Coming Home

Coming Home Bella McPherson is on her first vacation in Big Lake, Texas. She sees a sapphire necklace in a shop window and finds herself purchasing it. Bella puts the necklace on and begins to feel strange. She slips into unconsciousness, only to wake up in a bedroom of strangers: in the year 1865. Clint, Adam, and Marcus Aldridge are over the moon when they find the unconscious woman and take her back to their home on the Triple A Ranch. Bella has captured their hearts with her beauty and feisty personality from the first day, and they will do anything to seduce her into their beds and keep her there. Will the danger stalking their woman win out? Or will their woman be taken from them to be whisked back to her own time? Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Time Travel, Western/Cowboys Length: 35,032 words

COMING HOME

Becca Van

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

COMING HOME Copyright © 2011 by Becca Van E-book ISBN: 1-61926-082-4 First E-book Publication: December 2011 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Coming Home by Becca Van from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Becca Van’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Van’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this book to my son, Chris. You are an awesome person and even though recent times have been hard, they can only get better. Congratulations for passing year twelve. I am so proud of you.

COMING HOME BECCA VAN Copyright © 2011

Prologue Present day Bella McPherson hopped off the bus in the small town of Big Lake, Texas. She breathed in the warm spring air as she looked around, took her bag from the kind, elderly bus driver, and thanked him. It was sunset, and the sky was a beautiful range of oranges, pinks, and reds, fluffy white clouds streaked throughout as the sun began to sink. Twenty-two-year-old Bella had always pictured herself as an average-looking female, with long light-brown hair cascading about her shoulders in a riot of waves, her hazel eyes sparkling with life and mischief. She was an average height of five feet four inches, slim of body but with curves in all the right places. Bella had always pictured herself as a plain Jane—nothing exceptional about her looks—but she was happy with who she was. She had never bothered with makeup. She didn’t really need to, and she hated the way it felt on her skin. Bella turned away from the bus terminal and headed toward the small motel she had booked into for the next two weeks. She was on her first vacation, and she had every intention of enjoying it in its entirety. It had taken Bella over two years to save enough money for this vacation, as she worked as a waitress in a diner and only earned

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minimum wage. She had scrimped and scraped tips she had earned until she was finally able to afford the trip. Bella had no family to speak of. Her parents had been killed when they had been caught in a bank robbery that had gone bad. She had been in day care at the time, and when no one came to pick her up, she’d been handed off to the child welfare department to be taken care of. She had been moved from pillar to post, going from foster home to foster home, never staying long enough to fit in. She was lucky to be an optimist rather than a pessimist, which suited her bubbly personality. Once Bella had checked into her motel room, she unpacked and headed straight for the shower. Bella rose with the sun, eager to get out and explore. She showered and dressed in her light-fawn-colored, three-quarter-length cargo pants, a sleeveless white cotton shirt, and sneakers. She grabbed her wallet, keys, and cell phone then headed out to find breakfast. She found a diner this time and ordered a ham-and-cheese toasted sandwich with a coffee to go. She sipped at her coffee as she wandered the length of the main street of Big Lake, heading toward the trees she could see, intending to eat her breakfast there in the morning spring sunshine. Bella glanced in a tourist shop window she was about to pass and stopped in her tracks when she saw a small sapphire pendant displayed in the shop window on a bed of black velvet. It was so pretty it took her breath away. It was surrounded in either white gold or silver, but she couldn’t tell which, as she’d never had the opportunity to buy any jewelry. For some unfathomable reason, Bella felt as if that pendant was supposed to be hers. She found herself opening the shop door and walking in and felt as if she were standing outside her own body, watching herself do something totally out of the norm. “Hi, may I help you?” asked the woman behind the counter. “The sapphire pendant in the window. How much is it?” Bella

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asked. “It’s one hundred dollars. It’s a pretty piece, isn’t it?” “Yes. Yes, it is. I’ll take it,” Bella heard herself say. She watched as the woman got the pendant and placed it in a small jewelry box. She paid the woman and clutched the box in her hand. “Thank you,” Bella said then exited the shop. Bella couldn’t remember walking the rest of the way to the park at the end of the main street, but there she found herself, staring off into space and clutching the small box in her hand. She placed the box on her lap, opened her now-cold toasted sandwich, and ate her breakfast. Once done, she disposed of her trash in the bin provided next to the bench seat and opened the box. What on earth had possessed her to buy such an expensive trinket? She really didn’t have the extra money to spend on such a luxury. She was going to have to watch what she spent, or maybe she should just take it back and get a refund. Yes, that’s what she’d do, but first she just had to try the pendant on. Bella pulled the necklace out of the box, clasped it around her neck, and gently pulled her hair from beneath the chain. She found her fingers moving up to touch the pendant, running the pad of her thumb over the delicate gem and setting. The warmth of the stone surprised her, but she couldn’t seem to draw her fingers away. She felt so warm and safe, but she knew that feeling was false, as the world around her began to spin. She felt so dizzy. A cold sweat broke out over her skin, and her stomach began to feel queasy. Everything felt so surreal. She had no idea what was happening to her. She should have been frightened, but she wasn’t. The world before her was spinning so fast now that she had to close her eyes to prevent herself from being ill. Her body felt so heavy, her arms and legs not obeying any command from her brain. She felt as if she was being sucked up into a black hole. The edges of unconsciousness began to move over her, tentacles of darkness reaching out to drag her in. She felt herself falling but couldn’t even

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reach out a hand to stop her body’s momentum. Her last thought before she succumbed to the darkness was that she was dying from food poisoning.

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Chapter One Big Lake, Texas, 1865 Clinton Aldridge was riding his mount toward Big Lake, Texas, eager for a night at the Lake Saloon and a warm, willing woman, his brothers, Adam and Marcus, at his side. They’d spent the better part of the last month rounding up and branding their herd of cattle and were ready for a bit of relaxation and carousing. The three brothers had taken over running the Triple A Ranch when they were young men. Clinton, the eldest at thirty, had been a young man of eighteen when their folks had been killed in a coach accident. It had been his responsibility as the eldest to take over the running of the ranch and see that his younger brothers were cared for. He was lucky in the fact he and his brothers were only born a year apart, so there were only two years between him and Marcus, the youngest of the three. The brothers rode in companionable silence, each in their own thoughts, no doubt thinking of which whore they would spend a couple of hours with, relieving the itch that seemed to be on them more and more often of late. Women were so scarce in such an out-ofway wilderness, so they only really had the whores of Lake Saloon to play with once in a while. It had been over two months since their last visit to Big Lake, and being such virile, healthy men, they were chomping at the bit for a little loving, even if it was bought and paid for. Clint took the lead as the trail narrowed, nudging his horse with a squeeze of his thighs. He emerged from the line of trees, his brothers and their mounts close behind. He was about to nudge his stallion

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forward, urge him into a canter, when he caught a lump on the ground from his peripheral vision, not far off to his right. He held up his hand, giving his brothers a silent command to stop and keep quiet. Clint dismounted, ground tied his stallion by dropping the reins, and quietly crept forward to the lump in the shadows of the trees. He squatted down next to the person lying on the ground, sucked in an audible breath, and felt his heart thump hard in his chest. He was looking at a slim woman lying out in the crisp autumn air. She was dressed in what appeared to be unfinished men’s clothing. Her shoes were odd and white, and he could see the smooth skin of her lower calves and shins. Clint didn’t have to look up to know his brothers had joined him. He felt them beside him, standing over the woman, no doubt staring at the female just as he was. “Have you ever seen her before, Clint?” Marcus asked. “Nope.” “She’s dressed strange,” Adam stated. “Yep.” “Is she hurt? Is she still alive?” Marcus asked as he squatted next to Clint. “She’s alive. I can see her breathing. Don’t seem to be hurt none, but I won’t be able to tell unless I strip her clothes off and I don’t want to do that here out in the open. We should wait and ask her if she’s all right when she wakes up, but if she doesn’t wake up soon, we’ll have to take her clothes off just in case she is injured,” Clint responded. “Maybe we could take her back home and make sure she’s all right,” Adam suggested. “Saloon’s closer,” Clint said then bent down and scooped her up into his arms. “Want me to take her, Clint?” Marcus asked eagerly. Clint didn’t bother to answer, just glared at his brother then turned away and headed back to his horse. He handed the woman over to Adam, mounted up, and then reached for her again when Adam

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handed her back. He had her draped over his lap, one of his arms supporting her back, her head resting on his chest. He breathed in her scent and felt his cock go hard as her freshness enveloped him. He looked down into her face and groaned silently. She was absolutely perfect. He’d never seen such beautiful skin and her lips… Man, they were so full and naturally red. He couldn’t help but think of how they’d look wrapped around his cock. He shifted slightly in his saddle, trying to relieve the ache in his hard dick. He was about to nudge his horse forward and head on up to the saloon, but he had second thoughts. She looked so innocent and fresh. There was no way in hell he could take her to the saloon. He took the reins in one hand, turned his horse around, and headed back to home. He didn’t have to look at his younger brothers to know they would be following along behind him. His brothers pulled their horses up beside him. Clint knew they were as concerned as he was. Finding a woman alone and unconscious was not a good thing. He hated it when women were hurt. He loved women of all shapes and sizes. They were such soft, delicate creatures and should be taken care of at all times. The thought that someone had hurt this woman made him angry to the bone. Clint only hoped the woman in his arms didn’t wake up and give him hell for trying to help her. **** Bella was so warm and comfortable she didn’t want to open her eyes to face the day yet. She snuggled down under the covers, keeping her eyes closed as she enjoyed the peace and quiet. The only sounds she could hear were birds twittering and cattle lowing. The slam of a door didn’t even bring her out of her half-awake, half-asleep cocoon. She just didn’t seem to have as much energy today. She must have been really tired. The sound of footsteps approaching didn’t register until they stopped right next to her bed. She pulled the covers down, stretched her arms up over her head, and yawned. Her eyes

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popped open to see a strange, ruggedly handsome man standing over her, smiling as his eyes wandered over her body. She looked down and screamed. She jerked the covers up over her naked chest, her cheeks becoming hot as she stared at the stranger. He was so tall, well over six feet. His hair was black, his eyes were a dark chocolate brown, and his jaw had stubble on it, which only added to his rugged appeal. He had wide, muscular shoulders, which tapered down to a lean torso and slim hips, large, muscular thighs, and long, lean legs. He wore a gun belt buckled to his hips. Bella had never seen anything so sexy in her life. She let her eyes wander back up his length until she met his soulful brown eyes again. “Who are you? Where the fuck am I?” “Whoa, you’ve got quite the mouth on you, don’t ya, darlin’?” “Don’t you darlin’ me. Where the hell am I? Where are my clothes?” Bella asked, fear beginning to creep into her heart. “You’re just outside of Big Lake, Texas. We found you passed out on the ground and didn’t think it would be right to take you to the saloon, so we brought you back here.” “We? We who?” “I’m Clinton Aldridge, owner of the Triple A Ranch. Me and my brothers, Adam and Marcus, found you.” “Well, thank you, Mr. Aldridge. I appreciate the help. I’m Bella McPherson. Now, could you please tell me where my clothes are and answer why the hell I’m naked?” Bella asked in a near yell. “I undressed you,” Clint said in gentle voice. “My brothers helped me. We had to make sure you weren’t injured, and the best way to find out was to strip you naked. I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you. But we wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt.” “Oh my God,” Bella muttered under her breath. “Well, thanks for taking care of me, anyway.” “Here you go, darlin’,” Clint said, placing her clothes on the end of the bed. “I’ll leave you to get dressed. Come on out to the kitchen when you’re done.”

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Bella watched as the tall man sauntered out the door, closing it behind him. She sighed with relief, allowing her tight muscles to relax for the first time since she had found the strange man in her room. She quickly got out of bed, pulled her clothes on, and went in search of the bathroom. She couldn’t find it, and she was desperate. Bella walked into the kitchen and saw the old-fashioned woodburning stove with a cast-iron top. She could see steam rising from a heavy metal pot sitting on the side of the stove, so she knew it must have been lit. She wondered why they hadn’t updated the kitchen then gave a negligent shrug. It didn’t matter to her what they did. She turned and found three sets of male eyes staring at her. She felt like a bug under a microscope. She took a deep breath to calm her ragged nerves and looked at Clint, the only familiar face in a sea of uncertainty. “Could you please direct me to the bathroom?” “We don’t have a bathing room. The only way you can have a bath is if I pull the copper tub in here and fill it with water,” Clint answered. “No, that’s not what I meant. Where is the toilet?” “We don’t have any toy-lets,” Clint replied with a frown. “I need to go, you ignoramus. What do you want me to do, go outside behind a tree?” Bella screeched. “I think she just insulted you, Clint. I have no idea what she said, but the tone of her voice was enough.” “The privy’s outside, about a hundred yards that way,” Clint answered. Bella knew the three brothers watched her stomp out the back door and she winced when the door slammed hard behind her. She didn’t know why she was getting riled, but the three brothers were so damned sexy and her body was responding to them. She had never felt so turned on in her life. Bella finished her business and headed to the pump outside near the house. She felt eyes on her, but she didn’t care. She was feeling

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decidedly grimy and wanted to wash her face and hands. She pulled her small handkerchief from her sleeve, wet it, and wiped it over her face and hands. She wet it again and undid the first three buttons on her shirt and washed her sweat-dampened skin. She heard a noise and looked up to see the three men staring at her avidly. She could plainly see the heat in their eyes as they watched her clean up. She scowled at them and turned her back. She didn’t want them to see how those heated stares affected her body. Her breasts felt swollen and her nipples hardened. She took a few deep breaths, buttoned her shirt again, and headed for the house. She stood outside the door for a moment, listening to them as they talked amongst themselves. She pulled open the door at the tail end of their conversation. “What’s her name, Clint?” asked Marcus. “Bella. Bella McPherson.” “She’s only a youngin’. Can’t be long out of the schoolroom,” Adam stated. “Hmm, could be. Her eyes look like she’s seen a lot, though,” Clint stated. Clint and his brothers were once again sitting around the timber table in the kitchen when Bella came back inside and they stopped talking. She knew she was making a lot of noise considering she was so small compared to them, but she didn’t care. They seemed to be able to ruffle her feathers just by looking at her. Three sets of eyes turned to her as she walked in the door. “Did you enjoy the show, boys?” Bella asked facetiously, from just inside the door. “Don’t see any boys ’round here, do you, Marcus?” “Bella, these are my younger brothers, Adam and Marcus Aldridge,” Clint introduced. “Marcus, Adam,” Bella acknowledged then turned her eyes back to Clint. “I thank you for taking care of me, but could you please take me back to Big Lake? I’m booked into the motel there and would like

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to get on with my vacation.” Clint looked at Bella as if she’d lost her mind. She glanced to his brothers to see the same puzzled expression on their faces. “What’s a motel?” asked Clint. Bella breathed in deeply and let out the breath slowly. Her anger was beginning to take hold at the little game he was playing with her, and she didn’t like to be angry. She was one of those people who was slow to burn, but when she reached her limit, look out. “It’s a place where you rent a room to sleep in at night.” “We ain’t got no boarding houses in Big Lake. There used to be one, but the lady who owned it turned it into a whorehouse and saloon,” Marcus explained. “That’s where we were going, when we found you.” “Marcus, shut it,” Clint snapped. “Well, could you please give me a lift back to Big Lake anyway?” Bella asked. “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow. We have too much to do around here to just drop everything for you,” Clint stated. “Look, I’m sorry to be an inconvenience. I’ll just call for a cab on my cell and be out of your hair,” she stated and pulled her phone from her pocket. “What’s a cell?” asked Marcus. “What in tarnation is a cab?” Adam asked at the same time. Bella felt the air whoosh from her lungs. The two sexy brothers didn’t look like they were playing with her. In fact, they looked downright confused. Bella let her eyes wander over the brothers. God, they were so sexy. All tall, muscular, and handsome, with similar features but different hair and eye color. Marcus had light-brown hair, and the sexiest green eyes she’d ever seen. And Adam—he made her want to drool. His black hair and blue eyes along with his great height made her feel so small and sexy. She just wanted to curl up in his lap and stay there. She dialed the numbers on her cell and put the phone to her ear. Nothing happened. She looked at her display screen and

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saw she had no signal. “A cab is a car for hire and this is a cell,” Bella began to explain, holding her phone out. “What’s a car?” Clint asked. “The only car I know of is hitched to a steam train.” Bella stumbled over to the vacant chair at the table and sat down heavily. She reached up to stroke the necklace she’d bought the previous day and nearly panicked. It wasn’t there. “Did you remove my pendant when you removed my clothes?” Bella asked, pinning Clint with her eyes. “No, honey. You weren’t wearing anything but your strange man clothes. Didn’t you have enough money to buy fully made garments?” Clint questioned. “What?” Bella asked and released her cell as Adam reached for it to study it. He was pushing buttons indiscriminately, and she knew he was astounded by her phone from the expressions flitting across his face. “Well, I ain’t never seen pants like those before, and your shirt doesn’t even have sleeves. You were scammed when you bought those things,” Clint said. Bella looked down at her clothes, not seeing anything wrong with them, and then she turned her eyes to theirs. They looked like something a cowboy would wear in an old Western movie. She noticed that all of them were wearing gun belts tied around their hips, Stetsons, and black boots, which looked to be handmade. Bella remembered feeling ill when the world spun around her as she touched her sapphire pendant. The scenarios running through her head couldn’t be at all possible. No, she was just dreaming, maybe even hallucinating. She licked her dry lips. Her heart was beating rapidly against her breast, and she was panting as if she’d just run a mile. But she had to ask anyway. “What’s the date?” she croaked out from her dry mouth. “October twenty-third,” Clint answered with a frown.

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“What year is it?” “1865,” he stated. Bella felt the breath leave her lungs. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted for the second time in her life, within the space of twenty-four hours.

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Chapter Two Adam caught Bella before she slid to the floor. He picked her up and held her supine body on his lap. “What the hell is wrong with her, Clint?” “How the hell should I know?” Clint answered with frustration. He was hoping to be able to persuade Bella to stay on the ranch with him and his brothers. Now he wasn’t so sure it was such a good idea. She obviously had a delicate constitution. They needed someone in good health with a lot of grit, someone who could survive the rugged wilderness of Texas. “Marcus, go get a jug of water,” Clint commanded as he moved from his seat to squat in front of his brother and Bella. He stroked a finger down her soft, silky cheek and immediately wanted to do it again, so he did. She had a creamy-white, milky complexion, high cheekbones that had a natural rosy hue, a small, delicate nose, and a pointed chin, but it was her lips that seemed to draw his attention. Not that Bella was aware of this, though. Her bottom lip was full, and both of her lips had a natural red hue, and when she smiled or pulled her lips tight, the dimples on either side of her mouth had him staring even more. Bella moaned, indicating she was coming around and all the three men sighed with relief. She opened her eyes and Clint frowned down at her, hoping she was going to be okay. “What happened?” “You fainted,” Clint answered then reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her where she was when she went to move. “Stay put.”

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“Here, have some water, sweetheart,” Marcus said, placing a tin cup in her hand. “Thanks.” Bella took the cup and drank the water. “Oh. My. God. Did you say it was 1865?” she asked tremulously. “Yes, ma’am.” “It can’t be. It’s just not possible,” Bella stated firmly, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, not realizing she was giving Clint a nice view of her cleavage, since the buttons on her shirt had popped open again. “What year do you think it is, honey?” Adam asked from above her. “Uh, you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” “Just spit it out, Bella,” Clint encouraged. “2011,” Bella answered and waited for them to tell her she was crazy. “Hmm. Do they make those itty bitty bits of nothin’ you were wearing under your man clothes in the year 2011?” Clint asked. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you? Wait. Let me up. I can prove what I’m telling you is the truth,” Bella said as she tried to get up. Clint stood, moved back a step, and held out a hand to help her to her feet. Bella let go of his hand as she reached into one of the deep pockets on the side of her pants. She pulled her wallet out and then her driver’s license from the plastic pocket she kept it in. She handed it over to Clint. The expression on his face was almost comical. He stared in awe at the small photo on the plastic card and then to her. Back down to the card and then to her again. “Bella Jane McPherson, DOB. What’s that?” “Date of birth,” Bella answered. “Date of birth, April 24, 1989. That would make you twenty-two, if what you’re saying is true. I’ve never seen anything like it. Where’d you get this?” asked Clint. “It’s my driver’s license. I got it the day I passed my driving test.” “You have to take a test to drive a team of horses?” Marcus asked.

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“No. I took a test so I could drive a car, a horseless carriage,” Bella explained. She pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and handed it over to Clint. “Well, I’ll be,” Adam muttered under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear. “What is this?” “Money.” “You shittin’ me?” Clint asked. “No. Look at all the writing. It was printed this year, the year I came from, 2011. If you look at the bottom it tells you what date it was printed. It says on the bottom it was printed in 2010,” Bella stated. “Well, I’ll be. You really are from 2011, ain’t ya, baby? How did you get here?” Clint asked. “I have no idea. One minute I was sitting on a bench in the park in Big Lake eating my breakfast, and the next I woke up here. You said you found me lying on the ground just outside Big Lake. That must be where the park is in my time,” Bella mused. “Now all I have to do is figure out a way to get back home.” “How are you going to do that?” Adam asked, walking up to Bella and placing his large hands on her shoulders. “I have no fucking clue,” Bella said, her breath hitching in her throat. “You sure have a mouth on you, don’t ya, baby? I’ve never heard a woman cuss such a blue streak before. I don’t like it,” Clint stated in a steely voice. “And I don’t give a shit,” Bella replied. The air around them grew dense with tension, and Bella could see the muscle in Clint’s jaw ticking as he ground his teeth. He moved in close to her and grasped her chin with a gentle thumb and pointer, keeping her eyes on his. “While you are here, under my roof, you will follow my rules. I don’t like to hear a woman cussing, so you won’t. Is that clear?”

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Bella was so mad she could feel her blood beginning to boil. He had no right whatsoever to tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She turned her head, making him let go of her chin, then turned back to glare at him. “I am a grown woman and have been taking care of myself since I was sixteen years old. No one is going to tell me what I can and can’t do, least of all you,” Bella spat out. “I don’t give a shit what you’ve been doing. While you are in my house, my rules will be adhered to. Are we clear?” Clint asked as he glared at her. “Bite me,” Bella yelled and turned on her heel. She didn’t get very far. She collided with a large male chest and almost fell back on her ass. Marcus reached up to steady her by placing his hands on her waist. She placed her hands on his chest, too, until she had her feet back under her, and nearly moaned out loud. His rippling pectorals and the warmth emanating from his big body was such a turn-on. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she’d been creaming her panties since she first laid eyes on each of the three Aldridge brothers. They were so sexy and masculine. The hard work of being on a ranch had honed their bodies and muscles to perfection. She had never met such masculine samples of males in her entire life. Bella squealed when a slap landed on her ass. She removed her hands from Marcus’s chest and slowly turned to face the perpetrator. She knew it was Clint and pierced him with her meanest stare. It didn’t seem to faze him. “I will put you over my knee and tan your ass if I catch you cussing again. And don’t get too sassy with me, little girl. You just might bite off more than you can chew.” “Is that a threat?” Bella asked, spitting fire at Clint with her eyes. “No, baby. That’s a promise.” “I’m outta here,” Bella muttered then moved around the three men standing in the combined kitchen–dining room and slammed out the back door behind her. She had no idea where she was going, but there

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was no fucking way she was staying. She wasn’t going to let Clint or his brothers dictate to her. Bella stopped when she came to the corral. The sight of another man being bucked about on a horse took her breath away. She knew he was breaking the horse in, but to actually see such a thing was like watching poetry in motion. The man’s muscles straining beneath the material of his pants and shirt and the striations of his muscular forearms were like nothing she’d ever seen before. The sight held her spellbound. She could have spent hours watching, and she probably would have if she hadn’t been interrupted. “Bella, you have nowhere to go. You’d never survive around here on your own. I mean, look at you, you’re only half-dressed and in male’s clothes. You have no gun to protect you. I’ll bet you don’t even know how to shoot, do you?” Marcus asked. Bella ignored the rhetorical question. In fact, she ignored Marcus, as well. She knew what he was saying was true. She wouldn’t get very far even if she did manage to leave the ranch and find her way to Big Lake. The people of this time would take one look at her and think she was a whore. She finally turned to face Marcus and had to take a couple of steps back to look him in the eye. The man was huge. He had to be at least six foot four. It was hurting her neck to look at him. She lowered her eyes to the ground and began to rub the pain from her neck. “I don’t know what to do, Marcus. Your brother is an overbearing jerk,” Bella stated. “Yeah, that may be, but that jerk only has your best interests at heart. He’s had to take on the responsibility of this ranch and look after me and Adam from the time he was eighteen years old. He’s had to become hard, Bella. We wouldn’t have survived otherwise,” Marcus explained. “He likes you, you know.” “He does not,” Bella riposted, once again looking up at Marcus. Marcus seemed to take pity on Bella. He placed of his large hands around her waist and lifted her up to sit her on the top rail of the

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corral fence. He held her until she was steady with her feet on the lower rung. He moved in close to her until his hips were touching her thighs. “He does,” Marcus reiterated quietly, “and so do Adam and I.” “How can you say that? You don’t even know me.” “Well, that may be true, but what we know so far has us intrigued. You’re feisty but compassionate. You have a body to die for, and your smile…Ah, your smile has to be your best feature. But, man, those lips of yours could put a man nearly on his knees just from looking at them,” Marcus whispered into Bella’s ear. Bella couldn’t believe what Marcus was saying. He had her anger turning to desire in seconds. Her panties became damp, her clit ached, and her pussy clenched, begging to be filled to take away the emptiness inside. She squeezed her legs together, trying to relieve the ache, and squirmed on the fence rail. “You want us, too, don’t ya, sweetheart? I can smell that sweet pussy creaming from here. I want to bury my head between those silky thighs and lap up all your juices.” “Oh God,” Bella mumbled. What was the man trying to do to her? She was so turned on she could feel her juices seeping into the material of her cargo pants. “Hmm, you like the thought of that. Don’t ya, Bella?” Marcus said breathily. He placed a finger beneath her chin, lifted her face to his, and slammed his mouth down onto hers. Bella moaned under the assault of Marcus’s mouth. His lips were firm but soft. He slid them across hers, back and forth, coaxing a response from her. He licked across her lower lip, and her cunt clenched and released more of her cream. He slid his arms around her waist as he made room for his big body to nestle in between her thighs then pulled her up tight against his crotch. She couldn’t help but respond. Her whole body was one big puddle. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. She opened her mouth up and let him delve into her depths. She’d died and gone to heaven.

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Bella loved the masculine taste of Marcus’s desire on her tongue. He ravaged her mouth. He slid his tongue along hers, and she answered his quest. She twirled her tongue over his, delighting in his delectable flavor. She’d never tasted anything so good in her life. She mewled in the back of her throat as he nipped her bottom lip and then sucked it into his mouth. She couldn’t get enough of him. He angled his head and thrust his tongue into her cavern once more. The feel of his tongue tickling her palate then sliding over her teeth and cheeks had her on the verge of climax. She couldn’t prevent the natural instinct of rocking her hips against his large erection and groaned into his mouth with frustration when she couldn’t feel him skin-to-skin. Her stomach lurched with excitement as Marcus slid a hand from her waist and up to her ribcage, just below her left breast. She knew he was waiting for her to protest or push him away, but she needed to feel his hands on her flesh just as much as, if not more than, he seemed to want to feel her. She pushed her chest forward, silently begging him to relieve the ache in her swollen breasts. He didn’t grab at her instantly. Instead he teased her as he rubbed a finger on the sensitive underside of her bra-clad breast, making her eager for more of his touch. And then he slid his hand up the last few inches and enveloped her mound in his large, warm hand. He kneaded and massaged then brought his thumb into play by flicking it back and forth over her pert nipple. She screamed her pleasure into his mouth, her cunt contracting in pleasurable spasms as more of her cream seeped onto her panties. Bella slowly eased her mouth from Marcus’s as he wound his kiss down then withdrew his lips from hers. She could see the heat in his eyes, and her satiated body fired back up in an instant. She had no idea how this man and his brothers could turn her on so fast, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had only just experienced a touch of heaven, and she wanted more. She wanted to experience it all but had no idea how to go about getting what she wanted.

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Bella had never allowed another man to get so close to her before. She hadn’t found someone she was willing to give her virginity to. In fact, she’d thought she was frigid. She’d never felt the stirrings of arousal before, until now. “That was so hot. You just came by the touch of my hand to your nipple. Imagine what it’ll be like when I bury my cock in that hot little pussy,” Marcus said with a growl, his voice nearly hoarse with desire. Bella shivered, her skin rising in goose bumps as the sound of his deep voice slid up her spine. Then she freaked. She’d forgotten where they were, out in the open, one of the ranch hands working a horse in the corral behind her. She pushed Marcus away from her and slid from the fence. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the ranch hand had his eyes glued to her now that the horse he was mounted on was quiet. She turned away, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment as she realized he’d probably watched everything she and Marcus had done. She turned away from the house, barn, and corral and began walking. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Her humiliation was complete. She wouldn’t be able to face Marcus again, let alone the ranch hand. God, what was she doing? What had she been thinking? She’d never let herself go like that before, and to do so out in the open, where anyone could and had seen her, was beyond redemption. Marcus’s ranch hand probably thought she was a slut. Bella had never been a crier, and to find herself doing so now was too much. She began to run, sobbing with every breath. She couldn’t stay here and face them. She had to leave. Marcus yelled for her to stop, but it only spurred her to run faster. She could hardly see through the tears in her eyes, but she just couldn’t face him. She’d made a complete and utter fool of herself. God, she came just from a touch to her breast. She knew that wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d read some facts about having sex, and never once had she read that. Bella heard the pounding of boots slamming into the ground close

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behind her. She began to zigzag, not wanting to be caught, only to be humiliated again, but even she knew she wasn’t going to make it. Marcus’s legs were so much longer and stronger than hers. He was built for a far faster pace than she would ever reach. She shrieked when a hard arm came around her waist, hauling her off the ground in one smooth motion. She found herself slung over a broad, muscular shoulder. She was out of breath, but that didn’t stop her from pounding on the muscular back in her face, until a sharp slap stung her ass. “Stop it,” a familiar voice bit out as a hand slapped her ass. Oh shit. She was in for it now. It wasn’t Marcus who had her slung over his shoulder. It was Clint.

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Chapter Three Bella heard Clint’s booted foot connect with the back door. It slammed against the opposite wall, and if it wasn’t for Clint’s quick reflexes, it would have hit her side as it swung back. It didn’t seem to slow him down any, though. He moved through the house, determination evident in his fast stride, but she was thankful he made sure she didn’t catch any part of her body on the walls or doors as he carried her through to her borrowed bedroom. Her world turned upside down again and spun before her eyes until she came to a soft landing on the bed. She was about to scramble away, but Clint was too fast for her. He jumped onto the bed, straddling her hips, taking her wrists in one of his large hands and pulling them above her head, pinning them to the mattress. “What has you so fired up? That fact that Marcus kissed you and made you come, or that someone else saw what happened to you?” Clint asked, his voice deeper than usual. “How dare you? Let me go. Damn it to hell,” Bella yelled, wriggling and squirming, trying to get away. “I’ve warned you about that mouth of yours, baby. I think it’s time you learned I’m not going to put up with you cussing all the time,” Clint said firmly. “Adam, Marcus, I’m going to need your help with this little wildcat.” Bella hadn’t even realized Marcus and Adam were in the room. She turned her head and looked around Clint’s side to see them leaning against the wall just inside her bedroom door, staring at her with fire in their eyes. They both straightened away from the wall and moved further into the room toward the bed.

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“Look at me, Bella,” commanded Clint. Bella moved her eyes back to Clint even though she didn’t want to. The tone of his voice made it impossible to deny him. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Bella. You look so hot when you come, baby. Marcus made sure David, our ranch hand, couldn’t see anything. You had your back to him,” Clint said. “That’s not the point. I can’t believe I let that happen. No one has ever touched me like that before, let alone out in the open when anybody could and did see. God, you probably think I’m some two-bit whore. Let me up,” Bella said through clenched teeth. “We’ll let you up once you realize you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Marcus replied as he climbed onto the bed beside her and Adam climbed on the other side of her. “We don’t think any such thing, darlin’. If we had wanted a whore, we would be at the Lake Saloon,” Adam said. What were they trying to do to her? She was surrounded by three large, warm, masculine men, and even though she knew she should be making more demands for them to let her go, she didn’t know if she really wanted them to. The way they looked at her made her feel so small and feminine, almost delicate, and she would never have labeled herself as anything but the opposite. She’d been on her own since she was sixteen years old. She’d had no one but herself to rely on. She was the epitome of an independent, modern woman. She’d never had men look at her like the three Aldridge brothers did. She never even acknowledged another male as anyone other than an acquaintance or friend. So what the hell was she doing letting one of them make her come and then the other carry her away to her bedroom with his brothers on his heels? “What do you want from me?” “We want you, darlin’. We want to love every inch of that delectable little body,” Adam whispered into her ear. “All three of you? Together? But that’s just…Oh God, what are you doing?” Bella moaned.

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Adam had unbuttoned her shirt without her even realizing he had done it. One of his hands enveloped her breast, shooting electric sparks down her body to her clit, which was an aching mass of throbbing nerves, and she wanted more. She’d never realized sex would be so acutely gratifying, and she hadn’t even gone the whole hog yet. Another hand crept up over her other breast, and she knew Marcus was not going to be left out. She arched her chest up, trying to get those skilled fingers to the place she needed them most. She cried out when her nipples were pinched between thumbs and fingers, making her rock her hips to try and relieve the ache in her pussy. It wasn’t enough. She wanted more—needed more. But she was scared if she gave herself to these men, she would travel back to her own time and lose everything. God, Bella had only been with them for less than twenty-four hours, and they had already crawled beneath her skin. She didn’t know if she could do this. A sharp pain pierced her heart at the thought of them loving her and then tiring of her. She became fearful of her own reactions when she felt hands at the button on her cargo pants. She had to stop this now before it was too late. “Stop. I can’t do this. I hardly know you, and you don’t know me. Please let me go,” Bella stated, putting as much conviction in her voice as she could. The three brothers looked at Bella then each other. They removed their hands from her and rose from the bed. They each gave her one last, lingering look and left her room without a backward glance, closing the door quietly behind them. Bella sat up and straightened her disheveled clothes. She wanted to rage at the world for making her so cautious of getting hurt. She’d had no one to hold her and love her even as a child. The fact that these three men wanted her scared the shit out of her. She had learned more about herself in the last twenty-four hours than she had in the last eight years of her life. She was a coward. She was scared of letting

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anyone get close to her only to have them leave her life once more, just like her parents had. Bella spent the next couple of hours holed up in her room. She’d cried the first half hour of her self-imposed exile, but then her optimistic personality had kicked in again. She should be thankful she was still alive and experiencing life in another century. She should be out and about exploring. It took her another hour to convince herself she was going to walk out of her room, head held high, and pretend nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. It took her another half hour to get up the gumption to actually walk to the bedroom door, open it, and then walk out. The house was quiet, which suited Bella just fine. She was hungry but had no idea where they kept the food. So she decided to find out. She searched all the cabinets and found some canned goods, but almost everything had been put into preserving jars, which she found in a cellar-like room off the kitchen. She wondered if the three brothers actually took time out of ranching to make the stores of food or if they had someone come in and do it for them. Knowing men, they probably just went to the store and bought everything. There was everything one would need—flour, sugar, eggs, coffee, herbs, butter, meat, and so much more. Bella had learned to become adept in the kitchen. She loved it when she was been able to lose herself as she created meals, even if they weren’t anything like what a five-star restaurant would serve. She loved the basic simplicity of creating pies and such from scratch, and since she had nothing else to occupy her time, she got to work. Bella was happy with the results of her baking spree. She had apple and meat pies cooling on the table, turnovers on the bench, and a couple of cakes, as well. She’d also made a rich beef stew full of vegetables she’d found in the garden at the side of the house. It had taken her a while to figure out the wood stove, but once she had, there was no stopping her. She was pleasantly tired from her hours of cooking. She didn’t know when the brothers would be back, and since

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she was hungry, she found a bowl and spoon, scooped some of the stew into it, and sat down to eat. Once done, she set about cleaning up her mess. She’d found the large copper kettle off to the side of the stove and realized it was kept full so there would always be hot water. She filled a large pot with the hot water and emptied it into the stone sink. She poured cold water from a bucket she’d collected earlier in the day, grabbed the cake of soap off the side of the sink, and swished it through the water to create suds. She washed and dried the dishes, put them away, and then headed out the back door for some fresh air. The sight that met Bella’s eyes made her squirm in her seat. Clint, Marcus, and Adam were just riding into the yard. They made a fine sight seated up on their horses, leg muscles rippling as their thighs gripped their mounts. She could just imagine those thighs flexing as they pumped their cocks deep into her body. God, she had it bad. She wanted them more than anything but was too scared to reach out and take hold. No one ever seemed to stay in her life. They always ended up leaving her. She was doing the right thing for her. She was going to keep them at arm’s length. That way no one would get hurt, most especially her. Bella saw David come out of the barn at the sound of the brothers’ return. He opened the doors wide, allowing the brothers to ride right in without having to dismount. They disappeared into the dim interior, and Bella let her mind wander to what she’d left behind. Her conclusion—absolutely nothing. She had nothing to go back for and didn’t know if she wanted to even if she could. For some unexplainable reason, she felt more at home here on the Triple A Ranch than she had back in her own time. Her mind was a mass of contradictory confusion. She wanted to keep the three brothers at arm’s length, but she wanted them to have feelings for her other than physical. God, she was a mess. Her breath caught in her throat as Clint, Marcus, and Adam exited the barn and sauntered toward her. They were all so different, yet so similar. Their gaits were loose hipped, loose limbed from years of

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being in a saddle. They were so masculine and handsome she couldn’t pull her eyes away from them. Their features and musculature drew her eyes to them again and again. They were masculinity personified. They oozed testosterone, and she knew if other women had gotten a hold of them, they would have been hog-tied with a ball and chain shackled around their ankles. They reached the steps leading to the timber deck around the house, stopped, and turned toward her. “Are you all right, Bella?” Clint asked, his deep, husky voice rolling over her. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “I hate the fact we had to leave you all alone. We are going to take turns staying with you. You need to learn to ride and shoot. You need to know how to protect yourself, baby. I would hate it if something happened to you while we weren’t here.” “I don’t need babysitters, you know. I can look after myself. I have for years.” “That may be, darlin’, but out here it’s different. Anyone could come riding up and take advantage of a lone woman. We talked about it today and decided while you’re here, you need to learn our ways,” Adam stated. While she was here? Did that mean they were eventually going to get rid of her? Well, maybe she would just leave before they had the chance to ask her to leave. “Dinner’s on the stove. I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning. Night,” Bella said as she walked around the three men and entered the house, leaving them to stand staring after her.

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Chapter Four Bella had spent a restless night, her mind a mass of worries she had no idea how to solve. She had finally come to the conclusion she would learn what she needed to survive, because she had no idea how long she would be trapped in this world. She would learn to ride and shoot. She had every intention of being able to tack up a horse and mount up, in case she ever needed to head on out by herself. She knew that time would come, and she wanted to be prepared. She felt in her gut that her time here was limited but still wanted to know how to look after herself. Bella was up and about just as the sun began its ascent in the east. She set out the ingredients she needed to make pancakes, as well as strawberry and blackberry jam. She was just placing the last batch onto the griddle when she heard three sets of feet heading down the hall. “Something smells good, honey,” Marcus purred from behind her. Bella was surprised when Marcus wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her a gentle squeeze then placed a kiss on her head. “Bella, you don’t have to cook for us all the time. You must have spent hours in the kitchen yesterday. We appreciated coming home to a cooked meal and the time and effort you put into all the food you made, but we don’t want you wearing yourself out,” Clint said. “You think making a few pies is going to wear me out? For the love of…I used to work ten-hour days as a cook and waitress in a popular café that was always filled to capacity. Besides, I was bored out of my brain. I can’t stand sitting around doing nothing. I’m used

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to being busy.” “Well, my stomach is very appreciative of your boredom, sweetheart. Thanks for our supper last night and for all the other goodies you made,” Marcus said. “I’m going to stay here and teach you how to shoot this morning, and then this afternoon I’ll teach you how to tack up and begin your riding lessons,” Adam said. “Tomorrow Marcus will spend the day teaching you, and the day after will be Clint’s turn.” “I appreciate you all taking the time out for me. Thanks.” “You don’t have to thank us, Bella. We will feel much more comfortable knowing you can defend yourself, once we have to leave you alone again,” Marcus said as he loaded his plate with pancakes. **** Clint looked to Adam and Marcus, who both nodded their heads surreptitiously at him. He and his brothers had spent a few hours in the kitchen talking over how they could get through Bella’s defenses. He knew she was the woman of their dreams. They had always been attracted to the same women, but since the few women in the area had always been snapped up before they had even had a chance to begin courting, they’d never really had the opportunity to share a woman. They’d decided that’s what they all wanted a few years back when they had each watched one particular woman being married to a friend on the neighboring ranch. They had seen their friend’s woman from a distance and had been about to approach her, but before they’d had the chance, Rob Sinclair had swept her up into his arms, literally, and carried her away. They’d later found out the two had just become betrothed. They always seemed to be days too late. Well, they had a woman under their own roof now, and there was no way in hell they were letting her get away from them without a fight. She drew them to her like moths to a flame. Now all they had to do was convince Bella she wanted them as much as, if not more than,

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they wanted her. Clint had suggested they each spend time alone with her, using the excuse of teaching her what she would need to know to survive in the rugged wilderness of Texas. They were killing two birds with one stone. They would be teaching their woman skills she needed to defend herself and also getting to spend some time alone with her. They wanted to learn everything they could about Bella. She was such a contradiction of personalities. She was shy but feisty, independent but naive, yet they could see wisdom and pain hidden in the depths of her soul. She was made for them. Now all they had to do was convince Bella she was safe with them, safe to give her body and heart over to them and know she would never come to any harm. **** After breakfast was over and Marcus and Clint left, Bella collected the dishes and placed them in a sink full of warm, soapy water. She began to wash the dishes but froze, her hands in the sink, as Adam wrapped his muscular arms around her waist. She always felt so small and feminine when they were close to her, and she liked the feeling a little too much. “Don’t be afraid of me, darlin’. I’d never hurt you,” Adam whispered against the top of her head. She was so tense it was a wonder her spine didn’t snap. “Whose pants and shirt are you wearing today, Bella?” “Yours,” Bella replied then swallowed audibly. “Hmm, I thought I recognized them. You look really sexy in my clothes, darlin’, but we are going to have to take you into Big Lake soon so you can get some of your own clothes. Is that my old belt you’re wearing, too?” “Yes. Clint gave them to me last night. Why? Do you need it?” Bella snapped. “No, darlin’, it’s yours for as long as you need it. I should let you

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go so we can finish up in here and get started on your lessons, but I love the feel of you in my arms. I just don’t want to let you go, Bella.” “Well, you have to,” Bella replied, trying to shrug Adam off of her. It didn’t work, of course. He just kept on hugging her, until her muscles were too tired to hold herself so stiffly. She didn’t even realize she’d begun to relax and was leaning back into his embrace until she had done it. Adam placed a kiss on her temple, and then he moved to her side and picked up a dish towel. He began drying the dishes as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. Once the dishes were done and everything was back in its rightful place, Adam led Bella outside around the back of the barn. He set up some small logs of wood on the top of an old tree stump that was being used as a wood-chopping block. He pulled out the gun he had holstered in his gun belt and walked back to where Bella was standing. He came to a stop next to her, picked up her right hand, and placed the gun in her hand. “This is a Colt Army Revolver. It has six chambers and, if not held correctly, can pack quite a kick. I want you to just get used to the weight of it in your hand, and when you’re ready, I want you to aim down the barrel at the wood and gently squeeze the trigger. I’ll steady you,” Adam said as he walked around behind Bella. She could feel the heat emanating from his big body. She nearly jumped when he placed his large hands down upon her shoulders, searing her through her borrowed shirt. She took a deep, steadying breath, raised her arm, tried to sight down the gun barrel, and pulled the trigger. The noise was deafening, and it kicked like a mule. It flung her arm up, and she nearly lost her grip on the gun. It reverberated against her eardrums, drowning out all surrounding sounds, including Adam’s voice. All she could hear was a loud, highpitched squeal until finally her ears began to work again. “Can you hear me yet, darlin’?” Adam asked, his arms now once more around her waist, his big body plastered to the length of her

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back. He continued on when she nodded. “You did good, Bella. You just need to take a bit more time sighting your target, and you need to squeeze the trigger slowly. Are you ready to try again?” Bella nodded once more, too afraid to speak in case her voice came out as a croak or too high pitched. Adam’s hard cock was nestled against her ass, and she had to concentrate real hard to keep from pushing her hips back and wiggling against his crotch. The temptation was nearly more than she could stand. She felt Adam slide his arm from where he’d placed it around her waist, and then his hand was moving down the limb in which she held the gun. He helped raise her arm again, leaning in low, his stubbled cheek up against hers as he helped her sight the small block of wood. “Can you see the little indent in the top of the barrel near the tip?” he asked. “Y–yes,” Bella squeaked. “I put that little nick there so it would help me aim. Line that nick up with the wood and squeeze the trigger nice and slow,” Adam stated. Bella could hardly comprehend what Adam was saying, let alone get her body to obey her brain’s commands. The feel of Adam’s slightly stubbled cheek up against hers and his big body surrounding her made her panties wet. She couldn’t breathe properly. She was panting, and she could feel her body trembling. She just hoped Adam thought she was more afraid of the gun, because she didn’t want him knowing how his body affected her. “Calm down, darlin’. I won’t let you get hurt,” Adam rumbled in a deep voice. “Now sight the wood, take a deep breath, and squeeze the trigger.” Bella did what Adam said. The recoil on her arm wasn’t as bad since she knew what to expect this time, but the booming noise was still just as deafening. She lowered her arm, took a couple of steps back, and turned to face Adam. “I don’t like guns very much,” Bella yelled, knowing she was

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doing it but unable to help it since her ears were still ringing. Adam gave her a smile, took her hand in his, and led her to the wood. “You got it that time, darlin’.” Bella squinted to where Adam was pointing, and sure enough, she could see the end of the bullet where it had embedded in the thick wood. She gave a squeal of delight and flung herself into Adam’s arms without any thought. Adam caught her in his arms and picked her up so Bella was faceto-face with him. His grin was every bit as sexy as Marcus’s, but he had slight dimples on each cheek, and his blue eyes twinkled down at her, making her feel hot yet shivery all over. God, he was so damn sexy. The atmosphere between them thickened. She saw the muscles in Adam’s body tense and his smile changed to a sultry, heated stare. Bella was aware of every inch of his body. His large hands were beneath the cheeks of her ass, supporting her body against his. Her arms were around his neck, her legs around his waist, and her crotch was aligned with his very big, hard cock. She felt her body softening, weeping out copious amounts of juice. She was so turned on by him she was in danger of coming from just one touch. She slowly unwound her legs and wiggled to get down. She gave a sigh of relief when he let her go. “I think we should start on the horse-riding lessons. We can always come back to the gun later,” Bella said in a voice devoid of emotion. She turned away and headed to the barn doors. Bella nearly collided with David. He looked like he was in a hurry to be somewhere, so she stepped to the side, allowing him room to pass. She saw his heated stare slide over her body and felt a frisson of unease tingle up her spine, but she kept right on going. She looked at the few horses still in their stalls and wondered which one would be hers to use while she was here. She had no idea about horses and didn’t like the thought of being so far off the ground. She did know the difference between a stallion and a colt, however, and knew the

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big black horse hanging its head over the stall door was probably Adam’s mount. It was huge, just like its owner. “This here is Satan. He and I have been partners for the last three years. Haven’t we, boy?” Adam crooned to the big black horse. “Now, if you’ll step this way, I’ll show you the mare I thought would be more appropriate for you. “This is Star. I know, not a very original name, but you can see why we named her that from the white patch on her forelock. She’s a gentle soul, just right for a beginner. Ain’t ya, lady? Now, this here is Star’s tack. This is the bridle. You just place it over her head like so, make sure the bit’s over her tongue, and buckle up.” Adam talked quietly as he showed Bella how to tack up Star. He opened the door to the horse’s stall and led her out into the middle of the barn. He dropped the reins on the ground. He led Bella over to a wooden shelf, which held a blanket and saddle. He verbally instructed Bella how to tack up and watched intently as she followed his instructions. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before, darlin’? You do that as if it’s second nature to you,” Adam said encouragingly. “Nope. I’ve never been around horses in my life.” “Well, I wouldn’t know it. Okay, let’s lead her out, and I’ll show you where there’s an old tree stump you can use to mount up.” Bella followed Adam out into the bright autumn sunshine. She breathed deeply, feeling an affinity with the man, land, and horse. She had never felt so at peace before, and wondered what she would do if she had the chance to go back home. Adam stopped her and Star next to a wide tree stump, took Star’s reins from her, and held the horse steady. “Okay, now, you always mount a horse from the left. It’s an unwritten law, so don’t be trying to mount from the right. Star would balk if you did. Grab hold of the saddle horn, lift your left leg, and place your foot in the stirrup, then pull yourself up and swing your right leg over.”

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Bella did what Adam said and found herself sitting on top of Star’s back in the saddle. She grinned down at Adam nervously, not sure if she really liked being so high up but loving the feel of the horse between her legs. Star was going to be her freedom. She was determined to learn to ride so she would be able to accompany her men out once in a while, or just go for a ride whenever the desire took hold. Whoa. Where had that thought come from? They weren’t her men, were they? “You okay, darlin’?” Adam asked. “I’m good,” Bella replied in a nervous, quavering voice. “Good. Now you need to grip Star’s belly with your legs, just like you were doing to me earlier. That’s it. Good girl,” Adam said, holding Star steady by the reins. “By squeezing Star with your legs, you’re letting her know you want to move. To steer her, all you need is a light touch on the reins in the direction you want her to go. All right?” Bella nodded, too afraid her voice would squeak if she spoke out loud. She heard the hooves of another horse drawing to a standstill close by and turned her head to see David had prepared and led Satan out of the barn for Adam. Adam drew her attention when he handed Bella the reins to her horse and showed her how to hold them. Then he moved away and mounted Satan with an ease of long hours in the saddle. He moved Satan in closer to Bella. “Okay, now, I’m gonna stay close to you, darlin’. I won’t let anything happen to you. Squeeze Star with your legs, and we’ll be off.” Bella bit her tongue to stop her shriek of excited fear from forming and grabbed hold of the horn with one of her hands. “It’s all right. Star’s a gentle lady. She won’t throw you, and she’s the least skittish horse we have. Let go of the horn and hold the reins like I showed you,” Adam said. “Good girl. See, you’re doing fine. Just relax and let your body rock in the saddle. Don’t fight her

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movements, go with her. Ah, darlin’, I knew you would be a natural.” Bella concentrated on what she was doing for the first half hour of their ride. Then when she was comfortable with the horse’s gait, she relaxed and sat back to enjoy the view. Adam pointed out various landmarks to her—a large, gnarled tree, the glint of water through a copse of thick bushes and trees. Adam eased them into a trot and finally a canter. Bella was surprised at how easy she found it to keep her balance and seat. By the time they got back to the barn, her thighs were tired and sore from her first ride, but she kept that to herself. They spent the afternoon behind the barn, where Adam taught her how to load his Colt and aim and fire the weapon with ease. She was beginning to think that maybe she had been born in the wrong century.

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Chapter Five Bella had another stew prepared and cooked by the time she heard Clint and Marcus return to the ranch house. When the three brothers entered the house, she tried to get up from her seat at the table but couldn’t contain the groan as her sore, tired muscles protested the movement. She felt like an old woman. She could barely stand upright. “Sit back down, baby,” Clint said as he entered the room. “We’ll serve you dinner and clean up, and afterwards, we’ll drag out the tub so you can have a nice long soak.” “Really? That would be heaven. I must admit that one of the good things about my time is the availability of hot water. God, what I would give for a shower right now.” “What’s a shower?” Marcus asked. “Well, in my time, water is piped into the house through hollow metal tubes, and a shower is like a bath, but you stand up in it. Water comes out of this thing called a showerhead and streams down over your body. It makes it easy to wash your hair and body, and we just turn a tap on, or lever, to get the hot and cold water to flow out of the showerhead. Bliss.” Bella groaned at the memory. “Hmm, maybe if you can draw a picture of this shower, we might be able to make one eventually,” Adam stated. “Really? You’d do that for me? Oh, but I can’t ask you to do that. The expense of buying the pipes would be astronomical, and how would you get the water heated?” “Well, we’ll have to ask you lots of questions and see what we can do,” Clint replied, running a finger down her nose after he’d placed a

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bowl of stew in front of her. “Eat up, baby. The sooner we’re done with supper, the sooner you can have your bath.” The four of them spent the next half an hour eating. Bella listened as Marcus and Clint updated Adam on the work they’d done and work still waiting to be done. Bella’s mind began to drift, and she wondered how the men had a cellar-type pantry full of everything they could need if they spent so much of their time working the ranch. She lifted her head and found three sets of male eyes looking at her. “Where did you get all your food supplies from?” Clint leaned back in his chair and gave her a smile as he answered. “We trade for some and buy some from the mercantile in Big Lake.” “What do you trade?” Bella asked curiously. “Beef,” Marcus replied. “We have quite a bit of land, and a hell of a lot of cattle. I know you’ve seen a few of our herd, but most of it is out on the western range, about half a mile from here.” “Can I come out with you all sometime and see what it is you do?” she asked. “I don’t see why not. You get through your lessons tomorrow and the next day, and I’ll see if you’re ready to ride out farther,” Clint stated. “Okay, thanks.” “Now, while Marcus and Adam clear up, how about I get that bath ready for you?” Clint asked, rising to his feet. “Oh, yes please.” Clint gave her a smile and a nod and disappeared into the pantry cellar. He returned moments later with a large copper tub in his arms. He set the tub close to the stove and pulled the large copper kettle forward until the nozzle was over the tub. He turned the lever-like tap, and hot water began to flow into the tub. When it was half-full, Clint turned the lever and pushed the copper kettle back into position on the stove, picked up a bucket Bella hadn’t seen off to the side, and strode out of the room. He was back in moments, the large metal bucket full

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of cold well water. He poured some cold water into the tub, tested the temperature, and then poured in a little more. He placed the bucket of water off to the side, bowed over the tub, and swept out his arm with a flourish. “Your bath awaits, my lady,” Clint said with a grin and swept from the room. Marcus strode into the room, bearing a towel, soap, and a clean shirt for Bella to put on once she was finished, and left again. Adam put the last of the dishes away, gave her a sassy grin and a wink, and left her to it. Bella stood up, removed her dusty clothes, and groaned as the muscles in her thighs pulled. She carefully stepped over the tall rim of the tub and sank down into the hot water. Heaven, pure heaven. Bella washed herself with the soap and small washcloth and then set about washing her hair. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to work her hair into a lather using the lavender-scented soap. Once done, she reached over for the large bucket of cold water. She managed to pull it over to her, making a scraping noise, but she ended up sloshing water on the floor. She was in a dilemma. The bucket was too big and heavy for her to lift over her head. The only solution she could think of was to get out of the tub, find a small pan, fill it with water, and pour it over her head to rinse away the suds. “Shit,” she muttered, wishing she’d thought her bathing procedure through before she climbed into the tub. “Bella, are you all right?” Adam called out. “Um, I need to rinse my hair. Can you get me a jug or something?” Bella asked in a loud voice. “I can do better than that, darlin’,” Adam said as he walked into the room. “I’ll fill the bucket the rest of the way up with hot water and then pour it over you.” “Adam! You can’t come in here. I’m naked,” Bella screeched. “Yeah. Don’t be embarrassed, darlin’. I’ve already seen you naked. You have a body made for lovin’,” Adam stated with a

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lascivious waggle of his eyebrows. “Come on, Bella. We have to rinse your hair. It’s not like I’m going to jump on you.” “I suppose I don’t really have any other option. Okay, pour away,” Bella said once Adam had added hot water to the cold water bucket. “Take a breath, darlin’,” Adam said then poured. Bella couldn’t help the small squeal as the tepid water ran over her head and body. After being in such warm water, it felt downright cold. “All done, Bella. You can get out now,” Adam said, his eyes wandering over her exposed breasts. Bella looked up to see Adam staring at her chest. She looked down and could see her nipples were hard little points peeking out of the water. Her eyes connected with his when he looked into her face, and she knew she was in trouble. She felt her breasts swell and pucker even more and knew Adam had seen her body’s reaction from his peripheral vision when he sucked in a deep breath of air. “Out you get, darlin’. We’re going to give you a rubdown to help those tight, sore muscles.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll be fine now that I’ve had a soak.” “You can argue as much as you like, Bella, but you’re getting a rubdown. Dry off and go lie on the bed,” Adam commanded then turned and left the room. The size of Adam’s erection straining against the placket of his trousers hadn’t escaped Bella’s notice. She was very worried. She didn’t know if she could trust Adam and his brothers not to make a pass at her, but she was more worried about not being able to keep her own hands to herself. Bella got out of the tub, dried off, wrapped the towel around her body, and padded out of the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom. Bella hesitated in the door of her room. All three of the Aldridge brothers were waiting on her. Adam and Marcus were sitting on either side of the bed, and Clint was sitting on the end. God, they were so sexy. Her eyes drank in the tall, lean, muscular bodies. She could feel

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her clit throbbing, her pussy clenching, begging to be filled and releasing her juices to coat her thighs. She was in a world of trouble. “Come here, baby,” Clint commanded, holding a hand out to her. “Um, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Bella said, shifting from foot to foot nervously. “Bella, if we don’t rub you down with some oil, you’re not going to be able to walk tomorrow. Come on, honey. Let us help loosen up those muscles,” Marcus said as he stood up, walked over to her, took her by the elbow, and guided her to the bed. “Climb on up, Bella.” Bella knew what they were saying was right, but she also knew they weren’t going to stop with just a massage. She’d have to be stupid not to know why all three of them were in her room. It only took one person to give a massage. She resigned herself to the fact she wanted this as much as they did. Maybe she was turning into a slut, after all, the complete opposite to what she had thought of her own sexuality previously. She’d thought she was frigid. Wow, the sight of the three Aldridge brothers had been a wake-up call to her sleeping libido. Bella settled onto her stomach on the towel which had been placed on the bed, her muscles tightening with fear and excitement. She placed her hand beneath her head and tried to will her body to relax. She felt warm, male hands tug at the towel wrapping her body and drew in a shaky breath when she was naked. She felt so vulnerable being the only naked person in the room, but the groans of appreciation coming from the three men made her feel a little more confident. The scent of lavender permeated the air, and Bella realized they must have gotten hold of some scented oil from one of their bartering trips. She’d always loved the smell of lavender. It was such a relaxing, feminine scent. In her mind’s eye, she could see what she imagined a field of lavender would look like, the thin stems covered in purple waving in a gentle spring breeze. Bella practically purred at the first touch of hands on her body.

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One of the men was massaging the oil into her legs, another was massaging and kneading the muscles in her back, and the other was working on her arms, now that they were stretched out to her sides. It felt so good, their hands sliding up and down her slick skin, working away the knotted muscles taut from unfamiliar use. She couldn’t help but tense up as Clint worked his way up her taut thighs. His hands were so close to her pussy, turning her on so much she could feel her own cream leaking from her body. “Relax, baby. I’d never hurt you,” Clint crooned, working his way up higher on the inside of her thighs. “Just feel, Bella. We’re going to give you so much pleasure. “She’s soaking wet. Her juices are coating her thighs. You’re really turned on, ain’t ya, baby? That’s it, just let me make you feel good.” Bella didn’t know what Clint was doing to her, but there was no way in hell she was asking him to stop. And he hadn’t even touched her intimately yet. Bella’s breath caught in her throat as Clint’s hands inched up higher along her thighs. The first brush of his fingers over her pussy lips had her arching her ass up, begging him to touch her more. He complied with her unspoken demand. She sobbed in relief as his fingers slid through her slick folds. She never wanted him to stop. One of Clint’s fingers worked its way to the top of her slit and massaged her swollen, aching clit with a light touch. Bella couldn’t get enough. She arched up into his hand and mewled in the back of her throat as he played her body. She could feel her pussy weeping tears of gratitude as the pad of his finger rubbed light circles on her clit. The muscles of her womb and cunt gathered into a tight ball, and she knew she was only moments away from climax. Bella yelled with frustration as the three sets of hands on her body withdrew, and then she was being gently turned over until she was lying on her back. Her body went up in flames at their heated stares.

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Chapter Six Bella could only stare at the three men as they took in the sight of her naked body. She didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed anymore. She was so turned on nothing short of a herd of elephants stampeding through the bedroom could have rattled her. Bella’s gaze got caught up on Clint’s. He had a wicked light gleaming in his eyes, which made her wonder what he was about to do. She didn’t have to wait long. He positioned himself between her splayed thighs until he was lying on his belly, leaving his mouth a hairbreadth away from her pussy. She could even feel his warm, moist air on her throbbing clit as he breathed out. And then his mouth was there. He laved his tongue through her labial lips, going from her weeping, creamy hole to the top of her slit. The first lick of his tongue over her clit was her undoing. She thrashed her head from side to side on the pillow beneath her and screamed out her pleasure. Her pussy was clenching and releasing as pleasurable contractions coursed through her womb and her wet sheath. It was pure bliss. She’d never dreamed such pleasure existed, and they hadn’t even fucked her yet. As the last convulsion subsided, she could hear what the three men were saying. “You’re so sexy when you come, darlin’. I can’t wait to get my cock in that pretty little ass of yours,” Adam said in a deep, rumbling voice. “What? What do you mean? No. No way are you touching my ass.” “Bella, we are going to fuck your cunt, your ass, and your mouth. We are going to give you so much pleasure, you’ll be begging for

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more.” Marcus groaned. “But, you can’t do that. It’s not right.” “Baby, if everything we do feels good, then it’s not wrong. Just lie back and relax. We know what we’re doing,” Clint said softly. “But,” Bella began, then her words were muffled as Adam leaned down and kissed her. Bella couldn’t help but open up to his demand as Adam swept his tongue into her depths. God, he tasted good. She couldn’t get enough of him. She tangled her tongue with his and heard him growl in response to her mewling sounds. Bella was overwhelmed by sensation. Marcus had just taken one of her nipples into his mouth and was suckling on her sensitive flesh. Clint was licking her pussy again and slowly penetrating her cunt with one of his large fingers, and Adam was devouring her mouth. She wanted more. Bella reached up, grasped a handful of Adam’s hair, and held his mouth to hers. She arched her chest up into Marcus’s mouth and spread her legs as wide as they could go. She was burning up with a need so carnal and depraved she knew she would end up begging them to fuck her just like Marcus said. They all stopped when Clint’s loud growl reverberated through the room. Bella had no idea what was going on and began to feel vulnerable and perverted as the three men moved off the bed. She was about to ask what she had done wrong when she realized they had begun tearing at their clothes. She gasped with awe as she looked over three of the sexiest, most muscular, masculine men she had ever seen. Clint was the leanest of the three brothers, but his muscles rippled with every move he made. His cock was the longest of all three brothers and slightly smaller in girth. She let her eyes drift over to Marcus. He was thicker in the chest and torso, his muscles larger, his thighs strong and delineated with striations, and also taut with arousal. But his cock…Oh my. It wasn’t as long as Clint’s, but it was definitely wider. Bella’s eyes slid over to Adam, her gentle giant. He was so much

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taller than his brothers. His biceps were thicker, his pecs and abs were just as impressive, but his cock…He was the largest of them all in that department. He was only just slightly shorter in length than Clint, but he was nearly as thick around as her wrist. There was no way in hell that would fit anywhere in her body. The three men crawled back onto the bed in the same position they had been previously. Clint eased up between her legs then pulled her down toward him by the hips. He was sitting between her spread thighs and was about to penetrate her tight, wet sheath. Bella moaned as Clint’s cockhead touched her pussy. She wanted to arch up and impale herself on his hard rod but knew if she did she would hurt herself. So she let Clint ease his way into her body. He stopped when he had the head of his cock in her hole, while he rubbed gently over her sensitive clit. “Are you all right, baby?” “Yes,” Bella moaned. “It’s not enough. Fuck me, Clint. Please.” “Shh, darlin’, let Clint get in you slowly. He doesn’t want to hurt you,” Adam crooned then leaned over her and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Bella whimpered, feeling lost in a sea of unfamiliar pleasure. She looked around frantically for something to hold on to, to anchor her. Her eyes caught on Marcus’s hard, bobbing cock. She could see a clear drop of liquid bubbling up from the tip. She didn’t stop to think about what she was doing. She reached out a hand, grabbed hold of Marcus’s cock, turned her head, and sucked the tip into her mouth. “Fuck yeah,” Marcus bellowed, his head thrown back. “Baby, you are so fucking hot you’re gonna burn us alive,” Clint rumbled as he pushed more of his cock into her wet sheath. Bella didn’t answer. She was too intent on enjoying the taste of Marcus’s cock sliding in and out of her mouth and over her tongue, as well as savoring his musky, masculine scent. She wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and began to pump her hand along his length while she bobbed her head up and down over his flesh from tip

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to mid way. Bella was in ecstasy. The feel of Clint rocking his hips, gaining more depth into her sopping cunt with each move, was pure seventh heaven. She hollowed her cheeks in as she sucked on Marcus’s cock and groaned when Adam nibbled one of her nipples with his teeth as he plucked the other between his thumb and finger. Clint gripped her hips more firmly, and she knew he was about to breach her fully for the first time. She tried to stay relaxed but knew Clint had felt her flinch as he ruptured the thin skin membrane. He held still, allowing Bella time to adjust to his penetration, but she wasn’t having it. She pulled her mouth from Marcus’s cock with an audible slurp and demanded he obey her. “Fuck me, damn it. I’m not made of glass,” Bella yelled then dove onto Marcus’s cock once more. Bella moaned as Clint began to thrust his cock in and out of her cunt. He tilted her hips up by gripping them and lifting her pelvis slightly, which made them both moan. Bella felt every ridge and vein of Clint’s cock as it slid in and out of her wet sheath, but she wanted, needed more. “More,” she demanded, her words muffled by Marcus’s cock in her mouth. Bella whimpered in frustration as Marcus withdrew his cock from her mouth, and Clint picked her up until she was facing him, sitting impaled on his dick, straddling his thighs. She was about to demand more, but her words were muffled as Clint slammed his mouth down onto hers. They devoured each other, angling their heads back and forth, tongues thrusting and twirling, lips sliding against each others. Bella pulled her mouth away when she felt wet fingers against the skin of her anus. She turned her head and saw Adam close to her back, his face a mask of concentration as he massaged and lubed her asshole. “Adam,” Bella said, and heard the tremor of fear in her own voice. “It’s all right, darlin’. Just remember I’ll never hurt you. We are

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gonna make you feel so good. Just relax those muscles for me, Bella. That’s it. Good girl. I can’t wait to sink my cock into this pretty little ass. You’re gonna grip me so good, ain’t ya, precious?” Adam crooned. Bella took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on keeping her muscles relaxed. She couldn’t believe how many nerve endings she could feel in her ass as Adam lubed her skin. She bit back a moan as he penetrated her tight flesh and muscles. It was an unfamiliar sensation, a slight pinch and burn as he slowly eased his finger into her anus. “You’re doin’ great, Bella. Two fingers now, darlin’. No, don’t tense up. Push back against my finger. Yeah, that’s it, precious. God, you’re so sexy. I love the way you look with my fingers in your ass. But you’re going to look a hell of a lot sexier when my cock is buried in this pretty little pucker and you’re sucking Marcus’s cock.” Bella didn’t answer, not that she needed to. She was too busy concentrating on the pleasure and pain of having Adam’s fingers pumping in and out of her ass. “I’ve got three fingers in you now, honey. Are you all right?” Adam panted, his breathing every bit as fast as her own. “Yes,” Bella groaned then whimpered as Adam withdrew his fingers from her ass. Adam gripped her by her shoulder with one hand, and then she felt him move in close to her back. He placed a light kiss on her shoulder and began pushing the wide head of his cock against the skin of her ass. “Tell me if I hurt you too much, honey. Don’t tense up on me, Bella. Push out against me as I push in,” he whispered against her ear. Bella did as Adam instructed. She breathed evenly and deeply, pushing her muscles against Adam as he pushed his cock into her ass. She whimpered as the flesh of her ass expanded. The burning, pinching pain as the head of his cock forged its way into her dark hole was nearly more than she could bear. He eased past the tight ring of muscles of her sphincter, and she moaned when he filled her and then

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held still. “I’m in, honey. That was the hardest part. The rest should be a lot easier. Just concentrate on keeping those muscles loose, but tell me if it’s too much. Okay?” Bella just nodded in answer, not sure if she could get her mouth to work even if she tried really hard. She opened her eyes and looked into Clint’s hot gaze and whimpered in response to the carnal heat she saw there. She tilted her head up and met his lips as he bent his head down and swept his tongue into her mouth. She answered by wrapping her tongue around his then sliding it along his moist muscle. She pulled her head back to moan loudly as Adam pumped his way into the depths of her ass. She could feel his balls flush up against the cheeks of her butt. Bella turned her head when Marcus reached for her chin between his thumb and finger, turning her toward his hard, throbbing cock. She didn’t need to be told. She opened her mouth wide and sucked his cock into her mouth. She gagged a little as the head touched the back of her throat, and when he would have pulled his flesh out, she reached out and took a hold of him around the base of his penis. She held him still, breathing through her nose, relaxing her throat muscles, and felt him slip a little further down her throat. “Oh, fuck yeah, darlin’. You’re killing me. Swallow around my cock, Bella. Fuck yeah. God, your mouth is so sexy,” Marcus groaned out. “You should feel her ass. She’s gripping me so tight I’m on the edge,” Adam groaned. “Her pretty little cunt is rippling along the length of my dick. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out,” Clint rasped, his voice a deep rumble. Bella couldn’t believe what they were saying about her but only hoped they would keep it up. They were turning her on even more with their dirty words. She moaned around Marcus’s cock as Clint and Adam began to slide their cocks in and out of her body. They

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didn’t take it in turns. They moved together, her two holes either nearly empty or completely filled, as she bobbed her head up and down on Marcus’s hard length. The friction they created as they pumped in and out of her body was pure bliss. Bella could feel her pussy juices seeping from her cunt as they increased their pace in increments until they were pounding in and out of her body. The sound of sweat-dampened flesh slapping together only seemed to enhance everyone’s desire for more. Her internal muscles began to coil into a tight spring, readying for the ultimate of pleasures. She was aware of the animalistic sounds she made around Marcus’s cock but couldn’t stop. She could feel herself racing up to the precipice and knew she was about to fly. She screamed as her muscles snapped, clamping down on the two hard cocks buried in her cunt and ass, squeezing and releasing on their rods as she climaxed. She heard Marcus roar as he reached his own pinnacle, and she swallowed his cum automatically then relished every drop he released into her mouth. She pulled off of his cock once she’d licked him clean and grabbed onto Clint’s shoulders to keep herself anchored. Her orgasm seemed to go on forever. Just when she thought she was done, she felt Clint’s and Adam’s cocks swell, and then they were roaring as they reached their own climaxes, sending her over once more. Her body was shaking, her limbs beyond her control as the three men soothed her down from her climactic high. Bella groaned and flopped against Clint’s chest as Adam withdrew from her ass. She was so boneless she didn’t think she’d ever be able to move again. Clint wrapped his arms around her waist and eased her down onto the mattress with him until they were lying on their sides, his semihard cock still buried in her depths. Bella closed her eyes, gave a sigh, and smiled with satiation. She slipped into a light doze and groaned when she felt Clint ease from her body. She felt the bed dip behind her, and then a hand was holding one of her legs up away from her body. She squeaked when she felt a cold, wet cloth clean away the seed seeping from her pussy and ass and hid her face in

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Clint’s shoulder. Her leg was lowered, the covers were pulled up over her, and she felt another large body crawl into bed behind her. She was about to turn her head to see if it was Marcus cuddled up to her back, but exhaustion beat her to it and pulled her down into a deep, relaxed sleep.

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Chapter Seven Bella slept later than usual, no doubt due to her strenuous activities from the previous night. The house was quiet, and the sun’s rays were streaming in through the light curtains on the window. She eased out of bed and was surprised that her muscles didn’t complain too much with the movement. She used a jug of water from the dresser to rinse off, then dressed in her men’s oversized clothes and went to the kitchen. Bella found Marcus sitting at the table, drinking coffee and eating a piece of apple pie. He smiled and held out a hand to her when she entered. She didn’t hesitate. She walked over and sat on his lap when he pulled her down. “How are you feeling, darlin’?” “I’m good,” Bella replied, picking up Marcus’s coffee and taking a sip. She grimaced when she tasted the bitter brew he’d been drinking and put it back down. “Grab yourself a coffee and some pie. We’ll head out when you’re done with your breakfast.” “Why didn’t you wake me? You didn’t have to let me sleep so long.” “I know, darlin’, but we were pretty hard on you last night for your first time. I wanted you to have all the rest you needed. Now, get moving, woman, time’s a-wastin’,” Marcus said as he helped Bella to stand. Bella got her coffee from the pot warming on the stove, added some milk and sugar, cut a piece of pie, and sat back down to enjoy her breakfast. Once done, she gathered up their dishes and placed

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them in the sink. She turned to see Marcus already on his feet waiting on her and followed him out of the house. Marcus led Bella behind the barn where her target shooting was already set up. He was a lot easier on her with his instructions for the gun than Adam had been, so she found herself relaxing, and her aim and shooting were a lot better than the previous day. Once she hit the wood target over and over again without missing, as well as loaded the gun numerous times, Marcus called a halt. “Come on, darlin’, time for another riding lesson. This time you get to tack Star up all by yourself. Do you think you can manage the saddle?” “Of course I can. I did it by myself yesterday,” Bella stated belligerently. Marcus gave a bark of laughter and led the way into the barn. He watched as Bella tacked up and gave her a satisfied nod when she did everything right, then attended to his own horse. They were both mounted and heading out minutes later. Marcus was just as diligent in pointing out specific landmarks to Bella as Adam had been, and she knew they were making sure she wouldn’t get lost if she ever headed out by herself. He took her in the opposite direction Adam had taken her, and she made sure she studied each landmark carefully, imprinting it onto her brain. “I know what you’re doing, and I appreciate it,” Bella said, breaking her silence. “Yeah, well, we don’t want you getting lost out here by yourself. We don’t want you to ever ride out alone unless absolutely necessary, darlin’. It’s just too damn dangerous, but we need you to know where you are in case there’s ever an emergency and you have to ride out by yourself. I would hope that you would get David to ride out for you, though.” “What does he do besides break in the new horses?” Bella asked curiously. “Well, he takes care of the tack, cleans out the stalls and barn,

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generally whatever we need him to do.” “He doesn’t sleep on your land, does he?” “No, he comes in from his small cabin every morning. Why did you ask where he sleeps, darlin’?” “Just curious, I guess,” Bella answered evasively, not willing to tell Marcus the guy gave her the creeps. She’d often caught him watching her and didn’t like the way he looked at her but couldn’t really say anything because he hadn’t done anything wrong. They rode along in companionable silence, going from a walk to a trot and canter, then back to a walk again. Bella was having no trouble in the saddle and was actually enjoying the freedom of being outside and on the move. There was no smog, no traffic or crowds of people to contend with. She felt at peace, like she belonged here more than she did in her own time. She had never felt that before, as if she belonged. Pain ripped through her chest and pierced her heart at the abhorrent thought of having to go back home. Oh God. She was in love with them. How had that happened so fast? The thought of leaving the three Aldridge brothers was just more than she could stand to contemplate. “Are you all right, darlin’? You’re as pale as a ghost,” Marcus said, reaching over and pulling her horse to a stop beside him. “I’m fine.” “Are you sore, Bella?” “A little tender, and my ass feels like it’s had a pole shoved up it, but it’s not too bad.” Marcus barked out a laugh. “Come on, it’s time we headed back so you can take it easy for a while.” Bella turned Star around and followed Marcus back to the ranch house. She was actually looking forward to being back on her own two legs, because her ass was beginning to hurt a little too much. Bella spent that night in her bed alone. She was thankful for the fact the three brothers weren’t going to pressure her for sex, but she felt lonely and tossed restlessly. The next day was Clint’s turn to go

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through her lessons, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. Clint was such a hard, domineering man, and she knew he wouldn’t be as easy on her as Marcus and Adam had. They were all so different in their personalities. Marcus was always ready for a joke and a smile, and he always seemed to put her well-being above his own. Adam was a little more arrogant than Marcus, yet no less concerned for her welfare. Clint was liable to demand and command. Even though she knew he did and said things for her own safety, she just wished he would go about things with a little more compassion. But that didn’t make her love him any less than the others. She knew without a doubt her safety was the forefront of everything they did and said. She only hoped she and Clint didn’t end up at each other’s throats like she suspected they would. Bella had breakfast on the table before the three men walked into the kitchen. They each grunted their thanks, sat down, and dug in. By the time they’d finished their pancakes, bacon, and eggs, Bella could feel the tension in the air. She had no idea what was going on, and even though she wanted to know, she was too afraid of getting her head bitten off if she asked. So she just went about her normal routine, collecting the dishes, wiping the table down, and filling the sink with water. She was in suds up to her elbows when she felt Clint come up behind her, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I can’t spend the day with you today, baby. Adam found a fence down in the southern pasture, and we need all hands to get it up again. Then we’re going to have to round up the cattle, which have escaped through that damn fence,” Clint spat out, obviously disappointed at not being able to spend the day with her. “It’s all right, Clint. I do understand,” Bella said over her shoulder, her head turned and tilted to look into Clint’s eyes. “I know you do, baby, but I was looking forward to spending the day with you. I was looking forward to having you to myself for a few hours,” Clint grumbled. “Don’t worry, Clint. We can have that day together once you’re

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done with what needs to be tended to. Besides, I should spend another afternoon baking. I can’t believe you guys have gone through so much food already.” “We work hard, baby. Your food is the best thing we’ve ever eaten. How could we not want to take it with us, so we wouldn’t be hungry?” “Are you telling me you would have been skipping meals if I wasn’t here?” “Yeah. We only ever used to have two meals a day. Breakfast and supper,” Clint answered. “Well, let me spend the day in the kitchen while you’re out there fixing the fence, and I’ll have enough food to last for the rest of the week.” “You don’t have to do that, Bella. It’s not like we’ll starve missing a meal in the middle of the day.” “But I want to. I can’t stand the thought of you three going hungry.” “You’re so sweet. I could get real used to having you in our home. Coming home to you after a long day of work is pure heaven, baby,” Clint said and kissed her on the top of the temple then headed out. Bella felt tears well up at what Clint had said to her. Yes, she definitely felt like she’d found the place she was meant to be. She’d found her home.

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Chapter Eight Bella spent the morning baking pies and turnovers, and she planned to spend the afternoon making some more cakes and some desserts. She planned to make a roast dinner, and she would make sure there was enough left over to make a shepherd’s pie for tomorrow night’s dinner. Bella had everything ready and finished drinking her glass of water. She jumped when she heard the back door slam open and wondered why her men were home so early. They usually didn’t arrive back to the ranch house until it was dusk. She put a smile on her face and turned to greet her men. Only it wasn’t her men. David stood just inside the door, and the look on his face gave her the creeps. “What do you want? Why are you in my house?” “It’s not your house, little missy. And what I want is a taste of what you’ve given those three men. You like to be fucked, don’t ya? I saw the three of those boys fucking you at the same time the other night. I think I’ll get me a piece of what they had,” David said and moved further into the room. “They’ll be back soon. If you touch me they’ll kill you. Please, don’t do this,” Bella pleaded, backing away warily. She gave a squeak of fear, her back close to the hot stove. She couldn’t move back any farther or she would end up burning herself. David was only a few feet from her now, and he was staring at her with an evil determination, lust shining at her as he leered at her body. She was in deep shit. He was so much bigger than she was. There was no way she would be able to fight him off. She took a few deep breaths, trying to

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calm her escalating panic, until he reached out for her with both hands. Bella grabbed for the pan she remembered placing on the stove to warm, heedless of the way the hot cast iron seared her skin, and swung with all her might. The sound of the heavy pan connecting with David’s head made her feel ill. He screamed as the hot pan connected with the skin of his cheek and the side of his head. He went down hard, pulling Bella with him. She fell on top of him, the hot pan flying from her hand. Her scream was cut off as the air left her lungs. She scrabbled to the side, getting away from the unconscious man, trying to fill her oxygen-depleted lungs. She turned her head to see the big man lying on the floor of the kitchen. The side of his face was shiny and red. She scrambled to her feet, aware she was sobbing loudly, ran outside, and threw up. Oh God. What had she done? She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and ran for the barn. She saddled Star, led her out of the barn and over to her mounting tree stump, mounted, and took off. She rode as if all the hounds of hell were chasing at her heels and thanked God she could tell which direction she needed to head by the sun. **** Adam heard and felt the pounding of horse hooves thundering on the ground. He looked up to see Bella riding like the wind. “Something’s up,” Adam yelled to his two brothers. The three men dropped what they were doing, mounted their horses, and kicked them into a gallop. They met Bella no more than fifty yards from where they had been working. The sight of her terrorfilled eyes and tear-stained face made Adam’s blood boil. Clint reached Bella first, grabbed hold of Star’s reins, and brought her horse to a standstill. Adam rode up to Bella’s other side and plucked her from the saddle. He held her in his lap crooning to her as she sobbed. Her whole body was trembling, and when he tilted her face up to his, he saw that her pupils were dilated and her face was as white as sheet.

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“Shh, honey. It’s all right. You’re safe now,” Adam crooned. Adam wanted to demand answers, to know what had put her in this state, but he had to get her to calm down first. She was totally incoherent and hysterical. She was crying and shaking so hard he was scared she was going to make herself ill. Finally, she began to calm, an occasional hiccup making her body shake, and he needed to know what had happened as much as his brothers did. “What’s happened, sweetheart?” asked Adam. “David. H–he came into the house. H–he said he’d seen you all fucking m–me, and he wanted a piece of what you h–had.” The sound of Marcus’s roar of fury had obviously scared Bella, because Adam felt her flinch. He held her as she buried her face against his chest. “He didn’t…I wouldn’t l–let him. I…I grabbed a hot pan off the stove and hit him in the face with it. Oh God. I…I…I think I killed him. He was lying on the f–floor of the kitchen. His face was all sh– shiny and red,” Bella sobbed. “Shh, it’s all right, Bella. You just did what you had to to protect yourself. I’m proud of you, honey,” Adam said in a quiet, gentle voice. Bella reached up to touch Adam’s face with her hand, but didn’t quite make it. Adam grasped her wrist and turned her hand over, palm face-up. He roared with fury at the sight of her burned palm and saw her flinch in response. “Don’t be afraid of me, Bella. I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at that fucking bastard. You wouldn’t be hurt if it wasn’t for him,” Adam said through clenched teeth. He nudged his horse over to Marcus and passed her over to his brother, knowing Marcus and Clint would want to hold her, to feel her safe in their arms. Adam saw Clint move closer to Marcus, handed him Star’s reins, and kicked his horse into a gallop, heading for the house. Adam smiled when Bella snuggled up against Marcus’s chest, but the smile left his face when he heard her whimper. The excitement of

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the last half hour must have been wearing off. She held her hand up, making sure she wasn’t touching anything, and she buried her head in Marcus’s chest once more. He rode close to her and watched her the whole time. Her eyelids began to droop, and even though he knew she was in pain, she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open. He knew she was suffering from exhaustion. She tried to keep them open, but exhaustion won out. She slumped against Marcus and fell asleep. **** Bella came awake when she was passed over to another set of arms. She looked up to see Clint looking down at her. His expression was hard and full of fury. She whimpered and buried her face against his shoulder. He didn’t say a word, just carried her into the house. He sat down with her on his lap at the large timber table. Adam had a few large-looking, thick green sprigs of a plant in his hand, and Bella realized it was aloe vera. She was in too much pain to speak, so she put her burned hand on the table, palm up. She watched as Adam ran the plant over her palm, hissing as the cool gel contacted with her sore, burned skin. Adam growled, and she looked up to see fury in his eyes, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he ground his teeth together. She wondered what he and Clint had done to David but waited until Adam had finished administering the aloe to her hand before she spoke. “What did you do to him?” “Nothin’. The fucking bastard was gone by the time we got back,” Adam replied, his voice as hard as steel. Bella had never heard him use that tone of voice before. It frightened her a little, but it also had her creaming her panties. Then the words Adam spoke registered. She hadn’t killed David. He’d been able to leave by his own accord. She slumped in relief. Knowing she hadn’t killed a man eased the knot of dread in her stomach. Then it clenched into a tight knot again. He could come back for her. Shit. What the hell was she going to do? She couldn’t expect the three

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brothers to stay with her all the time. They had a ranch to run. She was going to have to practice her shooting every day, and she would need a gun of her own. Bella looked up when Marcus entered the kitchen–dining room. He looked just as furious as his brothers. She shivered as she saw the gleam of determination in his eye and knew he had something planned. She jumped off Clint’s lap, went to Marcus, and gave him a hug, being careful not to touch anything with her sore palm. “Please, don’t do it. I don’t want you getting in trouble with the law. He won’t come back here. He wouldn’t be that stupid,” Bella pleaded. “You want him to get away with what he said and tried to do to you?” Marcus asked incredulously. He wrapped his large hands around her upper arms and moved Bella away from him. “You got hurt because of that fucking asshole. Don’t you think he deserves what he’s got comin’?” “Yes, I do, but I don’t want you taking the law into your own hands. You could hang for killing a man, Marcus. I don’t want that to happen to you. I couldn’t bear it. I love you, God damn it. Don’t you get that? I love all of you and couldn’t bear to lose any of you.” “Aw, darlin’. I love you, too,” Marcus replied, pulling her back into his arms. He held her tight against his big body and she snuggled up against him. Bella heard chairs scrape on the timber floor, and then she was surrounded by masculine heat and big, hard bodies. She was safe once more, and she felt like she had finally come home. “I love you, too, baby,” Clint murmured against the top of Bella’s head. “I love you, too, Bella,” Adam rasped out. Bella let the tears of happiness welling in her eyes overflow. Her heart felt so full of love and joy. The emptiness she’d carried around in her heart for so long was now completely gone. Her heart was brimming with the love she felt for these three men, and she couldn’t

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contain it. She sobbed with joy and happiness, knowing she’d never want to go back to her own time where nothing and no one waited for her. She had finally come home, and she was going to hold on to the place she belonged, to these three men, with both hands and never let go.

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Chapter Nine Bella spent the next week bored out of her brains. The brothers took turns staying with her as she recuperated from her burn. The first couple of days she appreciated, since her hand was hurting, but then she began to get cabin fever. They wouldn’t let her do anything. They told her to keep her hand dry. They applied more aloe at least three times a day, and they wouldn’t let her near the stove. She was getting grumpier with every passing day, until she woke up full of fire on the seventh day since David had attacked her. She didn’t walk to the kitchen, she stomped. She was cooking breakfast, and they could go fuck themselves. She was perfectly fine now, other than a few pink scars on the palm of her hand. She wasn’t in any pain, and all the skin from the blisters was gone. Bella slammed pots and pans on the stove and got to work. She cooked up a storm. She made pancakes, eggs, bacon, and French toast. She placed condiments of jam and honey on the table and had a full pot of coffee brewing on the side of the stove. She heard them coming and braced herself to give as good as she got. She ended up simmering with rage as they sat down and began to eat what she placed on the table. She sat down, sipping her coffee as she glared at one man to the next. “All right, Bella. What has you so fired up?” Clint asked, trying to stare her down. “You lot, that’s what. You think I like being treated like a fragile piece of glass? You haven’t let me do anything. I appreciated it while I was in pain, but that only lasted a couple of days. Well, I’m fucking sick of it,” Bella yelled, glaring back at Clint. She turned her glare to

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Adam as he got up and began to clear the table. “Leave the fucking mess. I am quite capable of cleaning up,” Bella yelled at Adam. She became even more vexed as Marcus got up and began to clear the table with Adam. Bella jumped to her feet, her hands on her hips, her breathing rapid with ire. She glared at Marcus and Adam, only to feel herself hitting boiling point when Marcus had the audacity to give her a grin and wink. She screamed, a long, loud yell which ended in a squeak as she was hauled from her feet, her ass hitting the now-clean table. Clint grasped her wrists in his own, pulling them up above her head, using the weight of his upper body to pin her to the table. “You have been simmering for the last few days, and I’m sick of walking around on eggshells with you. What the fuck is your problem?” Clint roared. “You are. The three of you are my problem. Just go and…go fuck yourself,” Bella yelled back. “Oh no, baby. Why would I want to fuck myself when I can fuck you? I thought I told you I don’t want you cussing. You say one more cuss word, and I’ll put you over my knee and tan your ass,” Clint said through clenched teeth, his face inches away from Bella’s. “Screw you,” Bella spat. Bella squealed. One moment she was on the table on her back, the next she was across Clint’s lap, facedown, ass up. She kicked and hit, trying to get free, but she only managed to wear herself out. She didn’t know how he had managed it, but she was now totally naked, exposed to their eyes, and she had never been more turned on than she was now. She could feel her cream leaking onto her thighs. Bella purred as a large, warm hand smoothed over the cheeks of her ass. She lifted up into the caress, wanting more. She cried out when that hand lifted and came down on her flesh. It stung, and she could feel her butt cheek heating up where it had been slapped. “If I ever hear another cuss word come out of your mouth, I will paddle your ass until it’s a nice pink color then shove my cock into

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that tight little pucker and fuck you good. Do you understand, baby?” Oh yeah, Bella understood all right. She knew then that even though she was totally helpless beneath his hands, she was the one in total control of the situation. It was a heady feeling. She had never felt so sexy and confident. She was just itching to grab the tiger by the tail. She cried out again as Clint’s hand landed on her other butt cheek, and then she was moaning as he slid two fingers deep into her wet cunt, and closed her eyes at the pleasure. “Oh, our baby likes to be spanked. Don’t ya, Bella? Your pretty little cunt is sopping wet,” Clint told his brothers, still pumping his fingers in and out of her pussy. Even she could hear the squelching sounds her twat made as he fucked her with his finger. Bella squeaked as her world turned upside down again. When she did open her eyes, it was to find herself slung over Clint’s shoulder as he headed to the bedroom. The sound of Adam and Marcus following made her smile with satisfaction. It looked like her temper tantrum had worked like a charm. She was going to get what she wanted and was damn happy about it. Bella squealed again as she flew through the air. She landed with a bounce on the soft mattress. Clint held her pinned to the bed, his big body covering her so she couldn’t escape—not that she wanted to, but she couldn’t give in too easily. She wriggled and squirmed, playing her role to the hilt. She was enjoying herself immensely. Clint grasped her wrists in his hands and pulled them up above her head, pinning them to the bed. He leaned over her and took her mouth under his own. This is what she had wanted—to feel that intimate connection once more with the men she loved. Bella opened her mouth to him, twirling her tongue around his, trying to take over control of the kiss. Clint withdrew his mouth from hers and stared down into her eyes. She saw him look over his shoulder at his brothers, and she turned her head to see that they were already naked, and he slowly released her wrists. Bella tried to scramble away, but Clint just lowered his weight onto her, pinning her

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in place. “Tie her up, boys,” Clint stated. Bella began to wriggle in earnest as her cunt clenched with excited arousal. Marcus and Adam had her tied with ropes in moments, and she was thankful for the material they’d used to pad the abrading hemp. She tugged against her restraints, testing the firm hold they had on her. Yep, she wasn’t budging. Bella’s eyes went back to Clint’s as he eased his big body from hers to stand at the end of the bed. He shucked his clothes faster than she’d ever seen someone disrobe, and then he was climbing back up on the bed, making room for himself between her thighs by prying them apart. “All you had to do was ask, baby. You didn’t need to throw a temper tantrum,” Clint said before swooping down to lick her pussy. Bella shrieked from pure frustration that her game was up, and then her shriek turned into a moan as Clint’s tongue slid through her wet folds. She bucked her hips up, trying to get his tongue on her clit when he avoided touching her there. She spread her legs wider, making Clint’s access easier, and then she was moaning into Adam’s mouth as he swept her depths with his tongue. She was totally lost, sensation after sensation coursing through her body. She mewled in the back of her throat when she felt Marcus suck one of her hard, puckered nipples into his mouth. He nibbled and laved on her flesh until she was mindless with need. Bella was a writhing mass of pleasurable nerve endings. Clint’s tongue finally touched on her throbbing clit, and she rocked her hips, wanting more. He slid a finger into her cunt, thrusting in and out of her wet hole a few times. She was so close. One more pump and lick would be enough to send her over. She held her breath in anticipation, but ended up screaming with frustration. They had all stopped touching her at the same time. Bella opened her eyes to glare at each of her men and was just in time to see them swapping places. Marcus was now down between

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her thighs, and Clint was lying beside her where Marcus had been. She hoped like hell they were going to do that again. She didn’t think she could stand being brought to the edge again only to be left hanging on the precipice. She wiggled her hips, silently begging Marcus to get to work, but ended up screaming as he slapped her pussy with the palm of his hand. He hadn’t hit her hard, just hard enough to have heat tingling through her clit and her wet pussy lips. Bella thrust her hips up, silently begging for more. She turned her head at the sound of Adam’s voice. “Open up, honey. I want those sweet lips and mouth sucking my cock.” Bella relaxed the muscles of her jaw, opened her mouth as wide as she could, and slurped Adam’s cock into her mouth. She smiled with satisfaction as he groaned. Since she was still lying on her back, she couldn’t move very much as she tried to slide her mouth over Adam’s cock. He must have realized her dilemma, because he swung one of his muscular legs over her chest, kneeling above her, and fed more of his cock into her mouth. She held her mouth open and relaxed as Adam began to fuck between her lips. She used her tongue, swirling it around the head of his dick as he withdrew, then curled her tongue into a channel as he pushed back in. The sounds he made as he fucked her mouth made her burn even hotter. Bella sobbed with pleasure when Marcus slid a finger into her cunt and lapped at her clit. Her little, swollen nub was now so sensitive from the slap he had given her she was in danger of coming too fast. She could feel her womb and vagina muscles gathering, readying to snap as she sped to the pinnacle. She was so close, but she screamed with frustration when Marcus stopped. Bella pulled her mouth from Adam’s cock and yelled. “Fuck me, damn it. I was so close. Why did you stop?” “You aren’t in control in the bedroom, darlin’. We are. We’ll give you what you need, but in our own good time,” Marcus answered. Bella couldn’t see Marcus since Adam was straddling her chest, but she could just imagine the satisfied smirk he usually gave her

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when he was in one of his condescending moods, knowing he was the one in control. Bella was beside herself with want. She needed them to fill her body with their cocks, and she wanted them to do it now. Bella lifted her head and latched onto Adam’s cock, determined to have at least some control. She bobbed her head up and down his length, gaining momentum every time she hollowed out her cheeks. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, making sure she laved the sensitive underside. She swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth, her throat muscles clamping down around Adam’s cock as he touched the back of her throat. “Fuck yeah. Your mouth feels so good, honey,” Adam panted out. Bella upped the ante. She was bobbing so fast on his dick she was slamming her lips into the hand Adam had wrapped around the base of his shaft. She knew she was going to have bruised lips, but she didn’t care. He was going to come first, come hell or high water. She was going to make Adam lose control. She moaned around his cock as she felt his flesh twitch and swell in her mouth. She relaxed her throat even more, readying to drink down his cum. She felt him shudder, and he roared, his flesh pulsing in her mouth, but there was no cum for her to swallow. Bella opened her eyes and saw that Adam had his balls grasped tightly in his hand, pushing against a spot beneath his balls. She looked up into his face and saw his feral grin. “You don’t win that easy, honey,” Adam said with a smirk. Bella screeched, her body undulating as she tried to move away from Adam even more. Her legs kicked out, only to be manacled by large, firm hands around her ankles. She shot a furious glare at Clint. He was laughing like a loon as he untied her hands. When her first hand was free, Bella moved her hand to his chest and tried to push Clint. He caught her hand with ease and held aloft as he released her other hand. He grabbed her wrists, holding them together, effectively manacling her. Marcus held Bella by the hips, gave them a tug, and impaled her with one hard thrust. He put his hands beneath her shoulders and

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lifted her up so she was straddling his lap and Clint had to release her hands. Bell sighed out a moan of relief. She finally had a cock in her needy pussy. She wrapped her arms around Marcus’s neck and wriggled around until her clit was smashed up against his cock. She began to use her legs and pumped herself up and down Marcus’s shaft, but he circumvented her by grasping her hips to hold her still. Bella groaned with frustration, which quickly turned to a moan of pleasure as a finger began to massage her ass. She relaxed her muscles, wanting, needing a cock to be shoved up her anus. Now that she’d had a taste of anal sex, she didn’t ever want to do without it. Having two cocks in her body, double the penetration, gave her double the pleasure. She turned her head to see Clint over her shoulder. He was close up against her back as he pumped oil-covered fingers into her ass. She could feel him stretching her, spreading his fingers wide, loosening the tight muscles of her sphincter. She groaned as he withdrew his digits from her body, and then she felt the blunt head of his cock at her back entrance. She lifted her hips, slightly tilting her pelvis to give Clint better access to her ass. Bella moaned as Clint eased his way into her body. She felt the head of his cock pop through her tight muscles. He didn’t give her body time to adjust. He forged his way in deep until his balls hit her flesh. Bella sighed, her body so full of the cocks it craved. She turned her head to find Adam waiting for her. She sucked him to the back of her throat then slid along his hard flesh until just the head was in her mouth. She twirled her tongue around his head, relishing the taste of the fluid seeping from the small hole at the top. She sucked him back down until he touched the back of her throat and whimpered as Marcus and Clint began to glide their cocks in and out of her body. She rocked her hips as she suckled on Adam’s cock. She was surrounded by the men she loved and who loved her in return as they pleasured her body, and in return her body pleasured them. She was where she needed to be, where she knew she fit into the world. Bella was keening in the back of her throat, and even though she

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was aware of the sounds she was making, she couldn’t stop herself and didn’t really care. Marcus thrust into her pussy as Clint withdrew from her ass. With each forward thrust, they increased the pace of their cocks sliding in and out of her body. She had one cock in her cunt or ass at all times as Adam thrust his cock in and out of her mouth. She was in heaven. Bella felt the fire in her body flare into a flame so bright it frightened her. She could feel the liquid heat of her juices dripping out of her pussy, her internal muscles gathering up into a tight coil. Her womb felt heavy, her pussy and ass grasping around the cocks pumping in and out of her. She could hear Adam panting just as fast as she was and knew he was about to go over. She sucked him to the back of her throat, his roar of pleasure drowning out their heavy breathing. She felt his cock swell, and then his cum was spurting out of his dick, down the back of her throat. She swallowed every last drop, licked him clean, and released him with a pop. Bella threw her head back and screamed as her body shook with climactic pleasure. She felt her pussy gush out her release, covering Marcus and herself in her juices. Her pussy clamped and released around the two cocks pummeling in and out her body, and as the last spasm faded away, her two men thrust into her deeply one last time, holding her still as they pumped her holes full of their cum. She flopped down against Marcus with a satiated smile, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

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Chapter Ten Bella was up and about early the next morning. Her men were taking her to Big Lake to get her some clothes. She was eager to have her own clothes but hoped like hell they didn’t expect her to wear all those layers of petticoats beneath a dress all the time. She would much rather prefer to have some canvas pants and shirts of her own. She never was one for wearing dresses. She’d made a list of things she would need, including her own straight razor. She was rather hairy at the moment, and the itch of regrowth was driving her insane. Her men didn’t seem to care she was nearly as hairy as they were, but she did. She was feeling rather moody again this morning and couldn’t work out why. She was going to see if she could borrow one of their straight razor blades and hoped like hell she didn’t cut herself. After breakfast was over and the kitchen was clean again, Bella followed her men out to the barn. She readied Star while her men saw to their own mounts, and then they were off. They set off at a trot, not wanting to tire their mounts out too quickly. It was going to take a couple of hours to reach the small town of Big Lake on horseback. Bella rode behind Clint and Adam, Marcus beside her. She could hear them whispering up ahead but couldn’t make out what they were saying. She gave a mental shrug and let her gaze take in the beautiful scenery. The air was so crisp and clean, the pastures full of green and deciduous trees, their leaves various shades of red, brown, and orange. The ground was littered with the dead foliage but the sight was beautiful. By the time they reached Big Lake, Bella’s muscles were feeling the strain of being in the saddle for so long when she wasn’t used to it

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as yet. She was okay with the riding, but the length of time had her feeling a little stiff. She was glad when Marcus helped her down from the saddle and even more grateful as he kept his hands around her waist until she was steady on her feet. Bella stepped back when she was steady and looked around at the town of Big Lake in 1865. It was so different than what she had left behind. The buildings were all made of timber, not a brick in sight. The walkways were timber decking, and the main street was dirt. There was a mercantile general store and a saloon, which no doubt housed the whores her men had been on their way to visit when they had found her. There was a blacksmith’s, a stable, a church at the far end of the street, and several small wooden cottages. She could just make out the word “Sheriff” written on a shingle outside one of the cottages. Bella didn’t stop to think. She moved around Marcus and headed straight for the sheriff’s. She was standing at the door before her men could stop her. She rapped her knuckles on the door and waited impatiently. She was reporting a crime and hoped the sheriff found David and hauled his ass to jail. “Howdy, ma’am. You don’t need to knock. Come right on in.” “Thank you, Sheriff…” Bella said, waiting expectantly for him to introduce himself. “Sheriff Nate Ryder at your service, ma’am.” “My name is Bella McPherson, Sheriff Ryder. I’d like to report a crime.” “Come on in and take a load, I’m mean, a seat, Ms. McPherson. I don’t remember seeing you around these parts afore,” Sheriff Ryder stated, giving her the once-over. “I’m lucky enough to be staying with the Aldridge brothers, Sheriff. They’ve been very kind. I want you to find the man who was working on the Aldridge ranch and haul his ass to jail. He was going to try and rape me and probably would have if I hadn’t clocked him one with a hot pan,” Bella explained, her anger rising as her mind went back that horrid day.

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“Well, ma’am, as much as I would like to haul this man’s ass to jail, I can’t rightly say I know who you’re talking about.” Bella couldn’t believe he wasn’t taking her seriously. She saw him watching her with narrowed eyes and a steely stare and wondered what the hell was going on. Was he hiding something? “If you’ll wait here a moment, I’ll go and get one of the Aldridge brothers to give you all the appropriate information.” “Bella, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Clint snarled as he slammed through the door. “I’m reporting a crime, that’s what I’m doing. Is there a law against a woman reporting to the sheriff she was nearly raped?” Bella spat back at Clint, giving him a good glare. “Baby, come on outside. We have to get you some clothes, remember?” Clint said in a light, cajoling voice. Bella could see him seething underneath and wondered what the hell was going on. She let him lead her out the door and back onto the street before she snatched her arm from his firm grip, spun around, and got in his face as much as possible from her diminutive height. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “Bella, you need to hold your tongue just a little longer, baby. When we’re out of earshot from the sheriff’s office, you can let me have it as much as you want,” Clint said, turning her by placing his hands on her shoulders and heading her in the direction of the mercantile. Bella held her tongue for a good twenty paces, and then her ire got the better of her. She spun around and faced Clint. He held his hand up before she could let loose her tongue. “Baby, you need to know the sheriff has a son named David,” Clint explained. Bella felt all the blood in her head drain down to her feet as she stared at Clint. He moved in closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him tightly since she felt as if she were going to pass out.

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Bella breathed deeply, determined to fight the blackness threatening to consume her. She wrapped her arms around Clint’s waist and clung to him tighter. She was finally able to ease back slightly so she could see his face. “I’m sorry, baby. I would’ve stopped you from going in there, but you were too quick. I wasn’t expecting you to go stomping off.” “Are you telling me I brained the sheriff’s son? That he was the one to try and rape me?” Bella asked. She took a deep breath when Clint nodded in affirmation then released it. “Do you think he’ll arrest me for assaulting his son?” “No, baby, but he’s not going to let anything happen to his son either. You should have let us go after him and kill him.” “No, I should not. I don’t want you hanging because of something I did,” Bella sobbed. “Shh, baby. You didn’t do anything. It wasn’t your fault, Bella,” Clint crooned, pulling her into his body tightly again, rubbing a hand up and down her back, soothing her. “Oh God, Clint. What am I going to do?” “Nothin’. There’s nothin’ any of us can do, except protect you. Just don’t go anywhere near the sheriff again. All right?” Bella nodded her head and leaned her forehead on Clint’s chest. She was lucky she was still free. The sheriff could have locked her up in a jail cell when he realized she was accusing his son of rape. She eased away from Clint when he released her, took his offered hand in her own, and let him lead her into the mercantile. Bella felt safe and protected when Marcus and Adam moved to her back with Clint at her side. She listened as Clint placed a large order for goods and supplies needed for fencing, as well as food staples needed, such as flour, sugar, coffee, et cetera. When he was done, he drew her to the back of the store where a rack of women’s dresses hung. “You need clothes, baby. Pick out whatever you want.” “But you can’t afford to buy me clothes. I don’t mind wearing

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your things,” Bella said quietly. “Who said we couldn’t afford them? Bella, we could buy this whole damn town if we wanted to, including the sheriff. We’re rich, baby. Marcus found a cave full of gold on our land. We’ll never be able to spend it all in this lifetime. Now, come on over and pick out some clothes.” “But I don’t like wearing dresses,” Bella wailed. “I only like to wear pants.” “Baby, you can have all the pants and shirts you want, but I would like you to pick out a couple of dresses. You can’t be wandering around town in pants all the time. You’re going to cause a riot, and we may end up having to shoot someone for ogling that sweet little ass of yours. Besides, think of the fun we can have with you in your dress with nothing else beneath it,” Clint said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Now, I want you to pick out everything you need, boots, drawers, anything at all, and don’t worry about the cost. Okay?” “Okay. Thanks, Clint,” Bella replied then got to work picking out a wardrobe. By the time she’d finished, Adam had been to the stables, hired a wagon, and the three men had it loaded down with supplies. Bella found a small bolt of white canvas that had been discounted since there wasn’t enough material to make a garment of clothing. She added that to the pile, as well as some string and cotton. The three brothers took Bella to the saloon for a meal, and she found herself staring about the place rather than concentrating on the food. She was disappointed she didn’t get to see any of the prostitutes but guessed it was still too early in the day for them to make an appearance. Once the finished eating, Clint suggested she hire a room so she could take a bath and change into one of her pretty dresses. Bella agreed, looking forward to another bath. Bella was led up to a room, a bath waiting for her in front of a low fire. She stripped out of her borrowed clothes and sank down into the warm water with a groan. The water was heavenly, the warmth seeping into the tight

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muscles of her thighs and buttocks. She washed herself quickly, dried off, and began to get dressed. She picked up a cotton chemise and pantaloons, donned them, and then pulled the dress over her head. She made quick work of doing up the tiny buttons running over the length of her bodice. She smoothed her skirts out, finger-combed her hair, and shook it back over her shoulders. She looked around for a mirror and was disappointed when she couldn’t find one. She would have loved to see what she looked like wearing clothes from a different century. She gave a mental shrug, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Bella looked around for her men as she came down the stairs. She smiled when she spotted them and knew they’d cleaned up, as well, as their hair was still damp. She was careful to pick up her skirts so she wouldn’t trip and headed down the steps. When she looked up again, she found Clint, Adam, and Marcus standing at the bottom of the stairs gaping at her. “What? Do I look that bad?” Bella asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “Darlin’, you are gorgeous,” Marcus said. “The most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Adam exclaimed. “Baby, you’re hot. I’m going to order some more white dresses for you so I can rip them off,” Clint said, his usual abruptness showing through. “Do you really think so?” Bella asked, uncertain, then turned her gaze on Clint. “And don’t you dare rip any of my dresses.” “Adam, get your gun out of its holster. You’re to shoot anyone who gawks at our woman,” Clint bit out. “Come on, baby. We have an appointment.” “We do? Where are we going?” “You’ll see soon enough,” Clint replied and took her hand. They were leading her in the direction of the church. She couldn’t remember what day it was, but even if it was Sunday, it was way too late to be attending a church service. Marcus and Adam held the doors

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open, and Clint led her inside. Bella followed along blindly, blinking to help her eyes adjust to the dim interior of the church after the bright sunshine outside. When Bella’s eyes adjusted, she noticed the minister standing in front of the altar. She looked from the minister to Clint and saw all the love he had for her shining out from his eyes. Her hand still in his, he got down on one knee, brought her hand up against his cheek then down to his mouth, and kissed her palm. “Bella, I love you very much. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?” Bella was flabbergasted. She’d had no idea Clint was going to do this, and as much as she wanted to say yes, she couldn’t. She loved all three of the Aldridge brothers equally and didn’t want to hurt any of them by choosing one over the other. She wished Clint had asked her when they were alone so she could give him his answer without hurting his feelings. She looked over to the minister and was grateful to see him moving away to a door behind the altar. She waited until he disappeared and closed the door quietly behind him. “Clint, I love you so much. I would love to marry you, but I can’t. I can’t choose between the three of you. I love Marcus and Adam just as much as I love you. You can’t expect me to choose.” Clint rose to his feet and motioned his brothers forward. They surrounded her with their bodies and heat, offering her comfort when she was in such turmoil. “Baby, we have discussed this between the three of us and decided since I am the oldest, if you will accept us, you will marry me on paper. But you will be married to all of us in our hearts. Please, Bella, will you marry us?” Bella threw herself at Clint, tears of happiness streaming down her face. “As God is our witness, I will love all of you and marry all of you today. I want to spend the rest of my life by each of your sides. Yes, Clint, I’ll marry you, Adam, and Marcus.” “Baby, you won’t regret it. We’re gonna make you so happy.

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Adam, go and haul the preacher back out here. He has a wedding to perform.” Bella took Clint’s proffered hand in hers and stepped up to his side. She saw Marcus rush off to the rectory to get the minister. She stood beside Clint as if in a dream. She listened to the traditional words of the wedding ceremony and tears spilled out over her cheeks. The minister asked the prerequisite words and she heard Clint answer them with heartfelt clarity. Sun was streaming through the colorful leadlight windows and she felt so much peace and contentment, but also so full of love. She could see Adam and Marcus looking at her as they stood by their brother’s side, and she saw their lips moving with Clint as they silently repeated the words their brother did. Bella turned toward the preacher and waited for him to recite the words she would need to say. She was so overcome with emotion her chest and throat were tight. When it came to her turn she had to keep clearing her throat to get to words out through a throat tight with emotion, but she managed it in the end. And then she felt him sliding a ring onto her finger. She looked down at her hand to see a beautiful sapphire-and-diamond ring gracing her finger. The minister announced them as man and wife, and Clint gathered her close and kissed her with so much love and emotion she ended up sobbing into his mouth. He held her steady but released her, and the sight of him laughing with joy filled her to overflowing with love. She wasn’t surprised when Adam and then Marcus pulled her to them and kissed her soundly. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment, and she turned to look at the minister but sighed with relief when she saw his back was to them. The preacher turned to her and Clint, and they signed the necessary paperwork, declaring them as man and wife, and then Bella followed her husband as he clasped her hand and led her outside.

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**** Bella walked away from the church in a daze. It still hadn’t sunk in that she was now Mrs. Clint Aldridge. Clint led her by the hand back to the loaded wagon waiting for them. When they reached the buckboard, Clint spun Bella around, swept her back over the arm at her back, and kissed her soundly. When he let her up, she could feel heat beginning to tinge her cheeks and looked around to see if anyone was watching. The sheriff gave her a hard stare but tipped his hat to her in courtesy. Bella inclined her head as she glared at the man. Then she clutched Clint’s shoulders as he lifted her up into the wagon. She settled herself on the hard wooden seat and stared down at the sparkling sapphire and diamond set in the gold ring on the ring finger on her left hand. They were heading home, and Bella couldn’t wait to get her husbands’ into bed.

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Chapter Eleven They arrived back at the ranch just at dusk. Adam swept Bella out of the wagon and carried her up the steps to the deck where he proceeded to hand her over to Marcus. Marcus carried Bella into the house and set her down on her feet, pulled her in, and devoured her mouth. He eased back after a moment, both of them breathing heavily as Marcus rested his forehead against Bella’s. “Why don’t you get a simple supper ready while I help unload the supplies? Don’t go making anything too fancy, darlin’. We have plans for you tonight,” Marcus advised Bella, then drew away to head on out. Bella made quick work of changing into the borrowed clothes she’d tucked under her arm before she was carried inside then went back to the kitchen to start a simple supper of toasted roast beef sandwiches. By the time her husbands sauntered into the kitchen, their arms full of bags of flour and sugar, Bella had a stack of sandwiches warming on the stove. She ogled her men’s asses as they walked by to the pantry cellar and caught Adam smirking back over his shoulder at her. She gave him a saucy grin and shrug, and turned back to the griddle. She had everything ready to go when they had finished bringing in the last of the supplies. They all sat down at the table to eat the simple fare, but Bella was too excited to more than pick at the food. “Why did you change out of your pretty dress, baby?” Clint asked after swallowing the food in his mouth. “I didn’t want to get it dirty or have you ripping it off,” Bella said

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with a glare. “Aw, honey, you ruin all our fun,” Adam said with a smirk. “That’s the first pretty dress I’ve ever owned. I wasn’t about to let any of you ruin it.” “Why didn’t you have other dresses, baby?” asked Clint. “I couldn’t afford them. I was raised in foster homes most of my life, and the people who took me in were more interested in lining their own pockets than what I did or didn’t have to wear.” “Where were your parents, darlin’?” Marcus asked gently. “They were killed in a bank holdup when I was a toddler. The welfare department was called in when they didn’t come to pick me up from day care, and I was moved from house to house, living with strangers until they got sick of me and sent me away again.” “Shit, what is wrong with the people in your time? Don’t they know the value of children?” Clint asked, indignant on Bella’s behalf. Bella reached over to give Clint’s hand a pat, tears in her eyes that he cared about her even when he hadn’t known she existed. “Things are different in my time. There are a lot of people who care for their kids more than anything, but there are some who just don’t seem to care at all,” Bella said with a sigh. “I don’t know how I came to be here, but I’m so glad I found you all.” “We are, too, baby. No, leave the cleanup. We’ll help you in the morning. Right now it’s time for bed,” Clint said, scooping Bella up into his arms. Bella laughed as he practically ran to the bedroom. Clint eased Bella down the length of his body, making sure she felt his hard cock as he did so. Bella purred and arched her hips, making sure her mound connected with his turgid flesh. He eased her back onto the bed. Clint stood staring down at her for a moment, and then as one, they moved to her. Their hands were everywhere—on her shirt, pulling her sneakers off, and at the waistband of her pants. Bella waited for their reaction when they found she wore no underwear.

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“Hot damn, woman, if I’d have known you didn’t have any skivvies on, I would have fucked you on the dining table,” Adam rumbled, pulling her trousers off over her feet. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t know. The bed is much more comfortable,” Bella replied with a smile and wink. Bella watched as her three men concentrated on removing their own clothes now that they had her naked. Adam was the first to finish and crawled onto the bed, spreading her thighs to make room for himself. He didn’t wait for his brothers. He dove right in. He hooked her limbs up over his arms and lifted her legs up and out so she was spread wide open to his eyes. He gave her a heated stare as he bent his head toward her weeping cunt. The first touch of his tongue made her buck her hips up into his mouth, eager for more of the pleasure he could bestow on her. He must have been in the mood to oblige her demands, because he opened his mouth wide, nearly covering the whole of her cunt, and sucked. Bella screamed in climax, her body shaking, her pussy gushing. Her eyes slid closed as the last pleasurable contraction faded away. They were going to kill her with pleasure before the night was over if they gave her any more orgasms like Adam had just given her. She was totally blown away. “Don’t you dare go to sleep on us, honey. That was just an appetizer. The night’s just begun,” Adam said with a wicked chuckle as he sat up and crawled up between Bella’s legs. He scooped her up into his arms, supporting her back with one muscular arm, and pulled her over his lap. “Take my cock, wife,” Adam demanded, holding his cock up for Bella to sit on. Bella eased down onto Adam’s cock, her cunt muscles clenching as she enveloped his hard flesh. She moaned at the exquisite feel of him buried deep inside of her wet sheath. She began to ride him using her thighs. She moved over him, up and down, making his cock slide in and out of her vagina. She let out a groan of frustration as Adam

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grasped her hips and held her still, his cock buried to her cervix. Then she gave a squeak as she felt a large, slick finger caressing the sensitive skin of her ass. Bella turned her head, looking over her shoulder to see Marcus kneeling behind her. He gave her a wink and wicked smile as he pushed a digit into her back hole. She wiggled her ass and pushed back, trying to impale herself on that finger, only to be thwarted as Adam gripped her hips a little tighter, preventing her from moving. “I can’t wait to get my cock into that pretty little ass. You look so sexy when you’re stuffed full of cocks. I love it when you have a cock in your ass, pussy, and mouth all at the same time,” Marcus mumbled, shoving another finger into Bella’s tight hole. Bella moaned. The pleasure they were giving her was so overwhelming. She never knew she could feel like this and knew it was only with her men that she ever would. She closed her eyes, relaxed her muscles, and gave her body over for them to pleasure. She could feel Marcus stretching her out, making room for when he would shove that big cock up her ass, and she could hardly wait. She was in for the ride of her life. Bella opened her eyes when she felt Clint’s gentle hand pull her face toward him. He had his cock so close to her mouth all she would have to do was stick her tongue out to taste his essence. Which she did. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock then opened her mouth wide, placing her lips over the tip and sucking hard. She moaned as he slid into her mouth until he was touching the back of her throat. “Fuck yeah, baby. Your mouth is heaven. That’s it, use your tongue on me,” Clint rasped out, his voice deeper and more gravelly than usual. Bella moaned, his dirty talk making her burn even hotter, and then she froze as she felt Marcus’s cock at her anus. She breathed in around Clint’s cock and let the air out slowly, concentrating on relaxing her muscles as he pushed his cock into her ass. She felt the

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now-expected burn and pinch as Marcus pushed his cock through the tight ring of muscles, making her mewl with rapture. She loved having three cocks in her body at the same time. She loved that she was stuffed full of their cocks. She moaned again as Marcus rocked his hips, gaining depth and speed as he worked to get all of his cock in her ass. Bella had to move. She was so full and overcome with sensations she began to rock her hips in a silent demand that her men fuck her. Adam and Marcus took the hint and began to slide in and out of her body, slowly increasing the pace of their thrusts in increments, until their flesh was making slapping sounds as it connected with hers. She shifted her attention back to Clint as he grabbed her hair gently and slid his cock in and out of her mouth while his brothers fucked her. She swirled her tongue, making sure she pleasured that sensitive spot underneath his cock at every pass. She bobbed her head faster and faster, the slurping sounds she made as she sucked Clint off enhancing her desire. The walls of her pussy spasmed along the length of the engorged erections pumping in and out of her body, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she reached climax. She rocked her hips forward and back as she bobbed and sucked on Clint’s cock. The muscles of her womb and pussy coiled tighter and tighter as she moaned around Clint’s flesh. And then she was there, hanging on the precipice of climax. She groaned out loud, the vibrations reverberating around Clint’s erection as she went flying. Her whole body jerked as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her. She was vaguely aware of Clint’s roar, and then she was swallowing load after load of his cum as he spewed it down her throat. She licked Clint clean, released him with a pop, and reveled in the euphoria as Marcus’s and Adam’s cocks pulsed and jerked inside her body, sending her over the edge once more. When the last blissful spasm died, she slumped against Adam’s chest and drifted into a doze. Bella was awakened by the warm washcloth cleaning her sensitive

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ass and pussy. She moaned and tried to pull away, but the hands on her body wouldn’t let her. Her three husbands were determined to see to her needs. She opened her eyes to see her three men grinning down at her, their cocks already standing to attention. “You didn’t think we were finished with you yet, did you, wife? We are all going to take our turn in those sweet holes of yours,” Clint detailed with a waggle of his eyebrows. “You’re gonna kill me,” Bella mumbled. “Yeah, but what a way to go, baby.”

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Chapter Twelve Bella had no idea what time it was, but she knew it was way past her normal time of waking. She groaned as her tired, aching muscles protested her movement then smiled as last night’s activities replayed in her mind. Her three men had loved her well into the hours of the night. She’d never have believed she could get so turned on. She would have thought she was done after her first climax. What did she know? They had taken her three times, cleaning her and themselves up after each round of lovemaking, giving her a while to rest, and then her men would pounce on her again. What surprised her the most was how her body was ready and willing each time they reached for her. Bella walked over to the jug on the dresser, poured out the nowtepid water and lathered herself from head to toe. She rinsed off, dressed in her own pants and shirt, brushed her hair, and headed to the kitchen. She was surprised to find the house empty. She knew her men wouldn’t have left her alone unless there was an emergency. She shrugged her shoulders, poured herself a mug of coffee, and added some hot water to weaken the brew, as well as her requisite milk and sugar. She sat at the timber dining table sipping and staring off into space. A sparkle on the table caught her eye as the sun shone through the window. There on the table, inches away, was the sapphire pendant she’d bought the morning of her time travel. She reached out hesitantly then withdrew her hand, too scared to touch the necklace. The back door slammed and she turned to see Clint walking toward her. “What’s wrong, baby?” Clint asked. “Where did you get that?” Bella asked, pointing to the necklace,

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her voice hardly above a whisper. “We bought it when we bought your ring. Why? Don’t you like it?” Clint asked, a flash of pain flitting in his eyes, then gone again. Bella stood up, moved up to Clint, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yes, I like it. I love it, but I don’t want to touch it.” Clint must have heard the anxiety in her voice, because he held her by her upper arms and drew away from her so he could see her face. “Why are you scared, Bella?” “That’s the pendant I had on before I arrived here, in this time. I don’t want to touch it, or put it on, in case it takes me back. I can’t lose you or your brothers, Clint. I just can’t,” Bella wailed. “Shh, baby. It’s all right. If it scares you that much, I’ll take it back to the mercantile,” Clint soothed, pulling her in tight against his big body. “No! You can’t take it back. Oh God, I’m so confused,” Bella sobbed. “Take a deep breath, baby. Everything will work out. We’ll just leave that necklace where it is for now. And you’re right. I don’t think you should touch it. We want you to stay here with us, baby. You’re our wife now. We don’t want to lose you either.” Bella gave a sniff and hugged Clint fiercely, too scared to even look at the pendant. “Why don’t I put it away? That way you won’t have to look at it and you won’t be tempted to touch it?” Clint asked. “Okay, but what if I’m meant to wear it here now, in this time? Maybe that’s what’s supposed to happen so I can find it in my time and end up here. I’ve come home, Clint. This is where I’m supposed to be. Shit, I don’t know what to do.” “Come on out to the barn. We’ll talk this over with Marcus and Adam. Maybe they can shed some light on things. Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, but one of the heifers was having trouble giving birth,” Clint explained, holding a hand out to Bella. Bella took Clint’s hand and followed him out to the barn. She

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found Marcus and Adam sitting on a bale of hay, watching the newborn calf with its momma. “Hey, darlin’,” Marcus greeted. “Honey, you look hot in those pants. They fit you like a glove,” Adam said, his eyes taking a leisurely wander over the length of her body. “We have a problem,” Clint stated, pulling Bella to stand in front of him and wrapping her in his arms. “What?” Marcus asked. “What’s going on?” asked Adam. “The pendant and necklace we bought Bella is the one she said she had on when she time traveled here to our time. She’s too scared to touch it, in case she’s taken back to her own time,” Clint said quietly. “Fuck,” Adam spat. “No. Wait just a minute. Let’s think this through. Bella, tell us what happened. Maybe we can figure this out if we know all the details,” Marcus demanded gently. Bella took a deep breath and began to explain the events leading up to finding herself in the nineteenth century. When she’d finished explaining she sat quietly and waited for their opinion. “Hmm. You know, I think that you’re meant to wear that necklace, darlin’. Think about it. If you don’t wear it here, how are you going to find it in the future? You’re meant to wear it, Bella. If it wasn’t meant for you, you wouldn’t have found it in your time and you wouldn’t be here with us right now. It’s yours, darlin’. Let’s go get it and put it on you,” Marcus suggested. “Oh, do you really think so?” “Marcus is right, baby. That necklace and pendant is yours. Come on, let’s go put it on you,” said Clint. “Okay, but I want all of you in the room with me, holding me. Just in case.” “We can do that, honey. You’ll be safe. You’ll see,” Adam said,

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following behind Clint and Bella, Marcus at his side. Bella took a deep breath as Marcus clasped the necklace around her neck. True to their words, Adam and Clint each had a firm grip on her hands. “Well, how does it feel, darlin’?” asked Marcus. “Like it was meant to be. The pendant feels warm and makes my skin tingle, but I don’t feel ill. You were right, Marcus. It was meant to be.” She flung herself into Marcus’s arms. Marcus pulled her tight against his body and devoured her mouth. They were both breathing heavily when he was done. He gave her a smile and handed her over to Clint. Clint kissed her, and then so did Adam. Bella had definitely come home. Her heart was so full of love she could barely contain it. Bella and her men spent the rest of the day cleaning out the stalls in the barn and making sure the new addition and momma were safe and secure. Bella spent the afternoon baking pies and pasties for her men to take out with them the next day as they worked on the ranch. She loved to cook and knew her men appreciated her efforts. When all the chores were done, she spent a quiet night sitting by the fire in the living room talking with her husbands. She went to bed and fell asleep. She knew her men were not willing to push her for any loving, knowing they had ridden her hard the previous night. Plus, she was too tired from lack of sleep. Her men slept together with her in her room, the only bed in the house big enough to accommodate all four adults.

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Chapter Thirteen The next morning was a rush for Bella to get her husbands’ breakfast on the table, as they had all slept in. They ate while she packed up some of the pies, wrapping them in cloth and placing them in a burlap sack. Bella tilted her face up to receive her good-bye kiss and watched from the back deck until they disappeared into the distance on their mounts. The weather was colder today, but Bella knew she would keep warm as she went about her task of cleaning house. She started in the bedrooms, stripped the sheets from the bed, and put them in the big copper pot to boil clean. She added some soap flakes, stirred the wash around until suds formed, and then went back to finish her chores while the wash boiled clean. She hummed as she worked, sweeping and dusting. That was something Bella missed the most from her time. Music. What she would give to have even a radio to listen to. But she was happy with her men and would give up everything just to be with them. Bella was in the middle of washing the timber floorboards and turned around slowly when she felt the hair at her nape prickle in warning. She wasn’t fast enough. Pain exploded in her head, making her see stars as she fell to the floor. She felt cold water seeping into her clothes and realized she must have tipped the bucket over, and then she knew no more. **** Bella groaned, her head pounding so hard she felt sick. She was

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cold and wet and wondered what had happened. She opened her eyes to slits then slammed them shut as her stomach roiled. She took a few deep breaths then opened her eyes slowly in case the nausea returned. She moved her arms, only to stop when she felt rope tethered around her wrists. She tested her legs and was thankful to find them free. She looked around her, taking in the worn timber walls of what she presumed to be a cabin. She could only see the four walls of the bedroom she was being held captive in. The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, and light from a lantern and a fire she could hear crackling seeped into the room. She looked above her head to see the ropes around her wrists were tied around the metal rails of the bed she was on. Her body was shivering with cold since her clothes were wet and no doubt in reaction to the situation she found herself in. Bella tensed when she heard footsteps heading toward the room, and her breathing increased as panic set in. She had no idea where she was or who had kidnapped her. She had her suspicions, but until he walked through the door, she would only be guessing. She jumped when the door to the bedroom slammed up against the opposite wall. Yep, she was right. She was in deep shit. Bella watched as David strode into the room. She couldn’t help her gasp as she saw the left side of his face. The skin was puckered where he had been burned from the hot pan she’d slammed against the side of his head. “Take a good look, you fucking bitch. The last thing you’re going to see is what you did to me,” David snarled. Bella shrank back as he came closer to the bed, the large knife in his hand glinting occasionally as light from the other room caught the blade. She tried to kick out at him, but he jumped onto the bed, straddling her thighs and using his weight to hold her in place. She couldn’t breathe, the sight of that big knife moving toward her making her pant and whimper in fear. “Yes, be very afraid of me, little girl. I’m going to love having a piece of you before I kill you,” David said, his voice now totally

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devoid of emotion. Bella felt the cold blade against her skin as David sliced her shirt and pants away from her body. She felt so exposed and dirty, his eyes traveling the length of her scantily clothed body. She’d put on the underwear she’d had from her own time. Her bright-red, lacy G-string and matching lace bra were totally out of place in the small, dingy cabin. “What the fuck? Well, aren’t you just the little whore. Who would’ve thought you’d be parading around in such skimpy underthings? Guess you are just the whore I thought you were.” David placed the metal blade between her breasts and sliced her bra then the side strings of her panties. “Please, don’t hurt me,” Bella whimpered. “Why the fuck should I be lenient on you after what you did to me, you fucking bitch?” David screamed at her, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her face up close to his as he leaned forward. “Look at what you did to me. I’ll never be able to show my face in town again, thanks to you.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. You scared me. You were going to rape me,” Bella cried, tears streaming from her eyes. “Yeah, I was. You should have just let me have a piece of you and left it at that. Now. Now, I’m gonna have to torture you for what you did to me,” David screamed, spraying her face with spittle in his mad ranting. “Please, no. I wouldn’t have hurt you, but you attacked me. Can’t you see I was just defending myself?” Bella sobbed, her breathing so rapid she was in danger of passing out. She tried to concentrate on calming her rising hysteria and panicked breathing. The last thing she wanted to do was pass out now. She needed to keep her wits about her if she was going to get a chance to escape with her life. Bella whimpered as David released her hair. She flopped back down on the pillow, relief coursing through her at the sudden reprieve, and closed her eyes. Her eyes snapped open as the knife sliced

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through the skin of her upper arm. She turned her head, relieved to see only beads of blood seeping from the shallow cut. She was surprised she didn’t feel any pain. She looked up into at him, only to be even more afraid as she saw the glazed look of concentration on his face. He was going to cut her all over, and there wasn’t a fucking thing she could do about it. Bella prayed to God, thanking him for the opportunity to have met and loved her men and begging him to help them find her in time to rescue her. She drifted in and out of consciousness, her mind flitting from one memory to the next, making her smile and feel full of love. She saw her husbands’ faces staring down at her with such tenderness as they made love to her. She saw the face of her sweet baby girl, grinning up at her, her eyes drifting shut as her belly, full with her momma’s milk, made her sleepy. She kissed her daughter’s head and breathed in her sweet baby scent. Bella jerked back to awareness, determination coursing through every cell of her body. She was pregnant. She had a baby girl growing in her belly, and there was no way in hell she was giving in without a fight. She looked down at her body, her blood seeping from various knife cuts, but they weren’t deep wounds. Maybe David didn’t really want to be doing what he was to her. “You are a coward, David Ryder,” Bella spat at him. “Only cowards attack people smaller and weaker than themselves. Only cowards tie up helpless women and cut them up. You must be such a disappointment to your father. My God, just think about what he’s going to say when he finds you, his son, cutting up a helpless woman. He is going to be so proud of you. Not.” “Shut up,” David whimpered, clutching his head between his hands, the knife falling onto the bed, obviously forgotten. Bella knew she had broken his concentration, and the only way she was going to get him to keep from hurting her any more was to keep at him. “I can just imagine what your mother would say to you if she

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could see you now. Do you think she’d call you the coward you are? Only bullies, people sick in the head, would do what you’re doing to me. I can help you if you let me. All you need to do is untie me and let me go. I’ll get a doctor to come and see you. You need help, David. You’re sick in your mind.” “You’re right about that, little missy. I’m so sorry I didn’t do anything before.” Sheriff Nate Ryder’s voice echoed in the quiet of the room. “Oh God, David. What have you done?” “Pa. I’m sorry, Pa. She walked around that ranch in man’s clothes. The voices in my head said she was mine, not the Aldridge brothers’. They stole her from me. I had to get her back.” “David, come on out to the fire, and we’ll sit and talk awhile,” Sheriff Nate said quietly, easing further into the room. Bella watched as David climbed from the bed to face his father. Her eyes slid back and forth from father to son. David had the knife back in his hand, his arm bent, the knife pointed toward his father. Sheriff Nate had his gun in his hand, his arm hanging loosely by his side. “I’m sorry I didn’t know what your ma was doing to you when she was alive. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you from her. If you had come to me and told me what was going on, I could have done something about it. That little girl hasn’t done anything to you, David. You need to let her go,” Sheriff Nate commanded. “She’ll tell on me if I do. What am I going to do, Pa?” “You let me worry about those things, son. Now, I’m going to untie her. I don’t want you to move, David,” Sheriff Nate said as he moved to Bella’s side. Bella and the sheriff kept their eyes on David, and he released her wrists. “I want you to keep still. Don’t move a muscle and draw attention to yourself. You get out of here fast when he’s not looking. My horse is right outside the door. You climb up into that saddle and head on out straight away from the cabin. Keep riding straight, and you’ll ride

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right into the Triple A Ranch,” Nate whispered. Bella just nodded her head to let the sheriff know she’d heard him, too afraid to draw David’s attention to her now that it was on his father. “You’ve done a bad thing, son. You know I’m going to have to take you in,” Nate said to David, his voice full of sad resignation. “You don’t have to do that, Pa. We can just pretend it never happened. I’ll be good from now on. I promise.” “You and I both know you ain’t right in the head, son. I can’t keep covering up the bad things you do. This time you’ve gone too far. If I let you go now, you’ll just find some other woman to obsess over. What will you do then? You were going to kill this time, David. I can’t let you hurt anyone else.” Bella watched as father and son moved cautiously around each other. She saw the muscles in David’s body tense, readying to strike against his father. She screamed in horror as David leapt at his father, the blade of the knife sinking into his father’s belly as the sheriff lifted his arm and pulled the trigger. Father and son fell to the floor, both writhing in pain until their last breaths left their lungs. Bella felt sick to her stomach, the stench of blood and urine permeating the small room. She scrambled from the bed, pulling the sheet around her body, and ran. She was sobbing and shaking as she mounted the dead sheriff’s horse and kicked it into a gallop. She never once looked back. Bella was frantic to reach her men on the Triple A Ranch. She knew they would be worried about her, and she just wanted to hold them and have them hold her in their arms. She nudged the horse again, her vision impaired from the tears in her eyes. She prayed her mount wouldn’t stumble in a hole and send her flying through the air and send her tumbling to the ground. She could feel blood seeping from the cuts on her body and knew she needed to clean them up and stem the flow. She gasped and held on to the horse’s mane when it stumbled but gave a sigh of relief as it gained its balance. The horse’s

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hooves pounded into the ground. Every step was jarring through her entire body, and she felt so tired and weak. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on, but she wasn’t about to give up now. She gripped the side of the horse tighter with her knees and even though the reins were in her hands, she didn’t pull on them. She clung to the pommel instead and let the animal beneath her carry her, racing through the night. She needed to get home to her men. She needed to see them with her own eyes. She didn’t know how long she and the horse traveled for. It could have been minutes or hours. Everything slowed down and seemed so surreal. The horse was breathing heavily, and it was lathered with sweat. She didn’t want to push it too hard, but she couldn’t stop. The words in her head rolled around her mind over and over again. Get home. Get home. Get home. Bella was thankful the animal seemed to know where she wanted to go. She didn’t need to direct him at all. She could hardly see now. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, and the wind rushing into her eyeballs made it worse. She startled as the shadows of trees rushed past her, and she flinched as a thin branch caught her on the cheek. She bent down low over the horse’s neck and sobbed as her aching hands clung to the saddle. She didn’t know if she would be able to let go when she reached the house. She listened intently when she thought she heard pounding hooves on the ground. But she thought she was imagining things when she only heard the sound of the hooves of the horse she was mounted on beating into the ground. She peered through the dark but couldn’t see much. Get home. Get home. Get home.

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Chapter Fourteen “Where the fuck could she be?” Clint roared with fear and frustration. “I don’t know, but someone was here. There’s water all over the place, and I found some blood on the timber decking outside,” Marcus yelled. “David. That fucking bastard’s a dead man,” Adam yelled. It was already dark out, as Clint and his brothers had worked a bit later than usual because of their late start. When he’d found no sign of Bella in the house, he had been filled with dread. At first he had thought she had been taken from them, back to her own time. But once he had seen the spilled bucket and signs of a struggle, he knew she had been taken against her will. “We have to hurry,” Marcus yelled at him as he vaulted into the saddle. Clint mounted his horse, and he and his brothers galloped at breakneck speed, praying he would reach his wife in time to save her. It would take them a good twenty minutes to reach David’s cabin even at the pace they were going. He was only five minutes into their journey when Clint pulled his horse to a skidding halt, hand up, a silent signal to his brothers that someone was coming their way. The sight that met his eyes had his heart lifting from his belly in relief. Then fury took hold as he saw the blood on the sheet wrapped around their wife. He nudged his horse back onto the trail, eager to intercept his woman. Clint saw Bella jerk her horse to a halt, her breath sobbing out as she spotted her him and his brothers. She practically threw herself

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from the horse, her knees buckling as she slid to the ground. He jumped down to the ground and reached for her, hesitating. She was covered in blood, and he didn’t want to hurt her any more than she was. She looked up into his anguished face as he reached out for her, and he sighed when she threw herself into his arms. “Bella, you’re bleeding. God, baby, what did he do to you? Where is he? How did you get away?” Clint asked, his words running together, his fear for his wife coming out with his words. “I’m all right. He didn’t hurt me that bad. He’s dead. His father shot him. They’re both dead. God, David stabbed his own father, and the sheriff shot his son at the same time,” Bella said then scrambled from his lap, moaned, doubled over, and retched. When she was done, Clint carefully lifted her into his arms. He passed her over to Adam when his brother mounted, and he headed back to the ranch. He set a slow, easy pace, careful not to hurt his wife by jolting her too much. Clint watched as Marcus carefully carried Bella into the kitchen and held her on his lap while he prepared his wife a bath. He stepped up to her and leaned her back against his chest while Marcus held her steady and eased the sheet off of her body. He groaned with anguish when he saw the long, shallow cuts on her body. “Bella, darlin’, are you in pain?” Marcus asked. Clint heard his brother, but he had to strain to hear him because his voice was no more than a whisper, as he stared down at her body from over her shoulder. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? I’m surprised I don’t feel anything at all,” Bella answered. “Baby, look at me,” Clint demanded, walking closer to his wife. He looked at her and knew the anguish he felt for his wife was visible on his face. He looked over the cuts on her body, then back up to her eyes again. “I’m going to get you a shot of whiskey, and I want you to drink it. You’re in shock, baby. You’re beginning to shake already,” Clint

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said quietly. “No. No whiskey. It’s not good for the baby. Just bring a hot cup of tea with lots of sugar, please.” Bella stumbled through her reply. “We’re going to have a baby? Are you sure, Bella?” Adam asked. “Yes, I’m sure,” she answered in a wobbly voice. Clint could hear her teeth chattering and wanted to pull her into his arms, but was afraid of hurting her. He saw Adam walk over with a hot cup of sweet tea and hand it to Marcus. His eyes were on the cuts on his wife’s body, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away. He wondered how the hell she was sitting there without screaming in pain. Clint watched her as Marcus wrapped his hands around hers, helping to hold the cup steady so she could drink the sweet brew. Once she finished her tea, he picked her up very carefully and slowly, gently lowered her into the just-warm water of the tub. The sound of Bella hissing through her teeth as the water stung her cuts made him clench his teeth with anger, anguish, and concern. Clint knelt down next to her as she just sat in the warm water, letting the warmth chase the chill from her bones. Once she stopped shaking, he was glad to see her lift her head to look at him and his brothers. Adam and Marcus had joined him and they were now crouched around the metal tub on all sides. She gave him a tremulous smile, took the washcloth from him, and began to clean her wounds. He wanted to do it for her, but he knew it was better if she did it herself. She was the one in pain and she wouldn’t scrub herself too hard. Once done, she stood up and would have stumbled if he hadn’t reached out to steady her. Clint lifted her from the tub and wrapped her in a towel, being careful not to move the material on her body and abrade her injuries. He carried her down the hall into their bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. “I have a bolt of white cotton in the chest at the end of the bed. We need to cut it up into long strips so I can cover these wounds,” Bella

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said. She didn’t have to explain. Clint and his brothers got to work cutting the cotton into strips until they had a pile of bandages. Adam held her up against his chest while he and Marcus got to work. They had her bound up and settled on the bed fifteen minutes later. He could see her eyes getting heavy. She clutched at her head as if it was aching. She was nearly asleep, and Clint was glad. At least she would be able to escape the pain from the cuts if she was sleeping. “I’m probably going to be sleeping a lot over the next twenty-four to fortyeight hours. Don’t worry too much. David hit me on the head, and I think I have a slight concussion. It’s normal to sleep a lot when that happens. If you’re worried, you can try and wake me every couple of hours. If I’m still sleeping after forty-eight hours, you’ll need to get a doctor. I should be right as rain by tomorrow afternoon, though. Love you,” Bella slurred then fell asleep. **** The next twenty-four hours were the worst Clint and his brothers had ever endured. Clint set up a schedule taking turns in looking after Bella. He was glad she had told him she would be sleeping a lot because even though he was worried about her, he wasn’t frantic since she had told him she would sleep a lot. He only woke her every couple of hours. He made her drink water every time he or his brothers woke her, and when he was satisfied she had enough to drink, he would let her sleep again. They took turns with her, sleeping and working in shifts, and when they weren’t on Bella duty, they conversed and planned. Clint had brought in the doctor from Big Lake. Marcus had ridden hard, bringing the doctor back with him, the thought of losing their wife to fever or infection a fear he’d been unable to endure. He had been relieved when the young doctor had advised that Bella had done a good job cleaning her wounds and wrapping them, protecting them from getting infected.

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He was going to hire a contingent of men to help out on the ranch. He hadn’t had the inclination to hire anyone before, preferring to do the work with the help of his brothers, keeping their days busy since they had no one to come home to. Since that fateful day he and his brothers had headed to Big Lake, looking for a few hours of pleasure, he didn’t want to spend as much time working the ranch. His life had been changed for the better when they had found their wife lying unconscious on the ground just north of the town. He couldn’t wait until Bella was on the mend again. He wanted to know if he had heard what she said correctly, and if it was true they were going to be fathers. Bella woke in the early evening the next day, and Clint was relieved to see their wife was her usual feisty self, just a little slower than normal. Clint and his brothers continued to look after Bella over the next three days. He could tell she was feeling better when she began to snap and snarl and became antsy with them. He knew she wanted to get out of bed, but he thought it was too soon. That was until she put her foot down. “Okay, that’s it. I appreciate all the love and care you’ve given me over the last few days, but now it’s time to stop. Don’t you have work you should be doing?” Bella asked. “No, baby. We hired on some hands and they have everything covered,” Clint answered. “Shit, then maybe you could start building onto the house. We’re going to need more room when the baby comes along. And we have to work out a way to get water plumbed into the house. I would kill for a shower right now,” Bella said as she pushed her hair back from her face. “How are you wounds, Bella?” Marcus asked, moving over to her. “They’re fine. Healing nicely. Is that bacon I smell? God, it smells so good. I could eat half a pig I’m so hungry,” Bella muttered, then laughed as she watched her men run about getting her food. Bella ate her late breakfast, brunch really, with relish, savoring every bite of food. When she was done, she pushed her empty plate to

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the side and sat back to find her men staring at her with hunger. She twitched in her seat, squeezing her thighs together to relieve her aching clit, and reached up to touch her necklace. She let out a loud gasp of anguish, and her men jumped from their seats to surround her, all talking at once. “What is it, baby?” “What’s wrong, darlin’?” “Are you in pain, honey?” “No, I’m fine, but my necklace—it’s gone,” Bella stated, tears pricking the back of her eyes. “The chain must have broken when David kidnapped me. I’ve lost my pendant.” “Aw, baby. Don’t worry about that. We have enough money to buy you dozens of necklaces and pendants. Besides, you were meant to lose it. Otherwise you would never have found your way here to us,” Clint said gently, rubbing her thigh as he squatted next to her. “I know you’re right. It’s just that, it was special. It meant a lot to me. You guys gave it to me. I love you all so much. God has truly blessed us by bringing me here to you.” “Bella, we love you, too, baby. Let us show you how much. That’s if you’re up to some lovin’?” Clint asked, holding his hand out to her. “I’m always up to making love with my men. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Here, home with my men back in 1865,” Bella said with a grin, taking Clint’s hand and rising to her feet. She followed him into the bedroom, Marcus and Adam close at her heels. They had a lifetime to spend together, living, loving, and making babies. She was going to hold on to the precious gift given to her from above and never let go. They spent the entire day in bed, making love until they all fell into an exhausted sleep.

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Epilogue Bella grunted, breathing through the pain that wracked her body. If she didn’t know what a precious gift she would have to hold in her arms after her torture was over, she would never have been able to endure. Bella snarled at her husbands every time they reached out to her. They had gotten her into this mess in the first place. She’d been pacing the floorboards since the early hours of the morning and hadn’t woken her husbands, knowing they would drive her crazy once they knew she was in labor. And she had been right. Adam wanted her to lie down on the bed. Clint wanted to rub her back and belly every time she had a contraction, and Marcus—sweet Marcus just wanted to hold her in his arms. She was having none of that. She snarled at them for the slightest thing, and even though she knew she was being unfair, she couldn’t seem to help herself. She didn’t want them touching her at all. She had gotten into this predicament by them touching her then making love to her. There was no way in hell they were coming near her again. They had cocks for goodness’ sake, and as far as she was concerned right at this moment, cocks were dangerous. Bella leaned a hand against the wall, doubled over, and groaned as a strong contraction ripped through her belly and womb. She could feel her men hovering nearby, but dared not look up at them. If she saw the concern, worry, and fear on their faces, she was going to let them have it with her tongue. Once the contraction had passed, Bella walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. She hummed quietly to herself as she sliced some bread and began to make a sandwich.

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She was so hungry she could eat a horse. “Bella, baby, why don’t you sit down and let me make you something to eat?” Clint asked. “Because, I am quite capable of doing it myself,” Bella snapped then began humming again as she worked. She sliced some beef from the hunk of meat that had been in the cool box. She couldn’t wait for electricity to be used more prevalently and for the refrigerator to be invented. Bella took her sandwich over to the dining table, sat down, and began to eat, totally ignoring her husbands. She knew she was being a bitch, but considering she was in labor, she thought she had every right to be moody. She was halfway through her sandwich when pain ripped through her. Beads of sweat broke out over her skin, and she couldn’t help the cry of pain escaping her mouth as she clutched her large belly and she doubled over. “I’m sorry for being so nasty. I don’t know what’s come over me. Can one of you please help me to bed?” Bella asked, her voice no more than a whispered whimper. “Sure we can, darlin’,” Marcus replied. Then Marcus was at her side. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the hall to the bedroom. Layers of old, worn sheets had been placed on the bed, ready for when Bella was to give birth. He placed her on the bed and helped her to remove her clothes. He was about to pull the covers up over her, but Bella stopped him. “No. I’m too hot,” Bella complained then cried out as another pain gripped her. “What can we do to help you, honey?” Adam asked as he crawled onto the bed at her side. “I don’t know. Just being here with me is enough, even if I am being a bitch.” “Darlin, you can get as snarky and bitchy as you want. It won’t make a difference to us. We love you no matter what,” Marcus replied from her other side.

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“Oh God. You’re so good to me,” Bella wailed, tears flowing down her cheeks. “What would I ever do without you?” “You’ll never have to find out, baby,” Clint said from his place down the bed, between her thighs. “It won’t be long now, Bella. Just breathe, baby. You’re doing great.” “Ooh,” Bella groaned as another pain battered her body. “They’re coming so fast now there’s no time to rest in between.” “Our baby’s nearly ready to be born, honey. Have you settled on a name yet?” Adam asked, trying to distract his wife from her pain. “I know we had several in mind, for both sexes, but you haven’t told us which one you liked best.” “I already told you we’re having a girl, Adam. And yes, I’ve narrowed the names down to twooo,” Bella moaned. “I’ve got to push. Don’t you dare tell me not to, Clint, or I swear I’ll cut your cock off.” Bella couldn’t hold back her laughter when she heard Clint’s bellow. She laughed and cried at the same time, all the while pushing. Adam and Marcus were great. They helped her sit upright as she pushed. The burning pain as her daughter’s head crowned was excruciating, but she didn’t stop. Three pushes and her daughter’s head was out. She waited for one more contraction and pushed the rest of her daughter from her body. She flopped back onto the pillows, totally exhausted after fifteen long hours of labor. Her eyelids slid closed then popped open again at the lusty sound of her baby crying. Clint handed her baby over to her. She was bundled up in an old cotton sheet and would need to be cleaned up, but she was the most beautiful, precious gift she’d ever held in her arms. Bella was oblivious to the pain as the afterbirth expelled from her body. Nothing mattered but her husbands and her beautiful baby girl. “Welcome home, Jessica Rose,” Bella whispered to her daughter. She had tears of joy and love streaming down her face. She looked up at her husbands to see they were also crying tears of joy. Coming home to the year of 1865 had never felt so right.

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THE END WWW.BECCAVAN-EROTICROMANCE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR My name is Becca Van. I live in Australia with my wonderful hubby of many years, as well as my children, a pigeon pair (a girl and a boy). I have always wanted to write and last year decided to do just that. I didn’t want to stay in the mainstream of a boring nine-to-five job, so I quit, fulfilling my passion for writing. I decided to utilize my time with something I knew I would enjoy and had always wanted to do. I submitted my first manuscript to Siren-BookStrand a couple of months ago, and much to my excited delight, I got a reply saying they would love to publish my story. I literally jump out of bed with excitement each day and can’t wait for my laptop to power up so I can get to work.

Also by Becca Van Ménage Everlasting: Slick Rock 1: Slick Rock Cowboys Ménage Everlasting: Slick Rock 2: Double E Ranch Ménage Everlasting: Slick Rock 3: Her Ex-Marines Ménage Everlasting: Terra-form 1: Alpha Panthers Ménage Everlasting: Terra-form 2: Taming Olivia Ménage Everlasting: Help Me Fly Again Ménage Everlasting: Re-awaken Me

Available at BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com