Her Troubled Cowboy
A Harland County/
Citizen Soldier Crossover Novel
Book 9: Keiffer
NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author
by Donna Michaels
Copyright © 2016, Donna Michaels
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Cover Artist: Donna Michaels
Cover photo by Cover Me Photography with Jose Ruiz
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
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About this Book
Some incidents from the past are not easily forgotten…
For over a year, former National Guardsman Keiffer Wyne left his past in Pennsylvania to start a new life, drifting from ranch to ranch across the southwest. Unrestricted, nomadic, unaccountable—he embraces the new lifestyle, until he’s called upon to watch over his sister Brandy during her husband’s absence. The problem? She’ll be there. The one woman capable of breaking through his barriers and making him feel.
Caitlin Ryan can’t believe who blew into Harland County looking dangerous, hotter, sexier than the time they shared an unforgettable weekend together. She knows he’s still dealing with the death of his buddy and his mind isn’t in a good place, but neither of them are strong enough to fight their undeniable attraction. Keiffer’s troubled and all wrong for her, counting down the days until he leaves. Too bad she never learned to shy away from trouble…
Thanks for reading,
~Donna
www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
Author’s Note
Visit www.donnamichaelsuathor.com for more titles and release dates and to join Donna Michaels’ Newsletter at Newsletter. Enjoy exclusive reads, enter subscriber only contests, and be the first to know about upcoming books!
Acknowledgements
A big shout out to the wonderfully talented Becky McGraw and CoverMe Photography and to cover model Jose Ruiz for the perfect photo I used when creating my cover! Once again, my job was made so easy!
The biggest shout out to Carolyn DePew, Emily, and Jes for editing around my crazy schedule. You all rock!
Dedication
This is dedicated to all those dealing with suicide. Even though I am an author, there are no words to voice my thoughts and feelings. Just know my heart is with you.
I’d like to thank the Harland County and Citizen Soldier fans for their patience in waiting for Keiffer’s story. With my husband’s unit having been touched by suicide more than once, this was by far the hardest book I’ve written and I wanted to make sure I did it justice.
I took pains to balance the right amount of humor with such a tough subject and truly love how it all turned out. I hope the readers enjoy, too!
♥
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
ALSO BY DONNA MICHAELS
About the Author
Can’t get enough Hot Cowboys?
Chapter One
The sound of a vehicle approaching penetrated through Keiffer Wyne’s uneasy slumber, jolting him upright in the back of his truck. His chest heaved as he dragged in the crisp morning air.
That damn dream again.
Sweat-soaked and shaking, he scrubbed a hand over his face, his palm scraping over the beard he’d trimmed for his sister before hitting the road yesterday. Just once he’d love to catch a few hours of solid, dreamless sleep. It had been his sole quest since leaving his family, his friends—his home—in the Poconos of Pennsylvania a year and a half ago. But no matter where the hell he went, or what the hell he did, that damn nightmare followed. He couldn’t outrun it.
Or the memories…
“Greg? Where are you, man?” he called out as he entered the silent garage. “I’ve come armed with breakfast sandwiches from Lea.”
No response. No wrenches clanking or creeper wheels scuffing…just silence.
Dead silence.
Images of his best friend laying on the concrete floor next to the Oldsmobile they were restoring, his head surrounded by a pool of blood from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, haunted Keiffer day and night.
Swallowing a curse, he unzipped the sleeping bag and tossed it aside before he scrambled off the back of the truck. The sun inched up the sky, bringing warmth to the cold December morning. He forced himself to suck in a deep, ragged breath. He missed the scent of snow and pine trees, which, no doubt, prevailed back home, but the smell of dirt and a faint mixture of salted Gulf air helped clear his head.
He was in Texas now, not Pennsylvania.
He no longer worked at the Pocono resort he owned with his brothers. No longer served in the National Guard with his brothers. No longer walked around his hometown, choking on childhood memories of Greg everywhere he turned, or the knowledge he hadn’t been there to save his buddy’s ass. To stop him from pulling the damn trigger.
That last part followed him. Haunted. Tortured. Twisted.
Despite roaming from ranch to ranch across the southwest and throwing himself into the physical labor of a ranch hand, he still found no resolution. He was edgy and pissed at himself—at Greg—at the world. But staying busy helped. It was the key to keeping sane.
Stretching the kinks out of his back and neck, he watched a black truck slow down to a stop in front of his Ford and immediately recognized the driver.
Kade Dalton, his brother-in-law, and part of the reason he was in Harland County.
“Keiffer. Good to see you.” The guy approached with a confident, sure stride, and shoulders set in a typical military fashion. Similar to Keiffer’s father, and brother, Ben, both career military men.
“You, too, Kade.” He shook the man’s hand, noting a measure of knowing and understanding in his strong grip and keen gray gaze.
A first sergeant in the National Guard, Kade Dalton was a good leader, a good man, and a good husband to Keiffer’s sister, Brandi. The man adored her, and his sister blossomed from it, bouncing back from the mistreatment from her former asshat boyfriend.
His brother-in-law released him to motion to his truck. “Break down?”
Shit, yeah.
He was a damn mess, but that wasn’t what the guy meant. Keiffer held back a snort and shook his head instead. “Nah. Pulled over to crash for a few.” He walked to the back to roll up his sleeping bag. “Didn’t want to knock on your door in the middle of the night.”
Having arrived in Harland County in the wee hours of the morning, he’d decided to catch a few hours of shut eye before proceeding to his sister’s ranch.
Kade nodded. “I was on
my way to meet Connor for breakfast. Why don’t you join us? His wife Kerri is cooking at her restaurant, The Texas Republic. It isn’t open, so it’ll just be us.”
He smirked and scratched his bristled jaw. “I look that bad, huh?”
The guy grinned. “A little rough. Nothing a good breakfast can’t fix—and maybe some clippers.”
If it delayed his reunion with Brandi, he was all for it. “All right. Yes to breakfast, but no to the clippers.” Not that he didn’t love his sister. He did. But Keiffer wasn’t in any hurry to hear her fuss over him or to see the compassion and emotion fill her brown eyes until it spilled over.
God, no.
He wasn’t ready for that.
Would never be ready for that.
Hell, that’s why he’d delayed visiting her for the past year and half. Until she’d told him about…
He stilled, then turned to Kade. “Hey, Jesus, where’s my brain? Congratulations, man.”
Pride and a flash of something deeper warmed Kade’s gaze. “Thanks.” His height appeared to increase as they shook hands again. “Me—a dad. Not something I ever thought I’d be.” Darkness clouded the father-to-be’s gaze, but a shake of his head sent it away. “Then I met your sister. She’s my Godsend.”
Keiffer saw and felt every bit of the emotion Kade put into those words. He nodded. “That’s Brandi. Our family was blessed when she arrived, too.”
He could still remember the day his father introduced Brandi and her mother Caroline to him and his three brothers. The youngest at twelve, Keiffer had been closest in age to the shy ten-year-old girl whose kind, genuine heart won over every single Wyne inside of ten minutes. The sister they never had. The sister none of them ever wanted to lose.
Remorse tightened his stomach. He’d treated her like shit the past eighteen months, barely returning her calls or texts. And when he’d lost his phone a few months back, he never bothered to replace it, until two weeks ago.
“Your call at the wedding meant a lot to your family.” Kade clamped a hand on his shoulder and leveled a steady gaze on him. “I know it was tough, but you made my wife’s year. Thank you.”
The call had actually been to his oldest brother Ethan, after finding out the guy was getting married again. God, Keiffer had been happy to hear it when he’d had a drink with his brother’s best friend Matt, after attending the NASCAR race up in Fort Worth in early November. That’s when Matt filled him in on Ethan’s upcoming nuptials. Keiffer had forced himself to call Ethan on his wedding day to congratulate him, and the phone got passed around.
He knew Matt had hoped he’d make the trip home, but he’d left the Poconos for good. His family meant everything to him, but he wouldn’t return…not even for his brother, who had found a wonderful woman who actually loved him and his seven-year-old son, Tyler.
Just thinking about them tightened his chest. Especially Tyler.
He missed the smart little boy, but Keiffer looked like shit and felt like shit and wasn’t in the right mindset to talk to his young nephew.
Kade’s grip on his shoulder increased. “I appreciate you agreeing to come here. It eases my mind to know you’re at the ranch while I’m gone for three weeks.”
To some damn military course.
His insides twisted. God, he didn’t want to be here. What the hell was he thinking? The urge to brush away his brother-in-law’s hand, jump in his truck, and race north shook through Keiffer—hard. Dammit. He didn’t want family counting on him. Relying on him. The last person who had died because he wasn’t there for him.
“My cousin and his family live on the ranch.” Kade’s voice broke through his misery. “But Kevin’s not here during the day. He works out of Houston.”
Keiffer drew in a shaky breath and recalled the enigmatic Texan and his dance moves on stage at his sister’s bachelorette party a few years back.
That seemed like a damn lifetime ago. A happier, lighter, carefree time. One when food tasted better. Beer tasted better. Women tasted better. Especially the one he’d hooked up with after the bachelorette party that night.
Caitlin Ryan.
Younger sister to Kevin’s wife Shayla. The woman with brown hair and gorgeous baby blues had a body as sweet as her temperament. Silently cursing the man who’d made the pretty thing sad, he’d enjoyed putting a smile on her face and making the shy girl pant his name that weekend.
“We should probably get to the Pub before Connor eats all the bacon.” Kade released him with a wink and started to walk to his vehicle. “You can leave your truck here. It’ll be fine.”
Still longing to hop in it and drive away, Keiffer forced his panic aside and climbed in the passenger side of Kade’s truck, happy to let Johnny Cash fill the silence in the cab during their short ride into town. It wasn’t Breaking Benjamin, his usual music of choice, but he appreciated the Man in Black, emulated his mood. After a few miles in silence, he let his mind drift and it returned to Caitlin, as it often had over the past year and a half, twisting the knot permanently rooted in his stomach.
She’d been a benefit that had turned into a friend.
He liked her, liked talking to her. She was funny, and sweet, and hot-as-hell in bed. In an uncharacteristic move, instead of breaking ties, he’d connected with her online, kept in touch through texts. Even planned to seek her out if he ever headed to Texas, and she in turn, promised to visit him if she was ever back in the Poconos.
Then Greg died.
Everything changed—went to hell—including Keiffer’s attitude. He changed. Cut himself off from everyone, and everything, that mattered in his life.
Everything good.
Brandi wasn’t the only reason he avoided Harland County all these months. No. Hell no. The last thing he needed was to encounter Caitlin, the beauty with the brown hair and clear, trusting, blue eyes.
She made him feel. And he didn’t want to feel. He liked being numb.
Needed to feel numb.
“We’re here.” Kade turned off a street with shops and buildings decorated for the holidays, bordering a deserted beach, and pulled into the parking lot of a large two-story building with wood siding and a big sign with TEXAS REPUBLIC BAR AND GRILLE in red letters.
They drove around back, and he noted three other vehicles in the lot and two red doors on the building, one on either side of a covered stairway that led to the top floor.
“Come on. Connor’s already here,” Kade said, parking next to a truck. “Let’s hope there’s still something left.”
Keiffer got out and followed the guy through the door on the right, surprised to step inside a large commercial kitchen full of breakfast aromas. Dishes of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and toast, sat on the lone table tucked in the corner on his right.
“Back away from my bacon,” Kade barked, causing the pretty cook Keiffer recognized as Kerri to jump by the sink, while her husband, the large cowboy sitting at the table, didn’t blink an eye.
Connor just continued to load his plate. “Snooze you lose, pal.”
“I’m late because I ran into my brother-in-law and talked him into joining us,” Kade countered, drawing attention to Keiffer as he eased him toward the table.
Damn.
He cringed inwardly, while forcing his mouth to curve upward. “Hope you don’t mind.” In his haste to delay his reunion with Brandi, he forgot he liked to eat alone. And sleep alone.
Be alone.
“Mind? Of course not. So good to see you again, Keiffer.” Kerri hurried over with another place setting, then turned to him and smiled. “I hardly recognized you under all that…hair.”
Her gaze was warm and open without an ounce of pity or worry.
The stiffness in his neck and shoulders lessened. “Nice to see you too, Kerri. And breakfast smells delicious.” He told her out of courtesy, which was also the reason he bent to kiss her cheek. But surprisingly, his brain did register the scent of food. It smelled good.
“Thank you. Oh…” She chuckled, lifti
ng a hand to touch her flushed face. “Your beard tickles.”
His lips twitched. Not the first time he heard that sentiment from a woman.
“Great to see you, Keiffer.” Connor made to stand.
“Don’t get up.” He thrust out his hand instead. “Finish enjoying your food.”
“Not a problem. Trust me.” The guy laughed, releasing him. “Every meal my wife cooks is delicious. I’m one hell of a lucky man. And as you can see, there’s plenty, so come on, dig in.”
He nodded, but it had been a long night, and he could only imagine how ‘rough’ he looked, so he asked for directions to the bathroom. Five minutes later, feeling somewhat human again, he sat down and did his best to appear to enjoy the food.
Lately, everything tasted bland. Like his life.
But that suited him.
“So, Keiffer.” Kade’s voice broke through his musings. “My buddy up in Nebraska told me you had an affinity with horses.”
Pushing his thoughts aside, he turned to his brother-in-law and shrugged. “Been around them my whole life. And the resort uses them for trail rides. I used to be in charge, but now, I believe one of your cowboys from down here took over for me. Lucas, I think that’s his name.”
“Yeah. Harper. He’s a good guy.” Kade chewed his food for a moment then cocked his head. “Ever been around abused horses?”
Abused?
He frowned, not crazy about the thought of someone hurting animals. “Never encountered any.”
“You will today.” Kade’s jaw tightened and mouth thinned. “We got several animals yesterday, including two horses. Lost one last night.”
Kerri sucked in a breath as she approached the table with more food. “Oh, that’s terrible.”
Kade nodded. “The other gelding isn’t doing so well. They were stall mates.”
Her Troubled Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 9) Page 1
