Absentminded Angel [Divine Creek Ranch 20] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  Kendry waved the question away. “Chief said to help you, and I’m on call tonight in case they need me.” What he didn’t mention was that the O’Hara brothers had also offered to come help—an offer which he and Kendry had pointedly refused. Those two were persistent.

  “What about you?” Jared said, enjoying the gleam in her eyes as she surveyed the house, but understanding what it also meant. “You can’t clean and air out this place all by yourself.”

  Presley Ann’s smile practically lit up the room. “I’m not. As a matter of fact, Lydia was clear about that. She should be here with a crew soon and as small as this place is, it shouldn’t take long. Besides, Whit is overdue for his nap. Can I put him down in the house? I think all the dust may be bothering him.”

  By the time they had Whit down for a nap, Lydia and her cleaning crew had arrived, comprised of LuAnn, her husband, Maynard, and two musclebound guys with red hair from the Rockin’ C Ranch named Tank and Troy. Ethan Grant and Adam Davis also showed up. While Ethan helped the rest of the guys, Adam checked out the air conditioner and heater for her and made sure they were still working properly.

  Presley Ann giggled as she made her way across the yard as the men emptied the house of furniture, placing it all in the yard for cleaning, and so Presley Ann could decide if she wanted to use it or store it.

  Lydia met her out front with a hug and an inquiry about if she was doing okay with the upheaval. Then she said, “Charity and Justine are headed over to your apartment to supervise the men while they pack everything up, so they’ll know where everything is once they get the horse trailer over here. Once they arrive, Justine will watch over Whit for you while we work.”

  Troy came out of the house and yelled, “Hey, gorgeous! Look what I found!” He held up a radio and plugged it in to an outlet by the door. Static sounded and he said, “It works!” He nodded as he tuned in a station and went back to work. Jared turned to Presley Ann and liked the big smile on her face as she bobbed her head, too. Seeing her happy in a situation that would depress anyone else surprised him.

  She looked up at him as if sensing his questions and said, “Having friends is really nice.” With a sniffle, she hurried forward to join them. Jared drew in a sappy sigh as he watched her curls bounce and her hips sway with her movement.

  If something like this had happened to Jasmine? She’d be pitching a hysterical fit, threatening to sue someone, and demanding her family, especially her poor brothers, drop everything to help her. And she’d be screaming orders at him and his brother, as if they were her servants. Imperious was the nicest word that came to mind.

  Presley Ann seemed to be approaching the situation as an adventure. Everyone paused in their labors to return her hug as she went to each one of them and thanked them. A little part of him, the Neanderthal part, felt a little territorial when Troy laughed and lifted her off her feet and spun her around.

  Dark clouds threatened as they kept working. Presley Ann’s furniture and belongings arrived with Chance, Clayton, Chris, and Julian, and they started sorting what furniture would stay and what pieces would go into storage.

  After Justine went in the house to watch over Whit, Charity nudged Jared and said, “There wasn’t a stitch of Christmas decorating at Presley Ann’s place, unless they moved it before I got there.”

  Jared nodded. “She said she didn’t have room.”

  “I’ll bet we could shoehorn a Christmas tree in there if we wanted to.”

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked. Two minutes later, Kendry and Charity were on the way to town.

  An hour later, they arrived with a huge supper for everyone in hand, which they ate in the main house while everyone passed Whit around, marveling at how he’d grown. Presley Ann was so busy visiting, she didn’t seem to notice when Lydia and Charity disappeared. Jared couldn’t wait to see her reaction to what Charity and Lydia were up to.

  As night fell, Leah arrived with her men, bearing beer and wine, and they toasted Presley Ann’s new home and success with her business, which was now set up in a corner of the living room of the one bedroom cottage. The tiny study had been set up as a little nursery for Whit.

  Once again, Jared was a little surprised by how easily this group had accepted him and his brother as one of their own. It didn’t surprise him that they claimed Presley Ann, even though she’d said that if they knew her in the past they would know what a shocker that was. He still couldn’t buy it.

  Chapter Twelve

  Thunder rumbled outside and Presley Ann was surprised when Charity and Lydia hurried in with wet plastic bags over their heads.

  “It’s really coming down out there,” she heard Lydia say before she glanced over at Presley Ann, grinned and jerked the plastic sack behind her back and nudged Charity, who did the same.

  What have they been up to?

  Lydia grinned at her and then went to her men and whispered something and then looked at her watch and said, “Oh, boy. Look at the time. We’d better get out of Presley Ann’s hair so she can get settled in next door.” She looked over at her and had the audacity to wink.

  The party soon broke up as their friends prepared to head home and Presley Ann rushed around one last time with Whit in her arms, thanking each of them and hugging them. She was especially grateful to Justine for keeping an eye on Whit for her while they’d worked.

  When the four of them were alone, she turned to Jared and Kendry. A fantasy involving removing their dark gray fire department issue sweats had been circling in her mind for hours, as she’d watched them work, their muscles flexing and bulging beneath the fleece.

  “Time to get you settled at home, sexy neighbor,”

  Kendry gave her a crooked grin, as if he could read her lascivious thoughts, but before he could speak, his phone began ringing. He glanced at the screen and his expression fell. He held the phone to his ear and said, “Hello. Yes, sir. I’ll be right there.” He ended the call with a sigh and turned to them. “A lightning strike started a fire in town. Since I’m technically still on duty, after the fire is put out, I should return to the station to finish my shift. But I wish I could be here for your first night in your new home.”

  “Me, too, but duty calls. Please be careful.” Disappointment was quickly replaced by the certainty that if she were the one having the emergency she’d want someone as reliable as Kendry, or Jared if it was him on duty, to show up.

  He pulled her to him and tilted her chin up to kiss her, setting every nerve ending to tingling with the warm brush of his lips, before he took it a little deeper and caressed her tongue with his. His nearness filled her head with his scent and the heat of him, before he withdrew with a playful twinkle in his eyes and then kissed Whit on the top of his head.

  He stopped at the front door and shared a few quiet words with his brother, nodded at him and winked at her, and then ran out the front door. A few seconds later she heard the truck start.

  Jared rifled around in a kitchen drawer and then handed her a single key on a keychain. “You’ll need this. Let’s go get you settled.” After locking up the house, he wrapped a towel over Whit to protect him from the rain and held an umbrella over her head as he walked her over to the rock cottage. The flagstone path was wet but it wasn’t slick. Even so, his arm around her waist made her feel safe. Moments later she was grateful for it when her shoe stuck in the mud along the path and slipped off.

  “Oh, for crying out loud,” she said as she hopped on one foot.

  “I’m gonna start calling you Cinderella.”

  She quickly slipped back into the worn out shoe and dislodged it from the mud with a tug of her foot. “Huh?”

  “You keep losing shoes. Hank told me that was how the incident at Rudy’s started.”

  She thought about it and chuckled. She’d lost the same shoe at the fire station the night he’d rescued her on the side of the road, and earlier that same day when she’d walked out of it yet again. “With all the excitement, I’d completely forgotten
about that. These shoes are just about worn out.”

  Jared opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but then closed it and just smiled at her.

  Having an idea what he’d intended to say, she replied, “I’ll be fine with them for a while longer. I just need to get a few slings and other baby items sold to Mrs. Finch and Violet and then I can invest in a pair of good shoes.”

  “Do your feet hurt?”

  She was surprised that he even knew about that. “They do. It’s worse in the morning, though. It got better while I was on maternity leave, but I spend a lot of time on my feet at Stigall’s. Anyway—”

  “Have you ever seen a doctor about it?”

  “Evelyn suggested it but…”

  “It’s another one of those things that have to wait?”

  “Yes. But don’t worry, I’ve been setting money aside for both.”

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to keep reminding you of that fact. I know you enjoy your independence, it just goes against my grain not to provide a solution,” he said as they reached the porch and he closed the umbrella.

  Presley Ann chuckled and said, “I know, and I do appreciate it. Not everything is an emergency. Besides, I’ll be off my feet for the rest of the evening. I have plenty of sewing that needs to get done,” she said, thinking of all the neat, folded stacks of fabric lined up on her work table.

  “Yes, but first we have a surprise for you,” he said as he opened the front door.

  Presley Ann gasped at the sight that greeted her. A small Christmas tree, festooned with colorful, twinkling lights, decorated with shiny red and green glass balls, and topped with a lace angel tree topper stood in a corner of the living room. The nearby mantel was draped with evergreen boughs and two tall pillar candles, which were lit and had filled the small house with the scent of baking cookies.

  “What do you think?” Jared asked as he helped her slip out of her coat.

  A snow globe sat on the coffee table in the midst of more evergreen boughs, and she gasped in surprise as she picked it up and shook it. It was a snow scene with a small rock cottage, much like the one she stood in, and Santa with his reindeer and a sleigh. “It’s wonderful. But how—”

  “It was Charity’s idea.”

  “But who paid for all of this? I know it was expensive.”

  Jared shook his head and said, “Never mind that. Just…Merry Christmas.”

  Glancing at the tiny stack of gifts under her tree, she bit her lip, and then said, “Thank you.” Money had gotten too tight as Christmas drew near, so she’d been limited to just a few gifts for family members and that was it.

  Jared was suddenly right there in front of her, stealing her breath and her resolve to work all night. He stroked her forehead, between her brows, with a fingertip and said, “Whatever is worrying you, just let it go. We wanted to see you happy.”

  “I am,” she admitted, her heart about ready to pound from her chest. “I’ll have lots of Christmas spirit while working in here.”

  “I’d much rather distract you from work all evening.” He slid his hands into her long hair, using handfuls of it to anchor her as he pressed his lips to hers, a gentle onslaught that ignited the flame that had been warming her core all day, every time she’d laid eyes on them. She wanted to be as close to Jared as possible and groaned as he slid his hands down her back and around her waist, pulling her close to him. So close she could feel the growing thickness of his erection against her abdomen. Whit squirmed between them and sighed as he snuggled against Presley Ann, and she chuckled.

  “Maybe we should get Whit settled before you enact your plan of distraction.”

  Jared chuckled as he caressed her cheek. “I’ll start the bathtub filling.”

  “I’ll get him undressed.”

  She lifted Whit from the sling and removed his fuzzy one-piece outfit, sighing with relief when his first reaction wasn’t to the cold. The small house was plenty warm compared to her apartment. The tub was filling when Jared came into the bedroom and gestured to the small fireplace. “I’ll get a little fire started in here while you bathe him.”

  She’d imagined him or Kendry doing that as she’d worked earlier, imagining how romantic the lit fireplace would make that room. “I’d love that.”

  Kneeling in front of the tub as she bathed Whit, she wondered what else the night held in store. She was surprised she wasn’t more tired, after all the activity. When she’d moved into the apartment above Marvin’s shop, she’d felt like dying afterward because she’d done it all by herself. This time was different. The whole experience was different. There was still a voice whispering in the back of her mind that she didn’t deserve better. Shaking her head, she dispelled those thoughts and giggled when Whit accidentally splashed water into his face and grimaced.

  By the time she was done bathing and dressing Whit, he was already half asleep. She settled in the rocker in the living room to nurse him one last time. Jared came in from the bedroom, and her heart thudded when she saw his bare chest and feet. Her body went liquid at the sight of the muscled expanse of his torso, enticing her eyes downward to the lean cut of his hips and the happy trail descending into the waistband of his jeans.

  Looking up, she caught him watching her reaction, and the slight smile that crooked his lips made a blush steal over her whole body.

  A strong tingle swept through her and she was distracted by the sound of Whit coughing. Jared frowned and drew closer as she lifted Whit’s head a little higher on her arm and murmured apologetically to him. “I think I overwhelmed him.” She bit her lip and looked up at Jared. “Because someone overwhelmed me.”

  Jared lowered to one knee and she lost herself in his pale blue-gray gaze as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He looked down at the nursing baby, discreetly draped in her arms. With a glance up at her, he lifted the corner of the blanket, and her heart began beating so loudly he had to be able to hear it as he uncovered her completely.

  Whit’s eyes were already closed, but his sucking was strong as he took his nightly meal, and she smiled when he patted her with his pudgy hand. Few things felt as good as knowing she was doing a good job as a mother, evidenced by the way he’d filled out. Jared smiled and stroked his chubby little cheek. Snared in Jared’s gaze, she felt precious…and powerful, as he watched her feed Whit.

  When the baby was ready to be turned, she made the switch without looking away from Jared. She’d done it so many times she could practically do it in her sleep. She was about to do up the snap that closed the open cup of her underwire bra but he stayed her hand as Whit latched on, on the other side.

  Still holding her gaze captive, he stroked her exposed breast, making her gasp and tremble. Her damp nipple tightened to a stinging point as he strummed it with the back of his fingers. Slowly bending forward, he finally broke eye contact with her as he kissed the side swell.

  She drew in a sharp breath as her pussy ached with pleasure.

  His rough fingers raised gooseflesh on her skin as he stroked her for a few more seconds, and then he whispered, “You’re very sexy when you’re like this.” He went a step further and secured the snap for her, making her miss the heat of his callused hand.

  The sincerity in his voice made her body quiver. He said that because he meant it and not because she needed the reassurance, although it was nice to know her more rounded curves turned him on. He stood to his full height, and with his erection at eye level she had no doubts where the night was headed. A few seconds later, Whit popped loose, slack jawed and nearly asleep.

  Jared helped her rise from the rocker and murmured, “I’ll be in the bedroom.” After burping Whit, she placed him in his crib and said a prayer of thanks when he curled up and went to sleep without a fuss.

  “Good baby,” she whispered as she stroked his hair and covered his bottom half with a warm blanket and placed his teddy bear beside him.

  Jared lit the pillar candles on the bedside tables, adding to the golden light cast by the l
ittle fireplace. She stood before it, hands outstretched, although not because she was cold. She closed her eyes and listened to the rain pounding on the roof and the windows, and the distant roll of thunder. Amidst the sounds of the storm, she heard the rustle of fabric and the hiss of a zipper being lowered. Imagining him as the golden light shone on his nudity made her melt, and her pussy quivered and ached for his touch.

  He came up behind her and gathered her hair into his hands. His lips were warm at her nape, and his breath tickled the silky hairs there against her skin as he said, “Kendry was disappointed tonight but he thought it would be good if you had time alone with me. Is that what you want?” He stole her breath with another kiss against that sensitive flesh.

  “Yes. I want that. I talked to Grace, Leah, and the others. They suggested intentionally spending time alone with each of you, as long as it’s okay with you. I want you both equally, but I want both of you alone, as well as together. I’d hate for either of you to…I’m shutting up now.”

  “Why?” he asked quietly as he looked at her over her shoulder. His smile was gentle and held no trace of mocking in it.

  She turned to face him. “I’m presuming a lot.”

  Jared chuckled and shook his head. “No, you’re not. We’re thinking long term, too, kitten. Now what were you going to say?”

  “I’d hate for either of you to feel like you were second best, or to be the ‘backup plan.’”

  Jared nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything. The silence stretched out, interrupted only by the occasional snapping sound from the fireplace. He finally raised an eyebrow and she couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

  “I know how it feels to be the second best. Not now, of course, but there was a time when it was that way.” Thankfully, her relationship with her family was one of the many changes that had stuck. “Unfortunately, I also have some experience with making others feel that way.” Her cheeks burned as she said it. He needed to know.