“You might try the feed store in town. They always know who’s hiring.” She pointed off to her right. “Road is about two miles that way. Go left when you hit it and it’s about twenty miles.” No way was she going to feel guilty for not offering to drive them. She couldn’t afford to waste the gas.
Both men stiffened, but it was the tough one who spoke. “We are not thieves.” Jace propped his hands on his hips and scowled at her.
She mirrored his stance and scowled right back at him, her patience almost shot. “I’m not accusing you, I’m just laying out the facts.”
“We mean no offense.” Darian offered a smile. Damned if he wasn’t just about the most handsome man she’d ever met. Both of them were, but Jace was a little more rugged, less pretty than his brother.
A tingling sensation low in her belly caught her off guard. Oh hell, not that, anything but that. She was attracted to him, to them. Crap, she was attracted to both of them. Okay, so they were handsome in a rugged way with muscles that looked as though they’d been sculpted by the hand of God, but she didn’t need that in her life right now. She had enough troubles without adding a man to the mix.
“Look, you guys need to go.” Cursing herself, she knew she couldn’t simply boot them off her land without at least giving them some water. “You can follow me back to the house and I’ll get you some water. After that, you can be on your way.”
No way was she offering them anything to eat. It didn’t appear as though either of them had missed a meal. They were both filled out nicely.
Stop it, she admonished herself. No noticing how sexy they both are. Of course, her hormones paid her no attention and both her nipples stood at attention. She fought the urge to hunch her shoulders, hoping they wouldn’t notice.
“Follow me.” Making her decision, she turned her back on them and strode toward the house. It would take at least twenty minutes to get there. She cursed herself for not taking the tractor, for allowing George to upset her.
She’d get rid of these men and then figure out what she was going to do about her situation. Sam glanced over her shoulder and was relieved to note that they were keeping a good distance between her and them.
Then she realized they were talking and wished they were close enough for her to hear what they were saying. She raised her phone and was pleased to see she had service. Should she call Sheriff Pritchard? Her finger rubbed the button but didn’t press down. She didn’t feel threatened but, then again, she didn’t always have the best judgment when it came to men. George was a case in point.
She hurried, lengthening her stride. The quicker they got back to the house, the quicker they’d be gone. She ignored the slight pang in her chest at the thought of being alone again. That was her life now and she’d just have to get used to it.
Darian did his best not to watch Sam’s ass as she walked, but it was impossible. The clothing she was wearing emphasized her small waist and curvy hips. His gaze went up her slender spine, noting the black braid that hung just below her shoulder blades, but then it went back to her swaying behind.
“What do you think?” Jace asked, keeping his voice low.
“I want her.” His cock was semi-erect and he wanted to make a place for himself between her firm thighs and fuck her until she screamed with pleasure.
Jace cursed. “Besides that?”
Darian dragged his gaze away from Sam. Jace was staring at him, his expression a combination of anger and need. There was no doubting Jace wanted her too. Good, that meant he’d fight for her. With both of them trying to convince her, maybe they could sway her mind and have her agree to belong to them.
He had no idea how things worked in this world, but he was willing to learn. He was also counting on the tapestry returning in three days to take them home. He didn’t want to think about what they would do if that didn’t happen.
“Why is she alone?” Darian glanced around. “Where are all the people?”
Jace shrugged. “I don’t know, but we can’t let her send us away. The tapestry brought us here for a reason. Sam is obviously alone. Maybe she needs us.”
Darian turned his gaze back to Sam’s straight spine and her delectable behind as he considered his brother’s words. The tapestry usually brought a woman to Javara, a woman who could fit into their world, one with little to leave behind. But that wasn’t the case here. Sam said she was poor, but that wasn’t quite true. She was obviously wealthy if she had land. How much of it was hers? And would she want to leave it?
“For the first time, I feel great empathy for the women who have been brought to Javara by the tapestry. I am in awe of their courage. To lose everything familiar.” Darian gave an uneasy glance around. “It is disconcerting.”
And that was an understatement. They didn’t know the land or the customs or what to expect. At least they had each other to depend upon. The women who were brought to their world had no one.
A building came into view. It was small, but tidy. Darian was struck by how desolate and alone it was.
Sam turned and motioned them forward. “You two wait on the porch and I’ll get you some water.”
Darian tried not to appear too curious, but he had no idea what the metal structure on wheels just beyond the house was. How did it move? Was it drawn by horses? It didn’t appear to be very efficient.
The back door slammed shut behind her, but was covered with a see-through mesh-like material so he could still see her. Rather than sit in one of the two seats on the porch, as she called it, both he and Jace stood at the door and watched her.
She bustled to the cupboard and drew down two goblets made of glass. They shared a glance. She must be very wealthy to afford such luxury. Wood cups were for everyday use and metal ones for special occasions. He’d never seen ones made of glass.
Sam stood beside a metal bowl that was sunk into the counter and turned a metal handle. Water flowed from the spout and she quickly filled both glass cups.
When she turned and saw them both standing there watching her, she took a step back. Water sloshed over the rims and onto the floor. “What are you looking at?”
Darian could not lie to her. “You, Sam. We’re looking at you.”
Chapter Three
It was official. Sam was totally freaked out. Both men were standing at her screen door peering inside. They reminded her of stray dogs who were afraid the kindness she’d offered would be taken away at any second.
Her phone was back in her pocket and she cursed herself for not immediately calling the sheriff. She was alone with two strange men.
“We mean you no harm.” Darian kept his voice low as though he didn’t want to spook her. Too late, seeing them both watching her so intently had already done that.
The walk home had been bad enough. She’d felt their eyes on her the entire time. It had left her feeling twitchy and unsettled. And, to her shame, slightly aroused. What was wrong with her?
“Yeah, well stop looking.” Determined to get this over with, she strode to the door and nodded toward it. Darian pulled it open and she stepped out, thrusting the glasses toward them. “Here’s your water.”
Jace’s fingers stroked hers as he took his glass. She jerked away and all but tossed Darian’s glass at him. Both men drank eagerly, their Adam’s apples bobbing. She wondered how long they’d been wandering in the heat and felt bad, not bad enough to invite them to lunch, but bad enough to offer them more water.
“You want more water?”
“Please.” It was Darian who spoke and smiled. Jace just kept staring at her in a manner that made her slightly uncomfortable and very aware of herself as a woman.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” She pulled open the door and motioned them inside. Keeping them on the porch in the heat made no sense. They could get inside if they chose to. It wasn’t much cooler in the house. She’d stopped running the air conditioning months ago to save money, but having the shades pulled low made a slight difference. At least the sunshine wasn’t beating down on them.