Heather's Challenge [Cattleman's Club 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  * * * *

  Revenge had never been so sweet. Heather smiled as that thought crossed her mind, glancing up into the review mirror to admire the sight of both Konor and Alex staring after her. Their features were drawn tense and tight with Alex’s holding a darkness that assured Heather revenge was also on his mind. He’d come calling soon.

  Real soon.

  She had to be completely nuts. That was the only thing that explained what had happened between Alex and her. That, and the fact that her hormones were raging completely out of control. Heather knew better than to fight the insanity.

  Instead, she needed to control it. Something she’d failed to do so in the bathroom. Heather’s only consolation was that she’d managed to rip away Alex’s control. That was, at least, something.

  Konor, on the other hand, was going to be more difficult, but then again his agenda was a little more complicated. Beside her, Taylor yawned and shifted in his seat, his eyes drifting close while the smile still lingered on his lips, proving just how much more complicated the situation with Konor had already become.

  Taylor approved of Konor, there was no doubt about that. Even more telling were his obvious attempts to pair her off with his newfound idol. He clearly wanted to make a daddy out of Konor, but Heather remained unconvinced that he was qualified for the role.

  Konor certainly hadn’t helped himself when he’d encouraged Taylor to spend the credit he’d won by completing the obstacle course on a spelunking tour that Nick was arranging for that summer. All that remained between Taylor and his goal was Heather’s signature on a consent form.

  That was something she was going to have think about because she did not like the thought of her baby crawling around in some dirty, dank, bat-infested cave. At least if he got hurt at the camp he could receive immediate medical treatment, but in a cave Taylor could fall into a pit and end up stuck, broken, and dying at the bottom with no way for medical treatment to get to him.

  Heather blocked that dark thought before it could develop into a full-on panic attack. At least, things were easier with Alex. They were much more straightforward. It was all about lust, about a carnal craving that had been ignited thirteen years ago. Those cravings had never been appeased. Instead, they had festered and grown into an obsession that there was only one cure for—a weeklong orgy.

  A whole week should be more than enough. By then, both she and Alex would have worked off the sharp edges of need and could go back to simply hating each other. Heather figured that’s exactly what would happen.

  After all, Alex was a man with a vendetta. Undoubtedly, he was already planning to do something to piss her off. Heather could only hope that she didn’t end up getting hurt in the process. She figured she had reason to hope, especially given she’d probably be fucking his best friend.

  While Alex and Konor might not be jealous of each other in a traditional sense, no relationship like that could actually last in the long run. So, Heather figured it was safe to assume that eventually things would become too complicated to survive.

  Even if they could overcome all of life’s obstacles, there was no way Heather would expose Taylor to that kind of lifestyle. Her son came first. Always.

  So, she wasn’t particularly pleased to pull into her drive and find Konor’s truck parked in front of the garage. She and Taylor had stopped by the Bread Box on the way home to return the empty trays, but she hadn’t thought they’d been delayed that long. Apparently, she was wrong because as she pulled around back she could see not two men relaxing on the deck but three.

  Alex was there.

  That could only mean one thing. Konor and him had joined forces.

  “Konor’s here!” Rousing in his seat, Taylor came to life with an enthusiasm that was at the core of Heather’s concern. “Did you know he was coming over?”

  “No, he didn’t—”

  Heather gave up her explanation. Taylor wasn’t listening. Neither did he wait for her to pull to a complete stop before shoving open the door and hopping out. Hollering for Konor, he went racing off as Heather sighed.

  He rushed up the back stairs so quickly he almost tripped over the last few steps. Not that he even appear to notice, much less care. His whole attention remained focused on Konor and it was becoming clear that Taylor was desperate for the companionship of an older male.

  One who was not a grandfather, but one who was cool and strong. Somebody like a father... Or an older brother. While Heather couldn’t give Taylor the latter, she could do something about the former. After all, a few holes in some condoms and fate could take care of the rest.

  That was an evil thought but it didn’t change the thrill the idea gave her as she watched Taylor tug Konor out of his seat and into the house. He’d make a great father and so would Alex, but that didn’t make what she was thinking right. It also didn’t stop Heather from thinking about it as she finally got out of the car and started for the back deck.

  “Hey, honey.” Her dad tilted his head back, offering her that greeting along with a smile before his eyes widened at the sight of her. “Oh my, you’re filthy.”

  “Thanks, dad.” Heather dropped a quick kiss on her father’s cheek before reluctantly glancing at their uninvited guest, who appeared freshly shaved and looking as good as ever in a pair of jeans and an ironed shirt. “Sheriff.”

  “I think you can call me Alex now,” he suggested with an easy grin that warned Heather the balance of power had shifted somehow over the past three hours.

  That shift might have had something to do with all the beer bottles littering the table, or it might have had something to do with whatever deal Konor and Alex had reach, but Heather suspected Alex’s hand should be given most the credit.

  “Konor and Alex brought pizza. There some left over if you’re hungry.” Her dad nodded toward the kitchen as he made that offer, but Heather wasn’t interested in food.

  “No, thank you.” She turned him down politely as she cast a pointed look in Alex’s direction. “I can’t believe the two of you were still hungry after all that food they served us out at the camp.”

  “What? That cold dinner?” Alex wrinkled his nose in disgust “A man needs more than mostly vegetables to feel full.”

  Heather snorted at the machismo infusing his tone. “All the other guys seemed to be packing it away.”

  “Boys,” Alex corrected her with a condescending smirk. “You’re talking about boys, sweetness, too young to drive into town to get their own pizzas, but when they can, they will.”

  Her dad laughed at that, apparently finding it funny. “Hear, hear.”

  The two men clinked their bottles together as Heather rolled her eyes, a gesture not lost on Alex. He caught her gaze and smirked.

  “Sometimes a man just craves grease and cheese. Am I right, Ralph?”

  So it was Ralph now and no longer Mr. Lawson? In nearly thirty years Alex had never referred to her father by anything other than his respectful title. He had never before been invited to do so, but apparently that had changed.

  “That you are,” her dad agreed without missing a beat. “Thank God for the man who dreamed up putting cheese on bread.”

  “Amen.” Alex nodded, lifting his beer one again in salute before throwing back the last of the amber liquid.

  Heather eyed them both, not particularly pleased with either man right then. A fact her father should have easily picked up on. Didn’t her dad see what was going on? Couldn’t he figure out that he was being used just to get closer to her? If he did, then apparently he didn’t care.

  “Oh now, don’t frown, honey.” Reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist, he gave her a quick squeeze. “I took my pill. My cholesterol is good. I’m allowed to treat every now and again.”

  “I know, Dad,” Heather assured him, dropping a quick kiss on his head and playing into his mistaken assumptions that her frown had been directed at him “I just worry about you is all. What would I do without you?”

  “I imagine you’d
get along,” he dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand, completely unconcerned about the details of his own demise. “Hell, you might even end up better off because you might actually get off your lazy butt and go find a husband to give Taylor a real father and maybe even some brothers.”

  Her father added that last bit on with a pointed glance in Alex’s direction and there was no disguising the meaning behind that look. Heather felt her face go up in flames almost instantly as her heart stopped.

  “Dad!”

  “Don’t worry, honey, Alex and I have already had our conversation.” Her father informed Heather, not offering her any comfort at all with that revelation. In fact, the embarrassment consuming her only grew thicker as he tacked on, “And Konor.”

  “Dad!”

  “Oh, don’t get all red in the face.” Her father waved away Heather’s squeal along with her concern over his humiliating intervention. “I know I am pushing. I get the hint. We’ll just wait and see how the next week goes.”

  Heather froze at that declaration, wishing that a meteor would fall out of the sky and put her out of her misery. Her dad knew…about her week…and he’d brought it up in front of Alex! As if those weren’t all perfectly good reasons to go running off into the night screaming, he’d even brought up the subject of marriage and kids…this really was fate’s cruelest joke ever.

  “Yeah, sweetness,” Alex purred with the satisfaction of a predator who knew he had his prey trapped. “You’re dad’s abandoning you.”

  Right about then, Heather would have been all too happy to say good riddance, but didn’t have the voice left to say anything. She just stood there numbly as her father nodded along with Alex’s declaration.

  “That’s right, honey, you’re going to get a whole week off from Taylor and me.” Her smile echoed Alex’s in size and might as he informed her of his good bit of luck. “Alex’s got a friend, Jerry, and he has a boat.”

  “A boat?” Heather repeated, knowing in that moment her ship was sunk. Anybody who knew her dad knew he had a fishing addiction, which was just why his dream was to retire to the Gulf coast and buy a boat.

  “Yeah.”

  Her dad nodded enthusiastically, his eyes beginning to shine with the same gleam that Taylor’s had held all day. As if on cue, the dramatic, introductory music of her son’s favorite video game boomed through the back door.

  “He lives down around Destin,” her dad continued on eagerly as an all too familiar voice drifted out of the house behind her. It began to narrate a grim monologue as her father carried on his own euphoric rendition of his favorite things.

  “Right on the water. He’s got his own dock and everything.”

  “Yep.” Alex nodded, his smile smug, his eyes alight with mischief. “And his wife’s birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. He’s been talking about getting some buddies together to build her an entertainment gazebo down near the dock, which is why we brought the pizza over here—to see if you dad was interested in bartering his skill for a few days of fishing.”

  She was screwed. Literally. Figuratively. In every way—screwed.

  “He’s even got a little guest house out by the pool,” her dad informed her, proving that the invitation had already been issued and accepted. “How could I say ‘no’ to that? It’s perfect timing, what with Taylor being gone. Just think of it, you’ll have the whole house to yourself.”

  No, she wouldn’t. She would be trapped in it, probably tied to the damn bed, that is, if Konor and Alex hadn’t carted her back off to their house. God knew what kind of supplies they had there, but Heather did know that they would have complete control no matter the location. She needed her dad, needed him to provide a safe haven in order to maintain her leverage over Alex and Konor.

  “Oh, don’t look so worried, honey,” her father soothed her, misinterpreting the outrage beginning to overwhelm her. “You’ll be fine, and the sheriff has even offered to check in on you so you don’t have to be afraid.”

  Heather growled, giving voice to the frustration seething inside her. She really hated losing. Just the idea had her fingers curling into fists as she turned her narrow gaze back onto Alex’s smug smile. He thought he had her nice and neatly cornered, that soon he’d even have her under his control.

  Heather would not let that happen.

  Alex might have won the battle, but the war was far from over.

  Without a word, Heather turned, stuck her chin in the air, and stormed off. If her father and son wanted to cavort with the enemy then she’d just let them waste Alex and Konor’s time. While they were busy accomplishing nothing, she would be making her plans.

  * * * *

  Alex watched Heather march away and had to admit that Konor had been right. Heather didn’t look so smugly superior now. Now she looked furious…and so damn sexy it made him ache just to look at her. There lay the problem. He’d wanted her for so damn long he didn’t have the patience for all these stupid games.

  He wouldn’t have even bothered to entertain them if Konor hadn’t promised that they’d get to the fucking just as soon as they dispatched her father and her son took off for his annual trip to his grandmother’s house. Alex was figuring soon meant about five minutes after Heather’s family had ditched her.

  At least, that was his plan.

  He knew Konor was a little more obsessed about the details, but Alex didn’t really care who was in charge, or what position they did it in. As long as he was buried balls deep in some part of Heather’s body, he’d be content.

  “I don’t think Heather is too happy about my plans,” Ralph cut into Alex’s thought, his comment drawing Alex’s gaze away from the sway of Heather’s plump ass disappearing through the kitchen door.

  Looking back toward the man who had fathered that perfect ass, Alex tried to focus back on the conversation. After all, it probably wasn’t right to be ogling the man’s daughter in front of him. Not that Alex detected any censure in Ralph’s gaze. There was worry, though.

  “She’ll be all right,” Alex assured him. “She’s just tired, no doubt. It was a long day.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  Ralph sighed before pausing to consider the matter. For a moment, Alex could see him get lost in time and when Ralph finally spoke, his voice held the same soft quality of a memory that had been gathering dust for too long.

  “Heather was never very pleasant when she got tired as a child. The tantrums she would throw... I tell you what, that girl can scream.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “What?”

  “Huh?” Alex glanced up realizing that he’d muttered that agreement out loud and if he didn’t explain it in quick the real answer might become obvious. “Oh, yeah. You should have heard her today cheering on Taylor.”

  Alex thought that actually sounded good given how quickly he’d come up with it. Ralph certainly seemed to buy his explanation.

  “Oh, I would have loved to see her today.” Chuckling to himself, Heather’s father glanced toward the kitchen before leaning in close and dropping his tone. “I’ve never seen her looking so dirty before.”

  “No?”

  “No.” Ralph shook his head. “I’m not saying she’s a germaphobe or anything, but that girl’s room was never messy…well, that is, until Taylor came along.”

  “I guess having a kid forced her to lighten up.” It was Alex’s turn to pause and consider the lunacy of what he’d just said. It wasn’t lost on her father either.

  “Does my girl appear relaxed and laid-back to you?” Ralph asked, disbelief blending with amusement in his tone.

  “No.” Alex shook his head with a smile.

  “Don’t get me wrong, being goal oriented and planning for the future, those are all good things, but…” Ralph sighed as he leaned back in his seat. “All the planning in the world won’t guarantee anybody’s happiness and it certainly hasn’t brought my little girl much joy.”

  Alex stared up at the stars twinkling overhead an
d considered that for a moment before pointing out the obvious. “Her son has.”

  “Yeah.” Ralph nodded his head, considering that for a moment before casting a sly glance in Alex’s direction. “And I imagine another son or possibly even a daughter would only add to that.”

  “Probably would,” Alex agreed steadily, impressed that he managed even that much.

  Things were moving too fast, happening too quickly. There was a part of him that just wanted to slam on the brakes and go running in the opposite direction. It was an old, familiar feeling, one that had ruled him for thirteen years, but no more.

  Now his lusts wouldn’t be so easily quelled. Neither would the desires he kept hidden deep within. They’d flared to life that night as Alex sat there just hanging out with Ralph. It had been like a glimpse into a future that seemed more fantasy than could ever come true.

  “Of course, kids aren’t exactly what you Cattlemen are known for wanting a lot of.”

  All of Alex’s thoughts came to a crashing halt as Ralph pointed that out as if it were a well-known fact. Only it shouldn’t be, but Ralph looked assured enough that Alex knew there would be no point in denying the truth.

  “No, we’re not.” Alex admitted, confirming not only Ralph’s comment, but also his inherent assumption that Alex belonged to the club.

  “And aren’t you going to say my daughter is special?” Heather’s father prodded him, a strange hint of amusement infusing his words.

  “That she is…but how much do you know about Cattlemen?” Alex asked, almost dreading the answer.

  “Enough to know that Konor isn’t just here as your sidekick or a way to divert my grandson. Enough to be like most other people in this town—curious, though not nearly as outraged as perhaps some of the more righteous citizens, but you would be amazed at how quickly a father can become righteous when the conversation turns toward his daughter.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Actually Alex didn’t want to. What he wanted was to find an exit and escape this conversation, but Ralph wasn’t going to let him. The man had something to say and he was going to get it said.