by Lacey Davis
They would sound the alert. After Mr. Bartlett’s interruption in their lives, she knew enough about Bridgewater to know that men would be arriving soon. And a sense of relief overcame her as she locked the door.
15
When Daniel reached home, he knew trouble had arrived. Martin and their wife were in the kitchen and his father sat in the parlor staring off into space in that way that let him know he was not happy.
As he strolled into the house, he frowned. “Papa, I thought you were coming to my business.”
“Change of plans,” he said. “I decided to come out here so I could arrange for a buyer for your property.”
Anger rushed through Daniel and he knew the man was furious.
“Imagine my surprise when this young woman is at the door and she claims she is your bride.”
“She is,” he said not ashamed at all that he married Georgia.
His father stood and began to pace the floor. “What is wrong with you? I have the perfect woman waiting in Philadelphia. Beautiful, wealthy, from a great family, and you instead decide to marry this girl from the uncivilized part of the country?”
Daniel clenched his fists. Wouldn’t most family members greet you with a hug, a hello and an it’s been so long. I missed you? No, not his father. Instead, he went right in on him not marrying who he wanted him to.
And he hated that girl. He’d known her since school and they'd fought. Why in the world would his father think she was perfect for him? Except for the wealth. For his father, it was always about the money.
“Do not speak of my beautiful wife, Georgia, that way,” he told his father. “We’re married. I’m happy and I have no plans of returning to Philadelphia with you."
The man stopped in the middle of his pacing. “What are you talking about? Of course, you’re coming back with me. The family business is going to be yours someday. You have a family there. This,” he said waving his arms, “is just you rebelling. Your place is back in Philadelphia. Bring your wife with you, I don’t care.”
The memory of Philadelphia, the busy city, bustling people, smoke and noise was not an enticement. Especially when all he had to do was open the door, breathe in the fresh air, gaze at the mountains, and know he was home. This was where he belonged.
Bridgewater.
Georgia, Martin, and he were hoping to start a family. And how would his father react to the knowledge that Martin and he shared a wife? The urge to shout it to him was strong, just to get him to leave.
“I’m not leaving Bridgewater,” he said softly. “I don’t want the family business and you’re not going to force me.”
The man turned and glared at him. “Oh, I’m not going to force you?” The man took a deep breath. “You’ll be cut out of the will. Your next brother will inherit the business. You will get nothing.”
At this, Daniel started to laugh. “You know, Father, I looked forward to seeing you. It’s been three years since I left Philadelphia. I do miss my family. My brothers and sisters and my dear, sweet mother who you have not mentioned even once. But when I walk into my home and you’re sitting there with a chip on your shoulder ready to attack me and insist that I sell and come home, why would I want to?”
The man sighed and walked away. “This was not how I planned this visit. It was just such a shock learning of your marriage. You never once mentioned her in your letters.”
“And that’s because the marriage was sudden.”
“Did you get her with child? If so, we have the money to take care of it.”
It took everything Daniel had not to scream at the man. “No, Father, I didn’t. And I’m not ending my marriage. I will be married to Georgia until death.”
The man shook his head. “So you’re really not coming home with me?”
“No, I’m not and if you decide to remove me from the will, I’ll be fine. If you had come to town, like I asked, I could've shown you my business. Martin and I have cattle out here, and eventually, we’ll be full-time ranchers. My net worth is enough that I don’t have to ever work again. So I don’t need your money.”
A deep sigh left the man and his shoulders slumped. “We were hoping you would come home. Your mother does not like her children scattered across the country. Your brother August just left for Texas. Some place called Blessing. Your oldest sister is engaged and we wanted our family back together.”
For a moment, Daniel wondered if he would feel this way when his sons and daughters began to leave the house.
“Papa, I know it must be a terribly unsettling time with everyone growing up and leaving. But I never liked Elizabeth Wister. In fact, we never got along as children. There may come a time when we come home to visit, but I’m happy here. This is where I will be living. I’m not going back to Philadelphia to live permanently or to run your business. I have my own.”
The man deflated at the knowledge and Daniel felt sadness. No one liked to see their parent hurting. But the man had handled this the wrong way. Always in his life, his father was a take charge, get it done his way or no way. You couldn’t argue with the man and win.
And yet, Daniel just had.
The door to the kitchen opened and Martin and Georgia carried out steaming dishes. “Dinner is ready.”
“Papa, I would appreciate it if you would apologize to Georgia. Whitmore’s wife told me you were very rude to her.”
“Well, she didn’t exactly open the door and invite me in.”
“She couldn’t, sir,” Martin replied. “She is not allowed to have strange men in the house. She did exactly what she was supposed to do until I arrived.”
The man shook his head. “I apologize, Georgia. I didn’t know my son had married and it was quite a shock to learn he had a wife.”
“Apology accepted. Please be seated and let’s have dinner. I’ve made up the guest room for you and you’re welcome to stay the night.”
Her husbands both frowned at her. Daniel knew the man had to stay here, but his presence would keep them from taking advantage of their wife. Hopefully, tomorrow, he would be gone. Home to Philadelphia alone.
16
That night after they had retired to the bedroom, the three of them lay side by side and stared at one another. Georgia was frustrated. Tonight had shown her just how little she knew about her husbands and it was time for them to come clean.
She needed to hear their backgrounds, know more about them, so she could understand them even better.
“I’ve come to a conclusion,” she said, gazing at each of them.
They were beside her in bed, the two of them trying their best to keep their hands off her.
“No more secrets. After learning that my husband was supposed to be marrying a socialite, I need to know about both of you. Since we married, we’ve not really talked about our past lives, only the present. Tell me about your families. I want to know everything.”
The two men glanced at her in obvious discomfort. She could tell they didn’t like talking about themselves, but she needed to know their pasts. Already, she’d made the mistake with his father, and while the man had apologized, she knew they would never be close.
Georgia was not high in society like Daniel’s family and she would never be accepted. His father wanted Daniel to marry that snobby girl groomed with fashionable clothing and a silver spoon.
No one had spoken. “Most of the time, I obey you, but this time, gentlemen, I’m asking you to do what I ask. Tell me more about yourselves.”
The tone of her voice was stern. This could be their first fight.
“Martin, you should go first. You’ve never told me what happened with your leg. Only that you were shot during the war. What war were you in?”
With a sigh, he glanced at her, shaking his head, his eyes flickered with annoyance. “It’s not something I like to discuss.”
“I know. You haven’t let me see your leg.”
“No,” he said sharply. “I grew up not far from where Daniel lived in Philadelphia. My father wa
s a newspaper man and my mother…” he sighed. “She was the best. I have a little sister who is married. My family was ordinary. The kids went to school. We went to church on Sunday and my father worked long hours and often could be found in a bar. He wasn’t a mean drunk, but he loved his whiskey.”
Her mouth opened in an O, and for a moment, she felt sad for him.
“After school, my father wanted me to go to work at the newspaper and I didn’t want to. So when Daniel told me he was joining the Mohamir army, I signed up. We went off to war together. We didn’t see a lot of action, but one day, a young boy was trapped in a gun fight. I dragged him to safety, but in saving him, I was shot. Tore my calf muscle to pieces and then infection set in. When I awoke, they had amputated my leg.”
She reached over and hugged him. “That is so heroic. Saving a boy from dying. Oh my.”
“It was the prince’s son and he rewarded me, but still, I would rather have my leg back,” he said taking a deep breath. “When we came home, my mother had passed away. My sister was married and my father took one look at me and said he was not supporting me. He told me I should never have gone off to that foreign war.”
Anger raged through Georgia at the way his father had treated him.
“Fortunate thing was with the funds from the prince and what my grandfather had left me, I didn’t need his help. Plus, he’d remarried and I wasn’t about to live with him and my stepmother, the barmaid he had been having an affair with for years.”
Georgia could feel the anger and the hurt that radiated from Martin and she reached over and stroked his arm, wanting to comfort him, not knowing what to say.
He shook his head and he gazed at Georgia. “When Daniel said he was coming to Montana and asked me if I wanted to go, I said yes. So here I am. I miss my sister, but I have no family left in Philadelphia. No one I will go to see.”
Georgia reached over and kissed him softly on the lips, her mouth moving over his. “That’s your reward for being so brave and telling me about your past. Thank you.”
“Hey, what about my reward?” Daniel asked.
“You didn’t tell me about the woman you were to wed. You didn’t tell me your father was coming. All this I had to learn on my own. But now you can fill in the gaps,” she said.
A frown crossed his face and his brows drew together giving him a pouty look.
“My family is very wealthy. I’m the oldest son of nine children. Our family life was probably typical for there being so many children. Don’t think my mother raised us on our own, oh no. We had a nanny who wielded a mean spoon. Papa has expected me to take over their business since I am the first born. The problem is I find it incredibly boring. Banking is not anything I would ever want to do.”
With a sigh, he glanced at Martin. “After we graduated from school, I decided I wanted to travel. I learned the Mohamir army was looking for men to be their soldiers. So I joined mainly to escape my father, but also hoping to see more of the world. Martin came with me.”
He gave a little laugh. “We saw more than we expected and learned much about how other people live. The reason our Bridgewater home exists is because we learned about men sharing a woman in Mohamir. And we knew it was something we wanted to explore.”
“So how did you become engaged?”
“When I returned, they immediately wanted me to go into the banking business. Papa and Mr. Wister decided the two of us should marry. I said no. I knew Elizabeth and we would never work together. So when I heard that Ian and Whitmore had started this settlement in Bridgewater, Montana, I decided to check it out.”
With a laugh, he smiled at Georgia. “Little did I know that I would get involved with minerals, selling and buying them from the locals, making more money than I could imagine. Then Martin and I bought this land and built a house on it, hoping that eventually, we would find a woman we could share and have a family with.
"In the meantime, Papa had grown tired of waiting for me to come home, so he hopped on a train and then a stage to arrive in Butte. Right before I met you, I learned he was coming. I had no intention of ever returning to Philadelphia and marrying Elizabeth. She was not who I wanted. And after I met you, there was no possible way things would have ever worked out. You are who I am meant to be with.”
She leaned over and kissed him. He said all the right words she needed to hear.
“Thank you, gentlemen. I feel so much better knowing something about you. Now when our children ask, I can tell them. When family and strangers ask about my men, I can give them a little information. No more secrets between us.”
After her father, she could not take any more deception or secrets or being tricked. She was done with the dishonesty in any relationship and would not accept it any longer. And her men now knew it.
“Since we’ve been good, I think you should reward us,” Martin said with that impish grin she loved, but very seldom saw.
“And how would I do that?”
“You could suck my cock,” he said with a smile.
“Can we do that without making a lot of noise? Remember, Daniel’s father is right down the hall.”
“Oh, yes,” Daniel said with a grin. “Good idea, Martin.”
“What do I do?” Georgia asked already climbing over Martin.
He moved the sheet and showed her his hard cock. “Put your mouth around me and suck. I’ll guide you.”
Leaning over him, she placed her mouth around the bulbous head. The skin felt smooth as silk as she ran her tongue around the edges.
“That’s it,” he said. “Keep doing that and suck on the end of it.”
She continued to lick and kiss and suck on his cock until she felt Daniel’s fingers on her clit. Oh no, he couldn’t or she would make too much noise.
A moan escaped from her around Martin’s cock.
“Oh, yes, keep doing that,” he said. “Make her moan again.”
Daniel’s fingers slipped through her folds and he twisted her clit. Again, she moaned.
Martin gripped her hair as he shoved his cock as far into her throat as he could. For a moment, she feared she could not breathe, but then she realized she could still get air through her nose.
“Swallow it all,” he said as he shoved his cock down into her throat and Daniel twisted her clit at the same time.
Bursts of color exploded behind her eyes as they both came. When she’d swallowed everything, they collapsed onto the bed.
“What are we going to do now?”
“Hey, don’t forget me,” Daniel said, rolling over on top of her.
She glanced at Martin and they both laughed knowing Daniel could never be left out.
“Oh, Daniel,” she said with a laugh. “How could I forget you?”
“You can’t,” he said as he shoved his cock into her mouth. “I’m fucking unforgettable.”
17
Early the next morning, Martin observed Daniel as he watched his father ride away. Part of him felt sad, but he knew his partner made the right decision. Daniel's place was here in Bridgewater with his bride and him.
“Are you sad to see him go?” Martin asked. As for himself, he didn’t miss his father, but sometimes he would have enjoyed seeing his sister again.
“Not really. He really pushed me yesterday and that’s not the right life for me. Being here with you and Georgia is where I’m meant to be. I have no doubts.”
Martin nodded, but talking about their past last night and having Georgia make them promise that there would be no more secrets between them, bothered him. Daniel had paid off her father’s debts, and last night, he had not told Georgia. This morning, it sat like a heavy burden on Martin’s chest.
“Why didn’t you mention the truth to her last night?”
A frown crossed Daniel’s face and his brows drew together. Martin knew he was in a mess.
“I’m worried. If she ever learns I paid off her father’s debts, she’s going to be angry. She’s going to think I bought her and I didn’t. All I did was k
eep her father out of trouble and Mr. Bartlett hopefully away.”
There were standing outside and one of the men from Bridgewater rode by. They lifted their hats to say hello.
Uneasiness spread through Martin. Somehow he had to convince Daniel it was best to tell her the truth.
“Maybe you should tell her why you did it. Maybe you should explain to her that this was the only way that you could save her father and mother and keep Mr. Bartlett at bay. I just fear she’s going to learn someone else’s version of the truth.”
Daniel rubbed his face. “It’s just that we had that drama with my father. I’d like for the next few days with Georgia to be peaceful. What if I tell her this weekend? That way we can have the rest of the week to explore and share our wife.”
Martin didn’t like putting off the truth, but Daniel was right that his father’s visit had been tumultuous and trying. “As long as you tell her soon.”
“I will this weekend,” he promised. “So what do you think of our wife? Do you think marrying her was a good idea?”
Martin grinned. “It's the best decision we’ve ever made. I still worry that if something were to happen to you, I couldn’t take care of her. It’s hell only having half a leg.”
“Well, hopefully I’m going to be around a while. But I’ve seen you use a gun. You’re not being confidant. You’re stronger than most men I know. If you had to, you could protect Georgia just fine.”
A sigh escaped from Martin. His friend was right, but that didn’t mean he still didn’t worry. He would take his last breath defending Georgia.
“I hope you’re right,” he told Daniel.
They started toward the house. The smell of bacon frying and eggs cooking drifted through the door. “She’s becoming a very good cook.”
“Yes,” Martin said, thinking of all the dishes she had burned that Daniel didn’t know about.
“This morning I put in the next to last plug. We’ll soon be able to take her at the same time.”
