by Marla Monroe
“She was driving with her husband. They were supposed to arrive the day before the wedding and she was going to stay and house-sit while she set up the books for the store.”
“She’s lucky to be alive, Brian. She’s planning on moving to Austin, I think. She had everything already packed inside her car.”
“Like hell she will. She’ll move here where I can watch out for her. I never would have left her in Mississippi if she hadn’t been married. Not that I liked her husband all that much.”
“Lamar and I want to claim her.” Brody watched Brian’s face.
His expression stiffened, and then he ground out, “What in the hell are you doing with her at your house, Brody?”
“Stand down, man. We’re not doing anything. She’s running scared, Brian.”
“I don’t know that it will do you any good. I can’t see her going for a ménage relationship, and if she’s hurting, it’s not the time for you to be approaching her.”
“I know that, but we want you to know where we stand. We’re claiming her.”
“Fuck.” Brian’s jaw worked. “She’s my sister, man. You’re asking me to let you fuck her.”
“Well, not right away, but she needs something, Brian. Let Lamar and I figure out what it is she needs and give it to her.”
“I want to see her first. Then I’ll make up my mind.”
“She’s going to expect to stay with you here,” Brody said.
“And if she wants to, she can,” Brian said, looking Brody in the eye.
“Fine. I told her you would be by to pick her up when you got in town. Give me a few minutes to get back over there then come on.” Brody walked out of the house and drove back to his place.
He’d been sitting watching TV for about ten minutes when the doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Brian.” Caitlyn jumped up from the couch where she and Lamar had been sitting.
“I’ll get it,” Brody said.
He got up from the recliner and answered the door. Brian and Andy both stood there. He let them in with a nod and watched to see what happened.
“Brian! I’m so glad to see you.” Caitlyn threw herself into his arms.
Then she pulled back and smiled at Andy. Holding out her hand she introduced herself.
“You must be Andy, I’m Brian’s sister, Caitlyn. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Same here, ma’am.”
“Please don’t ma’am me. I’m older than he is but not much.”
“You’re older than Andy? I thought he was your big brother,” Lamar said with a grin.
“Nope, he’s my baby brother by two years.” Caitlyn continued to hold on to Brian as if her life depended on him.
“What are you doing here without your husband?” Brian asked, getting down to business.
“He’s not my husband anymore. It’s a long story. Maybe we should go to your house.”
“Caitlyn, did you drive all the way here without anyone with you? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“Don’t start with me, Brian. You have no idea.” Her voice grew cold and distant.
Brian sighed. “Fine. Let’s go home and you can tell me what the hell is going on.”
“I really appreciate everything the two of you did to help me.” She turned to Lamar and Brody.
“It was our pleasure. You have to let us show you the town while you’re here,” Lamar said.
“Where are your things, Caitlyn? I’ll get them,” Andy offered.
“I’ll show you.” Lamar led Andy out of the room.
“Andy’s going to drive your car back to my place. You can ride with me.”
“I’m sorry if my coming so early has caused a problem, Brian, but I really didn’t have a choice.”
“Nonsense. You’re not any trouble. If I realized you were coming, I wouldn’t have taken that last haul. Everything will be fine. You’ll see.” Brian wrapped his arm around her once more and pulled her in for a hug.
When Andy returned with her suitcases, they walked outside and loaded up. She climbed in the cab of Brian’s truck and Andy took the keys to her Pathfinder from Brody and followed them to the house.
Brody watched them until he couldn’t see the taillights anymore. Then he walked back in inside and filled Lamar in on what he’d found out.
* * * *
“Caitlyn, what in the hell is going on?” Brian asked when they were settled in the living room with a beer.
She looked over at where Andy sat across from her and back at Brian expectantly.
“He stays. We have no secrets in this house, Caity.” Brian reverted back to her old nickname.
“I’m not married.”
“You got a divorce?”
“No, I never was married. The bastard already had a wife in Tennessee.” There. She’d said it.
Total silence.
“That son of a bitch! How did you find out?” Brian was instantly on the couch next to her holding her close.
“He told me. His real wife found out about me and threatened to tell me, so he came clean.” She didn’t even shed a tear now. It was as if all her emotions had vanished now.
“Caity, baby. Why didn’t you call me to come see about you?”
“I’m a grown woman, Brian. You had your new relationship, and I didn’t want to screw that up for you. I handled it. I moved out and stayed with Jean. Then when you invited me for the wedding and to house-sit, I figured that was the perfect time for me to move on.”
“What made you decide to come on ahead of time?” Brian asked.
Caitlyn hesitated, but at his lifted eyebrow, figured she might as well come clean. She told him about Jean being pregnant and getting married.
“I just thought it would be okay for me to come on ahead of time. I’m sorry I busted in like this.”
“Nonsense, you are always welcome here.”
Andy sat on the other side of her. “There will always be a place here for you, Caitlyn. You’re family.”
“Thanks, Andy. I appreciate it. You don’t even know me, and now I’m jumping in like this. I promise, I’m usually better organized.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a shock. Brian, I’m going to go put her things in the guest bedroom.” Andy stood up and walked over to where they had set her suitcases when they first walked in the door.
“Thanks, man.” Brian squeezed Caitlyn’s hand. “Caity, we’ll get everything worked out.”
“There’s really nothing to work out. If the offer still stands, I planned to stay here while you are gone on your honeymoon and set up your books while I house-sit, and then when you get back, I’m moving to Austin and starting over. I’ll be close by so we can visit.”
“I’d rather you move here so I can help if you need it. I won’t be able to see about you all the way in Austin, Caity.” Brian looked worried.
“I can take care of myself. I’m twenty-eight years old, Brian. I’ll find a place to live and move in and find a job. I have plenty in savings to cover a few months if it takes a while.”
“Why don’t you plan to stay here until you find a job, then move. That way you can pick out a place close to work that is what you want.”
Caitlyn sighed. He was going to be a bear about it. “I’ll think about it. I have time before I have to decide what to do.”
“You take all the time you want to. There’s plenty of room here. I can’t wait for you to meet Tish.” Brian’s face lit up at the mention of the woman’s name.
“I feel like I already know her. You’ve talked nonstop about her for weeks now.” Caitlyn smiled.
She was so happy for her brother. He’d had a brief live-in back in Mississippi that had not worked out at all. The woman had nearly killed him with her manipulative behavior, pitting him against his friends. As much as Caitlyn hadn’t wanted him to leave her, she had been glad when he’d moved and found a place where he was happy.
He had driven through Riverbend on one of his long-distance trucking
trips and fallen in love with it. He told her the people were very open and honest there. It had sounded like just the place for Brian and his freethinking ideas. Trust him to decide to live in a ménage relationship. He had assured her that there were several in the town.
“She will be so excited to meet you. She’s going to be the one taking over the books after you set them up. You know me and paperwork.”
“So tell me more about your store. I know it’s new age, but what all will you have in it?”
Brian filled her in on the type of merchandise and the clientele they expected. He already had a mail-order business and needed her to help him sort that out as well.
“I’m so proud of you, Brian. You and Andy and Tish will do wonderfully. Setting up a website and running mail order first is what will increase your sales. How much of a mess do I have to fix from that?” she teased.
“About three months’ worth.” He winced at her rolling eyes. “Had I known you were free all that time, I would have already had you out here setting it up.”
“Well, there’s nothing for it. I’ll get it set up for you. You can show it all to me tomorrow. I might as well get started on it. Is everything at the store?”
“Yeah. We don’t officially open until the first of next month, but we’ve been doing a little selling here and there, and of course, the mail order. Um, do you mind keeping it up while we’re on our honeymoon?”
“Of course not. I’m sure I can handle it.”
Andy spoke up as he entered the room. “Would you like another beer, Caitlyn?”
“No, thanks. I probably better get to bed. I need to get an early start in the morning. What time do you plan to go in to work?”
“Nine.” Brian stood up and stretched. “Does that sound good to you?”
“I’ll be up and ready. Want me to fix breakfast?”
“Nope, that’s Andy’s specialty. He does most of the cooking.”
“Do you have any preference?” he asked her.
“No, thanks.”
“I’ll show you to your room.” Brian grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall.
“What did you think of Brody and Lamar?” he asked when he showed her the bedroom.
“They were very nice to me. You have some good friends.”
“So you liked them?”
Caitlyn stared at him. “Yeah. Why?”
“Just wondering. I’ll see you in the morning. Hope you sleep well, Caity.”
Caitlyn closed the door and looked around the small room. It wasn’t as large as the guest rooms at Brody and Lamar’s house, but it was nicely decorated and would be fine for as long as she would be staying.
She took a quick shower in the attached bathroom and settled down for the night. The bed was comfortable, but sleep wasn’t in her future, it seemed like. She had slept in so late that morning.
She thought about Brody and Lamar and wondered if they were still watching TV or if they had gone to bed. She didn’t know what time they would go to work at their machine shop. Stifling a yawn, she lay back and contemplated her life. Starting over in Austin seemed like the best idea, but she wondered if staying in Riverbend wouldn’t be just as good.
No. You worked this out, Caitlyn. You need your independence, and if you stick around Brian, he’ll run your life for you. No, she was better off moving to Austin.
Thoughts of Lamar and Brody intruded into her thoughts. She had really liked them. She had to admit that they had piqued her interest. Just being around them had kept her wet, which was more than she could say about her ex-whatever-he-was.
She sighed. They seemed like nice guys. But she wasn’t in the market for nice anything right now. She had a life to get on with and starting over didn’t include starting a new relationship. Not now and probably not ever again.
Chapter Four
Tish was already at the store the next morning when she and the guys drove up. Brian’s fiancée was beautiful to say the least with her long blonde hair and baby-blue eyes. She had a delicate air about her that belied the spirit beneath the surface.
Tish embraced her and immediately began regaling her with tales from their recent past and how the three of them had met.
“Let me show you the office and you can get comfortable. I’m so excited you’re here so early! We can have so much fun without the guys tagging along.”
“Don’t count on that, Tish. You’re not allowed to run off without telling me where you’re going,” Brian called out.
“Is he serious?” Caitlyn laughed.
“Unfortunately. Around here, the men take their job of seeing after their women very seriously. You’ll see. Wait ’til you want to do something, and he doesn’t want you to.”
“Sorry, but I’m my own woman, and I’m two years older than him.”
Tish rolled her eyes. “That’s not going to make a bit of difference. You’ll see.” She changed the subject. “I hear you met Lamar and Brody. What did you think about them?”
“They’re very nice. They helped me when I was totally out of it. I still can’t believe I fell asleep driving. I was so lucky.” Caitlyn shook her head.
“Yeah, you were. I’m surprised Brian hasn’t said anything to you about it.”
“I think I shocked him with my marriage fiasco. He can’t handle more than one issue at a time. Typical male.”
They laughed over that and began to sort through the invoices and paperwork for the business. Several hours later, Brian knocked on the door and produced drinks. He had her much-coveted Diet Coke.
“Thanks, Brian. You’re an angel.”
“So, is it a total mess or can you fix it?” he asked.
“Well, it’s a total mess, but I can fix it. And Tish seems to have a good handle on it, so I don’t foresee any major problems. I can do your taxes for you, your quarterly estimates and all. That won’t be a problem.”
“Great! You really ought to open an accounting business here. There’s only one other accountant, and he doesn’t have time to take on new clients.” He grinned at her. “Think about it, at least.”
“Get back to work, Brian, and leave us women alone.” Tish pushed him out of the office and closed the door behind him. “Don’t mind him. He just wants you close by. He said you were looking to move to Austin. That’s only two hours away, so you wouldn’t be too far.”
“That’s what I keep trying to tell him.” Caitlyn rolled her eyes.
They worked in the office for another couple of hours and then broke for lunch. They all went over to the diner and ended up sharing a large table with Lamar and Brody.
“How are you doing today?” Lamar asked her.
“Hey, Lamar. Hi, Brody. I’m doing fine. Working on setting up their books.”
“We’ve been talking and wanted to hire you, if you have the time, to set up our books. We’ve been screwing around with them for several years and they’re a mess. Maybe if you set them up right to begin with we could keep them up.” Brody’s intense gaze bored into her.
“Oh, well. I’m not sure I’ll be here long enough, but maybe I can give you some easy pointers to get you headed in the right direction.”
“That would be great. We’ll take what we can get,” Brody said.
They laughed and discussed the weather, the state of the nation, and local news. Caitlyn tuned it all out and noticed how many tables contained two men and one woman. One even had three men sitting with a single woman. Were they in a relationship?
Lamar leaned over and whispered in her ear. “That’s Jessie and her men, Gordon, Harry, and Michael. They have a little boy named Timothy.”
“They look really happy. I didn’t mean to stare.”
“It’s natural to be interested in what’s around you. You’ll find that most of the families here are ménage. The few that aren’t have other different viewpoints such as D/s relationships.”
“You’re kidding.” She looked around and thought she had one picked out by the way the woman kept her eyes down.
“Some wear collars and some wear bracelets.”
Brody was sitting on the other side of her. He took her hand and squeezed it.
“What is Lamar filling your head with?”
“He’s just pointing out that people here live by their own laws.”
“Yeah. Does that bother you?” Brody asked.
“No, I think it’s great that they can all get along and live like they want to. It’s unusual in a small town. Maybe you might see these kinds of relationships in a large city, but not usually in a small community like Riverbend.”
“Well, the entire town is made up of odd relationships. The mayor and his wife are in a D/s situation. The majority of the town council live in ménage relationships. It’s more the norm than the exception.”
“That’s really great.”
“Think you might like to stick around?” Lamar asked.
“I don’t know. I really think I would be better off in Austin. Living this close to my brother probably isn’t a good idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea. You need someone to help you, and living two hours away will put a strain on Brian,” Logan pointed out.
“He shouldn’t have to help me out at all. I can take care of myself.”
“Maybe someone else would like to take care of you for a change. You shouldn’t have to worry about the day-to-day stuff. You should just enjoy life.” Lamar seemed to be trying to tell her something, but she wasn’t sure what.
Caitlyn listened to the conversations around her and thought about how relaxed everyone seemed. She wanted that feeling again, but didn’t know if living there would be the answer or not. She didn’t want to be under Brian’s thumb. He was already bossy enough, and if what Tish said was true, he would be worse.
Austin was a progressive town. She would be fine there. She could visit anytime she wanted to. They had the spare bedrooms and an occasional long weekend would do her good. He would have his hands full with a new marriage and the new business. Brian wouldn’t have time to worry about her. Brody and Lamar were wrong there. He wouldn’t need to worry about her living in Austin. She could take care of herself.
