Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats (Taming Team Ten (Book One))

by Jana Leigh

  “Hey,” she said as she walked through the door. “I appreciate you bringing me the letter,” she started and Alex walked up to her. Damn, he was sex on a stick walking toward her.

  “”No, I am sorry we took so long. Frank wanted this dealt with, and I was the one who couldn’t handle it. It is my fault we are late,” Alex said honestly and took her hands firmly in his. “Now, why did your brother feel the need to come here?”

  Sable looked at their hands and then at the men that were in her apartment, she had to trust them, they were her brother’s friends, and she knew they put their lives on the line together. She understood a little more about what her brother was looking for. It was painful but she understood. Now, she needed to get some help, and she would take it from wherever she could.

  “Steven Player is an English Professor at the university I graduated from. I had never even seen him before I graduated, and the day of my graduation he walked up to me, smiling and asked me to lunch. He was handsome and I was stupid. Frank wasn’t here, and I just wanted someone to celebrate my graduation with. Frank sent a letter telling me he would come and visit when he got back. So I went to lunch with him, I mean he was a Professor. It went downhill from there. He started calling me all the time; at first I didn’t think much about it. Then he started coming to my house. I moved—he found me. I called the police—he disappeared. I moved again—same story. It has been like that for the last six months,” Sable said and stepped around the table and looked at Alex. “Can you help me?”

  Alex looked at the men who were nodding. “Yep, you are coming with us!”

  Sable took a deep breath and then thought for a second. Her life sucked right now, and they were giving her a way out, she was not stupid enough to refuse. So, she nodded as she bit her lip.

  Chapter Nine

  She was his—and no one else's. Tomorrow he would go to her and make sure she understood that—time had passed for his patience. Being coy was quickly becoming a pain in the ass, for months she refused to see what was right in front of her—him.

  When he saw her a year ago, coming down the stairs of her college graduation, he had been stunned. The woman of his dreams was right under his nose and he never saw her. Of course, the campus was large, and he taught English to a bunch of snot-nosed freshman. Boring, until this moment, it was why he felt compelled to stay at this dead-end job, with no tenure and the Dean being an asshole, it wasn’t going to come anytime soon.

  No matter, he didn’t need this job—he needed only Sable. He loved her name. When he heard it called, he practically jumped from his seat. She was perfect, her long tawny hair and angelic face. She was meant for him, but she was fighting their attraction, something he would have to show her was not acceptable.

  Something was going on, he could see someone else in her apartment, the shadow was not his Sable, it was too bulky. Steven stood and looked around to make sure no one was there as he walked to the window and tried to see in.

  He loved a place he had to stay hidden. The tree that was next to the window may have been a deterrent for some, but it provided the prefect cover for him. Steven squeezed around the pine and stepped closer to the window, making sure he stayed out of the light. It was the trick of shadows, one he learned early on, his Sable was quick.

  There were men in there, what the fuck were they doing there? Soon she was to be his, and no one was going to stop them from being together. He heard the murmur in the living room, damn it, he couldn’t hear. They were moving things, the rustle of them moving was blocking out his hearing.

  Shit, this was not happening. Moving quickly, he snuck away. He would be ready when they came out. Then she would be alone. Then he would take her.

  It was time.

  Chapter Ten

  They had three trucks and she, Alex, and Slone ended up in one of them with her meager belongings in the rear. She was a little embarrassed that it was such a small load, but since she had moved so many times over the last few months, she'd downsized a lot.

  “Where exactly are we going?” Sable asked politely.

  “Salina, Kansas. We are going to buy our livestock. Then we will head back to Healing, Wyoming. That is where the ranch is,” Alex said.

  “What is Healing, Wyoming like?” Sable asked.

  “Good question,” Alex murmured and looked at Slone who smiled.

  “They haven’t been out much, Healing is a small town. It has all the amenities, don’t worry.” Slone laughed.

  Sable frowned at him, “I am not worried about shopping. I was asking because I wanted to know about the police. How many men they had on duty? How equipped they are to deal with stalkers? You know—stuff like that. Steven will follow me, I know it.”

  Alex put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Don’t worry about it, we can take care of whatever trouble comes.”

  “Tell us about yourself,” Sloane asked and looked at Alex over her head and grinned. They had not had a second to talk, but Alex was sure his friend had the same ideas running through his head. You could feel the connection when they were close. Alex looked out the front window and frowned, he wasn’t sure he could handle this though. It was bad enough it was Frank’s sister, but he didn’t think he was whole enough to be in a relationship.

  “There isn’t that much to tell,” Sable said and laughed. “I am pretty boring. Got my degree in Business Administration, so far I have not been able to get a job because of Stalking Steven, as I like to call him. I don’t really have any friends because he scared them all off, and basically, I can’t go out because he is always there. So depressing as it may sound, guys, this is the most excitement I have had in months, and to be honest, I am loving it.”

  Slone laughed, but Alex looked at her seriously. “I am sorry it took me so long.”

  Sable rolled her eyes, “Alex, it would have happened with or without you, there is nothing you could have done to stop it. You can’t think like that, what is—is. I admit I am pissed and angry about the situation. However, I can’t change it, I can just deal with it.”

  Alex was quiet as he looked out the window to the grassland scenery and listened to his friend and Sable talk. It didn’t take long for Sable to start yawning though, and soon she was asleep between them with her head on his shoulder. Slone and Alex remained silent until the soft snores came drifting out. Alex looked down at her and felt something inside he hadn’t felt in a long time—hope.

  “She is something,” Slone said quietly and Alex looked up at him in shock.

  “Yeah,” Alex agreed.

  “What are you thinking?” Slone asked as Alex turned slightly to make Sable more comfortable.

  “I don’t know, I am kinda mixed up inside, you know. I wasn’t expecting this and to be honest, I am not sure how I can even deal with it,” Alex said slowly.

  Slone only nodded and said, “Isn’t it time to forgive yourself and move forward, not just pretend to move forward? Our experiences make us who we are, you are a soldier first and foremost.”

  “I can’t,” Alex said flatly and looked out the front window.

  “Why?” Slone asked.

  “I just can't,” Alex said and turned to the side window, refusing to be drawn into this conversation.

  “Fine, let me tell you what I think. I want what my parents have, what your parents have, and to be honest, you are the only guy I would trust enough to be in a relationship like this with,” Slone said and then stopped, it was enough he said it out loud for now.

  “Wow,” Sable said when she woke up. Alex felt his pants tighten when she raised her arms and stretched, shit. His body had a different idea than his head. When Slone announced he wanted a ménage relationship with Sable and him, he had panicked; it was too much responsibility. It didn’t stop him, however, from thinking about it. Damn it, he wanted what his parents had, too, it was just not in the cards though, he had too much baggage to bring into a ménage. It would not be fair to the other two, having half a man with them.

&n
bsp; “We are a few miles out, tonight we are staying in a hotel, and tomorrow the auction will start first thing in the morning, and go until late. Sorry, but it is gonna be a long few days depending on what we get,” Slone said to Sable who turned and looked at them.

  “What are we buying?” Sable asked. “I mean what are you buying.”

  “Cattle and horses.” Slone laughed at the way she said it. “Since you are gonna be staying with us for a while, I guess you are allowed to say ‘we.’”

  “About the hotel,” Sable said and shifted a little. “I…uh…well…”

  “Don’t worry, darlin', we called and had another room added. We asked yours to be between all of ours so we would be able to hear if you needed us. But other than that, I can assure you no one will bother you,” Alex said firmly. He would talk to the guys to make sure, especially Gage. Hell, Sable was the first woman he had seen in a long time, who knew what the hell he was thinking. And Sable was theirs, damn it, no. Sable was Slone's and whomever he found to take his place.

  “Okay, but that isn’t what I meant, I mean, I know you guys would never do anything like that, I trust you, because my brother did. I was going to ask how much I owed you, I have cash, just not a lot of it, to be honest,” Sable said slowly.

  “I got it,” Alex said gruffly. “I also have your brother’s money, which he left you. I will see if we can get a card for you. Frank left me on his accounts as an administrator, I am sure we can just change the name on the accounts and turn them over to you.”

  Sable was quiet as she thought about it and then turned to Alex, “Did you and Frank talk a lot. I mean, did he ever talk about me?”

  Alex felt her pain, smiled gently at her, and nodded. “Yep, he talked about you all the time. About growing up, taking care of you.”

  “Yeah, I guess that took a lot of his childhood away. I just wish we had been closer. You know—at the end. It was shitty, the way we drifted apart, and really stupid. You know, I think I was just throwing a fit about him leaving me, and I was jealous. He asked me to come along, but I was afraid. It was dumb, I should have gone,” Sable said quietly and looked at Slone. “You are the foreman of the ranch, but how do you know these guys?”

  “Alex and I met when we were fifteen. Our families were friends and we just kinda gravitated to each other. Through high school, he was my best friend, but we graduated and went different ways. We wrote to each other for the last few years, and I saw Alex a few times when he was on leave. I graduated with a degree in Agriculture, found that ranching was my passion and so I learned everything I could about it, hoping to buy my own ranch when I knew enough. Then Dallas and Noah gave me a buzz about Alex, asked me to help set up the ranch and here we are.”

  “Dallas and Noah?” Sable asked.

  “Those are my dads,” Alex said and looked at her.

  “Oh, they are gay,” Sable said.

  “Bi and they are married to my mother, Bailey. Well they are my adoptive parents, it’s a long story.” Alex laughed.

  “Uh, you know that is illegal, don’t you?” Sable asked.

  “She is legally married to Dallas, however, she is married in her heart to both of them,” Alex said and waited for the questions to start.

  “My parents are the same, they are in a long-term committed ménage,” Slone said, too.

  “Oh, well, hmmm, I am not quite sure what to say,” Sable said and looked at both of the men. Wow, two of them, kissing and holding her, shit, she could really see that. What was wrong with her?

  “Wait till you meet them, then you will see,” Alex said.

  “No, I mean I would love to meet them, but I understand just fine. I get the appeal,” Sable said and blushed.

  Alex laughed, and Slone smiled. They at least hadn’t frightened her off with that explanation. Some people didn’t understand, and others grew angry while the majority was curious. Slone thought she might fall in the last category, thank goodness.

  “Well, any questions just ask,” Slone teased and Sable blushed, yep definitely the curious category. Nice.

  “Here we are,” Slone said and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel they were staying at. She waited and then jumped down from the cab of the truck and stretched again. She just wanted a hot bath and a nice cool room, the heat of the day was upon them and by the storm clouds, it looked like they may get rain.

  “I will check us in,” Alex said and nodded to her as he walked away.

  “He was hurt?” Sable asked Slone as she watched Alex walk away. She grimaced when she noticed a slight limp, most people may not notice it unless they were staring. It was the wound from the ‘accident.’ She knew it.

  “Yeah, I will let him tell you though,” Slone said and went to the other truck to talk to the guys. She stared at the place where Alex had been walking and waited. She wanted to hear about it, she wanted to know how her brother died. The information she had been given was that it was a terrible accident.

  She felt something behind her and she turned, but there was nothing there. Damn, she shivered. Steven had done a number on her, now she was feeling like there were ghosts.

  “Yeah, a night out on the town,” Gage cheered and all of his friends rolled their eyes. Sable looked at Slone who shrugged and Alex who finally answered her.

  “Gage is our resident horndog, he chases anything on two legs,” Alex explained. Sable laughed when Gage turned around and had a puppy dog look on his face.

  “Dude, don’t be a hater. You know the women just flock to me. I can’t do anything about it,” Gage said.

  “I can see why,” Sable said and looked at Alex and Slone who had stopped in their tracks. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Slone said and began walking again. Alex stared at his friend intently and then began walking, too. Sable shook her head and laughed at Gage’s antics, whatever Alex was upset about, it did not damper the mood. They walked into a bar/restaurant and Sable felt her stomach begin to growl. Thank goodness, the bar was only a block away from their hotel. She was starving.

  Sable entered the dimly lit place and grinned, it had been a long time since she had been in a place like this. She was suddenly very happy they had actually suggested she leave the hotel. All the men wanted to get out and stretch a little, and at first, she had just wanted to stay in the hotel. But the guys didn’t want to leave her alone, so they—or should she say Gage—begged and pleaded until she laughingly said yes.

  There was country music playing and several couples already on the dance floor when they entered. Alex put his hand on her back and guided her to the back of the room, she watched in amazement as they twisted and turned a table until all the chairs were backed to a wall, except for hers and Slone's. She looked at the men with a curious gaze but didn’t say anything; instead, she sat down and then laughed when the waitress came to the table with a big grin.

  The buxom blonde flirted with the guys as she took their order and when she finally left, Sable turned to Gage.

  “Already?” Sable teased and then she waited to see where Alex and Slone were going to sit, they chose the seats on either side of her, and ordered but ignored the waitress when she tried to flirt with them as well. Sable was confused about her reaction; she felt a pang of irritation when the woman touched Alex’s solidly built arms. What the hell?

  “Hey, Sable, you want to dance?” Gage asked with a grin, then sat down with a frown when Slone stared intently at him. “Never mind, maybe later.”

  Sable laughed and leaned forward. “Definitely, I would love to dance.”

  Gage grinned and Alex and Slone looked at her searchingly. She knew they were checking her out, but she ignored it. She had just hopefully gotten rid of one asshole. She was certainly not jumping into something else with another man, let alone two.

  “Dinner,” Sable laughed and looked down at the menu, trying to ignore the two men’s gaze.

  They talked about nothing for a few minutes while everyone decided on what they were eating. Then once their orde
rs were given, Sable looked around to study the bar. It was like most country bars, it had a wood floor, and was decorated with mostly anything you would constitute as western. Nothing grand and she loved it. Finally, she felt like she was able to relax while out in public.

  She listened with half an ear as the men talked about their plan for the next day. The auction was apparently very important so she began to listen.

  “I have the prices we need to hit,” Alex said and then looked at the others. “How are we on the hiring of hands, once we get home, the cattle and horses should be delivered, we won't be able to take care of them all by ourselves.”

  “I have interviews scheduled for the day we get back, also Timothy has a line on a breeder and another wrangler. Hopefully they will pan out, I told him to give me a call, at the worst I could do an interview over the phone so they will be there when we get back,” Thane said and Sable looked at Slone who was nodding.

  “What can I do?” she said quietly. “I mean, I don’t know that much about ranching, but seriously, I don’t want to just sit around. “

  Slone looked at Alex who was staring at her. “Louise would probably love some help in the kitchen.”

  Sable frowned but then nodded. “I can do that, but you know I have a degree in business administration.”

  “Hey, it would be awesome if you wanted to learn the books, and maybe take over the payroll and things,” Alex said and smiled. “I'm good with numbers and stuff, but still, it is time consuming.”

  Sable smiled and looked at Alex, he felt like he had been kicked in the gut, looking at this gorgeous creature. Making her smile was going to be his new goal. She could light up a room with her smile.