Four Cowboys & a Witch

Cheryl Dragon

All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2012 Cheryl Dragon

BIN: 05745-01841
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Changeling Press LLC
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www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor: Vicki S. Burklund
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

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Cheryl Dragon

Five-way
sex in Texas? Love doesn’t get any bigger!

Danielle
left Texas for plenty of good reasons. The psychic had been called a witch and
a lot worse. The only thing she missed was the four men who’d never let her
down.

Back
in Houston to settle her aunt’s estate, Dani is drawn into their fight against
a mysterious creature. A lot has changed, and they want her in their life and
their one, very Texas-sized bed. A quiet ranch life with a paranormal mission
and four hot cowboys eager to share her is more than she ever dreamed of
having.

Ben Richner paced the
family-room-turned-command-center of his Houston ranch. The proper living room
was still decorated to the hilt, ready to receive and entertain guests in
proper Texas fashion. The tucked away command center was stocked with laptops,
maps, and reference books on the paranormal.

Being pagan in Texas
felt like being a kitten surrounded by western diamondback rattlers -- you
didn’t stand a chance except to hold still and hope they didn’t see you. Of
course, Ben’s crazy old aunts never cared. He’d learned it all young: Loving
nature was okay here, but the good Christian ladies grew very uncomfortable
with the pagan label.

As talented as this group
of men was, only one had any spark of a magical gift, and it barely registered
against the vampires they’d fought. A key piece of their group eluded them.

“Quit staring out the
window. Trey and Rodney will get back when they’re done.” Sam Gradar stood and
made his way to the kitchen with his coffee mug.

“I know,” Ben said.

He had grown so used to
Sam’s limp he barely noticed anymore. Today, however, it grated on Ben: the
pain in Sam’s green eyes, and how that long sandy hair swung more when the limp
hurt him.

Guilt never went away.
They’d been warned and couldn’t get to Sam in time. The rodeo accident in high
school had been truly cruel harassment of a gay man. Seven years hadn’t healed
Sam’s leg. Nothing could. It was good to be rich and own land in Texas. Ben had
flown in specialists but there were no fixes.

Pagan and gay, the group
had some strikes against it, but technically they weren’t gay. The missing
piece was the right woman. The fact that the four of them had plenty of muscle
from working a horse ranch meant others rarely harassed them.

Ben shook off the
history running through his head. The case needed attention, yet his brain kept
flashing back to high school when he’d fallen in love with Trey, and they’d
both had a crush on that pesky Danielle girl.

Danielle Embers’ name
had come up when her father’s aunt died last week. Since then, the group had
kept their ears open for word that Dani’d returned to Houston. The very gifted
woman had left for college and never returned. Her looks haunted him, long
blonde hair and dark eyes that hinted of the power she tried to hide.

Finally Trey and Rodney
pulled up in Trey’s loaded silver pickup. The two climbed out. Ben met them at
the door. The sight of Trey’s handsome face, short brown hair and brown eyes comforted
Ben.

“You’re hyper today.”
Trey kissed Ben.

“It’s Dani. She’s in my
head. Her aunt wanted no funeral and was cremated so maybe she won’t come back.
Someone has to claim the ashes and her possessions. What if Dani has them
shipped?” Ben hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his worn out jeans.

“We’ve put feelers out
all over town. If she shows at the retirement apartment complex, the funeral
home, or any of our usual haunts, they’ll call us.” Rodney shrugged.

Ben smiled at the ever
practical and overly smart man of the group. Black hair and dark eyes made him
look like the magical practitioner he wanted to be. Finding that online coven
for pagan men was Rodney’s genius. He’d learned a lot, but they could really
use Dani’s gifts.

A hand slapped Ben on the
back. He looked over.

“You okay?” Trey asked.

“Yeah, fine. What did
you find at the attack site?” Ben rubbed his eyes.

Rodney turned on a
laptop and hooked up his smartphone. “I got pictures. The property owner swears
he didn’t hear a thing all night. No howls or noises from the herd. There were
no footprints or tire tracks.”

“After that rain
yesterday, the ground is still damp. There should’ve been some impressions.”
Trey moved over as Sam returned with his coffee.

“Another pricey cow
killed?” Sam asked.

Trey nodded. “It was
bloated from the sun this morning already, but the blood was gone. We cut the
neck and the legs, barely any blood.”

“Wolves? Coyotes?” Ben
suggested.

Sam studied the
pictures. “No, packs tear up the body. This one is pristine. I can’t believe
the coyotes didn’t go after the meat.”

“They didn’t. You know
animals. There must be a reason. Some scent they don’t like. We took samples
from the wounds, but the holes are so small it’d take forever to drain a heifer
that way.” Trey walked away with a shrug.

Ben loved the experience
dynamic. Trey and Sam knew animals and ran a tight ranch. Rodney had the book
smarts while Ben had the quirky ideas. “Did you put it to the online coven
guys?”

Rodney shook his head.
“I’ll do it now that we’ve got evidence. The other two reports this week were
shredded by predators by the time we got there. Vultures were circling when we
arrived.”

“See what they say
online. Could be kids being dumb or something paranormal we don’t know about.”
Ben nodded.

“Vampires haven’t been a
problem since we made them toe the line six months ago,” Sam said.

“Who says it’s vamps?”
Trey asked.

“Who else wants blood?”
Sam replied.

“There’s too much blood
in a huge cow. How’d they keep it fresh? Pump and store? Come on, they can raid
the blood banks or hospitals instead of doing the work for cow blood. It’s
something else.” Ben liked the surge of fighting the unknown and helping
people.

“I’ll put it online to
the coven and start researching similar cases.” Rodney settled in with the
computer.

Ben’s phone beeped and
he looked at the text message.
Dani Embers at retirement complex now
.

“Put the cows on hold,
guys. Dani’s in town.” Ben turned and headed for the door. The other three
followed. He could feel the group lighten up. As good as they were together,
Ben knew they’d never be civilized without the right woman. Pagan warriors for
good needed a goddess to connect them to the feminine powers. In Texas terms,
there was no home without a woman in it.

* * *

Sitting in the sad
little room, Dani wiped away a tear. She’d stayed away from Texas to protect
herself from the witch hunt she’d dodged her senior year. Now all she could see
was her old great-aunt dying alone in a room. Dani had gone off to college out
east, while her family had moved to San Antonio. Aunt Millie, stubborn as ever,
had refused to move with them. They’d only occasionally made it back to
Houston.

All Aunt Millie’s
personal things were packed up in a little bag. She’d donated all her clothes
and shoes to other residents. Next on the list, Dani had to visit the funeral
home and the lawyer’s office. She wished her brother were with her, but she
wouldn’t stay long in Texas with all of the bad memories.

Dani turned to the door.
Only to find four hot cowboys standing in the doorway. They looked concerned
but waited respectfully, hats in hand. She ran to hug them. More tears slid
down her face, but her smile hurt her cheeks. Ben held her tight and she felt a
spark. His misty blue eyes held a secret. He kissed her like a long lost friend
and passed her to Sam. Dani didn’t lean on him too hard because of his leg but
gave him a peck on the cheek.

Rodney and Trey were
sexy as ever. All four of them were to-die-for men. She’d had crushes on them
in her teen years.

“What are you guys doing
here?” she asked.

“Sorry about your aunt.
We thought you might be coming back for her.” Ben nodded.

“Thanks. Ninety years is
a good long life. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here for her.” She shrugged.

“Not your fault. Texas
damn near ran you off senior year. Maybe we can change that.” Sam wrapped an
arm around her waist.

“Change what? I’m only
here for a day or two. Lawyer, funeral home, and back to Boston.” Dani loved
the feel of muscled men, and the smell of cowboys always did her in. Denim,
leather, and hard work triggered good memories of her childhood. With them she
could block out the bad things that had happened to her.

“Stay with us. It’s
better than a hotel.” Trey grabbed her hand and squeezed.

He’d been her brother’s
best friend and her childhood crush. Being surrounded by so much muscle turned
her on. They all knew her secret, as well. Dani trusted them, but those high
school desires flooded her senses.

Rodney leaned in and
gave her a quick kiss. “Come on, all those people in a hotel? They’ll drive you
crazy.”

“Thanks, but I’m better
at controlling my powers now. Once I moved to a place where people didn’t think
I was satanic because I possessed some psychic abilities, it was easier to
learn about and refine them. Knowing you’re not alone or a freak is a big
help.” Dani wanted to stay with them, but it could get weird.

“You’re awesome. Stay
with us. Plenty of room.” Ben took her bag and put a hand on the small of her
back.

“Wait. All four of you
live together?” She sensed something more; it was sexual and strong. They were
deeply devoted.

Sam winked. “Let’s go to
our place and we’ll tell you all about it.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later,
Dani found herself in a cozy family room with laptops and desks. They’d given
her the grand tour. It was a massive home only Ben could afford. She had a
guestroom fit for Scarlett O’Hara. With a mug of coffee in hand, she sat on the
leather couch between Trey and Sam.

“It’s a gorgeous house,
Ben. Now, what’s the story? Four men in one house?” she asked.

“Four men managing a
ranch is better than two men living together. Less suspicious.” Ben nodded from
the big chair on her left.

“So you and Trey are
still a couple?” She leaned on Trey.

“Yes. Rodney and Sam
hooked up in college, clearly serious. All of us wanted to stay here, but it
made more sense to pool our resources and work together. Be together.” Trey
slid an arm behind her shoulders.

The sexual vibe hit her.
She’d learned to control her powers more, but coming back sparked her old
desires. With these men, she let her guard down. Two men together was a
fantasy, and she’d dreamed of all of these men in high school, that they would
end up together. They all had sex. It was a group.

“You okay?” Rodney
tapped away on his computer. “It’s a little unusual but so are you.”

Dani smiled. “True. Sex
is one thing but there’s more.”

Ben rocked back in the
recliner and grinned. “I missed having you around. Psychics make long
conversations so much faster. Yeah, we all screw around. The closer the bond,
the better for our mission.”

“Mission? Bond?” Dani
focused on Ben and pushed through to the truth. Closing her eyes, she pulled
out the words she needed. “Pagan. Coven. Protection. Warriors. Supernatural.”

“We joined an online
coven. The goal is to protect people from the paranormal. We’re sort of pagan
warriors.” Sam shifted toward her.

Dani felt the twinge in
his leg. Instinctively she reached out to touch it. She wasn’t a healer, but
she could direct energy when focused. Ben never blocked her. She borrowed some
of his. Some people tried to stop her, but Dani was stronger now. When Sam
relaxed, she let go.

“I thought you were
getting fresh with my man,” Rodney teased.

“His leg hurt.” She
shrugged. “Now, about this online coven… Are you sure it’s safe?”

Trey chuckled. “It’s not
like we do tons of meetings or rituals. It’s strictly sharing information on
how to battle paranormal evil. Rodney found the coven when we had some vampire
trouble.”

“Humans battling
vampires? Real vampires? You could be killed.” She’d learned a lot in college.
Apparently these guys were on the same track.

“Rodney is dabbling in
the magic side of things,” Sam said proudly.

“I’m trying, but I don’t
have your powers.” Rodney closed his laptop. “I can feel the energy radiating
from you.”

She looked at the floor.
“I dreaded this trip. Seeing you four and knowing I’m safe here, I feel free. I
never thought I’d feel like that in Texas. Really, I’m reflecting your energy.
The four of you love each other, share, and are so strong together. All it’d
take is a protection or strengthening spell, and you’d be safer.”

“That’s what the online
coven recommends before battle. Without a witch to cast the spell, a female to
worship and focus on, there’s not much chance it’ll work for us.” Ben looked at
her pointedly.

The man lacked subtlety
of any kind. His aunts had taught him the pagan tradition. Dani’d felt safer
around Ben’s family than her own. He knew the importance of the goddess. “So
your pagan coven is basically a modified Wiccan, still focusing on a goddess?”

“I never was religious
as a kid. All those people trying to show each other up on Sundays. This I
believe in: helping and protecting people from stuff they can’t handle.
Respecting nature and women being the path to salvation can’t be argued with.”
Trey’s fingers teased the back of her neck.

“I’m glad you found
something that works for you. Aunt Millie always said as long as you believe in
something that keeps you on the right path, doesn’t matter what they call it.”
Dani felt the change in the room.

The sexual arousal
wasn’t just on her end. Some of them had to be bisexual. Focusing on each man
individually, she couldn’t find one who didn’t love her. She tried to pull
friendly love from sexual, but they refused to separate.

“You okay?” Sam slid his
hand on her knee.

The zing of lust hit
her. They all stared at her.

She licked her lips. “So
you don’t have a woman in your group? Come on, you’re four very good looking,
successful cowboys. There must be plenty of women who’d jump into this mix.”

Ben smiled. “They
couldn’t handle it. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Me?” Her phone beeped.
Dani grabbed it for the distraction. “Damn, I have to go to the funeral home
and get her ashes. I made the appointment before I knew I’d run into you guys.”