Hope Against Hope: The Hope Brothers Series Read online

  HOPE AGAINST HOPE

  THE HOPE BROTHERS SERIES

  BOOK ONE

  Copyright © 2015 HONEY PALOMINO

  All Rights Reserved Worldwide

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, locations and incidences are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is for entertainment purposes only.

  This book contains mature content and is intended for adults only.

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  Lee Haggard watched as Eva Montgomery unbuckled his large, round belt buckle that he won in the state bull riding competition years ago. It dangled to the ground as she unfastened the front of his jeans, exposing his unbridled stallion-sized prize.

  “I told you it was big,” she said to her best friend, and partner-in-crime, Violet Taylor. “It’s the biggest in Sugar Hill!”

  Violet stared, wide-eyed and mesmerized, as Lee looked on with a smirk.

  “I didn’t believe you,” Violet murmured. “Or anyone else.”

  “Best you found out for yourself, right, ma’am?” Lee asked, tipping his hat at the kneeling women in front of him.

  Violet responded silently, and soon the only sounds you could hear were Eva’s moans of approval as she watched her best friend engulf the masterpiece of masculinity that she had come to see, followed by Lee’s moans of pleasure.

  Lee Haggard was a woman’s man. He knew what the women wanted, and he found great pleasure in giving it to them. All they had to do was ask, and maybe give him a place to crash now and then, a place to escape from the overwhelming reality of life for just a little while, and he was willing to go the extra mile, taking extra care to make sure it was exactly what you needed and how you needed it.

  He was the rare type of cowboy that had grown up in the ‘good ol’ boys’ club, but his first priority had always been making the women in his life happy. Nothing made his cock harder than a pretty woman’s smile.

  Eva and Violet were smiling. Well, Eva was. Her friend was making being in the same room with them almost unbearable, and he decided to take charge.

  “Get up,” he demanded. “Both of you.”

  They stood obediently, those pretty smiles spreading across their face like private gifts of consent.

  “Undress,” he insisted, as he towered over their petite bodies. They peeled off their clothes, a tornado of billowy blouses, jeans, frilly panties and bras, until they stood stark naked in front of him.

  Slowly, he pulled open the black pearl-buttoned shirt that stretched across his broad chest, revealing the results of years of hard work performed under the blazing rays of the unforgivable Texas sun. Tan, rugged skin covered his sinewy, lean muscles, hypnotizing the women as the shirt fell to his feet, landing in a crumpled pile next to his discarded black leather cowboy boots.

  He pulled off his jeans and stood naked with the two gorgeous women, his eyes trailing up and down their bodies as he walked forward and gently pushed them down onto Eva’s bed.

  He went slow at first. Tasting Eva’s nectar before diving in and engulfing Violet’s delicately perfumed center. Back and forth, he partake in their deliciousness until they were writhing on his tongue, their abandoned hands and mouths finding pleasure in each other.

  He looked up and watched them, their hands caressing their soft skin, their mouths working together as they writhed under his tongue and fingers until they were crying out, their juices flowing over his hands, giving him just the pleasure he was looking for.

  When he took them, Eva first, then Violet, he went slow, waiting, watching for the flush of their skin, the pulsing squeeze of their warm centers, the quickening of their breath, watching for the tiny, intuitive signs that told him to slow down or speed up or press into that spot right there until they could breathe again…and then doing it all over again, just the way they liked it, the way they yearned for it, the way they needed it.

  A shiny sheen of sweat clung to his body as, hours later, he was still hard, still sinking himself into their quivering centers, his body never satisfied for long. He kissed Eva, his tongue delving deeply into her warm mouth, the passion flowing between them like a wildfire. He broke away, turning his head and kissing Violet, her warm and inviting mouth causing him to sink his cock into her harder, deeper, his body on the verge of exploding.

  A loud slam of the front door shook them all out of their passionate revelry.

  “Eva! I’m home!” The man’s voice sounded from the first floor.

  “Fuck!” Eva hissed, standing up and digging through the pile of clothes on the floor furiously, her eyes wild and full of fear. “He’s early! I’ll distract him! Get dressed both of you! And Lee…fucking hide!”

  Lee, still buried inside Violet, watched Eva leave and then turned back to Violet with a smile. His cock twitched and he began thrusting again, swelling even larger with the thrilling threat of danger on the other side of the door.

  “Lee!” Violet admonished, while she opened her legs wider, her pussy quivering at Lee’s renewed vigor, and that ever present pretty smile on her face. He quickened his pace until he found exactly what he was looking for - sweet release.

  The sound of approaching voices and footsteps only made him more smug. Slowly, he peeled himself away from Violet and found his clothes. Violet looked at him in awe as he shrugged on his pants, threw his shirt on, and grabbed his boots.

  “Not only do you have the biggest dick in Sugar Hill, but apparently you’ve got the biggest balls, too.”

  “I reckon I do, ma’am,” Lee drawled, grinning as he tipped his hat as he put it back on. He leaned down, quickly brushed Violet’s lips, and turned away, opening the French doors that led to the balcony off of Eva Montgomery’s bedroom. Stepping out into the darkness of the night, he stared up at the stars for a second before making his way down the rose trellis that led to the front yard.

  “Hi there, Sheriff Montgomery,” Violet called from above.

  “Violet, why in the dickens are you naked as a jay bird in my bedroom again?” the low deep voice answered her.

  Lee laughed as he made his way back to his truck, hidden in the trees and out of sight of the house. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey he had left waiting on the seat and took a big swig out of it. Putting the truck in gear, he turned on the radio, and hightailed it down the Montgomery’s winding driveway, his thick tires kicking up dirt behind him, and Willie Nelson’s voice serenading him home.

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  Hope is the thing with feathers

  That perches in the soul

  And sings the tune without the words

  And never stops - at all.

  ~Emily Dickinson

  “Do you think they got enough balloons?” I said, as my big brother Crit, pulled dozens of red balloons from our parent’s car.

  “You know how Mom is,” he replied. “She over packs, over cooks, over shops, and apparently her balloon problem is spiraling out of control, too.”

  “Do you think there’s a twelve step program for over-enthusiastic mothering?” I said.

  “Are you kidding? Get a bunch of women like Mom in a room, and they’ll just come up with new, inventive ways to torture us with kindness and attention.”

  “I was hoping this would lighten up now that that I’ve graduated from college.”

  “You’re disillusioned, sis. Did she let up on us?”

  “No, I guess not.” He was right. Mom acted
like we were all still six years old. I think she thought if she pretended long enough, the clock would turn backwards and she would be back in control of everything.

  Now that her youngest - me - had finally graduated college, she seemed to be holding on harder than ever. Hell, Crit just turned twenty-nine and she still insisted on doing his laundry for him. Even my other two brothers, Seth and Jesse, still lived at home, and they were twenty-five and twenty-three.

  Not me, though. Now that I was twenty-one, and now that I had finally graduated from Rice University in nearby Houston, I was determined to make a life of my own as soon as I could. I was starting an internship at a wildlife sanctuary outside of Houston this summer that would hopefully turn into a job after it was over.

  It was going to be the best summer ever, I was sure of it. I was going to work hard to obtain a paid position at the sanctuary and spend massive amounts of time with my best friend and partner-in-boredom, Ruby Rae Rust.

  I had been waiting a long time for this summer to get here. College had been a challenge, and I was thankful for being done with papers and exams.

  And, here it was.

  I just had to get through this party first.

  I followed Crit into our family’s lake cabin and watched as he let go of the balloons in the living room. They floated to the top of the ceiling, their long strings hanging down below them, filling up the small amount of space left in the small log cabin. Mom and Dad had bought this cabin when I was ten, and we had been having family vacations and spending summers here with the Haggards every year since then.

  The Haggards are our parent’s best friends and neighbors. They own the property that borders our family farm, Hope Against Hope Farms. Their sons, Beau, Lee and Finn, are basically my brother’s rivals. They’re known to cause a lot of trouble, but because our parents are friends, we have to spend time with them. I keep my distance from them for the most part, being the only girl in both families. But, at times, I am forced to endure their presence. So, I was used to the cabin being full of both families, with the boys almost always arguing and occasionally coming to blows.

  It was just part of life. We’d all grown up together, and thankfully, the fighting was less and less these days. We were almost beginning to like each other.

  Tonight was special, though. After the party, our parents were taking off and we would have the cabin to ourselves to continue the party into the night with our friends.

  I had invited a few friends from school, and the boys had invited some of their rodeo buddies. They were all due to arrive any minute.

  “Oh, that’s just so much more festive now!” My mother’s voice echoed in the living room, her smile brightening the room more than the balloons ever could. Goldie Hope had an unhealthy penchant for parties. She was always finding a reason to celebrate. Sometimes our father, Hayward, who everyone called ‘Ward’ for short, had to rein her in to keep her from running off the deep end. She’d throw a party for Flag Day if she could.

  “See Ward? Aren’t you glad I made you stop and get them?” she asked, her bright green eyes that I had inherited, shined happily as she gazed at the balloons. He walked over to her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

  “If it makes you happy, Goldie, yes, I’m glad.” She pulled back and kissed him quickly on the lips before winking at him and turning away.

  “There’s still so much left to do! Come help me, George!”

  George. That’s me. I’m Georgia Hope, but everyone calls me George. Or Georgie. Every now and then, someone will throw out a Georgia, and surprise me a little. After giving birth to three boys, my parents didn’t believe the doctor when they told them that their youngest would be a girl. Supposedly, Mom had to fight Dad to even try to agree on a girl’s name, so they chose Georgia because he insisted I would end up being a George anyway.

  He was right.

  From day one, everyone called me George, and it stuck.

  I followed my mother into the kitchen. She and Mrs. Haggard, or Lora, as she preferred to be called, had everything organized. They were a perfect team. Anytime there was a special occasion, they were the first to be assigning chores and delegating various tasks to the rest of the family.

  Lora owns a bakery in town, so she is usually in charge of the food. My mother manages our family farm. She’s also really into decorating and home-making, which explains the balloons.

  The kitchen was thankfully free of balloons, which allowed me to see the incredible spread they had laid out on a table along one wall. Piles of fruits, cheeses, and an assortment of finger foods greeted me, not to mention the amazing aroma of the barbecue ribs that were being prepared outside. My mouth watered and my stomach growled in hunger.

  “You’ve outdone yourselves,” I said, turning to face the two most important ladies in my life. As much as I craved freedom like anyone my age would, I couldn’t deny that I’d have a hard time leaving these two.

  Sometimes, it was like having two mothers, and that was wonderful.

  But other times, that was a bad thing. Like when you tried to sneak out of your house in the middle of the night when you were thirteen, to go to a party with Ruby that you didn’t have permission to go to, and Lora sees you across the meadow that stretches between your two houses and calls your mom before you can even get down the driveway. I laughed about that now, but I sure didn’t when I was thirteen.

  Times like that made being so close to your neighbors a real pain in the ass.

  But there were other times, like now, when it felt like a blessing.

  “It’s a special occasion, George. I’m so proud of you,” Lora said, embracing me in one of her usual matronly bear hugs. Lora’s plump arms almost suffocated me, but I hugged her back, pulling my face out of her ample bosom and putting it on her shoulder as she hugged me. Her grey hair stuck out in wiry wisps around her face, tickling my ears.

  “Thank you, Lora,” I said over her shoulder, waiting for her to release me from her grip.

  “Listen, I want to give you some advice now that you’re becoming a woman, honey,” she said, finally letting me go and sitting down at the kitchen table and motioning for me to do the same.

  “Really, Lora, do you have to do this now? She’s been a woman for a while now,” Mom asked. I watched as Mom filled a vase with sunflowers she had picked earlier from the garden outside. She was the opposite of Lora. She was tall, stick-thin, and her platinum dyed hair was never out of place.

  “Yes, Goldie, now. And you should come join us,” she said. My mother sighed, knowing the quickest way to get through this would be to do as she asked.

  “Okay, dear,” Lora continued, putting her hand over mine on the table. “Now that you’ve graduated and you’re so pretty and well filled out,” her eyes trailed over my body, and I shifted uncomfortably, “it’s time to start thinking about other things…”

  “What?!” my mother and I exclaimed simultaneously.

  “I’m talking about men,” Lora explained. I resisted rolling my eyes and pulling away, instead flashing her a patient smile.

  I didn’t have a whole lot of experience with men, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t interested. College had been a weird time for me. Guys didn’t seem to pay too much attention to me, so I hadn’t had too many opportunities. When you hung out with a girl like Ruby, you tended to fade into the background a little. Ruby seemed to have a different opportunity land in her lap every day. But I wasn’t like Ruby. Ruby was loud, extroverted, and sexy.

  I was just…George.

  “Men will look at you differently now,” she continued. “You’ll see. You’ll notice they’ll treat you differently, too. They’ll expect things, sure, but they’ll be trying to decide if you’re wife material.”

  “Oh, come on!” my mother interjected. “Enough with this outdated coming of age speech!”

  “It’s true, Goldie!”

  “Well, it may be, but George isn’t naive. And she ain’t gettin' married anytime soon! Besides, we�
�ve had plenty of talks about sex, and men, haven’t we, George?” she asked.

  “A few, I guess,” I replied, feeling totally weird and uncomfortable. I was used to my mom broaching this subject, but having Lora, who was a lot more conservative and prudish than my mother, sitting there trying to talk to me about sex just freaked me out.

  “More than a few,” Mom replied. “Tell her what I told you, George.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You know. The part about self-respect.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, you told me that it’s only natural to have sex, but that I should stop and ask myself with every decision I made, if I would respect myself the next day.”

  A proud smile spread across my mom’s face, causing her to look ten years younger. “That’s right,” she said, more to Lora than me.

  “Okay, okay,” Lora conceded. “I don’t have a daughter, I was just trying to be helpful. Looks like I’m way behind. Just remember, honey pie, nobody’s gonna pay for the cow if they can get the milk for free.”

  “Oh, hush, Lora! George has been a good girl, so far, right George?” she asked.

  A pink flush spread across my face.

  “Mom!” I said, my eyes widening with a silent plea for ending this conversation.

  “Okay, okay…go help your father. He probably needs these plates,” she said, as she stood up and retrieved a stack of plates that she proceeded to shove in my hands.

  Grateful for an escape, I kissed her on the cheek, and strolled out of the room, leaving behind my embarrassment.

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  Dad stood and clinked his glass with a spoon as soon as everyone had their dessert in front of them. The cabin was packed full of friends and family, the balloons only serving to make the room feel even more crowded.

  His tall, broad frame towered over us, his black hair had turned grey at his temples, and his dark grey eyes sparkled with intensity. My father had a deep appreciation for tradition, family, and doing the right things in life. He was strict, and demanded complete respect, but more than demanding it, he earned it.