Monroe, Marla - Wild Montana Nights (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Randall found himself watching her tongue dart around her mouth. He ached to taste her but wasn’t sure where they stood at the moment. He needed to talk with Marcus.

  “I’ve brought everything inside for you. Why don’t you unpack and make yourself comfortable? I’ll come back and get you in a little while. I thought we could have sandwiches tonight since you only just arrived.” Randall backed out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Without looking back, he headed toward the office and Marcus. He found his brother pouring two glasses of whiskey. He handed one to Randall when he walked into the room and held his up. They clinked glasses in a silent toast. His went down smooth, warming him from the inside out. Marcus sipped his before turning it up.

  “What do you think?” Marcus finally asked.

  “She’s perfect. I’m half in love with her already. Mom was right when she said we would know her when we saw her.”

  “I agree with you. How did she react to the bedroom?” Marcus sat his glass aside and leaned back against his desk.

  “She wasn’t pleased. Well, it was obvious that she liked the room immensely, however, she isn’t buying that the room is for a housekeeper. What did you tell her?”

  “Nothing, really. Just that we’ve needed a housekeeper for quite some time now. Between the cattle and your programming business, neither of us has the time to deal with the day to day stuff that needs to be taken care of. And, by virtue of where we live, daytime help isn’t feasible for six or so months out of the year.” Marcus curled his hands around the edge of the desk.

  Randall walked over to where his desk sat and plopped down in the chair. He scowled into one of the many computer monitors sitting on the desk. He had hoped she would be so overwhelmed by them that she would instantly fall in love. Well, that was really going to happen.

  “Do you think we are expecting too much from her?” Randall asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess I thought she would instantly feel an attraction to us if we did for her.” Marcus pushed away from the desk and paced. “That still may happen. She wasn’t looking for anyone when she came, but we were looking for her. So there’s still hope.”

  “I vote we play it cool and see if she shows any interest in one or both of us and then take it from there.” Randall crossed his arms behind his head and watched his brother pace.

  “Okay, I can live with that. No pushing her. If it happens, then fine, but we won’t force her into thinking about it.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m going to go fix a few sandwiches. Why don’t you go get her in a few minutes and bring her to the kitchen?” Randall stood up and walked around the desk toward the door. “I’ll hold off on hers until you get there with her. I already know what we like. I can make them first.” He grinned and left the room.

  * * * *

  Marcus stood in the middle of the office without anything to occupy his hands. He couldn’t stand to waste time doing nothing. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued his walk back and forth across the office. He couldn’t exactly pace with his hands in his pockets. It looked like a sick imitation of a runway model walk.

  Darla smiled shyly at him when he knocked on her door some fifteen minutes later.

  “Do you have everything you need? If not, we might have it somewhere here. Just let us know.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need anything. Really, this room is way too nice for me to use,” she began.

  “Nonsense. You need space to live. We have the entire house to live in.” He held out his hand to her. “Let’s go to the kitchen and eat.”

  Her mouth thinned into a straight line while she considered her options. Then she sighed and took his hand.

  “I hope you like ham. That is all we have right now for sandwiches. I’m hoping you can come up with a grocery list tomorrow that we can fill on Saturday.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  He guided her with a hand at the small of her back. They entered the kitchen to find Randall with an assembly line type process going on.

  “Darla, what do you like on your sandwich?”

  “Mayo and that’s all.” She drifted over to the pantry to look inside.

  Randall glanced at Marcus with raised eyebrows. “Anything?”

  “Not really. I can tell that I make her nervous, but then she doesn’t know me from Adam’s house cat.” Marcus sighed and watched as Darla reemerged from the pantry.

  “Come have a seat at the bar, Darla.” Marcus pulled a barstool out for her to climb up on. He barely managed to keep his hand off her ass when she climbed up to sit down.

  Randall sat her plate in front of her and offered her something to drink. She chose iced tea and began to eat. Marcus climbed up on the stool to her right, and Randall took the one to her left. She was surrounded by them now. Elbow to elbow, they lined the bar and only the sounds of eating and drinking could be heard for several minutes.

  “What time do ya’ll like your meals?” she asked.

  “Breakfast is at six thirty. Lunch is at noon and dinner would be thirty minutes after sunset. We have to utilize as much of the sun as we can,” Randall explained.

  “Do you have family close-by?” she asked.

  “Our parents live about thirty minutes to the west of us.” Randall took a bite of his second sandwich.

  “Do you have any other siblings?”

  “We have another brother, James. He’s the oldest. He lives in Billings,” Marcus answered.

  “So it is just your mom and dad then.”

  “Well, actually, we have two dads and our mom. She’s married to both of them.” Randall waited holding his breath.

  “Oh, well. More power to her. Managing one man can be confusing enough without adding a second man to the equation.” She shrugged it off and kept nibbling at her sandwich.

  Randall wanted to hug her. She wasn’t appalled at the notion. To him, half the battle was won. He wondered if Marcus had anything else under his sleeve to whip out tonight, or if that was going to be all of the show. He sure hoped so. He hadn’t been prepared for the day when he woke up that morning.

  Darla slid off the barstool and picked up her plate. She wiped off the crumbs with a napkin in to the trash then rinsed the plate and sat it in the sink. She tidied up the kitchen after putting the mayo, mustard, and ham back inside the fridge. Marcus frowned at her as she finished her task.

  “Randall, why don’t you show her the rest of the house? I’m going to finish up some things in the office.” Marcus rinsed his plate off as well, setting it on top of Darla’s.

  “Good idea.” Randall stood up and cleaned off his plate. “You saw the pantry. I’ll show you the cellar next. We keep our canned goods there.”

  “Do you raise a garden?” Darla asked.

  “We haven’t. Mom does at home, but that would be strictly up to you and what you want to deal with.”

  “Fresh vegetables would be nice occasionally. I’ll see if I’ve gotten the hang of things by the time spring gets here.” She smiled and followed him down the cellar stairs.

  “Spring won’t be here till at least May. We have a short growing season.” Randall switched on the light once they made it to the bottom of the stairs.

  The cellar was roughly half the size of the house with one side devoted to shelving for canned goods and the other side devoted to gathering dust and cobwebs. There were six or seven bottles of wine on a shelf in the corner, but other than that, nothing. Randall watched as Darla examined several of the canned goods and dusted off a few labels on the wine.

  “Everything down here needs cleaning. This will take several days alone.”

  Randall walked up behind her while she was looking at the bottles of wine. When she suddenly turned around, he was looking down into her upturned face. They were close enough he could have kissed her. She looked into his eyes, and her mouth opened then closed. He wanted to run his tongue around her lips and see if she tasted as good as she smelled this close. Something moved in a corner, startling her, and the moment was gone.

  Darla blinked and took a step back. She smiled but didn’t act as though she was uncomfortable. Well, he sure as hell was. His cock would have the imprint of his zipper on it for the rest of his life as hard and turned on as he was right then. He sighed and led her back up the stairs and showed her the rest of the house.

  “I’ll show you the outside tomorrow during daylight,” Randall promised her.

  Darla smiled and told him thanks for the tour. She really needed to get to sleep if she was going to have breakfast on the table by six thirty. Good thing she was used to working early, she joked. He smiled and pointed her in the right direction to her bedroom. He watched her walk down the hall before he turned to find Marcus in the office. They needed to have a heart to heart on how they were going to approach her. She wasn’t appalled about a ménage relationship. That was a start anyway.

  Chapter Two

  Darla turned a complete circle in the bedroom they called hers. It was much too large for just her, and she suspected it was actually the master bedroom. Why would they have given it to her? Surely one of them should have taken it. And that was another thing. Why weren’t they married? They were good-looking, virile men with a thriving ranch and some sort of programming business. It didn’t make sense.

  Oh, and two fathers? That was beyond weird. Their parents lived in a ménage relationship. She had never met anyone who lived like that, but then she was from the Bible Belt of Mississippi.

  She wondered how it worked. Sighing, she shook her head. It didn’t matter. It was none of her business. She would be keeping house and cooking for the two men. She wasn’t part of the family.

  The idea of being part of a family settled over her for a few minutes. She knew that was in her past. She would probably never find anyone living in such a remote area now. Not that she wanted to. Men couldn’t be trusted to tell the truth or keep their promises. She knew that firsthand.

  She opened up the first suitcase and began unpacking. Everything she owned fit in the dresser. The few things she had to hang up looked lonely and out of place in the huge walk in closet. She had three pairs of jeans, two worn dresses, and an equally worn coat. She would have to invest in more clothes, especially a good coat. Winters, she knew, would be bitter here. It wouldn’t hurt to buy a pair of boots as well. If she was careful, she would have enough money to cover a few things until she got her first pay check. The salary was generous—more than she had expected with room and board included. She would be able to put a little away in savings for the future. The future, she wondered, what it would hold for her?

  Darla settled the suitcases in the closet and unpacked her toiletries from one of the boxes. She couldn’t believe the bathroom. A large whirlpool tub sat in one corner big enough for two or three and a shower took up another wall. The multiple shower heads looked as inviting as a long soak in the massive tub. When she finished unpacking, she would settle for a shower. She needed to get into bed and get some sleep. She had a long day tomorrow, the first day of her new life.

  Early the next morning, Darla was already in the kitchen cooking breakfast when Randall walked in. He looked every bit as scrumptious as she remembered from the day before. Of course it didn’t help that she had dreamed about him and his brother. All that talk concerning his parents being in a ménage relationship had fueled her imagination. Now she dropped her eyes back to the bacon she was cooking. She was sure her cheeks were rosy. Maybe he would think it was the heat from the stove.

  “Morning, Darla. How did you sleep last night?” He crossed to the coffee pot and poured a mug.

  “Fine thanks. The bed is massive. I think I got lost in it.” She blushed harder and concentrated on cooking.

  “Do you have everything you need? Like I said, we may have something if you don’t. Otherwise, we’ll be going into town Saturday.” Randall leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee.

  “Would it be okay if I went along this time? I need to get a couple of things.”

  “Sure. Marcus and I are both going, so we can get something to eat in town. It’s what we usually do when we go.”

  “I don’t want to be any bother…” she began.

  “It’s no bother at all,” Randall said.

  Marcus walked into the kitchen and right up behind Darla. He bent over her back and sniffed at the bacon.

  “Smells great,” he said. “How did you sleep last night?”

  Darla stiffened and swallowed hard. It felt so intimate for him to be that close. Heat from his body seeped into her. His shirt rubbed against her back, and she nearly yelped when he settled a hand on her shoulder.

  “Randall, I’m already in love. No more burned bacon.”

  Randall laughed. “I never was a good cook. Mom was sure both of us would starve when we moved out here.”

  Marcus moved from behind her. She peeked around to see him pouring a mug of coffee.

  “Um, breakfast is nearly ready. I think I started a little late this morning. I’ll have it right tomorrow.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said. “You’ve never worked on a ranch before, so it will take a little getting used to.”

  She nodded and pulled the biscuits out of the oven. “How do you want your eggs?”

  “Just scramble them all,” Randall answered.

  Ten minutes later she had everything on the table, and the men took their seats across from each other. Darla started cleaning up the dishes she’d used to cook with.

  “Hey, come over here and sit down and eat. Dishes can wait till you eat breakfast.” Marcus stood up and pulled out a chair. “Grab a plate.”

  “Oh, I can eat later. I shouldn’t eat with you.”

  “Why the hell not? You gotta eat. You might as well eat with us and save time,” Randall added.

  “I…if you’re sure.”

  She opened the cabinet and pulled out a plate. She gathered silverware and sat at the head of the table. It was the only place left to sit. She felt odd sitting there with them. Randall got up and poured a cup of coffee for her. He sat it in front of her and smiled. It was contagious. She smiled back.

  Randall and Marcus discussed the ranch and things she had no knowledge of. While they continued their discussion, Darla planned her day.

  “So is there anything you need before we head out?” Marcus’s deep voice startled her. She nearly dropped her fork.

  “Oh, no. I’m fine. I have plenty to do.”

  “Randall made a list of some of the things we are used to eating so you could make out a grocery list. We aren’t picky, though. Believe me. We’ll eat just about anything you feed us. Been living off our own cooking for several years now.”

  She laughed. “It can’t be that bad. You’re both healthy-looking men.” She blushed realizing what she’d admitted to.

  “Well, thanks,” Marcus said.

  Randall reached over and touched her hand. “You’re mighty pretty yourself.”

  Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Darla stood up and carried her plate to the sink. She hadn’t quite finished, but her appetite had fled along with her common sense evidently.

  “I’m working in the office today. I have a program I’m working on, so I’ll be close by if you need anything.” Randall rinsed off his plate and sat it on top of hers.

  “I’ll be back around noon. Sandwiches are fine.” Marcus stood up and looked as if he was going to touch her, but he turned and walked toward the kitchen door leading outside.

  Randall donned his hat and followed his brother.

  * * * *

  “Damn, I’m having a hard time keeping my hands off her.” Marcus growled.

  “Yeah, I’m with you on that. It’s hard to believe we only met her last night. I feel like she belongs here with us.” Randall watched his brother saddle his horse.

  “I wish it were me staying home with her today.”

  “You’ll get your time,” Randall said.

  “See if you can make any headway with her. Don’t scare her off though.”

  “I think I can handle it just fine, little brother.” He grinned when Marcus scowled at him.

  “She looked good in the kitchen, didn’t she?” Marcus led his brother’s horse outside into the crisp morning air.

  Randall nodded thinking about how it would feel to greet her in the mornings with a kiss and a hug. Hell, waking her up with a kiss sounded even better.

  “I’d better go. The boys will be wondering where I am. I’ll see you at lunch.” Marcus mounted the horse and headed off toward the west pasture.

  Alone with Darla. It sounded good, but he wasn’t sure how to proceed. The idea was to make her comfortable around them. He entered the kitchen to find her wiping down the stove. The dishes were finished and the table clean. She looked so tiny compared to him. He was almost afraid to touch her. As if sensing he was watching her, she turned from the stove and stared.

  “Did you want something? I can make more coffee if you would like.” She shifted from one foot to the other.

  “No, thanks. Maybe later. I’ll be in the office if you need anything. Don’t worry about interrupting me.”

  He walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to the office he and his brother shared. They each had a desk to conduct their individual business interests from. Marcus took care of the ranch for the most part, while he ran a programming business. He helped with the books during calving season. Marcus would be tied up from sunup to sundown for several weeks.

  Noise from the hall had him looking up toward the door hoping she was going to come in and ask him something. Instead, a soft humming reached his ears as she passed by the door. He smiled at the slightly off-key music. It was the prettiest sound he’d ever heard. He listened for a few more seconds then buried himself in his computers.

  A tentative knock on the door startled him. Marcus never knocked. He just barged in cussing about one thing or another. Instead of Marcus, Darla peeked around the door with a shy smile lighting her face.

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