Wannabe in Wyoming (Antelope Rock Book 1)

by J. B. Havens

  Willow allowed him to pull her to her feet, and she followed each of his instructions, downing an ice-cold glass of water and two white pills. He led her into her bedroom where he closed the blinds on the windows before carefully stripping her of her shoes and jeans. There was nothing even remotely sexual about his actions—he was caring for her on the most basic of levels.

  Once her head hit the pillow, he pulled the blanket up to her chin, dropped a kiss on her forehead, and turned to leave.

  “Wait,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Stay with me. Please?”

  Wordlessly nodding his ascent, he kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed behind her. Pulling her close, he shifted them both around until they were spooned together. His warmth seemed to settle into her very bones and her muscles finally relaxed.

  “Sleep, baby, I’ll be right here when you wake up.” Nathan pressed his lips to the sensitive spot behind her ear. “Rest. I’ve got you.”

  She drifted off with the rich scent of him thick in her nose and a cocoon of utter contentment surrounding her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Willow woke to the heat and hard press of a man at her back. Momentarily disoriented, it took her a second to remember she’d fallen asleep in Nathan’s arms. He must have dozed off with her. She hadn’t shared a bed with a man since her divorce, and even during her marriage, there were many nights where one of them would pass out on the couch, leaving the other to sleep alone. She didn’t remember having someone else in her bed ever feeling this nice.

  Wiggling backward, she rubbed her ass against his groin, eliciting a groan and a shift of his hips in return. “Willow, what are you doing?” he murmured.

  “Getting comfortable.” She held the arm he had around her chest tighter against herself, clutching at him like a security blanket. “I don’t want to think for a few minutes, so just go with it.”

  “Okay, baby. Whatever you need. Just, maybe keep the ass wiggles to a minimum, hmm? You’re all warm and soft from sleep, and it’s sexy as hell. I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”

  She couldn’t restrain her soft laughter, and of course, a little poking the bear was in order. She rubbed her ass firmly against his crotch. “Is that a gun in your pocket, cowboy, or are you just happy to see me?”

  He tugged his arm from her grasp and moved it down to her hips, before tightening his hold and halting her teasing. “I know what you’re doing.”

  “Yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious. About as obvious as how happy you are to be spooning me.” She tried to wiggle again but wasn’t able to get as much movement as before due to his hold. “Very, very happy.”

  “Aside from that, you’re distracting yourself from talking about what you read in that letter. Which is just fine, of course, but I don’t want you to push us both into something physical as a distraction from your feelings. Like I told you, the first time I make love to you, I will not be rushed, nor will I be coaxed into it. Would I mind being an emotional band-aid in the future? No. But not right now.”

  Huffing out a breath, she scooched forward to give him some space. “I’m sorry.” Feeling like a heel, she started to get up, only to be jerked back down.

  “Nope. Not happening. I didn’t say I minded you rubbing that sweet little ass all over my cock. I just meant that it wasn’t going to go any further than that at the moment. Now, get back here where you belong and talk to me.” He settled her against him once more.

  She hesitated for a few seconds while searching for the right words to say to him. “I’m sorry I fell apart on you like that. That’s not me. I’m not a crier.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. You needed it. Can you tell me about it?”

  She marveled at this man. He was patient and kind, sure and true. Men like him didn’t exist in real life, at least not in her experience. With a few simple words, he’d just stolen another piece of her heart. It wouldn’t be long before he possessed the whole thing. She waited for the fear that thought should bring, but it never arrived. Huh, imagine that—after all she’d been through in her life, she wasn’t afraid of the consequences of falling for this man.

  “Wannabe?” Nathan prompted her.

  “As you probably already figured out, it was a letter from my father to my mother. Only, he never sent it to her. He didn’t go into a lot of detail, but it seemed like their match wasn’t approved by her family because he was much older than her. I don’t think his family was happy about it either. Like I told you before, my mom was fifteen when she got pregnant with me and sixteen when I was born. My father was twenty-two at the time. He’d just turned fifty-six before he died. In the letter, he said something about being put in jail, so I’m assuming statutory rape charges.” Rolling over to face Nathan, she continued, “He loved her so much. You’ll have to read the letter for yourself to fully see that. It just broke my heart. My whole life, my mom was alone, but the entire time there was a man here who loved her beyond sense, but they were forbidden to be together? Why didn’t he come find her later?”

  Sweeping a few loose strands of her hair off her face, Nathan kissed her softly. “I don’t know, but I bet the answers are in the rest of those letters.”

  “I don’t think I have the guts to read another one right now. Maybe tomorrow.” She brushed her mouth over his chin, enjoying the feel of his stubble against her lips. She wanted to trail kisses down his neck, drag his clothes off, and keep working her way down until his cock was buried in her throat. The desire surprised her. Normally she wasn’t one to initiate blow jobs or enjoy giving them too much, but the thought of making this strong man come undone under her hands and mouth turned her crank like nobody’s business.

  “Come on, let’s have a light lunch, since we’ll be eating at the barbecue later.” Nathan patted her ass softly and rolled away from her.

  “Then what?” she asked as she stood and stepped around the foot of the bed.

  He took her hand in his. “How about a walk? I’d love to see the rest of the property and what needs to be fixed if you’re getting the alpacas soon. I can do a few things for you while I’m here.”

  “Nathan, you don’t have to work while you’re here. I don’t—”

  Cupping her chin, he cut her off. His voice was low and husky. “Sweetheart, I want to help you out with whatever I can. Please let me.”

  His blue eyes bore into hers, setting her heart galloping in her chest. His intense gaze told her he wasn’t extending the offer for any other reason than he cared about her. He wasn’t trying to impress her nor did he think doing some work would get him into her pants. He really didn’t mind helping with some chores around her place, and he wouldn’t think less of her for asking for his assistance. Hell, she’d let him bulldoze the barn in that moment if he’d wanted to.

  Going up on her tiptoes, she kissed him softly on the lips. “You’re a good man, Nathan Casey. Let me feed you and then I’ll show you around Skyview.”

  His smile was the best reward for accepting his offer that she could ever receive.

  Willow pulled up to the drive-thru window and passed the coffee cup carrier the clerk handed her over to Nathan. Jeremiah was in the back seat, happily chattering away as if all three of them weren’t suffering from massive hangovers.

  “How the fuck are you so chipper, Jeremiah? Goddammit, my head feels like it’s going to split open, and you’re running at the mouth with no issue.” Nathan was grumpy as hell today, and Willow struggled not to find it slightly adorable.

  Jeremiah snorted. “I thought a solider like you would be more familiar with working through a hangover. First time?”

  “Fuck off, and no, it’s not,” he responded without any heat behind his words. “I’m just out of practice. I don’t pull this shit anymore.”

  Chuckling, Willow tried her best to ignore her own pounding head while she waited for the Tylenol she’d taken to finally kick in. The barbecue last night had quickly evolved into a party filled with line-dancing lessons, shot contests, and some du
mb-ass hay bale-tossing challenge that Nathan had somehow won. She admitted to herself with zero shame that watching a shirtless, tipsy Nathan toss bales of hay by firelight had been one of the best things she’d ever seen. She hadn’t missed the appreciative glances Jeremiah had snuck at Nathan either, but she wouldn’t hold it against him.

  “Shut up, both of you, and drink your coffee,” she ordered good-naturedly.

  “She’s bossy, ain’t she?” Jeremiah griped, poking Nathan in the shoulder, almost causing him to spill his coffee. “That your kind of thing? I could give you some tips if she’s super toppy.”

  “Goddammit, poke me again, and I’m going to snap your hand off and feed it to you. And what the fuck would you know about a toppy woman?” Willow had already confessed to Jeremiah that Nathan was aware of his secret. For his part, Nathan had assured her friend that he had no issues with the man’s sexual orientation, and he would remain mum about it when others were around. Willow liked how that knowledge gave Jeremiah the freedom to be who he really was with them, without having to worry about saying the wrong thing or being ridiculed. In fact, the two men acted as if they’d been friends for years, the way they joked around and gave each other shit, since shortly after Willow and Nathan had arrived at the JP Ranch yesterday.

  “Maybe not a toppy woman, but I know about bossy tops and just how to handle them. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “She isn’t a top! What, you think she’s wearing a strap-on and bending me over the couch, dammit? Fuck me, I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.” As they hit the road, Nathan kept up a steady stream of back-and-forth bitching with Jeremiah until Willow had enough. Reaching forward, she cranked the radio, blasting rock loud enough to shake the windows. It made her head feel like it was going to split like a melon, but it stopped their bickering mid-bicker. They both screeched and moaned as Nathan lunged forward to turn the music down while glaring at her.

  Willow pointed at him and then Jeremiah. “Both of you, shut your fool mouths, drink your coffee, and keep your hands to yourself. Fuck me, it’s like driving with a couple kids. If you can’t get along, I’ll leave you both right here on the side of the damn road and go to the farm myself. Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they replied in near unison, although both appeared to be trying to hide grins. Blessed silence filled the cab of the truck, and Willow sighed in relief.

  The rest of the drive passed uneventfully, with any further conversation being quite tame if not hushed. When they arrived at Birchwood Farm, their hangovers had faded to a tolerable level and both Nathan and Jeremiah had calmed down. Willow pulled her truck to a stop near a row of other vehicles and a livestock trailer.

  Grabbing her sunglasses and pulling the brim of her father’s Flyers hat farther down on her forehead, Willow hopped out. While her headache had subsided, the bright sun was killing her eyes, threatening to bring back the pounding.

  She waited by the hood of her truck for Nathan and Jeremiah to join her. The latter was scoping the place out with a practiced eye.

  “Looks like a good setup. Clean and in good repair, which bodes well for the state of the animals. Poorly maintained ranches usually equal sub-par quality livestock. Speaks to the character of the owners as well.” Gone was the joking goofball, and in his place was a multi-generational rancher. Even Nathan seemed to notice the change.

  “Speak for yourself, cowboy. Appearances can be deceiving—sometimes it’s the hired help that keeps everything afloat. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, as they say.”

  The deep voice coming from behind them startled Willow. Turning, she saw the source was one of the biggest men she’d ever seen. Standing at least six foot four, he was built like a brick shithouse. Broad shouldered, with short-cropped dark hair and tanned skin, he was handsome enough to stop traffic. His thick arms were crossed over his equally large chest as he stared at them with frank suspicion. His tree-trunk legs were shoulder-width apart, as if he was bracing himself on the deck of a ship on rolling seas and not hard, stable earth. Dressed in jeans, a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a black cowboy hat, he looked every inch a native Wyomingite.

  “Hello, sorry about that. I’m Willow Crawford. I’m here to see Jeffrey Faulkner about buying some alpacas and equipment?”

  When the man didn’t respond right away, Willow glanced at Jeremiah and saw he was frozen in place, his mouth slightly open. His eyes were glued to the other man, and a flush colored his cheeks, making his freckles stand out in stark contrast against his otherwise pale skin.

  Finally, the stranger spoke. “I’m Dale Harris, the foreman here. Sorry about the wary greeting, but I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”

  When Willow’s brow furrowed, as she wondered if she’d messed up the appointment time, the man held up a hand. “I highly doubt it was your fault—most likely I was given the wrong time. Anyway, Mr. Faulkner is up in the house on the phone. He asked me to give you a rundown of the operation, since he doesn’t know his ass from his elbow.”

  Okay, obviously he didn’t think much of the nephew of his deceased boss, Carl Faulkner. Willow wondered if Dale had gotten along with the elder Faulkner at all, but then she recalled Gail Broderick saying the man had been the foreman here for years and was well-liked and respected in the alpaca farming community.

  Dale continued, “I understand you might also want me to come work for you.” His eyes slid sideways to Jeremiah and quickly returned to hers, clearly dismissing the other man. Jeremiah’s back snapped straight at the slight, and she spoke as he began to step forward.

  “Maybe,” she responded, not wanting to commit until she managed to get a better read on the man. The glowing recommendations carried a lot of weight with her, but she was the one who’d be dealing with him on an everyday basis. “This is Nathan Casey and Jeremiah Urban. Nathan is my . . . um, my boyfriend.” Why had she hesitated on the word? “Jeremiah is my neighbor who owns a cattle operation, the JP Ranch. I’m very new to ranching of any variety, so he’s here to advise me.”

  “Fair enough. Come on then, tour starts now.”

  Dale was gruff and stoic, and Willow wasn’t sure what to think of him. As she followed the bigger man, she noticed Jeremiah had his eyes glued to Dale’s ass. She whacked him on the arm and hissed, “Stop it!”

  “What?” he whispered back. “Do you see that thing? How can I not stare at it?”

  Oh geez. This day was definitely not going as she’d planned. The last thing she needed was her best friend to start waving the rainbow flag for the first time in his life and in front of a man who might just deck him.

  Sigh.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Making sure the foreman couldn’t hear her, Willow glared at Jeremiah and quietly admonished him. “Can you not sexually harass the man I’m hoping to hire?”

  “Knock it off, both of you,” Nathan interjected, keeping his voice as low as theirs. He nodded his head toward where Dale had stopped by the open door of a barn and was waiting for them, with his arms crossed again over his massive chest and a scowl on his face. “You have an audience.”

  “Everything okay?” Dale asked, eyeing them shrewdly as they caught up to him.

  “Yup. Totally . . . fine.” Jeremiah said. “Don’t worry about us. Lead on.”

  Dale cocked an eyebrow in Jeremiah’s direction, shook his head, and then led the trio into a small corral that was attached to a medium-sized barn. Loud barks greeted them as they drew closer. “Those are the herd’s guard dogs—Johnny and June. They’re siblings and a mix of Great Pyrenees and Maremma sheepdogs. They’re trained to guard the alpacas from predators, sleeping most of the day and patrolling the barns and corrals at night. They also serve double duty as midwives and nannies. If a cria is in trouble, they’ll take it and hide it. One time, we had one that wasn’t doing well, and the mother wouldn’t have anything to do with the little guy. June tucked that cria so deep into a pile of hay, it took me an hour to find it.”
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  “That is so cool! Do they come with the alpacas if I purchase the herd?” Willow asked with delight, seeing the two giant, white and grey dogs standing on their back legs with their front paws on the fence. They were majestic, but their size was definitely intimidating.

  “Yes, they do. I raised them from pups—they’re more mine than Faulkner’s. He wants to get rid of them. If you don’t want them, I’ll keep them myself. Make sure that gate closes behind you. I’m not about to be chasing alpacas across the field today.” Jeremiah opened his mouth to respond, but Willow glared a warning at him.

  “Johnny, June. Down.” Dale followed the command with a sharp hand gesture. Obeying immediately, the dogs dropped down, settling on a pile of hay in the corner of the barn.

  The threesome followed the foreman through the set of gates before closing them. A sharp tang of ammonia hit Willow’s nose, and she recognized the light aroma of urine. The odor was very different from horses, but not as bad as other animals could be. In fact, it reminded her a little bit of Ethel’s litter box.

  They stepped over a pile of manure and followed Dale across the hay-strewn corral. There were two large metal troughs full of water, but otherwise the area was empty of any equipment.

  “Normally this time of year the alpacas stay outside, even sleeping out here when it’s not raining—they hate the rain. Otherwise, they’ll only go into the barn if they need to get out of the sun or away from each other a bit. They’ve very social animals, but like people, they have distinct personalities and fight on occasion—especially when the babies are around. The mothers are very protective of their young, and they operate as family units. You’ll learn which ones get along, which ones avoid each other, and how they’re related to one another, which is very important when it comes time for breeding. No one wants inbred alpacas.”

  The trio followed Dale deeper into the fenced area and around the side of the barn. Standing together in the shade of a metal canopy was a group of about eighteen alpacas, huddled around a pile of hay on the ground, taking turns eating. They were all different colors ranging from pure white to golden yellow to black and brown.