Triple M Ranch [Slick Rock 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  His sight turned inward as he imagined her belly ripe with his or his brothers’ child and he was more determined than ever to keep her in his life.

  Chapter Three

  Danny couldn’t believe how calm he appeared when inside he was so full of rage he wanted to put his fist through a wall. How the hell he had been able to talk logically and rationally to Brutus was beyond him. His muscles were so tight he was scared he was gonna snap. How he had sat there without moving or gasping for breath while she had told Harry and David what her childhood had been like he didn’t know. She was no bigger than a minute now, let alone when she’d still been a young girl. How she had survived abuse at the hand of a man his size…fuck. He couldn’t go there. Not here and now. If he kept thinking about it he might just lose control.

  Cashmere stood up and gave a giggle when she wobbled slightly. Harry reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her.

  “Where are you going, honey?”

  She blinked slowly and then pushed out her lower lip. His dick twitched and he shifted as his jeans got a little tighter. “To the ladies’ room.”

  “Okay. Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

  “No.” She smiled and blinked again. “I’m fine, but thanks.”

  Danny watched the sway of the sweetly rounded ass as she walked down the hall to the restrooms. When she disappeared from sight he turned to David and Harry but Harry beat him.

  “I lied to you and to Cash.”

  “What about?” Bruce asked.

  “I was trying to goad you all when I said I like women, too. I don’t.”

  Danny stared at Harry a moment and then reached over and offered him his hand. “Thanks for coming clean. I feel a hell of a lot better knowing you won’t be going after our woman.”

  “What about you, David?” Cain asked.

  Danny exhaled quietly hoping that David and Harry could see his tension. He looked at his brothers and saw they were just as het up awaiting his answer.

  “No, I’m not into women.”

  “Thank Christ for that.” Danny shook David’s hand, too. His brothers offered the two men their hands to let them know none of them had any hard feelings.

  “You need to be careful with her.” Harry gave each of them a hard stare. “She’s more fragile than even she knows.”

  “Yeah, we got that,” Danny replied, looked toward the hall and then down at his watch. Cashmere was taking her time coming back to the table. She’d been gone for nearly five minutes already.

  “Does she know that all of you are attracted to her?” David queried.

  Bruce shrugged and then he too glanced toward the restrooms.

  “We’ll take it slow with her,” Cain said and looked toward the ladies room. “I like her ideas of having a horse breeding program and letting the disadvantaged ride on the weekends.”

  “She’s a caring woman and I don’t want to see her get hurt.” Harry drew Danny’s gaze.

  “The last thing we want to do is hurt her,” Danny answered.

  “Cash and I have been friends from the day she started here.” Harry frowned as he too looked down the dimly lit hallway. “I think of her as my little sister.” He turned back to look each of them in the eye. “If you hurt her, you’ll be answering to me and David.”

  Danny nodded and then stood. He liked that it wasn’t just him and his brothers looking out for Cashmere, but right now he needed to see that she was okay. He noticed that one of the light bulbs near the rear emergency exit door at the end of the hallway had blown. That wasn’t good when the women’s bathroom was near the back. He would have to speak to the owner, Tyson Osborne, and make sure it was replaced. He’d met Tyson and his brothers Sam and Damon on the last visit to his cousins’ ranch. Sam owned a garage and Damon was a sheriff along with Luke Sun-Walker. The three men were also in a ménage relationship with their wife Rachel. In fact the rural Colorado town, Slick Rock, was prominent for its unconventional relationships.

  Just as he reached the middle of the hall he heard a soft feminine cry. He picked up his pace and hurried to the end of the hallway. He roared with rage when he saw small boot-clad feet between the spread legs of a tall muscular man and then he caught a flash of red as the woman tried to escape the bastard’s clutches. Danny grabbed hold of the asshole’s shirt and spun him around. His fist connected with his jaw and he was about to punch him again when a light touch halted his raised arm.

  “He’s out cold, Danny. Please, don’t kill him.”

  Danny was brought out of his rage-filled haze by her sweet shaky voice and only then felt the weight of the unconscious man still in his grip. He let go of the shirt and stepped around him when he dropped to the floor. His hands were shaking as he reached out for Cash but he froze when she flinched and pushed herself tighter against the wall.

  “I would never hurt you, sugar. Don’t be scared of me.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Bruce’s loud, deep voice caused Cashmere to jump and she wrapped her arms around her waist and tried to fold in on herself. She was sliding down the wall and Danny wondered if she was fainting. He snagged her around the waist and gently pulled her into his arms and body. Her little hands clutched at his shirt and he could feel her shaking. He wanted to know what that asshole had done to her but first he needed to calm down and comfort her. Besides it was too fucking dark to see much.

  Danny looked over his shoulder at Bruce’s furious face and quietly began to explain what he’d seen. Cain was standing behind and slightly to the side of Bruce and he was looking angry and worried. Danny turned back to Cash and tried to ease her away so he could see if she was hurt but she just clung to him tighter. The shakes wracking her body weren’t letting up and he was becoming concerned, too.

  He smoothed his hand over her head and hair and down her back. “Shh, sugar you’re safe. He won’t hurt you again.”

  “What the hell is going on here?” Tyson Osborn asked as he came hurrying down the hall. Bruce stepped in and told him what Danny had seen.

  “Fuck. Shit. I’m sorry guys, I had no idea that bulb had blown. It was working fine when I opened earlier today. I’ll get on that right away. Is your woman okay?”

  “We don’t know yet,” Bruce answered. “We haven’t had a chance to look her over.”

  “Bring her to my office,” Ty replied.

  Danny slid his arm down to beneath Cash’s knees and lifted her up into his arms. She still hid her face in his chest but he was glad to feel that she had stopped shaking. He followed Ty and his brothers back down the hall, across the room to another hallway away from the bar. Ty opened the door to his office and held it while Danny carried Cash inside. Bruce and Cain hurried in after them, as did Ty, and he closed the door. He sat on the sofa across the room but kept holding her. She shifted her body around until she was straddling his lap but she kept her face hidden from view.

  “Cash, look at me sugar,” Danny coaxed in a quiet voice.

  She shook her head and kept her forehead pressed between his pecs. Another shudder caused her to shiver. “Come on, Cash. I need to know that you’re not hurt.” She gave a small whimper and shook her head again.

  Cain, Bruce and Ty were all looking worried.

  “Do you want me to call a doctor?” Tyson asked.

  “Do you need a doctor, Cash?”

  Again she just shook her head. Danny was worried sick but he was also getting frustrated. He needed to see her, but didn’t want to scare her by manhandling her and forcing her to comply with his will.

  Bruce moved closer and sat down beside him and Cain did the same on his other side. Danny looked over to Ty and nodded for him to give them some privacy. Ty opened the door but stopped before stepping through. “Let me know if you want a doctor sent for or anything else.”

  Bruce nodded but shifted his attention to Cash when Ty left. Danny hadn’t stopped running his hand up and down her back, hoping his caresses would help soothe her fears.

  “Look at me, sweet c
heeks,” Bruce demanded in a firm tone. Danny was glad his brother had kept his voice from booming out too loudly, but the tone was enough to have Cashmere obeying.

  Danny sucked in his breath when he saw her right cheek was red and her eye looked swollen. She also had a fat lip and it was split and bleeding. Cain roared with fury which made Cash jump and squeal with fear and she pushed her face back into his chest and started crying.

  “Fuck, Cain, good going, asshole.” Danny glared at his brother but he kept his voice low and calm. Inside he was seething but not really at his twin brother. Although he was annoyed Cain had scared Cash, he knew he would never do anything to hurt her and his brother was raging just like he was inside.

  “Cain, go and tell Ty to call a doctor,” Bruce ordered.

  “No,” Cashmere said and finally lifted her head. She was a mess and Danny wanted to spend the rest of the night holding her close. His muscles were tight with anger but he made sure to keep his touch soft and gentle. The last thing Cash needed was to feel threatened by him and his brothers.

  The door to the office burst open, admitting Harry and David. “How is she?”

  Danny felt jealousy curl around his heart and lodge in his gut when Cashmere scrambled from his lap and ran into Harry’s arms.

  “Oh God, honey, I’m sorry. I should have protected you.”

  Danny wanted to tell Harry that it was his and his brothers’ job to take care of Cash, but they hadn’t done a very good job. Not when she had gotten hurt on their watch.

  Cain still looked angry and jealous as he watched Cash in Harry’s arms but then he mumbled to Danny. “I’m going to get her some ice and I want a doctor to check her over.” He hurried out of the office.

  Danny was glad that his dominant twin wasn’t going to let Cashmere refuse medical treatment. He’d wanted to race her out to their truck and drive her to the clinic, but he didn’t want to frighten her further, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Bring her over here.” Bruce looked at Harry.

  Harry gave him a nod and then leaned down to whisper into Cash’s ear. Danny wanted to know what he was saying because occasionally she nodded and shook her head, but finally she eased out of Harry’s hold and turned around. When he saw her bruised and swelling face and eye again, he had to concentrate on keeping his breathing calm and even. Fury pulsed in him and he wanted to go back out and punch that fucker over and over again. Even though doing so would maybe make him feel a little better, it wouldn’t take away Cash’s pain.

  She took a hesitant step toward them and then another and another. The fifth step brought her close enough to touch, but she kept her head lowered, which brought her hair forward as if she was trying to hide from him and Bruce.

  “We would never do to anything to hurt you, Cashmere,” Bruce whispered. “I just want to hold you and make sure you’re okay. Will you let me?”

  Cash nodded but still didn’t look up. Bruce slowly lifted his arm and held his hand out to her. Danny waited with bated breath to see if she would take the comfort his big brother was trying to give her. When she raised her hand it was shaking, but then she put her little hand in Bruce’s and threaded her tiny slim fingers with his thick ones. He exhaled slowly as some of the tension in his body dissipated. Cash surprised him when she next gave a sob and threw herself at Bruce.

  Bruce groaned and then wrapped his arms and big frame around her. Cash rubbed the left side of her face against Bruce’s chest and inhaled deeply. Is she smelling Bruce? Does she like the way he smelled to her? Cash reached up and wrapped her arms around Bruce’s neck and sighed.

  The office door opened again and the doc followed Cain inside. His brother also had a towel-wrapped ice pack in his hand.

  “I would like to be alone to examine my patient.” The doctor gave them all a hard stare and gleam of satisfaction shined in the man’s eyes when Harry and David left, closing the door behind them.

  Danny wasn’t about to leave and from the scowl on Bruce’s and Cain’s faces they weren’t either. They all needed to know that Cash was going to be alright.

  “Okay.” The doc sighed and then sat in the middle of the sofa next to Bruce and Cash. “These men are worried about you little lady, will you let me look at you?”

  Cash nodded and then withdrew her arms from around Bruce’s neck. Bruce gripped her waist and turned her on his lap so her back was to his front and she was facing the doctor. Danny and his brothers watched as the doctor took her blood pressure and listened to her heart through her shirt. When he was done he checked her face. Cash flinched but didn’t make a sound as the doc examined her.

  “Nothing is broken. You’re going to be sore for a few days and will end up with some bruising. Ice that face as much as possible and if the pain gets any worse come and see me at the clinic. Take two pain pills every four hours for the first twenty-four hours but don’t exceed the maximum dosage. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  Cash shook her head but then changed it to a nod. The doctor looked at him, Cain, and Bruce then back to Cashmere. “Would you like these three men to leave the room?”

  Again she shook her head, changed it to a nod and then flinched when she bit her split swollen lip. Danny didn’t want to leave the room, and by the look on his brothers’ faces neither did they, but leave they would, if it meant that Cash got the medical care she needed. Bruce tightened his hold on Cash, stood with her in his arms then turned and gently seated her back on the sofa. He held the door open until Cain and Danny exited and shut the door after them. All three of them stood with their ears pressed against the door. They wanted to know where else Cash was hurt and if she was too timid to speak of it and this was the only way they would know, then so be it.

  “Shit,” Danny heard the doctor say. “I hope one of your men cleaned that bastard’s clock for him.” Danny figured Cash must have nodded because the doc said, “Good.”

  “You’ll need to ice that, too,” the doctor’s voice came through the door. “It will help with the bruising. I’m going to disinfect those scratches, but it may sting a bit.”

  Danny moved back from the door when the doctor’s footsteps came closer. He could tell by the heavy walk it wasn’t Cashmere. Bruce and Cain stepped back and leaned against the hall wall with their arms crossed over their chests. The doctor’s face was grim but when he turned back to say good bye to Cash, he smiled. After he closed the door he looked at each of them.

  “Is she your woman, boys?”

  “Not yet, but we’re hoping to change that real soon,” Cain stated.

  The doc gave a nod. “You need to be careful with her. She’s got bruising on one of her breasts where that bastard squeezed her hard and she has scratches on her lower abdomen from his nails where he tried to get into her pants.”

  Danny gasped and closed his eyes as his muscles bunched. He snapped them open when the doc touched his shoulder. He looked at Bruce and saw he had his fists clenched and Cain was gritting his teeth. “She’s going to be real skittish so go slow with her. Call me if you need me.”

  “Thanks Doc,” Bruce said and then he and Cain thanked the elderly doctor, too.

  Danny had taken a step toward the office door but Bruce halted him by grabbing his arm. “I don’t want her going home alone tonight. I need her to stay at the ranch house with us.”

  “We can’t force her but we can ask.” Danny sighed. “If she baulks maybe we can get Harry and David to stay at her cabin with her. At least we know we can trust them not to ogle or touch her and they will look after her. If she refuses to come home with us and something happens in the night they can call us and we’ll be there in minutes.”

  Cain stepped forward. “I’d also prefer she slept in the house with us, but your idea is good.”

  The three men nodded at each other and then Danny opened the door. His eyes swept the room to where Cash had been sitting on the sofa then scanned for her quickly when he didn’t see her. His knees nearly buckled with relief when he saw her standing at the win
dow staring out. She was holding the ice pack Cain had left on the desk against her face. Just as he moved toward her a knock sounded on the open door. Danny and his brothers turned to see the two sheriffs standing in the hallway.

  “Can we come in and get a statement?” Luke Sun-Walker asked as he looked over to Cashmere.

  Cash answered before Danny could. “Please, come in Luke, Damon.”

  Danny had no idea that Cash knew the sheriffs but he supposed it would be impossible not meeting them since she had lived on the outskirts of Slick Rock for nigh on twelve months.

  “Are you all right, Cash?” Damon moved around Danny and closer to her.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little sore.”

  “Why don’t you sit down and tell us what happened?” Luke suggested.

  Cash sighed and then gave a nod. When she was seated Luke pulled out his recorder. “Do you mind if I use this instead of writing everything down?”

  “No, that’s fine.”

  “Okay,” Damon said. “Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell us what happened?”

  “I went to the ladies’ room. When I came out it was dark and I was a little tipsy since I’d had two glasses of wine and don’t normally drink.” Cash drew a ragged breath and then gulped. Damon gave her an encouraging nod. “I stumbled and accidentally bumped into a man. I don’t know who he was. I’ve never seen him before. Anyway he was obviously drunk because when he spoke he slurred his words. I apologized to him and then tried to move around him but he grabbed my arm and stopped me. I asked him to let me go but he just gave a stupid grin and grabbed my waist and spun me around.

  “I was about to yell but as he pushed me up against the opposite wall he began kissing me.” Cash sobbed and wiped the tears from the good side of her face. Danny sat down beside her and held her hand. Cain sat on the other side of her on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Cash didn’t try to pull away but gave them each a small grateful smile.