“How are we going to get them back up?” Justin asked.
“No idea.”
Maddy chewed on her lower lip, looking worried. “Drive them up a few at a time? Maybe lure them with salt? I don’t know what cows want, but there has to be another way down.”
“Let’s try the salt,” I finally said. “There are a few blocks in the barn.”
“Once we get them up, we’re going to build a fence here,” Justin muttered, his face set in a scowl. He wasn’t any happier about the situation than I was, but at least we’d found our missing stock, thanks to Maddy. If she did nothing else, she ensured we’d keep our livelihood. My thoughts turned to the reward Caleb and I would give her after supper, and my shaft hardened.
“A strong one,” Maddy muttered, making us laugh. She scowled at us, then said, “I’m going fishing before I decide they’ll make fine roast beef.”
We let her go to town the next morning, her stallion hitched to our old buckboard wagon, with stern instructions to be home before sunset. Even though Bridgewater was safe and she’d be looked after, we worried. Of course, she’d made her way from Kentucky by herself. I imagined a five-mile trip into town posed no great challenge for such a woman.
To our surprise, most of our missing stock were where they belonged, lured by the salt. The few remaining head wandered up without being driven and Justin went to their owners to make arrangements for their return.
When he returned from his errand, we started on the endless list of chores, both of us casting glances at the lane as we waited for Maddy to come home. As an afterthought, I remembered to sweep out the pantry and ready it for Maddy’s purchases. Although we hadn’t wanted to let her go, Justin and I both looked forward to something besides beans.
She’d been gone less than eight hours, and my cock was already bursting. Barely a day went by that one or both of us didn’t make love to her after lunch, and it was almost sundown.
We finished our work and I scowled at the lowering sun. We were both exhausted and hungry, but that wouldn’t stop us from giving Maddy a stern talking-to when she deigned to show up. As if summoned by my thought, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, resolving itself into the form of our wife driving a heavily laden wagon.
Lathered and tired, Prince’s head drooped as she stopped him in front of the cottage. We unharnessed him quickly, and Justin led him to the barn for a well-deserved rubdown.
“Sorry I’m late,” she murmured, leaning into my arms. “It took a while to get everything loaded.” Turning to the wagon, she lifted out a box and smiled when she peered inside. “Say hello to your future eggs. Your bourbon-cured bacon is still in the wagon.”
The box contained dozens of fluffy yellow chicks. I laughed and took it from her, then set it in the kitchen next to the stove. Pouring her a cup of coffee, I pointed at a kitchen chair. “Sit and rest. I’ll unload the wagon.”
She didn’t argue, meaning she was more tired than she was willing to admit. There were sacks of flour, cornmeal, and sugar, along with small barrels of salt pork and lard. Aside from that, six weanling hogs squealed in wooden cages. An obviously pregnant heifer chewed her cud behind the wagon, still tethered. Apparently, Maddy wanted fresh milk too.
Justin returned from caring for her horse, and raised an eyebrow at the hogs. “We have an extra stall in the barn. Suppose we’ll just put them in there until we can build a pen.”
“She’s got chickens too. They’re in a box next to the stove in the kitchen.”
His eyes lit on the heifer and he smiled. “And butter. We’ll have butter soon.”
Lord have mercy, we hadn’t had butter in an age.
After a few weeks, it was almost as if Maddy had been part of our lives forever. We spent every night loving her into sated bliss, but we still hadn’t taken that last step of making her truly ours.
It wasn’t for lack of want, but rather for lack of time. Spring on a cattle ranch was busy. Her chickens were growing and safely in their coop. The hogs were fat and sassy, and we had plenty of milk and butter. The delights from Maddy’s kitchen made Justin and I nearly swoon with joy.
The night before the annual community cattle drive to the railhead in Butte, she even made fried hand pies with a sack of dried apples she’d hidden from us. The minute I tasted the crisp, flaky pastry, I about died and went to heaven. We used her beautiful body as our plate, eating the sweet treat from her quivering belly with fluffy whipped cream.
As we prepared to leave, I touched the box containing the plug and the special oil we used to prepare it for her. When we got back from our trip, we’d have our wife to ourselves and there would be more than enough time and leisure to claim her in the way of Mohamiran husbands.
Justin and I looked forward to buying her all the luxuries she’d been denied. Cigars and bourbon, plus new dresses and underthings made of silk. She never once complained, but we wanted those things for her.
“You ready?” Justin asked, chewing on a flaky biscuit.
I buttoned my trousers and nodded, then swallowed the last of my coffee and walked into the kitchen.
Her smile sweet and wistful, Maddy handed me a biscuit, then reached up to kiss my cheek. “I’ll miss you two.”
I shared a glance with Justin, then swept her into my arms and carried her back to bed. The rest of the crew could wait. We had a duty to our wife.
MADDY
* * *
I waved as my husbands rode away, keeping a smile plastered to my face as the predawn sky swallowed them up. They’d be back by supper tomorrow, but we hadn’t spent a night apart since our hasty wedding. I didn’t look forward to sleeping in that big empty bed by myself.
It might be only one night, but I wouldn’t see them for two full days. I shook my head and got started with my chores. There was plenty of work to keep me occupied. In the unlikely event I ran out of things to do, there were still several horses needing my attention.
When I finished, I glanced up at the sun. If I hurried, I had time to ride into town to see if Mr. Fuller had replied to my letter asking him to sell the property in Kentucky. I shook my head and got to work scrubbing the kitchen floor. It was too soon for a response from him. I would just have to be patient. Besides, I’d promised Caleb and Justin I wouldn’t leave the ranch and I didn’t want to disappoint them.
I wanted everything perfect for when Justin and Caleb got home. Nothing would interrupt our reunion night. My core twitched with need, and I redoubled my efforts on the floor. Staying busy would hopefully keep my mind off what I’d be missing.
Someone knocked, making me startle and bump my head on the edge of the stove. Rubbing the sore spot, I stood and walked to the door, wondering if Ann had come for a visit. The company would be nice.
Opening the door, I smiled, then blinked in surprise at two strange men. Another, wearing a silver star identifying him as a sheriff, stood behind them. My heart leapt in my chest and I staggered.
“Are Caleb and Justin all right?” I asked, grabbing for the doorframe.
“Mrs. Mathis, My name is Sheriff Baker. These two men have a warrant for your arrest. They’re here to take you back to Kentucky,” he said, his voice gentle. A fleeting expression of sympathy crossed his face before it smoothed into impassiveness.
“On what charge?”
“Horse theft.” One of the men, a rotund fellow with cold gray eyes perused me, looking me up and down like a side of meat. “You’ve been accused of stealing a valuable stallion from Nathan Bergman.”
“He has nothing I want,” I retorted. “And he wouldn’t know a valuable horse if it bit him in his skinny backside.”
Sheriff Baker snorted, ignoring the taller man’s look of disgust.
Grabbing my arm, the short man pulled me from the house, leaving the door stand open. “The warrant says otherwise. Do you still have the horse?”
“What horse? I didn’t steal a thing from that awful man.”
The second man, a tall specimen with bulging musc
les, backhanded me, making me fall to the ground. “A palomino stallion,” he snapped. “Where is he?”
I spat at his feet, then rubbed blood away from my cut lip. “I don’t have him,” I lied.
“If you hit her again while you’re in my jurisdiction, I’ll have you in jail so fast your heads will spin,” the sheriff warned, gently helping me to my feet. “In fact, if I find out you’ve abused her at all, you’ll be hearing from me.” Giving the two bounty hunters a disgusted look, he added, “Do you see a palomino stallion?”
They glanced around, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter,” the tall one snapped. “The bounty is only for her. Someone else can come catch the horse.”
The short one slapped manacles on my wrists and ankles, then marched me to a wagon. Picking me up, the tall one dumped me in the back, attaching a piece of chain to my wrists.
I got to my knees, meeting the sheriff’s eyes. “Tell my husbands what happened,” I ordered. “And find someone to feed my animals while I’m gone.”
He nodded as the wagon jerked into motion, knocking me off balance. I fell heavily, hitting my temple against the wood planks making up the bed. My head spun and I gritted my teeth against the pain, then huddled in a ball as best I could.
Less than an hour later, I was on a train headed back to the place I swore I’d never see again.
“I hear tell the women here take two men,” the short man said, giving me a speculative look as he licked his lips.
“Disgusting.” The tall one spat, looking directly at me. “Suffer not a whore to live. Too bad they won’t hang her for horse theft.”
“You got the bible quote wrong,” I retorted. “Your intellect leaves something to be desired. Aside from that, I’m a married woman.”
His fists clenched, but there were too many people in the car giving him sour glares for him to risk striking me again. Still, I wasn’t going to press my luck any further.
Justin and Caleb would come for me. I crossed my fingers and toes, uncaring if the bounty hunters saw, then sent a prayer to the Lord.
JUSTIN
* * *
Our horses were tired, but we hurried home as best we could. Maddy would have our hides if we pushed them too hard. Aside from that, they’d been good mounts for us during the cattle drive to the railhead, thanks to her schooling them.
I grinned at Caleb, tapping the pocket containing our accounting from the cattle broker. We’d be paid when they reached the stockyards in Laredo, and it was more than enough to keep us comfortably for another year.
Returning my smile, he said, “Ready to see our wife?”
“Bath first, then wife. We’re not going to her bed until we don’t stink.”
“Wonder if she’ll have supper waiting.”
I laughed outright, startling the horses a bit. “You know she will. She’ll be expecting us. I’m more looking for a bath and taking her straight to bed.”
We rode up to the house, and my heart fell when Maddy didn’t rush out to meet us. From the coop, her chickens squalled angrily, and the hogs set up a racket too.
Caleb frowned, dismounting. “I’ll see to the pigs.”
Once we got the animals cared for, we went inside, finding the house empty. “Where is she?” I asked. “Think we ought to check the trout stream?”
“Something’s wrong. I don’t think she’s on the ranch.”
“Do you think she took off?” I shook my head in denial. Our Maddy wouldn’t do that, but her boots were gone.
“Prince is still in the pasture,” he said, heading into our bedroom.
I let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have left without her horse. When he returned, I scowled at the object in his hands. It was the cloth purse holding Maddy’s nest egg. He opened it and gasped, then emptied it to the table. A roll of banknotes as big around as my fist tumbled out.
“She wouldn’t have left without this either,” he murmured.
“Let’s check the creek. Maybe she didn’t see us ride up.” Caleb nodded and followed me out.
As we left the house, a rider tore down our lane, his horse lathered and blowing hard. When he got closer, I recognized him and lifted a hand in greeting. “Sheriff Baker,” I called. “What brings you out this way?”
Caleb frowned, but shook the sheriff’s hand politely after he dismounted.
“Two bounty hunters came for your Maddy yesterday,” he said, his voice gruff. “They had a warrant for her arrest on charges of horse theft and an extradition order.”
“Damnation! You know she’s no thief.”
Caleb’s face twisted and darkened. “What the hell were you thinking, letting them take our wife?”
Looking suddenly tired, Sheriff Baker shook his head. “I didn’t have a choice. The warrant was legitimate. I sent the telegram checking it out myself.”
My knees buckled and I wished I had something to hang on to. “We’ll follow and get her back.”
“You can catch the early train tomorrow and be only a few days behind her,” Sheriff Baker replied. “You should also bring your marriage certificate, and any other documentation you can find. Andrew and Robert told me the fellow who’s accusing her wanted her for his wife. If she’s already married, he might give up this fool plan.”
When we nodded, he mounted his tired horse. “Best of luck to you both. We’ll be keeping you and Maddy in our prayers.”
He rode away and we went inside, staring down at the money laying on the table. I untied the string holding the bundle together and blinked.
“There has to be over five hundred dollars,” I breathed.
Caleb grunted. “I feel like an idiot. She had all this money sitting here, and I was complaining about buying food.”
“That’s a whole lot of stud fees, but at ten dollars a head, I can see it. Wonder how much she had to start.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Caleb took the money from me and replaced it. “It’s hers, and she’ll tell us if she wants to.”
“The bank won’t open until after the morning train leaves. We have to use some of it for—”
“No. We promised she could keep her savings for things she wanted. Not for us.”
I arched a brow. This wouldn’t be a problem if we’d already been paid for our cows. “I’m thinking Maddy would want us to get her out of this mess. Don’t you?”
A few lines of tension faded from his face and he nodded. “You have the right of it,” he finally said. “We’ll replace it once we have her back.”
“Let’s get packed. We have a long road ahead of us.”
12
CALEB
* * *
After a sleepless night, we rode out to meet the train, leaving our horses with Andrew and Robert. Ann wrung her hands, tears sparkling in her blue eyes.
They weren’t the only ones to see us off. All of Bridgewater came to pay their respects. Emma, wife to Whitmore Kane and Ian Monroe, brought us a large basket filled with food for the trip. Connor MacDonald and Dashiell McPherson’s wife Rebecca gave us another. Several families pressed money on us, refusing to take no for an answer.
Ian shook his head and pressed a twenty-dollar bill into my hand. “Accept it. You may need it for her defense.”
Andrew handed me an envelope as well. “There’s enough for you to catch the express in Omaha. You’ll get there faster.”
“Right,” Robert added. “We’ll take care of your place until you bring her home.”
There was nothing for it but to accept their generosity. Emotion clogged my throat and I nodded. Justin managed to thank everyone before we boarded the train. He’d always been the better of us at finding the right words to say.
Andrew had been right about the express in Omaha. We arrived before Maddy and got a room at a boardinghouse.
“I want to see this fellow Nathan,” Justin muttered.
“Maddy said he’s the saloon keeper,” I replied, pointing at a two-story building across the street from the hotel. We went inside and bellied up
to the bar. Giving us a quiet greeting, a barmaid wearing a dress that barely covered her brought us each a beer.
A lady sauntered inside, her straw hat perched at a jaunty angle on blonde curls. She sat at a table close behind us and tapped her parasol on the floor, wrinkling her nose at the barmaid. “Get me Nathan,” she snapped.
“Yes, Miss Celeste.” The barmaid scurried off and I allowed my lips to curl into a smirk.
“So, that’s Maddy’s stepmother,” Justin whispered. “I wouldn’t mind having a few words with her.”
A lanky man with dark hair and a thin goatee joined her, kissing her cheek before sitting across the small table. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence, darling?”
“Madelaine will be here tomorrow,” she replied in a low voice. “But there’s a problem. The bounty hunters we sent say she’s already married. I just got the telegram.”
“So?”
“Nathan, don’t you understand?” Celeste wrung her hands. “If the brat is married, it spoils all our plans. And once Fred Fuller hears about it, he won’t represent you in court. You know how he dotes on her.”
“Don’t matter. She stole that horse.” Nathan’s face darkened and his lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “If she’s in prison, her daddy’s property reverts to you anyway. It’ll serve the little bitch right for crossing us.”
“What then? And what about this supposed husband?”
“We’ll worry about it if he shows up. I made sure my men took her after he was gone on a cattle drive. It might be weeks before he finds out she’s gone. You and I will marry, sell the place off, and split the money like we planned. Afterwards, we’ll get an annulment.” He patted her cheek, then added, “The best part is we’re saved the trouble of getting rid of Maddy.”
Celeste nodded and smiled. “Perfect. I’d been wondering what to do with her.”
“She was going to have an unfortunate tumble down the stairs.” He laid a hand over his heart. “Poor girl, in the prime of her life too.”
Their Wanted Bride (Bridgewater Brides) Page 10