“See you in a couple of days,” Ellis told Mr. Smith. “We’ve got to take her to the mercantile.”
“Welcome to town, Miss Daisy,” the man called.
“Thank you,” she said as they walked out the door. “That was interesting seeing where you work. It’s a really small bank compared to what we have in Charleston.”
Ellis laughed. “I’m sure.”
They walked next door and Lee pushed open the door. “Welcome to Treasure Falls Mercantile.”
“Oh, look,” she said, walking inside, “a store. I’ve forgotten what one looks like.”
She strolled around the counters, gazing at the different knickknacks and canned goods for sale, the bins of coffee, flour, and bolts of material.
The man behind the counter grinned at them. Lee gestured toward his woman. “Charles, meet Miss Daisy Miller.”
“Good morning, ma’am. Glad to have you in town,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, her hand running over the yarn supply.
“Why don’t you go to lunch. We’re going to let Miss Daisy do some shopping,” Lee said.
She whirled around to face him. “Shopping?”
“Yes,” Lee said. “You can pick out two new dresses.”
Her sapphire eyes widened and he could see the joy on her face. “Oh my. I haven’t purchased anything in months.”
The man behind the counter smiled and then slipped out the door. Lee went over and turned the open sign to closed and locked the door. This was going to be a private shopping trip.
When he turned around, Daisy was crying.
“Why are you crying?” Ellis asked her.
“You’re being so good to me,” she said. “You don’t know how badly I need new clothes.”
Lee’s heart filled with pride and he was glad he could provide his future wife clothing.
Ellis glanced at Lee with that worried look that appeared whenever she revealed something new.
“Before you choose the dresses, there is something else,” Lee said. He walked behind the counter and pulled out a tray of rings they kept on hand. Gold wedding bands. Some even had a tiny diamond in them.
Quickly he moved from behind the counter to in front of her.
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Both men kneeled on one knee in front of her.
“Daisy Miller, will you be our wife. Will you marry us and spend the rest of your life with us?” Ellis asked.
“Have our children and stay by our side until death parts us,” Lee asked, his heart pounding in his chest. This was what he wanted so badly, and he feared she would say no, even though this was what she came to Treasure Falls for.
Stunned, she stared at them, her sapphire eyes wide with shock.
“I—I didn’t expect this quite so soon,” she said.
“Why wait? We know you’re what we want. We’ll marry with everyone else, but this would give you time to prepare,” Ellis said.
She licked her lips. “I’m honored. But I’m nervous as well. Will you be patient with me? I’m a little scared about the two of you sharing me. I can’t imagine having one man, but two…”
They rose and took her into their arms, both of them, sandwiching her between them. Lee loved the feel of her body between theirs.
“Darling, we’ll go slow,” Lee said.
“We want you to be happy,” Ellis replied.
She licked her lips nervously. “Yes, I’ll marry both of you.”
First, Lee pulled her in close and kissed her, his lips crushing hers beneath his. When he released her, Ellis did the same, but Ellis also placed his hand on her ass and squeezed her bottom.
She jumped a little.
When his lips released hers, he stared down at her. “Darling, we can hardly wait until our wedding night.”
“Daisy, we want you so badly, but we will not take you until after we say our vows,” Lee said with a groan. “We promised you and we’re men of our word.”
They pulled her closer and let her feel how excited they were.
Lee noticed that she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Oh my,” she said with a gasp. “I just hope I will make you happy.”
“Which ring do you want to wear?” Lee asked. “It’s your choice.”
A smile flitted across her face and she shook her head. “No, you are my husbands. I want you to pick out which ring you want me to wear. They all are beautiful and will make me happy. But this is your gift to me and I want you to choose it. This ring I will someday pass down to our children.”
Warmth spread through Lee. “That makes me very happy. You get to choose the dresses you’re going to wear. One of them, I would like to be your wedding dress. But you get to pick the two gowns.”
“Agreed,” Ellis said.