"No one will know what has occurred between us. That is not anyone's concern," Garrett said, his tone severe. "The sheriff will keep the confidence."
The man nodded his assurance.
"You ran away from Doctor Graham's protection and everyone in town knows that," Garrett continued. "It's salacious news. Once you slipped out of town, you were tarnished. Your actions and your actions alone brought you to this juncture. You would be married to whichever man found you, if not us. No man in Liberty is going to want you, Sarah. Only Tagg and I know you still had the harness protecting your virtue."
Oh God. He was right. They may be forcing me to marry them, but it was my fault. I hadn't thought about the consequences of traveling as a woman alone. I'd only imagined success in reaching a big city, blending in, but I'd never imagined failing. I never imagined that if I didn't succeed that I couldn't return to Liberty. I'd escaped the protection of the town doctor and could have been prey to any kind of villain, just as Garrett and Tagg had said. I moved to a chair and sat down, the heavy weight of what I'd done finally sinking in.
"You will marry us, Sarah. Now."
"You can't marry me just because I'm ruined. You don't want me! You spanked me and...and you don't even know me!"
The sheriff's eyebrow went up in surprise, but he remained quiet.
"We know enough. And want you? Trust me, baby, once the vows have been said and the sheriff's on his way back to town, we'll show you just how much we want you." Tagg squatted down in front of me so I was forced to look at him. Hear him.
"I did spank you, and I'll probably do it again," Garrett said. I looked over my shoulder at him. "I spanked you because you belong to us, even from the first moment we saw you. You were alone on the side of the river and wouldn't tell us why. We didn't know why you'd run away, if someone had been cruel to you or hurt you. It's our job to keep you safe and when you don't let us do that, you'll be punished. I don't just go around spanking women. I want you so much that I spanked you, Sarah."
In the most perverse, illogical way, Garrett's words made sense. My father had ignored me for years, offered little to no guidance in my upbringing. If it hadn't been for Devney, I'd probably be illiterate. The loneliness of the ranch, being forced into isolation like I had, made me feel unwanted. My father hadn't thought about anyone but himself. I'd been stuck for years without friends or even a parent who truly loved me, all because he wanted to keep his relationship with another man a secret.
But in less than a day, Garrett and Tagg had helped me, cared for me, even disciplined me because they considered me theirs. They were thinking of me. They were doing what was best for me. And ridiculously enough, Garrett had spanked me because he was trying to protect me.
And that was why I stood up looked the sheriff in the eye and said, "Please begin."
GARRETT
Although only I would be legally wed to Sarah, Ian went through the ceremony asking both Tagg and me to say the vows. It was important to both of us for her to know that she was ours. Not mine, not his, ours. When my lips touched hers for the first time at the end of the short ceremony, I knew. She was the one.
Her lips were warm and soft, but tentative. Clearly she had not been kissed before. I grinned down at her and watched as my brother spun our bride around and kissed her as well.
"My work here is done. Garrett, Taggart, congratulations," Ian said as he slapped me on the shoulder, grinning. "Sarah, you're in good hands, or I wouldn't have performed the ceremony."
"Thank you for riding out here after a hectic day," I told him.
When I'd found Ian in town, he had just returned to the jail from Doc's office where Devney and Sam Bridger had been wed. He didn't elaborate, but it was clear that Devney had been truly claimed directly after the union. Learning that Sarah had been found had made his job easier; he didn't have to continue to track a wayward woman across eastern Montana.
"Glad everything came to an amicable and pleasing conclusion," Ian replied. "Ma'am." He doffed his hat and tipped it toward our bride, then left, the screen door slapping shut behind him.
In his wake, the air was still, the sun low in the sky filling the kitchen with soft beams of yellow and orange light. On the porch, a cricket could be heard singing. But that was outside. In the room between us, Sarah stood so small and delicate, with the quilt held snug about her like a shield. Her hair curled and went down her back. Right now she was fearful; she wouldn't meet either of our eyes, and that was not a sight I liked to see. I never wanted her to cower to either of us; I rather enjoyed her spit and vinegar. Was there a way to ease the fears of a virgin on her wedding night?
Tagg pulled back a chair and sat down, held out his arms. "Come here, baby."
Sarah turned her head and looked at him, unsure, then went into his arms. He lowered her gently onto his lap and just held her, running a hand up and down her quilt covered back.
I watched as Tagg comforted her, soothed her, which seemed to be exactly what she needed. Relieved, I pulled a second chair out and positioned it so I sat directly in front of them, close enough that I stroked a hand over her leg.
"Scared?" I asked, my voice low.
She shook her head. "This...everything...has happened so fast. I...I don't know what to do."
"You don't have to know. We do."
"But--"
Tagg put two fingers over her lips. "Right now I want to kiss you."
I watched as Sarah's eyes slid shut as Tagg kissed her, his lips brushing over hers. He tilted her back in his arms so he could deepen the kiss. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, I heard her moan and her hand came up to clench Tagg's arm. It was the most erotic sight. This woman, sitting in my brother's lap, was our wife. I needed to touch her, to feel how soft I'd imagined her skin to be. Peeling back the bottom of the quilt, I skimmed my fingers over her smooth calf to her knee. She stiffened in surprise, but kept kissing Tagg. Once she settled again, my hand moved up her thigh, finding the thin edge of her shift. As I did so, Tagg pulled the quilt from her grip, letting it fall open, part of it still trapped between them. I watched her shift slide up her body as it caught on my hand. When my fingertips brushed her belly and dipped inward to touch the curls that covered her pussy, she broke the kiss and looked at me. Her lust filled eyes were a deep, dark green, half lidded and unfocused.
I gave her a small smile but kept my hand where it was. Tagg turned her so she faced me, her back to his front. The quilt was beneath her and bunched behind her lower back. One thin strap of her chemise dangled off her shoulder.