Black Conley (6 page)

On impulse, he pulled her into his arms. Her breasts against his chest made him wish he could take her here and now, but during the day he was on duty. He'd have to settle for a feel and a kiss.

She struggled against him until he covered her mouth with his. As she relaxed enough to enjoy what he was doing to her, he cupped her ass with one of his big hands and pulled her so close she couldn't miss the feel of his cock pressing against her.

"We-I-you can't do this,” she protested once he freed her mouth.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not one of the girls who works for me. I told you last night you could have your pick of them at a reduced rate, but you couldn't have me."

"That doesn't answer the question. Why not? You're ten times more desirable than any of them. I could see why they would call you Ballbuster Belle if you'd earned the title but to me, you're just an ice princess."

"You don't know anything about me, Mr. Conley, and I'll thank you to take your hands off me. I'm not for sale, and I'm no man's plaything. I expect you to respect my wishes. Tonight I'll make certain one of the girls comes to your room to relieve that bulge you have in your pants. Just remember, it won't be me."

She turned and hurried toward her horse. The sight of her ass swaying in defiance as she mounted made him want her even more. It would be a long winter. Sooner or later she'd give into him, and he had nothing but time. He was willing to wait until she was ready for him.

Belle had never been so flustered in all her life. It was true that the boy in Ohio had gotten into her pants when she was young and dumb, but since then she had distanced herself from any man who crossed her path. Those who had been bold enough to kiss her soon learned that it was the wrong thing to do. One tongue-lashing from her had doused their ardor and given her the reputation that earned her the hated nickname of Ballbuster Belle. So why was it that when Black kissed her, she imagined herself in bed with him?

It didn't matter. Whatever the reason, it had to stop here and now. She couldn't afford to become a weak woman like the rest of the ranchers’ wives in the area. She certainly didn't want some man dominating her, and that was just what would happen if she allowed Mr. Black Conley to get too close. When she first took over this ranch, it would have been easy to succumb to Clayte's charm. But what would that have gotten her, other than an early grave like Nettie?

She swung into the saddle, her pussy aching for the release she knew she could find if she put aside her principles and went to Black's bed. She squirmed in the saddle in an attempt to relieve the ache, but doing so only intensified the sensation, reminding her of the feel of her nipples pressed against his chest. Control of her life could easily get out of hand with Black around her. She should fire him, but she needed him to find out what was going on with the rustlers more than she needed to put temptation safely out of her reach.

As she neared the ranch house, she saw the girls coming in from the canyon where the cattle would spend the winter. Just seeing them made her wonder if one of her own hands had sent the wire to Denver. It was entirely possible, since they all knew how to run the telegraph. Of course, it could have been someone altogether different. Maybe she wasn't the only rancher in the area who was losing cattle on a regular basis. It wouldn't hurt none to ask around at church on Sunday. She knew which men were loyal to Clayte and which ones hated his guts. A few questions posed to the right people could do her a world of good. Until now, she hadn't thought much about anyone else having problems. She'd thought it was just Clayte's way of getting her to sell out and become a wife to him and mother to those wild Indians he called his children.

"Did Joe do anything about the rustling?” Kate asked when Belle rode up.

"Are you kidding? That bastard probably still thinks it was wolves that raided us. If it was, they were about the most intelligent animals around. Maybe we should round them up and sell them to the circus."

Her comment brought hearty laughter from Kate. “What did he really say?"

"He went over to the Diamond A to see if they'd lost any cattle. When I pointed out that I thought Clayte was behind this, he said that there was no way he could search for our cattle among all the ones in Clayte's herd."

"Sounds like a lame excuse to me."

"Me too. I didn't get a chance to talk to you this morning, I was wondering how Black was last night."

"Why, Belle Barton, I never thought I'd see the day when you were interested in how a man performed in bed."

"I'm not interested in that. I was just wondering if the other girls would be pleased with him on slow nights."

"Like hell you were. That man has gotten to you, and I can understand why. He's about the most handsome drifter I've ever seen and in bed, well, that cock of his was so big, I thought he was going to tickle my tonsils with it. One roll with him and you'd forget all about that piss ant in Ohio. From the way you tell it, he couldn't have been much more than a boy. I think it's high time you took on a man. It could be an interesting experience for both of you."

Belle could feel her cheeks become inflamed with a blush. “I'm certain it's what Mr. Conley wants, but what any man wants is in direct contrast to my desires. I'll keep him so busy with you and the other girls that he won't have time to worry about me."

"Suit yourself, but I think you're making a mistake you could regret for the rest of your life. That man has tricks up his sleeve that could curl your toenails if you let them."

Belle made no comment. There were a lot of things Belle would like to have Black curl, but her toenails weren't on the list. She'd learned a long time ago that if she wanted sexual satisfaction, she could give it to herself. The last time she'd visited Denver, she'd found a unique little shop that catered to the pleasures of women. There she'd bought a contraption that looked like a man's cock. It wasn't soft and pliable, but at least it did the job when she needed to rid herself of the frustrations of her self-imposed celibacy. If it were bedtime, she'd be upstairs using it right now to take away the urges Black had ignited with his kiss.

As soon as Belle was out of sight, Black set to mending the fence. It didn't take long to pull the wire tight and splice the cut ends together with another piece of wire. It was a procedure he'd become quite familiar with in all the years he'd been investigating cases of rustling. He wondered what it would take to get these men to realize that sooner or later they'd all get caught.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing on the Double Bar B?"

Black looked up. “What's it to you?” he asked of the man looking down on him from the saddle of his black stallion.

"I'm Belle's neighbor and fiancé, and I don't like to see people trespassing on her land. Sheriff Calhoun was just at my place telling me how she's been losing cattle. I was just on my way over to see if there was anything I can do. Guess I didn't get here any too soon. How many more of her cattle were you planning to take?"

"I wasn't planning to take any. I work for Miss Barton. I was just up here mending the fence that the rustlers cut last night."

The man laughed heartily. Black decided it wouldn't be long before Clayte Adamson was laughing out of the other side of his face. He'd taken an instant dislike to the man. It was no wonder Belle was so anti-man if this was the only choice she had for a husband.

"Guess it makes sense. Belle always did have a soft spot in her heart for drifters and strays. Leave it to her to take on an Injun for her pet project."

Black's anger began to flare. “Look, Mister, I'm getting’ right sick of being taken for an Injun. The proper term is Texican, and I'll thank you not to forget it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more work to do. I figure if this fence is cut in one spot, it could be cut in more places. I plan to ride the length of this fence before nightfall, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Suit yourself, but if you're planning to get on Belle's good side so that you can slide into her bed, you'd better think again. She's mine, and once we're married she won't be spreading her legs for anyone but me. I can hardly wait to give her a good fuck and show her what a woman's place is in life. It certainly isn't running a ranch. That bitch needs to be tamed, and I'm the man to tame her. Once she's taking care of my younguns, she'll learn what it's like to be a real woman. After that, I'm certain she'll give me some fine, healthy sons rather than those whiny brats I got from my first wife."

Black mounted up and rode on without making any comment on Clayte's statement. If he stayed any longer, he'd have to take the man down a notch, and he couldn't risk losing his cover over an ignorant bastard like Clayte Adamson. His time would come and when it did, Black was certain the man would be wearing the shackles he carried in his saddlebag and not the black eye a fight would leave him with.

Even though Black was certain he'd find no more breaks in the fence, he rode along the line of barbed wire for about half an hour. That was just enough time for Clayte to get to the ranch house and confront Belle.

Spurring his horse to a gallop, he rode back to see exactly what was going on. Rather than make his presence known, he left his horse in a grove of trees and snuck up to the house.

From his vantage point, he could see Belle on the porch talking to Adamson. Their words came to him loud and clear.

"I don't recall asking you to come calling, Clayte,” Belle said.

"Come on, Belle, I know that you've had some problems with rustlers. Joe was just over at the house and told me of your troubles. I sent my men out right away to see if we lost any cattle last night. Once they were gone, I realized that you were over here all alone and I decided that you could use my help. I met up with that breed drifter you got working for you. I wouldn't put it past him to be the one takin’ your cattle. You know you can't trust an Injun when there's stock that is ripe for the taking."

"I'll trust who I want. Even if Black is a breed like you say, I'd trust him a hell of a lot further than I would you. Now why don't you slither back to that hole you came out of? I don't need or want your protection."

"What you need is a good man to fuck you until you understand what a woman's place in life is, and I'm the man to do it. I think I'll start right now.” Adamson took a step closer to Belle.

Black cringed. He was just about to grab her when she pulled her gun. “I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. If you value those balls between your legs, I suggest you get off my property. In case you don't know it, I'm a crack shot and I'd take great pleasure in castrating you like I do the steers,” she said.

It was all Black could do to keep from laughing out loud. The look on Adamson's face was one of pure terror.

"You'll regret this, Belle Barton. Mark my words, you'll regret turning me down. One of these days you'll come crawling to me on your hands and knees and then I'll take you like a dog takes a bitch in heat."

"It sounds like you're the one in heat, Clayte. Maybe it would be best if you went into town tonight and took on one of the new whores at the saloon. I hear tell that Lester brought in some new girls in all the way from Denver. Makes the Purple Moon Saloon sound like just the place for you. Just remember, you hadn't better get caught slapping any of them around the same way you did Nettie. Lacy told me that Lester has a knife that he uses on anyone who beats on his girls. I'd hate to see someone other than me getting the pleasure of castrating you."

Adamson turned on his heel and mounted his horse, riding out of the dooryard. It wasn't until he was gone that Black came out from behind the woodshed.

"You handled yourself quite well,” he said approaching Belle.

"You ... you watched? Why didn't you make yourself known and help me out?"

"I was going to, but you were doing such a good job, I didn't want to interfere. Besides, I don't want to tip my hand too soon. I'd rather give Adamson enough rope to hang himself. From the look on his face, he was disappointed to see your cattle moved. Did he ask where they'd been taken?"

"He asked, and I told him it was none of his business. Do you think you can get enough evidence to arrest him?"

"Don't see where it will be much of a problem, although it could take all winter. With your cattle out of his reach, he just might wait until spring to make his next move. That should give me plenty of time to find out just who sent that wire to Denver. If he were raiding the other ranches, I'd just as soon know who's siding with us and who's siding with him. From what I saw of the sheriff, I doubt that we can count on him to help us with this. We're on our own until I learn differently."

The tension he'd seen in her face earlier returned, but she regained her composure quite quickly. “Why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee? We don't have to worry about Annie overhearing us. She's over at her place until it's time to fix supper."

"Her place?"

"She and her husband have a house on the ranch. They worked for my pa for years. She's always done the cooking here and her husband, Roy, was my pa's foreman until he got his ribs stove in by a bull. That was right after Pa died. Since then, he and Annie have stayed on. I see him every night when he comes with Annie for supper and he gives me lots of tips on how to handle the ranch. Kate enjoys visiting with him as well. He was the one who suggested she should be the forewoman out here."

"What did you say Annie's last name was?"

"I didn't say, but it's Heath. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just wondering. I like to know the folks I'm dealing with. I think I'll ride out to see them. Which way is their place from here?"

After getting the directions from Belle, he left the house and went back to where his horse was tied. Just hearing the name of Heath solved the mystery of who had requested a U.S. Marshal to be sent to this area. His best friend, Ed Heath, was also one of his superiors. It was Ed who had sent him the wire, when he finished his assignment in Laramie that brought him here.