STORY EXCERPT

Ron Mason finished his breakfast, downed the rest of his coffee, picked up his hat, and rose. “I’ll be in the barn.”

They’d already fed and watered the horses, and he wanted to start checking and oiling the tack.

With this weather, they wouldn’t be doin’ much else.

Amused at Cabe Whitfield’s grunt of acknowledgement, Ron shared a look with Dell Barstow. “Looks like we won’t be fixin’ fence for a while.”

Dell rose and picked up his own hat, smashing it on his head before lifting the collar of his coat to cover his neck. “Yeah, and when we do, it’s gonna be a lot worse. I’m sure these snow drifts and winds are gonna knock down some of them.”

Ron donned his hat and pulled up his own collar. “Yeah. It’ll be a lot of work before they bring the herd back. Thanks, Marty.”

With a wave of his hand, the cook went back to working on their next meal.

He, Cabe, and Dell, along with Marty, worked one of the outposts of the Circle T ranch, a large ranch that paid well and where the owners were fair.

The cattle had been moved closer to the main compound at the beginning of fall, leaving the four men alone for the winter.

Eb and Jeremiah Tyler, the owners of the large ranch, had stocked them with supplies for the winter, leaving them to protect against predators, both animal and human, that could be headed for the ranch, along with repairing fencing.

Only the most trusted ranch hands worked at the compound, where the wives and children lived.

They hadn’t yet earned that distinction.

Ron slid on his gloves and left the chow shack, holding on to the door to keep the wind from ripping it out of his hand.

Cursing, he let Dell and Cabe out before slamming it shut again.

With his head bent, he trudged his way through the deep snow and biting wind toward the barn.

As Cabe opened the barn door, the gust of wind coming from the interior of the barn hit Ron at the same time Dell cursed.

“What the hell?”

The barn door on the opposite side stood wide open, and a horse he didn’t recognize stood near one of the stalls, happily munching on hay.

Dell raced to the open door, pulling it closed with another curse and stopping abruptly. “Hell!”

Throwing off his hat, Dell ran into the open stall. “Shit. Ma’am? Ma’am! Hey!”

Ron glanced at Cabe, his heart pounding as he looked down at what appeared, at this distance, to be a pile of clothing. “Is she alive?”

He raced toward Dell, with Cabe right beside him, the large man moving faster than his size would suggest.

Stunned to see a woman lying in a heap in the stall, Ron moved forward, kneeling next to Dell as the other man rolled her to her back. “Fuck. That’s blood, and she’s out. Damn near frozen. Alive, but barely.”

Dell grimaced. He pulled her coat aside to see that she wore a gun belt, a pistol in both holders. “Looks like it’s her thigh and shoulder.” He moved her coat and shirt aside to look at her shoulder. “Gunshot. She’s wearing both pistols, and her rifle’s in the scabbard. She never drew.”

“Take care of her. I’ll get Will.” Cabe turned and walked away, the sounds of him getting his horse from the stall loud in the quiet of the barn.

Ron nodded but doubted if Cabe saw him. “We need to get her to our cabin.”

Dell slid his hands under her. “I’ve got her. Get the damned door.”

Cabe led the other horse to a stall and gave her some feed and water. “Must be hers. If this horse got her here, she deserves to be warm and fed.”

Ron hurriedly opened the door Dell had just closed, fighting the wind to close it again.

Hearing her moan, Ron tried to block as much wind as possible from her as Dell carried her through the deep snow, cradling her tightly against his chest.

It took several minutes to cover the short distance to their bunk, and Ron’s foot slipped on the slick wooden steps that led to the door. “Careful!”

Dell nodded to acknowledge that he’d heard and slowly took the steps, with Ron gripping his shoulders from behind to steady him.

Once inside, Ron fought the wind to close the door again and rushed to rebuild the low fire in the fireplace.

Dell worked the coat and boots off of the young woman and paused. “Her clothes are not only bloody but they’re soaked and frozen in places. She’s past shiverin’. We’ve gotta get her warm.”

With his heart in his throat, Ron helped Dell strip her out of her frozen clothes, using a rough towel to dry her as gently as possible and wipe away the blood that had begun to flow again. “Damn it.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Ron bent his head and kissed her again, slowly pulling the top ribbon of her chemise. “I won’t, darlin’. We want you to belong to all three of us, so it’s all right for Cabe and Dell to see you too.”

“See her? Hell, I want to get my hands on her.”

Ron lifted his head, slowly parting the ribbons before reaching for the next. “I promised her that we’d leave her virginity intact and give her time to make a decision about stayin’.”

Cabe hung up his coat and moved closer, bracing a hand on either side of her as he bent to touch his lips to hers. “I can live with that, but I want her hands on me, too.”

His gaze swept over her as he straightened. “But I better warm them first. Don’t want her chilled.”

Ron pushed the blanket aside, allowing them to see her better and shifted her until she lay crosswise on the bed. “Good idea.”

Dell had already hung up his coat and went to the fireplace. “I’ll build up the fire a little more and take the chill out of here.”

Caught in Ron’s silvery gaze, Mary sucked in a breath when he tugged at the next ribbon, holding her breath as he untied it and untied the next.

Holding her breath, she held herself as still as possible, never looking away from Ron’s steady gaze as he slowly untied the rest.

The decadence and promise in his smile made her heart beat faster, the chill gone. Parting the sides, he kept his gaze on hers as he slowly lowered his head.

Crying out at the shock of heat when he closed his mouth over her nipple, Mary jolted, her eyes fluttering closed at the pleasure.

The bed shifted, and she found herself in Dell’s arms, opening her eyes to look into his and wondering how she’d known it was him but unable to think about it with the sensations racing through her.

Dell lowered his head. “Damn, darlin’. You’re beautiful.”

The sucking motion on her nipple forced another cry from her, a cry Dell swallowed.

Feeling a hand on her other breast, Mary shifted restlessly, rubbing her thighs together, the ache between them becoming unbearable.

She kissed Dell back, lost in the taste of him, while the attention to her breasts sent heat through her, a heat that centered between her thighs.

It intensified, and when she arched to increase the friction on her nipples, Dell lifted his head, followed almost immediately by Ron, who cupped her breast and stroked her damp nipple.

Only then did she see that Cabe, not Ron, caressed her other breast. Staring into her eyes, he slid a hand from her ankle to her calf.

She would have covered her breasts, but the hands moving over them kept her arousal and heat growing. “You promised.”

Cabe bent to touch his lips to the sensitive skin of her inner knee. “Not takin’ your virginity. Just usin’ my mouth on you.”

Not understanding what he meant, Mary blinked and moaned, a sharp cry escaping when Ron lightly pinched her nipple. “Oh! What? Oh!”

Dell leaned over her again, running his hand down her side. “Just lie back. We’ve got you.”

Ron stroked her nipple again while Cabe parted her thighs and lifted her chemise higher. “Just lie back and enjoy.”

She tried to press her thighs together, groaning in frustration when Cabe held her knees parted, preventing it. “Please! It aches. Everything aches!”

On his knees next to her, Cabe slid his hands higher and pressed his lips against her other inner knee. “I know.”

Ron bent his head to kiss her nipple, smiling at her gasp of shock. “It’s gonna feel strong. Don’t be afraid. I promise, you’re gonna love this.”

Lying exposed with Dell and Ron on either side of her and Cabe using his lips to work his way up her inner thighs, Mary realized distantly that she should have been terrified.

Instead, she felt beautiful.

Feminine.

Protected.

She’d never felt anything like it.

And the pleasure…

While Ron caressed one breast and Dell caressed the other, Cabe slid his hands beneath her bottom, his shoulders keeping her thighs spread high and wide as he slowly lowered his head.

The first touch of his mouth on her most private place proved so intense that she jolted and couldn’t hold back her cries of shock.

Of heat.

And the most incredible pleasure.

Holding her against his mouth, Cabe licked at her slit and created the most incredible sensation she’d ever felt in her life.

“Oh! Oh Lord. Please! Something’s happening!”

She kicked at him, the hot tingling at her slit so intense it scared the hell out of her.

Suddenly, she had no ability to do anything except feel as something hot and powerful erupted, radiating everywhere.

The attention to her nipples heightened the pleasure, sending her soaring.

A strangled cry ripped from her throat as her entire body stiffened and bowed, riding a wave of incredible bliss that held her in its grip so long that it frightened her.

“No!” Kicking her legs, she pushed against Dell and Ron, relieved yet feeling bereft when all three of them slowly released her.

Ron ran a hand over her hair and bent to touch his lips to hers again. “It’s all right, darlin’. No need to be scared.”

Dell caressed her breasts before retying the ribbons. “Felt good, didn’t it, honey? Scary the first time, but it feels good.”

Mortified, Mary sat up and, after a quick glance at each man, ducked her head, even more self-conscious at their steady gazes. “Please. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Dell touched his lips to her hair and tilted her head back to smile down at her. “Then we won’t. We’ll talk about something else while we take our baths.”