Sexual Healing (Contemporary Cowboys 1)

His blue-hot gaze, relaxed, thick jaw, nice tan, and shag-style cut made him look like he belonged in a lifeguard chair on a beach somewhere, but she could see the cowboy in him, too. She turned his hand over and studied the fine lines in his palm and noted the calluses on his fingers. “You work so hard. You should be able to enjoy life, too.”

“We work the farm because it’s what we do. It’s what we enjoy. It’s who we are, Brianna. So many people go through life saying this is what I do but not who I am. They don’t want others to see them as a janitor or a secretary or whatever their career suggests they are, but I am a cowboy. I want people to know tha

t when they see me coming. I also want them to know something else.” He lowered his voice and whispered, “I want them to know the woman who has my heart is the only woman for me.”

* * * *

“Thanks, Kane. Yes, we’re in for the night. We’ll be up bright and early and watch for the McKays then.” Jax had just started to hang up when something occurred to him. “By the way, how will we know who they are?”

“You’ll know,” Kane said. “Brianna has met Vicky in the past.”

“Who is Vicky?”

“Vicky belongs to the McKays.”

“I see.” Jax was beginning to think that Kane Cartwell only kept friends who shared their women. Even the man’s daughters apparently had multiple relationships. Perhaps he and his brothers hadn’t been so unusual after all. Then again, times were changing, too. In the south, so many women had wasted away to nothing thanks to the drugs in the rural communities. It was rare to find a good woman and with men working harder than ever before to keep good family businesses afloat, one woman would likely feel neglected. Three or more men could keep a woman happy and there were fewer demands on one man.

Dragging himself away from his thoughts, he said, “Kane, I just sent the information I told you about to Peyton’s e-mail.”

“All right. We’ll take a look at it and see if there’s anything we can do to help.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir. See you then.” He hung up the phone and faced Tyler. “I know. I should’ve waited.”

“You fucked her.”

“Damn right I did.”

“Fuck, man!” Tyler looked deflated. “What happened to waiting for one and all?”

Jax smirked, remembering when he’d told his brothers that cockamamie bullshit. “I was out of town a lot back then. I was afraid you and Flint might get some kind of big ideas of bringing her here and having your way with her before I had the opportunity.”

“So you what… decided to go against your own house rule?”

“We weren’t in a house.” He winked at him to taunt him. “We were on that little deserted side road out by Millerville Lane. You know the place.”

“I should. That’s where I used to go parking—when I was in high school!”

“Nothing wrong with parking now if you have a pretty woman who is willing.”

“So you’re telling me you fucked her in the back of the truck out in the middle of nowhere when a few maniacs are running around trying to kill her!” Tyler stomped away. He curled his hands at his side and growled something awful. “That was irresponsible, Jax. You can’t go around doing stupid shit when there are people out there who want her dead!”

“Folks I thought were behind bars for the night,” Jax reminded him. “What happened with that anyway?”

“Want a guess or do you want me to tell you what I really think?”

“Which resembles more of the truth?”

Tyler dragged his palm down his face. “I don’t think Andrew is our friend.”

“What? That’s ridiculous. We’ve known him for years.”

“I don’t give a damn if we grew up in the same crib. Look, Jax. Think about it. You and I took the call five years ago when he called to say those meth junkies had walked and tonight? He was all too pleased to let me know the boys from New York walked and there wasn’t enough evidence to hold them. Don’t you find that strange? They had enough evidence to hold them. Hell, they should’ve been able to hold Handsome alone for what he did to Brianna!”

Jax dragged his thumb over his bottom lip in deep thought. “Now I see why Kane Cartwell acts like a damn renegade.”