by Leah Brooke
Troublemakers. She’d learned at a young age how to identify them.
She’d also learned how to avoid them.
Hawke and Blade seemed able to repel them, much to her amusement.
Blade paused. “I’m going to run into the hotel restaurant and get her something to eat.”
Hawke nodded, gripping her arm while Blade turned and headed in the other direction. He led her toward a buckboard where another Indian leaned against the side, this one with shorter hair and dressed more like a cowboy.
Letting Hawke guide her around a puddle, she looked around, but kept a wary eye on the other Indian. “There’s even more people here than in Waco.”
“Waco? Is that where you’re from?”
Inwardly cursing herself for letting that slip, Sarah slowed her steps as they approached the packed buckboard.
The other man straightened, his eyes going wide. “I’ll be damned. I wondered what was taking you so long.”
“Watch your language.” Hawke turned to her, gripping her waist and lifting her onto the buckboard. “Sarah, this is my other brother, Phoenix. Now, tell me why coming here was a mistake.” Reaching into the supplies, he produced a canteen. “Here. Drink this.”
Guzzling the water, she almost choked when Hawke took her bundle from her. “No!”
Hawke paused, his eyes narrowing. “I’m just setting it aside. Your arms have to be tired. I won’t steal your things. I promise.”
Inwardly cursing at how silly she must seem to him, she nodded, wiping her mouth with her shawl.
Lowering her head again, she looked up at Phoenix through her lashes, surprised at his teasing grin. Warmed by his smile, she smiled back. “Hello.”
“Hello. So, your name is Sarah?” He turned to Hawke. “So, who do you think she’ll end up marrying?”
A muscle worked in Hawke’s jaw. “I have no idea. Sarah, talk to me. Why was coming here a mistake?”
After drinking her fill, she recapped the canteen and sighed. “I won’t be marrying anyone. I have to leave. I left a trail. I panicked and ran and left a damned trail.”
Phoenix frowned, glancing at Hawke. “A trail someone’s gonna follow?”
“Yeah.” Sarah’s mouth watered at Blade’s approach, her stomach rumbling at the sight of the small basket he carried.
Blade set the basket in front of her, pulling the napkin covering it aside to reveal several pieces of fried chicken. “What’s going on?”
Hawke shook his head, never taking his eyes from Sarah. “Who’s going to come after you, Sarah? A man?”
Nodding, Sarah dug into the basket, her stomach rumbling again. “Thank you.” Her eyes filled with tears as she lifted her head to meet Blade’s. “It looks and smells delicious.”
Blade shrugged, his blush so endearing that she smiled at him before taking a bite. “You’re welcome.” His eyes sharpened with interest. “There’s a man coming after you?” He glanced at Hawke. “Your husband? Brother? Father?”
Wiping juice from her chin, Sarah shook her head. “No.” She hadn’t realized how hungry she was and couldn’t seem to stop eating.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Hawke frowned. “Who is it, Sarah, and why is he coming after you?”
Not willing to answer him, she finished the chicken leg, set the basket aside and jumped from the buckboard. Turning to gather her bundle of meager belongings, she jerked away from Blade’s hold. “No. Please. I have to go. I’m sorry.”
She would have loved to have eaten more of the contents of the basket, but it had started to get dark, and she wanted to be safely ensconced in her hotel room before night fell.
Hawke took a step to the side, effectively blocking her. With him on one side, Blade on the other, and the buckboard against her back, she had nowhere to go. “Please!”
Phoenix shot a look at both of his brothers, his smile tender as he moved closer. “If you keep carrying on like we’re hurting you, someone’s going to think we are and are going to come after us. We’re only trying to help you. Do you think we could really leave you alone, knowing that someone’s after you? Why don’t you come with us to the ranch? No one could find you there.”
“Yes. He could. Oh, no.” Closing her eyes, she groaned at the realization that she’d put others in danger. “I’ve really made a big mistake.”
Opening her eyes again, she looked at Hawke. “I’m so sorry. I saw a poster in Waco, advertising for brides, and I asked the man who sold me my ticket how to get to the Circle T ranch in Desire. The man at the ticket counter here also knows where I was going. I’ll have to leave on the next train, so he can tell Willy that I left.”
Blade folded his arms over his chest, his expression hard. “Who the hell is Willy?”
Phoenix smiled. “Watch your language.”
“Shut up. So, who is he?”
A shiver went up her spine. “Willy Krenshaw. A bad man. An outlaw, and I have something that belongs to him.”
Hawke’s frown deepened. “And where do you plan to go?”
Shrugging, Sarah looked around again, scared that Willy would appear at any moment. “I don’t know yet. As far as I can get. Maybe California.”
With his hands on his hips, Hawke scowled. “If he wants to find you bad enough, he’ll follow you there. Do you have enough money to keep running?”
Thinking about the small pouches of gold coins, Sarah grimaced. “For a while. After that, maybe I can get a job somewhere—”
Blade, his posture identical to Hawke’s, gripped her waist and lifted her back onto the buckboard. “So, you’re going to keep running, alone, and hoping this Willy doesn’t catch up to you. What’s going to happen when you run out of money? Who’s going to protect you while you’re doing all this running?”
Phoenix shook his head. “A woman alone is just asking for trouble.”
Sarah had seen enough of how women alone were treated, and how vulnerable they were to know he spoke the truth.
Being along left a woman defenseless, with no rights at all.
Hawke’s position shifted slightly, his expression like stone. “You’ll stay here. We’ll be able to protect you, and you won’t have to run anymore, but first I want to know why this man’s after you.” He nudged the basket closer to her, silently urging her to eat.
With a sigh, she reached into the basket for another piece of the delicious chicken. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t stay here anyway.” She didn’t know how much she should tell them, not wanting to put them in any more danger, but knowing that she had to make sure they watched out for trouble.
Blade’s dark eyes narrowed, glittering darkly in the waning light. “Why can’t you?”
Sarah set the chicken aside, her appetite gone. “I might as well tell you so that you know why I can’t stay.” After all, she’d never see them again anyway, and had to make sure they would watch out for trouble.
She glanced at each of them to find them patiently watching her. “I’m a bastard. My mother’s a whore in a saloon, and she got pregnant with me. I don’t even know who my father is, and neither does she.”
She stared down at her hands, her face burning with shame. “I grew up in a saloon. In the bordello upstairs.” She yanked the shawl from her dirty hair. “As I got older, I started disguising myself by not taking baths and trying to look as ugly as possible.”
Phoenix’s eyes flashed with anger. “So that the patrons didn’t bother you?”
Nodding, Sarah blinked back tears. “My mother couldn’t protect me from Rose, who would have given me to Willy tonight.”
Blade uncapped the canteen and handed it to her, his lips thinned in anger. “Rose ran the business?”
Gratefully accepting the canteen, Sarah took a sip of water to swallow the lump in her throat. “Yes.”
“And she wouldn’t have protected you?”
Sarah wanted to laugh at that. “No. The only reason she didn’t put me to work was because I kept lying about my age, and no one paid enough attenti
on to me to know the truth. I’ve been planning to escape for a long time.”
Conscious of the upper curve of her breasts now exposed, she drew the shawl around herself again. “But my time ran out.”
Hawke took a step closer, as if trying to protect her, the fury in his eyes making her uneasy. “Tell us.”
After taking another sip of water, Sarah sighed and told them about the incident with Willy, and about the gold coins. “He had to have stolen them somewhere. He’s an outlaw, and dangerous.”
Setting the canteen aside, she dropped her face in her hands, consumed by guilt. “I know what I did was wrong, but I panicked. Rose would have made sure that I was dressed and ready for him.”
* * * *
Hawke’s stomach clenched with a fury that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He wanted to hit something, and wanted nothing more than to beat Willy Krenshaw to a pulp.
It infuriated him that such a sweet little thing like Sarah had been left to her own devices, with no one to protect her.
He wanted to fight her demons, and stand between her and the rest of the world—a world that could be harsh and dangerous for a woman alone.
Glancing at each of his brothers, he could see that both Blade and Phoenix seemed as drawn to her as he was.
He already knew he would do everything in his power to make her his.
When she lifted her face and lowered her hands again, the tears swimming in her eyes ripped his heart to shreds. “He wanted me and Rose was going to give me to him. I had no say. He wanted to do things to me. I know taking his gold was wrong, but I was so scared. If I’d stayed, he would have—”
Her voice broke, a sob escaping, and then another.
Hawke stilled, looking at his brothers, grateful that she’d managed to escape before Willy hurt her.
His stomach clenched hard, and for the first time in years, he didn’t know what to do.
He’d rather face a gun pointed at him than a woman’s tears.
He’d be much more comfortable dealing with Willy, something he looked forward to very much.
Thankfully, Blade rushed forward, crooning softly to her in a low, whispered tone that seemed to settle her.
Sitting on the buckboard next to her, Blade gathered her in his arms. “Don’t think about that. It didn’t—and won’t—happen.” Rubbing her back, he began to rock her. “Running again is just stupid. You’d be running and looking over your shoulder. Either he would catch up to you, or you’d run out of that gold you took. Stay here. You’ll be safe on the ranch, even if this Willy shows up.”
Wiping her eyes on her shawl, Sarah sniffed. “You’re very nice. Thank you for being so kind to me, but I don’t have any illusions. No one is gonna want to marry a bastard—a daughter of a whore. No man wants a wife who was raised by working girls above a saloon.”
For the first time in his life, Hawke spoke without thinking. “I’ll marry you.”
“I’ll marry you.”
“Marry me.”
Both of his brothers spoke at the same time that he did, leaving all three of them looking at each other in shock.
Schooling his features, Hawke looked at a clearly stunned Sarah. “Stay put. I want to talk to my brothers.” He wanted to make it clear to his brothers that he was more than willing to take on the responsibility of her, and didn’t want them to think that they had to.
Hawke motioned for his brothers to follow him and moved several feet away, but close enough to keep a sharp eye on Sarah. “I’m going to marry her. I know that both of you feel sorry for her, but—”
Blade’s jaw clenched. “Don’t tell me what I feel, big brother. I’m marrying her. She’s a sweet little thing, and she needs someone. She seems very resourceful. She’s also brave. I want her for my wife.”
“She’s also beautiful.” Phoenix couldn’t seem to take his eyes from her. “Those eyes.” Turning, he faced Hawke. “Since we all seem to want to marry her, why don’t we do what the others did?”
Hawke frowned, his heart beating faster with an excitement that was almost unrecognizable. “You mean share her?”
Blade shrugged, smiling in Sarah’s direction. “It seems to work for the others. I know we’ve never talked about it, but I like the idea of her having protection even if something happens to one of us.”
Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “She looks like she’s going to bolt. She probably thinks we’re crazy. We’d better get back to her.”
Hawke fought a tinge of jealousy at the idea of sharing Sarah with his brothers, but the thought of marrying her thrilled him. Approaching her, he forced a small smile to reassure her. “Sarah, I know this might sound strange to you, but we all want to marry you.”
Shaking her head, she looked at each of them. “I know you said that the others back at the ranch share wives, but—”
Phoenix sat next to her on the buckboard. “The owners of the Circle T are both married to the same woman. So are the sheriffs. Eb and Jeremiah, the owners of the ranch, built it and founded the town for that reason. They were both in love with the same woman. Think about how much protection you’ll have with three husbands.”
Hawke frowned. “I already told her that.”
Blade touched Phoenix’s shoulder. “Sarah, before you make up your mind, you should know that Hawke, Phoenix, and I are bastards, too. And half-breeds. Our mother was white and our father a full-blooded Lenape Indian. They were never married.”
Sarah hugged her bundle tighter to her chest, averting her gaze. “I suppose you’d want to exercise your husbandly rights.”
Hawke shot a warning look at his brothers. “Not until you’re ready. In fact, we’ll take you back to the ranch and you can think about whether or not you want to marry us.”
Her eyes went wide, so wide that Hawke found himself in danger of losing himself in them. “Where would I stay?”
“There’s a house that Eb and Jeremiah had built for the brides he advertised for. It’s a place for them to live until they’re claimed by a prospective husband and they accept.” Alarmed at the fear in her eyes, he moved closer. “Is something wrong?”
Her eyes went impossibly wider, her breath hitching as she jumped from the buckboard. “I’ve never lived by myself before. No. What if Willy—?”
Hawke moved quickly, stepping in front of her to cut off her escape. Desperate to reassure her, he shook his head. “You don’t have to stay there if it scares you.”
Phoenix rose. “Where can she stay?”
“With us.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Blade smiled at her. “But not until you’re our wife. I won’t risk your reputation.”
Sarah stilled, her eyes going wide again. “My reputation?” She giggled, and then started to laugh in earnest. “I’m the daughter of a whore, Blade.”
Enraged, Hawke jerked her to his side. “Something that no one else needs to know. And before you say that you’d embarrass or disgrace us—don’t. I won’t have you treated with disrespect. You’re going to have enough to endure being married to us.”
Phoenix wrapped an arm around Sarah, pulling her against him. “It sounds like we’re a perfect match. So, are you going to marry us? We’d be real good at protecting you, and I promise, every man at the ranch respects women. You’ll be safer there than anywhere else in the world.”
Sarah’s eyes lit with excitement, her entire body trembling with it. “Are you sure? I mean—we’d really be married? A family?”
Hawke inclined his head, feeling as if he’d waited his entire life for her. “Yes. We will.” Lifting his gaze to Phoenix, he nodded once. “Phoenix, you don’t have to get married. Blade and I will take care of her. Since it appears we’ll be spending the night in town, I’m sure you’ll want to go to the saloon.”
Phoenix frowned. “I no longer have any interest in the saloon, or anyone there. I’m marrying her, too. You ready to go get married, Sarah?”
Sarah took a deep breath and blew it out in a rush. “It seems that I have n
o other choice.” She looked at Hawke. “I trust you. I feel safe with you.”
Hawke sucked in a breath, his chest swelling. “Is that a yes?”
She beamed, her eyes glittering with excitement and making his cock swell. “Yes.”
His heart felt as if it would burst, the surge of possessiveness almost knocking him off his feet. “Let’s go find the preacher.” Knowing that she would belong to him in just a matter of minutes had him hurrying down the street. “We’ll stop and buy you a ring.”
Her blush fascinated him. “I don’t need a ring.”
Hawke’s steps never slowed. “I want you to have one. I don’t want there to be any mistake that you’re already taken.”
Chapter Four
Blade’s chest swelled with pride.
She was his. Theirs. To keep.
He had a wife to care for—a wife to warm his bed and hold in the night.
He had a woman in his life now, a woman he could enjoy to the fullest—a woman he could possess in ways he could never possess another woman.
Still stunned at the sudden turn of events, Blade walked into the hotel room, scanning for danger before opening the door wide and stepping aside to admit his wife.
His wife.
Sweet and innocent, but with a curiosity in her eyes that made his cock ache, she smiled shyly at him, her cheeks flushed. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful room.”
Blade smiled back to put her at ease, anger stirring in his belly that she would be so taken in at such a plain, ordinary room.
It gave him an insight into her life in Waco, one that made him even more determined to spoil her.
He wanted to surround her in comfort, and mentally envisioning the cabin they’d just completed, he decided that a few changes would have to be made.
He and his brothers slept on thin mattresses on the floor, but the thought of a huge bed where he could make love to her in comfort for hours made his cock stir.
The thought of having her back at the ranch and coming in after a long day to find her waiting for him filled him with a longing and sense of excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time.