by Marla Monroe
No matter how hard she tried to not think about Randy and the woman or how his cock had felt against her thumb, she couldn’t numb her mind to it. Instead she jumped from one thought to another, getting so angry with herself that she finally let out a frustrated yell. The kitten woke up and immediately started mewing for his family.
Angela bent and picked up the little thing and sat in the chair with it cradled in her arms. He kneaded her chest and purred next to her ear after climbing up to curl up on her shoulder in the curtain of her hair. He needed a name, one he could grow into one day. She considered several before finally settling on Harley Davidson, Harley D for short.
After settling Harley D down for the night once again, Angela took a quick shower and jumped into bed. She had a long day ahead of her and wanted to be sure everything turned out okay. She’d never put together a meal for this many people before other than family get-togethers. Sure, this was just a cookout, but it was important to her bosses for some reason.
Dreams of Randy, Travis, and the blonde bitch tortured her all night. Tossing and turning, she fought her emotions while trying to keep her job in a strange dream world that mirrored her own.
* * * *
“Angela sure was quiet when you got back.” Travis watched as Randy put away some of the items from their shopping trip.
“Yeah. I think it was a combination of things.”
Travis waited, but Randy didn’t seem to be willing to elaborate on his own. Finally he stomped over to the fridge and pulled out two cold beers. Handing one to his brother, he popped the top on his and took a long pull before interrogating his brother.
“What things?”
Randy sighed and opened his can before answering. “Well, on the way back she tried to get me to take her money for the cost of the kitten’s things. I refused and she tried to stuff it into my pocket.”
“And?” Travis prompted when Randy didn’t elaborate.
“I grabbed her hand to stop her, and it trapped her so that her thumb was playing footsie with my cock. I think it embarrassed her.”
Travis chuckled. “I’d wager it was harder on you than it was on her.”
“Funny. Ha-ha.” Randy carried his beer into the living area and collapsed onto his recliner.
“That wouldn’t have been enough for her to give us the silent treatment. I was planning on a nice hug or maybe even a little kiss out of helping her with the kitten, but she pretty much shut me down.”
“It might have had something to do with her seeing Belinda trying to crawl up my body.” Randy sighed and closed his eyes.
“Fuck!” Travis sat down in his recliner and scowled at the floor. “What in the hell is she doing back in town?”
“Hell if I know. She was more interested in trying to get me to come over and see her than I was in asking her why she was back in Riverbend.”
“That bitch is trouble with a capital T. She better not show her face on the ranch.”
Travis wanted to strangle the woman. Only his belief that women should never have to worry about violence kept him from making good on that thought. When they had first bought the ranch over three years ago, she’d convinced them she loved them and wanted to be their woman. Then when things had gotten serious, she had gotten tired of them spending so much time on the ranch when she wanted to go out more. She wanted them to take her to Dallas and Austin to shop or take her out to eat somewhere besides the Riverbend Diner.
It didn’t take long before they decided that she didn’t really love them. It was their potential money she was in lust with and they were just a means to an end. When she’d realized that Travis was on to her, she tried to convince Randy that they didn’t need Travis. She loved Randy more than she did his brother. She had almost put a wedge between them that wouldn’t heal. All in all, it had hurt Randy more than it had him because he’d never really fallen for her like Randy had. To this day he blamed the entire ordeal on himself for not picking up on her materialism and putting a stop to things before his brother fell in love with her.
“I know that. I tried to get away from her without making a scene, but Angela walked up with the hamburger buns before I could manage it.” He sighed. “The good news is that I think her reaction proves that she cares about us even if she won’t admit it.”
“The bad news is that women don’t like being played. She’s not going to like thinking that you’re seeing someone while you’re flirting with her, Randy.”
“I’m not fucking seeing her!” he nearly roared.
“I know that. She won’t though.”
Randy rubbed his face. “I’ll just have to be sure and set the record straight. At least Belinda won’t be at the party tomorrow. We can work on Angela then.”
“Remember to introduce her to everyone and touch her a lot. Make sure she realizes that we’re interested in her even with our friends around so she’ll get it out of her head that we just want to fool around with the hired help.” Travis turned up the beer and finished it.
“Maybe I should handle the grill while you take her around. She’s going to be pissed at me because of Belinda.”
“No way. Number one, you always burn the meat and number two, you need to get back in her good graces, fast.”
Randy scowled at his brother. “I don’t always burn the meat. That was one time.”
“Once is enough, little brother.”
“Hell. I’m going to bed. We’ve got to get up early tomorrow. Angela will be over here at the crack of dawn getting things ready for the party. What time is everyone supposed to show up?” Randy asked as he stood up and stretched.
“I told everyone to show up about two. The hands have already pulled all of the picnic tables out around the patio.”
“You know, we really should think about adding a pool this year. As hot as it gets, I’m sure Angela would enjoy swimming some, and it would be more fun when we have people over. Remember the party over at Jared and Quade’s last year?”
Travis nodded his head. “You’re right. We’ll talk about it next week.”
“I’m heading up. See you in the morning.” Randy walked off, leaving his empty beer can on the end table.
Travis stood up and grabbed both of their empties and carried them into the kitchen to toss. He looked around the room and realized how much he enjoyed having Angela working in there beside them. It made their house more like a home. Walking inside at the end of a hard day to the smells of home-cooked meals just felt right to him. Not because there was someone cooking for them, but because Angela was the woman in their kitchen waiting for them.
Somehow he had to figure out how to prevent Belinda from running off the best thing that had ever happened to him and his brother. He had no doubt the bitch would try. She was vindictive as hell and had felt not one iota of remorse for nearly driving a wedge between him and Randy over her. No, she was dangerous, and he would do well to watch out for her.
Nothing was going to come between them and Angela. She was the answer to their prayers in more ways than one. For the first time since Belinda had left, Randy was on the same page as him, and he owed it all to their angel. She was the glue that bound them together.
Chapter Twelve
Early the next morning, Angela began pulling things out of the fridge to cook the guys’ breakfast so she could get to work on the fixings for the cookout. She was in a foul mood thanks to very little sleep and disturbing dreams. The one bright spot of waking up that morning had been Harley D’s cute antics and heartwarming purrs in her ear.
She had brought him with her, complete with his necessities, and set him up in the office with the door closed. She would check on him periodically throughout the day. The little kitten was too young to leave on his own all day. She didn’t think the guys would mind, but at this point, she didn’t much care if they did. She was mad at them despite the fact they hadn’t really done anything wrong. It had been her dream bosses who’d acted like man whores.
By the time Randy and Tra
vis made it downstairs, she had their breakfast ready. She shooed them away from the kitchen and poured their coffee as they filled their plates.
“What about your plate, Angel?” Travis asked when she didn’t sit down with them.
“I’ve already eaten. I need to get started on the food.” She hurried back to the kitchen area, leaving them alone at the table.
“How’s the little munchkin this morning?” Randy asked.
She didn’t look up. “I named him Harley Davidson, Harley D for short. He’s fine. I set him up in the office for now. I’ll keep a watch on him.
She could hear the men talking in low murmurs over at the table, but she refused to try and eavesdrop. It was none of her business no matter what it was about. She was their sometimes cook and office manager and nothing more. The sooner she got that through her thick skull, the better off she would be.
While she was cutting up the cabbage for slaw, Randy and Travis walked over and rinsed off their plates before adding them to the dishwasher. Travis hugged her from behind and dropped a kiss on her cheek.
“Thanks, Angel. That was delicious.”
Randy moved up and kissed the top of her head. “Sure was, honey. What do you need help with?”
“Nothing. Get out of the kitchen so I can work.” Damn, she hadn’t meant for her voice to come out so clipped. “Thanks for asking though.”
“Angela, we didn’t mean for you to handle all of this yourself. We can help.” Travis stood so close to her she could smell the clean, fresh scent of his soap and shampoo.
The scent washed over her so fast she had to close her eyes to regain control. What was it about the two brothers that made her want to throw good sense out the window?
“I’ve got it covered. Why don’t you two fill the coolers with ice and start icing down the beer and drinks? That way the ice machine will have time to make more ice by the time your guests arrive.”
“Good idea.” Randy squeezed her shoulders before walking out of the kitchen. “Get the coolers out of the garage, Travis. I’ll meet you around back.”
Travis grunted and headed in the other direction toward the front of the house. Once they were both out of range, Angela all but collapsed against the counter. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. What was wrong with her? She had to get over this or she’d lose her job for sure.
The rest of the morning was taken up with cooking and fixing the various side dishes they had decided on. She ended up directing them around while taking breaks to check on the kitten. Harley D was doing fine. He easily entertained himself with his toys and napped in between play sessions wherever he fell.
By one, everything was ready and waiting for the guests to arrive. She’d made up several pitchers of tea and lemonade in case anyone didn’t want beer or soft drinks. She vaguely remembered that one of the women coming was pregnant. She probably wouldn’t want either alcohol or caffeine. Angela hoped the lemonade would be okay.
When everyone started arriving, Randy dragged her out of the kitchen to help him welcome the guests. She felt very uncomfortable as he introduced her as a friend of theirs who also ran their office. Why make her seem like someone more important than she was? What about the woman she thought they had planned to be with them? The next thing she noticed was that the guests arriving were all in ménage relationships.
“There’s our favorite accountant,” Randy said as two men surrounding a pregnant woman walked through the back gate to where they were having the party.
The pretty auburn-haired woman looked to be a good seven or eight months along. She was about twenty-seven years old with amazing green eyes that sparkled when she answered Randy.
“I’m your only accountant although I heard you finally found someone smart enough to figure out your office mess. Is this her?” She walked over to Angela and held out both of her hands. “I’m Caitlyn. I’m so happy to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Yes, I’m Angela.” She couldn’t help but smile back at the lovely woman.
“You have no idea how happy I was to hear that they’d found someone to take over their office. I’ve been dreading next year’s tax season just because of them.”
Angela chuckled. Then the woman’s two men were scooping her up and carrying her off.
“Come on, baby. You need to be off your feet. You promised to behave if we let you come.”
Randy’s snicker next to her had her looking over at him. “They are so overprotective it’s funny.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Caitlyn thinks its bullshit!” the woman in question yelled from across the patio.
“None of that, baby. You don’t need to be getting upset.”
Angela wasn’t sure which of the two men said that, but it had her almost in stitches when the next threesome arrived. Randy shook both of the men’s hands then introduced her to all of them.
“Angela, this is Brian, Andy, and Tish. Brian is Caitlyn’s brother. They own a shop in town that has some really interesting things in it.”
“Oh. You have the new-age store. The lady at The Scent of a Woman said you would have some candles that matched my lotion.”
Tish stepped up and shook her hand. “That’s right. We make candles with all the same scents as their soaps and lotions.”
“I’ll be sure to stop by the next time I’m in town.” Angela liked Tish right away.
By the time everyone had made it, the party was in full swing. Angela slipped away to check on Harley D then grabbed a glass of lemonade and carried it out to see if Caitlyn wanted it.
“Oh, bless you, Angela. I was sipping on the Sprite, but I really don’t like it. This will be perfect.”
“You’re welcome. I wish I had thought about it and gotten some decaf tea for you.”
“Nonsense. This is perfect. I love lemonade. How do you like living out here on the ranch?” she asked.
“I love it. It’s so pretty out here. The cabin I’m living in is perfect.”
“I hear you’re originally from Mississippi. It’s probably quite different here in Texas than it is back there.”
“You can say that again. I miss some things about living in the Delta, but not much. The wide open spaces out here are so much nicer. Plus there isn’t near the amount of humidity we had back there. You felt like you could squeeze water out of your lungs out there.”
“What do you think about Randy and Travis?” Caitlyn’s eyes watched her men as she asked the question.
“They are really good men. They took a big chance on hiring me like they did. I couldn’t ask for better bosses.” Angela was pretty sure hearing about their qualities as bosses wasn’t what the other woman had in mind.
“Hey, Caitlyn. I came over to see if you needed anything.” Tish, the woman’s sister-in-law, walked up and took a seat next to her.
“I’m fine. Angela brought me some lemonade to drink.”
“Oh! Thank you so much, Angela. I should have thought about that there might not be anything you could drink here, Caity.” Tish reached out and rubbed the other woman’s belly. “How is my little niece doing in there?”
“Nephew, Tish. It’s going to be a boy.” One of Caitlyn’s men walked up and squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “How are you doing, baby?”
“I’m fine! Go away. We’re having girl time. You know, the opposite of boy time.”
He chuckled and nodded at Angela. “Don’t let her fool you. She loves me the most.” Then he walked off, leaving Caitlyn growling behind him.
“Sometimes I could knock their heads together,” she said.
Angela laughed. “I think it’s sweet to have two men treat you so special like that. I can’t even imagine it.”
Tish and Angela looked at each other and laughed. Before she could ask them what they were laughing about, two more women walked up to join them.
“Hey, Lexie, Bethany, join the crowd.” Tish scooted over some so that the other women could sit down.
�
��You look absolutely wonderful, Caitlyn. I take it the boys are acting like overprotective wolves,” Bethany said.
“You hit the nail on the head. Now give me your hammer so I can knock some sense into those two.” Caitlyn frowned. “I feel great though. No more nausea and other than some ankle swelling when I’m on my feet too long, I’m not having any other problems.”
“That’s a blessing.” Lexie’s long red hair was striking to say the least. It almost glowed in the early May sunshine.
They all talked about what was going on around town the next hour until Travis announced that the meat was ready.
“Oh, goodness. I’ve neglected my job. It was great talking with all of you. I better get back to work before I get fired.” Angela hurried into the kitchen to bring out the side dishes.
To her surprise, all of the other women except for Caitlyn, who Tish said had been sequestered at a table between her men, arrived to help her carry things out. As much as she appreciated their help, she was scared it would look bad for her to allow the guests to help do her job. No matter how many times she told them that she had it under control, they just brushed her off and continued with what they were doing.
Once everything was on the tables and the guests had started filling their plates, Angela sighed and retreated to start cleaning up the kitchen before the leftovers would need to be stored.
“Angela? What are you doing in here? We’re waiting on you to fix your plate so we can eat.” Travis’s voice caught her by surprise, and she nearly dropped the bowl she was drying.
“I’m cleaning up so it will be easier to handle the rest when everyone is finished.”
“That can wait. Come and eat.” Travis had a frown on his face.
“But, I’m not a guest, Travis. I’m the cook.”
When Travis grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the kitchen with a scowl, she wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong. Why was he so upset with her? Was it because she’d been talking with the other women for so long? Maybe they naturally thought she was with them and now he was forced to include her. Randy’s expression was more puzzled than angry. She didn’t know what was going on.
