The fear was back in her voice and no wonder. A man who was willing to chase her across the ocean was certainly obsessed.
“Do you think knowing you’re already married would deter him?” William asked.
Her shoulders hunched in. “I-I don’t know… I worry I’ve brought danger to you.”
Despite myself, I was touched. William and I exchanged another look over her head, both of us bemused by her concern.
“That’s what we offered, sweetheart. Protection,” I drawled. I had full confidence in our ability to protect ourselves and her. This Lord Carmichael might think himself powerful, and maybe in England he was, but here in the west, he would find nothing but a bullet between his teeth if he tried to come after our wife.
“That’s why I answered your ad,” she admitted. “But now that I’m here, I keep thinking how wrong it was to drag someone else into my troubles.”
“Our troubles,” William said, squeezing her hand while I was still groping for the proper words to reassure her. William was good at that. I was better at threats. “You’re our wife now, which makes your troubles our troubles. And make no mistake, missy, that’s how we want it.”
“That’s right,” I said and meant it. I might want to dig out whatever secrets she was hiding from us, but nothing would change my determination to protect her. I meant that for any woman, but even more so for her. She was our wife. If someone threatened her, he was going to regret it.
William
* * *
When we reached the ranch, I helped Sassy down from the wagon while Clive went to unhitch and stable the horses. She pulled off her bonnet, finally, looking up at the house with wide eyes. My cock stirred, and I scooped her up in my arms, wanting to feel her body against mine, even though I didn’t plan on making love to her again until tonight.
“William!” she squeaked, flinging her arms around my neck. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my bride across the threshold,” I said with a grin, heading toward the front door.
Sassy glanced over my shoulder, a little furrow of concern appearing on her brow. “What about Clive?”
“He’ll get his turn later.” If he’d wanted to be the first to carry her into the house, he shouldn’t have insisted on being the one to stable the horses. I knew he’d take his time, currying and checking them over before letting them loose in the pasture. I could have done the same, but Clive felt better when he did it.
It wasn’t my fault that meant he was missing out on carrying Sassy into the house. Either he’d learn to give up some of his control and let me do more, or he’d miss out on things with Sassy. I was happy to have something to distract me from Clive’s lack of trust in my abilities.
I stomped up the stairs to the porch, angling my body, so I could shoulder open the door without loosening my hold on her. She looked around curiously at the main room, which boasted a simple table and chairs, a fireplace and oven, and several shelves on the far wall. In front of the fireplace were two larger chairs where Clive and I sat at the end of the day and chatted about the ranch.
“The house is beautiful,” she said with all evidence of sincerity. I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows. It was a decent house but simple. Clive and I didn’t have much interest in decorating. Seeing my expression, she shrugged, a little smile curving her lips. “It’s clean. Bigger than I’m used to. I never had more than a room, even before my father died.”
Her lips clamped shut after the admission, as though she didn’t want to say anything else. Did she think I would judge her for being poor?
“It’s the nicest house I’ve ever lived in,” I told her, setting her down on her feet. “But then, I didn’t have a home at all for a while before I met Clive.” Sassy blinked up at me with surprise and concern. Grinning, I ducked down to steal a kiss. I meant it to be a quick one, but once my lips touched hers, my body went up in flames, and I found myself pulling her soft body against mine.
She moaned, her lips parting, and my tongue delved into her mouth. My hands slid over her curves, down to her bottom, pulling her more tightly against me as my cock swelled. I wanted to be inside her again… but there were things to do, and she needed to be shown around the house.
The sound of the door swinging open made me jump, jerking my head up. Clive was standing there, looking at us and shaking his head.
“I leave you alone for five minutes…” he said with a sigh. “Did you show her any of the house?”
Indignation rose, but he wasn’t wrong, and my ire mixed with shame that was all too familiar when it came to disappointing Clive. I glared back at him, my jaw clenching. Dressing me down in front of Sassy was a step too far. I was always the one compromising for him because I was the easygoing one, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him boss me around when it came to how to handle our wife.
“I was hoping you could show me together,” Sassy said, her hand on my chest as she smiled up at Clive. His expression softened, and something inside me eased. She was already acting as a peacemaker between me and Clive, keeping turmoil out of her household.
“Sorry,” Clive said, to my surprise. He hardly ever apologized for anything. “I should have thought of that. We can show you around together.”
Sassy smiled at him, then at me, a tinge of worry still in her eyes.
“Together,” I said, nodding. If Clive and I had it out, it wouldn’t be in front of her. Our Sassy wouldn’t like us fighting, that was clear. If she could keep Clive more humble than usual, that would help my state of mind considerably.
Placing that ad for a bride had been the best decision I’d ever made. I wouldn’t rub it in Clive’s nose, though. Not yet.
6
Sassy
* * *
Nervously watching the men—my husbands—shovel dinner into their mouths, I felt a small burst of pride. I was no great cook and unused to their kitchen, but I still managed to put together a presentable meal. It felt both odd and very nice to be settled into their home.
Our home.
It would take a while for me to start thinking of it that way.
The men had shown me around, although there hadn’t been much more to see than the main room and two bedrooms. William said they’d be turning his old room into a nursery, and we’d be sharing what used to be Clive’s room from now on. Outside was a vegetable garden, the outhouse, with a laundry line a little ways away. Tomorrow, I would be able to explore more. Today, we had shared a quick, cold midday meal, then they’d gone off to meet their hands and finish their chores around the ranch, while I unpacked my meager belongings and got to work on familiarizing myself with the kitchen and making dinner.
Now, the sun had gone down, evening was fast approaching, and I was unsettled. After my mistake this morning, I was no longer very confident, although I’d had the afternoon to myself to think about what I should and should not do.
It was going to be difficult, though. My instincts were to try to please them as best I could, but how to do that without revealing I knew more than I should? What should a young woman entering into marriage know? I wished there was another woman who I could talk to, find out what she knew… I hadn’t expected to be the only wife, even when I’d seen both men waiting for me at the train station. I thought I’d only be marrying one of them.