Embrace the Wild (The Great Outdoors Book 5)

by Shayne McClendon

  Inhaling carefully, she asked the question she couldn’t avoid. “Have you seen my mother?”

  “Unfortunately. Svetlana traveled to the convent when you disappeared, certain I was hiding you. She grows angrier every day and fights with your father to send out mercenaries.”

  “He won’t do that. Not now. We’ve formed an alliance this past year. He transferred my inheritance from his parents and returned my stock portfolio to my name.”

  “A good sign. Jacob…he was unprepared for my sister.”

  “I won’t live for her anymore, Ana. I won’t be pimped out to the highest bidder. How much power does she need?”

  “I met the sheik a few months ago when I was summoned to the estate. He was old enough to be your grandfather and condescending to women. I disliked him immediately.”

  “He’s the reason I left. Hudson Winters helped me get out and Mother was hopeful I’d marry him.” She laughed. “As if such a man would marry for convenience. He requires no trophy on his arm. He has his best friend.”

  “I’ve met him. He does great work for our facilities in the city. If only Svetlana cared as much about character as net worth.”

  “The face and body I was born with were nothing more than a happenstance of genetics. It’s been wielded like a sword, slicing through normalcy and happiness. I’m tired of it. I want nothing more to do with being in the spotlight.”

  “I don’t blame you. I think you were done the first time she sent you to rehab.” Sipping her wine, she added, “Now you have a fresh start. These men should be part of that.”

  “I would like that.”

  “They can protect you? Your fame will not disappear simply because you do.”

  “Hollow gave me files on them. They were trained in everything I imagine would be necessary in an emergency.”

  “Hmm. Pretty to look at and skilled in combat. Strong genes for your future children.”

  “You keep saying that! It’s…terrifying. Who knows if my body would even be viable for a child now. It’s been horribly abused and neglected.”

  “Already you’re better. Another year and I imagine you’ll reverse most of the damage your mother did to keep you thin.”

  “I feel better, stronger.”

  “This place is good for you. These men are good for you. I approve of the new life you’re building here. Keep going.”

  The back door opened and the friends stepped out on the porch. They took seats on the top step and questioned Ana about life at her convent.

  She had all of them laughing with her unorthodox view of her home and fellow nuns.

  After dessert and coffee, Wade and Knox stood to leave. Galina walked them to the door.

  To Ana, Knox said, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ana. We look forward to more chances to talk while you’re here.”

  “A pleasure for me as well. Safe journey down the mountain, gentlemen. Come back tomorrow.”

  Wade’s eyes widened. “We were going to give you a couple of days to visit together. We don’t want to intrude.”

  “Nonsense. Come back. You’re my little one’s dearest companions. You must be included.”

  They stared into Galina’s face for a long moment before they bent and kissed her cheeks. The combined contact made her heart race instantly.

  “Tomorrow then.”

  “Goodnight, Galina.”

  She watched them walk to Wade’s truck and descend the mountain to their shared home.

  Turning, she met her aunt’s gaze. “You might be right. It might work.”

  “I told you!” Ana grinned. “I’m going to shower. We must have our traditional long talk before I fall asleep.”

  By the time Galina showered and crawled into bed, Ana was already there. They never liked to lose a moment together.

  Ana caught her up on all the gossip at the convent, the charities they were undertaking, how the sisters were doing.

  Galina smiled when her exhausted aunt drifted off mid-sentence. Turning off the lamp, she rolled to her back and thought about the evening.

  It took her much longer to find sleep. She relived the conversation, the laughter, and the way she felt when Wade and Knox touched her.

  Her aunt’s advice repeated in her mind and she wondered if maybe she didn’t have to choose between two men she cared about equally. If it was okay to have them both…and if they’d be open to such a thing.

  If yes, it presented so many interesting possibilities.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning, Galina presented her aunt with her amended will naming her as the executor and legal proxy.

  In the event she was incapacitated, Ana alone would be able to decide what happened to her.

  “A nun as your proxy? Brilliant, Galina. Your mother will disown us both, of course.”

  “If only she would, it would simplify things immensely.”

  Over the years, Galina visited Ana’s convent many times. She loved the quiet calm found there.

  Returning from one visit, she told her mother she wanted to become a nun with Ana’s order.

  Svetlana slapped her hard enough to knock her down and forbid her to ever mention such a thing again. Twelve at the time, she obeyed.

  She never lost her fascination for the women who served with her aunt. The spirit of selflessness and generosity of the unusual order received substantial donations from Galina.

  It was her way of living vicariously through a life she couldn’t have and didn’t fully understand.

  “We have several new nuns at the convent. I’ve told them all about you and they’re intrigued.”

  “New nuns?”

  “Older women like me. They possess skills and attitudes I adore. You wouldn’t believe their backgrounds.”

  Several hours later, her friends hiked up to her cabin and they had lunch together. They continued to touch her more than usual and Galina schooled her features to keep from showing how it affected her.

  When they left before dark, she felt the loss intensely.

  “You wish not to be parted from them. It’s a good sign that you truly love them, little one.”

  “I’m so accustomed to their presence. They’re larger than life.” She considered. “I like who I am when I’m around them. I enjoy how they talk to me and look me in the eye.”

  “Even good men are very much aware of your beauty.”

  Galina nodded. “I know.” Turning to look at Ana, she added, “But it’s not all they see. That’s the biggest difference.” Tugging her lip between her teeth, she wondered aloud, “I have to wonder if I’m enough, you know?”

  “Nonsense. Men such as those wouldn’t want you so much if you weren’t strong enough to handle them.” Gesturing with her coffee cup, she added, “They love all the parts of you.”

  If it was true, she wondered what to do next.

  They hiked, baked, and talked non-stop. They tried new recipes and Ana wrote down a couple she thought her niece would enjoy making.

  It was nice to visit with her favorite relative without the stress of returning to her supermodel life in her mother’s home.

  She was happier than ever, blending her new life and her old. Keeping what worked and discarding the rest.

  On Ana’s fourth morning with her, Galina opened her eyes to the sound of voices in the living room.

  It was barely dawn and she groaned.

  Throwing back the covers, she stood, stretched, and used the restroom. Rinsing her face, she padded from the bedroom. As the door swung wide, the sight of Wade and Knox laying out pastries while her aunt poured coffee greeted her.

  Everyone was wide awake and cheerful.

  “What’s going on and why didn’t you wake me?” she asked from the doorway. She heard the crankiness in her voice.

  Both men turned their heads at the same time to look at her. Wade tripped on his way to the table. Knox bobbled the plate he held and barely caught it.

  Her aunt watched them with a smile. “Galina love, com
e sit and have coffee.” She held out a chair for her niece and patted her shoulders.

  To the men, she asked, “Haven’t you seen her when she first wakes up?”

  “Not…like this.”

  Ana laughed at their stricken expressions. In Russian, she told Galina, “Proof that you’re not moving nearly fast enough with these two.”

  Choking on coffee, she murmured, “Ana…”

  Switching back to English, she said, “As a nun, such news makes me happy.” She smoothed her hand over Galina’s hair. “You didn’t realize how pretty she is?”

  Galina glared over her cup.

  “She’s not a morning person. She tends to be grouchy until at least ten. That’s her mother’s doing. A result of keeping her up until dawn as a child.”

  Wade and Knox stood frozen.

  Galina glanced down at her soft pink tank top and striped cotton sleep pants that hung low on her hips. She wore thick white socks on her feet and her hair was in a crazy tumble around her body.

  She said in a pissy voice, “Stop staring at me.”

  “I think you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” Wade whispered.

  “I can’t promise to do that,” Knox added honestly. “You’re kind of stealing my breath. You’re like a unicorn.”

  “Or a mermaid.”

  She growled.

  They laughed and it seemed to break the spell. She was just Galina again and it gave her a minute to clear the fog from her brain. Why wake up so early when they didn’t have to?

  Knox set the platter in the center of the table and took plates from the cabinet. They sat on either side of her and tried not to stare.

  Galina drew her legs up on the chair. Her knees came to her shoulders and she held her coffee cup around them.

  “I hate mornings. It’s why I like brunch. I barely survive when I go with one of you to work. Usually I get up two hours earlier or I just stay awake.”

  Wade didn’t hide his shock. “You’re not doing that anymore. You don’t have to go to work with us, Galina. Why would you put yourself through that?”

  “I like keeping you company.” Her blush annoyed her.

  “Keep us company at a reasonable hour, pretty girl,” Knox said as he smoothed his hand over her hair.

  Everyone left her alone. Ana finished her coffee and stood to make another pot.

  “I love these apples. Thank you for bringing them. They’ll make delicious tarts. We can bake them when you’re back to your usual cheerful self.”

  Warm rays of sun started to stream through the windows as the it rose higher in the sky.

  Ana poured coffee in a travel mug and announced, “I’m going for a walk to pray.”

  “Do you want company? I can get dressed.”

  “Enjoy your coffee…you just woke up! I won’t go far but I’m taking a pastry along. The Lord won’t mind if I talk with my mouth full and I need this cheese danish in my life.”

  She took a light jacket from the hook as she opened the door. Inhaling the clean mountain air, she sighed. “I see why you like it here so much, little one.”

  Then she was gone.

  The silence slammed into place and Galina wasn’t ready for small talk.

  Looking around the table at the groceries her friends brought, she asked, “When did you guys get here? You already went down the mountain to the bakery and back?”

  Knox reached out to push her hair over her shoulder, his fingertips stroking the side of her neck. Wade repeated the gesture on her other side.

  “We’ve been accustomed to getting up at the crack of ass all our adult life. The military makes you a morning person or else.” Wade lightly stroked her knee.

  She nodded, staring off into space for a moment. “I got information once…about joining the military. I went through this phase where I loved wearing camo and said hoorah a lot. Looking back, it was fucking obnoxious. I talked to a recruiter and everything. He told me he thought he was dreaming.”

  “What happened?”

  “My mom found the pamphlets and the forms I’d filled out.” She sipped her coffee. The moment she started to talk about her mother, her body always tensed.

  “She locked me in my room for a week. She couldn’t stop the story about me wanting to join and that infuriated her. They got tons of enlistments that year. I did lots of fundraisers for the military when I could talk Svetlana into it.”

  Knox stood to take her empty cup and his hand stroked over hers as he lifted it away. He brought her more and the same touch made her tingle a second time.

  “You were Marines, right?”

  They nodded and said, “Hoorah.”

  She laughed. “When I think I know everything about you, I discover I have more questions.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” Knox said.

  Wade moved his chair closer to her, straddled the back, and rested his arms across the top. “Served for four years on the ground then got sent to a specialty division and were eventually recruited by the CIA. We’d known each other years by then.” Inclining his head, he added, “Eat. You don’t eat enough.”

  “Everyone always told me to stop eating. It’s weird not to obsess over every calorie.”

  “You could gain another thirty pounds and still be under the healthy weight for your height.” Knox picked up the jar of honey. “Happiness is critical to good health. You don’t eat junk. I hope you learn to love eating food as much as you love preparing it.”

  “Don’t focus on the pounds. Just see you when you look in the mirror. You’re stunning.”

  “If you feel good, if you like the way you look, the pounds shouldn’t matter, Galina,” Knox added firmly.

  She sighed. “I’ve had an adversarial relationship with food all my life. It will take years to shed the bad habits.”

  “We have plenty of time.” Wade spread fresh butter on her croissant and Knox drizzled it with honey.

  The words affected her deeply but she didn’t ask him to clarify. She liked believing they’d be part of her life until the end.

  No need to upset her fantasy.

  Knox reached out to remove a flaky piece of croissant from the corner of her mouth and licked it off his finger. “Your body is undoubtedly beautiful but it doesn’t define you, Galina. A woman is more than a butt, breasts, and legs. You’re so much more than the sum of your parts.”

  “You have the most gorgeous smile. I love this little dimple that pops out…right here,” Wade stroked the tip of his finger beside her mouth, “when you’re truly happy.”

  “Th-thank you.”

  “Your hands are what really impress me. Long and slender, delicate. I’ve seen you chop wood with them.” Knox reached out to hold it between both of his. “You cook amazing meals with them. I’ve never eaten so well in my life.”

  Wade leaned closer. “Do you know why I don’t watch horse racing, Galina?” She shook her head. “They take a stunningly beautiful creature and make it train and run. It never has time to rest and recover. They race it, beat it, drive it past its’ endurance, not caring if it lives or dies because they have insurance to cover the loss.”

  He slid his palm along her neck and stroked her jaw with his thumb. “If it wins, they breed it for tons of money. If it loses, it’s sold or put down. It’s a billion-dollar industry. Your life reminds me of that.”

  She leaned into the warmth of his hand. Knox stroked her hand between both of his.

  “When I hit puberty, it was the only time my mother doubted my potential. I was nothing but knees and elbows. I didn’t work for almost a year. Too tall for the kids’ shows, too young for the adult shows.”

  She looked through the kitchen window to the trees beyond. “It was the best year of my life until I came here.”

  “No more racing. No more running, Galina.” Knox’s cheek pressed against hers. “Your inner self is even more stunning than your outer self.”

  “It’s time for you to rest. Nothing else matters in your life but wha
t you want.” Wade’s forehead rested against her temple. “You aren’t property, Galina, to be bartered, auctioned, or sold. You deserve to be happy more than anyone else I know.”

  Knox chuckled. “Not that your lovely soul makes you less than hotness personified. Not gonna lie.”

  Galina laughed, happy she’d recalled her past with fewer tears than usual. Knox turned her face gently and gave her a light kiss on her lips before Wade did the same.

  “You’re a fighter. Never forget that.” He kissed her again, a little more firmly and Knox turned her to him to mimic it. Then Wade got up and poured her more coffee.

  They washed the few dishes in the sink and her heart was in her throat as she watched them work together.

  “Even when I tried to make myself plain, you two were always so good to me.”

  Knox laughed. “Despite popular belief and your stellar career, looks are not everything. We know a good person when we meet one. If everyone knew the person you are inside, maybe they’d stop ogling your tits long enough to have a decent conversation.”

  “Right! We got to know you first, to truly like you as a person. Now we don’t feel bad ogling.” Wade’s smile was obvious in profile and it made Galina giggle.

  Joining her at the table, they took turns kissing her lips lightly. Until she could barely breathe.

  Suddenly, they both stood and busied themselves around the kitchen. Ana opened her front door.

  They must have heard her aunt walking up on the porch. Galina smiled and tried to get her bearings.

  After a long moment of watching the three of them, Ana said in Russian, “They look hungry and I don’t mean for food, little one.” She grinned. “They want you badly, it is obvious. It appears you want them as much.”

  “I can’t talk to you about this now.” She struggled to contain her blush and cleared her throat. “How was your walk?”

  “The Lord was as vague as He ever is. I don’t take offense. Mysteries make you keep searching.”

  Wade leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. “How would you like to learn to shoot?”

  “A gun?” The friends chuckled and nodded. “I’ve only used guns in movies. I watched the clients during the class but didn’t want to shoot myself.”