by Marla Monroe
There was a knock at the door, and a nurse walked in.
“Good, she’s awake. Why don’t you two step outside while I help her turn over and take care of her IV?”
“She’s hurting. Can you give her something for pain?” Jared asked.
“I’ll check with the doctor. It’s only been five hours. I’m not sure he will want her to have anything with her head injury, but I’ll ask.”
They stepped outside the room while the nurse fussed over her.
“You’ve got some good-looking men worried about you. I hope you dump the asshole that did this to you.” She helped Lexie turn to her side.
While she fiddled with the IV in her hand, the nurse kept up a steady stream of dialogue.
“They’ve been here from the beginning and haven’t left your bedside except when I’ve made them so I could check on you. You’re not, are you?”
“What?” Lexie couldn’t remember what the question was.
“Going to go back to the one who did this to you.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go.” Lexie couldn’t help the tears that slid from her swollen eyes.
“I bet those men will take good care of you if you let them.” The nurse patted her hand and opened the door to let them back in.
“Hey there, Lexie. Would you like something to drink?” Quade asked.
“No, thanks.”
“Lexie, we want you to listen to us for a few minutes. Don’t say anything until you’ve had time to hear us out, okay?” Jared sat on the chair next to the bed while Quade stood.
“We know you plan to leave Lowery, but you can’t go anywhere until you’re healed up. Why don’t you move in with us? You can have your own room, and we’ll pay you to cook for us. We can’t cook worth anything and don’t have time to go to town every day for meals.”
“Why would you help me? You don’t even know me,” she whispered.
“We care about you. We want the chance to get to know you. If when you’ve saved enough to start over you still want to leave, we’ll help you get to wherever you want to go.” Quade didn’t appear to like saying that.
“I don’t know. I can’t think right now.”
“Just think about it when you feel better. We’re not going to change our minds, and you’ve got plenty of time to rest.” Quade bent over the bed and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
The nurse hurried back into the room. “I talked to the doctor. He said all you can have is some Tylenol, honey. You can have something stronger once he’s sure your concussion isn’t serious.”
She helped Lexie take the Tylenol with a sip of water and then left them once again.
“Try to go back to sleep, baby. One of us will be here with you until you get out of the hospital. We’re not leaving you alone,” Jared told her.
She nodded and closed her eyes once again. Once her head settled down some form the Tylenol, she managed to drift off into sleep.
* * * *
The sheriff arrived several hours later to talk to Lexie. They went down to the cafeteria for some coffee while they talked. Jared really didn’t like leaving her alone but planned to be back before the other man left.
“She’s in a lot of pain, man. I can’t stand it.” Quade ran a hand through his hair before settling his hat back on his head.
“Another few hours and the doctor said she could have something stronger. Maybe she’ll sleep the rest of the time till then. You going to be okay to stay with her while I check on the ranch?” Jared asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Make sure her room is ready for when we take her home. I don’t want her to have to worry about anything.”
“She hasn’t agreed yet,” Jared pointed out with a smile.
“She will.” Quade took a drink of the coffee and grimaced.
“You ready to head back?” Jared asked after a few minutes.
“Yeah. This stuff tastes like crap. Bring me a cup of coffee from the diner when you come back tomorrow.”
“I will.” He shook his head.
Quade lived for his coffee. They had a Keurig machine at the ranch, and Quade kept it busy. Jared ordered their coffee online since the stores in town didn’t stock the K-Cups for the machine. He wondered what sort of coffee Lexie liked or if she preferred tea. The machine made hot tea as well as hot chocolate.
They walked back to the room and knocked on the door. The sheriff opened the door with a grim expression.
“What’s wrong?” Quade asked.
“She’s scared of him. She doesn’t want to press charges because she has nowhere else to go.”
“Lexie. We told you we want you to move out to the ranch. You’ll be safe there, and we need a cook. Press charges and let us help you do what you want to do. Doesn’t matter what it is, you can do it.” Jared pleaded with her.
“Even if I want to leave in a few months?” she asked.
“Even if,” Quade told her.
“All right. I’ll press charges.”
The sheriff smiled and had her sign her name at the bottom of the complaint. Jared couldn’t help but notice how bad she shook when she did. Her arms were covered in bruises. God, he wanted a few minutes alone with that son of a bitch.
He felt Quade relax slightly at her agreement. He patted his friend’s shoulder. They had a chance with her now. All they had to do was go slow, treat her well, and keep her safe. Hopefully the asshole would move on after he finally got out of jail.
After the sheriff left, Jared talked to her some about the ranch. She seemed genuinely interested.
“You’ll like it out there, Lexie. It’s quiet, and there’s plenty of room for you to explore if you want to.”
“What do you like to eat? I’ll be cooking for you, so I need to know what you like.”
“Anything you cook, Lexie,” Quade assured her with a smile. “You have no idea just how bad our cooking is.”
She smiled then grimaced when it pulled her busted lip. “I’m not a chef or anything, but I can cook basic meals.”
“That’s all we need,” Jared said with a smile.
“I need to get my things from the trailer. I don’t want to go by myself.”
“Tell you what. When you get out of here, we’ll go with you so you won’t be by yourself.” Quade gently patted her head.
“I’ve got to go, Lexie. Quade will be here with you tonight. I’ll be back in the morning. I’m bringing him some coffee. Do you want anything?”
She smiled but shook her head slightly. “No thanks.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow when they tell us you can come home. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Jared walked out of the room with Quade behind him.
“I’ll call you as soon as the doctor says she can leave. I want to be sure we get her things from the trailer before the asshole gets out on bail. Without her to post it, hopefully he won’t be able to anytime soon.”
“Keep her safe and get some rest. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough few days.”
“You’re probably right,” Quade said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jared waited until Quade walked back into the hospital room before leaving.
On the way back to the ranch, he thought about what he needed to do when he got there. It was nearly ten. He needed to check in with the hands and ready the master bedroom for Lexie. It hadn’t been used since they built the new house. They had always planned to find a woman to share. Jared’s parents lived in a ménage relationship, and most of the town of Riverbend, Texas had ménage or polyamorous relationships.
He and Quade had shared women between them off and on over the years. It was just a forgone conclusion they would marry a woman together one day. Now that they had found the woman they were looking for, it was time to get the bedroom ready. He could hardly wait to see her sleeping in their bed.
Jared pulled into the drive to find one of the hands waiting on him on the front porch.
“Something wrong?” he demanded as soon as
he stepped out of the truck.
“No, nothing major. I just figured I’d save you a trip out to the bunkhouse. The calf we were worried about seems to be eating better, but he’s still shaky on his legs. I called the vet and asked him to come out and take a look at him in the morning. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, that’s a good call. I’ll be here most of the day tomorrow. When they call me to come pick them up, I’ll be gone for a couple of hours, and then we’ll be back.”
“So is it true? Have you two found your woman?”
“Yep, if we can convince her, that is.”
“She’s bound to realize you’re going to treat her better than that good-for-nothing bastard she was with.” The hand smiled.
“News travels fast,” Jared said with a shake of his head.
“You know how cowboys are. We like a good gossip.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Jared clapped the other man on the back before walking inside the house.
It was quiet inside. With Quade gone, it seemed downright morbid. He couldn’t wait to have Lexie there to liven things up some. It would feel good to come in after a long day in the saddle to her and some home cooking.
Jared walked to the master bedroom and opened the double doors that closed it off from the rest of the house. The spare bedrooms were all upstairs while the master suite was downstairs behind the kitchen. He and Quade had bedrooms upstairs. She would have the run of the house when she got there, but he wanted the master bedroom to be comfortable for her. He checked to make sure there were plenty of towels in the bathroom.
He figured the first thing she would want to do when she got there was have a nice long soak in the bathtub. It was large enough for three people, as was the walk-in shower. The platform bed was custom made by the Mitchel twins. They made customized furniture and cabinets. They had been the ones who had helped them build this house several years ago.
Satisfied that the room was ready for her, Jared closed it back up and headed for his room. He needed to shower and get into bed. He had a full day ahead of him tomorrow.
Chapter Four
“Well, young lady. You’re lucky to be alive. He did a number on you. You’re going to be quite sore for several days. I want you to rest for twenty-four hours, and then you can get up and move around some.” The doctor signed her paperwork and handed it over to the nurse. “As soon as they finish the discharge process, you can go. I hope I don’t see you back in here again.”
“I don’t plan on it,” she said.
Lexie shivered. Her body hurt all over, but at least her headache was a dull throb now. She could deal with that. The nurse told her she would be back to help her dress in a few minutes.
“Oh! I don’t have any clothes!”
“I have something for you to wear,” Quade told her. He handed her the sack.
“Mattie brought this for you yesterday. It’s just a pair of warm-ups ’cause we didn’t know your size.”
“That was so thoughtful of her. I’ve really let her down.” Lexie hung her head. She hated that she hadn’t proven to be a good employee.
“She understands, Lexie. You can’t be blamed for what that asshole did to you.”
“I should have tried to leave him again sooner, but I needed the money to get away.”
“Shh. Don’t work yourself up over it. It’s all in the past now. You’re going to be fine, and you have your entire life ahead of you.” Quade smiled at her.
He really was a handsome man. He was somewhere around six feet five, with massive muscles in his arms, and legs built like tree trunks. He had a broad shoulders and a wide chest that tapered down to a narrow waist and rounded hips. His dark brown hair was shaggy and needed a trim. She loved his eyes, though. They were a clear green that darkened when he was thinking.
Jared had short black hair with equally dark eyes. He had an easy smile that drew her to him as much as Quade’s green eyes. He wasn’t as muscular as Quade, and he wasn’t as tall. Jared stood at about six feet three inches. He made her want to laugh, where Quade made her feel safe.
“I’m going to call Jared and let him know he can come pick us up.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, yeah, the doc just signed her discharge papers. The nurses are getting things ready now.” Quade smiled over at Lexie as he talked to Jared.
Finally, he put the phone down and smiled at her. “Jared will be her in about thirty minutes to take us to get your things.”
The nurse walked back in and lifted her eyebrows for Quade to leave. He handed over the bag of clothes and walked outside the room to wait.
“Let’s get you into these clothes so you can go home now. Then I’ll go over your paperwork about what you need to do.”
The nurse helped her pull on the underwear and warm-ups before reviewing the doctor’s orders with her. She reminded her to stay quiet for another twenty-four hours before doing anything.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed when Quade walked back in. He smiled at her and took her hand in his.
“We’re going to help you pack up your things in case Lowery shows up. According to the sheriff, he made bail this morning. He isn’t supposed to be around the trailer until this afternoon. The sheriff warned him off.”
“He’s going to be so mad, Quade.”
“Don’t worry about that. He can’t hurt you ever again. We’ll keep you safe.”
Twenty minutes later, Jared walked in with a smile and a handful of daises. He presented them to Lexie with a flourish.
“Thank you.” She smelled them and grinned. “I’ve never had flowers before.”
Jared frowned. “Never?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her.
“I feel bad now that I only picked them. I should have gotten you a real bouquet.”
“No. They are perfect. I like wildflowers. They’re natural.” Lexie sighed and smiled at the man. He’d been trying to put her at ease.
“You ready to leave?”
“I’m ready. I hate hospitals.”
Jared walked back out the door but returned in less than a second with a wheelchair.
“I can walk, Jared.”
“It’s required. I managed to talk the nurse into letting me wheel you out, though.”
Quade helped her stand up and slip into the chair. Then he settled her feet onto the footrests. The trip out to the truck took less than a minute. The next thing she knew, she was sitting between the two men in the cab of the truck as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot.
She didn’t say anything as they drove over to the trailer where she had been living for the last three weeks. She let Quade help her down from the truck. Then she followed as they walked over to the door. Jared knocked on the door. When no one answered, he pulled out a key and unlocked the door, much to Lexie’s surprise. At her lifted brow, he smiled.
“I’m friends with the landlord. He let me borrow the key to get your things.”
They walked into the trailer and the musty smell they got when they had been closed up for a few hours without the air on. They followed her into the bedroom, where she began to gather her few belongings. She had several changes of clothes and her toiletries all packed up in Walmart bags in less than ten minutes. She had so little to her name it was embarrassing. She swallowed down the tears. There was no use for them.
“Is that all? You sure nothing else here is yours?” Quade asked.
“No, the furniture came with the trailer, and all I had was my clothes.”
“Let’s get out of here, then.” Jared took the bags, and Quade helped her back into the truck just as Lowery’s truck pulled into the drive behind them.
“What the fuck are you doing in my home?” He climbed out of his truck and stomped over to where Quade had Lexie behind him.
“You’re not supposed to be here until this afternoon, Lowery. The sheriff warned you to stay away from her.” Jared stepped into Lowery’s pe
rsonal space and backed him up.
Lexie was afraid they were going to fight. She tried to edge around Quade to stop them, but Quade kept her firmly behind him.
“I have to protect what’s mine. She’s a little thief. She’ll steal everything I have if I’m not here to watch her.”
“That’s not true.” Lexie tried to walk around Quade again, but he wasn’t letting her.
“Well, all she took was clothes, so nothing is missing,” Jared told him. “Now back off and let us leave.”
“She’s nothing but trouble, anyway. You can’t get her to do a damn thing. She can’t keep one man satisfied. She sure as hell ain’t going to be able to keep both of you happy. You’ll see.”
Lexie was humiliated. What would they think of her? She climbed into the cab of the truck and looked down at her hands as Quade climbed in after her. He fastened her seatbelt for her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, careful of where she was sore.
Jared walked around the truck and climbed in. He pulled out over the side of the drive once he had the truck started. Then he headed toward the road leading to the other side of town.
“You okay, Lexie?” Jared asked in a soft voice.
“Yes. Thanks for going with me to get my things.”
“There’s no way you’re ever going to be alone with that man again.” Quade was holding her hand now. “He’s dangerous, and you have no business around him.”
“Believe me. I don’t want to be around him ever again. He wasn’t like that when I first met him.”
“I know. He hid his true nature to get his hooks into you. Now forget about him. You’ve got the rest of your life ahead of you.” Jared patted her leg.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the drive leading to their ranch. Lexie got her first glimpse of the two-story ranch house as they pulled into the front. There was a wraparound porch with rocking chairs and a swing. She would love to live in such a house. She followed them inside, where they promptly walked through the living room around to a small hall that led to a back room.
When Jared opened the double doors and showed her into the massive bedroom, her jaw flew open. Snapping it closed again, Lexie shook her head.
