Bonner Men of Clifton Montana Book 8 Read online

  BONNER

  A Men of Clifton, Montana Novel

  Book 8

  by

  Susan Fisher-Davis

  Erotic Romance

  BONNER Men of Clifton, Montana Book 8

  Copyright © 2018 Susan Fisher-Davis

  First E-book Publication: June 2018

  Cover design by Amy Valentini

  Edited by Amy Valentini/Romancing Editorially

  All cover art copyright © 2018 by Susan Fisher-Davis

  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: Blue Whiskey Publishing

  Susan Davis

  www.susanfisherdavisauthor.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.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  As always, to my editor, cover artist, and most of all, my friend, Amy Valentini. I could never do this without you. You have taught me so much and I will be forever grateful. You’re the best!

  To my betas, Toby, Sandra, Dedee, and Rhonda. You ladies are the best and I love all of you.

  To my husband, Rob. You are my rock.

  To TLS for the photo. You didn’t have to do this but I’m so glad you did.

  To Shannon McPeek for taking such an amazing shot.

  You can find Shannon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.mcpeek.3

  DEDICATION

  This book is in memory of Kathy Jefferson, who passed away July 20, 2017. Kathy was such a wonderful person, and friend, who loved to read. Her death hit so many of us authors hard. She was so anxious to read this book when I told her about it but sadly, she passed away before I was able to finish it. So this one’s for you, ‘Kat Kat’, and I hope there’s a library in heaven for you!

  I miss you.

  Chapter One

  “Damn it,” Stephanie Taylor muttered as she sat at the big mahogany desk. She stared at the computer screen, and blinked once. Twice. But the numbers didn’t change. Her frustration made her want to scream. Literally scream.

  Sitting back in the chair, she sighed and reaching out an unsteady hand, she closed the program. What was she going to do? She couldn’t lose the ranch. Originally, it had belonged to her mother and when her mother died years ago, her father had taken over the ranch and pulled it out of the red. Only now, no one in town would deal with Stephanie and it was her fault. If she had just kept her mouth shut about wanting Wyatt Stone back, her father wouldn’t have been arrested for hiring someone to scare away the woman Wyatt actually loved. The actual truth of it was that Stephanie never wanted Wyatt back. She just didn’t like seeing him with someone else. Jealousy was so unbecoming, and she had certainly lived up to her reputation of being a bitch.

  Pushing the chair back, she stood and headed out of the office to the living room. The only good thing was the ranch was paid for but she still had to keep it going, and that took money. Money that needed to suddenly appear or she’d have to sell it all off, and that meant selling the home and land her mother had loved.

  Sales had begun to fade once her father was sent to prison. Blake Taylor had had customers from all over the country wanting to buy his American Quarter Horses. Now Wyatt had them all. At first, Wyatt had only trained cutting horses but once he started working with her father, his name became well known in the horse world as both a trainer and breeder. His brothers, Jake and Gabe also sold the breed and trained horses. Jake trained reining horses and Gabe trained calf-roping horses.

  Stephanie walked into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge door and grabbed a bottle of water. She twisted the cap off, dropping it on the counter then took a big swig from the bottle. She’d already sold several of the horses in her stock, but there were six left she refused to part with, and those six were either going to make or break her.

  She looked up as if to the heavens above. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m going to do what I can to keep this place.”

  A knock on the back door startled her. It opened and her ranch manager, Bonner Gentry, stepped into the kitchen then folded his arms and leaned back against the door. Stephanie tried like hell not to squirm but the man made her nervous. Not in a bad way. It wasn’t that he was creepy in any way. No, just the opposite.

  He was drop dead gorgeous with hair so dark it appeared black, and light green eyes surrounded by thick, lush lashes any woman would kill to have. His straight nose sat over a very sexy pair of lips and a five o’clock shadow covered his lower face, jaw, and neck. Except he usually had that five o’clock shadow by eleven every morning. Sideburns ended at the lobes of his ears, and blended into the shadow. His straw cowboy hat sat low on his forehead, partially shading those beautiful eyes and his thick hair curled on the ends. He stood six foot five and was all muscle. There were several times she’d be in the barn to see him working without a shirt on and she’d practically run from the barn because if she hadn’t, she would’ve tackled him to the ground and rode him until neither could move, or follow that happy trail with her tongue.

  Bonner was thirty-three and a hotter specimen of man, she’d never seen. Oh sure, she’d once had Wyatt Stone and he was definitely one sexy, gorgeous man but it wasn’t meant to be. It was different with Bonner. Any time she was close to him, she felt as if she were on fire.

  Now as he stood in her kitchen looking cocky, she ran her eyes down over the blue T-shirt that hugged his pecs and flat stomach, the sleeves tight around his biceps, and then on down to his fly. Oh, my. The man sure didn’t look to be lacking anywhere. When he cleared his throat, she quickly lifted her eyes to meet his only to see him lift a dark eyebrow causing heat to pour into her cheeks.

  Clearing her throat, she straightened up and pushed away her embarrassment at being caught ogling. “What is it you want, Bonner?”

  A slow, sexy grin lifted those perfect lips and white teeth appeared between them. Dimples peeked in his cheeks.

  “Now that’s a loaded question, Stephanie,” he said in a low sexy tone full of innuendo.

  “Why do you insist on calling me that? The other men all call me Steffie.”

  “I’m not the other men and I sure as shit won’t call you Steffie.” His lips twisted in distaste as he practically spit the word out.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him. “What is it you want?”

  Bonner pushed himself off the door and straightened up. “Do you still want to fire Jocko?”

  “I don’t want
to. I have to. The books are—” She waved her hand around.

  “Bad. Yeah, I get it. Soon it will only be the two of us. I’m waiting for you to fire me at any time.”

  “I have to have at least one other person here besides me.”

  “Gee, I’m touched,” he said as he put his hand over his heart. Turning to the door, he opened it and spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll send him in.”

  “No. Wait. You have to do it. You’re his boss.”

  “You made the decision, you do it.” He started out the door.

  “Bonner?” With an obvious impatience, he spun around to face her. Despite that reaction, she continued. “I’m telling you to do it. You’re his boss, but I’m yours. Do it.”

  “Or what?” He leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms across his broad chest.

  “Just do it.” She swallowed hard. “Please.”

  A smirk lifted his lips. “Since you asked so nicely, I’ll do it. But I’m telling you right now, this is the last man I fire. We’re short too many men now. It’s bad enough with only five men other than me, but now you’re getting rid of another one. I’d ask for extra pay but I know I won’t get it.” Bonner pushed off the doorjamb, turned, and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

  ****

  “She is going to drive me insane,” Bonner muttered as he stood on the porch then stalked down the steps and strode toward the barn. Damn, he hated firing anyone but he also knew she couldn’t afford to keep paying the ranch hands that were still here much longer. Just what the hell did she plan on doing? The ranch was failing big time. No one wanted to deal with her because of the shit she’d pulled, and then her father compounded it by doing her bidding and ending up in prison.

  Bonner shook his head and looked down at the dust his boots kicked up as he walked. Entering the barn, he headed for his office stopping when he saw one of the ranch hands heading his way.

  “Where’s Jocko?” Bonner asked.

  “Over in the hay barn.”

  “Can you get him for me? Tell him to come to my office.”

  “Your office?”

  Bonner sighed. “Yes, Kyle…please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Bonner entered his office and closed the door. He hated having to do this. Jocko was a good hand and Bonner hated losing him, but he didn’t have a choice. If there wasn’t enough money to pay him, he had to go. A few minutes passed before a knock came on the door. Damn it.

  Later, Bonner walked out of the barn and stared up at the Glacier Mountains in the distance. As the sun began to set, the late May air cooled a little. Putting his hands on his hips, he swung his gaze to the house. He could see lights burning through the windows. Maybe it was time he moved on. After all, he had enough money saved up to buy his own place. He’d put money away from the time he first started working and when he got the job here at age eighteen, he lived on the ranch so he hadn’t really had to pay for anything except clothes. Blake Taylor had always provided a place to live and food for all the ranch hands. Bonner became ranch manager when he turned twenty-five and began living in a small house located on the property that Blake had given him to use. But why stay on a sinking ship? Looking toward the windows again, he knew he needed to talk to her about the future—his as well as that of the ranch.

  “Son of a bitch,” he swore as he walked to the porch and up the steps. He knocked and waited. Since everyone was gone for the day, he didn’t want to enter the house and scare her. The door opened and she stood with the kitchen light at her back.

  “Bonner?”

  “Can I come in?” When she nodded and opened the door wider, he removed his hat and stepped into the room. He noticed she stepped away from him as if she didn’t like being close to him. Maybe he needed a shower after working in the heat all day but she seemed to react that way anytime he was close to her.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she asked him.

  “No, thanks. I fired Jocko like you…asked me to do. He wasn’t happy about it, but he understood. I think you’d best brace yourself for the other men to leave soon too. They all know the ranch isn’t doing well and I get the vibe that they’d probably rather go on their own than be fired.” Bonner held his hat in front of him.

  “Do you think they will?”

  “I would. In fact, I think it’s probably best I move on too.”

  A pained expression crossed her face then Stephanie pulled a chair out from the table, flopped down on it, and looked up at him.

  “I can’t lose you, Bonner. You run this ranch. What will I do then?”

  “Maybe it’s time to sell––”

  “No,” she exclaimed jumping up from the chair.

  “Stephanie, you can’t keep this place going much longer. You’re down to six horses and have a thousand acres to care for with only four other men besides me to do the work now. And I can’t guarantee they’ll be around much longer.”

  “I can’t do this without you.”

  “Damn it,” he swore when he saw her rapidly blink her eyes. He hated tears. He didn’t know how to deal with them. “What happens when you have to fire more men? How the hell will just two of us run this ranch? You need to figure something out and soon, or sell.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I can’t buy more horses because the bank won’t give me a loan.”

  “Why not? Use the ranch as collateral.”

  “No! What happens if I can’t repay the loan? They’ll get my home.”

  “Jesus, Stephanie, you’re going to lose it anyway,” he snapped.

  “I need to find someone who will help me.”

  “Like how? Sell you horses and not expect you to pay for them?”

  “Don’t be a smartass.”

  “I’m being realistic. It’s not just horses you need. You need clients because you need money to care for the horses and pay the ranch hands—to pay me. What about all the folks who used to buy foals and the folks who used to hire you to train barrel racers?”

  “They want nothing to do with me.” She sat back down, leaned her elbows on the table, and put her hands over her face. “I’m going to lose this ranch.”

  Bonner huffed. “All right, I’ll stick around for now, but you really need to figure something out. Go see Wyatt and ask him for help.”

  Stephanie dropped her hands on the table and looked up at him with her mouth hanging open. “Are you out of your mind? He hates me, he’d never help me.”

  “Well, you’d better do something to get old clients back in or get some new ones. I have to run to town tomorrow to pick up feed. Is there anything else you need?”

  “Yes, but you can’t give it to me.”

  Bonner frowned. “What is that?”

  “A time machine so I can go back and fix this.”

  “Meaning, fix you not being a spoiled rich bitch?”

  Stephanie gasped and glared at him. “That was uncalled for.”

  “So was your being a bitch. You tell Daddy you want Wyatt so he does everything he can to help you out and what happens? Blake ends up in prison and poor little rich girl still doesn’t get her man.”

  “That. Is. Enough,” she shouted, coming to her feet.

  “Fire me then.” He narrowed his eyes at her, calling her bluff.

  With a dejected sigh, and a groan, she collapsed into the chair again. “You know I can’t do that. I’m asking you to stay for a few more months. Please, until I can figure out what to do.”

  “I said I would, but I still think your best bet is to talk to Wyatt. He has all your old buyers now.” Bonner shrugged. “Maybe he’d be willing to share.”

  Stephanie laughed without humor. “I don’t think so. He hates me and I’m sure if his wife saw me talking with him, she’d take great pleasure in slitting my throat.”

  Bonner stepped closer to her. “Can you blame her?”

  “I didn’t say I blamed her. I was just stating a fact. Now, I’m going to take a nice hot bath and think. I’ll see you tom
orrow.” Stephanie stared up at him and he knew he’d been dismissed when she gave him a terse nod.

  “All right. I’ll being going early to get feed. After that, I’ll be in the barn if you need me.” Not waiting for a response, he put his hat on then walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

  The next morning, Bonner backed his pickup truck to the loading dock at the feed store, shut it off, and then stepped out. Several people called out to him. Luckily, no one blamed him in any of what had happened between the Taylors and the Stones. They knew he was just the ranch manager at Caroline’s Dream, and had nothing to do with what Blake or Stephanie had done. He entered the store and sauntered to the counter, waving at several people inside. He smiled when he saw Emma Stone standing behind the counter.

  “Hi, Emma. How are you?”

  “Wonderful. How are you, Bonner?”

  “Good, thanks.”

  Emma Stone’s father owned the feed store and occasionally, she filled in for him on Saturdays. Her husband, Gabe, was a good friend of Bonner’s, as were his brothers, Jake and Wyatt.

  “What do you need today?” Emma asked him with a smile.

  “Two bags of Beckett horse feed, please.” He leaned an arm on the counter and glanced around the store. A good amount of people crowded the store, as was the usual on Saturdays. He enjoyed coming into the store. With its antique signs hanging on the walls and the scuffed wooden floors, it looked like a throwback in time.

  “Uh, Bonner?”

  He turned to look at Emma only to see her wearing a frown on her face.

  “Yeah?”

  She leaned closer to him and whispered. “The account has been closed. Stephanie didn’t keep up the payments.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Bonner growled out then sighed. “How much is the bill?”

  “Three hundred dollars.” Emma nibbled on her bottom lip.

  “I’ll pay it…and for the two bags. We need the feed.”

  “I’m so sorry.”