Chapter 11

11

Melissa

T hursday evening, the guys take me into Long Pine for drinks.

Darla and Sammy are manning the ranch in our absence, with Sammy doing the cooking. It left room for plenty of jokes regarding his ability to whip up a decent dinner, but since Darla’s been having her taste issues, Sammy is the second best qualified to feed the ranch folks without killing them, so to speak.

“It feels weird not being in the kitchen at this hour,” I tell Colton as we take a seat at one of the corner booths of the Cavalier, Long Pine’s surprisingly not-too-shabby pub and diner.

“That’s just force of habit,” he replies, handing me the drinks menu. “Get yourself a drink, and the weirdness will slip away.”

“Word of advice. The tequila makes everything slip away,” Mitch quips.

“Including my consciousness,” I laugh. “No, thanks. I think I’ll stick to mulled wine tonight.”

Ethan nods in agreement. “That actually sounds pretty good.”

“This is nice,” I say, casually leaning back as my fingers splay across the seating to enjoy the velvety feel of the burgundy red fabric. “Really nice.”

“It used to be a local dive. A shady watering hole until about eight years ago, when the owners sold it to Marty,” Colton says.

“Marty, the butter guy?” I ask.

“Yup.”

“The man does get around,” Mitch chuckles softly. “Lots of butter cash to spend.”

Looking around, I see some familiar faces—mostly people I’ve met running with Darla. A few I met at the farmers’ market here in Long Pine. It’s nice to see them unwinding in the evening, laughing and drinking as the juke box takes everyone on a trip down ’80s memory lane.

“Thank you,” I tell the guys with a soft smile.

“For what?” Mitch asks me with a curious glimmer in his dark eyes.

“For taking me out on a date, I guess,” I shrug shyly.

Mitch covers my hand with his. “Honestly, we can do a whole lot better than this for a first date. How about we consider this a night out for drinks and chatter instead?”

“Well, to be fair, we did agree we’re going to keep things fun and simple,” I say, reminding myself that I shouldn’t bite more off than I can chew.

“I don’t know about you, but I could eat,” Ethan intervenes. “They make a mean pizza here at the Cavalier.”

“Pizza sounds great,” I reply, and he waves one of the waitresses over.

As soon as she sees us, she lights up like a star. Spry-looking and in her early twenties, the girl has a familiar shape to her face, her eyes, her smile, and overall demeanor. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel as though I’ve seen her before.

“Ah crap,” Mitch mutters as soon as he sees her.

“Ah crap, what?” I ask him.

“That’s Daisy,” he says, nodding at the bubbly waitress practically gliding toward our table. “Sammy’s niece. Bit of a Velcro chick.”

Sammy’s niece. Hence the familiarity. I recognize some of her features now.

“A Velcro chick?” I mumble, then give Mitch an even more confused look.

“Sticks to you like Velcro,” Ethan says. “That is, if you’re a guy and you seem rich.”

Mitch looks at Colton. “You know the drill, Colt.”

“What? What’s going on here?” I ask, but nobody seems to want to answer.

All I can do is take a deep breath and put on a pleasant smile as Daisy reaches our table. A bubble gum blonde with bright blue eyes and brownish freckles spattered across her round face, she measures me from head to toe before she puts on a contemptuous smirk and whips out her pen and pad.

“Welcome to the Cavalier, fellas, it’s been a while,” she says.

“It’s good to see you, Daisy,” Colton replies with a soft nod. “Hope you’re well.”

“Oh, I’m much better now that you’re here,” she quips.

I glance around at each of the men and take a cautious deep breath. They don’t seem interested in her, but she sure is interested in them. Her eyes are sparkling, and she keeps pushing her chest out under the guise of keeping a straight back.

“How’ve you boys been?” Daisy asks, her gaze glued to Colton.

“Great, thank you,” he says. “Just work on the ranch keeping us busy. You know how it gets in the winter.”

“There’s ways to keep warm in the winter,” she replies. “I remember giving you my number.”

“Sammy would hang me by my balls,” Colton laughs, a nervous tension hardening his voice as he gives me a brief but wary look.

I don’t like the way she is deliberately acting in front of me. I’ve dealt with her kind before in prison, inmates who thought they could bat their eyelashes at the guards for special favors, employing every trick in the flirty female’s book. It’s disrespectful in my presence since I could be Colton’s woman. I kind of am. I’m also Ethan’s and Mitch’s, but Daisy doesn’t need to know the details.

“I’m ready to order,” I cut in with the same polite smile. “I think I’ll have some of that mulled wine I smelled when we first came in, and—”

“How’s Uncle Sammy?” Daisy chooses to completely ignore me, laser focused on Colton the whole time. “He hasn’t been around either.”

Doesn’t she have his phone number, too?

“Like I said, the ranch is keeping everybody busy,” Colton replies.

“You could always sell a part of it. I hear Mr. Haynes is still looking to get about 500 acres off you if you’ll consider it,” Daisy says.

Ethan gives her a hard look. “Are you a broker for Mr. Haynes now?”

“Nah,” she laughs. “Just sharing some of the gossip. He’s always in here, moaning about how you don’t wanna sell.”

“Some mulled wine would do great,” Ethan says. “The lady is ready for you to take her order.”

Daisy looks a tad surprised, even offended. But she smiles and starts writing things down without ever looking my way. “Alright, then. Mulled wine, you said. For the four of you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mitch says.

“Make that for the three of them. I’ll just take a lemonade. And we’re gonna order a couple of pizzas, too,” Colton adds. “A carnivore and the Cavalier special.”

“You’re the designated driver, huh?” Daisy asks with a giggle.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I like my men sober,” she says.

I could kick her.

Ethan senses my muted hostility and squeezes my thigh under the table. I feel his firm touch through the thick fabric of my jeans. It’s enough to soothe me as I exhale deeply and give the girl one final glance.

“I’ll have dessert, too, after the pizza,” I say.

“Sure thing. A fruit salad? Something light to keep the figure in check?” she asks, eyeing me.

“I’ll have the pecan pie with two scoops of vanilla ice cream,” I reply, my tone sharper.

Daisy rolls her eyes, and the atmosphere around the table changes subtly. She doesn’t immediately notice it, but Mitch and Ethan are completely put off. Colton isn’t her biggest fan either, yet he remains polite. I’m guessing they don’t want any issues with Sammy in the future.

By the end of our dinner and drinks, Daisy has made enough trips to our table to make it clear to me that she plans on trying to get into Colton’s pants sooner or later. He keeps politely diverting every flirty attempt she throws at him, yet she keeps coming back for more. Once the check is paid, I can feel my heels on fire.

“Thank you for the generous tip,” Daisy says and places a hand on Colton’s shoulder. “I’ll buy you a drink sometime, handsome.”

“That’s nice of you, Daisy, but that’s not going to happen,” Colton replies.

“Oh, you’ll change your mind. Have a wonderful evening, gentlemen!” she giggles and sashays away with the bill and the cash in one hand.

I shake my head slowly. “Some people have a nerve.”

“She’s twenty years old.” Mitch says, chuckling softly, “and prettier than most girls in town. She thinks it opens every door. But Daisy is harmless, Melissa. Trust me.”

“I trust you. I don’t trust her.”

“Come on, let’s get you home,” Colton suggests and gets up.

“Yeah, let’s,” I respond crisply.

“There’s nothing to be jealous about,” he says, stifling a smile. “It’s cute how she riles you up, though. She’s just a kid. Harmless.”

“You keep throwing the word around,” I say and roll my eyes at them, “as if you’ve never dealt with a determined woman before. Young or not, she knows what gets a man’s blood pumping; that much is obvious.”

Ethan steps closer, his hand resting on the small of my back, while Mitch gets our coats, and Colton looks for his car keys. “Melissa, you’re the only woman who gets our blood pumping,” Ethan whispers. “Besides, nobody in our family wants to mess with Daisy. Not even Sammy. Her own uncle. We’re all just being nice.”

As soon as we step into the thick snow, and the cold air hits my lungs, I shudder under my coat and hurry to Colton’s black pickup truck. The night is a harsh mistress during Nebraskan winters, and I can’t wait to get home and cuddle under the blankets, wrapped in the arms of my three men. It certainly beats what I had anticipated what this Christmas would look like back in Ridgeboro.

“What do you mean you’re all just being nice?” I ask the guys once we’re all in the truck.

Colton smiles as he starts the engine with the turn of his key. “Daisy has a penchant for trouble, the legal kind,” he says. “She’s been a troublemaker since she was thirteen and doesn’t seem like she’s going to change anytime soon.”

“She hangs out with the wrong crowd,” Mitch adds. “Sammy’s had to bail her out of jail a couple of times. Perry, the bar owner, is good friends with Sammy, otherwise he never would’ve let Daisy anywhere near the cash register.”

“Oh,” I mumble, “and her parents?”

“Just as reckless,” Colton says. “Sammy practically grew up on our ranch with our father because of the nasty situation at home. His whole family was trouble, and it got passed down to Daisy. Sammy had our father to steer him away from them. He checks in on the girl once in a while, but he’s come to realize there’s only so much he can do.”

“Can’t protect her from herself,” Ethan scoffs.

I nod slowly, watching the world go by in the darkness as Colton drives us out of Long Pine and onto the main road leading back to the ranch. There’s not much to see at this hour, except for the twinkling lights of houses up on the hills and a full moon rising above, a fat pearl that seems to see and know everything its soft light touches.

Once we’re home, I make my way upstairs.

Colton, Ethan, and Mitch follow. I give them a look as I turn around and get out of my boots first. Not a word is said while Ethan closes the door to my room and dims the overhead light, then proceeds to also undress. Mitch and Colton do the same, and the tension between us thickens to the point where I can barely breathe.

“You guys are determined, aren’t you?”

“Do you want us to leave?” Mitch asks.

“No,” I take a deep breath. “I guess I’ve just never been pursued so thoroughly before.”

Colton steps toward me and slips his hand between my legs. “We will always pursue you. You’re our woman, Melissa. Ours. Don’t ever doubt that.”

My resistance crumbles altogether. I throw my arms around Colton’s neck and kiss him, breathe him in, taste the hint of lemon on his lips. It becomes a swirling chaos of hot bodies and sizzling hearts as they take me to bed and claim me over and over until I’m completely exhausted.

“I could get used to this,” I whisper, half asleep as I rest in Ethan’s arms.

Colton sits on the edge of the bed, while Mitch plays with my hair, his head on the pillow next to mine.

“You could,” Ethan says.

Basking in the sweetest afterglow, I know they’re not done with me yet. I can feel Ethan getting hard again. His pulse racing. His heart thudding against my ribcage.

“It’s not a good idea,” I mumble, closing my eyes for a moment.

“I think it’s the best idea you’ve had so far,” he insists.