Heather's Challenge [Cattleman's Club 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  “Trust me, I know that,” Heather grumbled as she began to sway to the beat once more, only this time she didn’t cuddle up close to him. “But you know why that’s not a possibility right now.”

  “Taylor is twelve. That makes him almost old enough to start dating himself, honey,” GD reminded her, not making Heather feel any better with that assurance. “You don’t want to be outdone by your son, do you?”

  “Trust me, that’s not on my list of worries, and Taylor is not old enough to be dating.” He couldn’t be because Heather wasn’t ready to let go of her baby boy. “He hasn’t even started high school.”

  “Oh, come on now, Heather. You remember what I was like when I was twelve, don’t you?”

  “All too well.”

  “So you’ve got to figure Taylor probably already has his eyes on the ladies.”

  “They’re girls, not ladies,” Heather corrected. “And Taylor still thinks they’re gross.”

  “Yeah, right.” GD snorted. “More likely that’s just what he tells his mom.”

  GD was right on that score. There came an age when boys started turning into men and stopped sharing every little detail of their lives with their mothers. That’s where fathers were supposed to step in. They were supposed to bond over cars and sports and learn about all the things it took to be good men.

  Only Taylor didn’t have a father. Not really. Hugh hadn’t seen his son since the boy was three days old. He might not wanted to have admitted he had a son, but Heather always made damn sure he paid his fair share in child support. Taylor got the security he needed even if he didn’t get the love. Sometimes he didn’t even get the cash.

  “Oh, I know that look.” GD stilled, bringing their swaying to a stop as the music finally died out. “Hugh’s disappeared again.”

  Heather hesitated before shrugging. “A few months back.”

  “Damn it, Heather! Why didn’t you tell me?” GD snapped as his temper flared, fueled just as much by concern as by his anger. “When was the last time you received a check?”

  “February,” Heather answered slowly and braced herself for another explosion but it didn’t come.

  Instead, GD drew in a hard breath and glowered down at her for a long tense moment. When he finally spoke his words were hard and crisp, edged with annoyance.

  “I’ll find him, but you know the longer the trail gets the harder my job becomes. You should have come to me right away.”

  “And you know how much it bothers me that you won’t let me pay—”

  “Don’t.” GD cut her off with a flick of his wrist. “We’re not having this argument again. Not here. Not now. Besides, Rachel’s arrived and I imagine you two have lots to gossip about.”

  “Actually it’s supposed to be Hailey’s night,” Heather retorted, letting the argument die.

  There was no point to it. They’d had the same discussion every time Hugh moved or changed jobs in his endless attempts to avoid paying his child support. Every time GD found him again for Heather, but he never once took a dime from her. GD wouldn’t even accept free food from the Bread Box. The man was pure stubborn, and as curious as a cat.

  “Hailey, huh?”

  “Yeah, she apparently sent out an SOS to Rachel.” Heather waved at Rachel as her friend made her way toward their table. Glancing back at GD, she found him smirking as he stared off into space. “You find that funny?”

  “Yeah, a little,” GD admitted. “Don’t frown at me. I’m sure once she gets here and starts bitching, you’ll be just as amused. Now, go on and get, honey, and I’ll call you when I get a bead on Hugh.”

  “Thanks.” Heather went up on her tiptoes to drop a quick kiss on GD’s cheek.

  As she settled back on her feet, her gaze skipped back toward Konor for another sneak peak only to find him leaning back against the wall and watching her with an intensity that had Heather’s breath catching. In all the years, during all the weeks she’d gone out with his best friend, Konor had never once actually looked in her direction.

  There was no denying tonight that he was watching her. Slowly, he lifted his beer in a salute that sent a bolt of hot, liquid want uncurling down her spine. Quickly, she turned away and fled back toward Rachel and the safety of their table, denying both her own desire and the hunger she could sense gathering in Konor’s darkened gaze. It was an illusion. It had to be.

  * * * *

  Konor watched Heather flee, feeling every primitive instinct he possessed come alive with the thrill of the hunt. She was prey and she was running. That was a hard temptation to ignore, but he knew better than to give into the momentary pleasure of the chase. Heather Lawson was much more than a momentary pleasure.

  She was an obsession. She was Alex’s obsession and Konor had grown tired of watching his friend pine. He knew all about the past, about how Heather had betrayed Alex, and he also knew that it didn’t change a thing. Nothing did, because Alex’s obsession went that deep. It was time to just give in and wear it out.

  If Alex wanted Heather, then he would have her, and so would Konor. He certainly wouldn’t be complaining about that fact, not with the way her hips swayed. Heather walked like she hid the secrets of the universe between her legs, which she probably did given she managed to keep GD entertained for a whole damn week every year. That was an impressive feat, given the man was known for needing more than just a little variety.

  GD caught Konor’s eye as he strutted up, intentionally blocking Konor’s view of Heather’s delectable ass and making sure that Konor focused on his scowl. It was big and mean looking but it didn’t worry Konor none and neither did GD’s growl.

  “It’s done,” GD informed him with a grim tone as he sauntered up to confront Konor. “So you better not forget our deal. You hurt her and—”

  “You’ll make me hurt in ways that I never imagined I could,” Konor finished for him, proving that he had heard GD the first hundred times he’d issued that warning.

  “Yes.” GD nodded with a smile that was as cold as his vow. “You’ll bend in ways no man should.”

  “You know, if you were a woman, that would be a more interesting proposition.”

  That had the smugness seeping from GD’s smirk as his gaze narrowed on Konor. “You’re a twisted fuck, you know that?”

  “That should make me a perfect match for Heather, because we all know she’s been doing you forever, and you sure as shit don’t have normal appetites.”

  Instead of taking offense at that observation, GD snickered. “Who the hell wants to be ordinary?”

  “Especially when it comes to sex.”

  “It’s just your bad luck that you’re coming after the best that’s ever been.” GD heaved a deep sigh and shook his head sadly at Konor. “Just remember I’m always on-call if you find yourself needing a little help with Heather.”

  It was on the tip of Konor’s tongue to assure GD that his help wouldn’t be needed when a redheaded spitfire stormed into the bar looking ready for battle. “Oh, check it out, the night’s entertainment has arrived.”

  GD turned to glance in the direction Konor nodded at almost the same time the woman in question cut a sharp look in their direction. Hailey Mathews paused as her gaze raked over them before settling on the pool table and the man beside it grinning back at her like a loon. Kyle Harding’s grin brought a laugh to Konor’s lips as he shook his head.

  “Well, this should be interesting.”

  Chapter 2

  The night went from interesting to violent with a quickness that left Heather standing in the middle of Riley’s parking lot, wondering what the hell had just happened. Everything had been going fine until about fifteen minutes before that. That’s when a group of young drunks from out of town had stumbled in.

  They’d been loud. They’d been obnoxious. Worst of all, they’d been grabby. Not that they had been interested in Heather. No, Hailey had been the one who’d gotten kissed…or maybe she hadn’t. Heather couldn’t really recall. Everything had exploded wit
h such a blur as Kyle Harding had swooped in for the rescue, sending Hailey’s would-be suitor flying across the bar.

  After that it had been fists and elbows as every man in the bar seemed to pile right into the fight. Rachel had gotten knocked down in the fray. Heather had tried to reach her, but GD had plucked her right off her feet and carted Heather out of the bar. He hadn’t released her until they’d been safely across the parking lot. Not that she was grateful for his help.

  Cussing and wiggling, Heather had fought him the whole way, anxious with worry over Rachel’s condition. She would have turned and raced back into the bar when GD had finally set her back down on her feet if she hadn’t caught sight of Konor carrying Rachel over toward the nearest truck. Hailey followed behind them, dragging a resisting Kyle in her wake.

  Heather started to make her way toward them but the drunks were spilling out of the bar, rushing to get away as sirens began to shriek not even two blocks away. Within seconds the bright stream of red and blue lights lit up the night and total mayhem erupted. GD dragged her through the maze of constantly-moving bodies to leave her by Rachel’s side with a command to stay put.

  He didn’t wait for her agreement before disappearing into the chaos, not that Heather intended to argue with him. She was too busy trying to control her breathing as she found herself suddenly inches from the very object of her most dirty fantasies. It had been a long time since she’d been this close to Konor Dale.

  God, but he smelled good, like man and musk. Heather inhaled the deep, rich scent, becoming almost instantly intoxicated and a little lightheaded as all her blood rushed downward to pool between her legs in a thick, heated sea of need.

  “Hey? You okay?” Crouched down before Heather where she sat next to Rachel on the tailgate, Konor frowned up at her and reached out to gently to brush her hair back and inspect her face. “You didn’t get hit, did you?”

  Heather’s heart all but stopped at the feel of his callused palm brushing along her cheek. The urge to turn and rub her cheek into his touch in a silent invitation for more nearly overwhelmed her.

  “Heather?”

  “I’m fine,” Heather rushed to assure him as she tried to shake off the images filling her head, images of him stroking and petting her, running those rough hands down over her breasts and massaging the sensitive peaks into a full pout before those thick, blunt fingertips slid further down to discover the molten flesh already throbbing with want.

  “What?”

  Heather swallowed hard and blinked as she realized that both Konor and Rachel were waiting for her to say something. They both wore expectant expression and there she sat, looking like an idiot about ready to drool on herself. That wasn’t the worst of it Heather realized with a horrifying rush. She felt flames heat her cheeks as the scent of her own arousal tickled her nose.

  She was wet. He was going to know it. Everybody was going to know it. She needed flee. Flee now.

  “Excuse me.” Knowing she was making an ass out of herself, Heather rose without making eye contact with either Rachel or Konor. “I have to go.”

  With that she fled, berating herself with every step. This was exactly why she stayed the hell away from Konor. She turned into a blithering idiot, or worse, she felt like she was regressing back to some pimpled-faced state where her heart raced and her palms sweated and, most humiliating of all, she felt like giggling.

  Giggling!

  Nobody, absolutely nobody, made her feel as anxious and simultaneously excited as Konor. Nobody, that was, except for maybe his best friend. Of course, Alex didn’t make her feel like giggling. Shouting, cussing, and pulling her hair out—that was her normal response to Alex. She certainly felt like doing all three of those things as his patrol car pulled into the parking lot, coming to a stop right in front of her and blocking her way.

  With a sense of growing doom, Heather watched as Sheriff Alex Krane unfolded his long, lean frame from his car to survey the mayhem surrounding him. He paused before slamming his door closed to reach back and grab his hat, settling it onto his head with a gesture that made Heather’s toes curl.

  He was tall and strong, and the darkness loved him. The shadows caressed his features, painting him as a warrior of the night that both lured women in and warned them of the dangers of getting too close. Heather knew well enough the cost of falling for Alex, but that didn’t change her response to the sight of him.

  She tensed with a sudden rush of adrenaline that flooded her body and drew her tight, leaving her on the edge of fight or flight. There was only one choice for her, only one instinct she ever gave in to. Heather cursed herself, but Alex was an addiction she just couldn’t seem to let go.

  “Well, it looks like the sheriff has arrived.”

  Heather swallowed hard as she shot GD a dirty look as he came up alongside her. The jerk didn’t even bother to try and hide his amusement as he grinned down at her.

  “I guess this makes this your best night ever, huh?”

  Heather didn’t bother to respond to that other than rolling her eyes before glancing back over at Alex. They’d caught his attention and she knew just what his next move would be, because she wasn’t the only one who was addicted.

  “You know, maybe you should just go,” GD suggested, apparently also having noticed the turn in Alex’s attention. “Don’t you have a son to get home to?”

  “I doubt he’s worrying.”

  In fact, Taylor was probably hoping she’d stay out later, giving him more time to stay up later, which was probably just what he was doing when he should already be in bed.

  “Still, it’s probably time for you to leave,” GD insisted as he latched onto her arm. Heather didn’t doubt he’d have dragged her away if he hadn’t been brought to a stop by one obvious problem. “Where is your car?”

  Heather hesitated, not really wanting to answer that but left with no choice when GD pinned her beneath his glare. “I left it back at the Bread Box.”

  “What? You walked over here? By yourself?” With each question GD’s tone rose another notch until he was yelling.

  “It’s not that long of a walk, just a couple blocks,” Heather assured him, keeping her tone intentionally low.

  “At night!”

  “In Pittsview, where the crime of the century is the theft of little Abigail Cully’s tricycle,” Heather reminded, glancing pointedly around in an attempt to remind him of their audience.

  “Patton Jones nearly got burned to death in that barn fire.”

  “That was an accident.” Heather scoffed.

  “It was arson!”

  “Yeah, but there is no proof that the arsonist knew Patton was in there.”

  “What about the drunks I already had to rescue you from?” GD asked, switching tactics.

  “They were jackasses,” Heather conceded. “But not exactly any real threat.”

  “Oh? And what if they’d driven past you when you were walking alone? Hmm? What if they decided just to snatch you up the way they did Hailey—”

  “The man stole a kiss.” Heather rolled her eyes. “That hardly is evidence he’s a future rapist.”

  “Heather—”

  “Is there a problem here?” Six feet two inches of hard muscle and pissed off attitude, the sheriff stepped up and cut right in on their argument. “Because, unless the two of you failed to notice, things are chaotic enough without the two of you squabbling like an old married couple.”

  Heather couldn’t control the snort that escaped at that reprimand. Alex always sounded so sure, so full of himself, like he wasn’t just another bastard with a badge. Heather knew the truth. Alex Krane was a jerk.

  And she?

  Sadly enough, she was attracted to the big jerk.

  Like a moth to a flame, Heather couldn’t fight the pull of the thick knot of tension that snarled instantly between them as Alex’s forbidding glower shifted in her direction. His heated gaze raked over her, leaving a trail of heat that had her nerves prickling to life with a rush tha
t had her torn before the urge to fight and the desperate desire to flee.

  “Miss Lawson.” Alex dragged out her title with an ever so subtle hint of distaste. “What a surprise to find you here…at this hour.”

  He managed to make her sound like an old maid, an old, ugly maid who had eight cats and went to bed by six. While he, on the other hand, looked as vital and strong as any young recruit did in his uniform thanks to those damn navy slacks that had been tailored to make his legs look thick and powerful.

  With his gun belt riding low on his hips, he looked lean and sexy as hell. The bastard knew it, too. Alex enjoyed flaunting his body, liking to jog around town in nothing but a pair of baggy running shorts. Tanned and glistening with sweat, he had all the women panting right along with him, Heather included. Thankfully, though, her tone was as frigid as an arctic blast, perfectly disguising the heat boiling in her blood.

  “Sheriff.” Heather forced her lips to curl in a brittle smile as she tried to stare down her nose while staring up at him. “I assure you this is the appropriate hour to drink. Of course, I understand if you’re accustomed to a different kind of lifestyle.”

  “I’m accustomed to a different kind of everything, sweetness,” Alex retorted, using the endearment he’d long called her by and injecting it with just enough derision to make it cut.

  “Hey, man.” GD stepped in before Heather could return the favor and cut Alex’s ego back down to size. “I didn’t know you were working tonight.”

  “I wasn’t exactly working,” Alex retorted, glancing pointedly around. “At least not until this call came in.”

  “Yeah? Well, we all got to earn our keep,” GD commented more diplomatically than Heather would have if he’d given her a chance to respond. “Speaking of, you got a minute?”

  “Now?” Alex snorted. “Does it look like it?”

  “Yeah, well we need to have a conversation,” GD stated pointedly enough for Heather to get the message.

  “Well, why don’t you two have it right now,” Heather suggested with a smile as she began to back away from both men. “And I’ll just wait over there for you, GD.”