by Lynn Stark
What was she supposed to do? She shouldn’t have to worry. Callie’s will was very clear. Every penny collected from the sale of her work was to go to the charities she had listed in her will. Marley was buying the house with her own money and she would invest her own money to turn it into a place where healing patients and their families could spend time together. Callie’s House was going to be a very special place.
There was nothing either of their parents could do. The will was ironclad. Marley didn’t have to worry about them getting their hands on the money. So, what did they want?
The spotlight, she realized suddenly. It was very possible they wanted to share in the moment. They wanted to bask in the praise of their youngest daughter, who had died tragically at a very young age. Callie Jacobson, a talented woman with a great gift, who had been taken by cancer before she could truly be appreciated by the world.
The very idea of it made Marley sick.
She couldn’t let them do it.
The sound of a siren had Marley jerking in the seat, effectively bringing her back to where she should have been all along. She hadn’t been giving her driving any attention at all and cursed. Looking around, she saw she had driven some distance from town.
Pulling over to the side of the road, she put the SUV in park, then sat and waited. She swallowed hard when she saw Grayson’s image in the mirror. It wasn’t but a moment before he was waiting at the door.
Marley lowered the window and gave him a weak smile, blushing. “Hello, sheriff.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Jacobson. Do you mind telling me why you were doing sixty in a forty-five zone?”
Damn and double damn! “I’m sorry, sir. My mind was elsewhere.”
Grayson leaned on the SUV, his face full of concern. “What’s the matter, baby? You look really upset.”
She hadn’t talked to the men about her parents. Not in a detailed sort of way. She had told them that Phillip Jacobson hadn’t been part of her life since she was ten. And they knew how she had claimed everything of Callie’s before she left California, so their mother couldn’t sell it all. She had only been concentrating on the positive things happening in her life. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected her father to ever show up in Silver. And if Phillip was here, then her mother was also likely in town for the showing. They might not be together, but it was too much of a coincidence. It definitely wasn’t a good thing. And now she had to tell all.
“My father’s in town,” Marley said tightly, glancing at him and seeing him stiffen in surprise. “I saw him standing in front of the jewelry store. He didn’t come in. I’m afraid I locked up and left.”
There was a short pause as Grayson digested this information, then he asked carefully, “Are you sure it was him? You haven’t seen him since you were a child.”
A bitter smile turned up one corner of her mouth. “There are just some things you don’t forget. I adored him when I was little. He was so strong, so stable. My mother was always an emotional mess, always very dramatic to get his attention. He treated me like I was a princess. No, it’s him. Older, of course, and as handsome as ever. He’s only in his early fifties. He and my mother married very young, while they were still in college.”
“What reason would he have for suddenly showing up?”
That question was a simple one for her to answer, since she believed she had already worked it out. She would be surprised to discover she was wrong. “He’s like my mother in one very disgusting way. They both attach themselves to the wealthy. They both came from money, but never did anything with their expensive educations. They got married, went through their trust funds, and pretended they were something they weren’t.” She shrugged. “Mom still manages to get friends to ‘loan’ her money. It’s amazing. I’ve never understood why people do it.”
“There must be something about her they like, otherwise they wouldn’t do it. One thing I know about the wealthy, they don’t stay that way by just tossing money away. Your mother obviously has a real friend or two.”
Marley shrugged again. “Still, I don’t understand why they would do it. She could so easily support herself. I supported Callie and our mother once I got out of college. I did it so I would be certain Callie had a stable environment to live in. When she died, I stopped paying the bills.”
“That must have been a very hard decision to make.”
“It was. But I didn’t do it right away. It was a few months, actually. My mother made the decision for me, when I discovered she was planning to sell Callie’s artwork.” She paused, looking forward through the windshield, her fingers clenching around the steering wheel. “I was so happy. I was seeing Callie’s dreams all coming true. All the things she wanted done are going to happen. Now this. Grayson, I don’t want them here. I don’t want to talk to them. I don’t want to watch them mingling with people, claiming something they have no right to. Hell, our father never even met Callie. Now he’s here? It’s just not right.”
When the SUV’s door opened and Grayson reached across her, Marley forgot about her problems for a moment. The man smelled so good. She closed her eyes and inhaled, hot, sexy memories flooding through her. Her body heated up, her nipples hardening beneath her blouse, her pussy beginning to quiver. She heard the click of the seatbelt release and opened her eyes. She found him staring at her, a smile on his handsome face.
“What are you smiling about?”
“I was thinking how lucky Roarke and I are to have you. Just remember you have us now. You don’t have to deal with any of this alone. I know we’ve screwed up a few times.”
“So have I.”
“Yes, but I suppose we can get a few free passes until we get this figured out.”
The strong arms pulling Marley close to his big body gave her all the comfort she needed at that moment. She wanted Roarke, too, but being held by him would have to wait. Grayson would give her enough to hold her over until she was with her other man, too.
Resting against the muscular body both comforted and turned her on.
A bright red truck coming down the road had her pulling back, but Grayson tightened his hold on her.
“Hey, sheriff, make sure you check everywhere for hidden weapons!”
“Hey, Gray, want us to help handcuff her?”
Marley laughed as Mick and Collin Preston, two of Cherry’s four husbands, shouted the suggestions. She’d met them at the Walker party the previous Saturday. She thought all of them, including their other female wife and partner, Gracie, were a fantastic family. Just seeing how much love the six of them shared was awe-inspiring. It gave her hope she could have a happy life with her two men.
“Nah, I’ve got it covered,” Grayson told them, chuckling. “I’m going to take her back for interrogation.” Once the two jokers had driven away, he looked down at her again. “It’s good to see you smile, butterfly. I don’t want you worrying about your parents again. You have Roarke and me now. And Chug. You can’t do better than that. We’ll help you through anything.”
With her heart swelling with the love, growing by leaps and bounds, Marley hugged him close. “I know. Thank you. Can we go see Roarke now?”
“Yeah, we can do that. I’m taking the two of you out to supper to celebrate your moving in with us. Then, when we go home, we’re going to play ‘Ride the Cowboy.’” He tucked her safely back in the SUV, buckling her in with a kiss. “Be sure you follow all traffic laws, Miss Jacobson. I’ll let you off with a warning this time.”
“Thank you, sheriff. It’s very kind of you.” She fluttered her dark lashes at him. “If you like, we can meet somewhere later and I can show you my gratitude a little better than I can alongside of a road.” Laughing at her naughtiness, Grayson closed the door. “How do you play ‘Ride the Cowboy’?”
He winked at her. “You’ll see. I believe you’ll enjoy it. I know Roarke will. He’s the cowboy.”
Marley’s eyes widened as she realized just what was going to happen that night. Wow, she had been wai
ting for this! With her juices flowing from her pussy, she turned the SUV around and headed back into Silver, very conscious of every sign along the way.
Deciding she would just start fresh at the gallery in the morning, she headed to the Redford mansion to get more of her clothes. She smiled when she saw that Grayson was following her in the cruiser. They parked behind the house and went in. Ellen was there to greet them and then help them carry out two garment bags, a large suitcase, and several boxes.
Once she got home she took a shower then went to look at her choices. A naughty smile curved her lips as she pulled out a thong with so little to it she was certain it was outlawed in several states. She pulled it on, grimacing as the “string” slid into the cleft of her ass. The blue butterfly tattoo was visible through the tiny triangle of opaque, white fabric barely covering her sex.
Marley put on the matching bra next, her hands smoothing over the thin film covering her breasts. Her dark, puckered nipples were begging to be touched through it. A smile pulled at her mouth, imagining her men’s reactions when they saw it. They would love it. And they would want to take it off her and do naughty, naughty things to her. Oh yeah, she could live with that!
After wiggling into a clinging, sunshine-yellow dress, she searched for her shoes. She chose a pair of stilettos covered by tiny lime-green and yellow glass beads Callie had given her.
With her hair brushed into a silky dark curtain which hung to her waist, and just a touch of makeup, she was ready to go. She grabbed a lime green clutch containing the essentials, and then headed for the door with a definite bounce in her step. She liked happy clothes.
It was her men. Just knowing they were there for her to support her when she encountered her mother and father was enough to relieve her of a burden she hadn’t realized she was carrying around. Yes, she had been crushed not once, but twice by a man who’d just walked out of her life. And her mother just never seemed to care enough to care.
“Oh, wow, baby!” Roarke exclaimed, hurrying to the bottom of the stairs. He took her hand to pull her close as she stepped off the last one. “You are looking yummy.”
“No more than you, cowboy,” she said, grinning as he blushed. She looked him over. He was wearing a gray shirt with black slacks, but no tie. A black felt hat was in his free hand. She was relieved it was casual. If they had been going somewhere requiring a tie she probably would have had to tone down the outfit a little. “You’re looking hot.” And he did. She wanted to drag him upstairs and have her wicked way with him. She was so horny she was ready to crawl out of her skin. “Where’s Grayson?”
“He’ll be down in a minute. He wanted to be extra pretty for you.”
Laughing, Marley hugged him, and then nuzzled her face against the skin exposed in the small V where the top button of his shirt was undone. “Mmm, you smell good. Maybe we can stay here to celebrate.”
“None of that,” Grayson said as he came down the stairs. His emerald gaze moved over her bright yellow dress and the sparkling shoes. “You look fantastic, butterfly.”
Marley smiled almost shyly. This was their first time out together. Though they’d experienced some pretty uninhibited sex together, everything was still feeling very new. There were still moments when she wasn’t entirely certain she was doing the right thing. Everything was moving along so fast. But when she was near them, when she was able to look at them, touch them, listen to their voices, the uncertainty lessened until it just went poof!
“Thank you. You guys are very hot yourselves.”
Grayson was wearing a black shirt with his black slacks. It complemented his tanned skin and his silvery blond hair. He, too, had a black hat in his hand. Both men were hot, sexy, and hers. Was she really fighting this? No, she was doing the right thing. Once she convinced herself she was actually moving in with two handsome men, then she could believe it.
“Where are we going for supper?”
“Someplace nice, but it’s not too fussy. We both hate ties.”
“So, I don’t have to worry about going into the Silver Star Hotel in my tramp dress?” Marley teased, smiling up at him.
“No. Not this time, although I wouldn’t mind seeing Albert, the maître d’s, reaction to you walking in wearing that.” She remembered Albert. He was full of starch and would probably be very disapproving of her ensemble. Gray grinned, and then reached out. “Ready to go?” he asked, taking her hand.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Marley told him. And she was. There was a future with these men just waiting for her to embrace it. And she would.
One of the things she liked about Silver was how so many business establishments managed to work the word silver into their name. A quick drive through town and along the river, and they arrived at the Silver Garden Restaurant. It was a charming redbrick building with ironwork around the balcony on the second floor. It reminded her of buildings she had seen in the French Quarter in New Orleans. As with the rest of the old section of town it was full of charm and likely had an interesting history of its own.
Once they were inside the restaurant they were shown to a table in a private alcove. Other diners greeted them as they passed. It was good to know that her men were so well respected. It was another reassurance that she wasn’t doing the wrong thing. Not that she would change her mind about them now. They could turn into the town’s bad boys and she would still love them.
Marley’s world came to a screeching halt as the men slid into the booth on either side of her. The server asked each of them what they wanted to drink before leaving them alone. She was only vaguely aware of giving an answer as she fully accepted the revelation that she was in love with Grayson and Roarke.
She had known she was feeling something very much like love these past few days, but she hadn’t fully accepted it. It was something to be expected as she got to know them. They were great guys. She had accepted that she was falling in love with them. But to have actually fallen completely was a shock.
“Are you okay, baby?” Roarke asked with concern, obviously noticing the change in her.
Marley nodded and took the offered menu. She looked it over, biting her lip to keep back the giggle which threatened to escape. She was so darn happy at that moment she didn’t know how long she would be able to keep her little secret.
“What do you want, butterfly?”
“Well, I was trying to see if they have ‘I love you guys’ on the menu. But I don’t see it.”
There was dead silence on either side of her. Marley dared a glance at Roarke from the corner of her eye. He was staring at her, mouth gaping. She turned to Grayson, who wore a similar expression on his handsome face.
“Did you just say you love us?”
The giggle of happiness, bright and spontaneous, burst from her lips. She nodded. “Yes, I love you guys. I’m not going to ask myself how I could fall in love with two men. I’m just going to go with there’s something in Silver’s water and leave it at that.”
The two men, her men, were all over her then. The alcove gave them privacy from the other diners, as it was designed to do. Strong hands slid around her waist, holding her close as they pressed her into the tufted leather back of the booth. Lips sought out hers as hands began exploring. Grayson groaned, capturing her mouth in a deep, sensual kiss, his tongue stroking hers as he held her close. Roarke was nibbling on her neck and running his hand beneath the hem of the short yellow dress. The tips of his fingers stroked over the silky triangle covering her oversensitized sex.
When they broke apart they were all panting hard. Grayson pressed his forehead to hers. “It’s a good thing you said that, because Roarke and I have something for you. It could have gotten awkward, otherwise.”
With that he pulled back and reached into the pocket of his slacks. He pulled out a small box and opened it. Marley gasped. Inside were two rings. The band was a narrower version of the wide gold bands they both wore, with a Celtic knot design engraved around it. The other was a narrow band with a jewel-encrusted butte
rfly perched upon it.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful! How did you ever find anything so absolutely perfect?”
Diamonds edged the wings, the spots filled in with small emeralds. The body was made of gold, as were the antennae and curled proboscis. It was beautiful, sweet, and perfect.
Roarke took it and slid it onto her finger. “It’s perfect like you. Maury at the jewelry store called and told us he had a ring we might want for you. He said seeing how we were getting serious and all about you, we’d best have a ring ready. Maury’s words, but we agreed.”
Thank goodness for waterproof makeup. Marley began sniffling and tearing up. She snatched up the linen napkin on the table and began dabbing beneath her eyes. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” she cried, hoping she didn’t really sound like a bawling calf. She suspected she did. She threw herself into Grayson’s strong arms, sobbing on his shirt while Roarke stroked her back and pushed her hair aside so he could kiss her between the shoulder blades. “What am I going to do with the two of you?”
“You’ll marry us, just as soon as your sister’s show is over. The church and the minister are on standby and everyone in Silver is just waiting to throw us a party.”
“At this very minute more potato salads, macaroni salads, and casseroles than you can imagine are being planned. Stay away from Mrs. Higgins’s chicken wings.” Roarke laughed as he nibbled on her skin, making her wiggle between them.
Marley nodded her agreement to the plan. She had been making so many plans lately that she just didn’t want anything to do with thinking about anything else. Let them do it. “Sounds good to me. The people around here sure do enjoy their parties.” The Walkers’ party had been great, better than anything she had ever attended.
“You have no idea. Even if we did hold a reception by invitation, just about everyone that wasn’t invited would just show up anyway. They all have to be held out at the fairgrounds or the community center.”
“I love the people here. At least the ones I’ve met so far. Everyone has been terrific.”
