Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (8 page)

“You ever wash anyone’s hair before?”

“No, but how hard can it be?”

It was cute that he was willing to try. Most men would have told her to call up a girlfriend to help her. But not these two. Both Wade and Heath didn’t live their lives in a stereotypical way. Given the prejudice she’d faced in the last six months, their attitudes were a refreshing change.

She got on her knees, leaned the top part of her body over the rim, and dropped her head. “I don’t care if the shirt gets wet.”

“Tell me if this water is too hot.”

He ran the spray over her head. “It’s perfect.”

Before he wet her hair, he placed a towel on her back, partly covering her neck. That might prevent soaking her shirt. When he poured the shampoo onto her head, his fingers went to work, but so did her mind. She kept her eyes closed and pictured his hands on other parts of her body. Fantasizing never hurt anyone as long as she didn’t act on it.

His fingers were strong but gentle. “You have such wonderful hair.” The awe in his tone sent a shiver down her spine.

“It has its drawbacks.”
Damn
. Why couldn’t she just accept the compliment?

“Time for rinsing.” He spent a long time making sure he washed away all the shampoo. “How much of this conditioner do you use?”

“That’s hard to say. I need a light layer throughout the hair.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Since he was leaning next to her, his hips rubbed against hers, and his arms constantly brushed against her back. How was a girl not supposed to picture what it would be like to be in his arms? She’d misjudged both of the men. Two years ago when she’d gone out with both of them, she’d been so focused on being afraid they’d try to take her to bed that she never took the time to get to know them.

He slathered on the conditioner. “You’ll need to leave it on for a few minutes,” she instructed.

“Can I help you wash something else while I wait?” From his tone, he was kidding. At least she thought he was.

“Funny man.” In truth, if he were this thorough washing her hair, what would he be like cleaning her body? “Do you make a habit of saving damsels in distress?” She added a slight chuckle to her question so she didn’t appear to be prying.

“You’re our first.”

Really?

“You can rinse me now.”

He ran the water over her head while he rubbed her scalp. He shut off the water. She held out her hand. “Towel?”

He handed her the one from her back. She placed it on her head, but had a hard time twisting the front to make a turban.

“Let me.”

Heath did the best he could drying her hair. “I’m good. Thanks.”

She stood up and glanced in the mirror. She looked like Medusa. The curls and tangles stuck out at odd angles. She picked up her brush and worked through the ends.

Heath’s cell rang. “Yeah? Now? Okay.” He disconnected. “Wade needs me at the ranch for a bit. You okay by yourself?”

“Absolutely. Don’t worry about me.”

“I shouldn’t be too long.”

Take your time.

She continued to detangle her hair until Heath left. The moment the door closed, she rushed to her bedroom. She might look funny riding around in sweatpants, but her need to get out on the range overrode her appearance.

After she pulled on her boots, she rushed outside to the barn. Jake was in there talking to one of the hands. Good thing her foreman had no idea about the doctor’s orders.

“Hey, Jake?”

He cut short his discussion and jogged over. “You’re feeling better?”

“Completely.” She lifted her cast. “Could you saddle him for me?”

Jake puffed out his chest. “Sure.”

She was glad he didn’t comment on her messed-up hair. While she waited, she practically bounced up and down. She hadn’t ridden since the accident and couldn’t wait to ride around the ranch and check out the property.

“There you go.” Jake held out his hand. “Need help getting up?”

He acted like he hoped she would. Showing weakness would not be good. “I’m good.”

She placed her left foot in the stirrup, held onto the horn, and swung her leg over. God, it felt good being in the saddle again. She rubbed her horse’s flank and headed out.

The sunshine and clean air bolstered her spirits. Who needed to eat antioxidants when she could ride and get strong?

For the next hour, she raced around, checking with her men and enjoying the feel of being in charge again. While it took some concentration to maneuver the horse with one hand, she adapted well. She was checking the fence between her property and the Watson’s when the sounds of a galloping horse approached. She turned around.

Wade was on her before he knew it. His clenched jaw made her steel her body against the impending assault.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

That did it. “I’m running my ranch.”

“The doctor told you not to ride.”

Before she could tell him to back off, he swung his horse next to hers, wrapped an arm around her waist, and dragged her onto his horse.

“Hey.” She wanted to kick and scream, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. He had her good and tight.

Wade took off with her back smashed against his chest. He was going so fast, she didn’t dare jump off.

“Hold still.” He yanked his arm tighter around her waist.

As soon as they stopped, she was going to tell him to go to hell.

Chapter Six

Riding double dug into her pussy, not that Wade seemed to care. Couldn’t he tell the jostling was doing more damage than if he’d let her ride alongside him?

He pulled to a stop in front of her house, jumped off, and eased her to the ground. He got his nose within an inch of her face. “What part of
don’t ride
didn’t you understand? Didn’t you know that if you’d fallen, you could have seriously injured yourself?”

Her mouth gaped open. She planted her good hand on her hip. “I’ve been riding since I could walk, and I’ve never ever fallen off a horse.” The nerve of him to tell her what she could and couldn’t do.

The man was impossible. She spun around and headed inside. The jerk followed her.

“From now on, you’re grounded.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and waited until her breaths evened out before facing him. “You are a guest in my house. I’m not married to you, so you can’t boss me around.”

That seemed to freeze him. In fact, the color in his face partially drained. “You think that marriage is a ball and chain? That when two or more people wed, the man, or rather the men, have a right to tell the wife what to do?”

He acted like that never happened in society. “Yes, in a way.”

“Babe, it’s not always like that.”

Why was he trying to confuse her? “It doesn’t matter. You have no right to tell me how to run my life.”

“Until you get that cast off, Heath and I will be here to protect you against yourself. While I’ve never known rustlers coming after the owner, we can’t be too sure what they’ll do until they’re caught.”

He acted like the rustling was personal. “You think they’re targeting me?”

He ran a hand across his head. “None of your neighbors have been hit. Just you.”

“Maybe because I’m a woman.”

He shook his head. “My gut tells me you’re wrong.”

She didn’t want to think about who might be after her. As far as she knew, she didn’t have many enemies. “I can’t let that stop me from running my ranch.”

He approached. This time, the fury had subsided and something else filled his eyes. He tilted her chin up and her pulse flared. “If you get on a horse before your cast comes off, I’ll spank your behind until it’s a bright, rosy red. Got it?”

The image of being naked on his lap dampened her panties. Surely, he wasn’t thinking along those lines. “Got it.”

“I have work to do. Can you behave or do I need to lock you in your room?”

Why was he being so frigging possessive all of a sudden? “I can be good.”

“One of us will stop in periodically to check up on you.” He lowered his hand and stomped out.

“Well, that didn’t go so well.” That reminded her of when Jake had stomped out.
Men
.

Frustrated, she picked up her Kindle from the coffee table and stretched out on the sofa. Once she was able to wrap her head around what happened, she’d figure out a way to do her job.

* * * *

Over the next few weeks, the claustrophobia was almost too much to bear. The best she could do was go for long walks, but there was no replacement for getting in a good ride. Jake came over a couple of times a day to see if she needed anything and to give her updates. That helped, but she yearned to get on a horse and even muck a few stalls. Most of her time was spent paying bills and keeping track of expenses and income. She was making money, but not enough to afford hiring more hands. Once winter came, she’d have to find a place to keep her cattle, but she had time before she had to put that into action.

She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. Running a ranch was a lot more tedious work than what she’d expected. Maybe she should try some other line of work. If she did, it would have to include horses. Riding was her life.

If only she could find a way to run a ranch and not have deal with the damned cattle. Too bad, they were needed to make money. She wouldn’t let Heath or Wade see her frustration. She didn’t need their input.

They still spent the night, but after her recent horse riding, Wade mostly stayed away. His attitude slowly improved as he became convinced she’d remain out of harm’s way. As angry as she had been at him, not seeing him every day hurt more. If he’d broken his arm, she bet he’d have been on a horse the next day, with or without the doctor’s permission.

On a positive note, the nerve damage had all but disappeared, and she could finally use her fingers again. That allowed her to get dressed pretty quickly and not rely on her men. As for cooking, Heath would fire up the grill and make a week’s worth of meat for her, along with a ton of vegetables. Preparing meals was not an issue. The only bad part was that since he was the one who went to the store, he refused to buy coffee or any other greasy or sweet food. Good thing Jake put no such restrictions on her. He snuck in lots of unhealthy stuff for her to eat.

She poured herself a drink and went into the living room to read. The Fourth of July was fast approaching, and she had wanted to have a party for her men and their families, but without being able to drive, she couldn’t organize the affair. She could have asked her sister, April, for help, but she didn’t want to impose on her time.

“Hey!”

She jerked her head up. Heath was looking down at her. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I figured. You ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“Your doctor’s appointment.”

She hadn’t kept track of time. In a way, it seemed like yesterday that she’d been shot. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”

Being with Heath was nice. He never lectured her like Wade did. Her only issue with Heath was his insistence on her eating healthier foods. As much as she loved her coffee and sweets, she was feeling better after following his meal plan.