Her Cowboy Cousins: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Veronica Wade

  The thought absolutely mortifies me. Especially if Marshall saw.

  Although technically, I have nothing to feel guilty about. They told me that I was allowed to pursue any of them that I wanted, though I really wasn’t considering I wanted to pursue them all.

  Still, even though I know I’m not breaking any rules, the thought of kissing Spencer makes me feel guilty. Especially after I just kissed Morgan!

  It’s the Lesters’ last night, and before the panic of Paul going missing, we planned to have a small farewell party. Since Cheryl was Marshall’s old friend, he insisted on doing something special for her. I can tell he’s grateful that she’s thoughtful enough to come to his ranch to stay. Plus, he gets a bit wistful about her family. Maybe he reminds her a little of his city life?

  I do my best to whip up a steak dinner for everyone, with some grilled hearts of romaine and roasted lemon potatoes. I serve this along with some tangy carrot slaw. Everyone fills themselves to what seems like bursting, and lean back in their chairs. I still have a salted caramel cake to serve, but nobody seems in a real rush to eat more.

  Marshall invites me to sit and hang out with them and the Lesters. He serves some Armagnac from a fancy-looking old bottle, and as we sip, Cheryl and Marshall tell old stories of their time working together.

  Surprisingly, Marshall had invited Eva to come by as well, but she’s nowhere to be found. I’m sure she’s passed out in her bunkhouse—that seems to be where she usually is when she should, you know, be working to clean the guest suites.

  Hayley does end up coming. Despite her initial snotty attitude, she spent a little time with the Lesters and now she and Paul are playing a board game on the floor together. With all the attention she’s doesn’t seem to be getting from her mother, I bet Hayley is going to miss these guests when they leave and she becomes the only kid on the ranch again.

  I’m actually surprised at how much I enjoy myself at the farewell party. Despite my tension at work for the past week, the buzz of the alcohol allows me to loosen up a bit. The worry that Marshall might have seen me kiss Spencer starts to fade. If he did, he acts no differently toward me, so it doesn’t feel like a big deal.

  I realize how fun they all are to talk to. And I kind of love their relationship with each other. They’re cousins, but they really seem more like brothers to me. You can tell they all genuinely care for each other. I don’t really have much extended family. It was always just Mom and Chuck, and so I admire their bond.

  When it’s time for cake, I volunteer to go grab it, and Marshall, to my surprise, insists on going with me. Without the alcohol, that might make me a bit nervous, just as being alone with Spencer made me nervous. But in the moment, I don’t much mind. I can use the extra set of hands to grab plates and cutlery.

  As soon as we reach the kitchen, Marshall’s eyes go wide when he sees the cake.

  “You made this?” he asks.

  “Yeah, you like it? Pastry is not my strong point, but I’m trying to learn.”

  “It’s gorgeous! I’m really impressed!”

  I feel myself grinning despite myself. I just love when people compliment my baking.

  “Well, thank you. I wanted to do something special for your friends.”

  He gazes down at me, and I can see in his eyes he’s a little more buzzed than I am. He always seems so professional, and under his calm exterior there always runs an undercurrent of stress. I guess it makes sense, since he’s trying to build this ranch into a success and he’s sort of responsible for it all.

  “You’re really considerate, do you know that? You’re just… an incredibly sweet woman.” He reaches out his hand and gently tucks a piece of hair around my ear. The small movement makes me tingle all the way to my toes, and I can’t move.

  “Thank you,” I say, a little softer than I mean to, but the way his eyes are stuck on me has me feeling some type of way.

  He moves toward me slowly, not quickly the way Spencer did earlier. I have time to avoid this kiss if I want to, to back up and stop this from happening. But my willpower seems to leave my body. I will him closer. And when his lips finally touch mine, I savor them. His mouth is soft and tastes a little of French brandy, and when I part my lips, he pushes his body against mine. His cock is hard against my hip, and I breathe in sharply, breaking the spell. He suddenly pulls away as if realizing his mistake.

  “I’ll grab the plates,” he tells me, like nothing happened.

  “Okay, great,” I mutter, following along.

  I’m shocked at myself for how easily I ended up kissing these men. But every time it happens, it feels so natural. So right. I hate to think how upset they’d all be if they knew I was kissing them all after they asked me to choose. How could I let it get so out of hand? Why was my willpower reserve running so damn low?

  I rush the cake back into the dining room, mostly to get away from Marshall, and as the Lesters compliment it, I do my best to pretend I have not now kissed three of the men sitting at this dinner table.

  I need to get it together.

  Morgan

  “Like this?” I ask as I knead the dough like Sarah taught me. Be firm, but not jerky, rhythmically push and pull the dough back and forth until it starts to come together and the crumbly mess begins to smooth out and form a ball.

  “Yep, that’s perfect!” She smiles at me. Her eyes crinkle at the corners and I feel a surge of pride in my heart. And a surge of blood elsewhere.

  When I asked her to give me another baking lesson, at first she seemed hesitant, which I expected. She’s been avoiding us all like the plague ever since we all overwhelmed her with our feelings. But eventually I was able to win her over and get her to agree.

  I thought I had genuinely good intentions in asking for another baking lesson. I only wanted to make her more comfortable, and what’s better than doing a project side-by-side for that? And instead of me being her boss, she would be in charge as the teacher. Little did I know that it would be an exercise in sexual frustration.

  When I’m actually around her, I find my good intentions fade into oblivion. Maybe they were never there in the first place? Every time I’m next to her, I can’t help but think about how pretty she is. How sexy her ass is. Even beyond that, how kind her heart is. How can someone be that attractive and that nice all at the same time? It’s too much! How can I keep myself from pursuing her?

  I have to try. I should try. The boys and I were only going to tell her our feelings and allow her to decide what she wanted to do with the information. I’m not going to break that pact. I try to focus on the dough, pressing it across the floured surface, pulling it back.

  “You’re surprisingly good at this, you know,” Sarah tells me, her sweet voice interrupting my thoughts.

  “Well, I did do some baking with my mom growing up. I just don’t seem to remember any of it until I start baking with you again.”

  “Aww, I didn’t know that! That’s really sweet! Are you close to your mom?”

  “Very close,” I tell her. “My father died when I was little. I have almost no memory of him. But my mom… she was amazing. She picked up all the slack and did her best to take care of me. We still talk all the time.”

  “Wow.” Sarah looks at me with her eyes widening. Her lips make an O when she is surprised, like a character in a storybook. “I had no idea you’d lost your father too.”

  “I’m sure it was nothing like losing Chuck.” I don’t want to seem like I’m comparing my pain to hers, which was far more recent and traumatic. “I hardly remember it, or him, since I was practically a baby. I know it would’ve been a lot harder to lose him as an adult.”

  Sarah shrugs. “I think it’s always hard, you know? I mean, yeah, as a kid you might not see it in the same way, but I got so many years with Chuck. And you didn’t get to have that father figure in your life growing up.”

  “True,” I sigh. “It’s not a competition, after all. At least I had my Uncle Gary. He was a father figure to me. I think h
e even paid me special attention compared to my cousins, knowing my loss and everything. Spencer and Marshall still have both their parents, so life was different for them.”

  It’s nice talking about stuff like this with her. I love my cousins, but we don’t get into the deep stuff very much. I’d like to talk about more serious shit like this with them, but the truth is, they aren’t emotional people. They shut down at even the mention of Uncle Gary’s death. They’re stoic men, like a lot of men in this little town are. It’s the conventional way for a country man to be.

  But growing up with my mom… I guess I just have a different side to me. I don’t think I’m stoic, really. I’m not hardened like Spencer or serious like Marshall. It’s just not my way.

  Sarah puts a soft hand on my lower arm, giving it a gentle grip. “I’m so sorry about your uncle too,” she says softly.

  I nod. “Thank you. I really do miss him. But running this farm with my cousins, it’s the closest I can be to him. It really does help. I’m grateful for that, at least.”

  Sarah gives a half-smile, like she’s trying to stay positive, but what I’ve said has made her sad.

  “I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m not trying to upset you,” I tell her, putting the bread in a Dutch oven and covering it with a towel. I wash my hands quickly and turn back to her with a small smile.

  “What? No! Of course you’re not,” she assures me. “God, you are so damn sweet, do you know that?”

  I shrug. “I hope so.”

  “Yeah…” She steps back for a minute, and I think she’s ready to move onto something else. Then without warning she leans back in and kisses me, her soft lips suddenly against mine. I drop the dish towel I was holding and put my arms around her, holding her body against mine. She feels so delicate in my arms, but I can’t help but pick her up and hold her against me, and when her legs wrap around me, I can’t stop myself. I find my hand sliding over her shirt, the fullness of her breast under my hand. My cock hardens against her body.

  She responds by kissing me harder, her hands sliding down my back until they’re under my shirt, wrapping her fingers around my ass cheeks. I turn and sit her on the counter, starting to undo the buttons on her shirt.

  She suddenly stops.

  “Wait.” She pulls her mouth away from mine.

  “I’m sorry, is something wrong? Did I—”

  She cuts me off. “You haven’t done anything. It’s… me. I think I’m doing something terribly wrong.”

  “I’m not so sure I agree,” I laugh. “It felt pretty right to me.”

  She groans, rubbing her forehead with one hand. “Yeah. Yeah, it does for me too. But the thing is, it felt right kissing Marshall and Spencer too.”

  I’m completely caught off guard by this statement. “Wait, are you saying you’ve kissed both my cousins?”

  “I have.” She looks immediately guilty. “And I couldn’t keep making out with you this way without saying anything. It feels wrong. You deserve to know, and I totally get it if you hate me.”

  For a moment, I feel irritated. But to my surprise, it isn’t exactly jealousy. If anything, I feel more annoyed that we made an agreement not to pursue her and they broke it without telling me. Not the insane amount of jealousy that I’d expect to feel, though. Which is weird considering I’m actually pretty into Sarah.

  “Okay, see, you’re totally pissed, and I’ve made a huge mistake.” She sighs. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve been completely inappropriate with all of you. I’m really ashamed. You must think I’m awful.”

  “Hey, hey, hey,” I say as I put a gentle hand on her cheek. “Slow down, there. I never said any of that. I’m not mad, and I have no idea what behavior you’re ashamed about exactly.”

  “You’re not?” She seems genuinely surprised. “I mean, you know, I’ve been pretty all over the place, kinda promiscuous, so…”

  I have to laugh at that. “Promiscuous, Sarah? Because you kissed three of us? Yeah, not so sure that’s so bad. And even if it were, you know you’re a grown woman, right? You are completely free to kiss or sleep with whomever you like, and you shouldn’t be ashamed about it.”

  Her head tilts down a little, her eyes searching the floor. “It’s just that I’ve never done anything like this, you know? I’ve never even had a serious boyfriend. I don’t make out with anyone—not my boss at work, let alone all three of my bosses. If my stepdad were still here and knew what I’ve done, I bet he’d disapprove.”

  I can see where she’s coming from, but all I want to do is calm her negative feelings, to let her know that what she’s doing is her choice.

  “Chuck was a good man, and I can see why his opinion of you would matter so much, especially after his passing. But he was also a really traditional guy with a lot of outdated ideas. And of course he’s going to project that onto his daughter. For him, you were always his little girl and he wanted to protect you from getting yourself hurt. But you’re not a little girl anymore, Sarah. You’re a grown woman and you can make decisions for yourself. And there’s nothing wrong with a grown woman doing what she wants with whomever she wants. You need to assert yourself, trust in your decisions. We gave you the go-ahead to pursue any of us that you wanted. There’s nothing wrong here.”

  I actually mean that. But maybe those jealous feelings are outdated too. Maybe in the past I would feel jealous, but I don’t now. Even knowing that Sarah kissed both my cousins, I’m at peace as long as we’re all clear about it… and I get to be with her too.

  The only thought that bothers me is that eventually she’s going to pick just one of us and say goodbye to the others. My heart breaks at the thought. I know I haven’t known her long, but my feelings for her are past physical attraction, as intense as it is. I like her more seriously than that.

  And then, a thought hits me hard. It’s a weird one, and my first inclination is that I should push it to the back of my mind… but I don’t want to. Just because it’s unusual and original, why should that mean it’s wrong?

  The epiphany must show on my face because Sarah stares at me, her eyebrows knitting together in apparent concern. “What? What is it?”

  “Oh, no, it’s nothing.” I shake my head. I can’t tell her this yet, not until I talk to my cousins. Ultimately, this is something they won’t be on board with. But I’ve got to try. And I can’t tell Sarah until I know what they think. “I just thought of something about the, uh, business, and need to talk to my cousins.”

  “Are you sure…?” she asks, naturally trying to push me for the truth.

  “Yeah, totally. It’s nothing for you to worry about.” I rake my hand through my hair. “Look, Sarah, I know you’re young and all, but you deserve to be happy, just like anyone else. If your views don’t coincide with the vision your parents had for you… you don’t have to subscribe to that vision. You can do whatever you want to, and I really think you should.”

  She bites her bottom lip. “You know, I’ve spent so little of my life focusing on what I want. I’ve always tried to live up to the standards my parents set for me and be the best person that I can be for them. Especially now that Chuck has passed, I spend so much time worrying about my mom. I don’t know how to think of what I want.”

  I give her a half-smile. “Well, you need to try, Sarah. You’ve got one life, that’s it. You gotta make the most of it. And your mother’s still pretty young, too. She is capable of taking care of herself. Your focus right now should be you. Don’t worry about what your parents want, or what my cousins or I want. You gotta do what’s best for you. You gotta chase good feelings when you get them, that’s all I know.”

  And it’s what I plan to do. I’m going to chase this good feeling I’ve got going with Sarah.

  I only hope my cousins want to chase it with me.

  We finish our baking session with no more making out, but that’s fine by me because it seems like she’s really taking my words seriously. Good, because beyond my desire for her, I want to see that girl happy.
A woman as amazing as she is deserves to get everything she wants in this world. She deserves to be happy. I don’t want to see her living for other people’s opinions of her.

  I try to keep myself looking cool and collected through the rest of the lesson, but I’ve got something on my mind. As much as I like spending time with Sarah, I am damn desperate to end this lesson and head out to see my cousins. I’m sure I already know their answers to the question I’m going to ask, but if I’m wrong, if they’re actually on board with this… it could be the answer to all our problems.

  So when we finish I head out to the stables, which is where I assume they’re going to be. They were cleaning them out last I checked.

  But they’re not there when I arrive. Hayley is, though, and she’s getting dangerously close to Ramsey’s stall.

  I like Ramsey. He’s a black beast of a horse, but he hates strangers and worst of all, children.

  “Hey, now, you best stay away from him!” I yell to Hayley as I enter. “That horse will beat you silly if given half the chance, girl.”

  She shrugs. “I’m not getting close,” she tells me with her usual attitude.

  I feel bad that I get so frustrated with this girl since she’s only a child, but I really do. It’s not her fault; it’s her damn irresponsible mother’s who never bothered to teach her some manners. So I try not to take it out on Hayley.

  “Where’s your mama?” I ask her.

  “Sleeping,” Hayley says quickly.

  I take this to mean she’s passed out drunk in the bunkrooms. I’ve noticed she drinks quite a bit and barely leaves her room, let alone takes the time to be with her daughter. But she seems to be doing her job so far, the rooms look pretty good, so I don’t feel like I can say much about it as much as I dislike the woman.

  “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be sleeping too?” I ask Hayley.

  She shrugs. “I’m not tired.”

  I look from her to the horses. “Have you been itching to ride one?”

  She furrows her brow. “No! Horses are gross!”