Page 2 of Cowboy Triplets Next Door

CHAPTER 2

Billie

Betsy, an aging milk cow who’d been in my life for over a decade, greeted me with her usual moo as I entered the old barn on the ranch. She wasn’t a working dairy cow anymore so she didn’t stay in the new barn. It was more than fine with her, though, if it meant she got treated like the queen of the ranch by me, which she did.

I opened her stall door and walked in, taking a moment to hug her giant head and stroke her nose and ears. “Good morning, Betsy. You’re looking especially great today. New haircut?”

As always, Betsy just licked my hand, searching for food, and bumped her head into my stomach. I didn’t know if she liked me talking to her the way I did, but she was a happy cow and that was good enough for me.

“I have something special for you today.” I pulled half an apple from my pocket and held it out to her. “You eat this while I get the rest of your food together.”

She chomped at the apple happily and I left her to it so I could gather her hay and the special alfalfa sprouts I grew just for her. While I worked, I noticed my masked buddy sneaking up from just outside the open door of the barn. I didn’t know if Brutus was a boy, or not, and I guessed it didn’t really matter. He was a raccoon who’d taken a liking to me one day and he’d visited me every day since.

“Brutus. I see you.” I laughed as he stood up on his back legs and held his little paws in the air. I pulled the other half of the apple from my pocket and offered it to him. “Come on. Get your breakfast.”

He scurried over and started nibbling at the apple while it was still in my hand. His dark little eyes watched me as I finished prepping Betsy’s food with my free hand. Like he always did, he climbed onto my shoulder, with his apple, and sat there while I hauled Betsy’s food to her. She was already finished with her apple and coming out of her stall to look for more.

“Here you go, lady.” With that done, I sat on a bale of hay next to her and completed my morning ritual of talking to both of them. I didn’t think it did anything for them, but they’d become living journals for me. I could tell them everything and anything and my secrets would always be safe. “You guys will never believe what my brain did to me this morning.”

Brutus spewed bits of apple at me as he watched me talk.

“I had a dirty dream about the lords of the manor.” I could hear the disdain in my voice but I didn’t need to hide it when it was just my animal friends I was chatting with. “I tell you guys all the time about how much I can’t stand them. Why would my brain do that to me? It wasn’t just a normal sex dream, either. It was…intense.”

Of course, neither of them spoke back. I didn’t mind, though. I just liked having living things to speak to. It got lonely on the ranch for me and my animal friends had become an outlet.

“I hate them. You both know that. They stole the ranch from me and my family. Yet, my brain thought it appropriate to send me a sex dream where I was being made to beg for their…you know.” I didn’t know how much I could actually tell them, based on their age. I didn’t want to traumatize them. More than I probably already did. “What the hell was that about? I’ve never… that dream was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was rough and dirty. Am I okay?”

Brutus moved to my hair and settled with his stomach to the back of my head and his tiny paws around my forehead.

“Are you hugging me? That’s the sweetest thing ever, Brutus. If you’re humping me, it’s a lot less sweet, though, and I’m going to need to reassess our friendship.”

He patted my forehead roughly, in my mind telling me I didn’t need to worry and to not accuse him of something so wrong.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. Not because I liked it, of course. Just because I don’t get it. I mean, I’m not attracted to them. They’re big oafs. What’s so great about them? Muscles? Pshhh. Most of the men in this valley have muscles. So, they’re tall. Who cares?” I felt my cheeks heating and cleared my throat. It made Betsy look up at me and moo. “Sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt your breakfast. Go on.”

She went back to eating and Brutus patted my forehead again. I reached up and patted his head, returning the favor.

“What’s on your mind, Brutus? Are you trying to knock the dream out of my brain for me? I wouldn’t hate that. Hit me a little harder.” Of course, he didn’t. “Or not. Fine. You only hit me when you want to and never when I need it. What kind of friend are you?”

He hissed suddenly and I froze, not wanting a claw to the eye. He never hissed at me or Betsy but he didn’t like other animals.

“What is it, Brutus? Are you okay?”

He hissed again and climbed even higher, until he was sitting on top of my head. I could feel his claws tugging at my hair and hoped I didn’t end the interaction half bald.

“Brutus? Come on, buddy. Get down.” I groaned under my breath. “I should’ve trained you. God, you don’t have a freaking clue what I’m saying, do you?”

A giant shadow fell over me and I looked up to see the last person I wanted to see. Gray Hellstone. His normally blank face was murderous as he looked at me. “What the fuck are you doing?”

CHAPTER 3

Billie

Brutus let out a wild scream and jumped off my head. He booked it out of the barn, avoiding Gray as he went.

I reached up and rubbed the tender spot on my head where I’d just lost a few strands of hair. “Jesus. You scared the hell out of us. What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What the fuck are you doing? Were you just petting a wild fucking raccoon?” Gray walked over and grabbed my arm to pull me to my feet. “Do you have a goddamn death wish? Do you want rabies?”

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