by Marla Monroe
“Sheriff’s on his way, and the vet should be here in about an hour. He’s on the other side of town at Randy and Travis’s ranch,” Wesson said.
“She doesn’t seem to be in any discomfort. It’s probably a sedative, but where would someone get their hands on that?” Cole asked.
“Hell, where did they get a dart gun in the first place? They don’t sell them in town,” Wesson pointed out.
“You can get any fucking thing you want online nowadays. I’m sure they ordered it. Hell, they might have ordered the damn sedative there, as well,” Cole said, running his hand through his hair.
They waited for nearly thirty minutes until the sheriff arrived. The man shook his head and took the two darts from Cole. It was obvious that the man was furious.
“Vet on the way?” he asked.
“Yeah. Be another thirty minutes before he can get here. Have you had any progress on finding out who’s behind this?” Wesson asked.
“No, and it’s pissing me off. I’ve checked with all the nearby towns, and no one is having the trouble we are, and there haven’t been in sales of dart guns in the area either. Probably got it off eBay or some online store,” the sheriff said.
“That’s what we figure, as well,” Cole told him.
Cole looked down at the cow and sighed. They weren’t any closer to stopping whoever was behind the darts than they’d been the first time they’d found one in their horse. He worried that next time it might be one of his men or Wesson.
“I’ll have the darts tested to see what exactly they used, and maybe that will help us figure out where they got it,” the sheriff told them.
Just as the sheriff was pulling out, the vet pulled up and climbed out of his truck carrying a bag. His frowning face told him that he hadn’t seen anything like this yet.
“So you pulled a couple of darts out of her?” he asked.
“Yeah, the sheriff is going to have them tested to see what kind of sedative they used,” Cole told him.
“Probably Ketamine. If she’s just sedated, she should be fine and wake up soon. Any idea how long she’s been down?” he asked.
One of the hands spoke up. “We found her nearly two hours ago. She’s just started twitching, so I think she’s going to wake up soon.”
The vet kneeled next to the cow and checked her over while Cole and Wesson watched. Sure enough the cow began moving her legs and lifting her head after another fifteen minutes.
“I can’t see that she’s been harmed by the drug. Once she’s up on her feet again, she’ll be fine. Heart sounds good, as well as her lungs. She just needs to walk the effects of the drug off is all now,” the vet told them.
“So how much of a dose would it take to knock a cow this size out for at least three or four hours?” Cole asked him.
“Depends on how many darts were used and the strength of the drug. I can’t really say off hand. Maybe once the sheriff gets word back on exactly what was used and the strength we can figure out the dose per dart.”
“She’s trying to get to her feet now,” one of the hands spoke up.
They watched as the cow struggled to stand. Once she was back on her feet, Cole counted two more darts buried in the opposite side of her and pulled them out, handing them to the vet.
“That makes four darts in her to knock her out. If they did it last night, she was out a good five to six hours,” Cole said.
“Whoever it is,” Wesson began, “they’re going to start trying it on people next. Things like this always escalate over time. They’ve already gone from using un-drugged darts to darts dipped in sedatives. They’re going to hurt or kill someone, whether they mean to or not.”
“I agree,” the vet said. “Need to put a stop to this and soon. I’ve been to three ranches over the last few weeks, and all of them have had instances of finding darts on their cows or horses. This is the first one that they’ve sedated though. I guess I’ll get more calls now.”
Cole threaded his hands through his hair, frustration eating at his gut. He didn’t want something to happen to one of his hands. Since they mostly worked during the day, and the attacks seemed to happen at night, he hoped they would be safe.
“Looks like she’s doing fine now. I need to head over to the Baily ranch to vaccinate some horses. If you have anything else come up, call me,” the vet said.
“Will do. Thanks for coming out,” Wesson told him.
Cole followed Wesson back to the house where they tended to their horses and talked about the darts and what it could mean if one was aimed at a human.
“If they aren’t using too much of the sedative, whatever it is, they might only put them to sleep, but if they don’t know what they are doing, they could kill someone,” Cole pointed out.
“All we can do is be on the watch and hope the sheriff can track them down soon before that happens.”
“Doesn’t make me worry any less.”
“Me either.”
They climbed the steps to the back porch and walked into the kitchen to wash up and fix sandwiches for lunch. Cole planned to work on the books for a few hours while Wesson made some calls about getting parts for the generator.
As he started on the books, thoughts of Jessie crept into his head, making him smile. He couldn’t wait to pick her up later that night to go eat then out to the bar. Everything about her made him smile, from her warm brown hair to the way she moved when she walked. He could watch her ass swish back and forth all night long. Seeing her suck his brother’s cock had been erotic as hell. He wanted that hot, wet mouth around his dick next time.
“I’m going to run up and shower,” Wesson said, poking his head into the office.
“I’ll take mine after yours. I want to finish up what I’m doing,” Cole told him.
“Got those parts ordered. Should be in by Wednesday. We can pick them up after lunchtime,” he said.
Cole nodded and thought that maybe they could meet Jessie for dinner that night if they waited until four to pick them up. She would be finished at school, and they could eat at the diner. That thought made him smile. He realized he was grasping at every opportunity to spend more time with her, and that was just fine with him.
* * * *
Jessie checked her reflection in the mirror one more time. She had decided on faded jeans and a long-sleeved blouse of yellow and orange to go with it. She knew it would be chilly late at night and wanted to be comfortable. She’d take a light sweater along in case she needed it.
Excitement burned through her veins at the thought of seeing the two men again. She’d thought of nothing else all week as she prepared for the students then met them on their first day. She couldn’t wait to actually start teaching them literature and how it applied to present-day situations. She loved teaching about the classics and hoped to be able to interest the kids enough that they enjoyed reading them as much as she had at that age.
She wasn’t naive enough to think that all of them would fall in love with them but hoped that at least a few would appreciate them and prove that by excelling in their schoolwork. She knew the hardest ones to interest would be the guys since most of them hated reading in the first place, but maybe, she could draw them in with how the classics mirrored the world today.
Jessie applied lip gloss then picked up her little purse and dropped the gloss inside before walking back to the living room to wait for the guys to arrive. Tingles of excitement burst through her bloodstream at seeing the guys again. Her pussy was already damp at the thought of feeling their arms surrounding her.
What was going on with her? She’d hadn’t even known them a month yet, and already she was obsessing over them. She’d thought of little else outside of her job over the last week. Why did they attract her more than any other man she’d ever dated before?
Because they’re different. I’ve never had two men so intent on what I needed or wanted before. I’m going to lose my heart to them if I’m not careful.
It might already be too late though. She
liked them. Really liked them. They were smart, funny, and fun to be with. They’d taken her on a picnic of all things. How romantic was that?
The doorbell rang, jerking her from her thoughts. She smoothed down her blouse then ran a nervous hand through her hair before walking over to open the door. She couldn’t stop the broad smile from taking over her face at the sight of the two men standing at her door.
“You look amazing,” Wesson told her. His eyes twinkled as he looked her up and down.
“Beautiful,” Cole added.
She felt heat blossom over her face at their flattery. “Thanks, guys.”
“Ready to go?” Cole asked.
“Let me get my sweater. It’s going to be cold tonight.” Jessie stepped back and grabbed it off the back of the chair then locked up and allowed the two men to lead her to their truck.
“We cleaned up the work truck so we could all three sit up front. The newer truck has a console so one of us would have had to sit in the back,” Wesson explained as he helped her climb into the front seat.
“I’m not picky about vehicles, guys. My Nissan is over five years old now. I don’t plan on replacing it anytime soon either,” she said.
“We missed you,” Cole said as he backed the truck from her drive.
“I missed you guys, too,” she admitted.
Thank goodness they couldn’t tell her panties were already damp. Maybe she should have changed them before she left. Jessie sighed. It wouldn’t have made any difference. They’d be just as wet by the time they made it to dinner anyway. They smelled delicious, like saddle oil, leather, and something citrusy. Already they were going to her head.
“How was school yesterday?” Cole asked.
“Fun but long. I forgot how exhausting it is to deal with teenagers. You’d think it would stick with me over the summer, but it must be like childbirth. Once you get past the first few days you forget all about the pain.”
“Haven’t heard that before,” Wesson said with a chuckle.
“What made you want to be a teacher?” Cole asked.
“I used to pretend to be a teacher when I was a kid and have school with all my stuffed animals. I just always wanted to teach. Don’t know why. I like giving kids a chance to learn about the world around them before they have to jump out into it and work and live in it.” Jessie shrugged. “It’s not all fun, but there are moments when I see a spark in some kid’s eye that makes it all worth it.”
“Since you teach literature, I assume you love to read,” Wesson said.
“Love, love, love it,” she admitted.
“So do you only read books like Shakespeare, or do you read current books?” Cole asked.
“I read just about everything. Right now I’m reading some raunchy romance books,” she told them with a wink. “Lots of romance and sex.”
“You read naughty books?” Wesson asked with a wide grin.
“Yep. I just finished re-reading all of Mark Twain’s books and stories and decided to read something different,” she said.
I can’t let them know I wanted to read more about ménage since I’m dating them.
“Wesson reads a lot of the Tom Clancy books. Have you read any of them?” Cole asked.
“Yeah. I’ve read most of his books. I love them. They’re full of real military history, and the suspense in them is palpable. Do you read any of James Patterson’s books or John Grisham?” she asked Wesson.
“I’ve read a couple of Grisham’s books, but that’s all. I don’t get a lot of time to read, and I’d much rather watch a game on TV than read,” Wesson admitted.
She laughed. “I bet you would. Still, it’s great that you do read some.”
Cole turned the truck into the parking lot of the local fish and steak house. She couldn’t wait. It had been a long time since she’d eaten there. She was sure nothing much had changed. They served good food with a relaxed family atmosphere.
“Ready?” Wesson asked as he helped her down from the truck.
She nodded her head and walked between the two men. Wesson opened the door for her then followed behind Cole, who positioned himself next to her once they were inside.
“Hey, guys. Party of three?” June asked as she picked up the menus.
“That’s right,” Cole told her.
“Follow me,” she said.
They followed behind the older woman and were seated at a table near the back of the room. Wesson held her chair for her, and then they opened their menus to decide what they wanted.
“Nothing much has changed since the last time I was here, even though the menus are new,” she said.
“The food is great. Place has been in their family a long time from what I understand,” Cole said.
They made their choices and gave the waitress their order before turning the conversation toward the ranch and what the two of them had been doing over the last week. She could tell something was weighing on them when they talked about work out at their place, but they didn’t seem to want to talk about it. She figured it wasn’t her business but couldn’t help but be curious nonetheless.
They joked and laughed as they finished up, and Jessie realized that Wesson had a sense of humor more so than Cole. Where Cole was more serious and not quite as talkative as Wesson, his brother loved to talk and often joked about things even at his own expense. Jessie liked both of them just the way they were and was glad they were so different. It made dating them both not so strange.
“Ready to go?” Cole asked after a few minutes.
“I’m ready. I couldn’t eat another bite. It was really good, guys.”
Wesson stood and held her chair as she scooted it back and got up. She let him lead her toward the front as Cole took care of the bill. When they stepped outside to wait on the other man, Wesson pulled her close to him and brushed a kiss across her lips.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since we first picked you up,” he said.
“You have?”
“Yeah. Your lips look delicious, and now I know they are.”
“It’s probably the strawberry pie I had,” she teased.
“Nah, it’s all you,” he said.
Cole walked out and took one of Jessie’s hands as they walked back to the truck. This time Cole helped her up while Wesson walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. The drive to the bar took only about five minutes. The place looked packed, but Wesson managed to find a parking place about fifty yards from the door.
Before they even stepped inside, the loud music seeped outside into the cooling night air. Jessie hoped that Brenda and Tommy were already there and had saved a table for them. Otherwise, they’d be standing around all night.
As they walked inside, she smiled at the music the band was playing. They were pretty damn good. She couldn’t wait to dance with the guys. Jessie had always loved to dance, and it was one reason she and Brenda were still good friends. They both loved to dance and didn’t mind dancing together when there wasn’t a trusty man around.
“I see your friends over in the back. Looks like they managed to snag a table,” Cole said, pointing in the general direction toward the back.
Jessie held both men’s hands with her in the middle as they threaded their way through the throng of people packed shoulder to shoulder in the bar’s large room. She held on tight in hopes she wouldn’t get separated from them. Several times she was sure she’d lose her grip, but each time they held tight. Her fingers were going to be sore the next day after this.
“There you guys are. We were worried you wouldn’t find a parking place and give up,” Brenda said, jumping up to hug Jessie.
“Managed to find one not too far away,” Cole told them.
“Tommy, Brenda, you’ve met Cole, and this is his brother, Wesson Taylor,” Jessie said by way of introductions.
“How are you doing, Tommy?” Wesson asked, holding out his hand.
“Fine. It’s good to meet you,” Tommy said, shaking Wesson’s then Cole’s hand.
/> They all talked about the band and ordered drinks. Then Brenda jumped up and grabbed Jessie’s hand when a fast song started up.
“We’ll be back in a little bit,” she told the men. “This is one of our songs.”
Jessie laughed and allowed her friend to pull her to the dance floor. At least she wouldn’t have to talk about how things were going with her and the guys while they were dancing. There was no way anyone could hold a conversation in front of the band. They were just too loud.
After two fast numbers, they slowed things down, and she and Brenda made their way back to the men. They appeared to be in deep conversation when they walked up but broke apart as they took their seats. Jessie wondered what they’d been talking about since all three men looked serious as hell when they’d approached the table. Their faces brightened immediately when they caught sight of them.
The rest of the night went great as she danced with both men and Brenda until she was sure her legs were going to fall off. She hadn’t had that much exercise since taking tennis lessons in college. She was exhausted.
“Looks like they’re going to be closing the place down soon. You guys ready to call it a night?” Cole asked.
“Lord, I’m toast. Take me home, Tommy,” Brenda said with a sigh as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“You’re toast, and you’re tanked. I sure hope you can walk on your own cause I’m too worn out to carry your ass,” Tommy teased.
“I’m not drunk. Just a little tipsy,” she protested then hiccupped.
They all laughed at that. Jessie couldn’t help smiling. Her entire face hurt from smiling so much. She hadn’t had this much fun in years. Part of it was spending time with Brenda, but a good part of it was being with Cole and Wesson. They treated her like a woman as well as a friend. She was fast becoming attached to the two of them, and that could lead to heartache if things didn’t work out between the three of them.
And what if it did? Was she willing to make what they had permanent in the future? Married to two men? Jessie wasn’t sure how to answer that and was only glad she didn’t have to anytime soon.