by Marla Monroe
“Dinner should be ready in about thirty more minutes.” Angela pulled plates and glasses down from the cabinets then rustled around in the silverware drawer.
“Angel. We really appreciate that you cooked for us. It smells like heaven, but don’t think that we expect you to do that all the time. You have to be worn out from working all day.” Randy smiled when she looked up at him.
“Really, it’s not a problem at all. I don’t like to cook for just myself. It’s a waste of time. If I’m going to eat something good, I’ll want to cook for more than just me. Really, I wouldn’t go to the trouble for just me, so you’re doing me a favor letting me cook for you sometimes.”
“Hell, honey. If you want to cook for us, I’m sure not stopping you. I know a good thing when I smell it, and you’re one hell of a cook.” Randy winked at her.
Travis frowned at his brother. He didn’t want her to think they were using her. Of course, Randy was right. She was one hell of a good cook. He sighed and shrugged. At least she hadn’t run off after the mess they’d made earlier. Now all they had to do was slowly and carefully court her so that she didn’t think they were just after her for sex. Since they’d screwed up already, it wasn’t going to be easy to convince her that they were serious about her.
The fact that they did want her for more than just working in the office bothered him to some degree, but he brushed it aside. Their intentions were honorable. They weren’t just looking for a quick roll in the hay or an easy screw when they felt like it. He was looking at forever and he was sure Randy was as well. Angela deserved only the best and he planned to give it to her.
Just seeing her bouncing around in their kitchen felt right to him. It made him think of home and family. He wanted to lean against her while she was washing dishes and rub over her blooming belly where their child would rest. Yeah, he had it bad for Angela.
Randy had that look on his face as well. His brother was a little in love with her already, judging by his expression as they watched her move around in the kitchen. Now came the hard part, convincing her that they were sincere in how they felt. It wouldn’t be easy, but he hoped it would be fun.
When he tossed his and Randy’s empty beer bottles in the trash, Angela announced that dinner was ready. He helped her carry it to the table and they all sat down to eat. As he cut into the meatloaf, he looked up at his brother across the table and found him smiling and staring at Angela. Their woman seemed relaxed now and was obviously happy sitting down with them to eat. Soon, he thought. Soon she would be comfortable with them hugging and kissing on her as she cooked or just because they wanted to. Soon.
* * * *
Angela willed her body to relax as they cleaned up the dishes together. The guys had refused to let her clean up by herself, and she had refused to leave it for them to do since she’d cooked. It didn’t take long with the three of them working together. After drying her hands on a towel, Angela turned to tell the men good night.
“Night, guys. I’m heading to the cabin now.”
“Wait. I’ll walk you back.” Travis disappeared into the laundry room but was right back carrying his boots.
“You don’t have to walk me there. I know the way, and it’s barely dark outside.”
“Still, you don’t need to be wandering around by yourself.”
She gave up arguing with them and retrieved her jacket from the office. Randy walked them outside but sat in one of the rocking chairs on the porch as they walked down the steps. Angela wasn’t sure what was going on with them. They had her completely confused.
Once she and Travis reached her little cabin, Angela said goodnight and smiled when he tipped his hat at her before she closed the door. She had to admit, both of the Woods men were handsome and well mannered. You didn’t find that in a man very often anymore. Her ex had been nice enough, but he’d lacked even a smidgen of the polished appeal that Randy and Travis had. Neither had he been as intense as they had been when they had cornered her in the kitchen.
Angela poured a glass of iced tea and curled up in the plush club chair to think. They hadn’t frightened her at all. She had no doubt that they would have stopped had she said the word, but all she could think about was that they were coming on to her because she had accepted a job with them and they were going to collect on that. Even though they definitely showed signs of being attracted to her, neither man had actually said anything that would suggest they expected her to take care of them sexually. Why had she said that?
Because I can’t imagine one man, much less two wanting to have anything to do with someone like me for any other reason.
“Face it, Angela. You’re poor white trash compared to them. What other possible motive would they have had?”
But wasn’t she painting them as selfish, dishonest men if she thought they would use her that way? She didn’t think they were sleazy like that at all. She had jumped to conclusions, not only embarrassing herself, but insulting them when they had been nothing but kind to her. She closed her eyes and sighed.
“I’m lucky they didn’t fire me for that.”
After sitting there for a while, she decided it was time for bed and headed to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. It would help her relax so she would be able to sleep. As it was now, her body was still singing from the nearness of those two handsome men who’d revved her up earlier. Despite her efforts to put it all behind her, she could still feel the heat of their bodies as they’d leaned into her and smell their unique scents as if they were in the room with her.
She quickly stripped out of her jeans and shirt after stepping out of her tennis shoes. When she walked into the shower, the water pelted down on her with stinging warmth that helped to lessen the tension in her shoulders. As she soaped up her cloth and started to wash up, images of what the men might look like without their shirts on assaulted her. They would both be muscular without being bulky, their strength apparent in how they moved and the way their shirts moved over their bodies.
Angela drew in a deep breath as the need to trace each delineated line of their broad chests with her tongue made her weak in the knees. She could just imagine running her tongue around each flat nipple until they groaned in pleasure. Would they let her bite them? She shivered at the thought.
Without thinking about it, she slipped her hand between her legs and started sliding her index finger between her pussy lips over and over in a light caress. She was careful to avoid her clit since it was already so overly sensitive. She didn’t want to come right away. Angela hadn’t really felt like this in a long time, and she wanted to enjoy it, make it last.
She used her free hand to tease her nipples with the palm of her hand. Over and over she rubbed over first one and then the other until they were hard and poking out, eager for some attention. Wishing that Randy and Travis were there to suck on them, she lightly plucked at them one at a time while she began to tease her clit by running a finger around and around it. Soon she was desperate to come, her cunt tight with need and her pussy dripping with her juices.
Angela leaned back against the cool tiles and began pinching her nipples the way she knew would drive her crazy before finally letting her finger tap at her clit. She slowly added more pressure as she pushed against the hard nub between her legs until she was ready to cream. All it took was one pinch to her clit and she exploded with her orgasm, sliding down the tiled wall until she was resting on her heels in the bottom of the shower stall.
As soon as she had her breathing back under control, Angela stood up on shaky legs and rinsed off before shutting off the water and stepping out of the shower. The soft rasp of the oversized towel felt good against her skin except where it rubbed over her sensitive nipples. She quickly patted herself dry then pulled on the extra-large T-shirt she slept in. The soft material felt good to her skin as she climbed up into bed.
Though she had just climaxed only minutes earlier, Angela still felt needy. Her self-induced orgasms usually did the trick when she was aroused like s
he had been earlier, but this time, it only seemed to have reminded her that she didn’t have what she really wanted between her legs—one or both of the Woods men. That could never happen. She wasn’t their type, and they were way out of her league. Besides, they were her bosses, and she wasn’t going to fuck her bosses.
“Get over it already. They’re off limits. You’ve got to remember that, girl. All you’ll end up doing is losing your job and more than likely your heart.”
After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, Angela finally drifted off to sleep with thoughts of two delicious-looking cowboys dominating her dreams.
Chapter Seven
The next few weeks proved to be busy for Angela. She slowly got their office in order and caught up all of the bookkeeping issues they had either forgotten to do or put off on purpose. The inventory seemed to be in order, so all she had to do was keep it running smoothly and print out the weekly orders to be picked up by one of the ranch hands going into town.
She saw little of the guys during the week except at night when they came in to eat. She continued to cook their meals after she shut down the office each night. Angela worked Saturday mornings until noon, making sandwiches for the guys before she left for the day.
It was a relief that they were giving her some space to learn her way around the ranching business, but at the same time, she missed them. They had a way of filling the room with their presence. Without it, the house felt almost sad to her at times. Maybe she was projecting her own feelings though. She was coming to realize that she really liked them a lot more than she should.
The weekends, however, were another matter. After they finished for the day on Saturday, the men tended to stop by her little cabin for dinner and to talk. It had started off innocent enough when they stopped in when she’d just finished making spaghetti and a salad and she invited them to join her. After that, they continued to stop in for dinner and conversation before all three of them ended the evening on their porch enjoying the night sky.
Sundays they tended to take her around the ranch, showing her more about their home and what they did. Both men had hinted at how much easier it would be to ride out to look at some of the beautiful land they lived on, but so far they hadn’t actually suggested taking a ride. Angela hoped they would bring it up again soon. She wanted to go horseback riding with them.
If she were being honest with herself, she would have to admit that she was growing more and more fond of Travis and Randy. Maybe even more than fond. She truly liked and respected them, and given how her body seemed to have a mind of its own whenever she was around them, Angela was pretty sure she was in lust with them as well. All it took was a glimpse of one of them for her pussy to moisten and her nipples to stand up and salute.
Shaking her head at the direction her thoughts had drifted, she decided that with it being Saturday and almost noon, she might as well go ahead and shut down for the day. Angela logged off the computer and straightened the desk before walking through the house to the kitchen. She’d just poured a glass of tea and was deciding what to fix the guys for lunch when the back door opened and closed. She stuck her head around the door to see Randy pulling off his boots.
“Hey. I was just about to start making sandwiches. I didn’t expect you so soon.” She watched as he shrugged off the jacket he was wearing.
“No need today. We’re going into town for lunch. Got some errands to run.”
Angela nodded and walked back into the kitchen to finish her tea before she headed back to her place. She couldn’t help but wonder what errands they had that would take them into town. She wished she was going with them. It would be nice to get out of the cabin for a little while.
The back door opened and closed again as Randy walked into the kitchen. She guessed that Travis had made it. Randy walked over to the fridge and pulled out the tea then grabbed two glasses as well. Angela watched as he filled them with ice then tea. She took the pitcher from him and returned it to the refrigerator as he handed Travis his drink.
Angela smiled at them and rinsed out her glass before putting it in the dishwasher. It was time to go.
“See you guys later. Have a good time in town.” She turned toward the living area and the front door.
“Hey, wait up. We want you to go with us, Angel. Thought you could use some time to shop, you know, get away for a little while.” Travis drained the rest of his tea in one gulp.
Angela turned back around to face the men. “Um, thanks, but I’m sure you have plenty to do without carting me with you.”
“Just a few errands. Since you’ve taken over the office, we have more time to do things we want to do now.” Travis smiled at her. “Come on. You need to shop for some new clothes for one thing. You’ve only got a couple of outfits. I’m sure you get tired of washing them over and over again.”
Angela cringed. They’d actually noticed that she wore the same three outfits every day. She had hoped they wouldn’t notice. Guys normally didn’t pick up on things like that. Besides, she didn’t have a lot of money to buy much.
“Hey, honey. It’s okay. We’re not complaining or anything. We just thought you would like to shop. Most women like to shop.” Randy walked over and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Um, I appreciate it, but I really don’t have enough money yet to do much shopping. Maybe after I get paid again.” She pasted a smile on her face and took a step back.
“What do you mean you don’t have enough money to go shopping?” Travis asked with a scowl. “We’ve signed the payroll checks every week. You should have plenty to buy a few things.”
“Um, I have plenty for now. I had to pay you back for the food and everything.”
Randy and Travis’s mouths flew open then closed almost at the same time. She could see how upset they were but didn’t understand why. What had she done wrong?
“Come on.” Travis took her elbow and guided her out of the kitchen and through the living area to the office.
Randy sat down in the office chair and booted up the computer. Angela had a bad feeling they weren’t going to be happy with what she’d done. She had never expected them to find out this soon if at all. It wouldn’t have mattered in another week or two. She would have had more money saved to buy what she needed by then.
“Good Lord, woman! You’ve taken way too much out of each check. No wonder you don’t have any money. That stops right now! You don’t owe us another cent. You’ve been cooking for us all this time. You shouldn’t have taken a single dime out of your checks after the delicious meals you’ve served us.” Randy started typing on the keyboard.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Cutting you another check to shop with. We owe you more than this for everything you’ve done for us. Don’t even try to argue with us about it.” He pointed a finger at her when he stood up to get the check from the printer.
Angela turned to Travis to make him understand that they didn’t owe her anything for cooking when she’d been eating with them as well, but one look at his expression told her to quit while she was ahead.
“Here.” Randy handed her the freshly signed check, daring her with his eyes to refuse it.
She sighed and took the check from him and folded it up and shoved it into her pocket. They were two of the most stubborn men she’d ever been around.
“Now let’s go. We’ll stop by your cabin so you can grab your purse or whatever you need.” Travis kept one hand at the small of her back as they walked toward the front door.
“I can’t believe you did that. You didn’t leave yourself anything to live off of, Angel.” Travis was still mumbling about it as he helped her climb up into the front seat of the big crew cab.
The drive into Riverbend was fairly quiet. Travis pointed out landmarks and people’s homes as Randy drove. She slowly relaxed as the tenseness from earlier seeped away. She had all four checks in her pockets since she didn’t own a purse. Randy said they would take her somewhere where t
hey would cash her checks for her, but she needed to catch a ride into town the next time one of the hands were going to pick up supplies and open a checking account.
“You don’t need to carry around a lot of cash or even keep it tucked away in the cabin,” Travis said. “I trust everyone on the ranch without question, but you can’t be too careful with strangers nowadays.”
“What made you trust me?” she asked.
Travis looked at her with a smile. “I could just tell, Angel. Your eyes are as honest as anyone I’ve ever met.”
She just shook her head. They were too trusting, she thought. Maybe she had been okay, but then he’d been a lifeline to her. Another person might have used them, but then maybe Travis wouldn’t have been as generous with someone else. Maybe it was because he did trust her that he’d given her a chance.
When they finished cashing her checks at a gas station on the outside of Riverbend, Randy turned around and drove back into town, parking in front of the diner. It was close to two when they walked inside, so they had most of the place to themselves. Randy led them to a booth in the back. He and Travis waved at two men sitting at the counter.
Once they were seated, Travis pointed at the two men. “That’s Sheriff Mac Tidwell on the left and Silas Atkins on the right. He’s a deputy sheriff. They are both good men if you ever need anything.”
“The sheriff and his brother, Mason, are married to Beth. Mason is an attorney here in Riverbend.”
“B–both of them are married to her? I know you told me that you had two dads but isn’t that illegal?” Angela had never heard of anything like that before she’d ended up in Riverbend.
“Technically, and on paper, she’s married to the oldest but there is also another ceremony where they all pledge themselves to each other. There are a lot of ménage families here in Riverbend,” Randy said.
“And they’re all happy? No one gets jealous?”
