Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Benedicts [Lusty, Texas 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting)

by Love Under Two Benedicts (lit)

  “No, of course not. That bed’s very nice, too.”

  “Smart ass,” Steven said.

  “It’s certainly smarting at the moment,” she quipped. Then she opened her eyes and looked from one to the other of her men. “It felt better tonight. Better and different.”

  “Because our bond is growing,” Matthew said.

  “Most boys’ fathers tell them about the facts of life. Ours had considerably more to say,” Steven said.

  “When two men, or three, choose to share a woman, there’s a special responsibility to ensure that the woman never feels torn, or like she’s being pulled in separate directions. Dads told us that if we’re the right three people, then a special bond grows between us. We all three become connected in a unique way.”

  “That’s what I was thinking as I wanted you. That we’d be one flesh,” Kelsey said.

  With her lovers each holding one of her hands, Kelsey relaxed into the heat and steam, letting the spa work its magic on her. She nearly dozed, but Steven gently shook her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Matthew holding a towel out to her. She didn’t think she’d been in the tub that long, but as he gathered her up and lifted her, she noticed her fingertips had wrinkled.

  They dried her quickly, then tucked her into the bed. Moments later they joined her, and Kelsey found herself sliding into sleep, a lover on each side of her, snuggled close.

  An hour later, the phone rang.

  Chapter 21

  The sign for the Triple K Diner on the state highway outside of Gatesville proclaimed it stayed open around the clock “because the trucks of America never stop.” Matthew pulled Steven’s Jeep into a parking spot between two semis. He’d spotted Adam’s car, his own personal one and not the cruiser, and knew his best friend was already inside the diner.

  He turned to look at Kelsey. “Mandy said Ginny’s still inside, nursing that coffee. Temperature dipped down tonight, so she’s likely hoping to stay as long as she can. She’s in a booth near the back.”

  Kelsey nodded, then rubbed her hands together.

  She’d asked to come with him. Steven had said he’d stay behind to be with Benny, no problem, as long as they let him know how things went right away. Now Matthew wondered if his woman was having second thoughts.

  “You all right to do this?” Matthew asked.

  “Yes. I just don’t want to say the wrong thing to her.”

  “You won’t.” Matthew thought Kelsey was the perfect person to talk to Ginny Rose.

  As they got out of the car, Kelsey yawned. Matthew put his arm around her and hugged her tight. “We’ll go sit with her and get some coffee into you.”

  “At this rate,” Kelsey said, “I may not be going in to my restaurant tomorrow either. Or rather, later today.”

  Matthew held the door for her, his eyes spotting the woman as soon as he set foot inside the long, narrow diner.

  The place featured a Formica counter with stools and a row of booths along the opposite wall that was made up mostly of windows.

  Adam sat at the counter nearly right across from Ginny.

  Kelsey made her way down the length of the diner. She easily slipped into the booth before Ginny even looked up and noticed her.

  “Oh!” The woman looked frightened when Kelsey slid over so that he could slide in beside her.

  “It’s all right, Ginny. Benny’s safe. He’s sound asleep. We just want to talk to you.” Kelsey said.

  Ginny looked from Kelsey to him. He’d already decided he’d stay out of it. Seeing how tired Ginny looked and how frightened just reinforced that decision. He gave her the best smile he could.

  Ginny’s eyes filled with tears.

  “You must think I’m a terrible mother,” she whispered.

  “I don’t,” Kelsey said. She reached across the table and laid one of her hands on Ginny’s. “One thing I noticed when I saw you with Benny in my restaurant was the love on your face for him.”

  “I was just so scared. Everything went wrong. I thought…Deke was so kind at first. I’d been alone with Benny since he was born. I worked hard, never went on welfare, you know? And I hardly ever dated. Benny’s my whole world. But…but I was lonely. And Deke, he came in to the coffee shop where I worked. He seemed so nice.”

  Kelsey reached into her pocket and pulled out some tissues, gave them to Ginny, and then she simply let the woman talk.

  Matt knew Adam could hear every word. He could tell by the hunch of his friend’s shoulders that Ginny’s story wasn’t what Adam had expected to hear. Although his friend had said he wouldn’t judge her until he’d heard what she had to say, Matt knew he had, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from doing so.

  Matt signaled the waitress for coffee. When the woman came over, he said, “Would you like something to eat, Ginny?”

  She looked startled, as if she’d forgotten he was there. She shook her head. “Oh, no…I couldn’t.”

  “I’ll have a ham sandwich,” Kelsey told the waitress. Then to Ginny she said, “I won’t be able to eat the whole thing. You’ll have half. All right?”

  “Oh. I…yes. All right.”

  Kelsey fixed her coffee and waited until Ginny had put more cream into hers.

  “I didn’t know what else to do. Deke threatened to take his belt to Benny, and…and he hadn’t even done anything! I wanted to get away from him, but he told me if I tried to leave him, I’d…I’d get worse than I was already getting. Then he told me I had to get rid of Benny. I thought…I thought if my boy was safe, then I could get away from Deke.”

  “Is that what you really thought?” Kelsey’s voice went soft and quiet. From the corner of his eye, Matt could see Adam at the counter straining to listen.

  “No.” Ginny sobbed quietly, and Kelsey waited. Finally, Ginny inhaled shakily. “I was going to try to get away from him, but I thought he’d likely kill me.

  “I didn’t really want my baby in the system. I grew up in the system. There was one family where the missus got drunk and the mister would tell me I had to let him at me.” Ginny stopped and took a sip from her coffee. The waitress returned and set the sandwich down on the table. Kelsey took half and pushed the plate over to the other woman.

  Ginny never looked up, just kept her gaze focused on the table. Matt didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman so broken down. At least, not since leaving Chicago. While working as a cop in the inner city, he’d seen a lot of women like Ginny, women who’d gotten themselves into bad relationships and didn’t know how to get out. The men who abused these women always managed to totally short circuit their self-esteem to the point that they were truly incapable of escaping on their own.

  Ginny hadn’t been completely broken down because she’d gotten her son to safety, and then herself.

  Ginny inhaled deeply and continued. “I didn’t want that for my boy. Then I read that piece in the paper. About you and your restaurant. I cried when I read about your little boy. Then I thought you’d be good for Benny. And maybe Benny would be good for you, too. He’d be safe. And loved.

  “When I woke up yesterday, I knew had to get away from Deke. I had to find my baby. I couldn’t bear to be away from him another day.” She cried quietly, and Kelsey said nothing, just handed her some more tissues.

  Finally, she looked up and for the first time focused on Matthew. “You’re the law, aren’t you? You came to arrest me. I did a bad thing, leaving my boy. I deserve to go to jail. As long as my Benny’s safe, that’s all I care about.”

  Matthew wanted to assure Ginny he wasn’t going to arrest her, but it really wasn’t his call.

  At the counter, Adam sighed heavily. He slowly turned on his stool so he faced Ginny. “No one’s going to arrest you, Ms. Rose. We’re not here to cause you more grief. We’re here to help.”

  * * * *

  Kelsey was glad to be back in her own kitchen.

  Tracy had done a fabulous job handling things while she’d been off, and she felt better about impending vacation time whe
n just a couple of months before, Kelsey had been certain she neither wanted nor needed to think about vacation.

  Time off was all well and good, but Lusty Appetites was her baby, and she felt at her best when she was here, taking care of her business.

  Kelsey laid her hand over her abdomen. Thinking of the restaurant as her baby led to other thoughts—thoughts of building families, having babies. She thought of the future for the first time in more than five years.

  She couldn’t deny to herself any longer that she was in love, all the way in love, with two men. Despite all the living examples here in this town, she wasn’t yet one hundred percent convinced that the three of them could build a forever kind of future.

  But then, life didn’t come with guarantees, not ever.

  Kelsey grabbed her apron and tied it on even as she heard the door to the kitchen open.

  “Welcome back, boss. How do you feel? I hear you found Benny’s mother,” Tracy said by way of greeting.

  “Thank you, fine, and yes, we found Ginny.”

  “I bet Benny was over the moon.” Tracy set her purse in a drawer and reached for her own apron.

  “He was. We weren’t going to wake him last night, but he woke up as we were settling Ginny in the room next to his. I have to admit, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

  “So what happens next?”

  “Adam is going to get a statement from her about Deke and likely issue an arrest warrant for assault.” Kelsey could see again the bruises on the woman as she’d helped her into a large shirt to sleep in. Ginny had been too busy cuddling her son after that. She’d promised Adam she’d take a break after the lunch rush and take some photographs that could be used as evidence if he couldn’t talk her into going to the clinic.

  “We should find Ginny a job and a place to stay here in Lusty,” Tracy said. “She’d be safe here.”

  Kelsey smiled. “I was thinking the same thing. Once Michelle and Carla come in, I want to have us to discuss it. Ginny has experience working in a coffee shop. I think we could use her here.”

  “That would be perfect. I think Michelle was talking about taking a couple of college courses come the fall,” Tracy said.

  “Good. Now, let’s get cracking. I have a feeling there’s going to be a bigger than average lunch crowd today.”

  Tracy nodded. “Everyone will want to make sure that you’re on the mend.”

  Isn’t that a wonderful feeling?

  Kelsey couldn’t remember ever being in a place where everyone would want to come out to make sure she was all right. As she began the soup and set out some beef to go in the roaster, she thought about how it seemed the entire town came together to help one small boy who wasn’t even one of their own and how they’d come out for her, too.

  One aspect of her future she had absolutely no doubts about was where she was going to spend the rest of her life. Nothing would ever lure her away from Lusty, Texas.

  Chatter from the dining room told her that Michelle and Carla had arrived for work.

  “Hey, boss. Good to have you back! Are you all right? I hear you found Benny’s mom!”

  Kelsey smiled and let Tracy fill them in. The waitresses stashed their purses and washed up, then grabbed aprons to give a hand with some of the minor kitchen duties.

  “I helped Morgan with the canvass yesterday,” Michelle said. “We found out that several people saw the same car in town just before the shooting. We don’t think much, usually, about strange cars in town. But there was only one, a dark blue Pontiac. No one got a license number, but the man behind the wheel was a big bruiser. That’s what Aunt Anna said.”

  “Maybe it’s enough information that Adam can get a lead.” At least Kelsey hoped it was enough information. Matthew hadn’t pressed her this morning, but there was still the matter of her making a decision about seeing a hypnotist.

  If she could avoid it, she would. She really didn’t understand all that would be involved, but she knew one thing for certain. She didn’t really want to remember anything more about that horrible day.

  The memories she already had would be with her for the rest of her life.

  “Anyway,” Michelle continued, “I was kind of nervous at first because I was afraid that people would have said they’d seen a silver Prius, but no one reported seeing one of those. And that Austin hottie who comes here a couple times a week certainly couldn’t ever be called a bruiser.”

  “The Austin hottie?” Kelsey asked.

  “Yeah, you know the one I pointed out to you? He has a crush on you.”

  Kelsey vaguely recalled the man. Dark hair, moustache, and carrying a few extra pounds, though not in his face. He’d come to try the cuisine, he’d told her, because of that write-up in the Waco paper.

  Note to self, avoid being the subject of any future newspaper interviews.

  So far that one had netted her more business but also seemed to be the catalyst for some not-so-pleasant experiences.

  Although, in all honesty, since that article had been the impetus for getting Ginny Rose out of a dangerous situation, she guessed it wasn’t all bad.

  Still, she wouldn’t call that new customer a hottie. In fact, when he looked at her, she kind of got the creeps.

  “Did you get his name yet?” Tracy asked.

  “I was going to ask him on Sunday. Then we had all that excitement about little Benny, and the next thing I knew, he was gone. If he shows up today, you can be sure I’ll worm it out of him. I mean, he does have a crush on Kelsey, but I think he likes me, too. Once he figures out Kelsey doesn’t even see him, the field will be all mine.”

  Tracy and Carla laughed. Kelsey just shook her head.

  “What makes you think he has a crush on me?” Kelsey asked.

  “Well, for one thing, he’s asked a ton of questions about you. And then, every time you come into the dining room, he can’t take his eyes off you. His face gets all serious, you know, like he doesn’t want to miss a single moment of your presence.”

  Kelsey felt her face heat, but at the same time a sense of discomfort washed through her. “Well, you’re right, of course. I don’t see him.” Then, because they were all looking at her avidly, she added, “I’ve got my hands full with the brothers Benedict.”

  Since her staff was all present, she told them a little about Ginny and suggested that she might find employment with them at Lusty Appetites.

  “That’s perfect! I was worried about leaving you short in the fall,” Michelle said. “Now I don’t have to worry.”

  “Great. I’ll wait a couple of days to ask her if she’d be interested. She needs a bit of time to get her wind back.”

  “I knew a woman when I lived in Philadelphia,” Carla said. “She didn’t get knocked around physically, but emotionally. Takes time to feel whole again.”

  “I hope she decides to stay here in Lusty,” Kelsey said. “She’ll be able to feel whole again here.”

  They all got busy, the waitresses checking to make sure the dining room was ready, and she and Tracy getting down to the serious business of getting ready to feed the town.

  Before she knew it, the doors were open and people started flowing in for lunch. Mindful of good PR, but mostly because she loved this town and its people, Kelsey made certain to take several tours of the dining room.

  By one, when the lunch crowd began to taper, she had healthy receipts and an overflow of flowers and well wishes to show for the day.

  “I’m going to take a break,” she announced to her staff. “I should be back in an hour. If you need me—”

  “We’ll just call down to the sheriff’s office,” Tracy said.

  Kelsey shook her head at the silly grins facing her. She guessed there were no secrets in a small town, especially in a small town like Lusty.

  Her men had asked her not to go anywhere alone, but it was a short walk to the sheriff’s office, which was right in the middle of downtown Lusty. The late summer sun burned down without the relief of a single cloud.


  As she waited for the traffic light, the sound of a car’s engine caught her attention. The glint of sun on silver flashed in the corner of her eye and made her turn and look.

  The late model Prius gleamed brightly, looking chic and expensive. Which made the sight of the driver, holding a handgun pointed at her, seem totally out of place.

  “Get into the car, Ms. Madison. You and I have some unfinished business.”

  Chapter 22

  “How’d it go with Ginny?” Matthew asked the moment Adam came into the office. He’d felt too involved to handle the interview in his official capacity as deputy. Adam hadn’t minded doing it instead. Matthew knew his own emotions had become involved because he loved Benny. He also loved their woman, and she’d made her feelings on the subject of Ginny Rose very clear.

  Matthew thought their Kelsey was one hell of a generous woman.

  “I have Ginny talked into pressing charges against Deke. She’s scared, and I find I really can’t blame her. She knows she has to do something or else everything she went through these last few days will have been for nothing.”

  Matthew stayed quiet then because he knew his best friend well. Adam was coldly furious and dealing with it in his own way. He’d only seen him this angry once before, but the memory hadn’t diminished in all the years since that incident. He hadn’t been sheriff then, but a college junior who’d come across some men who’d been forcing themselves on a young woman. There’d been three of them, and Adam had lit into them all before Matt had a chance to join him.

  Adam reached the corner of his desk and just stood there, looking down at it. In the next instant, he grabbed his coffee cup, spun around, and hurled it against the far wall.

  The china mug shattered into a thousand pieces, the crash of pottery against brick an eloquent scream of rage.

  “She let me stay with her while Uncle James examined her at the clinic. We had taken pictures to document the evidence. Deke had used his belt on her the night she left Benny. She’s covered in welts.”