by Marla Monroe
Riverbend, Texas Heat 1
Trusting the Cowboys
When Lexie's boyfriend abuses her, Quade and Jared step in to help. They want to take care of her the rest of her life. Lexie isn't so sure that a relationship with two men can work when the one she had didn't. Still, she takes a job as their cook while saving money to leave.
Quade and Jared set out to show her that ménage relationships work and especially in their town where there are others already living there. They have to convince her they love her before she takes the next bus out of town.
When they think they have everything under control, her ex steps in and tries to sabotage their marriage plans. Lexie is convinced the men won't want her after everything he has said. Will Quade and Jared believe his accusations about her scheming to marry them for their money, or will they trust that she really loves them?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among the men.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 38,217 words
TRUSTING THE COWBOYS
Riverbend, Texas Heat 1
Marla Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
TRUSTING THE COWBOYS
Copyright © 2012 by Marla Monroe
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-579-6
First E-book Publication: March 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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TRUSTING THE COWBOYS
Riverbend, Texas Heat 1
MARLA MONROE
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Jared and Quade walked into the diner at a quarter to three, intent on a piece of Mattie’s apple pie and coffee. It wasn’t until they sat down in their usual spot that Jared noticed a new face. It looked like Mattie had finally found a waitress to take the place of Sandra. The other woman had quit to marry Jim and Mike Parham a little over a month ago. Mattie and her husbands had been making do ever since.
Quade, his friend and business partner, glanced his way. Evidently he had seen her, as well. A spark of interest lit up his eyes. Jared hadn’t seen that look in his friend’s face in a long time. Neither of them had been very sociable in the last few months. Keeping up with the ranch took most of their time, but more than that, they just hadn’t met anyone who stirred their blood enough to make the effort.
The pretty waitress had long red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Even from there, he could tell she had the hourglass figure he and Quade preferred on a woman. Neither man liked the model stick figures that women seemed to strive to achieve. They liked to be able to hold on to a woman and not be afraid they were going to break her in half. Both he and Quade were big men, standing well over six feet. Quade, at six feet five, was two inches taller than he was.
He watched the red-headed beauty as she served coffee to Elmer and his missus. She had a heart-shaped face with a perky nose and pale blue eyes. He figured she was somewhere around five feet five inches. Short for them, but she made up for it in beauty. Her shapely body was hidden under a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a baggy T-shirt. Still, it didn’t hide her ample breasts or womanly curves.
“Wonder who she is?” Quade leaned back in his chair and perused the woman up and down.
“She has a name tag on. When she walks over to get our order we can see.”
The shapely woman grabbed another coffee pot and two cups before making her way to their table. As she drew nearer, Jared could see that she had several bruises on her arm, just below the sleeve of her T-shirt. They looked like they had been made by someone’s fingers. Anger immediately rolled through him.
As if sensing his feelings, she took a step back. Then she firmed her shoulders and walked up to the table. She set the cups on the table.
“Would you like coffee?”
Quade read off her name tag. “Sure would, Lexie.”
She nodded and poured their coffee before setting the pot on the table and pulling out her notepad.
“What can I get you?” Her voice sounded like soft music.
“We want a piece of Mattie’s apple pie if there’s any left,” Jared told her.
“You’re just in time to claim the last two pieces.” She smiled as she picked up the coffee pot and turned to go.
“Thanks, darling.” Quade was laying it on thick.
Jared flashed an amused smile at his partner.
“What?”
“You’re already flirting.”
“Doesn’t hurt to flirt a little bit. At least until we know if she has a boyfriend. She’s not wearing a wedding band.”
Jared shook his head. “You work fast.”
Lexie walked back toward them with two pieces of the apple pie and set them on the table in front of them.
“Anything else?” she asked.
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Jared couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and touched just above the bruises with his finger.
“You could tell me how you got these.”
A flicker of unease flashed across her face and then was gone.
“Oh, I’m clumsy. I ran into the door trying to get ready for work. I bruise easily.” She quickly turned on her heel and walked back to the counter where she and Mattie discussed something before she disappeared in the back.
“Those were fucking fingerprints on her arm, weren’t they?” Quade obviously hadn’t noticed them until Jared pointed them out.
“Yeah, that would be my guess.”
“It couldn’t have been anyone who came in here. Not unless it was a stranger. Mattie’s husbands wouldn’t have tolerated it.” Quade stabbed at his pie.
Jared agreed with him. In Riverbend, Texas, women weren’t accosted under any circumstance.
“You know the likelihood that she has a boyfriend just went up,” Jared pointed out.
“I know, but he’s an asshole. She deserves better than someone who abuses her.”
Jared sighed. Quade had already made up his mind about her. He wanted her. It wasn’t that Jared didn’t. It was that they didn’t know anything about her, and she was obviously a stranger in town. That meant she didn’t know about the area’s proclivity toward ménage relationships. He wondered how she felt about Mattie’s two husbands. Did she even know about them yet?
She walked back over a few minutes later to refill their coffee.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
“Your phone number,” Quade said without missing a beat.
“Ah, I’m seeing someone but thanks for asking.” She ducked her head and hurried over to the counter where she busied herself cleaning it.
“Well, now you know.” Jared grinned at his partner.
“Doesn’t mean anything. She didn’t look happy about being with him. I plan on romancing her and luring her away from the asshole.”
“You’re playing with fire, buddy.”
“I want her. She’s special. Did you see how she smiled earlier? And she has a body made for loving, not hurting.”
“I’m not arguing with you. I want to bury my face between her breasts, but that’s not likely to happen as long as she’s already in a relationship. Are you a home wrecker now, Quade?”
“Not much of a home if he’s abusing her,” he said with a frown.
“Maybe it was an accident and she’s deliriously happy with him.”
“Maybe, and maybe not. I aim to find out.” Quade stood up and threw some bills on the table then walked out.
Jared huffed out a breath and stood up to pay the tab. When he walked over to the register, it was Mattie who checked him out.
“How was everything?” she asked with a beaming smile.
“You know your pie was delicious. We don’t have to tell you that.”
“Then why did Quade storm out?” She had a thoughtful expression on her face.
“What can you tell me about your new waitress?”
Jared saw her eyes twinkle.
“She’s a sweet girl. Has a bastard of a boyfriend. He works over at the junkyard outside of town, when he works.”
“She love him?” Jared asked.
“I think she’s scared to death of him. She has bruises all over her. She’s only been here a little over a week so far. I don’t know much else about her. They moved here a little over two weeks ago.”
“Thanks, Mattie. See you later.” Jared walked outside the little diner and looked around for Quade.
He saw him talking to Will Hughes at the barbershop. Since he knew his partner wasn’t about to get a haircut, he must be pumping the gossip mill for information. He was determined to find out more about her, that was for sure. Now everyone in town would know he was interested in her. Quade knew that, and it obviously didn’t matter to him.
Will waved as he walked up. “Hey there, Jared. How are you?”
“Doing fine, Will. How about you and your family?”
“We’re all healthy. The boys are driving their mom crazy. Terrible twos and all.”
“Quade, you ready to head back to the ranch?”
“Yeah, need to see about the heifers still calving. Can’t believe we have two this late in the season.”
“Quade tells me you’re interested in the new girl working over at the diner. She’s got a real piece of work for a boyfriend. I’d be careful if I was you.”
“What do you mean?” Jared didn’t like the sound of that.
“He’s a bully. He hasn’t hit her in public, or you know someone would have put a stop to it, but she has bruises all over her arms. I don’t like the bastard.”
“Let us know if you hear anything concerning them,” Quade said.
“Will do. I take it you’re still interested. Things like this can backfire on you, you know. She might be in love with him and not take kindly to you interfering.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I don’t think so. We’ll see you around.” Quade shook his hand then headed for the truck.
Jared caught up with him and shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Quade.”
“Are you going to tell me that you can stand around and let him treat her like that?” Quade stopped with his hand on the door handle and turned to stare at him.
Jared ran his hand through his hair. “No, but heading in full blast isn’t the way to go about it. We need more information first to know where things stand between them. Then we act.”
Jared wasn’t sure when he had made up his mind to make her theirs, but somewhere between the diner and the barbershop, the decision was made. Now he hoped he didn’t regret it.
* * * *
Lexie waited until the two hunky men had walked out of the diner before returning to the counter. Mattie flashed her a knowing look and patted her hand.
“They’re real good men, Lexie. You don’t have to be afraid of them. They would never lay a hand on a woman in anger.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“Because you need someone who’ll be good to you, not knock you around.”
Lexie gasped and wrapped her arms around herself. She had no idea Mattie was so intuitive. But then Lowery hadn’t been all that subtle about what he thought of her when he had been in the diner during the last week. One day he had even slapped her in the truck before letting her out to go to work. She had been sure everyone would know, but when she looked in the mirror, both cheeks were red in embarrassment. Either no one had seen him hit her, or they didn’t care.
“He’s all I have, Mattie. I can’t afford to leave him.” There, she’d said it. She had let someone know that she wasn’t happy living with the man.
“You can walk out anytime you want, Lexie. There’s a shelter here in town that takes in anyone without a place to stay.” The woman disappeared in the back.
Lexie wasn’t sure what to think. She knew if she tried to leave him he would come after her. She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of her, but dear God she was tired of dealing with him. Nothing she did was good enough or fast enough. Sex was only an excuse to hurt and humiliate her further.
All during the remainder of her shift, Lexie’s thoughts bounced around in her head about the possibility of leaving him. At ten that night, Lowery walked in with his usual scowl and plopped down at the counter.
“You ready to go?”
“Just about. I need to finish filling the napkin holders. Then I’ll be ready.”
“Hurry your ass up. You should have had that done by now. You know I’m ready to go home when I get here.” He smelled of booze.
“I don’t actually get off till ten thirty, Lowery.”
“Don’t argue with me. Now get me some coffee.”
Lexie emptied the last of the coffee into a cup and passed it to him. Then she quickly escaped to the back to wash out the pot.
“Are you okay, Lexie?”
Mike asked.
Mike was the evening short-order cook who locked up when Lexie left at night. He was working his way through college by working nights and weekends at the diner.
“I’m fine. He’s grumpy tonight.”
“Seems like he’s always grumpy to me,” Mike said.
“Lexie! Get your ass out here.” Lowery’s voice boomed from out front.
She hurried through the door to the front counter, wiping her hands on her apron.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you in there flirting with that kid? Don’t you have any pride in yourself? I ought to wring your neck. You throw yourself at every cock that walks by.”
Lexie cringed. He was winding up to be in a foul mood tonight.
“I’m not flirting, Lowery. He’s got a steady girlfriend. They’re planning to get married after college.”
He raised his hand but lowered it when Mike walked out of the back.
“Get your stuff and let’s go.” Lowery stood up and stuck his hands on his hips.
Lexie gave Mike a watery smile before returning to the back to clock out and grab her things. She didn’t want to go home with Lowery in the mood he was in. It would be bad. At least she wouldn’t be coming back to work for two days. It would give her time to heal.
She hurried through the door, with Lowery stomping behind her. When she reached the passenger side of the truck, she reached for the door handle only to have her hair jerked so that she lost her balance and fell back into Lowery’s arms.
“Think you’re going to get away with flirting right in front of me? Just wait until I get you home. You’ll learn who you belong to if it’s the last thing I do.” He shoved her face-first into the door and slapped the back of her head before walking around to the driver’s side.
Lowery yelled and cursed at her all the way to the tiny trailer they rented just outside of town. She tuned him out and thought long and hard about trying to leave him again. The last time he’d found her and nearly put her in the hospital. The worst part of it was that he’d hurt the guy who’d helped her find another place to live. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer because of her.
