The Badger City Gang [Bride Train 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“We’ve got to get you some working clothes,” said Zach when she dismounted. He took another look at her as if measuring her body. “I think you’re about the same size as Jessie, of the Double Diamond ranch to the west. I bet she’s got something you can borrow for now.” He gently pushed her away and took over unsaddling Sissy. “She’s in the family way, so Ace won’t let her ride her horse.” He tilted his head toward the cabin. “You did a good job out there, Kate.”

“You trying to show us up?” Rusty pulled off his shirt. He had a number of red spots on his face and shoulders, perhaps where hail had landed.

“Just doing what needed being done,” she answered.

“Thanks, Kate,” said Zack. “You should be proud of yourself. Now go get dry.”

“Soon as we’re finished we’ll help warm you up,” added Rusty. His chuckle sounded forced.

She trudged out of the barn. She was so tired that all three men could kiss her and she’d sleep through it. Just thinking about it warmed her a bit. Maybe they could skip supper and go right to bed? Her steps quickened, no longer tired.

Zach scowled. They’d had three days of sunshine, working long, hard hours to clean up after the hailstorm. Last night the weather had changed, bringing a real gully washer. It was over by morning, but they couldn’t do much but get bogged down, so they cleaned and repaired tack.

Those three days of sun felt good but the nights were hell. Kate insisted on sleeping on a pallet in the loft because of her woman’s time. They understood her need for privacy but were impatient for it to be over. After years of nothing, then a couple days of paradise, they’d been so horny it was a wonder they hadn’t had a throw-your-hat-down, knuckle-busting fight just to get rid of the frustration.

Zach had an easy way to solve the problem for the future. Once Kate had a baby growing, she’d have no reason to sleep anywhere else but their bed. His pants tightened and he swore silently. How long before the thought of Kate, even fully dressed, didn’t cause his cock to thicken and rise?

The way things were going, they’d have a couple of little ones by the time they bought Walt out. Kate’d be married to him by then, of course. Zach would try to be as good as the man who raised him, but he’d keep his eyes far more open. No woman would pretend love while sneaking behind his back. Rusty understood, as his mother was just as underhanded.

Gideon, though, he thought Ma didn’t have much choice. He believed her when she swore nothing happened while Pa was alive, but Zach remembered the look in Peyton’s eyes. He and Ma were both dead to him after that. Zach shook his head to clear it of useless memories that brought nothing but pain.

If he married Kate, she would know what he expected from her before she said
I do
. He offered hard work, protection, and a home. In return he expected her to work just as hard, day and night. Crude, but it was the truth. He believed that working hard and doing right showed the man you were. Love was just a word, and words couldn’t be trusted. Only actions counted, and that took time to prove.

So far Kate was doing well, but it was early days yet. She’d shocked the heck out of him when she insisted on working with them in that hailstorm, but she’d held her place. She’d been so tired that she’d fallen asleep before they could have any fun. They made up for it the next night. Good thing, too, as they hadn’t touched her since.

His cock throbbed, reminding him of what he wanted. To hell with dinner, he had a much stronger need and it wasn’t for food.

Zach heard a quiet curse beside him. He looked over to find his fool brother had tied the leather straps wrong, for the third time.

“Get your mind on your work instead of your cock,” he said, elbowing Gideon out of the way.

“Me? Look at your pout!” replied Gideon. “You’re mooning over Kate just as much as me.”

“We’re all hornier than hound dogs outside a yard full of bitches in heat,” said Rusty, looking up from his own chores. He sighed. “Kate seemed pretty chipper at dinner last night. I think we can charm her into bed tonight.”

“What if she’s turned shy?” asked Gideon. “She was wild when she came home with you from the train, but she’s settled in now.”

“I want a hell of a lot more than a chaste kiss.” Rusty took off his hat and swatted it against his thigh. “Ain’t fair to push her, so how are we gonna get her to jump us again?”

Zach couldn’t help groaning in memory of that first night. He’d barely slept from having sore balls and a throbbing cock since the first time he saw that pert ass of hers swaying in front of him beside the train. He’d never tell her that the coiled snake hissing and shaking its tail in the dried leaves to make a rattle, was a gopher snake. He wasn’t sure about it at first, so grabbed her just in case. It looked enough like a rattler, but wasn’t poisonous. When he realized they were safe, he still held her, just to get the feel of her.

He wanted more than a quick feel tonight.

“Got an idea,” he said. “We’re going to get soaked getting between here and the cabin.”

Rusty barked a laugh, quickly catching on to Zach’s idea. No wonder, since he was usually the sneaky one. “We don’t want to get the floor or anything else wet after all the work Kate’s done to fix things up,” he said.

Gideon caught on. “So we’d better take everything off at the door.”

“Yep,” agreed Zach. “Ev-ry-thing. Hats, boots, pants, shirts, you name it.”

“If your cock’s anything like mine, Kate’s gonna get an eyeful,” warned Gideon.

Zach slapped Gideon on the shoulder. “I’d rather she had a mouthful.” The dinner triangle rang out, making him throb with eagerness.

“Act natural getting wet,” said Rusty.

“How the heck am I gonna do that?” complained Gideon.

That was easy to solve. Zach pushed his brother into the full horse trough. The only part of him dry when he hauled himself out was his boots. Zach and Rusty busted a gut laughing, so he went at them full out. Rusty moved just out of reach, but Zach gave him a shove which landed him ass-first in the water. Gideon and Rusty then turned to Zach with matching grins.

“Your turn, brother,” said Gideon with an eager grin. “It was your idea to get soaked.”

“Whoa!” Zach backed up, hands out in front of him. Gideon, soaked from the knees up, and Rusty, wet between shoulders and knees, advanced. “Let me get my belt and boots off first.”

“Shuck ’em,” demanded Rusty.

Zach slid his belt off and tossed it aside. He was hopping on one foot, hauling the other boot off, when they closed in. Each hooked an arm around his elbow and hauled him backward. His boot went flying and he went in, back first. The cold shocked him enough that he forgot about his cock. Gideon shoved his feet in as a final insult.

“Hey, this is my only pair of socks without holes!”

“What in the world?” Kate pointed her hand at each one of them as if it was a gun keeping them from moving. “Don’t you dare come inside wet!” She tossed her hands up. “Men! If supper’s cold by the time you finish, don’t blame me. I’m not waiting for you.”

Zach struggled out of the trough, refusing the laughing help of his partners. He had a good idea that they’d let go at the worst time and he’d bang his head, or something more delicate, on the wooden sides. After all, he’d do the same thing to them.

They stripped down to eager smiles and hard cocks, leaving their wet things outside to drain. They fought to be first through the door, pushing and shoving. Kate briskly stirred a pot on the stove, but Zach saw how red her ears were. He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

“Get dressed while I serve dinner,” she ordered.

“Can’t. Them’s the only work clothes we’ve got,” said Gideon. “We’re too dirty to put on our going-to-town ones.”

Her back was as stiff as a tortoise. Zach bet she would have pulled her head in her shell if she had one.

“Then sit down and pull up to the table. Tight.”

“What’s the matter, Kate?” Rusty crooned the words. “You gone shy on us?”

Her head came up like a shot. She deliberately put the wooden spoon across the top of the pot before turning. Though her color was high, she tried to pretend nothing was different. She looked them in the eyes. She set her jaw, then dropped her gaze to their cocks.

“My, aren’t you the eager bunch,” she said in a singsong voice. “But you’ll have to wash your own clothes. I’ll be using the hot water for a sponge bath while you’re working this afternoon.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Zach. “You want a real bath, Kate?”

“How? You don’t have anything bigger than the tin wash tub.”

“What if I said we could take you to a place where there’s enough hot water to swim in? You can get clean and then soak as long as you like. Wash your hair and let it dry in the sun while you laze around.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Where?”

“It’s a bit of a ride, but there’s a hot spring west of here, with a big natural rock pool.”

“What?” Rusty smacked Zach on the side of the head. “Five months in the saddle from Texas, and you say nothing when we get here?”

“I just found out,” said Zach, rubbing his head. He turned to Kate, the most important person in the room as far as he was concerned. “It’s west of here, on the Double Diamond ranch. We’ve been helping them off and on. I met Henry coming home last night. He was cutting across the Running W, taking the long way to town. Said Jessie gave birth to a little girl the other day.”

“Why was he riding to town?” asked Gideon.

Zach laughed in memory of the look on Henry’s face. “He said the place was full of cooing women and he had to get away. Ace couldn’t go because he’s Jessie’s husband. Sin says the baby girl’s his because she has his coloring, so he swelled up bigger’n a bullfrog. Henry had to escape.”

“What’s that got to do with a bath?”

Zach held up a hand to stop Rusty’s complaints. His cousin was rough and tough, but he loved his comforts when he could get them. “Because of the babe, they won’t be using the hot pool for a bit. Henry said we could help ourselves as long as we kept the soap and dirt in the sandy wash area. He said we’d be able to tell where that was.”

“What’s the baby’s name?”

Of course a woman would want to know something as useless as that. Zach thought back to Henry’s eager words.

“Turns out Sin’s real name is Charles. Since Jessie spoke words in front of a preacher with Ace, and she wanted all of them to be part of the babe, they named her Charlotte Henrietta Langford.”

“Dang, that’s a mouthful,” said Rusty.

“Jessie’s calling her Charlie.” Zach looked closer at Kate’s wistful expression. “You wanting a baby?”

She flushed and turned away. “Of course I want babies. After I find a decent husband.”

“Just one? Why not three?” Rusty drawled the words.

“Three?” She whirled around. “You can’t marry three men!”

“I ain’t marrying any,” said Rusty. He winked. “We’re talkin’ about you.”

“Jessie married Ace, but she also lives with Sin and Henry,” said Zach. He flashed her a seductive smile. “It takes three men to work a ranch. But they’re lucky if one of them finds a wife. If the lady’s willing, why not share? With three men the women and children are safe if something happens to the husband, and no one gets cold at night.”

“We’ll keep you warm at night.” Rusty almost purred the words. “We’ll rub your feet and all.”

She looked from his eager grin to his cock, which bobbed in agreement.

“Why don’t we show you what we can do to pamper you?” asked Zach. “Ever been bathed by three men?”

“Come on, Kate,” urged Rusty. “Grab some clean clothes and take a ride with us. You want a hot water soak, don’t you?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“We won’t do anything you don’t want us to.” Zach kissed her cheek as he passed her on the way to the stove. “But first, I’m gonna eat some dinner.”

Rusty waggled his eyebrows at Kate. “Gotta keep my strength up so I can give you what you need.”

* * * *

An hour later Kate ground her pussy against the saddle as they climbed a hill. The men held themselves up, instead. The riding position that made her feel good, they avoided. When she arrived on the Running W a week ago she’d vowed to never, ever get on the back of a horse by choice again. Working in the rainstorm wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. Yet here she was, riding across the neighbor’s ranch with her men, to soak in a hot pool. They swore they’d do anything she wanted, for as long as she wanted.

First, she wanted to get squeaky clean, especially her hair. Then she’d soak. While they ate she’d dry her hair. Then she’d dress in wonderfully clean clothes and come home. Rusty had packed a couple of quilts and blankets, which she was sure were not for a nap. Unless it happened afterward.

She was ready to do more than nap in the sun. Her breasts filled at the thought of doing it outside. She’d be able to see everything clearly. A flush rose from her belly. That meant they could see her most intimate places as well.

Her horse had slowed with her mind wandering. She gave it a nudge to catch up to Rusty. Gideon rode at her back, claiming the position because he’d never ridden behind her before. That meant she had a wonderful view of Zach and Rusty’s backs. Backs, and backsides. The heat after the rain made it humid for once, and they’d taken off their shirts. Their pants, the ones they’d worn before dinner, were still wet. That meant the fabric molded to their cheeks.

It didn’t matter that she’d just seen them fully naked. She’d been too embarrassed, or hot and bothered, to look too closely. With no one aware, she could look as much as she wanted. And oh, Lord, did she want.

She’d missed them the last few nights. Missed what she had only just discovered, and missed having someone to share the bed. If only she could have understood their low mumblings, but the ceiling prevented it. They’d wanted to make her a softer bed, but she finally convinced them that it was far better than the hard wooden benches on the train. Even if the benches had been padded, the worry of being all alone in the world, not knowing where she was going or what she was getting into, would have ruined her sleep. She was still catching up on it.