“Kane and Ian won me in an auction at a brothel. I was married ten minutes later. To both of them,” Emma said.
“I accidentally entered Robert’s stateroom on the ship from England. We were wed the same day,” Ann added, coming to sit at the large kitchen table with us. She brought a tea pot, and I watched the steam curl from it as we waited for it to steep.
Laurel nodded, patting the tiny back of a baby girl who rested on her shoulder. The four-month-old had been asleep ever since our arrival. “I had a slow courtship. I made it two days in Mason and Brody’s company before we were wed. They didn’t even know my name until just prior to when the vows were said.”
We were seated around Emma’s large kitchen table. When we arrived, the noon meal had ended as well as the cleanup, but the scent of roasting meat lingered. Laurel and Ann remained behind to visit while their husbands went off somewhere with James and Jonah. Between them, they had several children. Christopher was Ann’s little boy, the oldest of the Bridgewater children and had gone off with the men. Laurel had another little girl, a toddler, who I’d been told was upstairs taking a nap. Emma’s daughter, Ellie, was also asleep.
Ann had been in a Bridgewater marriage the longest, having wed Andrew and Robert before anybody had settled in the Montana Territory. But Emma was wed to Kane and Ian soon after their arrival. Laurel followed the following winter. Now, there were a number of Bridgewater brides. I, the latest.
Emma was lovely with her black hair and striking blue eyes. Ann was blonde, fair and petite. Laurel’s hair was a striking shade of red, her daughter’s few curls the same bright color. Each of them looked so different, and yet there was an air about them. A… happiness and confidence I envied. I felt like I was a clumsy, awkward mess in comparison, and I told them so.
Laurel patted my hand. “Mason found me, almost dead in a blizzard. I’d ridden out to escape my father’s plan to marry me as part of a business arrangement.”
“My father tried to marry me to a wealthy mine owner, and I was held prisoner for six days.”
Emma’s eyes widened at my admission.
“Oh, um… that’s scary. I’m so glad you came out unscathed. Did James and Jonah rescue you?”
I shook my head as I squirmed on the hard seat. My bottom was a little sore from what we’d done. From what I’d instigated. And loved. So had the men. They’d seen it quickly as play and… why had that been so arousing? Why had I even done something like that? They stared at me, waiting patiently for me to answer Emma’s question.
“No. Abigail Carr did. James’ sister.” I briefly described how she’d come to my rescue. “We went to school together in Butte. She’s married to Gabe and Tucker Landry.”
Laurel grinned. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she asked, then softened her voice when the baby stirred. “I have always wanted a happy match for her. The Landrys are so handsome and at the picnic last week, they only had eyes for her. Although she did mention a beau from Butte.”
“You think you’re not deserving,” Ann said, returning the conversation back to me.
They looked to me, waited. They were all so nice. So open. While I wasn’t going to broach the subject of having James and Jonah put their cocks in my ass, I was susceptible to sharing my feelings on less… intimate topics.
“You saw James’ face. That black eye is my fault.”
“You punched him?” Ann asked, then laughed.
Emma reached for the teapot and poured the dark brew into four cups. Ann passed a cup and saucer to me.
“No.” I explained about the barrel roller. “I first saw James two years ago, the day I arrived at school. He had escorted Abigail. One look and I have thought of him ever since.”
Laurel smiled. “See? Perhaps he felt the same, like lightning. That’s what Mason said happened to him, although it was a blizzard, so I’m not so sure.”
She was being silly, and I was glad for it. I didn’t think it was love at first sight, but I hadn’t forgotten him.
“James told me we were to marry. I wasn’t having it.”
Emma shook her head. “I can understand why you were riled. All Bridgewater men are dominant and get what they want, especially when it comes to the woman they want to marry. They are kind, but not overly romantic.”
Laurel nodded. “He saw you. He wanted you. James stating you were marrying was romance. He wouldn’t have said it to anyone else.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. Was I the only woman he’d wanted to marry?
“You’re a good person,” Ann said. “They wouldn’t have married you otherwise. Don’t doubt that you’re wanted.”
I swallowed hard and tried not to tear up. Ann was too perceptive.
“You have made her uncomfortable,” Laurel scolded.
“Ann didn’t,” Emma said with a huge grin. “The chair did. Tell us, Tennessee, why you’re squirming so much?”
I could feel the blush on my cheeks and took a sip of my tea to keep from answering.