Smokin' Cowboys: A Contemporary, Reverse Harem Western (Loved By Three Book 1)

by Poppy Flynn

  “I’m going to dig around in the freezer for something to make for dinner,” she said to nobody in particular. Nobody answered.

  By the time she had found and identified some ground beef, she could hear voices in the kitchen. She should have known. It seemed there was only one thing that pulled the girls away from whatever it was they did all day, and that was the Carson brothers.

  “Wow, this place is looking great. You must have worked really hard.” She heard Ezra compliment as he ran his finger over the dresser shelf.

  “Oh, it didn't take long with all of us chipping in,” Sheri replied, beaming at him.

  Ellie stood in the doorway and just looked at her. Did she seriously just say that? They’d come down in time to arrange a few flowers which they hadn’t even picked themselves and based on that one, non-essential task they were taking credit for the lot!

  She was about to say her piece when Cora interrupted.

  “Ah, there you are, Ellie. Lunch is ready. Why don't you put that meat to defrost and come and join us?”

  She didn't know if it was her imagination, but somehow Cora almost made it sound as if Ellie had only just put in an appearance. She had made lunch - nothing special, just grilled cheese and tinned soup - but she’d made an effort to include her, so it seemed rude to say anything.

  “So, what's for dinner this evening? asked Syrus, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

  “I thought I'd make a big batch of chili,” Ellie told the table at large. Whether or not her suspicions were groundless, there was going to be no mistaking who made tonight’s meal.

  “Sounds good,” said Cody with a smile. “You can't beat a good chili.”

  “He's right there,” Ezra agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “Good, nutritious ranch food that's stood the test of time, and one of my personal favorites.”

  Ellie felt her heart lift. Finally, she was doing something right. She took that happy thought with her and let it warm her as she weeded the veggie garden that afternoon after setting the chili to slow cook. Life was good. She was finding her place here on the land, even if she couldn’t quite decide on a preference between the three brothers, but that was okay too. She liked them all equally; she didn’t mind waiting for one of them to choose her.

  Ellie came indoors tired and dusty, but content, and checked the progress of her chili. It was another of her Gran's special recipes and lifted an everyday chili to new heights with the addition of a few subtle herbs.

  Happy with how it had progressed, she turned it down low to keep warm and set the rice cooker on timer so she could take a quick shower before dinner.

  She was even happier when she returned to find that things hadn’t been monopolized by the sisters for once. She set the table and greeted the men when they all came in together. As soon as they’d washed up, the ‘trifecta’, as she had started to think of them, arrived like clockwork and Ellie hefted the large crockpot onto the table and busied herself fetching rice, freshly made cornbread and a dish of tortilla chips.

  She served up and smiled as everybody tucked in. It was Carly who screeched first. “Oh my god! You’re trying to kill us!”

  Her words were followed by Sheri rushing out of the room, gagging, and Cora spitting her mouthful into a napkin.

  Ezra coughed and she could see his eyes watering as he blinked rapidly and grabbed for his water glass.

  “What?” Ellie cried in alarm; her eyes wide with shock. “What is it?”

  Cody took a tentative sniff at the chili on his fork and gingerly touched his tongue to just the very edge before he screwed up his nose.

  “I think you might have gone slightly overboard on the chili powder,” he said, throwing his discarded utensil back onto his plate.

  “The chili powder?” she asked in confusion. “But…”

  “It’s an easy enough mistake,” said Syrus, picking up the crockpot and pouring the contents into the garbage disposal.

  “But…” Ellie trailed off, feeling tears prickling behind her eyes.

  “You did your best, I’m sure.” Cora might have been trying for reassuring, but to Ellie it just sounded smug and condescending.

  How the heck could this have happened?

  “I’ll… I’ll just go and… and see what else…” Ellie stuttered brokenly.

  “Not likely!” Sheri exclaimed stridently. “You’ve already tried to poison us once tonight, just keep out of the way.”

  “Cody, why don’t you come and help me see what we can throw together quickly?” Cora said in a conciliatory tone, even while she threw Ellie a look which was something akin to a false pity.

  “I’ll check on Sheri,” Ezra declared, taking himself off.

  And just like that, she was alone at the dinner table among the ruins of what should have been a lovely meal, wondering just how things had gone so wrong.

  Standing up as if in a daze, she stumbled out of the kitchen, out of the house, and left them all to it.

  With no clear idea of how she got there, Ellie found herself in the barn with Blaze. Without a thought, as to whether she was in any danger, she let herself into the horse’s stall and flopped down on the hay in the corner.

  Blaze came over and nuzzled at her, and Ellie petted the animal’s nose and neck.

  “It doesn’t make any sense, Blaze.” Ellie allowed the tears to fall at last.

  “I checked that chili less than an hour before we ate, and it was just fine. There’s no way it could have had too much chili powder in it unless…”

  She trailed off from her monologue with the horse as her mind started whirling at a mile a minute.

  Surely it couldn’t be what she was thinking. And yet how else could something like that have happened? She’d measured the ingredients precisely, and she’d given the dish a taste test before she went up for her shower… and then she’d left it unattended for around forty minutes.

  “There’s no way it could have had too much chili powder in it…” she repeated in a halting whisper. “Unless somebody doctored it. Sabotage, Blaze. It must have been sabotage, but who would do such a thing?”

  Of course, she didn’t need to think too long and hard over that one. If anyone was going to deliberately ruin a meal in order to make her look bad, that it was going to be Cora, Carly, or Sheri. But which one? Or were they all in on it?

  Closing her eyes against the dejection, she allowed herself to give in to a brief moment of misery and let the rest of the tears fall. She just needed to let it all out, she told herself. Then she’d be ready to pick herself up and start over again.

  “Ellie?…. Ellie, wake up.” The voice was barely above a whisper, but she blinked open her gritty eyes and looked around her.

  “Sorry, I must have dozed off,” she said to Syrus in a voice that still held the slight huskiness of sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretched a little, then stilled as Syrus brought his hand up to her hair and pulled out a couple of stalks of straw.

  She looked up at him. He was kneeling next to her, his face just a couple of inches from her own, those clear, tawny eyes quite mesmerizing.

  “We were looking for you. Got a bit worried when we couldn’t find you in the house.”

  “Everything got messed up and…”

  “Hey, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. We’ve all messed up a time or two.”

  Her gaze was drawn to his mouth, the full lips that looked so soft. She licked her own lips reflexively, then caught the bottom one between her teeth when she realized what she was doing.

  Syrus moved his hand from her hair and grasped her chin, pulling her trapped lip away with his thumb.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, overcome with the desire to redeem herself and tell him her suspicions. “It’s just that I think…”

  Somewhere in the back of her mind Gran’s voice was preaching to her again. ‘Now come on, sweetie, it’s a sad and sinful day when you accuse somebody without the slightest shred of proof.’

  She trailed off
and shook her head, her conscience getting the better of her. The motion moved his thumb against her lower lip, and he pressed down, then swept it across again with slow deliberation.

  Ellie’s breath stuck in her throat and her eyes flew to his. Time seemed to be suspended as Syrus glided his fingers across her cheek and into her hair.

  He bent his head and her gaze flicked to his mouth once again as it inched closer.

  She could feel his breath on her face, feel his warmth on her skin, and anticipation had her heart thumping hard in her chest. Then, the second before his lips touched hers, a high-pitched voice shrieked out his name.

  “Syrus? Syruuus…” The note was long and screechy, and Blaze immediately pawed the ground in fright, automatically backing away from the door of the stall and bringing down her powerful, bucking hoofs dangerously close to the two of them.

  Syrus pulled her close and tucked her into his chest, gathering her in his arms and ducking his head into her neck until Blaze finally moved away again. Then he was on his feet, pulling her up with him.

  “Shh… shh…. shhh,” he hushed urgently to the horse, but Sheri was still shouting, and the spooked animal was getting more and more agitated.

  “Quickly,” Ellie encouraged. “You go and shut her up and I’ll calm Blaze.”

  He looked like he wanted to argue, but there wasn’t time.

  “Go!” She pushed him bodily towards the door of the stall and hastily caught Blaze’s head, cooing and stroking until she was calm again.

  Slipping out of the box herself, she carefully latched the door and made her way out of the stable. She had just reached the exit when an ear-piercing squeal shattered the newfound stillness.

  Behind her, Ellie heard Blaze kick at the walls of her stall in fright. Ahead of her, she exited the stable block just in time to see Syrus scoop a limping Sheri into his arms and carry her off to the house.

  The other girl’s hands looped around his neck and she lay her head against his shoulder, and whatever moment Ellie thought she had shared with him went flying off on melancholy wings into the darkness of the night.

  Chapter Seven

  That night her dreams were fractured and troubled. They had her tossing and turning, waking frequently.

  In them Cora, Carly and Sheri took turns making her life a misery, undermining her when she did good, taking credit for her accomplishments, sabotaging what they couldn’t manipulate. All while they tried their best to capture the interest of the three Carson brothers and ensure that their attention never fell on Ellie for too long.

  She felt like Cinderella in some kind of warped nightmare reality. Doing all the work while they lived the easy life and made certain that she never managed to claw her way out of the pit they were digging for her. And as they made absolutely certain that neither Cody, Syrus or Ezra gave her so much as a second glance.

  She’d get mad and want to punish them, and then Gran's ghost would be right there, advising her to be the better person, telling her not to stoop to their level. Reminding her that whatever was meant to be, will be.

  ‘Remember, in the end, no one benefits from their sins, Ellie.’

  With Gran's voice calming her, the dreams changed direction and her innermost desires, the things she kept locked away, her hopes and longings and most primal needs came creeping out of their hiding places, searching for light and acceptance.

  Her yearning to find a forever home, to get out of the rat race, somewhere where she could live happily doing the things she loved best. To be surrounded by nature and old-fashioned values. All she wanted was someone to take care of, and somebody to take care of her in return. To love and be loved… but she’d settle for tenderness and respect and stability. Maybe that could lead to love.

  Attraction…

  In her dreams, Syrus finished that kiss. His lips met hers and the rest of her body immediately caught fire. In her dreams, he wasn’t always a gentleman. His kisses burned and his fingers sought and found all the sensitive places on her body.

  In her dreams Ezra joined him; he didn’t leave her to go walking with Carly. Instead, his head bent and the kiss she had imagined became a reality… if dreams could be a reality.

  And then all three of them were there.

  Syrus and Ezra pleasuring her with sensual self-indulgence. Cody joining them with his dominant, masterful ways, bending her to his will.

  In this place, they only had eyes for her. Their hands and mouths were everywhere; loving her, cherishing her, enjoying her, delighting her. Punishing her for yielding to the sisters’ devious ways. Spanking her for her sins.

  She thrashed about, her breasts heavy; her nipples tightly budded and overly sensitive. Her pussy ached and clenched and wept; in emptiness… in anticipation. Sensations rode over her skin on invisible hands; plucking, stroking, pressing into those intimate places. Stimulating, frustrating.

  Warm bodies, hot skin, burning attraction. A sexual conflagration just waiting to ignite. Ready for the ultimate detonation.

  Ellie writhed and moaned, arched up to meet the climax she was so desperately chasing.

  And then it was upon her, fragmenting and shattering her before making her whole again.

  Ellie screamed and the sound of her own voice woke her.

  It was all still so vivid. Her heart thumped wildly, and her pulse raced. She had that sated feeling that was quickly dissipating into a contented lethargy.

  Jeez, she had just had the female equivalent of a wet dream. She had actually reached orgasm at the hands of three incorporeal guys whose pursuit existed only in her head. How sad was it that her dream lovers had brought her more satisfaction that any physical incarnation ever had?

  As her body came down from the sweaty heights of dreamland pleasure, and her clammy body cooled, Ellie found herself acutely embarrassed and listening for movement, wondering if anyone had heard her cry out.

  Thank goodness she was in the attic.

  She couldn’t get back to sleep again afterwards, no matter how hard she tried. Her dreams and everything they might mean just kept swirling around in her head. She decided to make herself a drink. Perhaps a hot cup of cocoa would help her settle.

  She would have really liked to shower, but with the bathroom being on the middle floor, close to all the bedrooms, she didn’t dare, just in case she woke anyone. She was already in all their bad books without adding to it further.

  Sitting quietly at the table with a hot mug of cocoa didn’t have quite the desired effect, and in the end Ellie decided to do some baking. That always helped her think. She could make breakfast muffins for the morning.

  Ninety minutes later, she had three different batches of muffins cooling on trays; Bacon, Cheese and Spinach, Banana and Blueberry and Double Chocolate Chip.

  Okay, so those last ones weren’t a breakfast muffin, but surely everyone loved chocolate. They could be put away for snacks or packed lunches. The men had been talking all week about how they might have to go up to one of the far pastures and move the cattle closer since there were some typical June thunderstorms forecast for the following week.

  With that thought in mind, she made up a batch of flapjacks, since they would keep and pack well as well as provide plenty of energy and carbs for a hardworking cowboy.

  When she’d finished, it was still a way off dawn, but she thought she might be able to sleep for an hour or so.

  Except in the end, it was way more than an hour.

  Ellie groaned as she looked at the sun, high in the sky. By the time she’d showered, dressed and made her way downstairs, the muffins she’d baked had been decimated and there was no sign of anyone.

  Oh well, at least they’d clearly enjoyed their breakfast, she thought to herself as she stored what was left in a couple of airtight containers.

  Looking around for something to do, Ellie found a pile of mending that looked like it had been long neglected and took it up to her room. As she made her way up to the attic she wondered, not for the first time, wha
t the trifecta were doing? She slowed as she passed what she assumed must be their rooms. No sound came from the first five, but as she crept down the hall a little further than she had any need to go, the distinctive sound of female laughter and a background of daytime television could be heard.

  Ellie shook her head. How could they do that day after day? Weren’t they bored witless? She certainly would be.

  Escaping up to her own private sanctuary, she dug out her Gran's old-fashioned sewing box and tackled the mending. There was nothing too difficult. A patch on a pair of jeans that must have been comfortable and well loved, since they had various other patches already sewn on in a rather more haphazard manner than her own. She tried not to wonder which brother they belonged to, although she ventured a guess that they might be Ezra’s. Possibly Syrus’, but certainly not Cody’s. She couldn’t imagine him wearing anything so jazzed up. She tried not to imagine how that butter-soft fabric would mold and shape his sexy ass and muscled thighs. Her mouth went dry just thinking about it, and snippets of this morning’s dream came rushing back and her face heated just from the thought.

  Next there was a smart western style shirt with a button missing. Luckily it still had the spare attached to the side label, so she sewed that back on and tried her hardest not to imagine - Cody, she suspected - with a smile on his often serious face, and the fabric stretched across his defined pecs.

  She found a pair of socks with a small hole in the toe and decided they were safer. Nothing to get her panties in a wad about darning socks. Pity she couldn’t say the same about the two plaid shirts, one with the breast pocket coming unstitched and the other with a frayed seam down one side. The flannel was soft and warm, and her mind wandered to the chests they would be covering. Wondered if they were as muscular and hair roughened as she thought they were. What they would feel like under her roaming hands and exploring fingers. Taut, well-developed muscles forged from hard work and manual labor. She’d noticed their tanned forearms when they sat at the dinner table with their sleeves rolled up. Would they have the same tan all over? Would they lose their shirts in the heat of the summer sun and work with those magnificent chests slicked under a sheen of honest sweat?