Front Range Cowboys (5 Book Box Set)

by Evie Nichole

  Bella drew back closer to Smokey as though the mare was going to protect her from this possibility. “I like to stay here at Clouds End,” Bella said, glancing back and forth between her aunt and her father.

  Buck slapped Laredo on the shoulder. “So, we’re brothers!”

  “I have brothers,” Laredo said coldly. “Plenty of them.”

  Speaking of brothers, Laredo watched another Hernandez Land & Cattle Company truck pull down the driveway and park in front of the barn. Darren and Jaeger got out and immediately started walking toward Bella and Laredo. Darren’s frown said that he absolutely knew the Owen family.

  “Darren!” Buck said heartily. “So good to see you again after all that drama the other night.”

  This was like an insane scene from a bad romantic comedy where all of the characters were weirdly connected by some outdated or obscure family tie that should have been obliterated when it happened.

  “Darren Hernandez, look at you,” Darcy Owen purred.

  Laredo felt his eyebrows launch right off his forehead. It was true that his younger brother Darren had gotten around quite a bit. The guy had been a football jock for years before settling down to teach gym and to become engaged to the very wonderful guidance counselor at Bella’s school.

  Laredo gave Darren a very pointed look. “Where’s Maggie? It’s Saturday, right? There’s no school.”

  “She’s at a dress fitting,” Darren explained. He looked far more comfortable about all of this than Laredo was, but then that was how Darren did things. “Our wedding is in less than a month, and she’s so excited that she can hardly talk about anything else.”

  “I’m going to be the flower girl!” Bella announced to the group at large. “I get to wear a dress just like Maggie’s and everything!”

  “Wait.” Darcy grabbed Buck’s arm and laughed until she snorted. “Darren Hernandez is getting married. No way! I don’t believe it!”

  She was the only one laughing though. Bella and Jaeger were both looking at her as though she had grown a second head. Her own son had grown bored long ago and was currently over by a stand of little cottonwood trees trying to rip the branches off to use as swords or some other boy-friendly activity.

  Buck gestured to Darren and then to Laredo. Laredo’s stomach knotted as he realized that this was not going to just magically go away. “As it turns out, we’re all related!”

  “Is that right?” Darren pressed his lips together. Then he gave Darcy a long look of something that looked very near contempt. “As I recall, Darcy, your sister left my brother high and dry with a daughter to raise. As far as I’m concerned, that family connection is dead.”

  Darcy grabbed Bella’s arm, which also succeeded in yanking poor Smokey practically off her feet. “But this is my niece! I want to know her.”

  “Then I suggest you come out here and watch her lessons and cheer for her when she starts competing that horse,” Darren told Darcy. “Because I don’t see much else happening with that whole family connection thing.”

  “You’re not being very friendly.” Buck looked uncomfortable for the first time in the conversation. “We’re offering to drop a large amount of money on a horse for our son. You should be thanking us, not censuring us.”

  “Is that right?” Laredo had not felt this supported by his family in what felt like forever. It was very new and very—well, it was nice! Laredo gestured to their son. “I’m sure your kid is great. And I’m sure that with some more lessons, he’ll be a real winner. But maybe you should go and find someplace else to dump your money.”

  Darren glanced at Laredo and then looked back at Buck and Darcy. “I was here the other night when you were threatening to sue Aria and Clouds End Farm. That’s not cool. You can’t talk like that, make threats, and then just come back a few days later and pretend it didn’t happen.”

  “Oh, I see,” Buck fumed. “You Hernandez people, the Collins ranch, and now Clouds End Farm are all one big club. Is that right?”

  Laredo did not pause to try and decipher the reason why Buck would be throwing Jesse’s name into this hat. Obviously, there was some other stuff going on here. “We all grew up together,” Laredo said with a shrug. “I suppose that’s what you’re referring to.”

  “I grew up with you too!” Darcy protested.

  Buck sliced his hand angrily through the air. “You know what? The Flying W crew is right about you all.”

  “Excuse me?” Now Laredo was all ears. What was the Flying W ranch saying about the Hernandez bunch and their friends now? What new rumors were flying around? “What nonsense has Weatherby been spouting now?”

  “It isn’t nonsense.” Buck pointed toward the ring where Aria was still teaching. “You’re all crooked. You steal other people’s stock and then turn around and sell it as your own. Half the rodeo stock you provide to the stock contractors is stolen,” Buck said with a pompous air of self-righteousness. “It’s all over town! Everyone knows that all three of these farms and ranches are in on it! It’s a conspiracy to fleece the whole county and probably the entire state.”

  “We were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.” Darcy picked up where her husband left off. She was also busy snapping her fingers at her son to try and get him to come back to them. Mason didn’t seem to care what his parents were doing. “But now,” Darcy continued, “I see what Weatherby was talking about! You’re all a bunch of snobs.” Darcy gestured to Smokey and the black horse Laredo was still trying to lead to the barn. “These probably aren’t even your horses. Half your stock is bred by Weatherby and then stolen from his property!”

  Laredo gaped. He didn’t know what else to do. It was so preposterous to think that he was actually glad Darren had been here to witness this debacle so at least Laredo could know that it had really happened. These people were accusing Laredo, the entire Hernandez family, Jesse, and now Aria of one of the most heinous crimes in the West. Did they not realize that if this were actually true, it would have been dealt with decades ago? Come on! Where was the logic?

  Darren moved closer to Laredo as they watched the Owen family go stomping off toward their overpriced SUV. From the corner of his eye, Laredo noticed that Bella was doing her best to give Jaeger a boost onto Smokey’s back.

  There it was. In the middle of the insanity, here was the one moment that Laredo had been longing for his whole life. His daughter and his nephew were playing together and there was a horse involved. Had Laredo ever thought there was a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening?

  “Wow.” Darren was the first to speak after the Owens’s vehicle roared off down the long gravel drive toward the highway. “That was—just—wow.”

  Jaeger had finally made it up into the saddle. Bella was now leading him around. She came closer to Laredo and Darren and stared up at them. “Is Smokey really stolen?”

  “No.” Laredo shook his head. “Someday you can ask your aunt, Jesse, to tell you the story of how Smokey was born too early in the middle of a snowstorm. Your uncle Cal fed her with a bottle for a very long time to keep her alive. That’s why she’s so friendly.”

  “Oh.” Bella shrugged it off and then proceeded to give Jaeger the pony ride of his short life.

  “You don’t have a helmet!” Darren called out to his son. “Hold on tight or you’re going to break your head!”

  “I’m going to have to throw you both off my property for letting that kid ride around out here with no helmet on.”

  The halfhearted growl came from Aria. She pulled her ball cap off her head and shoved her sweat-dampened hair behind her ears. Laredo thought she looked gorgeous. Her jeans were streaked with dirt. Some horse had left a smear of something green on her T-shirt. Her face was tanned from the sun, and she looked in need of a break. But to Laredo, she was a fashion queen.

  He held out his arm and was thrilled when Aria immediately came toward him. She briefly laid her cheek against his chest and gave him a hug. Laredo kissed the top of her head. “You look like you co
uld use a break.”

  “Dare I ask what happened during that very long and very weird interlude with the Owen family? I’ll have to admit that it was really freaking me out to see you guys over here looking so chummy.” Aria looked from Laredo to Darren. She actually looked rather miffed. “Or is it a Hernandez family secret that I’m not allowed to know about?”

  Laredo snorted. “If you ask them, we’re all one big happy family.”

  “Crime family,” Darren corrected. “Since, apparently, that is the story that Weatherby is spreading now.”

  “Oh, shit. Does this have anything to do with a rumor that we’re trading stolen stock?” Aria shook her head and buried her face against Laredo’s chest. “I had a really weird conversation this morning with a client, and now I understand why he was obsessing over a certain detail.”

  “About what?” Laredo frowned. If people were giving Aria trouble, he was going to start knocking heads together.

  “It was a boarder. I just sold him a new horse. He was demanding a certified bill of sale from a state stock inspector.” Aria shook her head as though she could not believe what was happening. At least that made three of them. “It was a horse I’d brought in for him from Jesse’s ranch. He told me he wanted proof that we were the actual owners and had the lawful right to sell the animal. He wanted to be sure that nobody else could claim to be the real owner. At the time, it made no sense to me. He kept saying he’d heard that Jesse Collins was shady. I didn’t understand what he was blathering on about. Now I get it. Weatherby must be spouting his crap in every feed store, tack store, and Western wear outlet in the county!”

  Darren looked at Laredo. “You need to tell her the rest.”

  “What rest?” Aria narrowed her gaze at Darren. “I’m really starting to hate it when you say crap like that!”

  Laredo sighed. “Apparently, Darcy Owen is Helena’s older sister.”

  “Holy shit!” Aria looked as though she’d just seen a ghost. “That is Helena’s sister?”

  “What?” Darren teased. “You don’t see the family resemblance?”

  “Is a crappy entitled attitude hereditary?” Aria asked mockingly. “I had no idea.”

  “Hey,” Laredo said slowly. He felt like this needed to be said. “We didn’t mean to chase off a client. That’s not our right.”

  Her smile made him feel as though the world were suddenly normal again. “I’ll admit that at first I was really pissed off that it seemed like you were over here making deals behind my back. But I think I’m just a control freak.”

  “No!” Darren said mockingly.

  Aria stuck her tongue out at him. “Now I realize you guys were actually taking a bullet for me with those people. So, I’ll trust you next time.” She seemed to be uncomfortable for a moment. “Trust isn’t easy for me.”

  Thankfully, Darren didn’t spout off. Laredo nodded at Aria and tried to convey everything he was feeling in one look. He didn’t know if she got it all, but at least she smiled back at him. The whole world seemed to be losing its mind. Everyone in Denver now thought that they were all livestock thieves. And yet Laredo felt as though this were the best day he’d had in years. Perhaps the best parts of life happened when you figured the whole thing was on its way down the toilet anyhow.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Despite the absolutely weird vibe that had underscored the entire day, Aria could not remember a better Saturday. Of course, that might be due to the kisses she and Laredo were stealing every ten to twenty minutes in some far corner of the barn. Aria felt like a teenager again. There was something almost fun about spotting Laredo across the barn and then managing to steal away for a few seconds of lips and hands and the delicious taste of his mouth against hers.

  Aria hummed softly to herself as she cleaned up the tack room after a full day of lessons. The room was quiet. The boarders had their tack room in the other barn, and there were no more lessons today. After a long Saturday, the windowless room packed full of saddles and bridles and grooming equipment generally looked as though a tornado had come through. Tidying up involved wiping down several bridles that had been forgotten and cleaning a few saddles. Aria didn’t mind one bit. It was relaxing work. Her hands were greasy from the glycerin saddle soap, and she smelled worse than the barn, but she felt strangely upbeat and happy. It was peaceful.

  “I thought I heard the song of a siren.”

  Aria glanced at the doorway and saw Laredo resting his shoulder against the doorjamb. His grin was infectious, and she could not help but laugh at his ridiculous comment.

  “I think comparing my singing to a siren’s song is stretching it.” She gestured to the last bridle waiting to be cleaned. “If that was the case, then I’d be able to lure unsuspecting riders back in here to finish their cleanup.”

  “What a thought.” Laredo folded his arms over his broad chest. “You could whistle and people would run to do your bidding.”

  The idea appealed, but mostly it was just fun to be ridiculous. “I think I would suffer from a power trip in no time. You would start avoiding me because I would be constantly bossing you around without actually having to speak the words. Can you imagine how horrible that would be?”

  “Oh, horrible,” he murmured. “I can’t imagine anything I’d like you to order me to do.”

  For a single second, Aria did not know what he meant. Then his words sank in, and her cheeks flushed as she thought about all the wonderful kisses they’d shared that day. If it came down to it, Aria could think of a few things she would like to beg for too. The man could certainly make her feel as giddy as a teenager in the throes of her first crush.

  Laredo was a handsome man. There was no doubt about that. Sure. He was a little older than she was by a few years, but what did that matter? It was funny how when they’d been young, he had seemed so much older. The older they both got, the more insignificant the difference in their ages became.

  “What are you thinking?” Laredo wanted to know. He pushed off the doorjamb and walked the rest of the way inside the tack room. “That smile is giving me ideas. Especially if we’re talking about all of the things I would love to hear you ask for.”

  “I was thinking,” she said in her sassiest tone of voice. “That you are far too old for me. You know?”

  “I am not.” He laughed.

  Aria wrapped the reins of a bridle around in what she called a “figure eight” and then hung it up on the proper hook. “I remember when we were all in school, everyone was obsessed with the idea that Jesse had a crush on Cal, and that Cal was way too old for her.”

  “It wasn’t the age difference.” Laredo seemed to reconsider that. “Okay, back then maybe it was. Cal was eighteen when Jesse came to live with us. She was eleven. We could all tell she had a crush on him. At that point, it was illegal. But Cal and Jesse were also raised as brother and sister. You don’t think that would be a little wrong for the two of them to start dating?”

  “Then or now?” Aria asked him. Then she realized that now was all that mattered. “And no. It isn’t wrong. I just want my friend to be happy.”

  “Even if it makes everyone else in the family upset?” He pursed his lips and seemed to at last consider what she was saying. “I know that my parents just don’t feel comfortable with Jesse and Cal as anything more than siblings. They consider both of them their children.”

  “There has to be more to it than that,” Aria insisted. She thought about the agony that Jesse had put herself through over the years on this topic. Her friend had been crushing on Cal forever. But she had been so conditioned not to talk about it or acknowledge it that she had actually convinced herself that it wasn’t true. For the most part.

  Laredo seemed to be uncomfortable with the topic. “I don’t know why Cal and Jesse can’t just look elsewhere. Why my brother has any interest in dating our sister is beyond my comprehension anyway.”

  Aria frowned. “Laredo, they aren’t siblings. If they don’t feel like they are, then they shou
ld be able to love whoever they want.”

  “I think you’re the first person who has ever said that out loud,” Laredo murmured. “Everyone always ignores the whole Cal and Jesse attraction thing. It’s like we’ve been taught our whole lives that it’s wrong, and none of us want to think about the possibility of another option. It’s just too uncomfortable. So, we don’t talk about it.”

  “Maybe we should all start talking about that stuff, then.” Aria made a face at him, but she could tell that this subject was closed for the moment.

  “Can I talk about how much I want to kiss you right now?” Laredo was moving toward her a step at a time. It was like being stalked by a wild predator, and Aria could not deny the excitement of the pursuit.

  “Nice subject change. Or are you really that single-minded?” She put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know if I want to talk about the same things you do. What are your intentions? I mean, you are an older boy. You could be trying to corrupt my innocence.”

  Laredo laughed out loud. Aria lobbed a damp tack sponge at him. He held his hands up to deflect her missiles. “Hey! No attacking me with cleaning products!”

  “Then don’t make fun of my perceived or even pretend innocence!” Not that she was offended. Far from it, actually. She hated the notion of being innocent. That went right along with naiveté in her book. And those were practically crimes in her experience.

  Laredo grabbed Aria around the waist and swung her up off the ground. His forearms were locked right beneath her butt, and she could feel her chest pressed against his. Her nipples started to harden as the blood began pumping furiously through her body. She was so alive in this moment and it felt amazing!

  Gazing up at him was like looking into two blue gems. His eyes were so brilliant that they were almost mesmerizing. She felt like prey and she liked it. Then he lowered his mouth to hers, and Aria was utterly lost in his kiss. This was what she wanted. It had been in the back of her mind all day long.