Her Cowboy Cousins: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Veronica Wade

  Morgan smiles softly. “Well, we should let ya get settled in, huh?”

  “Sure, yeah, I’ll unpack.” I nod. Though, really, I have no desire for the guys to leave.

  But they do, shutting the door behind them, taking their air of comfort with them.

  When they were in the room with me, I felt a sense of calm, like a peace washed over me. As soon as they leave, it seems to dissipate. It’s weird how they have this effect on me.

  Though I hope now that I’m living with them, I’m going to get to experience this calm a lot more often.

  Despite the emotional rollercoaster of the day, I allow myself a small smile.

  Marshall

  After getting Sarah settled in, Spencer, Morgan, and I are on the way back to the main building when I remember what I was going to do before I saw Sarah at her desk looking devastated. She kind of derailed my focus, not that I minded.

  “I gotta go to the stables and check on Shyla,” I tell them. She could give birth at any time now, so I try to keep checking in on her.

  “Wait.” Morgan stops me as I turn around.

  “What?” I ask.

  “I… kind of wanted to talk to you guys.”

  “About?” Spencer asks for me.

  “It’s about Sarah,” he says.

  “What about her? Do you have a problem with her staying?” He really didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed to be the most eager to invite her into our home.

  “No, not at all. It’s not like that, just…” He looks around. “Can we do this inside, maybe? I don’t know where Hayley and Eva are, and I want to have this conversation in private.”

  “Fine,” I say, as I continue on our way back to the main building. “But we’ve got to make it quick.”

  Morgan insists we not only go inside the building but back up to the parlor, just in case there are any guests milling about. This really seems like overkill to me, but I agree and we go upstairs.

  “All right, you’ve dragged us all the friggin’ way here,” Spencer begins, clearly annoyed. “What the hell is it?”

  “I have feelings for Sarah,” he says so bluntly that it causes me and Spencer to both laugh.

  “Yeah, we kind of fucking figured.” Spencer rolls his eyes. “We already had this conversation, remember?”

  Morgan narrows his eyes at him. “Be serious, all right? I like her, like really like her. It’s more than a physical thing. She’s something special to me. And I think she’s special to the both of you too. I see the way you look at her, and I know you both kissed her.”

  Spencer jerks his head to me. “You kissed her?”

  “Don’t look so surprised,” I tell him.

  I already knew that she and Spencer had kissed too. I caught them in the act.

  I turn my attention back to Morgan. “Look, even if this is true, this seems like a totally unproductive conversation. We already have a solution for this, remember? Whoever she chooses, we go with that. We don’t fight over her, that’s the plan.”

  “I know,” Morgan says, “but I think we should amend that plan.”

  “How are we supposed to do that?” Spencer demands to know.

  “By not making her choose.” Morgan smiles as if he came up with something brilliant.

  But it doesn’t seem brilliant to me.

  “So, what, we pursue her again? We decided that was a shit idea for a reason, Morgan. It puts too much conflict between us. It’s not a good idea to compete over her.” I’m about done with this little meeting. If I’d known this was the direction the conversation was going to take, I wouldn’t have agreed to have it.

  “You don’t get it.” Morgan huffs. “I don’t want to compete over her at all. I want to do the opposite of compete over her.”

  “And… what’s the opposite?” Spencer asks.

  “I want us all to have her.”

  Both Spencer and I look at each other, wide-eyed.

  “What the hell are you on about?” Spencer is in disbelief.

  “Look, I know it sounds crazy. And if y’all want to say no, not possible, then fine. But the thought came to me when I found out she had kissed you both. I expected to feel jealous and possessive, but the truth is… I didn’t. Not at all. The idea of her with you guys doesn’t really bother me. The only thought that really tears me up is not having her at all.” Morgan seems so genuine, but the idea is insane.

  At the same time, I can kind of relate. Personally, I haven’t felt jealous about them being with Sarah either. It didn’t even bother me to see her kiss him. But that doesn’t mean we can just share her!

  “She’s not like an object we can pass around, Morgan. There’s no taking turns.”

  He sighs. “Okay, not like that. I’m not treating her like an object. Obviously this only works if she wants to be a part of this, but I really think she does. I have a feeling she likes us all and would be interested.”

  “That’s just crazy,” I mutter. “I mean, that’s not how things work. Women don’t date three men at once. She’s not going to go for it.”

  But Morgan is getting me thinking. What if she were interested? Would I be fine with that? I couldn’t see any reason I wouldn’t be. I want her. I don’t want us to fight. I don’t need to keep her all to myself.

  In fact, many of my relationships in the past failed for that exact reason. I dated a lot of women in the city who wanted all of my time, attention, and effort. But I’ve always had a lot going on in my own life. I put a lot of time into my career, even more so now that I handle all the finances of the ranch.

  This kind of situation could be great for me. But it would never work out.

  I look over at Spencer, who hasn’t said anything else.

  “Okay, so maybe she won’t,” Morgan agrees. “But let’s just shelve that for now, take it off the table. If we’re not thinking about whether or not she’d want to do it, my question to you guys is… would you want to do it?”

  I feel hesitant to admit that I would out loud, so I look toward Spencer.

  “I dunno. I’d have to try it and see,” he mutters.

  So he’s not completely against the idea either.

  “It could work for me,” I say. “She’s a beautiful woman. She fits in perfectly here. The only real jealousy I’ve had is at the thought that she might want one of you and not me.”

  “Me too!” Morgan agrees. “I don’t get jealous at the thought of y’all having your time with her if she also wants to spend time with me. The only thing I care about is losing her.”

  “Well, you’re definitely gonna lose her if you come to her with this fucking ridiculous idea,” Spencer tells him.

  “But maybe not!” Morgan says. “I mean, she’s kissed all of us. She’s shown interest in all of us. She still hasn’t made any moves to choose just one of us, so maybe she doesn’t want to.”

  I get excited by that thought, even though I know I shouldn’t. “So, what are you saying, exactly? We all just date? Live happily ever after? What about things like marriage and kids? You can’t do that with multiple people.”

  Morgan gets defensive. “But why can’t you?”

  “Because nobody does that shit!” Spencer argues.

  “Nobody does… yet. But why should it be a problem? Back in the day, everyone judged Uncle Gary for who he loved. He couldn’t openly be with who he wanted to for a long time because of what other people would think. I don’t wanna do that shit. I want to go after what I want in life. And I want her.”

  Spencer shrugs. “Like I said, I’d have to try it. But I’ve had plenty of threesomes in my day, so—”

  Morgan jerks his head toward him. “It’s not like that. I mean… it’s not just like that. I’m attracted to her, but I also really, really like this girl. I can’t explain it. Never been attached to a woman this way. But I love every minute I spend with her. I hate when she’s not at the ranch. I spend my free time thinking about her. This is more than sex for me, and if it’s gonna work, it’s gotta b
e more than sex for y’all too. But… I don’t know. The way you two look at her… I get the feeling you feel the same.”

  Spencer looks down at the ground, as if he’s embarrassed to admit this. “Yeah, I do really like her. It’s more than just physical attraction for me too.”

  They both look toward me. “Yeah, okay,” I say. “I have feelings for Sarah. But we’re completely ignoring the fact that she’s not going to go for this. What woman would?”

  “I think she’s the woman who would. I think she’s special,” Morgan says with confidence. “But if we all agree, I see no reason why we should not at least talk to her.”

  “I see a reason,” I tell Morgan. “We just invited her to live with us. She’s got nowhere else to stay. What if we bring this up with her, she feels uncomfortable, and now she’s stuck with us? Have you considered that?”

  I can see by the look on his face that he hasn’t.

  “But what if this can be a long-term situation?” Morgan presses. “What if I’m right and she is interested and we’ve got a real relationship on our hands? One that finally makes all of us happy? Are we just gonna turn that down because talking to her feels risky? We can always back off if she has reservations. I think she trusts us by now to allow us to do that.”

  “It can’t even be a true long-term situation, though,” I remind him. “She’s going to culinary school. It’s a dream of hers. It’s why she’s working for us in the first place. We can’t get too attached.”

  This is as much a reminder to Morgan as it is to me. Because, frankly, I am already attached… and I hate to remember that she’s going to leave eventually. But I have to. We all have to.

  “Even so, I think we have to ask her,” Morgan says. “Honesty is the best policy, right? Even if she does go to culinary school, wouldn’t it be nice to have this arrangement while we could?”

  “Okay, fine,” I finally acquiesce. “If Spencer is okay with it, fine. We can talk to her.”

  We both glance at Spencer, who gives a solemn nod.

  “Great!” Morgan looks downright giddy. “We’ll do it tomorrow, after things are settled a little. It’s too much to drop on her right now.”

  “Agreed,” I say. “I’ve got to go check on Shyla now. We can come up with a plan later.”

  I walk away feeling oddly good about the whole conversation. I thought it might feel awkward or weird once I left and actually thought on it, but it’s not.

  As I’m heading out to the stables, I run into Eva. Which is unusual because I never see her out and about during the day. I have to wonder when she gets her work done… but the rooms are always clean, so I know she must be sneaking past at some point.

  Her eyes are bloodshot, and her hair’s a mess.

  “Eva, you okay?” I ask as I approach.

  “Fine,” she says, but I can smell liquor on her breath.

  “Are you sure?” I ask. She’s clearly wasted.

  She nods. “I’m fine. Why is Sarah going up to your house?” she asks.

  She must have seen us carrying Sarah’s things into our living quarters.

  “She’s going to be staying with us for a while. There are issues with her current living arrangement.” I don’t want to give any more details than that. It’s Sarah’s business to share, not mine.

  Eva’s eyes narrow; she seems annoyed with this. “She’s coming to live with you?”

  “With all of us, yes,” I say. “Is that some kind of problem?”

  “Yes,” she blurts out. “Why should she get to stay in the house with you?”

  “Really, Eva?” I ask. “I would’ve thought if anyone would have compassion for Sarah’s situation, it would be you, considering you also needed a place to stay and we provided one.”

  But it’s clear she’s jealous. Probably because when she needed a place to stay, she got put in the bunkhouse and wasn’t asked to stay with us.

  But of course she wasn’t. Morgan and Spencer can’t stand her. They were angry enough with me for letting her stay with us at all. I can’t imagine how livid they would’ve been if I invited her into our home.

  “I don’t like that girl,” she mutters.

  I hate this attitude. It reminds me of dating her in high school, and I can’t even fathom why I ever did. Catty behavior is incredibly unattractive.

  “She’s a damn good employee, one you would do well to emulate,” I tell her. “I’m not going to tolerate harassment toward other employees.”

  I ought to reprimand her for drinking in the middle of the day. She’s slurring. I could fire her right now and be completely justified. But I think of Hayley and feel bad at the thought of sending both of them away. Especially when, technically, Eva is doing her job… even if she’s doing it drunk.

  “Just get to work, Eva. Focus on your job, not the people around you.”

  She says nothing, but walks away still angry. Well, walk is probably a generous word for it. She stumbles.

  I think of Hayley again. As much trouble as that young girl is, she’s still just a girl, and I can see why she has so many behavioral problems. This is probably how she sees her mom on a regular basis. I can’t really imagine having kids of my own, but I’m positive that if I did, I’d never allow them to see me this drunk even once.

  I decide to stop by the bunkhouse and see if I can’t convince her to come check on Shyla with me. I feel a weird need to bond with her. She should have responsible adults in her life that she knows and trusts, and obviously her mother is never going to be that for her.

  I knock on the door. “Come in,” I hear Hayley call out.

  When I enter, she’s painting her fingernails a dark purple color. She seems surprised to see me.

  “You’re not Mama,” she tells me.

  “Nope,” I say. “Your mom’s working.” Shouldn’t Hayley know this? Isn’t that Eva’s normal routine during daytime hours? “I’m just stopping by to see if you want to go to the stables with me. We’ve got a pregnant horse right now, and I thought you might like to see.”

  “No, I have to dry my nails,” she says snootily.

  Ugh, I hate the way she’s acting like a carbon copy of her mother, attitude and all. Eva should have instilled some actual values in this girl beyond looking pretty and maintaining her appearance.

  But I’m not at all surprised she didn’t. It’s how she was as young woman too.

  “Are you sure?” I ask, trying to tempt her. “The baby could be here any minute.”

  She looks up at me curiously. “A real baby horse?”

  “Yep. Ever seen one?”

  She shakes her head.

  “Come on, then. Maybe we’ll catch her giving birth.”

  She seems to abandon all thoughts about her nails and jumps up off the bed she’s lying on to put her shoes on.

  When we reach the stables, it doesn’t appear Shyla will be giving birth anytime soon. Still, I take Hayley into the stable with me to visit with her. Despite her previous assertions about horses being gross, I can tell she really likes Shyla. She’s particularly interested in her swollen belly.

  “There’s really a baby horse in there?” she asks, fascinated.

  “Yep.” I smile at her. She seems like a real kid around the horses these days, curious and excited.

  “Can I be here when she gives birth?” she asks.

  “Maybe,” I tell her, “depending on what time it happens. I don’t want to come to your bunkhouse in the middle of the night. I don’t think your mom would like that much. But if it’s during the day, I’ll come get you, I promise.”

  She smiles at this. “You know, you could come in the middle of the night. Mama won’t care. She doesn’t care about anything I do. I can do whatever I want!”

  She says this with an air of pride, but it breaks my heart for the girl. She has no idea that this isn’t how a parent is supposed to act. She’s supposed to care, she’s supposed to put restrictions on her child for her own safety. Maybe Eva is too busy drinking to focus on her
little girl.

  I swear that for as long as they’re here, I’m going to make an effort to be a good influence on Hayley. She’s a sweet kid, and I don’t want to see her go down the path her mother did.

  Sarah

  I wish that I had the surge of self-confidence I felt yesterday after the fight with my mother, but if anything, I feel a sense of regret.

  Is this really the right decision?

  Do I really want to destroy the relationship I have with my mother over a job? There are other jobs. But it really isn’t about the job. I know it’s not. If it were just a few extra dollars an hour in my paycheck, I would have left already. But this place means so much more to me. It’s about the three kind, gorgeous, compassionate cowboys who work here. They’ve been amazing to me, and despite my best efforts, I’m getting attached.

  She still hasn’t called me. At this point, I’m not expecting her to, but I can’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. It does. I never thought she’d be capable of tossing me aside like this. I’m her daughter. How can she kick me out all because of a job?

  That’s what I keep reminding myself. At the end of the day, this is over something as stupid as where I work. She should be supporting me, if anything. I can’t fold to such a crazy demand. Even if I weren’t attached to the guys, I wouldn’t want to let her rule my life like this. I won’t be held hostage to her manipulation.

  I’m on the computer looking over the check-in times for tomorrow when Marshall drops by my desk.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I smile at him. Despite all the awkwardness with kissing them all, I feel better about interacting with them since they’ve allowed me to live here. They clearly have no hard feelings with me, which I very much appreciate.

  “I wanted to speak to you in the parlor. Actually, we all do.”

  I follow him into the parlor, which is damn familiar right now. Funny that the room is so cozy when I pretty much just associate it with pure anxiety.