The Cowboys and the English Teacher [Hot Off The Ranch] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Free Page B

she had been clinging to his body. Wyler appeared at her other side and placed a hand on her waist, pulling her closer protectively.
    There in the trees stood a boy, no more than nine or ten years old. He wore a straw hat and carried a parasol. His hand rested on his hip as he threw his head back and laughed heartily. Despite the humor in him, his appearance sent a chill down her spine.
    ‘Brujo Sese,’ she heard someone whisper reverently. Betsy turned toward the sound of the voice and found everyone smiling benevolently at him. Perdita rushed forward, bowing slightly as she approached. ‘Welcome, Brujo. Welcome.’
    She ushered him into her yard, clapping her hands together in glee. ‘We are blessed,’ she said to everyone and no-one in particular. ‘Brujo Sese has blessed us.’
    The small boy strutted forward, surveying the crowd. His manner was arrogant but friendly, like a royal prince totally used to the adulation his appearance caused. People began to rush forward with gifts—food, cigars, and to her horror, bottles of hard liquor like whisky and rum.
    The boy or man took them, filling his pockets with whatever he could not hold in his hands, but not before pulling the top off of a bottle of rum with his teeth and taking a long swallow.
    Betsy gasped before she could stop herself, causing many people to turn her way, including Jack.
    ‘What the fuck?’ he whispered in her direction. She looked at him, reassured that she wasn’t the only one finding the spectacle disturbing. When the child lit a cigar and blew out a large, billowing cloud of blue smoke, she had to put her hands over her mouth to stop herself from calling out.
    Perdita appeared behind her.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ she whispered in her ear. ‘He is not a boy at this moment. He bears the spirit of the Brujeria.’ She repeated the statement in broken English for Jack and Wyler as she remembered that they spoke only a little Spanish.
    ‘You mean he’s possessed?’ Betsy asked too loudly, drawing disapproving glares from those close by.
    ‘That’s a Christian word for it, but yes. You could call it possession.’
    ‘How long will he be like this?’ Wyler asked.
    ‘Until the spirit leaves him. There must be a ceremony close by. Brujo Sese is usually one of the first to appear to the congregation. He is known for his love of the good life—music, food, sex.’
    ‘Sex?’ she squeaked. ‘Perdita, I don’t think he should be—’
    The woman laughed, cutting her off midsentence. ‘No. He does not do those things himself. He just loves to see people in love and from time to time, likes to meddle mischievously to make that happen.’
    ‘Why is he here?’
    ‘Maybe he sensed he could have some fun. The noise of the party may have drawn him in. Or maybe he knows there are people here who need his help.’ Perdita chuckled again, looking at Wyler then Jack before turning toward the approaching figure of the small boy.
    The boy’s gaze fixed on Betsy and she found herself shrinking away from the lewd, knowing look on such a young face. ‘You want him?’ he said in his native tongue, flicking his head toward Jack until he noticed the near mirror image beside him. Thankful they had no idea what the boy had asked. She shook her head quickly.
    ‘No?’ He laughed. ‘Which one do you dream about then? Or is it both of them?’
    Betsy felt the color flooding her face and risked a look at Wyler. His gaze left the boy and swiveled toward her, as if he’d understood the question and was waiting for her answer, too. Dropping his gaze, she took a step away from the taunting look of the possessed child.
    ‘Oh, yes, you dream about them, Betsy.’
    ‘You’re a very impertinent little boy,’ she snapped, retreating into teacher mode in the hope he would leave her alone. ‘It’s not polite to speak to your elders about such things.’
    Perdita leapt forward, alarmed by the way she had spoken. ‘She means no harm, Brujo. She doesn’t know our