Free Van, Becca - Slick Rock Cowboys [Slick Rock 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Becca van

hasn’t had a minute to spare to grieve for her mother. She is going to end up having a nervous breakdown if you don’t back off. Instead of trying to force that child, woo her. Take her horse riding, take her out to dinner. Give her some of the fun that has been missing from her life for so long. I know you didn’t mean to shock her out of her amnesia or to hurt her in any way, but you have to build her self-esteem up again before you can expect her to accept a relationship with one or both of you. She’s been alone and had no one but herself to rely on,” Doc stated as he rose to his feet and walked to the door then turned around to face the Clay and his brother once more. “Call me if you need to.”
    “Fuck it. What have we done, Johnny? We never should have treated Tara that way. I was thinking with my dick and not with my head.”
    “You and me both, Clay. We are both responsible for the way Tara just fell apart. We’re going to have to treat her like fragile glass until she feels more herself. Fuck. What if she never wants anything to do with us again after the way we treated her?”
    “I don’t know, Johnny. I just don’t know.”

Chapter Nine

    Tara stood staring out of the bedroom window as the first rays of the sun chased away the darkness of the night. She had been sitting in the window seat and was still dressed, with a blanket thrown over her shoulders. The memories of the previous afternoon came crashing back through her mind, making her cheeks flame with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she had lost control like that. She remembered Johnny trying to talk to her, and she had yelled at him, furious for making her feel again.
    Tara threw the blanket from her body and walked farther into the room. Apart from feeling a little woozy and her eyes feeling twice their usual size, swollen from her crying jag, she actually felt better than she had for a long, long time. She had always heard that crying was cathartic, but had never really believed it. She gave a sigh and went to the bathroom for a shower.
    Tara entered the kitchen to find Clay and Johnny sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and eating breakfast. She smiled at them as they looked at her, and then she walked over to the coffee, poured herself a mug, and sat down at the table.
    “How are you feeling, Tara?” Clay asked as he and his brother scrutinized her face.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Do you want to go for a ride today, sweetheart?” Johnny asked from the other side of the table.
    “Yes, please. I have missed riding so much,” Tara replied wistfully.
    “What do you want for breakfast, baby?” asked Clay.
    “I’m good.”
    “We are not leaving until you’ve got something in your stomach, Tara. So what will it be?” Clay asked again as he stood and went to the kitchen.
    “Sit down, Clay. I can get my own breakfast. In fact, I’m supposed to be doing all the cooking around here,” Tara replied as she went to the toaster to make herself some toast.
    “Is toast all you’re gonna have, Tara? That’s not enough food to start the day,” Johnny opined as he pushed his plate aside.
    “It’s enough for me since I’ve only been eating once a day.” Tara could have bitten her tongue off for revealing that little tidbit of information.
    “That is going to change right now, Tara. You are to eat three meals a day. You’re way too skinny as it is. If I find out you’re skipping meals, I’ll put you over my knee and tan your ass,” Clay stated.
    “And I’ll help him,” Johnny advised.
    “Ooh, I’m so scared of the big, bad, mean cowboys,” Tara replied with a smirk.
    Tara saw Johnny and Clay look at each other and knew they didn’t know what to make of Tara’s statement. She was back to feeling more like her sassy self but knew by their expressions and body language they weren’t willing to push her too hard, too fast in case she had a relapse and broke down again.
    Tara brought her toast to the table and began to