Passion on the Ranch: Books 1-4 (4-Book Bundle) (Erotic Romance - Western Romance)

by Hart, Melissa F.

  When at last he plunged his deep inside her quivering folds, she was so wet and ready for him that she climaxed instantly. As he thrust deeply inside her with long, powerful strokes, he was able to bring her to orgasm a second time before succumbing to his own climax. Then he lay down beside her, cuddling her in his arms.

  When the steady rhythm of her breathing told him she had fallen asleep, Colton tiptoed out of her room to sleep in a cot just outside her bedroom door. He knew her father didn’t really mean it when he said Colton should sleep in his daughter’s bedroom, but he was serious about wanting her to have twenty-four hour protection.

  “I’ll keep her safe,” Colton muttered, as he drifted off to sleep on the narrow cot, with his favorite revolver tucked under the pillow.

  With the house completely dark and all the inhabitants inside finally sleeping, Jasper signaled his men to move toward the ranch house. He saw dollar signs when they passed the herd of prized cattle grazing or sleeping in the field. The man with the broken nose led the way through the bushes, thinking of Suzanna and how he was going to get revenge for what she had done to him.

  “This ain’t over yet,” he said.

  Inside the ranch house, Suzanna dreamed pleasant dreams, oblivious to the danger that was creeping closer. In her dreams, Colton was her hero; but could he be in real life? They would all find out soon enough.

  TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK TWO: Capturing Suzanna - Volume 2

  ***

  Capturing Suzanna

  ***

  Chapter One

  Suzanna Wheeler smiled in her sleep at the pleasant dream she was having. Her long blonde hair flowed softy around her. Her blue eyes were shut tight and only fluttered slightly as her dreams intensified.

  She was dreaming of Colton Stevens, the man she had given her heart to and now her virginity. She had always had a crush on the handsome cowboy since the day he had come to work on her daddy’s ranch. He had wavy brown hair, deep green eyes, and an incredible body, but it was his heart of gold that had made her love him. She understood why her father had trusted him enough to make him ranch foreman and even ordered him to keep an eye on her. Colton was honest, hard-working, loyal, and true. As much as he irked her sometimes, she couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Suzanna just didn’t know how it was possible that he loved her in return, but he did. One look into his eyes told her that he did.

  Suzanna Wheeler knew most men found her attractive. At the age of twenty-one, she enjoyed flaunting her athletic body with tight-fitting clothing that made Daddy cringe. She also knew that most men were just interested in using her for sex or because her daddy owned the biggest cattle ranch in the county. None of the men who worked on the ranch were truly interested in her, and why would they be? She was headstrong, willful, and defiant. Her own daddy often said, “She’s a real pistol! It’s going to take a strong man to marry her and I’m gonna make sure she stays safe and pure until that day comes.”

  The only man who wasn’t intimidated by Suzanna’s attitude or her father’s overly-protective instincts was Colton Stevens. He was the one man who could stand toe-to-toe with her father and with her, too.

  In the two weeks since she’d given him her virginity, they’d made love almost every day, sneaking wherever they could on the property. There was the old hay loft, the pasture, even the washroom in the ranch house. Once or twice they’d nearly been caught by her father, which would have been the end of their love affair and also the end of Colton’s career as foreman, too.

  “Tomorrow, I’m going to ask your father for permission to court you.” Colton had said to her the day before.

  “That’s awful sweet of you, but do you think that’s a good idea?” Suzanna had asked, her blue eyes sparkling.

  “Of course!” Colton said, not letting her doubts didn’t dampen his spirits in the slightest. “Your father is as old-fashioned as they come. If I ask his permission to date you, he’ll appreciate the sign of respect. He knows what kind of man I am. Why else would he have promoted me to foreman so quickly? He’s sure to say yes and then we won’t have to keep sneaking around like this.”

  “You are a terrific man and that’s why Daddy promoted you, but that doesn’t mean he’ll say you can date me.” Suzanna said, knowing her father and his stubborn streak all too well. “He’s always had it in his mind that I’ll marry someone sophisticated and not just another cowboy like he used to be. If you ask him to date me and he says no, what will happen then? We’ll never be able to be alone together again. It will ruin our relationship forever!”

  “I don’t care; I’m willing to take the risk!” Colton said with a determination in his eyes that she admired. “If he says no, then I’ll just have to convince him to say yes. I love you too much to keep it a secret any longer.”

  They made love again after that and then said goodnight. It was the scene Suzanna Wheeler was replaying in her dreams as she slept. It would be so wonderful to be able to openly show her love for Colton; hold his hand in public and kiss him whenever she saw him. Of course, their love affair wasn’t as secret as she thought. Jasper McElroy, the leader of a gang of cattle rustlers, had been casing the ranch for the past two weeks. Suzanna had prevented Jasper and his gang from selling some mountain lion cubs when she caught them poaching. One of them men had been arrested, and the ones who had escaped lost the profits they’d been counting on for poaching. Now, Jasper wanted payback, and so did one of his thugs named Vernon Hillman. Suzanna was responsible for the broken nose that was still swollen and bruised in the middle of Vernon’s face. He wanted more than just lost money from her; he wanted revenge.

  The gang of outlaws had caught glimpses of Suzanna and Colton sneaking in out of the hayloft and guessed what they were doing inside. Still, their focus was on learning the layout of the large property, the security measures that were in place, and how to circumvent them. Finally, Jasper thought they were ready.

  “Tonight, we do it!” he told his gang that afternoon. “Lee, I want you to go in first. The window to her bedroom only has one lock and a simple alarm on it. Climb the ladder, cut the wires, and get inside her room.”

  Vernon stood up, a massive figure with hateful eyes, and said “I told you I wanted to be the one to get the girl.”

  “I haven’t forgotten. You go with Lee and get the girl. Use the stuff we bought and take her to the secured location.” Jasper said and Vernon snorted in satisfaction and sat back down. Jasper continued, saying “While you two are kidnapping the girl, I’ll supervise stealing her father’s cattle. I’ll need all the rest of you men to be with me. There are enough cattle in that herd to keep us all living comfortably for the rest of the year. That’ll teach them not to get in my way again.”

  The men hollered and cheered, feeling invincible and excited. Vernon was the only one who was quiet, although his red eyes shined with the most excitement of all. Tonight, he would finally get his revenge against the bitch that had broken his nose. He would take her to the hideout like Jasper wanted, but first, he was going to make Suzanna Wheeler pay for what she’d done to him. Revenge was about to be his.

  ***

  Chapter Two

  Lee held his breath as he clipped the wires connecting Suzanna’s bedroom window to the alarm system. He could see Suzanna sleeping in her bed just a few feet away. Her lips curved into a smile at the happy content of her dreams and her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders. Her chest rose and fell with deep, regular breaths and she hugged her pillow tight as her eyelids remained tightly closed.

  He pushed the latch on the window and when nothing happened, he knew the alarm had been deactivated and breathed a sigh of relief. He then pushed the window open with gloved hands and climbed silently into her room. The brim of his cowboy hat brushed against the window, causing his hat to fall the long distance to the ground below, making him curse under his breath.

  “Damn it, Vernon! We should call this thing off!” he whispered harshly. He didn’t mind cattle rustling or even p
oaching, but kidnapping was way more trouble than he bargained for. A smattering of small rocks fell from his boots and scattered noisily across the floor.

  “Shut up and get going. This bitch is gonna pay for what she did to me and that’s final.” Vernon growled as his bulky figure climbed through the window behind him. He nearly slipped on the rocks on the floor beneath the window sill, but managed to regain his balance just in time.

  Vernon glared at Lee and held his finger to his lips in a silencing gesture. Then he pulled a rag from his pocket, along with a small bottle of chloroform. He carefully soaked the rag and held it far from his face, knowing the fumes of the chemical would knock a person unconscious. When he was through, he nodded at Lee and whispered, “Hold her down.”

  Nervously, Lee moved to grab the sleeping woman by the arms, but the moment he came near, Suzanna woke and sat up in surprise. With quick reflexes and strength that came from working on her father’s ranch, Suzanna grabbed her assailant and struggled against him in a terrifying wrestling match.

  Vernon lunged at her with the rag and Suzanna quickly pulled Lee in front of herself like a shield. Vernon ended up smothering Lee with the fumes instead. Angrily, Vernon pushed his now-unconscious partner onto the ground while Suzanna rushed to free herself from the bed sheets and flee across the room.

  “Not so fast, little filly.” Vernon growled as he stepped in her way, blocking her path to the door. “You’re not getting away that easy. You owe me and I’m here to collect.”

  Suzanna recognized him as being one of the poachers. She remembered breaking the nose of this particular man and knew that if he got his hands on her, she would be in grave danger. Thinking and moving quickly, she grabbed the lamp from her nightstand and held it like a bat. Cocking it over her shoulder, she shouted bravely, “Come near me and I’ll knock you out!”

  “I’d like to see you try.” Vernon said and lunged at her quickly.

  With a scream of terror, Suzanna swung the lamp with all her strength, but the cord securing it to the wall made it come up short and yanked it from her grip in the middle of her swing. Suddenly, she found herself defenseless with Vernon’s hands around her throat.

  Suzanna couldn’t even cry out as the large man held her by the neck with just one of his huge hands and reached for his chloroform-soaked rag with the other. Suddenly, he felt the barrel of a gun at his back and an unfamiliar male voice spoke up.

  “Let her go!” the male voice said, followed by the distinctive sound that could only be that of a gun being cocked.

  Vernon released Suzanna immediately and put his hands up in surrender. Suzanna crawled to the lamp that was lying on the ground and turned it on, although she already knew who had spoken.

  When the room filled with light, she smiled with joy to see Colton Stevens aiming his rifle at her assailant. With her heart pounding, she ran to him and threw her arms around him, kissing him gratefully.

  “Colton! Thank goodness you’re here!”

  “I promised your father I would keep an eye on you day and night, even if it meant sleeping outside your bedroom door, and that’s exactly what I did.” He pulled her closely to himself and kissed her passionately on the lips. The action instantly melted all her fears as she opened her mouth to him and let their tongues intertwine.

  Just then the door to her bedroom flew open and her father Jeremiah Wheeler burst into the room with a shotgun in his hand. He had heard his daughter’s scream as well and had come running as fast as he could.

  He stared in surprise at the shocking sight in front of him. One man lay unconscious on his daughter’s floor, a second man stood with his arms up in surrender, and the man he’d trusted to protect her was kissing his daughter right on the lips! Jeremiah was so upset he didn’t know who to train his gun at first, but in the end, he decided on the cad who held his precious little girl in his arms and was defiling her with his lips.

  “Colton Stevens!” Jeremiah yelled in anger. Tears of betrayal stung the old man’s eyes but he refused to let them fall. “How dare you abuse my trust and take advantage of my little girl!”

  Colton removed his arms from around Suzanna and turned to face the man who was like a father to him. “I’m sorry sir, but Suzanna and I and are in love and I would like your permission to date her.”

  “Like hell! Suzanna, get away from him right now!”

  Jeremiah grabbed his daughter by the left hand and tried to pull her to him, but she clung to Colton with her left hand, and the two men entered into a strange sort of tug-of-war. The fight was all the distraction Vernon needed. He grabbed Lee from off the floor, threw the unconscious man over his shoulder, and leapt out the window with him.

  Colton let go of Suzanna’s hand and ran to the window, trying to see where the criminals had fled, but it was too late. “They’re gone,” he said simply.

  “You’d better be gone, too!” Jeremiah glared at him from across the room. “Pack your bags and get off my ranch! You’re fired!”

  Colton was about to speak, but Suzanna cut him off. “No, Daddy! You can’t fire Colton! You’ve always said that he’s the best foreman you’ve ever had and that can’t have changed just because you caught us kissing. I was the one who told Colton to keep our love a secret from you. Punish me if you want to, but don’t lose the best worker you’ve got just because of me.”

  Jeremiah rubbed his bristled jaw line and thought for a while. The silence in the room was deafening, but both Colton and Suzanna knew better than to interrupt the man when he was deep in thought. Finally, Jeremiah spoke. He said, “Okay. Colton, you can stay, but I don’t want to see you within fifty feet of my daughter ever again!”

  The two lovers were both about to object but Jeremiah shouted vehemently, “I mean it! If I ever catch the two of you together again, I’ll fire you and kick you out on your ass and I’ll send Suzanna to live with her aunt three counties away! That’s my final word!”

  ***

  Chapter Three

  Nobody in the ranch house got any sleep that night. Colton paced in his room, his mind too full of thoughts to allow any rest. He respected Jeremiah Wheeler and didn’t want to hurt him or jeopardize his job on the ranch, but it was his love for Suzanna that ate away at him and kept him from being able to relax. He wanted to be with her, holding her and keeping her safe from whoever might want to hurt her.

  Ironically enough, this was the same thought that kept Jeremiah awake, too. He didn’t really have any desire to fire Colton Stevens. The boy was the best damn ranch hand he’d ever had and he knew he could trust him to treat his daughter right. Jeremiah worried about his daughter though and had long been planning to marry her to a wealthy businessman far away, where he knew she’d be safe and well provided for. Suzanna was stubborn, headstrong, and had a bit of wild streak he’d never figured out how to tame. He didn’t know what dangerous men were out to hurt her, but it only strengthened his resolve to protect her until her wedding day.

  Suzanna had no idea of her father’s wedding plans for her, although she did know that he loved her very much. She knew it was why he could be overprotective at times. Tonight’s events had been scary, and she longed to have the protective arms of Colton Stevens around her. He understood her in a way no man had before. He allowed the nature of her wild spirit to flourish and brought out the best in her. Despite her father’s ban on their love, she had to see him. Using the old servant’s entrance behind the kitchen, Suzanna crept out of the ranch house and sneaked her way to the cabin reserved for the head foreman.

  She saw the light shining from his window and rapped lightly on his door. When Colton opened the door, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him passionately. Colton broke away from her embrace, pulled her inside the cabin and shut the door tightly behind her. He turned off the light so no one could see them and bolted all the locks.

  “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?” he asked with true concern.

  “I’m fi
ne; I just had to see you.” She threw herself at him again, but this time he avoided her embrace by dodging to the side.

  “You can’t be here,” he said simply. “Your father will skin us both if he catches us together. Now get back home.”

  “Are you afraid of Daddy or of me?” Suzanna teased and began unbuttoning her nightgown to reveal her ample cleavage. “Everyone knows you’re the best foreman around. If he lets you go, the other ranchers will go into a bidding war to hire you. You’ll be able to ask for any wage you want and get it.”

  She came to the last button of her nightgown and let the garment completely slip away from her shoulders. The soft light of the moon glowed against her naked flesh and Colton couldn’t help but admire the beauty of her body.

  Helpless to stop himself, like a moth drawn to a campfire, he reached out and touched her full, round breasts, massaging them gently in his strong hands. Suzanna threw back her head and sighed pleasurably at his touch. The sound broke the magic spell and Colton found his voice again. He said, “I’m not afraid of anyone, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let some naughty girl who’s looking to disobey her father into my bed.”