by Reece Butler
“I’ll be damned,” said Henry, staring after him. “Something’s got under his skin about you as well.” He shrugged. “You’d better stay clear of Sin as well as Ace.”
“I’m planning to.”
Chapter Three
Jessie had her bedroll and morning ablutions taken care of and a fire going long before the snores of the three men sleeping nearby changed into morning grumbles. They took shifts all night with the cattle, taking turns with the Elliotts. She was glad to get a quick visit with Patrick. Her youngest brother was now twenty-one and relieved to be out from under Finan MacDougal’s harsh hand. He swore to keep her identity a secret.
It was Bonham money that Ben used to buy and stock the Bitterroot Ranch.
Their mother, Louisa Bonham, eloped with Benjamin Elliott, a man far beneath her, and travelled west. Of course, she was immediately disinherited. Though her maiden sister was the last of a distinguished family, Jessamine Bonham had standards. Bonham money would go to the Elliotts only if they proved they were ladies and gentlemen.
To get her inheritance, Jessie had to complete two years at the Virginia Female Institute, behaving like a perfect lady the entire time. When Ben visited her and charmed Miss Jessamine Bonham, their mother’s maiden sister, she’d deemed him acceptable enough to receive a Bonham inheritance. As he was a lawyer, she gave him Ranger and Patrick’s share, which he used to buy the Bitterroot Ranch. Once Jessie finished these three weeks, she’d use her portion to buy a quarter of it. She’d work the ranch with Ben, Ranger, and Patrick for the rest of her life.
Her brothers protected her from Fin and Hugh, the oldest and nastiest of the MacDougal brothers, all her life. They accepted her as one of them, a cowboy. Ever since she left Texas, she imagined how the four of them would live together, working and profiting from their labors. It was wonderful to have Trace and his wife, Beth, along with the twins Simon and Jack, next door. With cousins Gillis, Ross, and Nevin MacDougal across the river, life would be near perfect. But none of them would know she was home until her three weeks were up. Ranger would make sure of that.
She checked the coffee. It was near boiling, and the iron fry pan on the coals was hot. The salt pork sizzled when she dropped it in the pan.
“That you making breakfast, Jessie?”
“Coffee’s ready,” she said in reply. She figured the voice belonged to Henry but wasn’t going to guess. It certainly wasn’t Sin’s low rumble. If they had to spend another night around the campfire, she’d sleep farther from him. Maybe that would stop her from dreaming about his hands on her skin.
Sin walked a fair way from camp before taking a leak, though Ace and Henry didn’t bother going too far. Heat crept up her cheeks when they unbuttoned and pulled out their cocks. She kept her face near the fire, using it as an excuse in case they noticed a red tinge. Growing up surrounded by men, she was used to that sort of thing, but it was different when she was related to them. For some reason, she wanted to see what these men had in their pants. Maybe English cocks were different from Western men’s. Curiosity, that was all it was.
Sin came over and nudged her shoulder with his knee. “Coffee,” he growled in a morning voice.
She glanced up then quickly put her eyes on her task when he yawned and scratched his naked chest. His blond curls let her see his nipples. Her heart thudded, hard. Maybe it was because the men in Virginia were always dressed from toes to neck. She wasn’t used to casual nakedness. The interest should fade in a day or two.
She wrapped a cloth around her hand and poured coffee into a tin mug. Since he didn’t move, she had to reach back to hand it to him. His eyes, half-closed as if not yet awake, flicked over her. A rush of heat hit, just like the previous night. He took the cup, nodded his thanks, and moved away. She fixed the same for Ace and Henry. By the time they finished their coffee, the salt pork was sizzling and beans bubbling.
“I could get used to this,” said Henry. “What else can you cook?”
“This isn’t cooking,” she scoffed, keeping her voice as deep as she could.
“Answer my partner’s question,” demanded Ace.
“Biscuits and gravy, stew, potpie.” She shrugged. “Anything on a campfire.”
“We’d better keep him,” said Henry to Ace. “I don’t mind cooking dinner and supper, but waking up to hot coffee and breakfast is a treat.”
“Ranger says the boy knows the land though it’s been a couple of years since he roped any cattle,” said Ace to his partners. “That true?” He speared her accusingly with his eyes.
“Yessir. Ain’t no longhorns in Virginee.”
Ace’s eyes were as cold as a Charleston matriarch when faced with the thought of their son marrying an upstart such as herself. Aunt Jessamine had the same look when she dirtied her dress in the garden. Maybe rich people were born knowing how to freeze servants with one look. She preferred to befriend them.
“I do not appreciate insolence. That attitude will bring punishment.”
“Yessir.”
Jessie gritted her teeth so she wouldn’t tell the arrogant Brit to go to the devil. Finan MacDougal, the man who’d ruled her life for the last ten years, knew where to hit so it hurt like hell, but though your arms and legs ached, you could still work hard. A couple times he took a switch to her bottom then ordered her into the saddle. Only once did he take the whip to her. Just thinking about it made her tense up. If Ace raised a hand to her, she would fight back, and to hell with Ranger’s plans.
“You’ve got three weeks to prove you can work. And that means taking orders without comment. All I want to hear from you, other than succinct answers to questions, is ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir.’ Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!” She said the words with a straight face while mentally saluting the pompous lordling. She wouldn’t be surprised if he stuck his hand in his coat between the buttons, just like the pictures she’d seen of Napoleon.
“Breakfast was a good start, but you’d better know how to work.”
She wanted to say, ‘I know a hell of a lot more than you, greenhorn,’ or ‘let’s just see how sore your butt is when the sun goes down, buster.’ Instead she packed up the things she’d used, leaving the pan upside down on the banked fire beside the coffeepot.
“Which is my horse?”
“You get what’s left,” said Ace.
She'd checked the Double D’s remuda out after she returned Ranger’s horse the night before. She figured Sin would have the tall bay gelding with the intelligent eyes, Ace the high-stepper eager to run and Henry the calm mare. She’d end up with the off-white, hip-shot piece of crowbait who didn’t look like it would wake up for its own funeral.
Twelve hours later Jessie stood on wobbly legs in the Double Diamond barn. They’d cut out the steers and moved them to the far east end. They’d fatten up until the weather started getting bad then they’d go to Bannack City for slaughter. The rest of the herd would be divided between the Bitterroot and the Double Diamond starting in the morning.
She lifted aching arms and hauled her saddle off. She rested it on her left hip, staggering a bit under the weight, then heaved it on the pole to dry. The horse she’d named “Trouble” turned out to be a good cutting horse, once she proved who was boss. It reached behind and pulled the blanket off its back with its teeth, dropping it on the straw-dusted floor.
“Dang it, Trouble, you’re just like Ranger. Have to get the last word.”
The horse nodded as if pleased with himself. Jessie slowly bent her sore back and picked the blanket up. She brushed off all the bits which might scratch his hide when she put it back on in the morning. She flipped it upside down on top of the saddle, then cleaned and hung up her tack.
Finally, she held the brush with cramped fingers and stroked Trouble from his ears on back. He watched her from the corners of his eyes, eager to grab her hat again. She saw him move and brought up her arm to block him. He nipped her above the elbow. She smacked his shoulder with her hat, more for
show than anything.
“I told you I was the boss, so smarten up!”
He lifted his tail and deposited his answer.
Grumbling, she moved him forward so he wouldn’t step in it and finished brushing him. It had been a while since he’d been cared for. When she was done, the floor was speckled with white hair. She turned him into the corral, raked up the hair, and went for the pitchfork. Since she had it in hand anyway, she took the wheelbarrow through the barn and picked up the rest of the horse droppings. She corrected the tack that wasn’t hung properly and did her usual tidy inspection. Finan MacDougal did not tolerate waste, sloth or untidiness. Except in his precious youngest boy, Malcolm, of course. She put all the tools away and rolled out her shoulders.
“Got a cramp?”
She whirled around. Sin stood there, arms crossed and one eyebrow high. Blond hairs dusted his muscular forearms where he’d turned up his sleeves. She licked her lips and turned away.
“Nope.” It came out too high. She swallowed and breathed, forcing the tightness out of her voice.
“Liar. Come here and I’ll fix it. You haven’t ridden like that in years and your muscles will be stiff.”
“Nope.”
“That wasn’t a request. I can’t have you too sore to move tomorrow morning.”
The thought of his hands on her body made her shiver. Why couldn’t she have signed on with ugly weasels with whiney voices instead of deep ones which made her chest vibrate?
“Now, Jessie.”
She could do this. He would touch her shoulders, and that was all. It would help her sleep so she could work in the morning. She’d much rather soak in the secret hot spring, but that couldn’t happen for another three weeks. She gave him her back. He rested his huge, warm hands on either side of her neck for a moment.
Oh, damn, it felt good.
He placed his right hand just under her collarbone and worked her back with his knuckles. If she wasn’t wearing her bindings, and if his fingers trailed to one side or the other, he’d touch her breasts with those large, hot hands. She startled and winced when he hit a knot at the edge of her shoulder blade.
“Relax, Jessie. I’ve got you.”
She relaxed her muscles as much as possible with her heart beating like all get-out. For such a huge man, his touch was gentle. He dug his thumbs into a knot of muscle, and she winced. He went back to soothing, and she relaxed. If he dropped his head a bit, his teeth would be perfectly placed to nibble her neck. Would he nibble her there if he knew she wasn’t a boy?
“You did a good job today, Jessie. Even Ace gave a short nod of approval.”
She rolled her lips over her teeth and nodded her thanks. He switched hands, but this time his left palm rested on the top of her bound breast. Her nipple fought to rise. There was no way it could get past the layers of wrapping, but thank God, at least she finally knew it worked when she wasn’t cold.
Over the years she’d heard the older boys talking about how to tell if a woman wanted them to touch her, and hard nipples were high on their list. Never had she felt anything for a man. She could make her fingers do things between her legs to make her feel good but could never imagine wanting a man to touch her there. His touch changed her mind. Unfortunately, now that she found a man whose touch she liked, she couldn’t let him find out her secret. Not yet.
“Better now?” She nodded, unable to speak. “Henry should have supper ready. Wash up here, and I’ll see you at the house.”
He left quickly and quietly. Someone had set a full ewer and bowl in the barn’s corner stall where she’d be sleeping. She scrubbed from fingers to elbows, forehead to chest. Had Sin done this for her? Why would he care if she washed up here, rather than outside the kitchen with the others? Maybe he suspected she was shy and didn’t want the new boy to feel overwhelmed. She bit her lip. If he knew about her sex, he’d say something.
Wouldn’t he?
Chapter Four
Sin looked out the window at the virginal miss strutting from the barn. Right from the start he’d wondered what was off with Jessie. Her stubborn chin, pointed like an elf, and the lack of peach fuzz suggested something other than a boy.
When she put the first spoonful of stew in her mouth and moaned, his cock had hardened like she was about to take him there. That morning, when she looked up to hand him his coffee, confirmed it. The graceful line of her throat and the swell of her ass, previously hidden by her coat, proved it.
She was so damn efficient, roping ten steers for every one of theirs, that by the end of the day he wondered if he was wrong. When she bent over to pick up the blanket, her pants tightened and he’d almost choked. No boy had a heart-shaped ass like that. He had to touch her, telling himself it was to make sure. Working out the knots in her shoulders was sweet torture. Then he’d let his fingers drop lower on her chest and felt ridges where her shirt should cover only skin. Ridges from binding her breasts.
How big were they? Were the tips rosy, or coral pink? Large or small nipples?
Shit! He was never going to get supper if he couldn’t get his cock under control. He hadn’t had a hard-on this big since he was fifteen. He snorted and thought back. Ace and Henry were visiting. One of his mother’s merry widows invited all three of them into her bed. The woman spent the next week showing them what every young buck should know. She was demanding, insisting she come first, second and third. That was bloody difficult to do at fifteen. Considering how long he’d gone without a woman, it would be no easier now.
Jessie entered the cabin, and Sin turned away from the window. He was twenty-seven years old, and a slim girl dressed as a boy made him want to plunge his cock in her mouth, her pussy, and her ass, one after another.
He knew why Ace was so out of sorts. The man was so focused on getting the job done that he only saw what he expected. Ranger said Jessie was a boy. Therefore, if Ace felt attracted to Jessie, it meant something was wrong. Ace would withdraw, using cutting language to hide his discomfort.
They’d planned to get a mail-order bride in a couple of years after the ranch was well on the way. But Sin wanted the little miss who quivered when he touched her. She was eighteen inches shorter and at least a third of his weight, but she was tough. Her work today proved it. She was so small and delicate that he wanted to take care of her. At the same time, he wanted to plow into her again and again.
Could she take all three of them?
Neither he nor Henry needed to produce heirs. They wouldn’t care what name their children had, as long as they all belonged to the Double Diamond. Ace, however, needed the roots a legal wife provided. He needed to have sons with his name to prove his descendents were not wastrels like the rest of his family. Ace was also the son of an Earl, and their natural leader. He would be the one saying “I do.”
If Sin wanted Jessie in his life, he’d have to get Ace comfortable with Jessie-the-boy for a while and appreciate “his” abilities on the ranch. The antagonism between Ace and Jessie, given the right encouragement, could turn into passion. He’d enjoy watching the two of them throw sparks at each other. Sin intended to fan the flames. He wanted Jessie in his bed, one way or the other.
The Elliotts shared Trace’s wife, Beth, and the MacDougals shared Ross’s wife, Amelia. Why shouldn’t the Double Diamond do the same? Henry might figure out Jessie’s secret, but he’d keep quiet.
But who was Jessie Bonham? She must be connected to the Elliotts, since Ranger brought her to them. From only one day, he knew Jessie wanted to be respected for her ranching. If he’d seen her in a skirt first, would he believe her abilities on a horse? Did Ranger want Jessie to find a husband who respected her as who she was?
Sin suddenly choked. Dammit, Ranger set them up! The one time she took her hat off he saw her hair was brown, like Ranger. Her chin looked as stubborn as well. Jack once mentioned a sister who was more cowboy than girl. Her name—was Jessamine!
Thank you, God.
Sin snorted a laugh. Ace wanted deep roots an
d a family. The Elliotts were the perfect choice. They arrived before Tanner’s Ford became a town and had two ranches up the valley. Their so-called cousins, Gillis MacDougal and his half brothers, had The MD Connected, bordering the Double Diamond on the west.
Sin cracked his fingers and then rubbed his hands. His face damn near split from the wide smile on it. By the time snow fell, Ace would be married to Jessie. Somehow, it had to happen. He and Henry could show her who the best man really was!
Though the courtship was extremely unusual, and invisible to the bride- and groom-to-be, Sin had to keep things proper. They were raised to be honorable gentlemen and always conducted themselves accordingly.
Ranger must have told Trace about Jessie, and that she was safe at the Double Diamond. Since her father was dead, he would speak to Jessie’s oldest brother. Trace was very protective of women. He’d not let his younger sister live with three male strangers, no matter how innocent it seemed. But if he knew Ace would marry Jessie, and Sin would keep her safe until then, Trace might let her stay until Ace came to his senses.
After all, Jessie was a very demanding woman and not anyone could keep her in line. There were three other ranches in this valley, each with three partners looking for a wife. Ranger had a reason to choose the Double Diamond for his only sister. Sin would make sure it happened, and do his damndest to keep Jessie a virgin until her wedding day.
He hoped spending twelve or more hours a day in the saddle would lower his libido.
Chapter Five
Virginia
“What do ye mean Jessie’s gone? She was to come home to Texas with me!”
“I said sit down, young man!”
Finan MacDougal, Junior, ground his teeth for a moment. He looked at the white-haired, white-gloved old biddy with the face and attitude of a spoiled lapdog. Miss Bonham, sister and only surviving relative of Jessie’s ma, would know where he’d find his fiancée. Pa sent him to bring the Elliott brat—and her inheritance—home to Texas, and by damn, he would do it!
