by Marla Monroe
“She grows on you,” Jet said.
“She’s not moss growing on a fucking tree, man.”
“But she’s pretty and sweet. I really like listening to her when she’s cleaning. I don’t think she even realizes that she sings and hums while she’s doing it.”
“I know, right? I’m already halfway in love with her, Jet. She’s perfect for us.”
“How do we move our relationship from employer to lover though? She’ll bolt if we come on to her,” Jet said.
“All we can do is move slow. It’s only been a couple of weeks. She’s still getting used to working for us. We take it slow.”
“If the weather cooperates, we’ll have more time alone with her to get her used to us. I’m praying for a ton of snow now,” Jet said.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her plump figure with curves in all the right places. He wanted to fist her curly red hair and hold her head just right for him to devour her juicy, sweet lips. While Tanner was a breast man, Jet was all about a woman’s ass. He liked them big, so he could squeeze them as he buried his dick inside her juicy pussy or tight ass. He wanted to pull Lacy back against his cock on more than one occasion when she’d bent over in the kitchen to get something out of the oven. It had taken all his willpower to keep from jerking her back against him.
“What are you thinking about over there? You’ve got a smile on your face wider than I think I’ve ever seen on your sour puss,” Tanner asked.
Jet sneered at him. “Fuck off. Just thinking about what it would be like to get Lacy between us. Can’t say you haven’t been thinking about the same thing.” Jet adjusted his dick.
“Only every spare minute. It’s been hard not to think of anything else when I’m supposed to be working. She’s hell on production.”
“I think it would be a good idea for us to work some this weekend so that we have time to spend with her next week if the snow cooperates and keeps her here with us,” Jet suggested.
“Good idea. I agree. Maybe I can finish up what I’ve been working on all week that shouldn’t have taken that long.”
Jet grabbed a beer out of the fridge and settled in his chair to watch TV. It wasn’t long before Tanner joined him. They binged on Blue Bloods then watched the weather on two different stations. Both predicted twelve to fourteen inches of snow by Sunday with more on the way for next week. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her snowed in with them.
I’m pitiful. I’m excited about getting snowed in like a little kid.
Jet wasn’t one to get excited about much of anything. He’d seen too much bloodshed and countless lost lives to see much happiness anywhere, but just the thought of spending more time with Lacy had his heart lighter and a smile creasing his face. Even Tanner had noticed his change in disposition. She was good for him. All they had to do was convince her to give them a try.
* * * *
Monday morning Lacy rose early and began packing a bag. They’d gotten a good fourteen inches of snow over the weekend, and the guys had said there was more up on the mountain. They were going to come and pick her up in their four-wheel drive at ten. They’d suggested she pack a bag for several days since it was supposed to snow even more over the next week.
The thought of spending the night up on the mountain excited her. Not just because of the thrill of being up there with the snow and the pretty landscape, but also because she’d be closer to the guys when they weren’t busy working. No amount of resolve to remain immune to their amazing good looks and super friendliness seemed to have worked. She was well on the way to falling for them.
Both of them.
She loved how attentive they were around her. Neither men would let her carry anything heavy to the table, and they always insisted on carrying their dirty dishes to the sink and rinsing them off. She was the housekeeper, yet they seemed to be picking up after themselves more since she’d been there.
I’m in over my head with these two. I know they want to share a woman and for some reason, that doesn’t even bother me. All I’m doing is setting myself up for heartache. They’d never consider me.
Lacy finished packing her bag and set it in the living room near the door. Then she grabbed her coat, scarf, and gloves and piled them on the couch to be ready when they came. She’d already talked to her landlady to let her know she’d be up on the mountain until the snow melted enough she could drive in it. The sweet little lady had promised to look out for her apartment while she was gone.
Her phone rang as she took a sip of water. She answered it on the second ring.
“Lacy. We’ll be at your place in five minutes,” Jet said.
“I’ll be ready. Thanks for coming to get me,” she said.
“Stay up there until we get there. I’ll come get your suitcase. I don’t want you to lose your balance and fall down the stairs,” Jet said.
“Okay. I’ll wait on the landing. Thanks again for coming to get me.”
“No way we’re going to risk the best cook in the world having an accident. We’d starve to death,” Tanner yelled into Jet’s phone.
“Don’t listen to him. We just want to be sure you’re safe,” Jet said.
“I hear you. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Lacy bundled up then carted her bag out to the landing and locked the door behind her. She had just shoved the key into her pocket when the guys’ truck pulled into the drive behind her car. She waved and waited on Jet to climb down and make his way up the stairs to where she waited.
“Cold isn’t it,” he said.
“Brrr. Really cold,” she agreed.
He picked up her suitcase and preceded her down the stairs.
“Be careful, they’re slippery,” he cautioned.
Lacy held tightly to the rail as she carefully made her way down the stairs and across the lawn to the truck.
“Hold up. I’ll help you in the front, Lacy.”
Jet loaded her suitcase in the back seat of the big truck, then opened the front passenger door and helped her climb in before closing the door behind her. She smiled over at Tanner who was waiting in the driver’s seat.
“Morning, Tanner. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Morning, darling. No way we were going to let you attempt to drive in this mess. We’ve got it covered,” he said.
Jet slammed the door as he settled in the back seat. “Fuck it’s cold out there. It’s a wonder the damn pipes didn’t freeze last night.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it get this cold this fast,” Lacy said. “Usually we have a week of the cold stuff before it drops so far below freezing.”
“Makes things a little more dangerous, too,” Tanner said. “The snow is dry and swirls around a lot, making you think it’s not slippery but there’s an underlying layer of ice on the ground that will fool you.”
“How long do you think I’ll be stuck on the mountain?” Lacy asked.
“Oh, so it’s like that, huh?” Tanner asked smiling.
“You know what I mean. I don’t mind staying up there, but I’ll need to get back to my place at some point to check up on things and change clothes out.”
“You can wash your things at the house, so you don’t have to go back down until it thaws out this spring,” Tanner teased.
“You guys are incorrigible,” she said with a wide grin.
“Just saying,” Tanner said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a trip back down the mountain by the end of the week. I’m sure we’ll need supplies by then anyway,” Jet said. “You can change out your clothes then. More than likely you’ll end up on the mountain with us most of the winter with trips down to get supplies and check on your place in between snow storms.”
Lacy turned to look at Jet in the back seat. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Winters here are fierce. We pretty much have snow the entire time. If it’s only a few inches, you’ll be safe enough driving up and down by yourself, but when it’s more than that, you’ll
need to stay with us to be safe.” Jet pulled off his gloves and rubbed his hands together.
“I never thought of that when I moved here.”
“Would you have changed your mind?” Tanner asked.
Lacy thought about it. Maybe. She hadn’t known them that well at the time. Now she wouldn’t have worried about staying with them, but in the beginning? She might have turned the job down.
“I didn’t know you when I applied for the position, so probably if you’d told me this might happen, I would have turned it down. Since I know you guys now and trust you, I don’t mind,” she said.
“I’m glad you trust us, Lacy,” Jet said. “We’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know. Besides, if you did, I’d just poison you,” she teased.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into their drive where Jet helped her down from the cab of the truck while Tanner grabbed her suitcase. She was thankful for Jet’s help when she realized it really was slippery beneath the knee-deep snow. She would have fallen several times without his help.
“Careful, hon. You’re going to bust your ass for sure.” Jet kept an arm around her shoulder and one hand on the rail up the steps of their front porch.
“If it wasn’t so slippery out, I’d say let’s build a snowman, but I’m sure you guys are busy, and I really don’t want to end up on my butt in the snow.” Lacy stomped her feet to remove the snow before she stepped into the entrance hall.
“Damn it’s cold,” Tanner said as he pulled off his coat.
Lacy peeled out of her winter gear and hung it on the pegs by the front door. She stepped out of her boots and curled her toes against the cold floor.
“Come on, Lacy. Let’s warm you up in front of the fire,” Jet said.
All three of them stood in front of the gas logs and groaned at the warmth that seeped into their bones. Lacy instantly felt better once the warmth penetrated her cold skin. She shivered, then relaxed.
“You guys can go back to work now. I’m going to start on lunch. I think soup and sandwiches will be good for lunch, and a pot of homemade chili for supper. What do you guys think?” she asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Jet said.
“Love your chili,” Tanner added.
Lacy spent the morning making soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. She knocked on the office door and announced that lunch was ready a little after twelve. They poured out of the room like starving kids almost before she stepped away from the room.
“Real grilled cheese. Awesome,” Tanner said.
“What other kind of grilled cheese is there?” she asked with a smile.
“Processed cheese instead of chunk cheddar,” Jet said. “We always went the easy route.”
Lacy laughed and dished chili into her bowl once the guys had settled at the table. They talked about the weather and what was going on around town. Then Jet brought up one of the other families on the mountain.
“Heard from Caleb yesterday. Selena is expecting a baby. He and Austin are ecstatic about it,” he said.
“I didn’t know that. When did they find out?” Tanner asked between bites.
“Friday. She’d been feeling bad, and they carried her to the doctor. He said she’s about six weeks along,” Tanner told them.
“Soon as the weather clears up, we need to have a cookout to celebrate with them,” Tanner said.
“Who knows,” Jet began. “The others may end up with something to celebrate with all this snow we’ve gotten keeping everyone inside.”
Tanner chuckled. “Isn’t that the truth.”
“Are you guys all close up here?” she asked.
“Do you mean close as in close together on the mountain or close like friends?” Tanner asked.
“Like friends. I know you said you all served together overseas, but do you talk a lot?” she asked.
“Couple times a week. Just making sure no one needs anything. It’s just us up here, and unless it’s something major, we like to keep it that way. The folks down in town don’t approve of our way of life and distrust us. They don’t talk much in front of us, but we know they talk behind our backs. It just makes sense that we keep up with each other,” Jet said.
“But you’re not hurting anyone with the way you live. Why should they care?” Lacy asked.
“It’s in people’s nature to distrust what they don’t understand. It’s cool. We don’t care if they don’t like us as long as they don’t disrespect our women and children,” Tanner said.
“Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with how you want to live. It’s not for everybody, but you’re not hurting anyone so screw them,” Lacy said.
Tanner grinned across the table at her. “I like your attitude.”
Lacy shook her head and finished her soup. After the last bite of her sandwich, she stood and gathered her bowl and plate to rinse it off and add it to the dishwasher. She accepted the guys’ dishes, as well, and turned on the unit as soon as she’d added soap.
“Does the electricity go off up here very often?” she asked.
“It does at times. Usually, it’s only when we’ve had a lot of freezing rain and ice though. Unless a tree takes down a power line, it doesn’t happen as much with just the snow. Why?” Jet asked.
“Just deciding on if I need to wash clothes now or wait until there’s more to wash,” she said.
“I’d think you’re safe to wait if you want to,” Jet said.
Lacy nodded, then turned around to wipe off the table to find Tanner directly behind her. She nearly fell back in shock, but he grabbed her and steadied her.
“Easy there, darling,” he said, smiling down at her. “Don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.”
“Sorry. I didn’t expect you so close to me.”
“I was going to grab the dishrag and wipe off the table for you,” he said, still only inches away from her.
“Um, I’ve got it. Thanks.”
Tanner leaned over her a little more, his eyes going to her lips as he spoke.
“I’ve got it. You can wipe off the counters,” he said, still staring at her mouth.
“Okay.” Lacy released her hold on the cloth and took a step back.
Her head was swimming so she was glad to feel the counter against her back when he released her. Had he been about to kiss her? Lacy resisted the urge to fan herself and turned around to grab the other dishcloth so she could wipe down the countertops. When Tanner laid the one he’d had in his hand on the sink’s edge, she started, her hand going to her middle as if he’d scared her.
“Easy, Lacy. Why are you so jumpy?” Tanner asked.
“Probably because you’re crowding her, man. Relax, Lacy. He’s harmless. Mostly,” Jet said.
“I’m going to work on washing clothes. I’ll see you guys later.” Lacy eased down the edge of the counter until she could turn and walk into the laundry room.
Once inside, she leaned against the washer and drew in a deep breath. Had he been about to kiss her? Had she wanted him to?
Hell, yeah. So why had she panicked?
Maybe because there were two of them, and she wasn’t sure how to handle two men. She hadn’t done a very good job of handling one lately. Two might just be out of her comfort zone.
But boy did she want to get uncomfortable.
Chapter Nine
Lacy kept busy all day, putting off dinner until nearly seven. She finally knocked on the office door and announced it was ready. They filed out and made a beeline for the kitchen. Once again, they complimented her chili as they proceeded to clean out the pot. She’d have to learn to make more at one time if there was going to be enough left over for another meal.
After cleaning up, she joined them in the living room in front of the fire and watched TV with them. While they sat in their recliners, she sat on the couch and covered up with a blanket. When the news came on, they talked about what was going on in Billings and how glad they were that they’d chosen Cozy to move to.
“Don
’t have all that violence here. The most that happens around Cozy is the occasional kid shoplifting candy or someone running the red light at midtown,” Tanner said. “Being a police officer here would be a cushy job, to say the least.”
The weather came on next, and the three of them quieted down to listen. Lacy gasped when they predicted another foot of snow in the next twenty-four hours. They would be snowed in for sure if that happened. It was a good thing she’d agreed to let them come and get her since she’d never have been able to drive down the mountain under these conditions.
“Looks like we’ve got a long week ahead of us,” Jet said.
“Did he really just say that temperatures are going to be close to ten below tonight?” Lacy asked.
“That’s what he said. It gets rather cold up here. Probably be closer to twelve or thirteen below up here. Maybe even colder.” Jet stood and stretched.
“I’m glad you guys have gas heat. I would have frozen at the apartment. It has heat, but it wouldn’t have kept up with that amount of cold, and if the electricity went out I’d have been a Lacypop in less than an hour,” she said.
“Can’t have you turning into a Lacypop, hon,” Jet said. “Let’s get you settled in for the night. There should be plenty of covers on the bed for you. Plus, the electric blanket will keep you warm as long as lines hold.”
Lacy followed the men upstairs and down the long hall to the last room on the right. When they opened the door to reveal where they’d stashed her suitcase earlier, she gasped. It had to be the master suite. It was huge and had its own gas log fireplace as well as a couple of chairs at the foot of the bed, facing the fireplace.
“I can’t sleep in here. Surely it belongs to one of you guys,” she said, turning toward them.
“We have our rooms down the hall. This is the perfect room for you. It has its own bathroom, and there’s plenty of room for you to unpack,” Tanner told her.
“But it’s the master bedroom. Don’t you have another guest room I can use?” she asked.
