A Match Made in Wilde (Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2)

“Well, I want to know.”

“Totally understandable,” Carol said. “I like how frank you are, honey. So I’ll be just as frank with you.”

“I’d like that.”

“Sex invokes the deepest emotions and the most intense intimacy a woman can have with her partners. There’s nothing better when you are in love. I was a virgin when we got married, so you can imagine how nervous I was. But the four of us have discovered the most amazing sex life together. Sometimes I make love with only one of my men. Sometimes all three. But whatever happens in our bedroom is always exciting and wonderful. We are all so deeply in love. That’s the key. All the rest works itself out. It’s so natural. All you have to do is open your heart.”

“That’s the most wonderful way of looking at love, Mom,” Mary said. “Don’t you agree, sis?”

“It was beautifully said.” Maude smiled. “I think Carol could sell ice to Eskimos. She’s making it hard for me to cancel the date with her two nephews.”

“So? Did my story work?” Carol’s eyes locked in on hers. “Are you going to join Grant and Greg for dinner?”

“How can I not after hearing your happily-ever-after story? Yes. I’m going. I sure hope this isn’t the biggest mistake of my life.”

“Maude, it’s only dinner,” Mary said. “Just enjoy the evening.”

“I’ll try.” I have until Saturday to cancel.

“Can we go to your room and help you pick out what to wear?” Carol asked.

She took the sweet woman’s hand. “Of course, Mom.”

Carol’s eyes welled up. “Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better, you two showed up on my doorstep. My two wonderful girls. I love you so much.”

They all embraced each other and headed up the stairs. She’d never felt so at home in her

entire life.

As she tried on various outfits for her date, images of Toby, Heath, Nate, and Seth appeared in her mind, and she thought about their two dads. With all her heart, she loved the four boys. Could she actually open her heart up enough for a chance at love with Grant and Greg? She wasn’t sure. Wilde was so foreign to everything she’d ever known. But after hearing Carol talk about how she’d fallen for her three men and the wonderful life she continued to live with her husbands, Maude felt hope grow inside her. She’d been so consumed with her past and all the regrets that she hadn’t actually been living. Could she find happiness and a future with those two cowboys?

You’re getting ahead of yourself again.

But deep inside, she wondered if it might turn into more. It had for her sister. It might for her, too.

Maude, it’s only dinner.

Chapter Seven

Greg threw the cherry tomatoes into the salad. “Maude should be here in less than five minutes.”

Grant nodded, bending down and looking through the glass door of the oven. “The baked potatoes will be done in fifteen.”

“Perfect. The grill is ready for the steaks we picked out. We can give her a glass of wine when she gets here, and we can be at the table with the meal in less than a half hour.” He hadn’t been this excited about a dinner guest in a very long time. “Can you believe that her sister is engaged to our cousins?”

“A whirlwind romance, that’s for sure. Dan, Dillon, and Craig are lucky to have found such a wonderful woman in Mary.” Grant took a deep breath. “I hope Maude will be open to the Wilde way, too.”

“She should. They are sisters. More importantly, I hope she sees something in us that makes her want to stay in Wilde.” He glanced at the boys, who were all in the play area. Grant had dressed Toby and Heath in their little suits that Aunt Carol had bought them. Heath’s shirt was untucked, and Toby’s left shoe was off. Nate and Seth were crawling on the floor wearing matching outfits, but they also had kicked off their shoes. Boys will be boys.

Grant was putting together a plate of cheese, fruit, and crackers for hors d'oeuvres.

Hearing a car turn up their driveway to the ranch, he said, “You got that?”

His brother nodded. “Go greet her. I’ll get our four cowboys re-dressed and ready to receive her.”

He smiled and walked out of the house. Seeing her blue Chevy Impala approaching, he waved at her.

Quickly, he rushed to open her car door. “Welcome to Strong Ranch and to our home.”