Overview
Rules are made to be broken. Cowboy rules are made to be shattered.
Although ex-con, Cash Wiley, loves working at the Rocking W, being around Shane Ackerman and Dub Walker is the favorite part of his job. He'd had the chance to be with the two men a few months earlier, but he'd blown it before it could happen. He'd ruined everything because he'd refused to have sex without strings attached.
Stupid didn't begin to define how he'd felt the following day or every day afterward. Shane took his breath away and Dub was the kind of man Cash had always dreamed of having at his side. It was the rule that stood in his way.
How could he promise to not fall in love when he already had?
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781781849774 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Totally Entwined Group |
| Publication date: | 03/14/2014 |
| Series: | Buck Wild , #2 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 62 |
| Sales rank: | 893,380 |
| File size: | 536 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Cash Wiley watched Shane Ackerman carefully. He was fascinated by the way Shane manhandled the horse's hoof. For a little guy, Shane definitely managed to show Gravy who was boss.
"Just hold it like this," Shane instructed, "and scrape all the mud and rocks out. You don't have to worry about hurting the horse unless you get careless and try to go too deep. The important thing to remember is that you're doing the horse a favor." He glanced up at Cash. "If the horse starts to fight you, give him a shoulder to the stomach, and he'll settle down."
Cash hated horses. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he'd spent his childhood trying to survive. Spending time with horses or any animals other than dogs, cats or rats, wasn't an option. It wasn't until he'd arrived at the Rocking W that he'd even stood next to a horse. He'd had no idea the damn beasts were so big.
Shane released Gravy's foot and stepped back. "You want to try?"
No, Cash wanted to scream. But, he loved his job on the ranch and with his past still following him around, jobs were few and far between. He enjoyed the one he had now more than anything that had come before. "Sure"
When Shane tried to get out of Cash's way, they had a moment of this way or that. "Sorry," Shane said, eventually getting out of Cash's path.
Cash waved away Shane's apology. Although he really enjoyed being around Shane, their time together was too easy. He had to remind himself Shane was already taken by Dub, the owner of the Rocking W. Even harder to deal with, Dub had invited Cash to join them in a threesome. He would have jumped at the chance to spend quality time with Dub and Shane between the sheets, but there was something about the pair that spoke to Cash on a level deeper than sex. He knew once he'd been intimate with Shane and Dub, he wouldn't be able to walk away without getting hurt. No thanks.
"Now just put your hand on Gravy to let him know where you are and that you have no intention of hurting him." Shane stood nearby.
Cash swallowed around the lump of fear lodged in his throat. It was stupid to be afraid of the horse. He'd seen Dub and Shane manhandle Gravy without retaliation, but Cash couldn't get beyond the powerful muscles evident in the horse's legs.
"It's okay. Touch him," Shane urged.
Although Cash didn't trust Gravy, he trusted Shane. He laid his shaking hand on the horse's back. Done. He released the breath he'd been holding.
"Great. Now run your hand down his leg and tap once you get toward the hoof."
"Tap?" Cash questioned, moving his hand down Gravy's leg.
"Yeah. It'll send Gravy a signal as to what you want. Don't worry. He's used to it." Shane squatted, resting his forearms on his knees.
Cash tried to do as instructed, but nothing happened. "Should I hit him harder?"
Shane shook his head. "He knows what you want. He's just fuckin' with you. Move on down to his fetlock and give him a squeeze." He pointed to the area near Gravy's hoof.
When Cash did as he was told, Gravy snorted and danced to the side. The action scared the shit out of Cash. He jumped back out of the horse's reach. "Sorry, Shane, but I don't think I can do this."
Shane moved forward to stand in front of Gravy. He slapped the horse on the nose, hard enough to get Gravy's attention. "Shame on you for scaring Cash. He was trying to help you." He turned back to Cash. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him."
Cash shrugged. "It's not the horse. Animals don't like me."
"That's a lie. Patches loves you."
Cash grinned when he thought of the calico ball of fur that slept with him each night. It was the first time in his life he'd had something he considered special. "Yeah, but Patches thinks she's human. I haven't told her she's a cat, so don't you go and spill the truth to her."
Shane held up his right hand. "The secret's safe with me."
"Good. I'll take you at your word." Cash loved that Shane played along. Never in his life had he had someone he'd felt relaxed enough around to let loose and act silly. Even as a child, he'd pretended to be a hell of a lot tougher than he really was. His above-average size hadn't hurt either. The act had saved him on many occasions until he'd found a man who could actually teach him how to defend himself. The memory led him to the fight that had changed his life. Cash shook his head, trying to drive away thoughts of the past.
Cash pointed to Gravy. "Thanks for trying, but if it's okay with you, I'd rather shovel the shit and let you clean their hooves." He knew there were plenty of other jobs he could do on the ranch that didn't involve working directly with the horses.
Shane, who had worked with the horses for years, smiled. "We'll try again when you think you're ready."
"You might be in for a long wait," Cash mumbled. "Will you do me a favor, though, and not tell the others that I'm scared of the damn beasts?" He'd only been on the ranch for a little over three months, but he'd already earned the reputation of a guy people didn't want to mess with. Whether it was his tattoos, motorcycle or size, he wasn't sure, but most of the cowboys gave him a wide berth. Cash didn't mind. After spending years living in a barred fishbowl, he enjoyed the privacy given to him by those on the ranch. He glanced at Shane. God, he wished he'd known someone like Shane growing up. How different would his life have been if only he'd seen colors in his gray world?
"Of course." Shane put his hand on Cash's chest. "I'm good at keeping secrets."
There was no doubt in Cash's mind the touch was innocent. Shane was definitely a person who liked to reach out and touch the people around him. It was Cash who wished the gesture was more than friendly.
The moment was interrupted by Shane's ringing phone. "Sorry," Shane said as he dug the phone out of his shirt pocket.
Cash could tell by the peaceful expression on Shane's handsome face it was Dub. He stepped away to give the two lovebirds privacy. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine Dub's expression and body language. Cash had noticed the difference in Dub's behavior and mood whenever Shane was around. Dub's entire face lit up when Shane was near. Damn. He hated feeling envious of the pair, especially knowing they were open to a round or two in bed with him.
"Dub wants me to bring him some more ice water. He's out fixing the windmill in the west pasture." Shane smiled as his eyebrows bobbed up and down. "He told me to bring the lube, so I think he's after more than a drink."
"Lucky bastard," Cash said before he could stop himself.
Shane stared at Cash for several moments. "Sorry."
Cash shook his head. "You've got nothing to apologize for. Dub offered, I couldn't do it, and that's as far as it goes."
Shane worried his bottom lip with his teeth. "Okay, well, I'd better get going." He led Gravy back into his stall. "I'll take care of Gravy when I get back. You can go out and see if Hank needs help getting ready for the party tomorrow."
Cash groaned inwardly. He wasn't looking forward to being surrounded by so many strangers. "I can help with the prep, but I wasn't planning to attend the barbecue."
"What? You have to. It's one of the best parties we have around here, and Dub's hired a live band so we can dance." Shane latched Gravy's stall door.
"I'm not a dancer." Cash lifted one of his size fourteen biker boots. "I could crush someone's foot with this."
"I'm a pretty good teacher. If you'll come, even for a little while, I'll show you how to two-step. It's really easy. So easy, Dub can do it."
Cash chuckled. "We'll see."
Shane threw up a wave. "I'm outta here. See you later."
Cash watched Shane go. His heart felt light and heavy at the same time if that was possible. He wondered what life would be like if he could openly gather Shane in his arms and let Shane know how much the guy's friendship meant. He didn't dare put himself in that position in reality, but he couldn't stop thinking about it.
* * *
Shane zipped his fly. "Between me and you, I don't think Cash is going to get over his fear of horses anytime soon."
Dub paused in the process of adjusting his spent cock in his underwear. "I thought you were working with him?"
"I am. I mean, I tried, but the horses pick up on his nerves and it makes the situation worse." Shane picked his baseball cap up. "He's every bit as bad as I am with spiders." He wanted to make sure Cash's fears weren't reason for termination. "I don't think it's a problem though because I like taking care of the horses anyway."
"Can you keep up by yourself?" Dub asked, finding his hat in the tall grass.
"Sure. Cash'll still help clean stalls and feed along with all his other jobs. I'll just be the one who deals one on one with the horses."
Dub eyed Shane for several seconds. "Are you picking up his slack because you don't want me to fire him?"
"Yeah," Shane said in all honesty. "I like him. He's different."
"Different how?" Dub gathered Shane in his arms.
Shane laid his cheek against Dub's chest. "He acts like he doesn't need or want company, but whenever I spot him alone, he looks so sad. I don't think he likes to be alone at all. I think he's too afraid to be around people, but that doesn't make sense. He's huge, plenty big enough to take care of himself in a fight, and he's one of the sexiest men I've ever laid eyes on."
Dub cleared his throat.
Shane chuckled. "No, he's not as sexy as you, but you already know that."
"I wasn't fishing for a compliment. I was going to agree with you." Dub tilted Shane's chin up for a deep kiss. When he pulled back, he gazed down at Shane with so much love it made Shane's breath hitch. "I know you want to take care of Cash, but he's more than capable of taking care of himself."
Normally, Shane would agree with Dub, but wasn't sure when it came to Cash. Physically, the man was more than equipped to take on anyone who threatened him. It was the emotional side of Cash that Shane worried about. He'd seen the looks passed between Cash and Dub when the three of them talked. There was something about Cash that prompted those glances. Some sort of secret they were keeping from Shane. He was sure of it.
"But why does he look so sad?" Shane asked, praying Dub would finally answer his question.
"I've told you, babe, Cash's past is his own. If he wants to tell you about it, he will."
Nevertheless, Cash hadn't volunteered information, and Shane hadn't had the nerve to ask him. Fuck. He stuck out his bottom lip, hoping Dub would take pity on him.
Dub sucked Shane's lip into his mouth which morphed into a hot, sloppy kiss. When Dub broke away, he chuckled. "You won't convince me to give you what you want unless it's another fuck." He rubbed his groin against Shane. "That, I'll be ready for in another twenty minutes or so."
Never one to turn down sex, Shane mentally went through his schedule for the rest of the day. Other than waiting for Justice to arrive, he only had the party to set up. "Can the party tent be picked up tomorrow?"
Dub rubbed at his jaw. "No, but I can ask one of the other guys to do it."
Shane shook his head. "They've been picking up my slack since I came back to the ranch." He loved spending time with Dub during working hours, but it wasn't fair to the other employees when it kept him from doing his job. He ran his fingertips over the zipper on Dub's jeans. It didn't seem to matter how often he and Dub had sex, he never seemed to get enough. Hell, he wanted twice as much as he had when he'd been the ranch slut, and that was before he'd had Dub in his ass three or four times a day. Their previous visit from Justice hadn't quite gone as planned. Shane and Dub had decided not to invite Justice into their bed, but they had enjoyed several hot petting sessions with the bronc rider. Although Shane loved being worshipped by two men, a part of him wished it had been Cash that had touched and kissed him instead of Justice.
Shit. The last thing Shane needed was to get preoccupied with thoughts of Cash. "I'll go get the damn tent."
Dub grabbed Shane's ass. "You want me to finger fuck you?" Shane started to reach for his zipper, but changed his mind. "I shouldn't."
"But you want to," Dub replied.
"Who wouldn't? Maybe I should start wearing a plug or something during the day. I have no fucking idea what's going on with me lately, but I'm horny all the damn time," Shane explained.
Dub gave Shane another deep kiss. "It's no wonder. Between me groping you every chance I get, and you working alongside Cash most days, I can understand. Why do you think I plan my schedule so I'm working on the opposite side of the ranch from the two of you?" He shook his head. "I love you with all my heart, babe, but I can't be around Cash without thinking of how pretty your mouth would look wrapped around his dick. Some days, I swear, if you'd let me fire him, I would."
"I won't." Shane sighed. "Cash loves this job." He remembered the exchange he'd had with Cash in the barn. "Maybe I should start flirting with him. We've both tried to respect his decision, but this is getting ridiculous because I see the way he looks at us. I think he wants us every bit as much as we want him."
Dub looked up at the sky as he resettled his brown Stetson. "Even if you could get Cash into our bed, he isn't willing to go along with the rules."
Rules? "What rules?" Shane asked. As far as he knew, the only rules in place had to do with his agreement with Dub to always ask permission before messing around with someone else, and Lord knows they'd talked about everything as far as bringing Cash to their bed.
"The rule that you're mine, and I won't take kindly to anyone who tries to take you away from me."
Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No one's going to take me away from you. Did you really tell Cash that?" "I most certainly did," Dub answered. "The only way our arrangement will work is if I don't have to worry about you running off with another man."
Shane winced. He probably deserved the remark after leaving the ranch with Bobby four months earlier, but that had been before Dub had finally given in and declared his feelings for Shane. He knew Dub had abandonment issues because of the way his mother left, but he was beginning to wonder if it would always play a role in their relationship. "How many times do I have to tell you how much I love you before it starts to sink into that thick head of yours? I'm a keeper. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Dub squeezed Shane's ass again. "I won't take the chance."
Shane stared up at the man he loved. He wanted to ask Dub about Justice, who was the only other man Dub had ever loved. Shane already knew Justice had broken Dub's heart because he didn't return Dub's love. When Dub had welcomed Justice to the ranch a couple of months earlier, the three of them had discussed going to bed together. Shane had been coming off the sting of Cash's rejection and had gone a lot farther with Justice than he'd intended.
A thought suddenly occurred to Shane. "Did you tell Justice the rule?"
Dub looked surprised by the question. "No, because I don't have to worry about Justice falling in love with you."
"Gee, thanks." Feeling like he'd been slapped, Shane started toward the four-wheeler.
"Stop." Dub moved quickly to get between Shane and his means of escape. "Justice isn't capable of loving anyone, it's not you, believe me."
Given Dub's rule of no emotional ties with a third, Shane agreed it would be wrong to pursue Cash any further. "I'd better get back."
"I didn't mean to upset you," Dub said.
"It's fine." Shane was upset, but it had nothing to do with Justice or his inability to love anyone but himself. Although Cash had turned them down, Shane had continued to hope it was only a matter of time. With the rule in place, Shane understood it would be for the best if Cash found someone else to occupy his time. He hadn't expected the realization to hurt, but it did.
"Love you," Shane told Dub before giving him another kiss. No matter what he did or didn't feel for Cash, it didn't change the love he had for Dub, never would. "How long before you're done here?" Dub looked up at the windmill that towered over them. "I should be home by five."
"Okay. I'll get the tent and supervise the erection." Shane chuckled at his own play on words.
One of Dub's black eyebrows rose. "Just make sure all you do is supervise." The corner of Dub's mouth quirked up in a devilish grin.
"Don't worry about that." Shane stretched his arms to the clouds. "I'm the king of watching," he proclaimed.
* * *
Cash stepped out of the barn to get some fresh air. He'd been told to organize the hayloft before the party. Hank, the ranch manager, expected plenty of people to find their way to the loft for a quick fuck and wanted to make sure no one tripped over a misplaced bale.
Laughter caught his attention. Shane. Cash's heart squeezed as he watched Shane wave his arms around while the roughstock students attempted to put up a large white tent.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Cowboy Rules"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Carol Lynne.
Excerpted by permission of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
