Dark Desire in Elk's Crossing [Sequel to Ecstasy in Elk's Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Robin Gideon

wanted to please Joshua and Sven, and receive their praise, surprised her.
    Where has all your independence gone?
    Both men, she noted, were in jeans. Joshua wore cowboy boots that had seen a lot of mileage, and Sven wore New Balance athletic shoes.
    “We’re going to inspect where you’ll be putting the oil well. It’s smack in the middle of a pasture, so we’ll drive the pickup there pulling the horse wagon, then ride to the site,” Joshua explained. “I’ve already saddled the horses. We’re going to stop and have lunch first.”
    Annika felt a sense of relief upon learning that her clothes weren’t somehow disappointing.
    “I’ve never ridden a horse,” she said.
    Sven said, “Neither have I. Joshua assures me he’s selected horses for us that are thoroughly trained and won’t suddenly run away with us on their backs.”
    In record time, Annika switched to jeans and a blue, cotton blouse, though she was a little disappointed that the men wouldn’t see her in the pretty garter belt with the matching panties and bra.
    The saloon where Joshua brought them to have lunch had just been built, though it looked like something that could be used in a Western movie. The chairs and tables were solid pine, heavy and knotty and not overly processed though highly lacquered. The entire place, both inside and out, looked like a large log cabin.
    “Hello, Joshua,” the owner said. She was a woman in her late twenties, blonde and voluptuous. “Are these the guests you were expecting from Norway?”
    “It’s them, Katie.”
    Joshua smiled warmly, and Annika couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy and wonder whether there had ever been anything more than friendship between the two.
    “Katie, I’d like you to meet Annika and Sven. Katie here owns the Mountain View Saloon. She just opened it up again a couple months ago. First place burned to the ground.”
    Katie said, “I’ll get you a booth and some menus.”
    When they were seated, Annika was glad that she sat on one side, and Joshua and Sven on the other. It was easier to look at them across the table. Seeing them together, broad-shouldered and side by side, she kept marveling at the bounty that was hers to enjoy…but only for as long as they stayed in Elk’s Crossing.
    The lunch special for the day was sirloin steaks, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Annika and her men agreed it sounded like an excellent choice. As Katie walked away with their orders, four big men with powerful physiques and auburn hair stepped into the saloon. Even from across the room, it was easy to see that the men were brothers. When Katie saw them, she smiled brightly then seemed to tamp down her enthusiasm. Annika wondered why.
    “Are all the men in this part of the country so big?” Annika asked Joshua.
    “Those are the McGowan brothers. They own the Circle-Square-Circle Ranch out of town.” Joshua gave them a small wave in greeting. “Good men, all of them. Hard workers. They’ve got a well-run ranch and mind their own business.”
    Annika watched as Katie gave the McGowans menus. Did the owner of the Mountain View Saloon bend over just a little more than necessary, giving the eldest brother an intentional glimpse down her blouse? And when she walked around the table, did she lightly trace the tip of her forefinger along the shoulders of another brother?
    Like a charge of electricity going through her, a shiver went up Annika’s spine. Unless her feminine instincts were very much incorrect, Katie was subtly flirting with all four of the brothers.
    Her suspicions made her heart suddenly accelerate. Was Katie having an affair with more than one of the brothers?
    The meal was delicious, but Annika could hardly pay any attention to her food with her brain buzzing with the possible implications of Katie’s love life.
    Annika was almost finished with her lunch when she watched Katie step up to the McGowan table to refill their water glasses. The eldest McGowan, quite