Her Cowboy Cousins: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Veronica Wade

  “Wait!” the woman behind the desk, a plump, blonde woman with a comforting smile, yells out to us.

  “Yes?” Marshall asks.

  “There was a letter left for you last night.” She pulls it out from a drawer in her desk. “Are you Marshall?”

  “Yes,” he says.

  “Here you are. It was addressed to Marshall and had the room number for Hayley,” she explains.

  Marshall takes it from her hand but doesn’t open it until we exit the lobby.

  “What is it?” I ask as soon as we’re outside the hospital doors.

  He opens the envelope, and as he reads I try to gauge his expression, but he’s inscrutable.

  “What is it?” I ask, when he puts the letter down.

  “It’s from Eva,” he says softly. “She says she’s going to rehab, that it can’t wait another day, and that she will never be a good mother to Hayley unless she changes her life. She wants to know if we will watch her in the meantime and keep her on the ranch. She says that’s where she seems happiest.”

  Though a letter might not be the best way to ask for such a thing, I’m kind of relieved. “Well, we will, right? Take care of her, I mean?”

  Marshall nods. “Yes, I don’t see another way. And at least this way, when I explain I’m not her dad, we won’t be shipping her off somewhere completely new to be alone. We can still be there to support her through this transition.”

  I smile a little bit at the thought of getting to be with Hayley a while longer. She needs stability right now, and I’m happy we can give some of it to her.

  “This really seems like the best plan,” I say, “and who knows? Maybe this time, Eva will really get her life together.”

  “We can only hope.” He shakes his head slightly.

  As incredibly rough as the past few days have been, I do like this solution. No solution to such an intense problem is perfect, but this will be good for Hayley. We’ll be good for Hayley, as we always have been.

  Spencer and Morgan seem equally pleased with the news that Eva is going to rehab and that we’ll have Hayley for a while. I think we’re all thinking the same thing… that it’ll be great to have Eva out of our hair if we can make sure Hayley is safe at the same time.

  Eva left the rehabilitation center’s number on the letter. Apparently she called for a spot ahead of time so she could get the contact information and she and Marshall could work out all the temporary guardianship paperwork so that we can take Hayley home from the hospital.

  Although Hayley had been excited to come back to the ranch, the day we pick her up and bring her back has a dark cloud hanging over it. There’s something in the air.

  The fact that we have to tell her the truth is wearing on all of us, I think.

  Ultimately, Marshall and I decide we will do it together. Spencer and Morgan couldn’t come along and we didn’t want to overwhelm her with too many people, but since she had grown close to me, I was happy to join him.

  When we walk into the main building and I suggest to Hayley she should get settled in, she begins to head back for the bunkhouse, but I stop her.

  “Actually, I was thinking you could have my room over where the boys live.” I smile at her.

  “Really?” Her face lights up. “I can have my own room? Like, the whole thing? All to myself?”

  “Yep, all for you. I’ll get my stuff out of it later this evening. Come on, I’ll show you where it is,” I tell her.

  Marshall gives me a confused glance. We had not discussed her taking my room, but I just give him a shrug. It feels like the right thing to do. I don’t want her in that bunkhouse alone now that Eva is gone. She should be close by, easily watchable.

  When we get her upstairs to my room and she sits on the bed, Marshall takes in a deep breath and I know he’s preparing to drop this bomb.

  “Hayley, I’ve gotta talk to you,” he says.

  “Okay,” she says, completely oblivious.

  We both sit on the edge of the bed near her.

  “I know that your mom told you I was your dad. Well, she told both of us. But later on, when we took you to the hospital, we found out that isn’t true,” he says carefully and deliberately.

  “So… you’re not my dad?” she asks sadly.

  “No, I’m not,” he responds, equally as sadly.

  “Well, then… who is my dad?” she asks.

  Marshall looks thrown for a loop, like he has no idea how to answer this.

  “I really don’t know. Your mom is confused about that,” Marshall tells her.

  Hayley looks at me. “Then who am I going to stay with? My mom left.”

  “Actually, we spoke to your mom,” I start to explain to her. “And she decided that she is going to go get some help so she can quit drinking and be a better mom to you. So we’re going to take care of you while she does that. Then she’s coming right back here for you. We can even take you to visit her sometimes.”

  She processes this. “So when she comes back, she isn’t going to be drinking?”

  “No, she’s not,” Marshall tells her. “She is getting the help she needs to stop.”

  Hayley seems to appreciate that. “Okay, good. She was a much better mom before she started drinking. Maybe she’ll be back to her old self when it’s all over.”

  “We all hope so,” I tell her, “and we promise that even after she takes you, we’re going to be in touch. So if she ever starts drinking again, you can call us. And in the meantime, we’re going to take great care of you here at the ranch. You’ll probably be here with us a few more months.”

  She at least seems happy about this, though I can tell it’s a lot to take in.

  “You should get some rest,” I tell her, “but if you have any questions later Marshall and I will be here to answer them for you, okay? Anything you want to ask us.”

  “Okay,” she says. “Thank you both for helping me.”

  “Of course,” Marshall says. “We’re always going to be here for you.”

  We leave the room, shutting the door behind us. I think it went as good as could be expected. There’s no happy ending in this situation, but I think we can give her a little stability for now.

  “That was really nice of you to offer your room,” Marshall says as we walk down the stairs. “But where are you going to stay?”

  “I was thinking I’d just… stay with you guys?” I ask. “Sleep in your beds with you? Maybe I could rotate, spending a night with each of you?”

  Marshall smiles at the thought. “I mean, one day we could rearrange the living room area so we’d have one big room and we could all be together.”

  “That would be awesome!” I love that idea. Then I never have to be too far from any of them.

  “But isn’t that kind of a big change when you’re going to be leaving?” he asks.

  I raise an eyebrow. “When I’m going to be leaving?”

  “Yeah. You know, to culinary school?” he reminds me.

  Damn. I can’t believe my plans to do that slipped my mind. It was the whole reason I got the job here in the first place. But there’s been so much going on recently, I’d completely forgotten about it. Or maybe I’d forgotten about it because for the first time in a long time… I’m happy.

  Culinary school, in my mind, had always been my ticket to happiness. When I had a rough day, I’d remind myself that one day, I’d go off and learn to be some fancy chef. Perhaps I’d even go for training at a school in Paris. I’d fantasize about how good my life would be one day to keep myself from remembering that my life currently was pretty shitty.

  Maybe I’d forgotten all about culinary school because I was no longer fantasizing about the day my life would change, about the day I would become happy… because I already am happy.

  I can’t imagine changing that. I have no desire to chase another future. I feel like I’ve found my future here at this ranch, with these three wonderful, fantastic, amazing men.

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to find a culin
ary school nearby,” I tell Marshall.

  He jerks his head to me. “Are you saying… you want to stay here? With us? Like, make this a long-term thing?”

  I smile gently at him. “Well, I guess we’re going to have to discuss that with Morgan and Spencer.”

  Just then, I hear the door open behind me.

  “Discuss what with Morgan and Spencer?” Morgan asks.

  Good, I want all three of them here for this conversation. I’m desperate to know what they think.

  “Discuss the fact that I’d like to stay here on the ranch,” I tell them. “I’d like to make this arrangement a long-term one. Hell, maybe even a permanent one.”

  Spencer and Morgan look at each other with wide grins. “Are you kiddin’ me?” Spencer asks as he runs up to me, scoops me up, and twirls me around.

  “I most certainly am not.” I kiss the top of his head. “If you guys are all fine with it.”

  “Fine with it?” Morgan comes up and folds me in his arms, then kisses me on the lips. “It’s just about the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard!”

  I look up toward Marshall. “You on board, too?”

  He pulls me in close to him. “Baby, I’ve been on board since you first walked through the door.” His kiss is soft and gentle.

  I look around at the three men I love more than anything in this world, and though it’s crazy, I feel that in my heart I’m going to be with them for the rest of my life. That every hardship and difficulty in my life has led me to this very position, here with them, living the absolute best version of my life.

  Loving three men at the same time may not be the kind of romance I expected to end up with, but I’ve opened my heart to these men in a way I never have to anyone else. And I’m so filled with love for them.

  It’s a good life, and I know it’s going to be an amazing future.

  Epilogue

  Sarah

  Three Months Later

  I’ve got a basket full of flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and other cake ingredients. It’s beginning to weigh against my arm, but I’ve got almost everything I need to bake a cake for Hayley’s going-away party tonight.

  Eva is finally picking her up, which is bittersweet. Bitter, of course, because Hayley is leaving and she’s become such a grand fixture in my life. I love her to bits, and I hate to see her go.

  But surprisingly, I love to see her go with Eva, who has become a totally different person.

  We took Hayley to visit her mom in rehab quite often. And each time, Eva seemed to get better and better. It’s crazy how different she is without the alcohol. She’s become kind, she’s thanked me every single visit for what I’ve done for her daughter, and she even apologized to both me and the boys numerous times. It’s clear that the driving force in her horrible behavior was alcohol.

  Now, she seems completely fixated on Hayley and being the best mom she can to her. They’re going to move back in with her parents for now, but Eva’s already got a job lined up in town and she hopes in a few months they’ll be able to move into a small place of their own. And they’ll be close by, so Hayley can visit us at the ranch whenever she wants.

  Still, though I know it’s for the best, it’s going to be weird not to have her around each and every day. Though I love the time Spencer, Marshall, Morgan, and I all spend together… I think Hayley’s absence is going to leave me wanting something more.

  I take my basket to the front register, but when I do, my heart sinks. The grocery store doors are opening up, and out of nowhere, in walks my mother.

  It feels like my heart is in my chest. I have not seen her since our last fight at the ranch. She looks equally stunned to see me.

  At first, I’m not sure what to do. Should I continue to the register as if I haven’t seen her? Do I say something?

  I’m still trying to decide when she approaches me.

  “Sarah,” she says softly as she looks me up and down.

  “Hi, Mom,” I tell her gently.

  Her eyes stop when they reach my hand. She immediately notices the diamond ring on my finger.

  “Which one are you marrying?” she asks.

  But her tone is not judgmental as I suspected it would have been. If anything, it seems softly curious.

  I’m scared of how she’s going to react, but I’m going to be honest. She’s going to have to take it or leave it.

  “All of them,” I tell her, and her jaw drops a bit. “I mean, not legally, of course, but spiritually… it’s all of us.”

  She takes in a quick, deep breath before speaking again. “I see. And this makes you… happy?” she asks.

  I’m surprised by the question. “It does,” I tell her. “And I don’t believe it to be immoral or wrong in any way. I am completely and totally in love with each and every one of them, and we just make each other really, very happy.”

  She nods slowly. “Look, Sarah, I’m so sorry for everything that happened.” Tears are already welling up in her eyes. “I’ve said and done horrible things. I’ve let our relationship fall apart when we needed each other most… in Chuck’s absence. And I’ve missed you every single day. You were right, I was controlling and awful. And I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me, but if you could, I’d love to attend the wedding.”

  This isn’t at all the reaction I’ve been preparing for. I wasn’t sure if she’d ever apologize, let alone accept my future marriage to Spencer, Marshall, and Morgan.

  A small part of me wants to be mad at her, wants to hang on to the resentment of her abandoning me. But looking at her now, all I can think of is how much I’ve missed her too.

  I put my basket down and reach in to give her a hug. “Of course I forgive you, Mom, and of course you can come.”

  “Really?” she squeaks out.

  “Really. You’re more than welcome.”

  I pull away and she wipes her eyes. I realize mine are welling up too.

  “Well, good. Great, then.” She smiles and lets out a tearful chuckle. “I’d love to… come over sometime. Maybe get to know your fiancés a little better.”

  “I’d love that,” I tell her. “And I think they would too.”

  I catch a glimpse of the clock on the wall and realize I’m running late.

  “Look, Mom, I’ve got to go right now, I’ve got somewhere to be. But you can call me, okay? And we’ll set something up real soon.”

  “Okay,” she agrees, and gives me a parting kiss on the cheek. “I love you so much, Sarah. Always have and always will.”

  “I love you too,” I tell her, and it comes so naturally.

  As sad as I am to see her go, this moment reminds me of Hayley and how she’s going to experience this exact reconnection with her mother tonight. How she suffered abandonment too and is moving forward to grow from that with Eva. And I’m so grateful she’s going to get to experience that with her.

  I go straight back to the ranch and get to baking immediately. If I don’t, the cake won’t be done by the time Eva gets here.

  But as I’m baking, it’s hard for me not to get a little melancholy. I sigh when Morgan walks in.

  “Need any help?” he asks me.

  “Nope, just about to get this thing in the oven,” I tell him as I grab my cake pan.

  “You okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I try to lie and am surprised by how squeaky my voice sounds. “I saw my mom today,” I say, as I put the cake in the oven.

  I hear Spencer’s voice from behind me. “You saw your mom today?” Both he and Marshall walk into the kitchen too.

  I shut the oven door. “Yep. But it went… surprisingly well.” I smile. “I told her about our engagement and she wants to come over and get to know you all better. She said she’d even like to be at the wedding.”

  “Oh, honey, that’s amazing.” Marshall kisses my forehead. “I know you’ve missed her.”

  “Yeah. It really is great. I hope we can build our relationship back up. I’ve been missing her from my life. A girl ne
eds her mother.”

  Morgan eyes me oddly. “So, if you had a good encounter with your mother, then why do you still look so sad?”

  I lean against the counter. “Hayley, actually. I’m really sad thinking about the fact that she’s going to be gone. I don’t know, I guess in a way I’ve kind of felt like a surrogate mother to her. It’s going to be weird not having a kid around, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah…” Spencer looks wistful.

  “You know…” Morgan smiles. “We can always rectify that.” He leans over and puts a hand on my stomach.

  “What?” I gasp and laugh. “You want to get me pregnant?”

  He looks around the room. “I mean, we do want kids, don’t we? That’s the whole point of us getting engaged and married, right? So we can settle down and start a family?”

  “Sure, one day.” I roll my eyes at him.

  “No, he has a point,” Marshall agrees. “Is there any reason we don’t want to start now? Can’t that someday be today?”

  I look around at all of them, a little bit of excitement stirring within me. “You all can’t be serious! You really want a baby right now?” I look toward Spencer.

  “I think we could handle it,” Spencer tells me. “I mean, we’ve done an awesome job with Hayley. I think we’d do great with our own baby.”

  I can’t believe we’re really talking about doing this, but I have to admit, I love the idea.

  I give them all a cheeky smile. “We’ll discuss it later.”

  But I can see it on their faces. They know that I’m open to the idea, and we’re all thrilled by even the thought of expanding our happy little family.

  When the cake finishes baking, they help me set up for Eva’s arrival and the night goes beautifully.

  I tear up a little when Eva walks through the door and Hayley rushes into her arms, hugging her tightly. Eva kisses her on the head and hugs the rest of us.

  “You guys… you have no idea what you have done for me and my daughter,” she tells us with tears in her eyes and one arm wrapped around Hayley. “I came here for all the wrong reasons, I know that, but who would have guessed it would’ve been the best decision of my life. Without your help, I never would have gotten clean. And I promise that I’ll keep Hayley in your lives as much as possible. I think all of us are going to be connected for a really, really long time.”