Cowboy Games

by Audrey Randall

  Jesse laughed, “I guess so. We are related. I’m a descendant of Sarah and Broken Arrow, as is Rayne, my foreman, but the family tree divides shortly after.”

  “Wow! Talk about a close family,” Lana sighed. Jesse didn’t miss the sense of longing in her voice. He supposed that it came from her own past or lack thereof.

  Squeezing her closer, he kissed the top of her head. “We take care of our own.”

  He thought he heard her whisper, “yeah.” Clearing his voice he began the story again.

  “After a few months, the military heard that a white woman had been taken captive by Indians and sought to ‘free’ her. They came upon the settlement when it wasn’t too far from where we are now. When she refused to leave with them, they threatened to kill everyone in the camp if she didn’t come. Running away, to draw the soldiers away from everyone in the village, she brought them to Suicide Bluff. Telling them she would never leave with them, she jumped off the cliff.”

  “Oh my Donkey Kong! She died?” Lana gasped, her hand going to cover her mouth. “Wait! You said you were a descendant. That means she didn’t die.”

  Jesse pulled her closer to him, “No. Broken Arrow wouldn’t allow that. He promised to protect and hold onto Sarah, just as she did for him. They had planned this out in case someone ever came looking for her and wouldn’t let her wishes be. If you look straight down off the bluff, you can see just the hint of a ledge. Broken Arrow was waiting on the ledge. As she jumped, he managed to pull her toward him onto it. They hid on the ledge until it was safe. They could hear the soldiers above look down, looking to see her body, assuming that it was lost in the rocks and trees below. The soldiers couldn’t believe that she had chosen to die over leaving with them.”

  “They didn’t know true love,” Lana ran her hand absently along his arm, making his pulse jump with pleasure.

  “Yes. After the soldiers left, Broken Arrow and Sarah knew that they were only the beginning of an increasing number of settlers and military in the area. They decided to buy this patch of land. Sarah bought it as a ‘widow’ named Sarah Lee and they named it Outlaw’s Pass to try to keep others out. It worked well. Although, Somewhere Valley, Montana is pretty hard to get to,” Jesse mused as he pulled Samson up to the house, sorry that their time together was over.

  As he lifted Lana off the horse, he could tell that she was deep in thought.

  “What is it, darlin’?” he asked her quietly as he pulled her close, leaving her on the porch as he stood below so that they were the same height.

  Lana’s shimmering eyes made him gulp. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. She gave him a watery smile and weak laugh, “Thank you, Jesse for a beautiful picnic. I loved hearing about your family. You are so lucky to have such a rich past. How did you know all of that?”

  Jesse didn’t like how she seemed to feel alone from hearing about his family. He wanted her to know that even though they had only known each other for less than twenty-four hours, he was making himself her protector, her family, if she would let him.

  “It’s a family secret, darlin’, that I will share with you if you give me a real smile,” he heard himself promise.

  Lana’s lips curved into a slow, bashfully beautiful smile.

  “Gorgeous, Lana. Tonight I’ll show you a family secret that no one but blood members has seen.”

  Her brow furled, “Jesse, I don’t want you to…”

  Jesse didn’t want to hear her protests. She would be family. She would be his. It was only a matter of time. Silencing her with his lips seemed like the best option.

  As her hands wound around his neck, Jesse was wondering how long it would take to get her to his bedroom.

  The sound of someone clearing their throat behind them broke them apart. Jesse turned his head to see that Rayne was waiting for him on top of his mustang, Lightening, with his dog, Mickey, panting next to him. Good. He sees that she’s mine, Jesse’s inner voice smugly added to the smile that curved his face.

  Looking back at Lana, he saw that she looked embarrassed. Grabbing her hand, he whispered, “That’s Rayne.”

  Turning he faced his foreman. “Hi Rayne. This is my woman, Lana.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Lana

  At first Lana had been taken aback by being caught kissing Jesse on his porch by the sexy, Native American man on the white horse. Although he certainly was a prime specimen of man, Jesse was the only one who made her lady parts dance.

  And then Jesse had dropped a bomb. A freakin’ Halo Plasma Grenade that tore up her world as she knew it. Sure, they had said out on the bluff that the pull that they felt for each other was a first for both of them, but when he called her his woman, she felt her legs go weak and a sense of belonging fill her. She felt at home and full of nerves at the same time. It was so weird to feel such conflicting emotions, but there they were: raw, strong, and making her feel more than she had… ever.

  “Nice to meet you, Rayne,” Lana heard herself say. Jesse’s hand gave hers a squeeze and she peeked over at him to see him give her a small smile.

  “Gotta go, darlin’. See you later tonight.” The way that Jesse said tonight made Lana ache in anticipation. At this rate, she was going to be going through her panties at an astonishing rate.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Lana

  A few hours later…

  Lana felt strangely at home in Jesse and Cody’s home. Especially after everything that he had said and they had done. She could almost imagine herself making a life here. She then shook her head. She was a digital girl. She didn’t belong in this cattle filled world, unless it was Farmville.

  As she looked out the window with the homey yellow curtains, she let herself wish for a moment she could belong someplace with roots as deep as the trees that surrounded it.

  BAM! The front door slammed bringing Lana out of her reverie. “Lana?! Are you here?” She heard Cody’s excited voice asking.

  “In the kitchen!” she called back.

  Cody burst into the room setting his backpack down on one of the kitchen chairs. “WOW! Did Mary Poppins visit us? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the place this clean.”

  “Oh, I had a little time,” Lana smiled as she sat at the table with her Kindle.

  Cody planted his palm to his forehead and made a ‘doh!’ sound. He went over to the pantry and pulled out some cookies and then headed to the fridge for some milk. “I’m sorry! Jesse and I forgot to give you the WIFI password, didn’t we?”

  “It’s really okay,” Lana took a chocolate chip cookie from the bag. “It was nice to have a break from the online world.”

  Cody poured two glasses of milk and sat down. “Yea, I can get that. Still though, I feel rude. What did you do today, besides cleaning up after a bunch of pigs?”

  “Well,” Lana said as she brought the glass up for a sip. “Jesse took me for a picnic. The scenery here is incredible.”

  Lana looked up to see that Cody looked a little panicked. “Was he okay?”

  Lana was confused, “Jesse? Yeah, he was fine.”

  Cody put his cookie down. “No, I mean, did he even talk to you?”

  Lana laughed, “Non-stop. He’s such a great storyteller.”

  Cody looked shocked. “We are talking about Jesse Lee? My brother. You know, tall, dark hair, looks kinda mad most of the time...”

  “I don’t think he looks mad,” Lana replied as she bit into her cookie. She felt like maybe a can of worms had been opened and she didn’t know how to respond. “He told me the story of Sarah and Broken Arrow.”

  Cody’s mouth dropped open. “He told you THAT?”

  “Yeah. What’s the big deal?” Lana was beginning to feel uneasy.

  Cody sat there open mouthed for a moment, seemingly trying to formulate words. “I’m just shocked. Jesse is known to be tight-lipped. I’ve heard rumors around town that he used to go to school for days without saying a word to anyone! And now, I hear that he spent a lunchtime with you telling you all a
bout Sarah and Broken Arrow! That’s no short story.”

  “I really liked it. You are so lucky to have a place that belongs to your family in such a longstanding way,” Lana smiled as she dunked her cookie.

  “Yeah. I guess,” Cody took a bite. “It’s a curse though too, you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Cody sighed. “Well, everyone expects you to stay and ‘keep the legacy going,’” He said in a deep, official sounding voice. “I’m not a rancher like Jesse is. It’s in his bones. I belong to your world, Lana.” Cody reached a hand out over the table for hers.

  Lana felt her anxiety levels rising. She didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, but she didn’t know what to do. To lead him on would be mean, but she didn’t quite know how to let him down or even if she was reading him right. Maybe he’s just really friendly? She hopefully thought. Reaching over, she took his hand and looked him in the eye. “Yes, Cody. You do belong in the digital world. You are an incredible player and I know that all of us on the team feel lucky to have you as one of our soldiers.”

  Cody squeezed her hand and laughed. A small blush rose over his cheeks, “Naw, you’re just saying that. The game wouldn’t be worth playing without you, Lana.”

  Lana squeezed his hand back. “Thanks Cody. I feel like I should tell you that I am seeing someone.”

  Cody dropped her hand and looked sullen, still meeting her eyes. “You are? Has it been long?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “Not long, but there’s something there I want to explore. I love having you as my friend, Cody. You are such a great person.”

  Cody let out a long breath and took a minute. Pasting a smile on his face he looked up at her, “I bet you’re suffering from withdrawal. Let’s go play some Celestial Prophesy.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jesse

  The sun was beginning to set and the chill was nipping through the air as Jesse and Rayne finished up the last of their improvements to the fence to keep the wolves out.

  Rayne wiped the sweat from his brow. “So, what’s up with that girl?”

  “Her name is Lana,” Jesse nailed in the last nail to the fence. “She’s Cody’s friend from some video game he plays.”

  “Okay, that’s not weird,” Rayne sarcastically stated as he cleaned up their tools.

  “It really isn’t. I guess she’s some big shot at the game and Cody asked her to come and see the ranch. She wants to do something for underprivileged girls.”

  “Well, were you searching for the explanation with your tongue in her mouth?” Rayne teased him.

  Jesse gave Rayne a look. “She’s mine, Rayne. Plain and simple. I know it in my bones.”

  “Phewwww,” Rayne pushed his hat back on his head. Being about the same age as Jesse, they had grown up more like brothers than distant cousins. Rayne knew that if Jesse said that something was serious, it was just that. Jesse had always known his mind and gone after what he wanted. “Does she want to stay here?”

  “Don’t know,” Jesse grunted as he moved the leftover wood piece to one side.

  “That’s kind of a big point.”

  Jesse gave him a glare, “You think I don’t know that?”

  “What will you do if she doesn’t stay?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t think like that,” Jesse swung up on Samson as Rayne got on Lightening.

  Turning the horses back to the house, Rayne didn’t let the topic go. “So are you going to host this thing that she wants for those girls?”

  “I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it yet.”

  “Well Hell’s Bells, Jesse! What did the two of you talk about on that picnic? I saw your mom’s old picnic blanket tied up to Samson, so I know that’s what you did.”

  Jesse looked over at the hawk that was flying over the tress. He wished for a moment he could spout wings and fly away from Rayne’s questions, but if he did that, he would fly away from Lana too, and he didn’t want that. Grinding his teeth, he finally answered, “We spoke about a lot of stuff.”

  Under his breath Rayne quietly said, “I’m surprised you spoke at all…”

  “What?!” Jesse was annoyed with Rayne at this point.

  “Nothing. Where did you take her?”

  Jesse stopped Samson and gave Rayne a hard look. “What is this? Twenty Questions?”

  “It wouldn’t be if you just gave more details, you ass,” Rayne retorted.

  “You sound like your sister,” Jesse breathed out as he pinched his nose. “I took her to Suicide Bluff. I told her the story of Sarah and Broken Arrow.”

  Rayne’s eyebrows darted up. “Wait! You told her that?! Phew… man! It is serious! Did you show her…”

  “No,” Jesse interrupted. “Not until I know she will stay.”

  “You are a goner, man. I hope she does,” Rayne set his hat lower on his head and whistled for Mickey to join him.

  “Me too.”

  “How are you going to woo her?”

  “Woo her? Rayne, did I hear you right? Did you just use the word woo?”

  “Hey man! It is what it is! How are you going to do it?”

  “I’m not sure,” Jesse answered but silently added but I’ll do it with all my heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lana

  “Cody, you would have more blaster power if you picked up the shield from Sector Delta 511. I know it’s a long trip, but well worth it for the added punch, if you know what I mean,” Lana suggested as they worked their way through the Amorilian Sector, scouting out potential planets to colonize or mine.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that. It’s just the time. Who has the time?” Cody asked as he brought his yellow Excelsior Class fighter ship around one of the asteroids.

  “Ahhh, well, I have a secret…” Lana teased as she followed suit with her own Galactic Class speed racer.

  “What’s that, oh great queen?” Cody teased.

  “There are companies in China that if you pay them, the person will spend the whole day flying your ship out to the Amorilian Sector. They then will ping you when they get there and you can fulfill the mission, then when it’s time to head back, you pay them to fly you back.”

  Cody stopped playing, “Is that cheating?”

  Lana laughed, “No. I checked with Nebula One before I did it and they said that as long as the person only flew my plane and didn’t engage in anything it was fine. My manager likened it to buying a plane ticket and these people are just the pilots to the location.”

  “Okay,” Cody gave her a big smile. “Does it cost a lot?”

  “Does what cost a lot?” Jesse’s deep voice from the doorway made Lana jump.

  Looking over at him, he looked manly, sexy, and hers. Where did that last bit come from? It was hard to believe that he had been out doing hard manual labor and still managed to look so delicious.

  “I was just telling Cody about a service to fly his…”

  Jesse held up a hand, “The moment you said fly his, you lost me. I’m going to take a shower and then I’ll get dinner ready.”

  Lana scrambled up. “No need. I already put a casserole in the oven.”

  “I thought it smelled good, but I thought it was just you, Lana,” Cody said with a laugh as he paused the game.

  “Thanks for that, darlin’. It smells excellent.” With that, Jesse gave her a dimpled smile and started unbuttoning his red flannel shirt. Lana felt her eyes following his hands as naughty thoughts filled her mind. “Be back in a minute,” he gruffly said with a wink. Bastard! He did that on purpose!

  Lana sat back down on Cody’s bed as she heard the water start to run in the bathroom. She tried her best to concentrate on the game, but all she could think about was Jesse naked in the shower. His muscular chest, his firm ass, his strong arms and hands wandering down to his thick, long…

  “Did you hear what I asked, Lana?” Cody asked with a hand waving in her face.

  Lana shook her head to bring her out of her daydream. It w
as unlikely she would be able to forget it. After all, another pair of panties had been sacrificed for her momentary pleasure. “Sorry Cody. No, what did you say?”

  “I asked if you could give me the contact for that Chinese company.”

  “Oh yeah, sure. No problem. I better check on dinner.” Rising from the bed, she hoped to hell that Cody didn’t see how Jesse had affected her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jesse

  Whatever casserole Lana had whipped up was delicious. He and Cody hadn’t eaten so well in a long time. Looking at how Cody was wolfing down his food, he must have felt the same.

  “Did you see the bunkhouse?” Cody asked between massive bites.

  Lana played with her food and looked at Jesse from under her lashes. When they made eye contact, a soft blush moved up her cheeks. Jesse felt his cock respond immediately. “Um, no. I just gave her a lay of the land today. I’m going to show her the buildings tomorrow.”

  Cody nodded his head as if that made sense. After a few more minutes eating, Cody finally picked up his plate and moved it to the sink. “I have a calculus test tomorrow. I better go study.”

  Lana moved her hair behind her ear as she gave Cody a friendly smile. Jesse was pleased to see that it was just that. A friendly smile. “Good luck. I never made it that far,” she mused.

  Jesse gave him a head nod before he left the room.

  The second Cody left, Jesse reached over to Lana and pulled her onto his lap. She let out a surprised laugh as her rear made contact with his very ready cock. Nuzzling her ear, Jesse whispered, “I can’t get you out of my head.”

  He was pleased when Lana let out a happy noise and snuggled closer. “I’m glad. Hearing you in the shower about killed me.”

  “Tonight?” Jesse wanted her more than he could say.

  Lana let out a disappointed noise. “I can’t. Not with Cody here.”

  Jesse didn’t want to press her and make her uncomfortable, but his cock was about to explode. “Okay.”