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Copyright � Carol Lynne, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Total-E-Bound.
Bad Boy Cowboy
Rounding the corner of the barn, Jax stopped in his tracks. Shit. Ten feet away, Logan was bare-chested and showing a good deal of... “Why do you wear those jeans? Every time you bend over, half your ass is on display.”
Logan slowly rose to his full six foot two height and grinned. “Haven’t received any complaints. Until now.”
Flustered, Jax took a step forward. “Who’s gonna complain when you’re givin’ out cheap thrills? It’s not professional. We’ve got buyers and delivery men in and out of here daily.”
One of Logan’s brows rose. “Professional?” He looked around. “This is a damn cattle ranch. I don’t see any professionals here. We’re a bunch of cowboys.”
“I’ve never seen a cowboy wear low-rise jeans that show half their damn groin, have you? Why don’t you concentrate on doing your job instead of trying to go around looking like a piece of man candy.”
Logan took several steps, coming within an inch of pressing himself against Jax. “This is me. It’s who I am, and how I dress. I work damn hard, but if you want to fire me for showing off what God gave me, do it.” Logan ran a hand over the sexy as fuck tattoos on his chest. “Maybe you just don’t want others looking at what you want in your bed.”
Furious, Jax pushed against Logan’s sweaty chest. “Watch yourself. I may’ve hired you as a favour to my little brother, but I’ll fire you in a heartbeat if you overstep your position.”
Flashing that amazing bad boy smile, Logan took a step back and held up his hands. “You’re the boss, Boss.” He walked back to the horse he had been working on and picked up the hoof pick once again.
Jax couldn’t keep his eyes off Logan’s ass as he bent over. Fucking tease. Turning on his heels, he walked back around the corner of the barn and straight to his office. He fell into his chair and looked around the room. He really needed to clean the place. A layer of dust covered everything and he noticed cobwebs hanging in the corners. Not surprising really, since the office was in the front corner of the barn, but he knew he’d been lax in keeping it clean. His mind had been on too many other things to worry about dust and spiders.
Jax dug out the work schedule. At least if someone walked in they’d think he was doing his job. His mind wandered back to the first day Logan Miller had driven up on his black and grey Harley.
“We’ll need to start on the hay next week. Make sure the bailer’s in good condition,” Jax told Neil. “Will do.”
The sound of a motorcycle coming down the ranch road at high speed drew their attention. “What the...?” Jax opened his office door as a Harley pulled up next to the barn. He recognised the face right away, but that body? That sure as hell didn’t belong to the eighteen-year old he’d known back in Montana.
Jax felt his cock harden just looking at Logan.
Getting off his bike, Logan grinned and walked right up to Jax. “Good to see a familiar face,” he said.
Logan caught Jax off guard when he pulled him into a hug. Jax’s arms automatically went around his new hire, surprised by the muscles playing under his hands. He almost swallowed his tongue when Logan’s cock brushed against Jax’s stomach. Was he hard, too?
Jax stepped back and looked up. He’d always thought himself of average height at five-ten, but Logan made him feel like a child. “When the hell did you grow?”
Most people stopped before they turned eighteen, but evidently Logan was a late bloomer. He had to have grown at least three inches since the last time he’d seen him.
Logan flashed that bad boy smile again, as he opened his black leather jacket. With nothing but a thin white muscle shirt under it, the man’s incredible body was on display. “Like it? I’ve matured a bit since you were last home.”
“No shit,” Jax said, before he could stop himself. His eyes wandered down to the sexiest pair of jeans he’d ever seen. Shit. Five minutes and I’m already getting myself into trouble. Jax turned to Neil, who stood staring open mouthed at Logan. “Neil, show Logan his room in the bunkhouse. You’re in luck. We’ve only got four hands including you, so you’ll get your own room.”
Logan nodded and unstrapped the large duffle from the back of his bike. “I shipped some of my tools. They should be here within a couple of days.”
Jax nodded. “In the meantime, we’ve probably got what you need. Come to the office once you get settled in.” Jax pointed to the door at the corner of the barn.
Logan tipped his worn, straw hat. “Will do.”
After Neil and Logan walked off, Jax retreated to his office. He pressed the heel of his hand against the hard ridge in his jeans. He’d let his cock lead him into a disastrous affair in the past, one that had lasted two years too long. Jax had known the asshole was no good, but damn the man fucked like a dream. He was still trying to heal from the shame the affair had brought him. No way would he let his dick dictate his love life. Logan’s an employee and Jakey’s best friend, he reminded himself. He knew he’d have to make that his mantra if he was going to survive living and working on the same ranch with the man.
The Sound of White
“Goddammit!” Richard yelled, running his fingers through his hair. He knew he’d left his tool-belt on the bar before going to his room. Eight hours later, the belt was nowhere to be found.
“Something wrong?” Collin Zeffer asked.
“Yeah. Lots. Have you seen my tool-belt?”
Collin’s eyes scanned the room. “Nope. Haven’t run across it. You losing stuff again?” Collin asked with a chuckle.
“There ain’t no losin’ about it. I put that damn thing right here before going to bed,” Richard roared, slamming his fist on the bar. Collin held up his hands. “Sorry.” The tall slender man turned back to the electrical outlets he had been working on.
Feeling like shit, Richard walked over to stand behind the kneeling man. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just this seems to be happening a lot lately.”
Collin nodded and looked over his shoulder. “That’s okay. We’re all under the gun to get this place up and running by New Year’s Eve. It’s natural to become forgetful with the stress you’ve been under.”
Richard didn’t correct Collin. Sure he’d been under a lot of stress, but he sure as hell wasn’t going crazy. The phone attached to the holster on his hip began to play “Friends in Low Places.”
Looking at the display, Richard rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”
“Good morning to you, too,” Chad Neal, the lodge manager greeted.
Richard simply gave the little prick a grunt and waited.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me?” Chad finally asked.
Go to hell came to mind. “I don’t have time for this, Chad. What do you want?”
“One of my employees found something of yours in room three-thirteen. Again.”
Richard’s jaw dropped. That was the second time in less than a week something of his wound up in that particular room. “Look,” he said into the phone, “I don’t know who’s fuckin’ with me, but I’ll tell you the same thing I told you the other day. I haven’t been in any of the rooms except for my own suite.”
“I’m not going to argue with you, Dick. I’ve got better things to do with my time. I’m simply calling to say that your property is at the front desk should you actually do something that requires it. The only thing I ask is that you close the windows next time. I’m not about to authorise an insane heating bill because you’re trying to heat the entire outdoors in this god-forsaken wilderness.”
“First of all, Mr. Miami, my name’s Richard, not Dick. I believe we’ve had that discussion before. Secondly, if you don’t like Wyoming, get the hell out.”
Richard grinned as Collin stood and looked at him wide-eyed in surprise. No one talked to the lodge manager that way. Although small at barely five-foot eight, Chad Neal was a force to be reckoned with. He’d already earned the reputation of firing people on the spot for anything from insubordination to being late. Thankfully, Ezra and Wyn owned the Grizzly Bar and not Guy Hoistington. Richard didn’t know if he’d be able to handle someone like Chad being his boss. Hah. I bet it kills the man to know he has no power over me.
“I call ‘em as I see ‘em,” Chad replied. “I’ll be up on the third floor in fifteen minutes. You can pick up your equipment then.”
Richard chuckled. “Avoiding me?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Chad replied, and hung up.
After clipping the phone back into its holster, Richard shook his head. “They found my belt in three-thirteen,” he told Collin.
“Seriously?” Collin asked, his face losing some of its colour.
“Yeah. Are you okay?”
Collin shook his head. “There’s something about that room that creeps me out.”
“Why? It’s just a room like the forty-nine others.”
Collin ran his hand over the back of his neck. “No, it’s not like the others. I’ve redone the wiring in that room four times.”
“What’s happening to it?” Richard asked, curious.
“I don’t know. Things seem fine for a day or two then everything just stops working. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that room had rats in the wall...or ghosts,” Collin added.
Richard laughed. “You’ve been watching too many horror movies.” Looking down at his watch, he motioned to the door. “I’m gonna go pick up my stuff. I want to get all the lights installed before Guy, Ezra and Wyn show up on Thursday.” On his way out, Richard looked around the large open space and smiled. The Grizzly Bar had come a long way since its inception, and he felt proud of the work he’d accomplished. In keeping with the lodge theme, the bar was rustic with the outer log walls left exposed. The copper, lantern-style lights would look absolutely perfect hanging from the overhead beams.
Wyn and Ezra had gone to a great deal of expense to add extra heating to the area in front of the soaring two-story windows. Richard smiled when he remembered that particular discussion. Well, argument was more like it. Wyn insisted they have the extra heat if Ezra was going to go ahead with his plans for the wall of glass. Ezra tried to disagree, saying the large pit fireplace in the centre of the bar was enough extra warmth. Wyn would have none of it. Insisting that if people came inside from skiing, they’d need to get warm. If they couldn’t do it in the bar, they’d find some place else. Of course, like most of their ‘discussions’, Wyn won, and Ezra had put in three times as many heating ducts in the area in front of the windows.
Walking through to the large lobby, Richard headed for the front desk. His beloved belt lay haphazardly on the gleaming wooden surface with a note attached in Chad’s scrolling cursive.
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