“The investigators from New York are going to be here in thirty minutes. Wyatt will be here, too. They just need to go over your statement, honey, and then we can put this behind us. Also, Anna and Millie called. They’re really worried about you.”
“Thanks, Max. I’ll call them in a little bit.”
“She’s sore and her head hurts,” Eric added as he caressed Stacy’s belly.
Max walked closer to the bed and knelt down. He looked very concerned.
“Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?” he asked. It had only been about the hundredth time throughout the night that he woke her up to ask her. He finally stopped asking when she threw a pillow at his head and mimicked his every word.
“I thought we were over that?” she asked.
“Doc Jones said to keep an eye on that head of yours.”
“Doc Jones, Doc Jones! Just stop making me talk and let the pills kick in and I’ll be okay,” she stated with her voice starting off strong then ending in a whisper.
“Damn stubborn woman,” Max stated then leaned down and kissed her collarbone.
“But she’s our woman, and we wouldn’t want her any other way,” Eric added then leaned down and kissed her neck. She smiled as she lay there with her eyes closed.
Later in the day, after she spoke with Anna and Millie about what happened and she gave her statements to the investigators from New York, Stacy sat on the porch swing with Max and Eric. They looked out toward the wooded area and a stream the men told her led to a private swimming hole. “We’ll take you there when you’re all healed up,” Max told her as they swung together.
“But I don’t have a bathing suit,” she replied as she felt Eric’s hand caress her thigh and move under her skirt.
“Ya won’t need one darling,” he teased, and she felt her cheeks warm and her heart pound inside of her chest. She was in love with two sexy, irresistible men. A city girl like her from New York living in a fantasy come true. The town of Pearl was her new home, just like the Triple C ranch. Her cottage would be rented out by Marie until she and Ron moved out of Texas, as they planned on getting married. It brought a smile to her face knowing that Ron and Marie finally entertained the attraction they had for one another all these years and gave in to retiring together. Marie had told Stacy that it was her fault. Ron had gone into protective mode and wouldn’t leave her alone for a minute. He kissed her, and the rest was history. Stacy laughed about that. Marie was one tough cookie, and boy, did Ron have his work cut out for him.
Stacy thought about Anna and Millie and hoped that one day they could join her here in Pearl and be part of a great community and perhaps find true love just as she had. Of course, when she suggested they visit, they were filled with excuses, and Anna sounded downright scared out of her mind. She had an unsettled feeling about that, but both Eric and Max had told her that she couldn’t force Anna to leave New York. Anna had to be ready for change just as Stacy was. She reached for her men’s hands and placed them on her belly. One day they would get married and start a family. Max and Eric talked about it and made her see that here in the town of Pearl, anything was possible. She found love here. She found safety and security here, and ultimately, she found herself.
“I love it here,” she whispered.
“We love that you’re here, Stacy. This is only the beginning,” Eric replied then touched her cheek, causing her to turn toward him. He kissed her softly, released her lips, then smiled. Max touched her next, and she kissed him softly then looked back out toward the Cantrell land. She was in love for the first and the last time in her life.
THE END