Forever in Haven's Crossing (3 page)

“You’ve got quite the mouth on ya, sweetheart. We’re gonna have to work on that.”
What?
They both acted like it was normal to be holding her down and her words did nothing to deter them.

She couldn’t move at all. Caleb had her arms secured with one hand and her head held against his chest with the other. He could feel her heart racing as she attempted to fight, but he just let her keep going, knowing she would give out soon. When she finally did, he began to whisper in her ear, soothing words, like she were a little girl.

“Shhh, it’s okay, sugar. Everything’s gonna be okay. I got ya. I know you’re scared, but Doc is really good and is gonna make this as painless as possible.” Kim was surprised at how his words made her feel. She felt safe like this, in their arms. Her eyelids started getting heavy again.
Maybe I’ll just shut them for a little while.

“Hey, darlin’,” Logan whispered, as he shook her gently. “You need to open your eyes for me just for a few minutes and then you can go back to sleep.” Kim blinked, forcing herself to keep her eyes open. “Good girl, that’s it. Are you hungry?” he asked. She shook her head and readjusted her body on the couch. “Okay, well here’s some water. Go ahead and take a few drinks for me.” As she drank, he said, “That’s it—you’re doing just fine.”
So he
can
be nice.
“Can you tell me what happened, sweetheart?” he asked, watching her closely. She went on to tell him about the deer and losing control of her car. When he asked her where she was going, she looked down and didn’t say anything else. “That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me right now,” he said, as he put the blanket over her body and tucked her in.
Now? I don’t guess I have to tell you at all, mister. Now why am I being so rude to these men? They’ve only tried to help me. Because they’re
men
, that’s why.

Kim started to doze off again as she tried to figure out why she was so damn sleepy. She was awakened two more times during the night. Apparently Caleb had the second watch and he was just as gentle as Logan had been. After the last time, however, she started to get aggravated because all she wanted was to be left alone. “No!” she whined, trying to turn over on her side. A swat to her bottom immediately got her attention. She sat straight up and he was right there, looking at her, challenging her with his eyes. When she glared back at him, he grinned.

“You sure are a feisty one, aren’t ya?”

“I am when you hit me, you son of a—”

“Uh, uh, uh,” he said, waving his finger and shaking his head, wearing a smirk on his lips. “I’m warning you right now, sweetheart. There’s gonna be no more name calling or cussin’ out of you. If either one of us hear another inappropriate word—
or gesture
—then you’ll be getting more than just
one
swat. You’ll go over my knee and get a
real
spanking. And that’s not hitting—no man in Haven’s Crossing would ever hit a woman, but you can be damn sure a spanking is another story. So have I made myself clear?”

Kim was in shock, but she nodded.

“No, ma’am—I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes, it’s clear,” she mumbled, not looking him in the eyes.

“Good girl. Now do you want something to eat? Logan said you didn’t eat anything earlier.”

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” she respectfully replied, making Caleb chuckle.

“Well, I
do
appreciate the good manners, sugar, but I’m fixin’ you a sandwich anyway, ’cause you need to eat. Is ham and cheese okay?”

“Yes.”

“Mustard or Mayo?”

“Mayo, please.”

“Do you like tea?”

“You mean like hot tea? No, not so much.”

“Sweetheart, this is Texas. We drink
iced
tea around here.”

“Okay, I’ll try that, thank you.”

Caleb brought her a sandwich and glass of tea and she started to eat. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought,” she said between bites. “The tea is really good, too. Thank you.” When he smiled at her she thought, God, you’ve got a nice face.

“You’re welcome, little one.”

She looked down at the tea glass she was holding. “Why do you call me ‘little one,’ when I’m not really little?”

“Well, compared to us, you
are
little. Does it bother you to be called that?”

“I guess not. It’s just that nobody has ever called me that before. So, are you and Logan brothers?”

Another smile. “You sure are curious all of a sudden.”

“I guess I’m feeling better. My head isn’t hurting anymore, either. I’m really sorry for being so much trouble. And I’m sorry for calling you names. I usually don’t act like that.”

The way he watched her made her want to talk more. It was like he had some hypnotic powers and she couldn’t resist. He asked her why she was on the road so late at night and she started to blab everything from the time she walked in on Michael, up to waking up in the ditch. She then noticed Logan, now standing in the doorway, listening. She saw sadness in their eyes when she finished.
Well, that’s just great, Kim. I’m sure they wanted to know your whole life story.
She suddenly felt very self-conscious and embarrassed.
Now they’re going to feel obligated to help me—Stupid, stupid, stupid!
“Uh, I just want to thank you both for all you’ve done and I see the sun coming up now, so could you call a cab or give me a ride to town so I can find a hotel and look for a mechanic?” She threw back the blanket and started to stand. The dizziness hit her so fast she fell backward before she could even fully get up. Both Caleb and Logan were at her side in a second.

“You’re not goin’ a damn place, darlin’,” Logan said, as he laid her back against the pillow.

She heard Caleb on the phone with Doc and then heard him say “Will three days be enough?”
Three days? I can’t stay here three days!

“
Logan, I can’t stay here three days. Tell him, I can’t.” She could feel the panic flushing her body again.
What the hell is wrong with me? I never get this many panic attacks at once. It’s them. I feel so damn flustered around those two. I’ve got to get out of here. Myka—I need to talk to Myka.

“If Doc says you need to stay here, Kimberlee, I’m sorry, but that’s what’s gonna happen. We have plenty of room. It’s not a problem,” Logan said.

“How do you know my name?” she asked, looking at him cautiously as he got up and took something off the table.

“My purse! You got my purse for me?”

“I did. And I also looked at your driver’s license and got your name. Kimberlee. That’s a real pretty name, darlin’.”

“Th–thank you. My friends call me Kim, though. You can call me Kim if you want.”
Oh, that was smooth.

“So, we’re friends now? I’m not just ‘son of a bitch’?”

“Uh, I’m sorry about that, Logan. It won’t happen again.”

“I hope not,” he said, raising his eyebrow, just like Caleb had done earlier.

“You didn’t happen to see my phone, did you? I really need to call my friend and let her know I’m okay.”

“It wasn’t in your purse?” he asked.

“No, I had it with me when I started to walk, I think.” She started looking through her purse just to make sure. Her cigarettes were missing, too. “You didn’t see my cigarettes, did you?” When he didn’t answer, she looked up to see if he had heard her.

“I threw them away. You don’t need to be smokin’ anymore,” he replied, taking her purse and handing her a phone.

“What do you mean, you threw them away?” she said raising her voice and putting the phone back down. “They weren’t
yours
to throw away, number one, and number two, you don’t have a right to tell me whether I can smoke or not!” She was really starting to get pissed off now. “Who the hell do you think you are—you bas—” Caleb was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. “I didn’t say it, okay!” She made sure she sat up first before attempting to stand and then started for the door. “I’m getting the hell out of here.”

Logan stepped forward, blocking her escape. As he towered over her, he tilted her chin up with his finger, grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer, and then kissed her. Not a “yeah, we’re just gonna get to know ya” kiss, but a “holy hell, his tongue’s in my mouth and I think I’m gonna pass out” kiss. Kim tried to step back, but his arm tightened around her waist. She felt another body behind her.
Caleb?

“Just relax, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear while kissing the side of her neck. When he started moving to her back, to that sweet little spot between her shoulder blades that always drove her wild, she felt a warm tingle all over her body, causing her nipples to harden. Caleb felt her reaction and reached his hand around to cup her breast. Kim couldn’t think straight. What was happening? They were three grown adults, not some impulsive, sex-driven teenagers.

She was finally able to break her lips away from Logan. “We have to stop this,” she protested.

“Do we, now?” he replied, with a devilish little grin.

“Yes, we do—this is crazy!” she yelled.

“And why is this crazy?” Caleb asked. They had both looked at her, expecting an answer. She tried to ignore them, looking for a way to get out, but they kept watching her. “I asked you a question, Kim—and I expect an answer.” She couldn’t tell them what she really thought.
Because you’re both hot and you could have any woman you want—so why me?

“Because I’m not interested, dammit!” she yelled.

“You’re lyin’,” they answered in unison.

Now how the hell do they know that?

Logan looked down at her. “We don’t tolerate lyin’, darlin’, so I suggest you start telling us what’s goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours.” She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just stood there, looking away from their eyes. Caleb reached over and lifted her chin with his finger.

“He means right now, sugar.” It felt like they were looking straight down into her soul. This wasn’t comfortable at all. No man had ever cared what she thought and they
sure as hell
didn’t know when she was lying. How many orgasms had she faked over the years?

“I–I really don’t want to talk about this,” she said, hoping that would suffice. It didn’t.

“I know this may be difficult for ya, but you need to at least try. None of us are moving from this spot till ya do, by the way.” Caleb’s words were soft, but the intent was clear.

“Fine!” she said, glaring at both of them, knowing she had no choice. “We have to stop—because…” She couldn’t look at them when she said this and her voice was now close to a whisper. “Because you’re you and you could be with any women you choose…and, I’m just…me, so why would you even bother?”

Neither man spoke, which caused her to slowly raise her head. Both of them had such kind eyes, but she really couldn’t tell what they were thinking. “Let’s go sit at the table, darlin’,” Logan said, with his hand on her back guiding her in that direction. “It looks like we have some issues we need to discuss.” Caleb pulled out her chair.
Such gentlemen
.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, wondering what their little chat was going to consist of.

“How’s your head, sweetheart?” Logan asked, concern in his voice.

“Fine,” she replied quietly, feeling embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving. Logan looked at Caleb and they again spoke without speaking a word. She could see the hesitation in their eyes.

“We’d like to tell you about Haven’s Crossing, Kim,” Caleb began, choosing his words carefully. Over the course of the next hour, both men took turns giving her the history of the town and how close-knit the community really was. They talked about their family and the different types of families that resided there. They went on and on, but all Kim heard was “this is a place you will be loved and cherished.”
Who wouldn’t want that?
She could live with quirky rules and tradition. She could even wrap her head around having two men in her life, couldn’t she?

There was something in their eyes that told her they were real. They meant what they said. They weren’t fake.
But, how many times have I been wrong before?
They also told her they had better not ever hear her say another negative thing about herself again, because she was beautiful.
Beautiful?
She felt like Alice, finding herself in her own little Wonderland—but dammit,
Alice in Wonderland
was a fairy tale. Things like that didn’t exist. She had never had one man in her life who had not let her down in some way or other. She couldn’t trust like they wanted her to—but oh, how a part of her wanted to be able to. You know you’ll just get hurt again, her annoying inner voice so graciously reminded her. And then the familiar words, stupid, fat, ugly, not good enough, began to echo in her ears.

She must have zoned out because she was surprised when suddenly she heard Caleb asking if she was okay. “Are you with us, Kim? You need to tell us what you’re thinkin’, sugar. Talk to us.” She looked at them a moment before speaking.