After an hour of attempting to read, he slammed the book down, got to his feet, and decided to take the dogs out for a walk. There was no way he should be struggling to sleep. Not with the work he did on a daily basis, and yet, that was exactly what was happening.
The floodlights were off when he stepped outside. He took a deep breath of country air. There were more stars than he could ever count lighting up the night sky. Each step on the dry grass created a distinct crunch. They needed rain in the worst way.
The dogs didn’t have to sleep in the old barn, but some nights when it was too warm like tonight, they never came in the house.
He came to a stop when he heard a voice.
“I get to stay. Did you hear the news? I’m going to be the best housekeeper ever. I’ll make sure to get extra steak for you guys weekly.”
Annalise’s soft voice permeated the air, and Gabe paused.
She was in the barn?
Why didn’t he hear her move around? He swore she’d gone to bed hours ago.
The door was partially open, and he glanced through to see she was kneeling on the ground. She wore what looked like a pair of sweatpants and a negligee.
His dogs were lapping up the attention, and he knew why—she had treats.
How many times had she been in the barn since her arrival?
“I was so worried though. Yeah, I said something silly to Gabe, and I was scared he thought I was flirting.” She groaned. “I bet women are always drooling all over him, and I want him to trust me, you know?” She sighed. “It would be nice to not have to find another job. I love this ranch. Always have. I bet you guys love it too, don’t you? Running around, doing whatever you want.”
Gabe was worried she might spill some private details, so he cleared his throat and pretended to just arrive.
Annalise gasped and spun around toward him. “Gabe!”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She attempted to catch her breath. “Oh, it’s fine. This is your house and your barn and your land.” She quickly stood. “I … er … I couldn’t sleep.”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to explain yourself. You come out to the barn often?”
Only the flickering light of her lantern gave a soft wash of light to the immediate area.
“Not too often. Just when I struggle to sleep. I love dogs. I always wanted one growing up but was never allowed a pet.” She pressed her lips together and then smiled. “I better go inside.”
“The heat is distracting me. Do you want to take a walk with me?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure. I’d love to.”
He clicked his fingers, and the dogs got to their feet, heading out of the barn ahead of him.
Annalise crossed her arms, but it was too late. He’d already seen the delicious curves of her tits, and damn it, now he wanted to see them better.
Clenching his hands into fists, he remained silent as they walked, side by side, heading toward the first field. The full moon was high up in the sky, casting a gentle glow. All he wanted to do was touch her, to pull her in close, to taste her.
He kept his hands to himself and decided silence was the best course of action.
****
Vinny watched as Gabe threw another bale of hale onto the bed of the truck. The guy had been in a bad mood all day.
“What’s up with you?”
“Nothing.”
And he was touchy as fuck.
“Did you sleep well?” Archie asked. “Or did a certain housekeeper keep you up?”
Gabe shot a scowl toward Archie.
“What’s going on that I missed?” Vinny asked.
“Simple. Our good friend couldn’t sleep, went to go and walk the dogs as he often does, only to discover Annalise’s favorite spot on the ranch.”
Vinny smiled. In the past week, he’d noticed she had a soft spot for the dogs. All of them. She loved them, and he was shocked by how much they appeared to love her back. Not that he minded at all.
The dogs were a good judge of character.
“I had no idea she was in the barn,” Gabe said.
“Yeah, but I bet that you enjoyed watching those tits of hers in that silk negligee.” Archie smirked.
“The one with the lace?” If it was the one Vinny was thinking of, then he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Gabe. To be up close with Annalise in her skimpy nightgowns. It was a rare treat. One he wanted to see himself. He’d noticed her penchant for sexy lingerie the first night she stayed with them. In the bathroom, in the laundry basket, he caught sight of the softest lace he’d ever seen, and all he could do was imagine Annalise’s ass in them.
He’d gone to bed a happy man, especially after he took care of his raging hard-on in the shower.
Annalise had turned him into a horny teenager. This was bad news.
“The very one,” Archie said.
“Enough!” Gabe slashed his hands through the air. “You do realize she’s not a woman for you to drool over. She’s our fucking employee, and you’ve got to treat her with respect, not as an object for your desires.”
“Is that why you’re taking out your frustrations on the hay? You can’t have her so no one can?” Vinny asked.
Gabe threw the pitchfork to the ground. “I’ve got more important work to do. You two can clean this mess up while also thinking about the importance of using your heads and not your dicks.”
Vinny watched him go. “He’s going to be a pain in the ass.”
“When is he not a pain in the ass?”
He shrugged.
Archie grabbed the rake. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
“I’ve never seen him be so defensive like this, have you?”
“I think it’s because Annalise is different, you know? She’s not like other women,” Archie said.
“I want her,” Vinny said.
“I know.”
“You do as well.”
Archie looked up and nodded.
“So, what do we do?” he asked. “Because I bet part of Gabe’s problem is admitting that he wants Annalise just as much as we do.” He held on to the rake as he glanced back at the house. There was no sign of her. He’d found himself working near the house more often just to catch a glimpse of her.
The heat was killing him, and working out in the fields would be far more suited to his skills.
He wiped the sweat off his brow.
“Look, I know what you’re hinting at, but you might have to accept that it’s not going to happen like this.”
Vinny returned his attention to Archie. “And what do you think I’m hinting at exactly?”
Archie laughed. “You’re not that hard to read, Vinny. It’s simple, I know you think there’s a chance we can find the one woman that would get us. You don’t want any of us to leave or to find families elsewhere. We’ve been together for so long, all you see is us together in some kind of four-way.”
He tensed up.
There was a time he’d teased about them finding one woman between all three of them.
Gabe and Archie were not just his best friends, they were like his brothers. He never wanted to be anywhere they weren’t. He loved them both deeply, and knew if they shared a woman, if they fell in love with one woman, then no one would come between them. It sounded farfetched when he thought about it the first time, but now, he only saw the potential future in it.