Beauty and the Beasts [Bride Train 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Reece Butler Read Free Book Online Page A

up at him with trust and courage. Right there, he knew she was for him. But what would make Sarah agree to marry him?
    He used to be wealthy, handsome, and privileged. As the only son of an important family he could take his time deciding which woman would best enhance the family’s holdings. But then war intruded. Both his father, and Gabe’s, were killed because they supported the North. Of course, the two of them had to join the fight.
    Looking back, would he do it again? Yes, but he would make sure he got home a week, even three days earlier. What happened to his face was nothing compared to the destruction of his family. That had nothing to do with war. It was due to jealousy, lechery, and greed.
    He couldn’t save his family back then, but he could protect Sarah now. He would give her his name, his protection, and himself. She would give him comfort, children, and a future worth living. He didn’t care what was done to her in that whorehouse. She’d endured two weeks of hell, but she was alive. His sisters were not.
    Gabe rode toward Luke, coming from the northwest. He set the tool on a log, crossed his palms on the end of the handle, and rested. Sweat soaked his hair and ran down his chest and back. He had a few blisters on his palms, but that wasn’t unusual. Unlike his wealthy father and grandfather, who were proud of their smooth skin and pale complexion, he was a rancher. He did honest work with his hands instead of trading in commodities and other people’s lives.
    “Your grandpa would have taken a switch to you for leaving a couple of buttons undone,” said Gabe. “And here you are, shirtless.”
    “My great-grandfather would as well. But unlike them, I work for my living.”
    “You missed a spot.”
    Gabe pointed to a bump caused by a knot. If the timbers weren’t smooth they wouldn’t sit tight one on the other. That meant weather, critters, dust and, worst of all, freezing winter winds, would sweep through their home. Luke took care of it with one slice.
    “You satisfied with my work now? I have to put supper together.”
    “Yep.” Gabe nudged his horse forward. “And since we’re having leftovers from yesterday’s weddings, you won’t burn anything.”
    “That was once!” called Luke after him. Gabe raised a hand to say he’d heard but wasn’t taking back his words.
    No one could rile him like Gabe, though Oz was getting close. The longer he knew his friends, the easier it was for them to stir him up. Women were different. You didn’t have to know them at all before they could make you want to set your hair on fire just by looking at you.
    Luke put his tools away, slapped his folded shirt over one shoulder, and shambled down to the cabin. Only ten feet by twelve, it was far too small for three large men. He couldn’t marry Sarah before finishing the addition, which would triple the size.
    After washing up he put on a pot of coffee and assembled supper. Sophie and Sarah had packed up wedding feast leftovers for the bachelors. The married folks went home early, so missed out on the extra food. He laid out cold roast chicken, bread, mayonnaise, and pickled beets. His stomach rumbled. They’d all be better off when Sarah married him. There’d be hot, tasty food waiting at the end of a long, cold day. A light in the window would beckon them home, and a woman would warm his bed. Later, there’d be children to continue the respected Frost name.
    Oz shuffled into the cabin. Luke couldn’t stand it any longer. He’d been worried about Sarah all morning, thinking of the dirty, woman-hungry miners he’d seen lining the boardwalk, waiting to get inside the hotel dining room.
    “Did you see Sarah?”
    “Yep.” Gravel crunched under Oz’s boots as he walked over to the table. He kept his head down as he looked at the food.
    “And?”
    Oz ignored Luke’s question. The man liked to get under a man’s skin. A shadow fell across the small room as Gabe leaned into the doorway. His massive