The Connaghers Series Boxed Set

by Joely Sue Burkhart

  “Actually, it was Miss Belle who found me, not Conn, but I’m glad too.”

  “She’s quite the meddler, but her heart’s in the right place.”

  Rae nodded, absently twisting the engagement ring on her left hand. Conn had good taste. The diamond was appropriately sparkly without completely overwhelming her delicate hand. Staring down at her own hands, Virginia could only sigh. Miss Belle had often said she had the hands of a man and years of hard work and horse training had only contributed to her masculine, powerful fingers, wrists and forearms. She could pack a wallop and had the musculature to prove it. I was made to punish and hurt.

  The doctor had replaced the heavier cast with something much lighter, evidently pleased with her recovery so far. Though her arm looked too much like a fragile little stick now.

  “I know you don’t like me much…”

  Virginia jerked her head up and would have retorted, Why on earth would you say that? But the look on Rae’s face stilled her tongue. The young woman looked miserable and unhappy, despite Conn’s glowing promise on her finger. Gentling her voice, Virginia replied, “You couldn’t be more wrong. I love you like a daughter simply because you make my son smile.”

  Startled, Rae managed a smile. “You do?”

  “Of course I do. I’d have to be a damned idiot not to see how much Conn loves you.”

  Rae sighed wistfully, looking back down at her ring. “I love him too. Sometimes so much that I think he should surely have someone better than me.”

  Virginia scooted closer and took the younger woman’s hands in both of her rough ones. “Now you listen here.” She said it just hard enough that Rae’s eyes popped back up to her face, but Virginia kept her face soft and easy. “You were made for him, and him for you. Don’t let nothing or nobody tell you any different.”

  “It’s my fatal flaw.” Rae pulled a hand away to wipe away her tears, but she still smiled. “I warned him from the beginning I was an emotional basket case. I just want the best for him, and I don’t always see myself as being his best. Not when he’s so strong and confident.”

  “Girl, you’re underestimating yourself. How long have you lived by Miss Belle now?”

  Rae thought a few minutes, doing the math. “Eight months, practically nine, I guess.”

  “She’s been here almost three weeks and I’m trying to decide whether to cut up the body and toss her piece by piece into the Gulf or if I should just drag her out back and let the coyotes do the work for me. The latter is definitely the easiest, but I’m sure I’d get a certain perverse pleasure out of watching sharks eat her. The only reason we’re both still breathing is that she didn’t bring that damned parasol with her.”

  Rae choked back a laugh. “She’s not that bad.”

  “The hell you say. If you’ll marry Conn and take care of her for me, then I’m going to nominate you for sainthood.” When Rae’s laughter died down, Virginia asked, “So what’s got you thinking you’re not good enough for Conn? Because if I ever gave you that impression, I apologize.”

  “No, it’s nothing really. It’s just meeting all of his family, and seeing him in action, so to speak. Seeing his brother and how he acts with him.”

  Feeling her way along, Virginia probed a little. “How does he act with Victor that he doesn’t act at home?”

  “Harder. A little…”

  “Mean,” Virginia finished, nodding. “You have to understand that Victor’s a sadist, pure and simple. Conn’s not that far down the scale though. He never will be.”

  “I just wonder…” Rae sighed heavily, returning to twisting the ring. “If he would be more into the heavy stuff if I was, or if he’s holding himself back because I’m scared.”

  “Honey, a man like him, a Dominant, doesn’t change who he is. It’s impossible. Now he can act a little tougher when he’s with his big mean brother, but he’s never going to get off on being as hard and rough as Master V. It’s just not in him.”

  “I don’t want him to hold back because of me. It makes me worry that I’m not…enough. I’ll never be enough for a man like him.”

  A submissive’s heart could be a fragile, delicate thing. Rae’s words struck a chord in Virginia and she fell silent, her mind whirling with conflicting thoughts. Hadn’t she been holding back on Jeb? Sure, she’d been protecting him, or so she’d thought. She didn’t want to be mean and hard on him. She didn’t want to hurt him.

  Though by holding back…

  That’s exactly what I’m doing. And it isn’t the kind of hurt either one of us could ever enjoy.

  “It makes me wonder if making I’m him less than he could be, and that’d break my heart.”

  So much of a submissive’s self-worth was wrapped up in how well he or she pleased the Dominant. Especially for submissives who were more into the service side of the scale. Like Jeb.

  Every time she refused to satisfy her need on him, she refused him. She refused him the ability to serve to his full capacity. Which made him feel less than complete as her submissive. Less worthy. After everything he’d already been through with his ex and her own rejection when she’d chosen another man over him in the first place.

  Damn it all to hell. I’ve made a right ugly mess of everything. Irritation with herself hardened her voice. “Now that’s ridiculous talk. Nothing could make my son less than he could be, certainly not something or someone he loves so much.” Now I’ve got to make sure Jeb knows I feel the same way about him.

  A crash made them both jump. Suitcase tossed on the floor, Conn stood at the doorway. “Mama!” he roared, planting his hands on his hips with a fierce scowl that did her sadist’s heart proud. “You made her cry! What did you say to her?”

  Rae scrambled to her feet. “We were just talking. Everything’s fine.”

  “Bullshit,” he retorted, stomping over to drag her against him. “Nobody makes you cry, darlin’. No matter how much I love them. Mama, how could you? She’s half terrified of you already, and now—”

  Virginia slowly pushed to her feet, trying not to laugh. “Son, listen to your sweetheart. And next time, maybe a trip to Master V’s favorite club isn’t the best idea for a submissive who’s not into heavy discipline.”

  He flushed so darkly she had to smother her laughter behind her hand. “We didn’t… How did you know about that?”

  “I put two and two together.” Virginia reached out and drew the younger woman into a hug, careful not to bang her with the cast. “Did you two decide on a date yet?”

  “Not yet,” Rae hedged, avoiding her gaze but hugging her back warmly. Lowering her voice, she whispered for Virginia’s ears only. “It might need to be sooner than later. Maybe. He doesn’t know yet.”

  Virginia squeezed her, fighting to suppress the fierce smile of joy threatening to split her face open. A baby. Maybe.

  Oh, Ty. Our first grandbaby. I wish you were here to see him.

  A whisper of leather flickered through the air, making her turn her head. She could swear that someone whispered her in her ear. A little girl? Even better.

  A commotion outside announced more visitors. Victor, Shiloh and Vicki came into the house, passing hugs around, though Victor looked a little grim. His eyes caught Virginia’s gaze and he tipped his head to the side as if he wanted to speak to her privately.

  “Okay, dears, we’re off,” Miss Belle called gaily. She went from person to person planting kisses. “Virginia, I expect to hear the news soon.”

  Rae paled and Shiloh shot a guilty glance at her. Uh oh. Could they both be expecting? Ty had said all of the above in that dream, but surely he didn’t mean…

  “Can’t you keep any secrets, Grandma?” Vicki retorted, though she gave Miss Belle another hug. “You don’t have to go and spoil everyone’s good news.”

  All three of them? Laughing, Virginia didn’t hide her glad tears. “I guess we’re going to be very busy for the next year.” The boys looked at each other uneasily and it made her laugh all the harder, though the girls
were beginning to look a little queasy. To give them a little time to share their news in private, she dropped a little bombshell of her own to take the pressure off them. “Just so you aren’t taken completely by surprise, I’m planning to ask Jebadiah to move in with me. Since we’re both as old as dirt, we may or may not decide to make it official with a wedding.”

  More congratulations and hugs were passed around, though Victor looked even grimmer. He jerked his ponytail tighter, pulling his face back in a hard and tight line. He didn’t say anything, though she had a feeling she was going to get an earful once everyone was gone. Finally Miss Belle’s caravan headed out. As soon as they were gone, Virginia turned to her oldest son. “What is it?”

  “You’d better sit down.”

  She did so, with Vicki on one side of her and Shiloh on the other.

  “Did Mr. Garrett tell you about his current profession?”

  Virginia nodded. “He’s a writer now, and becoming something of a success.”

  “But he did he tell you what he wrote?”

  She narrowed her eyes on him, unsure why he was offended. “Yes. He writes BDSM fiction about submissive men. His ex wasn’t very supportive of it, either.”

  Victor let out a hard laugh. “Yeah, I imagine not. Take a look at this.”

  He placed a slim black tablet in her lap and hit a button, bringing up a book cover. The first thing that caught her attention was the woman’s vibrant red hair. It streamed all over the page, long and wild and curly. She was dressed in a corset and a cowboy hat, a somewhat odd mix. Even stranger, though, was the pink parasol in one hand.

  And the crop in her other.

  The title arched across the top in large script: The Lady Always Gets Her Man by Chris Waters.

  She looked up at her son. “So?”

  “That’s you.”

  She laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have red hair, have never owned a corset in my life, and I certainly don’t carry Miss Belle’s parasol.”

  He swiped his finger, bringing up the next page. “Read the blurb.”

  She blew out a sigh and took the electronic reader from him, wishing she had her reading glasses so she didn’t have to hold it quite so far away. Vicki reached over and adjusted the font, which helped considerably.

  The legendary lady always gets her man, whether it takes a pistol, a pretty parasol or a wicked crop. The only question is whether she’ll take the formidable lawman with the need for domination…or the dashing outlaw with the secret need for pain. Or maybe she’ll simply take them both.

  Her gaze flickered up to Victor’s a moment, and then hurriedly she read the rest. She sat back and hoped she didn’t look like someone had clubbed her upside the head, but she wasn’t even sure if her mouth was closed or not.

  “See? It’s you and Mr. Garrett.”

  “And Ty,” she whispered. “How many more did he write?”

  “Ten,” Shiloh said gently. “I downloaded them all on this device if you want to read them, but none of the others seemed as…deliberate…as this one. It’s his most recent release.”

  “How’d you find them?”

  Victor let out a short, hard laugh. “Did you think I’d let my mama date some guy without doing a little background checking of my own?”

  “So you snooped.”

  “Damned straight. I found an article linking hometown Jebadiah Garrett to writer Chris Waters for an award ceremony this weekend in L.A. It was all downhill from there.”

  Virginia tightened her grip on the tablet, refusing to let Shiloh take it. “This weekend?”

  “I thought you knew.”

  “I knew he was going to L.A. and he asked if I wanted to go. I knew he was up for another award but he never said the award ceremony was this weekend.”

  It was just like his prom all over again. She’d made plans first and he wouldn’t want to change or affect her decision, so he hadn’t mentioned the details. Or maybe he didn’t think she’d care. Or worse, that she’d turn her back on him like his ex-wife.

  “Can’t you see why?” Vicki asked. “Remember how it was when I first launched my line? Or when V and Shiloh first made an appearance after their show aired? Everyone leaps to conclusions. Even if half of what’s in that book could be applicable to you or him, then people will assume the whole thing’s true. Especially if you go there in person.”

  “They’ll assume I’m Victorious.”

  “You are,” Victor insisted.

  “No, I’m not. Look at her. Even if you disregard the physical differences, I’d only have a frilly parasol like that if I’d yanked it from Miss Belle’s cold dead hands. Jeb’s certainly no wanted outlaw and he was never into pain. That was Ty’s calling card. And we certainly never had an intimate three-way relationship back then! Though if Ty were still alive…” She let her mind explore that path for the first time and realized yes, she would have been open to such a thing. That’s how much I need Jeb. That’s how much I love him. And he has no idea.

  She surged to her feet. “I have to get to that ceremony.”

  “Mama, didn’t you hear a word I said?” Victor crossed his arms, giving her a glare that probably would have made just about everyone else in the world backpedal in a hurry. But she’d taught it to him in the first place. “You can’t possibly go.”

  “Watch me. His ex-wife was horrible about his writing, and her lack of support was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

  “Not the fact that he’s dedicated every single erotic novel to the mysterious V, the love of his life,” Victor said dryly.

  Virginia didn’t cross her arms or plant her hands on her hips. She didn’t raise her voice. In fact, she barely spoke above a whisper. But the low whiplike intensity made even her sadist son stand to full attention. “I don’t give a damn what people think. I won’t have him thinking for a moment that I’ve abandoned him, or that I’m ashamed of him for any reason. He’s mine and I’ll be there for him and he’d by God better dedicate another twenty or thirty books to me before we die. I will not let him down!”

  A broad smile cracked the stony facade of her son’s face. “Then what are you still doing here, Mama?”

  Vicki jumped up and hugged her. “Oh, Mama, I’m so happy for you. You deserve a little joy and companionship.”

  Virginia let the giddy smile shine all over her face. “He’s been so good to me. I have to be there for him.”

  “I have an idea.” Shiloh stood too, a little hesitant but with a wicked glint in her eyes. “If everyone’s going to assume you’re Victorious anyway…”

  Virginia laughed and wrapped an arm around both her daughter by blood and her soon-to-be daughter by marriage. “Then I should definitely look the part.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” Shiloh said, giving Victor a nod.

  He stepped out and quickly returned with a duffel bag of goodies, along with what looked like Miss Belle’s infamous parasol. “Grandma must have left this behind. I didn’t see it in the hallway when we first came in, but it must be hers—I couldn’t find one that matched it in our costume department, though we packed some other options in case you were open to the idea. Vicki’s already cleared her schedule to go with you and we’ve got two first-class tickets leaving on the next flight out of Dallas.”

  Shaking her head fondly, Virginia took the parasol. A note had been stapled to the fabric. For V.

  Virginia? No. Victorious. “That crafty old bat. How on earth did she…?” Virginia blew out a sigh. “Never mind. By the way, if anyone’s looking for a Christmas or birthday gift for me, you can get me one of those fancy tablets so I can read all of Jeb’s books.”

  Victor came over and planted a big kiss on her forehead. “Happy early birthday, Mama. That’s your brand new tablet.”

  She leaned against him for a moment, relief and gladness and joy bubbling up out of her until she wanted to simply yell. “Thank you, all. For understanding, for helping, for being here. Thank you.”

  20<
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  The Lady Always Gets Her Man by Chris Waters

  Naturally, the mayor of Halltown lived in the largest house, on a hill overlooking the rest of town. Without any other nearby houses—that might sully the mayor’s view—Ransom had taken cover beneath the stone bridge that carried all town traffic up to the mayor’s abode. Wet and dank and dark, his hiding place was far from comfortable, but at least he was out of sight and the water was low, barely a trickle. So he could easily hear footsteps or riders as they approached.

  The jingle of spurs was unmistakable. Granted, there were probably a dozen other cowboys in town who might wear spurs, but Ransom thought it was a pretty safe bet to guess the sheriff stood on the bridge above him. A waft of cigar smoke told him that Brazen was at least going to stay a few minutes where he could smoke in peace, and more, that Victorious wasn’t with him.

  It wasn’t long before Ransom heard another person approaching, this time following the stream down the hill rather than the road. Grateful for the darkness, he pressed his back against the stone. As long as the watcher hadn’t seen him crawl under the bridge an hour ago, no one would be able to see him now. He hadn’t used the road himself, but had used the trees sprinkled along the banks for cover.

  “You got anything?” Brazen asked in that slow, distinctive drawl.

  “Nope.” Ransom didn’t recognize the other man’s voice. So the sheriff was watching the place. But was it to catch the thief who’d taken the mayor’s money…or was he after the Specter too? “Just the ladies. Mrs. Townsend took the carriage into town earlier, all dressed up in her finery, but Mr. Townsend is still home as far as I know. Tommy’s been watching the back and didn’t signal.”