by Mia Moon
At six sharp, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Cassidy stood there, grinning. Tonight, he wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat and his hair glinted like dark gold in the late-day light.
“Hey.” My heart sped up a little just looking at him. He was wearing a dark denim shirt and lighter blue jeans and looked hot. Hotter than hot.
His eyes widened. “You did something to your hair.”
I laughed. “I washed it. Took it out of its ponytail.”
“I like it. A lot. And you did bring a cowgirl outfit,” he said. “I guess it figures with that big suitcase of yours. You probably brought a ball gown, too.”
“My packing skills aren’t the best,” I admitted.
“Let’s go. I want you to catch the spring festival before we go to dinner, it’s still going on for an hour or so.”
We hopped in his truck and I chattered on about the morning’s horseback ride. Of course, I conveniently left out the part about Jax.
“So Jax was a good tour guide?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Excellent.”
Cassidy’s mouth turned up in a lopsided, sexy grin, and he stroked his chin. A pang of guilt rushed through me. I wondered if somehow Jax had told him about touching me by the creek. I looked out the passenger side window at the mountains.
So what if he did? I’m single, Jax is single. And tonight isn’t a date with Cassidy. He’s showing me the town for my article. Right?
But why did it feel like a date? Why did Cassidy keep glancing at me with those flirtatious eyes?
I changed the subject and asked about the neighbor’s fence. Apparently Cassidy had helped fix it, as well, and he talked about rounding up the livestock.
Soon, we rolled into a small downtown that looked like it was something out of an old western movie.
“You really don’t live far from here. You’re not in the middle of nowhere, not by a long shot,” I observed. “I thought it was so far from anything that first night.”
Cassidy shrugged. “Probably just seemed that way because you came at night.”
He parked the truck and helped me out, just like he did that first night. We walked towards a throng of people—the main drag was shut down for pedestrian traffic—and Cassidy maneuvered himself so he walked closest to the street. Every time I’d drift toward the curb, he’d gently corral me on the inside.
The third time he did it, I laughed. “Why do you keep moving me toward the storefronts? Do you want me to shop?”
We were in more of a crowd now, if you call a few hundred people a crowd. Cassidy put his hand on the small of my back and leaned into my ear. “No, I was raised to make sure I put myself in between the street and a woman. I’m protecting you.”
I nodded. I’d never had a man do that before, and it seemed old-fashioned and chivalrous. And terribly sexy.
We wandered through the festival, looking at the handmade Montana crafts. Cassidy noticed how I was especially interested in some jars of local artisan honey, and he handed the vendor a fifty, and bought five jars.
“You didn’t have to,” I protested. “And I can carry the bag.”
“Nope. I’ll carry the bag. And consider the honey a gift from me to all of your friends in New York. Just make sure you keep a jar for yourself, okay? And think of me when you eat it.”
A vision of drizzling honey over Cassidy’s muscular body came to mind. I imagined coating his cock in the sticky substance and seeing the look on his face when I went to lick it off. My breath caught in my throat. What was I thinking? I’d just hooked up with Jax earlier, and here I was fantasizing about his friend and business partner. What was happening to me here in Montana?
“You have food rules?”
“Hunh?” Cassidy’s question ripped me out of my fantasies.
“I was wondering if you have food allergies or things you don’t eat. I have two places in mind for dinner.”
I shook my head. “No food rules. I eat anything and everything.” My cheeks felt hot after I said the words. Cassidy grinned. My God, I was like a horny fourteen-year-old boy, thinking about sex every five minutes.
“Perfect. Then let’s get some meat.” Cassidy took my hand and pulled me down the street.
“Oh. My. God. I cannot eat any more. No.” I pushed the chocolate lava cake away. “First the steak, then the fries and now this.” I took another bite and rolled my eyes. “I can’t help it, it’s so delicious.”
“Eat all you want. I’m enjoying watching you eat more than anything.”
I looked into his deep blue eyes. Cassidy was probably the kindest, gentlest man I’d ever met. And I was more attracted to him by the minute. I couldn’t stop looking at his hands, which were huge. Like grizzly paws, almost. With his golden-brown hair and his broad frame, he kind of reminded me of a bear. A gentle one.
We’d spent dinner talking about our pasts, detailing everything about our lives from college on. Turns out he majored in hospitality management at a big school in Chicago, but his true passion was cooking. He made all the meals for the guests at the ranch, and hoped to someday open a restaurant here in town, too.
He’d asked me more questions about myself, though, about how I became a writer and whether I enjoyed traveling. Like Jax, he asked about my dating life, but was a bit more direct.
“Got a boyfriend back in the Big Apple?”
I shook my head. “Haven’t had one in a couple of years.”
He nodded and didn’t press the issue, which I appreciated. How could I explain to this sweet, uncomplicated man how I’d met my ex on a dating app, had a fully functional, seemingly wonderful relationship for two months, and then he’d disappeared into the Manhattan streets, never to be heard from again? I wasn’t worthy, apparently. And admitting that to someone like Cassidy seemed wrong. Pathetic.
“Making true connections is difficult in the city,” I said.
He nodded and took a bite of the cake.
Driving back to the ranch, we made easy, casual small talk about my itinerary. Apparently it had been decided that Hank would take me to explore an old western ghost town tomorrow.
“Lots of firsts this week,” I said.
Cassidy grinned.
At the ranch, Cassidy walked me to my cabin, pointing out constellations in the dark night sky. The lights were off in the main ranch lodge, so the darkness settled around us.
Cassidy slung his arm around my shoulder, and we stopped at my cabin door. I wished tonight wouldn’t end, but I also felt weird about asking him inside. Just twelve or so hours ago, Jax had his hands between my legs.
And yet, I was wet just standing so close to Cassidy. He set the bag of honey by my door.
I turned to him. Jesus Almighty, he was tall, and broad-shouldered. “I had an amazing time. Thank you.”
“Thank you. I haven’t had such a good dinner companion in years. Gets kinda old with these two.” He jerked his thumb toward the lodge and chuckled.
I felt like I should say something but wasn’t sure what. Cassidy moved closer and took my face in his hands. “Can I give you a goodnight kiss?”
I nodded as my belly did a little flip. He moved in and pressed his lips to mine. It was a slow, soft and sensual kiss, and my insides turned to liquid. He threaded his fingers in my hair and wrapped my thick, wavy locks around his fist, pulling me closer into a giant hug.
We stayed like that for several minutes and being in his arms felt so perfect. It was a mix of feeling desired and protected, and my knees grew weak. I pressed my nose against his neck. His scent—leather and fresh soap—made me not want to let go.
He groaned and pulled away. “Goodnight, Lauren.” He brushed another kiss over my mouth and walked to his cabin.
“Goodnight,” I said, shaky. I’d never really felt lonely in my life. Not until this moment.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to call after him, beg him to come inside or what, and out of sheer confusion, I grabbed the honey and scurried inside, my heart thumping
against my ribcage.
I pressed my fingers to my lips, where Cassidy’s warm mouth had just been, and imagined snuggling against his muscular chest all night.
Cassidy was an incredible kisser. And somehow, from one hug and a chaste kiss, I felt as connected to him as I did with Jax.
Chapter Six
For some reason, Hank scared me a little. Maybe it was his self-possessed, almost arrogant demeanor, or maybe it was the way that he seemed to take control of everything, but he was unlike Jax and Cassidy.
We were in his truck, which seemed even bigger and more imposing than Cassidy’s. He’d helped me into it, just like Cassidy did, but I sensed something rougher, maybe an impatience. Like he wasn’t wasting time, and he had half a mind to pick me up and set me in the cab of the truck.
He was also bigger, and quieter, than the other two.
A silence enveloped the truck as we rode to the ghost town.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said. “I know you have a lot to manage back at the ranch, between running it and booking tourists.”
He glanced over at me and gave a little nod. Well. I’d have to use all of my reporter tricks to get him to talk.
“The guys tell me you all grew up in Chicago. Do you ever miss the city?” My voice was high and chirpy.
He shook his head curtly. “If I’d stayed in Chicago, I’d be dead by now.”
His abrupt revelation made my breath catch. “Oh! Why?”
When he didn’t immediately answer, I quickly filled the void. “You don’t have to answer. I’m just being nosy.”
He let out an easy chuckle, and I relaxed a little. “I was a hellion as a teenager. Got involved in a lot of stupid shit. Stealing cars, selling weed. I even dropped out of school for a while.”
While keeping his right hand on the steering wheel, he scratched his right arm with his left hand, just over the lasso tattoo. My eyes were drawn to his massive bicep.
“Jax and Cass were the ones to save me, pretty much.”
“You were lucky to have them,” I murmured, still shocked at his revelation. He seemed a bit rough around the edges, but I never imagined him as a teen criminal.
“Yeah. The three of us had grown up together, and they went to the same private high school. My dad sent me to a different school and the three of us drifted apart. That’s when I rebelled. Finally, Jax and Cass did an intervention on me and talked my dad into sending me to their school. I slowly got my act together. It was close, though, and even after I switched schools, I was still a bit of problem. I almost ended up in jail for beating the shit out of a kid that basically tried to assault our girl. I’ve let a lot of that anger go, though. I’ve matured.”
As he said the words, something in his face changed. As if he wasn’t supposed to reveal a certain detail.
“Our girl?” I asked.
He licked his lips. “I guess I can tell you. No harm, it’s not like you live here. This is off the record, right? Not for the article?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Of course. Off the record.”
“Jax, Cass and I dated the same girl in high school. And in college.”
I swallowed. “You… all...” I shook my head. “Wait. What?”
He chuckled. “That’s the reaction of most people that we tell. So we don’t usually say anything to anyone. I feel like I can trust you, strangely. Jax and Cass do, too.”
My heart began to pound erratically. Things were making a little more sense now. Or were they?
“Yeah, I won’t say anything.”
“You’re an open-minded New Yorker. This shouldn’t shock you. So the three of us met a girl in high school, right when I got to the new school. It was our senior year. We all liked her. And Cass and Jax encouraged me to date her. Because I’d been in trouble and they felt I needed something positive in my life. But I didn’t feel like I deserved her. Anyway, it turned out that she liked all of us. And one night at Cass’ parents’ house, we were all hanging out, and one thing led to another.”
I gaped, open mouthed.
“And we just became a thing,” he continued. “No one in high school knew. But we all ended up at the same college, Northwestern. My dad pulled some strings for me to get in after my dismal grades. Of course Cass and Jax got in with no problem. So did Jessie.”
“Wow,” I said, unable to find any appropriate words. I was a mixture of fascinated and shocked. And a teeny bit jealous. What woman wouldn’t want all three of these guys? “How did it… how did it work, exactly?”
Hang shrugged and steered the truck to the left, down a dirt road. I spied a weathered, dented white sign that said Dakota City Ghost Town—2 miles.
“Sometimes we’d go out as a group. Or we’d take her out individually. It was a perfect setup. We were all close. And Jax and Cass and I had always shared everything, it kind of made sense to share one woman, too.”
He glanced over at me. “You can close your mouth. It’s not so unusual.”
“Well, I’ve never heard of it happening.” I realized how prim and prudish I sounded. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It sounds, um, nice. To have three guys who adore you.”
He smirked and stroked the sides of his blonde goatee. “I think it was real nice for Jessie.”
“So what happened?”
“She changed in college. She loved the city and wanted to stay. Wanted a career, to settle down with one man and have kids. We could help her with one of those three. But the dealbreaker was when we decided to move here full time. That’s when it ended, eight years ago.”
“She didn’t want to choose just one of you, I take it.”
He shook his head. “She didn’t think it was fair. And she really hates Montana and the rural life.”
I cleared my throat. “Have you, ah, have the three of you found… I was having trouble forming the words, then decided to blurt out the question that was really on my mind. “Have you all found another woman to share?”
Again with the sexy smirk. That expression of his made my stomach do somersaults. “We’ve indulged from time to time. But no one long term. Haven’t found the right woman.”
By now, we’d pulled onto a smaller, dusty road. I could see a cluster weathered wooden buildings.
“Here we are. A perfectly preserved ghost town.” He steered the truck to the side of the gravel road, and stopped, the dust kicking up.
Hank undid his buckle, opened his door and came around to my side of the truck. I was still stunned by his last statement —we’ve indulged from time to time—and was frozen to my seat. He opened the door, and I stared at him.
“What? Having trouble with your seat belt? It sometimes sticks. Here.” He reached across me with muscular arms and undid the buckle. I started to sweat, wondering if I should have worn a t-shirt instead of a long-sleeved cotton shirt with my jean skirt.
“Let me help you out. I don’t want you to fall in this ditch.”
Hank picked me up as if I were a doll, his arms under my bare knees and around my back. He carried me a few steps to the level road and set me on my feet. I had worn my cutest white sneakers, and they were already dusty.
“Thanks,” I breathed.
Walking fast to keep up with Hank’s long-legged stride, I tried to focus on what he was saying about the ghost town. He knew a lot of history and explained how gold miners and trappers settled here in the mid-1800s.
But instead of historic buildings and Montana heritage, I was thinking of Hank, Jax and Cass, and how they’d shared women. Was that why Jax and Cass had been so casually flirtatious with me—and more?
Hank stopped in front of a large wooden building. “This here was the hotel. Some say it’s haunted. Want to check it out?”
I blinked. As I was thinking about threesomes and moresomes, he was talking about ghosts. The eager look on his face made me laugh. “Sure. Why not? Are we allowed to go inside?”
He shrugged. “Do you see anyone else around to tell us no?”
“Well, no
,” I admitted. “But isn’t this state property or private property or something?”
“This is the old wild west. It’s no-man's-land out here.”
I must have shot him a concerned look because he grinned. “You’re safe with me. Don’t worry. Just stick close.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice. He opened the door, and the hinges creaked like something out of a horror movie.
“Spooky. Have you been here before?” I whispered.
“Jax, Cass and I brought a family of tourists here once. We did come inside. All joking aside, it’s safe and really cool. And why are we whispering?”
I giggled and spotted the hotel’s old, dusty reservations desk. Everything inside was peeling paint and old wood. It smelled like hundreds of years of dust and dry trees. It wasn’t scary, exactly, but a little creepy. I moved closer to Hank.
The floorboards creaked as we moved through the hotel. Neither of us spoke until we got to a staircase.
“Let’s go up.” I put my foot on the first step, excited about exploring. “This is so cool.”
Just as I was about to take another step, Hank grabbed my arm. “Nope. I don’t trust those stairs or the wood floor upstairs.”
I turned to him, my mouth open. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Crap.”
Gingerly, I stepped down and noticed Hank’s hand was now on my back.
“We can look into one of the rooms down that hall.” He pointed through a door, into a dark passageway.
“It looks a little scary,” I whispered, a thrill racing through me. “Let’s do it.”
“Here. Hold my hand.” He grabbed my hand, and with his other hand, took his cell out of his pocket and activated its flashlight. He beamed it down the dark hall and I squeezed his fingers with mine. This was like one of those haunted house attractions, only better.
We walked slowly, and he flashed the light on a wooden door with an iron knob. Wordlessly, he handed me the flashlight and I took it with my free hand. He pushed open the door, and I held my breath.
“Ohhh, a hotel room.” I exhaled at the sight of the small, wood-walled room. It wasn’t as creepy as the other rooms we’d seen; there was a large window that overlooked a thatch of trees, and the sunlight streamed in.
