“Fools. You might not want pressure, but men don’t always listen to women’s wishes,” Alice said softly.
“They want my money. Women need the vote,” Emily said.
“We do. We need a great many things, but if you agreed to a walk or picnic with a man or two, it’d look like you were open to the idea. You don’t need to rush into a wedding. Simply show your intention to settle down. Pick a suitor or two. It’ll put the others in their place.”
“You are a clever woman.” Emily smiled and headed for the back of the house.
“We have to be. Where are you going?” Alice asked.
“Out for a bit. I can’t think now. I need a ride. Have lunch without me. I’ll eat later. I don’t need a chaperone for a quick ride in the woods.” Emily wanted time to think.
“Very well. But don’t be too long or I’ll send a search party after you,” Alice called.
Not bothering to change into the proper dress for riding, she headed to the barn where she rubbed the nose of her favorite horse. The ranch hand, one of the orphaned teens who she kept on as long as they went to school and church, rushed to saddle it. With his help, she hopped on and rode for freedom. The fact that the Bonner men were in the direction she headed was a happy accident.
Maybe Denver
would
be better? With a brother-in-law around, men wouldn’t be swarming her. She enjoyed attending the theater and having endless stores to browse in, plus there were more charitable organizations to help.
She still liked it better here. The quiet time to read and enjoy nature would never be possible in a big city. Also, it was much easier to know who truly sought and needed her help. Women were less likely to be taken advantage of when they knew people.
Being near where her father had finally found success meant something as well, but she couldn’t describe it. Her life hadn’t always been so proper or laced with riches. In her heart, she had her father’s dreamer spirit. He’d wanted to find silver and gold. She wanted to help people and be free of the corset women had been saddled with. If her brother had survived the Civil War, he’d understand. He’d be here with her now and she’d be safe without a husband.
The utter arrogance of the single men in town made her gallop the horse. There were plenty of whores in town, so why did the men have to bother her? They wanted her money—it was as simple as that. If love was involved, it would be a different story.
Avoiding the main road, she came up on the Bonner ranch from behind. A big spread of horses and cattle showed they were successful. The house was large and sturdy but modest.
They were cowboys to the core. Certainly not the most conventional men in town, but she wasn’t always traditional either. Her desire to get women the vote hadn’t gone over well. At least the Bonner men hadn’t mocked her like some had for wanting women’s suffrage. The handsome cousins kept to themselves, traded with the Indians when they could, and always helped anyone who needed it.
True gentlemen, who made her feel beautiful and rare. She could never decide which of the two she liked better. Both triggered very unladylike reactions in her. Desire, lust and tingling were the best words she had.
When she did her charity work with the prostitutes, she’d heard them discussing men in detail so she believed it was natural. Emily knew the marriage bed wasn’t always unpleasant. Her mother died before Emily was old enough to discuss marriage or personal matters, but Alice’s tasteful input and the unavoidable view of farm animals mating had filled in the blanks on the basics.
There were plenty of nights she’d dreamed about the Bonner men in very carnal ways. The sensitive flesh between her legs throbbed from her just thinking about them. Alice was right. Emily was a woman and spinsterhood probably wasn’t the best path for her.
Jack and Henry Bonner were the two men in town she’d even consider, but they were close. Kin like that didn’t turn on its own. She couldn’t come between them. Neither man had ever made any attempt to court her. Then life dragged her to Denver. She hadn’t seen either of the men since.
Hearing noises in the barn, Emily hopped off her horse and tied the strong brown filly up to a rail behind the house by a watering trough. No one could see the horse from the road. She found a bucket of feed and set it where the horse could reach it. She patted the animal’s neck then watched it drink and settle in.
“Good job,” she whispered.
The animal shook its head and drank deeply. More sounds came from the barn and Emily’s curiosity got the best of her.
Quietly, she pulled the door open and walked in. The huge barn had hay and stalls for the horses. Her eyes adjusted to the reduced sunlight and in the last stall she saw movement. Good manners said she should announce her presence, but she couldn’t resist seeing the men at work. Maybe they were bare-chested with pitchforks in hand? After so much propriety in Denver, she needed a dose of functional reality that a small town gave. Propriety was good but not always practical.
As she peeked into the stall, she saw more than men working with hay. They were nearly naked and pulling the last bits of each other’s clothes off. The shock set in and she gaped at them. Their bodies were so perfect and so close. What were they doing? She jumped when a gust of wind blew through the barn, whistling through the cracks.
The scathing sermons on unnatural acts and how war had twisted some men to lie with each other as they did with their wives haunted her. The reverend’s words about how lust could taunt a man and that it had to be purged, flashed in her mind. She took a step back. It didn’t look evil or dangerous. They remained the same two men she’d come to admire and care for a great deal.
Still, she couldn’t look away as the smell of warm hay and the sounds of hoof stomps faded into the background. The men drew her in. They were good people. Jack had brown hair and eyes, a tanned hard body and muscles from days of physical work. His cock jutted out and she stared at it for a long moment. Her body tingled as though her instincts might take over to please him.
Then Henry’s clothes hit the hay. He had lighter brown hair, green eyes and even more muscles than Jack. He didn’t have a head for figures or business, other than negotiating, but he was fun. He preferred to do the work, and it showed.
His member was pointing up as well. Henry pushed Jack into the hay and knelt. Emily ached to join them, but two men? Together? There were names for that. Bad names and negative comments she’d heard from people.
Most of those same people also said bad things about the Indians and the liberated slaves.
When Henry kissed Jack full on the mouth, Emily gasped. They were so beautiful and tempting. There was no logic to it. Both men could find wives or prostitutes willing to give away their bodies. Unlike her mind, her body wasn’t confused at all. She sighed and a bit of a moan slipped out.
The two men’s heads snapped around to look at her, and she froze.
“Hey, Miss St. Claire. See anything you like?” Henry grinned.
Jack sat up. “We can explain, Emily. Please don’t run. It’s not what you think.”
She licked her lips and took a step back. “I don’t understand.”
“Please, hear us out. You’re a fair woman. If you go running to the town, we’ll be dead by nightfall.” Jack’s voice revealed something she’d never heard from him before—fear.
No, she wouldn’t run. She had a lot of questions and ideas darting through her mind, but leaving wasn’t one of them.
Jack covered his erection with his denim pants and couldn’t believe his eyes when she moved closer and sat in the hay. Her expression revealed surprise, not disgust.
“What other secrets are you two keeping? Are you really cousins?” She plucked a bit of hay from his hair. “What you’re doing is… You could each have wives. I don’t understand.”
Jack gawked at her. Emily was a vision with blonde flowing hair, big blue eyes, creamy skin and a curvy figure. The two men had talked about her plenty, but she was wealthy and proper, not a girl to be shared in the hayloft. Of course she didn’t understand. They’d been so careful not to get caught, but today they’d slipped up.
“No, we’re not related. It’s just safer if people think we’re kin.” Henry tugged Jack’s cover away and exposed him. “I’m sure it’s a horrible shock, but I hope you won’t turn us in to the sheriff.”
“So you prefer each other to women. I’m sorry to interrupt. I should go.” She looked at them both and started to stand.
“No, wait.” Henry walked over and grasped her hand. “If we love each other, it’s right. And we do like women too. It’s complicated. We know you’re sympathetic to the Indians, so do you believe they’ll go to Hell because they won’t convert to Christianity?”
She paused then settled back down. “No, they have their own beliefs. We’re not the exclusive children of God on Earth. If they’re good, they won’t go to Hell.”
“More proof you’re a very unusual woman. Not everyone thinks the way you do. We simply make do. The right woman—women—haven’t come along and when you’re alone on the trail, moving herds of cattle, there aren’t any women along.” Jack wanted to rip her pretty blue dress off, but resisted with all his might. First, he needed to be sure she wouldn’t betray them.
“My father had a stud horse that preferred other males. He tried all manners of things to cure it. It took forever to get a foal, but it was the horse’s nature.” She chuckled. “Sorry to interrupt you two. I had to go for a ride and clear my head after a group of bachelors followed me home from church.”
“You’re not interrupting at all,” Jack said.
“Clearly I am. I’ll go home and leave you to it. Your secret it safe with me, just be more careful.” She slowly started to get up.
“No we don’t mind at all. I’d rather you stay here.” Henry grabbed her hand. “We have to hide our relationship because people don’t understand it. We’d be run out of town or drawn and quartered. That doesn’t mean we’re not interested in a certain woman as well.”
She blushed and ran her hand down Henry’s arm. “Really?”
Jack took her other hand and pressed it to his chest. “Really. We never thought you’d be interested in a pair like us. You were raised properly.”
“Once my father had money, I was raised more carefully. When I was little and my father was trying different areas for his mining operation, I had lessons in cooking and sewing from my mother. I had one good dress and no maid. I was no better than any other girl out west. I learned to run a family and a house. After Mother died, my father changed. He was afraid he’d be all alone if he let me go.”
“You deserve a family, but those fools in town shouldn’t be forcing you to marry or chasing you down.” Henry shook his head.
“Even the reverend said I’d be safer if I was married. As though I have something to worry about if I don’t marry quickly. My father was ill for a few years. No one bothered me, but if they had, there was little he could’ve done.” She shrugged.
“He would’ve stood by you and had the man hunted down and hanged. It’s the way things are. Alone, you’re not as strong as you are with a man to look out for you. Do you want to marry?” Jack asked.
“I’ve thought about it, of course, to the right man who loves more than my money. After what I walked in on, it’s a very tempting idea.” She slid her hand down his chest. “I even had my eye on a couple of fellas, but it would be awkward.”
“A couple? How would that be awkward?” Henry asked.
She looked Jack in the eye then turned to Henry. “Choosing. I thought you two were related. I couldn’t pick between you, and neither of you seemed interested in me.”
“Us?” Henry laughed. “Oh, we’re interested. Damn, you belong here if you think you can handle the two of us.”
“I’ve never handled one man, but I doubt you’re going to demand advanced knowledge from me for a kiss or two.” Her face burned. She leaned down and kissed Jack’s chest. “You’re sure you like women?”
Henry slid her hand down to the rigid proof on his body. “We like both men and women. We know how to be discreet. You’re safe with us if you want to try anything. You should find out the facts before you judge, right?”
She nodded. “I moved around a lot when I was little. I was judged plenty and I try never to do it.”
Jack shoved his fingers into her thick hair and tugged her up to look at him face-to-face. “We want you, Miss Emily. We have for a long stretch, but you’re untouched. We won’t ruin you. If you’re smart, you better leave now.”
She shook her head. “No. I trust you not to force me into anything. I rode by your place for a reason and now I know what it is. I needed to discover the truth.”
He crushed her mouth to his, and she melted to him. The press of her body made him groan. They could explore over and over. If she
really
wanted them, even one of them, she deserved a taste of it before she ruined herself. The woman was curious and open-minded.
Her breasts rubbed against him and he slid a hand between their bodies, cupping one mound through her layers of clothing. It’d been so long since they’d shared a woman. Falling for her was dangerous. But they had. They simply couldn’t resist this sweet and smart lady who didn’t fear strong opinions, Indians or wolves.
When he let her go, she gasped for air then licked her lips. She grabbed Henry’s arm and tugged him down. The confident woman planted a kiss on Henry, and Jack watched as his cock throbbed. Sharing her, watching her, and loving them both was an insane dream. He’d told Henry that over and over.
“You are wearing too much clothing, Miss St. Claire. You should get to sample both before you have to choose.” Henry nuzzled her neck.
She blushed and reached up her to loosen her collar. “How did you two meet?”
Henry jumped in to help her with the mass of lavender clothing.
Jack hated it when Henry was right. But the orphan had good instincts. Emily wasn’t shying away or fearful of the lust. She had a passionate nature and needed to get married or she’d be sneaking over here to play every chance she got. That was far too dangerous. What they were doing now was dangerous too, but he’d make sure they didn’t cross the line.
Jack helped removed her skirts and wanted to rip the bustle off her body. “I grew up with a devil of a father and five older brothers. I was always wrong, teased and pushed around. I ran away at sixteen for some peace, plus they couldn’t afford all the mouths to feed. Henry ditched an orphan’s home at twelve and never looked back. We met on a mining job and were quite a pair. We followed the money until we were hired on for a cattle drive. Mining is a gamble. Livestock will always bring a price. Everyone needs to eat.”