by Lynn Stark
They had discussed adopting or fostering children. A ménage relationship brought new complications. While it was perfectly normal and accepted in and around Silver, not all outsiders approved. A lot of people believed it was perverted and completely sexual. What those familiar with ménage relationships knew was that it was about the ability to love more than one person.
Returning to the manor, Ellen played catch-up on her work. She was lucky to have an excellent staff. They didn’t need a babysitter, doing their work without supervision. She stayed after everyone had left, to go over the inventory and to order supplies.
As she did so, Ellen’s thoughts continued to return to two boys betrayed by their father and wondering if there was anything she could do to lessen their pain and help them heal.
The sensation of Derek’s thin arms hugging her tightly never left Ellen.
She had to accept that she had lost her heart.
Chapter Ten
Chance stood on the corner, waiting for Chase to meet him. They had split up a half hour earlier to get things done. Grocery shopping was the last thing on the list. They would do that together before going home. Chance had come up with the wild idea of dragging the smoker out to cook ribs, promising he would be the one to watch over it. Chase had laughed and agreed, teasing his lover that he would freeze his balls off.
Chase wasn’t to be deterred by a little cold weather. It mid-February now and was actually a fairly nice day. Sure, Chance thought, it was about fifteen degrees, but the sun was shining brightly in a clear sky and there was little wind.
As he waited, Chance wondered what Ellen was doing. Of course, he knew she was at work at the manor. Was she thinking about nothing but what she had to be done during the day, or was she caught off guard by thoughts of her lovers?
The thought made him grin. Chase, Kane, and he tried to make an impression on Ellen every time they were together. They hadn’t seen her in a couple of days, although they had spoken on the phone. Chance felt like it was getting harder to spend time apart from the woman he knew he loved. Chase and Kane felt the same.
Chance believed the time was nearing when his lovers and he would make a decision as to whether they should ask Ellen to marry them. They were fairly confident in what her answer would be. There had been nothing on her part to indicate that she wasn’t interested in marrying them. Hell, they had talked about marriage on several occasions. The question had simply not been asked yet.
Would Ellen marry them if they asked?
Chance hoped so. He didn’t know why they were waiting. Ellen was perfect for them and she seemed to be more than a little fond of them. If it was up to him, they would ask her the next time they saw her. Why risk losing a woman who wasn’t annoyed by Chase’s and his occasional goofiness? Yeah, as far as he was concerned, Ellen was the perfect woman for them.
He grinned when he saw Ellen come out of the bakery with two boys. So, she wasn’t at work. The three were carrying pink-and-white striped bags he knew would be filled with treats. Chance’s stomach grumbled. He and Chase had vowed they would lay off the baked goods, only visiting the bakery once a month as a reward. Although they worked out daily to keep in condition, they weren’t nearly as active as they had been when they worked on ranches and competed in rodeos.
Ellen smiled when she saw Chance. She hurried toward him. Chance met her halfway. He didn’t fail to notice the eager expressions on Dirk’s and Derek’s faces. He, Chase, and Kane had met the boys a few times as they came into town with their foster parents, and they were left to visit Ellen. She had even brought them out to the house twice. During one of those visits they had gone over to where their horses were boarded. Derek and Dirk had begged to learn to ride. It had turned out to be a fun day. Chance had enjoyed hanging out with the boys, teaching them to ride and watching as they chased Henry around the large indoor arena or tossing the ball to the energetic dog. They hadn’t had a dog since their mother died. It seemed their father had hooked up with a woman soon after his wife’s death. At the girlfriend’s insistence, the dog had been taken to the pound.
Chance thought theirs was a sad situation all around. It had been three weeks since their father had abandoned them. That didn’t mean that there hadn’t been news about the man and his girlfriend. It seemed they had gone on a robbery spree. Three gas stations and four convenience stores had been robbed in less than two days. That had been during the first week. There hadn’t been any sighting of them since. It was a waiting game. Fortunately, no one had been injured during the robberies.
What Chance wouldn’t give to be alone with the bastard who thought so little of his children. Chance’s own parents had provided a lot of love and a good life for him as he grew up. When he had come out, they had been a bit confused about him being bisexual, but they had not gone into meltdown and made every effort to reassure him that they loved him. That had been a huge relief for Chance. He had been terrified that his parents would turn into people he didn’t know and would hate him. He should have had more confidence in them, something his father had gently chided him about during a conversation about his fears, but Chance had heard so many stories about other young people’s experiences that he couldn’t help it.
“Hi, guys,” Chance said, greeting Derek and Dirk. “What are you up to today? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
Both of the boys made faces. “We had to go to the dentist.”
Chance’s gaze dropped to the bags in their hands. “I doubt he recommended visiting the bakery afterward.”
Derek, the younger of the two, leaned anxiously toward Chance. His blue eyes were huge in his face. “You’re not going to tell, are you?”
“Oh, heck no! There’s nothing wrong with a treat now and then. Just be sure to brush and floss afterward.”
Dirk laughed. “Now you sound like Ellen. The dentist gave us each one of those sonic toothbrushes.”
“They tickle,” Derek said with a laugh. “Would you like a doughnut?” He lifted a bag and opened it. The most heavenly scent rose to torment Chance. His stomach rumbled, causing the boy to laugh. “Come on. Just one. It won’t hurt you.”
Derek shook the bag in a tempting manner. Chance glanced at Ellen and saw the amusement in her warm brown eyes. There was something else, too. It was love. Chance reached blindly into the bag, completely captivated by the woman standing less than three feet away from him. When everyone began laughing, he looked down to see that he had speared a jelly doughnut with his finger. Grinning, he pulled it off his finger and stuck the jelly-covered digit into his mouth, sucking it clean.
“Raspberry. My favorite.”
Derek nodded. “Mine, too.”
Ellen handed Chance a napkin she pulled from another bag. Chase chose that moment to join them. “It’s about time you got here. I thought you got lost.”
“There was a line. Now, I thought we weren’t going to have doughnuts yet this month.”
“Derek made me do it.”
The boy nodded. “I did. You need to have one, too. You look like a chocolate cream stick kind of guy.”
Chase laughed and reached for the bag Dirk was now holding open. “I am. You’re good at reading people. I love chocolate.”
“So does Dirk. Can we ride your horses again?”
“Yeah, can we?” Dirk asked, coming out of his shell to show his enthusiasm for the activity.
How could he resist? Both were good kids. Chance believed that their mother’s influence had remained strong within them. Their irresponsible father hadn’t been able to trash all the good she had done.
Chance, however, knew he couldn’t just grant their every wish. As much as he wanted to do so, others had more say in what Dirk and Derek could and couldn’t do. Ellen had told them Emily and James Ross were wonderful people. That was good, because it was exactly what the brothers needed right now.
“We’ll have to talk to your foster parents to see if something can be arranged,” he told them. “Have them call Ellen. She can call us.
Our schedules are pretty flexible.”
“I can do that,” Ellen confirmed. “Now, we’d better get you home before Emily and James worry.”
Without warning, Derek threw himself against Chance, hugging him around the waist. The spontaneous show of affection caused a lump to form in Chance’s throat. He rubbed the boy’s shoulder before Derek pulled away. Chase was hugged, too. A glance at his partner told Chance that Chase was feeling the same as he was.
“See you guys around,” Chase said as Ellen and the brothers hurried down the sidewalk. “I think Ellen is attached to them. I hope she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Me, too,” Chance agreed. “There’s no telling what the court will do with them. If they have to go live with some relative, I’m afraid it will break Ellen’s heart.”
* * * *
That evening the four of them were at Ellen’s house after going out to supper and to a movie. Although tired from yet another business trip, Kane had made a point of joining Chase and Chance in town. Ellen and Kane had spoken on the phone several times while he was away, but seeing her in person had been important to him.
Ellen sat down beside him on the sofa and cuddled into his side. Kane smiled as he put an arm around her. “I hear you had a busy day,” he said casually, not knowing how else to bring up the subject of the two boys Ellen was giving so much of her time and attention to. On one hand, it was none of their business. On the other, the situation could very well affect their future in more ways than one.
“I did,” Ellen said, smiling. It was such a beautiful thing. “I spent a couple of hours with Dirk and Derek. They had dentist appointments today.”
“Which was followed up by a trip to the bakery,” Chance teased from where he sat in a loveseat with Chase across from them.
“It was. But I will have you know that was a sanctioned visit. Emily wanted doughnuts for everyone’s breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“You have been spending a lot of time with them, with doctor and dentist visits, and clothes shopping.”
“They’re very nice boys. I feel like I need to help make up for some of the crap they have gone through.” There was a slightly defensive note in Ellen’s voice.
Kane also noticed her body was a little stiffer against his side. He had been afraid of this and debated on whether or not he should back off. “What happens if their aunt is located and she is willing to take them? Won’t that be painful for you?”
Ellen nodded. “Yes, very. I understand what you’re trying to find out. To answer the question you haven’t asked yet, yes, I believe I already love Derek and Dirk and have done so since the moment I met them.” Sighing, she relaxed against Kane. “I keep telling myself to keep my distance, but then one of them will call, wanting to know if we can do something together, and I give in. It seems I have no willpower where they are concerned.” She paused, and then suggested softly, “If we were married, we could try to adopt them.”
“We could,” Kane agreed, feeling something akin to regret. “The four of us have discussed marriage several times now. I feel it’s something that’s likely to happen, but we should only marry for the right reasons.”
“Giving them a permanent home isn’t a good enough reason?”
Ellen was not only stiff against him once more, she moved away and turned to look at him with hurt in her gaze.
“Ellen, I don’t think that’s what Kane meant,” Chance began, leaning forward to look at her intently. “If we marry, it has to be because we love each other and we want to be together forever.”
Chase nodded. “As hard as it is, Ellen, forget about the boys for a minute. Just think about marriage to the three of us. We have been dating, getting to know each other. I know it’s just been a couple of months. There hasn’t been any pressure, no rush for us to marry. That’s been a good thing.”
They had a lot of time to learn about each other, interspersed with the most incredible lovemaking. They had reached a comfortable level in their relationship. They truly were learning about one another, particularly whether or not there were things they didn’t like. Kane had already discovered he looked forward to being on the receiving end of Ellen’s beautiful smiles. They were just one of many things about her that he liked so very much. She was even-tempered, too, and as honest as the day was long. There were few mysteries to Ellen. He doubted she had many secrets. If she did, he would never pry into them. Everyone had things they didn’t want others to ever know. Kane doubted she had murdered anyone, or held up a bank. He could see her protesting the price of broccoli at the local market or taking on a heartfelt cause. He knew she would also do whatever it took to protect two young boys whom had stolen her heart.
“Yes, it’s been a good thing,” Ellen agreed softly. “I haven’t discovered anything about any of you guys that I would say is a deal-breaker. Quite the opposite, in fact. All three of you are so special and you have made my life all the better for getting to know you. In fact, I wouldn’t say no if the three of you asked me to marry you. And not because of the boys. I would marry you even if they weren’t in the picture. ”
Kane felt his heartbeat quicken as he heard the sincerity in her voice. He sucked in his breath as he stared at her. He heard Chance and Chase do the same. His partners all but jumped over the large coffee table in the space between the sofa and loveseat. They kneeled in front of Kane and Ellen, their love shining in their eyes.
“We love you and want to marry you, beautiful Ellen,” Chance told her earnestly. “Will you marry us?”
“Say yes, Ellen. Make us the happiest men on earth.”
Hearing Ellen sniffle, Kane chuckled and hugged her close to kiss her temple. “Are you going to make it through this extraordinarily cliché proposal?”
She nodded vigorously. “I think it’s a wonderful proposal. I love you guys, too. Yes, I will marry the three of you. And I want to reassure you that my saying yes has nothing to do with Derek and Dirk. I’m marrying you because it’s what my heart wants.”
Kane didn’t ask if Ellen was certain. He could see it in her expression, could hear it in her voice. There was nothing but sincerity.
Smiling, Kane leaned in for a kiss. Too bad Chase had the same idea. Kane’s lips landed on his partner’s jaw, while Chase got the pleasure of sealing his lips to Ellen’s.
“Hey, let someone else have a turn to celebrate,” Chance complained as the kiss seemed to go on forever.
Kane was a patient man. He leaned back into the cushions, watching as Chase and Chance took turns kissing Ellen until she was moaning and writhing between hard bodies and the cushions of the sofa. When they finally released her, Ellen was panting. Chase and Chance appeared very satisfied with their handiwork.
After a few seconds Ellen sat up and smoothed her sweater back in place, and then her hair. She looked at each of them, grinning. “Did you ever notice how often things begin on the sofa?”
“It’s as good a place as any. We could move this into the kitchen.”
Ellen shook her head. “We can’t. The curtains don’t cover the window. The neighbor lady has binoculars.”
“We’ll have to do something about that.” Kane took Ellen’s hand and stood as he spoke. “The bedroom it is. You know, once we have kids around, we won’t be able to just jump on each other whenever the mood strikes us.”
“They won’t always be home. Not if they’re older. They’ll have friends, sleepovers, stuff like that,” Chase reminded them. He took off, heading out to the foyer and the stairs. “Last one naked has to give blow jobs!”
Kane wasn’t surprised when Ellen pulled her hand free and ran out of the room. Kane reached the foyer in time to see her elbowing Chance out of the way. Laughing, Kane lingered long enough to lock the front door and turn off the lights.
Chase, Chance, and Ellen were yanking off their clothing when Kane entered the bedroom. He was about to begin unbuttoning his shirt when the house phone rang. All action in the room came to a halt. They stared at the phone for a few se
conds in disbelief. Then Ellen was reaching for it. The expressions crossing her beautiful face after she said hello, told Kane that Ellen was hearing nothing good.
“Gray, are you sure they’re gone? I mean, they have a lot of buildings on the ranch. Dirk and Derek could be hiding anywhere.” Ellen paused as she listened, her shoulders slumping. She began to search the floor for her clothes, picking them up and putting them on as she held the phone between her shoulder and ear. “Yes, I’ll stay here.”
Once Ellen hung up the phone, Chase asked, “The boys are gone?”
Ellen nodded as she straightened the sweater she had been wearing and pulled it over her head. “Yes. Grayson went out to Emily’s and James’s place to tell them that their father and girlfriend have been found. They’re dead and probably have been for some time. Their car went down an embankment and was covered with snow. If there hadn’t been a few days of thaw, who knows how long it would have remained hidden?”
“Well, that would explain why they weren’t found,” Chance said with a sigh. “It’s too bad it happened. It’s going to be tough on the little guys, losing their dad like that, even if he was a major asshole.”
Kane saw the distress on Ellen’s face. She was frowning and heading toward the door. “Come here, baby.” Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her close, holding her until she relaxed against him. “We’ll find them. I’ll head out to the house. They might go there. Chance and Chase will stay here with you.”
“Do you really think they might go to your house?” Ellen asked, her hands rubbing up and down Kane’s back.
“They might. I wouldn’t worry so much, but the house is locked up. They won’t be able to get in.”
“Okay. Call me as soon as you get there.”