Before The Night Is Over
Montana Cowboys 2
Sandy Sullivan
EROTIC ROMANCE
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
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Secret Cravings Publishing Book
Erotic Romance
Before The Night Is Over
Montana Cowboys 2
Copyright © 2010 by Sandy Sullivan
E-book ISBN: 978-1-936653-62-1
First E-book Publication: May 2011
Cover design by Beth Walker
Edited by Stephanie Ballestiri
Proofread by Mahalia Levey
All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Secret Cravings Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
Dedication
This installment of Montana Cowboys is dedicated to
Debbie Uher Laurie.
Thanks for being such a great fan of my cowboys.
BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER
Montana Cowboys 2
Sandy Sullivan
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
Kale Dunn watched with amusement and then admiration, as the red-haired woman stomped through the throng of people inside the Saddle Club and headed straight for the unsuspecting guy standing next to the pool table. Kale’s mouth flopped open when she pulled back her fist and decked the guy, dropping him to the floor.
“Holy shit! Did you see that?” he asked the guy sitting next to him at the bar.
“What?”
“The red head over there just decked Jeff Cox.”
“Really? Where?”
“By the pool table,” he replied before he grabbed his beer bottle from the bar and moved toward the ruckus.
The woman struggled against the arms holding her as she let out a string of cuss words with enough color to make a sailor blush. “You son of a bitch! Get up, Jeff. You fucking coward!” she yelled. Her intended target still sat on the floor rubbing his chin.
“Calm down, Laurel,” Jeff said.
“Calm down my ass!” She pulled one arm free. “If you are such a man, why the hell don’t you face me? You beat up on my little sister until she’s black and blue, and then you come down here and pick up some other chick. You’re nothing but a fucking pussy!”
“It’s none of your business what Elizabeth and I do at home.”
“Bullshit! She’s my sister and you will not lay a hand on her again. I’ll kill you myself before I let you hurt her anymore.”
Kale’s admiration grew by leaps and bounds when he heard her words. Only a coward of a man would hit a woman. Unfortunately, he knew the guy and he had to get involved.
Red curls framed her face and spilled down her back in a cascading wave of fire. Black jeans hugged her hips and a white tank top curled around her breasts like a lover’s hand. Shit kicker boots sliced through the air as she tried to worm her way free of the two men holding her. Long legs outlined by the tight jeans and a taut butt ripe as two perfectly formed cantaloupes, had his palms itching to cup the mounds just to see if they felt good in his hands.
Kale controlled his laughter, but he couldn't stop the twitching of his lips. One petite five-foot-three woman took down a six-foot man with one punch. Her knuckles probably throbbed and burned from the impact, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“What seems to be the trouble here?” Kale asked, coming to stand between the woman and Jeff, who had just picked himself up off the floor.
“Who the hell are you?” she asked, irritation clear in her tone.
Sapphire blue eyes spit fire at him and he wondered if he really should get in the middle of this, but he couldn’t help it. She intrigued him beyond her dazzling looks and take-no-shit attitude.
“Kale Dunn. You?”
“Laurel Hayes,” she snarled, her gaze focused on the man behind him. “You don’t need to get involved in this, Mr. Dunn. This is between me and ass-wipe there.”
“I disagree. You see, Mr. Cox is my employee.”
“You own the Bar KD?” Her gaze fixed on him finally and his heart slammed against his ribs. Damn, she’s got pretty eyes to go along with the knock-out body.
“Yes, ma’am. I can’t let you go around beatin’ up my guys. I need him to ride tomorrow,” Kale replied as he tried to hide his amusement. He nodded to the guys holding her to release her. Wrong move. She immediately lunged at Jeff again, so Kale grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against his chest. With a sharp jab, her elbow connected with his jaw and they both tumbled to the floor. The air left his lungs in a whoosh when all one hundred twenty pounds of her landed on top of him.
“Let go,” she spat, twisting and turning in his arms. Her butt rubbed against his groin, immediately bringing his dick to attention.
“Sorry, babe. No can do. But if you don’t stop squirming like that, we’ll be doin’ our own little dance in the front seat of my truck.”
A cold shower wouldn’t have brought such a quick response as she immediately stopped moving. Air rushed from between her lips in rapid, panting puffs, making her chest heave and push against his arm.
“Are you gonna behave, Red?”
“Fine,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “And don’t call me Red. I hate it.”
Releasing a low grunt, he rolled over so she lay beneath him and then brought them both to their feet without letting her out of his arms. His job of wrestling cattle all day came in handy some times.
Kale faced Jeff and said, “I do believe you should be goin’ home, Jeff, before Red here gets loose and takes you down again. I expect to see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning. Pack your gear before you come.”
“Pack my gear?”
“Yep. You’re done at the Bar KD. Find another outfit to work for. I’ll have your check ready.”
“You’ll pay for this, Laurel,” Jeff snarled as he snatched his hat off the floor and moved toward the door.
Kale watched his employee stomp through the crowd and bang the door hard against the wall as he left. The crowd around them dissipated now that the fun had waned.
Laurel stood in the circle of his arms with the curve of her ass cradling his erection. The faint smell of sweet pea wrapped around his senses and he fought the urge to bury his nose in the slope of her neck.
“You can let go now,” she said. “There isn’t anyone else here I want to kill.”
He eased his arm from around her just in case she decided to hit someone else and she stepped out of his embrace, leaving a cold, empty space. When she turned to face him, the sight of her hair in wild disarray, her eyes sparkling with anger, and her lips pursed in a pout, made his heart pound and blood rush to his ears. It had been a while since any woman turned him on like this so fast.
“Can I buy you a beer?”
“No thanks. I need to take care of my sister.” She turned to leave, but glanced back over her shoulder. “Thank you for firing him. I’m sure my sister won’t be happy about him being unemployed. It will probably cause more issues, but I’m glad to see there’s a man willing to take a stand on spousal abuse.”
Not willing to let her go quite so quickly, he said, “You need to take care of those knuckles, too. Put some ice on them at least.” He lifted her hand and inspected the torn skin, fighting the urge to kiss them. “Has he been doin’ it for a while?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been here very long,” she replied, pulling her hand out of his grasp.
“I didn’t think you looked familiar. I know pretty much everyone in this town.” And I sure would have remembered you.
“Homeboy, huh?”
“Yep. Born and raised right here in Red Rock. Is your sister the only reason you’re here?”
“Yeah. For the most part.” Her lips pressed together in a firm line like she had already said too much. “Well, good night.” She tipped her head and walked toward the door.
The sway of her hips beneath her jeans made his dick jump to attention again and he stifled the groan rumbling in his chest. He downed the rest of his beer and set the bottle on the bar. The night came to a screeching halt with her departure and he figured he might as well go on home.
“This is pathetic. A Saturday night and I’m going home alone,” he grumbled out loud. Warm Montana air hit his face when he stepped outside. June in this neck of the woods meant heat, mosquitoes, and lots of hard work on his place. Relaxation came with a price for the owner of a cattle ranch and since he didn’t have a woman to go home to, he had hoped to find a willing lady at the bar. One red-haired spitfire took care of taking anyone else home. The mood was gone.
His truck sat parked near the back of the lot like so many others in this area. If you didn't own a truck, you weren't a real cowboy. With a turn of the key, the diesel engine growled to life like a panther stalking his prey. Sweat stuck his hair to his head when he took off his hat and tossed it onto the seat next to him.
Several trucks and cars cruised the main street into town and he pulled right in with them. Going home didn’t feel right. The darkness of the night, the brightness of the stars overhead, and the warmth of the June evening made him restless. I could go out and visit Cade and Natalie, I guess. He glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock. Nah. It’s too late to be buggin’ them. They’ve got the new baby and all.
The bright lights of the local diner called to him. His shoulder lifted in a shrug and he pulled his truck into an open parking spot. Maybe a couple of his buddies would be hanging around and he could shoot the shit for a little while.
A bell tinkled when he pulled on the glass panel, announcing his arrival to everyone in the place. At least a half-dozen people lifted their hands in greeting as he made his way down the linoleum path to a booth. He stopped and chatted with a few, slapped a few more on the back and then slid onto the bench seat.
“I can’t believe you got him fired,” a female voice said.
“I didn’t do it, Elizabeth. Jeff’s boss happened to be at the bar.”
His keen hearing tuned into the conversation and he realized the women sitting behind him probably included Red.
“How could you have hit him, Laurel?”
“After he hit you? I’d say it was pretty damned easy.”
The sniffing sound coming from the other booth told him Jeff’s wife was crying on her sister’s shoulder.
“He has no right to hit you. Only a lowlife coward hits women.”
“You know nothing about our life, Laurel. You moved here what? Two weeks ago?”
“What is your point, Elizabeth? I’m not going to sit back and watch while he beats the hell out of you until one day he takes it too far.”
The waitress approached his table, distracting him for a moment. “Hey, Kale. What’s it gonna be?”
“Coffee and how about a piece of apple pie?”
“Ice cream?”
“Of course. Is there any other way?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Nope,” she replied and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
The conversation behind him caught his attention again.