Cassidy took his hand and led him to a table at the back of the busy diner.
“So, you’re the new sheriff of Long Mead, huh? How are you finding it so far?” she asked, taking the seat opposite him.
Michael stared at her for several minutes, feeling the change of power. She submitted to him. He saw it across the table. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at the table. Her entire presence spoke of submission.
“Long Mead is interesting. Not anything like I’d thought it would be. What’s your name?” he asked. Her hands were clasped in front of her. He had the desire to reach out and touch her.
“Cassidy Jocks. I’ve lived here my whole life.” She smiled and blushed.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Michael Hall.” Edith brought their coffees to their table, smiling as she did.
They drank coffee and talked about the town in general.
“Where do you live?” he asked. Michael thought about calling on her and going out dancing some time.
“I live at the back of the Walkers’ ranch.”
“Walkers’ ranch?”
“Four brothers who own and run a ranch. My folks passed, and they’ve leased their spare house at the back. It’s nice.” She looked behind his shoulder, and he saw her tense. “I can’t go anywhere.”
Michael looked behind him to see four large muscular men walking toward their table. He easily noted their scrutiny and the way they stared at Cassidy. A man would have to be stupid or foolish to not see them marking their territory. It had been one thing he’d picked up on in his short stay at Long Mead. The multiple couples living in the area.
“Cassidy, you took too long, and we were worried,” the largest of all four said.
“You drove away from the ranch to come sniffing around. I can’t deal with this, Gary. I’ve got your damn pastries.” She turned to Michael. “I’m so sorry. It was lovely to meet you.”
Michael watched her get up and leave the diner. Gary and the other three looked after her.
“I know you’re the new sheriff, but I’m warning you, Cassidy is our woman,” Gary told him.
“I think I’ll leave that to Cassidy to decide.”
He grabbed his coffee and left.
Michael pulled out of the memory with a smile. She’d been submissive in his company, but when provoked, she could spit like the rest of the cowboys. He put the last of his things away and went downstairs.
* * * *
Cassidy pulled the roast chicken out of the oven and checked to make sure it was thoroughly cooked. She placed it on a board to cool, using the juices in the roast pan to make some gravy. Even though she was making salad, she knew Scott loved gravy with his chicken. She put a little flour in the pan and began to pour boiling water, whisking away as she did. Cooking helped her to relax, and it was something her mother taught her to do. She came from a family of bigger women who loved to eat. When it was right, she added some stock and tasted the gravy. Satisfied with the seasoning, she placed it in a jug. She was aware of Jesse and Roy watching her in the kitchen. They always watched her cooking.
“You know you could go and watch the football if you wanted,” she said.
“Why? Watching you bend over and the dress ride up close to your ass is more entertaining than watching a bunch of men running up and down a pitch,” Roy told her.
Wow, what a compliment. She was more entertaining than football. Not many women could put that in their repertoire.
“Are you sure Scott and Gary should be alone together?”
“It’s the only time they get along. I’d leave them to it.” Roy sipped his beer, and Jesse remained quiet as usual.
She tossed the dressing over the salad, carved some meat off the chicken, and put the potatoes into a bowl. Cassidy finished off the seasoning and serving the gravy.
“Something smells fucking good,” Michael said as he entered the kitchen. She put the gravy jug on the table and yelped as Michael spun her around in his arms. “And you’re one of the things that smells good. Your pussy will taste delicious when I get my mouth on you.”
She felt the pull deep inside her cunt. The thought of Michael and his wicked tongue sent shooting sensations through her body.
“I want to take you dancing. How about we go on next Friday? I’m off work and would love the chance to see you move again.”
“We could all take her,” Gary said, entering the kitchen behind Scott.
“Dinner’s served,” she said.
They took their seats around the table. Scott said grace, and they all dived in. Jesse waited for her to serve him. She sat next to him like most days.
“I’d love to dance, but I promised Lou I’d visit her this Friday. I don’t always get the chance to see my sister, and I’d hate to miss this weekend.” Lou was so busy being a nanny to Mr. Smith, Cassidy had to take the small amount of time with her as a blessing. There were times she really didn’t like her sister’s boss. He was too domineering with his powerful presence. He made her nervous. No guy in the world should look like a giant.
“I thought your sister lived in town?” Michael asked.
“She does, but Mr. Smith keeps her attention constantly. I only see her once or twice a month. We have busy schedules, and she loves his kid and wouldn’t leave him without proper child care.”
“No problem. I can wait.”
“I do think Michael has a point. We would love to date you. Sometimes we’d like to be all together and at others, individually,” Scott said.
“I’m taking Cassidy to the movies on Wednesday night. We’d already agreed to see a movie,” Jesse said.
“And I wouldn’t miss it.” She bumped his shoulder and giggled.
They all ate in silence for several moments. She watched their faces as they devoured her food. Michael moaned once or twice eating her chicken.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it. I’ve never tasted juicy chicken. Mine comes out looking dry and rock hard.”
Cassidy burst out laughing.
“You think I’m kidding. This is delicious. Where did you learn to cook?”
She stopped laughing, thinking about her mother. “My mom taught me and Lou everything we know.” She put her fork down as memories invaded her. Thinking about her mother always hurt.
Fisting her hand on the table, she tried to swallow down the tears. She’d spent so much time crying over her parents she thought she’d drown.
Jesse placed his hand over hers and stared at her. She kept his gaze feeling the calm inside her. He always knew how to help her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Your mother would be proud of you, Cassidy.” He gave her hand a squeeze and let go.
She looked down at her plate as she thought of the Sundays spent at her folks’. The pain around her heart hurt. She needed to get out into the fresh air.
“Excuse me,” she said. Before waiting for their permission, she got up out of her chair and walked out the back door. The warm air was a welcome relief compared to the pain inside the kitchen. Her mother used to cook in one similar. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she moaned in frustration at her weakness.
When would their loss ever get easier?
She walked over to the stone step and sat down. The tears spilled down her cheeks unchecked as she gazed up at the sun.
Jesse watched her walk out. His heart ached for her. He knew she struggled to deal with the loss of her mother. Her mother had been a wonderful, caring woman. When the news had come through about their deaths, Louise and Cassidy had been distraught.
“I take it her parents are still raw subjects?” Michael asked.
“Wouldn’t it be for you?” Jesse asked. He put his fork down and walked out the back door.
She was sitting on the stone steps leading out to the yard in the back. He saw the tears running down her face. Jesse pulled up his jeans and took the seat beside her.
They didn’t talk. He watched the leaves rustling on the trees from the slight breeze in the air. Without the added fresh air, the sun would be a killer.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He turned to her, seeing the pain in her eyes. “Don’t do it, baby. Never be sorry for feeling the loss of your parents.”
“I thought I’d be past crying by now.”
“It is these moments that make you who you are, Cassidy. You love your parents, and Sundays were always spent with them. I came to one of your Sunday lunches, remember. I know what today means to you.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer to him. She snuggled close. Her scent invaded his senses, making him want to do more than comfort her.
Cassidy hugged him back. Her small hands tightened in the fabric of his shirt. “What do you think my mom would say about me being with five men?”
Jesse smiled, thinking about Mrs. Jocks. “I think she would be happy to have five men protecting her oldest daughter. Providing we all went round to dinner. She loved looking at handsome men, remember.”
“Well, Jesse Walker, I never knew you could be so vain.” She looked up at him with a smile on her face. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, stroking her jaw in the process.
“I’m not vain. I knew your mother. She was a lovely woman, and she would want you to be happy. If that happiness came with five men, then she would be thinking about all those grandchildren she wanted.”
“She loved kids.” Cassidy pulled away, rubbing the last of the moisture from her face.
“And she loved you and Louise.”
Cassidy leaned back on the steps on her hands. He watched her look up at the sky. There were no clouds, just a clear never-ending blue.
“You know I’m going to be the envy of every single unattached woman in town.”
“You’ll handle it. Besides, there are plenty of men in town looking for a woman. I’m sure they won’t be without company for long.” Jesse did the same as Cassidy, leaning back and looking up at the sky.
They stared up at the sky in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the rustling of the trees and the birds singing.
“Will you move into the ranch with us?” Jesse asked. He’d been thinking about where Cassidy had been staying for some time. If all six of them were going to give this relationship a go, then it made sense for her to be close, living with them.
“Why?”
“Michael has moved in to be closer to you. We want to see if we can make this relationship work. I think it’s only fair you’re living with us.”
He heard her sigh before getting up off the step.
“You’re right. Let’s go and empty some of the belongings from my house.”
“Do you want me to get a couple of the others?” he asked, standing up and brushing the dirt from his ass.
“No, I don’t. I just want to spend some time with you. Besides, this house is too small for all of you. You’re not planning on bringing in another woman or anything?”
“Of course not. We want to give this a chance. If you need your space, you can go back home whenever you like.”
“Good. I’m going to get some of my stuff.”
Jesse followed her back to her house. He glanced behind him and saw a couple of his brothers stood at the back door. He waved at them and carried on.
* * * *
Cassidy packed three suitcases of clothes and belongings from her bedroom. She would need her toiletries and a few bits to make her stay more comfortable. Part of her wondered if it was a mistake to try to be with five men. Pushing the negative thoughts from her mind, she walked down the stairs to find Jesse packing up her kitchen.
“You don’t want any of this to go bad.”
“No. I’m sure you guys will devour everything I have in no time.” When he packed the last sauce she owned, they carried her stuff down to the main house. Scott, Roy, and Gary were waiting for her. Michael was on the phone but gave her a wave as she entered.
“Work has called him,” Scott explained.
“Okay. This was Jesse’s idea. Do you have a spare room for me to stay in?” she asked.
“You could stay with me,” Roy said.
Jesse chuckled. He put the boxes of food on the table and took two of her suitcases off her. “I’ll show her to her room.”
She followed him up the two flights of stairs. “I’ve never been up here before.”
“We had the top floor redecorated a couple of months back. We were hoping one day you’d decide to be our woman, and we wanted to be prepared for it.” He opened the first door he came to.
Cassidy walked in and gasped. The room had been decorated with a woman in mind. The walls were a pale shade of pink with dark oak furniture. She had a chest of draws and a beauty table. Putting her cases on the floor, she went to the table and ran her hand over the wood.
“That was our mother’s. She loved to groom herself, and all of my fathers made it for her from scratch.”
“Jesse, it is beautiful.”
“We wanted you to have it.”
“This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
There was a bed along the far wall, and she ran her hand over the sheets. Silk. There was no expense spared. “You did this room for me?”