Pleasure in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

Tanner’s gaze dragged over her length. “For sure. And she and Cody really seem to be getting along.”

  “I noticed.”

  They walked back into the barn, and Tanner waved to his son. “Come on, Cody. We need to get you some clothes.”

  Right now it felt like the gods in heaven had tossed down a deck of cards and chosen him to play fifty-two pick up. His head was so fucked up, he didn’t know which way to turn, but when he finally looked over at Hailey, her gaze was focused on him. Her smile turned warm and welcoming, and his cock hardened.

  Maybe things might turn out okay after all.

  Chapter Four

  Tanner left Jackson with the vet, but even as he walked with Cody back to the house, his pulse refused to slow. He wondered if all these shocks he’d received would cause his heart to explode. It was hard enough seeing Jackson’s face turn from surprise to fury in a split second when he’d told him he had a son. At first, Jackson acted as if Tanner had purposefully shot his prized bull, but when he found out about Jackson’s dad being diagnosed with cancer and Drew returning home unexpectedly, he could understand how his announcement had been the proverbial straw that threw Jackson off his game.

  Shit, life isn’t doling out any happy tickets today, is it?

  Cody stepped next to him. “Where are we going?”

  “We need to get you some new clothes and school supplies. Monday is only two days away.”

  “I thought we were going to look at the windmill.”

  Damn. He’d forgotten. He looked across the field at the tall structure. The wind had picked up, and it looked like it might snow. “You okay with a rain check? I want to get to the stores before they close.” That was lame, as it wasn’t even lunchtime. In truth, he wanted to read the letter Megan’s sister had given him. It might give him a better understanding of what happened.

  Cody crawled into his reserved shell. “Sure.”

  This was more proof that he sucked at being a dad. “I forgot to ask you last night. What grade are you in?”

  Cody glanced to the ground. “Seventh.”

  His voice came out low as if he was embarrassed. “That’s great. I know one of the seventh-grade teachers.”

  Cody didn’t respond.

  “I need to stop by the house and pick up a few things before we go.” As soon as they got into the house, Tanner turned to his son. “Why don’t you go count how many jeans you have and how many shirts? That way, you’ll know what you’ll need.”

  Cody stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Hell, maybe he had. Not really caring if Cody followed his instructions or not, he strode down the hallway to his room. He pulled the jeans he’d worn last night from the closet, and sure enough, the envelope was still lodged in the back pocket. He carefully opened the letter. The tearstains and fingerprint smudges tore at his heart. He inhaled to read.

  Dear Sarah,

  I’ve started this letter over again so many times and just can’t seem to get it right, but the pain is getting worse and I know the end is near. I have to tell you about Cody’s dad. My son deserves to know him. I know you always thought of your older sister as the responsible one, but trust me, when I was in school I was wild. During my senior year I met this man, Tanner Crenshaw. Oh, my. He was tall, dark, handsome, smart, funny—well, you get the picture. I fell hard for him.

  We had fun. I don’t know how it happened, but we didn’t use a condom one time. I thought it was safe. Well, it wasn’t. I got pregnant. I couldn’t tell Tanner, as I know he’d have done the right thing and married me. You know that I always wanted the fantasy life, and having a shotgun wedding wasn’t for me.

  Needless to say, I couldn’t tell Mom either, so I decided to get an abortion. I knew Tanner would have tried to talk me out of it, so I broke up with him, saying I didn’t want to be with him anymore. It was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I even made an appointment for the procedure and then realized I couldn’t go through with it.

  Thank God I didn’t. Cody has been the best thing in my life. Please don’t ever tell him about my decision to end his life. Find Tanner for me. He had goals. Knowing him, he went back to Sanctuary, Montana, and became the big banker he dreamed of.

  He might be married with other kids of his own, but that’s okay. He’ll do right by our son.

  I love you more than I can say and I am so sorry to have to put you through this.

  Love, Megan

  P.S. Love Cody hard.

  When he finished reading the letter, he reread it to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He moved over to the bed and sat. His brain numb, the letter fell out of his hands. Poor Megan. If only she’d told him they would have figured something out. No one should have to go through a pregnancy alone. God, he’d been such a fuckup back then. He didn’t even remember not using a condom.

  Heavy thudding indicated Cody was coming downstairs. Tanner picked up the letter from the floor, folded it, then stashed it in his top drawer. His son would never read these words. If he found out his mother had considered aborting him, the poor kid would feel so betrayed.

  He pulled his bandana from his back pocket and rubbed his face to get rid of the dust from the barn. He told himself it wasn’t to dry the tears.

  He stepped out of his room ready to show his son how much he loved him.

  * * * *

  “You want to talk about it?” Seeing the pain streaking across Jackson’s face tore Hailey up inside.

  “No.”

  It was absolutely none of her business to say anything, but there was something about that lonely kid that made Hailey want to help. “Cody seems like a real sharp kid. He knew how to use the microscope really well.”

  “This is the first time I’ve met him.”

  So she’d figured. “I bet Tanner was shocked to find out he had a son.”

  Jackson stabbed a hand through his hair. She ran a cloth over the already clean scope, trying to act nonchalant.

  “You can say that again. Poor guy was in the bar when some woman comes up to him last night and tells him her sister had just died and that this was his son.”

  No wonder the man had looked a little dazed. His life had turned upside down in the last day. She couldn’t imagine what had gone through his mind when he found out. “I bet not every man would step up and accept the responsibility.”

  “Ain’t that the truth. Tanner’s scared, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.” Jackson looked away as if he wasn’t ready to tell her more. Actually, she’d learned a lot about both men and their relationship from that little bit he did tell her.

  “You said you’d rented a place for me to stay?”

  He nodded. “At Aunt Minnie’s Boarding House. Come back to the house and I’ll draw you a map. I know you’re not finished with the whole breeding process, but why don’t you take the rest of the day off and settle in?” He waved a hand. “Tomorrow, we can do rounds with the animals. With Charley out, my whole routine is messed up.”

  She tried to decode his true intention. Jackson probably wanted some time to himself to sort through things. “Perfect.” Getting a chance to see Sanctuary during the daylight would be fun.

  Together they headed back inside. From the outside, his home looked huge. She loved the big porch out back and the inviting furniture under the big overhang.

  He held open the door. He stilled for a moment, almost as if he was listening to see if Tanner and Cody were in the house. She detected no sounds as she stepped inside. They walked through the comfortable-looking living room, through the formal dining room that looked as if it had never been used, and into the large, eat-in kitchen. If she lived here, she’d spend hours puttering around.

  He pulled open a drawer and took out a piece of paper and pencil. “Let me show you where you need to go.”

  With fine penmanship, he drew the ranch’s location and the state road that led to town. “Go along State Road 47 for about six or so miles. To your left will be Sanctuary Boulevard. That will lead you into town. There
will be a large sign pointing to the city center. You can’t miss it.” His brows rose as if the concept of a city center was a joke. “Take a left at First Street and go one block. Aunt Minnie’s is on the corner. It’s an old Victorian. You can’t miss it.” He set down the pencil. “I’ll give her a call and tell her you’re coming.”

  From the way the light had gone out of his eyes, she wanted to give the man a hug, but her professional career would be over before it started if she did. “Thanks.”

  His mouth slightly parted as if he wanted to say something else, but then he clamped it shut. That was her cue to get out of there.

  Instead of tossing out some platitude about how things would be fine, she merely nodded. Since she’d parked near the barn, she walked out the kitchen and back through the living room. She was almost at the door when Jackson called to her. She stopped and faced him.

  He stepped between the kitchen and dining room looking way too sexy. “Look. I’m really sorry you had to see our dirty laundry today.”

  She shrugged. “No need to apologize. Tanner is like family, and families get messy sometimes.” She gave him an encouraging grin. Before she did or said anything stupid, she darted through the back door and rushed to her car.

  Her head swam with all that had happened. Things were going along so well until Tanner and Cody had shown up. Then Jackson kind of freaked. One plus was that she got to talk with Cody. Something about the kid stole her heart, so she hoped she’d have time to talk with him again. She had the feeling he could use a female in his life.

  Once in the car, finding Sanctuary was easy. A few vestiges of snow were piled on the side of the road, but for the most part the streets were clear. She passed a library and a church on her right and the sheriff’s office and the Cozy Mountain Quilts store on her left before turning left onto First Street. Just as Jackson claimed, Aunt Minnie’s Boarding House was one block down. She drove to the end of the block and followed the sign for parking behind the building. Deciding to leave her luggage in the car until after she checked in, she traipsed up the three stairs, across the broad porch, and stepped inside to a warm room.

  A beautifully carved rosewood counter stood to the left. A plump woman with her hair tied back in a bun and wearing wire-rimmed glasses looked up from a book and smiled. “Hello. Welcome to my boarding house. Might you be Dr. Hunter by any chance?”

  “Yes, I am.” They shook hands.

  The woman grabbed a key. “You’re upstairs in room four. I only have one other renter at this time. Sweet woman and her young daughter. They’re in room three.”

  Hailey looked around. The downstairs was small, but the living room straight ahead was cozy. It even had a fireplace. She could picture herself sitting in front of the fire studying her books.

  The furniture, mostly brown print, reminded her of her grandmother’s house. All she needed was a plate of chocolate chip cookies and some hot chocolate and she’d believe she’d been transported back twenty years.

  “Minnie, I’m looking for a rather special item. It’s called a star chart. Do you have any place around here that might sell something like that?”

  Minnie reached under the counter and pulled out a paper map and yellow highlighter. She circled her boarding house. “You are here. You could try Morrison’s Novelties. I bet they’ll have what you’re looking for. If not, try the office supply store on Valley Road.” She pointed behind her. “It’s across the street from here.” She made two more Xs to indicate their locations.

  Sanctuary reminded her so much of Pleasure. If they had a café that served food half as good as Mountain View, she’d be in heaven. “Thanks. I’ll be back to check in.”

  Excited, she headed out to the novelty store. She wanted to buy a few things for Cody—things she would have liked as a kid. Outside, she pulled her jacket tight. The wind had picked up and the sky had darkened. Great. She hoped it didn’t snow. She was tired of winter and was looking forward to the spring.

  Fortunately, the walk to the novelty store was short. Inside, she was thrilled to find a science section. There were toy dinosaurs, board games, a small rocket, and even a toy microscope, but none of those items were what she wanted.

  An older gentleman wearing a maroon shirt with the name Morrison’s blazoned above the pocket came over. “May I help you?”

  “I’m looking for a star chart.” She was about to go on with the description when the man smiled.

  “Right this way.”

  When he showed her three choices, she couldn’t believe her luck. “These are great. Thanks.”

  He smiled and let her peruse the items. In the end, she found just what she wanted. She planned on bringing it with her to the ranch in the hopes she’d run into Cody soon. Hailey studied the wonderful town map Minnie had given her. The Tempting Tea shop seemed like the perfect way to spend an hour while she stayed warm and looked over the map.

  With her purchase in hand, she walked the block and a half to the store. This town was clean and charming. She could really get used to living in a place like this.

  She pushed open the door to the tea shop and looked around. The place was a lot bigger than she’d expected and more crowded than she would have anticipated. As she walked toward the counter to check out the types of teas, her gaze was on the numerous tins above the counter. Not paying attention to where she was going, she caught her toe on something. Not realizing her foot was entangled, she stepped with her other leg, causing the constraint to stop her movement. She went flying. She hopped on her free foot to gain balance and then tried to right herself by pinwheeling her arms, but all she saw was the tile floor rise up to meet her face.

  Chapter Five

  Chair legs squeaked, and strong hands grabbed her shoulders just before Hailey did a face-plant. Her heart rate skyrocketed, and her breath whooshed out of her lungs as her knees bent and slammed into the ground.

  “Ow.”

  “I gotcha.”

  Before she could look at her savior, he had her upright. Another set of hands lifted her foot free of whatever had trapped her, and she twisted her head to see the identity of the man. Inches from her face sat a gorgeous set of blue eyes, colored with flecks of greens and browns. Pinched brows, and lips that were meant for kissing, loomed over her.

  “Oh, it’s you. Thank you.” To Tanner, she probably sounded more breathy than thrilled he’d been the one to save her.

  He walked her three steps to a chair at the table he and Cody were sharing and motioned she sit. Had Cody not been there, she might have felt a little more self-conscious. The chatter resumed in the store, allowing her to finally let out a big breath. Her heart was still beating hard and her knees stung.

  “Are you okay?” Tanner glanced to her knees.

  She spent her days taking care of animals and wasn’t used to having people watching out for her. “I think so. I am so clumsy.”

  Cody cast his gaze downward. “It was my fault.”

  His pain cut her worse than her throbbing knees. “No, it wasn’t. It was an accident.”

  He shook his head, leaned over, and shoved his backpack under his seat. “I should have pushed it farther under my chair.”

  Hailey spotted a ton of packages on the chair between him and his dad. They didn’t need to dwell on who was to blame. “I see you went on a shopping spree.” She kept her gaze on Cody rather than on Tanner. The man seemed to alter something inside her, and he made her tongue not work well.

  “Yeah.”

  She spotted the office supply store on the bags. “You get all the school supplies you need?”

  “I think so, but I won’t know until I go to the classes.”

  Tanner drank his coffee. She shot a glance around the store and spotted a small coffee stand in the corner. That was probably aimed to appease the friends of the tea lovers. Cody had hot chocolate that smelled enticing.

  “I’m taking Cody to school Monday to enroll him,” Tanner said.

  She refocused, first looking at Ta
nner then drawing her gaze to Cody. “Are you excited about meeting a lot of new kids?”

  Cody shrugged.

  She wanted to reach out to him. “I imagine it’ll be hard to be new. I went to the same school my whole life, and it was always so exciting when someone different showed up.”

  The kid broke eye contact with her. Somehow when Cody was with his dad, he didn’t seem to know what to say. Hailey picked up her purse and pulled out the present she’d planned on giving Cody later. Now seemed like a good time.

  She handed him the bag. “I was in Morrison’s Novelties and saw this. I thought you might like it.”

  Cody lifted his arm then fisted his hand. He glanced to Tanner acting as if he needed permission to take a gift.

  “Go on. Take it. Men always accept presents from beautiful women.”

  Her cheeks heated at his compliment. Cody stared at her. Okay, this is uncomfortable. She waved the package and Cody held out his hand.

  Once he knew it really was for him, it seemed he couldn’t wait to get it open. His fingers worked fast until he pulled out the star chart. His eyes widened. The circular object was encased in a flexible vinyl pouch. He looked up at her, and she nodded. He extracted it from its housing, rotated the dials, and smiled.

  “What do you say, Cody?” His dad’s tone was tinged with a slight hint of authority.

  “Thank you.”

  She was glad he liked the present. “My dad gave me one a long time ago, and I still have it. You can set it for the time of year and see what stars are in the sky.”

  Cody glanced to his dad. “Can we look at the stars tonight?”

  Tanner laughed and the sound rumbled inside her. Seeing the joy in his eyes was like giving her a shot of happy juice. The man twisted toward her.

  “I think Cody would have a more fulfilling time if you joined us.” He smiled at her, but she caught the pleading.

  Her heart melted. “I’d love to. The stars are best after nine.”

  Tanner leaned back in his seat, acting more relaxed. “How about coming over for dinner? Cody here is quite the cook.”