by Alix West
“My word.”
“Will told me that when Nick was young, just seventeen, he’d had his heart broken by a woman who was five years older. After that, his brothers thought he’d never settle down. That he’d just be a bachelor forever.”
Laura’s heart squeezed. She didn’t like to think of anyone having their heart broken, especially not Nick Travis. Her brother-in-law had been instrumental in bringing her and Seth together. She went to the kitchen to make lemonade while Charlotte set out the food.
Nick was a sweet man, perhaps the sweetest of the Travis men. Everyone talked about his abilities with animals, especially wounded or traumatized animals. He had a gentle nature and she imagined he would make a fine husband and father.
When she returned to the dining room, the men were taking their seats, Will and Seth at either end of the table and Nick beside Charlotte. Seth gave a prayer of thanks. Passing the platters of food around the table, the two brothers tried to guess what news Nick wanted to share. Charlotte said nothing but winked at Laura.
“You got a new horse?” Will asked.
Nick shook his head and smiled at Charlotte and Laura.
“That little tan dog, let’s see, what do you call her? Prissy?” Seth said. “She whelped?”
Will shook his head once more, his mouth curving into a smile. “Has nothing to do with animals. Has to do with a person.”
Laura laughed softly.
Seth frowned at her. “You know something about this, Laura?”
She bit her lip and raised a shoulder, but said nothing.
He smiled at her, his gaze warm and intense and filled with the love and yearning he’d shown her the past few days. “Women,” he muttered, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Seth sighed with exasperation. “You going to tell us already, Nick, or are we going to be guessing your secret till the cows come home?”
“All right, all right,” Nick said, his face coloring, and his grin deepening. “I sent off for a wife. A mail-ordered bride from Philadelphia. Her name is Louisa.”
Both Seth and Will froze, staring at their brother in disbelief.
“When is she getting here?” Will asked. “Or are you going for her? You should definitely go get her. I sent money for Charlotte’s train fare, but…” his voice drifted off.
“You sent a whole lot more than money for a train fare,” Charlotte said. “You sent an embarrassing sum.”
“That’s not my point. I should have come for you and brought you. I shouldn’t have let you travel on your own.” He frowned at Charlotte and grasped her hand in his. “It wasn’t right.”
Charlotte arched a brow. “You might have just left me in Boston. You thought I was too young and too delicate if you recall, Mr. Travis.”
Will grimaced.
Laura watched the scene unfold and could hardly hold back a smile. Will was so protective of Charlotte. A devoted husband to be sure, but according to Charlotte, it hadn’t always been that way. Will hadn’t been overly thrilled with her when they’d first met at the train station. Their courtship had been tumultuous, to say the least.
“It will be fine,” Nick said. “I offered, but Louisa wrote back saying she preferred to travel alone.”
Laura drew a sharp breath. Even though she’d been excited to head west, the trip had been daunting, especially in the beginning. She’d felt overwhelmed and even afraid at times. What she wouldn’t have given to have Seth come to meet her. He caught her eye from across the table and smiled, a gentle suggestion that he knew what she was feeling. They’d discussed the train trip a few times since they’d married.
After a slow lingering gaze, he turned away and fixed his attention on Nick. “She’s making that long trip on her own?”
“That’s right,” Nick said.
“Huh,” Will muttered. “That’s something.”
Laura turned to give Charlotte an inquisitive glance. Charlotte met her look with a startled expression, but neither woman gave voice to their concerns. Charlotte merely gave a slight shake of her head.
After lunch, Charlotte helped Laura tidy up. They chatted about Nick’s fiancée, Louisa. The woman hadn’t wanted to sign a marriage proxy because she wanted a wedding in Colter Canyon. Louisa, it seemed, wanted many things from Nick Travis.
“Nick’s too kind. Too giving,” Charlotte said. “I hope this woman doesn’t take advantage of his sweet nature.”
That night, as they prepared for bed, Seth grumbled about the same thing. “I hope Nick knows what he’s getting into.”
Laura had just bathed and ran her fingers through her damp hair in an attempt to free some of the tangles. She smiled at Seth in the mirror. “Mail-order brides can be troublesome.”
He stepped behind her and nudged her hands from her hair. Gently, he continued the task of combing her hair. He threaded his fingers through her locks and coaxed the knots free.
“There was one little mail-ordered bride that I wanted to give me trouble, but I couldn’t even get a smile out of her.”
His fingers brushed her neck, making her shiver. In the flickering lamplight, she saw his gaze darken with need. He reached around her and tugged the ribbon from her gown. Slowly, he pulled it past her shoulders, kissing the curve of her neck as he bared her skin.
Laura let out a trembling breath. “Maybe she was afraid.”
He paused. “Of what?”
“Of what you’d do when you found out she’d secretly married you.”
He growled and kissed her once more as he tugged her gown lower. She watched in the mirror as he cupped her breasts. His touch on her breast always ignited a blaze of desire inside her body. Her breasts tightened to stiff peaks. His touch, one moment gentle, the next a little rougher, drew a cry from her lips.
Reaching lower, he brushed the top of her thigh, and stroked her.
“You’re wet,” he whispered.
Without waiting for a response, he drew her to the bed. The room, lit only from the lamp in the washroom, was cast in shadows. She moved to get on the bed, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her against the side.
“Here,” he said, his voice thick with lust. “I want you here.”
Cupping her shoulder, he coaxed her down. The bed was so high, she had to lift to her tiptoes. Her breath caught in her throat as she listened to him undo his belt.
“Seth…” She whimpered. “Not the belt.”
He lowered, covering her with his big, powerful body. “Never.”
The head of his cock pressed against her wet folds. Without any conscious thought, she arched her back, seeking more of him.
He chuckled. “I like to spank your ass, Laura, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
Wriggling beneath him, she tried to get closer, but he not only held back, he set his hand on her shoulder, pinning her to the bed.
“I can think of a good use for my belt, though. Would you like to know what it is?”
She gave a small feminine growl at his conversational tone. He held her down. She was helpless, yet he insisted on teasing her, brushing her wet, swollen folds with deliberate, slow strokes of his cock.
He kissed the shell of her ear, and whispered. “I could tie you to my bed. Would you like that?”
What sort of question was that? She bit her lip, refusing to answer.
After a moment, he lifted, grasped her hips and thrust. His breath hissed. “So fucking tight.”
He thrust twice more, stopping when he had her fully impaled on his shaft. She gasped with pleasure. Being taken like this felt so different than anything they’d done before. Why had he stopped? A sharp smack on her bottom gave her a quick answer.
It didn’t hurt, but she realized in an instant how vulnerable she was.
He kneaded her skin. “Would you like that?”
Her mind spun with confusion. “Like what?”
Another swat tore a startled yelp from her.
“Like me to tie you to my bed.”
With a huff of di
smay, she realized he had her right where he wanted her.
“Laura…?” His tone was edged with amusement.
She gritted her teeth. “Yes, I would.”
“Good girl.” He stroked her hip and lowered. The feel of his hard chest against her back sent an erotic thrill across her senses. He began to move, each thrust slow, but deep.
“I was never mad,” he whispered.
She dug her fingers into the bedding. “About the proxy?”
“Right. When I found out what you’d done, I was so happy.”
He reached under her hips to lift her off the bed. From the new position, he could drive deeper into her. Small, wordless cries fell from her lips. He made her wild and desperate. Beneath him, she writhed.
All sense of time and place fell away. He was big, and in this position, draped over the edge of the bed, she could feel every inch of him. His hands skimmed her flank. He reached between her legs and teased her clit.
Pleasure erupted across her senses. She arched and cried out. Seth…
“Laura,” he snarled and thrust hard, following her. With a fractured groan, he collapsed over her. They lay together and she shuddered as her pleasure ebbed and flowed.
“Too heavy?” he muttered.
“No. Don’t go.”
His heartbeat thumped in time with her own. He ran his hands up her arms and threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed her hands. “I love you,” he said quietly.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
A growl rumbled across his chest. “You’d better.”
Chapter Ten
Seth
The Mercantile was crowded with a line of people waiting for a sales clerk. Seth sighed with impatience. Laura had given him a short list of things she needed for her sewing basket. He was anxious to procure what she’d asked for and to be done with errands in Colter Canyon.
She’d wanted to come into town with him, but he said no. That morning, they’d lain in bed and she nestled in his arms trying to convince him. It wasn’t safe, he argued. Two months after his and Laura’s wedding and Melvin still swaggered around town, swearing up and down to anyone who would listen, that by rights Laura was his.
Seth gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
He’d tried to buy Melvin out, offering a fair chunk of change for the man’s miserable ranch. Melvin turned him down. Seth was certain Melvin was enjoying the dust-up he’d created and the small bit of notoriety that ensued.
A movement near the door caught his attention. Nick stood in the doorway, scanning the shop. Seth lifted his hand.
Nick nodded and crossed the store to come to his side.
His brother looked haggard. His lips pressed in a grim line and the lines around his mouth seemed too deeply etched.
Nick had been happy a month ago. He’d been planning out a life with a woman he scarcely knew, but the day Louisa was supposed to arrive, a letter came, explaining she’d had a change of heart. She would have liked to return the money but since she was in the family way, she’d need every penny.
Since then, his brother had been as irritable as a rattlesnake.
He’d announced that he would never marry, and aside from his kind and honorable sisters-in-law, most women weren’t worth the trouble.
“Seth,” Nick growled. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Was I supposed to tell you?” Seth asked in a joking tone. “Ask permission or something? Or did you want me to pick up a bottle of whiskey from the Magnolia?”
Nick’s lip curled.
Seth sighed. He wanted to cheer his brother up, but the man was too bitter to see the humor in anything. “Never mind. I’m just giving you a bad time, Nick. What’s the matter?”
“Melvin’s drunk and he’s on his way over.”
Seth narrowed his eyes. “The hell you say?”
“He’s coming to the Merc to settle a score with you. Is Laura here?”
“She’s at home. Thank God.”
The sound of a man shouting drifted through the doorway. Seth and Nick strode to the door. In the middle of the walkway stood Melvin, red-faced and swearing at passers-by.
“I can’t believe my girl almost ended up with that fool,” Seth muttered. “I’m done with him. I’m going to kill him.”
Nick gave him a hard look. “You’re not either. He’s not worth having trouble with the law, Seth.”
Seth growled. “No one would lock me up for killing Melvin Campbell.”
“Let me talk him down.”
Seth was certain there was no reasoning with the man, but said nothing. The crowd parted as Nick approached Melvin. More people arrived to see the altercation. The folks of Colter Canyon always enjoyed a good brawl. They wouldn’t get one today. If Melvin was a big enough fool to start something with Nick, who stood a head taller, the fight would be over quickly.
Melvin swayed. His eyes shone. Nick spoke quietly. It was just as he did when he came upon a wounded or traumatized animal. His movements were slow and deliberate. Melvin grabbed his side, searching for his gun. Fortunately, he was unarmed.
A movement in the crowd caught Seth’s attention. Melvin’s brother lurched past the onlookers. He snarled and muttered a string of curse words. Seth pushed through the people, trying to reach Nick. His brother could handle himself in a brawl, but something about the two men felt off. Before he could reach Nick, Melvin raised his hand. A blade flashed in the sun. Melvin brought his hand down, striking Nick.
Seth shoved people out of the way. Nick roared with anger and drove his fist into Melvin’s face.
Gunfire erupted. Women screamed, and the crowd scattered.
Sheriff Holden stood in the clearing, his pistols smoking.
Melvin Campbell and his brother lay on the ground, both shot dead.
Seth stared at the men in disbelief. Nick snarled with disgust, blood streaming down his face.
Holden holstered his gun and spat. “These two Campbell boys were bragging how they were planning an ambush.”
Nick wiped his face with a bandana, but that did little to stanch the flow of blood. The wound didn’t look too deep, but it was long and jagged, starting near his eye and ending by his chin. Blood dripped off his chin. His eyes flashed with rage.
Seth thought about taking Nick to the doctor that had just opened shop in Colter Canyon, but knew that Nick would refuse. The crowd drifted back to the scene.
Those Campbells never were any good…
Melvin still owes me for that bull I sold him…
Just a matter of time…
One of Sheriff Holden’s deputies arrived with a buckboard and some of the men in the crowd helped load the bodies. Seth stood beside Nick, still in a state of disbelief, and watched the wagon disappear down the road. With nothing more to see, the townsfolk wandered back to their errands and tasks. That was three men shot and killed in the space of just a few months. The townsfolk would have plenty to keep them talking for a long while.
“Good riddance,” Nick muttered.
“Come to the house and we’ll fix you up. Laura will have supper ready at six.”
Nick agreed, grudgingly. In the slant of the afternoon sunlight, they rode home in silence. Halfway home, Seth recalled he hadn’t picked up the things requested. Laura’s sewing supplies would have to wait for another day.
By the time they reached the ranch, Nick’s bleeding had stopped. They tended to the horses, untacking them and feeding them before returning to the house.
“Think how handsome you’ll look with that scar,” Seth muttered.
Nick shook his head and frowned, but his lips quirked as he tried to suppress a smile. “I’m already too good-looking.”
Seth chuckled and slapped Nick’s shoulder. It was true, or at least that’s what the women in Colter Canyon always said, that Nick Travis was as fine-looking as the day was long. A handsome devil with an angelic heart…
Sadly, most of the women in Colter Canyon were either elderly, married or wo
rked for Clarice. Nick’s odds of finding a woman to marry were slim to none, especially since he refused to seek another mail-ordered bride.
When they got inside, Laura fussed and fretted, but moved quickly to bring Nick salve for his cut. By the time they sat down to dinner, Nick was in better spirits in no small part to the whiskey Laura continually poured into his glass. They spoke of the brawl and of how the sheriff had brought it all to a swift end. Seth didn’t go into many details, and Laura didn’t ask.
Nick pushed his dessert plate aside, refusing an offer for more cherry pie.
“Take the guest room,” Seth said.
Rarely if ever, did Nick accept an invitation to spend the night. To Seth’s surprise, he agreed, and waving off any help from either him or Laura, trudged upstairs, muttering about needing his beauty sleep.
When he was gone, Laura turned her startled gaze to Seth. “I declare, that poor Nick hasn’t had much luck lately. Do you think that cut will scar?”
Seth sighed. Both Laura and Charlotte used the phrase ‘poor Nick’ too often. They schemed and planned, trying to come up with ways to find Nick a suitable wife. Nick indulged them, explaining he wanted a blonde who cooked as well as Laura and sewed as well as Charlotte. She needed to be sweet, gentle and biddable. He preferred a lady who had never been married, but wouldn’t insist on that point.
Both Seth and Will knew Nick didn’t mean a word of it. He’d told both Will and Seth he had no plans for a wife. He liked his peace and quiet.
“You better not let my brother hear you or Charlotte call him ‘poor Nick’.” Seth reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around Laura’s hand. “He’d be mighty annoyed that anyone felt sorry for him. A man has his pride.”
She nodded. Her face looked pale, her eyes wide with worry. “I never held any ill-will to Melvin, even when he maligned me, but part of me can’t help feel a little relieved he’s gone.”
Seth tugged her hand, coaxing her off her chair and closer to him. He pushed his chair back from the table and pulled her onto his lap. She looked small and fretful, and while he always wanted her in his arms, he needed to hold her when she looked so vulnerable.
He gathered her close, lifted her chin and kissed her gently. “I’m very glad both of them are gone. The Campbell brothers have cheated and threatened half of Colter Canyon. It was just a matter of time before they stirred up real trouble.”