Colton dropped to the side in a boneless mass, his body slick with sweat, and his heart racing.
They all lay there side by side, looking up at the stars through the cracks in the roof boards. It was quiet, peaceful, and like always, nothing needed to be said. He didn’t have to promise Eva tomorrow, or remind her she was more than sex. She already knew.
The following Monday, Colton was back to work. North was next to him on horseback as they herded Mr. Ford’s tagged cattle into the holding pen. It was a bitch separating them from the younger stock, but they’d nearly gotten the job done. Since the ice was broken at the corn roast on Friday, and they had their plowing done at home, it was only right to help out the Fords as they always had. They couldn’t let their fears and doubts control their lives.
“Truck is here,” called Eva, standing on middle rung of the fence. “Dad said to let them through.”
Colt lifted the second gate so the cattle could get into the second, smaller holding area. This herd was being shipped off, and it would mean less work load during the long winter months.
Once they’d got the last cow in the right place, Colton dismounted and walked his horse to the water trough. North came by a few minutes later.
“You still going to borrow Mr. Ford’s excavator?”
“I thought you agreed it was a good idea.”
Colton had been doing a lot of soul searching as of late. There were so many changes happening that his head was spinning. They’d talked with their mother on the phone Saturday and, for the first time in years, she sounded like a regular woman. She was happy living with her sister, enjoying her new beginning of sorts. Although she had a long road of counselling and therapy yet, she was on the mend. Colton expected she’d want to come home as soon as possible, but it cut him to hear she never wanted to return back to their town or the house of horrors, as she called it.
That’s when he decided it was bullshit living in a home based on memories of pain and suffering. He wanted to tear the shitty little house to the ground and start new and fresh…hopefully with Eva. They still had a small guest cabin out back that was used as a home by earlier McReeds before the main house was built. It was only one room, but it would do until they could start rebuilding in the spring.
“Mr. Ford will think we’ve lost our fucking minds,” said North.
“He knows more than you think. I don’t think he’ll question it.”
They leaned against the fence, watching the cattle being herded up the ramp into the cattle car of the big rig by the buyers. The hooves echoed on the metal grating, drowning out all other sounds.
“Mom said to come in for lemonade.” Eva leaned between them from behind.
“Hey, pretty girl.” Colton turned to kiss her on the lips. She was always a ray of sunshine in his day. When North elbowed him in the ribs he noticed Mr. Ford watching as he stood in the distance talking with the driver of the truck. At first he was afraid he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. They’d always kissed Eva, but not intimately on the lips like Mr. Ford just witnessed.
He decided to play it off. What was the worst that could happen? He had to find out eventually, and Colton would have to deal with the aftermath regardless.
“Hurry, I have something good to tell both of you.” Eva returned to the house, her pigtail swishing back and forth as she ran off. She was so fucking cute.
Colt could use a drink after rounding up cattle all morning. As they cut across the yard, a pick-up pulled in. Luke Weston hopped out, slammed the driver’s side door, and walked towards them while adjusting his white Stetson. The knight in fucking armor, Colton thought.
“Mornin’,” he said in greeting.
“Can we help you?” asked Colton, blocking his path.
He shrugged. “Looking for Eva. Where’s she at?”
His hackles rose. Colton was no longer willing to play dead and let his insecurities rule his life. Eva was his, and nothing or no one would stand in their way. Luke may be the better man on paper but no one would love Eva more than him and North.
“I don’t know what happened last Friday, but Eva ain’t looking for a man.”
Luke frowned. “Her daddy says otherwise, so it’s really none of your business, McReed.” His demeanor changed, a challenge written on his face.
North shoved him unexpectedly. “Get in your damn truck and get off the fucking property. Got it?”
Colton stretched his arm out to the side to bar his brother from acting. Luke was right. Mr. Ford approved of him, even going so far as to set him up with Eva without her knowledge. Colton could barely sleep at night playing the scenarios over and over in his head. What would happen when Eva told her father she loved them? He couldn’t stand to see disappointment in the eyes of the only man he considered a father figure.
“What the fuck is going on here? Are you her brothers now?”
“We’re more to Eva than you’ll ever be,” said North.
Luke wasn’t the sweet boy next door. He had the reputation as a stuck up asshole who believed he deserved everything handed to him. In high school he’d always looked down on him and North like second class citizens because they didn’t have the latest Dodge or name brand jeans.
“If I’m not mistaken, the two of you should be worried about your own house before meddling in others’. I think the only thing the two of you are capable of is running people off.”
“You referring to our mama?” asked Colton, lowering his arm and stepping forward.
“Who’s next? Is Eva your next victim? I don’t know why Mr. Ford allows you underfoot around here at all. You’re a couple of worthless drunks.”
He was a fraction of a second away from throwing the first punch. Every cell in his body craved to fight, to expel all his bottled-up pain on Luke Weston. But he was a fraction of a second too slow.
“Take it easy,” called Mr. Ford. The rumble of the big rig’s engine quieted as it distanced down the back road. Eva’s father cut across the yard towards them, the little Shih Tzu rushing to keep up behind him. “There won’t be any fighting going on here today, boys.”
“Good morning, sir. I just came to call on Eva, but for some reason, the McReed brothers want me to leave.”
Mr. Ford nodded thoughtfully, looking them each up and down. He rubbed the scruff on his chin as if debating his next move. He was always calm, slow to anger, and fair. “Sometimes I jump the gun when it comes to my little girl. Eva ain’t too eager for me to interfere in her love life. She gave me a tongue lashing about it just this morning. You understand, son?”
“Are you sure about that?” asked Luke. “We seemed to get along just fine.”
“You heard the man!” snapped North.
Mr. Ford held up a hand to silence North. “I’m very sure. She doesn’t want me choosing her men any more than she wants me telling her how to live her life. And I tend to agree.”
Luke tipped his hand and sulked back to his truck. Colton knew he wanted to argue and fight, but he couldn’t do so in front of Mr. Ford. He was a respected cattle rancher, just as his father was known in the pork industry.
After the pick-up disappeared in a billow of dust down the road, Eva’s father turned to face both of them. He took a deep breath before speaking. “How many times have I told you two about controlling your tempers? You gain nothing from fighting and making enemies.”
“Yes, sir,” they answered in unison.
Mr. Ford checked his watch before loosening his collar. “Just about time for lunch. You wanted to ask me something earlier, Colton?”
He had to think for a minute to remember what he referred to. “I wanted to borrow the big excavator this week. I’d have it back by Friday at the latest.”
“Big project?”
Colton said nothing at first, embarrassed of the truth. “We’re doing a little remodelling,” he said. “It’s time to say goodbye to the old house.”
He placed a hand on Colton and North’s shoulders, giving a little squ
eeze. He looked almost teary-eyed, or was it the sun in his eyes? “You boys have been through hell and back, I won’t deny that. But you’ve come a long way, and I’m proud of you. No less proud than a father of his flesh and blood sons.”
Colton’s throat clogged with emotion. Mr. Ford’s acceptance and love were more important to him than he originally imagined. He’d been there for them when nobody else was. “Sir…”
“Take the excavator and tear the bastard to the ground if that’s what you need to do. But don’t forget that there’s always something better on the horizon. You’re both young with the whole world ahead of you.”
He wanted to tell Mr. Ford that the only light he needed in his life was in the form of his daughter. Life without her would be void of color. Instead he kept his mouth shut.
“Now, let’s go have some lunch,” he said. The three of them walked side by side towards the white brick house. It was the one place all his good memories were made. A place he wanted to preserve for all time to come.
“I’m sorry about the thing with Luke Weston,” said Colton. “Sometimes it’s hard to control myself where Eva is concerned.”
“I suppose that was my fault, so I’ll take the blame. But Eva has a strong mind of her own, and can most certainly speak for herself.”
“That’s true,” said North. “She doesn’t hold back.”
They reached the house and Mr. Ford opened the whiny screen door. He stopped before entering, taking a cleansing breath. Without turning around, he spoke, “I trust my daughter’s judgement. I respect her choices. And you boys have never let me down.”
It was all he had to say for Colton to know Eva had spilled the news. The black cloud hovering over his life had finally broken.
Epilogue
Eva sat cross-legged in the tall grass, the gentle breeze carrying notes of pine and black earth. North’s head rested on her lap, and she enjoyed running her fingers through his thick hair.
Colton leapt down from the excavator and walked towards them, using his Stetson to swat away the dust on his jeans. “All done. I’ll start the cleanup next week.”
The McReed house was a massive pile of lumber and rubble in the large clearing. Eva didn’t question their decision to destroy the old bungalow. She’d only had a few glimpses of their harsh home life, and it was enough to understand why they wanted to erase the past.
“Do you feel any different?” asked Eva.
He dropped down onto his side next to her. “Darlin’, I’m not sure I have any feelings left.”
“Of course you do, silly.”
Colton looked up at her, tapping the tip of her nose. “Just enough for you.”
Eva smiled. Her world was at peace. She’d proved to her father that she was a woman, capable of making her own choices. And she was free to love the two cowboys who held her heart.
“We’ll be busy come spring,” said North, shifting to his back. He looked up at her with those dark, narrow eyes. She trailed her fingertip along the scruff on his jaw, tracing all his masculine features. Just looking at the gorgeous cowboy did wild things to her libido. His every detail was an aphrodisiac, from the hard bulge in his Wranglers to the uncommon broadness of his shoulders in his padded jacket. She couldn’t stop herself from imagining him supporting his weight over her prone body, every muscle flexing and tense.
“Where should we start building?” asked Colt, pulling her from her reverie.
“Maybe to the east, closer to the river,” said North.
“I like it over there,” said Eva. “We used to fish for smelts every year. Remember?”
“And you refused to eat them.”
“They were too cute to eat.”
North hoisted himself up enough to steal a kiss. She closed her eyes and savored the moment. She could smell his rich cologne when he moved, and his lips tasted of spearmint.
Colt tugged her until she fell to her back, the soft grass cushioning her fall. “I guess the bunker will be home for at least six months.” He smoothed the hair from her face, staring at her intently. The sunlight reflected off the ocean in his eyes, mesmerizing her. He’d been through so much, they both had, and she hoped their pain was less now that they were all moving on.
“I have a feeling mom and dad will insist we stay at my place. You know, with the toilet and running water and all.”
Colt shrugged, hovering over the left side of her body. “As long as I have you, I’m good. And I don’t have to return you or the excavator until dinner hour. Until then, you’re ours.”
He began to tickle her sides, not letting her escape. She kicked her legs and attempted to fend the twins off, but failed, only able to scream and laugh out loud.
“That’s the sound,” said North when they finally let her breathe.
“What sound?”
“Your laughter is the most beautiful thing in the world.” North kissed the side of her neck, his tongue teasing the shell of her ear.
“That feels good,” she whispered. Would she always feel this way? Would her body always light up from just the sound of their deep voices?
“Baby girl, I can show you things you never knew existed.”
Eva was putty in the capable hands of the McReed brothers. She eagerly awaited their lessons, the slow and precise introduction into their world of sexual pleasure.
Colton brought her hand to his denim-covered crotch. He was harder than oak, and knowing she was the reason for it excited her. “Feel that? That’s what you do to me.”
She turned her head and licked the seam of his lips, giving him a little nip. “Good. Then you won’t be pushing me away any more.”
“Hell no. We’re both yours, Eva Ford. It took me a lifetime to see what was right in front of me, and it’ll take the rest of my life to show you how much you mean to me.”
The McReed brothers enveloped her body with their strong arms, showering her with the affection she knew so well. Only now it heated her blood and stirred her soul. Eva had been searching for something when she’d had it all along—the perfect love.
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Other Books by Stacey Espino:
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Cowboys Mine Page 13