Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Allure, Wyoming

  Welcome Home, Tessa

  Six years ago, Tessa Walker left Allure, Wyoming, to go to college in Seattle and become a pharmacist, and she hasn't been home since. Tessa's relationship with her mother was never good, but after her dad suffers a stroke, she comes home to run the family business. She's changed over the years. Gone is the frumpy bookworm. Now Tessa is confident, beautiful, and sexy.

  Mitch, Rance, and Sam Collins can't believe their eyes when they see the new girl in town and are shocked to find out it's Mitch's best friend Brad Walker's little sister. They all know right away that she is the one for them and slowly develop a relationship.

  But a stalker's after Tessa. She decides that it's best to go back to Seattle to protect the people she loves, plus Rance is holding back due to something in his past. Can three hot cowboys convince Tessa that love is more important and bring her back home?

  Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 122,554 words

  WELCOME HOME, TESSA

  Allure, Wyoming

  Madison Maxwell

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  WELCOME HOME, TESSA

  Copyright © 2012 by Madison Maxwell

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-972-2

  First E-book Publication: December 2012

  Cover design by Christine Kirchoff

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

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

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Welcome Home, Tessa by Madison Maxwell from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Madison Maxwell’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Maxwell’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To my husband, my soul mate. Your unconditional support and love helped me to achieve my goals. My friend Christina, who read the first three chapters and told me they were good. You gave me the confidence boost I needed to follow my dreams.

  And finally, I want to thank everyone at Siren Publishing for making my dreams a reality.

  WELCOME HOME, TESSA

  Allure, Wyoming

  MADISON MAXWELL

  Copyright © 2012

  Chapter 1

  Tessa had just put the key in the lock of her apartment door when her cell phone started ringing in her purse. Trying to juggle the keys, purse, and the grocery bags at the same time was hard enough, so she decided the phone was just going to have to wait, especially since it was her mom’s ringtone. She wasn’t in the mood for yet another lecture. The conversation always started out the same, asking how she was doing, was she seeing anyone, had she lost any weight, and was she exercising and eating healthy foods and making the right choices. God knows, no man would ever want to have anything to do with her if she didn’t start taking some pride in herself according to her mother. Tessa could always hear that unspoken statement every time she talked to her mom. She would tell Tessa about someone from high school that was getting married or having a baby or how one of her mom’s friends was a grandma again and how she looked forward to her girls finally settling down and starting a family. Then the conversation would turn to her brother Brad, who had settled down, gotten married, and started a family, and his adorable little girl. That was one thing Tessa felt guilty about. She had yet to meet Sophie, Brad’s daughter, and she was almost three years old. She had always been very close to Brad, and not having ever seen his little girl was something that she needed to rectify someday soon. Next, her mother would tell her about all the fun and interesting things her baby sister Ally was doing at college and how when she came home on the weekends she always had a date with a handsome boy and was going out. The conclusion of the conversation was always the same. “Tessa, you haven’t been home since you left for college. It’s been six years since we’ve seen you. I’m sure you are avoiding us, perhaps because of your appearance, but we would never judge you because of your weight, dear.” Those were her mom’s famous last words to the end of almost every conversation. She had been judged more in her lifetime by her mother than any one person should ever endure, and it still hurt even after all these years of dealing with it. Tessa had faced the facts long ago that she was never going to be good enough in her mother’s eyes. She wasn’t perfect like Brad or the baby like Ally. She was always going to be the frumpy middle child.

  Tessa finally pushed open the door, dropped her purse on the table, and headed to the kitchen to put away her groceries. She loved her little apartment but hated the climb up three flights of stairs when she had her hands full. Other times she didn’t mind, enjoying the exercise. It was an older building without an elevator, but the price was right, plus it was within walking distance to work, the bank, and the grocery store.

  Her phone beeped, letting her know that her mom had left a message. She poured herself some ice tea, grabbed her phone, kicked off her shoes, and sat on the couch. As soon as she was comfortable, her cat Bugsy came slowly strolling out of her bedroom and jumped up on her lap, purring and rubbing his face against her chin. This was what she had to look forward to at the end of a long day—ice tea, th
e unconditional love from her cat, and a message from her mom. Well, two out of three things weren’t bad. At least she only had one cat so she couldn’t be considered a cat lady yet. Thank God she had plans for later with Heather, which would help improve her mood after her mom’s phone call. Friday night was girls’ night out and she looked forward to hanging out with her unpredictable friend Heather.

  Being an overachiever, Tessa had graduated with honors from high school and had even earned her associate’s degree. She also received a full-ride academic scholarship to college, and had a perfect score on her SAT. She was thankful that the school offering her the full ride was on the West Coast. Actually, every one of the schools she applied to had been conveniently located on the West Coast. She wanted to get away from Allure, Wyoming, and live her life without anyone ridiculing her, and living near the ocean was a dream she had always had. Even though her life now was full of fun, friends, and happiness, she missed home and her family, and her oldest and best friend Lanni.

  She loved the University of Washington and all it had to offer, and sinking herself into her studies was what she was used to. She had a habit of keeping to herself, but that all changed her second year of college, when Tessa’s whole world was rocked upside down. Heather Chambers blew in the door of their dorm room and nothing had been the same since.

  Heather was full of life and outgoing. She had a love of life that Tessa had never really felt before and she didn’t take “no” for an answer. She also didn’t care what anyone thought or said about her, which Tessa wished she could tap into that way of thinking. Heather was also gorgeous. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a body to die for, and the longest legs Tessa had ever seen on a woman. Heather was about three inches taller than Tessa and in heels, which she wore all the time, she was a force all of her own. When she walked into a room, all eyes turned to her. She had a commanding presence and she enjoyed the gifts she had been blessed with.

  Coming from a small town to a large city, it was easy for Tessa to blend in and not be noticed. Heather wasn’t having any of that. With Heather’s “You only live once” attitude, Tessa completely transformed herself into the person she always wished she could be. She learned and loved to dance, play pool, throw darts, and bowl. She could drink beer and hold her own against any frat boy who thought they could drink her under the table. They went to the coast and played in the ocean at Ocean Shores. They had snowball fights at Mt. Rainier and shopped at Pike Place Market. She lost weight, and all that “baby fat” her mom still thought she had was long gone. Her auburn hair had grown out and she had had it highlighted. She no longer wore glasses after having LASIK eye surgery and her clothes were no longer frumpy and baggy. She went from a size twenty to a size ten. She wore miniskirts and short tops that showed off her belly ring. Tessa had a huge collection of shoes, or as Heather called them, “fuck me” pumps and boots, which was funny, because that was the one thing she still hadn’t done. She loved to flirt but never went beyond making out. She was a “knock out” or “fucking hot” as she had been told, and for the first time in her life she didn’t lack for male attention. That was a huge difference from high school. She dated now and then, but never made any commitments or let it go too far. She just wasn’t ready for that. She had given her heart away a long time ago to someone that didn’t even know she existed, and she hadn’t yet taken it back.

  Heather had told her all about her experiences with sex. Being a free spirit, she loved to have a good time, and Heather loved sex, but Tessa had made her decision when she was younger that she would wait until she had met the “right guy.” A one-night stand wasn’t something she was interested in. When she went on the occasional date, she had been felt up, but as soon as the guy realized that she wasn’t going to let him get any further than that, he was outta there. “Just as well,” Tessa thought. She didn’t need someone in her life like that anyhow. So she lived and learned through Heather what to expect and all about the perfect technique for a blow job. Someday she would have to get up the courage to try it if she ever found someone special enough to share that with. She wasn’t a prude and didn’t think that Heather was bad for the way she chose to live her life or the things that she did. She was just a bit old fashioned or too much of a romantic. She was lonely, but would never admit it, not even to herself.

  The only person that knew of her transformation was her lifelong best friend Lanni. They had been friends since first grade and Lanni was the only person that had taken the time to come and visit her. Although she had only traveled to Seattle twice in the six years since Tessa had moved there, when they got together, it was like they had never been apart. That was a sure sign of a true friend. Tessa had sworn Lanni to secrecy, not wanting her family, or anyone, for that matter, to know anything about her life. She was tired of being judged by her mom. She just wanted to be herself and she didn’t want to be pressured to come home. She felt free and happy and that was something she never felt back home. She didn’t care what anyone thought or said anymore, and she didn’t want to be the topic of all the gossips in town either. Her life was hers and hers alone and she wasn’t ready to share that yet. Another bonus was that Lanni and Heather hit it off and got along great. The three of them had so much fun going out and Tessa was thankful she didn’t have to choose between them.

  Tessa worked her way through school as a sales associate in the shoe department at Macy’s. Even though her schooling was paid for and there was always extra money for living expenses, Tessa wanted to make sure she had extra money put aside for emergencies and her new found love of lingerie, clothes, and shoes. She had never cared about how she dressed back home in Allure, but now that she had a body that she was proud to show off, she enjoyed doing just that, and she loved skimpy, lacy silk lingerie.

  She finished college graduating with honors and a double major, which helped her to land a job as a pharmacist right out of school. She was the youngest person in her class, having achieved her AA before starting college and taking extra classes during the summer so she would finish ahead of schedule. She had chosen the same career as her dad, and loved it. She also had a business degree, which would come in handy if she ever decided to run her own pharmacy, just like her dad. Her favorite part of being a pharmacist was the interaction with her elderly customers. She never rushed them and enjoyed the conversations with them, learning about their lives and families. They were always trying to fix her up with a grandson or one of their friend’s grandsons. She always smiled then laughed at their persistence as she went about filling their prescriptions.

  She thought about the times that she had spent with her dad at work when she was younger. Her family owned the only pharmacy in town and her dad took care of everyone. Seeing the care he gave to each and every customer made her want to be just like her dad. She couldn’t count the times that he had gone out in the middle of the night to open the store for a mom that had called because her child was sick and couldn’t breathe. Dad would happily go out to supply her with an over-the-counter decongestant and a humidifier, telling her to call if she needed anything else. He never complained, just was happy to help whomever needed it. Tessa always thought that after college she would come home and work with her dad right by his side, running the business together, but after coming into her own she decided to stay where she was.

  Her brother Brad still lived in town and had a good-sized ranch of his own. He was 100 percent cowboy. He competed in rodeos throughout high school and continued competing after graduating, winning enough money to put a down payment on his own ranch. He even managed to get a college degree in business while competing, and from what her mom had told her, his horse-breeding business ,primarily a stud service, was very successful. He had about three hundred head of cattle and some chickens. Brad never bragged about himself but whatever goal Brad had set for himself, he achieved it. Everyone was surprised that he didn’t go pro. He had the opportunity but turned it down. He had other plans for his future. He had married his high school sweethe
art after he finished college and they had a beautiful baby girl. Tessa felt bad that she hadn’t attended the wedding or been home to meet her niece, but school and work kept her busy. Truth was she just didn’t want to deal with going back home at that time. Too many hurtful memories kept her away, and the longer she was gone, the harder it was getting for her to go back home. But Brad was like her lifeline to her family and home, which was one of the reasons she talked to him a couple times a week. Hearing his voice helped with the loneliness. Brad was the best big brother a girl could have ever hoped for and she loved him so much. He was supportive and listened to her without judgment. He was truly, genuinely a nice guy and there wasn’t anyone he wouldn’t help, just like their dad.

  Tessa’s little sister Ally was still in college but opted to stay close to home. She wanted to find a hot cowboy and ride off into the sunset living happily ever after. That had always been her plan and so far she was sticking to it. Ally had always been cute and popular in high school and Tessa was so tired of being compared to her by their mom. Tessa kept up with Ally though, talking to her almost once a week, and what Ally didn’t tell her about her life or what she was doing, Lanni did. They frequented the same bars and had mutual friends. Lanni said that Ally was a sweet girl and not the same shallow person she was in high school. Tessa was glad to hear that and was proud of her little sister, but Tess could also tell from talking with Ally just how much her sister had changed. She was focused on school and was getting good grades. Ally was always telling Tessa that she wanted to come and visit her, but Tessa just wasn’t ready for that yet and found convenient excuses to put her off. They were slowly developing the kind of relationship that she had always wanted to have with her sister, and didn’t want to rush forward by having her out for a visit. She knew Ally wouldn’t be able to keep a secret from their mom. She would tell their mom all about Tessa and her life now and then her mom would show up. She didn’t want to have that be an issue with them. She wanted to keep her life private and distant just the way it was. Tessa knew she was being selfish, but for once in her life she didn’t care. It was her choice and hers alone.