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  A PERFECT FIT FOR THREE

  Liebling, Texas 1

  Sydney Holiday

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  A PERFECT FIT FOR THREE

  Copyright © 2010 by Sydney Holiday

  E-book ISBN: 1-60601-763-2

  First E-book Publication: February 2010

  Cover design and inside illustration by Sophia

  All art, illustration and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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  A PERFECT FIT FOR THREE

  Liebling, Texas 1

  SYDNEY HOLIDAY

  Copyright © 2010

  Chapter 1

  Lena Morgan sneezed into the crook of her arm.

  “God, I don’t think I could possibly dust, clean, or polish another thing.” She exhaled deeply as she brushed her forearm against her sweaty forehead and set the feather duster on top of the antique cherry wood buffet. “I’m exhausted.”

  For weeks, she and her best friend Edie packed, moved, and unpacked countless boxes trying to get their bed and breakfast up and running.

  “Come on, Lena, you can’t quit now. We’re almost finished. Besides, I’ve never seen you quit anything in your life.” Edie Bishop, Lena’s best friend, looked at her with an energizing smile.

  Lena and Edie had been practically inseparable since they were eight. She always found Edie’s enthusiasm and carefree spirit infectious and that drew Lena to her from the first time they met.

  After her parents died in a car accident, Lena moved to Austin, Texas to live with her great-aunt Margot, her only living relative. Margot, the classic frigid spinster, wanted nothing to do with children. That woman didn’t possess a maternal bone in her body.

  Lena remembered the moment she laid eyes on the woman who raised her until she turned eighteen. Even as a small child, she thought her great aunt looked surprisingly frail, standing at no more than five feet short and weighing eighty-five pounds max. Margot made sure to provide Lena all the necessities for her survival and education, but nothing else. No parties, no presents, no frills. And add to that list no hugs, no kisses, and no encouraging words.

  Lena never felt sorry for herself. She always tried very hard to rise above her cheerless home life. She just existed in a perpetual state of loneliness.

  That was, until she met Edie, her effervescent bosom buddy.

  “Okay, Edie, you’re right. Man, can you believe we’re doing this? Our own bed and breakfast, just like we always wanted.”

  Lena’s stomach bubbled with nerves at the prospect, but she also thrilled at the chance of fulfilling her dreams.

  “I know. It’s blowin’ my mind still, like it hasn’t completely sunk in.” Edie climbed up a ladder and hung up a picture she painted of a landscape of the Texas Hill Country with rolling green hills blanketed by a sea of bluebonnets. She painted it a year before, but it looked just like the landscape around them in their new home, Liebling, Texas.

  Edie, always the more artistic one, was a free spirit hippie-type whereas Lena acted more carefully and reserved. If it hadn’t been for Edie’s encouragement, Lena would never have gone forward with their dream of moving to the Hill Country and starting their own business.

  “And it’s all thanks to your dead aunt.”

  “That’s dead great aunt.” During Lena’s junior year of college, her great aunt Margot passed away and left her the entirety of her estate. All of her friends suggested a shopping spree or buying a new car, but Lena just couldn’t splurge all her money away like that. She cautiously sat on her inheritance for a couple of years, wondering what to do with all of it. Then Edie reminded her of their childhood dream of opening up a bed and breakfast.

  “How’s that look? Is it even?” Edie moved to the side so Lena could see whether the painting hung crookedly. Lena studied its placement very carefully, her right hand thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

  “Hmm, maybe just a little to the left.”

  Edie shifted the painting as Lena directed.

  “No, Edie, that’s too much. Move it back to the right a smidge. Wait, now back just a tiny bit to the—”

  “Good grief! I think it’s fine right where it is. Jeez, you know I love you like a sister, but damn, you can be so anal sometimes.” Edie smiled down at Lena with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Well, someone’s got to be the anal one. We can’t all be running around barefoot, making organic granola, and watching the clouds pass us by.” Lena playfully poked her friend in the arm as she climbed down the ladder.

  “Hey, sometimes you can see some really neat things in clouds. Once, I saw an armadillo playing a guitar.” Edie laughed, gazing up at the ceiling.

  “Oh, really.” Lena followed Edie’s gaze but only saw a chandelier covered in cobwebs. “Damn, looks like one more place that needs dusting.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine. Who’s gonna look all the way up there anyway?” Edie looked at her friend as if she lost her mind.

  “I will, for one. Now scooch over so I can move the ladder.”

  “I’m on my way out anyhow. I’ve got to run and get all our kitc
hen equipment from the car. Then we can finally do some baking!”

  “Good. I’ve been dying to bake a pie ever since we moved in. Or maybe a nice cobbler using some of those peaches we picked the other day.”

  Lena loved baking, the one pleasant thing she did with her great aunt growing up. As cold as Margot was, she somehow managed to bake heavenly pies. Lena liked to think Margot chose that as her way of showing love, though really, maybe the woman just loved pie.

  “Oh, that sounds freakin’ awesome. Okay, be right back.” Edie ran outside.

  Lena climbed up the ladder, feather duster in hand. She sneezed as her dusting made flecks of ancient grime waft from the chandelier on to her face and in to her nose. As soon as she thought she finished, she noticed another cobweb and then another.

  Lena climbed up higher on the ladder and stretched her arm out to catch one more cobweb hanging from the ceiling. The ladder wobbled for a moment and made Lena’s heart jump. She steadied herself and returned to her cobwebby nemesis.

  Just a little bit farther. Almost there, almost…

  “Ahh!” Lena screamed as she fell off her perch and landed hard on her hand. “Crap, that really hurt.” Lena grabbed her wrist and started rubbing it, but it felt too tender to touch with any amount of pressure.

  “Holy shit, Lena. What happened?” Edie ran back into the house carrying a box heavy with baking equipment. She set it down and kneeled to where Lena lay on the floor in a crumpled heap. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, but I think I hurt my wrist. I’m sure it’s probably fine.” She could feel the pain-induced tears burning the back of her eyes. She saw the feather duster lying on its side, bits of dust scattered all over the floor, and she silently cursed its existence. She turned her attention back to her wrist.

  “Maybe, but it looks a little swollen.” Edie reached to touch it and Lena grimaced. “No, I don’t think it’s okay, Lena.”

  “Well, shit. Now what am I supposed to do? Maybe I should put some ice on it.”

  “I think you should just bite the bullet and go to the hospital or something. Better safe than sorry, right? Besides, if your hand’s all messed up, how are you gonna make me a pie? Those peaches aren’t getting any fresher.”

  Damn. Edie always knew just what to say to convince Lena of anything.

  “Fine, fine. You’re right.” Lena hoisted herself up and tried to twist her wrist again just to double check. Ow! Yep, still hurt.

  “You want me to go with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. You stay here and finish up. I think there’s a doctor’s office just down the street.”

  “Oh, yeah. Aren’t small towns great? Everything’s a stone’s throw away. Plus, I hear they have a really cute doctor working there, too.”

  “Right, Edie. That’s the last thing I need now. We’ve got to get this place ready. I don’t have time for men.”

  “Lena, there’s always time for men.” Edie gave Lena her cheeriest smile and pushed her out the door.

  * * * *

  Dr. Brock Stone walked into his examination room to see his final patient of the day. Brock, one of three doctors working at Liebling’s primary care clinic, loved every minute of his job, even during the not-so-pleasant times. Just the other day a young boy came in complaining of nausea and punctuated his visit by throwing up all over Brock’s shoes. Brock only shrugged his shoulders and took a handkerchief to his loafers. What can ya do? he thought to himself. All part of a day’s work.

  He loved interacting and helping people of all ages, and in a town as small as Liebling, he could easily get to know each of his patients very well. This often included entire families, which tended to be quite large in Liebling.

  This afternoon his last patient, a six-year-old girl with blonde pig-tails, came in for sneezing, coughing, and all around achiness.

  “Hello, Dr. Stone. Molly’s not feeling so good.”

  The young woman frowned as she rubbed her daughter’s back while she sat hunched over on his examination table. The poor little thing’s nose was red and running and her eyes watered.

  “Aww, that’s no good. It’s summer. You should be out playing.”

  “I know, that’s what I told Mama, but I didn’t feel good and she said I had to come here.” Molly sighed deeply.

  “I’m sure this is all very boring for you, Molly, but we’ll get you fixed right up.” He pressed his stethoscope onto her back, listened carefully, and heard the distinct sound of rattly wheezing. He smiled at the young girl as he removed his stethoscope from his ears and wrapped it across the back of his neck. He turned to her mother.

  “She sounds a little congested, Mrs. Kurtz.”

  “I figured she would. And please, you’ve been our doctor for ages. Call me Carol.”

  “Sure, and how are Mr. and Mr. Kurtz doing?” Brock referred to Carol’s two husbands and she seemed to beam at the mere mention of their names.

  “Gary and Walt are doing just great. They both plan on coming in soon for their annual physical.”

  “Good, good.” He then got out a wooden tongue depressor.

  “Say ‘ahh’ for me, Molly.” Molly complied and Brock continued his examination of all her vital signs. For the most part, Molly did very well, except for the occasional coughing fit. Then she looked absolutely miserable.

  “So remind me again how long you’ve been married,” Brock said to Carol, making conversation.

  “It’ll be eight years next month. Eight wonderful years.” Carol positively beamed, and it made Brock long to have what she and her husbands had. As if sensing his longing, Carol’s face grew serious.

  “What about you, Dr. Stone? When are you and your brother going to settle down and start a family of your own?”

  Brock sighed and smiled wistfully. “I don’t know, but I hope soon. We just haven’t found the right woman yet.”

  “It’ll happen and I’m sure you won’t even see it coming when it does. That’s how it happened with Gary, Walt, and me. They’ve been best friends since high school, inseparable. They finally started dating each other during college and then they found me, and the connection seemed instantaneous. At first, I worried it wouldn’t work out, two men and a woman. But they brought me to Liebling and everything’s been perfect. I never could have imagined how happy I’d be.”

  She paused and looked at Molly warmly.

  “And then Molly arrived and now there’s one more on the way.” Carol patted her swollen belly. The woman radiated joy.

  “Mama says I’m gonna be a big sister soon.” The girl’s face brightened until she started into another coughing fit. Brock handed her a cup of water and then wrote down the name of a cough suppressant and decongestant.

  “Well, we’re about done here.” Brock handed the woman the scrap of paper. “Carol, she’s okay. She’s not running a temperature, so it’s likely just a bad case of hay fever, what we call a summer cold. You can pick this medicine up at the pharmacy or most any grocery store. Molly should feel better in just a few days. Hopefully we’ll get some rain to wash all that pollen away.”

  He turned to the little girl and squeezed her hand. “And thank you very much, Molly, for being so brave. You be a good big sister when the time comes, okay?”

  The girl nodded. “Okay, I promise, Dr. Stone.”

  Brock walked out of the examination room and headed straight toward the hall closet to gather his things. It had been a long day, and he was the last doctor to leave. He was ready to go home.

  Brock started to say goodbye to Ruth, the clinic’s receptionist, when he stopped dead in his tracks and almost dropped his briefcase. Through the glass that separated the receptionist’s office from the waiting room, he saw the most captivating woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

  Petite, yet striking, she had warm auburn hair that cascaded in graceful waves down her shoulders. Her whole presence seemed wrapped in innocence, and he instantly wanted to put his arms around her and protect her from anything that could put the merest d
amper on her life.

  From this distance, he couldn’t make out the color of her eyes, but they looked like precious jewels sparkling on her smooth, porcelain face, kissed with roses on her cheeks. Even from so far away, her lips looked soft and inviting. He needed to see her up close.

  He didn’t realize he’d just been standing there staring at her, probably with his jaw dropped open, until Ruth cleared her throat.

  “Ahem, Dr. Stone, that is Lenora Morgan waiting there. She seems to have hurt her wrist. I hoped maybe we could squeeze her in, but I can see you’re ready to go home. I can tell her to go to the emergency room—”

  “No, no, Ruth. That’ll be fine. I can see one more patient. Please show her to my examination room.”

  Brock returned his things to the closet and took a deep breath. He noticed that his cock began to swell beneath his khaki pants as he thought about her, and he tried to will it down. He waited until he heard Ruth take Lenora into the examination room and then paused for a moment before he entered. With his hand on the doorknob, he took another deep breath and collected his thoughts.

  He looked down and made sure no hint of his erection remained. Brock only ever behaved completely professionally with every single one of his patients, and that wouldn’t change today, but he could already tell with this one that, at the very least, it would be an internal struggle. Something about her seemed endlessly intriguing and special. Even seeing her from about twenty feet away, he knew.

  This Lenora Morgan seemed special and in one way or another, she would change his life.

  * * * *

  Lena, still holding her wrist, sat in the examination room and waited briefly before the door opened and the doctor walked in.