Free Rocky Mountain Haven by Vivian Arend Page A

it used to be.
    “Lance, honey, leave the dishes. I need your help here.”
    He joined her, sitting next to his little brother on the couch. Robbie clutched his security blanket in his hand, a defiant look in his eyes.
    Her husband had hated that blanket.
    “I think we’re settled into the school year enough we need to start planning some fun activities to do together. You guys got any ideas? What would you like to do as a family?”
    Nathan wiggled a bit, his face brightening. “You mean like going swimming or stuff?”
    Beth groaned inside but hid it behind a smile. “Yes. Only I don’t think you should use the swimming hole anymore this year, right? We’ll go to the pool. Anything else?”
    Together they made a list of suggestions, and the mood in the house lightened. Beth gave thanks the kids were resilient.
    A couple of hours later, after multiple games of Snakes and Ladders, cups of hot chocolate—with marshmallows—and an endless number of slightly tuneless songs bellowed out during bath time, the three boys were finally all tucked into bed. A glance at the clock showed it was only nine p.m., but she could have sworn it was close to midnight. She was ready to crawl into her own bed and take the weight off her aching limb.
    She really should get back to her to-do list and not give in to the temptation to soak for an hour then head to bed herself. And yet, why not? Abandoning all plans of productivity, including ignoring the dishes in the sink, didn’t mean she was evil. There were two days stretching ahead on the weekend to get her stuff done.
    Mom break, starting now.
    She got the tub running before grabbing a glass of wine and her book. Soaking in the hot water made her feel halfway human again. It also gave her plenty of time to daydream about the sensations Daniel ignited in her body. Her book abandoned to the floor, she wondered where the line was between getting what she wanted physically and discovering what Daniel offered in addition to the sex.
    Friendship.
    She dried off and pulled on her thick pyjamas, all the while debating with herself. Daniel wanted an answer. She stared at the phone. Damn it. Without letting herself think it through anymore, she punched in his number and waited for a response.
    She’d had enough years of being careful, and it was time to keep this ball rolling.
    “Colemans’,” a deep voice answered, and she hesitated. It kind of sounded like him but…
    “Daniel?”
    The man at the other end laughed. “You’re close. Only five more guesses.”
    She smiled in spite of her nervousness. “Jesse.”
    “Now how did you do that?”
    It was her turn to laugh. “Of all the boys, I figured you were the only one who’d play games on the phone.”
    “Yeah, well, don’t tell my mama. Just a minute, I’ll get him for you.”
    The echoing silence gave her time for the image of Jesse and Joel dancing with Darleen to pop back into her brain. What was it that Daniel had said? The boys…shared? The thought intrigued her. Not with them per say, but the whole two guys paying attention to her—about as far from the vanilla missionary sex forced on her over the years as she could imagine.
    The temptation to add to her list was strong. Daniel said he didn’t want to see it anymore, so why not? It would be one of those inspirational things—find a few books, read about it and get turned on. Reading about it was enough for now.
    Actually, having more than one guy paying attention to her at one time was probably one of the better-imagined-than-done things. Wouldn’t there be too many limbs and body parts touching and connecting? A sudden throb between her legs surprised her. Okay, lots of body parts touching her would be fine.
    “Beth?”
    How had she ever mistaken Jesse for Daniel? The deep timbre of his voice made her toes curl. It took a few seconds to drag her mind back to the reason why she had called. “Hey, you asked me to phone. I know it’s late, but do you have a few