Her Twin Wilde Cowboy Masters (Wilde, Nevada 1)

Chapter One

Mackenzie looked at the time on her cell and grimaced.

Five minutes until midnight.

She should’ve left long ago but hadn’t been able to bring herself to exit. She hadn’t really relaxed since arriving in Wilde two months ago. Perhaps she was due a little respite from her mission—that was what she told herself at least. What harm could another five minutes bring?

She’d assumed that only females would be present tonight. Didn’t “bachelorette” imply that?

Wrong. At least not in this mining community.

Over one hundred guests attended the festivity, and both genders were very well represented, though men outnumbered women by three to one. Of course, there were couples mingling in the crowd, but the more common triples dominated the party, not to mention the random quadruples and more.

A trio, two men and a woman, stood in the corner and smiled at her. One guy had his arm around the pretty brunette’s shoulders, while the other had his around her waist.

Mac had learned that threesomes weren’t an unusual sight for this town. Poly relationships also existed where she came from, but not on the scale of Wilde. Two months waiting tables at the diner had revealed to her this place universally accepted nontraditional families—unlike back home.

The tallest of the men motioned her over.

Mac’s cheeks burned.

Were they looking for a fourth? Though not certain of the man’s intent, she smiled but shook her head to signal she wasn’t interested. To ensure he got the hint, she turned her attention back to the stage.

The band changed tunes to a booming hip-hop song. The lyrics spoke of what it meant to live with battle scars. She could feel the thumps of the lusty bass notes on her skin. She had more than a few invisible scars herself. But this was a celebration and she decided to shake off her dark mood, at least for tonight.

The party wasn’t winding down one bit.

Everyone seemed to be having a blast. She certainly was, but it was long past a reasonable hour for her to leave. Her early-morning shift at Norma’s Diner started at six sharp.

“I need to be going,” she told Jessie Wilde, who stood to her right. Jessie had the most beautiful dark auburn hair. Her constant smile and sparkling green eyes were testaments to how happy she was.

“Stay a little longer, Mac,” Jessie pleaded.

Carrying two drinks, the guest of honor, Jessie’s cousin, Charly Wynn, came up beside Mac’s left. Charly’s sea-blue eyes and her long dark hair were stunning. This girl had a figure that would have any man drooling, though none other than Charly’s hubbies would do such a thing, at least not blatantly unless they had a death wish. The Strong brothers weren’t a group a smart

person wanted to piss off.

Charly smiled and held out one of the margaritas. “This is for you, Mac.”

She shook her head. “It’s late. Give it to your cousin.”

“I’m only drinking water tonight,” Jess said.

“You’re not going now, Mac, are you?” Charly asked.

“I really would love to stay. Believe me.” She glanced at her cell again.

“That’s twice you’ve looked at the time on your phone.” Charly pointed to the French doors leading out to the massive patio. “Look. There’s Carlotta with her beau. I’ll see if we can get your shift changed.”

She put her hand in front of Charly. “Please don’t.”

If she got moved to another shift, the man, who was her only reason for being in Wilde in the first place, would be served by one of the other waitresses. What if today was the day he let slip some clue, some shred, some hint that could give her what she so desperately needed? What if it fell on someone else’s ears and not hers? God no!

Her breath caught in her chest.

“Then don’t leave.” Charly smiled. “I know I’m being pushy, but you and Jess are the only women here that I feel comfortable with. We’re friends.”

“Are you actually afraid of the women who grew up here?” she asked with a teasing grin.

“I think we three could kick their local butts all the way down Main Street, don’t you?” Charly flexed her arm in an attempt to look tough.

“Definitely.” Mac nodded, taking on the same bodybuilder’s pose.

The three of them laughed in unison. It felt good to laugh.

Jess leaned in. “Please don’t go, Mac. Stay. It will mean the world to Charly.”

Charly nodded as if to punctuate her cousin’s point.

Mac knew it wasn’t smart to attach to anyone in this town, but given what she, Charly, and Jessie had gone through recently, it wasn’t something she could resist. These two amazing women were the closest she’d ever gotten to having friends even though they didn’t actually know her real name. Once they learned the truth, everything would most definitely blow up, especially between her and Jessie. With blood being thicker than water, Charly would unquestionably side with her cousin and not Mac.

So be it. Mac understood the bond of family.