Cowboy Double-Decker (17 page)

“A week without sex and he
still
wouldn’t play? And then he slept alone. Wow.”

Kaela’s face burned. She hoped that was what Bryan whispered in her doorway, but she couldn’t ask him since she was supposed to be sleeping. And if she asked what he’d done in Candy’s room, he’d think she was jealous.

Which she was, sort of. Not about the sex but the companionship.

“I didn’t sleep much at all last night,” admitted Kaela. “And from Bryan’s grumping, I’m not sure he did either.” She groaned when Adam got Bryan in the belly. “After this fight he’ll be worse tomorrow, being so sore.”

“It’s not just the fight.” Kaela turned at Candy’s laugh. “Adam saved the worst jobs for Bryan since he’s been away for so long.

Bry’ll have worked his butt off all day. He’ll be lucky to make it through dinner before he crashes, just like the kids. His muscles and bruises will hurt like the devil again tomorrow.”

“What does he do about it?”

“Do?” Candy walked over to the sink and rinsed out her mug.

“He’s a Montana cowboy, hon. He’ll ignore the pain and work even harder, just to prove that he’s the better man.”

The two Eastern women looked at each other.

“Are they both like that?”

Candy nodded.

“And you’ve put up with them for how long?”

Candy laughed. “Yeah, I know. But I love the idiots.” She looked
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out the window, wincing when Bryan got Adam in the face. “Darn, I was just getting used to the shape of his nose. I think Bry’s just rearranged it again.”

Even indoors they could hear the bellow of rage that erupted.

Bryan flew up and back, rolling when he landed so Adam just missed kicking him. Even the dogs and cats watched. The dogs safely poked their noses between the ring of men, while cats sat on the porch railing like tennis judges, heads turning back and forth as the men moved around.

“If we put this on the Internet and charged a dollar per hit we’d be rich,” said Candy, snickering.

“You’re not worried about them hurting each other?”

“This is nothing.” She turned to Kaela, suddenly serious. “I’m a ranch wife in the back mountains of Montana. My men go up into the Beaverheads, often alone, and across thousands of acres of land. At any moment of every day they could get thrown by a horse, gored by a cow, or Mother Nature could toss in a sudden snow storm or avalanche or worse.”

Candy looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly for a minute before she continued.

“It’s my job to keep the home, to cope with whatever happens when they’re not here, and to give them something worthwhile to come back to.”

“Oh, God, Candy. I didn’t mean—”

“You’ve got to know, Kaela. This is what life and death is all about out here. In the city you could get killed by a drunk driver or a mugger could shoot you. You have no control over that.” She pointed out the window where the last rays of sun lit the snow. “Out here, at least you have
some
control. You work hard to be the best damn cowboy possible. You keep your equipment in top shape, read the clouds for weather, train your own horse, and trust it with your life.

Everything else is up to luck and fate.”

“Either way,” said Kaela quietly into her mug, thinking of her
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parents. “Life can change in a moment.”

“Yep, but here it’s Mother Nature who gives you a whammy, rather than nasty two-leggers. And I’ll take Nature any time.”

Kaela gasped when Bryan backpedalled, bent over from a gut punch. Adam waded close, grappled with him, and threw him down.

Bryan jumped, but at the last moment, Adam rolled away and Bryan landed on his stomach in the dirt. He lay there, palms on the dirt beside his shoulders, chest heaving. When Adam kicked for his ribs, Bryan grabbed the foot and twisted. Adam landed on his back with a thud and groan they could hear through the glass.

Adam suddenly laughed and it was over. He sat up, leaned over, and swatted Bryan on his ass. Bryan rolled to his side, pushing himself with one hand to sit. He whacked Adam on the back of the head, also laughing. Dog tails wagged furiously as, head down, the mutts approached the two in the dirt for ear rubs. The watching men joined in the laughter, though some groused as money changed hands.

“My God. After all that, they laugh?”

“Like I said,” drawled Candy. “They’re Montana cowboys. Hard as nails. After that testosterone-laden display, they’ll be raring for sex.

But I bet they’ll both crash tonight and will have to be dragged out of bed in the morning. They’ll groan and moan, but once out of their bedrooms, you won’t hear a word of complaint.”

“Because they’re Montana cowboys,” both women said in unison.

Candy grinned. Kaela high-fived her. “How do I act when they come in? Hail the conquering hero?”

“Gosh, no! Remember, we don’t want to encourage it. We’ll pretend we didn’t see anything and tick them off. Tell them they’ve got ten minutes to get clean for supper.”

Kaela laughed freely for the first time in ages. “You, girl, are wicked.”

“Thank you,” replied Candy. She lifted her apron out like a skirt and curtsied. “It’s great having another woman here to laugh with.”

The door opened in the middle of her last words.

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“What’re you two laughing about?”

Kaela sat back in the chair Candy had pulled out and stretched her legs. “Gal stuff.”

Adam wiped blood from below his nose with his knuckles, smearing it across his cheek. “Bry, did you bring another dang uppity woman like Candy into our home?”

“My woman’s not uppity like Candy,” replied Bryan. He winced when he bent over to kick off his boots. “She’s uppity like Kaela.”

“Is that worse than Candy?” Adam dripped blood on the floor when he leaned over to do the same.

“Nah,” said Bryan. He winked at Candy, who smiled sweetly back. “Different, but just as bad.”

Candy threw a damp dishcloth at her husband’s head, hitting him dead on. “Guess who’s sleeping with the dogs tonight, Kaela.”

“Aw, Candy.”

“You know the rules, Adam. I don’t want blood on our new white sheets. Is your nose broken again?”

“Let me check,” said Bryan. Before Adam could react, he grasped his partner’s nose and twisted. Adam bellowed and clapped both hands over it. “Nah, it’s just a bloody nose. Should be all better by bedtime.” He turned to Adam. “You can thank me for that.”

“I’ll thank you so hard tomorrow that you’ll—”

The grumbles from the kiddy corral that had been increasing in the last ten minutes erupted.

“You two get cleaned up for supper,” said Candy. “Use the back shower so you don’t track dirt and blood all over the house. I don’t want the twins seeing you like this.”

“They might as well get used to it,” growled Adam. “This is what their boyfriends will look like if they mess with my girls.”

“Git!”

Kaela turned her back and sniggered into her hand as the two huge men, covered in dirt and blood, stomped in sock feet through the kitchen to the laundry, still arguing about who won.

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“Don’t laugh too loud, Kaela,” said Candy. “They’ll get us back for it.”

“Us? What did I do?”

“Since when does a woman have to ‘do’ anything for a man to love her to bits?”

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“Rise and shine, city boy. It’s Monday morning. Time to rock and roll!”

Bryan groaned at Adam’s taunting from the bedroom doorway.

Yesterday’s brutal work, combined with Adam’s blows, had him dreaming he was back in the rodeo, landing in the dirt after his disastrous two seconds riding a bull.

“Hel-lo, sweetheart!” Adam’s voice went up an octave. “Didn’t see you there. Sleep well?”

“Go ’way!”

Bryan turned his head at the feminine complaint near his pillow.

“Kaela?” He slid a hand sideways and found her thinly-covered breast. She squeaked when he brushed his knuckles over a nipple.

Mmm, Kaela.
He smiled, suddenly feeling much better.

“It’s five A.M., Bry,” continued Adam. “You’re not up, so I’m pulling the sheets off.”

“I’m up!” Bryan threw back the covers and grunted. He rolled to his feet, following his morning salute.

“At least one part of you is up. From that cockstand, I bet someone didn’t get lucky last night.”

“Shut up, Adam.” Bryan pulled a pair of work jeans out of his drawer. He swayed and sat on the bed to push his feet into them. “At least I can see through both eyes.”

“Adam Richardson, get out of that bedroom now!” Candy pointed down the hall. She wore a huge red and blue plaid housecoat, obviously Adam’s.

“Aw, Candy, I haven’t done this in months.”

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“Out!” She turned to Bryan, one eyebrow raised. “For your information, someone else didn’t get lucky last night. So my husband’s a real bear this morning.” She looked at Adam’s battered face without pity. “And he’s working on continuing the situation tonight!”

“Uppity woman’s gonna pay,” mumbled Adam, lumbering down the hall. Kaela stuck her head out from under the covers when Adam’s voice faded.

“Sleep better, Bryan?” chirped Candy.

Bryan grunted his agreement through his T-shirt, halfway over his head. “Would’ve done more than sleep if I’d known Kaela was here.”

He stuck his arms into a thick plaid shirt, ignoring the buttons.

“I didn’t want to be alone,” said Kaela quietly.

Bryan walked around to Kaela’s side of the bed. “Do I at least get a kiss?”

“You get downstairs right after,” said Candy. “I’ll make breakfast.”

She winked and closed the door. Kaela stood up and pursed her lips for a kiss. She gasped when he pulled her nightgown over her head and tossed it away.

“Didn’t say what I was going to kiss, did I?”

He started with her neck, small nibbles that traced down her shoulder to her collar bone. When he reached her breast she inhaled, rising on her toes to press into his warm mouth. He suckled one, then the other, before he trailed his way down, his morning beard deliciously rough. He caught her behind her knees, and she fell backwards onto the bed, legs apart.

“Perfect,” he growled.

Holding her butt cheeks in his palms he nibbled up her thigh to her core while she squirmed. Groaning his enjoyment, he slid his tongue between her sweet folds. He flicked her clit like a candle flame and she arched. He pressed his finger into her, and she thrust back, wanting more. But he forced himself to stand, panting as hard as he
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had after his fight with Adam. She whimpered, panting just as hard as he.

“You’re not coming until I do, sweetling,” he rasped. “Time’s a-wasting and I’ve got to eat more than your sweet flesh for breakfast if I’m to last all day.”

He grabbed socks and slowly stood as he stretched his joints, then hobbled to the door. He opened it and then turned back. The light from the hall lit the sweet spot between her legs, rising to her tight breasts and wanting smile.

“Hold that thought, Kaela.” He exhaled and turned, muttering,

“It’s the only way I’ll get through the day.”

* * * *

The week continued as they counted down the days to Thanksgiving. Candy invited Doc and Madge to stay over Thursday night. Kaela discovered they’d sleep in Bryan’s suite, as they always did when visiting. He informed her he’d share her bed instead.

“You can’t do that when this nice elderly couple is just down the hall!” she’d told him. No matter how much he insisted that Doc and Madge were okay with it, she was not. The more he pushed, the more stubborn she got. He eventually backed off, but he caught her every time he could and did wicked things to make her hot. Candy explained Bryan still didn’t join them and was horny as hell, so he made sure Kaela was, as well.

Thursday dawned bright and sunny, perfect weather for Thanksgiving. Kaela helped Candy make pies and set the table on Wednesday. All they had to do was stuff the turkey and put everything together while the men took care of three rambunctious one-year-olds.

Kaela memorized everything about the dinner. It was her first time sharing a holiday with a real family, one that cared about each other.

After a prayer remembering those who could no longer be with them
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to give thanks, they put on silly paper hats and joked as they passed around the food.

Afterwards the three women cleaned up while the men lounged in front of the fireplace with the children and complained about sports, weather, and the state of the world. Scotty went right to Bryan, fighting Evie for his lap. Bryan ended up in the largest armchair with both kids. Diane, as usual, snuggled sweetly in the crook of Adam’s left arm.

“That boy’ll give Evie a run for her money,” said Doc, watching the pair.

“Like his mother does Bry,” quipped Adam. “The man hasn’t got laid in, what, ten days?”

“Almost eleven, but who’s counting?” muttered Bryan, playing pat-a-cake.

“Well, well. You’ve finally met your match.” Doc looked a bit too pleased.

“Don’t you start. I’ve had enough with the other two on my case.”

“I was worried about you for a while, son,” said Doc. “Thinking you wanted an easy woman like your ma. She put your dad on a pedestal, though he didn’t give her much more than two great boys and whatever he had left after celebrating his latest rodeo win. She was a good woman but didn’t have enough confidence to stand up for herself.”

“Candy’s got more than enough confidence for both of them,”

snorted Adam.

“Ma loved us,” replied Bryan. “Sam, me, and Adam. She took care of the three of us until the day she died.”

Having got her way, Evie demanded to get down. Of course, Scotty scrambled after her. Bryan deposited the two of them in their corral. Evie immediately started throwing all the soft toys out, Scotty following suit. He had better aim, but she had attitude.

Doc stood, stretched, and began throwing them back, just managing to miss the laughing children. Diane demanded to join the
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