by Lori King
“If she chooses you I’ll back off,” Ryker said, feeling the sting of the words straight through to the bone. “I just want her happy.”
The wide smile on Mack’s face was slightly unsettling. “That’s what I was hoping you would say, little brother. I have a plan, and it involves you pulling out all of your best moves and seducing her. Are you in?”
Ryker hesitated, shocked by Mack’s reaction. He had expected him to say thanks and leave it at that. The fact that he wanted Ryker to stay involved was mindboggling. Leaning forward, tense with anticipation, he listened as Mack began to fill him in on how they could work together to reroute Claudia’s plan for her future.
Chapter Nine
“Thank you for inviting me out tonight, ladies. You have no idea how much I needed this.” Claudia accepted her seven and seven from the bartender, and followed Rachel and Zoey across the half empty bar to a table.
“I’m just glad you joined us. Rach and I really only have each other to hang out with, and I can only take so much of this wench. You’ll understand when you know her better,” Zoey said, winking conspiratorially.
Rachel smacked her shoulder, “Hey! I resent that.”
“You mean you resemble that?” Zoey asked, waving to get the waitress’s attention. “So what are we eating, ladies? Salads or cheese fries?”
Claudia and Rachel both answered together, “Cheese fries,” and then burst into laughter.
“Thank God you’re not one of those prissy women who pretends not to eat real food,” Rachel said. “Lately it seems all of my new clients are city folks who want to buy a country home. It’s painful to take them to lunch. If I wanted to watch a rabbit eat grass I could sit on my back patio.”
Nodding in understand, Claudia wrinkled her nose, “I have to do my share of grass eating when I’m back home, trust me. Here I feel like I can relax and enjoy myself. Nobody seems to care if I’m thirty pounds overweight.”
Zoey looked askance at her, “Overweight? You’re joking right?” She flashed an irritated look at Rachel, “She’s got to be joking, right?”
“I don’t think so, Z. Sounds pretty serious. I think she’s been poisoned by the city. It’s all the carbon monoxide and crowded spaces. Just does things to the brain.” Rachel was shaking her head in resignation. “It will take us years to undo the brainwashing.”
“You two are hysterical. I’ve always fought my weight, but lately I haven’t fought as hard. There’s something ridiculously comforting about a giant cheeseburger with bacon on it.” Claudia sighed wistfully and sipped her drink.
“Years, I tell ya,” Rachel whispered to Zoey. They both wore matching sad expressions, making Claudia giggle and roll her eyes.
“So please tell me how you two ladies managed to snag almost a whole baseball team of sexy Texas men between you?” she asked, propping her chin up on her hand and finding a comfortable seat for the story. “Your families are the only families like this I’ve ever met, and I’m curious how it happened.”
Rachel smiled, “I started the whole ball of wax. Actually my guys did. See, I had been dating a guy named Mitch who cheated on me—”
“Douchebag,” Zoey grumbled under her breath, making Claudia laugh.
“An enormous one! Anyway, when the four guys—Rogan, Parker, Sawyer, and Hudson—found out I was single they decided to make a play for me. I opened the door by seeking out a one-night stand—”
Zoey interrupted again, “You mean you kicked the door open and waved your perky tits at them!”
“I did no such thing!” Rachel said indignantly.
“You came to Robin’s that night planning to have a rowdy romp with a random cowboy. If that’s not offering up a buffet to a starving crowd then I don’t know what is,” Zoey said.
Their waitress brought their cheese fries and they all dug in. Claudia grinned as she watched the other two women enjoy the fattening treat. It was nice to be out with females who weren’t looking at her like competition. Once they had all eaten enough to stave off starvation, she prodded for more of the story.
“So you came to the bar looking to get laid, and then what?” she asked.
“Before I could even put my plan into action the Brooks brothers spotted me and they offered up their…er…services for the weekend,” Rachel said, blushing slightly.
“The weekend?” Claudia lifted an eyebrow at the pretty brunette.
“The whole weekend. Nothing but hot monkey sex with four hunks for a whole weekend. Can you believe it?” Zoey said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Lucky bitch.”
“The agreement was I would spend the weekend with them at their ranch and then we would walk away friends. No strings attached,” Rachel finished.
Reaching out, Claudia took Rachel’s hand and stared pointedly at the enormous diamond adorning her left ring finger. “Looks like we need to have a discussion about what “no strings attached” means, hon.”
Zoey let out a bark of laughter and Rachel’s blush deepened. “Well I did walk away against my better judgment, but what I didn’t know when I left their house that day was they had already sealed the deal. I found out a couple of months later I was pregnant with Juliet, and when I told them, it changed everything. We’ve had our ups and downs though, don’t get me wrong. How many relationships are rock-solid after only forty-eight hours of wild sex? They didn’t even have to live through PMS for the first nine months of our relationship.”
“I think Sawyer nearly cracked the first time you got your period. He showed up at the ranch begging Tanner to hide him,” Zoey snorted.
“Wow. I can’t even imagine what went through your head when you realized they wanted you to be in a permanent relationship with all four of them. Do you know whose baby it is?” Claudia asked.
Rachel shook her head, “It never mattered. From the moment she was conceived Juliet had four fathers who loved her. We’re very lucky ladies her and I.”
“How did the town react?” Claudia asked and then she cringed, “I’m sorry, I’m being very rude with my nosey questions.”
Shrugging, Rachel smiled, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been asked much worse, and we’re friends. Or at least I hope you consider us friends.” After Claudia nodded her agreement, she continued, “The town was shocked of course, and there have been a handful of negative reactions, but for the most part they are supportive. I grew up here and the Brooks family is one of the founding families of Stone River. They can pretty much do whatever they want around here.”
“It’s the same with my guys. The Keegan family didn’t help found the town, but they’ve been here for several generations. They have donated so much money to the school system and the town I think Tanner could walk through it just wearing a hat and spurs and not get even a raised eyebrow,” Zoey said.
Claudia sipped at her drink while silently wondering how she might have reacted if one of her coworkers showed up at work and made the announcement she was marrying four brothers. It would certainly ruffle feathers back home. Her father’s most of all. He would go apeshit if he knew she was even flirting with both of the Thompson brothers.
“How did the guys know sharing a woman was what they wanted?” she asked.
Zoey snorted, “Mine didn’t exactly. I’ve always had a thing for Tanner, but the one time I reached out to him he was a jerk, so I forced myself to give up on the possibility of us getting together. When my apartment got bought out by Schmidt last summer I had to find a new place to live. Thanks to my mom I barely had two plug nickels in my pocket, and Tanner was the only person I knew I could stay with until I found a place.”
“Wow. So you became his roommate and then just fell in love with him and his brothers?” Claudia asked.
“Of course not. His two brothers, Dalton and Clint, were smarter than Tanner was. They fell in love with me first, and the three of us had to work to convince him it was in his best interest. It’s hard to believe we’ve been married for almost six months already,” Zoey said, twistin
g the platinum wedding ring on her finger.
“You’re telling me! We’re getting ready to celebrate our two year anniversary!” Rachel exclaimed. “As hard as juggling four husbands is, I wouldn’t go back for all the money in the world. Those guys and our baby girl are my happily ever after.”
Claudia dropped back against the back of her chair with a huff. “I want a happily ever after.”
The other two women exchanged a glance and she would swear they shared a wicked glint in their eyes when they turned back to her. Zoey took the first shot, “So what’s between you and the Thompson boys?”
Shrugging, she frowned at the question, “I wish I knew. I met Mack first, and there was just something about him. A spark between us like I’ve never experienced before. Then when I walked into the bar the other night and met Ryker, it was like an electric shock. When I’m with only one of them I feel happy, but when I’m with the two of them I feel sublime.”
“Sounds like Stone River’s newest inductees to the polyamorous lifestyle to me,” Rachel said, smiling cockily.
“Not likely,” Claudia said with a snort. “The two of them are not interested in trying ménage. At least not on a permanent basis. And I’m going back to Austin soon to get my marching orders.”
Zoey’s eyes widened, “Excuse me? Going back?”
Nodding, Claudia felt the heavy pull of depression in her heart. She didn’t want to leave Stone River, but by staying she was just delaying the inevitable. It was important she talk to her father and explain what happened with the Granite Estates project. Perhaps there was still a solution to be found so the whole project wasn’t scrapped.
“Well if you’re taking the easy way out, we had better take this opportunity to party with you while we can!” Rachel said, jumping to her feet and downing the last of her drink. “Let’s go, ladies. This bar needs a bit of livening up.” With that, the bubbly brunette seemed to let her fashionable real estate persona slip even further into the background as she took the dance floor. As the lone occupant of the thirty square foot space, Rachel rocked her hips in time to Josh Turner’s deep baritone singing, “Firecracker.”
“We better join her, so she doesn’t get herself arrested,” Zoey said, grabbing Claudia’s hand and leading her out to the floor.
The three women rocked and bopped to the music for several songs. After the first couple of minutes as the only dancers, they found themselves joined by several other ladies, and a few gentlemen. Quickly the quiet somber crowd filling the bar on a weekday evening began enjoying the spark of excitement.
Claudia couldn’t remember when she had enjoyed herself more. Good friends, good food, good music, and the freedom to dance. It was heaven. The only thing missing was the two men who seemed to dominate her thoughts lately.
As much as she liked the idea of finding a happy ending with two gorgeous, sweet men like Mack and Ryk, she knew the logistics were more complicated. It wasn’t realistic to believe otherwise, and she was nothing if pragmatic. In a couple of days, she would pack a bag and head for Austin. She needed to find out what was next on her schedule. By now her father would have received her email detailing the decision made by the town, and Gaven Schmidt was known for pulling the trigger quickly. He would already have a Plan B, and possibly a Plan C. She just needed to find out what it was and embrace it. Maybe then she would be able to let go of the hopelessly happy woman she found in Stone River.
*****
Ryker was waiting outside the bar when the three women spilled out into the night. They were laughing with a girly abandon that brought a wide smile to his face. Stepping out of the shadows and into the yellow light of the parking lot, he waited for Claudia to notice him.
“Shit. Did I miss curfew again?” she asked. Her tone was half playful and half irritated, with just a hint of tipsy sass.
Zoey snorted, “Uh oh! He’s going to crack the whip now.”
Rachel sputtered between giggles, “Make him frisk you first! Get the full body cavity search!”
All three women were a laughing heap of bawdy innuendos that might have made Ryker blush if he hadn’t spent more than a decade in a locker room. “Alright, ladies, enough. Zoey, Dalton should be here any minute to get you and Rachel. Parker called me and asked me to swing by and check on you when you didn’t come home by eleven like you promised.”
That sobered Rachel up, and she dug in her purse for her phone, “Shit! I can’t believe I’m late! Jules is going to hate me forever!”
“I highly doubt it, Rach. Hell, she just now learned your name was mama,” Zoey said, dissolving into girly laughter again at her own joke.
“How much have you been drinking, kitten?” A new voice echoed across the parking lot, and Ryker turned to greet Dalton Keegan as he reached his wife’s side.
“Only two, I think. We are drunk on life, and my abs hurt like hell from laughing. You should see Claudia dance! Damn, the girl can shake it like a polaroid picture!” Zoey’s antics brought another round of laughter. The atmosphere was so relaxed Ryker found himself chuckling along with the group.
He knew about Claudia’s dance skills, he’d seen them himself, but what he hadn’t seen was this carefree relaxed goddess, who laughed with her friends, and smiled like the world was at her feet. She looked stunning even with her hair tousled from dancing all night, and her mascara smeared where she wiped away tears of mirth.
Dalton smiled at Ryker, and nodded to Claudia, “You got that one?”
“We’re good,” he responded, waving the three on as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Claudia. He breathed in her scent, letting the warm cocoa butter flavor of the air around her rest on his taste buds and fill his head. For the rest of his life he would associate cocoa butter with this curvy bombshell.
“Bye, ladies! Thank you for taking me out tonight!” Claudia called out, blowing an energetic kiss to Zoey, who caught it dramatically and then dissolved into giggles again.
Ryker could hear Dalton firmly instructing his wife and her best friend to get into his truck and buckle up, before he turned to face Claudia. Her gorgeous hazel eyes were a warm amber color, and they swallowed him whole the moment he made eye contact.
“So you’re playing knight in shining armor tonight again, huh?” she cocked her hip to the side and looked him up and down like a piece of meat. “Does that mean you have to carry me home on your noble steed? Because I’m still really tender from Sunday’s ride—”
He snorted, and she blushed lightly as she picked up on the double entendre of her words. “Duchess, I wouldn’t be the right cowboy for the whole riding off into the sunset gig. However, since you’ve been drinking I will be taking you home. We’ll get your car tomorrow.”
“You know, you’re kind of hot when you’re being all bossy and serious.” She walked toward his car without a backward glance, and he hurried to catch up.
“Thank you. You’re kind of hot all the time. I didn’t think your ass could look better until I saw it in those jeans. I’ll have to write a thank you letter to the manufacturer.” He held the car door open for her and smiled when she slid gracefully into the seat. His car was far from a Benz, but she rode in it as though it was gold plated.
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she said with an astonished look on her face. “I’m not even sure what to say.”
He gave her a wink and shut the door so he could walk around and get in himself. “Buckle up, buttercup, no breaking the law in my car.”
She rolled her eyes but snapped the seatbelt in place. “Are you going to place your hands at ten and two as well, or is it only certain laws you won’t break?”
“Oh no, I’m an excellent driver, and I obey almost all driving laws.”
“Last I checked, drunk driving was—”
“Okay!” he interrupted. “Almost all driving laws. Actually, my biggest weakness is speed limits. I used to drive an amateur drag car when I was off season just for kicks.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw he
r mouth drop open. “What? You didn’t think my whole life was football did you?”
After a pause, she nodded, “Yeah, I guess I did. What other secret hobbies do you have?”
He smiled at her newfound curiosity, and shrugged, “Not many. I like to play basketball, and golf, and occasionally dress in drag on the weekends. The normal manly hobbies.”
Claudia’s eyes couldn’t get any wider as she gasped in shock, “What?”
“I’m kidding, lighten up! I like guy stuff. Sports, fast cars, pretty girls. I don’t cook much, but I’m a grill master. What about you?”
Dropping her head back on the headrest, she relaxed a little and let out a sigh, “I had so many hobbies as a kid I never had much time to slow down. Now as an adult I work all the time, and still don’t get a lot of down time. When I do I like to work with my hands. I love refurbishing old worn out things and giving them new life.”
“Why didn’t you speak up and tell your parents you didn’t want to do all of those activities?” Ryker asked. He just couldn’t wrap his brain around it, because his life was so carefree as a kid. What would it have been like to be faced with a regimented schedule every day and never have time to be free?
“It just wasn’t an option. My parents loved me enough to want me to have every possible opportunity. Perhaps they should have given me more free time, but then I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if they had, so I’m grateful for what they did for me. It wasn’t always easy, and as a kid I resented all of the schedules and practices, but now I see how it helped me be a stronger businesswoman.”
Just like that she turned his first opinion on its top. She was absolutely right. If her parents hadn’t pushed her to be so responsible, perhaps life wouldn’t have brought her here to Stone River, so he wouldn’t wish it any different.
When they arrived at her home, he felt butterflies fill his stomach. This was the moment. He and Mack had agreed he would give the seduction thing one more try. If she was into it, then they would approach her about trying a ménage relationship. If she wasn’t, Ryker would walk away for the good of his relationship with his brother.
