With Cherry on Top [Loving in Silver 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (22 page)

It was a lot to think about. There was also what her lovers, her future husbands, would have to say about her becoming a police officer again. Gnawing on her lip she spread the potatoes she had quartered into the pan with twin beef roasts and other vegetables she had cut into large pieces. The men did love their meat. Though she loved a good steak as much as the next person, she ate very little red meat these days, concentrating on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, chicken, and fish.

Once she was finished getting supper ready Cherry went outside. There was a nice patio area with comfortable furniture. It wasn’t as big and as flashy as what Peaches and her family enjoyed, but it was a good foundation for future improvements. She sat down on the love seat and looked out over the large area of lawn. She couldn’t see the men’s parents’ house from where she was seated. It was about five hundred feet away and situated further up along the lane. Close, but not too close. Each of the men had had the option to build their own house, but had chosen to build the one together.

They had not faltered in their plans to marry her. They had remained steadfast from the moment they had first texted one another. It still amazed Cherry to think about how they had all clicked instantly. Texts, phone calls, chats online, it had all been used to form the first bonds of their relationship.

Then she had been attacked, critically injured, and had had less than a fifty percent chance to survive. When the men had arrived at the hospital within hours, they then spent almost a year and a half giving her every kind of support there was. Waking up that first time to see blurry forms standing anxiously around her hospital bed was one of her best memories. She would never forget the emotion which had welled up inside her as recognition finally came to her. Her men had come to her. Just the knowledge had given her a surge of strength.

During the next few weeks Cherry had needed it. The pain had been incredible. Looking over her body at the time, which was now filled with steel rods, synthetic joints, and covered in countless staples, she had looked something like the Frankenstein monster’s bride. Even as she shied away from looking at herself, Mick, Jake, Collin, and Cody never did. They took the place of nurses and aides, seeing to her care. Once they knew how something was done, they saw to it. Short of giving her injections, checking her vitals, or drawing blood, the brothers took care of her every need. When the time came to begin her rehabilitation she knew for certain that these were the men for her, the men a woman could count on for anything. They wouldn’t run or hide. They would step up no matter how difficult a situation was.

Then Cherry had to blow it all during a time when depression, and an overwhelming frustration over her slowly recuperating body, was getting the better of her. They had seen it. They had recognized it. When there was no reasoning with her, when she only seemed to get angrier and more frustrated, they had finally left her to herself.

Only when she had come back to Silver did she realize they hadn’t really left her. They had called Peaches, or her parents, every single day. They hadn’t missed one. Sometimes they even called several times a day, depending upon what she was going through at the time, whether it was a difficult day with her therapy, or if she upset with life in general.

No, the Preston brothers had given her the time and space she needed to find herself again without giving up the contact which could so easily have led to them simply letting go. Many would have. She certainly hadn’t given them any reason personally to believe she still wanted them. And if they had let her go, finding someone else to love, she couldn’t have blamed them.

Cherry was so grateful that they hadn’t. Peaches had told her over and over, even when she begged her sister not to tell her, that those four fantastic men still loved her. She hadn’t believed it, even though she wanted to. She had been such a total fucking bitch, saying terrible things to them as she struck out in frustration.

As the sun slid down toward the horizon, a movement out the corner of her eye caught Cherry’s attention. She turned her head to see her men coming toward her, walking along the whiteboard fence which kept the cattle from reclaiming the yard as their pasture. She smiled at them, rising so she could meet them halfway.

Mick caught Cherry to him, hugging her tightly, as Cody and Collin pressed in close. She wrinkled her nose at their very manly scent, which caused them to laugh.

Firm lips brushed across hers. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Don’t appreciate the smell of hard work?”

Cherry laughed. “I would, if you worked in a chocolate factory. How much cow shit did you roll in today?”

“Not much. We got up the first section of the new fence. It’ll be good for the winter, when we get the rest of it up.”

They walked toward the house, Mick’s arm around her. “How was your afternoon? Jake give you and Gracie anymore trouble?”

“No. Not a bit. Those two fell asleep on the couch while we watched a movie. I honestly don’t know if they’ve woken up or not. I finished putting supper in the oven and came out here to enjoy the weather.” She grimaced. “I know it won’t be that long before there’s snow up to my ass.”

Collin laughed at her. “Well, maybe you should have looked for Arizonan cowboys, hon.”

Shaking her head, Cherry told them emphatically, “I can’t think of anything better than snuggling up with my men on a cold winter’s night. Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Don’t forget Gracie,” Cody interjected. “She’ll be snuggled in there, too.”

“Gracie doesn’t need us. She told me she wears fuzzy footie jammies in the winter.”

“We’ll burn them!” Collin cried. “Where’s that woman at? I’m going to forbid her to wear such horrible clothing.”

They were all laughing as they walked into the kitchen to find Jake and Gracie working at finishing supper. Gracie was rolling and cutting rolls. Jake was in the middle of scraping cottage cheese out of a container and into a pretty blue serving dish.

“Gracie, is it true?” Collin demanded, knowing full well the woman wouldn’t know what he was talking about.

Confusion settled on her pretty features. She stared at Collin for a moment, before looking at his brothers and Cherry. “Is what true?” she asked weakly.

“Do you really plan on wearing fuzzy footie jammies this winter?”

Her little chin went up. “Yep. That’s the plan.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I forbid it.”

“And who are you to forbid me to do anything?”

“I’m one of your future husbands, that’s who. There will be no wearing of fuzzy footie jammies in bed. You’ve got us to keep you warm now.”

There was a definite sparkle of defiance in the soft, moss green eyes. “And what will you do if I decide to wear them?”

Collin, followed by Mick and Cody, moved toward her. “We will take turns warming that pretty little ass of yours. Then we’ll tie you up to the bed and do wicked, wicked things to you.”

Gracie laughed with delight. “And that’s supposed to make me not wear them? Hah!” She squealed in surprise as she backed away from their advance, completely forgetting about Jake standing behind her. His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her as the men crowded her, doing their very best to intimidate her with their much greater size. “You guys smell bad! If you go away I’ll promise not to wear my jammies.” She was holding her nose, sounding very nasally. She waved the air with her other hand. “Please go shower. You’re making my eyes burn. Were you rolling in cow shit all day? I thought you were putting up fence.”

Cherry did see that their jeans and boots did have the offending matter on them. She grimaced, knowing she was really going to love doing laundry. Not. “You guys can strip down in the laundry room. And leave those boots in the mudroom. Please,” she added with a grin. “Besides, Gracie and I’ll enjoy the free strip show. We believe you should do it every night when you come home.”

The three men laughed and headed toward the laundry room off the kitchen. There was another centrally located between the bedrooms, but this one was used strictly for filthy work clothes. Cherry and Gracie waited eagerly for the show to begin, while Jake excused himself, saying he wasn’t going to watch his brothers strip down.

They weren’t disappointed as salt-encrusted T-shirts were pulled off, exposing absolutely gorgeous torsos. Broad shoulders, sculpted pecs, washboard abs, and muscled arms, all covered by lovely tanned skin. Years of hard work on the ranch had honed their bodies into beautiful, mouthwatering works of art. They gaped, they gasped, they moaned their pleasure as the men peeled away their dirty jeans and socks, leaving themselves wearing only body-hugging boxer briefs. Nothing was left to the imagination.

“Oh, yeah, baby!” Gracie cried excitedly, clapping her small hands. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

“Come on,” Cherry put in, grinning as she eyed them lasciviously. “Don’t be shy, fellas. Show us the goods.”

The “goods” were promptly exposed by three eager cowboys. The briefs were shoved off trim hips, down over powerfully muscled thighs, to nicely shaped calves. They were kicked away by big feet, leaving them standing there gloriously, mouthwateringly naked.

“Gracie?”

“Yeah?” Gracie responded in a distracted manner, her gaze fixed on the three jutting cocks.

“I think you should hold off on putting the biscuits in the oven.”

“Me, too.”

“Come on, fellas. First one who gets clean gets a blow job.”

Cherry and Gracie laughed hard as the men shoved at each other, running from the kitchen and down the long hall to the master bath.

“Don’t run into anything!” Gracie called as they hurried after them. “You might break something important.”

Mick rose from the bed in the middle of the night, leaving Cherry behind with Cody. Gracie had gone off with Collin to his room. Jake was in his room, having done no more than watch the activities before and after supper.

He couldn’t say he blamed his brother. Just the few hours out of bed, despite the nap he’d taken with Gracie, seemed to have sapped him of his strength. Nevertheless, Mick knew Jake would be out working the ranch within another day or two. They’d all been busted up worse. Getting hurt was inevitable when working on a ranch and around large animals which weren’t always as predictable as some might think. Cattle and horses might be domesticated animals, but they weren’t necessarily friendly or calm. Hell, some were downright mean as all get out. Still, he couldn’t imagine himself living anywhere else, or doing something else.

He and his brothers had gone to college, getting the education which would help the ranch become more productive, keeping it current, while maintaining the standards his great-grandfathers had established more than a century before.

It was a good life, one he prayed he could enjoy with his family and his women for years to come. It wouldn’t always be an easy life, but he suspected it would be a very satisfying one.

Going to the huge front window he pushed back the heavy drapes so he could look out onto the moonlit landscape. They had started keeping all the windows covered so no one could be targeted in the house by the shooter. He hated the feeling of being trapped, of possibly being watched. He also knew they would have to keep going with their normal routines despite the danger.

What he, like everyone else, wanted to know, was who was responsible for the vandalism and for the attempts on Collin and Jake? When had any of them ever made any enemies? They had lived their entire lives here. He couldn’t think of one person who would go so far. The Marks brothers had been good candidates, but even that wily pair wasn’t able to be two places at once. And he couldn’t see them hiring someone to do it. They weren’t the type. No, if those two had a problem with you, they came at you head-on.

Dropping the fabric back down in place, Mick went to check the doors and windows again. Thank God for central air, otherwise they would be roasting. As he went around the house, occasionally peering out, he wondered if they should get a dog. He flipped on the kitchen light, and then went to the refrigerator to see what he could snack on. Worry always made him hungry.

Two dogs lived up around his parents’ house and the barns, but they wouldn’t be tempted to live down the lane at their house. It was unfortunate because they were both excellent watchdogs.

“What’s up, big guy?” Slender arms wound around his middle. Firm breasts pressed against his back. Mick covered the hands rubbing over his abs. His attention was fixed on the contents of the fridge. “Can’t sleep?”

“I just wanted to check on things. Everything’s locked up tight.”

“Good. Come to bed.”

“I was thinking we should get a dog.”

“A puppy?” Gracie squealed, startling them both so much they about tripped over each other as they spun around. “We’re getting a puppy?”

Mick hated to crush their little princess’s excitement. She was as naked as they were, now rushing across the kitchen to where they stood trying to calm their pounding hearts. “I was thinking more along the lines of a grown dog, baby, one that knows how to guard a ranch and people.”

“I have a friend who breeds and trains German shepherds,” Cherry inserted as Gracie’s face fell. “I can have him bring a dog up. He’ll show us how to handle it. And he can bring a puppy, too. It’ll be one that’s a good match for Gracie.”