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Shouldn t take me long at all.
 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.
64 Heather Rainier
 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?
Sparks Fly! A Divine Creek July 4th Family Reunion 65
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.
Gah! But he s the sexiest man alive when he does that!
Evan caught her look, and she felt a blush heat her cheeks as the
bulge at his groin appeared to swell just a bit. He had the gall to wink
at her.
66 Heather Rainier
 Yes. For two years now. Normally Wes was so open and
friendly, but his tone was definitely communicating  get your own
woman. Rosemary thought maybe it was time to have a private talk
and find out what was going on with him.
With his usual good nature, Irving said,  Sorry, Rosemary. If I d
known&  He looked at the men then back at her.  I d have gotten to
Divine sooner. Maybe I coulda beat them to you.
Wes stepped away from the door, and Rosemary held up a hand to
stop her Neanderthal from making a point with Irving s head.  Now
that s not helping this situation. Irving, you were probably still in
diapers when they fell in love with me and me with them.
Irving grinned at both men.  Sorry, guys, but you can t fault a guy
for tryin . I mean, look at her, he said, gesturing at her with both
hands.
Wes s tone bordered on harsh.  We see her.
 All right. No hard feelings, Rosemary.
 Of course not. Now go get to work. I ll let you out in a few
minutes.
Irving sauntered off as though he didn t have a death wish after
all, and Rosemary scoffed and rolled her eyes as she continued on to
the office. Linda was just gathering her purse, so Rosemary escorted
her, Merle, and Irving to the door and locked up after them. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]