For the Love of Anna (The Town of Pearl 1)

She smiled softly as she took in the other patrons. The men seemed to outnumber the women in this town, and they all seemed to be in pairs or in threes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and thought about Charlie, Ben, and Wyatt.

“She’ll be starting tomorrow, so you fellas be sure to stop by and let us know what ya think of her cooking,” Jack stated.

“What’s your name, good looking?” someone else asked, and Anna began to get nervous. There were a lot of men in this town, and the way they eyed her made her anxious to leave. Each of them was attractive and what the waitresses back in New York would have called delicious eye candy. She felt herself blush at their continued compliments.

“The name is Anna, and she’s stayin’ at the Triple C.” Everyone turned toward the deep, authoritative voice. Anna swallowed hard at the sight of Wyatt standing in the doorway in his sheriff’s uniform. Men cleared their throats and went back to eating lunch as he made his way toward her. The closer he got, the farther up she had to look.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She gasped at his show of possession, but everyone else seemed to go about their business. Out of all three brothers, he had been the quietest around her. Small conversations here and there were about all they shared. She had wondered if he even liked her. Unlike Ben and Charlie, Wyatt didn’t let his feelings show. If anything, he seemed to keep his distance from her.

When Wyatt reached up and touched her cheek, she closed her eyes and absorbed the feel of his embrace.

“So ya got yourself a job, huh, honey?” he asked.

“Yes…as the cook.”

He raised his eyebrows and then looked over at Jack.

“You take good care of our Anna, Jack. I expect you all will be real happy with her cooking.”

“That I will, Jack. You betcha.”

Anna wondered who he meant when he said our Anna.

Immediately, she thought about Charlie and Ben. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to share the news with them. How silly of her. They weren’t her boyfriends. Did she want them to be? Did they think she was interested? Am I?

She felt Wyatt release his hold but not completely as he tipped his hat good day to everyone and escorted her out of the restaurant.

* * * *

Once they were outside, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, and all she could do was stare at him in awe.

The sheriff was a perfect specimen of a man and the stereotypical looking sheriff aside from his young age. He had large, strong hands and an aura around him.

He looked her over. “You look real pretty today, Anna.”

She glanced at her outfit. “It’s Stacy’s. I borrowed it,” she whispered and wondered why she sounded like she lost her voice.

* * * *

Wyatt felt the tightness in his chest. The way she looked, the way she sounded right now, made his cock throb and his stomach quiver. He was having a difficult time keeping conversations with her simple back at the ranch. He was still determining whether or not Anna was the one for him and his brothers. The more he spoke to her or heard about the conversations she had with his brothers, the more interested he became.

He got so jealous back there at Francine’s at the way the men gawked at her. He knew what they were thinking. Hell, he heard a few men comment about her body. He had to stake a claim and make his and his brothers’ intentions known. It’s not like the Cantrells were the only family in town that was involved in ménage relationships. The town was known for it.

He leaned over and gave Anna a quick, soft kiss on the lips. It was torture to not taste more of her, but he was the sheriff, and he was standing in the middle of town.

* * * *

Anna held on to Wyatt’s forearms as he released her lips. Her eyes remained closed a moment, and she felt embarrassed when she opened them to find him smirking at her.

She must seem so naive to him. The idea that all three of them had touched her and kissed her today was unnerving to say the least. It just wasn’t possible to be attracted to three men at once, never mind normal. Haven’t I learned my lesson about giving away my heart?

She sobered instantly as thoughts of sadness nearly overwhelmed her. She turned away in his arms and made an attempt to escape. She had gotten only two steps before a strong arm came around her waist from behind, bringing her back up against Wyatt’s solid chest.

“Whoa there, honey, slow down. I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered from way above her head. His size, his potential strength, and his uniform made her body shake.

Wyatt used his free hand to caress her arm and shoulder. She felt every move, every sensation of his touch. Then he tilted her chin sideways as he leaned over with his face near her shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, doll. I just couldn’t resist tasting those sexy lips of yours. You look so damn edible.”