“There is absolutely nothing wrong, kitten,” Spence promised her. “In fact, there may be something very right.”
“Spence, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know, kitten,” he admitted.
“Lainey, last night we were blessed with our mating marks,” Tim told her.
“I know, Timmy. I was the one who saw the mating marks first, remember?”
“Yes, baby,” Tim told her, smiling.
“Then what are you both worrying about?”
“We’re not worrying, kitten. We’re hoping.”
“I don’t understand.”
Tim led his stallion closer to Spence’s mount, reaching out to take Lainey’s hand in his. “We’re hoping we made our first child last night,” he told her gently.
The panic that slammed through Lainey was immediate. The fear that she had about giving birth to a child that belonged to one man and not the other was something that weighed heavily in her heart.
“You want children right away?” Lainey whispered.
“Very much,” Tim spoke up.
“So do I,” Spence agreed. “Don’t you want children with us, Lainey?”
Lainey thought about the baby that would carry the McKade traits of black hair and blue eyes and smiled. Thinking about the warm brown eyes and brown, curly hair that Tim’s baby would have, she was equally happy. She wanted to give them both the children that they wanted. She knew she would love being pregnant and being a mom. That wasn’t what concerned her.
“I’m not sure about having a baby so quickly,” she said honestly. “How would you feel about it if I turned out to be pregnant right now?”
“Thrilled,” Spence answered immediately.
“Absolutely,” Tim agreed.
“But how will you feel if the baby is Spence’s?” she asked Tim. Turning to face Spence she looked up at him with worry in her eyes. “How will you feel if the baby is Tim’s?”
“Lainey, listen to me,” Spence told her calmly. “I love you. Tim loves you. Tim and I have talked about this, and we honestly don’t have any reservations about raising children that will belong to all three of us. It doesn’t matter to us which one of us is the biological father.”
Tim reached out and pulled Lainey from Spence’s hold to place her gently on his lap, settling her carefully so that she sat sideways on his legs as he held her tenderly. “Lainey, you’ve already seen that we’ve been blessed by the Great Spirit. We wouldn’t have been given that blessing if we weren’t meant to share you as our mate. When you have our children we’ll be a family. We’ll share our babies and we’ll both love all of our children. How can we not love every baby that you give us?”
“I don’t want to ever hurt either of you,” she whispered, looking up at him.
“What will hurt us is if you leave us,” Tim answered her gently. “What will make us happy is if you stay with us, accept our love, and start a family with us. Right, Spence?”
Spence nodded, reaching out and touching Lainey’s leg lightly before taking her hand and threading his fingers with hers. When she immediately squeezed his hand, he smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
“You don’t have to worry, kitten,” he told her quietly. “Tim and I will love getting you pregnant, watching your body grow with our babies, and accept each one with open arms and hearts. We’ve always been a team, remember? You’re our bridge. You connect us in a way that no other person ever could. What better way to connect us than to give us children to love?”
Lainey looked up at him and smiled weakly. Turning to face Tim, she saw the honest love and concern evident on his face. She wanted to believe that there would be no jealousy or hurt between the three of them. She wanted to believe that every baby they had would belong to all of them and be equally loved by each man, but she couldn’t.
Nodding, she did her best to assure both men that she was okay. She didn’t think she fooled them, though. Not if she could judge by the guarded expressions on their faces.
Chapter 11
Two hours later, Lainey waited by her rental car, looking at the front porch of Deuce McKade’s ranch home. It had been a quiet morning for her, spending time with Gracie as she helped her to get breakfast ready for the McKade family. Melanie was sleeping in after having a long night getting up with Mary Grace to nurse her. Claire hadn’t come out of her bedroom, and Becca had been absent as well.
All of the McKade men had been quiet as they ate. Lainey wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew that the men had been doing some serious thinking. Marc and John had been just as quiet as the McKade brothers. It was a little unsettling. The McKade household was usually alive with talk and laughter.
She had sat between Spence and Tim, enjoying the way they reached out to touch her in some way every few minutes. It seemed that they were just as unwilling to let go of the intimacy of their bonding to start their work day as she was. She really wanted to go right back to their home and spend the day in the cocoon of their newly formed world of mating, but it wasn’t a possibility. They all had responsibilities and duties to see to.
Leaning against the side of the car, Lainey’s mind was racing with thoughts of what Tim and Spence had revealed to her on their way up the path to the main ranch home. How could she have been so foolish as to not take precautions when they had made love? She had never taken a chance before.
Looking across the open area of land to the large corral, she saw Spence and Tim joining Deuce and John as they led their horses out once again to continue their day’s work. Both Spence and Tim touched the brims of their hats as they looked at her, filling her chest with happiness. She raised her hand to her mouth and kissed it before pushing it toward them. Seeing their immediate smiles, a feeling of warmth and contentment filled her chest.
Spence and Tim were right. The Great Spirit wouldn’t have blessed their unique mating if they weren’t meant to share a family and a future. She was going to have to put aside her fears and worries. To become obsessed with those fears would seriously jeopardize their happiness. She was not going to risk that.
The front door of Deuce’s ranch home opened and Lainey saw her sister Becca walking out, stepping down the front steps carefully, and shifting the small bag she had slung over her shoulder as she maneuvered her way down the three wooden steps. She saw how Becca was rubbing at her right hip and knew that her sister had to be in some serious pain. Watching her walking toward the rental car, she could see the lines of stress on her sister’s face.
“How bad is it, Becca?”
“Pretty bad,” Becca told her softly. “I just want to get out of here, Lainey. I can’t come back here anymore.”
“I thought things were better between you and Rafe,” Lainey said as she walked around the car and opened the passenger side door for her. She took Becca’s small bag from her and threw it onto the back seat, waiting until her sister slowly lowered her body onto the front passenger seat and carefully lifted her legs to swing them inside the car.
“Stubborn man,” Becca muttered. “I’m not wasting any more time on him. He’s never going to see me as anything but a cripple. I’m not a cripple.”
“I know you’re not, honey.”
“Yeah, well, that’s all he sees when he looks at me.”
“It didn’t seem that way last night,” Lainey offered gently. “He looked like he was a man taking charge of his mate.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” Becca answered with disgust in her voice. “I’ve never seen a man more conflicted. I just don’t get it, Lainey. Why does he keep changing his mind?”
“I don’t know, Becca. Do you want me to have Spence talk to him?”
“No,” Becca answered with determination. “I don’t want any man to be convinced to want me. The hell with that, and the hell with him. I’m worth more than he’ll ever know. I won’t allow him to make me feel like less of a woman because he can’t deal with whatever issues he has.”
“
Okay. Let’s get going. We’ve got about an hour to get to the diner and get things ready for the morning rush.” She looked at Becca worriedly. “If your hip is bothering you, you shouldn’t be on your feet too much. I’ll help you in the kitchen today.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Becca told her, rubbing at her face tiredly. She pushed back her long, brown hair so that it hung behind her shoulders and turned to face Lainey, her unique eyes mirroring her tiredness and pain. “We have a new employee. Well, a temporary employee, at least.”
“We do?”
“Yes.” She turned and pointed toward the front door of Deuce’s home just as it opened and Claire Hamilton walked out carrying her school backpack and a large suitcase.
“What the hell happened?” Lainey asked in shock.
“I probably should have warned you about that,” Becca told her softly. “I talked to her just a few minutes ago. She’s not doing so good, Lainey.”
Claire had been a constant presence in the McKade home for the past two years. She had been their cook and housekeeper ever since she had stumbled upon Jake in the hospital after the accident he was in that had nearly killed him. If it hadn’t been for her, Jake would have given up. Whatever it was that was unique to Claire, had pulled Jake out of his depression and had given him the will to fight to survive and become strong once again. Only the slight limp he had was a reminder of the devastation of the accident.
The McKade brothers had realized very quickly that Claire was an important addition to their family. Deuce had been aware of her struggle to break free of her mother’s obsessive control over her and had offered her a haven of peace at his ranch.
Claire walked over to the car and waited patiently. “Is it okay with you if I work at your diner until I can find a permanent job, Lainey?”
“Absolutely,” Lainey told her without hesitation. “Becca needs help in the kitchen.” She turned to face her sister and shook her head when she was about to protest. “Don’t pretend with either me or Claire. You can always be honest with us, Becca.”
Becca nodded. “I know.” She turned to face Claire and smiled sadly. “I really could use your help, Claire. Do you think you’ll be able to function in the kitchen with me?”
“I think so,” Claire offered. “Being isolated in the kitchen will help. I probably won’t be affected by the emotions of the others in the diner if I’m removed from them.”
Lainey smiled. She was glad that Claire would be able to find a calm and safe environment in their diner. She had always worried about Claire. Her empathic ability often made it nearly impossible for her to function. For some reason, Jake seemed to be her buffer against the world. When he touched her, Claire was unable to feel the barrage of feelings and emotions of those around her. The same happened to her whenever she held babies or small children. Their purity soothed her.
She took Claire’s suitcase, popped the trunk, and stowed it securely. Opening the back passenger door, she stepped aside and smiled.
“Climb aboard, Claire,” she told her, smiling. “We’ve got to get going.”
“Thanks, Lainey,” Claire whispered, throwing her backpack onto the back seat and climbing into the car. She pulled the door closed behind her, buckled her seat belt, and took a calming breath.
Lainey opened the driver’s side door, took her place behind the wheel and started the engine. It was actually pretty nice to have a car that started on the first try. The rental car was the cheapest one they could find, but it was in good shape, and it got them where they needed to go. Buckling in, she shifted the car into drive and pulled away, traveling up the long driveway of the McKade Ranch and heading toward town.
“Things didn’t work out between you and Jake?” Lainey asked gently.
“Idiot,” Claire muttered.
“Guess not.”
Lainey felt bad for the two women in the car. She understood their frustration. She had felt the same frustration for such a long time, never believing anything could ever happen between her and the men she loved. She was very thankful that things had worked out for her.
“I can sense your happiness,” Claire spoke up as they drove. “It’s good to feel such good feelings. Thank you.”
“What happened between you and Tim and Spence?” Becca asked. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay. I’m just worried about you.”
“Actually, things are really good,” Lainey admitted.
“Really?” Becca asked, surprised.
“Yes.” Lainey smiled and lifted her long hair to expose the nape of her neck. “We’re mated.”
Both Claire and Becca strained to look at the marking on the back of Lainey’s neck. She knew the moment they realized that there were three entwined links by their squeals of delight.
“Holy shit!” Becca sputtered. “You’re mated to both of them!”
“Yes.”
“I knew it!” Becca said, slapping Lainey’s thigh. “I just knew you three were meant to be together.”
“That’s so awesome that you’ve been blessed by the Great Spirit,” Claire said in amazement.
“You will be soon, too, Claire,” Lainey spoke up, smiling at her reflection in the rearview mirror.
“No. I don’t think so, Lainey,” Claire said calmly. “I had hoped that someday I would be blessed, but I guess that’s not a possibility for my future.”
“Oh, no you don’t, Claire,” Lainey stopped her. She turned to face Becca briefly before returning her eyes to the road ahead of them. “You, too, Becca. Melanie told all of us that we were going to be mated by winter. She’s never been wrong. In fact, I’m going to have to stop and get her the giant chocolate bar with almonds to bring her tonight.”
“She did say we all owed her that when we found ourselves mated,” Becca agreed.
“Yes. And I always pay my debts. A chocolate candy bar is little enough payment for finding out that my men are actually my mates,” Lainey explained.
Becca smiled and nodded. She was so happy for her sister. “The mating mark is absolutely beautiful, Lainey. It’s so unique.”
“I know. I love the way my link is a rose gold and is between the two golden links that represent Spence and Tim.” Lainey smiled, touching the back of her neck reverently. “Just seeing the three links entwined makes me know that the three of us are meant to be together. The Great Spirit wouldn’t have gifted us with this mark otherwise.”
“How are Spence and Tim handling it?” Claire asked, smiling at the happiness that was radiating from Lainey and seeping into her through her empathic ability.
“They’re the ones who convinced me to give our mating a try,” Lainey said softly. “They said they knew our mating was meant to be. They were sure that all three of us would be blessed with a mating mark.” She was quiet for a minute as she thought about their determination to claim her as theirs. “They were right.”
All three women wore big smiles as they shared in the happiness of the newest mated trio. It was a happy trip into town for sure.
“Claire, since you don’t have a place to stay, why don’t you stay with Becca at our apartment?” Lainey suggested.
“Really?” Claire asked, surprised. “I was going to try to find a place after work today.”
“No, there’s no need to do that,” Lainey told her firmly.
“That’s a great idea,” Becca spoke up.
“But do you have enough room?”
“Yes, because I’m going to be living with Spence and Tim,” Lainey explained happily.
All three of them elapsed into a comfortable silence. Lainey couldn’t stop projecting her happiness, and Claire appreciated the positive emotions.
“So, Lainey,” Becca spoke up suddenly. “How exactly does it work with the three of you being intimate?” The teasing in her voice made all of them smile.
“It works just great,” Lainey answered, winking at her before returning her attention back to the road ahead of them.
“Is that all you’re going
to say?” Becca asked, disappointed with the lack of juicy information.
“Yup.”
“Aw, come on, Lainey. Throw us a bone,” Becca said after a moment of silence.
“Nope.” Lainey smiled as she drove. “You’ll have to make your own sexy memories with your own mates.”
“Not going to happen,” Claire muttered from the back seat.
“You’re wrong, Claire,” Lainey told her, glancing up once again to look at her in the rearview mirror. “You have to believe that you’re both going to be mated and pregnant by winter. Melanie said so.”
Becca looked over her shoulder at Claire. She saw that her friend’s eyes were filled with sadness. Becca shook her head and watched as Claire did the same. It was obvious that they both felt that for the first time in her life, Melanie was going to be wrong in her predictions.
Chapter 12
“Wow,” DelAnne whispered as she reached up and touched the three entwined links on the nape of Lainey’s neck. “That’s awesome.”
Lainey turned and smiled at the young woman. “Isn’t it?”
“Hell, yeah!”
“I think so, too,” Lainey whispered. “I just want to keep this quiet, though. Okay, DelAnne?”
“Whatever you say, Lainey,” DelAnne promised. “It’s nobody’s business anyway.” She turned and started to wipe down the counter, placing the tin containers filled with napkins and the salt and pepper shakers at equal intervals along its length.
“I agree. I don’t want anyone passing judgment on us. I don’t want Spence or Tim to ever be hurt because they chose me together.”
“Lainey, you are one lucky woman,” DelAnne said softly. “They’re great guys, and it’s obvious that they love you.”
“You think so?”
“Oh, honey, if you could see the way they watch you when they’re here. You would have to have a fire extinguisher handy for the heat in their eyes. I’m surprised this whole diner hasn’t gone up in flames.”
Lainey couldn’t contain the soft giggle that escaped her. “I guess I never really noticed,” she admitted.
Claiming Lainey [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 15
