Her Alpha Cowboys Read online

  I quickly filled Prescott in on the rest of the details—everything I’d found out so far about the incident involving Karrie. When I was finished, his eyes were wide as he took a step back and sat down heavily in one of the lobby chairs.

  “And you’re still waiting on Murray to come out now?” Prescott asked.

  I nodded. “We were waiting for someone to go let him know we were here when Mavis came out of nowhere and started screaming at me.”

  Cole walked over to join us again. “That was bizarre. Never a dull moment in this town these days, it seems.”

  “Unfortunately not,” Prescott muttered, exhaling loudly. “Becca, would you mind if Cole and I stick around while you talk to Murray? I think we’d both be very interested in hearing what he has to say.”

  “Of course.” I nodded. “Hopefully we can all get some answers.”

  Murray Hofstadter didn’t fit the image I’d had in my head. I’d pictured a little, frail old man, but… he wasn’t that.

  He was old, for sure. But he looked like he might have been a lumberjack in his younger days. Or a linebacker. Or a giant.

  “Damn,” Dade whispered when Murray slowly walked into the lobby. “Good thing you brought backup, Becca.” He turned to Cordell. “I took care of the old lady. This one is all yours.”

  Cordell shook his head and Cole snickered. I stood up to greet him, doing my very best to stay serious even though I could still hear Dade whispering behind me.

  “Mr. Hofstadter.” I walked over to shake his hand. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me today. I, um, hope you don’t mind that I’ve brought a couple of friends with me.”

  “A couple of friends?” He scowled as he looked over at Dade, Cordell, Cole, and Prescott—the latter two in their police uniforms. “It looks like you’ve brought half the damn town. Am I under arrest or something?”

  “No, sir,” I said, looking back to Prescott for some words of encouragement or something to put the man at ease. “The, um… the sheriff was just here for an unrelated matter and…”

  “You mean Mavis,” Murray grunted. “I thought I heard her up here hollering and carrying on.”

  I didn’t tell him that she’d been hollering at me—or that she’d done her best to knock me in the head with her cane.

  “That’s right.” I nodded, then waited while he sat down. I took my seat between Dade and Cordell again and gave Murray a sympathetic look. I could tell he was still wary of all the men I’d brought. Not that I could blame him. Dade and Cordell could be pretty intimidating all on their own. Then there was the entire Bliss police force.

  Still, I held onto hope that we could salvage the afternoon and have a productive talk with Mr. Hofstadter.

  “Okay, young lady.” He squared his shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Here I am. I don’t know who you are, but I understand this is something important?”

  “It’s important to me,” I said. “My name is Becca. I’m staying with Justin and Janessa Thoreson just outside of town. I’d like to ask you some questions about your daughter, Karrie.”

  His expression instantly turned dark. “What do you want to know about my daughter?”

  I honestly wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up. He had to have known what happened to Karrie, but… how was I supposed to ask a dad such a personal and painful question about his daughter?

  “I’ve been looking into something that happened here in Bliss a long time ago,” I began, keeping my voice quiet and my tone gentle. “Something… bad. From what I’ve seen, Karrie was a bright, pretty girl—a senior in high school with a promising future.”

  Murray took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his entire body seeming to deflate a little. “Yes. My Karrie was smart. Sometimes too smart for her own good. I really thought she was going to make something of herself.”

  “Can you tell me what happened, sir?” I prodded. “Do you remember any details of… of the incident?”

  “There’s not much to tell,” he said in a matter-of-fact sort of way. “She got herself in trouble with some local boys. She said it was rape. They said it wasn’t. I… I’m ashamed to admit that I’m not sure I believed her at the time.”

  I cringed, and my heart broke for Karrie all over again. To have gone through the ordeal in the first place must have been horrific, but then for her own father to have questioned her honesty?

  The whole thing was just awful.

  “Did she run away?” I asked, determined to get some more facts, no matter how unpleasant they might have been. “She wasn’t listed with the rest of her graduating class in her yearbook.”

  “She didn’t run away.” He paused, then clenched his teeth and took another deep breath before continuing. “She was pregnant. My wife had already passed away a few years before, so it was just me and Karrie. I didn’t know how to deal with her—especially not when she was going to be having a child of her own. Times were different back then. It would have ruined her reputation for the rest of her life if any of it had gotten out.”

  I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like something straight out of a soap opera, except all the more tragic because this had actually happened to a girl here in Bliss. A girl who’d been a senior in high school with her whole life ahead of her.

  “Where did she go?” I asked, my own voice barely above a whisper.

  “I sent her to live with an aunt once it became obvious that she was pregnant. Two of the boys’ parents came around to give me some money—you know, to make sure I kept my mouth shut. Well, not the Wright boy. His family didn’t have money like the others.”

  Cole sat up straight in his chair as if he’d just been slapped. “What did you say?”

  “The Wright boy, Merle Wright,” Murray repeated. “The other families paid me, but his parents couldn’t afford it. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t going to say anything anyway. Why would I want to tarnish my own daughter’s reputation?”

  For a moment, I couldn’t figure out what Cole had been so upset about. But then I remembered.

  Wright.

  I looked over at Cole’s badge and sucked in a sharp breath. Murray was talking about one of Cole’s relatives.

  “Can you tell me the names of the other boys involved?” Prescott asked, taking out his notepad and a pen as Cole slumped back in his chair. “I’d like to look into this a little further.”

  “Now, just a second…” Murray held up his hands. “I don’t want to get into any trouble here. And I don’t want any of those folks knocking on my door wanting their money back.”

  “That isn’t going to happen,” Prescott said. “First of all, they won’t know that you told me anything. And second, it was illegal for them to give you money to cover up a crime. It’s not like they can take a receipt to court.”

  Murray listed the names—Merle Wright, Willem Tate, and Zachary Statler.

  “They all must be dead by now,” I speculated. “I know Zachary Statler is for sure.”

  “And my uncle, Merle,” Cole added. “He died years ago of a drug overdose.”

  Murray looked over at Cole and cocked his head to the side. “Who told you that? Merle isn’t dead.”

  Cole stood up and shook his head. “Please, just stop. I don’t know about any of the other details, but I can assure you my uncle died a long time ago. And to be honest, I’d prefer if we could all stop talking about him.”

  Prescott stood up next to his deputy and put an arm on Cole’s shoulder. He whispered something that earned a grumble and a stormy look from Cole, but they both sat down again after a few seconds.

  “Go ahead,” Prescott said. “What do you know about Merle Wright?”

  When Murray answered, he spoke directly to Cole. “I’m sorry if I offended you. But… he really is alive. He lives here.” Murray pointed down the hallway. “That’s who Mavis was here to see. He’s back there with her now. Go on and look for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

  Everyone turned to look at Col
e. I felt awful for him. All the color had drained from his face, and his knuckles had gone white where he’d gripped the armrests of his chair.

  “I have to get out of here,” Cole said, standing abruptly and walking out the door.

  Prescott stood up to follow him, but I stopped him. “Can you come over to the ranch tonight?” I asked. “I think we should all sit down and discuss everything we’ve found out.”

  He nodded. “I think that’s probably a good idea.” He turned to Murray. “Do you know what happened to your daughter? Do you have a phone number or an address? An email? Any way we could contact her?”

  “No.” Murray shook his head. “I never saw her again after she left town. I got a funeral program with her name on it mailed to me last year.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” I murmured, feeling like I’d just suffered a loss of my own. I only hoped that Karrie had found some peace toward the end of her life. “Do you happen to still have the program?”

  “Or the envelope it came in?” Prescott added.

  “I don’t.” Murray stood up and looked at all of us, one by one. “I’m afraid that’s all the help I can be. I’d like to go back to my room now if you don’t have any other questions.”

  I looked to Prescott, but he shook his head. “Thank you,” I said to Murray. “We won’t take up any more of your time.”

  Murray walked away without another word. I watched him disappear down the hallway and then slumped against Cordell, who put his arms around me.

  “You did great, babe,” he whispered. “You were really strong.”

  Dade reached down to take my hand. “I know that was rough, but you held it together really well.”

  I didn’t feel like I’d held it together very well at all. And God, poor Cole. I looked out to the parking lot where he was pacing back and forth in front of the police cruiser.

  “I should get out there,” Prescott said, as if he’d been reading my thoughts. “He’s gonna want to blow off some steam. We’ll see all of you tonight.”

  The three of us said goodbye to Prescott, and then I turned to Cordell and Dade. “God, that was… a lot.”

  “What do you want to do now?” Cordell asked. “We’re here for you.”

  I had no problem answering that question. “Let’s go back to the ranch.”

  I just needed to be alone for a while. Or maybe I needed to be alone with Dade and Cordell. That sounded good, too.

  Chapter 13

  Becca

  “Just down there at the other end of the pasture.” I pointed toward the line of trees that was so far away it was difficult to make out any other details. “Janessa said there’s a creek that runs right through that little stretch of woods.”

  “It sounds perfect,” Dade said, revving the engine of his truck and then setting off through the pasture. “After this afternoon, it’s going to feel really good to get in that water.”

  “And she said there’s plenty of privacy back there?” Cordell asked, reaching out to steady me as I bounced around between the two of them. “Damn, Dade, take it easy. You’re gonna kill us all before we can even make it back there.”

  “Can’t help it.” He grinned, still not slowing down. “How am I supposed to slow down when we’re about to go skinny dipping?”

  I laughed and felt my cheeks start to heat up. I hadn’t exactly suggested that the three of us should go swimming naked… but I hadn’t been too bothered by the idea, either. Besides, neither Dade nor Cordell had bathing suits packed away in that little trailer, and I didn’t want to make them feel bad.

  Going naked was really the only sensible thing to do.

  As fast as Dade was driving, it didn’t take us long to make it across the pasture. He parked the truck along the row of trees and squinted as he peered into the woods. “I don’t see anything back there,” he said.

  I shrugged. “It shouldn’t be too far. Janessa said we really can’t miss it.”

  Cordell checked his phone as he emptied his pockets. “We have at least a couple of hours before we need to head back and get ready for dinner.”

  “Perfect,” Dade said, giving me a hand to step down out of the truck. “Let’s go get naked!”

  “Maybe keep your clothes on until we actually see the water,” Cordell cautioned, shaking his head as Dade took off toward the woods. He turned to me as we followed at a more leisurely—and safe—pace. “Are you sure you want to do this? I meant it when I said we want you to be comfortable.”

  I smiled. They were always so sweet and thoughtful. And Cordell was always extra-cautious, examining everything from as many angles as possible. It reminded me of… me.

  “I’m sure,” I answered, still feeling a little embarrassed but quickly warming up to the idea. Just the thought of seeing these two guys naked was making my body feel all tingly and hot. “It’ll be fun, right?”

  “Pretty sure it’ll be a lot of fun,” he said, giving me a look that was so sexy I almost jumped on him right then and there. “But if you start to feel weird or uncomfortable or if it stops being fun, just let us know. Seriously, Becca.”

  “Okay, okay.” I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek, then took his hand and started running after Dade. “Come on! We don’t want him to start without us.”

  By the time we caught up with Dade at the edge of the creek, he had already taken off his shirt and boots. “What’s taking you guys so long?” he asked, unbuckling his belt and then stripping off his jeans until he was just standing there in his boxers and a smile. “Don’t tell me I’m going to be the only one getting naked. I mean, I’ll still do it, but…”

  “Calm down. Jesus,” Cordell smirked as he began unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ve never seen anyone in such a damn hurry to get naked.”

  “I’m not in a hurry for me to get naked…” Dade tossed me a wink. “Do you want us to turn around and give you some privacy?”

  I only hesitated for a second before shaking my head. “You can look if you want…”

  Might as well tease him a little, right? It wasn’t like I got the chance to go skinny dipping with a couple of hot Marines very often.

  Or ever, really.

  I lifted my top and shrugged out of it, tossing it aside and then letting the shorts I’d been wearing fall to the ground. Only once I was standing there in my bra and panties did I start to feel a little self-conscious.

  But then I looked up to see Dade and Cordell both in their underwear, too. And the way they were both looking at me like I was the best thing they’d ever seen gave me the little ego boost I needed to unfasten my bra and slide my panties down.

  “Damn,” Dade whispered, belatedly moving his hands down to cover the obscenely large bulge that was tenting the front of his boxers. “Sorry about that…”

  “Don’t apologize,” I said, reluctantly looking away. And then I saw Cordell. “Damn,” I murmured, letting my eyes roam up and down the fully naked Marine’s body. He was like a work of art. Like a sculpture. They both were, in fact, and I felt a warm, wet heat flood my body as I took a step toward the water. “Do you think it’s going to be cold?”

  “God, I hope so.” Dade pointed at his erection. “It might be the only way I get rid of this.”

  I laughed and looked over at Cordell, who was also trying and failing to cover an equally impressive hard-on. “I hope it’s not too cold, or I might need the two of you to help me warm up.”

  Cordell took my hand as we stepped into the water together. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll help you conserve some body heat.”

  “Yeah,” Dade added. “I know a really good way to do that. And it just so happens to work best when you’re naked.”

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop smiling. “What a coincidence—ah.”

  Good Lord, it was cold.

  Almost too cold. Almost cold enough to make me question the whole idea of skinny dipping.

  Almost.

  But I decided it was worth it when I let my eyes wander down to the
two really big prizes that were waiting for me.

  The creek wasn’t very wide, and I wasn’t sure how deep it might be. As the water moved up my thighs and then to my waist, it started to at least feel a little more tolerable.

  “Come on.” Cordell nodded toward the middle of the creek. “Let’s go out there where the sun is shining. The trees are keeping this part shaded and cool.”

  “Good idea,” Dade said, already swimming out in that direction. “Oh, yeah, this is much better.” He motioned for us to follow. “You’re gonna love it out here, Becca.”

  Cordell and I waded out to join Dade, and I was glad that even though the water was up to my shoulders I still didn’t have any trouble touching the bottom.

  “Just let me know if you need a boost,” Cordell said, grinning as he looked down at me. He and Dade were both at least seven or eight inches taller than I was, so they both towered over me in the water.

  I reached out to touch both of their chests, tracing a line that followed the rivulets of water as they rolled down the hard planes and tight muscles. “I might need some of that body heat you were talking about,” I said to Dade, nibbling at my lip as I saw the heat flare in his eyes.

  “Oh, hell yeah,” he murmured, moving closer until I could feel his hard cock pressing against my side. “Whatever you want to do, beautiful.”

  I reached below the water, taking Dade’s cock in one hand and Cordell’s in the other. “This is what I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.” I slowly stroked each of them. “I’ve thought about doing this a lot, actually.”

  “Fuck,” Cordell groaned, stepping in closer until he was pressed against the other side of my body. “That feels so fucking good, babe.”

  “Feels amazing,” Dade said, leaning in to nip at my ear as his hands moved over my breasts.

  Cordell’s hands were lower, teasing along my bottom and then moving around the front of my body until his fingers were playing just above my most sensitive spot. I gasped and closed my eyes, nearly forgetting that I was trying to make both of them feel good at the same time.