The Climax Montana Complete Collection

by Reece Butler

  “What’s this all about?” she demanded.

  Matt and Eric exchanged glances. Their amusement infuriated her.

  “You’re not the type of woman to do this with men you don’t care about,” said Matt. He clasped his hands behind his head, unconcerned about the cock rising from his groin. “You want the stability of marriage, with two husbands to support you. Our children will be part of a large family.” One side of his mouth curled down. “Including too many interfering relatives.”

  “Your father took off when he learned about you,” added Eric gently. “You don’t want to do that your own babe. I didn’t realize how much I wanted you to swell with my child, until you said you didn’t think you were pregnant. But there is a chance you could be carrying our son. He needs a father or two, especially as he’ll inherit the Circle C ranch. If he wants,” he added.

  As a doctor, she knew it was too early to tell. She’d been so upset that morning when she’d seen blood, thinking her chance for a child had passed, that she’d assumed the worst. But there’d been nothing since, and a touch of spotting was just that. She could be pregnant. Or not.

  Did she want to be pregnant? Her hand dropped to cup the space between her belly button and curls. Yes. Did she want to marry them just because she might be carrying their baby? No.

  She could raise this child, if it came to be, on her own. Unlike her mother, she had the money, education, family, home, and everything else her baby needed, except a father. He’d be near enough, visiting as he could. She’d done fine without a man cluttering up their single-wide, and so had Marci.

  “Eric likes you, and so do I,” said Matt. “So if you feel the same, why not get hitched? You’d become part of the Tanner’s Ford Valley family, just like Marci.”

  She shook her head. “I will never be like Marci.”

  Her little sister loved being a homemaker, as in one who creates a home. Even before she started school she’d helped Mom while Nikki studied. She loved to cook, make things for her home, and was a natural-born hostess.

  Nikki knew, deep in her heart, that she could never be the same. She loved intellectual discussions and got bored when other women went on and on about their families. It was different at work, where she took a clinical interest in anything to do with her patients.

  “Just because your sister is ten inches shorter, with dark hair, eyes, and skin, doesn’t mean you’re that different,” said Matt earnestly. “Look at Simon and Lance. They’re twins but one is a fuzzy red-headed Highland Scot and the other a smooth-skinned Bannock Indian. No one would ever know they were related.”

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  “Nikki, this isn’t going to be the Cinderella proposal you might’ve dreamed about.” Eric shifted until he could lean against the headboard. “But Matt’s right. Neither of us are getting younger. We get along fine, in bed and out. Why not make it permanent?”

  “I told you I didn’t want to marry.” She gave each of them her “doctor knows best” glower. “I told the whole town.”

  “So did I.” Eric winked. “Turns out I was wrong.”

  “I signed a contract with the Climax Council that I’d remain here, as physician, for at least five years!”

  * * * *

  Eric nodded, as Nikki seemed to expect some sort of reply. She was the best damn doctor in a couple of hundred miles. It made his chest swell with pride that such a woman would want to share his home. He’d be even prouder when she agreed to share his life.

  “That means,” she said, speaking slowly and distinctly as if he had to read lips, “I will not be keeping house for you, or Matt, or anyone else.”

  “Keeping house?” asked Matt from the sidelines.

  “I care for you, and Matt, a lot.”

  She was playing with the slippery satin tie of his bathrobe. He had a good mind to use it to tie her hands to the headboard, put a blindfold on her, and help Matt turn her into quivering jelly.

  “Care for us, or love us?” asked Matt.

  “All right, I love you. But I also love being a doctor. I can’t do both.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Nikki?” demanded Eric.

  “I know Matt wants a wife to stay at home to cook and clean and do all those things that Marci loves, but that’s not me. I—”

  “I repeat,” said Eric, bulldozing over her ridiculous prattle and the noise of Matt gaping like a fish, “what the hell are you talking about?”

  “I can’t be a wife. It’s not who I am!”

  She threw her arms out, then jammed them deep in the pockets. She frowned, pulled out a couple of condom packages, made a sound of disgust, and threw them against the wall.

  Maybe it was the leftover confusion from his fear of flying yesterday, combined with the absolute terror of thinking Nikki dead, that had slowed his brain. But he got it. Finally. He stood up, crossing his arms to stop himself from reaching for her.

  “A wife,” he repeated. She nodded briskly, still not looking at them. “You’ll refuse to marry us because you think we want you to be like your sister.”

  “And Aggie, and Ginny, and—”

  “When did we ever, ever, tell you to cook, or clean, or do any of the other things you’ve convinced yourself we expect you to do?”

  The sudden silence after his roar hurt his ears.

  She swallowed, hard, staring at the patio door. He knew there was nothing outside to interest her. She was either thinking hard, or avoiding looking at them. Both, likely. Matt opened his mouth to say something, but Eric held up a warning finger.

  They waited as Nikki fidgeted. And waited. She drew designs in the carpet with her bare foot. The deep-red nail polish she’d applied for Marci’s wedding drew his eye. Her long feet were dainty in proportion to the rest of her. He was going to nibble those toes, one after the other. He pulled his eyes away from the temptation to see a blush creep up that long neck of hers.

  She cleared her throat, but still didn’t speak. Finally, she licked her lips, then opened them.

  “You mean, I can have you, and Matt, and my job?”

  He couldn’t stand not having her in his arms any more. She didn’t fight as he carried her over to the porch swing, which he still hadn’t put on the deck. He set her sideways on his lap. Matt sat on her far side, rubbing her back. He set them rocking. Just knowing Nikki was in his arms again, not fighting their touch, was enough for now.

  This was what it was all about. The three of them being together, loving and caring and sharing. Both the good times and the not so good. He damn well hoped this would be one of the good times to remember and laugh about for years to come.

  “There’s nothing stopping you from having it all, Nikki. We want you to have your profession as a highly respected family physician. Add to that two husbands, a mess of kids, and dogs, cats, rabbits, whatever the heck you want.” He kissed the top of her head as Matt added his own murmurs.

  “Whatever you want, baby, it’s yours. Day or night, rain or shine. Or sleet, snow, hail, and anything else Montana throws at us.”

  She tilted her head up. He groaned at the tracks of tears lining her cheeks. She looked over her shoulder at Matt.

  “You don’t mind that I’ll be away a lot? Babies come when they want, so some nights I’ll be away delivering, and there’s emergencies, and—”

  “We love you,” said Eric. “That’s not going to change, ever. Neither will who we are. Matt will always be a rancher, happy to ride a horse over the Circle C Ranch. I can’t stop tinkering with machinery to make it run smooth. Just like you can’t stop helping people get, and stay, healthy. We are who we are. None of us anywhere near perfect. Though you’re about as close as it comes.” He slid his hand inside her robe and over her breast. “And speaking of coming…”

  She grabbed his hand, stopping him from exploring further. But her nipple was hard under his palm.

  “Spoilsport,” he murmured. They both knew he could easily pull free.

  “I’m
trying to think,” she admonished him. “You know my mind goes blank when you touch me.”

  Which was precisely why he did it.

  “I would never hold you back, love,” said Matt. “We’ll hire a housekeeper. We don’t want you because of what you do. We love you for who you are.”

  Nikki drew circles in his chest hair. They curled around her finger, pulling tight. It tickled and worse, but he said nothing.

  “Why do you want me? Not just any woman, but me.”

  She sounded like a lost little girl. And not far inside her was the child who’d had to develop a thick protective shell. He’d broken through one layer that first time he spanked her. But, like an onion, there were always more. That was part of why she was so fascinating.

  “There’s so many reasons I can’t list them all,” he said.

  “Try.”

  “You mean, other than I love you?” Her forehead rasped against his chest hair when she silently nodded. “Let’s see, you’re smart, and sexy. I never know what you’ll come up with. Luckily, I love a challenge. You aren’t afraid of me even when I go overboard and roar at you.”

  “Your body is so different from mine,” added Matt. “Your skin is soft, but you’ve got muscle underneath. Your laugh makes me feel good.”

  Eric brushed his hand over her breast. She inhaled a hiss. His cock, already rising, surged.

  “Those sexy sounds you make drive me insane,” he said. “I damn near come when I put my tongue on your clit and you sigh and melt. And baby girl, I want to put my tongue on you. Now.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Nikki wriggled on Eric’s lap. She needed to get his robe off so they could touch her.

  “Whoa,” said Matt loudly. “Time out.”

  He scratched vigorously at his hair with both hands before climbing out of the swing. He rolled back his shoulders and made a big show of getting down on one knee in front of them.

  “Are you proposing?” demanded Eric.

  “Yep.

  “Wait just a damn minute!”

  She was set aside like a sack of potatoes. The swing rocked madly as Eric climbed off. He knelt before her the same as Matt.

  “I’m down on my knees, baby. For you,” he said.

  She’d expected Matt to be the type to propose on one knee, but Eric was not the kind of man to kneel for anyone. She loved him as a commanding, demanding caveman, but also when he cuddled and held her as if she was a precious ornament. He lost no strength as a man by kneeling before her. Power radiated from his muscles. No weakling would ever show the determination she saw in his tight expression.

  Two long, thick cocks jutted toward her like thick arrows.

  “For God’s sake,” she said, “will you both put something on?”

  “Why?” asked Matt. He looked at Eric, who shrugged, amused at her question.

  “What will I say when someone asks how you proposed to me?”

  “Tell them we wore our best suits. Birthday suits,” said Eric. He sent a leer at her. “Why don’t you throw off that robe so we’ll match?”

  Instead, she tucked the edges closed. He gave a mock scowl.

  “Will you marry me, Nikki?” asked Matt. “I’ll cherish you every day of our lives, bring you lots of orgasms, and even let Eric share our bed when he’s around.”

  “I’ll be around for the next year.”

  “Huh?” Matt turned to Eric. “I thought you had to leave again?”

  “Nope. Got laid off.” Eric tugged at his earlobe. “I’m still paid, so I can do a lot of volunteer work when Matt doesn’t need me here.”

  Matt socked him in the shoulder. They both rocked from the blow. She wanted to kick the both of them.

  “When were you going to tell me?” she demanded. “Here I was, bracing myself to see you leave, and—”

  “And now you won’t have to,” he finished briskly. “Now answer Matt’s question so I can ask my own.”

  She pressed her lips together, furious but knowing now was not the time to get into it. “I won’t give up my job. The town needs me, and I love what I do.”

  “Of course not,” said Matt. “You can live in that house of Eric’s when the weather’s bad, or when you’re on call.”

  “Nikki, we love you, and that’s all that matters,” said Eric ponderously. “The hows and whys of our lives are just details. We’ll work things out to suit us. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

  “If we’re really lucky,” said Matt, “our children will find partners who love them as much as I do you.”

  Matt was already talking about their children marrying. She blinked back tears, clearing her thick throat.

  Could she have it all? A wonderful job helping people in a place that was wild and beautiful? Two men who loved her even though she wasn’t anything close to what a normal wife and mother would be? Children who would be cared for and loved by an extended family that filled the valley?

  She sniffed. It didn’t work. She burst into tears. This time it was Matt who swept her up and rocked her.

  “I never cry!” she wailed, turning her face into his chest.

  “I expect there’s a good reason,” he said soothingly.

  “It’s been a wild few days,” said Eric. “You’re just upset.”

  “That, and the baby hormones,” said Matt.

  Nikki gulped. Her heart pounded. She wasn’t going to say anything, figuring she wanted a child so much she’d exaggerated the symptoms. She looked blankly up. “What?”

  Matt smiled down at her. He winked. “You’re pregnant with Eric’s babe.”

  “She is?” demanded Eric.

  “Why,” she hiccupped. “Why do you say that?”

  “Process of deduction, sweetheart. You’d never wear those yellow satin panties if you thought you’d ruin them. Your breasts are tender, you’re crying and carrying on, and you haven’t had a cup of coffee in days.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Face it doc, we’re preggers. I’d hoped it would be mine, but that’s fine. There’ll be more.”

  Matt’s conclusion allowed her to believe her own.

  “A baby,” she whispered.

  A sense of euphoria swept through her, closely followed by more tears. It was a good fifteen minutes before she was again sitting on the swing with two naked, aroused men facing her. Eric’s dressing gown had been thrown over a chair.

  “Will you marry me, Nikki?” asked Matt.

  “Will you submit to me sexually, baby girl?” countered Eric.

  She looked from one to the other. Matt, so eager and playful, yet with a serious side that showed his stability. Eric, who though he wished for her to obey him, wanted her love most of all. Time would tell, but she didn’t think she’d ever find anything better. She loved them, warts and all.

  “I won’t be treated like Lance and Simon do Marci. Just because I may be pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t do everything just like before.”

  Matt and Eric shared a look. Matching sly grins turned to her.

  “Nikki, we want answers,” warned Eric. He gave her That Look, the one that made her instantly wet.

  “Yes, and yes.”

  “Time to roar,” said Eric, rising to his feet.

  “Roar?”

  “Roar my possession of you. Roar that you are carrying the next Frost generation. Roar that you will be our wife, and that we will never be alone again.”

  * * * *

  Nikki had just pushed down the toaster when a shrill ringing erupted. Matt had moved the office phone into the kitchen the night she and Eric spent on the mountain.

  “It must be Marci,” she said to Eric. She pushed the speaker button, smiling in anticipation. “Good morning! Did you have as much fun with your men last night as I did with mine?”

  There was dead silence instead of Marci’s laugh. A feminine throat cleared.

  “Eric or Matt, if you boys brought a loose woman into my home, I’ll get out my wooden spoon and—”

  Eric’s face turned pal
e, and then red.

  “It’s Eric, Mom. And there’s no loose woman here.”

  “I’ll take over, honey,” said a slightly muffled deep voice. Nikki heard scratching noises as the phone changed hands. “Who answered the phone, son? Because that was definitely a woman’s voice I heard.”

  Eric gestured to Nikki. “Mom, Dad, and Pops if he’s there, I’d like you to meet the mother of your grandchildren.”

  “Grandchildren!” squawked a voice over the speaker phone.

  Nikki gasped at his choice of words. “Eric, this is not how you tell your parents about me!” She slapped his bare stomach with the back of her hand.

  “Ow! She hit me, Mom! Right in the belly!” Eric grinned at Nikki as he complained like a squabbling child.

  “Good for you, girl!” said Mr. Frost. “I used to use the back of his head until he grew too tall. Glad you didn’t aim lower. I want at least a couple of those grandchildren.”

  She turned her fury on Eric. “What if I’m not pregnant?”

  Eric shrugged, still grinning. “How long did it take your mother?” He ambled over to the empty coffeepot, thought better of it, and reached for a teabag.

  Heavy feet thumped down the stairs. Matt rushed into the room, his smile wide and open. All he wore was a pair of undershorts. He strode toward her, a determined look on his face. She ducked, but he caught her. He held her near the telephone and gave her a very loud kiss.

  “Dang, you taste good, woman.” She struggled to punch him but he wrapped himself around her. His cowboy muscles were a lot stronger. “Mornin’, all. Where you calling from this time?”

  “Matt? Are you in on this, too?”

  “Sure am, Dad. Nikki’s marrying both of us.” She managed to jab her elbow into his gut. He grunted and finally released her. “She just got me with a lucky elbow.” He rubbed the spot. “Did Eric tell you Nikki’s as tall as me? She’s big and blonde, like one of those Norse goddesses. And she’s smarter than Eric. She’s the new doctor in Climax.”