Ryan (4 page)

Chapter Six

The
moon shining into the room kept Gracie awake. She’d tried to sleep when Ryan
had left but been unable to. He’d stirred something within her she’d never felt
before. She was inexperienced in such things, still a virgin but she sensed it
was something sexual. When he’d entered the room her nipples had puckered,
pulling so tight that they’d suddenly chafed against the muslin gown Maggie had
given her to wear.
 
Her pussy had pulled
and tingled and she’d actually felt its dampness against the bed sheets.

Now
she was wide awake thinking about him. There sure was a lot of noise coming
from downstairs and along the hallway. Maybe she’d take a walk and that would
make her sleepy. She got out of bed, grimaced because her body still ached, and
slipped the robe around her. She’d have to buy herself some clothes for her
pa’s funeral. Maybe Maggie had some work, so she could earn some money to pay
for everything she needed.

Gracie
headed out of the room and down the hallway. She heard a girl giggling and then
a man laughing.
 
She made her way toward
the source of the noise. A door was half open and when she looked inside she
saw Annabeth. Her legs were spread wide and a man’s bare butt was moving back
and forth between them.

She
quickly turned away. Annabeth was having sex with her gentleman friend. Why
hadn’t they closed the door? Maybe they hadn’t expected Gracie to walk along
the hallway at this time of night.

Gracie
tried to hurry back to her room, embarrassed that she’d spied upon Annabeth—but
she got a cramp in her leg. She fell against another door, opening it, and
another girl had her head down on a man’s member. He waved to Gracie.

“Well,
would you look at that honey of a
girl.
Youngest one Maggie’s
employed. I’ll have her next time but for now honey, come in and while she sucks
my dick I’ll feel your pussy.”

The
girl punched him in the chest. “She is not merchandise,” she said.

Gracie
steadied herself and turned to leave but ran straight into Maggie.

“Gracie
what are you doing up and about?”

“I
couldn’t sleep and I…”

Gracie
was lost for words. She’d never seen a man’s cock before. She’d never seen a
woman do that to a man before.

“It’s
okay
sweetpea
. Let’s get you back to your room.”

Maggie
put her arm around Gracie and walked with her down the hallway.

“In
case you have already guessed what sort of business I run, yes, it’s
Grantsville’s house of ill repute.”

The
sheriff had saved her and brought her to a whorehouse.

****

Whoever
said women were the biggest gossips were wrong. Men did their fair share of it
too. This morning Gracie was the topic. He overheard two men talking in the
feed store.

“Well,
that Maggie McGuire’s a dark horse. She’s been keeping a beautiful young angel
in her establishment and not told any of us about her.”

“Ned
even got a look at her. Said she’s a looker, full and curvy for a young ‘
en
, just how he likes’
em
. He
said he came just looking at her and imagining what her sweet little pussy
would be like wrapped around his dick.”

Ryan’s
knuckles turned white. How did Ned Jones get to see Gracie and how dare these
men talk about her in such a despicable way?

“
Gentleman,
and I say that loosely, because I don’t think you
deserve such a title, you are talking about a poor girl who has lost
everything.”

“Ah,
so she’s the girl you found in the canyon?”

“That
she is.”

“And
you took her to a whorehouse?”

Both
men laughed.

“Maggie
is taking good care of her and once she’s well she’ll be moving to…” said Ryan.
Problem was he didn’t know where she’d be moving to. The poor young woman had
no home and no money. No one in town to help her out
.
“That one’s going to be a winner for Maggie. Bring her in a fortune. The
business woman that she is, I’m betting she’s already thought of that.”

 
Maggie McGuire might be one sassy lady but she
knew she’d never put Gracie to work for her. But how come Ned had seen Gracie?
He shook his head. Over his dead body would a man touch Gracie in the same way
they touched other women under Maggie’s roof.

He’d
go over there right now and make sure of that.

****

Gracie’s
head was swimming with thoughts. Maggie had walked her back to her room last
night but she hadn’t slept for more than an hour.
 
She almost wanted to laugh at the fact that
she was convalescing in a whorehouse. What a strange turn of events her life
had taken since they’d left Wisconsin.

Someone
tapped on the door.

“Come
in,” said Gracie.

Annabeth
walked in carrying a tray with some milk and a bowl of oatmeal upon it.

She
sat it down on the bed by Gracie.

“I
heard that you’ve found out what we do here.”

“Yes,
I had no idea that…”

They
both burst out laughing.

“I’m
surprised you don’t want to run. Well, that’s if you’re feeling up to leaving,”
said Annabeth.

“My
parents raised me to be open-minded.
Probably more
open-minded than most.
And Maggie and
everyone’s
been really nice to me so I don’t really care how you make your living.”

“Have
you ever been with a man, Gracie?”

Gracie
shook her head.

“It’s
been such a long time since I was a virgin.”

“Do
you like what you do?” asked Gracie.

“I’m
not treated badly if that’s what you mean.”

“No,
I was wondering if…”

How
could she phrase her question? She didn’t know much about sex and being with a
man. What she had heard from other women talking was that sometimes it was a
chore and other times you saw shooting stars traveling through the sky.

“If having sex with a man is fun?”
Annabeth had
helped her out.

Gracie
nodded.

“Sometimes
it is.
 
The men are paying for my body so
I can’t think about myself which means they come quickly most of the time and I
don’t get to. There is the odd one that brings me pleasure.”

Gracie
picked up the glass of milk and began sipping it, fascinated by Annabeth’s
honesty.

“Sheriff
Doyle’s one of them that fits into that category. He’s a real gent.”

Gracie
swallowed the milk in her mouth, suddenly feeling more than one emotion.
Excitement at the thought of having Ryan make
love to them.
Envy that Annabeth had the privilege of doing just that.

“He’s
real considerate to a lady. Some guys will just stick their cock into you
before you’re ready but not the sheriff. He slides his fingers into your pussy
and makes sure you’re nice and slick before he gets down to business.”

Gracie
almost spat the milk out of her mouth that she’d just sipped, but managed to
get it down her throat. Just the thought of Ryan doing that to her made her own
pussy pull and ache and she knew at that point she wanted him to make love to
her. She’d do whatever it took to make it come true.

****

Ryan
usually walked into Maggie’s place but this afternoon he stormed into the
saloon.

“Was
there a fire someplace?” she asked, looking up from her account books.

“No,
but I want to know how Ned Saunders saw Gracie while he was in here last
night.”

Maggie
raised her hand.
“A simple mistake.”

“Mistake.
He was saying
disgusting things about her to some of the guys in the feed store. Just about
every man in town has a hard on thinking they’re going to have sex with her.”

“Oh,
I’m sure every man in town would like some time with Gracie.
Such
a beautiful girl, curves and all for such a young age.”

“So
you are going to put her to work?”

“Just
hang onto that cowboy hat of yours. I would not dream of turning that girl into
a soiled dove unless that’s what she wanted.”

“But…”

He
still didn’t believe what she’d said.

“But,
but, but…How long have I known you Ryan Doyle? I’ve never seen you quite this
animated.”

It
was true. He learned to calm his temper. Last time he’d lost his cool it had
changed his whole life.

“You’re
sweet on her. You want her?”

“That’s
stupid talk, Maggie. I’m too old for her.”

“Oh nonsense sheriff.
When it comes
to matters of the heart and flesh, age doesn’t factor into it.”

“I
look at her as someone to protect and watch over, that’s all.”

Maggie
grinned at him. She was such a wise woman. Knew things before people knew them
for themselves. Yes, he was sweet
on
 
Gracie
but like he’d said, she was too
young and innocent to get herself involved with a man with his sort of history.
She deserved the perfect gentleman.

“So
as long as I can have your assurance that you won’t be hiring her out, then I
can allow her to stay under your roof.”

Maggie
stood and then curtseyed to him. “Why thank you kind sir. I feel most honored
by your gesture.”

Yeah,
that had been a little pretentious of him. Shit, what an ass he was making of
himself. Only a woman like Maggie could bring him back down to size with her
wit and raw sarcasm.

“Ryan,
I’d take another blow to my face and lose my remaining eye to protect that
young woman. I’ve already thought of her as the daughter I never had.”

“Glad
we’re on the same page about that. Now is it okay if I go up and see her? I
have news about her father’s funeral and burial. We can go ahead with it as
soon as she’s well enough to attend.”

“That’s
wonderful Ryan, and I’ll be attending as will all the girls. And you don’t have
to keep asking to go see her. Just do it, sheriff.”

****

Gracie
was brushing her hair when she heard a knock on her door. This was the first
day she was up and about and she’d sat herself in front of the mirror, trying desperately
to do something with her hair.

“Come
in,” she said, expecting to see Annabeth who’d said she’d come back to collect
the glass and bowl after Gracie had finished with her breakfast. She glanced in
the mirror to see Ryan standing in the doorway, running his fingers around the
brim of his hat.
Those
fingers
.
She focused in on those. The ones that Annabeth had said he
was polite enough to slip inside a lady to make sure she was ready for him.

Gracie
coughed, sure that when she stood there would be a damp spot on the chair. She
noticed him not taking his eyes off her. Darn, she hadn’t remembered to wrap
the shawl around her and through the thin material of the nightgown he must be
able to see everything.

“Morning
Gracie,” he said.

“Morning Ryan.”

If
she got up, turned around quickly and then grabbed her shawl she could cover
herself without any problem. She spun around in her chair and stood up, but she
had forgotten that the shawl was on her pillow. She stood frozen, him looking
at her, she back at him.

“My
shawl,” she said.

“Let
me get it for you,” said Ryan, rushing to the bed and picking it up.

He
handed it to her.

“Thank
you,” she said, quickly wrapping it around her.

By
the burn in her cheeks she guessed she was blushing.

“I
came by to tell you that I have everything arranged for your father’s funeral.
So
 
I
think we should
go ahead with it.”

Gracie
sat quickly on the bed.

“You
okay? You think you should be up this soon?” asked Ryan, rushing to her. He put
his arm around her and sat on the bed beside her. The warmth of his body
soothed her. She felt fine but the thought that she’d be saying goodbye to her
father forever, and the fact that she’d never see him again, had hit her between
the eyes like a bullet.

“I’m
fine.
Just sad about saying goodbye to my father one final
time.”

He
ran his fingers down her hair. Those fingers were so long and fine looking.

“I
know death isn’t an easy thing to accept,” said Ryan

“He
had so many plans for our new life here.”

“I
can imagine. Will you be staying in Grantsville?” asked Ryan.

“I
don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“You’ll
find everyone very friendly to newcomers. Most folks living here came from back
East to start new lives or run away from their old ones.”

“How about you, Ryan?”

“I
guess I fit into the latter.
Running away from an old life.”

“And
where was that old life?” asked Gracie.

He
hesitated for a bit. “Missouri.”

“Then
like me you’re a long way from home.”

“This
is my home now and it’s yours too,” said Ryan

“Yes,
yes it is. And let’s arrange my father’s funeral for the day after tomorrow. I
think I’ll be fit by then,” said Gracie

“You sure?
We don’t want
to rush you.”

Gracie
shook her head. “My father needs to be buried soon, to be laid to rest, and I
have to start my new life.”

“All righty then.”
He stood. “Maggie
and the girls are attending so I’ll be by on Thursday morning to collect you
and Maggie. You can both ride with me.”

He
put his hat back, touched the brim and left.

Gracie
touched her hair in the exact spot where he’d touched it. His body had been
warm next to hers.
The big strong muscles in his legs.
She stood. Her robe did have the damp spot that she imagined. Every time she
saw him her body felt like it had been given a new life. She bit her lip. She
wanted Ryan to be the man to take her innocence. She wanted to feel everything
that Annabeth had described: His fingers inside her, his cock plunging deep
within, taking away her virginity.

Would
Ryan want such an innocent young girl as her? He could and obviously did have
the pleasure of any of Maggie’s girls. She’d find a way to make him want her
too.