A New Beginning [Liberty, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Page 2

  She studied his reaction. “But you don’t, do you?” She didn’t know why that should sadden her so much when they’d only just met.

  Sara tried to move away from him but he gently took hold of her arm again, causing her heart to lurch painfully in her chest. She needed to put space between them. The warmth from his body and his musky scent was sending streaks of heat course through her body and making it hard to think.

  “It’s not that I think you can’t do the job because I don’t know that. I just don’t want any more complications in our lives and I have a feeling you’re going to be a big one.” He stared down at her for a silent moment, his eyes narrowed, his gaze intense as he studied her. “Do you have any other luggage?” he asked finally.

  Sara’s shadowed eyes darted to his as she nervously shook her head. “No, I am having the rest of my clothes sent. How will I complicate things?” she asked in confusion, her teeth biting into her bottom lip.

  He shook his head and wrapped his warm, callused, hand more securely around her upper arm. Grasping her carry-on in the other, he started to guide her toward the entrance.

  “How?” she repeated, walking fast to keep up with his long stride.

  “Because you’re…” He shook his head, not breaking stride.

  “Because I’m what?” she asked when he didn’t finish. When he didn’t look like he was going to answer, she sighed. She concentrated on keeping up with his long strides, glad for the grip he had on her that helped her keep from tripping.

  Within minutes, they were in the parking lot and beside a large, dark blue truck with the Collins Ranch logo on the doors. Jake opened the passenger side door, tossed her bag in and stood waiting, impatiently, with hands on his hips for her to get in.

  Sara looked from Collins to the seat. Was he kidding? She needed a ladder to climb in. She darted a glimpse at his face and tightened her jaw. It would be the last thing she’d do is ask him for help getting up into the seat. Good Lord, it was so far up there she didn’t know how she was going to do it without looking like a total idiot. Looking away from Jake’s scowling face, she swallowed and squared her shoulders.

  She was reaching for the handle on top of the doorway to pull herself up when she heard a gruff bark, then felt hard hands come around her waist and lifting her in one swift move. Before she could blink, she found herself sitting in the seat. “Thank you,” she gasped, stunned.

  He glared at her and shut her door with a harsh snap and walked around the front of the truck to the driver’s side.

  She mentally shook herself, took her eyes off him and turned to concentrate on getting her seatbelt fastened.

  Sara took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves, before Collins got in the truck. She looked over at him while he got settled, and started the truck. Her body froze, then heated at the sight of the light of the afternoon sun glinting through the truck window, over his tanned muscular arms and hands with the sprinkle of fine, dark hair. It emphasized the strength of the large muscles, tendons, and bones.

  She could tell he worked out in the sun a lot, his skin a deep brown under his tattoos. His hands were large, callused, his fingers long and blunt. Her body became warm just looking at them.

  She jerked her head toward the side window. She was afraid he might catch her staring at him. It was better to watch the beautiful scenery, with its abundance of spring flowers, and rolling pastures.

  Iowa was a beautiful state but Wyoming had a different kind of beauty. It had more hills and valleys than Iowa, and the mountains in the distance made her breath catch. So many different colors all blended together in a wash of color so bright it almost hurt the eyes.

  She turned back to him, unable to keep her eyes from him for long. Everything about him was big, masculine, and intimidating. Sara clutched her hands in her lap. She had so many questions to ask him. It was then she realized she didn’t even know his name. “What’s your first name?” Her voice was hesitant.

  Jake didn’t answer right away, his attention focused on the road. Sara kept silent, waiting for him to answer. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer her. “Jake,” he said abruptly.

  Sara blinked at him, was that all he was going to say? “Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she said to his hard profile. She didn’t know if “nice” was the right word, but she was trying to be polite.

  * * * *

  Jake ignored her and concentrated on the road, wanting to get them home and get away from this woman. Far, far away.

  The smell of her was making his cock so hard it made his teeth ache. His hands tightened on the steering wheel to keep from reaching for her, his knuckles turned white by the pressure of his grip. He gritted his teeth. He’d never had such an instantaneous need to strip a woman and bury himself as deep as he could inside her and never come out.

  Why her? He thought back to when he and his brother made the decision to offer Sara the nanny job. He remembered there had been only three applicants and she had been the best by far. She was the youngest and the fact she used to teach preschool was a bonus. Callie, his daughter, was a very active four-year-old. They needed someone who could keep up with her, and Sara had seemed the fittest. He took a deep breath and regretted it instantly when he took in more of her scent.

  The picture they had received had not done her justice. It showed a mousy woman, medium-length plain, brown hair, overweight. Not a woman that usually caught his attention. In person, she was beautiful and sexy as hell. He glanced quickly at her and then back on the road.

  She was so tiny. Curvy, but too tiny for his taste, he told himself, using any excuse to keep away from her. He was used to tall women, hard women. This one didn’t look like she had any hardness in her.

  “How long will it take to get to your ranch?” Sara asked softly.

  He glanced at her, frowning. “Forty-five minutes,” he said gruffly.

  * * * *

  Sara sighed, turned away from him, and looked at the landscape that went by. She refused to try to have a conversation with him again. He couldn’t make it any clearer that he didn’t want to talk to her.

  She had really looked forward to this job. As a child, she remembered wanting to live on a ranch and she was excited to get the chance now. Since her husband passed, her life was stalled, froze in the same cycle of getting out of bed in the morning, making it through the day, and then a lonely, and cold bedtime. She didn’t have something to wake up for in the morning, to look forward to, and it was starting to affect her emotionally. She had retired from her job as a preschool teacher in May but she knew she still needed to find something to keep her busy or go crazy. She didn’t have a lot of hobbies and most of her friends had moved away after retirement. Her husband, Tom, died two years before, and her boys were grown and had lives of their own. Her parents were gone, and she wasn’t close to her two siblings.

  There was nothing to keep her in the small town in Iowa she’d grown up in. If this didn’t work out, she knew she would have to find something else. She had a lot of options, just nothing that would excite her as she thought this job would, she thought sadly.

  Chapter 2

  Sara was startled out of her thoughts when the truck slowed and made a turn onto a long, paved driveway. The entrance was framed by tall, lightly colored, stone columns and the Collin’s Ranch logo.

  She sat up straighter and looked around at the pasture and white fencing that followed the driveway at least a half a mile before structures started showing. Everything around her shouted money.

  She closed her mouth. She hadn’t expected a ranch of this magnitude. It was so incredibly beautiful and extremely large. The fields were luscious and different shades of green. The mountains stood boldly in the background. Their white caps, reaching high into the sky. Barns started coming into view. There were so many. All very big and in pristine condition.

  Men were busy moving about, working and talking, some on horses. Sara’s heart jumped in excitement. She wanted nothing more t
han to get on one of those beautiful horses right now and just ride. There was nothing more freeing then racing over the ground on the back of one and it had been so long.

  Her breath stopped when the house came into view. Oh, my God, it wasn’t just a normal-size house. It was huge and probably should be considered a mansion. The outside was covered in stone with white pillars. The stone matched the columns at the entrance to the ranch. The porch was framed with a bright white railing wrapped around the house. Her gaze caught on the porch swing at one end and she smiled, remembering the hours she spent with her children on her own porch swing.

  She was pulled from her memories when the truck door slammed shut. She hadn’t realized the truck had stopped. She watched Jake come around the front of the truck and swallowed. She flinched a little when her door opened abruptly. Sara gathered her bag and turned to slide down from the seat.

  Jake took the bag from her, dropped it to the ground and then his hard hands gripped her waist and brought her slowly to the ground. Jake dropped his hands but didn’t step back, keeping her pinned against the truck. Goddamn. He needed to get away from her but couldn’t seem to move. The smell of her was intoxicating and made his head spin and solidify his already erect cock. He took a small step toward her, dominating her space. His hands itched to hold her, and his body demanded he possess her.

  Her gaze downcast, she swallowed the whimper stuck in the back of her throat, her body becoming moist and aroused by the musky heat gliding off his body. “Thank you, Mr. Collins.” Her body trembled from his closeness. She waited for what he would do next, her breaths becoming more labored as the moments passed.

  “Just Jake,” he grunted. He had the overwhelming urge to hear his name pass through her lips. “Say my name.” He didn’t understand why, but he needed to hear his name come from her mouth.

  Her stomach tightened and she cleared her throat. “J-J-Jake,” Sara murmured uneasily, staring at his chest, and waited for him to move back. She breathed in his scent and shivered. Everything about him made her body feel hot and needy and her heart pound.

  Sara glanced up at him and froze. He stood staring down at her with an expression she didn’t understand. Apprehension slid through her, making her skin feel tight and her mouth dry. “Excuse me, please.”

  Jake stepped back without a word, picked up her carry-on bag, turned, and walked toward the house in long strides. Sara followed at a short distance, wanting to have a moment to gather her thoughts. Thoughts of his brother went through her mind.

  Glancing at Jake’s back, she really hoped the brother wasn’t as rude and scary as this one?

  “Let’s go,” Jake grumbled impatiently.

  She hurried to catch up. Jake opened the large front door and stepped back, letting her go past him. She stood in awe of the beautiful house. She thought the outside was beautiful, and the inside was awesome and so welcoming she already felt at home. Her mouth turned down when she reminded herself, she probably wasn’t going to be here for long, so she had better come to grips with that now.

  Jake dropped the bag on the foyer. “Go on and sit over there.” He indicating a seating arrangement in front a stone fireplace. “I’m going to talk to my brother and one of us will come out to get you.” He turned abruptly, not waiting for her to move, and went down a small hallway, and into another room, slamming the door behind him, making her cringe.

  Sara walked on shaky legs over to the chair by the fireplace, and sat, gathering the fabric of her skirt in her fists. She didn’t think she’d be waiting long, until she heard the raised voices coming from the room Jake went into.

  Why does everything have to be so hard? She thought. Sara used her fingertips to press on her temples, hoping to ease the headache that still plagued her.

  She was deep in thought when she heard a strange noise. Looking around, she spied an adorable little girl peeking at her from behind the sofa. She had beautiful dark hair in two long pigtails and pretty eyes. Sara smiled. “Hello, what’s your name?”

  “Callie,” she whispered shyly, her voice barely loud enough from across the room.

  “That’s a really pretty name,” Sara said, not wanting to frighten the shy child.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Sara.”

  Callie stood and took a step toward Sara, and pulled her thumb from her mouth. “Are you my new nanny?”

  Sara paused, not knowing what to say. She tried not to show her disappointment. She shook her head. “I don’t think so honey.”

  “Then why are you here?” She now stood by the arm of the chair, looking up at Sara, confused.

  Neither had noticed the two men standing in the doorway.

  “Callie,” a gruff voice said, startling them both. Callie squealed, her face lighting up and ran to Jake. “Daddy Jake.”

  The transformation in Jake was mind-blowing. He went from sternly handsome, to a man that would be considered ruggedly beautiful. You could tell the man loved his daughter very much and it was wonderful to see.

  A clearing of a throat brought her attention to the man standing beside Jake. Holy cow, he was just as handsome as Jake. Maybe an inch or so shorter, both had an intimidating presence. Both domineering, and exceedingly arrogant, by the way they moved and held their bodies.

  Her gaze roamed over them. They both had dark hair and dark eyes. Jake’s hair was longer and a tad darker. His brother’s hair was cut close to his head. They both wore faded jeans, boots, and western shirts. A person could tell they were definitely brothers, she thought, they looked so much alike. The only differences were this man had a little grayer in his hair and most importantly, he smiled.

  Sara noticed both men staring at her with different degrees of emotions, sending a shiver through her body. Sara took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and stood, moving toward the man with her hand out, and with a shaky smile. “Hello, I’m Sara Holloway.”

  Jake’s brother grasped her hand. It felt like a jolt of electricity ran up her arm. She gasped and tried to pull her hand away from his, but he just tightened his hold and smiled broader at her, his eyes growing darker.

  Her body’s reaction to his touch seemed to affect her as much as it did him. He had dreamed of finding another woman for them. He was tired of the one-night stands he had when the pressure in his body became too much. He wanted something permanent. A woman in his bed every night. A woman just for them. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sara. I’m Grant Collins. I’m the one that interviewed you on the phone. I see you’ve met our daughter.”

  Sara’s eyebrows furrowed uncertainly when Grant said “Our daughter” like Jake had. That sweet girl could not be the daughter to both, could she? She shook her head. She must be more tired than she thought.

  She smiled at him and then Callie. “Thank you for letting me interview. It was nice talking to you. And yes, I did meet her. She’s precious.”

  His gaze ran over her, lazily appraising every curve. Damn. He wanted to hum, hunger for her already eating at him. She was beautiful and so tiny he could pick her up with one arm. She would fit perfectly between him and Jake, although they’d have to guard against crushing her. Grant smiled. “Why don’t we go into the office so we can talk?”

  Sara nodded solemnly, and was relieved when he released her hand. He turned and indicated she proceed. When she passed, he put his hand on the small of her back, making another jolt soar through her body and made her steps falter a bit.

  She was walking toward the office when she heard Jake and Callie talking softly behind her. She turned suddenly, making Grant stop abruptly so he didn’t collide with her. She turned, smiled apologetically at Grant, and walked back to Callie. Sara smiled at the girl, gently touching her arm, and ignoring Jake. “It was very nice to meet you, Callie. I’m sure your dad will find the perfect nanny for you.”

  “What about you?” Callie stammered, wiggling to get Jake to set her down.

  “Oh, honey.” She smiled gently at the girl. “Your dad loves you very m
uch, and will know when the right person comes along to take care of you. You just wait, you’ll see.”

  Sara swallowed the tears that misted her eyes and moved to go into the office. She placed a shaky hand over her stomach and took a few deep breaths to settle the turbulent feelings darting through her. She turned when she heard the door close quietly behind her and was taken back when she saw both men standing there, staring at her. Grant stood with his legs spread, and hands at his side, watching her with a spark of determination in his eyes.

  Jake leaned against the door, his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle crossed over the other. He should have looked relaxed, but she got the feeling it was a façade and he was ready to leap at any time and was ready for anything.

  Sara gasped, overwhelmed at the powerful feelings streaking through her that made her feel bare and exposed. She took a step back, putting a hand to her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.

  She needed to get this over with and get out of here as soon as possible, before she broke down and made a fool of herself. She cleared the tears that clogged her throat and started talking before they could. She looked at Grant. “If you’ll just have someone drive me back to the airport, I’ll be out of your hair.” She tried and failed to smile, wanting to ease, what looked like anger, on Grant’s face.

  Her breath caught, and her eyes rounded, when Grant crossed his arms, replicating Jake’s stance. Both men intimidating her with their arrogant poses and downright scary facial expressions.

  Sara overlapped her arms and wrapped them around her waist. She looked away from them and tried to gather her thoughts and what courage she could to deal with them.

  Grant saw the fear, arousal, and nervousness in her eyes. He needed to pull back his reaction to her, and what she just said, so he didn’t send her running. “Where do you think you’re going?” Grant softly asked, sending tingles down her spine.