LAUREL
In the morning Mason finally gave me one of the pretty dresses Emma had picked out for me at the mercantile. It was a dark green that he said matched my eyes perfectly. My men—I enjoyed calling them mine—had continued to lavish attention on me, either by themselves or together. When Ann had said her men cherished her, she hadn't been boasting. Mason and Brody were attentive, not only as lovers, but as husbands. It had been a game to them, watching me spend a day in solely my corset, then my corset and stockings before today allowing me to cover my body modestly. It did feel nice to be completely covered once again, but when Brody's hand had dipped beneath the fabric of my long skirt to cup my bare bottom, I'd seen the heat in his eyes. It thrilled me to know that what they were thinking; my pussy was bare and wet for them to take whenever they desired.
It had been a week since we'd married and I had yet to leave the house, but I'd most certainly been kept occupied. Today, however, had both men going to the stable, for a new colt was born overnight and they needed to take over the chores of Ian and Simon who had stayed up all night for the birth.
I didn't mind the quiet of the house, but it seemed strange. One perk of being married to two men meant I was never lonely. Even when I was alone and reading a book in a comfortable chair by the fire, they were with me, for I could not forget either man or what they did to me only an hour before because of their seed continuing to drip from me.
When I heard the front door open and close, I smiled, thinking one of them had returned to make good on their promise to bend me over the sofa. When I stood and walked across the room to meet them, it was not Brody or Mason, but Mr. Palmer.
I froze in my tracks and my hand came up to my chest. My heart pounded in my chest at the sight of the man. "What are you doing here?" I questioned.
"Claiming my bride," he said. His voice was nasally and weak.
"Your bride?" When he continued to stare at me, I added, "I'm already married. You'll have to find yourself another woman."
"I heard about your wedding. It's the talk of the town. Turner and I looked mighty embarrassed after coming out here looking for you and all. You were hiding somewhere all along." He shook his head slowly, his jowls shifting as he did so. "It doesn't matter if you've given yourself to another man or not. I don't want a different woman. I want you."
I pointed at myself. "Me? Why are you so keen on me? As you said, I've already given myself to another." He didn't allude to the fact that I was married to both Mason and Brody. Clearly that knowledge did not reach town.
He pursed his lips. "I don't want you. I want your land."
What? I frowned and shook my head. "My land? I don't have any land."
"You own the entire Turner parcel and it was to be mine."
His eyes narrowed and he moved a step closer. I retreated keeping the distance between us as great as possible.
"That land is not mine. It belongs to my father."
He closed his eyes briefly and clenched his hands into fists. "Your father had a gambling problem and I won the property in exchange for monetary debts."
"What?" My father
was a rich man, wealthy enough to keep me at a fine boarding school for thirteen years. His house was immense and surrounded by Turner land as far as the eye could see.
"He gambled and owed me more money than he had in the bank." He shrugged. "So I claimed his ranch...and you, in exchange."
"I'm not for sale."
"No, you're not for sale, for you were won fair and square."
I took another step back.
"There must be some mistake."
"The only mistake is allowing your bastard father sign all of his property over to you in his will."
"He...he did what? He doesn't even like me. I haven't seen the man in over ten years!"
"Doesn't matter. He made you the beneficiary of his estate."
Where were Brody and Mason? How I wished I wasn't alone right now! There was nothing to do but try to escape this man for he was clearly irrational, so I tried to run past him but he caught up with me in the hallway, grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
"I'm married to Mason. You can't have me!" I tugged against his tight hold.
"I can." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "A marriage license that says we were married two weeks ago. You are Mrs. Palmer."
I shook my head. He was crazy.