Rebecca shook her head and then gave Ari a hug. “Congratulations on finding each other, and thank you for deciding to stay in the area. I like you and I am really glad you’re going to make Lusty your home.”
“No need to thank any of us for deciding to settle here,” Ari said. “I think this is where we’re meant to be.”
“Sometimes, it’s just like that,” Cody said. “One day you wake up and find yourself exactly where you need to be. I know I sure did.”
“Now that you’re staying, you and I will have to take a trip together to that boutique I was telling you about over in Morehead, not far from Divine.”
“Oh, yes!” Ari knew the one she meant. It had been a topic of conversation during the sleepover a few weeks back. “I bet we could get a bunch of the women together and visit that store en masse. Emily Anne showed me some of the things she bought there.”
“Boutique?” Cord asked.
“Near Divine?” Jackson looked from Ari—she couldn’t hide her sly smile for the life of her—and Rebecca, who was also grinning a kind of cat-ate-the-canary kind of grin.
“Uh-huh,” Rebecca said. “It’s called Discretion, and because it is, I’m not saying another word about it.”
“My God, men. Your eyes will cross and you’ll drool. I guarantee it,” Greg said. Then he tilted his head and looked at Jackson. “I’m sorry your folks couldn’t join us. I’m looking forward to meeting some more of my distant relations.”
“Our folks wouldn’t join us,” Jackson said. “At least not right now. They’re a bit miffed with us, I’m afraid, for choosing to live here, and to share Ari. Our brothers and sisters don’t have that same prejudice. They’ll be out to visit us, eventually.”
“In the meantime, I feel like we’ve family a plenty right here,” Cord said.
“And so you should.” Abigail Benedict, Greg’s mother, stepped forward and gave each of them a hug. She’d arrived with her sister-in-law, Bernice, and their husbands.
“Abby’s right. You just go ahead and consider us your honorary parents,” Bernice said.
Ari saw her men were both touched by that. “Thank you,” Cord said. He gave an extra little kiss to both ladies’ cheeks. “I appreciate your caring. And your cookies.”
Bernice laughed. “I’ll send some your way from time to time. There are a lot of cookie lovers in this town.”
“Now, you men need to take very good care of this lovely young woman, here,” Caleb Benedict said. He shook their hands and slapped their backs. Ari he hugged gently. “Ari is precious to everyone, and if you don’t do right by her, you’ll be hearing from us.” He looked over his shoulder at his brothers. They took their cue, folded their arms in front of their chests, and nodded. “You’ll be hearing from all of us,” Caleb Benedict said.
Jackson schooled his features. Ari had overheard Chase tell him yesterday that one of the family traditions was that the older men say words to that effect to the newly affianced men. He nodded. “Yes, sirs. Cord and I are all about taking very good care of our Ari.”
Chase and Brian came in, as did Ricoh Stone. The foreman of the Benedict North Ranch didn’t strike Ari as being much of a party animal—not that there was a lot of partying going on in Lusty. But he came, and congratulated the men and hugged her sweetly.
“Gosh, I haven’t seen your ugly mugs since a whole couple of hours ago.” Brian Benedict grinned as he shook his cousins’ hands. He hugged her and she couldn’t help but return both his hug and his grin.
“I’ll forgive you that insult, but only because your dear, sweet wife has been working hard to prepare the food for tonight,” Cord said.
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten my promise of a comeuppance,” Jackson said.
“Well now”—Chase came to stand beside his brother—“it could very well be that when your brothers Jesse and Barry come to Lusty for a visit, you may have to eat those words.”
Both Cord and Jackson seemed to think that was very funny.
Ginny, Adam, and Jake Kendall arrived, with their twin baby boys and Benny. That young man, in Ari’s opinion, redefined the word “adorable.”
“Hi ,Ari! Hi, Cord! Hi, Jackson!”
Her men high-fived the little guy, and she shook his hand. He stepped back and looked up at his mom. “Can I go see if Mark and Shaun are here yet?” When Ginny raised one eyebrow and waited, Benny appeared to think for a moment. Then his “ah-ha” moment showed on his face, and his gap-toothed grin melted her heart. “May I go see if Mark and Shaun are here yet?”
“You may.” Ginny smiled as her son scampered off. Adam and Jake shared a look and both shook their heads.
“You do realize it isn’t either of Clay’s sons that our son is really interested in,” Adam said to his wife.
“I do. I would say considering his age, his first crush is right on time.”
Ari grinned. Benny was seven, and had more than his share of charm. She thought of little Bonnie, Clay Dorchester’s young daughter. She was eight, but very shy and very much, judging by Jake’s words, the object of Benny’s crush.
“Thank you for coming,” Cord said. “And a huge thanks to you, Jake, for taking on that Peeping Tom posing as a photographer.”
Jake’s smile came quickly. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. Believe me when I say the pleasure was entirely mine.”
Ari wasn’t surprised when her stepbrother Jeremy arrived. She knew he’d come to Lusty a couple of weeks before. He’d made some new friends in Terence Jessop and Carmichael Jones.
Jeremy hugged her and then held her shoulders, so he could look at her. “I’ve been learning about this adopted town of yours. I can see why you took to it right off. There’s a strong sense of family, here.”
Ari nodded. “There is. I was looking for my place and didn’t even know it.”
“I’ve been looking for mine for some time, now. I hope someday to be as fortunate as you, and find it. In the meantime, I’m grateful for a place to just be me for a while.”
Ari knew he’d been hounded by the press back in Indianapolis, which was why he’d come to Lusty.
Gord Jessop and Clayton Dorchester arrived together and with Clay’s three children. Ari recognized the chip on the oldest boy’s shoulder. It looked a lot like the one she herself had worn not that long ago.
Clay shook hands with her men, and her, while Gord gave her a sweet, albeit awkward hug. Then Clay introduced his children—Shaun, Mark, and Bonnie. The middle boy looked a little like a fish out of water. The older one had sneering down to a fine art, and Bonnie clung to her father’s hand, but looked around with wide eyes.
Ari watched as Bonnie spotted Tasha. The little girl offered the older one a shy smile.
“This is so weird. How come so many people have such weird families? This isn’t anything like home,” Shaun said.
“Because they do,” Clayton said. Then he looked down at his oldest. “All these people are family, and this is home. Why don’t you and your brother and sister go and help yourselves to something to eat. Grab us a table while you’re at it.”
The draw of food at least removed the sneer.
Ari could only imagine how hard it was for the children, adjusting to not only a whole new community, but the loss of their mother. She’d seen the kids, and Clay, from time to time and had to agree with the assessment she’d heard. Clay was a good father, if a very tired-looking one.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Ari said.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad to see you smiling, Miss Ari,” Gord said.
“I hope you’re not offended by Shaun’s comments,” Clay said. “He was really not happy about our moving here. He was getting into trouble back home. Toronto is a city with more than five million people, and with way too much temptation for one very angry young man.”
“We’re not offended. It is kind of weird, when you think about it,” Cord said. Then his mood sobered. “It can’t be easy for any of you, dealing with that kind of
loss.”
“No, it’s not. But then life often isn’t easy.” Clay nodded and then headed off to find his children. Gord followed, and Ari again marveled at the way people who seemed so different on the surface often became such very good friends.
Then biggest surprise of the night walked through the door. Grandma Kate had arrived, and she wasn’t alone.
“My God!” Jackson headed right to the pretty auburn-haired woman about two steps ahead of Cord.
With eyes the color of cinnamon peeking out from behind her glasses and long, beautiful hair, Ari immediately recognized the young woman, because she’d seen the pictures both of her men carried in their wallets. She’d looked panicked until she’d spotted her brothers. Then she smiled, and Ari was awed by her beauty.
“Nika!” Jackson picked her up and hugged her. She gave a little squeal, and hung on while he spun her in a circle. Then he set her down and kissed her cheek. “I’m so damn happy you’re here!”
“That makes two of us.” Cord repeated his brother’s gesture, and the young woman laughed. He set her down, and then he turned around, bent down, and kissed Grandma Kate’s cheek. “Thank you. What a great surprise!”
“You’re welcome. Although I didn’t invite Veronica here just for you.”
“Come and meet our Ari,” Jackson said.
Jackson and Cord were both beaming as they brought their youngest sister over to her. “Veronica Benedict, meet Ari Stein, soon-to-be Benedict.”
“Hi, Veronica.” Ari recognized the tension in the woman, the shyness and the nerves at being some place with so many strangers. She could certainly relate to that. She’d never been one to like large crowds, either.
Ari recognized something else as well. Veronica wore a fair amount of makeup, makeup designed to hide ugly reality. She’d tried to cover a bruise high on one cheekbone and hadn’t quite succeeded. Her men didn’t notice it, but she did.
Schooling her features she gave Veronica a gentle hug and met Grandma Kate’s gaze over her shoulder.
The nonagenarian nodded, answering her unspoken question.
“I’m so pleased to meet you,” Veronica said. Then she looked at her brothers and Ari was touched by the love in her expression. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into with these two?”
Ari smiled and shrugged. “They’re kinda cute, and they’ve grown on me. Besides, if I tried to brush them off, they’d just whine.”
Her men both chuckled. “We would, too,” Cord said.
“We’re so happy you’re here, Nika. You didn’t bring Bubba, did you?” Jackson asked.
Veronica shook her head and sighed. “No. I didn’t bring Brent.”
“Good. Listen, we have plenty of room in the house we’re leasing. We’ll fix up the spare bedroom for you and we can spend some time together.”
“Oh, that won’t be possible, I’m afraid,” Kate said.
“It won’t?”
Jackson and Veronica said that at the same time. Both of them turned to look at Grandma Kate.
“No, it won’t. I have a surprise for you, Veronica. I knew you might be a little uncomfortable interviewing people you’re related to.” Kate looked at Ari. “Veronica is a wonderful author. She writes romance, and has decided to expand her horizons by writing erotic romance. Ménages are all the rage in romance reading, you know.”
“Yes, I did know that,” Ari said. She’d never considered herself an insightful person, but there were vibes all around her.
She might not know what was going on, but she sure knew Grandma Kate. Ari prepared to back up whatever the woman had planned for her future sister-in-law.
“Well, as it happens, there’s another town just down the road, called Divine. We’ve been invited to go and stay with friends of mine, Grace Warner and her husbands Jack Warner, Ethan Grant, and Adam Davis. And, best of all, we’ll be attending a small wedding between a lovely young teacher and her three fiancés.”
“But—” Cord started to protest but Ari cut him off.
“Oh, that’s a great opportunity,” Ari said. She gently squeezed Cord’s hand. He looked at her, and she could feel Jackson’s eyes on her, too. “And really, Divine isn’t all that far away. And we’re not going anywhere, Veronica. We’ll be here when you get back.”
Ari didn’t really know what was going on, but she could see very clearly that Grandma Kate wanted Veronica to go to Divine.
Ari was willing to bet that Kate’s instincts were in play. Someone had hit her future sister-in-law. Veronica, who was actually a few years older than she was, looked to be in need of some very special care.
There was no one better than Kate Benedict to take a wounded soul in hand. She should know. Kate had worked wonders with her.
“Why don’t we go and get some tea and pastries, and settle in. You boys can come over and spend some time with your sister when you’re done greeting your guests. I’ve arranged for Henry to fly us over to the Divine Creek Ranch in the morning.”
“But I just arrived,” Veronica said. “I haven’t even unpacked.”
Ari read the anxiety on the young woman’s face. I bet she doesn’t like to travel. I bet she likes to stay in her own little space. Ari used to be like that, too. A part of her wanted, very much, to go and wrap her arms around Veronica. But Veronica didn’t know her yet, so Ari hung back and let the one woman who did handle everything.
“And that’s the beauty of it! You don’t have to repack. We’ll fix you up for tonight over at the Big House, and then we’ll leave early in the morning. It’s a very short trip by ’copter, I’m told. Oh, Veronica, this is going to be so much fun for us!”
Veronica’s eyes had gone wide at the mention of the helicopter. Ari noticed, and Kate must have noticed, too, but she pretended she didn’t.
“If you can get our girl up in a helicopter, you’re a miracle worker!” Cord said.
“Oh, Veronica will be fine. It’s really the best way for us to get there. I’ll be with you, and then we can relax and you can get right to your research. It’s efficient, but more, it will be an adventure!”
“An adventure,” Veronica echoed.
Ari could see that Veronica was fighting her panic, and that the panic was winning. What we need here is a change of topic.
“Grandma Kate, I was wondering about something, and I think you’re the only person who can shed some light.”
“What is it, sweet girl?” Kate asked.
“I was over at the museum the other day, looking at the family tree in Anna’s office.”
“Oh, dear. Did it give you a headache?”
Ari chuckled, even as she noticed that Veronica was focused on their conversation. The worry line between her eyebrows smoothed out. Mission accomplished.
“No, no headache. Just confusion. I was trying to figure out what your relationship to Cord and Jackson really was.”
“Yes, that must seem strange, because in reality I’m probably old enough to be their great-granny.” Kate grinned, and looked at both of her men with such love.
“I promise to still call you Grandma Kate no matter what your answer is,” Ari said.
“I know. And I promise to let you. In truth, I’m neither a granny to them, nor even a great-aunt. I’m their first cousin, twice removed.”
“I like thinking of you as Grandma Kate,” Jackson said.
“So do I.” Cord looked from her to Kate to Veronica.
“Now let’s go sit, sweetheart,” she said to Veronica. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted Tracy’s cream puffs.”
“A culinary adventure,” Veronica said as she followed Kate further into the restaurant. She didn’t seem a hundred percent convinced that she wanted an adventure of any kind. But she did seem to want to make Kate happy.
Ari was left standing with her men. They didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched their sister follow Kate.
“I wanted to spend some time with her,” Cord said.
“Yeah, me, too. But I ha
ve the feeling we’re missing something here.” Jackson turned to her. “Well, Tink? Are we?”
“I don’t know anything more than you do. But I do know this. If Grandma Kate wants your sister to go right away with her to Divine, she must have a very good reason for it.”
“Probably has to do with that damned boyfriend of hers,” Cord said.
“I’m pretty sure it does,” Ari said. She would wait until later to tell them what she suspected. That bruise, from what Ari could see, was pretty fresh and Veronica looked more than a little tired.
“All right. I’m willing to bow to Kate Benedict’s plans, whatever they may be,” Jackson said.
“She’ll be with Grandma Kate,” Cord said. “How much trouble can she possibly get into?”
Ari wisely refrained from commenting on that. There were just times when men didn’t need to know every single detail, and this was one of them.
How much trouble could she possibly get into? Ari thought of all she’d learned and shared with the woman who’d become the head of the combined families of Lusty, Texas, the one who had given her such wise, and naughty, counsel.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall at the Divine Creek Ranch. Then Ari laughed. She guessed she would just have to wait to find out what happened next.
THE END
WWW.MORGANASHBURY.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Ashbury, also writing as Cara Covington, has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons and write.
Love Under Two Quarterbacks [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 27