Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Madison Maxwell

  As they were drying off, Sam appeared in the doorway. “Breakfast is ready,” he told her as he stole a kiss then went back to the kitchen.

  Tessa put on one of the new bra-and-panty sets that Mitch had picked out for her. “Mitch, do you know what happened to my work clothes? I left them right here on the chair last night. That’s the only thing I have to wear into work.”

  “Sam washed those last night also. They are probably hanging in the laundry room.”

  “Sam washed my clothes? That was sweet.”

  “He said he felt bad that you had to wear the same clothes to work as yesterday and at least he could wash them so they would be clean and fresh for you. I’ll go grab them for you.”

  Mitch was back quickly and when Tessa was finished dressing, they both went down for breakfast. Rance and Sam had everything set up at the bar around the kitchen counter.

  “Have a seat, sugar, and I’ll pour you some coffee.”

  Tessa ignored Sam and didn’t take a seat as she walked around the counter and pulled him into a deep, hot kiss. When she pulled back, she looked in his eyes and said, “Thank you for washing my clothes. I’ve never had anyone do something like that for me before.”

  “You’re welcome, sugar. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I love you, Tessa.”

  “I love you, too, Sam.”

  “Can I get some morning loving over here?” Rance asked.

  Tessa walked over to him next and treated him to a mind-blowing kiss as she reached around and squeezed his ass. When he jumped, she couldn’t help but pull back and laugh. “I’ve always wanted to squeeze this tight ass of yours, Rance. I think we have more in common than you think ’cause I sure do love this ass of yours.”

  Tessa swore she almost saw a blush start on Rance’s face when he swatted her behind and said, “Breakfast is getting cold, baby girl. Eat up and Sam’s gonna drive you to work. We’ll talk about tight asses later, that’s a promise.”

  Rance laughed, a laugh his brothers hadn’t heard from him in so long, a laugh full of happiness and love. “I think we may have created a monster, brothers.”

  “Are you complaining?” Tessa asked as she ran her hands up his chest and pulled on his nipple rings.

  Rance inhaled sharply. “Fuck no, I’m not complaining, baby. I like how open you’ve become in the last couple days but if you don’t let go of those rings right now, I promise you will be late for work.” Tessa let go with a confident look on her face and a smile that promised there would be more to come later.

  Tessa walked back around the counter and jumped up onto the barstool. Her plate was loaded with ham, eggs, potatoes, and biscuits. “I can’t eat all of this, guys. You’re gonna make me fat.”

  “Eat what you can, baby, and it wouldn’t hurt you a bit to put on a couple pounds, more for us to hold onto.”

  “I can’t afford to put on a couple pounds and the way you guys eat around here I’m going to if I’m not careful. Tomorrow we need to go to the store and get some fresh fruit and veggies. Good thing you’ve got a gym out back to help me work some of these calories off.”

  “I can think of better ways for you to work off calories,” Sam told her with a smile.

  “I just bet you can and I like that idea.” Tessa smiled back at him and winked. Then they all laughed.

  The phone rang and Mitch got up to answer it. “This is Mitch. Where at? How many got out? Did anyone get hurt? Grab as many hands as you need and Rance and I will be there shortly. Thanks, Tim.”

  “What happened, Mitch?”

  “The fence facing the main road about a mile down has been cut in several places. At least fifteen horses got out and are wandering around on the road. Tim got a call from Old Man Simons. He almost hit one of the horses when he came around the corner. He’s staying with the horses and watching traffic until we all get there. Tim’s grabbing supplies and the boys, we should get moving.”

  “I just checked that section of fencing yesterday. Everything was fine,” Sam told them.

  “I’m sure it was. Simons said it was cut in several places. I just hope that when the horses passed through none of them were cut.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Tessa asked.

  “No, darlin’, Rance and I need to leave though. Sam will take you to work. Have a good day, baby. One of us will be there to get you at noon.” He kissed her quick, followed by Rance as they left.

  Chapter 10

  “He did this, didn’t he Sam?”

  “Who knows, Tessa, could have been some kids playing a joke. Don’t you worry yourself about this. They’ll get the horses back in and the fence fixed in no time.”

  Tessa checked the time and told Sam they should clean up before they left. Working together, they got done quickly and Tessa couldn’t believe how much fun doing dishes could be. Sam drove her to work and dropped her off. Ally was just getting there as well and they all walked in together. “Everything looks fine. Maybe the extra patrol Lucas asked to be done helped.”

  “Brad was going to go over to Mom and Dad’s this morning and start cleaning up. He has a couple of his hands going with him to haul everything away. He said he would take care of everything in your room and wouldn’t let anyone else in there and not to worry. I’m going to go grab the money from the safe.” She stopped and turned to Sam. “Thanks for taking care of Tessa, Sam.”

  “My pleasure, little bit,” he told her as she walked away.

  “I forgot that Mitch used to call her little bit, kinda weird to hear you say it.”

  “I guess we all picked up on it. I’m gonna take off and see if I can help with the fencing. You call if there are any problems. I’ll be back to get you at noon if I win,” Sam told her as he kissed her good-bye.

  “Win what?” she asked as he started to walk out the door.

  “High card gets to pick you up, sugar. Wish me luck!” He winked as he closed the door behind him.

  Tessa just shook her head. They were playing games to see who would pick her up? I guess that was one way to make it fair. She went to check the fax machine and started to fill the prescriptions that had come through when Ally walked up to the counter. “So, how did it go last night?”

  “Fine,” Tessa told her.

  “That’s it, just fine. Come on, Tessa, there has to be more to it than that.”

  “OK, it was really fine.”

  “Not gonna give me any info, huh? I’m not a little girl any more, Tess.”

  “I know that, Ally, but it’s all so new that I’m not ready to share it with anyone yet.”

  “Let me ask you this. Do you think that whatever is going on between you and the Collins brothers might keep you here, that you might move back home for good?”

  “I’m not sure yet. We’ll see how things go, I don’t want to make any definite plans or promises but it’s a possibility.”

  “Well I hope that it works out because I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too, Ally.”

  “Plus Dad could use the help,” Ally said as she walked up to the front just as a couple people walked in. She knew Ally was right. Her dad could use the help and having her there would take a lot of pressure off of him. She needed to make the right decision for herself though. She couldn’t base it on the fact that she was needed to run the family business. She needed to be happy and loved and she couldn’t be in the same town with Mitch, Rance, and Sam if their relationship didn’t work out. It would kill her to see them with someone else.

  Tessa kept herself busy filling prescriptions and answering questions. She had just hung up the phone when she noticed Claire Rogers standing at the pharmacy counter. “Hi, Tessa, I didn’t know you worked here.”

  “Hi, Claire, this is my family’s pharmacy. I’m just covering for my dad until he’s ready to come back to work.”

  “That’s right, I heard what happened. How is he?”

  “He’s doing really well and should be home next week.”

 
; “That’s good. I’ll say an extra prayer for him. Look, I’m sorry if I came off as rude yesterday, I was just surprised that Mitch was dating someone. I went out to dinner with him a couple times a few months ago and I’ve been out of town on business so I didn’t know he was seeing anyone. We didn’t have anything serious, more just friends.”

  ‘What do you do for a living?” Tessa was a bit fascinated by this woman. She was the first woman to welcome her and apologize about being bitchy and she wasn’t even that bad.

  “I write for a website about travel destinations and one of the perks is traveling to the places I investigate for the website. They pick the locations and off I go. I was gone nearly two months this last time. They scheduled several places for me to check out during one trip. I should have a little bit of time off now which I’m glad. I moved here to help my grandma and being gone so much I’m not doing a very good job of it.”

  “Who’s your grandma?”

  “Molly Peters. She used to be a teacher but retired about ten years ago.”

  “I had Mrs. Peters in fourth grade. She was one of my favorite teachers. How is she?”

  “She’s doing all right, lonely since my grandpa died last year. My mom had been worried about her, but they live out of state so I happily volunteered to move here and be with her. I have some great memories of my grandparents, but my dad’s job transferred him when I was eight years old and unfortunately we didn’t get to come back and visit as much as I would have liked.”

  “She was always full of energy and so creative. If I’m still here and you have to go out of town again I would love to stop and check in on her from time to time.”

  “Thanks, Tessa, that’s really sweet of you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Make sure and tell her I said hello. I’ll try to stop and see her sometime next week. Now, what can I do for you?”

  “I need to get my prescription refilled for my birth control pills. I didn’t know you were a pharmacist.”

  “Yep, followed in my dad’s footsteps. I work in Seattle but took leave to help my dad until he’s back on his feet. Let me pull up your prescription. What’s your birth date?”

  As Tessa filled the order, she chatted with Claire and realized that she really liked her. “Here you go, is there anything else?”

  “Nope that will do it. Thanks, Tessa, and thanks for the girl talk. I don’t know many people here and even after a year of living here, with my work schedule I haven’t made many friends, especially girlfriends. Take care and tell your dad I was asking about him.”

  “I will. Hey, Claire, a bunch of us are going to The Spur tonight. Why don’t you join us?”

  Ally walked up then said, “Yeah, you should come. We usually have a great time, dance, talk, laugh, and drink a little.”

  “Really, that would be great. I will see you tonight around nine?”

  “Sounds perfect, we’ll see you then.”

  “That was nice that you invited her but wasn’t she involved with Mitch?”

  “She said that they were basically friends, went to dinner a couple times, but if you were so concerned why did you jump in and try to convince her to accept the invite?”

  “Well, I figured since you invited her that she was a decent person and as long as you’re OK with it then so am I,” Ally said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. “This day has gone by fast. I can’t believe we close in fifteen minutes.”

  “I’ll start closing down back here. I want to be ready as soon as my ride gets here. I’m looking forward to seeing Dad today.”

  “I saw him yesterday before I came home and he looks really good. Mom looks tired. She still isn’t sleeping well.”

  “Did she say anything about me?”

  “No, not really. She talks with Kathy every day and Mom said it sounds like you are doing a good job filling in for Dad.”

  “What else did she say?”

  “Let it go, Tess, I don’t want to get into the middle of you and Mom.”

  “I know and I would never put you there. I’m just trying to prepare myself for seeing her tomorrow.”

  “It’ll be fine. She’s not going to say anything in front of Rance.”

  “That’s not going to stop her. She had no problem telling me what she thought in front of Mitch.”

  “Yeah, but I think she is scared of Rance. He’s always quiet and brooding and she doesn’t know how to take him.” Ally laughed.

  “Well then won’t she be surprised when we show up tomorrow. Does she know that Rance is bringing me?”

  “Nope, I think she thinks it will be Sam or Mitch. She doesn’t think Rance would do something as mundane as visiting someone in the hospital.”

  “She doesn’t know him at all. My ride just got here. I guess Mitch was high card,” Tessa said and smiled as he walked through the door.

  “High card?” Ally asked.

  “I’ll tell you later. Hey, handsome,” Tessa said as Mitch made his way to the back.

  “Hey, darlin’, you almost ready?”

  “Yep, I’ll be there in just a second.” Tessa finished locking everything up and walked toward the front. “Got some sugar for me, cowboy?”

  Mitch chuckled as he pulled Tessa against him. “I got all the sugar you want, darlin’. I’d be more than happy to give you a toothache.” Mitch gave her a toe-curling kiss. Ally came back from locking the money in the safe and Mitch took the keys and locked up as Tessa set the alarm.

  ‘You’re still welcome out at our place, Ally.”

  “Thanks, Mitch, but I’m fine at Brad’s. I’ll see you both tonight. Have fun with Rance and give Dad a kiss for me.” Ally got in her car and left.

  After Mitch pulled out, Tessa said, “So you were high card?”

  Mitch laughed, “Yeah, I take it Sam told you about that.”

  “Yeah, I thought it was rather ingenious.”

  “Yeah, I just wish I could stack the deck so I could pick you up every time.”

  “Did you get all the horses back in and the fence fixed?”

  “Yeah, once Sam joined in we were finished in no time. All horses are accounted for and healthy. You looking forward to your ride with Rance?” he asked, quickly changing the subject.

  “I am. I’ve always wanted to ride on a Harley. Oh, by the way, Claire stopped by the pharmacy today and I invited her to go to The Spur with us tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I’m fine with it as long as you are. We only went to dinner a couple times. It was nothing more than that. I stop by every once in a while and check on her grandma and one time Claire was home. Mrs. Peters tried to play matchmaker and set us up, but there wasn’t any spark. We’re just friends. She’s a sweet woman moving here to take care of her grandma. She would never really be interested in me anyhow. She said she is too old for me, not that three years is a big deal but she thinks it is.”

  Mitch pulled up to the house and Tessa looked at the time. “I’ve got just enough time to get ready. Thanks for the ride, Mitch.” She gave him a quick kiss as she hurried into the house. Mitch watched as she entered the house and closed the door behind her. He sure did like having her here and she seemed to feel comfortable being here. Mitch heard the motor of the Harley as Rance came down the road from the garage and parked in the front of the house.

  “You guys just get here?”

  “Yeah, Tessa went in to change clothes. She’s really excited about going for a ride. Did you get her jacket?”

  “Yeah, they rushed it through and it looks great, very similar to mine. I hope she likes it.”

  “She will, but she’s gonna throw a fit that you spent more money on her.”

  “I’ll just have to paddle her ass then, won’t I?” Rance said then smiled.

  Sam came out of the barn telling Mitch that three mares were close to delivery. “I’ve called the vet. Maggie May’s foal is giving her a hard time. I’ve tried turning him, but I can’t get him to cooperate.”

  “Sounds like you made t
he right decision.” The door opened and all eyes swung to the woman who had walked out the door. Tessa’s legs were encased in low-riding leather pants with studs running up the sides, black high-heel boots and a red see-through blouse with a black corset underneath. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she had just a hint of makeup on. She was pure sex and she was theirs.

  “You look amazing, Tessa, I don’t think I want you to leave the house looking like that,” Mitch told her.

  “She can leave as long as one of us is with her. I want every sorry son of a bitch in this town to know that she belongs to us,” Sam added.

  Rance walked up to her, placed his hands on her face, and gave her the gentlest kiss. “Hey, beautiful, you ready to ride?”

  “I am. Do you have the jacket of Della’s you said I could borrow?”

  “Nope, I’ve got something even better.” Rance grabbed the jacket he had laid over the seat of the bike and showed it to her. “This is for you, baby girl. I hope you like it.”

  Tessa couldn’t believe he had bought her a leather jacket. It looked custom made and very similar to the one he was wearing. She looked him up and down. His thick thighs were encased in leather and a tight black T-shirt stretched across is gorgeous chest. She could just barely make out the outline of his nipple rings. He had his hair pulled back and secured at the nap of his neck. He was one sexy sight and all hers for the afternoon. “This is amazing, Rance. It looks like yours. This is too much.”

  “Nothing is too much for you, Tessa. Let me help you put it on.” Tessa turned as Rance helped her slip her arms in the jacket.

  “It fits perfect and it’s so soft. Thank you, Rance, I love it, I love you.” Tessa had never said those words to him until that moment and she wasn’t sure how he would feel about it.

  Rance put his hand against her check. “I love you, too, Tessa, so much it fucking scares me. Come on, I’ve got some gloves for you too.”

  Tessa pulled on the gloves after she zipped and snapped the jacket. She gave both Sam and Mitch a kiss just as Dr. Dayton, the vet, pulled in. “You guys have fun and we’ll see you tonight.”