Colters' Lady

Chapter Twelve

“So, what’s going on with you and Lily?” Dillon asked.

Seth leaned against the counter and eyeballed his younger brother. This was a hell of a note. “Michael will be here any minute now. Let’s just wait on him so there’s no rehash.”

“Tell me about her, then.”

Seth saw the tension in Dillon, how he curled his fingers and flexed them in and out at his sides.

Dillon…Dillon was usually laid back and had a complete I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude about life in general.

Seth had never known him to get his underwear in a knot over a woman.

Until now.

“She’s in trouble,” Seth began.

“What kind of trouble?” Dillon demanded.

“I’m not entirely certain.”

“Someone after her?”

Dillon’s expression had grown stormy, and he looked for the world like he wanted to kick someone’s ass.

“No. I don’t think so, anyway. Hell, I don’t know.”

“What do you know, then?” Dillon asked impatiently.

“I served her in a soup kitchen two days ago. She’s homeless.” Dillon’s scowl grew darker. The muscles in his arms rippled and his jaw tightened. “She’s what?”

“She was living on the streets. I talked her into going home with me. Michael arrived the next morning. I don’t know if he spooked her or what, but she took off. Michael found her in an alleyway, and when he got her back to my house, he discovered she’d been shot during a turf war downtown. We brought her here. It was Michael’s idea. He said everyone was worried about Callie, and well, I wanted Lily somewhere I didn’t have to worry about her running off into the city.” The front door jangled and Michael stepped inside. He looked at his two brothers and his lips twisted as if he knew all too well what had happened. Hell, he’d probably been expecting it.

“I take it he met Lily,” Michael said.

“Yeah, I met her. I want her,” Dillon said bluntly. But then leave it to Dillon to be a caveman when it came to such matters. To him everything was black and white. No in-between. And when he wanted something, he never took no for an answer.

“Yeah, well, there’s a problem with that,” Michael said, surprising Seth.

“She said you both kissed her,” Dillon said casually.

Seth looked sharply at him. “Why were you discussing us kissing her?”

“Because I kissed her too. I think she was warning me off,” he said with a shrug that clearly said it didn’t matter to him whether she was warning him off or not.

“Don’t be an asshole, Dillon,” Michael admonished. “Even you can’t be this dense. Think about it.

All three of us meet her and have this baffling, insane reaction to her?” Dillon gripped the back of his neck and stared Michael down like he was a bug he was about to crush.

“You aren’t convincing me that the three of us are destined to have the same sort of relationship with Lily that our dads have with Mom. That’s crazy.”

Even though Seth found it pretty crazy himself, he felt compelled to speak up. “Why is it so crazy? I mean obviously it’s happened in the past.”

Dillon shook his head. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. Think about what you’re saying. Since when have we ever planned on something like this? I mean yeah, I thought about it like when I was twelve and wondered if we were headed down the same road as the dads, but then I grew up.”

“Look, I didn’t plan on this either,” Michael snarled. “But I’ll be damned if I stand by and allow you or Seth to walk away with Lily. If you want to walk, fine, say the word.”

“Christ,” Seth muttered. “We’re taking a lot for granted here. We’re sitting around deciding Lily’s fate and not one of us has asked her what she wants. We know nothing about her past.”

“I don’t recall the dads asking a lot of dumb, sensitive questions when Mom hit their radar,” Dillon growled.

“Thought you weren’t considering a relationship like they had,” Michael snapped.

“I’m saying their method worked just fine.”

Seth stared hard at Dillon. “Yeah, well, they’re lucky Mom didn’t kick them in the balls. The caveman act might work for you, but it’s not what I’m doing with Lily.”

“You two are actually considering sharing this woman?” Dillon asked incredulously.

Seth’s breath caught. It had been hinted at. He and Michael had danced around the subject, but here it was in black and white.

“Let me ask you this,” Michael said. “If we make her choose. If she even did choose one of us, are the other two ever going to be content to watch their brother have a life with her? This isn’t some passing attraction—at least not for me. What is it going to do to our family for her to be with one of us or none of us? Can either of you really walk away?”

Seth pressed his lips together and ran a hand through his hair. Then he looked up at Dillon.

“This is crazy,” Dillon muttered. “People don’t fall in love at first sight. And definitely not with the same woman.”

“Tell that to the dads,” Michael said. “Tell that to yourself.”

“You want me to decide. Right here and now. I’ve spent ten minutes with her, and you want me to commit to sharing her with my brothers?” Dillon asked incredulously.

“No,” Seth said shortly. “But if we don’t handle this right, there won’t be a decision to make. She’s already run once. I don’t want her out there alone. Cold and scared. Hell, she could have died.” Michael nodded.

“Jesus,” Dillon bit out.

“I’m going out to the house,” Seth said. “You two do what you want.” He walked past his brothers and out the door, never looking back.

Thirty minutes later, Seth pulled into the drive of his parents’ home. Anticipation quickened his steps as he headed toward the front door. It had been too long since he’d been home. This was where he was most comfortable.

Before he could open the door, it swung open and his mom flung herself at him, wrapping him in her embrace. He braced himself and chuckled.

“For such a small woman, you pack a wallop, Mom.”

“I’ve missed you,” she said fiercely. “You waited entirely too long to come home.” He winced at her admonishment. “Yeah, I know. But I’m here now.” She smiled and patted his cheek. “Yes, you are. Come in. Your fathers will be thrilled to see you.” She tucked her arm through his and herded him inside. His dads were sprawled in the living room, and the television was on. Adam punched the mute button on the remote and tossed it aside while Ethan and Ryan both stood.

“It’s about damn time,” Ryan said as he walked toward Seth, his arms outstretched.

Ryan hugged him and then scrubbed his hand over Seth’s head. “How are you, son? How’s the shoulder?”

“Good. I’m good. Should be back on the job soon.”

Ethan enfolded him next and caught him in a headlock. Seth laughed and allowed himself to be led over to the couch. Adam stood and locked arms with Seth before yanking him into a hug.

“Damn good to have you home,” Adam said gruffly.

Seth pulled back and frowned as he stared around the room. “Where’s Lily?” he demanded.

“Callie took her riding,” Adam said.

Seth’s mouth fell open. “Have you lost your minds? You let Lily go riding? Hell, she’s been shot!”

“Calm down,” Ryan said. “Callie’s not stupid. She put her on a good ride. Adam tended her arm.”

Seth grabbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “You all are crazy. Would you have let Mom on a horse right after she was shot?”

Ethan scowled. “Of course not.”

Holly rolled her eyes.

“Then is there any reason you let Lily go riding?”

“Relax,” Adam said. “I lifted her onto the horse. She’s got the gentlest mount we own, the one we reserve for kids when they come with their parents hunting. She can totally hold the reins one-handed and Callie’s horse will lead. They’re just going down to the meadow and back. Lily was so damn excited about the prospect of riding, I couldn’t tell her no.”

Seth sighed. “How did she take the family? Was she overwhelmed?” Ethan chuckled. “A little nervous maybe, but not overwhelmed.” He paused for a moment and then looked up at Seth. “I like her, son. Ryan told us about her situation.”

“Yeah, it sucks. I don’t want her out there. I want her with me.” Adam raised an eyebrow. “As does Michael, apparently.”

“And Dillon,” Seth murmured. “It’s so crazy I can’t even wrap my brain around it. I left Dillon and Michael in town because we were getting nowhere. I get so pissed off at them because they only just met her, so how the hell can they be so convinced? But then I have to remind myself that I only met her two days ago.”

His mom looked at him with worry in her eyes. “She means a lot to you already.”

“Yeah, she does.” He moved toward his mom and then sank onto the couch in front of her. “Tell me something, Mom. We’ve all heard the dads’ version over the years. We know they knew you were the one and that they took over, took charge, all that not very politically correct stuff men aren’t supposed to do.

Did it scare you? Did you ever think about walking away? I’m scared to death of pushing Lily too hard, and yet I can’t let her just go back to her life without showing her what her life could be like with me—us.” She sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “I don’t know that I was frightened. I never got the idea that your fathers would ever hurt me. Quite the opposite. I felt very safe with them. They made sure I felt safe. I was nervous and confused, though. I didn’t understand what they wanted from me, and when I did, I didn’t know how it could possibly work.”

“So how did you get through all that?”

“It came down to trust. And they simply asked me to give them and us a chance. It sounds so basic, but when put like that, what else could I say but yes? They weren’t making demands of me. They weren’t forcing me to make decisions I didn’t want to. They just wanted to take care of me and for me to give our relationship a chance. And so I did.”

“You do make it sound simple, like I’ve completely over-thought every aspect of this,” Seth said ruefully. “Maybe that’s all anyone can do is ask for a chance.”

“I just want you to be happy,” his mom said in her gentle, sweet voice. “I want all my children to be happy, no matter how it has to happen. I don’t doubt for a moment that the three of you could make Lily happy. But I want you to make sure you’ll be happy with this kind of arrangement.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Mom. And thanks. It helps to get your point of view.”

“Where are your brothers now?” Adam asked.

“Probably right behind me. Michael’s pissed. Dillon isn’t much better. Dinner ought to be interesting tonight.”

His mom rolled her eyes. “Like the three of you bickering and carrying on at the dinner table is anything new?”

“I was your good child,” Seth reminded her. “Michael and Dillon were the demon spawn.”

“We can’t even argue that point,” Ryan said wearily. “Those two. I hope to hell Lily knows what she’s getting into.”

“How long have they been out riding?” Seth asked. He tried not to be anxious, but he was eager to see her again and see for himself that she was all right.

“Walk with me out to the barn and we’ll wait on them,” Adam said. “I need to talk to you anyway.” Seth followed his dad out to the back, and they leaned on the fence so they could see the path the girls would take back up from the meadow.

“Have you given any more thought to taking over Lacey’s term as sheriff?”

“Hell,” Seth muttered. “I haven’t thought about it at all. This thing with Lily happened so fast. I mean one day I was looking forward to next week, getting my psych evaluation done with and getting back to the job. The next thing I know, I’m bowled over by a woman who’s in the worst sort of circumstances, and worse, I don’t know anything about her. And yet, she’s mine. And if that’s not crazy, I don’t know what is.

So no, I haven’t given any thought to Lacey’s job.”

“Well, it seems to me it might be a godsend and fell into your lap at just the right time.” Seth’s brow furrowed as he stared back at his dad.

“Think about it. Dillon and Michael are here. They both have businesses here. You’re three hours away in Denver. How the hell is that going to work if you’re all trying to work things out with Lily?

“I know enough about your brothers to know they’re tenacious as hell. No way they’ll let Lily go back with you. They’ll want her here with them. Your only choice might be to compromise.” Seth swore long and hard under his breath. “You’re right. I mean, I know you’re right. But sheriff?

That’s always been Lacey’s job. I can’t even imagine her not there. She’s well liked and respected here.

She’s got tough shoes to fill.”

“If anyone can, it would be you. The folks around here would need a familiar, friendly face. They get nervous when outsiders come in and take over the job of protecting their interests. You lived here all your life. You grew up with these people. They trust you.”

Seth settled his elbows on the wood railing and pondered his dad’s suggestion. Leave his job on the force? Even after being shot, he hadn’t considered leaving, even for a moment. It seemed cowardly to quit at the first sign of adversity and come home to take a sheriff’s job that for the most part never involved anything more serious than livestock disputes or the occasional disorderly conduct.

“Let me ask you something,” Adam said. “What would make you happy? Staying in Denver in your current job, or coming home where your family lives, where you’ve lived all your life?” Put that way, it was pretty much a no-brainer. This was home no matter the years he’d spent away.

This was his life. His family. The people he loved. And now Lily. He didn’t want her back in Denver. She could have a fresh start here. With him. With his brothers if she so chose.

“Think about it and go talk to Lacey tomorrow. She’s going to be pissed when she finds out you were in town and didn’t stop by to see her.”

Seth grinned. “Yeah, but she’ll forgive me.”

“Here they come now,” Adam said, gesturing toward the trail.

Callie appeared first, keeping her horse to a sedate pace while Lily bobbed into view a few moments later, a ridiculous smile plastered across her face.

It hit Seth right in the stomach, and for a minute he forgot to breathe.

“Now you know why I couldn’t tell her no,” Adam murmured. “She’s beautiful, son. But skittish as a newborn colt. You’re going to have to tread a very careful path with her.” Seth nodded. “I know, Dad. Believe me, I know.”