The Cowboys' Cure (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Jenny May

  “Scott. William.”

  The recognition had his eyes going big. “Holy shit. Branson Kimble? I didn’t know you were a cop here in Victoria.”

  The tall blond glanced down at the ground and nodded. “Yep. Five years now.” He tilted his head and leaned it in, looking at Austin, but brought his focus back up to Scott. “You want to tell me what happened here? Caller said a man was threatening to kill someone?” Confusion laced his features.

  “That was me,” William said, shaking his hand. “Man on the floor is Austin’s ex-husband.” He gestured to her. “She has a restraining order on him due to his violent nature and obsessive phone calls. He just couldn’t stay away.”

  The other officer began to help John up, asking him questions about what had happened. Scott focused on Branson and decided to take it from there. “I’m not sure why, but I came to check on Austin. I was outside the door when it opened and she collided with me.” Bile rose to the back of his throat at the flash of Austin’s scared face. “John was rushing out of the stall to get her when I started walking inside. He took one look and decided to attack me instead. I defended myself.”

  Branson nodded, writing the information on a small notepad. When his gaze rose, he narrowed in on Austin. Instinct had Scott wrapping his arm around her protectively.

  “Do you want to tell me what happened?” His voice was soft, almost coaxing.

  Austin pulled back a little from Scott and stood taller. “I was standing at the counter when I heard the door open. By the time I turned to see who it was, he was pulling me to the stall.” A small sob escaped her. “He.”

  As if she were seeing it all over again, Scott watched the life in her eyes fade out while she relived the nightmare. “He had me on the side of the wall at first. His hand was on my mouth and when I started to fight, he squeezed my face really tight. Then he started talking about William and Scott. About what he could do to them.” Tears escaped and she sobbed, again. “He spun me around and began chocking me, saying they were going to have more problems than a broken fence if I didn’t pack my things and head home. I thought I was going to pass out. I panicked and clawed at his face. That’s when he hit me. After that I slid from under the stall and ran through the door. Right into Scott.”

  Something passed over Branson’s face. “May I? I’m sorry, I can’t really see your face. You keep looking down.”

  Austin lifted her head back and the deep bruise coming up across her cheek, accompanied with the bruises on the other side where his fingers had been made Scott’s blood boil all over again. Branson lowered his gaze and Scott followed suit, seeing the bruises on her neck for the first time. They were perfect fingerprints.

  “I should have fucking killed him.” Scott ground his teeth as he glared over at John’s swollen face.

  Branson’s eyes shot up at his statement, but he continued to assess Austin. He lifted his head at his partner. “What’s the word?”

  “Guy won’t say anything but that’s she’s his wife.”

  “Great. He give you a name?” Bronson pulled out his handcuffs.

  “John Caldwell.”

  The clink of the metal hitting together was like music to Scott’s ears. This bastard deserved so much more than jail time. Hell, he’d probably be out in a matter of hours.

  “Mr. Caldwell, you’re under arrest—

  John laughed. “You can’t fucking arrest me. Do you know who I am? I’m the sheriff of San Patricio County.”

  Branson paused. “Well, you ain’t shit here.” He continued with his rights as John fought against them. A yell tore from him as the other officer pulled the bastard toward the door.

  “This isn’t over, Austin. You better be home by the time I get there or so help me.” He jerked wildly against the officers. “You better be there!” The threat was so loud the echo rattled Scott’s throbbing head. He was pretty sure he’d been hit a couple of times, but he could hardly remember.

  “Would you like me to call you an ambulance?”

  “No.” She quickly shook her head. “I’m all right really. This is nothing compared to what he used to do.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. We’re going to need y’all to come to the station for statements at some point. Are you going to want to press charges, Ms. Caldwell?”

  Austin’s mouth parted, but it quickly snapped shut. “Yes. I should have done it a long time ago.”

  “Good.” Branson continued to stare at her. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? I really think you should get checked out.”

  “No.” The way Austin gravitated toward Scott and William had both of them edging into her close. “I just want to go home.”

  The door swung open again and an unknown officer breached their space. Branson ignored him. “Okay, just come to the station first thing in the morning and we’ll get everything we need done to take care of the matter. Mr. Caldwell won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The judge, he’s a good one. I’m sure he’ll look out for you.”

  “Judge,” Austin said, quietly.

  “Yeah. Judge Adams. He’s new, but he seems like a pretty good guy.”

  The ragged breath had Austin clutching tighter to him. “Grady. Oh God. I forgot he works here in Victoria now.”

  “She knows the judge?” Branson’s eyes went wide.

  “He’s her best friend.” William eased them to the door. “Is that all? I’d really like to get her home?”

  “Right. Yeah, you’re all free to go. Just stop by in the morning. Ask for Detective Valentes. I’ll be sure he gets your case.”

  The stares as they left the restroom made Scott’s skin crawl. While he tried to ignore them, he also tried to protect Austin from being affected. He doubted a comforting arm would do much, but he planned on holding her the rest of the way home. For as long as she needed to heal past this tear in the fabric of her mind. God dammit. They’d worked so hard to build her up. Four months of nonstop inner strengthening down the fucking drain in one night.

  The cool night air engulfed them, smelling of the delicious aromas they hadn’t had the chance to devour. Scott knew he shouldn’t have felt hungry. Not after all they went through, but his stomach had other ideas as it growled. They walked back to the truck, deep into the parking lot and only when Austin was buckled between them did he pull her head to rest against him.

  “You okay? I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

  No tears spilled. No emotion showed as she glanced up at him and looked back down. “I’m fine. Somehow I knew it was going to happen. Can’t say I’m surprised. John will never give up. He’ll never let me go.”

  “He’s going to have to because we’re not letting you go, Austin. You’re ours now. Not his. Never again.” Rage pricked against his insides like a million sharp-edged needles. Scott brought his fingers up to press against the ridge of his nose. How could he fight a man who wouldn’t back off? Who didn’t care about the law, because he thought himself above it? Besides death, the answers wouldn’t come.

  The roar of the diesel engine was equivalent to the mass of tension resting in the center of Scott’s chest. Austin’s freedom should have been her own. The decision of being with someone should have rested solely upon her. Yet it didn’t. Not with John still sinking his talons into the roots of her life. He’d always be a shadow lurking in the dark, and Scott had to find a way to turn on a light so bright that he couldn’t exist. But how? He hated all these questions. And he knew there was only going to be more.

  Chapter 18

  For over an hour Austin paced in the front yard. Grady was supposed to call the moment he learned what was going to happen to John. It’d been almost three days and it was driving her crazy. If he got bail, shit, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Fear crept up her spine like tiny icicles, freezing their way up to her throat. The same throat John had been so close to crushing.

  Scott and William’s truck rested off in the distance. They were reluctant to work, but she assured t
hem she’d be fine. And she was, as long as she could see them. The thought of being alone suddenly terrified her more than any spider or creepy crawler ever had. So many what-if’s kept going through her head. What if John was already out and Grady forgot to call? What if he came back to finish the job? Would he? If not today, then when? Weeks from now?

  A chill made Austin shake, and it had nothing to do with the cool gust of wind. She hugged tighter to the sweater and headed for the picnic bench. It seemed like yesterday her and Grady were sitting there watching the men play horseshoes. The memory brought a sad smile to her face. Would it ever be like that again? The tension with James. Now this.

  Austin sat down. Yes. Things had to go back to the way they were. Everything would fall into place, it had to. Rustling from the cottonwood tree had her looking up. Nothing good ever came from a cottonwood tree. Her mother had always said that. Every time they’d moved into a house with one, disaster always struck. First it was money issues. Then her father’s death. Then, upon moving again, her mother lost her job. She always blamed it on the damn trees, and Austin would laugh it away, but as she stared at the one above, she couldn’t help but feel wary.

  “Ridiculous.” She pushed off the bench. “Blaming my troubles on a damn tree. I sound just like her.” With the way Austin’s mind was going, maybe she was turning into her mother. Denise had pretty much lost it before she died. Maybe the obsessive thoughts and crazy paranoia was hereditary. “I have a reason to be.”

  Austin stopped. Shit. She was talking to herself. Maybe she was losing her mind. If that were the truth, she wasn’t blaming genes, more likely the man who was hopefully still behind bars.

  A ring had the phone jumbling in her hands as she rushed to answer it. “Grady?”

  “Hey, honey. How are you?”

  If he only knew. “I’m good. Is John out? Did they set him free?” Teeth sunk into Austin’s knuckle before she even realized she had her fist to her mouth.

  “Brace yourself. Are you doing that?”

  “Yes.” That one word nearly got caught in her thought.

  “Good news. Due to the circumstances surrounding the protection order, the judge has denied any bail until trail.”

  Denied bail. Repeatedly Grady’s voice bounced in her head, refusing to make sense.

  “They’re keeping him in, Austin. You should be happy. Say something.”

  “That’s great news.” Even though the wind blew, air wouldn’t enter her lungs. Slowly, she walked back to the picnic table and sat down. “How long do I have before there’s a chance he’ll get out?”

  Her luck, it’d be a couple of weeks. Just enough time for her to relax and get into routine. Then he’d come. She knew he would. John wasn’t going to give up.

  “Judge is pushing the trail back for a few months. As long as he can. Then you can bet your ass with the evidence the department has, the violated protection order, accompanied with the assault…we’re talking at least up to two years in prison. Maybe more. I haven’t heard all the charges, but from what I do know, what he did to you was a felony. That’s not Class A misdemeanor. We’re talking hard time.”

  Austin’s head jerked to the truck the men were walking up to. “At least two years. Really?” Numbly, she began to walk toward the pasture. She didn’t care that Scott and William were so far away. She needed to be close to them. To tell them the news.

  “Yes. You can calm now, honey. Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re safe. We’ll deal with John when it comes closer to the time of him getting out, but as of now, relax.”

  “I will. Thank you, Grady. Thank you so much. I know you had a part in this. I’m forever grateful.”

  A small laugh came through. “Don’t even mention it. I love you, Austin. You take care.”

  “I love you, too, Grady.” She hung up the phone and started running toward the truck. The cold air burned her lungs, but Austin had never felt more alive. This was it. The ultimate safety from John. At least for the next two years. That was, of course, if he didn’t get out early for good behavior. But it didn’t matter. It was time, months, at least, and she’d take it.

  William tossed something in the back of the truck and froze as he saw. From where she was, she heard him shout Scott’s name. He raced toward her faster than Austin could process. Panic etched into his face and within a minute, he was halting to a stop, running his hands over her body.

  “What is it? Are you hurt? Is he out? What happened?”

  Scott was running for them and Austin tried to catch her breath while he made it over to their side. The moment he stopped, she reached for both of their shirts. “They’re not letting him out. Period.” A laugh fell from her mouth. “Not, at least, until the trial, but Grady thinks with all the charges against him, they’ll lock him away for at least two years.”

  Aching throbbed in her swollen face from the bruises, and her throat was tight from the deep breaths, but Austin didn’t care. She couldn’t have been happier.

  “That’s great news.” William scooped her into his arms. “I’ve been so worried for you on how things were going to work out.” The kiss he placed on her mouth was full of tenderness. She wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him close. As her eyes settled on Scott, she took in the shade of black beneath his eye. Instinctively, she reached for him.

  William handed her over and she held to Scott like a life-line. He’d been there for her in the scariest moment of her life. He’d protected her when John would have undoubtedly come after her. She’d never forget the scene of that restroom. The place had been destroyed. All because of his love and need to keep her safe.

  “Take me home. I want you both to consume me. Make me forget everything but the two of you. No more John. No more fear. Just us.”

  Scott didn’t even head back to the truck. He carried her all the way to the house and didn’t stop until they were standing in the center of his room. Gently, he removed her clothing until she stood bare. Exposed to them. Like a predator, he circled around, coming to a standstill, behind her.

  “Are you sure you’re ready to pick up where we left off last night?” Fingers brushed up the back of her leg, stopping just at the bottom of her ass. With his other hand, he repeated the action until both rested close to her back entrance.

  “I’m positive. Don’t make love to me. Give me savage. Primal. Erase these last three days with something unforgettable.”

  William pulled off his shirt and removed the rest of his clothing. His sculptured chest and abs wreaked havoc to her core. Wetness seeped from her pussy and it took everything inside of her not to moan and throw herself into his arms. She needed to feel that hard body against the softness of hers.

  The floor was suddenly without reach as Scott’s arm locked between her breasts and he jerked her back into his chest. The hand that was behind her ass shifted and his finger plunged deep inside of her pussy. “Is this what you need?” Another finger stretched her wide. While they began to rub, Austin fought to bring him to a thrust, but he wasn’t sliding in and out, only exploring.

  “Give me more. I need…”

  “You need what I give you. I decide what that is.” Teeth grazed against her earlobe and a desperate cry escaped.

  William walked over to the dresser and withdrew the lube. Darkness swam across his face. Was this going to be a new thing with him? Or only when she wanted it?

  The click of the bottle opening had Austin licking her lips. Over and over she clenched her pussy against Scott’s fingers. It was as though her body knew what it needed, and that was her men, both, inside of her.

  Clear liquid coated his fingers and William’s cock jumped while he kept his eyes on what Scott was doing. “I’m going to lift your leg and finger your ass before I tie you up. God, I can’t wait to see you bound before me.”

  The length of William’s long fingers gripped the back of her knee and placed it on his shoulder. Scott shifted her a little and her eyes closed as his fingertip rubbed over her back entr
ance.

  “Yes.” Austin dropped her head to Scott’s shoulder letting herself relax as William pushed into her ass. “Fuck. More. Give me two.”

  William shook his head. “We make the rules, baby.”

  Leisurely, Scott’s fingers began to withdraw. The pressure of his thumb over her clit caused Austin to try to move her hips. In and out, her two cowboys torturously moved at different paces. So many sensations, and the difference in friction had need tightening her by the second.

  “That’s it. You’re soaking wet, darlin’. You’re almost there, but we’re not going to let you come so soon.” Scott stilled his fingers, once again rubbing them in small movements. When William slid another finger into her ass, Austin reached down and dug her nails into Scott’s jean-clad thigh.

  “I can’t wait to be fucking this tight little ass.” Deep thrusts turned into pounding. William reached up, bringing her leg higher while he leaned forward and slammed into her repeatedly with lightning speed.

  Austin screamed while fireworks wound up, ready to explode. But they didn’t. He slowed just before she could reach to the peak she so desperately wanted.

  “So close.” William’s teeth nipped at her thigh. “Time to get the rope. I’ve had it sitting in the closet, just waiting for this.”

  The moment his fingers disappeared an emptiness took over. She wasn’t complete anymore, and wouldn’t be until he returned. To be with one of them was amazing, but both was heaven. Her salvation from the numb loneliness she’d known for so long.

  The rope was thinner than Austin expected. And red. She’d thought it’d be tan like all the others she’d seen around the ranch. There was so much she was learning about her cowboys. They weren’t what they’d appeared. There was so much they were ready to show her, and she knew it was because of the condition she’d come to them in.