by Reece Butler
She shrugged. “Never tried them. I thought you’d like them.”
He pulled out a baggie full of brown, lumpy cookies. They were frozen, but he didn’t care. He must have said something that she’d picked up on, so she’d got them for him. He pulled down a plate and emptied the baggie.
“This is the one of the reasons we like you, Jane,” he said as he worked. “Yes, you’re a fantastic bed partner, and you’re beautiful, even when you’re not trying. But that’s window dressing.” He set the plate on the counter in front of her. “You notice things that will make us happy and you do something about it, like these cookies.”
She absently took one and bit a piece off.
“These are good,” she mumbled. Though she covered her mouth, she didn’t wait to speak, as she had when they first met.
“They look homemade,” he said, and tried one. They tasted homemade as well, bursting with flavor. It was a man’s cookie, with molasses and cloves, full of nuts and raisins to chew.
“Mrs. Jacobs made them. She said young men would enjoy them.”
“Who’s Mrs. Jacobs?”
“She has a ground-floor condo on the far side of the pool.”
“Why would she make cookies for me and Riley?”
“She hurt her foot and couldn’t walk her dog. I’ve been taking the wee beastie when I bring Buster for a walk.” She smiled to herself. “Bitsy is a Yorkie, about the size of Buster’s head. But she doesn’t know it. She has the attitude of an Alsatian. Mrs. Jacobs keeps her fur out of her eyes with barrettes. The two of them have matching pink toenail polish.”
“What does Buster think about it?”
“Mrs. Jacobs gives him homemade dog biscuits so he ignores Bitsy. Since she doesn’t know she’s a dog, she ignores him as well.”
“So Buster gets dog biscuits, and I get cookies.” He grabbed a couple from the plate. An idea formed. “You have any of those doggie treats?”
“Yes, I do. Why?”
He offered Jane the plate. When she refused more, he put them back in the baggie, zipped it closed, and stashed it in the back of the freezer where it might be safe from Riley. The kettle whistled, so he made them cups of tea. It smelled like dead weeds to him, but he’d choke it down if it helped Jane relax. He’d eaten a lot worse over the years.
“I bet Riley would love a biscuit when he and Buster get back from their walk,” he said. “And I mean a dog biscuit, not a cookie.”
Jane’s eyes sparkled. She bit her lip, trying to look severe. “That wouldn’t be right.”
Seeing that sparkle return dropped sixteen tons of weight from his shoulders.
“Riley won’t notice. He shares his food with Buster all the time.” He gave her a slow, seductive smile. “Why not do it the other way around?”
Jane frowned as if seriously considering it, then laughed. “Brothers, always trying to one-up each other. You had me going for a minute.”
“I’ll make you a bet. Offer one of those dog biscuits to Riley. He’ll break it in half, and give part of it to Buster. He won’t notice a thing.”
She dropped her head, using the excuse of staring at her tea. “Is this a real bet?”
“Define ‘real.’”
“With consequences if you win, or lose.”
His cock sat up and took notice. Her headlights were on high beam. He spoke before she could take a sip of the hot brew in case she choked.
“If Riley eats the biscuit and shares it with Buster without knowing it’s not people food, you’ll marry us?”
She stopped with her lips just shy of the mug. She set it down with a thump on the counter and glared.
“You think I’d agree to something so life-changing because of a bet over dog biscuits?”
“Okay, that rules out silly bets. What would it take to get you to say yes?”
He looked down at her furious glare. He’d given her the bunny mug because it looked feminine. Even when she wielded a hammer or took the back end of a two-by-ten, she was all female. Not in a fussy way, worried she’d break a nail or smear lipstick. No, Jane had gained scrapes, slivers, and bruises without a word of complaint. It had suggested to him, rather strongly, that she might like a bit of sting with her loving.
“You don’t want to marry me. You just want to protect me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Jane. Wrong, and right.”
It was his turn to take a moment to think. The tea stunk, but he took a slug anyway. As expected, it tasted of crushed weeds. As he set it down, having done his bit to make her relax, he congratulated himself for not getting any bits stuck between his teeth.
“I want to marry you for many reasons, Jane. One is to protect you, yes. But even if you were from a happy family, and had no enemies, that would be true. A husband and father protects and provides for his woman and children. It’s part of being a man.”
She didn’t acknowledge him, but he kept on going.
“I’m a real man, Jane. Not a bully, or a bastard who sees you only for what you can do for him.”
“What can you do for me, Travis Adams?” she asked.
She so rarely used his name that the words hit him hard. Like Cupid’s arrow, it struck him in the heart.
“What can I do for you? Compared to the wealthy men you’ve associated with all your life, not much. We’re Montana ranchers. It’s a hard life, for man, woman, and beast. But I can’t imagine living anywhere else, or doing anything different.”
She didn’t say anything, just stared at her tea, hands clasped around that bunny mug, so he continued.
“If you marry a rancher, you won’t be pampered. You’ll go to bed tired, sometimes so beat that you don’t think you’ll ever get up again. But five o’clock comes, and you’re hauling on your jeans to do the morning chores. Any extra money goes to keep the ranch going so that our children, grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren will have the same opportunity. Tanner’s Ford Valley’s been that way since the eighteen-sixties, and we don’t see any need to change things. We’re part of a caring community. We do for ourselves, but we’re always ready to give someone a hand. That’s a hand up, not a handout,” he added. “You don’t stay long in ranch country if you’re not willing to work hard.”
She traced her finger around the bunny’s ears, still silent.
They wanted a wife and children, and they needed someone who’d be good on a ranch, as well as a great mother. Jane had the right mix of enthusiasm, dedication, loyalty, and sheer determination to make it as a ranch wife. She also did things to him, and to his brother, that no other woman ever had. Things that had him tied up in knots as he spun in circles thinking about living the rest of his life with her, or being alone.
“We can give you something you’ve never known. Something you want.”
He waited, but she just stared at the mess in her mug. The level was still pretty high, so maybe she didn’t like the stuff either.
“We can give you a home, Jane. A home and family, and I don’t mean just me and Riley. There’s nine ranches in the Valley, plus lots of other families in Climax and the surrounding area. We might fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but when the chips are down, we’re there for each other. Folks don’t like strangers coming in and messing with the ones they hold dear. You’d be safe there.”
She pushed her mug away. He took both and dumped them in the sink while he had the chance.
“But, I’d be a stranger,” she said quietly.
“No, Jane, you’d be family. And you won’t have to marry us for that.”
“How, then?”
He walked around the partition and sat on the stool beside her. Though he wanted to haul her into his arms and promise she’d be safe, he let her be for now. She needed to feel strong. He could be her shield, but she needed to grow her own armor. She’d grown a lot of it over the years, but the wrong kind. She needed armor built from caring and, dammit, love!
“You’d be part of the J Bar C Ranch. Most of mom’s relatives are from
the city. She could say you’re one of them, fed up with city life and eager to see the real heart of America. No one need know you even met us before.”
He swallowed hard at that, but if it would keep Jane safe, he’d have to live with it. So would Riley.
“What about…us?”
His heart, and cock, jumped. “Us?”
Her lips pursed for a moment. They were so kissable, those lips. Soft and pink and—
“You, me, Buster, and Riley. Us.”
“If you want there to be an ‘us,’ Jane, just say the word.”
“I meant, how could I live in your parents’ home, if we’ve”—she waved her hand—”you know.” Her cheeks turned pink.
He sat back. Now he understood. This put a different spin on things.
“You’d be embarrassed to live in the same house as my parents if the three of us are sleeping together. That is, assuming you want us to continue enjoying each other’s company.”
Her blush deepened.
“We’re sending our parents on a Mediterranean cruise with the Frosts, their best friends from the Circle C Ranch. After the cruise, they want to tour North America in a pair of RVs for the rest of the summer.”
He didn’t add that they seniors would be stopping at kinky conferences to get ideas and clients for their new dungeon furniture business.
“They won’t be at the ranch?”
He shook his head. “If we have anything to say about it, both sets of parents are retiring from ranch work this spring. When Dad’s around, he gives orders to us. Same with uncles Matt and Eric Frost. Their daughter, Lila, wants a chance to prove she can do as well as if she was male.”
“Doesn’t she have brothers?”
“Yes, two of them. But neither want the ranch. Lila’s been nuts about it since before she could walk.”
Jane was silent for a bit. “What about you, Travis?”
How could he sum up everything he felt without scaring her away? “What do I think about you being at the ranch, with me and Riley?”
She nodded.
“I’d be the luckiest man alive as long as you wanted to stay, and be with us day and night.” She got even redder, fidgeting with her fingers and looking away.
“What if I left?”
He blew out his breath. He rubbed his chest with his knuckles, already feeling the pain of losing her.
“If you stayed for a while, and then left, I’d look back on those memories and try to remember that once, for a while, I held someone precious in my arms.”
Chapter 24
A few very busy days later Jane finished wiping down the counter after supper. Riley was upstairs working as usual. Travis was on the Internet, sending photos of their progress to their clients.
They’d spent long hours working on the upstairs unit, crashing into bed after she was already asleep. Every night she’d get Buster, take him for a walk, then put out a late-night snack for the men before heading off to bed. Buster was good company but she’d learned there was something much better to kiss before sleeping than the top of a furry head.
Two days ago when she came back from a walk she’d discovered a butt plug on her dresser, instructions on downloading erotic romance books, and an account with a fifty-dollar credit. She’d skimmed many excerpts before selecting a couple of erotic ménage books. Reading them had led to her trying the toys, which led to…now.
Travis sat in the easy chair with his laptop. She walked around to the breakfast bar and sat carefully on the hard stool with her back to him. She’d put the butt plug in that afternoon, planning to take it out before starting supper, but didn’t have time. She was shy about removing it, wanting them to be elsewhere before she did. He’d surely go upstairs in a moment, so she pretended to write a grocery list.
She was still thinking about Riley’s suggestion of marriage. It would be easy to say yes. She’d love to have a couple of cowboys in her life. But she wouldn’t marry for convenience. Marriage should be to someone you knew well, and trusted. Love would be good, but she didn’t know if that was possible. Her mother had thought she and her fiancé were in love, discovering too late he was a monster.
Her own situation was quite different. She’d learned a lot about Travis and Riley by living with them for weeks. She’d listened to them arguing about jobs, had watched them wrestling each other in the surf, and had been intimate with them. She was not going to settle for affection and hot sex. She dreamed of the deep, abiding love that could rip a woman’s heart if it was lost. She’d only seen love in movies. Did it exist in real life?
Riley and Travis were funny, and affectionate, and more. But was it love? Even though she’d seen them day and night, were they showing their true colors? Would they act the same under the strains and stresses of ranching? And how could she even contemplate staying with them if she knew nothing about that life?
If she did walk away, would she ever find someone who cared about her as much? It might not be love they felt for her, but it was so much more than she’d ever had. Should she settle for what she had now?
She rolled her lips over her teeth, fighting tears. It did no good. One fell on the back of her hand, then another. She wiped them away quickly. She would not allow pity when she’d been given this marvelous chance at life. She was free of the dictator who’d ruled her existence. She had two men who cared for her, and wanted to protect her. For now.
Riley and Travis laughed and played, roughhousing with their dog and each other, then worked like devils to get a hard day’s work done. They came down for dinner, kissed her senseless before showering, praised her cooking, and helped cleaned up. They laughed like a family. But the best was when they took her to bed and did wickedly wonderful things.
Unfortunately there’d been none of that since Riley proposed. It had been nothing but work. She understood they wanted to finish early to get the bonus to pay for their mother’s holiday, but the timing made her wonder. Were they having second thoughts? Did Riley avoid her because he didn’t mean what he said, and wanted to pull back his proposal? Was Travis as uncertain about Riley’s marriage idea as she was?
“That brain of yours is ticking pretty loud, sweetie.”
She was swept off the stool and into Travis’ arms. He collapsed on the couch, still holding her. Luckily, she landed with the plug in the open area between his thighs. How did he know how much she needed this? He held her for a few moments as she relaxed into his embrace.
“Talk to me, Jane. What are you thinking about?”
Her breath caught. He’d used the commanding voice that made her shiver in eagerness. The one she couldn’t deny. No, the one she chose not to deny. She tried to sit up, but he held her where she was. She cleared her throat and looked at her hands rather than his face.
“How you can tell when I want you to hug me and make me feel like a little lost girl who’s found a home in your lap.”
He kissed the top of her head, something he did a lot. It made her feel warm and protected.
“I feel your need for a cuddle, so I give you one.”
She tilted her head back to look up at him. He winked. The right side of his mouth curved up in a satisfied smile, as if he’d done something wonderful and was proud of himself.
“Right now you don’t look like the powerful boss-man you like to pretend you are,” she said.
His eyes went dark. He didn’t move, but everything changed as if he’d flipped a switch. She shivered at the intensity of his gaze.
“Pretend, Jane?”
His soft, dangerous tone made her pussy quiver. She clenched her muscles. The butt plug reminded her its purpose was to arouse. It was working overtime.
“I don’t pretend,” he continued. “I haven’t had to put my foot down because you’ve done very well so far.”
“Put your foot down?” His legs tensed under her, like a crouching tiger bundling its muscles to attack.
“Where I come from, a man is in charge. What he says, goes. Everyone obeys, or face
s the consequences.”
He patted her hip where her bottom curved.
“What consequences?” she managed to croak. The answering gleam in his eyes suggested he’d wanted her to ask that question.
“When a woman disobeys a direct order, she gets spanked. As in her man’s bare hand on her bare ass.”
Why did the thought of being spanked by Travis make her pussy flood? She shifted on his lap. His hand roved over more of her back end. She pressed her thighs together to hold in the aroma of her arousal.
“You’re saying you expect your wife to be the same?” His nod was slow and intense. “I don’t want an arrogant man think he could rule me.”
“Your father abused you. We don’t tolerate that in Climax.”
“Why do women put up with being ordered around?”
“My mother, like pretty much every wife who’s ever lived on a Tanner’s Ford ranch, is definitely strong-minded. Mom is also physically strong. But my dad doesn’t rule my mother, Jane. He guides her.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A Dom’s job is to take care of his woman. He teaches her what she needs to learn, even if she resists. He comforts her, provides for her, and protects her. In return, she obeys him.”
“That sounds pretty one-sided. What does your mom get out of it?”
“Mom, and the others who live this way, seem pretty happy. They know they’re loved, and that their men will do everything they possibly can to make them happy, and to protect and provide for their children.”
“So, it’s not all one-sided?”
He barked a laugh. “I told you the women are strong-minded. They wouldn’t put up with a man they couldn’t respect. A petty, vicious dictator, like the man who raised you, wouldn’t have a chance of kissing any of their boots.” He paused. “Here’s an example. You know my mom wants to go on this cruise this summer, then tour North America in an RV?”
She nodded.
“Neither of my fathers had the slightest interest in doing something like that. They’re happy on the J Bar C, doing what they’ve been doing all their life. But the one thing that Mom has wanted to do the whole time they were married, was travel. You can’t leave a ranch for a vacation like you can an office job. So Mom looked at travel magazines when she was at appointments in the city, and said nothing.”
