Free Cowboy Rescue [Men for Hire 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Jane Jamison Page A

well.” He’d come to the same conclusion.
    “So you think we’re dealing with a local? Just because you couldn’t get him to fast enough? Maybe you’re getting slow in your old age.”
    As if thirty’s old.
    Brad leveled his gaze at Mike. “Bro, you’re already on thin ice. Don’t go jumping up and down.”
    “Yeah, Mike, what’s up with that? You and her? We’re not supposed to bone the clients.”
    But Mike wasn’t bothered by their irritation. “I know that, but she’s different. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it, too.” He glanced at her then back. “I’m thinking she may be the one for us.”
    Brad wasn’t surprised that his brother would think so. He’d had the same idea hit him every time he thought about her. And since their first meeting, he’d thought about her a lot. His daydreams of having her on her back, her lovely body exposed for his enjoyment, her hands outstretched for him, had taken his mind off the job more times than he’d like to admit. No other woman had ever had that effect on him. And if Mike had the same feeling, wasn’t that more proof that she was the special woman they’d waited for?
    Jack rested his elbows on his knees. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’ve noticed how I am around her. It’s like she’s not just another woman. And she’s sure as hell not just another client. She’s more than that.”
    “It’s weird, her having the same effect on all of us.” Brad had given it a lot of thought. “But remember how it was between our mother and father? Remember how they always said it was love at first sight?”
    The mood grew quiet. They’d lost their parents when they were still kids and had gone to live with their mother’s sister. Being the oldest, Brad remembered their parents better.
    “Yeah, but I always figured that was a bunch of lovey-dovey shit. Something they told their kids to explain why they’d gotten married so fast.”
    “Me, too, Jack. I kind of had them pegged as having to get married due to Brad coming along unexpectedly.”
    Brad looped his thumbs into his pockets. “Naw, you lame brain. Do the math. She got preggers with me six months after the honeymoon.”
    Jack’s gaze toward Maria had them all looking at her. “Then maybe it can really happen. The ‘love at first sight’ thing, I mean.”
    “Stranger things have happened,” added Brad in a whisper.
    They were quiet for several moments, letting the sounds of Maria moving around the kitchen wash over them. At last, Brad ground out a groan. It was a warning not only for his brothers, but for himself.
    “We need to get our heads back to the business at hand. According to the info Fletcher gave us, this Sharron girl ended things badly with Maria. And obviously she’s holding a grudge. Whether it’s justified or not doesn’t matter. But Fletcher dug up more dirt on her. Seems Sharron’s been in a few scrapes with previous roommates, too. One former roommate said she burned all her boyfriend’s clothes in the middle of the street then slashed his tires. Just like with Maria, Sharron blamed that roommate for stealing her boyfriend.”
    “Great. So we’re dealing with two nutcases?” Mike shifted from one foot to the other, mimicking the way Jack always did.
    “What I’m wondering is this.” Brad paused, making sure his brothers paid close attention. “Is there a connection between the e-mailer and Sharron?”
    “But how’d they hook up?”
    Brad sat back, unable to answer Jack’s question. “Until we find out, we stick close. Fletcher’s still working on tracking the person behind setting up the phony Friends Place page. Once we get that, we’ll have more to go on.”
    “I agree. And until then, I’ll stick inside with Maria while you guys get back to your watch positions outside.”
    Brad grabbed Mike behind the neck and pulled his face close to his. “Not a chance in hell, bro. We’re all staying inside tonight. And until we get this case figured