Two Cowboys To Protect Her by Lacey Davis

Chapter 7

When Harley came in that evening, Clayton met him at the door. “Rena is furious with me.”

“Why?”

“Right after we got to the restaurant this morning, Jack Bell busted down the back door and tried to grab our girl.”

“Damn,” Harley said. “They’re serious.”

Clayton then proceeded to tell Harley about how he rescued her and then told her boss she was quitting.

“So why is she mad?”

“Because she has no other income and she’s pretty much destitute,” Clayton said. In a way, he felt guilty for doing this to Rena, but she couldn’t continue to work there with a dangerous criminal after her. In fact, they probably should hole up somewhere other than her home, but he knew a hotel would be out, because she would never sleep in the same room as them. And there was no way she was staying alone.

“I think you should marry her,” Harley said.

“No woman, especially a good one, will want to tie themselves to a man whose mother was a whore.”

Harley’s face darkened and he shook his head. “Damn it, Clayton, I wish you would get over that. You’re a fine man. Who cares about you mother or father? It’s you the woman should be interested in.”

The man didn’t understand. He had not been subjected to the bullying and ridicule Clayton faced when growing up. The name calling of his sweet momma, who was only trying to survive. Just like Rena.

“Look, I’m not certain of my future. I, at least, owe my old man a visit, and just as soon as we’re done with this case, I’m going to Dallas. You marry Rena and then if things aren’t what they seem in Dallas, I’ll be returning.”

Clayton stared at him. “So, what do we tell her about you? Oh, he’s just going to be your part-time husband. That’s not how we planned our ranch.”

“There’s a sweet piece of property up for sale come not far from the Guadalupe River, right outside of Blessing. Two hundred acres. I think we should put an offer on the place and when it’s ours, I’ll come back for visits.”

Harley was the brother he never had. Until he met Harley, he’d never had such a close friend, someone he could depend on. And the thought of him going to Dallas and never returning terrified him. Maybe if they purchased the property and Clayton married Rena, he would have second thoughts.

“You put the money down on the property,” Clayton said. “I’ll marry Rena if she’ll have me. I’m telling you, most people when they learn my background, they want nothing to do with me.”

A smile spread across Harley’s face. “First, we have to convince her that we’re looking out for her best interests. You need to do some major asking for forgiveness. Make her think you were only trying to protect her.”

That wouldn't be easy. He’d been trying to calm her, but so far, she was still as angry as a chicken with a wolf in the hen house.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do all afternoon,” he said. “And she’s still mad.”

Harley opened the door and walked in. The smell of home cooking hit him in the face and he sighed. “That smells heavenly. I'm starving.”

“Let’s talk to her after dinner tonight,” Clayton said.

Ignoring him, Harley went in search of Rena, and Clayton followed. What was the man up to?

When he walked into the kitchen, she turned and gave him a glare as she took the food out of the oven.

“Rena,” Harley said in that deep voice that women loved.

After she set the food on the table, he took her in his arms. “Clayton said you had a really bad day.”

“Yes,” she said. “He got me fired.”

“For your own good,” Clayton said, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. They had her sandwiched between them, just like they hoped to soon have her. Clayton prayed she would forgive him for getting her fired, but he was only trying to protect her.

A look of surprise crossed her face as she was being held in the arms of both men.

“We’re going to protect you and keep you safe,” Harley told her. “We’re not going to let anything bad happen to you. Clayton was just doing his job. You were in danger at the restaurant.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “But it was money for me to support myself.”

Harley reached up and wiped the tear away. “We’ve got some ideas. Let’s eat and then we’ll talk about your options.”

Her emerald eyes suddenly softened and the fear he’d seen on her face all day disappeared. Just like that, Harley had charmed her and now he needed to do the same.

“Everything is on the table,” she said. “Let’s eat.”

The two of them went outside and washed up, then came back in the house. As they entered, Harley turned and warned him.

“Don’t mess this up,” Harley told him. "I think she’ll agree if we give her all the reasons.”

“Which are?”

“She needs us,” Harley said with a grin.

Harley was the charmer and he was the one who made the ladies laugh and feel at ease. It was why they were a good team. When they stepped into the kitchen, she sat at the table waiting for them.

“Gentleman, which one of you would like to say the blessing?”

Stunned, they looked at each other. Finally, Harley spoke up. “I’d be happy to.”

The smile she bestowed on him made Clayton almost jealous. Someday he hoped she would smile at him that way.

After Harley said the blessing, they dug into the food, and Clayton knew the restaurant had just lost their best cook. And frankly, he didn’t care. Because, hopefully, she would soon be cooking for the two of them full time.

Once finished, they helped her clear the dishes away. After scrapping off the plates, she heated water and began to wash.

“I’ll dry,” Clayton told her.

She glanced at him, and he knew she was still angry. He hoped that tonight would clear away her anger.

“There’s something you should know about me,” Clayton said, thinking maybe now was the time to tell her about his parentage.

“What? All I know is that you like for women to starve,” she said.

If only she knew what it was like living in a brothel. The women were paid very little as most of their earnings went to the madam for food and board. And with a child, the mother paid extra, and that took most of his mother’s earnings. Sometimes when the business grew slow, they all sacrificed.

“No, I don’t. I’ve been hungry before. It’s not good.”

She gave him a sly glance and he could see she was intrigued.

“When did you go hungry?”

“Growing up as a child in the bordello where my mother worked,” he said.

Turning from the dishes, she gazed at him. “Your mother worked in a—”

“Yes, and I have no clue who my father is,” he said. “Could be any number of the cowboys she entertained.”

A look of shock was on her face, and she shook her head. “Oh, the things life teaches us. What was life like growing up in a bordello?”

No one had ever asked him this question, and it made him feel good that she was interested.

“It was different. The ladies were all my mothers. They took care of me until I was about fifteen and then my mother told me she loved me, but it was time for me to leave unless I wanted to work for the bordello. I never saw her after I left. Less than a year later, she died."

It had been heartbreaking when one of the women there had sent him a letter telling him about his mother’s death.

Rena was silent as she washed the same dish over and over.

“I think that one is clean,” he told her, and she turned to him, then for the first time since they were at the restaurant, she smiled.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” she said.

“Yeah, me too. But it’s been a while.”

Her brows drew together and he could see she wanted to ask a question.

“What were the nights like living there? Did you ever get tired of it? What all did you see?”

He laughed and knew her curiosity was a good thing. Because her interest about what went on in a whorehouse meant that maybe she was a little interested in sex.

“Most nights were quiet, but Friday and Saturday, it was a party house. Men were entertained by the women and then they would disappear upstairs where we would hear the loud moans and the noises coming from the rooms. When I was fifteen, my mother caught me looking through one of the peepholes and that’s when she decided I was old enough to leave.”

“Peepholes?”

“They are holes in the wall where you can watch people having sex. It’s especially interesting if they’re doing something kinky.”

She licked her lips and quickly rubbed another plate. “What does kinky mean?”

“It means they tied the woman up, or they would spank her, or sometimes two men would take her at the same time,” he said, watching her reaction. “Anything sexual that is different.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

Harley, who had gone into the bedroom, returned to the kitchen. “What are you talking about?”

“My childhood,” he said, glancing at the man.

“You told her about where you grew up?”

“Yes,” he said.

“You’re still here. She hasn’t kicked you out of the house yet?”

Maybe it was easy for his friend to make light of, but Clayton still worried. This woman was a God-fearing woman who probably worried about being forced to work in a whorehouse.

“Not yet,” he said.

Rena took the pan off the stove and began to clean it, at first not responding to his answer. Oh my, was she considering kicking him out?

Suddenly she turned and glared at him, her emerald eyes flashing with irritation. “Why would you think I would turn you out? We cannot control who we are born to or what happens in our lives. All we can do is try to help one another get through this journey.”

Stunned at her response, Clayton stared at her. No woman had ever said anything like that to him. For the first time in his life, he felt accepted by a woman.

“You’d be surprised at the people who want nothing to do with me after they learn who I am.”

She poured the tub of dirty water down a pipe that led out into the backyard. “Well, it’s not going to be me. You’re a good man even though you got me fired.”

When she put the tub away, Harley took her by the hands and led her to the table. “We need to talk to you.”

“All right,” she said.

Clayton joined them at the table, knowing that Harley was going to tell her about their lifestyle and how they enjoyed sharing a woman.

“Clayton and I have been friends for a long time. We have shared being injured, chasing criminals, fighting gun battles, and many lonely nights on the road. We know just about everything there is to know about each other.”

Taking a deep breath, Clayton picked up where Harley stopped. “We’re tired of being Texas Rangers. Of being alone. We want a family, kids, and a wife that will love both of us. We’ve even found some property to buy to build a ranch on.”

A little jerk came from her. Her emerald eyes grew large, framed by those dark lashes as she gazed at them in a curious way.

“We’re looking to purchase some land not far from here and want to start our own cattle ranch,” Clayton said even knowing that Harley had not yet decided one hundred percent.

“What do you want from me?” Rena asked. “Are you going to need a good cook?”

A smile crossed Harley’s face. “Oh, honey, we want more than just your fabulous cooking. We want you to be our wife.”

Her blonde curls tossed about her shoulders. “But I can’t marry more than one man.”

“You’re right,” Clayton said. “You would marry one of us, but we would both consider you to be ours. We would both claim you. Any children we have are our children. All we expect from you is to obey us. If you don’t obey, then you would be punished.”

She glared at him, and he wondered if she would consent to marrying him.

“I’m not a child. I don’t need punishment. I would ask for a loyal man who would protect me, shelter our family, and take care of us. Too many times in my life, there has been no one to take care of me.”

“We would always take care of you,” Harley said. “You never have to worry about working again. As your husbands, it would be our duty to provide for you and our children.”

Shaking her head, she stared at them. “Then how would you punish me, because I can tell you right now, I will not accept a man beating me.”

“Never,” Harley said. Clayton wanted him to talk about his past, to assure her that she had nothing to fear, but he didn’t tell her about his childhood.

“We would spank you if you disobeyed us,” Clayton said.

“Spank me?”

“Yes,” Harley said. “But we would never harm you or hurt you. But you would be punished.”

For a moment, she was silent and then she gazed at each man. “How would you claim me? One at a time?”

A grin spread across Clayton’s face. “Oh, honey, at first, we would only take your pussy, but eventually we will also take you in your ass. Now, I know that must sound terrifying, but really it's quite pleasurable.”

“All my life, I’ve dreamed of being in love when I marry. You men don’t love me,” she said wistfully.

“Not yet,” Harley said.

Clayton licked his lips. Oh, he knew he was already falling for her and they had only been together since last night, but there was something about Rena that his heart and soul recognized and wanted.

“Give it time,” he said softly, wishing he could promise her hearts and flowers and everything she deserved.

A sigh escaped her, and she gazed at the two men. “I have one condition before I will agree to marrying you.”

“What?”

“Can we go to Blessing's whorehouse and look through peepholes that Clayton was telling me about. I want to see what will be done to me. I need to know before I can say yes.”

The two men turned and stared at each other. This was the farthest from what he expected. And yet it really sounded exciting.

“Of course,” Harley said. “We’ll go tomorrow night.”

A smile spread across her face. “I can’t wait.”