Chapter Nine

Laura

The next few days passed like some sort of dream. Friends and well-wishers stopped by to leave a hot meal or a small gift for the newlyweds. Laura was astonished by the lovely linens she received and touched by the trouble folks had taken. Each afternoon a wagon or buggy arrived, a young couple or family would descend to deliver their gift.

They never lingered, but departed with smiles and hearty congratulations. Seth seemed to want to hurry them on their way. He needed her all to himself, he growled as he’d watch them disappear down the path, a plume of dust in their wake.

On the fifth morning, Nick arrived on a pretty palomino. Laura waved to him from the bedroom. She was dressed, but hadn’t fixed her hair. Seth had kept her in bed late, again, and she felt a small wave of awkwardness about not being ready to welcome her brother-in-law at such a late hour. It had to be noon, at least.

Fortunately, Seth didn’t run Nick off. She tucked her hair into a simple knot and hurried downstairs to find not just Nick but Will and Charlotte in the parlor. Charlotte rose from the chesterfield and embraced her. Will and Nick both gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“You’re looking well,” Charlotte murmured, taking her aside. “Marriage agrees with you?”

Laura blushed. “It does. Very much.”

“I’m so pleased. I’ve never seen Seth so happy. I heard a little of your and Nick’s ploy to marry Seth off while he sat in jail. I think you’re very resourceful and brave.” She gestured to a basket on the dining table. “I brought a little lunch. The men need to talk.”

“About what?” Laura asked. She followed Charlotte to the dining room. Her mind raced with all sorts of dreadful possibilities.

“Melvin Campbell is threatening to get back at the Travis family for Seth having stolen you.”

“Melvin. He told everyone in Colter Canyon that I’m soft and that only a fool would want anything to do with me.”

Charlotte waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t pay him any mind. Melvin’s all talk, especially when he’s had a few drinks. He’s angry because Clarice still won’t let him step foot in the saloon.” She drew back the cloth from the basket and a fragrant aroma wafted from the depths. Laura’s stomach rumbled.

Charlotte’s lips quirked. “Someone missed breakfast this morning.”

Laura smiled. “What’s breakfast?”

She could feel her face coloring. Seth had planned for the ranch hands to manage without him for a week after the wedding. Since she and Seth had exchanged vows, they hadn’t spent a moment apart. He was a kind and tender lover, but he was insatiable too. They made love at night and in the wee hours in the morning and sometimes again after the sun rose. They rarely got out of bed before eleven and not once since the wedding had they eaten breakfast.

“I knew you two would make a fine couple.” Charlotte took china and silver from the buffet and set the table. “Now we just need to get Nick married. And I think he might have something to tell us about that.”

Laura drew a sharp breath. “Nick’s getting married?”

Charlotte nodded. “He’s sent for a bride. She’s coming soon.”

“My word.”

“Will told me that when Nick was young, just seventeen, he’d had his heart broken by a woman who was five years older. After that, his brothers thought he’d never settle down. That he’d just be a bachelor forever.”

Laura’s heart squeezed. She didn’t like to think of anyone having their heart broken, especially not Nick Travis. Her brother-in-law had been instrumental in bringing her and Seth together. She went to the kitchen to make lemonade while Charlotte set out the food.

Nick was a sweet man, perhaps the sweetest of the Travis men. Everyone talked about his abilities with animals, especially wounded or traumatized animals. He had a gentle nature and she imagined he would make a fine husband and father.

When she returned to the dining room, the men were taking their seats, Will and Seth at either end of the table and Nick beside Charlotte. Seth gave a prayer of thanks. Passing the platters of food around the table, the two brothers tried to guess what news Nick wanted to share. Charlotte said nothing but winked at Laura.

“You got a new horse?” Will asked.

Nick shook his head and smiled at Charlotte and Laura.

“That little tan dog, let’s see, what do you call her? Prissy?” Seth said. “She whelped?”

Will shook his head once more, his mouth curving into a smile. “Has nothing to do with animals. Has to do with a person.”

Laura laughed softly.

Seth frowned at her. “You know something about this, Laura?”

She bit her lip and raised a shoulder, but said nothing.

He smiled at her, his gaze warm and intense and filled with the love and yearning he’d shown her the past few days. “Women,” he muttered, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Seth sighed with exasperation. “You going to tell us already, Nick, or are we going to be guessing your secret till the cows come home?”

“All right, all right,” Nick said, his face coloring, and his grin deepening. “I sent off for a wife. A mail-ordered bride from Philadelphia. Her name is Louisa.”

Both Seth and Will froze, staring at their brother in disbelief.

“When is she getting here?” Will asked. “Or are you going for her? You should definitely go get her. I sent money for Charlotte’s train fare, but…” his voice drifted off.

“You sent a whole lot more than money for a train fare,” Charlotte said. “You sent an embarrassing sum.”

“That’s not my point. I should have come for you and brought you. I shouldn’t have let you travel on your own.” He frowned at Charlotte and grasped her hand in his. “It wasn’t right.”

Charlotte arched a brow. “You might have just left me in Boston. You thought I was too young and too delicate if you recall, Mr. Travis.”

Will grimaced.

Laura watched the scene unfold and could hardly hold back a smile. Will was so protective of Charlotte. A devoted husband to be sure, but according to Charlotte, it hadn’t always been that way. Will hadn’t been overly thrilled with her when they’d first met at the train station. Their courtship had been tumultuous, to say the least.

“It will be fine,” Nick said. “I offered, but Louisa wrote back saying she preferred to travel alone.”

Laura drew a sharp breath. Even though she’d been excited to head west, the trip had been daunting, especially in the beginning. She’d felt overwhelmed and even afraid at times. What she wouldn’t have given to have Seth come to meet her. He caught her eye from across the table and smiled, a gentle suggestion that he knew what she was feeling. They’d discussed the train trip a few times since they’d married.

After a slow lingering gaze, he turned away and fixed his attention on Nick. “She’s making that long trip on her own?”

“That’s right,” Nick said.

“Huh,” Will muttered. “That’s something.”

Laura turned to give Charlotte an inquisitive glance. Charlotte met her look with a startled expression, but neither woman gave voice to their concerns. Charlotte merely gave a slight shake of her head.

After lunch, Charlotte helped Laura tidy up. They chatted about Nick’s fiancée, Louisa. The woman hadn’t wanted to sign a marriage proxy because she wanted a wedding in Colter Canyon. Louisa, it seemed, wanted many things from Nick Travis.

“Nick’s too kind. Too giving,” Charlotte said. “I hope this woman doesn’t take advantage of his sweet nature.”

That night, as they prepared for bed, Seth grumbled about the same thing. “I hope Nick knows what he’s getting into.”

Laura had just bathed and ran her fingers through her damp hair in an attempt to free some of the tangles. She smiled at Seth in the mirror. “Mail-order brides can be troublesome.”

He stepped behind her and nudged her hands from her hair. Gently, he continued the task of combing her hair. He threaded his fingers through her locks and coaxed the knots free.

“There was one little mail-ordered bride that I wanted to give me trouble, but I couldn’t even get a smile out of her.”

His fingers brushed her neck, making her shiver. In the flickering lamplight, she saw his gaze darken with need. He reached around her and tugged the ribbon from her gown. Slowly, he pulled it past her shoulders, kissing the curve of her neck as he bared her skin.

Laura let out a trembling breath. “Maybe she was afraid.”

He paused. “Of what?”

“Of what you’d do when you found out she’d secretly married you.”

He growled and kissed her once more as he tugged her gown lower. She watched in the mirror as he cupped her breasts. His touch on her breast always ignited a blaze of desire inside her body. Her breasts tightened to stiff peaks. His touch, one moment gentle, the next a little rougher, drew a cry from her lips.

Reaching lower, he brushed the top of her thigh, and stroked her.

“You’re wet,” he whispered.

Without waiting for a response, he drew her to the bed. The room, lit only from the lamp in the washroom, was cast in shadows. She moved to get on the bed, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her against the side.

“Here,” he said, his voice thick with lust. “I want you here.”

Cupping her shoulder, he coaxed her down. The bed was so high, she had to lift to her tiptoes. Her breath caught in her throat as she listened to him undo his belt.

“Seth…” She whimpered. “Not the belt.”

He lowered, covering her with his big, powerful body. “Never.”

The head of his cock pressed against her wet folds. Without any conscious thought, she arched her back, seeking more of him.

He chuckled. “I like to spank your ass, Laura, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

Wriggling beneath him, she tried to get closer, but he not only held back, he set his hand on her shoulder, pinning her to the bed.

“I can think of a good use for my belt, though. Would you like to know what it is?”

She gave a small feminine growl at his conversational tone. He held her down. She was helpless, yet he insisted on teasing her, brushing her wet, swollen folds with deliberate, slow strokes of his cock.

He kissed the shell of her ear, and whispered. “I could tie you to my bed. Would you like that?”

What sort of question was that? She bit her lip, refusing to answer.

After a moment, he lifted, grasped her hips and thrust. His breath hissed. “So fucking tight.”

He thrust twice more, stopping when he had her fully impaled on his shaft. She gasped with pleasure. Being taken like this felt so different than anything they’d done before. Why had he stopped? A sharp smack on her bottom gave her a quick answer.

It didn’t hurt, but she realized in an instant how vulnerable she was.

He kneaded her skin. “Would you like that?”

Her mind spun with confusion. “Like what?”

Another swat tore a startled yelp from her.

“Like me to tie you to my bed.”

With a huff of dismay, she realized he had her right where he wanted her.

“Laura…?” His tone was edged with amusement.

She gritted her teeth. “Yes, I would.”

“Good girl.” He stroked her hip and lowered. The feel of his hard chest against her back sent an erotic thrill across her senses. He began to move, each thrust slow, but deep.

“I was never mad,” he whispered.

She dug her fingers into the bedding. “About the proxy?”

“Right. When I found out what you’d done, I was so happy.”

He reached under her hips to lift her off the bed. From the new position, he could drive deeper into her. Small, wordless cries fell from her lips. He made her wild and desperate. Beneath him, she writhed.

All sense of time and place fell away. He was big, and in this position, draped over the edge of the bed, she could feel every inch of him. His hands skimmed her flank. He reached between her legs and teased her clit.

Pleasure erupted across her senses. She arched and cried out. Seth…

“Laura,” he snarled and thrust hard, following her. With a fractured groan, he collapsed over her. They lay together and she shuddered as her pleasure ebbed and flowed.

“Too heavy?” he muttered.

“No. Don’t go.”

His heartbeat thumped in time with her own. He ran his hands up her arms and threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed her hands. “I love you,” he said quietly.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

A growl rumbled across his chest. “You’d better.”