by Jane Jamison
“Good. But there’s one thing you should know.”
Why did there always have to be a catch? “What’s that?”
“You’ll have to earn your keep.”
Coming from any other man, she would’ve assumed he meant sex. But Jarrod and Seth were too nice to expect her to put out. She couldn’t see them as the kind of guys who’d make a girl do something she didn’t want to do. Although, as she glanced from one to the other, she had to admit—at least to herself—that there wasn’t much she wouldn’t want to do with them. For them. To them.
“Sure. We’d be happy to do chores. Right, Jesse?”
“Oh, yeah. Sounds peachy,” Jesse grumbled under his breath and fixed his gaze out the windshield.
“Never mind him. But there’s one thing you should know. We’ve never worked on a ranch before.”
“I figured as much. I’ll let you handle the domestic house stuff. As for Jesse? We’ll turn him into a good, hardworking ranch hand.”
She almost laughed at the ridiculous idea. Jesse? Hardworking? “Okay. It’s a done deal.”
“Hey, don’t I have anything to say about this?”
She dug her fingernails into her brother’s leg. “Not a damn thing.”
Chapter Five
They pulled up to the front of their two-story white-framed house. As it always did, a rush of pride flowed through Seth even though they’d purchased the ranch more for its land than for the rundown house. After a lot of elbow grease and working long into the nights, they’d brought it back to life, doing renovations whenever they’d had the time to spare from ranch work. Their home wasn’t the nicest or the biggest in the area, but it was perfect for them. One day they hoped to fill all five bedrooms. One they’d share with the special woman they’d make love to in a custom-made bed big enough for all three of them. The other four bedrooms would be filled with sons and daughters.
“Welcome to Rolling Hills Ranch.”
“This is it?” Jesse leaned forward, checking out the house. “It doesn’t look like much to me.”
So far, Jesse had pushed a lot of his buttons. He was surprised Jarrod hadn’t come through with his threat to toss the kid out. If Amy hadn’t been with him, they would’ve dumped him a long time ago. Hell, they never would have allowed him to ride along in the first place.
“I think it’s wonderful.”
Amy’s awed-filled expression was enough to make his day. “Yeah?”
“Definitely. I love the white color with the green shutters. And the hanging flowers? Very nice. Very homey.” The light in her eyes faded. “I bet your wife did a great job decorating the inside.”
“Tell her, Seth.” Jarrod shoved open the door and hopped out. “If you don’t, I will.”
“At the risk of losing my Man Card, I’ll have to admit to doing the decorating.” Seth held up his left hand. “I’m not married.”
“Really?”
Did she sound interested? Or was it just wishful thinking? Too bad Jesse was around. If not, he’d have already charmed his way between her legs. Although Jarrod wanted to concentrate on winning at rodeos, he loosened up whenever they brought a woman out to the ranch. And Amy wasn’t just any woman. Like him, Jarrod would jump at the chance to get to know her better. Hell, at the chance to know her for as long as they could.
“So Jarrod’s wife didn’t help?”
He almost laughed at her thinly veiled question. “He’s not married, either. And just so you know, we’re not dating or involved with anyone, either.”
“Damn. Is that what you guys want? To hit on my sister?”
Seth couldn’t help but think of Jesse as a kid. He sure as hell acted like one. One who needed a good slap upside his head. “How old did you say you are?”
“Old enough, man.”
“He’s eighteen,” answered Amy. “He still has a little growing up to do.”
“You’re right about that,” muttered Jarrod.
“Fuck you, man.” Jesse pulled himself straighter as though that would make him seem older.
“Jesse, will you stop being such a jerk?”
Good for you, Amy.
“Go on inside and check the place out. The door’s unlocked. We’ll take care of the horses.”
“You leave your door unlocked?”
“Sure. No one around here’s going to steal anything.” His attention slipped to Jesse. At least, not until now.
Jesse’s story about messing with Bandura’s girlfriend just didn’t hold up. He could see how the gang leader would want to give the kid a beat-down, but would he kill him? Maybe. But to go to so much trouble to track them down? He doubted it. Then again, kids today got shot for almost any kind of a perceived slight. Still, his gut told him something else was going on.
Should they have brought them back to the ranch? Probably not. Yet as irritating as Jesse was, he reminded him of their younger brother. Bobby had gotten wild, putting on a tough guy act and hanging out with the wrong crowd. He’d barely turned sixteen when he’d snuck off to meet a girl and had ended up in a culvert upside down.
If only Bobby had worn his seatbelt, he might still be alive.
Thinking about his brother gave him the sick feeling he tried to avoid.
Shaking it off, Seth strode to the end of the trailer, ready to lift the latch holding the gate closed when it hit him. Horses or not, he had to see her face when she walked inside. It was stupid, but he needed to know if she liked what she saw. Leaving the horses to Jarrod, he hurried over to Jesse and Amy, then took hold of the doorknob a second before she did.
“I thought you were going to take care of the horses? Doesn’t Jarrod need your help?”
A man could get lost in her eyes. Like diving into a bottomless pool of clear blue water. “Naw. He’ll handle it.” Jarrod knew him well enough that he wouldn’t have to explain himself. “Besides, if he needs help, Jesse can pitch in. Right, Jesse?”
“I don’t know anything about horses. I’m a city guy, not some stupid farmer.”
It was getting harder to ignore Jesse’s fucked up attitude. For Amy’s sake, he decided to let it go. Again.
“Jesse and I can check in with Jarrod right after I show you where you can put your things.”
“We don’t have anything with us.”
“Yeah. Right. I forgot. Anyway”—he swung the door wide—“here it is. Home, sweet home.”
He stepped back, keeping his attention on her, not wanting to miss a single reaction. She walked a few feet inside then slowly looked around.
He’d never been nervous before when other people, other women, had come into their home. As far as he was concerned, no one’s opinion mattered more than his own. Until now. He wanted her to like it. Hell, he needed her to like it.
“You did all this? Without any help? Seriously, a woman didn’t help you?”
Suddenly, he felt less than macho. “A man doesn’t have to have a woman’s help or be gay to decorate his home.”
“Oh, no. I agree. But this is so…”
“Boring. Dull.”
“Shut up, Jesse.”
“Yeah, shut up, Jesse.”
He grinned, loving how they’d both told her brother off.
“Damn, can’t a guy talk around here?” Jesse slunk around the place.
If he moved any slower, he’d be going backward.
But again, Seth kept his thoughts to himself.
“I was going to say how beautiful it is. The place is amazing. Beautiful, yet cozy and really warm. Like a real home.” She faced him, taking his breath along with his heart.
Holy shit. I’ve got to have her. Not just for today, but forever.
He’d never had any thought like it before. Not about any of the other women who’d come and gone in his life. He could see her there. See himself coming home to her every night.
He loved the place along with its huge stone fireplace and the weathered leather couch resting in front of it. On cold winter nights, sitting in front of a roarin
g fire was the best place to be. He and Jarrod would cozy up to the fireplace and share a bottle of whiskey. He knew without a doubt it’d be even better with her sitting between them.
She took a slow stroll around the room, skimming her fingers over the wooden mantel, along the worn fabric of the comfortable chair and its throw pillow. She even bent over to run her hand over the fur rug on the floor.
“That’s imitation, by the way.”
She turned to face him. “What is?”
“The rug. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love to hunt. But Jarrod and I use what we kill. We don’t shoot an animal for sport.” He was rambling, unable to stop. “We hunt pheasant and deer. Deer, mostly. I didn’t skin a bear just to turn it into a rug. I bought it from a catalog.”
I sound like a damn fool.
“I’m glad.” She did another quick look around. “So what about deer heads? Do you have those mounted somewhere?”
He almost didn’t want to tell her. A lot of women didn’t like the idea of mounting animal heads on a wall. “Yeah. There’s one in the den. And one in the room off to the left there, plus another one in my bedroom.”
He and Jarrod had their own separate bedrooms. But once they found the right woman, they’d share the huge bedroom at the end of the long hall. The one that took up a third of the second floor and held all their sex tools. Although they’d filled it with everything they could want, they’d yet to take a girl there. Instead, the girls they’d brought to the ranch had always ended up in either his or Jarrod’s room. No one had ever seemed good enough for the big room.
Until now. If he could’ve, he’d take her up to the big bedroom right now.
Without warning, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think of anything except the one question filling his mind. Could she be the one?
“He’s a serial killer, sis.” Jesse pointed an accusing finger at him as he walked backward, picking up a little speed. He went through the dining area with the rough-hewed wooden table that would seat six and into the open concept kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door.
“Hey, dude, you got anything good in here? How about some vodka?” Jesse snagged a bottle of beer. “Cool. Score.”
“Put it back.” Seth’s tone made it clear he meant business.
Jesse frowned. Muttering a low grumble, he put the bottle back in the fridge.
She rolled her eyes, tilted her head toward Jesse, and mouthed the words. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered back, the soft look in her eyes stealing his voice. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’d better give Jarrod a hand. Make yourself at home. My room’s the first one on the right at the top of the stairs. Jarrod’s is across from mine. Um, the big one at the end of the hall is off-limits, but feel free to claim the other two. The one closest to mine has the best bed. Other than my king mattress, of course.”
He wiggled his eyebrows, giving her a blatant hint. Her laugh was his reward.
“Thanks. We really appreciate you guys putting us up. And for all the rest, too.” She called out to her brother who was snooping around the kitchen cabinets. “We do, don’t we, Jesse?”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
She bit her lower lip. “Um, I hate to ask, but I kind of have to.”
“Go ahead.” He’d give her almost anything he had if she’d just bite her lip again. The gesture was simple, but it drove him wild. What else could she do with her luscious mouth? The strange thing was, he knew the longer she stayed with them, the more he’d want to give her. If she stayed, he’d do his best to give her everything she’d ever want.
“I don’t suppose you’d have any clothes we might borrow? When I need to wash these, I mean. Unless you want me running around naked.”
Hell, yeah. Naked and barefoot. Then lying spread eagle on top of the big bed.
She swallowed as what she’d said hit home. “I mean…” She flicked her tongue over her upper lip. “You know what I mean.”
He followed the track of her tongue and clenched his hands, forcing him to stay where he was. He’d lose it once she wrapped her tongue around his cock. “Yeah. Sure.” Still, he wasn’t the one to resist an opening. “But don’t let it stop you. Whenever you feel like running around without clothes, you go right ahead.”
At first, he could tell she wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. Then she chuckled, the sound a perfect addition to her previous laugh.
He hadn’t thought about clothes. Should he take her into Garner and buy her some? Would it be safe? He’d discuss it with Jarrod. “You can check the empty bedroom on the left at the end. I think my brother’s clothes are still in the dresser. They should fit Jesse, although they’ll be too big for you.”
“So they’re Jarrod’s clothes? I think they’ll be too big for either one of us.”
“Not Jarrod’s.” He tried to keep back the sorrow, but it was impossible. When would he realize he was powerless to stop the raw emotion that would never fade? “We had another brother named Bobby. He died in a car accident.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Unlike a lot of people who’d said the same words throughout the years, he had no doubt she meant it. “Thanks. He was sixteen so he wasn’t as big as Jarrod or me. Like I said, they should work. At least until we can figure out something else.”
Would Jarrod be okay with loaning out Bobby’s clothes? He should’ve asked first, but it was too late now.
“Thanks.”
“Okay.” He backed up, reluctant to leave her. “I’ll be back in a bit. Make yourselves at home.”
He finally made it out the door, tripping a little over the threshold. Thankfully, she’d already started up the stairs and didn’t see his clumsiness. He stood at the doorway, his gaze locked on her delectable backside, loving the slight sway.
She was the kind of woman a man would move mountains to get into his bed. The kind of woman who made a man’s mouth water. The kind of woman who had his cock flying high.
If one of the horses hadn’t started kicking up a fuss and making a ruckus he could hear all the way from the barn, he would’ve stayed where he was until she was out of sight. Instead, he forced himself to turn around.
“Damn horse.”
* * * *
They didn’t speak until the horses were taken care of. Jarrod had needed the time to sort his thoughts out. And yet, he was still torn. The only decision he’d made was to keep Amy on the ranch for as long as possible. Maybe then he’d have the answer to the one question that mattered.
Could she be the one?
At least Seth had read him well enough to keep his mouth shut until he was ready to talk. He had to give his brother credit for knowing him. But keeping Seth quiet for long was an impossible feat.
“Okay, spill. What are you thinking?”
Seth dropped the curry comb he’d been cleaning onto a shelf and strode over to him. He was so anxious to start talking that he blocked Jarrod’s way out of the stall.
“I’m thinking we may have found her.”
The fact that Seth’s thoughts were along the same lines was a good sign. If Seth had said something different, like wanting her off the ranch, he would’ve dropped the idea of keeping her. It would’ve torn him apart, but if they both didn’t want her, then she wasn’t the one.
They’d spent a lifetime liking the same girls, often competing with each other, only to leave one of them out. Then it had dawned on them that if they fell in love with the same woman, it would solve the problem. They’d tried going it as a team with a couple of other girls, but neither one of them had wanted to continue those relationships. Not because they didn’t want to share, but because the girl had never been the right one.
“We don’t know anything about her.” He sidestepped his brother and checked on the horse in the next stall. Seth was quick to jump into things so he had to be the cautious one. “And what we do know isn’t great. She’s got a brother who acts like he’s still in high school and a bunch of thug
s chasing after them.”
“We can’t blame her. She didn’t raise her brother.”
“From what she said about their parents and the way their relationship is, I’m thinking she kind of did. Plus, she keeps enabling him.”
Seth laughed then took the bridle Jarrod handed him to hang on the tack wall. “When did you become a shrink, bro?”
“I’m just saying she’s partly to blame for him being messed up.”
“And while you’re doing that, you’re forgetting everything good about her. Like how a lot of older sisters would’ve dumped a troubled brother and gone off to do their own thing. Like how she’s got to be a good person to keep putting up with him. Like how she’s soft-hearted which can only be a good thing for you and me.”
Jarrod started to agree, but Seth was on a roll.
“Like how she’s ambitious and wants to be in a job where she can help people. Like how’s she’s brave enough to get chased and is handling it all without freaking out. Besides, she’s got the prettiest face and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. And a body that gets me hard whenever she’s within ten feet of me. So see? You’re wrong. We know a lot about her and almost all of it’s good.” He dragged in a long breath.
“Are you finished?”
“Yeah. For now.”
“I’m not stupid and I’m sure as hell not blind. But it’s better if we take it slow. At least until we figure out this thing with her brother.”
“You don’t act like you want to take it slow.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. It is. I know you, bro. She’s already under your skin. Otherwise, you would’ve turned her and her brother over to the highway patrol at the John’s place.”
“Maybe I should’ve.” Seth was right. If he’d had any kind of sense at all, he would’ve done it. But being around Amy was hard on his common sense. She took it and twisted it around until he couldn’t think straight.
“You know I’m right. Better make up your mind soon before she makes it up for you. Get rid of her now or she’ll get the best of both of us. Just know I wouldn’t complain about it if she did.”
