by Sofia Hunt
“I really like you, Gage, which is exactly why I can’t do this to you.” Her heart ripped open, the pieces scattering so that it could never be made whole again.
“We’ll make a good life together.”
She didn’t doubt his words, but she feared he’d regret his decision. She couldn’t live with the eventualities of his dissatisfaction with her desirability, his scorn at her plain appearance, or his anger with her inability to satisfy him in the bedroom. No, she could not imprison a good man like him.
“I’m sorry. I can’t.” She ran from the room as sobs racked her body.
* * * *
“She turned you down?” Logan almost laughed. In fact, he would’ve, except his brother’s stricken expression stopped him.
“She said no. ” Gage poured himself a drink and sat in the old, worn chair.
Logan sighed and ran a hand through his wavy dark hair. “You need to work on your female persuasion techniques.”
“I don’t have any techniques. That’s the problem. There’s one other thing.”
“And what would that thing be?”
“She thinks she can’t please a man. She doesn’t want to trap any man into a passionless marriage.” Gage leaned forward, hands wrapped around the glass and swirled the liquid around.
“What makes her believe she’s frigid?” Logan sat in the chair next to his brother.
“Her husband told her. She also thinks I’ll never be able to forgive her dishonesty.”
“And can you?”
“I don’t know. God knows I have trust issues where women are concerned. We know nothing about her. What if the uncle has good reason to accuse her of murder? What if she’s not what she pretends to be?”
Logan sighed. “We won’t know, will we?”
“No, we won’t. I’ve been a fool in love before. I don’t choose the right women.” Gage sipped the drink, his mouth turned down and his brow furrowed in thought. Logan didn’t have a response to that.
His brother fell in love hard and fast, gave his all to a woman without seeing her faults. Logan, on the other hand, didn’t fall at all. In fact, he believed he was unable to love a woman in the truest sense of the word. He loved their bodies, their softness, their silky hair caressing his naked chest, but he’d never met a woman he wanted in his life outside of a bedroom.
A knock on the door roused both of them from their separate thoughts. A few seconds later, Andrew escorted Marshal Caleb Brock into the room then left without a word.
“Logan. Gage.” Caleb nodded at each man. Logan liked the marshal. He found the man to be honest and fair but also hard-nosed and impossible to intimidate.
“What can we do for you, Caleb?”
“I’ve heard it through the grapevine that one of you might be interested in Lizzie Prescott.”
Logan exchanged a look with his brother. “Would that grapevine happen to be called Lucy Riley?”
“Could be.” Caleb gave away nothing. “Then again I might have gotten my information from a more reliable source.”
“Since when are our dalliances of interest to the local law?” Logan offered the marshal a drink, which the man gladly accepted.
Caleb downed the whiskey and savored it for a moment. “Ah, good whiskey.” He helped himself to another glass. “I’m here off the record.”
“Go ahead.” Gage sat back in the old leather chair and waited.
“Winston Farrier approached me this afternoon. He suggested I might want to investigate Lizzie for the possible murder of her husband in Boston. After I recovered from the shock of one of the brides having been married, I told him that was out of my jurisdiction.
“Mr. Farrier insisted I notify Boston authorities as to her location and lock her up until I hear from them, which could be months. I have no intention of doing such, but I’m concerned as to his next move.” Pausing, the marshal studied both brothers. “Neither of you seem shocked about this news.”
“We’re not.” Logan rose to his feet. He’d never been one to sit on his ass when action was required. Pacing assuaged his frustration somewhat and had become quite the habit. Meanwhile, Gage sat quietly with his head in his hands, folding in on himself like he often did under stress.
“Why don’t you enlighten me?” Caleb poured himself a liberal glassful of whiskey, then he sat on the arm of a chair.
“Off the record?” Logan trusted Caleb in most matters.
“Absolutely. I’m here as a friend tonight, not a marshal. You do both realize I’m taking a risk coming to you with this issue. I may be compromising my impartiality, but I’m willing to take that risk when I see an injustice being done.”
Logan and Gage reiterated the story they’d been told by Hattie complete with Lizzie’s refusal of Gage’s proposal. Caleb considered their words carefully as he swirled the whiskey around in his glass.
“My concern, gentlemen, begins with the brides and their welfare. Such a story may ruin the integrity of all the women, not to mention endanger the Prescott girls’ lives. I’d hate to see that happen.”
“It could ruin us if the brides returned to Boston unmarried.” Gage seemed to be calculating the loss in his head. “Not only would we be out the money we’ve spent on passage and room and board, but we’d most likely lose several good lumberjacks to the Pettys. We can ill afford to lose one good man and keep up the production schedule to meet our contract commitments. If we reneged on even one of those contracts, we’d go under, and the Pettys would gain the other half of our parents’ land and the sawmill.” Gage’s grim expression said more than his words.
A calculating expression crossed the marshal’s face. “Perhaps it might be revealed Lizzie’s sisters would only make the journey if their widow sister joined them, and you agreed to the terms. Because Lizzie is not an untouched miss, it was understood she would marry a Gallagher, saving the untainted brides for your men.”
Logan stopped pacing and rubbed his chin. “That might work. Why mention the marriage part? We can just say we paid her passage because of her sisters.”
“No one would believe you’d go to that expense for any reason other than the original reason.” Caleb stood to leave. “Think about it. Logan. Once married to the oldest Gallagher and one of the most powerful men in town, the long arm of the Boston law will not attempt to reach her in Washington Territory. Nor do I believe Mr. Farrier will cause any more trouble. He needs your lumber for the expanding market in California and elsewhere.”
Logan almost smiled. “How do you suggest we spread this information?”
“How else? Lucy Riley. Have a conversation within her earshot. That’s all it’ll take.” Caleb shoved his hat on his head. “Good day, gentlemen. I can see myself out.”
The front door clicked shut a few moments later.
“What do you want to do?” Logan studied his brother, not sure where Gage was coming from regarding Lizzie.
Gage crossed the room and stared outside into the dark night. He didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, he turned to his brother. “It’s no secret we both desire her.”
Logan almost smiled. “But it is a secret we don’t mind sharing. In fact, prefer it.” Their appetite for sharing began with a particularly experienced lady they met during a month spent in San Francisco when they were quite young men. Later in this land where women were scarce, sharing became practical and preferable.
Gage shrugged. “It’s worked well for us in the past. But none of those women were Lizzie.”
“Not even close. They were women of vast experience, and our motives for those relationships were purely gratification.” Logan watched his brother, trying to assess where he stood in all this.
“Lizzie would be gratifying.”
“Yes, she would. And much more.” Try irritating, exasperating, stubborn—all things that excited Logan. He loved a woman with backbone, one who didn’t acquiesce to his every command. A challenge. Lizzie would be a definite challenge. “But you’re holding back. Do you fear she wo
n’t accept our lifestyle?”
“That’s part of it. I don’t know how I feel about a permanent situation.” Gage’s internal struggle was written across his face.
“Does me marrying her on paper cause you concern?” Logan kept his voice neutral, while inside, his stomach churned in a maelstrom of emotions.
Gage groaned and threw his head against the back of the couch. “Regardless of whether or not it does or doesn’t, she did turn me down.”
“Beyond her personal dilemma with her uncle, from a business standpoint, we can’t afford for her and her sisters, perhaps all the brides, to return to Boston.” Logan’s mind ran through several scenarios, and he didn’t like any of them. Logan dreaded what would happen if she was taken away from them. Their tenuous agreement with the somewhat disgruntled brides could very well disintegrate.
Gage nodded his agreement. “She’s a natural leader. Many of the brides look up to her.” He stared at Logan as if something had just occurred to him. “Somewhat like you.”
Logan frowned and considered his brother’s statement. Lizzie and he would be a formidable pair, just what Gallagher Lumber needed to weather all the storms on the horizon.
“If she was sent back to Boston, the remaining brides would be under Constance’s control.”
“Constance plays us against Steele and the Pettys. She can’t be trusted.” Gage stared at the ceiling. “At least we can trust Lizzie to keep her word and be a voice of reason with the brides.”
“Gage, what if I talk sense into her?” He couldn’t let her go. Not to an uncertain future, one where she may very well be railroaded into a prison sentence. She was his perfect match in many ways, and the bane of his existence in others. Yet, losing her was unthinkable.
Gage frowned, obviously considering his brother’s words. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “In what way?”
“Since we’re hoping to introduce her to the pleasures of multiple partners, I don’t see that it matters whose name is on the piece of paper.” Though, to Logan it did matter.
“You think she’ll accept your offer any more than she accepted mine?”
Logan had seen the hungry looks Lizzie had thrown his way when she thought he wasn’t looking. He knew she lusted after him, and he was a very persuasive man. “I think the stakes are high enough that I’m the lesser evil. She truly likes you. Me, she tolerates, but she’s sexually attracted to me. And—” Logan smiled, “She doesn’t want to lock you in a passionless marriage.”
Gage snorted. “We’ll show her differently. Teach her to embrace her desires.”
Logan rolled his shoulders, attempting to ease the tension. “I believe her situation will change her mind about marriage.”
“If you think you’ll get further than me, you have my blessing.”
“Are you sure? Because if Lizzie is the one woman you imagine being alone with, I won’t pursue her.”
Gage’s jaw worked as he struggled for the words. “I’ve imagined taking her a hundred different ways by myself. Yet, I also imagined watching you pound into her fine ass while I fuck her mouth. I can see our cum on her body, sliding over her nipples, pooling in her belly button. I want to introduce her to all those things we’ve done together with experienced women. I want her to crave the feel of multiple hands and mouths on her body. Hearing her beg for multiple cocks in multiple holes boils my blood and hardens my cock to iron. I want to share her with you. If this is the only way to keep her here and love her together, then I’m okay with your plan.”
“And the possibility she might be hiding more secrets or that she might be a murderess?”
“I think I’ll cross that river when we come to it.” Gage grinned at him. “How the hell do you plan on convincing the opinionated little hellcat?”
“I’ll toss her over my shoulder and hunt down a preacher.”
“Now there’s a persuasive technique.” Gage’s crooked smile sealed the deal.
“It works for me.”
Chapter 7
Lizzie’s Journal, July 5, 1864
Port Steele, Washington Territory
The townsfolk put on a large Fourth of July celebration. Whiskey and food abounded. The brides danced all night. I avoided most of the festivities, preferring to help Hattie in the kitchen and avoiding Mr. Farrier, along with Gage and Logan Gallagher.
Despite my intention of keeping my distance, I stole glances at Gage and Logan all night. I couldn’t stop myself. Turning down Gage’s proposal fills me with regret, but I take small comfort in knowing I did the right thing. A good man needs a good woman. He can do so much better than me. Someday when the right woman comes along, he will thank me.
* * * *
Lizzie walked through the woods into a sun-drenched clearing surrounded by towering cedars and firs. She paused to pick the wild mountain blackberries growing in abundance near the edge of the forest. The bright sun warmed the earth, but not her heart for it was too heavy with grief and dread. Grief over losing Gage and dread wondering about Mr. Farrier’s next move.
A twig snapped behind her, and she stopped and froze. Resisting the urge to run, she turned and stood her ground to face her stalker. Her mind raced through the possibilities. Perhaps her uncle had sent someone to drag her back to Boston. Or Mr. Farrier himself might be that man. She braced herself as she glimpsed a tall figure in the woods. The man’s feet crunched on the forest floor and the brush rustled. She held her breath, while her heart hammered in her chest.
Logan walked from the thick trees. “Lizzie, I’ve been looking for you.”
Lizzie’s breath came out in a rush as relief flooded her body. “You have?”
“You sound surprised.” His mouth tilted up in a slight smile, but his eyes remained dark and intense. His voice sent tingles through her spine. He moved closer.
“I’m guessing you’re not happy with me.” Lizzie raised her chin, a subtle message to him that he didn’t intimidate her.
“Should I be? You turned down my brother’s proposal.” His brown eyes stripped her defenses bare.
“He deserves better. I’ve been married before. I’m damaged goods.” She gripped the handle of the basket tighter. Logan did strange things to her. While Gage made her feel safe and protected, Logan did the opposite. He was dangerous in a dark, unnerving manner. He excited her, kindled flames inside her, forbidden flames. Her damned adventurous streak craved to know the forbidden secrets his eyes promised.
“You’re not damaged to us, Lizzie.” Logan’s voice dropped low and gentle.
“I’m not a virgin.” She fidgeted with the basket handle.
“That doesn’t matter. You might have turned down my brother’s proposal, but you won’t turn down mine.”
Lizzie balked, not believing what she heard. “You call that a proposal, Mr. Gallagher?”
“Yes, I guess I do.”
“You’re a hopeless romantic.” Sarcasm crept into her voice, but she tempered it with a small smile. The corner of Logan’s mouth twitched in response.
“The answer is this same as the one I gave your brother.”
“Well, circumstances have changed.”
Lizzie stiffened. Her fingers tightened around the basket. “In what way?”
“Mr. Farrier’s taken quite an interest in you to the point of paying a visit to the marshal.”
Lizzie’s throat constricted, making it difficult to talk, but she forced the words out anyway. “Why?”
“He believes you might be a suspect in your husband’s murder and should be detained until the marshal receives word from Boston.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“From the marshal himself. He’s not obligated to arrest you based on a stranger’s recommendation, but the rumor alone may cause unforeseen issues with the brides and their status in Port Steele. You are not what you were represented to be. Once your secret is revealed, concerns regarding the other brides’ integrity will surface. You signed a contract to marry. I intend to
hold you to that contract.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I may be forced to return you to Boston. What would happen to your sisters without you here?”
Lizzie backed up a step. She clutched the basket to her chest, paying no heed to the blackberries staining the front of your dress. “I never imagined these troubles would follow me to Port Steele.”
“They did, and now we must act quickly to set everything to rights.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“I have a plan.”
Lizzie listened as Logan outlined his absurd plan. Her head swam with the repercussions of such a plan. “Your idea is unwise. Why don’t you send me back to Boston and be done with me?”
“You’re in danger. I protect what is mine. It’s that simple.”
“I am not yours.” Lizzie stood up straighter, her posture erect and challenging.
He smiled a feral smile, like a wild wolf on the scent of his helpless prey. “You will be by tomorrow. The plan has already been set in place. Gage and I discussed your woes near the prying ears of Miss Riley. By now over half the town knows your story.”
Despite her brave words, defeat settled into her bones. “What do you get out of this?”
His gaze swept up and down her body. “Besides the obvious?”
She swallowed, wished she had something to drink. Her throat was so dry. “Yes, besides the obvious.”
“We maintain the integrity of the brides, and you and your sisters remain in Port Steele. You’re the brides’ liaison. They look up to you. We need your leadership.”
She relaxed a little. He’d made this sound like a business deal. That she could do. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m not a virgin?”
“Since I’ve never had a virgin, I wouldn’t know what I’m missing.” He chuckled, looking much younger than the hard, uncompromising man she’d come to know. “This would be entirely different. You’d be married to a young, vital man in his prime. A man with strong needs. Could you give yourself to me, wholly and completely?”