She held onto him like she never wanted to let him go. She loved this man with all her heart and soul.

  “Where’s Alastair,” she asked. “He’s not hurt is he?”

  She felt Keegan tense in her arms. “He’s not hurt physically, but darling, you have to understand that there are things in his past that he has a hard time getting over.”

  Amazed, she let go of Keegan. “Did he believe I wanted to have sex with Phillip?”

  “You need to ask him,” Keegan said.

  Rage filled her. After everything they had shared, how could he not realize that she would never cheat on him or Keegan? She had even told him she would never cheat on him, but words didn’t seem to be enough.

  Keegan glanced at her. “Damn, I don’t know who I feel sorrier for, Phillip or Alastair. The man doesn’t realize how much his actions have hurt you.”

  It was true. He didn’t know. But he would soon understand exactly how she felt about his absence tonight.

  “Take me home, Keegan.”

  After he tied up Phillip for the sheriff to find, he helped her dress and then he wrapped his arm around her as they walked out of the house. She grabbed the paperwork Charley had wanted her to sign before she left the house.

  Maybe they had not been caught yet, but she would soon see them in jail.

  When they reached Keegan’s horse, he helped her on and then crawled up behind her.

  They began the long journey back to Bridgewater. Suddenly Alastair appeared before them with Charley, who sat tied on his horse.

  “Look who I found,” he said delighted.

  Catriona refused to look at the man she had once thought of as her second father. The man she trusted.

  “I never want to see him again,” she said.

  “Well, it seems there is a large herd of cattle not far from here. And guess whose cattle is mixed amongst the herd. Ours, Catriona’s, and other families’ from Bridgewater. He and Phillip are our cattle rustlers.”

  Keegan nodded. “Good work. We’ll wait for you while you leave him at the house. Both men tied up there and we’ll contact the law.”

  Catriona was exhausted and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed.

  “I just want to go home,” she said with a moan. She hurt all over from where Phillip had hit her. She was both emotionally and physically tired and she was mad as hell at Alastair.

  Things were going to change and she was just the person to make it happen.

  19

  It was the middle of the night when they rode into Bridgewater. Several times, Catriona had fallen asleep in Keegan’s arms, but she was wide awake now and she was ready to make them realize the harm they had done.

  All she’d ever wanted was a man to court her and make her feel like he cared for her and her only. That he would protect her, and while most of the time she felt that way with Alastair, she wasn’t certain.

  But they both could do better.

  Keegan pulled his horse to a halt in front of their home. She slid down and then she turned on both of them.

  “Hear me out,” she said loudly.

  Both men turned to stare at her.

  “Tonight, Alastair, I’m very disappointed in you. You didn’t trust me enough to know that I would never cheat on you. Maybe you men have had me way too easy. You didn’t have to court me. You didn’t even have to woo me into your bed. But no more.”

  She took a deep breath. “Until you can prove to me that you believe in me, you trust me and think I’m the wife for you, you can sleep in the barn. I’m tired of men taking advantage of me and feel betrayed by the whole lot of you.”

  “Honey, I rescued you,” Keegan said in defense.

  “Yes, you did, but even you have been a disappointment. I want a man who loves me, cherishes me and is willing to go through hell for me. I’m tired of being disappointed and you never had to court me. Neither one of you. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do. What have you done for me?”

  “We married you,” Keegan said and she knew he didn’t understand.

  Alastair stood watching her. “Catriona, don’t do this.”

  “Both of you will sleep in the barn tonight. I need some time to think and make certain this marriage is what I want.”

  With that, she walked into the house and shut and locked the door.

  Then she sank down onto the floor and cried. Damn, damn, and double damn. She loved them both with all her heart, but Alastair didn’t trust her and believed her an immoral woman.

  And Keegan. The man was so very sweet, but she deserved a man who would court her and love her and make certain she was happy. All they wanted her for was to have sex every night.

  Didn’t she deserve two loving husbands?

  “Catriona, let me in,” Keegan said softly.

  “Go away. Leave me alone tonight. I need some time to figure out what I want.”

  A deep sigh could be heard on the other side of the door and finally she heard his footsteps walking away. Why could they not show her they loved her. Why could they not appreciate her and give her what she needed?

  Tonight the world seemed like a horrible place. A man she trusted completely had betrayed her, killed her parents, and tried to force his son on her. All so they could have her land.

  Alastair had not helped save her. And Keegan, bless his heart, while he may love her, he had not said anything. She needed to hear their reassurances. She needed their love.

  She removed her clothes that held the stench of Phillip and Charley. Lying naked on the couch, she cried herself to sleep.

  20

  The hike to the barn had been long and Alastair had never felt more dejected. This was all his fault.

  There were two bedrolls stored in the barn and they pulled them out and spread them on the hay. Nothing was said until Keegan turned off the lantern and lay down in the dark.

  At first he was silent, but Alastair could feel the tension between them. Finally it seemed to explode from him.

  “Damn it, Alastair, she’s furious with you and me both. When are you going to put your mother’s dealings behind you?”

  What could he say? He’d taken one look at her through the window, removing her clothes, and all the hate for his mother came rushing back – all the pain of her adultery and he was certain that somehow Catriona must be cheating on him.

  The image of his mother rushed to his mind and he thought he was going to throw up right there. So he’d turned and ran away, like a coward, leaving Keegan to save her.

  “You knew Phillip had taken her. She didn’t go there of her own free will,” Keegan said.

  The man didn’t understand that he’d walked in on his mother having sex with Mason Cook and it had been her own free will. She’d been enjoying herself and that had scarred him for life. Seeing his mother betraying his father tormented him.

  Then when the papers wrote the article about her, he’d been humiliated. But when his father killed himself, that had been the end of their family. He’d walked out the door and never returned. His brothers and sisters had done the same. All of them had gone their separate ways to avoid having to relive the humiliation.

  They had never spoken again and he didn’t even know where they were.

  He’d joined the army and never looked back.

  But women. He never trusted women, and even now, he wondered if he ever could. Maybe this time, she hadn’t been cheating, but what about the next time? Could he continue this marriage if he feared he would find her in bed with another man?

  Just seeing her removing her clothes had shaken him.

  “You’re right. I was wrong to walk away. Even now, it’s all I can do not to run in there and call her an adulteress.”

  Keegan lay there for a moment in the darkness. “If you do, she will leave us. You’ve got to get over this or there is no hope for our marriage.”

  How did one get over the biggest scandal in Scotland? The biggest humiliation of having the papers post photos of their mother and write articles of how she and Mason, a married man, had been having a clandestine affair. Of finding his father dead from his own bullet?

  “My father committed suicide after my mother’s affair was leaked to the papers,” he said. “My family all left town to get away from the sordidness of what happened. I don’t even know if my mother is still alive. And I really don’t care.”

  No one understood what it was like to attend school and have the boys call your mother vile names and laugh about her. The pain had been unbearable.

  “And that was a terrible thing you had to endure. I can’t even imagine. But Catriona is not your mother. She was not having an affair with Phillip. If we had not arrived there in time, I shudder to think what he would have done to her.”

  As much as he considered Keegan his brother, he didn’t understand.

  “I saw her undressing before him,” Alastair said, his heart wrenching.

  “Not because she wanted to,” Keegan admonished. “The man intended to rape our wife. I wanted to kill him, but she busted a bottle over his head. You know this shows you don’t trust her,” Keegan said.

  “I know,” he said. “I was wrong, and no, I don’t want her to give up on us.”

  “Then you’re going to have to do some major groveling. Because she’s angry. In fact, I think she’s furious at both of us.”

  For a moment, they were silent as they lay on straw in the darkness of the barn.

  “Why would she kick us out of our own home?” Keegan asked.

  “We’ve done our best to make her happy,” Alastair said.

  As they lay there, Alastair’s heart ached. He missed Catriona. He missed the warmth of her arms. Shocked, he suddenly realized the reason it hurt so badly when he saw her undressing was not because of what happened with his mother, but rather he’d fallen in love with her. He loved Catriona and if she cheated on him, he’d be as big a fool as his father.

  And yet his heart ached with the pain he’d caused her. He wanted to share his life with her. To grow old together, to have children and a family. He wanted her to understand the pain he’d endured at the hands of his family.

  “I really messed up,” he admitted in the dark. “I ran. When I found Charley with the stolen cattle, I hoped I would be forgiven. But she doesn’t understand.”

  And yet he knew that was not enough. It would never be enough. Could he give her the trust she needed?

  “What if I can’t trust her? What if I can’t give her the unconditional love she requires?”

  Keegan lay there not saying a word. Alastair wondered if he’d fallen asleep.

  “We’re brothers. As much as I don’t want to give up Catriona, I would. But I’m hoping you’re going to realize this woman is special. She’s different. You need to tell her why you left. Why you couldn’t watch another moment. I think she’ll be all right once you tell her,” Keegan said with a sigh. “At least I hope so.”

  Alastair stared in the darkness. “She is pretty special.”

  “Remember when we married her?” Keegan said. “She cried because she wanted to be courted. That’s what we need to do. We need to court her. Maybe she feels like she’s been taken advantage of and she deserves more. Tomorrow morning the courting begins.”

  Alastair smiled in the darkness. “I like that idea. We should hold a dance. Do you think the ladies of Bridgewater would help us throw a party for our bride?”

  “I just bet they would,” Keegan said.

  “Let’s talk to the men and women first thing in the morning,” Alastair said.

  One of the new foals neighed. It was as if the horse was telling them to shut up and go to sleep.

  “I like this plan,” Alastair said. “I’m going to do everything I can to save this marriage. I want Catriona. But she needs to understand why I am so against scandal and cheating. I should have told her long before now.”

  21

  The next morning, after she had bathed and fixed herself breakfast, she knew she needed to talk to the men. Last night, she’d been emotional. Learning that Charley, the man she loved and trusted had betrayed her, had been devastating. Suddenly she started to question if she was capable of knowing a good man from a bad one.

  It seemed like she’d put all her faith and trust into the wrong one, and what if she had made a mistake in marrying Keegan and Alastair? Keegan seemed like a good man, but there was something about Alastair that left her bewildered. No matter what she did, she was not good enough for him.

  A knock on the door had her running to answer it. She glanced out the window and saw three women from Bridgewater standing there.

  She opened the door and they smiled at her. Georgia Hamilton stood before her. “Hi, Catriona, do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  “Of course. Come on in,” she said, inviting the women inside.

  “I’m Mattie Craghead,” a woman said.

  “Your son went missing,” Catriona said. “I was so happy when Keegan found him.”

  “Me too,” the woman said.

  “I’m Emma,” a woman said. “I’m married to Whitmore and Ian.”

  “Please sit down,” Catriona said, leading them into the living area.

  “We’re so glad you were found and safely brought home,” Mattie said.

  Catriona wasn’t really ready to talk about what happened. She felt so confused and even humiliated that she had believed everything Charley told her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Mattie reached out and took her hand. “Your husbands wanted us to come over and talk to you. They know you’re upset with them.”

  “It was all so overwhelming. I should probably speak to them and let them know we need to talk.”

  Though she wasn’t quite ready to give them an answer about their status just yet. She just needed a little more time to accept that while they were good men, she had to trust them and her faith in men had been shattered last night.

  “No, they’ve gone to town to file a report with the new sheriff about Charley and Phillip,” Emma said. “They wanted us to make certain you’re all right.”

  How was she doing? How was one supposed to feel when their life had been threatened the night before? There was just so much confusion right now.

  “I’m doing all right,” she told the women. “It’s just that a man I trusted very much betrayed me. He stole so much from me and killed my parents. That has made me question if I even know what a good man looks like. I’m just confused.”

  Emma nodded. “Any one of us would have been upset after what you went through. I think your men are afraid that you’re going to give up on them.”

  The thought had crossed her mind, but yet her heart was very much involved. If she left them, she would be giving up on their marriage and she wanted it to work.

  “Neither one of them has had to work hard to get me. They married me to protect me from Phillip and didn’t have to court me or prove to me that they love me. Maybe I’m wrong, but I want my husbands to love me. To want to protect me and cherish what we have. Maybe I’m feeling like it’s all a little one sided right now.”

  The women nodded.

  Emma leaned forward. “Catriona, they are men. A little slow to show their feelings, but believe me, I think they have realized their mistake. They want us to hold a barn dance tonight, to welcome you to the community. They want to show off their wife to everyone.”

  Mattie nodded and laughed. “Alastair asked me to make certain that you did not leave before they returned. He’s very worried about you.”

  “Where would I go?” Catriona said. “I have a ranch, but I’m going to need to hire someone new to take care of it. I just don’t know what I should do.”

  Georgia patted her belly. “Oh, the baby just kicked me. You’ve just experienced a terrible ordeal where you said a man you believed in betrayed you. Don’t make any rash decisions. Give your husbands some time.”

  With a sigh, Catriona smiled at the women. “Thank you. I still don’t know what to do, but maybe right now is not the time to make a rash decision. And my husbands want to hold a barn dance?”

  “Yes,” Emma said. “They pleaded with us to convince you to stay for the dance.”

  “Keegan was quite distraught at the idea that you would leave before they returned from town.”

  Warmth filled her heart. She loved both men, but just wanted them to show her that they had feelings for her. Didn’t she deserve loving men?

  “I’ve got to get back to the children. Whitmore was kind enough to watch them while I came over here. And I’m making a big pot of stew for tonight’s dance. The children are going to enjoy watching the adults dance.”

  Catriona stood and hugged each woman. “Thank you so much for coming over this morning. You’ve made me feel better, and I promise I won’t make any rash decisions. I’ll give my men a chance before I decide what is best for me.”

  “Be careful,” Georgia said. “You could find yourself in my situation. Happily married with a second baby on the way.”

  The thought of a child made Catriona smile. “I would love that very much. But before I bring a child into this world, I want to make certain this is a good home to raise a family.”

  The women nodded.

  “See you tonight,” they called as they walked out the door.

  Catriona smiled as she thought of what she could wear tonight. But all of her clothes were still at her ranch.

  That afternoon there was another knock on the door and when Catriona opened the door, there was a box on the porch. Inside was a beautiful green dress with a note.

  We want you to have a new dress tonight to wear. With your permission, we’d like to pick you up and escort you to the dance. If that is acceptable to you, then tie this pink handkerchief on the door.

  She took her time preparing for the evening and when she was ready, Catriona tied the pink handkerchief on the door.

  Within a few minutes, they appeared on her doorstep. She opened the door to stare at her two handsome husbands.

  “Good evening, gentlemen,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for the lovely dress. That was very thoughtful.”

 

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