Lydia watched as Chance now made his way from their table. All eyes were on the confrontation about to take place near the bar. Nightclub patrons moved out of the way, and Wes and Evan even backed both Rosemary and Lydia farther away.
Disliking that she was the cause of the conflict, Lydia moved in Clayton’s direction, hoping to diffuse the situation before it got out of control. A gentle grip on her upper arm impeded her from going any closer. She looked up at Wes as he stopped her.
“This is all my fault. I have to—”
“No, Lydia. It’s not your fault. Let your men deal with this. No one forced those drinks down his throat. If he can’t handle his liquor then he deserved the consequences. Stay here with us. They’ll handle it.”
Frustrated, Lydia turned back and gasped as Kade flung a fist in Clayton’s direction. His aim wasn’t good and Clayton deflected the blow.
“Parker, you’re fired. Get your shit packed up and be off the Rockin’ C by noon tomorrow.”
Kade turned and saw Chance standing at Clayton’s side and said, “Fine. I see you needed your brother’s help to get the job done. But then again you do everything together, don’t you?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Parker?” Chance asked.
Kade climbed awkwardly from his seat at the bar. “That means you need his help to fuck your woman because you can’t get the job done right on your own. Perv—”
Before he could get the full word out, Clayton’s fist connected with Kade’s face, and the bouncers caught him as he reeled back in a daze.
From behind the bar, Ben shook his head and said, “Mike, Rogelio, take him out front for now.”
The noise level in the night club returned to normal and Clayton and Chance spoke quietly with Ben for a moment before returning to her. She felt eyes on her as they approached and wondered what people must be thinking of her.
Chance caressed her jaw when he reached her and thanked Wes and Evan for keeping her safe.
“That was awful. I’m sorry—” she said quietly, stealing another furtive glance at the onlookers around them.
The surprise on Clayton’s face halted her, and he replied, “Sorry? Why are you sorry? Did you make him drink those shots or open his mouth to spew his filth?”
“No, but…”
“He just made an ass of himself and lost his job because of it. That had nothing to do with you.”
The stares she noticed told her otherwise, but she focused on Clayton and Chance and said, “This trouble started because of me.”
Rosemary scoffed and said, “Oh, trust me when I say this, Lydia. Poly groups in this area have been getting more than their fair share of ugly remarks and unwanted attention for a while now. It’s not just you, sweetie. He’s just a judgmental asshole.”
“Forget about him. He’s gone as of noon tomorrow,” Clayton said as he rubbed his knuckles. “Now where were we?”
Chuckling, Lydia guided Clayton’s arm around her back and slid her arm around Chance’s waist. “We were right about here, cowboy. And someone was just about to ask me to dance,” she added with a giggle as Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter’s song “You and Tequila” began to play.
Chapter Twenty-three
Lydia sighed happily as she removed a lemon meringue pie from the huge oven. After all six pies were out of the oven she closed it carefully and turned it off then looked at her beautiful creations lined up on the butcher-block kitchen island with maternal pride. The ranch hands had decided to thank her for cooking for them by preparing that evening’s meal. They had two big briskets smoking out on the covered pavilion in the backyard and were taking care of everything but dessert, which she was providing.
“My babies,” she whispered as she gazed happily upon the frothy swirls of white meringue tinged with the perfect hint of browning on the foamy waves. The citrusy scent of lemon zest filled the air as she dried the mixer parts and put away the rest of the washed dishes. Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance as she switched off the light in the kitchen and went in search of her men.
Her core quivered at the thought. They truly were her men and they’d proved it to her the night before. While she’d managed to convince them both to make love to her after they’d come home from The Dancing Pony, no amount of begging or pleading had convinced them she was ready to try more. In the end, she’d settled down and let them have their way with her, ultimately giving her what she craved in the process, which was just more of them. She was grateful to them for their tender loving care but she was undeterred in wanting a true ménage.