“Don’t leave me hangin’ now,” he half-snarled.“What about your family? I think Dalton and Tell will be okay with us being together. But your dad?He hates me. Can you—”“What’s the worst he can do? Say no?” Brandt kissed her. “Nothin’ would be worse than not havin’you in my life, Jess. Nothin’.”“Then if you’re sure…Yes. I’ll marry you.”He whooped and spun her around, not noticing the cold, or anything else except the look of happiness in Jessie’s beautiful eyes that he knew mirrored the happiness in his soul.******Brandt would rather have a root canal without anesthesia than talk to his father.He knocked on the front door of the house he’d grown up in.His mother answered, dishtowel in hand, as usual. “Brandt. Sweetie, it’s good to see you. You don’t need to knock. Come in. What’s up?”“I have something I wanna talk to you guys about.”She kept her expression neutral. “Go into the dining room. Your dad’s in there. I’ll be right in with coffee.”Brandt rounded the corner and saw
Without saying anything to her? That was strange. Brandt always searched her out when she did chores. Always.Maybe he was tired. Yesterday was long and emotionally trying for both of them. Not to mention he’d kept her up half the night, making love to her until they fell asleep still joined—which had been a first for her, and more romantic than she’d imagined. Draped across Brandt’s warm body, her head nestled under his chin, her knees curled by his hips with his cock still embedded inside her, his hands cupping her ass.She’d woken up a couple hours later when he hardened inside her. He rolled her over and made love to her again, whispering words of devotion. Declaring his undying, never-ending love for her. Making promises she actually believed.It’d been the greatest night of her life.Smiling, she dropped the bucket and the pitchfork next to the gate and raced to the house. She burst inside. “Brandt?”No answer.Lexie lifted her head and gave her a crabby look for disturbing her
Her Irish coffee threatened to come back up.“Then Brandt threw Dad against the wall and that’s when me’n Dalton came in. After that, Brandt left.”“So you don’t know if he’s decided—”“Don’t say it, Jessie, don’t even fucking think it. Brandt loves you. He always has.”She tipped her head back and closed her eyes. “But he loves that ranch too. That’s all he’s known.That’s all he’s ever wanted was to take over running it.”“And you think our Dad don’t know that?”“I know that once Casper has drawn the line in the sand, he won’t erase it, he won’t move it, and he sure as hell won’t back down from it. Brandt will have to choose.”A muttered curse, followed by, “Yeah, it sucks, but he will.”Poor Brandt hadn’t wanted to choose between her and Landon. He’d dodged that bullet only to have the gun waved in his face again. As much as she wanted to be the one he’d pick, as much as she wanted to plead her case and offer him assurances that their life together would be worth giving up his heri
“Know what I never understood? Why Casper hated me so much in the first place.”Joan drained her coffee and walked to the kitchen. Almost on automatic, she poured herself another cup, but it sat cooling untouched on the counter for several excruciating minutes while she stared out the front window.Jessie followed her, a feeling of dread settling in her bones. “Joan? Is everything all right?”“No. I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong it is. All of this.” She braced her hands on the counter in front of the sink. “Casper hated you because your bun-in-the-oven marriage to Luke reminded him of me. Of us.”Okay. That was news. Luke had ever mentioned it. Or maybe Luke hadn’t known. “Yours was a shotgun wedding?”“Yes. Are you shocked?”Jessie had to tread lightly. This was the most Joan had ever opened up to her. “Yes. I am.”“Because Casper ended up with someone like me?” Joan asked, not bothering to hide her petulance.“No. The opposite. I can’t fathom how a woman like you ended up w
Jessie wanted that same happiness for herself. Dammit. She deserved it.And the only way to get it was to take it.After she changed into work clothes, she hitched the empty horse trailer to her truck and headed out.Butterflies danced in her belly as she drove down the long driveway leading to Brandt’s house. By the time she reached the banks of snow piled by the deck, Brandt stood on the steps, waiting for her.“Jess? What are you doin’ here with a horse trailer?”She scaled the stairs in one step and got right in his face. “Did you mean what you said? When you told me you loved me and wanted to marry me?”“Yes. But—”“Did you tell your dad to take a flyin’ leap as far as the ranch is concerned?”“Yes. But—”“In the past four days when you haven’t contacted me at all,” she lightly cuffed him in the arm, “have you had any regrets about anything that’s been going on between us in the last few months?”“No. But—”“Good. Then what are you waiting for? Let’s get your stuff packed up and
And what Dash Paulson found sort of shocked us.”“What’s that?”“We were under the impression that if just one of us wanted to sell our portion of the ranch, the other three owners would be forced to sell theirs too. Which is how Casper tried to control us, or at least got away with a lot more shit than we would’ve let him, had we known the real legalities of the matter.”Carson pointed with his beer bottle. “It entails lots of legal gibberish that took us slow readin’ ranchers some time to understand, but the bottom line is we were wrong. Casper never had the power to force us to sell.”Brandt held up his hand. “Wait a second. My dad threatened to sell his portion of the ranch?”“Several times over the years. To be honest, he even went as far as to have it appraised about six months after Luke died.”That son of a bitch. “Why?”“So he could point out what idiots we were for keepin’ it, when we could have more money in our pockets than we could ever spend.”“How much money we talkin’?
There was nothing like live porn.Chase McKay rested his shoulders against the cheap headboard, taking a long pull off his beer as he settled in for the show.The naked blonde with the huge rack balanced on her knees, head thrown back as the naked brunette, with an equally impressive set of double D’s, feasted noisily on her nipples. When the blonde—Lanae, or was it Renee?—grabbed the brunette’s head, trying to force her to take more of her nipple into her mouth, the brunette—Leah, or was it Gia?—smacked her ass.“Rhea,” the blonde whimpered, “that hurt.”So the brunette was Rhea. Check.Rhea fisted her hand in the blonde’s mane, gaining her full attention. “Every time you touch me without permission, I’ll stop what I’m doing, Janae. Understand?”Ah, so that made the blonde Janae.And people said he was bad with names.Janae’s nod of assent earned her a reward from Rhea. A kiss. A deep, openmouthed kiss, with lots of glimpses of flashing pink tongues and feminine moans.Damn. That was
Until the cops tackled him, cuffed him and threatened to arrest him for assault. But ten minutes later they released him, because not a single man came forward to press charges. They all claimed to be too drunk to remember who’d taken the first swing.But the truth was no man wanted to admit that five-foot-seven-inch Chase McKay had taken on five Texas tough guys, all who topped the six foot mark…and won.Luckily no one had uploaded streaming video to YouTube of PBR bad boy Chase McKay busting heads. But his ass smarted after Elroy ripped him a new one the following day.And it was more of the same tonight.Elroy said, “This attitude isn’t helping you. And we both know this situation has been building for a while, because you, my friend, like to fight and fuck. Not necessarily in that order.”Through the haze of anger, he demanded, “How’d you guys get a key to my room anyway?”“Sheree told the manager you were despondent about your bad ride and she feared you’d do something drastic li
Lie. “You’ve got a serious case of bedhead.”“You oughta talk. Your hair looks like you stuck your hand in a bug zapper,” he shot back.She reached for the ponytail holder on the nightstand and began to twist her unruly hair into a messy bun. “Better?”But Chase’s eyes weren’t on her makeshift hairdo. His gaze was firmly glued to her breasts shifting beneath the tight tank top. He swallowed hard. But he didn’t look away.Aha. So the cowboy was a breast man. She’d live in cleavage-enhancing shirts if it’d make him rethink his “just friends” mindset.“Maybe we oughta get dressed,” Chase suggested, staring at her nipples. “In long sleeves. It appears to be cold in here.”Damn smartass man.“Good idea,” Kane said. “We’ll be in the kitchen.”She’d forgotten Ginger and Kane were in the room.Chase set his feet on the floor and scooped up his clothes. He muttered, “I don’t remember getting undressed.”“Me either.”He squinted at her over his shoulder. “I take less time in the bathroom so I’l
“I’m all for a secluded beach wedding with no one around except the officiant and my intended.”“What’s your longest relationship?” he asked.At least they’d slowed down on the shots. Her head was getting muzzy. “Jake, the bastard switch-hitter, and I were together for six months.”“Together as in…living together?”“No, he’d been in Vancouver for most the TV season.”Chase frowned. “So you had no idea what he was doin’ when he was away from you?”“Wasn’t like I didn’t see him. I flew to Vancouver or he came to LA. When he came back to LA, I was dealing with my show getting cancelled and didn’t think anything of him spending so much time with his new friend Decker.” She groaned. “Maybe the tabloids were right. How didn’t I see they were so into each other? I’m such an idiot.”He curled his hand around hers. “Hey. Sometimes we see what we want to. Doesn’t make you an idiot, Ava. In my mind, it makes you a victim. He lied to you. Used you. Set you up. It sucks that it was played out in p
“And I thought you’d have me tied to the bed with your bull rope by now, making me scream your name as you rode me hard,” she retorted sweetly. “That’s what the rodeo mags say about you, Chase’n Tail McKay.” Ava leaned forward, gifting him with an excellent view of her cleavage. “Did you Google me while I was sleeping, cowboy?”Took a second for his eyes to meet hers. “Yeah.”“And what did you find?”“No juicy YouTube videos of you caught in indecent sex acts. But I did check out your website. I realized I had seen you in something a while back. A TV movie.”“Which one?”“The one where you played a prep school girl hooked on…some kinda drugs and you sold your body to feed the addiction. Until a young priest rescued you, setting you back on the straight and narrow.”“Ah. Naughty Girl by Night. One of my first roles. I’m surprised you even know what Lifetime TV is, say nothing of catching the ‘ripped from the headlines’ drama every week.”“I was killing time one afternoon before a PBR e
Ava’s eyes widened. “I’ve never… I don’t even know…”Chase burst out laughing. “You oughta see your face, Hollywood. It’s too bad you didn’t give me the camera so I capture your look of horror.”“Making a city girl feel like an idiot at first opportunity?” She sent him an accusatory glance. “Do you treat all your friends this way?”“Yep.”“Then I don’t want to be your friend.”Same goes, honey pie. “We’re only about ten miles out of Moorcroft.”“Great because now I’m hungry too.”Chase parked up front at the C-Store and Ava jumped out. It occurred to him when he saw the familiar dark-haired woman lingering by the front door that he should’ve chosen the back lot.When Ava slid back into the seat, Chase wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hauling her close, nestling his face into the base of her throat.“What the hell?”“Don’t look, but my cousin Keely is standing by the door and she’s awful damn interested in us. Just stay like this for a sec, okay? Looks like were making out and hope
“That’s what you call food? Please tell me you ain’t one of them actresses who starves herself to look like a heroin addict.”“Do I look like I starve myself?”His gaze might’ve lingered on certain curves longer than polite. “No, Hollywood, you look exactly like a woman ought to. Let’s head to town. The Shell station has the best chilidogs I’ve ever tasted.”“Do they have tofu dogs?”Chase’s smile fell. “Oh hell no. You’re not a vegetarian?”“And if I was?” she intoned sweetly.“I’d take it as my sworn duty as the son of a cattleman to send you packing off McKay land immediately.”There was that little sexy smirk again. “Relax, cowboy. I’m a carnivore to the core. I seriously doubt Wyoming can boast the best chilidog, but I’m willing to give it a fair shake.” She pointed at him with her car keys. “You brag, you buy.”“Deal.”When Ava started to jerk on the handle to open the barn door, Chase gently moved her aside. He wasn’t sure if he expected to see her ripping it up in a Ferrari, b
“No. Don’t.” She placed her hand on his arm. “I think you’re the first person who’s been totally honest with me.”He relaxed. Smiled again and she bit back another sigh. “So this is what sent you running from California?”“I got tired of the paparazzi.” Something kicked from what he’d said about his family. “I got tired of the pity. Of the trade mags making such a big deal out of it. I needed to get away and prove…”There was that amazing grin again. “Don’t clam up on me now, Hollywood.”Ava laughed at his impromptu nickname for her.“And if you’re afraid I’ll judge you? Think again.”“You were dead-on with the sex question. One of the reasons I’m here? To find a guy I can get wild with. To prove I’m hot between the sheets. To prove I can keep a man sexually satisfied.”“Is that right?” he drawled.Her brain slipped into seductress mode as she channeled the femme fatale she’d played on TV for two seasons. “Maybe…you’re the man who can help me with that.”Bad karma is coming back to bi
“Eyes up here, buddy.”He didn’t exactly hurry his gaze as it tracked her curvaceous body from the bottom up. Goddamn, the woman had it going on. “Do I know you?”“Do I know you?” she shot back sarcastically.“I’m serious. Were you in Playboy?”“Is that your idea of flattery?”“Yes, you’re sporting a helluva centerfold body, sugar t—” Shit. He was supposed to stop saying stuff like that.Not bothered at all by her total nakedness, she pushed up the pink satin eye mask that kept slipping down. “I don’t remember seeing you at Ginger and Kane’s wedding. Which McKay are you again?”“Chase. I wasn’t at the wedding. Mind tellin’ me your name?”“Ava.”“Ava…?”“Ava Cooper is my stage name. Ava Dumond is my real name.”Stage name. With a body like hers and zero modesty she had to be a stripper. “Well, Ava, it appears we’re roomies, at least for tonight.”Ava didn’t respond. Her gaze was glued to his belly. “What the hell happened to you?”Chase glanced at his stomach and touched the bruise ben
Puff, puff. “How soon would you need to leave?”“First thing tomorrow. That’d give me time to figure out a way to slip the tabloid guys who are determined to be the first to report my suicide.”Her father chuckled. “People are idiots if they believe you’re still despondent over that cocksucker Jake.”“I’m hoping out of sight, out of mind will cure lingering curiosity.”“You really doing okay, Ava Rose?” he asked gruffly. “You’ve been awful damn scarce since this whole thing went down.”Switching her phone to her other ear, Ava rested her elbows on the railing. “The last thing I wanted was you guys getting swamped by my shit storm.”“Well, honey girl, that’s what family does—sticks together and flips the world the bird. I’ll remind you that your mother and I’ve been through a shit storm or two in the thirty years we’ve been married. We’re tougher than you give us credit.” Puff, puff. “Far as I know, your mom doesn’t need the plane tomorrow. So I’ll call and arrange it.”“Thanks, Dad.”
At the time, she’d been blown away by Jake’s willingness to cede control to another man. To do anything and everything Decker suggested. Or demanded. Watching Jake’s beautiful face lost in pleasure as Decker fucked him. Seeing how expertly Jake sucked Decker off. Finding their stamina as arousing as their unexpected tenderness in the aftermath of such aggressiveness. In retrospect, she should’ve known Jake and Decker were too well attuned to each other.The fact the paparazzi had caught Jake and Decker together in a full-body clinch at a gay club late one night in LA should’ve warranted a warning phone call from Jake. But no.Before either of their publicity teams were informed, Jake held a press conference, admitting he could no longer lie about his true sexual orientation. Then he’d claimed both the movie studio and Ava had known their relationship was a sham to build buzz for the movie—which was a total lie.She’d been completely blindsided. The movie studio scrapped the entire pub