Runaway Cowgirl
By
Cheryl Dragon
Published
by Totally Bound 6/27/14
MMMF
Historical Western
Blurb: Emily isn’t
about to marry just any man, but falling in love with two hot ranchers might be
more than this respectable young lady can handle.
Emily
St. Claire is wealthy, beautiful, young and very eligible to the single men of
Manitou Springs, Colorado. The Wild West isn’t safe for a woman alone, but she
isn’t about to marry for anything but love. Her charitable efforts put her in
touch with all manner of people, and while she’s respectable, she causes gossip
around the small town as she tries to help prostitutes and orphans. Still, she
does want a family of her own.
Two
handsome young men catch Emily’s eye, but Jack and Henry are so close. How can
she pick one of them without destroying their friendship and their partnership?
When she finds them in a compromising position, she’s shocked and intrigued. Emily never considered
herself conventional, but the men open her eyes even more to how inclusive and
varied love can be. Society would never approve, yet it doesn’t feel wrong for
the trio. Being courted by two men at once is wild, but committing herself to
them is pure madness and pure ecstasy as well. They must keep their ménage
secret until they’re sure how to plan a future together so no one will suspect
or discover the truth. 1878 isn’t ready for what they have to offer.
Excerpt:
The utter arrogance of the single men in
town made her gallop the horse. There were plenty of whores in town, so why did
the men have to bother her? They wanted her money— it was as simple as that. If
love was involved, it would be a different story.
Avoiding the main road, she came up on
the Bonner ranch from behind. A big spread of horses and cattle showed they
were successful. The house was large and sturdy but modest.
They were cowboys to the core. Certainly
not the most conventional men in town, but she wasn’t always traditional
either. Her desire to get women the vote hadn’t gone over well.
At least the Bonner men hadn’t mocked
her like some had for wanting women’s suffrage. The handsome cousins kept to
themselves, traded with the Indians when they could, and always helped anyone
who needed it.
True gentlemen, who made her feel
beautiful and rare. She could never decide which of the two she liked better.
Both triggered very unladylike reactions in her. Desire, lust and tingling were
the best words she had.
When she did her charity work with the
prostitutes, she’d heard them discussing men in detail so she believed it was
natural. Emily knew the marriage bed wasn’t always unpleasant. Her mother died
before Emily was old enough to discuss marriage or personal matters, but
Alice’s tasteful input and the unavoidable view of farm animals mating had
filled in the blanks on the basics.
There were plenty of nights she’d
dreamed about the Bonner men in very carnal ways. The sensitive flesh between
her legs throbbed from her just thinking about them. Alice was right. Emily was
a woman and spinsterhood probably wasn’t the best path for her.
Jack and Henry Bonner were the two men
in town she’d even consider, but they were close. Kin like that didn’t turn on
its own. She couldn’t come between them. Neither man had ever made any attempt
to court her. Then life dragged her to Denver. She hadn’t seen either of the
men since.
Hearing noises in the barn, Emily hopped
off her horse and tied the strong brown filly up to a rail behind the house by
a watering trough. No one could see the horse from the road. She found a bucket
of feed and set it where the horse could reach it. She patted the animal’s neck
then watched it drink and settle in.
“Good job,” she whispered.
The animal shook its head and drank
deeply. More sounds came from the barn and Emily’s curiosity got the best of
her.
Quietly, she pulled the door open and
walked in. The huge barn had hay and stalls for the horses. Her eyes adjusted
to the reduced sunlight and in the last stall she saw movement. Good manners
said she should announce her presence, but she couldn’t resist seeing the men at
work. Maybe they were bare-chested with pitchforks in hand? After so much
propriety in Denver, she needed a dose of functional reality that a small town
gave. Propriety was good but not always practical.
As she peeked into the stall, she saw
more than men working with hay. They were nearly naked and pulling the last
bits of each other’s clothes off. The shock set in and she gaped at them. Their
bodies were so perfect and so close. What were they doing? She jumped when a
gust of wind blew through the barn, whistling through the cracks.
The scathing sermons on unnatural acts
and how war had twisted some men to lie with each other as they did with their
wives haunted her. The reverend’s words about how lust could taunt a man and
that it had to be purged, flashed in her mind. She took a step back. It didn’t
look evil or dangerous. They remained the same two men she’d come to admire and
care for a great deal.
Still, she couldn’t look away as the
smell of warm hay and the sounds of hoof stomps faded into the background. The
men drew her in. They were good people. Jack had brown hair and eyes, a tanned
hard body and muscles from days of physical work. His cock jutted out and she
stared at it for a long moment. Her body tingled as though her instincts might
take over to please him.
Then Henry’s clothes hit the hay. He had
lighter brown hair, green eyes and even more muscles than Jack. He didn’t have
a head for figures or business, other than negotiating, but he was fun. He
preferred to do the work, and it showed.
His member was pointing up as well.
Henry pushed Jack into the hay and knelt. Emily ached to join them, but two
men? Together? There were names for that. Bad names and negative comments she’d
heard from people.
Most of those same people also said bad
things about the Indians and the liberated slaves.
When Henry kissed Jack full on the
mouth, Emily gasped. They were so beautiful and tempting. There was no logic to
it. Both men could find wives or prostitutes willing to give away their bodies.
Unlike her mind, her body wasn’t confused at all. She sighed and a bit of a
moan slipped out.
