A New Beginning [Liberty, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Page 6

  She had only seen the town once when Jake had driven through it after picking her up that first day from the airport, and hadn’t had a chance to get a good look around.

  It was a wonderful town. All the houses and businesses were in great condition. Everything was neat and welcoming, with beautiful pops of color bursting from everywhere. The day itself was perfect. The sun shone bright and the sky was a cornflower blue. The temperature in the low eighties made it feel a little balmy but comfortable.

  * * * *

  The people in town seemed so nice. They waved and smiled at her even though Sara hadn’t met them yet. The town was small but Sara noticed several couples, and she saw some of the people in groups of three. It still amazed her that some of the people in this town actually lived in ménage relationships. But she had to admit they all looked happy.

  Sara found a parking space and parked a short distance from the drug store. She sat calmly. She would come back someday when she had more time and browse the different shops she saw down the street.

  The bakery next to the drug store had a scrumptious-looking display of pastries she wanted to sample. Farther down was a woman’s clothing store that she thought probably carried riding boots she’d always wanted. Across the street was a beauty salon. On the window, they advertised haircuts and color, but also other beauty treatments she’d like to splurge on, like manicures, pedicures, and facials.

  She looked at the clock on the dash, grabbed her purse, and climbed out of the truck. She stepped up onto the sidewalk and put the keys into her purse. A half gasp, half scream tore from her throat when a large, callused hand curled around her upper arm. She jerked back, frightened.

  The large, dark-haired man reached out to steady her with his other hand when she started to fall back. When she was securely on the sidewalk, he dropped his hands and took a step back.

  He smiled gently. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He kept his voice smooth and unthreatening. He didn’t like putting fear in any woman.

  His blond friend stood several steps behind the first one, staring at her curiously and a glint of something else she didn’t understand in his eyes.

  “That’s okay.” She gave them a small, shaky smile and her eyes broke away from his. They were both as large as Grant and Jake and looked just as dangerous. She took a step away from them and looked around. When she saw other people on the sidewalk, she relaxed. It made her feel more secure knowing she wasn’t alone.

  “Are you Grant and Jake’s new nanny?” The dark-haired man asked.

  “Yes, I am.” Sara held out her hand, trying to hide the slight tremor. She took a deep breath. “I’m Sara Holloway.”

  The man grasped her small hand in his. “I’m John. Grant told us about you and how well you’re working out.”

  Sara relaxed and smiled. “That’s always nice…”

  The stern-looking blond-haired man interrupted her. “I’m Alec.” He looked around. “Where are the men?” He ignored the warning look his friend sent him.

  She frowned, her apprehension rose again at the tension built in the atmosphere around them, and tightened the muscles in her stomach. She looked nervously around. What men?

  John noticed her growing anxiety. “Don’t be afraid of us, honey. The men in this town would never hurt a woman. We look after them, all of them. We just wondered who came with you to town,” he tried to reassure her.

  She fidgeted under their intense stares, and looked down at the grip she had on her purse. “That’s nice, but no one came with me, and I don’t have men. Thank you, but I don’t need you to look after me. I’m just here to get a few things and then I’m heading back to the ranch.” She gave them a small smile and tried to step around them when John stepped in her path again.

  “Do your men know you’re here?” He used a patient tone of voice.

  “Who?” she whispered. Sara gazed at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes. They made her feel worse when they stared at her with suspicion and made her feel like she was doing something wrong.

  “Your men. Grant and Jake?” Alec bit out in a soft but clipped tone.

  Sara jolted and looked at him in alarm and confusion.

  John threw an angry look at Alec when she paled. “How about I walk you to the store?”

  She glanced at him and then at the other man who had turned abruptly and walked off, talking on his phone. She didn’t like the idea of men other than Jake and Grant touching her or trying to take care of her. “Thank you, but I really don’t need you to walk me, the store is right there.” She pointed down the sidewalk. She moved to the side, planning to walk around him when he stepped in front of her again.

  “I insist,” he said sternly. He took hold of her arm gently led her down the street toward the store. Sara looked over her shoulder at the other man to see him put his phone back in his pocket and follow them, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

  Sara gritted her teeth in frustration and a little fear, and tried to jerk her arm from his grasp. “Stop, please. Why are you doing this? I’m not doing anything wrong.”

  John stopped, bent his head toward her, cupped her shoulders, and got her attention. His heart twisted with guilt. Her fear wasn’t sitting well with him. “Honey, you’re right. You haven’t done anything wrong. I told you, we take care of our women and I know your men would want us to make sure you’re okay when you’re away from them.” He kept a gentle but firm hold of her arm when she tried to pull away from him. John started to walk again toward the store.

  Sara shook her head in disbelief, and walked faster to keep up with his stride. A drop of sweat rolled down her back. She didn’t know if it was from the warm temperature, or the anxiety these men inflicted on her. “Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about. No one has ever said anything to me. And I wish you would stop saying that. I don’t have any men and I don’t need your help.” She started to get angry.

  “Here you go. We’ll stay out here while you go in and get what you need.”

  She stood frozen. This was so bizarre. Her shaky hands went to her hips as she frowned at first one then the other. “Look…”

  The blond man, Alec, stepped forward. “Go in the store, honey, before we suggest you’re in need of a harsher punishment than the spanking you’re most likely already going to get.”

  He sounded so much like Jake when he ordered her to do something. The other stood silently watching. She took a step back. Although he spoke gently, she could tell this man was more formidable than the dark-haired one.

  Her mouth dropped open. “What…” She swallowed. “Look…” She stopped, swallowed again, and tried to settle her nerves. “Please just tell me what you’re talking about. I’m an adult and perfectly capable of walking myself to the store.”

  “I’m talking about your men, Grant and Jake, and the discipline you’re probably going to receive with this stunt. And you don’t have to be a child to get spanked. We would spank you, if you were ours.” Alec’s voice was gruff.

  Despite the erratic beat of her heart, she rested her hands on her slim hips again. “They are not my men. They are my employers. And frankly what I do is none of your business. And I’m a little old to be spanked and there’s no way I’d allow it.”

  Alec’s mouth twitched. She would have sounded more convincing if she could look them in the eyes. “That’s not what we’ve been told,” Alec said simply.

  She frowned at him. He looked so arrogant standing there with his hands on his hips. She wanted to kick him in the shins.

  “Well dammit, nobody’s told me that.” Sara flushed at what she just said, and made both men chuckle.

  The blond man stepped forward, his voice low and stern. “A friendly warning, cussing would get you over our knees if you were ours.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief that he would say something like that to her. She frowned at them, growled, turned on her heels and went through the door of the store, grumbling under her breath. God this place was crazy
. Were all the men here nuts, or was it just those two?

  Chapter 8

  Jake shoved his phone into his pocket. “Fuck, goddammit, son of a bitch.”

  Grant came out of a stall further down, wiping his hands on a rag and looked at his brother questioningly. “What’s up?”

  “I knew it,” he burst out. Anger rolled off him in waves. “I knew she was the same as every other woman.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Grant asked, and stepped closer to Jake.

  “She went to town. Alec just called and said they have her.”

  “Who?” Grant asked cautiously. A bad feeling started to twist in his stomach.

  “Sara. Did she ask you to go to town? Because she certainly didn’t ask me.”

  “No, but Jake, you need to calm down. Just because she went to town doesn’t mean she’s like Christy. I don’t think we explained the way things work here because we were afraid to scare her.” Grant grabbed his brother’s arm when he tried to pass him. “Give her a chance to explain. Don’t let this destroy what’s growing between us.”

  Jake jerked his arm from Grant’s grasp. “I’m not fucking destroying anything, she is.”

  Grant watched his brother walk off pissed. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to get her.”

  Grant grimaced. “No, let me. You’re too angry right now. Jake, you’re not thinking clearly.”

  Jake ignored him and kept walking.

  “Don’t mess this up, Jake,” Grant yelled at his brother’s back. Grant heard Jake shout for Leroy, one of the ranch hands.

  Grant put his hands on his hips and shook his head. He didn’t think Sara was anything like Christy. She was too sweet. She was submissive to her soul. She hadn’t shown any frustration on being stuck on the ranch, in fact, she seemed to love it more every day.

  Grant turned to go check on the mare he had been looking at. He should have been the one to go, but Jake had been quicker and he knew they both couldn’t go. There was a buyer coming for one of their yearlings and one of them had to be here for the sale. Grant hoped his brother would pull himself together before he got to town so he didn’t scare Sara half to death and chase her away.

  * * * *

  Jake made it to town in record time. Right away he spotted his friends standing outside the drug store. He jumped out of the truck. “Leroy, take the truck back home. I’ll be riding with Sara.” He didn’t wait for an answer, knowing his order would be fulfilled.

  “Hey, Jake,” John said, and moved to stand in his way. He seized Jake’s arm before he moved around him and stormed into the store. “You need to calm down, man. You’re going to scare her looking like this.”

  Jake wrenched his arm from John’s hold. “Get out of my fucking way, John, and don’t tell me how to handle my woman.”

  Alec stepped forward, getting in Jake’s face. “Don’t make us regret calling you, Jake.” Alec looked into the store window, and saw Sara further down an aisle.

  Jake took a breath. He knew they were right. Something in him seemed to deflate, and permitted him to take a full breath. He rubbed the back of his head, and tried desperately to pull back and calm down. “Dammit.”

  “Look, man,” Alec started, “if it means anything, we both agree, we don’t think she came to town to find a man or buy drugs or cause trouble.” Alec looked at John and then back at Jake. “She’s nothing like your ex, Jake. She didn’t try to flirt with us like Christy always did. In fact, she seemed afraid of us and she didn’t like it when John held on to her arm.”

  Jake growled. “Why were you touching her?” He took a threatening step toward John.

  John laughed, pissing Jake off more but held up his hands in a mock show of surrender. “I just touched her arm you, dickhead. Do you really think I’d try to get between you and your woman?”

  Jake swore under his breath, shook his head, and took a step back. It felt like his guts were tied in knots. He kept glancing in the store and tried to keep track of Sara and who she was talking to.

  “She looks like she’s done. She’s at the counter checking out.” Alec looked back at Jake when he took a step toward the door. “Wait for her out here, man. Don’t go in there and embarrass her.”

  Jake put his hands on his hips, dropped his head, and tried to get himself under better control. He looked up when the door opened. The first thing he saw was her glare at John. When she finally noticed him, her face lit up, which went a long way to reassure him.

  “Jake, hi. What are you doing here?” Sara went to him and stood and looked up at him, she held on to her purse and sack with one hand and shielding her eyes from the sun with the other. “If I had known you were coming to town, I would have ridden with you.”

  Sara finally noticed the angry, distressed look on his face. The sphere of happiness withered and her heart dropped. “Hey, it’s no problem. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself. I just thought it would save on gas.” She turned to the other men, and purposely ignored Jake. “Thank you for seeing me safely to the store.” She looked back at Jake. “I’m going to head back ho—” She started to say home but stopped. She finished unsteadily. “Back to the ranch. I guess I’ll see you there.” She started to walk toward the truck without waiting for anyone to talk.

  “Don’t screw this up, Jake. It looks like you have someone very sweet and special there.” Alec indicated to Sara. “Do you know how long we have been looking for someone like her?”

  Jake nodded at his friends but kept his eyes on Sara. He thanked both men and started after her. When he reached her, she had opened the driver’s side door. He took hold of her arm, ignored her gasp and sputter, and pulled her around the truck, opened the passenger door, and lifted her in and closed the door after her.

  When he climbed in the driver’s side, he looked over at Sara to see her silently looking out her side window, her body rigid. He shut his door and laid his hands over the steering wheel and watched her, unable to tear his eyes from her.

  When she didn’t hear the truck start, she turned to look curiously at Jake. When he just stared at her, she swallowed to keep the tears that misted her eyes from falling. She tried showing anger and hopefully none of the heartache. “I don’t know what’s going on. Are you mad at me for some reason?” she asked hesitantly.

  He just continued to stare at her. She sighed and looked away from him and sat silently.

  “Look at me, Sara.”

  “What?” Swung her head toward him, her voice curt.

  “Why’d you come to town?” he asked, keeping his voice level.

  “I needed some things from the store.” Her confusion was clear.

  “What things?”

  She paused, a blush creeping up her face. “Woman things. Do you really want me to list them? What’s going on, Jake? This is starting to scare me.”

  “You didn’t think to ask Grant or me for permission?” he growled. His gaze swept down her, taking in her long multicolored summer skirt and light purple short-sleeved shirt. Her long hair was pulled back into a type of clip, keeping it away from her face. Damn, she was pretty. He hated the thought of other men looking at her or God forbid if one touched her. He thought he’d go mad if that happened.

  She frowned at him. “I didn’t think I had to ask you for permission as I’m a grown woman. But, I did ask Gina if it was okay and she said it was fine.” A small smile lit up her face. “She was actually kind of nice to me today. I was hoping she would come to…”

  “Gina said it was fine?” He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed.

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Could you please tell me what the big deal is?”

  Jake took a deep breath, and dropped his head, resting it against the steering wheel. After a long pause, he murmured, “Our ex used to come to town. We thought she was shopping.” Jake raised his head and looked at Sara. “We found out she was hooking up with other men and doing drugs.”

  Her heart dropped. She felt bad for the men
. That was truly terrible, but she was still confused. “I’m very sorry, Jake, but what does that have to do with me? I’m not your ex, Jake. I’m not your girlfriend. I’m your daughter’s nanny.”

  The look of confusion and misery on her face made his stomach cramp. He needed to set things straight with her. As nervous as he was about another relationship, he knew he had to try with her. He wouldn’t be able to stay away from her if she stayed. His feelings were too strong for her, not to take a chance. “You’re not just our nanny, Sara. You know there’s something between the three of us.” A subtle tension invaded him.

  Her eyes flared with hope and then faded. “We both know you might have feelings for me, but we also know you don’t want to care about me.” Sara shook her head sadly. “What if it’s not me you have feelings for? Could it be I’m the closest woman and you just need”—she blushed and bit her lower lip—“a woman?”

  Jake was pissed now. “Bullshit. I’m a grown man, Sara. If I need a woman, all I have to do is drive to town. There are plenty of women here who I could use for sex. Also, I know how to masturbate to relieve the ache if I don’t want to go to town.”

  She exhaled at his answer, her eyes wide. Sara couldn’t stop from fidgeting in her seat. The picture of him touching himself made the throb of need in her body swell. She wanted to be the one to help relieve him. She clenched her fists at the thought of another woman taking care of his needs.

  “Some of this is our fault. We should have been very specific about what we expect from you. You are not to leave the ranch again unless Grant or I are with you.” He stared intently at Sara and when she didn’t answer, he grabbed her chin—his touch firm but gentle—and brought her attention to him. “Do you understand me, Sara?”

  She shook her head and tried to push his hand away. “No, I don’t understand. Because you married an awful woman I’m to pay the price with your distrust?” She tried to pry her chin from his hold, but he tightened his grip. Sara clenched her teeth. “I’m not your prisoner, your child, nor your woman, Jake, so you better come to grips with that.”