by Leah Brooke
Her heart beat frantically against the hand she tightened on her shawl. She couldn’t look away as they stepped closer.
Eb never took his eyes from hers as he closed the distance between them, the green sparks in them creating a strange warmth throughout her body that made it difficult to breathe.
“Hi, little girl. Damn, you’ve turned into a real beauty.”
His skin had darkened, making his eyes appear even more brilliant, the lines in his face more pronounced than she remembered. The deep cadence of his voice seemed to strum over her skin, causing little shivers everywhere. To her horror, her nipples pebbled and poked at the front of her dress, becoming so sensitive she couldn’t stand the fabric of her dress against them. Frozen in place, she couldn’t react in time to avoid the arm Eb whipped out and wrapped around her.
He yanked her against him, lifting her to her toes to bury his face in her throat. “And you filled out just fine. All woman now, aren’t you, Maggie?”
Her hands went to his shoulders, not even trying to catch her hat as it flew off, the combination of his warm breath on her neck and the incredibly hard body he held her against totally overloading her senses. A whimper escaped before she even knew it was there, tears pricking her eyes that appeared out of nowhere.
Had he always been this big? This hard? This…overwhelming?
This wasn’t her Eb!
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as his scent wrapped around her, a scent she thought she’d forgotten but that affected her in a way it never had before. It called to everything feminine inside her, making her feel weak and yet strong at the same time. It filled her with a hunger she didn’t quite understand but that made her crave feeling him naked against her.
His hair, even longer than it had been in the past, brushed her cheek, and she turned her face into it without thinking, reveling in the feel of the silky strands against her skin. It made her ache to feel it elsewhere, to feel it in places no one else had ever touched before.
His voice, his hard looks, the way he held her—no, this man didn’t seem anything like the Eb she’d known.
A total stranger.
And it broke her heart—at the same time making her want him in a way she’d never even dreamed she could want.
Confused, she clung to his solid strength, her body seeming to mold itself against his. The feeling of safety that she’d never even realized had been missing warmed her from the inside out and brought more tears to her eyes.
Mr. Tyler chuckled from somewhere behind her. “I knew it.”
What was she doing?
Pushing against Eb’s shoulder, she fought her way out of his hold, alarmed at the hard muscle that shifted beneath her hand. Her chest heaved, and she stumbled back against Mr. Tyler, avoiding Eb’s hands when he tried to steady her. Panicked, she slapped at him. “No. Don’t. Please. Don’t touch me.” The words came out in a frantic rush, breathless and shaky.
Her neck still tingled where Eb’s lips had touched it, the same tingling that had made itself known in her nipples where they’d brushed across his chest. The ensuing heat travelled with alarming speed from her nipples to her clit, and she pressed her thighs together against the juices that now coated them, shifting restlessly as the tingling made its way to her pussy.
Shaking with fear of not only the loss of control of her own body, but also the changes in them, she turned to look away, only to find Jeremiah standing on her other side, holding her hat out to her and looking at her as though he’d never seen her before. Mortified that he’d witnessed her reaction to Eb, she tremulously reached out for her hat, only to have her hand snatched in his. Before she could even try to pull away, she found herself yanked against his chest.
As Eb had done, Jeremiah wrapped his arms around her to pull her close and buried his face in her throat, his low groan vibrating over her neck and sending a shiver down her back. “Damned if you ain’t a beauty. I’m sorry about your daddy, honey. Everything’ll be all right now. We’ll take care of you.”
Maggie closed her eyes, her fingers digging into Jeremiah’s wide shoulders as she fought the wave of longing that raced through her, longing so strong her knees gave out. His own silky hair blew against her face, the clean scent of it increasing the wild hunger inside her. The heat intensified until her pussy burned, the sensation so intoxicating she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out against it.
Jeremiah ran a hand over her hair, pulling her even closer to absorb her involuntary shudder. “Everything will be all right, honey. I promise.”
Eb moved in from her other side, both men effectively surrounding her with their big bodies. “I’m sorry about your daddy, Maggie. I wish we could have been here with you for his funeral. We got here as fast as we could.” Each took an arm, keeping her between them as they greeted their father, and made their way along the platform and down the stairs.
Thankful for their support and dismayed that she needed it, she allowed them to guide her away from the train station and to the waiting horses. She trembled so badly she would have stumbled if they hadn’t steadied her. Grateful that they’d traveled to town with two extra horses for Eb and Jeremiah to ride back, she moved to the buckboard, anxious to put some distance between them.
She jumped, unprepared for Jeremiah’s hands circling her waist and lifting her with remarkable ease onto her seat. Turning her head, she expected to see Mr. Tyler, only to find Eb on the seat beside her instead.
Whipping her head around, she saw Mr. Tyler mount one of the free horses. Amid greetings and laughter, the other men waved and started toward the ranch. Shaking hard now, she reached for the blanket she didn’t need and watched with a sinking heart as the others rode away. “I thought you and Jeremiah would be riding the horses.”
Eb’s eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his hat. “Dad can ride. I want to talk to you a bit, see how you’re doing. I’m real sorry about your daddy, honey. He was a good man and loved you very much. But I don’t want you to worry about anything. We’ll take good care of you, and I know you’ll like Oklahoma.” He expertly flicked the reins, his strong hands easily controlling the horses as they started out.
Stunned, Maggie whipped around. “What are you talking about? I thought you were moving back here. I’m not going to Oklahoma.”
Eb nodded calmly. “Yeah. You are.” He turned his head, his eyes raking over her face, his matter-of-fact tone scaring her more than if he’d yelled. “Everything’s ready for you.”
They hadn’t come back to her after all.
Blinking back tears, Maggie snorted inelegantly, not about to let them see her heartbreaking disappointment. “If that’s your way of asking me to visit, I’ll pass.”
The thought of watching them walk away again nearly doubled her over in pain. Her fingers refused to be still, tangling in the ribbons of the hat she held on her lap as she avoided looking directly at either one of them.
Keeping her chin up, she vowed to keep her heartache to herself, which would mean avoiding them as much as possible. Sensing Eb’s stare, she involuntarily turned toward him, folding her arms across her chest in what she hoped looked like defiance instead of a way to hide her trembling.
His eyes narrowed, barely visible beneath the brim of his hat. “I think your tongue got even sharper while we’ve been gone. We’ll talk about this later.”
“I’m not leaving Kansas City.”
“Hmm.”
Aware of the curious looks Mr. Tyler and Jeremiah sent her way, Maggie pressed her lips together in an effort to hold back her tears. Angry with herself for getting her hopes up, for actually believing she could have the life she wanted, she remained silent and stared straight ahead, absently listening to the three men’s conversation.
Her thoughts turned to her future and what she would do when they left again.
They rode to where a small grove of trees stood at the turnoff to the ranch, and Eb pulled the reins to bring the horses to a stop. “Dad, why don’t you go on ah
ead? We’ll meet you at the ranch in a bit.”
“No!” Alarmed, Maggie shook her head, not wanting to be alone with either one of them.
Ignoring her, Mr. Tyler nodded once in Eb’s direction and shot a glance at Jeremiah, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “Take your time.” With a wave, he took off, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Jeremiah stopped close to her other side, crossing his wrists over the saddle horn, his eyes unreadable beneath the brim of his hat. As soon as his father was out of range, he leaned forward and shot a glance at Eb. “Problem?”
Eb shifted in his seat beside her. “Appears so. What’s wrong with you, Maggie? I thought you’d be happy to go with us.”
Aware of their burning stares, she kept her eyes forward, watching Mr. Tyler fade into the distance. Once he disappeared from view, she glanced at Jeremiah before turning in her seat toward Eb, inadvertently hitting his leg with her own. Scooting away, she placed a few more inches of space between them, rubbing her knee where it tingled.
Tongue-tied, she cleared her throat. “If that’s why you came back, you wasted a trip. I have no intention of leaving the Shenandoah.”
Jeremiah used a knuckle to push the brim of his hat back, allowing her to better see his eyes. His teeth flashed white against his tanned skin, the twinkling in his eyes making the gold in them even more pronounced. “Oh, you’re coming with us. I’ve seen your stubbornness before, but it usually wasn’t directed at us. I know you’re mad because we left, but it was for your own good. You’ll come back home with us for the same reason.”
Maggie wondered what she’d ever done in her life to deserve the cruel joke fate had decided to play on her. To have Eb and Jeremiah appear and know she had to watch them leave again hurt almost too much to bear.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I understand now why your father sent for you. Now that Daddy’s gone, he wants you to take responsibility for me.” She thought she couldn’t hurt any worse.
She was wrong.
Eb reached out and lifted her chin, holding it and forcing her to meet his eyes. “Is that all he told you? Didn’t he tell you why we left in the first place?”
Maggie shook her head. “Daddy said you left because Kansas City was too crowded for you.” Looking up from beneath her lashes, she eyed them both. “I always thought it had something to do with the fight the four of you had the night before you went away.”
Eb’s lips thinned. “You always were smart. We fought with Dad and Buck about you.” At her look of surprise, he nodded. “We knew you were too young, but we wanted our intentions clear from the start. We told your daddy we were willing to wait for you, but he didn’t want to hear it. He was right, but things are different now. He’s gone, Maggie, and we’ve made a home for you in Oklahoma.”
“What do you mean? You told Daddy you wanted to take me to live in Oklahoma?”
Eb’s eyes narrowed, a small smile playing at his lips. “No, Maggie. We told your daddy our intention to marry you.”
Maggie’s breath caught as she looked from one to the other. Could it be true? Her heart sped up, making it difficult to breathe. “Which one of you wants to marry me?”
Eb’s expression never changed. “Both of us, Maggie. You’re going to marry both of us.”
She couldn’t believe they would be so cruel. “That’s not very funny.” The sooner they left again, the better.
She looked at Jeremiah, expecting him to laugh at his brother’s cruel joke, but he just kept staring at her.
Both of them kept looking at her as though she were the stranger, their eyes raking over her body in ways they never had before. It felt as though she’d been sleeping all the years since they left, numb and unfeeling. Suddenly, all of her senses became heightened, almost to the point of pain.
Jeremiah tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “He’s serious, Maggie.”
Shaking her head, Maggie twisted her hands together. “That’s not possible, and you know it. A woman can’t marry more than one man. Are you having trouble deciding which one of you is going to have to marry me? Why would you even say such a thing?”
She started to turn away, yelping when Eb grabbed her arm and whipped her back around again.
Cupping her jaw, he forced her head up, his eyes sharp. “Because it’s true. You’re going back to Oklahoma with us. That’s the end of it, Maggie. It’s for your own good, and you’ll do as you’re damned well told.”
Jeremiah moved closer from the other side, shooting a warning glance at Eb. “Your daddy wouldn’t believe we could make it work here, and after the fight you referred to, we had to admit he was right. So we left to find a place where we could both have you. And we have. We can live with you the way we want to and nobody will say a word against us. One word, one wrong look from any of the hands and they’re gone.” He reached out to brush a hand down her hair. “And they already know it. We’ve got a good life there, Maggie, one that you’ll be a part of.”
His eyes went down her body from her head to her toes, lingering on her breasts and making her burn everywhere. “And with you looking like that, being married to you is looking better and better.”
Angry now at his disregard for just how much pain they’d caused and their arrogance at assuming she’d be ready to fall in their arms, she snapped at them. “Are you crazy? You’ve been gone for five years, walked away without a backward glance, and you come back here and try to tell me you want to marry me? You want me to be a wife to both of you? You expect me to leave the only home I’ve ever known and move to Oklahoma?” Shaking her head, she stared straight ahead. “No. Leave me alone and go back to your precious ranch.”
The fact that she was actually considering their offer infuriated her.
Jeremiah’s jaw clenched. “No, Maggie. When we leave, you’re coming with us.”
She spun to glare at Eb, fighting the panic that started to set in. “We’re not friends anymore. Just leave me alone and go back to your damned good life in Oklahoma.”
Eb’s eyes flashed. “When did you start cussing? I’ll hear no more of that from your lips, is that clear?”
Maggie sneered at him. “Go to hell. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve grown up, and what I do is none of your business. You left, remember? Without telling me anything. I don’t owe you anything anymore, not even friendship. And I don’t have to listen to you anymore.”
Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed and darkened. “Oh, we’ve noticed that you’ve grown up, honey. And you will do what we say.”
Eb flicked his wrists, his eyes softening as he put the buckboard in motion. “We are here to help you. We didn’t talk to you about all this years ago because you were still too young. We’ve waited long enough for you, Maggie, and there’s no reason to wait any longer. We’re getting married tomorrow. While we’re here, everyone will have to think it’s just you and I, but at the end of the week, you’re coming home with us to our ranch where you’ll be wife to both of us. Openly. That’s that, Maggie.”
The way he spoke, the authority she’d never heard from him before, scared her more than she cared to admit. He’d always been bossy and self-assured, but this was beyond that. He spoke as if he’d become used to his word being law and that he neither expected nor would tolerate any arguments.
Maggie smiled serenely while her insides fluttered. “No.”
Jeremiah kept pace alongside them. Shooting another warning glance at Eb, he grinned, showing off his dimples and making her breath catch. “It will be a good life for all of us, Maggie. Everything we’ve done, we did so we could have you with us.”
“Without even asking me what I wanted. No, you didn’t do it for me.” The sharp edge of betrayal cut deep. Blinking back tears, she looked down the road to the Tyler spread, her hands tightening on her hat. These weren’t the young men who’d gotten her whatever she wanted, the ones she’d always counted on to make everything all right.
These men were arrogant and bossy. Hell, they’d just arrived and al
ready started issuing orders.
Feeling more alone than ever, she straightened in her seat and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“It’s obvious neither one of you cares enough about me to get married. You say marry, but neither one of you would be a real husband. What you’re really doing is taking care of me because your father expects it. I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather have a man who wants a real wife.”
Eb tugged the reins, bringing the horses to a sharp halt, sending her flying out of her seat with a cry. He caught her easily with one arm before she could fall and pulled her onto his lap. “Oh, you’re going to be a real wife, Maggie. Make no mistake about that.”
Settling her struggling form across his thighs, he lowered his head, his eyes holding hers. The muscles beneath her bottom shifted as his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against an equally hard chest.
At the age of twenty-one, she’d been held before, even been kissed a few times but nothing in her meager experience could compete with the feeling she got from being in Eb’s arms.
So strange and yet so heartachingly familiar.
He brushed his lips over hers, the gentle caress surprising her with its power. Like a jolt of lightning had struck her system, everything came alive, as though her senses had been lying dormant, waiting for him to awaken them.
Alarmed at the softening of her own body against his, she pushed at him in a panicked effort to get away, only to grip him tightly instead.
The strong contrast between the tenderness of his kiss and the strength of his arms made her dizzy. Panicked, she struggled to get away, frightened that she’d surrendered so easily
The soft brushes of his lips on hers never faltered as he tightened his arms around her, holding her until her struggles ceased. Only then did he relax his hold and deepen his kiss.
Maggie’s eyes fluttered closed on a moan as he used his tongue to tease the seam of her lips, not faltering until she allowed him inside. Her hand went to the nape of his neck, her fingers threading through the cool strands of his hair as though she’d done it a hundred times.