by Jenny Penn
“Maybe just a little.” Lindsay shrugged. “But I’m actively trying not to care even that much.”
That drew a smile from the blonde, one that actually held a hint of warmth and humor. “I can see why they like you.”
“The men?” Lindsay asked, more than willing to call Sally a liar on that one.
“Andrew and Nicholas,” Sally corrected her, casting a glance down Lindsay’s body before continuing. “You know you have both of my nephews’ interests.”
“I guess that depends on what you define as ‘interests.’”
“I think we both know the answer to that.” Sally snorted. “It’s not like they’ve ever fought over a woman before. So I’d say you have more than simply their interest.”
“And I’m assuming you’re about to explain how I’m not good enough for them?” It all made sense now. Sally had probably come over here to warn her off her nephews, no doubt concerned about any woman who would encourage men to battle over her.
Lindsay was already to assure Sally that she had no intention of encouraging either one of her nephews to think his interest was returned when the other woman threw her head back and laughed. The loud, full-bodied sound confused Lindsay as she watched Sally belt out a chorus of chortles until tears glinted in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, honey.” Sally waved away Lindsay’s frown as she finally managed to catch her breath. “But if an attractive, intelligent billionaire isn’t good enough for one of my boys, then I’m not ever going to get those babies I’m hoping to help raise one day, and I really want those babies.”
Lindsay blinked, trying to follow that thread of logic, but she kept coming to a conclusion that made no sense. “So you’re not here to scare me off?”
Sally didn’t answer but shook her head as she clearly fought back another round of laughter.
“You’re here to play matchmaker?”
“If Andrew and Nicholas really won’t do, I have three unmarried sons myself,” Sally stated as a way of answering. “Then, of course, there are Andrew and Nicholas’s younger brothers, though I think they’re a little young for you, but they do have a few more cousins who are all in the right age bracket.”
“How many is a few?”
Sally considered that for a moment, appearing to count the number up in her head before giving Lindsay an answer that was higher than she’d feared.
“About eight.”
“I need to sit down.”
“You do look a little flushed.”
Lindsay felt a little nauseous. The feeling didn’t subside as Sally helped her up into the shade of the porch. The other woman even fetched a couple of water bottles from the cooler. Then she’d settled down in her expensive suit on Lindsay’s front step and began to regale her with an endless list of dating options.
Of course, Sally couldn’t ‘match’ her without knowing every single detail of Lindsay’s life. Lindsay sat through the inquisition, answering questions in a daze as she tried to grasp how she’d gotten herself into her current situation. No amount of assuring Sally she didn’t need or want a man convinced the woman to let the topic go. In the end when Sally settled on Cooper as Lindsay’s best match, she had a feeling that she’d just been turned in a circle.
“Don’t you worry.” Sally patted Lindsay’s knee as she finally rose up. “It’ll all work out.”
“I’m sure.” Lindsay didn’t believe it for a moment but she still had a generator to install and had wasted enough time socializing. Rising quickly, she began to escort Sally back to her car. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Sally. Maybe we can do this again some other time.”
“What a great idea,” Sally proclaimed as if Lindsay had actually had one. “You should come over for dinner tonight.”
“I don’t think—”
“Roasted chicken with cheesy mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables and a chocolate torte for dessert.”
“That sounds great but—”
“I’m setting you a place at the table.”
“Thank you, but—” Lindsay knew it was rude to shout but there seemed to be no other way to get the other woman to listen to her. “I’m afraid I can’t make it tonight.”
“What? Nonsense.” Sally waved away Lindsay’s rejection, clearly needing more convincing before she gave up. “I’ll have Andrew pick you up.”
“No, really, Sally.” Lindsay gestured to the generator still stuck in the back of her truck. “I’ve got work to do tonight.”
The woman blinked, looking from Lindsay to the generator and back again. Doubt and worry clouded more than her gaze. It dampened her tone betraying her confusion. “Do you have somebody coming out to help you?”
“No.” It would have been easier if she could have but Lindsay had long ago adjusted to being on her own. Lifting her chin, she met Sally’s doubtful gaze with her own determined one. “I don’t need any help. I can do it on my own.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think so.” Sally sounded just like a mother as she shook her head at Lindsay. “I think maybe I should call Andrew.”
“Don’t bother. I got everything under control,” Lindsay assured Sally but Cooper’s aunt appeared to need convincing. “Want to see my plan?”
“I think I need to.” Sally took Lindsay up on her offer without hesitation.
With a mixture of amazement, amusement, and more than a touch of horror, Sally studied the diagrams and blueprints Lindsay had drawn up in her hotel room. Despite all her polite comments, Cooper and Nick’s aunt was clearly not impressed. Just as obvious was her anxiousness to leave. No doubt to go run and tell Cooper or Nick what Lindsay was up to.
The only question was which one would come calling next. As she watched Sally drive away, Lindsay couldn’t help but wish that they’d both show up. Hopefully together. That was just wrong of her.
* * * *
Chet stared down the hill and watched the girl below cut wood. Whatever Lindsay Bryne was up to, she appeared focused on the task. She was absorbed enough not to notice him or Pete at the top of the ridge. At least they didn’t have to worry about her figuring out their cattle were down at her watering hole.
“You gonna call the boss?” Pete shifted in his saddle and cast a glance over at Chet as he reached back to pull out a canteen. “Tell him the girl’s back?”
“I don’t think that’d be wise.” Chet pulled a pack of gum out of his shirt pocket and yanked out a stick while Pete downed a big gulp of water. “You’ve heard the same rumors as I have. Boy’s gone and lost his head over the girl…It’s just such a shame.”
And a good reason to hate Lindsay all the more. The woman was evil. Pure evil.
“You really think the old boss man’s been mooning over her departure?” Pete asked, muttering the words into his arm as he wiped his mouth. Chet heard him, though.
“The men wouldn’t joke about something that horrible if it weren’t true. Besides, you were there. You saw him kiss her that first day and heard what happened the second.”
“Yeah.” Pete sighted, looking almost crestfallen as he shook his head. “It’s just such a shame to see the boss man go down like that, you know?”
“I just don’t get it,” Chet whispered as he studied the girl.
She was short and a little too round to be thin. With a mop of brown hair and a pair of big old brown eyes, there wasn’t a single remarkable thing about Lindsay Bryne but her wealth. While that might be alluring to somebody in Chet’s financial position, the Cooper earned enough cash not to be tempted.
“Do you get it?” Chet nodded to the girl as he looked over at Pete. “I mean, are my eyes going or is she just plain?”
“Ah…well, she’s not ugly.” Pete shrugged before shooting Chet a big-toothed grin. “But looks aren’t the most important thing. I like my ladies to be sweet and obedient.”
“Used to be so did Cooper,” Chet muttered, feeling a moment of inspiration coming over him. “You know what, that’s what we need to do.”
“Huh?”
“We need to take the boss man out and reintroduce him to some of his options.” Chet nodded over his own suggestion but Pete just blinked in obvious confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
“We’ll call up some ladies and have them meet us along with Cooper at The Pitchfork,” Chet snapped, irritated by Pete’s denseness.
“Oh…oh, I get it.” Breaking into another grin, Pete’s head started to bob with his understanding. “Some ladies, yeah…like who?”
“We could call the Dowdy twins,” Chet suggested. Despite their names, or maybe because of them, the twins were known to enjoy a wild time. They would be perfect.
“Janet and Jolene…” Pete repeated their names as if savoring a fine wine. “Now there is a doubly nice set of tits, but you know who has the best set, Darlene—”
“—Mitchell,” Chet finished. Darlene had a little more class than the twins. She also tended to be a little more discerning in her lovers but everybody knew she had a sweet spot for Cooper. “Yeah, might as well invite her. The more the merrier.”
“Well, in that case, I know who we should definitely call.”
Chapter 12
Sally tried Andrew’s cell for the millionth time only to get dumped into his mailbox once again. Muttering to herself about the pointlessness of owning a phone that never had a signal, she swore that she’d buy him a new one as she tore through the ranch looking for her nephew. She did actually manage to find one, only it was the wrong one.
“Hey, Sally.” Nicholas called out from the hay loft. Dripping with sweat and wearing a big grin, he waved down to her. “What you all in a rush for?”
“No reason,” Sally lied, battling her guilt for choosing Andrew over Nicholas. She might love them equally, but after her long talk with Lindsay, Sally had realized that Andrew would be a perfect fit for the girl. That didn’t make lying to her nephew any easier. “I was just looking for a hand to help me unload the groceries.”
“I could help.”
“That’s sweet, honey, but I’m sure you have your own work to get done.” The last thing she needed was Nicholas hovering around, making it impossible for her to get in touch with Andrew.
“Thomas is out in the feed shed putting together the next order,” Nicholas offered, not appearing to notice anything strange about Sally’s rejection. “Everybody else is out in the field.”
“Thomas will do.” He’d know where Andrew was and, more importantly, how to contact him. “Thanks.”
Scurrying across the yard, she headed for the metal warehouse Andrew had built not three years back. Sally didn’t bother to search through the mammoth structure but simply stood in the doorway and belted out Thomas’s name. He shouted back that he was coming only to appear a moment later wearing a grin that matched the twinkle in his eyes.
“Hey, sexy.” Like perfectly aged bourbon, Thomas’s smooth drawl sent a wave of pure, molten pleasure coursing down her spine. “I was just thinking about you, or should I say dreaming.”
Sally knew that tone, knew that look, and knew exactly what Thomas intended as he kicked the door closed behind her.
“I don’t have time for this.” Sally tried to hold him off with an outstretched hand as Thomas stalked her back into the deeper shadows of the shed.
“Sure you do.” Not the least bit concerned by her rejection, Thomas caught her hand in his, using it to jerk her close.
“But, Thomas—”
He cut off her objection with his kiss, stealing both Sally’s breath and her thoughts. Lacking the will to resist him or the motivation to try, she clenched the soft flannel of his work shirt in her fists and clung to Thomas as the passion that always flared hot and thick between them spun rapidly out of control.
With her knees threatening to give out beneath her, Sally tore her mouth free of his as she gasped, desperate for breath and a moment to find her bearings. Thomas refused to give her even a second. His fingers made short work of her shirt’s buttons, freeing her breasts to his warm, callused touch.
“Thomas…please…” Sally whimpered as his thumbs pressed down over her nipples and began to roll her tender tips with a rough motion that left her panting.
“That’s it, honey. Beg,” Thomas coaxed her, the rich, deep timbre of his voice its own seduction. Like heated honey it dripped with a warmth that had Sally melting into him, willing to do whatever he commanded.
Thomas encouraged her mindless pleas as he laid a trail of wet, suckling kisses down her neck. Sally whimpered, her words becoming more senseless and stuttered as he nibbled his way over her collarbone and down the slope of her breast. When the heated rush of his breath teased the puckered tip, she froze. Caught for an endless moment in tense anticipation, Sally cried out when it finally snapped and Thomas’s lips closed over her nipple.
With the hunger of a man long starved, he feasted on the sweet flesh of her breasts, using his tongue, lips, and even teeth to pleasure her. Her fingers twined through the silky strands of his hair, directing him closer and tighter against her nipple. When he finally began to suckle, Sally was already consumed by a white-hot need that had her twisting and bucking in his arms.
With a ruthless mastery he tormented her tit, sending a rush of delight so strong she felt electrified by it as it crashed through her. Every nerve ending in her chest exploded with a heat that quickly seeped downward, trailing after the ticklish caress of Thomas’s fingertips as they slid over the quivering muscles of Sally’s stomach.
He snagged the small tab of her skirt’s zipper and whipped it down, leaving Sally’s tender skin exposed to the heated air and the rough press of Thomas’s jeans as her skirt fluttered to the floor. The heat of his palm branded her ass as his fingers bit into the naked globes.
No thin wisp of lace barred his touch from becoming too intimate as Thomas traced the crevice dividing her ass around to the plump, molten folds of her pussy.
“You’re such a good girl, Sally. A good girl,” Thomas ground out as he nipped at Sally’s tit, making her moan and arch toward his lips.
“You remember your rules. Don’t you, girl?” Thomas murmured as his lips trailed lower and his knees began to dip. “Don’t you, girl?”
Sally knew she should answer but was too lost in the delicious anticipation of what came next. With his tongue lapping at her navel and his fingers pushing open her sodden folds, she knew exactly what Thomas intended. Her fingers tightened in his hair, as she tried to push him toward the pussy weeping for his kiss, but he resisted.
“I asked you a question, girl. Do you want me to pull out of this cunt and leave you wanting?”
“No!” Sally gasped, suddenly panicked when he started to straighten up.
“No?” Thomas hesitated, the demand clear in his tone.
“No, sir,” she quickly corrected. “Please, sir, don’t leave me.”
“That’s never gonna happen, Sally girl,” Thomas swore. “Never going to happen.”
Thomas sealed that vow with a kiss, swallowing Sally’s cries as he recaptured her clit beneath the heavy weight of his thumb. He twirled the sensitive bud, sending spasms of rapture streaking through her until her cunt clenched painfully down in a silent plea to be filled. As always Thomas knew just what she needed and plunged three wonderfully thick fingers deep into the clinging depths of her pussy.
In a mindless frenzy, Sally tried to ride his hand toward the fulfillment she could sense just out of reach, but Thomas refused to let her fly. The man was pure evil, slowly drawing her out to ecstasy’s edge only to deny her at the last second. He toyed with her until Sally was desperate enough to give him the crude words she knew he waited on.
Only once the lust had blinded her enough to beg him to lick her, kiss her, eat her cunt until she came did Thomas sink back down to his knees to do as she commanded. Sally screamed herself as he sucked and nipped at her clit, making Sally come apart with one release after another. With each one Thomas’s tongue slid down to fuck its way deep into the tight cl
ench of her pussy to lap the sweet cream flooding her sheath right off the sensitive walls of her cunt.
By the time he rose up to turn her around and bend her over his arm, Sally was too limp with pleasure to catch a single thought, much less hold it. Even the sound of a zipper being lowered and the rustle of Thomas’s jeans being shoved aside didn’t alert her to what he had planned next. It was only when his palms pressed her thighs wide and directed her bend even father over that Sally realized that Thomas wasn’t done yet. By then it was too late.
She barely had a chance to catch her breath before he fucked it right out of her. Thick and hard and almost too big to bear, his cock stretched her sheath so wide she almost felt like a virgin, but it had never been this good when she was a teenager. She moaned as he pumped himself slowly and easily through her slick passage. The man was teasing her again, taunting her into giving in to her own reckless impulses.
“That’s it, Sally girl,” Thomas praised her as he ran one hand down her spine in a soothing caress. The other slid around her to capture her tit and begin twisting the pebbled bud until the pain had her bucking with a delight too wicked to be right.
“Come on, girl. Show me how you want it…how you like it…that’s it, bend all the way over and open that pussy all the way up…oh, God, yes!…Just like that!…That’s my girl!”
Thomas roared as he came, his hips pounding faster than any stallions ever had as he fucked her hard and deep. Sally bounced in his hold, her breasts swinging as her ass smacked back into his hips but all she felt was the searing beauty of her own climax as her whole body detonated with the wondrous rapture. It left her satisfied and replete—
“Sally!” Nicholas’s shout sent a bolt of ice-cold reason streaking through Sally. “You in there?”
That question was followed by a loud banging on the shed’s door that had Sally jerking in Thomas’s hold. The sound of the door being flung open had Sally ready to dive for cover. Thomas didn’t let her go, though. Instead he heaved an aggrieved sigh and drew her deeper into the darkness at the back of the shed even as Nicholas called out again.