Love on the Forbidden Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  “You and Kayla, I swear.” Her brother’s fiancé—wife now she supposed—also steered clear of horses. Hilarious considering the woman now lived in a town known for celebrating the Wild West shtick. “Must be a city kid thing.”

  “I think it’s more of a ‘don’t want to get crushed by a thousand pound animal’ thing. Anyway, the horse isn’t here.”

  “What? Where is she?”

  Liam took another sip of his coffee then set the mug down on the counter beside her. “Ryder boarded her at the Denning ranch. I said I’d look after his house, but I don’t know squat about taking care of a horse.”

  Made sense. The Denning brothers ran a ride and board ranch on the outskirts of town. “Well, now that I’m here, we can go get her.”

  His jaw dropped, golden eyes staring at her with horror. “You want to go get that big beast and bring her back here?”

  Stepping closer to him, until they were barely touching, she placed a finger under his chin, ignoring the tingles of heat running up and down her arm at the contact, and closed his mouth. “Yes, I would like to go get Wind Chaser my brother’s beautiful horse and bring her back home so I can care for her, feed her, and ride her.”

  She drew her finger down his neck. His Adam’s apple bobbed against her touch. Continuing the path down his chest, she let it rest just above the elastic of his pajama pants. She could feel the tense energy radiating off him. A glance up revealed unchecked heat burning from his golden gaze.

  She leaned up on her toes to whisper in his ear. “Nothing I like better than a nice…long…hard…ride.”

  Turning, she made her way out of the room. She could hear Liam’s harsh breathing behind her. The man may run hot and cold, but she affected him. That much was obvious from the hard bulge she’d felt against her stomach seconds ago. He could deny it all he wanted, but she knew the truth—Liam wanted her, and she wanted him. She always played hard to get what she wanted.

  Look out, Liam. Game on.

  Chapter 4

  Liam’s truck bounced along the dirt road, hitting bumps and dips on the unpaved street. Not the most comfortable ride. More uncomfortable was the raging hard on he’d had since Julie mentioned that crap about long, hard rides. Saucy little minx knew exactly what she had been insinuating with a statement like that. Damned if it didn’t cause an image to form in his mind of her, gloriously naked with her long, inky black hair falling around her shoulders while she rode him ’til they were both spent and sated. He muttered a soft curse at the image that would not leave his mind.

  A gentle chuckle sounded from the passenger side. “Something on your mind, Liam?”

  He didn’t buy that innocent tone. She knew precisely what was on his mind. After all, she put it there. Yeah, she knew what she was doing. The only question he had now…why? He’d never given her any indication of his feelings, so why had she suddenly amped up the sexual flirtation?

  They had always teased back and forth in a friendly way. He tried to treat her like a kid sister, despite wanting the woman from nearly the moment he met her. She’d been underage then, which made her off limits. Though she was grown now, the sibling obstacle still remained.

  “Nothing in particular.” Whatever her game was, he would not give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to him. Julie had the tendency to gloat, a lot. In the dictionary under “bad winner” stood a picture of Julie Ryder.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Further speculation halted as he pulled up to the Denning ranch. The place looked like a nostalgic Americana painting. A farmhouse stood off to the right complete with the quintessential porch swing. He slid his gaze to the left where a large barn stood, surrounded by a fenced off field, where a bunch of horses grazed—or whatever the hell horses did. They were beautiful creatures—he had to admit—didn’t mean he wanted to risk breaking his neck falling off one. Born in Florida, gators and hurricanes he could handle, horses not so much. He saved the cowboy play for his buddy.

  Julie hopped out of the truck before he could even turn the ignition off. She bounded across the yard, waving at two tall men walking her way. Both looked like they’d just come off the cover of a western novel—cowboy hats on their heads, dusty jeans, and cowboy boots. Their facial features were so similar he guessed them to be the Denning brother, owners and operators of the ranch.

  “Hey, Julie.” The slightly shorter one ran up to her, grabbing her around the waist to lift her in a tight embrace.

  Liam was out of the car and within feet of the men before he could stop himself.

  “Nice to see ya, sweetheart. And you brought company.” The man’s pale blue eyes glanced at him over Julie’s shoulder. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “New boyfriend?’

  She pulled away—finally—and turned, eyes wide. “Boyfriend? Oh, no. This is Liam. He’s just a friend.”

  Just a friend? What the hell? The woman teases the hell out of him all morning and now—around a guy who could be the cover model for a cowboy romance novel—suddenly he was just a friend? No, he wasn’t going to make good on her advances, but way to toss a guy aside at the first piece of eye candy. He blamed the ugly churning in his gut on that and not jealousy. Because he wasn’t jealous. Nope, not one bit.

  “Riiiight.” The cowboy bobbed his brow, stifling a laugh. “Hi there. I’m Colton Denning, and this is my brother, Dade. Welcome to our ranch.” He motioned to the silent man beside him.

  “Agent Liam Graham, FBI.” He had no idea why he said that. Colton offered his occupation, so he was just returning the favor. Yeah, that was the reason.

  Two sets of identical blue eyes went wide as the brothers shared a glance. The younger smiled while the older one remained stone-faced.

  “Well, Agent, I certainly hope you’re not here to haul us in. I swear we filed all our taxes properly this year. Unless you’re here to arrest this yahoo for murder.” Colton motioned to his brother. “He’s been killing fun around here for years.”

  Dade groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Colt, shut up.”

  “See what I mean? Never any fun around this guy.”

  “You have enough for the whole town.”

  The back and forth sounded like a long running topic between the two siblings. Amusing even, so Liam tried to shake off the strange funk surrounding him since Colton hugged Julie.

  “I’m not here on any official business. In fact, I’m on vacation.”

  “Here to try your hand at being a Wild West cowboy?”

  He chuckled. “Um, no. I’m just house sitting for Ryder.”

  “I heard he went and got himself hitched.” Colton chuckled. “Eloped in Vegas says the town grapevine.”

  “Smart bastard,” Dade muttered under his breath.

  “Oh come on, the wedding wasn’t that bad.”

  “No, but the months of planning while Lizzy was getting more pregnant and hormonal by the day was a nightmare.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell her that.”

  “Do and I’ll make sure Maggie cuts you off cupcakes for life.”

  Colton put a hand to his chest. “My sweet, loving wife would never do that.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  Liam chuckled at the banter between the brothers; a smile tugged his lips at the reminder of the joshing relationship he had with his own brothers. It seemed—from their conversation—the two men were now married to the women who owned and ran the cupcake shop in town. Liam only knew about them because he helped Julie gather information for a problem one of the owners had been having last year.

  “So,” Colton began, ignoring his brother’s last remark to focus on Liam. “If you’re not here to investigate, what can we do for you?”

  Julie spoke up. “We’re here for Wind Chaser. Ryder boarded her because Liam isn’t familiar with horses, but now that I’m here, I can take care of her.”

  “And what are you doing here?” The younger cowboy raised a brow. “Don’t you live in Aspen?”

&nb
sp; “I took some vacation time.”

  Liam noticed she didn’t look the other man in the eye as she gave him the same baloney excuse he’d been given.

  What are you hiding, honey?

  A knowing grin split the cocky bastard’s face. “Oh really? How convenient.”

  Liam didn’t like the way the cowboy was looking back and forth between him and Julie. The guy was just a little too smug. Now that he knew the man was married the ugly feeling in the pit of his stomach disappeared, but he still didn’t like the guy.

  “Merely a coincidence.”

  “Sure.”

  Let the pretty boy think what he wanted. Liam was just here for a horse.

  “So, can I have her? I’ll still pay you guys whatever you were charging my brother for boarding her.”

  Both men’s smiles gentled toward her. If he wasn’t sure the two were happily married, he’d wipe those grins clean off their faces. The thought made him pause. What was wrong with him? He had no claim on Julie. Why was his inner caveman suddenly standing up and pounding his chest? He needed to lock this shit down.

  “Julie,” the quieter brother spoke. “Of course you can take Wind Chaser. And don’t worry about the fee. We never charge Ryder.”

  “We both owe him more than we can ever repay.”

  Liam had no idea what the men were talking about, but since Ryder was the sheriff in Peak Town, he’d bet money his buddy helped the men in some way over the years.

  “Thanks, guys. I haven’t ridden her in ages. I miss the ol’ girl.”

  Dade nodded, “We’ll just go get her ready for you.”

  “You better stop by the shop while you’re in town,” Colton said, his gaze drifting toward him. “I know the ladies would love to hear about all the new things going on in your life.”

  Yup, he hated the smartass cowboy.

  The younger Denning headed off after his brother, leaving Liam alone with Julie.

  “He’s right. We should go see Maggie and Lizzy. I know Lizzy would love to thank you. I told her a friend helped me with that problem she had a while back.”

  “Cupcake shop? Count me in.” He had a sweet tooth a mile long. “Let’s get your brother’s beast settled back at his place, then we can head into town. We’ll need to pick up more groceries since you’re here. Maybe we can grab some dinner, too.”

  What the hell? He was supposed to be discouraging Julie, not asking her out.

  Wide brown eyes glance up at him. A smile curved her lips. “I’d love to.”

  Shit. He didn’t want to encourage her silly infatuation. Hard enough resisting the beautiful woman as it was. If she thought he was interested she’d double her efforts, and God knew he wasn’t strong enough to resist her for long.

  “Your brother didn’t leave much in the house, and I’m an awful cook anyway so going out makes more sense.”

  The light dimmed from her eyes. He hated to upset her—it freaking killed him—but he had to make it clear there was nothing between them but friendship.

  “Oh, right. I guess that makes sense. I—I should go see if the guys need any help. And I think I’ll take a rain check on the going into town. With all this shuffling back and forth, Wind Chaser might need some extra attention today. I better stay close to home…my brother’s home, I mean.” Her shoulders slumped as she turned and headed off toward the barn.

  Dammit, I’m an ass.

  But it needed to be done. He couldn’t encourage any of Julie’s flirtations. It didn’t matter how sexy and amazing the woman was. She was his best friend’s little sister and off limits. Forever. No matter how much he ached for her, Julie Ryder was the one thing in this world he couldn’t have.

  Chapter 5

  “You sure this is where she lives?” Jason Kline stared at the brightly lit apartment building across the street.

  “Yeah. I snuck into the HR office last night during my shift. Found her file with her home address. Newhall Terrace, apartment 103.”

  The skinny housekeeper at his side pressed closer. “I told you I’d find her for you, baby.” Pam placed a cold, thin hand on his arm.

  Covering his revulsion at her touch, he leaned away, deeper into the shadows. A streetlight illuminated the front door to the complex. The place looked on the older side. He loved old buildings because they didn’t come equipped with all the new age security measures. A quick visual scan revealed…yup, no security code. That made things easier. He pulled the hood of his jacket down over his forehead as a small, old woman pushing a baby carriage exited the building. She spoke softly to the baby.

  “Bark, bark!”

  What the hell? The old broad reached into the stroller and pulled out an ugly looking mutt. Its face was squished up flat, and it wore a hideous neon green sweater.

  Still at his side, Pam leaned around him, “Is that a dog?”

  “Christ, what is wrong with people?” Who the hell dressed up their dog and pushed it around like a baby?

  He would never understand the crazies of the world. Not that he was one to talk. Most people called him crazy. Psycho was the preferred term screamed at him on the courtroom steps. Jason snorted, sucking at his teeth. The term fit, he supposed. When someone messed with him he had a tendency to go a little overboard. So sure, he’d gone psycho before. But never on someone who didn’t deserve it.

  Like his bitch ex.

  That whore deserved every bit of punishment I gave her.

  He’d do it again, too, but avoid getting caught. Didn’t matter that he got arrested and put away. He was out now, and he intended to stay that way, but first, it was time for a little payback. Time to “go psycho” on the people who put him in that shitty-ass prison. And he would start with the lawyer—the self-righteous bitch who stood up in that courtroom for weeks listing every one of his faults and sins. The one who convinced the jury he was a cold-blooded killer who deserved to be sent away for fifty years.

  The lawyer was wrong. His blood hadn’t felt cold when he plunged the butcher knife into Trish’s body. It lit up like fire. The rush he got punishing that bitch was unlike anything he ever felt before. She’d disobeyed him, made him look like a fool; he had to punish her. A delicious shiver ran down his spine at the memory. It’d felt so good to see the fear in her eyes, the realization that she wronged him and had to pay the price. Cold-blooded? No, nothing about that night had been cold.

  The old lady placed her fugly-ass dog back in the carriage and headed down the street, talking all the way like the dog was her goddamn baby. Disgust churned in his gut. People did the stupidest damn things. He wanted to kill them all some days just for existing. Made his head ache and his hand itch just thinking about it.

  A quick glance showed no one else around. He should be headed to the border as fast as his legs could carry him, but he just couldn’t leave without getting a little payback. Justice paid by him to the people who put him away. Trish had been his woman. She stepped out on him, tried to keep him away with a pathetic piece of paper. All because he slapped her around a little? She deserved it for mouthing off so much. Women should know their place. That’s what his dad always told him growing up. A man ruled his house, and any woman who disrespected that needed to be taught a lesson.

  He’d just been teaching his woman her place. Sure, it got a little out of hand. Wasn’t his fault. If she hadn’t fought him, he wouldn’t have had to do what he did. It really was her fault. So why was he the one thrown into a cell for the rest of his life? It wasn’t right.

  “Stay here.”

  “Of course, baby,” Pam squeaked out at his harsh tone.

  The endearment grated on his nerves. He didn’t particularly care for the small, mousey-looking woman. Her ass was too big and her boobs too small, but she did what he said without question. Let him screw her any way he wanted. And she had been the one to help him escape, so he kept her around.

  As long as she proved useful…and remembered her place.

  Making his way across the street, he hurried into
the front entrance. The apartment building had three floors, but he knew the lawyer bitch lived on the first. Apartment 103 Pam said.

  “Better be right.” If it wasn’t, Pam would be finding herself at the top of his kill list.

  He strode down the brightly lit hallway until he came to the door he wanted. Silence hung in the air; the place was empty of everyone but him. Pulling a kit from his inner jacket pocket, he unzipped the small black pouch and pulled out two thin, silver picks and set to work on the lock. Didn’t take long for a soft metallic click to sound.

  “Like riding a bike.” He chuckled, putting his tools away and stepping into the apartment.

  Darkness engulfed him as he stepped over the threshold into the room. Not a single light illuminated the dark space. Quiet, too. He could tell right away no one was home. The air had a stillness to it only emptiness could portray.

  “Fuck.”

  He knew there’d been a possibility she wouldn’t be home, but he also knew she wasn’t at her office—Pam told him as much on the way over.

  “So, where the hell are you?”

  Moving silently around the place, it appeared as if the home hadn’t been occupied in a while. No dishes in the sink, no clothes on the floor. She could just be a neat freak, but a glance in her closet showed a missing piece of a luggage set and a few empty hangers amongst the clothing.

  “Running away, Ms. Ryder?”

  A thrill of power rushed through his body at the thought of her fear. Smart of her. She had to know he’d come after her the second he escaped. Hell, he’d said as much when they hauled him off to jail.

  Shit! He hoped she wasn’t in WITSEC. It would be a bitch to find a person in the system—hard, but not impossible. He still had a few connections. A few favors he could call in at his old job. People tended to think those who cleaned up after everyone were lower than them, but janitors knew all the secrets. It was amazing what people would just toss in the garbage. Even secured legal documents sometimes found their way into the hands of the nightly housekeeper.

  Glancing around the apartment once more, his gaze landed on a framed picture. The lawyer bitch in a cap and gown with a stupid looking smile on her face standing next to a big guy with his arm slung around her. Same stupid smile on his face. Were they lovers? No, didn’t look that way. Family? Yeah, that sounded right. They looked like they could be related. A brother maybe, guessing by the looks of their age difference.