Page 22 of Their Wanted Bride (Bridgewater Brides 1)

He frowned and backed away. “You must be starving,” he said, pulling his trousers over his hips. “You barely touched your supper.”

I laid a hand on my abdomen, flushing anew with mortification. “Sorry. I promise, I’m fine.”

He tapped my nose sternly, but smiled. “You’ll eat a good meal. After breakfast, we’ll take you to the mercantile for some warm clothes, then we’ll head home.”

The door opened, revealing Caleb with a large covered tray. My mouth watered and I hurried forward to help him. Waving me away, he set our breakfast on the table and removed the cloth.

There was tableware and a carafe of coffee, plus huge bowls of biscuits, steaming gravy, bacon, and a pile of scrambled eggs I was sure we wouldn’t be able to finish. My belly rumbled again, making Caleb chuckle.

“Sit and eat, Maddy. Let’s soothe that monster trying to escape your stomach.”

My cheeks hot, I obeyed and waited while he served me a plate before making two more for himself and Justin. The eggs were fluffy and had just the right amount of salt. The biscuits were as tender and flaky as I could make, and the gravy had the perfect scattering of pepper for seasoning.

Swallowing, I reached for another piece of crisp bacon. “How is this breakfast so lovely when supper was so awful?”

“I found out they had a new cook last night,” Caleb replied. “We thought it was fine, but you weren’t the only one to complain.”

Glancing down at my empty plate, Justin asked, “Are you finished eating? There’s still another biscuit if you want it.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll burst if I eat another bite.” I touched my lips with my napkin, then asked, “Are we ready to go to the mercantile? I also want to check on Prince. He’s not used to the weather here either.”

“Of course. Put on your boots and we’ll head out,” Caleb said.

I pushed my foot into my boot, grimacing when I felt the wad of money lodged in the toe. Pulling it out, I handed it to Caleb. “Here, this is the last of my dowry. Will you put it in the bank for me?”

Caleb was on me in a flash, followed by Justin. Pinching my chin, he gently lifted my face up. “We told you we would take care of your needs. That money is yours to do with as you see fit, but you will not use it on us, understand?”

“But I—”

Justin stole my words with a deep, thoroughly drugging kiss, laying me back until I was gasping for air and sprawled on the bed, my bodice half undone. He tugged my hair, making me look at him and Caleb.

“Enough, Maddy,” he said sternly. “We’ll put that money away for a rainy day. It makes us happy to know you have something to fall back on.”

My eyes filled with tears and I nodded. How had I gotten so lucky to have two such wonderful men? It seemed almost sinful when most ladies were lucky if they got one. Or none, I reminded myself, thinking of Nathan Bergman.

“Shh, sweetheart,” Caleb murmured, helping me sit up. “We’ve got you now.”

“I know.” I leaned against his chest and scrubbed the tears from my eyes, then fixed my bodice. “We should go.”

“Good idea,” Justin said, helping me to my feet while Caleb packed my meagre belongings. “Otherwise we might be tempted to bed our beautiful wife again.”

My blush returned, heating my cheeks as they helped me with my ragged coat. We went downstairs, me tucked between them. When we reached the landing, I blinked in surprise at the sight of Ann and her husbands waiting with a large satchel. Robert held a heavy coat over one arm.

“Oh, good,” Ann said, smiling at us. “We were afraid we missed you.”

“Were we supposed to meet you for breakfast?” Caleb asked. “I’m afraid we’ve already eaten.”

“No, but we got home and realized your Maddy might need some things to hold her over. The mercantile is a little short on warm clothes this late in the season.” Andrew replied, handing the bag to Caleb.

Robert gave the coat to Justin, who helped me exchange it for Reggie’s. It fit perfectly, making me realize it must have been Ann’s. “Are you sure you don’t need this?” I asked, biting my lip.

She waved me away and shook her head. “No, it’ll warm up soon enough, and I’m used to the weather. I won’t need it for months, so you can use it until then.”

“Thank you so much,” I murmured, packing Reggie’s coat with the rest of my things. “You’re very generous.”

“We help each other in Bridgewater. You can return the favor for someone else after you get settled.”

I nodded in understanding. “Thank you again.”

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