Seducing Their Wayfaring Souls [3xtasy Lake 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

“Can I ride on your bike?” Zack bounced, excitement vibrating off him as only an innocent child can give off. Tara, on the other hand, looked terrified.

  “Sorry, buddy, I only have one helmet with me today, but if your mom says it’s okay then we’ll go for a ride another time.”

  “There you all are.” Jessica breezed into the room with a grin. “I called down and made arrangements with Albert for the two of you. He’ll have a couple rooms ready for you by the time we get down there.”

  “One room will be fine.” Tara stretched out her arm and Zack moved closer and she wrapped her fingers around his hand. Lars imagined Tara had herself on a strict budget.

  “They have adjoining doors so it’s like one room.” Jessica ruffled the hair on Zack’s head. “But whatever makes you more comfortable. I also spoke to Officer Walker. He grabbed your suitcases out of the car and will meet us at the hotel.”

  Tara had the most expressive face that showed every emotion she battled with. Lars was getting the impression that Tara did everything on her own and didn’t know or trust simple human kindness.

  * * * *

  Lars gunned the engine of his bike and whipped down the highway, trying to outrun his memories of that morning and the accident. After Jessica took Tara and Zack down to the hotel he and Craig had discussed the accident. From what Tara said, neither of them could understand how it had happened. She hadn’t braked unexpectedly or remembered someone following her closely. It was almost as if someone had deliberately run her off the road. Another ten feet and she would’ve slid down the ravine, and fifty feet from there it was a sheer drop-off to a gorge below. They both would’ve been killed for certain.

  Tara reminded him of his wife. Beatrice had been a petite woman but with a core of steel. Tara was taller but still as delicate as Beatrice was, and while she’d been badly shaken he could tell she had the heart of a lion. Obviously a single mom, everything she owned had looked to be in the car and he wondered if they might be living out of it. She’d made a comment about moving to Manitoba, but why would she head out there that time of year? Manitoba weather was notoriously unpredictable and getting settled that time of year would be much more difficult than if she’d headed out at the beginning of the summer.

  He checked his watch and flipped on 3XTC. He enjoyed listening to Cris read in the afternoons. The entire town did. At the McGuigan sisters’ request he’d been reading from the Iliad this week. Ecstasy Lake was like the kind of community he’d grown up in, a large family that stuck its nose in everyone else’s business but would protect their secrets in a heartbeat. If there was one thing Ecstasy Lake had, it was secrets. Some managed to stay hidden for centuries and others ended up public knowledge whether they wanted it or not.

  River McNamara’s secrets had been exposed recently, but she’d bounced back and straight into the arms of her three Mates. Bears, of all the animals to bind herself to. The McNamara brothers were good men and he was happy she had them to watch after her. It would take three men to keep up with River. He made a mental note to give her a call. She was in her third semester of massage therapy and he thought Tara might find River’s skills beneficial. He could take Zack out fishing or for a bike ride while Tara was being taken care of.

  She was special and needed to be cared for, and Zack needed a couple of positive men in his life. Ecstasy Lake could be good for them and he could learn more about their story. Stop thinking like that.

  There was a pause in the story Cris was reading on the radio, long enough to catch his attention. “Lars, turn on your phone,” Cris said and then cleared his throat and went back to reading from Homer’s classic story. It wasn’t unusual for Cris to deliver messages during his readings. Cris’s show was as much information and gossip as it was entertainment.

  Lars pulled over and balanced his bike as he fished his cell out of his pocket. He didn’t like to be disturbed while he was riding and often turned it off. It took a moment to charge up, and then sure enough a text from Cris popped up on the screen.

  My place for dinner, bring beer, I have steaks. Want to talk about Tara and Zack.

  Lars stared at the screen and weighed his options. There were a few reasons why Cris would want to meet for dinner, but he suspected this had more to do with a conversation the two of them had had on and off over the past few years. Ecstasy Lake was home to a few successful polyrelationships and it seemed Fate had done more matchmaking in the past couple years. Cris liked the idea of sharing a woman and suggested one day the two of them might find the perfect woman to fit between them. Lars had never met another man he would be willing to share with other than Cris. The two of them had developed a fast friendship over bikes and a need not to discuss their own pasts.

  Tara didn’t seem the type of woman to divide her time between two men and would probably run screaming in the opposite direction from anyone who might suggest it. Her focus in life was her son, and there wouldn’t be any room for anyone else. Lars had travelled this path before. Beatrice had lived for her children. They’d always come first in her life and she’d reminded them often that he hadn’t been their father. He’d loved her more than anything in all his years of travelling the earth, but when her children had grown and moved on to families of their own she’d missed them terribly. Life without her children hadn’t been enough for Beatrice, and when she’d gotten sick, she hadn’t had any real reason to live. She’d said she’d cared about him and had been sorry she hadn’t done more for him, which had been ridiculous. All he’d ever wanted was her love and in the end she’d left him to wander again. She’d insisted on moving in with her son and left him alone.

  He’d wandered for years after that. He’d loved her so much, but no matter how much he’d done, she never returned his feelings. Until today he’d been certain that Beatrice had been his one chance at happiness in this life.

  He texted back, See you at seven, and then turned the phone off again. Lamenting over the past hadn’t ever done him any good, and for all he knew Cris had thought about a way to help Tara get to her destination. That was what Lars planned to do. He’d help her get back on her feet and healthy and then send her and her son on their way before they found their way into anyone’s heart. There was no path to his own. It had been blocked off long before.

  Chapter Three

  Tara hadn’t been in many hotels in her lifetime, but the bed she currently lay on was the most comfortable one she’d ever been on in her entire life. The sound of cartoons playing in the other room was like background noise, but it wasn’t lulling her to sleep. She’d tried to have a nap but didn’t have any luck. Her thoughts were revolving around the fact this was much too nice of a hotel and there was no way she could afford such luxurious accommodations.

  Jessica had introduced her to Albert, who’d insisted on giving her two rooms but said he would only charge her for one. Even one room she wasn’t certain she could afford, but if it was only for a night or two then she would scrimp later.

  The hotel was very close to the clinic. Everything in this town was close together. The main street was only a few blocks long, but there were a lot of interesting things to see. There was a yarn shop and a museum in the same building. The second floor was a radio station. Across the street from there was an arcade Zack had immediately wanted to check out and then a couple of tourist-type shops. There was a small restaurant, an ice-cream shop, and a double-decker bus that had been converted into a food truck.

  Tara tried to calculate how much money they had and what she could afford to spend on food. Maybe if she got something big somewhere and split it with Zack. She’d finish whatever he didn’t. She wasn’t all that hungry anyways and more importantly it would keep the cost down.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d used this tactic and figured she’d have to do it a few times during the trip. She could get one of those energy bars and make certain Zack ate properly. He was a growing boy and needed his nutrients.

  Zack came tearing back into her room “Oh, wow!
You goth your own, too!” He was so excited he practically vibrated on the spot as he pointed at the TV. “I have one in there, too!” He ran back into his room with a whoop and she heard a soft thump.

  “No jumping on the bed, Zachery Brewer.”

  “Ah, Mom. Ith not really my bed.”

  Tara knew Zack was excited and she was so relieved the accident hadn’t hurt his spirits too much. But it didn’t mean she would let him get away with his behavior. Unlike her father, who would’ve beaten her with a strap until she promised not to, she calmly pushed herself up and walked into the next room.

  “Zachery. This might not be our home, but we’re very lucky to have such a nice place to stay tonight. Mr. Albert works very hard to keep these rooms ready for his guests. We should be respectful of all the work he does.”

  “Yeth, Mom.” Zach sighed, his shoulders drooping. “Can I watch cartoonth?”

  “Sure, go ahead.” Albert had assured her he’d locked out any adult channels from the television in Zack’s room. “I’m going to have a shower and then maybe we’ll go get something to eat.”

  “Oh, good. I’m tharving.” He flopped back against the pillows on his bed and flipped through channels. “Mom, can we check out the lake after? Lulu thaid thereth a monther living in it.”

  “Sure, we can take a walk, hun.” Zack was always starving and Tara often worried he wasn’t getting enough to eat. He was so energetic he burned off everything he managed to inhale. But, he didn’t look undernourished and she made sure he ate vegetables every day.

  A knock on her door made her stomach cramp up. Oh, god. Albert ran the credit card. He said he needed it as a security hold and Tara knew there wasn’t any room on it right now. She glanced at her purse. Every bit of money she had was in there. She could give him cash as a deposit. They would leave tomorrow. Please god let the car be okay to drive. Because if it wasn’t, she had no idea what she was going to do next. She had a plan to deal with this crisis moment, and once she managed that she would concentrate on the next one.

  She left the chain on when she opened the door and peered through the crack. It was Jessica, not Albert, on the other side of the door. Relief made her lightheaded and she had to fight the urge to dissolve into tears.

  “Hi, Tara. Is everything okay?”

  Tara held up one finger and closed the door, resting her forehead on the wood for a moment as she unhooked the chain. She took a deep breath and opened the door, plastering a smile on her face. “Hi, Jessica. Everything’s fine, all things considered. Thank you again for arranging for us to stay here.”

  Jessica was a very observant woman and Tara prayed she didn’t ask any questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. She felt like her emotions were on a knife edge and she didn’t feel strong enough to deal with any of it.

  “I popped back over to invite you and Zack to dinner tonight at our house.”

  “I don’t know if I’m feeling up to it.”

  “I promise we won’t keep you late. You both have had a difficult day and trying to figure out dinner in a new town is a stress I can alleviate for you.”

  Tara warred with the need to hide away and try to plan for all the various outcomes today’s accident would create. But a free meal was something she couldn’t pass up right now. Jessica was right. It would take care of an immediate concern.

  “That’s very kind of you, Jessica. Thank you. Are you sure we wouldn’t be putting you out?”

  “Oh, god no. The way Marcario and Jelani eat I usually make enough for an army. How about I swing by in an hour and pick the two of you up?”

  * * * *

  Tara took a nice, long, hot shower. Her shoulders had started aching in the last hour and a headache was gnawing at the base of her skull. Jelani had warned her that might happen and she would feel worse in a couple of days before she started feeling better. Hot tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks. Again. She was tired of feeling like she was going to cry every second. Tara had learned things in life didn’t get done if she stood in one spot and cried. It was a useless response, it accomplished nothing, and yet she couldn’t stop today.

  She swiped her hand across the mirror and wiped off some of the steam from her shower. “You’re stronger than this, stop it.” She pointed at her reflection and frowned at herself. A habit she had started long before, it was something she did when she didn’t have anyone else to turn to.

  She ran her hand through her short blonde hair and tried to fluff it up a bit. She was going to go to dinner, and even though she really would rather curl up in a ball under the covers, she would do what she always did and carry on. A bit of mousse and the hairdryer attached to the wall helped the body in her hair. It still stuck out at the base of her neck and drifted into her eyes, but she liked to think it gave her a Meg Ryan look. Being able to do her hair in five minutes was more important to her than having perfect, sleek hair. She wasn’t much for makeup either, but a bit of concealer helped to dull the bags under her eyes and mascara at least gave her a bit of eyelashes.

  Tara knew she wasn’t a raving beauty. Hell, she’d only managed to catch one man’s attention in her life, and look how that had turned out. Although, she would never complain about Zack. He was the most important person in her life, but she knew he was getting to the age he might need a positive male role model. One day, she hoped to find such a man and maybe he would put up with her, too. She posed slightly in the mirror and looked herself over.

  She didn’t have the curves Jessica or Carol did and she wasn’t nearly as pretty, but she was passable. She cast a critical eye over herself, noting how parts of her had gotten bonier than normal. At least her boobs had gotten a bit bigger after having Zack, although breastfeeding had done a number on them.

  “This is why you don’t look in a mirror, Tara,” she admonished her reflection again and wrapped a towel around herself before leaving the bathroom. She poked her head into Zack’s room and saw he was still watching cartoons. Transformers by the sounds of it.

  “Mom, I want to be able to change into a robot. Wouldn’t that be cool?”

  “Yes, you know it would be. There are stories about people changing into animals. If you want we can look them up in a library somewhere.” She closed the door slightly so she could change but left it open a crack so she could hear him. She rummaged through her bag and found a clean shirt. It was a little wrinkled but at least clean. She was going to have to hit a Laundromat soon. Neither she nor Zack had too many clothes, which kept the cost down, but it meant she had to do laundry more often.

  “Mom, you can thee the water from here!” Zack ran through the adjoining door and pulled open the curtains. “Look! Ith really pretty and ith magic, too. Did you know that?”

  The lake did look beautiful and strange at the same time. The water looked completely black, but the setting sun glinted off the surface like a thousand glowing embers. “It’s very pretty. What makes it magical do you think?”

  “’Cauth I told you thereth a lake monther in it.” Zack dropped the curtain and then ran back into his own room.

  Tara knew Zack had an overactive imagination and worried this lake monster might give him nightmares tonight. “What kind of monster do you think he is?”

  Zack ran to the doorway. “The kind that eaths bad guys, but Lulu thaid he likths kidth. I want to find him and athk if he’ll give me a ride, like the dolphinth we thaw on TV.”

  Tara grinned at the sound of her son. Those front two teeth would grow in soon and she was going to miss the little lisp to his words. “Zack, I want you to put on a clean shirt, honey. We’ve been invited to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett’s house.” Or is it Mr. and Mr. and Mrs.? Tara felt a twinge of guilt thinking that about the nice couple, but she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more than simply brotherly friendship between Jessica and her brother-in-law.

  “Really! Cool!” Zack bounded back into his room.

  She took her clothes into the bathroom and got changed into them. Zack hollered a few more
questions from his room. I need to tell him to stop yelling, or we’re going to get a complaint from the other guests here.

  She was coming out of the bathroom when she heard another knock at her door. As it was the same as before she assumed it was Jessica again and opened the door wide this time. Sure enough, Jessica stood in the hallway, but her demeanor was much different than it was before. Both Jelani and Marcario stood with her. Both of them smiled gently at her, but Jessica looked very distressed.

  “Hi, Tara. You remember my husband, Jelani, and his brother, Marcario.”

  “Yes, of course. Jessica, is everything okay? I mean if you have to cancel dinner then I understand.” Tara’s brain went into overdrive trying to think of all the conceivable situations that might crop up and what she could do to solve them. She would go back to the original plan of taking Zack to the bus down the street. Hopefully they were still open…

  “Oh, no, I want you to come for dinner, but I need to explain something first.”

  Zack ran out of his room at that moment. “Yeah, we’re going out now right! Hi, Mthith Bennett, did you know I have my own TV and I can thee the lake from my window? Do you know a monther liveth in there?”

  “Hey, buddy.” Jelani smiled down at Zack. “I don’t think you met my brother Marcario earlier.”

  Her son smiled widely, hero worship shining on his face. “Nice to meet you, Mthr Bennett.”

  Marcario leaned down to shake Zack’s hand. “Do you know the creature in the lake’s named Blavet?”

  “Really…”

  Jessica touched Tara’s arm, drawing her attention from watching her son interact with the two men. “Tara, can I have a word with you?”

  “Yes, of course.” She felt a twinge in her chest as Jessica led her a few feet into her room. Jelani and Marcario stayed in the doorway. Both of them had squatted down to Zack’s height and were listening to his animated discussion on Transformers and lake creatures.