by Reece Butler
“As I said, there’s a couple of ranches around who could use a wife,” said Ranger. “Luke Frost’s Circle C is next to Trace, with the Flying X beyond. They’re Southern gentlemen, so I don’t think they’d suit your temper. But the J Bar C is just east of here. Three cousins, all fairly rough. They’re all eager for a wife. Or you could—”
“I will not lose my freedom, and my money, to a man!” She spat the words out, keeping her voice low but her fury at full blast.
“Then you better convince Mr. Kenrick Langford that you’re a fourteen-year-old boy eager to prove your worth.”
She didn’t like the hint of laugher in Ranger’s eyes. He was up to something, but like Ben, he kept his promises. Both of them were slippery with words, though. She thought back, but her temper fuzzed the details of what he’d promised.
Ranger tilted his head at her, one eyebrow up. He likely figured she wouldn’t have the sand to last three weeks with lordlings who thought themselves better just because of who their father was. But Ranger hadn’t seen what she’d put up with for two years. As a Bonham of Charleston, Virginia, her bloodlines were top quality. She’d learned how to work the social network based on family connections, though she detested it. Give her horse or cattle breeding and she was top notch. Snooty humans was a whole ’nother thing.
She settled herself and lifted an eyebrow in return. Working on a horse in the fresh air would be a cakewalk after Virginia.
“How much is the Double Diamond paying?”
“Food and a place in the barn.”
“What! I know more about ranching than—”
Ranger lifted a finger. Jessie caught the movement and shut her mouth.
“I want you to prove yourself, but there’s a reason I chose the Double D. They’re good men and will do their damndest, but they’re greenhorns. They could have waited for us to deliver their cattle, but they came down to meet us and help the last few days. They’re good on a horse, they’re smart, and learn fast. Most of all, they’re determined to win.”
“I heard they won the whole kit and caboodle in a poker game,” she sneered. “Maybe they’ll lose it all the same way.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Ace says he won’t be gambling again. You in or not?”
“Why don’t they hire someone to ramrod the place?” she muttered, glowering.
“You don’t hire a man to do your own job,” he replied, though she already knew the answer. “I talked to Trace and Gillis about them. They help others but won’t take charity, which includes the ranching help they desperately need. But if a kid begs to work for them, free, they’ll take you on and learn from you.”
“Why should I help them?”
“Remember when we first arrived in Texas? We knew nothing about scorpions, sidewinders, and everything else that could kill us. If Señor Garcia hadn’t helped us out of the goodness of his heart—”
“From the way he looked at Louisa, I think it was lower than his heart,” said Jessie with a snort. “After all, he married her a couple months later.”
“Dammit, Jessie! Do you want this chance, or not?”
She slouched in the saddle, playing with her horse’s mane. After a lifetime of dreams, another three weeks wouldn’t change anything. “Don’t got much choice, do I?”
“Good. Ace is the ramrod. He’s the one in the middle, Henry’s on one side, and Sin is the big one on the black horse that I know you want to ride. Don’t try it, or Sin will thrash you to town and back.”
“Didn’t think my brothers would let me anywhere near a man named Sin. Aren’t you afraid of my virtue?”
She fluttered her eyebrows at him, looking up in adoration. It was one of the things she’d been forced to learn as part of the lessons on how to win a rich husband. Ranger responded with a look of disgust.
“You’re better with a knife than I am. And he’s called Sin because his middle name is St. John. For some reason the English pronounce it ‘Sinjin.’ I’m not worried he’ll go after your virtue. No one would dare touch a virgin with six brothers and three male cousins living in the same valley.”
His look of lofty arrogance made her want to prove him different. She didn’t care about losing her virginity because she didn’t want anything to do with a husband. But Ranger was right. Once word got around that she was Jessamine Elliott, the only men who’d come near her were those wanting to marry. They’d want her for her wealth, not her ability or personality. Just like the ones in Virginia.
She looked up at the three big men watching them. They didn’t look like the fops who drooled over her cleavage for the last two years.
“I haven’t met a man who I wanted to dance with, much less kiss.”
At least, she hadn’t met any yet. But just because she didn’t like dandies didn’t mean she wasn’t a red-blooded female with needs. She was curious to see what all the hoopla was about. The last few times she watched mares being mounted, her breasts tingled and she felt a warm, wet sensation between her thighs. Looking at Sin made her feel a bit the same. Any man with such a magnificent horse couldn’t be all bad.
If only her Nightwind wasn’t in Texas. Her mare and that stallion would make damn good babies. The thought of watching the two huge black horses mate made her twitch in the saddle. Nightwind, so much bigger than the greenbroke horses on the Texas ranch, refused every stallion that came near her. She and Nightwind had a lot in common, though Jessie was so much smaller than most men. Nightwind had teeth and hooves, but Jessie had her knives and knew how to fight dirty.
“Make sure they don’t find out who you are.” Ranger settled his shoulders. “Working with them will give you a chance to harden up before I put you to work.”
She caught another flash of a laugh and narrowed her eyes at him. “I swear, if this is one of your schemes, I’ll—”
“Who knows, you might end up enjoying it so much you’ll want to stay on.” He turned his horse and cantered toward the herd, a laugh trailing behind him.
Though he couldn’t see it, Jessie gave her brother one last glare. The only girl of seven, sandwiched between two sets of twins, she knew too much about men. They had a sense of power most women never learned to enjoy. From the moment she realized that power existed, she did everything to get it.
Other than those two simpering years with their mother’s wealthy old-maid sister, she’d gone her own way. Of course, she followed the orders of the ranch boss, but all along she planned to be in partnership with her younger brothers. She had three weeks to find out if the Double Diamond men were up to her standards. If they were, she might try some of that kissing and see where it led. They wouldn’t know who she was, so she could be herself, warts and all.
If she had to take orders from greenhorns, at least she could do it with the know-it-all attitude of a fourteen-year-old boy. She certainly knew what that was all about, having spent her life with them.
She tucked in her chin and walked her horse uphill toward the trio of men. She ignored them, eying Sin’s tall, all-black stallion with envy. He must be eighteen hands high. She wasn’t sure of the breed, but he had feathers on all four legs and a thick mane and tail. Yes, Nightwind might find this stallion worth coupling with.
After she looked at the horses, she checked out the men riding them. Ace sat tall in the saddle, as if he was the lord of the manor. He might find it easy to win a ranch playing cards, but keeping it would be far more work. Had he ever done a day’s work, or gotten his hands dirty? She’d enjoy pulling his attitude down a few pegs. If it bothered him that a boy could outwork him, wait until three weeks from now, when he found out he’d been bested by a woman!
Something stirred in her belly when she got close. Yes, these were men, not overbred fops. While Henry looked happy to see her, Sin frowned and Ace continued to look down his nose. Ranger said she had to keep her temper. He didn’t say anything about pushing her new bosses to lose theirs. Ace looked like the type to take a horsewhip to the serfs on his family estate if they looked
at him sideways. Her youngest brother, Patrick, said the man spoke like the King’s professor, with big words and perfect diction. Therefore, she would do the opposite.
“I heered yer lookin’ fer a man. I’se small, but I kin work jist as hard.”
Chapter Two
Ace slowly peeled off his gloves as he stared at the dirty-faced urchin. The boy looked about fourteen. He scowled at the world from under a battered felt hat. His clothes had also seen better days. The boy was scrawny and determined, with a chip on his shoulder big enough to carry a horse. If he’d ever been near a grammar book, it hadn’t caught his eye—or his tongue.
“Why are you not living with your parents?”
“Cain’t. They’se dead.”
The boy hawked and spat. The gob missed Ace’s boot by a few inches, close enough to be insulting but not quite enough to get him shot for insolence. The boy’s boots and belt were good quality, though worn, as was the gun he wore low on his right hip. He tilted his face enough to flick a quick glance. Ace saw the sneer, quickly hidden. He returned the boy’s look. A desperate man had to use what was available.
“I heered yer hard up fer a hand to cut yer cattle.” He spoke to his saddle horn. “I been out East fer a bit but I lived here afore Ma and Da died. I knows how to work good.”
Ace noticed the kid’s suddenly clenched jaw. He’d done the same at that age to stop his feelings from showing. Eyes, so dark a brown they were almost black, suddenly met his. The kid was a pinch over five feet, perhaps a hundred pounds if he wore the duster and was soaking wet. Something about his narrow face looked familiar, but the boy looked away so fast Ace couldn’t tell what.
“I know the land, mister. We both need som’fin the other’s got.” The brat stuck a thumb in his belt and leaned back in the saddle as if he was the one with the power.
Unfortunately, the boy was right. They needed to separate their cattle from the Elliotts and settle them in their new home. Calves needed branding and castrating. Ranger said the boy would work for bed and board. Since it was summer, “bed” would be the barn or a blanket under the stars and “board” would be whatever they could rustle up. Most days, it would be beans and salt pork with a can of peaches for dessert. If one of them caught a deer, Henry’s venison stew was the best grub around.
Sin moved his horse around to flank the boy. He checked him out then nodded. “Try him out for a couple weeks. If we don’t like what we see, no fair, no foul.”
The boy startled at Sin’s deep voice. He straightened his spine, adding another quarter inch to his five-feet-damn-all and nodded regally. He certainly had attitude to spare. He’d better have a strong back to go with it.
Ace watched the boy check out Sin and Henry. A faint flush rose from the boy’s collar, and he looked down after he caught Sin’s eye. Ace frowned. When he was that age, didn’t he have a touch of fuzz on his cheeks and a faint bulge of Adam’s apple? The boy had soft cheeks and his long neck was smooth. Just like a girl.
A shiver flowed through Ace. His cock twitched, eager for action. Ace winced and hauled his eyes off the boy. Blast, he needed a woman! He’d never been attracted to a boy before. He didn’t want the reaction his body demanded. He didn’t want the brat anywhere near him. Unfortunately, they needed his skills. Even more, Sin wanted him. Sin was best at reading people, and Ace trusted his judgment. He’d let Ace and Henry work with the boy while he stayed away. Far, far away. He cleared his throat.
“What is your name, boy?”
“Jessie.”
“How old are you?”
“It don’t matter none.”
Sin poked Jessie hard in the side with his finger. The kid winced and then turned his head, clenching his fists. Though Sin smirked, the boy held his temper. Ace noted the boy wasn’t intimidated by Sin’s size. Though a foot-and-a-half shorter, Jessie gave no quarter. Perhaps he was used to men towering over him and expected they wouldn’t hit a kid. That attitude was necessary when working with cattle weighing up to a couple thousand pounds. The three adults would make sure the kid didn’t display it at them, however.
“Ranger Elliott told ye I kin do the job. Do ye trust him or not?”
“We’ll take you on trial for three weeks. Follow orders, keep your mouth shut, and we’ll get along.” Ace nodded at his partners and rode toward the herd.
* * * *
Jessie let her shoulders relax. She’d achieved the last step toward reaching her dream. The second day on the Bride Train she’d switched her bright yellow dress with another woman. She cut her hair and changed into the clothes she’d hidden like a dirty secret for two years. With comfortable clothes and short hair came the freedom to think and speak her mind, to go where she wanted, and to live—or die—with the consequences.
Even though she wasn’t six feet tall with bulging muscles, it didn’t mean she couldn’t run a ranch. She expected to have to prove it to Ranger and Patrick. But she hadn’t counted on having to wear bindings around her chest, a wide padded belt to hide her curves or a long coat to cover her round bottom. In August heat, no less.
If Ace and his partners found out she was female before the three weeks were up, they’d ruin her deal with Ranger. With so few women around, her brothers would try to dump an idiot of a husband on her. He’d confine her to a cabin, and tell her to make dinner and babies. She’d lose control over her inheritance, her life, and her body.
That was not happening to Jessie Elliott. She’d be partner in a ranch come hell or high water! To do that, she had to hide herself, and her personality, for twenty-one days.
“I say, Statham,” drawled Henry in an upper-crust accent. She’d heard a few of those in Charleston. None of them could even dress themselves, much less rope a cow. “Langford is a mite put out by the lad, hmm?” He caught Jessie with his laughing blue eyes and winked. He dropped the plummy accent. “In case you don’t know, I’m Henry Bennett, and the blond giant beside me is Charles Statham, Sin to his friends. If you can, stay out of Ace’s way for the next three weeks.”
“Yessir.”
“You hungry?”
Jessie shrugged. When she walked past Baldy’s Saloon around dinnertime on her way to see Ranger, the stench wafting out made her almost lose yesterday’s supper, the only meal she’d had recently. She startled when Charles put his hand on her shoulder.
The gentlemen in Virginia would never dare touch a woman with bare hands, and then only to dance. He wasn’t one of those dandies, and he wasn’t her brother. No one else had touched her for a long, long time. His warmth seeped into her, stirring a heat she wasn’t sure she understood, but enjoyed. The part between her legs tingled like it did when she touched herself there. She clenched her muscles, shifting in the saddle.
“Time to find some stew and biscuits. We’ll spend tonight with the herd, but if we can cut out all the steers for market tomorrow, we should be able to sleep at home. Welcome to the Double Diamond, Jessie.”
He squeezed her shoulder and released her. She nodded, biting her lip, and followed them downhill to the herd. Ranger nodded for them to eat, so they put their horses with the remuda. Sin and Henry’s legs were so long, Jessie had to trot to keep up as they walked toward the campfire. Sin was like a blond mountain. He was at least as big as The MacDougal in Texas. He seemed far kinder, though, and saw too much. She was sure he noticed her flush when Henry commented she looked skinny enough to be a girl as they took care of their horses. When she replied that she could make him into one with her knife real easy, Sin laughed. It sounded warm and welcoming. Did she feel this way because it was so long since she’d been accepted?
She got her plate filled with stew and inhaled the wonderful smell of home. She sat on a log, bracketed by Sin and Henry. She might look like a young boy, but the scent of these clean, hard-working men sent quivers between her thighs.
Except for the day of his daughter Louisa’s marriage, The MacDougal never let Jessie off the Texas ranch. She’d spent her life surrounded by men. Louisa was
older and a spoiled princess. Sunbird, the Indian wife of The MacDougal, was a quiet shadow who spent her days working in and around the homestead. Until she left for Virginia, Jessie hadn’t spoken to anyone else in years. The men she’d seen since weren’t worth spit, and most of the women were worse.
Never had one of those overconfident men from the First Families of Virginia made her want to lean against them and inhale their strength. Likely because they didn’t have any. But she kept herself rigidly upright, eyes on her food. It was just a first impression, but she might ask Sin after her three weeks were up if he was interested in teaching her the ropes of bedsport. Henry might help, as well. Ace could go to hell. She wouldn’t have anything to do with the arrogant, insufferable lordling.
She took her first bite, mostly gravy to ease her stomach into the idea of food. She closed her eyes and moaned as it flowed over her taste buds. Sin shifted away from her as if disgusted with her manners.
“Who’s Ranger Elliott to you?” he asked.
He nudged her with his elbow when she didn’t answer. His touch made her jump. Caught swallowing, she coughed and wiped her mouth.
“After Ma and Pa died I lived with the MacDougals. The Rocking E is across the valley. I saw the Elliotts a lot.”
She ignored him and concentrated on the wonderful food for a while. Since she’d finished all her biscuits, she used her finger to wipe up the last of the gravy. The men did the same, so they couldn’t complain.
“First thing in the morning we split out the market steers,” said Henry. “Then we’ll separate the herds. Have you done that before?”
“Not much different than roundup,” she said. “You worried I’ll let them Elliotts take the best beef?”
“You don’t worry me at all, Jessie Bonham,” said Sin in a smooth, deep rumble.
He leaned close when he took her empty plate. His warm breath brushed her bare neck, raising a flash of heat that had nothing to do with the campfire. She pressed her knees together, startled at the throbbing need that erupted. She hugged her coat around her and watched Sin’s backside as he took the plates to the cook.