Their Blushing Bride (Bridgewater Brides) Read online

  RYE

  * * *

  The girl’s words shook me to my core. "Y-your former employer? But what about the children? We saw you with children in the park."

  "I am... was, the governess for the Garner children." When she spoke the words a profound sadness filled her eyes. "Michael and Hannah. Michael is eight, and Hannah is six." Her voice hitched with emotion, and she glanced away, blinking back tears.

  Not married? No children? I gaped at her, my heart singing with euphoria. I fought against the huge grin of joy that wanted to burst forth. She was clearly distraught. I needed to temper my excitement. For now.

  There would be plenty of time later to caress and explore her body, tell her how much she’d haunted my dreams over the past few nights.

  I stroked the soft flesh of her cheek. It was like a fresh peach, and she flushed when I touched her.

  "We meet again, Miss Lily Snow," I said gently, holding my palm out to her.

  "Yes." She smiled for the first time this evening. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She placed her palm in mine. I caressed her delicate fingers and noted the way her breath sped up at the contact. She tugged, and I let it go. For now.

  "And you are Rye," she said, giving me a shy gaze.

  "Yes, Miss Lily Snow." I retrieved her hand and kissed the top of it. It was silky smooth and smelled of lavender soap. "I am Rye. I am pleased to know you remembered."

  "Rye?" The corner of her mouth turned up a bit. I was used to questions about my unusual name. Usually they pissed me off, but, from her, the inquiry was charming.

  "An old family name," I replied. She could find out the rest later, that I was Lord Hiram Rye, third son of the Earl of Rye. "Now, let's get back to you. You were the governess, but you are no longer."

  "Yes."

  "You were fond of the children." It was a statement and not a question. I'd seen the way she'd hugged and kissed them at the park.

  "Y-yes." She stared at the floor, and I touched her chin and returned her gaze to me.

  "And you have somehow been relieved of your duties?"

  She nodded, her expressive eyes speaking volumes.

  "You have no reason to be ashamed, Lily," I reassured her, taking her to sit on the edge of the bed, while I sat next to her with my arm around her waist.

  She sniffed back tears. "I am sorry. I have caused you enough problems already, I do not need to share my tale of woe, too. I thank you for your kind assistance this evening. And Keane, as well. You’ll express my thanks to him, won’t you?"

  As if on cue, the door opened silently, and Keane slipped into the room. Our eyes met, and I knew the matter of the perverted Mr. Garner had been resolved.

  Keane knelt on the floor next to Lily and took hold of her other hand. "I may have caused a bit of injury to your husband," he said, trying to sound apologetic, "however, I do not think he will harm you any further."

  I gave his leg a nudge with my boot. "Not her husband. Former employer." I could not believe how happy it made me to say those words.

  A beaming smile spread over Keane's face as my words sank in. "Not married?" He gaped at her, his face the happiest I’d seen it in ages. I suspected mine looked the same.

  "No," she replied. "Though truly you have both been gentlemen of the first order, and I so much appreciate all you've done, I really must be going." Though her words said she planned to leave, she made minimal effort to withdraw her hands from ours.

  "Oh, no," Keane said, echoing my own thoughts. "We’ve found you, and we don’t intend to let you go."

  LILY

  * * *

  My stomach fluttered as the two men touched me. Rye and Keane. I could tell they were very different from each other. Where Rye had a formal bearing, his clothes impeccable, Keane seemed a bit more rebellious and while his clothes were of the highest quality, they were somewhat disheveled. Of course, he had recently given Mr. Garner a working over, so that might not be so surprising.

  "I should have known better than to open the d-door. He said it was a meal, compliments of the hotel. And before I knew it, he was in the room, making… making lewd suggestions." I lowered my head to hide the tears of shame in my eyes.

  Keane swore.

  "It's all right, Lily," Rye said. "We will take care of you. And no harm will come to you. I give my word." As he spoke, his fingers massaged my neck. It was heavenly, and I let out a sigh.

  "Bu-but, why?" I asked, my mind muddled from their attention and caresses.

  Noises from the hallway entered the room. There was knocking on a door, not this one, but close. "Open up. Sheriff!"

  Terror shot through me and I gasped. The two men exchanged a glance that seemed to have conveyed an entire conversation. "Please," I whispered. "You must not answer the door. Mr. Garner is very influential here in Butte. No doubt he’s told the sheriff horrible things about me. About all of us." I looked between the two men. "I am sorry to have brought you into my problems."

  Rye put a finger to my lips and then led me to the other bedroom of their spacious suite. "We’ve promised to protect you, and we always keep our promises," he said before he closed the door to the second bedroom.

  There was a pounding on the outer door, and the sheriff’s deputies announced themselves as they had down the hallway. Keane called out a response, and I began to quiver.

  Rye rubbed his palms up and down my arms. "We must hurry now, sweet Lily."

  I gaped up at him. His eyes held mine and I nodded, overcome with fear of what might happen if the sheriff found me. Mr. Garner was a powerful man and could have told any number of lies to implicate me. Implicate Rye and Keane as well.

  "We will put on a small charade for the police, my sweet Lily." Rye’s words were smooth and soothing. "We are going to pretend to be married."

  My eyes went wide.

  "Do you trust me?" he asked, and in my soul I knew with certainty that I did.

  "Yes," I whispered.

  He touched the closure I had fastened for my blouse to replace the missing buttons. I tingled at the contact. "Wh-what are you doing?"

  "Forgive me," he replied, "but it is necessary." He opened the buttons and pushed my blouse off my shoulders. I bit back a whimper as voices in the next room wafted into ours. Then he reached down and untied my boots, tossing them aside.

  Rye hurried me to the bed and pulled back the covers. "In you go." He tucked the soft sheets and billowy quilt over me and then, to my further shock, he stripped out of boots and shirt and joined me wearing only his trousers.

  How he felt this was the appropriate response to having the law in the next room I had no idea, but I was unable or unwilling to protest as he put his arms around me. "I am going to kiss you," he said, "but this is not part of the charade, Miss Lily Snow. These kisses are for real." His lips captured mine, and his hands roved my body. Our legs intertwined, and the unmistakable hardness of his manhood touched my belly.

  I moaned against his lips and sighed.

  Then the door slammed open, and three deputies stormed in. I shrieked, and the quivering returned.

  The lawmen surrounded the bed, and I grabbed at the covers and held them to my chin.

  Rye seemed completely unconcerned. "May I help you, gentlemen?" he asked, climbing from the bed and rising to his full height. I stared at him, unable to turn away from the length of his erect manhood creating an unmistakable tent in his pants.

  The lawmen were a bit distracted as well. "We ... um... we are searching for a woman who assaulted and robbed one of our most venerable citizens, Mr. Richard Garner."

  Robbed? I gasped, but Rye cut me a quick look, and I kept my mouth closed. Keane stood behind the intruders and gave me a reassuring smile and nod along with a finger to his lips to remind me to allow them to do the speaking.

  "Well, I wish you good luck with that, but as you can see, there are no thieves here."

  "Would you mind identifying yourself, sir, and the ... um... lady with you," one of the deputies as
ked, the implication of his words not lost on me. Anger flashed over Keane's face.

  Rye moved to stand before the lawmen, an almost imperceptible change coming over him as he addressed them, his accent becoming more pronounced and his tone imperious.

  "I am Lord Hiram Rye. You may call me 'your lordship.'" He paused dramatically to allow that to sink in. I had nearly bitten through my lip to keep from crying out. What madness had this evening brought? From the corner of my eye, I saw Keane give another encouraging nod.

  "And this"—he turned and gestured to me, his manhood still fully erect and not unnoticed by the deputies—"is Lady Rye."

  I forced a calm expression to my face.

  "As you can see," he continued, "we have been occupied for quite some time, and there are no thieves here. Now, if you will excuse us—"

  "Then who is he?" The boldest of the deputies pointed a thumb at Keane.

  "Why, he is my gentleman's gentleman. Keane, please see these deputies out."

  KEANE

  * * *

  Usually, it really pissed me off when Rye turned all English lord on me, and calling me his gentleman’s gentleman was a new low. In other circumstances, I’d have given him an earful, at minimum. But I knew this was all part of the charade to protect Lily. Beautiful, sweet, and unmarried, Lily.

  And for her, I would endure anything. No hardship was too great. No task too daunting.

  It was all I could do not to kick up my heels as I walked the deputies out of the suite, but I managed to keep my wits about me.

  "Good luck finding the thief," I said as they exited, my fingers itching to slam the door behind them and throw the bolt.

  The last deputy lingered a bit and, when the others were a few paces down the hall, he turned back to me. "A word to the wise," he said. "Mr. Garner has many connections in this city. It would be smart if his lordship"—he nodded toward Rye’s room—"and his ‘wife’ got out of town swiftly, if you know what I mean." He turned and walked away before I could respond.

  Well, if he said we ought to take Lily and go back to Bridgewater, who was I to argue?

  4

  KEANE

  * * *

  When I entered Rye's room, I found Lily huddled under the covers, her face pale and her brown eyes seemingly even larger and wider than I'd ever seen them before. Clearly, she was not accustomed to close encounters with the law.

  Rye, unperturbed as usual, had rejoined her in the bed, holding her close against his body.

  Had it been any other man, I'd have punched him in a fit of jealousy and offense at his touching my woman. But, not Rye. No, never Rye. Lily was our woman. We would see to her care and happiness all the days of our lives. Rye had her tucked up under his arm, her head resting against his chest, though she still clutched the bedclothes in her fingers. So tightly, her knuckles were white.

  I yanked off my boots and slid into the bed on the other side of Lily. I took hold of her fingers and gently pried them from the blankets. When she resisted, I coaxed, "Lily, my sweet, you were so brave. You did a fine job. Now there's nothing for you to fear. Rye and I are here. You'll never have to be fearful again."

  "No, never again," Rye said, placing a tender kiss to her temple.

  Lily directed those big brown eyes at me and blinked as though she'd just noticed my arrival. That she was sandwiched between two men in a bed didn't seem to have registered or affected her, yet. I gave another tug on the blanket, and she let go. I allowed it to rest at her waist. Her blouse was open and pushed off her shoulders. I stared at her alabaster flesh and envisioned her entire body naked. My cock stirred in my pants.

  Man was not meant to be in bed fully clothed, but considering the amount of trauma our Lily had experienced in the last hour, it seemed best to move slowly, no matter how uncomfortable.

  We had decades before us to engage in all the tawdry games I had in mind that involved my cock buried deep in her mouth, her pussy and, eventually, her ass. My cock swelled again, and I shifted.

  "Is-is it true? What you told the deputies?" She turned her head to gape at Rye. "A-are you really a l-lord?" She spoke the words almost reverently.

  "Yes," Rye assured her. "It is true. I am the third son of the Earl of Rye. Third sons are rarely of much value to their family, and so I took the opportunity to travel here to America, to start anew. With my dear, lifelong friend, Keane." He nodded in my direction, and she turned to me.

  "A-are you a l-lord, too?"

  "Oh hell no," I said. "I'm a soldier. Used to be. Now I'm a rancher. Bridgewater Ranch to be exact."

  "Bridgewater?" She sat up straighter. "I-I think I have he-heard about that ranch."

  "We have some of the finest horses in the territory. Perhaps that is what you have heard about."

  "No," she said, moving her head slowly from side to side, her brow furrowed as though she was working to remember something. "My employer—former employer—I-I overheard a conversation he had with several men. Actually many conversations. They called it a ranch full of debauchery, and that it ought to be burned down. A blight on society and the good people of Montana."

  "That sounds about right," I said. Rye shot me a scowl. "I'm sorry, darling. I ought not to tease. Yes, we at Bridgewater do live an unconventional lifestyle."

  "It's based on a tradition from Mohamir. Where two or more men share a bride. The better to protect and provide for her. In every way." Rye ran a finger along the opening of her blouse, pushing it aside.

  Lily's pert mouth fell slack, and her breathing increased. Rye continued to work the blouse farther down.

  "In fact, that's why we came to Butte this week. To find a bride."

  "Oh!" she gasped and glanced around the room. "D-did you f-find one?"

  "As a matter of fact," I said, brushing the hair back from her face, reveling in the silky feel of it, "we did."

  Her face fell, and she reached for the covers again.

  "Found her before we'd even gotten to the hotel," Rye added. "Right there in the park. Her hat came flying toward us, like divine intervention." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her throat. She gaped at us.

  "But then we found out she was married. Or so we thought." I opened the final buttons on her blouse and pushed it open while I placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

  "We were so disappointed, we'd decided to go back home and stop looking," Rye said, then covered her mouth with his, pulled her close.

  I finished removing her blouse, her flimsy corset the only covering on her torso. God, she was even more exquisite than I’d imagined. And I’d imagined a lot. Every night and most waking moments, too. Touching her, kissing her, listening to her moans of pleasure. And now, those dreams were about to come true.

  When the kiss ended, Rye passed her over to me. She gazed up at me, mouth swollen from Rye’s kiss. I took my turn, tasting her for the first time. Her lips were soft and pliable, and her body responded to me. Her mouth moved beneath mine, and her fingers rested on my chest, gentle as a sparrow, and then slid up around my neck. God in heaven, it was the most glorious sensation I’d ever experienced. Her delicate body melted against mine. I slipped my hands around her tiny waist, holding her close, her tight nipples brushing my shirt. I ached to free her breasts and suck on the sweet nubs.

  "And then she cried out. Needed our help," I whispered against her lips. I had to kiss her again. I couldn’t get enough.

  Meanwhile, Rye removed the pins from her hair so it fell about her shoulders like a silky, fawn-colored wave.

  "And now we have her right where she belongs," he whispered, pushing her hair aside and kissing her nape. "In our bed. Between us."

  "Forever."

  LILY

  * * *

  Though they were speaking slowly, sensuously slowly, I still had trouble grasping what they were saying.

  They were Bridgewater men. From the ranch Mr. Garner had railed against so many times. And, if I heard them correctly, and I wasn’t certain I had, they had come to Butte to fin
d a bride and—that bride was me. Me?

  They surrounded me. Their touches were intoxicating, and their kisses—oh mercy, their kisses were otherworldly. My head spun, and sensations coursed through me, making it difficult to think of anything but more, more kisses, more touches, more of them.

  Both of them.

  "We would like you to do us the honor of marrying us. Be our bride and live with us at Bridgewater," Keane said, his gaze dark and sincere, penetrating to my very soul.

  "You would want for nothing. We would cherish and love you, protect you with our lives, until our dying breaths." Rye pinned me with his blue eyes that seemed to change shade depending on his mood. If I were to guess, his current mood was —passionate.

  I gulped.

  "I-I ... what... um..." My mind had never been so befuddled. I glanced from one to the other and back again. Was this a joke? For what purpose?

  "We aren't doing this properly," Rye said, releasing me and climbing from the bed, getting down on one knee on his side of the mattress

  Keane repeated the process on the other. I felt their absence, and a shiver ran through me.

  They each took hold of one of my hands. Rye kissed the top of my right, just as he had done in the park. It had only been a few days ago, but a lifetime of things had happened since then. My breath hitched in my throat.

  Keane held my left between both his warm palms.

  "Lily Snow," Rye spoke in a husky whisper.

  "Will you marry us?" Keane finished, his voice full of emotion.

  "B-both of you? 'Tis illegal." I knew that much. Of all of Mr. Garner's rantings about the sins of Bridgewater, that much had, in fact, been correct.

  "Technically, legally, you would only be married to one of us," Rye answered, his gaze holding mine in a most distracting way.

  "But spiritually, emotionally, you would be married to both of us, equally." Keane placed a kiss on the center of my palm, so gently and reverently, while his dark gaze locked with mine.