Triple H Ranch [Slick Rock 13] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4

  “The doc said you need to eat and rest to heal.”

  She frowned at him before glancing toward her arm. The waterproof bandage was partially covered by the sleeve of her T-shirt.

  “You have an infection. The doc cleaned it, stitched it up, and gave you a shot of antibiotics. He also left you a course of medicine, which needs to be taken three times a day after food.

  “You can trust us, Catalina. We won’t hurt you.”

  Cat saw sincerity in his eyes and relaxed her stance a little. She hadn’t even noticed when she crossed her arms over her breasts, or widened her feet in preparation of fighting or fleeing. She nodded and lowered her arms. She trusted him even though she didn’t know him. He’d taken her in and called a doctor to fix her up. If he were going to hurt her, he wouldn’t have done that already? Not unless he was giving her a false sense of security before he pounced. As soon as she thought that, she shook her head. She didn’t think he was like that. How she knew she was safe with him, she wasn’t sure, but she felt as if she could trust him.

  She finally nodded and took a step away from the window toward him. He smiled at her, and her breath caught as his handsome visage changed from serious to playful. He’d been good-looking without the smile, but when his lips curved and his eyes lit up, he was downright lethal.

  He winked at her and then led the way out of the bedroom.

  Cat stopped in the entry to the kitchen when she saw the other two men sitting at the table eating sandwiches. When they looked over at her, she glanced away, taking the time to look about. The kitchen was big and modern with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. What surprised her was how spotlessly clean everything was. She had no idea if there was a woman about, but guessed there had to be since the place was so tidy. Her experience with men, which was only through other women and their complaints, was that most men were lazy and left household chores to the opposite sex. She knew that she was pigeonholing from what other women had said, but she didn’t think the norm applied to these men. Not if the cleanliness of their house was any indication.

  “Come and sit down, Catalina.”

  She looked at Hank to see him watching her, but he had pulled a chair out and was standing behind it as if he was waiting for her to take a seat. He had manners, and she was pleasantly surprised because most men she’d encountered wouldn’t dream of doing such a courteous thing.

  She drew in a deep breath and slowly walked toward Hank, and as she sat, he pushed the chair in for her.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, honey.” Hank sat in the seat beside her, causing her to tense. “These two big lugs are my younger brothers, Barry and David.”

  Cat nodded at both the men.

  “Hi, Catalina.” David smiled at her.

  “Hey.” Barry winked.

  She was glad when both of them turned back to their food.

  “Here.” Hank’s voice drew her gaze when he placed a plate piled with three sandwiches on it before picking up the empty glass and filling it with water from the jug in the center of the table. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”

  “Yes, please. Thank you.”

  Hank nodded and rose.

  “How are you feeling, Catalina?” Barry asked.

  “Cat,” she said. “And I’m fine.”

  “You still look a little pale and tired.” David narrowed his eyes at her as he looked her over.

  She wasn’t about to let her guard down and tell these strange men she felt like crap, so she just shrugged.

  “Here you go.” Hank handed her a mug filled with the dark brew.

  Barry nudged the bowl of sugar and small jug of milk toward her, but she ignored them and took a sip. The strong slightly bitter flavor burst on her taste buds, causing her to sigh and close her eyes.

  “You need to eat.”

  She lifted her lids in time to see Hank pointing at the sandwiches. “The doc said you’re malnourished and small regular meals will help you get back to health faster.”

  Her cheeks burned, but she ignored her reaction, picked up one of the sandwiches, and bit into it. The roast beef was so tender it almost melted in her mouth. She knew she was hungry but didn’t realize how much until that first bite. Her stomach growled, and after chewing and swallowing, she took another bite and another until she finished it. “This is delicious.”

  “You need to eat another one,” Hank said in a firm voice.

  She felt like a recalcitrant child and frowned at him, but since she was still hungry, she didn’t berate him for his domineering attitude and ate until she was satisfied before draining the last of her coffee.

  David suddenly jumped from his seat across from her, making her flinch. He and the other men froze and stared at her with what looked like sympathy in their gazes. She scowled at them before looking down at the table.

  “None of us would hurt you, Cat,” Barry said. “We don’t hurt women, children, or anyone weaker than we are.”

  Cat nodded and hoped her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. It wasn’t that she was worried they would hurt her, but after what she’d been through, she was very wary. Especially of men she didn’t know.

  Barry reached for her empty mug, filled it, and leaned over to put it back on the table in front of her. She watched the three men from beneath her lowered lashes and knew she was about to be interrogated. As much as she didn’t want to tell them what she’d been through, these three men had been kind enough to take her in and look after her. They had called a doctor for her, and she decided that they deserved the truth. Then she would ask to use their bathroom to shower and leave.

  “Who shot you, Cat?” Hank’s calm deep voice caused her to shiver and goose bumps raced over her skin. As she tried to get her thoughts in order, the horrible images of her dead mom and dad rushed across her mind.

  Her heart flipped before pounding painfully against her chest. Her breathing escalated, and although she was panting, she couldn’t draw a proper breath. Sweat formed on her brow, upper lip, under her arms, and trickled down between her breasts and back. Dizziness washed over her, and she had to grip the edge of the table so she wouldn’t fall from her seat.

  She jumped when a large warm hand landed on her shoulder and tried to push the chair back from the table. The scraping sound the legs made as it moved over the tile was loud. She shoved to her feet and rushed across the room, staggering as she went, probably looking like a drunk, crazy woman, but she didn’t care what they thought.

  A scream of grief and fear lodged in her throat, and though she tried to swallow it back down, she ended up making a weird half-laugh half-sob noise. Her legs were trembling and were barely able to hold her weight. She didn’t even see the counter before she banged into the hard corner with her hip, and she yelped with pain. Darkness encroached on the edges of her vision and her knees began to give way.

  * * * *

  Barry was glad he hadn’t taken his seat yet when Cat practically jumped from her chair and stumbled away. As she rushed across the room toward the kitchen, she stumbled and staggered as if she was drunk, but he knew she hadn’t touched a lick of alcohol.

  From the sound of her raspy heavy breathing, she was having a panic attack. He quickly moved up behind her and was about to touch her, but he hesitated, not wanting to scare her more than she already was. He cursed under his breath when she her hip slammed into the edge of the counter before he could stop her from getting hurt, but when he saw her legs begin to buckle, he couldn’t do nothing.

  He snagged an arm around her waist the other beneath her knees and lifted her up against his chest. Her slim, delicate-looking fingers grabbed hold of his shirt as she clutched it in her fist and her head flopped onto his chest.

  “Should I call the doc?” David asked as he stood.

  Hank rose too but shook his head. “Wait. Give her time to calm down.”

  Barry walked back to the table, sat in his chair taking Cat with him. The moment his ass hit the cushion she
began sobbing. His heart ached at her pain. The sobs came from down deep and sounded like they hurt, but he didn’t try to get her to stop. He caressed a hand up and down her back, letting her know she wasn’t alone and trying to comfort her.

  A good fifteen minutes passed until her tears began to slow and she began to hiccup. He wanted to ask her the question Hank had but didn’t want to cause her anymore upset, so he remained quiet and waited. David and Hank kept silent as well, and finally Cat stopped hiccupping, a sigh leaving her mouth as she slumped against him.

  All the tension he’d seen her carrying around left her body, and he wondered if she’d cried herself to sleep. He was about to ask Hank or Barry if she was awake, but she shifted in his lap and finally lifted her head from his chest.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Hank passed over a glass of water. Barry took it and handed it to Cat. She drained half before putting it on the table.

  “You need to take your medicine.” David shoved to his feet, snagged the blister pack of antibiotics from the counter near the coffeepot, and handed them to Cat. “Only take one, darlin’.”

  Cat nodded and took the tablet with the remaining water in her glass.

  “Do you want more?” Barry asked as he reached for the jug.

  “Please.”

  Barry refilled the glass. “Are you okay, baby?”

  Cat nodded but changed it to a shake.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” David had taken the seat beside Barry and Cat. He placed his hand over hers briefly to give it a comforting squeeze.

  “I think we should wait until Luke and Damon get here,” Hank said.

  “Who are they?” Cat asked warily.

  “The Slick Rock sheriffs.”

  “Oh God.” Cat covered her mouth and swallowed audibly before lowering her hand again. If possible, her face became even paler. “Why did you call the law? Are you going to have me arrested?”

  Barry cursed under his breath when she scrambled from his lap. He glared at Hank for scaring Cat.

  “No, Catalina. We called them yesterday when we found you and saw that you’d been shot. They just want to talk to you and find out who hurt you,” Hank explained.

  “I think I should go.”

  “Where?” Barry asked. “Do you have someone you can stay with?” He hated the thought of her leaving. He was very attracted to her and was pretty sure she was the woman he and his brothers had been waiting for, for what seemed like forever.

  When she didn’t answer, Barry had his answer.

  “You’re welcome to stay here with us,” David said.

  “We would love for you to stay here,” Hank reiterated David’s comment. “You need to rest up and heal. You’re already exhausted. You won’t be able to keep this pace up without it affecting you, honey.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t know you.”

  Barry nodded. “You’re right, you don’t. Do you think we would have called a doctor to see to your injuries if we wanted to harm you? The men in this town protect women and children. Anyone found hurting someone weaker than them is run off.”

  Barry was pleased when the tension left her shoulders when they dropped from up around her neck. “I can ask one of the women we know to come over and allay your fears if you want?” His thoughts immediately went to Sabrina.

  When Cat nodded, he stood and strode to the living room to call Trick. Hopefully Sab wasn’t busy and could come over right away.

  Barry was all in for doing anything to make Catalina comfortable enough to stay with him and his brothers on the Triple H Ranch. Especially when he wanted to have a relationship with her.

  He just hoped she wouldn’t be too shocked when she found out about the ménage relationships or the fact that he and his brothers wanted that with her, too.

  Chapter Three

  As soon as she could, Cat had scurried from the kitchen to the living room to think. She sat curled up in the corner of the sofa, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. If she decided to leave, she could walk out that door without worrying about leaving the extra changes of clothes she had with her behind. When she’d dressed, she’d grabbed the wad of cash and her license from the top of the dresser and shoved them into her pockets. Being prepared was what had saved her from being killed so far, and she wasn’t about to take any chances. Not until she was certain she was safe and let her guard down a little.

  When someone knocked on the door, she stayed perfectly still, trying not to draw attention to herself, and watched David as he hurried to answer the door. The moment he was out of sight behind the privacy wall to the entrance, she exhaled heavily. All three of the Heritage men were so big and handsome, but she had learned that she couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Her uncle was a good-looking man, too, but he had a heart of pure evil.

  She shivered as she remembered him trying to shoot her. He’d succeeded, but thankfully, she’d only been grazed. Cat had a feeling that asshole wasn’t going to give up until he found her and murdered her. Did he get off on killing people? There was no way he could get his hands on her parent’s money now. Was there?

  “Cat? Are you okay?” David was standing in front of her looking very worried.

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? I’ve been calling your name for a couple of minutes.” David took a couple of steps to the side before sitting on the cushion beside her.

  Her cheeks heated when she noticed that Barry, Hank, and two other men were eying her with concern. “I’m sure.”

  “Catalina, this is Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker and Sheriff Damon Osborn.”

  “Hello.” Both men greeted her with warm smiles and she immediately felt at ease.

  There was another knock on the door, which Barry went to answer.

  Moments later, three more men entered the living room with a petite beautiful woman.

  “You must be Catalina. I’m Sabrina Monroe, soon to be Wendall, and these are my men, Trick, Trent, and Tristan Wendall.”

  Cat nodded and swallowed hard. Did she say her men? What does she mean by that?

  Cat watched as everyone took seats. She had wondered why the living room had more than one lounge suite in it. She guessed that since the Heritages had a lot of friends they needed two sofa settings to accommodate visitors. The living room was large and could probably fit another sofa and another armchair in it with space to spare. It seemed the people of Slick Rock didn’t do anything by halves. Maybe that was because the men were so huge and lively.

  “Shove over.” Sabrina nudged David’s big booted foot with her tiny one.

  Cat wondered if he would move or tell her to get lost which is what other men would have done, but she was once more surprised when David grinned at her, stood, hugged her and kissed her cheek, and moved to another seat.

  “Thanks.” Sabrina flopped onto the cushion next to Cat.

  “You know I’d do anything for you, Sab. Especially if you brought an apple pie.”

  Sabrina crossed her arms and scowled at David before she sighed and the scowl changed to a smile. “I brought three, you big dope, but you can’t eat them now.”

  “Why not?” David asked.

  Sabrina waggled her finger at him. “I know you three. You’re likely to eat a pie each for dinner. You need to have something healthy first.”

  Cat relaxed even more as David and Sabrina bantered back and forth. They obviously knew each other well and were good friends. She glanced over at the Wendall men to see them smiling indulgently at Sabrina.

  Luke cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention, and that was when Cat realized she was about to be given the third degree. She tensed up again.

  “Actually,” Sabrina said before anyone else could speak. “I am craving apple pie with ice cream and a cup of coffee to go with it. Would you like a piece, Catalina?”

  Cat nodded. Her mouth watered as she imagined taking that first bite. The last time she’d had apple pie was when she had gone to her parent�
�s house for dinner. Tears burned and welled, but she rapidly blinked them back. She had been concentrating so hard on keeping her emotions hidden she hadn’t noticed that all the men had left the room.

  “Are you okay?” Sabrina took one of Cat’s hands in hers.

  Cat nodded, drew a deep breath, and then exhaled.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  Cat glanced toward the kitchen to see if any of the men were watching or listening, but when she heard the low rumble of conversation, she relaxed again.

  “My uncle killed my parents and then tried to kill me,” Cat blurted out.

  “Oh. My. God.” Sabrina tugged on Cat’s hand and pulled her into her arms. “That fucking bastard.”

  Cat sniffed and mentally cursed when moisture rolled down her cheeks. She held onto Sabrina tight, comforted by the other woman’s sympathy. When she had herself under control again, she drew away from Sabrina.

  “You need to tell Luke and Damon. Have you told Hank, Barry, and David?”

  She shook her head.

  Sabrina sighed. “They’re good men, Cat. Can I call you Cat?”

  “Yes. My mom and dad used to call me that all the time.”

  “Call me Sab. There a quite a few unconventional relationships in this town and some normal ones, too. But the people here are accepting and very protective. These men hate to see women or children being hurt, or hurting. They seem to have this natural inbuilt inclination to love and protect.”

  “Are you and the Wendalls…?”

  “We’re in a ménage relationship. If you’d have told me six months ago that I’d be in a loving relationship with three men, I would have thought you had rocks in your head. I was in a similar situation you’re in, and was on the run. My boss was out to kill me because I found out he was doing illegal things and the nation’s secrets were in jeopardy. I ended up here, in Slick Rock, sick and exhausted, and collapsed in the diner. Trick, Trent, and Tristan took me into their home, nursed me back to health, and protected me while Luke and Damon worked with the feds and CIA to find my asshole boss.”