Dalton Boys Box Set Books 1-5 (The Dalton Boys)

by Em Petrova

  Until he installed her and her luggage in the bunkhouse, that was.

  She pivoted to give him a cool smile. “I’ll expect breakfast at six and some fresh towels. Also, I like my bed made with the cover folded down.” She waved at the nearest bunk, where he’d tossed a pile of blankets with no intention of helping her make the bed.

  “This isn’t the Hilton, lady. Do it yerself. Meet me by the barn at five-thirty sharp.” As he stomped out of the bunkhouse, a muffled sound followed him. But it wasn’t the tears he’d hoped for—it was a giggle.

  Chapter Three

  When Kade rounded the corner of the barn, Ryan pulled away from the cool wood. He slowed as he spotted her, a strange look crossing his face. She hoped that was his I’m an ass for thinking a girl needs her beauty sleep expression.

  “I didn’t tell you about first breakfast.” He opened the barn door and the scents of a clean barn reached her.

  “No, you didn’t.” She breathed deep. Yeah, this was exactly what she’d needed to soothe her frayed nerves this morning. She’d awakened half a dozen times during the night, unaccustomed to the strange bed. Then she’d stood outside the barn wondering if she’d really made the best decision in coming here.

  As she dragged a second deep breath into her lungs, he stared at her. “You about done sucking the country air, Greenhorn?”

  The nickname did anything but calm her nerves. “I’m no greenhorn. I can do anything you can do.”

  “I s’pose you do it better too.”

  Since it wasn’t a question, she said, “Yup.”

  With a shake of his head, he walked to the side of the barn and grabbed a bag of feed. “You get the dogs fed. I’ll do horses.”

  She looked up to see a group of five ranch dogs milling in the open entrance. They were obviously used to being fed at this time of day, if their lolling tongues were any indication.

  She found the dog food then searched for food bowls or a trough.

  “Just make a pile on the floor. They clean up every crumb.”

  “Oh.” She carefully dumped some dry food in a pile big enough to feed five hungry hounds. They crowded in, tails up, to devour the food. After Ryan placed the bag against the barn wall, she turned to see Kade tipping feed into horse troughs.

  At the Sky Ranch, their morning chores had been to feed the animals and part of that chore was making sure the horses had enough hay. She peeked over a stall door and saw it could use some fresh hay.

  Taking charge, she grabbed a bale and carried it to the line of stalls.

  “What are you doin’?” Kade didn’t bother to conceal his irritation.

  “Haying horses. What does it look like?”

  “We don’t do it that way.”

  She stared at him a minute, waiting for instruction, but he didn’t say another word.

  “Jerk,” she said under her breath and tossed the hay back on the pile. Then she examined the stack. The bales rested on palettes, and often hay shook free and fell between the cracks.

  She started moving the bales off the palettes. By the time she revealed a pile of hay on the floor, Kade had made his way back to her side. She stirred the loose hay with the toe of her boot. Sure enough, a mouse skittered out.

  “Just as I thought,” she said.

  “Yeah, it’s a barn. Do you expect us to have a pest control service come in?”

  She met his gaze. The blue of his eyes seemed darker this morning. Judging by his mood, he wasn’t a morning person. He was even more of a jerk than normal. For some reason, the idea of a cowboy who wasn’t a morning person made her want to laugh.

  “All barns have mice. This hay is molding and the pile needs cleaned out.”

  “Don’t give it to the horses. It’s not healthy.”

  She swallowed the urge to growl with irritation. “I’m not stupid, Dalton.”

  He rolled his eyes and stomped to grab a flat shovel. Then he proceeded to do the job she was about to do by shoveling up the loose hay. That left her standing there looking worthless—again. If this was becoming a trend, she was damn well going to find another ranch to work on.

  All the ranches might be the same. They aren’t used to a woman doing this work.

  The first warning pangs of her temper surfaced, and she mentally shoved them down. Nobody needed to know how feisty she could get—not yet anyway.

  He finished cleaning the floor, which had some mouse droppings too. After he was finished, he put the palette back in place and started stacking hay.

  Ryan got in his way by taking the next bale, and he gave a frustrated snort. Maybe this could be fun—rousing his anger would keep her in good spirits.

  She tossed a bale and it landed precisely. After years of this type of work, her body was a machine, doing it without thought. Glancing from the corner of her eye, she waited for Kade’s reaction but he gave none. His face was a blank mask, even if it was handsome.

  She studied him for a second while he grabbed the next bale. Straight dark hair stuck out of the brim of his hat and he hadn’t shaved. The coarse shadow on his jaw shouldn’t grab her attention so much, but it did. She tugged her gaze free.

  Only to be sucked right back.

  He smiled. The man had smiled.

  For a second, the barn air seemed stale, the oxygen sucked from it. After meeting two of the Dalton boys and their father, she understood all of them were good-looking. But seeing Kade smile was like the first ray of sun after a long, lonely night.

  “Look at that.” His drawl coupled with the smile lines around his slightly downturned eyes weren’t things she should be noticing.

  She followed the wave of his hand to the hay bale, where one grungy leather glove was trapped beneath the twine. “Yours?”

  “No. Beck’s.” He plucked it free and pocketed it. “He thought one of us had pranked him by taking his favorite glove. Pouted for weeks. It must have gotten caught in the baler.” The change in his tone and demeanor rocked her. Maybe Kade wouldn’t be so difficult to work with, after all.

  “Who was poutin’?” Another drawl, nearly identical to Kade’s, sounded from the doorway. Both of them turned and Ryan was faced with another stunning looker of a cowboy.

  “You were, baby bro.” Kade tugged the glove out of his pocket again.

  Beck’s long strides were so much like Kade’s, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d be able to keep the Dalton brothers straight. Well, except for Kade. She’d pick him out of a lineup—she’d just look for the grouchiest one.

  He didn’t look so grumpy when razzing his little brother, though.

  Beck’s blue eyes settled on Ryan. As if just now noticing her, surprise crossed his rugged features. “Who’s this?” he asked his brother.

  “This,” she said, stepping boldly forward and extending a hand, “is Ryan Hunter. Paradise Valley’s new hand.”

  They shook and Beck cocked a brow at Kade. “Did you know?”

  “Hell no.” His pinched, annoyed look was back in place as he finished stacking hay. Ryan helped, purposely tossing one bale on the pile so the one he threw rolled to the floor.

  Beck gave a laugh. “Hey, I didn’t get first breakfast. Think Momma will get up early today?”

  Something odd passed Kade’s face, and Ryan looked closer. The man was definitely more than a dull-witted cowboy. His expressions alone were multi-faceted.

  “Let Momma sleep. She needs it. Your wife can fry us eggs.”

  “She’s only good at scrambled since Owen likes them best.” Beck turned to Ryan. “My wife, Sabrina, and I have a little boy. You’ll meet them at second breakfast.”

  “Kade didn’t explain first breakfast,” she said.

  “I started to.” He tossed her a look that suggested it was her fault he’d gotten sidetracked and never said more.

  Beck took over the explanation. “Momma isn’t a morning person.”

  So that’s where Kade gets it.

  “And we grab a muffin or granola bar to hold us off until s
he wakes up and gets the bacon frying. Then we all meet for second breakfast, including our families. Most times dinner’s at the big house too. You’ll meet everyone in a little while. Kade, did you let her select a horse yet?”

  “No,” Ryan said before Kade could speak for her.

  “Follow me.” Beck strutted from the barn and Ryan followed, wondering at the wives who’d married these brothers. Beck seemed all right, and Hank and Charlotte were adorable together. If Kade was able to find a lady, she’d better be a soft type, not at all like Ryan. His beliefs about a woman in the fields were archaic and a 50’s housewife would best suit him.

  When Ryan set eyes on the mist rising off the fields and the circular paddock containing the Dalton’s wildest horses, she sucked in a breath. The beauty tangled with the challenge was what she’d come here seeking. A girl’s eyes might just blur with tears—if she weren’t so determined to prove herself.

  She hitched her boot on the bottom rung of the fence and vaulted over. The horses inside started running.

  “You know how to grab a wild horse, Hunter?” Kade’s voice reached her under the thunder of hooves and the thump of her heart.

  She waved a hand in dismissal and angled her body to seem inviting to a horse. Then she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a treat. She’d brought a few with her, a habit from years of working around horses. With a bit of oat bar on her palm, she let the horses that ran past get a whiff of it.

  “Looks like she knows your secret, brother.” Beck jumped in with her, ran up to a horse and threw himself onto its bare back. Several whoops sounded and Ryan knew the rest of the crew had arrived.

  So their first view of her would be landing a horse—or not.

  Heart pounding, she watched two horses galloping to the other end of the paddock, manes streaming. The wilder stock was a constant on ranches—her daddy had always filtered new stock into the old, and there was only one way to conquer a horse—earn his trust.

  The lanky black beast might be her best bet. He’d lifted his head at the scent of the oat bar while trotting past. When he came by, she skimmed her fingers over his coat. The velvet beneath her touch was just the encouragement she needed. When he came by again, she’d take her chance.

  The black looped her twice before she got the oats under his nose. As he opened his mouth to take the bite, she used her other hand to grip his mane and hurl her leg over the animal.

  A cheer went up. She settled herself on the bare back, aware of the bunch of its haunches. With a few words, she tried to keep it from bucking her off. Landing on her ass at Kade’s feet wouldn’t do at all.

  For some reason, she didn’t care if the other Daltons saw her fail, but Kade was different. His expectations of her were low enough without adding to them.

  She circled the paddock on the black two more times before someone opened the gate and she guided the horse out. Hank gave her a thumb’s up and another Dalton came forward with a bridle.

  Using the pressure of her knees, she slowed her horse. The Dalton boy wearing a white cowboy hat grinned at her. “You really showed Kade. He’s been trying to get this horse for a week.”

  She gave a mental fist pump and slid off, holding another piece of oat bar for her new mount to nibble while the cowboy fitted her horse. “I’m Ryan.”

  He looked up as if surprised they hadn’t introduced themselves. She felt an instant connection and knew this Dalton wouldn’t give her a hard time. “I’m Witt. Brother number three. You’re Ryan.”

  “You aren’t surprised I’m a woman.”

  “Well, Beck sorta filled us in after you jumped into the paddock.” A few precise movements and he had her animal saddled and ready. “Good luck today, Greenhorn.”

  The way he said it didn’t sound like an insult but more like one of her brothers teasing her. She smiled back and gave him a nod before swinging into the saddle. “Thank you.”

  Kade galloped past, bareback on a spotted horse big enough to carry a tall cowboy roped with muscle. He didn’t look at Ryan but stared straight ahead. Too bad. She wanted to gloat.

  As they all made their way across the valley to do the morning check of the herd, she met the other Dalton brother, Cash, as well as Manny. After listening to a few minutes of talk, she was in danger of extreme confusion when it came to the players on this stage. Between the names of wives and children, horses and dogs, her mind was spinning.

  To make things more challenging, her horse objected to working closely with one of the dogs. It shied to the side and she brought it back to the group several times. The dog with one blue eye and one brown circled again, and her horse reared.

  She clung tight to the reins, issuing orders while directing with her body. Sweat snaked into her eye and she blinked against the sting. Manny cut off the dog to keep it away from her horse. Then Kade called an order that brought the dog back around.

  Her horse reared a second time. She barely clung to the beast, but she was experienced with keeping her balance and when its hooves hit the turf again, she was ready for the impact.

  She shot Kade a glare and the corner of his lips twitched. What a dick.

  Their gazes connected and her stomach knotted. Another weird expression contorted his features and was gone, but it left her uneasy. He didn’t like her, that was certain. Well, four out of five brothers wasn’t bad. Maybe he was the black sheep.

  The next hour was spent riding among the herd, checking for injuries. One calf was discovered near the wood line and Kade placed it in front of him, legs dangling over the saddle. Riding back to the main house with the sun already hot on her nose felt good.

  Manny rode alongside her and the rustle of leather and horses was the perfect music. “You handled this new black perfectly.”

  She smiled. A snort sounded, and she looked up to see Kade’s gaze trained on her. A tightness in her chest echoed her dislike for him. Their gazes held another heartbeat. Finally, he spurred his horse and galloped ahead.

  She focused on talking to Manny. The kind and gritty older cowboy explained his connection to the Daltons through marriage. His daughter had married Witt, and Manny was as proud as punch of his two grandbabies.

  From now on, Ryan would pal around with Manny. The last thing she needed was Kade Dalton breathing down her neck.

  * * * * *

  Setting fence posts was a hot, backbreaking job on the best of days, but Ryan was making the working conditions unbearable. If she bent over and presented her round little ass one more time—

  He almost choked. Jesus.

  He turned away from her lush backside and gripped the sledgehammer. He was going to have to say a lot of prayers of forgiveness Sunday if she kept this up.

  “Tell me again why we’re planting posts the old-fashioned way?” Beck asked, sweat streaming down his face.

  “Tractor’s broken,” Kade puffed between swings. Usually they used the tractor lift to smack the posts into place. Forcing the wood into the ground by hand was the tension-reliever he needed. He was hardly thinking about how tight his jeans were.

  “I can fix it,” Ryan said from her bent position.

  Whatever she was doing was going to send him to the house in search of moonshine. Thank goodness he’d brewed a new batch a few months ago.

  “Sure you can,” he muttered.

  She straightened and turned. Kade’s body protested the loss of his tormenting view but his brain sighed with relief. He couldn’t lust after her. The list of reasons why was a mile long, starting with he had to work with her and ending with he didn’t dare tell his buddies down at the bar he was sleeping with the ranch hand.

  He pushed out a breath and swung again. The blow jarred up his arms but the post buried another few inches. “Good thing the…” swing, blow “…ground’s loose.” He got the post in and his brother started to backfill the hole.

  “Wait.” Ryan stepped back to peer at the line. “That one’s higher than the rest.”

  Leave it to a woman to critique t
he job. Kade rolled his eyes at Beck and his brother laughed. “Fill the hole,” he told Beck.

  “Stop.” Ryan strode forward. As she neared, Kade noticed the way her clothes clung damply to her body. Her jeans seemed molded to her thighs and her little T-shirt…

  He shook himself. “The post’s fine.”

  “It’s a good three inches out of the ground and it’s leaning to the right.” Her country twang dug under his skin like bamboo under his fingernails. Right now, he’d prefer Chinese torture.

  The rumble of an engine reached him. He looked up to see the old red ranch truck bouncing toward them. “Hey, that’s my ride.” Beck dropped his shovel.

  “Where the hell are you going?” Kade’s molars were about to splinter. If his brother left him alone with Ryan, so help him—

  “I’m working with Manny on the top acres. See ya at dinner.” Beck took off jogging toward the truck. Seconds later he was inside and buzzing up the dirt lane, leaving Kade and Ryan alone.

  She strode forward and took over holding a fence post. “Let’s finish.”

  “You can’t hold that while I swing.”

  She blinked at him. “Why not?”

  “The vibrations jar your arms and hands.”

  She flexed her wiry little arms. He had to admit she looked strong, but was it enough for the job? “I got this, Dalton. Now hit me.”

  With a grunt he hefted the hammer and swung. The post she claimed had been crooked and higher than the others sank into the earth. She stood back and eyeballed the line.

  “Up to your standards?” he drawled.

  “Yes. If you’re not doing a job right, why do it at all? We could just let the cows run through the fence.”

  “One crooked post isn’t a broken post.”

  She lifted her long tail of hair off her neck. His gut clenched as he thought of the salty perspiration there and how her scents would cling to her skin. “No, but you’ll know it’s crooked and it will drive you crazy.”

  Dammit, how did she know that about him? Had one of his brothers said something?

  “Let’s just get the rest of these posts set.”

  Working with Ryan had to be one of the more irritating afternoons of his life. Worse than being eight years old and at the mercy of Aunt Diane. Being made to watch soap operas and told not to lasso everything within reach, including his baby brother.