Front Range Cowboys (5 Book Box Set)

by Evie Nichole

  “Well, I suppose it’s possible, Your Honor.” Watson was tugging at his collar like a storybook villain.

  “It isn’t possible, you cantankerous old man!” Everson burst out. He was leaning so far over his towering bench that he looked in danger of plunging to the floor. “You know as well as I did that they had a policy and that it paid their bills. So, what happened to the tax money? That’s what I want to know, John. This girl has a right to her grandparents’ property! And no cockamamie deal you made with Paul Weatherby is going to supersede that!”

  There was a low expletive from the gallery.

  Judge Everson pointed his gavel at Weatherby. “Don’t you dare think I don’t know what’s going on here, Paul. We all do! You’re trying to take the Flying W to the next level, and you’re trying to stomp on the Hernandez Land & Cattle Company to get the job done. Well, I’m tired of you trying to take out all of these unrelated parties on your way to the top.” Everson sucked in a breath so large he could have hogged all the oxygen in the room. “Those Hernandez boys can handle themselves, but you stay away from the Farrell place, the Collins ranch, and Clouds End Farm! Do you hear me?”

  Melody was pretty sure the whole place was about to go up in smoke. The tension in the room was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. She didn’t know what to say, but knew she needed to keep her mouth shut anyway. Beside her, Cisco was absolutely silent. She could see his brain working a mile a minute behind those cobalt blue eyes though, and she knew that he would be thinking of everything that he could do to make things better for her—for them. Good God, she loved this man!

  * * *

  Cisco was afraid to breathe. He did not want to take a chance that anything he could do, a facial tic, a cough, anything, could change the way this hearing was going right now. For the moment, it was a lawyer’s dream come true!

  Everson was a sharp old man. Cisco had always liked him. At this point, he was going to give the man a big hug and a kiss the next time he saw him. Finally—finally—someone was trying to expose all of the illegal crap going on at the Flying W.

  “I want to retire,” John Watson said heavily.

  Everson snorted. “You need to retire if this is what you’re doing to your clients, John.”

  “No.” Watson cleared his throat. His face was bright red, and he looked as though he were about to die of embarrassment. “I wanted to retire. That’s why I did this.”

  “Did what?”

  “I just held back the taxes.” Watson shrugged. “The money is there. It’s in a nice tidy account earning interest.”

  Cisco stared at John Watson and hoped that everything he was thinking and feeling came across in that one look. The bastard had intentionally stolen money from the Farrells! Why?

  Everson sighed. He slumped onto his arms as though he could not bear to hear what was coming next. “You didn’t figure the girl would want the land anyway.”

  “Why would she?” Watson sent a scornful look across the aisle to Melody. “Foster kid raised in the system. It surprised me she lived long enough to claim it.”

  The judge did not look amused by that. “I’m not even going to touch that despicable statement, John. But I’m going to assume that you intended to sell the land, act as her agent, use the sale money to cover the taxes, and then just chuck her the rest of it. You’d tell her that fees and taxes took most of the money but throw her enough that she’d be happy because she’d grown up poor and hadn’t expected much anyway.”

  John Watson cleared his throat. He looked very uncomfortable, and his face was getting redder by the second. “That was indeed my plan, Your Honor. I even had a buyer all lined up.”

  “A buyer who decided to harass the seller,” Everson snapped. Then he pointed at Weatherby once again. “You just wait until I get my hands on you. Do you understand me?”

  “Is that a threat?” Paul Weatherby finally could not hold his tongue for one second longer. He pointed at the judge and made an ugly face. “You should really watch yourself, old man.”

  “Oh, I’ll watch my boot head right up your keister!” The judge snarled. “And if you open your damn mouth one more time, I’ll hold you in contempt!”

  It did not help matters that Cisco could actually hear his family trying to hold in their laughter. They were enjoying this, but every single one of them was going to pay a price for it later on. He turned to glare at Laredo but almost lost his own composure instead.

  Everson cleared his throat and banged the gavel. “Order please!” He pointed the gavel at Watson. “I will expect you to have a cashier’s check for the amount owed on deposit tomorrow with the state of Colorado. The next time I look at this young woman’s account with the state and the federal government, there should be no monies owed. Do you understand me? Are we crystal clear?”

  “Crystal, sir.” Watson did not look crystal clear. He looked royally pissed off. In fact, the man was glowering like a toddler denied his favorite treat.

  Everson snorted. “Wouldn’t we all like to retire with a tidy one point two million dollars in the freaking bank?” Then Everson pointed his gavel at Melody. “You, lady, your grandparents were good people. I expect to see that you take care of that place with respect. I don’t care what you decide to do with it, but for heaven’s sake, don’t just let it fall to pieces.”

  “No, sir,” Melody stammered out hastily. Then she glanced at Cisco and held up her hands.

  He winked at her. He knew she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to talk or not, but he wanted to make sure that she knew she was doing just fine.

  “One more thing,” Everson said quickly. He pointed at Cisco. “I’m going to put my two cents worth in and tell you to quit at Aguilar and Associates. Now. You’re no good there. You’re wasted. You need to be practicing on your own. You’ve got a good brain, kid. Don’t waste it.”

  “Um. Thank you, sir?” Cisco wasn’t sure what to say.

  He had to admit that he’d been having his doubts. Not just about his firm, but also about the direction he was going with his life. It was good to know that there were still men out there like Everson who paid attention, weren’t shy about making their thoughts known, and who could take the bull by the horns and fling it on its ass.

  “That will be all!”

  Judge Everson smacked that gavel down so hard that Cisco could have sworn his teeth rattled in their sockets. Everson stood up and left the courtroom through that back door, and suddenly, the whole place erupted.

  Reporters darted to and fro trying to get statements from those involved. Cisco could absolutely feel the angry glares from both Paul Weatherby and John Watson. He knew there was going to be hell to pay with those two later on. There was no way either one of them would let this just go. But for the moment, there were so many well wishes from the Hernandez family in the room that none of that mattered. They had a victory. A decisive one. And Cisco wanted to celebrate that.

  Laredo put his arm around Cisco. “You did good, kid. I was pretty impressed that my little brother cleans up so good.”

  “I’m not dirty, you know,” Cisco said drily. “I’m probably the cleanest one of the bunch.”

  “Which is ridiculous,” Jesse added. She looked around at the rest of them. “Does anyone else remember Cisco being just a bit of a mud puppy? I mean, really. Where does all of this loafers and suits and ties and trying to be a snooty rich snob come from? You’re not that guy, Cisco. You’re our guy!”

  “He is my guy.” Melody wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “And I will love him whether he’s wearing loafers or those adorable scuffed-up boots he keeps by the front door.”

  “Adorable?” Darren started pretending to choke. “Since when were cowboy boots ever adorable?”

  Cisco had to admit that he’d been feeling his roots more than usual lately. Not just that, but he had been trying to remember why he had wanted so badly to get off the ranch. Maybe he thought he could not be the man he wanted to be and still
be the cowboy who had grown up with the Hernandez Land & Cattle Company.

  Finally, he cleared his throat and tugged his pant leg up just to show his family his footwear. The resounding cheers, jeers, and the giant kiss from Melody were all part of the wonder of rediscovering something so vital about himself and about life. He was home. He was home with these people. He was home with himself, in his own skin. And he was going to be home with Melody for the rest of his life no matter where that would be.

  COWBOY FALLS

  Chapter One

  The downtown Denver hotspot was crowded even for a Saturday night. Daphne Evans could hardly squeeze toward the bar through the crush of twenty-somethings trying to enjoy their evening out at The Players Club. The music was loud. The crowd was enthusiastic. And Daphne had no doubt that the bar was making a ton of cash tonight for the three bartenders on duty.

  “Zach!” Daphne jumped up and down and waved her hands as best she could in the midst of the tight crowd. She was only five foot four inches tall, and sometimes it was hell trying to see over the rest of humanity.

  It took three tries for Zach to see her in the mob. The two of them had known each other for years, since she had worked here part time during college. Zach was a part owner and one of the bar managers. He always took care of her when her busy schedule allowed her some time out to have fun.

  “I got you!” Zach shouted back to her. He lifted his right hand into the air and made the “rock on” sign.

  Daphne waved back and tried to scoot her way just a little closer to the bar. Unfortunately, that meant jostling some barely legals in their stiletto heels and tight dresses. Of course, the problem with this was that they were so off-balance, so tipsy from their fruity drinks, and so out of it that one of them immediately fell right onto her perfectly shaped derriere.

  “Hey!” The young woman shrieked as though she had been doused in oil and lit on fire. “You bitch! You pushed me down! I am so going to kick your ass!”

  It did not help that Daphne could hear Zach laughing behind the bar. “Girl fight!” he shouted.

  “Not helpful!” Daphne shouted back. Then she reached down, grabbed a scrawny little arm, and pulled the barely legal back to her ridiculously high heels. “There. See. You’re fine.”

  “Oh my God! Don’t touch me!” the woman shouted. She yanked her arm out away from Daphne but managed to knock herself off-balance again as she did.

  Daphne sighed as the woman went down for a second time. Her two friends were utterly useless creatures. They stood there and did a lot of gasping and complaining but did not lift a finger to help her. That figured. Daphne was now twenty-five. She had a career with a local public relations firm and a life. And at some point, she had come to realize that the gap between her and the barely legal set had become so incredibly wide that they now seemed like children to her.

  With a grunt of irritation, Daphne barely managed to cut off the rude comments that wanted so badly to pop out of her mouth. She reached down and grabbed the young woman’s arm again. Yanking the girl to her feet, Daphne steadied her on her shoes.

  “Stop moving!” Daphne snarled. “You’re too unsteady. You’re just knocking yourself over again and again. So, stop being stupid and just go dance or something.”

  “Like hell!” The young woman actually took a swing at Daphne.

  Fortunately for Daphne, she could see that punch coming a mile away. She stepped back quite casually and dodged the punch as it flew right by her face. Unfortunately, the punch landed square in the nose of a cowboy who happened to be standing right behind Daphne. No. Not just any cowboy. He was the best-looking man in the bar and probably the state.

  “Son of a bitch!” The man grabbed his face and started cursing a blue streak. Okay. So, he was good-looking and pretty much stereotypically foul-mouthed. Nice.

  “Daph, you’re starting to make a real mess in my bar!” Zach sang out. “I’ve got your drink if you dare to grab it!”

  Daphne snatched the bottle of Coors off the bar and held it in front of her. Between the stiletto heels and the glowering cowboy, it felt as though Daphne were miles shorter than everyone around her.

  The cowboy was still cursing. Then he pointed at the barely legals. “What the hell is wrong with you? You just punch a guy in the face? You better watch yourself, jail bait, or I’m going to send your scrawny asses back to the nursery!”

  “It wasn’t us!” The young woman put her fingers against her practically naked bosoms and batted her big blue eyes. “It was the short, ugly chick!”

  Oh, damn. They were all pointing at Daphne. And then the woman’s words sank in. Daphne narrowed her eyes to slits. “Short, ugly chick? Seriously? Have you looked in a mirror? You must have because you used a paint roller to put on your freaking makeup this evening!”

  Fury welled up inside of Daphne. The cowboy was now laughing. Without another thought, Daphne used the steel toe of her boot to give the barely legal’s stiletto heel a nudge. The woman’s ankle turned and the shoe folded. She went down hard on the ground. This time Daphne let her stay there.

  Daphne leaned over and pointed at the young woman sprawled on the disgustingly sticky and notoriously dirty cement floor of the bar. “Have fun picking yourself up this time. Or you could just stay there since it’s where you belong.”

  With those final—and oh so mature—words, Daphne turned on her heel and left the scene of the multiple crimes. She could hear Zach and the other two bartenders laughing behind her. It wasn’t like she was going to get in trouble for this incident. Daphne would have had to destroy the bar to get in trouble here at The Players Club. It was her home turf. So, with that in mind, she marched to the other side of the bar where there were more than a few out-of-the-way tables. She picked a high top and sat down to nurse her beer in silence while she listened to the live music. It took a long while before the strains of the country Western music helped her feel just a little less tense. Her shoulders started to relax, and she stopped unconsciously clenching her teeth.

  “Hey. Can I sit down?”

  Daphne looked up and found herself staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were so blue her first thought was that they couldn’t be real. He had straight, messy black hair beneath his black cowboy hat. It sort of curled around his ears. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but Daphne couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Sometimes she saw so many people in a week because of her job that pretty much everyone she came into contact with looked familiar.

  Daphne had one answer for this cowboy. “No.”

  “Oh, come on.” He put his hand on his chest. The guy was actually carrying around a bottle of top-shelf bourbon and a glass. He smelled like a liquor store and looked three sheets to the wind. “Just let me sit down. It’s the least you can do since you got me punched in the face.”

  “What?” Daphne realized that he looked familiar because less than twenty minutes ago she had watched him get nailed in the nose by that barely legal chick who kept falling on her ass. “I didn’t get you punched in the face. I simply stepped aside. Are you suggesting I should have taken the punch to avoid any possibility of collateral damage?”

  “Whoa, baby!” The man drew back and held up his bottle. “You’ve got too many big words in there for me. I been kicked in the head a couple thousand times and probably dropped on my head before that. You need to use small words. Think toddler. Then I’ll understand.”

  “Toddlers learn to understand the word no,” Daphne pointed out. “I feel like you should be able to handle that one just fine.”

  He perched on the barstool across from her. Daphne made a low noise of frustration. Was the guy completely brain dead? He’d been kicked in the head? Did that include being completely incapable of accepting when someone did not want his company?

  “Hey!” Daphne said sharply. “You need to leave. I didn’t tell you to sit down. I don’t want company. I was sitting here listening to the music and enjoying myself.” She took a long
pull of her beer. “So, you can go now. Thanks.”

  “Aw, darlin’, that is just so mean.”

  He took off his cowboy hat and tossed it on the tabletop. His hair fell over his eyes. Ugh! He was so attractive! What the hell? His face was beautiful to look at, and his body was just incredible. Of course, she had to remind herself that she was not interested. At all. She didn’t want anything to do with a man. She had spent years ditching the last unhealthy relationship. She was ready to move on and be single and happy for a while.

  “I’m not being mean.” She pointed at him with her beer. “You cannot say that someone is mean just because they don’t agree with you or want your company. That’s unfair. So, get your ass off that barstool and walk it back over to those young women in the stilettos. What did you call them? Jail bait? They’d probably love your attention.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t like dancing with a bag of bones,” he drawled. “I don’t like women in heels so high they can’t walk in them. I don’t like women with no meat on their bones. And that little group pretty much pushes all my buttons.”

  Hmm. Interesting. He was rather verbal for a guy who was obviously drunk. He was pushy too. That wasn’t cool. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? She sat back in her seat and drank her beer and studiously ignored him. That strategy worked for another song and a half. Then Bourbon Cowboy got restless.

  He poured himself another drink. In fact, he poured so much liquor into his glass that it was nearly sloshing over the rim. Then he threw it back and drank the whole thing in one pull. Daphne could not help it. She stared in open-mouthed horror. She had seen a lot of things while working as a bartender here at The Players Club. She’d never seen anyone toss back a whole hand’s worth of top-shelf bourbon in one slug. It wasn’t just a waste. It also burned like hell. Her throat was tingling in sympathy.