During those tense few days in Afghanistan, when the two of them had been vigilant, waiting for reinforcements or death—whichever came first—it was thoughts of Julia, of the two of them settling down with her that had kept him sane. He’d mapped a plan in his mind of how things were going to be, and it satisfied him immensely that they were finally moving in the direction that would turn that plan into reality.
Of course, he knew Julia wasn’t completely sold on the fact that he and Drew were her mates. It would take time, and constant loving, until she accepted what they already understood. The three of them were meant to spend the rest of their lives together.
The sound of footsteps pulled him out of his musings. Drew bounded into the kitchen, his hair still damp from his shower, and immediately headed toward the cupboard.
“Julia is calling in to her workplace.” He began to set the table. “Since she doesn’t actually begin her new position for another two weeks, she’s been just going in and spending time with the retiring visitors’ bureau director. Getting a sense of what’s been done in the past, and all that the position entails.”
“She’d want to hit the ground running,” Dev said. “She likes to have her ducks in a row. And, she’s a real people person. She’s very well suited to the field of public relations.”
“She is,” Drew agreed. “When we served on that committee with her, that’s what got my attention first off. The way she made everyone there, all from different civilian agencies, branches of the service, and city departments, feel as if they were an integral part of the whole.”
“What a nice compliment!”
Julia came into the kitchen looking like a beautiful spring day. She went over and kissed Drew. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome—but I just spoke the truth.”
Then she came over to Dev. “And thank
you
for making breakfast.” She stretched up and gave him a light kiss.
Hungry for more than just a peck, he picked her up, wrapped his arms around her, laid his mouth on hers, and sank into her. His tongue tasted her and teased her. He felt her nipples harden into tiny little rocks that poked his chest. He thought she was the best-tasting breakfast he could ever have.
Dev set her down gently, pleased as hell to see a bit of a dazed look in her eyes and a flush on her cheeks. “You’re welcome, baby doll. Let’s sit down and eat.”
Julia shook her head once, and then sank into a chair at the table. “The two of you scramble my brains.”
“Good,” Drew said. “Because you sure as hell rattle ours.”
Dev brought two platters of food out of the oven and set them on the table. He’d kept the bacon, sausage, and pancakes warm. He’d just finished cooking the eggs, and as Drew poured out the coffee and brought over the toast, Dev took the lid off the skillet and set it on a hot plate on the table. He hoped Julia liked cheese in her scrambled eggs, and didn’t mind the absence of hot sauce.
He sat down and began to dig in. He thought she might have made a comment about how much food he’d prepared. Both he and Drew tended to eat large breakfasts. Then he recalled that she had six brothers. Julia Benedict was likely used to banquet-sized meals.
“I thought that after breakfast, you could show us some more of your town,” Dev said. “We haven’t actually seen much of it.”
Julia smiled at him as if he’d done something wonderful for her. “That was my idea, too,” she said. “I don’t know how much you know of our history. We have a very unique one.”
“I have to confess that we know next to nothing about it,” Dev admitted. “The only thing we understood early on was that the kind of family we’d like to make with you isn’t unusual here in Lusty.”
“When we discovered that,” Drew said, “we knew this was where we had to be.”
“Especially,” Dev said, “because you were here.”
Julia tilted her head to the side. In her eyes he could see hesitation. He knew she would likely resist thinking in terms of a permanent relationship so soon. He was pretty certain he understood what was holding her back.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love them. He knew she did, even if she didn’t understand that herself, or even if she knew but refused to admit it.
A woman who’d only had three serious relationships by the age of twenty-eight—which was how old she’d been when they’d met her—would never have been able to give herself to them so freely if she didn’t love them.
Dev believed that what held her back was the fact that he and Drew were both very strong men, not the least bit shy when it came to making their desires known.
They just had to prove to her that being strong, demanding men did not mean they would run roughshod over her or treat her with anything but loving respect.
They didn’t want a doormat. They wanted a wife, and a mother for their children.
“After we eat, and the dishes are done, we’ll head on over to the museum. We’re all very proud of our heritage here in Lusty.”
“The town was founded by Benedicts?” Drew asked.
Julia’s entire face lit up. “Actually, it was founded by two families—the Benedicts, that would be Sarah Benedict and her husbands, Caleb and Joshua—and the Jessop-Kendalls, created when Amanda Dupree, Sarah’s cousin, married two men who were already a couple, and in love with each other—Adam Kendall and Warren Jessop. It is a fascinating story.”
“The town of
Lusty
was founded in the 1880s by two ménage families?” Drew’s eyebrows had shot up.
Julia grinned. “We like to say that our townspeople have earned the name, time and time again, ever since.”
Dev chuckled. “I was under the impression that living ‘alternative lifestyles’ was an invention of the new millennium.”
“Oh, not at all. Someday you should sit down and do an Internet search. There are several well-documented and famous examples of ménage relationships throughout history.”
“Now I’m intrigued,” Drew said.
Dev felt the same way. Of course, what Julia had just said went a long way toward explaining that interesting first meeting they’d had back in New York with her grandmother, Kate Benedict.
“Then,” Julia said, “after we finish with the museum, I’ll take you to meet my best friend, who happens to be the sous-chef at the restaurant in town.” Julia chuckled. “We’re kind of a tight-knit community. You just might get to meet a whole lot of cousins—Benedicts, Jessops, and Kendalls, including the sheriff.” She leaned forward. “I’ve always been one of his favorite cousins.”
“Good. We’d like to meet as many members of your family as possible,” Drew said.
“What about your brothers, sweetheart? Will they likely show up at the restaurant to check us out, too?”
“No, thank goodness! Fortunately, they’re in Houston. They left New York not long after I did. They’ve decided to move the headquarters of Benedict International from New York back to Texas.”
“That’s too bad. I was particularly looking forward to meeting them.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d just as soon put that off for as long as possible.” Her brow furrowed, and he wanted to smooth out the worry lines with his lips. “My brothers—all six of them, but especially the triplets—can be really nosy and intrusive when they put their minds to it. The last thing you want, believe me, is to have them give you a hard time.”
Dev flicked a quick glance at Drew, who responded by grinning. Julia might be dreading the usual interference and high-handedness of her siblings because she was afraid they’d try to make things uncomfortable for them.
Dev knew that in this, as in most things, he and Drew were on the same page. Julia’s brothers were welcome to
try
and make things difficult for them. In fact, he sincerely hoped they would.
The sooner they found out Julia now had two completely devoted champions, the better.
Chapter 7
“This is one of my favorite photographs.” Julia stood aside so both Devon and Drew could get a good look at the sepia-colored print.
She would point out to them, when they went to the Big House later, the very spot where this picture had been taken. The family still used the side lawn for picnics, although these days it was a much larger group that would gather there for such events.
In this photo, that had been digitally reproduced, enlarged, and enhanced, were the founding families of Lusty, Texas. Sarah Benedict, seated in a rocking chair, looked serenely happy holding her twin sons, Charles and Samuel. Behind her, appearing smugly proud and totally smitten, were Sarah’s two husbands, Caleb and Joshua. At the other end of the grouping, Amanda Jessop-Kendall, also reclining in a rocker, obviously pregnant and smiling, was flanked by her husbands, Adam and Warren. The men had one hand each on her shoulders, in a touch that Julia had always thought instinctive and unconscious. The love between the three of them was palpable.
This particular occasion had been a Fourth of July picnic, Julia knew, and was one of the times the families had entertained a couple of very good friends who, even in their day, had been rather well known.
“Holy hell, is that Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp?” Dev looked over at her.
“It is.
That
Adam Kendall was a Texas Ranger, and both Caleb and Joshua Benedict had served as US Marshals more than a time or two. Somewhere along the way, they met and became good friends with the famous lawmen. I also know from reading Sarah’s journal that Bat Masterson played an integral role in protecting her from a would-be assassin, in Denison, Texas.”
“Huh. So these Benedicts are what—your great-great-grandparents?” Drew’s brow was furrowed, and Julia grinned. She knew he was trying to figure out the family tree. It usually took newcomers quite a while to get all the connections.
“Actually, they’re all
six
of them my great-great-grandparents, because Sarah’s daughter Chelsea married Amanda’s sons, Jeremy Kendall and Dalton Jessop.”
“So that’s how it is that everyone in town is your cousin!” Drew looked as if he’d solved a great mystery.
“My only
first
cousins in town are Benedicts. The rest are fourth or fifth cousins, several times removed. Then too, later that same generation and the next, there were more marriages between both Jessop-Kendalls and Benedicts and the children of their friends, the Parker-Joneses. And of course, the children of the man and woman who comprised Sarah’s household staff—Rita and José Mendez—settled in Lusty, and thus we have Mendez, and Sanchez cousins as well.”
“Don’t forget that nice Peter Alvarez who came home to us just a couple of months back. He’s marrying Jordan Kendall and Tracy Jessop, so that’s a triple connection right there!”
Sarah turned at the sound of the soft, feminine voice. “Hi, Aunt Anna.” She went over and gave her aunt a hug and kissed her cheek.
“Hello, dear. I see you’ve brought your men around for a visit.”
Sarah introduced the men and then just stood back and watched the tough Navy SEALs with her even tougher aunt.
“You were both raised in Pennsylvania,” Anna Jessop said to the men. “But you”—she smiled at Dev—“
you
were born in the South. Georgia, I believe.”
“Ah…yes, ma’am. My parents moved us from Atlanta to Hazleton when I was seven.” Dev shot a glance at Julia. She just smiled at him.
“Kate told me you both served on the same SEAL team for a number of years, and now you’ve moved on to the next phase of your careers. You’re teaching what you’ve learned to young recruits over at Goodfellow.”
“We are,” Drew said.
“Well thank you both for your service to our country. We all owe everything to those of you who have the courage to stand in harm’s way.”
“Oh, well—” Dev looked sweetly flustered. Drew actually blushed.
“Of course, you won’t be in the Navy for the rest of your lives,” Anna Jessop said. “Have you given any thought as to what you’ll do after? Men, in my experience, need to keep busy. Just look at Julia’s uncles, Caleb and Jonathan. They
thought
they’d retire and help Bernice out with the running of the household. ” Anna made a kind of a snorting sound that left no one in any doubt as to what her opinion was of that idea.
“Um, I take it retirement didn’t work out well for them, ma’am?” Drew ventured.
“No, indeed it certainly did not. So they’ve opened their own private investigation agency. They’ve got their office right out there at the airfield, next to Morgan, Henry, and Tamara’s charter air service.” Anna nodded her head. “Mark my words, everyone is happier when the men in the family are kept busy.”