Cowboys & Bosses Read online

  I drove away from the ranch thinking about the Manning family, specifically if I could do what Mason wanted me to do without getting my heart smashed to pieces.

  * * *

  “So do you want me to tell you why this is a good idea or talk you out of it?” I could always count on my best friend Sierra to keep it real with me. I stopped by her bar, well the only bar in town, the Double Barrel to get some perspective on Mason’s proposal.

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh come on Sage. We both know you not only want to do this, you’re straight up gagging to pretend you’re getting married to Mason Manning.”

  My cheeks turned red and I buried my face in the cold beer before me. “That’s where you’re wrong smartass, I don’t want to pretend. I want it to be real.”

  She gave me that sympathetic look I hated more than I hated anything but she was my best friend so I refrained from throwing my beer in her face. “Oh honey I know you do but don’t you think it’s time?”

  I smacked a hand against the bar, happy there weren’t a lot of patrons in at this time to see me throw a tantrum. “Don’t you think I would if I could Sierra? I’ve tried dammit!” I had two serious relationships in college and neither produced a fraction of the emotion, the passion of that kiss from Mason. “I know it’s pathetic and believe me, I wish I could move on Sierra. But I can’t.”

  Sierra sighed and pushed her lush red hair off her shoulders before she took a long slow sip from her glass. “Then you have to do it.”

  “I do?” I had not expected her to say that since she’s been after me for years to end my obsession with Mason.

  She nodded. “You do. Be his faux whatever but use this time wisely. Seduce him, make him see how good you could be together. Whatever it takes. And when this is over-,”

  “It’s really over,” I finished for her, ignoring the stop and drop of my heart so hollow in my chest.

  “Or he realizes he’s been a big fat dummy all this time and you get your happy ending,” she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

  Yeah or that. Except we both knew there was a better chance of keeping a snowman standing on Main Street in July. “So I shouldn’t keep asking to use his land for my equine massage business?”

  Sierra finished her beer and swiped the foam from her mouth. “If you think it won’t slice you open every day to see him. Especially when he does move on, which he will.”

  “Just the thought of it slices plenty, thanks.” I had already spent years watching him date women who weren’t boring like me. They were tall and thin and most important they were busty and blonde. They weren’t average height with brown hair and blue eyes like me. I didn’t have pouty lips and my C cups weren’t impressing anyone. “Well I guess I need to find some land and see about getting a loan.”

  “How much do you need?”

  I shook my head. “No Sierra. I love you and I’m grateful for the offer but I can’t take that kind of money from you. If my business fails you’ll hate me.”

  “Gee, thanks for thinking so highly of me.”

  “Oh come on, you know it’s not that. That money is for your future. You paid a steep price for it.”

  She shrugged like it didn’t matter but I knew it did. Her parents and baby brother died in a freak boating accident when we were fourteen and with no family to take her in she came and stayed with us until graduation. Dad couldn’t take care of two ranches so it had been sold and the money added to the trust left for her. “I know but your parents never touched that money and they should have.”

  “You were family well before that and you know it. We all loved having you there and I know for a fact they wanted to make sure you could do whatever you wanted with your life with that money.”

  “Fine but I’ll co-sign a loan for you because you’ll need it.”

  “I can get Jack to do it.”

  Sierra rolled her eyes. “Honey he’s got less collateral than you unless you count his guns and body armor.”

  Crap she was right. Being a Ranger for the past six years and regular Army a decade before meant he had no home base, no car. No collateral just as Sierra said. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  “You know where to find me and my pocketbook.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I told her and finished my second beer of the night. “I have a ton of sleep to miss out on tonight.” I knew I would help Mason because I was powerless where he was concerned but I didn’t know if I had it in me to do what Sierra suggested. He hadn’t noticed me in all this time, what would make this time any different?

  Mason

  Sage was avoiding me. I didn’t know if it had to do with the kiss or the proposal but it could have possibly been my reaction to her asking to use my land. Why had I reacted like such a jackass? It was perfectly reasonable to expect a quid pro quo when a favor was this big. And what had she said, I hadn’t said five words to her in a month. That couldn’t be true…could it?

  I hadn’t seen her in a few days but I knew she’d been at the ranch because she documented her hours—down to the minute because there was no rounding up or down with her—and because the horses she’d worked moved smoother, had a more relaxed gait and were less anxious. She’d even picked up Lily for their girls’ night while I checked on the animals after dinner

  Lily was due back tonight before dinner giving me and Sage the perfect opportunity to talk. Since it was Friday it would be me and Lily for dinner, Maybelle and her husband went dancing on Fridays and the ranch hands would be at the Double Barrel looking for a pretty lady to spend the night with. I finished the chores outside and took a quick shower before grabbing a beer and settling in at my desk to go over a few things. I didn’t get more than twenty minutes of work done before I heard Lily’s boisterous yell and loud stomping the hard wood floors. “Daddy we’re here!”

  With a smile I stood and caught a barrel of blonde curls coming at me full speed. “He Lily pad, did you have fun?”

  “Uh-huh. We did nails and toes, and Sage put gunk on our faces so we shine!” She pushed out of my arms and stood beside Sage who just appeared in the living room. “And we’re twins!”

  I looked back and forth and sure enough, they both wore short denim skirts and pale blue tank tops but where Lily looked adorable and ready for summer, Sage looked like temptation on a platter. That frayed hem made my hands itch to caress her mile long legs, to see if they were as soft as they looked. And her breasts, good god they were amazing, sat high and perky in behind her cotton tank. “You sure are. You both look beautiful.”

  “Thank you Daddy!”

  Sage’s lips twitched. “Yeah, thank you Daddy.”

  I groaned at her words, certain I was going to hell for being a dirty old man with dirty thoughts. But yeah I could learn to like hearing Sage’s sexy voice call me daddy. “You look hungry.” I cringed at those words. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “Oh yeah? Good because I’m starved.” She licked her lips before they tugged up into a smile.

  “You’re gonna stay for dinner Sage? Please, oh please stay!”

  “What’s for dinner?”

  “Catfish,” I answered simply.

  She groaned and rubbed a hand over her flat stomach. “Heck yeah I’m staying for dinner. I would do almost anything for a few pieces of Maybelle’s catfish.”

  “Only almost?”

  She shrugged and diverted her gaze from mine, giving me a wide berth as she made her way to the kitchen. “Come on Lily I’ll give you a boost to wash your hands.”

  “I have a stool Uncle Tanner made for me,” she said and showed her.

  “Very cool. Your Uncle Tanner must love you a lot.”

  She nodded. “He says I’m the cutest little girl ever!”

  “He’s right about that,” I told her and kissed her cheek before we all sat around the table. For a while things were quiet and tense, Sage hardly spared me a look and when she did she wore an odd expression. Luck
ily my little girl could win the Olympics of talking, elaborating on all the cool things she and Sage had done.

  “And Sierra showed me how to make pizza. I love pizza Daddy!” She shook her head and started giving me a detailed rundown of the movie they watched. “It was so romantic and girls need romance Daddy. Sage says boys always forget,” she told me sounding about ten years too old.

  I smiled because I appreciated the female influence Sage provided and in the month since she returned Lily had taken to her like she had always known her. But I hate that she won’t always be my little girl. “What do you know about romance Lily pad?”

  “Lots,” she said sounding far too serious. “I know that it’s not just flowers and candy but those are really good. Sage says it’s about knowing what’s special to your girl and doing it for her once in a while.”

  “Wise words,” I told her, looking right at Sage who found her plate especially interesting at that moment.

  Once dinner was over Lily asked to watch TV before bed, Sage began to clear the table and I knew this was it. Now or never. “We should talk.”

  “Yep,” she said, rinsing the dishes and putting them carefully in the dishwasher.

  “Do you have anything to say?” The change in her demeanor didn’t bode well but I pushed forward. “Sage.”

  She turned, drying her hands on a sunflower covered towel. At least I think she did but I couldn’t focus on anything but her plump breasts wondering what color those hard nipples were. Dusty rose? Raspberry pink? “Are you even listening?”

  “I am now,” I told her and used every ounce of willpower to keep my gaze on her face.

  “I will do this to help you out but you were right, asking for use of your land was too much. I’ll find another way to take care of it.”

  Another way? “What in the hell does that mean?” I was ready to agree to use of the land and now she didn’t want it?

  “It seems pretty self-explanatory to me, Mase.”

  “Well what do you want then?”

  “Nothing.”

  That didn’t make any kind of sense. “That hardly seems fair!”

  “Really?” Arms crossed giving me an even better view of her perky breasts. “Because a few days ago you thought it was unreasonable that I should ask for anything. Now we’re in agreement so take it or leave it.”

  Why did women have to make everything more complicated than it had to be? “Stop being so damn stubborn!” I stood and raked a frustrated hand through my hair, walking to where she stood so she couldn’t move between me and the counter. “I’ll pay you, just tell me what you want.”

  She ignored me the same way she would after pulling a prank on me and Jack. I liked it even less now than I did back then, but when she bent to the close the dishwasher door and her round ass brushed up against my erection, she gasped and I groaned. “No thank you.” She attempted to push at my chest but I held her wrists so her palms laid flat on my chest. “Let go Mason.”

  “No squirt, I don’t think I will.”

  “Don’t call me that, damn you. Just remember you and Jack taught me how to defend myself.”

  I pushed in closer so our bodies were flush. I should have stepped back but my damn feet wouldn’t listen. They didn’t give a damn that this sexy woman was Jack’s kid sister. Didn’t care that things were about to get messy and confusing. “So you’ll do it?”

  She grinned. “I knew you were more than a pretty face.”

  The look in her eyes, part desire and part affection, twisted me up and I stepped back and instantly missed the feel of her soft body, lush breasts pressed against me. Yanking the fridge open I pulled out two bottle of beer and handed her one. Best friend’s sister, I tried to remind myself to tamp down the heat swirling between us. “Let’s get some air.”

  We moved onto the back porch, sitting side by side on the slider while crickets chirped. Long legs crossed at the ankles captured my attention, especially the thin gold chain around her left ankle. “You’ll need me in a few weeks for that dinner, right? It shouldn’t be a problem since I’m working for you.”

  And here comes the hard part. “It isn’t just the dinner Sage. Members of the association will be in and out of the ranch for the next few months, checking the horses, breeding records and watching their movements. You need to move in here if we’re going to sell this.”

  “Maybe we’re waiting until we’re married.”

  “In this day and age, and with a child? Unlikely.” What was the big deal anyway, unless she didn’t want to live with a kid. “Are you worried about sharing space with Lily? Ow!” She slugged my arm. “What was that for?”

  “For even suggesting Lily is a problem for me.”

  “For most women it might be.”

  Sage rolled her eyes and turned to me, giving me another straightforward glance at world class breasts. “Even if this were real Lily wouldn’t be a problem Mason. I’d be more worried about your inability to commit.”

  “My what?”

  “You heard me. You hardly date so I’m guessing you go out of town to get your needs met which means you have no plans to settle down again. As a future bride that would be a bigger concern.”

  Damn. Did she really think that about me? The truth was that I had gone out of town to find women who weren’t looking for anything more than a few hours of fun and maybe a meal. A few had hinted for more and I found myself too busy to see them again. But for the past year or so no one had even lit my fire. Not the way Sage did anyway. “Maybe I haven’t found the right woman yet.”

  She thought about it but everything about her body language said she didn’t believe me. “I’ll bring my stuff over later this week.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “No need. I’ve packed up and moved plenty. More than you in fact.”

  I sighed and took a long pull from the bottle. “Might look weird if your fiancé doesn’t help you move.”

  “Fine.” She stood and handed me her half-empty bottle before walking back inside the house. Moments later I heard the front door close and my whole body relaxed.

  This would be the longest summer of my life.

  * * *

  I got up early Thursday morning because I knew Sage would try to move everything on her own and I wouldn’t let that happen. After taking care of morning chores I left Lily with Maybelle, hopped in my truck and headed for the Double Barrel. She’d chosen to live there because Sierra owned it but I hated every minute of it. As the only bar in town it was a surefire way to find the wrong kind of trouble. Climbing the stairs behind the bar I knocked and waited, ready to feel smug over thwarting her plans to move solo.

  But of course when she opened the door the joke was on me because Sage wore the tiniest possible denim cutoff shorts I had ever seen, showing off her long muscular legs to absolute fucking perfection. And don’t even get me started on the lightweight cotton tank she wore that called attention to the bare breasts jiggling underneath. “Just in time,” she said with a smile, walking back inside and leaving the door open for me to follow.

  “We didn’t set a time,” I told her, looking down the hall where I assumed the bedroom and bathroom were located.

  “I know but I knew you’d show up today to make sure I didn’t do it all on my own.”

  I followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen and found her bent over a large box. And groaned. “So you just knew I would show up?”

  “You’re here aren’t you?”

  Yeah I was, dammit. So we got down to work taping up boxes and packing the living room and kitchen. “Is any of this furniture yours?”

  “Just some of the bedroom items.”

  We worked in silence for about thirty minutes, packing and labeling the rooms in front and it was an exercise in torture. I had broken out into a sweat and we hadn’t even started lugging boxes down the stairs. Nope, every time we moved around the small space some part of her tight little body brushed up against me. Nipples against my chest, her glorious backside
against my near constant erection. The strawberry scent of her hair drove me wild. Made me hungry. Intoxicated me. Dammit. “How can there be so much stuff?” The place was smaller than a shoebox, where did all this stuff come from?

  “You can always go back to the ranch and I’ll meet you there whenever.”

  She said it so casually, so nonchalantly I knew it was a challenge. But I would stay and I would help her. I had to. “I said I would help and I will.”

  She nodded and turned back to grabbing items from the top of the cabinets. “We’re almost done. Just the bathroom and bedroom.”

  I couldn’t be sure but I thought I heard a smile in her voice. “I’ll take the bedroom,” I told her, not sure I could stand all of her scents overtaking my senses.

  “Perfect.” She hopped from the chair and guided me down the hall where the bedroom sat on the right and directly across the hall was the bathroom. “Have at it.”

  I stepped into her bedroom and immediately wanted to change my answer to the bathroom. The whole place was so…Sage. Bright and sunny with a white comforter dotted with colorful tulips, matching pillowcases and curtains. But that was expected. What I hadn’t expected to find was a giant stack of lingerie in the middle of the bed. White and red, blue and pink silk and lace panties, bras, negligees and some other things I couldn’t name. Instantly my mind conjured up images of Sage spread out on my sleigh bed wearing each of them, looking at me with heat in her eyes as she reached for me. Fingering the delicate materials, I knew I was in trouble, thinking about Jack’s little sister like this. Wanting her as bad as I did.

  Considering everything. She worked for me and she would be living with me as my fake fiancée. My daughter loved her and if I started something and it went sideways she would be hurt. The possibilities for complications were endless. And I couldn’t bring myself to give a damn.

  “Hey Mason, I was thinking about something.”

  Her sultry voice pulled me out of my inappropriate thoughts and I turned to her. “Yeah, what’s that?”