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Chapter One
Hoping to find a certain sexy, head turner, Phoenix Wilde walked into Norma’s Cafe. In any other town, people would think it was a trendy retro 50s-style diner with its shiny surfaces, laminate red-topped tables, booths against the front windows, and long counter with fixed round stools. But the place wasn’t some recent designer’s attempt to recreate the past to draw in nostalgic customers ready to pay hefty prices for the experience.
According to his granddad, the cafe hadn’t changed one iota since 1956, the year Elvis’s bus had shown up in town after the driver had taken a wrong turn off of the Great Basin Highway, landing them in remote Wilde, Nevada. Pappy Jack and others had watched the singer eat the special of the morning, flapjacks, which was renamed and had ever since remained on the menu as King Cakes.
As the glass door closed behind him and the little bell chimed, Phoenix spotted the curvy beauty he’d been looking for in one of the booths, and his body heated up. Everything about this woman had been permeating his thoughts for the past several days. Like an addict, he craved for another round with the one who would give him what he needed, but unfortunately the dream woman didn’t look up from her coffee or laptop.
Jessica Greene. Jessie.
When she flipped her auburn locks out of her eyes, his desire for her overwhelmed him. Nothing on earth was as beautiful as her.
The only other customers in Norma’s were his six Strong cousins, Aunt Maude’s sons. The eldest of the lot motioned him over. Phoenix walked to their table by the jukebox.
“Hey, guys.” He’d grown up with Tobias, Heath, Nate, Seth, and the twins, Dax and Drake, who were more like brothers than cousins. Like him, they were at home in the saddle. “I’m surprised to see you guys in town. Who’s taking care of Aunt Maude’s ranch?”
Heath shrugged. “Dads sent us into town for some supplies and breakfast.”
“Tyrants.” Nate glowered. “Even though we were up all night, getting the herd into the north pasture, they expect us back for a full day of work.”
“He needs his coffee.” Seth smiled. “We just ordered. How about joining us?”
“I think Phoenix has got a better offer.” Heath looked over at Jessie. “She’s the special investigator from the Feds?”
Phoenix nodded. Jessie was in town on the authority of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. She would be digging into the fluke accidents at Wilde Mine, Phoenix’s family’s business.
Tobias’s eyebrows shot up. “She can’t be. What happened to that old guy that worked out of Elko?”
“You mean Fred Tyler?”
“Yeah. Isn’t he the one who signs off on recertification every year? Why isn’t he doing the investigating?” Tobias had worked at Wilde Mine a year after graduation from high school to pay for his pilot lessons and airplane. He knew almost as much as Phoenix did about the mine.
“Fred does the normal stuff for the agency. She’s a special investigator.” Jessie was no airhead. Far from it. He would have to be really sharp to woo this intelligent woman, and that, too, jacked up his desire for her.
“She can’t be over twenty.”
“Ms. Greene is twenty-five.” If his cousins had any idea Jessie was a recent virgin, they’d be on her like wolves to raw meat. Understandable, as her inexperience in the fucking department only added to his hunger for her. Best to keep his lusty cousins in the dark.
Nate gave him a dirty look. “Better not let Austin find out that you’re hanging out with the enemy.”
“Bro, it’s not just our cousin Phoenix who’s been spending time with the little lady.” Heath grinned. “Jackson spilled the beans to me that all the Wilde brothers but Aust
in are seeing her, trying to move things forward.”
Phoenix clenched his jaw. “My lil’ bro needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.”
Nate glared at him. “That’s stupid, even for you dime-store cowboys.”
“Not stupid at all. Believe me, I want to know more about her.” Phoenix loved razzing his cousins, especially Nate, who deserved it the most. “And you calling me a dime-store cowboy makes you look pretty dumb. You do remember who broke Demon?” When Phoenix had been fifteen, he’d been the only one of his brothers and cousins to stay in the saddle of the wild mustang.
Nate shook his head. “Luck. That’s what that was.”
“Keep telling yourself that, cuz.” Everyone knew better, even Nate. Phoenix even had a couple of buckles he’d won when he’d done the rodeo circuit for one year. As a reward for taming the beast, his dads and uncles had given him Demon. The horse was getting older, but his longtime friend still had some of his spark left in him that Phoenix had felt on that very first ride.
“Dallas and Denver in on this, really?” Tobias asked.
Phoenix didn’t want to give away too much. He could trust his cousins with his life, but when it came to love, that was another story. They’d swooped in many times on a girl who he’d been thinking about asking out, stealing his chance away. “We’re trying to take things slow.”
“Better take it really slow.” Nate frowned. “If Austin finds out, I wouldn’t want to be you guys.”
“We can handle him.”
“What about your dads and mom? Do they know?”
“If things with Ms. Greene continue to progress down this path, we’ll tell them. Until then, keep this to yourself.”
Dax stood and patted him on the back. “It’s just like when your mom and ours came to town.”
Drake nodded. “Why settle for locals when there’s a whole world of beautiful women outside Wilde?”
“Shut up, you two.” Nate pounded his fists on the table. “Aunt Mary and Mom came here for other reasons than shutting down the mine.”
Drake shrugged. “Maybe so, but they ended up falling in love and getting married.”
Nate shook his head, clearly frustrated with his younger brothers. He turned to Phoenix. “Listen to me, cuz. I don’t own one share of the Wilde Mine, but this town depends on it, so it’s important to me. You better figure out where your loyalty really lies.”
Phoenix glared at him. “You know something I don’t? I really doubt it will come to the mine being shut down,” he said, though he wasn’t so sure. “Mind your own goddamn business, and keep your mouth shut. Got it?”
His cousin raised his hands in a sign of surrender. “Calm down. I got it. I just hope your dick doesn’t get this whole town into trouble.”
“Nate, shut up,” Dax and Drake said in unison.
Heath looked up at Phoenix. “Better get to your sweet prize. She’s been pretending not to notice you.”
Phoenix nodded and headed to the reason he was here. As he approached Jessie, her sparkling green eyes danced from him to his cousins then back to him.
She stood and held out her hand for him to shake in a businesslike manner. “Nice to see you again, Phoenix.”
Jessie’s hourglass shape was built for sin. He blatantly let his stare linger on her chest. When her lush lips turned down into the sexiest frown he’d ever seen, his dick hardened like quick-drying cement. She withdrew the offer of her hand and pointed to him then to her face, indicating he should raise his gaze.
