Their Conquered Bride (Bridgewater Ménage 9) (Grace Goodwin)

“It is good to finally be here.” I turned as a second man approached. He was large and dark-haired, but I did not know him.

I swung my leg down and dismounted my horse to stand in front of Logan as he helped Lizzie off his horse to stand on wobbly legs. I took her hand and tried to pull her to me so I could introduce our bride, but she tugged back hard as Kane greeted his friend.

Thinking perhaps Lizzie was feeling a bit shy, I turned to coax her forward. It was not shyness I saw in her eyes, but shock, followed by a

dark flush that would have been intriguing had she reacted that way to anything but a virile, available male. I tugged on her hand once more, but she would not move, simply stood in place, her feet firmly planted as she stared at Kane’s friend with wide eyes.

What the hell?

I glanced at Logan, who shrugged. He had no idea how to explain Lizzie’s odd reaction either.

Giving up for the moment, I turned back as Kane spoke. “Ford and Logan, this is Xander.”

The large man grinned and tipped his hat in our direction. “Pleased to meet you both.”

Lizzie gasped at the sound of his deep voice and I turned to inspect her. Her breathing was rapid and her cheeks a pink I had only seen once before, when we made love to her. Had we kept her too long in the sun? Had hours of hard riding made her delirious? Was she taking ill? “Lizzie, are you all right?”

“Yes. Yes. I’m sorry.” She stepped forward when I gently pulled her toward me and Logan took up a protective stance on her opposite side. She was between us, exactly where she should be.

With Lizzie sorted, I turned back to Xander. “Nice to meet you as well. That’s not a British accent.”

Kane chuckled. “While he’s American through and through, he’s a Bridgewater man. He and Tyler, who you’ll meet at the house, are married to Emily.”

We shook hands and the man seemed affable enough. He, too, was dark and had a beard, but he was much stockier, much more solid than either Logan or I. Perhaps his size is what frightened our bride. I had no other explanation for her behavior.

“May we introduce our new bride, Elizabeth,” Logan said. When he saw the way she was staring at Xander, he lifted his hand to the nape of her neck with a possessiveness I, too, felt. The confusion I saw in his gaze most likely matched my own.

Giving her hand a quick squeeze, I broke her from her reverie. She greeted both men, smiling at Kane but blushing hotly as she looked at Xander.

“Ma’am.” Xander’s eyebrows rose in curiosity, but he must have been raised right, for he didn’t comment on her obvious upset. Nor did he step forward, keeping his distance.

“How long have you been married?” Kane asked.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Yesterday.” I still felt like the luckiest man alive, and wasn’t above gloating.

Kane laughed. “Well then, a celebration—and a bed—are certainly in order.”

Xander offered to tend to our horses as Kane walked with us to his house.

“We eat meals as a group on most occasions. My house—the one I share with Ian and Emma—has a large kitchen and dining room for it. We’re growing quickly, we now have baby Ellie. There are a few others who have children. Christopher and Abby are toddling about as well. With your arrival, and the addition of your other men—wait, where are the others? We were expecting a dozen.”

“Six are on their way with the wagon of supplies,” I explained.

The house before us was large white clapboard with an expansive porch. It was set back from the other buildings by a fair distance. In fact, all of the houses and work buildings were far apart. While Bridgewater was turning into a community, it would seem everyone still wanted their privacy. I approved. I had no desire to share Lizzie’s cries of pleasure with the other men on the ranch. That sweet sound was for her husbands’ ears alone.

“I expect them to arrive tomorrow. Four more are traveling with Lizzie’s two younger sisters.”

Kane nodded, taking the news in stride and not asking unwelcome questions. We would tell him everything, later. All too easily we fell into our old custom. War and hardships were not to be discussed in front of the women. Kane smiled pleasantly at our bride and she seemed to relax once we’d left Xander behind. “Are you from these parts, Lizzie?”

She smiled and chatted with Kane as he showed us his home. She was much more in control than she had been at the stables and it was clear she had issue with Xander. Had they met before? How was that even possible? Had he somehow threatened her? Did he remind her of someone she feared from her past? As I tried to make sense of it, I realized how little Logan and I knew about our wife, and how badly I wanted to remedy the lack.

“No, from Omaha.”

“You are a lucky woman then, meeting these two. There aren’t many men who I would trust with my life, but your husbands rank high on that list. You’ve got good men, Elizabeth.”

His words were profound, and the trust and respect mutual.

Holding open the front door, he let us enter first. With my hand at the small of Lizzie’s waist, we met everyone. Everyone. Faces that were familiar. Ian. Brody. Mason. Simon. Rhys. Connor. Dash. It was exhilarating to be with them all again, this time safe from Evers and the law. We also met Cross, Tyler, Andrew and Robert. Quinn and Porter, two of the foremen, were with Xander in the stables, but would join us when the meal was ready. Then there were the brides. Emma, Laurel, Olivia, Emily, Rebecca and Allison. The children brought the brightest smiles from our bride, and I knew we’d made the right choice, bringing her here. There were three children, all quite young, but they were bright, happy beings and I watched Lizzie closely, noticed the softening of her eyes and the bright hope that took root in her.