Cowboy Baby Daddy

by Hamel, B. B.

  Marie stands apart from the others. She’s tall, willowy, and pretty. She’s thirty-four if I can count right and clearly she’s not happy about any of this. She scowls are her father and her two brothers, arms crossed over her chest, but she doesn’t move.

  Robert steps up and extends a hand. “Connor.”

  I take it and shake. “Robert.”

  “You said you wanted to speak, so let’s speak.”

  The handshake falls away as quickly as it started. Robert’s wearing a button-down denim shirt and denim pants with a corduroy jacket over top it all. He could be hiding a weapon under that jacket but I push that thought out of my mind.

  “You remember the storm a couple nights ago?” I ask him.

  He nods once. “Sure.”

  “Bad one.”

  “Not too bad.”

  “No.” I pause a second. “One of the old bridges came down during it. Stranded some of my cattle across that Steely stream over there.”

  Robert spits on the ground. “I know the one. These bridges are old.”

  “Real old.”

  “Sturdy too.”

  “Yep.”

  He spits again. I hate when he does it, but that’s just his habit.

  “Strange it came down in that weather.”

  I frown a little, not sure what he’s playing at. I can’t tell if he just doesn’t know what happened or if he’s rubbing it in my face. His two boys shift nervously and I catch the younger one shooting the older one a look, which the older one studiously ignores.

  “Real strange,” I say.

  “True.” He snorts and really spits a wad of yellow phlegm. I feel Michael shift next to me. I think this is the first time the boy’s met Robert so he’s not used to the man’s habits. “I’m guessing you got a thought as to how it came down after all, since you brought us all the way out here to talk on it.”

  “I do,” I say, glancing at his older son who stares right back. I swear, he gives me a little smile.

  “Let me guess. You think it has something to do with us.”

  I look back at Robert. “The wood was cut,” I say. “It didn’t break. There’s no way that storm brought it down. No trees around to drop on it, water didn’t rise high enough to wash it away, and the wind wasn’t strong enough to break it.”

  “Could’ve just worn through.”

  “No. It would’ve splintered, but this was clean.”

  “It was clean cut,” Bryant says.

  Robert keeps on looking at me flatly. “I see. So you think that someone cut that bridge to, what, trap some cows? You get them back?”

  “I did,” I say.

  “Why not kill the cows?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why break a bridge we all use?” He spits again. “Seems like a real dumb plan.”

  The older boy looks angry for just half a moment before taking a breath and looking away.

  So that’s how it is. The older boys did it without their father’s permission and he’s not happy about it, but of course he won’t throw them under the bus. Or under the bridge, in this instance.

  “I’m not here to comment on the quality of the plan, just to see that there’s restitution paid.”

  Robert frowns at that. “And you think we did it, of course. Look at you, Mr. High-and-Mighty Football Player, coming out here to bully the stupid local hicks. Bet you think you’re real smart, real strong. Bet you think we’ll roll right over and pay whatever you want.”

  “That’s not what this is,” I say softly but firmly. “You know I respect you and yours, Robert. But you also know your boys have been getting more and more aggressive, letting your cattle graze on my land.”

  That does it. I see the anger flash. “You don’t know shit,” he says.

  “You know it as well as I do.”

  “You don’t deserve that damn land,” the older boy says suddenly and angrily.

  Robert glares at him and the boy shrinks back before turning his gaze over to me. “You have no proof we did it. So we won’t pay a dime.”

  “Daddy,” Marie says suddenly. Everyone looks over at her. She glowers right back. “Maybe you should reconsider.”

  “Shut it, Marie.”

  “No, Daddy, you’ve been pushing and pushing and—”

  “I said, shut it.” Robert glares at the girl. She glares back but finally gives in and looks at the ground.

  I feel Michael shift uncomfortably next to me. If I looked at the boy, I bet he’d be real pissed. Bryant, to his credit, doesn’t move a muscle.

  “We won’t pay,” Robert says again. “Is that all you want?”

  “Stay off my land,” I say to him. “I’ve been kind. I’ve been lenient. But that ends if you’re going to escalate this.”

  He sneers at me. “You reconsider my offer yet?” he asks suddenly.

  I tense. “My answer’s the same.”

  “Think on it some more,” he says softly. “You know the price is fair.”

  “Stay off my land, Robert,” I say, turning away. “Stay off it.”

  I walk back to the ATVs. Michael and Bryant follow, and after a few moments, the Bell family turns and heads back to their vehicles. I hear them arguing, especially the girl, but I can’t tell what they’re saying.

  I walk in furious silence. But of course he brought it up. I bet he knows I haven’t told anyone else about that damn offer.

  “What was he talking about, Connor?” Bryant says softly as we’re halfway back.

  I shake my head. “Nothing.”

  “An offer? On the ranch?”

  I look at the older man. “I said it’s nothing.”

  He glares back but doesn’t press. Michael’s silent as we reach the ATVs.

  Violet looks at us and sighs. “Went like that, huh?”

  “About what you’d expect from those fucking assholes,” Michael snaps.

  “Nobody’s shot at least,” she offers.

  Bryant sighs. “She’s got a point,” he says, breaking the tension ever so slightly. But I know our discussion isn’t over yet, he’s just letting me have a little reprieve.

  Well, damn him and damn the Bell family. I won’t be pushed around, not on my own damn ranch.

  As we fire up the ATVs, my phone starts to buzz in my pocket. I wave the others on before taking it out and answering it, yelling over the sound of the engine.

  “Yeah?” I holler.

  “Connor? Connor, it’s Holly. Where are you?”

  I feel a pit of dread open in my stomach. “Out. What’s going on?”

  “It’s Dodger.”

  Those are the words I knew she’d speak but really hoped she wouldn’t.

  “How bad?”

  “Bad. Needs surgery. It’s the tumor.”

  “Damn,” I growl. “When?”

  “Soon as we can. Right now if you’ll let me.”

  “Do it. I’m on my way.”

  “Okay.”

  We hang up and I slip my phone into my pocket before speeding off. I catch up with the others and we drive back to the ranch with the last bit of sunlight dying over the hills.

  9

  Holly

  It happened so suddenly, I thought the horse was going to die.

  I was in the stable at the time brushing him down and giving him his medicine when he stumbled back against the side of the stall and groaned. I had to step away, afraid he might kick, but the poor old man just whinnied and went down on his haunches.

  Heavy breathing again, clammy skin, dilated pupils. As soon as I saw that, I knew what needed to be done.

  Horse surgery isn’t a beautiful thing. It’s not like back in the city where we had clean rooms and perfect situations. Fact is, if we were in Bozeman, we could do this surgery in a decent, clean surgical room, but we’re far from Bozeman and this horse needs treatment right now.

  I don’t know how it got to this point, but clearly I was far too late with the medicine. And so I had Faye fetch me some tools, water, blanket
s, as much antiseptic as they had, and I got to work.

  If I’m honest with myself, I know surgery in a damn barn is about the worst thing I could do. It’s about as far from a sterile place as you can possibly be. Even if I succeed in getting the tumor out without killing him, infection is a pretty damn good possibility. I’ll have to give him antibiotics and monitor him very, very closely.

  Fortunately, I have what I need. I have the sedatives, enough to put him down and out all through this. I have my tools, which can be sterilized to a point, and I have Faye to assist me.

  It’s probably the hardest surgery I’ll ever have to do in my career.

  But I do what I have to do. It takes three hours of careful, thoughtful, gentle surgery before I get the tumor sliced away. I clean out as much of the tumor as I possibly can without killing Dodger, clean the wound, and get him sutured again.

  I’m vaguely aware of people around me. Connor and the rest return at some point and he demands to see what’s going on, but Faye keeps everyone away like I ordered. I can’t let myself get distracted. I can’t risk Dodger like that.

  But I manage to get through. It’s not beautiful, not the best work in the world, but it’s the best I can do under the circumstances. When I’m finished, poor Dodger is alive and breathing.

  “What do you think?” Faye asks me softly as I clean off my hands in the basin she brought out.

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “We’ll have to wait and see how he does.”

  She nods once, face tight. “Poor horse.”

  “Poor horse,” I echo.

  She takes the basin and heads out. I sigh gratefully and lean against the stall door, just resting. I hear the door open and I look up to find Connor coming over to me, worry plastered across his face.

  “How is he?” he asks me.

  “Alive,” I say. “The surgery was successful. But I don’t know if it’ll work or not. And there’s a big risk of infection. This wasn’t exactly an ideal situation.”

  “But he might live?”

  I nod once, face tight. “He might.”

  Connor pulls me into his arms and hugs me hard. I didn’t expect it, but I melt into that hug. “Thank you,” he whispers.

  “Of course,” I whisper back. “It’s what I’m here for.”

  He pulls back slightly, still holding me in his arms. “Still, this was a lot to ask. It means a lot that you’re here… that you’re trying to save him.”

  I nod and stare into his eyes. He leans down and kisses me, softly, gently… but urgently.

  I kiss him back just as urgently. I just finished a long and arduous surgery in the worst conditions imaginable and I’m more exhausted than I’ve ever been in my life… but as soon as his lips touch mine, I feel alive.

  I feel absolutely alive and wide, wide awake.

  He pulls me away from Dodger’s stall. I stumble backwards as he kisses me, unbuttoning my shirt, ripping it off me. I let it drop onto the ground as I do the same for him, furiously tearing at his buttons. I swear one or two tear off but we don’t stop. He grabs my hair rough, tongue in my mouth as his shirt comes free and I feel his hard muscles and skin under my palms.

  He pushes me back onto a hay bale. We’re in the back of the barn, away from the animals, in a dark portion. I look at him, the light coming from behind, and I can see the tattoos all along his torso. Dark tattoos, scrawling along his skin. He smirks at me, head cocked, and grabs my hair tight.

  “You drive me insane, you know that?” he whispers.

  “I think you like it.”

  “I think I do.”

  He kisses me then and I unbuckle his belt. He growls a little as I do it, looking up into his eyes, slowly taking it off. I unbutton his jeans, unzip them, tug them down. He lets me and I can see the outline of his cock, hard and straining against his boxer briefs.

  I look up into his eyes as I stroke his shaft. He lets a growl escape his lips as he grabs my hair tight. Pleasure and excitement tingles down my spine as I look up into that cowboy’s face. His body is ripped, muscular, tattooed and hard. And his cock is long and thick under my hands.

  I pull down the front of his boxer briefs, let him loose. He lets out a grunt as I take his shaft in both my hands. I’m actually surprised at him, at how long and thick he is. I’ve never seen a cock like this before and I’m practically shaking with excitement as I lick him root to tip.

  I taste the salt on his skin, let his smell fill me. I take him into my mouth and suck his tip, letting him groan with pleasure. I suck his cock deeper, taking him into my mouth, pushing him as deep as I can. His grip on my hair tightens and he groans again.

  I can barely fit him any deeper. I try to take him into my throat but he’s too thick. I suck him fast, sliding up and down, letting my spit roll along his skin. I stroke him, suck him, losing myself in his groans of pleasure as he grabs my hair and pushes me down.

  I gag and pull back, spit stringing onto his tip. I stroke him with it and meet his gaze.

  “You are the sexiest fucking girl I’ve ever seen,” he growls and kisses me slowly. I keep stroking him all through that kiss. “You drive me fucking wild. I want you to taste my fucking cock.”

  I lean forward and take him again. He pushes me down and I suck him faster, listening to his groans. I let my tongue roll around his tip as I stroke him faster, stroke his shaft up and down. He moans then pushes me back.

  His eyes are burning again, that hot fire from behind. He kisses me, unbuttoning my top. He rips it free, getting impatient. He reaches around and unhooks my bra before cupping my breasts. I stroke his cock, his thick, enormous cock, and he moans as he kisses my neck.

  He pulls me to my feet and turns me around. I gasp as he holds me against him and reaches around to unbutton my jeans. He pulls them off nice and slow and I can feel his hard cock against my ass. He gets my jeans down then bends me over the hay, slapping my ass. I feel him kneel and spread me wide and I gasp as he licks me from behind.

  I look over my shoulder and he pushes my panties aside, a smirk on his lips. He licks my ass and pussy, tonguing every inch of me, riding up along my slit and around my ass. I groan and wiggle my hips, shocked and rolling with pleasure. I can feel it building between my legs and I know I’m dripping down onto the floor, the wet rolling down my inner thighs. I’ve never been this wet in my life but I think he’ll take me even further if I let him.

  He stands and pulls me against him roughly. “You know I have to have you,” he whispers in my ear. “And I know you’re dripping down on this hay for me right now because you need it too.”

  “Please,” I moan. “Connor. I want you.”

  “You want my cock deep between your legs?”

  “I need it.”

  “Tell me how bad you need it, girl.”

  “I dream about it,” I moan. “I think about you fucking me, filling me up. God, I don’t know how I’ll even fit that cock inside me but I need you to fuck me, Connor.”

  He grabs my hips, gets one knees up on the hay bale and spreads me wide before he presses the tip of his cock against my gaping, soaked slit.

  Slowly his cock sinks inside of me and I swear I black out from the pleasure. It’s pain, it’s pleasure, it’s ecstasy and agony. He’s huge, stretching me out, but all my built-up tension feels like it’s bursting in this moment. I think I come as he thrusts up inside me, juts one thrust, an explosion of pleasure all through me.

  I shake and gasp and I hear him chuckle in my ear. “I’m not done with you yet, girl,” he whispers, biting me, kissing me.

  He fucks me slow first, hands reaching around my hips to tease my clit. He fucks me deep and slow and rubs my clit, and I feel the pleasure building again like it never burst at all.

  He’s almost gentle, teasing, coaxing. His hot breath rolls against my neck as his hands grip my body. I groan and buck against him, moving up as he cups my breasts and teases my nipples.

  I reach one hand up to grab into his hair as he kisses me over my shou
lder. I run my hand down to his cheek and cup it there, feeling the rough hair against my soft palm as he slowly works his cock in and out, deeper and deeper, grinding into me. I moan into his kiss as the pleasure overwhelms everything, mounting deep in my core again.

  It’s like I never came, or like he never left me. It’s like he’s always been here fucking me like this and I can’t get out of this moment, wouldn’t get out even if I could. It’s everything I need wrapped up in a single moment.

  I feel the hay under my hands as he pushes me forward again and grips my hips. I groan and I feel his need pulsing between us as he fucks me faster, filling me to the brim, stretching me out. I groan as his hands roam my skin, tease my breasts, pinching my nipples softly, before he slaps my ass nice and rough.

  “God damn, you feel incredible,” he growls. “Every inch of your tight body drives me absolutely insane. Do you have any idea how badly I’ve wanted this?”

  “I don’t know,” I gasp as he spanks me again.

  “Since the second I saw you get out of that truck, I knew I was going to fuck you, Holly,” he whispers in my ear. “I knew I was going to take your body and fuck you deep and rough until you were all mine.”

  I gasp as he spanks me again and fucks me harder. I groan and let him take me, let him grab my wrist and pin it down as he rips into my pussy. I can feel sweat on my skin, passion rolling up my spine, and it’s all I need in the world. There’s nothing else for me, just this man’s cock sliding between my legs, his hands on my body, his breath on my skin. He drives me so wild I can barely stand it.

  He suddenly pitches backward and I turn to face him. He pulls me against him, kissing me, my breasts against his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck as he turns and sits on the hay bale.

  I straddle him, knees on the scratchy hay. He lets out a grunt as I lower myself back, arching my back, ass pressed out. I slide down his cock like it’s nothing. My pussy’s so slick it’s easy to let him fill me up as he kisses me and bites my lower lip.