Maya’s Triple Dare(Divine Creek Ranch 6)
Heather Rainier
Chapter One
Maya sighed heavily as she dropped her car keys and the stack of envelopes on the marble kitchen countertop and walked into the living room. Using the remote, she turned on the stereo, which was set to play at a low volume on a country and western station.
She glanced at the pile of mail, knowing what was in it. Besides the usual correspondence, there was also a letter from her attorney. That typically meant only one thing, another letter from her late husband. She looked around the spacious living room, lit by the late afternoon sun, and felt small in the big house.
Maya slipped out of her high heels and sat on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her. She was relieved that the meeting with her financial planner was done. The one thing she didn’t have to worry about was how she was managing financially. Morgan had left her with a comfortable investment income. She’d been putting off some decisions, unsure of what direction her life should take now.
Up to that point she’d followed Morgan’s suggestion to pursue her dreams, which included graduating from The University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She’d also taken and passed the Examination for Registered Nurses.
She had begun the process in a fog after his death, by rote and faith, pursuing the completion of her educational goals as a means to survive the early months of widowhood. She was done with that chapter of her life, and it was time to set off into uncharted waters on her own. She felt like her boat was stalled in the water.
Her phone chirped. Glancing at the screen, she saw the text from Frank Reeves and closed her eyes. What had she been thinking when she’d agreed to that date with her deceased husband’s business partner?
When he’d suggested it would be good for her to begin socializing again, she had agreed. She hadn’t realized that he would ask her out every weekend. Out of sheer boredom she’d gone out with him a few times.
Lately, Frank had been pressing her for affection she didn’t feel toward him. That situation was something else she had to make a decision about, especially after his behavior the night before.
She looked at the screen again.
“Will you call me? We need to talk.”
“No, you want to talk. You want me to listen and be your Barbie doll and nod my head,” she said to her phone as though she were talking to him. “Jerk.”
She glanced at the thick stack of mail and looked away. She could see the corner of the thick, cream-colored envelope from her attorney’s office. She wanted to reach for it, but she also dreaded it.
Instead, she applied her finger to the touch screen on her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She smiled and heaved a shaky sigh when his handsome face popped up on the screen and she touched the “call” icon. Talking to Kendall always helped, and she felt comforted at the thought of hearing his voice.
She could trust this man. She pictured him in her mind and smiled at the thought of broad, muscular shoulders, powerful arms, and a tight butt that was droolworthy. He had eyes that were always lit with a mischievous twinkle and a flirtatious smile that probably had the girls in Divine hot on his heels.
“Hello, babydoll.”
The same delightful shiver always zipped up her spine at the sweet sound of his affectionate, rugged voice. Sometimes she heard his voice or saw his face in her dreams, and she wondered what Kendall would think if he knew the role he’d taken on in her dreams of late.
“Kendall. How are you?”
“I’m good. We’re just sitting at home, cooling off and having a beer.”
Boone and Richard must be there with him, as well. She smiled at her memories of them. Boone, with his body art, tall, muscular physique, and dark brown eyes. And Richard, the gentle, quiet giant with pale eyes that made her heart flutter. The three brothers were all drop-dead gorgeous in very different ways. She might’ve been a married woman in the years they’d all been friends, but that didn’t mean she’d been blind.
Lately, Boone and Richard had even shown up in a few dreams, as well as fantasies. She supposed that might be part of the reason why a man like Frank Reeves, with his slightly superior, aging, preppy-jock mentality had held no appeal for her. She could care less about whether he drove a Jag or owned a boat.
It would’ve impressed her more if he’d gotten a decent haircut and stopped trying to hide his bald spot. There was something attractive about a man who didn’t try to hide things that were a normal part of aging. But then again, Frank also dressed in the same preppy fashions as he probably had when he was in high school, so growing up was obviously an issue.