Knockin' Boots: A Cowboy Romance (Triple K Ranch Book 1)

by J. L. Beck

“I sort of, maybe…like—? Well, I stalked you too, I guess?”

  Looking stunned, he tilted his hat back.

  “Sometimes, when you left the diner, I would sneak out just to watch you get into this truck.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “But well…you can see why I’m having a tough time here, don’t you?”

  Cole nodded and looked out through the windshield. “You mean you couldn’t figure out just who you may have been stalking?”

  “Yes!” she answered. “I also don’t want to drive you away because of that selfish brother of yours.”

  “Well, truth be told, he said something selfish about you, back at the garage just now.”

  Brea gulped and stared at him.

  “He said you had the hots for him first and…”

  Brea gasped, as his voice faded away. “Well, seeing how I was stalking you in this very truck more than once? I’m not so sure that it wasn’t you I had the hots for all along anyhow, but I dang well know who it is I want now!”

  “Are you sure?”

  Nodding her head, she grabbed his hands. “See this?” She looked down at his large warm palm.

  Gazing down at her grip, Cole looked puzzled.

  “You have hands that show how hard you’ve worked all your life.”

  He shook his head at her while looking bewildered.

  Brea turned his hand over. “There are tiny scars all along your fingers here on your left hand.” She lowered her lips and kissed his scarred knuckles just like she’d promised herself. “And see this here?” She pointed at the long scar on his right palm. “I’ll just bet this came from a rope burn when you were wrangling calves at brandin’ time.”

  Sitting still, he looked stunned.

  “Now, just to be clear, I’ve never held your brother’s hands like this, but I noticed he has smooth, soft looking hands.”

  He remained mute as he stared hard at her face.

  “Also?” She reached up, threading her fingers under his hat and through his silky dark hair. “You have curly, wavy hair and he has straight hair.”

  Cole did look surprised.

  “One other thing and you gotta promise not to get a big ego.”

  He tugged his hat back down and gave her one of those teasing winks. “With you around, it’s already getting so huge that I may just pop!”

  Brea laughed as she continued, “Well, you’re more built than him, like he slumps when he is standing, while you stand with your back straight. He seems to have muscles, but they seem to be superficial and not as refined as yours.”

  Cole stared hard at her as she spoke.

  “Now, I don’t know what the heck happened between you, him and that Vikki person, but I want you to know that I’ll never get confused again!” There, she did it! She gave him both barrels and she laid her cards out for him to see.

  He nodded, though he still looked a little dazed at her succinct knowledge of so many small details.

  Feeling good now that she cleared the air about mixing the two men up, she gave him one of her wickedest winks. “So, why don’t ya come on up to my apartment with me, big boy…” she added in her best Mae West voice.

  Grinning, he gave her a salute. “Well, you won’t have to ask me twice, Miss Plush!” He got out of the truck and rushed around the front. Opening the heavy truck door for her, he grabbed her up and swung her out. He swiveled around and slammed it shut with a kick of his cowboy boot.

  Giggling, she was startled when he didn’t put her down right away. “Um, Cole?”

  “Yes?” He was still smiling as he made his way through the entrance.

  “You do realize that it’s two flights up to my apartment, right?”

  “So?” He gazed down at her face. “It’s also a million miles to heaven and yet I’m there!”

  At his sweet romantic words, Brea’s heart hammered in her chest while she wondered what her neighbors would think about some hunky man carrying her all the way to her door. Ah hell, it’s about time I finally gave them something naughty to talk about. “Well, then I do have another odd question,” she added, as he was already halfway up the second flight.

  Halting his jaunty steps, he stared down at her face, and he looked a little anxious. “Yeah?”

  Biting her lip, a hundred good, wild momma lines danced in her head, begging to be said, but she figured she’d now make up some of her own. “Um, do you like to take your rose scented bubble baths with or without wearing your cowboy hat?”

  Cole lifted his head, as he seemed to think about the answer very carefully. “Well, Miss Plush, I don’t know if we should be taking a bubble bath on our first date and all.”

  This answer wasn’t what she expected or what she’d hoped to hear and she felt that tilting downhill feeling again.

  “Seeing as to how I’ve never even brought you roses or fed you M&M’s yet.” He gazed down at her while his cobalt eyes sparkled from beneath that dusty cowboy hat.

  A very big lump formed in her throat as she gazed up at the cowboy who she now knew for sure would star in more than just her dreams.

  “But maybe, I could just owe you a mighty truckload of roses and I do have a possibly melted pack of M&M’s in my pocket?”

  Brea suddenly knew for sure that she’d been mightily mistaken before. This? Right here—right now? Was the finest breathless moment of her life, like none other before. “Well, Mister Sweet Cheeks, we’d best hurry up. If they’re in your hot pockets? They might all just melt without me!”

  At her comical answer, Cole let out a huge laugh as he rushed up the rest of the steps to her apartment door.

  CHAPTER SIX

  To Do List

  Never look back, unless you’re planning to go that way…

  Friday Night, Flatonia Apartments

  Brea Plush shook all over and didn’t know how to make it stop. She wanted everything to be perfect. She knelt down and felt the temperature of the bath water. Too hot? A nervous giggle escaped her. Not as hot as the tasty cowboy who waited in her living room. Her—living room! That’s right, Mama! I did it. I shamelessly went for it.

  She just couldn’t believe that Cole Kincade, all 6‘2” of him, the hottest thing to ride leather…sat waiting for her special bubble bath. She needed to calm down and try to act right. She still couldn’t take in all that’d happened.

  After weeks of jonsing for the tall, sexy cowboy she’d met while waitressing at the Flattop, she decided that her life was empty and boring as hell. She swallowed her fear and went out to the Kincade ranch and applied for the cook’s job there. The monarch of the Kincade family, Mable, was a tough old lady. Thankfully, Cole’s sister, Kanda, got her hired. She said she was tired of doing all the cooking.

  Brea couldn’t believe her luck, and she was put right to work too. Then, to her surprise, she found that she’d been chasing the wrong man. Wait—the right man, but the wrong… She let out a sigh. How was she to know her ideal man was half of a whole set of identical twins?

  At least she’d caught on before it became a three way combustive explosion of drama. Jet, Cole’s twin, had never been interested in her anyway. Well, not until he thought his brother might be. I convinced Cole finally though. I could tell the difference between them. Good thing, because after Cole’s confession about how his brother stole his last girl? Whew. I almost fucked it all up!

  Taking a deep breath, she shut the water off and gazed around at the bathroom. Hurry up, you got him here and now you’re daydreamin’? Okay, scented bubbles, temperature just right and towels at the ready. Now what’s next on the list of what would make this even better? Candles! Yeah, that would be sexy. Rose-scented bath, low lighting, and maybe the pounding of her life too! She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she thought of what a wonderful round of pounding she’d received just this very afternoon.

  Cole had stripped down to his natural state and she’d nearly orgasmed on the spot. Oh, wow he was a long, tall drink of water, all right.
He’d planted her on a wooden table and stood back to remove his jeans. As he unbuttoned his fly? She had almost bit her lip clean through. He had a physique that just didn’t stop! Imagining that tall muscular bod and a package—oh, man. Some packages are just meant to be opened and enjoyed, way before Christmas! She covered her mouth to keep from laughing aloud and felt her cheeks flaming.

  She needed to quit dawdling. He was gonna get impatient and think she’d drowned herself or something. Anxiously, she rifled through the vanity drawer and found a few vanilla candles, then looked around for matches. She pulled open drawer number two and three. Dammit! Maybe in the kitchen?

  She stepped to the door and took a deep breath. Opening it, she peeked out. Darnit, Brea, what the hell are you sneakin’ around for? Bravely, she stepped out into her tiny hall and made her way to the living room. “Well, the bubble bath is on, sexy…” Brea looked around. No Cole. She made her way to the kitchen. Maybe he was looking for a beer?

  Her little all white kitchen stood empty. No Cole. Her heartbeat picked up. Where was he? She rushed to the door and to the railing, peering down at the parking lot. No truck. No Cole, the statement repeated in her mind. What happened?

  Brea tried not to panic. Why would he just up and leave like that? Men were easy to get but hard to keep. She shook her head and pushed the horrible saying from her mind. This just couldn’t be true about Cole though. She shut the door and sat on her couch with a huge sigh. If he went to get something, then why didn’t he just tell her? Her eyes dropped to her coffee table and her heart nearly stopped.

  There, on top of her Glamour magazine was her list of to do notebook. On it, as usual, was a boring list:

  BUY MILK

  Do a load of whites

  Check mail

  Go after the hottest cowboy in the world…Jet K!

  “Oh, God!” Brea stood up as she stared down at the little heart doodles she’d drawn around his name. Cole had sat right here and saw that! He couldn’t know that I didn’t know about the twin thing two days ago. That was the only name I had; the cook at the Flattop told me his name was Jet. How was I to know that it was Cole I wanted and not Jet?

  She wrung her hands nervously. What can I do? He really had a complex over his brother and who could blame him, really? Jet took his girlfriend by fooling her into thinking she was sleeping with Cole. Brea thought of the very confused housekeeper at the Triple K. She was easy to fool, I’ll bet. Also, his brother only showed an interest in me after he knew Cole liked me.

  Brea sat back down on her couch with a hard thump. It was all going so well, and we were just getting started. She needed help; she needed a plan. Oh, boy, she knew she’d regret this, but she needed her mama!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Prime Rib

  It takes two to get one into trouble.

  Cattle range, fifteen milers outside of Flatonia, Saturday 7 a.m.

  The herd looked pretty dammed good, Kanda Kincade thought as she rode the lead horse for the drive. The old saying applied to her life; if you’re not making dust, you’re eatin’ it. She smiled at the old cowboy motto as the cattle moved along at a good clip. Cattle drives weren’t done much anymore, but her mother insisted on keeping the old tradition. It wasn’t a long drive, just ten miles into Flatonia.

  Kanda never complained. It was the only time she felt like she was actually free. Being a cowpuncher was in her blood, so a drive always made her happy.

  Her brother, Cole, usually went on the drives, but he seemed preoccupied lately. She rolled her eyes. She didn’t know if it’d been the right thing to hire Brea Plush as the ranch’s cook. He’d finally gotten over his failed relationship with that dumbass fluff head housekeeper that Ma just had to hire. The last few days, he seemed happy though, so maybe it was for the best?

  Happy? A foreign word to her. So, maybe satisfied was a better word for her? Her entire life was spent on the family ranch—the Triple K. Still, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Her days were full and busy.

  The fact that she worked with an all male crew never bothered her either. Not that there would be romantic thoughts of any kind involving one of them and her. Kanda almost laughed aloud. No, these cowboys never saw her as a woman or a hot babe, that’s for sure.

  It didn’t really bother her, but sometimes, she wished she could just be someone else for a while. Maybe go on a date or two? Meet a man who didn’t know who she was and had nothing to do with the cattle business. Kanda shook her head. Not likely. She was a particular female and stayed on the ranch all the time with the exception of trips to Dallas and San Antonio.

  Get a man and lasso a life for yourself! Her mom was always saying that. She would go on and on about Kanda never taking a fun trip or trying to make friends. Mable loved to rant about Kanda’s impossible list of requirements in a man.

  Sure, she certainly did have a set of requirements for this supposed man in her life. She herself was a large curvy woman, but she was in shape, because working a ranch was almost like an Olympian triathlon at times. So, a man for her? He would have to be a big guy himself. He would also have to stand up to her, because Kanda couldn’t stomach a sissy type guy.

  Who cares anyway? Who wants some man bossin’ them around? She moved her horse past the turn as the Flatonia station came into view. The beef in her life wasn’t the kind you could date. Besides, who could beat a big ole meaty slice of choice prime rib? Kanda laughed aloud as she rode her horse. I ain’t met me a man yet that could compare to that experience. Wearing an amused smile, she rode past the herd and headed for the platform.

  *~*~*~*

  Main Street, Flatonia Texas

  Brea needed a ride. It was 8 a.m. and she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. She stood out on Main Street after locking up her apartment and deciding she would walk all the way to Victoria if she had to. Her car hadn’t been much to look at, but she relied on it to get her where she needed to go. She’d left it in a ditch on Triple K land, after trying to avoid sharing her front seat with a side of beef.

  She only had two days before she needed to be back at the ranch, early on Monday to cook for the crew. She couldn’t reach her mom by phone, but that didn’t surprise her none. Her mother had a busy life and never answered her phone. What the hell her mother actually did at her little ranch was a complete mystery to Brea. She wondered why her mom would buy a place so far out and what the hell did she ever know about cows, except how rare she liked a steak to be?

  This reminded her about her mom always comparing men with beef. Something like, it was a hard choice if you had to choose between a man and a steak. But it don’t make no difference really, both meats were better rare and served up hot. Brea laughed a little. She wasn’t like her ma though; she’d chosen her man. At one point in the last couple of days, she’d even had him served up rare and he was just about hot as they came. She nibbled nervously at her lip. He came and…he went. She tried to set her crushed heart aside, because dwelling wasn’t gonna do her no good right now.

  The train whistle went off a ways down where the train yards were. Brea halted. The cattle drive! She wondered if she’d find Cole there. Then, she released a heavy breath. She didn’t have the courage to face him yet. She didn’t know what to do next. Yeah, she got him to notice her, well more than notice. Now though? She needed to figure out how to convince him all over again that he was the man she wanted.

  Picking up her pace, she thought maybe she’d take a peek at the train platforms and see if Cole was actually there. She knew she shouldn’t, but she ached to just get another look at him. Somehow, she felt that if she did, she’d have more courage to get him back. Something like getting to see the trophy shining in the sun before you suited up for the big game. After all…what better motivation than to see him? She just needed to make sure he didn’t see her.

  The yards came into view and Brea stayed back a ways, standing by the general store wall. She felt like she did before, all those times she spied on the yummy cowboy before dec
iding she would actually go after him. This wasn’t a good sign really, sneakin’ around and feeling stupid. She realized she was back to being the shy wallflower Brea, standing at the wall, waiting to be picked.

  Kanda Kincade was dismounting her horse and shouting out orders.

  Brea bit at her lip as she remembered what Kanda had said to her just the day before. ‘Don’t make me regret hiring you.’ Well, now she would probably fire me after the huge mistake I made.

  Brea shook off the feeling. I’m already giving up. I never did have what it took to get what I wanted. She watched the curvy Kincade woman telling all those rough and rowdy men what to do and walking around with an air of confidence. This woman knew what she wanted in life and she didn’t care that she was a heavyset babe. She just seemed to command attention. She was built like Brea, but she was fit too.

  Brea realized she was standing here and pathetically comparing herself to someone else and feeling the lack. This wasn’t gonna help the situation none. She was suddenly full of doubt and feeling like she’d been stupid to even try to get someone like Cole Kincade.

  Small is what ya feel inside, Brea, when the world gets too big. She remembered the saying now, cuz she hadn’t felt as low as this since the end of high school. Her mamma had always known what to say to her. She remembered when she’d said that, it’d been prom week and Brea didn’t have a date, so she sulked in her room.

  Her mom had some choice words about that all right. You just gonna lie down like a leaf of lettuce and wilt away? Her mom had been pretty darn mad.

  She’d replied with something like, what do you want me to do, go stag?

  Her mom had clicked her tongue and whipped out the phone book. “We’re gonna find you a date.”

  Well, Brea sure as hell didn’t know what the yellow pages could do to change the fact that she was a plus size teen in a world where the skinny sticks with boobs won all the boy lotteries. What did she think would be in there? ‘Call a Date for the shy Girl’ service?