* * *
Over the next several hours, there was a whirlwind of activity at every part of the ranch as Deck’s team and mine began installing the security system that would stop the rustlers from stealing—and killing—any more of our cattle.
When I finally called it a night, one crew was still out riding the ranch, making sure the areas left unmonitored were secure.
Ms. Wynona made sure Decker’s crew was comfortably ensconced in the guest houses that usually sat empty save during branding and calving seasons.
All I wanted was to take a hot shower, crawl in bed, and curl my body around Siren’s. Heaviness weighed my heart down in the same way fatigue did my body.
When I walked down the hallway, I was surprised to see the door to the master bedroom was closed. I eased it open and breathed a sigh of re
lief at seeing Siren sound asleep in my bed.
My exhaustion faded away as I went into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes, and let the hot water of the shower melt away the tension I’d carried with me throughout the day. I was rinsing soap from my hair when I felt cold air come from the open shower door.
“May I join you?”
“Am I dreaming?” I asked, running my hands over Siren’s naked body. I pulled her against me. “God, you feel good.”
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t be.” I cupped her cheek with my hand and kissed her.
“I couldn’t stand the idea of sleeping alone,” she murmured.
“Me either.”
I washed her body, and she washed mine. I wrapped her in a towel heated on my warmer, dried myself off, and led her over to my bed. Once under the covers, I pulled her up against me, her back to my front. “I want you more than I want to breathe, Siren, but the old man in me needs to catch a couple of hours of sleep.”
I peered over her shoulder and saw she was already out.
At one point during the night, we woke and I took her from behind. At another, I woke and she was straddling me, stroking my erection before sheathing me first in a condom and then in her pussy.
* * *
We were four days into the security system installation. Another four, and Decker said everything would be in place—something that would’ve taken a normal security company a month or more to do. However, there was nothing regular about the system that was now partially functional at the Blazing T.
Zeke and I had spent the morning with Decker while he reviewed what was currently operational and what they still needed to complete.
“Any changes to the original quote?” I asked when he finished the review of the first phase.
“You got an answer for Rile?”
I shook my head.
“Then, it’s double.” We both laughed.
Zeke stood. “If you fellas don’t need me, I’ll get back to work.”
“We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about Siren,” said Deck, leaning against one of the desks after Zeke left.
“There hasn’t been a lot of change. She’s due to head back to Asheville this afternoon. I’m hoping she comes back with more answers.”
“If there’s anything the rest of the team or I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I shook my head and looked down at the floor. “Be on standby to sweep up the broken pieces when Siren learns the truth.”
“Was it really that bad?”