Cowboy Sanctuary (The Dixon Ranch)

by Michelle Hughes

  I dismissed the handlers to work on other jobs, leaving me and the sexy city girl alone in the barn. I wasn’t prepared when she threw herself into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist and begging for a little rodeo of her own. “That was so incredibly hot. I want you to take me that way,” Danielle breathed.

  If that didn’t make me stand at attention, I’m not sure what would! “Good thing you’re wearing a skirt, then, darlin’. Slide off those panties and bend over, and I’ll make it last longer than what you just saw.” Chuckling as she slid down my body and did exactly what I asked, I pulled down my jeans and underwear before walking over and using my mouth and tongue on her silky pink flesh to make sure she was ready for me. None of that was needed. She was so wet I could have taken her without any foreplay, but it wasn’t my style.

  “Better hold on tight,” I warned. Danielle bent over and gripped the bars of one of the stalls as I slid into her gripping heat with one forceful thrust. Her gasp made me slow my action, but she wasn’t having any of that.

  “Take me like you mean it, cowboy!” I didn’t need to be told twice. I slammed into her welcoming body, and her feet lifted off the floor as I rode her until she screamed out my name in pleasure. I followed behind quickly, not sure what it was about this woman that made me more animal than human.

  Over the next three days we saw more action than the horses did, and I thought I was falling for this wild filly, who seemed almost obsessed with getting off. I hated watching Danielle leave, but if there’s one thing I understood, it was commitment, and she had a job to get back to. She promised to call when the results were in from her vet, and I was hoping her mare hadn’t been impregnated. I was looking forward to another visit. Unfortunately, that never happened. Not only that, she never paid the breeder’s fee, and I was out a hundred grand.

  I could have sued, but I chalked it up to being stupid for not getting paid up-front. Travis was madder than a tick that I refused to file charges. It didn’t matter that I explained I’d gotten paid with some of the greatest sex of my life. After leaving several dozen messages for Danielle, I gave up hope that she’d do the right thing. For weeks my brothers didn’t talk to me unless it involved work. Their loss.

  Dana

  5 Months Ago

  “I swear this little man gets bigger every time I see him.” Holding my nephew in my arms made me long for a child of my own, but it wasn’t my time yet. I made goofy faces at the baby while my twin put down her diaper bag and grabbed a cup of coffee. I could tell instantly something was wrong with my sister.

  Call it twin intuition or whatever, but I knew when she was in pain, even if we were hundreds of miles apart. Danielle was my best friend, but I hated the person she was becoming since marrying that slimeball Derrick Stallings. I tried to keep my opinion to myself most of the time when it came to Derrick because my sister had so much stress trying to be mommy to this little angel. Derrick was crap as a father and husband, and I knew Danielle didn’t need to be reminded.

  “What’s he done this time?” Hopefully something that would land him in jail, I thought. The man really was a blight on society and needed to be locked away permanently. How she stayed with him, I had no idea.

  “We can talk about that later. I need to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it.” For Danielle to even preface her explanation with something like that terrified me. Danielle had always been the wilder of the two of us. I kept my nose stuck in a book. I never judged her. I gave an opinion, yes, but she came first.

  “Why don’t we get Jeremy into his playpen while I grab a coffee. This sounds like I may need one.” After blowing raspberries on the baby’s tummy, I looked up at Danielle with a more serious expression. I worried about her constantly lately. She’d lost too much weight and looked like she wasn’t sleeping at all.

  She set up the playpen, and I put Jeremy in it, regretful even though it had been my idea. I loved every minute I got to spend with him, and lately that wasn’t a lot. Derrick was such an ass that he’d become possessive, even when Danielle was here. Grabbing a cup, I joined her back in the living room while Jeremy played blissfully with his toys.

  “Derrick’s not his father.” Of all the things she could have blurted out, that was the last thing I expected to hear.

  “What?” I spoke the word loudly, scaring the little man. His face pouted up, and I forced myself to make a silly expression again to make him smile. My twin sister and I told each other everything, or so I thought, so hearing something this huge was like being stabbed in the heart by my favorite person in the world.

  “I never said anything because I wasn’t sure until recently, and there’s a time in my life I’d rather forget. I know you’re pissed but I need you to be understanding right now. I’m scared, Dana, really scared.”

  My sister had done some incredibly stupid things before, and I’d stood by her side for every one of them, so this wouldn’t be any different, but still! “How are you sure now?” I’d never thought Jeremy had any of Derrick’s features, but he was a baby so that could be excused.

  “I guess maybe I’ve always known, but I also knew that Derrick would leave me if Jeremy wasn’t his. I know it’s crazy, but I love Derrick, even though he can be a horrible person, you know?” Of course I knew. Derrick was into all kinds of illegal things that he got away with. I hated that Danielle was mixed up in any of it.

  “Who did you sleep with?” If it was one of Derrick’s friends, I was seriously going to be nauseated. Danielle had told me they were into some seedy things, and even though she promised to never get involved, she knew they were dealing drugs on the side. It went against everything I believed in, but Danielle was my sister. I couldn’t turn Derrick in without getting her involved.

  She told me the horrifying story of some horse breeder in Texas Derrick had set her up with to breed her mare. Pulling out her phone, Danielle showed me his picture and said how he’d been one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. She’d stiffed him on the breeding fee, which was exorbitant in my opinion, but that wasn’t really the point. I could see in her eyes that her remorse was real, but that poor man! He was a beautiful one at that, but that didn’t matter!

  “Are you sure Jeremy is his and not Derrick’s?” There were a million questions going through my mind but that one was most prominent.

  “I have decided to leave Derrick, Dana. I knew if Jeremy was his, he’d fight me for custody, so I had a test done. He’s definitely not Derrick’s, and Brock is the only other man I slept with.” I believed her after she explained how she’d tricked Derrick into doing a DNA swab for some ancestry test she wanted for Jeremy, but it brought up more concerns.

  “Did he tell you to sleep with this man?” I was going to kill the bastard if he was pimping out my sister. I wouldn’t put it past him.

  “I was only supposed to flirt with him. Get him to really fall for me. I couldn’t help myself, sis. Brock was everything Derrick wasn’t. Sweet, compassionate, and I think he was really falling for me. He had this beautiful ranch too. I even thought about leaving Derrick and moving down there.”

  My sympathy went toward Brock, especially when she told me that Derrick had sent her down to breed Lilly with the intention of never paying Brock for his services. I didn’t understand Danielle’s fascination with horses, but I knew they’d pulled in a quarter of a million dollars selling that foal because of its bloodline. “Tell me you’re leaving him,” I said. I couldn’t yet discuss how horrible I thought what she’d done was, not without being condescending. I knew Derrick was changing everything about Danielle, and this was more proof. The sister I grew up with would never hurt another person this way.

  “Yes. I have to be careful, though. He’s been acting really crazy lately, and honestly, I’m afraid.” Jeremy started demanding attention, so I picked him up and played with him so Danielle could continue. “He’ll never let me leave. I told him we needed some time apart, and he said that was fine, that as long as I leave the kid w
ith him, I can go wherever I want.”

  We both knew Derrick didn’t give a damn about Jeremy, so it was an emotional card to keep Danielle where he thought she belonged. “Now that you know he’s not the father, just pack your things and move in with me,” I said. “We’ll get you a lawyer and a restraining order, if need be.” To me, it was that simple.

  “I need a few more months to get things together for me and little man. I don’t think I want to stay in the city.” Her words depressed me, but I fought hard not to show it. Having her and my nephew away from me was going to suck. I would be graduating next month and was looking forward to having some time off with them before finding a job.

  “If that’s what you feel you need to do, then I’m behind you. Maybe we can all go together?” I hated leaving our family home, but being with family was the most important thing, and there were jobs in business all over the world.

  “You’d do that for us? I wouldn’t ask you to leave because I know this is our home, but I would love to have you with me!” Danielle pulled me into a hug, and Jeremy squealed in delight at being the center of our affection.

  “Of course I would. Besides, the house is paid for. We can always come back later if we’re not happy somewhere else.” Anything to get her and my nephew away from that loser!

  “I’m going to start looking for places, then.” She walked over to her purse and pulled out an envelope. “I need you to keep this for me. It’s the results of the test. I can’t afford for him to find it.” I didn’t like this at all. If she felt unsafe, then I wasn’t going to relax until she was.

  “How are you going to do this?” I asked. I had no idea what kind of planning she was doing except for finding a new home for all of us.

  “I have an appointment with a lawyer in a few hours. I was hoping you could watch Jeremy until I get back. He should be able to tell me the easiest way to take care of everything.” She looked so uncertain that it really broke my heart. I knew Danielle loved Derrick, but obviously she’d had enough. Proud that she was doing what was best for her and Jeremy, I nodded quickly. I never thought she’d leave the jerk!

  We enjoyed our time together, deciding not to talk about the nastiness of what was going to happen, and I tried to cheer her up. I enjoyed every minute with little man after Danielle left for her appointment, and hated when she showed up to take him home later. With optimism in my heart, I hoped this would be a new beginning for her. I wanted my sister back!

  CHAPTER ONE

  Wrangling

  Brock

  Present Day

  Breaking this bronco was kicking my ass. I’d had some feisty flesh under me before, but the spirit in this colt was making me earn my pay. He was going to be one hell of a prize when I finally broke him if he didn’t break me first. Sweat broke over my brow, and I hung on for dear life as he bucked and swayed his form right and left, attempting to throw me down. The sting in my muscles told me I was going to pay later tonight, but it was damn sure worth it as finally he gave in and allowed me to hold my seat.

  “Some damn fine riding there, son. Thought that one was going to best ya.” My foreman had a big, cheesy-ass grin on his face, knowing damn well no horse ever got the best of me. I grew up breaking wild horses, and without cockiness, I could say I was the best damn rider out here.

  “Yeah, old man. The day that happens is the day I sign over the ranch.” Sliding my weary body off the exhausted beauty, I wasn’t sure who was more beat down. As I walked Satan—a name I gave him to match his meaner-than-the-devil spirit—out of the pen, a small car pulled up, making my once calm horse go bat-shit crazy and forcing me to release the rope or be dragged on a ride I wasn’t willing to take.

  Pissed as shit, I slammed the gate shut, ready to confront the dumb ass, who could have caused serious damage, and give a piece of my mind. The words stuck in my dumbfounded mouth as a little slip of a woman slid out of the car, making my shaft instantly hard and filling my mind with rage at the same time. How dare she show her face here! One thing I knew for sure was she wasn’t staying. The woman was beautiful, all right, and a conniving whore who deserved to have her ass kicked for what she’d done.

  “Brock Dixon?” Her angelic face didn’t fool me for a second. Had the bitch slept with so many men she couldn’t remember the face of a lover? I felt fire seep through my blood. There were three things I held sacred above all others. You never hit a woman. You protected children. You kept your promises. I’d never broken any of those but the first was sure tempting after the way she’d screwed me over.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Danielle?” Frank, my foreman, coughed without subtlety, reminding me of my manners. Most times I didn’t mind his fatherly ways, but he’d do well to stay out of this one.

  “I’m not who you think I am, but I need to talk to you. Is there someplace private we might go?” she asked.

  Was the girl out of her damn mind? Unlike her, I knew exactly who I’d had relations with, and I wasn’t likely to forget this little spitfire in my bed. She’d ridden me like I was one of her horses, and, pissed as I was, it was some of the best sex of my life!

  “This is about as private as I plan on getting with the likes of you. Tell me what you got to say, and get the hell off my land.” I didn’t have time for her nonsense, and I sure wasn’t letting her rip me off again. It had taken weeks for my brothers to talk to me after I’d lost the money we’d planned on using to rebuild the barn.

  There was something off about her compared to the last time we’d met. She seemed skittish, nothing like the confident whore who’d been turned on by watching the horses breed and demanded a ride for herself. Probably some new trick she’d worked up to screw my life over. When she opened the door to the backseat and came back with a little boy who had my eyes, I felt the world spin out of control. No damn way that bitch had had my baby and kept it hidden all this time. I was so blooming mad I had to turn away. My fists clenched, and I muttered under my breath for Frank to take them into the house. Control was something I needed to find before I talked to this heartless skank again.

  “You best come with me, little lady, and let him calm down a bit.” Frank was very courteous. Normally I was too, with a lady in my presence, but Danielle was no lady. There were more than a few choice words I’d call her, lady being the last of them. If that was my kid, though, there was no damn way she was driving off this ranch with him. I knew enough to know he’d be about the right age based on the last time we’d been together. What kind of woman kept a baby away from his daddy? None that I wanted a part of!

  When I finally had enough common sense to not strangle her ass, I walked through the front door and saw her sitting at the table with the little boy cradled in her lap. Frank had fixed her a glass of lemonade, and she was cooing to the little critter in her lap like he was the most important thing in the world. Obviously a ploy, because she’d proved the only thing she cared about was deception. Maybe to her, a hundred grand was like pissing in the wind, but it was more than just the money. The way I saw it, she screwed me to get what she wanted, and I didn’t appreciate being used that way.

  I’d found out she was married a few months after she’d left when I’d broken down under my brothers’ demand that I get some form of payment for the breeding service we provided. That was almost a bigger kick in the nuts than being used for a horse! A lot of men didn’t mind adultery, but I’d never considered myself one of them. I’d had my share of women in my bed, so I wasn’t a saint. I’d never knowingly slept with a married woman because it went against what I believed.

  What a piece of work! She was the picture of innocence with that little angel bouncing on her leg.

  “Is he my kid?” I spoke through gritted teeth and knew the answer before she spoke. He looked just like me, even boasted the same dimple I had in my chin.

  “Yes.” Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she was right to be afraid. Not because I’d hurt her, even though I wanted to, but because that kid was never go
ing to be raised by a slut like her.

  “Let me hold him.” I wanted to snatch him from her arms and send her out of here as fast as she’d come in, but I wasn’t heartless. The little guy didn’t know me and probably loved his piece of shit momma. She seemed hesitant at first, like I’d hurt such an innocent creature. I wasn’t the monster in this scenario!

  Finally she stood, and I took the little chubby guy in my arms. He looked at me curiously, thankfully not screaming at being held by a stranger, then he smiled and my heart was lost. I’d always wanted kids. Hoped one day to find the perfect woman and settle down. “Hey there, little man. You sure are cute.” He was blowing spit bubbles, and I chuckled, which seemed to make him happy.

  “Tell me what you want.” My smile disappeared as I looked over at her, and I could feel the distress in the little guy as my body tensed. Making myself relax, I forced a smile and kept my focus on him. He was what mattered now, not this woman who’d stolen almost a year of his life from me.

  “I need you to do a paternity test and prove he’s yours.” She spoke softly, and again I was shocked at her humility. Something had happened to this woman since we’d last met, and for a moment I felt my protective instincts kick in. Women were to be cherished, and no matter how horrible a person she was, I couldn’t help but remember my upbringing.

  “That’s a given.” I forced my tone to remain calm as I bounced the little guy on my hip. “What’s his name?” I didn’t even know my own kid’s name! I felt the anger building up inside me again and fought to tamper it down.

  “Jeremy Collin Stallings.” Of course she’d given him her husband’s last name. That shit would be changing as soon as I proved he was mine. There was no doubt in my mind.

  “When is his birthday?” I clenched my teeth as I asked that question. He was my baby boy, and I knew nothing. Nothing!