Anita's Triple Temptation [Men of Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (11 page)

A hand came to rest gently upon her back, causing her to jump. She hadn’t heard him exit the truck let alone rush up to her. Remaining still for a few moments, feeling as if her stomach was exiting through her mouth, she felt Dave’s hand slip around her waist and his other hand grab her hair, holding it back. He held her lovingly, letting her feel cherished in his arms.

Once she felt the nausea flee her body, she stood up. Turning away from Dave, she was embarrassed that he would see her in this condition. He pulled her back around and she found herself being offered his handkerchief. Gently, he lifted the piece of cloth to her lips and wiped them for her.

When he was finished, he shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans before he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Better?”

Nodding, she tried to look away. Dave placed a hand on each cheek and turned her to face him. “Don’t look away from me, darlin’. You don’t have to be embarrassed for what just happened. It happens.”

More uncomfortable than embarrassed, she felt dirty. “I need to brush my teeth,” she whispered.

Surprise came when he chuckled. Gathering her in his arms, he pressed her head to his chest as he hugged her. “Oh, my love, believe me when I say that we have all been there. We cowboys can do some drinking and we do overindulge sometimes.”

“But mine is from not being able to drive down a simple road without getting sick,” she whispered in shame.

“Sweetheart, you have a concussion. You are bound to get sick even without driving along a road full of potholes. I think you have done wonderfully this trip.”

Pulling back a bit so she could look up into his face, she smiled a bit. “Really?”

“Yes, my love. Really.” He smiled down to her. “Now, I have some mouthwash in the truck for you to use. That way you’ll be freshened up before we get home.”

Home. She never thought she would utter those words again. The apartment was where she was going to spend the rest of her life along with her children. Now, according to Dave, she was going to be living in a large house along with the men she would call her husbands.

Anticipation and fear consumed her. She didn’t know which one dominated her. She wanted to look forward to her future with the men who said they loved her, but she feared starting her life over again. Taking her children into the unknown, but then, her own future was unknown the minute her husband had been declared dead.

Dave led her to the truck. Climbing up into her seat, Dave turned to look into the backseat. Pulling out a backpack, he dug around inside it and found the travel size bottle of mouthwash and a packet of hand wipes.

Jumping down from the cab of the truck, Dave opened the small bottle and handed it to Anita. Lifting it to her lips, she took a swig of the minty liquid, gargled, and then turned and spit it out. Repeating the action, she felt much better. Taking the wipes, she cleaned her face and hands and then let Dave help her up into the truck.

He closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. Climbing up into his seat, he closed the door before putting the vehicle into gear. As he moved along the bumpy road, he glanced at his lady love. “Feel better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Good. We will be there in about ten minutes. I hope you have been familiarizing yourself with the road as you will be using it to get to and from your new home,” Dave said, smiling.

“How big is the house?” This was the first interest she took in the house, which to him was a good sign.

“I don’t know, actually. The Goodall brothers began construction on it without our approval, but they knew it would be for you and your boys. It should be plenty big enough for all of us.”

Swallowing hard she wondered about her living arrangements. “Are we to all sleep in the same room?” she asked in more of a whisper.

Dave reached across the seat and took her hand in his. “Slide over here, little one,” he said, pulling her over.

Anita scooted her bottom over to sit next to him. Releasing her hand, he moved his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to cuddle against him. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We will all have separate rooms. You will have the master bedroom and if you wish to have one or two or all of us sleep with you, you only have to ask. It will be up to you on whether you want us in with you or if you want some alone time.”

“Really? I have a choice?” she asked, surprised that he would say that. “I don’t understand.”

“You really should talk to Lyndee or even Angela. They can explain the dynamics a little better, but, I want you to know, you are the center of us. You can choose who you want to sleep with and when. You have all the power in this relationship.” Looking at him, she was thoroughly confused now. He chuckled. “But don’t worry about that right now. You won’t have to worry about that for a few days. You are to rest up and get better.”

She let him push her head down against his shoulder where she rested until they came upon the backsides of the barns and outer buildings. Her stomach began to do somersaults again, but this time it wasn’t from the concussion. She had been out to the ranch once before, so she knew the layout of the area and knew they were going to be pulling around to the front of the ranch house in a moment. But, beyond that, she had no idea where their house was.

Driving around the horse barn where Running Wolf and the others had their showdown with the Russians and Wolf had been shot, they came up alongside the main house. Storm, Trey, Lyndee, and Austin were waiting for them, bundled up in their heavy jackets. Snow drifts still sat around the unused areas, indicating the snowfall from the night before.

Pulling to a stop in front of them, Dave rolled his window down. “Hey, guys. I see we got a good amount of snow out here.”

“Yup. No problems with any of the cattle luckily,” Austin responded. Then, looking further into the truck, he smiled. “Hey there, Anita. Glad to see you looking better. Welcome home.”

Anita found she couldn’t help but smile at the greeting. “Thank you, Austin. I’m sure I’m going to like it here.”

“We hope so,” Storm said, stepping forward. “I’m sorry we didn’t consult you on the design, but we had some womanly advice on it, so we hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you very much for all you have done for us.”

“Martha and I filled up the kitchen and pantry and stocked up on linens for you. They are basic linens, but they’ll do you until you are able to go shopping, which we’ll do next week,” Lyndee explained, a smile on her face. “Welcome home.”

Tears appeared in Anita’s eyes at the thoughtfulness of these people. Not only did they build the house they were to live in, but they had helped furnish it and they were doing what they could to protect her. The emotions were overwhelming.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Dave nodded at the foursome then saluted them before driving on. They drove past the barns, Angela, Lawrence, and Running Wolf’s house, then Martha’s cottage. Following the road for another five minutes, they came around a crop of trees and the large house loomed up before them.

It was a two-story house with large bay windows on the bottom floor. They were separated by double doors right in the middle of them. A covered porch ran the length of the front of the house where, during nice weather, chairs could be set out to watch the kids play. Since it faced west, one could watch the sun sink behind the mountains. The upper floor had five windowed gables providing lots of light to the rooms up there.

The house was painted a mint green with a dark green trim which let it blend in to the evergreen tree line behind it so its size wasn’t as overbearing as it would be in its setting. Two large stoned chimneys, one on each end, stood high and proud. Off to the left of the house, a garage was still in construction stage with just the studs rising off the concrete floor.

Anita was amazed by the sheer size of the house, fearing there must be some kind of mistake that Dave had brought her here. That thought was short lived when her three boys burst out from the front door followed by James and Kevin. Dave pulled around the circular driveway and stopped in front of the steps of the front porch where the boys rushed forward to the passenger door.

Anita felt tears fill her eyes as she took in the welcome that greeted her. She had heard the shouts from her boys through the closed door and window and she did indeed feel as if she was at home. James opened the door, scooped her up into his arms, causing her to squeal in surprise, and headed up the steps to the porch. Setting her down in front of the door, the kids surrounded them. Dave and Kevin were right behind them

Glancing around, she looked from the men first and then down to her boys. The happy smiles on their faces attested to a new beginning for all of them. Bending down she gathered all three of her children in her arms, hugging them closely to her. “I love you guys so much,” she sobbed.

Being the more vocal one of the twins, Joshua spoke up though sounding a bit strangled. “We love you, too, Mommy. Welcome home.”

Releasing her hold on them, she stepped back. Feeling a tug on her shirt, she looked down to see Eli looking up at her with his hand out. “Our house is real pretty, Momma, but it’s still being builted. You wanna see?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” She smiled down at him with his childish speech, taking his hand. “Are you going to show me everything?”

Nodding, with a big smile plastered on his face he said, “Yes, but first they have something to say to you.”

The little boy was beaming as he looked around at the three men that towered over the youngsters. Each man’s smile matched the boys’ and Anita was beginning to think this was all orchestrated.

Dave stepped forward and took her hands in his. “This is your home. No matter what happens, it is yours and your boys’. We want you to enjoy it and if it pleases you, include us in it with you.”

Kevin stepped up next, taking her hands in his as Dave released them. “We want to spend the rest of our lives with you in this house, if you’ll have us. We want to help raise your sons as ours and give them the fathers they deserve.”

James took his place, again taking her hands in his. “You captured our hearts in that waiting room that first day and you will have them for the rest of our lives. Please accept this house as a gesture of love from the three of us.”

Tears streamed from Anita’s eyes as the three boys began to jump up and down in joy, shouting repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Watching her three boys shouting was overwhelming for her as she had been worried they wouldn’t accept the three men as fathers so soon after losing their own father. They seemed to be on the same page as her heart but her brain was trying to take over again. Four months ago, she only read about ménage relationships in books. They were a fantasy, but now, she was surrounded by three of them. They seemed to be making it work. Could she make it work with the three men before her?

Letting her eyes roam the spacious porch along with the beautiful scenery around them, she could see herself in a rocking chair in twenty years surrounded by her men. The image of her children playing and growing up here filtered into her brain, pushing some of the trepidation from her.

The marriage to Craig wasn’t easy. There were the rocky roads and the threats of one of them leaving, but they stayed together. Even when she felt that everything was going to fall apart, she stuck with it. That was all a part of being in love. There was no guarantee that everything would work out or that someone would be around for old age. That was all a part of life.

At that very moment, she knew that the beginning of her life began right where she stood. In front of the boys that were hers and Craig’s, but would also become James, Kevin and Dave’s boys. In front of the men who had showed her their love unconditionally from the moment they met. She knew she couldn’t live without them.

Fear still rumbled through her as to how this was all going to work out, but she had to try. If she didn’t move into the uncertain, she wasn’t living. That’s what life was all about. There were no guarantees in life, so why not embrace all it could give, even if it was out of the norm that most people were used to.

The silence became deafening as sunlight sparkled off the snow around the house. Anita couldn’t even hear her own heart beat or her lungs breathing, though she felt the movements within her body.

Looking from man to man, she could see the anticipation written upon each handsome face. They were afraid of what her answer was going to be. The boys looked up at her expectantly, wishfully at her silence.

Beginning to nod, fresh tears ran down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered before growing bolder in her answer. “Yes. Yes, I want to live here with all of you. Yes, I want to be with all of you.”

Six muscular arms gathered her to them, crushing the boys between them. Groans came from the trapped youngsters while the three men held her, encasing her with their love. Warmth encompassed Anita as she accepted her new life. Their new life.

Dave was the first to lay his hand upon her cheek and turn her face to his. His mouth captured hers in a feverish kiss that sent a thrill down to her toes. It was a brief kiss but enough to get her body heated out here in the cold air.

As he pulled away, James drew her face to his and he too gave her a passionate kiss that caused her girly bits to come alive.