“It’s unlikely he’ll be able to follow you out here, even if he wanted to,” Clive said confidently. “But we won’t take any chances with your safety. I want Sheriff Baker to know there might be people asking after you and not to tell them anything. I’ll also tell him whatever I can about Carmichael, so he can be on the lookout.”
Sassy stared at the table, not meeting our eyes. Clive and I exchanged a worried glance over her head. She had told us about growing up in London, and we knew she hadn’t been rich and about her father before his death, but she never brought up the man she’d been running from. Clive still thought there was something she wasn’t telling us since most men would give up when a woman ran clear across the world to escape him, but I pointed out he’d already followed her to New York.
Neither of us understood a man who wouldn’t heed the word ‘no,’ but neither of us had ever been a lord, so we couldn’t begin to guess at his motivations.
“He has dark hair and eyes and…” She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. “I doubt he’d come for me himself. Not all the way out here when he couldn’t be sure he’d find me. I hope.” Her breath stuttered. “I never want to see him again.”
“Easy there,” I crooned, sliding my arm around her shoulders, using the same tone of voice I would on a fractious horse. “You won’t have to, sweetheart. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Sassy finally looked up, meeting my gaze, and she smiled.
“I know. You two have made me feel safe for the first time in… well, in a very long time.”
“Well, that is what the ad promised,” Clive said, amused. I shot him a glare over Sassy’s head.
“Can we just go to bed and not talk about him?” Sassy pleaded prettily, looking back and forth between us. “I hate talking about him. Just saying his name taints the room with his presence.”
“Fair enough,” I said. Clive frowned but didn’t gainsay me, which was a bit of a surprise. Sassy had softened him. He wasn’t quite as bossy as he used to be. Looking back at our wife, my cock began to harden in anticipation. “Let’s go to bed, and your husbands will make sure you forget all about him.”
“Oh, will they?” Sassy sassed, raising one eyebrow as I helped her to her feet. Clive smirked.
Yes, we would.
After teasing her with the plug and our fingers, suckling her breasts at the same time until she was begging us to take her, I put her on top of me, facing away, so I could play with the base of the plug. Clive stood over my legs, feeding her his cock while she bounced up and down on mine.
By the end, Sassy fell straight to sleep with a smile on her face, as promised. Our sweet wife. The emotions in my chest swelled.
Cherished and protected. That’s what we had promised, and that’s what we would give her.
10
Clive
* * *
The jail was empty when I walked in, except for Sheriff Baker. Sitting at his desk reading a newspaper, he looked up sharply when I entered. Seeing my calm demeanor, he relaxed.
“Howdy, Sheriff.” I nodded my head in greeting.
“Howdy, Clive,” he said, putting down the newspaper with a smile. “What brings you here today?”
“Just need a minute, Sheriff.” I took the seat across from him, leaning back wearily. I was more tired since Sassy came into our lives, although I didn’t regret it one bit. “It’s probably nothing, but my and William’s new bride might have a problem that will follow her here, and we just want to make sure she’s safe.”
“That’s right, I’d heard about the wedding,” Sheriff Baker said, a grin splitting open his face. “Congratulations. When do we get to meet the lucky lady?”
“We should be at church next week.” We’d missed the past Sunday’s service, but we usually managed to attend. It was the most regular socializing we did since both William and I were homebodies. The saloon had never much appealed to either of us.
With Sassy at home, we were even more inclined to stay at home for the most part, but we also wanted to show her off and give her a chance to meet the neighbors.
“I’m looking forward to meeting her. So, what kind of trouble is she running from?” He put his arms on his desk, leaning forward, eyes serious.
“A man who wanted her,” I said, my lips twisting. “His name is Lord Carmichael. She hasn’t said much, but she’s scared to death of him. He followed her all the way from England to New York.” As I spoke, Sheriff Baker began to frown. Women around here were protected and respected, and I knew he’d seriously take even a slight threat to one. “I doubt he’d even know how or where to find her, but William and I want to make sure we’ve done everything we can to keep her safe.”
Sheriff Baker rubbed his chin. “Your Sassy… what does she look like?”
There was something about the way he asked that made my hackles rise. “Why?”
He gave me a look. “Just tell me, please.”
I straightened in the chair, no longer relaxed.
“Not too tall but not too short, she comes to just under my chin when she’s standing straight. Long black hair and dark eyes, light tan to her skin, and…” I hesitated but foraged on. I didn’t want to sound like I was bragging but also wanted to tell the truth. “She’s gorgeous. One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, although she did her best to hide it on the way here. I can understand why a man would become obsessed with her, although he should have respected her rejection.”
William and I certainly had, in our own way, but since that happened after we’d married her, it was hardly the same thing.
The expression on the Sheriff’s face had become blank. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, let alone feeling, making me even more worried. A long moment of silence stretched between us as if he couldn’t quite figure out what to say to me. I gripped the arms of the chair.
“Say whatever it is you need to say, Sheriff.”
“I think someone might already be in the area, looking for her.” The Sheriff met my eyes, looking almost sad. My chest tightened with fear, and I had to push down the urge to jump up and rush back to the ranch. I could tell he had more to say. “There are some men who have been asking around. They showed up two days ago, looking for someone who sounds like her, but…”
“But what?” I barked out harshly, demanding an answer. “I don’t like this game you’re playing.”
“No game.” He shook his head. “But the story they’re telling is very different. The woman they’re looking for was a man’s mistress. She stole from him and assaulted him before fleeing, scarring him, and will likely be hanged when she’s returned to London for her crimes.”
“His mistress?” I asked, my lips and tongue feeling strangely swollen as I repeated his words. My thoughts were galloping away. It would explain… a lot. William and I had talked about what a quick learner she was, how eager, how sensual. Experience would explain that.
“They said she was a whore before that, in a brothel.” The Sheriff sounded almost apologetic. “They were looking for her in the saloon at first. No one has seen a woman meeting that description, though, so they’ve had no luck.”