by Marla Monroe
Jay chuckled. “I love to cook, so my pantry is overly big, and we have an industrial freezer and fridge. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Before I saw this, I would have said yes, I’m starved, but now I’m not sure a football team could eat all of this.”
“Just eat what you want, babe. Most of it can be saved for later. I’ve gotten used to Jay’s feasts. He tends to do that when he’s happy.”
“And I’m very happy this morning,” Jay told her.
“See what I mean?” Kenny’s eyes sparkled with that same happiness evident in Jay’s eyes.
“I’ll do my best. It all looks too good to touch though. Look at the pastries. They’re beautiful.” Rayna just shook her head.
If I were to spend much time with them, I’d be large as a barn.
Still, the way they played in bed, she might work most of it off. The giggle that escaped didn’t seem to bother either man. They filled her plate with enough food for Chester then did the same with their own plates.
“Dig in, honey.” Jay took a bite of bacon then shoveled a spoonful of fluffy eggs into his mouth.
“Here, try this.” Kenny held a forkful of eggs with cheese and ham in front of her mouth.
Rayna closed her mouth around it and hummed her approval as soon as she tasted the delicious omelet.
“Mmmm. That’s wonderful. Jay, I knew you could cook from the other day, but this is fabulous.”
He just nodded and smiled as he ate. It didn’t seem to bother him that she’d praised his cooking abilities.
“He knows. I’ve told him often enough. That’s why I have to work out some. I’d end up a fat roly-poly vet if I didn’t. Handling the small cat and dog isn’t that hard, but trying to work around horses and cattle requires some strength and a normal-size body.” Kenny shook his head at the other man. “I’m beginning to think that Jay might be trying to kill me in a roundabout way.”
“Not a chance. I can’t handle the zoo you have here. They won’t mind me.”
Rayna enjoyed their back and forth conversation almost as much as what she was putting her mouth. The man could cook. The fact that he was so good looking and damn good in bed made her wonder why they hadn’t found their woman before now. What was the catch?
I better watch out, or I’ll fall hard for them, only to find out there’s some fatal flaw there somewhere.
She sure hoped not, but really. They were too good to be true.
“What are you looking so serious about over there?” Jay asked her between bites.
“Thinking about how dangerous you are for my waistline,” she lied.
“Honey, you’re perfect like you are, but if you gained a few pounds, I’d be all over that. Nothing like a curvy woman to stir me up.” Jay reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
Yep, there’s got to be a catch here somewhere. I just haven’t found it yet.
After breakfast, of which the guys wouldn’t allow her to help with the dishes, Rayna took a shower in the most decadent shower she’d ever been in. Two showerheads, side sprays, and a generous shelf that held her while she contemplated shaving her legs using one of their razors. In the end, she decided not to push that far and finally climbed out to dry off and wrap the comfy robe around her once more.
“There you are. Did you enjoy your shower?” Kenny asked.
“Loved it. It’s dangerous though. I could have lived in it for the next twenty-four hours and shriveled into a raisin.”
“Nah, we’d have come gotten you out after much longer. I brought you a pair of my sweats. They’ll be too long, but should fit well enough to spend the day watching movies.”
“Movies sound great. I felt all kinds of lazy after that breakfast.”
“Jay tends to overcook a lot. Just eat what you want, and he won’t feel slighted in the least. No reason to make yourself sick. We normally either take a short hike or watch movies or football on Sundays. Since you didn’t bring anything to hike in, we figured movies would be nice.”
“No football on, huh?” she asked, trying to keep from smiling.
“You got it.” Kenny laughed. “It’s spring training right now. Football will start again in a few months.”
“Be still my heart.” Her eyes crossed at the glee dripping in his voice.
“Hey, guys. Hurry up in there. I’ve got the movie ready to go.” Jay’s voice penetrated their bubble.
“I’m almost afraid of what he’s chosen,” Kenny said.
“Why?”
“He likes sappy love stories.”
“My kind of guy.”
* * * *
By the end of the second movie, Rayna was ready for a nap. Actually, she’d already started her nap prior to the end of the second movie.
“Someone’s ready for bed again.” Jay kissed her cheek. “I’ll take her to bed, and you put up the DVDs.”
Rayna heard him give the orders, but she couldn’t for the life of her stop him from picking her up. She was too far-gone to walk, and she knew it. She decided it was a testament to the fact that he worked with wood that he could carry her without grunting. It was one more nail in her “I’m falling for them” coffin.
He laid her in the middle of the bed then climbed on next to her. When he pulled her back into his arms, she nearly lost it and fell asleep, but when Kenny climbed in with his back to her then pulled her hand over his waist to hold it, Rayna knew she felt complete.
The dream started out nice. She and the guys were at an outside party, dancing beneath the stars with tiny curtain lights surrounding the dance floor. No one else seemed interested in dancing, but the three of them danced as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Jay led, and she and Kenny circled with him as they enjoyed the entire square of dance space all to themselves.
The music stopped, and Kenny led them off to a table where they sipped champagne from tall plastic flutes. What was the occasion? She wondered. She couldn’t remember why they were even there. Various people from her past stopped by the table to say hi and ask how she’d been. She was sure there had been two or three of her high school and college dates among the visitors.
“Wow. I see that they’re still dating the same woman. I really thought they would’ve stopped that by now. Jay will never settle down. He likes variety too much. Don’t let them break your heart.” The strange woman whispered the last two sentences in her ear so the guys couldn’t hear her.
When she stood back up, Rayna was surprised to see that she was fashionably skinny with long blonde hair and china-doll blue eyes. She shook her head and frowned. “Such a shame to fall in love only to get kicked to the curb a week later.”
Rayna refused to listen to the bitter woman’s words. The guys weren’t like that. Were they? Had they dated around and had trouble committing to more than a few weeks with each woman? Was that the reason they were still single? Rayna prayed it wasn’t true. She really liked them and could already feel her heart becoming involved.
Another woman stopped by the table and said just about the same thing. It worried Rayner more and more. Maybe she needed to stop and think this through. Two men as handsome and eligible as Jay and Kenny were shouldn’t still be single.
Rayna woke with a no on her lips. Both men were sound asleep judging by their soft snores. She wanted to get up and dress and go home to think about her situation. Dreams didn’t come true, but they often revealed what the innermost parts of a person didn’t want to address. She needed to think about her relationship with Jay and Kenny. She liked them a little too much to let this end up in a broken heart. She’d had enough of them to recognize what led up to them. She needed to think.
Extracting her body from their tight hold wasn’t going to happen without waking them up. She’d wait a little while then try again. It wouldn’t be long before she’d have to get up to visit the bathroom anyway. The feel of Jay at her back, his warm body and the way his hand curved around her side felt so good. She couldn’t help but enjoy snuggling up to Kenny�
�s back with his scent of fresh earth and green grass. While he smelt of outdoors with a hint of antiseptic he probably used at work, Jay smelled of wood and shavings. It all made her think of home and happiness. She was in deep trouble already.
She waited as long as she could then pulled from Jay’s arms to sit up.
“Hmm, what is it, honey?”
“Bathroom.” She wiggled down the bed from between them.
“Okay,” Jay said.
Kenny didn’t wake up. Or at least she didn’t think he did. Rayna slipped into the bathroom carrying her outfit from the day before. She quickly dressed and waited until she thought they’d have settled down into sleep once again. Then she slipped into the kitchen, where she realized that she didn’t have a way home. It stopped her dead in her tracks.
Should I call a cab? It’s a long way out here.
In the end, she settled for sitting on the couch and waiting for them to wake up. It wasn’t the best scenario, but it was the only one she had right then. She’d never dreamed she would have spent the night with them or she would’ve insisted on bringing her own car. Rayna had never been in this type of situation before and felt helpless. The longer she sat there, the more anxious she became.
“Hey, babe. Are you okay?” Kenny walked into the living room in just his jeans with the top button open. She had to jerk her eyes upward.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “I should probably be getting home. I have work tomorrow, and Patches and her family to tend to.”
Kenny sat next to her and took her hand in his. “That’s no problem. I’ll finish dressing and take you home, but you should have woken us if you were ready. I hate that you’ve been sitting out here all alone.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up. You were both sleeping so deep.”
“You mean you wanted to see how we’d take it waking up in each other’s arms.” He chuckled. “We just turned over and went back to sleep until I realized you weren’t in the bed with us.”
“Did you really?” She couldn’t help the smile that rolled over her face.
“Yep.” He pulled her hand so that she had to lean into him. “What’s really wrong, Rayna? I can tell you have something on your mind.”
“I think I’m worried this is all going a little fast.”
“I understand, but I don’t think it is. You fit with us so well, babe. I’ve never known Jay to be so taken with someone as he is with you. I think that we both met you and liked you without the other introducing you to each other. He liked you at the grocery store before he realized you were the same woman I’d met at the office.”
“Why haven’t you settled down before now?” she asked.
“We’ve never found the perfect woman for both of us. Until now. We truly care about you and want to see where this goes.”
“I need to think about this, Kenny. It isn’t just one of you. My heart could handle it if we broke up, but add in Jay and my heart might not be able to handle losing two of you in a week or three. It’s all too much, too fast.”
“So we hold off on anything too intimate and go slower. We can do that. You’re that important to us, babe.”
“Are you sure Jay will agree?”
“Yeah. He’s gone over you just like I am. We’ll do whatever it takes to satisfy you. We want you to be comfortable around us and feel good about dating us. We can work this out, Rayna.”
“Okay. Do you mind taking me home?”
“Not at all. Let me finish dressing, and I’ll be right back.”
While she waited, Rayna replayed his words in her mind. He sounded like he was serious about wanting her to be happy with their relationship. Still, there were two of them, and she needed to hear Jay’s thoughts on the subject.
Kenny returned in less than five minutes, dressed and smiling. “I’m ready.”
The ride over to her little house didn’t take long at all. There were few people on the road on the lazy late Sunday afternoon. When he cut the engine, he placed a hand on her leg. “I’ll help you down.”
She waited for him to walk around the truck and help her down then walk her to the door. She unlocked the door and turned to tell him thanks for the last twenty-four hours, only to find herself in a warm hug.
“Thanks for letting us spend the day with you today. I enjoyed the hell out of last night and today. One of us will call you later to say hi.” Kenny kissed her on the forehead then squeezed her once more before opening the door for her. “Lock up behind you, babe.”
Rayna did just that then leaned against the door while she waited to hear Kenny’s truck start up and back out of her drive. Patches wove an intricate pattern through her legs as she stopped occasionally to sniff at her legs and feet.
“Yep, there were dogs and other cats where I’ve been. I promise. I love you most of all though.” She reached down and petted the purring pussycat at her feet.
“I think I’ve fallen in love, Patches. What am I going to do?”
Chapter Twelve
Jay finished staining the last chair he was making for a client and stood back to look at it. He was proud of the work and felt he’d accomplished what they were wanting, but somehow it all felt off. He wasn’t kidding himself. He knew why. Rayna. She occupied his mind all the time now. They’d spoken briefly Tuesday evening concerning going hiking Sunday morning. It was only Thursday, and already he was antsy to see her.
Kenny had told him that she felt pressured and was worried about how fast they were going. He’d agreed with his friend that they needed to step back and give her some space, but damn it was getting to him. He didn’t want space. He wanted her there at their house every day and every night. Was it love?
I don’t know for sure, but it’s different from anything else I’ve ever felt. It probably is. I want her so much it’s eating at me from the inside out.
He’d discussed part of what he was feeling with Kenny the night before. Kenny had said pretty much the same thing was going on with him. He wanted her with them. They needed to let her get used to being with both of them, but they also needed to be sure she knew they were serious and not just wanting to date her for the time being.
He and Kenny had talked quite a bit the last few nights, and both felt that they were falling for her and wanted to make their relationship permanent in the near future. Getting that point across to her without it sounding like a line wouldn’t be easy in their current state.
Jay cleaned up and put away his tools. He didn’t feel much like starting a new project, and it was nearly four anyway. He decided to cook dinner and maybe make a casserole to take to Rayna. She could warm it up anytime she wanted to.
By the time Kenny walked in at six that night, he had the shepherd’s pies hot out of the oven. He’d let Rayna’s cool off before wrapping it up to freeze if need be.
“Damn. Something smells good. What is it?” Kenny walked into their washroom and cleaned up before joining Jay in the kitchen.
“Shepherd’s pie. I made an extra one to take to Rayna’s house. I thought she might like to have something she could just thaw and warm up.”
“Great idea. You should take it over to her tonight right after dinner.”
“You can come, too,” he said.
“Nah. You take her the pie. I’ve been talking to her every few days about the kittens. She’s fallen in love with them.”
“That’s good, but hard when she needs to find homes for them.”
“She’ll be picky about who she lets them go to. That’s good. They’ll get great homes that way.” Kenny leaned over the counter and sniffed the pie. “Can we eat now?”
Jay chuckled. “Sure. It’s hot, so don’t burn your mouth.”
They each spooned up a nice portion to their plates then ate at the bar. Kenny handed Jay a beer and took one for himself. They ate in companionable silence.
“Are you having as much trouble with focusing as I’m having?” Jay finally asked his friend.
“Yeah, for the most part. The differen
ce is that I have barking dogs and screeching cats to keep me focused. When I’m between patients, all I can think about is Rayna though.”
“I baked the casserole just so I would have a reason to see her,” Jay confessed.
“I know.”
“Is that crazy or what?” Jay asked.
“It’s not crazy. You’re probably in love with her. I’ve about decided that I sure am. All I want to do is call and talk to her or go over there and just watch her work.”
“We’re both in trouble if she decides she doesn’t want to see us anymore.”
“I’m not even entertaining that thought.” Kenny sighed.
“I’m trying not to, but I’m worried. That’s why I’m going over there tonight. I have to see her, be sure she isn’t getting over us or anything.”
“Don’t come on too strong, Jay. She’ll back away for sure if you press too hard on this.”
“I know. I’ll be careful, but I have to see her.” Jay shrugged. “I’m usually the one to back off first when we’ve been dating someone. This time I’m the one antsy about spending more time with her.”
“It’s why I think we’re both in love with her. You took to her from the very beginning. I think the fact that you met her on your own, and liked her almost immediately, is why she’s the one for us. Don’t fuck it up, man.”
“I won’t.”
As soon as they cleaned up, Jay wrapped up the shepherd’s pie and settled it in an insulated carry-all. He set it on the floorboard of the truck and drove to Rayna’s house across town. The little house was cute for a single woman. The flowers in front gave it a homey feel.
He hauled the carrier out of the truck and walked up to her front door. Jay hesitated for an instant then knocked on the door. Less than a minute later, Rayna opened the door with a surprised expression coloring her pretty face a soft shade of pink.
“Hi, Jay. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I didn’t think to call. I cooked an extra shepherd’s pie for dinner and thought you might like something to warm up sometime when you didn’t feel like cooking.” He thrust the dish at her feeling, decidedly uncomfortable.
