Mary Beth grabbed Alice’s hand as they stomped out of the store.
“Sorry, darlin’, you ready to go?”
“Yes, I’m ready and I was handling that whole situation just fine. You didn’t need to rescue me.”
“I’ll always be here to rescue you, darlin’. I’m just tired of that woman trying to weasel her way into our bed. She just doesn’t know when to stop or what the word ‘no’ means. She’s nothing more than a gold digger. Come on, let’s get you home and then to Lanni’s. I talked to Brad earlier and he said that Sophie is really excited about tonight, but first, give me my kiss.”
Tessa smiled as she walked around the counter and kissed Mitch hello. She could so get used to this and that scared her. She wasn’t sure where this was going, but she knew that soon she was going to have to make a decision. Her life was becoming a fairy tale mixed with a horror movie.
* * * *
Mitch walked Tessa up to Lanni’s door, telling her to have fun and that he would be by in the morning to take her to work. Lanni had stopped and picked up pizza and Brad showed up with Sophie about ten minutes later. Sophie talked their ears off telling them about everything she had done at school that day. Tessa liked how she cuddled on her lap as she read her a story and wanted to sit with her when they colored. Lanni kept a container of toys for Sophie and blocks was the choice for the evening. After building a castle for a princess with a drawbridge, Sophie started yawning.
“I think it’s time to clean up, brush some teeth, and get ready for bed,” Lanni said.
“I’m not tired yet, Auntie Lanni,” she told her as she yawned again.
“How about we all get our pj’s on, brush our teeth, and snuggle on the couch to watch a movie.
“OK, that works for me,” Sophie said.
Both Tessa and Lanni laughed. Sophie sounded so much like Annie at times, picking up on the little sayings that her mama used. The movie hadn’t been on fifteen minutes and Sophie was knocked out. Lanni carried her into her room and tucked her into bed.
“Brad and Annie should be here soon,” Lanni told Tessa.
“She sure is something special. She makes me think about having a little Sophie of my own someday. I’ve never thought about having kids before because I never thought I’d find a man who would be a good father,” Tessa confessed.
“Really? I think about it all the time. It’s just finding the right sperm donor that’s the problem.”
“How weird would it be to be pregnant and not know who the father is? If I make this relationship with Mitch, Rance, and Sam permanent and I get pregnant, I won’t know who the biological father of our kids is unless they wanted to get DNA tests, but I can’t see them wanting to do that.”
“I don’t think they would care. So you’re thinking they might be your happily ever after? Does that mean you are moving home?”
“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet. First, whoever has it out for me needs to be caught, second, I’m not 100 percent sure yet that I can be everything to each one of them. We haven’t even had sex yet, although I think it’s going to happen soon.”
“Two of them have spent the night with you and you haven’t done the deed with either one of them?”
“Nope, we’ve fooled around, but my virginity is still intact. It gets harder every time I’m alone with one of them and I’m not sure why they hold back.”
“Maybe they are waiting until they are all together so they can share you the first time.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. Anyhow, Saturday Rance is taking me to see my dad on his Harley and then to The Spur. I haven’t really spent any one-on-one time with him besides riding in his truck so I’m looking forward to it.”
There was a knock on the door. Tessa looked at the clock and saw it was almost ten. Brad came in and kissed both Lanni and Tessa on the forehead. “Thank you so much for watching the munchkin. We had a great time. Annie’s wiped out so she is in the car waiting for me. Is sleeping beauty in your room?” he asked Lanni.
“Yeah, I’ll get her bag together if you want to grab her.”
Brad went to get Sophie and when he brought her back in the living room Tessa tucked her blanket around her. “Thanks for bringing her over tonight. She was exactly what I needed after today. You and Annie have done such a great job with her. She is amazing. We’ll have to do this again real soon.”
“Have I told you yet how glad I am that you are home?”
“I think you have mentioned it once or twice. Go on, Annie’s waiting. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I love you, little girl.”
“I love you, too, Brad.”
“Thanks, Lanni, love you, too,” Brad said as he walked out the door.
“My sister is one lucky woman. Your brother is the total package. Smart, funny, attentive, hardworking, an incredible father, and hot as hell!”
“Eww, don’t want to go there. He’s just Brad, but yeah he is pretty hot, almost as hot as my men,” Tessa said with a dreamy look on her face.
“Your men. Can’t believe after all these years you come home and claim the most eligible bachelors in town.”
“Yeah, it’s still shocking to me, too. I’m ready for bed. I’ve had a couple late nights and I’m looking forward to getting some sleep.”
“What time do you need to get up in the morning?”
“Mitch said he is picking me up around 8:30 am.”
“That’s about the same time I leave. I’ll get up early and fix breakfast. I usually have cereal or a bagel and fruit. It will be nice to have breakfast with someone.”
“Lanni, why aren’t you dating anyone?”
“I was, but it got complicated.”
“What happened? You have never mentioned anything to me.”
“I don’t really want to get into this tonight, we can talk about it more later, but in a nut shell, I was dating Jake Reynolds. I thought we were heading somewhere, but he wanted to include his brother in our relationship. I know it happens all the time around here, but I don’t know if I could handle it. Would they get jealous of each other? Would I have to keep a tally on how much time I spent with who to make sure everything was even? Anyhow, one night we were fooling around and Andy joined us. It didn’t go any further than a little kissing and touching before I freaked out and broke everything off. I just don’t know if I can do it. Not that what you are doing is wrong, I just don’t know if I can love more than one man. His brother Andy is mighty fine though and so nice, and when he touched me, it felt just as right. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter, I’ve burned that bridge and I have moved on. I do miss him though.”
“When did you break up with him?”
“About a week before you came home.”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
“No! Maybe, hell, I don’t know. Let’s talk about this later. Night, Tessa.”
“Night, Lanni, I’m here now if you need to talk and from the way they were both giving you attention at The Spur, I would say they aren’t giving up yet.” Lanni just sighed and walked into her room closing the door. Tessa wanted to see her friend happy. They were so much alike, never dating in high school, and from what they told each other over the years, they kept pretty much to themselves. Lanni was also still a virgin, something else they had in common. Maybe if her relationship with the Collinses worked, Lanni would consider a life with Jake and Andy.
Tessa slept in Lanni’s spare room. It was strange not to have a hard, warm body curled around her. Even though it had only happened twice, she had quickly gotten used to it. She missed not having one of them with her.
* * * *
She wasn’t here. She didn’t come home. He had waited all night for her. The car she had been driving was here, but no lights had ever come on. This was supposed to be their night together, his chance to prove his love. He walked around her room, touching and looking at everything from when Tessa was younger. He opened her drawers and looked through her lace panties, picturi
ng her in them. One pair he took with him, the rest he destroyed. “If I can’t see you in these then neither will those fucking Collinses.” Next he destroyed her bras. He picked up a tube of red lipstick, confused because he had never seen her wear red before, and decided to leave her a message on her vanity mirror. “U r mine! I warned you! Where the fuck are you!” Short and straight to the point, he thought to himself. Next he tore her bed apart knowing that those boys had slept in it. He shredded the mattress and pillows and went downstairs. Anything that could have been touched by those boys he destroyed, the couch, TV, chairs, and the kitchen dinette set. By the time he was finished he looked around at the mess he had created and was proud at what he had accomplished. He left her another note, taped to the inside of the door then walked to the back porch and broke a window. She didn’t need to know he had a key.
* * * *
Lanni fixed French toast with strawberries and bacon for breakfast. “Breakfast was so good. Thanks so much for spoiling me.” They cleaned up the kitchen, finished getting ready for work, and right at 8:30 a.m. there was a buzz on the intercom.
Lanni answered it. “Hello.”
“Lanni, it’s Mitch.”
“I’ll buzz you in.”
Tessa walked out with her bag. “Did I hear Mitch?”
“Yeah, I just buzzed him up.”
“How come you didn’t have to buzz Brad up?”
“He knows my code, plus he has a key. It’s easier that way when I have Sophie here. The couple times he buzzed it woke her up.”
There was a knock on the door and Tessa went to answer it. Mitch was leaning against the doorframe smiling. Tessa couldn’t help but stare. He looked incredible this morning. Well-worn jeans that hung low on his hips, white T-shirt stretched across his broad chest, and a cowboy hat perched on that thick head of hair. Tessa licked her lips and as she did she saw a look of lust in Mitch’s eyes. “Morning, darlin’. Damn, but I’ve missed you.” Mitch pulled Tessa against him, placing his hand on the side of her head as he threaded his fingers into her hair then took her mouth with his. The kiss was dominant but sweet. He made love to her mouth, feasting on her lips and tongue. Nothing had ever tasted as good as Tessa.
“Damn, that’s hot!” Lanni said as she walked into the living room.
Tessa pulled away, smiling. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get carried away. I missed you, too, handsome.” A sweet pink shade appeared on her face.
“Morning, Lanni, thanks for having my girl over last night and keeping her safe.”
“No problem, Mitch. Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yeah, thanks, Lanni, for everything. I’ll call you later.” Tessa gave her a hug as Mitch picked up her bag.
Once they were in the truck Mitch asked, “How did you sleep last night, darling?”
“Honestly, not great. I was kinda lonely.”
Mitch looked at her surprised “Really? You don’t ever have to worry about being lonely. You have us, darlin’. We are always here for you.”
“I know, and that scares the hell out of me. I’ve become way too dependent on you guys and after only having you and Sam in my bed one time I don’t like sleeping alone. What if this doesn’t work out, Mitch? What if we don’t figure out who is trying to keep me away from you all? It would kill me if anything happened to you or Rance or Sam. I’ve told myself that it would be best to stop seeing you guys, but my heart is being selfish and doesn’t want to let go.”
“Then listen to your heart, darlin’, cause you aren’t getting rid of us that easily. We’ll get to the bottom of all this soon, Tessa. You are too important to me and my brothers. You are the bright spot in my day and I can’t think about anything else when I have you in my arms. Come on, I’ll walk you in.”
Tessa slid out of the truck with Mitch’s help and went into the pharmacy. Kathy was already there. “Morning, you two. Is everything going well this morning?”
“Yeah, I stayed at Lanni’s last night. Mitch picked me up for work this morning.”
“Oh good. Everything is going to be just fine. I talked to your mom a few minutes ago. Your dad is doing great. Looks like they are going to send him home early next week if he keeps improving like he is.”
“That’s great news. I should probably give him a call. Thanks for picking me up this morning.”
“No problem, darlin’, don’t think I could start my day without my morning fix of you. We’ll be here at five, call if you need us.” Mitch gave her a soft, loving kiss, said good-bye to Kathy, and left.
Tessa went to the back to get set up and called her dad’s room. Her mom answered. “Morning, Mama, I was just calling to check on Daddy.”
“They just took him down for physical therapy. He’s doing really good. The doctor said that he could come home next week and do his physical therapy there. He said he may be able to go back to work in a couple weeks.”
“That’s great news. I just don’t want him to push himself.”
“Well you know your father, he will push himself. I’m hoping you will be able to stay and work with him for a little while before you leave to go home.”
“I’ll stay as long as Daddy needs me, don’t worry about that. I should get to work. Tell Daddy I love him and I will be there tomorrow.”
“All right, Tessa, we will see you tomorrow then. Oh and tell Lanni I’ll be calling her to set up your dad’s PT schedule.”
Lanni worked for her brothers Scott and Rayne who were the only physical therapists in town. She ran the clinic and handled everything from scheduling, advertising, and billing. She was putting her business degree to good use.
After Tessa hung up she realized that her mom hadn’t once asked her how things were going and hadn’t asked her about moving back home. Maybe she didn’t want her here. As hard as she tried, she probably would never figure out what her mom had against her.
The day went by quickly. Rance brought Tessa lunch again, gave her a toe-curling kiss, and said that Sam would be picking her up. At five Sam showed up and so did Mitch. “Well, this is a nice surprise,” Tessa told them as she kissed first Sam then Mitch.
“Thought we might persuade you to have dinner with us tonight,” Mitch told her.
“That sounds great but Ally should be home within the hour and I don’t want to leave her home alone.”
“She can come with us, darlin’. That’s not a problem.”
“Great, sounds good. I can freshen up while we wait for Ally to get home.
Tessa sat in the middle surrounded by hard-bodied men. Could a girl be any luckier? Sam kept nibbling on her ear, kissing her neck, and giving her the sweetest playful kisses all the way home. She was a horny wreck by the time they pulled in the driveway. Tessa took off her seat belt and turned quickly, straddling Sam, kissing him with all the passion that he had created in her on the way home. “Touch me, Sam.”
Sam reached between them and rubbed against her mound. He could feel how wet she was and wanted to strip her right there. “Harder Sam, rub harder, I’m so close. Make me come, please.”
Mitch moved across the seat and pinched Tessa’s nipples as Sam rubbed harder and faster. That was all it took and Tessa cried out her climax. When she opened her eyes both Mitch and Sam were smiling. “Damn, you’re beautiful when you come.”
“I can’t believe I just did that. Sam just had me so worked up.”
“No problem, sugar, it was our pleasure.”
Once again they gave to her without taking. “What about you guys? Maybe we should move this party into the house. We probably have time before Ally gets here.”
“We’re fine, darlin’, don’t you worry none. I’m just glad you trust us enough to ask and to let us take care of your every need. Come on, let’s go in so you can change for dinner.”
Tessa unlocked the door, and froze at what she saw. “Oh my God!”
Mitch took out his cell phone and called the sheriff as he backed Tessa out of the house. “Hey, someone’s been inside Tessa’s house again.
We didn’t touch anything and we are heading back to my truck right now to wait.” Mitch’s next call was to Brad.
* * * *
The sheriff showed up within ten minutes and Brad pulled in shortly after. “Come here, little girl,” Brad told Tessa as he held her in his arms. “It’s going to be all right, you hear me?”
“Brad, he tore up Mom and Dad’s house! I’m so sorry.”
“This is not your fault, Tessa Rose. Don’t you worry. We’ll catch this sick bastard.” All their heads turned as Ally pulled into the driveway.
“What’s going on? Tessa, are you OK?”
Tessa let go of Brad and hugged Ally. “I’m fine, but whoever is out to get me tore up Mom and Dad’s house. I’m so sorry, Ally.”
“What are you sorry about? You didn’t do it. As long as he didn’t hurt you no one is gonna care if the house burns down.”
“You got that right, squirt. Mom and Dad won’t care about any of this as long as you’re OK, plus it will give Mom and excuse to get new furniture.” Brad always did try to make her feel better but that wasn’t working right now. When was this nightmare going to end?
Lucas came out of the house and approached the group, his eyes wandering toward Ally a little longer than necessary. “This is definitely the same guy. He left Tessa a message on the mirror upstairs in her bedroom and another note was taped to the inside of the door. It appears he entered through a broken window. He also tore up all your underthings and shredded your mattress. He’s getting careless though. I’m guessing you didn’t purchase anything from the feed store yesterday, did you?”
“No, of course not.”
“He must have dropped this receipt out of his pocket when he pulled out his knife I’m guessing. We found it on the floor by your bed.” Lucas showed them a receipt that was in a Ziploc bag. “Too bad he paid cash for the items on here but I’m gonna check up on this and see if your Uncle Drew remembers selling these items and who he sold them to,” he told Mitch and Sam. “I’ve got a team coming in to take some pictures and see if they can find any prints, but I’m guessing there won’t be any. Meantime you ladies shouldn’t stay here tonight. I’ll have my two deputies on night patrol watch the house, but it’s gonna take a while to get everything cleaned up.”
Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 22