by Marla Monroe
“They’re very happy. I’m sure there are problems like there are in any marriage, but they are equally important to Beth just like she’s the most important person in their life.” Travis seemed to be watching her very closely.
Angela wasn’t one to judge. She would never say anything against something that she didn’t understand. She had grown up in the heart of the Bible belt. She had obviously lived a fairly sheltered life. For an instant, she wondered about Travis and Randy. Did they plan to share a wife some day? Could she be a wife to two men at one time? She shoved that thought aside. It didn’t really matter one way or another. She needed to concentrate on keeping a roof over her head and stop thinking about stuff like that. It would only get her into trouble.
“Hey, Randy, Travis. What can I get you guys today?” Mattie walked up with a broad smile on her face.
“Hey, Mattie. How are Nate and Bruce doing? Are they working today?”
“Nate’s back there, but Bruce is running errands today. Hi, Angela. How are you doing?” Mattie smiled down at her.
“I’m doing fine, thank you.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to her now that she realized that the older woman was married to two men. She hadn’t caught on to that the last time she’d been in the diner. Of course she had been all wrapped up in her own problems instead of paying attention to everything around her.
“So what will it be today?” She pulled out her pad to take their order.
They gave her their orders, and once she had returned with tea all around, Travis took up where they’d left off before Mattie had walked up.
“Angel, does it bother you that we have two dads?” he asked.
“No! I’m not judging anyone. I’ve just never heard of it before and wondered how that worked.”
“Mom and the dads are happy and have been married for nearly thirty-seven years now. We have one older sister, Dee Ann, and one younger sister, Lauren,” Randy added.
“You’ll be meeting our parents before long. They usually come and visit about once every month or so. We go there for Thanksgiving and Christmas.” Travis took a drink from his tea glass. “Mom’s going to love you.”
“Oh, well I doubt she will see that much of me. I’ll be busy in the office. I won’t get in the way,” Angela assured them.
She didn’t want the woman to get the idea she was after her sons. She wasn’t a gold digger and didn’t want anyone to think that of her. She needed to be sure and keep out of everyone’s line of sight anytime they were visiting the men. Considering how attracted she already was to them, their mother would be sure to notice if she was always under foot.
“Nonsense, honey. You would never be in the way.” Randy frowned at her.
“What are we doing next?” Angela quickly changed the subject.
“We need to see about some things at the feed and seed store. We thought you might enjoy browsing up and down the street while we’re there. We could meet back at the truck at a specific time and then make a quick stop at the grocery store before heading back to the ranch.” Travis glanced over at Randy as if to make sure that was fine with him.
“Okay. That sounds good. I doubt it will take me long to find a couple of tops and another pair of jeans.”
She was still uneasy about the amount of money Randy had written that check for earlier. She was sure it was way more than what was correct. She was going to check it once she was back in the office on Monday. Until then, she didn’t plan on spending much of it.
“You need a pair of heeled boots while you’re shopping. If you’re not sure what to get, wait for us and we’ll help you pick them out,” Randy said.
“Why do I need boots?” she asked.
“You’re living on a ranch, honey. Not only do you need them for riding, but to protect your feet and lower legs from snakes and leftovers.”
Angela looked over at Travis. “Leftovers? What are those?”
Travis grinned. “Leftovers are reminders of the last animal that might have passed by and left a little something for us to remember him by.”
She frowned harder. “I don’t get it.”
Before Travis got a chance to explain, the answer hit her and she felt dense.
“Oh! You mean like scat or dung.”
Travis chuckled. “That’s right. It’s a lot easier to hose off and clean up a pair of boots than it is sneakers, and you sure don’t want to step in a pile in a pair of sandals.”
Before she could argue about the need for a pair of boots, Mattie returned with their food. As they ate, Randy and Travis discussed the ranch while Angela listened, trying to learn from their conversation. When they’d finished, Randy settled the tab and they waved good-bye to Mattie before walking outside.
“We’re going to park the truck by the feed and seed store since we have some parts to pick up. Just meet us back there in say”—Travis looked at his watch—“two hours. Will that give you enough time to do some shopping?”
“Oh, that’s plenty of time. I’ll probably be back before that.”
“If you need us for anything, just call on your cell. You brought it with you, didn’t you?”
“I’ve got it in my pocket.” Angela patted her back pocket.
“Good. See you in a while, Angel.” Travis squeezed her shoulder as they parted company.
Angela walked down the sidewalk, looking into the windows of the various stores as she passed. She saw several she would have loved to explore, but she didn’t want to stop and take the chance that she got caught up in browsing and lost track of time. First she needed to buy what she had come for then she could stop in the other places if she had time.
The department store she stepped inside of near the end of the business district of Riverbend proved to be larger than she had expected. Instead of crowded aisles and disorganized shelves, the store was pleasantly arranged and comfortable to explore. She quickly located the women’s section and found two pairs of jeans along with several nice blouses in her size. She stopped to look at a rack of slacks when someone walked up to her.
“Hi, I’m Bridgett. Can I take those for you so you can continue to look around?”
Angela turned, and a very pretty woman of about twenty-five with shoulder-length, wavy brown hair and pretty hazel eyes smiled back at her. Her smile was contagious. Angela felt her lips turn up as she nodded her head.
“Thanks. I’m not sure if I will buy anything else, but I do want to look around some more.”
“You’re new around here, aren’t you?” Bridgett asked.
“Yeah. I’m working out on the Wood’s Wilderness ranch outside of town.”
“That’s Travis’s and Randy’s place. You must be their office manager then. They’ve been looking for one for a long time. If I had been good with accounting, I’d have applied, but when it comes to keeping books, I’m hopeless.”
Angela didn’t know what to say to that, so she just smiled and nodded her head.
“Anyway, I’ll have your things at the checkout whenever you’re ready. If you need help finding something, just call for me.” With that, the other woman turned and walked toward the back of the store.
After deliberating longer than she had planned on doing, Angela finally chose a pair of tan slacks that she thought would go with several of her new blouses. By the time she had checked out, she only had about forty minutes left before she was supposed to meet the guys back at the truck. She could probably stop and look around one of the stores on the way back.
She chose The Scent of a Woman to stop in and browse. Not only was the name intriguing, but the arrangement of body lotions and soaps in the window looked enticing. She had always loved it when she got scented soaps and lotions for Christmas or her birthday as a teenager. She hadn’t owned anything like that in the last five or six years. She decided that splurging on a bottle of lotion wouldn’t be too decadent.
As she sniffed some of the samples, a sales lady walked over and offered her a bottle to sample. Angela smiled
and let her apply the lotion to the back of one hand. Once she had smoothed it in, she sniffed and instantly loved the fresh scent. It reminded her of vanilla and mint mixed together.
“That is wonderful!”
The other woman smiled. “It’s new. We make all of the items right here in the store. This is called Warm and Tingly. The scented lotion comes in two sizes along with bath soap, bath salts, and a spritzer.”
“Goodness. I hadn’t planned to buy anything when I stopped to look around, but I don’t think I can resist that lotion.” Angela followed the striking woman to the other side of the store where an arrangement of the items was on display.
“Take your time and find what you like. I’m Grace. If you need anything, just holler.”
Angela couldn’t help but watch the woman walk back to the counter. She moved as gracefully as a ballerina. Her long jet-black hair hung almost to her waist. It flowed as she moved. With eyes the color of rich blue hues, her heart-shaped face and slightly upturned eyes gave her a very exotic appearance.
Shaking her head, Angela returned to gazing at the various offerings in the amazing scent before finally picking out a package that contained the body lotion and bath salts. She planned to return the next time she was in town and purchase the soap and spritzer as well. Checking the time on her phone, she realized she had spent far longer browsing than she had planned. She hurried over to the counter where she waited for Grace to ring up her purchases.
“Here you go. Inside the bag are a few samples for you to try. If you find you really like the scent you bought, there is a store across the street and down a block called Uniquely Yours that has candles in this same scent. It’s sort of a new-age store run by Tish, Brian, and Andy. They are friends of mine. You should stop by their place as well.”
“Thanks, but I’m supposed to be meeting my bosses to head back to the ranch. I’ll plan to stop by the next time I’m in town though. Thanks.” Angela took her bag and hurried out the door and down the sidewalk.
She passed another store she desperately wanted to explore called Jazzy Intimates. Going by the window display, it would seem that it specialized in lingerie. Angela had never actually owned anything remotely sensual or sexy in her life. She thought she would enjoy wearing something like that under her clothes. She would make sure to shop there the next time she came to town.
Angela arrived back at the truck just as Travis and Randy were adding bags to the backseat. She could see that they had sacks and boxes in the bed of the truck as well. When she walked up, Randy took her bags from her and carefully added them to the packages in the backseat.
“Did you get everything you needed?” he asked.
“I got everything I’d planned to get. There are some really nice stores here.”
“We get tourists from all over the area visiting Riverbend to shop,” Travis added.
“What about boots? I didn’t see any boxes in your stuff.” Randy’s brows furrowed.
“Oh, I didn’t have time to stop by a shoe store, so I thought I would look for a pair next time.”
Travis and Randy exchanged glances but didn’t say anything. She breathed a sigh of relief that they weren’t making an issue of it. Instead, Travis helped her up to the front seat then Randy backed them out into the street. Instead of heading back toward the ranch, Randy drove a short ways down the road before parking in front of a couple of stores on the opposite side of the street.
“Come on. Let’s take care of this real quick.” Randy climbed out of the cab and waited as Travis helped her back down.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To find a pair of boots for you,” Travis drawled.
Chapter Eight
Travis nearly ran into Angela when she stopped dead still in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What are you talking about? I told you I would get a pair when I come back to town.” Her voice left no doubt that she was on the edge of being angry.
“No reason to wait ’til next time when we’re here now. You need boots, Angela. You don’t need to be walking around outside without them.” Randy didn’t even stop walking until he got to the store and opened the door only to find that they hadn’t moved from beside the truck.
With an exasperated sigh, he let go of the door and stalked back to where Angela stood with her hands on her hips glaring at him. Travis couldn’t help but grin. His brother didn’t approve one bit that he wasn’t saying anything. Travis wasn’t a fool. He knew a fight was brewing and he would much rather stay out of it and be the one to soothe Angela’s feathers afterward.
“Travis! Don’t just stand there. Tell her to get her butt inside the store.” Randy’s voice had taken on a deeper tone.
“Randy. She isn’t going to listen to me any better than she listens to you.” He crossed his arms and waited for the fireworks.
Even he wasn’t expecting what Randy did next. His brother scooped their office manager up and tossed her over his shoulder before stomping back to the store. Travis closed his mouth and followed behind them. He didn’t want to miss this for anything. Since their Angel hadn’t said anything yet, he could only assume she was as shocked as he was and would soon regain control of her mouth once again.
Sure enough, less than a minute later, Angela let Randy have it with both barrels. His brother had set her back down inside the store in front of the women’s boots. She jammed her hands on her hips with flashing eyes and stomped her foot.
“You may be my boss at work, but you are not my boss outside of work. I am not buying boots today. And another thing, don’t you dare manhandle me like that again!”
“First of all, Angela, I didn’t manhandle you. I carried you into the store so you didn’t have to walk. As for not being your boss outside of work, you are under mine and my brother’s care since you live on our ranch and work for us. That means we are responsible for your well-being. We take that very seriously here in Riverbend. Women here are loved and cherished. We make sure that no woman in our area is abused or left without someone to take care of them. You need boots to protect you from twisting your ankle on rocks and in holes and from snakes. End of argument.” Randy towered over their little angel with a matter-of-fact expression on his face.
Travis fought back a smile since he knew that neither his brother nor Angela would appreciate him finding humor in the situation. The fact that Randy was so interested in taking care of her told him that he definitely had feelings for the tiny woman. That went a long ways to settling the worry that he’d been harboring all these weeks.
Angela stared at Randy with an open mouth. She closed it then opened it before finally closing it and crossing her arms to stare at both of them.
“So, Angel. Are you ready to pick out a pair of boots?” Travis asked.
“I’m doing this under duress. I’m not sure I understand all of this mess about you being responsible for me. I can take care of myself. I’ve always taken care of myself.”
“Well, now that you’re here, you don’t have to anymore, honey.” Randy relaxed his stance and led her over to a chair. “Have a seat and we’ll help you find something you like that fits well.”
As if she had been waiting for them to settle things between them, Janie Ledbetter emerged from the back and smiled at them.
“Hi, boys. It’s good to see you again. Who have you got here?” The robust older woman regarded their Angel with a knowing expression.
“This is Angela. She’s our office manager out on the ranch. She needs a pair of boots,” Randy told her. “Angela, this is Janie Ledbetter. She owns this store.”
Angela smiled and started to get up to shake the woman’s hand, but the store owner just shook her head and took her hand in a quick shake.
“Let’s see what we can find for you. You look like you wear a size eight. Does that sound right?”
“Um, yes. That’s right.” Angela slipped off her shoes.
Over the next thirty minutes they hovered in the background while Ja
nie helped Angela pick out a nice pair of boots that would serve to keep her safe. Travis knew that Randy had the ulterior motive of getting her on the back of a horse as soon as possible. They wanted their woman to be comfortable riding horses with them. It was another reason he knew Randy was falling for their angel.
Once they had paid for the boots, much to Angela’s ire, they loaded back up in the truck to head back to the ranch. Travis was surprised when she didn’t fuss all the way back about them buying the boots for her. He had the sneaking suspicion that she was mulling it all over in her head and would be addressing more than just the boots the next time she decided to confront them. He had no doubt that Randy would be ready for her.
He and his brother believed that a woman deserved to be pampered and taken care of. They didn’t like seeing any female struggling or unhappy. It just went against their nature. Neither he nor his brother had ever allowed a woman to be abused or taken advantage of in their presence. It was only natural that now that they had found someone they were both attracted to that they would shower her with everything they could. The next step was to get Angela on board and get Randy to admit to his feelings for her.
When they pulled up outside of her cabin, Travis jumped down from the cab and helped Angela climb out. He helped her gather her purchases as well as the controversial boots before following her inside the cabin.
“Thanks for helping me and for letting me tag along on the trip.” Angela set her packages on the coffee table.
“No problem. We wanted you to go with us, Angel. You weren’t tagging along at all,” Travis told her.
“Well, don’t think that the conversation about the boots is over with by any means. I’m paying for the damn boots one way or another.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
Travis wasn’t getting in the middle of that with her. He would let Randy handle it. All Travis hoped was that his brother didn’t make things worse when she made her case with him about the boots. Randy tended to be as stubborn as a mule and just as ornery. Sometimes he took it too far, and that was what had Travis worried.
