Loving Her Cowboys: Cowboys Online 3

by Jan Springer

  “Probably the pack of wolves that took down the cows in my section,” Rafe replied.

  “Yeah probably. It was an old kill, just like yours. Nothing left but bones. I just hope they don’t head south and target the new crop of cattle,” Dan said.

  The other men grunted, but said nothing. Dan knew they were all too tired for small talk. Time to eat. Time to think.

  It wasn’t unusual to lose a few head of cattle every year due to the predators. But if things got worse, then they would have to hunt down the pack. For now though they would just take a wait and see approach.

  Dan grinned at what Brady had confirmed with him earlier in the day when he’d met him on the trail, talking to someone on the sat phone. He wondered what JJ would say when she woke up on her birthday and discovered the items they had gotten for her.

  All the hard work had been worth it if she loved her presents.

  Dan smile widened as he eagerly sipped his hot soup and chomped on the delicious bread.

  * * * * *

  Excitement whipped through JJ as she gazed out her windshield to look at the rugged terrain below. It was her last hours of solo flying before the guys returned. Then her life would be back to the usual routine of caring for her men.

  Bright sunshine splintered through the dark-blue clouds, casting a pretty glow on the colorful autumn tapestry below. Up ahead, on the lake, white swirls of waves indicated it would be a rough landing on the water. When she had left, the sky had been crystal clear and the winds calm, but the clouds and high winds as the weatherman had predicted on the net had since rolled in.

  JJ wasn’t nervous. Not much, anyway.

  Over the past few days, she’d spent a couple of hours each day flying solo but she was still too uptight to try for her private pilot’s license. As she prepared to land, she remembered the conversation earlier in the day she had had with Kaley while she had watched JJ do her pre-flight inspections.

  “You know what? I think I will take you up on that offer that you made awhile back,” JJ had said.

  “What offer?” Kaley had asked with a frown.

  “You had mentioned you would keep an eye out if a suitable plane came up for sale for me?”

  “Oh, that. Sure. I remember. Well I haven’t seen anything suitable yet but I am keeping my eyes open.”

  Disappointment hit JJ.

  Oh, well. It was for the best anyway. She couldn’t just up and buy a plane. They were expensive. Even the used ones that she had taken a look at online. But someday.

  JJ put down the plane with no difficulty and tossed the rope to Kaley, who moored the plane to the dock. As JJ climbed out onto the pontoon with her knapsack in hand, she inhaled deeply. The autumn air smelled crisp and clean. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear she could smell snow in the air. After a brief conversation with Kaley about the next time they would meet up, they hugged and said their goodbyes and Kaley disappeared into the plane. A few minutes later, the white plane was soaring skyward and soon disappeared over the treetops. Excitement bubbled through her.

  Yeah, maybe someday. Maybe she could have a plane of her very own.

  Chapter Eight

  Rafe dreamed of darkness, pain and despair. He dreamed of howling gray wolves with black eyes and gleaming blood-red fangs. In his nightmare, he was back in the cabin after he had injured his leg.

  Trapped, unmoving. Helpless. Freezing.

  I’m going to die.

  Rafe awoke in a cold sweat and sat straight up. As he did, pain exploded against his forehead and for a split second he had no idea what had just happened. Then he drew in a ragged breath as he spied the moonlight streaming in through one of the cabin windows. He cursed softly and remembered.

  The day before had been long as they’d counted the cattle while loading them into the boxcars. A bitterly cold wind and snowflakes had swirled out of the gloomy steel-gray skies off and on all day long. When the train had pulled out, they had packed their gear and come here to the cabin. To the place that haunted his dreams.

  Damn, this nightmare was frustrating. He rubbed a hand over the sore lump on his forehead and cursed softly.

  He had taken a lower bunk and when he had sat up, he’d smashed his head on the wooden beam of the upper bunk. It appeared that the noise had not woken the guys. Soft snores whispered through the room.

  Dan and Brady were sleeping soundly in nearby lower bunks. Probably dreaming about their upcoming reunion with JJ. Warmth bubbled up inside him as he thought about her. She was the sweetest, most beautiful woman in the world. He couldn’t see himself with anyone but her.

  Man, the scenario this time was so different than the last time he had been here. He should not be having such gloominess haunting his nights.

  On a frustrated sigh, Rafe climbed out of his bunk. The room was still warm from the fire they had stoked in the wood stove when they’d gotten here, so he padded barefoot in his underwear to the nearest window. He gazed out and his breath caught at the moonlit landscape. The meadow surrounding the cabin was ablaze with sparkles of snowflakes. Not enough to accumulate, but just enough to make everything looked pretty as the white flakes kissed the edges of the windowsill and the nearby pine boughs. He watched the scenery for awhile, knowing that if he went to bed he wouldn’t sleep anymore.

  Quietly he placed some more wood into the stove and set a pot of water on for the coffee. Then he donned his clothing. When he was dressed, the water was hot enough so he made some instant coffee. He’d drink it outside. He put on his hat and coat and grabbed his steaming mug and headed for the door. Just before he stepped outside, he hesitated as he spied the ax leaning up against a wall. A shiver shot through him.

  His ax.

  One of the guys had brought it in at some point. He gazed at the meager woodpile beside the cast-iron stove and remembered there hadn’t been much emergency wood outside either. Maybe he should continue where he’d left off the last time he’d been here?

  He reached out. His hand trembled as it hovered over the ax handle. The tool brought back the memories of the pain. The helplessness. The blade biting into his leg.

  Defiance rolled over him and he grabbed the handle.

  No more of this shit!

  He was going to split some wood.

  Damn his fears. And damn his panicky dreams. He was going to push through his demons just like JJ was pushing through hers.

  Rafe quietly shut the door behind him. He left his coffee mug on the porch rail and stepped down the steps and went to where the chopping block awaited. Without hesitation he grabbed a cut log from the shoulder high pile, placed it on to a block and began his mission of casting out the demons that had invaded him and his dreams.

  Satisfaction melted through him as the blade slashed the log right in half. Confidence soared as he kept chopping. By the time he was finished, his coat hung on the nearby railing, sweat blistered across his forehead and drenched his sweater and all his muscles ached like a son of a bitch.

  Accomplishment made him smile as he stared at the waist-high pile of split logs.

  Wow. He had cut like a man possessed and nothing bad had happened. Now he understood about that saying in pushing past your boundaries of fear. It felt exhilarating having chopped so much wood without anything bad happening again.

  Liberating.

  As he turned away from the pile to grab his coat, movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. To his surprise Dan and Brady stood nearby with steaming coffee cups in their hands as they watched him.

  Brady grinned and then lifted his coffee mug in greeting.

  “Was wondering when you were going to finish,” Dan called out.

  “Ready to get moving? Looks like snow,” Brady said and he nodded to the brightening gray sky. It was already dawn. He must have chopped for hours. A man possessed with demons.

  Hopefully, he had cast those demons out for good.

  “Let’s bring in a couple of loads for whoever gets here in the spring,” Rafe
said.

  Rafe grinned as Brady and Dan both groaned. But he knew they would help, because that’s how they all worked. Like a well oiled team.

  The two men placed their mugs on the nearby cabin windowsill and within seconds, they joined him, happily chatting about the long ride back to the ranch and to their sweet pot of gold waiting there.

  JJ.

  When Brady spied the ranch house the through the darkness, the buttery lights illuminating virtually all the windows on the first and second floors, happiness bubbled past his weariness. This was one welcome sight.

  Man, was he sure glad to be home. One week and one day was just too long to be away from JJ. Next year, they would hire someone to do the chores around here and they could JJ along with them. He smiled at that thought. He knew all the guys would agree with him.

  Brady pulled his four wheeler into the yard and waited for Rafe and Dan to join him. Seconds later, their machines roared into the yard where they all removed their helmets.

  “Good to be back,” Rafe said with a wink as he headed toward the door.

  “Damn good,” Dan agreed as he stepped in beside Rafe. Brady chuckled as he followed behind.

  They had traveled the trails all day long, delayed a couple hours here and there as they chain-sawed through trees that had fallen across the trails due to the high winds. They had passed on supper to make up for lost time.

  They were tired and they were hungry. In more ways than one.

  Brady was surprised that JJ didn’t meet them at the door. But the house smelled good as they went inside. It was a mingle of coffee, roast beef and…pumpkin pie? His mouth watered at the scent of cinnamon and allspice.

  Man, the pie smelled exactly like the ones his mom used to bake. Remembering his late mother brought a mix of emotions. Sadness at her and his dad for not being alive and not being able to meet JJ. They would have loved her, he was sure about that. And happiness that he’d had such cool parents who had always supported him and his siblings, no matter what.

  It had felt good to be in the embrace of such tremendous love and security. He still kept in touch with all his siblings, but they all led busy lives of their own. Especially Boone, who was just a year younger than he. They were so close in age and had been inseparable when they’d been kids.

  Last he had talked to his brother Boone, he’d learned that he and a friend of his were talking about starting up their own ranch out west. One day he’d get up a reunion so they could all get together and catch up.

  Brady shook away the thoughts of his siblings and wondered where JJ had gotten off to. Despite the late hour, he figured she would be waiting up and excited to see them. By the delicious cooking scents, she had to be around here somewhere.

  As they entered the kitchen/dining room area, Brady gazed at Dan and Rafe. No sign of JJ. Dan frowned and Rafe shrugged his shoulders.

  “Where is she?” Dan whispered.

  Brady nodded toward the dining room table. It was laid out in fine form with a fancy white linen tablecloth and set with their finest dishes and cutlery. Red and white bottles of wine chilled in a container of ice. Coffee percolated in the machine.

  On the table was a potato salad drenched in parsley and mustard. A rainbow-colored arrangement of vegetables from their garden and a casserole dish.

  Brady watched Dan lift the lid of the dish. Steam curled upward. His mouth watered at the scents of onions and other spices.

  “Roast beef with onions. Smells damned good,” Dan said as he replaced the lid.

  “There’s three warm pumpkin pies in the oven. But the oven is off,” Rafe said as he peered inside the stove.

  Brady spied a small white wicker basket on the kitchen counter. The basket was decorated with a nice dark blue bow. A note dangled from the handle.

  Brady snapped up the note.

  JJ’s feminine handwriting was neatly scrawled on the paper.

  Welcome home, cowboys. What will it be? Roast beef dinner and pumpkin pie…or me?

  Come and find me if you can and don’t forget your cowboy hats.

  Brady swore softly. Dan and Rafe crowded in around him. They swore quietly as they also read her taunt.

  “Man, she sure knows how to welcome home her weary cowboys,” Rafe said. Yet there wasn’t an ounce of weariness in his voice.

  Brady felt his batteries recharging too as Dan lifted three boxes of condoms from the basket. He tossed a small box to each of them and kept one to himself.

  “There are cock rings in here too. One for each of us,” Dan muttered.

  “I’m already too hard to get one on,” Rafe complained.

  Brady swallowed as he peeked inside the basket. Oh nice. He lifted several tubes of massage oil. Different scents.

  “Lavender. Vanilla. Strawberry. Lilac. Plum. Melon. And chocolate,” he read out loud.

  “Damn lot of massage oil. She must really have missed us,” Rafe whispered with a grin.

  “Where the heck did I leave my cowboy hat?” Dan suddenly asked. He grabbed the lilac-scented oil, clutched his box of condoms and headed for the stairs.

  “I’m going to check for her upstairs,” Rafe said as he grabbed a cock ring, a bottle of oil and ran to catch up to Dan.

  “And I need a shower,” Brady said beneath his breath.

  Despite cleaning up in a creek a few hours ago, he figured he smelled too much of the outdoorsy scent. JJ would appreciate a clean-smelling cowboy. He grabbed a pack with the cock ring and the chocolate massage oil and headed for the nearest shower stall, just down the hall.

  JJ sat quietly in the bedroom closet. She had just finished setting the table when she’d glanced out the kitchen window and spied the headlights piercing the darkness up the trail.

  They were here! Late, but hey, better late than never. They had contacted her earlier in the afternoon via satellite phone letting her know they would delayed due to fallen trees on the trail and were forgoing supper to make up for lost time.

  She had used the time to gather the ingredients for a late supper for them and to bake the pumpkin pies. Earlier in the day Jenna had called looking for Brady and JJ had told her she’d been about to scour the net for a decent pumpkin pie recipe when Jenna had told her she would send her her late mother’s recipe, assuring her Brady and the guys would love it.

  JJ had even undressed and worn nothing but a robe as she sang and cooked.

  Then the roar of the ATVs had her scrambling for cover. In her note, she had told them they would have to find her. She’d planned on hiding in the upstairs guest room, but when she had gone down the back hallway to peek out the mudroom window, Brady, Dan and Rafe were already in the yard approaching the ranch house. She’d panicked and slipped into the first available room. The office.

  Knowing there was a good chance one of them would walk right in here and find her, JJ dove into the closet.

  As she waited, JJ gazed around the dark interior. For a few harrowing seconds, the familiar uneasiness of the walls closing in on her breathed a warning of anxiety. But she quickly turned her thoughts away from those fears of being locked in. Moved her thoughts of listening to her stepfather beating her mother on the other side of the closet door. Killing her.

  Shivers crawled through her and she forced herself to calm her rapid breathing. She knew she had to nip this anxiety in the bud before it snowballed into something she could not control.

  The memory cannot hurt me. I will not let this feeling of fear ruin my evening. My thoughts cannot hurt me. Think of something else. Something pleasant.

  JJ smiled and nodded.

  Loving her cowboys. Brady. Dan. Rafe. The three men held her heart captive and her body hostage to the pleasures they gave her so freely.

  Oh boy, she needed to see their sweet faces. Impatience made JJ crack open the closet door and she inhaled the fresh air sifting inside.

  Silence. Where had they gone? Upstairs? Looking for her.

  A swishing sound came from somewhere nearby. The shower? One of the
guys was taking a shower down here?

  Hmm, what a delicious place to hide out while the other two men searched for her. Heat whipped through her as she spied Brady’s black cowboy hat hanging on a hook at the back of the office door. She wondered who she would find in the shower.

  She grabbed the hat and plopped it onto her head, then tiptoed out of the office, and into the hall.

  She smiled as she heard two sets of footsteps clomping around upstairs.

  A moment later, she slipped into the steamy, warm bathroom. Clothes lay rumpled on top of the counter. She recognized Brady’s green sweater and plaid flannel shirt. A shadow moved behind the frosted glass shower door. She spied the chocolate massage oil on the counter. The box of condoms.

  Perfect!

  In a flash, she’d removed her robe and quickly massaged the tingling edible chocolate oil over her breasts, belly and between her thighs. She grabbed a condom from the box, ripped off the foil and placed the protection between her teeth, careful to not clamp down on the thin barrier.

  Then she stopped. A hole in the condom could produce a baby.

  JJ sucked in a sharp breath at that thought.

  A family that you always wanted is right here waiting for you.

  A baby with Brady.

  Oh, wow. She had toyed with the idea that one day a condom would break and she might get pregnant. She had thought about having babies. Raising them here. Homeschooling them.

  Three kids. Three different fathers.

  She smiled as she imagined having beautiful children, each one with their father’s features. She would treat them as gently as her mother had treated her. With a guiding hand. No criticism. No yelling or screaming.

  She couldn’t think of any other men who she would want to father her children. The idea of making babies actually aroused her. How weird was that? Or maybe it was erotic? JJ reached out, and slowly slid open the glass door.