Indulgence (313 page)

Remember your ex
, her head said before she could
think any further. He couldn’t fuck if he tried. All he knew how to do was
stick it in, pump a few times and flop down on top of her. Then he actually had
the nerve to ask if it was good for her. Well nope, it wasn’t. It sucked!

Now with Joel, wow!

“Okay, enough thoughts of Joel. I’ve got some writing to
do.”

*****

Joel wound his horse around a boulder keeping an eye out for
snakes as he checked the fence for breaks and the cattle for strays. His
thoughts weren’t on his job though. He wanted to see Mesa. He knew he’d pissed
her off last night with his casual remark about their lovemaking, but he really
didn’t want to give her the impression it might turn into something more than a
quick fuck. Hell, she didn’t even live in Texas!

“Yo, Joel!”

He pulled on Jet’s reins as Jeremiah rode up on his horse.

“What are you doing out here?”

“I came to find you. Mom was looking for you earlier.”

“Oh great.”

“Yeah. I’m sure it’s something about you coming home with
Mesa last night.”

“What the fuck? Does everyone know?”

“Of course they do, dumbass. One, you brought her home in your
truck with its loud-assed muffler and two, she’s staying in the main lodge.
Everyone in the place probably heard you bring her home.”

Joel tipped his head back on his shoulders and sighed.
Great
.
Everyone in the family knew they’d been together without him or her saying a
damned word. His mom probably wanted to kill him. “I guess I better go find
her.”

“Yeah, I would say so. You know how she is. Mom’s gonna rip
you a new asshole, buddy.”

“Great. Thanks for the support, Jeremiah.”

“You’re welcome, bro.”

“Asswipe.”

Joel kicked his horse into a slow gallop headed for the
barn. Despite the probable indigestion, he wanted this confrontation with his
mother over with before supper.
Maybe I can find Mesa while I’m at the
house.

Several minutes later, he rounded the barn for the corral as
Jeff came out of the tack room. “Joel? What are you doin’ back from ridin’
fences?”

“Mom wanted to talk to me if it’s any of your business.”

“Everything on this ranch is my business. The horses, the
cattle, where the hands are…everything.”

“I’m not your damned employee, Jeff. What I do is none of
your concern no matter whether you think you’re in charge or not.” He swung
down from the saddle, and then began unbuckling the straps. “Besides, what the
hell are you doin’ in the barn this time of day? Don’t you have somethin’ to
keep you busy besides the barn?”

“I’m checking the feed stock, fucktard.”

“Well get busy then, asshole. I’ve got my own worries.”

“Oh? Like fuckin’ one of the guests?”

“Blow it out your ass, brother. What I do is none of your
damned business. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“One day Dad won’t be here and everything will fall on me.
I’m not doing anythin’ more than what will be expected of me when the time
comes.”

“Dad isn’t going anywhere for a long time, Jeff, so back
off. I’ll talk to Mom about me and Mesa.”

“Keep your hands off the guests.”

He pushed against Jeff’s chest. “Make me. I can fuck
whomever I want to and you can’t say a damned thing.”

“The hell I can’t.”

“Enough you two!” shouted his father. “Jeff back off.”

“What?”

“I said back off. What happens on this ranch is mine and
your mother’s concern. We will deal with your brothers. Not you.”

“But Dad…”

“But nothing. This is between me, your mother, and Joel.”

Joel smirked, earning a growl from his brother as he balled
his fists at his sides. He could tell Jeff wanted to kick his ass. Let him try.
Jeff might be about the same size as him, but he had a little more bulk to his
frame, whereas his brother wasn’t quite so muscular.

“In the house, Joel.”

“I’m not done with you, Joel,” Jeff snarled.

“Fuck you.”

“I said in the house,” his father snapped, pointing to the
main lodge.

As Joel’s steps took him toward the lodge, he whistled
knowing his father stayed back for a moment to reprimand his eldest brother.
Jeff really needed to get laid or something. The guy had a serious stick up his
ass the size of a fence post.

He walked inside, relishing the cool interior. The rain
hadn’t let up all day and he was soaked to the bone. A nice dry change of
clothes would be good but he’d have to make a trip back to his place to get
them.

“Joel?”

“Yeah, Ma.”

“I’m in the office.”

“Be right there.”

He dragged his feet as he released a heavy sigh. Twenty
eight years old, and that tone still sent chills down his spine. With a heavy
sigh, he shuffled his feet toward his mother’s domain.

“Have a seat,” she said the minute he stood in the doorway.
“We need to talk.”

“Are you gonna wait for Dad?” he asked, sliding into the
chair across from her desk. He hadn’t felt so put on the spot like this in
several years. Not since she’d found out he’d been visiting their neighbor’s
daughter.

“Your father will be along shortly, I’m sure. But we’ve
already discussed this at length before I went looking for you earlier.”

“So what’s up?”

“It’s you and Mesa, son.”

“What about us?”

“So there is an us?”

“Well…”

“No hemhawin’ about it. I know you were together last night.
I saw her come in and heard you peel out of the driveway, digging up about
three quarters of the gravel we laid this summer.”

“Sorry, Ma.”

“Joel, honey. I’m not mad at you. I like Mesa. I think she’s
a wonderful girl. The reason for this talk isn’t to chew you out for bein’ with
her. It’s so you don’t hurt her.”

“I don’t plan to hurt her, Ma. We’re just havin’ a bit of
fun while she’s here.”

“That’s exactly why I made the rule of you boys not pursing
guests.” She stood up and paced the room like a cage animal. “I don’t want this
place getting a reputation for the wild Young boys taking all the single guests
to bed.”

“It’s not like that. Mesa understands.”

“Does she? I think she’s a nice girl who’s been swept off
her feet by a handsome cowboy. She doesn’t come across as a worldly type woman.
She’s not one for casual relationships, Joel. What if she does develop feelings
for you?”

“Aren’t you the least bit worried about me?”

“You’re a lover, son, not a fighter although you wouldn’t
believe it the way you and Jeff were ready to go toe to toe in the barn a few
moments ago,” his father said, coming into the room.

“And the way you and Joshua went at it the night before
last.”

“It doesn’t matter. Aren’t we here to discuss me and Mesa?”

“Yes we are. I want to you stay away from her, Joel,” his
mother said. “I’m afraid she’s gonna get hurt.”

“I don’t want to hurt her, Ma. She’s a friend.”

“A friend with benefits?” his dad asked.

Joel pulled off his Stetson, raking his fingers through his
hair. “Hell, I don’t know what she is. We had fun together. Where it goes from
here, I’m not sure. She doesn’t even live here. She lives in Los Angeles, for
God’s sake!”

“What if she moved here?”

“She’s not moving here.”

“What if she did?”

Joel got up and paced the room now. “I don’t know, Ma. I
like her a lot. We have a lot in common and she’s a wildcat between the sheets,
but is there something else there? I don’t know.”

“Do you want to find out?”

“Sure I would.”

“Then ask her to stay.”

“What? You can’t be serious. She doesn’t live here. I told
you, she lives in California.”

“I understand she lives somewhere else, but she’s also a
writer who has the ability to be wherever she wants because she’s
self-employed.”

“You’ve done your homework, Ma.”

“Thank you, Joel. I like to know about our guests. We had a
nice conversation earlier today.”

“You did?”

“Yeah and I think, for the record, she likes you a lot, but
she’s confused by your actions. You marked her earlier.”

He hoped his mother and father understood the confused
looked on his face because he didn’t have a clue what she meant. “Marked?”

“You ran your fingers along her shoulder on your way out of
the lodge this morning. You marked her in front of your brothers, the other
males in the room, as your own.”

“You’ve read too much Native American History, Ma.”

“So what if I have?” She stopped in front of him. “Honey, I
want you happy. If Mesa makes you happy then be my guest, but I like her too
and if you hurt that girl, I’m going to kick your ass.”

The window she stared out of overlooked the back of the
lodge house. Her laptop sat in front of her, the cursor blinking mockingly. She
had been at it for hours now, the story flowing so rapidly, she could hardly
type fast enough. Now, she looked out the window, her mind almost blank.

She could see the comings and goings of several of the boys
from her window, but she never saw Joel. With her state of mind, it might be a
good thing she didn’t. She wanted to get some words on virtual paper before
supper.

After several hours of typing, she went back to read what
she wrote, realizing the entire book was her trip to the ranch, meeting Joel,
and their subsequent love making the night before. Reading it on the screen
made her realize how hot the whole night had been and how much she wanted it to
happen again.

A heavy sigh rushed from between her lips as she tipped her
head back on her shoulders. The cowboy in her book even sounded like Joel.

Joel.

What the hell was she going to do about him? His mother said
to avoid him today, which she’d done with regret. She needed to talk to him.
Wanted to see him. Would die to taste him.

“Enough. We need to write.”

She glanced at the screen, realizing the story stood where
her own life stopped at the moment.
What to do from here?

The supper bell clanged downstairs. She stood, stretching
her back until it popped, relieving some of the pressure at her spine from
sitting without moving in the hardback chair. Her stomach rumbled reminding her
she’d missed lunch. Even though she’d heard the bell earlier, the book wouldn’t
release her long enough to go eat. Now, she regretted not going even though it
would have meant seeing Joel.

Ah, the life of a writer. Caffeine and snacks at the desk.
She couldn’t remember how many times those things had been her sustenance for
days on end while she fought to finish a book before the deadline.

The rumbled of voices downstairs reminded her of supper.

“Well, I can’t avoid him for the meal unless I sit somewhere
else.”

She grabbed her key, opened the door, and shut it before
heading down the stairs to join everyone for the evening meal.

Laughter met her ears as she reached the bottom stair and
looked out into the expanse of the dining room. The rain had stopped, finally
allowing the sun to come out later in the afternoon, lightening everyone’s
mood. Several women sat at one table laughing and passing around a bottle of
wine. They didn’t serve liquor at the ranch, but you were welcome to bring your
own.

The family sat at their regular table and several of them
called out when they noticed her standing in the entryway. She waved before she
got in line to get her dinner plate.

Where to sit. Where to sit.
She glanced around hoping
to find the women from earlier in the group, but no one looked familiar. The
book club must have left right after her chat with them. Too bad. She would
have enjoyed talking books with them a little longer.

Warm breath tickled her ear, sending goose bumps down her
arms. Joel. “No escape, little bird. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“No I haven’t. I’ve been writing.” Well, both were the
truth. She had been writing, but also avoiding him like his mother suggested.

“Good. I’m glad you’ve been busy. I’ve missed you today. It
was kind of lonely riding by myself. I thought you were going to ride with me.”

She swallowed hard. “I have to strike while the iron is
hot.”

“Oh, the iron is hot, mi’lady.”

“I thought you didn’t want to see me.”

“I never said I didn’t want to see you and now that my whole
family knows about us, we don’t have to keep it a secret.”

“Your whole damned family!” Everyone turned to look at them
as embarrassment flushed her cheeks with heat. “Great. Just fucking fabulous,”
she grumbled under her breath.

“Sorry, darlin’, but apparently they all heard you come in
last night and me peel out of the driveway.”

The young woman dishing up the roast beef winked as she
placed the meat on her plate. The next woman smiled while she put mashed
potatoes next to the meat.
Just fucking great. Everyone does know about Joel
bringing me back to the ranch. They couldn’t know we slept together, but they
are all assuming as much from their behavior.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We need to, Mesa. It’s important.”

“Leave me alone, Joel. I’m here for research and to write,
not hook up with a hot-ass cowboy for a few nights.”

“Hot-ass?”

She exhaled sharply, rolled her eyes and headed toward the
opposite end of the dining room. One of the tables near the door was empty so
she took it. She didn’t want company tonight anyway. The moment she sat down,
the bench across from her scraped the floor as Joel took the seat on the other
side.

“Why aren’t you eating at the family table?”

“Because I want to talk to you.”

“I thought we’d said everything there needed saying. You
didn’t want your family to know about us. Well, we apparently took care of that
last night. There isn’t any need to further our association. You got what you
wanted. A lonely, plump, not so attractive woman to fall into bed with you.
You’ve marked your bedpost, I’m sure. One more in the sack for Joel. Great.
Good for you. You can chalk it up to experience because I’m done.”