MADDY
It was lovely to be so warm when a furious snowstorm raged outside. Rolling over, I snuggled into a warm male chest without opening my eyes. Judging by the lack of hair, it was Justin. With the heat of their bodies, I’d likely never need to light a fire again.
His chest rumbled under me with his soft laugh. “It’s time to wake up, Maddy. Caleb is fetching breakfast, and you’ve been out for almost twelve hours.”
I shot up out of bed and stumbled over my boots as I grabbed my dress. Stepping into it, I fastened the buttons as quick as I could. “Mercy! Why did you let me sleep so long?”
My drawers were gone, and judging by the happy smirk on Justin’s face, I wouldn’t be getting them back.
“You appeared to have needed it, what with running halfway across the country and having a wedding night.”
I blushed with the memory of their possession of me, lowering my face to hide it. Justin chuckled and swung his long legs over the edge of the bed, his dark skin gleaming in the early morning sun. His cock stirred under my avid gaze and I whirled around before he caught me peeking.
“Look your fill, sweetheart.” The floor creaked under his weight as he moved toward me and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder, turning me to face him. “You’re our wife now.”
Justin was so beautiful. He looked like a sculptor’s model come to life before my eyes. Leaning closer, I tipped up my chin for a kiss. My stomach chose that very moment to give a loud, growling reminder that I hadn’t had a proper meal in days.
He frowned and backed away. “You must be starving,” he said, pulling his trousers over his hips. “You barely touched your supper.”
I laid a hand on my abdomen, flushing anew with mortification. “Sorry. I promise, I’m fine.”
He tapped my nose sternly, but smiled. “You’ll eat a good meal. After breakfast, we’ll take you to the mercantile for some warm clothes, then we’ll head home.”
The door opened, revealing Caleb with a large covered tray. My mouth watered and I hurried forward to help him. Waving me away, he set our breakfast on the table and removed the cloth.
There was tableware and a carafe of coffee, plus huge bowls of biscuits, steaming gravy, bacon, and a pile of scrambled eggs I was sure we wouldn’t be able to finish. My belly rumbled again, making Caleb chuckle.
“Sit and eat, Maddy. Let’s soothe that monster trying to escape your stomach.”
My cheeks hot, I obeyed and waited while he served me a plate before making two more for himself and Justin. The eggs were fluffy and had just the right amount of salt. The biscuits were as tender and flaky as I could make, and the gravy had the perfect scattering of pepper for seasoning.
Swallowing, I reached for another piece of crisp bacon. “How is this breakfast so lovely when supper was so awful?”
“I found out they had a new cook last night,” Caleb replied. “We thought it was fine, but you weren’t the only one to complain.”
Glancing down at my empty plate, Justin asked, “Are you finished eating? There’s still another biscuit if you want it.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll burst if I eat another bite.” I touched my lips with my napkin, then asked, “Are we ready to go to the mercantile? I also want to check on Prince. He’s not used to the weather here either.”
“Of course. Put on your boots and we’ll head out,” Caleb said.
I pushed my foot into my boot, grimacing when I felt the wad of money lodged in the toe. Pulling it out, I handed it to Caleb. “Here, this is the last of my dowry. Will you put it in the bank for me?”
Caleb was on me in a flash, followed by Justin. Pinching my chin, he gently lifted my face up. “We told you we would take care of your needs. That money is yours to do with as you see fit, but you will not use it on us, understand?”
“But I—”
Justin stole my words with a deep, thoroughly drugging kiss, laying me back until I was gasping for air and sprawled on the bed, my bodice half undone. He tugged my hair, making me look at him and Caleb.
“Enough, Maddy,” he said sternly. “We’ll put that money away for a rainy day. It makes us happy to know you have something to fall back on.”
My eyes filled with tears and I nodded. How had I gotten so lucky to have two such wonderful men? It seemed almost sinful when most ladies were lucky if they got one. Or none, I reminded myself, thinking of Nathan Bergman.
“Shh, sweetheart,” Caleb murmured, helping me sit up. “We’ve got you now.”
“I know.” I leaned against his chest and scrubbed the tears from my eyes, then fixed my bodice. “We should go.”
“Good idea,” Justin said, helping me to my feet while Caleb packed my meagre belongings. “Otherwise we might be tempted to bed our beautiful wife again.”
My blush returned, heating my cheeks as they helped me with my ragged coat. We went downstairs, me tucked between them. When we reached the landing, I blinked in surprise at the sight of Ann and her husbands waiting with a large satchel. Robert held a heavy coat over one arm.
“Oh, good,” Ann said, smiling at us. “We were afraid we missed you.”
“Were we supposed to meet you for breakfast?” Caleb asked. “I’m afraid we’ve already eaten.”
“No, but we got home and realized your Maddy might need some things to hold her over. The mercantile is a little short on warm clothes this late in the season.” Andrew replied, handing the bag to Caleb.
Robert gave the coat to Justin, who helped me exchange it for Reggie’s. It fit perfectly, making me realize it must have been Ann’s. “Are you sure you don’t need this?” I asked, biting my lip.
She waved me away and shook her head. “No, it’ll warm up soon enough, and I’m used to the weather. I won’t need it for months, so you can use it until then.”
“Thank you so much,” I murmured, packing Reggie’s coat with the rest of my things. “You’re very generous.”
“We help each other in Bridgewater. You can return the favor for someone else after you get settled.”
I nodded in understanding. “Thank you again.”
We said our goodbyes and made our way to the livery for our horses. The snow, so furious the night before, was nearly gone from the wooden sidewalks and although still cold, it was a gorgeous morning. I scanned the street, trying to get my bearings, and spotted a post office barely a hundred feet away. Pointing at it, I asked, “May we stop? I’d like to mail something back to Kentucky.”
“Of course,” Caleb said. “What are you mailing?”
“I need to send Reggie his clothes back.”
“Who’s Reggie?” Justin asked, his voice deepening to a low, jealous growl that made my insides quiver with renewed need. I reminded myself not to provoke them in public again. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over the embarrassment of being caught by Robert, Andrew, and Ann.
“My friend Dahlia’s husband. She gave them to me so I could escape. I’d also like to write her a note to tell her my news.”
I couldn’t tell her all of it, of course. She’d be appalled and scandalized at the thought of marrying two men—no matter how wonderful they were. It seemed almost disrespectful not to share both my men, but I’d have to keep it to myself. It wasn’t as if I’d be going back for her to meet them.
“Ah, she’s the one who helped you dye your horse, right?”
“Yes. We’re very close, and I promised to send her my address when I arrived.”
The postmistress was happy to help us package Reggie’s belongings, and I quickly penned a short note advising Dahlia of my new address. I left out everything that might worry her, and simply told her how happy I was. With that chore done, we returned to the livery stable and retrieved our horses.
I led Prince from his stall, belatedly remembering his bridle was gone. It must have gotten left on the train, and I’d been too preoccupied to notice it was missing. I didn’t need it overmuch, so I resolved to replace it later. Surely, Caleb and Justin had one I could use.
JUSTIN
As usual, our horses fought us, and I scowled when Maddy led her stallion from his stall without fuss or a lead rope. When she laughed and came to help, I waved her away.
“Stay back before you get hurt,” I ordered, struggling to saddle my gelding.
Maddy nodded, but when Caleb’s mare tried to bite, she strode into the fray and grabbed her nose before she could reach his arm. “No,” she said softly, looking into the mare’s face. “We don’t bite.”
The mare snorted and lifted her head, but kept her eyes fixed on our wife. A moment later, she relaxed and allowed Maddy to stroke her face. “That’s a good girl,” she crooned. “Behave now.”
“Unnatural,” I muttered, finally getting my girth tightened on my recalcitrant gelding before attaching the satchel filled with Maddy’s borrowed clothes to the back of the saddle. As usual, the horse danced out of reach when I tried to mount.
“No,” she replied, taking my horse’s head. She spoke to him in a singsong murmur, making him still and focus on her. “Anyone can calm a horse. You just need to have the right tone.”
When I was finally in the saddle, she returned to her stallion and made a strange gesture with her hand. To our shock, the animal lowered himself to his front knees, allowing Maddy to climb on as pretty as you please, her skirts arranged to cover her legs. She let out a short chirp and the horse stood. He barely looked twice at Caleb’s mare.
Scowling at her, Caleb shook his head. “Justin is right. That’s fair unnatural. Where’s your bridle?”
“I think it must have gotten left on the train,” she replied. “But I don’t need it. Shall we go home?”
“Maddy, you need a bridle,” he said sternly. “It’s bad enough you don’t have a saddle. Why don’t you sit in the hotel while I run home and get tack for you?”
I almost offered to let her ride double with me, but I didn’t trust either of our horses to carry her safely.
She let out a sigh and shook her head. “I’m truly fine. I’ll rummage your barn for tack later. Will that suit you?”
“Let’s let her do as she likes,” I murmured to Caleb. “We’ll put a rope on the stallion and lead him. When we get her home, we can teach her to mind us better.”
I had no intention of using physical punishment on our wife, but I was more than happy to deny her physical delight until she obeyed us. Heat rose in my loins at the idea of keeping her dripping and needy until she learned not to be so danged willful.
“Too late.” He pointed up the street heading north out of town. Maddy was already trotting away, using her hands and feet to guide her horse as neat as anything.
I chuckled and shook my head. She’d managed to escape while I’d been thinking of how she looked while we fucked her. “Well, we wanted someone who had a good hand with horses.”
To my surprise, our horses didn’t fight us and seemed happy to follow her. Aside from that, we got to watch her pretty bottom all the way home. We had plans for that backside. Sensing my inattention, my horse danced a jig, reminding me to keep my mind on business.
When we reached the ranch, my chest eased as she passed under the wooden sign marking our property. We’d gotten her home safely, but I still worried she wouldn’t like it. She was a fine lady, despite her initial appearance as a man, and had obviously come from money, something Caleb and I didn’t have in great abundance.
She dismounted and smiled as she gazed at the snowcapped peaks in the distance, framed in azure blue sky. “It’s beautiful here,” she said quietly. “Almost like a painting.”
Although the day had warmed, she shivered as we led our horses to the pasture and turned them loose. “Are you ready to go inside?” I asked.
“Yes, please. I hope it warms up soon.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Caleb promised, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
We took her inside and I hung her coat on the hook next to mine, then knelt to unlace her boots. She looked around, and Caleb and I both let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t immediately communicate her displeasure.
Her stockinged feet made no sound as she walked across the kitchen to the pantry. “Do you have something besides beans and flour?” she asked.
“We have coffee and salt,” Caleb said.
“Oh. Well, I suppose it’s too cold for a kitchen garden, but surely you have eggs and milk.”
I glanced at Caleb, then shook my head. “I’m afraid we’ll have to make do until our next trip into town.”
Her face fell and she gave us a pleading look. “But—”
“No,” Caleb said sternly. “We’ll go another time.”
A mutinous expression crossed her face and she pouted, but turned to the pantry and poured beans into a bowl to soak, then filled another with flour and water and covered it with a plate.
“What’s that for?” Caleb asked.
“It will be sourdough in a few days. It’s the best I can do without proper staples.” She wiped her hands on a tea towel, then faced us. “What should we do now?”
I shared a look with Caleb, then we turned our smiles upon our new wife.