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  “I take it you want me to bake a whole lot of cookies,” she said, chuckling.

  “You know me very well, babe. I want to keep you busy.”

  “Did I miss any of the dating gossip between you, Parker, and Shawn?” she asked. Her cheeks had gone a delicate shade of red, and she turned away from him, grabbing something else from the shelf. He moved up behind her so that he was close to touching her and got what she needed.

  “What kind of gossip?” he asked, whispering the words against her ear.

  She released a little shiver, and he smiled. When she turned he saw her nipples were hard and puckered.

  “On the dating front. Going out dancing, wining, dining, all of that stuff?” she asked. “Shawn hasn’t said if he’s seeing anyone new.”

  “Nope. I can guarantee that we’re all still carefree and single.”

  She took the can he held out of his hands. “You’ve never been carefree.”

  “But I am single.” Being the oldest brother, he’d always been responsible for his younger brothers. His parents expected a lot of him, especially his dads. They wanted him to learn the running of the ranch so that it would be a smooth transition between them all.

  He imagined he’d be the same with their sons soon enough. It wasn’t like he never had time to play. He played a lot.

  Work hard, play hard. It was his motto in life, only he made sure that when he played, it was damn well worth it.

  He didn’t want to have to deal with a shitty reputation.

  She picked up a bag of sweetened coconut, and he watched as her lip wobbled.

  “What is it, Pop?” he asked.

  “Mom made the most amazing coconut pie. She left me all these recipe cards with her notes, and how she kept perfecting each one. I miss her so much.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. “That’s what I want when we get home.”

  “What?”

  “Your mother’s coconut pie. We’ll stop off at your home and grab those recipes.”

  “I’ve already got them in my bag. I wanted to start working on them again at the ranch. I hope that’s okay.”

  “More than okay. If you ever need someone to talk to or anything, just reach out to me. I’ll always be here to listen to you.”

  “You’ve all been amazing. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

  He breathed in her vanilla scent, his mouth watering for a taste of her.

  Instead, he pulled away, giving her space.

  “Let’s get this finished.”

  She wiped away the tears and they finished their shopping. There was so much there that he knew she wouldn’t have time to dwell on her mother. He wanted to take that sadness and change it into something so much better.

  Once they finished paying, which he wouldn’t allow her to do, they headed out to his truck.

  “Climb inside. It’ll take me a couple of minutes to do this.”

  She didn’t argue with him, and took her seat. He loaded up the bags and then took the trolley back to the stack.

  “Hey, handsome,” Melissa said, coming up behind him.

  She grabbed his ass, and he caught her wrist as she went to move toward his junk. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “Oh, so you’re fucking the trailer trash now.”

  “Back off.”

  “You’ll come begging for me. I know you will. Your sort can’t help it,” Melissa said, snatching her hand back.

  “My sort?” Casey threw his head back and laughed. “Honey, I’ll never want you. I’m surprised even your husband wants you. Now, stop hassling me, and if I find out that you’ve said anything to Poppy, you’ll find out that I’m a nightmare to have as an enemy.”

  He’d never screwed Melissa. She’d offered herself plenty of times, but he’d never been interested. Married women were not his thing, and since wanting Poppy, no one else would ever do.

  There was only one woman destined to be in his bed and his life, and she was waiting in his truck.

  Chapter Two

  Standing in the Smith brothers’ kitchen felt incredibly … weird to Poppy. For so long she was used to being at the Smiths’ house with Louise cooking everything, all of the ranch hands doing their thing, and eating, complimenting the cook. She stared at the ovens waiting for food, and the kitchen.

  It was straight out of a dream.

  “Hey, honey,” Louise said, startling her.

  She turned to see Louise standing there, watching her. “I’m sorry. I should be cooking, right? Not just standing here, looking at it all.”

  “It’ll get easier. I know a lot of people say that, and for the longest time you always think how can it possibly get easier. It kind of has to.” Louise moved up toward her, cupped her face, and smiled. “I wanted to see how you were getting on.”

  “Not very well. I’ll get cooking. I just…”

  “Don’t worry about it. Come on, we’ve got plenty of time. Let’s have a drink. I made us a pitcher of iced tea.” Louise held up a travel pitcher and some glasses. “It’s hot outside, so come on, let’s go have a few minutes to call our own.”

  She didn’t argue, and followed Louise outside. They sat in a couple of deck chairs, and Poppy stared out over the vast fields. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I love it here. The moment Elijah and Bruce brought me to this place, I knew I’d found home. I’d found the loves of my life, and I’d found home.”

  “It must have been hard for you. The town is pretty judgmental.”

  Louise giggled. “I know. I was public enemy number one. All of the women hated me, but you know what? I didn’t care. I knew each and every single one of them wanted what I had.”

  “Is that how you were able to cope with everything?” Poppy asked. “I was walking around the store today with Casey, and the women were judging me.”

  “The one thing I’ve noticed is it doesn’t matter if you have the perfect rep. Someone will judge you no matter what. You’ve got to decide your own life.”

  Seconds passed, and Poppy sipped at the fruity tea, loving the taste.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Louise asked.

  “Sure.”

  “If my sons were to pick you as their one woman, how would you feel?”

  Instant heat filled her cheeks. Poppy didn’t know how to answer that, or what to think. Long ago she had decided she wouldn’t be like other women and fawn all over the three men. They were all sexy, all handsome, and commanded attention no matter what. Each of them were all the same and yet all so very different.

  Casey with his stern and serious attitude. Even when he was trying to be playful, like today, there was always an edge of responsibility about him. There were many times she tried to get him to joke around. Often, it would end up with her submerged in the lake.

  Parker she thought of mostly as “Playful Parker.” He was a flirt, and she just adored him. Even when life seemed to be so hard, he’d say something or do something that would make her smile, and then it wouldn’t feel as hard, or as difficult.

  Then she came to Shawn. Her best friend. One of the most caring and loving men she had ever known. He’d stayed with her whenever he could, holding her close as her mother went through different tests. He was her strength when she wasn’t there.

  “I don’t think that will ever happen,” Poppy said.

  “Why not?”

  “I’m just me.”

  “Poppy, you’re a beautiful woman. You have a kind heart and a loving soul. My boys couldn’t do any better.”

  “I’m from a trailer,” she said.

  Louise burst out laughing. “Do you really think I’m the kind of woman to judge a person on where they come from? I don’t do that, honey.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “I guess I’m feeling a little tender right now.” Once again, her hand was taken.

  “You’re not alone, and take life each step at a time. Don’t allow it to swallow you down. Slow, tiny steps.
The first being that you won’t allow those poor, hard-working men to starve.” Louise finished her tea. “I’m going to have to go and check on stuff at my house. Any time you need me, I’m a call or walk away.”

  Poppy watched as Louise left. She gave the other woman a wave, and then entered the kitchen.

  Food wouldn’t cook by itself, so she had to pull herself out of this pity party.

  “I didn’t give birth to someone who gives up, Poppy. Don’t you ever give up, or give in. You’re a fighter. No one can ever take that away from you. Don’t let them win. Be the fighter I know you are.”

  Picking her head up, she closed her eyes, counted to ten, and then opened them. Something felt … different. The pain was there, but with it something more powerful.

  Her mother had had faith that she’d be able to do this, to fight the pain, and to keep on living. She had to live for her mother.

  It was what she had promised her.

  Gathering her hair up, she wrapped the blonde tresses into a bun, and then grabbed the recipe book. She could do this. One tiny step at a time.

  Opening up the book, she selected the recipe and began. Of course, everything started with pudding, and Casey wanted to try her mother’s coconut pie.

  “I’ll do this, Mom. I’ll do this for you.”

  Laying the card on the counter, she ran her hand over the marble, recalling Parker’s visit to the hospital where he’d asked for her ideas on the kitchen. She’d helped to create this house. Now, she’d make it a home for the men she couldn’t have. It was the least she could do.

  ****

  Shawn reined in his horse, securing him outside the barn where there was fresh water waiting for him. Patting the horse’s side, he made his way around the barn toward the backyard. There was already a large table spread out, with the twenty ranch hands eating. The scent of barbeque was heavy in the air.

  Poppy had on an apron, and was flipping burgers at the pit. Parker had built the pit, and it had taken them days to source the right grates to put over the top. It was heavy as fuck to move and clean, but allowed for a lot of food to be cooked at once.

  He moved up beside Poppy. Like so many times before, he grasped her hip and kissed her temple. “You okay?”

  She pulled away and nodded. “I am. I’ve had my hands in several pounds’ worth of ground beef to make these burgers. I’ve got plenty of burger buns, and I’m all set. I’ve got onions, cheese, peppers, you name it, ready to go. I’d have done steaks and potatoes, but by the time I got started, there weren’t enough hours left.”

  “Where’s Casey and Parker?” he asked.

  “Getting cleaned up.”

  He left her to it and entered the kitchen. Six pies lay on the counter, each one covered with a netting to keep flies and bugs away.

  Casey and Parker were admiring the pies. They looked ready to devour each one.

  “I take it the shopping trip this morning went off without a hitch?” Shawn asked.

  “It was fine,” Casey said, standing tall. “Melissa tried to sweet-talk me into her bed again. I don’t think that woman can take a single hint.”

  Shawn watched as Parker wrinkled his nose.

  “She asked me for a gang bang,” Parker said. “That woman is seriously not with it.”

  “She asked me if we touched and fucked each other,” Shawn said, grimacing at the thought.

  “Fucking gross,” Casey said.

  “I’m starving,” Shawn said, finishing up with his hands. “I’m going to eat.”

  There were already three plates filled with food waiting for them. She knew them all already, and what they liked. Taking a seat at the table, he watched as she handled each of the ranch hands, filling them to the brim with her tasty food.

  Tomorrow she’d be doing the lunch and dinner service, and he knew without a doubt it was going to be his favorite time of the day. Not only did he get to eat good food, he got to see her.

  She wasn’t smiling yet. There was still an aura of sadness around her. Soon, she’d smile. They would all give her a reason to.

  Shawn was the last one to finish, and as he gathered up the dishes, taking them into the kitchen, Poppy was already elbows deep in bubbly sink water.

  She smiled at him and offered a thank you as he put the dishes in the water for her.

  “I was wondering if it’ll be okay for me to take a trip to the lake before I leave tonight?”

  “Of course. If you’re not here by the time I get back, I’ll let Casey and Parker know that’s where you’ll be.”

  He turned to leave.

  “Shawn,” she said, stopping him in his tracks. He looked toward her. “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “I don’t know if it was you, your parents, or your brother. Thank you for giving me this job.”

  “No one else was ever going to get it, Poppy. It was always, and will always be, yours.”

  “Until you marry, or one of you settles down.”

  He moved toward her and kissed her head again. Being the best friend that he was, he always got away with this. “Let’s not think about that.”

  The only woman they intended to settle down with was Poppy.

  Grabbing his horse, he took back off out into the fields. He found Casey and Parker with their dads. They were looking at a fence.

  “I’m telling you it’s been cut,” Elijah said. “We changed that damn fence last winter, and it was fucking sturdy as fuck. Nothing and no one could get through.”

  Shawn climbed off his horse, and moved toward the fence. This was the barrier between their land and the road. It wasn’t a busy road. They’d probably see one person every hour, if that.

  He saw where Bruce held the fence.

  Pushing up against the post, Shawn didn’t like that their fence had been cut.

  “We need to fix it,” Casey said when Shawn showed that Elijah was right. The fence had been cut.

  “Were there any missing from the herd? Any sign of anything bad?” Shawn asked.

  “Some cigarette butts near the tree there. I don’t like it,” Elijah said. “I spot any asshole on my land, I’ll shoot them a new one.”

  Shawn smirked. Out of his two fathers, Elijah was the one to shoot then ask questions later.

  “Calm down,” Bruce said. “Nothing’s gone wrong. It’s probably a bunch of dumb teenagers getting their kicks for the night. Don’t worry about it.”

  “There’s no beer cans,” Elijah said. “Horny teenagers go with beer. It’s a foregone conclusion. I think this is something else, but we’ll play it your way.”

  Shawn looked out onto the road. He looked left then right as they all fixed the fence with the tools they kept strapped to their belts. Shawn wouldn’t leave the house without some kind of repair kit.

  Something didn’t sit well with him, and he didn’t like it. When his parents had first settled down into town life, there had been a lot of graffiti and defacing of their property. Perv, whore, slut, disgusting, had often been spray painted on their cars when they’d been shopping. He’d cleaned it off his locker as well.

  He hoped this was just a silly trick from a bunch of teenagers, and not something more sinister.

  ****

  Parker found Poppy exactly where Shawn said she’d be, sitting at the side of the lake, overlooking the water. He’d long lost count of the number of times he’d found her here. This was the one place she always came to that seemed to offer her the comfort she sought.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, taking a seat beside her.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Is it time for me to go home?”

  “Not yet. Enjoy the setting sun. Most of the ranch hands have gone home. There’s no rush.”

  “I love it here so much. I remember when Shawn brought me here, and we’d spend most of our summers here. My mom was nervous that you’d all have a bad influence on me. Then she changed her mind, and she was more than happy for me to stay here.”

  “This is your home, Poppy.”


  She nudged him, and a smile curved her lips.

  “You’re not going to tell me it’s all going to get better.”

  “Nope. You know what everyone is telling you, and I don’t want to repeat the same stuff.” He picked up a small stone and threw it out into the water, watching the surface ripple. “Did you enjoy your new job?”

  She laughed. “It’s not exactly a job job. I loved it. It was a lot of fun. Louise stopped by, and we had some tea, talked.”

  Parker nodded, and turned his gaze toward Poppy. She didn’t look at him.

  “Do you know who’s dropping me off?”

  “Casey. He’s taking a shower now.”

  She got to her feet, and he watched as she brushed away the grass and dirt from her jeans.

  This was the first day of many to come. He knew at times it was going to feel like it was impossible to breathe, and then at others, it would be easier.

  Parker would be there every single step of the way.

  “You’re all grown up,” he said.

  She laughed. “You’re like three years older than me and Shawn. Not that much older.”

  “Nah, the old fart stuff we’ll leave to Casey.”

  They took their time walking back to the main house.

  “I couldn’t clean those grate things on the barbeque. I tried, but I couldn’t lift them.”

  “Don’t even think of trying to clean them. I’ll handle them,” he said.

  “It doesn’t seem fair. I cooked. I should clean.”

  “You did the dishes. Let me and my brothers take care of the pit.”

  Casey was already waiting by his truck when they got there. He gave her a hug, feeling her tense up for a second before she finally relaxed. She patted his back, and then she climbed into the truck.

  He found Shawn standing at the pit, and together they heaved the grates up and out of the pit.

  It was so fucking heavy it made his arm ache. He’d lift a cow easier than those grates.

  “Tell me again why we needed this pit?” he asked.

  “The food tastes good?” Shawn asked.

  “Is that a question or a statement?”

  His younger brother burst out laughing.

  “It’s a statement. The food is damn good. What were you and Poppy talking about?”