Authors: Stacey Espino
Espino, Stacey - Her Cowboy Triple Team [Ride 'em Hard 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)
“Just shuck the corn. You’ve got about two hundred ears to go,” said Grant, not willing to argue with his brother anymore.
He wasn’t going to admit the truth that he had started to develop strong feelings for the quiet secretary. People probably expected him to choose a larger-than-life woman, a typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed sex machine. But the young cowgirls who sometimes frequented the bar on the weekends did nothing for his libido. He’d been there and done that and was tired of fast women with nothing in their heads besides visions of hair dye and silicone.
Kayla was a real woman, curvy and healthy with wholesome values. She never dressed to impress the cowboys who frequented the office, always covering her generous cleavage and shapely legs. He hadn’t failed to notice, his imagination always on overdrive when it came to her.
But despite his growing attraction, Grant wanted to keep his feelings a secret, scared to have his heart trampled on. If she was still single at her age, she probably had a good reason for it and may not even give him a chance.
“You best come back here and help me, Grant Garner!” his brother called as he walked away.
A pickup truck had pulled up, and he wanted to greet all the guests. It was Angel and her men. Handing over the reins to Clay and Landon had been difficult when he was used to caring for Angel. She would always be his little sister, but he couldn’t have chosen better mates for her. He could see the love in her men’s eyes, and they somehow managed to keep the crazy woman inside her tame. Her reign of terror had ended once she settled down at the Roberts ranch.
“Grant!” Angel ran up to him and leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips. He swung her around and kissed her cheek. “I’ve missed you. Why didn’t you come to dinner with Matthew last weekend?”
“I was too busy, darlin’. But you’re here now. Why don’t you say hi to Daddy, and don’t forget to tell him how good his pig looks.”
“I was planning to.” She smiled as she slipped down to her feet. Grant reached into his pocket for his truck keys, which got her attention. “Going somewhere?”
“I have to pick up Clay’s sister from town.”
Clay was just in earshot and came over to join them. “You got Kayla to come? How’d you manage that?”
Grant chuckled, remembering how he’d tricked her into coming. He still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she’d come along willingly. But he figured a public event was a good excuse to get her one-on-one without scaring her off. The office visits were getting him nowhere. “I told her it would be fun and that you’d be here with Angel.”
“Did you want me to run and get her?”
“No, you go enjoy yourselves. I won’t be but a minute.” Grant separated from the quickly growing crowd. Pickups lined the wide, winding drive, and someone had turned on the stereo which they had hooked up to Matthew’s big speakers on the porch. Familiar country and western ballads carried through the prairie as his boots crunched the gravel on the driveway. He had a nervous anticipation churning inside him. Kayla Roberts turned him back into a schoolboy, falling in love for the first time all over again. He had a feeling she’d be a challenge, but good things never came easy.
Chapter Two
Kayla glanced at the clock on the stove display panel in her kitchenette for the twentieth time in the past half hour. It was nearly six o’clock. Would Grant actually come for her as promised? Or was he just teasing, since she hadn’t had a chance to reply? He was always playing with her, trying to push her buttons.
Is he coming or not?
She’d dressed, undressed, and dressed again just in case. After trying on everything she owned, she decided on a pair of fitted jeans and a white eyelet blouse. She’d have to bring a cardigan, because the evenings in early fall could get chilly in
Alberta
.
He wasn’t coming. She was just being stupid and hopeful to think he’d come. Grant probably didn’t even know where she lived. Nobody besides Clay had been to her little apartment. When he’d been over, he hadn’t approved, insisting she move home to his ranch or let him buy her a nice place. But she liked her apartment above the hardware store. It was clean, cozy, and it was hers. She paid the minimal rent with her part-time wages, not needing to ask her brother for handouts. It would be nice to earn an income from her art, but she wasn’t deluded enough to believe it would ever happen. She painted for the love of it and didn’t expect anything more.
The door knocked. The sound bounced off the inner walls of her heart, her stomach fluttered, and her breath hitched.
Calm down, Kayla. It’s probably just Mr. Ryder coming to say good night.
Another knock.
Kayla fussed with her hair in the mirror on the back of the door before opening it. On the other side of the entryway was the man who starred in her dreams. Grant Garner was leaning against the doorframe, his tall, lean-muscled body casually waiting for her to open the door.
“Ready, darlin’?”
She tried to play it cool. Wearing her desires on her sleeve would be a bad move. No man wanted a desperate woman. Well, not for more than a night. “What are you talking about? Ready for what?”
“The corn roast. I told you to be ready for me.” If only he knew just how ready she was. He pushed off the doorframe, his body stretching out even taller as he tried to peer past her into the apartment. “This your place?”
“You know it is. Not everyone lives on a thousand-acre cattle and wheat farm.”
“Never said it wasn’t a good place. I haven’t even seen it.”
She could feel his unspoken question. He wanted to be invited in. Should she dare? This was her turf, her safe haven. Kayla wasn’t the type to invite men into her apartment willy-nilly. She knew Grant and his family, but perhaps she didn’t trust herself.
“If you want you can come in for a minute.” She stepped to the side, and he didn’t waste time in striding in. His dark, masculine presence in her little place was distracting. She could smell the subtle musk of his cologne as he took slow, measured steps into her apartment.
“I like it,” he said. Then he noticed her easels by the back window which overlooked the fields. “You paint?”
Her face flushed. Nobody had seen her work besides Clay. It was a hobby, one she loved and devoted much of her free time to. “Just for fun.”
He leaned over, studying her art and alternatively looking out the window to see the scene that inspired it. “You’re really good, Kayla. It looks just like a photograph. Even better.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks. I like painting nature. Everything’s a miracle and never the same way twice.” Kayla could have gone on and on about her favorite subjects and techniques but learned how easily it bored others, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Is your work for sale?” he asked.
“
Sale
?” She scowled, wondering why he’d even ask. “What for?”
Grant stood up straight until she had to look up to meet his eyes. “I’d love one for myself. It’d remind me of you and the land I love.”
She brushed off his flattery, not willing to let the cowboy into her heart. He was a wicked temptation as it was. If she added real emotion into the mix, she’d be setting herself up for some serious heartache. All the men she’d dated had used her, dumping her when a better catch came along. It made her self-esteem take a serious nosedive. Her last boyfriend had been verbally abusive near the end, calling her fat and boring. She would have walked out on him if he hadn’t done it first. Her history left her guarded when it came to men. She’d learned to hide behind her brother’s wing to avoid serious relationships that would inevitably turn out the same way. Now that she’d branched out on her own, she had to be cautious who she gave her heart to.
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she joked. She tucked her hair behind one ear and headed back toward the door.
He followed her, continuing to talk. “Maybe you could come over to my place one evening and paint the sunset behind the barn. It’s one of my favorite sights.”
The sunset wasn’t in view of her windows, but it was one of her choice things to paint. His offer was a tempting one but still easy to ignore. Being alone with Grant in the quiet twilight behind his barn was surely an intimate setup. The men she knew weren’t into art, not even her brother, Clay. He supported her love of painting but never showed any personal interest.
“That might not be the greatest idea. You know how people talk.” She held open the door, expecting he’d leave.
He shut it with a palm higher than she could reach, leaving his arm extended. She’d already jumped when the door slammed shut. “Who cares what others think. If they suspect something funny’s going on, that’s their problem, not ours.” Then he smirked, tugging her chin up to face him with a bent finger. “Unless you want something to happen.”
She swallowed hard, afraid to speak when she couldn’t trust her voice. “Always the flirt, aren’t you?”
Again, keeping things light was the best defense. If she didn’t give in to his charms, she couldn’t get hurt, but she also wouldn’t reap any benefits. His advance warmed her entire body, making her stomach flutter like a gathering of butterflies. She briefly closed her eyes, imagining what a night with Grant would be like. He was so strong, rough, and would no doubt take what he wanted.
But there were another dozen or more cowboys who flattered her at the office. It meant nothing. Even her brother used to be a regular playboy before he moved here and settled down with Angel. But his new wife was eleven years younger than him, not four years older. Grant would only bore of her once the chase was over and he got his prize—and she wasn’t much of a prize to start with. As soon as a younger, more attractive cowgirl crossed his path, Kayla would be forgotten, yesterday’s conquest.
“You’re going to make this hard for me, I know it. But I’ll prove myself to you, starting tonight.” He reached down and took her hand in his. His was big, warm, and rough. The simple hand-holding was the most intimate thing she’d experienced in a long time. “Come on, we don’t want to keep everyone waiting. Even Clay expects you.”
“Oh no, I can’t come to your corn roast. Nobody even knows me.”
“Are you kidding me? I think half the town’s been through the feed center. It’ll be fun, I promise. Plenty of food, music, and good times. It ain’t healthy to be sitting up here all alone night after night.”
The man didn’t take no for an answer. Why couldn’t everyone accept that she liked the way her life was? Or did she? A huge part of her wanted to go wherever he led, but her nagging fear of rejection clung to her. Maybe she needed a take-charge man in her life. She kept up her reluctance but had secretly hoped he’d come and get her at six when promised. If he hadn’t come, she’d be disappointed and unable to sleep.
He opened the door and brushed her out. His dominance thrilled her in ways she never expected. All she’d sought over the years was independence from her controlling brother, but now she craved that control from Grant.
He led her out to his red pickup truck, the one that reminded her of him every time she’d see it pull into the parking lot. It was an icon of unfulfilled desire and possibilities.
The interior of the truck cab smelled like a man—leather, musk, and horses. The bench seat creaked when he climbed in after her. He turned and winked. “You always bust my balls at the office, but now you’re coming to my world.”
“Hey, I’ve always been perfectly professional with you.”
Grant shook his head. “No, you’re a tease. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going after settling my accounts.”
“That’s ridiculous!” she said. “You can’t tell me I’ve shown any skin at work, because I haven’t.” The mere idea that he complained she was too sexy was laughable. She kept herself covered to save herself the embarrassment of revealing her extra pounds. Her ex had her feeling ashamed to even show her face in public, never mind flaunt her sexuality.
“That’s just it. You don’t have to do anything but look at me with those big, dark eyes of yours, darlin’.” Imagine that? A man like Grant claiming to be attracted to an older, out-of-shape secretary. It was too outlandish to believe. She was always Clay Roberts’s little sister, not a woman, not something to be coveted. It felt good to receive attention from Grant, but she wouldn’t let down her guard just yet. She’d learned the hard way how some men preyed on the insecurities of women, building them up just to get what they wanted.
She had nothing to say in return, still enraptured by his compliment and smoldering eyes. He chuckled as he pulled out of the parking lot and hit the dirt roads. She’d never been to the Garner ranch. But all the farms looked pretty much the same to her. Kayla couldn’t wait to get out of the sticks and closer to the city, where she could really spread her wings. This wasn’t the place for her. She didn’t belong in this world where everyone was coupled and at peace with the nature around them. The only time she savored the endless fields and crisp, blue skies was when she was painting. It was her escape. But when she set the brush down, she was alone and unsatisfied, the great beyond just reminding her of her mortality.
Clay had always tried to be everything she needed, but a brother couldn’t fulfill all her desires. Now he was married, starting the life she’d always hoped he would. He deserved to be happy after all the sacrifices he’d made for her over the years. Kayla dreamt of starting her own life but wouldn’t even know where to begin. She was about to turn thirty and only had a handful of shitty relationships to date and no prospects thanks to Clay coddling her and keeping her sheltered from the world. What she wanted was a fulfilling relationship, but she’d been so scarred from old boyfriends—putting her down and leaving her for younger, thinner women—that she found it difficult to meet new men. Found it difficult to trust.