Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Lawmen [The Lost Collection] (Siren Menage Everlasting) Read Online Free Page B

seated on identical rockers.
    Amanda met Sarah’s gaze. “I’m not sure if my thoughts on that pair can be summed up in such short order. I like them both, I think.”
    “I only asked because I saw the way they both were looking at you.”
    Amanda could tell, just by Sarah’s expression, that she wanted to say more. Since she understood the nuances, she said, “You mean they were looking at me the way they only usually look at each other?”
    Sarah sighed, then nodded. “Caleb and Joshua have assured me that both men have kept company with women. I know this sounds funny under the circumstances, but I find this entire relationship thing awfully confusing. Everyone just ought to be able to love who they want, with it being nobody else’s never mind and that be that.”
    Amanda decided that such a bold opinion earned honesty. “My mother worked as a courtesan before she had me. For the last few months before I was conceived, she kept herself exclusive to one man. My father—that would be your Uncle William—never doubted that he’d gotten her with child, though he never claimed me as his daughter. He agreed to buy her a small house and provide her with an income until I came of age. She didn’t want me to be raised in a brothel, you see. Once I was born, my father never came back, so she resumed making her living in the way she knew how, able, because of my father’s generosity to be selective with regard to her clientele. So because of who she is and who she knows, I’ve grown up with what the rest of society would consider unusual attitudes.”
    “And Uncle William never acknowledged you as his daughter?”
    Amanda could see the outrage on Sarah’s face. “That’s normal, Sarah. Once I became old enough to understand the circumstances of my birth, I never would have expected him to. After he died, I discovered he left me a legacy and a letter in which he called me daughter.”
    “None of it seems fair. Grandfather turned his back on my mother just because she followed her heart.” Sarah frowned. “What is it about some men that make them think that women are things and not people?”
    “It’s just the way it’s always been. Maybe, to a certain extent, things are as they are because we’ve let them be that way.”
    “I guess it’s silly talking about what we can’t change.”
    “Well, we can’t change the world. But we can live our own lives on our own terms. That’s something which you’ve done. And so have I, in a way.”
    “You don’t have two husbands, too, do you?” Sarah asked.
    Amanda laughed. Her cousin had a quick wit and an obvious love of teasing. “No, I have something nearly as unusual. I have a business. I’m a private investigator.”
    “That sounds exciting.” Sarah opened her mouth to say more but snapped it shut when Joshua came out bearing a tray with a pot and a couple of cups.
    “Rita said she can delay dinner a while if you want her to.” He set the tray down and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
    “Tell her no thanks. I’m hungry,” Sarah said.
    Joshua bent low and gave Sarah a fast, thorough kiss. “You have twenty minutes, then.” He straightened, winked at Amanda, and went back into the house.
    Sarah blushed. “If there has been a negative aspect to this life I live, it’s that I’ve been unable to talk or share my feelings or my situation with another woman,” she confessed quietly. “Don’t get me wrong. Caleb and Joshua are not only my husbands, they’re my best friends, too. We can talk about anything and everything and do.” She took a sip from her cup, then set it gently on the saucer.
    “But it’s not the same as having another woman to talk to,” Amanda finished for her.
    “No, it’s not.”
    “Well, I’ll be happy to oblige your need—and mine—for female conversation for as long as I’m here.”
    “For as long as you’re here? I kind of hoped you’d stay for a nice long visit!”
    Amanda could read the disappointment on