by Lynn Stark
Closing and locking the door, she went around and checked to see that everything was secured. She collected Mindy and locked the front door. The grand opening of both the spa and the help center was the following day, though there was already a phone number posted on the door of the center, should anyone need it.
Though her day would start very early the next morning, Colt had planned a celebratory supper at the Silver Star Hotel for her. He had promised Mink would be there. Her brother had come to her house a few times for supper or to hang out. It had been strange and somewhat difficult for them both in the beginning and was only now getting to the point where they were comfortable with one another.
Mink never asked about their father and Piper never mentioned the man. He did, however, tell her all about his mother. It was obvious that he had loved her with all his heart and was still dealing with her death, though she had died a few years before. She could understand that. His mother had been the only person he’d ever had in his life that he could count on. And he could count on her. Rose Montgomery had never allowed anyone to abuse her son, including the man she had been living with until the day he told Mink he was not his father. The pain he had caused her son was enough for her to end the relationship and to never look back. After that she had devoted herself to him. Perhaps his mother had done too much for him, because Mink seemed unable to function with much confidence.
Piper wanted him to know that he now had her if he ever needed anything. When she had advertised for workers in the spa and help center she had hoped he would want one of the positions. Mink, however, had not applied. She suspected he would believe if she hired him it would be a form of charity, which it would not have been.
When she got home Charm met her at the door, her fluffy tail swishing as she rubbed herself on her legs, seemingly a little agitated. She put it down to being left alone all day when she was so used to being with Piper. Sparkle grunted and sniffed the air, which was a little odd, before she began wandering aimlessly through the house.
“Happy kitty?” she asked, reaching down to play with the cat’s swishing tail while watching Sparkle with a frown. “Did you miss us?”
Charm began talking to Piper as she made her way into the kitchen. Even as she did so she noticed a few things just weren’t right. Things had been moved, adjusted, and one thing was missing. There had been a bag of apples on the counter and it was now just…gone.
Feeling cold creeping over her, she snatched up Charm and Mindy and headed for the door. Sparkle, unhappy, grunted but followed. She was out the door and on the sidewalk without even realizing she had moved so quickly. Juggling her pets and her purse, she dug through it until she found her cell phone.
A moment later Colt was answering. “What’s up, darling? Are you ready for your party tonight?”
“No, sorry. I just got home. Something’s not right in the house. Things have been moved.”
“Are you in the house?”
“No. I’m out on the sidewalk.” She hated that her voice shook. She had never thought herself to be a coward, but at that moment she wasn’t so certain.
“Go get in your car and lock the doors. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes. I’m calling Grayson.”
No one had to tell her twice. Piper put all her pets in the SUV and climbed in behind them. She closed the door and locked all the doors remotely. Not a minute later the sheriff was parking at the curb. She was relieved to see the tall, muscular man as he walked up the sidewalk and headed toward her front door, gun drawn. She watched as he went inside.
Just as he disappeared Colt arrived, as did Merck and Jace. Piper didn’t know how she felt about the latter two being there. She had only seen either man at a distance since they had left Colt’s house that night after she and Merck had torn into one another. She wasn’t proud of her accusations. She knew she was being unfair. But she hadn’t done the right thing and apologized to the man. Now here he was, with Jace, and looking very concerned.
Merck positioned himself beside her SUV while Jace went around to the back of the house. Colt went around the far side. When Piper dared to open the door a crack Merck swung around and glared at her.
“Stay in there.” The words were little more than a growl.
Piper swallowed and sat back, pulling the door shut. She wasn’t really a wimp, but it didn’t seem the moment to defy the man. Hadn’t that been a muscle ticking in his jaw? It was a good indicator as to his mood.
Then again, he wasn’t her boss, or boyfriend, or even a friend. Piper lifted her chin and reached for the door latch again. She was out of the SUV before he could stop her, going around until she was standing beside him. She winced when her backup was a tiny pig with attitude.
When Merck turned his head to glare down at her with those beautiful amber eyes of his, she poked her tongue out at him. Perhaps not too adult of her, but it conveyed what she was feeling at that moment.
“You really need to be spanked for not listening.”
“Try it and lose a hand.”
Merck chuckled. “Ah, I see that new backbone is working for you. Or is it a vicious pig that’s giving you courage?”
“Sparkle is not vicious, just discerning. She knows a pig-hater when she sees one.”
“I don’t hate pigs. I had pork chops last night.”
“That’s just sick. Sparkle is not for pork chops.”
“I bet we could get a couple of slices of bacon off her.”
Piper put the toe of her boot into his shin just as Jace and Colt came from around the house. “Do I have to put the two of you in a time out?” Jace asked with a chuckle.
She resisted the impulse to stick her tongue out at him. She was proud of herself, if frustrated. She looked away, pointedly ignoring him.
“You didn’t actually threaten to make bacon out of Sparkle, did you?” Colt looked like he wanted to laugh. Piper gave him her best threatening scowl. No one took her seriously. She was just too damned short. “That wasn’t very nice, Merck.”
Piper gave her friend what she hoped was a scathing look. “Oh, go ahead and laugh. You know you want to.”
Colt chuckled and shook his head. Moving close, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “It’s okay, darling. Come inside. We’ve checked the house. There’s no one in there. Grayson wants you to look around and tell us what’s different in there.”
As they walked toward the house Piper told them, “Well, there’s a bag of apples missing. It was on the counter. I wanted to wash them before I put them away. Some things had been moved. I don’t have OCD or anything, but I do know how I placed things.”
Grayson was standing in the foyer as they entered. Piper looked up and up. There were so many tall men in Silver that she suspected there was something in the water to make them that way. Handsome, too.
“How are you, Piper? Get a good scare, did you?” Grayson asked with concern.
“I don’t know if there’s anything good about a scare, but I survived it. Now, if there had been someone in here that would have been a different story.”
“Well, take your time and look around. Cherry will be here in a couple of minutes to take notes. Colt and I are going to discuss getting an alarm system hooked up. Then I’m going to talk to your neighbors.”
Great, that left Piper with two men she didn’t want to be left alone with. She was about to follow the men out to collect her pets when they suddenly came running into the house. Charm shot up the stairs and Mindy stood at her feet trembling.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go see what the creep did in here.”
Piper could feel Jace and Merck behind her. She tried to ignore them as she looked around each room. She didn’t touch anything. She would wait until deputy Cherry Preston arrived before she possibly compromised evidence. Though she didn’t open the cupboards she guessed that they had probably been searched by the intruder.
“Everything has been moved in here. The toaster, the canisters, and the mixer aren’t quite where I
had them.” She walked out into the hallway and to her bedroom. She shivered as she saw that the bedspread had been rumpled. “They were on my bed,” she said thinly, fear making her cold inside and out.
Ready to toss her cookies, Piper turned, wanting to leave the room, but found herself against a wall of men. Strong hands came up to comfort her and she let them. She was about to throw herself against them for comfort when a panicked voice came through the house. Mindy whimpered and she gave her up when Jace reached for the dog.
“Piper! Piper! Where are you?” There was loud thumping through the house, and then the soles of tennis shoes squealed on the hardwood floor as Mink slid to a stop in front of her bedroom door. Then he was running into the room, pushing between a startled Merck and Jace. Slender arms wrapped around her as her brother threw himself against her. “OMG, are you okay? Colt called me. Did you get hurt? Colt said you didn’t, but he might not have wanted to worry me.”
Hands began examining her from head to toe as Merck and Jace began growling.
“What the fuck are you touching her for?” Jace demanded in a rough voice.
“Mink, get your hands off her.”
When Merck grabbed him, Piper pushed at him. “Don’t you dare touch my brother!” She hugged Mink, kissing his cheek. “I’m okay. How did you get here?”
“I ran, of course.”
“Brother? Mink’s your brother?” Merck asked, obviously shocked. He was standing back now, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stared at them. “Yeah, I can see it. But I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“Neither did I until I moved here,” Piper told him absently. She was so overwhelmed by her brother’s very obvious concern that she was barely aware of the other men in the room. “Mink was a surprise and a bonus.” She smiled at him, hugging him close. “I’ve got a brother.”
Once his initial fear had been calmed, Mink was uncomfortable with the situation. He wriggled free and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor. “Well, I guess I’ll get going. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She glanced at the clock. “Are you going to the party tonight?” When he shook his head without speaking, she moved closer. “Please, Mink? It would mean a lot to me.”
There was a long, tense silence, when she was afraid he would just bolt. Then he was nodding and leaving the room without another word, all but running out. She almost felt guilty about bullying him into it. Almost. Mink needed to be more outgoing, instead of hiding away. She was discovering he was really quite wonderful.
After Cherry came into the room the men left. She and Cherry looked through drawers and the closet, to see if anything was missing. Piper shuddered with revulsion as she began listing everything that was missing, including several pairs of her new panties, as well as two bras, and a pair of pajamas. The dress she had planned to wear to the party that night was also missing. It wasn’t difficult to notice that since it was the only dress she had purchased since coming to Silver. A sigh escaped her. She had loved that dress, had looked forward to wearing it. It had been designed by the Kimura brothers and fit her as if it had been made just for her.
“Piper, could you please leave the room?” She started to turn from the closet to look in puzzlement at the other woman, when Cherry said sternly, “No, don’t turn around. I’ll be out in a moment.”
Curious, touched by new fear, Piper started walking toward the door. As she did so she glanced in the mirror then wished she hadn’t. Cherry had pulled back the bedspread and blankets to look beneath. Having an idea as to what the deputy was looking for caused a sob to be torn from her throat. Revulsion churned up inside her. Had someone actually done something so vile? Why would they do it?
Piper threw herself against the first man she encountered. It was Merck. His strong arms wrapped her close as she began crying uncontrollably against his wide chest. The man was big, solid, and seemed to absorb her pain. She clung to him, her fingers wrapping into his shirt, only vaguely aware of strong hands rubbing her back soothingly and soft words being whispered into her hair.
It took a few minutes but Piper finally pulled herself together. Sniffling, she took the handkerchief offered to her. She wiped at her eyes and nose then tucked the square of cotton into her pocket to wash later.
“Feel better now?” Merck asked gently. She nodded. “Aren’t you going to look at me?”
Piper shook her head. “I can’t. I’ve been such a bitch to you and you didn’t deserve it. Then you were nice to me just now.”
“I have been known to be nice once in a while.” He startled her by reaching down for her hand. Then he was leading her out of the house. “Come on. You’re not staying here. It’s not safe.”
Though she silently agreed, she wasn’t just going to be bossed around. Those days were over. She tried to put on the brakes by digging in her heels, but the man just towed her along like she was a feather on a string. But what did she expect? He worked with bulls for a living.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
Color rushed into her cheeks. Now hadn’t that sound mature?
“What I mean is,” Piper said as he looked back at her with a cocky little smile. “I know I can’t stay here tonight. I don’t even know if I’ll want to come back. I’ll get a room at the Silver Star Hotel. With the party being held there tonight, it’ll be convenient. Then tomorrow, if I’m not comfortable coming back here, I can look for another place to live.” She looked back at the beautiful little house. “It’s a shame that whoever it was who broke in had to ruin my staying here.”
They were out by Colt’s car now where her friend was talking with the tall sheriff and Jace. Her eyes roamed over him. He was one hellava hot hunk of masculinity, she thought, lowering her lashes quickly when he turned his head to watch her approach.
Both Jace and Merck claimed that she was theirs. That was a very interesting thought and she had thought a lot about it over the past few weeks. That was, when she wasn’t busting her butt to get her new businesses going or sleeping like the dead because she was exhausted. Yes, in between those times she thought about both men.
What would it be like to really be theirs? Piper was certain they were probably both good in bed. But did they require an experienced woman to make it really, really good? Or were they willing to let her do on-the-job training?
It was another thought which made Piper dizzy to think about. She really had no business thinking about Jake and Merck as if there was any real possibility that there could be anything between them. She needed to find a nice geeky guy and build a life for herself. After all, hot sex wasn’t everything. And hot things usually burned out, right? Then what would she have but two very large, bored men?
“Earth to Piper.”
Piper blinked as she realized Colt was talking to her. She looked up to see him smiling gently. “Do you have to do that?” She glanced at the other men as her cheeks heated up. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Not as embarrassing as having you stare at my zipper,” Jace told her with a chuckle. “I was afraid Merck had left a stain or something on my slacks.”
“Men are such pigs!”
That reminded Piper of her pets. She hurried away and looked in her SUV as all the men laughed at her. There were three very unhappy animals looking out the window at her and she guessed they needed to be walked. Going around she ignored the two-legged animals and picked up Sparkle and set her on the ground. Though Sparkle was more than happy to jump out, she really didn’t want to chance having a pig wearing a cast. She could only imagine how much ridicule she’d suffer for that. And she certainly didn’t want her beloved pet to be injured.
Piper had hoped while she was gone that some of the men would have disappeared. Instead there were several more. One was Tim Macon, the deputy. He smiled at her and she smiled back, which caused Jace and Merck to make growling noises. She gave them her best reproving frown. They really had to get a grip. Did they actually believe that she was theirs? Impossible. T
hey were barbarians.
What the heck could they want with her? Piper didn’t know anything about relationships. She was broken. What could she possibly offer them? Besides, they looked very happy together. She liked the way they would reach out to one another without even being aware of it, as if they needed that tiny bit of reassurance that the other was close.
The only married people she had been around were her parents. And, yeah, weren’t they just the epitome of marital bliss? They didn’t even share the same bedroom. Though she didn’t want to think about it, Piper wondered if they still had sex. She couldn’t ever remember seeing any warmth between them. There would be a peck on the cheek if her mother went to bed early. They never held hands. They never sat on the sofa together. They never did anything she would associate with a happily married couple.
It was so sad.
Which brought Piper right back to where she had started this line of thought. What could she offer these two men? They already had everything they needed to be happy.
This was another thoroughly depressing thought to drag her down. Piper scooped her pets up and put them in their car seats. Then she walked around to the other side of the SUV. All the men moved toward her as if they were glued together.
Piper wouldn’t let them intimidate her. She just wouldn’t. She could see they wanted to take control, take over, and see to her needs. But she knew she had to take care of herself. “I’m going to the hotel. Supper’s at seven, right?”
Colt nodded. His eyes, as always when he dealt with her, were gentle and understanding. “Seven. Unless you would rather we postpone it for a few days.”
Piper forced a smile to her lips. She wasn’t feeling like celebrating. Actually, all she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower with a lot of soap.
“No, I’m okay. I have to eat sometime.” Her gaze went over the two men claiming to be hers. If only. “Besides, it looks like everybody is all dressed up. I’m not going to let the creep take over my life. It’s bad enough I’ve lost a house and a wardrobe.”