by Marla Monroe
Riverbend, Texas Heat 5
An Angel for Them
Randy and Travis Woods crave a family like they grew up in, but the ménage lifestyle isn’t for just any woman. When Angela Carter appears on the side of the road like an answer to their prayers, Travis, for one starts to hope. Will Randy try one last time for happiness?
Angela finds herself put out on the side of the road by her last boyfriend like so much trash. When Travis offers her a ride and a safe place to stay, can she believe that he won’t toss her to the side as well?
Then she meets his brother, Randy and realizes she has feelings for both men. The more she is around them, the harder it is to resist their gentle charms and heated gazes. Angela wants them both, but that’s just wrong? Right? Can a ménage relationship work, or is she asking for too much?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 64,515 words
AN ANGEL FOR THEM
Riverbend, Texas Heat 5
Marla Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
AN ANGEL FOR THEM
Copyright © 2013 by Marla Monroe
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-080-0
First E-book Publication: June 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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AN ANGEL FOR THEM
Riverbend, Texas Heat 5
MARLA MONROE
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Travis Woods slowed his truck to keep from hitting the garbage on the side of the road. Why did people insist on dumping their trash along the highway? It didn’t make sense to him. If it hadn’t been drizzling rain, he would get out and throw it in the back of his truck, but he didn’t really want to get wet. He passed the bag of garbage about the time that it moved. He slammed on the brakes and stopped. It was a good thing no one was behind him or he would have caused a wreck.
Had it been the wind that had moved the stuff or was there actually something alive in the bag? The idea that someone had put out a puppy or kitten on the side of the road in the rain angered him. He squinted into his passenger side mirror to see if it moved again. It did.
He quickly pulled over to the side of the road and climbed out of his truck. He carefully approached the bundle of whatever it was in case there could be a stray dog or even a coyote rummaging around in the trash bag. Instead, when he drew closer he saw that it was a person huddled with the garbage bag covering their body.
“Hey, you okay? Do you need help?”
The bag jerked and a pair of legs emerged to scamper back from him. It settled well back from the road and huddled once again. From the size of the bag and the mass bundled up in it, he figured it had to be a child or maybe a small woman. He couldn’t leave them on the side of the road in the rain.
He carefully edged closer but stopped when the bag began to shake.
“Let me help you. I’ll give you a ride wherever you want to go. Maybe back to town?”
The bag slowly stood up but didn’t move closer. He smiled and held out his hand.
“Come on. You can ride in the backseat if you feel better that way. I won’t hurt you. Do you want to go back to town?”
A soft and definitely feminine voice spoke up for the first time. “Is there a shelter there?”
“Yes, there’s a shelter in Riverbend. Do you want me to take you there?” he asked.
“Please. I don’t have anywhere to go. He just put me out and told me to walk.”
“Well, let’s get you out of this rain and into the truck first. Then you can tell me what happened.”
She hesitated for a second then sighed as if all hope was lost to her. She slowly walked toward him. The tiny woman appeared completely dejected by the way she slumped forward. He felt nothing but sorrow for her. She finally made it over to stand in front of him. Then she looked up from beneath the garbage bag and his heart nearly stopped. She had the prettiest light-blue eyes he had ever seen. Sad blue eyes, but gorgeous just the same. They seemed to look right through him and into his heart.
“Thanks. I was too tired to walk any further.”
All he could do was nod and lead her to his truck. When they made it to the door, she stopped and seemed to contemplate where she wanted to ride. Finally she moved to the front of the truck and started to open the door. Travis snapped out of his daze and quickly opened the door for her. She pulled off the garbage bag and dropped it on the ground. He was so bedazzled by her head of golden-red hair that he didn’t even bother to pick it up and throw it in the back of the truck.
Her hair was just as pretty as her eyes. Even wet and tangled, nothing could hide the truth of how amazing it would be dry and combed out. It hung in sodden clumps around her shoulders, reaching just below her should
er blades. He ached to reach out and touch it, but he restrained himself since that would surely send her screaming in the opposite direction of him and the truck.
With a bit of effort, he managed to close the door without touching her. Then he circled around the front of the truck and climbed in the cab. He pulled a blanket from the backseat and handed it to her. Then he put the truck in drive and turned around in the middle of the road to head back to town even though all he wanted to do was take her home where he and his brother Randy could take care of her. His brother would flip at seeing her in the shape she was in. They treasured women and would never allow one to get into the sort of trouble she seemed to have found herself.
“I’m Travis Woods. My brother, Randy, and I own a ranch outside of town. Would you tell me your name?”
“Angela Carter. My name is Angela. Thanks for helping me.”
“That’s a pretty name, Angela. I don’t mind helping you one bit.” He glanced over at where she sat huddled near the door, hanging on to the blanket and the seat belt like a lifesaver. “Want to tell me what happened?”
“My boyfriend decided he didn’t want to be saddled with me anymore and put me out on the Interstate. I knew better than to walk there, so I took the first exit I came to, and here I am.”
“I can’t imagine any sane person just dumping you in the rain on the side of the road. That’s plain criminal.”
“It wasn’t raining yesterday.”
Travis almost slammed on the brakes again. He turned and looked at her then back at the road.
“You’ve been walking since yesterday? Where did you sleep? Have you even had anything to eat?”
“I slept in an old abandoned car back a ways before I took this road. It was dry and wasn’t too dirty. That’s where I found that plastic bag. I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday morning when we had peanut butter and crackers.”
“Honey, we’ll get you something to eat first, and then I’ll take you where they can help you get cleaned up. There should be somewhere you can work so you can move out of the shelter pretty quickly.
“I’m really good with numbers. I used to work as a bookkeeper for a little store where I’m from.”
“Where are you from, Angela?”
“Belzoni, Mississippi.”
“Never heard of it. Was it a big town?”
“No, just a little place that’s known for catfish farming. When I graduated from high school, I got a scholarship to a junior college in Moorhead and got my two-year degree in business.” She smiled, and it brightened her entire face.
“Then you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job. In fact, we have a need for a bookkeeper out at our farm. You might want to think about that.” Travis couldn’t believe his luck. The woman of his dreams had fallen into his lap and she could possibly run their office for them.
He and Randy had been looking for someone to take over the everyday office duties for a while now. Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of qualified people out there in a small town the size of Riverbend, Texas. Most everyone had a job that wanted one, and that meant that all the bookkeepers and such were employed.
“Oh, that sounds nice, but don’t you need references? I can give you the name of the store I used to work in, but they weren’t too happy about me leaving all of a sudden.”
“Why did you leave?”
“Well, my parents died while I was in school, and I didn’t have anywhere to live. The house wasn’t paid for so the bank eventually took it back. I couldn’t afford to make the payment and go to school, too. I had to pay for the bus to go to and from school and food and such.” She waved her hand. “Anyway, after graduation I decided I could do better in a bigger city, so I took the bus to Jackson, and looked for a job. I never expected it would be so hard to find one in a city that large, but I finally found one at a fast-food joint. It didn’t pay much, but it kept a roof over my head and enough food to keep from starving.”
“I guess you were a little overwhelmed by a place that size.”
“Yeah, it was hard to find a place cheap enough to rent that was clean. I ended up in a not-so-nice part of town. At least the apartment was decent enough, and it wasn’t far from where I worked. I could walk from the bus stop. Anyway, that’s how I met Phil, my ex-boyfriend. He started talking to me at the bus stop one day and we started seeing each other.”
“So how did you end up in this part of Texas? I mean it’s a long way from Mississippi.” Travis pulled into town and parked in front of the Riverbend Diner.
“He moved in with me to save on rent. I thought we were doing okay, but one day he decided we should move to somewhere nicer and find better jobs. He was working as a short-order cook in a truck stop during the day and played in a band at night. He said he had an offer to play in a bigger band in Phoenix that would mean more money. I was stupid enough to think he loved me and wanted me to go with him. All he wanted was my money to buy the car and get as close to Arizona as he could. Then he said he didn’t want to be burdened with someone like me.”
“Someone like you? What in the hell was that supposed to mean?”
“Someone who didn’t fit into his world, his music world. I don’t have a musical bone in my body.”
He turned and looked at her in amazement. She was beautiful from the glorious crown of golden-red hair to her generous breasts and gently rounded ass. Her eyes were mesmerizing, and he couldn’t stop thinking about holding her, kissing her. He just knew Randy would feel the same way about her.
“Let’s get you something to eat. You have to be starved.”
Angela’s stomach growled and they both laughed even though her face turned a cute shade of pink.
He helped her out of the truck then opened the door of the diner and steered her toward his favorite booth in back.
The waitress, Jillian, walked over with a smile. “Hi, Travis, what can I get you guys?”
“Angela? What do you want to drink?”
“Just water please. I’m really thirsty.”
“Same here. Might want to bring a pitcher.”
Jillian furrowed her brows but didn’t ask questions. She nodded and walked off. When she returned, she set two glasses in front of them before pouring their water.
“Do you know what you want, or do you need a few minutes?” she asked.
“What’s the special today, Jill?” Travis asked.
“Meatloaf, potatoes, and green beans.”
“Sound good to you, Angela?”
“Yes please.” She smiled a shy smile at Jill.
“One special and a burger with fries for me.” Travis felt his cell phone vibrate against his hip.
He pulled it off his belt holder and noted it was Randy.
“Excuse me, Angela. It’s my brother. I better see what he needs.”
He answered the phone. “Yeah, what’s up Randy?”
“Where are you? I thought you were on your way home?”
“I got sidetracked. Is something wrong?” He smiled over at Angela, who was studiously looking around the diner.
“Sidetracked? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I’ll be another hour. I’ll talk to you about it when I get home.”
“Hmm, okay. Guess I have to wait ’til you get back. You obviously can’t talk right now.”
“Nope. I’ll see you later.” He pushed the end button and stuck the phone back in its holder.
“I hope everything is okay there.” Angela’s pretty voice vibrated along his already-aching cock.
“Everything’s just fine.”
The waitress brought their food, and Travis watched as Angela tried to keep from inhaling it. She would start to stuff her mouth then stop and slowly take a bite before putting her fork back down while she chewed. If it hadn’t broken his heart, it would have been amusing. All he could think about was her out in the rain with a garbage bag covering her head, and it made him mad enough to spit nails. If he ever saw that Phil guy…
“So w
hat do you raise on your ranch? Just cows or do you have horses, too?”
Travis smiled. “We raise cows for beef, but we have horses to ride and even a few goats.”
“Goats? Do you have chickens and hogs?” Her eyes grew round as she took another bite of her food.
“No. They’re too much trouble since we don’t need them for food. The goats are sort of a long story. They were going to be put down because the owner died. We were buying his land and the family didn’t want to be bothered with them. My brother couldn’t see letting them be killed just because no one wanted to have to deal with them.”
Her eyes softened. “That was really nice of y’all to do that. Goats can be worrisome to say the least.”
“You can say that again. We didn’t know anything about them when we hauled them over to our place. Suffice it to say we’ve learned a lot in the last year that we’ve had them.”
She actually giggled before taking a drink of her water. He refilled the now-empty glass and was glad they had the pitcher close at hand. She’d almost drained it as well. Knowing that she had been that thirsty tore him up inside. No one should have to go hungry or thirsty, ever, especially around Riverbend, Texas.
“Thank you for the meal, Travis. I really appreciate it. I’ll pay you back as soon as I get a job.” She straightened in her chair and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“How about dessert?” He really wasn’t ready to hand her off to Helen at the shelter yet.
“Goodness. I’d love to try something, but I’m really too full. I’ll make myself sick.”
“Can’t have you getting sick.” He signaled for the waitress. “I’ll have a piece of your apple pie to go and the check.”
