Giddy Up (3 page)

“Really? I’m surprised. I never
expected to meet someone who knew the only people we actually know
in the entire country.”

A busboy came up and Sunny reached
out to load up the table with glasses of water before sitting down
with her.

“By the way, I’m Sakura and my
friend is Molly. We both work for Nakamura Enterprises and are here
to help set up the new cattle tracking program at the Big
W.”

“I see Matt and Ted all the time.
One or both of them come in for lunch most days. Back when Matt
first returned from his trip, I remember him mentioning something
about some new stiff regulations the Japanese government placed on
imported beef. Specifically beef coming from here.”

“The fallout from the last mad cow
scare in America was big overseas. These new measures were
necessary in order to bring it back to the world market. Japanese
people want American beef and we’re happy the Wilson brothers
weren’t scared away by all the checking and cross-checking now
required.”

“You’re beautiful and smart, like
Matt told me. I think the brothers are in serious trouble if you
ever want to leave.” Sunny smiled sweetly after setting that
ticking bombshell on the table and took a sip from her
drink.

Sakura was speechless. Did this
woman know why she was there in Montana? It certainly sounded like
it, but surely they hadn’t told everyone about them both wanting to
be with her. Then again, she had to be realistic. If she stayed,
she’d be living with two men. There was no way to hide the fact
from everyone, especially from people they considered friends. She
had to figure out if it mattered to her what others thought about
how they conducted themselves in private.

“You’re close with them, aren’t
you?” It was her turn for curiosity to push forward.

“I’ve known them since the day I
showed up in Gardiner as a kid. They’re both as nice and genuine
today as they were then. Good honest guys who, even at their
kinkiest, will always treat you with care. They are gorgeous, big
and strong, and lean toward the intense side, but remember you
control them, not the other way around.”

Kinkiest? With one word spoken
there was no doubt in her mind the other woman knew them, or at
least Matt. The man was beyond handsome, thoughtful of others, and
rather kinky in an adorably sexy way. Even if Sunny was a past
lover of one or both men, Sakura didn’t feel jealous. Instead, she
looked at their conversation as an opportunity to learn more about
Matt and Ted from someone who knew them well.

“Do you mind my asking you a
question, Sunny? A personal question?”

“Of course not, ask away. I have no
secrets,” she answered with an aura of authenticity surrounding her
that Sakura quite enjoyed.

“Were you ever their lover?” Sakura
wasn’t sure she wanted to know the truth, but at the same time
didn’t think it mattered either way. She started to have doubts
about letting her inquisitiveness get the best of her. Before she
could take it back, the other woman calmly responded.

“Yes, although we were never lovers
in ‘connected forever by the heart’ kind of love. No, my heart and
soul belong to Court. When it comes to sex, as long as we’re both
enjoying ourselves, he and I are open about how it plays out. Yes,
I have been with them intimately and love them as good
friends.”

“Oh,” she murmured.

“There’s no need to worry about
competition. Our activities have toned down quite a bit. We haven’t
been together since Matt left for Japan. Now it’s my turn to ask a
question. Are you into kink like bondage and multiple
partners?”

She looked up and smiled as Molly
sat down on the other side of the table.

“Everything was clean, crisp and
fresh in there. The water was too good not to take advantage of to
wash my face. I feel like a new woman.”

“You look great, not like you spent
five hours driving. I want to do the same thing and come back
feeling fresh.” Sakura looked at Sunny, who had already stood up,
giving her room to slip out. Once she was standing in front of her,
she asked, “Please, have lunch with us? We’d enjoy the company and
talking with you. I think there’s much you can tell me about the
Wilson brothers.”

Someone coughed, politely
interrupting their conversation.

Ready with an apology on her lips
for keeping Sunny from her work, she turned around and looked up
into a powerful hazel gaze and her stomach fell away. The tanned
face and dusty work clothes said the man had spent many hours
outside, maybe on a horse, and the wide welcoming smile labeled him
a Wilson.

The cowboy in front of her made her
knees wobble, and she knew he was Ted.

He was as sexy as his brother, and
even though she could see some resemblance, they were not the same.
They both had blond hair and were muscular, but the similarities
ended there. Matt had tidy hair, and whenever she’d seen him he’d
been dressed in a smart-casual way, but always topped off with the
boots and hat. Ted, on the other hand, had wild, untamed hair with
a hint of curl. He also had on clothes that said he’d been working
outside around and with animals and the land.

Where Matt had looked strong, his
brother looked powerful and a bit rough. They were brothers, both
ranchers, and had their own personalities. She actually couldn’t
wait to get to know this brother, and discover first hand more of
what was the same and different about each of them.

“Welcome to Gardiner, Sakura,” he
said with an essence of sincerity as he wrapped his arms around her
and pulled her close enough to place a gentle kiss on her lips.
“I’m glad you two made it safely. I never believed you wouldn’t
come, but it’s still great to finally see you in person. Matt said
you were gorgeous and he wasn’t lying.”

It wasn’t something that had ever
happened to her before, but he left her tongue tied. All she
managed in return for the compliment was a blush and small smile.
As the fog in her head started to clear, she wondered if he’d heard
Sunny’s question about bondage and ménages, and the red heat on her
face spread.

“How about if my friend and
foreman, Jon Black, and I join you ladies for lunch, tell you
anything you want to know? When we’re done, we’ll take you out to
the ranch. The guest house is ready. You two can get settled and
rest up before dinner tonight.”

“Sounds great, doesn’t it, Molly?”
She ignored everything else racing through her head and answered as
best she could. There wasn’t anything wrong with getting to know
the two men they’d be working with better, and Sakura looked over
at her friend for confirmation.

No answer came from the other woman
because she was busy staring at something beyond Ted. Sakura looked
around him and discovered the other cowboy, only this one was
different. He was tall, powerfully built, with darker skin. His
straight, silky black hair which fell shy of his shoulders and
startling clear blue eyes were striking.

There was an element of stillness
about him she found intriguing, and apparently her best friend
found him attractive.

Sakura had never before seen Molly
give a man the time of day, but she couldn’t pull her gaze from
this one. Just in case she was reading her friend wrong, Sakura
gave her another verbal push.

“Molly?”

“Fine, yes, yes, sounds great.
Lunch.”

“Good. I’m going to the restroom to
freshen up and will be right back.” She started to walk in the
direction she’d seen her friend go earlier and was joined by
Sunny.

“I’ll show you the way.” The other
woman smiled and put her arm through hers as they moved through the
diner. When they were in the hallway, they stopped and finished
their conversation. “It doesn’t matter what experience you have or
are looking for. All you need to do is remember what I said
earlier. You’re the one in charge.”

“Thank you, Sunny. I appreciate
your advice. I don’t know what to do next.”

“Trust me, with Ted and Matt,
nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—will happen until you demand
it. From what Court told me, they’re too afraid to lose you to do
anything to scare you away. They’re determined to let you set the
pace.”

“I’m glad we stopped here for a
bite to eat. Thank you for your help.” Sakura reflected. If they
ended up staying longer than the job entailed in Gardiner, then
Sakura knew she, Molly, and this woman would be good
friends.

“My pleasure. Now, you’d best hurry
up. You’ve left your friend with Jon Black and he couldn’t take his
eyes off her. He’s stunning, strong, and a real sweetheart, but
don’t let him fool you. The man may be quiet, but he never ends a
day without the woman of his choice in his bed.”

Understanding what the woman was
talking about, they laughed together and separated with the promise
to meet up again. As she splashed cool water on her face, she knew
they would meet again because she wasn’t leaving. Even though
they’d talked on the phone, meeting Ted in person, feeling him hold
her close and kiss her gently, put the decision in her head and
possibly her heart.

No longer would she look for a
reason to stay after the job was finished. She already had
it.

She was home.

“Have you seen anything you hadn’t
expected while driving across America?” Throughout lunch and now
driving to the ranch, Ted tried to keep the conversation away from
where his mind kept traveling. Sakura coming to Montana meant she
was willing to consider them both as partners. No matter how much
he wanted it to happen, there was a chance it wouldn’t.

She may be smart, but she was
delicate and feminine, and his protective instincts rushed forward.
He was a big guy used to dealing with cattle and getting dirty from
riding all day. He didn’t want to do anything to scare her back to
Japan.

“I’ve discovered how diverse your
country is. State by state, even on a smaller scale, from town to
town, the people were all unique. Accents varied and not by north,
south, east and west like you see in the movies. They changed
within the same state. However, we have found one thing common
everywhere we stopped.”

“Okay, you’ve got me, what is it?”
It was interesting listening to her talk and was glad her friend
rode with Jon in the rental car with their luggage. He had time and
space to get to know her better and that was what he wanted
most.

He heard a hint of a Japanese
accent, but in person she sounded more British English than he
expected. Yes, he’d spoken on the phone with her, many times,
except apparent nuances of someone’s voice were easily lost along
the way. He looked forward to asking her to teach him some
Japanese.

“Cheese and potatoes. Americans
seem to have affection for these two things and they are
everywhere. In the morning with eggs, although at lunchtime is
where we noticed them listed the most. Then, at dinner, we found no
matter where we were in the country, diner or restaurant, macaroni
and cheese with French fries was offered.”

“You’re right. I like my eggs in
the morning covered in salsa and cheese with a side of bacon and
hash browns. I make great grilled cheese sandwiches with potato
chips and will never walk away from a big steak with a baked potato
on the side. Interesting.” Ted laughed at what she told him. He
never noticed the oddity before and knew he would from now
on.

“Nothing wrong with it. Molly and I
noticed them everywhere we went for a meal.” The smile on her face
was matched by one in her voice.

“What route did you take here? All
we knew was you’d be here sometime this weekend, or at least we
hoped you’d come.”

“We weren’t sure how long the drive
would take or the length of the other meetings we’d scheduled.
Doing things this way allowed us to err on the safe side and we
over-estimated our arrival time.”

“No big deal, we’re glad you made
it safely. Probably would’ve made us worry more if we’d had a
specific time and you were late, especially considering you were
two beautiful ladies driving alone. What did you see along the way
you liked the best?” It actually bothered him not to have had more
details about the trip they made on their own. Matt hadn’t wanted
to push, but he’d been concerned and wished she’d offered more than
generally where they were and when to expect them to
arrive.

“Well, we started out in Charlotte,
North Carolina and got settled into the time differences. From
there we drove to Pittsburgh, over to Chicago, and finally here.
The first part of our drive was incredibly green and lush. I
remember Virginia the most. No more palm trees like there’d been in
North Carolina, but plenty of historical sites, grassy hills filled
with horses, and eventually steep mountains. It was beautiful,
although I think Chicago was my favorite stop. I’ve read about the
city in books and seen it in movies, but there was much more to it
in person.”

“And the drive from there to here,
how did that leg go?”

“Long,” she sighed, speaking
volumes about that part of the trip.

“Can’t fault you there. It’s many
miles of driving along relatively straight roads across flat
plains. Not always exciting, although striking. Unfortunately the
trains aren’t an option anymore and flying is cheaper than it used
to be, although it’s going up in price. Many people choose to fly,
which allows them to get where they’re going all the sooner. Time
is money and all that, but they miss out on discovering the real
America found best in small towns like ours.”