CHAPTER TEN
“Eighty Percent of Success is…showing up.”
The Auction Room at the Rooster Ranch
There were now six men on the stage; Fernando and the other two along with three new ones. They were wearing tiny thongs and their packages were bulging against the cotton material.
Brea had never seen so much man meat in all her days.
Daisy stood at a podium to the side and she was smiling hugely as the men each took a step forward and received applause and shrieks from the women in the crowd.
“And last, but not least, there’s Brad.” She motioned her hand out.
Brad stepped forward and did a circle turn for the crowd, his long lean body gleaming under the lights. He then stepped back.
“We shall start the bidding at 200,” her mother announced as one of the guys stepped in front of the rest.
The various women yelled out 300, 400 and so on.
Brea closed her eyes and moved away from the peek hole. She didn’t feel turned on like she briefly did out on the road. She would have for sure if she’d never met Cole, but now she only wanted one male package, and to her, he made all these guys look like dweebs.
By watching all the beef, she remembered why she was here in the first place. What was she thinking? That her mama could give her some magic recipe? A way to get him back after she fucked it all up? Sighing, she opened the closet door and stepped into the hall.
So, what can you do? Brea made her way up the stairs. Be honest… She shook her head as she remembered Kanda’s advice. He now knew she’d mistaken him from the beginning. Well, she had only mistaken his name really. He had needed convincing before and she’d done that. Now? He would be hard to reach. She knew the difference between them, and she knew for sure his brother was the wrong man for her.
“Baby doll!” her mother called from behind her.
Turning, she gazed over at her mama.
Daisy propelled her down the hall and into her room. “Have a seat and we’ll talk while I get out of this hot ass leather.”
Brea quietly sat and stared down at her hands. It was as if the wind had been taken out of her sails.
“Okay, let’s have at it, child,” her mother called from behind a fancy dressing screen.
“Nah, it’s okay, Ma.”
Daisy was quiet for a minute and grabbed the robe from the top of the screen “What?” Tying the silk belt, she came out and headed over to the bed.
Brea remained silent as she stared down at her hands.
“I seen this before. A time or two. So, you just gonna sit there and let it beat ya?”
Brea shook her head.
“I didn’t raise no ninny!” her mother almost shouted.
Gazing up at her mama who stood in a hot pink silk robe with boa feathers, Brea sighed again. “I messed up.”
“How?”
Brea stood and walked over to the dresser. “I went after the man I wanted, just like you always said I should do.”
“Yeah… AND?”
“Well, I went after the wrong man.”
Her mother blinked rapidly. “And so where is the right one?”
Picking up the framed photograph of her mother and the delicious older guy, she shrugged. “He stormed off, thinking I wanted his brother.”
“Okay, well go and convince him!”
Brea felt tears stinging her eyes. “You don’t understand. I—”
“I think I do!” Daisy gracefully glided over. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand.”
Turning around, Brea was crying now. “Oh, Mama, he’s so fine. A cowboy built for love. Sweet, hard working and the real thing.”
“He sounds edible,” her mother chuckled. “Downright yummy.”
“He is! It’s just that…”
Daisy waited for her to finish.
“He’s a set of twins. I drooled over him for a month at the diner. Then, I quit that job and went out to cook at his ranch.”
“Well, hot dog!” Daisy looked proud.
“I ditched my car into an actual ditch and he rode me in on his horse. Then, I cooked the best meal I’ve ever put out. He took me to the cook’s cottage and we…”
“Yes?” Daisy looked intrigued.
“Well, I ain’t gonna tell my Mama what happened!”
Daisy laughed. “I am proud. I knew you had it in ya!”
“It was the best day of my life! Filled with M&M’s, riding behind him on a horse, and getting to watch that sweet butt of his sauntering around the ranch—why, I woulda been happy just to be able to do that for weeks.”
“He sounds like a man dreams are made of, sweetie.”
Nodding her head, Brea thought of what it’d been like when he surprised her by taking her to the cook’s cottage. Remembering the sensuous feelings he gave her, adrenaline ran wild through her body. She remembered when he first touched her, of how with a slow, sensuous rhythm, Cole stroked her clit with his warm fingers. It was the most glorious feeling. Like being tortured with pleasure, the need rushing through her body like she’d never experienced before. Pure, fiery heat had spread along her legs all the way up to her face. Brea shook herself and rubbed at her arms while feeling actual goose bumps.
“Then, what happened?”
“I suddenly realized that I was puttin’ my heart up for him to break it.”
Daisy nodded. “That can be the scariest thing and it takes guts to do it too. So, what did you do?”
Brea remembered what she’d said about him being able to break her heart and his reaction had shocked her to the core.
“Yeah, why couldn’t you break my heart, too?” He’d asked.
She’d been more than baffled by the question. “No way—a guy like you?”
“It could happen, you know? Hell, no one is perfect and maybe you just think I’m all this Mister wonderful stuff and then one day, you’ll think, hell, he isn’t all that much!”
Brea had really been thrown for a loop by this idea. A man who looked, sounded, and acted like he did? He felt the same insecurities underneath that she did? “He claimed I could break his, too.”
“Yeah, you never thought of that, right?”
“Hell no, I never even believed it really.”
Daisy shook her head. “Well, apparently he believes it and he hightailed it before you could.”
“I could never—I mean, I wouldn’t…”
Her ma sighed. “He thinks you have the power to do it or he wouldn’t have run out on ya. Okay, so how did it happen?”
“He took me into town to get my belongings. I was gonna give him a rose scented bubble bath.”
“Well, it all sounds peachy and breathless, Brea.”
“Yeah, until he sat in my living room and saw my ‘to do’ list from the weekend before.” Brea was crying again.
“What?”
Nodding her head, she cried louder. “I had written his twin’s name, Jet K.”
“You put a man’s name on a TO DO list?” Her mother actually looked shocked. “Oh, boy howdy! You’re my daughter, all right! “She looked thrilled by the news.
Brea swiped at her tears. “I’m serious here, Ma!”
Nodding her head, Daisy got her laughter under control. “Yes, doll. I know. Can I just bask in the glow of pride for a quick minute here?”
“You don’t get it!” Brea shouted. “They’re twins and his brother takes all his girlfriends! Their rivalry is tense and I stepped right into the middle of it.”
“Mmm, I see.” Her Mother looked pensive.
“So, what do I do?”
“Well, first of all, you dry up them tears and don’t shed no more.”
Brea squared her shoulders and tried to stop crying.
“Next, you get a makeover.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m gonna send you back to that ranch and you’ll be cookin’ more than just beans and fucking franks!”
Shaking her head, Brea was flustered. “Ma, a makeover isn’t gonna—”
“The hell it ain’t! I mean to do more than just a makeover on the outside.”
Brea just stared at her.
“What? You thought I’d give you some magic plan?”
“Well, kinda—yeah.”
Daisy shook her head. “Listen, sweetie, you did that magic already. You took a chance, bolstered your courage and you went for it.”
“A lot a good it did me.”
“I don’t wanna hear that kinda talk!”
Brea sighed and sat on the bed. “I’m afraid this one is gonna take a lot more than pizzas, Ma.”
Daisy stood still while gazing over at her and then she snickered. “Do ya really like this cowboy?”
“Like?” Brea looked into her mom’s green eyes. “I’m in love with him.”
“And you’re sure which one it is that you’re in love with?”
Brea felt a little angry. “Yeah!”
“Well, I don’t know…?” Her mama looked away.
“You don’t know?”
“Them being twins and all? I mean, they look exactly alike, right?” If they’re both yummy and good for a wild pony ride, then what would be the difference? Just grab up the one who’s willin’.”
Brea clenched her fists and stood up. “Cole is sweet and genuine; he looks right at me, right into me. He don’t care that I’m not the model type. He said I was the loveliest woman he’d ever laid eyes on!”
“So? I bet his brother would give you a whirl, dip and twirl.”
Brea felt downright mad with her blood rushing through her body and her face was flaming. “Him? Jet looks at me like all the guys have for my whole life. No flicker of interest really, like I could be a friend and not a bedmate. Except when he found out his brother wanted me. He also likes to play around, he’s lazy and…” Brea was staring at the huge grin her mother wore.
“Yeah.” Daisy nodded. “Seems like you know who you want all right.”
“You are an evil woman, Daisy Plush.”
“Nope. I’m a wicked woman. You think I’m gonna stand here and let you whine and moan about how you lost your chance?” Daisy planted her hands onto her ample hips.
Brea took a step back.
“Are you gonna just do that and nothing else? Cause, I can see what you know to be true. You sure ain’t confused about which twin you want. All you gotta do is stay in his path. Stay in front of him. He’s already shown you that he wants ya. All I’m sayin’ is it’s up to you to be his choice.”
She let her mama’s words sink in. “So, you’re sayin that if I don’t give up, I’ll get him?”
Daisy clicked her tongue. “Nah, I ain’t saying let it be a tossup. No way. You have to be all the woman that I know you are inside. Be there…right in his face and don’t back down!”
Brea was beginning to see what she was saying, but she still felt afraid and she never was good at being an extrovert. She was the wallflower, pressed right up against the paint, blending in with the décor.
“This time, you can’t hide, baby girl.” It was like Daisy seemed to know what Brea was thinking. “You gotta peel yourself away from the wall and see what a beauty you really are. All you lack is a little confidence.”
“I have come a long way, but I’m still not sure…”
“Well, luckily, you’re a woman.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Cause you can use beauty as the bait.”
Brea scoffed at that. “Oh, brother. Me? No way.”
“He said you were the loveliest—”
“Yeah, so why do I need a makeover then?”
“It will be a reminder to him. What he saw in you. Beauty will be the bait.” Daisy grabbed onto her shoulders and propelled her out to the hall. “But you, yourself, Brea, will be the real hook.”
*~*~*~*
Kanda Kincade was enraptured. She held her cheeks in her hands and watched a magnificent looking man cooking her dinner.
“So, what do you do?” he asked as he set plates on the table in front of the bed.
Kanda gulped “I’m—well, I—?”
Wade laughed. “It couldn’t be that hard a question.”
Kanda took a deep breath. “I’m a rancher.”
He turned and grabbed a pan full of whatever it was he cooked and set it next to the plates. “Oh, yeah?”
She nodded her head. Here it comes and now we’ll see if he’ll still wanna ‘mine me’.
“You mean like the Triple K is a ranch? You do the same work?”
“Yep.” She looked directly at him. “The exact same work.”
Sitting down, he proceeded to fill her plate. “Don’t tell me you work for the Triple K?”
Kanda sighed. “No, I can’t say that’s exactly true.”
Wade looked relieved.
“You might say that…I am the Triple K.”
Dropping his plate, he stared at her. “But I met Mrs. Kincade.”
“Mable is my Mom.”
He shook his head. “Oh, wow.”
Kanda grew concerned at his reaction. “What difference does it make?”
“Well, I was supposed to avoid you, I think?” He laughed.
“You think?”
“Yeah, she told me to stay out of…” He gazed into her eyes. “…your way.”
Kanda was struck speechless by the look in his eyes.
“Then, I practically knocked you from your horse!”
“Nah, I don’t think that was your fault.”
“I think it was. You see, I have this mineralizer and it emits a signal to verify ore deposits and such.”
Kanda took a bite of food. Wow, what was this stuff? It tasted divine. It figures the man can cook as exquisitely as he looks.
“The only problem is, you aren’t supposed to use it around animals. It’s the high frequency.”
She gazed up at him.
“So, you see, it was my doing.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t know I was there though.”
“No, I didn’t. But I’d better apologize for it.”
Kanda took another bite and stared into his steely blue eyes.
“Because, I’m really glad it happened.”
Kanda had trouble swallowing the food.
Wade placed his hand over hers.
The passion in his eyes made her shiver all over. Say sumpthin’, Kanda! Her mind floundered. She just didn’t know how to act or what to say.
He chuckled and patted her hand before letting go. “I’m a brash sorta guy, usually. I just go after what I want.”
Kanda swallowed and took a sip of her drink. “Is that a warning or a promise?”
His eyes rounded a little, and then he burst out with laughter.
She smiled. “Usually, I—”
Reaching out, he took a hold of her hand again.
“I go at something head to head. No fear, no doubts.”
“Good.”
She shook her head. “Just not in this case.” She thought about how her brain hadn’t worked right from the minute she caught sight of this man. How she’d be lucky to string two coherent words together. She was almost paralyzed with awe this entire time with him. Yes, she was afraid. Afraid? Her body shook all over.
Wade looked concerned again. “Are you hurting from the fall?”
Kanda felt the warmth from his hand along with the heat in his searing eyes and she just wanted to get up and run. Run away as fast as she could. “No.” Do I tell him the truth? How can I? What would he do? Would he take advantage of it? Kanda smiled. God, I hope so. A chuckle escaped her.
“You could just tell me the truth.”
Kanda felt shocked. It was like he’d read my mind! She cleared her throat as she gazed around at the cabin to avoid his hot stare. “I think you are the sexiest piece of beef I’ve ever had on my land.”
Wade’s eyes widened a little.
“I think if I let ya? You’d send me to heaven.” She now gazed directly at him. “I’m just not sure if I’m ready for that. Don’t get me wrong. I ain’t ever had fear of nothing my whole life. Why, I broke my first horse when I was twelve years old.” She grinned at him. “But you? I think you’re positively dangerous and I may be the one who gets broke.”
He just sat and stared at her.
Kanda could get lost in that blazing pair of blue eyes. She waited for his response.
“Well, I asked, didn’t I?” He shook his head. “I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever met one of you before now.”
Kanda was puzzled by the remark.
“A real woman.” He stood up, going around the table and to the bed. He scooped her up. “I’ve met some beauties too. Some that made men drool. Most times, they weren’t my type either and they were always playing some kind of game.” He looked into her baffled eyes. “You? Are a rare thing; a woman who tells the truth. And the kind that does make me drool. I’ve wanted to have you from the minute I found you. I just didn’t know if you felt attracted to a man like me.”
“A man like—you?” Her voice was a mere whisper.
“Yeah, an outbacker. I’m not a cowboy or what do you call ’em? A sophisticated American male.”
Kanda smiled. “I think that’s what I like about ya. You’re nothing like any man I’ve ever met.”
He lowered those yummy lips and kissed her.
She sucked in her breath. His kiss was forceful and urgent as he pushed his tongue in and swarmed her senses. She thought the room spun around her. A kaleidoscope of color hit her mind while she felt like she was floating on air.
He held her aloft in his arms the entire time. He finally broke the kiss and gazed at her face.
She felt like she was a melted slab of butter; she was so weak from just his kiss. This was a feeling she’d never experienced before. He’s in charge all the way and God dammit—I like it!
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Someone yelled from the cabin doorway.