by Mary Winter
Protecting His Cowgirl
Brotherhood Protectors World
Mary Winter
Other books by Mary Winter in the Brotherhood Protectors World
Wild Horse Rescue (a 2 Hearts Rescue story)
Roped & Rescued
Flying Rescue (forthcoming)
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Wild Horse Rescue
About Wild Horse Rescue
Chapter 1
About Mary Winter
Original Brotherhood Protectors Series
About Elle James
Copyright © 2018 by Twisted Page Press, LLC
All rights reserved.
This work was made possible through a special license through Twisted Page Press LLC and has not been reviewed by Twisted Page Press LLC. All scenes, events, plots, characters and related elements appearing in the original Brotherhood Protectors series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Twisted Page Inc., or there affiliates or licensors.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Brotherhood Protectors
Original Series by Elle James
Brotherhood Protector Series
Montana SEAL (#1)
Bride Protector SEAL (#2)
Montana D-Force (#3)
Cowboy D-Force (#4)
Montana Ranger (#5)
Montana Dog Soldier (#6)
Montana SEAL Daddy (#7)
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow (#8)
Montana SEAL Undercover Daddy (#9)
Montana SEAL Friendly Fire (#10)
Montana SEAL’s Bride (#11)
Montana Rescue
Hot SEAL, Salty Dog
Prologue
The white sterile surroundings filled with the beeping of monitors and hushed voices told him he wasn’t in the field and quite possibly not in Iraq anymore. Lifting his too-heavy eyelids, Greer “Bull” Gorsch looked around. The room had walls, not tent flaps, so yeah, he probably wasn’t in Iraq. Maybe he was stateside. An image of Wings cartwheeling out of the sky filled his mind, and he squeezed his eyes closed, wishing he could make the memory go away. The morphine did that. Judging by the ache in his leg he needed more pain medicine stat.
The other bed was empty. A good sign? He licked lips gone dry. How long had he been unconscious? Distantly he remembered words. “Not advising return to the team. Unable to jump.” He curled his hand into a fist and pounded it on the mattress. Damn, even that left him weak as a newborn calf.
Someone moved in the doorway to his room.
“Hello?” he croaked in a voice rusty from disuse.
The figure, a woman dressed in scrubs, poked her head into the room. “Mr. Gorsch, you’re awake. Good. I’ll let the doctor know. Can I get you anything?” She busied herself with checking monitors and making notations into the computer on wheels she pulled along with her.
“A drink?”
“Of course.” She poured him a glass and handed him the draw, lifting the head of his bed when he tried to sit up to drink. “Do you know where you are?”
“Hospital,” he said once he swallowed. “Wings?”
She shook her head. “Wings? Was he the soldier who was brought in with you?”
Bull nodded.
“I don’t know his condition, but he’s alive.”
Bull released a sigh. Thank God. He hadn’t totally failed then. “How long?”
“You’ve been here for a week. We kept you pretty heavily sedated to allow your internal injuries time to heal and get a start on the leg.” She pointed to the brace on his leg. “Now that you’re awake, I’ll let the doctor know and…” She looked at the door. “You have a visitor. I’ll leave you two to talk. The red button will bring someone if you need anything. It’s good to see you awake. Hopefully we’ll get you back on your feet in no time.”
But not into a plane, at least not with the intention of jumping out of it. Shit. Bull stared at the man who strode into his room. Tall and lanky with broad shoulders, his brown hair was longer than it had been when they’d been on the same team, and he moved with no trace of a limp from his shattered knee. “Mustang? What are you doing here?” He fumbled for his controls, cursing himself that someone who jumped out of planes to rescue fellow soldiers could be so weak. Finally, he eased the bed into a seated position and rested his head back against the pillow. The monitors beeped for a moment, then settled back down.
He glanced beneath the gown. They had him wired like a…well, the only thing he could think of was a bomb, and that only brought up images of Wings’ lifeless body tumbling to the ground.
“How’s Wings?” he asked when Logan Ryder, aka Mustang, took the seat next to him. His buddy hadn’t spoken yet. This couldn’t be any good.
“He needs time to heal, but he’ll make it through. Broke a lot of things. I hear there are medal ceremonies coming. You saved a lot of lives.” Logan spoke softly. “The team, everyone is really proud of you.”
“But I can’t go back. I know that already, but thanks.” He shrugged, wincing at the pain across what must have been a bruised rib. Come to think of it, the pain in his side was reminiscent of the time he’d bruised a rib hitting a steer wrong during a rodeo. Or forgetting to duck during a bar fight.
Logan nodded. “Got a proposition for you. I’m speaking with a guy in Montana, Hank. He runs the Brotherhood Protectors. It’s a way for those of us who can’t go back, or who just want out, to still live the creed. I’m getting ready to head up there and Domino is thinking about going with me. He had some things to take care of so he’s not here, but we’d both vouch for you and Wings if that’s what he wants when he’s ready to leave. It’s up to you. Right now, we’re both just glad you pulled through.” He offered his hand.
Bull shook it. “I’ll think about it. I just woke up, so let me figure out a few things first. And I’ve got to see Wings.”
“Of course.” He glanced at his phone. “Why don’t I let you rest? I’ll be in town for a few days.” He stood. “It’d be good to have you on the team,” he added. Then he left.
It took three days and Logan had already flown back to Montana before he got to see Wings, wrapped up in bandages like a freakin’ mummy, more monitors than an ops command, but already Wings spoke about Logan’s offer and Montana. Both of them had joked about relaxing on some Texas beach when they were ready to retire, with margaritas and señoritas. To hear Wings talk about going to frozen-fucking-Montana…yeah, that changed things.
Two weeks later…
After being discharged, Bull had flown back to Nevada, rented a hotel room long enough to go through his storage unit, and gotten rid of most of it. He’d driven to Montana and found a hotel room in Eagle Rock, a town that appeared to be growing. And that had brought him here, into the office of Hank Patterson, the CEO of the Brotherhood Protectors. Bull stepped into the office and Hank looked up from the desk.
“Glad to see you, Greer. Have a seat. Logan and Caid have told me a lot about you. So you think you’d like it in Montana?” The smile on his face couldn’t hide the fact that he’d held command and it suited him.
“I would, sir,” Bull said, “and everyone calls me Bull.”
“I�
�ve looked over your paperwork and you’ve received quite a few commendations. You could have your pick of civilian jobs. Why here? Why the Brotherhood Protectors?”
Bull met Hank’s eyes. “Because Mustang told me I would still have an opportunity to live the motto. These things we do, so that others may live. Sir.”
“Just don’t forget to live as well. You’re hired. Congratulations.” He stood and extended his hand over the desk.
Bull shook his hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll send some files to you.”
“Thanks, sir.” Bull left, thinking maybe Mustang and Domino were right. He could live the motto here. As far as his living? Well, the things he did were so that others may live. He hadn’t thought about his own life in a while, and frankly, wanted to keep it that way a bit longer.
Chapter 1
Eight months later…
The big guy was eating breakfast with Caid and Logan again. Shelby stood in the alcove, within view of the cafe, and fanned herself with a menu. The smokin’ hot guys at booth four had nothing to do with her hot flash. Nothing at all. She blamed the early onslaught of summer, though she swore Montana had never gotten this hot before. Not since the guy they all called Bull had shown up.
She’d have loved to stand here and ogle the guys, but she had tables to clear. Grabbing a gray plastic tub, she carried it to the table and quickly began pulling dirty dishes into it. The sensation that she was being watched followed her from table to table, and when she turned back, she swore Bull was staring at her. The masculine appreciation in his gaze heightened her desire for him, and she scrubbed the table harder than necessary before carrying the dishes back.
Her phone chimed. She glanced at it. You missing a calf? The text from Jenny sent alarm bells ringing.
Possibly. Why you ask?
Saw a bald faced steer walking the road between your place and the highway. I caught him and he’s in your pen for now. Want me to help you check fences?
Since the incident at Jenny’s place six weeks ago, both women had been meticulous about riding their pasture and checking fences. The meager inheritance she’d gotten with her parents’ ranch had been enough to fix it up, but lately she’d been having problems with cut wires near the highway. Even adding a hot wire hadn’t deterred whatever was going on, and her game cameras caught nothing.
Yeah, that’d be great. Why don’t you ask that man of yours if he wants to join us? I could use a set of professional eyes. Maybe having one of the guys look at things would give her a new perspective. So far she’d only lost a couple of steers and the market wasn’t as hot as it had been a year or so ago, but still, that was lost money she couldn’t afford.
Okay. TTYL.
Shelby finished her shift and went home, changed into comfortable riding jeans, boots, and a t-shirt that said I don’t need a prince; I just want a good horse, then went to the barn to saddle Charlie, her pretty bright chestnut mare. She crooned to the horse as she talked, grooming her to a shine, and was just fastening the cinch on the saddle when she heard a truck outside. She peered out the barn and grinned.
Jenny drove her truck and trailer, the horses already in the back and saddled, ready to go. Shelby glanced at the cab. Three people. Had Jenny brought the big guy too? She swallowed hard.
“Get a grip,” Shelby muttered to herself as she turned back to Charlie. “You’re riding fence, not going on a double date.” Except it kind of felt that way, reminding her of the times she and Jenny would ride out after high school with the guys who had held their current interest. They’d go down by the pond on either Jenny’s parents’ place or hers and…she shook her head, because thinking of that brought up the big guy’s huge figure, how broad his chest was, and what he must look like naked. She licked her lips.
Charlie snorted. “I hear you girl. I hear you.”
“We’re here,” Jenny’s voice filtered into the barn. A moment later she appeared. “I hope you don’t mind. I brought Bull too. Figured both guys could take a look.”
“Thanks,” Shelby said.
Jenny leaned in. “Thought you could get to know him better.” She winked.
“I don’t have time for that,” Shelby replied. Working at the cafe and trying to fatten up these cattle took up all of her time. Besides, she heard these Brotherhood Protector agents were the staying kind of guys and call her crazy, but she really didn’t want that. Not right now with missing cattle and the work of trying to salvage her parents’ farm. She tightened the cinch and led Charlie outside.
Logan had unloaded the horses: Bubba, Daisy, and Leroy. Oh goody, he’d brought Bubba and Leroy. Though Jenny had told her over wine the other night that Logan had a way with the big lunkhead and Bubba was actually making something of himself. As far as Leroy, well, that remained to be seen. As did the big guy.
She turned to ask Jenny where he was, not that she really cared if he rode along with her or not. Then movement made her turn and she saw him releasing Leroy’s lead line, all six feet forever of him. Her stomach fluttered. The cowboy hat he wore, which looked like he wore it often, shielded his face, and his blue plaid shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. Lean hips and long, muscled legs wrapped in dark blue worn denim made her mouth go dry.
“Shelby?” Jenny grinned at her. “You didn’t hear a word of that, did you?”
“Sure, whatever. I did.” Shelby said.
Jenny laughed. “Oh hon, you got it bad, don’t you? I was asking if you were ready.”
“I am. Yeah. Thanks. And no, I don’t.” She grabbed Charlie’s reins and mounted to the sound of Jenny’s snorting laugh.
She watched her friend get on Daisy, holding Bubba’s reins for Logan. For a moment she thought about doing the same thing, but then was presented with the most delicious view of the big guy’s ass as he swung on Leroy as if it were nothing. From the way he gathered the reins and walked off without missing a beat, clearly he’d been on horseback before and was comfortable. Damn, she was hoping he’d be some guy who only saw horses on television. Then again, she knew nothing about him. Except everyone called him Bull. Which made her think of other things and before she knew it, she had to nudge Daisy forward to catch up.
Chapter 2
Caid glanced over at her. “Shelby, tell us what you’ve seen so far. Jenny told me you’ve lost a few steers?”
“Yeah,” she admitted, noticing Bull watching her again. His dark brown eyes were unreadable, the black hair visible beneath the cowboy hat thick enough to run her fingers through, and why was she staring at his lips? Damn. She needed to get laid…or spend a night with her toys or something. She’d been working too hard lately.
She detailed that she had awakened to find the fence down and when she’d gotten her cattle put back into the pasture, she’d found one missing. She chalked it up to bad luck, until about two weeks later, when another one went missing. And come to think of it, that was two weeks ago. So almost as if on a schedule, the cattle, just one young steer, disappeared every two weeks. Odd. Cows usually didn’t consult a calendar before breaking down fences.
The two men shared a look and Shelby had the feeling she’d missed an entire conversation. They neared the place where the fence had been cut—not broken—and she pointed it out.
“Why don’t you and Jenny stay here on the path for a moment? I want to see if there are any tracks.” Caid suggested.
Shelby bristled at the suggestion that she didn’t know what to look for in her pasture, but it was true. When it came to suspecting foul play, she had no idea. She waited until the guys were out of earshot before she turned to Jenny. “What’d you say his name was again? I don’t think I’d feel right calling him Bull.”
“Greer Gorsch. Yeah, it’s a mouthful, which is why everyone calls him Bull. That and his size,” Jenny replied.
Shelby glanced over at the men, noting the strength in Bull’s back, the easy way he sat a horse. “He looks like he can ride a horse. I’m surprised you gave hi
m Leroy.”
Jenny chuckled. “Oh, those geldings seemed to hit it off with the guys. Caid’s made progress with Bubba that I could only dream about.” Pride filled her voice. “Bull’s not bad with Leroy. In fact, I think he might be interested in buying him, and I’d be happy to know that he would be going to a good man.”
Not a good home, but a good man. Shelby caught the distinction and wondered if her friend might be telling her something. Sometimes at night, when she sat on her front porch with a good cold beer and listened to the frogs in the pond and the cattle in the distance, she thought about settling down. A good man would be good for the ranch and for her. She sighed.
“Your past doesn’t define you, Shelby. I don’t think Bull would care if he found out about the work you did.” Jenny’s voice grew quiet. “The guys are coming back. Let’s make them think we were talking about how hot and sexy they are on horseback.” Her voice rose as Caid grew near, and the smile on his face told Shelby that he’d heard.
“That’s right!” Caid answered. “We’re two hot cowboys riding back to our women.” He reached over and lightly punched Bull on the arm. “Isn’t that right?”
Bull’s gaze narrowed as he looked at her, the heat building in his eyes evident even from there. Shelby flushed, certain she’d been under the sun too long. “Yeah, that’s right.” A cocky smile curved his lips, and damn if she didn’t melt into her saddle right there. “We found some tracks. Looks like a bicycle and an ATV. Whoever is doing this aren’t professionals. I suggested to Mustang we put some cameras out there and maybe have me stay here for a while.”
