by Lana Dare
Desire, Oklahoma – The Founding Fathers 2
Scandalous Desire
Left with her uncle by her mother, Savannah Perry didn't have an easy life. Overworked and emotionally scarred, she dreams of escape.
Meeting Wyatt Matlock and Hayes Hawkins, she falls under their spell, and in a night of passion, gives herself to them, never realizing that she'd been starving for love.
Ashamed and desperate for a new life, Savannah slips away from town and heads toward freedom. Before she can start a life somewhere else, though, she needs to make sure her friend is all right.
She heads to Desire, Oklahoma, a town her friend's husbands have built, a town where people can live as they choose.
Wyatt and Hayes, though, aren't about to let her get away. They follow her, protecting her, knowing they have to do whatever they can in order to keep her here with them forever.
Genre: Historical, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 77,334 words
SCANDALOUS DESIRE
Desire, Oklahoma – The Founding Fathers 2
Lana Dare
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SCANDALOUS DESIRE
Copyright © 2012 by Lana Dare
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-779-9
First E-book Publication: April 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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SCANDALOUS DESIRE
Desire, Oklahoma – The Founding Fathers 2
LANA DARE
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Ignoring several curious stares, Savannah Perry strolled toward the general store, relieved that after weeks of waiting, she’d finally found her friend.
Maggie had gone inside just minutes ago, and she knew her best friend well enough to know that she would be in there for some time.
She smiled to herself, remembering all the times Maggie had insisted she come to the store with her when they were children.
It seemed like a lifetime ago.
She’d been a different person then, one who’d reached out to two men for comfort and had been swept away by a tenderness she’d never imagined.
On a cold, rainy night in Kansas City, Wyatt Matlock and Hayes Hawkins had made her a woman, and she’d never been the same since.
She doubted she ever would be.
Inwardly cursing that she’d allowed them to creep into her thoughts again, Savannah kept her gaze moving, her awareness of her surroundings having grown quite a bit in the last several months. A woman on her own had to be careful, but she’d already had an advantage. She’d learned how to watch her back from an early age.
She’d also learned that very few people could be trusted.
She’d trusted Wyatt and Hayes with her body—and her heart.
Thankful that her low-brimmed hat kept her red face shaded, she allowed a small smile. One of the few people in the world she trusted, Ebenezer Tyler, had just entered the store behind her best friend, who also happened to be his wife.
And his brother’s wife.
The knowledge that Eb was near made Savannah feel safer than she had in months.
She hadn’t felt this safe since the night she’d been in Wyatt and Hayes’s arms.
Hellfire!
Folding her arms across her chest, she fought back memories of that night—the most magical night of her life. She’d never had such an amazing experience, but it was one she couldn’t allow to be repeated. In order to get on with the life she’d chosen for herself, she’d had to leave and avoid both men at all costs.
They were a weakness she just couldn’t afford.
Pushing thoughts of them out of her mind, she lifted her head and allowed herself to enjoy the scenery. It felt good to let her guard down, if only a little.
Rubbing at the back of her neck where the reoccurring tingling started again, she walked on.
She hadn’t realized how much tension she’d been carrying until just now, when it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Maggie was safe.
Reminding herself that she’d given up her own safety for independence, she went into the general store, a lump forming in her throat when she heard Maggie’s voice coming from the rear of the store. Hearing the frustration in her friend’s voice, Savannah smiled.
Some things never change.
“Eb, I swear, I’m gonna smack you if you and Jeremiah don’t stop hovering over me. I’m not sick. I’m just fat.”
Savannah paused behind one of the display shelves, taking advantage of the fact that neither one of them had spotted her yet. Listening to the tenderness in Eb’s tone, a tone he’d only ever used with Maggie, Savannah closed her eyes, shivering in remembered delight as the memories of Wyatt and Hayes’s soft words came back to her.
“You’re not fat, honey. You’r
e more beautiful than ever. You’re also a little grouchy today, aren’t you? I knew this trip would be too much for you. I should have made you stay at the ranch. Here, let me carry that.”
Snapping her eyes open, Savannah came back to the present and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
She’d known Eb and Jeremiah would take good care of her friend, but also knew that Maggie had reservations about going away with them. The love and worry she heard in Eb’s tone convinced her that Maggie was not only cared for, but well loved.
Savannah sighed, blinking back tears. After enduring years of loneliness, her friend deserved to be happy.
Enjoying their banter, she continued to eavesdrop, ignoring the dirty look the storekeeper sent her way.
“Eb, it’s only a basket. I can carry it. And if you left me at the ranch, I’d never speak to you again. I wanted to come to town. I still need some things before the baby comes.”
“I told you that I could get whatever you need. I should never have let you talk me into bringing you. As soon as we finish here, we’re going to get something to eat, and then you’re going to go up to the room and lie down.”
“No. I’m. Not.”
Savannah smothered a laugh at Maggie’s belligerent tone and moved closer in time to hear Eb’s reply.
“Yes, Margaret Tyler. You are.”
Recognizing the tone that made grown men shake in their boots, Savannah started forward. Before her friend could get worked up, something she didn’t think would be good for a woman in Maggie’s condition, Savannah stepped into their line of vision.
“I see you’re still giving Eb a hard time.”
With a cry, Maggie spun in her direction, and with a low curse, Eb caught her in his arms to steady her. As recognition came into her eyes, her face lit up.
“Savannah!”
Fighting her way out of Eb’s hold, Maggie launched herself at Savannah, earning another curse from her husband as he gripped her shoulders to support her.
With a laugh, Savannah caught Maggie. Although she stood several inches taller, she had to brace herself against her friend’s weight and momentum.
“Easy, Maggie. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Maggie laughed and cried simultaneously.
“Savannah! I can’t believe it. What are you doing here? Are you here with your uncle? When did you get here? How long are you staying? Are you staying at the hotel? You have to come to the ranch. Eb, make her come to the ranch.”
Eb’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, she’s coming to the ranch all right.”
Ignoring that, Savannah laughed and hugged her friend, getting as close as Maggie’s swollen belly allowed.
“Look at you! You look wonderful, Maggie.” She meant it. Her friend glowed with happiness and good health.
Releasing her hold on her friend, Savannah braced herself and smiled at Eb.
“Hello, Eb. It’s great to see you again.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he smiled faintly, but Savannah didn’t miss the hard glint of anger in his eyes.
“Well, if it isn’t Savannah Perry. Don’t you know that a woman travelling alone is just asking for trouble?”
Maggie gasped. “Eb, don’t you dare talk to Savannah that way. Savannah, where have you been? Did you really leave Kansas City alone?”
Not wanting to get her friend riled, especially in her condition, Savannah laid a hand on Maggie’s shoulder.
“Now don’t you go getting yourself all worked up. You know I’m more than able to take care of myself. I’m older than you, but you always want to take care of me. I’m a big girl, Maggie.”
She hid a smile at the displeasure on Eb’s face when he took in the men’s clothing she wore. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud when he eyed her holster and raised a brow, his lips thinning.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against a wooden post.
“Eb knows I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, too. Don’t you, Eb?”
He shot a quick glance at Maggie before turning back to her, his eyes glittering dangerously.
“You’re a woman, and this isn’t Kansas City. You’re too vulnerable to be on your own. Leaving alone was dangerous—and stupid.”
Savannah saw it in his eyes—the memory of a night long ago—a night when she’d been little more than a child.
A night he’d almost killed her uncle.
She turned away, a cold chill creeping up her spine.
Glancing pointedly at Maggie, she forced a smile, hoping that Eb hadn’t told her friend about that night.
“I’m a lot stronger than I used to be.”
When Maggie turned to her, frowning in confusion, Eb shook his head, wordlessly telling Savannah that he’d kept her secret.
Relieved, she smiled in gratitude, her smile falling when Eb’s eyes hardened.
“You’re still a woman and need the protection of a man. Or men. You shouldn’t be alone.”
Her face burned at the memory of her hurried escape from Kansas City.
Eb seemed pleased by that and smiled coldly.
“You should be ashamed of yourself. What do you think Wyatt and Hayes are going to say when they see you?”
Not wanting to disrespect a man who’d always been such a friend to her and who loved her best friend, she forced herself to answer calmly.
“I don’t plan to see either one of them, so that won’t be an issue.”
Maggie gripped her arm.
“Savannah, did you leave without telling Wyatt and Hayes? Did you finally leave your uncle? Does he even know where you are? What’s going on?”
Ignoring Eb’s glower, Savannah patted her friend’s arm.
“Yes, I left my uncle’s house and, no, Wyatt and Hayes have no idea where I am. I left without saying anything to anyone, except my uncle.” Her face burned even hotter at the shame of sneaking away into the night without even telling Wyatt or Hayes about her plans.
Clenching her jaw, she met Eb’s glare.
“I want to be left alone.”
Ignoring Eb’s raised brow, she looked away, fingering one of the fabrics Maggie had been looking at.
“I told my uncle, the darling reverend, that I was leaving and what I would do if he tried to stop me.”
Maggie hugged her, surrounding Savannah with the scent of freshly baked bread and wildflowers.
“Oh, Savannah! I can’t believe you’re actually here. I’m so glad to see you. It’s all men at the ranch. It’ll be wonderful to have you close by again.”
Eb’s face hardened even more, something Savannah hadn’t thought possible, but the hand he ran down Maggie’s back moved with slow gentleness.
“I want the two of you to stay here until I get back.”
“But Eb, where are you—”
He dropped a hard kiss on Maggie’s lips, effectively cutting off her question.
“I just have an errand to run. I’ll be right back. I’ll send one of the men to watch over you until I get back. He’ll be right outside. Don’t leave the store—either of you. Maggie, if I find out you lifted anything heavier than that basket before I get back, we’re gonna have a nice discussion about it later on.”
The emphasis on discussion wasn’t lost on Savannah.
Stiffening, she glanced at Maggie, who didn’t appear at all concerned and merely poked Eb in his flat stomach.
Maggie’s eyes filled with love as they followed Eb to the door, a look more intense than Savannah remembered.
Her best friend had loved Eb and Jeremiah Tyler for as long as Savannah could remember, but it had been nothing compared to what she saw in Maggie’s eyes now.
She remembered how heartbroken Maggie had been when they’d left one day with no warning, and how nervous she’d been when they reappeared after her father’s death. Their decision to marry her and bring her to the land they’d won playing poker, and to adapt to a new way of life, had scared the hell out of Maggie.
They’d built a place where they could live with Maggie—a way that wouldn’t be accepted in Kansas City.
Savannah had been in the church while her uncle, the reverend, looked down his nose as Eb and Jeremiah had both married Maggie. Smiling at the memory of her uncle’s disapproval and his fear of defying Eb and Jeremiah, Savannah touched Maggie’s shoulder.
“You look happy, Maggie. I’m so glad.”
Maggie watched her husband walk away, not turning back until he’d disappeared through the door. She smiled and turned back, her face flushed a becoming pink.
“I am, Savannah. I’m happier than I ever thought I could be.”
Wiping away a tear, she put her arm through Savannah’s.
“Don’t pay any attention to me. The baby makes weepy. Just don’t tell Eb or Jeremiah that you saw me cry. They worry, and there’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes, I cry for no reason at all.”
Maggie sniffed and glanced toward the door.
“They worry because they love me. They always have. Can you believe that?”
Patting Savannah’s arm, she beamed up at her.
“Those two act like I’m the first woman in the world to have a baby.” Sobering, she shrugged. “I have to admit I’m scared. I wish Esmeralda was here.”
Savannah nodded, forcing a smile, saddened that she would probably never see the sweet older woman again.
Esmeralda had always been more than just the housekeeper on the Tyler ranch where Maggie had grown up. She’d been a mother to Maggie, whose own had died in childbirth, and had tried to mother Savannah every time she got the chance.
Happy, but worried for her only friend, Savannah wandered with her around the store. Keeping Maggie’s arm in hers, she surreptitiously shot a warning look at the shopkeeper, who eyed her as though she might steal something.