***
Chapter Three
Over the next several weeks, Suzanna and Colton settled happily into married life. They enjoyed working together every day and then going home together and making love all night. As happy as she was, however, Suzanna couldn’t shake an impending sense of dread that something terrible was about to happen.
Her suspicions took the shape of little things. Gates were being left open that normally were locked, tools were being left out in dangerous places where people or animals could be hurt by them, and supplies were being left out in the weather and ruined. It was like someone was conspiring against the ranch to cause damage, but of course, that was a ridiculous notion.
Suzanna knew that all the men who worked for her father were dedicated and loyal to him. They were all good men, decent and hard working. Still, there had been countless times over the past few weeks when the hairs had stood up on the back of her neck and she had an unmistakable intuition that someone was watching her or that danger was in the air.
“I don’t know why I’m so jittery lately.” Suzanna said when Colton closed the gate behind her, the sound of the squeaking hinge making her jump with fright. “I guess I need to lay off the coffee.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you,” Colton said with a somber look on his face. “But this time you have good cause to be jumpy.”
“Why, what happened?” Suzanna asked, instantly on alert.
Colton shifted from one foot to the other, not wanted to break her heart, but there was no way to avoid it. She had to be told and he had told Jeremiah that he thought it was only right that she hear the bad news from him. Putting his arms around her, Colton said gently, “The hay in the barn was contaminated. Most of the horses are sick and some of them are dead, including Lucky Penny.”
“No!” Suzanna cried out for the horse she had loved since she was a little girl. She railed against Colton, beating his strong chest with her tiny fists. He just held her and let her pummel him. After a moment, she stopped the assault and simply collapsed into his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing. “Not Lucky Penny! How could this happen?”
When as last her crying stopped, Colton handed her a handkerchief and let her wipe her eyes. He thought she had never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment, but her serene expression quickly hardened into one of determination. Thrusting the damp handkerchief back into Colton’s hand, Suzanna stood up and strode purposefully across the grounds.
“Where are you going?” Colton cried out as he ran after her. She didn’t answer, but he already knew. He tried to block her stride, but she just walked around him and kept marching purposefully toward the barn. Desperately, Colton grabbed her by the arm and cried out, “Don’t do this to yourself, Suzanna! The vet has already hauled off the animals. You won’t find them there!”
Suzanna turned on him and the look in her eyes was full of rage and not pain. She said venomously, “Don’t tell me not to do this to myself, like I’m some pitiful child! I’m not going to pine over deceased animals. I’m going to find out what killed them and make sure it never happens again! They deserve that much. Lucky Penny deserves that much.”
Colton let go of her arm and respectfully stepped aside so she could pass. He had wanted to protect from the emotional pain, but he realized that he couldn’t. All he could do now was support her while she did what she had to do. He followed her into the barn, where she stood silently staring at all the empty stalls in which her beloved horses once stood. Tears welled in her eyes and he when he reached for her hand, she let him hold it.
“Where is the contaminated hay?” Suzanna asked after a while, and Colton led her to it. She could tell instantly that it was filled with poison hemlock, a natural contaminate that was deadly to horses. The question was, how did it wind up in the horses’ feed? The Wheeler Ranch always purchased its hay from the same reliable supplier, and they had never once been let down. Although she knew an investigation was being held against the supplier, Suzanna’s instincts told her that they weren’t the ones at fault.
“Have you seen enough?” Colton asked her tenderly, as he gently urged her toward the door. “We should go back to the ranch house and check on your father. Also, Deputy Larson wants to ask us a few questions.”
Suzanna shook her head and shrugged out of his hands. “You go ahead. I’ll be there in just a few minutes. I want to take a moment to be here alone and say goodbye to Lucky Penny.”
Colton nodded his head in understanding. He kissed her lovingly on the lips and left her alone with her thoughts. The barn was eerily quiet without any of the horses. Those that hadn’t died were being cared for at the animal hospital. The entire barn would have to be decontaminated before any of the surviving horses could be brought back.
Suzanna strolled slowly through the empty barn, running her hands over the old wood and kicking at the ground. Suddenly, something caught her eye and she stooped to look at it. It was the old barn owl that had lived in the barn for years, lying dead on the ground. It had been strangled by a belt.
Gently, Suzanna removed the belt from around the bird’s neck and stared at it. The silver buckle on the end of the belt was distinctive and it sparked recognition in her mind. She’d seen it somewhere before, but whose was it?
As hard as Suzanna tried, she could not remember where she had seen belt buckle before. She wrapped the belt around it and shoved it into her pocket. Something told her that when she found the owner of this buckle, she would also have found the person who poisoned all the horses and killed Lucky Penny.
***
Chapter Four
Suzanna tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to fall asleep with all the thoughts churning in her mind. She knew that she recognized that belt buckle and had spent the better part of the day checking the waistbands of all the workers on the ranch, but none of them were missing their belt.
Fitfully, she turned from her left side onto her back, fluffed her pillow, and then turned onto her right side.
“What’s the matter?” Colton asked her tenderly. Her insomnia was making it impossible for him to sleep too, but he loved her too much to be annoyed by it.
“Every time I close my eyes, my mind starts racing,” Suzanna confessed. “I wish I could find a way to just clear my mind of everything that happened today. Then I know I’d be able to sleep.”
“I have an idea. Try putting this on,” Colton suggested. He handed Suzanna a pair of earphones. She put them on her ears and heard the soothing sound of her favorite symphony playing. She smiled and said, “This is nice, but I’m not going to be able to sleep listening to an orchestra.”
Colton said, “I’m not finished with my idea yet. I’m going to help you remove yourself from all your thoughts. Now put this on and lie on your back.”
He handed Suzanna a blindfold. She secured it over her eyes and lay back on her pillow while Colton turned up the music player until she could no longer hear him rustling beside her on the bed. Plunged into complete blackness by the blindfold and unable to hear anything but the blissful symphony, Suzanna felt like she was floating in another world.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation of Colton binding her wrists and ankles and securing them to the four posts of the bed. Now she was now helpless to move, in addition to being blind and unable to hear what was happing around her. With a pair of scissors, he cut away all her clothes from her body, leaving her completely naked and bound to the bed in the shape of a giant X. The vulnerability of her position thrilled and excited her, and she felt her skin tingle as she strained to discern what would happen next.
Colton’s idea was working beautifully. Her mind was no longer spinning with thoughts of her investigation; instead, it was filled with erotic anticipation and sexual excitement. Suddenly, she felt something soft caress her cheek. The unexpected touch made her jerk her head, but then she realized the sensation was pleasant and she leaned into it. Velvety soft and with a wonderful aroma, Suzanna smiled as she re
alized Colton was brushing a rosebud against her cheek.
He trailed the delicate flower down her face, over the hollow of her throat, and began to trace a pattern across her body with it. As it brushed her nipples, they puckered into hard nubs. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her left nipple, and yelped out in surprise. As the sensation repeated on her right nipple, she quickly realized Colton was pricking her nipples with the rose’s thorns. Afterward, he applied his lips to the wounded area, soothing away the pain with sensual kisses. Suzanna arched her back, thrusting her breasts toward his lips, as she sighed at the pleasurable sensation.
Then, she was alone in the dark again, as he withdrew himself away from her. Suzanna lay helpless, unable to see or move, hearing only the music playing in her headphones, and wondered what would happen next. The anticipation was excruciating and yet wonderful. Moisture built between her thighs as she fantasized about what he might be preparing to do to her.
Then, fantasy became reality as he pleasured and punished her body with a riding crop. Small, stinging slaps against her tender flesh were followed by soothing kisses and licks with his mouth and tongue. No part of her body was left ignored as he gave his attention to every inch of her in turn.
“I want you inside me,” Suzanna gasped between moans of pleasure. He was making love to her with his mouth and fingers while intermittingly spanking her thighs with sharp slaps of his hand. The dual sensation of pain mixed with sexual pleasure had already driven her to have an orgasm.
Suddenly, Colton removed all of her trappings. He took off the blindfold, untied the ropes binding her wrists and ankles, and removed the headphones from her ears. She was free from her bindings, but not yet free from her lust. She wanted him inside her now, more than ever.
Colton lay down beside her on the bed and said, “If you want me inside you, come and get me.”
Suzanna delighted in her turn to ravage his body. Her hand and lips caressed his entire body in ways that made him moan in pleasure. When she came to the most sensitive part of him, she tortured him with her lips; licking, sucking, kissing and caressing the length of him until he wanted to explode.
Then she mounted him at the waist, riding on top of him like a wild animal, thrusting and bucking with all the passion she felt in her heart. He reached up and held her breasts as she pumped, pinching her nipples in the way he knew she liked best. The sensation increased her passion and she climaxed powerfully on top of him, arching her back, throwing back her head, and screaming loudly with pleasure as she gasped for breath.
His own orgasm was equally powerful, and he knew that if he hadn’t been lying down, he would have passed out from the intensity of the pleasure. Panting for breath, he pulled Suzanna into his arms, so they were lying side by side, cuddled together. Within moments, she drifted into a peaceful sleep, undisturbed by any nightmares.
As he held her close, however, he caught sight of something he hadn’t noticed before. A man’s belt was sitting on her dresser. It didn’t belong to him, but he knew exactly whose it was. He just wondered what Suzanna was doing with it; could it be she was having an affair?
***
Chapter Five
Colton Stevens woke up at dawn to the crowing of the rooster. He had important business to tend to today and he was anxious to get it done. Suzanna was sleeping peacefully in their bed and he lovingly pulled the blankets around her shoulders and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. He had quickly brushed aside any doubts he’d had last night about her loyalty. Colton knew in his heart that Suzanna loved him faithfully and that she would never cheat on him. He concluded that there must be good reason she had another man’s belt buckle on her dresser and he suspected it had something to do with her investigation of the barn and the poisoning of the horses. Colton intended to help her in every way he could by talking to the owner of the belt buckle himself.
Colton dressed quickly in his favorite boots, jeans, and flannel shirt. Then he placed his worn cowboy hat on his head and strode purposefully across the ranch to the barn.
“Clyde, I want to talk to you!” Colton called out in a friendly voice, not wanting to scare him away by sounding angry or suspicious. Clyde was a new employee on the ranch that Jeremiah had hired to help for the summer, but no one knew him that well. Colton had to admit that as the ranch foreman, he should have taken the time to get to know the new employee better. He’d had very few conversations with Clyde, but there was one thing that had stuck in his mind about the man, and that was his unique belt buckle.
“Yeah, what is it?” Clyde said, seemingly in a hurry. His eyes darted around and he looked nervous.
Colton put a casual hand on his shoulder and said with a smile, “Can we talk for a minute?”
Clyde shook his head and said, “No time to talk. Mr. Wheeler needs me to get wire cutters from the barn and take them out to the west field immediately.”
“I’ll help you find them. We can talk along the way.” Colton offered and followed the reluctant Clyde into the barn. As Clyde searched for a pair of wire cutters, Colton leaned against the wall and said, “So I noticed a few days ago that you have a rather unique belt buckle. Where’d you get it?”
Clyde dropped the box he was searching through with a noisy clatter and all the tools inside it tumbled onto the ground. He stammered and said, “My Pa used to make belt buckles as a hobby. Everyone in my family has one specially engraved with the family crest.”
“That’s great; can I see yours?” Colton said, kneeling down to help Clyde place the tools back in the box.
Clyde stood abruptly with a pair of wire cutters in his hand and said “No, I ain’t got the time. I’ve got to get these out to Mr. Wheeler.”
“Surely it would only take a minute,” Colton pressed. “Besides, I know for a fact that Mr. Wheeler isn’t here this morning. He slept at the veterinarian hospital last night to be with the sick horses. So, I’m betting he’s in no hurry for you to deliver those wire cutters.”
Caught in the middle of a lie, Clyde didn’t know what to say. He tossed the wire cutters angrily into the box and balled his hands into fists.
Colton pulled the belt buckle out of his pocket and said smugly, “Could it be that you don’t want to show me your buckle because you lost it?”
“That ain’t my belt buckle. This is!” Clyde suddenly found his voice. He lifted his flannel shirt to reveal that he was wearing a buckle almost identical to the one Colton was holding, with just slight variations in the engraving.
Colton blinked in surprise and took a step back. Now it was his turn to stammer. “I thought for sure this was yours when I found it on Suzanna’s dresser.”
“My father sells those all over town. That dumb bitch could have been rolling in the hay in that barn with anyone.”
Colton’s eyes flashed with a sudden realization. He squared off to Clyde and said, “I never told you that Suzanna found this belt in the barn. You know whose belt this is and you probably helped them poison the horses! Tell me everything!”
Clyde swung his fist at Colton with sudden speed and force, catching him right in the jaw. Colton struggled to keep his balance and swung back, slow and wide. Clyde swung again, with rapid punches that landed on Colton’s stomach that made him double over in pain. As Clyde moved in to punch him again, Colton rallied with a series of punches that hit his opponent hard and fast in rapid succession.
Clyde stumbled backward and crashed against the wall of the barn. He wiped his bleeding lip with his sleeve and glared at Colton through his good eye; the other one already starting to swell and turn black. Colton squared off to him again, and said, “Tell me whose belt buckle that was.”
Clyde looked like he was about to confess everything, when suddenly his lips curled into a wide grin. “I already told you, my Pa made matching buckles for all my family. I’ve still got mine, but that one belongs to my brother, Jasper.”
Colton recognized the name as being the leader of the gang of cattle rustlers that had tried to kill him
and Suzanna. Colton reached for the gun he always kept in a holster at his hip and found it missing.
A distinctive click behind him made him freeze and a familiar voice ordered him to turn slowly around. Colton complied and found himself looking into the barrel of his own revolver, held in the hand of none other than Jasper himself.
“I see you know my brother,” Clyde said smugly to Colton, and Jasper laughed at the joke.
“I should have known why that belt buckle looked familiar!” Colton chastised himself aloud. “I recognized it from when you tried to have me and Suzanna killed so you could steal all her father’s cattle. Is that why you poisoned the horses; so you could have another shot at stealing Jeremiah Wheeler’s herd?”
Jasper laughed a sickening sound and said, “No, this goes way beyond cattle rustling now. This is about that pretty wife of yours. She took everything from me and I’m going to do the same thing to her. I started with that dumb horse of hers, Lucky Penny. Next, I’m going to burn that ranch of hers down to the ground. When she’s done putting out the ashes, she’ll discover the final blow that will make my revenge complete. She’ll find your dead body amongst the ruins of her old family ranch. Then, when she finally understands that she has lost everything, she’ll lose her life, too!”
***
Chapter Six
Suzanna opened her eyes slowly and smiled. It had been a long time since she’d gotten such a good night’s sleep and felt so completely rested in the morning. She reached her hand across the bed, searching for Colton, but he had already left for the morning.
She took the time to take a shower, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her naked body. Afterward, she got dressed in her most comfortable jeans, denim shirt, and cowgirl boots. She twisted her long blonde hair into a braid, but when she reached for a rubber band to secure it with, something made her pause. The belt buckle she had found in the barn yesterday was missing. A note scrawled in Colton’s distinctive handwriting lay in its place.
Passion on the Ranch: Books 1-4 (4-Book Bundle) (Erotic Romance - Western Romance) Page 10