Because You Love Me

by Mari Carr

  Although Mark’s comment seemed innocuous, Matt suspected there was more behind the words than appeared. He could see the sense of his brother’s suggestion. There was no way the two of them could be alone with Bridget and not start up the rivalry for her attentions again. They’d always been too competitive for their own good. By dividing the time, they’d kill two birds with one stone. They’d prevent World War III from erupting between them, while they each would have a few precious hours alone with Miss Carson to press their suits. “What about the third day?”

  Mark shrugged. “I guess we let her choose her teacher for that day.”

  “To the victor goes the spoils?”

  “Something like that. Listen, Matt. Regardless of who she chooses, we have to agree not to let it come between us. I know we’re brothers, but we’re best friends too. I don’t want to lose you over a woman, no matter how great she is. Deal?”

  Matt accepted his brother’s outstretched hand and shook it, adding just a touch of force to the squeeze. “Deal. May the best man win.”

  Mark returned the pressure, adding to it. “Don’t worry. I will.”

  Matt tightened his grip even more, before releasing his brother’s hand. “Going to be fun watching you fall on your ass.”

  “Cocky ’til the end. Just remember I warned you. Race you to the barn?”

  Matt had already set off at a run when he yelled the word “Go!”

  Of course, Mark was too wise to him, and he’d taken off at exactly the same time. They both slapped their hands on the barn wall at the same second.

  A tie. Matt couldn’t help but wonder who would come out ahead in their next race. It struck him that he liked the feel of the tie, of no one coming out ahead, of sharing the win with his brother.

  Maybe a draw wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Crap. What the fuck did that mean?

  Chapter Four

  Bridget had been surprised when Matt and Mark informed her they were taking turns with her riding lessons on her first day at the ranch. She’d been disappointed by the prospect of not getting to spend time with both of them, but she could hardly argue with their logic. Regardless of the wager, someone still had to run the ranch.

  During her first day of riding lessons, she and Mark had begun a battle of cultures that carried over to her second day spent with Matt. While Bridget insisted there was nothing like a big city existence, Matt and Mark claimed the best way of life was found in the country. They continued to press their case with lots of little examples and, though it hurt her to admit, she could definitely see the appeal of their lifestyle. The first two days had flown by in a flurry of fun and laughter.

  However, this morning, she’d woken up with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was her last day of lessons. Her excuse to see the twins would end this afternoon. She hadn’t expected that knowledge to depress her so much. The past few days had felt like a welcome respite from the endless, horrifying months since Lyle’s murder. She’d been able to close her eyes to the ugly terror that surrounded her at every turn and wallow in the warmth, humor and beauty of James Ranch. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been anywhere nicer in her life. It was going to be much harder to leave than she’d realized.

  Unfortunately, time was not her friend and she had to go. She and Rodney hadn’t had much luck in tracking down the godmother Ellen, though if she was being truthful, Bridget could admit neither of them was trying very hard.

  Rodney accompanied her to the ranch each day for her lessons, but once she was in the care of either Matt or Mark, he’d disappear into the house to visit with Jacob. She knew he was still watching over her, still anxious about her safety, but she suspected this break from reality was a welcome retreat for him as well. It was as if they’d stepped out of hell and straight into Eden. Neither of them was in a hurry to return to the cold, hard truths of their real lives.

  She walked into the barn with Mark and Matt, wondering who would take over her lessons today and greedily hoping they’d both stay with her. She’d lost a tiny piece of her heart to each of them over the past few days…and for completely different reasons.

  Mark had a slow, easy country charm she was hard-pressed to resist. He’d taken charge of her lessons the first day, introducing her to the horses and leading her step by step through the process of riding. He was a patient teacher. He’d never rushed her or become frustrated with her reticence around the animals.

  Several times throughout that first day, she’d gotten off Jewel, swearing she was never getting back on. She hadn’t realized when she’d agreed to the lessons how high off the ground she’d be or how out of control she’d feel. Neither sensation set well with her. Mark had gotten her through her initial qualms by telling her funny stories about his childhood spent on the ranch with his brothers and the horses. Somehow he always managed to calm her misgivings simply by sharing some embarrassing mishap he’d endured. By making light of his own fears and failures, he’d alleviated hers, giving her the courage to try again. His genuine love of the four-legged creatures had rubbed off on her, and she couldn’t remember why she’d ever been afraid of horses to begin with. The horses on the ranch were as tranquil and gentle as their owner, Mark.

  She’d also spent most of that day in a constant state of arousal. She wasn’t sure if Mark’s touches—boosts into the saddle, hugs when she did well, shoulder rubs to relax her—were intentionally meant to seduce her or just small kindnesses on his part, but she’d had to take a very cold shower upon returning to the inn. In the end, she’d spent most of that night dreaming of the handsome cowboy making love to her under the stars. She’d woken up more sexually frustrated than she’d been when she lay down.

  Jewel snorted as she approached and batted her large nose at Bridget.

  “You’re spoiling my damn horse,” Mark teased. “She used to be an amiable animal. Three days with you and she’s making demands.”

  Bridget grinned and pulled the sugar cube she’d lifted from the inn’s kitchen out of her pocket. “I won’t apologize for that. We girls have to stick together.”

  “So it’s a battle of the sexes, is it?” Matt asked.

  She grinned at the fun-loving cowboy. She’d laughed more yesterday than she had in the entire previous year. Matt was a natural-born comedian as well as a talented musician. She’d learned he was part of a band and after much cajoling on her part, he’d cut their lesson short yesterday afternoon to play a few songs for her on the guitar. He was an incredible singer.

  Watching him strum his acoustic guitar had sent her body into overdrive. When his deep, rich voice started singing a country love song, she feared she’d orgasm on the spot. Last night, she’d tossed and turned again, but instead of her gentleman cowboy, Mark, it had been Matt spicing up her dreams with visions of rough, hungry sex against the barn wall.

  She’d woken up today weighted down by the realization she was falling…for both of them. She wasn’t sure whether to rail at the world or thank her lucky stars that her time in Wyoming was destined to be short. There was no way she could choose between the two men, but the thought of leaving and never seeing them again was too painful to contemplate.

  “I don’t know if it’s a battle of the sexes or self-preservation. If we waited for men to give us our pleasures, we’d wait forever. Better we girls learn how to take care of ourselves.”

  Matt stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. “I’d be more than happy to take care of some of those pleasures for you, Bridge. All you have to do is say the word.”

  His close proximity didn’t feel strange or surprising. Probably because he’d touched her almost constantly the day before. Unlike his brother, she’d had no question about Matt’s seductive games. More than once, he’d wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side to press a friendly kiss to her head. He’d held her hand most of the day. Once he’d bent over and picked her up, tossing her playfully into a pile of hay before kneeling down and tick
ling her until she begged for mercy.

  She glanced over her shoulder, enjoying Matt’s closeness. He smelled nice—cologne and horse and hot-blooded man scents mingled to drive her mad. Her hormones flared to life, kicking to the curb the common sense she’d battled to maintain. To hell with bad timing and bad judgment. She was hot and horny, tired and hungry. She offered Matt a sexy smile. “Oh yeah? And what exactly would that all-powerful word be?”

  Matt’s grip tightened and he slowly pressed his chest to her back. The sudden nearness drew her attention to the hard cock he was sporting in his jeans. She joined the intimate tango, pushing her ass more firmly against his erection and wiggling slightly.

  Matt groaned softly. “Damn, sweetheart. Any word would work right about now. Please, fuck, yes, banana. I’d accept any of those.”

  “Banana, huh?” She reached back and let her fingers lightly graze the thick banana currently residing in his denim.

  “Jesus,” Matt moaned.

  Mark cleared his throat. “Y’all realize I’m still here, right?”

  Bridget licked her lips, her gaze landing on Mark’s firm, full mouth as she imagined the slow, deep, thorough kisses he would offer. “I know you’re here.”

  Mark studied her now-moist lips and she knew they were on the same wavelength. It would have been impossible for either man to miss the longing, the need lacing her tone.

  What the hell was she inviting? She’d decided days ago she wouldn’t come between the brothers. God knew she couldn’t choose between them. She shook herself for her thoughtless behavior. She wasn’t being fair to them.

  Turning, she pulled away from Matt’s embrace, putting some distance between her and the cowboys.

  “So,” she coughed, attempting to dislodge the lump in her throat, “who’s my teacher for today?”

  Neither man answered. She wondered if she’d pushed them away with her thoughtless, teasing games.

  Great, Bridge. Way to go too far. There was a name for women who acted like she had and it wasn’t a nice one. The words cock tease taunted her.

  Panicking, she changed the offer. “Actually, I feel a bit guilty pulling you away from your chores. What if we skipped the riding lessons today and I helped you do whatever it is you usually do?”

  Matt laughed. “You want to play rancher for a day?”

  “It’s my last day. I’d sort of like to spend it with both of you. I know there are a lot of daily chores you need to get done around here, so put me to work.”

  Mark looked at his brother. She noticed the silent communication in the glance. She’d never met two men who were so different and yet so close.

  In the past two days, she’d learned a great deal about them. Typically the information had come from the other twin. Mark had spent ages telling her about Matt’s crazy exploits in high school—always with pride in his voice. He confessed to being envious that he’d never felt so free to go wild.

  Yesterday, Matt admitted he didn’t take things seriously enough and he sometimes wished he were more responsible like his twin. There were times when she actually got a sense they were each trying to hook her up with the other brother, while flirting with her at the same time. It was confusing, heady, and wonderful to be the center of such flattering attention.

  “Well?” she prompted.

  Matt took his hat off and plopped it on her head. “You’re on. But be warned, we’re not going to take it easy on you.”

  A dare. Oh my. He sure did know the way to her heart. “Bring it on, cowboy.”

  The day passed in a blur of activity and hard work. It was an eye-opening experience for a city girl whose idea of working with her hands prior to meeting the James twins had basically meant sitting at a computer and typing eighty words a minute. They’d begun the day by feeding all the horses. Matt and Mark had nearly twenty-five different types of horses at the ranch—Appaloosas, paints, thoroughbreds, even one that was part Arabian. Some they owned, others they simply boarded and trained. She toted two tons of water and feed. When she groaned, Mark told to count her blessings that the temperature wasn’t below freezing, or they’d be chopping ice instead as their water heater was on the fritz. After the horses were supplied with food and water, they cleaned out stalls.

  Matt and Mark teased her when she sat down on a bale of hay, thinking they were finished.

  “Wow. I think I have hay in every crevice in my body. It’s even in my ass. How the hell could I get it there?”

  Matt laughed as he plopped down beside her. “Well, you are sitting on a hay bale.”

  “Smart-ass. It was there before I sat down.”

  Matt reached over and picked a strand of the prickly stuff out of her hair. “You wield a mean pitchfork. You had that shit flying everywhere. Literally.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “Very funny. I have blisters and I itch.”

  “Ready to cry uncle, city girl?” Matt asked.

  She looked at him with disbelief. “We aren’t finished?”

  Mark chuckled and offered her a hand, helping her stand. “We haven’t even started. That was just the preliminary stuff.”

  Matt rose as well and dusted off the back of his jeans. “Don’t worry, Bridget. We won’t think less of you if you go inside and warm up with Jacob and Rodney. Ranching life isn’t for everyone.”

  Why didn’t he just double-dog dare her to keep working?

  “What’s next?” she asked, ignoring her sore fingers, the twinge in her back and the three dozen itches begging to be scratched. Fucking hay.

  Mark grasped her hand and led her to a stall. “Now we do the fun work.”

  For the next few hours, they worked the horses, taking the animals through their paces. Matt explained the learned routine to her, educating her on training techniques and reining patterns. Bridget was put in charge of walking the horses during their cooldowns, then brushing them before they were put back in their stalls. She spent most of the afternoon in quiet contemplation, simply enjoying the company of the horses and the view of Matt and Mark as they worked. She was surprised to discover how late it had gotten when Mark declared they were finished for the day. Her days of work at the newspaper never flew by so quickly.

  Mark wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulder. “Damn. Sure was nice having some help. We finished up almost an hour earlier than usual thanks to you.”

  She glanced at her watch. It was nearly five p.m. and they’d told her that they typically started at five a.m. “Really? Wow. That’s a damn long day for you guys. You do that every day?”

  Mark nodded as they walked toward the house. “We do an abbreviated routine on Sundays. Day of rest and all that.”

  They walked into the house together.

  “Hey, Bridge,” Rodney said as they entered the living room. He and Jacob were watching TV. Bridget noticed Rodney was sitting in his usual chair by the front window—the one that gave him a bird’s-eye view of her and the stable. “I was starting to worry these guys were going to keep you out there all night.”

  She grinned. Her whole body ached, but it was a good pain. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she’d actually accomplished something with her day. “Ranching work is tough.”

  “Why don’t you two stay for dinner?” Matt asked.

  Jacob pulled his feet off the coffee table in front of him and sat up. “Actually, I’ve been trying to convince Rodney to go bowling with me tonight.”

  “I told you,” Rodney said, “I suck at bowling.”

  Bridget knew the words for a lie, not because she’d ever been bowling with Rodney before, but because she could tell when he wasn’t telling the truth. There was a definite gleam of longing in his eyes. She wished they were here for a different reason. Wished both of them could take a chance on what they desired.

  Matt tossed his hat on a table by the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not the bowling you need to go for. It’s the root beer floats. Ellie Parker makes the best floats…” He paused and glanced a
t Bridget.

  “In the universe?” she supplied.

  He nodded. “Yep. Universe.”

  She laughed, then noticed a strange look on Rodney’s face.

  “Ellie Parker?” he asked, cueing her in to the vital comment she’d missed. Ellie? Ellen?

  “You should go,” she said quickly. “You’ve been sitting around here for three days while I was having all the fun. Why not take some time for yourself?” She tried to act light and casual, but this was their first break on the Ellen clue. She knew Rodney would never take her into town, never expose her to so many people. It wouldn’t be a big deal, however, for him. He’d gone to town several times already.

  “Well,” Rodney hedged. She could see he was torn between his duty to protect her and his desire to find the flash drive.

  “If the guys don’t mind, I’ll just hang out here with them until you and Jacob return.” She knew Rodney would feel safer if she was in the care of the twins. Over the past few days, Rodney admitted he’d loosened his guard a bit because of how closely Matt and Mark watched her—even without knowing the danger she was in.

  “We can all eat dinner together. Then you guys can hit the bowling alley and we’ll hang around here and watch a movie until you get back,” Matt offered. “Got a couple new ones from Netflix. If we’re lucky, they won’t be any of the crap ones Jake picks.”

  Jake threw a punch at his older brother’s arm. “I guarantee you Bridget would rather watch a movie I picked than one of your stupid horror flicks.”

  “Horror?” Bridget asked. Back in New York, horror had been her favorite genre after romantic comedy. However, since Lyle’s death, she’s lost her enthusiasm for it. She had enough fodder for her nightmares without adding someone else’s fictional fears to the pile.

  Mark grinned. “Don’t worry. I think we got the new True Grit in this pile. That was my pick. Nothing like a good old-fashioned western.”