Mail Order Bride for Two [Badlands 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (2 page)

Chapter 2

Clarissa Barnes watched as two of the most handsome cowboys she’d ever laid eyes on turned slowly to face her. Light and dark. One of each. Very intriguing. She swallowed hard at the intense gaze they leveled in her direction. “As a matter of fact, I’m the witness to her death. I saw her jump.”

The blond cowboy’s eyebrows went north. “Why in the hell did she jump?”

She straightened her spine wishing, her corset weren’t so tight and answered his aggressively blunt question. “I believe she was headed here for an arranged marriage, but she had changed her mind.”

“And death was preferable to marriage?”

She shrugged. “I’m sure it wasn’t personal.”

“Well, it’s pretty damn personal to me since I was supposed to marry her.”

Clarissa felt heat creep up to her cheeks, which had absolutely nothing to do with the sweltering temperature. After a long pause she whispered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be the bearer of bad news.”

“Miss Barnes?” a familiar voice called from the direction of the station door. Mr. Coggon had arrived to take her to the man
she
had contracted to marry. Clyde something or other. It didn’t matter. For as much as this place seemed like the end of the earth, Clarissa had absolutely nowhere else to go.

Clyde had paid for her to come here so they could meet and become acquainted. He’d agreed to a one week grace period. If they got along, then they would get married. If he didn’t like her, he’d send her back to New York with meager funds to set her on a new path. If for any reason she didn’t like him, she’d have to pay back all the expense money he’d proffered thus far.

For her part, Clarissa planned to make every effort to like Clyde. She’d spent every moment of her long trip contemplating what the worst possible scenario would be to keep her from marrying Clyde. Given her dire circumstances, there was very little to sway her from completing this contract. If he didn’t seem as interested, she planned a seduction he wouldn’t be able to resist. She’d heard quite a few tales of passion and intrigue from the women at the manor residence where she used to work as maid’s helper.

The ugly truth she carried close was that she didn’t have the money to pay Clyde back or the means to procure any additional funds. Going back to New York was out of the question due to the unfortunate incident at her last place of employment. Thus, her only option at this point in time was to get married to a complete stranger named Clyde. She only hoped her desperation didn’t warn him off.

“Mr. Coggon, thank you for meeting me.” She looked over his shoulder expecting to find her future husband-to-be trailing along eager to greet her. The lawyer arrived alone. “Where is Clyde?”

He cleared his throat. “There has been a slight change of plans, Miss Barnes.”

“Oh. Are we meeting him elsewhere?” She searched the area looking for a hotel or eating establishment.

Mr. Coggon removed his tattered bowler slowly and the expression on his face didn’t bode well for good news.

“Clyde wanted me to tell you how sorry he is for the inconvenience, but he no longer is in the market for a bride.”

“What? Why not? I don’t understand.”

The lawyer turned away, having caught sight of the two cowboys close by. He nodded at them. “Gentlemen.”

“We need to talk to you, Coggon.” The blond looked her over again from head to toes. His eyes seemingly pierced a hole through her body. Clarissa didn’t know why he was so intriguing. He was a stranger.
 
Then again, so was Clyde.

“Please, Mr. Coggon. I’ve come all this way. Couldn’t he at least meet me before making a final decision?”

“Well, you see, that’s the problem. I doubt his new wife, Dora, would let him consider you.”

Her eyes rounded in shock. “His
new
wife?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, when the train was late, old Clyde waited at the whore…uh…that is to say, he waited at the local dance hall and…” He trailed off as if unwilling to finish the sentence and impart the final death blow in her miserable life.

Shaken, but undaunted, Clarissa straightened her spine. “And he what?”

“He married the girl he was
staying
with while he waited for you. I’m so sorry to bring you bad news. If only you hadn’t been delayed on your trip things might have turned out differently.”

Clarissa felt the heat of complete and utter embarrassment for a second time since disembarking the train. “Are you telling me that because I’m a few days late, he married a whore instead of waiting for me to arrive?”

Mr. Coggon had the decency to look embarrassed. “Well. Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what happened.”

“Clyde Jenkins is an ass. You’re better off without him.” The blond man inserted his opinion into her private conversation heading straight to Hades.

Clarissa whirled to face the two cowboys who’d spoken. “Oh really? So you truly believe that I’m better off now that I’ve given up absolutely everything I knew before, uprooted myself to travel hundreds of miles across country only to be told I’m not needed anymore because my train was late?”

The blond exchanged a wary glance with his dark friend before both of them put their considerably intent focus on her face. Drilling what could only be construed as a very interested masculine look her way, they then nodded.

“To my way of thinking, it’s better than being told your intended would rather be dead than to meet you.”

Clarissa gazed into his deep blue eyes and softened her attitude. “I guess you’ve got a point there.” Her gaze then strayed to her toes peeking out from the edge of her long travel-wrinkled skirt as she contemplated what in the world to do next. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, ma’am. Perhaps we could help each other out since we’re both in dire straights. It seems to me that you don’t have a husband-to-be any longer. Meanwhile, we’re missing a wife. Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement between us.”

Mr. Coggon stepped between them suddenly and said, “Miss Barnes. I don’t think you’d be interested in either of these two gentlemen. I’m not sure what happened to the woman they were waiting for, but please reconsider.”

Clarissa studied each of the men in turn and had to disagree with the lawyer on this point. Each of these men was very interesting. The blond man had an engaging face, an easy smile and baby blue eyes that spoke to her on a visceral level she couldn’t rationalize. The taller one who hadn’t spoken yet was completely opposite to his friend. He sported dark hair, dark eyes and a mesmerizing gaze that drilled deeply into her soul. The word
sinful
came to mind when she looked at his face shadowed in stubble. He looked like a rogue gunslinger.

“Miss Barnes, please listen to me. These men have something special in mind.”

Holding a hand up to Mr. Coggon’s further interruption, she clutched her bulky traveling bag against her side and approached the two intriguing men. “Well,
I’m
special. What sort of arrangement did you have in mind?”

The blond grinned and stepped far too close. In a low sexy tone, he said, “Spend the day with us and see if you’re interested. It wasn’t like you even knew Clyde or that he was an ass.” The scent of leather, campfire smoke, and another intriguing masculine fragrance clung to him and wafted close enough for her to be further engaged.

“Miss Barnes, you’re making a terrible mistake. These men…” Mr. Coggon interrupted again and this time the silent, dark warrior before her silenced him with a harsh look.

“Mr. Coggon is trying to tell you something important,” the blond man said quietly.

Clarissa decided on her own that the information Mr. Coggon was trying to convey likely had to do with how sinfully attractive they were. Perhaps they were sharpshooters and led dangerous lives. She didn’t care what their occupation was. She wanted, no, she
needed
a husband.

“Be that as it may. I’d love to spend the day with the two of you. At the end of that time, I’ve no doubt I’d be able to choose one of the two of you to…” she trailed off because the blond shook his head in the negative.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. The thing is we had a special condition attached to our mail order bride.”

She searched his eyes for explanation. “I don’t understand. What condition?”

The dark warrior moved entirely too close, crowding her against the blond man and finally spoke for the first time. “We ordered a bride for the both of us. We’d want to share you. In bed.” His quiet deep voice held her entranced. “Still want to spend the day with us?”

Clarissa didn’t understand at first. Her eyes narrowed. “Both of you? At the same time?” The understanding of their quest registered in her shocked brain first and likely in her heated face with bold clarity soon after. But even as she rebelled against very idea of two men sharing her bed, the thought also sent a bold streak of desire pumping through her veins. How could she submit to two different men? At the same time?

“Are you still interested? Because we certainly are.”

“I don’t even know your names.” It was a foolish statement because she was already considering the idea regardless of how wicked it sounded. How brash of her to consider two men sharing her bed and not even know their names.

“I’m Logan Granger,” the blond said with a grin. Pointing to the dark stranger he added, “And this is Derek Brand.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Clarissa Barnes.”

“So what do you say, Clarissa? Want to spend the day with us? Decide if you’re interested?”

“Miss Barnes, I must protest.” Mr. Coggon attempted to step between them, but Derek put an arm up to bar his approach.

Clarissa whirled to the left and zeroed her gaze on the lawyer now sporting a frown. “If anyone has the right to protest it is me, Mr. Coggon. I’ve traveled a very long way only to be summarily told I’m not needed any longer due to the short attention span of the man you selected to be my husband.

“If these two gentlemen are looking for a wife then the least I can do is spend the day in their company and decide if the conditions to their arrangement will be suitable for my needs.”

“In other words, get lost, Jasper.” Logan lifted one hand and waved goodbye to the flustered lawyer. He leaned in close enough to kiss her, but veered to whisper in her ear, “Let’s talk about
your
needs.”

The breath from his lips brushed the shell of her ear. It not only tickled, Clarissa felt a sharp pang low in her belly at the closeness of his body to hers. A fluttery feeling she’d never had before tingled her skin.

“I need a husband,” she whispered back.

“What else do you need?” He inhaled deeply and his lips brushed against her hair. She stifled the urge to shiver with longing. To her right, Derek moved slightly closer to the two of them practically embracing on the train station platform. Scandalous desire and sincere longing pounded a rhythm across her body at the thought of being intimate with two men.

“I need a place to belong.”

“Perhaps you belong with us. Let us show you.”

She lifted her head to gaze into Logan’s engaging blue eyes. She turned to look into Derek’s luscious brown eyes before saying, “Yes. I’d like for you to show me. However, I want to ensure that a marriage will take place. I don’t wish to be anyone’s doxy.”

“Of course. We can go get hitched right now, if you want.”

Clarissa thought for a moment over the word “hitched.” Marrying them made the arrangement permanent. Then again, if she didn’t marry them, what would she do? She couldn’t go back to New York. Clyde wasn’t an option and with that initial contract broken also went her one week of getting used to the idea of a man sharing her bed. Before they changed their minds, she needed to establish a future. Any future, surprise or not, was better than what faced her if she didn’t make the effort.