How Miss West Was Won (4 page)

I have become very at ease here. After our initial contact, my time spent with Eli has been at a minimum. He is gone long before I wake in the mornings, and since I sleep in my own bed, I do not even hear him leave.

He does not come to the house for lunch. Instead, Mrs. Dunlap prepares a basket of food for several of the men, and Stuart comes and picks it up. He always smiles when he sees me, and asks how my new life is treating me. I tell him it is fine, and he leaves.

Eli returns home in the evening, and we enjoy a meal prepared by Mrs. Dunlap. Then we retire to the library and read. I was surprised at the size of Eli’s library, and said so on my fourth day. He informed me that his mother loved to read, and she read to her sons every night.

It was the perfect chance for me to ask him about his family, but I did not. I told myself that, when the time is right, he will offer the information freely. At least I hope he will.

This morning, I am feeling a little caged, and I do not wish to spend all my time in the house. I have taken a few walks, but I have not ventured far from the main house. Today, that is going to change.

I am not sure how my ‘husband’ will feel about this, but I am going to do it. It will be interesting to see what comes from it.

* * *

Eli turned at the sound of his name. He had sent Stuart for lunch ages ago, and his cousin was still not back. It wasn’t that far to the house, so he wondered if Stuart had somehow become lost, or if he was so hungry that he’d stopped on the way back to eat his portion.

“Look.” Eli glanced at Franklin, one of his longtime hands. He was pointing in the direction of the house. Eli turned and frowned at the sight that met his gaze. Stuart was sitting on the wagon, heading in their direction.

“Seems like your wife decided to come and pay us a visit,” Franklin said. “I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“What the hell?” Eli said, anger creeping up his back. They had a great deal of work to do today, and this was no time for a social call. The weather was turning colder, which meant there was every chance of an early storm, possibly in September, or early October. They needed to finish the work on these pens and get the fences up before then, so they could release cattle to this area.

It was not a good idea for him to get mad at her, though. Everyone thought they were getting along just dandy, that they ate dinner together and then retired to his room for a bit of playtime before they both slept in their own beds. Best to put on a happy face now and then tell her later that she couldn’t come out and visit him here.

Stuart brought the wagon to a stop near the men. Everyone stopped working, and Eli wanted to shout at them to get back to work until the food was laid out. But he knew that wasn’t a good idea. Instead, he needed to greet her like a husband would say hello to his wife. “Hello darling.” Eli put his hands on her hips and lifted her from the wagon. Then he kissed her, pulling her close by putting his arms around her. She squirmed a little, but luckily she didn’t fight him anymore than that.

Her lips were soft, and he needed to remember to ask her exactly how she kept them that way. He wanted to push inside her mouth, taste her all the way, but he knew that would anger her, so he broke the kiss and then did something he knew would really make her mad. His hand trailed down her back, and then he patted her on the bottom. “Nice to see you, sweet pea.” He gave her another pat, and he heard a few chuckles from the men around them.

“I grew tired of sitting in the house by myself,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “I wanted to see where you work every day.”

“We’re happy to meet you, Mrs. Bannister,” Franklin said as he introduced himself. He pointed to men and provided their names, but Eli tuned them out. All he could think about right now was the taste of her lips and the feel of her bottom as he’d slapped it. True, it was padded by the skirts she wore, but he knew from seeing her half naked the other night that she had a nice, round behind.

He shouldn’t have touched her there, not with all his workers around. They would give him a hard time about it later. That wasn’t the only problem from the intimate contact. Eli’s dick had hardened the minute he’d touched her. Actually, it had pretty much stayed that way since they’d slept in the same bed the other night. It had been so painful the first night that he’d waited until she’d fallen asleep, then gone into his room and taken matters into his own hands.

It hadn’t taken much to fool her into thinking he was asleep. He’d learned to do it when he was younger. His mother would check rooms to make sure her sons were asleep before she retired for the evening. When she had been tucked into her own bed for a while, Eli and his brothers would get up and sneak out of the house for midnight horse rides and swims in the lake.

Thinking of his brothers, and the time they had together, always filled Eli with sadness. He missed his family more than he thought possible. But having Cordelia in the house would help, or so he hoped.

He did question his reasoning for bringing her here. He should have faced things on his own, told his father’s old friend that he had no intention of following through with the marriage. Instead, Eli had taken the chicken’s way out and hired Cordelia.

“Eli.” Her soft voice brought him back from his musings.

“Yes, Cordelia?” he said, making a mental note to tell her she’d done well in calling him by his first name.

“Mrs. Dunlap has worked all morning long to provide food. Are you not going to come and partake of some?” She held out a plate that contained fried chicken, one of his favorite foods.

He took it from her with a smile. “Thank you, Cordelia.” As he ate, he listened to his men pepper her with questions. They had laid out a blanket and Cordelia sat on one of the edges, her skirts gathered around her. She was smiling and laughing as she ate and talked. It made him smile.

Where was she from? New York.

Did she leave behind family? No.

Had she ever been married before? No.

What made her decide to become a mail order bride?

“That’s awfully personal,” Eli said before she could provide an answer. “That’s really something that should stay between myself and Cordelia.”

“Sorry,” Stuart said, and it took Eli a few moments to realize his cousin had asked the question. He was going to have to throttle him before long. They definitely would have to talk about things, because Eli knew that Stuart was trying to trip her up.

When the meal was over, they gathered up the trash and put everything in the basket. Eli helped Cordelia onto the wagon, then swung up beside her. At Stuart’s look, Eli said, “I’ll take her back. After all, she’s my wife.”

“So she is,” Stuart said. He winked at Cordelia, and Eli was happy that his cousin’s back was to everyone else. Forget the talk, Eli was going to have to blacken his cousin’s eye. Stuart winked at her again. Make that both eyes, Eli thought as he flicked the reins and turned the wagon toward the house. When they were away from the gathering, Eli turned to her. “You should warn me before you come out to visit,” he said.

“It was a spur of the moment thing,” Cordelia replied. “Although I have enjoyed Mrs. Dunlap’s company, I was very ready to spend some time outdoors.”

“Are you bored?” he asked, pointedly.

“A little,” she answered. “In New York, I could go to a bookshop, or attend a play. Here, all I have to do is read and write. I do enjoy those activities but I am in need of some sort of entertainment.”

Eli wanted to tell her he could provide her with plenty of entertainment once they had retired, but he didn’t think she would appreciate his suggestion. “Do you sew?”

“Of course I do,” she said, making it sound as if he’d asked if she breathed oxygen.

“There is quite a lot of material in my mother’s sewing room,” he said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he questioned his sanity. No one had been in that room since his mother died. Did he want his fake wife in there, poking around in his mother’s notions?

“You would not mind?” she asked.

“Nope.” He flicked the reins again, and the horse went a little faster.

“Perhaps after dinner you can show me the room,” she suggested. “I would like to have something to do.”

Once again, Eli forced down the words of ‘I can give you something to do. You can be on your back, your knees, your side, or on top of me. I would love to try out some new positions with you.’

Damn it, he was going to have to take matters into his own hands before he went back to the work site. At this rate, he might jerk his manhood from his body. He hadn’t done it this much since he was a teenager.

“There are other things we can do,” he said, keeping his voice level. “Do you play chess?”

“Yes,” she sounded eager. “And cards, too.”

“Poker?” he asked.

“Certainly not,” she said.

“Faro?” he asked.

“You play Faro?”

He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was amazed. “I’m not a total backwoodsman,” he said. “I play Faro. And I’ll show you tonight. After I show you where the sewing room is. I’m surprised you haven’t found it already.”

She muttered a word he didn’t understand before she said, “I have not explored the house very much. After all, it your residence, not mine.”

“It is yours, too, Cordelia,” he reminded her. “I understand you might be a little anxious about it, but you can go into any room you want.”

Including mine.

At night.

When you’re naked.

And wet for me.

Eli dreamed about her being on top of him, her luscious breasts bouncing as she rode his hard cock. Said organ pulsed painfully, and he put his hand down to reorganize things. She noticed, and she stiffened beside him. “Sorry,” he said, “but you seem to have that effect on me. I am a man, after all, and you are a very beautiful woman.”

For a moment she didn’t say anything. Finally, she said, “You should not touch yourself that way in front of me.”

“Why?” Eli pulled on the reins to slow the horses. The house was in sight, and he wanted to continue this conversation.

“Because, I… I… you just should not.”

Eli chuckled, knowing he should hold back, but not being able to behave.  “Do you want to do it for me? I just need a little adjusting when I get hard.”

“Mr. Bannister!” She started to jump down from the wagon, but Eli put out his arm and stopped her. “Please refrain from talking about the hardness of your manhood.”

“So we’re back to that, are we?”

“You will kindly not say things like that in my presence.” She pushed away his hand. “The state of your manhood, or what position it is in, is no affair of mine.”

“On the contrary, Cordelia, it has everything to do with you. You’re the reason the blood rushes to that area of my body. I hadn’t expected it to happen, but it does. You excite me.” He’d stopped the wagon now, and he realized she hadn’t made a run for it again. “I apologize for being so blunt,” he finally said. “It’s not like I planned on this happening.”

“I will not engage in coitus with you.”

He wanted to ask about a hand job, but kept his words to himself. “I’m sorry if you think that’s where I was leading this conversation.” Boy, that sounded good, because that was exactly where he’d been directing the conversation. “I’ll try to behave.”

“Try?” She folded her hands in her lap. “Perhaps we should not play cards tonight, or any other night. I will retire to my room, as I always do.”

“Don’t be like that,” he said. “I was out of line, and I won’t touch myself in front of you again.” Tonight, he wanted to add.

“I do not know if I can trust you,” she said. “I think…” She stopped speaking for a few moments, and then she said. “Do I have your word?”

“You do,” he said. “I won’t touch myself tonight, and I apologize for doing it now.” He flicked the reins, and when they pulled up in front of the house, Eli dismounted and helped her down, too. When he started toward the house, she fell into step beside him.

“Are you not going back to work?”

“I am.” He turned to her. “But, to put it quite bluntly, I need some relief, which means I’m going to have to go and touch myself. I’m sorry to tell you that, but I have no alternative. In this case, Cordelia, what goes up must come down. Or else I’ll be in pain all afternoon.” He went toward the house, not looking back to see if she followed him.

Dinner that evening was strained. Cordelia wanted to talk with Eli before they sat down at the table, but there was not much time. Eli had spent quite a bit of time in his room after they had arrived at the house. She did not want to focus on what he was doing up there, although she knew. It was something they needed to discuss, but she was not sure how to introduce the subject without sounding like a prude.

She was not a prude, but the activity in which Eli had been engaging this afternoon was not something she needed to know about. She needed to politely tell him that she did not care to know about his… needs.

When dinner was over, and Mrs. Dunlap had cleaned up, something she refused to let Cordelia do, Eli stopped near the entrance to the kitchen.

“How about we start with some chess?” His face was lit up, and Cordelia could not help but think that he was so happy tonight because he had released his emotions that afternoon by…

“That sounds entertaining, thank you.”

A strange look passed over his face, and Cordelia frowned. He winked at her before he left. Behind her, Mrs. Dunlap cleared her throat. “It’s nice to think the two of you are spending more time together. I’ve worried that you’re not giving it a chance, what with…” her voice drifted off, and the older woman turned back to the sink. “Of course, it’s none of my business.”

Cordelia was sure the older woman was talking about the fact the couple slept in two beds instead of one. She was right in saying it was none of her business, until it came to making up the beds in the morning. Maybe she should start righting her own sheets when she woke in the morning, giving the impression that she was staying in Eli’s room.

Of course, that was a deception that might be hard to keep, especially when it came time to wash the sheets. Mrs. Dunlap would know about the ruse then.

“Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Dunlap,” Cordelia said.

“You’re more than welcome, Cordelia,” the housekeeper said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Cordelia recognized a dismissal when she heard one. She made her way down the hall. She stopped partway there and listened. Eli was whistling, some tune she had never heard before, but it made him sound happy, and it brought a smile to her face.

The sound led her to the library, where her ‘husband’ was setting up a chessboard. The white side was in place, and he was currently setting up pawns on the black side.

“Do you have preference?” he asked.

“No,” she said as she moved into the room. There had been a fire lit in here earlier, and he had taken time to stoke it; the warmth from the blaze filled the room.

“Come over here and take a seat.” Eli indicated the chair opposite him. The chair gave her the white side of the board. She sat down and studied the set, as if she were trying to decide which move to make first.

When Eli had everything in place, he stood from his chair and offered her his hand. Confusion made her frown. “Is something wrong?”

Eli’s smile made her insides quiver. Every time she saw him, she swore he was more handsome than the last. How could that be when she had seen him not longer than five minutes ago?

“I’ve decided on a different game,” he said.

“What game?” she asked, a little leery of his answer.

“Humor me,” he said.

At first she considered saying no, but then she decided it might be interesting to see what he had in mind. She put her hand in his, the touch of his rough skin against her soft hands making her tingle even more. William had been a writer, and although he did other physical things, his touch had been as soft as her own.

Eli led them to a pair of large chairs with a small table between them. He cleared the lamp off, and pushed away the lacy covering.

“You should fold that,” Cordelia said as she reached for it.

“Later,” he replied. From his pocket he produced a deck of cards. “We need to get to know each other, Cordelia. And the easiest way to do that is to play a game my brother and I used to call high/low.”

She noticed he said brother instead of brothers, and she wanted to ask him what he meant, but she decided it was best not to push things.

“We would play it to see who had to do what chores. Obviously, nobody likes cleaning out horse stalls, so the low card would get the crappy job.”

Cordelia winced at his language. “Are you forcing me into menial labor?”

“No.” He separated the deck and started to shuffle. “In this case, the person with the high card gets to ask the other person a question, a personal one, and they have to answer.”

Something told her she would not like the questions he posed, but she knew he was right. They needed to get to know each other, and if he needed a game to push them in the right direction, so be it. But there was one thing she wanted to know.

“What happens if I refuse to answer a question?” She held up her index finger before he could answer. “Or if you refuse to answer?”

Eli chuckled. “Trust me, I will answer. In your case, I’ll have to think of a proper punishment.” He stretched his legs out in front of him. One of his hands rested on his muscular thighs, and the other still held the cards.

“All right,” Cordelia said, not wanting to sound like a chicken. “Let us begin.”

The first few questions revealed nothing more than what they already knew about each other, the fact that his family was dead, except for his extended relatives, and she was alone in the world, which was why she had taken the position as his ‘mail order bride’.

The next one he asked—and it occurred to her that he seemed to get more high cards than she did—did not surprise her. But she was not sure she wanted to answer.

“Tell me about William.”

“He was intended to be my husband, and then he died.” She did not elaborate, and he did not push for more information. They drew again, he a queen, and she a seven.

“Did you love him?”

“Yes,” she replied. Again, no elaboration.

They drew again, he a jack and her a ten.

“I believe you have stacked the deck,” she said, trying to make it sound as if she were making a joke.

“When would I have the chance?” He held up both hands and looked around. “You’ve been watching me the whole time.”

Cordelia sighed, because she could not dispute that answer. He had only shuffled the cards once, and she did not see how he could have been fixing things in his direction.

“Were you and William intimate?”

Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest. “That is none of your business.”

“Oh, you’re so wrong,” Eli said with a laugh. “It occurred to me today that there is no way you and I are going to pull this off unless we’re… better acquainted.”

Her blood started to boil. “Would that be this afternoon when your hands were wrapped around your penis?”

Oh how she hated the look on his face right now, that smirk that she wanted to wipe off it with one hard smack.

“Were you watching?”

“Certainly not,” she said angrily.

“Then how did you know that’s what I was doing?”

Cordelia flushed. “I… assumed…”

“Because you know that’s what William would have done if you had aroused him?”

This time she stood up. “I am leaving now.”

“Are you?” Eli drummed his finger on his card. “The rules of the game state that if you refuse to answer, you receive a punishment. So either tell me the answer to the question or, prepare for the consequences.”

For a moment she was silent. Finally, she said, “What are the consequences?”

“Hmm,” Eli said before he pursed his lips. “How about… a spanking?”

Cordelia laughed. “Surely you are not serious.”

“I’m very serious,” he said. “I will allow you to keep your all togethers on, but you will come across my knee where I will lift your skirts and paddle your bottom.”

“Absolutely not.” But she did not move away from the table. She stood staring at him. “If you think for one moment I would allow something so…”

“Intimate?” he supplied.

“Exactly.” She turned toward the door. “I am going to my room now.”

“Think about it, Cordelia,” he called after her. “You and I need to be very close, and that includes knowing each other’s history. Would it help if I told you about my first time with a woman?”

She was at the door. In a huff, she turned toward him, putting her hands on her hips. “I have no desire to hear about—”

“My father took me to a bordello in Denver. I was nineteen. He said he waited so long because I was, and I quote, ‘the most sensual of his sons’ and he thought I might seduce one of the neighborhood girls, get married and lose my virginity to her.”

Cordelia did not say anything. Instead she just stared at him. “When that didn’t happen,” he continued, “he took me to Denver, where I discovered the pleasures of a soft, female body.”

“Good for you,” she replied.

“It was,” he said with a laugh. “I admit it’s not love, like what you felt with William, but it still produced an orgasm that made me tingle, and go back for more.”

“Several times, I am sure.”

“Several times,” he repeated.

“And I am also sure that you continue to frequent that particular establishment.”

Here, he frowned. “Not as much as you might think. The sex is good, but sometimes it leaves me feeling empty.”

That was not what she had expected to hear, but it didn’t make her move away from the door. Instead, she stared at him. “I do not understand why you press this conversation. I told you this afternoon that I did not want to talk to you about these things.”

Eli thumped his finger against the card. “When you know things like this about someone, it brings you closer. People will know that you and I have talked. When you do nothing but eat together and sleep in adjoining rooms, all you know is what the person is wearing that day and how early they rise in the morning.”

She did not respond.

“You and I need to know each other, intimately.”

Cordelia waited a few moments before she said, “This was not in our arrangement.”

“You’re right,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe you should spank me for trying to break it.”

“Really Eli, that suggestion is in poor taste.”

He chuckled, and the rich sound made her insides tighten again. She did not like the way he affected her. “I am going up to my room now.”

“So be it,” he said. “I’ll be here until it’s time to go to bed, and if you decide to return, we can finish the game. If you decide not to, we can try for tomorrow night.”

Cordelia took a step toward him, and the look of surprised pleasure on his face made her frown. “I will not change my mind, nor will I be back here tomorrow night while you probe to find out about my sexual experiences.”

He ran his tongue over his lips, and Cordelia felt as if she would swoon.

“Probe,” he finally said. “What an interesting choice of words.”

Without saying anything else, she turned and left the room. She heard him say good night as she walked toward the stairs. She wanted to yell back at him, but she decided the best thing she could do was continue to walk.

Once she was upstairs, she washed her face with the water Mrs. Dunlap had provided. Then she quickly changed out of her dress and into her nightgown, even though it was not quite dark yet.

She wanted her change of clothing to keep her from going back downstairs, even though she wanted to stand in front of him and scream because he continued to push the situation when he knew she did not want to discuss things like this.

The one thing Cordelia knew was that she needed to calm down. She poured herself a glass of water, then took her book to a chair near the unlit fireplace and sat down.

The best way to keep from giving in to the temptation to go back and yell at him was to sit and read, to engross herself in a book until she was so deep into another world that she forgot about Eli Bannister and his rotten idea that she tell him all about her sexual experience.

She hoped the book on her lap had enough pages to help her achieve her goal.

* * *