The Wranglers' New Chef [The Wranglers of Bear Mountain 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  “What were you talking about when she jumped up and ran out?”

  “I’d told her that we were both serious about getting to know her, that it wasn’t just some hot and heavy lust attack that was going to fizzle out. If that had caused it, she wouldn’t have run all the way to the barn and stood there staring at the door like Dalton said she was doing. It wasn’t until she turned toward Dalton that she freaked out according to him,” he told his brother.

  “So something about Dalton set it off? What could it have been? She hasn’t acted strange around him in the past,” Laredo pointed out.

  “We’re going to have to ask her what happened so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again. I can’t stand seeing her like that.” Laramie drew in a deep breath and paced over to the bedroom door and back.

  “If it really is PTSD, we need to talk to someone about what to do to help her. I’ll call Doc once we’ve talked to her. He’ll know who to contact.”

  Laramie nodded. Doc, Second Lieutenant Jeffery Mulhouse had been their medic in the service. He would know who to call for more information. Looking back toward the bedroom door where no sound could be heard, he wondered how long before she woke up. He needed to know that she was okay.

  “I’m not stepping back from her, Laramie. Seeing her unconscious in your arms brought home two facts for me. One is that I can’t stand the thought of something happening to her.”

  “And what’s the other one?” he asked, his heart in his throat that his brother was going to ask him to walk away from her.

  “That it felt right to see her there in your arms, to know that you would take care of her if I wasn’t around.” Laredo drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out before continuing. “We need to share her, brother. She belongs to us both.”

  Laramie took a step back as if Laredo had actually delivered a physical blow to him. Share Billy Jean? Was he crazy? Could they really do that? Could he do that? That was the big question. Even if she would consider it, he had to be comfortable with the idea or it would never work. Relationships were already complicated enough without adding a third person in the mix. Was he seriously thinking about it?

  “What are you thinking, Laramie? It’s all over your face that something doesn’t sit right with you. What is it?” Laredo crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You’re serious about sharing her? The two of us?”

  Laredo stiffened all over. “Yeah, I am.”

  “So you’re saying it wouldn’t bother you to see me hold and kiss her? Make love to her?” Laramie couldn’t believe his brother had thought this through.

  “At first, I couldn’t stand the idea that you were as attracted to her as I was. I wanted her for my own. But I realized that both of us really care about her. We’ve always been attracted to the same women and one of us always bowed out because she wasn’t important enough to us to make an issue out of it. This time, she is—to both of us. I want us to share her and see where that leads us.”

  Laramie stared hard at his twin. Laredo was serious. His brother rarely put his feelings into words. By telling him that Billy Jean was important to him, he’d essentially admitted that he loved her. His heart squeezed at the thought of losing either Billy jean or his brother. He knew how he would feel if Laredo won Billy Jean’s love, leaving him out in the cold. He didn’t want that for his brother though either. But could he share her with his twin?

  “If we agree to share her doesn’t mean that she’ll go along with that idea. She’s already balking at dating either one of us anyway. She thinks that she shouldn’t get involved with us since we’re her bosses,” Laramie said.

  “Then we’ll have to convince her otherwise. She had a bad experience concerning her last job. I don’t know the entire story, only the part I was given when I checked her references.”

  “Do you think that had anything to do with her reaction out at the barn?” Laramie asked.

  Laredo frowned. “I don’t know, but I guess it’s possible.”

  “As soon as she wakes up, we need to find out. We can’t talk to her about us until we figure out what upset her in the first place,” Laramie said.

  “Talk to me about what?”

  Laramie’s head whipped around to find Billy Jean standing in the open door of her room. Her eyes looked huge as she licked her lips. He could see that she trembled and leaned against the door facing.

  “What is it that I need to know?” she asked again.

  Chapter Nine

  Billy Jean wasn’t sure what she’d overheard, but from the nervous glances the two men exchanged, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it. Her legs were still wobbly and her grip on the door facing had her fingers cramping. She needed to sit down but didn’t want them to know how weak she still was.

  “How are you feeling?” Laredo asked her, shifting closer to her.

  “I’m fine. I need to start lunch. Tell me what I need to know so I can get started.”

  She had no doubt the fact that she was lying was obvious in her shaky voice. Still, she lifted her chin and forced herself to walk toward the couch and sit down.

  “Billy, what happened out at the barn?” Laredo asked, walking over to sit next to her on the couch.

  “I–I don’t know. I guess I passed out for some reason.” She refused to look at him for fear that he would be able to tell she was lying.

  “Dalton said you didn’t pass out until after he picked you up. He said it looked like you had an episode of PTSD,” Laramie said, staring down at her.

  Billy Jean tried to school her expression to look blank. “He’s mistaken. I just passed out, that’s all.”

  “What upset you so much that you passed out, Billy?” Laredo asked.

  She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It beat so hard against her ribcage that it hurt. She didn’t want to admit that she was scared spitless of horses. They lived and breathed horses. They’d think she was crazy.

  “I was just upset about the two of you wanting to see me. I mean, you’re my bosses. I can’t date my bosses. It’s not right.” She turned her gaze up to Laredo. “I know that they told you about Gregg.” She hated even saying his name.

  Laredo smiled softly and reached out to take her hand. “I don’t believe everything I hear when there is a relationship issue involved. There are two sides to every story.”

  She shook her head, unable to believe that he hadn’t worried about it when every other potential employer she’d applied with had. The memory of turning and seeing the massive horse standing right behind her flashed before her eyes, but she managed to stop it from progressing this time.

  “What just went through your head, Billy Jean? You were thinking about something that scared you. What was it?” Laramie went to his knees in front of her and grabbed her other hand, squeezing it lightly in his.

  She realized that Laredo still held her other one. She looked down at how their hands totally engulfed her much smaller ones. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t afford to lose it now. She had a job to do. Wrenching her hands from theirs, she pushed to her feet and all but stumbled toward the door leading to the hall.

  “I’ve got to see about lunch. The men will be hungry. I know you’re both busy with the guests arriving in a few hours.” She gripped the doorknob and twisted, opening the door so she could slip through.

  “Wait,” Laredo’s hand stopped the door from opening any farther. “We’re not through talking, Billy. We’re going to finish this conversation later. Something happened to you out at the barn and we need to know what triggered the meltdown so it doesn’t happen again.”

  She could feel both of them right behind her. Laredo’s breath stirred her hair next to her ear. Everything inside of her wanted to lean back into his warmth and let him take care of her for just a moment. She wanted to bury her face in Laramie’s chest and breathe in his scent, but she couldn’t. Billy Jean had to find a way to resist them if it was the last thing she did. Her future and all of her dreams of
running her own kitchen hinged on her ability to remain professional and rebuild her shattered reputation.

  “Can I go now?” she asked without looking back at the two men.

  She heard Laredo sigh, but he released his hold on the door and stepped back. Billy slipped through and kept walking, trusting that they would lock up behind her. She needed to put as much space between them as she could.

  As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she began to relax. This was her domain. She could handle anything in the kitchen. With that thought, Billy Jean hustled around, losing herself as she prepared lunch. Nothing existed outside of her little world of pots and pans and fresh-baked bread.

  * * * *

  Because of the scattered arrival times of the guests, Billy Jean had elected to create a picnic type dinner that night. She would keep it up and fresh until eight that night. Most of the guests were scheduled to arrive between three and seven, but there were a couple who wouldn’t arrive until after seven.

  She’d listened to those who’d already arrived as they ate and was relieved to hear that they enjoyed the simple meal. She’d taken a chance that they would be tired and in a hurry to relax in their rooms their first night. She’d also had the staff leave a small plate of homemade cookies in each of the occupied cabins for snacks in case they wanted something later.

  As the last two arrivals fixed their plates and chose a seat, Billy turned back to the kitchen to begin the initial preparations for breakfast the next morning. Once they had finished eating, she would clear out the dishes and put away the leftovers.

  “How are you doing, sweet thing?”

  Billy jerked her head up to find Laramie lounging in the doorway with a wide grin on his face. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

  “I’m fine, thank you. The last two guests are finishing up right now. Breakfast is set up for in the morning and as soon as they leave for their cabins I’ll finish cleaning up and head to bed.”

  She watched as he stood up straight and slowly crossed the room to stand in front of her. He smiled down at her as if he had a secret. It wasn’t a look that bode well for her. He had something up his sleeve besides those massive arms. She realized too late that she should have moved away. Now she was stuck with her back to the counter and nowhere to go.

  “Laredo and I want to talk to you before you call it a night. Meet us in his office as soon as you finish up here.” The smile he gave her set her heart to racing.

  “I–I don’t understand. What do you need to talk to me about?” she asked, her mind racing over the meal and what could have gone wrong.

  Laramie stepped closer, invading her personal space but not yet touching her. He smiled softly, his amazing eyes sparkling in the bright lights of the kitchen.

  “The dinner tonight was wonderful. Everyone was talking about how good the meal was,” Laramie told her, alleviating her worries about the food but not about what they wanted with her. “We want to talk about us, sweetness—our relationship.”

  “B–but we don’t have a relationship. I mean other than your being my bosses.” Unease settled in the pit of her stomach.

  “Yes,” he said, brushing the back of his hand down her cheek. “We do. That’s what we need to talk about. We’ll be waiting for you in the office.”

  Billy all but collapsed onto a stool the second Laramie walked out of the kitchen. What was she going to do? She couldn’t get involved with them no matter how much she wanted to. There was no getting around the fact that she was attracted to them. Her body came alive anytime one or both of them were near. Her pussy grew damp and her breasts ached with the need to be touched by them. It didn’t change the fact that they were her bosses, and therefore, off limits.

  What am I going to do? All they have to do is look at me and I’m toast.

  She stood up and hurried to the dining area to clean up after the last of the stragglers. Her heart pounded even as a strange thrill raced down her spine at the mere thought of spending time alone with the two handsome men in their office. Where her mind feared the danger, her body craved it, ached to jump feet first into the inferno of Laramie and Laredo.

  * * * *

  Laredo watched as Billy walked into the office when he called out at her knock to come in. Trepidation radiated from her like a warning light. It was obvious that she wasn’t comfortable with them. That would have to stop. He glanced over at where his brother leaned against the bookshelf. Laramie still held some reservations about sharing her between them despite their talk. If Billy sensed that, she would run.

  “Did you want to see me?” she finally asked.

  Laredo stood up and walked around the desk. It wasn’t lost on him that she took a step back. He wanted to put her at ease.

  “Dinner tonight was perfect, Billy. I wanted to be sure you knew that. Everyone was commenting on how nice it was to find such good food on a ranch. Thank you,” he said.

  She relaxed marginally. “Thank you. Ranch food doesn’t have to be bland or just eatable. I plan to make sure they remember the ranch for more than the experiences they have outside.”

  He basked in her beaming smile. It was obvious that she not only took her job seriously, but really enjoyed what she did. He nodded and perched on the edge of his desk in hopes she would continue to remain relaxed while they eased her into the conversation he really wanted to have with her.

  “That is exactly what we want as well. If they are pleased with every aspect of the ranch, they will want to come back and will tell others how much they enjoyed it and that it was well worth the price.” He turned to look over at Laramie, giving him his cue. “What are the men saying?”

  “That they’ve never worked a ranch that had meals as good as the ones here. If we continue to provide this type of food, not only will we keep the hands we have, but more will want to work for us.” Laramie pushed off of the bookshelf and stepped closer to the desk.

  Laredo relaxed to see that Billy didn’t notice that they were slowly hemming her in. She was too excited to see it for the trap that it was.

  “I’m trying really hard to create good meals that still represent the tastes of Montana without being too fancy. People expect steak and potatoes on a ranch, but it doesn’t have to be bland,” she said, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “You’re doing an excellent job of blending it all together, Billy. What about the kitchen and your tools? Do you have everything you need?” he asked.

  “The kitchen is a dream. There isn’t anything I need right now.”

  “Are the waitresses working out okay? I didn’t hear anything negative about them,” Laredo said.

  “No, they are wonderful. They seem to enjoy what they do and are very efficient. I am going to enjoy working with them.” She smiled, her hands clasped in front of her.

  “Perfect. As we increase the number of guests, we’ll hire more help for you. You’re going to need someone to help you in the kitchen and of course, you’ll need days off.”

  “I’m fine right now, but you’re right. Eventually we will need more help.”

  Laramie crossed his arms and spoke up. “The hours are going to be long for you these first few months. Are you sure you don’t need someone to handle the breakfast session for you?”

  “No. I can handle it all right now. I need to be here for all the meals at first to judge what they like and don’t like. Maybe once things have settled into a routine we could look at hiring someone to handle breakfast,” she said.

  “Good. Now that we have that taken care of,” Laredo said, straightening to a standing position. “We need to talk about something else.”

  She frowned, still too relaxed from their previous conversation to realize they had converged on her. Laramie had positioned himself to one side of her so that he could easily block her access to the door if need be. He didn’t want to scare her by preventing her from leaving if he could help it. He just wanted a chance to talk with her, tell her how much they cared about her and wanted to get to know
her better. The ranch kept all of them busy, leaving little time for a slow courtship and easing into it. He had to take what he could get and pray that it would work.

  “Something else?” she asked, looking from him to Laramie and back again. “I don’t understand.”

  Laramie moved behind her as he stepped closer to her. “We want to talk about us, Billy. We told you that we were attracted to you and wanted to see where that led,” Laredo reminded her gently.

  “B–but you’re my bosses. It’s not a good idea.” Her eyes closed as his brother lowered his face to the back of her neck.

  “You’re attracted to us. Don’t try and deny it, Billy. We can see it in your eyes when you look at us as if you could eat us alive,” he said.

  Laredo wasn’t sure what Laramie was doing to Billy’s neck, but she was all but swooning under his touch. He loved seeing her eyes flutter with arousal. He could admit to himself that he longed to see those amazing light blue eyes of hers darken in pleasure while his brother made love to her. He wanted to feel her hands on his body as he sank his cock deep in her cunt, but it would take time to reach that point. First they had to win her over to their way of thinking.

  Without giving her time to realize what he was going to do, Laredo claimed her mouth with his, sliding his tongue between her slightly open lips. Her eyes flew open in surprise then lowered to mere slits as he explored, marking every nook and cranny as theirs. Her soft moan was music to his ears. He teased her tongue with his, sliding back and forth over it before sucking on it.

  Finally, he pulled back to allow them both to breathe. She panted, her eyes now closed. He met his brother’s eyes over her shoulder. They glittered with desire, and he was sure his were their mirror image. While Laramie wrapped his arms around her from behind, Laredo turned and swept everything he hadn’t already moved off his desk to the floor at their feet. He couldn’t wait to taste her.