Awakening Veronica [Divine Creek Ranch 17] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  “Call me Grandma Kate, Travis.”

  “All right, ma’am—I mean, Grandma Kate. Veronica thinks the eagle was treated and released. One day she called me to follow up about it. I happened to still be in the area so I stopped by and she asked about the bird. I lied. I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her cry.”

  Kate patted his forearm. “Understandable. Sounds like you have a tender heart, too, sweetheart. But don’t lie to her again. It’ll only hurt her in the end. In return, I’ll keep your secret. So…” She turned her steely blue gaze back to Hank and then up to Travis again. “Let’s talk about your intentions toward my sweet Veronica.”

  “Ma’am?” Hank asked, and it was his turn to cease walking in mid-step.

  * * * *

  Travis caught sight of Veronica standing outside the tent, dabbing her cheeks with a tissue. She frowned as she looked at her phone and then quickly stowed it. Her attention paused here and there as she looked around the assemblage. Veronica was a people watcher, which probably came in handy in her profession.

  He’d seen the same thing when she’d observed the gathering while Hank dealt with that nut job who’d showed up to protest the wedding. She’d been so wrapped up in watching the crowd that he hadn’t wanted to interrupt her. It didn’t surprise him that she’d gone on to be a writer.

  Kate had mentioned to him and Hank that Veronica might benefit from the self-defense class Hank was teaching. Kate didn’t strike him as the type to say something like that unless she had a damn good reason. As they walked across the grassy lot, he tried to reconcile what Kate had told them about her being hurt by someone who had fancied himself a Dominant. The thought angered him and fired his protective instincts.

  He’d been torn when he’d met her eleven years before. Fresh from graduating high school, she was still a baby compared to him. When he’d stopped in to see her after her follow-up call, it’d been a good thing that her family had been around because otherwise he might not have been able to contain the urge to kiss her.

  “I hope she agrees to come to the Pony,” Hank murmured, his eyes glued to her. “You reckon she understands that we’re both interested in her, Fishcop?”

  Taking no offense at the nickname, Travis glanced at him and grinned. “She looked like she was trying to wrap her mind around it when she got invited to the binding ceremony.”

  Travis pinpointed the moment when Veronica found him and Hank in the crowd because a flush filled her cheeks. In a self-conscious gesture, she pressed her fingertips to her upper chest, unconsciously drawing his gaze to her lush cleavage. She was clearly feeling out of her element and he sensed that she was uncomfortable with her body. That was a circumstance he wanted very much to change and could picture exactly how he’d go about doing it if she was his sub.

  She met their eyes and tried to smile, her white-knuckle grip on her little purse told him her hands were probably shaking. She shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun that set her rich auburn hair ablaze and he struggled to remember what he’d intended to say as they reached her. In sync with each other, both he and Hank moved to block the sun and she blinked up at them. “Veronica, would you do us the honor of sitting with us at the reception?”

  “Oh…well…they may have assigned seating, and there’s my Grandma Kate.”

  Hank smiled and took her hand in his again and said, “We already got Grandma Kate’s permission to keep you…”

  “Keep me?” she said, her voice squeaking adorably before she cleared her throat.

  “The seating is open and she said she wouldn’t mind if you kept us company.”

  Veronica smiled and chuckled suddenly. “If I kept you company? I’m not even sure I believe she said that. Grandma Kate knows…”

  “Knows what?”

  The smile deserted Veronica’s face and she drew close enough to speak without being overheard. “Gentlemen, if you’re looking for scintillating company, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you. I spend a lot of time alone, and I’m rather…inept socially.” She spoke quickly, a sure sign she was nervous or about to become upset, as the flush reached her slightly bloodshot eyes. “I’m an underachiever from a family of social overachievers.”

  Filing away all those self-disparaging remarks, Travis stroked the silky fabric covering her shoulder and asked, “What had you planned to do at the reception?”

  Biting her lip, Veronica cast a glance around and said, “Honestly? I wanted to find a good vantage point and watch the reception happen. I need to make notes for the ceremonies before my overloaded brain lets me down. This event has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and I can’t afford to waste it. Beyond that, I enjoy people watching. It’s wonderful fodder for writing. I hope you understand that I wouldn’t mean to disappoint you but I probably will.”

  “What if we helped you?” Hank asked, as he led her through the opened tent flap. They closed in on either side of her and pulled out a chair for her at one of the tables that would afford her a good view of the proceedings.

  “How would you help me?”

  Hank said, “We’ll get you something to eat and drink, and then we can answer questions about Divine. We would keep you company so you wouldn’t feel lonely.”

  “Well, actually…” Her smile brightened the room. “You’re sure? I dreaded the thought of sitting alone.”

  After reassuring her again, Travis got her a glass of wine. They left her to her work and joined the line leading to the caterer’s buffet while she tapped notes from earlier into her smartphone. Fifteen minutes later they’d obtained full plates of food for the three of them as well as drinks.

  She hardly touched her food until Hank gently pried the phone and stylus from her hands and pushed her plate closer to her. The action seemed to disconcert her, but also brought a soft smile to her face.

  Travis settled his arm over the back of her chair, turned to her, and quietly spoke. “I noticed you’d been crying when you exited the tent earlier, after the ceremony.”

  “Oh…” She inhaled deeply and let it out as her eyes took on a faraway quality. She took a long sip of her wine. “I’ve never been to a binding ceremony before. Have you?”

  “I haven’t been back in Divine that long. Hank tells me there are more ménages here than there used to be but I’ve never been to a ceremony. How was it?”

  Her pupils dilated slightly as she stroked a spot on the white linen tablecloth. She picked up the smartphone and stylus again, nervously stroking the thin instrument between her fingers. “It was…” The smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes as she shrugged. “It’s hard to put into words. You’d think I was silly.”

  Hank leaned toward her and murmured, “Try us.”

  She trapped her lip between her teeth and Travis wanted to kiss it for her. “I’d approach writing a scene like that the same way I would a love scene. It was…indescribably intimate. I didn’t even realize I was crying until Grace handed me a tissue. I felt that I was privy to something special. Maizy’s men love her in a deep way that I realized…”

  “What? You can tell us anything and we won’t think ill of you.”

  “I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that kind of love with one man, much less with three men. They’re utterly, hopelessly in love with her and I wonder what that must feel like—” She leaned back in her chair. “What–what I mean is the ménage dynamic fascinates me.” Her backpedaling didn’t fool him at all. She wasn’t just approaching this event from a clinical viewpoint. She saw something she wanted. She could deny it but it was in her eyes.

  On her other side, Hank reached out and stroked her thigh. “I can imagine a man—or men—would find themselves as smitten by you as Maizy’s men are with her.” Her eyes grew wide as Hank continued. “You should ask her men to tell you about how they met her. It’s the stuff romance novels are written about, I’m sure.”

  Veronica sipped at her wine, and Travis imagined she was trying to borrow some courage from the liquid.
r />   She looked into Hank’s eyes and asked, “Have you ever read a romance novel?”

  “No. But I plan to read one of yours soon.”

  She put her glass down. “I know that many men view what I write as drivel that sets their women up with impossibly high standards. I’m actually surprised that you’re not a little amused or condescending about what I write.”

  Travis said, “I think that Hank and I have more than a few surprises up our sleeves where you’re concerned. Now, which of your books would you recommend?” He pulled out his phone and tapped the app for a popular e-book retailer and typed her name into the search engine.

  She gasped and put her hand out to stop him. “Tell you what. I have a good friend who writes books similar to mine. She’s better than me. I’d much rather you read one of hers. She’s wonderful.”

  Why was she being so evasive? “But she’s not you. I’d rather read one of yours.”

  “Yeah,” Hank said as he pulled his smartphone out, too, and started typing. “I’m very interested.”

  “Oh boy,” she moaned as she lifted her wine glass to her lips. Then she giggled. “I need more wine if we’re going to continue this conversation. Once I confess though, you’re going to have to help me with my research.” She gestured around the room.

  Travis beat Hank out of his chair, lifting her glass from her hand. “Be right back.” As he sauntered to the bar, an idea formed in his mind as he recalled her words about them helping with research. He didn’t intend to get Veronica drunk, but he did plan to make a proposal that he hoped she might take interest in.

  When he returned, Veronica thanked him and took another sip, as though bolstering her courage.

  “You said you had a confession to make. Why in the world would you feel that way with us?”

  Veronica took Travis’s phone from him and moved her fingertips nimbly over the screen then handed the phone back to him. “That’s why. That’s my first book, written about six years ago.”

  “The Game Warden Traps a Wife?”

  “Uh-huh,” she murmured into her glass as she averted her gaze and took another sip. “You inspired me.”

  Travis blinked as he enlarged the cover, which featured a totally ripped, tan model with muscles that practically burst out of his green game warden’s uniform, embracing a woman who looked enthralled by his gaze. He’d inspired one of her books?

  “Well, hot damn.” He handed the phone to Hank and Veronica looked ready to pass out from embarrassment.

  He stroked her upper arm and said, “I’m honored, Veronica. Did you think I’d be mad?”

  “Not so much mad as embarrassed. It got pretty good reviews for a debut novel.”

  “I’ll bet it did, or you wouldn’t still be writing. So that’s supposed to be me, huh?”

  Veronica giggled behind her hand. “I provided a description of the main characters and that’s what they came up with. Readers loved that cover, though.”

  Hank chuckled and said, “Not many men could live up to that image.”

  Veronica said, “It’s all part of the fantasy, gentlemen, and don’t sell yourselves short. I think you’re both cover-worthy.” Veronica gaped as he touched the screen. “Did you just buy it?”

  “Of course,” Travis said. “I’m curious.”

  “Me, too,” Hank said as he did the same. “Grace’s men told me they read her books. I know of at least a couple of other guys who read romance novels as well. It’s good to see into a woman’s fantasy.”

  “It is?” She nervously fingered the stem of her wine glass before taking another sip.

  Travis and Hank shared a glance and a knowing smile. “It is indeed.”

  It was too soon to bring up his proposal but he saw the interest flame to life in her eyes.

  Travis peered at the screen on his phone. “Let’s see what else is here. Damn, darlin’, you’re prolific.”

  Veronica nodded. “I write a lot. Mostly mainstream sweet romance.”

  “Closed bedroom door?”

  “Firmly closed. I’m experimenting with branching out though. It’s partly why I’m interested in the ménages in Divine.”

  “Oh yeah?” Hank asked, interest sparking in his eyes. “But you know there are plenty of them in Lusty, too, right?”

  She nodded as her eyes darted around the room and she looked like she was losing her buzz. She also seemed tired, judging by the way her eyelids drooped. “Yes, but they’re related to me. I know it probably sounds not very nice but I can’t research with family members, even distant family.”

  “Understandable, but you should at least make a visit to your family’s museum. I hear it’s really something to see.”

  “That’s what Cord and Jackson said. They seem to love it in Lusty. Anyway, I’ve wanted to try writing something erotic since it sells so well. It’s not just the money though. I’m ready to move on…and what Grace writes—extremely hot ménage erotic romance—holds a lot of interest for me.”

  Hank nodded over her head at Travis, a smile on his face. Travis clasped his fingers with hers and smiled when she didn’t pull away.

  Hank stroked her thigh again and broached a subject that Travis had been pondering earlier while she ate. “Veronica, don’t think I’m being rude, but how much sleep do you get on a regular basis?”

  Veronica shrugged. “Not much. I don’t have a regular sleep habit. Did Grandma Kate tattle on me?”

  Hank grinned and nodded. “Do you get eight hours most of the time?”

  Veronica chuckled and shook her head. “No. I sleep in four to six hour stretches and nap when I need to. I’ve always been a night owl, and I’ve never been what you’d call a morning person. My family could never understand that, since I grew up on a ranch.”

  “You said earlier you were a social underachiever in your family. Is that how they see you, or how you see yourself?”

  “Both. They’ve always been pretty vocal.” Veronica looked around and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about my family. I’m having a good time and I don’t want to spoil it. In answer to your earlier question, I sleep when I can and nap as needed. A lot of my writing is done at night.”

  Hank touched her chin, instantly drawing her gaze. “How many hours did you get last night?”

  Veronica lowered her eyes and licked her lower lip as she thought. “Three hours, I think. It would’ve been more but a story idea woke me up. That doesn’t happen very often and I have to run with it when it does. Sleep doesn’t matter when inspiration strikes.” She laid her hand over Hank’s, still resting on her leg, and held Travis’s hand in her gentle grasp as she seemed to gather her thoughts. The wine must’ve been getting to her because she wouldn’t have done that otherwise. He’d learned enough about her that day to know that much. “You don’t need to worry. I catch up when I can. And in Billings it’s no big deal. I don’t get out much, so there’s plenty of time for rest.”

  “No man in your life?” Travis asked, taking the obvious opening.

  Veronica sighed and shook her head. “I broke up with him last week before I came out to Texas. He was a cheater, and…” His senses went on alert when she raised her hand to her face and stroked her cheekbone. Travis knew then why Kate had suggested that Veronica might benefit from self-defense classes. He hoped for the chance to spend a little quality time with the cheating bastard who’d put the sadness in Veronica’s eyes.

  “And what?”

  “Nothing. He was a cheater. I loved him but I wasn’t enough to keep him happy. My brothers detest him. They would pummel him into dust if they knew…”

  Hank leaned toward her, his gray eyes riveted to her face. “If they knew what?”

  She blinked slowly and shook her head. “Nothing. It’s in the past. Did I tell you my brothers were famous? They’re my favorites. They like me.” Every time she said “nothing,” Travis’s mental radar pinged.

  Hank met Travis’s gaze over her head and Travis slid the glass of iced tea close to
her hand and took her empty wineglass and gave it to the waiter who passed by.

  “Veronica, what do you mean they like you? Of course they like you. You’re beautiful and smart and funny, and you’re their baby sister.”

  “Nope. I mean yep. I mean…I don’t know what I mean. Heck.” Veronica took a slow breath and let it out. “Cord and Jackson are the closest to me. They’re fraternal twins and they were both quarterbacks for the—”

  “Billings Badgers?” At her nod, Travis and Hank both whistled in surprise. “Wow. Cord and Jackson Benedict are your brothers? I was sorry to see they retired.”

  “Yup. Jackson’s doctor told him that to continue playing was too much of a risk. There are only so many concussions a body can handle.”

  “They didn’t like your boyfriend?”

  “No, but I don’t see them that often. Many a time, they’ve told me”—she adopted a deep manly voice, impersonating one of her brothers—“Nika, you need to dump that knuckle-dragger.” She sighed. “Sorry. I don’t drink very often. I probably sound silly.”

  Travis knew that her sleep deprivation probably played a big role in how quickly she’d found her happy buzz and he didn’t want to take advantage of it…at least not too much. “They call you Nika?”

  The smile on Veronica’s face was breathtaking. “Yes, but only when no one else hears. They don’t call me by the stupid nicknames the others use. They tried to stop them but it didn’t do any good. I don’t go home much so I don’t have to hear them that often.”

  Hank frowned as she rambled. “Only Cord and Jackson call you Nika? Who are the others?”

  “Jesse and Barry, my other brothers, and my older sister, Addison. They call me Round Ronnie and Mom and Dad call me Pudge. And the knuckle-dragger called my Chubbs. I don’t miss him at all. Can you believe that? We were together for two years and I haven’t missed him once while I’ve been here.”

  Hank nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I can imagine that. Do you like being called Nika?”