The Cowboys and the English Teacher [Hot Off The Ranch] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

‘No, she didn’t sleep well at all. Maybe it was that tea you gave me?’ she probed, smiling broadly so as not to cause offence and to give her a chance to watch her reaction. Her wide, brown face maintained the beatific look she always seemed to wear, but she saw something knowing in her eyes for the briefest moment before she chased it away.

She shook her head as she dropped her gaze with a sly smile. ‘That tea wouldn’t stop you sleeping, child. You must have something on your mind.’ Betsy heard the question in Perdita’s statement and chose to ignore it. Squirming under her scrutiny, Betsy searched for a distraction and her gaze landed on her hair. Perdita usually wore a headscarf but had chosen to go without it, displaying a beautifully intricate cane row pattern in her hair.

‘I did it myself. It’s for the party tonight,’ she told her when she asked. ‘You want me to do yours?’

‘God, no,’ she said with a little more force than necessary. She’d allowed someone to do her hair a couple of days after arriving on the island and the constant pulling on her scalp had near made her pass out. It had bloody well hurt. Betsy laughed as she explained her aversion, ‘Sorry. I’m not good with pain.’

They got the kids settled then and the morning passed quickly. She put the conversation with Perdita behind her, scolding herself for being such a wimp. First, she’d questioned Perdita’s reasons for doing her a kindness with her gift of the tea the previous day and then Betsy had rudely refused her offer of help with her hair. Just as well the woman seemed to have the hide of a rhino and didn’t take offence easily. Still, Betsy resolved to be a little more considerate of her feelings in the future.

Betsy’s resolve to be nicer to Perdita was tested quicker than she expected when the woman found her later, eating lunch on a patch of grass at the side of the school. ‘You wanna come to my party?’ she asked, making Betsy jump in surprise as she snuck up on her again.

‘When is it?’

‘Tonight.’

She wanted to refuse, out of exhaustion rather than any personal reason. School had finished for the week and she knew she had the next couple of days off, but still, just the thought of getting ready for and then actually attending the party made her feel tired. Even so, when she looked up into Perdita’s open, friendly face, she knew she couldn’t refuse. ‘Where is it and what time should I arrive?’ She smiled as her reply made the woman exceedingly happy for some reason. ‘Do I need to bring anything like food or wine?’

‘No,’ Perdita scolded with a frown, and she reminded herself that taking food to a Mexican woman’s house was considered a huge insult because it implied that there would not be enough to eat.

Betsy apologized quickly. Thankfully, Perdita’s smile didn’t disappear for long. ‘Don’t worry about that. I will provide all you need. You just bring yourself and those friends of yours.’

‘Friends?’ she said, like she didn’t know who Perdita could mean. The woman rolled her eyes and put her hands on her ample hips as if refusing to play along with the silly game. Betsy couldn’t keep up the façade. ‘Oh, you mean Jack and Wyler?’

‘They can drive you.’ Perdita ignored her attempt at acting nonchalant.

‘Hang on. We don’t even know if they want to come yet.’

Perdita chuckled again. ‘I asked one of them already, although I don’t know which one. They look the same to me. He said to tell you he will pick you up at eight.’

‘Perdita!’ Betsy couldn’t resist smiling at the sheer glee in her expression. ‘What are you trying to do?’

She shrugged and dropped her gaze, looking for the entire world like a naughty child. ‘Nothing, just thought it would be nice for you to have your friends with you. That’s all.’

‘As long as you understand that’s all Jack and Wyler are, just friends. I don’t want you matchmaking,’ Betsy warned, trying to look serious. Perdita nodded, her eyes dancing mischievously before she turned and made her way slowly across the grass back toward the school.

‘Hey,’ Betsy shouted to her retreating back, ‘you didn’t tell me where the party is.’

‘The boy knows,’ she called over her shoulder. The cynic in Betsy knew she had just been out maneuvered. Perdita had ensured there’d be no way she could sneak off to the party alone without at least speaking to the brothers first. Or maybe she was just being paranoid?

Betsy got her answer as Perdita turned to her again with a throaty laugh. ‘I told them to dress nice so you be sure and wear something fancy, too.’

* * * *

‘What’s up with Betsy this morning?’ Wyler asked his brother when he joined him on the site. He’d seen her with Jack a little earlier, looking even more nervous than usual. He hoped Jack hadn’t been pressuring her about going out with them again.

‘Don’t know. That woman confuses the hell out of me.’

‘You and me both.’ Wyler squinted at him. He looked innocent enough. Jack could hide nothing from him, and not just because he was the younger of the twins born ten minutes apart. They didn’t share that kind of psychic connection often heard about, but they did know each other very well. Wyler could tell how Jack felt just by looking at him. It wouldn’t hurt to double-check, though. ‘What were you talking about?’

Jack regarded him for a moment before answering. ‘If it’s any of your business, we were talking about the weather.’

‘Okay. I just wanted to make sure. We agreed to back off, remember?’

‘I remember. But do you?’

‘What do you mean?’ Wyler asked anyway, although he already knew.

‘Last night, when you were carrying her books back to her room for her.’ Jack threw the trowel down into a wet pile of cement, splashing some onto his well-worn boots. ‘Someone could think you were trying to sneak some time alone with her.’

Wyler smiled at the sarcasm. ‘Someone?’

‘Not me of course. I know my brother would never try to shut me out.’ Jack’s words didn’t match the humor in his eyes. He punched Wyler in the shoulder.

‘I know how it looked, but this plan we had of staying away from her isn’t working. Betsy just gets to me. I don’t know why.’ Wyler kicked at the dirt. ‘I say to myself that she isn’t interested and we should just forget her, but then I see her again and my resolve flies out the window.’

‘I know how you feel, buddy, but what can we do? It’s not her fault that one of us isn’t prepared to back off.’ Jack laughed. ‘Hell, if things were the other way around and female twins were chasing a guy, he’d be the happiest man alive.’

‘Betsy’s not like that, but I can see she isn’t immune. Maybe it’s just the thought of both of us?’ Wyler sighed. He had to give it one more try. ‘I don’t supposed you’d consider—’

‘No way.’ Jack looked around to see if anyone heard his shout, lowering his voice as he continued, ‘You back off.’

‘I can’t.’

Jack smiled. ‘I understand, Wyler. I am just as crazy about her as you are.’

Wyler nudged Jack to bring his attention to the colleague approaching them. Their conversation would have to wait until they were alone. Not that they ever resolved anything. He and his brother had fallen for Betsy hard, based on little more than a few conversations and some fun times together.

Remembering Jack’s reaction when Wyler had told him he planned to ask her out made him grin. He’d taken a swing for him. Luckily for them both, he missed.

‘What in hell was that about?’ he asked Jack when he’d finally gotten him calmed down and back in his seat.

‘Stay away from her,’ Jack had warned.

‘Like hell I will.’

Jack’s temper had dissipated quickly. ‘Look, this isn’t just a casual thing for me, okay? I really like her, Wyler. I want a chance to get to know her better.’

‘Then we’ve got a problem,’ Wyler had said, his gut tightening at the thought of the beautiful, uptight, sexy English teacher with his twin.

Many hours, drinks, and harsh words later, they’d agreed on only one thing. That they would ask her straight out if she’d date them both. If she said no, then they promised each other that she’d be off limits from that point on.

Her reaction hadn’t been the one they’d hoped for. Betsy laughed at first, thinking they were joking. Wyler remembered looking at Jack and seeing how he felt mirrored in his brother’s expression. Betsy had sobered quickly when she saw they were serious and she tried to leave the bar. Only Jack’s quick thinking had stopped her.

‘We’d better talk about this,’ he said. ‘I’m sure you’ve got some questions and I know you well enough to guess you will want answers sometime soon. Why not talk it out now?’

She’d sat back down reluctantly. Jack had been right. Betsy wanted to know everything—had they ever done it before, why her, did they know how old she was? They’d taken turns answering her every question, hoping that the knowledge that she wouldn’t be the first woman they’d shared didn’t put her off. Of course, it had. Or at least that’s what she said. Wyler couldn’t shake the feeling that Betsy simply couldn’t believe they really wanted her.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Jack asked, jolting Wyler out of his reminiscing. The colleague had wandered off again, leaving them free to continue talking.

‘I’ll give you three guesses.’ Wyler laughed at himself.

‘I got it.’ Jack smiled and ticked them off on his fingers. ‘Short, English, and fascinating.’

‘Amen to that, brother.’

‘What did she say?’ Wyler turned to her for yet another translation. He didn’t speak much Spanish and couldn’t keep up with the flow of conversation around him. Jack, the one actually trying to have the conversation with the lady beside him, turned toward her too and waited for her answer.

Betsy laughed. ‘Are you sure you really want to know?’ The very large woman had been pretty outrageous, promising the Texan all kinds of sexual delights if he would just come home with her.

‘Okay, maybe not,’ Jack said. His pretense of fear made Betsy laugh. He looked just as at home in the corner of Perdita’s yard as he did anywhere. They both did. The ease with which they travelled through the world made her jealous. They were always so damned happy.

She had to admit, coming to the party had been a good idea. Her nervousness about spending time alone with them had almost won out over her desire to attend. The thought of disappointing Perdita had forced her out of the house. By the time Jack and Wyler called to pick her up, she had fixed her hair and put on a pretty lilac shift dress that felt cool and comfortable. Sure that Wyler’s low whistle when he saw her was given out of kindness she still tingled down to her toes.

The journey had been easy and passed quickly as Jack filled the initially awkward silence with music from the stereo in the truck, which he almost drowned out with his appalling singing voice. He’d done no more than put on a clean t-shirt and jeans, and run a brush through his thick, wavy hair, yet he looked amazing. But then again, he always looked amazing to Betsy. Wyler had donned a shirt with his jeans and kept his Stetson on—a cowboy to the death.

The attention of the female party guests began to make Jack nervous and he grabbed Betsy’s hand as he made his escape.

‘Wanna dance?’ He waggled his eyebrows at her as she resisted his pull. Since their arrival, she’d been happy to hide in the corner, sipping at a rum punch strong enough to strip paint. Still, the music that was so much a part of Las Colinas del Mar’s day to day life, and the look in Jack’s eyes, infected her, she couldn’t resist.

The music had slowed down to a seductive rumba, a gentle rhythm that made her want to sway her hips and twist her waist, no matter how silly she looked. Betsy had begun to do just that when she noticed him standing awkwardly beside her with his arms extended. ‘I kinda expected us to dance together,’ he said in a slow, deadpan drawl that made her giggle.

‘Sorry.’ She stepped into the circle of his arms quickly, bumping his body with her own before managing to right herself. Her hands settled on his shoulders, feeling rather than seeing his muscles for the first time. She’d noticed before of course, but she had no idea just how solid he would be. Gently, he placed a hand on the small of her back and drew her in to a respectable distance.

It surprised her to find out how much taller than her he actually was. Used to always being the shortest person in the room, she’d stopped measuring herself against others sometime in her late teens. Jack seemed bigger than average though and she found herself staring straight at his collarbone.

‘So you got a man waiting for you back home, Betsy?’

The forwardness of his question took her by surprise. She shook her head, sure that if she spoke, he would hear the hopeful desperation in her voice. It struck her as strange that they had worked so closely for the last month and didn’t really know even the basics about each other. ‘You?’ she managed to squeak out. ‘A woman, I mean.’

He laughed. ‘I know what you meant. At least I hope I did,’ he teased, touching his forehead to hers. ‘Nope, I got nobody waiting for me, either.’

His grip on her body became bolder after that and he pulled her still closer. Her breasts pressed into his hard chest and her thighs whispered against his as they moved. Betsy stood too close to be able to look at him as they talked. His hot breath fanned her as he spoke, but it also fanned the heat slowly building between her legs. She clung to him limply, a little overcome by his nearness.