Penn, Jenny - Tanner's Angel [The Jenny Penn Collection 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Jenny Penn

  “Be a hell of a lot less strain on the back if we had a table,” Mike muttered. “Besides, I was thinking the door could be on the outside. I don’t think the angel takes too well to dogs.”

  “No?”

  “Nah, you should have seen her running and screaming. She about sent the herd into a stampede with all her panic.”

  Malcolm laughed at that, and if she hadn’t cornered herself by pretending to be asleep, she’d have had some words for him. “When the spring comes, we can give her one of the pups. If it grows up with her, I’m sure she’ll come around.”

  “I don’t.” Mike’s sigh lifted her up as his chest expanded. The sound of their boots crunching through snow changed to the hollow thumps as they mounted the porch steps. “She’s awfully small. It’s not going to be easy keeping a woman like Mary Anne healthy out here.”

  The warm blast of the heated cabin engulfed her as another door whined open. Her feet thumped against a male chest, and she could imagine Malcolm holding the door open for Mike as he turned sideways to fit them through it.

  “She’ll do fine, Mike. You’re always worrying about things ahead of time.”

  “You cooking?” Mike asked the very question that sprung to her mind as the rich scent of beef stew wrapped around them.

  “When Mary Anne didn’t come back after a spell I figured you were doing what you were doing, so I put the leftover stew on the hearth to warm. I assumed we all might be a little hungry by the time we made it back to the cabin.”

  Mike was. He didn’t need to say a word. His stomach started talking about the same time he asked his question. “Good thinking.”

  “Where are you taking her?” Malcolm’s voice rose with annoyance and alarm.

  “I’m putting her in my bed.” Mike said and then did it. She landed softly on a mattress, her cheek brushing into a pillow that smelled just like her Mr. Tanner.

  “She belongs in my bed,” Malcolm objected from the foot of the bed.

  “I don’t think so.” Mike’s hands didn’t pause as he began working her out of the cocoon he wrapped her in. She could tell he barely paid his brother any notice. He confirmed that when he snapped, “Don’t just stand there, get a fire going.”

  From the sound of it, Malcolm didn’t budge and he didn’t let go of his objection. “She’s going to be my wife, Mike. She should be in my bed.”

  That had Mike’s hands stilling, and she could sense him rising over her. “Who said I was going to let you marry her?”

  “I don’t need your permission. Mary Anne already agreed.” His tone lifted with that in a smug sort of way that probably explained the deepening of Mike’s growl.

  “Well, I didn’t and you ain’t going to marry her.”

  “And what? You are?”

  “That’s right. I’m the oldest. She should marry me.”

  Mary Anne could sense the violence thickening around the brothers as their words sharpened and their tones became increasingly confrontational. Well, she didn’t want them fighting over her, and if it came down to it, she wouldn’t marry either of them just to prove that point.

  Still, she tried to put a halt to the argument before it overheated. With a murmur of protest, she rolled, kicking free of the blanket and coat and making sure she ended up fully exposed. It worked. The brothers went silent for a moment, and she could feel their heated gazes on her body.

  “Maybe we should just let Mary Anne decide,” Malcolm suggested a little too smugly for her peace of mind. He was plotting. She knew all the signs now.

  “Start the fire, jackass,” Mike grunted before he began tugging the blanket and coat completely free of the bed.

  She could hear the crackle and snap as Malcolm packed the dried brush and twigs under the pile of logs in the fireplace. As Mike rolled her one way and then the other to get her beneath his covers, she heard the flash and flare of a flame and then the sizzle as it spread outward.

  “I’m going to get that stew ready,” Malcolm declared as she heard his footsteps ambling off toward the door. “You want a bowl?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” Mike responded.

  He stayed still until Malcolm’s footsteps faded, then she felt him begin to tuck the edges of the blanket snuggly in around her. His hands worked their way up to her shoulders before lifting to brush her hair back from her face. Mary Anne smiled and nuzzled her cheek into his strong, broad palm. His heated sigh stirred across her other cheek as his touch turned into a gentle caress.

  “I love you, too, angel.”

  With a quick kiss on her forehead, he left her there to snuggle into the warm scent of his sheets and around his declaration. As she drifted off toward sleep, she could already see the dreams of her happy future in front of her.

  Chapter 16

  Malcolm padded down the hall from the washroom wearing nothing more than his jeans. Mary Anne kept the cabin hot enough for them to strut around like it was summer. Barefoot and scratching his bare stomach, he moved into the great room in search of food. The challenge that morning was to see who could wear whom out first and almost ended with Mary Anne winning.

  Malcolm wasn’t too proud to admit that if it hadn’t been for Mike joining in at the end, it’d probably be him passed out in the middle of his bed. Of course his brother had the energy because he didn’t have an insatiable vixen sharing his bed last night.

  That woman’s appetites made even Malcolm sigh in wonder. Silently, he realized that it would take more than one man to keep that woman content. Hell, given the past three weeks, it became clear it would take more than two, but that figured. God sent them an angel perfect for them. Even Mike agreed with him on that one.

  As their brothers trickled in and out of the ranch, it would be nice for them to find some warmth and comfort here. It might not be the same for them as it was for Mike and Malcolm, but he knew his brothers would come to love his angel in their own way. Even if over time the others brought their own women here, Mary Anne would never find Mike or him straying. Their relationship would form the rock that the rest of his family could rely on for strength and support.

  At least Malcolm hoped. The war hardened Digger, and he pretty much didn’t respond to anybody other than his family. Even with his own kin, he treated their sister differently. Malcolm didn’t really know the details, but he knew enough of the story. A woman betrayed Digger, and now he held them all accountable.

  If anybody could lure Digger back to the land of hope and happiness, it would have to be an angel. The real question was did she have the strength or even the interest? Mary Anne seemed delighted in her two men. In fact, overindulging wouldn’t have been too strong a word.

  The whole reason they set the rotation schedule up was so they had a chance of getting some sleep. The plan backfired last night, though, when Mary Anne started talking about taking out a wall and making one big bedroom with an extra large bed for all three of them.

  If she couldn’t get pregnant, they’d never get any sleep. He and Mike already discussed that. He knew his brother worried about expanding the family. Having the burden of a family on his shoulders when Mike didn’t have the resources to hold it up stayed as a constant fear in his older brother’s mind. Malcolm didn’t worry. He had trust in God. What would be, would be.

  The snow rained down for nearly two straight weeks in a storm that kept it cold enough for the layers of frozen water to build up into deep, solid sheets covered the land. There was more than one way into the valley, but the number of passes was limited. With the snow, that number shrank to one, and the likelihood of Mary Anne’s brothers returning before the spring grew very dim.

  That would have suited Malcolm just fine, but with the sun finally out these past few days, he didn’t hold on to that hope too tightly. The sun warmed the air enough to start the trickling slide as the snow began to glisten and melt away. Soon enough, winter would truly hit and the piles of snow would grow as tall as the porch. Hell, that was the reason why they built the house off
the ground.

  Wait until Mary Anne sees that, Malcolm smirked as he unwrapped the loaf of bread Mary Anne baked the day before. With some of the freshly churned butter they all helped to make, it was delicacy, and Malcolm settled down at the table to gorge himself. Even through the walls and across the yard, Malcolm could hear the whack and thump as Mike chopped more wood for the fireplace.

  With Mary Anne asleep, Malcolm got up to open the front door. Both Mike and he did this when she wasn’t around, trying to cool things off inside the cabin just a little. Coming up on the door, the flash and wink of metal in sunlight drew his eyes out the window. Every muscle in his body stiffened as he watched the riders coming out of the woods lining the far rim of the pasture.

  The last time this happened, he’d gotten shot. This time, it could be worse with his angel vulnerable to injury. About to leap into action, Malcolm stilled as the flash came again, this time in a recognizable pattern. It was Digger’s signal, but it couldn’t be Digger riding up.

  Mary Anne’s brothers?

  Mike probably gave them the signal. In minutes, they’d be at the front door, and they probably wouldn’t like finding their sister well-used and passed out in his bed. That thought shot him into action. Rushing for Mary Anne, his hand just latched on to her shoulder when a thought hit him.

  Mike would kill him, but not before Richard saw Malcolm married to Mary Anne. That thought spread a smile across his face and had his hands popping the buttons of his jeans free. With a shove, they dropped to his ankles. He kicked them away as he lifted the sheet and crawled right back into bed. Given the magnitude of the situation, Malcolm took a moment to arrange the sheets so there could be no doubt that Mary Anne was naked.

  With their entwined legs revealed, he pulled her up onto his chest. She muttered and grumbled but didn’t wake as he tucked the edge of the blanket down to show off her shoulders and the tops of her breasts pressing into his chest. Satisfied that he properly set the stage, Malcolm sighed back in his pillow and waited for the pain to come.

  The silence felt heavy, and his stomach tightened when it was finally broke by the nays of horses and the grunts and echoes of men. Heavy footfalls pounded up the porch, and the front door opened with a man shouting out.

  “Hello?”

  Mary Anne shifted and muttered, and Malcolm began to pray she didn’t wake up before they were discovered.

  Richard started down the hall hollering. “Malcolm? Mike?”

  “Mary Anne?”

  “Mmm,” Mary Anne’s head rolled, and Malcolm gave her a soothing rub down her back as he quietly shushed her.

  “Where the hell is everybody?” That came just a foot from his door because someone blurted out in obvious shock. “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” Richard barked that question with the alarm of a man ready for a bad answer.

  “Nothing.” The door was spinning closed, but something large hit it backward, and it crashed into the wall.

  “What the hell?” A man roared and a second later Malcolm was ripped free of the bed by his arm. He took the punch without defending against it as Mary Anne started to scream and men started to shout. Utter chaos broke out, and Malcolm felt the pain.

  * * * *

  Mary Anne sat on the edge of her bed in the faded yellow dress Richard bought for her nearly two years ago when he came to New York. She hadn’t received much of an inheritance after Reggie’s death. Despite the cost, her mother had insisted she get a new wardrobe. After all, a proper lady wouldn’t attract a proper man without a proper dress.

  Dressed up and put on display at parties after parties while men after men interviewed her for a position as their mistress. Coy or blunt, they all had only one thing on their minds. None of them suggested marriage. Humiliated by the experience, Mary Anne decided then that nothing could be worse.

  She’d been wrong. This far surpassed any of the former embarrassment she ever experienced and, thus, the shame being weighed down on her by her rampaging brothers equaled the gravity of her actions.

  They’d gone head to head with the Tanners in a shouting match that included more than a few thrown punches. It only wound down when Mike dragged an injured Malcolm out to the barn just to make sure he suffered no more pain at her brothers’ hands. That freed them up to turn their attention on her.

  She spent well over an hour sitting there on the edge of her bed. Hands clasped in her lap and head bowed, she listened to Richard and Marty’s tirade about proper behavior. Apparently, the laws of God demanded that women have the protection of marriage before giving in to any indecent behavior.

  Mary Anne didn’t dare respond, knowing that the best thing she could do was look humble and weak. Eventually they’d wear down on their own. Cuss as much as they wanted, it didn’t change the fact that she slept with Malcolm, and as far as Richard was concerned, she’d be marrying him.

  No doubt that’s exactly what Malcolm intended. Not that she wanted him to get hit, but she couldn’t deny he earned it with the little scene he staged. It wouldn’t shock her at all if Mike was out in the barn hitting him now. Mary Anne thought he might have gotten the better deal. She’d rather take a punch over Richard and Marty’s guilt-laden lectures.

  Just as she predicted, Richard wound down to his traditional pose. Fists on hips, glaring down at her, he decreed her fate. “Well, you did it this time, Mary Anne. You made your bed, and you’re going to have to lie in it. You’re going to marry Malcolm Tanner, and that’s all there is to it.”

  She didn’t even lift her chin to nod in response. None was expected. Besides, it would only upset Richard more if he knew that as far as punishments went, marrying Malcolm didn’t qualify. The head of their family stormed off in a huff, and Marty, his second in command, was quick to follow. That just left Eric sitting in the corner.

  Mary Anne caught his gaze as she finally looked up. “Do you have anything to add?”

  “What would be the point?” Eric shrugged. “Ain’t gonna change nothing, and I figure this is going just the way you planned.”

  “Trust me, Eric, I didn’t plan this.”

  That made him snort out a laugh. “Well, maybe not this specific scene, but given your life of late, you can’t deny this is a good thing for you.”

  “Are you blaming me for this?” Mary Anne warned him off of answering yes with just her tone. Eric obeyed, too, like he always did.

  “Of course not, I know about them Tanner boys, Mary Anne. I’m guessing they made it really hard to say no. Besides, Richard holds some blame here, too.”

  “Richard?” That had her scowling. “I don’t see how you can lay this mess at his feet.”

  “Why not? Marty and I argued with him about sneaking off and leaving you here. You think he didn’t know what might happen?”

  He had a point. For the past several months, Richard had all but smothered her in dirt and hidden her in a hole to keep anybody from seeing her. That didn’t mean he planned on any of this. Richard trusted Mike like a brother.

  Mary Anne shook her head. “You’re wrong, Eric. I don’t know why he left me here, but he didn’t expect this.”

  “No? Then why’d he bring a preacher back with him?” Eric laughed at her as she stared uncomprehendingly at him. “Don’t look so shocked, Mary Anne. That boy has been looking to get you married off and settled down since you floated back on that boat from England.”

  What Eric said made sense, but it just went against the face of the brother she knew. “Richard wouldn’t just set me up—”

  “That’s exactly what he did.” Eric cut across her objection as he rose to his feet. “It might have helped that he knows and trusts Mike Tanner, and I bet he was hoping that’d be whose bed he found you in, but either way, he thinks you’re safe now.”

  There was something about the way Eric said it that made Mary Anne tense. “But you don’t?”

  “Probably are safer here than most places.” Eric pursed his lips, and she could tell he didn’t know the words to sa
y what he felt. He tried anyway. “I know your first marriage didn’t go well for you, and I’d hate to see you go through that again.”

  Mary Anne smiled and stood to cross the room. Hugging her brother close, she gave him what comfort she could. “Don’t worry so, Eric. I love Malcolm, and he loves me. He’ll treat me well.”

  Eric hugged her back, tight and long, before releasing her with a sigh. “I’m your brother and I worry. That’s my job, so I buried some money for you.”

  “You what?” Mary Anne couldn’t help but smile at the serious look in her brother’s eyes.

  “If anything ever happens and you need to leave, I want you to have that option, so I buried some coins near the old camp. Remember the tree the snake crawled out of and sent you into a screaming panic that had us all laughing at you and you getting all mad at us?”

  The reminder of that event had her eyes narrowing and her tone coming out tight and tense. “How could I forget?”

  “I figured you wouldn’t and buried it under that tree, right down where you sat. It’ll be there whenever you need it, and it’s enough to get you back East so don’t you let anybody con you into thinking otherwise.”

  “You’re so sweet.” Mary Anne knew better than to argue with Eric. Even if she never needed it, he would never move it. Reaching up, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Well,” Eric shrugged back from her, uncomfortable with affection. “I’m guessing your wedding will be in the next hour, so you better fancy yourself up.”

  Chapter 17

  As weddings went, it seemed fitting given the courtship. Mary Anne’s brothers crowded in around her, glowering with indignation while Malcolm grinned. A painful feat, no doubt, given the way his busted lip split open again and blood trickled down his chin. Over Malcolm’s shoulder, Mike glared.

  All things considered, the experience didn’t really leave her feeling the warmth of love. That might have had a lot to do with the frigid breeze coming over the snow-clumped fields. Even the preacher jittered at points during the ceremony, obviously fighting back the chill. Mary Anne understood. They didn’t get to the ‘I do’ point fast enough.