The eagerness to hear of my love match slipped from Allison's face. "I'm very sorry."
"Thank you." I hadn't even met my Cecil before he appeared in London and stole me away, so I mourned the relationship that we could have had. Now was not the time to dwell upon it, and a Montgomery never complained.
"Which of the men has caught your eye? Porter?"
Allison smoothed down her skirt. "He is quite fetching, but it is...Mr. McPherson. Not your Mr. McPherson, Olivia, the other one."
My heart stuttered at the mention of Dash's name.
The other women paused briefly and Emma was the one who responded first. "Dash is...very nice."
"I didn't realize you'd made his acquaintance," Ann added. "I think the cake is done," she said to Emma as she went to the stove and opened the door to peer inside. The scent of sweets baking filled the air.
"I haven't. Only at church on the occasions he's there. I admit, the men of Bridgewater are all quite handsome. There is something about Mr. McPherson though, that makes me catch my breath."
I could understand that, for he did that to me as well. Even clothed. When he'd opened his pants and pulled out his cock without one lick of modesty, he not only made my breath catch, he made me...wet. His intensity and focus on me was heady and when I was with him I felt as if I was the only thing on his mind. I could not share this, especially not now, so I folded my hands in my lap, straightened my shoulders impossibly more and settled a smile upon my face. For once, Mrs. Dithers' instruction was helpful.
Allison continued to talk at Ann and Laurel's urging, although while they tried to redirect her away from Dash and onto the handsomeness of Quinn or Porter, presumably both bachelors, she turned her comments back toward my husband.
I had no reason to feel hurt by Allison's words; she meant no harm. If she'd known I was married to Dash as well, she was a very kind woman and would not have spoken of him as she did now.
My hurt came from thoughts of Dash. Did he feel the same about Allison? Had he seen her at church or in passing in town and found her comely? He'd had no choice in marrying me; I’d become his several weeks before I even arrived at Bridgewater.
Connor had been given a choice to marry me. While it was not a love match, I had not forced his hand. Had I taken away Dash's chances to make a life with Allison? Did he see her face, her petite figure when he touched me? Was he thinking of her as he sank into my body?
I added a benign comment here and there into the conversation, but the other women did an excellent job of keeping the conversation moving. It was clear that Allison had been a guest before and was quite comfortable chatting with the women. The chatter was interrupted by a knock on the back door, and then Quinn stuck his head in.
"Come out of the cold," Emma told him.
He removed his hat and stomped his boots on the porch before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Snow dusted the shoulders of his coat.
"Hello, Miss Travers," he said, nodding at Allison as she stood.
She smiled and I saw her cheeks flush at the man's voice. Was she shy with all men or did she blush solely for those she had an interest in?
"Mr. Quinn."
"The snow is still falling, but I feel it is still safe to travel to town. While you came here on your own, I insist that I take you back."
She eyed the man and most likely saw that he would not be swayed. "Very well. Thank you."
He turned to me. "I’ll deliver your trunk for you and then take Miss Travers into town. Two of the men are at the stables, so if you need them while I'm gone, you know to fire two shots, three if there is an emergency."
I was not aware of that, but the other ladies told him they would do just that.
I nodded my thanks to the man who would deliver the remainder of my clothes, but also for taking Allison back to town. I had no idea where she would have stayed. It would have been unseemly for her to stay with Quinn or any of the other bachelor men. I supposed either Kane or Ian could have stayed at another house for the night to give the illusion of a different kind of marriage than they had, but I was sure they'd all planned for that kind of eventuality. I didn't wish to see Allison fawn over Dash upon his return. Even more so, I did not wish to see how Dash looked at Allison. While he'd given me the assurances of his honor, I did not think I could live with the knowledge of his marrying me solely for honor.
"As soon as you are ready, we will go," Quinn said to Allison, then went back outside.
CHAPTER SEVEN
DASH
We'd wrangled most of the cattle to the nearer pastures; it had taken all of us to do so, but we would only have to venture out again at first light to find the stragglers. The weather hadna relented, only became worse. The snow covered the ground to my ankles and there was nay end in sight to it coming down. With the wind, it was like a blizzard. Any leaves that remained on the cottonwoods by the creek were halfway to Canada by now. The sun had gone down an hour ago and we stomped out boots and entered Kane and Ian's house in one tired, long line of men. The scent of stew filled the air and the heat from the stove felt good.
The women came to collect coats and gloves to hang them to dry on pegs behind the potbellied stove. My eyes caught and held Rebecca's, and the small smile she gave me warmed me deep inside. She wasn't as open about her affections as Olivia was with her men—they tugged her easily enough into the kitchen pantry and shut the door behind them—or the eagerness of Mason and Brody to ensure Laurel was well and that the baby was still safely inside her.
In fact, Rebecca's smile seemed somewhat reserved, but I knew Rebecca was reserved. It was the knowledge that we had a wife waiting for us after a long day of work and this beautiful woman, regardless of how prickly, was ours. I took the smile as something to be treasured, for no matter how small it was, it was freely given.