Cowboy Dragon Read online

  Another breeze caught his open shirt, and Marian had to will her eyes to not look down at his partially exposed chest.

  “Look, mister…”

  “Mister Drago.”

  Weird name for a cowboy, but Marian didn’t have time to bother with that. “Mister Drago. I don’t know where you get off pushing around women who are stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I’m not here to deal with a two-bit, tick-ridden, lousy bully of a cowboy like you. So either take me to Harrison or leave me be.” She widened her stance and folded her arms, trying to look as courageous as her fleeting stamina would let her.

  The cowboy didn’t move an inch. Instead, he let long seconds pass by as he locked eyes with her. But she just glared back, feeling like a four-point buck batting horns with a much bigger, stronger buck at the height of mating season.

  Then he smiled halfway, either with amusement or something else, she didn’t know. All Marian knew was that he was suddenly so gorgeous in that moment it nearly bowled her over.

  “I’ll take you to him.”

  Marian’s jaw dropped. “What? Uh, er… I mean, yes, as you should.”

  His smile deepened a little more before going stoic again as he looked over her shoulder at her broken-down car. “I’ll send some guys to come bring that heap of junk to the ranch.”

  She spread her arms, standing in front of dear Freddie. “No, I’m not leaving my car.”

  He ignored her and instead kicked his horse forward, bringing it up alongside her. He reached out a hand for her to take. “Get on.”

  “But my car. My stuff. How can I trust you won’t steal it?”

  He just gave her a commanding look that nearly broke her convictions. “You can’t. That’s just how things work out here. But unless you want to wait here and take your chances with the coyotes again, you can either walk the five miles back to the ranch, or you can ride with me. Your choice, slicker.”

  She could feel his disdain baring down on her from his place atop his horse.

  She hated the notion that he was calling her a city slicker. After all, she’d been around ranchers her whole life.

  Just none as frustrating as this one.

  “You promise to take me to Harrison?”

  “I ain’t promising nothing yet. But if I deem you worthy of his time, maybe.”

  If that was the best she was going to get from this annoying, too-big-for-his-britches cowpoke, then Marian supposed it was better than where she was a few minutes ago.

  She took his hand and felt air whoosh beneath her feet as she was easily lifted onto the back of his saddle.

  Part of her wished she’d been in front of him.

  The other part of her hated that she even had to share a saddle with this presumptuous bastard.

  But all she could feel was hard back and big shoulders as she tried to put a little distance between his warm body and her own.

  “Hold on,” he said.

  “I think I’m just fine as I a—eep!” Her hands, which had been trying to find some good hold on the back of the saddle, suddenly flew around his taut midsection as he kicked into a canter. And even though it wasn’t even that fast, it had been a long, long time since she’d ridden, and the last thing she was going to do was embarrass herself by falling off the back of Drago’s horse.

  So instead, she closed her eyes, trying not to think of how warm she was getting just holding him, and focused on just trying to survive long enough to speak with Harrison.

  If he even existed…

  3

  Several minutes later, Marian’s hair had mostly escaped the loose ponytail she’d put it in this morning, and she’d been counting the horse’s steps in an attempt to think with her head and not her hands, which were tingly from touching the cowboy’s body after the short ride.

  Just tired from the long drive. Absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his hard back pressed against her front was making parts in her that had been dormant for far too long wake up.

  They rode under a big wrought iron sign that read “Dragonclaw Ranch” in big rusted letters. And as he slowed the horse, she got a chance to take in her surroundings.

  The ranch was modest but well kept, with a big house at the center, a barn painted in faded red, and a large horse stable off to the right. There were smaller houses scattered around the edges and a trailer parked off to the right. But aside from the dust, the place was both clean and homey, almost giving her the sense of a place out of time.

  She took in a deep breath, smelling wild brush and fresh hay and a campfire that someone had recently started. Above, the sky was turning orange and yellow, the sun dipping below the horizon as the last colors of the day were starting to fade.

  It reminded Marian of her youth. Of a home she’d never really had. Of freedom she’d never gotten the time to enjoy because of so many things.

  She could almost envy this cowboy, if he wasn’t such a dick.

  A place this big, she’d almost expected to see at least a dozen or so hands moving about. But to her surprise, she only saw two at the moment.

  Two huge, muscled men like the one she was now riding behind, with model-good looks and hard bodies that were much larger than simply toil and sweat could build.

  The horse came to a sudden stop, and Mr. Drago swung a leg over and hopped off with absolute ease. He looked up at her and offered a hand.

  “I know how to get off a horse, thank you very much,” she said and slid off the saddle. Her feet hit the ground unevenly, and she almost tripped trying to stand back up. By the time she had, Drago was staring down at her, and with a scoff, he turned and headed for the large house in front of them.

  “Not bad,” he said, smirking back at her, “for a slicker.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, when one of the huge men in the main area walked up to them. He had a dark-brown beard and his hair was shorn on the sides, but his eyes were a pretty silver-gray, the color of rough-hewn granite. But his expression was hard, and his body was even harder as he towered over her.

  “What’s this?” The man addressed Drago, ignoring her.

  “A pain in the ass, Beck.” He turned to face the man, presumably Beck, and Marian realized that the two were nearly the same height, both rippling with muscle like they moved cattle with their bare hands or something. “Take Reno and the truck and go get the lady’s car. It’s dead in the water about five miles down the road. See if the piece of shit is still usable or if it’s scrap.”

  “Hey, Freddie isn’t a piece of shit!”

  “Will do, boss,” Beck said, ignoring her. With a nod, he walked past her, staring down and making Marian feel entirely uneasy. He was joined by another man who was shorter with short blond hair but still built, and the two of them hopped into a sparkling white truck and made for the road.

  Marian tapped her foot, getting impatient with this waiting game Drago was playing. “Now will you take me to see Harrison?”

  He folded his arms and got that implacable look in his eye. “When I’m good and ready, you’ll meet him. Or would you like me to put you back where I found you?”

  Marian wanted to say all the things that were swirling in her mind as the infuriating man sized her up again, but she figured her best shot was to play it cool until she could get to the bottom of this Harrison business.

  In the direction of the stable, she saw another man, just as tall and sexy as Drago and Beck but even more classically handsome, patting a horse that was eagerly nudging its face into his shoulder.

  Exactly what kind of ranch was this?

  Drago made for the house again, and she had to practically scurry to keep up with him.

  “So tell me now why I have to haul your ass and your car around before I really call the authorities for trespassing.”

  “I’ll only talk to Harrison,” she said stubbornly.

  “I have to decide if you’re worth his time or not first.” He took the steps leading up to the house three at time, clearing them instantly and pu
tting them on a large covered patio that looked out on the whole of the ranch.

  She almost wished she could stay and enjoy the view of the Texas sky from here, if she wasn’t in dire need of help.

  And if a certain someone wasn’t being the most annoying cowhand in the entire world right now.

  A shiver went up Marian’s spine, and she suddenly realized there was another pair of eyes watching her. She turned to see yet another huge, intimidating man with dark, mussed hair and eyes the color of tiger’s eye rocks like the ones she’d kept as a kid but more orange. He’d been watching from the shadows, and the fact that such a big guy could go so unnoticed was unnerving.

  And was he… polishing a knife?

  “What’s his problem?” she asked, trying to sound bold.

  “Dallas doesn’t like people much, especially strangers.” He pinned her with that unreadable gaze again. “I don’t either.”

  As if on cue, Dallas pushed off the wall he was leaning against and disappeared around a corner, leaving her alone with the man that was making her worst day even worse.

  She pulled the coin out of her pocket, figuring that if this didn’t at least help her case, nothing would at this point.

  “What’s that?” He stared at the coin in her hand.

  “My father gave it to me.”

  He snatched the coin from her hand with such dexterity she didn’t even know it was gone until she saw her empty palm.

  He took a minute to appraise it. Then his gaze shuttered. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

  Marian didn’t know which part to tell the man, the part about Harrison owing her dad a favor or the part about giant flying beasts and legendary cowboys and such.

  Maybe leave out the insane dragon stuff, Marian.

  “A long time ago, my daddy told me to bring this to Harrison if I was ever in need.”

  “And are you?” The fact that he was asking her the obvious, to her face, was as annoying as it was frustrating.

  She hated feeling vulnerable to this bastard. Hated that she’d lost her job months ago and her apartment soon after. Hated that she’d had no mother and no father, no extended family she could turn to.

  Only her pride and a busted silver dollar.

  She took a deep breath, remembering she was Texas-born, and she wasn’t going to let some cowpoke with delusions of grandeur jerk her around like this anymore.

  “If my father wasn’t crazy, then this coin means Harrison owes a debt. One I intend to make good on.”

  He was in front of her in an instant, heat emanating from his body even as his steely gaze raked over her like a winter storm. “A debt, hm? What do you want, Marian?”

  She had no idea what had come over him so quickly, but she aimed to stand her ground, no matter what.

  His body was relaxed as he continued, but she felt locked in place by his gaze. “We’re just humble ranchers here. If it’s greed you’re aiming to satisfy, if you’re hoping to cash in on your papa’s good deed, then I’ll kindly ask you to leave now.”

  Clearly, this man’s mistrust of people ran deeper than even she could have guessed.

  But she wasn’t going to be underestimated either.

  Marian shook her head, glaring back up at him. “Even if my father did help Harrison a long time ago, he was a bastard in other ways. The world doesn’t owe me anything, nor do I owe it in turn.” She took in a deep breath, trying to not wither under the sheer force of him. “All I’m asking is for a chance to earn my keep. Only what my hands and hard work can bring me.”

  “What exactly do you want?” He inched closer. She didn’t know if she wanted to shove him away or move an inch forward herself.

  “Work. I don’t even need a place to stay. I’ll sleep in my car if I have to. Enough work that I can get back on my own two feet.”

  Like the sun cutting through clouds, the steel in his eyes warmed to interest, though why, Marian had no clue.

  He walked a slow circle around her, and Marian felt goose bumps all up and down her arms as he did.

  “You don’t look useful at all.”

  She was getting to him. She could feel it.

  Keep going, Marian.

  “I’m a hard worker. Harder than any person, man or woman, that I’ve ever known. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just long enough until I can get the repairs I need and find a new place to live.”

  “I could hire a man twice your size in an instant. What would Harrison even do with someone like you?” He spoke with disinterest, but he couldn’t fully hide the sparkle in his eyes as she looked up at him.

  “Because I’m honest. I’ve never double-crossed another person in my life. And I’m a fast learner. I’ll take any job you throw at me.” Down in the courtyard, she watched as the big truck pulled Freddie up to the barn. With shocking ease, they unhooked the car, and Beck pushed the car back with only one hand into an open stall next to a beat-up tractor.

  Things are always bigger in Texas. She gulped again as she looked down the cowboy’s half-bared chest, past the big, worn silver buckle he wore, lower to his…

  “I’m going to have to talk to Harrison, see what he says.”

  Instantly, her eyes met his, and there was a hint of mirth at the corner of his mouth.

  And maybe even something more.

  “But—”

  “No buts.” With a snap, he flipped the coin high above them. Then, still watching her, he caught it at his side without even looking. “Besides. What would I even do with you here?”

  The way this wrangler spoke, you’d think he owned the place…

  And for moment, Marian almost forgot she was in a weird, pseudo interview in the hopes of changing the downward spiral of her life.

  But here, in front of this man, she was just a woman. She could practically feel what it would be like to touch that taut, muscular skin of his. Could smell his masculine musk mixed with hard-earned sweat, scintillating and arousing.

  She finally opened her mouth to speak, when the high-pitched buzz of off-road vehicles pierced the utter stillness of the ranch.

  “Aw, shit. Copperheads.” The cowboy suddenly turned to face the sound, and the heat of the moment broke like a snapped twig underfoot. In the distance, she could see what looked like a small army of ATVs, UTVs, and other ramshackle vehicles approaching the ranch, kicking up a storm of dust. And as they got closer, she could hear hoots and hollers.

  Drago made for the steps, and she followed. But then he whirled on her, stopping her dead in her tracks. “You stay here,” he commanded, then practically leapt down the steps of the home.

  As the other huge men of the ranch appeared, joining the cowboy that had rescued her, Marian wished the moment hadn’t been broken so abruptly.

  For a minute there, she’d been wondering a lot of things.

  But most of all, when in the hell was she going to meet Harrison?

  4

  Harrison pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and tied it around his neck, pulling it over his mouth and nose just as the first ATVs screamed into the center of the ranch.

  On his left, Beck and Reno were appearing from the barn, fists ready, and on his right, Clancy was leaning against a fence post, position relaxed but face tense. And just because Harrison didn’t see Dallas, it didn’t mean he wasn’t watching from somewhere.

  More vehicles joined in, driving in circles and kicking up enough dust to fill the entire courtyard. He could smell the Copperheads as they hooted and hollered, stinking of wolf and booze and itching for trouble.

  But to his own surprise, the only thing Harrison itched for was to get back to a curious pair of hazel eyes waiting for him on the porch.

  The woman intrigued him. And nothing had intrigued him the way her cute, stubborn face and curvy body did right now.

  But first, to deal with some damn wolves.

  Motors and engines whirred and then idled as lanky, muscled wolves hopped out of passenger seats and made a spectacle like they were some raucous,
drunk circus.

  “Howdy do, neighbors? We regret to inform you that yer fences on the southeast ridge are in need of… rep… reap…” one man slurred drunkenly, standing boldly in front of Harrison, a solid half-foot shorter and way more ego than he deserved with his filthy white shirt and mottled brown hair.

  “Repairs, you damn idiot.” Another one joined him, and in seconds, there were practically dozens of them filtering from the vehicles.

  The Copperhead wolf gang had been a thorn in Harrison’s side for a long time. They owned a neighboring ranch, though how much actual work these boys got done was debatable.

  But over the past few years, they’d gotten worse, more proactive in their underhanded ways.

  Destroying property in mysterious “accidents.” Running off with any stray cattle near their property if they weren’t literally chained to the ground. And overall just being a bunch of lowdown thugs and bandits.

  He had half a mind to fly out and incinerate their whole gang. But as cowboy dragons, Harrison and his crew just wanted peace and quiet. To do their hard day’s work and be left alone.

  But in his experience, the more power and strength in a crew of people, even as small as his own, the more there was always going to be some band of miscreants who got off on trying to poke the bigger, stronger animal in the room.

  Harrison smirked down at the wolves in front of him, who grinned drunkenly back at him in challenge.

  Some of those gangs that had challenged the Texas dragons had been burned to ashes. Others, the smart ones, got out of town with their tails between their legs.

  He was still deciding which of those two the Copperheads would be just yet.

  After all, he just wanted these fuckers gone so he could get back to dealing with Marian.

  “Get off my property, or I’ll make you,” Harrison growled, pulling his bandana down so he could address the crowd.

  “Ohh, big words from a big man,” the first wolf said with a chuckle.

  “You and what army?” chimed in another.

  “I have all the army I need right here.” Harrison clenched a fist, his knuckles cracking. The wolves looked shaken for a moment, then advanced closer.