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  “We don’t think you’re prim and proper,” Dade said, shooting Cordell an admonishing look over my head when he thought I wasn’t watching. “You’re just a little younger and a little, um… maybe a little more innocent than the women we’re used to hanging around with. We don’t ever want to say the wrong thing, but sometimes we’re probably going to.”

  “And that’s fine,” I sassed. “I don’t want you guys to censor yourselves around me. I might be young and… and whatever… but I’m not dumb. I still know how the world works. But if we’re actually going to be spending time together—and I guess we are, since we’re all living in such close quarters now—then I think we should be open and honest with each other. Without judging.”

  They were both silent for several more seconds as we drove along the dark country roads. Cordell was the first one to speak again. “Okay, I’m all for being open and honest. So how about this? I want you, Becca. We both do. That’s about as honest as I know how to be.”

  I blinked. That was… not the kind of honesty I’d expected.

  “Okay,” I murmured, trying to deal with the conflicting emotions I was feeling and also come up with some kind of response. How did I feel about that? How should I feel about both of them wanting me? Flattered? Excited? Intimidated? Confused? Yeah, all of those sounded right so far. “You, um… you both want me? But not at the same time, right?”

  Because what were the odds?

  Then again, they’d been around the ranch enough to see how much Janessa loved her guys and how Daisy Lynn had fallen head over heels for the sheriff and the deputy at the same time. Were Dade and Cordell trying to tell me they wanted something like that?

  “We’ve shared women before.” Dade shrugged, then looked apologetic when Cordell and I both shot him a surprised look. “Sorry, I thought we were being honest here. I’m just saying… if that’s something you’d be comfortable with, Becca, then we’d definitely be into trying it with you.”

  “I don’t even know how something like that would work,” I said, looking from one man to the other. “I mean, obviously I know how it works, but…”

  Oh, Lord.

  Had those words really just flown out of my mouth? Okay, maybe this conversation was getting a little too honest. It certainly wasn’t what I’d had in mind when I’d said I wanted more honesty and less judgment.

  But I couldn’t fault them for it, either. They were being honest, as uncomfortable as it was for me, and it would be pretty hypocritical for me to have turned around and judged them over it.

  Still, I wasn’t sure if I could wrap my head around the kind of relationship that seemed to work so well for both of my best friends.

  “It wouldn’t be anything to stress out about,” Dade said. “It would need to be something fun for all of us.”

  “Right.” Cordell nodded. “We’re just looking for something casual here, just to see if it would even work.”

  “So just a threesome,” I said, finally starting to understand a little better. “Maybe even just a one-night stand?”

  “Exactly.” Dade grinned. “That’s all we’re asking—but only if you’re interested.”

  I didn’t have to even consider it under those conditions. “I’m not interested. Not in a one-night stand. That’s not… no. Just no.”

  Dade looked a little surprised by my answer but simply nodded and faced forward.

  Neither of them spoke again for the rest of the ride home.

  Other than saying good night, I hadn’t said anything else to the guys after they had dropped me off at the ranch house. And yes, that had been the most awkward ride home of my life, but I didn’t think that was totally my fault.

  I mean, I hadn’t exactly been shocked to find out they’d had threesomes before or that they were just interested in something like that again. I wasn’t even judging them for it.

  Whatever.

  They could do whatever they wanted, as far as I was concerned. Whatever grown, consenting adults did behind closed doors was their own business—and more power to them. Get wild. Get kinky. Go crazy.

  It just wasn’t for me.

  And even though I wasn’t exactly determined to wait until marriage to lose my virginity, I didn’t necessarily want it to just be some random one-night fling, either.

  I at least wanted the potential for something more. For it to at least be a consideration, maybe even something we’d discussed, before I jumped into bed.

  Then again, maybe that was the sort of thing I needed in my life. Maybe I really had been missing out, like Janessa and Daisy Lynn had not-so-subtly implied.

  Maybe I’d been too quick to turn Dade and Cordell down.

  I walked up the stairs to my room—thankfully the rest of the house was quiet and my friends had decided not to wait up and interrogate me. God, I really couldn’t have dealt with that tonight. Not after everything else.

  I closed the bedroom door behind me and sighed. Was I being too dramatic? Everyone else seemed to be out having fun, doing sexy things, falling in love… and here I was alone up in this room.

  Again.

  Standing firm in my beliefs was one thing, but sometimes I wondered if I was just unnecessarily punishing myself when I could be enjoying those same things my friends had been telling me about.

  I quickly undressed and slipped into bed, determined to close my eyes and put this entire night behind me. Nothing good had come of it. Even the information we’d wrestled out of Abe had come with a certain amount of heartache.

  Closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep was a great idea in theory, but in reality?

  Not so much.

  Even when I was able to push aside my thoughts about what Abe had shared with us, my mind kept wandering back to Dade and Cordell. To how sweet they’d been all night. To how I’d enjoyed dancing with both of them.

  To that unforgettable, electric feeling that had coursed through my body when Dade touched my leg.

  Just thinking about it made my insides all warm and fluttery again, and I found my hand absently skimming down along my stomach as I rolled over onto my back.

  I shouldn’t have let my mind wander. I shouldn’t have let myself go there.

  But as my fingers played along the lacy waistband of the cute black panties I’d intentionally picked out for tonight—and yeah, that had been a choice, too—I already knew I wasn’t really going to stop myself.

  I raised my hips and slid my panties down until they were around my thighs, then let my fingers trail back up to my slick folds while my other hand moved to tease the pebbled nubs of my nipples.

  A wave of pleasure rolled through my body and my hips bucked as my fingers found my most sensitive spot. Just the lightest touch was enough to bring a gasp and a moan from the back of my throat before I could clamp my mouth shut.

  Knowing Janessa and Daisy Lynn were in the rooms next to mine—not to mention Justin Thoreson at the end of the hall—was enough motivation to stay as quiet as I could, but it had been a while since I’d given in and pleasured myself like this and, well… it felt good.

  Really good.

  Especially good when I imagined the hands running up and down over my body and teasing my most intimate parts belonged to Dade and Cordell.

  Both of them.

  The fact that I was allowing that little fantasy to play out in my head surprised me a little, but I was too far gone to fight it. I slid a finger inside my wet heat, gasping all over again as my whole body seemed to come alive.

  Yeah, it was way too easy for me to imagine their rough hands on me, their thick fingers rubbing and stretching and filling me…

  Oh, God.

  I turned my head toward the pillow to muffle my short, ragged breaths as I felt it happening. I couldn’t hold back the orgasm that had been building up inside any longer.

  I pinched my nipple. Hard. Then the other. I thrust my finger deeper inside my pussy, losing myself to the heat that was radiating out from my core.

  I was coming.
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  Gasping.

  Panting.

  Making quiet, needy little whimpers even though I’d been trying my best to stay silent. The fantasy had been too much, too hot… but still so real. It could have actually happened tonight if I’d let it.

  They had wanted it—had asked for it, even.

  A part of me clearly wanted it even though I’d turned them down.

  As my climax finally began to subside, I had to ask myself… what was I so afraid of?

  I was the last one downstairs for breakfast. After the night I’d had, I didn’t feel like apologizing for sleeping in a little longer than normal.

  “There she is.” Janessa smiled, tossing me a wink as I appeared in the dining room and took my place at the table. Of course, the only seat left at the table had me sitting with Dade and Cordell on my right and Daisy Lynn on my left. “We thought you might be hibernating up there.”

  Please don’t let today be the day my friends decide to tease me about guys. Especially these guys.

  “It was a rough night,” I sighed. “And we found out some interesting information while we were there.”

  “Oh yeah?” Janessa asked between bites. “Anything you can share with the rest of us?”

  I was still sleepy and honestly wasn’t in the mood to talk, but at least jumping into this conversation would keep everyone preoccupied—and keep them from asking any potentially embarrassing questions about my night out with Dade and Cordell.

  “The guy who owns the tavern—Abe Gruman—had a few ideas about what might motivate someone to target the big land-owning families around town,” I began. “There were the things we’ve already considered like extortion or blackmail, even just some destructive teenagers. But then there was something else he mentioned. Some pretty serious stuff that involved boys from some of the more influential families around here.”

  “Like what?” Daisy Lynn asked.

  “My family?” Janessa’s brow furrowed. “I can’t think of anything that serious that’s happened lately—nothing even comes close.”

  “Not lately,” Cordell said. It was the first time he’d spoken since I’d been downstairs, and he looked like he had more to say, but he simply nodded in my direction instead.

  I took the cue and finished what he had started to say. “It was a long time ago, and I don’t think your relatives had anything to do with it. Not as far as we know, anyway.”

  I finished telling the story Abe had relayed to us, letting Cordell and Dade chime in with other details that they’d remembered. When we had finished talking, everyone sat quietly around the table for several long minutes.

  Great. So much for ensuring things didn’t become awkward.

  “I’m pretty sure the sheriff at the time would have been one of Cole’s relatives,” Daisy Lynn said, finally breaking the silence. “There might be something in the old case files.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But if there really was a cover-up like Abe suggested, I’m not sure we can rely on the records being very accurate…”

  Daisy Lynn grimaced. “I hate to think there really could have been a cover-up, but… yeah. It does sort of sound that way.”

  “We should probably talk it over a little more before we make any decisions,” Janessa said. “But in the meantime, today is Isaac’s funeral. The guy from the USGS who passed away.”

  “His funeral is here?” Dade asked. “In Bliss?”

  Cordell cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, I thought he was from somewhere else?”

  My stomach clenched at the mention of Isaac—the reminder that someone had already lost their life to this unexplained and completely unnecessary crime spree. But also… why was his funeral being held in Bliss?

  And why did everything have to feel like such a huge mystery lately? It was hard to believe that we had all just been normal girls living in the dorms without a care in the world just a little over a year ago.

  Janessa shrugged. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. But I’ve heard that Nora is holding a wake for him… you know, because they were apparently such good friends.”

  Her emphasis on the last word was impossible to ignore. I thought back to the last time we’d seen Nora. It was nice that she was holding a wake, of course, but… yeah, that was sort of a big step for someone she had supposedly only known for a short time. Especially for someone she claimed was just a casual friend.

  “Do you think we should go pay our respects?” Daisy Lynn asked.

  “I don’t know,” Janessa said. “I was sort of thinking about it…”

  “I think it’s a good idea.” I nodded. “I’d be willing to go along.”

  Paying our respects would be the polite thing to do. It would have been the right thing to do regardless of anything else. And if I happened to find out a little more information about those survey maps we’d seen the last time we were there?

  Even better.

  Chapter 8

  Becca

  What had seemed like a good idea over breakfast felt a little more daunting once the afternoon had rolled around.

  “I wasn’t really expecting to see this many other people here,” I murmured as we walked from Janessa’s car to Nora Statler’s front door.

  There were cars lined up down the long driveway and I could see several people standing just inside the open front door.

  “Do you think all these people actually knew that geological surveyor guy?” Daisy Lynn asked, looking around.

  Janessa shook her head. “Not a chance. Two-thirds of these people are just here for the gossip and the free food.”

  We made our way inside, and Janessa greeted a few people as we passed. I noticed there were a few she didn’t greet, as well. I also noticed there were a few scowls in my direction and wondered if the cold looks had anything to do with the fact that I’d been poking around the scandal that so many people in town had apparently tried to hide back in the day.

  “Janessa.” Nora’s voice grabbed my attention and pulled me from my thoughts. “I wasn’t really expecting to see you here.”

  “My friends and I came to pay our respects,” Janessa said, greeting her with what was probably the world’s shortest hug. “I was sorry to hear about Isaac. I know he meant… I know he was a friend of yours.”

  “Yes,” Nora said, stiffening a little. “Thank you. He was a good friend.”

  Daisy Lynn and I murmured our condolences, and then I stood aside while Nora attempted to make some stilted small-talk with my friends. As usual, she was wearing enough makeup and jewelry for three people, but she looked different.

  Tired.

  Pale.

  Sad.

  After a few moments, Nora moved away to mingle with her other guests, and Janessa, Daisy Lynn, and I walked in the opposite direction through the large, crowded living room.

  “Did you guys notice anything different about her?” I asked. “Like… she seemed to be more genuinely sad than I’d expected.”

  Janessa nodded. “She sure wasn’t this torn up when Zachary passed away. Then again, he left her all of this…” She made a gesture that encompassed the big, impressive house.

  “That Zachary guy—her husband—was one of the guys involved in that scandal all those years ago,” I reminded her, then added, “Allegedly involved.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me, to be honest.” Janessa shook her head. “I didn’t really know him, but I wouldn’t be shocked to find out he was just as shady as she is. He married her, after all.”

  I looked back over my shoulder and saw Nora standing off to the side. Again, I was struck by how sad she seemed. Isaac had clearly meant a lot to her. But how had they even met in the first place?

  My mind went back to the maps. Those maps of the area with all of the oil deposits clearly marked. Yeah, there was a story there somewhere.

  “One second,” I said, breaking away from the girls and heading back to where Nora was standing. “I won’t be long…”

  I caught Nora giving me a healthy
dose of side-eye as I approached. I flashed her a polite smile and motioned for her to come closer. Once we’d taken a few steps out of the way and I was sure nobody else was in earshot, I leaned in and whispered, “I know all about the oil.”

  Her eyes went wide and she took a half-step back before catching herself. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed.

  “I’m sure you do. The maps. The oil. Isaac. I’ve got you figured out, and I’m sure there are plenty of people around here who would be very interested in what I have to say.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and turned her head to the side as if she’d been slapped. Which, maybe she had. The truth does hurt sometimes. I thought for a moment she was going to yell at me or kick me out of her house—or at least try another denial.

  But no.

  Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me again. Yeah, she was definitely angry. I’d struck a nerve, for sure. “What do you want from me?” she asked.

  “Just some information,” I answered truthfully. “When is a good time for my friends and I to come back for a little chat?”

  She clenched her jaw, then sighed. I’d won this round, thank goodness. “Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be expecting you. And don’t tell anyone else what you’ve just said to me.”

  “Have a good day.” I smiled and backed away. “Sorry again for your loss.”

  Was it maybe a little morally gray to be so ruthless at a wake?

  Yeah, it probably was.

  Would I have done it again?

  Absolutely.

  “What was that all about?” Daisy Lynn asked once I’d joined her and Janessa on the other side of the room.

  “You should have seen the way she was watching you as you walked back over here.” Janessa shook her head. “If looks could kill…”

  I glanced back over my shoulder just in time to see Nora quickly look the other direction. “I told her I know all about her and Isaac—and the maps and the oil.”

  “Oh, my God.” Janessa’s eyes grew so wide I thought for a second that she might have sprained something. “What did she say?”