STORY EXCERPT

Everyone had turned to see who had walked into the restaurant, but only one person had his attention. She stood next to the counter, staring at them.

It had been twenty years since Martha had left them. Twenty years of them grieving and shying away from any woman who reminded them of her because it hurt so much.

Now, for the first time since that tragic day, Tanner was looking at a woman who resembled Martha. This woman’s hair was mahogany instead of burgundy, save the gray streaks in her hair, and she had a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes that weren’t there before.

By the way that the woman was staring at them, with a mixture of surprise and fear, Tanner knew in his heart that this was the woman who had broken his heart so long ago.

“Jesus!” Brock exclaimed next to him.

The woman didn’t say a word, but her lips mouthed, Oh, shit, before she turned and ran into the kitchen.

He could see her through the service window running toward the back of the diner. When she disappeared from his sight, Tanner knew he had to go after her. He wasn’t going to lose her again without an explanation.

Ignoring the gasps and questions people were spouting, he took off running through the restaurant and then the kitchen. He followed the sound of the slamming door and was only a couple of seconds behind her. He yanked the door open that stood in his way and ran out into the alley.

Footsteps rang out to his right, causing him to follow them. He could hear Brock behind him.

The footsteps bouncing off the back walls of businesses in the alley were beginning to slow. In the dimness, he could finally see her despite the dark clothes she wore. At the end of the alley, she ducked off to the right. He knew he had to catch her, for if she tried to cross the street there, she could possibly be hit by a car. Although it was evening, and a weeknight, Highway 93 was a busy highway, and travelers tended not to obey the speed limit when going through town.

Closing in on her, he lunged for her, grasping his arms around her waist. A scream sounded from her as she began to fall to the sidewalk.

He wanted to protect her from getting hurt, so he twisted his body and hit the pavement with her landing on top of him. The breath was knocked from his lungs, and pain pierced the back of his head where it hit the ground. Holding tight, he felt her fighting against him, trying to pull his arms from around her.

Stars erupted in his head as a ringing in his ears sounded. He knew the blow to the back of his head was bad, but he wasn’t going to let the woman loose without finding out what the hell was going on.

“Let me go!” she wailed. “Please, let me go!”

“No, Martha! We’re not letting you go until you explain yourself,” Brock said above him.

Martha was still fighting them, but her slight frame belied her strength. “Damn it, Tanner! Release her!” Brock shouted.

Doing as his brother requested, Tanner let go. Martha screamed. Tanner looked up, and through his slightly blurred vision, he could see Brock holding Martha around the waist. They were facing each other, although Martha was still fighting.

“Stop!” Brock roared. Martha stopped fighting him.

Except for the traffic that was moving along, all was silent for a few moments. Tanner shook his head, just to make sure it wasn’t the injury to his head causing it, but since he could hear the cars, he knew it wasn’t.

Footsteps came running up on them, drawing Tanner’s attention. People from the party were coming to find out what was going on.

Connor stood over him, a hand out to help him up. Jared stood next to Brock, an angry look on his face.

Tanner rose with Connor’s help while Glen pulled Martha out of Brock’s arms. “What the hell do you two think you’re doing?” Glen shouted.

“This woman was our fiancée twenty years ago,” Brock began. “She wrote a note saying she had to leave, and then to top it off, she faked her own death.”

Their Martha was crying as Gina, Anita Olsen-Tilsdale-Bowman, and Siobhan Hawthorne all gathered around her. They made a cocoon, wrapping her in their supporting arms while speaking soft words to her.

It was Gina’s look of disbelief that had Tanner wondering if they were going to be unemployed and homeless over this. Could it have been a case of mistaken identity? No, he didn’t think so.

* * * *

Connor grabbed hold of both him and Tanner and pulled them aside so that they were standing up against the wall of the building next to them.

“What in the blazes had you chasing a helpless woman?” he asked, using his sheriff’s voice.

“You saw her, Connor. She took one look at us and ran. We didn’t do anything but walk in and look over at her. She recognized us and ran.” Brock was hoping he was making a good case. If not, he and Tanner were screwed. “Ask her why she ran. If she’s not who we know she is, then why did she run?”

Connor looked over at the now tight circle of women around Martha. Glen was standing next to Gina, glaring at Brock and Tanner. However, it was Glen who agreed with them. “Let’s take this inside, and then we’ll get some answers.”

Brock nodded his thanks toward Glen.

Feeling like a criminal and a cad for the way he had manhandled Martha, Brock walked next to Tanner back to the diner. Connor and Jared walked close behind them as if they thought the brothers might take off.

Entering the restaurant, they found Martha from the Circle G and Ruth from the Lazy R ranches sitting at a table in the corner with the kids who had come with their parents. Martha, the older one, was holding the Goodall-Lighthorse’s baby, while Ruth was helping the four older kids with their coloring.

Brock took a seat in the nearest chair at the large table they had fashioned together with smaller ones. Tanner followed suit and sat to his right. As they took seats at the end of the tables closest to the front door, Connor sat at the head of the table next to Brock, and Jared guided their former woman into the seat across from Tanner. When Glen navigated Victoria to the seat beside Martha, their Martha, Jared moved around and seated himself on the other side of Tanner. Gina perched next to Jared.

Their Martha kept her head lowered, in shame, Brock hoped.

All the other partygoers filed in and took their seats around the table. Some had to utilize the booths. Everyone was quiet, looking at them expectantly.

“Now, would someone like to explain why my wife’s birthday party was interrupted?” Connor asked harshly.

Yup! I’m going to be out of a job come morning!

“When we lived in Texas, we met Martha. It wasn’t long before we fell in love,” Tanner began.

“We dated for a year before we proposed to her. Then one afternoon.” Brock’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “I was living in an apartment in town, but still worked on the family ranch. I just needed some independence. Anyway, I found a note on the counter with Martha’s engagement ring lying on top of it. All she wrote was, ‘I have to leave.’ That was all. Nothing else. No I’m sorry, kiss my ass. Nothing!”

Martha, their Martha, flinched at the harshness with which he spoke. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he knew that he and Tanner were correct. She was their former woman. But why did she fake her death?

ADULT EXCERPT

Heat was building throughout her entire body as her nipples were being pinched and pulled by Tanner. She loved a bit of pain from her boobs while making love, and she had missed this so much.

One hand she wrapped around the back of Brock’s head, and let her fingers feel the strands of his short auburn hair with its red highlights. She was hoping to guide his mouth to where she wanted it now, but Brock fought it. He was taking his own sweet time.

With her other hand, she reached behind her. Rough denim met her fingers as she found Tanner’s bulge, drawing a groan from him. “It seems like someone is as anxious as I am,” she teased.

Tanner leaned down until his mouth was next to her ear. Hot breath caressed her ear when he whispered, “I want you so much, Blair, that it hurts.”

He licked the shell of her ear, sending chills through her body.

Brock’s cold nose pressed through her folds, followed by his mouth. Rearranging herself, she shifted so she could stand with her legs apart. Soon, she could feel a tongue lick her from her pussy opening to her clit. Another chill ran through her body as she grabbed more of his hair.

Moving one of his hands from her thighs to her pussy, Brock pressed two of them into her. Her cunt spread for him as he plunged them deep. He slid his mouth up until it enclosed over her clit, and he sucked on it.

“Oh, my…” She couldn’t finish the words for Tanner had turned her head and covered her mouth.

His tongue fought hers for control while his fingers continued to play with her nipples. Brock was finger fucking her as he sucked her clit. The familiar feelings of sexual satisfaction were building at a rapid speed, taking her higher and higher. The spring within her was tightening so quickly that it amazed her how much her body needed this. Needed these men.

That spring snapped, and she went flying. She felt as if she was floating high above the ground on the winds of her orgasm. Her senses left her as her heart pounded in her chest. Deep short breaths came from her lungs. Every nerve felt as if electricity coursed through her.

Slowly, she floated down off her climactic high. Sound began to seep back as did her vision. She felt different than before and realized she was lying on the bed, one man on each side of her.

Blinking, she glanced at each man. She found she had been out of it long enough for them to have stripped out of their clothes.

Although they were brothers, their bodies had some differences. Brock was much more muscular than Tanner, his strength in his chest, shoulders, and arms. Tanner’s was in his legs and back, even though he was still muscular up top.

They both sported six packs with those magnificent muscles that pointed down to their groins. Of course, their cocks were works of art. Long and thick, but different.

Brock’s was longer with a slight outward curve near the head, which was amazing when he was inside her. It naturally struck that sweet spot on the top of her walls, and he didn’t have to shift a certain way to do so. His balls were heavy as they hung down from the thick patch of dark brown hair he kept trim.

His brother’s cock was slightly shorter, but it was wider. He could fill her up so much that she thought she would burst. When the two would fuck her at the same time, she felt as if they were going to rip her open. But it was a fantastic feeling.

Tanner’s thatch of hair was a lighter brown, and his sac was tighter and held higher than Brock’s.

Both men had sexy masculine legs. Sparse hair was sprinkled on their thighs and calves, a contrast to their chests, which were both a bit furrier.

Throughout her adult life, Blair had seen men with their chests shaved for whatever reason. There were even men who shaved their legs. That was so unnatural. She liked her men to be a bit on the teddy bear side.

Yes, she read. She read a lot of erotica and had learned the term from her favorite authors. Thinking she was going to be alone for the rest of her life, she needed some kind of outlet, so books were where she was able to live out her fantasies.

Tanner propped himself up on one elbow so that he was facing her from his side. “Did you like that, sugar?” he asked, a wicked smile on his lips.

“You know I did,” she said, her voice low and gravelly. “Now, can someone make love to me, please?”

“We’re going back to the beginning, Blair,” Brock said as he shifted until he was between her legs. “It’s been a while for you, so we’ll need to build you up again until we can love you at the same time. But right now, I’m going to love on you.” He cleared his throat. “You said you haven’t…I mean, it seems none of us have been with anyone in a long time. Will you let us make love without anything between us?”

Blair was touched that they would be concerned about her comfort after all this time, and that Brock was embarrassed about asking if they needed to use protection. Her heart opened fully to them in that instance, knowing they were committed to this.

She raised a hand and made a come here motion with a finger toward Brock. When he moved to loom over her, she felt his hard, hot length between her folds. It throbbed against her clit, sending currents shooting through her again.

“I need to feel you come inside me, Brock. You can’t hold back, and I want to make love to both of you at the same time as soon as possible. I love you. And, too much time has gone by. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

If she wasn’t mistaken, Blair saw some moisture in Brock’s eyes at her words. She knew how she felt all these years, but she couldn’t fathom how they felt.

A thought ran through her mind. Were they just wanting to play, or did they really wish to rekindle the relationship they had back when she was Martha? If they were serious, would they desire kids?

“Are you on any birth control?” Tanner asked.

Well, there went that thought.

A touch of sadness hit her, for she didn’t see any reason to wait. “No. No, I’m not.”

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll go along with whatever you want, sugar, but you have to make sure you can deal with the aftereffects should any arise.” Tanner was looking down at her, concern written on his face.

“But know this, Blair,” Brock began. “We’re not letting you go. If for some reason the plans don’t go as we want it to, we will be going with you.”

How do these guys know how to say the right things?

Reaching up, Blair wrapped her arms around Brock’s neck and pulled him down to her. “Fuck me,” she demanded before she covered his mouth with hers.

Brock kissed her back with a passion she had missed. When he pulled out of the kiss a minute later, he positioned the tip of his dick at her opening. He pushed himself up on his arms before he drove in slowly, as if letting her get used to him, until he was balls deep within her.

A sigh escaped her at the feeling of finally having one of her men inside her. Unable to be still, she began to work her hips, hoping Brock would take the hint.

Tanner leaned in and captured her mouth with his. He used his tongue expertly to fuck her mouth. Brock was thrusting in and out of her, the head of his cock finding her special spot each time he moved in her.

Over and over, Brock fucked her. Higher and higher, she climbed up the orgasmic mountain. When he propped himself up on one arm and moved his other hand between him and her, she knew it wouldn’t take much to snap. He slid his thumb and finger on both sides of her clit, and when she felt as if she was at the precipice, he pinched the hard bud, sending her spiraling on a climactic free fall.