“Well I’ve never seen a cowboy ride a bull, but some of the guys said that they’ll be there this Sunday.”
“It’s a sight to see.”
She smiled then opened the car door.
“Well, thank you for walking me out. You have a good night.”
“A good morning. I don’t know how you pull these doubles all week. Bet you can’t wait to get through tomorrow to be off on Sunday.”
“What, does everyone know my schedule?”
He gave her a wink. “Can’t lie about it. If a man’s going to go to a bar for a few drinks, he’s going to pick the nights when the prettiest bartenders are working. Careful driving, Lori.” He tipped his hat, gave her a wink, and walked toward his truck.
Lori felt a little bit guilty inside. Not that it meant anything with J.R. walking her out of Carl’s or that he gave her a compliment. She felt like she hadn’t seen her men in so long and with all the cowboys flirting with her and then the sheriff walking her out, she missed them.
Lori climbed into her car, locked the doors, then texted the three of them so they would get it in the morning.
Miss you…Love you…Good night.
Chapter 17
“Do you believe this shit?” Trevor asked as he ran his fingers through his wet hair.
“Three fucking thirty in the morning. She can’t go on working like this and not there,” Dante added as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“I know. It pissed me off, too, but she did say she missed us and loved us. She’s trying real hard to handle things on her own. Maybe we can talk to her about it this morning?” Charlie said as he cleaned off his plate and prepared to meet the construction crew on site with Tom Cantrell.
“How can you be so calm?” Dante asked in annoyance, taking his plate and cleaning it off.
“I’m not going to freak out and start making crazy demands on her. She’s working and trying to save money for college.”
“We can give her the Goddamn money,” Trevor barked at them.
“No, we can’t. She would never allow that,” Charlie whispered as he stared off toward the door as if thinking about the possibility as well.
“Well we need to think of something. I heard the damn rodeo guys are hitting up Carl’s big-time. I got three texts last night before Lori’s text about how the guys were totally hitting on her,” Trevor stated.
“From who? Jackass Will? He’s always trying to get you going. He knows that Lori belongs to us. Most of the fucking town does by now,” Dante added with attitude.
“Either way, it pisses me off. I want her here. Where I can keep an eye on her and keep her safe.” Trevor raised his voice.
“You need to calm down. She’s ours. We’ll see her tonight. We need to get out to the property before the bulldozers start digging up the land,” Charlie said, but even his heart felt heavy. He was worried just like Trevor was.
* * * *
Lori registered for her classes this fall then headed back home. When she arrived, taking the road that led past the Cantrells’ property and the Henleys’, she saw all the orange flags and some of the large holes being dug as construction vehicles started digging.
What had started out as a meeting of partnership between the Henleys and the Cantrells turned into immediate construction in less than three weeks. She was really impressed.
As badly as she wanted to stop in to see Charlie, Trevor, and Dante, she had a splitting headache and needed to talk to her parents. Registering for the classes was overwhelming and there were a few extra concerns now.
She parked the car then got out and climbed the porch stairs. They were making lunch.
“Hey, there you are. How did it go?” her mom asked as her dad, Maggie, and Ben looked up at her smiling.
She felt kind of guilty now, moving on with her life. The thought hit her hard and her smile faded.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” her father asked then placed an arm over her shoulder and walked her toward the table.
“I’m fine, Dad. Just stressed out.” She inhaled his cologne and embraced the feel of being held by him. Even though the years had passed and she missed out on physical contact with her mom and dad, it was as if she and Maggie had never left.
She turned into his shoulder and hugged him.
“I love you, Dad.”
He hugged her tight and released an uneasy breath. He was concerned for her.
As he released her, he smiled.
“It can be quite overwhelming to register for college and pick the classes you need. I bet there were some extra costs you weren’t anticipating, too.”
She nodded her head.
“I’ll handle it though.”
“We can help you, Lori. We’ve got money saved.”
She shook her head as she held the top of the chair. “I can handle it, Dad. I still have a month of working and saving to do.”
“And what about once school starts? You’ll need time to study,” Maggie stated.
“I’m going to work it all out. I just need to confirm the schedule of classes.”
“And what about the job with the school district?” Maggie asked.
“Michelle has to get me the interview first and then I actually have to get the job, Maggie. It may not be feasible.”
“She said that was a way into the district so that once you achieve your degree they can hire you as a teacher. Your chances are better.”
“I know that. I have a lot to think about. I think I’m going to go for a run.”
“What about lunch?” her mom asked.
“I’ll get something later. My stomach is in knots right now.”
Lori left the room to go change. A jog always helped to clear her head, and as she headed out the door, she did her stretches then took off for her regular route.
* * * *
“Tom, there’s nothing anyone can do about this now. We’re in contract and no threats are going to stop us from achieving our goals,” Charlie told Tom Cantrell as he handed over yet another threatening letter from an unknown source.
“I told the sheriff about these. I don’t want anyone getting hurt on this construction site. If what you believe to be true is in fact true, then Jerry Connor will not stop trying to take this land even now that we have begun breaking ground,” Tom said.
“We’ll take the extra precautions,” Dante said.
“Here comes the sheriff now.” Trevor nodded toward the roadway.
As they all watched the vehicle approach the small hill that brought the land into view, the sheriff slowed down.
Charlie felt the anger hit his gut as Lori jogged by the sheriff’s car and the sheriff appeared to be talking with her and making her laugh.
Charlie had awesome vision and could see a good distance clear in front of him. When Lori waved then ran down the small path that led toward the swimming hole without even looking their way, he felt like running after her.
“She didn’t see us. His car was blocking her view,” Dante said as if he read Charlie’s mind.
“She’s meeting us at our place in an hour,” Trevor said through clenched teeth. Then the sheriff pulled up.
“Howdy, looks like you’ve got a lot done in a short period of time,” Sheriff Morgan said after he got out of the patrol car.
“Yeah, it’s impressive, isn’t it? Charlie, Trevor, and Dante know a lot of people and they’re all gung ho about working this summer and fall,” Tom told him.
“Was that Lori who ran down the path?” Trevor asked with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he stared down the sheriff. Charlie felt the same way.
The sheriff looked back toward that direction and smiled.
“Sure was. I saw her heading this way and spoke with her a bit. Was real surprised that she had the energy to do her jog today.”
“Why’s that?” Dante asked him.
“She worked late.”
Charlie wondered how the hell the sheriff knew that. Before one of them asked th
e sheriff, he offered the information.
“I walked her out to her car around three thirty or so. The place was really crowded, all night long.”
“Lori’s trying to save money for college, but I think she works too hard,” Tom stated and the sheriff agreed.
Charlie felt a twinge of jealousy knowing that the sheriff was with her, but he was a lawman, and would protect her from harm.
Tom started telling the sheriff about the threatening letters and phone calls. The sheriff wrote everything down and continued to ask Tom questions.
“I did check out that abandoned vehicle you guys called in this morning. It belongs to the son of a couple in town. He ran out of gas and left the car there, then walked all the way back home for help. They should be here shortly to fill it up with gas and get it out of there.”
“Well, we appreciate you looking into things. I want this construction to go well,” Tom added.
“You two talk. We’re going to wrap things up for the day. We’ll see you tomorrow morning, Tom. Same time,” Charlie stated.
“Sure thing,” Tom said as Charlie and his brothers headed over to the men who were gathering together preparing to leave for the day.
* * * *
Lori pulled on the shamrock-green strapless sundress that hugged her curves and landed just above the knee. It was a classy, yet casual look, and she topped it off with low-heeled white sandals. She wanted to look good for Charlie, Dante, and Trevor. She missed them and with all the stress she was feeling, she looked forward to getting lost in their arms.
She had filtered through her drawers, pulling out the little bag with the new set of thong panties she brought. They were black and all lace, which didn’t really cover much at all.
She had showered using a special bodywash she picked up at the same store and felt that it was fresh and appealing.
“Wow, you look great and smell good, too,” Maggie said as she entered the bedroom, closed her eyes, and inhaled.
“What is that stuff?” she asked as she took a bottle off the bureau and began opening it.
“It’s not that one. It’s a bodywash I bought the other day.”
“Hmmm.” Maggie placed her hand under her chin and looked Lori over.
“Do you think I can borrow some?”
Lori chuckled.
“Hot date with Jasper?”
“I haven’t slept with him yet.” She sat down on the bed.
“I didn’t say that you did. How is it going anyway?”
Maggie grunted then fell backward on Lori’s bed. She threw her arm over her eyes and made noises.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything, nothing, ah hell, I don’t know.” Maggie pulled her arm away from her eyes and sat up, leaning on her elbow. She played with a strand of fabric on the comforter.
“Jasper is so incredibly sexy and macho and manly and everything I ever wanted in a man and everything I ever feared in one.”
Lori fixed her dress as she sat down on the bed.
She crossed her legs and looked at her sister.
“Tell me about it. Whenever I think about what Charlie, Trevor, and Dante are capable of, being soldiers, I start to panic. I know they won’t hurt me, but then the fear starts up. I just don’t want to screw it all up, so I place some distance between us. Yet, here I am, missing them terribly and I can’t wait to see them and none of the fear matters. I don’t get it.”
“That’s because you’re in love with them.”
“Yes, I am. And you have strong feelings for Jasper, but you’re allowing your own fears and the past to rule your future and your decisions. You can’t keep doing that, Maggie. It’s time to move on and Jasper is a great man. Plus, Ben likes him a bunch.”
Maggie smiled.
“They get along well and you’re right, I like Jasper a lot. Sometimes, when we’re making out, I feel like I should just let him continue and just go with the strong feelings I have, but then Derrick pops into my head. I can’t afford to make any more bad decisions in my life, Lori.”
“Maggie, you’re human. We all make mistakes no matter how hard we try to avoid them. You can’t think like that. You have to focus on what you feel inside here.” Lori covered her chest where her heart was.
“I love you, Lori. I’m so happy for you. The guys are amazing. You’d better get going.”
Lori stood up and looked at herself in the mirror one more time.
“Do you like the dress?” Lori asked.
“I love it and so will the men. Too bad it won’t be on you that long,” Maggie said as she walked toward the doorway.
Maggie!” Lori called after her and Maggie chuckled.
Lori looked at the dress and the blush to her cheeks.
I hope they like it.
* * * *
Trevor opened the front door and felt his chest tighten and his dick instantly hardened. Lori looked incredible.
“Hey, beautiful,” he stated after staring at her for a few seconds too long because he noticed her lower her eyes as if he wasn’t impressed with her.
Trevor reached for her, wrapping an arm around her waist and moving his other hand under her hair and against her neck before kissing her.
She smelled incredible. The feel of her dainty hands grabbing him tight and rubbing along his waist drove him wild with desire. But he had to calm himself down. The woman was only in the front entryway to their home.
He slowly released her lips and smiled as they touched foreheads.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Trevor,” she told him and he smiled then took her hand and led her through the house and onto the side-enclosed patio. It was screened in.
“It looks like we may be getting a storm any minute.”
“I know. I saw some lightning in the distance on my way over here.”
“Saw you jogging today,” Trevor said as he led her deeper onto the porch where they had set the table and lit some candles.
“This looks so nice. You did all this for me?” she asked.
He pulled her against him and held her face between his hands. Trevor stared down into her eyes. He had so much to say. Plus he wanted to demand why she let the sheriff walk her out from work and why she stopped to talk and laugh with him? Then came the feelings of guilt. He was being insecure. Never in his life had he felt incapable or not good enough. But with Lori, he felt his own insecurities getting in the way of the more important task at hand. He should be loving his woman, and securing a good, healthy relationship with her, instead of focusing on his fears of losing her.
“All three of us did,” Charlie sated as he and Dante entered the room.
Trevor released his hold as Charlie approached, leaned down, and kissed Lori softly on the mouth. He took her hand and looked her over. “I like it,” he said. She smiled and Trevor saw her eyes light up.
Dante approached and he looked stern.
“You look gorgeous. That color is almost identical to your eyes.” Dante kissed her softly. Trevor stared at Lori, and now Charlie and Dante looked at a loss for words.
Lori clasped her hands in front of her and then looked at each of them.
“What’s wrong? Something is wrong,” she whispered.
They were silent and then Trevor couldn’t wait.
“I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. What the hell were you doing letting the sheriff walk you out from work last night, or should I say this morning?”
He was trying his hardest to not sound angry, but concerned. The moment the words left his lips, he felt guilty and realized how insecure he was. This was his first serious relationship. He wanted to give Lori every part of him, and especially his heart. He knew the culprit to the insecurity and reservations. He was scared. Scared to love. Scared to trust and scared of losing the best thing that ever happened to him. Lori.
“Trevor, he was there with friends and waited for me to leave so I wouldn’t have to walk out alone. Carl was stuck inside with some sort
of kitchen situation.”
“What about the conversation on the hill? We were standing right down the road and you didn’t even wave to us. The sheriff made you laugh and stole your complete attention,” Dante added.
Lori took a deep breath.
She stared at all three of them and for some reason she felt like laughing and like crying. Laughing over the fact that three very dominating, sexy men like these three were jealous of the sheriff and crying, because she was so touched by their care for her and their love. She needed to make them understand that she wasn’t going to hurt them, just as she needed them to show her the same.
“First of all, there was no hidden meaning about J.R. walking me to my car. You guys are the ones that demanded I remember to take precautions always. Secondly, I love the three of you and I don’t have any romantic feelings for J.R., and third, if I didn’t love the three of you, then I wouldn’t have missed you so much, I wouldn’t have looked forward to seeing you and talking about the stress I’m under and I surely wouldn’t have gone out and splurged on this new dress. Nor these sexy panties.” She lifted her dress and showed off the black lace see-through panties for emphasis on her entire statement.
Her three stubborn men stared at her, so she pulled her dress back down into place, smoothed her hands down the front then stared at them.
“Get over here,” Dante ordered. Her belly tightened and, oh boy, did she feel wet as she slowly walked closer.
He didn’t touch her. Dante didn’t pull her into his arms and kiss her breathless as she anticipated. No, not this macho, take-charge soldier of hers. Instead he made her shiver with arousal and anticipation.
“Unzip that dress, slowly.”
Oh Lord, Maggie was right. This dress didn’t stay on long at all.
She stared at him, giving him the same stern, hard expression he gave her as she reached back and unzipped the dress. Moving her hand in front of her bodice, she held it in place.
“Off, I said.”
She stared at him, made him wait a moment until she saw that vein by the side of his temple pulsate. She moved her hand away from the bodice of the dress and the material fell to the floor, leaving her bare-breasted and only wearing the black lace panties.
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 22