Authors: Rebecca Joyce
Tags: #Romance
Caleb had no problem sharing a woman. Hell, they had shared women since he was sixteen. It was the thought of giving up everything, all that he could see, that rankled him. He had worked too damn hard just to piss it all away.
Since the true nature of the town charter had come to light, he, his brother, and the neighboring ranches had all banded together, trying to reverse it. It was one thing to continue on with family tradition, but to opt out and be left with nothing was totally different. Besides, when he and Jeff were told that even if they married, they would still not inherit, everything would go to the wife, and then the children, well that did it for him.
There was no way in hell was he going to be break his back day in and day out on land that was technically not even his, and he sure as hell didn’t care what the fucking town charter stated. This was Hicks land, and he aimed to keep it that way.
The crunching of gravel had him turning in the saddle. “Well Cody, looks like big brother is home. Better go see what Annie cooked for dinner this time,” he said to his horse as he headed back to the house.
He arrived just as Jeff was getting out of his black Ford F-150. “How’d the coffee run go?”
“The coffee was beautiful today.”
“Really, so you said hello?”
“No.”
“Well, sittin’ and drinkin’ is all fine good, but, bro, you gotta let the woman know you’re interested.”
“I know.”
Punching his brother in the arm, Caleb smiled. “Come on and let’s go see what Annie has managed to scramble up for dinner tonight.”
“I’d rather eat cow patties.”
Antoinette Catherine Hicks was the only female within three generations of the Hicks family, and the baby sister of Jeffery and Caleb. They adored their baby sister. She was funny, a hard worker, smart as a whip, and could do almost anything she put her mind to, except for one thing. She couldn’t cook a lick!
“Can’t get any worse than that poor chicken she mutilated last night. Poor thing didn’t deserve to die that way, and just what was that pink stuff she served with it? I still can’t figure out what it was.” Caleb shuddered, remembering the nasty concoction.
“It was mashed potatoes, I think.”
The moment they stepped foot on the front porch, they heard the loud, frustrated scream. Running into the house, they came to a complete stop as they reached the kitchen to find their baby sister covered in flour, throwing a hissy fit on the floor. The black smoke coming from the oven looked ominous, but it was the rancid bubbling brew of goo on top of the stove that had them grimacing in fear.
“That’s it! I can’t take it anymore,” the red-eyed petite blonde said, slapping her hands on the floor. “I am going back to Celestial. Ask Macie to cook for you,” she finished.
Knowing when to keep their mouths shut, they quietly watched as she got up, brushed the flour from her face, packed her clothes, and stormed out of the house.
Walking over to the stove, Caleb turned off the oven and removed whatever concoction was in the deep-dish pan. Thinking it was once roast beef, but now looked like a shriveled pile of cow dung, he opened the back door and threw it into the yard.
“Well, shit,” Jeff said, taking the boiling pot off the stove and putting it in the sink. “What the hell are we gonna do now? Neither of us can cook. Hell, we can barely make a grilled cheese sandwich.”
“I’ll get the peanut butter and jelly, and you get the bread.”
How she let Macie talk her into cooking for two strangers she would never know. But Janie had given her word, and she never went back on her word.
Instead of her quiet weekend reading, relaxing, and researching, Janie spent hours going over every cookbook she could find in the town’s library. She took notes, copied recipes, and even checked out some videos on how to prepare quick and easy meals.
After spending way too much money at the grocery store, Janie loaded up her hands with bags and walked home to cook for two men she had never met.
The first dish she attempted seemed simple enough, roasted chicken with garlic potatoes and fresh snap peas. But when the fire alarm started to blare, she realized that just maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew. Besides, with the chicken burnt, she couldn’t serve the potatoes and peas, so she threw it all in the trash and started again.
The second meal wasn’t much better, but hey, she didn’t burn it this time. But there was something off with the meatloaf.
Was meatloaf supposed to be sweet?
Looking back over the recipe, Janie soon realized that she inadvertently added sugar instead of salt. So after scrapping another meal, she began again.
By Monday morning, she had cooked over five meals, and only one of them was edible. Nothing said home cooked like a big bowl of spaghetti, and that was exactly what the Hicks brothers were getting.
Now all she had to do was figure out how to get it to them.
By the end of the week, Janie had her new routine down pat. Before going to bed, she would cook whatever she felt like, but generally it was something that could be frozen and then reheated, thanks to a cookbook she found for quick and easy reheatable meals. After cooking the meals, she would store it in a nice oven-safe dish, and freeze it overnight. By morning, she would wake early, dress, and be out the door, arriving at Macie’s, who would then take the dish and hold it till one of the brothers would show up.
Everything was working perfectly except one little thing. She could not afford to keep feeding them.
The Hicks brothers were eating her out of house and home!
* * * *
The door chimed, letting Macie know she had a customer. Looking up, she smiled as Caleb walked in and sat right in front of her. “Hey, sugar. What are you doing here this early? I haven’t even fired up the grill yet.”
“In town gettin’ the feed—I figured I would save Jeff the trip and pick up dinner,” he told her, taking his ball cap off. “So, what’s on the menu tonight?”
“No clue. It hasn’t arrived yet.”
“What do you mean? I thought you were making the meals.”
“Nope, I just hold them till Jeff comes.”
“Damn. You mean to tell me for the last month, someone else is cookin’ for us?”
“Yep.”
“Who?”
“Oh, just wait a minute. Your food should be here momentarily.”
Just then, the front door bells chimed again, and in walked the shy librarian. Looking flustered and out of breath, Janie rushed over to Macie and handed her the casserole dish. “Sorry, I’m running a little late this morning. The power went off in the condo last night, and it’s still not back on. I hope the dinner didn’t spoil. I better get going. I am already late opening the library, and I have that reading group coming over from the elementary school this morning.
“Tell the brothers if they want more meals, they are going to have to start paying for them. I can’t continue to feed them on my salary, okay?”
“Will do, hon.” Macie smiled as Janie turned and ran out the door.
Macie turned and walked right up to Caleb and handed him the casserole dish. “Better get this home quick and put it in the freezer.”
Caleb was struck dumb.
The woman they had been pining over, the woman they believed was too sweet and too shy, the woman they believed was the perfect submissive for them was, for the last month, cooking their meals.
Having another look at the little shy creature, he had to admit she was a striking little thing. Hell, she would barely come up to his chest. But what he found most attractive about her was the way she looked flustered.
She was almost frantic at the thought of being late. He never saw a woman who actually bothered with the thought of time. Every woman he had ever known could care less if they were five minutes, thirty, or, hell, even an hour late. But watching little miss librarian, he could see that it mattered to her, and that her job mattered.
“Uh, Macie, does Jeff know Janie has been the one feeding us?” he asked, looking out the window as Janie crossed the street.
“Nope.”
“Does she still come in on Fridays to get her apple pie?”
“Yep.”
“Do me a favor.” He began reaching for his wallet and taking out a twenty. “Give her a whole pie. Tell her it’s on the house for feeding us.”
“While you got that thing out, better fork over the rest of that cash,” Macie said, eyeing the two hundred-dollar bills still visible. When Caleb looked at her funny, Macie reached in and took the cash. “You heard the lady. You boys are bleeding her cupboards dry!”
Caleb left Macie’s with casserole dish in hand and an empty wallet. He looked across the street at the town’s library as an idea popped into his head.
It was a large two-story brick building, which looked more like a jail than a place of knowledge. Built back shortly after the town was founded, it was originally the town’s courthouse, and then later a jail. But when a fire damn near totaled the building back before the First World War, the townsfolk raised enough cash to rebuild the building into a library. Since then, that big red building had seen more children run through its doors than it ever did criminals.
After placing the dish in the front seat of his Jeep, Caleb decided it was time to renew his library card.
* * * *
Janie had just settled the first grade elementary students with a video when she heard the bell signaling another person had just walked into the library. Since this was a public place, she didn’t rush to greet the visitor. Pushing her cart down the carpeted aisles, she began putting books back into their correct places.
The quiet hush of the solid brick building was soothing to her. This was her sanctuary, her haven, her peace. The gentle silence warmed her, allowing her mind to flourish, to expand, to absorb everything around her.
The wondrous beauty of the books placed neatly upon their shelves held extraordinary amounts of knowledge that waited for that one special reader with the courage to read them. These little bits of words all wrapped in bindings held understanding, love, laughter, heartbreak, horror, even skills to further the intelligence of their reader.
She loved these books.
Reaching the adult fiction section, Janie grabbed the last book on her cart and held it in her hands. Looking once again at the cover, she smiled.
She admitted to herself that it was truly an interesting read, so much so that she found herself engrossed in book four of the series. She couldn’t seem to get enough of the temptation and erotic vulnerability of the women. The harsh sexual nature of the men spurred something wild, unknown, uninhibited within her. Janie found herself wanting more, needing to acquire the knowledge and the skills to obtain the serenity these women achieved.
So along with her delicious new addiction of BDSM books, she scoured the Internet, researching the many facets of the lifestyle, becoming more intrigued by the minute, studying, memorizing, and even ordering videos to help her understand the lifestyle more. It was on one of her many searches that she found the Pleasure Cave, an exclusive members-only BDSM club, and it was right here in Treasure Cove.
So for the first time in her twenty-five years, Janie Marie Potter was going out.
* * * *
Caleb watched her as she went about her business attending to the kids, putting away books, and generally being a librarian. He followed silently as she weaved in and out of the aisles, taking the time to place each book in its rightful place.
She was meticulous.
He liked that she paid attention to detail, that she took the time to do her job correctly. But mainly, getting a better look at her, he really liked the way her body moved as she leisurely walked. The soft, gentle sway of her hips held him entranced as she glided across the floor.
The long shirt really did nothing for her lithe frame, but the body within it had his mind working overtime. Her waist was tiny, and he would bet the ranch that his hands could easily span it. Her chest was full but firm, and considering he lived by the mantra, “more than a mouthful is wasteful,” her breasts would most definitely be enough.
He noticed her small, delicate feet as they peeked out from under her skirt. A total foot man, Caleb had to admit that those little toes painted in the softest shade of pink he had ever seen looked sexy as hell. Wanting nothing more than to suck and lick those cute little toes, he quickly thought of something else before his cock burst from its confines.
Feeling like a voyeur, Caleb turned to head back when he heard her laugh. More like a giggle, the look upon her face was pure fascination, excitement with a little delight, and in that moment, she blushed.
The air left his chest, and he was spellbound.
Lost in that very moment, she had him enthralled within her web, a slave to her beauty, her intelligence. Caleb knew in that very instant that Janie Potter was going to be his submissive.
The spell was broken when a student called her name, and he watched as she placed the book back on the shelf and left. Wondering what had her smiling, he took the book from the shelf, looked at it, and then smiled himself.