Poppy's Passions (7 page)

"Yeah, right, and you're horrible you know,” she said with a weak laugh.

"I'm always right, babe. It's good you've figured that out so soon.” Trevor chuckled.

Silence stretched between them for a long minute, while she processed not only their proposition but what it could mean. Three men, one woman, her as that woman. It could be wonderful, she already knew that, but there had to be a down side. Something too good to be true in the equation.

"Would there be other men? Other women?” she asked in a little voice. There were so many questions she had to ask but wasn't ready for the answers. An idea was growing of what she wanted, but she couldn't allow herself to be shocked if they were picturing something else.

"Would you want that?” Michael asked calmly, raising a hand as Cody and Trevor immediately protested.

It was rare when she couldn't tell what people wanted to hear and looking into Michael's eyes she didn't know what he expected her to say. The past few days had been eye opening, especially where Michael was concerned. She knew he genuinely wanted her opinion free of pressure, which was why he'd shut the other two up.

"I wouldn't want others.” The bottom lip between her teeth was sore from her nervous habit, but if they were going to embark on this fantastic plan, she needed them to be honest, which meant she had to do the same.

"Thank fucking God,” Trevor blurted. “I might have tried for like a second to deal with it, but the thought of another dick in bed with us? No way. And another woman is just begging for trouble. Remember how those two chicks started fighting in Phoenix? Everything was nice and then, bam, crazy."

"I think we've got the right number,” Cody agreed, and she was relieved Trevor was once again ignored, because she didn't want to hear anything more about their past conquests, crazy or not. “The three of us have spent the last few years looking for a woman to love for the rest of our lives, together, individually, and not just for sex. We want this visit to turn into you staying with us. We're willing to help you find a job you like, a place closer if you don't want to stay with us. We're going to support you whether it's helping with a new career or making sure you can stay at home with the babies."

"I vote for the last one,” Trevor added. She could not imagine what would prompt his preference, and it must have showed in her expression because he continued. “Hell yeah, if you stay home with the twins then you'll probably breastfeed, and I'll get to watch. No other assholes in the mix though, babe, please. I can share you with my brothers because they are my brothers and we're doing this for the right reasons. Any other jack off and I'll end up kicking ass and taking names."

"That's...that's almost sweet,” she replied and laughed at the pure outrageousness of his words. “Okay, we'll do this. The four of us will find a way to make this trip work and if it does we'll see what happens."

"That's all we can ask,” Cody allowed, but she could see how pleased he was with her tentative agreement. “If you're willing, darlin', we'll make you the happiest woman in the country."

With every promise she felt herself being pulled deeper and deeper into whatever it was she was feeling for the men around her. It wasn't love, Cody was right when he said they weren't there yet, but it was something. Affection, not so subtle, was definitely there. Respect, growing every day, was also present. When she leaned in to Trevor's side again it was where she wanted to be and there was no doubt in her mind she was welcome.

The seatbelt light turned red. “Buckle up, beautiful,” Michael said. “We'll be in Missoula in a few minutes. My truck is waiting in long term parking, so we should be on the road soon. Cody, you're driving this time and shut it, Trevor. I call backseat with Poppy. You two assholes are hogging her."

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Between flirting and getting to know each other, Cody had mentioned the ranch was in Montana, but once the plane landed Poppy realized she hadn't known exactly what that meant. She'd seen mountain ranges on TV and in books, but they didn't do reality justice. Located in the western part of the state, surrounded by the Garnett Mountain Range, the area was nearly enclosed by mountains shooting up on all sides.

Everything was supposed to be bigger in Texas, but Montana did big well too. The greatness in size wasn't the only thing that caught her attention. The trees were equally astounding, like a giant Christmas tree farm all around. The early November air was chilly and smelled amazingly different from Texas, where for months at a time, dust was the main fragrance.

Like at any airport, security was a pain but thanks to their small flight size they passed through much more quickly than in San Antonio. Michael and Trevor kept her occupied in the gift shop for twenty minutes while Cody got the truck ready. She'd never had to wait for a vehicle to be warm enough to drive.

She thought it was silly and indulgent, at least until she stepped outside and got her first feel of Montana. Mentally she took back all her eye rolls and scoffs as she hurried to the truck where the heater was blowing. When Michael sat beside her, she buckled in and did her best to crawl beneath his skin even though the cab was warm.

The landscape changed as they drove out of the city. The trees and mountains, unfettered by manmade buildings and highways, offered a whole new definition of beauty. Texas didn't come close to the grandness of the Paraby's home state.

Cody was especially prideful as he explained his Montana and how he and Paul focused on cattle ranching and conservation. She realized they had more in common than she thought when he talked about leaving the ranch to go to agriculture management school. He hadn't enjoyed school, she could tell from the way he talked, but he'd used it as a means to an end, and the end was the land.

She loved that he was so animated and in tune with what he did and envied him his passion. He spoke of the land with such affection she couldn't help but be excited to see it. Trevor and Michael didn't have the same love for ranching but they added to Cody's monologue as they rode. She'd never been hunting, fishing, or even hiking much but she had a feeling she would be trying it all before long.

Driving up the goat trail leading to their home, Poppy envied Cody's ease behind the wheel of Michael's huge truck. The graveled grade was steep and though it was wide, at times it became impossibly windy. The hairpin turns had her grabbing Michael and holding tight, even as Cody drove with expert care.

The snow was bright white, reflecting the sun in a lit path between the trees. Growing up and spending almost her entire life in southern Texas, she was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the mountains and trees, the snow, by almost every single thing. While the cold air felt foreign and frigid, she still found herself intrigued by the differences from the world she knew.

"We'll cut a Christmas tree off that hill,” Michael said, and she turned to where he pointed to rows of huge pines. “That's only eight weeks away. Can you take pregnant women on snowmobiles?"

"Poppy?” Cody asked.

"Hmm?” Turning her attention back to the conversation after watching a brilliant red cardinal fly into a wall of evergreens was one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

"Can pregnant women ride snowmobiles, darlin'?” Cody repeated, his half grin adorable in the rear view mirror.

"I don't know. I've never ridden one before, pregnant or not."

"We'll ask Duane,” Trevor said, as they turned onto a precision cleared driveway with a charming, cabin shaped mailbox and little shed at the end. “Looks like he let Paul off full bed rest. About damn time."

"Who are Duane and Paul?” Comfortable under her jacket and Michael's truck coat with the heat blowing steady, she was ready for a few more answers. “Wait, Paul's your dad, right? He had a heart attack."

"It was a minor one. He calls it an ‘episode’ to downplay it sometimes, but Duane never forgets to remind him how close he was to a code blue,” Cody answered. “And they are both our dads, Thomas too."

"Our mother's name is Mary,” Trevor added. “And snowmobiles are just about the only way to get around here sometimes."

"Oh, so that's why you think this can work,” she said, forgetting about the snowmobiles as relief flooded her. She wished the men had mentioned they had more than theory to back their relationship aspirations. “Your parents have a plural marriage."

"Yep. Polyandry, it's called with multiple husbands. They've been together thirty-seven years. Paul figured in our teens we'd go this route too. He always said to be patient and we'd know the right woman when we found her,” Michael told her. He helped her adjust more snuggly between his legs, stretched over the back bench seat as the ride pushed past the hour mark. “He was right."

"And Mom is going to be thrilled, another hen in the house and two baby girl chicks on the way,” Trevor added.

"Oh, my goodness, that's your house?” Poppy asked, ignoring Trevor's words because the sudden presence of multiple father figures in their lives was an unexpected turn she couldn't think about. The trees had parted, and the sight before her was enough to make anyone go off topic. “It's beautiful."

"Yeah. Thanks. We built it three years ago with our own twelve hands. There would have been fourteen, but Mom decided to supervise after the dads almost came to blows over grout colors,” Trevor explained. “I broke my damn thumb putting in the kitchen cabinets and couldn't work for days."

"It's that hard to play video games with a sore thumb?” she asked.

He wiggled them both theatrically. “It's a little hard to work the controls in a thumb cast. And it was my space bar hitting thumb too, so programming was a pain."

"Mom might have helped after the great grout fiasco,” Michael added, “but Trevor dropped a box of nails on her foot and Paul almost ran her over with the skid loader.” Poppy laughed because the affection in his tone assured her they'd laughed too. “It was for the best in the end really, things got real ugly for a while when Duane tried to drive it."

A huge log structure with a high awning covering part of the circle drive stood proudly at the end of the road, imposing in its size but in a hospitable style. There looked to be two wings on either side of a tall A-frame axis, each with its own three car garage, all well lit and welcoming. Log facades were popular in Texas. Some even paid to have the real things trucked in to build homes with, but Poppy had never seen one with such character.

Lights blinked to life as the truck approached. Through the uncovered windows Poppy could see figures moving around, the isolated spot offering more privacy than any curtains.

Several buildings surrounded the house. She recognized a machine shed, chicken coop and barn down a split of the driveway a bit further up the road. They were all bright red, just like she thought farm buildings should be, and covered in fresh white snow. It was like something off a cocoa advertisement or a Currier and Ives painting, and nothing at all like the farms and ranches she was used to in Texas.

There was a sort of pretty, rustic perfection she found charming as she tried to take it all in. She felt things moving into place inside of her, a warming acceptance only encouraged when Michael kissed her ear softly.

She snuggled closer and sighed when he took a breath and said, “Welcome home."

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Time was ticking, Michael thought as they pulled into the garage. He knew Cody and Trevor were also aware that their mother would descend upon them any moment. They hustled Poppy through their wing to her bedroom, promising the full tour after she'd freshened up from the trip. Cody brought in her luggage and steered her to the bathtub Trevor had filled, closing the door so she could have some privacy.

Really they needed to talk without her listening and didn't have much time. Their parents would be over soon and particulars they'd delayed discussing while Poppy was ill still needed to be hammered out. The older generation of Parabys was less than subtle about their desire for grandbabies in the house. When they'd headed back to San Antonio their parents asked all kinds of questions. They all knew they'd gotten away easy by sharing bare details, but they needed to have some real answers when their mother poked her head in.

"Listen up, boys. Poppy would rather not say anything about the babies yet,” Michael announced.

He spent a lot of time with her after the shooting, especially after learning she was pregnant. He wasn't necessarily proud of himself, but he'd prodded a little when she'd been weak and tired. In the first few hours after she woke, he'd gotten the full scoop on why she was hesitant to make announcements. The reasons weren't happy ones, and they were important to her so they were important to him.

"Why?” Cody demanded.

"Yeah, that sucks. Mom's going to be pissed about the arm and crazy Japanese racer. I need granddaughters, one for the arm and one for the asshole with the gun,” Trevor added, straightening the sheets they'd changed before they left for San Antonio. At the time, bringing her back had been a wish, a fond desire. Now that she was actually in their space, it had to be perfect.

"From what I understand, she miscarried six months ago and shouldn't have gotten pregnant again so soon. She should be fine, but there's always a chance she could miscarry again. The odds aren't high, but she isn't comfortable telling people yet.” He held up his hand when they started raining questions on him. “She didn't give me many details, but there's a broken engagement in there along with a dash of ‘her daddy's an asshole.’”

"Damn it,” Cody said. “I knew something was wrong. It's like she wants to be excited about being pregnant, but she doesn't like talking about it either."

"Fuck,” Trevor groaned. “I should have noticed that. Hell, do you think Mom knows I'm too old for a spanking?"

"I don't think you'll ever be too old, Trevor Paul,” Mary Paraby declared from the door. “Where is she? You boys blockaded around her so I couldn't even get a look. Her name is Penny?"