Monroe, Marla - Wild Montana Nights (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Wild Montana Nights
Darla Moore needs a job, not a boyfriend, and especially not two. But that is exactly what she ends up with when she agrees to become a cook and housekeeper on a Montana ranch. How can she remain immune to their charm and the way they make her feel? How will she react when she learn she is really auditioning for a starring role in a three-way marriage?
Randall and Marcus thought they would never find the woman of their dreams until Darla walked through their door. When she relaxes her defenses and lets them in, she falls in love with them, and they with her. Randall and Marcus are dead set on keeping her with them and make a decision that could cost them her love in the end. Will that love be enough to forgive them before it’s too late?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 72,833 words
WILD MONTANA NIGHTS
Marla Monroe
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
WILD MONTANA NIGHTS
Copyright © 2011 by Marla Monroe
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-413-8
First E-book Publication: April 2011
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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This is Marla Monroe’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Monroe’s right to earn a living from her work.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
WILD MONTANA NIGHTS
MARLA MONROE
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
Darla clutched the worn section of the want ads tight to her breast and blew out a breath. The cold air fogged. Dear Lord, don’t let her have made a mistake in packing up and leaving everything behind in Mississippi. She had driven straight through to Rhodes, Montana in hopes of landing the job she found on the Internet. After stopping only for food and to spend the night in cheap hotels, she was in desperate need of a job now with no means of support and a dwindling savings. She pushed the hair out of her eyes and climbed back in the car. The directions the man had given her over the phone sounded easy enough to follow. She should be there for the interview in less than an hour.
Six months earlier, she had been living in a comfortable apartment, dating a wonderful man who promised her the world when they were married, and working at a job that gave her a sense of accomplishment. In the blink of an eye, it was all gone. Never would she trust in anyone but herself again. Darla fastened her seatbelt and started the car. She pulled out of the little grocery store parking lot and turned in the direction of The Wandering S Ranch.
The ad said they were looking for a live-in housekeeper and cook. She could take care of a house without a problem. She was a good cook as long as they didn’t want anything fancy. Surely a working ranch wouldn’t have any need of extravagant food. She knew nothing about ranching, but she was more than willing to learn. The fact that they were still looking gave her hope that she might have a chance at the job. If it didn’t work out, then she would have to look around town for something. If not there, then she would move on to the next town.
The road she found herself on wound around the mountain. The beautiful scenery wasn’t lost on her, but driving the treacherous road took all her concentration. She wasn’t use to the mountainous driving. At home in Mississippi, the land she grew up on was flat with only a few rolling hills to ponder. This was entirely different terrain. By the time she arrived at the entrance to The Wandering S, Darla’s knuckles were white and her fingers stiff from gripping the wheel.
Her mind registered the dwindling light and the knowledge that she would have to drive down that road in the dark burned her stomach. Please let this work out for me. Darla eased down the long drive toward what she hoped would be her new home. The large wooden house gradually revealed itself in the gloom of the encroaching night. Maybe she should have asked to meet with them in the morning. She closed her eyes and sighed. Nothing to do but get it over with. She could worry about the drive back when it came time. For right now, she needed to be on her toes and not worried about finding her way back down the mountain.
From what she could see of the massive structure, it was a large log cabin of perhaps four thousand square feet. She wondered how large the family would be for something of that size. She parked the car and climbed out to look around her. She could make out several other structures beside and behind the house. Probably a barn and other out buildings, she decided. There would need to be a bunkhouse for other workers as well. She swallowed and turned her attention back toward the main house. That was where the interview would take place.
Darla closed the car door and walked up the drive to the house. There were lights on inside. She couldn’t make out any movement, but she knew that someone had to be home since she had talked to one of them earlier. She glanced at her watch and grimaced. It had taken her over an hour to find the place. She hoped they weren’t upset with how late it was. At nearly five thirty, it was getting dark quickly now. The garage was unlit, so she veered toward what she assumed to be the front door where a light had been left on hopefully in anticipation of her arrival. Adjusting the strap of her purse over
her shoulder, Darla knocked on the massive wooden door and stepped back to wait, gripping her threadbare coat closed against the wind.
After what seemed like long minutes, the locks on the door made clicking noises and the door swung open from the inside. Light shone out from within the room, momentarily blinding her until a figure stepped up into view, blocking the bright light from her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the change in light, she assessed the man standing in front of her. He stood well over six feet, probably a good four inches or more. Brown wavy hair that reached his shoulders accented honey colored eyes that seemed to stare straight through her. His chiseled features kept him from being handsome, but rather made him distinguished, something that had to be difficult to do at such a young age. He couldn’t be more than twenty-six or twenty-eight.
“Ms. Darla Moore?” His voice sent chill bumps down her spine, and deep, rich tones massaged her ears. He turned the sound of her name into music.
“That’s right. Mr. Sanders?” She squinted into the light.
“Come on in.” He held the door open, and Darla walked inside.
The entrance hall held a row of hooks and a long pew-like bench where you could sit down and remove boots and shoes. Darla wasn’t sure if she should take hers off or not. As if hearing her thoughts, he drew her by the elbow deeper into the house.
“Call me Marcus. Let me take your coat.” He held out his hands.
Darla unbuttoned her coat and slipped it off. He took it and hung it on one of the coat hooks in the hall and ushered her into what appeared to be the main living area. A massive fireplace took up nearly one entire wall with a glassed-in entertainment center to one side. The stone façade lent warmth to the room and helped neutralize the rich burgundy leather couch and chairs. The warm wood floor looked in need of a good cleaning but wasn’t nasty by any means. The fire in the fireplace looked inviting, and she had to stiffen her knees to keep from heading directly toward it.
“Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?” Marcus asked.
“No thanks. I’m fine.” She took a seat on the butter soft leather of the couch.
Marcus remained standing. “Excuse me for a minute, and let me get my brother.” He smiled at her and disappeared through a doorway to the right.
The minute he was gone, Darla blew out a breath and tried to will her fluttering heart to calm down. Marcus was larger than life. Broad shoulders with a massive chest and narrow waist gave him the look of a warrior in her mind. She didn’t realize there was a brother and wondered if he lived there as well. Only a few seconds passed, and footsteps returned. Two sets by the sounds of it.
Marcus returned, followed closely by a second man equally as impressive. This man’s hair wasn’t as wavy but a bit longer. His hazel eyes sparkled in the firelight with what she could only term as a wicked look. The same broad shoulders and narrow waist attracted her gaze until she realized she was staring and looked away.
“This is my brother, Randall.” Marcus introduced them. “Randall, this is Darla.
Randall smiled and held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Darla let him take her hand and found hers engulfed in a large warm grip that wasn’t too tight. He held it a little too long, but she found that she didn’t mind. When he let her hand go, it tingled, and she refrained from rubbing her hand on her pant leg.
“You said you’re from Mississippi originally. What made you decide to move to Montana?” Marcus asked as he took a seat opposite her.
Randall sat on the other end of the couch and turned toward her. “That seems like such an odd decision to make.”
“I wanted a change. I’m tired of the heat and humidity and worked with a lady who was originally from Montana. She always talked about it, and it sounded so nice I thought I would enjoy living here.” Darla nibbled at her lower lip.
“So tell us about your past experience,” Randall said.
“I was the housekeeping manager for a hundred bed hotel.” She described her job and responsibilities to the two men.
“Why would you want to go from such a position of responsibility to working at a ranch?” Marcus asked.
“I want a change. There’s a lot of stress associated with a job like that, and although I can appreciate there will be some level of stress with this one, I have to believe it will be far less.”
“Would you have any trouble with us contacting your last place of employment for a reference?”
“Not at all,” Darla said.
“When would you be able to start?” Marcus asked.
“I’m available at any time.”
“How about tonight?” Randall stood up.
“Excuse me?”
“Would you be able to start tonight?”
“Well, um, yes. I can start tonight.” She turned and looked toward Marcus. “But don’t you want to talk with my previous employer?”
“Do we need to?” he asked.
“Well, no. I’ve told you the truth.”
“Then we don’t need to talk with them. Let’s talk about salary and compensation.” Marcus also stood up.
Darla’s neck began to cramp, so she stood up as well.
“Do you have everything you need for tonight with you? We can go back to town tomorrow and gather the rest of your things.” Randall walked toward the front door.
“Um, I have everything I need with me in the car.” She started to follow him, but Marcus took hold of her arm and pulled her toward another doorway.
“I have all the paperwork drawn up in the office. We can go over the salary and fringes, and then you can settle in for the night.”
Darla’s mouth opened then closed. She wasn’t sure what to say. Everything was going too fast. She wanted the job but had expected to have to interview and then maybe get called back. She hadn’t expected to be able to start immediately. Thinking about the drive back down the mountain in the dark had her glad she didn’t have to. She wasn’t going to worry about how it all happened. She was just going to be thankful it had.
* * * *
Randall couldn’t wait to unload her car and get her settled into her room. She was perfect. He was glad they had held out as long as they had. He had to admit that Marcus’s idea to hire a housekeeper-cook had been a good one. The moment he saw her, Randall knew she was the one for them. Long auburn hair the color of turning leaves curled down the middle of her back. She stood maybe five feet two or three inches. She looked so delicate compared to them, but they would take good care of her. Lively green eyes spoke of passion-filled nights and sparks of anger when the wrong thing was done or said. She was nice and curvy, just like he liked his women. Neither he nor Marcus liked thin women.
He opened the back of the SUV to find three suitcases and three boxes nestled together among a pile of two pillows and a stack of blankets. His brows drew together in a frown. Had she been sleeping in her car? The idea angered him for no reason other than she shouldn’t have put herself in danger like that. He huffed out a breath and reminded himself that until she had gotten there, she wasn’t their responsibility. Where in the hell was her family that they had let her drive off into nowhere like she had?
He grabbed two suitcases and began unloading her SUV. He counted on Marcus keeping her busy with paperwork in the office until he could get her things settled into the master suite. They set her up in there with the intentions that they would be joining her there eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later. He could hardly wait to claim her.
He and his brother had always known they would share a woman as their wife. They had grown up in a house with two fathers and one mother. The love they shared bled through in everything they did and said. Both he and Marcus wanted that sort of love in their life. Now that they had found her, they had to convince her to give them a chance. Marcus was sure that getting her to like where she lived as well as getting her to fall in love with them would assure she became theirs. Their mother wasn’t so sure about the idea, and their fathers’ warned the
m it could backfire on them.
Randall left the last box on the floor in the massive room. There were two large walk-in closets. One that he and Marcus would share and the other would be for their wife. There was a massive chest of drawers and a dresser that took up most of one wall, plenty of room for the three of them to keep their folded clothes. The massive room also held a sitting area where a couple of club chairs sat with table lamps beside them. The bed was larger than a king-size bed. It had been special ordered and made just for them. Right now, the comforter on it matched the green of Darla’s eyes, he decided.
Just as he walked back into the living room, Darla and Marcus came out of the office. Darla didn’t appear very enthused. He risked a questioning look toward his brother. Marcus smiled and nodded once. As good as it was going to get, he interpreted. She wasn’t balking at the initial setup. How much had Marcus revealed to her though? Surely he hadn’t told her what they really wanted from her was to be their wife?
“Let me show you to your new home,” Randall offered, extending a hand toward her.
She hesitated for a split second and then pasted on a nervous smile and let him take her hand. He was careful on the stairs to let her set the pace. Then he led her down a long hall that held three other rooms. He opened the door to the left at the end of the hall and stepped back for her to enter. He watched the expression on her face as she looked around her. He wasn’t disappointed. First was delight, then disbelief followed quickly by uncertainty.
“This is much too nice for a housekeeper. Surely there is another room I can use.” She licked her lips.