by Jane Jamison
“Does that mean we have the jobs?” She could hear her salesman of a father telling her to go for the close.
Caleb, however, wasn’t the type to get pushed into a deal without knowing all he was getting. “You’ll have to clean the house and cook some of the meals. You do cook, don’t you?”
“Sure.” As long as it involved a microwave.
“And then we’ll need you working the ranch, too.”
“I understand.” But she didn’t. How could she know what “working the ranch” meant? She was a city girl, born and raised.
“Like shoveling out the stalls.” He paused, but when she kept going, he did, too. “And helping with the animals.”
“What kind of animals?” Jilly had never been close to any animals. Even small cats and dogs scared her.
“The usual.”
Again, Molly nodded as though she knew exactly what he was talking about. “No problem. Right, Jilly?” She hoped her sister would pick up on her subtle hint to play along and not ask any more questions.
“Uh, yeah. No problem,” parroted Jilly.
“Okay, then. We can’t pay much, just minimum wage. Along with room and board.”
“A room? Like just a room or a whole apartment?”
Molly didn’t know what he’d meant by room and board, either, but the only choice they had was to sleep in the car. “Not that it matters.”
“Well…” He studied them as though only now thinking of the sleeping arrangements. “Hired hands sleep in the bunkhouse. It’s like an apartment. Sort of. It’s got a microwave and a coffee pot. Nothing fancy, but you’ll take your regular meals in the house with us. Since you’ll be doing the cooking and cleaning up, that seems only right. You’re not a slave, you know.” His grin was infectious, if not kind of snarky. “Although we’ll work you like one.”
“Sounds good.” Actually, aside from getting to be around him, it didn’t sound good at all. But she couldn’t tell him and blow the chance at the job. She wondered if his brother was half as sexy as he was.
And he was that, all right. Sexy as hell. Handsome didn’t always translate into sexiness. Sometimes even a plain-looking man could be sexy. Sex appeal came from within and Caleb was overflowing with it.
“Then I guess you’re hired.”
“Great. When do you want us to start?” At least it was a relief to have some money coming in. Since their meals and housing were paid for, she might not even have to ask for an advance. It wasn’t like there was a mall nearby to go shopping.
“Tonight’s good. Have you got a phone?”
“Of course.” What self-respecting girl didn’t have a phone? She pulled hers out of her purse and put it in his hand. At least their parents hadn’t cut off their cell phones yet.
He went to her navigation app and punched in the address. “Here you go. See you soon, right?”
“You bet your boots.” Was that what cowboys said?
He gave her a funny look, then turned on his heel and strode away. Watching him go was just as good as watching him come.
“‘You bet your boots.’ What are you doing? Channeling your inner cowgirl?”
“Never mind.” She took her sister by the arm, took on last glimpse of the burned building, and led the way back to her car. “I got us a job, didn’t I? All we have to do is last until the club reopens. How hard can it be?”
“Oh, gee, I don’t know. Taking care of animals might be a little hard.”
Molly slid behind the wheel, started the car, and waited for her sister to get in. “Come on. What’s there to do? You feed them and pet them. That’s it.”
Jilly pulled her seat belt into place. “Seriously? This coming from the girl who killed our one and only pet?”
She threw her car in reverse, then turned the wheel a sharp right to put it back on the road leading out of Pleasure Ranch. “Calm down. You make it sound like I hung the family cat. I forgot to feed a fish, that’s all. Besides, you were supposed to help take care of Goldie, too, you know.”
“Yeah, but I’m not the one who just promised we’d take care of ranch animals. Like horses and cows. Yuck. And maybe chickens. Do you think they’ll have chickens? I hate chickens.”
“You hate chicken for dinner. You’ve never even seen a real, live one. Maybe you’ll like them.” There wasn’t a chance in hell Jilly would, but what could she do about it now? Except keep herself from freaking out.
Jilly slumped in her seat. “Where are we going? The ranch?”
“No. First we need to find some clothes for the job.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Sometimes she wondered if Jilly had a clue. “You’re wearing a spaghetti-strap sundress. Think you’ll like shoveling shit in it?” Her gaze dropped to her sister’s feet. “And in sandals?”
If she wasn’t worried, too, she would’ve laughed at Jilly’s horrified expression. Why hadn’t Jilly realized what the job entailed before now?
“Shit. Crap.”
“Exactly.”
Ten minutes later, she drove her car slowly down the main street of the small town. The place was cozy and quaint with mom-and-pop shops and colorful flowers everywhere. A big department store wasn’t anywhere to be found. Where did people in Pleasure buy their clothes?
“Looks like we’re going to have ask someone for help finding the right clothes.” She took a chance and parked in front of a cute café called the Yummy Crumb Café.
“Ooh, good. I’m starved.”
“No time to eat.” She hit the button and locked her car, then pushed through the door of the café. “We’re here for information only.”
“Aw, come on, Molly. A girl’s got to eat.”
“True. But a girl’s got to have money to buy food first. And since Mom and Dad cut off my credit card, we don’t have any way to pay for it.”
She stepped inside the café and stopped. And took it all in.
This is the real America. This is where the real men hang out.
She put on a big smile. Yeah. This is where I want to be.
Chapter Two
Caleb paused before entering the barn where he’d find his brother Derrick hard at work. He felt a little guilty. Not just for taking time off to check out the progress of the rebuilding of the club, but for hiring two girls as hired hands. Two very pretty, very sexy girls.
“Hey.”
Derrick looked up from rubbing down a saddle with saddle soap. “’Bout time you showed up. What took you so long?”
His brother was only a couple of years older than his twenty-three years, but at times like this, he seemed a lot older. Maybe it was because Derrick was more serious, quieter than he was. Or maybe it was because their father had died when they were still young and Derrick, at age fourteen, manned up and took his father’s place in Caleb’s life. He owed everything he was to his brother. Not that it ever kept him from messing up and making Derrick madder than hell. Just like he was about to do.
He’d go ahead and confess. In a small town, sooner or later, his brother would hear about his pit stop. “I made a detour to check out the club.”
Derrick paused, his arm stopping for a few seconds, then starting again to rub the smooth leather. “What the hell for?”
“You know why.”
“And you know what I think about the idea.”
It was an old argument, but not one Caleb would give up. “Paul said they’ll open up in a few weeks.” A few or several weeks. Close enough by his standards. “I wanted to talk to him about us being Doms there.”
Derrick dropped the sponge into the pail filled with soapy warm water, then straightened up and leveled his hard glare at him. “How many times do we have to talk about this? We’re ranchers, not Doms.”
“There’s no reason we can’t be both.” They’d purchased the ranch only a couple of months earlier. Before that, they’d lived in another small town in the mountains of Idaho where they’d worked as hands for an outfitting company that took men
on hunting trips. But hunting wasn’t their thing, and as soon as they’d saved enough money, they’d come to Texas to fulfill their dream of owning their own ranch. It wasn’t a large ranch by any standards, but it was all theirs, without taking out a mortgage to buy it.
“And there’s no reason we should be, either.”
“Aside from the obvious.” He ignored Derrick’s scowl. “Like having fun. Like letting loose. We work hard, bro. Why not live a little when we can?”
“I do have fun. Here. On the ranch.”
He couldn’t argue with that. Doing what they loved was fun. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted a woman in their lives. A woman they’d share. A woman who’d enjoy being their submissive as much as they’d enjoy being her Doms.
“And what about the other? What about finding a woman for the both of us? Don’t you think it’s time?”
Derrick’s chuckle grated on his nerves. “We’re young. What’s your hurry? I’d rather concentrate on getting this ranch running and making it turn a profit. Spending our time spanking girls on the ass won’t make that happen. Naw, for now at least, we need to put our energy where it’ll matter the most.”
How could his brother look so much like him, come from the same family, and yet be so different? Aside from their dark hair and brown eyes, he couldn’t see many similarities. He loved to have fun, to enjoy life while he could. Today was all he was concerned about. Tomorrow might never come. Why worry about it? But Derrick was the other way round. He worried about everything, often worrying so much that he forgot about living. If he had any say in it, he’d get his brother to relax more.
Derrick picked up the bucket, walked outside, and slung the dirty water over the dry ground. “I’m done, Caleb. No more discussion about the club. Got it?”
He’d let it go for now. But he was a long way from giving up. “There’s one other thing.”
His brother gave him an aw, shit look. “What now?”
“I hired a couple of hands.”
Derrick dropped the bucket. “You did what?”
“I hired a couple of hands to help out around here.”
“I heard you the first time.” He got in his face. “What the hell, man?”
Derrick was only two inches taller than him, but whenever his brother was angry those two inches felt more like twelve. “You heard me. I figured we could use some help around here.”
“Then you figured wrong.” Derrick backed off, striding away, then whirling back around to confront him. “I don’t get it. You know we don’t have the money for hired hands. We’re barely scraping buy, especially after buying the stud from Jim Hawkins. What are you planning on paying these men?”
Yep. There it is. Men. The straw that’ll break Derrick’s back.
“I promised them minimum wage plus board and keep. We can swing it for a little while.”
“Out of your part of the profits.” Derrick snorted. “The nonexistent profits.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
If he had to dip into his meager savings to help the girls out, then he’d do it. Anything to get closer to hot little Molly. Jilly was just as pretty, but—and he’d never admit it out loud—he’d felt a certain connection with Molly. It sounded sappy to even think it. But she was what his grandfather had called a “firecracker.” A girl who had enough nerve and brains to make whatever she wanted happen. A girl who could keep his brother and him on their toes. He had a feeling life wouldn’t be boring with Molly Miller around.
“When are they showing up?”
He resisted the urge to smile. Derrick was coming around. “Soon.” The sound of a car coming up the gravel road to the house was an answer by itself. “I bet that’s them right now.”
* * * *
Derrick should’ve expected something like this. His brother was impulsive and, knowing Caleb, he’d probably shared a beer or two with a couple of guys, got to talking, then hired them without even thinking. They could use the help. That wasn’t the issue. It was paying for the help that caught in his craw. But as much as he’d like to turn the men around and send them packing, a deal was a deal. He’d honor Caleb’s deal for as long as he could.
He rubbed his hands on his jeans and got ready to meet them. An older model car barreled toward them, going too fast and sending rocks and debris into the air. “First thing, tell him to slow the hell down. He’s tearing up the road and we don’t want any asshole digging ruts in the road.”
“Yeah. Sure will.”
He had to look at his brother then. Caleb had agreed too fast. What was going on?
The moment the car came to a stop, he got his answer. “Who are they? Are they lost?” Why else would two very pretty girls be getting out of their car and walking toward them? “Girls, if you’re looking for the highway to Dallas—”
He stopped when Caleb pressed his hand against his chest. His brother was up to no good.
“Hi, Molly. Jilly. Welcome to our home.”
Derrick couldn’t have been more surprised if an atom bomb had gone off at his feet. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
The shit-eating grin Caleb sported made him want to wipe it off his face. With his fist.
“Derrick, these are the two new hands I hired today. Molly and Jilly are going to help out inside the house and on the ranch. Great news, huh?”
He gritted his teeth to keep from killing his brother. Instead, he gave the girls a hard look. Although they were dressed in jeans, boots, work shirts, and even cowboy hats, he could tell the clothes were new. He’d bet his half of the ranch they didn’t know a damn thing about working on a ranch. Maybe not even about cleaning a house or cooking a meal.
“Hi. I’m Molly. It’s great to be here.”
Her palm is soft. He almost smiled when he took her hand and found out he was right. “Derrick.”
“And I’m Jilly.”
He shook her hand, too. If anything, it was softer than her sister’s.
“Do you two know anything about working on a ranch?”
Jilly looked away fast. Her answer was clear enough. But the other one met his gaze and lied straight to his face.
“We do.” She batted her big blue eyes at him. “Of course, I’m sure you could teach us a lot more.”
Lied and tried to flatter him into accepting her lie. She had balls. For a girl. “Where’d you get the clothes?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Listen, Molly, I’m sure you think you can handle this job, but I’m just as sure you’ve never even been on a horse, much less wrangled cattle.” He made a show of looking her over. “You got those clothes from Kobell’s Feed and Tackle, right? Which means you showed up in town without them.”
“Uh, no, I mean—”
He didn’t need to hear any denials. “Let me guess. My brother met you at a bar somewhere and decided to hire you. Why? Because you need a job bad enough to get your hands dirty.”
“No, we didn’t meet at a bar.”
The real answer was easy enough to find. “Then at The Club at Pleasure Ranch. I’m right, aren’t I? Are you two of the waitresses? Are you subs?”
A light pink hue colored her cheeks. Which only made the blue of her eyes stand out even more. He’d always liked blue eyes.
“We didn’t work at the club.”
But that didn’t throw him. “So you were just members?” He’d noticed her subtle reaction, a quickening of her breathing, when he’d mentioned being a sub. She liked the idea of being a submissive. Not that he could blame her. They made damn good money and she had a body any Dom would crave. Her brown hair had red highlights and was all natural. He hated dyed hair. Like, he suspected, Jilly’s hair was. Jilly was a pretty girl, but there was just something extra about Molly that kept bringing his attention back to her. Was it her can-do attitude? Or the curves that filled out the standard work outfits? Although Caleb had been nagging him to try the Dom thing and he’d resisted, he could still fantasize about how hot Molly would look in the club’s uniform of ha
lter top and short skirt.
And no panties. Don’t forget that subs can’t wear panties in the club.
“No. We’ve not members, either. We just came down here from Ohio and we’re looking for work.”
“And where’d you meet my brother?”
She shifted her weight to her other foot, glanced around as though she’d find an answer, then came back just as straight on as before. “Okay, so we met him outside the club, but that doesn’t mean we worked there or were members.”
“Then why were you there?” It wouldn’t hurt to needle her a little. He had a feeling she’d be even sexier the angrier she got. “Do you get turned on by fires or burned down buildings?”
“Damn, Derrick, can the shit. They were at the club because they want to work there.” Caleb shrugged. “Molly, go ahead and tell him everything. He’s got a sixth sense about these things. It’s weird, I know, but it is what it is.”
“Okay, I admit it all. We’ve never worked on a ranch and we want to work at the club when it reopens.”
She’d stayed way too calm, not letting him get to her. But the fact that she’d tried to keep the truth from him just chapped his butt.
Anger flared and he pointed an accusing finger at her. “I knew it.” He held back, barely, and had to turn away to keep from blasting both her for lying and his brother for hiring two girls who didn’t look like they could push a broom much less lift a shovel full of manure to muck out a stall.
“Come on, bro. They’re broke and need a job. Plus, they’re a long way from home and we can use the help. I’m not paying them much. And look at them. They can’t eat much as small as they are.”
He turned back to them, ready to tell them to leave, when those damn blue eyes took hold of him. Instead of running them off their ranch, he said the words he’d have never thought he’d stay.
“Fine.”
The girls clapped, then hugged each other like he’d just made the winning field goal of the football game. What the hell was he going to do with a couple of cheerleaders?
“Hang on. We’ve got to get things lined out first.”