Tough Talking Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  Mike curled into a ball, one hand on his bleeding nose, the other on his busted balls. “Fuck. You broke my nose. Call an ambulance,” he wailed.

  “Why the fuck would I do that for you when you couldn’t do it for my sister!”

  “Help me, you bitch.” Mike took a swat at Sunny, but missed. “Get him away.”

  Drake whistled at Sunny. “Heel.” Sunny ran back and sat at Drake’s side, but gave one last warning growl.

  Drake pulled out his phone to call the cops, but the sound of sirens grew louder outside until a patrol car pulled into the lot. Adria ran to the front and unlocked the door.

  Drake stood over Mike. “You ever fucking touch someone I love again, you’re dead.”

  “You can’t let them take me to jail.”

  “It’s better than dead.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it.” Mike’s whiny voice reinforced what an annoying, juvenile man-boy he turned out to be.

  Drake stood over Mike and gave him the cold hard truth. “You shoved drugs into Juliana’s face.”

  “I just wanted to party with her.”

  Drake gave Mike a disgusted look. “You wanted her doped up so you could take advantage of her because you knew she’d never sleep with a shithead like you.”

  “She was so beautiful.”

  Drake leaned over, grabbed Mike by the shirt, pulled him up, and got in his face. “And now she’s dead because of you. You killed her. Because of you, my friend overdosed and nearly died, too. You took away someone precious from the woman I love. You deserve a hell of a lot worse than jail and I hope you get it.” Drake shoved Mike back onto the floor. He thumped his head on the hardwood again. Mike yelped and grabbed his busted nose. As Drake turned, he got a nut-shot in with his big, booted foot.

  Mike grabbed his junk again and wailed in pain just as the cops walked in the door, missing the exchange between Drake and Mike.

  Drake pulled Adria into his arms and hugged her close.

  She held tight, letting the adrenaline wane and the trembling in her body fade. “How did the cops know?”

  “Trinity. She’s probably watching the live feed from the cameras.” He tightened his grip. “I should have realized what happened. I set up an alarm to let me know if the motion-activated cameras went on after hours.”

  “You thought I’d come here.”

  “If you decided you didn’t want me anymore, you’d come to the apartment instead of the ranch.”

  She looked up at him. “I never stopped wanting you.”

  He kissed her on the forehead, but he wasn’t done being angry at himself. “The alert came through, so I thought it was you. I didn’t even look to see who set it off. I just jumped in my truck and came after you. But on the way, the alert went off again. I thought you went out, then came back in. I checked the feed then and saw you in here.”

  “Crying over my sister.”

  He brushed his hand over her hair. “I never considered that Mike or someone else came in first.”

  “He must have been up in the apartment or hiding in the kitchen when I came in. You arrived shortly after I got here.”

  “Pure coincidence we all ended up here at the same time.”

  Adria took great satisfaction in watching the cops forcibly roll Mike to his stomach, pull his arms behind his back, and cuff him. When one of the cops read him his rights, Mike repeated, “I didn’t mean to kill her,” over and over again.

  She stepped in front of him as they walked him toward the door. “Maybe you didn’t mean it, but you did kill her. Now you’re going to pay for it. And I’ll be there, every step of the way, making sure you get what’s coming.”

  Mike stared down at her, tears streaming down his cheeks. “You look just like her.”

  Drake wrapped his arm around her before she could attack Mike again.

  The cops pulled Mike back, too, eyed her, but walked Mike out as Drake held her back.

  “I know you want to, but don’t give the cops a reason to take you, too. I can’t go another night without you.”

  Those words and how much he meant them made her stop struggling and turn to the man who loved her. He wrapped her in all his strength and love and let her cry out her anger, frustration, and grief while he answered the cop’s questions. She barely managed to nod her agreement.

  Sunny settled in at her feet, his body pressed against her leg.

  The cops searched the shop and apartment and found what was left of his stash of drugs and bagged it as evidence. They’d been looking everywhere for Mike, but he couldn’t go home, so he must have come here to crash. That or his guilt brought him back here to face what he’d done.

  Drake spoke to Trinity on the phone to let her know they were okay and planned to stay at the apartment. He left Adria on the sofa in the reading nook with a hot cup of herbal tea and went up to the apartment to pack up Chase’s things so they could get them back to him.

  She let the quiet surround her and stared at the floor where her sister died and Mike got a little taste of what he deserved.

  I miss you, Jules.

  I wish you were here.

  She pulled her shirtsleeve up and tore off the bandage on the back of her wrist. She swept her fingers over the brand-new tattoo. She traced her finger over the nestled hearts and thought of what Juliana told her.

  Two joined hearts filled with love. When you have that, you can get through anything.

  “When did you get that?”

  “I made Roxy take me before we came back. Juliana drew it.”

  Juliana had been talking about them when she described what the tattoo meant to her. Why she wanted it. Because it reminded her that she’d always have Adria to get through anything. They had each other.

  She looked up at Drake and Juliana’s voice whispered in her heart, You have him now.

  “I love you.”

  He squatted in front of her. “I love you, too.” He slipped his hand under her arm and stared at the tattoo. “You’ve got one for your sisters. One for Juliana. You think you’ll ever get a tattoo for me?”

  “Someday. I’ll have to figure out what that would be.” She leaned forward and put her hand on his face and looked deep into his blue-gray eyes. “Until then, right now, and forever, you’re tattooed on my heart.”

  Drake leaned forward on his knees, drew her close with his hand at the back of her head, and kissed her. Softly at first. Then he took the kiss deeper, and she felt just how much those words meant to him.

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “God, I love you.”

  “Show me.”

  He took her hand, stood, and helped her up. “You sure?”

  “You are the only thing I’m sure about right now.”

  He led her out of the shop, through the kitchen, and up the stairs to the apartment. He opened the door and let her go in ahead of him.

  She gasped and put her hand over her mouth, then settled it on her chest, surprised and amazed by what he’d done for her. “Drake. It’s so pretty.”

  Drake had stripped and remade the bed and strung white holiday lights over the metal headboard. They lent the otherwise dark room a bright, cheery feel. “Trinity bought a whole bunch of them for the shop. I stole one of the boxes out of the office.” He took her by the hips and walked her toward the bed. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t sleep without you.” He pulled her shirt up and over her head and tossed it. The lace bra surprised him. “That’s new.”

  “I borrowed it from Jules.”

  He looked up to the ceiling. “Thank you, Jules.” He meant it. More than that, he loved that Adria had put the past behind her and didn’t shy away from wearing pretty things.

  Adria caught her breath, not believing he’d be so casual about speaking about Juliana.

  “Just because she’s gone doesn’t mean we have to stop talking about her.” To get them back on track, he dipped his head and kissed the swell of her breast. “And I like her taste.”

  Adria slipped her fingers t
hrough his short hair and held him to her breast.

  “But this has to go because I want your skin against mine.” He unhooked the bra and slipped it down her shoulders. Out of respect, he didn’t toss it, but set it on the dresser.

  Her hands went over his head, down his neck to his shoulders, gripped his shirt, and pulled it off. He hated to let her go for even that long, but then she pulled him to her and his chest met hers and the searing kiss they shared didn’t come close to the heat that rushed through him feeling her body pressed to his.

  The rest of their clothes disappeared in record time. It had been too long. Too much had happened. They needed to be as close as two people could be. Right now.

  So he laid his body over hers, kissed her long and deep, and slipped his hand between her warm thighs and found her slick heat against his fingers. He slipped one deep inside her and stroked it in and out as her hips rocked against his palm.

  “Drake.” She hooked her hands around his sides, fingers splayed on his back, and held on tight.

  “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Promise me.” She kissed her way up his neck.

  “I swear.” Before he could move, think, or grab for the condom, she took him in deep. He stilled, locked tight in her body. One with her. His chest pressed to hers.

  “Two hearts filled with love. Nothing between us. You and me.” Those words, the image of her tattoo in his mind, and then she moved and he forgot everything but the sheer pleasure that washed through him.

  If she wanted him this way, he was all in, because he meant what he said. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  Ever.

  He wanted a life with her. And if they made a new life, well, that would be a gift from someone who had already given him so much.

  So he poured everything into showing her how much he loved her. He gave himself over to the pleasure and the love they shared. And when they reached the height of ecstasy and he held her in his arms, safe and loved and his, he found peace.

  She slept snuggled to his side, her hand over his heart, I Love You tattooed on the back of it and on his heart, too. In the quiet, her breath a whisper across his skin, he sent up a silent pledge to Juliana. I will love and protect her always.

  Maybe his eyes tricked him, but he thought the lights flickered right before he gave in to sleep.

  He woke up with Adria staring up at him, tears swimming in her eyes and a soft smile on her lips.

  “I dreamed of her. She was holding a pink-and-blue flower.” She pressed a kiss to his chest. “I don’t know why. But I woke up happy and sad.”

  He hugged her close. “It’s going to take time to get used to missing her.”

  Her smile dipped into a lopsided half frown. “Thank you for understanding that I will always miss her.”

  “And when you miss her most, just look in the mirror and there she’ll be. No matter what, she’ll always be in your heart.”

  “My tough talking cowboy is a poet this morning.”

  He chuckled. “Hardly. But I get your pain and loss. Maybe not in the same way because she was your twin, but I miss the guys we lost overseas. They’re a part of me, just like Jules is a part of you.”

  She pressed another kiss to his chest, then looked at him, and in her eyes he saw that same lost look as yesterday. “I’m so glad to be here with you, but I have no idea what to do now that she’s gone.”

  “Get dressed. I have an idea about that.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Adria stood in front of the house and took in the overgrown front yard, wide front porch with the weathered and probably rotten boards, the gorgeous but in need of sanding and staining wood front door, and a roof that had seen all the weather it could handle and probably leaked.

  “Four bedrooms. Two baths. Twenty-eight hundred square feet on five acres. The outside needs work, but inside, they’ve remodeled. Kinda.”

  That didn’t sound encouraging.

  “It’s only twenty, twenty-five minutes outside of town. We can have a couple of horses here, or go up to the ranch to ride whenever you want. The ranch is only about another fifteen minutes away. It’ll be tough at first financially, since my offer was accepted on the business, but I think we can swing it.”

  “Um, two questions.”

  He looked down at her, waiting.

  “What business? And are you asking me to move in here with you?”

  “The security company I told you about. I bought it. Once the paperwork goes through, it’ll be mine. So I have a job, a steady income, a way to take care of you.”

  “You know I make good money at the shop.”

  He glanced back at the house. “It’ll come in handy if we want to fix this place up. It needs it.” He turned back to her and answered her second question. “We can stay at the cabin for a while, but for the long run, and having a family, I think this place will suit us.”

  She thought about how she’d just wanted to be close to him, feel all of him, and the impulsive thing she’d done last night and what it could mean. “Four rooms, you said?”

  He nodded and gave her a sexy smile. “Four.”

  “You and me?”

  “Always.”

  She swept her hand out toward the house. “Let’s see it.”

  He took her hand and pulled her into his chest and wrapped her up tight against him. “I can already see it.” He kissed her softly, drawing it out until she melted against him, then pressed his forehead to hers and looked deep into her eyes. “Do you see it, Adria?”

  She woke up these last few days not knowing how to go on without Juliana. But standing here with Drake, in his arms, in front of the house he wanted them to share, she saw a bright, happy, loving, family-filled future.

  Tears pricked her eyes and clogged her throat. “I see it.”

  He kissed her quickly. “Good.” He stepped back, took her hand, and pulled her toward the house. “We can redo the garden and porch, put on a new roof, and a fresh coat of paint. That will fix the front.” He unlocked the door and pushed it open wide. “The hardwood floors are gorgeous, but the whole place needs to be painted.”

  “You think?” Standing in the entry, she saw three rooms. One dark green, one a pale peach, and the kitchen in a deep, dark blue that made it look like a cave.

  “Imagine it with a light, neutral color. With all the windows off the back, this place will be bright and cheerful.”

  She loved the windows off the spacious living area. “Do you think we can knock down that wall between the kitchen and living room?”

  “It’s probably load bearing, but I think a contractor can put a header from the entry wall across to the other side of the breakfast nook.” He pulled her into the kitchen.

  “This has to be gutted.” The old, outdated cabinets had been painted white but still looked shabby. The appliances were cheap and white, not stainless steel. The porcelain sink was chipped and stained.

  “If we get rid of the wall, the entire kitchen has to be reconfigured. And since you’re a chef, we need top-of-the-line appliances. I’m thinking we nix the breakfast nook altogether and expand the kitchen across the whole back wall and add a huge island with stools as part of the expanded living space. We’ll still have plenty of room for a good-sized table in the dining area for when your sisters and brothers-in-law come over. If we have my family over at the same time, we’ll have to bring in another table, but I think there will be plenty of space.”

  She saw his vision and loved it. Even more, she appreciated so much that he wanted this place to be theirs. A place for them to make memories together and with their families.

  She’d never been to such a family gathering, but she wanted to fill the house and her life with their loved ones.

  “Let’s buy it.”

  “You haven’t seen the rest of it.”

  “I already know I want it. I have some of the money left over that Roxy gave me to start the business, plus what I’ve saved from my earnings at the shop, so
I can help with the down payment and renovation costs.”

  He scooped her up and off her feet and held her against his chest and stared up at her. “You mean it. Yes?”

  “Yes.” She cupped his face and kissed him. “But I get to pick everything for the kitchen.”

  “Deal.” He kissed her again. “Just keep in mind we own two businesses, so have mercy on my wallet.”

  She nodded, knowing that eventually she’d have to convince him to accept that being Roxy’s sister meant never having to worry about money because her sister insisted on using the Wild Rose Ranch profits to benefit all of them.

  She couldn’t believe how alone she felt when Juliana died.

  But she wasn’t alone.

  She had Drake.

  She had Roxy and Sonya.

  Two brothers when Noah and Austin married her sisters. Trinity, Declan, and Tate.

  And a family with Drake in her future in their new house.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Everything can change in six weeks.

  Adria and Drake took a trip to Wyoming to visit Chase. He’d let grief and guilt over what happened with Juliana drag him back into a dark place. Adria helped him see the light again when she assured him Juliana’s death wasn’t his fault.

  Mike was the only one who needed to pay the price. He took a five-year deal and pleaded guilty to negligent homicide. In her opinion, he got off easy. The district attorney had to take into account it was his first offense. But Adria fought to get those five years because Mike forced the drugs on her sister, failed to call an ambulance, left the scene, and evaded police.

  Justice had been served and Mike had five long years behind bars to think about the life he took. He’d get a second chance, but Juliana’s life ended because of what he did.

  Adria and Drake closed on the house and started renovations using the same contractor Sonya used at Austin’s ranch. Drake balked at the price of the renovation. He wanted to pull back on the extensive plans. He’d rigorously fought Roxy on paying for all of it. But in the end, he put up the white flag and surrendered when Roxy bypassed him and paid the contractor directly.