by BJ Wane
“Oh.” Stumbling to a halt, Leslie held out a hand to the velvety soft nose reaching for her. The mare’s charcoal brown coat and splash of white with chocolate spots covering the hind quarters gave away the breed. “She’s gorgeous. An Appaloosa, right?”
Kurt nodded. “Yes, this is Anna Leigh, a new acquisition but I’ve ridden her to make sure of her temperament before picking her for you. She won’t give you any trouble, and I’ll ride as close to you as I can in case you get nervous. Ready?”
Leslie beamed at him, pleased to see his mood had improved from yesterday. “Ready.” He boosted her up and as comfortable as she felt sitting astride the dainty mare, she missed all those hard, rippling muscles embracing her from behind. She had it bad for Master Kurt, she knew that now and didn’t shy away from admitting it to herself. If only the threat against her would just go away, she could get more excited about seeing where this could lead.
“Good girl. Sit tight while I mount.” Untying Atlas from the rail, he swung up on his massive stallion with an agility Leslie wondered if she’d ever achieve.
“So, where are we riding today?” she asked as they set out toward the east.
“I’m taking you around our lake. With luck, we might see an elk or a few of our bison. You look good, sweetheart. Not nervous?”
Kurt eyed her with those dark eyes and she was sure the nerves that look stirred up weren’t what he was talking about. “No, not as long as we keep it to a walk.”
“We can do that. It’ll take us a lot longer, but we have a few hours before the temperature drops. Tell me more about your life in Reno.”
Clayton Mahoney hunkered down as he worked to disarm the security system along a line fencing where there were no visible cowpokes riding around. He’d taken two days to scout as much of the perimeters of the Wilcox spread as he could without drawing notice, but, fuck, their land went on and on and on. It was a good thing luck was on his side when he’d spotted his prey through the high-powered binoculars he’d forked out a wad for. The big man she rode with had given him pause, but if he was forced to take them both out then so be it. That extra hundred grand Glascott bribed him with was too damn tempting to back out now.
Disabling the alarm wouldn’t be a problem, he figured, but not knowing if there was a back-up system that would send out an alert was an issue. He’d picked a spot as close to the house as he dared, hoping to catch her if she rode out again today. All he had to do was hop on the ATV he already unloaded from the back of the truck he rented and drive around until he spotted her. As soon as he could get a shot off, he could be back at the truck and speeding away before anyone was the wiser.
Working on optimism, he took a deep breath and snipped the last few connections wiring an alarm along this section of fencing. Wasting no time, he pulled up the bandana to cover his lower face, adjusted his hat and drove the ATV through the gate, pushing it shut behind him before taking off.
“Damn, I’m good,” he boasted aloud less than five minutes later when he lifted his binoculars and verified the woman riding alongside the same man was his contract. He was still too far away to get off a shot, but it wouldn’t take long to cover enough distance to close the gap. Riding high on his anticipated success, he put the idling all-terrain vehicle in gear and sped across the prairie field, staying as close to a herd of cattle as he dared to aid in his cover.
An itch between Kurt’s shoulder blades warned him first, just seconds before his phone beeped with the security breach alarm code that went out automatically to every employee on the ranch. He should’ve known the day and his relationship with Leslie was going too well. Fury and gut-clenching fear rolled through his tense body as he pulled his rifle out of the scabbard and pointed toward the woods several yards away.
“Head that way, now!” he commanded, glad Leslie didn’t hesitate. Keeping glued to her side, he checked the message, his alarm escalating as he read how close they were to the downed security line.
Leslie cast him a frantic look, her hands gripping the reins, her face draining of color as Kurt slapped the mare into a trot. “What’s wrong?” she gasped, swiveling her head around, searching for trouble.
“Security’s down…” Kurt swore as he saw the ATV and the driver aiming a gun their way too late. He yanked on the reins as the gun rapport echoed in the air. Atlas reared with a high-pitched neigh of pain as the bullet skimmed his flank, but obeyed his sharp commands of control. Lifting his rifle, he let loose with three rounds then jumped across the mounts to grab Leslie and throw them both to the ground on the other side of Anna Leigh, rolling fast to keep them away from the horse’s pounding hooves.
Other than a soft startled cry as they hit the ground, she kept quiet, her slender body quaking under his as he said harshly, “Stay down, crawl into the woods and get behind a tree. Move!”
Kurt followed her, firing two more shots as he shouted to his stallion, “Atlas, home!” He breathed a sigh of relief as both horses took off back toward the stables as he reached the temporary safety of cover in the trees with Leslie.
“Now what?” she asked, her voice shaky as she gripped his forearm.
“Now we wait for backup.”
Mahoney cursed and did a mental calculation of how long he dared try to pick them off before hightailing it out of here. No more than five minutes, and then he was gone. Staying behind the ATV, he peered through the binoculars and caught a glimpse of them inside the woods. Now, if one would just inch out enough, he could end this and be on his way.
Leland, Roy and Cory were sitting on the front porch when the alarm came in. Within seconds, every cowhand working around the stables was rushing toward trucks or horses, the drills they bemoaned practicing every other month paying off.
“Sit tight. I’ll be right back,” Roy said, jumping up and shouting orders as he sent the men off in different directions.
“Where’s Kurt?” Leland tried not to panic as he cast a wild look around the bustling yard for his son. Before Cory could answer, he watched in alarm as Atlas and another horse came barreling in from the pasture, icy tentacles of fear squeezing his chest when he saw the bright red splotch on the stallion’s flank.
Fighting back the panic welling inside him, he called out to Roy who was sprinting toward the truck parked in front of the house. “Get the passenger door open. I’m going with you.” Turning to Cory, he snapped, “Give me your arm.”
Puzzled, Cory held out his arm, surprise spreading across his and Roy’s faces as Leland stood showing more strength in his left arm and leg than they’d witnessed before.
Leland didn’t spare them time for explanations. “Quit gaping and help me down the steps.”
“You’ve been holding out on us,” Cory accused, assisting him down the steps and over to the passenger side of the truck. “Why?”
“Not now. My boy is in trouble, and by God, I’m not sitting on my ass while everyone else runs to help him.”
Enlightenment dawned on his employees’ faces at the same time as Leland maneuvered with little effort onto the seat. But it was Roy who said, “You kept your progress quiet and fought against therapy to keep Kurt here, didn’t you?”
“Talk later, drive now,” he ground out, impatience snapping at his heels. Cory shut the door as Roy dashed to the driver’s side and slammed the truck into gear.
Casting his friend and employer a disbelieving glance as he sped east, Roy muttered, “Why the hell didn’t you just ask him to stay?”
Guilt settled like a heavy weight on Leland’s chest, his eyes shifting out the window at the land he loved so much. “I couldn’t, not after the way I turned on him when we lost Brittany.”
“You were grieving, Leland. The injustice of losing two family members so close together would drive anyone into lashing out at those around him.”
“No, it wouldn’t. Kurt would never behave in such a callous manner. Losing my wife, hell yes, that was hard, but a child, Roy, that’s a kick in the gut you can’t imagine. I’ll be damn
ed if I lose my son too.”
Greed ended up costing Malone everything. Giving up after ten minutes, he started to crawl back onto the ATV only to see a cloud of dust hailing the arrival of multiple trucks and horseback riders converging on him. He was so fucked, he groaned, seeing the hard, grim faces staring at him, the number of guns leveled his way, but he aimed to get some satisfaction before going down.
“How’d they get here so fast?” Leslie took a deep breath of relief as she heard and then saw the cavalry coming to their rescue. Less than fifteen minutes had passed since those first shots had threatened her life and her sanity.
“Like I told you, sweetheart, you’re safe with me. Don’t move. They have him penned in between them and us. He’d be a fool to try anything now, but he might be desperate enough to prefer going down in a fight.”
Another truck roared up, slamming to a stop in front of the semicircle of vehicles and horses, all of the cowhands aiming rifles at the lone assailant still squatting behind his ATV. Kurt almost fell over when his father slid out of the passenger seat and lifted his rifle above the door.
“Drop it you motherfucker,” Leland ordered, his voice strong and sure, vibrating with a rage Kurt had never heard before.
“What the hell?” he muttered, confused and yet pleased beyond measure.
Despite the still dicey situation they were in, Leslie giggled, leaning into him. “He loves you, he just hasn’t known how to ask for your forgiveness.”
“But… shit!” Kurt lifted his rifle as their attacker stood and took aim their way, this time looking through binoculars at the same time. Before he could get off a shot, Leland beat him to it, his bullet hitting the man in the shoulder with enough force to drop him. A grin split his face as he grabbed Leslie’s hand and led her out from behind the tree. “That’s my dad. Come on, let’s go home.”
Word traveled fast and by the time they returned to the house, Grayson and his deputies were arriving with sirens blaring, the county ambulance right behind them. After loading his prisoner into the ambulance along with a deputy, the sheriff spent the next hour taking statements from everyone and calling the Feds with an update. The vet arrived to tend Atlas’ wound, which only needed a few stitches and an antibiotic shot, much to Kurt and Leslie’s relief.
As the cowhands started to disperse and return to their chores, Babs stepped onto the porch and announced sloppy joes and corn on the cob for everyone in two hours, a loud cheer greeting her offer. “Let me help,” Leslie insisted, following Babs back into the house. After giving her brief statement that matched Kurt’s to Grayson, she had needed to get out of the testosterone filled den and it had been nice to sit outside without worry. The inner shakes that had begun the moment Kurt had thrown her off Anna Leigh and that gunshot had tossed her back into the nightmare of walking in on Alessandro’s murder were starting to subside. Now, all that was left to contend with was anxiety over the future. Just because one culprit had been taken out didn’t mean another wouldn’t follow.
They made a good team, Leslie thought, working with Babs to brown hamburger and fill buns with the barbequed meat. A long table was set up out front and the simple meal was devoured in no time, the camaraderie among the hands evident in the way they joked around as if nothing untoward had occurred that afternoon. Here less than two weeks, and Leslie realized how much she would miss them, the ranch, and even Leland if she couldn’t stay.
“What’s wrong?” Babs asked, giving her a one-arm hug as they stood side-by-side at the counter cleaning up several hours later. The sun no longer shone through the window and the gray evening cast of twilight mirrored her bleak mood. “Bad guy has been hauled off and everyone is safe, fed and happy.”
“Yes, this time, but what about the next time? I can’t stay here and risk everyone’s safety forever.”
“You won’t be.” Kurt strode into the kitchen, hauling her against him and kissing her with his usual deep possessiveness that she welcomed with a rush of heat. “I needed that. Been a hell of a day.”
“What did you mean?” she asked, licking her lips.
Reaching for the last brownie sitting on a platter, he replied, “If you’d answer your phone, you would know. Edwin Glascott, that albatross around your neck for the last four years, committed suicide, apparently after hearing his hired thug was singing like a canary. You’re free of him, sweetheart, and free to live openly wherever you want.”
“I am?” she squeaked, thrilled beyond measure and yet saddened by another death as Kurt dragged her out of the kitchen.
“You are. Now,” he stated, leading her onto the front porch, “all you have to decide is whether you love me enough to stay here with me, or if you need more time and want to return to your apartment.”
Giddy with relief and pleasure, she flipped him a look of curiosity as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “Isn’t returning to Reno one of my options?”
“No. There’s nothing left for you there. Everything you want is here, and now yours for the taking. All you have to do is say yes.” Gripping her hands together, he held them at the wrist as he bent and nipped at her neck before sliding his lips up to her ear. “I love you, Leslie. Is there really anything left for you to think about?”
“Well,” she breathed with a catch as he flicked a nipple and she responded with a flood of liquid heat, “when you put it that way, no, there’s not, Sir. Yes, I’ll stay.”
“That’s my girl.”
Kurt left Leslie soaking in his big bathtub, intending to join her as soon as he wrapped up one more loose end to the day. He found his father in the den, sitting in his favorite recliner, a walker next to him, gazing at Brittany’s picture. How could he have not seen Leland’s ruse before now?
“Did you really think I couldn’t forgive you for lashing out?” he asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to his chair.
“I would have had trouble, if the situation had been reversed.” Leland slid his gaze from his deceased daughter to the son he’d come too close to losing. “But I should have tried. I’m sorry, Kurt. Once you came back, all I could think about was how to keep you here. I feared if I got back on my feet too soon, you would return to Houston, and I would lose my chance to slowly make amends.” He sighed, shaking his head at his own culpability. “Brittany was spoiled, you know that. You were nine when we found out we were going to have another child, and it was such unexpected and wonderful news. When her behavior turned wild in her teens, it was only her close relationship with your mother that kept her in check, I know that now. Without her, Brittany lost her way.”
“We tried, Dad, both of us.” Kurt saw the pain reflected in his father’s eyes and his heart went out to him.
“No.” He shook his head. “I didn’t, not near enough. I laid it all on you because I couldn’t get past my own grief. You were right to leave.”
Eager to get back to Leslie, Kurt stood and reached out to squeeze his dad’s hand. “We’re good, Dad. I’m not leaving again, you’re going to quit hiding your progress and push it even more now, and with luck, you’ll be a grandfather by this time next year.”
With that thought in mind, Kurt left Leland staring after him with tears swimming in his eyes and walked toward a future he never dreamed would be his.
The End
BJ Wane
I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two dogs, a Poodle/Pyrenees mix and an Irish Water Spaniel. I love dogs, spending time with my daughter, babysitting her two dogs, reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I much prefer being a homebody. I worked for a while writing articles for a local magazine but soon found my interest in writing for myself peaking. My first book was strictly spanking erotica, but I slowly evolved to writing erotic romance with an emphasis on spanking. I love hearing from readers and can be reached here: [email protected].
Recent accolades include: 5 star, Top Pick review from The Romance Reviews for Blindsided, 5 star review fro
m Long & Short Reviews for Hannah & The Dom Next Door, which was also voted Erotic Romance of the Month on LASR, and my most recent title, Her Master At Last, took two spots on top 100 lists in BDSM erotica and Romantic erotica in less than a week!
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Cowboy Doms Series
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Submitting to the Lawyer, Book 4
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Virginia Bluebloods Series
Blindsided, Book 1
Bind Me To You, Book 2
Surrender To Me, Book 3
Blackmailed, Book 4
Bound By Two, Book 5
Determined to Master: Complete Series
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Hunter - Book 2
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Bound and Saved - Book One
Master Me, Please - Book Two
Mastering Her Fear - Book Three
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