The Divine Creek Ranch Collection, Volume 1 [Book 1 - Divine Grace, Book 2 - Her Gentle Giant, Book 3 - Heavenly Angel] (Siren Everlasting Collection)

by Heather Rainier

* * * *

  Ethan sat back down in his chair, doing as Jack had done and removing his jacket, and hung it over the arm of his chair.

  “What’s up, Ethan?” Adam asked, knowing by the way Ethan scanned the room that something was amiss.

  “There are a lot of faces in here tonight that I don’t recognize and some that I unfortunately do. Plus, Patricia and her girlfriends are here, which just makes my night. I’m going to check in with Rogelio and Mike and have them watch that group at the end of the bar. I’ll be right back. Don’t leave Grace at the table by herself for any reason, and don’t leave the drinks unattended. Shit!” he muttered as he was about to turn to go see the bouncers sitting at the front door. “Patricia is on her way over here. Tell her to fuck off for me, okay?”

  “Gladly,” Adam replied. His mother would beat him six ways to Sunday if he did that, but if ever there was a female who deserved it, it was this one. She gave whiny, clingy, bitchy women a bad name. How Angel could put up with her catting around with her slutty girlfriends was beyond him. She was easy on the eyes in her own way, but she was a gold-digging whore. Lately, her antics had been over the top, especially the way she pursued Ethan under Angel’s nose. Ethan had also mentioned recently seeing her leave the nightclub with more than one man at the end of the evening. It didn’t sit well with Adam, the way she cuckolded Angel, and he hoped she’d move on to greener pastures soon. Angel was a good man and deserved someone who would treat him right.

  * * * *

  Grace looked up at Jack as he spun her in slow circles on the dance floor. “I have something I want to tell you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  “Times three, huh? That much?” he asked, kissing her gently.

  “I feel so good when I’m with you. Plus, you brought Ethan and Adam into my life.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so grateful to your mother for introducing us. I wish she could see us now.”

  “We had her blessing, you know.”

  “You and me?”

  “No, the four of us, all of us. She understood.”

  Her lip trembled, and she whispered, “Then it really is perfect, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, does it?”

  “Not to us. But they are another story.” He gestured to the people who surrounded them on the dance floor. No one was watching them, so she assumed he meant they figuratively. She understood, and she kissed him again, anyway, enjoying the way he held her to him so securely. “I love you, too, darlin’. You’re everything to me. You know that?”

  She looked up at him and nodded, needing no words.

  They returned to the table about the same time Ethan did. They all sat down and enjoyed their drinks and conversation while Grace caught her breath and cooled off a bit. She noticed all three men had removed their jackets. They looked so ruggedly handsome in their suits, although she’d have taken them in their faded denim shirts and blue jeans as well. Plenty of women ogled them around the club, one table in particular. Several overly made-up women in cleavage-baring tops paid particular attention to Ethan, and among them was the one who had watched her with hostile eyes the other night.

  Jealousy stirred and wormed its way into her heart, followed by worry. What would her men do if a woman approached them while they were here tonight and asked them to dance? Did they expect that she might not mind if they danced while she danced with one of the others? She hoped the thought wouldn’t get put to the test.

  Another song started, and Adam distracted her from her ugly thoughts. Another old favorite “I Love the Way You Love Me” by John Michael Montgomery began. Those sweet guitar chords plucked at her heart every time she heard this song.

  “Baby, come dance with me,” Adam said, helping her down from her chair. She followed him to the dance floor and allowed him to pull her into his arms. She should have known he would notice her change in mood, as well as its cause.

  “You have nothing to worry about where those women are concerned.”

  “What?”

  “Those women that were watching Ethan. The only woman he sees is you, baby. The one who keeps giving you the evil eye is Patricia. I’m telling you about her only because she can’t seem to take no for an answer. The worst part is that she is our foreman Angel’s live-in girlfriend. She keeps pestering Angel to set up a threesome with Ethan, but they both refused her.”

  “Why would she ask her boyfriend for a threesome?”

  “She thought he would be open to the idea because she found out about his family. Angel had a very unique upbringing. His mother is wife to three husbands.” He seemed to study her carefully, looking for a reaction to that information.

  “She is? How did they manage that?”

  “She’s married to the eldest of three brothers, and they keep a tight lid on their relationship in the small community they are a part of in the Valley. She’s careful in public to portray herself as married to only one of them, but she is committed equally to all of them.”

  “And it’s worked out okay for them?”

  “She sounds like a firecracker to me,” he said, laughing. “But, yeah, it sounds like it’s worked just fine.”

  She changed the subject on him then. “So I have nothing to worry about where these women are concerned?”

  Patricia and another of her friends were standing next to Ethan, talking to him. Not with him, but to him. He looked tense and unhappy, and Grace noticed him look her way a couple of times. Adam looked down at her, obviously able to tell she was unhappy. She did her best to smile.

  “I know that he knows a lot of people and this is his business. He has to keep the customers happy. I also realize that at least half the people he knows are women, some of them of loose moral character.” She narrowed her eyes and looked away when she saw Patricia put her hand on Ethan’s bicep. With her luck, Patricia was probably bathed in perfume that Grace would have to smell the rest of the night on him.

  “Does she know he is here with a date?”

  “I know she knows,” he said with a chuckle. “She’s testing him and, unfortunately, baby, she’s also testing you. He won’t mind if you establish for Patricia’s benefit that he’s here with you because he knows you would do it in a ladylike manner. So, no hair pullin’, all right?” He smiled down at her. His words went a long way toward making her feel better, and she smiled back up at him. “Now, thanks to that skanky bitch, you owe me another dance because she messed up the whole romantic sexy vibe the four of us had going. Deal?”

  “Deal, baby!” she said, and she reached for his neck. He picked her up and kissed her there on the dance floor. That got them some attention because her feet were a foot off the ground, but most people smiled and went back to their dances.

  Chris Young’s “Getting You Home” began, a little more up tempo, but they made it into a slow dance anyway.

  “You ready to go back to the table, or do you want to wait until she leaves?” Adam asked her as she looked in the direction of their table. Patricia and her friend were still at it. They stood next to the tall chair Ethan sat in, chatting with each other and looking like they were attempting to include him. Ethan did not look happy. Jack looked a little disgusted.

  “Will she keep coming back every time I leave the table with one of you?”

  “Probably.”

  “Is that table and its occupants what I could consider my territory?”

  “Honey, that table and its occupants are all about being your territory.”

  “Then it’s time I set some boundaries. And don’t worry. I’ll be a perfect lady. I don’t want to make trouble for y’all with Angel.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about Angel. He knows what she’s like. Just cover your ears because she’s a whiner.” He said the last word in a whiny tone, making her laugh right as they walked up to the table. Adam held her chair for her.

  Ethan’s eyes brightened when she sat down and smiled at him. Grace could
plead a headache and ask to go home, thus avoiding the conflict. But she wasn’t about to cut their evening short and ruin her fun because she was afraid of a confrontation. Rose Marie would tell her, “Seize the day, baby!”

  She got up from her seat, straightened her spine, and approached the two women who had ignored her up until now. Patricia once again had her hand on Ethan’s shoulder. Yes, testing her. The other one who was standing nearest Grace backed away and retreated to her table. Grace made direct eye contact with Patricia, and a quiet calm descended upon her. She read the challenge in Patricia’s heavily made-up eyes.

  “Why on earth would you and your girlfriend stand here hanging all over a man who clearly has no interest in you? You’ve chatted him up for the last ten minutes, and he hasn’t said diddly to you in return. Catch the fucking hint. I’d appreciate it if you’d remove your hand from my boyfriend’s arm.”

  She locked eyes with Patricia and waited as Patricia’s hand slipped from Ethan’s bicep reluctantly, and she backed away, a false smile on her lips and venomous hatred in her eyes.

  “Bye!” Grace called out softly, with a small wave of her hand, as Patricia walked to the bar. Grace turned to her men and laughed at their expressions. “What?” she asked as Ethan turned to her and kissed her.

  “Gracie, did you really say ‘fuck’?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Grace turned her attention to Adam as he groaned. “I love it when she talks dirty. When she says that word my cock goes nuts.”

  Ethan turned to him and snickered. “That must be confusing for your balls.”

  She laughed with them, grateful for the tension breaker. Patricia may have backed off, but Grace was not fooled one bit. This was only round one. “She would have kept coming back here, and it needed to be me that established crystal clear boundaries for her, right?”

  Jack chuckled as he waved at their waitress. “Well, darlin’, she knows where you stand now, doesn’t she?”

  “Unfortunately, I doubt she’s going to give up that easily,” Grace replied. “‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’”

  “Yes, but now she knows you aren’t a doormat she can walk all over,” Jack said. “Grace, you should know that Ethan did explain to her several times that he was here with his girlfriend. She ignored him every time.”

  “Freakin’ psycho,” Adam muttered, then drank from his beer.

  “Well, I did my best to keep our conversation private and ladylike. I didn’t want to take a chance on messing up my pretty new dress and shoes by kicking her ass,” she whispered the last word to them, making them laugh again.

  “Your sister would be so proud of you!” Ethan rose from his chair as Trace Adkins’ “Hot Mama” started playing. He held his hand out to her, laughing. “I do believe this is our dance,” he announced with a playful gleam in his eye. “And I hope you are ready to dance.”

  She sashayed over to him. “Am I ever!”

  He spun her onto the dance floor, and her skirt swished around her as she put those dance lessons her mom had put her and Charity through to good use. She swung her hips and even worked a few grinding, dirty dancing moves into their dance. The energy level on the dance floor rose, and many of the dancers stopped to watch them while others followed suit with some moves of their own.

  Her derriere shimmied against Ethan’s front as he held her hands, and she spun again, her skirt fluttering around her thighs.

  “You sure can shake those tail feathers, Gracie. Mmm-mm.”

  When the song ended, everyone on the dance floor clapped for them, and they returned to their chairs, laughing and out of breath.

  “She gave me a run for my money, boys! Did you see that? Grace is one hot mama!”

  “Why, thank you, Ethan. You say the nicest things.” She giggled, taking a sip from her fresh glass of sangria. “Patricia really hates my guts now.” Grace snickered, looking past them to the bar. Patricia hatefully stared at her, now clinging to a man who had just come into the club with a group of friends.

  “I’ll have a talk with her.” Ethan sighed. “I should have been more forceful before.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Ethan, you did everything short of telling her to fuck off. You could not have been clearer. Her friend already wanted to go sit back down before Grace and Adam returned from the dance floor. Patricia stayed at our table just to piss Grace off.”

  “Maybe she just needs time to cool off.” Grace knew when a rattler was cornered she should not piss it off further. She didn’t want Ethan to leave the table. She reached for his hand. He entwined her fingers with his.

  Adam changed the subject. “Grace, you are one fine dancer.”

  “Thanks to my mom and The School of Modern Dance. Charity and I both graduated with honors, and we taught ourselves to grind watching Dirty Dancing. I’m glad you liked it, Adam.”

  “I sure did, baby. We’ll make sure and take you dancing on a regular basis. I like seeing you have such a good time, too.” He kissed her cheek, and his warm lips sent a shiver down her spine.

  She blushed at his compliment. “It’s been years and years since I danced like that. I’m really out of shape.”

  “Trust me, darlin’, when I say you’re in fine shape,” Jack murmured in her ear, his hand sliding around her waist. “I can’t do any of that fast dancing, but if you’ve caught your breath, I’d like to guide you around that floor a few times.”

  “I’d love to, Jack,” she replied as he took her hand and helped her from the tall chair. He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled up to him, putting her arms around his waist and sliding a palm up between his shoulder blades.

  “You know you shouldn’t worry about Patricia. Ethan detests her and always has.”

  “Just so she keeps her hands and other body parts to herself.”

  “You’re a jealous little thing, aren’t you?” Jack chuckled as he held her close.

  “Where the three of you are concerned, I think I am. It really bugged me to see her hand on his arm.”

  “I could tell. I thought you handled yourself very well, darlin’. You were a lot nicer to her than she would have been to you. Now, no more talk of Patricia.”

  She wiggled into him, holding him even tighter, with her cheek against his chest. “I love being with you, Jack. This evening has been fantastic.”

  “It’s still not over, darlin’,” he said, making her giggle.

  “You make me warm and shivery inside when you say things like that in that sexy voice of yours.”

  “Warm and shivery, huh?” He nuzzled his lips against her cheekbone.

  “Mmm-hmm.” She nodded, his touch making her tremble slightly.

  After the dance, he walked her to the ladies’ room when she asked where it was.

  Grace went in and headed to the mirror to check her makeup. The overhead lights glinted off the gold jewelry she wore. She closed her eyes for a moment and contemplated what she was going to do next.

  The door on one of the occupied stalls opened up, and Grace heard high heels click sharply up to the sink beside hers. She looked in the mirror, straight into Patricia’s dark brown eyes. Patricia was beautiful in her own way, if she kept her mouth shut. She was shorter than Grace and very thin. She looked Grace up and down with an air of superiority, as if Grace didn’t measure up. Her lip curled.

  In a whiney voice, she said, “Nice shoes.” Her eyes were full of hate, but she was still able to recognize a great pair of shoes. “Ethan is mine,” she murmured, casually checking her abundant mascara.

  “Ethan is not a toy to be fought over.”

  “We’ll see. Don’t speak to me like you’re better than me ever again.”

  “I spoke to you the way I would to any woman who had the nerve to put her hand on my boyfriend’s arm.”

  “I already told you, bitch. Ethan is mine.”

  Grace rolled her eyes, fighting a grimace at the grating quality to Patricia’s angry, whiney voice.

  “Fine.
March your psychotic ass out there right now with me, and let’s see who he welcomes with a kiss and a smile. Let’s go ask him which one of us is leaving with him tonight.”

  “Ethan is—”

  “Mine.” Grace was a little surprised at the low, deep tone with which that possessive word came out of her mouth. The hair on the nape of her neck stood up, and she knew she was moments away from defending herself against this woman.

  Another bathroom stall opened and a beautiful, tall brunette came out to wash her hands. She had to be all of five feet, nine inches tall. Her shiny hair fell to just above the belt of her jeans. The woman took one look at Patricia and rolled her eyes. She took her time soaping and rinsing her hands, obviously sensing that Patricia was waiting for her to leave so she could really lay into Grace.

  The brunette finally spoke as she dried her hands with a paper towel. “Look at her with your hateful eyes all you want, Patricia. Your little game is over. Stop pouting and go find some other rich white man to hit on because it looks to me like Ethan is officially off the market. We’re all tired of you hanging around in here with your gold-digging friends, sponging off of the hard-working men who come in here to relax and have some fun. Get the fuck out!”

  This woman was taller and heavier than Patricia, and definitely looked capable and willing to help out in a fight. Patricia glared daggers at Grace but hesitated, as if weighing her options. The brunette impatiently took a step toward Patricia as if she was going to help her from the restroom, and Patricia turned angrily and stormed out of the restroom.

  Turning to Grace, the brunette held out her hand. “I’m Rachel Lopez, your guardian angel for tonight. I think you could have beaten her ass in a fair fight, but it would be a shame to mess up that pretty dress.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel, I’m Grace Stuart.”

  “I’ll let you get back to your men, Grace,” she replied as she turned to leave. “By the way, she’s right. Those are nice shoes,” she said, glancing down at them appreciatively. Surreal. “If you need a bathroom buddy later, come and get me. Decent girls have to stick together, right?”