by Chloe Lang
Bryant didn’t need any clues. He knew the man who had occupied the space for the past two years quite well. Sheriff Jason Wolfe was only a few years older than him and Cody and only a couple months younger than Emmett.
Jason and his two brothers, Mitchell and Lucas, had grown up in Destiny, just like Bryant and his brothers. But the Wolfe brothers weren’t tight like them. In fact, they were worlds apart in so many ways. Jason, who had more than a few run-ins with the law during his high school years, had turned his former wild-oats-sowing nights into somber, straightlaced days that had landed him the highest office in the county last election.
“Where the fuck is he? He should’ve been back by now.” Cody was pacing like a man isolated from any human contact awaiting the long walk down a prison’s hallway to the electric chair.
He couldn’t blame his twin, since that was exactly how he was feeling, too. They’d come down the mountain mostly on foot, having to dismount their horses several times due to the poor condition of the roads.
They’d come to the rockslide at The Narrows and had seen a white van on its side down the cliff. They both agreed it was too risky to climb down to see if it was Amber’s, but they both knew it had to be. As they’d headed down to town, Bryant had questioned himself about the decision not to scale the cliff to the vehicle below. He and Cody had been quick to let it go for another time, saying they needed different equipment to be safe. To some extent that was true, but it wasn’t the real reason they’d continued the trek, leaving the downed van behind. They were both terrified of what they would find inside the van. With Amber’s identity remaining a mystery, they could fool themselves into believing her past wouldn’t come crashing into their lives and take her away from them. That had been the real reason they’d not descended down to the automobile.
It had taken them all day and three hours after the sun went down to get to the city limits. Instead of heading to their house in town, they’d taken the direct route here. Jason had been out on a call in Clover, one of four other towns in the county besides Destiny. The eccentric dispatcher, Shannon Day, who was well into her sixties and was known in town for her colorful wigs and known by most, though not Jason, for her love of smoking pot, had sent out word to her boss of their need to see him.
The door opened and in came Shannon wearing large sunglasses and a shoulder-length purple wig. “The sheriff just pulled up outside. He’ll be right in to talk to you.”
“Thanks, Shannon.” Bryant’s gut tightened. He wasn’t ready to know if anyone had come looking for Amber. Deep down, he knew he would never be ready. Cody had to be right. Amber was their future. Her arrival at their ranch just had to be more than coincidence.
Jason walked in, wearing his sheriff garb—tan shirt and matching pants, holstered gun and badge, and on top of his close-cropped head, his wide-brimmed hat. “Hello, fellows.” He took off his hat and placed it on the hook by the only window in his office. “Shannon has already told me via the radio about your guest.”
“Good to know you’re ahead of the game on this one.” Cody leaned forward in his chair. “What can you tell us about her, Jason?”
The sheriff walked around his desk and sat down in his leather chair. “You say she looks to be in her mid-twenties, right?” He got a pen and a pad from his desk’s top drawer. He held the tip a fraction of an inch from the paper and looked directly at Cody and then at Bryant.
“That’s right,” Bryant answered. “Long, dark hair. Amber-colored eyes.”
Jason wrote in his pad. “How tall would you say she is?”
“Five three,” Cody answered. “So has anyone been looking for her or not?”
“Let’s see what we can find out.” The sheriff set the pad beside his keyboard and typed the only facts they had about Amber. After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely less than ten minutes, Jason pointed to the screen. “This one looks like a match.”
“Fuck,” Cody blurted out.
Bryant agreed. It was the only word that fit this moment. Amber had a past. Someone was looking for her.
“Hold on. This is from a Chicago precinct. No picture included. That’s odd.” Jason continued. “You say she’s been with you for one week, right?”
“Yeah.” Bryant stood up. “What does it say?”
“Chill out, Stone. Let me see what’s in this report. ‘Missing person’ is a broad term that covers a whole host of possibilities, guys. It covers runaways, people with dementia, missing hikers, crime victims, overdue travelers, and a whole slew of others. A lot of them don’t fall in a bucket that law enforcement can act on, but some do.” He pointed to the screen. “If this is your girl, I’ll find out. I’ll call the officer who uploaded this report in the morning.”
“Call him now, Jason.” Bryant’s heart felt like it was ripping in two.
“It’s a her, but okay, buddy. I will.”
He’d convinced himself into believing Cody was right about fate bringing Amber to them. Why had he chosen to be so reckless and foolhardy? He should’ve followed Emmett’s advice and kept his dick in his pants. But he’d waved the white flag to his carnality, his lust, and now he would suffer and so would Amber once the people in her past came for her.
The sheriff dialed the number on the screen. “Hello, this is Sheriff Wolfe from Swanson County, Colorado. I’m calling for Officer Nicole Flowers. She is?” Bryant was hanging on Jason’s every word, praying that Amber wasn’t the one the Chicago PD was looking for. “Maybe you can help me. I’m calling about a missing person inquiry she put out on the national database. I’m not sure if this is your girl or not, but we do have some details that line up. Yes. You don’t? I understand. Yes. I will call back in the morning. Thank you very much.” He put the receiver back on the phone’s cradle.
“Well?” Cody snapped.
“That was Officer Jaris Black. He works with Flowers. He didn’t have any answers for me, guys, but said he would e-mail me a picture of their missing woman once he got his computer turned on. You guys willing to wait?”
“Of course,” Bryant answered, dread crawling up from his belly and wrapping its claws around his throat.
“Like I said, this is likely a dead end. Most missing persons stay missing, but I’ll do my best to find out who your mystery girl is. Have you considered she might’ve been voluntarily walking away from her life and her relationships?”
He nodded, hoping against all odds that Amber had done just that. “More than you can imagine, Jason.”
Cody chimed in. “Much more.”
* * * *
Emmett looked around his cabin. A week earlier, its feel had been more like barracks than a home. After Amber had pulled out candles she’d found tucked away in some drawers and other decorative items she’d discovered in the back of one of the closets, the place had been transformed from a gloomy, dank cabin into a bright, airy home. Even the fragrance of the wildflowers she’d placed in a couple of vases enhanced the feel. How long had it been since he’d felt at home anywhere? He had his brothers, for sure. They were his family and had his back always, and he had theirs. Even so, he hadn’t felt at home, really at home, since losing his parents. That was, until Amber’s arrival. She’d changed everything. He’d been blind to what his life and his brothers’ lives had become. Now, he could see for the first time in his life.
Amber placed a plate with a sandwich and some chips in front of him. “I sure hope Bryant and Cody remember to bring the groceries I put on the list.”
He and Amber had been silent on discussing his brothers’ absence and pending return since before the time in the playroom together. “I’m sure they will bring you everything you asked for.”
She sat across from him at the table and stared into her own plate, its contents mirroring his. “I don’t know about you, cowboy, but I’m in the mood for some pasta and a nice, big salad.”
“Sounds delicious, but I would be happy eating your peanut butter and banana sandwiches every meal.”
She grinned and shook her head. “I doubt that.”
He watched her take a bite of her lunch and imagined what it would feel like to have her sweet lips on his cock. Fuck, there I go again. Keeping his head around her was proving to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
“Can I ask you a question, Emmett?” Her big golden eyes threatened to push him over the edge.
“Ask away, sweetheart.”
“Why did you stop short of intercourse with me in the playroom?”
Her words hit him in the gut like a sledgehammer. “I think we should talk about something else.”
She jumped up with unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “This is too much to take, Emmett. Way too much.”
He didn’t want to hurt her more. Being a fuckup lately seemed to be the only thing he could do. “What do you mean, baby?”
“I thought you wanted me. I thought you were into me. You’re not. I know that now. You only took me to your playroom to pacify me.”
“That’s not true, Amber.”
“Then why didn’t you fuck me when you had the chance?” The angry panic in her words crushed him.
“I wanted to, baby. God, how I wanted to.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Sit and listen to me.”
“Okay. But please tell me the truth, Emmett. I need to know how you feel about me.”
“How I feel about you?” He shouldn’t tell her. Holding back was his way, his norm. It was how he’d survived so much. But he couldn’t do that to her any longer. She deserved more than that from him. She deserved the truth. “I love you, Amber. I love you so much it is killing me. I wanted to fuck you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. I was about to do it, too, but when I was telling you about BDSM and the rules, the protocols, I couldn’t.”
“I don’t understand. What does your lifestyle have to do with whether or not we make love?”
“We did make love, pet. I tasted your cream, didn’t I? The sweetest nectar I’ve ever sampled in my life. Seeing you writhing with pleasure by the orgasm I’d given you was reward enough. I couldn’t give in to my lust, my desire. I’m a Dom, not just in name but in practice, too. It means something to me to stay true to my honor. I don’t know if another man has a claim on you, Amber.”
“Not that again.” Her tiny hands curled into fists, clearly evidence of her inner frustration. “Emmett, can’t you believe I’m single? How can I have been in love in my past and not know?”
“You’re sounding a lot like Cody. Yes, I can see how there’s a slim chance that another holds your heart, but there is a chance, sweetheart. Until we know, I can’t do more than we did before.”
“Oral sex? That’s okay but not anything more? Is that what you’re saying to me, Sir?” The last word came out more like profanity than respect.
Anger welled up in him for her flippancy to him. He thought about throwing her over his shoulder and marching into the playroom for another round of spanking, this time with one of his other paddles, though not his big gun that had scared her. Given time, he knew she would warm up to even that one.
“Well, cowboy, are you going to enlighten me or are you going to keep me in the dark?” Her words were razor sharp but her tone betrayed her inner state.
He could see how terrified she was. So was he. Her past would show up, likely when Bryant and Cody returned. Fuck, how he wanted to whisk her away up into the most remote parts of the state where no one would ever find them.
“No sex, Amber, until we hear what my brothers learned about you. I love you, Amber. I will love you from now until the end of time. I love your submissive nature but I also love your bratty side. I love how you have made this cabin into a home. I want you by my side for the rest of my life, I do.”
“But…?”
“You know, darling. You know.”
Her lower lip quivered violently, but only a single tear fell from her right eye. “I do know. I don’t want to wait, Emmett, but I will for you. You’ll see I’m right about this. I know what love is. I’m in love with you and with Cody and Bryant. There is no way in the world any other man has my heart. You’ll see.” He could hear the doubt in her voice.
He stood up, came around the table, and put his arms around her. “God, I hope so, love. I really do.”
She tilted her head up until their eyes locked together. “Whatever news we get, cowboy, we will stay together. I am a full-grown woman. I know what I want, and that’s you and your brothers. No one is taking that away from me.”
God, who would’ve known such a tiny thing as her would have so much strength inside her? How could someone so wonderful not be attached? He recalled what had happened right before he’d given in to his own desires and taken her into the playroom. She’d been having a nightmare. Fully conscious, she couldn’t remember anything about the bad dream. Perhaps there was an asshole in her past, be it a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. If so, whoever he was better not show his face in Destiny. If the prick did, he vowed to pound the guy into a pile of dust.
Chapter Twelve
Amber’s thoughts were heavy with dread. Though she would rather stay on the mountain in the cabin for the rest of her life, she knew she couldn’t. Her past was waiting for her in Destiny.
She was fine with Emmett helping her onto his horse. They’d all agreed to the plan last night around the kitchen table. He would ride in the saddle behind her. Bryant and Cody would head to town on their own horses. She looked at the three Stone brothers, each looking like they belonged in another place and time. They weren’t dime-store cowboys by any means. From their hats to their boots to the guns in the belts around their waists, they were authentic through and through, and each of them, in their own way, had captured all of her heart.
The news the twins had returned to the cabin with had put her in a kind of walking coma. She could hear them, see them, respond to them, but her mind was far away, adrift by the wall that held her memories from her.
After they’d put away the groceries last night, all three of them had tucked her into bed. Few words were spoken by any of them, but her cowboys’ eyes voiced much more than their lips did. They shared a crushing apprehension that she also felt inside herself.
The officer in Chicago had e-mailed a photo to the office in Destiny. Cody and Bryant had reluctantly admitted she was a dead ringer for the woman in the picture. Sheriff Wolfe had printed off a paper copy of the image for them to bring to the cabin. For hours, she’d looked from the photo to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. With each glance, her doubt vanished, as did her hope for the future she’d dreamed of since coming to her cowboys’ cabin.
It wasn’t the photo that took away the future she longed for. It was the details in the report it was attached to, the details that gave the facts about her past life.
None of them had called her by her now-known name, Kathy White, but they also hadn’t called her Amber since they’d read the report and seen the picture. Chicago was her home, not this cabin. But of all the facts she’d read about herself, only one continued to swirl in her head again and again.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Emmett said behind her.
She nodded, too afraid to speak aloud. I’m married.
* * * *
Cody left his steed’s back for the ground. Less than ten words had been uttered between the four of them. Without a doubt, the heavy gloom hanging over him also was hanging over Emmett, Bryant, and Amber, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But he was no longer certain he would have such a future.
Ever since leaving Jason’s office yesterday morning, his heart had been shredded into a scrap pile of loss and pain. His faith had crumbled into ashes the moment he’d gazed at the photo sent from the officer in Chicago. Either she had a twin or the woman in the picture was Amber, which meant she was married. Though he’d tried his best, he’d failed to stretch his imagination to the possibility she had her own duplicate, just like he did in Bryant.
“It’s down here, Amber. There is no way you were in the van when it went over the side. You wouldn’t have lived through that. I suspect it was pushed off when the rocks fell.” He wanted to get closer to the van he and Bryant had passed twice, once on the way down to town and just last night on the way up to the cabin. It had to be Amber’s, and he wanted to get inside it.
“I want to look, too,” she said.
“All right, but stay next to us.” Emmett dismounted and helped the woman of all their dreams to the ground.
Her tiny fingers pulled up the jeans she was wearing which were too big for her tiny feminine body. Damn, he and Bryant should’ve thought to get her some clothes while they were in town, but the news they’d learned from the report had sent them into a total tailspin.
She walked between Emmett and Bryant to the drop-off. They each held one of her arms. Like him, they would do anything to keep her safe. Whatever length he and his brothers needed to go to ensure she was protected from harm, they would do it.
She leaned over the edge slightly. “I see it. That’s a long way down, guys.”
Cody agreed. “I’m going to climb down and get whatever belongs to you and bring it back up.”
“No way,” she said. “You’re coming with us to Destiny. That’s what we all agreed to.”
Her mettle was just one of the things he loved about her. “I don’t remember me making that commitment, sweetheart. You head to town with my brothers. I’ll join you shortly.”
“Are you sure about this, bro?” his twin asked.
