The Bartered Bride [Climax, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Reece Butler

  His words hit her heart with a thud. “Did you marry me for money, like Stark did my mother?”

  “What?” Riley frowned. “Hell, no! You said he’d never give up money so I figured he was blowing it all out his…ah, ear. If there is any money, it’s yours, Janey.”

  “What would have happened if Jane didn’t marry until after her birthday?” asked Travis.

  “The whole thing would be hers. Only Stark was ready for that. He’s got the paperwork to have you declared crazy, Jane. He said that meant any contract you signed, like a marriage, wouldn’t stand. Tom disagrees.”

  “Whoever set up that trust fund thought a young woman couldn’t be trusted with money,” said Travis, more to himself than anything.

  Jane knew plenty of girls who would fit that scenario. They had a monthly allowance that her friends at the food bank would have loved to receive as an annual salary. But they blew through it like water. In many ways she was glad she’d not been indulged. While she appreciated comfort and style, and pretty silk underwear that felt so nice next to her skin, she could do without. She would have to.

  “Tom White’s got his team on it, honey.” Riley gave her a gentle squeeze. “Don’t borrow trouble. You just met him, but don’t let Tom’s smile fool you. If anyone can find out info on your father, clear your name, and get you that money, it’s him.”

  She wanted her name cleared, but money had only brought trouble. Riley and Travis had little money saved. Anything and everything went to the ranch. That was why they’d taken on the Texas job. Were they wanting more money, as in, hers? She didn’t think so, but she was new at this love business.

  “What would you do with a million dollars?” She directed her question at Riley.

  “I wouldn’t,” he replied abruptly. “Stark asked what I’d do with two hundred and fifty thousand. I told him we’d build a bungalow for our parents.” He gave her a hot look. “So we’d have the ranch house to ourselves all the time. No worries about using the kitchen table when we came in for dinner, or—”

  “Good call,” added Travis before Riley made her blush even hotter. “Maybe get a new truck so Jane could have her own wheels.”

  “I’m serious,” she said, interrupting before Riley added something else. “If you had a million dollars, what would you do?”

  “Donate most of it,” said Travis. He shrugged and gave her a blank look when she frowned.

  “What he said,” agreed Riley. “There’s a lot of people who could use a hand up. Doc Nikki is working with Lance MacDougal and some others to expand the senior rehab facility here to take veterans. They’re thinking of building cabins for soldiers who need to live alone to learn to work with their service dogs. That, and more equipment and professional staff, would take everything left over.”

  “You’re serious. You’d give up all that money to strangers?”

  “Damn right!” Riley bristled. “Danny MacDougal gave his life to save his fellow soldiers. The least we can do is take care of those who get back alive, so they can live the best they can with what they have.”

  She’d forgotten about Marci’s oldest son sacrificing his life for his men. How did someone get over the death of a child, no matter how noble? Or of anyone they loved? She was just learning to love, and the thought of losing one of them hit her like a blow. She slipped down the bed to lie flat, rolling onto her stomach to hide her hot tears.

  Four hands rested on her back. A cold nose nudged her leg.

  “I didn’t mean to yell, Janey. You’re not mad at me are you?”

  Unable to speak without bursting into ugly tears, she rolled her head side to side on the bed.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  Unable to explain, she shrugged. She heard a pair of deep sighs, then she was rolled over and hauled into a naked man’s lap. Or rather, into the space between his bent legs.

  “It’s okay, sweetie, we’ve got you,” murmured Travis, hugging her. “Let it out.”

  She couldn’t speak of her fear of losing them. “You really don’t care about money?”

  Riley erupted with a snort that made Buster twitch. “Of course we care. We’re not stupid.”

  “That’s not helping, Rye.”

  “Then you explain it, braniac.”

  She felt Travis’s cock rising against her thigh. Her body purred in agreement. He moved his leg, releasing her.

  “Money,” said Travis, “like everything else, is good in moderation. We know how to balance life, love, and health with material things.”

  “To hell with talk,” said Riley abruptly. “It’s our wedding night. Let’s get rid of Buster so we can bring Janey’s pussy out to play.”

  “I’m up for it,” agreed Travis.

  Chapter 43

  Riley sat back, pushing away the last crumbs of pie Jane had made for supper. He’d had a piece after the meal, then another when their guests, Tom White and Josh Gibson, arrived. Just to be polite, of course. Thank God Travis had insisted they keep Jane that first night. He’d been an arrogant SOB to her. Never again.

  Their first days as a married triad was over. The Gibsons, both sheriff and judge, were satisfied that all the paperwork was in order. Jane was his wife and there was nothing Stark could do about it. His parents had made themselves scarce, having gone over to the Circle C for another vacation planning session. It was time for serious business. Riley kept his thigh pressed against Jane’s as he sipped his coffee. Trav was on her other side. Neither of them wanted her far from them.

  “Stark is in bed with some very nasty characters,” said Tom.

  Jane returned the pressure. Riley held back a smile but White’s radar was working overtime, as usual.

  “You got your mind on the job, son, or should I ask Jane to sit beside me?” he asked. Josh Gibson hid a smile. Riley would get him back when the sheriff found himself a woman. If.

  “My job is to protect Jane, Mr. Tom,” replied Riley. “And she stays where she is unless she wants to move. As for you,” he added, turning to Josh, “if you ever do find a woman who will put up with you and Ty, I am going to laugh my ass off.”

  “That’s another dollar for Mom’s trip,” said Travis.

  “The word ‘ass’ is not swearing. It’s another word for donkey.” He turned to Jane. “Help me on this.”

  “Guess you’re a dollar short for your next beer,” replied Jane calmly.

  He dropped his jaw, making an obvious statement of shock. “A dollar short? Woman, you promised to obey me, but you’re standing against me with my mother!”

  “I said no such thing!”

  She was correct, as there was nothing in the civil ceremony about it.

  “Not yet. But you will in front of the preacher,” he said, giving her a pointed look. They’d explained about the party where the whole valley, and everyone associated with it, would gather to hear them proclaim her traditional vows. Then there’d be a big party. Before all that, he and Travis might get a few tricks played on them by eager bachelors. Riley intended to keep track for future reference and payback.

  “Jane is following orders,” replied Travis smugly. “She’s telling the truth.”

  “That’ll cost you a kiss or two,” Riley replied grumbling.

  “Later,” she said, and squeezed his hand. “I want to get this over with.” She nodded for Tom to continue.

  “The man publicly calling himself your father is deep in debt. He was invited to a weekend upscale party, one that was to lead to contracts. He was enticed into gambling and lost millions. He now knows it was a setup, but there’s not much he do say about it. If he pays up he’ll be allowed back in, but if not, he doesn’t only lose face, the door to well-padded contracts will be slammed. That’s where William Rankin comes in.”

  Riley felt Jane tense beside him. He rested his open left hand on the table. She clasped it in her right. Travis did the same on her other side.

  “Word is Rankin was the one who set Stark up. The plan was that Jane”—he nodded re
spectfully at her—“would be handed over to Rankin, who would then pay Stark’s gambling debts. He’d get half the shares of Stark Industries.”

  “So Rankin would get me,” said Jane, “and really wouldn’t have to pay a thing, since the debts weren’t real?”

  “Oh, the debt’s real,” replied Tom. “It’s a paper debt, but those type of men take such things very seriously. The fact he was set up wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t forced to do a thing. If a man is stupid enough to get drunk and gamble so he feels big, he deserves what he gets.”

  “Was that what he wanted all along?” asked Travis.

  Riley saw compassion in Tom’s eyes when he looked at Jane. “He’ll take the shares as a matter of business, but he wanted to own you. Rankin is not a very nice man.” The last sentence was said slowly, with emphasis.

  “We knew that already,” replied Riley. He leaned forward. “I don’t want Jane to have to even think about this Rankin going after her, ever. The guy needs taking down.”

  “The process has been started,” said Tom with satisfaction. “Certain federal organizations are aware of beautiful young women coming to the US from depressed areas of Europe. They travel on student visas, go to college, but there’s no trail to show how they pay for it. Sometimes they disappear. Permanently.”

  Riley winced. He knew where Tom was going.

  “Killed?”

  “Not necessarily.” Tom caught the eyes of the men. “I’d rather not go into detail.”

  “Tell me,” demanded Jane. She pulled her hands free from Riley and Travis. Tom got the nod from both husbands before he replied.

  “Human trafficking. To be blunt, they’re sold as slaves to those who have lots of money and high walls around their compounds. Natural redheads and blondes are in high demand. Rankin likes blondes.” He turned to Jane. “You were very smart to run as far as you could from him.”

  Riley shoved back his chair. He had to hold Jane. Had to prove to himself that she was here, safe, with them. He pulled her into his lap. She was shaking as badly as he was. Her heart pounded against his chest. Travis stood behind them, running his hands over her hair and caressing her shoulders.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted, struggling.

  “I’m not,” he replied just as loudly. “When I think of what might have happened to you, I want to…” He looked at Josh. “To do things that I won’t speak of in front of the sheriff.”

  “Did somebody say something?” asked Josh with pretend surprise. He looked around the table. “I was working out security logistics.”

  “We’re Jane’s security,” said Travis.

  “You can’t be alert and with your wife twenty-four seven until these two are behind bars,” replied Tom. “There’s nothing stopping them from putting out a hit on any of you.”

  “A hit? Come on, that’s crazy.”

  “This is sounding like a made-for-TV movie,” added Travis.

  Tom’s smile was slow and feral. “You mean the ones with a secret organization that infiltrates security systems and neutralizes an enemy, all without being noticed? Because we all know that those things don’t exist. Neither do happily ever after marriages.”

  Climax was full of happy, well-married people. That meant Tom was saying he was part of such an organization. No wonder he could get all this info, or that sometimes his eyes looked like those of an old wolf.

  “How can we help?” asked Travis.

  “We think Stark will come here, alone or with only one bodyguard.” Tom leaned back, folding his hands over his flat stomach. “Talk with him. Show him you are not impressed with his money, and have no intention of giving Jane up. The IRS has been given a heads-up and next week a team of forensic accountants will be stopping by his head office.”

  “Get him for tax evasion, like other gangsters,” said Travis, nodding. “What about Rankin?”

  Tom’s thumbs slowly circled each other. “He is under house arrest as he is unable to explain why a woman is buried on his land. The dog will continue working in the morning.”

  “He killed someone?” demanded Jane.

  “Perhaps. That must be proven.”

  “As long as both Stark and Rankin will go to jail,” said Jane.

  “If they’re not killed beforehand,” said Josh. “Often there’s rumors of turning state’s evidence to reduce a prison term. If someone thinks a certain person know too much, they may end up dead.”

  “It is highly unlikely you will gain anything from Stark’s property,” Tom said to Jane.

  “He told me years ago I wouldn’t get a red cent from him, and would have to marry his choice of husband in order to keep the lifestyle.” Jane shrugged. “I don’t want to live in a mausoleum to bad taste and stand around looking like a mannequin. I want to live and work here, where real people do real work.”

  “We don’t want Jane’s money, if she gets any,” said Travis.

  Riley patted her nicely curved bottom. She’d gained muscle to go with her curves, something he appreciated more each day. Now that he knew a solution was in sight, and Jane would be safe, his cock perked up.

  “Then you have a problem.” Tom looked too pleased with himself.

  “What problem?” demanded Jane.

  She again pushed to be released. He let her go, knowing she wouldn’t be far. He had a hard time if she was too far away. Maybe it would get better after a few years of marriage. Or maybe not, he thought, knowing how much his fathers loved his mom.

  “Your biological father left you money in his will,” said Tom.

  “That the million dollar trust fund?” asked Riley. Tom nodded. “Huh! I thought the bastard was blowing smoke.”

  Jane gasped and started shaking. Riley put his arm around her. He knew how much Jane wanted parents who cared. Mom, Dad, and Pops would help, but it wasn’t the same thing.

  “You know who my father is?” Jane’s chin trembled. Tears popped into her eyes. “Does he know about me? Would he…want to meet me?”

  He and Trav shared a look, and a nod. If her father wanted to know her, they’d move heaven and earth for it to happen. Tom leaned toward Jane. His kind expression made Riley’s gut clench.

  “Yes, your father knew about you, Jane, and about how you and your mother were treated. He’d contacted his lawyer to get custody of you after your mother passed, but he was killed in a skiing accident before he could prove his biological rights to you. I’m sorry.”

  “Who?” She blurted the word. “Would I know him?”

  Tom shook his head. “Your grandmothers were good friends at boarding school, so you might have met if your mother hadn’t died.”

  “Didn’t Stark say Jane’s father came from a sperm bank?” asked Travis.

  “That’s what he was led to believe. Instead, you were a product of the, shall we say, poultry baster school of medicine.”

  * * * *

  “I’ll never look at a turkey the same,” said Jane. The men laughed, but she hadn’t meant it as a joke.

  “Your mother was not the meek mouse your father thought,” continued Tom. “After months went by with no baby, she realized Stark would not leave her alone until she got pregnant. She’d kept in contact with a friend of her mother, Queenie Topper, and often visited her.”

  “Without guards?”

  “Yes. At that time Stark thought he had your mother under his thumb. What harm was there in her visiting an old woman who lived alone, other than a live-in nurse? When your mother told Queenie about Stark, the old lady asked her grandson if he would help out an old friend. Charles had brown hair like Bertram Stark, and was similar enough in size. He was the type who would do anything for a laugh, and quickly consented.”

  “They had sex!”

  “No, they never met,” said Tom. “The nurse acted as the go-between. She met Charles in a hotel and brought the necessary back to your mother, who was supposedly having tea with Queenie while her private nurse ran errands. Your mom got pregnant the first time.”

  S
he saw Riley and Travis exchange grins. She’d heard them speculating about how long it would take for them to start a baby. She ignored them.

  “Am I anything like him?”

  “Here’s a package of pictures and information,” said the sheriff.

  He slid a manila envelope toward her. She reached out, then drew back. She’d wait until later to look. She was too overwhelmed by what Tom was telling her.

  “Your mother spent as much time with you as she could, Jane,” said Tom gently. “Stark insisted on you being cared for by nursing staff, but she tried to spend at least an hour a day with you.”

  “How did he find out?” asked Travis. He looked to Tom for the answer.

  “Stark got a new doctor who insisted on all sorts of tests, including DNA. For some reason, he had you tested. He was told there was slim to zero chance of you being his child.”

  “He must have gone nuts,” said Riley. “A control freak’s nightmare. The woman he thought he owned body and soul had created life with someone else.”

  “After that, she had to sneak around to see you,” said Tom. “It was only a few months later that he found you and your mother together. He basically locked her up after that. She never went anywhere again without a bodyguard for protection.”

  Jane leaned her head against Riley’s shoulder. His quiet strength brought a sense of calm in the midst of this crazy story.

  “Then how did she escape to drive a car into a tree?”

  “She was set up,” said Tom, grimacing. “Stark had a new driver. He’d been leaving the keys in the car, motor running to let it warm, after opening the gates. Your mother had seen this happen a few times. On the night in question, one full of rain, she grabbed the opportunity and escaped. She was chased, so was going far too fast on winding, steep roads. She’d not driven in years, and was unfamiliar with the car. When she tried to brake going down the hill she spun out and hit a tree.”

  “I knew it! He killed her!”