Her Cocky Cowboys Read online

  Her Cocky Cowboys

  Men of Montana – Book One

  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

  Her Dirty Cowboys excerpt

  Also by Roma James

  Her Cocky 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.)

  Chapter 1

  Janessa

  “Janessa, come on,” my roommate, Becca, pleaded with me for at least the millionth time this week. “Please?”

  I was already shaking my head. I knew what she was going to ask, and my answer still had to be the same as every other time she’d asked.

  “You know I can’t,” I said. “And don’t act so sad. You and Daisy Lynn are going to be drunk the whole time. You guys won’t even know I’m not there.”

  Becca made a noise like she might object, and Daisy Lynn snickered from across the room where she’d been pretending to study.

  Neither girl denied my prediction, though.

  I wasn’t dumb. Spring break in Cancun? Yeah, they were going to be lucky to have any sober memories at all from the moment their plane left Missoula.

  And even though I was trying to put on a bored, tired-of-talking-about-it face, the truth was that I was more disappointed than they were that I wouldn’t be able to go. There was just no way my parents would go for that.

  Like, no way.

  It had been enough of a stretch for them to let me come live on campus at the University of Montana. I could recite their irritated—and increasingly desperate—excuses.

  It’s too far away.

  You’re too young.

  What if we need you here at the ranch?

  What if you need us for something?

  And on, and on, and on…

  It was only after my parents had sat down with Becca and Daisy Lynn, along with their respective parents—and cross-examined them like they were applying for a job at the White House rather than just sharing a dorm with me—that they finally agreed I could go for at least a year.

  Now that my freshman year was nearly over—and without any major incidents at all, thank you very much—I hoped there wouldn’t be any fuss when I told them I was coming back in the fall.

  That would be a problem for another day, though. Right now, I still had to convince my roommates that them going to Cancun without me was exactly what I wanted.

  “I think you should call and ask them again,” Becca said. “It couldn’t hurt. Or maybe just ask your dad when your mom isn’t around?”

  I laughed. “You must be joking. It’s like you’ve never met my parents. I’m surprised they haven’t already called today just to tell me no in advance. I’m pretty sure they have this room bugged.”

  Daisy Lynn nodded. “I thought they were going to ask me for a blood sample and a pee test before they let me move in with you. And even after they said yes, I still felt like I’d just gotten in trouble for something.”

  “Welcome to my life,” I groaned. “Now you see why I had to move three hours away for college. I love my parents, and I know they’re just trying to look out for me, but…” I shook my head. “I just couldn’t stay around there. I want to see some of the world before I get married and settle down on the ranch like everyone else in my family expects me to do.”

  And granted, going to school in western Montana wasn’t exactly the same thing as seeing the world, but… baby steps. Today, Missoula. Next year? Maybe Cancun could at least be a discussion.

  “I still think you should at least keep trying,” Becca said, flopping down on the edge of her small bed. “We still have a week until spring break. The plane ticket might be a little more expensive, and you’d have to room with us because I’m sure the hotel is all booked up by now, but…” She gave me a hopeful look. “You already know how much fun it would be if you came with us. Think of how many hot, single guys are going to be there. Think of the tans we’ll be able to get. The beach. The ocean. No snow. It will literally be paradise.”

  “I know,” I said, frowning. “And you know how much I want to go. But seriously, my parents would kill me if I did something like that behind their backs. And they just… look, I know you think there’s still a chance, but once they’ve made up their minds about something, that’s it. That’s the end. And they’ve really made their minds up about this.”

  I huffed out a short breath and reached for my economics book, hoping that would be the end of the discussion. Not that I particularly felt like studying, especially on a Friday afternoon, but I was honestly tired of talking about Cancun.

  Tired of hearing about how much fun it was going to be. Tired of hearing about how beautiful it was or how many hot guys would be there.

  Just… tired.

  I could feel the girls looking at me even though neither spoke. And that was fine. They could look, and they could both get over it just like I was going to have to do.

  My phone rang, startling me from my pretend study session as I scrambled to pick it up from the desk next to my bed. “See,” I said, flashing the screen in Becca’s direction. “It’s my Uncle Justin. Probably calling to say my parents want me in solitary confinement next week or something.”

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue the possibility. And honestly? I was only half-joking. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all to hear that my parents wanted me to come home for spring break so they could keep an eye on me.

  And it would be just like them to have my uncle call and try to sugar coat it with a fake excuse.

  “Hey, Uncle Justin,” I said, smiling in spite of myself as I brought the phone to my ear. Even if he probably was just calling to do my parents’ bidding, I genuinely did enjoy talking to him. “What’s up? And please don’t mention the words spring or break.”

  “What?” His deep voice boomed through the speaker. “I don’t—never mind. Janessa, where are you right now?”

  I blinked. His tone was abrupt and harsh instead of the good-natured blend of kindness and gentle teasing I was used to from him. Was he upset about something? Was he annoyed that I’d made a joke about spring break?

  “I’m in my dorm room,” I said, then added, “I was just sitting down to study.”

  Maybe that would ease his mind a little. God, had my parents gotten under his skin, too? It seemed like everyone back home was afraid that living on campus would somehow rot my brain and turn me into some sort of beer-drinking party girl.

  And okay, maybe I’d been to a few parties since I’d been here. You’re only nineteen and a freshman in college once, right? But I was still responsible. I still made it to class on time every day. And I definitely didn’t like beer.

  “I need you to pack a bag and come home,” he said. �
��Can you drive, or do I need to send someone to come get you?”

  “Pack a bag?” I shook my head. “What? No. I have things to do here. I can’t come home right now, Uncle Justin. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to tell my parents—”

  “Janessa,” he interrupted. “Listen to me, sweetie. I’ll explain everything when you get here, okay? Now, I just need you to please do what I’m asking and not cause a commotion about it. It’ll be best if we can talk face to face, so just… come home, okay? Right now.”

  His tone had softened a little, but there was still an edge to it that was getting under my skin. Of all my relatives, Uncle Justin had always been the most relaxed and laid-back. Something was clearly bothering him this time, though. And I still couldn’t figure out why he was the one calling to demand that I pack a bag and go home.

  Were my parents really that tired of arguing with me? Were they just going to avoid the unpleasant conversations from now on?

  Like I could be so lucky…

  Still, it wasn’t a good trade-off if it just meant that I’d be getting these grumpy, demanding phone calls from Uncle Justin instead.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Justin,” I said, trying to keep my own voice steady and calm even though I was really starting to get irritated with this conversation. “I don’t know what’s going on or why they’ve put you up to this, but I think I’d better give my parents a call. I’m not coming home today or tomorrow or next week, and it’s honestly not okay to make it seem like some urgent thing is happening just because you all think I can’t handle being on my own for a while. Seriously, I’m over it.”

  He didn’t say anything for several moments. The silence between us stretched out for so long that I finally had to pull the phone away from my ear just to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected.

  But no. He was still on the other end of the line. Just… very quiet.

  Finally, I heard him take a deep breath and then slowly exhale. “You can’t call them, sweetie,” he said, his voice breaking a little on the last word. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t want to tell you any of this over the phone. I wanted to wait until I could explain it in person and make sure you were okay. But you really do have to come home. There’s… there’s been an accident.”

  I didn't know if it was the sudden change in his tone or just the realization that something was very wrong, but every bit of irritation I’d been feeling just moments ago was suddenly replaced with fear and a sense of dread. It was so heavy and oppressive that I had to stand up just to try to keep control of my senses. I literally had to remind myself to breathe as I asked the next question—the unavoidable question.

  “What kind of an accident?” I asked, somehow managing to speak even though my throat was feeling tighter with each passing second. “Is it… are my mom and dad okay?”

  There was a muffled sound on the other end of the line, and I strained to hear what was being said. I motioned for my friends to be quiet even though I was pretty sure they had both stopped talking a few minutes ago. It just felt like too much was happening at once and that I wasn’t in control of any of it.

  The room was too hot. Or maybe too cold. And what was taking my uncle so long to respond? It seemed like there was some other conversation happening in the background on his end, and I just needed some damn answers.

  “Uncle Justin?” I asked, blinking hard to keep the anxious tears that were welling up from spilling over. “Please tell me what’s going on? Who are you talking to right now? Please just tell me.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie.” Uncle Justin’s voice sounded closed off and far away. “Your parents’ plane crashed on the way back from a cattle auction. There… there weren’t any survivors. I’m so sorry but—”

  The phone fell away from my ear as I reached out to steady myself against the desk. The room was spinning, and someone was screaming. Maybe it was me.

  Becca and Daisy Lynn were at my side, thank God. They were holding me up, keeping me from collapsing onto the floor.

  “What is it, Janessa?” Becca asked.

  “What’s going on?” Daisy Lynn’s voice was in my other ear.

  “My parents,” I managed to say as the floor started slipping out from under my feet. “They’re dead.”

  And then my whole world went dark.

  Chapter 2

  Janessa

  “Janessa!” My uncle’s voice boomed up the stairs. “You’d better get down here if you want some breakfast, sweetie. We’ve gotta hit the road soon.”

  I sighed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear as I turned away from my bedroom window. It was still way too early—the morning sun had just come over the mountains in the distance about a half-hour ago—but somehow I already had things to do and places to be.

  There used to be a time when I could sleep in, and I never realized what a luxury it was until it hadn’t been possible anymore. Waking up at sunrise was just another one of the ways my life had changed in the year since my parents had passed away.

  To be fair, it was one of the smaller changes I’d had to make, but sometimes it was the small things I missed the most.

  Like waking up and going to class instead of downstairs to talk business.

  Like having friends my own age—or even just being around anyone my age who didn’t actually work for my family.

  Like the subtle difference in the way breakfast smelled now that my mom wasn’t around to cook it.

  “Coming,” I called back before Uncle Justin got too impatient. “I just need to brush my hair.”

  I didn’t need to brush my hair. I just needed a minute to breathe.

  I started my day the same way every morning—wake up, take a quick shower, get dressed, and sit by my window. There was something about this time of day, something about looking out my window and watching the sun come up over the mountains that made me feel closer to my parents. The sharp ache of loss had softened over time, but every day was an uphill climb to function normally.

  Maybe it was because this was the only time of day that I truly had to myself, the only time I could really get lost in my thoughts. Maybe it was because I could look out my window and see the thousands of acres that had been in my family for generations. There was something reassuring about knowing that view hadn’t changed for a hundred years.

  My mother had looked out at those mountains just like her mother and grandmother had. Babies were born, men had gone off to war, and loved ones had died, but the land was still there. Our family had roots in this part of Montana as deep as the Ponderosa pine in the front yard, and we weren’t going anywhere.

  It was a good reminder on a cool, dark morning when all I wanted to do was sleep in late and feel sorry for myself.

  I couldn’t do that today, though—or any other day, really. In a year, I’d be twenty-one and this place—the land, the cattle, the house, and all the headaches that came with it—would be mine. I’d be the one whose job it would be to keep everything going for another generation.

  So… no pressure or anything.

  I took one last look out the window before walking out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen. I knew Uncle Justin wasn’t going to wait for me or my feelings much longer.

  “About time, Sleeping Beauty,” he said, tossing me a grin over the top of his newspaper. He motioned toward the plate of food sitting next to him at the table. “It’s probably cold now, but I saved you some eggs and bacon. I thought we might have to send a prince with a glass slipper up there to get you out of bed today.”

  “Pretty sure Sleeping Beauty didn’t have a glass slipper,” I said, sliding into the big wooden dining chair and picking up a piece of cold bacon. “Thanks for saving me some breakfast, though.”

  Cold or not, I couldn’t really complain about my uncle’s cooking. It was miles better than anything I could have come up with. There were a lot of helpful skills that I’d picked up from my parents and my uncle over the years, but cooking?

  I was pretty convinced that
gene must have skipped a generation.

  “Can’t have you wandering around with an empty stomach,” he said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us—you are still going to the Beef Association meeting this afternoon in Great Falls with me, right?”

  I nodded, thankful for the moment that my mouth was full so I couldn’t comment on how thrilling it sounded to drive fifty miles just to sit through a boring meeting with a bunch of old men who did a really good job at pretending I didn’t exist.

  Just the way I wanted to spend my day.

  “And don’t forget we have to go out and check on that heifer in the east pasture before we leave,” he said. “She’s gonna have that calf any day now, and she might need some help since it’ll be her first one.”

  I shuddered at the possibility. Growing up on a ranch meant I’d known about the miracle of birth—and what it took to make it happen—since I’d been old enough to walk around a pasture. But with cows?

  Maybe just because everything involved was so big and gross, but I swear to God I still had nightmares about the first time I saw a calf being born.

  “Can’t wait,” I said, again not bothering with voicing my complaints even if I hadn’t exactly tried to hide my feelings. “What else?”

  “Just the usual.” Uncle Justin shrugged. “Make the rounds, check the fences, pay some bills. Just another Tuesday.”

  I nodded, thankful that it sounded like we might have a mostly uneventful day aside from the possibility of a new calf being born. Everything else was tedious, sure, but there was a certain rhythm to the monotony that was soothing in its own way.