Page 10 of Theirs to Keep

“So, you're staying out there, at the farm then?” Regan nodded busying herself by looking through another stack of jeans.

“I am, the guys were nice enough to give me a room to stay in as part of my pay.” Regan looked at the front door and debatedwhether she should just leave, rather than deal with a game of twenty questions.

“Well, I’m Katie.” She held out her hand and Regan reluctantly shook it.

“Regan,” she all but whispered. Growing up the way that she did with no money and living in a trailer park, she learned who the mean girls were quickly. Katie struck her as a mean girl and Regan didn’t have time for games.

“I will take these jeans and those two shirts.” Regan handed the ever-helpful Katie her choices and hoped to be able to pay and make a hasty retreat.

“So, you have big plans for the weekend?” Katie asked. Regan shook her head and even shrugged a little. What else could she do? She had no idea what she was going to be doing over the weekend. Her big plan was not to get fired and sent packing. Hell, the huge plan would also involve Jamison forgiving her and spending the weekend in bed with her sexy new bosses.

“Well, you made some good choices here, I know for a fact that the guys will approve.” Katie gave her an exaggerated wink.

“Listen, Katie is it? I’m on a tight schedule here, so if you don’t mind just ringing me up and letting me get on with my day, I’d appreciate it.” Katie gasped as if horrified by Regan’s behavior.

“Northerners have no manners! You think you can come down here and steal our jobs and our men, well you have another thing coming missy.” Katie threw Regan’s new clothes into a shopping bag and handed her back her change. “You just watch yourself, Regan. Those new bosses of yours like to share their women and people around here don’t take kindly to that type of unconventional lifestyle. I’d hate for messy rumors to start spreading about you, what with you being so new to town and all.” Katie handed Regan her bag.

“Well, thanks so much for the advice, Katie. But I don’t give a flying fuck what you or anyone else in town thinks about me. Hell, tell everyone you know that I’m a giant slut for all I care.” Regan laughed at Katie’s exaggerated shock and turned to leave.

“You won’t last long, sweetie. They will use you for a few days and then shove you out the door, just like the last cook they hired. That’s what they do—hire attractive women, have their way with them, and then give them the boot. I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I’ve been raised better than to lie.” Katie’s fake smile seemed a little too forced.

“Jilted lover doesn’t look pretty on you, Katie. It makes you look downright ugly.” Regan turned on her heel and left, not wanting to go back and forth with good old Katie for one minute longer.

She threw her bags into the cab of the truck and buckled herself in. Was Katie telling the truth? Was this what Ash and Jamison did? Had they hired her just to have sex with her and then send her on her way? Regan wasn’t sure what her next step was going to be but what she did know was that she couldn’t go home, nothing was waiting for her at that trailer park. Trusting Ash and Jamison was her only option unless she wanted to end up sleeping in her truck again. She’d rather take her chances sleeping between the two men who could cause her more grief and heartache than she had signed up for.

Ashton

Ash paced the kitchen waiting for Regan to come back from town. She left a note saying that she was going to grab some groceries and be back in time to make lunch. It was after one in the afternoon, and she still wasn’t back and that scared the fuck out of him. What if she decided to bolt? Would she just leave town without her motorcycle or any of her belongings? Ash knew that he had insecurities about people leaving him but for some reason the thought of Regan walking away made him feel sick.

Ash knew that his insecurities stemmed from his mother ditching him when he was only two. After he was born his mother seemed to withdraw from everyday life. His dad told him that she suffered from postpartum depression and eventually, she just gave up and left when Ash needed her most. Even though he was just a toddler when his mom left he remembered the day so clearly. She was crying as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder, prying Ash’s little body off her own. She handed him over to his dad, turned her back on them both, and walked out the front door. His dad’s only response was, “I guess it’s just the two of us, Ash.” That was the last time his father spoke of his mother.

His dad tried to fill the void that she left but he was also busy making ends meet by bartending. Jamison’s father saw how they were struggling, and he was the one who came up with the idea for the two of them to buy the old plantation. The farm saved Ash’s life and gave his dad a purpose.

Another hour passed and Ash tried to do some chores around the house, sticking close to watch for Regan. Where the hell was she? The minutes ticked by and it was getting harder to find any work to take his mind off her. Did he have her pegged all wrong? Was she the type of person who could spend the night in bed with him and Jamison only to leave them both so easily the next day?

Luckily, Jamison had some work to do on the fences in the South pasture and left Ash alone most of the day. Jamison always seemed to know exactly what Ash needed even before he did. Maybe it was because Jamison was a few years older or maybe it was because his best friend knew him better than anyone else ever had. Ash could tell that Jamison was worried that Regan would leave for good too. The look on his face when Ash told him that Regan’s note said she’d be back at noon to make lunch, but she never returned, said it all. Jamison was just as worried about Regan but for different reasons. He seemed more concerned for Ash than for himself. Not just because he was such a great best friend but also because he never expected much from life for himself. Jamison learned never to hope for or want too much that way, he would never be disappointed. It seemed to work for him, but Ash worried that if his friend never opened his heart to anyone, he’d never find love. And wasn’t that what they were both looking for in a woman, even one that they shared?

Ash heard the pickup truck even before he saw it slowly coming up their lane. He didn’t want to run out to her truck and pull her into his body as soon as she turned off the ignition andjumped down from the cab, but he did. She looked surprised to receive such a welcome too but hell, he was so fucking happy to see her.

“What the hell, Ash? Shouldn’t you be out in the field or something?” He released her, looking her up and down as if inspecting her for injuries.

“Where the fuck have you been, Regan? You said you were going into town for groceries and would be back for lunch. That was hours ago, by the way.” Regan seemed nervous, and that was the last thing he wanted.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to make you guys lunch,” she whispered. “It won’t happen again. I just got caught up in town and it took longer than I hoped. They wouldn’t let me charge the groceries on your account. I had to leave everything at the grocery store and that was humiliating.” Regan covered her face and sobbed into her hands. Ash couldn’t help himself, forgetting his anger, he wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead.

“I’m so sorry, baby. Jamison or I will call down there and send Travis back to pick everything up.” She nodded her head against his chest and a part of him wanted to march right down to that grocery store and give the manager a piece of his mind. Actually, for making Regan cry, he wanted to punch someone in the fucking face but that wouldn’t end well for any of them. He and Jamison had developed quite a reputation around town. They didn’t need any more trouble heaped onto what people already thought about them.

“I knew I should have just called it a day after what Katie said about you and Jamison. She made me feel bad enough but being turned away because they thought I was trying to steal groceries on your account, felt plain awful.” Ash felt every muscle in his body stiffen.

“Katie? What did she say, Regan?” He knew what vile things Katie liked to tell people around town about him and Jamison. They shared one night with her, and they both regretted it ever since.

“She is not a very nice person, Ash.” Yeah—he already knew what kind of person Katie was. “The things she said about you and Jamison were disgusting.” Regan shivered against him, and he tightened his hold.

“What did she say, baby?” he asked again, and Regan hesitated. He was willing to wait her out though.

She sighed, “She said I am just a notch in your bedpost in a long line of women that you hire and have sex with. She called me a whore for working for the two of you.” Regan barked out her laugh, “Hell, what kind of woman jumps into bed with not one but both of her bosses on the first day on the job?”

“That’s not how it fucking happened, and you know it, Regan,” Ash growled. “What happened between the three of us felt right, don’t let Katie ruin that for us.” Regan looked up into his eyes and he could see the conflict that today had caused her. “Katie was a mistake baby—but you weren’t. Jamison and I didn’t know what to do about the fact that we liked to share women. Hell, at first it felt plain wrong. When we shared Katie, we were just starting to figure things out.”

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