Along Came Merrie by Beth D. Carter

whispered. “My purse, my money, my possessions… It’s all gone.”
    “Shh,” he soothed again. “It’s going to be okay.”
    “It’s not okay! He’s going to find me and he’s going to hurt me again. I need to get as far away from Wyoming as possible because he’ll hurt you too. Oh, I was so stupid to stay here for this long. I’ve got to go —”
    Braden shut her up by kissing her. One minute she was raving like a lunatic and the next moment he claimed her mouth with his. At first, she didn’t respond as surprise rippled through her. She simply took in the fact that her stoic, taciturn cowboy was, in fact, kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, letting her tongue meet the seam of his lips. He opened immediately and swirled their tongues together. It was different from Leo’s kiss but no less sensual. Her fear melted into desire and, when he pulled back to stare at her with his blazing blue orbs, her fear evaporated.
    He swept his gaze over her head and she suddenly remembered Leo.
    Crap.
    She withdrew her arms and Braden’s fell away. She took a deep breath and turned. Leo watched them with his head tilted to one side, as if he were observing something fascinating.
    “Leo, I’m sorry.”
    “About what?” he asked.
    She took a deep breath. “I’m not playing one brother against the other. I swear it. The kiss… It just happened.”
    “What is she talking about, Leo?” Braden asked.
    “I’ve often wondered why Tam Apo led you to our door,” Leo said, a soft smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “The Great Father often leads destiny to us but seldom reveals why. I’ve seen the way you look at Braden and him at you when he thought no one was looking. I know how you feel in my arms. It’s been confusing and troublesome but I think I understand now.”
    “Well, that’s great,” Braden said. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m a little confused.”
    “The earth, the sun and the moon exist in harmony,” Leo explained. “It is a perfect trinity for life—and for love.”
    “Come on,” Braden scoffed. “Do you truly believe that a threesome equals love?”
    Leo raised an eyebrow. “I think you shouldn’t be so cynical.”
    “I don’t know, Leo,” Braden muttered. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
    Leo shrugged. “We should try. Shouldn’t we?”
    “Hello, standing right here,” Merrie said a bit angrily. “It’s annoying when you two are talking about something that involves me but I have no clue what’s going on.”
    “Don’t you?” Leo asked her softly. “You admitted to me you have feelings for the both of us.”
    She shook her head. “That makes me messed up. Doesn’t it?”
    “I don’t think so,” Leo said. He looked at his brother. “Braden?”
    “He’s talking about something deeper growing between us,” Braden said. “I’m a little hesitant, though. How old are you, Merrie?”
    She blinked. “I’m twenty-three.”
    “Don’t, Braden,” Leo warned. “She’s nothing like Samantha.”
    “Who’s Samantha?” Merrie asked.
    “She’s my ex-wife,” Braden replied. “We gotten married way too young and after a while, she couldn’t handle life on the ranch. She didn’t like the isolation. She expected me to get out, explore the world. In the end…I couldn’t hold onto her.”
    Merrie’s heart ached for him. “I’m sorry, Braden. But it’s true. I do feel something for you and Leo.”
    “You’ll change your mind.”
    He’d stated it so matter-of-factly that it hurt her.
    “If this progresses,” he added, “then one day you’ll decide you can’t live here anymore—that you don’t want to settle down so young.” He shook his head. “I can’t go through that again.”
    “Pardon me, but you don’t know anything about what I want. I won’t lie and say that in the beginning, when I first woke up, being safe was my number one priority. Of course it was—I’d just escaped certain