Butterfly Madness [Loving in Silver 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lynn Stark

  “It’s just nice to know you’re not perfect, O’Malley,” Rod Green shot back as he climbed down the tall ladder. In a more serious tone, he added, “I hope things work out with Marley. She’s a real nice lady. Shame about what happened with her sister.” He clapped Roarke on the shoulder before he began gathering up his tools.

  “Is something wrong, babe?”

  Roarke walked outside, inhaling the fresh air. “Not really wrong. Marley talked to me while we worked. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s not really something I can talk about on the phone. How’s your day going?”

  “Other than I burned the meatloaf and Chug dragged a ten-pound bag of potatoes around the house, it’s been boring as hell. I’m not used to being alone on my day off. I miss you. But I’m glad you made some headway with Marley.”

  “So am I. It was a good start. She really opened herself up to me. The woman is in some serious pain.” He swallowed against the thickening in his throat. It wouldn’t do any good if he started blubbering like a baby. He looked back at the gallery. Rod was just leaving, walking back through to the rear entrance where he had parked his truck. “Rod’s done here. I think I’ll lock the place up then go down to see how dad’s doing. I’ll bring something home for lunch to replace the burned meatloaf. What are you in the mood for?”

  “How about you get some Chinese food? I have a craving for wonton soup.”

  Roarke laughed. Gray loved Asian cuisine. “You got it.”

  When he and Gray got together for lunch at the house an hour later, Roarke filled him in on what Marley had shared with him. Since she hadn’t requested he keep it to himself, he didn’t feel any guilt about sharing with his partner. She had to know, to expect, that he would do so. Besides, she had told him everything in front of Rod Green. Obviously she didn’t have secrets, just things no one knew just yet.

  Gray whistled. “That’s a lot for her to be carrying around.”

  Roarke nodded as he reached across to the other man’s plate to snag a piece of sweet-and-sour chicken. “There’s so much pain in her voice. And love. It’s obvious her sister meant everything to her and now she’s gone.”

  “I’ll bet she’s afraid to get into a relationship with us because she might feel like she’s using us to fill in that emptiness she’s experiencing.”

  “It’s kinda like being on the rebound from a love affair. She might be afraid it wouldn’t last.” He took a fork and cut one of Gray’s eggrolls in half, swirling it in duck sauce, before dropping it on his plate.

  “You getting enough to eat over there?” his lover teased him.

  “Hey, I’m a growing boy. I’m years younger than you.”

  “Two. Two years younger. Now stay the hell away from the rest of my food before I make you go back out for more.” He stabbed a piece of the eggroll, dipped it in sauce, and then took a bite. He chewed for a moment, obviously thinking before he asked, “Do you think we’re doing the right thing, trying to get her to date us? Maybe we should just back off for a while.”

  Gray was quiet for so long after his suggestion Roarke began to worry. Then he looked up at him and he saw the calm acceptance in his lover’s green eyes. He nodded once. “It would probably be best. We should give her time. It’s the decent thing to do. She needs to deal with her sister’s death. Grief can do weird things to some people. The exhibition and sale of her sister’s work will probably help. It’ll be one more thing that’s finished, like closing a chapter for her.”

  Though they weren’t happy on a personal level, they did know it was the right decision. Denying themselves the need to express their growing feelings for Marley was going to be tough. Especially since they had both done their very best to seduce her. Perhaps those weren’t their best moments. Taking advantage of a woman they both knew who was going through a rough time. They were selfish jerks.

  “Do you feel as crappy as I do?” he asked Gray, pushing his plate away.

  “You could say that.” Gray paused for a moment, his own food forgotten. “This is what we’ll do. We’ll take her to the Walker party Saturday night. Then we’ll take her home. No trying to seduce her.”

  “No kisses?”

  “Well, kissing might be okay, but nothing more. No trying to get her into bed. She obviously isn’t ready for a relationship. And there are two of us. That’s got to be a lot for her to deal with, too. She hasn’t gotten used to the relationships that are so common here in Silver.”

  “You’re absolutely right. We’ll be like brothers to her.”

  “No, not brothers. I’m not backing off that much. I don’t want to shut the door completely.”

  Roarke felt the pain in his gut. He knew backing off was for the best, but he hadn’t known it was going to feel as if he was ripping something out of himself. Looking at Gray, again sitting there quietly across from him at the table, he knew his lover felt the same.

  “This is really going to suck.”

  “It already sucks.”

  * * * *

  Marley smiled at the man sitting across from her at the table by the window. It was prime real estate in the hotel’s restaurant. “I really do like the third house we looked at today,” she said with enthusiasm. “It has a nice big yard and doesn’t need too much to get it the way I’d want it. And it’s a Queen Anne.”

  “I thought it would be something you’d be interested in, but I wanted to show you the other two first.”

  “They weren’t bad, but this one is so sweet.”

  “Do you like it better than Gray and Roarke’s place?”

  Marley rolled her eyes. “How could I like any house better than that one? It’s absolutely perfect! It’s as if Callie had described that very one. I felt like I recognized it when I saw it. If I did do anything to it, I would change the exterior colors. They’re so very manly at the moment. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  Colt laughed softly. “With a Queen Anne, changing the colors is a major change. And you have to get an expert to do it. No volunteer weekend warriors slapping on paint as fast as they can so they can get the free beer.”

  A shudder of horror went through Marley at the thought. Yes, such an intricate job needed professionals. Why take a chance on it not getting done right? Or taking forever?

  “You understand perfectly,” Colt stated intuitively, smiling. “The town also has to approve the paint colors. It’s no big deal. You’ve seen the houses here. Many are like rainbows. It’s not so much the color, it’s that all the colors used complement one another.”

  Nodding, Marley stabbed a plump shrimp in her salad. “I can understand that. Callie chose the colors for our house. Well, she chose enough colors to do a dozen houses, but she had her favorites. Each palette of colors was for a specific house, depending on size, architectural detail, etc. She did love to do it.”

  “And you know which you’ll choose for the house if you buy it?”

  Marley nodded. “Since there are no lavender houses, I believe I will go with that.”

  She and Colt spent the next hour discussing the purchase of the house and her plans for it. Even as she knew purchasing the house was the right thing to do, she still felt a twinge of guilt. It was as if by buying the house said she was saying she had no interest in the men.

  And she did have an interest in them. She just didn’t know that she could act on it just yet. With so much still leaving her feeling unsettled, the move, the showing, and the lingering guilt over moving on without Callie, she didn’t know what she could offer them. They seemed to be such good men. How could she offer herself to them if she wasn’t complete yet?

  Time, that’s what she needed. She would buy the house, move in, and get her life in order. She could go from there. As Roarke had told her, she could rent out or lease her house to rich vacationers. It wouldn’t hurt to have an extra source of income.

  As they stood out on the sidewalk in front of the Silver Star Hotel, Colt looked down at her with those appraising eyes of his. It was a look
she was becoming use to. “I’ll draw up the papers. You can get an inspector over there to look the place over. Though I haven’t had it inspected myself, I can only pass along the reassurances of the owners. I’ve known them a long time, but having it inspected would give you a sense of confidence. Since it’s a cash sale, and the house is presently unoccupied, you should be able to move in before the end of the month.”

  That was only two weeks away. Marley tamped down rising panic. It was the second big decision she had made since Callie’s death. The first had been to leave California behind and all the memories they had made together there. Now this. What did make her feel better was that she was fulfilling a part of her sister’s dream.

  Maybe it wasn’t panic. Maybe it was just good, old-fashioned excitement.

  Marley decided to call it the latter.

  “I’ll have to get it painted soon.” The whole house was white. Everything from the eaves down to the foundation was an uninspiring white. It was all very boring and cheated the house of expressing the personality which it had been given by the designer and builder so very long ago.

  “I couldn’t wait until next spring. And I would like to enjoy it for a while, before the snow falls.”

  Colt nodded, smiling. “Go over your color palettes again and choose the one you would like most. I’ll have Miss Jersey fill out the forms and we’ll submit them to the planning board for you.”

  “That sounds terrific.” She nodded, and then added conspiratorially, “I really hope this all moves through quickly. I don’t know how much longer I can live in your family home. I just know they go in and sterilize the bedroom every time I leave with the dogs.”

  Rich male laughter filled the air. “Don’t feel bad. They do the same to my room as well.”

  They parted ways, heading in opposite directions. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she made her way to the gallery. It wouldn’t be long before she would have the grand opening/showing. Callie’s work would be featured first. Other artists, friends of theirs, would then be featured. She had already sent out brochures to prospective buyers, people who already owned pieces of Callie’s work. Several had called her, telling her they would be there for the gallery’s opening. It was a good sign.

  “You look happy,” a male voice said, making Marley pause before she walked up the steps to the gallery. She had been so lost in thought she hadn’t seen Nick Walker on the sidewalk ahead of her. “Or not?”

  “I am happy,” she confirmed. “How are you?”

  The sadness was there on his handsome face, in his jewel-blue eyes. “I suppose Roarke told you about my wife and partner.”

  Marley nodded. “He did. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you. I heard you had one of your own. Your sister. I’m sorry for your loss as well.”

  Wow, she thought, the news about her sister had traveled fast.

  “Thank you. Would you like to come in?”

  “Sure. Actually, I was coming to see you.”

  Unlocking the door, Marley stepped in and held the door for him. “You were? About what?”

  “Both my wife and partner were artists. My wife was primarily a painter, but worked in other mediums from time to time. My partner designed and made stained glass. They both sold quite a bit, but I have rooms full of their work. They didn’t stop doing it just because they didn’t have a buyer for it.” He smiled. “It was starting to get crowded and they were planning on having a showing at the old gallery a couple of months before they were killed. I’m afraid that’s as far as it got. I haven’t lived in the house since. When I finally got up the courage to go in the other day, I saw all these beautiful things and knew I had to make some kind of arrangements for them to be sold. All proceeds will go to their favorite charities.”

  Nodding, Marley noted he seemed to run out of steam then and just looked lost. She knew exactly how he felt. She reached out to place a gentle hand on his forearm. “I’ll come by and look at everything when you’re ready,” she said gently. “We’ll make plans for it. With the winter tourist season coming, it should be a simple thing to set something up.”

  Nick looked relieved. “Thank you. I don’t know if I can go back to the house right now…” he began, looking helpless and in a lot of pain. “I’ll let you know.”

  Her fingers tightened on his forearm. She felt the power in it. She could almost feel the emotions bottled up inside him. “There’s no rush. It was weeks before I could deal with anything of Callie’s. It takes time.”

  “But she didn’t pass away all that long ago. How did you manage so soon afterward?”

  Marley’s lips twisted. She felt the familiar surge of anger and a touch of loathing. “Our mother made the decision for me. She tried to take Callie’s paintings. She was going to sell them to some second-rate art dealer for a few thousand dollars. She was quite pleased when she made the announcement. I went in with a few friends and emptied Callie’s rooms of everything she owned, of every painting or drawing she had ever done.”

  Nick looked impressed. “And what did your mother do?”

  “She couldn’t do anything. Callie was an adult when she made her will. She left everything to me. I only went in while our mother was gone so I didn’t have to deal with her fake tears and her bemoaning the fact that both her daughters were ungrateful bitches.”

  “Cold. Will she try to fight it?”

  “I doubt it. My mother has an image she tries to maintain for equally vacuous friends.” She shrugged. “She can try to fight the terms of the will, but I’ve already got a lawyer ready to head her off if she tries. If she does, I can provide enough proof to those she considers important to make her undesirable as a spa buddy or a dinner guest.”

  Nick was looking around at the finished gallery. “It’s looking good in here. The old gallery looked like it hadn’t been touched since the fifties. The owner never did much in here the last ten years or so.”

  “I believe it will work out very well. I needed a place to display Callie’s art and I wasn’t going to kiss anybody’s ass to do it.” Marley smirked. “I’m now getting calls, begging me to let certain people show her work. It’s so not happening. It’ll happen here, in the kind of place she dreamed of living. People who already have some of her work will come to get something to add to their collections. It’ll be a good thing because I’ll raise the money for the charities which were near and dear to her heart.”

  When Nick left, Marley took a moment to collect her emotions. She hadn’t talked about Callie so much to anyone but Colt since her arrival. But she had never said anything to him about her mother. She wanted to leave Doreen in the past. Of course, if she decided she could have a relationship with Grayson and Roarke, she would have to tell them about the coldhearted woman, but there was still time before she had to take out that skeleton again.

  Breathing slowly in and out, she relaxed then began looking around. The electrician had finished putting up the lighting fixtures. Each could be moved to spotlight a painting. He had done an excellent job and she was pleased to see he hadn’t left a mess all over the floor Roarke had polished.

  Sniffing, she wrinkled her nose. It would take a few days for the smell of paint to be gone. No wonder Colt didn’t want to stay at his house while it aired out, she thought with a grimace.

  As she moved along the walls she imagined where each painting would be hung. She would build up the anticipation gradually, working the guests to the rear where Callie’s very best work would be featured.

  Marley was filled with satisfaction as she locked the front of the gallery then went out through the back where she had parked her SUV. She stopped dead when she saw a very large brown bear sniffing along the space between the door and the body of her vehicle. Darn! Though there was no human food in there, not even a gum wrapper, there was a box of dog treats.

  Backing slowly toward the gallery, she tried not to disturb the animal. It had been a long time since she had encountered a bear and that hadn’t bee
n a pleasant situation. Just because this one was inside the town’s limits and snooping around her SUV, and not turning over rocks along a path in the back country, didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. And it was big.

  No, it was really big.

  Taking her eyes off of it long enough to unlock the rear door on the gallery, she got inside and closed the door between them. She called the sheriff’s office.

  “Sheriff’s office, how can I be of assistance?”

  “This is Marley Jacobson. There’s a bear in the parking lot behind my gallery.”

  “We’ll send someone right over. Are you in any danger?”

  “No. I got back inside the gallery. It’s snooping around my SUV.” When she heard the screeching of metal, she corrected, “No, it’s now breaking into my SUV.”

  Groaning, she shook her head. She dared to open the door a crack to look out and groaned again. The bear had half of his huge body shoved through the opening he had created when he had essentially peeled the door off the body.

  “A deputy will be sent, as well as the wildlife officer, who happens to be in town at the moment. Please stay inside. You’ll hear a blast of a horn. It’s a warning that there’s a bear in town. Don’t be alarmed.”

  Well, she wouldn’t be alarmed, but she was going to be bored and she was already beyond irritated. She would be without a vehicle until the damage could be repaired. Hopefully the thing would take the box of dog biscuits and leave without doing too much damage to the interior of the SUV.

  A very loud horn blasted and she peeked out again, hoping the animal would be startled enough to leave. No such luck. He did leave, however, when a deputy drove his cruiser into the parking lot. There was a shout from the direction the bear took in his attempt at an escape. She stuck her head out of the door to see a tall, thin man with a tranquilizer gun shoot the bear as it was cornered against a building. They backed off until the sedative took effect, which wasn’t long. She came out as a huge trailer with a bear trap was backed in. Several men appeared to help the deputy and the wildlife officer move the huge bulk quickly into the corrugated cylinder. During the time this was happening, three Karelian bear dogs were being held on leashes close by, all but barking and growling in the bear’s face, nipping at huge clawed paws and muscled haunches. She knew the bear was likely only immobilized by the tranquilizer and not completely out of it, so he would be aware the dogs were there to torment him. It would be good memory reinforcement. Bears were incredibly intelligent animals and he would associate his time in town with unpleasant experiences. Good, she didn’t want to see it again. She wondered how much a bear dog cost and if she could get one. She smiled at her own nonsense and walked out to examine her poor SUV.