by Rose Nickol
Chapter Twelve
Luke Ryder wasn’t happy about going to the hospital until he got a good look at Avery Chance, the paramedic assisting him. The woman was beautiful, with long, dark-blonde hair and the bluest eyes he had ever seen. A man could get lost in those eyes. He wondered if she had anyone in her life. He probably didn’t have a shot, though. A woman like her wouldn’t have time for a man like him, but she was very attractive.
As they rode along, Luke had time to think. He and Ron had decided long ago that when they were both ready to settle down, they would look for a woman to share, and he wondered if Avery could be that woman. Before he could even consider that possibility, he needed to retire and move his things into Ron’s place, and the two of them needed to find a place to call home.
Ron was living in a rented house now, and it was fine for him and the occasional visits Luke made, but they both wanted some land and a huge house. They were both in their late thirties and had been talking about settling down. Luke just needed to figure out a way to get Avery and Ron together.
* * * *
Avery was very professional, but Luke was a handsome man and she was instantly attracted to him. It was too bad she wasn’t meeting him under other circumstances. She thought she saw a glimmer of something in his eyes, but it was probably her imagination. A man this gorgeous had to have someone at home.
Trying to be professional and work in the cramped space in the back of the ambulance was difficult, but somehow she managed it. Radioing to the small clinic in Deadwood—the town of Ransom was too small to have anything other than a general practitioner—she was given instructions that they were to continue on to the trauma center in Rapid City. Luke was to be treated there.
“Mr. Ryder, we’re taking you on to Rapid City. I’ve been instructed to start an IV and give you some fluids. What is your pain level? I can give you some morphine if you need it,” Avery told him.
Avery didn’t mind the fact that she was going to be spending the extra time in the ambulance with Luke. This wouldn’t be a hardship at all. Hopefully during the ride she could talk to him and find out a little more about him.
* * * *
It took a few days of all the men pampering her, but Stacie soon recovered from her physical injuries. Her emotional ones would take longer, much longer. The men planned on keeping her busy planning their wedding and were continuing to teach her to ride and shoot. They wanted her to be able to defend herself if there was ever another threat, which they hoped would never happen.
The wedding was small. Stacie had no family to invite and it was just a few friends. They were married at the ranch. The men put in a flower garden for Stacie with a gazebo. There were several arches included in the plan with benches for sitting and, in one corner, a table and chairs to have meals outside. The very first use was for Stacie and Seth’s wedding. Even though she was marring all three men, in the eyes of the law and on paper she was married to Seth. Stacie insisted that Jake and Grant also stand and make the same vows, not caring what their friends thought.
Luke and Ron were there with their new friend, Avery, and all of Stacie’s friends from school showed up. Several of the men’s friends from the club in Rapid City were there. Both the owners and members of the security team all showed, as they were close friends of the brothers. Stacie later found out that the brothers had helped with the club by investing some money in it. She also found out that the men had more money than she ever believed possible. Their grandfather had struck oil on the ranch and they were all set for life. They didn’t need to ranch for a living, but enjoyed it and hadn’t been raised to live a life of leisure. Their children would be raised the same way.
After the wedding, the men took Stacie on an extended honeymoon to the Caribbean, someplace she had always wanted to go, where they kept her either naked or in a bikini the entire month.
The month passed quickly and they were all ready to get back to the ranch and start their life together. Stacie was a little disappointed she hadn’t gotten pregnant on their honeymoon, but the men were all supportive of her, telling her to relax, it would come soon enough and to enjoy her time with all of them.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rose Nickol is a fifty-something-year-young mother of a daughter she adopted from China, and a shih-tzu puppy. She loves all animals. She played with writing in her younger years, but never did anything serious about it until she was forced to retire from her career in the medical field due to health issues.
Rose has lived in Colorado for over twenty years and enjoys the mountain views. When she’s not writing or being a mom, she crochets and does counted cross stitch.
Visit her website, or email her at [email protected].
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