Pleasure in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
Sanctuary, Montana 3
Pleasure in Sanctuary
Six lucky women find out that when men fight hard, they love even harder.
When veterinarian Dr. Hailey Hunter takes a two-week stint in Sanctuary, Montana, she never expects to meet the men of her dreams. Ranch owner Jackson Baldwin not only is to-die-for-sexy, he’s a man in control—that is until he finds out his father has cancer and his roommate, Tanner Crenshaw, has a thirteen-year-old son he just learned about.
Tanner is shocked to learn he has a son, but he’s determined to raise him and love him. Because the boy’s mother just died, the eleven-year-old attaches himself to Hailey. While she adores the boy, when her stint is up, she must find a full-time job, as she has college loans to pay off. When she’s offered a job in another state, all hell breaks loose in Sanctuary, and she’s torn between earning money and being with the men she loves.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 60,869 words
PLEASURE IN SANCTUARY
Sanctuary, Montana 3
Melody Snow Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
PLEASURE IN SANCTUARY
Copyright © 2013 by Melody Snow Monroe
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-667-3
First E-book Publication: October 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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Regarding E-book Piracy
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This is Melody Snow Monroe’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Monroe’s right to earn a living from her work.
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DEDICATION
To the fabulous ladies who made this collection possible: Lara Valentine, Alicia White, Corinne Davies, Jane Jamison, and Zara Chase. You guys rock.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
About the Author
PLEASURE IN SANCTUARY
Sanctuary, Montana 3
MELODY SNOW MONROE
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Hey, Tanner!” The bartender nodded toward the door. “Seems some pretty lady wants to talk to you. She’s been waving and pointing, trying to get your attention for a full minute.”
He jerked to the entrance. A petite woman in army fatigues had her hand in the air. As soon as she saw him turn around, she motioned him near. Next to her stood a tall, gangly kid who looked everywhere but at him.
Tanner shook his head. “Never seen ’em before.” He tossed back his beer, kissed the lips of the sweet thing next to him, and swiveled back to see if maybe the woman was pointing to someone else. “I’ll find out who she’s really looking for.”
“Tell her kids aren’t allowed in the bar at night.”
That went without saying. The Bandit Bar was sometimes too wild even for him. Friday night in particular was a magnet for trouble. Most of the folks in Sanctuary, Montana, had nothing to do, so they came here to dance and drink. They looked forward to watching a bunch of drunken cowboys beat the shit out of each other. He didn’t blame any of the hardworking folks here for their fun. Life was hard in Sanctuary.
He was one of the lucky ones. He worked in a bank, but this week had been a bitch. He’d had to foreclose on two families. It sucked. He’d come here to forget his woes and hoped the young woman wasn’t about to add to them.
He worked his way through the crowd, stepping around a few drunks to get to the servicewoman. He searched his mind for his facial recognition program. No name appeared.
Finally, he reached her. “Ma’am? You looking for me?”
Her shoulders squared. Her blonde hair was pulled back tight and tucked under an army-issue cap. “You Tanner Crenshaw?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He ran his gaze over her body. Nice breasts, ample hips, long legs. “Do I know you?”
“No, but you knew my sister, Megan Hartwick.”
Megan Hartwick. He mentally scratched his head. He hadn’t had that much to drink. Hell, if she looked half as good as the soldier in front of him, he would have remembered her.
The lanky kid next to her tugged on her arm. “Let’s get out of here.” His fist clenched and his eyes narrowed as he studied Tanner.
The kid didn’t have muscles yet, but he would from the way his shoulders were wider than his
hips. He had dark hair that needed to be cut, and the wisp of hair above his lip would appear manlier if he shaved it off.
“How old are you, son?”
The kid visibly jerked at the word son. “Don’t call me—”
“Cody, please. For once, shut up.” The woman’s lips pursed.
Tanner couldn’t put any of the pieces together. The band came back onstage, and the loud noise made it impossible to hear. “How about we step outside for a moment?”
She nodded. As she stretched out an arm to open the door, Tanner reached around her and pushed it open. The outside was well-lit and gave him a better chance to study these two. The bar sat right on Valley Road, and as such, the place had garish red and blue flashing lights that were meant to attract attention. Despite the nip in the March air, a few people strolled by.
“So what’s this all about?” He still couldn’t place Megan, but the name sounded familiar.
The woman slipped her hand inside her coat, extracted a letter, and handed it to him. “This will explain everything.”
He folded the envelope in half and jammed it in his back pocket. “How about telling me the short of it.”
She wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulder to bring him near, but the kid stepped out of her grasp and shot his gaze to the ground. Tanner could relate. He remembered being mad at the world at his age.
“Megan was my sister.”
The word was had his mind buzzing. His brain felt like he’d stepped in a beehive and every one of those buggers aimed at his brain. “She’s dead?”
“Yes. Two weeks ago from colon cancer. This here is her son, Cody.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, ma’am.” As if someone had tossed him a one-hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle and said he had one minute to assemble it, he sorted through the pieces, forming the border and slowly filling in the center. “Megan.” A vague image formed. “Yeah. Blonde and beautiful.” He could see the family resemblance now with the sister. Their one-month affair had ended badly. Oh, shit. He looked at Cody and the puzzle finally came together. Only he wasn’t sure he liked the final image. He tapped his chest. “You think I’m his father?”
The boy looked up at him. At that moment, Tanner knew the truth. This was his son. From the deep-blue eyes and the prominent brow ridge to the strong jaw, he was a Crenshaw through and through. A quick glance at his large feet, and Tanner’s world spun as joy collided with fear.
“You are his father. Read the letter. You and Megan dated for over a month.”
The conversation came flooding back. “Then she dumped me.”
“Because she found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to tie you down. You weren’t the marrying type.”
“That was a long time ago.” The woman’s lip pressed thin. Now he was ready to settle down just as soon as he and Jackson Baldwin found the perfect woman to share. Too bad the influx of women into Sanctuary never met their exacting standards.
Tanner wanted to be positive the youngster was his. “How old did you say you were, Cody?”
When the boy didn’t answer, Megan’s sister nudged him. “Answer him.”
“Thirteen.” Hormones, girls, and video games would be Cody’s life.
He did the math, and the timeline matched perfectly. Tanner had been twenty-three, getting his master’s at the University of Denver, and had been quite wild when he was with Cody’s mom. How ironic that he and Megan had met at a bar—the same way he’d just met his son.
He inhaled and faced Cody’s aunt. “So now what?”
The army woman nodded to the two suitcases that sat next to the bar door. “I ship out in two days. We have no other relatives who can take him. I’m hoping you’d be willing to stand up for your own blood.”
He never shirked responsibility anymore. “Hell yeah.” He glanced at his son who’d moved even farther away from him. “You want to come live with me?” Not that I have a clue what to do with you.
His chin trembled, and his eyes glazed over. “No.” His jaw tightened.
This wasn’t a good start. The aunt grabbed Cody and forced him into a hug. She rubbed a hand over the kid’s back. “I’ll write and come visit when I finish my tour.”
Cody’s shoulders heaved, and Tanner’s heart broke.
The aunt cupped her nephew’s cheek. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see. Your dad will feed you. He’ll buy you school supplies, too.” She looked up at Tanner as if she needed him to commit.
“Sure. We’ve got an office supply store right down the street. I’ll take him this weekend. He’ll have the fanciest notebook and pens in class.” Or didn’t kids use those things anymore? “Hell, I’ll spring for an iPad if you want one.”
The kid looked up at him with dark, watery eyes, but the slight twitch to his lips sealed his heart. “I guess.” Cody shivered.
His thin coat wasn’t fit for this weather. “Tomorrow, we’ll get you some warm clothes, too.”
“I’m good.”
His pride showed, probably used to going without. From now on, he’d want for nothing.
The aunt ruffled his hair. “You don’t have to carry the whole world on your shoulders, kiddo. Megan’s not here, but you know she’d want you to have everything you need.”
Seeing this vulnerable kid let go of all that he’d known was killing Tanner. “I’ll just duck inside to pay my tab and be right out.” He wanted to give Cody some privacy. Nothing was worse at that age than to have someone see him cry.
Tanner stepped inside and plastered his back against the wall. He felt like a team of thugs had jumped him and were beating him over the head, only there was no pain, just numbness. He wanted to open his arms and welcome the kid, but he wasn’t fit to be a dad. Hell, he worked hard to take care of himself. As an only child, he knew nothing about children. At least his roommate came from a large family. Maybe between the two of them, they could give Cody some guidance.
Money wasn’t an issue, but kids needed more than material goods. They needed to know they were safe and loved. Deep in his heart, Tanner believed taking in this boy was right thing to do. His only other option was to offer Cody foster care, but he wouldn’t wish that plague on anyone.
With his future clear, Tanner rushed up to the bartender, caught his eye, and threw a twenty on the counter, far more than he owed. He charged back outside.
Oh, boy. Life as he knew it sure was going to change.
Cody seemed to have composed himself, but the poor kid looked like he’d lost more than his mom. Tanner picked up the boy’s luggage. “This all you got?”
“It’s all Aunt Sarah said I could bring.”
Tanner glanced at the aunt. She lifted her chin. “After Megan became sick, they moved into a small apartment. There wasn’t any room for anything more. It was all she could afford, especially with her being so sick.”
He swallowed hard. “Don’t worry. We’ll pick up what he needs.”
The aunt sniffled. He’d been such a jerk, not even realizing that it was her sister who’d died. Now she had to leave the United States and fight in a war and couldn’t even care for the kid. Clearly, Cody meant the world to her.
Tanner moved closer. “Don’t worry about a thing. It’ll all work out. I promise I’ll take good care of him.”
Her lips trembled. “Cody is a real smart kid. He loves science.”
“Great.” He excelled at math and business, but he didn’t want to brag. Tanner cleared his throat. “My car is parked behind the bar. Want to walk with us and give him one last hug?”
She looked up at him with watery eyes and shook her head. Her fingers worried the hem of her jacket. “This is so damned hard.” She swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “I need to say good-bye now before I break down.” She grabbed Cody again in a bear hug. She leaned back and stroked his cheek. “Do what your daddy says, you hear?”
Tanner held his breath, waiting for the answer. Cody grunted, his shoulders stiff. She kissed his cheek and looked back up at Tanner. “Love
him hard.”
The aunt strode down the block, half walking, half jogging, and climbed into her car. Cody trotted toward her about four steps then stopped as if he realized he was all alone in the world. His shoulders slumped, and Tanner’s gut clenched. He inhaled to rid his eyes of the water that had pooled on his lids. The wind must have caused the tears. He blinked.
“Let’s get you settled, Cody.”
The boy didn’t respond. His body remained stiff, staring at the red taillights of his aunt’s car as she left him. The poor kid had to feel so dejected. Tanner had no idea what to do. Should he give him a hug? Or tell him to buck up and act like a man? His father would have chosen the latter tactic. Tanner tried to put himself in the kid’s shoes. If he’d been thirteen, what would he want?
“You hungry?”
That got Cody’s attention. He turned around. The scowl remained on his face, but at least he looked him in the eye. “Kind of.”
It might have been a century ago when he was that age, but food was more important than anything. “What are you in the mood for? A burger, a shake, or good steak?”
Cody’s eyes widened as if Tanner had offered him a new video game. “Can I have a steak and a shake?”
His enthusiasm won over Tanner’s heart. “Sure. I know just the place.” The upscale Steer House was right behind the Bandit Bar. He’d parked in between the two. “Follow me.”
Without looking back, he carried Cody’s suitcases. A second later, a hand clasped over his.
“I can carry one.”
Inwardly, Tanner smiled. He liked that Cody wanted to show him he was a man. “Here ya go. Thanks. They were getting mighty heavy.”