“That guy Irving is working?” Evan asked with a slight frown on his face.
Knowing where the frown came from, Rosemary put her hand on his thigh. “He’s just eager. He wants me to be happy with his work. He’s not flirting with me.” Girl, you know he’s totally flirting with you.
Wes shook his head. “I don’t know about that, baby.”
“I don’t like the way he looks at you, Rosie.”
Uncharacteristically, Wes growled. “Like he wants to eat you up or something. We’re going with you.”
Rosemary nodded as she finished her brisket. “Okay. At least that way I can still spend time with you.”
When she was done, Evan rose from the table and took her plate with his to dump in the trash can. They made their apologies and promised to return as soon as they could.
They climbed into Evan’s big truck, and as he turned the key in the ignition, Evan said, “I know you probably think we’re going all alpha-male ‘he-man’ on you but that guy rubs me the wrong way. I’d just as soon you weren’t left alone with him after the store closes.”
“I wouldn’t be alone with him. Linda and Merle are there too. But the alpha-male he-man thing doesn’t bother me at all. I know your heart is in the right place.”
They both seemed relieved when she said that and spent the rest of the trip back to town in a much lighter mood, though she was a little curious about what was causing their possessiveness.
She was just glad that it wasn’t a bone of contention between the two of them. Evan had come a long way in understanding her over the last couple of years. She made sure that he knew without a doubt that he and Wes were the only men she was interested in.
When they arrived at the store, the men opened the front door for her and Irving was right there waiting for her. She pressed her lips together to hide a smile and suppress a snicker as she looked back at Wes and Evan. They both had I-told-you-so smiles on their faces for her then turned the flinty-eyed Clint Eastwood look on Irving Darnell as he greeted her and nodded at the men.
He showed her the day’s sales so far on a register receipt and then listed off what they’d accomplished that day and what remained to be done. She made her way back to the stockroom to check in with Linda in the office and wasn’t surprised when Irving followed her through the doors. All the female employees found him handsome and charming, and while she thought they were right, Irving held no interest for her. Her heart was firmly in the hands of the two very tolerant men waiting out front.
She stopped and turned to see what Irving needed because she had an inkling that Wes and Evan were already on their way to the stockroom doors if they had seen Irving follow her. She stopped abruptly, and Irving nearly plowed right into her.
“Did you need something, Irving?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down for a second and then said, “Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Where the hell is the gossip mill when I fucking need it? How does he not know I’m involved with two handsome, hunky men?
Her stomach roiled a little, and on top of her embarrassment, she felt slightly nauseated. She’d never made a huge secret out of her relationship, but for the sake of the store she hadn’t paraded that information around town. There had been gossip at one time, but the rumor mill had long since moved on from her “supposed” ménage relationship.
Rosemary lifted her hand to show him the ring. “Irving, I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m already—”
“Married.” The deep, territorial-sounding voice was Wes’s. Her men stood in the open stockroom doors, giving Irving the “are ya feelin’ lucky, punk” look.
“Oh, man! I’m sorry. I don’t know how I missed that.”
Rosemary had a feeling she knew. The rumor mill in Cheaver’s was currently all about Irving, so he hadn’t had a chance to hear anything about her because they were all talking about him. Plus, if he was management and hadn’t worked there very long he wouldn’t have heard much anyway. Rosemary knew who the best sources of gossip were in Cheaver’s because she’d grown up in the store.
Directing a hand toward the doors, Rosemary said, “My husbands.”
The speed at which his eyebrows shot up was almost comical. “Well, I have heard talk in town about ménage relationships. Really?” he asked affably as he turned to look at both men. Rosemary had a feeling that if the men had been alone he might have given Wes and Evan a “thumbs-up” and asked for how-to tips.
Evan shifted the toothpick from one corner of his sensual mouth to the other as he leaned against the door and nodded. He crossed his ankles as he hooked his thumbs in his front pockets, which automatically drew her eyes to the bulge in his jeans.