by Roma James
In my rush to get out of the house, I’d completely forgotten that the guys were still alternating watch shifts out here. And God, if I was this tired, how in the world had Boone managed to stay awake out here in the dark by himself?
“You scared me half to death,” I whispered as he came closer. “I forgot you were even out here.” I nodded toward my car. “I have to go into town and pick up a couple of friends from the bus station. I shouldn’t be gone too long.”
“I’m coming with you,” he said. “I’ll get Cade to cover my watch.”
He’d said it all so quickly and in such a matter-of-fact way that he was already halfway back across the porch toward the front door before I’d fully realized what he was about to do.
“Wait, what?” I started after him. “No, no, don’t do that. I won’t be long. I’m just going to pick them up, and then we’ll come straight back here. Nothing to worry about.”
“You’re right,” he said. “There probably isn’t anything to worry about. But if someone out there is keeping an eye on this place, I wouldn’t put it past them to try something crazy—like running you off the road, for instance—if they thought it might scare us.” He gave me a hard look that was unmistakable, even in the darkness. “And it would scare us, Janessa. I’m coming with you. Just give me a second to let Cade know and we’ll be on our way.”
I nodded, not that it really would have mattered. Boone had already made up his mind, and I could tell it would have been useless to argue. Besides, after what he’d just said—and after seeing the destruction at Derek Winslow’s ranch earlier in the evening—I was willing to admit he had a fair point.
Someone out there was trying to make our lives hell, and we didn’t know what else they might be capable of.
“You guys are really too much,” I said, trying not to smile as I drove toward town.
“What did we do?” Cade asked, feigning innocence with his own familiar grin. “Boone told me to hurry up and get down here, so here I am.”
Boone grunted. “Pretty sure I told you to get downstairs and keep watch outside, not run out and jump in the car with us…”
I laughed, and Cade just shrugged. It really was overkill for both of them to be riding with me to pick up Daisy Lynn and Becca, but I honestly couldn’t complain. I would have been lying if I’d said I didn’t enjoy every single minute that the three of us spent together.
I wasn’t exactly sure how the other two girls were going to fit in my small car with these two big guys already taking up so much space, but we’d figure it out somehow. At least it wasn’t a very long drive.
“Did my uncle seem pissed off when you woke him up?” I asked, glancing in my rearview mirror to catch Cade’s eye in the back seat. “He didn’t look super happy to be out there on the porch when we drove off.”
“Well…” Cade’s smile faded a little as he cleared his throat. “I don’t think he was particularly thrilled to see my smiling face when he woke up. But he did agree that it would be a good idea for the two of us to go with you, so he couldn’t have been too angry… right?”
Of course Uncle Justin would have thought that was a good idea. Cade had certainly known which buttons to push to get his way, it had to be said.
“It would have been his turn to take watch in a couple of hours anyway,” Boone said. “We’ll just make sure he gets to turn in a little early when we get back.”
I nodded. As long as nobody was angry, I couldn’t complain. We didn’t talk too much more until we got to the bus station in Bliss. Daisy Lynn and Becca ran out to meet us as soon as we pulled up, and I felt a pang of guilt at how relieved they looked to finally be out of the station.
“Oh my God,” Becca said, sounding breathless as she got into the back seat of my car. “Who are those guys? They just walked up and grabbed our bags and brought them out here without us even asking!”
“Right?” Daisy Lynn nodded. “I didn’t know you traveled with an entourage these days. Or… bodyguards or whatever is happening right now.”
I laughed. “They aren’t my bodyguards. Or my entourage. They’re—”
I stopped talking as the guys finished loading the luggage in the trunk and each climbed into the back seat on either side of Becca. It was a pretty comical sight to see her sandwiched in and looking so tiny between the two of them. I probably would have been jealous if she hadn’t been one of my best friends.
Okay, so maybe I was still a little jealous.
“Boone Tate,” Boone finished for me. “And my friend here with the goofy grin is Cade Winslow. Looks like we’re all heading to the same place tonight.”
Cade and Boone shook hands with Daisy Lynn and Becca, then it felt like everyone in the car turned to look at me as it got quiet again.
“You’ll all probably be seeing a little more of each other over the next few days,” I said, glancing over at Daisy Lynn, who was giving me a look that was half-surprised, half-amused from the passenger seat. “Cade and Boone are staying with me—with us, my Uncle and I—for, um… a little while.”
I could tell that they were curious from the way they were still looking at me, but they didn’t ask any other questions. Maybe because Boone and Cade were still sitting right there. Maybe the girls were just tired from their bus trip and then the ordeal of me forgetting about them until after the fact.
Whatever the reason, I was grateful. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was try to explain everything that had happened in the past week at the ranch.
“Interesting,” was all Daisy Lynn said as she shot me a knowing look.
Maybe I wouldn’t have to explain much, after all.
But she was right. No matter what else happened, the next few days with these girls, these guys, and some crazy psycho on the loose would definitely be interesting.
My uncle was talking to Daisy Lynn and Becca while Cade and Boone carried the girls’ bags inside from the car. I was just about to suggest we all call it a night and finish getting caught up with each other over breakfast when I realized I’d forgotten another important detail.
A very important one.
“Um, I think we might have a little problem,” I said, nibbling at my lip as everyone turned to look at me. “When we made plans for Daisy Lynn and Becca to stay over for a few days, I hadn’t really anticipated all of the crazy stuff that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, so… I didn’t really plan on having any extra company…”
I looked over at Cade and Boone. Cade looked completely confused and Boone’s eyebrows were furrowed for a moment as he listened. I could tell when he realized what I was getting at, though, because his eyes went wide for a split-second before he gave me a reassuring smile.
“It won’t be a problem at all,” Boone said. “We’ll stay out in the bunkhouse and the girls can stay upstairs in the guest rooms.”
“You guys don’t have to do that,” Daisy Lynn said. “We can, um… I mean, we all used to share a dorm, so it’s not like we haven’t slept in tight spaces before.”
I looked at her and shook my head. “I love you both like sisters, but there’s no way we’re all going to squeeze into my bed for the next few days. Plus, Becca snores.”
“I do not!” Becca looked around as her face went red. “Not much, anyway. But yeah, I don’t think we’ll all fit into one bed anyway. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a dorm room.”
“No, no, don’t be silly.” Uncle Justin grabbed the girls’ bags and headed for the stairs. “These guys don’t mind staying out at the bunkhouse. You ladies can take the guest rooms and get a good night’s sleep. Problem solved.”
I watched as my uncle ushered my friends up the stairs. I felt bad that Cade and Boone would have to sleep out in the old, creepy bunkhouse, but I didn’t know what else to do.
“I’m sorry,” I said, frowning as I turned my attention back to the guys. “I didn’t even think about the sleeping situation until we were all standing here and then—”
“Don’t worr
y about it,” Cade cut in, smiling as he reached out and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We don’t mind. That bunkhouse is a hell of a lot nicer than the first apartment Boone and I shared.” He turned to Boone. “Remember that place? Rats and roaches so big they would fight us for our food?”
Boone nodded. “It was pretty bad, but we were young and dumb enough to stay there for a year anyway.”
“There shouldn’t be anything like that down at the bunkhouse,” I said, trying and failing to keep from grimacing at that gross thought. “Maybe the occasional field mouse, but that should be the worst thing you’ll have to face.”
Which, not gonna lie, would still be more than I could stand to share a sleeping space with. But I didn’t really know what else to do. The antique furniture in the living room wasn’t exactly the best for sleeping—and Uncle Justin probably wouldn’t have allowed it anyway, since most of the pieces had been in our family for at least a hundred years.
“We should probably go grab our bags before your uncle throws them out the window or something,” Cade said, smirking as he headed for the stairs. He paused, then tossed me a wink. “See you in the morning, beautiful.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Boone added, reaching out to give me a half-hug as he followed Cade to the stairs. “We’ll be fine out there. Now, go get back in bed and get some rest. We’re going to have another long day tomorrow with the sheriff coming out here.”
I sighed and nodded. He was right. We all needed to get some rest. I still didn’t feel right about having the guys—who were also our guests, just the same as Daisy Lynn and Becca—sleep out in the bunkhouse.
But what else could I do?
Chapter 15
Janessa
Nothing about this night was going to plan.
Well… not that I really had a plan. But if I did, it wouldn’t have included getting out of my warm, comfortable bed to drive into town and pick up my two closest friends, only to bring them back and realize we didn’t have anywhere for them to sleep.
Weeks ago, when we’d first made plans for them to visit, I had just assumed Daisy Lynn and Becca would stay in the guest bedrooms across the hall from my room. I certainly had no reason to think that the sexiest men in the world—also known as Cade and Boone—would be occupying those rooms for the foreseeable future.
And now I’d grown pretty accustomed to having the guys in those rooms. There was something really comforting—and kind of hot, if I was being honest—about knowing they were sleeping just a few feet away from me every night. Sure, there were walls and doors separating our beds, but those were just minor details.
I listened from my own room as the sound of Cade and Boone’s footsteps in their heavy boots moved from the guest bedrooms they’d been using to the hallway and down the stairs. I still wished there was something else I could have done, some other arrangements we could have made to keep them here in the house and in a comfortable bed. That was the very least they deserved after spending so many of their days and nights here helping us out.
The house was quiet now, with Daisy Lynn and Becca settled in their rooms and my uncle back outside on the front porch keeping watch.
And of course now that I actually had an opportunity to go back to sleep, I wasn’t tired at all. Well, my body might have been tired, but my mind was still racing. There was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Not with my thoughts still firmly fixed on Cade and Boone.
Would they even have blankets and pillows down there at the bunkhouse?
I wasn’t sure. Probably nothing but thread-bare sheets and thin, lumpy pillows at best. I felt another pang of guilt at the thought of them being cold and uncomfortable while I was up here in my nice, warm bed.
At least there was something I could do about that, though.
I got out of bed for the second time that night and pulled on the jeans that I’d only discarded a few minutes earlier. I stepped out of my room and paused for a moment, hoping nobody would hear me as I crept down the hallway and pulled some fluffy quilts and spare pillows from the linen closet. It wasn’t much, but it would definitely be better than anything they might have down at the bunkhouse.
Now I just had to make it down the stairs and out the back door—and then hope Uncle Justin didn’t see me from the front porch and shoot me.
No pressure or anything.
Was it a crazy risk to take just to give the guys some extra bedding? Yeah, probably.
Did I care?
Nope. Not even a little bit.
Because my real goal had nothing to do with quilts and pillows. I just wanted to see them, to be alone with them again, even if it was only for a few more minutes.
And I was willing to take my chances with Uncle Justin to make that happen.
“Jesus, Janessa,” Boone hissed, hurrying out from the bunkhouse before I’d even made it within fifty feet of the door. “What the hell are you doing out here?” He took the pillows and blankets from my arms and then ushered me toward the door. “Does your uncle know you’re down here right now?”
“What do you think?” I asked, giving him a quick smile. “But it’s fine. I’m pretty sure I made it down here without him seeing me.”
Across the room, Cade sat up in his bunk bed. He was shirtless, and my eyes were immediately drawn to his tanned, muscular chest and arms.
“What’s going on?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and sounding groggy. “Is that Janessa? Am I dreaming?”
“It’s gonna be a nightmare if Justin comes down here and finds her with us,” Boone groaned, giving me a sideways glance. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t be out of the house alone like this.”
I hadn’t really taken the time to think through this part of my plan. It hadn’t even occurred to me that either of them might have already been sleeping. Boone must have been keeping watch down here while Cade got some rest, and I wasn’t sure which I should feel worse about—scaring Boone or waking Cade when neither of them had slept much the night before.
“Well,” I began, taking a pillow and a quilt back from Boone and walking it over to Cade. “I knew the sleeping arrangements down here couldn’t be that great, so… I thought I’d bring you guys a few things to make it a little more bearable.”
Cade took my offering with a grin. “You didn’t have to do this, beautiful. But thank you. And my back will thank you in the morning, for sure.”
“I did need to do it,” I said. “After everything you guys have done for us, I couldn’t let you just stay down here and be miserable all night—especially since it was my fault you guys had to give up your rooms.”
“That was sweet of you,” Boone said, his tone finally softening a little. “But it was still dangerous for you to come out here. I nearly had my gun drawn before I realized it was you. And your uncle probably would have—”
“Shot me from the front porch,” I finished for him. “And then he probably would have shot me again when he realized what I was up to.” I shrugged. “But he would have already been down here if he’d seen me, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Boone walked over to the window and looked out toward the house. “You’re probably right, but it’s best if we don’t take any chances. Thank you for the blankets—you shouldn’t have brought them down here on your own tonight, but it was very nice. Now, just let me put my boots on and I’ll walk you back up to the house.”
Cade was already moving from the bed. “And I’ll keep watch until you get back. An extra pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.”
“What… wait, no!” I shook my head. “I’m not ready to go back up there yet.”
They both stopped and looked at me with confused expressions that were nearly identical and somehow adorable at the same time. God, how was it possible for every move they made and every look they gave to be so sexy?
“O-kay,” Cade said, drawing the word out slowly. “Did you… need something? Not that we don’t enjoy your company, of course. But I think Boone is proba
bly right. The longer you’re out here, the more likely it is that you get caught going back.”
I wasn’t sure if I agreed with his logic, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going back. Not yet. Not until I’d at least spent a few more minutes with them. As far as I was concerned, they would always be worth the risk.
“Maybe I’ll just spend the rest of the night down here, then,” I said, mostly joking. Well… sort of joking. “Uncle Justin can’t catch me if I don’t go back.”
I was a little surprised that they didn’t immediately rule out the idea. Instead, I watched as they made eye contact. I could tell they were doing that silent communication thing that drove me crazy.
Boone was the first one to break the silence—not a surprise, since he always seemed to be the voice of reason—but this time was different. He didn’t look so sure of himself as he shook his head. “I, uh… don’t think that would be…” His voice trailed off as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “You know we can’t do that, Janessa.”
“Yeah,” Cade added. “We… we probably shouldn’t.”
Probably shouldn’t.
There was a big difference between probably shouldn’t and couldn’t. And judging from the heat I could see in their eyes as they looked at me, I could tell it wouldn’t take much to change their minds. I was pretty sure they were just waiting for me to push the issue a little more.
So I did.
We all wanted the same thing, right? Why deny it?
“There are a lot of things we probably shouldn’t do,” I said. “Most of the fun things in life are things we probably shouldn’t do.” I paused, looking back and forth between them as I felt myself start to smile. “What if I just refuse to go back to the house?”
Boone took a deep breath. “Janessa, please don’t do this. You know we both want—”
“You both want me,” I interrupted. “And I want both of you. Why are you fighting it? We’re all adults here. We’re all capable of making our own decisions.”
