Lena's Happily Ever After [The Town of Pearl 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

“Well, I have an updated computer that my sons purchased for me on my birthday. I’ve been meaning to transfer all my paper files over to computer files so that things would run more smoothly around here. Is that something you think you might be able to do?”

“Of course. I may need a little time to brush up on my computer software skills if that’s okay?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Abigail added, and they all smiled.

She began to pull together her things as if preparing to leave.

“Where are you staying, Lena?” Doctor Jones asked.

She paused a moment then nibbled her bottom lip.

“Nearby.”

Abigail walked closer to Lena, and when she went to place her hand on Lena’s shoulder, Lena pulled away and took a step back.

Doctor Jones could see the fear in Lena’s eyes and the surprise on Abigail’s face.

“I won’t hurt you, Lena. I was just going to offer a place for you to stay.”

“I can stay outside. The nights are warm.”

“Nonsense. You can stay in here. My office has a small couch, but you’re such a petite thing I’m certain that you’ll fit on it.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be trouble.”

“We’re sure. The staff gets in by seven. I usually arrive first, so if you want to be ready to start by eight I can bring you breakfast as usual.”

“Thank you. You have both been very kind. I’ll pay you back.”

“No worries, sweetie. Have a good night and we’ll see you in the morning.” Doctor Jones grabbed his bag and helped to turn out the lights.

* * * *

The Joneses were very nice people. It was so foreign to Lena to meet such storybook types. It reminded her of some of the stories she had read while in the library. She had to admit the whole ménage relationship thing scared the heck out of her. She did read one story once about such a relationship, and it had a happy ever after. That just wasn’t reality. People were cruel and liked to talk about other people and put them down. Mostly men were pigs who just wanted a woman to put out. She closed her eyes and exhaled.
Damn, Ariel, I hope you’re still alive and not dead somewhere.

She loved the fact that her hair was clean and smelled so good. Pomegranate and strawberries, Abigail had told her was the fragrance. Just to be clean, dressed in clean clothes felt great. Now she also had a job starting tomorrow and maybe another one at the restaurant. Lena hoped that Francine was hiring. She sure could use the money, so she could find a real place to stay.

She leaned back against the pillow and pulled the blanket over her. She never took her shoes off because she knew not to get too comfortable and to always expect to make a run for it. This Mayberry type of town couldn’t all be filled with people like the Joneses.

* * * *

“I think we should clean out the cottage and let Lena stay there. What do you think, Abigail?” Pete asked his wife on the ride home just as they pulled onto the long entrance to the ranch.

“Oh my, that is a wonderful idea. It’s perfect for her, and it will give me some time to get to know her better. In fact, once she gets a bit more comfortable with us, I might invite Anna and Stacy over to meet her. They had some troubled pasts themselves and could possibly assist Lena with what may have happened to her.”

“What makes you so certain that she’s running from trouble?” Pete asked as he parked the truck.

“A woman knows these things, and that young woman is on the run. How old do you think she is?”

“I’m not sure. She is very pretty and mature, but yet young. I think no more than eighteen or twenty, tops. We’ll make her feel comfortable, Abigail, and I think that will be enough when the time comes to get her story and see how we can help her even more.”

“Okay, Pete. Let’s go inside and tell Frank and Will. I’ll see if they can get Quinn or Blake to help clear out the cottage tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. But don’t tell them quite yet for whom. I have the feeling that Kenny is going to give me a hard time when he finds out we’ve let a stranger onto the ranch. I’m not even going to mention that she’s sleeping at the office.”

“Don’t fret over him. He’s too damn serious all the time. He’ll get over it. Come on.”

* * * *

By the second night, word had gotten around that a gorgeous young woman was working for Dr. Jones. Pete found this utterly amusing, especially when his son Kenny showed up around lunchtime. Lena and Dr. Jones were working in the back room, and Lena was going over her ideas about organizing his files in a more accessible way.

“You see, Doc, all we have to do is go into the settings area in my computer file and make the other two computers out front able to read this computer. When the patient comes in, Lucy or Sarah can access the patient’s file and even update it and create appointments from any computer. It’s simple and will just take me about a half an hour to complete it.”

“My God!” Doc exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“He didn’t get anything you just said, darlin’.”

Doc Jones and Lena turned toward the voice, and Kenny was standing in the doorway, dressed in uniform.

Doc Jones noticed how Lena turned a shade of red and stared at Kenny.

His son was very big and tall, just like his brothers. He stood at over six feet and worked out hard to keep up with his brothers’ natural physiques from working on the ranch for years.

“Kenny, what are you doing here? Have you eaten lunch? I have an extra half of a wrap if you want it,” Doc said as he rose from the seat.

“No thank you, sir. I’m good. I just stopped in to see what all the fuss was about. Now I understand,” Kenny stated as he stared toward Lena.

Dr. Jones cleared his throat and hoped that Kenny wouldn’t intimidate her. He was a very demanding young man and took his profession seriously.

“This is Lena. Lena, this is my son Kenny.”

Lena looked a bit nervous, but she stood up and reached to shake Kenny’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

* * * *

Lena felt as if her heart was going to jump from her chest. The picture on Doc’s desk did not do his son justice at all. The man was a freaking model, and he was bigger than he appeared in the picture. She felt so small and feminine packed in the small office with him and Doc Jones. The fact that he was a law enforcement officer made her nervous, too. Cops reminded her of the story that Ariel told her last year. Before they were staying together, some cop told Ariel he would help her out. He was young and good looking, but when he brought her to his patrol car, he tried to make her perform oral sex on him. Cops couldn’t be trusted either and especially good-looking ones. She pulled her hand away and turned as he continued to stare at her. She could see he was attracted to her, but she wasn’t falling for his charms.

“Lena is working for me now and maybe at Francine’s, if she’s hiring. She’s new to town.”

“That’s what I heard. I can see why so many people have been talking about her.”

“Well, lunch is over so I’d better get back up front. Come walk with me, Kenny,” Doc stated, and Lena thought that Kenny looked disappointed.

“See you around, Lena. It’s a pleasure meeting you, doll.”

Lena smiled then looked back at her computer. As Kenny and Doc exited, Lena couldn’t help but glance back at Kenny. His backside was a perfect as his front. The man knew how to wear a uniform. That was for certain. She quickly looked away as he glanced back at her.

* * * *

Lena was getting more comfortable sleeping in the office, but today the weather had reached ninety degrees, and it was hot inside, so Doc turned on the air-conditioner. Problem was, now she couldn’t get it to turn off. She pulled on her sweatpants and her black hooded sweatshirt. It had saved her many nights of feeling the frigid fall temperatures in Detroit.

She kept the flashlight on in the office and was reading when she heard some noises coming from the front entrance. She peeked through the blinds, and the moment she saw the patrol truck she freaked out. Now, either the deputy was checking in on the office to make sure it was safe from burglars, or he was coming for her. But how did he know that she was staying there? Doc promised to not let anyone know and all week she had been fine.
Shit!

* * * *

Kenny didn’t like the fact that there was a small light that appeared to be a flashlight coming from his father’s office. He called it into the station, and Wyatt was on his way over. There had been a series of small break-ins around the outskirts of town, so he wasn’t taking any chances.

Wyatt pulled up just as Kenny was about to go through the front door.

“I’ll take the front and you take the back. Nice and slow, Kenny. I have a feeling that the thieves we’ve been after are teenagers.”

Kenny nodded then quickly headed around back.

The second he rounded the corner, he could hear Wyatt yell the word “stop” inside, and then someone barged through the back door.

“Stop! Police!” he yelled to them, but they kept running. Dressed all in black, short, and fast as hell, the criminal had to be a kid. He chased him, catching up because of his long legs and training. But then the kid disappeared behind the building.

On the other side, Kenny caught sight of Wyatt, and Wyatt was pointing in the opposite direction. Kenny turned and saw the teenager running from his direction.

He yelled stop again then cursed as he jumped over the planters and headed toward them. The kid was headed back toward the office and right toward the patrol truck. He came up on the kid quickly then reached out and grabbed the hood. She screamed. It was a girl, he realized as he turned her around and pressed her to the truck.

“Ouch!” she yelled.

“What the hell? Why did you run? Who the hell are you?” he asked as he began to pat her down best he could in the thick sweat suit she was wearing. It was fucking ninety degrees out.

“Let go of me. I didn’t do anything wrong,” she yelled just as Wyatt approached.

“A girl?” Wyatt asked, and Kenny gave him a dirty look. It was obvious that Wyatt was teasing him for letting a girl get the upper hand on him and run faster.

Kenny turned her around and pushed the hood away. Both he and Wyatt stood in shock.

“What?” she asked, filled with sarcasm.

“You? What the hell were you doing in my father’s office this time of night?” Kenny stepped closer. She kept her arms crossed in front of her chest and stared up at him.

“You know her, Kenny?” Wyatt asked.

“I work at the office, jerk.”

“She works there?” Wyatt asked, sounding amused.

“Yes, I do. You can call Doctor Jones.”

“Why were you there this late?” he asked, giving her the stare down. God, she was fucking gorgeous. He thought she was a damn kid, she was so petite.

“Ask your father.”

“Why did you run, sweetheart?” Wyatt asked in a much calmer tone, and Lena seemed to respond better to him. She uncrossed her arms and looked him over from head to toe.

“I didn’t know why he was coming in there. I thought he was going to attack me or something.”

“Attack you?” Kenny asked in shock.

Kenny flicked her hood in annoyance. “Why the hell are you wearing all black and using a flashlight inside of the office?”

She grabbed his hand to move it away from her sweatshirt, and when their fingers touched, he felt the electricity. She obviously felt the attraction, too, because her eyes widened. She released his hand and looked toward Wyatt. Great, now she wasn’t even looking at him.

“Calm down, Kenny, and let’s hear her story,” Wyatt stated, looking amused.

“Who are you?” she asked with attitude and the niftiest accent that told him she had to be from the Northeast or somewhere far the hell away from Texas.

“I’m the sheriff, young lady, and I expect you to answer my questions, or I’ll be forced to put you in jail for the night.”

“And charge me with what?”

“How about breaking and entering, burglary, resisting arrest, or—”
Before Kenny could continue, Wyatt was interrupting.

“What’s your name, honey?” Wyatt asked.

“Lena.”

“Lena what?”

Kenny raised his eyebrows at her, waiting to find out a name so he could run her through the system.

“Don’t make matters worse, sweetheart. Just tell me your name.”

“Lena Spright.”

“Tell me what is going on, Lena Spright.”

“I’m new to town. The Joneses, Doc and Abigail, offered me the job in Doc’s office and said I could stay here until I get my own place.”

“You’ve been sleeping here?” Kenny asked in a huff.

“I’ve been sleeping here for a week.”

“I don’t believe this. Where are you from? How do my parents know you?” he asked as he gave her a long look. Sure she was fucking gorgeous and his dick was hard as a rock after her gentle touch to his hand, but he would be damned if some conniving thief was going to take advantage of his parents’ big hearts. They should know better than to allow a complete stranger into the office and to stay there. Were they nuts?