STORY EXCERPT

After a quiet ride deeper into the darkness on somewhat rough paths, they found a smooth trail and headed for the river. "We gotta let the horses rest for a bit," Clay declared as he hopped down from the wagon.

He peered over at the others and Luke pressed his fingers to his lips. Levi did the same.

"She's asleep?" he asked.

Luke kissed the top of her head. "Looks like it. She's gotta be tired. Think about what she's been through.”

"I had a thought," Levi said.

"Let's hear it," Clay called over his shoulder before he started working with the leather harness. "It's sure enough a good one if you have one. Lord knows it's rare when you do."

Levi never acted insulted. "If Emily ain't ever been with a man, then we shouldn't try to take her in this wagon."

"Yep, like I said, if you've got a thought, it's a good one. Since I’m not back there with the three of ya, I couldn’t agree more."

Levi hopped out of the wagon and started toward his cousin. "I'm talking about it from a gentleman's standpoint. Assuming I can learn how to act like one with Emily. You know, try to do things right rather than just rush right in, leave money on the table and drop my pants."

"You mean you don't plan to screw her with your boots on?" Luke chuckled as he joined them. He led Emily's horse out in front.

"No, I don't and I don't think you should either."

"Well, I sure would if it was the only way to get to her," Luke admitted.

"It ain't gonna happen," Levi firmly told him. "She deserves better than us groping at her in the middle of some open range. I'm not doing it and you ain't either."

"I ain't?" Luke drawled. "What if she reaches over and pats my cock all gentle like, then what?"

Clay nodded in her direction and grinned. "You had a nice nap."

"Yes, I did," she placed her hands on her hips, "and an earful to wake me up."

"Oh," Levi said tugging the lead horse by the leather strap before he pulled him away from the team. "About that—"

"Shut up, Levi," Luke warned. "Just shut up now."

She stretched her arms out in front of her. "So nobody here is interested in fucking me in the wagon?"

"Is that an invitation?" Luke asked.

Clay shook his head. "I know I didn't just hear the most beautiful word in the English language fall from the most gorgeous woman's lips."

Levi stared at her in disbelief too. "You did, I heard it. I swear it. Heard it just as plain and simple as it's spelled."

"And how is it spelled boy smarts?" Luke poked fun at his cousin.

"F-U-K." He was close.

"Shit, Levi. Come on," he said before he grabbed another horse from the team and started for the water.

Clay watched her curiously. "I hesitate to ask you what you make of all this."

"Are you hesitating or asking?" she cocked her hip and put her palm against the curve of her waist.

"You thirsty?" he changed the subject.

"Sure," she said. "I need to fill these canteens too." She pulled two  from under some horse supplies at the edge of the blankets.

He held his arms out for her and watched. Emily pretended to leap. She held her arms forward and let them swing back and forth.

"One, two, three. Ready or not, here I come!" She jumped right into his arms.

He lost his balance for a second, but regained it in time to relax with her body. Then he thought what the hell. He fell to the ground with her body right on top of his.

"Good Lord, woman, you could break a man's back."

Tempting lips formed a quick pout. "I'm heavy?"

"A load," he teased.

"That's not funny," she said while she struggled against his grip.

"No, it's not. If I was you," he drawled, "and this is just a suggestion, I'd try to get some cowboys to help you work this weight off of ya."

Her mouth dropped into an o-shape and he laughed. "I'm kidding you. I don't see an inch of meat on you." He thought twice and tried to add something a little sexier. "You got all your weight in one place," he said staring at her chest.

Her soft red hair tumbled over his face then and he felt like he'd died in her arms the second it fanned over his cheeks. "They’re gonna kill me for this."

"For what?" she asked.

"For this," he dropped his eyes and his fingers stiffly worked at a few buttons.

ADULT EXCERPT

Cripple Creek, on first sighting, did not impress Emily in the least. The saloons were on either side of the dirt road leading through the town center and from what she could tell, women were hell bent on selling more than a little sugar.

She kept glancing from Clay to Luke. Levi had control of the team for most of the day and he was ready to find a hotel. Emily understood all of his reasons. He said he was tuckered out but she knew better. He wanted to find a bed for the best of intended purposes.

A painted sign hung lopsided, but barely, over a nailed-up board that used to read 'rent a girl'. It now advertised 'furnished rooms'. Clay shrugged when Levi stopped the wagon in front of the place.

Emily smoothed her hands over her dress. "I'm not staying here," she announced. 

Clay's mouth looked like it shrugged. His top lip curled under his teeth before he dared to ask. "Do you mind to tell me what's wrong with this place?"

She glared at the two story building. "It looks like it's old and ready to fall down."

"It's not gonna collapse and the sign says 'furnished rooms'. I doubt you wanna sleep on the floor somewhere.”

"No, and I don't want to sleep in a bed where a whore used to sleep." She pointed to the sign. "Did you notice what it said there before?”

"Yep, sure enough, I read it," Levi said jumping down. "It's one of the reasons I think we should stay here."

"Wrong thing to say, bright one," Luke said.

"Honey, in case you didn't know, that's probably been some time ago. Those rent-a-girl signs are hardly appropriate in this town anymore."

"What's so special about this town now?" she asked. 

An old man sat on the front porch with his legs crossed at his ankles and he thoughtfully observed them. "Gold," he said, "and plenty of it."

The fella kept his focus on her after she made such an open accusation about his establishment. He probably considered it an outright slander to the working class that once occupied his rooms.

"Clay, you and Luke promised me a home," she purred. 

"Hell, honey, we're hardly in position to find one just two or three minutes after riding into town. Besides, I'd like to wash up, get a bite to eat, and a good, long—"

"Watch it, Clay," Luke warned. "I don't think she's in the mood right now."

She crossed her arms. "No, I'm not."

"Suit yourself." Clay shrugged. "Come on, Levi. Let Luke handle her. I don't do well with mad hens."

Before he walked away from her, she picked up a canteen and slung it at him. "Damn you, Clay. You said, you'd find me a home and you didn't say nothing at all about making me sleep where whores once slept."

“Well, since you put it that way, woman.” Clay ran his hand over his face and smiled mischievously. “I’ll just tell ya. I don’t think the women who stayed here got a lot of sleepin’ done. There was plenty of fuckin’ if I had to guess.”

The fellow in the chair, kicked his feet up, folded his arms across his chest and watched with adamant curiosity and amusement. "There's a hotel about another two or three buildings down here on the left. Trouble with that, missy," he rubbernecked it enough to see her, "that's where the whores stay now. You might not want your fellow around the kind we have here."

"Don't worry about my fellas," she said without thinking.

"Well, I'll be damned." He stuck a straw in the corner of his mouth. "You're one yourself."

"Here, now!" Clay shouted at him.

"Well, ain't she? If she's spreading her legs for all of you, that's a might judgmental of her to call our gals around here whores."

"She's not sleeping with any of us… yet," Clay complained as he walked into the rundown building. "You care to show her one of your rooms?"

"Sure, I'll be happy to do that right after our servants get back from picking the splinters out of the last ass we kissed around here."

Brooding now, Luke stepped forward. "What's your name?"

"Percy. I own this joint and have a right mind to do all right with it every now and then. The rooms are clean, the beds are made with fresh sheets, and the price is right. For what you want to do with her, I imagine it's gonna suit."

Luke pursed his lips and reminded Clay. "She don't wanna stay here."

"It's either here or under the open sky. Tell her that and see if she don't change her mind," Clay snapped.

Luke swatted his hat in his hand, ran his fingers through his hair and headed back outside. "Clay said here or the open sky, take your pick."

She quickly stood up to argue but then sank back to the blankets. "I'll take the open sky, thank you very much."

Levi yanked her up and pulled her over his shoulder all in one move. "I think not, Miss Masterson. I am pretty damn tired. The livery stable is over there across the street and they have clean rooms and a bed here, which I plan to use with you. We're staying." He kicked up some dirt and made his way to the plank porch. "And we're gonna need two rooms," he said to the man who introduced himself as Percy.

"Put me down now," she ordered as she kicked.

"Stop moving around this very second or I'll slide my hand under your dress and fuck you with my fingers right here and now."

Her body stopped twitching at once. "You'll pay for this" she promised through gritted teeth.

"I hope so, Emily. We all hope so."