Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Cowboys [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  Love Under Two Cowboys

  Carrie Rhodes doesn’t plan to fall for Chase and Brian Benedict. The past has taught her she’s better off alone. But once her heart opens to these two cowboys, she yearns to live her own happy-ever-after.

  Chase and Brian demand that Carrie shares her soul before they share her body. Surrounded by the loving families of her new coworkers and friends, Carrie dares to do as they ask, and reach for her very own happy-ever-after. But a monster from her past threatens that happiness, and it’s up to the entire town of Lusty, led by her two cowboys, to keep her safe.

  Julian Alvarez makes his way to Lusty, seeking to make amends with his estranged brother and find his place in the world. Even as he agrees to help Brian and Chase with their ranch, he wonders why fate keeps drawing him down the road, toward a city called Divine, Texas.

  Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 86,898 words

  LOVE UNDER TWO COWBOYS

  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  Cara Covington

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  LOVE UNDER TWO COWBOYS

  Copyright © 2012 by Cara Covington

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-781-0

  First E-book Publication: November 2012

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Love Under Two Cowboys by Cara Covington from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Cara Covington’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Covington’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  This story was an absolute blast to write, and for that, I have only one person to thank.

  Heather Rainier, thank you for allowing me to come to Divine, and to be a part of your world, and for joining me in mine.

  I fell in love with your characters when I read your Divine Creek Ranch series, and that love affair continues with each new book you write. When we started chatting about how far it was from Divine to Lusty, and the idea was born to cross our stories, I was beyond thrilled.

  As I’ve gotten to know you over these last several months both online and face-to-face, I’ve been impressed and humbled by your talent, your professionalism, and your character.

  I am honored more than I can say to call you friend.

  With much love,

  Morgan Ashbury

  Paris, Ontario

  September, 2012

  LOVE UNDER TWO COWBOYS

  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  CARA COVINGTON

  Copyright © 2012

  Chapter 1

  Carrie Rhodes had always thought the smartest thing she could do was to lose herself in the anonymity of a large city. But just lately she’d begun to wonder if this small town wouldn’t prove to be an even better place to do that, instead.

  She’d never even heard of Lusty, Texas, until she’d answered that want ad nearly two months ago. She’d scanned the Waco paper, hoping to find a position in that city, having decided it was time to move out of Dallas.

  But she had answered that ad, securing the position of cook at the only restaurant in town, Lusty Appetites. She really liked her boss, an uncommon occurrence in her experience. Kelsey Benedict was actually the best boss Carrie had ever had. The lady was also five months pregnant.

  Carrie frowned. There seemed to be an awful lot of that sort of thing—pregnancy—going around in this small town, particularly at the restaurant.

  I hope it isn’t contagious.

  Carrie pushed aside the irreverent thought. In all likelihood, if Kelsey hadn’t been expecting a baby, then she, Carrie, would never have been hired in the first place, and certainly wouldn’t be here now.

  She’d only been on the job for about six weeks, but already she felt something she’d never felt anyplace else before.

  Carrie Rhodes felt at home right here in Lusty, Texas.

  Maybe, all things considered, that wasn’t such a good thing. She had to stay on guard. She had to be ready.

  And to hell with that kind of thinking. Really, was she going to let that deviant son of a bitch destroy her entire life?

  Carrie nodded to herself once. She could let herself feel at home and still remain vigilant, and that bastard could just…just…go piss up a tree.

  “You look pretty fierce, there, Carrie. Is there something about the setup you don’t like?”

  Carrie mentally shook her head, put a grin on her face, and turned to one of her coworkers, Michelle Grant. It wasn’t just the boss of Lusty Appetites Carrie liked. She liked everyone she worked with.

  Michelle, Carla, and Ginny were not only very efficient waitresses, they were easy to get along with. Tracy, who’d started out as Kelsey’s sous-chef, but had taken over the dessert end of the menu, was a real sweetheart.

  Today was Ginny’s wedding day, which was why they were all here a
t the community center, setting up the buffet. It totally floored Carrie that Kelsey would close the restaurant for the day. Apparently, she did so every time there was a family wedding in town.

  Guests had already begun to arrive in advance of the ceremony that would take place here in—she checked her watch—just under an hour.

  “Everything looks fabulous here, Michelle. I let my mind wander to an unhappy place, that’s all.”

  Michelle took on a grin Carrie already recognized. It was her teasing grin. “Near as like your thoughts wandered to those two pesky cowboys who’ve been flirting with you ever since you hired on.”

  Carrie laughed. She didn’t want to talk about what she’d really been thinking about. No one knew about her past, and as far as she was concerned, no one needed to.

  Those two outrageous cowboys might as well serve as her personal red herring. She figured it more than her due considering all the times they’d been teasing her and flirting with her since she’d come to town.

  “There you go,” Carrie said. “But I’m not going to think of them anymore, at least not for the next little while. I’m just going to live in this moment, and help everyone celebrate Ginny and Adam and Jake.” This was a happier place for her mind to be, despite the fact that she still didn’t quite get the whole ménage marriage thing.

  Michelle sighed. “Me, too. I was thinking back, earlier, about when Ginny Rose first came to work at the restaurant. She was so…wounded. Yet with everything she’d been through, she was still so sweet and nice to everyone. And shy! I’d never met a woman as shy as her.” Michelle grinned. “That little boy of hers, on the other hand, certainly made up for his momma’s shyness.” Michelle sighed. “Everyone could see, right from the get-go that Benny was the center of Ginny’s universe. Still is, come to that.”

  Michelle blinked and Carrie realized she was blinking back tears. Then she continued with her reminiscences. “When I think of the way that Adam and Jake fell for the both of them, the way they courted her…it’s just so romantic. And they’re so happy together, all three of them. Makes me want to cry, I’m so happy for them all.”

  Carrie just shook her head. “You want to talk about romance? You and that handsome G-man husband of yours are the most romantic newlyweds I’ve ever known.”

  “I still can’t believe that he loves me, and that he married me.”

  The truth was, every couple Carrie had met it this small town—and she used the term “couple” very loosely—oozed romance.

  I wonder if there’s something in the water here that needs to be investigated by the EPA?

  This seemed like as good a time as any to ask Michelle something that had kind of been bugging her for a while.

  “Michelle, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  “Of course not. You can ask me anything you like.”

  Carrie frowned. How to ask the question without offending? “So many of the families I’ve met here are living what I’d always thought of as ‘alternate lifestyles’…”

  “You’re referring to the ménage families.”

  “Yes! And yet you and Joe…”

  Michelle smiled and shook her head. “Joe and I are just the two of us, and that suits us both perfectly. Even though I grew up here in Lusty, I never really dreamed of having more than one husband. Is that because my parents are also just two? I don’t know. Tracy’s parents are just two, and yet she married Peter and Jordan, who were a couple themselves.” Michelle fussed a little with the placement of the condiments and the napkins that had been set out on the large buffet. “Other families are three or four, and that suits them perfectly. I guess that’s what makes Lusty so great. A lot of people everywhere give lip service to the concept of ‘to each his own’, but here, we really mean it.”

  From what Carrie had seen so far, Lusty, Texas, was a phenomenon unto itself.

  “Oh, my, you ladies have done a spectacular job! It all looks so wonderful!”

  Carrie couldn’t help but smile at the sound of that soft, feminine voice. Speaking of a phenomenon, Kate Benedict suited that definition to a tee. She was, in Carrie’s estimation, a marvel without equal.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Benedict.” Carrie couldn’t help but smile when that woman turned her grinning gaze on her. Then the matriarch of Lusty shook her head. “Now, Carrie, you’re even more stubborn than our Ginny was.”

  Carrie felt her cheeks heating, which was not a common occurrence for her. She rarely blushed. “Grandma Kate,” she dutifully corrected.

  Kate Benedict got such a huge smile on her face, Carrie wondered why she was so stubborn about giving the elderly woman the form of address that so clearly made her happy.

  It’s all those cowboys’ fault. Kate Benedict is their grandmother, and I don’t want them getting any idea that I have any ideas.

  Carrie stomped on her mental brakes. That was all of the brain power she was going to give those two men today. She turned her attention back to the buffet. The food that needed to be kept warm was in the heated trays, and covered, and the food that needed to be kept chilled was on ice, and also covered.

  Much of the menu being offered here today consisted of dishes that Kelsey, a highly trained and accomplished chef, had created. But there were a couple of items Carrie had supplied. One, a pasta and chicken salad, had been well received at the restaurant. The other dish she’d prepared, a meatball, mushroom, and tomato casserole, had won enthusiastic approval from both Ginny and Kelsey in their taste testing earlier in the week.

  “That about does it, I think.” Kelsey came out of the on-site kitchen and set two large baskets of patted butter on the table. She turned and grinned at both her grandmother and Carrie.

  “You always provide such a bountiful spread, sweetheart,” Kate said. “And such a delicious one.”

  Kelsey grinned. “The idea of running out of food is a terrifying one for a chef. We have nearly as much again in the kitchen if we need it. Folks sure do like to eat at these ceremonies.”

  “We do indeed, especially since you and Tracy started catering for us,” Kate agreed.

  Kelsey flushed with pleasure. Carrie completely understood. There was nothing better for a cook than to have people really love her food.

  Kelsey said, “Well this time we have a couple of new dishes that Carrie’s come up with. She’s also going to help me devise seasonal menus—just a few extra dishes we can offer and then change with the calendar. It was her idea, and it’s a good one!”

  That had been her idea, and it gratified her to know that her input was not only encouraged and appreciated, but acknowledged, too.

  “I look forward to trying them.” Kate checked her watch. “Well, it’s almost time. Carrie, now you make sure you get a good spot, right up close, to watch the ceremony from.”

  “She’s going to stand with Matt, Steven, and me.”

  “Perfect!” Kate sighed. “These occasions are always special to me, but this one is even more so.”

  Carrie watched the energetic nonagenarian move off, greeting folks as they made their way toward the front of the great room of the community center.

  “I don’t know where she gets her energy,” Kelsey said.

  Carrie had to agree. “I’ve never met anyone like her.” Then she tilted her head to the side. “I thought that Matt was Adam and Jake’s best man? How can I sit with the three of you?”

  “Yes, he was their best man, at the actual marriage ceremony last night.” Kelsey must have seen the total confusion on Carrie’s face. She came over and slipped her arm through Carrie’s and began to walk her over to the front of the hall, where a pretty bower had been decorated with flowers and silk.

  “I guess none of us ever gave you a crash course in the way these things are done here. I should have seen to that, because not that long ago I was a newcomer, myself.”

  Carrie thought Kelsey was sweet to say so, but she’d been on the outside looking in since she was eleven. She shook her head and said, “I’m ne
w in town. I wouldn’t have expected to learn every secret overnight.” What Carrie didn’t say was that keeping the walls high around herself and her past made her less eager to pry into other peoples’ lives.

  “Granted. But you’ve been here for a while and you fit in just fine. You’re not in the least judgmental of others.”

  Carrie frowned. “Of course I’m not. My experience is that old saying rings true. ‘Point your finger at someone else and at least three more are pointing back at you.’”

  Kelsey laughed. They came to stand in the second row very close to the bower. A line of Kendalls stood in front of them. When Henry turned to see who was behind him, he grinned, and motioned them up to join the family.

  Carrie couldn’t see how she could refuse when her pregnant boss had such a firm grip of her arm, and was effectively dragging her along.

  “The oldest man becomes the legal husband.” Kelsey edged closer and spoke more quietly. “So last night, at a private ceremony with just the immediate family—and attendants—Ginny Rose married Adam Kendall. Today, here in front of the whole of Lusty, the three of them will pledge themselves to each other. For us, this is the most important ceremony.”

  “Why?”

  Kelsey tilted her head to the side, and Carrie had the sense she was weighing her words. Finally, she said, “It’s complicated, and the guests of honor will be arriving soon. Have you visited the museum yet?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I haven’t had time.” Which was probably a lie, because Carrie knew a person could always find time to do the things they really wanted to do, if they really wanted to do them.