by Leah Brooke
His cock, however, had other ideas. He had a feeling it would be another long night.
Hayes lifted his head, his breathing harsh.
“We’ve got to get married soon.”
He walked out without another word, leaving Wyatt alone with Savannah.
Wyatt stared after him, knowing exactly how his friend felt. He’d kissed Savannah often enough to know that Hayes fought not to rip her clothes from her and sink into her.
When she took an unsteady step backward, he hurriedly reached for her, his reaction slower than normal. Feeling her body tremble against his, he pulled her closer. He pressed his lips to her silky hair, struck once again by her frailty.
His cock jumped again at the dazed look in her eyes, the need to make this beautiful woman his burning inside him like a hot brand.
“Hayes is right. We have to get married soon. I want you in my bed. In my life. I want you to be the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I see every night.”
Savannah blinked as though coming out of a trance, her eyes flashing as she pushed away from him.
“Don’t say things like that to me.”
Irritated that she could adopt that cool distance with such ease, Wyatt yanked her to him, a little alarmed that he almost missed.
“Don’t take that tone with me. I saw the way you tried to climb up Hayes. You don’t have to pretend with us.”
Savannah’s eyes went wide, her expression one of outrage, her show of emotion pleasing him immensely. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and to his frustration, adopted that schoolmarm expression that never ceased to infuriate him.
“I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and released her as he came to another realization, one he should have come to before.
“You keep saying I shouldn’t touch you and that things we do are sinful. I know you were raised by that poor excuse of a preacher, but we’re getting married. It isn’t sinful to—”
“Have two husbands?”
That cold, sarcastic smile made him want desperately to turn her over his lap—or fuck her until she didn’t have the energy to defy him.
“Damn it, Savannah. It’s not like that.”
“I think you’d better go.”
Having the door closed in his face before he even got to kiss her wasn’t how Wyatt had planned to spend the evening. Things had started out so well, but had somehow gone wrong.
He’d misjudged her—a mistake he couldn’t afford to make.
His assumption that she’d agreed to marry them had obviously been wrong.
It didn’t make sense, though, for her to invite them to dinner just to refuse them.
She was up to something, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.
So tired that it took tremendous effort just to put one foot in front of the other, Wyatt decided that this wouldn’t be the best time to sort it out. He barely resisted glancing back at the house and went to join Hayes and the Tylers where they stood talking.
Rubbing his eyes, he promised himself that as soon as he got some sleep, he’d get to the bottom of whatever bothered Savannah—and get rid of the cold knot that had formed in his stomach the day she left Kansas City—a knot that had never quite gone away.
* * * *
It took every ounce of willpower Hayes could muster to keep from running back to the house and laying Savannah right in the middle of the dinner table and making a meal of her.
He could still taste her and had to resist the urge to lick his lips as he tried to concentrate on what Eb was saying. Noticing that Eb and Jeremiah both stared at him expectantly, he struggled to remember what they’d been talking about.
He remembered suddenly that Eb had been telling him who he would be sending to help him and Wyatt with the house. Nodding once, he glanced toward the closed back door.
“I appreciate the help. We want to get Savannah settled.”
An obviously exhausted Maggie leaned against Jeremiah and frowned up at him.
“Are you sure Savannah said she would marry you? She wouldn’t even discuss it earlier. Not that I’m not thrilled, but she was acting strange.”
Maggie’s yawn proved to be contagious.
Smothering yet another yawn, Hayes avoided Eb’s narrowed stare and kept his eyes on Maggie.
“Savannah’s ready. This afternoon, Wyatt took her out to see where her new home will be, and I think it must have really made her think. She said she can’t.” He waved negligently, dismissing anything that would keep Savannah from him. “But she can’t give us a reason. She cooked a delicious dinner for us, probably to show us what a good cook she is.”
Hayes sighed and glanced toward the house. “She must have been nervous, though. She was really quiet.”
He smiled at Maggie. “I think she was reluctant to have two husbands at first, but seeing how happy you are with Eb and Jeremiah probably helped change her mind.”
Uneasy at the way Maggie avoided looking at him, he lifted his gaze to Jeremiah’s, raising a brow.
Jeremiah shook his head and smiled, pulling Maggie closer.
“Apparently Maggie won’t tell you, but she’s going to have to learn that all of us men have to stick together in order to make this work. If Savannah’s as quiet as you claim, you might have a problem.”
Eb touched his shoulder, his eyes full of concern.
“Do you feel all right?”
In deference to Maggie, Hayes bit back his curse.
“Yeah. No. I don’t know. I can’t seem to stay awake.” He turned to watch Wyatt walk unsteadily toward them.
“Wyatt seems to have the same problem. We probably ate too much.”
He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not as though we’re not used to being up all night. Maybe I should head into the chow house and get another cup of coffee.”
Eb drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I hope the doc gets here soon. We need one around here. Maybe you’re getting sick.”
Jeremiah pulled Maggie back several feet.
“Don’t give anything to Maggie. We’ve got to watch out for the babe.”
Maggie pushed out of his arms. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t stand this anymore. Hayes, did you or Wyatt do anything—say anything—to make Savannah mad?”
Thinking of what Wyatt and Savannah had done that afternoon, Hayes shrugged, not about to share intimate details of their relationship with anyone else.
Maggie straightened, fisting her hands on her hips and stared at Wyatt. “When you left this afternoon with her, didn’t you say something about—oh, my God! You didn’t actually try to spank Savannah, did you?”
Jeremiah wrapped an arm around Maggie and hugged her against him.
“It’s none of your business. Come on. Let’s get you inside before you get chilled.”
When she started to struggle, he merely lifted her into his arms and strode away with her, carrying her across the yard, up the back steps, and into the house, but not before giving Eb a censuring look.
Once Jeremiah had Maggie inside and closed the door behind them, Hayes turned back to Eb, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I know you mean well, but don’t meddle in our dealings with Savannah. I know you’re looking out for her, but you know damned well how we feel about her. She was real quiet today, but she went out of her way to make us a nice supper and made sure we had some privacy. That tells me she’s made up her mind to marry us. We’ll take over caring for her now.”
He hated like hell explaining himself, especially regarding a woman he would marry, but felt it necessary. He wanted to make it clear that as much as he appreciated that the other men would be watching out for her when he and Wyatt weren’t around, Savannah was theirs.
He sure as hell wouldn’t take kindly to any interference in the way he handled her.
He loved her. He wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman. Only her soft touch and c
alming voice had kept him from breaking the laws he’d sworn to uphold and killing the man who’d dared to bruise her.
Her uncle had a lot to answer for, and his own inability to lock the reverend away for beating Savannah still infuriated him.
The reverend, as her guardian, had the right, and there hadn’t been a damned thing he and Wyatt could do about it.
Here, things were different, and if the reverend showed up, there would be a far different outcome.
She belonged to them, and both he and Wyatt would do anything and everything in their power to keep her from being harmed.
He’d gladly kill any man who touched her—including her uncle.
Eb nodded once and started to turn away. Pausing, he turned back and smiled coldly, eyeing both him and Wyatt in a way that made Hayes stiffen.
With his hands on his hips, Eb cocked his head, gesturing toward the house, his eyes hard and as cold as ice.
“I’ve been protecting Savannah for a long time now, and there’s one thing I’ve learned. It never hurts to have other men you can trust to keep a woman safe. You can’t always be there. I know you don’t want my advice, and I have half a mind to walk away without telling you what I know, but the women’s safety is my main priority.”
Rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, he sighed.
“Wonder why you’re so tired? If you knew Savannah well enough, you would know that when she’s quiet and subdued, she’s up to no good. She put something in your food. Something to make you sleep. That’s why she invited you to the house. The two of you must have really pissed her off. What did you do, spank her? Tell her that she was marrying you no matter what?”
Hayes avoided looking at Wyatt, not about to let Eb know that he was right. What happened between them and Savannah was nobody’s business. Struggling against the jealousy caused by Eb knowing things about Savannah that he didn’t, and his own pride, he felt his temper snap.
“And just how would you know she would do such a thing?”
Eb’s jaw clenched.
“Because I’m the one who showed her how to do it. Let me tell you a few things about Savannah’s uncle.”
Chapter Six
Picking the last of the vegetables, Savannah knelt in the garden, jolting at the shout from somewhere behind her. Recognizing it as Eb’s shout of encouragement to Phoenix as the other man worked to break a wild horse, Savannah let out a breath and forced herself to relax.
The suspense of wondering when Wyatt and Hayes would appear and retaliate made her increasingly jumpy, until she couldn’t stand it anymore.
Deciding to see if she could find out what they had planned for her, or when they’d be around, she started toward the chow building, where she knew Duke would be fixing supper.
During the short time she’d been here, she’d learned that, although he seldom spoke, Duke knew almost everything that went on at the ranch.
Crossing to the chow building, she scanned the yard for Wyatt and Hayes, both depressed and relieved that she didn’t see them. Hearing sounds coming from inside, she opened the door and went in, relieved to find the place empty except for Duke.
Turning from where he stirred something in a large pot, he nodded.
“Ma’am.”
Savannah nodded back, a little surprised at the cold glint of anger in his eyes, especially since he’d been so nice to her ever since she’d arrived.
“Hello, Duke. I…um…haven’t seen Wyatt or Hayes for awhile.” To avoid meeting his eyes, she poured herself a cup of coffee she didn’t want.
He looked at her strangely, his frown accenting the scar down his cheek, making him look even scarier.
“They’re building your new house. They were in a strange mood, those two. Hardly talked to anybody, and even growled at a couple of the ranch hands on their way out. Must’ve been something they ate.”
Embarrassed that Duke obviously knew about what she’d done, Savannah shrugged and said nothing.
The lump that formed in her throat surprised her.
She’d been trying to turn them away since the moment she met them, and couldn’t get them to listen to her. Now that they avoided her, she should have been happy.
Leaving here, though, didn’t have the appeal it once did.
Knowing she had to anyway, she should have been relieved that Hayes and Wyatt didn’t appear to want her anymore. It would make leaving much easier, and she would be able to relax and enjoy herself with Maggie for the rest of the time she had here.
She should be happy.
Instead, the numbness, the sadness, the anger, and the hurt felt an awful lot like grief.
Blinking back tears, she lifted her gaze, surprised to find Duke staring at her. Forcing a smile, she turned away.
“So, what are you making for supper?”
Her mouth watered at the smell of apple pie scenting the air, and she watched with interest as Duke removed several cast-iron Dutch ovens from the fire and set them aside.
Unsettled at his anger and the uncertainty of Wyatt and Hayes’s absence, she said the first thing that came to her mind.
“Maggie loves apple pie.”
It didn’t surprise her at all that his features softened.
“I know. That’s why I’m making them. She’s a special lady. It takes one to be able to make two husbands happy.”
The implication that she wouldn’t measure up wasn’t lost on Savannah, who nodded and headed for the door, inexplicably hurt.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. I’ve got some chores to take care of before Maggie wakes up from her nap. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She started out, ignoring him when he called out her name. She jolted when his hand curved around her upper arm, not even aware that he’d moved.
Not having a choice, she’d remained just inside the door, ignoring the curious stares from a few of the men standing just outside the door.
“What?”
To her surprise, Duke moved closer, not stopping until he stood only a few feet away.
“I would be nervous, too, if I were you. Your men know what you did. If you were mine, I’d turn you over my knee and paddle your bottom until you couldn’t sit down.”
Keeping her head straight, she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, alarmed at his size. Up close, he seemed as big as a mountain. He stood taller than the other men, but she hadn’t realized just how huge he was.
Swallowing heavily, she took a step back, lifting her chin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
His cold smile scared the hell out of her.
“Yes, you do. I wouldn’t take that tone with them if I was you. Lying is only going to get you into more trouble.”
Looking away, Savannah shrugged, her stomach clenching. “I’m not in any trouble at all. Your rules don’t apply to me. I’m leaving just as soon as Maggie has her baby. Besides, it doesn’t look like either Wyatt or Hayes is interested in me anymore anyway. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Maggie I’d tend to the garden.”
Walking back across the yard, she once again looked for Wyatt and Hayes, trying to convince herself that the cold, hard knot in her stomach would go away.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, reminding herself that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted. As soon as Maggie had her baby, she could leave here and head south, riding toward the life she’d been dreaming about for years.
Ignoring the heaviness that settled in her chest, and aware that several pairs of eyes sharpened on her, she kept her head lowered and headed for the back door. She bent to pick up the basket of vegetables she’d left beside the garden, the basket she’d forgotten to take to Duke.
“I’ll carry that for you.”
Startled, she looked up into the hard, cold eyes of Hawke Royal, one of the Indians who worked on the Circle T.
“Thank you, but that’s not necessary.” She lifted the basket, intent on getting inside, and away from prying eyes, as quickly as possible.
Lifting an arrogant brow, he took the basket from her anyway.
“We take care of women around here.”
Sensing that more than just carrying a basket lay behind his remark, Savannah kept walking.
“So I’ve heard. Sometimes, though, women don’t want men telling them what to do.”
“Women need the protection of men.”
“Not all of them.”
“All of them.”
She quickened her steps, anxious to get away from the intimidating Indian.
“Your men aren’t at all happy that you tried to poison them. None of us are.”
Savannah whirled. “I didn’t try to poison them!”
Hawke lifted a brow, clearly skeptical. “No?”
“No!” She sighed, looking away. “Look, I really don’t want to discuss this with you. Eb’s lecture and Duke’s censoring looks are about all I can take.”
“You deserved both. Eb told us why you did it.”
Savannah turned back, looking up at him through her lashes. “He shouldn’t have. It’s nobody’s business.”
She’d never appreciated being the subject of gossip in a small town. It appeared that even on a ranch as large as the Triple T, everyone knew everyone else’s business.
Blade inclined his head. “I can understand why you’d think that way. Except for my brothers, I’m a loner myself. It’s different here, though, and hard to get used to. Here, we’re all connected. We have to count on each other to survive and to protect the women. Eb said you just wanted a little time and space for yourself. I can understand that, too.”
Smiling faintly, he lowered his already low voice. “Tell the truth. If Eb hadn’t caught you, you were going to run, weren’t you?”
Clenching her jaw against a surge of anger, Savannah glared at him. “No. I promised Maggie that I would stay until she has the babe. I gave my word.”
Hawke’s brow went up again. “Good for you. You’re not the coward I thought you were.” His lips twitched. “So you really did it just to get them to leave you alone? They must have really made an impact on you for you to be so desperate to get away from them.”