Love Under Three Titans (6 page)

Maggie had never seen anything like it.

Before they’d had all the parlor furniture loaded up in the truck David and Robert Jessop had brought, more people began to arrive at the warehouse and pitch in.

Another truck pulled up—this one driven by Henry Kendall—and the men loaded it, too.

“I’d have thought you’d be off taking a honeymoon,” Maggie said to him.

“We’ll take one later. We had a bit of a tussle choosing our wedding date and went ahead and booked a few charters when we couldn’t make up our minds. We thought we’d clear a week in June and go away somewhere then.”

Maggie certainly understood how business concerns could overtake personal agendas. That had pretty much been the story of her life from the moment she took over running her mother’s—and then her—hotel.

When they arrived back at the inn, she supervised the placing of the chairs, tables, and bookshelves in the parlor. She did notice when the brothers Benedict left with the Drs. Jessop. She thought they must have really rushed, because it seemed like barely an hour had passed and they were back.

Rearranging the parlor consumed her. At one point, she turned around to find Richard waiting to catch her attention. “Maggie, do you prefer looking out of your window from your bed or having the window above you?” he asked.

An interesting question, one she’d never thought of before. Back home, she’d loved looking out at the ocean first thing in the morning.

It was the first time she realized just how different life was going to be for her inland. Of course, she answered without thinking. “There’s no ocean here, so it really doesn’t matter.”

Richard looked at her for a moment. Was that pity in his eyes? Maggie wondered if she’d let her little bit of sadness show. She didn’t mind, of course. He and his brothers did say they wanted to get to know her. She
was
going to miss the ocean. It had been a part of her life for as far back as she could remember. But she didn’t want anyone to think she was feeling sorry for herself.

So she gave him a smile and said, “Surprise me.”

“I hope to.” He started to head back to the bedroom, then stopped and turned back to her. “It’s only about a four and a half hour drive to Galveston from here. Galveston is on the Gulf coast. Sometimes the waves can be lively, and you can smell the salt in the air. It’s not the Atlantic, but it might do.” He gave her a half smile.

Yes, it just might
.

Maggie’s gaze stayed on Richard as he left the room. She recalled overhearing Julia chatting with Tracy about her brother the first time she came to Lusty, for Ginny’s engagement party.

Maybe Richard wasn’t as clueless as his sister thought.

The sound of female voices drew her attention to the front door.

“Boy howdy, you’ve done a lot in one morning.” Ginny came in carrying a large shopping bag. Accompanying her niece were Ginny’s future mother-in-law, Samantha Kendall, and Kate Benedict.

“I have to say one thing for the brothers Benedict. When they set their minds to something, it gets done.”

Ginny grinned. “That’s how Kendalls do things, too.”

“Oh, now this looks very homey.” Kate came and stood beside Maggie as she took in the room.

Maggie turned her attention to the older woman, even as she wondered why Ginny and Mrs. Kendall headed toward the back of the house and the master bedroom.

“I’m not sure if there’ll be occasion to actually use the fireplace.” Maggie gestured toward the lovely mantel. “I don’t know how cold it gets here. But I thought we could get an electric fireplace insert.” She smiled at Kate. “The one I had back in New Jersey allowed you to enjoy looking at the ‘flames’ without the heater being on. But if a chill nipped, then the heat it produced was just fine.”

“What a grand idea! You could have the ambiance of a fire anytime you wanted it.” Kate beamed at her. “It’s nice to see this old house coming back to life.”

“I know it was used as a place to care for those injured in war, but the house has a happy feeling to it.”

“Yes, I’ve always thought so. Right from the first moment I set foot over the threshold.”

If Maggie had known Kate Benedict better, she might have pressed for tales of what it had been like in Lusty all those years ago.

She had a feeling Grandma Kate had led a very interesting life.

“That’s a lovely view out that window, isn’t it? Soon all the wildflowers will be in full bloom. They’re dotted all through that field. Yellow and blue and sometimes white and pink. It’s a very pretty picture in the summer. ”

Maggie thought it was a very pretty picture right now. She could see blue and white flowers beginning to show their happy little faces.

“That’s good to know. I was thinking of putting a chess table right there under that window. Perhaps an oak one to match the card table I already found.” She pointed to the lovely square table she’d placed under the windows that looked out from the front of the house onto the wide porch.

“That would be a good place to play cards. I think you’ve definitely got a knack for creating a restful yet interesting space.” Kate took in the bookshelves, lovely dark wood but, at the moment, empty. “There’s not a house in Lusty that doesn’t have boxes of books tucked away in the attic. I’ll put the word out. Some folks will jump at the chance to lend them to you.”

“Thank you. That would be great! I’ll pick up some bookplates so I can keep track of book ownership.”

Kate grinned. “That sounded like something Richard would say.”

“Did it?” Perhaps that was one of the reasons she’d seemed to so easily connect with the man. They were both in their own way CEOs, organized souls dedicated to doing what needed to be done.

I bet Richard’s just as anal as I am at times.

A voice echoed in her thoughts, a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother.
What about the other two, Margaret Mary? What’s your excuse for the way you feel around them?
Without permission, her mind supplied the answer to its own question.

Trevor seemed to be tuned in to her moods in a way she found comforting. Kevin’s joie de vivre and delight in things made her laugh and reminded her not to take herself too seriously.

Maggie brought herself back to the moment, grateful Kate appeared to be absorbed in taking in the changes to the parlor and not her own woolgathering.

“That’s the last of it.” Henry came into the parlor, went right over to Kate, and kissed her on her cheek.

Maggie had nodded approval as the Kendalls went ahead and loaded up a dining table, some chairs, and a few other pieces of furniture for some of the rest of the house. Maggie figured the only rooms still empty of furniture were the guest bedrooms.

“What do you think of our new B and B so far?” Henry asked Kate.

“I think it’s wonderful. And with everyone pitching in, I’ll bet Maggie will be ready to open the doors in no time.”

Maggie let herself think about her “to do” list. “There’s still a lot to do, business-wise. I haven’t decided on the bedrooms yet. Will I just furnish them or will some of them have a theme? Then I have to set up the business as a legal entity. I’ll need to open an account at the bank, do some research so I know who my target client is, design a marketing strategy…” Maggie stopped when she noticed Henry’s eyes gloss over.

He shook his head. Turning to Kate, he said, “She sounds just like Rick.”

Kate only beamed.

“This is such a lovely house.” Ginny came back into the room and hugged her.

“I should have taken you for a tour,” Maggie said.

Ginny shook her head. “Samantha and I had a quick look around. I have to get on to the restaurant. But once you have some time, I’ll be over for that tour and a good chat.”

“It’s going to be wonderful.” Samantha Kendall came into the room from the back of the house. “Henry, I’m so glad you’re still here. Ginny’s car is in the shop, and so she’s taking mine. You can give me a ride back home.”

“Of course, Mother.”

“I need to get going, too.” Kate reached over and squeezed Maggie’s hand. “I’ve an appointment I need to keep. You be sure and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

“Me, too. Always glad to lend a hand,” Henry said.

“Oh. Um, thanks.” Maggie felt a little like a ship going down since everyone seemed to be leaving at once. David and Robert Jessop corralled Henry into helping them with another load of furniture once his mother had been delivered back home, and the next thing Maggie knew she was alone in the parlor.

After the sound of so much hustle and bustle, the silence seemed a little eerie.
Well, this is going to take some getting used to. One minute I’m surrounded by Texans and the next I’m all alone—

Maggie blinked.

She’d waved good-bye to the Jessops, Henry and Samantha Kendall, Ginny, and Grandma Kate.

But not the brothers Benedict.

She realized then that except for that one time when Richard had come out to ask her about the bed, she hadn’t seen or heard from them. Neither had she ventured toward the master bedroom since they’d returned with two truckloads of furniture.

Curious, Maggie decided it was time for her to discover just what the Benedict men had been doing for the last hour or so.

The house was set up so that the front door opened into a hallway. The parlor, with its amazing fireplace and windows to the porch, lay on the right. Straight ahead, the hall opened into a rotunda, with a gorgeous, sweeping staircase that led to the second floor. Past the stairs, the hall narrowed again, leading to a small office, and then on to the kitchen, dining room, downstairs bath, and laundry facilities. Immediately across from the parlor was another short hall.

At the end of this short passageway, the master suite opened up and ran the length of the house, from front porch to back deck, taking up the entire east side of the building on the ground floor.

When Maggie had first seen the room, she’d imagined offering it as a special honeymoon suite, based entirely on the hedonistic bathroom incorporated into the space.

But as she’d taken the short walk back to the bedroom she’d realized the fact it seemed to be isolated from the rest of the house also made it the perfect place for the innkeeper—
her
—to relax and unwind and indulge in a bit of privacy.

She took that walk again, wondering just what it was those three men had been up to. The bedroom door stood open, and fresh air wafted over her as she stepped into the room. The two large dressers that had come with the bedroom set they’d set along one wall between the tall picture windows. A chest of drawers occupied one corner, the deep, dark hue of the wood gleaming against the eggshell-colored walls. The patio doors she hadn’t even noticed before were wide open, admitting that fresh breeze and allowing a glimpse of what appeared to be a private deck.

All those things, however, were secondary to what drew her eye and made her gasp as she stepped into the room. The tall decorative cherry-wood posts reached high, elegantly proclaiming that here was not so much a bed but a sanctuary. She’d never noticed them moving in a box spring or the mattress, but they obviously had done just that. They’d even outfitted the bed with a mass of pillows, fresh linens, and a down comforter. It was the most enormous piece of furniture she’d ever seen.

“What on earth do you
call
that size of bed?”

“We call it Benedict-sized.” Richard left the open deck door where he’d been standing and came inexorably toward her. His brothers followed and she shivered, not so much in fear but in awareness.

Inexorably
. What a strange way of thinking of his approach. Yet she couldn’t deny he seemed to be walking toward her with a single-minded kind of intensity.

“I have another question for you, Maggie love.” He stopped when mere inches separated them.

“Do you? Then perhaps you should ask it.” Was that
he
r voice sounding all breathless and flirty? Maggie would have sworn she didn’t know how to flirt. She would have testified in a court of law that all vestiges of female coquetry had been bred out of her DNA thanks to a mother and grandmother who’d been puritanical in the extreme.

Apparently, she would have been wrong.

Richard smiled that tiny smile he had that told her he wasn’t used to using his mouth in quite that way.

Oh my God
. She just had a flash image of how he might use his mouth, and it made her feel all quivery inside. She felt her face heat and decided to ignore the blush. Perhaps if she ignored it these men would, too.

“My, my, what a pretty little blush you’re wearing, love.” Richard reached out and gently ran a finger over her cheek.

“Care to share whatever thought fostered that color, sweetheart?” Trevor inched closer on her right, and she could feel the heat of him seeping into her body, warming parts of her she hadn’t even realized had been frozen.

“Um, no thanks.” She couldn’t deny to herself that fingers of sexual arousal seemed to be tickling her everywhere. Just because she’d never experienced the sensations before didn’t mean she didn’t recognize them. But she had no idea, really, what to do about them or this situation. She needed time and room to think. She didn’t want to make any impetuous decisions, go off half-cocked.

Especially when there were three what appeared to be very substantial cocks more than half aroused, pressing against trousers, right there in front of her. She thought they looked as if they wanted reach her, somehow.