Her Alpha Cowboys Page 5

  Okay.

  So that part was a lie.

  I obviously did know what they were talking about. But I had to hold it in. I couldn’t let myself get excited about some random, platonic thing. And that meant I couldn’t let Janessa and Daisy Lynn get excited about it, either.

  Sure, Dade and Cordell were cute. And sure, I’d be okay with the thought of potentially dating either of them.

  Maybe.

  Hypothetically.

  But that wasn’t happening. It just wasn’t. And I was okay with it. Really, I was.

  “You have to at least admit that they’re cute,” Daisy Lynn said. Which was… not helpful. “And they’re both obviously into you.”

  “I… don’t feel like I have to admit either of those things.” I looked from Daisy Lynn to Janessa. “Okay, so maybe they’re cute. But nothing is going to happen. Seriously. They were just giving me a ride downtown. And… they’re also going back with me later tonight.” The girls shared a wide-eyed, knowing look, but I shook my head. “It isn’t like that. I don’t… I don’t want that kind of relationship.”

  “What are you so worried about?” Daisy Lynn motioned for me to sit down on the sofa next to her. I looked back at the stairs one more time—they were so close. I really could have made a run for the bedroom and away from this awkward conversation if I’d wanted to. “What I have with Prescott and Cole is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s like…”

  “It’s like the most love I’ve ever known,” Janessa finished for her. “At least, that’s what it’s like for me when I’m with Cade and Boone. The three of us never argue. There’s never any jealousy. They’re both still best friends, so it never felt weird between us. Just… a lot of love.”

  “Exactly.” Daisy Lynn nodded. “That’s the perfect way to describe it. Just so much love. It’s better than anything I ever could have imagined. And honestly? It’s really pretty hot.”

  I felt my cheeks flush. “I don’t really need that mental image, thanks. But… I don’t know. The way you both describe it makes it sound really sweet. I guess I hadn’t ever thought about the feelings behind all of it. Just the…”

  “The sex?” Janessa laughed. “Trust me, it’s amazing. God, especially since it’ll be your first time.” She turned to Daisy Lynn. “Could you imagine? It almost makes me jealous.”

  “Okay, I think we’re done here.” I started moving back toward the safety of the staircase. “I do feel like I understand a little better where you guys are coming from, though. But it still doesn’t really apply to me. Not with Cordell and Dade, especially. It just isn’t like that between us.”

  “But you are going back out with them later?” Janessa asked.

  I nodded. “That doesn’t mean anything, though.”

  She held up her hands in a mock surrender. “I didn’t say it did. Just promise me you’ll have fun, okay?”

  “Yeah,” Daisy Lynn added. “Try not to overthink things.”

  I laughed and shook my head. I didn’t even have to respond because we all knew the truth.

  I was definitely going to overthink things. That was just how my brain worked.

  But it still didn’t mean anything. And it still wouldn’t change anything.

  Cordell, Dade, and I were strictly platonic. That was all it would ever be.

  This isn’t a date.

  This isn’t a date.

  This isn’t a date.

  No matter how many times I repeated those words to myself, I couldn’t help feeling like it was sort of a date. It hadn’t helped that Dade and Cordell had each asked me to dance two or three times in the first hour that we’d spent at the tavern.

  It also hadn’t helped that I’d said yes to most of those requests.

  And as I swayed back and forth to a slow, steady beat with Cordell’s hands around my waist, I had to admit that I wasn’t ready for the song—or the night—to end. So much for my no-slow-dancing rule.

  “You never mentioned the fact that you’re actually a good dancer,” Cordell said, his deep voice rumbling through my head as he leaned in close to my ear. “I might not have asked you out here if I’d known you were going to keep making me look bad.”

  I laughed. “I seem to recall you saying something about having two left feet…” I shook my head. “I’m pretty sure you’ve been holding your own, though. I think you just wanted me to give you a pity dance.”

  Now it was his turn to laugh. “I’m gonna have to plead the fifth on that one. Seriously, though, this has been fun. I’m glad you agreed to come back here with us tonight.”

  “Well, we are still here for a very specific reason,” I reminded him, then nibbled at my lip. “But… I have to admit it has been more fun than I’d expected.”

  “It’s impossible not to have fun whenever Dade and I are around. It’s basically a scientific fact.”

  “Oh, really?” I shook my head but couldn’t stop myself from smirking. “A scientific fact, hm?”

  He shrugged. “Hey, I just call it like I see it. I don’t make the rules.”

  Dade met us at the edge of the dance floor as the song ended. “Hey, I hate to break up such a cute scene, but while you two were out there goofing around I got Abe to agree to give us five uninterrupted minutes in his office.”

  “Really?” My breath hitched and I found myself hugging Dade in excitement before I even realized what I was doing. “Oh, um… sorry. But that’s great! Thank you!”

  He grinned. “Trust me, you don’t ever have to apologize for a hug like that.” He motioned for us to follow. “Come on, though. We need to hurry before he changes his mind.”

  “I can’t believe you even talked him into giving us a few minutes in the first place,” Cordell said. “This place is packed tonight.”

  “Well, it wasn’t easy.” Dade looked back over his shoulder at Cordell as he led us back to the corner office where Abe was apparently waiting for us. “But I buttered him up a little and told him how everyone in town said that he’s the man to see for the information we need.”

  Dade led us back to a cramped little office that felt even smaller once there were four of us squished inside.

  “I didn’t know we were going to have a whole damn audience,” Abe muttered as Cordell closed the office door behind us. “You’d better make this quick. I have a whole bar full of thirsty customers waiting for me out there.”

  “We appreciate your time, Mr. Gruman,” I said, hoping to smooth things over a little. Abe was old—I’d have guessed at least in his mid-seventies—and hunched over his cluttered desk, but his eyes were sharp as he looked over each one of us in turn. It was easy to tell that he’d spent a lifetime observing and sizing people up in an instant. “I was hoping you’d be able to share your thoughts about the, um… the things that have been going on lately around Bliss.”

  “Seems like a bunch of outsiders coming in and wrecking things for the rest of us, if you ask me.” He gave Dade and Cordell a hard, accusing look before turning his attention back to me. “What else do you want to know?”

  I was already a little offended on Dade and Cordell’s behalf, but I couldn’t let my personal feelings derail this opportunity to get some more information. Sure, these guys might not be from around here—and neither was I, for that matter—but I was absolutely certain they didn’t have anything to do with the crimes that had been committed. If anything, their presence at the Triple J Ranch had helped to prevent even more wrongdoing.

  I shook my head, trying to focus. “But if it’s only outsiders, then why do they seem to be targeting the families that own the five biggest ranches in the area? Surely that can’t just be a coincidence…”

  “Could be money.” Abe shrugged. “If someone was looking to shake down a handful of people around town, it would only make sense to go after the biggest fish first.”

  He had a point there, and it was something I had considered—something I’d heard the sheriff and deputy consider as well—but th
ere were a couple of pretty sizable holes in that theory.

  Dade and Cordell looked at me expectantly. I knew we were running out of time with Abe, and we hadn’t heard anything from him yet that we hadn’t already known. Still, I needed to dig deeper without sounding dismissive. We wouldn’t get anywhere with him if he was on the defensive.

  “When you think about the crimes that have been committed, though,” I began. “They don’t seem to have much rhyme or reason. Like, they don’t seem to be thought out very well in advance. Almost like someone keeps getting angry and then taking out their frustrations on these ranchers for whatever reason. Plus, if it was a shake-down for money, wouldn’t someone have come forward with some demands by now?”

  Abe sat back in his chair with a thoughtful nod. “I suppose you could be right about that. But what else could it be, then?”

  Dade and Cordell both shrugged. “None of it adds up to me,” Cordell offered. “But good people are getting hurt. Losing property and valuables. One man has lost his life so far. There has to be a reason behind all of these things. They aren’t just randomly happening.”

  I decided to try a different approach. If Abe really did know everything about everyone in town, he’d be more likely to have heard some gossip or rumors about this whole mess, right?

  “Can you think of anyone who might be holding a grudge?” I asked. “Has there been any sort of drama involving these families?”

  He frowned and gave a half-shrug. “Not that I can think of. Nothing that would warrant this kind of retaliation, if that’s what it really is. In fact, there hasn’t been anything at all between all of those families since—” Abe stopped talking abruptly and stood up from his desk. “Anyway, I should get back to work if there’s nothing else you need.”

  “Wait,” I said, reaching for his arm, then relaxing a little when the gesture earned me a dirty look from the old man. “I’m sorry. Please, just one more second. What were you about to say? There hasn’t been anything between those families since… what? What happened?”

  He made a dismissive gesture and took a step toward the door, but Dade and Cordell only had to shift their weight a little in the tiny room to completely block the exit.

  “Surely you’ve got one more minute, sir,” Dade said, folding his arms across his chest.

  “It would mean a lot to us if you could answer our friend,” Cordell added.

  They were both being polite—extremely polite, really—but there was no mistaking their body language. None of us were leaving this office until Abe gave us the information we were looking for.

  Abe seemed to realize it, too. He huffed out a short breath and threw his hands in the air. “Fine, fine. I don’t even know why you’re so interested in all of this. It happened so long ago that nobody around here would even remember. I can assure you there’s no connection with the troubles our town is having now.”

  “You’re probably right.” I nodded, trying to keep my voice soft and soothing. I could be the carrot while Dade and Cordell were the stick. It seemed to be working so far, at least. “But just in case…”

  “There was a girl in town… Karrie-something. I don’t recall her last name but it isn’t important.” He paused, eyeing each of us in turn before taking another irritated breath. “There was an… incident… maybe thirty, thirty-five years ago involving this girl and three local boys. Zachary, Willem, and Merle. It was pretty serious, disturbing stuff—especially since all three boys came from old, respected families in town.”

  I felt my stomach tighten. Judging from Abe’s words and his sickened expression, it didn’t take much imagination to figure out what kind of incident it had been. God, that poor girl. Even without knowing the circumstances or any of the details, my heart instantly hurt for her.

  “So, what happened?” I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. “Was… was Karrie okay?”

  He shrugged. “Hard to say. She didn’t stick around for very long after the attack. Not that anyone could blame her, of course.”

  “And the guys?” Dade asked. His lips were pressed together and the color had drained from his face. “Please tell me those bastards got thrown in prison.”

  “Thrown in prison for a long, long time, I hope.” Cordell sounded just as disgusted. “It takes a special kind of monster—or monsters—to treat a woman like that. I hope they’re all still rotting behind bars.”

  “You would think so.” Abe raised a brow. “But the sheriff at the time said there wasn’t enough evidence to press charges. Those boys walked away without even a slap on the wrist. I don’t know what ever happened to Karrie.”

  “Oh, God.” I reached for a chair to steady myself and instantly felt Dade and Cordell move up next to me, supporting me on each side. “That whole story just… it turns my stomach. I feel so bad for her.”

  “So there was basically a cover-up?” Dade asked, grunting. “Unbelievable.”

  “Money.” Cordell rubbed his finger and thumb together. “Money talks. And in this case, bullshit walks. Those boys should’ve never gone free after something like that.”

  “That’s what some people said at the time.” Abe nodded. “It was a pretty big deal for a town like this. Took a while for all the whispering to die down.”

  I felt numb. And sick to my stomach. I wanted more than anything to be out of the tiny, cramped office. I just needed some fresh air.

  “Thank you, Abe,” I said. “I appreciate your time. We won’t trouble you anymore tonight.”

  He gave a curt nod and ushered the three of us out of his office.

  “Are you okay?” Cordell asked, putting a supportive arm around my waist as we walked toward the tavern exit.

  “I’ll be fine.” I nodded. “That just… God, that was just an awful story.”

  “Do you think it has anything to do with what’s going on now, though?” Dade asked.

  I shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. I almost wish I hadn’t pressed him for the information now. That’s the kind of secret that you feel worse for knowing.”

  I still didn’t know how the pieces of this puzzle fit together—or even if they fit at all. But I was too numb and disgusted with people I didn’t even know to think about it anymore tonight.

  “Let’s go home,” I said, looking up at both of them in turn as we walked out the door. “I’ve had enough for one day.”

  Chapter 7

  Becca

  The crisp night air, along with finally being out of the too-small, too-crowded office, allowed me to get a grip on my feelings about what we’d heard from Abe. It was all just so dark and disgusting, and my heart still hurt for everything that poor woman had endured.

  I would definitely be digging deeper into that story, but… not tonight. The subject matter was so heavy and ugly that I’d never be able to go to sleep if I kept thinking about it.

  “Are you okay?” Cordell asked again once we were back in the truck and on the road to Janessa’s ranch.

  “You’re not looking as pale as you were back in the office,” Dade offered, reaching over to give my leg a comforting squeeze just above my knee.

  It was a tiny gesture, but it still meant a lot to me. And it sent a little electric jolt right up to my core—a jolt I was having a hard time ignoring. A jolt I was reluctant to admit, even within the privacy of my own thoughts, that I had enjoyed.

  “I’m better, yeah,” I answered. “I just… I can’t spend too much time thinking about what happened way back then. Not tonight, anyway. I don’t even know any of the people involved. But the way Abe described it made the whole situation feel real and personal, not like something that happened to a bunch of strangers thirty years ago.”

  “Yeah.” Dade nodded. “I know what you mean. I was getting really angry back there. I know everyone involved is probably old by now, but I still want to take all those guys out back and kick their asses.”

  “Same here,” Cordell grumbled. “There are some things that are just inexcusable.”

 
I was glad we all seemed to be on the same page about what we’d heard, and glad that Dade and Cordell really were good, kind, compassionate guys—even when nobody else was around to hear.

  Just knowing that little bit about them made me smile to myself.

  Or maybe I had actually smiled, judging from Dade’s surprised expression. “Oh, damn, is that a little bit of a grin I see? Not gonna lie, the thought of kicking those guys’ asses makes me smile, too.”

  And then I actually laughed. It felt sort of wrong to let myself laugh after what we’d just heard, but then again it felt sort of good, too. Freeing. Relaxing. And just… nice.

  “I usually don’t really like the thought of violence against anyone,” I confessed, schooling my features to get rid of the smile again. Mostly. “But yeah, I think I’d have to give you a pass on that one. I might even watch.”

  “Hell yeah,” Dade laughed.

  “Careful,” Cordell cautioned. “Dade doesn’t need any encouragement. First, it’s fighting, but then he’ll think it’s okay to start burping and scratching himself in front of you, too.”

  I grimaced but couldn’t help laughing again just a little. “I have older brothers,” I said. “Believe me, I’ve been around my share of all those things. And then some.”

  Cordell raised a brow. “Not as prim and proper as you seem, hm?”

  “Is that how I seem?” I shot him an inquisitive look. “I don’t think that’s who I am at all, honestly. I have strong beliefs. I have a set of morals that I do my best to stick to. Does that make me prim and proper?”

  Okay, now I was starting to get fired up. I knew he hadn’t meant anything by it, but the words sort of stung. Was that the reason they’d kept me at arm’s length and had been sending these mixed messages this whole time? Because I was too prim and proper?

  What did that even mean?

  “I apologize,” Cordell said. He sounded genuinely sorry, too—a fact that calmed me down a little. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I respect your morals. I respect you.”