She’d done a good job of willing herself to forget how uncomfortable she felt in his presence, how truly frightened she’d been on her wedding night. She’d been embarrassed afterward but at the time gave thanks he’d fallen asleep when he had. She’d been terrified to let him touch her. Now, she felt terrified to face him at all.
“Please don’t let me be alone with him.”
Silly to say that out loud, with no conversation leading up to it. Neither Caleb nor Joshua could read her mind, after all.
“We won’t, Sarah. We won’t let you out of our sight. Maddox won’t get anywhere near you. We promise.”
She hadn’t had to explain herself. They knew her well. Almost, she mused, better than she knew herself. They had promised to take care of her and keep her safe.
Sleep crept toward her, gently wooing her to its presence. Her lovers would stay with her, guard her. She could safely drift, safely let her mind relax. Satisfied, feeling cherished and secure, she slept.
* * * *
One could always find someone with a price. Liam Larson stepped out of the livery stable into the late afternoon sunshine. The boy who worked for the blacksmith was more than eager to answer his questions. Liam knew he would do so again, and it would only cost him two bits.
He’d arrived in town before his target. Good.
Denison, Texas, had all the signs of a town racing toward either prosperity or hell, depending on one’s point of view. Built at the conflux of the Red River and the MKT rail depot only a few short years before, the location, guaranteeing service by major transportation routes, meant the region would prosper.
Liam experienced a flood of pride. Jamie had foreseen this development and purchased land here, land that would sell at a healthy profit at the right moment.
He made his way to the train depot, his eyes scanning Main Street
. The corner of his mouth turned up when he noted the handful of new businesses that had sprung up since his last visit the year before.
Once the bridge over the Red River opened and the first train crossed it, the population of Denison—named after one of the railroad big wigs—had exploded. Some said more than three thousand souls came to live here in the first one hundred days. He’d ridden through once just after the town was established, checking on the parcels Jamie purchased. In those early days, a man could drink his way through town, seeing as nearly every third building had been a saloon.
The town’s changed some, at least on the surface. Liam knew that while the powers that be determined to “clean up” the place, they’d only succeeded in moving the questionable establishments a block south. Men will have their sins, Liam thought, come hell or high water. Greedy entrepreneurs, too impatient to wait for proper buildings, found an alternative and so one had only to walk a block south to see tents housing games of chance and bawdy houses.
Arriving at the train depot, he went in and presented himself at the counter.
“Good afternoon. I’m Mr. John Smith. I’m expecting a letter.”
While the post office was open and operational in Denison, one could also send a letter via the railroad from one station to another.
The rail employee behind the counter wore the expression of a man suffering from a constricted bowel. “Yes sir, Mr. Smith. Came in day before yesterday. Right over here.” He got up, went over to the cubby-hole shelf behind him.
Liam took the letter outside to open it. He’d sent a telegram to Jamie from Springfield, worded in such a way that his lover would understand what happened, but any prying eyes, whether idle or behind a badge, would see nothing alarming in the communication.
The next day, he’d received a return telegram telling him the package would arrive in Denison, and so to Denison he came.
Now he could read his lover’s words, unfettered by subterfuge. Liam’s brow creased as he realized that his beloved Jamie wasn’t enraged, as he’d thought might be the case, but afraid.
He would gladly kill the Maddox woman, just for this alone.
Folding the missive carefully, he tucked it into his coat pocket. His eyes scanned the street. The sun would soon set. He’d arrived before the others. His early arrival gave him the advantage of scouting locations. Only one hotel had been erected, although for a price, a man could stay the night at one of the whore houses.
He didn’t have to think long or hard over that one. That locale would bring with it the added bonus of seeming to disappear. No one paid any attention to anyone else on Skiddy Row. The new sheriff, a man reputed to be tough as nails, seemed happy to leave that section of town to itself as long as it didn’t spread onto Main Street
. He would be safe there, and that cover would afford him the best chance for success.
However, just the thought of stepping into such an establishment, even for a good reason, simply made his skin crawl.
He’d take a room at the hotel and check out tomorrow after the target and her gunslinger escorts arrived.
He didn’t need whores to help him disappear. He could manage that feat very well all on his own.
Chapter 15
“How about a bath, followed by loving, followed by a nap, followed by dinner?”
Caleb’s softly spoken question pulled Sarah out of her sadness. She’d just been thinking about how she would miss the quiet evenings alone on the trail with just the three of them. While she looked forward to a real bath and a proper bed, she’d gotten used to sleeping between two hard, warm male bodies and deeply regretted she would have to do without tonight.
They were about to check in to Denison’s one hotel. She would never regret the choices she’d made, and she looked forward to other times when perhaps it would be just the three of them alone again. However, she wouldn’t flout convention. That wouldn’t gain her anything and could, instead, bring nothing but heartache to them all.
Sadly, she couldn’t celebrate the love she felt for Caleb and Joshua openly.
Caleb’s words, whispered as they’d entered the Katy Hotel, filled her with excitement, even as she wondered how such a feat could be managed.
He left her standing with Joshua and approached the registration desk. “Good afternoon. My wife, my brother, and I need a room. We’ll only be staying one night.”
Sarah nearly dropped her jaw when she heard Caleb address the man behind the hotel desk. Whatever else Caleb and the man discussed was lost to her as Joshua moved closer.
“You didn’t think we’d let you sleep alone?”
His whispered words not only tickled her ear but stirred her insides. “I feared that I’d have to.”
Joshua leaned forward and added just two words, “Never again.”
Never again. Joshua’s promise warmed her. In a matter of moments, Caleb was leading the way to a room.
“The bath will be up in about an hour. I’m going to go see the sheriff, but I’ll be back.” Caleb bent and placed a kiss on Sarah’s lips. “You rest. And when I get back, Joshua and I are going to very much enjoy getting our hands on your wet, naked body.”
Sarah stared at the closed door for a long minute after Caleb closed it behind him. Joshua’s soft chuckle made her blink and look at him.
“You’re asleep on your feet, Sarah. Come on, let’s both stretch out on this softer-than-the-ground bed. We’ll rearrange the order of things and nap first.”
Sarah hadn’t even noticed the bed. Looking at it now, she thought they might just all fit on it, if they lay on their sides.
She dropped her hat on one of the chairs, then sat down on the edge of the bed. She sank into the mattress and sighed. The mattress was made not of ticking but feathers, an unexpected luxury in a frontier town.
“I just realized how much I miss my own bed,” she said around a yawn.
Joshua knelt by her feet and helped her take off her boots. “You’ve been wonderful, sweetheart. Up you go.”
“I’m still dressed.”
“And so will I be. That’s right, stretch out but move over.”
>
Sarah yawned again, then watched as Joshua tossed his hat aside and kicked off his own boots.
“After that wonderful sleep last night, I shouldn’t be so tired.”
“It’s because you know the trail ride is over. It’ll be train from here to Waco. We both know you’re not looking forward to the last leg of this journey. That will make you tired, too.”
Sarah sighed as she set her head on Joshua’s shoulder. “You’re right. I’m really not looking forward to facing Tyrone J. Maddox.” She intoned it in such a way as to try and make him sound less threatening to herself. She wondered if he could feel the slight tremble just saying the man’s name aloud caused. Then he proved he did.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Sarah. You’re ours, and we protect what’s ours. We’ll keep you safe. We won’t leave you alone with him, not even for a heart-beat of time.”
Sarah snuggled into Joshua, the strength of his arms a wonderful reassurance. She wasn’t certain what the future would bring, but she’d come to trust the brothers Benedict.
* * * *
The town had changed since he’d been here just a year and a half before. Caleb noted the new buildings, the somewhat tidier streets, even as he assessed the people around him. It was late afternoon on a warm early summer day with not that many people about.
He looked for familiar faces. Sheriff MacFarlane in Springfield had shown him a few wanted posters, reminded him of some of the criminal element roaming the south-west at the moment. They didn’t know about every man who’d sell the use of his gun for a few dollars, but they had a good idea of some of them. So as he made his way along Main Street
, he kept his eyes open and his senses on alert.
Caleb encountered no one who looked familiar on the street. Inside the sheriff’s office proved another matter entirely.
“Hey, Red,” he greeted, shaking the sheriff’s hand, “I’d heard you’d hired on here.” Caleb met Red Hall, a former Texas Ranger, a couple of years before when he and Joshua were working as members of the U.S. Marshall’s service on an assignment in El Paso. The sheriff of Denison was also a friend of Adam’s, a double connection.
It was the second man in the sheriff’s office, sitting in a chair with one leg up on the desk, whose presence surprised Caleb.
“Well, I’ll be damned! I haven’t seen you in a long time, Masterson. I thought you were wearing a badge up in Kansas.”
The dark-haired, mustachioed man got to his feet, his smooth, boyish face breaking out in a smile.
“Benedict! I knew you were headed this way. Red just filled me in on your situation. Where’s that card-playing brother of yours?”
“Back at the hotel, keeping an eye on Sarah.”
“Got a room over there myself. Yeah, I was wearing a badge in Kansas but not anymore.”
“I heard about Ed,” Caleb said. The man’s brother, himself a marshal, had recently been gunned down in Dodge City. “Damned sorry, Bat. He was a hell of a good man.”
“Appreciate the sentiment, Caleb, thanks. I got the bastard who killed him. You can be sure of that.”
“So I heard, and good for you.”
“Bat and I were just talking about your problem, Caleb,” Sheriff Hall said. “I’ve been keeping an eye out as best I can for any known criminals. Truth is, no new ones have come to town in the last few days that I’m aware of.”
“We’re keeping alert, Joshua and I, assuming that something more is going to happen and happen here. Last chance, really, before we get to Waco.” Caleb said.
“And you’re pretty certain whoever wants Mrs. Maddox dead has to kill her before Waco?” Hall asked.
“Seems most likely,” Caleb said. He had a theory but didn’t want to reveal his thoughts. Theories weren’t proof, after all.
“Course, if whoever is after the lady were crafty enough to hide out at one of the whorehouses here, we’d likely never see him, never even know he existed.” Masterson said. “A man could lose himself in that part of town, not coming up for air until it was time to do the job.”
“Thought about rousting the establishments over on Skiddy Row, but it would cause a lot of trouble I’d like to avoid. We have a working agreement, and I don’t want to be the one to break it.” The Sheriff shook his head, then shot Caleb a hard stare.
“That’s the kind of thing you and Bat can do, though. Take a look-see over on the wild side. Find out if anyone has someone hiding behind her skirts, so to speak.”
“I’m heading on over to Bobby’s place to get me a steak in a couple hours. He still has that restaurant a few doors down from where we’re staying. Perhaps we can meet up, then take a tour?”
“We’ll all meet you there. Maybe you and Joshua could take that tour after dinner. He’s a better card player than I am.”
“Taking turns with the lady? Guarding her, that is?” Masterson asked.
Caleb hadn’t thought it would be possible for him to feel embarrassed, but damned if Bat’s comment, backed up by twinkling eyes and his legendary sense of humor, didn’t do just that. He felt himself begin to bristle against the innuendo and fought back the instinctive anger.
“We won’t leave Sarah alone for a moment, if that’s what you mean,” he answered slowly. He knew Masterson had a penchant for teasing, so he didn’t take offence at the comment. At the same time, he felt honor bound to make it clear that Sarah wasn’t any kind of light skirt. “She’s far too important to us to risk even a hair on her head.”
“I look forward to meeting the lady. She sounds extraordinary. Perhaps she’d be interested in a more…experienced protector. Since I believe I have served as a lawman more than you and Josh combined.” Masterson said.
Of course, he knew Masterson was just having him on. Bat had an even higher code of ethics than he and Joshua did.
“Seriously, Caleb,” Sheriff Hall said, “I have my deputies ready to keep an eye on the three of you tonight. They’ll be there as you escort your lady to dinner. Then if Joshua and Bat here take a tour of the seamier side of town, my boys will stay with you and Mrs. Maddox. By morning, we’ll have a good idea if there’s going to be trouble or not. Riding the train, tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we plan on only staying one night here in Denison.”
“I’ll have someone there at the depot, then, before first light. You’ll have re-enforcements until you leave Denison, at any rate.”
“I reckon that’s about as good as it gets,” Caleb said. He shook the men’s hands and headed back to the hotel. It felt good to know others stood at the ready should their help be necessary. But knowing even the legendary Bat Masterson was part of his team didn’t relieve Caleb’s concern completely.
The skin between his shoulder blades itched. A sure sign of trouble, that.
* * * *
The hotel staff had brought the largest tub Sarah had ever seen, filled it half way with steaming water, and left a few buckets of water beside it. They’d also brought a dressing screen, setting it up to afford her privacy while she bathed.
When the last water boy had left, Caleb locked the door behind the lad, moved the dressing screen out of the way, then looked at Sarah with such hunger she wondered she didn’t melt on the spot.
Joshua moved behind her. Reaching forward, he removed the top to her traveling suit, pulling it down her arms, then tossing it on the floor behind him. He nuzzled her neck, just below her ear. His hot breath caused a shiver that puckered her nipples. In front of her, Caleb reached out and stroked the hard buttons through her chemise.
“Oh, God. You make my knees weak, the both of you.”
“We’re delighted to hear that,” Joshua said. “Especially considering you keep us in an almost constant state of horniness.”
They didn’t give her any time to think or to weaken. Working quickly, they stripped her bare. Caleb lifted her and set her in the tub.
“Now, we’ll get to work,” he mumbled. Chucking his clothes off, he knelt at the side of the tub. Picking up t
he soap, he wet it and lathered his hands. Then he put those hands on her.
Motion drew her attention to Joshua, who stepped to the other side of the tub, as naked as his brother.
He accepted the soap from Caleb, lathered his hands, and picked up one of her legs.
“You have one of those built-in bathtubs I’ve heard about in that fancy house of yours back in Chicago?” Caleb asked as he smoothed his soapy hands over her breasts and across her shoulders.
Sarah wondered that she could concentrate enough to form words. Closing her eyes, she settled back against the edge of the tub. “Mmm, yes. Miranda of the expensive demands insisted on it. She’d read about them being so popular in New York.”
“Reckon we can have one built that would fit us all,” Joshua said. He scooped a ladle of steaming water and drizzled it over her.
“Build a tub?” She wondered if she’d missed something.
“When everything is settled in Waco, and we set about finding a place for us—for all of us—then we’ll see about building a tub we all can share,” Joshua explained.
“I’m sorry we can’t live in a big city. It’s just not for us. We’re partial to staying in Texas because here is where we were born and raised. We’ll probably end up with a place outside of a town, since we’re going to be ranchers and not gunslingers once we settle down. Ranching is a safer endeavor for family men,” Caleb said.
Two separate men but they think as one. Sarah considered them a miracle.
She felt her eyes cross when Joshua lathered the inside of her thigh and carried his long, sweeping stroke to the tender flesh of her pussy. He used his thumb to brush her clitoris as he sank two fingers into her.
She moaned as arousal curled in her belly and flamed out to every inch of her skin. Caleb tilted her head up and claimed her lips with his. His tongue plunged, seducing hers into a dance of heat and lust. He took her right hand out of the water and brought it to his cock. She curled her fingers around him, the familiar hardness already a favorite handful. Blindly, she reached out her other hand, grateful when Joshua moved closer so she could clasp him, too.
Love Under Two Gunslingers Page 13
