Swept Away in Wilde [Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 1
Swept Away in Wilde
Running away from an abusive fiancé, Mary Kincaid meets three cowboys after arriving in Wilde, Nevada—a town where love knows no boundaries. She’s left everything behind, hoping to start a new life away from all the pain.
It’s been fun and games for the three Wilde brothers—Craig, Dan, and Dillon—until Mary arrives in town. They see the woman of their dreams. She’s their future.
Curious about the unique town, where it is common for one woman to be married to more than one man, Mary wants to write an article about the Wilde brothers and their parents. During the interviews, the three men sweep her off her feet. She can even imagine a life being theirs. But she’s afraid to trust her heart again so soon after breaking off her engagement. She can’t decide whether to stay in Wilde and take a chance on love or continue on her journey.
Unbeknownst to Mary, her ex-fiancé isn’t willing to let her go so easily.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 31,319 words
SWEPT AWAY IN WILDE
Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 1
Chloe Lang
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SWEPT AWAY IN WILDE
Copyright © 2014 by Chloe Lang
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-403-8
First E-book Publication: September 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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DEDICATION
To Tina Dowds. This one is for you.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About the Author
SWEPT AWAY IN WILDE
Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 1
CHLOE LANG
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
June 1, 1980 – Kansas City, MO
In the parking lot of a roadside diner, Mary Kincaid unfolded the map on the hood of her car. Four hours ago she had left the only home she’d ever known with no clear destination in mind. She just had to leave.
What would Paul think when he returned to their apartment and all her stuff was gone? I really don’t care what he thinks. This is the best decision for me.
She gazed at the image of the continental United States, complete with all the major highways. Where to go from here? That was the question. She had enough money to live on for about three months. With her degree in journalism, her plan was to freelance. It was long overdue for her to start using her education. But she needed a story to sell. What should I write about? Another question. Too many for her to deal with right now.
As a car sped past on the highway, the map got caught in the breeze, fell to the ground, and blew out of the parking lot and onto the road. She chased after the map and finally caught it.
Her emotions got the best of her, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She’d kept her mind busy with the radio during the trip, not wanting to think of all she was leaving behind. It wasn’t just Paul. Her sister. Maude. She hadn’t called her. Tears welled in her eyes. Maude was her best friend and confidant.
For an instant this morning, she’d thought about asking her sister for her advice. But she didn’t because she was too embarrassed. Making up her mind to leave had taken her several nights of sleeplessness, but after the incident before Paul had left for work, she knew she didn’t have any other options.
She folded the map back up and put it in her purse. There had been no time to eat before she had left. Now, she was famished. A good lunch would help clear her mind. She walked into the diner.
“Anywhere you’d like,” the waitress said.
“Thank you.” She sat down in a booth far from the door and windows.
The waitress brought her a glass of water and a menu. “Welcome to the Shiny Penny. Would you like to hear the specials?”
She nodded, trying to put her best smile on. It was easy for her to do having had so much practice since childhood. Her mother’s voice rang inside her head. “No matter how one feels on the inside, Mary, you must stay cheerful on the outside. Nobody wants to know your troubles. We are an important and respected family in this community. We must keep up our appearances.” Those words had been repeated to her over and over since she was five years old.
&n
bsp; “—iced tea is included,” the waitress finished saying.
She decided on the meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
“Coming right up,” the woman said and headed back to the diner’s kitchen.
She opened her purse and brought out the photo of her, Maude, and their parents. The false smiles on her mother and father sickened her. Her smile was weak compared to theirs, and Maude didn’t smile at all the day the photograph had been taken.
Authentic. That was the word for Maude.
She had tried to get Maude to tone down her rebellion against their parents, but nothing ever worked. Maude hated their parents’ fabricated life they presented to everyone. So did she, but she had kept that to herself. Not Maude. Their parents hadn’t slept in the same bed in years, though to the clients of their law firm they seemed to be a happily loving couple with two wonderful adoring daughters.
Maude’s refusal to go to law school had been the beginning of the rift between her sister and their parents. But the gap continued to grow over the past few years. Maude was the black sheep in the family.
Until I moved in with Paul and took over that title.
Her father had glared at her. “A Kincaid doesn’t shack up, Mary.”
“I told you we were too lenient with her,” her mother had chimed in. “We should have never given into her getting her silly degree in writing.”
“It is a journalism degree, Mother, and it’s not silly.” Those were the first words of defiance she had ever spoken to her parents.
Their eyes had widened in shock.
Clearly only thinking of his and her mothers’ precious law firm, her father shook his head. “Your being just like your sister Maude. Where is my good girl? What happened to you?”
Her mother glared at her. “What will our clients think about this, Mary? Have you thought about that?”
“How will they know?”
“Springfield is big but it’s not that big. People talk. I can’t believe you are being so selfish.” Her mother’s tone had a sharp edge. “Are you pregnant?”
“Absolutely not. I can’t believe you would ask that.”
“It’s a logical question. At least we don’t have an unwanted baby to deal with. That’s some good news. We can fix this,” her mother said. “We just need to plan a wedding right away. No one will ever be the wiser.”
“I’m not ready to get married yet. This is 1980. This is how couples do things these days.” The argument had continued late into the night. She moved out the next morning. Thank God there had been no wedding. At least that was one smart decision.
“Here you go.” The waitress placed her lunch on the table.
“Looks great. Thank you.”
The food was delicious and satisfying. Finishing her meal, she spotted the payphone in the far corner of the diner.
I need to call Maude. She opened her purse and got several quarters to make the long distance call.
The operator came on and told her the amount for the first three minutes. She fed the coins into the phone, and the call connected. Ring. Ring. Ring.
“Hello, this is Maude Kincaid. Please leave your name and number and I will get back with you as soon as possible. If I like you, that will be quick. If I don’t…well, I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Maude started laughing before the beep sounded.
I can’t tell her everything on her answering machine. “Sis, this is Mary. Lots to tell you. Will try to call you later.”
She returned to the booth and found the waitress cleaning off the table.
“Would you like dessert? We have some of the best apple pie in the entire Midwest. We were written up in Travel and Leisure magazine last year.”
Being a writer, she couldn’t resist. “I’ll have a cup of coffee and the pie.”
“With cheddar cheese or homemade cinnamon vanilla ice cream?”
“The ice cream sounds divine.”
“And it tastes that way, too.” The waitress smiled and headed back into the kitchen.
She reached into her purse and brought out the map. She unfolded it on the table.
Where to go? East or west? She had no clue except that she wanted to get far away from Springfield. Let the Fates decide for me.
Glancing around the diner, she saw several booths and tables filled with other customers. Her mother wasn’t here. She didn’t have to keep up any appearances. She could be herself, be like Maude.
She smiled and left the booth. Closing her eyes, she spun around. With her eyes still shut, she brought her finger down to the map.
When she opened her eyes, she saw several people staring at her. Some smiling. Some shaking their heads. She didn’t care. She brought her attention back to the map and saw her next destination. “That’ll take me two days. Oh well. Wilde, Nevada, is as good a place as anywhere.”
Chapter Two
June 3, 1980 – Wilde, Nevada
Dillon Wilde heard his brothers running down one of the abandoned shafts in the silver mine that his family had owned for generations. The ranch was the other family enterprise, which he favored more. You would think his brothers were delinquent teenagers instead of men in their midtwenties—Craig, twenty-six, and Dan, twenty-seven. Though the youngest at twenty-four, he was the most levelheaded of the three of them.
Pappy Jack walked up next to him. “They at it again?”
“Yes, sir.” He loved and respected all three of his dads, but he was glad that Dad Tom and Pop Will hadn’t come with Pappy. Unlike Pappy, who appreciated a good prank and most shenanigans, Dad and Pop had their limits.
“Fun and games don’t belong in the mine, boys,” Dad frequently reminded them since they were very young.
The Wilde Silver Mine had been in their family for generations. No other business employed as many citizens of Wilde, Nevada, which shared his family’s surname, as the mine. The town his ancestors had founded was unique in many ways from the outside world. It had all started way back when the very first Wilde brothers had fallen in love with the same woman. Instead of tearing them apart, it had actually brought them together. And the ownership of the mine would never be divided. That practice of the Wilde brothers marrying one woman had continued on until this very day. Though some families in town were the traditional one man and one woman, most were like his. One mom and multiple dads.
“I appreciate you trying to keep your brothers in line, son,” Pappy said. “Quite the task you’ve set for yourself. Perhaps you should let them fall on their faces a few times.”
“I can’t do that. They’re my brothers. We’re supposed to stick together.”
His father smiled. “Through thick and thin. Just like Tom, Will, and me.”
They heard a loud noise coming from the shaft.
“Shit,” Craig yelled.
He and Pappy ran into the shaft. The overhead lights were off. Pappy hit the switch, illuminating the space.
Dan stood over Craig, who was stretched out on the floor grabbing his leg.
“What happened?” Pappy asked Craig.
“I cut my leg.” He removed his hand and showed the four-inch gash in his thigh.
Pappy shook his head. “That’s going to need stitches. What the hell were you two doing?”
“I was proving to Dan that I knew this shaft like the back of my hand.”
“More like your ass,” Dillon said. “Get up and I’ll take you to the doctor.”
“We need to get that wound cleaned and make sure it stops bleeding,” Pappy said. “Come on. There’s a first-aid kit up ahead.”
Placing Craig between them, he and Dan helped him. They followed Pappy Jack to another part of the mine.
Pappy cleaned Craig’s gash. “Boys, I wouldn’t want to be you when you have to tell your mother this story, let alone your other two dads. I love that you enjoy life. You should. Don’t ever let that spark go away, but you have to start thinking about your future. One day you will have a family of your own, a woman to love, and children to teach. This mine will be y
ours. The town will depend on you just like they do your dear old dads.”
“But, Pappy, you’ve told me about how you, Dad, and Pop did some pretty crazy things when you were our age,” Craig said. “We’re just continuing the family legacy.”
Their dad smiled. “None of us ever needed stitches, son. We were smarter than that. I think it’s past time for you to get some smarts, too. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, sir,” Craig answered. “I can drive myself. Dan and Dillon don’t need to take me. There’s a little more work left.”
“Not a chance,” Pappy said. “Don’t want you passing out at the wheel. All three of you are finished for today. Get your stitches. Grab a bite at the diner. Then get to the ranch and check on our new calves.”
“Yes, sir,” Dillon said, putting his arm around Craig.
“Dillon, try to make sure these two walk the straight and narrow for the rest of the day,” Pappy said with a wink.
“That’s a tall order, Pappy.”
“But an important one.”
“I’ll do my best.” He and Dan helped Craig to the truck.
Thankfully the doctor’s office was only a few miles from the mine’s main entrance.
Dan held the steering wheel. “I can’t remember seeing Pappy that upset with us.”
“Me either,” Craig said.
He grinned. “You both are a couple of bozos.”
“What about that time you suggested we go up to Suicide Hill with our bikes and blindfolds?” Craig asked.
“I was twelve, not twenty-four.”
“Excuses.” Dan smiled. “Seriously, guys. You heard Pappy. We need to start being more serious about everything. Look at your four-inch gash, Craig. There couldn’t be a better time than now to start acting our ages.”