* * * *
Max’s heart was pounding in his chest. Stacy was gorgeous and had the most amazing green eyes he had ever seen. He was immediately attracted to her and instantly wondered what his brother Eric would think of her. When Marie said that Stacy and Eric met already, he was initially jealous then hopeful. If she looked at Eric the way she just looked at him, then things were promising. He wanted to get to know her, and he wanted to talk to Eric and see what he knew about Stacy. It was interesting, and as he took a sip of his coffee and peeked around to look at Stacy, he noticed that he wasn’t the only one watching her. His temper flared, and he had to rein it in before he did something stupid. Like punch Clay Rhino or Gutry Lewis in the face.
* * * *
Stacy tried to focus on what Marie was saying about the town barbecue, but she couldn’t focus completely. She felt numerous sets of eyes on her and hoped it was just curiosity about the new girl in town. However, she unconsciously kept looking toward the counter where Max Cantrell, the town deputy, sat. Every time she glanced in his direction, she saw him staring. At first he appeared real friendly and even had a smile on his face, but now he looked downright annoyed. Was he pissed because she wasn’t batting her eyes and going all gaga over those cute dimples he had? She wondered why she was getting all worked up about him. His brother was just as good looking and big as Max. She was instantly attracted to both of them. That was definitely a problem. Well, not really a problem. She wasn’t looking to get involved with any man. Instantly, she had reservations about the possibility of being sexually attracted to the men. She was scared of intimacy, and although her boss hadn’t succeeded in sexually assaulting her, she still feared being touched by a man. It was crazy but for some reason the whole masculinity and domineering attitude that most men have made her feel intimidated and insecure. With such feelings there was no way she was ready to get involved with a man, never mind two men, and especially not cowboys. She definitely wasn’t going to cause trouble between two brothers. She felt the perspiration reach her brow, and her stomach felt unsettled. Plus, the sheriff had the same last name, from what Marie had told her. Marie said he was a cousin. In a town this small, she assumed a lot of people would be related.
“So you said you cook. Do you know anything about making chili?” Marie asked Stacy, interrupting her thoughts.
“Who knows how to make chili?” Francine asked as she delivered drinks to the table. Stacy felt her cheeks blush. She had totally missed the conversation.
The plump waitress placed her hands on her hips and stared at Stacy.
“’Fess up, girl. Don’t be teasing Francine that way. The town’s been looking for a good chili cook for years,” Marie added with a grin before she took a bite into her cheeseburger.
“I just mentioned to Marie that I know how to cook and wouldn’t mind cooking for the two of us when it was necessary.”
“Do you or don’t you know how to cook chili?” Francine demanded to know with her voice raised.
“Does this young thang know how to cook chili?” some cowboy asked over Francine’s shoulder. The place seemed to quiet down suddenly. Stacy felt that ache in the center of her gut.
“I, um…I can cook a lot of things.”
“How about bake? You know how ta bake, too?” another older gentleman asked as they gathered around the table.
Stacy nodded her head but was perplexed at their intense interest in her cooking abilities. Stacy looked to Marie for some kind of reassurance, which alone got under Stacy’s skin, but then when the older woman just kept eating and smiling, Stacy got angry.
“What’s so funny?” Stacy asked.
“Hey, y’all, we just found our entrant into this year’s chili and pie contest,” one of the older men yelled to the rest of the restaurant. Before Stacy could stop him, the cheers went through the restaurant and more people came by to wish her good luck and welcome her.
“Man, I can’t wait to see Betsy Whinston’s face when she loses this year,” Francine stated, and others added similar comments.
Stacy looked to Marie for help.
“What the hell just happened?”
“Welcome to Pearl, New York. I just hope you can cook as good as these people hope you can,” Marie replied then got up to walk over to Francine.
A moment later, the deputy appeared in front of Stacy.
“Good luck in the contest, Stacy. I’m sure your chili is the hottest,” Deputy Cantrell whispered with a smile as he placed his hand on his hip and one was sitting on his holster. “I’m sure your pies are sweet as can be, too,” he added, and she couldn’t help but think there was more to those statements then he intended. The man was a dream and, in uniform, lethal as they came.
“I don’t know exactly what I got myself involved in. I was just telling Marie that I could cook so that I can assist her back on the farm.”
“Well, that’s mighty nice of you. I heard you’re living in Millie’s old place. It needs a bit of fixing up,” he stated.
Stacy was a nervous wreck. She had worked with many attractive men, but none intimidated her like this small-town deputy. It must have something to do with the uniform.
“I’m looking forward to fixing it up.”
“If you need any help, my brother Eric and I are real good at that kind of thing.”
Now this was getting intense for Stacy. She went to take a sip of her drink and nearly spilled the glass. She had been fast enough to stop it from tilting over, but she made it quite obvious that the deputy made her nervous.
He smiled cordially. “I mean it, we would be happy to help you get settled in.” He looked her over, and her body tingled as if he touched her. The craziest part was that she was drawn to him and lost all perception of everything going on around them. Her nipples pebbled, and her belly quivered. She became somewhat restless in the seat, and when she moved, she felt the moisture against her panties.
One look at the cocky deputy and he seemed like he knew it. She noticed a small bit of a tattoo on his arm that was barely peeking out of his shirt sleeve. She also noticed the muscles in his forearms and the wide expansion of his chest. He was a pretty big man.
“Well?” he whispered, his voice sounding so damn seductive she placed her hand over her belly to attempt to stop the quivering it caused.
“I can handle it myself, but I appreciate the offer.”
He seemed to get the message as he frowned, or maybe he didn’t want to push the attraction they felt. That was fine with her. She just hoped someone would explain this whole chili and pie contest to her and how she can get out of it. Just then a small group came by the table saying good-night to the deputy and smiling at her. There was one woman with three men.
“I’m Melissa. I own the little dress boutique on the corner at the entrance to town.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Melissa.”
“These are my husbands, Frank, Paul, and Willie.”
“Howdy, ma’am.” All three men tipped their hats toward Stacy before placing a hand on Melissa and leading her out of the place. Stacy was dumbfounded. She must have misunderstood Melissa. Three husbands? How could that be?
“There are lots of different types of couples in Pearl, Stacy. Ménage being a main one,” Deputy Max stated as he move a chair closer, turned the back toward her, and straddled it.
“Three husbands? How can that possibly work out?”
“It’s not uncommon.”
“It is where I’m from.”
“That’s what you think. It’s happening everywhere, but in a lot of societies, it’s frowned upon and not understood. Here in Pearl, it’s acceptable, and it’s a safe place to fall in love and start a family.”
Her heart pounded inside her chest. She couldn’t even have a relationship with one man, never mind three. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she had realized she was wringing her hands together until she felt Max’s hand cover her own. She jumped, and he stared at her, holding her gaze.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’ll get used to it, and who knows, maybe you’ll give it a try.” He squeezed her hand then rose from his seat before she could respond to his statement.
Chapter 3
“Okay, Millie, wake up and start talking or I swear I’m on the next flight out of here!” Stacy yelled into her cell phone as she plopped down across the bed. Marie had made her bed with fresh sheets, but Stacy loved her silk comforter with the burgundy butterfly appliquéd here and there along the black silk. She rubbed her fingers along the edge of one of the butterfly’s wings.
“You do know that there is a time distance between New York and Texas?” Millie stated in between yawning.
“What’s your point? I want answers, and it seems I’ve entered into a completely different world here.”
“What’s the problem?”
“First of all, your aunt isn’t the least bit sick. She’s tougher than some of the ‘bloods’ back in New York. I’m not living with her in her house. I’m living in my own cottage, which is beautiful, by the way. On the way here, I met a cowboy who appeared out of thin air, and he was not only huge but gorgeous. As a matter of fact, most of the men I have come across are out of the ordinary. They are drop-dead gorgeous and so big I feel like Thumbelina! Then in town I get tricked into entering some chili-and-baking contest while I was trying to explain to Aunt Marie that I can cook. You see, she tried to cook for me and the chicken was raw. That is how we wound up at the restaurant Francine’s.”
“That’s a nice place, isn’t it?” Mille asked.
“It sure is, and the people are really nice, too. Nicer than anything I’m used to. Come on, Millie. I grew up on the city streets of New York. Anna and I dodged so much shit over the years. Between the gangbangers, the drug dealers, pimps, and gangsters, it’s amazing that her and I didn’t wind up in the morgue. I don’t really trust cops either. You know that, and when I saw the deputy? Holy shit, I started thinking about things I shouldn’t be thinking about. Men in my life thus far have done nothing but screw me over. And this town and the businesses, the people are out of storybook. That’s when I met the deputy by the way, and he started talking to me and welcoming me into town then saying my chili was hot and my pies would probably be real sweet, and then the lady Melissa with the three husbands showed up to introduce herself. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“How did Melissa look? You know she’s pregnant. Oh my God, I miss that place so much.”
“Then why didn’t you come here to help your aunt? Oh, wait, your aunt really doesn’t need help does she?”
“No, Stacy, she doesn’t. I just thought it would be a good place for you to recoup and straighten out your life. I also wanted you out of town while your asshole boss is harassing you. So tell me about the cowboy brothers, who were they?”
“Cantrells.”
“Oh my God! They are so hot. Was it the twins or the triplets?”
“Triplets? You mean there are more than just Max and Eric Cantrell?”
“It was Max and Eric that you met?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, boy. Those two are quite the handful. The other triplets are their cousins. There’s Wyatt, he’s the sheriff, then there is Charlie and Ben. Charlie is a vet, he was in the Marines and takes care of the animals on the Triple C, and Ben works on the ranch as well as Eric. What did you say about your hot chili and sweet pies?”
Stacy laughed as she rolled over on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“I didn’t say anything about it, Max did. He was flirting, I think?”
Stacy smiled to herself. She was attracted to two men after being in town for less than a day, and they turned out to be brothers. What were the chances of that happening?
“Maybe we should discuss this whole ménage thing now. You know it is perfectly normal to fall in love with more than one man.”
“Are you kidding me? I haven’t had a relationship since Alex, and what a mess that was.”
“If my memory is correct, you had sex with him one time and there wasn’t a relationship.”
“Yeah, well, what the hell did I know? He was a smooth talker, and I thought I was all ‘Miss Independent’ putting myself through school and having my own place.”
“Well, don’t let one asshole ruin your impression of men altogether. The Cantrell men are sweet.”
“I’m not interested. I’ve had enough of macho, good-looking men thinking they can get into any woman’s pants they want to. Besides, you haven’t seen either one of them in five years. Do you have any idea how intimidating and muscular they are? That one brother Eric appeared out of nowhere with a gun on his hip, a shotgun on the huge horse he was on, and sporting more muscles than the stallion itself. I’ll stick to what I can handle.”
“You’re scared of them because they are good looking, muscular, and intimidating? Are you kidding me? What type of man are you interested in?”
“One that won’t use his strength to restrain me while he takes what he wants,” Stacy stated then wished she hadn’t. This was the first time she expressed her fear after her boss’s attack. Millie was silent a moment, and then she broke the silence.
“Honey, is that what you think? That men like the Cantrells would use their strength and masculinity against you? Gosh, you did a great job hiding your fear after your boss tried to rape you. No wonder Eric and Max intimidate you. They are big, strong men, but they are also gentlemen. They come from a good family. In fact, their fathers and mother helped to turn Pearl into the town it is today. Don’t be afraid of them.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I’m afraid of getting close to anyone. Not just because of Barry but because of Alex. I regret losing my virginity to him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You were upset after finding out that your mom was indeed alive but wanted nothing to do with you. That was understandable when you began to self-destruct.”
Stacy laughed. “Thanks to you, I didn’t downright explode.”
“Yeah, well, you were there for me, too,” Millie replied.
Stacy knew that Millie was talking about Stewart. What an abusive asshole he turned out to be.
“Well, don’t toss the whole multiple-partner idea out the window yet. If the Cantrells are interested in you, then they would be willing to share you.”
“What! Are you insane? I couldn’t handle five minutes speaking to one of them, never mind two of them, and there was no sex involved. You’re crazy, Millie.”
“Did your body get all warm and tingly? Did you think about them while you were taking a shower and touch yourself?”
“Millie!”
“Just what I thought. Do me a favor and keep an open mind. You never know what might happen. Now what was this talk about chili?”
Stacy began to explain about the contest and there being the same winner every year.
“Betsy Whinston, that bitch! She thinks she is God’s gift to men. She’s been after a Cantrell for years. I didn’t know you knew how to make chili. I mean, I know you can cook and bake, but chili is like a specialty. Either you can make it or you can’t.”
“I can make it, but it sounds like I may need some advice from Anna. I was planning on calling her next to give her an earful.”
Millie laughed. “Good luck with that, and keep me posted on the Cantrell men. I want all the details.”
“There won’t be any. Men are off limits, I’m here to find myself.”
“A sexual fling could be just the right medicine.”
“How do you figure?”
“Maybe all you need is a good orgasm. You have never had one, so that’s a start.”
Stacy gasped at Millie’s brazen comment.
“I’ve had a good orgasm before,” Stacy replied.
“Dildos do not give a woman a really good orgasm, honey,” Millie stated.
“Good-bye, Millie!” Stacy replied, absolutely shocked at Millie’s statement, and then she disconnected the call. Her second call was to Anna as she reprimanded her, thanked her then begged Anna for advice to enhance Stacy’s chili recipe.