll just have to teach yourself otherwise,” he said and kept his eyes on the road to avoid running into the backend of the minivan in front of us.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “When you come live at the ranch you’ll have to adjust to a slower pace, but you’ll get used to it,” he said matter of factly.

  “Oh really?” I laughed. “Well I guess we’ll see.”

  “Yes,” he said, glancing at me with his smoldering eyes. “We will see.”

  Chapter 20

  “This is it?” Harley asked, looking around my little apartment. “Seriously?”

  “How much do I really need?” I asked, feeling a little offended. “It’s just me here.”

  Harley set my overnight bag on a chair in the kitchen and laughed. “I suppose you’re right. We get spoiled out on the ranch, we have so much space.”

  “I guess you need it, with four of you out there,” I grinned. “What’s it like living with three other guys anyways?”

  “You know we don’t live together, right? We have our own houses, you must have noticed them.”

  “I did, I wasn’t sure if you spent more time there or if you all hung out at the main house more often.”

  “It’s fifty-fifty,” he said. “Sometimes it’s nice to meet up for a dinner or game of pool.”

  “Or to bang some girl you guys picked up,” I replied with a saucy tone.

  “Yes,” he stuttered, “Uh, yes that too.”

  I sat on my couch and held my head. It was throbbing suddenly and I felt faint.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he rushed to my side. I opened my eyes and found his golden ones staring into mine.

  “I hurt,” I said with a wan smile. “I think I might need to lay down again.”

  “Do you want some tea?” he asked. “Nothing with caffeine this late at night, but I assume you have something herbal.”

  “Go check the cupboards,” I said and waved my hand in the direction of the kitchen. “I think my friend Selena gave me a tea gift basket for Christmas or something.”

  “What kind do you like?” he asked as he rifled through my shelves and pulled out several boxes.

  “I don’t care, pick one for me. I’m not a tea drinker.”

  “Surely you must like it, you have so much,” he puzzled and looked at all the boxes.

  “Nope, I think Selena bought it because she wanted to sleep with the guy at the gift shop.”

  He laughed and finally chose a tea he felt was suitable for me. I snuggled on the couch under my thick blanket and let myself relax under Harley’s careful eye.

  “How did you end up becoming a reporter?” he asked and brought the mug to me. I sat up and took it from him.

  “It just kind of happened,” I replied. “My friend Selena worked as a secretary for the paper and told me about a job. I decided to apply and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “So you fell into it,” he replied and lifted my feet onto his lap on the other end of the couch. “Sort of the same way you fell into our lives.”

  He began to massage my feet and I felt all my tension melt away with each passing motion of his hands.

  I moaned softly and let my head fall back onto the pillows beneath me, the tea forgotten as I set it on the table beside me. “That feels good,” I said.

  “Not as good as you feel,” he replied. “I love a woman who can really let herself go and enjoy the moment.”

  “So how did the four of you end up in this situation?” I asked as I absorbed all his incredible energy.

  “We all went to the same high school,” Harley said and continued to rub. “Charlie is the oldest, but we’re all only a couple years younger than him. I was picked on, believe it or not. Charlie beating the shit out of my bullies was the first thing he did for me. The second was allowing his grandpa to take me out there and train me up into a cowboy and a man. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

  “Oh wow,” I said, “so he saved your butt and you owe him?”

  “Something like that.” He smiled and looked over at me. “You look exhausted and I think it’s time for bed. Where am I going to sleep?”

  “In my bed,” I replied and let him help me up. Once again I was dwarfed by the tall hunk of man flesh in front of me. All four of them made me feel positively petite.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, suddenly bashful. “You know I’m not allowed to sleep with you until we’ve all had a chance to get to know you, right?”

  I slipped my arms around his neck and let him lift me up into them. “Of course,” I replied. “I wasn’t thinking about sex at all.”

  But I was. As he carried me across my tiny space and into my bed, I had a fleeting curiosity to know what Harley was packing in the dick department.

  I slid my hand down, feigning needing balance, and let it brush across the surface of his tight jeans. I heard him suck in his breath as I felt it, thick and long and rock hard.

  Perfect, I wasn’t going to be able to use any of their dicks to make a decision, all of them felt lush so far.

  We got ready for bed, climbed under the covers and I slept the night away in the arms of my potential cowboy lover.

  I slept in a little in the morning. Mr. Monty was more than willing to let me have a bit of a break. I think he still felt responsible for the attack the day before.

  Waking in Harley’s arms was a little slice of heaven, by the way. He was strong and gentle, perhaps the kindest of the bunch. He was constantly evaluating my needs and making sure I was comfortable.

  “Are you sure you need to work today?” he asked me at one point and brushed a fiery red curl off my cheek.

  “I do, but I never want to get out of bed,” I sighed.

  “I want to kiss you,” he said and ran the back of his fingers along my cheek. “Is that okay with you?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” I smiled and pulled him to me.

  His lips were the fullest and softest of the bunch. His skin was so smooth and he didn’t seem to have any stubble. His tongue was insistent, though; commanding and exciting as he slipped it around my mouth and introduced my body to his.

  Damn, this decision was going to be impossible — every time I thought I might like to stick with one of the others, the guy I was with did something like this.

  A few moments into it, I heard a sharp knock on my door.

  “Who is it?” Harley asked, breaking away from me.

  “I’m not expecting anybody,” I frowned. “Let’s see if they’ll go away.”

  They didn’t, and the knocks got louder.

  “Dammit,” I grumbled, “I’ll go see what the big deal is.”

  “Are you sure?” Harley asked. “It’s nine in the morning, you should be at work right now. This can’t be anything good.”

  I rolled out of bed and pulled on my loose pyjamas. “Are you coming?” I asked.

  Harley jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of bottoms. He trailed behind me as I stormed to the door to find out what the heck was going on.

  I opened it and found two uniformed police officers, one man and one woman, waiti
ng for me.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, masking my alarm.

  “Are you Morgan Reid?” the woman asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied. I felt Harley place his hand on my lower back to reassure me.

  “Morgan Reid, you’re under arrest,” she said, read me my rights and waited only a moment for the news to reach my stunned brain.

  “What?” I exclaimed. “What’s this about?”

  “Trespassing,” she said and yanked my hands together so she could zip tie them tight. “We’ve had a complaint over your activities yesterday afternoon.”

  I started to cry as they led me down to the police cruiser. Harley grabbed a few things, pulled on a shirt, locked up and followed me.

  “Where are you taking her?” he asked the cops. They told him the address and he looked at me one more time. “Don’t tell them a damned thing,” he said. “I’ll get you a lawyer.”

  “Why do I need a lawyer, I did nothing wrong,” I lamented as the cops helped me into the backseat of the car.

  “Trust me, you’re going to need one,” the female cop said as they climbed in and I started to cry even harder.

  Chapter 21

  I trembled in the back of the cop car; my questions had gone unanswered so I’d given up halfway to the police station. It occurred to me that I didn’t even know my rights in this situation, I didn’t know if I should talk about my investigation or keep quiet.

  I decided to keep quiet, just like the police officers who were escorting me. I had a tendency to overshare when I was nervous and man, I was nervous.

  “Should I call a lawyer?” I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of the station. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of even needing a lawyer, but I was kinda bluffing with them. I didn’t want them to know I was so inexperienced that they could run roughshod over me.

  “It’s up to you, ma’am,” one of them said, not looking at me.

  They helped me out of the car and escorted me through the back door, down a long hallway and into a little windowless, airless room.