Seeking Love in Salvation (11 page)

“Well, I can understand that. Sometimes I wish I could just be alone for a while, but the reality is I can’t. I’ve got responsibilities and work now, plus getting Lois to come around and visit that school down the street. I mean, it’s right there, but she doesn’t want to let go of him.”

“Probably because of her fears from the attack.”

“I know it is. The counseling is working. It takes time, and I get that.”

“Well, nice try distracting me with Lois. Now back to you and my cousins.”

“There is no ‘me and your cousins.’ I can’t get involved with them. I can’t enjoy being with them when my sister is miserable and afraid.”

“She doesn’t seem so miserable and afraid right now,” Helena pointed out as Evan held Kenny’s hand and he walked next to Lois toward the chicken coops.

“Hello, ladies.”

They both turned around to see Gunny McCallister and two other men and a woman. One of the guys was holding an infant, and the other was holding what looked to be a two-year-old. Both girls.

“Hi, Gunny. Oh, God, Gia, the babies are getting so big,” Helena said as Gunny introduced his family. “Valentina, I would like you to meet my wife, Gia, our babies, Sarah and Jessica, and my brothers, Garrett and Wes.”

“So nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you and, of course, the babies,” Helena said as she shook their hands.

“Doesn’t Gia look amazing? I can’t believe the baby is a month old,” Helena said, and they smiled and talked about the farm and all the great produce they were selling.

Then Sparrow and Ridge came over to say hello. The men greeted one another and then they checked out the baby, but Ridge and Sparrow took position on either side of Valentina.

“Hey, Helena, I was trying to find those little cucumbers you told me about so I can add them to the salad tonight for dinner. Do you know where they are?” Gia asked, and Helena smiled.

“Sure. I’ll be back,” she said, and then the other men walked with them, leaving Valentina alone with Ridge and Sparrow. She looked around for Lois and Kenny.

“Lois and Kenny are with Evan by the petting zoo,” Sparrow said to her, and she tried avoiding their gazes.

“We need to talk, Valentina,” Sparrow said, reaching out to move her hair off her shoulder. He kept his hand there and used his thumb to stroke her collar bone. It did a number to her insides, and she thought about what Helena had said. Taking a chance and trying to find salvation in the arms of four brothers was risky. Plus, it wasn’t fair to her sister.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said, looking straight ahead.

Ridge took her hand and brought it to his lips.

“That’s not true, baby,” he whispered calmly, in a way that made her shiver. God, she sure as hell had it bad for these men. She wouldn’t be able to resist the four of them together.

“Let’s take a walk,” Sparrow said and pulled her along.

“I should stay here so Lois knows where I am.”

“She’ll know you’re with us, and Evan will take care of her and Kenny,” Ridge said as he walked with her and Sparrow and continued to hold her hand.

She felt uneasy as she walked with them. Her anxiety stemmed from numerous things—the concern for her sister and Kenny, the attraction for the Brazos brothers that she was trying to ignore. Then all thoughts ceased as Sparrow slid his hand from her shoulder down her back to her waist, guiding her along the paths away from the small crowd of people and toward a large house. As they passed by, a woman was coming down the steps. She looked older, maybe in her fifties. She smiled widely and waved hello.

“Afternoon, Mamma,” Sparrow called out to her. Valentina’s heart raced. This was their mom.

“Afternoon.”

“Valentina, meet our mom, Ella.”

Valentina smiled. “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” she said and smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Valentina. I’ve heard lots of good things about you.”

Valentina was embarrassed. Did her sons actually talk about her to their mom?

She heard some more voices, and she looked up as Ella turned around and they saw three large men approaching. They towered over Ella, kind of like Sparrow and Ridge towered over Valentina. The thought that she compared herself that way caused a burning sensation in her gut. The men approached and looked her over then smiled.

“This is Valentina?” one man asked.

“Sure is. Valentina, meet our dads, Scout, Sarge, and Ray.”

She shook their hands hello and they started talking and asking her about the cottage and about her sister and nephew and then invited them all over for dinner on Sunday. “That’s so kind of you. I’ll have to see if we can make it.”

“I hope you can make it. Our sons come for dinner every Sunday,” Ella said, and the fathers looked serious for a moment. She felt kind of rude saying that she would see, but in all honesty, Lois wouldn’t come. Valentina just knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“I’ll let your sons know by tonight, and thank you again.”

Their parents headed the other way, and then Ridge took her hand again.

“I hope you can make it to dinner. We’d like to get to know you and your sister,” he said to her. She understood their thinking. In a normal world, under normal circumstances, that could happen.

“I’m sorry, Ridge, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” She stopped walking and turned, pulling her hand from his.

“I need to find my sister,” she said and then felt Sparrow snag her around the waist and press against her back. He pushed her hair away from her ear and cheek and whispered to her.

“Are you scared of us?” he asked. She was surprised.

“No.”

“Then why not come over?”

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

“I can’t leave my sister, and she won’t come. It would be too intimate of a setting, too many eyes on her. She isn’t ready for that.”

He kissed her neck.

“Then you come over.”

“Sparrow, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Ridge stepped in front of her and cupped her cheeks. She was stuck between both men and her heart began to race.

“Last night was special. It was hot, and you looked so aroused and incredible. We want to see more of that side of you. The side that doesn’t hold back but lets go and realizes how special this can be between all of us.”

She shook her head and he cupped her cheeks firmer.

“We can’t get you out of our heads. We want to know all about you and help you and your sister any way we can. Let us in, Valentina.”

She felt the tears fill her eyes, felt the desire to be close to them and feel more of those kisses and caresses again, and without any barriers or worries.

“I wish I could.”

“You can. Just let go with us,” Sparrow whispered against her neck, kissing her skin. She felt her voice clog up and her nose tingle.

“I wish I could, but it’s not just about me.”

Ridge pressed his lips to hers as Sparrow kissed her neck.

“Val!” She heard her name and pulled from Ridge’s lips. Looking up, she saw her sister with Kenny and Evan. Lois looked shocked. Valentina pulled away. Sparrow stopped her.

“Meet us by the barn tonight, after dinner.”

“Please, I need to go.”

“Meet us, baby,” Ridge said to her, and Sparrow released her hand and she hurried to her sister and Kenny.

“Did you want to stay?” Lois asked her as they walked away from Evan and the others.

“No.”

She was being quiet and waited for a reaction from her sister about being caught between two men kissing her.

“You could, if you want to.”

“No. Why would I, when we came together?”

“It looked like you were having fun and like Sparrow and Ridge wanted to spend time with you.”

They headed toward the parking lot on the dirt by the field. Lois opened the car door and helped Kenny get into his car seat. Then she got into the passenger seat while Valentina waited. Valentina was tapping her fingers against the steering wheel and thinking about Sparrow and Ridge, which got her thinking about Jace and Beck. They got home and she parked the car.

“You should meet with them if you want to. They like you and you like them.”

“Lois, there are four of them. Men around here share their women.”

“They look incredibly happy, too. I’m just saying,” she whispered so Kenny couldn’t hear her. He ran to the door and Lois used her key to open it.

“Valentina, don’t give up liking them or getting to know them because of me. You have a right to your own life, to happiness. I won’t hold you back and make you have regrets. I can tell you like them a lot. Spend time with them. Kenny and I will be fine.”

She was surprised by her sister’s words. She was also taken aback by how she felt having Lois condone the potential relationship. What if something went wrong? What if this was just a lustful attraction?

Her sister stood there, waiting for a response.

“They asked me to meet them later.”

“Then do it.”

“I met their parents and they invited us to dinner Sunday.”

Lois shook her head.

“You go, and Kenny and I will stay here.”

“But they seem really nice. We wouldn’t want to be rude.”

“No, I can’t force conversation with people I don’t know. I tried today with Evan. It didn’t work. I got scared and felt trapped and kept thinking of all the ways he could hurt me.”

“That’s normal, and will take time, but at least you tried. Maybe the more you see him, you’ll get used to him?”

“I don’t think so. The thought scares me too much. I want you to go tonight. I want you to be happy. If those men make you happy and feel good, then go meet them. I won’t wait up, either. No questions asked.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Well, maybe
some
questions,” she said and headed out of the room.

Maybe Valentina would go see them tonight. Just for a little while.

* * * *

“She isn’t coming,” Jace stated, and he looked upset about it. Sparrow wasn’t surprised. It seemed to him that Jace wanted to be around Valentina more often. By her walking out on them the other night after kissing her the way they did, they all felt off-kilter. Her resistance to the obvious attraction was making them all question what had happened to her. Of course, Helena never gave them any concrete information. She just told them that when Valentina was ready to share her story, she would. That put Sparrow on edge, especially being the type of man he was—demanding, in charge, a leader and a protector. Valentina was definitely a woman he wanted to protect and possess. In every way.

They set up the bales of hay, opening the wide barn door. With no obstacles in the way, it gave a perfect view of the land and the beautiful, clear, star-filled night. Beck was stoking the fire. They were all so quiet. None of them seemed to want to admit that they were hoping she showed up.

“Someone is coming,” Jace said, not even moving off the hay bale.

Sparrow felt instantly nervous, which was stupid. Why would a young, beautiful woman approaching, when they invited her, make him feel nervous? His mind answered immediately.
Because I want her.

“Hello?” Valentina called out, and Sparrow moved toward the darkness, seeing that she was carrying her cell phone and using the flashlight to see. He met her by the side of the barn, where it was dark.

“Oh. There you are,” she said, sounding breathless.

She turned off the flashlight and then went to walk closer and nearly tripped. She grabbed onto his arms. “I couldn’t see too good, even though you have a fire. This is nice back here,” she said as Sparrow pulled her along with him.

“I’m glad you came,” he told her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She looked around at the others as Sparrow waved his hand for her to take a seat on the bales of hay in front of the fire, next to Jace and Beck. They both took turns kissing her cheek hello before she sat down between them.

She looked good. She was wearing a pair of loose-fitting black pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt in a pale blue color. Sparrow added wood to the fire and then offered her a bottle of water.

“This is gorgeous back here. I love the whole setup,” she said, looking around them at the barn then out toward the sky, the fire pit burning wood. She inhaled.

“You do this often?” she asked, looking pleased with the scene and the fire pit.

“As often as we can,” Beck whispered, looking at her but pulling apart a piece of hay. If he was like Sparrow, Beck was probably thinking about how badly he wanted to hold her, to kiss her and explore that sexy body of hers. He cleared his throat and focused on the fire again. They’d discussed what they hoped would happen tonight. That Valentina would show up, would talk to them, and maybe let them in a little more. Maybe gain her trust.

“Did you have a good time at the farm today?” Beck asked her.

“It was nice. I was really impressed, especially with all the fresh vegetables and fruit. I can’t believe people come from all over to pick strawberries. It’s cool,” she replied and took the bottle of water from Sparrow.