Once they dropped her off at her place, she was more determined than ever to win.
* * * *
It was close to a month before Jake and the two rustlers were brought to trial. As sick as it made her feel, she wanted to watch the proceedings. Maybe Jake would provide some sense of closure for her. The trial had already started when Heath slipped next to her.
“What are you doing here?” She welcomed having him here, because the tension that filled the air caused her stomach to roil.
“Making sure you’re okay.”
That was sweet. Both he and Wade had been so supportive during this whole Jake affair. They’d even offered to help her interview other hands to replace the vacated position, but she’d had to decline when it came to the actual interview. No worker would respect her if they thought the Watson brothers were really in charge. She had gone to them for advice about her options for winter grazing. At least these two never lectured her, unlike her dad who suggested she sell the place and move back home after someone leaked the truth about what happened.
Only Wade and Heath seemed to really understand that her life was all about being outside and riding the range.
The defense attorney was interrogating Jake on the stand. He kept looking her way, but she found it hard to make eye contact. Jake had already pled guilty to hiring the men to steal the cattle, but he never said anything about using guns, and swore up and down that he never told them to shoot anyone.
“Mr. Hansen. Why did you hire these men?”
She held her breath. Heath took her hand in his.
“Because I wanted to prove to Samantha Callen that she needed a man by her side. I wanted that man to be me.”
Her breath whooshed out. Wade was right. Jake wanted to be a hero, but to do that he needed to set up something to save—her ranch.
She’d had enough. “Let’s go.”
The courts would provide the proper judgment. She’d liked Jake, just not in the way he wanted.
As they walked out, the chill in the air took her by surprise. “It almost feels like it’s going to snow.”
“Could be.”
They’d driven separately, which was too bad, as she was in the mood to spend time with Heath.
He walked her to her car. “Wade and I would like you to come over for dinner tonight. We want to talk to you about something.”
“What about?” The three of them had been brainstorming a lot of ideas about how to improve the running of her ranch.
“You’ll have to wait and see. Oh, and wear a dress.” He grinned.
“A dress?” She hadn’t worn once since she became a ranch owner. “Is this about the ranch?” If so, why did they expect her to dress up?
“Six o’clock. Be there.” He kissed her quickly and strode off.
That was a bizarre conversation but one that intrigued her. She hopped in her car and took off, running a bunch of different scenarios through her head.
She wasn’t in the mood to do much after the sickening trial. The men were up to something, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. She had two hours before meeting the men, so she stopped off at her parents’ ranch to look through her wardrobe and pick up her makeup case. She used to love dressing up, but the whole ranch experience had suppressed those desires.
Once she got back home, she washed her hair and actually put on makeup for the first time in forever. Wouldn’t they be surprised?
Promptly at six, she arrived at their front door. Instead of entering like she often did, she rang the bell and waited for them to answer. Both Wade and Heath ushered her in.
“You look radiant,” Heath said. He greeted her with a kiss.
“Beautiful,” Wade responded.
This time she accepted the compliment. They had a fire going in the fireplace, and the warmth helped calm her. The trial had done more damage than she wanted to admit. She needed to be with them tonight. Heath disappeared and came back with a glass of wine for her.
“So what’s going on?” She’d thought of many things but discarded them all. “Did the sheriff call with the trial results?” The prosecutor hadn’t even presented his case yet when she and Heath had left.
“No.” Wade led her over to the sofa. He sat on one side of her, Heath on the other. “We’ve been thinking about making a change.”
Her heart nearly stopped. Change often wasn’t a good thing. “What kind of change?” She prayed they weren’t considering leaving Intrigue.
Heath and Wade slid a hip off the sofa and faced her. Wade handed her a blue velvet box. She took the box with a shaky hand. This couldn’t possibly be what she hoped it might be.
“Open it,” Heath urged.
She gasped. Inside was a large diamond ring. There was one stone in the middle, bordered by two smaller ones on the side. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Try it on,” Wade said.
She slipped the ring on her finger and held out her hand for inspection. Its glistening gems seemed to complete her. “Does this mean what I think it means?” She was ecstatic but concerned at the same time.
“It means Heath and I want to marry you.”
“Uh-oh. Does that mean you want me to give up my ranch?” Would they want to combine the two properties? Would they let her be a part of the decision-making process?
“No. We’d never ask that. We know it’s in your blood.”
The air in her lungs whooshed out. “Then what?”
“Why do you think there’s a catch?”
“Because you looked to the side for a moment. I know you. It means there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Wade glanced at Heath who nodded. “Here’s the thing. When you’re in ranch mode, you never want to be seen kissing us in public. We’d like that behavior to stop. If we want to kiss you and show the world that we love you, then so be it. We know that you used to love dressing like a woman. Like the way you are tonight. We want you to embrace the real you.”
“I gave that up when I bought the ranch.” Tingles bombarded her body. “You do know I love you both very much.”
“We know you do. You show it every time you make love to us. It’s when you’re talking to your men that you seem afraid to show your feminine side.”
She wasn’t quite sure she understood. “You want me to wear makeup all the time?”
“No. You’re beautiful the way you are, but we want you to show everyone who you really are on the inside.”
She was shocked. “I’m not that bad, am I?” She had to think about what they were really saying. “My ranch hands and suppliers won’t take orders from a woman, so I have to try my damnedest to act like one of them.”
“We don’t buy that. There has to be something you can do to earn their respect besides acting super tough.”
“I’ve tried. What do you suggest?”
They both watched her for a bit, never breaking eye contact. “Change the rules of the game,” Wade said. “Do something different. Think of something outside the box. Bottom line is that we don’t want to marry a man. We want to marry the woman that’s inside of you waiting to come out. Understand that we’ll help in any way we can.”
“If I’m such a man, why were you ever attracted to me in the first place?”
“Because we see past that tough façade. We see the woman on the inside, and you’re beautiful, wonderful, and loving. We want that person to shine through all the time. We want you to be proud of loving us, not ashamed.”
“I’m not ashamed. It’s just that I can’t be that loving person in public and run a ranch.” They didn’t know what it was like to be her. “Ranching is what I know and ranching is what I love.”
Wade cupped her face. “That’s who you are on the outside.”
She pulled out of his grasp, stood, and set down her wineglass. She pulled off the ring and placed it back in the box. “Here. When you want a strong woman who knows how to run a ranch, let me know.”
The tears were brimming on her lashes as she raced
out. She expected them to rush after her, but she didn’t hear them move an inch. Damn them. Outside, the cold air blasted some sense in her, but not enough to make her turn back. She strode toward her truck and crawled in. She started the engine, but then dropped her head on the wheel and cried.
When neither of the men came out to say they were sorry, she took off. It was the worst night of her life.
Chapter Thirteen
All the next day, she waited for Heath and Wade to come by and say they’d take her the way she was. They never did. With each minute that passed, her heart broke. She loved them and wanted to be with them. Why couldn’t they see she needed to be tough to succeed?
Close to dinnertime, she decided to stop by her parents’ house. Her mom always had a way of seeing the truth. Too bad coming home was close to admitting defeat.
As soon as Sam walked into the kitchen, her mom put down the ladle and gave her a hug. “What’s wrong?”
“Got an hour?” She’d already spent time talking on the phone after Jake was arrested for his involvement in the cattle rustling scheme.
“Oh, Sam, dear. Let me finish chopping the carrots and zucchini and putting them in the stew and we can sit in the living room and have a nice, long talk.”
“I can help.”
“I’d like that.”
While Sam peeled the vegetables, she told her mom about Jake and the trouble he’d caused.
“That’s terrible, but he’s in jail now. Losing close to thirty head is a shame, but you can recover. Your dad has lost that many in one year due to illness or bad weather.”
He had a lot more cattle than she had. “That’s not the worst of it. Wade and Heath asked me to marry them.”
Her mom smiled. “Both of them?”
In Intrigue, ménage relationships were well accepted, so she didn’t think she’d get any flak on that account. “Yes.”
“So what’s the problem? Your cousin adores both of her husbands.”
“They think I’m not feminine enough.” She held up her hand. “That’s not quite true. In public, I’m not affectionate because I fear the men won’t take orders unless I’m tough.”
“Hmm. That is a problem. What are you going to do? Give up the ranching business?”
“No. They told me to think outside the box. If only I could replace my hands with women, I’d be all set.”
“That might be tough when you need someone to set a fence pole or pull a stuck cow out of the mud.”
She was aware of all the constraints.
“Hey.” Her sister, April, popped in. “What are you doing here?” She came over and gave her a hug.
“Looking for advice.”
“Hit me.”
April was the younger, quirkier sister. Maybe she could come up with a solution. Sam detailed her dilemma.
“Oh, my God. That’s awesome. Heath and Wade are total hunks.”
“I know. I love them and want to marry them, but how can I be flirtatious and relaxed in public? My men will eat me alive.”
“Why do you have to be a rancher?”
“Ranching’s in my blood.”
She held up her hand. “You could turn the ranch into something else, something that would showcase how cool it is to be outdoors.”
“I don’t get what you mean.”
April moved closer and waved her hands. “You could have schoolkids come to the ranch and ride horses, go for hayrides, hike in the hills, and all sorts of cool stuff.”
Sam laughed. “I can’t imagine doing that.” It was so different from raising cattle. April might be right. After all, she was a middle school teacher, or would be come this fall.
Mom came over. “Do you remember me talking about Rebecca Clemens?”
“She’s one of your writer friends, right?”
“Yes. She and I studied music together for a bit in New York before your father proposed. Now she wants to write Westerns, and she’s always asking questions about cattle and cowboys.”
April grabbed Sam’s shoulders. “That’s it. You could have writer retreats for people who know nothing about the West.”
“The chance to teach people about the wonderful outdoors would be cool.”
April was practically jumping up and down. “You could have cowgirls helping you.”
“What would I do with my cattle?”
Her mom placed a hand on her shoulder. “Didn’t you just say what a pain they were? Get rid of them.”
The money from the sale could start a whole new adventure. “I’ll have to think about it, but the first dilemma would be where would the people stay when they came to the ranch?”
“Talk to Mr. Sanders at the Intrigue Hotel. I bet he’d be thrilled for you to permanently rent a block of rooms for those visiting your ranch.”
April’s eyes shone as if the ideas were ready to pop out. “You could sell a line of clothing with the Circle Bar ranch insignia on it.”
“That idea is so out of the box it just might work.” Sam kissed both her mom and sister good-bye. “I have a lot of details to work out if this is going to work.”
For the first time in days, her spirits soared. Without the need for cowboys, she could be herself. While she wouldn’t be riding a horse in a skirt, she could buy some decent-looking clothes that would be considered sexy. When she was out in public with her new husbands, she could kiss them silly because she wouldn’t care if her hands saw her. They’d all understand. How cool would that be not to have to deal with prejudice anymore?
Once she got home, she sat down and drew up a business plan to see what would be feasible and what wouldn’t be. She could have called Wade and Heath, but she wanted to make one bold move toward a different independence before she consulted them.
The first step was finding out about accommodations. She’d worry about transportation to and from town later. She put on a rather feminine outfit and headed into Intrigue. Fortunately, the manager was there and was able to meet with her. After an hour discussion, and some creative suggestions, they both agreed her plan could work.
“Thank you. As soon as I know a start date, we’ll be in touch.”
The next step was selling her cattle. She could bring her head to the weekly auction or see if her father or either of her two uncles was interested in a good deal. That would make the transaction cheaper for them and easier for her to herd them to the neighboring land.
She called each of them on her way back home, and they all agreed to purchase one hundred head each. They even said they’d come and get the cattle. All that was left was letting her hands go. Since her uncles and father now had a bigger herd, she bet they’d be hiring.
The last step was getting clients. She figured Wade and Heath would love to help her brainstorm a marketing plan.
To make sure they were home, she called Heath.
“Sam? That you?”
She was sure the caller ID confirmed it. “Yes. I was wondering if I could come over and talk to you two about my new plan.”
“Absolutely. Wade should be in shortly. Can you give us an hour?”
“Sure.”
“You sound excited.”
“I am, but we’ll talk about it when I get there.”
She only had an hour to look like a real woman. Oh, boy. That was going to take some doing. She had the perfect solution. She called April.
“What’s up?”
“I have a fashion emergency.” She told her what she needed. “Can you come over and help me?” She told her sister which outfit to bring over.
“Can I pluck your eyebrows and put false eyelashes on you?”
“Ah, maybe not that far.”
“You’ve really let yourself go, sister dear, in the last few months.”
She spoke the truth. “Okay. I’ll give you free rein.”
April giggled. “I’ll be right over.”
It took her sister about fifteen minutes to gather the needed items. When April pulled out the low-cut tops, she knew Wade and Heath di
dn’t stand a chance.
Even Sam couldn’t quite believe the transformation. The clothes were hers, but April had a unique way of putting the pieces together that really showed off her figure. Sam had on three-inch heels and a top that showed a ton of cleavage. At least her little sister agreed the tight black jeans worked.
By the time Sam actually made it to the Watsons’ front door, her nerves had gotten the best of her. What if they didn’t like the new look? She debated turning back.
She must have pressed the doorbell or else they were watching out the window for her, because both men opened the door.
“Holy shit. That really you, Sam? Come in.”
She had to guess from the way their pupils dilated that they liked what they saw.
Wade guided her over to the sofa. “I’m blown away by what you’ve done. Does this mean you’re willing to change your lifestyle a bit?”
“You could say that.”
Heath handed her a glass of wine. “Tell us.”
She went through her whole thought process right down to the selling of the cattle.
“I can’t believe it, babe. You’re going to be an outfitter of sorts.”
“A local one, yes. I thought maybe in the winter, I could take people skiing and hiking. I’m not sure, but when I ran the numbers, I really only need to be occupied for about six months during the warmer months to make ends meet.”
Wade picked her up from the sofa and spun her around. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes us. Is this really what you want to do? We don’t want you to compromise for us.”
“No. This is so perfect. I never liked dealing with the stupid cattle. I wish I had come up with the solution six months ago.”
“Then we need to celebrate.”
“Absolutely.”
Wade carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Heath picked up the blue box from the dresser. “You want to wear this while we consummate our engagement?”
“That would be wonderful.” He took out the ring and placed the diamond on her finger. She wiggled her fingers, admiring the stone once more.
Wade unhooked her belt buckle. “You look so hot that I hate to take this off.”
Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 12