Page 1 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

Chapter One

~ Jos ~

"Boss man wants to see you up at the big house, Jos."

I grunted as I glanced toward the main house sitting off in the distance. I had a shitload of work to get done before I could even think about going to sleep tonight. I didn't have time to stop by the main house and talk with the boss.

Except that Montgomery Cross was the boss, and that meant I would have to make the time.

The Cross Creek Ranch had been in the Cross family for decades, longer than I had been alive. It had been passed down from generation to generation and currently belonged to Montgomery Cross, the great-great-great grandson of the man who settled and built the ranch back in the 1850's.

I had been here for ten years and I couldn't really think of anywhere else I'd rather be in the whole world. Cross Creek Ranch was in my blood, even if I wasn't a member of the Cross family.

I planned to be here until I died.

"Tell him I'll be up as soon as I'm done getting the stock bedded down for the night."

Wade gave me a clipped nod before turning his horse around and riding back toward the house. I watched for a moment, wondering what Monty wanted with me before dismissing that thought and getting back to work. I wasn't going to find out any faster by sitting there gathering wool.

I snapped the reins and steered my horse back into the throng of cattle, herding them through the gate that led to the pasture closest to the barn. In a few days, it would be time to take them up to the meadows high up on Cross Mountain. They'd stay there until late summer or early fall, fattening up for winter. Once they came down, the calves would be separated from the mama cows and the cattle headed to market would be culled from the herd.

It was the same process that happened every year and had been happening since Cross Creek Ranch was a single room shack with three head of cattle that Cyrus Cross had brought across the plains from back east.

It was monotonous, but soothing in its repetitive nature. I always knew what was required of me. There was something peaceful in that knowledge. I didn't have to try and guess what I needed to do. I already knew.

That did not mean I knew what Monty wanted. The old man could be surly on his good days and aggravating on his bad days. He was almost always bad tempered and brisk, sometimes even cruel.

I actually kind of liked that about him. I didn't have to guess where I stood with the bastard. Monty had no problems letting everyone know. He was still someone who commanded respect just by standing there and he usually received it from everyone he met.

I couldn't imagine working for anyone else. Montgomery Cross had given me a job when no one else would. I would be forever grateful for that. It had been hard working my way upfrom ranch hand to ranch foreman, but I'd done it. I now had more power on the ranch than anyone, barring Monty.

It was a good place to be.

I finished getting the stock settled down and then rode my horse toward the barn. I would have just tied him up in front of the house, but I had no idea what Monty wanted or how long it would take. I wasn't about to leave my horse standing outside for a long period of time.

I dismounted before leading him down the large corridor to his stall. After removing the saddle, I gave him a scoops oats. While Bucky ate, I brushed him down.

I was procrastinating and I knew it, but as long as it wasn't an emergency, I would see to my horse before anything else. I'd been the one to deliver Bucky when his mama had a breach birth. I'd cared for him, loved him, and raised him. I'd even paid Monty a fair price for him.

Bucky was my horse.

Once I was all done, I patted Bucky gently on the neck then walked out of the stall and closed the gate. Knowing I had no other choice at this point, I headed for the main house.

It was a huge, ten thousand square foot, three story ranch house. It boasted of ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, a large kitchen, a formal dining room, an office, a den and over five river rock fireplaces. There was also a large open space on the third floor that had been a nursery at one time. Now, it was used for storage.

With its large wraparound porch, white exterior, and tin roof, the main house had always looked like one of those large plantation houses from Australia I'd seen in the movies.

Monty and Mrs. Gibbons, who was the ranch house cook and housekeeper, were the only ones who currently lived in the main house. I had my own room in the bunkhouse along with the rest of the ranch hands.

I climbed up the steps and crossed the porch to the front door. I knocked once and then opened the door. Before stepping inside, I wiped my feet on the doormat. I wasn't crazy enough to walk across Mrs. Gibbons hardwood floors with dirt on my boots.

That was just stupid.

I walked directly through the house to the back where Monty's office was located. I knew that was where he'd be. That's where he always was.

The door was open, so I stepped inside. "Monty, you wanted to see me?"

The old man turned from where he'd been looking out the window to the fenced pastures beyond. "Come in and take a seat, Jos. Shut the door behind you."

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