Love Under Two Kendalls

by Cara Covington

  “I was so excited when I found out I was pregnant. Troy wasn’t excited, he was mad as hell—especially when I refused to get an abortion. It turned out he was already married, with two kids, and had no intention of leaving his wife, or even acknowledging the child I carried inside me as his.” Ginny inhaled deeply. “After Benny was born, I contacted him, to tell him he had a son—well, maybe that was another naïve mistake on my part. But I felt it was only right to give him one final chance. He never wanted anything to do with Benny, and threatened to have me arrested if I ever called him again.”

  “You and Benny are both better off without him,” Jake said.

  “You certainly are. You gave Benny your name—and all of your focus. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of, baby. You’re one hell of a good mother.”

  “Thank you.” Ginny looked over at Benny. Oh, she likely would have to start calling him “Ben” in another year or so. She knew the days of open hugs and pet names would be over long before she was ready for them to be.

  She loved the compliments on the job she was doing as a mother under any circumstance. But knowing these men valued that in her made her feel particularly good about herself.

  “Is your mom the reason you don’t drink?” Adam asked.

  It shouldn’t shock her that both Adam and Jake could see beyond the walls she’d erected. They really did pay attention to her. Jake had said she was the most important person in their lives. A part of her, that cynical part, whispered “for now.” She didn’t think, after the life she’d led, that there would be any hope left inside of her. Yet as she sat on this blanket on a beach far from home, she knew the truth. Because of these two men, hope was exactly what was blooming inside her.

  She still didn’t know if she could satisfy them at all, either sexually or for the long haul. She didn’t know how much of her heart she really had left to give. But there were things she could give to them, and one of those things was honesty.

  “I’ve only ever had close personal contact with two people who drank heavily, and neither one of them was worth a good damn.”

  “You don’t buy that ‘hate the sin, love the sinner’ philosophy?” Adam asked.

  “Maybe for some. But for others, no. My mother had a choice when my daddy left her, and in a lot of ways it was the same choice I had when Troy told me to go to hell. She chose alcohol, drugs, and other men. When children’s services took me away from her, they offered her help. They offered to put her into rehab, so she could get clean and sober and be a mother to me. They laid it all out for her. Rehab, a place to live, training, and a job. My God, what more could anyone ask?” Ginny had to take a deep breath. All these years later, the wound of her mother’s betrayal still hurt. “Earline Rose chose to say ‘no thanks’ and abandon me so that she could continue on in her selfish ways. Maybe there’ll come a day when I can forgive her for that—for choosing herself over her responsibilities as a mother. But I’m not holding my breath any.”

  “Honey, you’re not afraid of becoming like her, are you?” Jake’s question, sounding quiet and incredulous, was final proof that these men saw deeper into her than anyone ever had.

  In response, she shrugged. “There’s always been that fear, right from the moment Troy Cochrane walked away from me, because I was scared, and alone, and had no idea what I would do next.”

  “My God.” Adam ran a hand down her head, and then turned her face toward him. “Leaving Benny with Kelsey must have torn you up inside.”

  “When I awoke the next morning, the pain of the rape and the welts he’d given me the night before was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. Because in that moment I knew that whether I’d been motivated by selflessness or selfishness, my son was with strangers, without me. I’d ended up doing the same thing she had done, and that knowledge was enough to make me come to my senses and do what I needed to do.”

  “You’re wrong, baby. What you did was not the same thing. Yes, you left your son with strangers. But you’d planned to leave that bastard, and knew the only chance you and Benny had was if you left him the way you did, with Benny protected and cared for first.” Adam reached over and wiped the tears she couldn’t control. “You were in an untenable position, alone, with no one to turn to. But Ginny? I believe with all my heart that things work out the way they’re meant to be, in the end.”

  “Damn straight. All that happened so that you would wind up in Lusty just when you did. And there’s one more thing, honey, and it’s the biggest thing of all.”

  “What’s that?” How could she ever have imagined there would be men who would build her up instead of tearing her down? How could she have gotten so lucky to have found them?

  “You’re not alone anymore.” Adam leaned over and kissed her very lightly, almost, she thought, reverently. “No matter what happens between the three of us, you’ve become a part of Lusty. You’ll never be alone again.”

  She thought of the place she’d come to and the people she’d met. She thought of all the relationships she’d formed, and the way an entire town had not only taken her son into their hearts, but her, too. No one had ever made her feel anything but welcome, even knowing, as they did, her situation when she’d arrived.

  Lusty had become home to her, the first real home she’d ever had. Deep inside where she’d been broken for so long, she felt an almost giddy lightness, and a warmth that she instinctively recognized as the mending of her soul. Maggie was right. Lusty was her place.

  “Do you know what I want more than anything right now?” She heard the wistfulness in her tone, and didn’t care. Why, Virginia Earline Rose, you’re homesick.

  “What, baby? Name it, and it’s yours.”

  “I want us to all go home.”

  Chapter 9

  The problem with Deke is that he’s too short-sighted.

  Jerry Stone was not short-sighted, and he’d done his research over the last couple of days. It was all well and good that his buddy wanted to get his bitch back, and punish her soundly for the grief she’d caused him. He was all for that, because women needed to learn their place.

  But there was a larger picture to see here. Jerry had been online—mostly while Deke slept—and had snooped around, and looked where he knew to look, and he’d discovered something kind of significant about the small town of Lusty, Texas.

  The people there were all stinking rich. And while getting Deke’s woman back for him was his stated purpose, Jerry Stone hadn’t survived as long as he had without an arrest record by always doing exactly what he’d said he’d do.

  Jerry believed in helping his friends, but the way he saw it, this particular friend was walking on very thin ice. Deke’s ranting the night before when they’d discovered that Ginny had indeed moved her ass to Lusty had told him that his buddy was a little too obsessed with the woman.

  After all, a piece of ass was only a piece of ass.

  When a man became obsessed, he tended to make mistakes. In Deke’s case, those mistakes would likely find him either ending up back in jail for a very long time, or dead.

  Jerry certainly didn’t mind lending Deke a hand, but he didn’t intend to get dragged down into the sewer with him.

  Jerry’s attention was caught by the pretty waitress who approached his table.

  “Hello, my name is Michelle, and I’ll be your server today. Our lunch special is meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy and a side of mixed vegetables. With the special you get a choice of a garden salad or soup—chicken noodle today—and your choice of pie.”

  “That’s real tempting, Michelle. Could you give me a couple of minutes to look at the menu before I decide?”

  “Certainly. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Coffee, if you have it, please.”

  “We do, and it’s fresh.” Michelle paused and tilted her head to the side. “You’re new in town.”

  And there it was, right on schedule. Jerry had been expecting it.

  He shook his head. “I’m not, real
ly. I was just passing through on my way to visit my uncle down in Georgetown. Tell you the truth, I wasn’t even going to stop. But then I saw your sign out front, and my stomach rumbled.”

  The waitress smiled, and Jerry detected the slight bit of relief on her face. “That sign does tend to pull them in.”

  “It’s kind of hard to ignore a place that calls itself Lusty Appetites,” Jerry agreed.

  “I’ll go get your coffee.” Michelle moved off, nodding to other customers as she went toward the area where they had a coffee station set up. Some folks called out greetings, and she stopped and chatted with them, showing an easy familiarity that he’d expected in a small-town restaurant. Jerry would bet that he was the only stranger in the place right now. That made two times where his presence drew attention—first when he and Deke had driven through, and now. No doubt about it. The good citizens of the town of Lusty made a note of strangers, which meant they took care of their own.

  Jerry had already memorized the menu. While anyone watching him would think he studied the brochure carefully, his attention was actually on the patrons, and their various conversations.

  The tiny hearing aid he wore had proven an invaluable tool more than once over the last few years. He’d paid big bucks for it, and the device served him well. People saw it and assumed he was partially deaf, and needed the device to hear.

  He bit back his grin. Yeah, he needed it to hear, all right. With it turned up, and with a little bit of concentration, he could hear every damn conversation in the place.

  Another waitress besides the pretty blond Michelle was bustling about, pouring joe, taking orders, and clearing plates.

  He waited, and he listened. And then he heard it. The conversation was coming from a table near the back of the restaurant, where a lone older man was seated.

  “Are you all done here, Mr. Parker?”

  “I sure am, Cory. Great lunch, as always. Now just when is that pretty little Ginny Rose coming back to us? I know she’s only been gone a couple of days, but I miss seeing her smiling face when I come in here.”

  “Ginny will be back soon, I reckon. I heard Kelsey say that Adam and Jake have gone after her all the way out to the Jersey Shore, and that they’d called and were due back early this evening.”

  “Well that’s good, then. That Adam’s a good man, and a good Sheriff. I reckon that he and Jake will watch out for our Ginny and keep her and that fine son of hers safe.”

  “Yes sir, I’m sure they will. Now, are you going to want a piece of pie today?”

  “I’m partial to the sweet potato pie Kelsey gets in from the Ladies’ Auxiliary. I’ll have some of that, please, Cory.”

  “Here’s your coffee, sir. Have you decided what you’ll have, or do you need more time?”

  Jerry looked up and gave Michelle one of his best smiles. “No, I’ve decided. I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich, please.”

  “Gravy on the fries?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jerry handed the menu back to Michelle, and then appeared to focus on his coffee.

  Something about those words, “Jersey Shore,” rang a bell with him. He stirred his coffee while his brain sorted through all its data and bits of conversation stored there, until he found it.

  Hey, Deke. Hear you’ve got yourself a new piece. Hope she works out better for you than that last one did.

  Don’t worry, I sure as hell learned my lesson there. Ginny has no family to speak of, so there won’t be any interfering sisters poking their noses in where they’re not wanted. All she has is that snot-nosed kid of hers and some relation or other, lives in New Jersey, someplace near the shore. But I don’t think she’s even met the woman. So that’s bonus for me.

  Jerry added a bit of sugar and cream to his coffee, stirring it slowly. Well now. That information actually pleased him all to hell. This little fact-finding mission had been a damn good idea, even if he did say so himself.

  He began putting everything together into two different scenarios. One he’d present to Deke, and the other he’d keep to himself.

  He’d learned some pretty significant things, all in all.

  He had his head turned toward the window, letting his eyes take in as much as they could of the view while his brain worked. Just slightly could he see the dining room reflected in the glass. He noticed his waitress approaching with his plate and some cutlery. The slight hitch in her step as she got closer told him that she’d just now seen his hearing aid.

  He loved fucking with people’s minds, and decided to have just a bit of fun with her. He continued to look out at the view, his arm resting on the table in front of him. He heard her pause, and then a soft sigh.

  “Excuse me, sir.” Michelle’s raised voice let him know she had indeed seen the device.

  He jerked as if surprised by the interruption, then turned and gave her what he knew was a sheepish expression.

  “Sorry. I was daydreaming, here. It’s a nice day today, and your town is pretty.” He moved to make room for her to put his lunch down. “That smells good.”

  “Our chef is a very good cook. Enjoy.”

  The food tasted as good as it smelled, and Jerry ate with gusto. He could understand why the place seemed to be doing good business.

  Of course, it was the only restaurant in town, so that would be part of it, too.

  He let his mind work on the problem of Deke and Ginny and how he could turn this situation to his advantage.

  The most important thing he’d learned was that the Sheriff of Lusty Texas, Adam Kendall, had taken a personal interest in Ginny—he could understand that—and that the rest of the town seemed to consider her one of their own. That he didn’t understand, but it was what it was. Just because Deke called her a whore didn’t mean she actually was a whore. In fact, the one and only time he’d seen her he’d thought she was way too young and innocent for what his friend had planned for her.

  So if the sheriff valued her, he’d do all he could to keep her safe. He’d done some research on Adam Kendall and the Kendall family. They were a big deal in Lusty, one of the founding families.

  He’d bet they’d be willing to pay big for information leading to the arrest of one Deke Walters. All Jerry needed was a little time to finish forming his plan. He needed to keep Deke away from Ginny and yet know where the man was at any given moment. When the time was right, he’d bring his buddy in for the reward—but in a way that would look like pure dumb luck on the part of the cops.

  Jerry smiled. There was one way he could make sure he had enough time and elbow room to maneuver.

  Now all he had to do was to figure out how to get Deke out to New Jersey to chase his tail while Jerry finished his research and set things in motion. Jerry sat back, and grinned. He had the connections, the cost of return airfare, and a couple of hundred besides. It was cheap enough seed money for what he had in mind.

  Yes, this recon mission had proven to be a very good idea, indeed.

  * * * *

  “It’s good to be home.” Ginny sighed as she set her suitcase down. Behind her, the door closed. Very conscious of the men who’d come in with her, she looked over her shoulder at them.

  “If you’ll give me a few moments to get us both unpacked?”

  “I’ll help Benny,” Adam said.

  “Then maybe we could go down to the restaurant for dinner,” Jake said. “I have a feeling you may have emptied your fridge before you left.”

  “Yeah!” Benny smiled up at his mother. “I’m hungry.”

  “Benny Rose, you’re always hungry, lately.” Ginny shook her head as she looked down at her son. Then she slid a glance to Jake and Adam. “Actually, I didn’t clean out my fridge. But I did leave on grocery day, without fetching anything from the store.” She could hardly believe they’d only been gone three days. That hadn’t been nearly long enough to visit properly with Maggie, but it had been long enough for a start. Ginny hoped she and her aunt would be able to become good friends.

  She thought back t
o earlier, to leaving New Jersey and beginning the journey home. She no longer thought it strange that the brothers Kendall understood her moods so well. As Adam had driven her rental car back toward the airport in Atlantic City, he’d laced his fingers with hers and then kissed her hand. “We’ll visit with her again, baby. Just as soon as we deal with Walters.”

  They both understood her, and wasn’t that a blessing? A part of her had felt as if, in going to New Jersey, she’d been running away. She’d really wanted to visit longer, but more, she’d wanted to come home—where she lived, and where she would stand tall, willing, if not entirely ready, to face her own personal demon.

  Now she looked at three males, each wearing hopeful grins, and knew she’d made the right decision to come back home.

  “Okay, let’s make quick work of unpacking, and then we’ll get something to eat.”

  Even though she’d only been gone a short while, to her the apartment seemed a bit stuffy. The first thing she did when she entered her bedroom was to open the window.

  Jake followed her to the door of her room, and then just lazed against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Do you realize this is the first time I’ve seen your bedroom?”

  Oh, that deep husky voice, and a question that perched just on the very edge of naughty, sent shivers of awareness all through her.

  She couldn’t prevent her face from heating as she let her gaze slide to the queen-sized bed, as she let herself, for just a moment, imagine sharing that space with two very sexy and naked Kendalls.

  Her first few nights in Lusty had been spent out at the farm where Kelsey, Matt, and Steven now made their home. She recalled the second day, when she’d been leading Benny downstairs to the kitchen. She’d passed the master bedroom, unable to resist the temptation to look inside it.

  She’d never seen such a huge bed in all her life.

  Since then, she’d come to know that a lot of folks in Lusty had very big beds, showers, and tubs—accommodations meant to be shared by a group of three or more.