A Contract Bride's Triple Surprise (10 page)

“With you looking like that, when we walk downstairs, no one will pity you.”

“Why?”

He easily stood up, holding her in his arms.

“Because you look thoroughly ravished and wanting more.”

Chapter Nine

Ross heard the whispers from down the dark hallway as soon as he closed the door of their suite behind them. Maurice Lumley must have spread the word that Ross MacDougal had done something unforgivable. It was bad enough that Trace scooped Beth out of jail and into his marriage bed before Big Joe could take her. Ross married Amelia Smathers before she even stepped on the Bride Train to head West.

If one of the men at the Circle C or Double Diamond had done so, it would bring grumbles and a few fights. But “that half-breed Scot mudsill” had euchred them all. Being a rich half-breed was bad enough. What made it inexcusable was that they were afraid of him. The more they feared him, they more they hated him for making them feel inferior.

He gave Amy a quick wink when her skirts finally touched the main floor. Sophie or one of her girls had done a bang-up job smoothing the wrinkles on her dress. She looked neat and tidy, even prim, until you saw the twinkle in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks.

They strolled down the center hall to the dining room. Sophie tilted her head toward his usual table in the corner. This time, it had a jelly jar with flowers. By the time they got to the table, the room was quiet except for the expected loud whispers.

“Who in tarnation’s that?”

“Looks like the MacDougal Devil, only he’s wearing white man’s clothes.”

Ross seated Amy and settled himself back against the wall as always. He ignored the hostile glares as well as the furtive glances both at himself and at Amy. The rumble grew louder.

“Let’s get this over,” he said. He stood up, pushing his chair back with a screech. The room went still.

“I’m Ross MacDougal of the MD Connected. This is my wife.”

He held out his hand. Following his lead, she took it. He helped her to her feet. She’d arranged her hair to cover her misshapen ear, but the mottling on her cheek was visible. She held her shoulders back and head high as if she defiantly faced a firing squad.

“Mrs. MacDougal will be treated with respect. Do you understand?”

The few men who met his eyes as he scanned the room nodded. They might not respect him as a person, but they knew what he could do to them. As for the others, he’d stated his claim.

A chair scraped back, the sound grating against his ears. He flexed his free arm to shoot a knife free in anticipation of problems. Luke Frost of the Circle C stood up.

“Join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Ross MacDougal. It must be a comfort to Gillis to know little Hope will have her aunt’s love if she cannot have her mother.” Luke picked up his cup of coffee. “A toast, gentlemen.” He raised his cup and turned around the room. “Mr. and Mrs. MacDougal.”

“MacDougal,” called out Gabe, then Oscar, Luke’s partners in the Circle C. They stood and raised their cups.

“I say, congratulations, old man,” called out a deep voice in a strong English accent.

All three men at that table grabbed and rocked the chair backs of the men next to them as they stood. Those men grumbled but did the same until everyone was standing with cups raised. Sour faces proved many were doing it grudgingly, but Western hospitality to ladies was strong in Sophie McLeod’s dining room. The nearest decent food was over a hundred miles away, and no one wanted to get tossed out for manners unbecoming to a gentleman.

Ross held Amelia’s hand and nodded as she curtsied her thanks to each corner of the room. Her color was high as she smiled. He noticed she looked at the place where the wall joined the ceiling and no lower. He gave the quiet room another glare before seating Amelia.

“If you want to be fed, you’ll sit so Nettie and Elsbeth can get through,” called Sophie from the doorway to the kitchen. In a few moments, the only sound was hungry men devouring their food.

Amelia was almost as eager. Ross ate slowly, watching her enjoy herself. His tiny wife cleaned her plate quickly and efficiently. She used excellent manners, but her smaller portion was gone before he finished.

“Oh, my, that pie was so good!”

“Auntie’s venison pie is better,” said Ross. “Sophie’s a good cook, but Auntie knows which plants add more flavor.”

She set her knife and fork together across her plate. Most of the men in the room used spoons and their belt knives, but Sophie had set the table specially for them. He swallowed the last bite and settled back. After a long night discovering his wife and a decent dinner, he was ready for a stroll around town before loading up the wagon and driving home. He wanted to stake his claim in their bedroom.

“Prue did mention that Gillis brought in an Indian woman to do most of the work.”

“He didn’t bring Auntie. She came on her own when she heard Prue was sick.

“After Hope was born, Auntie arranged for Tillie Conacher to care for the baby. Tillie’s husband comes from a Clan aligned to the MacDougals. Their son Peter is a few weeks older than Hope. Tillie has lots of milk for both babies. By the time her husband gets back from his trapping route, Hope should be weaned.”

Amelia pleated the edge of the tablecloth, another concession from Sophie for their wedding dinner. She pursed her lips and blinked quicker than normal. He waited for her to say what was obviously on her mind.

“If you have someone to run the house and another woman to take care of Hope, you really don’t need me. Other than as a bed partner and brood mare, that is.” She flashed her eyes once at him then went back to wrinkling the carefully ironed linen.

Brood mare? She was right on that point, but even without much knowledge of women, he knew telling her so was not a good idea. If, that was, he wanted to repeat last night’s sport. Gil said that life was easier if women didn’t know the whole, exact truth
.

But if he used those tricks, he wouldn’t be able to complain if she did the same.

In this, he trusted Trace’s advice more. When he told Trace he’d be marrying Amelia rather than Nevin, Trace sat him down and told him a wife has to believe she’s appreciated for herself. She wasn’t a hired hand with bed benefits. A wife wants to be special to her men, to feel like no one else could do what she did.

Amelia had strong opinions, as did Trace’s wife. It might take a bit for her to get used to him and express them as strongly as Beth, but it would come. Beth was a vocal woman, both in and out of bed.

When he rode over to tell the Elliott boys about the change in plans regarding Amelia, he’d heard shrieking from the barn. Simon, already sampling the honeycomb Ross brought as a present, ignored the noise. A few minutes later, Trace strolled out, whistling while he tucked in his shirt. Beth, still putting her hair back up, followed a few steps behind. When she saw him watching, she flushed bright red. She swept past with her head high and nipples jutting against her blouse.

Simon’s nostrils flared like their prize bull. He looked at his hand, covered with honey, then at Beth’s ass. He winked at Ross and followed Beth into the house. Ross heard Beth complain about Simon getting her face all sticky with honey kisses and protesting about the kitchen table being covered with flour. Simon suggested she either strip naked or lift her skirts and bend over said table if she wanted to keep her dress clean. Ross’s cock hardened like a fence post, his pants tenting.

Trace told him to play his cards right and he’d have the same. That’s when he told Ross a few things about mutual marriage to a demanding woman. Beth’s moans and her second scream confirmed she was as loud as Amelia when she came.

If he wanted that, and he damned well did, he had to tell Amy that she was the one he desired. No matter that he was forced into the marriage, no one else would do for him. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. When he told her, he would strip her naked and prove it. First, he had to get his cock under control so he could leave the room without every man in the room knowing what he was thinking.

“I need you, Amelia MacDougal,” he said quietly. “We need you. Gil, Nev, me, and Hope. You’ll mean different things to each of us, but you’re now part of our family. In a few days, we’ll wonder how we got along without you.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice even more. “And it’s not just because I want to spread you wide and make you scream my name when you come.”

Dang, when she blushed like that, he could almost see her flushed, pink breasts, hard and full, waiting for his hands and mouth. Who would notice his hard cock when every damn man would be the same, looking at his very desirable wife with her “well-bedded but wanting more” expression?

“It takes a lot of work to feed three men and run a home, Amy. Auntie cooks and cleans, but she’s older than my mother,” he said. “She’s stubborn and won’t admit it, but she’ll be grateful when you take over.”

Instead of looking pleased, Amelia went back to wrecking Sophie’s ironing.

“Would she be willing to stay for a while, to show me how to do things?”

“With a baby to rock and more coming, you couldn’t get rid of her if you wanted to. We’re building her a small cottage back in the trees. She’ll have her independence, and”—he winked and dropped his voice, not that anyone could hear over the noise around them—“we’ll have our privacy.”

He looked at her breasts, still full and erect. He would keep her on the edge all day. When they got home, she’d be so horny one touch of his tongue on her hot, red clit would make her come. He’d better have his cock free before he touched her because he wouldn’t last long, either. Color rose in her cheeks. She knew what he was thinking and wanted it as well

“Are you laughing at me?”

He blinked, realizing he must have let a smile slip out. A touch of a pout appeared on her lips. If they were alone, he’d nibble it.

“Mr. MacDougal, I asked you a question.”

Now, she was getting huffy. Good. He’d rather have her feisty than subdued. One showed passion, the other, disinterest.

“Auntie will be happy working in the sun or by the fire while she watches our babies play.”

“Babies?” She gulped, her flush fading.

He leaned across the table and took her hand. “You might already be carrying our son, Mrs. MacDougal. And no, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was thinking of what I’m going to do as soon as I get you alone.”

She blushed bright pink again but didn’t pull her hand away. He lifted it to his lips, released her, and then stood up. He pulled out her chair. With trembling hands, she gathered her reticule and stood, still pink. He knew how far down her flush went. While the color didn’t go farther than her breasts, her pussy lips would swell, red and plump. He put his arm around her, placing her in front of him as he escorted her from the room.

They’d barely been dressed an hour, and already his cock was hard, demanding to plow her flesh once more. He looked over her shoulder and down. Yep, her breasts were still as hard as his cock, her nipples pushing against the soft cotton. Every man who saw her would know Ross MacDougal was the cause.

He gritted his jaw to stop himself from telling them to either drop their eyes or look his wife in the face. He couldn’t really blame them for reacting when a lovely, aroused woman walked past. Most of them had gone without a woman a long time. From the pained and longing expressions he passed, Amelia had roused quite a few cocks other than his. But only he would get to pleasure her.

Amelia wouldn’t be getting much sleep again tonight.

Chapter Ten

When they stepped on the boardwalk, Amelia placed her hand on his arm. He felt branded. By her action, she declared to the world she belonged to him. He slid his brown hand on top of her white one. He stared at it for a few seconds. He’d forgotten about their color difference. Did he need any more proof of how she affected him?

How would others think? The banker’s wife would make sure she knew they considered her worse than Miss Lily’s gals. The only women he knew, other than Beth, had businesses to run. They would appreciate Amelia’s patronage.

He decided to introduce her to all the shopkeepers. Mrs. Jennet looked down her huge nose at them as well. He rarely went near the shops. This would be a good opportunity to show them he could be civil. The MD and Rocking R spent a lot of money in town. An extra touch of manners today, and the shopkeepers would treat Amelia right.

He turned to his left, past the assay office, bank, and the Jennet house. George Byers, owner of the chemist, dentistry, and barber shop, gave her a peppermint candy. She laughed and popped it in her mouth immediately. She smiled shyly when Dieter Arnott insisted on sending some of his smoked pork sausage to the hotel for them to bring home.

Stumpy was in the back when they stopped at the livery stable, but Rod Venner, the saddler, was there. Ross ordered sturdy leather custom boots for Amelia from him. He had to bite his cheek when the man took her stocking-clad foot in his hands to measure her. Next door, she kissed Smitty’s cheek when he insisted she take the iron trivet she’d admired. The usually stern blacksmith held his iron poker like a sword and grinned like a child with a licorice stick.

He introduced Amelia to Patsy Tanner, who was busy unloading. They made a promise to chat the next time in town and wandered back past the hotel. Ross waited patiently while Nora Dawes, the owner of a dress and millinery shop, enthused over Amelia’s gray bonnet. When she came out of the shop, she had a new ribbon, one that brought out the blue of her now-sparkling eyes.