Ways in the Guardian: A Menage Romance Book Collection

by Barbara Downey

  Once more Lucy felt her face flush and her heart flutter. She shook her head to calm down as Pete brought over a dappled gray horse that looked like nothing would bother it.

  “This is my horse, Lady.” Pete explained. “I’ve had her my whole life. She’s not fit for chasing cattle, but she’ll do just fine for taking you to see some mountains.”

  Pete boosted Lucy into the saddle before he swung over and sat behind her. He nudged Lady with his legs and they were off. For a few moments, they made small talk, talked about their favorite foods, times of the year, and subjects in school. It wasn’t long before Pete changed the subject to something heavier.

  “Tell me about that man, the one that was in the Inn that day when I first met you.”

  Lucy felt herself frown as she imagined Andrew’s face. “His name is Andrew Perkinson. His family is very important in town. I’ve been arranged to marry him.”

  “No wonder he acts like he owns you,” Pete replied. “You’re not a slave, Lucy. You shouldn’t let him treat you like one.”

  Lucy wanted to agree with him, but she knew that if she ever stood up to Andrew, he’d probably throttle her for it. Not even married yet and she knew she didn’t have much hope.

  Lucy’s silence seemed to tell him everything that Pete was already assuming. “You fear him. I see it in your eyes. I can feel your anxiety now. Does he hurt you?”

  Lucy nodded and whispered. “More than you would want to know.”

  Pete shook his head in disgust. “That ain’t right,” he spat. “Makes sense why you want to run away now.”

  “I can’t stand being around him,” Lucy confessed and she almost fell out of the saddle when she covered her mouth with her hands. She’d never told anyone that before. Not even her mother.

  “Have you told your parents? What he’s done to you?”

  Lucy thought about all the times he’d put his hands on her, the way that he’d made her a woman before he was supposed to. Even if they did believe her, if they ever confronted the Perkinson’s about it, it would mean social suicide for her family. “No, and I can’t.”

  Pete brought Lady to a stop and dismounted. He took Lucy by the waist and placed her feet on the ground. “I can get you out of here. But only when you’re ready. When you’ve had enough.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Lucy asked, stunned.

  Pete nodded and took her into his arms, holding her tightly. Lucy was surprised when she didn’t flinch like she would have had Andrew done the same. “You are a beautiful, kind girl, and you deserve to be treated right.” Pete murmured in her ear.

  Lucy tried to stare at the mountains and their beauty, but her vision was blurred with tears. For the first time in her life she wasn’t afraid to cry because the tears weren’t from sadness.

  *****

  The days that followed after Pete took Lucy to see the mountains fell into a similar pattern. Lucy would bring the ranchers their lunch or make it while they did their morning work and in the afternoon she would tidy up and spend time with Pete before he took her back down into town. What was changing was how Pete and Lucy behaved while together and how she was as a person.

  Lucy told Pete everything. About how her father was a doctor, how she would have liked to have been anything if she wasn’t promised to Andrew; she’d be a chef, a school teacher, she’d even be a doctor, herself, if given the chance. Pete talked about how he knew that he wanted to own cattle like his boss did, but didn’t have the money to start his own ranch, at least not yet. It was nice to share their pipe dreams with one another and for once Lucy didn’t feel ridiculous for not being happy at the thought of being a housewife.

  Lucy became comfortable enough to tell Pete the things that weren’t easy to tell anyone else. That she felt worthless since she was no longer a virgin, that she was terrified at the thought of leaving her home but that there were days that it seemed like a better option than death. She tried very hard to keep those thoughts at bay.

  In the beginning, Pete had told that he would write to his aunt back in his hometown. She ran a boarding house and had practically raised Pete when his parents had died of a terrible fever. He was certain that she would take Lucy in with no questions asked and probably find her work too. But after Lucy had been coming to the ranch for over a week he had said something that surprised her.

  He had been teaching Lucy how to ride Lady; they would take long lazy walks where Lucy sat in the saddle holding the reins while Pete was close enough just in case something was to happen. Lucy had asked how long it would take to hear back from his aunt when Pete replied,

  “I don’t know if I want you going to stay with my aunt anymore.”

  “Why?” Lucy wondered if he’d had some sort of revelation or learned something that she didn’t know.

  “I promised myself that I would go back there. I’m about moving forward and not being stuck in the past.”

  Lucy looked down at him with a confused expression. “What are you talking about?”

  “I love you, Lucy.” He confessed. “I think you are a beautiful woman and I’m going to make you a strong woman if you’ll let me.” He smiled up at her with a look of home in his eyes. “If you leave Whispering Willows, so do I.”

  Lucy brought Lady to a stop before she dismounted and made sure that no one was around. Then she stood on her tiptoes, kissing Pete so hard she thought they would fall on the ground. What she was doing was dangerous but for the first time she wasn’t doing it alone and that made her heart swell more than ever.

  That night, Lucy couldn’t help but hum as she let herself in the Golden Horse’s kitchen to return the dishes and things that she had used for the day. She was thinking about what she would make before heading home when she noticed Andrew standing in the doorway.

  “Oh, hello,” she said cheerfully. It was hard not to be happy when she knew that she would be leaving this place behind.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Andrew asked, irritated. “You’re never this happy to see me.” He took a few steps forward. He crinkled up his nose. “You reek of horse!”

  Lucy tried not to falter. “I’ve been learning to ride one,” she explained. “It’s a thank you for feeding them.”

  “They don’t owe you anything,” Andrew snapped. “In fact, I may send someone else up there to cook from now on. I feel like I never see you anymore.” He grabbed onto her wrist and squeezed tightly. “You belong to me. I need to know where you are. What if you got kicked by the horse?”

  Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m the best cook you have,” she replied. “You know where I am. Whispering Willows isn’t that big.”

  She shouldn’t have been surprised when he slapped her across the face but she still had to reach for the countertop so she didn’t fall to the ground. Andrew seethed as she took in his disgusted face. Lucy couldn’t believe that she felt proud.

  “Go home you miserable girl. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I don’t like it. And rest assured, I will find out.”

  Lucy didn’t wait for a second chance. She bolted from the kitchen, just in time to see Pete coming in for the day. She locked eyes with him, and saw him take in the welt on her face but she couldn’t say anything to him. She raced out the door and back to her home, mind made up for sure. She would run away before Andrew had the chance to make her his wife, before he’d even have the chance to put his hands on her again.

  *****

  That night Lucy lay in her bed trying to fall asleep. Her cheek hurt from Andrew hitting her and her heart hurt for lying. Her parents had asked her what happened the moment that she had walked through the door and she said she’d tripped and scraped her face on the ground on the way home. The way her father looked at her, like he knew that Andrew had caused it, made he want to scream. Not only did she hate lying but she knew that even if her father did discover that Andrew was indeed a possessive bastard there was no way they could call the marriage off. They were all doomed and that was why she had to run
away. Just as she felt the tears forming in her eyes about missing her parents she heard something hitting her window and she stopped to see if she was imagining things. Almost immediately she heard the sound again so she rose from her bed and padded softly to the window.

  Pete Bishop was standing below her window, looking tired and sad. He had a handful of pebbles and Lucy saw that he looked relieved as she peered down at him. He motioned for her to come outside and Lucy nodded, making sure to wrap herself up in shawl before she inched her way down the stairs and out the door, being careful to not wake her parents in the process.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered when she finally joined him beside her house.

  “I had to see you. I saw the way you left the Inn. I had to make sure you were alright.” He gently touched the welt with his knuckles and Lucy leaned into him. His touch making her feel safe and sound.

  “I’m fine. Or at least I will be.” Lucy heaved a sigh. “God Pete, you have no idea how much I wish I was arranged to marry you instead Andrew Perkinson.”

  “I know Lucy, I know.” Pete replied. “I’d treat you right, I’d never put a hand on you in violence.” He wrapped Lucy in his arms and held her so tightly that Lucy never wanted to be without the feeling again.

  “Remember how you told me that we could go when I was ready?” she asked. When Pete nodded she continued. “I’m ready, I can’t take it anymore.”

  Pete kissed her temple. “Then we’ll go. We can leave in a few days. I’ll get everything in order.”

  Lucy kissed Pete on the lips, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time. “Okay. I’ll do whatever I can to help, I promise.”

  “I need you to act like nothing is wrong. Do you understand? If he catches wind of our plan, we’ll be in trouble.”

  Lucy made sure that she understood. Pete kissed her like he was going to leave her when Lucy grabbed on to his wrist to keep him in place. “Don’t go. Not yet.” She felt herself blush as she made a confession she’d never thought she’d say. “I know that I’m tainted because of what Andrew’s done to me but I need to know something.”

  Pete cleared his throat. “What’s that?”

  “I need to know what it’s like to make love to a good man.” She replied. “I hope that’s not too forward of me.”

  Pete shook his head even though he seemed a little bashful, himself. Then he guided her away from her house and towards the mill several doors down. It was far enough from the owner’s home that they could intimate without being undetected. Pete helped her out of her nightgown and shawl before he laid her on the ground, removing his own clothes before he joined her on the grass.

  “What do you like?” he asked. Andrew had never asked her that question before; he’d only taken care of himself.

  “I have no idea.”

  Pete smiled down at her. “Don’t worry, the men on the ranch all talk. I’ve got an idea or two.”

  Pete took the time to gently caress her body, paying attention to every bit of her, including her breasts, before he began to kiss her lips and neck. When Lucy shuddered he didn’t linger there but instead he moved on to kiss a trail all the way down her body until he was ready to focus on what was between her legs.

  “Now if you don’t like something, even a little bit, you just tell me, do you understand?”

  Lucy nodded and let him know that he could continue. Pete carefully used to of his fingers to enter her womanhood and Lucy gasped out loud when he moved them in and out of her in ways that she had never even dreamed of. After a few moments she found herself moaning and arching her back and feeling a way that she had never felt before. He muscles became more and more taught and a sensation swelled in her that caused her to feel light headed and cry out. When Pete finally took his fingers away, Lucy tried to come back down to earth.

  “I’ve never felt that way before,” she panted. “That was amazing.”

  “That’s because you weren’t terrified of me. You trust me. You love me,” Pete explained. “Sex can be pleasurable for a woman too, you know.”

  Lucy stared at him in awe. “I didn’t know. I used to just lay there and wait for it to be over.”

  “Not anymore,” Pete replied. “We’re going to get you to do that again and again,” He grinned. “It will be fun.”

  He went to lay on top of her, guiding himself to the same entrance he’d used his fingers in before when Lucy put a hand on his chest to stop him.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  Lucy shook her head. “No. I wanted to tell you that you were right about something else. I do love you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

  Pete kissed her tenderly before he entered and he heard Lucy moan happily. “I love you too, Lucy. I love you too.”

  *****

  The week that followed was one of the hardest in Lucy’s life. It wasn’t that Andrew was any crueler to her than normal or that her work on the ranch or back at the Inn was more stressful. It was the fact that she had to act like nothing was wrong. She had to go about her business pretending that she would be marrying Andrew Perkinson and becoming an heir to the Inn and other properties in Whispering Willows. If only they knew, they would be shocked to know what she was truly thinking.

  When she wasn’t feeding the ranch hands she and Pete were conspiring. They were making sure that she was comfortable on horseback. They were talking about the route they would take or the town they would settle in. Pete was certain about a place far in the west called California, a place where many people were seeking refuge. It would be a long journey but they could be whoever they wanted once they got there.

  When she was home she would pack what she thought was important. This was a difficult task because her mother was always home and seemed to be most curious when Lucy was trying to figure out what was too precious to leave behind. She wished that she could tell her mother her plans but she couldn’t. Andrew would have a way of finding her. Lucy planned on writing a heartfelt letter when they knew they were leaving. Until then it was a secret.

  When she was home from the ranch she tried to play the part of a fiancée. She tried to go back to her old skittish self but it was too difficult and she knew that Andrew would know that she was up to something. Instead, she spent most of her nights with him in silence, sitting in his suite with him, letting him put his hands all over her. She would only have to deal with him for a short time even though he was planning out their future.

  “I want to get married soon,” he proclaimed from his chair one night. “You shall become a Perkinson before the year comes to a close. I’ll have someone pick up some nice fabric so you and your mother can start planning your dress.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Lucy feigned interest.

  “I will have them start sending your belongings over. I would like to knock down the wall of this suite so we can have a bigger place. I want my wife to be happy and comfortable.”

  Lucy smiled at him from across the table. “Could we get more books?”

  “Anything you want.”

  Lucy smiled. She could survive without books if she didn’t have to look at Andrew Perkinson’s face ever again.

  The biggest thing that had helped her get through was sneaking off to be with Pete every night. They changed their location each night so that it would be harder for people to be suspicious. It was on a night when they had fooled around in a barn that Pete finally told her that it was time for them to implement their plan.

  “Let’s leave. Tomorrow,” Pete said excitedly as Lucy lay on his chest. They lay in a hay loft on a farmer’s property that they knew didn’t have a dog.

  “What about your job?” Lucy whispered. “I don’t want anyone to be suspicious.”

  “I’m not telling anyone anything. They can make assumptions themselves.”

  Lucy smiled. “Then I’m ready. I’ll meet you at the Inn at midnight.”

  Lucy was so excited the next day that she could barely contain he
r nerves as she headed to the ranch to cook for the ranch hands one last time. Pete made sure to not talk to her any more than normal. It would be obvious enough when they were both missing in the morning but better to not give anyone anything extra to talk about.

  She spent the evening with Andrew, making his favorite pan fried chicken before she kissed him and headed back home. Lucy told her parents that she was tired and would be heading to bed early before she hugged and kissed each one of them tenderly. Lucy was not sure when she would see again. When she got to her room, she got out a piece of paper and wrote her letter.

  Dear Mother and Father,

  I’m sorry I didn’t tell you my plans earlier but it was imperative that no knew my plans until it was time to leave. I cannot marry Andrew Perkinson. He is not a good person. Not only did he hurt me physically and emotionally, but his morals are something that should be questioned. I did not want to bring you shame. Please don’t look for me. I will be taken care of.

  Your daughter,

  Lucy

  Lucy tried her best not to cry as she left the paper on her desk. Then she lay on her bed and tried to rest her eyes as she waited for midnight.

  When the time finally came she pulled on a comfortable dress and a shawl before grabbing her bag and carefully padding down the stairs and out into the night. She tried to remember every bit of the town as she made her way to the Inn. She would never be back here again, not as long as she lived.

  Pete was at the back entrance and he let her in without anyone knowing that she was there. Pete kissed her before he told her that he just had to grab his bag before they could head out of town. He had already brought Lady down from the ranch. Lucy followed him up the stairs to his room.

  “That’s strange,” Pete mused aloud. “I locked the door when I knew that you coming. It’s unlocked now.”

  Lucy couldn’t help but feel a pit forming in her stomach. She told herself that she was overreacting as he turned the door handle and lit an oil lantern. She gasped as she took in who was in the room, sitting in an easy chair, going through what must have been Pete’s things.