Gold Lust [Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Chet hoped that wasn’t the case because he could end up with a hysterical woman on his hands. However, he didn’t think that would be the case with Lacy. Even though she had been scared she had kept her cool and ended up shooting Tom Crow to get away from him.

  His eyes took in her pale blonde hair and creamy white flawless skin. He could still feel the softness of her flesh beneath his fingertips and he wanted more. He wanted to be able to kiss and lick all over her body. He wanted to see her in the throes of passion and then he wanted to bury his hard cock into her hot, tight depths.

  Chet shifted on his feet and cursed under his breath when the fit of his pants became restricted and downright uncomfortable. After he adjusted himself, he quietly closed the door and then he helped Walker get Neil on top of the coach and tied him down.

  Such a waste of life. Neil hadn’t been much older than he was and he was only thirty-two. The only consolation was that Neil didn’t have a wife or kids waiting for him. Noel Thompson, Neil’s brother, was going to be cut up, but at least he was lucky enough to have a sweet woman by his side to help him through his grief. Chet had met Julianna and had liked her right away. She was expecting her first child so he hoped that Noel focused on his wife and baby and didn’t let the grief of losing his brother consume him.

  “Ready?” Chet asked Walker as he mounted his horse and he climbed into the stagecoach seat before taking the reins into his hands.

  “Yeah.”

  “Keep a look out for trouble,” Chet said and he positioned his musket at his feet and then checked his pistols holstered at his hips. These were hard and dangerous times and he needed to be ready for trouble at all times.

  And there was no way he was letting anyone else try to take or hurt Lacy Tanner.

  Chapter Two

  Lacy sighed and rolled to her side. Her head was aching but it wasn’t a bad ache, only enough to be an annoying niggle. She frowned as she tried to remember what had happened and when she did she bolted upright and groaned as her bruised and aching body protested the abrupt movement.

  She blinked to clear the sleep haze from her eyes and gasped when she saw she was in a strange bedroom. The last thing she remembered was sitting on hard, muscular thighs while Chet had poured whiskey down her throat. She tentatively reached up and lightly touched the back of her head and winced when her fingers came in contact with the thread in her skin.

  She had no idea where she was but was about to find out. She threw the covers aside and was a little embarrassed to see she was only in her corset and pantaloons. Even though she was glad she wasn’t wearing her skirt and shirt, she had no idea who had undressed her.

  Lacy wiggled to the side of the bed and rose gingerly to her feet. She sighed with relief when she didn’t sway and her head didn’t start drumming on the inside, and after searching about for her clothes she found them draped over a chair against the wall. She took a couple of steps toward the chair and then spied her trunk on the floor next to the chair. Even though she really needed to find a chamber pot or a privy, she wasn’t about to go searching for either until she was dressed. When she saw the urn of water sitting in the wash bowl, she walked to the door and locked it. There was no way she was stripping down to nothing when there was danger of having someone walk in on her.

  As she poured the tepid water into the bowl, the image of the four men who had rescued her came to mind. They were all so big, muscular, and handsome, and for some reason she didn’t think she would mind if any of them were to see her naked. Just the thought of them staring at her bare body caused her nipples to pucker and moisture to form between her legs.

  She removed her under things and moaned as her arms brushed the sides of her sensitive breasts. The ache in her breasts was too intent to ignore and she lifted her hands to cup them. A sigh left her mouth as the palms of her hands stroked over her responsive nipples and then she caressed her way down over her ribs, hips, and to the hair at the top of her mound. Her fingers moved through her curls and when she touched them to her feminine lips she found them wet and the urge to explore further was a deep, hungry craving she wasn’t sure she could ignore. But when she heard a thump coming from somewhere in the house, she removed her hands from her body, quickly washed the sweat and dust from her skin with the lilac-scented bar of soap and clean cloth on the small dish to the side of the large wash bowl, dried off with the clean towel she found on a rail beside the dresser, and dressed.

  After rubbing her teeth with baking powder and then swilling it around her mouth after taking a sip of water from the glass she found on the bedside table, she donned her soft kid ankle boots, brushed her hair, re-braided it, and unlocked the door.

  Lacy took a deep breath, smoothed her damp palms down the blue skirt, and opened the door. She stepped out into a long hallway and assumed the four doors off of it were more bedrooms and then walked slowly toward where she’d heard the thump come from.

  She came to a large living room with bulky yet surprisingly modern furniture and a large open fireplace gracing one wall. There was a deck of cards on the coffee table but it was the painting between the two big windows that caught her attention. She hurried across the room and as she stared at the likeness of the four men who’d come to her rescue, flutters formed in her belly.

  Lacy had seen a lot of handsome men since her father’s friends had often visited him, but none of them could hold a candle to these four. There was just something about them that made her body awaken, and although she knew she should be wary of strangers, she felt like she had known them forever.

  She turned when she heard the deep rumble of voices and then moved across the living room and stood at the entrance to their kitchen. All four of the men were sitting at a scarred wooden dining table, passing around platters of food and filling their plates.

  The aroma of cooked food had saliva pooling in her mouth and her stomach rumbling. Since she had no idea how long she’d been sleeping, she didn’t know how long it was since she’d last eaten. The coach driver had made a stop in Bacchus Marsh the day before the bushrangers had held them up and she’d had a stew dinner and a light breakfast the next morning. But right at that moment she felt like it had been forever since she’d satisfied her hunger.

  Lacy must have made a sound or maybe they’d heard her skirt swish when she shifted from foot to foot, because all four men turned to look at her at the same time. Walker and Kenton jumped to their feet and rushed across the room, taking one of her hands in one each of theirs.

  “How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Kent asked.

  Lacy had to clear her throat to speak. She felt so small and feminine next to such tall, manly men. “I’m fine. Thank you all for coming to my help.”

  “Bring her to the table,” Chet ordered.

  Kent and Walker guided her to a seat and saw her comfortable before taking their own seats again.

  “Are you hungry, love?” Chet asked.

  “Yes.”

  Chet snagged the empty plate in front of her and began to load it with eggs, bacon, and damper bread. Lacy licked her lips and hoped the men couldn’t hear her empty stomach protesting. It had been a long time since she’d had homemade damper. She used to add extras to the bread when her father first became ill because it was the only thing he seemed to want to eat as he deteriorated. She’d add onions, bacon, and if there was any, she added thinly sliced pieces of cheese, but that was a rarity as cheese took so long to age and was hard to come by. Plus, her father hadn’t made much money, but sometimes the owners of the estate her papa had been looking after would pass over a wedge or two.

  Thinking of her father caused her eyes to burn with tears but she blinked to dispel them. She wasn’t about to show weakness in front of these men, not until she found out what they wanted with her. Although she didn’t think they would hurt her, they had saved her, after all, it was rare for people to go out of their way to help others. At least that had been her experience in life, so far.

  Chet placed the
heaped plate in front of her and though she didn’t think she could eat it all, she was hungry enough to try. She picked up the knife and fork and started to eat. She moaned when the salty bacon and savoury eggs hit her tastebuds and after chewing, slowly swallowed.

  She became aware of the silence in the room and lifted her head to find all four men watching her. There was a look in their eyes she couldn’t quite fathom, but the intentness of their gazes made her feel uncomfortable, so she decided to ask questions to relieve the tension invading her body. “Where am I?”

  Will picked up his mug of coffee and took a sip. “We brought you to our home. We live just over six miles outside of Ballarat. We own a sheep farm but since we’ve been busy tracking bushrangers we’ve hired on some stockmen to take care of the herd.”

  “Were you heading to Ballarat?” Walker asked.

  Lacy finished chewing as she nodded her head.

  “Do you have family living there?” Kent lifted the fork to his mouth.

  “Uh…I hope so.”

  “What do you mean?” Will questioned.

  Lacy grabbed the mug of coffee and took a sip. She grimaced over the taste of the bitter brew. Kent got up from his seat and went to the kitchen side of the room. He brought back some sugar and cream and handed them to her.

  “Thank you.” Lacy tried to collect her thoughts as she added a spoon of sugar and some cream to her coffee.

  “Lacy?” Chet nudged her arm lightly with his elbow. “What did you mean, you hope so?”

  “I’m looking for my brother.”

  “Where is he?” Walker raised his eyebrow at her.

  “The last I heard he was mining the goldfields of Ballarat.”

  “When did you hear from him?” Will asked.

  “I got a letter from him six months ago,” she answered in an almost whisper. “I have no idea when he wrote it or how long it took to get to me.” For all Lacy knew it could have been as long as twelve months or more since Craig had written that letter, but she was desperate to find him and wasn’t about to let anything stop her.

  “Six months? Are you out of your mind?” Chet asked loudly.

  Lacy ducked her head and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked quickly and when she had her emotions in control, once more lifted her head and met his angry gaze with her own ire.

  “No, I’m not out of my mind.”

  “You were travelling alone,” Walker stated more than asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know how dangerous that is?” Will snapped.

  “Of course I do,” Lacy answered in kind. “What was I supposed to do? My papa died just over a month ago. The cottage we had been staying in was needed for the new gardener. I have no one left and nowhere else to go.” The tears she’d been trying to hold at bay welled once more and this time they spilled down her cheeks.

  “Oh god, love. Don’t cry.” Chet scooted his chair back and then he reached over and lifted her onto his lap. His arms wrapped around her and it was so tempting to bury her face into his chest and cry, but she’d cried enough tears and didn’t want to show any more weakness. No matter what, crying wouldn’t change her circumstances. She decided to take today to rest after such a long harrowing journey and first thing tomorrow she would start looking for her brother.

  “What’s your brother’s name?” Kent asked.

  “Craig. Craig Tanner.”

  “What does he look like?” Will shifted in his seat to look her in the eye.

  Lacy bit her lip. She could describe Craig to a T but she had seen him ten long years ago and he could have changed quite a bit since then. Maybe if they had some parchment and some charcoal she could draw his picture. Her papa had always told her she was good at drawing.

  “He’s about five feet ten, with dark blond hair and grey eyes.”

  Chet nudged her chin up and stared into her eyes. His blue-green eyes seemed to see beneath the surface and right into her soul. She shivered and glanced away before meeting his eyes again. “When was the last time you saw your brother?”

  “Ten years ago.”

  “So you don’t know what he looks like now,” Chet stated. “Mining is a hard life, love. He could be thinner than you remember and most of the prospectors grow beards and moustaches since the facial hair help keeps them warmer in the colder months.”

  “He could have moved on,” Kent said. “There are a lot of goldmines all over Australia, sweetheart. If things didn’t work out here, it’s likely he moved along.”

  Lacy didn’t know what to think, but since Craig was her only relative she wasn’t about to give up. She was going to do everything she could to find her brother. She lifted her chin and met each of their eyes. “I need to find my brother and I need a job. Do you have any suggestions? And maybe you could recommend a boarding house for me to stay at.”

  * * * *

  Will’s heart sank at the boarding house statement. If he had his way Lacy would be staying in their house for the rest of her life. He was worried about her and feeling sick to his stomach about her having travelled on the stagecoach without any escort. But he was also relieved that he and his mates came along when they had. If they hadn’t…well, he didn’t even want to think about what would have happened to her.

  “You will be staying here,” Chet said emphatically.

  “Oh, well, um…I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

  “Yes, it is,” Will piped up. “Lacy, have you ever been to Ballarat or seen any of the goldfields?”

  She shook her head.

  “Let us tell you a little about what it’s like,” Kent interjected and then scrubbed a hand over his face before meeting each of their eyes. Will nodded when he looked at him last. “The men there are as rough as can be. They carry pistols and or muskets at all times. They need to do that because there are many out there who will kill to steal a prospector’s claim site.”

  “There are hardly any buildings and most of the prospectors live in tents,” Walker explained. “It’s a hard life to mine for gold. There are a lot of foreigners who have travelled here hoping to find gold. It’s no place for a woman.”

  “But…surely there are other women there? Surely they are safe?” Lacy whispered her questions.

  Will shook his head. “No. They aren’t. Women are few and far between. The ratio of men to women has to be at least fifty to one.”

  “Those women aren’t like you, Lacy,” Chet said. “They aren’t ladies.”

  “What do you…” Lacy lowered her head and her cheeks turned pink.

  Will was glad that he and his brothers wouldn’t have to explain about the whores.

  “Baby?” Walker drew her gaze. “We will try to find your brother, but we can’t promise anything. As we said earlier, he could have moved on already. There is no guarantee he will still be at the goldfields. You haven’t heard from him in six months. That’s a long time in these parts. Anything could have happened since he sent you that letter.”

  “Did you write to him and tell him you were coming, love?” Chet asked.

  Lacy shook her head.

  Kent reached across the table and patted the hand she had resting on the top. “We will ask around, but please don’t get your hopes up, sweetheart. We’d hate for you to be disappointed.”

  Lacy nodded and Will felt like a bastard. He could see that she was blinking back tears, but as they had told her, this was a hard place to live and survive in. For all they knew, her brother had been killed. That happened more often than not. He hoped that wasn’t the case for her sake, but he wasn’t about to hold his breath. Violence was a given when there was gold involved. That was why he and his friends had never wanted to bother working claims for the pittance they were likely to get. It was more lucrative to raise sheep. The meat fed a lot of people and the wool was used in clothes and other things to keep people warm.

  The best day of his life was when Will met Chet Harland. He’d only been twenty and a group of drunk miners had cornered him in an all
ey outside the inn. Chet had saved his life that day and they had clicked. They’d travelled the country together and ended up in Melbourne for a spell. Both of them had hated being around so many people, but when they had stumbled onto a notice for hired trackers he and Chet signed up.

  They’d saved every penny they could, only buying necessary supplies to survive. Two years later Kenton had joined up and a year later, Walker had signed on. Between the four of them they had a reputation for being fast guns and catching every ranger they searched for.

  The government office they had been working for had sent all four of them to Ballarat when things started getting out of hand with the miners. Their job had been to aid the police and keep things from getting too wild.

  When they’d seen the notice for hundreds of acres of land up for sale, they pooled their money and bought it. It had been hard at first since they were only the second farm to start raising sheep. They’d been ridiculed and disparaged but since their reputation of hired guns had preceded them, none of those villifiers were brave enough to take them on.

  That had been seven years ago and although he was happy and they were raking the money in, there was something missing. Will hadn’t known what that was until he laid eyes on Lacy.

  The moment he’d seen her struggling to get away from Tom Crow he knew he’d found the missing piece to the puzzle.

  He was worried about her reputation since she was staying on their farm and there were four of them. Although most of the women in Ballarat were indeed whores, there were a couple of respectable married women living there, too. The only way he could see to protect her from gossip was if she married one of them.

  But getting Lacy to agree to marriage, let alone sharing her between all four of them as a wife was going to be more difficult than it sounded.

  Chapter Three

  Lacy didn’t have to ask what they meant about Craig. She could read between the lines. They were trying to tell her that her brother might be dead. Her breath hitched and her heart pounded. Tears filled her eyes.