Her Dirty Doms [The Men of Treasure Cove 13] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Rebecca Joyce

  “Hello, asshole.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Miguel couldn’t find Tristan Summerfield anywhere. The storage facility and drop location where he had set up for all of his equipment was locked up tight and no one was around. The place looked like a ghost town. He had tried calling the man several times, but never got an answer. He check the large RV in hopes the man was just sleeping, but after pounding on the door until his knuckles hurt, Miguel knew he wasn’t in there. The only place left to check was the airport, and that was at least another thirty minute drive. As it was right now, he was shit out of luck and his brothers were going to murder him if he couldn’t find Tristan.

  The sun was completely down now, and the cold Montana air was flowing over the mountains. With summer behind them and fall knocking on the door, the nights were getting colder and colder. Miguel knew that if anyone was alive down in the hole, they could end up with hypothermia, especially if they were wounded. Time was of the essence as he jumped into his truck and headed for the airport, praying that Tristan was there, but slammed on his breaks when he saw a private plane fly over.

  “Son of a bitch.” He was screwed. With nothing else to do, he headed back to town and prayed that someone had shown up to help.

  * * * *

  “How much longer, Van?” Colby asked. Vanessa smiled. God, she loved this kid. He was a real trooper and never complained. She got that he was tired, hungry, and hurting, but yet he said nothing. He just held onto her, like she asked. “Not much longer, baby. We’re getting closer.”

  From her calculations she was about three to four stories high. Tomas was leading the way, and she was grateful for that, but when she looked up, she knew they had a long way to go. It was slow going, and she was taking her time. If it were just her, she would have booked it double time to get out, but she couldn’t because of Colby.

  She was surprised when he climbed on her back. For a little boy, he sure did weigh a lot, but she never said anything. Her main concern was getting Colby out of this hole and to Doc Jenkins immediately. From her height, she could see the damage better and she wanted to cringe at all of the destruction. Macie’s Diner was gone. Nothing but a pile of twisted metal and timbers remained. She wondered if her best friend would ever rebuild. She could see the brick face of the hardware store as it lay at an awkward angle. Tools, mixed with dishes and furniture from the diner, scattered over the floor of the hole. The higher she climbed, she realized that the hole was bigger than she originally thought.

  “Ms. Van.” Tomas stopped and pointed. “Look.”

  Vanessa looked in the direction Tomas showed her and Vanessa cringed as she spotted what remained of the Treasure Cove Library. It was still under construction and now it was nothing. It looked like a large pile of Lincoln logs just thrown haphazardly around. From her height and distance she couldn’t see if anyone was alive, but she prayed that River and her crew were all right and trying to make their way out of here. She didn’t want to think about anything else, because if she did, she was going to break down, and Colby didn’t need her freaking out. No, she was going to get Colby to safety and then she was going to break down.

  “Let’s keep going, Tomas. There nothing we can do. We need to get Colby out of here.”

  Nodding, Tomas continued upward toward the top as Vanessa followed.

  It had been years since she put her body through this kind of rigorous routine. Her body burned, but it was a good burn, a burn she missed. Over the last few hours she had done things she normally wouldn’t have been able to do. She ran five miles this morning without a problem. She helped get Colby out from under that pile of metal and now she was climbing out of the hole with him on her back. She wasn’t as weak as she thought she was. She wasn’t helpless. She could still do many things. The more she thought about it, she knew she could do anything. Just because she had only one good leg didn’t mean she had to stop her life and forget her dreams. If she wanted them, she had to find a way to go out and get them. The only person who was stopping her was herself, and that ended right now.

  For the first time since her accident she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to marry Peter, Carter, and Brice. She wanted to be a mother to Colby and if God granted her children, then, by God, she was going to be the best mother on the planet. She may be considered a handicap by most people, but handicap was just a word. It didn’t define who she was and she refused to let it ever again.

  Laughing, Vanessa said, “Colby, I am going to marry your daddies.”

  “Okay, Van,” Colby whispered, shivering. “But can we get out of here first?”

  “You got it, buddy.

  It felt right telling Colby before telling his fathers. Oh, she knew they would be happy, but she wanted to tell Colby first, somehow knowing it was the right thing to do.

  The climb was rigorous and demanding. Moving further up the side of the hole, she was thankful for the pipes, steel girders, and wood chunks to hold onto. Though her leg was killing her, she pushed past the pain and continued on.

  “Van, I can see the top!” Tomas said, moving further up the wall as he started shouting for help. Van prayed someone heard him as she, too, moved up. She could actually feel the cool breeze of the mountain hit her face and smiled as she took a deep breath. Freedom was only a few feet away and so was help for Colby. As she went to reach for what looked like a piece of concrete, Tomas’s foot slipped. Vanessa barely had enough time to swing herself and Colby out of the way, anchoring her body between two pieces of metal. Holding on with one hand, she reached out with the other, just as Tomas fell past her.

  “I’ve got you!” she shouted as the added extra weight of Tomas tore are her arm.

  “Van, you can’t hold me!” Tomas yelled up at her as he tried desperately to find something to grab onto.

  “I’m not letting you go. We can do this,” she said as she saw flashlights and heard voice voices from up above.

  “We’ve got one!” someone above her yelled. Vanessa bit back the pain, as she tried to lift Tomas up toward her, but he was too heavy. Colby was now crying softly, but thankfully not moving. She knew she was squishing him, but he was safe behind her and there was nothing she could do about it right now. She was the only thing between Tomas and death and she refused to let death win.

  “It’s Vanessa, Colby, and Tomas!”

  “Someone help me!” she shouted as loud as she could. “I can’t hold him much longer.”

  “We’re coming, baby, you just hang on.”

  Brice…it was Brice’s voice. Elation fueled her veins as she knew her man was coming. Her big, strong, lovable Brice.

  “Van!” Carter shouted down into the hole. “Are you okay?”

  “No! Tomas is slipping,” she screamed as a rope was thrown down. “Grab it, Tomas, and don’t let go.”

  As Tomas reached for the rope, Vanessa sighed in relief as he was hauled out of the hole. Minutes later, the same rope was thrown back down for her. “You ready to go home, Colby?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said softly.

  “Well then hang on, buddy, because here we go.” With the rope wrapped around her and Colby, Vanessa kicked off the wall and trusted the men above her to pull her and her son to safety. As soon as she reached the top, strong arms wrapped around her as she was engulfed in Brice’s embrace. She’d never been so happy before in her life. She’d done it. She climbed out of that hole and saved Colby.

  Carter and Peter grabbed Colby and hugged him hard.

  “He needs Doc Jenkins. He’s hurt,” she managed to say before Brice picked her up. Vanessa wrapped her arms around him tight, never wanting to let go. Looking at her men now, she couldn’t imagine her life without them. She loved them so much. Because of them, she was able to once again be the woman she was before.

  “Let’s get them to the medical tent,” Peter said, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, Vanessa.”

  Van smiled and said, “He’s my son now, too. I love him as much as I love his daddi
es and the sooner we can finalize that matter the better.”

  Peter, Carter, and Brice smiled at her and Vanessa knew that whatever happened in life, she was going to be just fine as long as she had her dirty mechanics with her.

  * * * *

  “Stop fussing over me!” River shouted at Julio and Victor. When they had found her, she had never been so happy to see them in her life. They wasted no time getting her, Lake, and Sam out of the hole. Well, it wasn’t a hole, but a cave in. Apparently Lake had been right, but River wasn’t going to say that. As it was right now, Lake and Sam were being medevacked to Silver Spring for medical treatment. As for River, minus several scrapes and bruises, she was going to be okay. All she needed was a hot shower and a comfy bed.

  “Baby, you’ve been though something traumatic. We’re just concerned about you,” Victor said, holding her hand. “Please sit still and let the Doc finish examining you.”

  “I’m fine!” River heard Vanessa shout as Brice carried her into the tent. “It’s Colby that’s hurt, not me.”

  “Peter and Carter are looking after Colby, I’m looking after you,” Brice said, laying her down on a bed.

  “But I don’t need medical attention. I’m fine,” Vanessa huffed, crossing her arms and pouting. River felt for the woman, well, not entirely, unlike Vanessa, River had to contend with two overbearing and overprotective men.

  “River!”

  Make that three.

  River gave up. There was no hope stopping all three of them and poor Miguel looked as if he was dragged through the river and hung out to dry. She didn’t stop him when he hauled her into his arms, nor did she wince when he squeezed her a little too tightly. She just accepted what was and enjoyed the fact that she was out of that horrible hole and safe. She was still worried about her sister and Sam and wondered if there was any news, but chose to hold off asking, knowing it would probably be a while. Besides the sooner she could get Doc to give her a clean bill of health the quicker she could get her men to take her to Silver Springs.

  “Peter, we’re going to have to transport Colby to Silver Springs. His arm just needs stiches, but I’m worried about the bruise on his stomach,” Doc Jenkins said.

  “Whatever you say, Doc,” Peter said, sitting next to his son.

  “I’ll call in for a med-flight and call Dr. Whitmore and let him know you’re coming. He’s one of the best pediatric surgeons in the area and a good friend of mine. He took care of my boys after they were born. So I trust him.”

  “Thanks, Andrew,” Carter added, looking up from his sleeping son, shaking the man’s hand.

  “No problem, I’ll make the call now.”

  River and her men looked worriedly over at the young boy sleeping on the bed. He was so small and didn’t deserve what happened to him. River thanked the Goddess Vanessa was with him. What happened was unbelievable in anyone’s eyes. Nothing like this ever happened in Treasure Cove. This kind of trauma and damage was for other places, more populated, not small town in the Northwest. Regardless, it did happen and River knew it was going to be weeks, months, maybe even years to recuperate from something of this magnitude.

  No matter what happened next, though, River knew the town of Treasure Cove would never be the same.

  Chapter Seventeen

  In the weeks that followed, the National Guard, FEMA, and the Red Cross showed up to help with local rescue and the removal of twenty-four bodies. But mainly they were there to take care of those residents that were displaced. The small town of Treasure Cove made national news and the outpouring of support and kindness from the nation overwhelmed most of the town.

  Most of those who died worked for Trinity Construction. The others were local, like Old Man Bill Homer, the town’s only hobo. A Vietnam veteran, Bill was a staple of Treasure Cove and would surely be missed. Matthew lost his secretary when her car got swallowed up in the collapse. Though Tomas survived the hole, he was rushed to Silver Springs when he started coughing up blood. He later died on the operating table from a lacerated liver. Macie was heartbroken. Sam was still in critical condition, but the doctors were hopeful that he would make it without any complications. Lake was recuperating nicely, eager to get home. After the town made the news, their parents rushed home to be by Lake’s side. They were happy to know that two of their girls were okay, but no one had heard from or seen Delta since before the accident. River didn’t want to believe that Delta was hurt or worse, and chose to let the universe decide Delta’s fate, wherever she may be. As for Colby, he was in ice-cream heaven. It was determined that Colby ruptured his spleen and had to have it removed. He was fine and talking a mile a minute. Vanessa refused to leave his side, saying she’d go home when her son did.

  There were so many faces that would no longer walk the streets of Treasure Cove, but many who would remember them always. Though the church was destroyed in the collapse, Reverend Bram Prescott insisted on holding a service to thank those who journeyed to help, and to remember those who were no longer with us.

  “God works in mysterious ways. We take for granted how precious life is and in a blink of an eye, everything you love and hold dear could be gone. I know that some people say that death is a celebration. That we should rejoice that their journey in this life has ended and they are finally going home. But to me, death represents a new chapter in our lives. The story of those gone is over. It’s the living that must continue on as we write the next chapter. We will mourn those who passed, we will remember them, we will honor them, but we must continue on. Our stories haven’t been written yet. Just being here adds another sentence, another paragraph, another chapter. What happens next is up to you. Don’t waste it. Live it, love it, embrace it.

  “Today we honor the men and women who died. We will never forget what they’ve done for this town, their families, their friends. All were good, honest, loving men and women who didn’t deserve what happened but are no longer hurting. They’ve started a new journey in their lives, and I am here to wish them God speed.”

  River cried silently as she sat between Julio and Miguel, Victor sitting next to his oldest brother. She couldn’t think about all the good men she lost and would never see again. She still suffered from horrible nightmares, of crawling over bodies and limbs, knowing that they once were the men she joked and laughed with. She would wake up screaming to find herself in the arms of the men who loved her. They would hold her until she couldn’t cry anymore and passed out from exhaustion.

  Since the accident, the town of Treasure Cove muddled through, never getting back that vitality and lust for life it once had. Everything changed that day and would never be the same again. The ranchers, once a vital part of the community, stayed closer to their homes, continuing on with their lives as best they could. Many of the town’s residents moved to neighboring cities, hoping that one day they could return to the small, simple life of Treasure Cove. Others moved to Celestial or Silver Springs, but for those who stayed, they had the constant reminder of what was never going to be again. It was those people, like the Sextons over at the Pleasure Cave, the Jenkins family, River and her men, and the men from Cove Auto Body, who refused to let a disaster run them out of town. Though the town was still in mourning, the rebuilding would start soon and there was already talk of a better, more vibrant town. But until that day came, no one was holding their breaths.

  The sun was shining as River stepped out of her new home. With her apartment gone, Julio, Miguel, and Victor quickly found a house just on the other side of the Hicks place, close to their mom and within minutes of their sister Vanessa. River had found out the night before that Vanessa had finally set a date. Apparently she didn’t want to wait any longer and come Friday, she was saying “I do” in front of family and friends out at the Hicks place.

  River was happy for her, and wished her best friend nothing but the best.

  Sitting on the front porch, she looked out over the mountains and smiled. It was so beautiful and quiet, something she loved and enjoyed growi
ng up on the outside of Celestial. Since they’d moved in, her parents had been frequent visitors to her new place, bringing all kinds of plants and herbs to be planted. Victor took that upon himself, saying that he needed the distraction since she still hadn’t been given the clearance from Doc for sex. She didn’t know why the man was dragging his feet, but she was seeing him today and hoped she got her golden ticket.

  Her men insisted she listen to Andrew, even though she felt differently, but the strain of doing nothing had started wearing on them, too. Julio couldn’t be in the same room with her if she was changing, and Miguel spent most of his time taking cold showers, saying just the sway of her ass in jeans was enough to get him rock hard. Regardless of their impediment, it was nothing compared to what River was feeling. Over the last week, she had been forced to watch her men strip, shower, and sleep naked. Just looking at them got her pussy so damn wet, she chose to forgo panties permanently. Not that it did any good. She was in the shower just as often as Miguel. If she didn’t get sex soon, she was going to tear the roof off of her home.

  “Ready to go, baby,” Julio said, walking out of the house, keys in hand.

  “I’ve been ready for a week, but you guys keep telling me no.”

  Julio chuckled, helping her to her feet. “Look at it this way, River. If Doc gives you the go ahead, as soon as you step foot in this house, you better be naked, because what clothes you have on will be ripped from your body.”

  “You promise?” She smiled up at him.

  “I promise.”

  * * * *

  It had been two weeks since Julio had sunk his cock into River and now that she had the all clear from Doc Jenkins, he knew the drive home was going to be the longest drive on the fucking planet. Since moving into the big house, things between them had changed for the better. He would have liked to say the sex was even better and they were almost constantly fucking anywhere and everywhere, but that was not the case, unless he counted his severe case of blue balls.