A Contract Bride's Triple Surprise (13 page)

“Take her to her da. He likes to see her when she’s happy.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” she said. After what Ross had said about being ordered to marry her, she wasn’t sure she was ready to face the man. She handed Hope back.

“Best to get it over with,” said Tillie. She looked at Amelia with intelligent, brown eyes. “Don’t believe his bluster. It’s when he gets quiet that you have to watch out.” She stood up, jiggling Hope. The baby smiled. “He grieves for your sister. The only time he smiles is when he holds the babe.”

Amelia reluctantly nodded. Whenever she tried to put off her burn treatments, the anticipation of pain made things far worse. This was no different. She found her boots, brushed and neatly set at the back door. She put them on without stockings, took Hope back, and walked outside.

The sun did not fall from the sky because Amelia Smathers, now MacDougal, wore nothing except a thin cotton dress and heeled boots. She flushed at the thought, but the morning wind chilled her heated skin. Her breasts tightened, nipples popping up in response.

She looked downhill, hoping to see a herd of deer or perhaps antelope, but she saw none. Rugged mountains, the tops still covered in snow, rose on either side of the green valley. She inhaled the fragrance of sagebrush and fresh air. Across the river lay the Elliott ranch and Prue’s good friend, Beth. They were far enough away that she could only see the larger buildings. That meant they couldn’t see her, either.

She followed the uphill path Tillie had pointed out. She held the baby carefully as her boots were loose without stockings. The heels, so good for walking in the city, sank into the ground between rocks and made her ankles wobble. Her hem dragged along the ground.

“Your Uncle Ross said Mr. Venner would finish my new flat boots soon,” she told Hope. The baby frowned at her as if unsure whether Auntie Amelia could be trusted. “Those blue eyes of your must come from your papa. That hair is certainly not from the Smathers family.” She kissed the wisps of fine, golden-red hair. “If he was still alive, your grandfather would have disowned you just for that beautiful hair.”

She’d have to shorten all her hems so they didn’t sweep dirt as she walked. A decent couple of petticoats would help as well. Once she passed Hope onto Gillis, she’d find her trunks and spare undergarments. She’d been dressing herself for a long time. No husband would dictate what she wore.

A loud
caw
sounded above. She looked up. A large raven circled her, less than six feet above her head. Hope laughed and waved, but she pulled the baby close to her chest and glared. The huge, black bird backed off, flapping toward the forest.

She chatted quietly to Hope, pointing out the few plants she recognized. The three-month-old baby wouldn’t care, but it kept Amelia’s mind off what was to come. After a moment, she realized she heard more than one man’s voice. She stopped, heart thudding. Why hadn’t she realized that Gillis would not be working alone?

She recognized Ross, and there was another voice quite like his, yet different. The third had a broad Scottish accent.

Gillis.

Prue said her husband was the only one of the three with the accent. He was almost two when his Scottish mother died. After that, he spent most of his time with his older brothers and father. Ross and Nevin had little to do with them so had no accent.

If she kept Hope pressed to her chest, the men might not notice she was unencumbered by the layers women used to keep them at bay. The wind blew at her skirt, molding the fabric against her legs. She winced. They’d know. Surely, they wouldn’t be rude enough to comment? She pressed her shoulders back and continued up the hill.

“Hobble yer lip, laddie. I’ll get them!”

She stopped at the angry growl. Out of the woods stormed a hairy, red giant wearing nothing but boots and a kilt. He moved like a bull, head down and full speed. Hope saw him and squealed. He stopped short. His face changed, a smile erupting in a face designed for battle. He brushed his hands on his kilt as he strode forward.

“There ye are, lassie. Yer da was wond’ring when ye’d visit.”

Gillis didn’t seem to notice who carried his daughter, he was so fixed on the baby. She pumped her little legs as he chuckled. Amelia handed her over and stepped back.

“Ross hid yer knickers, did he? Smart lad. Trace does the same to Beth.”

Amelia gasped and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Dinna fash, Amelia. We’re yer family and clan. We dinna hide much from each other.”

Bright blue eyes, the whites tinged with red, looked down at her. Ross was tall, but Gillis was huge. In addition to the thick, dark red hair hanging past his shoulders, the orange beard and moustache, Gillis had, well, fur. His chest hair was so thick it looked like a pelt though his arms and legs had only fuzzy curls. His hairless shoulders had burned, peeled, and burned again.

“Ye got the same hair as yer sister, but the rest is yer own.” He nodded, as if to himself. “Go meet yer man,” he said, gesturing with his chin. “Nev’s with him. Hope will keep me company whilst we get a pail of nails. Won’t ye, lovey?” His tiny daughter safely tucked in the crook of his left elbow, kilt swinging side to side, Gillis strode down the hill.

Amelia exhaled. One brother-in-law down, one to go. She turned her back on Gillis and faced forward once more. Now that her hands were free, she lifted her skirts. Knowing Ross was close by and she near naked made her pussy swell as well as her breasts. The cotton rasped against her nipples. Her thighs brushed each other with every step.

Dreading Nevin, yet eager to see Ross, she followed the path. She stopped before they could see her. They were cutting logs into boards. One man worked uphill, the other from the bottom. Each man held one end of a long saw blade. Stripped to pants and boots with their faces down as they worked, there was little to tell them apart. A closer look showed her that Ross was above while Nevin yanked the blade down from below.

She took the opportunity to take a closer look at her husband in the daylight. He faced her, arms and chest heaving as he lifted the saw. Muscles rippled over Nevin’s broad, brown back on the return stroke as sawdust flew. His dark hair had a touch of auburn highlights.

She waited for them to finish. When they were done, they wiped their faces, smearing sawdust with sweat. A raven swooped out of a tree and landed on Ross’s wrist, which he held out for it. He and the large bird looked at each other. His mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear his words. The bird nodded its head as if it understood. She crossed her arms and waited for Ross to finish with the bird and acknowledge his wife.

“You didn’t tell me about her curves. Dang, why wasn’t I born first?”

Amelia flicked her eyes to Nevin. She blanched at the deep gashes running from his left shoulder to his right chest.

“Welcome to the family, Amelia. Did you like the flower? Not the rose, the other one.”

“Yes,” she managed to choke out. “Thank you for giving it to Ross for me.”

His white teeth shone when he smiled. She recognized that look as well as the answering quiver in her pussy. She pressed her thighs together. He looked like her husband and made her feel the same need. Her heart pounded as if she’d run all the way to the meadow. This was the husband Prue chose for her.

“What flower?” Ross frowned. He tossed the raven into the air and walked toward them. The bird squawked and landed on the far end of the cut log. It settled its wings, watching them.

“The one I left beside the basin when I washed up this morning,” said Nevin. He flicked his eyes over her, from hair to boots. One side of his mouth quirked up in a knowing smile.

“You went into my bedroom when I was sleeping?” Amelia took a step back. She almost stumbled when her heel sunk into a soft spot. She reached out her arms for balance.

“No, I went into
my
bedroom, where you were sleeping.”

His eyes roamed over her breasts. She quickly crossed her arms once more.

“I’ve slept in that bed since we came back from Texas,” continue Nevin. He turned to Ross and winked. “She snuffles when she snores.”

Ross, instead of raging at his brother for intruding, crossed his broad arms and smirked. At
her
. Her mouth dropped when he nodded companionably to Nevin as if discussing where to make the next saw cut.

“She makes other noises, too. Loud ones.”

“So I heard. Auntie will sleep through anything, but Tillie heard the two of you. Good thing I slept in the Elliott barn last night. Gil’s going to stuff his ears with beeswax until he learns to sleep through the screams.”

“Excuse me!” She glared from one to the other.

“Feisty, too,” continued Nevin. “I like a woman with passion.”

“She’s got that, all right. Seduced me out of my clothes that first time.”

“Oh!”

She whirled around and stumbled away. She’d only gone a few steps when a strong arm lifted her off the ground. He hauled her back against his naked chest. She smelled Ross’s musky scent. Her body instantly reacted, flooding her pussy. He shifted his arm so his hand covered her breast. Her breath caught when he snared her nipple between his fingers.

“Don’t run away, Amy.” He almost sang the soft words.

“You are rude,” she gasped, “and crude, and—”

“That’s the way men talk about women they like.”

“Like? What do you say to women you despise?”

“Nothing,” Ross replied. “Nothing at all.” He kissed her bad ear. “You’re making Nevin worried he did something wrong.”

“He watched me sleep!”

“He went to his room to get his clothes and bring you a pretty flower.” She shivered when he ran his tongue over her ear. “People sleep all the time, Amy.”

“But I had nothing on!” She hissed the words at Ross, embarrassed at Nevin hearing them.

“It’s good we got that over with.”

She gasped. “Got
what
over with?” Ross’s fingers circled her breast, making it hard to think.

“Now that Nev’s seen you, he won’t spend all day wondering what your skin looks like. He can get some work done without sawing his leg off thinking about these.”

He gently squeezed her breast. She grabbed his arm with both hands and yanked. Nothing happened.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” She pounded on his arm with her fists, but he didn’t budge.

“That my brother saw your luscious body and now wants you as much as I do? Nope.”

She shut her mouth then had to open it again in order to get enough air in her lungs. Ross shifted her around so she faced him. Though she stood on solid ground, he locked her to him with both hands cupping her bottom. He shifted his chest, chafing her erect nipples. His fingers molded her cheeks, pressing her belly against the hard cock straining to reach her.

“Nevin wants you, Amelia,” he whispered against her neck. He nibbled under her ear, making her shiver.

“He wants to…touch me like you do?”

Ross nodded. His eyes almost glowed in the sunlight.

“Isn’t that wrong?”

“You thought you’d married Nevin. You were angry it was me standing beside your bed, not my brother. What’s changed?”

“I married
you
,” she whispered. She couldn’t see past Ross’s broad chest. Was Nevin still there? The pounding of blood in her ears covered up every sound.

“Nevin still wants you. My name on a piece of paper doesn’t change that.”

Ross brushed a kiss across her lips. He traced inside her top lip with his tongue. She shivered and opened her mouth to him. He flicked his agile tongue, sliding it around hers while he rubbed his cock against her belly. She moaned and pulled him close. He pushed back, gasping, forcing her to release him. He lifted his hands to her shoulders and pressed his forehead against hers. He held her there for a moment, gasping.

“Amelia, unless you want me to bend you over that log and take you, right here, right now, you’d better head home.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” said a deep voice behind her.

Another hot set of hands reached around and caressed her breasts. He squeezed them, showing her he could also please. He pressed against her back. A hard length rested between her bottom cheeks. He dropped one hand between her legs. Though the cotton separated his fingers and her clit, she moaned in need as she stared up at her husband.

“You like that, don’t you, wife?”

Though she wanted to demand more, Amelia twisted away, panting with anger and lust. Ross winked while Nevin grinned openly at her discomfort. Her clit burned in need. Her face flamed with embarrassment and shame.

“Ross,” she said in a wavering voice, “your brother touched me.”

Ross nodded. His face was blank, but a tic near one eye gave away his tension.

“Nev wants you as much as I do, Amy. More, because he’s gone without a woman for so long.”

“But I’m your wife!”

“You’re the
only
MacDougal wife,” replied Ross.

He pulled her close and wrapped his bare arms around her. She peeked around his shoulder. Nevin winced and adjusted his pants. When he saw she’d noticed, he winked. Another flush of need raced up her body.