Authors: Melody Snow Monroe
Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)
Uncle Spencer stubbed out the cigar he was smoking. “The men giving you enough respect, little lady?”
The endearment grated against her nerves. It was hard to prove to everyone she could do a man’s job. “Of course they do.” She gave them her best grin. “They don’t dare challenge me. They know I can beat them at hog-tying and roping.” She puffed out her chest then laughed.
“I bet being a good shot helps, too.” The group laughed. “You always could handle those cutting horses better than my boys,” Uncle Spencer said. He winked at his two sons, who knew better than to come back with a retort.
“You’re damned right I can.”
It wasn’t often that she got to spend time with the whole family, and she loved being with them. The activities for the rest of the day had been planned for months. All the kids wanted to make this special for their dad. Her mom had said that since the children were getting older, she didn’t know how long it would be before their lives got so busy that having everyone together would be impossible.
After a barbecue, croquet game, darts contest, and shooting pool, it was close to midnight when Mom announced it was time to shut down the celebration. As much fun as they’d had all day, she couldn’t wait to sleep in her own bed.
She hugged her dad good-bye. “Love you, Daddy.”
“Back at you.”
She said good-bye to the rest of her family and left. The moment she stepped outside, she shivered from the unexpected cold. Even for late May, the weather hadn’t warmed yet.
The brisk air should have woken her up, but from all the partying, her eyes started to droop halfway home. She had to yawn just to get enough oxygen in her brain. When she turned down the road leading to her ranch, her headlights picked up two large trucks blocking the road. She slammed on her brakes.
Shit
. The cattle in the road meant rustlers. Her heart rattled in her chest, drumming up enough anger to keep her pulse pounding.
Before she got the chance to back up and get the hell out of there, yellow bursts of gunfire blasted her truck. Her heart stopped and the engine died.
Fuck
. The windshield shattered. Fearful for her life, she twisted behind her and grabbed the rifle off the rack. Needing some protection, she opened the truck door and partially hid behind it. The shots kept coming.
Christ
. She couldn’t see in the dark, but she got off a shot right before heat, and then pain seared her arm. She stumbled backward and her spine rammed against the doorframe. Her knees buckled and her head smashed against metal. Tears streamed down her cheeks and blood poured down her arm. Her mind turned fuzzy, and her world turned black.
* * * *
Wade Watson jerked up in bed. He swore he heard gunfire and jumped into action. He threw on his jeans, a T-shirt, and a jacket. As soon as he stepped into his boots, he grabbed his sidearm from the nightstand and ran out of the room.
“Heath. Get your ass out of bed!” Wade was halfway to his brother’s room when Heath rushed out, armed and fully dressed.
“Where did the shots come from?”
“Fuck if I know, but if it’s rustlers, it has to be from Harper’s Lane.” Given the night sky was relatively clear, the gunshot they’d heard hadn’t been a lightning strike.
They sprinted out of the house toward the barn. He debated taking the car, but if the rustlers had scattered, a horse would allow them to get anywhere on the property. They were saddled and ready to go in less than six minutes. Wade didn’t mind riding at night. He and Heath knew every dip and hollow on their property.
Not wanting to give their presence away, they rode in silence. As far as the noise from the horses’ hooves pounding across the ground was concerned, it was not out of place given the number of wild horses they had. Wade pulled to a stop and pointed toward the lights near the road.
Heath edged close. “You think it’s the rustlers?”
“Doubt it. They’d need large trucks. Look how low that light is above the ground. I’m betting that’s a car or truck.”
“Let’s check it out.”
They cautiously headed in the direction of the seemingly stranded vehicle. One headlight and an interior light shone across the road. When they got close enough, Wade recognized the truck.
“Shit. That’s Sam’s.” The front windshield was blown out, and bullet holes had dotted the hood. Adrenaline coursed through his body.
They raced to the fence, dismounted, and hopped over the wooden barrier. Keeping an eye out for an ambush, he sprinted to the truck. When he spotted Sam’s body on the ground, his heart nearly stopped. Her hand was covered in blood, and there was a hole in her sleeve. She’d been shot.
His gut nearly heaved as he dropped to his knees. “Sam?” He shouted in the hopes of rousing her. She didn’t move. Damn.
Answer me
. He leaned in closer. “Samantha, can you hear me?” He cradled her in his arms and prayed she wouldn’t die. She was, after all, the woman Heath and he planned to marry.
Chapter Two
Sam opened her eyes and squinted away from the bright light leaking in the window.
I’m alive!
Next to her bed was a bag of clear liquid hanging from a stand with a tube running into her arm.
How did I end up in the hospital?
She remembered the barrage of gunfire, and then getting shot. She’d hit her head and passed out.
Who found me?
When she tried to press down on the bed to sit up, she met with resistance. She looked at the source of the restriction. “Oh, shit.” Her arm was in a pink cast from her forearm to halfway up to her shoulder. Her elbow was now immobile, making even simple tasks difficult.
This sucks
.
“You got shot and broke your arm.”
Her heart nearly stopped at the sound of the voice. She whipped her head around. Someone was leaning against the doorjamb, but he was bathed in a shadow. He stepped forward, and she blinked to clear her vision. Her heart lurched. It was Wade Watson, her neighbor who owned twenty thousand acres of the most beautiful, pristine land in Intrigue, Wyoming. “What are you doing here?” She looked down to make sure her gown hadn’t gaped open.
He was one of those guys who had everything—money, a smile that could charm a criminal to go straight, and a body a Chippendales dancer would crave.
As if he could tell conflicting thoughts were swirling in her head, he smiled and seemed to float toward her. He dragged a chair to her bed and sat down. “Heath and I found you, and we wanted to make sure you were going to be okay.”
Not her choice for a savior, but if they hadn’t come by when they did, whenever that was, she might be dead. “Thank you.”
She’d been building up her image for years to be taken seriously, and she certainly didn’t need to be viewed as being romantically linked to these two men, or any man for that matter. Her hired hands, as well as some of her suppliers, would think of her as merely a
little woman
and not as their equal.
Her mouth tasted like chalk. She reached for the water, but once again couldn’t extend her arm. Wade must have seen what she wanted, for he sprang into action, located a Styrofoam cup, and poured her some water. He held the straw near her lips, but she refused to act the invalid. With her left hand, she took the proffered drink. “Thanks.”
Again
.
The cool water soothed her dry throat. Given the brightness of the day, she’d been out of it for many hours. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“Heath and I have been in and out.”
He said it as if it wasn’t a big deal to spend a good part of the day watching a woman sleep. Then again, he, Heath, and her two older brothers were good friends.
Now that she got a better look at him, he hadn’t shaved and his eyes were a bit bloodshot. Those facts, however, didn’t detract from his cowboy-calendar good looks one bit.
Her fuzzy brain tried to recreate the event. She remembered the rustlers. “I must have scared them off.”
Wade nodded. “I found your rifle and noticed the chamber was empty. Did you get a good look at any of them?”
She forced her mind back to the last thing she recalled. “No. I couldn’t see a thing.” This was so not good. “Please don’t tell my family. I don’t need it broadcasted that I’ve been losing cattle on and off for the last ten days.” She’d never heard of anyone in her family ever getting rustled.
He leaned forward, his forearms dangling over his knees, looking way too sexy. “Tell me what you do remember.”
She told him about returning home from her parents’ house late last night. “When I turned onto Harper’s Lane, two large trucks blocked the way. As soon as I saw the cattle, I knew these were the men stealing from me.”
His jaw dropped. “You confronted them? Are you crazy?”
“No. I’m not stupid. I put the truck in reverse to back out when all hell broke loose. I was lucky I didn’t get shot before I could grab my rifle.”
“Could you tell the number of men?”
Her head hurt from the interrogation. “No. Everything happened too fast. I told you, it was dark. I saw maybe two figures. There could have been a lot more.” A sharp pain in her head blasted her. “
Ow
.”
Wade jumped up. “You okay? You want me to get the doctor?”
“No. I must have banged my head when I hit the ground. I’ve got gunshots and jackhammers going off inside.”
“Ouch. I’m not surprised. You were out cold when Heath and I found you. You had a concussion.”
She rubbed the back of her head. “I can tell.”
“When you fired the shot, do you know if you hit anything?”
“I just shot toward the back of the first truck. I wanted them to know I was armed.” She didn’t know how long the rustlers took to load the cattle, or how long before Wade and Heath arrived. “Did you see them take off?”
“No. It took Heath and me a few minutes after we heard the shots to locate you.”
Pushing with her non-casted hand, she succeeded this time in sitting up. Being helpless went against her very nature. “Did the doc say when I can get out of here?”
“No, but before you can leave, the sheriff will need to talk with you.”
Oh, crap
. The gun exchange and resulting wound had to be reported. That meant her dad would find out. “Shit.”
“You always have such a potty mouth?” He chuckled.
What was up with this guy? “I bet you’d swear up a storm if someone raided your cattle then shot you when you were trying to stop them.”
“Fucking A.” He grinned, and his cheeks dimpled.
Her stupid body heated up. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to him, especially since she’d worked so hard these last six months to avoid him and his brother.
Why of all people did the Watson brothers have to find her? She knew what they wanted. They’d made it clear enough over the years they both wanted a wife. And they’d picked her. She surmised their fascination with her was based on their desire to combine both lands. Being good friends with her brothers probably added to their decision.
Someone knocked on the hospital door, and Heath popped his head in. She hadn’t seen him in months, but he must have been working out a lot because his muscles bulged under his tight T-shirt. She wanted nothing to do with either brother, but she had to admit Heath was hot. It was his eyes that did it for her. They were a smoky gray that would darken when he was aroused. Before she was in business to be a rancher, she’d danced with him and learned firsthand just how fast those eyes could smolder.
Okay, Wade was equally attractive, but good looks did not a mate make. Besides, she wasn’t into the ménage lifestyle like they were. She had a cousin who married two men and loved it, but that didn’t mean it was for her. Nope. Marriage just didn’t fit into her plans.
