Taking a Gamble on Three of a Kind (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

Speaking of claws, April certainly hadn’t lost hers since she had seen her last, nor had she lost her looks. She was dressed in a tight shirt and short skirt that did nothing to hide her curves. Even her long hair, that was now bleached blonde, was tied back in a ponytail like she had worn in high school. The girl was obviously stuck in the past.

“Hello, April. Nice to see you, too,” Jenny said, giving her the same courtesy of not smiling.

Ignoring the two women, Adam said to Luke, “April and I want to go over to The Cedars. They’ve got a real band, and we thought it would be fun to do some line dancing.”

“Sounds good,” Luke replied. “But I’m not going unless Jenny comes, too. You remember how to line dance, Jenny?”

Practically everyone in Brilliance knew how to line dance. It was almost a requirement along with knowing how to ride a horse.

“I don’t like dancing,” she lied.

“Now I know that’s a lie,” Luke countered, staring her right in the eye. “Your mother told us you won a dancing contest in eighth grade.”

Obviously, Adam had been telling the truth about her mother’s inability to stop talking about her.

“Good old Mom. Is there nothing she hasn’t told you two about me?”
She’s certainly kept a lot of things from me, including how close she’s gotten with all the Rowan men.

“So you do like to dance. You just don’t want to dance with me, is that it?” Luke’s stare was unnerving.

“Leave her alone, Luke. She obviously doesn’t want to come with us,” April whined, grabbing Luke’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“I said,” Luke said pointedly, his eyes never leaving Jenny’s, “that I wasn’t going unless Jenny comes, too.”

She didn’t want to go, but she didn’t want to sit here at the bar with the bartender waiting to pounce on her either. She also wasn’t ready to go home and face her mother. She still wasn’t sure what she was going to say to her, not that there were a lot of options. Making her feel worse than she already did wasn’t something she would take any pleasure in doing. She loved her mother, but right now she didn’t like her much.

“Give me directions. I’ll follow you there.”

“Adam and I came here together with April. I’ll ride with you. That way I can make sure you don’t get lost.”

“Smart man,” Adam said. “We’ll see you there.”

Adam and April walked away from them and toward the door. Luke put some bills down on the counter.

“I can pay for my own drink.”

“I’m sure you can. But I’m paying for it. No argument.”

Arrogant and bossy. He obviously was used to getting his own way. She didn’t want to cause a scene, and it was only one beer. She picked up her purse that was hanging on the hook under the bar before she stood up. Luke draped his arm across her shoulders. He must have felt her stiffen.

She felt his breath on her ear. “Just directing you toward the door and through the crowd,” he said, bringing her body closer to his.

As soon as they were out the door, Jenny moved away from him. “My car’s over here,” she said, walking in front of him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said mocking her.

She pulled out the keys from her purse and pushed the button to unlock the doors. Luke moved in front of her and opened the passenger-side door and grabbed the keys from her hand. He walked quickly to the driver’s side.

“You’re not driving,” Jenny said, wondering who he thought he was.

“I’m driving,” he said, his hand on the door handle. “I know where we’re going and it will be easier this way. You can relax and enjoy the ride. Besides,” he said snidely, “this way you won’t have to worry about what I’m doing with my hands.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested in getting me in bed, not that you’d have any luck in that department.”

“I did say that, didn’t I?” he asked, opening the door. “However, I’ve been known to change my mind. Best that I drive.”

“You really are something, Luke Rowan. Give me the keys and stop bossing me around.”

He continued to look at her with an innocent smile on his face. “I’m doing this for your own good.” He slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door behind him.

And he called her stubborn. Sighing, she slid into the passenger seat without looking at him. She slipped on the seat belt and tried to stay calm. Luke was a forceful man who liked to take charge. She’d be lying if she said he didn’t turn her on, however, he was a Rowan and that complicated everything. All she wanted to do was relax and forget her troubles for a little while and although she was hard-pressed to admit it, maybe Luke was what she needed tonight. She could feel the tension leaving her body.

* * * *

Adam and April had already found them a table when she and Luke entered The Cedars. Most everyone was dressed in costume. Lots of leather, fringe, and cowboy boots. She looked down at her jeans and high heels. She wasn’t even sure she could dance in these shoes.

“You look great. Those shoes really show off those long, lovely legs of yours,” Luke whispered in her ear before pulling out a chair for her.

Once again she thought about a time when she would have loved for either one or both of the brothers to have said something like that to her. However, times had changed, and she wasn’t that girl any longer. She liked being free to choose and do as she liked where men were concerned. She had never been in love and was glad now more than ever. If loving someone like her mother had her father was the catalyst for such an abrupt change in personality when they were taken away, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to give another person the power to destroy her like that.

“Things are in full swing here,” Adam said, laughing at his play on words.

“Adam, sometimes you’re so corny,” April said, looking up at him adoringly. “And, you,” she said, turning to Luke, “were such a gentleman to make sure Jenny found the place.”

“Hey, that’s us. Corny gentlemen,” Luke said, giving Adam a conspiratorial wink.

Jenny turned her head toward the dancers and away from April, who was practically sitting in Adam’s lap. She hadn’t been out dancing in a long time. She found herself enjoying the way the men and women moved with such grace and precision.

“When this dance is over, I’m dragging you out on the dance floor if I have to,” Luke said as the waitress approached their table. He ordered beers for all them. What if she hadn’t wanted a beer? Luke was way too sure of himself for her. The song ended and many of the dancers dispersed. However, a good many stayed put, waiting for the next song.

Good to his word, Luke grabbed her hand. She didn’t feel like being dragged, so she followed him onto the dance floor. However, he turned and looked down at her feet.

“Kick them off. Barefoot is better.”

She hated to admit that he was probably right. Her heels were way too high for dancing. She slid them off and kicked them toward their table. April and Adam walked right in front her.

“Whoa, there,” Adam said, dodging a shoe. “Those things are dangerous.”

April just shook her head and pulled Adam out onto the dance floor and away from Jenny and Luke. For some reason she felt incredibly nervous, and that made her mind go blank. She froze. Thankfully something clicked in her brain just as the music started and she found her feet moving in sync with Luke’s—right, left behind right, right again, and then the left meets the right. She repeated the steps, adding to them as the dance progressed.

Luke was an excellent dance partner. They had only danced a few dances before she begged him to let her rest. “I think I’m out of shape,” she said breathlessly.

“It’s like riding a bike. Once you learn how, you never forget.”

Jenny nodded, grateful he was leading her off the dance floor and back to their table. She picked up her shoes before she sat down. She slipped them back on.

“You need a pair of boots.”

“I have a couple pairs. I just haven’t worn them in a long time.”

She lifted her bottle of beer to her lips and practically emptied it. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. The waitress was passing by and Luke ordered another round for the table.

“So,” he said, bringing his attention back to her, “when do you have to go back to school?”

His question should have been an easy one, but in light of the evening’s revelations, it almost brought tears to her eyes. She wasn’t going back to school. The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. She stared at the beer bottle before she lifted it to her lips.

“It’s not a trick question, Jenny.”

“I think I’m going to sit this next year out. Take a break.”

“Does your mother know?” He asked with what seemed like real concern.

“Yes. She does and she agrees with me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. We have some things we need to work out together. Missing a year of school isn’t the end of the world. Students going for their doctorate in art history don’t always finish in four or five years. Some go as long as eight.”

“Is that what you want? Funny that your mother never mentioned you weren’t going back at dinner the other night.”

“She has dinner with you guys a lot, does she?”

“Doesn’t she tell you anything about us?

“No, not really.”

“That’s a little strange,” he said, looking at her as if she were somehow to blame. “Well, she comes over a couple times a week. Dad takes her out for dinner, too. They enjoy being together. It makes no sense to me why she won’t marry him unless there’s an obstacle she hasn’t told him about.”

“She still misses my dad. I’m not sure she’ll ever get remarried.”

“My dad misses my mother, too, but being alone for the rest of your life when there’s someone who you care for that wants to be with you, that’s crazy. She needs to move on.”

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m not going back to school.”

“What do you mean?”

“The moving on part. She does need to move on, and I’m going to help her do it.”

Luke was silent for a moment. “Am I missing something here? I get the feeling you’re holding something back.”

Jenny shook her head. She wasn’t about to tell him that her life was in ruins and moving on could mean moving away from the home she had always loved. “No. Just that she needs me now and I’m going to be here for her.”

Again, Luke just stared at her. “Do you not like my dad?”

“Your dad’s a great guy. Of course I like him. I always have.”

“Sounds like you might be trying to break them up or something.”

“You’re way overanalyzing this conversation,” she said guardedly. “Whatever our parents do, it’s their decision. I’m not my mother’s keeper.”

“Good. I’d hate to see two nice people like them break up because of something or someone acting stupid.”

Silently they watched the dancers. Several dances later, Adam and April came back to the table. April downed the one beer and picked up the other bottle Luke had ordered for her.

“I do love to dance,” April said with a giggle. “Now it’s your turn, Luke.” April jumped up from the chair and held her hand toward Luke. “I want to dance with you now.”

“Duty calls,” Luke called over his shoulder as he let April lead him out onto the dance floor.

Adam sat next to her and stretched his legs. “I like to dance, but taking a break is nice, too, but if you want to dance…”

“No. I’m fine just watching.”

“I like your hair long. You always used to wear it in a bob or something like that.”

“Thanks. My dad liked it short. But I like it longer now.”

“Everything okay with you and Luke?”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. I looked over your way a few times, and it looked like you two were involved in a pretty heavy conversation.”

“I told him I wasn’t going back to school and he read a lot more into it than was necessary. That’s all.”

“You’re not going back to school? Why?”

“If you don’t mind, Adam. I’m talked out about school. Luke can fill you in later. It’s no big deal.”

“It doesn’t sound like it’s no big deal, but if you don’t want to talk about it, we’ll talk about something else.”

Jenny smiled. Adam was obviously still the quieter, less aggressive twin. He was equally as handsome, but he didn’t have Luke’s edginess. “So tell me about your medical practice with your Dad. What made you two decide to come back to Brilliance? I thought you both might practice at some city hospital.”

“We thought about it. We could have, we had offers, but we both agreed that we wanted to come home to Brilliance. We love it here and it’s a growing place, even with the economy being so bad. There’s a future here, and besides that, it’s home.”

“I did see a few new developments here and there, but according to my mom, the real estate business has been in a downward spiral.”

“That’s true in most places, but I got the impression from my dad that your mother’s been one of the lucky ones. I mean, she’s pretty busy, keeps a lot of late nights with clients. Those developments you saw, she’s the one that’s been selling them.”