Hellfire Ranch 2
Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys
Texas Sheriff Taggart Cain has been framed for murder. Spunky Boston lawyer Rebecca Lyons has been called in to clear him. Tech savvy Wade Merritt has the skills to prove it. A night of poker, whiskey, and wild three way sex forges a bond that surprises them all.
Tag’s military history holds secrets to the real killer, but skeletons in his closet make any relationship with him an emotional minefield. Rebecca knows there is something deeper beneath Tag’s gruff exterior, and she’s not one to back down from a fight. Wade’s calm demeanor simmers both of the hotheads down to a slow burn.
Together, the trio investigates the evidence mounted against Tag. When the trail leads to an unlikely killer and an even bigger cover-up, they have to race time and the ruthless killer to save the day and their newly discovered love.
Genre: BDSM, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 92,050 words
HER HEART-STEALING COWBOYS
Hellfire Ranch 2
Jennifer August
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
HER HEART-STEALING COWBOYS
Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer August
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-144-9
First E-book Publication: July 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
For Christopher, who gave me the first push to write professionally. I hope I’ve made you proud.
HER HEART-STEALING COWBOYS
Hellfire Ranch 2
JENNIFER AUGUST
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Hey, Tag, you up?” Wade Merritt juggled the box of donuts he’d picked up from Dolly’s and jabbed at the doorbell again. The coffee carrier—including his bottle of soda—lurched to the left, and he nearly dropped the whole thing. On a good day he was not a coffee drinker. Especially not the rotgut mess Tag preferred. Wade never showed up in the morning without something decent to drink.
Locks flipped from inside the house and the door swung open. A sloe-eyed Olivia Martinez stared up at him. She wore a pair of cutoff denim shorts topped by a white V-neck T-shirt. Metal dog tags nestled atop the shirt and between the valley of her full breasts. “Wade, you know it’s only six in the morning, right?”
He blinked a couple of times and tried to focus but her long legs distracted him.
She sighed and pushed the screen door open. “Give me some of that coffee,” she said.
“I would but I’m out of hands here.”
She reached up and plucked one of the steaming cups from the carrier. Thankfully it didn’t try to tip again.
“Good Lord, that smells heavenly. Come on in. You’re forgiven.”
“Anyone else up?” he asked as he stepped into Tag’s sprawling ranch house.
“Yeah, we all are. Old habits die hard.” She smiled. For the first time he noticed her left eye didn’t crinkle as much as her right. He jerked his gaze away from the fake eye and told himself not to stare.
Olivia either didn’t notice or chose to ignore his rudeness. “Tag is in the kitchen trying to poison us with that mess he calls coffee. Jake and Hud are with him.”
He followed her down the hall and into the bright kitchen. He squinted against the screaming yellow of the walls. “Man, when are you going to get rid of this crazy color?”
Tag took the donuts from him. He shoved aside a couple of glass-jar candles and plunked the box on the table. He flipped open the lid and inhaled deeply. “I don’t care what Doc Mayers says about clogging my arteries with Dolly’s Donuts. She makes the best in the world.” He picked up a heavily frosted chocolate donut and bit into it with obvious relish. “Someday I’ll paint,” he said around a mouthful.
“Well, hurry up,” Wade muttered. “Damn room gives me a headache every time I walk in here.” He handed out the other two cups of coffee. “Morning, Hud. Jake. How are you guys faring?”
“Better than Fischer,” Jake said drily.
Wade cast a quick glance at Tag whose face darkened just at the man’s name. The animosity his best friend held for his old squad mate went way beyond the events of the last few days.
“I heard you shot him, Olivia.”
She grimaced as Hud and Jake both chuckled. Her small fist balled and landed with a loud smack against Jake’s solid shoulder. He grinned and caught her hand then raised it to his lips. Her frown melted away.
Hud leaned forward to tuck a tendril of curly black hair away from her face and stroked her cheek.
Wade inhaled sharply and looked at Tag for his reaction.
Tag leaned against the white and gold Formica countertop, chewing on a donut. He propped one booted foot over the other and winked.
Wade jerked his attention back to Olivia, Jake, and Hudson. They all stared at him with identical mi
schievous looks.
“Yes?” Jake asked silkily.
Wade opened his mouth then closed it around a frosted cherry donut. He chewed with slow, even bites as he processed the information he’d just gleaned.
I’ll be damned.
He met Jake’s eyes and saw how clear and content he appeared. His friend looked like he’d found a measure of peace for the first time in years.
Wade swallowed and grinned. He lifted his soda bottle in silent salute. “So, Olivia. Shooting?”
She laughed as she reached for another donut. Her fingers hovered between chocolate and maple before finally settling on the syrup-flavored favorite. “I did shoot him, yes. But I sort of missed.”
“Wait, you hit him, didn’t you?”
“I was aiming for his head.”
“But she hit him in the shoulder,” Jake said.
They all laughed.
“So you think Fischer is the one who shot at you at the Calico?” Wade asked.
“Yeah,” Jake said. “Right after he shattered the window, he tossed in a grenade. Definitely looked like ones we used in the military.”
Tag frowned and pushed away from the counter. “He’s out of the service. How would he get his hands on that?”
“Tag, you can get anything these days from the Internet.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Still, I don’t really understand why he tried to shoot you.”
Olivia shrugged. “He couldn’t take the chance I’d put two and two together on the antiquities scheme he had going.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t know,” Jake said.
The mood in the kitchen grew a little grim, and Wade cleared his throat. “Have any of you met Kristen and Lewis? The kids in town to get married? They’ve brought their entire entourage for a week of shopping and relaxing. Lewis said it was like an extended pre-wedding party.”
Hud nodded as he took another donut. “Yep, I ran into them at Hank’s Goods & Gets the other day. Miss Hank was giving Kristen a talking-to about lingerie and the wedding night. The poor girl must have turned at least ten different shades of red.”
“Oh, that’s horrible,” Olivia said.
Wade thought he saw a smile in her eyes. She looked at him. “Hank is a bit forthright,” she said. “After my experience with her, I can just imagine how Kristen felt.”
“Hey, she picked out some very nice undies for you,” Hud said.
She elbowed him then stared at Wade’s arm. “Nice tattoo,” she said.
He looked down at his shirt sleeve, where a portion of his black tribal tattoo peeked out. He rolled the sleeve up and held out his arm. Olivia came in for a closer look.
“Excellent artistry,” she said.
He nodded his agreement. “I had it done in Hawaii a few years ago.”
“I love the way the lines are so sharp and clean.” Olivia pushed at the shirt some more then lifted the sleeve and peered inside. “It’s massive. Is that a phoenix?”
“It’s a variation of a phoenix and griffin combined. I wanted something to signify family, rebirth, and joy.” He grinned over her head at Jake and Hud. “It goes up my shoulder, down my chest, and around my waist. I can show you if you want.”
Jake glared and checked his watch. “It’s close to seven. Tag, you have any word on the house? Think we can get back in yet?”
Tag also looked at his wrist. “Probably. It’s been more than twelve hours since the shooting. The crime scene techs should be done by now.” He cocked his brow at Jake. “You anxious to get back for some reason in particular?” His sly gaze slid to Olivia.
“Shove it,” Jake muttered.
“Ah, if only,” Tag said. “I’ll call dispatch and get the sit-rep.”
“What’s a sit-rep?” Wade asked.
“Situation report,” Olivia answered. “Tag’s slipping back into his oorah days.” She smiled up at the tall sheriff. “You thinking of re-upping?”
“Hell, no,” he said and set his coffee on the countertop. “I’ve got enough problems corralling the good folks of Edwards County.” He looked at Wade. “I’ve heard that wedding party is a little rowdy. Can you talk to them?”
“Me?” Wade asked in surprise. “Why me?”
Tag grinned. “Because you’re the teacher. Just use your mean voice on ’em and tell them to settle down. Whitcombe hasn’t complained about anything yet, but I’m sure he’s still dealing with Olivia’s blown-up room.”
“You think I’ll do more good than a talking-to from the sheriff?” Wade didn’t believe that crap for a second.
“They’re just kids,” Tag said. “Shouldn’t even be getting married as far as I’m concerned. Too damn young.”
“Maybe you’re just too old,” Hudson offered.
Tag’s glare was flat and menacing.
Hud laughed. “Weren’t you going to call about our house? I don’t know about these guys, but I really want to get home to a decent bed.”
“My couch is perfectly comfortable,” Tag said.
“Bullshit. Besides, I prefer our king-sized bed at home.” He looked at Jake and Olivia. The tenderness in his expression stunned Wade. “It fits us perfectly.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tag said. He strode out of the kitchen to reappear a moment later with his cell phone to his ear. “Uh-huh. Yeah. He wants what?” One of Tag’s blond brows nearly flew from his broad forehead. He snorted. “Tell Fischer he can kiss my ass. He gets regular rations like any other prisoner.”
He fell silent and nodded a couple of times then gave Jake the thumbs-up. Within seconds though, his face grew dark once more. “Who? Donald Alcott? Never heard of him. Hell no, he can’t talk to Fischer. I don’t care if he’s from the Freedom Beacon, the Austin Statesman, or the New York Times. No one gets back to see my prisoner. Got it? Good.”
Finally he disconnected. “You guys are good to go. They’ve got plywood up on the picture window. Looks like you’ll have to special order a replacement.”
“I’ll pay for it,” Olivia said.
Jake was shaking his head before she could finish her sentence. Her glare told Wade their discussion was far from over.
He was amazed at how quickly the three of them seemed to have fallen into a pattern of familiarity and contentment.
He also wondered about the logistics of how other things worked between the three of them. Now that seriously roused his interest, not to mention a few lascivious fantasies.
“Who’s from the New York Times?” Jake asked.
Tag snorted. “No one. Some hotshot reporter is in town and waltzed right into my office and asked to talk to Fischer. Doreen told him no but he told her he’d be back.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Why does he want to talk to Fischer?”
“Don’t know,” Tag said. “I didn’t ask. It doesn’t matter anyway since it’s not happening.”
Olivia stood and stretched.
Her smooth, honeyed abdomen drew Wade’s eye. He licked his lips. Hud kicked him under the table.
“Quit drooling, man. She’s taken.”
Wade chuckled as he stood. “All the good ones are, I suppose.”
“I’m going to get dressed,” Olivia said. “Let’s go home, shall we?”
Jake and Hud also stood.
Olivia hugged Tag. “Thanks for letting us stay last night.”
Jake’s hands fisted at his side and Hud caught him by the arm.
“Relax, Logan,” Tag said. “It’s just a hug.”
Jake bared his teeth in response then caught her by the arm. “Ready to go home, darlin’?”
She rose on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. “You bet.”
The trio left the kitchen. Wade leaned back in his chair until he balanced on two legs. “That’s an interesting situation,” he said.
A hint of a smile crossed Tag’s lips. “Yeah. Isn’t it just?”
“What do you think?”
Tag looked at him. “I think Jake Logan and Hudson Walker are two lucky sons of bitches.”
&n
bsp; Wade tipped the chair back to the floor and stood. He walked next to Tag. “You ever do that? You know? When you were married to Pamela?”
Tag gave him a sharp look. “No,” he finally said. “She flatly refused any kind of other party in bed with us.”
Wade frowned. “I thought you were in charge? You know, being the Dom and all.”
Tag snorted. “There are rules we both agreed to follow. Other partners was a deal-breaker for her.”
Wade nodded. “I can understand that, I guess.” He looked at the now empty doorway. “But man, wouldn’t it be sweet to share a woman like that?”
Tag cuffed him on the shoulder. “That’s the problem, Wade. There are no other women like that. Besides, I’m not interested in commitment anymore. It’s nothing but a pain the ass and a drain on the finances. I’ll stick with one-night stands and the occasional trip to Austin. Come on, let’s get to town. Are you going to talk to the wedding kids for me?”
Wade groaned. “I suppose you’re going to insist?”
“Yep.”
“Fine, for all the good it’s going to do. But you’re gonna owe me a beer.” Wade wasn’t sure how he’d gotten such a reputation in the student body as a hard-ass and a teacher not to be messed with. He was glad for it, though. Dealing with troublemakers was always a pain in his butt. On the basketball court he could drill his players for hours as a punishment. Disciplinary measures were more difficult to enforce in the computer classes he taught. Cut and paste had taken the drudgery out of doing lines.
Hud, Jake, and Olivia trooped into the hallway near the front door. Jake held a large green duffle bag. He hefted it upward. “We’re packed.”
Her Heart-Stealing Cowboys [Hellfire Ranch 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 1