Their Tempting Bride (Bridgewater Brides) Read online

  6

  For the entire day and night, Georgia refused to come out of her room. Her mother had spoken to her earlier, but so far, her father had not had the courage to face her. Tell her why he was giving her to his boss.

  Mr. Bartlett even came to the house and waited, but she refused to come out. She didn’t want to see the foul old man.

  A man who mistreated his employees and she was certain he would treat her poorly as well. The mine owner may have money, but from what she’d heard, he didn’t spend it on his home or his family. And his son? Dear God, she would have a stepchild who could be her brother.

  If she had to, she would run away. She would never marry Virgil Bartlett.

  The morning sun shone through her curtains and her mother barged into her room. “Your father has left for work. Help me pack your things.”

  “What? Where am I going?”

  “I don’t know for certain, but Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Perkins are going to meet us at two o’clock today. They want to speak to you.”

  Georgia felt her heart slam into her chest. Could it be that she was going to hide with them? But that wasn’t possible. Her father would come after her the moment he learned of her whereabouts.

  The only way she could escape her father and Mr. Bartlett was to marry. Would one of them want to marry her?

  They were from Bridgewater, and though she'd heard rumors about that town, she didn’t understand what really went on there or why that community was unique.

  “What’s going on, Mama?”

  “Do you want to marry Mr. Bartlett?”

  “Of course not,” she said indignant that her mother would even think for a moment that he was the man for her.

  “Then just do as I say. Pack your things and we’re going to load everything up and take it with us when we go to town. Just please go along with this and don’t ask too many questions. I can’t answer them.”

  That was strange. Her mother was always honest and open with her. Why would she not be now?

  “I’m trying to save you, Georgia, but I don’t know if what I’m doing is right. But it has to be better than that old man.”

  For the next few hours, they packed her clothes and had the servants help load her trunk. Then, wearing one of her best dresses, she climbed into the wagon. As they pulled away from the house, she glanced back and wondered if she would ever see her home again.

  A little before two, they arrived at the diner on Main Street that was bustling with wagons. Her mother pulled their team to the side of the street. Reaching over, she gave her a hug.

  “I’m going to wait out here for you. Remember, Georgia, this is your decision to make. No one else can do it for you.”

  Georgia felt a tremor of nerves go through her, rattling her insides. Why did she feel like what would happen would change her life?

  “Yes, Mama,” she said and crawled out of the buggy. Gathering her courage, she walked toward the diner to meet her destiny.

  As she entered the building, she saw the two men sitting at a table. Her heart beat a little faster. They were so handsome. Why couldn’t she be marrying one of them?

  They waved her over and both stood as Daniel pulled out a chair for her. “Good to see you, Georgia.”

  “Thank you,” she said, wondering what they wanted to talk to her about. She glanced nervously between the two men, biting her lip with anticipation, her pulse beating rapidly.

  “Your mother came to see us yesterday and told us about your situation with Mr. Bartlett.”

  A tremor ran through her every time she heard his name. “Yes, I’m fighting this marriage, but my papa is not budging. They haven’t told me yet, but I heard one of the servants say the wedding has been moved to this Saturday.”

  Martin nodded. “That’s what your mother said as well.”

  “You know we live in Bridgewater. Do you know anything at all about the town?” Daniel asked.

  She frowned. The town was talked about in whispers. “Not really. Only that the community is different.”

  Martin reached across the table and took her hand. At his touch, a warmth spread through her.

  “Bridgewater is a wonderful town filled with great men and women and growing families. It’s filled with love and a sense of community and helping one another.”

  That sounded like a great place to live. A woman from the kitchen set a glass of water on the table for her and then hurried off.

  “The only difference between us and other communities is every woman has two husbands,” Daniel said.

  Stunned, Georgia stare at the men, trying to comprehend what they were telling her.

  “Every woman has two husbands to protect her, love her, and give her children. We believe in sharing a woman at the same time,” Martin said.

  Confused, she glanced at Martin and then Daniel. “But is that legal?”

  “The law allows only one husband, but we make a vow to always stay together and protect our woman. She marries only one man, but the other husband is there by her side, protecting her, and they share a family. If something happens to one man, she still has protection and the family still has a provider,” Martin said.

  For a moment, she thought about what they were telling her. How would that work? “What do the women think about this? And don’t the men get jealous?”

  “The women are happy and satisfied. There is no reason for jealousy because the wife belongs to both men. They share her body. They both love and cherish her. She is the center of their world,” Daniel replied and took her other hand.

  They rubbed their thumbs along her wrist, and Daniel scraped the inside of her palm with a fingernail. A shiver went through her and her breathing quickened.

  She glanced between the two men. She had been dreaming of the two of them since she first saw them, and wondered, if given a choice, how could she ever decide which one she wanted.

  Were they asking her to be their wife?

  “Does this sound like a life you would consider,” Martin asked.

  A tremble of nerves rippled through her. “I’ve never been with one man, let alone two. What would you expect of me?”

  They grinned at her. The same woman who brought the water carried an order of delicious-smelling food to a table over from her.

  Daniel wrapped both of his hands around her one hand. “We would show you the ways between a man and a woman. It’s our duty to make certain you are happy, well cared for, but we would also expect complete obedience from you. If you disobey, you would be punished.”

  “What kind of punishment?”

  “A spanking,” Daniel said. “We will paddle your fine behind if you disobey.”

  Martin wrapped the small hand he held between both of his. “We would claim not only your mouth, but your pussy, and also your ass.”

  “My ass?” she said in a loud whisper. “Is that possible?”

  They laughed at her innocence. “Yes, dear, it’s very possible and enjoyable. But we would take it slowly. Your pleasure is what is important to us.”

  These two men were talking of pleasure that she had no idea of. “What about children? Whose baby would I have?”

  Martin frowned. “It doesn’t matter. They will be our sons and daughters. We will love them equally and not worry about who the father is. We are both their father.”

  Why had she never heard of this before now?

  “Any other questions?” Daniel asked.

  “Many, but I can’t ask them, because…” she could feel a blush spread across her cheeks. She dreamed of one man taking her, but two? At the same time? How would that work? “I don’t know where to begin.”

  All she knew was that she was so attracted to these two men, and a life with both of them would be so much better than being with Mr. Bartlett.

  “Before we ask you to marry us, there is one thing you need to know,” Martin said quietly, “due to a bullet, I only have one leg.”

  She turned and gazed at him. “I’m sorry.”

 
“Will that bother you?”

  A frown appeared on her face. “No, why would it. You are a handsome man and I didn’t know before now. Why should that bother me you were hurt?”

  The two men glanced at each other.

  Still holding her hand, Daniel gazed at her. “Georgia Carroll, will you marry me and become our wife?”

  A trickle of nerves spiraled through her and she bit her lip. The two men who made her heart flutter at the sight of them had just asked for her hand in marriage. She could marry Daniel and have two husbands and two men to love her. And if that were the case, then Mr. Bartlett with a teenage son would have to rescind his offer. Two wonderful things from one proposal.

  This was the answer her mother refused to offer help with. This was the decision she was leaving up to her. And to Georgia, it was simple.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she said in a breathless whisper, “both of you.”

  7

  When they walked out of the diner, the wind kicked up the dust in the street, and Georgia grabbed her hat. Her mother sat waiting in the wagon, gazing at them expectedly. She glanced at the two men and then at her daughter. Daniel could not withhold the smile that spread across his face.

  “And?”

  “We’re going to the courthouse,” Daniel told her. “I’m marrying Georgia.”

  He glanced down at their soon-to-be wife and she smiled at him. Happiness shone from her emerald eyes and he knew she wasn't marrying them just to get away from Bartlett, but because she wanted to be their wife.

  Tears welled in her mother’s eyes. “I’m so relieved. May I please go with you. For years, I had dreamed of a big wedding for Georgia, but now, I’ll accept just seeing her say I do.”

  “Of course,” Martin said. “But first let’s load her trunks and all into our wagon, in case we have to get out of town in a hurry.”

  Until after the wedding ceremony, they had to be cautious. If Mr. Bartlett or her father learned of the wedding, they would intervene, and Daniel didn’t want to have to hurt her father. But right now, he would lay down his life to protect his future wife.

  Georgia belonged to him and Martin. No one else.

  From the moment he laid eyes on her helpless on that sidewalk, she had ensnared his heart. And now he was about to make her his, and tonight, they would both claim her.

  In a matter of minutes, he had loaded her things into their wagon. Then they all walked down to the courthouse.

  To say the clerk was shocked to see them would have been an understatement.

  “But I thought…”

  “No,” her mother said, “she’s marrying Daniel Hamilton.”

  The clerk glanced at Georgia and she smiled at him. “Daniel won my heart. He’s the man I’m marrying.”

  Warmth spread through Daniel and he smiled at Georgia and took her hands in his.

  Quickly, they repeated the wedding vows, staring into each other's eyes. A shy smile crossed her face as she pledged to love him until death did they part. In a matter of minutes, it was over and now she belonged to Daniel and Martin.

  At the end, the clerk smiled at them. “You may kiss your bride.”

  Knowing this was their first kiss and wanting so much more, he kissed her gently on the lips. For a moment, he felt bad that Martin didn’t get to kiss her but knew they would make up for it later. And he could hardly wait.

  Her mother and Martin signed the paperwork saying they witnessed the marriage. It was all done.

  Awkwardly, the men stood in the room with her mother as the two women said their goodbyes.

  “Georgia, it’s my prayer that you’ve made the right decision and that these men will treat you with the utmost respect and honor. Be happy, my daughter.”

  Tears welled in Georgia’s eyes. “Oh, Mama, I’m going to miss you.”

  “And me, you, my daughter,” her mother said squeezing. “Now go before your father and Mr. Bartlett find out what happened here today. I’m afraid for you and your husband.”

  The four walked out of the courthouse and down the bustling street. When they reached the stable where they had left their wagons, Daniel helped Georgia onto the bench seat, ready to take her home.

  As Martin climbed in, he glanced at Daniel. “We’ve got company.”

  Mr. Bartlett and her father came rushing up in his buggy. Her father jumped out and came running over to her. “Get out of there right this moment. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “I’m married, Papa. I’m going to live with my husband.”

  “What?”

  “You can’t be. I did not authorize you to marry him.”

  “I did,” her mother said. “Go back to work, Henry. Our daughter is married. You’re too late to stop the ceremony. It’s over.”

  She nodded to Daniel and the wagon begin to roll away.

  Mrs. Carroll did not want her daughter to know of her father’s perfidy. They had agreed to keep it from her if possible, though Daniel didn’t know how they could. This morning, he and Martin had paid her father’s gambling debts. If she ever learned of what they had done, he feared she would be angry, but he couldn’t let her father be harmed.

  As the wagon rolled past Mr. Bartlett, he glared at them. “We’re not finished. I’ll get even with you for what you’ve done. And, Georgia, you will be mine.”

  Like hell, he thought. If the man came after Georgia, he’d meet a wall of resistance unlike anything he’d met before. The men of Bridgewater protected their women and they would help them protect Georgia as well.

  Daniel smiled at the old man. Martin picked up the rifle they kept in the wagon for emergency and laid it across his lap. If he wanted to cause trouble, they were prepared.

  The horses gathered speed as they hurried out of Butte, headed home to Bridgewater where they couldn’t wait to introduce their new wife.

  When they were far enough out of town that Daniel no longer feared being attacked by her father or Mr. Bartlett, he pulled the wagon to a halt.

  “What’s wrong?” Georgia asked.

  “Remove your pantaloons,” Daniel said.

  “What?”

  “Our wife will have no need for pantaloons. Remove yours now,” he said.

  “But—"

  “Georgia, if you don’t remove them, you are disobeying, and I will not hesitate to paddle your ass right here out in the open.”

  Confusion filled her eyes as she reached under her skirt and slowly removed her drawers. When she pulled them over her shoes, she laid them in her lap.

  Martin reached from the back of the wagon and grabbed them. He took a deep breath. “Hmmm, that smell is so sweet. Let’s get home, so we can enjoy our new bride.”

  “You said you were going to take it slowly,” she said, her emerald eyes widening with fright.

  “And we will, but, honey, we intend to make you ours tonight.”

  8

  Martin held the rifle in his hands as they traveled toward Bridgewater. He didn’t really think her father would come after her, but then again, one never knew. Now, Mr. Bartlett, that man was evil and he wouldn’t be surprised to see him ride up with hired guns.

  And he would lose. No one would take their bride.

  All the way home, she sat on her naked bottom as Daniel drove the wagon over the rutted road, bouncing. Each time her bottom hit the wooden slat, Martin wondered what she was thinking. Would she enjoy what they had planned for her tonight or regret her decision to marry them?

  The sun was setting as they pulled through Bridgewater.

  “Do you live inside the city?” she asked.

  “No, we’re on the farthest outskirts of town. We have a hundred acres we run cattle on.”

  “Oh,” she said frowning. “You do realize my parents had servants. I have no idea how to cook a meal.”

  Martin sighed. “We should take you back and exchange you for a different woman.”

  Her eyes grew large.

  “I’m joking, lass. You’ll soon learn I have a sharp wit. T
he ladies of Bridgewater will teach you,” Martin said and realized she wasn’t used to his dry sense of humor.

  When they finally pulled up to their two-story home, Daniel set the brake on the wagon. They had built it with a family in mind and now those dreams would come to fruition.

  “I’ll take the horses and put them in the barn. You take Georgia into the house and show her around,” Daniel said. “We’ll get her trunks in the morning.”

  “But I’ll need my night clothes,” she said.

  “You’ll be fine,” Daniel told her.

  Martin watched her eyes widen in the dusk and knew that tonight would be a learning experience for their wife.

  “Don’t tarry or I’ll start without you,” Martin said, his cock hard with the thought of them taking Georgia tonight. “Bring in the copper tub. I’ll start the water.”

  “Bath? I took one yesterday.”

  The fear was back in her eyes with the realization of what would soon happen. Somehow they had to help her relax and a bath would calm her. It would give them a chance to help ease her tension and let her see how they would pamper her.

  Martin said, speaking low, “Tonight is your wedding night. You must be prepared for your grooms.”

  A shiver went through her and Martin didn’t know if it was fear or excitement. Whatever it was, he would make certain she was primed and willing when the time came. His only fear was her seeing his leg.

  The skin was red and puckered and no one but Daniel had ever seen his stump since he left the army hospital. Would she accept him, scars and all?

  Tonight would be the first of many lessons they would teach their bride. Training her would be their pleasure and he was ready to get started.

  Daniel helped Georgia out while Martin jumped down holding onto the wagon for balance.

  Daniel gazed at the two of them and smiled. “I’ll be back as soon as I take care of the horses.”

  Martin’s cock was tight against his pants and he knew that Daniel probably had the same experience. The man would quickly return.

  “I would lift you in my arms and carry you over the threshold, but I fear losing my balance and us both going down. So let’s jump over instead.”