“Let me help you,” she said and then walked over and began to fix the bottom sheet. Maya took a few unsteady breaths. She needed to get her shit together and not act like some silly girl here.

  “I appreciate the help. The place is so nice. It’s more than I could have hoped for.”

  “That’s wonderful. Anything you need, my sons are right next door,” she said to her. Maya looked up, and LizAnn held her gaze with a sympathetic expression. As they smoothed the blanket over the top sheet, then added the white comforter, LizAnn spoke.

  “My sons can be quite bossy, like their fathers. Maybe even worse.”

  Maya grabbed the decorative pillows and began to place them onto the bed.

  “They’ve been very kind,” she said softly.

  When the bed was complete, she looked at it, at the room, at her new beginning, and was grateful to be past the memories of the attack she would get just from looking at the other bedroom in the cottage. When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she tightened up. “Are you okay?” LizAnn asked her.

  She nodded, then forced a smile. “I need to be. A new start is always good.”

  “You are a very strong young woman, never mind stunning. You’ll be just fine. Stand your ground, be confident, and you’ll succeed.”

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ll need it this week.”

  “What’s going on this week?” Liz Ann asked her as Maya began to lift another box and place things into the dresser drawers.

  “I’m looking for additional work.”

  LizAnn scrunched her eyes. “I thought you worked at Harper’s.”

  “That was temporary. I plan on still doing that maybe a few nights a week, but I’ve been wanting something more professional and steady. Maybe a bit less dangerous. I don’t know. It just gets tiresome working as a waitress at a bar.”

  “You mean all the men harassing you?” LizAnn asked. Maya didn’t say anything.

  “Years ago, before I met my husbands, I was working at a place in Benter, about an hour from here. It was a crazy night. The bar was so darn packed. I was working my way through college, had a year until I graduated and high hopes for a teaching career. Anyway, I was so exhausted by the time I got out of the place. When I got to the car, there was a guy there. One who had been flirting with me all night. He was drunk. Anyway, he grabbed me. I was no match for his strength, and as I screamed for help he hit me. Just kept hitting me until I passed out.”

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry, LizAnn.” She could see the tears in the woman’s eyes, and she knew she understood some of Maya’s fears. She had been a victim, too.

  “I went over that scenario in my head of the things I could have done differently, of how I was so focused on making money and trying to survive, but there was a whole other world out there with people who had their own agendas, their own nasty ways of taking what they wanted without a care. My husband Scott, he was a detective in Benter. He found the guy that assaulted and raped me. I was able to press charges, and he went to jail.”

  “That’s how you met your husband Scott?” Maya asked.

  “Yes, although I was just twenty-one at the time, and it took a couple of years of counseling before I even felt comfortable enough to be friends with a man, but Scott…well, he was persistent.” LizAnn chuckled.

  “And his brothers? How did you meet them? I mean, was it instant, too, the attraction? Or did they just assume you would be theirs even though you really didn’t know his brothers?” Maya asked. LizAnn shook her head.

  “To be honest I would meet Scott for coffee, and he would talk about Edward and Lucas being in the Marine Corps like Scott had been.”

  “They were Marines?”

  “Yes, just like my sons.”

  “Were you scared of them when you finally met them, knowing they were military men and capable, and also, so big?” Maya asked.

  “I was in a panic. Would get anxiety attacks if they were too close, or if two of them were pressed against me.” LizAnn chuckled. “God, I often wondered if they thought I was crazy. Like I would never be able to get past what was stolen from me. But I did. With time I spent with each of them as I let down my guard, trusted them slowly, I fell in love with them. I felt like they were my protectors and like anything was possible. I finished my degree, I started teaching, and a year later we were married and I was pregnant with Kase.”

  Maya smiled.

  She felt the tears in her eyes, and she looked away as she leaned against the dresser.

  “You want to get married one day, start a family?” LizAnn asked her.

  “I don’t know. So much changed for me that night. I gave up on dreams, on wishes, believing they couldn’t, wouldn’t come true for someone like me.”

  “No, Maya, you can’t think that way.”

  “It’s just the way things are. I’m not complaining. I’ve adjusted my life, my attitude. I came from a broken home, had to get out before things got really bad. Thought I was going to make it, you know. Hard work pays off, all that nonsense I told myself, but every time I got close enough to succeeding, to wishing for something like a dream to achieve, job, a career, financial freedom, it was taken from me. Then a month ago, after two years of feeling my confidence build, and being in a positive place, I’m attacked again. In my own home, my bedroom no less, and these men, planned on raping and beating me. Why me? That’s what I keep asking myself. I didn’t do anything to deserve any of it. I didn’t ask for it, or any of that bullshit people who just don’t get it think. And last night I’m working and some guy just thinks he can flirt, grab my ass, and grip my wrist, use force to get what he wants. Anyway, I could go on and on, get frustrated and angry, but it’s useless.” She wiped the tears that fell and then reached for another box.

  “You can’t give up, Maya.”

  “Oh, I’m not giving up on living. I have a therapist I see, I take each day one at a time, and at the end if something didn’t go wrong, I didn’t get hurt, or whatever, then I sigh in relief and hope tomorrow is the same. That’s all I can do.”

  “That’s not fair. To not have any dreams, any hopes in the future,” LizAnn said to her, and she could tell the woman was upset. She definitely cared, and obviously she understood being a victim herself.

  “Don’t be sad for me, or feel bad. I’m really okay, and I’m just used to it. I’ve come this far. Who knows what lays ahead? Like I said, one day at a time, and now that I’m out of that cottage and the constant reminder of what happened not so long ago, I hope to find some peace, and to feel safe again.”

  “You are safe here, and things will get better. Now, how about joining us for lunch?”

  “I think I’ll stay here and see what else I can accomplish then head into town before it gets too late. I need to do some food shopping for the week.”

  “Are you sure?” LizAnn asked again and looked her over. Maya knew she was thin, had lost weight with all the stress and anxiety she had been having after the attack, but she would get better. There was no one to take care of her, so she could rest and not worry. She was all alone.

  “I’ll be just fine. Thank you for the help.”

  Rhett quickly walked away from the bedroom door. He had come back to talk to Maya, to see how she was and ease things over after Kase’s demands. When he heard her talking to his mom, then about the assault, about her life being so bad growing up, and her feelings of being alone and having such bad luck, he felt terrible. He also knew he wanted her. Wanted to care for her with his brothers, and to show her what love was. He had never been in love before, and he wasn’t sure he was in love with Maya, but he had also never felt so much for someone so soon. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was twenty-five years old. The shit she went through wasn’t fair. No wonder she panicked over Kase demanding she quit her job. He felt the same way. Hell, he still didn’t want her working as a waitress at Harper’s and risk getting hit on, groped, or worse. Just thinking about it pissed him off. He felt protective, possessive of Maya, and it was instant. Overhearing the conversation with his mother and Maya just made it worse. They really needed to build trust with Maya. To help her to see that not all men just wanted sex and to be abusive, controlling, and shit. God, this was going to be a fucking mess. Kase was forty-two, Alex forty, Rhett thirty-eight, and Nash thirty-six, and they were all set in their ways. Nash and Alex were probably most the reasonable and patient. Rhett and Kase, definitely not patient. They used all their patience in the Marines.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and walked across the property to the barn where Kase was. Rhett and Alex were grabbing lunch. Their mom was unsuccessful in getting Maya to come over to join them. She would go without another meal because they upset her. She was too thin, needed taking care of despite her resistance. He changed his mind and headed toward his house. He was making Maya something to eat, and then he would bring it to her and eat with her. Maybe talk a bit. His heart was heavy, but his determination took precedence.

  Maya took a sip of water from the water bottle and felt her stomach growl. She hadn’t brought over much from the other place. Just milk for her coffee and everything else were basics in the pantry she was unpacking. She could spoon out some peanut butter. As she walked over to get a spoon, she heard the knock on her door. Through the screen, she saw Rhett. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” she said and clasped her hands in front of her.

  He was carrying some things as he approached and set them down on the small island that could seat three. “I thought you might be hungry. Moving is hard work.” He unwrapped a sandwich on whole wheat with potato chips on the side.

  Her stomach growled. He raised both eyebrows up at her. “I was going to make something,” she said and tapped the spoon against the container of peanut butter.

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I said I’m going to the store.”

  “We can do that in a little bit if you like? I need a few things for the house, too.”

  She eyed him suspiciously.

  “I do. Come on and let’s eat,” he said.

  The sandwich looked and smelled good. Turkey, lettuce, and tomato on whole wheat, toasted. She took a bite. “Thanks, Rhett.”

  “No problem, Maya.”

  She looked at him. At his dark blue eyes that matched his mom’s. His hair wasn’t as blond as Nash’s, but it was longer. He still had that untamed look like Kase did. When she thought of Kase she remembered his comment, and she straightened out her shoulders.

  “So have you had a lot of tenants in this house in the past?” she asked and took another bite of sandwich. He pulled two water bottles out of the bag and handed her one.

  “Not really. A couple of military buddies months ago. It’s vacant more often than not, but if a friend needs a place it’s all set up and we’re nearby.”

  She placed her sandwich down. “So it’s the house for strays then, huh?”

  He looked at her like she was crazy, then reached out and tugged on her hair. “You aren’t a stray. You’re a resident of Cherry Hill, and you needed a place. It’s better than anything around in my opinion.”

  “Oh, it’s a great place, a lot better than the cottage.”

  “It’s quiet and peaceful out here, and we’re right next door if you need for anything,” he said to her softly. Why, when he said need for anything, did her mind go all dirty? She loved the way his lips felt against hers. She loved all their kisses, their colognes, but happy endings didn’t happen for people like her. Struggles, mountains, barriers, bad luck, that was her thing, her life.

  “Maya, don’t look so defeated. You’re strong and beautiful, and can do anything you want in this world,” he said to her, and tears filled her eyes. She put the last piece of the first half of sandwich down on the plate and stood up. He turned on the seat, gripped her hip, and pulled her between his open thighs. He stared down into her eyes. “Don’t run from me. I’m trying so hard to talk with you.”

  “Why? What do you want from me?” she asked him. He stroked her hip, his large hand warm and instantly making her feel protected. She felt confused. Was she trying to see something here that wasn’t really here? He looked seasoned, older, and his expression angry all the time, yet right now he just stared at her and kept her close.

  “I’m not looking to hurt you, to use you, or to take anything from you. This attraction we all feel is the real thing.”

  “Is it?” she countered quickly.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “I don’t know what to think. I can’t afford to make a mistake. I’ve got nothing to give here.”

  “That isn’t true at all.”

  “Sure it is. Everything else has been taken away from me. I don’t have anything to give, and I don’t think I want to even if I had something.”

  He slid his hand along her waist and pulled her closer. She could feel his fingers inches from the top of her ass. She was surprised that she wanted to feel it there. Feel his embrace, his muscles, and the safety of his arms. He was manly and then some. Every woman’s fantasy come true, and she was scared. She felt herself shaking.

  “You have your heart to give, your trust.”

  She shook her head.

  “God, baby, I know you’re scared, I feel you shaking. I won’t hurt you.”

  “You could.”

  “No.” He shook his head.

  “I can’t take a chance. Not now. Not the way the last month has been going. Tonight I’ll be in a new place, a new bedroom and bed. My focus is getting through it. To not have nightmares but to have peace and feel safe.”

  “You’ll have that here, and knowing that my brothers and I are right next door should help you.”

  “No, that won’t be my focus. It can’t be.” She went to push down on his arms and to step back, but he pulled her close.

  “What do you mean? Why would you say that?”

  “Rhett, I don’t trust easily. I don’t count on anyone, and I have my reasons.”

  “People failed you, disappointed you, and have hurt you in the past. With us it will be different,” he said so sincerely and with such confidence and truthfulness that her gut clenched. She knew he wasn’t lying, but the fear, the fear was so great.

  A tear fell from her eye. “Oh, God.”

  “Jesus,” he whispered and hugged her to him. He held her, and she clung to him. She absorbed the feel of his hands caressing her back and then his lips against her neck. When she felt his other hand glide along her ass and squeeze her to him as he kissed her neck and whispered into her ear, she exhaled. “I hold you in my arms, feel how feminine and soft you are, yet how toned your muscles are and how perfectly sexy you feel and you know what? I feel protective of you, Maya, and a bit possessive, as well. That’s what Nash feels, what Alex feels, and even Kase.” He kissed her neck, and she tightened up at Kase’s name, still feeling a bit uncertain about his comment earlier of her quitting her waitressing job.

  “Kase and I only recently left the Marine Corps.” He caressed her ass and then slid his palm under her shirt and against her back. “We’ve led hard lives in the Corps, done crazy shit. Dangerous shit we don’t know how we got through and lived through. We never wanted for anything, just remained in soldier mode and did whatever our commanders ordered. We were in command of men, large troops of them, and so demanding, ordering, expecting respect and immediate response is how we still live our lives.”

  “I can’t quit my job. He didn’t have a right to say that to me.”

  “Maybe not a right to, or how it sounded, but what he meant was he wanted you safe and not at the whim of perverted men looking to grope you or worse. We were all thinking the same thing. Hell, I almost said it, too,” he admitted to her, and that surprised her. She pulled back and looked up at him.