Rosemary was equally hands on with both of them, though not in an overt way. She might be feeling brave, but Wes knew she wouldn’t do anything to provoke comment. Anyone watching her would’ve noted that at times she held hands with Wes then at other times held hands with Evan.
When asked about her engagement ring, she replied that she and Wes were going to be married in the spring sometime and left it at that. She always managed to steer the conversation away from wedding plans and put the spotlight on others before they had a chance to ask any more questions.
The three of them still planned to elope, so there were no wedding plans to talk about. Just a beach, a preacher, the love of his life, his brother, and a ring.
* * * *
After chatting with friends and networking for an hour, Rosemary was ready to take a turn on the dance floor. More attendees had arrived by this point, and the dance floor was full when Wes held out his hand. The band was done for the evening, and a DJ was now playing a selection of dance music. Her ears perked up when the telltale waltzing lilt of “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter began to play.
Wes smiled knowingly at her. “Dance with me, baby? I hear a waltz.”
Rosemary beamed at him. “I’d love to.” She slipped into his arms, winking at Evan as he took a seat at their table. She snuggled close to Wes like she’d been dancing with him all her life, which technically she had. They’d learned how to dance together with Evan and several other friends, including Rachel. Wes’s warm hand felt good pressed to her lower back, the other cupping her hand. Being held like this made her feel precious to him.
She looked into Wes’s eyes admiringly. Both of them were so handsome in their dark suits, black cowboy boots, and felt cowboy hats.
“You look beautiful tonight, Rosemary,” Wes whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“Thank you. You’re pretty handsome yourself, Wes.” She pressed closer, breathing in his clean, manly scent. Rosemary loved the way both her men smelled, though they were totally different. Wes always smelled good like soap and fresh air and woodsy sometimes if she caught him after he’d been in the woodshop. Evan was similar in that respect, but his unique scent was more spicy and outdoorsy. They were both mouthwatering to be with.
After taking several more circuits on the dance floor, Wes led her back to their table as the song ended. Rosemary felt the mouthy bitch in her rear up and try to take control.
Gritting her teeth, she took in the sight before her. A well-built blonde had pressed herself flat against Evan and had her arms draped over his shoulders. Rosemary noted that Evan didn’t look pleased with the attention at all. The blonde had him backed up against their table, and he was seeking an exit, judging by his body language. The bitch slid her hands inside Evan’s jacket as she pressed against him, and Rosemary felt her ears grow hot.
I’m about to whip somebody’s ass.
“Who in the hell is that?” Rosemary asked, not even trying to hide the bite in her tone. Wes stiffened at her side and cleared his throat.
“Easy, baby. Her name is Davina Morley. Up until a few months ago, she was our account rep from Papillion Paint and Finish.”
She thought she’d recognized the woman who had visited the shop a couple of months before but hadn’t gotten a good enough look at her to be sure. Davina took her life into her hands as she slowly and suggestively rubbed her ample breasts against Evan’s chest. Wes caressed Rosemary’s waist soothingly as she walked beside him.
“She takes the idea of servicing an account to a different level,” Rosemary muttered as they approached the table.
Davina evidently already had a couple of drinks in her. She was draped like an octopus on Evan, with more hands than he seemed like he knew what to do with. Judging by his sudden, jerking reaction, she’d just grabbed his ass.
Definitely about to whip somebody’s ass.
Wes paused in his stride and turned to her, drawing her attention to him. He rubbed her shoulders, and she realized how tense she suddenly was. “Why don’t you ask Evan to dance and let me deal with her?”
Rosemary curled her lip in disgust and glanced at Davina again. “I’ll bet she’s bathed in perfume, and now it’s all over his jacket. If I go dance with Evan, then she’ll be all over you, too.”
Wes touched her chin with a gentle fingertip. “No, baby. You go rescue him, and while you’re gone, I’ll remind Davina about a little talk we had with her about stuff like this. That’s why she’s not our account rep anymore.”
“Oh,” Rosemary said with what she hoped was convincing innocence. She already knew that. She’d heard that particular conversation practically word for word. It was the only reason she didn’t have Davina by the hair down on the floor.
Davina was tugging on Evan’s jacket lapels, attempting to get him out on the dance floor. He was trying to be nice about it as he refused her, but it was obvious his good nature was wearing thin.
When Rosemary and Wes reached the table, she noticed that they were indeed enveloped in a cloud of cloying perfume. She wrinkled her nose, but smiled at Evan as Wes released her hand.
Smiling lovingly at Evan so he would know she wasn’t upset with him, Rosemary ignored Davina entirely and said, “Evan, I’m ready for our dance now.”
Davina turned to her and squinted at her. “Who are you?”
Opting for simple, Rosemary replied, “I’m Evan’s.”
“Evan’s what?”
“Just Evan’s. Would you mind removing your hands from his jacket?”
Surprised, Davina complied. “What do you mean you’re Evan’s?”
“I’m here with Evan,” Rosemary explained, feeling like she was talking to a four year old.
Davina shrugged and reached for Wes with a leer. “That’s okay. Come on, Wes, honey. Let’s go shake it.”
Resisting the urge to bar the woman’s grasp of Wes and place a well-aimed fist in Davina’s face, Rosemary helped Evan slip out of his jacket and left it hanging over the chair back. Davina already had her hands all over Wes, to Rosemary’s disgust.
Wes carefully grasped Davina’s hands and removed them from his shirtfront. “No, Davina, I can’t.”
“Why not?” Dang, she was persistent, or really drunk.
“I’m here with Rosemary.”
Davina squinted owlishly at the three of them in confusion. She lifted her mixed drink unsteadily to her lips then said, “Well now, wait a minute. If she’s Evan’s and he’s hers and you’re here with Rosemary, then…who am I gonna dance with?” she asked in a whiny voice. The pouty lip was not a good look for her.
Rosemary glanced up at Evan, and he rolled his eyes in disgust.
Removing her persistent hands again, Wes replied, “Sorry, Davina. It’ll have to be with somebody else. We told you once before we’re in a relationship. We’re not gonna hurt Rosemary’s feelings by dancing with anyone else. Why don’t you go dance with Ed?”
Evan whispered to Rosemary, “Ed’s wife will have his head if he does.” Rosemary giggled and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.
Rosemary smirked. She wouldn’t mind if the guys danced with others, but octopus arms didn’t need to know that.
“She’s a piece of work.”
“You have no idea.”
Oh, yeah, I do. ’Cause I’m a big, fat eavesdropper. She still felt a little guilty for doing that.
“I noticed Davina’s got busy hands, too. She was groping you pretty good.”
Evan snorted in disgust. “The only one I want groping me is you, baby. Are you having fun?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she replied tensely as she watched Davina persist in trying to talk Wes into giving her a dance. Rosemary gave Wes a lot of credit for trying, but Davina wasn’t taking the polite hint. She was probably too inebriated for that.
“I’ll bet you’d like to put in an appearance at that other convention’s party, wouldn’t you?” Evan asked intuitively.
Rosemary grinned crookedly. “Like you rea
d about, baby!” She was in the mood to have a good time with her men and was ready to do more than dance to waltzes and make polite small talk. She needed to let her hair down a bit.
“Davina is persisting, and this party is starting to die down. Why don’t we rescue Wes and see about getting into that dance party at the other convention?”
“I love the way you think, Evan. You’re my hero.”
* * * *
Evan leaned down and kissed Rosemary on his way out the back door. Her lower lip tingled where he’d flicked it playfully with his tongue, making her want to stop him and claim another, more thorough kiss from him.
He looked back at her through the screen door as he closed it behind him and grinned.
Big tease.
Grace smiled knowingly and sighed. “Those two sure do look like your little trip last weekend agreed with them. I never knew Evan had dimples.”
“Yeah, he’s been smiling a lot more lately,” Rosemary said, watching the man in question through the screen door that led out to the back deck where all the men were milling around the grill, relaxing with beers in their hands.
“So did you have any more encounters with that woman, Davina?” Grace asked with a snicker.
Rosemary giggled loudly, remembering the next day at the Convention Center. “Oh yeah, did we ever. The next day, she looked like she was hurting so bad that I actually felt a little sorry for her.”
But only a little.
“So, you crashed the erotic writer’s convention dance party?” Grace began, leading her back to the subject they’d been discussing prior to Evan’s exit.
Rosemary giggled gaily. “Yeah, we did. The dance was by invitation only, so I buzzed Tessa’s cell phone from the hallway, and she and Max came out and got all three of us in.”
“Lorelei DeVeaux is a man. I still can’t believe it. So, did he and Tessa ride off into the moonlight?”
“When we finally left around two in the morning, they were really into each other on the dance floor, dirty dancing and grinding together. I danced with both Wes and Evan at the same time for a few dances. Let me tell you, that got some attention!”
“Let me guess! Everyone there thought you were cover models acting out one of your cover shoots from a ménage romance novel?”
“No, someone asked Max, and he told them we were the real deal! They all wanted to talk to us. But we promised Tessa and Lorelei the exclusive. They cannot wait to talk to you. So, is Rachel doing okay?”
“Oh yeah. She’s healing up fast, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they’re married by Christmas. Eli absolutely adores her. Don’t you know they’d make gorgeous babies?”
Rosemary looked out the screen door and added, “Speaking of gorgeous babes, here come our men.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mid-October
Standing on the sunlit sidewalk outside of Cheaver’s, Rosemary looked up into angry, brown eyes then turned and looked in to an equally irate pair of green eyes. She felt her core tighten, knowing she was really in for it this time, and probably not in a good way. Evan being angry didn’t surprise her, under the circumstances. Wes never got angry. He wasn’t wired that way. But looking in his eyes right now, she knew her ass was grass.
Rosemary held both palms up and implored almost silently before either of them could say a word. “Not here, okay?” Both men gritted their jaws, fuming. She didn’t think it was her imagination when she felt heat spread across her ass cheeks. That realization made her face cheeks warm up to match.
Focusing on the issue at hand, she turned back to Randy as the Divine police officers handcuffed the thief she’d just chased down and apprehended with help from the store owner next door.
The thief had switched his worn boots for a pair of expensive new ones from their boot department and left the worn ones in the empty box then left the store without paying for them. Rosemary had watched the exchange from behind a two-way mirror in the stockroom. He’d carried a tool in his pocket, which he used to remove the theft deterrent device.
She’d followed the thief into the store next door, where she had alerted the store owner. The thief had been helping his mother and sister to hide merchandise from Arnold’s store in the false bottom of a tote bag and a diaper bag. They’d confronted them moments before the police arrived. The officer searched them in the manager’s office, he found all the merchandise they’d tried unsuccessfully to ditch on their way back, even the clothing folded and hidden beneath the tiny infant that lay sleeping in a stroller.
Rosemary had help in apprehending the thieves, but she’d still gone after a full-grown man alone because there had been no time to track Randy down and let him know. She would not have tried to apprehend the thief personally without the other store owner’s help, but she knew none of that mattered right now. Her heart sank, and she felt confused.
Her safety was the issue, and the shoplifter’s timing had really sucked. Wes and Evan had shown up while she was in the store next door, and one of her co-workers had informed them helpfully that Rosemary had just chased down a shoplifter and his thieving family. A bit of an exaggeration, she felt, but they didn’t see the distinction between her merely following him and actually chasing him.
“Randy, I’m going to take lunch with Wes and Evan now. I’ll finish the incident paperwork when I get back, okay?”
“Take extra time if you need it, sweetie.” Randy pulled her aside and asked quietly, “Are your okay? You’re looking pale all of a sudden.”
“Maybe a little shook up, but I’ll be fine,” she replied, hoping like hell he didn’t notice the way she was shaking.
“I know you feel it’s your responsibility to protect the family store, sweetie, and I appreciate that you’re so diligent. But it’s not worth it if you get hurt in the process. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” Randy gently held her upper arms and looked into her eyes. She had to steel herself to keep the tears from falling at the concerned look she saw on his face. He smiled at her and said, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Turning to Wes and Evan, she said, “I’ll get my purse and be right out.” Rosemary tried to smile at them but failed miserably. She could see the trouble brewing in their eyes.
They nodded and turned to each other, speaking quietly as she went to her office and retrieved her purse from her desk. She sat in her chair for a second to catch her breath.
Rosemary was certain they viewed this event as one of those times when she’d knowingly put herself in danger, but if she knowingly permitted thieves to get away with this sort of thing, Cheaver’s would become an easy mark to other shoplifters. She couldn’t let that happen and felt like this was one of her less enjoyable responsibilities. That probably wouldn’t matter to Wes and Evan. It was best to get the confrontation over with. Maybe if she explained the situation to them, they’d understand.
Feeling a little calmer, Rosemary walked out of the stockroom and found her men talking with Randy while waiting for her at the front door. They were silent as they walked her out to Evan’s pickup. They headed down FM 709 in the direction of their house.
Shit. “I thought we were going to Rudy’s.”
Wes sighed and looked down at her sitting between the two of them. “We need to go to the house instead. We can still go to Rudy’s after we talk and deal with what happened today, if you want to. Or you can eat at the house if you’d like.”
“Why do we have to go to the house?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Wes sighed quietly. “You know why, baby. You shouldn’t have been the one to chase down that thief. You could’ve been seriously injured or worse. You don’t really understand how much you mean to us if you are willing to risk yourself that way.” Evan pulled up to the house and shut off the ignition. He’d been silent the entire trip home. He climbed out of the truck and reached to help her down.
The men looked at her, and she realized she was trembling. She wasn’t afraid of them spanking her. She
was more afraid of them thinking she didn’t care about their feelings. Rosemary didn’t want them to think she didn’t care if they were upset.
“I endangered myself, right? I know I did. I should’ve gotten someone else to come with me or called Randy from my cell phone. It wouldn’t have gone as well if I hadn’t had Arnold’s help next door.”
Sternly, Wes said, “‘Wouldn’t have gone as well?’ You’d probably be in an ambulance right now, on your way to the ER.” His normally tranquil green eyes were stormy with his emotions.
“Or worse,” Evan added grimly as they escorted her up the front steps, and he unlocked the front door. Without preamble, they walked to her bedroom through the quiet house, and she followed behind.
“You’re really going to…” Rosemary tried but failed to complete the sentence, in shock that they truly intended to spank her. On the one hand, she agreed with them that going after a thief twice her size was a really dumb thing to do. She should’ve had her cell phone on her. But sometimes you had to utilize the tools at hand to get the job done.
Evan looked almost sick and so disappointed. She realized she’d backed him, both of them, into a corner. “Yes, Rosemary. We talked about this, remember? I hope to hell this is the only time we ever have to do this. I hate the thought of spanking you for a reason other than your pleasure, but we made a promise to you. I warned you that, as far as you were able, you were to see to your own safety as a first priority. Today was an example of what not to do.”
“But I had help. Arnold would not have let anything happen to me—”
“You are not Arnold’s responsibility. What if that guy had been armed? What if he’d met up with other guys like him instead of two female family members and a baby?” Evan didn’t paint a pretty picture.
“Well, that didn’t happen, and I’m all right. It all ended well,” she added weakly, knowing Wes and Evan were right.
Box Set: The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 2 [Book 4 - Rosemary's Double Delight (MFM), Book 5 - Spurs and Heels (MF)] (Siren Publishing Romance Collection) Page 16