As they roared into town, businesses lined the main street that resembled an old west town with all wooden buildings with false fronts. They parallel parked along the curb and made their way across the street and into a store called The Central Clothing Company.
“Are you sure the place is still open?” Katlyn asked.
“Sure is. Paige called and told them we’d be stopping by. Sales have been too meager in this town to pass up business.”
The bell rang and a woman dressed in a red gingham-style dress greeted them. “Hello, there. Who do you have hiding behind you Brendan?”
Katlyn waltzed around him, and when she did, the woman remarked, “Boy, but you’re sure a tall one.”
“Six foot,” Katlyn volunteered. “I hope you have something that will fit me. I’m the new teacher at the ranch.”
“Did you have anything in mind?”
“I’d love some comfortable dresses, like thin cotton.”
“Is that all?”
“No, she’ll need a complete wardrobe. She lost everything back east in the floods there,” Brendan explained.
The woman’s brow shot up, “Oh, my. Where were you from?”
“Massachusetts,” Brendan replied.
“Hardly,” Katlyn began. “Ohio.”
“Poor dear. They must not have reported that on the news. I thought Ohio was having a dry spell this year.”
“Well, not everything makes the national news.”
Katlyn was handed clothes that she tried on that were modest for the classroom, but she also found jeans her size and scoop-neck shirts that helped in the cleavage department. She really had hoped that Brendan and Chase would like how she looked in them. Stop it, Katlyn, you can’t worry about them, or screw them mindless, but how she wanted to. She couldn’t help but notice that both men had some of the tightest jeans on and how they hugged their crotches, leaving little to the imagination.
When she stepped out of the dressing room, Chase had a red nightgown that he held out as he spoke to Brendan. It was quite obvious that neither of the men noticed her when Chase said, “Katlyn would look great in this.”
Brendan replied, “She’d look even better out of it. I really hope we can find a way to get up close and personal with her again, and soon.”
“I thought you said we were to stay away from her.”
“Yes, but—”
“I’m not sure if that will fit either of you,” Katlyn said, startling them both.
Chase grinned. “We’re buying this for you.”
“I don’t need any night gowns like that unless I meet me a hot cowboy, or two.”
With that, Katlyn waltzed away, snatching up the nightgown and making way for the register. Her heart beat hard now, and she rubbed her thighs together—she felt very uncomfortable as she twitched in need. At least she knew they were on the same page as she was, but she just wasn’t so willing to let herself give in so quickly.
After they left the clothing store and the purchases were put in the cab of the truck, Brendan and Chase escorted her to a nearby saloon. When they strolled into the place, lively music that made you want to tap your foot in time to the music played on the juke box. They sat in a booth in the far corner and well into the shadows. Brendan ordered a pitcher of beer and once it was on the table and the flirtatious server had left, Chase poured them each a glass.
“To us,” Chase said. “May we conclude this night together, just the three of us.”
Katlyn took a gulp of her beer as Brendan said, “Chase, really? We all know this isn’t the best time to move things forward.” He gazed hungrily at Katlyn. “Unless you really want to, Katlyn.”
Another gulp was taken and Katlyn’s heart pounded, her juices dripping in response to their words. “I-I can’t. What happened back in Wisconsin scared the hell out of me. What if someone finds out about who you really are?”
Brendan’s hot breath tickled her hair as he moved closer. “Don’t worry about that, we’ll protect you.”
“And the patrol?”
Brendan’s fingers moved up her thigh. “They aren’t anywhere near.”
Katlyn bit down on her lower lip, suppressing a moan. Chase didn’t help it a bit as his hand squeezed her other thigh under the table. Absently, Katlyn parted her thighs in anticipation of feeling their fingers between them, but a man stomped over. “Hello, there, beautiful. How about coming over to our table? We’re much better company and know how to treat a lady.”
Another hot cowboy to consider. Katlyn admired his lean hips and muscular upper body. His plaid shirt was open nearly to the waist and he was completely hairless. His dark hair had a rim around it and she knew he had taken off a cowboy hat recently. “Friends?”
He motioned over to a table where three other men sat who were all equally as steamy. “Sorry, I’m fine where I am,” Katlyn said, even though she considered going over there just to irritate Brendan and Chase who were a little overconfident at the moment.
“Suit yourself, but if you change your mind, give me a call. The name’s Nate Winston. I own the Silver Creek Ranch, a few miles from Shadow Creek.”
“Well, there certainly are plenty of creeks hereabouts.”
“She’s the new teacher,” Brendan explained.
“Great to know. My son Maxwell will be there tomorrow. That is, if school really starts tomorrow.”
“It sure will,” Chase said. “Just remember, Katlyn is hands off.”
“Oh? Does that also include the two of you?”
“Yes, it does,” Katlyn said. “I don’t mix business and pleasure.”
“Sometimes, business can be pleasure,” Nate hinted right before he walked away.
Katlyn had to get ahold of herself and she had plenty of questions now. “Is he—”
“We’ll talk back at the ranch. It’s not safe to talk here,” Brendan said.
* * *
A few hours later, Brendan, Chase and Katlyn were in a one-room cabin near the barn sitting at a table. She had to divert her eyes from the king-sized bed in the corner that she knew would fit them all nicely.
“So about Nate— is he a shifter?”
Brendan poured them each a shot of whiskey. “Yes, he’s a wearwolf.”
Katlyn had to down her shot, and once she no longer felt like hacking her guts out, she asked, “So the children that I’ll be teaching don’t just live at this ranch?”
“No, you’re teaching the children of the local shifters of the area. Shadow Creek is a safe house area. Silver Creek are werewolves and Shady Creek are werebears.”
“Don’t werewolves only shift on a full moon?”
“That’s a myth. They can actually shift at will, and really only do so when they hunt, as we do.”
“So what do you hunt? Obviously not livestock.”
“Nope, that would be a death warrant for all of us.”
“And your neighbor, Jonathan?”
“He’s quite human, I’m afraid. It’s hard to be so close to humans. They threaten our existence. If word got out about us here in Wyoming, life as we all knew it would end.”
“But where does that leave me?”
“You have as much to lose as we do,” Brendan said. “I really had no idea that the Shifter Patrol would go on a rampage like that and kill everyone at that club.”
“What about the owner, Martha?”
“Not so sure. She might have escaped in time.”
“She originally didn’t want to let me in. There is something about her that unsettles me. She was disciplining a young woman for being late for work. She had her on a leash!”
“The Wilted Petal was a sex club, not church. Plenty of deviant things happen there, but not to worry. That’s all behind you now. Chase and I might enjoy the company of a woman, but it’s always a mutual thing. We don’t force anyone to do anything, Katlyn.”
“Are there anymore questions?” Chase asked as he leaned over the table and squeezed Katlyn’s hand in his.
Katly
n scooted the chair back and it fell backward and she fell to the floor with a thud. Brendan and Chase raced to help her back up and that’s when the whole world spun for her. She half knelt, half rose to her feet with her ass practically in Brendan’s face and her face way too close to Chase’s crotch.
They took ahold of both of Katlyn’s arms and helped her completely to her feet. They were close, too close for rational thought, but Katlyn was too buzzed from first the beer and now the whiskey for good decision-making. She trembled as she gazed into Brendan’s eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I-I can’t do this.”
“Do what?” he asked. “I don’t recall asking you to do anything tonight.” He cupped her face in his hands then. “I’d never take advantage of you like that, certainly not when you’re drunk. When and if you decide you’re ready for the three of us to get together, I want it to be right for all of us, not just one of us.”
His hand slipped away and Chase reiterated what Brendan had said, adding, “I want you, but not like this. You need time to absorb what we’ve told you tonight and tomorrow you’ll be meeting the children for the first time.”
“I better go. I’d hate to be late. I’m not even sure what time school is yet.”
“It’s at nine, but you might want to get there a little early. It’s only a meet and greet day with dismissal at noon. Paige should have discussed that with you,” Brendan said.
“I wish she had. What about Paige, though? Is she also a shifter?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss Paige with you.”
“Tessa is with her. Please tell me.”
“She’ll be fine. We’ll see you home first and if Tessa isn’t there, we’ll find her and bring her home safe. Paige has a right to her privacy and we can’t tell you anything about her. Give it time and she’ll tell you herself.”
Katlyn was helped to her cabin, and sure enough, Tessa still wasn’t there. Katlyn was so woozy that she could barely stay awake, and even with her best effort to stay awake to wait for Tessa to be brought back, she stopped resisting.
Chapter Eight
“I hope you haven’t messed things up for us, Paige,” Brendan said as Chase tried his best to clean blood off the sofa while he checked Tessa’s wound.
“It’ll be fine. I didn’t bite her too hard. She won’t remember a thing when she wakes up tomorrow,” Paige reassured them.
“And if she does?”
“She won’t; they never do.”
“That seems like a lot of blood lost,” Chase said. “What happened?”
“I didn’t expect her to bleed that bad, but by the time I noticed, she was bleeding like a stuck pig.”
“I don’t think it’s going to come off.”
“I have something that will take that right off,” Paige said. She retrieved a bottle of cleaner, sprayed it on the sofa and Chase dabbed it off clean.
“Seems like you’d have bitten her on the leather couch instead of the cloth sofa,” Chase said. “It makes more sense.”
“I suppose, but the fabric of the sofa is more comfortable.”
“I can’t believe you did this. She’s Katlyn’s friend and she’s pretty smart,” Brendan informed her. “She’ll figure it out.”
“No, she won’t. You didn’t tell her what I am, did you?”
“No, I didn’t, but in time you might have to. Just promise me you won’t bite Tessa again,” Brendan said.
“That goes without saying. I never meant to hurt her so badly, I assure you. Please keep my little secret from Katlyn. Our new teacher doesn’t need more to worry about other than adjusting herself to the classroom.”
Brendan ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “This is a big problem. What if you injured the girl too badly and she dies, or is infected with the virus?”
“Don’t even think that. I only bit her once. She should be fine,” Paige said. She looked toward Tessa, her eyes clouded. “I hope you’re right, Paige, that’s all I can say,” Brendan said as he glared at Paige. “It looks like Tessa has at least quit bleeding. We’d better take her back to her cabin and I hope like hell that Katlyn is asleep. I’d hate to have to explain why her friend had to be carried back.”
Brendan carried Tessa to the cabin, walking alongside Chase. He couldn’t help but wonder how long all of their secrets would be able to remain hidden with these kinds of mistakes.
By the time he made it to bed, his cock had quit throbbing. He really wanted to reacquaint himself with Katlyn and her luscious curves, but Chase would be there, too. It’s what he signed up for long ago and he hoped he’d be able to handle his emotions when the time came. He didn’t mind sharing with Chase, but when it came to Nate and his pack, he vowed that he’d rip them limb from limb if they even thought about coming near their female.
* * *
Katlyn sprung up a few moments before the alarm went off. Truthfully, even though she had been quite inebriated, she’d been tossing and turning ever since she’d woken up at three. She was fully aware now just how turned on she was by Brendan and Chase and knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d get together. She still felt reluctant about it, but it was hard to control her emotions when her body responded by just being close to them.
When Katlyn sat on the edge of her bed, the whole room spun. Memories of the night before rushed in, and it was then that she remembered Tessa, and her absence, wondering what had happened. She took a deep breath and then felt steady enough to stand and venture into the bathroom. As she stared into the mirror, a grimace overtook her face. She looked awful! Dark, puffy circles were beneath both eyes, and her face was bloated looking, to her at least. She’d really tied one on last night, and alcohol always went straight to her head. She took her shower right away since she didn’t want to be late on her first day.
After Katlyn’s shower, she dressed in a cream-colored dress from the clothing that Brendan and Chase had bought her the night before. She didn’t even remember them bringing her purchases upstairs. They had even hung everything up. She slipped on flats and it was then that she heard a moan coming from Tessa’s bedroom.
Katlyn sat on the edge of Tessa’s bed and asked, “Are you okay, Tessa?”
“I-I’m not sure. The back of my neck really hurts.”
The light switch was turned on and Katlyn inspected Tessa’s neck, biting her fist when she saw two puncture marks. What on earth did Paige do to Tessa? How dare she attack her defenseless friend? This certainly added to Katlyn’s dismal mood.
“Wh-What’s the matter?” Tessa asked, her eyes red and swollen.
“Do you remember what happened last night?”
Tessa massaged her brow, flopping back on the bed. “No. I can’t remember anything. Not even where I was last night.”
“You hung out with Paige last night. Do you really not remember any of last night?”
“No, but I had the strangest dream last night.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I was running across a pasture and an animal was chasing me.”
“What kind of animal are we talking here? A mountain lion?”
“I couldn’t see it. All I knew was that I couldn’t let it catch me. Do you think it was just a dream, Katlyn?”
Katlyn swallowed hard and hugged her friend. “Of course it was just a dream, silly. Go back to sleep. It looks like you have a scratch on the back of your neck is all. I’ll grab a bandage and cover it for you. Just make sure you don’t take it off for a few days so that it heals properly.” She darted into the bathroom and found a bandage and bacterial cream. She first washed Tessa’s wound before she smoothed on the cream and applied the bandage. “There, the bandage is in place now.”
Tessa smiled. “Thanks, Katlyn,” she said as her eyes closed.
Stumbling into the other room, tears blurred Katlyn’s eyes. She felt so bad that she had brought them here, and now Tessa was injured by God knows what. Katlyn vowed to find out the truth if it killed her. There’s no way she’d allow Paige to do this to her fr
iend. She’d find out for certain just what kind of animal Paige really was, but right now she had to pull herself together for the sake of the children. She had to protect Tessa at all costs, and part of that was to conceal those puncture marks until she figured out what had really happened to Tessa last night.
Outside was the utility vehicle Katlyn had used yesterday. Gray clouds hovered ominously overhead and it matched her mood perfectly. The drive was a quick one and she arrived at the schoolhouse with a crowd waiting for her. Katlyn’s heart soared now in excitement at seeing the children.
Katlyn parked and moved toward the schoolhouse, nodding at the children and parents who waited for her. She then opened the door and led the way inside, inhaling the soapy smell of the Murphy’s Oil Soap that must have been used yesterday after she’d left, but there was still a hint of pine that lingered in the air from the cleaner she had also used.
Five children ran inside and scurried to the oak desks, their chairs scraping across the floor as they sat.
“Take it easy, Maxwell,” said Nate, the werewolf she had met the night before at the saloon.
When Katlyn saw the boy limp to his seat, she said, “It’s great to meet you Maxwell.”
He flipped back his long hair and smiled shyly, taking his seat.
“Freak,” another boy said, indicating Maxwell.
Katlyn frowned. “That’ll be enough of that, young man. I won’t tolerate any name-calling in my classroom or on the grounds.”
A woman’s brow shot up and it didn’t take a genius to know that was the name-caller’s parent. “Robert, don’t make a spectacle of yourself. Listen to your teacher.”
“But Mom, you told me I didn’t have to be nice to his kind.”
Katlyn’s brow knitted. What did she mean, “kind?”
Katlyn (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 1) Page 6
