Van, Becca - Slick Rock Cowboys [Slick Rock 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

Tara was asleep moments later.

Chapter Three

Tara was on her feet beside the bed about to head to the bathroom and yawned as she stretched and blinked the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the strange room as she stood beside the bed and wondered who had removed her clothes. She was completely naked. She grabbed for the comforter on the bed and pulled it to cover her body when she heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. She clutched the cover to her chest and gave a squeak of surprise as the door to the bedroom opened and Clay and Johnny walked into the room.

“Are you all right, babe?” Clay asked.

Tara watched warily as he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

“Yes. Where am I?”

“You’re on our ranch. Don’t you remember? We took you to Doc’s, and then we were bringing you back here. You fell asleep in the truck before we got home,” Clay advised.

“Do you want a drink, sweetheart?” Johnny asked as he held up a full glass of water.

“Please.”

Tara reached for the glass Johnny handed over and guzzled down the water. She hadn’t even realized how thirsty she was until she started drinking.

“Why do you keep calling me babe and sweetheart?” Tara asked in a disgruntled voice when she’d finished her water.

“What do you want us to call you?” Clay asked.

“Um, ah, shit.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. It will come back to you when you least expect it. The more you try and force your memory, the harder it will be. Just relax,” Johnny stated calmly.

“Who undressed me?” Tara asked, fire creeping up over her cheeks as she lowered her eyes.

“We both did, babe. We didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, and your clothes were pretty grubby. Johnny will go shopping for you later and pick out some clothes so you have a few things until you want to get some more clothes. We’re just waiting until you feel up to going shopping for yourself. I’ll bet you’d like a bath or a shower right now, so why don’t you take one while we organize some dinner?” Clay suggested.

“Okay. I would kill for a bath, and thanks so much for taking care of me. I don’t know what I would have done if you two hadn’t come along,” Tara said with a quiet voice.

“Hey, you’re doing us a favor, remember? We’re getting a cook and maybe a housekeeper out of this, but not until you feel well enough. So for the next couple of days you’ll have to put up with canned food and toasted sandwiches,” Johnny said and gave her a wink.

She watched as they left, closing the door behind them. She gave a sigh of frustration at having no memories, but since there was nothing she could do about it, she headed to the bathroom.

* * * *

Tara luxuriated at feeling clean once again after she had washed her hair and body. She scrounged under the vanity and found a toothbrush still in its packaging, as well as some toothpaste. She scrubbed her teeth and gargled some mouthwash. She felt nearly human once again instead of something the cat had dragged in from the garden. She found a large white T-shirt draped over a chair in the bedroom and, since that was all she could find to wear, pulled it on then walked down the long hallway.

Tara stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, watching the two large men moving about the room. Clay was getting coffee mugs down while Johnny made dinner. The smell of toasted cheese sandwiches made her stomach growl loudly. She didn’t think it had been that loud, but must have been loud enough to alert the two tall, sexy cowboys to her presence. They turned to look at her at the same time. Tara’s cheeks heated, and she lowered her eyes when she caught the heat in their eyes as they perused her body covered only in the large white T-shirt.

“Come in and take a seat, sweetheart. Dinner’s almost done,” Johnny said from across the room.

“Um, do either of you have a robe or something I could borrow, please?” Tara asked quietly, still standing in the doorway.

“Are you cold, sweetheart?” asked Johnny.

“No, not really, but I don’t feel comfortable wearing only a T-shirt.”

“That T-shirt never looked that good on me, baby. But if you’re uncomfortable I’ll grab you a robe,” Clay advised, his voice husky as his eyes once again wandered the length of her body, and then he turned and left. He was back in moments and handed Tara a robe.

“I’m just used to more clothes,” Tara replied as she pulled the robe on. “Thanks for the robe.”

“Come and sit down and eat while your sandwiches are still hot. Sorry it’s not much of a meal, but we can’t cook,” Johnny stated with a grin as he placed a plate on the table. When she didn’t move, he walked over to her, took one of her hands, and led her to the table. He pulled out a chair and eased her down onto it.

Tara looked at the pile of sandwiches and wondered if she was supposed to eat them all. There was no way she would be able to eat two of them, let alone the four on the plate in front of her. She picked up half a sandwich and bit into it, keeping her eyes lowered to the table. She finished eating and swayed in her chair as the image of a building burning and falling to the ground flashed through her mind. She gripped the edge of the chair she was sitting on as nausea rolled through her stomach. She took several deep breaths and swallowed as she tried to fight her sick stomach. Her stomach was roiling, and she knew she had to move, and quickly, or she would end up disgracing herself in front of her new employers by throwing up. She pushed her chair back, dizziness assailing her as she raced stumbling from the room. Tara made it to the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach.

* * * *

Clay and Johnny entered the bathroom just in time to catch Tara as she went down falling to the floor after losing her dinner. Clay picked her supine form up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He stripped the robe and T-shirt from her body as he ordered Johnny to collect a bowl of warm water and a washcloth.

Clay washed Tara’s white, clammy face and then set about washing the rest of her body. She was covered in sweat, and he began to worry when she didn’t wake up.

“Johnny, call Doc Foster’s, and see if he can come out to check her over. I don’t care how much it costs, our little darlin’ is sick,” he said as he patted Tara’s skin dry. He pulled a clean T-shirt out of a drawer and pulled it over her head, arms, and shoulders. He half lifted her and pulled the shirt down to cover the thin body.

“Doc will be here in about ten minutes. He was on his way home, thank God. What do you think that was all about?” Johnny asked with concern as he studied Tara’s pale face.

“I have no idea, but we will soon enough.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and smoothed Tara’s hair back off her face. Her color was starting to come back, which was a good sign. He didn’t want to leave her in case she was sick while she was still asleep.

“Why don’t you go finish dinner? There’s nothing we can do until Doc gets here. When you’re done, you can sit with her and I’ll finish eating. On second thought, why don’t you just bring our plates in here and we can both watch over her till Doc gets here?” Clay asked, knowing his brother was not willing to leave their girl while she was sick.

Clay gave a nod of appreciation when Johnny handed him his dinner. He moved his legs up onto the bed, resting his back up against the headboard. He couldn’t keep his eyes off their woman. She was so sexy, even though she was way too skinny. He planned to change that as soon as he could. Their woman had been to hell and back. It frustrated the hell out of Clay not knowing what had happened to her. He was never letting her out of his sight again. No matter what.

Clay had just finished his dinner as he heard Doc knock on the door. He watched Johnny leave the room to take their plates back to the kitchen and let Doc into the house. Clay eyed Doc as he and Johnny entered the room just in time to see Tara open her eyes. He saw her glance around her and watched as embarrassment tinged her cheeks a red hue.

“How are you feeling, young lady?” asked Doc, moving further into the room.

“Okay. Could I have a drink of water please?”

Clay nearly laughed as Johnny took off in a hurry and was back in moments with a jug full of water and a glass. He watched as his brother poured her a drink and handed it to her. He glanced over at Doc, and he saw the look of satisfaction on the elderly man’s face as Tara drank the whole glass down.

“Now what seems to be the problem? These two boys are worried sick about you. They called me saying you’d been sick and fainted.”

“Um…” Tara hesitated as she looked to Clay and Johnny from beneath her lowered eyelashes.

“How ’bout you boys go and make me some coffee? I could certainly use a cup after the long day I’ve had,” Doc Foster said to Clay, and he knew the man wanted him and Johnny out of the room. He and Johnny waited in the kitchen impatiently as they set about brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Clay and his brother had known the elderly man since they had been knee high to a grass hopper. He knew the first thing Doc would do when he entered the kitchen would be to get a clean mug from the cupboard.

“What’s wrong with her, Doc?” Clay asked as soon as Doc entered the kitchen.

“Tara’s memory is beginning to return. She had a flash of a building burning to the ground. Normally a person wouldn’t be sick, the dizziness I can understand. That little girl has been through emotional hell. You need to keep an eye on her. Her full memory could return at any moment, and I don’t know how she is going to handle that,” Doc stated with a frown.

“You don’t think she’d try and harm herself, do you?” Clay asked through a voice tight with emotion.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know. I want one of you with her all the time. Hire someone to help you out with the ranch and take over some of your chores, and for goodness sakes, get that girl some clothes.”

“I’m going into town for clothes tomorrow,” Johnny replied.

“Good, get her these vitamins while you’re there. It will help with her appetite and build her strength up again,” Doc said as he passed over the note. “Now, I’m heading home. Call me if you need to.”

“You don’t want a coffee before you go?” Clay asked.

“No,” Doc replied, “Thanks anyway, but I just want to get on home.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Clay replied as he saw the older man to the door. Once back inside, Clay got on the phone, intending to do what Doc had said. He was hiring some ranch hands to take over all the work. There was no way in hell they were leaving Tara alone. No way were they letting her do something stupid.

Chapter Four

Tara was feeling so much better since she had slept for nearly fifteen hours. She showered and dressed in another clean T-shirt then searched through the cupboards and closet until she found the robe she’d worn the night before. Feeling much better with another layer over the shirt, she rolled the sleeves to the robe up and entered the kitchen.

Tara put on the coffeepot and began to get breakfast. By the time she heard the shower running down the hall, she was just finishing up the scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. She placed the food in a dish in the oven to keep it warm until the two men came to eat.

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Johnny asked as he wrapped his arms around Tara’s waist from behind and planted a kiss on her temple.

“I’m fine,” Tara squeaked out as she held herself stiffly in his arms.

Johnny gave a sigh and released Tara. He poured himself a coffee and sat at the table. “You’re not supposed to be doing any chores yet. Doc said you’re supposed to rest.”

“I’ve had more than enough resting in the last two days to last me a lifetime. I wanted to get up and make you and your brother breakfast. That’s what I’m here for, remember? I can’t just lay about the place when I’ve decided to accept the job to cook and clean for you.”

“I don’t care what we hired you for, baby. If you’re not up to doing anything, then don’t. We don’t want you getting sick again,” Clay stated in a firm voice, his eyes shooting daggers at her.

“I’m much better, thanks, Clay. I wouldn’t have cooked if I wasn’t,” Tara replied as she thrust her chin out at him.

Tara knew Clay was fighting back a smile because she could see the muscle in his jaw flexing as he bit down hard. Tara was beginning to feel a little more like herself. Her gumption was returning. There was no way she was letting Clay and his brother run roughshod over her. She just knew there were going to be fireworks between them. They felt so familiar to her. She was beginning to feel as if she had known them her whole life. But she had to set some ground rules if she was going to be living with the two sexy men. Somehow, she knew deep inside, she wasn’t the sort of person to be pushed around. She couldn’t be anyone other than herself. Even though she wasn’t really sure about who she was, she had a feeling she was usually pretty feisty, and there was no way she was letting these two dominant men control her.