“Well, it worked, and I bet the cow is thankful, just as I’m certain your mom was thankful that you helped her through it,” Charlie stated.
She felt Ben move closer behind her then move her hair off of her shoulder, away from her neck.
“It was kind of you to help out,” Ben whispered then softly kissed her neck.
Anna felt the chills run over her body as she unconsciously leaned back against Ben. Charlie touched her chin.
“Yeah, thank you, Anna.” Charlie kissed her.
It was short and sweet, and before she could panic, they each took her hand and began walking back toward the house.
* * * *
Anna grabbed a few things and quickly headed downstairs. After some long, hard thinking, she began to chicken out and decided sneaking into town for the night was a lot safer than being around the Cantrell men. They were lethal, and after their kisses today, she was gun-shy big time.
She was afraid of their size, their personalities, and experience. They each had a good seven, or more, years on her, and it didn’t take an experienced woman to know that these men knew how to seduce a woman. She didn’t want to add that to her list of “things I’ve done wrong in my life.”
The men were rugged, attractive men, and being around them was becoming addictive. She sought them out, thought of them immediately when she landed the job today, and that wasn’t normal. She shared the story about her mom with them, and that was really personal. It was scary how comfortable she felt with the men. Her trust in them could be granted prematurely. The feelings, the need to be around them was solely her hang-up and was not reciprocated by them. They merely felt sorry for her and the fucked-up life she had back in New York.
The tears stung her eyes as she thought about them. They were perfection individually, but together, they were a force. They could have their choice of a woman to share life with. They obviously had practice in their search for one.
They had to have had plenty of practice. Anna thought about that a lot. It made her jealous, and it scared her. She saw the way the women drooled over Wyatt in town. She also noticed the dirty looks she received when she entered the doctor’s office. Some women had their faces practically plastered to the front window. They had to have seen Wyatt kissing her.
Then there was Ben, who always seemed to grab the attention of the ladies. That would bother her a lot. She was insecure still, and a feeling like that could cause unnecessary problems in a regular relationship, never mind one between four people. What the heck did she know? What about jealousy. When she was talking to Charlie, Ben or Wyatt would touch her. What if they got jealous of one another because of her? She could destroy their brotherly relationship.
There were so many what-ifs, but then her body and her heart reacted so strongly to each of them. Did she want them?
They each had strong characteristics of good partners. Ben was cheerful all the time, he made her laugh, and he always pulled out a chair for her or opened the door to let her in first. Charlie had a past just like hers, with his experience going through war and re-adapting to “civilization”, as he called it. That conversation they had was intense and ended in one hot and heavy kiss. She warmed inside at the recollection.
Wyatt was all man. There were no hidden agendas with him. He was direct, bossy, stubborn, and…ah, hell, I’m falling for them!
Her number one focus should be healing up, doing well at the job tomorrow, and saving some money to leave. Now that Stacy was pregnant, it was even more important to keep her and the baby safe.
Helping with the cow today reminded her about the natural and unexpected things that could happen during a pregnancy and delivery. She wouldn’t add danger into the equation. Stacy meant the world to her. She felt the ache in her belly, and fear clenched her chest. She didn’t want any trouble to come to the Triple C looking for her and then have Stacy and the baby caught in the middle. The thought made her nauseous. Yet, she was scared to go off on her own. The last few weeks had been nice on the ranch. She never felt so safe, and the open air seemed to help her heal. But she couldn’t be a wimp. She couldn’t be so self-centered and want to be part of a family so much that she pu
t her best friend and the baby in harm’s way. That just wasn’t an option.
As she slowly tiptoed out the back porch, she heard Stacy giggle and Eric and Max chuckling. She was envious as she left and hoped the three of them had a great night. How wonderful that Stacy was pregnant.
Too bad she couldn’t stick around to see the baby born. But maybe in a year or two it would be safe for her to return to the Triple C and visit.
With that last thought, she slowly crept off the porch and headed around the house to the garage.
“Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?”
The deep voice caused Anna to drop the bag and squeal.
Wyatt came into view as the sun began to set in the distance. She had thought that the trees provided cover, but apparently, she was wrong.
“Oh, my God, you scared me.” Her heart pounded in her chest, and her legs began to shake.
“Where are you going?” he asked again, taking a few steps toward her. He looked like a man on a mission, and she felt as if he was on the hunt and she was his prey. His eyes were dark and sexy as they roamed over her body. His crew cut hair was wet. Did he just finish taking a shower? The thought sent a bolt of quivering desire through to her core. She focused on his clothing, relieved he wasn’t wearing his uniform and was dressed casually. His jeans were loose, but snug where they should be, leaving a woman to use her imagination. His black T-shirt was stretched tight across his pectoral muscles, and his biceps looked huge. He was a big man, from her standpoint, probably the biggest of the three brothers. Anna suddenly realized his attire didn’t diffuse the burning attraction inside her, it brought up the heat index. Shit!
“I was just going for a walk.” She nibbled her bottom lip and felt her cheeks flush at the lie. Wyatt was the epitome of intimidation. The thought of him being forceful with her made her panties damp. Damn!
Wyatt prowled closer and now stood directly in front of her. “With an overnight bag?’ he inquired, then placed his hands on his hips, tilted a little to the left as if daring her to lie some more.
Oh, boy…I’m in serious trouble.