by Paige Warren
When they reached the general store, Elodie tried on clothes as fast as possible, not an easy feat with a bum shoulder, letting Beck talk her into buying six new shirts and some new shorts to go with them. He also bought her some tennis shoes and a pair of boots. Elodie thought she would look a little strange in shorts and boots. She’d seen other women pull it off, but she didn’t think it was a good look for her. It seemed to get Beck hot though, so who was she to argue?
Beck stopped in the feed store and placed an order for delivery then walked her over to the diner. When they stepped inside, cool air blasted them as the bell over the door jingled. Beck placed his hand at the middle of her back and guided her toward a booth against the windows. Elodie slid across the seat, the waves of heat emanating from the glass pressed against her. Beck settled in the seat across from her and reached for her hand. She loved the way his callused fingers felt against her skin. She knew firsthand the kind of shivers they gave as they caressed her body and she hoped she got to explore that avenue a bit more later. Maybe she could convince him that she was dessert.
It took a few minutes for a waitress to come and take their order, and another fifteen before their food arrived. Elodie watched as Beck shoveled bites of food into his mouth and glanced out the window before sweeping his gaze across the crowded diner. It was obvious that the sheriff’s words had put him on edge and she wished that she could soothe him. There was little they could do about Casey, except wait and see what happened. She honestly thought the sheriff was blowing things out of proportion. Casey had never been a violent man before. Yes, he had shot her, but she felt it was an act of desperation more than deliberating bringing her harm.
Elodie took a bite of her pot roast sandwich and sighed with contentment. She had to admit, it was pretty damn good. The mashed potatoes with white cream gravy on the side were even better. The silence stretched as Beck kept a constant vigil, almost as if he expected Casey to jump out from behind their waitress and shoot Elodie all over again. While his concern was flattering, she felt it was misplaced.
“Beck.”
He jerk his gaze back to hers.
“Stop.” Her voice was soft but no less commanding.
“Stop what?”
“I’m safe, Beck. You’re looking for trouble where there isn’t any. Do you honestly think anything is going to happen to me in the middle of the diner?”
He glanced around again. “Maybe not.”
“Just relax and enjoy your lunch.”
“I can’t help but be worried, Elodie. This is your life we’re talking about. This isn’t a game.”
“I realize that, Beck, but we can’t fight an unseen opponent. I think, until we know otherwise, we need to assume Casey came back to see his father and beg for money, like he always does. His reappearance in town doesn’t mean my life is in danger. I think Sheriff Crawford and you are getting carried away.”
“I think Beau is going to side with me on this one, baby. You’re just going to have to deal with it. Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with two overprotective men.”
“And I adore you both for it, really.”
Before Beck could say more, his phone rang. Pulling it off the clip on his belt, he tapped the screen and put it up to his ear.
“What’s up, Beau?”
She watched a frown mar his handsome face.
“What do you mean the fence is cut? We just strung that wire last week,” Beck said. “Yeah. I understand. Get the guys and go round up the cattle. Maybe they haven’t strayed too far. If you can’t locate them, you’ll have to contact the Bar S to let them know our cattle have mingled with theirs. I wish Cody was here already. He can’t get his sorry hide in town soon enough.”
She reached across the table and caressed his fingers with hers, lending comfort in what she deemed was a stressful situation. She didn’t know a lot about ranching, but she knew it was bad news to have a fence down and lose cattle.
“We’ll be heading back to the ranch just as soon as we finish lunch,” Beck said. Pulling the phone away, he ended the call and clipped it back on his belt.
“Seems we’ve had a bit of trouble at home,” he told her.
“So I gathered. Did he say how many cows were missing?”
“About twenty. It’s not a lot considering we had a few hundred in that pasture, but it’s enough to be concerned. I’m a little worried about that wire. There’s no way it snapped on its own, which means someone destroyed it on purpose. Since the line runs between our land and the Bar S, I can only assume it’s someone wanting to cause trouble. No way would the Bar S want to mix our Beefmasters with their Texas Longhorns.”
“I hope they find all of them.”
“Come on, let’s finish eating and get back home.”
After they finished their meal and Beck paid the check, he ushered her outside and helped her into the truck. Their shopping bags were stacked in the backseat, along with a few groceries, and there were a dozen sacks of feed in the bed of the truck. Elodie wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer and maybe visiting the library, her one guilty pleasure. She’d always wanted one of those e-readers, but it had never been in her budget. But free books? She couldn’t pass it up.
“You’re quiet,” Beck said on the way home. “Something bothering you?”
“Not really. Just wishing we’d had more time in town.”
“If there’s something you needed, I can always ask Beau to pick it up tomorrow. Or one of the men. Someone will need to finish up the grocery shopping.”
“It isn’t really something someone can pick up for me. I’d wanted to stop by the library and pick out a book or two. It’s no big deal.” She smiled. “I don’t have to have books, it just would have been nice to have something to read.”
Beck frowned. “You can’t find something online and have it delivered to the house? What about downloading some? I know one of our cousins does that all the time. I swear the woman probably spends a hundred dollars or more on books every month, just for her Kindle alone. I shudder to think how much she spends when she actually frequents a bookstore.”
“I don’t have a Kindle, or any other e-reader. Borrowing books from the library is really the only way I’ve been able to read.”
“Is this a money issue?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve never had any extra for fun things. Books are a luxury, and that goes double for e-readers. It’s something I’ve wanted ever since I first heard about them, but it was never high on my priority list. Groceries and paying the rent were more important.”
Beck covered her hand with his. “Baby, if you want a Kindle, or any other kind of reading device, it’s yours. All you have to do is pick it out online and we’ll order it for you. It’s not like you’re asking for a two-hundred dollar pair of shoes that you might wear on special occasions. This is something you’d use all the time and from the sounds of it, you’d get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”
“I don’t know, Beck. I don’t feel right with you buying me something so expensive.”
He lifted her hand and kissed the backs of her knuckles. “Please, baby? Let us do this for you? We want to spoil you, and you don’t seem to want to let us. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with picking out clothes at the general store, but I had really wanted to buy you some nice things, and you wouldn’t let me.”
“A pair of boots at the Western store would have cost over a hundred dollars, Beck. I don’t need expensive boots.”
“They’re quality boots that would last you a long time. We’ll have to replace general store boots in a few months. Think of it as an investment.”
She sighed. “Fine, when my footwear starts wearing down, I’ll let you splurge and buy me whatever you want.” Assuming we’re still together, she silently added. She still couldn’t believe that two such gorgeous men wanted her, much less on a more permanent basis. Not that they’d discussed anything long-term.
“Before I forget, we’re going to have company some
time tomorrow or day after.”
“Company?”
“Our half brother, Cody, is coming into town for a visit. He’s thought of moving out this way and we’ve offered him the spare room. Of course, that was before you came to stay with us. Beau told him he’d have to sleep on the couch and he was fine with that.”
“No! If anyone should be sleeping on the couch, it’s me. It isn’t right that you make your brother sleep there when his visit was planned.”
“Elodie, the only way Cody is sleeping in a bed is if you sleep with either me or Beau. Hell, my bed is big enough all three of us could pile in there.”
A blush stained her cheeks. “All three of us? You really want me with you both, at the same time?”
“Well, I was really just talking about sleeping, but now that you’ve brought it up, it’s something I’ve discussed with my brother. And yes, we would like to share you, at the same time. It isn’t something we’ve done before, but there’s no denying the attraction we both feel for you. Doesn’t seem like much point in us fighting over you when we can both have you.” He cast her a sideways glance. “That is, of course, if you’re amenable to something like that.”
“I’ve read a lot of ménage romances over the years, but I never thought I’d actually be part of a ménage relationship. While it excites me to even think about being with both of you at the same time, it also scares me a little. I’m new to all of this. What if it’s too much?”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Baby, all you have to do is say stop and we’ll put a halt to it right away. We never want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You’re important to us, Elodie. All we want to do is love you, if you’ll let us.”
She knew he meant love in the physical sense and not the one involving their hearts. They couldn’t mean the second one, right? It was too soon. They didn’t know nearly enough about one another for that. Did they? And yet, hadn’t she thought more than once that it would be very easy to fall in love with them? That perhaps she already was? If her heart was already engaged, why couldn’t theirs be, too? It was something to ponder, but she wasn’t about to ask him about it right now.
“So what’s Cody like?” she asked, changing the subject.
Beck grinned. “He’s the youngest and looks a little like Beau, who took after our mother. Our dad died when Beau was two and Mom remarried. Cody is from her second marriage. There’s three years between Beau and Cody.”
“I don’t know how old any of you are.”
“I’m thirty, as of last month. Beau is twenty-eight, and Cody just turned twenty-five last week. Which makes all of us older than you, I’m guessing.”
She laughed. “No, I’m twenty-seven.”
“You don’t look older than twenty-three.”
Aww, wasn’t that sweet? Flattery would get him anywhere. Oh right, she’d let him get anywhere without the flattery. Just the thought of those hands and lips on her had her squeezing her thighs together. She still didn’t know what it would feel like to have him fill her. She felt his monster cock through his jeans and knew the man was well hung, and, oh, how she wanted to find out how he’d feel inside of her.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re suddenly a little flushed. Just what are you thinking about over there?”
She felt her cheeks heat even more. “Nothing.”
“Mmhm. I’m thinking my baby is over there thinking naughty thoughts.”
“Maybe,” she mumbled.
He pulled down the long bumpy drive and when they reached the house, Elodie saw Beau step out of the barn and head their way. From what she’d gathered from Beck’s phone conversation at the diner, she’d expected him to be out fixing the fence line, or something of the sort.
“What are you doing back so soon?” Beck said, as they got out of the truck.
“I left the men to take care of it. Something told me I shouldn’t leave the house unattended,” Beau said as he came to stand in front of them. “I was right to worry. There was smoke coming from beside the barn when I rode up.”
“Smoke?” Elodie asked.
“There was some old straw beside the barn and someone had set it on fire. I was able to put it out before the barn caught fire, but if I’d been even ten minutes later…” Beau shook his head. “I don’t understand why someone would want to sabotage the ranch. We haven’t been here long enough to make enemies.”
Elodie bit her lip. “No, but I have. By now, everyone knows I’m staying here. No one in town has ever done anything harmful before, but what if things are escalating?”
Beck wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Baby, I think we need to consider the possibility that it was Casey. You heard the sheriff earlier. This might be a way to scare you into silence, or a way to flush you out into the open. Maybe he didn’t realize you were in town. If he thought the men were all gone, and you were home alone, you might have gone to investigate the fire.”
Beau’s brow furrowed. “Casey is back?”
“That’s what the sheriff said. He found us in town and gave Elodie a warning to be vigilant. I think he’s concerned for her safety. It seems Casey has never been a violent offender before, but when he shot Elodie, the whole game changed,” Beck said.
“You really think it was Casey?” Elodie asked, worrying at her lower lip.
“I think it’s a real possibility. From now on, you’re to have at least one of us with you at all times. Once Cody gets here, you’ll have extra protection, but I want either myself or one of my brothers with you wherever you go,” Beck said.
“Cody called while you were gone,” Beau said. “He’s already on his way. I don’t expect him until morning though. He’d already been on the road for a good four hours and still had another twelve to go.”
“Where is he coming from?” Elodie asked.
“He’s been staying with his dad’s family in Virginia for the past month,” Beau said.
“Cody was a professional bull rider,” Beck said. “He’s decided to retire and give ranching a try. If he comes here and decides to stick it out, he’s offered some of his prize money to put toward the ranch. It would truly belong to the three of us then.”
“But I thought Circle B was named that because your names are Beau and Beck?” Elodie asked in confusion.
Beau smiled. “Actually, it’s named after our grandmother, Beatrice. She lived with us from the time Beck was about two, until she passed away last year. We wouldn’t be the men we are today without her influence.”
That had to be the sweetest thing she’d ever heard.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s safe. I don’t like you standing around out in the open like this,” Beck said.
Beau took her hand and tugged her against his side, guiding her up the steps and into the house while Beck gathered their bags out of the backseat. When they entered the house, something didn’t feel right. She couldn’t put her finger on it, not at first, but it felt like someone had been there. Someone who shouldn’t have been there. It wasn’t until her eyes came to rest on the refrigerator that she gasped. Scrawled across the dry erase board stuck to the refrigerator door were the words I’m coming for you! A chill ran down her spine.
Beau saw the message and cursed. “He’s a brave fucker, I’ll give him that. It makes me think that fence line was cut just to get us out of the way. He must have realized you weren’t home when you didn’t come running at the first sign of the fire and sneaked in here to write that. Either that, or he wrote it first, which I shudder to even think such a thing. What if you’d been home and that psycho had come in the house?”
“If he was brave enough to enter the house, he could have gotten me then, Beau. There wouldn’t have been a reason to set the fire. I think the fire came first.”
“He had to have just been here. The fire couldn’t have been going for more than fifteen minutes or so when I rode up, which means he was probably in the house when I arrived.”
Beck entered the house behind them, laden
with packages. “What’s wrong?”
Beau pointed toward the message. “That asshole was in our house. Elodie isn’t even safe in her own home anymore.”
Her own home? It gave Elodie pause. Could he mean it? Did he really think of this as her home and not just a temporary resting place? Now wasn’t the time to discuss such things, but it would certainly need to be talked about in the near future. She needed to know where she stood with the two men. If they were just having fun, that was fine. She’d leave with a tattered heart, but she was a big girl and could handle it. But if they wanted more…Well, she could only hope.
“Cody will be here soon. Between the three of us, we can protect her,” Beck said. “And if we have to, we can call in reinforcements. There’s no reason we can’t call in the cousins.”
“You think Asher, Nick, and Colt will come running just because we call?” Beau asked skeptically. “Don’t you remember the fight we had not too long ago?”
Beck winced, then a determined look settled over his face. “Why don’t you help Elodie get her things settled and I’ll place a few calls, see who can come out on such short notice, and see how far away Cody is.”
Beau nodded.
Elodie picked up one of the bags at her feet and headed for the stairs. The thought of meeting their family both excited her and scared her. What if they thought she wasn’t good enough for Beau and Beck? No, she refused to have self-doubts, refused to think of herself as less than she was. If anything, Beau and Beck had proven to her that she was worthy of being loved, of being appreciated. She now knew that there were men who would appreciate her curves and would enjoy spending time with her.
When she set her bag down on the bed, Beau came up behind her, dropping his packages as well. She turned to face him, felt the heat of his body brush against her. He was so close she could smell the scent of sweat, sunshine, and horse on him. Not altogether unpleasant, just the signs of a hardworking man.
“Did you have a nice time with Beck today?” Beau asked.
“It would have been better without the dark cloud hanging over my head, but yes, I did.”