Love Under Two Wranglers [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  “We’ve got droughts and wildfires to worry about,” Chase said. “And that really makes our combined experiences from two extremes, doesn’t it? Hell, we should be able to handle anything.”

  “Except maybe monsoons,” Ricoh said. “But all those are only minor differences.”

  That made every one of them laugh, but at the heart of it, Ricoh Stone was right. Ranching was ranching. No matter where, it called for a certain kind of backbone, and a definite respect for the land, and the animals a man raised upon it.

  * * * *

  “I’m so glad you could join me for lunch today.” Kate Benedict treated them both to a beaming smile.

  In the time she’d been in Lusty, Holly had come to cherish the moments she got to spend with Grandma Kate. This wasn’t the first lunch invitation. Holly chalked this one up to her niece’s unplanned arrival.

  Michelle Grant had seated them at a table by front window. I’ve only been here not yet two full months but I already know so many people. Holly had met Michelle the week before when she’d come back to work part time at Lusty Appetites. Ginny Kendall also worked a couple times a week as did Kelsey’s mother-in-law, Bernice Benedict. Emily Anne, newly married but not yet a mother, worked full time.

  What Holly had noticed most about the staff, however, was the way they all treated each other—like family.

  She turned her attention back to Grandma Kate. The woman was technically her boss, but she was so much more. She was one of the first two people Holly had met from Lusty, and both had treated her like family, too. “We’re delighted that you invited us to lunch.” It hadn’t surprised her one whit that not long after Jacqui had moved in with her, Kate Benedict had visited. It was fun, watching her always energetic, somewhat jaded niece get to know the woman who was considered the head of the combined families of Lusty, Texas.

  If Lusty had a mayor, Kate Benedict would be it.

  “Jacqui, I hear that Nancy has offered you a position as her assistant.” Grandma Kate beamed. “We’re all so excited about the new bookstore!”

  Jacqui nodded. “Yes, ma…sorry, Grandma Kate. I think this was meant to be. Arriving here when I did, just as Nancy was getting her bookstore organized really was kismet.”

  “I do believe that things turn to the way they’re meant to be.” Kate nodded. “How are your grandparents feeling about your decision to stay here?”

  Holly thought it telling indeed that Kate had asked about Jacqui’s grandparents, and not her father.

  “I think they’re relieved.” She shrugged her shoulders and grinned, but Holly could read the resignation in the young woman’s face. “I can appreciate that they weren’t looking to raise another girl when I showed up on their doorstep seven years ago. Of course that didn’t really matter to them, I know that. Really, there was never a moment when they made me feel unwanted.”

  Grandma Kate patted Jacqui’s hand. “Different people react different ways to unexpected events. Sometimes, there’s a disconnect between a person’s heart and their actions. I’ve seen that so many times over the years.”

  Michelle arrived with a loaded tray and served their lunch. Holly loved the pulled pork sandwich that Kelsey made. The sauce was the best barbeque she’d ever tasted.

  “Sorry for the delay.” Michelle grinned. “I think Kelsey is going to celebrate tomorrow when Carrie returns to work.”

  Grandma Kate chuckled. “I know that she and Chase and Brian got home yesterday, late afternoon. I haven’t had a chance to chat with them yet, but I understand they had a wonderful time in the Caribbean.”

  “I hope so. I know the guys were excited about planning that honeymoon as a surprise for her.”

  “They both felt that she’d waited long enough—and since she’d been so understanding about waiting until the ranch was up and running, they were eager to see her enjoy herself.”

  “Sometimes,” Michelle said, “the best things happen when you’ve had to wait for them.”

  “Yes, indeed.” Kate Benedict’s smile softened as she looked at Michelle. “How’s that cute little Creighton of yours doing, sweetheart?”

  The woman beamed. “He’s growing so fast, Grandma Kate! It’s hard to believe he’s going to be a year old in a few short months.”

  “And your mother is enjoying her grandbaby right now, I would guess.”

  “She is! I think she encouraged me to come back to work for a couple of days a week just so she could get her hands on him.”

  The love on Michelle Grant’s face as she spoke of her son transformed her expression, making her look soft, beautiful, and content.

  Michelle sighed. “And to be honest, Mom was right. It is good to get out a couple days a week, in advance of returning to college in the fall.”

  “Just another year for you, isn’t it?” Kate looked at Holly and Jacqui. “Our Michelle is studying to be a teacher.”

  “I was torn between teaching, and being a librarian.” Holly grinned. “So I chose librarian and sometimes, I get to be a teacher.”

  Michelle grinned. “Teaching runs in the family. My brother Charlie’s wife, Maria, is a teacher over at the combined school. She teaches kindergarten to third grade.” A bell sounded from the kitchen. Michelle grinned. “Enjoy your lunch.”

  They all three began to do just that. Holly knew that Lusty Appetites was always busy at lunchtime. Like she’d told Jacqui, it might be the only restaurant in town, but the food here was really good.

  “How are Alan and Duncan enjoying their house?” Grandma Kate had a definite twinkle in her eye as she asked that.

  Jacqui snickered, but kept her head down.

  “They really like it.” Holly could see the question in the woman’s eyes. Kate Benedict would never come right out and ask anything that might be considered too personal—unless she believed the question really had to be asked. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t interested in the goings-on in her town—or that she didn’t take a very real interest in everyone.

  Nancy had filled her in on the nonagenarian’s proclivity for matchmaking. For one moment, she wondered if Grandma Kate had taken a hand in somehow bringing her and Alan and Duncan together.

  And if she did, does that change anything? Holly answered her own question with a “no.” Regardless of how the three of them came to meet, the course they took was of their own making.

  Holly decided it didn’t hurt to give a little more than that. Grandma Kate was, after all, family. “I really like it, too. I was floored when they took me there the first time and touched, too, that they’d leased the house so that they could provide a private place for us to be together.” She grinned. “The guys still can’t get over how quickly everything came together, and neither can I. They told me about that warehouse! They said it was like shopping at one of those big box stores.”

  “I’ve heard that comparison before,” Grandma Kate said. “Lusty is unique among small towns for a lot of reasons. It all goes back to the beginning.” Kate nodded. “But we had a huge population boom after the Second World War. That’s when the majority of the homes in town were built. But everything in life is cyclical. So when it appeared that we were going to go through a natural kind of ‘downsizing,’ we thought the best thing we could do was maintain the properties and store the unneeded furnishings. And that storage space has grown from the small barn we originally used to the warehouse we had built.” Kate sat back, clearly finished eating. “Everything is owned by the Town Trust which makes every member of the families a stakeholder, I guess you could say.”

  “Well, I think it’s great.” Holly had already come to the conclusion that inclusion was the unofficial motto of this town.

  Grandma Kate nodded. “So do I. I fell in love with Lusty when it was just a very small place. It didn’t take me long to think of Grandmother Sarah and Grandmother Amanda as my family. Miranda Kendall became my best friend. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember I wasn’t born here.”

  “Where we come from, sometimes, a
person isn’t accepted until they’ve lived there years and years. I don’t sense that attitude here in Lusty,” Jacqui said. “Everyone has been so welcoming to me.”

  “You know, Jacqui, if you want to stay, you can. We can either get you into your own apartment or—if Holly was thinking of moving in with those two wranglers—well, you could just stay where you are and take over hers.”

  There was the matchmaking Grandma Kate that Nancy had told her about. Holly shook her head even as she laughed. “We’ll see about my moving anywhere,” Holly said. “It’s early days yet.”

  “Fair enough. Now”—she leaned forward—“did you get a chance to meet Peter’s brother, yet? I understand Alan and Duncan know him from their rodeo-working days.”

  “No, but I’m looking forward to it. The guys were excited when they found out he was coming to the ranch this afternoon. There’s a horse that Ricoh has that Mr. Alvarez was interested in maybe buying. I take it you know him, too?”

  “Oh my, yes! He’s a good man—he was actually Chase and Brian’s first foreman, and certainly played a very important role last year when that sweet Jayne Sheridan—Jayne Carter, now—and her son Toby, from over in Divine, had been kidnapped.”

  Holly noted that Jacqui’s eyes widened. That must have been what I looked like at our sleepover. Nancy had told her all about the interesting adventures some of her cousins and friends had fallen into. She’d heard about the kidnapping, of course, and the subsequent wounding Peter’s brother had suffered. She made a note to tell Jacqui everything she knew about the adventures of the women—and men—of Lusty, Texas.

  “Anyway, Julián ended up leaving Lusty for Divine, where he and his best friend were able to finally corral the one woman he’d fallen in love with on the rodeo circuit.” Kate sighed. “As I said, things generally work out the way they’re meant to be. Julián arrived yesterday, I think. Of course he’s staying with Jordan, Peter, and Tracy.” Kate laughed. “I heard Tracy gave him merry hell for not bringing his wife Gwen and Gwen’s other husband, Chris with him. But that Gwen, she’s busy with her career—she’s a champion barrel racer, but now she teaches others how to find that perfect horse-rider bond that’s necessary for rodeo success. She’s got a talent for knowing a horse’s mind-set.” Then Kate sighed. “And, it just could be that Julián decided to give her and Chris some alone time. All those Divine men are considerate that way.”

  Jacqui laughed. “You were right, Grandma Kate, what you said earlier about Lusty being an interesting place to live. It’s already proven to be far more fascinating than I ever thought it would be.”

  Grandma Kate chuckled. “Well now, a place is pretty much what you make it, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jacqui agreed. She seemed to freeze as something outside on the street caught her attention.

  Holly looked, immediately concerned at the sight of Lusty’s deputy sheriff, Matthew Benedict, running toward the restaurant.

  He opened the door, scanned the dining room, and then made a beeline toward Grandma Kate.

  But it wasn’t Kate Benedict he spoke to.

  “Holly? You’ll want to come with me. There’s been an unfortunate incident out at the ranch.”

  * * * *

  “I still can’t believe you want to part with Phoenix, Ricoh.”

  Alan finished saddling his horse and looked from his foreman, to their mutual friend, Julián Alvarez. The man was saddling Ricoh’s gelding, respect for the animal showing in every move.

  Ricoh shrugged. “He likes the rodeo and he’s got a lot of years left in him,” Ricoh said. “I’m done with that, but he misses it. I thought Gwen might be able to use him—match him to someone who’d be willing to give him the excitement—and the life—he wants and deserves.”

  “She did get a gleam in her eye after your phone call, I can tell you that.” Julián was going to give the appaloosa a good ride. He and his brother Peter, on one of the Benedicts mares, were heading out with Alan and Chase for a tour of the property.

  Brian, Duncan and Ricoh were staying behind, tending to other chores.

  A good long ride over fairly even terrain would give Alvarez the chance to put Phoenix through his paces, giving him the horse’s measure.

  Ricoh laughed. “I’ll just bet she did. I remember watching her race. I half expected her to show up with you.”

  “You and my wife, both,” Peter said. He had a smirk on his face.

  Chase whistled. “Bet that was fun. Tracy might be tiny, but she’s fierce. She give you hell, Julián?”

  Julián grinned. “You could say that. Leapt up and gave me a big hug one moment, and chewing my ass off the next. Fortunately for me, my sister-in-law is as compassionate as she is mighty. When I explained that Gwen is having some trouble with morning sickness, Tracy immediately relented.”

  Ricoh smiled—a rare sight. “You’re going to be a daddy? Damn, that’s good news. Congratulations, man!”

  “Thanks.” Julián’s smile couldn’t be wider. “We’re all excited.”

  “Speaking of babies, when are you going to get busy in that department, Benedict?” Peter Alvarez-Kendall swung into the saddle. “By my count, the Benedicts are falling woefully behind in the baby count.”

  Alan had learned that there was a fine art to what was generally referred to as “cousin-speak” in Lusty. No topic was sacred, and no opportunity to rib was let to pass.

  “As soon as our sweet wife tells us she’s ready,” Chase said.

  “Where is Carrie, anyway? I’d hoped to see her.” Julian took a moment to ensure the rifle Ricoh had loaned him was securely stored in the saddle scabbard. He and Chase were similarly armed. Peter had turned down the offer of a rifle, claiming he wasn’t as versed in using one as he was his government issued Glock 22.

  “I expect you’ll probably run into her just as you head out,” Brian said. “She took Buttercup out about twenty minutes ago. She rides a particular circuit to exercise her horse on the mornings she’s off, so she should be back any time.”

  Just then the sound of a horse galloping full out caught everyone’s attention. “What the…” Brain stepped forward to intercept his wife as horse and rider rounded the trees, heading in a straight line toward them.

  Alarm ran through Alan when he saw her face.

  “Darlin’?” Brian reached for his wife at the same time Ricoh grabbed the reins.

  “I think they’re dead…oh, my God, Brian, it was horrible!”

  “Who’s dead, sugar?” Chase asked.

  Carrie shook her head. “I couldn’t tell for sure—I didn’t want to get too close. But it looked like three or four of the cows—just lying there, not moving. At first, I thought they were all sleeping, which was really dumb of me. One of the dead cows must have been one of the new mammas. Her baby was bawling something terrible. Oh, God, I’ve never seen or heard anything so sad!”

  “Where, querida? Where were they?” Ricoh asked.

  Carrie turned and pointed toward the northeast. “About a half a mile beyond where I usually ride…I saw these…these lumps, lumps that I’d never seen there before.” Then she turned and sobbed in Brian’s arms.

  “We’ll check it out, honey,” Chase said. He shot Alan a look, one eyebrow raised, that turned his blood cold.

  If the animals had been attacked by a natural predator, there likely would only have been one dead cow, and the sight would have been a bloody mess.

  Carrie had thought the cows had been sleeping, which meant they might have fallen to disease. Sickness could wipe out a ranch’s herd in a matter of days.

  Julián and Peter mounted up. Alan knew, looking in their eyes, they’d come to the same conclusion.

  Chase looked over at his brother. “I’ll call as soon as we see what’s there.” Then he turned and nodded to Alan. “Let’s go.”

  Alan followed behind Chase, the pace a good lope. Once they rounded the jutting tree line, they spread out. He looked over at Julián, who’d ranged himself on the ot
her side of Chase, and had to remind himself the man knew where he was going because he’d been right here with the Benedicts when they’d started the ranch.

  They traveled at a good, ground-eating pace. Alan didn’t let himself think about exactly what they would find. Sometimes, either because of weather, or natural predators, stock died. It was called the cycle of life for a reason, but that didn’t make it any easier to handle.

  It was one of the harshest realities of ranch life, but one that had to be dealt with. As they approached the area, Alan looked over at Chase. He figured between the three of them, Chase, Julián, and himself, they might be able to figure out what the cattle had died from. Peter, he knew, had no livestock experience, but he did have investigative training and that could help, too.

  Hopefully they’d be able to know fairly quickly if a simple quarantine would work to save the rest of the herd, or if they’d have to exterminate them.

  Alan’s gut twisted at the thought. It wasn’t so much the loss of money as it was the loss of the animals, themselves.

  Just ahead they could see the “lumps” that had caught Carrie’s attention. Unmoving, it appeared as if they’d fallen, one beside each in a straight line. The ground’s natural undulation and the intermittent bit of vegetation—bushes and small trees—made it difficult to see exactly what had happen to the cows from this distance.

  Alan heard a series of pops and felt a searing heat in his left shoulder. Time slowed to a crawl.

  “Get down!” Peter’s voice sounded as if it was coming to him from a great distance. He saw Chase and Julián kick free of their mounts, their rifles in hand as they hit the ground and rolled. On the other side of him Peter pulled up, his horse rearing slightly as he launched himself toward Alan.

  Alan began to slide, and tried to reach for his own rifle, but his fingers didn’t obey his command. And then he felt the impact of a solid body, and hurtled toward the ground as the lights went out.