The Merry Widow of Tanner's Ford (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Doctor Meshevski?”

  Nikki dropped the cup. It fell into the sink with a clatter. Luckily only a few drops of water splashed onto her chart. She wiped at it with the sleeve of her whites coat, composing herself. She knew her face was still red, but when she turned around, Brenda Anderson was looking anywhere but at her. She was the most experienced of the few nurses in the small clinic people this part of rural Montana used as a hospital. They had started to forge a friendship. Brenda had never looked uncertain before.

  “I’m afraid I did something unprofessional.” Brenda pointed to the chart in Nikki’s hand. “I insisted Simon MacDougal get a full leg cast even though he only broke his fibula.”

  There were two bones in the lower leg, with the fibula being smaller. She flipped the chart until she saw the X-ray. The fracture was uncomplicated. All Simon required was a half cast, from above his toes to below the knee.

  “I’d heard cowboys were tough,” said Nikki, “but I did wonder how he did all that running around with a broken leg before coming in here.”

  Brenda grimaced. “It was highly unprofessional of me but I’ve been wanting to get back at that man for over thirty years.” Her lip twitched. “I also decided to give him a needle rather than use the drip.”

  “I wondered what that howl was about. A last bit of revenge?” Nikki fought the smile that threatened to take over. This was one aspect of small-town living she hadn’t thought of when she jumped at the chance to pay off some of her medical school bills by working in a rural area with a free apartment and nowhere to spend money. She knew about wanting revenge on a man. Unfortunately, she’d never had the chance. She was pleased for Brenda. “Was it worth it?”

  A wide smile lit Brenda’s face. “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Your hair is almost the same color as Mr. MacDougal’s. Are you related?”

  “Unfortunately, we’re distant cousins.” Brenda grimaced as she ran her fingers through her short curls. “We both get our hair from MacDougal ancestors. Simon always said I had Gillis MacDougal’s temper as well as his hair. But we’ve just seen that Simon’s got both as well. You might be surprised how many of us in Climax, especially those whose ancestors created Tanner’s Ford, are related.” She hesitated. “Maybe this will explain things. No one sends out wedding invitations. You mention it at the post office or the Roadhouse and soon the whole town knows. They show up with food, drinks, kids, and musical instruments if they have them. We’re family. And like most families, there are the nice ones, the super ones, and those we have to put up with for the sake of harmony.”

  A familiar pang of regret stabbed Nikki’s heart. She had no family other than Marci. Neither of them knew what it would be like to sit around a dinner table with lots of family. As they both looked like their respective fathers, one small and dark, the other large and blonde, they’d never ever met someone who looked like them. They did share some of their mother’s features. Nikki wondered if either she or Marci had inherited their mother’s fertility. Even using precautions, Lila Meshevski had fallen pregnant within a couple of months with each fiancé. Unfortunately, the men who’d promised to marry and love her forever, had disappeared at the word “baby.”

  Having a mother with barely a high school education who therefore had to work at two or three jobs just to keep them going, had spurred Nikki toward her career and away from anyone male. Her sister and mother had done so much to help her become a doctor. She’d dreamed of seeing her mother in the audience as she graduated. But just months before, when Nikki could have finally made her life easier, she’d died of complications of pneumonia.

  In a letter she’d left, she said she’d told no one, as she had no insurance. She didn’t want to worry Nikki as she worked around the clock in a flurry before completing her certification. She told of her love, her pride and joy, and that she never regretted keeping her daughters, no matter how hard it was.

  Her death was the reason Nikki had jumped at the chance to care for a small town. When she applied, one of her conditions was the ability to provide free services for those who were really sick and had no insurance. She’d found out later it was the main reason the hiring committee decided to hire a recent graduate with little experience.

  Nikki pushed old thoughts aside. They did nothing but cloud the present.

  “So, you and Simon know each other well?”

  Brenda laughed. “In a small town everyone knows who’s dated who, what happened when they broke up, and who had to marry fast. They also know who played tricks, and who got them back. Simon MacDougal was wild, and played a lot of tricks.”

  “But you never got him back?”

  “Not until today.” Brenda set her shoulders back and looked up at Nikki. “I know you have to report it, but losing a few days’ pay is worth the satisfaction.”

  Nikki thought over Brenda’s comments. Though the town doctor, she was an outsider who might never be allowed into the heart of the community. Brenda knew everyone, and was a wonderful person as well as a great help to the town.

  Nikki loved working at the Climax County Clinic. After the craziness of a major Eastern hospital she’d expected to find the pace slow. What she hadn’t realized was how much she enjoyed seeing her patients as people rather than body parts. But she’d been alone, and lonely. She knew Marci would never break her vow and leave Ted while he was alive, no matter how much she wanted her younger sister to live near.

  But now Ted was gone and Marci was here in Climax. But how long she would stay depended on whether she felt comfortable. And that meant Marci had to leave the apartment and meet people. Hot cowboys in particular.

  Even if Marci didn’t like Simon, she might enjoy the challenge of caring for the cantankerous bachelor. She’d finally have a chance to stand up for herself and talk back to a man. If Simon and Marci decided to share a bed for a few weeks, so much the better.

  “Mr. MacDougal will heal quickly with no lingering issues if he keeps off his leg. But from what you said, and what I’ve just experienced, he is not the type of man to put his foot up just because a doctor tells him to. If he had a half cast, he would drive himself home and go back to work as if nothing was wrong. He could do permanent damage to his leg. It is not in his best interests, medically, if that were to happen. He should stay off it for three days. He won’t have a choice thanks to that extra large cast.” She wrote a note in the chart to have the cast replaced on Monday.

  “You won’t report me?”

  “I have something to confess as well,” said Nikki quietly. “You know my sister’s been staying with me, and that she didn’t want anyone to know. The truth is, Marci lost everything in a fire. And I mean everything. She barely got out alive. Her face is permanently scarred because of that night. She hasn’t felt comfortable having anyone else see it.”

  “Oh, my lord.” Brenda pressed her hand over her heart. “Please tell me no one was hurt?”

  “Her husband didn’t make it out. There were no children or pets.”

  Brenda’s eyes shone with unshed tears. Nikki found herself blinking to hold her own back. Not for Ted. Never would she shed a tear for that bastard. It was for what Marci went through with him, and in hopes that her little sister would finally find happiness with a good man. One who cared for her and saw her as the intelligent, loving, sensual woman she could be.

  “I guess he tried to help her escape, but didn’t get out himself,” mused Brenda. “I can’t imagine losing my Derek like that, but he’d put my safety, and that of our children, before his own, day or night. He’s the rock of my life.” She sniffed, then wiped her eyes.

  “Your husband must love you very much.”

  Marci needed a man who would cherish her that way. But to find happiness she had to take the first step, showing her face outside the apartment. Brenda was known as having a big heart, open ears, and a closed mouth.

  “Marci’s husband was nothing like Derek, and he didn’t help her escape. He was a controlling bastard, to be polite
. Neither she, nor I, will miss him.”

  Brenda grimaced. “Well, that puts a new light on things.”

  “My sister needs to spend time with a man she can boss around. Someone who won’t hurt her, but who has enough spirit to argue with her. What do you think about Marci taking care of Mr. MacDougal? If she doesn’t like him, all she has to do is hop in his truck and drive away.”

  Brenda’s jaw dropped, but there was a sparkle in her eyes. “You want your sister to live with Simon? He hasn’t had a girlfriend in years and years that I know of. He’ll do his best to seduce her, cast or not.” She looked up at Nikki with a slow smile. “Maybe you want Marci to forget her husband in the best way possible?”

  Nikki gave an abrupt nod. “Marci needs a short, satisfying affair.”

  “Then Simon might be just what the doctor ordered.” Brenda grinned. “It will serve him right to have a woman in charge, someone who won’t care if he goes on a rant. But will your sister be able to put up with him? No woman has lived there since Mrs. MacDougal died.”

  “Marci’s husband was a selfish bastard who didn’t believe women should enjoy sex. He was her only boyfriend and intimate partner.” She couldn’t help the sly smile that escaped. “I think my little sister could be a very merry widow.”

  “Oh, wow. Wouldn’t that wake Simon up!” Brenda put her hand on her large chest and laughed.

  “Will he be a problem?”

  “Oh, no.” Brenda waved away Nikki’s concern. “He’s all cowboy but he’s also a romantic. The big problem growing up was his practical jokes, but he’s grown out of that. If you need help he’s there, no questions asked. He talks a good line when he’s flirting and can growl like a grizzly with a sore paw, like tonight, but inside he’s as caring as his brother. Mind you, if anyone threatens those he considers his, he’ll go after them tooth and claw.”

  So, Simon was cranky and horny, and needed Marci’s help. Marci was starting to get cranky from being cooped up and was just as horny. Both of them would benefit. And she’d get her apartment back. It was cramped, but it was all she had. She didn’t want to buy a house unless she knew she’d be staying. If Marci found herself a cowboy or two, and had children, then Nikki wouldn’t ever leave. Now that mom was gone, all they had was each other.

  “I’ll suggest it to Marci during my supper break. I expect she’ll be back with me, bag all packed.”

  “Warn her that he lives in the original MacDougal cabin. It’s got plumbing and electricity, including a washing machine and dryer, but Simon cooks on a wood stove. There’s no microwave, either.”

  “Believe it or not, Brenda, that’s great news. Marci loves old things and will be excited to live in a rustic cabin.”

  “Can she cook?”

  Nikki winced. Until Marci moved in she was making do with grilled cheese and things from cans or bottles. It was a great day when a patient brought food as a gift.

  “Marci got the domestic gene that skipped past me. She can cook very well, along with sewing, knitting, gardening, and all sorts of other home skills. She loves restoring old things and she needs something to challenge her.”

  Brenda tilted her head and gave Nikki a sly look. “If she can do all that, likes history, and enjoys the bedroom, Simon might never let her go. Lance would want her as well.”

  Nikki hesitated. The clinic was so busy she hadn’t yet gone through all the patient files, just the ones for the people who’d come in the door.

  “Lance?”

  “He and Simon are twins, not that they look it. Simon can be loud while Lance is quiet and intense. He’s spending the winter doing his magic with horses at a huge ranch down in Texas. He should be home soon.” Brenda leaned closer, eyes sparkling. “They come as a package deal, if you know what I mean. They love children but some city bee-yatch burned them years ago and they gave up looking for a wife.”

  A twinge of jealousy and arousal hit Nikki. Twins? Two men in her bed at once, touching her in so many places at once that she had to just relax and let it happen?

  But this was for Marci, who could use all the fun and attention she could get. Given a chance, her little sister could be an adventurous, sexual woman.

  “I want my sister to find a home where she’s cherished and loved. If it means having two husbands who care for her, then I’ll be twice as happy.”

  Chapter Four

  Eyes closed in near-ecstasy, Marci flicked the top of her tongue over the smooth, hard surface. It curved, and her tongue chased the edge, all around to the tip. She caught the last bit of chocolate peppermint frosting on her tongue. She sighed at the arousing possibility of spreading frosting on a hard cock, and then licking it off. Or even better, drawing a line of frosting from her nipples, over her stomach, all the way to the tops of her thighs.

  She might have to buy one of those tabloids at Tanner’s Mercantile. Usually one of those small ads at the back had information on where to buy a personal vibrator to relieve tension. Tension that got worse at the thought of being seen by hot cowboys.

  That was about all that would happen. They’d see her, blanch, and turn away. She opened her eyes, pulled the spoon out of her mouth, and tossed it in the sink. It disappeared under the mound of bubbles, making a harsh sound as it hit the cheap aluminum bottom.

  “No one licks chocolate off a person in bed anyway,” she declared, grabbing a spatula. “And even if I did, how would I ever get the mess out of the sheets?”

  She scraped frosting onto the last batch of brownies and swirled it around. She’d already frozen, unfrosted, the pans she’d made for the bake sale in Dillon. It was a fund-raiser for the Dickson family, to help pay medical costs for their two-year-old daughter, Amanda. Nikki told her that the family had hated to leave Climax but Amanda had required heart surgery or she’d die. Somehow they’d sold their home in Climax for enough money to buy a small house in Missoula. Until Amanda grew up they had to live near the hospital in case something went wrong. The town was still helping them pay off their debt. They weren’t one of the founding families, but that didn’t matter when a child’s life was at stake.

  When she’d heard about Amanda she had to do something to help. She might not be a mother, but her stomach and heart still twisted at the terror of losing a child. A silly part of her thought that if she could help this baby live, she might be allowed to have one of her own. And the way to make a baby was through sex.

  “If I had a big enough shower, I could spread frosting on a man’s chest while he stood inside it, and not make a mess.” She swooped the spatula over the still-warm goodies, inhaling the scent of Christmas. “I could bring a plastic bowl into the bathroom and use my finger to scoop some onto his…” she paused, holding the yellowing spatula in mid-air. It was so old the edges had cracked and it no longer bent very well. “His nipple. Then I’d use my tongue to move the chocolate around.”

  She bent her head as she worked, concentrating to make sure it spread to all four edges without going up the sides of the metal pan. It was important to do things right, no matter how small they seemed. The devil in the back of her mind kept whispering how this might be the last time she was allowed to bake a cake or decide when and how she dressed. She shoved the devil’s words away and focused on a bright future.

  “This time, I want a man with chest hair. One tall enough that I don’t have to bend over to put my teeth on his nipple.”

  Her own rose in response to the thought. Ted had never taken her nipple in his mouth. On their wedding night he’d made her take her clothes off and stand in front of him. Instead of smiling in anticipation or appreciation he’d curled his lip and said he expected her to keep herself covered. Then he’d done his duty and walked out.

  Who took adjoining hotel rooms on their wedding night? Ted Grant, that’s who! Her late lunch began curdling in her gut. Instead of licking the spatula as usual, she tossed it after the spoon. Bubbles flew onto the plywood backsplash, adding to the faded map of older stains.

  The apartmen
t was clean when Marci had arrived, but she’d spent the first week scrubbing anyway. Nikki agreed that the orange shag carpet was a breeding ground for so many things that they both wore shoes or slippers all the time. But there was nothing under it but a plywood subfloor, and little under that but the garage roof. They needed something to help insulate the floor and it was, after all, only temporary.

  She briskly washed the few dishes, rinsed, and stacked them on a tea towel. It entirely covered the only counter space along the short kitchen wall. When she moved in she’d known living with Nikki was temporary, but she was in too much shock to think farther than a few minutes ahead. After a week she’d been able to think in terms of days. She was now thinking of her future, if she was allowed to have one.

  Enough! It was time to move on, to stop hiding away just in case. She was safe. No one back East knew she was here, except her lawyer. Tomorrow she would walk down the stairs that led from the driveway to the apartment, and she would do it in the daylight. She was a grown woman, a widow. No man could tell her where she could go, when, what to wear, or how she must act when she got there.

  The harsh bbrrring of the telephone made her jump. She whirled around and pressed her bottom against the cupboard drawers as if they could protect her. Nikki was at the clinic so the phone should not ring. The last few times it rang she’d ignored it. When Nikki never mentioned missing a call, she knew they were after her.

  The second ring sounded louder, more forceful than the first. It echoed around the sparse room. Marci held her hands out, fingers spread, and breathed. Then she took the three steps to the wall. The third ring sounded furious. She had to answer it and stop the calls. What if Nikki answered and the police told her to bring Marci to the local law?

  She could do this. No one knew she was here, they were only checking in case. She picked up the heavy black receiver. The fewer words, the better. She coughed, cleared her throat, and lowered her voice.