Joe disappeared for a moment, presumably to clean up. He reappeared a few moments later with a full pitcher of water and clean cloths. With ablutions done, she snuggled between her men.
Her men.
The strange thought felt oddly right and comfortable.
Joe kissed her. “I love you, Katie,” he whispered. “We’ll take care of you better than any woman’s ever known.”
“I love you, too.”
Mason kissed her next. “I love you, too, Katie.” He added, “I promise this will work.”
She nodded and kissed him back. “I love you, too. And I believe you.”
With both men looking happier than she’d ever seen them, and her own soul feeling lighter than it had in a long time, she drifted off to sleep in their arms.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning Katie stretched, a smile on her face as she felt the men’s firm bodies tightly nestled along either side of her. She rolled to her side, her pleasantly aching butt pressing against Mason, her forehead tucked against Joe’s shoulder.
Joe kissed her forehead. “How you feeling, sweetheart?”
She smiled. “Good. Real good.”
Mason nuzzled the back of her neck. “Too bad my head doesn’t feel good.”
“That’s your own dang fault,” Joe chided. “You’re getting too old to drink like that. Lucky for you it’s Saturday, and you don’t have to ride into town.”
Mason groaned as he rubbed his forehead. “Lucky me.”
Katie started to say something when she realized how high the sun sat in the sky outside. “Oh, no!” She sat up and tried to climb over Joe.
“Whoa, where are you going?” Joe gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him.
“I’ve got to get cleaned up and dressed! I’ve got Mrs. Paisley coming in at ten for a fitting!”
Joe released her after a quick peck on the lips. “Go on, sweetie. Don’t worry about making us breakfast. I’ll get dressed and take you in.”
Mason slowly rolled to a sitting position. “If I can make the world stop spinning, I’ll go tell the guys to get the buggy and a horse ready.”
Katie gave him a quick kiss in passing as she headed for the bedroom door. “Thank you, Mase.”
With a heart that felt lighter than it had since before Paul’s death, she quickly washed up and dressed. By the time she returned to the kitchen, Joe had dressed and made her a biscuit with strawberry preserves to eat on the ride in. They should make it to the shop with about twenty minutes to spare.
During the trip to town, Joe kept his arm draped around her shoulders. She enjoyed finally being able to cuddle with him without guilt eating at her. And if she wiggled just right, she felt reminders of the night before in the slightly achy, yet pleasant twinges in her ass.
She wanted to do that again real soon. Maybe even that night, if she could coax the men into it.
Somehow, she didn’t think she’d have any problems coaxing them.
“See?” he said with more than a hint of humor in his voice. “I told you it’d work out all right.”
“Now we have to deal with Junior sitting in Sheriff Birch’s jail.” She’d managed not to think about it the evening before, but the ride into town reminded her of that reality. It wouldn’t be long before Senior showed up and demanded she drop the charges against his son.
She shivered.
“No, you don’t have to deal with that at all. Mason and I will take care of that.” He squeezed her closer. “You just enjoy being a well-loved and spoiled woman and planning our wedding.”
She looked up into his eyes and couldn’t help but return his smile. “It doesn’t seem fair that we’re getting married and Mason isn’t.”
“He’ll be my best man. Don’t worry. Mason has developed a bachelor’s reputation. No one will question him staying single and living with us.”
When they reached the shop, they found Ben Ainsley sitting in a tipped back chair on the porch, his shotgun laying across his lap and feet propped up on the railing.
Joe helped Katie down from the buggy. “Ben? What’s going on?”
He tipped his hat to Katie. “Sheriff told me to spend the day here. He got word from Dade City that Dorchester Senior is on the warpath and headin’ here to try to get Junior out.”
Katie swore under her breath. Joe had brought her shotgun. He reached into the buggy, handing the weapon out to her. “Go on inside, honey, and let me talk to Ben.”
With nervous fingers, she unlocked her door and stepped inside. She had about twenty minutes before Mrs. Paisley arrived. As she got her shop ready, she kept glancing outside at Joe, who now sat in another chair on the porch while he talked with Ben.
The men didn’t move from their posts when Mrs. Paisley arrived. She cast a curious glance at the men as she passed them and stepped inside the shop. She turned to Katie with a knowing smile.
“So I hear congratulations are in order, dear? You and Joe are getting married?”
Katie felt the blush creep up her face. Likely, the whole of Brooksville knew already. The speed of gossip exceeded even that of the fastest train, apparently. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good for you!” She smiled as she took the dress Katie handed her and stepped into the back room to change. “Joe is a wonderful man. So is his cousin, Mason.”
“Yes, they’ve been very kind to me.”
“So how is Mason handling the news? I thought he was rather sweet on you. Everyone seemed to think he would be marrying you.”
Katie gulped. Thank goodness the woman was behind the screen and couldn’t see her. “He’s very happy for us. He offered to move out after the wedding, but Joe and I wouldn’t hear of it.” She took a gamble. “Truth be told, Mason really isn’t interested in a relationship. I was just doing him a favor and helping him fend off single women.”
“Oh?” Katie wasn’t sure she liked the woman’s inquisitive tone and decided she should clarify.
“He prefers being a bachelor. Said he doesn’t want a woman ordering him around or telling him to wipe his feet before he comes in. He’s also worried that since he has his sights on becoming sheriff eventually, he doesn’t want a woman to risk losing him in the line of duty. He saw how broke up Joe was after his fiancée died. Mason said he’d rather be alone than put a woman through that kind of grief.”
“Aww.” The woman’s sympathetic tone told Katie her words had the desired effect. “That’s sort of sad, don’t you think? Sweet, but sad.” She stepped out from behind the screen and Katie helped her button the back of the dress.
“Some might think that, but Mason is set in his ways. I thought it was sad at first, too, but now that I know him better, I see he really is happy. He’s married to his work. You know how some men are. I’d feel sorry for any woman who does manage to put a ring on his hand. She’d be better off alone.” Okay, that was putting it on rather thickly, but maybe it would help accomplish two goals at once—keeping single women away from Mason, and explaining why he was still single and living with them.
Mrs. Paisley let out a sad sigh. “Yes, I can see that. Well, my cousin Georgia will be crushed. She was hoping once she’d heard about you marrying Joe that maybe she would have a chance with Mason again.”
Katie knew Georgia. Black hair and brown eyes and not plain-looking, but no blue ribbon winner, either. “No offense, ma’am, but Mason’s first obligation and love is his work. I doubt any woman will ever be able to steal him away from that.
Or from me, she silently added.
Katie could close up the shop for the day after Mrs. Paisley left. Once the woman changed back to her other dress and Katie finished the final alterations, she paid Katie and took the neatly boxed dress with her. Ben and Joe both stood as one and started to step inside when a commotion out on the street caught their attention. A group of five horsemen, led by Dorchester Senior, were racing into town, scattering people and the odd chicken and dog in their path.