As she drove the back roads to the university, she realized she was more excited to make Arden and Callum proud. Her focus no longer lingered on her proving her parents wrong or trying to show up her professors. Her entire life had shifted course, giving her a new drive and purpose.
After turning her papers into Professor Fischer, he asked her to wait outside his office while he consulted with two other faculty members. She’d paced the halls for three quarters of an hour before the door opened. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the professor wave her to enter.
“Have a seat, Ms. Watson.”
She felt awkward and on display, the three men staring at her like a slide on a microscope.
“We’re very impressed with your new proposal. It seems you had something worth taking notice in after all.”
She swallowed hard and kept quiet.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to offer you a very lucrative position in JacksburgCounty. You’ll head up a new division in their university.”
Her mouth dropped open. This was everything a young scientist could dream of. It felt impossible, like she’d wake up from a dream. Then the reality slowly trickled into her mind. Jacksburg was half way across the country in a thriving city, nothing like her current little town. How could she leave Arden and Callum? There was no way they’d leave their ranch and she’d never ask it of them. Her initial excitement plummeted.
“Thank you very much. I don’t know what to say.”
“It would be wise to say yes. We’ll need your answer by the end of tomorrow,” said Professor Fischer.
She left the office and wandered the halls aimlessly, finally heading for the second level where she still had a locker on loan. Hailey wanted to pick up her remaining books and notes she’d left behind. It must have been between classes because the hallways were suddenly swarming with students heading in one direction or the other. She felt like a lifeless body carried along on the sea.
When she reached her locker, she froze. There was graffiti across the front of her locker, the others untouched. In red letters it read, Mick Freak Lover.
Hailey wasn’t sure how long she stood there like a rock in a river, the students passing around her, whispering and giggling.
“I’ll get the janitor to come clean it.”
She turned around to find her good friend, Peter. It had only been a couple months since she’d seen him, but he looked older, more mature. His career had just started to take off when she moved in with the O’Shea men.
“What’s it mean?” she asked, staring at the words.
“Nothing. It’s a derogatory word for Irishman, but don’t think anything of it. It’s just some students being stupid.”
“We were those students a couple years ago, Pete.”
They weren’t dealing with high school students. These were adults, and apparently news in a small town spread like wildfire.
“Come here. I need to talk to you.” He dragged her through the throngs of students to an empty classroom, closing the door behind them.
She was afraid to hear what he had to say, didn’t want to acknowledge any of the drawbacks to her decision to live with the O’Shea men.
“What are you doing, Hales?” He held both her arms to stop her from pacing.
“What?”
“You’ve gone off the deep end. The entire community is blathering on about the promising young scientist throwing her career away to hook up with the cowboy outcasts.”
“Cowboy outcasts? Really?” Did Peter actually fall for the gossip?
“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of them. You’ve always been one to investigate everything, to reach conclusions with logic rather than emotion. What happened to you?”
She fell in love. She found purpose. Hailey shrugged.
“Don’t throw away your career. I know Fischer offered you a major opportunity. Don’t blow it.”
“But—”
“Since you didn’t care to look into their history, you should be aware that they go through women faster than you used to devour research texts. You’re the flavor of the month, Hales. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I know what I’m doing,” she said, tugging herself free from his grasp. At least she hoped to God she knew what she was doing. She still had a huge decision to make, and wasn’t sure what to do. What if Peter was right? The O’Shea men had a bad reputation for a reason. What if they tired of her and she lost her one chance at a rewarding career? But what if it was love? Could she actually say good-bye to the two men that controlled her heart? It came down to a primary question—what was more important in life? Money and success or love?
****
“Where is she?” asked Callum. Her piece of shit truck was missing, but she hadn’t said anything about needing to head into town. A deep sense of unease whirled around inside him. He’d expected this day but still hoped it would never come.
“You heard her yesterday. Her research is over. She was writing up her proposal all night. I suspect our usefulness is up.” Arden tossed his coil of rope over the fence post and disappeared into the barn. Callum followed.
“That doesn’t bother you?”
Arden shrugged. “What did I always tell you, Callum? Never fall in love. The last good woman died with our mother.”
“You know that’s not true. You can play nonchalant all you want, but I know you love her the same as me.”
Arden grabbed the shovel they used for mucking out and began to work like a man possessed, putting all his energy into his task. He knew Arden was hurting, but he continually bottled things up rather than admit the truth.
“I’m a free agent,” said Arden.
“And I suppose you’re going back on the road now, risking your life in the ring. Maybe hit the bottle? You’re more fickle than a bitch in heat.”
His brother tossed the handle of the shovel and it clattered to the concrete floor of the barn. He faced off with Callum, chest to chest. “Watch your tone, little brother.”
“You blame me for the town judging us, but who’s the one feeding into the stereotype? You’ve been a drunk and a brawler since high school.”
“Fuck you!”
Arden was about to throw a punch, but whirled away instead. They were both lost, nothing, not without the woman who made them feel special, wanted, needed.
Callum hoped Hailey was out running errands, but Arden’s presumption weighed heavily on his heart. Had she finally had enough of them and their reclusive lifestyle? She’d achieved her goal. What woman would choose a couple of bumbling cowboys when she had the whole world ahead of her? She was a beautiful, educated woman. They would only stifle her potential if they insisted she stay on their ranch. He felt like a fool.
“She’ll be back,” he said, his fire dashed. “Back…She’ll be back…Back… Fuck!”
He didn’t want to see the sympathy swimming in Arden’s eyes. Not now. He turned away, still forced to repeat the words he knew were a lie.
Callum slammed the screen door shut after barreling into the kitchen. He was angry, defeated, and hurt. He’d allowed an outsider into his life, a woman. They’d laughed together, shared intimate moments, and she never judged him for his constant tics. She made him feel human, normal, and now she was likely on to bigger and better things. He felt smaller than a speck of flint.
Some days he was too weak or too tired to care about controlling the symptoms of his Tourette’s. Right now he let it all go, embracing the anger and frustration. He kicked open his bedroom door and crashed onto his bed. He vowed never to leave his heart vulnerable again.
****
Hailey watched the road signs flash by her peripheral vision. The further they drove, the emptier she felt. What have I done?
“Mr. Fischer, I’m not sure I’ve made the right decision. I mean, it’ll be like starting over—a new city, new apartment, new job.”
“This is what you wanted, Ms. Watson. Sometimes you have to make the decision to advan
ce your career, even if it’s difficult. Being the daughter of two doctors, you should know the sacrifices required for a successful business.”
She knew that they’d sacrificed family for money, love for their careers. Hailey had vowed never to become like them, but she was doing exactly that now, travelling to Jacksburg and kissing the O’Shea Ranch goodbye. Money and success, or love?
“Stop the car.”
Her Professor made sure to remind her that she’d made the wrong choice. Even her friend Peter couldn’t understand her devotion to the two misunderstood cowboys. They weren’t evil. Despite the warnings, she trusted them enough to give up everything for a chance at a happily ever after.
She walked along the dusty side of the road, not even offered a ride back into the little town. Hailey remembered how Callum had rescued her and Arden. The difference in loyalty was night and day, and she knew she’d made the right decision.
Hailey still wanted to find out why Arden had sold his motorcycle. He was as passionate about that darned bike as she was about solving the hog problem. As she reached the periphery of town, she decided to stop at the distribution center to see if Arden’s bike was still available. She’d find a way to get it back if she could. Hailey thought things were doing well on the farm since Arden returned, but they must be worse off than she expected if he had to sell his prized bike to make ends meet.
Regardless of her choice to move to the city, Hailey was well aware she’d be receiving regular royalties for her contribution to the hog crisis. Her research was solid and even her Professors knew it.
Before she reached the center, a pickup truck pulled up alongside her.
“What’s a nice girl like you doing walking out here alone?”
She turned to find Arden leaning out the passenger window, Callum at the wheel. Her dark-haired cowboys were a beautiful sight. Her throat clogged with emotion just seeing them.
“Well, I started down one road and realized it wasn’t the one I should be following.” She kept walking and the truck crawled along beside her.
“Really. So I take it you know which road you should be taking?”
“I do. Care to give me a ride?”
The truck stopped and the door opened. Callum didn’t drive straight but veered off the road, bumping and jostling over the rough terrain.
When they were surrounded by fields, no sign of the road or civilization, Callum turned off the truck. The drone of crickets and cicadas filled the cab, a soothing lullaby. She was tired from a long, emotionally exhausting day and the long walk. The sky was transforming from blue to streaks of pink. The heat was dying down, making it the type of evening she’d love to spend on the wraparound porch with Callum and Arden. She couldn’t imagine life without their stories, memories of their youth. They’d both come so far from the men she’d met only months earlier.
“Were you running away from us?” asked Arden. He wasn’t angry, but they deserved honesty either way.
“I was chasing after dollar signs and recognition, but it’s no different than trying to capture the wind. It slipped through my fingers, reminding me the only thing that will stand the test of time is love.”
“Fancy words,” said Arden.
“We can never offer you the things you can achieve in your career. We’re from two different worlds. We’re simple farmers, and you know what the townsfolk think of us,” said Callum.
“I don’t care,” she said. Desperation crept up on her. He sounded final, as if he wasn’t willing to give their relationship another try. The muscles around her heart felt like iron, each breath labored. She’d admitted to running from them. What if they decided they didn’t want her back?
“So what’re you saying, baby girl? You coming home with us?”
“If you’ll have me.”
Arden reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small, folded brown envelope.
“This is for you,” he said, handing it to her.
She opened the envelope and a diamond engagement ring fell into her palm. Hailey stared at it for so long time seemed to stand still. It was perfect. She couldn’t help but envision Callum and Arden picking it out, thinking of her. “What’s this?”
“She’s not very bright for a scientist,” said Arden.
“Well, you’re doing it all wrong,” said Callum. “You have to put it on her finger all romantic-like.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears but she fought to keep them from falling.
Callum leaned over his brother’s lap and took the ring, slipping it onto her ring finger.
“It’s–it’s beautiful. But—”
“We want you to be ours, for now and always, Hailey Watson.” Arden kissed her hand, studying the ring. “It looks beautiful on you.”
“How did you afford this?”
“Darlin’, you don’t get how this thing works. You’re supposed to say yes or no,” said Arden. “Money ain’t important.”
She knew by the look in his blue eyes that he’d sold his bike to buy the ring. It was the only thing of value they could have sold. A tear slipped from her eye. “Yes! Yes to both of you and yes to always.” Hailey had never been more certain of a decision in her life.
****
“Tighter,” said Arden.
Callum tightened the ropes around her wrists, bringing her arms high above her head.
“At least close the loft doors,” said Hailey. “Anyone can see me.”
Callum laughed. “Darlin’, you should know that nobody dares to venture on O’Shea land. Besides, you’re our little wife now. We can do with you as we please.”
They had their woman strung up in the hayloft, her arms bound and body stripped naked. She was a vision, his everything. Callum ran his hand through her hair as Arden spread her legs apart at the knees.
“No more,” she begged. “I can’t…”
“Hush, now. You lost the bet, so you have to endure two orgasms before we take you,” said Callum.
Her chest heaved, her entire body flush with desire. A cooling breeze blew into the hayloft, making her skin break out in gooseflesh. It wouldn’t be long and they’d have to prepare for the approaching winter. It was usually a sad time for Callum. He’d watch the leaves die off the trees as the land grew desolate and lifeless. He could already envision long nights in front of the fire—not in loneliness but with love and laughter. Callum had a family. The entire world could think he was a freak, but the only opinions that mattered were Arden’s and Hailey’s.
“Arden rigged the bet,” she said, gasping when his brother descended on her clit. “His horse was better rested.”
They’d had a good old-fashioned horse race across the plowed hay fields, and Arden won. The loser had to endure two orgasms before sex. As far as Callum knew, his brother never lost a horse race, and the trophies in his room were a testament to the fact.
Hailey knew what she was getting into. And he had a strong suspicion she enjoyed her punishment.
Callum kissed her lips, his hand roaming over her breasts. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “You make me feel like a man.” He wasn’t good at sweet words or poetry. Even though it was difficult to express himself, he knew she understood. She made him feel special, and understood his syndrome and its many intricate layers. Hailey enjoyed studying him, hoping to contribute to finding a cure one day. She was just smart enough to surprise the world. And he loved it when she played doctor.
“My man,” she murmured. “Don’t let him torture me, Callum. Fuck me. Please.”
Arden peered up at him from between her legs, his eyes narrowed.
Callum had given her the first orgasm in record time, and now it was Arden’s turn. He’d be a fool to challenge his brother in the heat of the moment.
“Come for Arden, and then you can sit on my cock. You can ride me as hard and fast as you want.”
“Callum…”
He helped her along, suckling her breasts as Arden brought her closer and closer to the edge. Her body convuls
ed, her hips lifting off the saddle blanket he’d set on the hay.
“Arden!” As she rode out her second orgasm, Callum watched her expressions. He loved everything about her from the spattering of freckles across her nose to the beauty marks on her neck. Her breasts jiggled as her body trembled, her hands tugging wildly at her binds.
When her body went limp, he used his pocket knife to cut the ropes securing her wrists. She immediately reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Arden climbed up to join them. They cocooned her between them, their combined heat staving off the fall chill.
Hailey was their woman. And now new memories would be created on the O’Shea Ranch. For the first time in his life, Callum couldn’t help but smile when thinking of the future. It seemed God hadn’t abandoned them, and even cowboy outcasts could attain a happily ever after.
The End
www.staceyespino.com
Other Books by Stacey Espino:
‘Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas
Beyond the Wall
Catch Me If You Can
Claiming Their Mate
Freya’s Mates
The Last Princess
The Good Student
Scarlet and the Three Bears
Virgins Behaving Badly
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Cowboy Outcasts Page 10