Baby I'm In (Honky Tonk Angels #3) Read online

  Ciana Stone

  Baby I’m In

  Book Three in the Honky Tonk Angels Series

  Copyright 2015, Ciana Stone

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Ciana Stone

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved.

  As always, for my true love.

  Chapter One

  “Oh, oh.” JD Weather’s gaze moved to the front door a split second before Kyle heard the shout. He turned and looked. Cassie Ann Beatty stomped down the front steps and marched toward them where they stood at JD’s truck.

  There was mad written all over her face.The fact that she’d stomped out into the front yard wearing only her underwear and one of Kyle’s wife-beater T-shirts said she hadn’t given much thought to anything other than what had her red-faced.

  Coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup she carried in one hand. Her other hand was closed around a phone.

  Kyle ducked as the coffee mug flew by his head. The mug hit the hood of JD’s truck and bounced, sending coffee everywhere.

  “Hey now. Simmer down there, fireball.” Kyle didn’t know what had her panties in a bunch but it was sure something. Cassie Ann stopped three feet away, slammed one hand on a hip and waved his phone at him with the other.

  “You want to explain this, Kyle Stadler?”

  “Uh, no?” He didn’t have a clue what the phone had to do with anything.

  “Well, you better. Who the hell is this bitch?”

  Kyle looked at the face of the phone. “Cora Jean.”

  “And who the hell is Cora Jean?”

  Kyle drew in a breath to stem the surge of anger that threatened. It was this sort of thing that made women a chore. And it wasn’t like he was in a relationship with the woman shooting daggers from her eyes at him. She was just someone he’d hooked up with and invited to spend the night. Unfortunately, once she was in his home, she’d invited herself to stay all weekend.

  She was a nice enough gal, and they’d had a bit of fun, but he doubted they would see one another again. Cassie Ann was way too high-maintenance for him, in terms of finances and attention.

  “Well?” Her sharp tone was accompanied with the sudden tapping of one bare foot.

  “No one you need to concern yourself with, hon. Probably time you headed on home, anyway.”

  “Time I…?” She screamed and threw his phone at him. “You bastard!”

  Luckily, Kyle caught the phone. He tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans. There wasn’t much point into getting into a yelling match with her. They’d had a good enough weekend, but he’d never promised her anything beyond that and couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why she had her panties in a wad over him getting a call. He’d made it clear he wasn’t looking for a wife, a girlfriend or even a regular friend with benefits.

  Cassie Ann stormed off toward the house, cussing a blue streak. Kyle winced at the sounds of her banging around inside the house. He’d probably have a fine mess to straighten up when she left.

  “Cora Jean Wilson?” JD asked. “The lady who cleans and cooks for you?”

  “Yep.”

  “You could have told her that.”

  “Could have.”

  Yes, he might have diffused the situation by telling her that Cora Jean was a fifty-old-woman who lived in town and came out every two weeks to clean and cook for him. He could have, but didn’t see that it would make things better. That’d just give Cassie Ann Beatty an excuse to stay longer, and he was way beyond ready for her to leave. She’d nearly talked him into a coma last night and he had work to do today.

  “I take it you’re not much interested in her staying?” JD asked.

  “Not really.”

  “Well, I don’t guess you have to worry about that now.”

  “Nope.”

  JD chuckled. “Damn, Kyle, you ever gonna settle down?”

  “Doubt it.” He looked over at JD. “How’s being settled down working out for you, buddy?”

  JD smiled. “Life’s damn good.”

  “Well, you lucked out and landed a good one.”

  “That I did. Which reminds me, Jo said she interviewed you.” JD’s love, Jolene Windwalker had her own show on Country Western Life Network and she was interested in doing a segment on Kyle.

  Kyle was a breeder and a trainer, and a genuine horse whisperer. Half Cherokee, Kyle had inherited his father’s stature and looks, and his mother’s skills with animals. Half the women in three counties had the hots for Kyle Stadler, but not a one had been able to lasso him yet.

  JD had known Kyle since the day he walked into Mrs. Marsh’s first grade class. Kyle was a skinny kid, shy and soft-spoken. He was small for his age back then, but wiry as hell and a heck of a scrapper if someone messed with him or his friends.

  Everyone had been shocked when Kyle announced graduation day that he’d enlisted. JD most of all. He’d always assumed Kyle would stay in Cotton Creek and work the family ranch. But Kyle said he needed to go.

  And go he did. For fifteen years. A boy left and the man who came home was even quieter than the child who’d left. But behind the quiet was a pain that had not been there before. For a long time, JD wondered what had happened to change Kyle.

  Once he found out he wished he didn’t know, but did understand why Kyle was so loath to get involved with anyone. They’d never talked about it except that once, and probably never would. JD didn’t know what he’d say anyway.

  Now, despite being quiet and having a hidden darkness, Kyle was a confirmed bachelor who was never left wanting for female company.

  “Yep, she was real nice and easy to be around.” Kyle finally answered.

  “You’re gonna let her put you on television?”

  “Don’t really cotton to the idea but don’t want to hurt her feelings. I like her. She’s not one of those women who has to talk all the time.”

  “True.”

  “And she knows her away around a ranch. She’s not one of those city slicker, scared of every bug kinda women.”

  “Nope.”

  “So you gonna hang onto her?”

  “I most certainly am.”

  “Then I guess I won’t be settling down. Don’t think I could take a steady diet of yak-yak that most gals seem to favor.”

  JD laughed. “Well, you don’t have to worry over this one.” He gestured toward the door.

  Kyle watched as Cassie Ann marched out, tossed her purse into her car and then yelled at him. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before you get me in your bed again, Kyle Stadler.”

  “Drive safe.” He waved as he called out.

  JD shook his head with a chuckle as she got in the car and spun out, kicking up a rooster-tail of dust as she sped away.

  “All your weekends end like this?”

  “Nope. Just hooked up with the wrong filly this time. It happens.”

  “So how’re you feeling now that the leg cast is off?” Kyle had his left shin fractured by a wild horse and it had caused him some major inconvenience in taking care of his ranch.

  “Not bad. Still not up to one hundred percent but getting there. Doc says a couple more weeks and I’ll be right as rain.”

  “Well, good. You okay with help around here or should I send the boys over this week?”

  “I hate to say it but I could use a couple guys for a day or so. Trying to get everything squared away to take on a job for Wes Pursell that’s likely to be time consu
ming. He’s – well, I don’t know if he’s crazy or brilliant. He’d got this horse he’s getting ready for the new racing season. And… you know anything about endurance racing?”

  “Can’t say that I do.”

  “Okay, quick rundown. There are over 700 rides every year in the US and Canada. Pursell – Wes, that is, became interested and became a member, and sponsor. He was approved to organize a race here in Texas.”

  “Anything like that movie – you know the one over in the middle east and that cowboy that rode?”

  “Exactly like that. Wes is planning a hundred-mile race, and he thinks he has a line on a horse that will at least place in the top ten.”

  “Didn’t realize there was money in something like that.”

  “There’s not. But from what I hear, enormous betting goes on. The races are open to all equine breeds, horses, ponies, even mules as long as they are five years or older.”

  “Interesting. So he wants you to train both horses? The race horse and the endurance one?”

  “Not exactly. He wants to be the trainer for the race horse, King’s Landing. He’ll give me a co-trainer credit for that and wants me to help him find a jockey. The endurance horse and rider are all on me.”

  “I heard he paid a hefty sum for King’s Landing.”

  “Yep, five-year-old and last year everyone thought this year he’d take home the Triple Crown. But he developed behavior problems and the previous owner couldn’t find a rider able to control him. So, he sold to Wes and now Wes is having the same problem.”

  “Well with all his contacts you’d think he’d have no trouble finding a good one.”

  “If it was just Wes that might be the case, but it’s the horse. Damn animal has a mean streak and is determined not to let a rider sit him long. And then there’s Wes’s Pa. Herbert is gonna have his hand in there come hell or high water, and no disrespect but he’s not the easiest man to get along with.”

  “That’s putting it mildly, but I thought Wes had control of the racing.”

  “He did, but on his own place up in the Dakotas. Since he decided to move back here he’s using his old man’s facilities and that means having the old man in his business whether he likes it or not.”

  “Kinda surprises me he moved back. Jo said when she interviewed him he indicated that he was interested in building his own place here. I hear he’s been looking at a lot of land.”

  “Yep. Can’t say I blame him. It’d be a sight more pleasant to be under his own roof than his Pa’s. And with that cousin of his staying at the big house, he’s like a dog with fleas. She gets under his skin something fierce.”

  “Pressley, yeah, I’ve met her. In fact, she and Jo are getting to be good friends.”

  “Man, those women have their own little secret society going on since Annie Beck and Jo moved here.” Kyle gave a chuckle. “Them two and the Sweet gals are thick as thieves. And now they’ve added Pressley to their club.”

  JD smiled. Kyle hit that nail on the head. Jo, his lady, had decided to make Cotton Creek her home. For a few months she’d stayed with Cody, but he’d finally convinced her to move in with him. She and his sons became family way before her clothes were hung in the closet, and he felt like the luckiest man alive.

  Jo still had to travel a bit for her work, but the cable network where she was employed was so scared of losing her that they’d rented one of the empty stores in town and set her up a nice studio. Four of her crew had decided to stay as well, her sound guy, Malachi, two camera men and her personal assistant. The network had bought a couple of small houses in town for the crew and the guys had settled in nicely.

  If you didn’t know, you’d think Jo had been there her whole life. She knew everyone in Cotton Creek and had made fast friends with Cody and Hannah Sweet, who owned the Honky Tonk Angels bar; as well as Annie Beck, a romance novelist who was married to a local rancher, Riley Morgan. And of late, Wes’s cousin Pressley.

  “Yeah, they have girl’s night at least once a week and I can tell you that when it’s Jo’s turn to host, the twins suddenly find themselves with nothing at all to do but hang around the house.”

  “Can rightly blame ‘em. That’s a whole lotta hot women in one place.”

  “Amen to that. Okay, I reckon I better hit the road. I’ll send a couple of the boys over this afternoon and you can let ‘em know how many days you want them this week.”

  “I’ll keep track of the hours and pay you, JD.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Oh hell yeah I do. I’d pay ‘em if they worked for me. Sure as hell not gonna let ‘em take money from your pocket to do my work. Only fair.”

  “You always are, Kyle. Why don’t you just settle up with them?”

  “I can do that.”

  “Great. Well, I’ll be seeing you. You need anything, give a yell.”

  “Will do and thanks again JD.”

  “Anytime.”

  Kyle stood watching JD’s truck disappear down the road. Until recently, JD Weathers had been the last man in Cotton Creek to advocate for marriage or a committed relationship. Jolene Windwalker had changed his mind about that.

  It gave Kyle a little nudge of envy, he’d admit that. It wasn’t that he wanted to be alone. He just couldn’t let himself care about someone that way. Keeping things on the surface was easier. Besides, it must not be his fate anyway. Since he’d been back home he hadn’t met anyone he could tolerate being around for more than a weekend. He liked things quiet and wasn’t given to endless chatter – talking just for the sake of hearing yourself.

  And he damn sure wasn’t into shopping, partying and spending a mountain of money on frivolous things. He hadn’t met a woman yet who was interested in the kind of life he led. Oh, sure, they were interested in as many orgasms as he could provide, and would spend every dime in his pocket at a bar or restaurant, but they didn’t give a hoot in hell about the things that interested him.

  He once dreamed of having a family -- a couple of kids and someone who cared about him, but that dream died a long time ago.

  And rather than stand there, waxing sentimental over what he didn’t have, he needed to get his ass in gear and take care of what he did have. Shoving aside thoughts of the happily-ever-after that didn’t exist, he headed out to get busy.

  Chapter Two

  Two hundred miles. Just two hundred miles more. Liz chugged down the rest of the energy drink and grimaced. Leaving Sioux Falls had been a spur of the moment decision, one made in the heat of anger. At the time it seemed the right thing to do. Maybe it still was, but damn if she wasn’t tired of driving. She’d been awake for thirty-six hours and driving over twenty-four, existing on fast food, coffee and energy drinks. Her eyes felt like they had sand in them and her body was stiff.

  She’d stopped only when she had to refuel, grab food or use a bathroom. A sudden longing for a hot shower had her tempted to look for road signs advertising motels, but she dismissed that thought. Two hundred miles to go.

  Her phone rang, and she grabbed it off the seat. One look at its face and she frowned. She almost ignored the call, but knew if she did the caller would just keep trying.

  “Hey.” She answered after punching the speakerphone button.

  “Do you have any idea the shit you’re in?” Her brother, Cooper asked.

  “Yep.”

  “You know he’s going to send people after you.”

  “Yep.”

  “Liz, don’t do this. Not this way. Come back and I’ll help you. We’ll work it out.”

  “Nope.”

  “Listen to me, Liz—”

  “No. You listen, Coop. You’re the golden boy and that’s fine. I don’t care. But he’s taken everything from me. I thought we could start over and be a family and for a while I was starting to believe that. Then he sold Landing right out from under me. My horse, Coop. Mine. I bought and trained him. And that bastard sold him.”

  “He wasn’t in your name, Liz.”

&n
bsp; “Only because Dad cheated. He was supposed to be in my name.”

  “You sure you’re not rewriting history? Dad bought him.”

  “And I paid him back. Every dime. He was supposed to transfer ownership to me.”

  “He gave you back the money, Lizzy.”

  “I didn’t want the money! Don’t you get it? I love Landing.”

  “I know. But there are other horses. Like the one you stole.”

  “I did not steal him. Traveler is mine.”

  “Not according to Dad.”

  “Well, I don’t care what he says. He’s mine and I’m keeping him.”

  “And doing what?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Come on, Lizzy.”

  “No. You’ll tell him.”

  “No, I won’t.”

  Liz wanted to believe Cooper. He was her only brother, her twin brother at that, and there was no one she loved more in the world. He was more than just a sibling. He was her best friend. At least he had been until five years ago. Then he became Mr. Cooper Evan Quinlan, Esquire, the heir apparent who crawled under the old man’s wing and camped out.

  She guessed she didn’t blame him. Someone had to take over one day and Cooper was the logical choice. But his allegiance to their father made him untrustworthy. He’d betrayed her once and cost her Landing. She couldn’t take the chance that he’d do it again.

  “Sorry, Coop. Gotta go. Love you.”

  She ended the call and turned off the phone, swiping at the tears of anger and loneliness that threatened. She had to stay strong and prove that this wasn’t a game to her. She was as good as any man and she’d make her father see that. And only when he admitted it to her, said that he was wrong, only then would she think about mending fences with him.

  It was a long shot to even hope that her father would admit he was wrong. She could not remember a single time in her life he’d done that. In fact, she’d heard him say “I may not be right but I’m never wrong” too many times to count. Chances were this would be no different.

  She’d continue to try to build a life for herself with people who knew how to love, and he’d continue to try to sabotage and control. What kind of person did that? More importantly, what kind of father? Did the problem lie with him or was there something inherently wrong with her?