by Marla Monroe
“What’s going on, Kenny?” Marshall asked.
“Later. Are you loading that truck, or do I start dialing your momma’s number?”
“Fuck.” The man called out to the back, and two teenage boys ran up front. He gave them the list and told them to load the truck out front.
“Now was that so hard?” Marshall asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm.
It took fifteen minutes to get the truck loaded. They made their next stop at the grocery store to load up on dry goods. Drew and Jeb were going to get meat and perishables tomorrow. Marshall sure hoped the roads would be in better shape by the next day.
“That’s all the groceries. You ready to head back?” Marshall asked.
“Let’s stop by the livery. I want you to meet Robert. He’ll be in and out at the ranch, so I want to be sure you know him.” Kenny swung up in the cab of the truck and started it.
They stopped outside of what looked very much like a barn. As soon as he stepped out of the truck, he smelt the acrid fumes of a fire and hot metal. Underneath that was the unmistakable smell of horses.
Kenny jumped out of the truck and headed inside, calling out Robert’s name. A tall, muscular man of about six feet, six inches walked out of the back, sweaty but smiling.
Kenny gestured toward Marshall. “This is one of the new hands I told you about. Marshall, this is Kenny.”
Marshall held out his hand, and the other man grabbed it but didn’t try to test his strength.
“Any friend of Kenny is a friend of mine. How do you like it out at the ranch?” Robert asked.
“Like it just fine. Great food and a good place to work.” Marshall wasn’t sure how much Robert knew about what was going on.
“You got time for a break?” Kenny asked his lover.
“Sure. Let’s get a cup of coffee in back.” Robert led the way to a room in the back of the barn that was obviously used for an office.
Marshall watched as he set about making coffee, chatting easily with Kenny about a mutual acquaintance and his unruly mare. As soon as it was ready, they sat down to drink it. Kenny brought up the problems out at the ranch.
“Drew is pretty much over the knot on her head, but she should have taken it easy for a few more days.”
“You know as well as I do that she isn’t going to do that. That ranch is in her blood.”
“Supposed to be another storm brewing up in Canada. Should hit early next week. Think you could come out to the ranch before it does? You can’t do anything while it’s snowed up anyway.” Kenny looked up at Robert with something close to need in his eyes.
Marshall looked away to give them a private moment. He didn’t have any problems with the two of them, but it made him uncomfortable to be there when they obviously needed some alone time.
“I’ll see, Kenny. Depends on if I have horses here or not. Supposed to pick them up on Saturday, but you can never tell about the owners.”
“Well, if you can, Drew could use your expertise in the kitchen to give her a break,” Kenny teased him.
“Right. You’re just hinting you want lasagna.” Robert punched him in the arm.
“Guess we better get going. Long drive back, and the roads are icy. Drew and Jeb will be out tomorrow to load up on perishables. I’ll tell them to stop by so you can meet Jeb,” Kenny said.
“Better get on the road, Kenny,” Robert warned. “Good to meet you, Marshall. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you.”
They all shook hands, and Kenny and Marshall climbed back into the truck. They turned around to drive back to the ranch.
“How long has it been since you and Robert have had any alone time, before today?” Marshall broached the subject, unsure how Kenny would take it.
The other man was silent for a while. “About a month.”
“That’s got to be hell.”
“It’s not fun, that’s for damn sure.”
They remained quiet the rest of the way back, each deep in their own thoughts as Kenny maneuvered the icy roads. Marshall figured Robert was the cautious one of the two. He seemed to be more worried about the way people around him thought. Kenny didn’t seem to give a damn. It sounded like it was a bone of contention between them. Hell of a way to live.
Once they returned to the ranch, Jeb joined them to unload the feed and groceries. Drew put them away as they left them in the kitchen.
“Any trouble?” she asked.
“Just had to get tough about loading our feed. Ricky wanted to be stubborn about it, but I straightened him out.”
“Threatened to call his mom, did you?” She laughed.
“Hey, whatever works,” Kenny said with a smirk on his face.
Marshall enjoyed the easy banter between them and hoped one day they would be a part of that. Right now, he didn’t feel comfortable enough to join in.
Kenny told her about introducing Marshall to Robert. “Be sure to stop by and introduce Jeb to him tomorrow.”
“I will.”
“Looks like we have everything we need for another round of snow.”
“I think I’m going to get more feed when we go tomorrow, Jeb. I feel like this next snow might be a tough one.”
Jeb looked over at Marshall. “How are the roads?”
“Rough. You’re going to have to be really careful. Kenny didn’t have much trouble, but there are some tricky spots.”
“Drew, hope you don’t mind, but I invited Robert out here for the next snow if he can get away.”
“You know he’s always welcome here, Kenny.” Drew looked at him with an odd look on her face.
“Well, that means he has to share a room with me,” Kenny said and looked toward the kitchen window.
* * * *
“Why is that a problem?” she asked.
“Just wasn’t sure how you felt about it,” Kenny said.
“It’s not a problem with me,” Drew assured him.
“Jeb, Marshall?” Kenny carefully asked.
“It’s none of our business. I don’t have a problem with your being gay,” Jeb said.
“Same goes with me,” Marshall added.
Kenny let out a breath he’d obviously been holding. He nodded and then walked out the back door.
“He’s sensitive about it, isn’t he?” Jeb commented.
“Yeah, around you two he is. He’s never been that way with me before.”
“I really hate that,” Jeb confessed. “I like Kenny, and I’m sure I’ll like Robert.”
“Robert seems to worry more about what people will think,” Marshall said.
“I think you’re right.” Drew sighed and sat down.
“You tired, baby?” Marshall asked.
“Just tired of everything being so difficult.”
Drew decided she wanted a nice, relaxing bath. She’d been on edge for a long time now. The men could make the rounds this time.
“I’m going to have a bath. The three of you can make rounds.” She smiled shyly at them. “Maybe you two could come dry me off later?” She made it a question.
“Nothing would please me more,” Jeb said.
She noticed his and Marshall’s eyes grow dark. She loved knowing she had that effect on them. She smiled then turned and sauntered over to the stairs to walk up to the bedroom. She slipped out of her clothes and took a quick shower to wash off the dirt and sweat from working with Jeb outside. Then she turned on the water in the tub and added her favorite bath salts.
When she slipped into the sudsy water, a soft sigh escaped her mouth, and she laughed, thinking how much like good sex a hot, relaxing bath could be. She spent the next thirty minutes fantasizing about Jeb and Marshall and all the ways they could have sex. She hesitated at calling it “making love.” They really didn’t know each other all that well.
Hell, she was having sex with them. How much better could she know them? Disgruntled at having messed up her mood, Drew dunked her head under water and proceeded to wash it. When she rinsed, she realized someone was in the bath
room with her when a breath of air made her shiver. She still had her eyes shut and was almost afraid to open them. Surely it was either Jeb or Marshall.
When she opened them, there was no one there.
Drew shivered and quickly let the water from the tub and stepped out. She wrapped a towel around her and closed and locked the bathroom door. Could she have imagined the slight whisper of air that had blown past her? She had a difficult time believing she was mistaken. The men wouldn’t have played with her like that with everything going on around the ranch.
A sharp knock on the door had her screeching in alarm.
“Drew! Are you okay?” Jeb’s voice sounded alarmed through the door. He rattled the door knob. “Let me in, Drew.
She hurried and unlocked the door, letting Jeb in. He grabbed her by the upper arms and looked down into her eyes. He must have seen something there, because he pulled her into his arms despite the fact that she was still wet.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I–I was washing my hair and had my eyes closed. I swear someone was in the room with me. But when I got them clear, so I could open them, there was no one there. I know they were there. It wasn’t you, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t me. I would never have scared you like that. I didn’t see anyone, but I came in through the back door. The front door is unlocked. We’ve got to keep all the doors locked all the time from now on. We’ll all need keys.”
“I doubt I even have a key to the damn front door. I’ll have to look for it, and we’ll get keys made tomorrow when we’re in town.” Drew wrapped her arms around Jeb and let him hold her. It felt so good to be able to lean on someone for a change.
“What’s going on in here? Did I miss something?” Marshall’s grin quickly changed to alarm when he noticed their somber expressions.
“Drew had a scare.”
Jeb pushed Marshall out of the way and led Drew into the bedroom. Then he told Marshall what happened to Drew. Marshall frowned.
“Are you sure someone was in here with you?”
“I’m sure. I felt a breeze, like someone had walked by. There aren’t any drafts in this house. It’s built solid to keep the cold wind out during the winter.”
“Damn. Jeb, no one needs to be alone anymore. Not even in the house.”
“We’re going to get keys made in town tomorrow and keep all the doors locked as well,” Jeb told him.
Marshall took the towel from Drew and began to dry her off. He patted her skin then rubbed her hair until it was no longer dripping.
“Jeb, go get her hair dryer, and we’ll dry her hair in here so she can sit on the bed.”
Drew sat on the bed and shivered. She still felt spooked even with both men in the room with her. Then she thought about Kenny.
“What about Kenny? He’s by himself out there.” She started to get up and grab her pants.
“No, your hair is wet. You’ll catch pneumonia if you go out with wet hair,” Jeb said. “I’ll go get Kenny and let him know what happened.”
“Thanks, Jeb. I don’t want anything to happen to him, either.” Drew squeezed his hand.
“I’ve got her,” Marshall said before he turned on the dryer and began blowing her hair.
Drew enjoyed having someone brush out her hair and dry it for her, but part of her was still worried about who was messing with her ranch and why. How far would they go? If they would hit her on the head, would they try and kill someone?
“You’re thinking too hard. Try and relax. You’ve got creases between your brows. They’re going to stick like that if you don’t relax.” Marshall leaned over and kissed her on the nose.
“I can’t get it out of my mind that someone is trying to ruin me and the ranch. I don’t bother anyone. I mind my own business. What do they want?”
“Probably the ranch itself. If you can’t make your payments on the ranch, it will go to the bank and be auctioned off, right?” Marshall asked.
“Right.”
“So who has a vested interest in gaining the ranch?”
“Brett Gunnison, but I can’t see him stooping to petty tricks to get the ranch.” She finger combed her hair to see how much more it needed of the hair dryer.
“Some of this hasn’t been petty, Drew. Knocking you over the head wasn’t petty. That was assault and could have even been attempted murder. Burning down a barn isn’t petty, either.”
“But putting weevils in the feed is. Cutting fences is,” she argued.
Marshall set the hair dryer aside and pulled her into his arms. “Maybe you have two people trying to get to you.”
“Even I think that is too over-the-top.”
“Never know what people will do when they think they have something to lose.”
“I guess you’re right.” She figured he was talking about his and Jeb’s past.
Someone bounded up the stairs. Drew didn’t have a good feeling about it.
As soon as Jeb skidded into the room she asked him what was wrong.
“I can’t find Kenny. I found where he was saddling a horse, but he’s nowhere that I can find him.”
Chapter Eleven
The men waited for Drew to get dressed. Neither one of them were going to leave her alone for one minute. Jeb helped her fasten her jeans. Her hands were shaking.
“Easy, Drew. We’ll find him.” Jeb pulled her into his arms and squeezed her before letting her go and leading the way downstairs.
“Where do you suggest we start looking?” Marshall asked Drew.
“If he’s on foot, then we’ll have to split up and search in a circle out from the barn,” she said.
“Nix that idea. We’re not splitting up for any reason. We’ll search together. He can’t be too far. He might even be fine and just heard something and took off to see what it was,” Jeb said.
Marshall and Drew began bundling up against the cold. As soon as they were dressed, Jeb led them outside to where he found Kenny’s horse in the barn, already saddled. Drew looked around and couldn’t see anything out of place until she looked at the floor.
“Look, there is more than one type of boot print from the muddy snow.” She pointed at the two different size boots.
“I missed that,” Jeb said. He lifted his boot and compared it to the other print. “It’s not mine.
“It has to be whoever took or lured Kenny away.” Drew began following the muddy prints back out the door and around to the back of the barn.
“Stick close, Drew. I don’t want you lost, too,” Marshall told her.
“The prints are leading into the bushes. How are we going to track them now?” she worried.
“Look at the way the limbs are snapped. We follow them. They’ll cause a lot of damage to them as they walk through. Hopefully, Kenny is dragging his feet as well.” Jeb led the way with Marshall bringing up the rear behind Drew.
They walked for over twenty minutes when there was a shout and a shot fired in the distance. Drew took off running ahead of the men. Jeb cursed and took off after her with Marshall on his heels.
“I’m going to spank that ass red when I catch her,” Marshall yelled.
“Save some licks for me. Fuck, she can run.”
They reached her about the time she made it to Kenny, who was lying on the ground trying to get up. Jeb grabbed her and turned her around and handed her to Marshall, who wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
“Let me go. I need to see about Kenny.”
“Jeb’s going to see about him. Do you not realize that someone could still be around with that gun? Be still.”
Drew focused on Kenny as Jeb helped him up. He had a hood over his head and was fighting with Jeb.
“Stop hitting me, you ornery fool. It’s Jeb.” He yanked the hood off of Kenny and the other man squinted at them.
“He’s bleeding. Look at his arm.” Drew struggled to get free of Marshall, but the man wasn’t letting her go.
“It’s just a scratch,” Kenny assured her. “I swear I�
��ll kill that bastard if I ever find him.”
“What happened?” Jeb asked as he checked Kenny’s arm.
“Someone jumped me from behind when I was saddling my mare up. Slipped that hood over my head and put a gun to my back and told me to follow his directions or he’d shoot me.”
“I don’t like being out in the open like this,” Marshall said. “Let’s move this to the house.”
Jeb nodded and helped Kenny until he was walking steady again. Then they headed back toward the house. Once inside, they locked all the doors and gathered in the living room.
“Go ahead, what happened next?” Jeb asked. He and Marshall were on either side of Drew on the couch.
“I followed his directions and walked. Was tough going, ’cause I couldn’t see to walk. He told me which way to go, but I kept stumbling. He’d jerk me back up and shove the gun in my back again.”
“Did you recognize his voice?” Drew asked.
“No. He had on a mask, I guess, ’cause it was all muffled.”
“Go on,” Marshall urged.
“I stumbled, and he grabbed me, but I just let myself fall, thinking I might get the jump on him if he fell with me. When he fell on top of me, the damn gun went off, and he jumped up and ran, I guess. I felt the damn bullet singe my arm hairs, but I knew I wasn’t hit.”
“Let me see your arm, Kenny.” Drew stood up and knelt beside the chair Kenny was sitting in.
She tore the sleeve the rest of the way and studied the injury. The area was bloody but mostly singed, like he said.
“You’re damn lucky,” Jeb pointed out.
“Yeah, I know.”
“You do realize that I’ve got to call the sheriff, and you better call Robert before he hears about it from someone else. He’ll have your tail for sure,” Drew warned him.
“Speaking of which,” Jeb began. “I ought to whip your ass for taking off running like you did. You had no idea what you were running into and could have gotten yourself hurt or killed.”
“I have to agree with them, Drew. That was a stupid thing you did.” Kenny paled when she turned her stare on him.
“Wait ’til I tell Robert how you deliberately tried to trip up the man that kidnapped you.”