Cowboys Heart of Stone - Book cover

Cowboys Heart of Stone

Heather Teston

Chapter 4

It was sometime during the night that she had rolled over. Her arm was draped over his chest. Without realizing it, he placed his hand on her arm. Their eyes opened at the same time, and they stared into each other’s eyes.

He was in total shock and was left speechless, but she, on the other hand, started screaming.

Moving off the bed, she grabbed the sheet, pulled it off him, and wrapped it around herself. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in bed with me?”

He grabbed the pillow and covered up his manhood. “Who the hell are you? And why are you in my bed?”

Her heart was pounding, and she reached for the lamp to use as a weapon. “Don’t move or I’ll…” She never got to finish her sentence when the door flew open.

All three of the triplets entered the bedroom and had to bite their tongues so as not to laugh when they saw both Brock and Zadie naked.

The look on their faces would forever be etched in their minds.

“Brock, you’re home early,” Rory said, holding back his laughter.

“Never mind about me. What is this woman doing in my bed?” he barked.

“Brock, meet Zadie Porter, our housekeeper. Zadie, meet our big brother, Brock,” Rory said, looking from him to her with a grin on his face.

“Your brother? You didn’t tell me you had a brother,” she said, placing the lamp back down and clutching the sheet tighter to her chest.

She could feel her cheeks getting red, just thinking that she slept with him and didn’t know it. She was so embarrassed. She had awakened with her arm over his chest, his strong, muscular chest.

“We were going to tell you; we just wanted to wait until you got to know us a little better. We all thought we had another day or two,” Lee answered.

“That doesn’t explain why she’s in my bed,” Brock snapped.

“Put on some clothes and come downstairs, and we’ll explain everything,” Cody said, tossing him his jeans.

Her eyes went wide. She wanted to look away but couldn’t when he grabbed his jeans and got out of bed to put them on.

Never had she seen such a gorgeous body on a man before, and he wasn’t lacking in the lower department. She realized she was staring, and her face turned a bright red. She finally looked away.

He walked past her. “Pack your belongings. You won’t be staying.”

He left the room with his brothers. He was furious with them and was going to give them hell when they got downstairs.

All four brothers sat down after pouring coffee into their mugs.

“I’m waiting for an explanation,” Brock said, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at each and every one of them.

“You said to hire a housekeeper, so that’s what we did.”

“I know, but I never said anything about a live-in.”

“She was passing through town when her car broke down, and she didn’t have any money to fix it. We needed a housekeeper; she needed money and had nowhere to stay.

“She’s a great cook and has this place looking spotless. Give her a chance,” Rory said, looking him in the eyes.

“I don’t like her, and I don’t want her here.”

“You don’t even know her,” Rory answered.

He leaned over, staring at Rory, who was doing all the talking. “You don’t know anything about her. For all you know, she could be a thief and is running from the law. She can’t stay. Get rid of her now.”

“No.”

“What did you say to me?”

“Brock, she’s sweet, beautiful, and we like her. We want her to stay, so it’s three against one. It won’t be forever, just until she saves up some money. What do you say, can we keep her?”

“Damn it, Rory, she’s not some animal you found on the side of the road.” He shook his head and ran his hand over his face.

“All right, she can stay just until she gets enough money to fix her car and enough to get by on, and then she’s out of here. But she can’t stay in my room.”

“Brock, you can’t expect her to sleep down here in one of our rooms. Your room has its own bathroom and is more private. She’s a lady, after all, and she needs her own bathroom.”

“Where do you expect me to sleep?”

“Cody and I are going to bunk in together, and you can have my room,” Rory said, crossing his fingers under the table.

“Okay, but only until she leaves.”

Just then, she walked into the kitchen, glancing quickly at Brock before going over to the fridge and starting to take out food to prepare. “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.”

Getting up, Brock placed his cup on the counter, getting so close to her that their bodies touched.

“I’m going to get some of my things from my room. As soon as you have enough money saved, I want you gone,” he said and walked out of the room.

She turned her head to look at the others, knowing they had heard what was said. “Is he always this grumpy?”

“Ahh, don’t pay him no mind,” Lee said, giving her a warm smile.

She went back to making breakfast. It shook her the way Brock brushed up against her, and she couldn’t help thinking about his hot body.

But yet, he was a jerk, and even though he was gorgeous, she just knew living under the same roof with him was going to be a difficult task.

Brock returned after the boys had finished their meal and left, so she was left alone with him as she dished out his breakfast. She could feel his eyes on her when her back was to him while she did the dishes.

He kept looking at her while he ate, his thoughts going back to earlier when she jumped out of bed.

He got a good glimpse of her backside and noticed a butterfly tattoo on her left butt cheek. Though he didn’t see her naked from the front, he just knew she had a great body, judging by her backside.

He had been totally shocked when he’d opened his eyes and found her lying next to him with her arm over his chest and his hand on her arm.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little turned on. After all, it had been a long time since he was in bed with a woman. “Where are you from?”

She turned her head to look back at him. “California,” she replied but didn’t offer any more information.

“That’s like a twenty-two-hour drive from there to here. Why would you come all this way by yourself? You’re not running from the law there, are you? Because if you are, I would have to ask you to leave. I don’t need no trouble.”

She turned to him in anger, wiping her hands with the dishtowel. “No, I am not in trouble with the law. Can’t a woman travel by herself without someone thinking that she’s hiding something?

“And why I’m traveling alone and where I was heading is none of your business. Now, to change the subject, I’ve made out a grocery list, and I need for you or one of your brothers to pick it up.”

“What do you need? Our freezer is full of meat. There are vegetables in the garden.”

“Milk, potatoes, eggs, and a few other things,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t need to buy eggs at the store. We have a chicken coop outback. Just go there and gather the eggs. Have you not been outside to see what all we have?”

She glared at him angrily. “As if I had time the last three days to step outside when it took me all this time to clean.”

“Well, you’re done now, so I suggest you take a look around outside. You’ll also find there are potatoes in the garden, so you can strike those off your list.”

He got up and put his plate in the sink. “I guess we’ll see you at lunchtime, and I hope the boys were right.”

“Right about what?” she asked, moving away from him when he got close.

“They say you’re a great cook; I guess I’ll soon find out.”

As he was walking out the door, she picked up the soaking wet dishcloth. She wanted to throw it at him but changed her mind at the last minute.

What an arrogant, self-righteous son of a bitch,” she said under her breath. But she did finally go out back and saw the garden, so she went over to check out what all was in it.

There were potatoes, carrots, and peas among a few other vegetables.

After checking out the garden, she walked around and saw the barn and the chicken coop. It really was a beautiful piece of property; there was something so calm and relaxing about the atmosphere.

She had always heard stories about how cowboys were rugged and yet always the perfect gentleman with the ladies.

The triplets were just that, but Brock was the opposite. She found him to be rude and condescending, and his eyes—a deep blue—were so cold.

After finishing her tour, she went back inside and started doing the laundry before starting lunch. She made chili and served the leftover apple pie for their dessert.

At twelve noon, all four of the Wagner brothers rode in on their horses, and getting off, they headed inside.

The triplets removed their boots when they got inside the porch, and when Brock went to walk inside, Rory shouted out to him.

“Hey man, take off your boots before going inside.”

He looked at him with a scowl on his face. “Since when the hell do we have to take off our boots to go into the kitchen?”

“It’s one of Zadie’s rules,” Lee replied.

“She’s not the boss here, I am.”

“Brock, just take your boots off. She worked hard cleaning the floors, and it’s not that big of a deal.”

He rolled his eyes at his brothers. “You guys are letting a female pussy whip you.” Brock kicked off his boots anyway, cursing under his breath. Even before they entered the kitchen, he could smell the chili.

“Hey, you guys, lunch is ready, so just sit down and I’ll dish it out for you.”

They all sat down, and Brock couldn’t help but notice how great her ass looked in her tight jeans. He quickly averted his eyes so as not to look at her.

When she placed the food in front of the triplets, she gave them a warm smile. But when it came to their big brother, she just plopped it down in front of him without a word.

Now the brothers could feel and see the tension between the two of them, and looking at each other, they winked. Something was telling them Zadie and Brock were going to provide them with hours of entertainment.

Each of the brothers was hoping that something would happen between Brock and Zadie. There were definitely sparks there.

“Didn’t I tell you what a great cook she was?” Rory asked Brock when they were done eating.

“It’s not bad, I guess,” he replied, getting a dirty look from her.

She tossed a piece of paper down on the table in front of Brock.

“What the hell is this?” he asked, picking it up.

“It’s a list of groceries that I need, and don’t worry—I removed the eggs and potatoes from it. I will need these things as soon as possible.”

“It will have to wait until later. Right now, we have work to do. Why don’t you drive into town and pick the stuff up yourself?”

She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at him. “I would, but I don’t have a vehicle or money. Or are you suggesting I walk into town?”

He got up and went over to the hook by the door, took off a set of keys, and handed them to her. “You can take the pickup, and you don’t need money, just tell the clerk to put it on my tab.”

“Aren’t you afraid I might just take your truck and leave?” she asked sarcastically.

Placing his hat on top of his head, he replied with as much sarcasm as she did. “If you do, I’ll find you and have you put in jail. I don’t think a little thing like you could survive behind bars, but then again, maybe you already know what it’s like.”

When he walked out, she gave him the finger and didn’t care if he were to turn around and see her doing it.

All four of them got on their horses and rode side by side.

“Why do you have to give Zadie such a hard time?” Lee asked, shaking his head in disgust.

“I don’t like her, and I don’t want her here.”

“What’s not to like? She’s so sweet and is drop-dead gorgeous,” Cody replied.

“Even you, Brock, have to admit she’s beautiful. Do you not think she’s beautiful?” Rory asked.

“I never noticed.”

“Like hell you haven’t, we see the way you look at her.”

He stopped his horse and gave each of his brothers a dirty look. “If you see me looking at her, it’s because I want her out of our home. Besides, she’s not my type, anyway. Now every one of you shut the hell up, and let’s get to work.”

He took off ahead of them. He didn’t want to think or talk about her any longer.

Rory looked at his two brothers. “I bet you anything that he likes her, but he’s trying to convince himself he doesn’t.”

They nodded their heads in agreement.

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