“You look stunning, Kara,” he said as he cupped her cheeks and bent low for a kiss. Even in heels she had to tilt her head back to kiss this tall man. She found she liked it. It made her feel warm and protected. When he finally released her lips she was having trouble breathing, but she noticed that he was, too. He cleared his throat and said, “The people at Auntie’s restaurant aren’t going to know what hit them.”
“It is just a dress,” she said with a laugh. “I have plenty at home, I just didn’t pack any. I thought I’d be either tramping around in the woods or on the beach, or working with Nate.”
“Kara, a dress on you isn’t ‘just a dress,’” Ben explained. “It’s a work of art.” Kara felt herself blushing at his praise.
“Come on, this work of art needs to be fed.” They walked to his truck, and she waited for him to open her door. He stroked his hand down her back, a way of saying thank you. It wasn’t necessary. She found herself relishing the courtesy.
Because it was a weekday, there were mainly just fishermen and others who were stopping in before beginning their jobs at the diner. The families she had seen on the weekend were engaged in their weekday routines. They went to the kitchen and gave hugs to Aunt Dorothy, then sat down. Florence immediately brought over their drinks and a basket of biscuits. She said she would be back to take their order.
Both Kara and Ben ate their biscuits in silence, looking at one another, enjoying the buildup of realizing that their relationship would be taking a big step further that day. Neither of them noticed when the door to the restaurant opened and that many of the conversations stopped. It wasn’t until a shadow loomed over their table that they both looked up. Kara was stunned to see an almost replica image of Ben standing over her. This man was a little older, with short hair and a harsh expression on his face—an expression she had never seen on Ben’s face.
“So, it’s true,” the older man bit out. “You haven’t been getting our fucking taxes done. You’ve been traipsing around town with this bit of fluff, while we’ve been out busting our asses.” Kara snatched another biscuit and buttered it as she watched Ben, knowing he’d been up all night completing the taxes so he could spend the day with her. Older brothers were such a pain in the ass, she thought as she enjoyed the honey butter. She wondered how Ben was going to play this out. But then she was stunned as Ben’s face contorted into an equally hard look.
Ben stood up, and she realized that despite the fact that the man standing over her appeared huge, Ben was actually taller by a small margin. The other man, who must be Quinn, was actually much more muscular and wide. Right now though, they looked well matched in their rage.
“Brother, this is Kara, not to ever be referred to as ‘a bit of fluff’ again. Are we clear?” Ben said in a low tone that had the hair on the back of her neck tingling. The biscuit turned to sawdust in her mouth. She grabbed her orange juice to wash it down.
“I don’t care what her name is, if we miss the deadline because—” Ben yanked his brother’s arm and jerked him away from the table. They both marched out the restaurant door and disappeared around the side of the building.
Kara knew what this meant. She had seen it play out far too fucking often in her house between Dane and Eric, and Eric and Leif, not to know that one or both of them was going to end up bloody, for no good reason. She’d be damned if she was going to be the cause of this. She threw down the rest of her biscuit and pushed back her chair as Florence came to take their orders.
“I wouldn’t get in the middle of that, Kara,” Florence advised.
“I’ve got three dumbass brothers of my own. This is nothing new,” Kara explained.
“Well, between those two hotheads, this is nothing new either. I already told their aunt they’re out back. She’ll be out there pretty soon to throw some water on them,” Florence said with a wink.
“Ah, but I have plans for one of them, and I don’t need him out of commission.” Kara winked back and headed out the door. She liked the sound her heels made on the cement as she rounded the corner toward the two big men who currently were taking swings at one another. So far not much damage had been done, but based on this mutual power display, it wouldn’t be long before they were both really bloody and hurting.
She put her fingers to her lips and gave a shrill whistle that would have dogs barking for miles. The men immediately parted and looked at her, stunned. She took the opportunity to walk over to Quinn with an outstretched hand.
“Hello, Quinn, it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Kara Johansen.” Totally taken aback, she watched with amusement as he obviously fell back on his mother’s training and shook her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” he said politely.
“I don’t know if Ben got a chance to tell you, what with the fighting and all, but he finished the taxes last night. Or it might have been early this morning.” She walked over to Ben, and linked her arm through his. “Isn’t that right, Ben?” she asked, smiling up at him.
Ben wasn’t taken aback, he was grinning down at her. He bent down and gave her a leisurely kiss in front of his brother, and then pulled back. “It was this morning,” he answered. Then he turned to his brother. “See, not a piece of fluff at all.” He turned back to Kara and smiled. “That whistle is kind of hot!”
“It has its uses.”
Kara watched, fascinated, as Quinn threw his head back and laughed. “You’re right, little brother. Not a piece of fluff at all.” Then he looked at Kara, really looked at her, from the tips of her toes peeking out of her sandals to the legs displayed by her dress, lingering a long time at the subtle cleavage showing before coming to rest on her blushing face. “No, Kara, you’re not a piece of fluff at all, are you?”
“So, you found a new way to overcome your differences, I see,” their Auntie Dot said as she stood at the back door holding a pan of water, a big smile on her face. “Hi, Kara. Thanks for settling things.”
“Hi, Dorothy,” Kara gave a wave. “It was no problem. I grew up with brothers,” she explained.
“Well, breakfast is on the house,” Dorothy replied.
“No, I don’t think so,” Kara countered. “I think Quinn is joining us and I think he deserves to pay,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the big man.
“She’s right, Auntie. I think I’m going to be paying for a while, is my guess,” came his dry reply.
Once they sat down to breakfast, not only did Kara see the physical resemblance, but she saw and heard the same bedrock decency and honor. God, she could eat up both of them with a spoon. On the edge of her mind, she kept thinking they reminded her of someone or something. But it wasn’t until they both were at the side of Ben’s truck and Quinn opened the door as Ben was holding her hand to help her up into the seat that it hit her like a ton of bricks. They reminded her of her fathers. At breakfast, the back and forth banter, and the way they had flirted with her, felt like home. The care with which they had ensured her safety in her high heels as she walked across the parking lot and made her way into the truck made her realize they were doting on her in the same manner that her fathers doted on her mother. No wonder her mother was always smiling!
As was his habit, Ben stole a kiss as he got her settled. Turning to say good-bye to Quinn, she saw a raw look of hunger on his face, before he quickly masked it. What stunned her wasn’t that he wanted her. It was that she felt an answering pull. She had started the morning knowing she wanted Ben, that he was the first man, perhaps the only man, she had ever felt this deep attraction to. Now, she was feeling almost an equal level of attraction to his brother. Luckily, Ben missed the byplay as he got into the driver’s seat.
Through the open windows, Quinn spoke up. “Um, were you guys headed back to the house?” he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly discomfited.
“Yeah, why?” Ben asked carefully.
“Shit,” Quinn said, looking uncomfortable.
“What?” Ben demanded.
“I picked up the dogs,”
Quinn admitted. Kara watched the back-and-forth conversation. She didn’t understand it, but obviously it was a bone of contention between the brothers.
“Damn it, Quinn, you know we can’t keep them. They’re Randy’s dogs now,” Ben clearly admonished his older brother.
“I miss them. They’re not getting any younger. Look, I told Kyle he was in charge of Shotbrook II for the next four days while I got you and the taxes in order. They took off this morning. I called Randy, picked up the dogs, and thought I’d find you at home. When you weren’t, I dropped off Newman and Redford along with my laundry and came looking for you.”
“Great. Look, Kara and I will go back to the house, pack up a lunch, and go on a picnic.”
“Newman and Redford?” Kara finally interrupted.
“Yeah, they’re great,” Quinn enthused.
“Can I meet them? I love dogs.”
“Sure, honey, you’ll meet them when we pack up for a picnic and a hike,” Ben assured her with an absent pat on her knee.
Kara bit her lip. She didn’t want to burst Ben’s bubble, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d be hiking in these shoes. She’d let him figure that out when they got back to his house. He just wasn’t thinking straight because their plans had been interrupted.
“Quinn, come to the house and take the dogs back to Randy’s this afternoon. I plan to take Shotbrook I out tomorrow, so you can bring the dogs back then.” Kara knew that was the plan, but she felt her heart lurch all the same. Today and tonight was all they had left before he had to be back out on the boat.
They all met up at the house, and when they got into the house, the dogs made a beeline for Kara.
“Down,” Quinn ordered before they had a chance to jump up on her. It was for the best. She didn’t want her dress ruined. But she wished she’d been in jeans so she could have played with them.
“They look like a husky mix, what’s the other part?” Kara asked Quinn.
“Timber wolf,” he answered shortly as he looked at her. Ben shut the door and crouched down, giving the dogs enthusiastic rubs.
“Kara, let me introduce you. This is Redford, he has blue eyes and a limp. This is Newman, he has one blue and is blind in the other.” Kara already loved them both. She crouched down and gave them both big hugs. It was obvious that at one time they had been abused. She could see what had to have been whip marks on them, and each had deep scars around their necks from where they had lunged against a thin chain that had bitten into their flesh.
“Kara, watch out for your dress,” Ben warned.
“It’s just a dress,” Kara explained. “It can be washed. Can we all go out and play?”
That’s how the three of them ended up playing fetch, minus her sandals, with two Siberian husky and timber wolf mixed dogs in the huge backyard.
“So how did Randy end up with Newman and Redford?” Kara asked as they sat down to pizza. They had ended up choosing to eat in and foregoing the hike when it had finally sunk in with Ben that Kara’s footwear wasn’t going to hold up.
“Mom went picking blackberries with Levi, must have been eight years ago, when she heard these two barking up a storm. They were chained up near an old miner’s shack in the woods that hadn’t been used in weeks.” Quinn explained.
It seemed like the two dogs knew they were being talked about. They moved closer to the table as if to listen, not even begging for pizza.
“She went back and got Dad, he’s amazing with animals, or he was,” Quinn corrected himself. “Anyway. He came back with food and water and his sleeping bag. He stayed there for two nights feeding and watering these two guys until he had gentled them enough to get close and take off their chains.”
“Of course the youngest kids wanted Dad to bring them home, but he was cautious. So he took them to a shelter, and they stayed there for a while and were eventually sent to live with a woman who works with abused dogs. She helps to acclimate them back to living with humans in a normal setting. It took almost nine months, but after their time with Susan, they got to come home to us.”
“God, that’s awful and wonderful at the same time,” Kara said. “How did they get the names?”
“Dad’s favorite movie was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he loved Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the movie, so that’s how he came up with those names,” Ben answered. He snuck both dogs some of the sausage off his pizza.
“They sound like they are your mom’s dogs, why are they living at Randy’s?”
“They love Alice, actually kids in general. So now they’re with Randy. But whenever we have a chance to spend time with them, we take advantage. They’re not getting any younger,” Quinn answered. Kara watched as he too fed the dogs some of his meal.
They spent the afternoon getting to know one another. It wasn’t how Kara had expected to spend the afternoon when she had dressed up, but she definitely enjoyed it. Quinn was fun and fascinating. It was clear that he had taken on the role of father figure to the younger boys in the family. Maybe not as much with Ben, but it was still there. The man had “alpha” written all over him.
After their long lunch, Quinn said he needed to take the dogs over to Randy’s house.
“It was very nice meeting you, Kara,” Quinn said.
“Yeah, I’ve got to take Kara back to the lodge and let her get cleaned up before bringing her back here for dinner. I plan to grill some steaks,” Ben explained.
They all headed for the door and got into the two trucks.
* * * *
Ben and Quinn arrived back at the house at the same time. As Quinn slammed out of his truck, he turned to Ben. “I’ve got to leave. I’m going to go sleep on Shotbrook I tonight,” Quinn said.
Ben opened the driver’s side door slowly and followed his big brother into their home.
He listened and could hear drawers slamming in his brother’s bedroom, so he meandered down the hallway, trying to gather his thoughts. This was going to take a little bit of finesse. When he pushed open the door and saw Quinn stuffing his clothes into a duffel bag, he decided finesse was overrated.
“What the fuck? Is Kara really that scary?”
“Yes!” Quinn said as he jammed some winter gear into his duffel.
“You realize it’s summer, and you’re packing winter gear, right?” Ben pointed out reasonably.
“Who gives a shit,” Quinn snarled as he took out the down jacket and threw it on the bed. He went back to the closet, yanked out a windbreaker, and shoved that into the bag.
“You don’t have to leave,” Ben said reasonably.
“Oh, yes I do. It’s clear what you have planned tonight. Fuck, it’s clear what you had planned for this afternoon before I got here and ruined things. I’m really sorry.” Quinn looked at his brother with a sincere expression of apology.
“Quinn, I’m not so sure you ruined things. I’m thinking that things might have happened exactly as they were meant to happen.” Ben smiled.
Quinn thunked down on the bed. “Oh, Jesus, you’re not going to get all metaphysical on my ass, are you?” he moaned.
“Not exactly, but I want to remind you of some of the conversations we used to have, back when it was just the two of us on the same boat,” Ben said seriously.
“That was years ago, Ben. We were young. It was just a dream. Just because it was something our great-grandparents did, and it worked for them, doesn’t mean it could work in this day and age.”
“But we always felt like it could work for us,” Ben argued. “It was something we both felt was right for us. Why did it resonate so strongly for us whenever Dad would tell us those stories about his grandparents?”
“I can’t explain it, Ben. But it was just a stupid dream. We should never have taken it seriously. We were stupid to even consider it,” Quinn said dejectedly.
“What if it didn’t have to be a dream, Quinn? What if it could actually work? What if we did find the right woman?” Ben continued in that same serious tone.
�
�Ben, she’s from the lower forty-eight. There’s no way she would understand what we’d want.” Quinn watched in amazement as his younger brother’s face broke into a wide grin.
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Her mom is married to two men. She’s married to Leif and Conn Johansen.” Ben had to keep himself from rubbing his hands together in glee as he watched Quinn digest that piece of information.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said in an almost reverent tone. “Her mom?”
“Yep,” Ben nodded.
“Wait a minute, were you always thinking of the three of us? Together?”
“The thought had crossed my mind. But more than anything, I was just thinking about her and I together today and tonight, and how I could make this work longer. She’s leaving on Friday, and I knew I was due to keep the boat out until Saturday.” Ben shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know what I was planning to do, but definitely something, because there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to let this end after just tonight.”
“Fuck no, I wouldn’t either, brother,” Quinn agreed.
“But I’m not sure she would sleep with me so fast if she wasn’t looking at this as a vacation fling. I’m going to be her second lover ever, and I think if I were living down in Seattle, this would take longer than four days.”
“Her second lover?” Quinn breathed in an astounded voice. “How is that even possible?”
“Yeah, right?” Ben agreed. “She had a boyfriend for four years in college and it lasted until she was twenty-two. There’s been nobody since. I don’t understand it.”
“So how can you think she would be ready for both of us?” Quinn demanded.
“Quinn, I saw how she looked at you. She tried to hide it. And she felt really bad. She didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but she was eating you up, and she was confused as hell. I think if we just confronted this head on, but in a gentle and caring manner, she would be relieved.”
“I think you’re full of it. Why ruin a sure thing? You know the two of you are headed to bed, and if I read you right, you’re either going to convince her to stay longer or you’re going to follow her down to Seattle and drag her ass back, right?” Quinn asked.
Claiming Kara [Fate Harbor 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
