by Lola White
Table of Contents
Legal Page
Title Page
Book Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
New Excerpt
About the Author
Publisher Page
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Tempestuous Trio
ISBN # 978-1-78686-215-0
©Copyright Lola White 2017
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright June 2017
Edited by Jamie D. Rose
Totally 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, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
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Published in 2017 by Totally Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, UK
Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
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Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 2.
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TEMPESTUOUS TRIO
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Lola White
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She couldn’t decide between them…
Orchid O’Neal is in love with two men. When Clint Bollinger, the man she’d thought she’d marry, leaves her behind at the Double O with Lowell Meeks, the boy she’s loved since childhood, she goes a little wild. Her outrageous behavior is shocking—and dangerous. Clint must return to set her straight and save her from herself, but when the three friends come together again, they realize that there was only one choice all along.
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Chapter One
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US Marshal Clint Bollinger tied his horse to a stunted tree and carefully picked his way down the steep, wooded hill toward the flat riverbank. Beyond the sound of rushing water, he could hear the gentle laughter of the two people he cared for most in the world.
His heart clenched at the thought of leaving them, but that’s what he had to do. With the railroad expanding ever westward, new mining towns cropping up on the far edges of the plains and in the high peaks of the mountains and a whole new coast to settle, Clint was being sent farther afield. Unfortunately, he’d agreed to go wherever the government needed when he’d signed up for the job. He’d served his time in Creek Bend and was now being ‘rewarded’ with a promotion and a new location—no matter what his personal feelings were on the matter, no matter what the sight of Orchid O’Neal with her faded skirt hiked up to her knees as she waded in the shallow edges of the river did to Clint’s cock, and no matter that the grin spread out over Lowell Meeks’ mouth spurred a warm feeling of camaraderie deep within his chest—the marshal had to move on.
He didn’t know how to tell them.
“I’ll just say it,” he mumbled to himself.
Orchid laughed then looked up as if he’d announced his presence. Her pretty blue eyes sparkled with excitement the moment she noticed him pushing through the bushes. She lit up as she always did, the expression grabbing Clint’s heart every time he saw it. Nothing in the world made him feel as good as that woman’s smile.
But Lowell’s grin came close. The bond between himself and Lowell was something Clint hadn’t realized he’d hungered for until he’d discovered it—a connection that went deeper than brotherhood. As the other man leisurely climbed to his feet with a strength and lazy grace developed through years of handling unbroken, bucking horses, Clint understood that he’d never had a friend until he’d come to Creek Bend and met these two young people.
And they were young. In fact, they were just old enough that the townsfolk and Offer O’Neal, Orchid’s daddy and Lowell’s boss, hadn’t said anything outright about how much time Clint spent in their company—after all, he wasn’t old himself—but there had been plenty of askew glances.
Good thing those people couldn’t see them now, what with the way Orchid threw her lithe body against Clint’s and held on tight to his neck. He hugged her back for a minute, closing his eyes, savoring the press of her firm breasts to his chest, aware she didn’t have on a corset or anything more supportive than a shift, most likely. Under his stroking hands, she felt next to naked, and his body responded quickly.
He set her back and glanced at Lowell. The welcoming grin had fallen from the man’s face, but rather than seem perturbed at Orchid’s greeting, he was studying Clint’s eyes. Lowell reached out and dragged Orchid back a step as she chattered about nothing in particular.
The other man interrupted her soon enough. “What’s wrong, Clint?”
“Oh, well, I…um…”
Clint hesitated, his plans to simply spit out the truth dissolving at the sight of the two of them together. In the normal run of things, Clint would have asked Orchid to marry him two years ago, the moment she’d gained the proper age for marriage to a man like him. He’d have taken her with him wherever the government declared, happy for her company.
Except what would happen to Lowell? It was plain as day the boy loved Orchid. Hell, he probably had never even spoken to another woman, but he was attached to her. Clint couldn’t take Lowell’s girl from him. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself.
Besides, he was having enough trouble imagining life without Lowell, too. It wasn’t like he could take them both with him, could he? No, the young man before him, standing tall, his lean body wrapped in faded work clothes, the appealing scent of horse and leather still clinging to him, needed a ranch to mind. He needed fillies to tame—and Clint didn’t just mean Orchid.
And what would people say if the three of them went off together?
“Clint?” Lowell reached out and caught his shoulder.
The pair before him made a beautiful couple. An ache formed in Clint’s gut as he looked between them and cleared his throat. Before he could chicken out again, he caught hold of his resolve. “I’m leaving Creek Bend.”
The two of them stared at him for a moment. Then Orchid asked, “For how long?”
There had been a few times that Clint had left town on some job or another. Each case had typically been wrapped up in a week or so, especially as he’d been motivated to get back home quickly. He wasn’t surprised they thought this departure was just like all the rest, but it did make things more difficult.
“I’m not coming back,” he finally told them. “I’m being sent west.”
Orchid lost all color in her face. Lowell lost his breath. For the longest minute of Clint’s life, nothing moved but the birds and the river. Sound faded. The day seemed too damned hot and he could hardly catch a breath.
Then Orchid gave a choked cry and launched herself at him. Breaking free of Lowell’s res
training grip—the man’s hand had gone limp around her arm at Clint’s words—she grabbed him again.
“Clint! You can’t be serious. You can’t go!”
“I have to. It’s my job.”
“Take me with you.”
Pain lanced him. Just to avoid any resentment that might have flared in Lowell’s expression at Orchid’s hasty command, Clint closed his eyes. He hugged Orchid and tried to set her back, but she clung stubbornly.
“What about Lowell?” Clint whispered. “I can’t take you from him.”
She stilled. Woodenly, she let him go and stepped back. “What?”
“Ya’ll will be fine without me.” Clint tried to smile, but he knew the action was too shaky to look anything other than deformed. “It’s how it should be.”
Orchid tossed her head. “I should make you eat those words.”
“Leave him be,” Lowell ordered.
To Clint’s surprise, Orchid obeyed. She wasn’t much for minding anyone, and she always seemed to ride roughshod over Lowell, in particular, but for the moment, she listened. Unfortunately for Clint, that left his friend ample opportunity to study his face. He fought not to fidget as Lowell’s gaze raked him.
“You all right?”
Clint nodded. “Sure. Just got a job to do.”
Lowell shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Look, I, uh…” Clint fidgeted. “I’ve got to get my stuff together. They gave me a deadline for getting out there, so I’ll be leaving tonight.”
“Tonight!”
He looked at the flush on Orchid’s face and knew the anguish in her eyes would haunt him forever. “I wish they’d have given me more warning, but they didn’t, and the situation is urgent. I’m sorry. I really am. I would have loved to have more time to say goodbye to you two.”
Then, because he didn’t know what to do with all the misery filling him, the drag of loneliness or the regret and guilt at leaving them behind, Clint turned on his heel and walked away.
Chapter Two
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One month later
Lowell carefully slid off the panting, tired horse when he saw Offer O’Neal heading his way. Holding his breath, he watched his employer closely, noting the sharp movements of the man’s arms and legs and the angle of his chin beneath the shade of his wide-brimmed hat. Offer had a way about him when he was irritated that told the world to watch out.
Lowell knew just what was going on, though. He braced himself.
“You better do something about that hardheaded gal of mine,” Offer thundered, “before I sell her stubborn ass to the saloon for good!”
It was worse than Lowell had imagined if Offer was making threats like that. “I assume you mean Orchid?”
“There ain’t no other female on this ranch that could make me start hollering around a spooky horse what just got broke!” Offer made a rude noise and planted his fists on his hips with a sour glance at the track leading toward his home. “And that’s saying something, considering what I put up with from her mama.”
Lowell believed Hyacinth O’Neal was an angel specifically sent from Heaven to pluck him out of the dirty gutter in River’s Edge where she’d found him two decades ago. He’d been raised on the Double O—not exactly family, being that he lived in the bunkhouse, but close enough to appreciate what the O’Neals had.
They had love. Lowell couldn’t help but wonder if he’d missed his chance. Neither of the two people he loved were communicating with him—not in words and not in letters, no matter how many he’d sent to Clint’s new post.
He took a deep breath. “What did Orchid do this time?”
“This time.” Offer snorted. “This time. Huh. That girl’s hit her head somewhere along the trip, that’s for sure. The way she’s been acting this past month makes me wonder just how much trouble that marshal kept her out of—or lied about.”
“She’s just…sad, Mister O’Neal.”
Sad and lashing out at all and sundry. Orchid had never been a shy thing, but ever since Clint had left town, she’d been out of control, exhibiting the worst behavior. Lowell knew she didn’t mean any harm. She was simply at loose ends, miserable beyond description and lonely in a way only he understood.
“Huh. You know where her brother found her yesterday?” Offer didn’t wait for Lowell’s guess. “The saloon. I swear, by Jesus, if I hear of her going in there again, they can keep her! Don’t have no damned sense, trying to take up space in an establishment that caters to the diseased and dispossessed, coming into town on payday looking for any whore that’ll do!”
“My God! That’s…God, that’s really awful. She hasn’t done anything like that before.”
Offer squinted at him from beneath the brim of his hat. “Talk to her, Lowell. You’re the only one left that’ll have a chance. After nearly a month of her moping and screaming, fighting both me and her mama, and now she’s gulping whiskey with the painted ladies? I’m about through.”
“What do you want me to do? She hasn’t spoken to me in weeks!” Just saying the words hurt.
“Think of something. Or I’m selling her to the next wifeless farmer passing through in a covered wagon.” With a growl, Offer stalked off.
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Orchid lay in the scrubby grass of the empty pasture staring up at the sky. She imagined that somewhere Clint was doing the same thing. She wondered if it looked the same where he was.
Then the pain descended, making breathing a chore and her heartbeat a process that caused her breastbone to ache. She still couldn’t believe he’d gone off without her. She wondered how she could ever forgive him for that—or how she could forgive Lowell.
He, after all, was the reason Clint had left her in Creek Bend.
He was also standing at her feet, waiting for her to respond, so she did. “Go away. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
“Really, Orchid?”
Though she tried not to look at him, she noted that his expression turned sad an instant before his whole face went blank. Lowell always did have a great poker face. That’s how they’d met Clint in the first place, after Lowell had won a particularly decent pot at the saloon and a couple of the miners had thought a kid his age surely had to be cheating. They had been about to string him up when Clint had put a stop to the whole mess.
Lowell kicked her boot. “Never, ever do you ever want to see me again? That’s an awful long time, though, I suppose you’ll make new friends at the saloon. I hear you’re entertaining there now.”
“Don’t you make fun of me! I’m serious. Go away.” Though, just thinking of not seeing Lowell was almost as bad as truly not seeing Clint. Lowell was her oldest friend. They’d known each other since childhood. Orchid didn’t know what she’d do without him.
She covered her face, trying her best to hide from her own confusing, contradictory feelings. She didn’t want to see Lowell, but she loved him with all her heart. She was furious that Clint hadn’t taken her with him, using Lowell’s loneliness as an excuse for the abandonment. Orchid had thought she and Clint would marry and have three children, exactly like her parents, and somehow Lowell would just be there, too.
She felt the tears slip down her cheeks a moment before she sensed Lowell fall to his knees beside her. He trailed his fingertip across the corner of her eye, spreading moisture.
“Don’t cry, darlin’. I know it’s hard. I miss him, too.”
“It’s your fault,” she mumbled pathetically.
The words, finally said out loud, brought rage and pain such as Orchid had never known. She sat straight up, turned and punched Lowell in his shoulder. She’d aimed for his chin, but he was too fast and had dodged her blow.
“Damn you!” she screamed. Climbing to her knees, she threw herself at her dearest friend, intent on hurting him as badly as she believed he’d hurt her. Her skirt hiked up to her knees as she sprawled over his thighs and attacked him. “He left me because of you! If it hadn’t been for you, Lowell Meeks,
Clint would have taken me with him and this wouldn’t hurt so bad!”
He wrapped his wiry arms around her, capturing her completely. Orchid wriggled and writhed, but she was no match for Lowell’s strength. He’d spent his whole life breaking broncs and had the lean muscle to prove it. She was trapped against him, her legs to either side of his, her breasts flattened to his chest and his belt buckle digging into the soft top of her mound.
He put his lips to her ear. “I’m sorry, Orchid. If he’d have asked me, I would have told him to take you.”
“Why?” The heat of Lowell’s mouth and the outrage caused by his words fueled new emotions. She didn’t understand herself, but she couldn’t help toss out another accusation. “You don’t want me? We’ve known each other our whole lives. I told you things and showed you things I never told or showed anybody else—not even Clint, though, I would have, if he’d asked me to. But you! You wouldn’t keep me—”
“My God, Orchid! I don’t know what you want.” Lowell reared back, loosening his arms only to grab her shoulders. “I know you love him! I’m sorry he left you. This pain isn’t what I’d have chosen for you.”
The moment he shook her, sense snapped back into Orchid’s agonized mind. The haze of selfishness lifted enough that she saw the misery in Lowell’s eyes. She didn’t understand it, but she knew it matched her own. He missed Clint, too.
Then she became aware of their positions. Lowell sat on the ground and she was straddling his thighs. The belt buckle was starting to feel very nice where it pressed into her—no longer uncomfortable, but spurring her imagination with a persistent pressure. All the emotions she’d been struggling under crashed into a wild need for revenge—and maybe reassurance.
She moved on Lowell’s legs. “Do you remember the last time I sat on you like this?”