by Marla Monroe
Bolton followed behind him. When they made it down the stairs, it was to find Heather gone from the chair. They panicked. Brandon dropped the sheets and ran to the kitchen with Bolton right behind him. They found her sitting in a chair at the kitchen table.
“Why did leave the chair?” Brandon chided.
“We said we would help you if you called out.” Bolton ran a hand over her head.
“I wanted to see if I could walk by myself. You’ve both carried me to and from the bathroom, and I don’t like that. It’s humiliating. I want to be able to go to the bathroom by myself.”
Bolton felt her embarrassment, and could feel the heat rising in his face. He just hadn’t thought about her needing to do it herself.
“You look winded though,” Brandon pointed out.
Bolton shot him a dirty look. His brother needed to back off of being the naysayer all the time. It was one of the reasons Heather saw him in the light of her being a possession to him.
“It wasn’t easy, but I made it and with practice, I’ll do better. I’m getting my strength back.” She smiled up at both of them.
Bolton felt his heart swell at her smile. She had included Brandon in it. Maybe things were going to work out, after all.
“Will you let me carry you back upstairs now? You really need a rest after all the activity,” Brandon said.
She frowned, but nodded her head. “I am a little tired. I could probably take a nap.”
“That sounds good,” Bolton said. “Brandon, why don’t you lie down with her while I finish up the clothes? Then you can do the chores tonight.”
“I—I will if Heather wants me to.”
Bolton heard the hesitation in his brother’s voice. He looked at Heather to see what she would say.
She licked her lips and nodded.
“Are you sure?”
Bolton could have hit Brandon over the head. Don’t ask if she’s sure, just do it. Idiot.
She raised her arms out to him, and he smiled and gathered her into his arms, mindful of her wounds.
Bolton followed them up the stairs in case Brandon tripped. He would be there to catch them. Then he watched from the doorway as Brandon settled her into the bed beneath the covers. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boots and shirt, but left his thermals on. He lay stiffly beside her. Bolton shook his head and left them to work it out between each other. He couldn’t do that for them no matter how much he wanted to.
Instead, he turned around and walked back downstairs to finish the laundry. With it being cold outside, he would need to hang it up in the living room in front of the fire. They kept a clothesline ready for that purpose. After hanging everything up, he eased upstairs to check on them. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to know that they were okay with each other.
When he peered around the door, he couldn’t help but smile. Heather was lying across his brother with her head on his chest. Brandon had an arm around her waist. Maybe they hadn’t started out that way, but their natural instincts had taken care of it for them. He hoped it would prove to be a balm for them to wake up that way. He wouldn’t wake them up, even if it were time for Brandon to do the evening chores. He’d let them wake up on their own without his presence to complicate things.
* * * *
Heather felt movement beneath her face and the thump, thump sounds of a heartbeat. She was lying on top of Brandon. How had she gotten that way? She would have felt it if he had moved her, she was sure. She must have done it in her sleep. She’d naturally turned to him, knowing he would take care of her. Didn’t that tell her all she needed to know?
“You awake?” he whispered next to her ear.
“You don’t have to whisper. I’m awake.” She went to move off him, but he tightened his arm around her waist.
“Could we just stay like this for a few more minutes? I love the feel of you in my arms.”
“All right.” Heather tried to remain relaxed and not stiffen up.
She must have done okay, since he sighed and cuddled her closer to him. She had to admit, it felt right. She snuggled against his chest and absorbed the warmth and scent of him. She hadn’t really thought about it, but Bolton and Brandon smelled different. Not a lot, but enough that she would always be able to tell them apart.
Finally, he squeezed her a little tighter and eased her off of him. She immediately felt a loss. Not just of his body heat, but his presence.
“I better get up and see about the chores. It’s getting late.”
She turned over and watched him pull his shirt back on and step into his boots. He was a handsome man. She couldn’t get over that he said he loved her. Surely he meant it. She wanted to believe he meant it.
“I’ll send Bolton up so you won’t be alone.”
“That’s okay. I’m fine. He’s probably got things to do.”
“I doubt he has anything more important than spending time with you.” Brandon leaned over and kissed her.
His kiss was a gentle one, but she felt as if he were trying to tell her that he loved her through it. Maybe he really did.
Not long after he left her to go downstairs, Bolton appeared and stripped out of all of his clothes except the bottoms to his thermals. He climbed into bed with her and immediately snuggled close.
“Think you can sleep some more, or do you want to talk?” he asked.
“Hmm, right now, I just want you to hold me.”
Bolton pulled her into his arms and kissed the corner of her mouth. Heather turned her face and kissed him back. She needed more, but she knew he wouldn’t give it to her as long as she was recovering from her ordeal. Her arm did ache still when she used it, but not that badly. She wanted him to make love to her.
She felt him rub his hand up and down her back underneath her T-shirt. It felt so good to have that much skin-to-skin contact. She wanted more.
“Bolton, would you take off my T-shirt for me? I want to feel you against me.”
“Are you sure? I’m afraid you’ll get cold.” He pulled back and looked at her.
“I’m sure. I won’t get cold if you hold me close.”
Bolton sat up in bed and carefully removed her T-shirt. When he lay back down, Heather crawled on top of him and laid her head on his chest. Her breasts pressed into him, and the warmth of skin-to-skin contact felt so good to her. She had missed it the last few days. His chest hair, sparse though it was, tickled her nose, and she smiled, giggling.
“What’s so funny?”
“Your chest hair tickles.”
“Do I need to shave it for you?” he asked, sounding completely serious.
“No, silly. I like it.” She kissed his chest all over until he pulled her up to eye level and kissed her.
She reveled in the sheer beauty of his kiss. He was tender at first, but when she opened her mouth to him, he slid his tongue inside. Heslowly took her to another level of sensuality with the thrust of his tongue in and out of her mouth, mimicking what she wanted him to do to her pussy.
When he pulled back, they were both out of breath, with Bolton’s face strained as if he were hurting. She figured out what it was all about when he pressed his hardened cock against her belly. That was what she wanted. She wanted to feel wanted, not feel like a burden.
“Bolton, make love to me. I want to feel your cock inside of me, filling me up. I don’t want to feel empty anymore.”
“Baby, I want to more than anything in the world, but not while you’re still recovering. You need to heal first.” The strain of holding back was evident in the tightening of his voice.
“I’m fine, Bolton. Please, don’t make me wait any longer.”
“You’ve only had your stitches out one day, Heather. Give it another few days, and I’ll make you feel so good.”
“I can’t wait that long.”
“Eat her pretty pussy, Bolton.”
Heather jumped, then laughed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Sorry, I figured you were too into each oth
er to know it, but I couldn’t wait to see if Bolton would give in to you. I don’t think I could hold out against you.”
Bolton smiled and slid down in the bed pulling the covers down as he went.
“Keep her warm, Brandon, while I taste her sweet cunt.” He hooked his fingers around her panties and pulled them down and off.
Brandon smiled at her and began peeling out of his clothes. He left the bottoms of his thermals on, but climbed into the bed without a shirt.
“I don’t trust myself if I take the bottoms off, and you don’t need that sort of action yet.”
Heather pouted. She had hoped to talk them into sex by rubbing up against their cocks. Still, the thermals had possibilities. They were soft, and if she played her cards right, they might still give in to her.
“I know that look, Heather. You’ve got something brewing in that devious head of yours. We are not fucking you tonight,” Brandon told her, looking like a stern parent.
Heather scraped her nails down his chest, and he lost his stern look, trading it in for one of sensual arousal. She liked that look much better.
“No fair,” he said in a strained voice.
It was at that moment that Bolton chose to lick her slit and brush his tongue against her clit. She shuddered and sighed in pleasure. She needed this. She needed them inside of her more, but this would do.
His tongue licked her like he was cleaning out the bowl of his favorite dish. Her juices began to flow the more he licked and sucked on her pussy lips. He spread them wide and shouldered her legs farther apart before he stabbed his tongue in deeper. Heather moaned and grabbed hold of Brandon’s head to pull him down for a kiss. He let her and immediately pierced her mouth with his tongue.
Brandon used one hand to prop up, but put the other hand to perfect use as far as Heather was concerned. He began playing with her breasts, pulling on her nipples as she slowly began a long crawl up to heaven. When he pulled back from kissing her she whimpered, but he replaced his fingers with his mouth on her breast. With Bolton at her pussy licking her juices, and Brandon sucking on her nipple, Heather began to pant. God, she wanted one of them inside of her. Still, she wasn’t going to complain now. They were making her feel so fucking good.
Bolton surprised her by adding two fingers to her cunt, already swollen from all of his attention to it. She groaned and lifted her hips to meet his slow thrusts.
“Be still, Heather. Let me do the work,” he said.
“I can’t be still.”
“Brandon, can you hold her still?”
Brandon chuckled and placed the palm of his hands on her pelvis and held her still while his brother fucked her with two fingers, then turned his fingers up and explored her pussy to find that spot that drove her crazy. God, if he found that she would come for sure.
Less than ten seconds later, he found it and sent her flying off into nothingness. She was sure she screamed, but Brandon took her cry into his mouth, kissing her as she did.
They both soothed her as she came down from her flight into ecstasy. Brandon brushed her hair away from her face while Bolton rubbed her belly. She shivered, and they immediately changed positions and pulled the covers up over them. Right then, everything felt right in her world.
* * * *
“Do you think I could take a shower tomorrow? I want to wash my hair.”
It came out of nowhere. Brandon was half asleep when she asked.
“Um, maybe. I guess. Your stitches are out, so I don’t think there is any reason you can’t.One of us has to be in there with you to be sure you don’t give out and fall.” Brandon squeezed her good shoulder.
“Maybe both of you could make sure I don’t fall.”
Brandon smothered a laugh. She was not giving up, and he realized in that moment that she had, in her own way, forgiven him. Did he need to hear the words? He wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t push it right now. Now he would just enjoy the closeness they were all three feeling.
“What is she fussing about?” Bolton seemed to wake up at the end of the conversation.
“She wants to take a shower tomorrow.”
“Umhmm, whatcha think?” Bolton’s sleepy voice was muffled by the pillow.
“I said she could with us in the shower with her to be sure she doesn’t fall.”
“Okay. I’ll wash her hair. You get to dry it.”
“That’s right, take the easy part,” Brandon half grumbled.
“Well, neither one of you have to help me. I can do it all myself,” she huffed.
“Oh, no, baby. We’re going to make sure you get squeaky clean, and are safe in the process.” Brandon laughed when she snorted at him.
“What’s so hard about drying my hair anyway?”
“Nothing. I like drying your hair,” Brandon confessed. He loved the sensual feel of it against his skin as it dried into spun silk.
“Let’s go back to sleep,” Bolton fussed.
Brandon and Heather looked at each other and laughed. She giggled, and he laughed because he didn’t giggle. It felt good. Everything felt good right then. He only hoped it would stay that way. He hoped this wasn’t just a dream, or her way of getting back at him.She could be making him feel accepted then tell him she didn’t love him anymore.
He frowned. She wasn’t like that. Heather didn’t have a vindictive bone in her body. She would never do that to him. If she was accepting him now, she would always accept him. He just had to make certain that he never gave her any reason to regret her decision to forgive him.
Chapter Ten
Three weeks later, they settled into their old routine of her working in the house and them working out on the farm. They checked in with her frequently, though. Bolton didn’t like leaving her at all now, but they had to take care of the farm, or they would be without food and shelter. They didn’t let her go out to the chickens or to milk the cow alone anymore before the sun was up. One of them always went with her. She didn’t like it, but couldn’t say much about it.
Bolton looked back toward the house from his vantage point on one of the fences he and Brandon were repairing. He longed to be there with her. But that wouldn’t happen for hours yet. They needed to make it at least halfway around the fence line today to assure they didn’t lose any more cattle.
There hadn’t been any more snow to amount to anything, so they were fairly sure spring was on the way. Spring meant a lot more work for all of them. Between calving and planting the garden, they would be hard-pressed to get everything done. They would kill a couple of cows and smoke the meat to take it to Barter Town to trade for other things they needed. Maybe next year, they would have canned goods to trade as well. They’d eaten everything out of their small garden over the winter. They would be planting a larger garden this year, since they had Heather to work in it.
Bolton jumped down from the fence and picked up the tools to move on to the next section.
“Think she’s okay?” he asked Brandon for the third time since they’d been out.
“She would fire the rifle if something was wrong. You know that.”
“Can’t help but be worried.”
“I know, but we have to work. She’s become a good shot with the rifle.”
Bolton nodded, then cursed at the rotten wood of the next fence post. “This one will have to come out. Do we still have some timbers we can use to replace it?”
“Got two left. Have to cut some more tomorrow, I guess.”
They dug the old post out and set in a new one. Then they worked on running the barbed wire to it. Bolton used the wire puller to keep the wire tight while his brother nailed the wire securely to the fence post.
“Okay, that takes care of that.” Bolton ran a hand across his forehead to wipe away the sweat. Despite the cool weather, they had both worked up a sweat.
“Only another two hundred yards to go,” Brandon teased.
“You can’t tell me you aren’t wanting to get back to her, too.”
“Nope, I want to be snug in
side that tight pussy of hers, but we have to be out here. Besides, she’s busy taking care of the house.”
“Everything is okay between you two now, right?” Bolton asked as he checked a post by kicking it.
“Yeah, everything is fine. I’m lucky as hell she’s so forgiving. I don’t know what I would have done had she chosen not to.”
“What are we going to do when she gets pregnant?”
Brandon missed hitting a nail and tapped his thumb.
“Fuck!” He glared at his brother. “What did you say?”
“Unless both of us are sterile, it’s going to happen. It’s not like we miss a night between us.”
“Hell, I really hadn’t thought about it. I guess we have a kid.”
Bolton chuckled at the look of worry on Brandon’s face. He never would have thought Brandon would panic at the thought of children. Surely he wanted kids.
“Don’t you want children?”
“Yeah, I love children. I just hadn’t thought about having them. I mean we’re just getting started as a family. Hopefully we’ll have another year to settle in.”
“We’ve already been here six years now. I think we’re pretty settled by now, don’t you think, brother?” Bolton asked with his tongue in his cheek.
“Smart-ass. I mean settle as a family. We’ve had a tough time starting off.”
“I wonder what Heather thinks about kids, and if she’s thought about getting pregnant?” Bolton looked off toward the house once again.
“Ah, hell. Go check on her, but don’t stay too long. Get a quickie in if you have to, then come right back.” Brandon took his hat off and wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt before resettling it on his head.
Bolton smiled and took off running for the house. He slowed up once he was in viewing distance so if she saw him running she wouldn’t think something was wrong. When he made it up to the back porch she was already outside waiting on him.
“What’s going on?” she asked with a frown.
“Nothing. I wanted to see you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Naw, you wanted a quickie, is what you wanted. What if I said no?”
