Black Conley Read online

  * * * *

  Belle stood at the kitchen window and watched Black mount his horse and ride toward the canyon where her cattle had been taken earlier in the day. As she did, she could feel the wetness between her legs increase. She knew it wasn't left over from when she'd pleasured herself; that sensation didn't last this long. This was new.

  "He can't have his effect on me. He just can't,” she whispered to the darkness. “He's a stranger, and—"

  "And he's enough to make any woman wet just by looking at her,” Kate said, finishing Belle's statement in an entirely different way than Belle had intended.

  "I didn't know you were up."

  "I heard the commotion outside and decided to investigate. What's going on?"

  "Jeb came back with Pete and Zeek. He said they wanted to make certain we didn't move the cattle out under the cover of darkness. Of course, it was the whiskey talking. It had to be."

  Kate fussed around at the stove starting a pot of coffee before she returned to the table to join Belle. “I didn't mean about the men in the dooryard. I could hear them shouting clear up to my room. I don't understand why men think that everyone goes deaf when they get drunk."

  "Then what did you mean?"

  "I heard Black come back upstairs. I figured he was getting his guns. I peeked out my door when he went downstairs and saw he had his coat as well. I figured he was riding out with the others, but then he stopped in the kitchen. I was coming down to see what was going on and saw him kiss you. Are you falling in love with him?"

  "How can you ask such a question? I don't even know him. He's a stranger, and he took too great a liberty by kissing me like that."

  "I didn't see you pushing him away. He was sincere. I could tell. He's had it bad for you since he first arrived. You don't have to deny it. I could tell when I went to his bed last night. He allowed me to take care of his needs, but it wasn't me he wanted."

  "That's ridiculous. All men want women. It's the nature of the beast. He only thinks he wants me because I told him he could take any of you to his bed but not me. You know what they say about forbidden fruit."

  "I don't think he's the only one lusting after that fruit. I heard you in your room tonight. When you were lost in the pleasuring you were giving yourself, you called out his name."

  "I-I what?"

  "You called his name a couple of times. It was clear that you wanted Black in your bed and not that wooden cock you seem so fond of."

  "You're right, I do want him in my bed, but it won't happen. I won't have another fiasco like the one with Ronald. I refuse to be branded a whore for a second time."

  Kate laughed loud and hard. “Honey, you already are branded a whore just for having us all here, so why not reap the benefits? I fall in love with every man who beds me, but it's gone as soon as he is. It's time you got Ronald out of your system and found out what it's like to be with a real man."

  "Is Black a real man, as you call it?"

  "Yes, he is. I thoroughly enjoyed last night. I wouldn't mind another poke at him, but he seems to think he wants you. It's as plain as the nose on your face."

  "Well, I'm not sure I want him in my bed. When things quiet down, I'll send Cara to him. She'll be able to take any notion of bedding me out of his head."

  "Think what you want, but you're wrong. He's not the kind of man who gives his heart easily. He'll enjoy Cara, but it won't change his feelings for you. Trust me on this one, Belle. I know what I'm talking about."

  "He can't be that taken with me, Kate. He just arrived last night, and..."

  "And nothing. It's something I've only seen once, and when it happened it was sheer magic. I was working in a whorehouse up around Reno with a gal by the name of Salina. She had been at that ranch Black's ma ran in Texas. One night this man came in. We were all sitting in the parlor and he walked right up to Salina. I saw the expression on his face and so did everyone else. For a solid week, he came back and paid the high price Salina got for being with the men. At the end of that week, he told her he was going to marry her and by the end of the month they were on the stage heading for California together. I still hear from her, and she's happier than ever. They have three kids and a little ranch. That's what is called love at first sight. I saw the same expression on Black's face last night, and it certainly wasn't for me."

  "Well, he can get that damn fool notion out of his head. I'm going to bed, and so should you. Those men will be back bright and early tomorrow morning wanting their breakfast, and it wouldn't do for us to be still in our nightclothes."

  Belle went up to bed and listened as Kate cleaned up in the kitchen before following her. Behind the closed door, Belle fingered the wooden dildo. What would it be like to be with Black?

  As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she thought of the times she'd been with Ronald. The first time she'd been in so much pain she hadn't wanted to do it again, but Ronald promised it wouldn't hurt the next time. He'd been right, there was no pain, but the act happened so quickly she hardly had time to enjoy it. He'd gotten his pleasure and left her wanting. If that was what it was like bedding a man, then she wanted no part of it. The satisfaction she'd learned to give herself over the years was enough. What bothered her was that she'd called out Black's name without even thinking. She would definitely have to be more careful in the future. She certainly hoped Black hadn't heard her.

  She considered taking the dildo to bed with her, but decided against it. The unyielding piece of wood usually worked, but tonight it wouldn't be able to take away the ache Black's kiss had planted in her.

  * * * *

  Black left the house and headed toward the barn where the three men waited for him. He could tell they were impatient and ready to get started.

  "What took you so long?” Zeek growled. “Did you have to take a poke at one of them there whores? Don't know how you do it. I'd sure like to live in a house with five whores all ready to let me get in a good fuck whenever I want it."

  "Ain't been here long enough to have had that pleasure,” Black replied, swinging into his saddle. “You know, I wasn't considering riding nighthawk tonight, but since that's your intention, then so be it. At least there's a full moon. I'm sure you'll soon see that there are no brands on those beeves other than the Double Bar B. I should know I rounded them up this morning. Now, gentlemen, I don't think you left your warm beds and hot wives to sit here and discuss my life."

  He spurred his horse to a gallop and led the way to the box canyon where they cattle were settled for the night. It surprised him to see Roy ride out to greet them.

  "What are you doing here?” Black asked, once he rode up next to the older man.

  "After Annie and me had our lovin’ for the night, we both decided that someone should be ridin’ nighthawk on these steers. I know Belle talked about sendin’ one of the girls out here, but it ain't work for a woman. Besides, I need to do something to keep my hand in the runnin’ of this place. Matt would expect me not to make his little girl do things all by herself. I've been slackin’ far too long."

  "Good grief, Roy, what's gotten into you?” Zeek asked. “At your age, you should be sittin’ by the fire and enjoying yourself. It's just too bad that you can't give Annie the good fuck she deserves. ‘Course we all know that that a woman's juices dry up at about the same time a man's do."

  "Speak for yourself, Zeek. Annie and I have no problems in those areas. From what I hear, you don't have a problem when you're at the Purple Moon. How does Mattie feel about you going there when you should be takin’ care of business at home?"

  "This ain't the time for such a discussion,” Black interrupted. “These boys want to see if they can find their brands on any of the steers that Belle has pastured here. I told them I'd come along and help them look."

  "I would have sent them packing. I know as well as you do that none of these animals are stolen. Hell, I helped the girls with the branding last spring and there wasn't a cow or steer on the property that shouldn't have been there."<
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  "Just the same, these boys have it in their heads that these cattle don't all belong to Belle. It's high time that we set them straight."

  Roy grumbled as the three men rode around the herd. Black knew what they were finding and that the proof of Belle's innocence was coming as a bit of a shock to them.

  He was enjoying a smoke when he heard more riders approaching, and with them were cattle.

  The neighbors immediately joined Black and Roy to confront the strangers. Shots were fired and the cattle following the newcomers scattered. When the smoke cleared, three men were down and a fourth had gotten away.

  "This one's dead,” Jeb declared. “What about the other two?"

  "This one's dead as well,” Pete said.

  Black knelt beside the third man. “Who sent you here?” he asked.

  The man looked up at him. Whatever he said, Black knew would be the truth. Men who were dying didn't want to do so with a lie on their lips.

  "Don't know. Just got to town and this man paid us to bring these beeves to this pasture. He-he..."

  The man choked on the blood running from his mouth, closed his eyes and died.

  "Who would have done such a thing?” Zeek asked.

  "Probably the same son of a bitch who has been stealing our cattle,” Jeb replied. “It only seems right he would want to put the blame on Belle. She ain't well liked in these parts."

  "Whoever it was doesn't matter now,” Black observed. “Let's get those cattle rounded up and find out just who they belong to."

  It was almost dawn before the last of the cattle were gazing peacefully just outside the box canyon. The brands were from Zeek, Jeb, and Pete's ranches as well as some from Clayte's herd.

  "Whoever is behind this was probably going to hit Belle's herd again before taking these cattle to God only knows where,” Roy said. “We'll divide up the cattle so you can take back your stock. Black and I will return these cattle to Clayte after we have breakfast. We can leave them here for now, and go down to get something to eat. You boys all know that Annie doesn't abide folks bein’ late for meals."

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  Chapter Six

  Belle had been up since four. The thought of Black riding nighthawk after working all day bothered her. She would insist that he do nothing today other than rest. The fact she'd been without sleep for most of the night didn't matter. It was Black she worried about.

  By the time Annie arrived, Belle had already started preparations for breakfast. “Land sakes, child, what are you doing up an about this early?” Annie greeted her.

  "I-I couldn't sleep. What if the three of them did something to Black? I'd never forgive myself."

  "Never is a word that shouldn't be thrown around too lightly. I seem to remember my ma saying she'd never go west, and yet that's exactly what we did. Before we left Virginia, I said I'd never marry a dirt-poor farmer. The man I was destined to marry would be able to give me fancy dresses and I'd ride in a fine carriage. When I got here, one of the first people I met was Roy. He wasn't dirt-poor, but he couldn't give me fancy dresses. As a matter of fact, the only carriage I've ever had was the buckboard, and at times it needed repair. Learn from my mistakes, honey. Love—or anything else you vow will never happen—comes at you when you least expect it."

  "I wasn't talking about love, Annie. Black is out there alone with Zeek, Jeb and Pete. What if they do something foolish and shoot him? The way they were liquored up, it's entirely possible."

  "He's not exactly alone. After Roy and I went to bed last, we did a lot of lovin', but that's nothing unusual. What I'm getting at is that he decided to go out to the canyon and ride nighthawk. Like he said, this ranch is our home and even if he can't work every day, he can do something to help out."

  "You let Roy ride out there alone?"

  "Wouldn't be the first time. It bothers him when he can't do the things he used to do. Many nights he's been out there. I'm just glad those weren't the nights when the rustlers hit. I couldn't stand to lose that old man. We sort of fit together. Without him, I would never be complete."

  The sound of horses in the dooryard alerted Belle to the fact the men had returned. Rushing to the door, she gasped when she saw three horses with men draped across their backs along with Black, Roy, Zeek, Jeb and Pete.

  "What happened?” she questioned, rushing out onto the porch.

  "We ran into the rustlers,” Jeb pronounced proudly.

  "We'll explain everything over breakfast,” Roy said. “I'm so hungry I could eat the ass end out of an old dead skunk."

  "I wouldn't go that far,” Black confessed, “but I could use some coffee. It was a long night. These other fellers are just as tired and hungry as I am."

  Belle held open the door to allow the men to come into the kitchen. Once everyone was seated around the table, Kate asked about the rustlers.

  "It was like you and me talked about last night, honey,” Roy replied. “Someone was dead set on making it look like we were the ones takin’ the cattle. They were running steers from every ranch in the area straight toward the canyon."

  "I think they were getting ready to add Belle's steers to their take for the night,” Zeek said. “I can't believe anyone would purposely plant evidence on this ranch that didn't belong here."

  * * * *

  Black held his tongue. It wouldn't do him any good to tip his hand this soon. These rustlers had gone from taking five or ten head here and there to taking twenty to thirty head a night. Why would there be exactly ten head from each ranch? He knew the answer all too well. From what the men who had joined them said, ten was the number of cows they had each lost over the past few weeks. It was only Belle who was losing more. By cutting out the cattle that had been taken from the other ranches, along with ten head from the Diamond A, it would look like a usual raid to these men. Black knew differently. They were being planted on the ranch for the men to find in the morning when they were due to arrive and look for their missing steers.

  Annie and Belle served up platters of flapjacks along with bacon and eggs. The more the men ate, the more they bragged about how they'd killed those rustlers. Each man took credit for one of the rustlers, when Black knew his bullet had struck home twice and Roy had downed the other man. It was just as well that the men thought they were the ones who had killed the rustlers. Black's expertise with a gun was well known, but he didn't want to take credit for any of the killings last night.

  With breakfast finished, the three neighbors mounted up to take their steers back to their own ranches. Once they were gone, Black pushed back from the table.

  "I'm taking those steers back to the Diamond A,” he announced.

  "You need your rest,” Belle protested. “You've been up all night. The girls and I can take them back."

  "Black's right, honey,” Roy said. “It's best if he take back those steers. There's no tellin’ what Clayte would do to you girls if you went alone. Nettie's not there anymore to ride reign on him. Besides, the girls have work to do here. Kate and I will take those hombres into town and alert the sheriff as to what happened last night."

  "But you need your rest, too. I can't let you do something that should be my responsibility."

  "Let him go, Belle,” Annie said. “I know better than to cross him when he's got his mind set on something. Roy and Joe go back a long way. There won't be any arguing about who killed who or what those men were doing on the Double Bar B."

  Black could see the light of understanding in Belle's eyes. She needed to learn to trust men, and what better ones to start with than Roy and himself?

  After finishing the last of his coffee, Black went to the outhouse to take care of business before going out to where he'd left his horse. In the corral, the cattle he was about to drive back to the Diamond A milled around as though confused by being taken from their home pasture, driven across Double Bar B land and now being penned up.

  To his surprise, Belle led her white stallion from the barn.

  "And
just what do you think you're doing?’ Black inquired.

  "I'm going with you. I am your boss, you know. It's my place to return Clayte's steers to him."

  Black didn't argue. It would give him some time alone with Belle. “Suit yourself, but I hope you plan to keep up. I don't have time to be playing nursemaid to anyone who can't keep pace."

  The look of indignation on her face brought a smile to his lips. Together they herded the cattle from the corral and started across Double Bar B land to get to the Diamond A. It came as no surprise to see that the fence had been cut in the same place Black mended it the day before.

  "On our way back, we'll stop and mend that fence,” he said as he rode up next to her.

  "It will be a good place to have lunch. Annie packed some sandwiches for us. She knew we wouldn't get back in time to eat with the girls."

  Black dropped back to round up a stray that had stopped to graze. As he did, he thought about eating lunch with Belle. He liked being with her. It made even the thought of mending fence sound less like work and more like something enjoyable.

  They met Clayte just beyond his ranch house. “What the hell are you doing on my property?” he questioned as he rode up to him. “Did you come to steal more of my cattle?"

  "Hardly,” Belle retorted. “These steers were being driven across my property last night along with those from the other ranches. It's hard telling how many head I would have lost if Black, Roy, Zeek, Jeb and Pete hadn't been there."

  The expression on Clayte's face changed. “What happened to the rustlers?"

  "Three of them are dead. Roy and Kate are taking them to town so the sheriff can get a good look at who is responsible for the rustling. The last one got away, but I think I winged him. Hopefully, this will stop the rustling and you can all start to relax around here."

  "This is your doing, Belle,” Clayte accused.

  "My doing? How can you even think such a thing? Why would I put Roy and Black in danger, to say nothing of my own neighbors?"

  "To throw suspicion off yourself."