Claiming Their Mail-Order Bride: A Cowboy Ménage Romance (Montana Ménage Book 2)

by Lily Reynard

  Here she was, half a continent away from Boston, far from anyone who had ever known her, sitting all alone in a strange house on a vast ranch located a considerable distance from the nearest town.

  What am I going to do?

  With no one to see her, judge her, or comfort her, she wept until she had no more tears. And when the storm of grief and pain passed, she was still alone.

  Sarah sat in the kitchen for a long time as the house began to grow dark around her. The sun had vanished behind the mountains, leaving the western sky a clear golden shade dotted with flame-colored clouds.

  Now what?

  With a sigh, she rose, washed her hot, tear-swollen face with cold water, lit the kitchen's oil lamps, and decided to mix up a batch of bread dough to rise overnight.

  She had just climbed up out of the cellar with a gooey portion of the sourdough starter stored down there in a cloth-covered wooden bowl when she spotted movement through the window.

  A lone horse and rider were approaching the house.

  Larkin! Her heart soared…and then she saw that the horse wasn't the big bay gelding. Instead, it was white, dappled with gray spots: Walt's horse.

  Where’s Larkin?

  Her heart pounding with mingled apprehension and excitement, she quickly lit the lamps in the hall and living room and fetched a clean towel to hang next to the laundry room sink.

  Then she took a deep breath, trying in futility to calm her nerves, and returned to mixing up the bread dough. She had turned it out on the flour-sprinkled counter and was kneading it, the steady rhythm of the work providing her with some measure of serenity, when Walt opened the back door and entered the kitchen.

  "Howdy, there, Sarah."

  She turned to greet him. "Walt! Is everything all right? Where's Larkin?"

  He ignored her anxious inquiry and just stared at her. "Your hair—what happened to the purple?"

  Despite her worries, she had to smile at that. "I didn't like everyone staring at me when we drove to town. So, Emma—Mrs. Kottinger—helped me fix things."

  He returned her smile, and she was struck by the sense of well-being and relief flooding through her at the sight of his tall, broad-shouldered form and his air of kind concern.

  Because of the way that her feelings had changed towards Larkin for the past few days, until this moment, she hadn't been sure that she would still feel as attracted to Walt as she had when they had first met. But she did, and he struck her as handsome and kind and reassuring as he had when he'd come to meet her at the train station.

  "I hate to tell you this, but the fellas in town are starved for the sight of a woman. They're going to stare at you no matter what color your hair is."

  He advanced on her, and she found herself enveloped in a warm, strong embrace that smelled of dust and horse and honest sweat. "You've been crying. And Larkin was all worked up, too. What's going on? Are you all right?"

  "Is Larkin all right? Is he coming back?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

  It felt so good to rest her head against his chest and hear the steady beating of his heart as she absorbed the comfort radiating from him.

  "He's fine. He was all-fired eager to swap places with me at the mine, though." Walt sighed. "What happened between you two? I swear Lark was behaving like a spooked horse."

  Sarah's anxiety eased a fraction when she heard that Larkin was all right.

  She hesitated before replying to Walt's question. Should I tell him about what we did this afternoon?

  She didn't want to lie to him—she'd already told enough falsehoods—but she wasn't sure how Walt might react to the news that she'd been kissing…and doing other things…with his best friend. Even though Walt had been eager to include Larkin in their marriage plans.

  "I don't know. I thought we were getting along well. We were just having supper, and I could see he was in a contemplative mood. Then he just announced that he needed to speak with you, and left."

  "Huh," Walt said. "I thought that maybe you'd had a dust-up or something. I'm sure you've noted that Lark's a bit of a hothead."

  He took her gently by the shoulders and stepped back, examining her closely. She noticed that his gaze lingered on her throat, and she self-consciously raised her hand to touch the still-tingling spot where Larkin had bitten her.

  Oh no. But before she could pull way, she saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  "No—we didn't argue or anything." Heat rose in her face. "In fact, he was very kind to me. I—I thought maybe I said or did something to drive him away!"

  Walt shook his head and drew her into his arms once more. "I'm sure you didn't. Lark probably got a burr under his saddle and decided to put some distance between himself and whatever was troubling him."

  Instead of reassuring her, Walt's words only reignited Sarah's anxiety.

  "I think I was troubling him," she confessed.

  "In a good way, I see."

  Yes, Walt had definitely recognized the betraying mark on her throat. But he seemed amused rather than angry or jealous.

  "But things were going well, otherwise?" She felt him take a deep breath. "Do you like it here? Now that you've had a few days to get used to things?"

  "I love it here," she replied honestly. "This is a lovely house, and the ranch is beautiful. And I've already found a friend in Emma."

  "Well, I'm mighty glad to hear that." He hesitated and gazed down at her, his expression serious now. "Are you still considering leaving on the next train?"

  "It…depends," she replied warily, not daring to get her hopes up too high.

  "I want you to stay, Sarah. I know I took off for the mine like a damned fool the other day, but only because I really do want to marry you, and I was hoping that maybe Lark might come around if you and he spent some time together and got to know each other better."

  "Oh." Relief flooded through her. She hadn't driven Walt away! And he still wanted to marry her!

  His next words sent a shaft of guilt spearing through her. "I fell in love with you through your letters, and I think you're even more wonderful in person."

  But I'm an imposter! She was sorely tempted to confess the truth to him, but fear made her bite her tongue. He'll be so sad if he discovers that Liza Hunter is dead and gone. And he'll probably be angry too. And with good cause.

  "Please say you'll stay here, Sarah," Walt pressed. "With me…and with Lark, too, if I can get that lunkhead to come around. I get the feeling that he's softening towards you, and it's playing hell with his stubborn side."

  Yes! Of course, I will!

  Finding a home here, with Walt—and with Larkin, too, she hoped—would be the answer to all of her prayers. She'd finally be safe.

  But she didn't want to appear too eager. Besides, she was still uncertain as to what might happen with Larkin when he returned from the mining camp. After thinking things over, he might decide that he didn't want her around, after all.

  With an effort of will, she equivocated. "Well, it's another week and a half before the next train arrives, right? So we still have plenty of time to become better acquainted…and to see whether Mr. Williams—Larkin—wants me to stay too."

  "Are you mad at me for leaving you here with him?" Walt's arms tightened around her.

  "No," she said honestly. "Just…surprised. I thought that perhaps you'd changed your mind about marrying me. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone, so boarding the next train and continuing on to Butte seemed like the most reasonable course of action."

  "Good," Walt breathed. "So you're telling me that I have a week and change to convince you that I'll make you a good husband?"

  Sarah laughed and threw her arms around Walt's lean waist. "I don't think I'll require much convincing."

  But Larkin was going to be the sticking point. She still had no idea why things had gone so wrong between them, especially when she had begun to admire him. And his kisses had been pure sin and fire.

  All I can do now is just continue on
and hope that things will work themselves out in good time. Because I want to stay here with Walt…with both of them.

  * * *

  She sounds like she might consider staying here! Walt couldn't help grinning as he stood in the kitchen with Sarah nestled right up against him.

  When Larkin rode into camp an hour ago, Walt had feared that his best friend and business partner had done something to drive away his prospective bride. That fear had solidified when he'd arrived back at the house and seen Sarah's reddened eyes. And the marks on her throat.

  Larkin, you bastard. What did you do to make her cry?

  Walt vowed to do a better job of courting her.

  At least Larkin hadn't stormed into camp, demanding that Walt send Sarah away. In fact, just the opposite. That gave Walt hope that he could find a way to make both of them happy.

  Sarah stayed in his embrace for a while longer, and he was happy. She smelled of yeast and lemon cologne, and her head tucked up neatly under his chin.

  Finally, she stirred and took a step back from him. "Have you had supper yet?"

  "Yeah, back at the camp." He already missed having her in his arms, warm and soft.

  She bit her lower lip in the most adorable—and tempting way. "I baked a strawberry and rhubarb cobbler this afternoon. If you'd like some dessert, I could make some coffee and whip some cream."

  Walt remembered how delicious that cherry pie had been, and grinned. "I'd love some cobbler. Let me wash up."

  She nodded. "Take your time. I need to go milk the cow, anyway."

  "Then I'll get the coffee going," he promised.

  She lifted the mass of bread dough from the counter and put it in the mixing bowl, covered the bowl with a dishtowel, and set it aside to rise. Then she washed her hands, filled a pan with warm water, and headed to the barn.

  While she was milking Rosa, Walt grabbed a lamp and walked out into the kitchen garden.

  Though he and Larkin had kept up the part of the garden that provided them with fruits, vegetables, and herbs, they'd ignored the flowers that had been Mom's pride and joy. But despite their neglect, some of the flowers had reseeded themselves and were rising as green shoots.

  He peered around, hoping that something was blooming. After a minute or two, he spotted the season's first pink rosebuds on his mother's beloved damask rosebush, and quickly cut a posy for Sarah.

  By the time she returned from the barn with the milking pail and had carefully skimmed the cream for whipping, he'd filled an empty jam jar with water and arranged the roses on the table. He'd filled the coffee pot with water and set it to heat on the stove and was busily cranking the handle of the coffee grinder.

  To his pleasure, Sarah spotted the roses right away. Two adorable dimples appeared in her cheeks as she turned, smiling, to Walt. "Thank you—and thank you for making the coffee."

  "My pleasure." His face warmed with her reaction.

  As the last red embers of twilight faded to midnight blue, they sat down together at the kitchen table.

  In the golden lamplight, she looked less ethereal with dark brown hair than she had with an elf-queen's purple locks, but she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. More beautiful than Mrs. K—who was a fine-looking, big-hearted woman—or even pretty, blonde Mrs. Brody out at the Pronghorn Springs Ranch, who'd arrived in town last summer and had been wed to one of the Brody twins by autumn.

  Sarah served him up a generous portion of the cobbler, topped with a big dollop of whipped cream, and he dug in with enthusiasm. For her part, she stuck to coffee, protesting that she'd already had some of the cobbler with her supper.

  "I'm sorry about running off like that," he apologized, between mouthfuls of the scrumptious dessert. "I missed you, and I was hoping we'd have a bit more time to get acquainted before I had to get back to work at the mine."

  She looked away. "I feared that I'd done something to offend you," she said quietly. "And then, this afternoon, when Larkin decided to leave…" She sighed. "I didn't know what to think."

  "Well, if you thought, 'Well, there go the Montana Territory's biggest lunkheads,' you'd be right," Walt said sheepishly. "Can you forgive a pair of bachelors for being a bit rough around the edges? I sure didn't mean to upset you, and I'll bet that Lark didn't either. He just needs some time to cool down and get over whatever's eating at him."

  Sarah nodded. "So I know that you and Lark own a copper mine and that it's located somewhere on this ranch, but what do you do there?" She chuckled softly. "When you told me about it, I pictured you with a pick and shovel, like those gold miners we saw on the riverbank."

  "We dig most of our mine shafts with dynamite these days and save the picks and shovels for clearing away rubble and getting at the ore." He grinned. "When Lark and I started reading the newspapers and learning about how New York and San Francisco and all those other big cities were replacing their gaslights with electric bulbs, and we figured that maybe it was worthwhile digging for copper, after all. So far," he said modestly, "It looks like our investment is paying off. We hooked up with a structural engineer, Jim Soo Fong, a Chinese fellow who was born in the US, who bought into our operation as a partner. Then we hired a crew of Welsh coal miners who came to Twin Forks hoping to strike it rich but then ran out of cash and got cured of their gold fever right quick. They're happy to have a steady paycheck, and Lark, Jim, and I are happy to have an experienced crew."

  "So you don't mine any gold, just copper?" she asked.

  Walt debated his answer. He was sorely tempted to show her some of the gold nuggets hidden away in his bedroom.

  After a moment of furious internal debate, he decided he'd tell her the whole truth when the time was right. In fact, he'd bring those nuggets to a jeweler and make her a wedding ring, plus earrings, a pendant, and whatever else she might like.

  He could already see the warm yellow of golden hairpins against her shining, otter-brown hair…and pictured himself pulling those hairpins loose, one by one, loosening that heavy, coiled bun at her nape until her hair tumbled to her waist in a thick, glossy mass…

  "Gold seems to bring more trouble than it's worth," he said truthfully. "There have been rumors about our mine and gold nuggets found in the creek on our ranch, and it's been hard to convince folks that we're not secretly mining a king's ransom here." He leaned back and took a long swig of hot, black coffee. "We've had some incidents where Lark and I were forced to defend the mine from claim jumpers like Fergus Donovan, and quite a few people in town are still convinced that there's gold to be found here at the E&W Ranch."

  Sarah nodded. "I remember Mr. Donovan. And what you told me about the sheriff." She hesitated. "I've heard that mining can be very dangerous."

  Walt immediately thought of the big accident that had occurred a few years after his father had first opened the mine…and which had convinced Dad to close it again. I don't want to worry her.

  "Well, we do have a few issues with stabilizing some of the mine shafts," he admitted. "Especially the newer ones. There's something about the rock structure that makes that section of the mine more prone to cave-ins."

  He was instantly sorry he had mentioned the possibility of cave-ins when her eyes widened. Me and my big mouth!

  "Will Larkin be all right? Are you safe when you work there?"

  "Perfectly safe," he hastened to reassure her. "Since we partnered up with Jim, we haven't had any major problems in any of the shafts. He knows what to look for and how to stabilize things. Larkin will be fine. Besides, neither of us typically go deep into the mine. We leave that to the experienced miners. Our job is mainly to keep a tally of the ore and to guard the mine against claim jumpers. There's a rail spur behind the hills, and we use it to ship our ore to the smelters in Butte whenever the train comes through Twin Forks."

  "I'm glad to hear that Larkin doesn't actually do the mining himself." She paused, and he could see her thinking.

  Then she asked a question that made his heart sink. "A rail spur? You mean tha
t I could actually catch a train from the ranch rather than having to drive into town?"

  Dammit, Walt chided himself. I don't want to give her any ideas about leaving!

  He shook his head. "It's just an ore car. We pull it to the main track using mules, and then it gets hooked up to the train down at the Twin Forks station."

  Walt was relieved that she seemed to care about Larkin. He was still damned curious what had happened to leave Sarah crying while Larkin went running for the hills.

  What the hell. It can't hurt to ask, can it?

  He ate another forkful of the cobbler, then ventured, "So, while you were milking, I went into my old bedroom. It, uh, didn’t look like Larkin's been sleeping in his bed."