by Lynn Hagen
Bear County 5
Cowboy Legend
Gabe Summerville has been thrown for a loop. His father has just announced that his bank has been used for laundering money and he needs to send Gabe away to keep his son safe. Gabe refuses to leave, insisting that he can help. But once Miller Legend is called in to protect Gabe, all bets are off. The attraction is instant and Gabe soon finds that he is fighting a losing battle, especially when Legend is a temptation he can't resist.
Miller Legend belongs to Executive Bodyguards, a personal protection service that has settled in Bear County. When Legend takes the assignment to be Gabe's bodyguard, he has no idea that Gabe is about to change the rules. Legend doesn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure, but soon finds his resistance to Gabe is futile. He must not only keep Gabe safe, but coax the human into pleasures the man could only dream of.
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Western/Cowboys
Length: 33,027 words
COWBOY LEGEND
Bear County 5
Lynn Hagen
THE LYNN HAGEN
MANLOVE COLLECTION
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at
[email protected]
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection
COWBOY LEGEND
Copyright © 2014 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-161-7
First E-book Publication: August 2014
Cover design by Emma Nicole
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Cowboy Legend by Lynn Hagen from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Lynn Hagen’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Lynn Hagen’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
COWBOY LEGEND
Bear County 5
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
“Could you repeat that?” Gabe Summerville wasn’t sure he’d heard his father correctly. He couldn’t have. His father stood behind his desk, his hand still resting on the phone. The man appeared somber, as if grappling with some internal conflict.
His father ran a hand over his stubbled jaw before glancing at Gabe. “The FBI has offered to put us into witness protection.”
Gabe felt a bit dizzy as he placed a shaky hand over his abdomen. His throat had gone dry and he was finding it impossible to breathe. His father appeared rumpled, unsure, and unshaven. Maxwell Summerville was normally unflappable and he certainly never looked less than impeccable. His father was the epitome of palpable strength and surety.
Why would he need to be protected?
Gabe glanced around the room, trying to gain his bearings as his father’s words sank in. He shook his head. “I don’t understand any of this.”
Maxwell’s hand slid over the back of his leather chair before he pulled it out and took a seat. He slouched, which was something Gabe had never seen him do before, as he ran his index finger and thumb over his chin. He seemed to come to some sort of conclusion before he said, “The bank was used for laundering cartel money. As soon as I found out, I contacted the FBI. The man who set up the illegal operation got wind that I had turned state’s evidence. He wants my head.”
Gabe was going to be sick. He dropped into a seat by his father’s desk as the bile rose to the back of his throat. His skin became heated and he tried to suppress the urge to vomit.
His father owned one of the largest banks on the West Coast. Summerville Savings and Loan had been around for as long as Gabe could remember. The business had been handed down through three generations. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that someone had used it for anything other than upstanding business.
“Hire more bodyguards.” As his chest tightened, Gabe became frantic. He didn’t want to start a new life. The Summerville estate was the only place he had ever called home. He didn’t want to live on the lam and run from the cartel.
This was a damn nightmare and Gabe wasn’t sure what to do. He had watched enough movies to believe that witness protection was hardly a guarantee of safety. But this was real life. For all he knew, it could be the best program out there.
Gabe just didn’t want to find out. Why couldn’t he go back to his life, oblivious to what was going on? Why did the cartel have to choose his father’s bank? He glanced at his weary-looking father before asking, “Do we really have to go?”
Gabe wasn’t trying to put more pressure on the man. He really wasn’t. But this was a terrifying situation and he was trying to find an anchor somewhere, anywhere. Men with power, money, and weapons wanted his father dead. If that wasn’t a mind fuck, he didn’t know what was.
Maxwell leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk, rubbing his hands over his fac
e. Gabe sat there, holding his breath. His father dropped his hands and gazed at Gabe. “To be honest, I’m not going to trust the government with your safety.”
Gabe could only nod as he prayed that his father would soon start laughing and tell him that this had all been a joke. None of it seemed real. His father had served as a marine before taking over the family business. He was tough as nails. There weren’t too many things in life that worried Maxwell.
Yet the man looked rattled and unnerved.
“So what are we going to do then?” Gabe asked. They could always pack their bags and take off to another country, but Gabe knew his father. Maxwell Summerville wasn’t going to run. And that worried him more than anything.
“I have a friend who can help keep you safe,” his father said as he reached for the phone.
Gabe’s heart slammed in his chest at the singular you. His fingers curled around the arms of the chair as he leaned forward. “What about you?”
“I have a business to run and I’m not letting anyone scare me away.” His eyes softened but filled with determination. “You, on the other hand, mean everything to me and I won’t risk your life.”
“And I’m supposed to let you risk yours?” Gabe asked incredulously. He was five seconds away from grabbing the front of the man’s shirt and shaking some sense into him. What the hell was his father thinking? “What if they come after you?”
Gabe had been ten when his mother died. His father had gone overboard protecting and caring for him. Although Gabe appreciated everything his father had done for him, he was not about to let the man face those crooks on his own.
They had been a team since suffering the devastating loss. For fifteen years they had worked to rebuild their lives and to forge the strong relationship they now shared. Why in the fuck would his father think Gabe would just walk away?
“I know how to take care of myself.” The steely determination remained in Maxwell’s hazel eyes. Gabe wasn’t going to win this. His father would force him to leave and there would be nothing Gabe could do to change his dad’s mind, but he was going to try anyway.
He ground his teeth as the stubbornness that he’d inherited from his father took hold. “I’m not going if you’re staying.”
“Gabe,” his father said in warning. “Now is not the time to take a stand against me. You are too important. Go upstairs and pack a bag.”
Ugh. Why couldn’t his father see that he was terrified for the man? Maxwell’s concern was justifiable while Gabe’s was unnecessary. At least that’s how Maxwell saw things. Gabe wanted to rail against the man’s inflexibility.
Gabe sat there, refusing to do as he was told. He could be just as stalwart as his father.
Maxwell picked up the phone and dialed. He sat back before a warm smile spread across his face, relieving some of the worry lines that had begun to surface. “Hey, rotten-ass bastard.”
His father’s masculine laughter reminded Gabe of just how much he had to lose.
“How are things going?” his father asked, seeming ten years younger as he spoke. A gleam had entered the man’s eyes that made Gabe smile.
His father sat there and listened for a moment before he explained the situation to whoever he was talking to on the phone. He added a few more details that he hadn’t disclosed to Gabe. Like the name of the man who was after him.
Ricardo Ortega.
The name burned into Gabe’s memory as he sat there and listened. He learned that Ortega was in jail, but would soon post bail. There was very little time to put a plan in place. Even if Ortega didn’t get out, from what his father had just said, Ricardo Ortega’s foot soldiers would carry out the job.
The more Maxwell spoke, the more light-headed Gabe became. He really was going to be sick.
His father nodded and then said, “Good, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
In twenty-four hours Gabe’s life would be turned upside down and his fate would rest in the hands of a stranger.
Once his father hung up, he turned to Gabe. “A marine buddy of mine is going to arrive tomorrow for your protection detail.”
“But—”
His father held up his hand. “I’m not budging on this, Gabe.” His tone was firm. “You’ll do as Miller Legend instructs. Do I make myself clear?”
It was rare that his father use that clipped, harsh tone with him. Gabe found himself nodding even though he wanted to shake his head and demand to remain at his father’s side. But he knew arguing would be pointless.
So he asked, “For how long?”
He felt defeated and like a piece of shit for leaving his father to handle this on his own. Gabe didn’t have any formal training and would probably be more of a hindrance than help if he stayed. But the guilt began to mount.
“Pack for at least four weeks.”
“Four weeks?” Gabe nearly shouted the words. “You want me to leave the only home I’ve ever known and the father I cherish for an entire month while you face down the cartel?”
“That’s exactly what I want you to do.” His father strode from the study, leaving Gabe to sit there gaping at the man. Not once in his life had his father dismissed him like an errant child.
Gabe wasn’t sure what to make of it.
While he understood his father’s concern, Gabe resented the high-handedness. He was a grown man, ran his own department at the bank, and was intelligent and sensible. For Maxwell to treat him like a little boy who didn’t understand grown folks’ business cut Gabe to the quick.
Twenty-four hours.
His shoulders slumped as he walked out of the office, heading upstairs to pack.
Chapter Two
The following evening, Gabe heard murmuring inside his father’s office. The unfamiliar voice was husky, wholly masculine, and had him willing to investigate further. Gabe’s curiosity was piqued. He felt like a spy as he lingered out in the hallway, but he wanted to hear the uncensored conversation.
Unfortunately, his father was good.
“Gabe, get in here,” Maxwell called from inside his office.
Busted.
Squaring his shoulders with dignity, Gabe strolled in. He never could get away with eavesdropping. Maxwell’s hearing had been sharp when Gabe was a small boy. His father had always caught him. And as his father grew older, his skills had only sharpened. But Gabe had to try. He knew Maxwell wasn’t telling him everything.
“This is Miller Legend,” his father said in introduction.
Gabe turned toward Legend and felt as if he’d stepped off a cliff, freefalling. His new bodyguard was the hottest man he’d had ever laid eyes on. Legend wore a three-piece charcoal-grey suit that clung to his body with perfection. Gabe couldn’t stop himself from openly appraising the man, fighting not to groan at Legend’s executive-style appearance.
Yet, when Gabe glanced at his face, the man reminded him of a street brawler. The manly cut of his chin, the scrub of hair that ran along his jawline and thickened under his bottom lip, and those piercing amber eyes were enough to make Gabe’s pulse roar.
Legend’s hair was shaved on both sides. Light-brown strands lay softly down the middle, reaching just above his shoulder blades. If Gabe had met this man out on the street, he would not have had the nerve to talk to him.
He was finding it hard to utter two words as it was.
Legend extended his hand and Gabe nearly fainted when their skin made contact. Legend’s skin was rough, but his touch gentle. He gave Gabe’s hand just the right amount of pressure as he shook it. Gabe didn’t want to break the connection. But after two pumps, Legend pulled away.
Gabe wasn’t sure what in the hell had gotten into him. He’d never swooned over a man. His name was not Scarlett O’Hara and they were not in the movie Gone with the Wind. This wasn’t the Deep South and Gabe had all the confidence in the world when it came to flirting with men. Okay, almost all the confidence in the world. There were just some men, like Legend, who flustered him.
Gabe mentally smacked himself on the back of the head, trying to dislodge something intelligent to say. Finally, he muttered, “Nice to meet you.”
The start of a smile twitched at the side of Legend’s mouth and then it was gone. “A pleasure.”
Those ambiguous amber eyes seemed to deepen in color as Legend gazed at him. Gabe felt as if the man could see right through him, read his thoughts. Legend was staring too intently and Gabe began to shift uncomfortably.
Gabe’s bodyguard was not supposed to be this good looking. The man should have been as unappealing as roadkill on a hot summer’s day. If that had been the case, Gabe wouldn’t be standing here right now trying not to drool all over the guy.
Maxwell cleared his throat. Gabe had to tear his gaze away from Legend to look at his father. There was a knowing gleam in the man’s eyes.
His father knew that Gabe was bisexual and hadn’t batted an eye when Gabe had confessed to being attracted to both sexes. The man had even tried to set Gabe up on a few dates. Totally weird and utterly embarrassing. His father was a damn good-looking man and had good taste, but no child wanted their parent hooking them up.
After a few loud no thank yous and a couple more stay out of my love lifes, his father had backed off. And now the man was smirking as if he had done Gabe a favor.
Gabe rolled his eyes and ignored his father. Although Maxwell was a very powerful man and a heavy game piece in his industry, the guy was sometimes too damn juvenile.
“I filled Legend in on the situation,” his father stated. Gabe had to concentrate to understand what was being said. His mind was fully on Legend, assessing the man, trying to figure out why he’d had such a volatile reaction to the stranger. “He has assured me that you will be safe.”