by Reece Butler
“So be it. I’ll take her up to bed. She obviously needs a good night’s sleep.” He slid his hands under her shoulders and knees and lifted. Her limbs hung down. “Huh! She weighs about as much as a bag of feed.”
“Just don’t toss her over her shoulder as if she is one,” said Trey, following him up the stairs. “At least, not until you explain how things are done around here.”
Carrying her felt too damn good. With each step her breasts wobbled and her bare butt rubbed against his groin. His nose was filled with her sweet, enticing scent.
Tomorrow, he promised himself. He’d waited years, he could wait another night. But tomorrow he’d show her who was the boss. He’d make this orgasm look like an appetizer.
He let Trey go first to turn on lights and open doors. Trey pulled down the sheets and Sam laid her down. She immediately rolled to her side, curling up. He had no choice but to cover her. He did allow himself to brush her cheek with a kiss. Her lip twitched up in a smile, then faded.
“See this?”
Trey held out a well-thumbed paperback. Some of the corners were turned down. Sam took it. Two bare-chested men in cowboy hats lounged near a barn. All their attention was on a woman in a short dress hanging out clothes. Sam flipped it to read the back. Warning: this novel contains explicit mature sexual content. Ménage, anal sex, threesomes, sex toys, bondage, spanking.
“Aunt Marci reads this stuff?” He took another look at the cover.
“Maybe she reads it out loud to our uncles.”
Sam shuddered. “I don’t want to know.” He held it out to Trey.
“Don’t you want to know what Katie likes?”
Sam pulled it back before Trey could get his paws on it. “I won’t be sleeping anyway. I might as well flip through it.”
“Maybe you’ll learn something we can try tomorrow night.”
Sam took one last look at Sleeping Beauty before shutting the door.
“There better damn well be a tomorrow night.”
Chapter 10
“You want to come?”
Katie switched off the heavy old vacuum at the bellowed question. Sam, showered and with clean clothes, stood in the sunroom’s doorway. He still wore the same old belt and buckle, though. Her mind went sideways and grabbed onto Sam’s question. The devil on her right shoulder poked her with its pitchfork. She could answer in so many ways.
Yes, and I would have, numerous times, if you hadn’t dumped me in bed and left me there like a toy you’d finished with.
Or, since she had a book to read, maybe Yes, and I will take care of it as soon as you haul your ass out of here and leave me alone.
“To town,” Sam added. “Come to town. With me.”
The tips of his ears turned pink. She snickered, which made him shift his weight from one bare foot to the other. He had nice toes and long feet.
“We usually head for the Roadhouse after work on Saturdays. I’ll get Trey from Mom’s first.”
His mother had phoned at lunch to say their older brother and his family had arrived. Trey had left shortly after to visit with the kids.
“We could have coffee and some of Dorothy’s pie,” he added.
“You like her pie better than mine?” she said, prodding him on purpose.
His eyes went wide. “Yours was good, Katie. Great. But it’s gone, and…” He screwed up his face. “What the heck is wrong with you today?”
If he didn’t know, she was damn well not going to tell him. She rolled out her shoulders. Maybe she arched her back as well, just a bit. And since she hadn’t wanted to get a new bra all sweaty…His eyes suddenly went wide as he realized she wasn’t wearing one. She looked down. His zipper now had an outward curve...
“Nothing is wrong,” she said, speaking like Snow White with a smile just as bright. “I am just peachy!”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t know,” he muttered.
“Pardon?”
His cheeks turned pink to match his ears. “Nothing. So, you going with me, or staying?”
“Staying, thanks. I’ve got work to do. Pass on my best wishes to your mom, please.”
Katie flicked the switch. A loud whining filled the room. The vacuum needed replacement as much as the rest of the appliances. She kept an eye on him out of the corners of her eyes. He stood there for a moment, growled something she didn’t hear, and then stomped away. The sunroom rug could certainly use another going over, so she kept the vacuum going until she heard the outer door slam. She flicked it off, a faint acrid smell suggesting the motor wouldn’t have lasted much longer. She went to the window, hiding her body. His truck roared out, wheels spinning gravel.
“Oh, Sammy boy is not a happy camper!”
She waited in the kitchen to make sure Sam’s truck kept going. A few moments later she heard the bell proving he’d driven over the sensor.
“Finally!”
Kati looked longingly at the book she wanted to read, but smudge marks on the lower counters made her fingers twitch. She had at least a couple of hours before Sam returned with Trey. Twenty minutes to do the cupboards, then she’d head upstairs, run herself a bubble bath, and relax with a good book.
* * * *
Sam gripped the steering wheel with a vengeance. What was it about that woman that made him do stupid things? When Katie had brushed him off he’d spun his tires like a sixteen-year-old whose girlfriend had tossed him over. So what if Trey had been the first to taste her, and give her an orgasm? He was the one who’d carried her upstairs and, though he didn’t want to leave, had let her sleep. And yet she acted as if he’d done something monstrous to her!
He took deep, calming breaths. If Mom saw him this way she’d know something was up. He hadn’t lost his temper in years. One short redhead and his control was blasted out the window. When he did get his hands on Katie, he would show her what for. She’d enjoy it, but damn, so would he. A bare-assed spanking would make them both feel better. And then he’d strip her naked, spread her out and prove he was a better man than Trey!
He parked his truck behind Trey's in front of his mother’s house. Ben had blocked the end of the driveway so the kids could play. He couldn’t believe his older brother drove a van rather than a pickup. Sam noted Emily’s pink trike and James’s new blue bike in front of the garage. He’d move them out of the way so they wouldn’t be a hazard. That was another thing. His kids would put their toys away as soon as they’d finished with them.
It was up to him and Trey to provide the ranch’s next generation. He’d be thirty in October. It was definitely time to find a wife. Was it the intrusive pixie who’d descended on them with a cleaning rag who brought on this sense of urgency? Though she’d been there little over twenty-four hours, the place felt totally different. He’d come up to the back door midmorning and found Katie on her hands and knees, scrubbing a stubborn spot on the floor. Telling himself he didn’t want to disturb her, he’d watched her ass wiggle until she finished. She’d been pissed off since she got up that morning. Since he’d forgotten what he’d come to the kitchen for, he’d gone back to work.
During lunch he’d caught himself smiling when Trey yanked her chain about a woman’s place being in the kitchen and bedroom. She’d exploded, telling Trey off until she realized he’d goaded her on purpose. She’d swatted him on the back of the head, hard, cursed at her hand hurting, and swore she’d use the cast-iron fry pan the next time. Sam had offered to put a hook on the wall so she could hang it nearby. Instead of thanking him she’d glared and told them he was next on her list.
Katie had been eager when she’d dropped her robe in invitation last night. Too bad she was so tired they’d had to put her to bed instead of continuing the party. Why had she turned into a cranky woman? She was the one who’d been pleasured for God’s sake!
His mother appeared on the front step. She rubbed her arm and winced. He hurried out of the truck to meet her. “How’re you feeling, Mom?”
“Just fine,” she replied stubbornly. “We’r
e having a girls’ weekend. Frankie’s moved home with Louise, and we’re getting rid of anything that reminds them of bad times. I want Louise’s home to look the way it did before Stanley Jefferson bullied her into marriage.” She frowned. “If that man wasn’t dead I’d shoot him myself. He went through her inheritance, destroyed her childhood home, and almost destroyed her and Frankie. He encouraged Stan Junior to be just as bad. Thank God that boy’ll be in jail for a long, long time.” She gave a brisk nod. “We’re going to make things right.”
His mom had certainly got her dander up, which was better than moaning around the house. Not that any of them were the type to moan and complain.
“Haven’t seen Frankie since high school,” said Sam. “If we’d known what was happening in that house—”
“Louise and her daughter were told they were stupid and useless, and believed it,” said his mom, grimacing. “Stanley backhanded them every time they looked sideways, beat them when they tried to stand up for themselves, and taught his son to do the same thing. They were ashamed, so said nothing. We all wish we’d done something, though things were different back then.” She stuck out her chin. “We can, and will, do something now. We’re holding a 50-50 raffle to help replace broken furniture and fix the holes Stan Junior punched in the walls. Quinn and Spencer O’Keefe will look the place over and see what needs doing.”
“Need any help hauling stuff to the dump?”
“Luke Chambers, the new deputy, volunteered.” His mom got that look which meant she was plotting. “Luke was the assault support liaison in his previous job. He knows how to behave around people with trauma, and to help them deal with it.”
He’d much rather she push Luke onto Frankie than send that eager look in his direction.
“Josh said Luke was a good addition to the Sheriff’s Department,” said Sam.
“One of Luke’s ancestors was the sheriff who got Trace Elliott to marry Beth in 1870. Your Uncle Simon tracked him down and suggested he apply.”
Beth was the first woman to arrive on a Bride Train. She was given a choice of marrying the town brute or Trace Elliott, a man she’d never met. Beth had made her decision, ending up with Trace as well as his brothers Simon and Jack. She’d been a smart-mouthed woman when alive and it hadn’t changed when she returned as a ghost. Sam had seen her when she helped Lila Frost save herself from Stan Junior. She gave him the heebie-jeebies. He both wanted to ask her about his fathers, and dreaded finding out what she might say.
His mother narrowed her eyes. “Too bad Sheriff Gibson doesn’t have the same power today. He might force you to put your past behind you, where it belongs.”
His mom must be in pain as otherwise she’d never mention his fathers’ death.
“About time you got here,” said Trey, pushing open the door. “My throat is dry from laughing with those kids. I need a beer.” Since Sam never drank, Trey had him drive.
“I was cleaning the equipment shed,” replied Sam. “Something you were supposed to do last week.”
“It’s Sam who’s holding back, Mom,” said Trey, ignoring the comment about uncompleted work. “I like having Katie around. She works hard, has a brain, and a sense of humor. She’s got a spark, as well.”
Sam’s cock twitched at the thought of putting her spark to good use.
“We need a wife who grew up on a ranch or farm,” he said abruptly. “Someone who understands that work doesn’t stop just because you’re tired.”
“I heard Katie spent summers on her grandmother’s farm until her parents put her to work in their family business,” said his mother. She glared at him. “She’s no spoiled princess.”
“I didn’t know about the farm, and I never said she was spoiled.”
“I love those munchkins, but they wipe me out. Bye, Mom.” Trey kissed their mother’s cheek. “I’ll say hi to Katie for you.”
“You still want kids, after playing with Ben’s?” asked Sam.
“Of course.” Trey smirked. “My kids will be well behaved.”
“No,” corrected Sam. “Mine will. Yours will be as wild as you, running all over the place.”
“Nope.” Trey shook his head. “Their mother will wrangle them. That’s why we need a strong, confident wife, not a dishrag like you’re looking for.” He grinned. “We need someone like Katie. You ready to get down on one knee in front of her, big brother?”
“Damn, it Trey, the woman only got here yesterday.”
“So? Have you seen anyone better in the last ten years?” said Trey over his shoulder as he headed for Sam’s truck.
“I’ve been too busy working this ranch to look for a woman, and you know it!”
“Now that Trey’s decided to stay around, you’ve got time to look.” Mom patted his chest. “I’ve got your grandmother Elliott’s ring in my jewelry box. I’ll have it cleaned and the setting checked so it will be ready when you, or your brother, proposes to Katie.”
“Mom—” he said, drawing out the word.
“Don’t use that tone with me, Samuel Henry Elliott! You may be a foot taller, but I am still your mother. I love you, even though you act like a fuddy-duddy stick-in-the-mud.”
He pulled off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and set his hat back with a deep sigh. “I don’t need psychoanalyzing.”
She patted his chest again. “I love you, Sam. You’ve been a worry since I lost your fathers. I feel like I’ve lost you as well. You don’t seem happy, ever. At least try to laugh a bit with Katie. She won’t be here long, so what’s the risk?”
“I’ll think about it, Mom. I love you. Always have, though I didn’t show it much.”
“I know,” she replied with quiet dignity.
Sam found himself giving his mother a gentle hug, the first in he didn’t know how long. He climbed behind the wheel and slammed the door. Trey was sulking, looking out the side window. Sam ignored him, driving to the Roadhouse without speaking.
* * * *
Trey twitched, holding back things he’d wanted to say for a long, long time. Ben and Amy had a good life. The kids were great. He wanted that life, and he wanted it soon. He’d wasted enough time and was ready to start the next chapter of his life. To do that, he had to straighten a few things out with Sam. This was the first time his brother had come close to being open to listening. He’d even hugged Mom!
“You didn’t even have the decency to talk to me after Dad died,” he said. “You just left those damn notes on the fridge.”
Sam, faced closed and tight, kept on driving, two miles under the speed limit. His eyes checked the road and the mirrors but never went near him. Trey undid his seatbelt and faced him.
“I did every damn thing on those lists, every damn time and you said nothing to me unless it was a complaint!”
“Nobody cared about the ranch but me.”
“Bullshit! Mom cared. I cared. The whole damn valley cared! They wanted to help and you turned them all down flat.”
Sam hunched over the wheel. “Yeah, you did what you were told, and not a damn thing more.”
“How did I know what you wanted, when you wouldn’t even talk to me?”
“You should have known—”
“For God’s sake, Sam, I was sixteen when Dad got killed in front of us. Mom was a wreck, and you wouldn’t talk. You were my big brother, the one I’d always looked up to. For the second time we’d lost a father. All of us were going through the same thing, and you shut me out.”
Sam hit the wheel with the heel of his palm. “I didn’t mean—”
“I thought you hated the sight of me because I looked like Dad.” Trey’s throat was so tight it hurt. “You were gone before the sun came up. You stuffed your face with whatever was on your plate, dumped your dishes in the sink, and walked out again. You didn’t even thank Mom for cooking. She’d watch you go, and then she’d hurry upstairs to her room while I cleaned up. I don’t know if you paid attention, but I heard her crying. Lots of times.”
Sam sagged ag
ainst the seat. “I don’t remember much from back then. I was so worried about keeping the Rocking E going that I didn’t notice anything else. I did what I thought was right, taking care of the ranch.”
“Yeah, you worked, alone, and ignored me, Mom, and Ben.”
“All I could think about was that if I didn’t get the work done, we’d lose the ranch,” Sam said quietly.
“There’s no way our uncles would have let that happen. They offered to help, but you pushed them away. Just like you did me and Mom.”
“I guess I figured you were old enough to take care of yourself.” Sam ran his fingers through his hair. “I must’ve been like a zombie, just going through the motions.”
“I felt like I’d lost both my father and my older brother at the same time.”
The only sounds were those made by the truck.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” said Sam. He spoke to the steering wheel, his voice rough.
It was years late, but it eased Trey’s fury and frustration. He’d been so mad at the time. Looking back, he realized Sam had been lost and alone. At least Trey’d had lots of family to turn to. Sam had turned away, instead.
“You went crazy,” said Sam, “taking off every time you could. I thought you hated the place.”
“Why would I want to hang around? You were like a robot with your own personal thundercloud raining on you. No matter how bright and sunny, you managed to turn things negative. Any time someone said something good you had to warn them of how it might screw up. Thank God I answered when Ben called to tell us about James being born. If you’d said those things to him instead of me, he’d never have let you see the kid.”
“The statistics on accidents in the home—”
“James and Emily are not statistics, Sam, they’re little kids.”
Sam twitched his shoulder. “Maybe I was a bit jealous,” he muttered. “They seem so happy.”
“Ya think?”
Trey sighed. Sam liked to think he was a rock, invincible. But even granite could be chipped away. His brother was like one of those geodes where the outside was rough, hard, and ugly. But if you took your time and chipped through it, you found something special inside. Sometimes a chisel would break it apart with one blow. Maybe Katie would be that chisel? For now, Trey would keep chipping.
