Lyndee's Saviors [Men of Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (26 page)

Lyndee’s three men listened to him speak but didn’t take their eyes off of their woman, standing alone in the driveway. He wasn’t offended as he knew how much these three had fallen for her. He just wished at that moment that he could find a woman that could fill his heart and emotions the same way she filled his friends’.

Walking around the side of the house back to the equipment barn, he straddled his Harley. Turning the key in the ignition he felt the rumble beneath his thighs and relished the loud sound coming from the pipes. Pulling on his leather jacket and his helmet, he rode out through the open door, down the side drive and out past the house onto the dirt road toward home. Lyndee waved at him as he passed by and he waved back.

Perhaps he should offer her a job. She was good at hers as was shown by the respect the agents had given her, and if he did so, she would stay and make those three lucky louts happy. He would have to think about it, but right now, he thought about how he was going to handle his kid sister. She had gone too far this time, nearly costing Lyndee her life, and no telling what was going on with Running Wolf yet. Once he handled Angela, he was going to have to go to the hospital to check on the injured man and to get statements from him and James.

Opening the throttle, he picked up speed, enjoying the freedom his bike gave him. At least for the next half hour it would take him to get home, he could have a bit of enjoyment after the morning they had all had. He would have a bit of enjoyment before confronting Angela and then going back to work. Yes, he would be offering Lyndee a job. Trey was a big help to him, but he felt the little woman would be a great asset to the small force and perhaps give him some freedom to have a social life.

* * * *

The three men remained rooted on the walkway from the house to the driveway. They had wanted to give her the privacy Lyndee deserved with John but now that he had left, and the sadness was written all over her, they didn’t know what to say. One thing they did know was they needed to talk, but for right now, they needed to hold her, love her.

Watching her, they waited for a sign that they could approach her. The last thing they wanted to do was rush her. Patience was never something that the men had, but with Lyndee they were learning that virtue quickly.

Looking at the house, Lyndee found her three men watching her. She noticed the worry on their faces and she hoped they didn’t think she was having second thoughts. She never wanted them to think she didn’t want them. The adrenaline rush was beginning to wane and the guilt that she had brought all this violence to their lives, to the lives of the others, was beginning to build. Tears that had abated a moment ago began again. She began to shake as her emotions overwhelmed her, and as she felt herself slipping to the ground there were hands to hold her up.

With emotions warring she hadn’t heard the ATV arrive right behind her. David had stopped to ask about news on Running Wolf but he had seen her tears and knew something was wrong. Seeing her knees buckle he reached out and grabbed her before she could hit the ground, and he slowly cushioned her as he himself sank to the ground. Cradling her against his chest he absorbed her tears with his shirt as he tried to control her trembling.

Three sets of boots rushed up to the duo and David looked up at his employers. Not certain whether he should give up their woman, he saw them each shake their heads as they knelt down around him. Their hands rubbed her back, her arms, and her legs as they all tried to soothe her. Each man, including David, spoke softly, encouraging her and saying everything was going to be all right, and after a couple of minutes her tears slowed down to an occasional sob. Her body ceased its trembling and she became pliant in the ranch hand’s arms and her breathing became steady and shallow. She had cried herself to sleep.

Standing, David looked to the three men for what to do with the sleeping beauty, as handing her off to one of them might wake her up. The men knew what they needed to do and that was to check on Wolf at the hospital. Austin nodded his head toward the back of the house where they all headed. Entering the garage, Austin held the backdoor of the black pickup as David slid in. Storm climbed in the driver’s seat while Trey took the front passenger side. After closing the door for David, Austin went around to the other side and got in.

The three cousins knew that it was a big step, letting David continue to hold their woman, but as he was more a father figure to them they didn’t mind. As they drove away, the man smoothed her hair and the large Native American pulled her feet over to his lap and stroked her calves. They sat this way until they reached the hospital in Kalispell then Austin reached for his lady.

“Lyndee,” he spoke softly. “You need to wake up. We’re at the hospital.”

* * * *

Iris eyes fluttered open as she adjusted to her surroundings. She had heard Austin say they were at the hospital, and she tried to remember why they would be there, then the morning’s activities came rushing back to her. Sitting up she looked up at David and smiled. “Hello.”

“Hello, yourself.” He smiled. “Hope you had a good nap.”

Blushing, she nodded then looked around. Catching a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror she grimaced. The men didn’t miss the action and chuckled.

“You’re fine.” Trey smiled. “We can stop at a restroom if you wish to wash up.”

They piled out of the truck and headed into the emergency room entrance. Four, tall muscular men and a petite blonde woman were hard to miss as they entered through the sliding automatic doors. Nurses stopped to stare at the four-pack of eye candy that had entered. There was no shortage of cowboys in the area, but to have four of them enter at once, especially the variety that sauntered through the halls, was too much overload for many of them. Several men stopped to stare at the small group, ogling Lyndee.

Making their way to the waiting room, they found James. His head hung in frustration as a toddler wailed on his momma’s lap while a man was softly snoring a few chairs down from him. Lyndee slipped into a chair next to him and put her hand on his upper back. He jumped at her touch as he hadn’t seen any of them arrive. Putting her arms out, he fell into her arms, burying his head into her shoulder.

“He was so bad by the time we got here. They had to bring him back twice,” James said sadly. “I thought I was going to lose a good friend.”

“Any news yet?” Storm asked, sitting on the other side of him, next to the snoring man.

Looking up, James shook his head. “No. He’s been in surgery since we got here. Doc Anderson arrived a little bit ago and is looking for answers.”

Austin and Trey found seats across the room from them while David took the empty seat beside Lyndee. Long legs stretched out in front of all the men, which seemed to take up a lot of room, their presence overwhelming the size of the room. The baby had stopped crying and was looking between all the men in wonder. Storm smiled at the little tyke and the child hid his face in his mother’s chest.

“I feel he is going to be all right,” Lyndee said. Inside she prayed. He had to be.

Removing the elastic band from the bottom of her braid, she combed out her hair with her fingers. Lifting his butt, Austin pulled out a comb. Motioning for her to come to him with a crooked finger, she rose and went over to him. Starting to kneel on her knees between his legs, he patted his lap and she sat there spreading her legs to either side of his. All the men growled, including James and David. Austin began running the comb through the long, silky blonde hair while everyone in the sitting room except the snoring man watched the erotic gesture. Taking his time, he smoothed her hair down until it was snapping with static electricity. Pulling her hair back, he began to braid it. Entranced by the deft hands of the large Indian as he twisted sections of hair back and forth, each man had to reposition their legs a few times or clear their throats.

Lyndee was well aware of the men watching her as she enjoyed the attention Austin was giving her hair. She loved having her hair long. The girls she had worked with had been trying to get her to cut her hair but she resisted and Philip had often told her that foreign men requested blonde women with long hair. She was a commodity for him. Now, she was free. Both Trey and Austin seemed to love her hair, tending to it, but Storm never really made mention of it or expressed an interest in working with it. She had to wonder about that.

Watching the three men opposite her, she could see the desire in Storm’s eyes, as they were now cobalt blue instead of the sky-blue they usually were. She was amazed how much of a change of emotion there was in those eyes. James was watching her with turquoise eyes, amused at the little woman in the lap of Austin. Desire was in his eyes also and she blushed. David’s emerald green eyes were filled with desire also. She knew that Trey and Austin would have noticed their intense desire for her and she feared for them as she knew how jealous her men could get.

The sexual tension was thick in the room by the time Austin finished braiding her hair and she started to get up, but his hands sliding around her waist stopped her. Leaning back against him, she felt comforted in his arms, though nervous with what was going on behind those silver swinging doors. Nurses and doctors passed out in the hallway, tending to their business, their other patients’ business. Every once in a while someone would look in the room to check the activity there, but mostly it was nurses to ogle the cowboys, Lyndee’s cowboys. She felt proud.

Finely, unable to stand the silence, she looked at the woman with the toddler. “Is your little one sick?”

Shaking her head, the woman looked at Lyndee with sad eyes. “My husband was seriously injured in a logging accident this morning. He was flown in by helicopter and is in surgery.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lyndee said with genuine concern, especially after watching the little boy in her arms with the mop top of brown hair. She knew what it would be like for the youngster to lose his father at such a young age if the outcome was grim. “Is he your only child?”

“No. I have six-year-old twins. They are still in school. My mother will get them when she gets off work. She works at their school,” the woman said sadly.

“I’ll pray for your husband and your family,” Lyndee said, trying to fight back her tears.

The rumble from Austin’s chest was comforting when he added, “We all will keep your family in our prayers.”

Lyndee let her eyes drift closed as she relaxed against Austin’s chest. She felt Trey’s hand find hers and let him interlace his fingers with hers and rest their hands on his thigh. For the first time that day, Lyndee felt at peace. She knew that Running Wolf was going to be all right, and she was surrounded by the men who loved her and by friends who put their lives on the line for her. Sighing heavily as the sense of tranquility settled over her she felt Austin’s arms tighten around her waist.

“Are you all right?” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes,” she said as she nodded.

“Then what’s wrong, darlin’?” Storm asked from his chair.

Opening her eyes, she looked over at his concerned face. “You’ve all made me so happy today. I don’t know how to thank you all for what you did for me. You all risked your lives to save me. I won’t ever be able to thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to thank us, sweetheart,” Trey said next to her. “We love you and it’s our duty to protect you. All of us.”

“Yes, ma’am,” James said. “We don’t take kindly to people coming around here trying to hurt one of our own, especially women.”

“That’s right, boss lady,” David grinned. “I’m just sorry I missed all the action.”

Smiling at the two men who were now her friends, she said, “Well, thank you for all your help. When I get back from Denver after the trial I’ll treat you guys to a big meal.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” they both said in unison.

“And don’t call me ma’am,” she said laughing. “I already told you that.”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the double silver doors as they opened and Doc Anderson walked through them. Lyndee jumped off Austin’s lap to rush to the doctor as the five cowboys stood and gathered behind her.

“How is he, Doc?” she asked quietly.

The older man ran his hand through his hair before speaking. “It was touch and go there for a while. He’s a fighter. He’s going to be all right, but he’ll need some rehabilitation on his shoulder. The bullet tore through some muscle and nicked an artery. That’s why he bled so much. He’ll probably need to go to Helena for physical therapy.”

“We’ll make sure he gets the help he needs.” Storm spoke above Lyndee’s head.

“Perhaps he can go to Denver with me while we await the trail. I have an extra bedroom he could stay in,” Lyndee offered innocently.

Growls emanated above her and she realized she had misspoken. They could discuss it later. “When can we see him?”

“They’re just finishing up with the surgery then he’ll go to ICU. Once he’s settled there, a nurse will come and let you know when you can go in,” Doc explained. Then looking down at Lyndee, he said, “Little lady, I heard you went through an ordeal this morning and I would like to do a little exam on you to make sure you are all right.”

Nodding, she looked at the men. “I’ll be okay. You guys really need to relax.”

* * * *

They watched her follow the doctor, watching her ass sashaying before it disappeared behind the swinging doors. Even after she was gone, they continued to watch for a few more seconds as if she was going to come back. Finally, they all returned to their seats.