A New Beginning [Liberty, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Read online

  She looked back and forth between the men, not believing they were serious. The looks on their faces looked very somber, the hard edge of fury evident in the jerky movements as they tended to her. She was hurting and now apprehensive. She swallowed nervously. “That doesn’t seem right. What was I supposed to do, let her take Callie and run to find a man?”

  Grant grunted and gently dabbed the salve onto a scratch on her face. “No. You were supposed to scream. Every man around would have been running to help you.” He cradled her cheek, making tingles run down her spine. “Instead you chose to fight a crazy drunk woman. That’s not good, love, not good at all.”

  “Can we talk about this?” Both men shook their heads.

  Jake stared hard at her. “And if you keep complaining, we’ll give you a few extra swats for arguing with us.”

  She opened her mouth, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

  “Don’t, honey,” Grant warned, cupping her face gently in his hands. “Don’t say any more.”

  She closed her mouth and stared at the wall, ignoring both men. Well trying to ignore them. It was hard to do since they were running their hands over her body, looking for more injuries. When they came to her ribs, Sara flinched at the tenderness.

  Jake growled and started unbuttoning her shirt.

  She grabbed her shirt and tried to pull it back together. “Hey.”

  Grant took her hands. “Stop now. One way or another we are looking at your ribs.” His voice lowered. “Do we cut your shirt off or do you let us take it off?”

  Sara squirmed but let go of her shirt, sitting docile and embarrassed. The men carefully pulled her shirt off her arms.

  She went to cross her arms over her breasts but Jake grabbed her arms and bit out with precision. “Don’t ever cover yourself in front of us again, do you understand me?” He bent down to look in her eyes. “I’m warning you, you keep pushing us like you’re doing and before you know it, you will be put over one of our laps and your sweet ass turned a nice shade of red. Got it?”

  She numbly nodded at him, shocked and strangely turned on. She placed her hands down on the counter on either side of her. Both men smiled at her in approval. Why that pleased her so much, mystified her. She inhaled sharply and squirmed when they started probing her midsection.

  “Settle down,” Grant said in a gruff voice.

  She froze. When they touched the spot again, she flinched away. “That hurts,” she gasped.

  “We know, baby.” Jake kept touching the spot, making her moan. “We need to know if you have broken ribs.” Jake looked at Grant. “I’m pretty sure she’s just bruised. But we should have a doctor look at them.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  Grant frowned. “I think it’s a good idea just to be sure.”

  “No. I don’t want to see a doctor. If it gets worse, I’ll go then.”

  Jake looked intently at Sara. Then turned to Grant. “She’s going to hurt for a few days but she’s not in danger of a punctured lung. And if we decide later she needs to see a doctor, she’ll go. We won’t give her a choice.”

  She chose to ignore his arrogance. They lifted her skirt to her thighs and checked over her legs not finding anything too serious, just a few scratches and red marks.

  Jake stood and looked down at her, taking in everything they’d uncovered, with the sweetest and hottest look he’d ever given her, making her breath catch.

  She swallowed nervously. They both looked like they wanted to eat her alive. Sara’s stomach cramped with an arousal so strong she couldn’t hold back a moan. Her panties were drenched and her nipples were so hard, they hurt rubbing against her lacy bra.

  Jake growled and started to reach for her when there was a knock at the door, making the men groan and Sara whimper. Grant gently grasped her hips and carefully set her down on her feet.

  “Steady there, honey. Can you stand okay?”

  She let go of his forearms and took a breath. “Yeah, I think I’m okay now, thank you.” She heard Leroy’s voice on the other side of the door telling them the sheriff needed to talk to Sara.

  Grant helped her put on her dirty, ripped shirt. She grimaced. “Can’t I change?”

  “No, baby. Let’s get this done so we can get you cleaned up and if you’re up for it, we’ll take you to see Callie.”

  “Is she okay? Where is she? I really do need to see her.” Agitation laced her words. Sara wouldn’t rest easy until she had her eyes on her.

  Grant looked at Sara with tenderness. Even hurting, Sara still thought of Callie before herself. “She’s fine, sweetheart. Gina took her to her place and they’re feeding her lunch and if I know Frank, Gina’s husband, he’ll be making her giggle in no time.”

  Sara smiled and relaxed. She didn’t know how tense she was until she heard Callie was fine. “Let’s go get this done then. My muscles are starting to get sore and I’m feeling very shaky all of a sudden.” She rubbed a hand through her hair and felt something. She turned toward the mirror. “Holy crap.”

  “Language!” both men said firmly.

  She looked wide-eyed at both in the mirror. They weren’t kidding. She grabbed a washcloth and wet it. She started rubbing the dirt off her face, ignoring the pain.

  Grant tried to pry the washcloth from her only to have her pull away from him. “Honey, let’s go talk to the sheriff and then we’ll get you cleaned up and settled before you have an adrenaline crash.”

  “Just let me get this dirt off my face and the sticks and gravel out of my hair.” She looked at the men. “You know if you would let me wear my hair up, she might not have been able to use it to pull me down,” Sara said, suddenly angry. Why she was blaming them, she didn’t know. Her emotions were a jumbled mess and all she wanted to do was be alone, sit down and cry.

  Jake pried the cloth from her hand, ignoring her comment. “You’re rubbing a bruise, baby. That’s not dirt.”

  “Oh.” She started picking the dirt and twigs out of her hair. “I look awful,” she said, sighing.

  Grant snorted, making her frown at him. “You were in a fight. You’re bound to look bad.”

  A smile lit up her face in wonder. “I was, wasn’t I? I’ve never been in a fight before.” Ignoring both men’s growls, she grinned at the men and winced when it pulled on her swollen lip. “I can take that off my bucket list.”

  Jake took hold of her arm and started out of the bathroom. “That’s not funny. I might give you an extra swat just for that.”

  “For goodness’ sake, Jake. It was just a joke,” she grumbled, making Grant chuckle. “Let’s get this over with. I’m not feeling very well.”

  Both men looked at her in concern, Grant opened his mouth but Sara interrupted. “I’m okay, just achy. Can we go? I just want this over with.”

  Chapter 10

  They walked into the living room, several men, all standing, some in uniform and some in ranch clothing, all stopped their conversations and turned toward them. Jake pressed his hand more firmly against the small of her back when she stopped suddenly, stunned by all the men and uncomfortable with all the interest.

  She was grateful for the support. Normally, she didn’t like to be the center of attention and every person in the room stared at her. When several started frowning at her, she started shaking. They looked pissed. They must have liked Christy a lot and were mad she’d hurt her. Maybe when they found out what she’d done they would understand. She nervously lowered her gaze and stepped back and unconsciously leaned back against Jake and Grant.

  Grant took hold of her arm, caressing the skin with his thumb. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Baby, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid of them. They’re not mad at you. They’re all upset at seeing you hurt.”

  A shiver coursed through her as Jake’s hand lightly rubbed her back, trying to soothe her but making her tense up for a different reason.

  “Why?” she whispered and looked wide-eyed around the room bef
ore lowering her eyes again. They all were so damn big and domineering men. It made her feel very small, but she felt inexplicably secure in the knowledge Grant and Jake stood beside her.

  Jake spoke up. His voice washed over her, making her tremble, and wrapped around her like a cloak. “Remember, we’ve mentioned the men in town look out for our women? They are here to help in any way possible. The men in town will always band together when it comes to our women and children. The thought of any of them hurt drives us crazy.”

  She looked startled and then ashamed and embarrassed. She turned and glanced up at Grant and then Jake, her hands clutching the fabric of their shirts. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I feel terrible for not asking about her. How is she? I hope I didn’t hurt her. I mean I didn’t want to hurt her, I just couldn’t l…”

  Both Grant and Jake turned to her with disbelief. The other men looked at each other in confusion and then at men on either side of her. “Jesus Christ! What the hell?” Jake burst out, making Sara cringe away from him.

  “Honey,” Grant interrupted Jake’s outburst, holding up a hand to stop the yelling he knew was coming. “We’re not talking about Christy. She’s nothing to us. We’re talking about you. You’re our woman.”

  Sara shook her head in confusion. “But I’m not your woman. I’m just the nanny,” Her voice tight and hesitant with nerves. She blinked back the tears that glazed over her eyes, and wrapped her arms around her waist to keep them from trembling.

  Grant put an arm around her waist and his other hand speared through her unruly long hair and cradled her against his chest. “We haven’t shown you well enough how we feel about you and that’s our fault, not yours.” He squeezed her gently when she opened her mouth to reply. “Hush, we’ll talk about this later.” He placed a quick, gentle kiss on her forehead.

  One of the men in uniform stepped forward. He was very movie-star handsome and looked vaguely familiar. His hair was almost black and he had the look of a Native American—his cheekbones stood out, with a strong chin with a dimple in the middle. He was also very large and very intimidating. The uniform didn’t help put her at ease.

  He looked at Jake and Grant. “Is she okay to do this right now? She looks like she’s about ready to collapse.”

  “I am fine to do this, Sheriff. I’d like to get it done.” She frowned at the men on either side of her and then at the sheriff, lifted her chin, tried but failed to keep her eyes on his before she lowered them.

  Both men nodded at the sheriff over her head. Grant smiled at her spirit. The men guided her slowly to the sofa. They sat her down carefully like she was some fragile piece of glass, making her frown at first one then the other. She lost her breath when they both sat down on either side of her, sandwiching her securely between them. Their bodies were hot against her side. Her body tightened and a surge of blood ran through her veins. Her breasts swelled and her nipples pebbled. She bit her lower lip hard, preventing a groan from falling from her mouth at the speed and powerful surge of desire, embarrassed as a liquid heat pooled in her panties.

  She hid her face, using her hair to shield herself and tried to pull herself together. She smoothed out her skirt, then closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm her body down.

  She jumped when Grant whispered close to her ear. “Honey, Liam is asking you a question.”

  Her eyes jerked opened with a gasped. She looked around at the men. She flushed a deep red when she saw some were smiling at her, while others looked down, hiding their expressions. She had the horrible feeling they knew what was happening to her right then. Her first thought was wanting to run and in a fit of panic actually tried to stand, but both men prevented it with a hand on her thighs. She swallowed back the tears that burned her eyes.

  Jake stroked her arm, gaining her attention and spoke softly against her ear so no one could hear. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, baby. Wanting us is an awesome, and at the same time, humbling gift you’re giving Grant and me. I’m guessing it makes some of them envious that they haven’t yet been able to find their own amazing woman. All of them know what Grant and I have been through and are happy we’ve found someone who makes us whole again. Just pretend they’re not there. Now can you answer his question now?”

  She felt a tide of burning red surged across her face in embarrassment. Oh, yeah, that would be easy to do. A dozen good-looking, large men stared at her. It unnerved her how they knew what she was thinking or feeling. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Um, okay,” she said. She cleared her throat, her stomach twisted into knots of anxiety and she looked to the sheriff. “What was the question, sir?”

  Liam noticed her embarrassment and pulled up a chair to sit in front of her, blocking her view of the other men. Jake and Grant both growled when the sheriff’s knees lightly touched hers, hostility stiffened their bodies.

  She froze, confused when the sheriff smiled. He ignored the men and looked back at her. “Can you tell me what happened today, honey?”

  Sara looked at the men on both sides of her and then looked at the sheriff. “Callie and I were sitting on the porch swing when Christy pulled up. She was unsteady on her feet and I guessed she was drunk. I stood up and got between her and Callie but she pushed me down…” Her words were starting to run and blend together. Sara jumped when Grant growled again. She turned and frowned at him. “Stop growling at me.” When he scowled at her, she frowned harder back at him, making his lips twitch and several men cough or outright laugh.

  She looked back at the sheriff and took a slow, deep breath. “Anyway, I ran after them and pulled Callie from her and told her to run. When Christy tried to go after her, I tackled her.” Jake was squeezing her thigh. She tried to pry his fingers off, it was too distracting, but sighed and gave up when his hand just tightened. “We were fighting and then I was pulled off her. What happened to her?”

  “Who the hell cares?” Jake burst out, making her jump.

  “You won’t have to worry about her for a long time. We arrested her for DUI, possession of drugs, and attempted kidnapping.” The sheriff patted her knee which made the men beside her straighten in aggression. He looked at the men, and his lips twitched.

  She nodded and frowned at the men sitting on either side of her for being disrespectful to the man. Sara gripped her hands together on her lap as her throat tightened. “That’s good. The thought of her coming around Callie again makes my heart stop.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Right now you need to be taken care of. Let your men take care of you. You should be proud of yourself today. You were very brave.”

  “Brave my ass. Stupid is more like it,” Jake’s voice growled next to her.

  Sara’s gaze jerked to his and her breath caught in her throat as pain sliced through her at Jake’s comment. She looked away and blinked back the moisture gathering in her eyes.

  Grant leaned down and spoke softly in her ear. “He didn’t mean that, honey. He just hasn’t let go of the fear he and I experienced when we heard Callie scream and saw you getting hurt.”

  Sara exhaled and nodded as she peered at Jake under her lashes.

  The sheriff put the chair back and he looked toward the men. “You men need to take care of her. She’s starting to tighten up.” His voice was laced with sympathy.

  They both stood, and gently holding her arms, lifted her to her feet. A streak of pain pierced through her as she tried to straighten. “Ohhhhh,” she groaned. “God what’s happening?”

  Grant picked her up in his arms. “I’m so sorry, baby. Your body is tightening up. We need to get you into a bath and then rub you down to loosen you up.”

  Sara wrapped her stiff arms around Grant’s neck and looked back as they walked from the room and headed toward the steps. “What about the sheriff?”

  Jake followed. “They’ll know their way out. We need to take care of you.”

  When they reached her room, she started to wiggle to get down. “Just let me down. I can take care of myself.”<
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  “Like hell.” Jake started filling the bathtub for her. “Let’s get you into the shower to get the dirt off and then we’ll soak for a bit.”

  Grant set her down gently and started pulling her shirt over her head.

  She grabbed at it. “No, please leave. I really can do this on my own,” she sputtered, embarrassed.

  Grant took her shirt off despite her struggles and started pulling her skirt down over her hips.

  She was covering her breasts and had a tight grip on her skirt.

  Jake reached out and grasped her cheek, tightening his grip when she tried to pull away, and leaned down to look into her eyes. “Didn’t you understand when we told you not to cover yourself?”

  Grant had her bra off and was pulling her wet panties down over her hips. “Please, I don’t want you to see me naked.”

  Grant squatting in front of her, looked up, concern and curiosity in his expression. “Why, honey?”

  Jake scowled at her. “You just keep digging yourself deeper, baby. You won’t get away with this again.”

  “I’m a forty-six-year-old woman who’s had three children. I’m not in the same shape I was in my twenties, and I don’t want you to see my fat, saggy breasts, and wide hips.”

  Grant stood abruptly, towering over her, madder than she had ever seen him. He cupped her shoulders and bent to look in her face. “Don’t you ever put yourself down again. Do you understand me?”

  The hard edge of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Sara dropped her arms and met his dark furious gaze before lowering her eyes.

  Jake came in behind her and grabbed her hips. “You’re fucking beautiful.” His hand came around her middle to spread over her stomach. “Everything about you is beautiful, even these little stretch marks.”

  His smoothed his hand gently over the white marks on the curve of her belly from carrying her babies. The dark, smooth tone of his voice made her breath turn ragged. The heat of him poured through her skin, sending arrows of desire down her body, making her squeeze her legs together to relieve the throb in her cunt.