The Unbreakable Trio(29)

Nothing could take her happiness away. At least she thought so.

At the end of summer, she ordered some bread from the diner that served as a bakery. She knew the owner remarkably well and had ordered plenty for the boys.

She bumped into Cassidy as the other woman was leaving. Claire hadn’t spoken to her since that night the boys ended up in jail.

“Hi,” she said.

Cassidy smiled and embraced her. “Hi.”

“How is everything with you?” Claire asked. She noted the other woman hesitated. “What?”

“They’ve forgiven me for leaving them that night, but they want an answer and I can’t give them one. How do you choose between the two?”

“I guess you mean the sheriff and the brothers?” Claire asked.

“I know you should know. You, Liam, and Shane look great together. You all look happy. Maybe one day I’ll have a happily ever after, but at the minute I’d be content to just be friends,” Cassidy said.

Claire understood what the other woman meant. At least she was friends with Liam and Shane before they became lovers. They talked for a few more minutes before Cassidy left. The moment she stood on her own, she heard the talk coming from a person in the diner.

Her sister was taking this opportunity to try and turn the whole town of Long Mead against her.

“She’s living with two men. I mean, how big a slut can she be?”

Claire couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What did you say?” she asked her oldest sister, Alice. Her heart broke as she saw her entire family sitting in the corner. They had never invited her to breakfast. Another reason to be considered an outsider with her own family.

“The rumor mill has it you’re fucking Turner and Cook. I mean, come on, Claire. They’re your friends. You don’t go screwing around with two men. The word slut comes to mind.”

She’d never insulted a member of her family, or disputed their choices in life. Glancing around, she saw the entire diner staring at her. A mixture of disbelief, shock, and revulsion played on their faces.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled and turned to pay the woman at the counter.

Her sister grabbed her arm and spun her around. Uneasy on her feet, Claire stumbled. The tight hold on her arm was the only thing keeping her up.

“Don’t play the dumb-looking innocent, slut.”

The doorbell rang, and Claire looked up in time to see Shane and Liam in the doorway. The tension in the room mounted.

“The only slut in this room is you,” Liam said. Shane looked ready to do damage.

Her sister gasped. “Have you been spreading lies about me?” Alice asked. Claire’s grip tightened, and she couldn’t contain the cry of pain.

“Get your hands off her,” Shane yelled. In seconds, he was by her side and forcing her sister to back off. Her best friends and lovers stood in front of her, protecting her.

“Claire hasn’t been spreading lies. The fact you can’t keep your legs closed for longer than twenty minutes is the problem,” Liam said. The anger emanated from him. She placed a hand on his back to try to calm him down. No one in Long Mead had ever made a scene quite like this. She couldn’t believe the way her family was behaving.

“So she is fucking you?” her sister sneered. Claire cringed.

“Jealous? About a week ago you were telling me how available you were.” She gasped and stared at her sister. Liam and Shane had never been intentionally spiteful. This was a lesson. Their secret was out, and if anyone threatened to hurt her again, they’d have them to deal with.

“This goes for everyone else. We love Claire, and we’ll take down anyone who wants to hurt her. You’ve got a problem, you answer to us.” The people in the diner went back to their meals.

Clapping echoed around the room. Claire saw, sitting in the corner, the Walker brothers.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Good for you,” Gary said.

Shane tipped his head in acknowledgement. He and Liam both grabbed her hand and escorted her out of the place.

Their unbreakable bond was still in full effect.





Epilogue




Later that night…



“I think we should get married,” Liam said, handing the jar of peanut butter to Claire. All three were naked as they stood in the kitchen. The ranch hands had been given a day off and Liam, Shane, and Claire were taking advantage of the situation.

“Married?” she asked.

“Yeah. We’re all in love, and nothing is going to change. Plus, we’ve been boning Claire without any condoms. I think we should make a respectable woman out of her.”

“Boning. Seriously, Liam, when are you going to grow up?”