by Ann Mayburn
“Do you have a gun?” Garret asked while Dr. Tibbs and Pastor Milden whispered behind them.
Ted shook his head. “No, can’t afford one.”
“Here,” Pastor Milden said as he held out his revolver to Ted. “Take this. Gentlemen, there are firearms in the cabinet to your right. Arm yourselves.”
Glancing at Pastor Milden’s collar, Ted said, “Thank you.”
Together, the men made their way up to Rowan’s room. Garret’s heart thundered with each step. His fear that they were too late, that Mr. Charles had killed Rowan out of sheer malice, grew until his hand holding his own gun was slick with sweat. They listened carefully as they walked down the hallway to their rooms, but no screams or gunshots rang out in the night.
They quietly entered their own room but left the door to the hallway cracked so they could hear Ted.
Rowan’s brother knocked hard on the door and Garret used the distraction to try the door between the rooms. It was, thank God, open and he cracked it just a little bit, afraid that luck would be against them and Mr. Charles would see. But Ted’s diversion worked, and Garret was able to open the door enough to get a view of the room through the crack.
Rowan and Nancy huddled together on the bed, their arms wrapped around each other as they stared at the doorway where Ted entered the room.
“I can’t find them anywhere,” Ted said as he came inside, then without warning, he turned on Mr. Charles.
Garret sucked in a breath as Ted struggled with the other man, trying to pry away his gun. It went off, and both women screamed as the loud sound echoed through the room. Edward and Garret barreled out of their room, and Edward hit Mr. Charles so hard he almost put him through the plaster wall. Another shot rang out, and Ted cried out in pain, dropping and clutching his head as Garret and Edward proceeded to beat the hell out of Mr. Charles.
They probably would have beat him to death, if not for Dr. Tibbs and Pastor Milden pulling them off, and Rowan’s terrified pleas for them to stop.
“Garret, Edward!” she cried out, “Please, come help me! Ted’s been shot!”
Garret pushed himself up from Mr. Charles limp form, and his heart dropped as he saw his beautiful bride now covered in blood as she held her brother in her arms. Nancy was on her knees beside Rowan, her hands clasped together in prayer as tears rolled down her face. His heart sank as he saw the blood pouring down from Ted’s head, but the young man was still lucid as he reached up with a trembling hand and cupped the side of Rowan’s face.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said through her tears. “I love you so much.”
He didn’t respond, his eyes closing as his color went to a pasty tone that Garret had seen all too often on the battlefield.
“Ted!” she screamed with such heartache that Garret thought his might break.
“Move aside,” Dr. Tibbs ordered in his no-nonsense voice. “If we’re going to have any hope of saving this young man, you need to move.”
Garret and Edward ended up dragging a crying Rowan away, her eyes glassy with shock. Dr. Tibbs ordered some of his staff to put Ted on the bed, and then to go fetch his medical bag.
“Ted,” she sobbed as she held onto their arms. “He came back. I knew he’d come back. I should have waited for him. I should have waited. It’s all my fault if he dies.”
“Shhhh,” Edward hummed against her head. “No anger or sadness in a sickroom. He needs you to be strong, my little tigress. Be strong for him.”
Garret felt her shudder in his arms, and he held her even tighter, guilt and worry filling him. He knew in his gut that if Ted didn’t make it, Rowan would never be the same. She’d carry the remorse of his death with her like a stone around her heart. A group of men came in and dragged a battered and still unconscious Mr. Charles out, promising to keep him locked up in the town’s small jail until the local sheriff could come get him.
They stayed like that for what felt like hours, though Mrs. Tibbs managed to get Rowan to change out of her blood-soaked gown. Food was brought up, but Rowan refused to eat anything as Dr. Tibbs worked on sewing up the long wound along the side of Ted’s head. Nancy sat in the other corner of the room, saying a steady litany of prayers as her fingers moved over her rosary. The wound on Ted’s head started at his temple and went all the way back. Dr. Tibbs gave Ted medicine to keep him asleep as he worked, and by the time he was done putting in twenty-one stitches, they were all exhausted.
Cleaning his hands in a bowl of water, Dr. Tibbs walked over to the side of the room where they all sat in chairs that had been brought up by the staff. “He’s lost a lot of blood, and he wasn’t very strong to begin with. Looks like he’s been missing a few too many meals. Luckily, the bullet skimmed the side of his skull. Didn’t penetrate the bone but I worry that there may be some swelling in his brain from the trauma.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Rowan asked, her voice raw from crying.
“I won’t lie to you, dear girl. He is badly hurt, and we won’t know the extent of the injuries to his brain until he wakes up. Best thing you can do for him right now is to let him rest and pray.”
Rowan let out a little sob, and Nancy handed her father a towel as she said, “Thank you, Pa. He’s a hero; he saved our lives. Mr. Charles was going to…do unspeakable things to us. If Ted hadn’t come…”
Garret wanted to point out that Ted hadn’t saved them alone, but he saw the hero worship in Nancy’s eyes and kept his mouth shut.
“Thank you,” Edward said as he rubbed his thumb along the back of Rowan’s hand. “I know you did your best.”
Rubbing his face with the clean towel, Dr. Tibbs sighed. “I’m spent, so I’m going to try and get some sleep. I’m assuming you won’t be leaving his side?” They all said no, and Dr. Tibbs ran his hands through his mussed up red and white hair. “I’d tell you to try and get some sleep yourselves, but I know you won’t. I will say this—when your brother wakes up, he’s going to want to see his sister. He’d probably be distressed if she looked like she was about to pass out from exhaustion. Try to get some rest.”
Without a word, Rowan let go of their hands and made her way over to the bed. Moving carefully, she laid down next to her brother and took one of his hands in her own. A steady stream of tears leaked from her eyes as she began to whisper to him. Exchanging a glance with Edward, they both settled in for a long night.
* * *
Three weeks later
The violinist played a merry reel that had the revelers spinning madly on the wood floor of the schoolhouse. The desks had been cleared away, and pine boughs hung from the rafters along with silk ribbons and other pretty decorations the women of Bridgewater had made. Laughter and music filled the air, and Garret sat at one of the small tables pushed up against the wall.
Out on the improvised dance floor, the women’s dresses swirled out like colorful flowers as they were passed from partner to partner. Overhead the lanterns blazed, and the heat from the crowd and the cast iron stove at the end of the room kept everything toasty. Outside, more snow fell, and he looked forward to spending the rest of the evening in bed with their wife.
Once he managed to drag her away from the festivities.
Rowan had blossomed in the short time she’d been in Bridgewater, her smile bright and happiness practically radiating from her like the sun.
Garret’s gaze wandered through the crowd, finding Ted sitting next to Nancy not too far away under the watchful eye of Mrs. Tibbs. The young man was recovering well from his injury, though he would bear a rather nasty scar on the side of his face for the rest of his life—not that Nancy seemed to mind. The way she batted her lashes at Ted with stars in her eyes, and the way Ted was gazing at her like she was the only woman in the world, made Garret chuckle.
“What is it?” Edward asked as he returned from the dance floor, his face shiny with sweat.
“Young love,” Garret said as he slid Edward a beer after
he sat down. “I’m guessing it won’t be too much longer before Mrs. Tibbs has another wedding to plan.”
Brushing his upper lip, Edward tilted back in his chair so he could see the couple, then grinned. “Oh yeah, he’s a goner.”
“Rowan will be happy.” Garret’s eyes once again searched for his dancing bride. “She’s been trying to figure out how to get him to stay.”
“You know,” Edward said as he unbuttoned the top of button of his shirt then fanned it out, “this means Mrs. Tibbs would officially become part of our family.”
“Think Dr. Tibbs will approve of the match?”
Chuckling, Garret nodded. “He helped save Nancy’s life. Dr. Tibbs would give Ted the world if he could, but most certainly his daughter’s hand. Especially when his daughter is obviously head over heels for the lad.”
Rolling the half empty glass of beer between his hands, Edwards said, “Do you think we should tell Rowan that Mr. Charles is dead?”
“Yes, eventually, but not right now. She doesn’t need to be thinking about that bastard swinging from the gallows for his crimes tonight.” He gave Edward a wink. “Tonight the only thing I want our lovely wife thinking about is how good it feels to have us inside of her.”
Laughing, Edward clapped him on his back. “Come on, let’s get our bride out of here before she dances herself to sleep.”
Moving to the edge of the crowd, Garret waited until Rowan in her pretty ruby red dress spun by, her golden curls flying.
Catching her by the arm, he then lifted her by her tiny waist and spun her around to a waiting Edward.
Laughing, she panted as she said, “I was dancing!”
“I know you were,” Garret said as he kissed her soft lips, “but you need to save some energy.”
Fanning herself, she stepped from between them, her cheeks rosy and her blue eyes sparkling. “I have plenty of energy.”
Stepping closer, Edward said in a low voice, “You won’t when we’re done with you.”
As Edward swept Rowan into his arms, Garret shouted to the crowd, “Thank you, all of you, for the lovely party, but I am afraid our wife has grown tired and it is time for us to put her to bed.”
The children had gone long ago, and the suggestions yelled out by the crowd grew bawdier by the minute as they left.
Rowan laughed in Edward’s arms when the stepped out onto the shoveled walkway, and their wagon already waited at the door.
Dr. Tibbs stood there, steam rising off him as he smiled. “Drive safe, and God’s blessings upon you all.”
It didn’t take them long to get home, and Edward sprinted up the stairs with Garret in hot pursuit.
Their big two-floor cabin had been built with a large family in mind, and their master bedroom was no exception. The bed itself was custom made by a Bridgewater family, and could easily sleep five grown adults. Which was a good thing because Rowan was known to kick and elbow in her sleep. And for such a tiny thing, she was a blanket hog. He’d woken up more than once with his arse freezing in the air while Rowan was bundled up next to him with the entire quilt wrapped about her.
Leaning up on her elbows, Rowan licked her lips as she said, “Do you know how distracting it is to dance with a phallus in your bum?”
Garret, who was busy stripping out of his clothes, paused. “Pardon?”
“This thing in my bottom,” she pouted. “I kept feeling it all night. Every time it shifted, I thought about what it was like to have your fingers or tongue back there.”
For the past two weeks, they’d been slowly stretching her bottom with a series of smooth, wooden plugs. Rowan had been reluctant at first, but she soon begged them during their bedroom play to play with sweet little arse.
Edward, nude and heavily aroused, crawled onto the bed with their bride. “Are you feeling achy, little tigress?”
“Very,” she pouted.
While Edward helped Rowan out of her dress, Garret went to the cupboard near the bed and took out the special oil they used on Rowan. Rolling the bottle between his fingers, he watched as Rowan giggled and played with Edward, her clothes tossed over the side of the bed until she was how he preferred her, naked. Her body was filling out, now that she was no longer starving, and her breasts had a lovely jiggle to them as Edward tickled her.
He kept the lanterns on either side of the bed burning bright as he joined them, loving the way Rowan smiled up at him. The way she looked at him, with complete devotion and trust, made him feel ten feet tall. Though his cock was eager to get back to its favorite place in the world, inside of her, he took a moment to stroke her cheek and drink in her golden beauty.
Leaning down, he ghosted a kiss over her lips and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said back, her ever-present smile warming him. “Both of you, so very much.”
Edward lay down next to her with a wicked grin. “Do you know what I love?”
“No, what?” their sweet little wife asked.
“When those pretty lips of yours are wrapped tight around my shaft.”
Rolling her eyes, Rowan tried to elbow Edward. “You’re so romantic.”
“What?” Edward said with a laugh. “Would you like me to write a poem to your oral skills? Fair rose with lips like velvet—”
This time, Garret elbowed him. “Why don’t you put that mouth to better use? Ease her while I remove the plug.”
Rowan let out a happy, almost purring sound, knowing what was coming next.
Edward laid on his back, and Rowan eagerly straddled his face, her hands braced on the headboard and her bottom sticking out. He could see the flared base of the dark brown wood plug in her bottom and his dick jerked. Soon, soon he would get to feel her tight heat wrapped around him, but they had to make the experience pleasurable for her as well. One of the skills the men in Lady Uriel’s court had taught him was how to train a woman’s body to take her husbands without pain.
Pouring more oil over her bottom, Garret pushed on her lower back, having her arch even more. She gave a little shuddering moan as Edward worked his mouth between her legs. Easing the plug out a little, he watched her bottom stretch around the plug, the need to take her back there becoming harder to resist. She began to rock on Edward’s face, using him as Garret pushed the plug in, then pulled it out, repeating the motion until she was thrusting back into each plunge.
“There we go,” he soothed her as she cried out, her back arching as she ground her pussy into Edward’s eager mouth, “do you want me inside of you, little tigress? Do you want my cock in tiny bottom?”
“Oh yes,” she practically sobbed. “Please, please, please.”
Pulling the plug out completely, he lifted her from Edwards face and, working together with his best friend, seated her on his thick shaft.
Right away, she began to ride Edward, crying out in protest when they wouldn’t let her move.
“Please,” she cried out, as Garret poured the oil over his shaft, lubricating it. “Please.”
She was so close to her orgasm that he could feel the soft opening of her bottom flex and contract as he pushed the head of his shaft inside of her. The plugs had done their work, and though it was a tight fit and probably a little painful, she opened for him beautifully. Sliding slowly into her, he could feel his shaft rubbing against Edward’s as they both filled her.
Edward groaned, his hips bucking up while Rowan threw her head back with a harsh cry. She began to shake between them, her bottom practically sucking on Garret’s cock as she climaxed. He leaned down, biting her shoulder as Edward began to move and he held still, fully inside of her and dying to fill her up. The effort it took to hold back his own release was close to painful, and yet so exquisitely good, he never wanted the feeling to end. Edward worked his shaft in and out of their wife, and Garret pressed down on her hips, making her clit rub against Edward’s pelvis.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted, her hips wiggling as her bottom pushed against him. “Oh, that feel so good. More.
”
Smiling against the side of her neck, he complied, moving in time with Edward, his fists gripping the headboard next to her slender hands.
Together they bucked and strained, and Garret gave up holding himself back as she squeezed again, her next release making her body so hot and tight. Thrusting himself inside of her, he froze as he felt Edward’s shaft swell inside of her, then began to pulse as his best friend growled out his release. Then Rowan cried out and her gripping channel combined with the knowledge that Edward was cumming, sent Garret over the edge. White hot fire sizzled down his spine and he thrust inside of her as deep as he could. His balls emptied into her as he came close to blacking out.
Slumping forward, his body trembled, or maybe it was hers, as they all rode out what had to be the longest climax in his life. It felt like hours later when he was finally able to think enough to gently pull out of her. Rowan made a pained sound that gave him the energy to roll out of bed and grab the bowl of special cleansing water made with herbs that would sooth her abused flesh. He cleaned her gently, the sight of his cum dripping out of her bottom and down on to Edward’s shaft and balls highly erotic.
Once she was tended, Edward slid her off his still hard shaft and cleaned himself up while Garret cuddled her close. She curled into him, a sleepy little bundle of femininity that was the greatest treasure in the world. As Edward turned off the lanterns, darkness filled the room, broken only from the embers of the fire flickering in the hearth. They bundled up beneath the blankets together, a tangle of limbs and arms, soft kisses and gentle sighs.
“I love you,” Rowan whispered in a sleepy voice.
“I love you, too,” both Edward and Garret said at the same time.
A full moon shone off the glittering snow outside, and as Garret drifted off to sleep, his thoughts were filled with visions of his golden bride.
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