Above all we were men honoring our country even while our pasts continued to haunt us.
Some said we could never return, that we were damaged beyond redemption.
Others would stop at nothing to prevent us from doing so.
But we were determined to protect those we loved.
Six men determined to right the wrongs from our past.
Six men prepared to do what it took.
No matter the cost.
Then…
Chapter 1
Mustang
Cattle. Steers. Beasts.
What the hell was I doing here? As I glanced around the crowd, I realized I wasn’t entirely certain I was the man for this job. Huffing, I rolled my eyes before noticing one sexy as fuck copper-haired gal standing near the fence surrounding the animals. Shit. Even my cock twitched in appreciation. She was a delicious breath of fresh air in a sea of testosterone. Long legs in a tight pair of blue jeans. Hair the color of burnished sunshine and a body that could drive any man crazy.
To say I was horny as hell was an understatement.
I could only imagine the way her sweet lips tasted. My visions turned into filthy images of exactly what I’d like to do to her.
Strip her bare.
Feast on her pretty pink pussy.
Fuck her like some wild stallion.
“And Lot 57 is now on the auction block. Take a look at these prized Herefords.”
The crowd cheered as a parade of cattle was brought into the ring. It had been awhile since I’d heard raucous applause during a cattle auction. Hell, it had been years since I’d spent time around livestock at all. The thought was bittersweet and not one I cared to add to the mix. The majority of my past I’d locked away making my return to Montana that much more difficult.
My fantasy shattered, I shifted my attention to the center of the ring.
I stood with my arms folded, studying the auctioneer. He was damn good at his job keeping the crowd enthusiastic while bringing the best price for a collection. There was nothing like the stench in the air to drive my thoughts back to the sexy cowgirl, even if she did seem out of place.
And the odor had nothing to do with the cows.
What the hell was I doing here?
After hearing a few robust snarls, my attention was drawn back to the cowgirl. What the hell was she doing? Taking pictures, one after the other, even crowding close to the temporary fence surrounding the group of cattle. While capturing the event wasn’t necessarily unusual, I could tell her interference had riled several of the cowboys, two of them storming in the cowgirl’s direction. After a few choice words that were obviously in disagreement, one of the assholes even had the audacity to give her a hard shove, pummeling the gorgeous creature to the ground. The hit was hard, the hat she was wearing flying off.
My cock was now shoved hard against my jeans, my libido on overdrive. Even from where I stood, my twenty-twenty vision allowed me to catch a glimpse of her furious face as she jumped into action, taking long strides, slamming her fists against the same guy who’d pushed her. Then the auctioneer entered into the fray. For a few seconds, I had the distinct feeling that fists were going to fly. I couldn’t help but smile. The girl had balls. I liked that in a woman. The feistier the better.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to return to normal, the auctioneer speaking briefly before walking away. What did the girl do? Not back off. Instead, she egged them on.
“Asshole cowboys,” she snarled.
The girl had a mouth on her, one that was going to get her into heaps of trouble.
When she was shoved again, her back slamming against the rail, not a single asshole attempted to help her. “Oh, fuck this,” I muttered, taking long strides in her direction, pitching three of the burly men aside, anger cutting through me like a knife. “I think you owe the lady an apology,” I barked, glaring every man in the eyes for a few seconds.
“Mind your own damn business,” one of the assholes had the audacity to say.
And two of them were stupid enough to laugh.
Within two seconds, my hand was wrapped around the throats of two of the jerks, the pressure just enough they had difficulty breathing, their arms flailing as they attempted to get out of my hold.