Her Alpha Cowboys Read online

  Her Alpha Cowboys

  Men of Montana – Book Three

  Roma James

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Revelations Excerpt

  Also by Roma James

  Her Alpha Cowboys

  Copyright 2020 by Roma James

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue were created from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual people or events is coincidental.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Cosmic Letterz

  (This book is suitable for 18+ readers only. All situations are consensual. There is no MM action in this book, no swords crossing. This romance is all about her.)

  Chapter 1

  Becca

  “Please let them be okay,” Janessa whispered as she stared straight ahead through the windshield of her Uncle Justin’s truck. “Please let them be okay.”

  Daisy Lynn and I were sitting on either side of her, each of us holding one of Janessa’s hands as we sped down the bumpy dirt road. We’d barely spoken during the hasty drive from Janessa’s ranch. Janessa’s whispered pleas for the safety of her lovers had been the only thing breaking the tense, fearful silence.

  I was scared, but I knew I needed to stay strong for Janessa. If the fire was as bad as I’d feared, she would need that strength.

  I might not have completely understood her relationship with the two ranchers, Cade and Boone, but I knew Janessa was in love with them. They meant the world to her, and they treated her like a queen. As her friend, that was all I could ask.

  But now… God, I didn’t even want to think about what we might find once we made it to their ranch.

  It was easy to see something serious had happened even before we were within sight of the house. The smell of smoke was in the air, and I could see it billowing up over the line of trees ahead.

  Please let them be okay.

  Please let them be okay.

  I gasped and covered my mouth as soon as the house came into view. The entire ground floor was engulfed in flames, and I could see fire and smoke billowing out of the second-story windows.

  “My God…” Justin murmured, slowing the truck down as we got closer. The smoke was getting thicker, and I could see fire trucks and an ambulance blocking the road up ahead.

  I looked over at Janessa and squeezed her hand. Her eyes were wide and her lips were still moving, but no words were coming out.

  And then it happened.

  A boom that shook the truck and nearly lifted us out of our seats. I turned back just in time to see the roof separate from the house as the whole thing went up in a fiery blast.

  The world slowed down and the ringing in my ears was the only thing I could hear for several long seconds. Then everything sped back up and all hell broke loose.

  I won’t ever forget the sound of Janessa’s screams.

  “No! No! Cade! Boone! No!”

  Janessa’s uncle tried to hold her back, tried to keep her in the truck with us. Daisy Lynn and I helped as much as we could, but Janessa overpowered all three of us. She fought like a madwoman, never taking her eyes off the blazing remains of her lovers’ ranch house.

  She kicked and screamed, and when she finally got away from us, she ran straight toward the flames.

  “Janessa! Stop, please!” I yelled after her as we chased her down. If she heard us, I couldn’t tell. She never looked back.

  I had no doubt that she was going to run right into what was left of the burning house. She was fueled by pure adrenaline and heartache. She wasn’t even going to feel the heat of the fire or smell the smoke until it was too late.

  “Janessa!” I called again, doing my best not to lose my footing on the gravel driveway. “Wait! Stop! It isn’t safe!”

  Even from a hundred feet away, the heat was almost unbearable. The thick, black smoke hung low in the air, making it hard to see and even harder to breathe. Janessa was only a few yards ahead of us, but I could barely see her through the smoky haze.

  She stumbled and fell to her knees, giving the three of us the chance we needed to catch up. I wrapped my arms around her, practically falling on top of her as I tried to keep her from moving forward.

  Justin and Daisy Lynn were on either side of us, helping to pull Janessa back before we were all overcome by the smoke and heat.

  “You all need to get out of here!” someone shouted. It was a fireman, and he was waving us away from the house as he helped haul an enormous hose into position. “Get back! You’re gonna get yourselves killed!”

  Janessa shook her head and looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time. “Where are they?” she asked, her voice sounding small and frail. “Cade and Boone… they’re in there somewhere. I have to get to them!”

  It broke my heart to see her like that, to see the fear in her eyes and hear the pain in her voice. I couldn’t even imagine what she was going through or what she was thinking. I’d been lucky enough to have never lost anyone important to me, but Janessa had already lost so much in the past couple of years, too much for one so young.

  Her parents had died in a horrible plane crash during our first year of college. Her horses and cows were being poisoned for no reason we could figure out. And now… this.

  If Cade and Boone had been inside that house, I couldn’t see how they could’ve made it through all of that. If the explosion itself had somehow missed them, they would’ve only had a couple of minutes before the heat and smoke filled their lungs and overpowered them.

  Janessa started struggling again, and it took all three of us to keep her from running back toward the house. From behind us, a voice called her name. Then another voice. She stopped struggling to get back to the house and started turning toward the voices.

  “Janessa!”

  “Janessa! Sweetheart!”

  We let go of her and watched as she ran to Cade and Boone, letting them sweep her up in their arms. “But… I thought…” Her voice broke as she hugged her guys. “Oh my God, where were you?”

  “Down at the stables.” Boone pointed through the smoke behind them. “The fire is spreading down there, and we need to finish getting the horses out, but…”

  “We heard screams,” Cade finished, planting a kiss on Janessa’s forehead. “And we heard our names. We knew exactly whose stubborn voice it was.”

  Justin laughed. “That’s my niece. Wouldn’t want her any other way.”

  “Amen,” Boone agreed, then turned serious again as he spoke to Janessa. “But now that you know we’re okay, will you please go wait back in the truck where it’s safe? We’ll finish up at the stables as quickly as we can.”

  “Not a chance,” Janessa said. “I’m not letting you guys out of my sight ever again. Besides, it’ll go faster if we all help. I’m good with horses, and I don’t think you have time to argue.”

  Cade and Boone exchanged a knowing glance, then looked to Justin. He just shrugged. “I’m coming, too.”

  “And
we are, too,” I said, nodding to Daisy Lynn. “We don’t know a lot about horses, but we can still help.”

  “Let’s stay together and get this done,” Cade said, motioning for us to follow. “If you get separated, get out immediately, okay?”

  We all nodded as we hurried to follow them toward the stables. I was scared and already feeling uncomfortably hot, but I wasn’t going to complain. Not when Cade and Boone had already lost so much. And even though I really didn’t have any idea what we were about to run into, I knew that we’d get through it faster if we worked together.

  I could see other guys at the stables already, each leading a frightened-looking horse to safety. “There shouldn’t be too many more inside,” Boone said. “Just lead them out as safely as you can, but don’t put yourselves in danger.”

  Janessa went with Cade and Boone while Daisy Lynn and I stayed with Justin. “Keep close, girls,” he said. “We’ll move as quickly as possible.”

  The smoke was getting thicker with each passing second, and my eyes were burning as I struggled to keep up. I felt like I was probably slowing Justin down more than anything, but I was too far in and too disoriented to make it back on my own.

  He put a halter on the first horse we saw, and Daisy Lynn started leading it from the stall. “Come on, Becca,” she said. “We’ll take this one.”

  All I could do was nod as I moved to the other side of the horse. I just hoped she knew where she was going because I couldn’t even see the exit anymore in the smoke-filled building. The stables were huge, the size of a warehouse with rows and rows of stalls.

  We were moving quickly, and I could eventually see a stream of light up ahead. “There,” I heard Daisy Lynn say. “Just ahead. Keep going.”

  I nodded, lifting the collar of my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose. The smoke was so thick that I wasn’t sure how many more trips we could make after this one. We passed a stall with two foals and hesitated, wanting to at least open the door and give them a chance of escaping the flames that were sure to be there any minute.

  I didn’t know what to do. I pulled my shirt away from my mouth and nose and tried to call out to Daisy Lynn but could only cough as the smoke burned my throat and lungs. I had to get out of there. I’d have to hope that someone would come behind me and help the foals. Or maybe I could go back…

  I took a step and stumbled, barely able to hold myself up against the row of stalls. The smoke was just too thick and it was so, so hot. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t… move. My vision blurred and my stomach clenched as I sank to my knees. My lungs felt like they were going to explode in my chest.

  “No…” I tried to call out, tried to scream for help, but I barely even recognized the gravelly, strangled sound that came from my throat.

  I was on my hands and knees, but I could feel myself fading fast. I tried to follow the sliver of daylight, but it seemed so far away.

  So far…

  I wasn’t going to make it.

  No.

  Please, no.

  Just as my vision started to go dark, I felt hands on me. Strong hands. First two, then four. They were lifting me, carrying me through the smoke toward the light.

  “We’ve got you,” a voice said.

  “You’re going to be okay,” another deep voice joined in.

  I closed my eyes tightly and buried my face against a broad expanse of muscled chest. I could smell a faint cologne along with the smoke, and I tried to focus on that as they rushed me out of the stables.

  A burst of bright light was the first sign that I was going to be okay.

  Sunlight.

  Daylight.

  Fresh air.

  Only when I felt myself being lowered to the grass did I dare to open my eyes again. Two impossibly big, muscular men were staring down at me with concerned looks. Even though my vision was still a little blurry and my eyes were stinging from the smoke, I could see that they were handsome. Very handsome. Maybe around thirty years old and with the kind of tanned, muscled build that came from spending more hours working outside than working out in a gym.

  “Are you okay?” one of the men asked, his deep, rich voice suddenly making me feel much better.

  I nodded, then remembered why I was there in the first place. “The foals…” I scrambled to try and get to my feet, but one of the guys knelt down and gently put a hand on my shoulder.

  “They’re okay. Look.” He pointed back toward the stables, where I could see Justin and Boone leading the foals from the building. “We’re more worried about you at the moment.”

  Before I could say anything, I heard Daisy Lynn shouting my name. “Becca! Oh my God, there you are!”

  She came running up with her boyfriends, Prescott and Cole, the town sheriff and deputy, right behind her.

  Daisy Lynn hugged me and helped me to my feet. “Thank God you’re okay. I turned around when I got outside with the horse, but you weren’t there. I was so worried!”

  “Thanks to these guys,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush a little as I got my first good look at the men who had saved me. Even though I was standing now, they were still almost a foot taller than me. One had blue eyes and one deep brown. Both had close-cropped military-style haircuts that suited their square jaws and serious faces. The way they were looking at me almost made me forget anyone else was around. “You both saved my life and I don’t even know your names. Thank you for that, by the way.”

  “Glad we could help,” the blue-eyed man said, smiling slightly as he held my gaze. “I’m Dade Wentworth, and this is Cordell Forrest.”

  “Now we aren’t strangers anymore,” the other guy—Cordell—said. “And believe me, it’s a pleasure to meet you… Becca, was it?”

  “That’s right.” I nodded. “Becca Jameson.”

  “I just wish we’d met under different circumstances,” Dade said, still with that hint of a grin.

  “And how do you guys know Cade and Boone?” the sheriff asked. “I don’t recall seeing either of you around here before.”

  “We run a horse breeding service,” Cordell said. “We bought a place not too far from here.”

  “We’d brought a stud here to breed some of their mares,” Dade added. “We were all in the stables together when the house exploded. We were just trying to get as many horses out as possible when we found Becca.”

  “And thank goodness you did find me,” I said, feeling a little defensive on their behalf. “I… don’t even want to imagine what might have happened otherwise.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Cordell said, giving me a look that made my whole body suddenly feel hot. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

  “And has anyone seen Janessa?” the sheriff asked. “I think everyone else is accounted for now.”

  Daisy Lynn pointed off in the distance. “I’m pretty sure she’s feeling just fine right now.”

  We turned to look in time to see Cade and Boone take turns giving her a long, slow kiss. It was sweet and sexy and I felt a little flutter of… curiosity? I’d never even known that a relationship like that could exist—let alone thrive—until recently. But there was no denying that those guys loved her.

  I turned away, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment—and then realized Cordell and Dade were still looking directly at me.

  My eyes darted over to Daisy Lynn, but she was distracted by the attention of Cole and Prescott. Wasn’t it part of the girl code that she should be helping me figure out what to do about these hot guys staring at me?

  “Looks like your friend is being taken care of pretty well,” Dade said, grinning.

  “I, um…” I took a deep breath and then exhaled, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn’t give away any of my friend’s personal business. Not that she was really trying very hard to keep her relationship a secret, but it still wasn’t my place to tell. “She was, um… really worried. They—Cade and Boone, I mean—they mean a lot to her.”

  Cordell exchanged a glance with
Dade and then quirked a brow. “Trust me, we understand.”

  “That’s right,” Dade agreed. “They all seem to know what they want. No shame in that.”

  I could only nod. There wasn’t any shame in it, not as far as I was concerned. It just wasn’t for me.

  At least… that’s what I would have said a few weeks ago. Now, though?

  I wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter 2

  Dade

  Cordell and I passed the thermos of water back and forth as we leaned against our truck and watched as the firefighters sprayed an endless stream of water on the burning house. I’d been all over the world during my time in the Marines and had only seen a few explosions as big as the one that had taken the roof off that house.

  Cade and Boone were damn lucky they’d been out in the stables with us. If they’d been inside?

  Well… best not to even go there.

  Even more concerning was that it apparently wasn’t even the first time something crazy had happened around here lately. We’d been hearing little bits and pieces of information around Bliss since we’d bought our ranch. It seemed like everyone we’d talked to had a theory about the cattle being poisoned on the outskirts of town. We’d heard about an inspector getting beaten. None of it seemed possible in a tiny, sleepy town like Bliss, but it had all apparently happened within the past month or so.

  And honestly?

  I had taken most of the news with a grain of salt. Right up until the moment that house exploded. Was it just a coincidence that the two guys who owned this ranch also happened to be romantically involved with the girl whose cattle had been poisoned?