The American Soldier Collection 17: Love a Woman Right (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
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The American Soldier Collection 17: Love a Woman Right
Lois feels battered and broken. A victim of domestic violence, she is scared to let down her guard or desire a romance with any man never mind four. Her focus is on her son, and gaining some sort of control of her life and finding a future where she can support them. The Sheriff and his brothers have set their eyes on her. They're interested, claiming guardianship of her, but she's not biting. She just can't believe their claims of wanting to love her right and protect her and her son from further harm. The thing is, she’s attracted to them. She is feeling ready to give them a chance as they show her support in her new business venture and help caring for her son as their own. It is a roller coaster of emotions and as she finally lets her guard down a decision from her past could take it all away and end her life once and for all. Can her American Soldiers save her, or does her fate lie in the hands of a man she escaped?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense
Length: 48,233 words
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 17:
LOVE A WOMAN RIGHT
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 17: LOVE A WOMAN RIGHT
Copyright © 2016 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-280-1
First E-book Publication: May 2016
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of The American Soldier Collection 17: Love a Woman Right by Dixie Lynn Dwyer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
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The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
Dear readers,
Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of Love a Woman Right.
All Lois ever really wanted was to be loved. After a difficult upbringing and making some wrong choices that nearly caused her sister and son to be killed, she figured she was destined for loneliness.
It was safer to be alone, then to open up her heart and take a chance at love. Especially since she didn’t really know what love really was.
Sometimes we tend to take the basic things for granted. A simple smile, a hug, a show of support or helping hand. Sometimes the fears from our pasts hold us back from getting the future we deserve.
Lois is no different. It takes a special town, and special men to love her right.
May you enjoy Lois’s story.
Happy reading.
Hugs!
~Dixie~
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
About the Author
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 17:
LOVE A WOMAN RIGHT
DIXIE LYNN DWYER
Copyright © 2016
Prologue
Lois Willow leaned against the tree and watched Kenny playing with Tye and Lena. They got along so well. The therapy sessions were helping so much. It was like Kenny, Tye, and Lena had an instant bond. The past few months had gone by in a blur, and Lois couldn’t believe that school was only a few days away. She felt her chest tighten and a nauseous sensation fill her heart. She swallowed hard as tears filled her eyes. How was she going to let him go? How was she going to make it through the day not seeing him, checking on him, and making sure that he was safe and sound and not still suffering from what he witnessed?
She wiped the tears before they fell and looked away from the kids in an attempt to hide her tears. When her eyes locked on to Evan and Ford Brazos, who had been talking to Sparrow by the side of the house, she was shocked. Their expressions darkened and their eyes squinted with concern and she quickly avoided their stares.
Please don’t come over here. Oh, God, please don’t. I can’t handle it. I can’t handle any of the Brazos men being close and acting concerned. I don’t want any man next to me. Oh, God, please.
She started to feel herself panic. She couldn’t help the sensation. This was another aspect of her fears and anxiety from the assault and all that had taken place nine months ago. Her therapist told her it was normal, a natural reaction to dealing with her fears, but why now? Why, when she should feel safe and in control while watching Kenny and the kids play?
She glanced to the right, hoping that they hadn’t noticed. No such luck. Sparrow led the way, his concern apparent. She didn’t know what to do or how to avoid them. She pushed away from the tree and Kenny called to her. “Mamma, can we have something to eat? We’re hungry.”
“Yeah, Aunt Lois, can we have cookies?” Tye asked, running toward her.
“Me, too! Me, too!” Lena exclaimed and ran forward. She fell down and Lois gasped and ran to her.
“Are yo
u okay, honey?” she asked her and Lena looked up with a sad expression on her face as she nodded her head. Lois smiled. She was so brave and strong. They always seemed to fight showing fear.
“Everything okay out here? I thought I heard some kids mention cookies?” Valentina asked as she came out onto the porch carrying a tray of milk and cookies.
“Yes!” Tye and Kenny exclaimed and they ran for the tray.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You three go inside and wash up first,” Valentina said and smiled.
Lois glanced behind her as the men approached. Ford and Evan didn’t take their eyes off of her and she quickly hurried up the stairs.
“Is Grace sleeping?” she asked Valentina, and her sister smiled. “Out cold with Beck on the couch in the living room,” Valentina said and chuckled. Lois smiled softly. Her sister was so happy and very lucky to have met and fallen in love with such great men. They had accepted her adopting three kids and helped her out every step of the way.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Sparrow said to Valentina and pulled her off the porch and into his arms. Her sister wrapped her arms around his shoulders and they kissed. Lois couldn’t help but smile and then turn away as Ford and Evan approached.
“Afternoon, Lois, Valentina,” Evan said and Valentina said hello as Sparrow set her down.
“Where’s the baby?” he asked her. She smiled. “With your brother, out cold on the couch. I guess he needed a nap, too.”
They laughed.
“Damn, he beat me to it. I could use a little nap and a snuggle with a sweet little angel in my arms,” he said. Valentina caressed his cheek.
“If she naps again later on, I’ll call you over,” she teased him and they all chuckled.
Sparrow lifted her up into his arms and held her close.
“I was talking about you and me snuggling a bit, angel,” he whispered.
“Sparrow,” she reprimanded.
“You two go ahead and we’ll help Lois with the kids,” Evan said with a smile. Lois felt instantly sick. Her sister must have seen her expression as well as Sparrow. He squinted at her and released Valentina.
“That’s okay. There’s no time for naps. We have to gather the kids’ things for school Monday and go shopping for their snacks and their first-day-of-school outfits,” Valentina said and took her sister’s arm and hugged her close. Lois smiled.
“It’s going to be wonderful knowing that Kenny, Tye, and Lena have one another to go to school together. Tye and Kenny will be in the same classroom and Lena right across the hallway. The teachers are very nice, too,” Valentina said. Lois felt that uneasy feeling again as she thought about leaving Kenny and not knowing what to do without him for the day. In the past, she thought about how other moms felt leaving their kids, letting them go off to school like that. For her, it was different. She still felt fearful despite the reassurance from everyone, including the teachers, her therapist, and Valentina, that Kenny would be safe and that this was a good thing. It would mean time for herself—a chance to think about a job, gaining her self-confidence, and getting rid of the fears.
Valentina released her arm as the kids came outside looking to snack on the milk and cookies. Lois went to walk over toward them when she felt a hand touch hers.
She pulled away and looked wide-eyed at Evan. Ford just stared at her from under his black Stetson.
She was embarrassed for reacting like that, but she didn’t appreciate being touched. What gave him the right to touch her hand like that? She was angry and scared, especially since she didn’t want to accept the instant attraction she felt toward the men. Evan licked his lower lip and stared down into her eyes. He was big and tall, filled with muscles, and very serious looking. All his brothers shared that expression. It caused this fearful reaction, despite their good looks. Evan was handsome with a little scruff along his tan skin. Ford was tan, too, but more mysterious. He was a man of few words, and that made Lois question everything about him even more.
“You’ll have some downtime with Kenny in school. If you need any help with anything, feel free to call us. Any of us are here for you,” he offered.
She wanted to tell him no thank you, or bug off, or something, but she was caught in the dark brown of his eyes, his sexy smile, and how him being this close to her unnerved her. She glanced at Ford, who was very tan with dark eyes and an expression of dominance and control that put her on edge. He had his thumbs resting in the loops of his black jeans. His eyes narrowed at her in that serious manner that was all Ford, a man of authority and power.
She turned away without a response and walked toward Valentina and Sparrow, who had watched the whole exchange.
“She’ll let you know if she needs any help. Your Aunt Dora is going to be watching baby Grace for me on Monday after Lois and I drop off Lena, Tye, and Kenny at school. Lois and I have appointments in town.”
“We do?” Lois asked her. This was the first she’d heard about it.
“Yes, we do. A bit of pampering, thanks to Sparrow and his brothers.”
“Pampering?” Evan asked as Valentina offered him and Ford a cookie each, which they immediately took.
“Yup, the works at the salon,” Sparrow said with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He smiled and winked at Lois.
“We’re getting our hair done, and manicures and pedicures, too. Then lunch at the café,” Valentina said to them.
“A massage, too?” Evan asked and held Lois’s gaze. She panicked and looked at Valentina. Valentina caressed her hand and gave her a wink.
“No massages. We have to get back home for the kids and to pick up baby Grace at your mom’s house. I thought Lois and I would walk down to the school to pick them up with Grace, too.”
“That sounds nice. You deserve some pampering,” Evan said to her and Valentina. They were quiet as the kids ate cookies and drank milk.
“These are delicious,” Ford said and reached over to take another one.
“They’re Lois’s secret recipe,” Valentina said, and Ford and Evan looked at Lois.
“They’re delicious. Do you like baking?” Evan asked her. She couldn’t help the uneasy feeling she had. She didn’t want to do small talk or get to know them. They put her on edge and made her feel nervous. Evan, Ford, and their brothers had reputations of being kind of crazy and really assertive soldiers. She had overheard stories Sparrow and his brothers told with their dads. They did dangerous work, and Ghost and Ford were still trying to transition into civilian life after retiring only six months ago.
“She knows how to make a bunch of different kinds, but these are our favorite, right guys?” Valentina answered for her and spoke toward the kids, who then cheered and said how yummy the cookies were. Valentina reached over and wiped Lena’s cheek, which had milk on it, and gave her a smile.
Lois didn’t like the fact that Ford had his hand on the back of her chair, or that Evan was sitting next to her with his leg brushing against hers every time he reached forward. She glanced at him. His dark expression had her clasping her hands in her lap and trying not to move. He was so close, and each time his thigh touched hers, she felt a massive amount of heat.
“Want some milk, Evan?” Sparrow teased. They chuckled.
“How about some iced tea?” Valentina asked and went to stand up.
“I’ll get it,” Lois said and rose from her chair. Anything to get away from the two Brazos men. They made her nervous.
She clutched her sweater as she squeezed by both men. Ford held her gaze as she looked up into his eyes. She was so petite compared to them. Even that intimidated her.
Lois went inside and passed the living room, seeing Beck and baby Grace sleeping. She couldn’t help but smile. She headed toward the kitchen, being quiet as she made the iced tea and grabbed some glasses. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Evan there. He looked her body over, making her feel on edge. He was a good-looking man, but he was a soldier, a man who represented the things she feared. So he was nice, seemed friendly, and sweet fro
m the moment they met. It didn’t matter. She’d thought Caden was a gentleman, a protector and a real man. He had turned on her quickly, hit her without hesitation, and then did what he did in a fit of anger and without a thought of Kenny as he raped her. She swallowed and felt that slight constricting feeling. Evan stepped closer. “Lois, are you okay?” he whispered.
She snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at the couch, trying to be as quiet as possible. She nodded and then went to lift the tray, but her hands were shaking. Instantly, Evan covered her hands as he leaned up against her. She gasped, put down the tray, and froze in place.
“Easy, darling. I’m not going to hurt you. God, you look so scared all the time. When you look at me or my brothers, you look like you’re afraid of us. It’s killing me, Lois.”
She felt the tears reach her eyes. There he was, being nice and seeming kind and compassionate. She knew better. Men could not be trusted. She wasn’t a normal woman anymore. She was tainted, scarred, battered, and broken.
“Let go of my hands,” she whispered, her voice cracking. He did immediately.
“Let me carry the tray out,” he responded.
She glanced back at him once he stepped away. She damned her body for feeling the loss of him pressed against her. Why was she reacting like this? She could never let a man close to her or Kenny again. She couldn’t have what Valentina had. She had to put Kenny first, always. So why, as he walked away with the tray, did she let her eyes roam over his backside and his muscular, jean-covered legs and think that the man was absolutely perfect?