Her Border Lands Wish Read online

  

  Men of the Border Lands 20

  Her Border Lands Wish

  Amanda wishes for what her sisters have found. Garrett and Jeremy want a woman of their own. Fate has a funny way of bringing people together.

  Amanda is kidnapped and dragged through the woods by her captor when Garrett and Jeremy find her and save her. They take her back to their home for the winter in hopes she will agree to be their woman before they have to take her back to her home.

  Amanda likes the two men who saved her from a fate worse than death and wonders if they could be the men for her, but she’s unsure.

  Jeremy and Garrett do everything in their power to convince Amanda that they are the ones for her over the next few months while they wait out winter’s cold and snow.

  Will she fall for them, or will they be forced to return her to where she came from once spring comes to the Border Lands?

  Genres: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 33,000

  HER BORDER LANDS WISH

  Men of the Border Lands 20

  Marla Monroe

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Her Border Lands Wish

  Copyright © 2019 by Marla Monroe

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-866-6

  First Publication: June 2019

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marla Monroe has been writing professionally for over thirteen years. Her first book with Siren was published in January of 2011, and she now has over 90 books and novellas available with them. She loves to write and spends every spare minute either at the keyboard or reading. She writes everything from sizzling-hot cowboys, emotionally charged BDSM, and dangerously addictive shifters, to science fiction ménages with the occasional badass biker thrown in for good measure.

  Marla lives in the southern US and works full-time at a busy hospital. When not writing, she loves to travel, spend time with her feline muses, and read. Although she misses her cross-stitch and putting together puzzles, she is much happier writing fantasy worlds where she can make everyone’s dreams come true. She’s always eager to try something new and thoroughly enjoys the research she does for her books. She loves to hear from readers about what they are looking for in their reading adventures.

  You can reach Marla at [email protected], or

  Visit her website at www.marlamonroe.com

  Her blog: www.themarlamonroe.blogspot.com

  Twitter: @MarlaMonroe1

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/marla.monroe.7

  Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+marlamonroe7/posts

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4562866.Marla_Monroe

  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marlamonroe/

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  Amazon page: http://amzn.to/1euRooO

  For all titles by Marla Monroe, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/marla-monroe

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HER BORDER LANDS WISH

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  HER BORDER LANDS WISH

  Men of the Border Lands 20

  MARLA MONROE

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  Amanda wished her sisters were still at home where she was. She missed them something awful. She didn’t begrudge them their happiness, but sometimes, like today, she wished they were there with her. It was late fall, and though they still had plenty to do with putting up the last of the vegetables, she was bored and lonely. Her stepbrothers were out with Mr. Johnson preparing the fields for winter while she was stuck in the house with Mrs. Johnson canning the last of the beans.

  “I’m going to carry these last few jars down to the cellar, Amanda. Why don’t you go outside and get some fresh air. You look a bit peaked. Don’t want you to come down with something from getting too hot,” Mrs. Johnson said.

  “Thanks. I think I will. I’m just missing my sisters. That’s all. I’ve never been without them before.”

  “I know. You’ll get to see them come spring, I’m sure. I’ll join you out on the porch in a few minutes.” Mrs. Johnson carried the last of the jars of beans to the door leading down to the cellar.

  Amanda dried her hands on a dishcloth and walked over to the back door. It would feel good to sit out on the back porch. It was cooler out there. The kitchen and living room were hot from the fire in the fireplace they’d used to heat the beans to be canned.

  She settled onto one of the rocking chairs and breathed in the crisp fall air with a smile. If only her sisters were here everything would be perfect. She closed her eyes and leaned back, thinking about all the fun times they’d had and how they’d enjoyed being together before the world had gone crazy and they’d lost their parents.

  When she’d been around eight or so years old, the world had gone to hell with all sorts of natural disasters from floods to tornadoes to earthquakes all over the globe. Entire cities had been lost, and nowhere had been left untouched. The disasters had been followed by plagues that had killed off even more of the people, leaving less than half of the survivors alive. Most of them being men.

  When she’d been fifteen, she and her sisters had lost their parents and had ended up with the Johnsons. They’d been kind enough to take them in and take care of them. Amanda was the youngest at fifteen back then. Now she was twenty-one and feeling old at the moment.

  Both of her sisters were now living with their men about a four- or five-hours walk away from her. Here in the border lands, it was safer for a woman to have two men taking care of her than just one. It seemed weird, but with so many bad men out there stealing women, it had proven to be the best decision. She wanted her sisters safe, and they seemed happy with their men. Amanda wanted them happy.

  The longer she sat rocking in the chair, the deeper she drifted into sleep. When the porch squeaked, she didn’t even think about it. She just assumed it was one of the boys coming back from the fields. It wasn’t until the hand came over her mouth that she realized she was in trouble.

  Her eyes snapped open, and she drew in a deep breath through her nose to scream, despite the hand over her mouth, but nearly choked at the stench she inhaled.

  “Don’t even think about it, bitch.” The voice was nasally sounding.

  Amanda’s eyes grew wide at the monstrous man towering over her. He looked like a sumo wrestler on steroids. Where h
ad he come from?

  “You’re going to get up and come with me without making a sound, or I’m going to knock some sense into you. Got it?” he asked.

  Amanda nodded her head as best she could with his hand over her mouth.

  “Good. Now let’s go.” He jerked her to her feet and walked her toward the steps.

  Amanda dragged her feet the best she could in hopes Mrs. Johnson or someone would walk up and see her being led away by her captor, but he was strong and half dragged her as he walked toward the woods just beyond the yard to one side of the house.

  When she tried to slow him down and dug at his hand covering her mouth, he used his other hand to yank at her hair.

  “Stop fighting me, bitch. I’ll knock some sense into you if you don’t settle down. I mean it.” He jerked her hair harder, making her wince as tears formed in her eyes from the sharp sting.

  Once they reached the tree line, Amanda knew she was lost. They’d never find her or even know what had happened to her.

  She had no idea how long they’d walked through the woods or even what direction they were taking, but after she’d nearly fallen a half-dozen times, her captor stopped and let her rest. He dropped her onto the ground and told her to rest and not to try to get away. He gave her some water and watched her while she drank. Then he walked over a few steps and relieved himself right in front of her.

  Amanda turned her head, not wanting to watch. How crude. She was in so much trouble. Why hadn’t she just stayed inside until Mrs. Johnson had finished down in the cellar? Surely he wouldn’t have attempted to take her with Mrs. Johnson there, would he? Maybe? Or maybe he would have hurt the older woman to get to her.

  “Let’s go. We’ve got a long way to get this afternoon before we stop for the night,” he said.

  Amanda stood on rubbery legs and had started walking when he pushed her. She’d thought of trying to run away, thinking that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with her, considering his blubbery body, but figured she’d only end up lost in the long run. She’d be better off waiting and seeing where she ended up first.

  Finally, as dusk fell in the woods, he stopped and had her sit in front of a tree, where he tied her up for the night. He built a fire and fixed something over it that he didn’t share with her. He did give her more water, and thankfully, the warmth of the fire reached her to keep her fairly warm most of the night.

  Early the next morning, he untied her and watched as she relieved herself then urged her on as they began another long morning of trudging through the woods. Amanda’s legs burned with the effort of walking. She’d never had to walk this much at one time that she could remember. Maybe back when she’d been younger with her parents, they’d walked this much, but she couldn’t really remember that anymore. Now she had to fight to keep the tears at bay. What was going to happen to her?

  They stopped around noon, and her captor gave her jerky of some kind as well as more water. She savored the jerky since it was the first thing she’d had to eat since lunch the previous day. Amanda debated on whether or not to ask her captor questions on what he planned to do with her. Maybe she didn’t really want to know. Maybe she already knew and didn’t want it verified.

  By midafternoon her legs were quivering to the point that she was having trouble walking. Amanda stumbled and fell for the second time. Her captor kicked her and jerked her up by her arm.

  “Stop screwing around. We don’t have time for this,” he said.

  “I’m not. My legs are shaky. I’m not used to walking like this. I can’t keep it up,” she said, just shy of tears.

  “Damn it all. Fine. We’ll take a break.” He stomped off toward a tree and once again relieved himself then leaned against it and watched her as she curled into herself.

  Her legs ached and jerked as if they had a mind of their own. She wasn’t sure how she was going to survive this. If she couldn’t walk any longer, would he kill her? Why had he taken her in the first place?

  Stupid. I know why. He wants me because I’m a woman and there aren’t many of us left. Either he plans on using me or selling me. Either way, I’m fucked.

  She nearly laughed hysterically at that thought. She really was, and there was nothing she could do about it. Amanda tried to prepare herself for the inevitable but doubted there was really any way to do that. Rape was rape, and there was no way to prepare yourself for that sort of invasion.

  Twenty minutes or so later, her captor stood and walked over to her. “Get up.”

  She struggled to her feet and, at his prodding, began walking ahead of him in the general direction he pointed out. The path they were on had obviously been walked in the past by someone since it wasn’t overgrown with weeds and vines like most of the woods around them was. She wondered who all had passed through the area and if there was any chance they might happen along while she was being held captive. Chances were slim, she knew, but she could always hope for a miracle.

  When night came again, she was ready for it. Her body was exhausted and her mind dulled by worry and hunger. He gave her more jerky and water and tied her up to a tree once more. She fell into a fitful sleep that didn’t seem to last long at all before he was waking her up with his boot against her hip.

  “Wake up. Time to go. Gonna get to my place in a couple of hours,” he said.

  Amanda’s stomach dropped. The slight hope that someone would help her was slowly burning out. Once they reached this bastard’s place, she would have no more chance at being set free. It also meant she was to be this man’s woman. He wasn’t planning to sell her. As much as she hadn’t wanted to be sold, she really hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with the sumo wrestler either. He was gross and nasty and, well, gross.

  She wiggled her arms once he’d untied her then stood on shaky legs once more. He gave her more water then urged her onward once he’d donned his pack. She walked along the path, shuffling her feet in an effort to put it off for as long as possible. The massive lard behind her didn’t seem to notice she was walking slowly since he didn’t push at her to hurry up. He seemed more concerned with something else, but she didn’t know what it was.

  They came to a sharp bend in the path that went around a rock outcropping, and he grabbed her, stopping her from going around it.

  “Wait.”

  She stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. Why would he want her to stop now? She just stood there and waited on him to decide what he wanted to do. He looked around for several minutes then shrugged and nodded for her to continue.

  Amanda walked around the rock and was immediately grabbed and pulled behind someone with a hand over her mouth for the second time in three days.

  Chapter Two

  Jeremy made sure Garrett had the woman secure behind him as he waited for the massive bastard to round the rock behind her. He didn’t want the woman to end up hurt because she was in the way. The bastard who had her hadn’t been taking care of her, that was for sure. Anyone who tied up a woman didn’t deserve her and sure hadn’t cared for her.

  He and Garrett had decided they’d take her away from the man when they’d watched him shoving her earlier the day before. Once he’d tied her up that night, they’d cemented their plans. She wasn’t with the man by choice, so taking her from him wasn’t wrong in their eyes. They’d give her the choice of remaining with them or going back to wherever she’d come from. It would cut if she wanted to go back, but they’d take her back. They weren’t thieves.

  It had been her pretty strawberry-blonde hair that had attracted her to them in the first place. It stood out among the dying foliage of the forest. It was a little longer than her shoulders and was thick and, though tangled at the moment, looked amazing framing her oval face with those amazing blue eyes. She was an appealing curvy woman who looked young and inexperienced to him. He doubted she was much over twenty, if that. She certainly didn’t need to be in the hands of a man such as the one who had her now.

  He heard the rocks beneath the big man’s feet as he
walked around the big rock. The moment he appeared, Jeremy hauled back and hit him square in the nose then followed it up with a hard kick to the gut. The man fell to the ground, holding his nose. Jeremy was on top of him immediately and hit him again and again. The big man managed to get in a few shots of his own, but it didn’t take Jeremy long to knock the man out.

  He pushed himself up and wiped the blood off his face with the back of one hand then grimaced at the cuts on his knuckles. More scars. He huffed out a breath.

  “Here.” Garrett handed him a cloth. “Better clean up before you scare the woman to death. She’s shaking like a leaf.”

  Jeremy nodded and wiped the blood from his face then his knuckles. He looked over at the woman, who was curled up sitting next to the other side of the rock with her head resting on her arms. He winced. She looked like she was in shock. No doubt she’d suffered these last few days, and this hadn’t helped any.

  He glanced at his cousin. Garrett shrugged. He didn’t have a clue what to do either. They hadn’t been around women much in the last twelve to fifteen years. Not since the world had come crashing down around them. Once that happened, it had been them against the world. They’d survived.

  Jeremy walked over to where the woman was sitting and squatted next to her. “Hey. My name is Jeremy, and that’s my cousin, Garrett. What’s your name?”

  She rolled her head a little to look at him. She bit her lower lip then sighed. “Amanda.”

  “Hey, Amanda. Are you hurt anywhere that we need to see about? Did he hurt you?” he asked.

  “No. Just tired. I’m just tired,” she said. “I want to go home.”

  Jeremy’s hope that she’d want to stay with them hit bottom. He sighed. Naturally she’d want to go home. What had he been thinking?