Authors: Vanessa Devereaux
Sarah
headed out of the baggage compartment and down the
galley
following the other passengers as they got off the train.
The
sun shone in her eyes and not even the brim of her hat could shield them as she
stepped down on the platform. She squinted while seeing the outline of not
one,
but two men standing side by side, both
holding bunches of flowers. Purple and yellow buds; flowers of which she’d
never seen growing back East.
She
looked first to the one on the left and then the right. One of them had to be
Jon. Both men were dark haired, tall and equally handsome. She smiled as the
one wearing
the dark
hat approached her.
“Sarah?”
he asked.
“Yes,
I’m hoping you’re Jon.”
“Yes,
and welcome to Montana, to Grantsville. These are for you.”
He
held out the flowers to her. She put down her bag, took them, and put the tight
buds under her nose. They smelled refreshing after inhaling the soot-filled air
of the train for so long.
“Thank
you,” she said. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek that she’d
hoped was the proper behavior. He smelled of sandalwood soap with just a touch
of dust, which made her smile.
“And
did your cousin not travel with you?” he asked.
She
glanced over at the other man who stood patiently waiting with the flowers in
his hand looking in the train windows.
“She
did. And I take it that the man standing over there is her intended,” said
Sarah.
“Yep,
that’s Shaun.”
Sarah
swallowed. “I’m not sure how I’ll break the news to him, but my cousin Nina
passed away on the journey.”
“Dear
lord,” said Jon, quickly removing his hat and lowering his head.
“She’s
had a cold and wasn’t feeling well. I suppose we should have postponed our
journey,
but she was insistent that we not
break our word to you and Shaun.”
Jon
put his arm around her as a tear ran down her cheek.
“There
there
, don’t you cry. I think we should inform Shaun
of the terrible news straight away.”
He
carried Sarah’s bag and they walked over to the other man, who had the bluest
eyes she’d ever seen. In fact, both he and Jon could easily pass as brothers.
“Shaun,
this is Sarah.”
He
removed his hat, took her hand, and shook it.
“We
have some terrible news for you,” said Jon.
“Don’t
tell me my bride got cold feet,” he said.
Jon
put his hand on his friend’s back. “Shaun, Nina passed away on
the journey
to Montana.”
“It
can’t be true,” said Shaun.
Sarah
grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “It is true, I’m afraid. She’d been poorly
but insisted on traveling.”
“She
seemed so wonderful. I mean in the letters she wrote. Quite a lady.”
“
Oh
she was that and a whole lot more.”
“And
where is she?”
“They
laid her out in the mail carriage and the train master says he can assist in
taking her body to a place of rest,” said Sarah.
“Then
that’s what we must do. She was going to be my wife and therefore it will be my
responsibility
to see that she’s given a
proper send off and burial.”
Sarah
led the two men back on the train and through to the luggage area. She and Nina
had shared a trunk filling it with
things
like clothes and some pots that she’d had from her previous marriage.
The
train master smiled when he saw her again.
“Sir,
these two gentlemen will take custody of my cousin’s body.” She’d almost choked
over the words.
The
three of them walked over to where Nina was laid.
“Is
it okay if I take a look at her?” asked Shaun.
Sarah
nodded.
Both
men removed their hats as Shaun carefully peeled away the sheet from Nina’s
face.
Her
cousin actually looked at peace now.
“She
was a beautiful woman,” said Shaun.
“She
sure was,” added Jon.
Sarah
smiled. These two were special gentleman. Her cousin was anything but fair of
face, but the fact that they said such a nice thing made Sarah instantly like
them.
Shaun
put the cover back and laid the flowers on the center of Nina’s body.
“Do
you have luggage?” asked Jon.
“Yes,
Nina and I brought a trunk with us.”
“We
can come back for that
later,
but I think
we need to get Nina someplace ready for her to be buried,” said Shaun
****
Jon
knew it wasn’t an appropriate time to feel happy and excited, because less than
an hour ago they’d put Sarah’s cousin into the ground and had a brief and
private service. However, the minute he’d seen Sarah step off the train, he’d
realized he’d struck gold. She hadn’t done herself justice when she’d described
herself in her introductory letter to
him.
No one’s ever called me ugly
.
He’d
dug out her letter and read it again. Yes, he’d kept it thinking that one day
their children and grandchildren might like to see how their grandparents found
one another and what they’d written while miles apart. Words exchanged before
ever setting eyes on one another.
The
men back in Kansas had to be crazy not to have called her pretty. Those dark
curls framing her face, the gorgeous blue eyes, and those long eyelashes. She
was a curvy girl too. His favorite kind. He put the letter away, feeling
himself grow hard just thinking about their wedding night and what it would be
like to make love to her. He hadn’t had the courage to ask if she was a virgin,
not that it mattered if she wasn’t. He’d never been with an untouched woman
before. He wasn’t sure if the prospect of having a virgin in his bed scared or
thrilled him. He’d need to be gentle with her which after seeing her face and
body and what they did to him, wasn’t going to be an easy task.
However,
due to her cousin’s sudden death,
the wedding
and honeymoon would have to wait. He and Sarah had mutually agreed that their
marriage and any festivities to celebrate should be postponed in order to bury
her cousin and give her time to mourn and settle in the place. Now she was
without a family member by her side, Sarah would need time to adjust to her new
life more than ever. At least she had him and
Shaun,
who would both take good care of her.
Jon
hung his head. He felt so bad for his best buddy. He knew he’d taken Nina’s death
harder than he’d let on. His friend hadn’t known this woman personally, but
Shaun had always been a sensitive soul, willing to help anyone in their time of
trouble.
Now
he’d have to live next door to him and Sarah and be constantly reminded of his
fate in coming this close to finding himself a wife and having a family of his
own.
If
Jon could do anything for him, Shaun only had to ask. Jon put the letter away
and walked outside to see Sarah and Shaun standing looking toward the mountain
range.
“You
think your cousin would have liked this spot as her final resting place?” he
overhead Shaun asking her.
“I
do, I really do. She loved the outdoors and often went on nature walks,” said
Sarah.
Jon
had to agree. When he was laid to rest this was the sort of spot he’d want to
spend all eternity.
“It
will be like she’s still close to you,” continued Shaun.
That
was Shaun, always thinking about another person’s needs and the reason he
suggested they bury Nina in this very spot. Close to Jon’s land and not
Shaun’s, despite the fact she was his intended bride.
“That
was very thoughtful of you,” said Sarah resting her hand upon Shaun’s arm.
Her
fingers were long, her hands as pretty as her face.
“I
can give you a hand filling in the…”
Jon
spoke before he’d realized he shouldn’t have said that in earshot of Sarah.
“It’s
okay, you don’t have to tiptoe around me,” said Sarah, putting her hand on his
arm too.
A
ripple of what he could only describe as sheer delight zinged through his body,
making him hard. She still had her hands on both of them. He looked over at
Shaun, noticing the bulge in the front of his pants too. He didn’t know whether
to be angry or proud that his soon-to-be
wife
excited a
man besides
himself.
“I
think we should get started on that,” said Jon. Maybe an hour of moving the
earth around would work off any sexual frustration either of them felt by
having a woman around the place.
“I’ll
go into the house and start on making both you supper. However, I’m wondering
while it’s still hot out here that perhaps I could bath in the lake on the other
side of the property while you two are occupied here.”
“You
go ahead and do whatever you need to,” said Jon.
She
walked away. Not only Jon watched her, but Shaun too.
“Lovely
young lady,” said Shaun.
“She
most certainly is. Let’s go get those shovels and get this done so Sarah
doesn’t have to see us filling in the grave.”
****
Sarah
hadn’t felt this relaxed for a long time. Hadn’t felt this clean in almost
forever. She splashed the water over her body, and then let it cascade over her
breasts. What a shame that the weather wouldn’t stay this warm year round. She
put her face up to the sun. She was homesick, but the beauty of this place took
the edge off that. Another thing that helped was both Jon and Shaun. She should
only be thinking of the man that would be her husband, but she found both men
kind, handsome, and strangely both stirred an excitement inside her that she’d
never felt before.
She
ventured out farther into the water, putting her shoulders under and letting
her body float. She’d learned to swim when she was younger although she wasn’t
that great. She flipped over onto her back and floated, the sun making her face
feel warm and relaxed.
Sarah
looked ahead and saw the shore was farther away than she’d thought. She’d
drifted out and if she didn’t turn back now, who knew how deep the water was in
the middle of the lake.
It
had been up to her chest when she’d flipped over onto her back so maybe she
could walk back instead of swim and enjoy a few more minutes in the warmer
water close to the shore before she headed back and dried herself off.
She
put her foot down quickly realizing it was deeper than she’d thought. The sandy
bottom of the lake dropped off sharply. She panicked, thrashing her arms around
and going down under the water yet again.
“Help,”
she managed to shout in between a bout of coughing. “Help me.”
She
went under again, doubting that either man could hear her cries for help. How
ironic that the men would be digging yet another grave.
****
Shaun
knew he shouldn’t have done it. He’d told Jon he was going for some water. Jon
knew the pump was on the east side of the house and that it faced the lake
where Sarah would be bathing. He could imagine her floating on her back, her
breasts poking out of the surface of the water. He brushed the front of his
pants with his hand, feeling his cock strain against it.
What
the hell was he doing and thinking? She was Jon’s
woman,
or would be as soon as they exchanged vows. Jon was his best
friend. Yet, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off his best buddy’s lady.
He
quickly pumped some water, gulped it down, and the rest he threw over his face,
knowing it was his dick that needed cooling down. He’d come this far so he’d go
the extra few feet, turn the corner, and watch her bathing. It would be his little
secret.
He
sneaked around the edge of the building and looked to the east. Sarah was out
in the lake all right, but her head had just gone under the water and she was
throwing her arms around like someone who didn’t know how to swim.
Damn
and shit, she was drowning.
“Jon!
Jon come quickly, Sarah needs our help,” he shouted as he stripped off his
shirt and ran at full speed toward the lake.
Once
he got to the water’s edge he stripped off his pants, knowing they would get
quickly waterlogged and impede him reaching her in time to save her. He waded
in, swimming as fast as he could, getting into deeper water within minutes. He
reached out for
her,
but she went
underneath the water.
He
held his breath and emerged himself underneath the surface. The water wasn’t
murky like some lakes he’d known, so he was able to see her slowly sinking to
the bottom. He swam toward her, grabbing her and carrying her upward to where
he saw that Jon was now in the water.
“Quickly,
let’s get her to shore because I think she’s swallowed a hell of a lot of
water,” he told him.