With the help of all the individuals behind the scenes, the day went forward as though it’d been planned for months in advance. After lunch, the ladies had the opportunity to take a horseback ride with the ranch hands and see a working cattle and horse ranch firsthand.
Maya Warner, Emma Rivers, and Rosemary Garner arrived. They talked about being involved in a ménage, from the standpoint of a businesswoman, and Rosemary went on to talk about being a mom in a polyamorous relationship. The ladies’ questions flew fast and furious and the gathering was filled with laughter and gaiety as the readers wrapped their minds around how those ladies made a fantasy relationship work for them in real life.
Travis was awed, as he watched Veronica handle the crowd, which grew to fifty ladies by the time late afternoon flowed into early evening. She answered their questions and talked about what the future held for her as a writer of erotic romance. He watched and listened carefully, because the worry had crept into his mind that perhaps the perpetrator was among the group, but none of those ladies seemed like the type.
Travis listened as the women stood and asked questions about her inspirations and her struggles. Veronica blended vulnerability with professionalism, letting them see into her writing day, without letting her boundaries down completely. And she never revealed her arrangement with him and Hank.
The topic shifted and she shared a few of her struggles when one lady asked her how she maintained a private life. Travis could tell that the day had worked magic with the readers when several vowed to help counteract such attacks online, both with her and with other writers. Veronica cautioned them, stressing that it wasn’t worth drawing fire from individuals who clearly had a lot of technology at their disposal and possible sociopathic tendencies. She asked instead that they simply enjoy her books and the books of other authors and continue encouraging writers.
Travis was glad when Ace and Kemp gave an impromptu talk about how they could protect themselves from online predators and still fully enjoy social media and online forums.
Hank arrived late in the afternoon and Travis waved him over to where he sat with Jack and the others at one end of the small arena. Right then, Kate was sharing the story of how she came to live in a special small town in Texas near the end of World War II, and how two flyboys won her heart and her hand.
One of the ladies asked about the connection between Kate and Veronica. Kate looked over at her for approval and then explained that she was Veronica’s distant relation, but never revealed the name of her town. Travis wasn’t surprised when the next question was asked.
“Veronica, since you have family roots based in ménage, would you ever consider being part of a ménage relationship?” Several ladies in the audience sighed dreamily and drew giggles from the others.
Veronica joined Kate at the microphone and said, “Only if I felt the men involved in the relationship were extremely mature and had good communications skills. Ladies, what I plan to write is complete and total fantasy, but that’s not to say that some real-life love stories can’t be fantasies come true.” As she said the last part, she slid her arm around her elderly Grandma Kate and hugged her.
After a couple more questions, Ethan joined Veronica and Kate in the center of the gathering and a number of the ladies’ attentions perked up. He spoke softly to Veronica and then announced over the microphone that dinner was served in the backyard of the Divine Creek Ranch.
Travis held out a hand to her as Veronica separated herself from the crowd when she saw him and Hank waiting off to the side for her.
Travis’s heart thumped in his chest when Veronica reached them and shared a few words and hugs before moving on to escort the group to the canopied area where the food was being served. She looked wired and exhausted. She might make it look easy but that was far from the truth. Doing what needed to be done was taking its toll on her.
As if to prove the point, Hank pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and whispered that Grace had just texted and showed Travis the message.
“How’s Veronica doing?”
Hank made a quick, reassuring reply and then slid the phone into his pocket.
Kate came over to greet them and said, “Well, that was tremendous fun.”
Travis and Hank both proffered arms for her and she smiled as she allowed them to escort her to the dinner.
Travis said, “Kate, I enjoyed hearing your story. What an incredible life you’ve lived.”
Kate smiled and nodded. “It has been full…and full of love. The fact that I’ve lived to see today is another one of my satisfying moments in life.”
“What do you mean, Grandma Kate?” Hank asked as he steadied her over the uneven gravel drive.
Kate arched an eyebrow and looked from Hank to Travis. “The Veronica I know could not have accomplished what she did today without the support of two divine men, and the community that cares about them. I think it was an eye-opening experience for her. But she’s tired now. She’ll need you to take care of her a little so she doesn’t push herself past the point where she can function well. A respite is in order, I think.”
Hank patted Kate’s hand and said, “Reading you loud and clear, ma’am. Thank you.”
Veronica hung back as the ladies all entered the backyard and reached for Hank and Travis both in the dark confines by the door of Barn Number One.
She gripped them both and the moonlight reflected in her eyes as she looked up at them and then hugged them both hard. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d been alone when they arrived, besides have a major anxiety attack.”
Hank chuckled and said, “Looks to me like you handled it the way a pro would.”
Veronica frowned and shook her head. “I’m serious. The last time someone showed up on my doorstep it was a creep claiming to be my biggest fan and wanting to marry me. I’m just grateful my neighbor happened to show up and called 911. The shock set off an anxiety attack and I woke up in the emergency room.”
“Damn,” Travis murmured, seeing her accomplishment today in a new light. “Did they arrest the guy?”
“No. He disappeared. I moved as soon as I could and switched all of my accounts to my middle name, and wanted to kick myself for not using a pseudonym from the get-go.”
She leaned against him and just breathed for a few moments. He could feel the fine, exhausted tremble running through her as he and Hank closed ranks around her, shielding her from the ranch house and the gathering, allowing her a chance to gather her wits. He wished it was in his power to protect her from encounters like that. Knowing Hank, he felt the same way.
Hank eventually asked, “Did Ace talk to you?”
“Yes. I have an appointment with him, to go over my options, and to look more in depth at my computer and my mobile devices. I’ve handled all my own technology issues for years, and it’ll be nice to have experts I can trust to turn to for help.”
Hank smiled and shrugged. “Right now, your personal safety and the safety of your files online are the only things I’m concerned with, Nika. Did Brent have access to your computers?”
She looked back and forth between the two of them and said, “He installed antivirus software and did the updates when they were needed but he doesn’t have access to my files. I doubt he’d have the imagination to think up something like what happened today. You think he’d do something to me personally?”
“I think he already has, Nika,” Hank murmured, cradling her cheek where Brent had struck her. “I’m not sure whether he’s involved in this mess but I know I don’t trust him.”
Veronica shook her head. “I’m not letting him or anyone else scare me. I’m safe on the ranch.”
Travis opened his mouth to speak but Hank beat him to the punch. “We’ll discuss it when we’re alone.” There was finality in his tone that Travis approved of as he gently rubbed Veronica’s shoulder. He could feel the knotted muscles under the surface and knew what she needed.
They walked her up to the Divine Creek Ranch house and were surprised when they met with applause and a standing ovation as they rounded the corner into the treed backyard. They’d moved the amplifier and microphone up from the arena and Ethan was playing emcee to their well-timed arrival.
Charity Connors, Grace’s sister, rushed up to her and said, “We have a table reserved for y’all near the front. Keep a lid on all those sexy ménage vibes unless you want more questions than you care to answer, okay?” she said as she whispered to them. “This is a pretty perceptive group. Several of them asked who the lady of the Divine Creek Ranch is, like they can tell there
is
one, and some of them are looking at me funny like I look familiar. Not good, since Grace and I bear a striking resemblance to each other.”
“Oh boy,” Veronica said with a giggle.
They ate dinner with the group, Ethan and Jack shared logistic information with them about the town, and how to find accommodations in Divine if they needed them, and then turned the microphone over to Veronica to share some parting words.
Travis sat side by side with Hank and watched with pride as their woman graciously thanked all the ladies for coming out and for their patience early in the day.
Tracy and Sue Farmer both said a few words, thanking Veronica and the men and women of the Divine Creek Ranch for extending such openhanded hospitality to them. As a group, the readers agreed to handle the posting of the fake invitation with decorum, understanding that an outcry on Veronica’s behalf could result in a backlash that might hurt her.
Travis wasn’t sure he agreed. He wanted retribution for the anonymous asshole who’d signed up with the forum only long enough to post the authentic-looking invitation in the group calendar before poofing it again. He’d leave it to Ace, Kemp, Duke, and Gage to look into all that stuff. He wanted to tear the nuts off of the person responsible, because man or woman, they’d had balls to go that far to hurt Veronica.
He admired that she refused to let the person responsible make her feel unsafe, but he planned to voice his own opinion on the subject once they were alone. Knowing he and Hank were on the same page, he sought out Ace Webster as Veronica mingled in the departing group. She was quite a woman, rising to the challenge, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
To hide the fact that her hands were shaking, Veronica gripped them together as they walked up the porch steps, back to her quiet retreat. She prayed like crazy that Jack, Ethan, Adam, and all the men of the Divine Creek Ranch weren’t secretly pissed as hell at her and just not showing it. She was nearly frantic to get Grace alone and apologize for the way she’d had to stay secluded in her upstairs suite all day. In fact, the more she thought about it, the twitchier she felt. She really needed to be alone to decompress.
On either side of her, Hank and Travis walked up the steps and Hank opened the front door for her. He switched on lamps as he moved through the house and she realized he was actually making sure her house was secure when he reached through a drape to check a window lock.
She was about to slip her boots from her aching feet when Travis stopped her and both men stood before her. Hank scratched his chin for a second, eyeing her before he finally said, “You’ll need to pack an overnight bag, Nika.”
Frowning, she said, “What? I have work to do. I lost a whole day.”
Travis shook his head and she saw the stubborn set to his jaw. “You’re exhausted, Nika. You need rest.”
The already tense knot in her stomach ratcheted a bit tighter as she fought her irritation. “No. I need to work. After a day like today, resting is the last thing I’ll be able to do.” She jumped, her nerves on edge, when they both reached for her.
Travis looked a little surprised but she put her hand on his bicep to interrupt him.
“My nerves are shot, guys, from all the adrenaline. I’ve been there and done this before. The only solution I have is to work it off. I feel energized—and horrible—and if I try to rest, I’ll—I’ll…It just won’t work.” She stammered as her heart began to pound and the icy warning chills swept up her arms and across her chest. “Why? Why did this happen? Why is this horrible person doing this? I don’t hurt anyone. I try to be nice. I don’t understand why.”
Hank wrapped his arms around her as the adrenaline overload made her shake harder. “Do you know why you don’t understand why someone would do this?”
He held her tighter as she rattled around inside her skin and her mind got all fuddled up in his question. “Huh? Yes. Why? Why don’t I understand?” Her voice sounded odd in her ears and she realized the panting she heard was her.
“Because you’re not a horrible person. That’s why you can’t understand. You’re not like them. You’re better. And it drives them crazy. You rise above what they do and it drives them crazy. They want you to sink to their level and you won’t do it.”
Waves of cold and heat started rushing through her and her lips went a little numb. Hank reached for her desk chair and helped her sit.
“Nika, honey…” He removed her eyeglasses, gently encircled the back of her neck, and leaned her upper body forward as the sparklies started in the outer periphery of her vision. Both men were crouched close and she buried her head in her arms and closed her eyes to try to overcome the claustrophobic feeling.
They’re going to think I’m crazy! Out of control!