Shared By the Cowboys by Cassie Cole

23

Rebecca

Cody and I were all smiles as we left the bathroom together.

Until we saw Mason.

He paused at the top of the stares, eyes raking over both of us. For a split second, I thought I had made a huge mistake. This was awkward. No matter what they said about wanting to share me, this felt like being caught red-handed. By sleeping with Cody I had ruined my chances with Mason.

Then Mason grinned widely and clapped his brother on the shoulder. They joked about playing with me, and the tension of the moment disappeared.

Cody grinned at me before disappearing into his room. Mason leaned against the wall and grinned at me.

“So you’ve come around to our proposal?” he drawled.

I nodded slowly. “I think so. You promise it’s not weird? Running into each other like this after…”

“I said it’s what we want, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but just because you said so doesn’t mean…”

He put a firm hand on my bare shoulder. “Let me tell you something about me. I’m a straightforward man. I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. So when I said we want to share you? I meant it.”

He lowered his lips to my cheek, kissing me softly, before going into his room.

The thunderstorms rolled into the valley while we were sleeping, and I woke to the pattering sound of rain blowing sideways against the window. Thunder shook the house as I checked my phone. I had a voicemail from my agent asking for an update.

“It’s raining cats and dogs out there,” I said to the guys in the kitchen.

“Where do you think that phrase came from?” Cody asked. “Because I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve never seen it rain a single cat or dog.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Not much we can do today besides work on repairs inside the house.”

“Eggs can wait until tomorrow, but I need to milk Bessie.”

“You don’t want to wait for the rain to ease up?” Mason asked.

I held up my phone. “According to the radar, it’s going to get worse as the day goes on. Might as well get it over with.”

A white bolt of lightning split the sky as I sprinted across the yard to the barn. The interior was quieter as soon as I closed the door behind me, except for the constant drumroll of rain. A few leaks dripped down from the roof.

I shook off my jacket and hat, then dialed my phone. “Hey Terry.”

“There’s my superstar writer. How’s the book coming along?”

“It’s going well. Really well. I’m ahead of schedule on my outline.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you just unearthed a treasure chest full of inspiration.”

I laughed it off. “It’s, uh, nothing.”

“Rebecca. I’m your agent. I can’t represent you if you don’t talk to me.”

I shouldn’t have told her, but I was feeling giddy from the last few days and I was dying to spill the beans. Besides, she was right. She was my agent, my friend, and we told each other everything.

“The other day, I slept with Mason Cassidy.”

Before I could even get to the part about Cody, Terry was cheering on the other line. “I knew it! You have that new-boyfriend charm in your voice. Have I ever told you the rumor about the Bronte sisters?”

“Um, I don’t think so?”

“There was a dashing young horse trainer in Yorkshire that the Bronte sisters were enamored with. Supposedly, as the rumor goes, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre were both written after sleeping with this cunning young man. He was the inspiration.”

“But Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte, and Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte.”

“Exactly! He slept with both of them. Scandalous. Point being, inspiration often comes from taking a new lover. What was it like? Tell me everything.”

I glanced at the workbench to my right. “Well, it first happened in the barn.”

“Oh my God, of course it did. That’s perfect. Absolutely perfect! That should be how it happens in your book. A dark and dashing cowboy, just like Mason Cassidy, sharing furtive glances with the protagonist before finally taking her in the barn…”

I shook my head while listening to her. “I’m not going to model a character after him, Terry. For one thing, it would open us up to a lawsuit. For another, it’s immoral. I don’t want to do that to Mason. I like him.”

“This is supposed to be research for a job,” she reminded me. “Three months on a ranch, then you’re back in Great Falls so we can finish your book. This cowboy is new and exciting, but you can’t let yourself get too attached.”

I hesitated, then asked, “Why not? Why can’t I get attached? There’s no reason I have to stick with the original three-month plan…”

Terry laughed like I had made a joke. “You want to go back to living on a ranch? You said you hated growing up on one. Has something changed?”

I did hate growing up on my parents’ ranch. I thought I would never want to go back. But now…

“No, you’re right,” I replied numbly. “I can’t get too attached. In three months, I’m out of here.”

“I’m so happy to hear about your progress. I’ll put a bug in the publisher’s ear about a fall launch. You’re money, Rebecca! Don’t you ever forget it! Call me again in a few days. I want to hear all about what mister sexy cowboy man is doing, and how you’re integrating it into your story.”

I hung up and carried the milk pail over to Bessie. “I didn’t even get to tell her about Cody, and the offer they gave me.”

Bessy responded by rubbing her face against my arm.

I didn’t like omitting the details from Terry. Secrets upon secrets. I felt the weight of them on my shoulders, wearing me down.

Once Bessy was milked dry, I slipped back into the rain to check the stable. The horses seemed okay except Wildfire in the back stall, snorting unhappily. But he seemed to understand that being in the cramped space was better than out in the downpour, and after giving him a carrot he calmed down.

“You’ll be back outside soon, I promise,” I told him. “Then we can work on putting a saddle on you.”

I left the stable and ran back into the house, sloshing milk as I tried to escape the torrential rain.

The guys were cutting lengths of wood on a sawhorse right in the living room. I removed my jacket and said, “I feel bad for the cattle out in the rain.”

Mason extended his measuring tape and glanced over at me. “They’re made for it. The rain runs off their hide.”

“But wouldn’t they be happier in a barn?”

“No ma’am!” Cody said happily. He handed Mason a piece of wood. “Their winter coats are already comin’ in. If we put ‘em in a barn, they’ll overheat. Not to mention more moisture means a greater chance for respiratory infections. Free range is better all around.”

Mason nodded. “We’ll build a windbreak before winter sets in, to protect them from a chill. But that’s about all they need.”

“What are y’all doing, anyway?” I asked. “Are there leaks in the house?”

“Nope! Got all the leaks fixed before the solar panels were put up,” Cody replied. “Good thing the panel installation forced us to prioritize it, huh?”

“Not much point with all the clouds,” Blake grumbled. “Won’t have juice ‘til tomorrow.”

“Which is why we should supplement them with wind turbines,” Mason chimed in. It sounded like an old argument being reignited. “We get a strong current here in the valley.”

Blake chewed the inside of his lip. “Bunch of eye sores, you ask me.”

“Eye sores that give us all the electricity we need. Prices have come down. The return on investment is about six years, give or take. Then we’d be totally self-sufficient. Interest rate’s real low for financin’, too.”

Cody looked over at me. “To answer your original question, we’re replacing the rotten floorboards over by the bathroom. Could use some help.”

I transferred the milk to glass jugs and stored them in the fridge, then spent the day helping them with repairs. I didn’t do much more than hand them supplies, but it made the work go much faster.

After dinner Cody hopped over the couch and turned on the TV. “Nobody use the internet for the next hour. I need all the bandwidth while my show is on.”

“That’s right, it’s Monday,” I said while cleaning up the kitchen. “What are you watching? Monday night football?”

Blake barked a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

I realized why as Cody clicked through the streaming channels and paused on The Bachelor.

“Are you serious? Your show is The Bachelor?” I asked incredulously.

He frowned at me. “Hey now. Don’t judge. A man’s allowed to have a guilty pleasure or two.”

I watched the reality TV show with him while Mason and Blake played poker on the table. Cody wasn’t just pulling my leg: he was really into the show, and had opinions on everyone.

“Serena’s my girl,” he confided in me. “If she doesn’t win I’m gonna write an angry letter, just you wait.”

When the show was over Cody joined his brothers at the poker table. “Deal me in, boys.”

“You sure you want to play?” Mason asked. “I bet we can find a rerun of Gilmore Girls for you to watch instead.”

“Don’t say nothin’ bad about my future wife, Lorelei Cassidy,” Cody said while sitting down.

I stretched and made for the stairs. “You boys have fun. See you bright and early.”

“Want to play?” Mason asked.

I hesitated. “I’m no good at poker. The only thing I’ve played is strip poker, back in college.”

“Shit, now you’re speakin’ my language,” Cody said. “Let’s do that.”

I had intended to go upstairs and work on my book for an hour, but there was a suggestive look in Cody’s and Mason’s eyes. Like they had something planned for me if I stuck around.

“Yeah,” I found myself saying. “I’ll play some poker.”