Page 11 of Theirs to Keep

Regan wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. “What happened with your last cook?” Ahh, there it was. Katie was spreading false rumors around town again. He wanted to laugh at how petty she had become but knew that now wasn’t the right time to find the whole situation funny.

“Baby, nothing happened between us and Mrs. Lucas. She was more like a mother figure to Jamison and me. She retired a few months ago and we’ve been waiting for you ever since.” Regan laughed against him and the sound was magical.

“So, Katie wasn’t being entirely honest about your last employee? She told me that you two hired her just to have sex with her and then let her go after you were finished using her.” Ash must have made quite a face with the way Regan giggled at him.

“I can assure you we did not have sex with Mrs. Lucas.” Regan nodded her head still giggling about everything.

“What was up with that welcome home you just gave me?” Regan’s smile beamed up at him and he found himself wanting to tell her everything.

“I thought you left us. When you didn’t come back for lunch, I thought everything that happened between the three of us was just too much and you took off.”

Regan gasped, “Why would you think that Ash?”

He shrugged, trying for nonchalant. “I guess that’s what my mom did when I was about two. I’ve never really given it too much thought before, well until now. You being here with us has triggered me in some way and I’m not sure why.”

“Ash, I would never just take off, it’s not my style. If I want to leave I will tell both you and Jamison. I give you my word I won’t ghost you. That must have been terrifying being left like that when you were just a toddler.” Ash reached into the cab of the truck and retrieved her two bags. He wanted to just shrug off the whole subject, but he also wanted to open up to Regan. He felt a connection with her that he hadn’t with any other woman that they had been with.

“It wasn’t easy, especially for my dad but we made it through. After she left us Jamison and his dad were there to help us pick up the pieces. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if it wasn’t for Jamison. He’s more than just my partner here on the farm, he’s my brother.” Regan’s easy smile was back in place as they walked into the house and back to the kitchen. He liked the way she seemed interested in him. He wasn’t used to women stickingaround for too long after they spent the night with him and Jamison. Usually, the woman left early the next morning since Jamison had a rule about getting too attached. Ash couldn’t think of any other woman that they shared, knowing that she wasn’t going to be leaving the next day. He was afraid that Jamison might get a little antsy, knowing that Regan was going to be sticking around. So far, his friend seemed to be on board with keeping her around, at least it seemed that way before he found out how old Regan was.

Ash sent Regan up to relax in her room and set to work reaming out the store manager who sent Regan packing without her groceries. He sent their foreman Travis into town to retrieve the bags that Regan left behind and radioed Jamison to tell him to get his ass back to the house. They needed to figure out just what they wanted to do about keeping Regan because letting her go was becoming less of an option for him.

Jamison

Jamison finished up with the fence just as Ash called him to come back home. Regan finally made her way home and from the sound of it, she had some trouble in town. He should have known that she wasn’t the type to just run off, she had too much backbone to give up on them. But, seeing how Ash reacted to the possibility of her taking off scared him. His friend had come too far to be knocked down by a woman, especially one so young and with no other ties in the area. Nothing was keeping her here with them except one incredible night together and a job that she could get just about anywhere.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about her staying after finding out that she lied about her age. Twenty-two fucking years old was just too young or at least that’s how it felt. Ash never reminded him of his age but at thirty-eight, he was starting to notice differences between him and his best friend. Of course, Ash wouldn’t understand him being upset about Regan being so young. Ash was only twenty-nine. He wanted to be all right with everything, just go with the flow but he was ready to settle down. He doubted that at twenty-two Regan felt the same. She was just getting started in life and he and Ash were most likely just a goodtime, something to check off her fantasy wish list. Fuck, why did he care so much? Jamison knew that Ash was looking to find someone special to share. That was the whole reason they hired Regan in the first place. She was gorgeous and they thought she was old enough to know what she was getting into with the two of them. But, at twenty-two, she probably just thought of the two of them as a good time, and that rubbed him the wrong way.

When she came clean, telling them that she lied on her application because she was desperate to get away from her stepfather, he tried to be understanding. Judging from the little information that Regan shared, Jamison gathered that her dear, old stepdad wasn’t very easy to live with. His protective side wanted to make sure that she never had a reason to ever leave them and go back to that asshole. But his stubborn streak didn’t want to give up being angry at her for lying about her age and job training. He knew that if he brought the topic up with Ash his friend would insist that they keep her—both in their bed and as an employee. Seeing the way that Ash reacted to Regan not coming home earlier, he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. For now, Jamison would go along with their plan to put Regan between them. If it got too complicated he would bow out and let Ash navigate the relationship on his own. Ash deserved happiness, even if Jamison wasn’t sure that he would want to do the whole solo dating thing.

Jamison finished up in the barn and headed to the main house. He heard Regan’s giggle and Ash’s deep laugh coming from the kitchen and he knew that his friend was relieved that Regan made it back to the house in one piece.

“There you are, Jamison. I was about to come out and make sure that you didn’t need a hand with those fences.” Ash winked at him, and he knew damn good and well that he had no intention of leaving Regan to help with fixing the holes in the fence.

“Sure, you were, man.” Jamison smiled at the pair of them and found a beer in the fridge. Finding Ash and Regan cozied up in the kitchen, laughing and acting like a couple, made him feel like a third wheel. Maybe she had changed her mind about wanting them both. Ash was closer to her age and would probably make a better match for her if she was going to choose just one of them. He popped the bottle top off and downed half the beer in one long draw.

“Well, you two look cozy. What were you laughing about when I came in?” He took another swallow of his beer and didn’t miss the look the two exchanged.

“Katie is spreading rumors around town about the two of us again. Regan ran into her at the boutique and Katie gave her an ear full.” Jamison winced, the last thing he and Ash needed was Katie spreading more rumors around town about them.

“Fuck, what now?” Jamison was careful to keep his distance from Regan. He stood across the kitchen from her and Ash but every fiber of him wanted to walk across that kitchen and pull her into his arms to kiss her and remind her that she was also his. But was she? Not knowing where he stood with her was harder than he wanted to admit. Seeing how easy she and Ash were with each other made him long for that kind of relationship with her.

“She has outdone herself with her latest lies. She told Regan that we hired Mrs. Lucas to cook for us because we wanted to use her for sex.” Jamison just about spit his mouthful of beer across the room.

“You’re kidding? Mrs. Lucas is about twenty years older than I am. She was more like our mother than our lover.” Jamison must have made a face because both Ash and Regan laughed at him. The thought of him and Ash making a move on Mrs. Lucas was comical, to say the least. She worked for them for a few years after her husband died and retired a few months ago. She knewthem both since they were just boys, being friends with their dads. After Mr. Lucas died, she was looking for something to do and they couldn’t even boil a decent pot of water. It was a no-brainer, everyone benefited from Mrs. Lucas working for them. It pissed him off that Katie was spreading rumors about that sweet woman. He didn’t care what that snake of a woman said about him and Ash but to drag poor Mrs. Lucas into the kink they were into was just wrong. He thought about going into town to have a little chat with Katie, but he knew he’d be wasting his breath.

“You know when Mrs. Lucas catches wind of what Katie is saying about us, she’s going to head into town and shut down that rumor mill,” Jamison said around another swig of beer.

Ash nodded and smiled at the thought of Katie getting what was coming to her and they both knew that Mrs. Lucas was just the person to stick it to her.

“She sounds like an awesome lady. I can’t wait to meet her.” Regan looked hopeful and Jamison saw his opening to ask about her plans. He needed to make sure that she was sticking around and not just passing through. They needed a cook and if she couldn’t commit to sticking around, they would have to advertise the position again.

“What’s the plan, Regan? You sticking around or taking off?” He knew that his tone made him sound mean and uncaring but dammit, he had a right to be. She lied on her application and most bosses would have already fired her. Hell, most bosses wouldn’t have shared and fucked their new employee all night long.

Regan sighed and crossed the kitchen to where he stood stopping within arm’s reach and fuck, he wanted to reach out and pull her into his body. “I told Ash, and I’ll tell you, Jamison—I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay—well, that is if I still have a job here.” Jamison grunted not replying to her. What didhe say to someone making him another promise that might not be kept? He had a life full of empty promises and he was leery of being tossed another one.

“Just give her a chance, Jamison. She’s been through a lot today, but she still came back for us. With what Katie told her; most women would have run the other direction, but Regan came back and gave us a chance to explain.” Ash crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Regan, pulling her back against his chest. She willingly let Ash touch her and damn if Jamison didn’t want the same thing from Regan.

His expression soured, “You two seem to have gotten closer this afternoon. What exactly happened while I was out in the field?” He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He sounded like the jilted boyfriend and that was the last thing he wanted. If Ash and Regan decided to move forward with a relationship—they had every right. He would even try to be happy for them—happy being a stretch. What he wanted was to be a part of their relationship and not be left feeling like an outsider wanting so desperately to be a part of their secret group.

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