Country Thunder: King Creek Cowboys Read online

  She almost groaned aloud. She’d better stop thinking this way or she’d need to have her head checked when she got back to New York.

  Rod stood on the path in front of them as they walked around the trailer.

  “She let you live?” Rod said to Jayson. “When Charlie told me about the coffee, I thought you were a goner for sure. And then when she got out that shotgun…”

  “You’re half the reason I need so much coffee.” Celine narrowed her gaze at Rod. “Send Charlie to pick me up again, and they’ll be scraping you up off the ground.”

  Rod made a poor attempt at looking concerned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You’d better.” She turned to Jayson. “You’ve met Rod.”

  “Yep.” Jayson gave a nod.

  Celine said, “I’ll take care of the issue we spoke about and a couple of other things, and then meet you at the house.”

  “I need to turn out Starlight, but that won’t take long,” Jayson said. “When you get to the house, come in through the back door. Everyone does, considering that’s where the coffee is.”

  “Believe me, I’ll be there in no time.”

  “I’ll have a mug waiting.” He turned and headed toward the barn, leading his mare beside him, the Border Collie at his heels.

  Celine pivoted and glared at Rod. “We have to get the operation away from Mr. McBride’s horses. Do it now.”

  * * *

  After taking off her saddle and blanket, Jayson had turned Starlight loose in the corral since he intended to ride her later. He strode from the barn to his home.

  He held back a grin and glanced down at Thor. “I’ve always had a weakness for strong women,” he said to the dog.

  Celine Northland qualified. He didn’t think she was a witch, like Monty had said, but he could be wrong. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone who was abusive, whether man or woman.

  When he’d knocked on the doorframe and she’d spun to face him, he thought her glare would singe his body. He could almost smell the scent of burnt hair.

  He’d also thought he’d been in for a battle to get rid of that damned drone and get their operation away from his horses.

  But the moment he’d said “horses,” she had turned on a dime. He wondered where she’d gotten that concern from.

  And holy shit. He hadn’t known what to think when she’d asked to use his shotgun. But when she’d shot that drone out of the sky he’d been afraid he’d bust a gut laughing at the looks on her employees’ faces. It’d been all he could do to keep a straight face.

  He stood back as Thor trotted in. Jayson let the screen bang shut behind him and left the kitchen door open. He hung his Stetson on the hat tree and breathed in the scents of coffee and cinnamon rolls. Couldn’t get much better than that.

  When he was in the mood for cowboy coffee, he kept the coffee warm on the burner, which gave it an even stronger flavor. The cook had left a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls on the counter, covered in foil. His cousin’s wife, Tess, had hired a fantastic cook for Jayson and his staff. Tess knew food and the way to a dozen men’s stomachs, and she’d used her expertise to get him a great cook. Almost as good as Tess, which was saying a lot.

  After he made sure Thor had water and dog food, Jayson looked in a cabinet and grabbed two of his biggest mugs and two plates. He loaded each plate with an Arizona-sized cinnamon roll and filled each mug with coffee. He had no doubt Celine would be in the kitchen before her coffee could cool.

  The moment he set the mugs on the table, Celine opened the screen door and entered the kitchen. Thor sat on his haunches and watched her come in.

  “Phew.” Celine wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I am not used to this heat.”

  “Welcome to Arizona.” Jayson studied the dark-haired woman. “If a newcomer makes it through his or her first summer, then they stand a good chance of coming back.”

  “Right now, the only thing I care about are those smells.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear. “Coffee and cinnamon rolls,” Celine said. “I have died and gone to heaven.”

  Jayson grinned. “Have a seat.”

  She opened her eyes. Before she could move to the table, Thor plopped his butt right in front of her path. She paused and looked down at him. Thor thumped his tail on the tile.

  Jayson watched Thor, wondering what the dog was up to. He’d never behaved this way, and he’d never been overly friendly with anyone.

  Celine hesitated. “Hi, boy.” She glanced at Jayson. “May I pet him?”

  He nodded.

  She crouched to Thor’s level. The dog ducked his head, allowing her to touch him. She slid her fingers through the Border Collie’s silky black and white hair. “You’re so soft.” She didn’t look up as she stroked him. “What’s his name?”

  Thor never invited anyone to pet him. Jayson wondered if the dog was getting soft. “Thor.”

  “What a nice boy.” She scratched behind his ears. “And friendly.”

  “Not usually.” Jayson had a hard time reconciling the normally cautious dog with the one now becoming buddy-buddy with the fashion designer. “Coffee is getting cold.”

  She stood then moved to the table in the alcove. She slipped onto a bench in front of a full mug and a filled plate.

  Jayson grabbed paper napkins and joined her, mentally shaking his head at the dog now settled at Celine’s feet. What did the dog know that he didn’t?

  Celine took a long drink of coffee and choked. “Jeez. You weren’t kidding this is strong. I can already feel hair growing on my chest.” She shook her head. “Thanks for the warning.”

  “My pleasure.” He watched her take sip after sip of the coffee.

  Celine was beautiful as hell with long almost black hair and eyes a dark seashell-brown. It was an unusual color, but on her it was fantastic.

  He drank from his own mug, mostly in gulps as opposed to sips. He got up and grabbed the pot and set it on a trivet at the center of the table, along with the pan of cinnamon rolls. One wasn’t going to be enough, despite their size.

  “Bless you.” She sighed and pushed her mug forward. “I feel Mrs. Hyde going back into that little box inside. As long as I get my coffee, no one will get hurt.”

  “Noted.” He poured another cup of his sister Bailey’s idea of sludge. “I will keep it in mind in the future.”

  She smiled and it was like the sun breaking through clouds and shining on him.

  “Now that I’m coffee-fied, I’m ready for a sugar rush.” She pulled off a sticky piece of her roll. “I haven’t had homemade cinnamon rolls since Cook Nancy.” Celine’s features seemed to relax more.

  “Cook Nancy?” he asked.

  She nodded. “One of many cooks who passed through my parents’ kitchen. She was my favorite and lasted the longest. She somehow managed to put up with Mother and Father.” Celine sighed. “But everyone has a breaking point.”

  He ate another bite of cinnamon roll then licked frosting from his fingers. “You like horses,” he stated.

  Celine went very still, like when he’d first mentioned his. A light rose tinged her cheeks.

  She picked at her cinnamon roll and didn’t look at him. “Who doesn’t?”

  Something was there. An old pain, an old regret. Now was not the time to push the topic. One day he would learn exactly why she reacted the way she did when he mentioned horses. He would pick at the ice she’d coated herself with until he broke through.

  He mentally shook his head. Why would he think she’d be around long enough for him to get that far?

  “So, what’s this all about?” he asked. “Why are you here? Not because I lost a damned bet. What are you doing, and why do you need a ranch to begin with?”

  Celine’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “As you know, I’m a fashion designer.” She waved her hand in the direction of the chaos outside. “We’re going all out with my new line. It’s pretty much do or die.”

  Jayson nodd
ed, letting her fill the gaps with her story.

  “The last two lines were considered successful,” she said, but it clearly wasn’t enough. “They paid the bills and the reviews were fine, but not raving.”

  She leaned forward, her cinnamon roll forgotten. “I need raving. I need phenomenal.”

  “You think this will do it?” he asked.

  “I feel good about it.” Celine’s expression grew more intent. “We used crowd funding to get people involved, so they would be invested in the line. The plan is to use that funding and support to blast out of the gates.”

  She looked even more intense as she went on. “I have the financial backing from an investor, in addition to the crowd funding. We are going to tear the fashion world apart and insert ourselves big time.”

  He nodded, enjoying the passion and fire in her eyes.

  “Once we’re all wrapped up here,” she said, “we’ll be pushing our campaign in print, on TV, and using social media. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs—you name it, we’ll do it.”

  “Admirable,” Jayson said and meant it. “I try to stay away from social media, but I have an employee who makes sure to keep us visible. I hear it’s a good way to get the word out.”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “If we could, we’d even get into the video game market. Can you imagine a fashion game?”

  He grinned. “Not even close.”

  Her gaze drifted away, like she was seeing inside herself instead of the room she was physically in.

  She returned her attention to Jayson. “We’re going to make this happen, and Celine Originals is going to be big.”

  “I believe you.” He found himself caught up in her dream and her enthusiasm. “I have a feeling you can do anything you set your sights on.”

  Celine smiled. “We use cutting edge digital tech and fantastic handcrafted traditional textiles. This line is going to blow everyone out of the water.”

  “I’d like to see what you’re doing on my land.” He looked at her intently. “I’m interested in your venture.”

  She studied him and nodded. “Sure, I’ll show you anything you’re interested in. But first you and Thor need to take me on a tour of your property.”

  “Done,” he said. “When’s good for you?”

  She looked out the kitchen window, sighed, and shook her head. “I need to find out what the hell is going on out there and make sure everything is under control.”

  “Why don’t you have dinner here, and bring some photos and show me your designs?” He drew her attention back to him. “Tonight, if you don’t have anything going on.”

  “No plans.” She smiled. “I’d enjoy having dinner with you. Will Monty join us?”

  Jayson scowled. “He’s lucky to be alive. It’d be safer for him if he stayed away.”

  “Make that double.” Celine grinned “I was ready to do him in after I made it through the ride with Charlie.” She went on, “I have an iPad and all of my designs are on it. I’ll bring that to dinner with me.”

  “Sounds great,” Jason said. “Need any more coffee?”

  Celine paused and tilted her coffee mug to peer inside. “Empty, but my indicator is on full again.” She glanced at her plate that had only a few crumbs left before meeting Jayson’s gaze again. “The rolls were amazing. Thank you for both.”

  Jayson gathered the plates and mug as he stood. “Let me know when you’re ready to take that tour.”

  “I’ll find you this afternoon and we can plan it.”

  Thor came up beside Jayson and they watched her rise and leave the kitchen. Damn but she had a fantastic backside. Not to mention front side.

  Jayson put the dishes in the sink before he grabbed his Stetson off the hat tree and headed out to get some work done, Thor at his heels. There was always something to do on the ranch.

  Read more Amazed by You here!

  Also by Cheyenne McCray

  (in reading order)

  * * *

  ~Contemporary Cowboys~

  * * *

  “King Creek Cowboy” Series

  The McLeods

  Country Heat

  Country Thunder

  * * *

  “Riding Tall” Series

  The McBrides

  Branded For You

  Roping Your Heart

  Fencing You In

  Tying You Down

  Playing With You

  Crazy For You

  Hot For You

  Made For You

  Held By You

  Belong To You

  * * *

  “Riding Tall 2” Series

  The McBrides Too

  Amazed by You

  Loved by You

  Midnight With You

  Wild for You

  Sold on You

  * * *

  “Rough and Ready” Series

  The Camerons

  Silk and Spurs

  Lace and Lassos

  Champagne and Chaps

  Satin and Saddles

  Roses and Rodeo (with Creed McBride)

  Lingerie and Lariats

  Lipstick and Leather

  * * *

  “Armed and Dangerous” Series

  Zack

  Luke

  Clay

  Kade

  Alex (novella)

  * * *

  Save by purchasing Boxed Sets

  * * *

  Riding Tall the First Boxed Set

  Includes

  Branded for You

  Roping Your Heart

  Fencing You In

  * * *

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  Includes

  Tying You Down

  Playing with You

  Crazy for You

  * * *

  Riding Tall the Third Boxed Set

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  Hot for You

  Made for You

  Held by You

  Belong to You

  * * *

  Rough and Ready Boxed Set One

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  Silk and Spurs

  Lace and Lassos

  Champagne and Chaps

  * * *

  Rough and Ready Boxed Set Two

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  Satin and Saddles

  Roses and Rodeo

  Lingerie and Lariats

  * * *

  Armed and Dangerous the Collection

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  Zack

  Luke

  Clay

  Kade

  * * *

  ~Paranormal Romance~

  * * *

  “Dark Sorcery” Series

  The Forbidden

  The Seduced

  The Wicked

  One Breath (novella)

  The Shadows

  The Dark

  About Cheyenne

  Cheyenne McCray is an award winning, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of upward of 100 novels and novellas. Chey grew up on a ranch in the southeastern corner of Arizona, and enjoys building worlds her readers can get lost in. She lives in a small AZ town with her hubby and a growing menagerie that includes two dogs (Checkers and Nikki), three ducks (the neighborhood celebrities), and eight chickens. She enjoys gardening, embroidering, baking, and of course writing.

  Find out what Chey is up to these days—cruise her website, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and even drop her a line or two.

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  www.CheyenneMcCray.com

  [email protected]

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  Copyright © 2020 by Cheyenne McCray LLC

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual business establishments, events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.