Chapter Five

Josh yawned as he rolled over in bed and reached for Nicole.

Damn, but there was nothing he loved more than waking up with a soft, sweet woman in between him and Grim. It was even better this time because something real had happened between the three of them the night before. Every gut instinct he had told him last night was a turning point for him. Like the day he'd found Grim hiding in the dorm in the back field. He'd known something had changed and his life wouldn't be the same again. This morning was another of those moments. Things had changed.

The curtains were closed, but there was a thin stream of light that let him know it was long past sunrise.

Which didn't matter because it was Sunday, and he didn't have to be at work this Sunday. He was absolutely certain his sister had already given their parents the news he and Grim had found someone new and likely wouldn't be around for Sunday dinner.

Nicole sighed in her sleep and settled her head against his chest.

In the low light he could see the way her chest moved slowly, gracefully, in her sleep, how her long lashes laid against her cheeks. She was soft in sleep, the wariness he'd sensed the night before gone.

What was she hiding?

It didn't matter. He would figure it out and then he and Grim would fix the problem and they would all discover if this thing between them could work.

He already knew the answer, but he needed to pretend to be unsure. He'd found sometimes his utter confidence could be a bit off-putting. So he would smile and tell her they were feeling things out, and in a couple of months he'd slip a collar around her neck and a ring on her finger and voila, future secured.

There was a buzzing sound to his right. His cell. With a sigh, he reached over and grabbed it. It was a text. From his sister.

Momma says you should bring Nicole to Sunday dinner.

He bit back a growl. His parents could be intrusive at times. It was all the love and healthy attachment and crap that most of his other friends didn't have to deal with. Most parents wouldn't want to meet the woman their son had shared with his best friend the night before, but not Abigail Barnes-Fleetwood. Nope. She would want to welcome that woman and likely tell her too many stories about how deeply focused he'd been as a child.

It wasn't his fault he knew who he was and what he wanted. At the age of four.

He quickly typed back.

No. We're not scaring this one off.

His sister sent back a rolling eyes emoji.

Fine but you tell Momma yourself. And don't be surprised if Grim gets an emergency call. Pops and Dad have been down in the barn since daybreak. Something's happening with one of the bred heifers, and they're trying to take care of it themselves.

Josh groaned and let his head fall back.

His fathers were a menace. Why the hell had they sent Grim through college to become a vet if they didn't want him to do his job?

He didn't want to go home right now. They needed time to cuddle her, to take her to breakfast and spend the day with her. He got the feeling she was going to view the night before as some crazy one off despite what he and Grim had told her. The last thing he wanted was for her to retreat after all the progress they'd made.

But he also didn't want his dads to throw out some piece of their aged anatomy because they were too stubborn to call.

We'll be there in twenty. Don't let them hurt themselves.

He rolled out of bed after gently disentangling himself from Nicole. Maybe they could take care of the situation and still spend the afternoon with her. He could go with Grim and if he wasn't needed, come back and pick her up. He could take her out to the house and show her around.

And fuck her again. Definitely fuck her again. If there was a way to gently ease her into staying with them, he would find it. He wanted her out of this rathole as soon as possible, but she was a skittish thing.

"Grim, we have to go. Pops and Dad are playing vet," he said quietly, not wanting to disturb her.

Grim's eyes came open, and he groaned. "Damn it. I was worried about one of the bred heifers. She's been off her feed for a couple of days."

Josh dressed quickly and then leaned over. Nicole was in the center of the bed, blankets tucked around her and looking so soft and sweet his heart actually clenched.

Damn, but she might be the one. The real one. They might be ready to really start their lives.

"Hey, baby, I'm taking Grim back to the ranch," he whispered.

Her lips curled up, but her eyes stayed closed. "Okay."

"I'm coming back as soon as I can. I'll take you to breakfast and then we'll head out to our place." He smoothed her hair back.

She yawned and turned over. "Sleep."

"Yeah, baby, you sleep. I'll be back before you know it." He leaned over and kissed her forehead before pushing off the bed.

"I don't want to leave her, but if we've got some kind of virus about to go through the herd…" Grim began.

"Then you have work to do, brother." Josh pulled his boots on. "I'll stay as long as you need me, but I'd like to come back."

Grim nodded. "Yeah. I think we should stay close to her for the next couple of days."

He finished dressing and moved for the door, his voice low. "I do, too. Did you notice she seemed to be having a bad dream earlier?"

Grim closed the door behind them and made sure it locked. "Yeah, she was saying a name. I didn't catch it."

"Michael, maybe. She was scared of him." Josh looked back at the door. "Maybe we should take her with us."

"Let her sleep. I get the feeling she doesn't do a lot of it," Grim said, keys to the truck in hand. "Hopefully we're panicking for nothing and I won't need your help. You can come right back and bring her out for Sunday dinner."

"And let my momma scare the crap out of her?" What was Grim thinking?

"Abby is the best," Grim countered. "She doesn't scare anyone."

"My momma will start planning a wedding by dessert, and she'll start talking baby names shortly after."

Grim shrugged as he hauled himself into the driver's seat. "I don't have a problem with it."

Josh sighed and got in. "I don't think it's going to be easy. I think we're going to have to slow play this with her."

Grim put the truck in reverse as a tall blonde stepped out of the door next to Nicole's. She glanced up and down the street and then started for the office. "Don't you want to get her out of here? Although the new guest looks like she doesn't belong here either."

Maybe the clientele was changing. Or the blonde hadn't realized what a dump the place was when she booked it online. If this motel even had a website. "Damn straight. I'm planning on getting her out of here as soon as possible, but we have to be tricky about it. We need a game plan, brother."

"Well, we're pretty good at coming up with one of those." Grim started down the highway that would take them to the ranch. "You'll come back and hang with her while I deal with the problem. And I'll talk to Abby and ask her to curb her enthusiasm. But I don't think feeding Nicole is going to scare her off."

No. She'd eaten everything they'd put in front of her the night before, and she'd done it with relish. Like food had been nothing but a necessity for a while now. Like she hadn't indulged in a long time.

They talked about how to gently ease her into the relationship as they drove to the ranch. When they pulled in, the first thing Josh saw was his pops stepping out of the big barn, a concerned look on his face. Sam Fleetwood was a sunny man who smiled most of the time, so his expression had Josh sitting up.

"Damn it." Grim parked the truck, obviously getting the same vibes he was.

Josh followed him, slamming the door behind him. Olivia was walking out from the main house, carrying two bottles of water. Grim jogged across the lawn toward the barn, but Josh caught his sister.

"What's going on?"

Olivia kept walking. "I don't know. Dad's been cussing up a storm, and Pops is worried. They were going to call Grim in, but I told them you were already on the way. They didn't want to disturb you."

"I'm supposed to be disturbed," Grim called out. "I'm a damn doctor. I did not go to seven years of school for fun."

Grim took that shit seriously, as his father was about to be reminded.

Pops nodded as Grim ran inside then turned to Josh. "It's not good. She won't stop vomiting. I have no idea what the hell is going on. I'm heading out to the pasture she's been in to see if she could have gotten into something she shouldn't have."

"I'll go with you. I'll grab the ATV," Olivia offered. "Mom told me to make sure you're hydrated." She pressed one bottle into Pop's hand and gave the other to Josh. "Make sure Dad gets this, and I've got my cell if you need me. Mom's inside. She could not handle the smell."

Josh stepped inside the barn and could understand his mother's hesitation. The acrid smell of vomit reached his nose, and he had zero idea how his father and Grim were standing there like it didn't affect them.

"I need to take some samples, but she's been ingesting something toxic," Grim said, dropping to one knee. The heifer was lying on her side, her swollen belly obvious. "I don't know if we're going to lose the calf or not. It depends on what she's been eating."

"Sam's going out to investigate," his father said. He looked up as Josh walked in. "Hey. I'm sorry to call you. I know you were on a date."

"It's fine." He wondered how long his father had been up. Likely since dawn. His fathers still rose early, the cowboy in them so deeply ingrained it was hard for them to take time off. "I'm going to help out here and then go back and pick her up. I thought she could come to Sunday dinner, if Mom can refrain from embroidering her name on the family quilt."

The words brought a smile to his father's eyes. "You know she only wants you to be happy."

"I think sometimes she's pointing out I'm not getting any younger and she already had Lexi by my age. Well, Lexi was already in grade school by my age." He put a hand over his nose. "She does not understand how hard it is for two men to find a wife. She had it easy."

His father put a hand on his shoulder and led him back out. "Don't you say that around her. You know she's had it hard, and it's never stopped. And you need to think about your momma's experience when it comes to dating this young lady. What do we know about her?"

"I know I care about her," Josh admitted. "I know I felt an instant connection to her."

A brow rose over his dad's eyes. "And after a single night you want to bring her to meet your family?"

"Yeah."

His father shook his head, a chuckle coming from his mouth. "Well, sometimes this old world pays us back in ways we didn't dream of. I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

Josh shrugged. "If you don't want to meet her, it's okay. You give me a date when my feelings will be valid to you, and I'll mark it on my calendar."

His father sighed. "See, that is karma biting me in the ass because I can't exactly give you a lecture on how stubborn you're being. I knew your momma was the one for me and Sam after our first date. Sam knew before I did. But you need to be sure before you start parading her around town."

"She said she doesn't care. She knows what we want." Josh had told her, but he wasn't so sure she'd taken them seriously. If he had to guess, she hadn't been treated well in relationships before, and it wouldn't be the first time a man had lied to a woman to get into her bed.

Which was why she should have woken up next to him.

"Knowing what you want and dealing with being in a nontraditional relationship are two different things," his father said. "I think it's safe to say it hasn't bothered me or Sam, and your momma has made a happy life for herself here, but she was older and more settled into who she is. She'd seen a lot, and those experiences built her confidence. I know it was hard on her when she was younger."

Because his mother had been born in Willow Fork, and she'd had a relationship with the richest boy in town as a teen. She'd been pregnant with Lexi when he'd died, and Abigail Moore had been driven out of Willow Fork. She'd found a way to put herself through school and build a life for herself and her daughter. She'd only come back to Willow Fork when her mom needed help, and then she'd met his dads.

The thought of Nicole being put through the same treatment made his heart clench. "You don't think it was worth it to Momma?"

"I know it was." His father gave him a sympathetic look. "But like I said, she was older and more settled. It's hard for you to understand because you came out of the womb knowing exactly who you are and making not one damn apology for it. I'm afraid you got that from me, and coupled with the stable childhood we managed to give you, it's made you far more centered and grounded than I was at your age. For a long time Sam was my focus and this ranch was ours. We didn't even think about marrying a woman until we were well into our thirties and we loved one who could handle everything we needed."

"Dad, say what you need to say and say it plainly." He wanted to get to the heart of whatever was bothering his father. "You don't think she can handle the pressure that will come with being in a nonconventional relationship. You don't even know her."

"No, but I know people, and I know if you've never had a ménage relationship in your life, it can be hard to wrap your head around," his father said.

The whole conversation was making Josh antsy. "So you think we shouldn't ever get married."

"I think you know a lot of women who have been around these types of relationships, who won't think twice about loving two men. Whose families won't blink at the relationship."

He knew exactly who his father was talking about. Most of his father's closest friends were in similar relationships. They understood both ménage and BDSM because their parents lived the lifestyle. He knew damn well his fathers and their friend Julian Lodge would have been thrilled if he and Grim had hit it off with Chloe Lodge-Taylor, but they were just friends. The same had been true with Greer and Harlow Dawson, the daughters of Ben and Natalie and Chase Dawson. They felt more like his sisters.

"But Nicole's the one I feel for."

"All right, then you need to pursue it," his father said with a nod. "But be careful with her and be patient with her. Watch her because sometimes our women try to spare us by not telling us they've been hurt. She will get looked at differently."

He didn't understand. "There are women my age who go through guys like they're sampling chocolate, but if they're from the right family, no one questions them. If they're from the wrong family, they're whores. I can sleep with anyone I want and I'm just a guy sowing his oats. Nicole should be able to do anything she likes and as long as she's not hurting someone, the world shouldn't have a damn opinion."

"I agree with you, son, but that's not how this town works, and it likely never will. I think most of the younger generation is better, but even there you've got mean girls and assholes who will find it fun to ruin her."

His heart ached at the thought. "I don't want to ruin her."

"You won't ruin her," a familiar voice said. Pops was leaning against the barn door. "Your dad is forgetting so much of our courtship. I know Abby was older and more settled, but she also had been through all of this before, and I know damn well it scared her. Not once did your dad think of backing down. Do you know why? Because he knew we were good for her. I would have moved her out of here if she couldn't handle it because she was the center of our lives. Don't let worry get in your head. Grim will do enough of that for the both of you. Remember one thing. You are a king in this town, and if they don't respect your queen, they can accept the consequences."

Willow Fork, for all it liked to look down on the Barnes-Fleetwood family's unconventional relationship, was also dependent on them. The two biggest employers in the town were the Barnes-Fleetwood Collective and The Willow Fork Tranquility Spa and Resort. For the most part his parents were completely reasonable.

But there was a time to be ruthless. He would never threaten someone's job for not liking him. But if someone tried to cut Nic down to size, he would show them what he could do. "I understand. I'll get the word out. No one messes with her or they get to deal with me."

"They get to deal with your family," Pops said. "All of us."

His father nodded. "All of us. I'm sorry, son. I guess the truth is I'm older and feel like I have more to lose. Your sister already spends most of her time either in Bliss or Dallas, and I don't like the idea of you and Grim leaving, too."

"We live here, Dad. I mean at some point we're going to want to add on to the house, but neither one of us has any intention to move," he pointed out.

"You might have to if Nicole can't get what she needs here," his father countered.

"What else could she need? She won't need money." This was a ridiculous argument. "It's early. Can we not borrow trouble?"

"There won't be any trouble you can't handle," Pops said. "Between you and Grim, you'll take care of anything that goes down. Now, I found the problem, and it could be bigger than we think."

"You already went out to the back field?" He knew Pops was spry, but that was fast.

"No, I didn't have to. I got a call from Jim Hazelton. He sells us alfalfa, and it looks like somehow our last shipment was contaminated," Pops explained.

Grim walked out, pulling off a pair of latex gloves. "Let me guess. Blister beetles?"

"And that is why you're the smart one, son," Dad replied. "How fucked are we?"

"I think we caught it early enough." Grim started for the barn door. "But I'm going to need some hands to help me check the rest of the herd. Josh, we need to set up for exams and then you take a shower and get out of here. You made a promise to our girl. Go and get her. Maybe spending the day examining cattle will be fun for her."

It wouldn't, but it would tell him a lot about Nicole and if she could handle what they needed.

"I'll go get Momma." Olivia joined Grim. "It's going to be a fun family day."

They would earn Sunday supper, but then they always did.

Josh joined his fathers and got to work, his mind on Nicole the entire time.

* * * *

Nicole looked around the motel room and wondered why it seemed so lonely now. They'd only been here for the night. It shouldn't feel like she was missing a piece of something important.

She glanced over at the pillows on either side of her. They'd slept next to her. At least she'd thought they had. Now she wondered how much of the night before had been a dream. Not the sex, of course. She was damn sore. The sex had been real, but all the emotions had to have been one sided since they hadn't even stayed around for breakfast. For some reason, she'd thought they would stay.

Tears clouded her vision as she realized no one had left a note. She checked her crappy phone. It barely had text messaging. She'd dutifully put in their numbers the night before at the bar, and she'd given them hers. Maybe there was a message there.

Nothing.

They were gone.

Why was that such a kick in the gut? She'd known she couldn't have them for long, but now she realized how much she'd counted on having a couple of days with them, a few wild and wicked nights. Sweet nights when they made her feel like she was normal, like she was worthy.

She sat in bed for the longest time, listening to the sounds of people moving in the room next to her.

Why on earth had she believed them? She had nothing. Not a damn thing to her name. She'd given them the only thing of worth she owned—her body and her caring and affection. Why should they stay around? They were gorgeous, and she was a normal woman. Not even normal. God, she was a woman who was wanted for the murder of her husband. She should thank her lucky stars they hadn't stuck around because she was almost certain those men would be damn nosy. Their sister, too.

Had Olivia known all they wanted from her was a good time?

She was an excellent wingman. She knew exactly how to push someone into her brothers' arms. If Olivia hadn't been there, making her wait, she would have gone up to the second floor and read a book and hoped there was a job for her at the end of the night. But no, Olivia had tempted her with margaritas and nachos and friendship.

She wondered if Olivia was laughing her ass off this morning at the young woman who so obviously didn't belong anywhere at all.

Nicole pushed off the bed, dragging the sheet around her. Even alone it felt weird to be naked. It hadn't the night before, but she'd been fooling herself.

She took a shower, forcing herself to move. It didn't matter two men she barely knew were done with her. Nope. She'd had what she wanted, too.

That was how she needed to look at things. She'd gotten what she wanted and hadn't even had to deal with two needy guys.

It was perfect.

Except how was she going to feel the next time Josh came into the café? He was a regular. How was she going to feel when he came in with the kind of woman he could care about? The kind he didn't leave far before morning came.

Was their whole sharing thing a big joke? They'd made it out like they were wounded souls looking for someone who could handle their needs, but had it been a way to slip in and out of her bed?

As far as seduction techniques went, it was a good one. It had absolutely worked on her.

Now she had a whole day to waste since she wasn't scheduled for a shift.

Her stomach growled. Why couldn't she be one of those women who wasted away when she was heartsick? Nope. When her heart hurt, she wanted pancakes. And she'd expended a ton of energy the night before.

So now she had to drag her sorry ass to the café since she didn't have any groceries here. She'd eaten her last protein bar and hadn't worked up the will to walk two miles to the store and two miles back.

She sniffled and forced herself to put on some makeup, to dry her hair and put it in a neat ponytail. Forced herself to put on clean clothes. She would go to the café and order what she could afford, and maybe if she was lucky Christa would need some help with the after-church rush. Sometimes it got overwhelming and she stepped in for an hour or two. The tips from the church crowd weren't the best, but it would pass some time. Tomorrow she would work her shift and go to the mechanic and give him the go-ahead to fix her car. By the end of the week, she would be able to pay it off and she'd be gone by the weekend.

Another few days and she would be on the road to Mexico, Josh and Grim in her rearview mirror.

Hopefully she would have learned her damn lesson.

She wished she hadn't slept so well the night before. She'd had one dream, and Grim had been there to wrap her up and ease her back to sleep. After that she'd slept like a baby, and she hadn't in so very long.

Maybe the nightmare had been the reason they hadn't hung around. Her dreams could be…upsetting.

She closed the mirrored door to the closet.

Just the night before she'd looked at herself in that mirror and watched as she'd been between Josh and Grim. She'd thought about how sexy they looked together.

Now she looked weary.

Last night she'd been ready to explore some insane new world with them, and today she was right back to the world she actually lived in, the one filled with anxiety and pain. The one where she never stopped looking over her shoulder.

She'd been fooling herself when she'd thought about taking this time and leaving. She stared at the woman in the mirror.

You thought maybe they could save you. You thought if they could love you, you might be able to tell them, and then you wouldn't be so fucking alone. Then you wouldn't have to fight this fight forever.

A deep sense of sorrow wrapped around her. If she loved them, would she want to drag them into her hell? They could get hurt or charged with aiding and abetting. No. All she was ever going to get out of those glorious men was a couple of nights.

It was better this way.

Deep breath. She was going to hold her head high. It wasn't like she cared what anyone thought.

Of course when she'd said that, she'd thought they would be together for a little while, like she would be in a relationship with them. Then she wouldn't have cared. It felt different being their latest one-night stand.

The one thing she wasn't going to do was stay hidden inside this motel room. She shoved the book she was reading in her bag. She'd picked it up at the Willow Fork Library's recent fund-raiser sale for a buck fifty. It was a fantasy romance by one of her favorite authors. Books, she'd come to realize, were a thing she couldn't give up.

She would have whatever was on special and order a lot of coffee and read her book and then she would forget about them.

She walked out into the morning light, making sure the door was locked behind her.

"Hey, neighbor," a feminine voice said. "I don't suppose you know where I could get a cheap breakfast around here?"

She glanced over and there was a lovely blonde woman wearing jeans and a T-shirt that showed off her every curve. She was definitely older than Nicole, but she had a timeless beauty that made it hard to peg her age. At least late thirties, but she could be fifty with excellent skin care and genetics. She had deep blue eyes and a friendly smile.

Nicole hadn't seen her before, so she must have gotten in yesterday. Her room had previously been rented by three men who claimed they'd come for the hunting. She wasn't sure what they'd been hunting except for beer and a fun place to sexually harass women. Having a chick next door would be a welcome change. "Christa's Café. I might be biased but my boss makes an excellent breakfast, and it's not expensive. Nothing around here is, really. Except car repairs."

"Don't I know it," the woman commiserated. "Car repairs are hell anywhere. I'm Heather, by the way. I'm here for a couple of weeks. My mom lives close by, but my sister's already staying there, and I am not about to sleep with her and five dogs. This was the only motel in town."

The last was said with a sad sigh.

"Yeah, like I said most things around here are cheap, and you should be careful." The woman looked out of place here. Probably like she herself did.

She'd felt like her place had been in between Josh and Grim. She'd been so perfect in between them, their hard bodies sheltering hers.

And now they were gone and Cinderella was right back to work. Hopefully.

"Oh, because of the…" Heather gestured around. "Clientele? Yeah, I think someone was working last night on the other side of me. Hard, if you know what I mean."

She felt her whole body flush. "I'm so sorry. The walls are thin."

A grin lit the woman's face. "Not you, honey. No. I'm talking about the other side."

Nicole felt a wave of relief. "Oh, you're talking about Claudine. Yeah, she's a sex worker, and a diligent one, too. Nice lady, though." She frowned. "I don't know why I said though. Like a sex worker can't be nice."

"It's shitty what society drills into us, isn't it?" Heather asked, her expression turning thoughtful. "Personally, I want to thank her for her service because I saw some of the men she met with last night, and she is helping the world."

"It's definitely work." Work she hadn't had to find. Yet. It was funny how much more she understood Claudine. Before, she likely would have viewed her as a person to avoid. Claudine was funny and nice. When Nicole had first gotten into Willow Fork, Claudine had been the one to tell her to go to Christa's if she wanted a job. Of course she'd first asked her if she wanted to tag team some of her clientele, but after a gentle if shocked rejection, she'd come up with a more reasonable plan. "I'm walking to Christa's if you want to come along. It's not far. About four blocks."

It would be good to have someone to talk to. If she didn't, she would likely think about them the whole time. She wasn't cut out for casual sex.

It hadn't felt casual.

"I could use a good walk," Heather said with a brilliant smile. She opened the door to her room and reached in, coming back with a purse in her hand. It was a designer thing that was completely out of place here in this dilapidated motel.

It was a Chanel. The classic quilted shopper. She'd had one once. Her mother-in-law had told her it might help people forget she wasn't one of them. Rich and well bred, she'd explained. Wearing the right clothes and carrying the right bag could help her fit in. And also, she should have some plastic surgery to fix that nose of hers.

There was nothing wrong with her nose. If there had been or she'd been insecure about it, she wouldn't have had a problem with surgery. Whatever got a person through a day and all, but she'd never felt bad about her nose until her mother-in-law made the comment.

Nicole stared at that bag as Heather locked up. "You know there's a bed and breakfast across town. And a resort about ten miles outside of town. I've heard it's real nice there."

Heather frowned and then seemed to realize what the problem was. She gave the bag a shake. "This is straight off Canal Street. Well, the Denver equivalent. Don't tell on me, please. I like to think of it as faking it 'til I make it, if you know what I mean. And I looked into the spa. It looks amazing and also super expensive. I'm afraid this is what I can afford." Her smile was back. "I've got a car if you want a ride."

She glanced over to where Heather gestured. The car was obviously a rental, and it was small and compact. It didn't go with the handbag either. That handbag should be attached to a Benz at the very least. Maybe Heather was telling the truth, but Nic was still wary. "I like the fresh air. Thanks. But you should try Christa's."

"I will." She moved in beside Nicole. "And honestly, I could use the fresh air, too. I have to be out at the hospital in a couple of hours, and it always makes me feel like I'm in a tomb."

She softened at the other woman's words. It had to be hard to take care of someone you loved. She started down the street, the commute familiar and soothing. "Sure. You can join me."

This place wasn't scary in the light of day. She was fairly certain most of the bad elements were sleeping now, but it was nice to have someone to walk with.

"So why are you hanging around the motel? Do you have family here?" Heather asked.

"No," Nicole replied as they started down Main Street. "I don't have any family. I was married and when my husband died, I decided to take off for a while. See some of the world. My car broke down and I was pretty much out of cash, so I got a job and here I am."

"You must have loved him a lot." Heather said the words with a hint of longing. As though she knew what it meant to miss someone.

"I didn't. He was an abusive bastard, and I was lucky to get out alive." Somehow she couldn't lie today. Last night had stripped her bare. "I'm sorry. That's a lot for a new friend. I'm a little raw today. My husband wasn't a nice man. He was kind of a bait and switch. He love bombed the hell out of me, swept me off my feet, and once there was a ring on my finger, he started tearing me down inch by inch."

It should have been a lesson to her. Men were willing to say and do a lot to get the sex they wanted. The truth was she was lucky Josh and Grim hadn't wanted to play nastier games with her. They'd talked about spanking her and tying her up, and in the heat of the moment, it had seemed like a good idea, but hadn't she learned?

"I'm sorry to hear that," Heather said. "I'm married, too. My husband had some anger issues in the beginning, but he worked through them."

"Well, mine didn't get the chance." She couldn't tell this woman she'd just met her life story. She'd been honest enough for the day. "He had a heart attack."

Heather sighed, a sympathetic sound. "I don't know what I would do without my husband. He's a rock. When Mom got sick he put me on a plane and told me to do whatever I needed to do. He's back home with our kids. We have two. A son and a daughter. My son is twenty-two so he doesn't need much, but my baby girl is fourteen going on forty-four. She's going to kill me."

Heather seemed pleasant enough. Nicole fell into an easy walk beside her, trying to focus on what she was saying. She was from Colorado where she worked as a nature guide. They turned down the street that would lead them to Christa's, and Nicole noticed the church was letting out. She'd slept way too long.

She hated this particular church crowd. There were several churches in Willow Fork. This one tipped the least and complained the most.

Heather was talking about her mom, but Nicole got distracted by the young woman staring at her from the churchyard like she was some bug she wanted to step on.

What was her name? She'd come into the café several times and was always giving off mean-girl vibes. Usually she ignored Nicole because she didn't seem to see "staff" as worthy of attention until someone screwed up her order.

She wore her Sunday best—a dress that showed off her blonde hair and fit body, and heels that looked like they would be hard to walk in. Alyssa. That was her name.

Alyssa proved she was used to those heels as she strode across the lawn, making a beeline for…damn it. Nicole. That woman was coming her way, and it looked like there was a hell of a bee in her bonnet.

"Hey, waitress," she called out.

"Do you know her?" Heather asked.

"Not really." What was happening? Everyone seemed to be staring at her, talking behind their hands, whispering to one another.

"You whore," Alyssa said, her pretty face flushed with anger. She pointed a perfectly manicured finger Nicole's way.

"Try again." Heather suddenly sounded like a woman who could force someone to change their mind.

Alyssa ignored her. "Everyone knows you took Josh and that freak Grim back to your motel last night. I don't give a damn about Grim. Please take him, but Josh is mine."

Did this woman think she cared about what a bunch of uptight assholes thought of her? She'd meant what she'd said the night before. If she'd been with them, she wouldn't hide. She'd gone through so much worse. "I did not see your name tattooed on him. Did you write it in pen or something? Because he seems to shower on a regular basis, and pen will wash off. You should get that tatted up."

"Oh, we're going this way?" Heather's brows had risen, and there was a smile on her face. "I thought I was going to have to defend you."

"I'm not as mousy as I look." She wasn't mousy at all, but she didn't normally like to draw attention to herself. However if Alyssa wanted to throw down, she could do it. After all, she'd be gone soon, and it didn't look like anyone else was going to challenge her. "Alyssa, does Josh know he's yours? Because he did not act like he knew last night, and I don't think you're going to get far with him if you don't take on Grim. He's not a freak, by the way. He's a lovely man."

Who hadn't wanted her the way she'd hoped, but she wasn't going to let this woman disparage him.

"You're not even ashamed," Alyssa said like it was the most shocking thing in the world.

"That I am an adult single woman who had blindingly spectacular sex with two incredibly hot men? No. I'm fine with that. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to get to the café."

"You think you'll still have a job after what you've done?" Alyssa asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think the good people of this town will want you serving them when they hear how you spend your nights in bars picking up men and taking them from women who would be good wives. I think I'll have a talk with your boss."

"You mean the woman who is basically my mother's sister?" a deep voice asked. Josh was standing there. He'd parked a big SUV right in front of the church and he'd changed clothes. He wore a fresh white T-shirt that showed off muscular arms and jeans that clung to him. His dark hair was slightly mussed as though he'd gotten out of a shower and not dried it completely, and he had the sexiest scruff along his jaw. "You're going to walk into Christa's and threaten my girlfriend's job?"

What?

"She called her a whore, too," Heather added.

Josh's eyes went positively arctic.

"I don't care, although sex worker would be more polite," Nicole replied.

"See, that's what I always say," Heather agreed, and then gave Josh a once-over. "Girl, he's hot. Is the other one…"

Nicole nodded. "Every bit matches him."

"Josh." Alyssa squared her shoulders. "I've been meaning to reach out to you. I know I hurt you when I said the things I said, but this is getting ridiculous."

"What is getting ridiculous?" Josh shook his head. "We broke up six months ago, and it isn't like we've spent a lot of time together since…let me see if I remember…I'm a massive pervert who can't expect a woman to choose him."

"So you're not tattooed with this woman's name." She wasn't sure why Josh was here, but he was. "I told her marking you with pen was a bad plan. She seemed to think I should have known you belonged to her."

"Nicole's been handling her nicely," Heather added. "I'm her new neighbor. We were going to breakfast, and then we were playing out some weird Scarlet Letter thing."

Josh stared out over the lawn where a good portion of the town was staring right back at him. "Just so we're clear, I know how this town treated my momma when she came back and married my dads. She's been happily married for over twenty years, not that it means anything to you people. What you need to understand is if you're going to have a problem with Nicole, you're going to have a problem with me. Understand I will hear every name you call her, write down every single one of you who makes her feel bad, and there will be a reckoning. You think my daddy could be ruthless, you haven't met me yet. I'm Jack Barnes with a deep sense of privilege. I'm Sam Fleetwood, who knows no one's sending me to jail. And while we're at it, stop talking about Grim like he's some kind of freak. He's one of the smartest men in this town, and we're lucky to have him. The next time your poodle can't crap, don't bug Grim. Do I make myself clear?"

The crowd broke up and quietly started moving away, not a one of them looking Josh in the eyes.

"Well, everyone told me you were bad news and not much of a gentleman," Alyssa pouted.

"I might not be much of a gentleman, but I know what's mine, and I take care of it. You are not mine so I don't care." Josh started walking Nicole's way. "But this one is, and she is not where I left her. Miss Heather, thanks for helping her out, but she's got a date she seems to have forgotten."

"I didn't forget any…" She gasped as Josh hefted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Her ass was suddenly in the air, and his hand came down in a resounding arc.

"That was for not calling to tell me you were leaving," Josh announced.

"Oww," she said, though it hadn't truly hurt. It had sparked against her flesh. "I'm going to breakfast with my new friend. I was walking her to Christa's when that nasty woman accosted me."

Josh turned and started for the SUV. "Christa's is that way, ma'am. Sorry to take your breakfast friend, but she's coming with me. And now I know to tattoo my name across her ass so she'll remember who she belongs to."

Nicole held her head up and saw Heather waving, a grin on her face like she'd enjoyed the show.

Well, it was obvious they'd had a breakdown in communication, and Josh was a little overstimulated.

And he had the nicest ass.

She enjoyed the view while she could.