by Vanessa Vale
“But the town does not grow, nor have a large number of families,” Walker added. He’d sat on the other side of him and made quick work of his carrots. He speared another. “They are quite good. Try one.”
He coaxed me into eating a buttery sweet carrot and I nodded in agreement. The food on the journey had been passable at best. This was the first meal I’d had in weeks where I didn’t have to eat quickly when the train stopped for more water and coal, or eat alone.
“The solution was to allow two men to marry the same woman,” Walker added, when he was satisfied I’d eaten the vegetable.
“I can’t imagine everyone would be keen on this idea. Surely the clergy would find it amoral,” I added, cutting another piece of steak. My stomach had settled after the men’s initial surprise and I realized I was ravenous. I was glad for the food, and something to do as we spoke. Was this why Walker had suggested it?
“There are some who are against the law, but they are either wed already or are, as you say, in the clergy. The Bible was separated from the challenge the town council faced.”
“And yet you used it to identify yourself to me on the platform,” I countered.
Walker grinned, pointed his fork at me. “Touché.”
“Most men in Slate Springs want a bride, but they are few and far between.” Luke snared a roll from Walker’s plate, ripped it in half and popped a piece into his mouth.
“Thus, your need for a mail order bride,” I added. “I assume the other men will need to leave town to find a bride?”
“Yes.” Luke shifted in his seat. “As mayor, everyone in Slate Springs is looking to me to set an example, to ensure the law works before others are willing to commit.”
“So I am wanted solely as an experiment?” I knew Luke had not specifically chosen me, personally, from Mrs. Carstairs’ business. He’d wanted a woman who would wed him sight unseen. I shouldn’t have felt hurt by the truth because I’d known it all along, but still, I was.
Luke didn’t answer the question. Instead, he asked one of his own. “And what of you? You must have a reason for choosing to become a mail order bride.”
I was very thankful then for the food on my plate. I took a big bite of carrot and took my time to chew, stalling.
I glanced at the men, who recognized my action for what it was, but remained quiet and patient. Waiting.
“My husband died and left me without money. While I have skills as a nurse, my chances for a job were limited in Tyler.” Especially with my history and the gossip that followed. “I felt it was best to move somewhere else.”
That was vague and did not cast any light to the real reasons for my departure. Pleased with myself, I took a sip of water.
“We are businessmen, Celia. We can bullshit better than most,” Walker said, not softening his words. “Luke’s the mayor and this kind of vague talk is his strength.”
“That’s right, sweetheart,” Luke added. “You’ve probably been raised not to share your burdens, being diplomatic and aloof. I appreciate a woman who can keep a secret, but we’re your husbands. There will be no secrets between us.”
Husbands. Instead of being standoffish, they wanted me to bare all.
The mashed potatoes on my tongue tasted like sawdust and I worked hard to swallow them down.
“Let me ask you more specific questions and that are easier to answer,” Walker said, placing his fork and knife on his plate. “How long were you married?”
“Five years.”
“From your clothing, it does not appear as if you were destitute in your marriage. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” I answered, then took a moment to study him. “You sound like a lawyer.”
Walker smiled then, brilliantly, showing off straight white teeth and a face so handsome my breath caught. “That’s right. You have me figured out, doll. Now let’s do the same with you.”
“What was your husband’s profession?” Luke asked.
“He was a doctor.”
“Impressive. And you were his nurse?”
I nodded.
“How did he die?”
I bit my lip, recognizing Walker had started off with easy questions and they were quickly becoming more difficult to answer. Using my napkin, I wiped my mouth.
“He was shot.”
Both men’s eyes widened.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Walker murmured. “You must miss him keenly.”
I pushed back my chair at the ridiculous notion, then stood. “What about you, Walker?” I asked, steering the conversation away from me. “Why did you agree to this unusual marriage?” I pointed to the two of them as they stood as well. They certainly had good manners.
“To be honest, I want a woman in my bed every night.”
His bluntness caught me by surprise. “So no interest in a love match then?”
He tossed his napkin on the table, moved to pace the room. “I am a widower.”
I could hear the darkness in his voice, see the tenseness in his shoulders.
“Marrying again was not something I ever considered. But the new law forced Luke’s hand into marriage.” He shrugged, then turned to look at me. “It offered me the opportunity I had never considered before.”
“Oh?”
“A woman deserves love in a marriage. Fair warning, you won’t get that from me. Not because I don’t think you are deserving, but because I just don’t have it to give. But you’ll get that from Luke. I’ll give you everything else: my protection, my money, my attention. My body.”
The idea of having continuous and permanent access to Walker’s body was definitely enticing, but it wasn’t enough. Wiping my hand over my face, I laughed, although without any amusement. “None of us want this. Luke, you’re marrying me out of duty—”
“I didn’t just fuck you out of duty,” Luke said, cutting off my words. “As for want, you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”
I could not argue, for it was true.
“Walker, you’re… marrying me for a lifetime of fucking.”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Based on what I watched, it does not appear it will be a hardship for either of us.”
“All of us,” Luke clarified. “What about you, Celia? You deflected our questions. It’s time to bare all, sweetheart.”
He moving to lean against the back of the couch, arms crossed.
“I am the only one who has bared everything,” I countered, meaning I’d been naked while he’d remained fully dressed. They were not swayed by that diversion tactic and I sighed. “You want to know how my husband died?”
Luke offered a simple “yes,” then waited.
“My husband was shot in our marriage bed as he was fucking his mistress. The woman’s husband discovered their illicit activities and found them together. Killed them both.”
“Fuck,” Walker murmured, shaking his head.
“He left you without money?”
I glanced at both men, then away. They seemed more angry than upset.
“The house and any money in the bank went to his nephew.”
“Couldn’t you have worked as a nurse for another doctor?”
Putting my hands on my hips, I stared at Luke, narrowed my eyes. “You’re thinking like a man.”
“What doctor would hire a woman whose husband had been murdered, you mean,” Luke replied.
Walker shook his head. “No, it was worse than that, wasn’t it, doll? They blamed you. The husband, the town, everyone.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away, refused to meet either of their gazes. I was used to John being distracted, never offering me his full attention. But with Luke and Walker, theirs didn’t waver and I was uncomfortable beneath their scrutiny.
“Ah, Celia,” Luke whispered.
I dropped my hands to my sides. “I should have been a better wife. Kept him happy. Gave him children. Satisfied so he wouldn’t stray.”
“There was something wrong with your husband, sweetheart,
“I want you, too,” Walker added, putting a hand to the front of his pants and rubbing his cock.
I blushed at their words, thinking of how bold I’d been, how while I’d been bothered at first that Walker had walked in on Luke and me, I’d liked it.
“Without means, without a job and your name in disgrace, you decided to become a mail order bride,” Walker finished, breaking me from my carnal thoughts.
What he said was all true. Every bit of it. He wasn’t being cruel by saying it aloud, only honest.
But from my recounting, I’d left out Carl Norman, the brother of the man who’d killed John and his mistress. As I’d witnessed Neil Norman’s crime, my testimony had sealed his fate and he’d been hung within the week. Carl had first accosted me two days after the hanging and had dogged me about town ever since, blaming me for his brother’s death, threatening to kill me.
I’d been the one who’d let my husband stray. If I’d been a better wife, more attentive sexually and provided him with children, he would have been content with me. But no. He’d been forced to find comfort elsewhere. As he’d dragged me into an alley and pinned me there with a hand about my neck, I wasn’t going to tell him that perhaps the problem had lain with his brother, who obviously hadn’t been able to satisfy his wife.
While I’d fled Tyler because I had no reputation left, I also feared for my life. I’d been watching over my shoulder for Carl ever since. While the finger-shaped bruises about my neck had faded, the worry had not. I’d known he was watching, waiting for the moment to do me harm. In his anger, I thought he would follow me from Tyler, perhaps do something like toss me off the moving train. It was an easy and very tidy way to kill someone, a body left to rot out on the open prairie of west Texas or Oklahoma where no one would ever find it. In my case, no one would miss me or question my disappearance. No one cared.
When I stepped onto the train platform in Denver, I’d been relieved. But it didn’t allay my fears entirely, as he could follow on a later train. I would always be looking over my shoulder as I knew he would not be deterred.
The news that Luke and Walker’s town would be snowed in for a few months had been almost joyful. That meant Carl couldn’t get to me. Perhaps in that time he’d either calm his anger or give up.
“None of us wanted this marriage,” I said, admitting the truth.
Luke and Walker remained silent.
“You can annul, you know,” I continued. “I’ll stay here in Denver and find a job. I’m sure my nursing skills are needed.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Celia
Luke pushed off the back of the couch and stood abruptly.
“No.” Both men spoke at the same time, their voices loud, commanding.
I took a step backward, surprised by the instant vehemence.
“No?” I asked, licking my lips.
“While we may have not wanted to marry, we want you,” Luke said, glancing at his brother, who nodded. “Didn’t I just prove that in front of the fire? You’re wearing my shirt.” He pointed at my skimpy attire. “My seed is dripping down your thighs. Hell, you came with Walker watching. I’d say you want us, too.”
I blushed furiously.
“Unlike your first husband, we are honorable. We don’t stray. We aren’t anything like him, doll,” Walker added.
I laughed then, as there was no comparison between the thin, pale man I’d married five years ago and these two strapping cowboys. “No, no, you’re nothing alike. But I was only married to one man, not two.”
“You have reservations,” Luke said.
“I have questions,” I countered. “Such as, how does it work?”
“Being married to two men?” Walker asked. “This is a first for us, as well. First for the town, too. I think we can make this marriage work any way we wish.”
I bit my lip. “Yes, but… I meant in the, um… bedroom, specifically.”
Luke’s eyes widened, then he smiled. “You enjoyed fucking me, sweetheart?”
I nodded, because I couldn’t lie. They were both witness to my first pleasure.
“Being married to both of us gets you two men to give you pleasure.”
He said it so simply, so easily, confident that they could both satisfy me.
I flushed hotly and turned away, looked blindly down at the food on the table.
“What do you want, Celia?” Luke asked. “What do you want from a marriage? You’ve been married and know what it’s like, what you were missing. What is it you’d hoped for? We’ll give it to you.”
I felt frayed, my emotions revealed. The scars of my first marriage ached and Walker and Luke seemed to know how to expose every single one. I picked up a fork, studied the detail work in the silver. “How can you say that? How can you know what I want?”
“Is it money? You never have to worry about going hungry, I promise you,” Luke said.
“Is it protection?” Walker asked. “No harm will come to you when you are with us.”
I thought of how Luke had hidden me from the porter’s view.
An ache filled my chest. That was what I wanted so very badly, to know that they would take care of me, that the bad things in the world, like Carl Norman, would never affect me. But they couldn’t protect me from my past. No one could.
“Tell us, sweetheart,” Luke prodded.
Was it as simple as just telling them my wants and they would give them to me? It was never that simple. I’d wanted a marriage with at least mutual respect, but John didn’t respect me. I’d known him for some time before we wed, but these men. I knew nothing about them. And yet they could promise to fulfill my every desire?
A knot of frustration and anger formed in my chest. My hands clenched into fists. If they wanted to know what I wanted, then I’d tell them. What did it matter at this point? When they announced Walker was also my husband, it seemed civilized rules didn’t matter. And so I opened my mouth and told them.
I spun about, lifted my chin and said, “I want a man who won’t ignore me. Who will smile at me and offer reasonable conversation. I want a man who is respectful and courteous. I want more than a man to give me food and shelter. I want a husband.”
“You get two, then, doll, who will do all that,” Walker said when I took a breath.
I held up my hand. “I’m not done. I want someone who is all mine. To share secrets and laugh.”
Once I began, it was easy to just let it all out, to share what I wanted. That’s why I didn’t stop.
“I also want to be fucked, well and good. I don’t want it at night, in the dark. I don’t want a quick rut, then nothing. I want fulfillment, wild abandon.” I thought of John’s mistress, how she’d loved what he’d been doing to her before they were discovered. “I want to be tied up. Taken. Do things I never even imagined.”
I was breathing hard, my skin hot and prickly. There, I’d said it. I’d said exactly what I wanted, everything I never said to John.
Both men’s gazes darkened and turned intense.
“I’m proud of you for sharing that. It must have been hard for you to admit the last,” Walker said, his words of praise acting like a balm. “You had a taste of what it will be like with Luke. While it was a quick rut, it was wild and full of abandon.”
I felt the soreness of our actions between my thighs, unaccustomed to a man of his size and his… vigor.
“Yes. That’s true.” I shook my head slowly. “But I won’t be married to a man… to men, who stray. I won’t be cast aside again. If I’m not enough, turn me away now.”
“Turn you away?” Luke asked. “I’ll turn you over my knee if you even think about walking out that door.”
My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks heat at the idea of being placed in such a position. I remembered John’s mistress and how she’d liked it when he’d spanked her bare bottom. The sound of it, that skin against skin crack and then a fiery burst of stinging pain. I wanted that. I wanted to know what it was like. I wanted to know it all.
“I can see that excites you. Doesn’t it, sweetheart?” Luke asked.
I bit my lip, wondering if I should admit the truth. The truth, though, was well and truly out, so what was the point of denying it now? And so I nodded.
Luke stepped toward me, but I held still, not letting him know I was a little wary. I wasn’t afraid of them, but I’d never been completely honest with John, never shared the darkest of secrets with him. The truth was powerful and so I wondered what they would say… or do, next.
“We’ll never want another,” he murmured.
His tone was even, his voice earnest.
I looked up at him, saw the serious expression. “How can you say that? I… I didn’t please John. I won’t have you fuck me then find me lacking. I’d rather you decide you don’t want me now, before… before I have feelings.”
“Lacking?” Luke asked. “Walker, when you were watching me fuck our bride, did it look like I found Celia lacking?”
“Hell, no. Woman,” Walker growled. “We’ll say it one last time. You’ll stay and we won’t stray.”
The vehemence of his tone had me believing him, but the doubt still lingered. “I—”
“You’ve given this worry to us. Let it go,” Luke added. The back of his knuckles stroked down my cheek and I shivered. “You want us to take control, to give you what you need.”
Did I? Did I want them to take my worries away? Was that why I told them those secrets? Was it so that they could know the truth and want me anyway, to do exactly what I wanted?
My gaze met his, then skittered over his shoulder to look at the decorative wallpaper. “How can you do that, give me what I need, I mean, when… when I don’t even know what I need?”
Walker moved closer. I had one man in front of me, the other at my side, Walker’s big hand gentle on my shoulder. “We’ll discover it together. Enough for tonight. You’re exhausted and we’ve given you quite a surprise. While I desperately want to feel the heat of your pussy around my cock, I’m sure you’re a little tender. Hmm?”
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