Butler, Reece - 1 Bed, 2 Weddings, 3 Husbands [Bride Train 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Reece Butler

  “Do your chores,” ordered Jed.

  Riley pouted but headed out. Clint snickered and followed. That left her alone with Jed. The angry one. He unbuttoned his soaked shirt and pulled it off. Muscles rippled over his chest and arms. She turned her back so she wouldn’t stare or beg to touch him.

  “I’m insulted you’d accuse us of ruining your reputation, Miss Edison. We’ve treated you kindly even though you screamed at us like a fishwife on the main street of town. We’re grateful you want to earn your keep, but frankly, I want you out of here the first minute it’s possible.”

  She lifted the carving knife and, holding it before her like the weapon it was, glared back at him. He was not as tall as the others, but more imposing. His hair, eyes, and expression were dark. He was broad and muscular, and exuded power and control.

  “I’m not leaving here without Mr. Smythe’s possessions.”

  “Then you have a problem, Miss Edison.” He had an insolent smile. “Because those crates stay here until we get paid. And if staying here ruins your reputation, it will be on your head, not mine.”

  Victoria stared at the door after he left. Of course he didn’t slam it. He had too much control for that. But the tick in his cheek as he glared proved he was angry. Very angry. What would it take before he lost control and hit her? She was used to it, but pain was another thing she’d hoped to leave far behind. Yet, strangely, she wasn’t afraid of him. She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt attracted. And that made her angry.

  She slammed the knife into the meat. There was only one thing her mother ever praised about her. She had an ability to cook what men loved to eat. That and her housekeeping skills were the only reasons her mother hadn’t thrown her onto the street when she turned sixteen.

  She would show this trio of men what they’d be missing when she left!

  Chapter Three

  “You can’t leave me alone with her!”

  Jed held his tight fists at his sides though he wanted to punch something, hard. His partners had saddled up, but they were still in the barn. He had to keep calm so he didn’t get the animals any more riled than they were from the storm.

  “You got the long straw,” said Clint. He held out his hands in a “what can I do” gesture. “We said we’d help the Double Diamond so Jessie’s baby would be safe. They’ll need help with the cattle with the flooding we’re likely to get.”

  “I’ll trade with you,” said Riley eagerly to Jed. “You ride out in the freezing rain, spend all day pulling calves and rescuing their mommas from mud. I’ll stay and keep the pretty lady company in our dry, cozy cabin. My cock’s too hard and eager to ride anyway.” He held out the reins to Jed.

  “We always go with the straws, and I lost this time.” Jed grimaced. “I’ll put up with her somehow.”

  Clint chuckled. “I think your problem is that you like her more than you want to. The sheriff said one of us ought to marry her. Maybe you can see if she’s amenable.” He winced and tried to adjust his pants. “She’s got me harder than that barn door.”

  “How the hell am I going to stand being hard for three days and nights?”

  Clint and Riley just laughed at him. “You could always seduce the lady,” said Clint. “That would compromise her enough so she’d marry you.”

  “Worked for Ace,” added Riley. “He compromised Jessie and now she’s growing their baby.” His usual smile faded. “We could have that, if you don’t get her too mad at you.”

  Jed groaned. He wanted a wife, but not one who cared so much about what others thought. His mother was like that. She did terrible things and hid them from the world, just so others would think she and her life were perfect.

  “I don’t get her mad at me,” he groused. “She does that all by herself.”

  “Don’t get fat sitting around eating Miss Victoria’s cooking,” said Riley. He trotted into the rain.

  “I like her,” said Clint.

  “Then you marry her.”

  Clint shook his head. “You’re the one who needs a wife. Try to be pleasant for a change.”

  “Why the hell should I?”

  “Apart from it being the polite thing to do? Because when she leaves, she’ll be working for Smythe. If you behave now, she might give you information about him in the future.”

  “You’re right.” Jed rolled his neck and shoulders out. “Fine. I’ll play nice. But if she starts something, I’m going to finish it.”

  “Are you talking about an argument, or sex?”

  Jed cursed. He’d almost got his cock under control. Clint laughed as he followed Riley. Jed watched him fade into the dark and rain. No, it had turned to sleet. They’d be colder than a witch’s tit when they got to the Double D. Unless they stopped at the hot spring. He’d only been invited once, but he’d never forget how it warmed his bones.

  He looked at the light streaming from the cabin. A shadow passed the window. She was doing the dishes, cleaning up after the best supper in a long time. She was trying to be helpful, while he’d been a son of a gun. He should do something for her.

  A blast of wind whipped around the barn door and spattered him with cold rain. The hot spring would be mighty nice about now.

  That was it. Hot water. He’d get that tin tub out and heat enough water for her to have a bath. Not only had she come across the country on a filthy train, she must be soaked to the skin. Her dress had flapped against her boots, now that he thought about it.

  Decision made, he lifted the oval tub from the nail on the barn wall and checked to make sure nothing was living in it. White dots bounced on the ground when he looked out.

  “Hail?” Clint and Riley would be cursing him a blue streak about now.

  He held the tub over his head and shoulders and ran to the cabin. Hail clanged against the metal, near deafening him. If anyone saw him like this, they’d think he was crazier than a jaybird. Hell, thinking he could stay alone with the wild, arousing woman for three nights and not touch her was ever crazier! Laughing at himself, he hauled the door open, rushed inside, and slammed it closed again.

  He lifted the tub off his head, still chuckling, and set it by the fire. He turned at her gasp and stilled. She stared at him, eyes wide and hand over her chest, as if terrified. His good humor melted like the hail dusting his clothes.

  “For God’s sake, woman, I’m not going to rape you!”

  “You surprised me when you ran in. That’s all.”

  She dropped her hand, placing both behind her back. It made her chest stand out. If she hadn’t been wearing so many layers, he’d be able to see her nipples. They’d either be hard from the cold, or because she was staring at him like she wanted him.

  Did she?

  He looked her over, slowly, from head to feet. When she removed her disgusting bonnet, he found a pile of brown hair that might touch her butt when released from its pins. She had wide shoulders to carry her full breasts. He knew about her waist and well-padded bottom. Trim ankles might mean equally slender legs. Except for her mouthy attitude, she was a mighty fine woman.

  “Why are you staring at me like that?”

  “I wanted to see how wet your clothes are,” he said. He cleared his throat since his voice was so rough. Likely from yelling at his cousins. “Do you have anything dry to change into?”

  “Just my nightgown.” She flushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

  He nodded at the tub. “Do you want a bath?”

  “A bath?”

  Her mouth dropped open. She licked her soft, rosy lips with the tip of her tongue. He closed his eyes at the vision and groaned. He’d rather be out in the hail with Clint and Riley than face temptation that would have him burn forever in his father’s hell.

  “Yes,” he croaked. “A bath. There should be enough warm water in the reservoir to fill this tub.” He kicked it. She startled at the noise and stared at it. “I’ll skedaddle for a bit,” he added. What would it be like to have a woman look at him with such longing? As if that
would ever happen. The disappointment urged him to rattle her more. “You need help getting out of all those layers, Miss Edison? I’m good at buttons.” He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. Her shocked gasp made him grin. She narrowed her eyes and shot him a look of pure loathing.

  “Thank you for your kindness. If you will be kind enough to fill the tub, Mr. Adams, I will take care of everything else.”

  He set the tub near the wall and filled a bucket from the stove’s hot-water reservoir. He poured in two more buckets before he realized she was taking her dress off. He whipped around to fill another bucket, his heart thumping so fast it dang near exploded. His ears, and other parts further south, burned. He lifted the empty bucket to hide his cock and, ready for anything, turned.

  The woman wore a whole slew of dresses, one under the other! He wasn’t sure whether he was glad she wasn’t purposefully tempting him or mad that she wasn’t. He realized part of her thickness was due to who knows how many shifts and petticoats she wore underneath the whole shebang.

  “Just out of interest, why are you wearing all your clothes, rather than packing them like most folks?” He looked up, catching her opening yet another blouse, this one white with pink flowers on it. Though he knew she had many more layers before he’d see skin, it still made his cock pound to see her undress.

  “It’s safer.”

  “Fewer bruises in case you fall on your, uh, bottom?” She sure blushed a lot for a woman with brown hair.

  “Something like that. Thank you, Mr. Adams. I can do the rest.” She waved him away and then looked at the window, frowning. “The weather is terrible out there.”

  “Don’t fret. I’ll wait in the barn until you’re finished,” he said with a sigh.

  “You won’t look?”

  He shook his head. “I told you. Your honor’s safe. But don’t fall asleep because I only have so much patience.”

  She nodded quickly, like a bird.

  “And don’t dump out the water. I’ll be needing to warm up when I get back.”

  He lit the extra lantern and put on his coat and hat. He hunched his shoulders as he strode to the barn. At least the hail was over. “Sleet. That’s just great,” he growled.

  He grabbed a curry comb and headed to the protective overhang where the horses gathered. He hung the lantern on a hook. “Looks like you’ll be getting some pampering tonight.”

  He worked for over an hour, brushing out winter hair. When he got a pile, he stuffed it in a sack. He ended up with enough to make a horsehair pillow for their rocking chair. Some day their wife would nurse their baby in that chair, and he wanted her to be comfortable.

  He could imagine a caramel-haired woman rocking in it. He stared up at the house. A light still shone in the window.

  “It’s been so long, I bet she fell asleep.” An image of her wet, pink body slammed into him. “She’d be uncomfortable sleeping in that tub,” he said to the barn cats perched on the rafters. They blinked sleepy eyes at him. “I sure as hell won’t be sleeping in here tonight.”

  The rain had eased a bit after hammering down for some time, but it would get worse again. It was either move now or forget it. He took the lantern and jogged to the cabin. He took a quick peek in the window, but his view of the tub was blocked by the table. He knocked and waited. Nothing. Another knock. Still nothing. The roar of approaching heavy rain sent him inside. He kept his face to the door, fighting every male’s need to look at a desirable woman in her bath. He shucked his muddy boots, coat, and hat.

  They’d changed the bedsheets just last week, but he needed to tidy things before she went upstairs. The piss pot was clean, though it might be a good idea to hang something over the corner to give her a bit of privacy. Women liked that sort of thing. She wouldn’t want to head for the privy in this rain and get her dress all soaked again.

  But first, he had to get past her and up the stairs.

  “Miss Edison? Victoria? You sleeping?”

  He couldn’t hear a damn thing over the rain that now pounded on the roof. He screwed up his face, expecting a shriek, and turned.

  Relaxed in sleep, her head resting against the wall, she looked nothing like the shrew from the wagon. Soft golden-brown tendrils curled at her ears and down her neck. When he sat in the tub his knees got jammed into his chin. She was tall for a woman, about four inches shorter than he was. But there was a gap between her knees and her chest. He gulped. No, not a gap. The space was filled with two round, pink objects. Large ones, with darker pink rings and—

  He jammed his eyes shut and whirled around, fists clenched. “Dammit, why can’t she be ugly?”

  The temptation of Eve, staring him right in his face.

  His father blamed women, using it as an excuse to berate them. Jed knew it was due to a man’s lust. And damn, did he lust after Miss Victoria Edison.

  His tongue could do things to her nipples, things that would make both of them demand more. What color were they? Pink or coral? If he stayed in this room another minute, he’d do something that would have had Uncle Pat taking him behind the woodshed for a good, long whipping.

  “And man, would it be worth it,” he whispered longingly.

  He jammed his jaw shut so his tongue wouldn’t drag on the ground as he walked past her. One step, and then another. No! Don’t turn around. Forward. To the back of the cabin and the stairs. No! Look at the wall, not—Soft splashes made him stop, turn, and stare. She yawned and shifted position. It made her breasts bob. A nipple popped up.

  “Oh, yeah,” he moaned quietly. “I thought they’d be big and rosy.”

  He forced himself up the rest of the stairs, cursing himself for being an idiot. How the hell was he going to live here until the storm blew out and not touch her?

  * * * *

  Victoria woke to the drumming of rain on the roof and cramped legs. She struggled to her feet, trying hard to keep from wetting the floor. The water was filthy, but she was clean. Finally. She smelled of lye soap, but it was better than being fusty from a week on the train. Smythe had arranged for a hotel night in Bannack City, but not a bath. The ewer had held barely enough tepid water to sponge herself off.

  Except for her hair, which took hours in the sun to dry, she was clean. Jed might growl at her like a bear with a thorn in its paw, but she really appreciated his thoughtfulness. Perhaps he, like herself, wasn’t at his best when they met.

  She used one of her shifts to dry off and slipped her nightgown over her head. Just in case Mr. Adams came in, she would put on her third dress as well. Though she’d left it by the fire, it would likely still be damp. She lifted it and—it was dry. That meant…

  “The poor man’s been outside all this time,” she moaned. “I wonder how long I slept?”

  “I was out there at least an hour,” said a deep voice. She gasped and whirled around, then realized the voice came from above her. Heavy footsteps crossed above her head.

  “I hope you’re dressed, because I’m coming down.”

  She quickly finished the rest of her buttons as she watched his socks descend. There was a hole in the big toe of his right foot. His rough wool pants came next. Her face flamed at the telltale protrusion below his belt. He wore a shirt this time, thank goodness. He scanned her body as soon as his eyes appeared.

  “Goodness, he’s pouting like a child.”

  She clamped her hands over her mouth. She must be very tired to lose her usual control.

  “I was hoping you’d be wearing only one layer.” He ran a hand through his thick, dark-brown hair. It flopped over his eyes, and he impatiently brushed it away. “Just as well.”

  When she was twelve, she’d begun wearing at least three layers of clothing, usually four or five. Her nipples prickled against her rough cotton nightgown as they hardened. She crossed her arms to hide her reaction, and received a knowing smirk in reply.

  She should feel threatened. Not only was she alone with a big, strong man, his pants tented in obvious desire. She stood in front of
him wearing only two thin layers of cotton, at night, in his house. She could easily cope with fear, as she’d lived with it all her life. But this attraction confused her. It was as if he had invisible strings which drew her toward him. Her pussy swelled along with her breasts. She had to stop this before she took a step into danger. A quick apology, then she’d get out of his sight.

  “I apologize for falling asleep.”

  “You must’ve been pretty tired. I pounded on the door, but you didn’t wake up.”

  “I am so sorry, Mr. Adams. It’s no excuse for keeping you out of your home, but—”

  “Jed.”

  She blinked at the interruption. “Pardon?”

  “If we’re going to share bathwater, and my home for a few days, you’d best call me Jed.”

  He winked. She turned her head away, biting her lip to keep her mouth shut. He was far too attractive when he wasn’t scowling. When he came in with the tub over his head, laughing, she’d gasped. He might have thought it was in fright, but no. Far from it.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Victoria. I turned my face away when I walked past you.”

  She chanced a glance. He held his eyes wide as if telling the honest truth, but she saw an eyebrow twitch.

  “You didn’t look at me, even once?”

  A wicked glint appeared in his eyes. It spread to his mouth in a smile that made her feel wanted, but not in an ugly way. It warmed her blood, swelling the tissues in her breasts and between her legs. Both ached for his touch. Was this how men treated women they cared about? It was entirely new to her. New, and dangerous.

  “Well, I did have to make sure you hadn’t drowned.”

  She barked a laugh. “Drowned? There wasn’t room in that tub for me to drown!”

  “So I noticed.”

  His eyes flicked to her breasts. His nostrils flared, sending an answering heat. She had to get more people in the room, or she might do something she swore would never, ever, happen. Her reputation was far too important to lose from plain lust. Why do I suddenly feel lust, just when I finally have a chance to be respected? She stared out the small window. It needed a good wash, like many of the items in the room. She bent down to see better, but there was nothing out there but wind and rain.