Their Treasured Bride

by Vanessa Vale

  REBECCA

  Connor was not in bed with us when I awoke. That did not seem strange, for it was the first night of my life sharing a bed and waking up beside a man. Dash had rolled me onto my back and kissed me silly, but nothing more. They'd put that...that plug in my bottom the night before and even though they only left it in me until after Connor had...had fucked me, I was sore there as well as my pussy. After one day with Dash and Connor, I was using their crude words in my thoughts!

  Why Dash only kissed me and then helped me dress was unclear to me. They'd been so bold and forward with me the day before, so I was surprised he lacked the same...eagerness now. He was attentive enough as he helped me dress and I remained silent through it all, for I worried he might change his mind and force me to remain unclothed another day. With consideration, I could see that while I had been uncomfortable with my nakedness, they had kept me unclothed because it brought them pleasure, which in turn brought me pleasure.

  When Connor had returned to the house, Dash and I were ready to leave for Kane and Ian's house

  "Turn around, lass and put yer hands on the door."

  My eyebrows went up at his question, but I did as he bid.

  "I want a glimpse of my pussy before we go."

  My body heated at the carnality of his words and I all but melted against the door. He lifted up the hem of my skirt, his hand skittering along the back of my leg and higher...higher still until he had it bunched over his wrist at my waist. Dash had not allowed me drawers as part of my outfit and I could feel the cool air on my heated flesh.

  His hand dipped between my thighs and stroked very gently, very slowly over my pussy. I thrust my bottom up toward his hand before I had to think about how forward the action was. He groaned against my ear as he found me wet.

  "See, lass," he'd said. "I knew ye'd like having yer pussy bare. I love how ye arch yer back and give it to me."

  I put my cheek against the cool wood and closed my eyes at the delicious feel of his finger on my very used flesh. He didn't linger though, nor did he bring me to climax. Instead, he removed his hand and my dress fell to my feet.

  I opened my eyes and looked at him over my shoulder in confusion. "Didn't you want to...? I mean—"

  "There, ye should be nice and warm for the journey."

  He'd grinned at me, while I, in turn, fumed. I was prepared to beg for him to continue and then I remembered what they'd said the day before—that I would beg for it. Lord, they'd been right!

  As we walked across the open expanse between houses, it began to snow. Fortunately, I had been prepared for the long Montana winter weather, having a long wool coat, fur-lined gloves, and a thick scarf to wrap over my head and around my neck that had been in the delivered trunk. Plus, Connor had been correct. His illicit touches had warmed me to my core and helped keep the chill at bay. Even so, Dash wrapped an arm about my waist and I huddled in closely to him as we walked. For October, I assumed this was typical fickle Montana weather, but the lead-gray of the clouds indicated this probably wasn't a passing cold snap.

  Dash opened the door to Kane and Ian's house and I entered first. Connor quickly shut the door behind us, keeping the gusty wind and cold outside. Ann, with her fair hair pulled back with a ribbon, met us at the door.

  "Good," she told me. "The men are letting you out of their sight, and only after being married a day! A treat for us."

  She took my gloves and scarf and carried them from the room, leaving me with the men. Dash helped me remove my coat.

  "You're leaving me?" I asked, surprised.

  The men held their hats in their hands but kept on their coats. "We must bring the cattle in from the far fields. While it's only October, this could be a bad storm and we need them close."

  "Can't someone—" I cut off my words and realized I was arguing with Connor about how they ran their ranch and being petulant. "Of course, I understand."

  "You will be safe here with the women. Quinn will be remaining behind, as will another hand. The others know what to do if there's a problem and we should be back before dark."

  I nodded and folded my hands before me. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

  "I recognize that mild tone," Dash replied. "Ye are being complicit against yer wishes. Tis all right for you to miss us and tell us so."

  My eyebrow went up and I couldn't help but smile. "Do either of you have any modesty?" I pointed at Connor. "Yesterday, answering the door—" she looked around and lowered her voice, "—naked, and you—you are seeking praise where there is none."

  "Verra well," Connor replied, grinning. "I shall tell ye the truth." He put his hand to his chest and leaned in close to whisper in my ear. "I will miss ye and yet I will stay warm thinking of yer pink nipples and yer pink pussy and how yer cheeks get pink when I talk without any modesty...like right now."

  I pushed on his chest and he stepped back, only because he chose to.

  "I will have pink thoughts as well," Dash added, the corner of his mouth tipping up, but I saw the heat in his eyes.

  "Go," I replied, smiling. "Tend to your cows. I will be fine. Truly."

  The men watched me closely for a moment, then each gave me a kiss in turn. These weren't simple pecks on the cheek. They were kisses that spoke of promises to come. Seemingly satisfied, they put on their hats and left. I, on the other hand, was not satisfied at all. I was overheated and my lips tingled and between my legs I was not only a little sore, but wet as well from when Connor touched me. I was not satisfied in the least, and I was quite anxious for my men's return. Was this their intention? If it was, it was working quite well.

  I followed the sound of women's voices coming from the back of the house. Ann, Emma, Laurel and Olivia were in the kitchen. Emma was holding baby Ellie, and a little Christopher was sitting in a high chair with a spoon and a bowl of what appeared to be porridge. I cringed at the sight of it, for in school we had it every morning. Half of it was all over his face. Laurel was quite pregnant, the round swell of her belly looking like a watermelon beneath her dress. She sat at the table with her feet up on a chair and Olivia brought her a steaming cup of coffee.

  I stood in the doorway and watched them, comfortable and settled in their lives here at Bridgewater. Clearly their men were tentative enough for three of them to have had or be having a baby. From what Olivia said the day before at lunch, perhaps she had not been married long enough yet to be part of this distinction.

  Olivia was the one who saw me first. "Rebecca! Oh good, you've joined us. Come in. Would you like some coffee? Or are you a tea drinker?"

  I smiled and came into the room. I was a tea drinker, but coffee seemed to be more of an American drink and I needed to learn their customs if I was now one of them. "If coffee is made, that will be fine. Thank you."

  "We are surprised to see you," Emma said.

  "Walking," Laurel added, one hand over her mouth trying to hide her smile.

  I knew to what she spoke of. Now. The day before, I'd had no idea. I was sore between my legs. My pussy, as the men called it, throbbed, not only from being filled and stretched by two cocks, but also from the lingering feelings of pleasure they'd wrought. My back entrance was tender, too.

  "I had three days before I was allowed to wear clothes again," Olivia shared. "I have three husbands, so I was alone with them for three days."

  "You were naked for three days?" I asked, stunned. My men had only required it for one.

  "And even naked for that long it still took you three whole months to become pregnant," Ann added.

  Olivia put a hand to her still flat belly. "The amount of times they took me back then—even now—you'd think it would have happened right away."

  I was stunned by their easy conversation about a topic I would never have mentioned, let alone thought about, before Bridgewater.

  "I became pregnant the first month," Ann admitted.

  "Two months," Emma added.

  All four women looked to me. "You think...I couldn't be pregnant," I sputtered
. The idea was preposterous.

  All of them frowned. "They didn't claim you?" Emma asked.

  I felt my cheeks heat. "Well, I mean...."

  Ann held up her hand as she wiped her son's face. "You don't have to say anything, we can tell they did. And, yes, you could be pregnant. Those men of yours are most certainly virile."

  I remembered the copious seed that had come from Dash's cock when he'd stroked himself to completion. Based on that and the amount that had dripped down my thighs, I had to admit the chances certainly were possible. I flushed at what we'd done.

  "Don't worry, you'll be able to talk about it soon enough."

  I shook my head then. "I'm not like you. I was raised to be seen but not heard, to accept whatever husband my father chose for me and then to turn a blind eye when he dallied with an opera singer."

  "I lived in a boarding school in Denver from the age of seven," Laurel replied.

  "I was six and the place was horrid," I admitted. "Just looking at that porridge makes me feel ill."

  Ann glanced at the bowl in front of her son. "Oatmeal? I'll be sure to tell the others that they should serve you something else when we make it for breakfast."

  Laurel smiled at me, but this time in a way that said she understood. "Mine wasn't terrible, they were all quite nice actually, but I pined for the day when my father would actually want me. That day came last winter, but it was not for love, but for an alliance. Needless to say that did not happen. I've learned that what you expect isn't actually what you really want."

  I thought on her words as I drank some coffee, trying not to wince at the bitter taste. I found a small pitcher of cream on the table and added some, then stirred it with a spoon.

  Did I really want a man who would pay me no attention and offer me no pleasure because it was appropriate? The man Father had chosen wanted me solely to beget an heir, but other than that duty, I was of no value to him. He'd have a mistress or two and would shower those women with all the carnal pleasure they desired. I, on the other hand, would have been left cold and without any knowledge of what Connor and Dash showed me in only one day. He'd have come to me in the dark and fumbled with my nightdress beneath the covers and rutted into me. I would never have known the pleasure to be found in my body, at the hands of men who were eager for me.

  "Did you...did you know you were marrying two men?" I asked. I kept my eye on the spoon I stirred instead of meeting any of the women's eyes.

  "I was sold to Kane and Ian in an auction at a brothel."

  My eyes lifted to meet Emma's, shocked. She nodded at me as she bounced Ellie on her knee.

  "I ran away from my father and an arranged marriage only to almost die in a blizzard. Brody and Mason rescued me from the snow," Laurel shared.

  "My uncle shares a wife with a friend of his, but I did not know of this arrangement until my wedding night, when he married me to not one man, not two men, but three for my protection from a deranged ex-suitor," Olivia said.

  "Andrew and Robert saved me from a cruel father. Unlike the others—and you—I knew I would marry both of them, but not what that really meant, that both of them would be so attentive and dominant," Ann added. "Then, I didn't care as long as they upheld their vow to never beat me."

  "I...I had no idea you all had such...complicated lives as well. You all seem so happy," I said, my spoon forgotten.

  "We are happy," Laurel said, her hand stroking over her swollen belly. The other three women nodded their agreement. "And in a month or so, I won't be quite so bursting with happiness."

  I couldn't help but laugh with them.

  "I'm just...just questioning everything they do," I admitted.

  Emma rolled her eyes. "Good. Give them a hard time. They won't make it easy on you, for you have two men to please and there's only one of you."

  "You may question their prowess and interest in your body, but you do not need to question their honor or their allegiance to you. You are the center of their world now, do not doubt it," Ann added.

  There was a knock at the door and Emma stood, putting Ellie on her hip to answer it.

  "They are...very eager." It wasn't the most accurate of words for how I considered Connor and Dash to be.

  "Overwhelming?" Emma asked.

  "Embarrassing?" Ann added.

  "Enthusiastic." "Insatiable." "Doting." "Intense." "Dominant."

  The ladies took turns listing additional words and they did fit for my men.

  "My men are very eager to meet this baby we made," Laurel commented.

  "They've been hovering over her and the other men dragged them off so she could have a few hours of peace," Ann shared, lifting her son from the high chair and letting him down. He toddled off toward some pots and a wooden spoon on the floor, sat down and started banging.

  "A month is a far ways off, especially since I can barely move." She shifted in her chair. "I don't want them gone too long though, for I am as eager for them as I have ever been. I swear I have the needs like a lusty man and only they can satisfy them."

  "Look who's joined us!" Emma said, coming back into the room. Behind her was a woman I recognized from the boarding house. "Rebecca, perhaps you've met Allison Travers? She works at the boarding house where you stayed."

  Allison was very short with very curly dark hair pulled back into a loose bun. Her smile was warm and friendly and she seemed to be comfortable with the others, so I assumed she knew them reasonably well. Church, perhaps? Her dress was a forest green and her black coat hung over one arm. I had only seen her in passing at the boarding house, and had not been formally introduced.

  "Yes, hello again," I replied.

  "I've brought you your other trunk," she told me. "I apologize that it will have to sit out in the snow until one of them men can lift it from the wagon."

  "Quinn can help with that," Emma told her.

  I saw Allison's eyes widen and her cheeks flush at the mention of his name. "I did not see him, for I came directly here. As for your trunk—" She turned to me. "—I believe you've brought bricks all the way from England."

  "Yes, it is quite heavy, but no bricks. Do not worry; the trunk is of no concern. It has seen much in the distance from London." I stood and came around to her. "You traveled from town by yourself in this weather? Surely Mr. Arnold wouldn't have allowed that."

  I was speaking like an English lady, not a woman of the Montana Territory.

  "True, but it was not snowing when I left and the way is familiar. Mr. Arnold could not bring it today himself and I offered."

  "Coffee?" Emma asked. At Allison's nod, Emma handed me Ellie to tend to the task. The baby was heavier than I expected, yet warm and plump and smelled so sweet. Her pale eyes, just like her mother's, looked up at me and she grinned. Could we have made a baby the day before? Would I have a little girl with fair hair like Dash or would it be dark like Connor’s?

  "Thank you." Allison placed her coat over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. She moved to sit on the floor beside Christopher and clapped her hands at his drumming. "I will admit, I had an ulterior motive for coming."

  Emma turned from the stove and brought her the mug. "Oh? I can only imagine," she jested. "A certain gentleman, perhaps?"

  Allison's cheeks reddened and she looked down at the wood floor. "I was full of gumption when I left the boarding house, but as I rode closer, my daringness fled. I'm actually quite glad the men are not here, for I fear I would make a fool of myself."

  "That is something I understand," I replied, more to myself than the room at large. I had made so many mistakes with Connor and Dash since I arrived yesterday.

  "Oh! I'm so sorry—I forgot the good news. Word has spread in town that you wed Connor MacDonald yesterday. It is all anyone—at least the ladies—can talk about."

  I nodded my head and smiled. "Yes, I did." The townspeople knew of my marriage to Connor, but not of my proxy wedding to Dash.

  "You must tell me how you met, for I've heard of love at first sight, but even t
his was too fast!" She seemed eager for the details.

  I glanced at the other women, who all seemed so relaxed and unconcerned about the unusual marriages at Bridgewater. Surely they'd been told about our trip into town and the hasty marriage in the church. Did Allison know of the men's custom? If she did, she did not seem bothered by it. If she didn't, however, I did not plan to be the one to tell her. For if news of my wedding to Connor spread, I could only imagine so would the news about the women of Bridgewater claiming several of the men as theirs.

  "My brother was in the Army with him, with many of the men here at Bridgewater, in fact. We were coming here to live on the ranch when he died."

  Emma came and took Ellie from me.

  The eagerness to hear of my love match slipped from Allison's face. "I'm very sorry."

  "Thank you." I hadn't even met my Cecil before he appeared in London and stole me away, so I mourned the relationship that we could have had. Now was not the time to dwell upon it, and a Montgomery never complained.

  "Which of the men has caught your eye? Porter?"

  Allison smoothed down her skirt. "He is quite fetching, but it is...Mr. McPherson. Not your Mr. McPherson, Olivia, the other one."

  My heart stuttered at the mention of Dash's name.

  The other women paused briefly and Emma was the one who responded first. "Dash is...very nice."

  "I didn't realize you'd made his acquaintance," Ann added. "I think the cake is done," she said to Emma as she went to the stove and opened the door to peer inside. The scent of sweets baking filled the air.

  "I haven't. Only at church on the occasions he's there. I admit, the men of Bridgewater are all quite handsome. There is something about Mr. McPherson though, that makes me catch my breath."