Awakening Veronica [Divine Creek Ranch 17] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  “Rethinking ending the evening, but I am feeling bad about both. I made you leave the post-reception party when all your friends were there.”

  Hank’s masculine scent, combined with Travis’s warmth at her side in the close confines of the truck, was weaving a spell of seduction over her. Normally, she’d have begun to feel claustrophobic by this point, closed in on both sides by them in the darkness. Just thinking about it should’ve been enough to bring on the cold chills of panic but their presence seemed to provide a buffer for those feelings.

  “Would you like to come in for a bit? I can make coffee.”

  Hank said, “We’d like that.”

  Travis stroked her upper arms, inspiring gooseflesh and tightening nipples. “As long as it doesn’t keep you from your work, we’d love to.”

  “It’s quiet in the house. The nightclub is nice but the loud music and press of people was becoming overwhelming. I’d love to talk some more with both of you. I’ll be writing later tonight.”

  Hank nodded, looking like he had an opinion about that, but didn’t say anything else. They opened their doors and Travis held out his hand to help her down. She scooted over and the upholstery on the bench seat made her dress slide up a bit, revealing more leg than she intended. The smile on his face sent the butterflies fluttering in her stomach again but he made no remark as he helped her down.

  She looked up into his eyes and the sound of her heartbeat filled her ears as he gently stroked her cheek. His lips fascinated her as they bowed into another smile. She wanted to touch them and feel their supple warmth.

  Hank waited on the first porch step, his cowboy hat shading his eyes from the porch light as he watched them. His smile matched Travis’s, making her feel as though she was in an alternate reality.

  Travis gestured for her to lead the way and she could sense his body heat as she passed him. She gladly took Hank’s hand as she negotiated the steps. She didn’t wear high heels often enough to feel confident walking in them, but loved the way they made her feel. Sexy. It was an altogether foreign sensation. Maybe Grace’s womanly sexiness was rubbing off on her. The thought made her smile. She’d love to have more in common with Grace than just a dress and shoe size.

  A cool wind blew across the porch, carrying the scent of fall rain and a tinge of wood smoke with it. Back home it was already snowing. She refused to imagine what Billings, Montana, must be like right now. Grace had extended the invitation to stay in Divine through Christmas and she smiled as she imagined this charming little house with a Christmas tree decorated and standing in the corner.

  She turned on lamps in the living room and the men followed her into the kitchen area.

  After laying his cowboy hat aside on the bar, Hank stayed her hands as she reached in the cupboard and said, “I like the smile on your face. What are you thinking of right now?”

  Biting her lip, Veronica chuckled and said, “Christmas. And wondering what it’s like here in Divine.”

  Hank grinned. “It’s nice. We have a big Christmas tree lighting downtown, and they decorate all the old oak trees in Central Park with white lights. There’s a charity event early in December in Central Park that’s new this year. To draw a large crowd for it, I’ve heard that the businesses downtown are all inviting the public to go door to door for a wassail fest. Ben and Ethan are throwing a big Christmas party at the Dancing Pony this year, too. Of course, that’s a pretty busy time for my department.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Travis seemed a little pensive as he listened to them talk, and he finally said, “Veronica, think you might be interested in staying long enough to experience any of that?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. I guess it depends on how much work I can get done. This trip has already been so valuable to me.”

  Hank said, “And from a relaxation standpoint, Nika?”

  With a chuckle, Veronica said, “Well, I haven’t done as much sleeping as you might hope for, Hank, but I’ve gotten more than I normally do, and the sleep I do get is great. The ranch is so quiet, and what noise I hear is nice, ranch-life sorts of noises.”

  “Is it noisy where you live?”

  “I live in an urban area, so yeah. Lots of traffic noise, horns, sirens, and my neighbors above me and beside me. The first night or two here I couldn’t sleep because of the lack of noise.”

  Hank nodded as she put a pot of coffee on to brew. She slipped her phone from her clutch and powered it off. He took her hand as the coffee machine started gurgling and led her into the living room.

  “Why are you smiling?” she asked as Hank directed her to sit on the leather couch in front of the fireplace, which Travis had lit.

  He toyed with his lower lip for a second and then said, “I think it’s great that you’re staying here, in this house, since you’re a romance author.”

  “Because?”

  Hank sat down beside her, not crowding her, but close enough she could feel his warmth as Travis sat down on her other side.

  “Because at least two ménage happily-ever-afters that I know of started in this house.”

  That drew a happy gasp from her. “Really?” She knew several people had lived in the house recently but hadn’t talked much with Grace yet. Her days on the ranch had been consumed with writing…and she’d been reluctant to bother Grace because she had deadlines, too.

  “Yes. Have you met Angel and Joaquin?”

  “Briefly. They came by one day and offered to take me riding if I wanted. I haven’t had a chance to take them up on it yet. Michael was with them. He’s a cutie-pie.”

  “Their relationship with Teresa started right here,” Hank said, gesturing around the room. “And Maya, Kendall, Boone, and Richard Warner had their start here, too. You asked about them at the reception, remember?”

  “Oh, okay! I haven’t met Teresa yet. I didn’t realize they were in a ménage.”

  Hank’s eyebrows rose minutely. “You didn’t? Haven’t you wandered around the ranch yet?”

  She shook her head. “No. I have a deadline to see to first. Once I meet it, my plan was to take some time and get to know everyone.” A sense of guilt surfaced and she bit her lip.

  Hank tilted his head. “And?”

  Shoot. Is he a mind reader?

  “And…I don’t want to distract anyone from their work. They always seem so busy around this ranch, with so many people coming and going.”

  Travis lifted one of her hands, detangling it from the other one. She hadn’t realized she’d been clenching them together. Travis said, “You don’t want to get in the way?”

  “No.”

  Hank took the other hand and stroked her palm. “Are you worried they’ll ask questions about what you’re writing?”

  “Maybe. It’s one thing to meet avid readers online who love romance novels and like talking about them. But out in the world, I’m more likely to be treated condescendingly and I don’t want to spoil my stay. I figured I would get to know them eventually, after I’m done with this deadline.”

  “Is it that pressing?”

  “Yes. I have to fulfill it in order to meet my goals for the year. It’s important to me. It’s why I’m up writing at night a lot.”

  “Does Grace know that?”

  “She asked if she could give me a tour but I explained and asked if we could wait. She understood.”

  Hank seemed to see everything about her, the way she twitched at the questions, the way her hands grew clammy, even the way she bit her lip nervously. He turned her hand over and stroked her damp palm, sending a hot sensation up her forearm. “Are you worried about them noticing you?”

  He is a mind reader! “Why would you say that?”

  “Simply an observation, Nika. You’re a little shy, you don’t enjoy the spotlight and you seem to prefer the role of spectator.”

  “Well, I…” She sighed. “That’s just…You’re right. I don’t like it when people stare at me.”

  Travis chuckled. “It’s kind of hard
not to stare at you, Veronica. You’re beautiful.”

  She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “It’s these clothes. Grace has great taste—”

  Travis nodded. “That she does, Nika, but I’m not talking about the dress or the shoes. I’m talking about your beautiful face, and the way you walk, and your hair, and the way your eyes twinkle when you laugh.”

  She could hear his words but some part of her disconnected from what he was saying, the part that didn’t believe him.

  “Stop shaking your head at us, Nika,” Hank suddenly stated. “Listen to him. Tell her, Travis, because she obviously doesn’t believe it.”

  A cold, panicky chill swept through her but she focused on Travis, secretly wanting to run from the room and slam the door.

  “I’ve thought a lot about you over the years, Veronica.”

  “You have?”

  “I wanted to ask you out. Spend more time with you. I felt bad about being so attracted to you.”

  “You were?” You weren’t, you’re just being nice. I remember myself when I was eighteen. Not pretty.

  “Yes, and I’m more attracted to you now. You’re a beautiful woman. All grown up and I don’t want to miss the chance to spend time with you. Why are you shaking your head again?”

  “She doesn’t believe you. Do you, Nika?”

  She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and shook her head negatively. “I remember what I was like back then, guys. Drama queen. Clumsy. Geek. And overweight.”

  Travis’s reddish-brown brows bunched together as he frowned. “What the hell?”

  “It’s true. It’s still true.”

  Travis looked past her to Hank, and stroked her slumped back as he spoke to his friend. “I’ll bet I know where that mistaken belief came from. Her family.”

  She reeled as she was transported back to when they’d met. Her mother had spoken in a superior tone before Travis had shown up the day she led him to the illegal trap she’d found. “For heaven’s sake, Pudge, it’s an animal. Quit being such a drama queen. Why can’t you be more like your sister, Addison? You don’t see her making such a spectacle of herself. This is because you spend so much time in books. You should engage with the real world more often.”

  Travis had been so sweet to her. He hadn’t made her feel like an idiot for caring about the eagle. He’d cared, too, as he’d carefully extracted it from the trap, promising to do what he could for it. She’d been petrified with anxiety when he’d come by the house a few days later after she’d called to follow up about the eagle. Nobody could understand the supreme guts it had taken to make that call. No one knew how her fingers had shaken as she’d dialed his number. Nobody knew the way she’d prayed simultaneously that he wouldn’t answer but also that he would. They couldn’t because then it would be one more thing they could tease her about.

  She cringed at the memory. Jesse and Barry’s buddies, Gordon and Phil, had been over that day and they were waiting in the living room, having watched her like a hawk the entire time she stood outside with Travis near his truck. She’d known those two assholes were watching like a couple of buzzards waiting to pounce on her the moment she walked back inside. They hadn’t let her down. Gordon had started in first. “Round Ronnie has a boyfriend. Isn’t that sweet?”

  “Too bad he’s old enough to be her daddy,” Phil had said with an evil gleam in his eyes as he’d chuckled. Jesse and Barry had been out in the garage working on their dad’s truck so they hadn’t heard a word of what those two assholes had said. Not that they would’ve taken up for her anyway. Most days they were every bit as bad.

  “He’s not my boyfriend, you jerk. He’s a game warden.” But man, the crush she’d had on Travis back then…If either of these two had known that…The thought had terrified her.

  “And a pedophile, too,” Phil had said, jeering as she’d blushed profusely. “Did you see the way he was lookin’ at her? Like he wanted to eat her up. Maybe he’s a chubby-chaser and a pedophile.” They’d maneuvered her into a corner as they kept at her.

  As Travis had made his way down the street in his truck and out of her life, she’d turned on both Gordon and Phil and totally lost it, hitting them, crying and screaming until Jesse and Barry had come running, demanding to know what was wrong. In the end, she’d looked exactly like what they’d accused her of being…a drama queen. To this day, she still hated those two sons of bitches, who’d turned out to be friends with Brent as well. No surprise it’d been their apartment where she’d caught Brent cheating. No doubt the two had known about it and encouraged it just to hurt her.

  The memories only increased the turmoil inside her and she released a shaky sigh that sounded like she’d been crying for hours.

  Both of her hands wrapped in warmth drew her back to the present and she stared into one pair of gray eyes and then into a pair of brown eyes, both filled with concern.

  Embarrassment filled her when the tears on her cheeks began to cool and she tried unsuccessfully to jump up from the couch. “I must look a mess.”

  Hank took a white, neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “It’s clean.”

  She used it to dab the smeared mascara and eyeliner, feeling even more embarrassed. Lord, the sight I must make, blubbering like an idiot.

  Hank ran his hand down her back, dragging his fingers through the strands of her hair, and the effect was immediately calming. “Nika, I don’t know what memory Travis dredged up to make you feel this way but it wasn’t anything he did or said, was it?”

  She shook her head. “No. Oh my God, no. It was the aftermath of his visit to the house, back when I was a teenager.”

  Travis growled softly. “She’s talking about those two putzes who were in her house the second time I came over. Friends of your brothers?”

  “Yes. And Brent’s as well.”

  The muscles in Travis’s jaw bunched. “I had a feeling about them. I didn’t mean to dredge up painful memories, Nika. I brought that day up because I wanted you to know how I viewed you back then.”

  “How did you see me?” It couldn’t possibly be worse than how she’d viewed herself and what had happened to her when she’d gone in the house, and she couldn’t make herself feel any worse than she already did.

  “I noticed the way your hair sparkled in the sunlight. That was how I knew for sure it was you when I saw you earlier at the wedding. When I met you the first time, you slipped off your glove and shook my hand. Your hand in mine felt fragile but strong. I thought you had elegant hands and I was glad you wore gloves to protect them from the cold.”

  “They ache if they get too cold. I wear gloves all the time in Montana.”

  Hank lifted her hand and stroked his fingertips over her knuckles and the tendons on the top. He smiled and said, “Pretty. Delicate.” She couldn’t meet his gaze for very long when he looked into her eyes.

  Travis said, “I thought your eyes were the color of cinnamon, Nika. And I don’t know where you got the idea that you were fat, unless it was from your snotty stick-thin sister and your thin-as-a-rail mom, but I damn sure did like the way you filled out that green sweater and those Wranglers. Let me guess, you’re the only one in your family with curves and they treated you like you were a glutton, never factoring in genetics.”

  She nodded and then looked up into his eyes. “You remembered what color sweater I was wearing?”

  Travis licked his lower lip and smiled. “Yeah, I did. It was a nice color on you and like I said, I liked the way you filled it out. But…I was thirty and you were off-limits.”

  “I guess so. I…I really liked you. You listened to me and you cared when I told you about the eagle. And you didn’t get defensive when I was mad about having to wait until the next day. You were patient with me.”

  She sat up and relaxed against the couch, not realizing how she’d curled herself up into a defensive posture as those ugly memories had flooded through her earlier.

  Moved to make some kind of offe
ring to him, to thank him for understanding, she said, “You wouldn’t believe how shaky I was when I got up the guts to call you that day. Sometimes those ugly memories steal the years and overshadow everything else that was good that day, you know? I feel like I’m right back where I was.”

  Hank said, “You were teased a lot by your family members?”

  Veronica cleared her throat and chose her words carefully. “I think they might not view it that way. I’m pretty sure my mom saw it as some sort of behavior modification for overweight introverts. Since my sister, Addison, took after my mom physically, she jumped on the bandwagon with her.”

  “What about your brothers and your dad?”

  “Dad wanted peace and to not be handed any problems to deal with. Jesse and Barry are a couple of years older than me, and I think they just wished I was an extrovert like them and the others. They once told me that the teasing would toughen me up, so they’d echo whatever mom said. I learned after a while that I’d never make any of them happy with me. They’d never accept me. Well…except for Cord and Jackson.”

  “Your other brothers?”

  “Yeah. Cord and Jackson are twins, fraternal, like Jesse and Barry. They’re four years older than me. They teased some, too, when they were young, but they didn’t do it anymore after they became teenagers, which was good. I don’t think I could’ve taken it if they’d joined in with the others.”

  “You’re closer to them than the others? At least it sounded like it when you mentioned them earlier.”

  “Yes, although I don’t get to see them very much. We don’t talk as often as we probably should.”

  “You go home much?”

  She shook her head. “Once I was on my own, I decided not to. I’ve kept up with them through the occasional e-mail, but I don’t feel close to any of them, except Cord and Jackson. Old habits die hard and I don’t enjoy holidays or other family get-togethers with them so I simply avoid them.”

  “What do you do for the holiday season?”

  She shrugged. “Work. I spend that time gearing up for the new year, planning projects, and doing some creative writing. I also take long drives if the weather permits.”