Montana Mavericks: a hot cowboy collection

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “Good idea.” He sat up, and pieces of the table rattled.

  She huffed out a laugh and yanked off his boots along with his jeans. “There, now. No more tripping.”

  He shoved himself to stand and kicked the jeans out of the way. They spiraled through the room and hit a Western oil painting on the far wall. The painting dropped to the floor.

  Juliet covered her mouth with her hand. “There’ll be nothing left of your house when we’re done.”

  His grin was all wolf. “Works for me.” Lunging for her, he ducked a shoulder and tossed her over it.

  She caught her breath at his speed, her face against his back. He began moving through the house. A calloused hand caressed her butt, and she wiggled. He caressed harder, taking claim, holding her in place.

  A tingle wandered through her.

  He climbed stairs, and his fingers dipped between her legs.

  She gasped out, seeing stars.

  Slowly, one finger entered her while another tapped her clit. She gave a strangled cry. “No, stop.”

  He stopped moving just inside a doorway. “Okay.” Another finger slid inside, stretching her.

  Oh God. “I meant—”

  “I know what you meant.” His silky hair brushed her skin, and his teeth nipped her thigh. His thumbnail scraped across her clit. “Control isn’t something you get to keep here, Juliet.”

  Her abdomen quivered. If he didn’t cease his playing, she was going to orgasm over his shoulder, completely at his mercy. While the idea was intriguing, she had to keep some dignity. “Being upside down gives me a headache,” she said.

  His fingers deserted her, and she had just enough time to relax before a hard slap echoed across her buttocks. Fire lanced straight to her sex. “Quinn.” She meant it as a protest, but his name came out on a moan.

  “No lying—not here and not now. When we’re like this, only honesty. Agree or you go home.” His muscled shoulders shifted as he took a deep breath. “After I turn your ass red.”

  She gasped and then slowly relaxed. Lies didn’t belong between them when they were together like this. “No lying,” she murmured. Then, her hands slid down his back to grab a very impressive ass. “Though I’m getting bored with this discussion.”

  He laughed and took several steps. Air brushed her skin as he laid her on a bed. His fingers trailed down her abdomen. She gyrated against him, her breath catching.

  He released her, and she tensed in protest.

  “We have time, sweetheart.” Desire spiraled high across his face. Grabbing her hips, he pushed her up the mattress, his body covering hers. He brushed the hair away from her forehead. “You’re beautiful.”

  She blinked. This was about sex. Great sex. She couldn’t offer more. “Quinn, I—”

  “Shh.” He nipped her lips. “I know. No worries.”

  Well, that might hurt a little. “Oh, okay.”

  He settled between her legs. “But for the next couple of hours, you’re mine.”

  The possessive tone battered down any defenses she’d been trying to shore. “Maybe I’ll claim you, Sheriff.” Tangling her fingers through his thick hair, she tugged his mouth down to hers for a slow, long, drugging kiss.

  A jangle echoed by the doorway. “Freeze!” a woman yelled.

  Then things happened too fast and too slow all at once.

  Juliet screamed.

  Quinn leaped from the bed and toward danger.

  Juliet scrambled under the covers.

  “Jesus Christ,” Quinn bellowed, jumping back for the bed and shoving under the covers with her.

  Juliet clutched the bedspread to her chest, her gaze on the doorway. Quinn’s college-aged sister stood with a bat clutched in her hands, her blue eyes wide, and her face extremely pale.

  The woman’s mouth opened and closed several times. She threw the bat to the floor and ground her fists into her eyes. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I could’ve lived my whole life without seeing…that!”

  Quinn growled and threw a pillow at her while remaining safely under the covers. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Dawn ducked the pillow and peered between two fingers. “I wanted to talk to you and found Mertyl wandering down the road. Titan followed right behind her.”

  “Oh.” Quinn sat up but kept the bedspread over the important parts.

  “And”— Dawn’s voice rose in pitch and volume as she dropped her hand— “I came inside and it looks like there was a big fight. The table is broken, a painting is down, and I heard a noise up here. So, I grabbed the bat and came upstairs.”

  Quinn stilled. Tension vibrated through the room. “Let me get this straight. You noticed signs of a fight, of danger, and your logical choice was to grab a bat and come upstairs.”

  “Um—” Dawn took a step back.

  Juliet fought the urge to hide her face under the bedspread. “I’m so sorry, Dawn.”

  The woman shuffled her feet. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t know—I mean, that you and Quinn—well, I mean—”

  “Go away,” Quinn muttered. Then he frowned. “Why didn’t you call for help before coming upstairs?”

  Dawn’s eyes widened just as heavy boots pounded up the stairs. Jake rushed into the room followed by Colton, their younger brother. Both men wore faded jeans, work gloves, and thick shirts. They’d obviously been working the ranch.

  Dawn giggled. “I did call for help.”

  Oh, no. Heat shot into Juliet’s face so quickly her skin burned. She pulled the sheet over her head.

  Jake’s laugh rang through the room.

  “I’m going to arrest all three of you for trespass if you don’t get out of here,” Quinn barked.

  The sound of a door closing was a prelude for a moment of silence before laughter echoed down the hallway stairs. Quinn tugged on the sheet.

  Juliet held onto the heavy cotton with all of her might.

  “Juliet? They’re gone,” he said, amusement in his voice.

  It didn’t matter. She’d never live the last few moments down. Good thing she was leaving town. Soon.

  Chapter Five

  Juliet settled more comfortably in the kitchen chair, her gaze on the half-naked warrior cooking dinner. “I think we may have blinded your sister for life.”

  Quinn chuckled and stirred the scrambled eggs. “I’d prefer not to think about it again.” The muscles in his impressive arms shifted as he reached for salt and pepper to dump on the eggs. He wore scars on his back, and it hurt she wouldn’t have time to get close enough to ask about them. But she had the night, and she was going to enjoy what she could. He’d thrown on jeans but had left his torso and feet bare. Very masculine. “If I hadn’t been nude, I probably would’ve smashed both Jake’s and Colton’s heads together for not leaving right away.” While the words emerged tough, obvious affection lived in them.

  “You and your siblings seem close.” Juliet picked at a loose thread on the shirt she’d borrowed.

  “We are.” Quinn removed the pan and slid eggs onto two plates. Delivering one to her, he grabbed a plate of buttered toast. “You don’t have siblings?”

  “No.” Not really, anyway. She eyed the eggs. “These look fantastic.”

  “Thanks.” He sat and tossed her a napkin. “Eggs are the only thing I know how to cook. Well, besides Christmas cookies.”

  Juliet unfolded the napkin on her lap. “Christmas cookies?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. Leila and I have a tradition of making Christmas cookies shaped like sheriff stars every year. It’s our, ah, thing.”

  Talk about the sweetest thing Juliet had ever heard. “You’re a softy, Sheriff.”

  “Humph.” He dug into his eggs. “Why the gallery, Juliet?”

  She paused. “What do you mean?”

  “The gallery? There are tons of bus
inesses you could open, and you choose a Western art gallery in a small Montana town. Why?” Lazy intelligence glimmered in his eyes.

  The need to confide in him surprised a grin out of her. “I love art. Love paintings, drawings, sculptures—even comic books. No matter how hard I tried, I never had talent.” She took a sip of water. “Skill, maybe. But not the talent so few have that amazes anyone who looks.”

  He nodded. “So you decided to surround yourself with art.”

  “Exactly.” For the first time in a month, her shoulders relaxed. “I do have a good head for business, and I have an eye for other people’s talent. That works.”

  “Do you still paint?” he asked.

  “No, but I do sculpt once in a while. Just for me, and just for fun.” Her pieces were more functional than inspirational, but that was okay.

  The phone rang, and he stretched over his head to grab the handset off the wall. “Lodge.” He listened for a moment and then stood to look at his cell phone sitting on the table. “Yes, Mrs. Romano. I understand. Give me a minute.” He set down the handset and punched in a number on the cell phone.

  Juliet tilted her head to the side. What in the world was going on?

  Quinn waited and smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Maceberry. This is Sheriff Lodge, and I could use Graham’s help. Is your son home?” Quinn glanced at Juliet and winked.

  Sexy and strong, that wink shot right down to throb between her legs. The man should be captured on film.

  “Graham?” Quinn straightened up. “Mrs. Romano’s cat is stuck in the tree down the street. I owe you lunch next week if you go and get the darn thing down.” Quinn nodded. “You’re the best, kid. Be careful and don’t fall.” The cell phone clicked shut. He lifted the handset to his head. “Mrs. Romano? Graham Maceberry has become my official cat catcher. He’ll be there in a few minutes to get Snookie down. Just offer the kid one of your amazing strawberry scones when he succeeds. Yes, ma’am. Have a good night.”

  With a sigh, Quinn dropped back into his seat. “My job’s a dangerous one, darlin’.” The smug grin sliding across his face promised both danger and sin.

  “I can see that.” She licked cheese off her fork.

  His eyes flared.

  She stopped licking. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?” he asked.

  “Like you want to eat me alive.” She paused as heat filled her face. “You know what I mean.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” He’d leaned forward to say something that had to be sexy when the doorbell rang. He frowned. “What is up with people today?” Tossing his napkin on the table, he strode into the other room. Voices echoed, and he returned with a plate full of brownies and a casserole dish covered with tinfoil.

  Juliet lifted her eyebrows.

  Quinn smiled and shoved the plates into the refrigerator. “Mrs. Phillips is missing both of her sons. One is in Idaho at a convention, and the other is overseas. She always makes plenty of food, and I usually get extras when the boys are out of town.”

  Juliet glanced past him to the myriad of different dishes in the refrigerator. “It looks like a lot of women feed you.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He shut the door and sat down.

  She’d bet her last pair of shoes most of the dishes were made by single women and not grandmotherly types like Mrs. Phillips. “Well, a man has to eat something other than scrambled eggs and cheese.”

  “Exactly.” His gaze wandered over the white dress shirt she’d borrowed. “You look darn nice in my shirt.” He shoved his plate to the side. “Why don’t we head back to bed?”

  She swallowed, caught by the fire in his eyes. “Good idea.”

  The phone rang again. With a muffled expletive, Quinn answered it. After listening, he took a deep breath. “I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, he flashed an apologetic grin. “Joan Daniels heard a noise in her backyard. She called me because she’s just down the road, and I can get there sooner than the guys on duty in town.”

  Juliet studied his strong face. “You don’t seem worried.”

  “She hears something every other week or so. It’s usually the wind. But, we did have a sighting of a cougar last week, so I need to check it out.” He reached for his gun on top of the refrigerator. “Can I borrow that shirt?”

  “No.” Juliet slid off the chair. Forty-year-old, four times divorced, Joan Daniels wore low-cut shirts and partied in town a lot. She was the cougar Quinn should look out for. No doubt she’d called the sexy sheriff for more than a cougar sighting. “I’ll clean up while you’re gone.”

  “You’re the best.” He placed a quick kiss on Juliet’s forehead. “I’ll make it up to you when I get back.” After running upstairs, he returned fully dressed and wearing his hat. “Lock the door behind me.” Then he was gone.

  How many women did the sheriff rush out to rescue on a daily basis? Juliet shook her head. She didn’t have a claim on the man, and she’d insisted on no strings. A quick survey of the kitchen proved the sheriff made quite the mess when he cooked. But hey, he had cooked for her. She dug in and had the room cleaned in short order. The silence ticked around her.

  Maneuvering up the stairs, she made the bed. Sitting down, she pressed the sheriff’s pillow to her face. Male, wild and free. Yeah. The scent of Quinn. The sense of safety surrounded her in his bed. With a sigh, she lay down and closed her eyes for just a moment.

  A strong hand shook her shoulder. “Juliet? Wake up, baby.”

  She started awake.

  Quinn stood over her, lines of fatigue cutting into the side of his mouth. “It’s after midnight. I’ll take you home before heading to the station to write up my report.”

  She shook her head and sat up. “Was there something outside of Joan’s house?”

  “Yes. A fully grown, hungry cougar.” Quinn rubbed his whiskered jaw. “Now we have cougars too close to residences. Those animals can be wicked.”

  “Oh.” She flipped back the bedspread and stood. When had she fallen asleep?

  Quinn tugged her into his hard body and rubbed his chin on the top of her head. “Thank you for a wonderful night.”

  “Right back at you, Sheriff.” The warm arms around her melted her muscles into relaxation.

  He stepped back. “Get dressed, and I’ll meet you downstairs. Also, Sophie is driving up to the lodge instead of riding in the trail fundraiser tomorrow. I’ll just have her pick you up on the way so we don’t risk putting you on a horse again—at least until I can give you more lessons.”

  His idea of lessons warmed her entire body. She cleared her throat. “I appreciate Sophie picking me up.” That way, appearances would be met. The world would think she and the sheriff were dating. Well, they were having sex, but he didn’t want her to stay the night. That was all right. She didn’t want to stay the night, now did she? Yeah, maybe she wouldn’t mind cuddling with his hard body for a while. Hurt spiraled through her, and she pushed the feeling away. “I’ll be ready in a moment.”

  He nodded and headed downstairs.

  Well, now. Where exactly had she left her clothes?

  Chapter Six

  The morning sun trickled weakly through the heavy clouds, promising a rainstorm. Quinn wound twine around the post, snipping the ends into smoothness. The heated summer-storm season was about to hit, and the ranch wasn’t prepared. “You’re lucky I didn’t have my gun on me last night,” he muttered at his brother.

  Colton chortled and kicked a rock into place to secure another post. “From what I saw, you didn’t have anything on you.”

  Quinn threw the ball of twine at the dumbass. “You’re a moron.”

  “Maybe.” Colton tugged his Stetson down against the piercing wind. Even so, his multicolored hair blew around his neck. “But I would’ve kept the woman all night and not driven her home before midnight.”

  Jake gl
anced up from where he pounded in a new post.

  Irritation whipped through Quinn stronger than the wind. “I haven’t kicked your ass in a while, little brother, but don’t think I’m opposed to the idea.”

  The smart-ass grin Colton shot him nearly guaranteed a beating. “Sounds like fun. I haven’t just been studying animal science the last three years, you know.”

  “Don’t think the MMA crap you’ve been doing comes close to special-ops training, Colton Freeze.” Sure, Quinn was proud of his little brother. That didn’t mean he couldn’t beat the shit out of him now and then.

  Jake threw the hammer into the back of the battered Ford where it clanked across the faded metal. “I’m fairly certain the sheriff shouldn’t commit battery—especially during an election cycle.”

  “Stop sounding like a lawyer,” Quinn snapped.

  “I am a lawyer.” Jake grabbed a fence-hole digger and plunged the blades into the moist earth. “As much as it pains me to admit this, I agree with Colt. Your reputation of lovin’ ’em and leavin’ ’em is ticking off Mom. Let a woman stay the night once in a while.”

  “Love ’em and leave ’em?” Quinn hefted a fence pole from the back of the truck. “I don’t even date anybody in town.”

  “You don’t date, period.” Colton moved out of the way for Quinn to shove the pole in the ground. “You have sex and leave. Unfortunately, the city isn’t far away from our small town, and everybody knows your cycle.”

  Jake angled around and grabbed part of the pole to plunge down. “I think Mom has Tom geared up to talk to you. Just a heads-up.”

  Quinn groaned. While he loved his stepfather and appreciated him becoming a father to Jake and him when they were young, he didn’t need a fatherly talk about sex. “Tom has enough to worry about with Dawn.” The youngest of them all, little Dawn was plain wild…and in love with the wrong man. “We all have enough to worry about with Dawn.”