With Cherry on Top [Loving in Silver 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (20 page)

Neither she nor Cherry minded in the least. It was nice to have men who enjoyed cooking. She could easily envision times when they would all be preparing a meal together. It would be a lot of fun and something she looked forward to.

After supper they went to the large den/game room. It was the perfect man cave. There was a huge TV on one wall. Settling down on the comfortable camel-colored furniture with their men cuddling them close, they enjoyed a baseball game, beer, and two enormous bowls of popcorn.

They were all in bed by nine, as it had been a game played on the east coast, the activity of the day catching up with them all. Jake scratched his belly and yawned, announcing he was beat and would sleep in his room. Cody and Mick took Cherry into the master suite while she let Collin carry her to his room.

They fell asleep together soon after, though Gracie woke a couple hours later and slipped carefully from the bed, holding her breath until she was certain Collin hadn’t woken. She wasn’t surprised to see Cherry creeping quietly from her room, closing the door softly behind her.

Having discovered Jake slept quite soundly, they crept into his room. It only took a couple of minutes to set up their joke and make their escape, Cherry doling out the length of cord as she shuffled backward out of the room. Gracie slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. They were going to teach the little jokester a lesson. Basically paybacks were a bitch. The bubble bath in Cherry’s water had only been one of several since she had come to the ranch. He never seemed to stop trying to think of something to startle or annoy anyone at any given time. He was cute and funny, but still. It was time to give him a little of his own medicine. It was only fair.

Giggling, Gracie hurried back to Collin’s room after exchanging a hug and a hot kiss with Cherry. Once she had the door closed she hurried to the bed and got back in beside Collin.

Strong arms wrapped around her. Collin’s mouth nuzzled the back of her neck as he pressed their bodies together. “What are you up to, baby?”

Her mind went blank as her heart thumped. “Oh, nothing,” she said reassuringly. “Just had to be sure the stove was off.”

Collin laughed. “Okay, if you say so.” He spooned their bodies together, cradling her tiny frame within the curve he formed with his. A large, callused palm cupped a breast, a thumb stroking softly. “See you in the morning, baby.”

“Goodnight, Collin.” She covered his hand with hers, loving the feel of his palm covering her breast. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The words were unexpected, but filled her with joy. Gracie sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of her fingers. Collin loved her. It was a beautiful dream.

One down, three to go.

The terrified shrieking coming from down the hall made her forget all about love and dreams and a lifetime with the four men and one very special woman.

She burst into a fit of giggles which she stifled in the pillow. “What did you and Cherry do, Gracie?”

“Nothing,” she gasped, trying to stop laughing. But it was nearly impossible.

A door banged open and they heard Jake running down the hall. “There’s a fucking rat in my room!”

Despite everyone’s best efforts no one was able to find the “rat” which had terrorized Jake in the middle of the night. All through breakfast the next morning Gracie was struck by the giggles several times during the meal, which earned her disgusted looks from Jake, who had been teased mercilessly by his brothers for screaming like a little girl on a merry-go-round. They all knew he couldn’t complain. He didn’t have any proof that anyone had pulled a prank on him. No one was talking and the rat had disappeared into thin air.

“I’m going into town for traps,” Jake announced. “Tell the dads I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

After tossing his napkin onto the table he stomped out of the kitchen, snagging his hat from the peg by the backdoor as he went. The other five occupants of the room winced as the door was slammed, but otherwise remained silent until they were certain Jake wouldn’t hear them. Then they laughed until tears were streaming down their faces. When they quieted they finished their breakfast.

Gracie felt like a nap. She yawned hugely, and then blushed as she caught everyone staring at her.

“I don’t know what you two did, and I don’t want to know, but it was great,” Mick told the two women, then finished the last of his coffee. As he rose he nodded. “Keep up the good work. We’ve had so many jokes played on us over the years we can barely open a package of jerky without expecting something to come leaping out of it.”

The other two men nodded their agreement. “Jake just can’t get enough of playing his jokes,” Cody agreed as he rose from the chair and tucked it beneath the table. “One time he saved up his allowance for weeks so he could rent a gorilla costume. The dumb fucker hid in our bedroom closet, scaring the shit out of us.”

“He paid for that one, though. Mick punched him out of reflex. Even the costume couldn’t save his sorry ass.”

Mick’s phone rang just then. “Dad,” he told the other occupants in the room, though he didn’t identify which father it was. “Hey, Dad, we’re just heading…”

They could hear the other man’s voice. Mick went pale and Cody moved swiftly to his side as he swayed and grabbed the edge of the table.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Collin demanded.

Life on a ranch was rough and very often dangerous. Had something happened to one of their fathers? Was one of their mothers hurt? Gracie’s heart was in her mouth as they all waited tensely for the call to end. Even before it did, Mick was heading for the door, his brothers following him.

“Yeah, we’re on our way. Don’t move him.”

The phone was shoved in his pocket as they shoved their hats on their heads. “Someone shot Jake just as he got to the end of the road. He ran off the road and hit a tree. Dad said it looks bad.”

There was no way she and Cherry were going to be left behind. Even as they shoved their feet in their shoes and hurried after the men, Gracie absently noticed how much better the other woman was getting around. There was almost no hesitancy in her stride as her long legs carried her out of the house. The brothers had jumped into a truck and were at that moment racing down the long lane. Cherry got into her rental car and Gracie ran around to get in on the other side.

After yanking the seat belt across her body, she clutched the inside of the door with one hand and the dashboard with the other, as Cherry drove down the lane with the moves of a stock car driver. She supposed it was the woman’s police training which gave her the skill to handle the twists and turns, not to mention the sliding and skidding when the tires met loose gravel. All in all, the ride was a nail-biter and she was relieved when they stopped at the point where Jake’s ugly old truck was all but wrapped around a tree.

Gracie gasped in horror when she saw all the blood. Swallowing hard, she stayed back, staring through the broken windshield as the men worked on Jake, staunching the flow of the blood. A couple of the men she had never seen before, but she guessed they were ranch hands, had stepped aside to let fathers and brothers see to Jake. They were wiping blood off their hands, their faces grim as they, too, watched.

Mick was leaning across the console in the truck as he examined his brother. Their father, Matt, had a cloth rolled up and was pressing it to his son’s bleeding shoulder.

“Looks like a through and through,” Matt stated. “Only one shot through the shoulder.”

The assessment went on for what seemed like forever. Cherry was beside her, holding her hand tightly. Gracie squeezed her hand back in an effort to provide mutual comfort. After what Cherry had been through when she had been attacked by those men, Gracie guessed it was really hard on the woman to see Jake all bloody and battered, the cause being some crazy person with a gun.

“It looks like the airbag walloped him good. His nose might be broken.” Even as he made this statement they heard sirens screaming further along the valley. “His breathing seems okay. Thank God he was wearing his seat belt.”

Yes, thank God, Gracie thought as she felt the fear ripping her insides to shreds. There was so much blood and Jake still hadn’t regained consciousness. But maybe that was best. He was going to hurt like hell when he woke up, she thought with sympathy.

Slender fingers tightened on hers. Gracie glanced up, smiling at the other woman. She squeezed back, grateful for the support. Just having the other woman there gave her strength.

But even as she thought about that, she wondered who had done this. Had Ed or DJ done it? Though they were annoying in their persistence in wanting to “date” her, they had never seemed the type to go all psycho. But if it wasn’t them slashing tires, forcing Collin off the road while he was driving her car, and now shooting Jake, who was doing these things? Stuff like this just didn’t happen around here. Of course there was crime in and around Silver, but rarely anything serious. Why, even the last murder had been over twenty years before and that hadn’t even been committed by a citizen of the community, but by a wealthy millionaire tourist obviously fed up with his wife sleeping with horny ski instructors.

“He’ll be okay,” Cherry said in reassuring tones.

“I hope so. There’s just so much blood.” She glanced down the lane as the ambulance, followed by the sheriff and a deputy’s patrol cars, came up the lane with their lights flashing. The paramedics jumped out and grabbed boxes from the back of the ambulance. They hurried to where Jake was still unconscious behind the wheel. His fathers and brothers moved back to let them work unencumbered while she stood there with Cherry feeling terribly small and helpless. She whispered her prayers as Cherry held her hand tightly. Mick, Collin, and Cody came to stand with them, wrapping them tightly in their strong arms. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I think so,” Mick told her, his voice firm with conviction. “The bullet went through his upper shoulder. It looks worse than it is. We think he hit his head on the driver’s door window when the truck hit the tree.”

“He’s going to have one helluva headache when he wakes up,” Collin said, his voice strained. Unlike Mick, he wasn’t able to hide his worry as easily as the oldest brother.

Cody failed altogether. “That jerk better not die,” he said in a gruff voice, sniffling loudly.

Gracie cried out at that, the level of anxiety she was feeling skyrocketing. She had been trying to avoid all thoughts of death. Cherry had been very confident in her reassurance. Now she was wondering how she would be able to feel whole again if one of the men died. It just wouldn’t be possible. Each and every one of them was so very important to her, each holding a part of her heart. Sniffling, she turned into Collin’s arms and promptly burst into tears against his chest.

“It’ll be okay, baby,” Collin murmured, kissing the top of her head. His big, warm body did wonders in making her feel safe. “Jake’s not hurt that bad. I bet he’ll be up and complaining by the time they get him to the hospital.”

Luckily, Silver had its own hospital. And since the town sported a very wealthy community, the healthcare available was top-notch.

“Do you think so?” she asked, tipping her head up to look at Collin. Tears slipped from her eyes.

“Yes, baby, I do. I wouldn’t lie to you about something so important. Now, I want you to quit crying and think about how Nurse Gracie will have a new patient to take care of.”

Giggling, Gracie nodded. She would take the very best care of her new patient. And when he was feeling up to it, well, the possibilities were endless…She was going to be sure he enjoyed rehab.

“That’s our girl,” Cody said with a laugh, seeing her blush and smile. “Think positive thoughts.”

They moved closer to the ambulance as a group as Jake was being put into it. There was some movement from him, which they all took as a good sign. Each of them touched him before the gurney was rolled into the heavy vehicle. Gracie looked at each of the fathers. They all looked like they had aged ten years in the past hour. Their fears were as great, if not greater, than hers. After all, he was their child, a part of them.

“Our moms are in town. They went in early to the farmer’s market. They’ll meet us at the hospital.”

That explained why the two women weren’t there.

One of the men had called their wives. How much of a shock they must have had! Yet, the two women were used to ranch life. They would be fearful, but not necessarily panicked by the news. Gracie thought she was going to have to grow a bigger pair. She couldn’t cry like a girl every time one of her men got a splinter.

Cherry was going to strangle Jake if he didn’t stop his whining. Not only was he a terrible patient, he was making Gracie positively miserable, though she would never let the man know it. She was just too darn nice.

With thoughts of her hands wrapping around his neck, and wondering what the odds were she would get away with it, she went into his bedroom. Gracie was downstairs trying to make something for his lunch which would make him feel better. Yes, their lover was just too darn nice when she should be telling him to suck it up.

Closing the door behind her, Cherry leaned back against it. Jake perked up when he saw her. Technically he could be out of bed. The doctor had insisted he didn’t need bed rest after a couple of days at home.