Forrest Dawn - Sweet Water Wedding: Sharing Shannon (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Sweet Water Wedding:

  Sharing Shannon

  Irish environmental consultant Shannon O’Reilly can’t envisage accommodating one man in her busy life, never mind two sexy Texas cowboys who want to share her.

  Shannon discovers that James and Luke are best friends, business partners, and seasoned players. They both want her, and they don’t mind sharing. Shannon can’t contemplate one man in her busy life, let alone two, and their ideologies and lifestyles are poles apart. They try to convince her that such a relationship is possible in a place like Meadow Ridge County, with men like them. But when oil spills, bullets fly, and lust burns, can love really conquer all?

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

  Length: 104,955 words

  SWEET WATER WEDDING: SHARING SHANNON

  Dawn Forrest

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  SWEET WATER WEDDING: SHARING SHANNON

  Copyright © 2011 by Dawn Forrest

  E-book ISBN: 1-61034-472-3

  First E-book Publication: June 2011

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 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 Sweet Water Wedding: Sharing Shannon by Dawn Forrest 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 Dawn Forrest’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Forrest’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To my very own roughty, toughty, North Sea tiger for his help in petroleum matters and steadfast support, and to my sister for her advice on US immigration rules and procedures.

  SWEET WATER WEDDING: SHARING SHANNON

  DAWN FORREST

  Copyright © 2011

  Prologue

  Shannon rifled through the packet of Jelly Babies, seeking out her favorite purple one. Before she popped it into her mouth and savored the fruity flavor, she made a final voice recorded note for her report. Her work contract was for a large environmental consultancy. They had been commissioned by the Ugandan Government to investigate the potential impacts of more oil exploration in and around the Lake Albert area. She sucked on the little sweet and sighed, admiring the beautiful vista across the lake and appreciating the stunning African natural landscape. One of the perks of her job was that she traveled to remote and interesting places. The past three weeks had been hectic but yielded some very interesting information. There were a lot of complicated and interrelated issues to consider and she was looking forward to flying back home to Ireland tomorrow, finishing the report and maybe taking a well earned break from work.

  Shannon felt the exact moment when Alex tensed. She stilled and tracked the Ugandan Guide’s gaze as he stared intently at a rocky outcrop on the edge of the lake about four hundred and fifty yards away.

  “Rebels or poachers,” he whispered urgently. “Get into the Jeep!”

  She hesitated for only a fraction of a second while her brain engaged her legs. She spun on her heel and sprinted to the vehicle, yanked open the door, and threw herself inside. For the first time in her life she heard the sound of bullets hitting hard baked soil. A cry of pain caused Shannon to turn and see Alex writhing on the ground, struggling to bring his rifle to bear on men moving along the waterline toward them.

  “Crap!” she exclaimed as she scrambled to the other side of the Jeep. She fell out of the driver’s door, crawled to the rear of the vehicle and carefully peaked out past the tailgate to assess the situation. Alex was down with what looked like a hit to the lower leg, but he was still conscious and now returning fire at the three men cautiously approaching.

  A rush of adrenaline surged through her body and she shouted, “I’m going to drag you backwards, for goodness’ sake keep firing.”

  She ducked out from the cover and relative safety of the vehicle, praying to God, Mother Nature, and The Wizard of Oz that no more bullets would find their target. Grabbing the sturdy, thick cotton collar of the guide’s shirt, she heaved and slowly dragged him backwards. He was heavy but able to assist her with his good leg. Once they were behind the Jeep and unable to return fire, the rebels, or whoever they were, gained ground, closing the distance between them.

  “Get in, get in,” she cried as she helped Alex to haul his body into the Jeep.

  He gave a strangled cry of pain when she none too gently pushed his legs out of the way and crashed down into the driver’s seat. She couldn’t waste the time trying to be careful because the men were now only two hundred yards away. The ping of metal impacting on metal had Shannon gasping for breath and shaking as she slammed her foot on the gear pad, yanked the stick into first, and hit the accelerator. The wheels skidded and the Jeep took off rapidly, fishtailing with a cloud of grit spraying behind. In quick succession she went through the gears and was able to pick up speed even as the Jeep bounced over the deeply rutted track. She grunted, and Alex hissed with each jarring movement.

  Soon she could no longer see the men in her rearview mirror nor hear gunfire, but decided that she couldn’t risk stopping just yet.

  “Alex?” she shouted, not daring to take her eyes off the p
otholed track as they sped along. He was slumped forward, wheezing gulps of air. “Can you hang on for just a few minutes?” She wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the shooters.

  “Yes, but I am feeling dizzy, and the pain, it is very great.” He barely managed to reply in agony.

  “Hang in there. Just don’t go to sleep, and I’ll stop in a minute.” She tried to keep the panic that she was feeling out of her voice, knowing that they needed to quickly stem the flow of blood from his leg before he went into shock.

  She drove a little further and then stopped the Jeep. From the first aid kit in the glove box she tied a tourniquet above the wound and pressed a thick pad of gauze on it.

  “There, hold that down tightly. It’s the best I can do just now, the camp isn’t far away.”

  “Yes, Miss Shannon, it is better to get to the base quickly. Perhaps you could radio ahead?”

  “Of course, sorry I didn’t think of it.”

  She mentally scolded herself to calm down and think logically. She quickly explained the situation to the radio operator at the base camp of the government-private joint venture oil company assisting her. As fast as the road conditions would allow she drove to the other side of the lake where the base was located.

  She nearly wept with relief as she pulled into the camp and saw the group of people, including a medic, waiting to take Alex.

  “Are you okay, Miss O’Reilly?” asked a heavily built man with a startlingly ruddy complexion and thick South African accent.

  Shannon looked at the man whom she recognized as Mr. Van Zyle, the head of camp security.

  “Yes, I’m fine, luckily,” she replied shakily. But I’ve bloody well had enough of this nonsense.

  She quickly told him details of the incident.

  “Were they carrying backpacks or any other equipment?”

  “One had a pack on. I only saw guns, AK-47s I think.” Even Shannon who knew next to nothing about firearms could recognize the weapon of choice in Africa. “But they had been hiding behind rocks, so I don’t know what was stashed there.”

  “Okay, we’d better get the army in. If they are rebels they may have mined the road by now, expecting us to come chasing after them. Are you sure that you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Alex spotted them first and warned me.”

  “Good, he was doing his job,” he said bluntly.

  Shannon knew that the guides didn’t get paid much and that Alex would not be able to work for a while. He’d been very helpful to her on this visit and she really liked the man. Although she didn’t have a lot of money, he’d definitely be getting the biggest tip that she could afford.

  Van Zyle headed to the radio shack just as her cell phone rang. She saw that it was from her best friend Rachael Harrison, and gave a yelp of delight and relief. A familiar voice was just what she needed right now.

  “You know you pick your moments. I’m so very, very glad to hear from you.” Her voice almost cracked and she realized that she was more affected by the incident than she had thought.

  “Shannon, I’ve got something to tell you that will shock your socks off. Where are you? Are you sitting down?” Rachael’s excitement was evident by the flurry of her words and the tone of voice that Shannon loved and knew so well.

  “Well, I’m in the middle of Africa, Uganda to be precise. About half an hour ago I was shot at. My guide was hit but is okay. I need a stiff drink and I wish you were here, or rather, I wish, really wish that I were there. Top that if you can.” She took a long draft from her water bottle and sat down on an old wooden bench under a tree.

  Rachael was quiet for a moment. “Wow. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little shaken. What’s your news?”

  Rachael exhaled loudly. “I’m in love and getting married to a Texan in eight weeks time and I want you to be the chief bridesmaid.”

  Shannon nearly fell off the bench as she reeled back in shock and was momentarily lost for words.

  “Bloody hell...you win.”

  Chapter 1

  It was eight thirty and Rachael Harrison had just finished the evening shift at the Vet Practice where she worked. She reckoned that creativity and inspiration must have been running low on the day her cousin, Colin Farley, had decided to name his veterinary business. At least his business acumen was better because Colin had realized that it made common and commercial sense to open two evenings a week. The service was now easily accessible to those who worked during the day and it was busy as usual with a steady stream of clients.

  Sandy the receptionist had already headed home, but Rachael stayed on a little longer to quickly finish some outstanding stock taking work. In truth, she tended to prefer to work with livestock rather than domestic pets, but found that she was enjoying meeting the locals and taking time to getting reacquainted with the folks of Ridge Water town and Meadow Ridge County. Many people seemed to know her fiancé’s family, the Rydens, the Sweet Water ranch, and of her impending wedding to Joshua.

  Rachael had very recently returned from England, to the place of her birth and early childhood, in Meadow Ridge County, Texas. She had immediately met and fallen hard for the big dominant rancher and oilman Joshua Ryden. Rachael couldn’t think of him without a thrilling sensation coursing through her veins and, funnily enough, ending between her legs. Oh, yes, beyond any doubt she was passionately in lust and love. She knew to her very bones that they were right for each other. They were kindred spirits and physical mates.

  Whirlwind romances had never been part of her normal relationship repertoire. In fact the behavior was so far off her chart that she had thoroughly expected the shocked reaction from her best friend Shannon O’Reilly, when Rachael had briefly spoken to her a few weeks ago to tell her the news. Shannon had sounded astounded, but it hadn’t been a good time for a long conversation. Since then they had talked several times on the phone. Shannon still seemed a little wary, but she was definitely happy to take some time off work to be her bridesmaid.

  Tonight Rachael was meeting Joshua at her cabin for a late dinner, and she had offered to buy Chinese takeout on the way home. Even though they had spent almost every night together since their engagement she still felt excited at the thought of seeing him. He was a most inventive man, and she was a most satisfied woman.

  She made sure that all the lights were switched off as she prepared to leave and lock up. The place looked a little spooky with the fading grey twilight retreating through the windows, casting long claw-like shadows in its wake. Just as she was opening the door to leave she felt as much as heard movement directly behind her. The door slammed shut and she was pushed against it. Instinctively she shoved backwards and elbow-jabbed her attacker in the ribs. Ow! It was like hitting oak. Suddenly she was trapped between the door and a rock hard body. Her arms had somehow been captured and held behind her back in a one handed viselike grip. The scream that she was about to let loose died in her throat as another hand clamped over her mouth. Panicking, she grunted and squirmed as she felt hot breath on her neck, but as she inhaled deeply through her nose, she inexplicably began to relax. Apparently her body was ahead of her brain as she breathed in the familiar male scent.

  “Not gonna use your safe word are you, darlin’?”

  Joshua, she realized, with fear and anger rapidly morphing into relief and then desire. Damn and then bless the man because he sure knew what she wanted and it wasn’t altogether wholesome.

  “No, damn you.”

  “Didn’t think so.” He growled as he began to strip the shirt off her back and unclasped her bra.

  Strong arms snaked around her and big, warm hands began to knead her breasts. She moaned and pressed her body back, writhing up against his groin and rubbing herself along the substantial erection that she could feel straining to be released from his jeans. She gasped when he pinched her nipples firmly between his thumbs and index fingers for a few seconds, causing a small shot of pain, and then rubbed away the hurt with the flat of his pal
ms.

  “Rachael, you are everything. I need you so much, darlin’.” He kissed her neck and sighed in her ear, “I couldn’t wait until you got home.”

  “Joshua, take what you need, I’m yours.” She breathlessly spoke the truth. He was like oxygen to her enflamed desire. “God, I want you so much, I love it, love you.”

  “I know.”

  He grabbed her arm, swung her around, leaned down, and kissed her fiercely. As his tongue twined with hers he easily picked her up, and holding her tightly against his six foot seven inch frame he carried her through to the next room.

  “Bend over.” His voice had lost all gentleness as he placed his big hand on her back and pushed her over the steel examination table.

  God, only Joshua could do this to her, balancing fear with trust, and love with lust. Quickly divesting her of her jeans and panties he admired the view.

  “Um, shall I take you here?” He reached around and stuck a finger in her mouth and twirled it with her tongue. “Or here?” He moved to plunge it into her slick pussy and half whispered, half groaned, “Always ready for me.” Then, with his finger sufficiently lubricated with her juices, he withdrew and eased it into her tightly puckered rear entrance, “Or here?”

  Rachael whimpered as desire and need now raged, in response to his words, the slow caress of her back, and his other hand teasing back and forth as he fingered her tight back passage.

  “I don’t know. Perhaps I should have a taste first and then decide. I’ve already kissed that sweet mouth, so where to next?”