Iron Cowboy [Erotically Yours 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read online

  Erotically Yours 2

  Iron Cowboy

  Lana Davies’ modeling career ended the moment she was attacked by a stalker. The physical and emotional scars changed her, transforming her into a woman she barely recognized.

  Wanting a fresh start, she moves back home to Monterro, New Mexico, where she meets a man of iron who surrounds her with a sense of peace and security she so desperately needs. But the lingering effects of her attack still haunt her and Lana can't let herself fully lean on him until she's gotten her strength back.

  Pleased that Lana seems to grow stronger by the day under his protection, J.W. vows to do his best to make her his and to keep her safe from the man who is still stalking her...

  Genre: Contemporary, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 79,780 words

  IRON COWBOY

  Erotically Yours 2

  Leah Brooke

  EVERLASTING CLASSIC

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic

  IRON COWBOY

  Copyright © 2016 by Leah Brooke

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-029-6

  First E-book Publication: February 2016

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  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

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Iron Cowboy by Leah Brooke from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Leah Brooke’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Leah Brooke’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  IRON COWBOY

  Erotically Yours 2

  LEAH BROOKE

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  Lana Davies propped her feet on her gleaming coffee table, taking a sip of her wine before dropping her head back with a sigh. Freshly showered and wearing one of the caftans she’d taken to wearing for comfort, she closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet.

  Pleasantly tired, she lifted her head again to look around the living room of her new apartment, pleased with the progress she’d made.

  She needed to make this a home, not just a stopover between assignments.

  The movers had delivered everything the day before, and an hour ago, she’d finally finished putting everything away.

  She was home, and it felt better than she’d expected.

  She’d signed a modelling contract and left Monterro, New Mexico, for New York right after high school almost seventeen years earlier. Since then, she’d worked every job she could get in New York and around the world, watching every bite of food that went into her mouth and saving every dollar she could.

  The abrupt end to her career had made her grateful that she’d been so vigilant in her saving. If she was careful, she could live comfortably for the rest of her life on what she’d saved and invested.

  Comfort was something she hadn’t known since a night four months earlier.

  The luxury of feeling safe was something she doubted she’d ever experience again.

  As soon as she could, she’d returned home, hoping to find some kind of normal again.

  Looking around the large living room, she inwardly sighed, finding the clean lines and cool colors soothing.

  It was a place she could be alone and, with the additional locks she’d had installed, a place where she could lock herself in while being surrounded by others.

  Splashes of color broke up the otherwise neutral room, as in every other room of her one-bedroom apartment.

  She used vases of flowers, colored rugs, pillows, and throws to brighten the rooms, surrounding herself with cheerful colors and soft materials.

  Lifting her glass to take another sip of wine, she paused when her phone rang, her stomach tightening in reaction—another unwelcome change in her life.

  Although she’d changed her cell phone number several times in the last year, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she’d have to change it again.

  Seeing her brother’s number, she winced. She knew he’d be calling and knew that, if she didn’t take his call, he’d just keep calling or, worse, call her mother and father and worry them.

  She loved him dearly, but hearing his beloved voice made her want to cry.

  The only time she’d felt safe was during the time he’d stayed with her while she recovered.

  Daniel had enough on his plate, though, and didn’t need to worry about her. He was in the middle of building a huge condominium complex near his home in Miami and had a wife who was due to deliver their first child any day.

  Answe
ring on the fourth ring, she injected a cheerfulness into her voice that she’d hoped would reassure him.

  “Hello, Daniel, how are you?”

  “I’m fine, little sister.” Instead of the teasing voice he’d always used in the past, he kept his tone low and soothing, the tone he’d adopted since her attack. “The more important questions are how are you, and why did you move into an apartment instead of moving back in with Mom and Dad? I thought we’d agreed that you’d move in with them.”

  Irritated that he didn’t allow his voice to rise the way he would have in the past, Lana got to her feet, hating that her attacker had changed so much in her life. “You mean you decided that I should move in with Mom and Dad. I said that I wanted to move back to Monterro. You assumed the rest.”

  Daniel sighed, and she could imagine him pacing while running his hand through his hair. “You know I only want what’s best for you. I don’t like you being alone, honey.”

  “I know.” She smiled at the memory of the numerous phone calls when she’d moved to New York, her smile falling at the realization that he’d been right to worry.

  On her way to the wide front window of her fifth-floor apartment, she checked both dead bolts on the front door, making sure that they were secure.

  Sipping her wine, Lana pushed the curtain aside, staring out toward the mountains, but it was too dark to see them. “I’m almost thirty-five years old, Daniel. Mom and Dad fuss so much it would make me crazy. I just want to be alone.”

  After closing the blinds, she checked to make sure the curtains blocked out any view of her apartment before turning toward the kitchen, pausing to make sure the locks on the front door had clicked firmly in place.

  “I need to go out and look around town. It looks like a lot of things have changed since I was here last.”

  “You’re going to need to buy a car. Get Dad to go with you. He’ll—”

  “Daniel, I bought a car before I left New York. I drove here.”

  “What?”

  Refilling her wine glass, she smiled at his tone. “You heard me. I didn’t want to fly, and I had some things that I wanted to bring with me. I’m tired of flying, and I wanted to be alone.” She didn’t want him to know that she’d begun to feel claustrophobic and the thought of sitting in a small place with a lot of people had given her another panic attack, the fifth she’d had since the attack.

  “I can’t believe you drove that far alone. Honey, I don’t want you doing things like that. You can’t do things like that anymore.”

  She took another sip of wine to ease her dry throat before answering. “I needed it, Daniel. I have to admit that the nights at the hotels weren’t all that pleasant, but I needed the time to think. As you can tell, I’m fine. I’m a big girl, Daniel.”

  Her brother sighed again, his frustration evident. “You know that, if I’d known you were moving into an apartment, I would have come to help you. You knew damned well that I thought you were selling your furniture and moving in with Mom and Dad. I could have even flown up and driven you there.”

  Blinking back tears, Lana swallowed heavily, purposely hardening her tone. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. You have enough on your plate. Your wife is due to give birth any day. You need to be with her. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “I can’t help but worry about you. It’s a brother’s prerogative.”

  Leaning back against the counter, she let her gaze sweep over her gleaming kitchen, wishing she could take pleasure in cooking the way she had in the past. Eating had become a chore, and she’d lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose. She’d gotten rid of a good deal of her possessions, some of them because they’d been broken, and some because they’d been touched by her attacker. “The movers put all the furniture where I wanted it, and I spent last night and today emptying boxes. It’s all done, and the apartment looks great.”

  She just wished it felt safe.

  Daniel sighed, and she could visualize him pacing again in his study, scraping a hand over his face in frustration “I don’t like you living there alone.”

  Forcing a laugh, Lana turned to pour more wine into her glass, irritated that her hand shook. “I lived alone in New York. This is Monterro.”

  “Yeah, well I worried when you were in New York. It turns out—”

  “You were right. I have to go, Daniel.” Lana cursed under her breath when she spilled the wine she was pouring. Biting back a sob, she carefully set the bottle back onto the countertop. “I’m tired, and I promised Mom I’d call her before I go to bed.”

  “Lana. Damn it!” Daniel blew out a breath, his frustration evident. “I love you, honey. What happened to you scared me to death, and I don’t like you living alone.”

  Hating that her hand still shook as she cleaned up the mess she’d made, she snapped at him. “I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Daniel. That’s why I didn’t move in with Mom and Dad. I’m an adult. I can’t live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder or being scared of my own shadow. Please. Just let me do this.”

  Her brother’s heavy sigh spoke volumes, following by a shaky breath that brought tears to her eyes.

  Bracing her hand on the cool granite, she bowed her head, regretting her outburst. “I’m sorry. I know how much it scared you.”

  “Scared me? More like terrified me. I couldn’t get to you fast enough. The flight from Miami to New York that night was the longest flight of my life. I was so scared that you’d be—that I wouldn’t get to you in time.”

  “I know.” She took another sip of wine and lifted her face, blinking back tears. “I need to get past it, Daniel. I need to get my life back.”

  She touched the scar on her cheek, following the path of tears to the scar on her neck. “My life has already changed enough.”

  “I understand, honey.” He blew out another breath, his voice catching. “I do, but I still worry about you. You’ve been through a lot. We all have.”

  “I know you worry about me, and I love you for it.” Forcing a laugh, she reached for her wine again, hoping it would help her sleep. “If it makes you feel any better, I had an additional dead bolt installed this morning. The landlord’ll have a fit when he finds out.”

  “So you didn’t sleep well last night. You probably did more than you should have today, and you’re probably drinking wine, hoping that the additional lock on the door, exhaustion, and the wine will help you fall right to sleep.”

  Smiling, she set her glass aside, wishing he were with her. “You know me too well. It can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

  “Such as when I remind you that you would feel safer if you lived with Mom and Dad?”

  “Yes.” With her wine glass in hand, she strolled back into the living room to check the lock again, unlocking and relocking it and testing the knob to make sure it wouldn’t open. “How long should I have lived with them, Daniel? I need to be on my own. So, how’s Kristen?”

  Daniel blew out another breath. “So you’re going to change the subject. Kristen is grouchy, tired, always hungry, and more beautiful than ever. She’s already in bed, or I’d let her talk to you. She’s been having trouble sleeping.”

  “Poor thing. Give her my love.” Lana picked up her glass and took another sip of wine, knowing that another reason Daniel had waited to call her until after his very pregnant wife had gone to bed was so that their conversation didn’t upset her. “You should be with her instead of talking to me.”

  “I will be. She’s worried about you, too.”

  Smiling at that, Lana took another sip of wine. “Tell her not to. She has enough to worry about. She should be relaxing and staying as calm as possible. Are you spoiling her?”

  “Of course.”

  Lana laughed softly, knowing how much her brother and sister-in-law loved each other and how Daniel did his best to spoil his loving wife. “Good, she deserves it.”

  After several seconds of silence, Daniel sighed. “So do you. I wish you would meet a man who
would love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

  “I seriously doubt that will ever happen—especially now. Besides, I’m not looking for a man, Daniel.”

  “Lana, having a man around will make you feel a hell of a lot safer. A man who could handle any trouble that came along. A man who’s been waiting for the right woman.” His voice trailed off, giving her a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Not liking the turn their conversation had taken, Lana stiffened. “I have to go, Daniel. I have to call Mom so I can go to bed. Give my love to Kristen and tell her I’ll talk to her soon. Thanks for calling.”

  “What? Oh, yeah. I’ll call you later this week.”

  “Okay, take care of yourself.”

  “You, too, honey.”

  Lana disconnected and tossed the phone onto the counter, fisting her hands on either side of it.

  Talking to her brother—hearing the love for his wife in his voice—intensified Lana’s loneliness.

  Confident that once she got settled it would go away, she picked up her phone and glass of wine.

  Tucking her phone beneath her chin, she checked the locks again to make sure she hadn’t accidentally left it unlocked the last time she’d checked.

  Satisfied that the door was locked, she made her way back to the sofa. Before she could sit, the phone rang. With a sigh, she set her glass on the table and turned the phone around so she could see the display, unsurprised to see her parents’ number.

  With a smile, she answered, leaning back in preparation for a lengthy conversation. “Hello, Mom.”

  “Hello, darling. I’ve been waiting for you to call. Is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s fine. I got everything unpacked and put away. I took a long bubble bath to reward myself, and then Daniel called. We just hung up. I was just about to call you.”