The Sextet - Sharing [The Sextet Anthology, Volume 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (29 page)

She laughed again. “We used to live in one of the smaller houses, and

when guests came, they’d stay with us. Well, after a few awkward

moments of people walking into the wrong room at the wrong time,

Tommy decided to build this.” She looked up and around the big

room, smiling at the memory. “So fifteen years ago, we moved in

here.” She pointed to the right. “That half of the house is our private

home. Then there’s a full professional kitchen with two dining rooms

to serve large or small groups. This is the sports room—or party

room, as the boys call it. Over to the left are the five guest rooms, plus we’ve still got the smaller cabins for the hands and guests.”

As Samantha listened to Tammy Jo talk, she finally realized who

she reminded her of—Paula Deen from
Food Network
. Matter of fact, aside from the auburn hair, she was a dead ringer for the woman.

“What exactly are ya looking for from us with this article you’re

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writing?”

The question brought Sam back to reality.
A place to hide and

clear my head and heal my broken heart…
“I just really want to see what the men do—how their personal lives are affected living out this

far and…” A shy grin appeared on her face.

“Oh, go ahead and say it. How they get along with the lady

guests?” Tammy Jo raised her brow as her smile turned decidedly

teasing.

“Yeah, that, too.” She could feel her face blushing.

“Well, we’ve got a little of everything for you, then.” Tammy Jo

winked. “One of our hands, Charlie, he and his wife live in one of the

cabins. Suzy helps me take care of this place, and they’re expecting

their first baby in a few months. Then there are Dallas and Greg,

who’ve been here for at least ten years. Tommy relies on them the

most to handle the cattle and day-to-day chores. Chris and Bobby Joe

are younger and have only been with us a few years.”

Sam was already running ideas for the story through her head.

“That’s a lot of people.”

“This is a big property, and it takes a lot of men to keep it runnin’.

Add to that the resort side of the business…and we’re all pretty busy.”

Tammy Jo turned to the clock on the wall that started to chime. “Why

don’t we get your stuff and gitcha into a room? Then you can help

Suzy and me with dinner.”

* * * *

Outside it was still scorching, but in the barn, it was stifling hot.

Greg had finished shoeing the horses and was putting things away

when Dallas rode in on Midnight—a gelding whose black coat

matched Dallas’s dark side. Dismounting, Dallas grumbled, “Damn,

it’s hotter than hell today.”

Greg raised his brow as Dallas stared at him. “Bad day?”

“Found two more dead steers. Tommy’s called the sheriff, but I

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doubt that’ll do any good.” Dallas wiped his hands down his face as

he spotted the red SUV outside the main house. He inclined his head

toward the vehicle. “And let me guess. That’s the reporter Tammy Jo

wants us to be nice to.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, clearly

pissed.

“Not sure, but I’ve got dibs on her.” Greg tossed his friend a grin.

Dallas shook his head. “You’ve
gotta
be kidding.”

“Hey, I need something other than your ugly mug to look at now

and then.”

“Well, she’s all yours.” Dallas turned and began unsaddling his

horse. “Last thing I want is some stranger gettin’ into my business.”

Greg stared at him as he leaned back against one of the stalls. “A

few weeks ago, you weren’t too worried about that pretty blonde

gettin’ into your business.”

Lifting the saddle off the horse, Dallas turned to Greg. “Getting

laid is a lot different than being screwed by some dim-wit reporter.”

“If you say so, man.” Greg laughed as he pushed away from the

stall. “Bobby Joe and Chris brought in the horses, so we should be

done for the day. See ya at dinner.”

“Whatever,” Dallas growled and led Midnight into his stall.

Greg walked toward the main house, grinning. He couldn’t help

but wonder if Dallas would change his mind about the reporter once

he saw her.
Dinner tonight should be interesting.
He chuckled to himself then looked up when he heard his name.

“Greg, darlin’, can ya give Samantha a hand with her luggage?”

Tammy Jo’s voice rang out as the two women stood on the porch.

“Sure thing.” He picked up his pace and met the two at the SUV,

where Tammy Jo introduced them.

Shaking her hand sent a shock of electricity through Greg’s body.

She was even more beautiful up close. Her brown eyes sparkled in the

sunshine, and her smile seemed inviting and friendly. And the way

her tank top hugged her curves… Reluctantly letting go of her hand,

he was still smiling as he cocked a thumb towards the SUV. “Bags in

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the back?” With her confirming nod, he pulled out one large suitcase

and a duffel bag. Hanging the bag over his shoulder, he followed the

girls into the house.

“Greg, put Sam in room five,” Tammy Jo instructed then turned to

Sam. “It’s got the best view. Once ya get settled, feel free to look

around, darlin’. You can meet me in the kitchen later on, and I’ll

introduce ya to Suzy.”

Greg led the way down the hall with Samantha trailing behind

him. Dropping her bags on the bed, he smiled. “If ya need anything

else, sugar, just let me know.”

“I will.” She smiled shyly as he turned to leave. “And thanks for

helping with my bags.”

With a quick nod, he left, wondering if he’d be lucky enough to

get a chance to mess up those sheets with her.

* * * *

After unpacking her bags, Samantha changed her clothes and

made her way to the kitchen in search of Tammy Jo. As she neared

the door, she smelled garlic bread, and her mouth began to water.

“That smells wonderful.” She smiled at Tammy Jo and another

woman she assumed was Suzy.

Tammy Jo looked up. “Good. Hope you’re hungry. We’re having

lasagna tonight.” She nodded toward the other women. “This is our

little mom-to-be, Suzy.”

Suzy reached out one hand to Samantha, and rubbed her round

belly with the other. “Nice ta meet you. So you’re writing an article

on cowboys?”

Sam rolled her eyes, hoping they didn’t think she was as lame as

this story idea. “My boss thought it would be interesting.”

“And you’re not so sure?” Suzy asked.

“It’s not a topic I know a lot about, but I’m sure I’ll find an

interesting angle once I get to know the men better and see what they

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217

do.” Sam turned as the oven timer beeped. “Can I help do anything?”

“The men should be here soon. Would ya grab the salad out of the

fridge and take it into the dining room while we get things out of the

oven?” Tammy Jo grabbed the pot holders and pulled out the lasagna

while Suzy got the garlic bread. As they finished setting the table, two

men walked into the dining room from the kitchen.

“Hey, honey.” Tammy Jo kissed a tall man with salt-and-pepper

hair. “Sam, this is Tommy, and that’s Suzy’s husband, Charlie.” They

said hello as the others arrived and were introduced. “Okay, everyone

take a seat.”

Sam stood, unsure of where to sit. Greg stepped next to her and

pulled out a chair. She smiled, happy to see a familiar face since she

felt like a stranger at the table. Everyone took the hand of the person

next to them, and Tommy said grace. After everyone said, “Amen,”

they dug into the food.

After finishing his first helping of lasagna, Tommy turned and

gave Tammy Jo a kiss on her temple. “Delicious as always, honey.”

She smiled, took his hand, and gave it a squeeze. Tommy then turned

and looked down the table at Samantha. “So, Sam, what ’xactly are

you need’n from us for this article?”

Setting down her fork, she glanced around the table. “I guess I’m

just really wanting to see what you do every day. Get a feel…you

know…for the work you do. I don’t think most people understand the

danger and risk you face.” She caught the annoyed glint in Dallas’s

eyes before glancing away. “I’m also curious as to how you meet

women.” Tommy and Charlie grinned, while the others stared down

at their plates and squirmed in their chairs, causing Sam to giggle.

“Um…let me rephrase that. I’m curious to know if you get lonely

living out here in the middle of nowhere. Not so much how you pick

up women.” Bobby Joe cleared his throat while the others seemed to

relax a bit.

“Do ya ride, Sam?” Tommy asked while getting a second helping.

“I’ve been on a horse a couple of times when I was much

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younger. I’m hoping it’s like riding a bike and it comes back to me.”

Tommy and a few of the other men, shared a laugh.

Tommy turned to Greg. “Why don’t ya spend time teaching her

how to ride tomorrow? Depending on how she does, we might take

her with us when we move the cattle in a few days.”

Greg smiled at Sam. “Think I can handle her.”

Sam smiled back at Greg, worried when that fluttery feeling

returned.

But which of the handsome cowboys was the fluttering for?

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Chapter 3

Samantha crawled into the king-sized bed and pulled the covers

up. It had been a long day, actually
several
long days, but before she went to sleep, she wanted to jot down a few story ideas and

observations about the people she’d met.

As she tapped her pen on her notebook, her thoughts turned to

Greg. His tall, muscular body. Broad shoulders. Deep blue eyes that

seemed to look straight into her soul. She squirmed, remembering

how she forgot to let go of his hand after they were introduced.
Real
smooth, Sam.
Grinning, she chewed on her pen as she continued to think about him—wondering what it would be like to be near him, to

have his arms around her, to kiss him.

Stop! You swore off men. Remember?

Closing her eyes, she shook her head at her own thoughts. “I think

I need to go to sleep.” She set the notebook on the nightstand, turned

off the light, and snuggled in. The only problem was she couldn’t stop

thinking of Greg.

It was just after five in the morning when Samantha blinked her

blurry eyes and looked around the dark room, forgetting for a moment

where she was. For the first time in days, she actually felt rested, but

was in no hurry to get out of the comfortable bed.
Oh, wait. My riding
lesson.
With a smile on her face, she grabbed a quick shower and got dressed. Taking an extra minute to check herself in the mirror, she

shook her head. “You must be crazy for even
thinking
about sleeping with this cowboy.” Still amused with herself, she closed the door

behind her and decided to take a walk before breakfast.

Standing on the front porch that spanned the entire house, Sam

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stared out over the property. The sun was just starting to rise in the

eastern horizon, and she enjoyed the serene quiet. She wrapped a light

cotton shirt around her waist to protect her from the sun later in the

day, then hopped down the steps into the already warm air.

There was peacefulness in the morning air that Sam found

calming. She stopped and leaned against one of the fence posts as she

watched the sky change from muted to vivid colors of pink and

orange. Unfortunately, the smile on her face disappeared when she

heard a rustling sound near one of the outbuildings.

Heart pounding, she slowly stepped closer, freezing when the

bush began to move. Fear trumped her curiosity as she eased away.

But when she heard a high-pitched howl behind her, she turned and

ran toward the barn—straight into Dallas.

“Ufff…” Dallas fell backward, landing on the ground with a thud.

“What the hell?”

Samantha fell on top of him. “There’s something out there!” Her

hands fisted into his shirt and her voice rose in fear as she scrambled

over his body. “It’s just outside!”

“What’s outside?” he asked with irritation in his voice as he

grabbed her wrists.

Swallowing hard, she looked into his eyes—dark eyes that stared

back at her with such intensity she found it hard to breathe. But it was

what she felt growing between them that caused her heart to race—his

hard cock pressing against her thigh.

Someone to their side cleared his throat.

Startled, Sam glanced up to see Greg leaning against the

doorframe, staring down at her and Dallas.

“Am I…interrupting?” His brow rose, and he wore a sly smile on

his face.

Totally embarrassed, Sam pulled away from Dallas’s hold and

stumbled to her feet while he grimaced. Wiping her hands on her

jeans, she noticed the pained look on Dallas’s face as he slowly stood

up.

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Sam turned toward Greg. “I…I was walking

around…outside…when I heard a rustling noise. I got scared and ran