The Teacher’s Pets Read online

  Cole sure as hell hoped so. He was looking forward to kicking back with a cold beer and listening to some music at the bar tonight. It had been a long week. Normally fall was a slow time for them. Just before winter kicked in, they had to watch the cattle closely for predators as well as keep them fed. Summer was spent keeping the watering holes clean and safe, and spring was foaling. What had happened to fall that they were just as busy as the rest of the year?

  Cole followed his brother to the barn to saddle up their horses and get to work. Days like today he wished they had a woman to look forward to coming home to at the end of the day.

  He and his brother had moved to Riverbend nearly three years ago, buying out an elderly couple who wanted to move closer to their children and grandchildren and get out of the ranching business. The place had needed a good bit of work since the old man hadn’t been able to afford to keep it up like it needed to be. Now, they were proud of the ranch. It was running smoothly and was finally paying for itself.

  Sure would be nice to find a nice woman who doesn’t mind ranch life with all its ups and downs. I’d like a woman who could handle me and Wesson together. Surely there’s one out there somewhere.

  Cole climbed up on his horse and sighed. If other men had found their woman there in Riverbend, so could they. It might take some time, but eventually he was positive they’d find her.

  Chapter Two

  “God, this place is packed,” Jessie nearly yelled to be heard over the music and loud voices all around them.

  “It’s Saturday night, hon. They’re always busy on the weekends. The ranch hands are out kicking up their heels,” Brenda pointed out.

  “What do you gals want to drink?” Tommy asked.

  “I’ll have a Corona,” Jessie said.

  “Bud Light for me,” Brenda said.

  Tommy nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Jessie looked around at the crowded dance floor and wondered how Brenda expected them to dance with all the other people already spilling off the floor into the table areas.

  “I don’t remember this place ever being this busy before,” she told Brenda.

  “Town’s growing. More people in town mean more people here. Not much else for entertainment other than the skating rink and bowling alley. That’s where moms take the kids on Saturday afternoons before Saturday nights here.”

  “Do you remember going skating there on Friday nights?” Jessie asked.

  “God, yes. We’d circle that floor for hours in hopes that one of the guys would notice us. I can still remember trying to breathe with the Spanx I wore to make my belly look flat,” Brenda laughed.

  “Don’t make me remember that part. We were so stupid thinking we had to be skinny and blonde to attract one of the guys. Everything was so serious back then. Now I can look back and laugh at the trouble we went through.”

  Brenda grinned. “Remember summers laying out after suntan oil all over us to get a suntan? We’d plug in a fan and listen to the radio while we cooked under the sun.”

  “Cooked is right. I knew better, but still did it anyway and got sunburned every time.” She sighed. “Those were good times, though.”

  “Here you go, ladies.” Tommy returned with their beer. “Got lucky and a spot opened up at the bar right as I walked up. Otherwise I might have been waiting until they closed the joint down. Place is wild tonight.”

  They talked over the din around them about all the latest gossip and news. After about thirty minutes, Tommy pulled Brenda out on the crowded dance floor for a slow dance. She smiled at the happiness on her friend’s face. Brenda was head over heels in love with Tommy, and he seemed just as in love with her. Jessie wanted to find that kind of love someday. The kind where you only had eyes for each other.

  “Would you like to dance?” The deep voice startled her out of her thoughts.

  It belonged to a tall dark-haired man with the most amazing light blue eyes she’d ever seen. They were so clear and bright she couldn’t tear her eyes away from them.

  “Excuse me?” she finally asked, shaking herself.

  “I was wondering if you’d like to dance,” he said.

  “I’d love to, but I’m guarding drinks and the table.” She hated that she would have to turn this guy down.

  He was one seriously good-looking guy. His dark hair was shaggy, but not long. He had chiseled features with a strong chin and full lips she’d love to explore. His broad shoulders and wide chest narrowed down to a trim waist. He looked muscular, but not muscle bound like some men tended to be. More than likely his physique was due to hard work on a ranch instead of lifting weights at some club.

  “No problem. I’ll wait with you, and we’ll take the next dance,” he said, taking an empty chair that wasn’t in front of a beer. “I’m Cole Taylor.”

  “Jessie Winters. Great to meet you, Cole.”

  Jessie hadn’t seen him before as far as she could remember. He had to be one of the newly arrived crowd since she’d been gone. He was a welcome attraction as far as she was concerned. It surprised her that he’d opted to wait until she could dance rather than look for someone else. Most men would move on instead of sitting a dance out.

  When the song ended, Tommy and Brenda returned, and Cole stood, holding out his hand to Tommy.

  “Cole Taylor. I don’t think I’ve met you before,” he said.

  “Tommy Jones, and this is my fiancée, Brenda. Nice to meet you.” Tommy held Brenda’s chair for her.

  “Jessie wanted to wait until you guys returned before dancing with me. Hope you don’t mind that I waited,” he said.

  Brenda spoke up before her fiancé could. “Not at all. Go dance.” She waved them off.

  Jessie shook her head with a smile at her friend’s obvious attempt to push them together. Brenda would have them engaged and planning their wedding if Jessie knew her friend. It was just a dance. That was all.

  “You’ve got the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen,” Cole said once they’d claimed their postage stamp of a spot on the dance floor.

  “Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “My brother and I own the Bar T Ranch north of town. Been here about three years. What do you do?” he asked.

  They swayed to the song since they couldn’t really move anywhere. It seemed much more intimate this way. She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at being so close to the man. He was a stranger to her, and they were pressed almost chest to chest.

  “I’m a school teacher. I’m teaching juniors at the high school,” she said.

  “How do you like it?” he asked.

  “Well, I haven’t actually started, yet. I just got back in town a few months ago from getting my masters. I start in two weeks.”

  “Wow, a masters. That’s serious education,” he said.

  “I wanted all the information I could get so I could teach college one day if I wanted to. The community college isn’t that far away,” Jessie said.

  “I bet you’re going to be a great teacher. Are you looking forward to it?” he asked.

  “Can’t wait to get started.” She smiled up at him, enjoying the way he felt holding her.

  It had been a long time since she’d felt a man’s arms surrounding her. She’d dated a little bit while away at college, but none of it had been very serious, and none of them had affected her the way this man seemed to. She was super aware of his touch and the scent of leather aftershave, and something that must be his natural scent seemed to wrap its way around her body. She almost felt lightheaded with the heady aroma.

  “So, do you raise horses or cattle?” she asked, looking up at him.

  She couldn’t get enough of staring into those amazing light blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle, and she loved it when he smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled.

  “Mostly cattle, but we do breed the occasional horse. Right now we’re working to build up our stock though,” Cole said.

  “Do you like it here?” she asked.

 
“Love it. The town is growing, but still small enough that you’ve got good family morals and a laid-back atmosphere. We used to work a ranch right outside of Dallas, and the area seemed to be just as fast-paced as the big city. Didn’t much like it. Once we were able to get up enough money to buy our own place, my brother and I looked for somewhere that would be different. We found that here in Riverbend,” he said.

  The song ended, and he walked her back to where Brenda and Tommy sat. He smiled down at her and thanked her for the dance.

  “Maybe we could have another dance before the night is over,” he said.

  “Sure.” She smiled up at him and felt her stomach flutter in anticipation of being in his arms again.

  “So? Was he nice?” Brenda demanded as soon as Cole had walked out of earshot.

  “Yeah. He’s really nice. He and his brother own a ranch outside of town,” she told her.

  “Didn’t think I recognized him,” Tommy said.

  “See, I told you that coming out tonight would be good for you. The way you’re smiling I can tell you enjoyed the dance,” Brenda pointed out with a smirk.

  Jessie resisted rolling her eyes. There was no putting on the brakes with Brenda. She was going to push her toward the poor man the next chance she got.

  Before Jessie could point out that it had only been one dance, another man walked up and smiled down at her. This one had warm brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be about six feet two inches and built just as fine as the last man had been. In fact, they looked a little alike. He smiled down at her.

  “Would you like to dance?” he asked.

  Jessie couldn’t help but be flattered that two amazingly handsome men had asked her to dance before she’d even had time to drink her beer. She opened her mouth then closed it before finally answering him.

  “Yes, I’d like that.” Jessie let him help her to her feet then held his hand as they made their way through the throng to reach the dance floor.

  For the second time in less than an hour Jessie found herself attracted to a man after only just meeting him. She leaned back slightly and looked up at him.

  “My name’s Jessie,” she said.

  “Sorry. That was rude of me. I’m Wesson. It’s good to meet you, Jessie.” He smiled down at her. “Very good to meet you.”

  She smothered the urge to giggle. She hadn’t felt like giggling since she’d been a teenager. What was going on with her?

  “You must be new to Riverbend. I haven’t seen you before.”

  “Been here about three years now. Guess that could be considered new. My brother and I bought a ranch outside of town,” he said.

  Jessie nearly stopped dancing. Was this Cole’s brother? What were the odds that she’d dance with both men back to back?

  “Um, is Cole your brother?” she finally asked.

  He smiled. “Yeah. You danced with him a few minutes ago.”

  “I see.”

  She wasn’t sure she saw at all though. Why would both men want to dance with her?

  “Said you were gorgeous, so I had to see for myself, and he wasn’t lying. You are.”

  “Thank you. Do you usually dance with the same women your brother dances with?” she asked.

  “Not all the time, but he was really taken with you. Had to meet you myself to see if he was crazy or not,” he said.

  “I guess it’s a little crazy to me to realize that I’ve danced with two brothers in one night,” she admitted.

  “Don’t let it bother you. Cole and I share everything. We’re not in competition with each other,” Wesson told her.

  Jessie’s mouth dropped open at his revelation. Shared everything? Did that mean they shared women? She closed her mouth and tried to think of something to say, but for the life of her, she couldn’t come up with a single thing.

  “I can tell I shocked you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to, but we don’t hide how we feel about it.”

  “I know there are guys here in Riverbend who share, but I’ve never met any of them before. I guess it just shocked me to hear you say it,” she admitted.

  “That’s okay. Does it bother you?” he asked.

  She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Did it bother her? No. Not really. She could feel her face grow warm at his question and knew she was blushing. Damn her fair skin.

  “It doesn’t bother me, but I guess I am a little unsure about it all. It seems wrong to dance with both of you like this,” she said.

  “Why? We planned to both dance with you to get to know you. Nothing wrong with getting to know you, is there?” he asked.

  “No, I guess not.” She liked both men, and that bothered her.

  The song ended, and Wesson walked her back to the table where her friend was waiting on her. Tommy was notably absent.

  “Thanks for the dance, Jessie,” he said, holding her chair for her.

  She smiled up at him, unable to do anything else since she’d enjoyed it and liked him despite the fact she’d found his brother just as attractive and interesting.

  “He looks hot, too. What did you think about him?” Brenda asked.

  “He’s nice. Um, he’s the other guy’s brother,” she admitted.

  Brenda covered her mouth with one hand and squealed. “They both danced with you? That’s great. I bet they share. Did he say anything about it?”

  “Yeah. He did. It feels kind of weird to have danced with two brothers like that,” she said.

  “What did he say?”

  “That they shared everything and both wanted to get to know me.”

  “Oh. My. God. They’re hitting on you.”

  “I don’t think it’s like that. We just met, Brenda.” She looked around. “Where’s Tommy?”

  “Bathroom and to get us fresh beers.” Brenda reached over and grasped her hand. “Do you like them?”

  “Brenda. I just danced one dance with each of them. It’s not like I got their life history or anything.”

  “Still. It’s exciting. You’ve only been out this once and already have the attention of a couple of hot-looking men,” Brenda said.

  “You better not be talking about other men looking hot while I’m slaving away at the bar trying to get you another beer, woman.” Tommy plopped the three bottles on the table and sat next to Brenda.

  “I’m talking about hot men for Jessie. I have my own personal hot hunk of man right here,” she said, leaning into him.

  “Mind watching our drinks again? I want to dance,” Brenda said, jumping up and dragging her fiancé up behind her.

  “I’ve got them.” Jessie smiled at the couple as they were swallowed up in the crowd.

  “Mind if we join you while your friends are dancing?”

  Jessie looked up to see both Cole and Wesson standing next to her. Separately they were amazing to look at. Together they were awe-inspiring with their good looks and the way their eyes brightened with their smiles. She could only nod as they sat down next to her.

  “Do you ride?” Wesson asked her.

  “Um, yeah. I haven’t in several years, but I used to ride a lot when I was younger,” she said.

  “Would you like to go riding next weekend?” Cole asked.

  “Next weekend?” She fought to keep up with them.

  They were asking her out to go riding with them. Should she? There were two of them. Sure, there were other threesomes in town, but did she want to go down that path?

  “Nothing serious,” Wesson said. “Just a ride and maybe a picnic. We want to get to know you, Jessie.”

  “I don’t know. I’m a little uncomfortable with going out with two men at one time,” she admitted.

  “Are you embarrassed about it?” Wesson asked, sitting back.

  “No. Not embarrassed, just not sure how I feel about dating two men.”

  “Then go riding with us and decide that way. You can’t make an informed decision without trying it out,” Cole said.

  She sighed and felt her mouth turn up in a small smile. They were
right. Still, Jessie felt a little unsure. She drew in a deep breath and nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll go riding with you. Where exactly is your ranch? I’ll drive out Saturday,” she said. She’d have to cancel her trip with Brenda if she did.

  They told her where they lived, and she instantly recognized the ranch as being the old Lazy S Ranch that the Smiths had owned when she was growing up.

  “Plan on being there about nine, and we’ll take a picnic lunch with us,” Wesson told her.

  “Sounds good,” Jessie told them.

  “Here come your friends,” Cole said. “Dance with us now that they’re back.”

  “With both of you?” she asked, her voice going higher at the idea of dancing in public with the two men.

  “It’s a fast song. Nothing wrong with the three of us dancing,” Wesson said, drawing her to her feet.

  “Um, Brenda, I’m going to dance. Watch my beer for me, okay?” Jessie asked.

  “Don’t worry. We’re not going anywhere,” Brenda said with a wide smile. “Have fun.”

  Jessie wasn’t sure how she’d ended up going from a reluctant night out with Brenda and her fiancé to dancing with two hot guys at one time. Her life was proving to be anything but boring.

  Chapter Three

  Wesson watched as Jessie climbed out of her car and couldn’t help but admire the way she filled out her jeans. The woman was built just like he liked a woman to be. All curves and softness that made his dick harden at just the sight of her. When she noticed him, she smiled and the day seemed to brighten even more.

  “Hey there,” she said, walking in his direction.

  “Hey yourself. You look great. Ready for some riding?” he asked.

  “Just remember it’s been a while for me. No wild romps across the fields,” she warned.

  “Nope. No racing. I promise,” he said, though wild romps made him think of other pleasures.

  “Where’s Cole?” she asked, looking around.

  “Saddling up the horses. We’ve chosen Sugar for you. She’s gentle and sure footed. You’ll like her. She has a smooth gait,” he said.