by Jane Jamison
“Hot dogs!”
Heath made a face. “How about hamburgers instead?”
“Hamburgers!”
“Are burgers good for you, Kylie?”
The man could challenge the sun as a ray of light. “Burgers sound great.”
“Then it’s a done deal. See you later.”
She watched as they crossed the street together. Heath Asher was a sexy man in his own right. But the way he loved his son made him irresistible.
* * * *
“How’s your burger? Is it cooked the way you like it?” asked Braden. “We like ours still able to moo.”
“Yes. It’s perfect.”
“Good. I’m not used to cooking them well done.”
Kylie took a glimpse of Davey’s hamburger. His hamburger was pink. But she wouldn’t say anything about the dangers of eating raw meat. They obviously took very good care of Heath’s son, and if they thought it was all right for him to eat the burger their way, then she’d keep her mouth shut.
She’d arrived an hour earlier and had been greeted by both Braden and Heath. Once again, the tug at her abdomen hit her hard and fast, but she was actually getting used to it. At least, as much as she could get used to a live wire shocking her every time their gazes met. More, she was starting to yearn for it whenever she was apart from them.
At first, they’d simply stared at each other, the sexual energy whipping an invisible chain around them. Then, as she’d started walking toward them, intent on pulling both of them against her, Davey had burst out of the house, dashed down the stairs, and run straight into her arms. As much as she liked the boy, she couldn’t help but wish he’d stayed inside a little while longer. Still, maybe it was better that he hadn’t. Who knew what he might have stumbled upon if he’d come outside a few minutes later? Since then, she hadn’t had a moment alone with the men.
Davey held out a potato chip, thrusting it toward her mouth. He was the sweetest little boy she’d ever met. If she weren’t careful, she’d fall in love with him.
“Thanks, but I have my own chips. See?” She pointed at the mound of chips on her plate. He’d already fed her half of his, leaving hers untouched.
Davey thrust the chip closer. And, as she’d done before, she relented, opened her mouth, and let him poke the chip inside.
“Yum. Delicious.”
Davey’s giggle was contagious. Like the sound of a happy bird singing in a tree.
“Davey, give her a break, okay?” Heath sauntered over and retook his place across from her. He’d already eaten four hamburgers and began working on his fifth while Braden closed the lid on the grill to put out the fire. He grabbed his plate and sat next to Heath.
She loved their ranch. They’d shown her around the place, taking her into the large yet comfortable home. Her home had never seemed so warm or inviting. All three of the “men” had made her feel welcome. She’d felt at ease around them as soon as she’d gotten out of Lena’s car.
“Tell us more about you, Kylie.”
The words were muffled by the huge bite Braden had taken, but she understood him. She laughed when Davey shook a finger at him and put on a mean face, admonishing him for talking with his mouth full.
“I’m afraid it’s not a very exciting story.” Except for seeing a man killed. Her thought caught her off-guard. Strangely, she hadn’t worried about Frank finding her lately. How could he? He’d never look in a small town like Twisted. On top of that, the Asher men made her feel safe and protected.
“What kind of work did you do in Wichita?” asked Heath. He flicked a balled-up napkin at his son, earning another giggle from the boy.
Had she told him she’d come from Wichita? She couldn’t remember. Maybe Lena had mentioned it.
“I teach—taught—fourth grade.”
“I’m going to school next year,” boasted Davey.
“We’ll see, kiddo. But don’t interrupt while Kylie’s talking, okay?”
She bumped her shoulder against the boy, letting him know he wasn’t in trouble. “Anyway, I grew up in Wichita in a very average household. Just me. No brothers or sisters. I went to high school there, then on to the University of Oklahoma to get my education degree. I was lucky enough to get a teaching position right after graduation.”
“And you like teaching?”
“Yes.”
Heath shot her a searching look. “You don’t sound so sure.”
“No, I am. I do like it.” He was perceptive. Or had Lena told him about her dream of owning a bakery? “Although I’d rather be in a kitchen all day and baking.”
“Baking?” Braden lowered his hamburger. “Are you telling me you cook?”
“I do and I’m a pretty good one, if I say so myself. But baking is really my thing. I bake so much my students expect goodies when they come into my classroom.” A feeling of sadness and loss swept over her. Her students would never get to taste her cupcakes again.
“Are you baking at Lena’s?” Braden’s rapt attention locked on her.
“I am.” She winked at Davey. “Would you like me to bake some cupcakes for you?”
The boy straightened up, his eyes wide before looking to his dad. “Please, Daddy. Can we have cupcakes?”
Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have said the C word. “If it’s okay with your dad and uncle, I’ll make them for you. Not today, but sometime soon.”
“My uncle?”
“Davey thinks of Braden as a second father. I know it can seem kind of weird, but he calls him Dad and me Daddy.”
“Oh, sure. I get it. Kind of like when two gay men share a child.”
Heath choked on his bite, then swallowed hard. “It’s not that way with us.” He shot her a grin. “I thought we cleared that up months ago at the club.”
“Then how it is?” She lifted her eyebrows in question. “Well?”
“Pulease, Daddy? I want cupcakes.”
“Saved by the kiddo.”
Why didn’t Heath want to answer?
“Kylie, feel free to bake up a batch anytime you want,” said Braden. “Trust me, kiddo. Your daddy’s not going to stand in the way of you and me getting cupcakes.”
“Yay!”
She wasn’t sure who was more excited, Braden or Davey.
“So why didn’t you go to baking school? Or whatever it’s called.” Heath tilted his head to the side, his gaze piercing.
“I figured it was just a hobby. The dream of owning my own bakery didn’t seem very practical. Or likely.”
“You should never give up on your dreams.” Braden glanced around the yard, the house, and over to the barn. “If you really want something, you should do whatever it takes to get it.” Was he talking about their livelihood? Or her? His gaze bored into her, his lust for her shining.
“Anyway…” Had she said that before? “I needed a change so I made one.”
The two men shared an all-too-telling look. Braden glanced at Davey. “So one day you woke and decided to hop on a bus going wherever, huh?”
“Uh-huh.” She took a bite of her hamburger, using it as a reason not to say more.
“It takes guts to make a spontaneous move, especially when you’re not sure where you’re going. Either you’re brave…or you needed to get out of town really fast.”
“I guess I’m braver than I thought I was.” She didn’t dare lift her gaze to Heath’s. Was he on to her? Could she trust them enough to tell them about Frank? His name was on her lips, ready to trust them with her secret, even her life. But at the last moment, she kept it back. She couldn’t tell them in front of Davey.
“So which was it, Kylie? Did you want an adventure? Or are you running from something? Or maybe from someone?”
Her heart skipped a beat. They were fishing for information. But had they already figured it out and wanted confirmation? But how could they have known? “I knew it was time to leave. Kismet stepped in with Lena being on the bus, and I ended up here.”
“Do you really believe in destiny?” asked B
raden.
From anyone else, it would’ve been a casual question. Yet she sensed it was more coming from him. “I do. I believe our lives are planned out with a predetermined path. Of course, there are always going to be bumps along the way. But whenever we go off-course, our destiny steps in to get us back on the right track.”
“Does that include love, too?”
“Yuck.” Davey’s disgusted expression earned chuckles from all of them.
“Actually”—she couldn’t help but look at Heath then Braden—“I do. I believe there’s someone for everyone. But even with fate stepping in, it can be difficult to find them.”
Them? Why didn’t I say him? As in one man instead of two? Did they notice?
The three of them sat in silence while Davey hummed and took the last bite of his burger.
“Hey, kiddo, it’s time for bed.”
“Aw, Daddy.”
“Don’t aw, daddy me. Go on. We want to talk to Kylie in private.”
“Hey, why don’t I help you get ready for bed?” She didn’t check with the men. They had to know she was dodging their questions. Maybe it would only be a temporary reprieve, but she’d take what she could get.
“Yay!” Davey swung his legs over the picnic table bench and grabbed hold of her hand. “Come on, Kylie.”
She laughed and hurried to keep up with him. Glancing back as they made it to the door, she saw the determined expressions on the men’s faces.
They’re not going to give up. But what will I say?
* * * *
“Kylie, can you tuck me in?”
“Of course I can.”
From the moment they’d stepped inside the house to the time it took for him to show her his bedroom and get changed into his jammies—“all by myself!”—he’d latched onto her and wouldn’t let her go. She couldn’t help it. She’d grown to love being with him, too.
Pulling down his bedspread covered with all kinds of cats, large and small, she waited until he’d crawled under the sheets and lain down on his back. She tugged the bedspread higher and tucked it under him.
He was so damn cute, a miniature version of Heath. But there were things about him that reminded her of Braden, too. Like the way he looked at her, his eyes narrowing as though he was studying her. And how graceful his movements were. What child, especially one his age, moved with such ease?
He snatched a book from the table next to the bed, disturbing her tuck, but she didn’t mind doing it again once he’d settled back down. “Read.”
The teacher side of her started to tell him to ask, but she resisted. Instead, she took the book and opened it to the first page. Images of cats danced across the page.
“Do you like cats, Davey?” As if I don’t already know the answer.
“Uh-huh. They’re furry and fuzzy and have whiskers.”
From what she’d seen, he was like most of the people in Twisted. Didn’t anyone own a dog? She couldn’t remember seeing a dog since she’d come to town. “Okay, here goes.”
Before she knew it, she’d read the book two times. By the end of the third read, Davey had finally fallen to sleep.
Her heart tugged at her. What would it be like to have a child of her own? Maybe a little girl with Braden’s hair and Heath’s blue eyes?
She mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? A child with two different men? Still, wouldn’t it be nice to have two children, one who looked like Davey and another who looked like Braden?
Noise coming from outside jolted her out of her daydream.
Chapter Eight
Where are the noises coming from?
She searched the area between the house and the barn in the distance. Whatever was making the racket had to be big and loud enough for her to hear it all the way inside the house. The sounds were difficult to make out except for a growling sound. A howl lifted onto the wind, tightening her chest.
Where were Heath and Braden? She couldn’t see any sign of them near the picnic table and grill where they’d enjoyed their dinner. In fact, food and plates were still where they’d left them. Why hadn’t they cleaned up? Had they been drawn off?
Another howl brought her attention back to the barn along with the sounds of a loud banging. Were the horses kicking their stalls? Worry churned in her stomach as realization struck her. The men were inside the barn and whatever was going down wasn’t good.
She checked on Davey and found him sound asleep. Taking care, she hurried out of his bedroom and down the staircase. Her hand was on the front doorknob when the questions came. Could she leave him alone in the house? Would he be safe while she checked on Heath and Braden?
A set of keys hung on a hook by the door. Taking them, she began to check each one, hoping she’d find the one she needed. The fourth one she tried was the one for the front door.
“Finally.” She turned the lock on the door, then stepped outside and pulled it closed. At least the house wouldn’t be left open, leaving Davey vulnerable, while she checked things out. She took off running toward the barn.
Growls, snarls, and hissing grew louder the closer she got. She slowed down, then crept inside the dimly lit building. As she’d suspected, the horses were putting up a fuss at the noise. They nickered at her approach, then whirled around in their stalls, kicking out, then bumping their rumps against the wood. She hated to see them so upset, but finding out what was going on took precedence over calming them.
Instead, she eased past them toward the door at the rear. The noises were ear-shattering as she inched toward the small window in the back, then pressed her back against the wall. Holding her breath, she leaned around and peeked outside.
The breath rushed out of her.
This is insane.
Yet she knew what she was seeing was real.
Two large white tigers, just like the ones she’d seen the night when she was walking into town, faced a line of gray wolves. Although the wolves were the usual size, the tigers were huge and would’ve dwarfed any large cat she’d ever seen at the zoo. They were mythological in size, their bodies muscle-bound, thick, and wide. Their fur set against the purples of the setting sun sparkled as though they were covered in glitter.
She fell back against the wall. Could they hear her pounding heartbeats? Her panted breaths? She could easily imagine they could.
But where were Heath and Braden? She needed to warn them.
I have to get back to Davey.
Suddenly, the growling grew even louder. Although she knew she should get back to the house, back to Davey, she leaned around and peered out the window again. The tigers and the wolves fought, each slashing massive claws at the other. Deadly white fangs glistened and blood streamed over fur. First one, then another of the wolves jumped away, then spun around and ran toward the pasture.
She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, then ran. Her breath hitched in her throat as she rushed past the horses and into the yard. The house had seemed so far away before, but now it felt like the distance had grown even larger. Her heart pounded against her chest and her legs burned as she ran up the steps and hit the front door.
She tugged at the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open.
Shit. The key.
In her fear, she’d forgotten about locking the door. Fumbling, she searched for the key in her pocket. She was almost in tears by the time her fingers formed around the small object. With a shaking hand, she finally managed to insert the key and turn the lock.
Half stumbling over the threshold, she slammed the door behind her and turned the lock. Putting the key back into her pocket, she snatched up her purse from the entry table, then dashed up the stairs.
Davey.
She’d never forgive herself if anything had happened to him. Taking the stairs as quickly as she could, she bounded up them and into Davey’s room. To her relief, he was still asleep, oblivious to the commotion.
Should she take him with her and get him into town for safety? She couldn’t leave without him. Wha
t if Braden and Heath had been killed by the tigers or the wolves? Could she help them? Or would she be putting herself and Davey in danger?
Damn it. Where are you guys?
* * * *
“Fuck.” Braden started running from the barn toward the house. Heath took a few moments longer to shift back into human form, but soon enough he was fast on Braden’s heels.
“Are you sure you saw her?”
“I saw her.”
“Damn wolves.”
Their wounds were healing fast. Although they were covered in bites, most of them were superficial. Regular wolves like those couldn’t stand up in a fight with two tigers. After trying to get them to leave without coming to blows, Braden had finally been forced to attack. Once they realized how powerful he and Heath were, they’d turned tail and run. He’d taken one last swipe at the leader of the pack, whirling around, and had seen Kylie’s shocked face in the barn window.
They’d discussed when they were going to tell her the truth about them and had decided to give her more time. Time enough to get comfortable with them and with the people in Twisted. Time for her to finally admit that she was running from someone. Now the wolves had made their plan impossible.
They raced toward the house, leaving their shredded clothing behind in the barn. Braden reached the door first.
“She’s locked us out.”
“More likely, she’s locked the animals out.”
Heath had to be right. She was defending herself and Davey from the vicious animals she’d seen. From them. Pride for her bravery welled inside him, but his tiger was too close to the surface to not be angry. Keeping a weretiger out of his own home wasn’t an act the beast would tolerate for long.
“Go around back. I’ll bet she didn’t think to lock the kitchen door.”
“Good idea.” He let Heath take the lead as they rounded the house. Sure enough, the door leading into the kitchen was unlocked.
They barreled inside then ran for the stairs. His foot was on the first step when he saw her on the landing.