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A Total-E-Bound Publication
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Alone in a Crowd
ISBN # 978-1-78184-029-0
©Copyright Carol Lynne 2012
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright June 2012
Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
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of the artwork.
Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This
story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 1.
This story contains 86 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book
containing 12 pages.
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Cattle Valley
ALONE IN A CROWD
Carol Lynne
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Book twenty-seven in the Cattle Valley Series
For years, Ryan Blackfeather prided himself on maintaining his composure no matter the
situation. He has built a life around his desire to be needed, to feel important to those around
him. His job as sheriff and the love of his partners, Nate and Rio, not only fulfil him they give
him purpose. So why when he receives a phone call with tragic news does their love and
support not comfort him?
The more Rio and Nate pressured him to talk about his sudden surly mood, the more Ryan
began to resent them. The answer came at the height of a heated argument, it was time to
return to the place and the people who first made him feel like he had nothing to offer. Only
then would he figure out why he’d spent a lifetime searching for the acceptance of those
around him.
Insisting he tackle his past on his own terms, Ryan returns to Oklahoma to face the demon,
the one man in the world he could never please.
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Note from the author
There seems to be two different camps when it comes to Cattle Valley. There are readers who
can’t get enough of Nate, Ryan and Rio, and those who can’t stand the threesome. For those
readers who don’t like hearing more about Nate, Ryan and Rio, I apologize for penning yet
another book about my favorite men in the series. These three men have been in my head for
years, and I never tire of exploring more about the individual men who make up such a
loving family.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Diet Pepsi: PEPSICO, INC. CORPORATION
Piece of My Heart: Sung by Janis Joplin, written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns
American Pie: Don McLean
Gunsmoke: Arness Production Company, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
Google: Google Inc. CORPORATION
ALONE IN A CROWD Carol Lynne 6
Chapter One
Sheriff Ryan Blackfeather stood on the small rise and watched his partner, Rio Adega
cut down a dead tree. Cleaning up the park was a yearly event that his other partner, Nate
Gills, took very seriously. Ryan, on the other hand, took the view of Rio’s ass in a tight pair of
jeans serious. He reached down and subtly adjusted his hardening cock.
The park was full of people with good intentions, too bad Ryan couldn’t act on his. He
smiled and shook his head. If he went any closer he’d have to arrest himself for indecent
exposure. Later, he promised himself.
“You gonna just stand there, or are you going to come down here and help me?” Rio
asked.
“I’m on duty.” Ryan pointed to his badge. “This gets me out of manual labour today.”
Rio wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. “Funny how that
happens, and here I thought you usually took Saturday’s off.”
“Pete wanted off to spend time with Brian and Ethan.” Ryan chuckled. He knew he
wasn’t fooling Rio, but it was a good game. “I always put my deputies’ needs before my
own.”
“Mmm hmm. Keep telling yourself that.”
“I will.” Ryan spotted a scrap of paper several feet away and walked over to pick it up.
“Love you. Don’t work too hard.”
Bent over, his ass facing Ryan, Rio gathered a few of the sawed logs in his arms. “I
wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such a dedicated lawman.”
Ryan was still chuckling as he walked off. Despite what Rio believed, he wasn’t afraid
of hard work. He simply felt better being in a position where he could watch over the citizens
he’d been hired to protect.
* * * *
Smokey Sharp watched Ezra James and Palmer Wynfield rake the previous fall’s leaves
away from the edge of the pond. There was a time when he’d be right there, working
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ALONE IN A CROWD Carol Lynne 7
alongside Ezra, but that was before Palmer, before he’d made one of the biggest mistakes of
his life.
“No time like the present,” Smokey whispered. He took off his cowboy hat and walked
closer to the water’s edge. Instead of announcing his presence, he waited. It was immediately
obvious that Ezra’s relationship with Palmer agreed with him. Ezra looked younger without
the massive beard he’d worn for years, and happier than Smokey had ever seen him.
Several moments later, Ezra glanced up. His initial reaction was a wide smile, but all
too soon it was gone, replaced by a scowl. “What’re you doing in town?”
Palmer stopped raking and spun around to face Smokey. It was the moment of fear in
Palmer’s eyes that hurt the most. Smokey took a deep breath, praying the words would come
out the way he’d rehearsed. “I came back to apologise. To both of you,” he added. “I don’t
expect either of you to forgive me, but I’d like to come home to Cattle Valley.”
Before he could say anything more, Palmer dropped his rake and took a step towards
Smokey. “You don’t need our permission.” He shook his head. “I’m not as insecure as I used
to be.”
“I don’t have any openings on the ranch,” Ezra said, moving to stand beside Palmer.
Smokey looked down at his boots. “I didn’t apologise because I wanted you to give me
a job. I guess I just hoped…” He stuffed his hat back onto his head. It was obvious Ezra
wasn’t planning to forgive him anytime soon. “Never mind.” He waved to the two men as he
turned to leave. “See ya around.”
Smokey slowly walked back to his truck before his legs could give out. He hated
himself for believing all could be forgiven. Real life wasn’t like the movies, it wasn’t as
simple as apologising to the people you’d wronged. “It was stupid as fuck to come back
here,” he mumbled as he climbed behind the wheel and slammed the door.
“You’re the last person I expected to see today.”
Smokey sat up straight and turned to find Sheriff Ryan Blackfeather leaning on his
truck. The last time he’d had a run-in with Ryan it was just after he’d made the mistake of
threatening Palmer. “Came back to apologise. I’m not looking for trouble.”
Arms crossed, Ryan continued to stare at Smokey. “Did it work?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Smokey smiled and shook his head. “I doubt it, but at least
I’m still alive.”
“So what now?”
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ALONE IN A CROWD Carol Lynne 8
That was the million-dollar question. “No idea. I lost my job up north when the old
man died. His snot-nosed kid came in and sold the whole damn place to a developer. Gonna
put up windmill generators. Know of anything around here?”
After several moments, Ryan pulled out his wallet and withdrew a card. “Nate has a
friend who just leased three hundred acres from the city to farm.” He handed Smokey the
card. “Give him a call. Tell him I referred you.”
Smokey stared at the expensively embossed business card. Second Chance Ranch, Robert
Ogden, Owner. “You’d do that?”
“Make no mistake, I didn’t approve of what you did to Wyn, but I know you were a
damn good foreman for Ezra.” He gestured to the card. “Give Oggie a call.”
“Thanks.” Smokey started his truck. “See you around, Sheriff.” He waited for Ryan to
step back before pulling out of the parking lot. He tossed the card in the seat beside him,
more depressed than ever. He’d love to work on a ranch again, but his health was declining
rapidly, and it wouldn’t be right to apply for a job based on the kind of foreman he once was.
Smokey drove through town and pulled into the grocery store parking lot. Elliott
Simmons was the only loose end he had left on his road to redemption. He couldn’t make
people forgive him, but he couldn’t let that stop him from trying.
Elliott had reached out to him after Ezra kicked him off the ranch, had even offered
physical comfort to help ease Smokey’s broken heart, and he’d repaid him by drinking
himself into oblivion every night. It wasn’t Elliott’s fault. Smokey had always been a drinker.
It was only natural for him to crawl into a bottle of whisky and live there for the better part
of a year and a half. Unfortunately, Elliott had paid the price.
Smokey got out of the truck and slammed the door harder than needed. He took a deep
breath before entering the grocery store and was immediately met by Jeff, Elliott’s teenage
son. “Hey.”
“Mr Sharp,” Jeff said in surprise. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“Just drove in a few hours ago. Is your dad here?”
“He’s in the back.” Jeff set the box he was holding on the floor. “He missed you, you
know?”
Smokey didn’t, as a matter-of-fact, he couldn’t imagine Elliott had given him a second
thought after throwing his drunk ass out. “No, but it’s nice to hear.” He took a second look at
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ALONE IN A CROWD Carol Lynne 9
the growing man in front of him. “I’m sorry if I scared you back then, but I promise I’m sober
now.”
“Don’t tell me, tell Dad.” Jeff picked the box up and smiled. “It’s good to see you
again.”
“Thanks, you too.” Smokey walked towards the back of the store feeling lighter than he
had in a very long time. He entered the storeroom and prayed Elliott would be as kind as the
son he’d raised. “Hey.”
Elliott glanced up from his clipboard. “Hey,” he returned, an expression of shock on his
dark brown face. He took several steps, putting him directly in front of Smokey. “You’re
back.”
Staring down into his old friend’s dark eyes, Smokey realised how much he hated
himself for disappointing Elliott. “I came to tell you how sorry I am for what happened
between us.”
“Don’t do that. I’m sorry about how it ended, but not all the memories are bad ones.”
Elliott reached up and brushed Smokey’s cheek with his hand. “I’ve missed you.”
“I don’t know why you would, but I’ll take it.” Smokey leaned into Elliott’s touch. If
only he could go back and live his life over. Maybe he would’ve fallen in love with Elliott
before Ezra managed to get under his skin. A lump of regret formed in his throat, prompting
him to pull away. “I should probably let you get back to work.”
“You staying in town?”
There were two places to stay in Cattle Valley, the lodge or the B&B, and both were too
expensive for Smokey’s limited funds. “I have a lead on a job, but I’m not sure how much
help I can offer the guy.” He looked down at his hands. According to the doctor, the
rheumatoid arthritis that was quickly crippling him was an inherited disease that could be
marginally managed but not cured. As if his mother abandoning him as a child wasn’t
enough, he would forever endure a constant reminder of the slut who’d loved men and
drugs more than her own son.
Elliott glanced at Smokey’s gnarled fingers. “I think you have more to offer than you
give yourself credit for.”
* * * *
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ALONE IN A CROWD Carol Lynne 10
Ryan Blackfeather watched Smokey drive off with mixed feelings. It was his job to
make sure the residents of Cattle Valley were kept safe, and Smokey had threatened Palmer
Wynfield on more than one occasion. However, the sadness in Smokey’s eyes spoke
volumes, and Ryan doubted the older man was in town for vengeance.
He turned away from the parking lot and walked towards the pond where he’d spotted
Ezra and Wyn earlier. Standing on top of a small rise, Ryan watched the two men for several
moments, assuring himself they were safe before going in search of his own family.
As usual, Nate was organising the clean-up efforts, perched happily under the cover of
the gazebo. Ryan mounted the steps and joined his partner. “Everything going smoothly?”
Nate rose and wrapped his arms around Ryan. “More people come out every year. We
should be finished by two.”
Ryan leant down for a deep kiss, sweeping the interior of Nate’s mouth with his tongue.
“Makes sense. We’ve got more people in town than we used to.” He needed to broach the
subject of Smokey’s arrival, but he didn’t want to ruin Nate’s day. As Wyn’s best friend, Nate
was incredibly protective and loyal. Ryan knew it wouldn’t matter to Nate why Smokey was
in town, he would stop at nothing to drive him out again. It was an inappropriate response
from a mayor, but the predictable move of a best friend.
“I was thinking…” Nate began.
“Sounds expensive.” Ryan chuckled and kissed Nate’s forehead.
“Shut up. With all the new people moving in and the success of Asa’s new game line,
we’ve got a lot of extra money in the budget.”
“And you’ve thought of a way to spend it.” Although Ryan enjoyed teasing Nate about
his spendthrift ways, he knew Nate took his job seriously, and would only spend public
funds if he honestly thought it was in the best interest of the community. “What do you have
in mind?”
“Do you remember how good it felt to bring Jay here, to offer him a place of safety and
acceptance?”
“Of course.” Since Jay there had been several other young men who had taken refuge in
Cattle Valley.
“I think we should help Oggie build a facility to house runaways, specifically GLBT
runaways. According to him, the streets of most cities are littered with young men and
women searching for somewhere to belong.”
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