by Reece Butler
“Where are your partners? Surely they’ve finished their chores by now.”
She heard the sound of fabric moving and looked over her shoulder. Jed had pulled his shirt from his pants. She stared, turning slowly as he began unbuttoning his shirt, starting at the bottom. His fingers were strong and long, lightly dusted with hair. The shirttails drifted across his swollen groin. She tore her eyes away and found him laughing at her.
“Clint and Riley headed off to help the Double Diamond ranch, next door. They’ll be back in a couple days.”
Her eyes drifted lower again. From the way his pants stuck out, he must be very big. His words finally sunk in.
“They’re gone?”
The warmth from her bath fled as icy fear hit. She couldn’t be alone with this man, not even for one night. What would they say about her in town if they found out? Sharing a cabin with three men would be safer, as they’d keep an eye on each other. She trusted Clint to make sure no one touched her. But one man, especially a big, strong man like Jed, could do things, and she couldn’t stop him. Even if she wanted to.
“Ace, Sin, and Henry aren’t as used to ranching as we are. Jessie is, but she’s growing a baby so they won’t let her do anything much.”
Someday, she would have babies. Even if her husband was indifferent to her, she would have someone to love. And she would love them, no matter what.
Jed tossed his shirt aside. His chest was wide, sprinkled with fuzzy curls around his nipples. His shoulders looked strong and wide enough to carry trees, or anything else he wanted. He moved, and his muscles flexed. He seemed to be moving in a different way than before. This time, he knew she watched.
Heat replaced the ice in her veins. If he wanted to do something, anything, with her, she could not stop him. She could truthfully say she’d no choice. But how could she convince anyone it was against her will when her body throbbed just by looking at him?
He reached for his belt. She stared at his laughing eyes.
“This would be a good time for you to head off to bed.” He pointed his finger up. “It’s clean and tidy, and I hung a sheet around the piss pot in the corner. It’s a big bed, made for sharing.” He gave her another of those arousing smiles. “If you get cold in the night, just holler. I’ll come up and keep you warm.”
Just knowing this man slept in the same cabin would keep her hot, not warm. He flicked the first button of his pants open.
“Oh!”
She rushed past him and up the stairs. Hoarse chuckles followed her mad dash. She stopped a few feet into the room. A moment later she heard water splashing. He was naked, climbing into the water her skin had just touched.
He whistled, some tune she didn’t recognize, as he washed. She caught her breath as she looked around. Enough light came up the stairs to show a neat room. Clothes hung from nails driven into the sloping roof. One corner was curtained off, as promised.
The bed was huge. Of course, if three big men slept in it, it had to be large. She took off her dress, folded it, and laid it on the shelf containing a ewer of water and bowl. She climbed up and lay down, stretching her arms and legs wide. She couldn’t touch the edges of the mattress! It was wonderful to lie on something that didn’t move. Something soft. She sighed, her lips curving up at the thought of sleeping in the most luxurious bed ever.
She rolled over. A touch of sage drifted up. She pressed her face into the pillow and inhaled. In addition to sage, she smelled a hint of leather, the same soap she’d used, and other masculine aromas. Water splashed below her. Was Jed standing naked in the tub, water running down his chest to his groin and dropping off his hard cock? A tingle between her thighs aroused her, but she banished it. If she was going to be alone with him for a day or so, she had to have a sharp brain, and that meant sleep.
He moved around, perhaps dressing. The stove door creaked as he banked the fire for the night. He rustled around, muttering something about giving up his soft bed in order to sleep on a cold, hard floor.
She relaxed in that soft bed, only slightly ashamed for taking it from him. Perhaps tomorrow night they’d switch, and she’d bed down by the fire. She had enough dresses to make a hard pallet. It wouldn’t be much different than what she was used to.
But tonight she would enjoy every bit of comfort she could. She was warm, dry, and protected by the grumbling man below. If he meant her harm, he surely wouldn’t have given up his bed for her.
What would it be like to feel this safe and warm every night?
Chapter Four
Victoria drifted in a warm, soft cloud. Rain over her head soothed her. She opened her eyes a crack. A feeble light came in through the window. She inhaled the smell of coffee. Of course she was dreaming, because she never, ever was in bed unless it was dark. The kitchen was three floors below, and she was the only one to make coffee. And she never felt so rested, so safe, so—
“How long you think she’ll sleep?”
Danger! She scrambled away from the deep voice so fast she fell off the far side of the bed. Her heart pounded louder than the rain. Was he going to attack?
“Dang it, Jed, you yelled so loud, you woke the lady up. Sounds like she fell out on the floor.”
Jed? And didn’t the second voice, slightly higher and with a hint of a twang, belong to Riley? She managed to swallow as her heart slowed from panic to worry. She rested her forehead on the mattress, still warm from her body. Riley and Clint must have returned from the neighbor’s ranch.
She was not in her mother’s house, in danger of attack. She was in a cabin west of Tanner’s Ford, thousands of miles away. A cabin belonging to three big, loud, handsome men. Men who swore they wouldn’t harm her.
That was good. The men had nattered and complained like brothers over supper, making sure the others didn’t get more food than themselves. If they were so worried about equal shares, they’d watch that the others wouldn’t take liberties with her.
“Good thing we turned back from the Double D,” grumbled Riley. “That creek was so high my boots would’ve got soaked even if I crossed my legs on the saddle.”
A deep snort rang out. “That’s because you’re so short you have to ride a pony.”
“Pony? Dammit, Clint, you’re only two inches taller than me.”
“And two inches longer.”
Victoria gasped when she realized what Clint meant. The room below was silent for a moment. She could imagine the two men glaring at each other like a pair of bulls. She braced herself, expecting a fight to break out.
“Yeah?” replied Riley with slow menace. “At least I know how to stir up a lady.”
“Pull your horns in,” ordered Jed. “There’s a lady upstairs.”
Riley laughed. “And she’s in our bed.”
Quick footsteps ran up the stairs at the far side of the room. She looked up. Thick blond hair appeared at floor height. Riley’s usual grin quickly followed.
“You hungry, Miss Edison? I made more biscuits, since you liked them so much last night.” He winked. “These ones aren’t quite as hard. You might need to dunk them only a couple times in your coffee to break off a chunk.”
Her face flamed. She thought she’d hidden her reaction to his valiant attempts to cook. “They weren’t that bad.”
“They’re better than Clint’s, but not by much.” He turned and yelled down the stairs. “Mine are way better than Jed’s. His are like rocks.” He turned back to her, waggling his eyebrows and leering, though it was funny rather than lewd. “Maybe you could show me how to do it right. We’ll have lots of time until this rain blows over.”
“You want me to show you how to cook?”
His leer turned from fun to suggestive. Her breasts tingled in response. Her pussy throbbed. Was it swelling, the way a man’s cock did when he wanted a woman?
“Unless there’s something else you want to do together?” He leaned his arms on the floor. “I got a few ideas on that.”
Suddenly, his eyes flew open. His shirt tighte
ned against his chest. He fell backward, scrambling to hold on to the ridge at the side of the open stair. Clint stepped up behind him, stopping him from a fall.
“Morning, ma’am.” He released Riley, who turned to him with a scowl.
“What was that for?”
Clint’s pointed look answered Riley’s question. Riley pushed around the bigger man and tromped down the stairs.
“Sorry about that. Riley hasn’t had a lady to impress in a while. You ready for some breakfast?”
Her stomach gurgled. She pressed her hand over it as Clint laughed.
“Help yourself when you’re ready. We’re going out to the barn for a bit.”
“The barn?” The roar came from below. “Why? It’s raining like anything out there!”
“Shut up, Jed,” said Clint, still smiling at her. “The lady wants some time to herself.” He nodded and went back downstairs. She heard thumps, mutters, and others noises as they dressed to go out.
“She’s had all night and half the morning to herself,” grumbled Jed. “I spent over an hour in the barn while she snoozed in her bath.”
A moment of sudden silence was followed by deep groans.
“Great,” moaned Riley. “I was already hard as a rock from her sleeping in my bed. Now I can see her in my mind, naked in our tub. How’m I going to bend over to work?”
“In pain, like the rest of us,” said Clint quietly.
The sound of the rain grew louder as someone opened the door.
“I wonder what color her nipples are?”
“Same as those roses Aunt Chrissie grows by the front door,” said Jed.
“You saw them?”
“Nah, just one.”
She heard scuffling, thuds, and grunts before the door slammed.
She dropped her forehead on her hands, groaning in embarrassment. Clint and Riley now knew that Jed saw her naked body. Only Jed knew how little he’d seen. The other two would look at her, thinking about what Jed said and imagining it. And, because they were so competitive, Jed would rub it in.
She’d messed up their lives with her rash decision to protect Mr. Smythe’s belongings. She never made a decision without careful thought. She made backup plans, at least two of them, before choosing her path. But she’d pushed herself into their lives, and their home, without a second thought.
Because of her, Jed, Clint, and Riley had spent the night on the hard floor of their own home. Then they went out into the cold rain to work in the cold barn to give her time to wash and get dressed. All three of them had to work in pain, their cocks hard and swollen, because she was there. Her whole body flamed in embarrassment, making her breasts and pussy tingle.
Or was it lust which made her ache?
* * * *
“You watched her in the bath?”
It was the third time Riley asked him the same damn question. Each time, he’d gotten louder and madder. Jed knew there’d be trouble as soon as those words slipped out of his mouth. Clint had stopped them fighting by pushing them into the rain. They couldn’t fight in the barn because it would upset the animals. But he could still tell the little shit off. He put down the rake and stomped over to Riley.
“I froze my ass out here, waiting. I finally gave up and went in. To our cabin.”
“Jed wouldn’t stare at a lady bathing, Riley,” said Clint mildly. “No more than you, or me.”
“I would,” said Riley. “Long as the lady didn’t mind. Even better, I’d offer to wash her back, as well as the rest of her.”
Jed would do the same thing if she was his woman. He’d take her to the hot spring on the Double Diamond ranch and take hours bathing her. Especially her hair. He’d tow her through the warm water, letting her hair float out behind her like a cape. Then he’d brush it dry, keeping her naked the whole time. Whenever he wanted, he’d play with her breasts. Maybe she’d sit in his lap, on his cock, while he worked. He’d lift her up and down, teasing her clit and nipples. Her large, rosy nipples.
But she wasn’t his, and he’d better toss that image away until she was gone and he was alone with his cock. Then he would think of everything he would do to make her scream his name. He groaned. Hell, he was so hot from thinking of her that he needed to take off his coat to cool down!
“Someday, when we have a wife, we’ll do that,” said Clint. “But Miss Edison is our guest.”
“She was asleep!” Jed spoke as loud as he dared. “I called out, but the rain was so hard she didn’t hear me. I went upstairs to make the bed and tidy up.”
“And you just happened to catch a view of her nipple out of the corner of your eye?”
The absurdity of the situation suddenly hit Jed. What red-blooded man would walk past such a temptation without looking? His anger faded, and he grinned at his cousins.
“Well, hell, I had to take one quick look when I walked in. All I saw was her face, the tops of her breasts, and her knees.”
“You didn’t see her nipples?” Riley slumped against a beam. “Damn. I wonder what color they really are.”
“She moved when I walked past. When I heard water splashing, I couldn’t help it. That’s when I saw her nipple. Just one.”
And it was perfect. Big enough for his tongue to roll it around and his teeth to nibble. As he hoped, her breast was large, and looked so smooth that the calluses on his hands might scratch her. Scratch, or arouse?
Riley turned to face the beam, a tree trunk they’d dragged down the mountain to build the barn. He thumped his forehead against it.
“How are we going to stand being in the same room with her?” He looked at Clint. “When’s the next Bride Train coming through?”
“End of July.” Clint looked out the door, toward the cabin. “Let’s meet it in Virginia City. If we wait for a woman to make it all the way here, or even Bannack, we’ll be going without a wife for years.”
“How ’bout we head even farther east? We could buy some of the tools we’ve been wanting, and they’d be a lot cheaper,” said Riley. “What do you think, Jed?”
Last night, as he lay on the floor knowing a near-naked woman was in his bed, a woman whose flesh he’d seen, he knew he needed a wife. It wasn’t just that he was so hard he could pound nails. It was the way Victoria laughed when she made supper. How she bustled around, humming under her breath. The four of them had said a prayer before eating, and used the manners Uncle Pat and Aunt Chrissie insisted on at every meal.
Finally, their cabin felt like home.
“I think the sooner we find ourselves a wife, the better. Why don’t we meet the Bride Train in Virginia City? If there isn’t any suitable women, we head east until we find at least one.”
“Unless you think Miss Edison would suit,” said Clint. “She kept sliding her eyes at you when you weren’t looking.”
“She did it at you, too,” said Riley. “I think the lady wouldn’t mind some company, but she won’t let herself.” He snickered. “What if we let her see what she’s missing?”
Jed nodded, feeling a smile coming on. “No reason we should be the only ones hornier than a coon dog in heat. I came down after she’d dressed, wanting to warm up with her bathwater. She stared at me when I shucked my shirt. I had to start on my pants before she ran upstairs.” He laughed. “Yeah, I think teasing her will be fun.”
“Nothing crude,” said Clint. “And no touching.”
Riley nodded agreement. “Soon’s we go in, I’m gonna ask her to help me make biscuits. I’ll need lots of help.” He winked.
Jed bent over to pick up the rake he’d dropped. His pants snagged on his cock. Pain shot from the tip of his cock to his ass. He stood quickly, cursing when the others laughed.
“If Riley learns to cook, at least we’ll get something out of putting up with this.”
Chapter Five
Two days later, Jed was chopping wood when he noticed two horses riding up the road from the river. Must be the sheriff since they rode from town rather than farther up the valley. He wasn’t su
re who the man with him might be. Wasn’t Smythe, as he was afraid of horses and never rode.
A breeze blew past, making him shiver. It was only midmorning, and the sun hadn’t warmed up the air yet. He gladly put his shirt back on, using the excuse of visitors. The only reason he took his shirt off was that it bothered the heck out of Victoria. Riley’s plan was working. She kept all of them hard and horny, but he bet she was in the same state herself. She looked at them like she wanted to touch but refused to let herself. They sent her looks saying she could touch them anytime she wanted. It made her fluster and squawk like a broody hen. He hadn’t laughed this much in ages.
Thank God his partners turned back from the Double Diamond the first night. The hail was bad enough, but Warm Spring Creek was running too high to cross safely in the dark. He wouldn’t have been able to keep his hands off the woman for three whole days—and nights—if it was just the two of them.
She kept fretting about being stuck there with them. How her reputation would be ruined if anyone found out. She didn’t care that she was just as much a threat to their reputation. Not that anyone would care. At least, anyone he respected. The rest could go hang.
He was sure she hadn’t been touched by a man, but there were things about her that didn’t make sense. She understood too much about men. They’d say something, figuring she wouldn’t know the double meaning, but she’d react as if she did. He didn’t say anything to Clint or Riley, but he wondered if she’d spent time in a whorehouse as a cook or housekeeper.
Even with the distraction and pain of working with a hard cock, he’d miss her when she left. She knew how to rile him, but that just made him feel more alive than he’d been in a long time. He caught himself whistling sometimes, just knowing she was there. She played a mean game of dominoes and cleaned their clock at whist. Clint said she was a lot smarter than she let on. Riley pushed, as always, but she wouldn’t say anything about her past.