Love Under Two Quarterbacks [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
The Lusty, Texas Collection
Love Under Two Quarterbacks
Ari Stein is certain that romance is nowhere in the cards for her. Carrying the scars from a traumatic childhood, she’s wandered, rootless, until she landed in Lusty. Now her restless spirit has calmed and for the first time since she was teen, she feels safe and at home.
Twins, Cord and Jackson Benedict, have built rather amazing careers in the NFL, earning themselves the moniker, “The Wonder Twins.” Then Jackson takes a hit in training camp and it’s time to start over.
Grandma Kate convinced them to come to Lusty and meet this side of their family. One look at Ari and they know they made the right move—and once they see the way the Lusty branch of their family lives, they know what they want their future to be. Will they succeed in getting Ari to open up and trust them? Or will a specter from her past, and an annoying little pissant from theirs, stop them from finding their happy ever after?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 87,491 words
LOVE UNDER TWO QUARTERBACKS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
Cara Covington
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at
legal@sirenbookstrand.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
LOVE UNDER TWO QUARTERBACKS
Copyright © 2013 by Cara Covington
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-001-4
First E-book Publication: December 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 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 Love Under Two Quarterbacks by Cara Covington from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Cara Covington’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Covington’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m living my dreams today, but I didn’t get here on my own.
I continue to be grateful to the lovely and talented Heather Rainier. Author of the Divine Creek Ranch series, Heather is not only an awesome author, she is an exceptional woman. Her generosity and professionalism continue to astound me. I trust her as I have trusted few others, and I know my heroes’ sister in this book will find her happy-ever-after, in Heather’s hands.
Thanks to Mr. Rainier for more things than I can count, including making my Facebook banners. He’s not only a wonderful husband to my friend, Heather, he makes damn fine biscuits.
Thank you, Stormy, for your invaluable work as my beta reader.
Thank you, Lusty Ladies, for your enthusiasm and support. I am so very lucky to have you!
Last but never, ever least, my thanks to the hardworking men and women at Siren-Bookstrand. It was wonderful having the chance to meet y’all. Diana, you know how much I love and respect you. Thank you, again, for saying yes.
DEDICATION
To my husband of 41 and a half years, David. Thank you for asking so that I could say yes.
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
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
About the Author
LOVE UNDER TWO QUARTERBACKS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
CARA COVINGTON
Copyright © 2013
Prologue
July, 2013
Cord Benedict of the Montana Benedicts felt everything inside him go ice cold. The silence in the doctor’s office had a surreal quality to it. He slid a glance over to his brother, and then, when he saw the tightness around Jackson’s mouth, the convulsive swallow, Cord gave up any attempt at being subtle in his perusal.
He could see the shock on his brother’s face. They’d come there today expecting everything to be fine—and it wasn’t.
“So, in plain English, Dr. Wyatt, what you’re saying is…”
His brother couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“What I’m saying, Mr. Benedict, is that you need to find another way of making a living. One that hopefully won’t produce any more concussions. Because the next one could cripple, or kill you.”
Cord ran his hand through his short blond hair. Shit. Life is a smart-ass bitch sometimes.
Cord and his brother were just about to begin their sixth season with the Billings Badgers. They’d started out, together, first- and second-string quarterbacks. Then two seasons ago, Jackson demonstrated he wasn’t a one-trick pony, and became the team’s star running back. He’d always played both positions in high school and in college.
Together, h
e and his brother had proven to be an unbeatable pair. Last year, they’d carried the Badgers to their first ever Super Bowl victory. The press had given them the moniker “The Wonder Twins.”
Jackson wasn’t the only one having trouble wrapping his head around what the neurologist had just said. There was no one on earth closer to him than his brother. No one he loved more. “I don’t understand,” Cord said. “It was only a training camp injury. It wasn’t even a fucking game!”
“It wasn’t even a really hard hit,” Jackson said. “I’ve had a lot harder.”
“I am sorry, gentlemen. I understand your frustration. But this wasn’t your first concussion, Mr. Benedict. And the thing is, sometimes it’s not how hard you’re hit, but the precise location of the blow. The results of the CT scan are conclusive.” Dr. Wyatt sat back and folded his hands so that they lay across his stomach. “The choice is yours, of course. You can continue to play. You might get lucky and avoid being tackled too hard. You might not get another concussion.”
Despite the gravity of the moment, Jackson gave a bark of laughter. That was the first sign Cord had that his brother was going to be all right.
“I’d heard that some people swear NFL stands for ‘Not For Long.’” Dr. Wyatt’s affable manner turned serious. “Mr. Benedict, it’s my firm belief that if you continue to play football, that phrase will be an accurate descriptor for the length of the rest of your life.”
“I have to think about everything. I have to take this in.”
“Of course you do. When you’re ready, call my receptionist and we’ll have a follow-up appointment.”
Cord let his brother have his thoughts as they left Dr. Wyatt’s office in the Billings Clinic Hospital and headed toward his truck.
“Let me drive,” Jackson said.
Cord tossed him the keys and got into the passenger side of his Dodge Ram. He continued to wait while his brother mentally processed the news he’d just received and negotiated downtown Billings traffic.
Cord had his own thoughts, of course. He’d had ideas about what would come after football. Something that he’d wanted to do for some time now, and had put off and filed under the heading of “someday.” Since Jackson had never spoken of what would come next, he figured he could get his proposal out there, first. But he’d wait until Jackson was ready to talk.
He hoped to God his brother would be reasonable and realize their days in the NFL were, indeed, over.
Cord sure as hell wasn’t going to keep playing if Jackson decided to retire. Hell, if Jackson didn’t quit, if he decided to keep playing anyway, then Cord would retire. That would make his twin think things over again and, knowing him as he did, follow Cord wherever he went.
Jackson was usually the leader, unless Cord set out on his own.
Jackson took them to Pioneer Park, a short drive from where they’d had their meeting with Dr. Wyatt. He wondered at his brother’s choice of destination at first, but understood once he parked the truck.
Cord said nothing, just followed his twin out to the mostly empty bleachers bordering the idle football field.
An unseasonably cool breeze sprang up and Cord hunched into himself, his hands tucked into his pockets, and waited.
Finally, Jackson cleared his throat. Cord didn’t say a word or even think anything of it when he also swiped at a tear. They were twins, closer than close, and anything—be it anger, or excitement, or even tears shed between them—was okay.
“Fuck,” Jackson said.
As an opening salvo it made up for in universality what it lacked in eloquence. “Yeah, pretty much,” Cord agreed.
They weren’t identical twins, which meant that people could always tell them apart. Jackson was older than he by about ten minutes. He wasn’t quite as easygoing as Cord. He tended to fewer words, and his temper was slow to ignite but burned like a fucking volcano. Jackson’s hair and eyes were dark, whereas Cord’s were light, blond and blue.
But they often thought as one, and they had done everything together for most of their lives.
They’d been raised in cattle country, working their family ranch from the time they first sat a horse, well before either of them could ride a bicycle. They knew how to work hard, and they knew how to party hearty.
Neither had married because they hadn’t found anyone—either alone or together—to fall in love with. Neither of them had worried about it, even if they had just celebrated their thirty-third birthday recently. Both would like to get married, settle down, and raise kids.
Both really wanted to share a wife, but they didn’t know if that was just a hiccup from their ancestors and antecedents or if it was something they really wanted and could realistically achieve.
All these things had been thoughts for the future, for the days after their careers in the NFL were complete.
Cord guessed the future had just arrived.
Finally, Jackson sighed. “I look at this empty field here, and it kind of seems like every field we’ve ever practiced on or played on.”
Cord could see his brother’s gaze was riveted to one of the goal posts. He wondered if he was looking back, just then, as if watching a newsreel of the highlights of their football careers—of his own football career, now cut short.
“I think of the hours of practice, the ice and hot packs for muscle strains and pains, the sweat and the waking up in a dark hotel room and not knowing, in those first few moments, what city we’re in.
“I think of the years we planned for this, starting back in middle school. I think of the time spent working out between seasons, and how every decision we’ve ever made from the time we were ten to this point was made around that.” Jackson jabbed his finger in the air, pointing to the empty field.
Then he turned and met Cord’s gaze. “But in the end, it’s only a game. It’s only a fucking game and one I’m done with. But you, little brother—”
“I’m done, too. Most of the joy of it for me was being with you. Don’t even think of arguing with me about it, either, big brother. If our asses were reversed…”
“Yeah. I know. But I had to try.” Jackson shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.” He closed his eyes for one moment and inhaled deeply, then exhaled. He opened his eyes again.
Cord wasn’t fooled. He knew Jackson hadn’t even begun to grieve for the loss of something he’d loved. That was all right. When he was ready for that step, Cord would be there, waiting for him.
“Okay,” Jackson said. “We’re done with football. But what the fuck comes next?”
Cord gave him a wide smile that he knew his brother would easily call a shit-eating grin. Then he slapped him on the back.
“You don’t have to worry about that one bit, big brother, because I happen to have a plan.”
Chapter 1
September, 2013
Cord Benedict came to an abrupt stop in front of the large sepia print. He felt the sensation of a shiver racing down his spine—the same kind he used to say was someone walking over his grave.
That was an old saying, no doubt. But this was an old photograph and probably the second biggest shock he’d ever had in his life, next to his brother’s diagnosis.
Beside him, Jackson said, “Well son of a bitch! What the hell do you think about that?”
“At least now I know why everyone we’ve met since we hit town has been giving us a wide-eyed stare.”
“No shit.”
He read the plate at the base of the picture, shaking his head. “Grandma Kate must have known about this,” Cord said. “I wonder why she never said anything to us about it?”
“I guess I can’t really blame her. Remember what Dad said about the first time she came to visit us?”
Cord nodded. “Yeah. Grandfather wanted to make amends, but only to a certain point. I recall that Dad said Kate was very kind, and very soft spoken every time she visited him until he died.”
“And every time since, I know that if any of us had any questions, she answered them without hesitatio
n. She just didn’t offer any information we didn’t ask for, so I guess I can understand why she just never figured to bring this up,” Jackson said, pointing at the photograph.
“Well now, I couldn’t know what you two were thinking, could I? And I certainly couldn’t know that you had more than a passing interest in this side of your family, or that you would ever visit, let alone actually move here.”
Cord looked to his left and grinned at the diminutive woman who stood just a little farther inside the museum. “There you are!” He wasted no time in going to her and hugging the woman he’d known all his life as Grandma Kate. Of course, technically she wasn’t his grandmother. But one thing he could say for certain, and that was that Kate Benedict never let technicalities get in the way of family.
Jackson hugged her as well, and Cord knew his brother was just as delighted to see the woman as he was himself. They’d been too busy the last couple of weeks since arriving in the Lusty area to have much more than a quick visit with Grandma Kate.
“I thought we could start out here at the museum with a tour and our meeting, and then go on over to Kelsey’s for lunch. But I did want the two of you to see that.” She nodded toward the picture.
“Give us their hats and their clothing, we could be their doubles,” Cord said.
“The resemblance of the two of you with Caleb and Joshua Benedict is uncanny,” Kate said. “And to be honest, that resemblance has only really shown itself in the last few years.”
“As we matured and got close to their ages,” Jackson said.