Her Dirty Cowboys

by Roma James

  His eyes narrowed a little. “Okay. I’m listening.”

  “We’re both interested in Daisy Lynn, right?” I kept going before he could answer, since that was more of a rhetorical question at this point. “And neither of us is willing to give her up. So what if…” I cleared my throat. This was the moment. This would determine how the next few days—or however long Daisy Lynn would be in town—would go for Prescott and me. “What if we just… shared her?”

  He blinked, then furrowed his brow. “Share her? What does that even mean?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. Then I added, “Unless you’d rather have her choose between us.”

  He grunted and mumbled something I couldn’t quite make out, but I knew that last line had done the trick. Neither of us was the type to shy away from a competition—or a confrontation, for that matter—but this time was different. The stakes were higher.

  If given the choice, I had no doubt that we both would have preferred to get Daisy Lynn all to ourselves. But my solution was the only way we’d both win.

  Prescott scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed. “I honestly don’t know how I feel about that. Do you think she would even go for it?”

  “I do,” I said. “She clearly likes both of us. And she’s only going to be in town for a little while longer. This way she doesn’t have to make a choice, and neither of us has to deal with being disappointed or jealous. It’s a win all the way around.”

  It didn’t take long for him to nod in agreement. “Okay. I’m in. But only if Daisy Lynn is completely on board. If she has any doubts, any reservations at all, we’re not going to push it. Deal?”

  I walked over to shake his hand. “That sounds like a fair deal to me. We’ll talk to her tomorrow, and she can decide for herself if it’s something she’s interested in.”

  Before either of us could say anything else, a call from dispatch blasted through the radio. We both jumped, my hand moving to my holster out of habit—a testament to a long night of bad news and frayed nerves.

  “Easy there,” Prescott said with a smirk. “That radio might be on its last legs, but let’s maybe hold off on shooting it.”

  I felt my face flush with embarrassment, but that feeling was quickly drowned out by another burst of adrenaline as the details of the call came through.

  There was trouble at the Triple J Ranch.

  Janessa’s ranch.

  More poison.

  More sick cattle.

  Please just let that be all it is. Please, God, keep those girls safe until we get there.

  Prescott grabbed the keys, and we both rushed toward the door. Neither of us said anything. We didn’t have to. Every single second counted in an emergency like this. Our years of working together like a well-oiled machine overrode any lingering hard feelings we might have had between us.

  We had to make sure Daisy Lynn and everyone else at the Triple J Ranch was safe.

  Nothing else mattered.

  I was surprised to see Logan already at the ranch when we pulled up in front of the barn. Janessa and Justin were standing to one side with the veterinarian while Daisy Lynn and Becca stood back a little.

  I wanted to pull Daisy Lynn close and reassure her as soon as we stepped out of the patrol car, but my first priority was making sure this crime scene wasn’t still active.

  “Any sign of the intruder?” I asked, scanning the area around the barn.

  Janessa shook her head. “Nothing. Whoever it is doesn’t seem to be interested in us, thankfully. But damn, I wish he’d leave my poor animals alone.”

  “Well, one thing is certain,” Logan spoke up, making us all turn in his direction. “Our criminal knows what he—or she—is doing. All of the other samples I’ve taken have shown large amounts of hemlock in the water. I’d be willing to bet any amount of money that’s what we’re looking at here. Hemlock.” He turned to Janessa and Justin. “Do you know of any that might be on your land? Maybe down by the water where the cows were grazing?”

  They both shook their heads at the same time. “There’s no hemlock on this land,” Justin said. “We’ve only ever seen it here a few times over the years, but we always do a thorough sweep for it in the beginning of spring to make sure there isn’t any taking hold.”

  “I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen hemlock anywhere around here,” Janessa added. “Certainly not recently. If someone really is putting hemlock in the water, they must be bringing it in from somewhere else.”

  “But where?” Prescott asked. “And who? I feel like we’re always a step behind this asshole. He’s probably out there watching and laughing right now.”

  “Probably,” Logan agreed. “Using hemlock was clever, though. There might not be a lot on this land, but it’s plentiful enough in the hills around here. And since it’s natural, it’s not like we have a way of tracing it back to anyone in particular.”

  I thought back to Derek Winslow’s farm. His attacker must have been in the process of poisoning the animals there when Derek had surprised him in the stables.

  “Would hemlock have the same effect on horses, Logan?” Prescott asked, our minds clearly on the same track.

  “Oh, no.” Logan shook his head. “It’s even worse for horses. The doses we’re dealing with aren’t typically fatal for cattle. Horses, though… it can be rough.”

  I was mentally retracing my steps at the Winslow ranch when I remembered another detail. “What about Monensin?” I asked. “Do you know anything about that?”

  Logan’s eyes went wide and his pale skin seemed to go gray for a second in the moonlight. “Monensin is an antibiotic meant for cattle. Only cattle. Even in small doses, it can lead to heart failure and death in horses.”

  “We found some of that stuff in Derek’s stables,” Prescott said. “His sister, Kate, said she didn’t know how it got there.”

  Logan sighed. “I’m not surprised. Someone broke into my clinic a couple of nights ago. The narcotics were locked up, but it didn’t seem like they even tried to get to those. It took me a full day of checking my inventory to find out what they actually took.”

  Prescott quirked a brow. “And?”

  “Little stuff. Low-grade tranquilizers. Antibiotics. Monensin was one of them.”

  “And you didn’t think that was something damn worth reporting to the police?” I cursed, feeling an unreasonable surge of anger. I didn’t like that look that I’d seen on his face a few moments ago, and I really didn’t like the feeling that he might be hiding something from us.

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, deputy,” he spat the last word as he glared at me. “But I’ve been a little busy the past few days. Like I said, when I saw that the narcotics hadn’t been touched, I chalked it up to some ignorant kids with more guts than brains. I had no way of imagining someone would try to give Derek Winslow’s horses a dose of Monensin.”

  I returned his glare, but I didn’t press the issue further. He was right—the burglary became a lot less important as long as the narcotics were all accounted for. At this point, it would just be more tedious paperwork for all of us.

  “Okay,” Prescott muttered, breaking the silence that had started to stretch out between Logan and me. “Let’s take a look at those cows. Maybe we can find something else, some other clue that we’re missing.”

  “Of course,” Logan said, giving me one last spiteful look before ushering us toward the barn. “This way.”

  I hung back a moment while everyone else started to follow him, then stepped up next to Daisy Lynn. “Are you okay?” I said, keeping my voice low.

  She nodded. “I guess it all happened while Janessa and Becca were on their way to pick me up. Logan and Justin were already checking things out when we got back.”

  Her face flushed as she spoke, and I felt a pang of guilt over how things had ended between us earlier. “Listen,” I said. “I’m sorry about… about everything.”

  “That’s okay,” she
whispered, but I knew she was lying. It wasn’t okay. Prescott and I had acted like idiots, and I didn’t blame Daisy Lynn at all for not wanting to see us again. I just hoped she would give us another chance.

  “We want to make it up to you,” I said. “We want to apologize—but not here. This isn’t the time.” I looked over where everyone else was already inspecting the cattle. I had to get back to work but not before I got her to agree to at least hear us out. “Come talk to us tomorrow. We’ll have dinner at Prescott’s house. Just to talk, nothing more. You don’t have to, of course, but… I hope you will.”

  She hesitated a moment but finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll come. But just to talk. And I’m leaving if there’s any weird tension.”

  “Perfect.” I let myself smile for the first time all night. “I’ll see you at six.”

  It wasn’t much, but it was more than I deserved. It was a chance to redeem myself.

  I just hoped it would be enough.

  Chapter 7

  Daisy Lynn

  I had to laugh as I bounced down the road to Prescott’s house in the old farm truck I’d borrowed from Janessa’s uncle. They had both offered to drive, to drop me off and come back later to pick me up whenever I was ready, but I insisted on driving myself this time.

  I honestly wasn’t sure how long I’d be staying this evening, since that mostly depended on whether Cole and Prescott could get along. And besides, I felt like I’d inconvenienced Janessa enough over the past couple of days. I didn’t want her to start feeling like my personal taxi service.

  But I might have reconsidered if I had known how rough the ride was going to be. First of all, it felt like I was driving a tank. An old tank. It creaked and groaned and bounced me up and down in the seat with every tiny bump I hit. By the time I pulled up into Prescott’s driveway I felt like I’d been on the roughest roller coaster ride of my life.

  Prescott and Cole were both waiting on the front porch to greet me, and their eyes went wide as I flung open the door and barely avoided falling out onto the cement.

  “Damn, Daisy Lynn,” Prescott said as they both rushed over to either side of me. “Are you okay?”

  “You look like you’ve been through the spin cycle,” Cole added, gently taking my arm to steady me. “No offense, of course. You still look as beautiful as ever, but…”

  “No, I get it,” I groaned, stretching a little as my legs stopped wobbling. “I’m fine. I just had to show that truck who’s the boss.”

  What I left out was the part where the truck and I agreed that it was, in fact, still the boss.

  But judging from the look they exchanged, I was guessing they already knew.

  “I think maybe one of us should drop you off at the ranch when you’re ready to leave,” Prescott said, still giving me the same skeptical look he’d just exchanged with Cole. “Not saying you can’t take care of yourself or anything, but that’s an awfully big truck to drive if you’re not used to how it handles.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, giving them both a dismissive wave. “I got here in one piece, didn’t I?”

  One wobbly, very shaken piece, but still. Now that I knew what to expect from the ride home, I would be better prepared.

  “You did,” Prescott admitted. “But the offer still stands if you decide to take me up on it.”

  “I know something that will get you feeling better,” Cole said, a grin appearing on his face. He paused to look me up and down again, and I could feel my skin start to flush with heat at the thought of what he might suggest. Of all the possibilities racing through my mind of how they both might make me feel better, none of them were appropriate to do in broad daylight in the middle of Prescott’s driveway. “How about some of Prescott’s famous barbecue and fresh-squeezed lemonade?”

  I blinked.

  What?

  Was it bad that I was ready to forget all of my hesitations and my own good sense to try and jump into their arms when they were both trying to be on their best behavior?

  Probably.

  But I couldn’t help it. They were both so delicious, so hot. Just being near them was making my heart and stomach twist up and do that warm, fluttery thing that happened every time I was within fifty feet of these guys.

  “Lemonade sounds nice,” I said, suddenly feeling very thirsty as I let them both guide me inside the house and through to the back yard.

  Within seconds, they had me seated at a nice patio table with a cold glass of lemonade in my hand. I smiled, not really used to being pampered and waited on hand and foot.

  “You already look like you’re feeling a little better,” Prescott said as he began loading a plate with barbecue, baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. “And I hope you’re hungry, because I have enough food here for a small army.”

  My eyes went wide as he set the plate in front of me. “I’m pretty sure that’s more food than I could eat in three days. But it looks delicious and smells… amazing.”

  “And I brought some apple pie for dessert,” Cole said. “But I have to admit I cheated and had Maggie down at the diner bake it for me. It’s still the best in town, though, and just out of the oven an hour ago.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a little at his cute confession. “It sounds wonderful, and I’ll do my best to save some room, but…” I looked at my plate again and winced. “There’s no way I’ll ever finish what’s already in front of me.”

  “All the more reason to come back tomorrow for leftovers,” Prescott said with a wink. “This stuff makes excellent sandwiches, just saying.”

  “Tempting,” I said with another laugh. “But seriously, I’m glad to see you guys getting along for a change. Last night was… too much. Even without all of the crazy emergencies. Just the way you two were acting—I can’t be a part of that.”

  “And you shouldn’t have to be,” Cole agreed. “You’re right. It was too much. Prescott and I were out of line, and we realized that after you left. It’s why we invited you here—so we could apologize for acting like dumbasses.”

  “Well, it’s one of the reasons why we invited you here,” Prescott said, still a hint of a smile on his lips. “The other reason is that we genuinely want to keep seeing you. But Cole and I are so used to fighting like brothers that it sometimes takes a fresh pair of eyes to point out when we’ve gone too far. And we definitely went too far. I’m sorry for that.”

  “We both are.” Cole nodded. “And it’s true that we fight like family sometimes—that will probably never change. But I know I can promise to drop the jealousy. I know it wasn’t cool. I just… well, I don’t have a good excuse. So I’ll just apologize again. I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  “And I hope you’ll forgive me, too,” Prescott said. “Because I meant it when I said we would both like to keep seeing you. You’re the only one who can decide where we go from here, though.”

  I was so surprised by the sincerity of their apologies that I was almost overcome by a wave of happy emotions. I could even feel tears start to well up in my eyes. It took me a few moments to get myself together, then a few extra moments for their words to actually sink in.

  “Thank you for that,” I said. “I know it takes a lot to apologize like that, and I really appreciate it.” I smiled at both of them. “And, of course, I forgive you. I don’t think I could have stayed angry with either of you, even if I would have tried. I just couldn’t stand by and let a few harmless dates come between what’s obviously a great friendship. That wouldn’t have been right.”

  “We agree,” Prescott said. “And that sort of leads us to the other part of what we wanted to talk about…”

  I looked from Prescott to Cole and back again, searching their expressions for a clue. But no. Neither one was giving anything away.

  “Okay,” I said, finally. “Whatever it is, I’d much rather talk it out than be the cause of another argument.”

  “Remember that thing Prescott just said about both of us wanting to continue seeing
you while you’re here in town?” Cole asked.

  I thought back to everything Prescott had just said. He’d said so many sweet things so quickly that it was all sort of a blur, if I was being completely honest. But yeah, I could definitely remember him saying they wanted to keep seeing me.

  They.

  My eyes went wide again as my brain stumbled over that word, catching it for the first time.

  Prescott smiled and glanced over at Cole. “I think she might have guessed what we’re about to say.”

  Cole grinned. “Would you be interested in dating both of us, Daisy Lynn?” He held up his hands before I could answer. “You don’t have to say anything yet. Just… maybe let the idea percolate for a minute. It took me a while to even consider it, but I really do think it’s the perfect answer for the three of us.”

  My head was starting to hurt from trying to follow everything that had just happened. I still wasn’t sure I was totally on the same page as the two guys, though.

  “What do you mean by…” I swallowed hard, unsure of how to even ask. But then again, I wasn’t the one who had brought it up in the first place. “How would that work? What do you mean when you say you both want to date me? Like, at the same time?”

  “We could alternate days or maybe even try doing some stuff together—all three of us,” Prescott said with an uncertain shrug. “It’s not something I’ve ever done before, but I’d be willing to try it… if you’re interested, that is.”

  I gave them both a skeptical look before I could stop myself. “And you would both be comfortable doing that? You could really set aside your little competition or whatever it is?”

  “Absolutely,” Cole answered without hesitating.

  “One hundred percent,” Prescott added. “We want you to be happy while you’re here. And we want to spend whatever time we have left making you happy. It’s the least we can do for being such jerks before.”