Tymber Dalton - Hernando Heat

Joe couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t believe it. Dorchester finally won’t get his way.”

The sheriff started filling a pipe with tobacco. “Nope, he surely won’t. Not if I have anything to say about it.” He lit his pipe and took a few puffs. “Never did like that son of a buck. Pushy bastard.” He pointed his pipe in Joe’s direction. “Now you look here, Joe. Don’t let him egg you into doing something foolish, got it? I won’t hesitate to lock you up if you break the law.”

“I’ll only go after him in self-defense, Sheriff. I promise.”

Sheriff Birch nodded. “Good man.” They heard Junior hollering again in the back, and the sheriff cocked his head at the door. “You three deputies go in there and check on him and warn him he’d better be quiet.” The men smiled and nodded, heading back to do it. The sheriff looked like he was about to say something else when the door opened and Mason burst in.

“What’s going on? What happened?” The sheriff and Joe filled him in. Mason turned to Joe. “Where’s Katie?”

Joe tried to placate him. “She’s safe with Ben and Shelby, don’t worry. I told her to stay put under threat of spanking.”

The sheriff laughed. “I suspect you boys are going to have your hands full with her.” He winked at them. “Congratulations again Joe…and Mason.”

Both men blushed. “What?” Mason choked out.

The sheriff glanced in the direction of the doorway leading back to the cells to ensure they were alone and dropped his voice. “If you two ain’t sharing her, I’m one of them Egyptian mummies they been digging up over there. It ain’t none of my concern what y’all do, and believe me, I ain’t gonna go running my mouth about it. Frankly, I think until this business with the Dorchesters is settled, she’s gonna need both of you to keep her safe.”

His face darkened as he looked at Joe. “Don’t think I don’t know what went running through your mind when you buried Laura. I would have gone after Junior then if I’d had evidence to hold him on it. Unfortunately, I didn’t.” He pointed at the front door. “You two go take her home and keep her safe. As far as I’m concerned, there ain’t nothing improper going on between the three of you, and that’s the story I’ll tell anyone who asks. But you keep that woman safe. She been through more than enough heartache in her life to last her, and so have both of you. If y’all can make each other happy, then I ain’t gonna be one to judge you.”

Joe and Mason shared a glance before thanking the sheriff and leaving. Mason gathered his horse’s reins and walked with Joe across the town square toward the Ainsley house.

“Well, what do you think about that?” Mason quietly asked.

“Heh. Looks like Sheriff Birch has us figured out.” He glanced at Mason. “I don’t think we should tell Katie that, though.”

“Why not?”

“She’s already plenty worried about you and me, understand? About how the town would view us. Let’s just let her mind lay easy on the subject. I trust Sheriff Birch not to say anything to anyone. He’s a man of his word. Deal?”

Mason nodded. “Deal.”

Katie gave Joe and Mason both big hugs when they reached the Ainsley house. The three of them bid the Ainsleys good-bye, then headed over to the store, where the horse and buggy were still hitched.

“So what do we do now?” Katie asked, sounding nervous.

Joe patted her on the shoulder. “We, as in Mason and me. You don’t have to do anything except tell the truth to the justice of the peace at the hearing,” he assured her. “You let Mason and me take care of you.”

She started to protest, then gave up with a smile. From the protective look on both men’s faces, she knew arguing with them would be useless. “Okay then, what should our next step be?”

“I think a picnic sounds good,” Mason suggested. “Maybe a little skinny-dipping?” he added with a grin.

Joe nodded. “Dang good idea, Mase.” He smiled. “I know just the swimming hole you’re talking about. I think we should go tomorrow.”

She looked from Joe to Mason before laughing. “All right, I know when I’m outnumbered. A picnic sounds nice. Not sure I’m up for skinny-dipping, though.”

They reached her store. Joe and Mason helped her up into the buggy. “Who said you’ll have a choice?” Mason teased. He kissed the back of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing her.

“Yes,” Joe agreed. “Then a nice, long, hard fucking on a blanket in the shade. Let you scream your head off in passion all you want.”

Katie gulped as her pussy clenched with sudden, overpowering need. If it wasn’t for the fact they were in town, she’d let them both fuck her right there and then. “Okay,” she squeaked out.

Both men laughed. Joe gathered up the buggy reins. “Let’s get you home, sweetheart. I have a feeling you have something that needs to be taken care of.

She wordlessly nodded as both men laughed. Joe kissed her before snapping the reins and urging the horse onward.

Mason mounted his horse and followed them down the road and out of town toward the ranch.

Katie had a feeling with these two men she’d be spending a lot of time in bed over the next few weeks, if not for the rest of her life.

Edward Dorchester Senior pulled up his horse just outside of town and gathered his men around him. He pointed to two of them. “You. Go back into town. I want you to follow them around. Keep tabs on them. Find out anything you can on them that we can use against them. I’ve heard she’s living with those two even though she’s only marrying Lansing.” He knew the rumors about his son’s involvement with Lansing’s fiancée’s death.

Unfortunately, he also knew his son was more than capable of something like that despite it having nothing to do with business. He certainly didn’t have a problem with revenge, but not in such a stupid and foolhardy way as his son had engaged in it.

The men nodded, turned their horses, and headed back to town. He looked at another of his men. “Angus, you head back to Dade City. Tell Boyd Simpson to get his ass over here immediately. I can’t have my son sitting in jail until next week. If he gives you any guff, remind him that I pay his salary, and he’s my lawyer first and foremost before anyone else. Got it?”

The man nodded and quickly started riding east.

Dorchester looked at his last man, Bill Campbell, his foreman. The man he trusted even more than his own son. “Any ideas?”

He nodded and spit tobacco into the dust away from his boss. “Yessir, but ain’t none of them legal.”

Dorchester grinned. “Did I say anything about legal?”

Campbell smiled. “Nope. You sure didn’t.”

Katie breathed a sigh of relief as their home came into sight.

Their home. That was almost enough to drive her to happy tears. She fixed them all a late lunch before starting in on chores. There was laundry to do, dusting, cleaning. Mason went to lie down for a while, his head still bothering him. Joe went out to take care of some things on the ranch.

By dinnertime, Mason was feeling more like his old self. As the sun set, Katie felt a little nervous. Would they all sleep together again that night?

She hoped so, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

After she cleaned up the remnants of dinner, Joe walked up to her and caught her by the hand, pulling her into his embrace. “Ready to call it a day, Katie?”

She nodded as she rested her hands on his shoulders. “Yes.”

He smiled and kissed her. “Not sure how much sleep the three of us will get, but we can sleep late in the morning.”