Fortune's Way

by Jenna Byrnes

  She turned to the closet and paused, her shoulders shaking.

  Dean stepped close behind her and said quietly, “I don’t believe that. And you shouldn’t believe everything you heard, either. Kyle was wrong. I never said that. I never felt that way.”

  “Whatever.” She wiped her eyes and reached for more clothes.

  “Stop.” He clasped her hands and lowered them to her sides. Pushing his body against hers, he wedged her between him and the closet door.

  Her face turned to the side and he could see how hard she’d been crying.

  He thought his heart might break. “Miranda,” he whispered in her ear. “You have to listen to me.”

  “I don’t have to do anything except pay taxes and die,” she spouted back.

  He chuckled, but didn’t release his grip. Instead he pressed closer, his lips almost touching her earlobe. “Last night was amazing—the most incredible night I’ve ever spent with two people. I know you took a huge chance opening up to us, I get that. I would never put you in that position for my own gain. I simply could never do that.”

  “Why did you do it, then?” Fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

  “Because you captivated me from the moment you arrived here. You’re all I could think about. Kyle knew it, he could sense it before I ever told him how I felt. Jesus, Miranda. I fucking love him, yet I risked that to be with you. Do you get that? I’m in way too deep for you to walk out now.”

  “I don’t know what you expect from me. It’s pretty obvious what Kyle expects. But what do you want, Dean?”

  “Kyle’s a big dummy. I could kick his ass for saying what he said, but in his defense, he has the best interests of the ranch at heart. And that’s the reason I love him so much. He and I want the same things.”

  “I understand. I just don’t see where I fit into this picture.”

  Dean released her then turned her to face him. “I’m working on that. I honestly don’t know either. All I know is that last night was too fucking hot for words. I want that again. And tomorrow, I’ll want it again. I realize we don’t know each other well enough. But I feel this in my heart. We owe it to each other to explore what we started last night, and figure out where it might take us.”

  She gazed into his eyes. “How can I be sure? The ranch—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Take the ranch out of the equation. That’s what I was doing in town today, figuring out my assets, and whether or not I could make a go of it off the ranch.”

  “You what?” She blinked, surprised.

  He shook his head. “I hated kicking you out of my bed. I always hated kicking Kyle out, too, but he didn’t complain as much.”

  “I don’t remember complaining.”

  Dean smiled. “You didn’t. I saw it in your eyes. ‘How come a man my age can’t live his life the way he chooses? Why does he do everything his father wants him to?’ Hell, I put the opinion of the fucking cook ahead of what I truly wanted. I saw all that in your face, Miranda. And it hit me like a ton of bricks.”

  She smiled. “I said all that? Wow, I must be wise.”

  He circled her waist with his hands. “You are very wise. Just being with you has made me wiser too. I’m going to talk with my father when he comes this weekend. I’m going to spill everything. He needs to know that I love Kyle, and if I’m going to stay on the ranch, then Kyle’s moving into the main house with me.”

  “Good for you.”

  “And then I’ll tell him about you.”

  She laughed. “Um, no, I think you can leave me out for now. He doesn’t need to know you’re exploring a polyamorous lifestyle. Drop the gay bomb on him first, and see how he takes it.”

  Dean chuckled. “You may be right. Okay, I’ll leave you out of the conversation for now. But I’m not leaving you out of anything else, you got that?”

  “I got it. And if your father doesn’t take too kindly to your new lifestyle?”

  “Then he doesn’t have to think about it. Kyle and I are two educated, reasonably intelligent men. We can find other jobs in a place where we can be ourselves, if necessary.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Dean.”

  “I mean it, Miranda. I want you with us. I won’t ask for a commitment because that’d be nuts. I just want to know you’re interested in being with us, and that you’ll give it a shot.”

  She placed her hands on his chest. “Of course I’m interested. I’ve thought about the two of you all day. I nearly collapsed when I thought you’d been using me to get what you wanted.”

  “I hope you realize that was not the case. Except sexually, of course. I’m totally using you sexually.”

  “Totally.” She kissed him, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips.

  Dean opened his mouth and let her do the plundering. It was such a relief, and it felt so wonderful to be in her arms again.

  “I need you,” she murmured. “I’m not sure if it’s against the polyamory rules or whatever, but I want you to fuck me, Dean. I need you now.”

  He smiled. “We’ll figure out the rules as we go along. For now, I think Kyle owes us one for starting all this shit today.” He walked her backward into his bedroom and kicked the door closed. He fumbled for a condom in the nightstand drawer while scrambling to remove his clothes.

  Miranda got naked and tossed back the covers. On the bed, she got on her hands and knees and glanced over her shoulder at him seductively.

  “Fuck!” He groaned, his cock already throbbing. The sight of her poised and waiting for him almost made him come on the spot. He hurried to roll the rubber over his shaft and gave it a few good tugs.

  Kneeling behind her, he fingered her pussy. “Waiting for me?” She was hot and wet. No doubt.

  “All my life.” She winked at him, then turned to face the headboard.

  With a sigh of pleasure, he took her with one fell swoop.

  Miranda gasped and squealed, then moaned as they worked into a rapid rutting rhythm.

  “Fuck yeah,” he gasped, pounding her pussy as he clasped the round globes of her ass. One hand snaked forward and found a swaying tit. He massaged it roughly, evoking more sexy noises from the foxy minx beneath him.

  “Yes!” she growled. “Fuck me! Aw, yes. That’s it.”

  Sweat trickled down his temples as he drove into her, deeper and deeper until she cried out her release. Once she was duly satisfied, he let go, shooting his pulsing stream into her core.

  They collapsed on the bed, still joined, spooning. He kissed everywhere he could reach.

  She rubbed his legs and arms, whatever she could find.

  “Thank you,” he whispered, feelings of gratitude flooding him. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”

  “Giving us a chance,” she corrected.

  “And you’re willing to give the big dummy another chance too?” He kissed her cheek.

  “Absolutely. He’s pretty cute. I think he might be trainable.”

  Dean laughed. “He thinks you’re cute too. You do realize that he hasn’t been with a woman since some fumbled attempts in high school. You’re the first one who’s interested him.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “No, it’s all you. I can’t take any credit for how gorgeous you are. Kyle sees it too. And you know what? He never once mentioned the scars. They’re like freckles to him, he just doesn’t see them. That’s another thing I love about him.”

  She snuggled against his back. “Thank you, Dean. This was just what I needed. But we should talk, now. I have something important to tell you.”

  * * * *

  Miranda had her bags packed and waiting by the door. Dean’s father was due soon, and she’d be leaving shortly after that. She wasn’t as sad as she’d feared. Dean and Kyle had already made arrangements to come to her apartment the next weekend and spend two nights. Two glorious nights. She could hardly wait.

  “Wonderful to see you, Mr Fortune.” Mrs Carson led him in.

  “You look fit,” he told the ho
usekeeper. “I hope things are going well, and the job’s not getting to be too much for you.”

  “Not at all. Of course, we’re just looking after these two.” She nodded to where Dean and Kyle sat. “If we brought in guests, that would change things very much, wouldn’t it?”

  He smiled. “Yes, I suppose it would.” He turned his dark-eyed gaze on Miranda. “Hello, Miz McCabe. How did you enjoy your week at the ranch?” He extended a hand, and she shook it.

  “It’s a beautiful place. I enjoyed my time very much.” She tried not to look at Dean or Kyle, though she envisioned them both smirking.

  “Son.” The elder Mr Fortune shook hands with Dean then Kyle. “Kyle. How are things running from your end? Smoothly?”

  “My end is nice and tight, sir. Couldn’t be better.”

  Miranda thought she might burst. She didn’t make eye contact with either Dean or Kyle, but could almost sense the smiles behind their eyes at that moment.

  Dean’s father motioned for her to sit, and they all took seats.

  “I’ll leave you,” Mrs Carson said.

  “No, Frances, this concerns you too. Please stay.” He waited for her to sit, then began. “I think you all know that the ranch is floundering financially. I was given a suggestion that the best way to pump money back in would be to make the place a guest ranch. We’d allow families to come and stay, ride horses, do all the cowboy stuff that city folks don’t get to experience. We’d have to plan activities, so it would require some additional staff.”

  “Additional housekeeping staff as well,” Mrs Carson added.

  He nodded. “And when the demand outgrew the rooms here in the house, we’d have to build cabins for other guests to stay in. That will be costly, so I need to make sure this is the right plan for us going forward.”

  “I don’t believe it is,” Dean said bluntly. “This is our home. I don’t want strangers staying here, night after night. Snotty-nosed little kids breaking our things. It sounds horrible to me.”

  Kyle spoke up. “I’d have to agree. I understand the need for additional income, but for what you’d be giving up, that money comes at too great a price.”

  Dean’s father waved a hand. “A little bit of privacy. No big deal.”

  Dean challenged him. “Not for you, since you no longer live here. It’s a very big deal to me.”

  Before he could reply, Miranda said, “I came up with another idea. I’ve spent the last couple of days crunching the numbers and talking with other stables to determine the feasibility. I truly believe it’ll work.”

  Everyone looked at her.

  “Riding lessons,” she said simply. “We could start a riding academy. There’s a huge demand for that right now. People in Los Angeles pay top dollar to give their kids lessons. Adults take them too. It’d require very little in the way of changing the structure of the ranch, and it won’t affect the main house. I believe you could hire one person to run the operation, and utilize the grooms who are interested in making a little extra income.” She handed some paperwork to Dean’s father. “You’ll see with these calculations, there’ll be some minor changes outside, including updating the ranch office to handle the new side of the business. Those are one-time expenses. The additional pay needs would be ongoing, but I think you’ll agree, the potential for inflow far exceeds the outgo I’ve projected.”

  “Riding lessons,” he echoed, studying the paperwork.

  She finally allowed herself a glance at Dean and Kyle. Both men appeared nervous and hopeful. “There would still be the snot-nosed children, I’m afraid. Some of the population who are able to afford lessons won’t be that easy to work with. But there’ll also be a large group of people who love horses and want to learn more about them. Friendly, wonderful folks who you’ll be glad you got to know. I took lessons for many years, and made some life-long friends from those days.”

  “Which is why we want you to run the riding business,” Dean said to her.

  Miranda’s jaw dropped.

  He smiled. “Kyle and I discussed it. We can’t think of anyone we’d want more. Anyone we’d trust as much as you, to move in and join our ranch family.”

  Her heart leaped as she read the meaning behind his words. “I, uh, I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about changing careers.”

  Kyle smiled. “Before you came here, you probably hadn’t thought about a lot of things. This is a very good idea, Miranda.”

  Mr Fortune studied each of them. “I’m sure she has the knowledge, but does she have the riding experience we’d need?”

  “She was a member of the California Junior Rodeo Association for ten years.” Dean beamed proudly.

  Kyle added, “She did barrel racing and pole bending. Best All-Around Champion for three years straight.”

  Dean gazed at her affectionately. “And she was Rodeo Queen the whole damned time. What better qualifications could we ask for?”

  Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly brushed them away.

  “That certainly sounds adventurous.” Dean’s father nodded. “Of course, I had Miz McCabe checked out before I hired her for this job. She has a spotless employment record. I’d say she’d be a good woman for the position.”

  Dean turned to his father. “Will you consider it, then? The riding academy, rather than a guest ranch?”

  “I don’t see why not. I didn’t want to lose the family home, either. I was just trying to look at the big picture and save the ranch.”

  Dean breathed a deep sigh of relief. He glanced at Kyle and Miranda, then back at his father. “There’s something else, Dad. I haven’t pressed this because it didn’t seem that important until now. I’m bisexual, and I’m in love with Kyle. If this is going to work, he’ll be moving into the main house as my domestic partner.”

  His father studied him for a moment then smiled. “Finally ready to come out, eh? Okay, whatever you say.” To Kyle, he said, “Welcome to the family, son.”

  Dean and Kyle gaped at each other. Dean’s disbelief was visible. “You knew?”

  “Your mother and I talked about it years ago. She thought we should say something to you. I told her we needed to wait until you brought it up. I never dreamed it would take this long.”

  “See?” Kyle elbowed Dean. “Your dad is cooler than you thought.”

  “Yeah, cool.” Dean looked like he still didn’t quite believe it.

  “It’s about time,” Mrs Carson muttered. “There’s really no sense in all this sneaking around.”

  Miranda chuckled. “You knew too? What about Rebecca?”

  “Oh, no.” Mrs Carson shook her head. “This is going to come as a shock to dear Rebecca. But, as the young people say, it is what it is. She can learn to live with it, or not. Her choice.”

  Dean gazed at his father. “I still can’t believe you knew all this time.”

  His dad shot back, “I can’t believe you never trusted me enough to share the truth. I hope we’re beyond that now, son. We’re what our family has left, right here in the room. We should be able to talk to each other about anything.”

  Dean folded his arms across his chest. “Since you feel that way, I should tell you about Miranda.”

  She moved next to him and pinched his arm. “Uh, no, that’s okay.”

  Dean’s father gazed at them questioningly.

  “It’s nothing,” she assured him.

  “O-kay.” He turned to Mrs Carson. “I’m going out to see the horses, then I hoped we could all share a nice lunch. Will you walk part of the way with me?”

  “Of course.” They headed out, leaving Dean, Kyle and Miranda staring at each other.

  Dean rubbed his arm. “Why did you pinch me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Just because you’ve got some newfound freedom doesn’t mean I’m ready to announce that I’m having earth-shattering sex with two guys at once.”

  “Ah. I see your point. Sorry.”

  She smiled sweetly. “No harm done. Once we see where this is going, we can talk abou
t telling people later.”

  Kyle hoisted her suitcases. “Right now, ‘this’ is going into your room to unpack. Agreed?”

  She rubbed her chin. “I’ll need to go back and give notice. Then I’ll have to bring more clothes from my apartment.”

  “We’ll help with that.” Dean nodded.

  Kyle added, “But that doesn’t have to happen this weekend, right?”

  Miranda smiled. “Right. This weekend, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Yes!” Kyle headed down the hall then turned back to her. “Can I have the blue room? It feels more masculine than the yellow one.”

  “I suppose,” she teased, and followed him in to the other guestroom.

  He set her things down. “It’s the same size.”

  “It’s fine,” she confirmed. As long as I’m here, I don’t care which room I’m in.

  Dean wrapped his arms around her from behind. “It doesn’t matter. You know we’re all going to sleep in my room, anyway. These are just to store your stuff.” He placed a kiss on her temple.

  “Works for me.” Kyle grinned, and leaned in to kiss each of their cheeks.

  Her heart soaring, she pressed back against Dean and wrapped her arms around Kyle’s neck. “This promises to be a wild ride.”

  Dean chuckled, holding both her and Kyle in his arms. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

  Kansas City Heat: Dixon’s Duty

  Jenna Byrnes

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  “Time of death was approximately ten to twelve hours ago. I’ll know more when I get her back to the lab and can run specific tests.” Abigail Walters, the medical examiner for the Kansas City Police Department, rose from her crouched position then stepped back from the corpse.

  Detective James Dixon leaned in closer, studying the abrasions around the woman’s neck. Her long blonde hair was splayed around her shoulders, but the reddish-purple marks on her skin were still visible. As were two round scorch marks on her breasts. “Strangled, just like the victim last week. Cigarette burns. Can’t say I like where this is heading.”