by Jane Jamison
She paused to rethink that. No, like I’ve already fallen for them.
It wasn’t surprising. She’d been in love with them since high school. They’d always been sexy, but she’d watched them over the years and had known that their hearts were as big as she’d imagined their cocks would be. Then, once she got to know them even better in college, she’d seen the playful and the serious sides of them. Without a doubt, they were wonderful men inside and out.
“It just rankles me that we could’ve gotten together with Tatum sooner if we hadn’t let the fight between our families get in the way. Instead, we let it get to us.”
“A fight that happens to include the land we’re on right now,” added Josh.
They were right. If not for the feud, they could’ve already been together. Perhaps living in their own home and raising their children.
“That’s my point.” Will moved so he could see Tatum’s face. “It’s all about money and land. I don’t know about you, but those two things are way down on my list of priorities.”
They sat together, letting what the other had said sink in. But what use would it do to think about it? The feud had gone on for years, and unless something drastic happened, it would go on for even more. She fought back the same frustration that had been growing stronger year by year.
“We have to figure out how to bring our two families together.” She clung to her blanket, digging her nails into the material to relieve some of the tension rooted in her anger.
Will tracked a finger down her arm. “Agreed. But how?”
“I don’t know. But I know we’re not the only ones who feel this way.” She sought out their eyes, trying to judge if they already knew. Should she tell them that Farah felt the same way? Or would Farah rather keep it a secret? But didn’t they have a right to know? She didn’t want to start their relationship by keeping things from them.
“I hope she doesn’t get angry at me, but you should know that Farah feels the same way.”
“Is that right?” Will shrugged. “Although it doesn’t surprise me much. We haven’t spent much time around her lately what with her not living here. Still, now that you mention it, I think I remember her grumbling about an argument she and our dad had gotten into. I didn’t pay much attention since I was halfway out the door headed to a client’s house at the time.”
“That’s good to know. And you’re right. The feud has to end. If not for us”—Josh gave her a sly look—“then for our kids.”
“Kids?”
Will took her hand. “Why does that surprise you? We told you we want this to be more than a passing thing.” He jerked his gaze to Josh and back. “Unless we’ve gotten this, gotten us, all wrong. If we have, tell us now.”
She clasped his hand like a woman grasping for a safe harbor in a turbulent storm at sea. “I want the same thing. I just hadn’t thought that far ahead. Kids. Wow.” The idea of children with Will and Josh was more even more thrilling than sex with them. Of course, having sex to get pregnant with those babies made it perfect.
Josh stood and gathered the wine along with three glasses. He sat down again, handed them each a glass, then covered himself with one of the blankets. “Wow is right. Let’s just hope they have your looks, Will’s brain, and my personality.”
* * * *
Tatum hoped her students couldn’t see how nervous and excited she was. Will and Josh gave her all kinds of different and sensational emotions.
She glanced at the choir room door again then back to the round metal clock on the wall. Will had said that he’d arrive during her show choir’s rehearsal period, but he’d yet to appear. She forced her mind back on the choir as they finished one of the songs they’d do for the competition that summer. Their gazes fell on her as they remained silent, ready to hear how they’d done. They were a great group of students, a couple of them hoping to become professional singers, while most of the others were in the choir just for the fun of it. But each one gave the songs their best effort whenever they sang.
“That was terrific, guys. But altos, be sure you come in a beat behind the sopranos. A few of you jumped the gun that time.” She smiled, softening her criticism. “I know you’re all going to be fantastic.”
“It sounded pretty amazing to me.”
She couldn’t suppress a huge smile as she pivoted to find Will standing in the doorway. He had his computer in hand and was clean-shaven. He had on his leather coat and his usual sexy attire of jeans along with a long-sleeve shirt. The only thing missing was his cowboy hat.
“Class, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Will McLean.” She walked toward him and felt her hips swaying just for his benefit. “As I mentioned before, he’s working on a design for the group to use at the performance.”
“Hi, everyone.” Will sauntered toward her.
If I lean just an inch or so closer, I can rub my shoulder against his. But the kids might notice.
She forced herself to stay in teacher mode and showed Will where to hook up his computer so that his work would show on the huge monitor hanging on the wall. Sanctuary schools were fortunate enough to have the latest in technology, thanks to both the McLean and the Baldwin families.
If only they could get together in everything else.
She let the students talk among themselves as Will set up his computer. Soon, he had the design for the show choir up on the screen. Appreciative “oohs” and exclamations of delight spread around the room.
The brilliant letters of SJHS, Sanctuary Junior High School, in the school’s colors of gold and navy dominated the design. In the background were musical symbols as well as slashes of color. It was a simple design, but somehow Will had created the image so that it glowed with color and ebbed with an underlying power.
“That’s incredible, Will.”
He beamed. “Great. I’m glad you like it.” He raised his voice to be heard above the clamor. “I’m glad you all like it. So, if it’s a go, I’ll get it to Milly’s father, Mr. Mason, and have him start making the banner. Maybe you can mention it to him, Milly?”
Milly, a tall, skinny brunette who sang alto, nodded so hard that Tatum was surprised her head didn’t fall off. “You bet, Mr. McLean. And thanks for doing this for us.”
Other students chimed in as well, thanking him for his time and work. “No problem.” He unhooked his computer then motioned for Tatum to follow him to the door.
“Everyone, give me a minute with Will, um, Mr. McLean.” She put her back to the kids as fast as she could, but judging by their wide eyes and whispers, they’d already caught her slip of the tongue.
“Dang. I blew that big-time.” She gasped as Will pulled her out of view and against the hallway wall. “Will, remember where we are.”
“Oh, I remember, all right. I can’t help remembering how much time we wasted when we could’ve done this during class changes.”
She just had time to glance around before he pressed his lips to hers. His kiss, urgent and needy, took her breath away, but she’d be damned if she’d end the kiss before she had to. Feeling extra naughty for making out in the hallway, she swept her tongue into his mouth and playfully whipped it around his.
When he pulled away, she could see the desire in his eyes. “Tatum Baldwin, you’re going to be the death of me yet.”
She giggled and gave silent thanks that she’d thought to close the choir room door on their way out. “If that’s the case, maybe you should stop coming around me.”
“Uh-uh. There’s no chance of that happening.” He caressed the side of her breast with the tips of his fingers. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Her heart sank. She’d wanted to get away to the cabin, but her parents had already planned a dinner with family friends. Since they’d asked her to attend weeks earlier, she couldn’t back out now. “I’m stuck at home. Plus, I caught my mom giving me a suspicious look the other day when I came back from meeting you guys. As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to cool it for a while. Especially af
ter I just called you Will in front of the students.”
“Damn. I was afraid you were going to say that.”
Tatum was about to kiss him again when the choir room door opened. She jumped away from Will as he stepped back.
Milly studied them, her big brown gaze sliding from one to the other. “Miss Baldwin, the trio wants to go into one of the practice rooms and run over our song.” Her intense scrutiny centered on Will. “If that’s okay.”
“Um, Miss Baldwin.” Will started backing up, looking like a teenage boy who’d gotten caught smoking in the bathroom. “I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll be in touch.”
Tatum resisted the urge to say “you’d better.” Instead, she pulled herself together, stood tall, and adopted her best teacher attitude. “That sounds good, Mr. McLean. And again, thank you for everything you’ve done.”
She hoped he’d catch the hidden meaning behind her words. She lifted her hand when he waved farewell then confronted Milly.
“Of course you can work on the trio. In fact, that’ll give me time to work with some of the others individually.” When Milly didn’t move, she added, “You can go on and get that going.”
Milly’s gaze flicked to the exit where Will had gone. “Miss Baldwin, I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but it’s really stupid.”
“What’s stupid?”
Milly shot her a typical teenage “oh, pulease” look then rolled her eyes. “Everyone can see that Mr. McLean has the hots for you. And we can tell you think he’s cool, too.”
Tatum was at a loss for words as the young girl shrugged then whirled around to push through the door.
Is it that obvious?
She needed to be more careful, but the joy rising inside her couldn’t be held back. If Milly could see that Will cared for her, then it had to be true and not just her imagination and hopeful wishes taking over. She stayed where she was for another minute or so before she had the nerve to go back inside the choir room.
* * * *
After staying away from each other for a torturous week, Tatum was happy that Will and Josh had finally agreed to meet again. Exchanging texts was all well and good, but she doubted she could’ve stayed away from them much longer.
As had become their habit, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other and had fallen onto the now-familiar fur rug as soon as they’d arrived at the cabin. The lovemaking had been as terrific as ever and her body still hummed from having their hands and mouths all over her.
She was still naked and sitting on the rug. Although she wasn’t chilled, she pulled a blanket around her and wondered how long it would take to wipe the satisfied grin from her face.
Will hadn’t bothered to get dressed all the way. Instead, he’d yanked on his jeans, but that left his hard frame for her to enjoy. His wide shoulders looked like they could hold the weight of the world, and his chest was like granite boulders piled into an upside down mountain that slid her gaze down to his lean waist. She brought her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, then rested her chin on her knees.
“I don’t get why you’re so bothered by this, Will. I thought Aubrey hiring Jocelyn Richards was a good thing.” Tatum didn’t add that it had really been the McLean boys, Noah and Riley, who had gotten the ball rolling by hiring the historical investigator.
Will ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the fireplace. As usual, they had a roaring fire going, its warmth radiating through the small building. The men had brought along a six-pack of beer as well as a couple of bottles of wine and a basket of bread, cheese, and luncheon meat. They’d also brought more lanterns along with the candles as they slowly started making the shabby shack more of a love nest.
“Why am I bothered about this Jocelyn Richards lady poking into our family’s business?” He cast her a sarcastic glare. “Beats the hell out of me. What could go wrong? Other than the fact that she might uncover facts that would only stir the pot more.”
“Or she could find out why this feud started and why it’s gone on so long. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll find an answer that will end all this nonsense.”
Why couldn’t he understand? Doing nothing had gotten them nothing in return. At least having Jocelyn working to find an answer was making an attempt to solve the problem. They couldn’t let the feud go on indefinitely. She couldn’t stand the thought of that happening.
A very naked and oh-so-gorgeous Josh slouched on the couch and took a swig of one of the beers. “Take it easy, cuz. Whatever she finds, if she finds anything, can’t hurt as far as I’m concerned. How much worse can it get? We’re already sneaking around to be together.”
Will tossed his empty bottle into a trash can. “True enough.”
She could see that he was trying to calm himself, but his impatience had grown with each rendezvous. Knowing his impulsive nature, she would’ve thought Josh would’ve lost his patience first. “Give it some more time, Will. Give Jocelyn a chance.”
“I don’t want to.” Those unique McLean blue eyes met hers then dropped to the floor.
Her heart sank, and for a moment, she had a sickening feeling. She got to her feet, holding the blanket in front of her. “Are you saying that you want to break up?” The phrase sounded silly, like something her students would say, so she tried to say it a different way. “Are you saying that it’s not worth it? That we’re not worth it?”
That I’m not worth it?
He jerked his gaze up. “Hell, no.” He ate up the distance between them in seconds, then pulled her body close, tearing the blanket away. “That’s the complete opposite of what I’m trying to say.”
Josh came to stand beside them. “What my cousin is trying to push out of his muddled brain is this.” He paused, letting her prepare for whatever he had to say. “We think it’s time to tell our families.”
She broke away, at once relieved and shocked. “We can’t. My father’s head would explode. It’s one thing to be friends with Farah, but it’s an altogether different thing to be sexually involved with not one, but two, McLean men. Uh-uh. That is so not going to happen.”
Josh laughed then narrowed his gaze at her. “Look, darlin’, I like what we have going on right now as much as you do.” He waved his arm, gesturing at the interior. “What more could a man ask for? We’ve got a cozy fire, good drink and food, and a dream woman. And as for the accommodations? I brought a blow-up mattress that I’ll haul out of the truck later on. But even I want more than this. I want everyone to know you’re our woman. I want to throw it out there for the world to see and for other men to wish they were me.”
“Josh is right.” Will drew in a slow breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I want my family to know we love each other. We do, don’t we, Tatum? I know Josh and I are in love with you. Or is this just playtime with the McLean boys for you?”
Josh took a swig. “Yeah, darlin’. Is what we have special enough to be out in the open about it?” He narrowed his eyes, his expression a mask of suspicion. “Or are you using us in some weird scheme to piss off your family?”
Was that what the feud had done to them? Did the years of their family squabbling make them unable to accept the love they’d found with each other?
They stood together, two amazing, sexy, and incredibly irritating bookends. While Will’s expression was tense, Josh’s was still dark.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve got to know that isn’t true.” She held back, wanting to convince them with her words and not with her body. “I do love you. Both of you. Maybe I was afraid to say it out loud before now, but, yes”—she let the joy of her words fill her—“I do love you.”
“But you still want to keep us a secret? Or can't you love us in public? With both families knowing and all the flak we’re bound to get?” Will was insistent as he stood straighter, taller.
“If I could, I’d shout it to the world.” She clasped her hands in front of her, stopping herself from touching their chests, their faces. “But I know this isn’
t the right time. Please understand.”
“You know it’s going to come out sooner or later.” Josh hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “I’d just as soon have it happen sooner than later. Who knows? Maybe our getting together is the thing that will push our families, especially our parents, into realizing that the feud has run its course.”
She scoffed, snorting in an unbecoming way. But it didn’t matter. They’d seen her good side as well as her bad and they still loved her. They’d even escorted her to the outhouse. Not that she’d needed their help, but they’d wanted to go with her to “protect her from wild animals.” She hadn’t tried to talk them out of it, thinking it was sweet of them to do so, even though the closest thing to a wild animal that she’d seen was a big spider. “More than likely it’ll push them into an even bigger fight.”
Will lifted an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what I was saying about Jocelyn?”
He had her there. But still, telling her family was different than Jocelyn doing a search. If she found nothing, then the families would never know.
“So do you want to spend your life doing this?” Will swept his gaze around the inside of the cabin. “Is this all you want, Tatum? A life of secret meetings? A life of never having our own family? A life where we can never live together in our own home?”
“Of course not. I want it all. I want a house to call our own and I want children. It’s just that—”
“It’s just what, Tatum?” Josh came to her and took her hand. “The three of us still live with our parents, but it’s by choice. We help our father out with the ranch and do our other jobs. And you live at home because you enjoy it. But now that we’ve found each other, it’s time to change all that.”
“Yes, I like living in my family’s home. It’s convenient, and until recently, I’ve never felt the need to have my own place. But I’m not there just because I like it.” She had to make them understand. She had to explain the impression that her parents needed her.