Chapter Six

Nicole was having one hell of a dream. Which was odd considering she could have sworn she had already started her day. In her dream there were four tall, good looking cowboys (hats, spurs, chaps and six shooters included), and they were currently arguing how exactly you were supposed to use the big cooking machine and which knobs did what.

"That circle thing is turning red. Does that mean it's hot?" one of them asked in a voice that sounded as if it came straight out of a western.

"I don't know, Andrew, why don't you touch it and find out?" A deeper voice replied. This was followed by the smell of burnt flesh and a loud curse.

"Dammit, Jamison!" Andrew exclaimed as Jamison chuckled.

"Watch your language in front of the kid," another voice warned and this voice was more familiar than the others. It was slow and had a drawl to it that washed over her.

"I think they're funny." Madeline replied with a giggle.

Hearing Madeline had Nicole snapping awake and sitting bolt upright on the large brown couch where someone must have laid her.

"Well look who is sounding all fatherly." Jamison's voice was laced with sarcasm. Nicole stared into the kitchen and was certain she had completely lost her mind.

From here she could had a clear view of her kitchen and there they were. They weren't a dream. Four wild west looking cowboys with guns on their hips, hats on their heads and chaps on their legs were standing in her country kitchen looking more confused than a little.

She remembered how Cavanaugh had said they were from the year 1875... She had a funny feeling they were escapees from the mental hospital about an hour away. But if a woman's home had to be overrun by escaped mental patients then Nicole couldn't imagine four hotter men to be overrun by.

Strangely enough she found herself looking at each man in turn and noting his features. What she should do was call the police and have these men tossed in jail but instead she was enjoying the view!

Andrew, appeared to be the youngest. Judging from his build she would guess he was between seventeen and twenty though he acted far younger as he opened the freezer and stuck his burned hand inside, "Oh man this thing would have come in handy that time Ian stuck that cattle brand to the back of my britches!" he exclaimed.

"Yes but I don't think the lady would appreciate you sticking your backside on her food." Cavanaugh's voice drawled.

Nicole found herself fighting the urge to laugh at their conversation and went back to her appraisal of Andrew. He had taken his hat off and his hair was nearly black. He had boyish features, big brown eyes and a lopsided smile, which was still on his face despite the pain he appeared to be in.

If she had to guess she would say the trigger happy man who had shot her alarm clock was the next in age. There was something about this man that she didn't trust despite his seemingly friendly demeanor. He looked too perfect she supposed. His sharply angled face was flawless, with just the tiniest hint of stubble on his jaw. His brown eyes were too bright, his smile too perfect.

She turned her gaze to the other two and frowned. While all four men were broad and fairly tall these two were the broadest and tallest. They looked very much alike just as the younger two looked quite similar. She looked at the 'lawman' first. He was six and a half feet tall at least and very handsome, but he looked stern. His blue eyes were hard and he seemed very standoffish with his arms over his chest and his square jaw set.

Then her eyes found Cavanaugh. It would seem that whatever breed of crazy these crazy men had was contagious because she found herself very attracted to the psycho man from 1875. He was just as tall as the lawman brother and his shoulders were broad beneath his brown vest and dark blue shirt. He had a tapered waist and lean hips and those dark brown leather chaps hugged his muscular thighs just right. The gun belt was cinched at his waist and drawing attention to a certain part of his anatomy that had Nicole blushing and turning her attention back to his face and this caused her to frown.

He looked sad. He had sad eyes (which, she noticed with a bit of guilt, were still red from the bleach she had sprayed on him) and the lines on his face appeared to be etched there by pain. She wondered what could have happened in his life to make him look so bone deep depressed. And why was she suddenly thinking thoughts like 'bone deep?'. Her thoughts were starting to make her sound like a 1800's frontier woman herself.

She saw him rub his left thigh and then he limped across the kitchen. Her overactive imagination demanded to know what had caused him to have a limp. He picked up a box of macaroni off the counter.

"I'll go outside and find the well. I believe we need water," he stated after studying the box a moment.

"Use the sink," Nicole said quietly and all four men turned to look at her suddenly. Nicole became all too aware of just what she looked like. Her hair was in a sloppy ponytail. She was wearing no make up. And this tank top and yoga pants were not the most flattering for her figure. Nicole was .... Well the only adjective she could think of to describe herself was fat. Always had been, always would be and suddenly she truly hated it because she had four hot cowboys staring right at her.

What was wrong with her!!!! They weren't hot, they were crazy!

'Crazy hot' A voice in her head said with a hungry growl and Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Water comes out of the sink now?" Cavanaugh asked and Madeline laughed and pointed to the sink in the counter.

Andrew frowned and walked to it. He waved his hand under the faucet and then scratched at his head, "I don't get it. Where's the hand pump?"

Nicole got to her feet and went into the kitchen, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the amount of testosterone filling the space. She grabbed the pot from the lawman's hand and then stood beside Andrew to turn the faucet on and she heard the boys intake of breath as he stared at the water and leaned close.

"How does it do that?" he asked with awe.

Nicole couldn't stop the smile that curved her lips and then she shook her head and frowned. She should not be entertained by these people, "Indoor plumbing. It's a miracle of science." she replied dryly.

She heard a chuckle behind her and realized it was Cavanaugh laughing as he lounged with his back against the door jamb. His hat was pulled low and his thumbs were hooked in his pockets, which of course drew her eyes to his crotch again. She silently cursed her vision, wished for blindness and put the pot of water on the hot stove.

"Now you just have to wait for that to boil," she informed them and then she raised her brow and looked at Andrew. "You do know what boiling is don't you?" she asked as she crossed the room to the freezer and closed the door.

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed as he shook the closed box of macaroni noodles and smiled at the sound. "That's when the water gets real good and bubbly."

"Riiight." Nicole said slowly as she backed out of the kitchen, grabbing Madeline's arm as she went and attempting to ignore the heat she could feel coming off of Cavanaugh's body as she passed by him. "I'm just going to go make a phone call."

She slipped quickly from the room and ran up the stairs, dragging Madeline with her, "What are we doing?" Madeline asked curiously.

"Making a phone call." Nicole repeated. She went into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

She quickly picked up the phone and dialed the operator. She should have done this the moment these men had shown up here claiming to be from the 1800's but it had taken her a while to get over the initial shock. It wasn't everyday a woman's home was overrun by insanely hot, yet very clearly crazy men.

She asked the robotic computer voice for the number of the psychiatric hospital about an hour away in Hazard. She pushed one to have the number connected instantly and impatiently tapped on the top of her dresser as she waited for the ringing phone to be answered.

"Hello, Hazard Psychiatric Hospital, how may I direct your call?" A very bored sounding woman answered.

"Yes, um... Are you missing any patients?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you missing any patients? Perhaps four men who seem to think they are cowboy brothers from the late 1800's?"

"Is this a prank call, ma'am? Because we are actually quite busy," the woman replied, anger mixing in with her boredom.

Nicole rolled her eyes. It sounded like the only thing she had interrupted this morning was this woman's beauty rest, "I assure you this is not a prank. There are four men in my kitchen dressed as cowboys and claiming they are brothers from the late 1800's."

"Then either call the police or say yeehaw and enjoy the ride because they are not from our hospital, ma'am. Have a nice day." The woman hung up and Nicole knew she had not believed her. Why would she believe her? Hell Nicole didn't believe herself!

The police. Would she call the police? She should call the police. Any sane person would call the police. And yet these men didn't seem dangerous. At least they didn't seem to want to harm her or Madeline.

Madeline tugged on her shirt, "Nicole?"

Nicole turned and looked down at the girl, "What is it?"

"They really are old. Look at what they gave to me." She held up a tiny coin and Nicole took it from her. It certainly looked old. Nicole bit her lip and frowned.

The logical part of her mind told her it was impossible and yet the fantastical part of her mind, the part that had always daydreamed about cowboys, outlaws and frontier days wanted to believe it was true.

She rubbed her hand over her face roughly and wondered if perhaps she should go check herself into that hospital in Hazard.

"Do you believe me now?" Madeline asked and Nicole laid the coin on her dresser and sighed as she sat down on the bed.

"I'm afraid that I'm beginning to."

***

Cavanaugh watched Andrew leaning his face over the bubbling water.

"I wouldn't do that, Andrew, it's liable to burn you." he warned.

"Yeah but that's what that giant ice box is for!" Andrew replied. Jamison shook his head, "No that ice box is for keeping meat frozen. It's not for childish boys who don't know when to listen to good sense."

"What do you make of that woman?" Ian asked from where he sat at the large oak table. He had his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed as he folded his hands on his chest.

"What about her?" Cavanaugh attempted to sound uninterested and searched for a cigarette.

"Come off it, Cav. I saw the way you looked at her." Ian said with a grin.

Andrew nodded as he once again began shaking the box of noodles, "Yeah, you always pull your hat down low when you want to act like you aren't looking at something. Least you always did when you were younger."

"She's pretty," Jamison added matter of factly as he grabbed the box from Andrew and opened it. "I think we pour these in the water."

"Let me see," Cavanaugh growled as he jerked it from his brothers hand. He looked at the back of the box, read the directions and then pulled the small packet labeled 'cheese sauce' from inside before pouring the noodles into the water.

"Are you avoiding answering the question on purpose?" Ian asked his brother.

Cavanaugh shook his head, "I'm avoiding answering the question because it's ridiculous. Y'all know I ain't got no interest in settling down with any woman."

"I ain't talking about settling down. I'm just asking what you think of her," Ian countered and then he shrugged. "Oh well, if we're gonna be stuck in this place a while and you ain't interested in her then I might have me a go."

Cavanaugh couldn't explain why that though made him so angry but he instantly wanted to punch the smirking man in the face.

"Um how do we know when they're done?" Andrew asked, paying no attention to the tension between Ian and Cavanaugh.

"Poke them," Jamison replied with a shrug and Andrew began to reach toward the water.

Cavanaugh quickly jumped forward and grabbed his youngest brother's arm, "You don't have to do every damn thing he tells you, you fool! It might be the year 2011 but we boiled water way back in 1875 and surely you know it's hot!"

"Damn you, Jamison!" Andrew said angrily as he flushed red and clenched his fist. "That horses ass does that to me all the time."

"You're too naïve. I'm just trying to help you," Jamison countered.

"Maybe we should act like we all have half a brain between us if we want this woman to believe us," Cavanaugh stated with a sigh.

"Hell if I was her I wouldn't believe us either," Ian snorted. "I think I like this time though. Women didn't wear pants that showed off their very deliciously full hips and backsides in our day." Ian laughed out loud as Cavanaugh felt his cheeks turn red. He growled and turned, limping as he strode from the room but the instant he turned the corner he found himself bumping into Nicole's soft body.

Heat coursed through him, only serving to make him more angry, "Ma'am." he all but growled and then he limped away from her and out the door that led to the outside.

Nicole watched him go and waited for her heart to stop pounding. Sure it had been awhile since she'd had a man but come on.... A crazy man from the 1800's??? Why pheromones, why?

She let out a breath and then turned back to the three men still standing in her kitchen, "What's wrong with him?"

"Depression." Andrew said.

"Horse's ass." Jamison added at nearly the same instant.

Ian stood and offered her a smooth, charming grin that made his brown eyes sparkle, "He just didn't get the charm in the family." he replied. "I don't think I've introduced myself, ma'am. I'm Ian McEllis, the good-looking, charming brother."

Nicole tilted her head as she looked up at him and then she burst out laughing, "Oh this is too much! We have the goofy one," she pointed at Andrew who frowned. "The stern one," this was directed at Jamison and he shrugged. "The 'charming' one," she tilted her head at Ian. "And the moody one. I feel almost like snow white only you aren't dwarves and there are only four of you instead of seven.... There are only four of you aren't there?"

"There's only four of us McEllis sons, ma'am." Jamison assured her.

"Okay." Nicole saw that the noodles were swelling in the pan. "Everyone born before the year 1900 go wait on the porch. I'll bring you your food out shortly and you can explain to me exactly what you're doing here."

"We'll try our best, ma'am," Jamison replied as he led Andrew from the kitchen.

Ian followed after them and Nicole found herself laughing lightly when she heard him say, "She's funny. I like her."