Anita's Triple Temptation [Men of Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (33 page)

“Hey, Angela. How are you?” Anita asked, letting the car idle.

Waving her hand, Angela called out as she stood and made her way over to her. “Hey, Anita. Heading back to the house?”

“Yeah. I have some things to still do there.”

“Are you getting settled in all right?”

“Uh-huh. It’s taking some getting used to having a house that big.”

Angela chuckled briefly. “I can only imagine. I’m glad this house was pretty much complete when I moved in. Didn’t leave me much to do, although sometimes I wish I had more to do. The guys don’t want me to work in town, so I get bored.”

“Well, you’re always welcome at the house, Angela. Come over whenever you want.” Anita extended the invitation graciously, knowing that the woman had changed quite a bit. She looked forward to her friendship.

“Thank you. I will. And you are always welcome here.” Angela smiled. “But, for now, I need to make my way into town and do some shopping. Those two men of mine seem to have endless stomachs.”

Both women laughed before Angela surprised Anita by moving in through the window of the car and gave her a hug.

Yes, Angela had changed into a beautiful caring woman.

When she got home, she realized she had left her purse at the Goodalls’ since Kevin had dragged her away so quickly. Going back over there, she ended up helping Martha with dinner, enjoying the companionship. She knew she would need to get back to fix her own men supper but Martha insisted they all join them.

The men must have noticed her car was back at the house since about an hour after her arrival James came striding purposefully into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” he asked, eyeing her questionably.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she answered, wiping a wisp of hair away from her brow. “I left my purse here and came back to get it. Then Martha invited us all to supper.”

James stepped around the island she was standing at and stopped right in front of her, his eyes hooded. Reaching up, he pushed the strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear and then proceeded to kiss her there. Blushing, she felt self-conscious that Martha was standing not more than three feet away from them.

“How about this,” he started, his mouth near her ear. “Why don’t you and I go for dinner in town and the guys can stay here. It’ll be our time together.”

A shiver of excitement ran through her at the prospect. She and James hadn’t had their time alone yet and she really wanted to but she felt a twinge of guilt at leaving Martha and Lyndee to deal with the others.

“Oh, that would be nice,” Martha said as she moved to shove the baking potatoes in the oven. “There is that new steakhouse in Kalispell you could try. Or, the Tipsy Tavern has happy hour and then karaoke tonight.”

Both Anita and James stared at the woman in amazement as she made her suggestions. When Martha noticed there was silence she turned toward them, a slight rosiness to her face and neck. “What? Just because I am older and I live out here in the middle of nowhere doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on in town.”

Anita felt the heat of her blush begin in her chest and rise to the top of her head, only imagining what she looked like in a mirror. Glancing over at James, she found him with his head bowed, a frown on his face. If she wasn’t as uncomfortable with their faux pas, she would have laughed at the expression he wore as he mumbled out a quick “I’m sorry, ma’am.”

As Martha began to chuckle, Anita felt the shame slowly drain from her body, but James was still stiff and frightened. Glancing up at the older woman for an answer, Anita found none for Martha was just as confused as she was.

“Why don’t you two go on,” the housekeeper said as she took the broccoli from Anita along with the bowl she was putting the flowerets into. “You’ve been enough help around here today. Thank you.”

Anita slipped her hand into James’s and led him out of the Goodalls’ home to her car. Pushing him so that he rested his ass on the trunk, she put her hand under his chin and pushed it up so he was looking up at her with the turquoise eyes she had come to love. “What happened, James?”

Removing his straw cowboy hat, he ran his hand through the red hair that looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. He blinked several times as if trying to clear his mind. Shaking his head, he indicated he didn’t want to talk about it. His eyes shimmered with tears and Anita knew not to push it. He would talk when he was ready.

Nodding, she silently let him know she understood. “Let’s go get dinner like Martha suggested. Where would you like to go?” Anita wasn’t going to let James topple under the weight of depression or guilt. She was going to bring him back before he sank too low.

Pulling on his hand, she offered, “Let’s go to the Tipsy Tavern. I think we could both use a drink.”

“Hey, what’s up?” Kevin asked from behind Anita, causing her to jump slightly.

“I forgot my purse when someone pulled me out of a full room and had their way with me earlier so I came back for it. I started helping out Martha with dinner,” Anita said as she turned around to greet the man. Letting him kiss her, she reveled in the contact before it was broken. “You and Dave are going to have dinner with the Goodalls’. James is going to take me to dinner.”

“That sounds good,” Kevin said, holding Anita by the hips. “You two go on. We’ll see you later on.”

Kissing her again, he glanced at James, his brown eyebrow raised questionably. Not sure what to say, she only shrugged. “Well, I’d feel better if you take the truck. We’ll take your car home.”

Anita glanced at her car, trying to figure out why he would suggest that and couldn’t figure it out before turning back to Kevin. “If you insist.”

“Good. James has the keys. Give me yours.”

As if it was attached to her, Anita instinctively reached for her purse but realized it wasn’t there. “Jeez! I forgot it again.”

“I’ll get it,” Kevin said before he rushed off to the house. In a few moments he was rushing back to her with the black bag. Taking it from him, she dug into the item and pulled out her car keys and handed them to him. Hearing the chime from her phone, she pulled it out and looked at the screen.

Her expression must have given away her annoyance for Kevin grabbed the small device and read what was on the screen. “Three calls from Virgil? What the hell does he want?”

“I don’t know,” she replied as she took the phone back. Hitting the voicemail button she listened to the three messages the irritating man had left. Aware that Kevin could hear the recording since he was so close, she was embarrassed that she even knew the man that had been Craig’s boss.

Ending the message, she didn’t delete it though. She looked up at Kevin. “What should I do? It’s getting late.”

“James will go with you,” he said sternly. “I want that man out of your life as soon as possible. Just pick up the check and it’ll be done with.”

Nodding, Anita agreed. She wanted to get on with her life with her men. Virgil needed to be put in the past.

“I agree. Then we’ll go to dinner,” James said as if coming out of his funk. “We’ll be home late.”

Anita smiled at the man as he pushed himself off the trunk of her car with his butt. She was glad to see him back amongst them again. She wouldn’t push him about what had transpired but she was curious. Glancing back up at Kevin, she leaned up indicating she wanted a kiss which he gave her before he turned her to James who took her hand in his.

They walked to James’s F-250 where he helped her up into the seat, his hand resting a bit long on her ass which she enjoyed. She was beginning to accept their touches and words, their caresses and kisses as their show of love for her even it was where everyone in the world could see the attention. Even though she might turn bright red at their actions she did enjoy it as it showed that her men loved her and found her attractive. It was a boost to her ego.

* * * *

As the truck ascended the mountain to get to Cantrell Logging, a knot tightened in Anita’s stomach. She had only been on this road a handful of times but she had not been on it since before Craig had died.

Watching the trees slide silently by, Anita tried to think of her men and her boys, not where the vehicle was actually taking her. She never wanted to see Virgil again and she had to hope that he wasn’t at the office, that his secretary was the one who was going to hand her Scotty’s last check. Then, when she thought of the loss of the older man, a sob escaped her before she could stop it.

Before she knew what was happening, the truck was being pulled over to the side of the road, or at least what would have been the shoulder as there really wasn’t much room, and James threw the gear shift into park. His arms were around her in a second and she was pulled across the bench of the vehicle and against his chest.

He held her tight as if she moved she would disappear. Her head was cradled against his hard chest where she breathed in the manly aroma of sweat and spiciness while he “shushed” her over and over again. His arms didn’t move but one of his hands moved slowly up and down her back.

The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her as did the memories of her life before her men found her and welcomed her and her children into their lives, showing their love for all of them. Yes, there were good times and a lot of bad times, but Craig was a big part of her life and to have to face his life again was astounding. Never would she have imagined having to go to Cantrell or facing Virgil ever again.

Anita hadn’t realized she had been crying until she felt the wetness of James’s shirt. Pulling away, she felt the warm muscular arms that enveloped her give way a bit and she was able to look up at his worried face. Trying to put on a brave face, she knew by the look on his face she wasn’t succeeding.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her forehead. “If you want, I can come back up here tomorrow and get the check. Virgil will just have to suck it up, or, we can just forget about it and tell the bastard to keep the money. You don’t need it.”

Leaving her hand on his chest where she could feel his life force beating within it provided her with comfort and bravery. This was how it was going to be for the rest of her life. Three men that would lift her up when she was down, comfort her when loss struck, and give her the will to go on when she felt lost.

No, you have to do this.

“Thank you,” she whispered, letting her hand move up to his cheek. “I need to do this, to put an end to this part of my life. I have to face him.”

James smiled down at her. “I’m so happy that you came into my life. You are a rare woman indeed, Anita Cummings.”

Leaning down he captured her lips with his in a tender kiss, letting her know of his love for her. When he broke the kiss, she could see the love within the blue of his eyes. Smiling she pushed against him. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Yes, let’s,” he agreed. “I want to feed you and then have my way with you.”

Slapping him lightly on the chest, she snorted out a laugh. “You don’t want to feed me, James. You only want to have your way with me.”

The man let his laugh burst forth, a loud long masculine laugh which touched Anita deep in her soul. Yes, she truly did belong to her three men. When he calmed down, he looked at her through hooded eyelids. “I will always want to have my way with you, sweetheart, even when we are old and gray.”

Her heart seemed to do a somersault in her chest at his comment as her spirit soared as if on the wings of an eagle. Those words flooded her senses, making her the happiest person in the world. She was going to be so happy with her men.

Threading her hand through the hair on the back of James’s neck and head, Anita drew him closer and closed her mouth over his, kissing him without abandon. As he returned the kiss, she became giddy with the feeling of conquest, not just of the kiss, but of her life and the men.

When they finally broke apart, Anita gazed into the turquoise eyes, gaining the knowledge of his love, his trust, and his soul. Smiling, she sat back on the seat, remaining in the middle next to him.

It was a few moments before she noticed they weren’t moving. Turning to him, she found James in deep thought. Laying her hand on his thigh, he looked at her, sadness on his face. The same sadness she had noticed when they were with Martha.

Not wanting to pressure him, she sat quietly. The blue lights from the dashboard lit up his face as he mulled over his thoughts. Finally, he placed his hand over hers.

“My parents were very poor. I was the oldest of seven kids on a small farm that barely made it. When I was about sixteen, I could see the stress of having to feed all those kids were so I took off one night. I didn’t look back. I hitched around for a couple of years, lying when people asked my age until I signed on with the rodeo when I was eighteen. I ended up in Kalispell and met Dave while I was bull riding that year. He was there delivering some livestock.

“We hit it off, and even though I spent a few more years on the road, I came back here because he was my friend and helped vouch for me with the Goodalls. When I started at the ranch, Martha was like a mother to all of us. She still is. When my father passed away five years ago, she was the one who held me when I cried. I was so guilty because I hadn’t gone back to visit my folks since I had left home. Martha helped me get past the guilt and the pain.