It didn’t take long to pick up everything on the list and a couple other items that Tessa tossed in the cart. Everything was ready for them at Montgomery’s when they got there, so the last place to stop was her parents’ house. “We don’t have to do this today, Tessa. Brad brought your work clothes over and that’s really what you needed.” Mitch had noticed the look on her face which was a cross between scared and pissed.
“No, I need to go in there. I need to see what is left in my room that I can use.”
Mitch helped her out of the truck and followed her up on the porch. “Brad said they installed an alarm system yesterday. Did he give you the code?”
“Yeah, he texted it to both me and Ally yesterday and then told us to delete the text. All the locks are changed again, too, but he gave me the new key this morning.”
Tessa unlocked the door, put in the security code, but Mitch still insisted that he check the house. “It’s clear, darlin’. Come on. Let’s go check out your room.”
Tessa opened her door and walked in. Her room looked so empty. The bed was gone, the mirror that was on the back of her dresser was also gone, and every surface was cleaned off. There was a box on the floor of things that hadn’t broke, little mementos from her childhood. She looked in her dresser drawers and saw that all the underwear and bras were gone. There were a few shirts left in one of the drawers so she pulled those out. Next was the closet. Tessa asked Mitch to lift the suitcase down from the top shelf. She placed the shirts inside, then took the few items remaining out of her closet. Her favorite skirts were gone as well as her shoes. Brad had said that all the heels had been broken off the shoes and the strappy ones were cut apart. Everything she had worked hard for was gone, destroyed. “Well, I guess he doesn’t mind me working since my work clothes were the only thing that had survived in my closet. That’s about the only thing he didn’t destroy.”
Mitch watched her as she walked down the hall to the bathroom. She came back with a bag full of items. “What did you find?”
“I just grabbed my extra bottles of shampoo and lotion and tampons. I guess that’s it. Brad said that the furniture is coming tomorrow. Almost everything that I brought with me from Seattle is destroyed,” she said as she zipped up the suitcase. “This is all that’s left. I had over $3,000 worth of shoes and boots, all gone now. I don’t even want to tell you how much money I had spent on my clothes and underwear.”
“They’re just material items, darlin’. We can replace them. We can’t replace you.”
“I know, it just pisses me off so bad. Brad said that the insurance would be giving me money for what was destroyed but most of the items aren’t replaceable. What right does this jackass have to do this to me? I just don’t get it.”
Mitch pulled her into his arms, making her feel safe. “I know, darlin’. It frustrates the hell out of us that we can’t figure out who this guy is, but I can tell you he’s gonna be one sorry son of a bitch if I ever get my hands on him.”
“Thank you, Mitch. I don’t know what I would do without the three of you.”
“We will always be here for you and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m looking forward to doing a little shopping. In fact I have a few things I’ve already ordered that should be here tomorrow.”
“You ordered more stuff? You guys are spoiling me. I wish you wouldn’t spend so much money on me. I have everything I need for now.”
“Spoiling you is what we want to do and we’re loving every minute of it. Believe me, darlin’, we are benefiting greatly from the spoiling. Now come on, let’s get home, we’ve got a party to tend to.”
* * * *
He watched as Mitch carried the suitcase out of the house and helped Tessa into the truck. He hadn’t dropped her off back home and she wasn’t taking the car with her, which meant she was moving in with them. He warned her. She should have listened. It was time to show her that he was a man of his word. No more Mr. Nice Guy. He would have her. He would be the last person she ever saw. Time to put his plan into action, starting with the Collins boys and their ranch.
Chapter 12
As soon as they were back at the ranch, Tessa got busy making pasta salad, Caesar salad, and a fresh fruit salad. She also made a batch of brownies that were still in the oven baking. She walked outside to check and see if there was anything she could help do. She couldn’t believe what she found. There were several floats blown up in the pool, lounge chairs on one side of it, tables and chairs were set up, and the thing that completely blew her away was the playhouse, sandbox, and climbing toy that her men were currently putting together. “Where did you guys get this stuff?”
“I bought this stuff after Christmas last year. I figured that Sophie was old enough for some outside play toys and since we spend so much time at each other’s houses during the summer, she needed some toys of her own here. She has a box of stuff in the game room in the house also.”
Tessa watched as they finished putting the climbing toy together. It had a slide and a swing. Sophie would love this. Tessa’s heart warmed at how considerate her men were toward their friends and their friend’s daughter. They were family, her family. She looked at the playhouse which had a little table inside and a stove along with plates, play food, and pans. The sandbox had a bucket and shovel and some other toys in it ready and waiting to be played with. “You guys are amazing. I’m totally blown away. Sophie is going to love this stuff. I can’t wait to see the look on her face. Everything out here looks great. Is there anything I can do?”
“Why don’t you go up and change into your swimsuit. I’ll start the grill in a bit,” Rance told her.
“I don’t have a swimsuit anymore. It wasn’t at the house when Mitch and I stopped to pick up the rest of my things.”
“Oh, you have a swimsuit, baby girl. In fact, you have several. Go on up and pick one. They are on the bed in your room.”
Tessa shook her head wondering what on earth they had bought her and when. When she walked through the back door the timer went off for the brownies. She set them on the stove to cool and made her way upstairs. When she walked in the room, she couldn’t believe what she found. There were four swimsuits on the bed. Three bikinis and a one-piece, if you wanted to call it that. Only one of the bikinis looked like it would cover her enough to be seen in public. It was blue with white ties. The one-piece was cut high on the hip and the two scraps of material that came up from the bottom to tie around her neck didn’t leave anything to the imagination. She wasn’t sure her breasts would even stay in it. She’d bet anything Rance had picked that one out. The other two, a red suit and a white one, were way too revealing for public use. Both bottoms were thongs, but she looked forward to wearing them for her men only. There were also several pairs of shorts, tank tops, and sandals. Tessa went into the bathroom and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She put the swimsuit on then pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a bright-yellow tank top. She slipped her feet into a pair of brown leather sandals that fit perfectly and were very comfortable.
When Tessa got back downstairs, all her men were in the kitchen. “Pay up, you both owe me five dollars,” Mitch told his brothers.
“Why do they owe you money?”
“We bet on which swimsuit you would wear. I told them you would pick the one that covered you the most. Sam was hoping for the white one, and Rance wanted to see you in the one-piece.”
Tessa laughed. “You guys are too much. I can’t very well walk around my brother and all our friends with my ass cheeks showing, and I’m afraid my tits would fall out of the one-piece. Thank you for all the clothes and shoes, but you really shouldn’t have spent so much money.”
“You are welcome and get used to it. Can’t believe you said tits.” Sam laughed then they all joined in.
“We are going to spoil you. That’s what we want to do.” Mitch winked as he picked up the platter of meat. “I’m going to put the meat on. Everyone should be here soon.”
Rance wrapped his arms around Tessa and pu
lled her against his chest. “I can’t wait to see the other swimsuits. Maybe you can model for us later.”
“Maybe, if you’re a good boy, you may get more than that.”
“I thought you figured out by now, there’s nothing about me that’s a boy.” Rance growled as his lips came down on Tessa’s. All too soon Tessa heard, “Auntie Tessa, where are you?”
Tessa stepped back from Rance just as Sophie and Annie walked in the kitchen. “There you are!” Sophie hit her at a dead run. Tessa picked her up and swung her around. “I’ve missed you, Auntie Tessa.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Shall we go outside so you can see your surprise?”
Tessa put Sophie down and hugged Annie. “Thanks for breakfast. The cinnamon rolls were amazing.”
“You’re welcome. You doing OK here?”
“I am actually, better than OK.”
Sophie was pulling on Tessa’s hand. “Come on, Auntie Tessa, I want to see my ’prise.”
“We’ll talk later.”
Tessa and Annie laughed as they walked out to the backyard with Sophie. Mitch ran over and picked Sophie up. “Come on, sweetheart, look what your uncles have for you.”
Sophie screamed with excitement. “Thank you, Unca Mitch!” She wiggled out of his arms and ran to the playhouse, checking out the inside before she ran to the climbing toy and slid down the slide. Sam was there to catch her. “Thank you, Unca Sam, do you wanna slide wif me?”
“I don’t think I’ll fit, sweetness, but I’ll catch you when you come down.”
Sophie went down the slide one more time and then went to the swing. Rance was there to help her. “Thanks, Unca Rance, will you push me?”
“You bet, squirt.”
Sophie laughed. “Daddy calls Auntie Ally squirt, too.”
Tessa watched as her men totally doted on Sophie. They were all going to make good fathers. “They’re pretty amazing, huh?” Annie said.
“Yes, they are. They surprise me every day. Sometimes it’s almost too much.”
“You really care for them, don’t you?”
“I love them, Annie. All three of them are so different but so perfect. I could never choose between them and luckily I don’t have to.”
“Does this mean you’re here to stay?”
“I don’t know. I think that’s what they want, but I’m scared. If this doesn’t work out there is no way I can live in the same town with them. I’d have to move again.”
“But isn’t love worth the risk?”
“Yes, it is. I just have to make sure that this will work for all of us. Rance is still holding back part of himself from me and I don’t think I can live with that. Let’s talk about this later. Here comes Lanni, Ally, and the rest of the girls. Oh my gosh, Bobbi’s little girls are so cute!”
Tessa watch as Lanni and Annie’s older sister Jackie drove up with her husband Mike and their kids. They got out of the SUV. Each one of them was carrying a dish of some kind except for the little girl. Mitch, Brad, and Sam took the food from them as they greeted Tessa. “Hi, Jackie, it’s so good to see you.”
“Good to see you also. My goodness, you have grown up. You look amazing. You remember my husband Mike, and Randle was a toddler when you moved. This is Hayden, he’s six, and this is my baby Brittany, she’s four. This is Tessa, your Aunt Lanni’s best friend and Uncle Brad’s other sister.”
Tessa’s extended family was growing daily. She had missed so much. “Mike, it’s good to see you.” She gave him a hug. “There are a bunch of play toys that the guys set up for the girls and there are all kinds of floats for the pool. There is also a PlayStation and a Wii in the game room if the boys want to go in there.”
“They’ve been looking forward to the pool. I would love for them to get completely worn out by the time we leave. So I hear you’ve been staying here?” Jackie asked as they walked Brittany over to play with Sophie and Bobbi’s little girls.
“For now. Not sure what I’m doing once my dad goes back to work.”
“This house is amazing, not to mention the men that live in it. You’ve got to be the envy of every single woman in town and a few married ones, too, I bet. I’ve heard you’ve had a few run-ins with exes.”
That’s one thing Tessa missed about Seattle. Everyone didn’t know her business or wanted to be up in it. “Come on, let’s get something to drink and I need to check on the food.”
Everyone started showing up. Mitch and Rance were manning the grill and Sam and Brad were in the pool with Sophie and the rest of the kids.
“So you’re staying here? Must be rough,” Lanni said jokingly. “Annie said you’re not going home next week when your parents come back.”
“No, I’m not putting them in any danger. Dad’s been through enough, I just want him to focus on getting better. Look who just pulled up.”
Lanni glanced to her right and saw Jake and Andy getting out of Jake’s truck. “Great, you could have warned me.”
“If I did, would you still have come?”
“I don’t know, probably not. I don’t want to deal with them today.”
“When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on, Tessa. I don’t want to talk about it, not right now. Too many ears around.”
“Hey, darlin’, sure is good to see you here,” Jake told Lanni as he kissed her cheek.
“You look beautiful, Lanni, as always,” Andy told her as he put his arm around her and softly kissed her neck.
“Oh my God! Can you guys just back off?” Lanni walked away quickly, taking a seat next to her sister.
“What was that all about?” Tessa asked.
“Lanni’s fighting what she’s feeling for us. It’s our fault. I asked her out, we had a great time, then Jake asked her out. She thought we were playing some sort of game or a prank. We tried to explain to her that we both want her but she’s in total denial. It’s a good thing we don’t give up easily.”
“Well, good luck with Lanni. I’ve known her most of my life and she is one stubborn woman. When she sets her mind on something, there isn’t any changing it.”
“There’s a first time for everything, and we’re not giving up.”
Sam walked up behind Tessa and put his arms around her, pulling her against his hard chest. Tessa sighed, still not believing she belonged to him. “Hey beautiful, my buddies here trying to make time with my girl?”
“Nope, just chatting about a friend of mine. You are all wet, Sam. Now I’m soaked.”
“Why don’t you let me get you wet, sugar?”
“Sam, people can hear you!”
“What, I was just talking about you getting in the pool.” He gave her his innocent face, then turned to Andy and Jake. “No luck yet with Lanni, huh? Don’t give up, guys, finding that one special woman is worth the wait,” Sam told them. “Now if you guys will excuse us, I think it’s time we took a little dip in the pool. I’m dying to see this suit on you, sugar,” Sam whispered in her ear so only she heard.
Tessa took his hand, smiling as she walked to the pool. As she kicked off her sandals, she asked, “You sure about this? There’s not a whole lot to this suit. All these guys are going to see a lot of me once I take my shorts and top off.”
“Let them look because they will never touch. Let them envy what belongs to me. I want to see you now. Take those clothes off, sugar.”
God, she loved it when Sam got bossy. She moved her hands to the hem of her shirt and slowly began to raise it up across her stomach, then above her ample breasts until it finally came off over her head. She heard Sam moan and as she focused on his face, he licked his lips. She loved what that tongue did to her and how good it made her feel. She popped the button on the shorts then took her time lowering the zipper. She wiggled her hips as her shorts slid down her legs to her ankles. “Fuck,” Sam whispered. It was a good thing they were getting into the pool because Tessa could see Sam’s cock come to life. The way he was watching her, the lusty look in his eye
s made her moist. Sam whipped off the towel from around his waist and picked Tessa up in his arms and jumped into the pool. Tessa screamed and everyone laughed. Once their heads were above water, Tessa wrapped her arms and legs around Sam.
“That wasn’t very nice, Samuel.”
“No, but, sugar, it was necessary, very necessary. You look so fucking hot in that suit I thought I was going to come just looking at you. I can only imagine what you’ll look like in the other ones. You’re so beautiful, Tessa, I love you so much. Can you feel how much I want you right now?”
“Yes, and you feel so good, I want you, too, but we need to behave. My brother is watching us. I can see him telling me to get out of the pool and put my sweats on, plus I don’t want all these other women to see what you’re packing under these swim trunks so calm down, baby.” Tessa pushed off of him and swam to the other side of the pool and climbed out. She forgot all about getting a towel and the fact that her tattoos could now be seen, and of course, Brad was standing right there looking.
“What the hell, Tessa, tattoos?
“Only three, not a big deal, Brad.”
“I only see one. Where are the other two? Wait, I don’t think I want to know. I need another beer.”
Tessa laughed as he walked away and Rance wrapped her in a towel. “You didn’t stay in the pool very long.”
“That’s because your brother is being very naughty and there are too many people around for that. Plus, I need to help get the food set up. I wasn’t planning on getting in the pool.”
“You need to enjoy yourself and let us worry about the food and everything else, baby. Why don’t you go and chat with the other women? We’ve got everything taken care of.”
Tessa reached up and pulled Rance down to her and gave him an incredible kiss to show her appreciation. “Save that thought for later, beautiful. I’m gonna go help Mitch. Go on, girls are waiting for you.” He patted her bottom as she turned to leave.
Tessa sat down next to Lanni. “Let me guess, your brother busted you about the tattoo.”
Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 30
