Cowboy 12 Pack

by Cynthia D’Alba, Paige Tyler, Elle James, Donna Michaels, Shoshanna Evers, Randi Alexander, Cora Seton, Beth Williamson, Sabrina York, Sable Hunter, Lexi Post, Becky McGraw

  Daniel began to swing and she did the only thing she could—threw the heavy square with all her might. It caught him flush in the face, splitting his cheek until it blossomed with blood.

  “Damn it!” Daniel dropped the bat and clapped his hands to his face. Claire scooped it up and ran for the door, pulling it open and slamming it shut behind her, wishing she could lock him in.

  Somehow she had to get Morgan away from those two monsters and both of them to her car. As she dashed across the lawn she felt her pocket. Thank goodness—she still had her keys. She raced up the back steps, opened the door carefully and peered inside, the bat held ready. The room she entered was only dimly lit, but she heard a cry and a thump from behind a door down the hall. She bit her lip to keep from calling out to Morgan. The only shot she had was to catch her captors by surprise.

  When she opened the door, however, all thoughts of stealth went out of her mind. Morgan lay on the bed, her blouse ripped open and one of the men—Kyle—straddling her. The other man sat in an easy chair as if ready to watch a television show.

  She only hesitated a second before she launched herself across the room.

  “Get off her! Get off my sister!”

  A LIGHT WAS on at 6500 Old Hardin Way when Jamie pulled up in front.

  “That’s Claire’s car,” Ethan said, pointing to where it sat across the street. He opened his door and in moments all of them were out of the truck.

  “Hold up, let’s check things from the outside first,” Jake said.

  They all froze as a woman’s voice called out, muffled but definitely in distress.

  “Claire!” Jamie took off like a shot, raced across the lawn and pounded up the three concrete steps to the front door. Footsteps echoed behind him. The door was locked and he scanned the house for another way in.

  “Window,” Rob said. He jumped off the stoop, picked up an empty terra cotta flower pot and hurled it at the plate glass front window. It shattered and Rob ducked, then knocked a few shards off the lower edge and began to climb in. Jamie waited his turn impatiently. Claire was in there. She needed help.

  Once inside they tore through the house until they came to a back bedroom whose door was wide open.

  Jamie barreled inside, the others close on his heels, to find Morgan, her shirt torn nearly in half, beating a man over the head with a table lamp. Claire was tussling with a second man, who was trying to wrench a baseball bat out of her hands.

  Rob pushed past him and tackled the man with Morgan on the bed. As he heard the smack of fist against skin, Jamie went for the other one, the goon trying to wrest the bat away from Claire. Wrapping an arm around his throat, he wrestled him to the floor. Claire delivered a blow with the bat across his knees that set the man bellowing. When Ethan and Jake joined in, together they subdued the two men in a matter of seconds.

  “Daniel,” Claire gasped, bent over and breathing hard like she’d just run a race.

  “What about him?” Jamie growled.

  “He’s…”

  “I’m right here,” a new voice said from the door. “Miss me already, Claire?”

  Jamie heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked. The itch between his shoulder blades told him the gun was pointed straight at him.

  “Fuck off, Daniel,” Claire said, her eyes blazing.

  “No, I don’t think I will,” Daniel said. “But I do think I’ll kill you. After I kill this asshole.”

  Jamie felt the gun’s barrel against the back of his head.

  “No!” Claire cried.

  “Drop it!”

  Jamie would know that voice anywhere. Cab. He closed his eyes and expelled a gust of air when the pressure of the barrel disappeared and Claire surged forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Jamie!”

  A glance over his shoulder told him what he needed to know. Cab and several other men in sheriff’s uniforms swarmed into the room, quickly taking Daniel and the other two men into custody. Glancing from one shocked face to another, he saw that Ethan and Jake had thought he was a goner.

  Rob was too busy comforting a crying Morgan to notice anything else. Claire gripped him like she would never let go.

  He never wanted her to let go.

  As he went to hug her back just as tightly, he remembered he had promised not to touch her. Claire looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “To hell with the bet.”

  He bent down and lifted her into his arms, carrying her out of the house and onto the front stoop. He sat down as gently as possible, and perched her on his lap. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, still clinging to him. “He wanted to kill me.”

  He hugged her tighter. “I’ve got you. No one’s ever going to hurt you.”

  She burrowed into his embrace. “Jamie.” Her voice cracked and his anger soared again. How dare anyone terrify Claire—his Claire? He turned to look for Daniel again, only to see him hauled out of the house in handcuffs, barely able to stand as two officers dragged him off. A deep breath restored a little calm. Justice would be done. Claire was safe now.

  Safe in his arms.

  HOURS LATER THEY were back in the Big House, gathered in the living room while Autumn served tea and coffee cake. None of them would be good for anything in the morning, Claire thought, but who could sleep?

  She sat next to Jamie, who’d kept an arm around her every moment since back at Daniel’s mother’s house. Although the night was warm, she was wrapped in a blanket. She couldn’t stop shaking, a fine tremor that even made drinking tea difficult.

  She felt sick. All of this was because of her greed. Her need to prove to everyone she was worth something. Thank God all the supplies Daniel stole were unharmed. She would arrange to return every last one of them first thing tomorrow. But going after him like that—without help? Morgan had almost been raped. They both could have been killed.

  She took a ragged breath. The others were scattered around the room, talking in low voices. Rob stuck as close to Morgan as Jamie was sticking to her.

  “Were all those boxes things for my house?” Jamie asked softly.

  Pain flooded through her as she forced herself to nod.

  “Seems like a lot.”

  He was being as gentle as possible, she knew. Time to fess up. All she could do was hope he wouldn’t hate her guts. “I kept changing my mind. I kept buying more. I just couldn’t get the design right.”

  “I liked your first design, you know.” He stroked her hair.

  “I know. I kind of went crazy. I wanted the Whitfield contract so bad.” She took a shuddering breath, trying with all her might to stop her hands from shaking.

  His arm tightened around her. “I wish you cared as much about my home as you do about his.”

  “Jamie.” Tears stung her lids again as she put a hand on his thigh and turned to face him. “I do care about your home. I care about it a lot.” I care about you a lot, she wanted to add, but she couldn’t—not when she’d messed up so badly. He had to hate her for what she’d done—trying to make his perfect log home into a stupid showplace just to impress Carl. And for what? To get back at Daniel, a man she should have left behind months ago?

  Jamie was right. All this time she’d kept her focus on Daniel instead of paying attention to him. Worse—she’d judged him and found him wanting based on nothing except for her own jealousy. She didn’t deserve his compassion now. She deserved his disgust.

  “It’s no mansion.”

  “I don’t care about mansions,” she said, wishing she’d never heard of Carl Whitfield or his stupid contract.

  He kissed her on the cheek and Claire blinked back tears. Why was he being so nice to her?

  “It’s predictable.” His kiss trailed down her throat to the base of her neck.

  She drew in a quick breath, hardly daring to move. “I love predictable,” she whispered.

  He titled her chin up until their gaze met. “I hope you love unpredictable, too.”

  Her lips trembled and she knew she
was one breath away from breaking down. But Jamie didn’t look angry, or disgusted, or even put out.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, and the tears did fall, sliding down her face as fast as she could wipe them away. “I…”

  “Shh.” Jamie pulled her close. “I don’t care about the house, or how much money you spent or anything but the fact that you’re safe and here with me. I love you. You know that, right? Tell me you know that, Claire.”

  She sobbed and buried her face in his chest.

  “Claire.” He bent over her, stroking her back.

  “That’s the first time you said it.” Her voice was high and thin.

  “Said what, honey?”

  “That you love me.”

  He stilled and she could tell he was thinking. “I guess I thought you always knew. I’ve loved you about as long as I’ve known you. I’ve wanted to marry you practically all my life.”

  She pushed away from him, straightening up until they were eye to eye. “Your proposal was real?”

  “Of course it was real. I’ve been telling you that for weeks.”

  All the fight went out of her at once. Jamie loved her. He really loved her. “You win,” she said shakily. “I don’t want to travel around the world. I just want to come home.”

  “Claire, I don’t want to keep you from having adventures, or doing the work you love or any of it—understand? If you’ll be my wife I’ll help make all of your dreams come true. Just let me be by your side.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  Jamie searched her face, as if looking for the truth. “You mean that? You’ll stay with me? You’ll marry me?”

  She nodded and hid her face in his neck as he pulled her close again.

  “Claire Cruz, you’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‡

  SEVERAL HOURS LATER, after Claire had cried her heart out in his arms, and he’d nearly shed a tear or two himself, they’d come to a more peaceful place where they could talk about life together; their hopes and dreams. They even managed to talk about the house, about returning to Claire’s initial design. They daydreamed about living in it together, and working together, traveling someday, and as they designed a life together, Claire’s fear passed away and a smile returned to her face.

  The rest of the party turned in for the night, including Morgan, who would stay in one of the empty rooms in the Big House, and Rob who insisted on camping out on one of the living room sofas, just in case she needed him. Jamie offered to escort Claire back to the bunkhouse.

  “I want to stay with you,” she said and his heart expanded until he didn’t know how it could still fit in his chest. Walking with her up the trail to his cabin, he only meant to hold her hand, but they hadn’t got a third of the way there before she was in his arms. They kissed long and hard, swaying against each other, before he tore himself away and hurried her along the path. Another few hundred yards and they stopped again, kisses leading to heavy petting. Jamie unbuttoned Claire’s shirt as she devoured his mouth. She helped him unhook her bra and then her breasts were free, warm and full under his hands.

  When she went to work on his shirt, he tore it off himself, relishing the feel of skin on skin as he drew her back into his embrace. He couldn’t kiss enough of her, couldn’t touch enough of her, and he was beginning to think if they didn’t reach the cabin soon, he’d have to make love to her right here on the path.

  He lifted her up and carried her the rest of the way, nearly tripping once or twice in the dark, but managing to keep his feet. Up to the front porch, fumbling with the door, and then inside. When he deposited her on the bed, he collapsed beside her.

  “Am I that heavy?” she asked, laughing.

  “You’re perfect,” he growled, and pounced on her.

  He soon peeled off every stitch of clothing she wore and flung it to the floor. He wanted her naked. He wanted to touch every inch of her, kiss every inch of her, and then do it all over again. As far as he was concerned the rest of the world could go to hell. He had everything he wanted here in his arms.

  She lay back and held still, even when he kissed her. Jamie slowed down, afraid he’d scared her off—afraid she wasn’t actually ready for this, especially after the night’s events. “You okay?” he whispered.

  “Yes.” But she ducked her head and wouldn’t meet his eye.

  “What is it?”

  Her voice was muffled. “Remember on the trail? What I did?”

  Hell, he’d never forget that as long as he lived. “Yeah. You want to do it again?”

  “Kind of. I want…you to be the one who….”

  An electric jolt coursed through his body. Oh yeah. He was up for that. “You got it,” he said, and tilted her chin up to kiss her. “You just lie back and let me work my magic.”

  Claire did just that, reaching up over her head to grasp the headboard. With her arms raised, her breasts were irresistible, and he didn’t hold back. As he showered them with kisses, tugging first one nipple, then the other into his mouth, squeezing them and laving them with his tongue, her breathing quickened and she closed her eyes. He kneed her legs apart and she gasped, opening them again.

  He knew what she wanted and she was going to get it, but now he wanted to take his time. He kissed a trail down her stomach to her mound and then lower still. Claire groaned and bit her lip.

  “Is this good?” he asked, as if he didn’t know the answer.

  She looked at him with shining eyes. “It’s nice,” she said, but she couldn’t fool him.

  He dipped his head again. She was so sensual, so responsive. For once, all of her attention focused solely on him. He dipped lower, tasting her, teasing her, browsing her secret folds and places until she was fighting to keep from crying aloud. As he brought her to the peak of sensation, he pulled away, all of a sudden desperate to be within her—to be joined with her. A longer session would have to wait.

  He moved over her, groaning himself when he positioned himself near her core. “Claire?” he whispered.

  “I’m ready.” Her fingers clutching the headboard were white.

  She gazed at him with loving eyes and he was overcome by the strength of her trust in him. Unable to hold back any longer, he pushed inside her with a strong stroke and was rewarded with her passionate groan.

  Jamie pulled out and thrust into her again, spurred on by her response. Sliding out and in again, slowly and deliberately, he moved within her until he could barely retain control. Then he sped up, the sensation building to crescendo inside him. When Claire cried out, he went over the edge with her, grunting his own release as wave after wave of feeling overpowered him.

  He loved Claire, loved this woman he cradled in his arms. If she wasn’t already wearing his ring, he’d have put it on her finger tonight. They would spend their lives together, and he would make love to her every night.

  He kissed her soundly and rolled off of her, snuggling her into the crook of his arm. Claire was finally his—forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‡

  SINCE NO ONE had gotten a good night’s sleep, Ethan and Jamie decided to postpone the campout until the following day, and Rose and Tracey volunteered to take the ladies to Billings to go shopping. Claire helped Autumn do up the rooms and give the Big House a thorough cleaning. By the time the women returned, happily laden down with packages, Autumn had a gourmet dinner on that pleased everyone.

  The following morning, everyone met early at the stables to saddle up for their overnight trip out onto the range. The party had swelled to nearly twice its intended size with Morgan and all the Matheson men joining in. Autumn had shaken her head, sighed, and packed more provisions into the saddle bags. She wouldn’t be coming along. Instead, Rose was taking her place as cook on the campout.

  As happy as she could ever remember being, Claire helped Jamie get their guests’ horses ready for the long trek.

  “I’m a little saddle sore
and I haven’t even been in the saddle,” he said, sneaking close for a kiss before tending to the little gray mare that Angel had ridden all week.

  “You think you’re saddle sore.” Claire smiled at the memory of their previous night’s lovemaking. Slow and tender and unforgettable. “Tomorrow will be worse, you know.”

  “Because of the ride?”

  “Because of the way I’m going to ride you tonight.” She blushed a little at her own boldness. Jamie’s look told her much more of that and he’d shuck off her clothes right here and now and to hell with the horses and guests.

  She sobered at the thought and turned away. No illicit sex in the stable—she wasn’t her mother. A pang of unease swept through her. She was taking a hell of a chance, hitching her heart to a man like Jamie. Women adored him. How long before he got bored of her and strayed from her side?

  She tried to shake off the thought. Jamie wasn’t Mack. And she wasn’t her mother. Surely the two of them could make a go of this.

  Ned came into the stable and said something in low tones to Jamie. Frowning, Claire let her fingers tighten the strap she was working on. What were they talking about?

  “You don’t say. Maddy? I thought she’d be more straightforward.”

  “She was pretty straightforward when we got down to it,” Ned laughed.

  “She didn’t mind the substitution?”

  “She called it an upgrade.” Ned slapped Jamie on the back. “Thanks, man.”

  “Thank you.” Jamie glanced in her direction and stiffened when he caught her watching them. Ned left the stable, whistling.

  “What was all that?” Claire asked the next time Jamie passed her.

  He looked sheepish. “One of the guests tried to organize a little…one-on-one time with me the other night. I let Ned handle it.”

  “You passed up a chance for a roll in the hay? Was that before or after you found out what Morgan and I were up to?”

  “Meaning would I have slept with someone else if I hadn’t known you were in danger?” There was an edge to his voice. “No, Claire. I wouldn’t have slept with her. I already arranged things with Rob. He passed it off to Ned when he heard about you and Morgan.”