“I need to talk to you about Annalise.”
He stopped and faced Vinny. Surely he couldn’t see inside his head. There was no way his friend knew about his obsession with the young redhead.
“What about?”
“She’s been here long enough for you to see she’s an asset. I’m going with Archie to pick up her stuff tomorrow. That all right by you?”
“You both want her on permanent?”
“What do you think? I’ve never eaten so well in my life.”
Gabe knew Archie and Vinny better than they knew themselves. Although he was only five years older, that was a lifetime when they were kids. It felt like he’d raised both men himself. He knew it was the reason they respected him and left the big decisions up to him.
He knew they both had a candle burning for Annalise. That didn’t bode well for him. No way would he let a woman come between the three of them. On the other hand, it wasn’t natural for a man to live his entire life without a woman. Gabe had visions of what he expected his life to be like at forty-five. It wasn’t this.
Maybe a happy ending wasn’t meant for him at all. Maybe it was just too late.
“I’m sure all you’re thinking about is food.” Gabe walked off toward his tractor.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You can fool yourself, but you can’t fool me. Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m not going to try anything.”
“I think you will,” Gabe said. “You’ve dated half the town.”
“That’s different.”
“No, she’s different. Annalise isn’t a fast woman. Not a toy to play with and toss when you’re tired of her. You’ll break her heart, Vinny.”
For once, Vinny didn’t laugh or even talk back. He stood rooted in place, even when Gabe looked back over his shoulder a while later. If he couldn’t have Annalise, at least he wanted one of his best friends to find their happily ever after with her. He only wished the best for them, forever sacrificing his own happiness and comfort for their well-being. It was all he’d known for decades.
He remembered one night when he was sixteen and the boys were close to turning twelve. Archie had snuck out of his foster home, and Vinny had run away from his again. They were starving, lost, and cold. Gabe had been on his own for a year, mucking out for farmers to make enough for food and a small room in the boarding house. Even at sixteen he was as big and strong as most men, so nobody ever questioned him working and taking care of himself.
Gabe had made them a pot of spaghetti, even though it was all he had. They ate like animals. He felt for them because he was them. They’d met because he’d been friends with Archie’s older brother. He died in a car accident two years earlier. The responsibility for Archie kind of fell in his lap. Vinny had been his best friend, so they were a package deal.
He always found it odd that child services never made much effort to get them back in the system. It was hard to place older boys with a violent streak and fucked up by childhood trauma. Nobody wanted them.
Now they were all men and doing well. He was still cooking for them—until Annalise showed up in their lives. It was good to have a woman’s presence in the house. It was something none of them ever had. But for once, it wasn’t as simple as sharing her. She was a human being, not a tractor or plot of land.
He headed out, blanking his mind as the rhythmic sound of the machinery took over. It took hours to clear the field. Others said it was boring or mind-numbing work, but for Gabe, it was relaxing. He loved the land, the smells, the sights. He was grateful for how far he’d come in life, even if things weren’t perfect.
By the time he headed back to the barn from clearing the field, he was exhausted in every way. What he needed was a shower and a good meal. He dusted himself off the best he could then headed into the mudroom. Gabe unbuttoned his padded jacket, hanging it up next to the others, then he began unbuckling his belt. He’d grab a quick shower, then head down for dinner. He could smell the food in the air, and it made his stomach rumble. The boys were definitely right about hiring on Annalise.
“Oh, sorry.”
He turned to find Annalise in the doorway of the mudroom, a pink apron wrapped around her curvy body. “It’s okay, I’m just heading upstairs for a shower.”
“I wanted to tell you dinner’s ready whenever you are. I didn’t mean to walk in on you like this.” Her voice was almost a whisper.
He felt the burn of her gaze on his skin. Gabe was just in his tank top, and luckily, he hadn’t dropped his jeans yet. He had to remember it wasn’t just the three of them anymore.
“No problem. I won’t be long.” Gabe gave her a friendly wink, but her cheeks flushed red almost on cue. He didn’t have to be told she was a virgin. They seemed to be scarce in their part of town. That fact only made her more of a temptation.
Chapter Three
Archie looked around Annalise’s mundane possessions and was shocked by how little she had.
“I thought women were supposed to be … you know…” He pointed at the room without finishing his thoughts.
“You think women are known for packing six hundred bags for a couple of days away?” Vinny asked.
“Well, yeah, look at this place. This woman doesn’t have a whole load of shit, and if memory serves, her family is supposed to be pretty well off.”
Annalise was in the other room, gathering stuff together, and he didn’t want her to hear him talking about her. The truth was that whenever he used to watch her at the diner, she always looked sad, out of place. People seemed to treat her as if she didn’t exist, unless something was wrong with their meal.
He always made the effort to bring a smile to those luscious lips. Damn it, just thinking about her mouth made him want to kiss her. Having her living with them was supposed to make this easier for him, but it was only proving to be incredibly difficult.
Archie’s feelings for her were not going away, not any time soon. It was very frustrating. In the past week, their lives seemed to change. The food she cooked was amazing, and he’d stopped visiting the diner simply because she wasn’t there to serve the food he wanted. Why go to a place when the person of his desires was living with him?
He wanted to claim her.
Gabe tried to play down his feelings for her as well. Archie had seen the way they had all looked at her, and each one of them wanted her.
Vinny was clearly smitten.
Gabe was in deep.
And himself, he wasn’t ashamed to admit how he felt about her—to himself anyway.
“Hey,” she said.
Her lips were slightly swollen from all the nibbling she’d been doing. A cute nervous tic of hers. She walked in, and he was enraptured by the sway of those full hips. Did she even realize how sexy she looked?
Archie picked up one of her suitcases, as did Vinny.
“Are you doing okay?” Vinny asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just an apartment.” She glanced around the room. “I did move in here straight after high school, you know.” She blew out a breath. “It’s just a place I’ve called home for a long time.” She turned her back, and Archie looked at her space.