by Marla Monroe
They’d dated a woman for several months thinking she might be perfect for them. Her son was an angel and had soaked up their attention. It had taken her trying to manipulate them into moving closer to her parents with them running the ranch to realize she was just trying to find someone to take over her father’s place and keep little Jason while she partied. They should have seen it coming since she insisted on going out all the time.
“Enough looking back. We’ve got a whole future ahead of us. Let’s go ride fences for a few hours. It’ll do me good to get out for a while,” Kent said, rolling his chair back.
Nothing calmed them down more than getting out on the ranch and letting nature do what it did best, calm the raging beasts inside of them.
* * * *
“So what happened with your new client? Did they want you to help decorate their house?” Sarah asked.
Erica laughed. “I was totally off base with them. It wasn’t a couple, it was twin brothers who just moved here. They are planning to have a big Thanksgiving family bash and wanted help planning it.”
“Really? Do they have a lot of family?”
“Good Lord, do they.” Erica chuckled. “There’s going to be about twenty-four adults and kids.”
“Oh, my. You have your work cut out for you. How old are the twins? Boy that sounds hot, twin guys to fool around with,” Sarah said wiggling her eyebrows.
Erica burst out laughing. “I’m going to tell your hubby on you. I can’t handle one man, don’t even suggest two of them.”
“So dish, girlfriend. What do they look like? Are they identical twins? Are they hunky?”
“Yes, they are identical, but Kent has short hair and Brent has shaggy hair. They both have dark hair, not quite black, but close. Oh, and they have dark blue eyes,” she added.
“Mmmm, they sound delish. Are they built like the ranches around here? If they are, you totally need to go after them, Erica.” Sarah’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“No way. I’ve got two kids and a huge business. I don’t have time for dating, and I sure don’t have time for games. This is the extent of my wild side, a night out at The Firehouse and two beers.” Erica wasn’t much for partying around like a lot of the women were. She enjoyed a girl’s night out now and then, but preferred the home fires more.
“Well let’s go get that second beer, honey. I’m ready to dance.”
Her friend stood up and pulled her to her feet just as two men came through the tight pathway between all the tables. Erica nearly lost her balance, but one of them grabbed her waist and held on.
“Sorry. I should have…Erica?” Brent Stone looked down at her from his over six foot height.
“Oh! Hi Brent. Sarah and I were just going to get another beer. Sorry for running into you like that. And I’ve only had one so far.” She was babbling like an idiot.
“Are you ladies here with someone?” Kent asked, smiling at Erica.
“Now we are,” Sarah cooed. “Why don’t you join us?”
Erica was sure her eyes had gotten as big as owls when her friend asked them to sit with them. What was she up to?
“I’m sure they already have plans, Sarah,” she said, staring hard at her friend in hopes she’d catch on that she wasn’t interested.
Well, that would be a lie. She was much too interested, but knew better than to get involved with either one of them. She had too much on her plate as it was.
“Thank you. We’ll do that,” Kent said. “What are you ladies drinking and we’ll get it for you.”
“Corona for Erica and Bud Light for me,” Sarah said with a huge grin. “Thanks, guys!”
The second the men had left she turned to her best friend with a scowl. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Sarah didn’t look the least bit sorry. “Being friendly to the newcomers. Just showing some Texas hospitality, is all. Besides, they’re cute. I can look as long as I don’t touch or let them touch me.” She winked at Erica.
“I’m so telling Jack, Sarah,” she grumbled.
“Won’t matter. He trusts me and knows I’d never cheat on him.”
“Somehow this is going to come back and bite me on the butt, Sarah. You mark my words. They are going to be looking for a single lady they can settle down with and have a passel of kids of their own. They aren’t looking for a ready-made family. All I would ever be is a brief fling, and I don’t want any part of that.”
Sarah’s smile dimmed a bit. “Don’t say that, Erica. You never know what someone wants or needs. Besides. There’s nothing wrong with having a one or two night stand. You don’t have to get into a relationship if you don’t want to take the chance. Personally, if it was me, I’d be all over those two and taking every chance I could at making them fall in love with me.”
“Both of them? Are you crazy? Tell me you aren’t talking about two men at one time. I’m not listening to you.” Erica put her fingers in her ears and hummed.
Sarah burst out laughing and pulled her hands from her ears. “Stop it. I’m going to pee my pants if you keep doing that. Fine, fine, girlfriend. No pushing you on them, but relax and just enjoy tonight. You’re doing them a favor by introducing them to the wild and crazy night life here in Pleasant Grove.”
Somehow Erica ended up sitting between the two men when they returned to the table with their beer. Sarah had snagged Kelly Freeman’s husband for a dance. Kelly was seven months pregnant and sitting the dancing out while Tommy had fun acting a fool for his uncomfortable wife’s amusement.
“Is this your regular Friday entertainment?” Brent asked.
Now why did that sound almost like an accusation to Erica? Then again, why did it even matter to her what they thought? She bristled up but attempted to keep her temper. They were new customers. She didn’t need to piss them off.
“Not really. Sarah and I meet here about once a month to visit and dance. She’s married, but her husband watches their daughter so we can have some girl time, every now and then.”
Kent and Brent exchanged those intense looks over her head, making he feel uncomfortable again. She was about to call it a night and ask them to tell Sarah for her when Kent spoke next.
“Dance with me, Erica.”
Chapter Four
Brent watched his brother coax Erica out to the dance floor. He felt like a heel for what he’d said. He knew it had come out sounding accusatory. He had not right. He didn’t know anything about her. All he’d done was give her a bad impression of him and let his past interfere with his future. Kent had just cautioned him about that not five hours ago.
Ten minutes later, they returned to the table and Erica had a smile on her face. Thank God Kent had been able to take the sting out of his comment. It would serve him right if his brother took a shot at him once they got home. He sure as hell deserved it.
“That was fun. You’re a good dancer,” she told his brother.
“Thanks. Our mom made us practice with our sisters all the time. Hated it, but once we started dating in high school it turned out to be worth it,” Kent said with a laugh.
“I didn’t do much dancing at all as a teenager. Sarah taught me about six years ago.” She started looking around. “Speaking of her, have you seen her around? We keep an eye on each other and I’m not doing my job.”
“There she is over there,” Brent said, pointing her out where she was sitting at a table with a pregnant woman.
“Oh, good. Her husband would hand me head if I let something happen to her,” she said.
“We’ll watch her, too,” Kent assured her. “That way we can take turns dancing with you. We haven’t been dancing in well over a year. This is fun.”
“Have you had enough time to rest up?” Brent asked, praying she’d accept his hand.
“Goodness. With two of you, a gal won’t get much rest, will she?” Erica teased.
Kent grinned at Brent. “Nope. We like to keep a lady on her toes.”
Brent guided her through the throng of tables and
people visiting in every free spot. Once they’d reached the dance floor, he settled his hand at the small of her back, just above her amazing ass. As much as he wanted to squeeze her ample globes, he knew that would have to wait until they were on much friendlier terms. He hoped tonight hadn’t set them back before they’d even gotten started in their quest to woo her.
“We noticed there doesn’t seem to be a school around here. Do you have to bus your kids somewhere else?” he asked, groping for something to talk about.
“Oh, no. The school is actually located just outside of town in the double barns painted bright red. Frist grade through eighth is in the first barn and ninth through twelfth is in the second barn. They were completely refurbished when our older schools were demolished by a twister a few years ago,” she told him.
“Wow. I bet those are cool schools to the kids,” he said.
“Yeah. They seem to really like them. We didn’t have enough money to build from the ground up after the clean-up, so old Mr. Tully donated the barns and the land surrounding them to the town as long as it was used for the kids in some manner. Then everyone donated time and what they could to remodel them. We had all sorts of fundraisers and even set up a GoFundMe Internet site that raised over two hundred thousand dollars for us. We were able to replace everything and get some new things, like up to date computers.” She stopped as pink tinged her cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t meant to go on and on about it.”
“No. Don’t stop. I’m enjoying it. I love how this community seems to take care of each other. That’s what we had at home and what we’re looking for here,” he told her.
“Well, if you don’t mind nosey neighbors and being part of the town gossip at the beauty shop and post office, you’re in the right place.”
He grinned down at her. She had no idea how cute she was with her cheeks rosy and excitement sparkling in her amazing hazel eyes. Brent had to hold a tight rein on himself to keep from kissing the dimple at the corner of her mouth.
“Naw, we can handle a little gossip. It means we’re making progress or making waves and not just sitting stagnant,” he said.
“That’s a good way to put it. A lot of people feel threatened by it. It’s not like gossip makes anything different when it’s not spread in a malicious way. That doesn’t happen here. If someone does something that everyone is really upset about, they don’t gossip about it, they go to that person and set them straight. So get ready for the village folks to turn up at your home with pitchforks if you do something horribly wrong.” Erica laughed up at him.
“What do they consider horribly wrong?” Brent sure hoped they weren’t picky. He and Kent weren’t outlaws or extremists, but they were opinionated and tended to voice them when asked.
“Let’s see. When Joe started going over to the next town to visit a certain lady there and left his wife at home with five kids, one of which has Downs Syndrome, the community showed up at that lady’s house and informed her of what type of man he was and dragged his ass home. They had a good talk with him and he agreed that he was wrong. They are doing really well now. He’d been feeling overwhelmed and ignored by his wife. The women folk in the town explained that caring for five kids and one of them special left little time for her to do much more than breathe. He could free up more of her time by helping her out some instead of sitting on his ass feeling sorry for himself.”
Brent was sure his mouth dropped to his knees at that. “Are you joking with me?”
“Nope. The people here believe in making things work and not pretending something isn’t happening right under their noses,” she told him.
“That sure doesn’t happen back home,” he said, still reeling from what she’d told him.
“The reason they started getting so involved is that about eight or nine years ago a local official in town was thought to be the best husband and father that ever lived. Outwardly he was a saint, showing nothing but love for his family. People noticed the small bruises on the couple’s daughters’ arms now and then but thought nothing of it. Kids fall and get into things and get hurt.
The girls even tried to get help by acting out in school. That didn’t work and only got them into more trouble, so they stopped trying at all. Their grades fell, they were withdrawn and didn’t interact with the other kids at all.” Erica stopped and drew in a deep breath. He could see that it was getting to her.
“You don’t have to go any farther. I can see where this is going, Erica. Unfortunately that crap happens all over the world. It’s wrong, but it still happens,” he said in a soothing voice.
“Well it doesn’t happen here. We don’t jump on each other for disciplining our kids or anything like that, but when there are signs, they are investigated quietly and if there is no hint at all of trouble, it’s left alone. But, if a child or woman is in trouble, we take care of it ourselves now. Those two little girls were being physically and sexually abused. The wife had been so beaten down that she didn’t really know much of anything that was going on. She drank to keep from knowing. No one found out until she’d committed suicide after overdosing her girls.”
Brent swore under his breath. “I’m sorry that happened. Thank you for explaining it to me. I’ll let Kent know so he won’t be shocked when our first crowd of pitchforks shows up.” He teased trying to lighten the moment.
She smiled as the song wound down. “I doubt you’ll have any need to worry about that.”
“I sure hope you’re right. We aren’t ax murders and don’t grow pot out in our back pasture,” he said.
When they’d reached the table where Kent waited on them, he helped her in her seat. She laughed up at him before delivering another shocking community tidbit with a gleam in her eyes.
“Just so you know, old Mr. Peters grows some out behind his house. He’s got severe glaucoma and can’t afford the eye drops so he smokes a few joints a day to keep his eye pressure down. The community understands and leaves him alone as long as he doesn’t go selling it or allowing the teenagers to get hold of it.”
“What in the world have you two been talking about?” Kent asked laughing.
“I’ll fill you in on the way home,” Brent told his brother with a grin.
“I’ll hold you to that, brother. Erica, your friend is sitting over there with the eighty something’s talking. Whatever they’re talking about, it must be funny as hell, too,” Kent said.
“Oh, there’s Mr. Peters in the overalls and red plaid shirt, Brent,” she pointed out. “Sarah loves messing with them. Usually we both sit with them at some point and stir them up about something. Keeps them young.”
“Man, I love this place already,” Brent said.
“Good thing since we’ve planted roots with that ranch,” Kent teased.
“Who else is with them?” Brent asked.
“Um, the bald-headed man is Guppy Sanders. If you want to know how he got his name, you can ask him. I’m not going into it,” she said. “The one with the head full of gray hair that looks like a toupee is Clyde Brown. That’s really his hair. He says he has so much because he never got married to have a woman worry it off of him.”
“They sound like a bunch of cool men to hang around,” Kent said.
“They are. Just don’t let them drink too much. They can’t hold their liquor anymore. Bart Lamb isn’t here tonight. I think I remember Betty from the post office tell me that his son came down with the family to spend the weekend with him.” Erica waved at Sarah, who’d finally looked their way.
“Do your kids get along with each other fairly well?” Brent asked.
“They have the normal sibling issues, like the ‘he touched me’ issues and my youngest, Aaron, loves practical jokes. On the most part though, they get along fine. I can leave my younger ones with Ricky for a couple of hours at a time and know they are safe and will mind him. If he gets into trouble with something, he has a list of people to call and knows who to call first,” she told them.
“That’s great. A lot of kids can�
��t follow directions or get along with their brothers and sisters now days. I’m sure you’re proud of them,” Kent said.
“Oh, I am. They are good kids and really don’t cause any problems, but don’t get me wrong, they aren’t perfect.” She laughed. “Aaron keeps me on my toes with bugging his sister with frogs and lizards in her dresser drawers or the bed. Ricky gets exasperated with him about it and Sissy likes is more of a girl than the tomboy I expected her to turn into.”
“Do they ride?” Brent asked.
“Yes. They all love to ride, even Sissy. They just don’t get to as often as they’d like,” she told them. “I’m a mean mom sometimes.”
Kent burst out laughing. “Brent, remember that time we told Mom she was mean because she wouldn’t let us go skinny dipping with the Jernigan’s when we were thirteen? She made us strip off our clothes and run around the house for ten minutes in our birthday suits with all the hands laughing at us. We didn’t think she was all that mean after that.”
Brent enjoyed watching Erica laugh. She sounded like a bubbling spring, melodious and happy. He wanted to hear her laugh like that all the time. Her smile seemed to reach into his heart and squeeze it. Looking over at his brother, it was obvious even without opening up their links to see that she had the same effect on him.
“I’m having a great time, but I’ve really got to go now. I don’t like staying out too late at night,” she said.
“Are you okay to drive, or do you want one of us to drive you home?” Brent asked. He wasn’t sure how much she’d had to drink.
She waved over to where Sarah had moved on to visit with someone else. It wasn’t lost on Brent that she’d deliberately abandoned her friend to give them time to get to know each other. He and his brother owed her for that.
“I’ve only had two beers. I limit myself to two when I go out. I appreciate it though. Just let me know when you have that list ready. My fax number is on the papers I left with you,” she told them as she stood up.
