The Divine Creek Ranch Collection Volume 3

by Heather Rainier

  The woman he’d adored and lost must have been going through his mind, which could explain his tentativeness. They were comrades in suffering in that moment. She knew what it was like to look forward to a lifetime together only to have the dream stolen away.

  Feeling inexplicably guilty, she looked down at his chest and moved closer to him so he could hug her again if he wanted. She hoped he didn’t think ill of her for being open about her decision to share a bed with Kendall. There was no point in going through the motions of staying in the other bedroom when this was what they both wanted. She wondered what Richard and Boone thought of her reacting to them the way she was. Life was unbearably short, and there didn’t seem to be any point in pussy-footing around with the precious time they had.

  Richard hugged her again and kissed the top of her head. His lips lingered in her hair and his hands felt indescribably gentle as he caressed her spine.

  “We’ll talk more tonight, Maya. Have a good nap,” Richard whispered as he pressed his lips to her hair one more time before releasing her. “Later, bro.”

  A moment later, they were both gone.

  Kendall pulled the covers back on the bed. “Come on, let’s get you situated, sleepyhead.”

  Maya grinned and slipped off her shoes. She was struck with a quandary as to whether she should undress or leave her clothes on. Exhaustion trumped all her questions for the moment, so she climbed into the bed as she was while he sat down and removed his boots and socks. She watched him as he undressed to his knit boxers and then climbed under the covers. Smiling like he knew exactly what she was thinking, Kendall leaned toward her, kissed her, and said, “Catch up on your rest for now, babydoll. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”

  Suddenly all she wanted to talk about was how damned fine he looked in those snug, white knit boxers. He hadn’t bothered to hide the semierect cock he was sporting, but Kendall looked exhausted, so she kept her naughty thoughts to herself.

  Chapter Five

  Richard stared out at the dark expanse of road as he drove down the state highway toward the ranch. A fringe of tall grass billowing in the hayfields was lit by the truck headlights. Boone was rattling on about Maya, but Richard was lost in his own thoughts as he slowed for the turn off the highway onto their ranch. The pipe rail entry, painted red, sported a metal cutout that was fashioned after their brand, the initials JWB surrounded by an oval.

  “You’re not hearing a word I’m saying, are you?”

  “I hear you flapping your jaws like an old woman, but I stopped listening about two miles back.”

  “Asshole.”

  Richard’s thoughts dwelled on the uncertain look in Maya’s eyes right before she’d glanced away from him and had allowed him to hug her. He hoped he hadn’t scared her.

  “I asked what you thought of Maya’s reaction to the two of us.”

  “I don’t know. She’s just as beautiful as I remember, and sweet, too.”

  Richard was afraid he’d made her uncomfortable, and for the tenth time that morning he wondered if she could look beyond his size and appearance. He’d even admit he was unsure if he would ever be ready to love a woman again. Sex was one thing, but to really love a woman…He wasn’t sure.

  Michelle had been the answer to his prayers when she’d stolen quietly into his life and had made him happier than he’d thought was possible. Even now, the sting of grief pricked his heart when he thought of her loss.

  Did he want to love Maya the way he had Michelle? Could he risk loving like that again? The memory of the phone call from the hospital that tragic day wrenched his heart.

  “Do you?”

  “What?” Richard ground out. Boone kept asking all these fucking questions when he was trying to think.

  “Fuck, but you’re pissy this morning considering you just held a beautiful woman in your arms. If I’m pissy it’s because I had to walk away with a hard-on and leave her alone with Kendall.” Unasked was the reason for Richard’s black mood.

  “She could hardly look at me.”

  There, he’d said it. Every morning when he looked in the mirror, he saw his ugly mug. The beard and moustache helped, but all he saw was the hulk, the unruly curly hair he kept cut short, and the eerie, wolf-blue eyes that had always put people off. He wasn’t coyote-ugly, but he didn’t see much to recommend him as a prime catch. His quiet, solitary nature didn’t help that image either.

  He wondered if he was working himself up for nothing. He remembered the hug they’d shared and the way she’d sighed so deeply, like the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, and then she’d melted against him. He knew how she felt, having lost someone she loved very much. He also remembered how good it felt to hold her lush, curvy form in his arms. She’d lost a little weight since the last time he’d seen her, but she was just as gorgeous as ever and her full, plump breasts had felt incredible pressed up against him.

  “Damn it! Listen to me! Stop here!”

  “Fuck! What?” Richard yelled back, slamming the heel of his hand down on the steering wheel and applying the brakes hard.

  “The fence. We’ve got work to do, damned googly-eyed dumbass!”

  Richard had to grin good-naturedly at the sound of his brother’s frustration. Boone hated to be ignored, and he’d been in his own world not hearing a word the asshole was saying.

  Boone was right, of course. He’d spotted a section of fence that needed repair. He climbed from the truck to help Boone. It was pitch-black outside except for the headlights, and the humidity was especially high though it wasn’t very warm yet. After they finished with the fence they continued down the drive and checked on the barns and the animals. When the morning chores were done on the JWB, they drove over to the Rockin’ C, where their workday would begin.

  Boone had lapsed into silence since Richard was once again lost in thought. As he drove back up the long driveway, Richard wondered what Maya would think of their beautiful spread. Gentle rolling hills, hayfields, wildflowers, and herds of Hereford cattle made for a pretty picture in his mind, with the exception of the wreckage that remained of their old farmhouse. Now that they’d heard from the insurance company, Richard was anxious to begin plans to rebuild. Or maybe it was because Maya was there. Maybe he wanted her more than he thought if he cared what she’d think of the place.

  “You think too much.”

  “You’re just pissed because I’m not yimmer-yammering on like you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “What are you talking about?” Boone asked, giving him the quirky eyebrow stare.

  “You’ve got good looks on your side, and the tattoos don’t hurt, either. Women eat that stuff up.”

  Boone chuckled and said, “Fine, let’s go get your ass tattooed.” He held up two hands in front of him. “I can see it now. ‘Richard is a pansy-ass mother—’”

  “I’m being serious here, damn it.”

  “And you think you have some sort of disadvantage?”

  “We’re all so different. How can she be attracted to all three of us? You and Kendall are natural conversationalists and more at ease than I am. I’m just big and…ugly.”

  “You sound like a teenage girl. You’re tall, decent to look at, and sometimes quiet is good. You have an advantage in that sense. You can draw her out and get her talking. You’re not reading her right, Richard. I don’t get the impression she’s put off by you at all. She didn’t look unhappy in your arms this morning.”

  “No?” Maybe he was missing something. His feelings were all jumbled up. Desire for Maya, and guilt for feeling that desire, was confusing him. He’d been loyal to Michelle’s memory all this time. The only thing was a memory couldn’t talk to him and wrap soft arms around him. He hoped it was just his imagination that he’d made her uncomfortable, because it would just about break his heart if he were to find out Maya was scared of him.

  * * * *

  Maya woke to the sound of Kendall muttering, “Shit, shit, shit.” Smiling, she opened her
eyes and watched drowsily as Kendall jumped on one foot trying to get his foot into the other pant leg. He glanced up at her, and she was blinded by his bright, sexy smile.

  “Good morning, er, afternoon.”

  “Hi,” she replied as she had a nice, long stretch.

  Kendall climbed on the bed and crawled over to her. His hair was wet, and he smelled fresh like soap. He must’ve already taken his shower.

  “I slept way longer than I meant to,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. “I was planning to enact my plans for seduction this morning after a couple of hours of shut-eye, but we conked out.”

  Maya gave him a wide smile, loving the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? Whatcha gonna do now, cowboy?”

  “Roust your fetching little ass out of bed,” he murmured as he planted his nose in her hair behind her ear, inhaled deeply, and growled. “I love that spot, right there.” He kissed her there then yanked the covers completely off of her. She gasped and felt a convulsion in her pussy at the sudden, forceful action.

  Oh, baby! Rip my clothes off next!

  “I have work to do. How would you like to come with me?”

  Her pussy tremored again, and she giggled at her body’s slutty response. His words dangling there were more than she could resist, and he chuckled knowingly as the sideways grin spread across her lips.

  “Would I like to ‘come’ with you? Oh, yes. Very much,” she murmured in her best sexy voice as she stretched luxuriantly again. She hadn’t slept that well in over a year.

  Kendall chuckled. “I swear you could take just about any topic and weave an innuendo through it. I’ve missed you, babydoll.”

  He’d always called her babydoll. It had always made her feel special to him. She weaved her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He pressed warm, full lips to hers, and his kiss melted her bones as he lingered there. They were interrupted by the sound of his phone chirping. She released him, and he looked at the screen.

  “It’s a text from Grace,” he murmured lying down on the bed beside her. He touched the screen to open the message, holding the phone so she could see, too.

  “Who is Grace?” Maya asked, knowing she sounded a whole lot more like, “Who in the hell is Grace?”

  Kendall glanced at her and chuckled. “A freaking force of nature. That’s who Grace is.”

  Maya looked at the message which read, “Your truck is still parked at the ranch house. Is everything okay?”

  Maya watched as Kendall typed, “We’re fine. We have company. Remember me telling you about Maya?”

  Maya’s eyebrows crinkled together. Who was this woman? Kendall was obviously enjoying keeping her in the dark, and she wasn’t going to beg.

  The phone chirped again a few seconds later. The message read, “Oh, hell yeah! Can I meet her! Pretty please? I can be there in thirty seconds.”

  Kendall chuckled and texted back. “Whoa! No running. Jack will kill me if you hurt yourself. We’ll stop on the way out. Fixing to leave in a bit.”

  Maya figured whoever it was must be nearby and in poor health if she couldn’t run.

  The phone chirped again. “Well hurry the hell up! I’m dying to meet her!”

  Kendall turned on his side to twiddle a lock of Maya’s long blonde hair between his fingers. “Grace is my cousin Jack’s wife. She lives here on the ranch with him, Ethan and Adam, her other husbands.” His eyes shone with amusement as her jaws flapped together a couple of times.

  “She what? Her what?”

  “Jack is my cousin. He and our distant cousins, Ethan Grant and Adam Davis, own this ranch. Grace is their wife. She’s expecting. That’s why I told her not to run.”

  Expecting? Whoa. She was a wife to three men. Maya flopped back onto the pillow and thought about that for four seconds before she jumped up from the bed and ran to the bathroom.

  She peered back at Kendall and said, “I can be ready in five minutes.” She had to meet this woman.

  “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Yeah. You better get cracking, hadn’t you?” She laughed as she ran the hot water.

  Kendall chuckled as he poked his head in the bathroom doorway. “You’re a bossy damned thing when you’re on a tear, aren’t you?”

  “Uh-huh!” she replied as she lathered her hands with her facial cleanser. “Scrambled eggs. Please. You can extract payment later.”

  “I live to serve,” Kendall quipped before exiting.

  She laughed as she washed her face. Maya joined him at the kitchen table a few minutes later, face fixed, dressed, and ready to go.

  “Thank you for being willing to cook, Kendall. I would’ve been okay with a cereal bar.”

  Kendall wrinkled his nose. “Not your first breakfast under my roof. Not even your second breakfast or any other, for that matter. We don’t even buy those. We men need manlier, more substantial meals than that.”

  “Oh boy. I’m going to gain weight while I’m here,” she murmured as he piled steaming scrambled eggs onto her plate out of the skillet.

  “You could do with a few more pounds on you, Maya. You’ve lost too much weight this year.”

  Maya shrugged, remembering Kendall had a preference for curvy women. “Cooking for one is not as much fun.” Kendall gave her a look that spoke volumes and left her a little dazed. “So Grace is expecting, huh?”

  “Yup. The guys are over the moon. You should see what big saps they are around her.”

  That thought intrigued Maya, and she couldn’t wait to meet Grace. What would it be like to have the devotion of three men?

  Kendall murmured, “You’re awfully quiet. What are you thinking about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Maya felt her cheeks heat a little as she replied, “I was wondering what that kind of arrangement must be like. How do they keep things in balance? Is it hard for her to keep that many men happy? Do they have problems with jealousy? And why didn’t I know about this?”

  “Well, I can’t answer some of those questions, because I don’t pry with Grace. Jack tells me their main focus is making Grace happy, not the other way around. Grace is an open person, and I’ll bet she’d be happy to answer all of your questions. I can tell you this much, Grace always seems to…glow. I think they make her very happy. I never told you…well, there was other stuff for us to talk about.” Kendall cleared his throat like he had a frog in it.

  “I was self-centered for a while. I’m sorry.”

  “Maya, don’t. Morgan died. I didn’t consider it self-centeredness. I’m just happy you’re here with me now. With us.”

  Taking the bull by the horns, she asked, “Is their relationship something you, Boone, and Richard would like me to ask her about?”

  Kendall looked her in the eye and responded without hesitation in his soothing, husky drawl, “Very much, babydoll.”

  Chapter Six

  Kendall helped Maya climb into the pickup truck, and she chuckled when he patted her ass before she planted it on the seat. He shrugged innocently when she gasped in mock surprise.

  “No man alive could resist something that pretty.”

  “You’re just trying to get laid.”

  Kendall snorted and said, “I was being sweet, but we can go there, too, if you’re willing.”

  “I think time rather than willingness is more of a factor. Don’t you have a ranch to take care of?”

  “Yes, but I’m blinded by your beauty,” he said.

  Maya scoffed. “Now I know why your eyes are brown.”

  “Because I’m full of shit. Gotcha. You can kid all you want. But that is some kind of gorgeous ass you’ve got there.” He patted her thigh before closing her door.

  When he opened his door and climbed in, she said, “Thanks, Kendall. You’re very kind.”

  Kendall dazzled her with his wide, sexy grin and said, “I know. It’s a burden. Will it get me laid?”

  “Drive!” Maya said, laughing as she shoved lightly at his shoulder. Of course, it’ll get you laid!r />
  She looked around them as he backed the truck out and pulled down the driveway connected to the main drive between two very large, red barns. He drove to the big ranch house a short distance away. It was a beautiful home with white limestone rock facing and a deep, shaded porch running the full length of the back of the house.

  Kendall parked his truck next to a white work truck. Once again, Kendall helped her down from the vehicle as a couple came out on the porch, which spanned the front of the house. The man was very tall, almost as tall as Richard in fact. The woman was gorgeous with long, wavy blonde hair. Her cheeks were rosy with a blush as she said a farewell to the man, and he kissed and gently squeezed her.

  As they climbed the stairs, he approached the end of the porch and said, “Hey, Kendall.”

  “Hey, Adam. I want to introduce you to Maya. Maya, this is my cousin, Adam Davis.”

  “Maya, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m running really late,” Adam said with emphasis as he looked back at the lovely blonde. “Otherwise I’d stay to visit. I think Grace is already planning a get together for this weekend. She can give you all the details. See you later.”

  Kendall nodded as Adam jumped into his work truck.

  The beautiful woman, who must be Grace, sidled up slowly with a smile on her face. Her silky top draped softly over the hint of a rounded abdomen. Her cheeks were a little rosy, and Maya recognized the “guess what I’ve been up to” grin on her face and liked her instantly.

  Kendall introduced her and Grace welcomed them inside. After the niceties were over with, Grace joined them at the large marble-topped breakfast bar.

  They chatted about mundane things like how long Maya would be in town, where she lived, and about her having recently completed her nursing degree.

  “My husband left me with a comfortable investment income, but I needed something for myself. Morgan knew I’d always been interested in pursuing my RN certification, and so he encouraged me to go back to school and obtain it.”