Cassie put her hand to her mouth and whispered, “If I wasn’t very happily married, I might consider bidding on that pair myself.”
“Tell you what, girl,” one nearby diner said to her friend. “If I was single and about twenty years younger, I’d claim those handsome flirts and keep them tied to my bed for a month before any of us came up for air.”
“Look at that fine ass,” another woman said from the same table. “I love a pair of tight Wranglers. If he comes over here and gets down on one knee, I’m pushing his head under the table and making him earn my bid.”
“Sheesh,” Cassie murmured, giving her glance. “Forget I said anything. We need to protect some of these boys from the cougars in here.”
Another woman at the table responded to the first speaker. “Y’all keep the Wranglers dudes. I’m winning those kilted gingers. I don’t care if it takes my whole bankroll for this weekend. I want to know if the big one’s blush extends all the way to his butt cheeks.”
Cassie grabbed Jessica’s arm when she started growling and escorted her back to the kitchen. “It’s for a good cause, honey. Remember that. We gotta check on my man, okay? Let’s go. Shhh. Stop growling.”
Jessica took a deep breath. The night was only going to get more interesting. Doing dishes and cleaning up would help her find her happy cougar-less Zen space…at least until the double bachelor auction got underway.
* * * *
Augusto Bentley-Gutierrez stood at the back of the darkened stage behind the blackout drape with the rear door at his back for easy egress in case one of the women came backstage.
He flipped the fifty-cent piece between his fingers, centered by the rhythm and movement as he watched the redhead walk back toward the kitchen.
They were a luscious lot, and for a moment, he indulged himself in a mental roundup of all the beautiful faces he’d assessed as they’d gone about their duties. They were all a likely lot for his business contact, especially given the odds that most of them were involved in ménages—and already broken in. He could bend them to his will the rest of the way. They wouldn’t care where they wound up when he was done, as long as it was away from him. The thought sent a thrill down his spine and put a big smile on his face.
He shook his head to refocus. This town was ripe for the picking, but work came before pleasure. He owed Trevor Dornan a favor, for saving his life.
When a contract on his life had been carried out while he was still in prison, Trevor, his cellmate, had come upon him in the showers, wrists bound and hung by the neck with wire, and had saved him. Hanging didn’t always involve a broken neck and instant death. Sometimes it was slow, horrific, and painful suffocation until your body weight basically decapitated you. Trevor had proved his loyalty, and he owed him this. Augusto Bentley-Gutierrez always paid his debts. And who knew? Perhaps an opportunity for a personal indulgence would present itself at his next destination.
Trevor had good taste in women. Four Bits knew the curvy redhead had potential because he’d spied on her fucking around with the two big ranch hands in kilts across the room. She was willing to do things that had left him almost crazed with lust, but he didn’t act on such impulses when he was collecting and settling debts. The time for that would come soon enough.
Right now, his main target was located outside of town. Once that little prize was swept up in his net, and delivered to his secretive corridor contact, he’d go fishing for something to soothe the ache in his balls.
He watched the redhead’s hips swish in her snug black slacks as she walked through the swinging doors into the kitchen area. Trevor had said he didn’t care what happened to her as long as it was permanent. Killing that one would be a shame. Not with that much spirit. He knew a particular buyer who would delight in owning such a lively female, especially one open to a threesome…or more. She’d bring a pretty penny, and his dick wouldn’t be the only thing swelling. His wallet could use the cash infusion she could bring.
The men she was with didn’t factor at all. None of them mattered, in fact, because they’d never see him. Except for Teller and Cross. He’d derive pleasure from telling his still-incarcerated friend that he’d exacted a little bonus revenge for him. It might add to his karma to have gone the extra mile. The thought made Four Bits smile as he eased out of the backstage door.
He had the whole weekend ahead of him, and he’d allowed himself plenty of time to choose the right moment to strike. Security on the Divine Creek Ranch was pitiful compared to what he’d easily gotten through at the Rockin’ C. They’d never see him coming.
He took pride in a job done well, and this one was going to be one for his memory book.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Erin shook herself, trying to focus on all the little princesses running around the ranch house backyard in their costumes and miniature cowboys screeching and whooping at the top of their lungs while they chased them. The Princess and Cowboy Revue had been a big success, and now they were just running off all their extra energy while Duke Rivers and Gage Randall worked at setting up the screen for an outdoor movie night. Once the sun was fully down, the kids were going to watch Erin’s favorite Disney Classic, Toy Story.
She had to giggle as she watched her niece, in the thick of all of them, doing her own thing, dressed in a princess dress and wearing cowboy boots and mini spurs, which kept snagging the hem of her skirt. Rose Marie had a purple feather boa wrapped around her neck and a tiara perched on her head. Surprisingly, she kept that sucker in place while doing her best to rope one of the boys. The boys were having a good time, presenting her with moving targets. Judging by the way she had her tongue clamped between her teeth, she was determined.
Go, girl!
The kids were an excellent distraction from thoughts of Luka and Matthias. They’d come back to town right as she’d returned, fresh from quitting her job and in need of a place to stay when her apartment in Houston had been flooded out by a certain meteorological asshole named Harvey. Her lease had been about to expire anyway, and the company who managed the property had let her out of it without a fine. Renter’s insurance had covered most of the losses.
Even though she’d been thinking about moving back to her hometown for a while, she’d still returned to Divine feeling like a refugee. And there Luka and Matthias had been, like a couple of handsome sexy Casanovas, thinking she was some damned damsel in distress practically falling into their studly callused hands.
“Nope,” she whispered firmly to herself. She wasn’t going to think about them at the civic center, auctioning themselves off to the highest bidder. They could do whatever the hell they damn well pleased. That was what they’d always done, for all the years she’d known them, ever since she was a kid.
She’d looked up to them, admired them. Okay, she’d had a major crush on both of them ever since puberty reared its ugly head, when they’d visit the Warner family ranch during summer vacations with their brothers—and since way before ménages had become commonplace in Divine.
Just for shits and giggles, her memory flashed an image of Luka, with that sexy crooked grin aimed right at her, and then—damn it!—those winsome sweet-as-sin eyes of Matthias’s as he’d reached out to touch her, to comfort her when he’d learned her home had been flooded into oblivion.
That pair was her kryptonite. A true weakness because, behind all that “sexy” was a shit-ton of baggage…and bossiness.
Her big brother was unconvinced they’d really changed, despite the fact that he, Jack, and Adam, had allowed them to return to the ranch—to live and to work. But he’d made it very clear he preferred she stay away from them.
They hadn’t been there when Angel and Joaquin, and the rest of the Divine Creek Ranch family, had gutted Teresa’s house and rebuilt it from the slab and framework on up, all because of their carelessness.
It was one of the reasons she also held on to a bit of a grudge against the larger community of Divine. No one had come forward to say who had motivated the dama
ge done to the house. They all claimed the invitation had come via social media. High school kids had been detained and released to parents because they were still minors, and as she’d expected, they’d closed ranks and remained uniformly mute if they knew who had instigated the vandalism. Other lowlifes had been arrested, along with Luka and Matthias, who had blithely ignored the huge party going on inside of the house while they tried to get lucky with some skanky chick out in the pool.
“Sons of bitches,” she muttered.
Rose Marie gasped and gaped at her. “Oooh! You said a bad word!”
“Oh, shush, Sis,” Erin said, finding guilty humor in the surprised look in Rosie’s face.
“I get in trouble when I say that,” Rose Marie quipped.
“I’m sorry, Rosie. I was just thinking and got myself all worked up.”
“I do that, too,” Rose Marie said as she dropped the coiled rope and gave her aunt a hug, demonstrating that, while she might be sassy, she was also Grace’s daughter. She did have a soft side Erin loved. “How long before the movie?”
Erin straightened Rose Marie’s tiara and said, “Just a little while longer, after the sun goes down. Until then you can play fashion show on the stage with the other girls.”
“Nah, that’s okay. I’m gonna go rope Eleazar and tie him up if it’s the last thing I do. That boy tried to kiss me! Can you believe that?” The feisty little blonde was Grace’s daughter, but no one could doubt that she was Charity’s niece.
Erin snorted with laughter. “He’s a Martinez man, honey. I totally believe it.” I’ve had two of them pursuing me since I came back in September. “We’ve gotta keep them on their toes, don’t we?”
“Yep!”
“Hey there, Miss Erin,” a man said from behind her, startling her just a bit. She turned and realized it was Brian Dornan who had spoken. He stood several feet away, borrowed cowboy hat in hand, and smiled at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, ma’am.”
“That’s all right, Mr…Dornan.”
“It’s okay for you to call me Brian, ma’am. I know that name gives some of y’all a sense of…pause…around here. I’m done with the work on Jack’s tractor, and Joaquin suggested I check in with you to see if you needed help getting the stage out of the way,” he said, indicating the wood pallets that had been lined up in the backyard for her use as a catwalk for the princesses.
“Oh, that would be great,” she replied. “I could also use some help with setting up the folding lawn chairs in rows over there, in front of the screen Duke and Gage are setting up.”
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
Erin knew a little of what had happened with Brian’s older brother, Trevor. She’d been living in Houston when Grace had been pregnant with Grant and was nearly abducted by Trevor. The thought of what he could’ve had planned for her still made Erin shudder. True to form, Grace didn’t hold what the older brother had done against the younger one, and Erin followed Grace’s lead.
Brian had finished stacking up the pallets and had set out several lawn chairs when Ethan pulled around to the side gate in one of the ranch trucks, with Jack in the passenger seat. “Hey, Brian, want to help us out? We’re a little shorthanded. Hopefully won’t take long.”
Brian turned to Erin, query in his eyes. “Ma’am?”
Erin nodded and waved a hand at him to go help. “I can set the rest up, Brian. Thanks.”
Brian hesitated, obviously wanting to be helpful, and said, “Before Hank left to go to the charity dinner, he said I was to stay near the house to help you and the ladies and keep watch with Ace and Kemp and the other men.”
She knew it was important to the guys that the ranch was as secure as it could be right now, but seriously, all the guys were carrying concealed weapons. What could possibly happen?
She shook her head. “Nah, you go on ahead. We’ve got this under control.”
“You sure about that?” he asked as PJ let out a loud Indian whoop and began chasing Bella, who ran screaming from him and right into Brian’s arms. He caught her up with a grin and chuckled when she wrapped her arms around his neck and stuck her tongue out at PJ. Bella didn’t hesitate where her uncle was concerned.
“Uncle Brian, that PJ is a big boogerhead!”
“Is he? Well, give ’im a chance, Bella Mia. Seems to me he could be one of the good guys in disguise.”
“Nuh-uh!” She wriggled to be put down, and he immediately complied, chuckling as she streaked off with the boogerhead in pursuit. “You got your hands pretty full with all the young’uns, Miss Erin. You sure?”
Erin chuckled and said, “I’ve been wrangling most of this crowd since they were babies. Go ahead.” She walked closer to the gate so she could hear them better over the noise of the diesel engine and called out to Ethan, “What’s the matter?”
Looking irate, her big brother said, “The man-whores didn’t check the fence on the east grazing pasture like I asked them to, and the cattle broke through it. Our prize-winning bull has probably inseminated half of our neighbor’s herd for free by now.”
Jack said, “At least the herd’s not out on the highway, Ethan. Ease up on Luka and Matthias some. That bull gets it in his head to repopulate cattle country and not much can distract him from the job.”
Ethan gave him a wry look. “They’re lucky they’re helping out at the auctions. Otherwise, they’d be getting an earful from me and cleaning up this mess all by themselves. Let them go chasing cows around from here to kingdom come.”
Angel and Joaquin rode by on horseback, and Ethan said, “Hopefully we won’t need Brian for long. I’ll send him back when we’re done.”
“Sure you will,” she teased. According to her brother and the Carlisle men, Brian Dornan was a jack-of-all-trades and had been quite handy to have around the last several days, making up for any uproar his unorthodox appearance on the Rockin’ C Ranch had caused. Jack and Chance had even been play-arguing about who was going to hire him on first.
After Brian climbed up into the bed of the truck with several other ranch hands, they took off and Erin turned back to her charges, clapping her hands. It was time to organize a game to keep the boys and girls occupied and having fun until movie time, which was thankfully soon, judging by the fact that the back porch lights had just come on.
“Auntie Erin! Auntie Erin! Rosie keeps trying to rope me,” little Grant complained as he streaked around her legs and hid behind her.
“I thought you liked it when she roped you, little buckaroo,” she said as she lifted his solid little body into her arms and waved Rose Marie off when she swung her rope in circles over her head as if she planned to catch them both.
“Nooo,” Grant said in a grumpy-old-man voice as he tucked his chin and his little head thumped against her shoulder. He smelled like Cheetos and root beer. “She’s roped me too many times. This calf is tuckered and roped out. I want to watch a movie. When’s the movie?”
“Soon, buddy. I doubt you’ll even make it through the first half. You look pretty sleepy to meee,” she said in a teasing tone.
His head popped up, and he looked at her with eyes the same exact blue as Ethan’s. “I’m not sleepy! I’m gonna go chase the girls. Can I get down?”
“Of course. What’s the magic word?” she asked as she smiled and turned her cheek to him.
“Pleeease,” he said and then bussed her on the cheek.
She set him down, and he streaked off, determined to prove he wasn’t sleepy at all. She spotted Grace as she came out the back door, already dressed in pajamas and her robe and holding a bundled-up Callie Beth in her arms. She’d woken up feeling sore and tired that morning after another long night with the newest princess on the ranch. The guys had hovered over her more than usual until she’d sent them outside. She’d insisted she’d still be in the movie audience, at least for a little while.
Dr. Emma Rivers and her husbands, Duke and Gage, and Maya Warner, who was there with one of her husbands, Richard, had been there he
lping throughout the day. It wasn’t lost on Erin that Ethan and the guys had specifically asked that Emma and Maya, who was a registered nurse, be there just in case Grace had any problems, as well as to be helpful with the kids. More overkill, but what did Erin know? She’d never had a baby. Had never even come close to that reality.
Emma and Maya joined Grace on the back porch and hovered over her until she’d gotten comfortable and then sat down nearby while Duke and Gage finished setting up the projector and DVD player. Gage waved her over and gave her a quick tutorial on how to use the remote that operated all the equipment while Duke went in the house to grab them both beers.
She’d originally planned on having a movie night in the living room, with all the kids lying on pallets they could just fall asleep on if they were staying the night, as some of them were. But Duke and Gage had handily informed her that they could set up for an outdoor movie in the backyard, and the kids had been so excited she couldn’t say no to the offer. So what if they had to carry a bunch of them inside once they fell asleep? She’d just put all those strong backs to good use.
Inside the house, Teresa Martinez was popping popcorn, making sweet tea, and setting out desserts and drink-making options for those who felt they’d earned them. Erin had already made a request for a generous slice of Teresa’s pecan pie with a scoop of Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream on top, once the kids were settled and happy.
Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier were helping to set up more lawn chairs in the backyard. They’d stayed to the shadows for the most part, ever watchful, focused on keeping an eye on things, like Hank and his crew were monitoring the crowd at the bachelor auction. She felt safe with them there, and for her part, she’d do everything she could to keep all the kids safe, including Bella.
Ash Peterson sauntered up, catching his son, Will, and giving him an affectionate rub on the head before he turned to Ace and Kemp and said, “Jack called. They’re losing the light, and they need more help out at the fence break in the eastern pasture. Nothing’s wrong, there’s just more cattle that got through the fence than they realized.”
Operation Ginger Avenger Page 27