Her Dirty Cowboys

by Roma James

  In my dream, my guys weren’t going to let go of me.

  In my dream, just like when I was awake, they knew exactly what I needed.

  Chapter 9

  Prescott

  I leaned back in the chair I’d been sitting in for God only knew how many hours already and closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to sleep—it wasn’t my turn, and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway with my mind racing the way it had been ever since Daisy Lynn’s accident.

  No, I’d let Cole and Daisy Lynn keep sleeping for now. They both needed it. I just wanted to rest my eyes for a few minutes.

  The past day and a half had been such a blur. It honestly felt like an entire week had passed. Maybe even a month. So much had happened, it made the assault on Derek Winslow feel like a lifetime ago. Then there had been the poisoning out at Triple J. Then our all-day barbecue with Daisy Lynn.

  And then the accident that had seemed to stop time completely.

  My eyes opened and I instinctively looked over at Daisy Lynn, watching for the slight rise and fall of the blankets as she slept.

  Right.

  She was still okay.

  It was hard to forget how bad things had looked when we first found the wrecked truck, or how small and helpless she had seemed once we’d pulled her out of there.

  She was lucky. That truck was old, but it had been built to last. Built like a fucking tank. Even so, there were a few minutes initially when I wasn’t sure if she was going to make it. She’d had a nasty cut on her head and had lost a lot of blood—and that was before we even knew about the concussion.

  But then she had opened those pretty green eyes and I knew—I knew it right then and there—that she would pull through. She was strong. She was a fighter.

  And at least she wouldn’t have to fight by herself for a while. Cole and I were here to do the fighting for her—or at least to help her however we could.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw him stir in the chair next to me. We’d been here just like this, side by side, watching over her ever since we’d brought her back from the hospital. I wasn’t even sure why we were here when my house was bigger and probably more comfortable, but I hadn’t questioned it at the time. It had been a shorter drive to Cole’s house than to mine or Janessa’s, so here we were.

  And just like I hadn’t questioned the destination, Cole hadn’t questioned me staying here. Which was good, because I wasn’t going anywhere. We would both be right by her side whenever she woke up—and every time she woke up—until she was feeling better.

  “You can’t sleep, either?” Cole asked, his voice low and tired.

  “Not my shift to sleep,” I answered.

  He grunted but didn’t argue, probably because he already knew it wouldn’t do any good. I would sleep when it was my turn. Not until then.

  “What about you?” I asked. “You have two hours left until you need to wake up and take over watching her.”

  “I can’t sleep for shit,” he said. “My mind keeps going back to… you know. To everything.” He paused, then shifted in his seat to face me. “Do you think the fire had anything to do with the poisonings?”

  So much had happened in such a short period of time that I hadn’t even tried to connect any of the dots yet. Which was probably not a great thing for a sheriff to admit, but there was no denying where my mind had been.

  I’d been thinking of one person.

  This red-haired, fiery, independent beauty lying in the bed just a few feet away from me.

  She had taken up all of my thoughts since the moment I’d met her, and it took some real effort to push those thoughts aside to make room for anything else.

  But the town of Bliss was depending on me to do my job, and I really did want to catch the bastard behind all of the poisonings. The bastard who had beaten Derek Winslow. The bastard who might have set fire to the Thoresons’ pasture.

  I belatedly realized Cole was still staring at me, still waiting for an answer. “I hadn’t thought much about it, to be honest,” I said. “We won’t know for sure that it’s arson until the fire department has finished investigating. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out there was a connection. After seeing what happened to Derek, there’s not much I’d put past the person at this point.”

  Cole pressed his lips together and stared across the room toward the window for a few moments. I had seen that look plenty of times over the years. He was going over the facts in his head, doing his best to construct a timeline, to remember places and faces and conversations in the hopes of finding a shred of evidence we may have overlooked.

  It was one of the things that made him so good at his job—that and the fact that he gave zero fucks about going toe-to-toe with even the most hardened criminals. He might be hotheaded sometimes, but he had an impressive eye for detail that had saved my ass more than once.

  “I just can’t figure out how it’s all related,” he said after several more seconds had passed. “The fire. The violence. The poisoning. For all we know, this son of a bitch might be the reason Daisy Lynn ended up in that ditch.”

  My stomach clenched, and I felt a rush of pure anger flood my system. Daisy Lynn had been mumbling almost incoherently when we found her, but she had definitely seemed convinced that she’d hit something. Or someone. But there was no sign of any other person at the site of the accident. The only blood we found on the vehicle was in the cab of the truck and had clearly come from her head wound.

  Still, the thought of someone out there trying to hurt her made my blood boil so quickly and unexpectedly that it took me a moment to realize Cole had continued talking.

  I shook my head, trying to clear away the thoughts of what I would do if I got my hands on the person responsible for all of this. “Sorry, what? I must have missed that last part…”

  He smirked. “You mean while you were sitting there snorting like a bull and looking like you wanted to murder someone?”

  Cole knew me too damn well. I would have laughed if it wasn’t such a serious issue.

  “Anyway,” he continued, “I was saying none of it makes any fucking sense. And what’s the deal with the different poisons? The hemlock and the Monensin? We have all of these random facts and pieces of evidence, but what’s the connection?”

  “I wish I knew,” I said. “But we do have one thing working in our favor. Whoever is behind all of this is getting sloppy. They aren’t doing a very good job of covering their tracks. We may not be able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together yet, but we will. Soon.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Cole said. “I can deal with a lot of things. I’m not bothered by threats or danger, really, as long as I know where it’s coming from. But this? Not knowing where to look next is the part that’s killing me.” He nodded toward Daisy Lynn’s sleeping figure. “And I won’t forgive myself if something happens to her. I don’t know what I’d do. I can’t even think about it without…”

  Cole’s voice trailed off, but I didn’t need him to finish. I knew exactly what he meant, exactly how he felt. I felt it, too. That urge—no, the need—to protect her, to make sure she was safe and happy and smiling. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt since… well, for a really long time. It was a feeling that I hadn’t even realized I was capable of anymore. I would have sworn that part of me had died when my divorce was finalized.

  God knew everything else had been taken away from me that day.

  “I don’t want to think about it, either,” I said. “But that’s been the only damn thing on my mind lately.”

  He cracked a smile. “She’s pretty special, isn’t she?”

  I nodded but didn’t respond. She was special, of course. Obviously. But we still barely knew her. Why did I feel this crazy connection, this attraction, with her? How was it possible that Cole seemed to feel the same way?

  “I could see myself falling for her,” he said, as if answering my thoughts. “Seriously. Settling down, making a life… the whole thing. I could see it happening.�
��

  He looked over at me, but I still didn’t say anything. What was I supposed to say? I wasn’t sure how Cole had managed to stay so calm.

  Because for me? I felt the same way he did. I could see myself falling for her, too.

  Falling fast.

  Falling hard.

  And honestly?

  It scared the hell out of me.

  Chapter 10

  Daisy Lynn

  I slowly, carefully stepped out of the bathtub and took a deep breath. Even though I hadn’t been able to wash myself as thoroughly as I would have liked—my head was still bandaged and I didn’t want to try anything too crazy while I was by myself—I already felt a million times better just from that short soak.

  My legs had been a little wobbly when I’d first attempted to get out of bed, but I had massaged my calf and thigh muscles in the tub, and I felt more confident on my feet now.

  Pretty sure Cole and Prescott would have said I didn’t have any business being out of bed yet, since it had only been about three days… two days? Three? Four?

  Whatever.

  I didn’t know and didn’t really care how many actual days it had been since they’d brought me here from the hospital. Today was the first time I’d felt strong enough to get out of bed, and I couldn’t make myself wait around until they got off work.

  I dried myself off and slipped one of Cole’s enormous T-shirts over my head. I looked in the mirror and smiled. Tangled, matted, bandaged hair aside, I didn’t look half bad for having been through a pretty awful accident just a few days before.

  The big shirt hung off my body like a dress—well, that was being generous. It really swallowed me up and fit me like a potato sack, but it still made me smile. I liked being able to smell him even when he wasn’t here. I wished I had something of Prescott’s to wear as well, but I’d hopefully be seeing him in person again once he and Cole got off work this evening.

  They’d been taking turns, with one working at the station while the other stayed home and on-call with me. Today was the first time they’d both left together, and even though I had slept most of the morning and afternoon, I still missed seeing one of their handsome faces when I woke up.

  That had been the only nice part about the accident. It had immediately brought the three of us closer together. Soon, though, things would have to go back to normal. I’d go back to Janessa’s ranch for a few more days and then finally head home. They would go on with their lives just like they had before I came into town.

  Except…

  I moved from the bathroom back to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of Cole’s big, comfy bed. I needed to rest my legs and wanted to think back to the spark of a memory that I’d just had. A memory from one of those days when I’d been half-awake, half-asleep… or maybe I’d been dreaming the whole time? Everything I did remember since the accident was in bits and pieces, which made it really hard to tell the difference between what was real and what had just been my imagination.

  It also made it nearly impossible to keep any sort of timeline going in my head. Minutes, hours, days… they all blended together in the dreamy haze.

  But there was one memory that stuck out. One that had sounded so good I would have thought it must have been a dream if it hadn’t still been so vivid in my mind.

  I closed my eyes to try and remember every little detail. I’d been lying in the bed, of course. Cole and Prescott had been sitting in the chairs they’d pulled up next to the bed, watching over me just like they’d been doing non-stop for days.

  Their voices had been low but had still carried far enough in the otherwise silent room. I’d heard my name—the delicious sound of those deep voices saying my name always got my attention, and this time had been no different.

  Smiling at the memory, I scooted back until I was fully reclined on the bed, then wrapped myself in the warm blankets again. I’d had high hopes of being fully awake and independent today, maybe even cooking a meal for my guys this evening, but… maybe those plans could wait until after I’d had a little nap.

  Still, I wanted to finish my trip down this particular memory lane. It was just too good not to let it fully replay in my mind.

  I could still remember exactly how it felt when Cole had said he could see himself falling for me. Settling down. Everything.

  My heart had done this fluttery, funny sort of slow roll in my chest, and I was pretty sure I had actually smiled under the covers at the time, just like I was doing now from the memory.

  The only thing that could have made the moment better was if Prescott had said the same thing. But he hadn’t said much of anything in response to Cole’s confession.

  Maybe he didn’t feel the same way. Which was… fine. It wasn’t like I expected him to fall for me after knowing each other for such a short amount of time.

  Or maybe he’d just wanted to keep his feelings to himself. Prescott was generally the more quiet, thoughtful one, after all.

  And that was fine, too.

  Maybe I’d get the courage to actually bring up the subject with them. Maybe even tonight.

  But until then?

  I was going to hold onto this good memory. If I couldn’t actually hold my guys right now, it was the next best thing.

  My guys looked surprised when I met them at the door, but that was nothing compared to the looks I got a few seconds later when they saw the meal I’d prepared.

  “You did all of this, beautiful?” Cole asked, wide-eyed as he took in the sights and smells of the fried pork chops, buttered green beans, and baked potatoes that were dished up and waiting for my guys.

  “By yourself?” Prescott added, putting an arm around my waist as we followed Cole into the dining room. “I’m not sure you should even be out of bed yet, to be honest. But I’m certain you shouldn’t have done all of this on your own today.”

  He tried to frown, but I could see the corners of his mouth twitching when I smiled up at him. “I knew you’d say that.” I took him by the hand and led him over to the table, then did the same with Cole. As the three of us sat down, I continued, “But I was careful and I made sure to take plenty of breaks. It was actually really nice being able to get out of bed and do something for a change.”

  “Can’t really argue with that,” Cole said, then grinned. “But give Prescott some time, and he’ll find a way.”

  Even Prescott had to smile at that. “I don’t always argue. Just… when I’m right.”

  “Which is—” I began.

  “Yeah, always,” Cole finished for me.

  “Okay, okay,” Prescott said, holding his hands up in a mock surrender. “You both win. I’ll admit that I’m always right.”

  Cole snorted and I shook my head, still laughing. It felt so good to talk to my guys like this, like normal, like we had before the accident. It made me almost reluctant to bring up the subject that had been on my mind all day, but that was silly, right? It would be a good conversation—should be good, anyway. And even if for some reason it didn’t go the way I’d been hoping and dreaming about in my head, at least it would all be out in the open. That had to count for something… right?

  “You got quiet all of a sudden,” Prescott said, worried lines creasing his forehead. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need to lie down?”

  “No, I’m okay.” I gave him a small smile from across the table. It really was sweet that they were both so concerned, though. As much as I wanted to be back on my feet and making my own decisions about my well-being, I didn’t want to take their care for granted. “I just wanted to say a few things, maybe… maybe talk about some things with you guys.”

  “Sure.” Prescott nodded. “We can talk about whatever you’d like.”

  “That’s right,” Cole added. “If there’s anything you need, all you have to do is let us know.”

  “You’re both so sweet,” I said, meaning it. “And I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t even know how I’ll begin to repay you, but—”


  “You never have to worry about repaying us,” Prescott interrupted. “Just knowing you’re okay makes me happy. Seeing you here tonight, up and out of bed and starting to feel better, is more than enough for me.”

  “For me, too,” Cole agreed. “So yeah, don’t even think about paying us back or whatever. That’s not why we wanted you to stay here.”

  I felt my eyes start to fill with happy tears. Because seriously, nobody deserved to be treated as well as my guys treated me. I blinked hard, determined to get through this without getting too emotional—or at least until I’d said everything that was on my mind.

  “Well, that sort of leads in to what I wanted to talk about,” I said. “I know we already sort of talked about our situation—our dating situation, I mean…”

  They both nodded but didn’t interrupt this time.

  “And none of us could have anticipated everything else that has happened this week,” I continued.

  More nods. This might have been the longest stretch they’d both gone without saying a single word. I appreciated the room to speak, but the complete silence almost made it harder to get the words out.

  I had to keep going, though. I’d said too much to clam up and pretend like nothing was on my mind.

  “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop—I mean, I was technically stuck in bed the whole time—but I sort of overheard something you guys were talking about the other day.” I paused and watched as they exchanged a knowing look.

  “Okay.” Cole was the first to speak. “I think I know the conversation you’re talking about. Was it about—”

  “About me,” I finished, nodding. “Yeah, that one.”

  “And how did that conversation make you feel?” Prescott asked.

  “It made me feel good, honestly.” I paused again, trying to find the right words. But since the right words weren’t really coming at the moment, I was just going to have to use the less-than-perfect words that had already been crashing around in my head for hours. “I like the thought—the possibility, I mean—of having something more with both of you. But I know this… this situation… between the three of us was just supposed to be a trial run. So I guess what I’m saying is that I want to keep going, but I also know that I can’t go back to the way things were if this situation doesn’t work out. I can’t date the two of you separately. We’ve already been down that road, so… it’s all or nothing for me.”