“Have you ever thought that maybe this isn’t a game to her? Maybe she doesn’t want to get involved with us. Or maybe, she’s already in a relationship.”
Austin didn’t say anything to that as he watched the coffee drip into the glass carafe. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility that Hannah could be seeing someone. Even though fourteen years had passed since he’d seen her, he still remembered how Hannah’s black hair would swing when she walked. She had a sensual way about her that she didn’t seem to know, which made her all the more special. Her green eyes would sparkle whenever she laughed at something, and she had the perfect smile. He was a far cry from being the teenage boy who wanted to play the field. Wyatt might think he didn’t really get the concept, but he knew they messed things up way back when. They should have treated her differently. They should have treated her with respect.
“It’s obvious that our hours and her hours are not conducive to meeting up. So, that leaves us a couple of options.”
Austin turned and leaned against the counter. “And what would those be?”
“We stop out at Mr. Warren’s ranch. From what Casey said, Hannah’s still staying out there with her dad. Or, we figure out a way to catch her at the clinic without her slipping out the back door or having Doc cover for her. Hey, you don’t think Doc Shep wants Hannah, do you?”
“Why the hell would you say that?” Austin noticed that Wyatt was rubbing the back of his neck. It was his brother’s nervous habit, and by him doing it now, he was making Austin uneasy. Thinking back to his conversation with Doc Shep, Austin tried to remember every word they exchanged. Coming up with nothing, Austin shook his head. “No, he didn’t seem interested in her that way. Besides, I heard he was trying to get that waitress over at Selena’s B and B to have dinner with him.”
Wyatt nodded his head, although the frown never left his face. “Yeah, now that you mention it, Casey said something about that, too. I swear, that woman knows everything that happens in this town.”
“When did you run into Casey?” Austin asked.
Casey ran the town’s sex shop, which was where he and Wyatt always got the items needed for their cabin. They made it no secret that the cabin was where they liked to play their games, enjoying the kinkier side of sex. But since they hadn’t been with any woman going on six months now, Austin was curious as to how Wyatt would have run into Casey.
“I stopped in there the other day.” Wyatt shifted in his seat, looking like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He rubbed the back of his neck again.
Austin burst out laughing. “You dickhead. Here you are making me feel like a total sap over Hannah when you went in there to restock on the toys in case we could talk her into the relationship we always wanted with her.”
“So what if I did?” Wyatt asked defensively. “It never hurts to be prepared. Besides, do you really think that even if she is involved with someone else, I would let that go? She’s the woman we want a future with. We knew it back then, and we know it now. I don’t care that fourteen years has passed. Hannah Warren belongs with us.”
Chapter Four
“You can’t keep avoiding them forever,” Shep said, signing off on a patient’s chart. Handing it back to Hannah, he held onto it longer than necessary, causing her to look up at him. “I’ve been in town for over five years, since my residency. Doc Earl gave me enough information on this town that if I wanted to go in the business of blackmail, I’d be a millionaire. I covered for you when Austin Cahill stopped in the clinic last week, but eventually, you’ll have to face them.”
“Well, eventually isn’t today, now is it?”
Hannah jerked the folder out of his hands and walked around the counter to place it with the others that needed to be filed. The clinic had a waiting room designed for comfort, with the receptionist desk situated in the middle. Behind that were three exam rooms, with a fourth room used as an office for Doc Shep. Seeing Darla sipping her coffee and watching their conversation had Hannah shaking her head.
“Don’t you start with me either, Miss Darla.”
Darla was an African-American woman with a sunny disposition—too sunny, if anyone asked Hannah. What made her think that she could set up this woman and her father? The woman was always flouncing around as if she were placed on this earth to make sure everyone else was as happy as she was. Darla would drive her dad crazy in minutes. She had to be in her fifties, although with her beautiful skin it was hard to tell her exact age. She was plump and proud of it, showing off her curves and announcing how much her dead husband had loved her voluptuous body.
“Now, would I do that, dear? It seems as if you have already started it just by showing up in town. Those boys have made no secret over the years that you are the woman they have been waiting for.”
Hannah watched as Darla picked some imaginary lint off her red sweater. “Those boys, as you call them, haven’t seen me in fourteen years, so they would have no clue if they wanted me. You seem to forget, I’ve had a perfectly content life in Boulder.”
“Doc Shep, is contentment the same as happiness?”
Hannah groaned in frustration as the two of them conspired against her. They always started off the day asking how her evening was, and they always ended their workday asking what her plans were. They were making the avoidance plan she put in place a little harder than was necessary. According to the gossip girls over at the hair salon, Wyatt and Austin had been making some inquiries about her. A part of her was touched that they actually did want to see if there was still some type of chemistry between them, but then she remembered how they had treated her during that bonfire her senior year. And once that memory resurfaced, the brutal reality of her situation came crashing back as well.
“In my book, contentment is happiness,” Hannah said, leaning down underneath the counter where Darla was sitting to grab her purse. The strap must have gotten caught on something, because Hannah had to yank a few times to get it loose. “Besides, who said they would make me happy, anyway?”
“Men like that always have a way of making their women happy,” Darla said, humor lacing her voice. “If I hadn’t been so happy with Henry, I’d let them have a shot at me. I mean, look at them. Two perfect male specimens that could grace the cover of a magazine.”
Standing as fast as she could, Hannah hit her head on the countertop. What did Darla mean, look at them? Wincing and rubbing her head, Hannah found what she dreaded most—Wyatt and Austin Cahill standing in the lobby of the clinic, wearing matching smiles. Maybe she could claim she just received a concussion and needed to go to the nearest hospital. As she rapidly thought of excuses, Darla made the situation worse.
“Boys, it’s good to see you. Hannah was just talking about you,” Darla gleefully admitted. As a nurse, did that give Hannah the right to fire her?
“Really?” Austin asked with a smile. “Then we couldn’t have made our timing more perfect, since we are here to ask her out to dinner.”
“She’d love to. She was just saying that her father had to take a business trip for the rest of the week.”
As Hannah watched the exchange with morbid fascination, she also noticed that Shep was hiding a smile behind his hand. They were such traitors, Hannah thought, thinking of ways to get even. Coming up with nothing, she decided she’d have to come up with something later, because right now, she had more pressing issues to deal with.
“Wyatt, Austin—it’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has.” Wyatt was the one to speak to her first, and her body responded to his husky voice just like it had all those years ago. She was glad she had on her white cardigan sweater, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see her hardened nipples. “We’d like to take you out for a bite to eat and catch up, if that’s all right with you?”
Hannah gave him a small smile, showing her gratitude that he asked her directly. He obviously knew she wasn’t too happy with Darla and Austin making plans for her. Maybe getting their first encounte
r over with was a good idea. That way, once she said that she wasn’t interested in them, they could live in Spirit peacefully without her feeling the need to avoid them at all costs.
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll meet you over at the Spirit Café in a few minutes. You two go ahead.”
Hannah could see that Wyatt and Austin weren’t too sure if she was saying that so she could make a run for it but was happy to see them accept her request. Both said their good-byes to Doc Shep and Darla, making their way outside to the cold. The minute the door behind them closed, she turned to Darla.
“A little heads-up that they were standing there wouldn’t have killed you,” Hannah complained, giving Darla the evil eye. “You need to accept that I’m not open to a relationship right now, and even if I was, it wouldn’t be with Wyatt and Austin.”
“Just because they used to play the field, doesn’t mean they aren’t ready to settle down now. I heard through the grapevine that they’ve been slowing down in their undertakings, if you know what I mean. Personally, I think they were just waiting for you to show back up in town. Hell, Doc Earl said those boys would ask about your nursing career every time one of them came in. They knew he kept close tabs on you up in Boulder.”
“I’m sure they asked other people about their old classmates, too, but that doesn’t mean they want a relationship with them,” Hannah suggested, not knowing what else she could say to get them to understand she wasn’t getting together with those brothers. “We are old friends, nothing else.”
“Then why have you been avoiding them?” Doc Shep and Darla asked the question at the same time, almost getting Hannah to say the word jinx, like when she was young. Irritation welled up inside of her, making her wonder if this was what it was like with children. Knowing she’d never get the chance to know, her frustration turned to outright sadness. Life sucked sometimes.
“Guys, I know that you want me to be happy, but it’s not with them.” Hannah walked over to the coat rack that was standing in the corner by the front door. Choosing her coat among the three that were left, she placed her purse on the floor as she shrugged her way into her warm black fleece jacket. Plucking the white scarf from one of the silver pegs, Hannah wrapped it around her neck twice before reaching into the pocket for her gloves. Once they were snuggled in the fur-lined leather, she picked her purse up and swung it over her shoulder. She turned to face her co-workers. “I’ll have dinner with them, catch up on old times, and then call it a night. Starting tomorrow, there will be no more reason to talk about this. Am I clear?”
Shep and Darla nodded, although the gleam of satisfaction in their eyes was not what she had been aiming for. Well, when she came into the clinic tomorrow letting them know she did exactly as she said she would and that they were nothing more than friends, the ongoing conversation would effectively be over. Hannah turned and walked out the door, welcoming the cold, crisp air. Flurries were floating in the air, dancing under the street lamps while the wind tried to knock them off of their tempo. She didn’t have far to walk since the clinic was next to the Spirit Café.
Wyatt and Austin had already claimed a booth near the window and were watching her as she neared the entrance. Their penetrating eyes were still that deep brown that seemed to warm her soul, making her want to stay wrapped up in their gaze. Knowing she couldn’t have them the way she wanted made her stiffen her resolve to get this over with. Opening the door, she walked to where they were seated.
Slipping inside the booth across from them, Hannah placed her purse to her side in order to give her hands something to do. She concentrated on removing her gloves one finger at a time, hoping they would be the ones to start the conversation. Wyatt, always the more observant, helped her out.
“It’s nice to see you, Hannah. You look beautiful.”
Hannah felt a blush rise over her cheeks, not knowing what to say to that. She knew she was pretty and, in fact, had to ward off many advances at her previous place of employment, but to hear those words fall from his lips made the butterflies in her stomach fly around like those flurries outside. Taking a deep breath, she finally looked up at them. Wyatt had his serious expression on, while Austin had his usual half-smile. She could do this, she told herself. A little small talk, a little dinner, and then she could leave.
“You two are looking good yourself. How have you been? I heard you’ve taken over the ranch for your parents.” See? She could do small talk, too. Hannah unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off of her shoulders, letting it remain behind her back.
“We’ve been doing good although have been busy. Our mom and dads moved to Florida around five years ago now.”
“How is she doing?” Hannah had always liked Mrs. Cahill. She would stop by at least once a month with a warm dinner for her and her father, claiming that that was what neighbors were for. Hannah found it fascinating that she was with two men and that Wyatt and Austin had two fathers.
“She’s coming along great, especially now that they are in Florida. The Colorado winters were getting hard for her and taking a toll on her body. And apparently our dads have been taking surfing lessons and are loving it.”
Hannah laughed, finding it hard to believe that Brad and Brian Cahill would ever take to surfing. They were die-hard ranchers, not water-sport enthusiasts. “I bet your mother is enjoying watching that.”
“We talk to them at least once a week and get updates on their progress,” Austin said. “As a matter of fact, we spoke with Mom yesterday. We told her you were back in town, and she sends her love.”
Hannah gave a small smile. She was saved from trying to come up with another topic when the waitress came over to take their order. Just wanting to get this over with and not prolong her torture of having to sit in front of them, Hannah ordered the special without even knowing what it was. She heard Wyatt and Austin both order the burgers and fries. Once the waitress had left their table, silence reigned down upon them.
“Why did it take you so long to come back?”
If it hadn’t been so quiet, Hannah doubted she would have heard the words Austin had uttered. She brought her gaze up to meet his, stunned that he would go straight to the heart of the matter. Calling up the old anger, she let it simmer for a bit before answering.
“Come back to what, Austin? I’m sure Wyatt told you of our last conversation. Besides, we were teenagers.”
“Hannah—”
“Look, we were young. You wanted to live a little and enjoy life before settling down to start a family,” Hannah said, cutting off whatever Wyatt was about to say. “Who was I to stop you? You made it perfectly clear back then that you preferred a certain type of woman, and I didn’t fall into that category. There are no hard feelings. I went on to live my life and am very happy.”
“You know it wasn’t like that, Hannah,” Wyatt explained, his voice carrying a little louder, causing the other patrons to turn their head. “You were our type—are our type. We wanted you but knew that if we started something too soon, the likelihood of it lasting while you were in Boulder was nil.”
“It never crossed your mind that I didn’t have to go to Boulder?” Hannah looked over at Austin, kicking herself for taking their bait. “We had the same career class our senior year. You overheard me talking about the nursing school that was closer to home.”
“I also knew that the best nursing school was in Boulder. We weren’t going to be blamed for holding you back, which is why Wyatt tried to talk to you that night, letting you know we would wait for you.”
“By letting me know you were going to fuck every other girl while I was away? No, thank you,” Hannah replied sarcastically. Damn, she had started this conversation off so well, making small talk. Now, they were drudging up the past, and she was being sucked in.
“Watch your language,” Wyatt warned, raising one eyebrow. She ignored the shiver that went down her spine. “I know I botched that conversation, but seriously, we thought you would come back for college break. We kept waiting for you to visi
t your dad so that we would have a chance to explain a little better.”
“Seeing how I am my own person, I can speak however I want,” Hannah replied, not wanting to admit that his warning came across in such a sensual way, it made her wonder what they would do if she kept cursing. She took a deep breath and tried to bring her focus back on track. “And as for coming back to visit, there was no reason. Dad came to see me in Boulder on his business trips. As I said, I went on to live my life.”
“So you’re saying you never once thought of us?” Austin asked, leaning forward on both arms. “Let’s lay our cards on the table, shall we? We want you. We always have. Now that you’re here to stay, we would like to see if a relationship is possible.”
Before Hannah could tell them that there was no chance in hell that she was going to get involved with them, Wyatt’s cell phone rang. Seeing by his face that it was important, Hannah gestured he should answer it. Austin never took his eyes off of her face, which had her squirming in her seat. Her panties were wet, having been so ever since she first laid eyes on them in the clinic. Sitting here talking to them, visualizing what they would do to her if she really was their woman, only made her pussy weep more. Did Austin know how turned on she was?
“We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Wyatt placed the phone back into his pocket, and gestured for the waitress. “Would you please box up our dinners to go?”
A part of Hannah was relieved that this was over, knowing she would end this conversation by saying she only wanted a friendship with them. The other part of her was despondent that their time together was so short. She would have liked just a little more time in their company before parting ways.
“Well, it was nice to catch up,” Hannah said, slipping her arms back into her coat. “I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”
“Not so fast, Hannah,” Wyatt said, his tone giving an indication that she wasn’t going to like what he said next. “One of our mares is sick, and we need to head back to the ranch. But we want to continue this conversation, so you’re coming with us. We can have dinner there.”
Her Colorado Wishes [Spirit, Colorado 3] Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting Page 3
