Another pair of hands grasped her hips gently from behind, and a wave of heat sizzled up her spine when Clayton murmured in her ear, “Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet, Lydi.”
She turned her head to look up at Clayton then turned to gauge Chance’s reaction. He licked his lips and smiled, then nodded at her. “He’s right, baby.”
“But I…” They both rose on either side of her chair, compelling her to stand, too, and Chance moved the chair out of the way. “I just…” Damn it!
Chance placed his rough palms on her cheeks and sweetly kissed her lips then moved his hands to her hips and turned her so she faced Clayton. Chance crowded in against her back and moved her toward Clayton as he pressed his lips against her shoulder again. Clayton’s touch was equally tender as he slid his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. His kiss was almost hesitant, as though he knew this moment with both of them had been a hurdle for her. He tasted minty, and his scent was different as well, spicier with a hint of the leather from the vest he wore over his denim work shirt.
A thrill shot up Lydia’s spine as Chance slid his palms down her arms and clasped his fingertips with hers and then lifted her hands and placed them on Clayton’s chest before releasing them to cup her shoulders. In her ear, Chance whispered, “Sometimes it’s best to just jump on in, baby.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Lydia softly intoned as Clayton continued kissing her and stroked the column of her throat with the pad of his thumb, skimming lightly over the pulse that pounded at the base of her throat. This was the little push she’d needed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with equal fervency.
Her core trembled when she felt Chance’s hands slide from her hips, over her ribs, to just barely below her breasts. Her heart hammered in her chest as she anticipated his touch there. But he stopped and quietly said, “More?”
She never stopped kissing Clayton as she throatily murmured, “Mmm-hmm.” Her pussy trembled and swelled with rampant arousal, and she groaned as he slid his hands up to cup her breasts and squeezed gently.
Chance pressed his warm lips to her shoulder and worked little kisses up her neck until he nuzzled the sensitive skin beneath her ear, sending little pleasant shivers through her body with each lingering touch. The hard ridge that was developing against her abdomen did not go unnoticed as Clayton held her to him.
Just when she thought she’d have to draw away to take a breath, Clayton released her from his kiss and turned her so that she now faced Chance. “See, Lydi? Does Chance look uncomfortable to you?”
“No.” On the contrary, Chance looked ready for more as Clayton repeated his brother’s action and guided her hands to Chance’s shoulders. Clayton pressed against her until she collided with Chance and allowed them to make a sandwich with her in the middle.
Clayton’s phone started ringing on the kitchen counter, but he grunted and ignored it. Chance claimed her lips and kissed her so sweetly that tears burned in the back of her eyes. His kiss was as gentle as he was. The phone stopped ringing as their kiss grew more heated and Chance took over. One erection pressed against her ass cheeks and one pressed against her belly and an image of the three of them making love, with her in the middle and both of them inside her, sent her arousal skyrocketing. It was a good thing no one was stimulating her clit at the moment because she’d have come right on the spot. Her thong was drenched from all their attention.
The phone started to ring again, and Clayton groaned as he pressed kisses against her shoulder.
Lydia turned her head to look into Clayton’s half-lidded bedroom eyes. “Shouldn’t you get that? It must be important.”
She knew they needed to stop before things went much further. They had business to take care of and ranch hands that needed direction.
Clayton answered the phone, made a few monosyllabic responses, grunted once, and then hung up.
“Everything okay?”
“Gil had a question. What smells so good?”
As if on cue, the timer rang, and she replied, “That would be breakfast. Make yourselves a cup of coffee and I’ll serve it for you.” She smiled at Chance as he smooched her lips one more time. “I was wondering if it would be okay to make a snack or something for the ranch hands. I know I didn’t meet all of them last night. I thought it might be a nice way to say hello.”
“I’m sure they’d like that, Lydi. Around eight they usually take a quick break for a cup of coffee if you want to bring something then.”
“That’s perfect. My help arrives at nine so that will leave me plenty of time to be done and ready for her.”
Lydia served them both, taking a breath to steady her still rapidly pounding heart. Kissing two men just moments before had turned her into a quivering mass of need that was going to take a little time to settle.
“This is delicious, baby,” Chance said with an appreciative groan. Clayton agreed, and the men made quick work of breakfast, even having a second helping. It was nice to serve them and then be able to watch them enjoy her cooking instead of running around like a chicken with her head cut off at the café.
“Thank you. Can I ask a question?”
“Sure,” Chance replied.
“What will you tell the men about me? I guess what I’m asking is what my title is around here, as far as they are concerned.”
“They already know you’re here because we needed your skills in the kitchen. We told them that you were off-limits when one of them questioned it so we spelled it out for him.”
“Spelled it out?”
“We told the ranch hand you were ours. None of the others batted an eyelash when we said it. Remember I told you two of our ranch hands are involved in a foursome and are engaged now.”
“Oh. That’s right. So…what? You ‘claimed’ me?” she asked with a snicker.
Clayton seemed relieved by her words and replied, “Yeah. It was that or leave it open for them to draw their own conclusions. This way, it’s up front. No one should bother you.”
Chance added, “It also means word may make it into town faster.”
“Which translates into I need to call my nagging mother-hen brothers,” she said with a disgruntled tone. She rolled her eyes, imagining their reactions. Ace would blow a gasket, and Kemp would plan a painful accident. Poor Chance and Clayton. She really needed to make that call to the big oafs.
“You’ll do that?” Chance asked as he stroked her cheek.
“I will. I promise.”
They took their plates to the sink, and she shooed them away when they tried to clean up the breakfast mess. After refilling their coffee mugs they both kissed her again and went out the back door to start their morning.
Looking at the clock, she knew it was way too early to start her day with an interrogation from Ace, so she set about planning what she would make for the ranch hands as a morning snack. She mixed up yeast dough and set it on the back of the stove to rise.
She organized the tools that she and her new helper would need for that day’s work. After that was done, she prepared homemade kolaches for the men, figuring they would appreciate something hardy that needed nothing more than a napkin to eat it on.
One by one she pulled the hot, bread-dough-wrapped sausage rolls from the pan and heaped them in a dishcloth-lined basket and filled a thermos with fresh coffee for Chance and Clayton. Turning off the oven, she was positively eager to see the brothers again as she stepped lightly down the back porch stairs and followed the flagstone walkway back to the barn.
“Hello!” she called when she heard movement near the entry to the barn. One of the ranch hands came to the large entry and squinted at her. She ran through the list of names she’d memorized last night, based on where they sat at the table.
“Well, what can I do for you, darlin’?”
His suggestive tone took her a little by surprise, considering what Clayton had told her that morning. “Darlin’” seemed awfully familiar to be calling her, but she’d let him s
lide in case he wasn’t privy to their announcement about her status, whenever it had occurred.
“Hello. Kade, right?” At his nod, she took a step back and continued, “I brought a coffee-break treat for the men.” She gestured to the basket.
He never took his eyes off of her, looking her up and down, as he said, “You sure did, darlin’.” He’d flirted, but he hadn’t been like that at the dinner table the night before, in front of Chance and Clayton.
When she made no reply, he came closer than she was comfortable with and looked her in the eyes. “I’d say you’re a treat. Pretty and can cook, too. Why don’t you come on in?” He took another step toward her.
Guarding her tone, she asked, “Where are the others? Where are Chance and Clayton?”
“Don’t know,” he said as he kept looking her up and down. His tone also implied he didn’t care.
She stopped in her tracks and pulled her phone from her pocket. There was no point in dealing any further with this ranch hand. His mind seemed on one thing, and she wasn’t setting foot in the dim shadows of the barn with him. Her hand trembled slightly as she touched the shortcut to dial Chance’s number on the screen and put the phone to her ear.
“Hello, baby.” His voice was reassuring to hear as Kade Parker continued to stare at her hungrily. The hunger she saw had little to do with the basket of treats she held.
“Hello, cowboy. I’m outside the barn. Where are you?”
“We’ll be there in about thirty seconds. You bring me something to eat?” It was a simple question but she could hear the innuendo in his tone.
“Yes, I did,” she said, being careful to not use a suggestive or playful tone. “I’m visiting with Kade Parker at the moment.”
Kade’s demeanor changed, and he squinted at her with a hint of anger in his dark eyes.
“Shit. Be there in twenty seconds. Stay outside the barn, okay?” She heard hooves approaching and smiled in relief when both Chance and Clayton appeared on horseback.
Kade slapped his hat against his thigh and said, “Can’t even be friendly these days without someone complainin’.” He turned and walked back into the dusty shadows of the barn.
Feeling a little unfriendly all of a sudden, she wanted to call out an apology. “I’m—” But he was already gone.
The men halted their horses beside her and climbed down. Clayton asked, “Lydi, you okay?”
“Huh?”
“Are you okay? Chance said you sounded tense earlier. Did Parker say anything to you?”
“Well, um.” Had he? Really? She second-guessed herself. No, he hadn’t really said or done anything, beyond seeming overly friendly.
“Baby?” Chance asked as he came to her and peered down at her. “Did he do something?”
“Um—no. Just a little too friendly for my tastes. Does he know about us?”
“Yes. He was there last night. Actually he was the reason Clayton said anything at all. He questioned who you belonged to.”
Lydia’s lip curled at the term, and she cast a glance to the dimly lit barn. Originating with Kade Parker, the term had a hint of ownership to it, but looking at these two men before her, she couldn’t bring herself to mind if they saw it that way. Earlier that morning she’d wanted to belong to them very badly. She’d have to remember to steer clear of Parker in the future and avoid any further private meetings if she could.
“We told him you’re ours,” Clayton said with concern in his eyes. “You’d tell us if there was more to it, wouldn’t you? We don’t want anyone harassing you.”
“Of course I would, Clayton. No, I don’t guess he was harassing me. He was just…forward, I guess.” The last thing she wanted was for a man’s job to be in jeopardy because she’d overreacted to his remarks.
The men shared a glance but said nothing else. Changing the subject, Lydia said, “I brought you a snack.”
Clayton chuckled and said, “I’ll eat whatever you bring me.” Then he gave her a kiss, right there in the open where everyone could see.
Heat rose even higher in her cheeks when Chance leaned in a kissed her as well. “I hope there’s more where that came from.” The power of speech nearly deserted her when the sparkle in his eyes left no doubt what he was referring to.
“No, I mean something to actually eat.”
“So did I, Lydi,” Clayton said quietly.
Lydia felt a little twitter pated as his innuendo sank in. Her thong was soaked for the second time that day. Clayton whistled loudly, and ranch hands came from all points.
Chance chuckled and said, “You okay, Lydia? You’re flushed. Is the heat getting to you?”
She bit her lip and wanted to kick them both for turning her on and then calling all the hands over. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured suggestively in a quiet tone as the men approached. Both men had already helped themselves to a kolache and had just taken a bite. “Now I’m all hot…and wet.”
Chapter Thirteen
She smiled with satisfaction when Clayton choked on his bite. Chance did a double take, and his eyes bugged a little. She thought she heard a needy little moan come from him before the men joined them. If those men thought they were going to get her all hot, teasing her like that, they needed to know she could give as good as she got.
The men greeted her and thanked her for the snack. She had a chance to meet the other ranch hands who didn’t actually live there and reintroduced herself to Boone and Richard Warner, whom she’d met once when they’d visited the café with Chance, Clayton, and some of the other men, including Gil. Both men remembered her and welcomed her to the ranch.
Lydia said, “Chance and Clayton tell me that you’re engaged.”
Richard, the taller of the two, nodded and replied, “Yes ma’am.” His pale-blue eyes were gorgeous, and his quiet demeanor was a big contrast to his brother who was darker in eye color and seemed to have a much more intense personality. She wished she could meet the woman who’d captured the hearts of these men and their brother who she hadn’t met yet.
“When is the wedding planned for?”
“The end of next month. We just proposed a few days ago.”
“Would you let her know I’m a chef? I’d love to help out if they need food prepared or the cake made.”
Richard nodded and his smile lit his handsome face, “Yes, ma’am, I will. Maya would love to meet you. We told her last night you’d arrived on the ranch. She’ll probably be looking for an excuse to pay a visit.”
Lydia smiled and said, “That would be terrific. I’m the only female on the ranch. I’d love to have another woman’s company.”
Chance said, “You can visit Discretion with her sometime. I’m sure the girls would all love—” Chance sounded like his words got cut off.
Clayton said, “We can also take you into town if you want to shop at Stigall’s. Any word on the car, Chance?”
Chance eyed his brother as he rubbed a rib and said, “Nope, not a word, but it hasn’t been that long. I’m sure we’ll know something soon.”
Lydia thought they were both acting a little peculiar but smiled at the men as they all complimented her on her cooking skills and thanked her for bringing them such a nice treat.
Checking her watch, she said, “Well, I’d better get back to the house. My help should be arriving soon.”
The men all wished her a good day and then went back to work. Chance lifted Lydia onto his horse, and the three of them rode back to the house. She hadn’t been on a horse in a while but felt perfectly safe with Chance holding her in front of him. They stopped at the gate, and Clayton leaned over to give her a kiss then said, “Don’t work too hard today, Lydi. We want to spend time with you this evening. Okay?”
“All right.” That was good because she was ready to spend time with them, too.
She turned to Chance and hugged him and then kissed him as well. He grinned and said, “It helped this morning, didn’t it?”
“Yes. You both broke the ice really well.” She giggled as Cha
nce helped her down then Clayton handed her the empty basket. She patted their finely matched quarter horses and blew both men kisses.
“Thanks for the ride, cowboys.” They both groaned at her suggestive tone.
Clayton chuckled in an equally provocative tone and replied, “If you think that was a ride, Lydi, we’ve got a surprise in store for you.”
She watched those handsome cowboys as they trotted away, thinking about what a ride with them might entail.
Excited and ready to get started, she waited for her help to arrive. She cleared the floors to make it easy to go from room to room both upstairs and downstairs. She checked her watch at nine o’clock and looked out her bedroom window. There was no sign of anybody on the long winding driveway. On her way down she checked the men’s rooms and brought their laundry baskets downstairs.
By nine fifteen she was getting a little hacked off but wanted to give her helper the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps there had been some miscommunication about the time. She’d give it a little longer and then call the employment agency to ask if there was a problem. She’d already pulled the furniture away from the walls in the family room and turned the chairs onto the table in the dining room when the doorbell finally rang at nine forty-five. Blowing hair off her brow, Lydia answered the door. She hid her shock at what stood before her.
Lydia thought about calling Clayton and asking him if he might be able to get a refund from House Bunnies “R” Us. There was the distinct possibility this gal was going to break a nail.
Lydia’s greeting came out sounding like a gasp. “Hi.”
The beautiful young woman blinded her with brilliantly white teeth when she smiled. “Hey!” The way she drew out the word made it sound like it had three or four high-pitched syllables. “I’m Presley Ann Woodworth. I’m here to help out.” Lydia backed up, and Presley Ann stepped in, looking around appreciatively. “So this is the Rockin’ C Ranch.”
Presley Ann walked in as if she were assessing the interior for a new design. “Please come with me, Presley Ann, so we can talk about what I’ll need for you to do.”
The Divine Creek Ranch Collection Volume 3 Page 70