Cowboys Don't Ride Unicorns Read online

  Danny smiled back. “That’s damned tempting, but I’ve got to work early.”

  “Cowboying?”

  He nodded.

  The bartender leaned closer. “Is there a chance I’m just not your type?”

  “You’re great-looking, man. No issues.”

  “But you still didn’t answer my question.”

  “Why’d you ask it?”

  “I just seen you looking at the pretty ones. That what you want?” He cocked his head. “Because if you wait about three more minutes, you’ll meet my cousin, Pedro, and I’m guessing he might light up those green eyes of yours.”

  Danny raised his eyebrow. “You’re all heart.”

  “Yeah, a regular saint. But Pedro has to eat too.”

  “So he’s—?” He waved his hand.

  “Let’s just say he likes presents.”

  “That’s nice and all, but I doubt I have enough, uh, presents to interest Pedro, and I’ve got to get going.” He added another couple of dollars to his tip and slipped off the stool.

  As he stood, Motorcycle Guy pushed back his chair at the same time the bartender waved. “Hey, Pedro. Over here.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  DANNY GLANCED at the guy walking toward them—small, trim body, black hair to his shoulders, a touch of lipstick and wide, dark, fast-moving eyes that surveyed the crowd for prey. When Pedro got to the bar, he leaned across and kissed his cousin, then stood back and surveyed Danny from boots to sandy hair like a collector appraising a painting. “Hello. I’m Pedro. But you can call me Pedrita.”

  “Hi.” Danny glanced at Motorcycle Guy, who’d halted his rise from the chair but stared with a frown toward the new arrival.

  Pedrita grinned. “Dayum, guapo, you are one gorgeous cowboy.”

  “Thanks, you’re pretty gorgeous yourself.” At least his cock thought so.

  “Want to buy me a drink?”

  “With pleasure.” Danny stood and let Pedrita sit on the stool. The bartender delivered a glass of champagne and another beer, plus a hefty check for the probably watered-down bubbly.

  “So Jose tells me I’m your type.” Pedrita smiled as he sipped some champagne.

  “Jose is your cousin, the bartender?”

  He nodded.

  “When did he tell you that?”

  “When he called me and told me to get my pretty ass over here and see the handsomest cowboy in town.”

  Danny shrugged. “Sorry, but he’s made too much out of this. I’m just a poor saddle tramp without the kind of assets a lovely lady like yourself deserves. I’m having a beer and driving back to the ranch where I work tonight. There was no reason to rush over.” He glanced at him through his lashes. “Although, I’m very glad you did.”

  A slight crease marred Pedrita’s smooth forehead for a second and disappeared. “I’m really not that hard to afford.”

  He grinned. “Well, you should be.” He shook his head. “I’ve gotta tell you, though, I am in a kind of a fix.”

  “Oh?”

  “Over in the corner are three big motorcycle studs—don’t look—and one of them seems to have taken a liking to me. I told him I was waiting for someone. He now thinks that someone is you. I really don’t want to have to defend my honor against three guys tonight if I don’t have to. Any chance you’d walk out with me to prove I’m not available?”

  Pedrita turned slightly and glanced discreetly toward the corner table. “Oh my, they did spend a lot of time in the prison gym, didn’t they?”

  Danny snorted. They just looked way too much like other guys he knew.

  Pedrita tossed back the last of the champagne. “Of course I will, guapo. I’ll even throw in a show.” He leaned over and kissed Danny on the cheek.

  Danny laughed. “If you insist.”

  Danny helped Pedrita from the stool, tossed extra money on the bar for Jose, and started toward the door, with Pedrita hanging on his arm. From the corner of his eye, he saw the three big men push back their chairs and stand. Shit! He kept walking, but he leaned down and whispered, “This may be a crappy idea. They’re following, and I don’t want to put you in danger.”

  Pedrita gripped his arm. “I don’t scare easy, guapo, and I’ve got a razor in my hip pocket. Let’s see what they do.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Nobody gay-bashes Pedrita.”

  Danny laughed. “Some serious balls behind that lipstick.”

  “You got that right.”

  Danny pushed open the door of the bar and held it for Pedrita. Cool air shivered up his spine. They walked to the corner of the sidewalk as the door of the bar opened behind them. He didn’t want to look, but it had to be the three motorcycle guys. “I’ve gotta confess I didn’t think past this point. I figured we’d walk out and that would be that.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “I’ve got a camper. I was away for the weekend.”

  “Let’s see it.”

  They crossed the street, and Danny tried to saunter. Don’t look worried. For whatever reason, they made it all the way to the camper with no attack, but footsteps still crunched behind them. He pulled open the door. “Get in.”

  Pedrita leaped up the stairs with Danny behind him. He slammed the door shut and locked it. Pedrita was already staring out the window. “What the hell do those dudes want?”

  “Maybe they like to watch.” Danny laughed.

  “Which one came on to you?”

  Danny pointed at the one with all the tats.

  “He’s pretty yummy. Why didn’t you take him up on his offer?”

  “He’s not my type.”

  Pedrita turned. “But I am.”

  “Yep.” He grinned. “Maybe without the razor in your pocket.”

  They stared out into the night at the three guys, who stood smoking and drinking beer for a couple more minutes, then turned the corner and walked away like they’d never intended to hurt anybody.

  Pedrita snorted. “I think they were hanging around because Horny wanted to get in your pants. When you left, they left. Probably never meant to bother you.” He glanced at the retreating backs. “If you don’t count a little gang bang.”

  “Guess we’ll never know.”

  Pedrita plopped down on the narrow banquette that served as a seating area, crossed his arms, and stared around. “This is one piece-of-shit camper, my man.”

  “Told ya. I’m poor.”

  “Shame.” Those dark, calculating eyes glittered. “I’d sure love to have a sexy boyfriend for once.”

  “So I’ll drive you to the door of the bar and make sure you get in safe. Just in case they’re still around.” He reached in his pocket, carefully feeling around his prize money check. “I’ve got a little money I can give you to thank you for saving my ass.”

  “We don’t really know if I did save it. Maybe they just happened to be walking our way.”

  “Still.”

  “How much you got?”

  He pulled some bills from his pocket. “About thirty-three dollars.”

  Pedrita gave him an appraising look. “I normally charge fifty, but we’ll combine your money and your off-the-charts good looks as payment for the blowjob of your life. Deal?”

  “Shit, yeah.”

  Pedrita leaned back and slid his arms along the top of the faded brown sofa cushion. “Okay, cowboy, let’s see what you got.”

  Danny laughed, slowly unzipped his fly, and pulled his cock through the opening.

  Pedrita’s big eyes widened. “Shit, guapo, why do you keep that masterpiece in your pants? Why isn’t it bronzed on some trophy shelf?”

  “Thank you kindly for your appreciation, ma’am.” He flashed the dimples, but sadly, plenty of people would’ve removed his cock for him—though not likely because they considered it a work of art.

  Pedrita reached out and grasped Danny’s hips, pulling his very erect cock closer to those pink lips. “I’d suck this baby for free.”

  DANNY TURNED the camper into t
he parking area behind the bunkhouse. Dark and quiet. He’d stayed longer with Pedrita than he’d planned. The blowjob was so damned good, he’d ended up returning it, which caused his cock to spring back into action, and Pedrita had offered up his pretty ass for a fuck. While Danny might not love topping, Pedrita expected it—they always did—and he’d enjoyed it. No money changed hands, even though he’d tried to get Pedrita to take it, and he’d promised to look him up the next time he came to downtown Chico. Not likely. Pedrita was well worth a second visit, but showing up at gay bars more than once could be bad for a cowboy’s longevity. Especially when that cowboy was him.

  His lower regions felt loose and damned good. That’s what getting what you really want can do for a man. He left his bull-riding gear in the camper but took the jeans and shirts he needed to wash and shoved them in his backpack. Throwing it over his shoulder, he stepped down and inhaled the peace of the McIntyre ranch. Brilliant stars, the sweet smell of horses, the rustle of critters in the bushes. It might be California and close to a good-sized city, but it felt like wilderness this late at night.

  He opened the bunkhouse door, cringing at the familiar squeak, and closed it softly behind him. Not that there were too many sleepers to bother, since Manolo often went home to his wife and kid rather than staying in his room. Still, one of the seasonal hands might be there, since the guesthouse had been fully booked all summer, and he and Manolo took on a lot of the “dude ranch” responsibilities while Rand and Kai handled riding lessons and horse breeding. That left a hole in the general chores area, and Rand often brought in Pauly, a cute kid who worked hard and wanted badly to be a full-time hand.

  Danny passed two shut doors, then turned in at the next one on his left, closing it after him before turning on the light. Home sweet home—a single bed, chair, chest of drawers, bookshelf, small clothes closet, a handmade Native rug, and a quilt that belonged to him—the only thing he had from his mom. Funny. When he used to ride for big purses, he’d have called this room a dump. Now it was the only place he felt really safe.

  The soft tap on his door turned him around. “Yeah.”

  Smiling, Manolo peeked around the door. He was one of the rocks in Danny’s fast-moving stream of a life. A good cowboy and a good friend. His teeth flashed white in his tan, full face. “How’d you do, cowboy?”

  Danny smiled back. “I won.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “Come on in and set. How come you’re up so late?”

  Manolo took the one wooden chair in the corner, and it creaked under his solid bulk. “I went home to put the kid to bed and see my wife.” He raised a brow meaningfully. Clearly Manolo had been doing the same thing Danny had. “I fell asleep when I got back, but I heard your stealthy clomping.”

  “Sorry I woke you.”

  “No problem. So tell me about it.” He held up a hand. “Just for a second. We’ve got an assload of work tomorrow, and you need your beauty sleep to impress our new visitors with your awesome cowboyness.”

  Danny perched on the edge of the bed. “I made it to the Go round with two other guys and, believe it or not, one was Maury Garcia.”

  “Shee-it, I don’t know much about rodeo, but even I’ve heard of him. So you beat him?”

  “I drew a better bull.”

  “Didn’t you tell me that the big guys like Garcia get to choose their own bulls?”

  “Yeah, and I assume he chose the one he wanted. The bull was black and really flashy, but anyone who knew could tell he wasn’t as big a challenge as the gray I rode.” Danny crossed his leg and leaned on it. “A strange thing happened, though. Maury rode him easy, but when he got off, he got cocky and turned his back on the bull.”

  “That’s not unusual, right?”

  “True. But I think he didn’t have a ton of respect for his bull. The thing decided to take him out, and I, uh, ended up kind of helping Maury get away from the bull.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing big. Just distracted the bull while the bullfighters helped Maury.”

  “Think that’s why you won?”

  Danny shrugged. “Not sure.” He grinned. “But I got invited to have a beer with Maury. Nice guy.”

  “No shit. Rubbing elbows with the big guys.”

  Nobody knew much about Danny’s past. They knew he’d rodeoed, but not at what level. Just as well. “So who all is coming in tomorrow?”

  “We’ve got four new guests on top of the two that came this weekend. The ones already here are a father and son—the Landsdownes. The son is horse crazy and the father brought him for his birthday. Tomorrow we get Elena Chavez and her best friend, Nora Benson. Both women are in their seventies, I hear. Then there’s a gay couple. A rich dude named Chilcott and his boyfriend who’s some kind of decorator or something.”

  “Jesus, we’re taking diversity to new heights.”

  “Yep. So get ready for the onslaught.” He slapped Danny’s shoulder. “See you bright and early.”

  “Night.”

  Manolo left, and Danny showered and brushed his teeth in the communal bathroom down the hall, then slid, nude, between cool, clean sheets. He really liked keeping his stuff clean. It hadn’t been his daddy’s strong suit. No, his daddy’s strong suit had been Danny’s worst nightmare.

  DRAGGIN’. EVEN in full summer, Danny got up before the sun. This morning, though, his balls felt happy and hangin’ low while the rest of his body conjured up the infamous mile of hard road. He stood in front of the open window, breathed the fresh morning air, and stretched back as far as he could get his aching muscles to allow.

  “Doin’ your morning yoga?” Rand waved from outside the bunkhouse window.

  Shit. “Hi, Rand. Sorry, didn’t mean to entertain the neighbors. Be out in a second.”

  Rand chuckled, and Danny pulled the curtains over the window, dragged on his jeans and shirt, hurried down the hall to pee and wash, and ran for the door. Fortunately his light hair meant a day’s growth of beard didn’t show too bad. He’d do some chores and then run back and shave. Not that he was late, but damn, he hated when Rand beat him to the stables.

  He heard footsteps behind him and glanced back to see Manolo still tucking in his shirt as he hurried from the bunkhouse. In the stable, Rand was already hefting feed. Danny stepped up beside him. “Let me do that, boss.”

  Rand shook his head. “Get to work on grooming the mounts for the lessons.”

  “We going to mount the guests today?”

  Rand grinned. “Never mount the guests, Danny. Haven’t I taught you better?”

  Manolo snorted behind him, and Danny chuckled.

  “But yes, we will get all our guests up and riding by the end of the day. After you get them settled in, take them on a tour and give them a snack to tide them over ’til lunch.”

  “What’s Felicia making today?”

  “Don’t know, but it sure smells good.”

  “What time do the new people arrive?”

  Manolo checked the tablet he carried everywhere—modern ranch life. “Pauly picks up the ladies in downtown Chico at nine o’clock. Chilcott and his guest arrive sometime this morning under their own steam. I’ll give Landsdowne and his boy another hour or so before I ring the chuck-wagon bell.” He laughed at the archaic reference.

  Danny peered at the schedule over Manolo’s shoulder. “I better do one orientation after the ladies arrive and then another when the two men come.” He grabbed a piece of straw and stuck it in his mouth. Day was officially begun.

  Rand nodded. “Sounds right.”

  “How challenged will the older women be, do you think?”

  Manolo shrugged. “Neither of them checked any of the boxes for special requirements or limitations, so I’m not sure.”

  “Guess we’ll find out.” He started toward the back stall, then turned back. “Is Kai in school today?”

  Rand nodded with that soft grin he got whenever Kai’s name was mentioned. “Yeah. He’s really loving the cours
es he has this summer. He’ll have that degree pretty fast.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Danny, you’re back! You’re back! Did you win? Did you?” A flying nine-year-old missile of enthusiasm connected with Danny’s midsection, and Aliki stared up at him, showing off the gap between his teeth.

  Danny hugged him. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “I knew it! Didn’t I say, Dad? Didn’t I?”

  Danny glanced at Rand, whose smile about split his face. When Rand had married Kai, he’d embraced the whole package, including a lovely twelve-year-old sister, Lani, and the wild and crazy little brother, Aliki. After the adoption, Lani still called Rand Uncle, but Aliki had moved on to Dad and Daddy, which was complicated since Kai was actually Aliki’s much older half brother. When they were around people they didn’t know, both Kai and Rand referred to Lani and Aliki as “their kids,” despite the fact that Kai would have had to have Lani when he was eight. A happier family Danny had never seen—not that he had a ton of experience.

  Rand said, “Thanks, Aliki. Sorry I didn’t ask him myself. So you won?”

  “Yep.”

  “Congratulations. We’d all love to come see you ride sometime.”

  “Oh yeah! I wanna go!” Aliki about burst out of his T-shirt, he clapped so hard.

  “Maybe so.” Danny smiled. But not if he could help it. “So let’s get these horses ready for our guests, okay? Aliki, come help me. Where’s Lani?”

  “She’s helping Felicia. She said to tell you she’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  He nodded. Horse-crazy Lani would never miss a chance to groom Star Sight, the big palomino. He opened the paddock door. So far, just a regular crazy day. Wonder what the guests are like?

  CHAPTER THREE

  “DANNY, HONEY, am I doing this right?” The words sounded like butter and syrup.

  Danny grinned at Nora Benson, who curried one side of Apple’s docile body while her friend, Elena Chavez, handled the other side.

  “Doin’ great, ma’am.”

  “Friends” turned out to be a euphemism for the two ladies who’d been together through everything since the 1960s. Apparently they’d birthed or adopted four or five kids, run a restaurant, and built their own house in Southern California.