Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
’Til Death Do We Part By Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. ‘Til Death Do We Part Copyright© 2008 Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton ISBN: 978‐1‐60088‐312‐5 Cover Artist: Dan Skinner Editor: Devin Govaere All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Cobblestone Press, LLC www.cobblestone‐press.com
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Dedication To those who give everything in service to their country. And to those who carry on after the loss of a loved one.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Author’s Note Thank you to the Web sites of Colorado State University and Universal Semen Sales for the helpful information on types of bulls, pricing of bull sperm, and collection procedures. Any mistakes made in this book are contributed strictly to the authors.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter One April, 2003 “Teacup! Teacup, stop begging. You know the rules. If you don’t behave, Clint’s going to throw you outside when he gets home.” Erica Michaels nudged the hundred‐sixty‐pound, black Fengjing pig with her thigh to move her out of the way. Erica’s husband had bought the pig to raise for food, but she’d fallen in love with the wrinkle‐faced little piglet, and that was the end of any thought of eating her. Now the behemoth thought she was a lapdog, and also thought begging at the kitchen counter was acceptable. Clint didn’t need to know that she sometimes gave in to the pig’s pitiful pleas. Teacup snorted her disgust at Erica, went to the kitchen door, and plopped down with a groan. Erica grinned as she chopped fresh tomatoes for Clint’s nachos. Tonight was their fifth anniversary, and she was making all his favorites. Nachos with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos and grilled chicken, followed by the main coarse of roasted rack of lamb and, for dessert, pecan pie with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Her stomach growled just thinking about dessert. With a giggle, she lifted another tomato and began chopping. Things had been going so well this last year. They’d struggled since before they got married to get the ranch off the ground, but now everything was falling into place.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Clint’s bulls were producing award‐winning calves and, as soon as the snow completely cleared, she had a list of students who wanted to start riding lessons. Her watch beeped the hour. Six o’clock. Clint would be home soon, and she was behind schedule. She wanted the nachos done when he walked in. He’d gone into Helena for an appointment, but he’d called when he was done to tell her he was on his way. The roads were clear, so he should be home any minute. After wiping her hands on the towel hanging over the handle of the oven, she went into the living room and flipped on the evening news. She grabbed the lighter off the mantel and lit the tapers on the dining room table, then headed back into the kitchen. The news anchor’s voice came to her, and she idly listened to the updates on the war while she chopped jalapenos. She couldn’t believe America was back in that God‐forsaken place. “We have a special report tonight,” he said in a voice she’d been listening to for years and still found extremely sexy. He’d had a special report every night since American forces reached Baghdad days earlier. “Three U.S. soldiers will finally be coming home after going MIA in enemy territory during the first Gulf War in 1991. But unlike many in past conflicts, these three men won’t be in coffins draped with the American flag. No. Twelve years later, First Sergeant Richard Williamson, Specialist Justin Blackwood, and Corporal Zachary Collingsworth were found alive in an undisclosed location inside Iraq. Details are sketchy, but one correspondent embedded with troops on the front line tells us there’s plenty to celebrate in Baghdad following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime...” The blade slipped and slashed into Erica’s thumb. She let out a yelp and dropped the knife, but her brain wasn’t on her wound. Justin Blackwood. The name echoed in her head as she ran for the living room. The frontline reporter was talking, but Erica didn’t hear what he said. On the screen was a picture of the three solders. And there, in the middle, was Justin. Justin, her heart cried. Her Justin! He was alive.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Sinking to her knees in front of the television, she stared at him. He was older—God, it had been twelve years. His face was leaner than she’d ever seen it. He had lines bracketing his mouth and eyes, but it was her Justin. Her fiancé. Her lover. The man she’d thought was dead. She would know those midnight blue eyes anywhere. The picture disappeared from the screen. She spun around, grabbed the remote from the coffee table, and flipped to another news channel. “Unconfirmed reports say that the three United States Army soldiers were imprisoned in Baghdad. The Army is not releasing any confirmation other than their names and that they are in good health. Colonial Thompson plans to hold a press conference tomorrow, after more information is obtained from the rescued POWs. “Once again, three United States Army soldiers, MIA since 1991, have been found...alive. First Sergeant Richard Williamson, Specialist Justin Blackwood, and Corporal Zachary Collingsworth.” Erica raised her hand to her mouth as tears poured down her face. Teacup nudged her shoulder and grunted. Erica turned to her beloved pig and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her close. “Oh. My. God. Oh my God. Ohmygod. Justin... He’s alive.” * * * * * Clint Michaels pulled up in front of their ranch house and killed the engine of his F150. He gripped the wheel and dropped his head back on the seat. How the hell was he going to tell Erica? How in God’s name was he supposed to walk into their house on their anniversary and tell his wife bad news? He swallowed hard and sucked in a deep breath. Pain throbbed behind his closed eyes. He’d thought they were migraines and had put off seeing a specialist for almost a year. Not that it would have done any good, the doctor assured him. Maybe he should get a second opinion. Before telling Erica... He rubbed his gloved hand over his face, pushed open the truck
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton door, and stepped into the cold air. He let out a long breath, which puffed white in front of his face. No, he couldn’t tell her tonight. She was in there making a special dinner for him. He reached across the seat and picked up the gift he’d gotten for her. He needed to make this anniversary a special one—one she’d never forget. He tried swallowing around the lump in his throat, but it was too big. God. He couldn’t do this. They’d been through too much, struggled so hard to make their life and marriage work. It was finally coming together. They were closer than they’d ever been. This last year’s profits had turned everything around for them, and they were talking about having children, starting a family. He leaned against the side of the truck, his legs too weak to carry him inside. His gut clenched, and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. His head throbbed. Oh, fuck. Bracing his hands against his knees, he tried to calm down. He hadn’t had a panic attack in years. Calm down, Clint. Calm down. This is inevitable. Nothing you can do to change it. Period. End of story. He breathed through the terror. He wasn’t that afraid for himself. He just didn’t know how Erica would deal with it. When he thought he’d calmed enough to face his wife without her being able to tell something was wrong, he headed toward the porch. Pasting on a smile, he opened the front door. “Honey, I’m— Shit. What’s burning?” First he saw Erica on the floor staring at the television, and then the smoke billowing out of the oven. He dropped the gift on the couch as he passed her on his way to the kitchen. “Erica, what the hell...?” A blackened pile of tortilla chips was the reason for the smoke. Grabbing a potholder, he lifted the pan out of the oven and tossed them in the sink, and then he threw open the kitchen door and turned on the fan over the stove to clear out the smoke. “Erica,” he said as he headed back into the living room. “What the hell is—” “Look.” She pushed to her feet, pointed at the television, and
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton grabbed his arm. What he saw was her finger bleeding, the droplets falling to the floor. More blood was smeared on the neck of that walking pork chop; the ugly pig shouldn’t even be in the house. He grabbed her hand, lifted it above her head, and applied pressure to the cut. “Erica, are you in shock?” Cutting herself had never made her loopy before. “J‐Justin,” she stammered, never taking her attention from the television. “Justin’s alive.” “What?” He glanced at the television, paying attention to the program for the first time, and saw a picture of Justin. An older Justin, not the guy he knew. Not the one he’d last seen in Iraq over a decade earlier. “Justin’s alive,” Erica said again. “He’s not dead. We have to go get him. We have to be there. He doesn’t know about his parents’ deaths. We’re all he’s got, Clint.” She looked up at him then and gripped his forearm with her uninjured hand. “He’s come back to us.” * * * * * The passengers on the plane remained seated and staring as Justin unbuckled his safety belt and stood. Even those in First Class with him stayed put and watched with excited, sympathetic expressions. As the plane had taxied to the gate in Helena, the lead flight attendant had asked them to wait so he could get his bags and disembark. But he had no real luggage, except for a small backpack he carried with some underwear and toiletries...and the new uniform he wore, given to him by the military, complete with a Bronze Star and Purple Heart presented to him by the President himself. The cold metal lay pinned to his chest along with other medals that didn’t mean nearly as much as the knowledge that he was back on American soil, and finally back in his home state. He began the short walk—Thank you, God—down the aisle toward the exit. After the first step, the clapping began; by the time he reached the front exit, the passengers were cheering, the flight crew was all smiles, and he tried to nod his thanks, wave, and get his churning stomach under
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton control so he didn’t embarrass himself. He understood America’s need for the fanfare, but he hated being at the center of it. He’d had enough flashbulbs go off in his face, answered enough questions during the debriefings, or interrogations rather, to last a lifetime. He paused briefly in the gangway and took a deep breath. The passengers would soon follow. He needed to keep moving. One more big breath and he squared his shoulders, prepared to face the onslaught of media that surely awaited him at the gate. But when he walked out, there were no flashes. No crowd waiting for him or any of those from the plane. What the hell? Confusion must have showed on his face, because an attendant at the gate smiled and waved a hand as if directing traffic. “This way, sir.” “Where is everybody?” he asked, feeling a bit foolish for having to ask. He felt like Alice in Wonderland. Even the airport terminal looked so different from the way he remembered it. The attendant’s smile never wavered. “Because of security since 9/11, only passengers can be at the gate.” Oh. 9/11. He’d heard details of the attack on American soil when some hospital personnel in Germany, where they’d sent him first, explained the reason U.S. troops had returned to Iraq. He hadn’t even known there’d been a ceasefire, much less a war on terror that scattered soldiers along multiple fronts from Iraq to Afghanistan. “I’m sure your family and friends await you near the luggage carousel,” she said with a tug on his arm, which pulled him out of the way as other passengers caught up and passed him. Family... “Thank you.” He nodded stiffly then followed the signs pointing the way to baggage claim, and almost staggered from the emotions that erupted inside him. He had no family. Except for Erica and, technically, she was only his fiancée. He stopped in the bathroom, startling another man as he slammed into a stall to find a moment of privacy.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Erica. Thoughts of her and his parents had kept him alive. That and the good fortune of having one Iraqi jailer, educated in the states, who’d somehow managed to persuade someone that he and the others were more valuable alive than dead. Don’t think about that! It was over. The war, for him, was over. Twelve fucking years of it. Fully clothed, he sat on the toilet, his head in his hands. Time had ceased for him in 1991. He’d survived the tortures in the beginning, the long hours—Days? Months?—spent in dark, damp cells with no way to track the passage of the seasons. He’d lived despite the illnesses he suffered with little or no medical aid. He’d kept his sanity, his identity as an American, by thinking of home. Dreaming of Montana, his parents, and Erica. He exited the stall, hearing its automatic albeit unnecessary flush, and took another moment to collect himself as he cleaned up at the sink. Erica. She awaited him along with his best friend, Clint. Damn, he’d missed them—had all but given up hope of ever seeing them again. Their years spent together playing hooky from high school seemed like a lifetime ago. He’d wanted more than anything to call his parents, but after a bit of stalling, military personnel had finally delivered the news about their deaths. It was a decisive blow he still wasn’t prepared to deal with, so his first contact back home was Erica. Getting to talk to her...hearing her say his name had been the sweetest sound he’d heard in more than a decade. And the phone conversation with Clint had been an added bonus. Just hearing familiar voices after all the years listening to Arabic— He cut off that thought, focused on the here and now. The future, not the past. With a renewed sense of excitement building inside, he made his way to baggage claim, scanning the faces of those in the crowd. The camera flashes began, nearly blinding him the moment he reentered the public area of the airport. Microphones and questions were tossed in his face as he tried to find... Then he saw her, and everything else faded from view.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “Justin!” Muttering an obligatory apology, he plowed through the throng, dropped his backpack.... The second she was in his arms, he was home. “God, I’ve missed you,” he said, giving voice to volatile emotions in the only way he knew how. Despite a startled hesitation on her part, he claimed her mouth in a searing, passionate kiss that erased time. She might be skittish with the audience, but he didn’t care. She was warm. Soft. Familiar. And so damn right that he knew the world could explode around him and he wouldn’t give a shit. He broke the kiss only long enough to whisper against her lips, “I love you. I’ve loved you forever,” then he kissed her again, holding her so close he expected their bodies to meld into one. A hand landed on his shoulder, a familiar pat that sliced through his euphoric haze and brought him back to reality. Clint. His best friend since childhood, his comrade in boot camp, and the brother he’d never had. Justin pulled back, gazed into Erica’s tear‐streaked face, then released her to embrace his buddy amid a renewed shower of flashing lights and sounds. “Welcome home, bro,” Clint said. “What say we blow this joint?” Justin grinned at the familiar saying. How many times had he heard Clint say that at bars around town or near the base whenever they had liberty and met for some good‐natured hell raising just for ol’ times’ sake? With a nod, he picked up his backpack. “Not so fast,” came a female voice from nearby, authoritative but pleasant. White‐haired and dressed in a sleek business suit, the stranger held out a hand as she approached with a warm smile. “The governor,” Clint whispered, making Justin cast him a sideways glance. Montana had a female governor? Justin shook her hand in a formal greeting that caused a renewed lightshow of flickers and flashes from the media. “On behalf of the citizens of a grateful nation and the state of
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Montana, welcome home, Specialist Justin Blackwood.” “Thank you, ma’am.” “How was your flight?” “Tiring.” She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “As you can imagine, the news of your heroic survival has caused quite a stir in these parts. I think the whole state wants to give you a giant hug for all you’ve been through—” “I appreciate that, ma’am, but—” “I know. It’s all a big circus. But, if you can hang in there a bit longer, I’ll see what I can do to get you and your friends out of here. Okay?” He smiled. “I’d like that, Governor.” “Come with me, then.” She escorted him to a makeshift podium he hadn’t noticed before. Since he’d taken Erica by the hand, she and Clint accompanied him. Seeing the banners, flags, and crowd of well‐wishers, he gave an overwhelmed smile to his buddy. Clint’s answering look said he’d read the message easily. Can you believe all of this? Before a bouquet of microphones, the governor announced today Justin Blackwood Day, much to his private amusement, and introduced the mayor of Helena who gave him the “key to the city”. The cheers forced Justin to the podium where he said thanks in a heart‐felt, but brief, manner. Then, the governor wrapped the ceremony up with a few final words. “I’ve ordered a police escort to help you through traffic,” she said with another handshake for him, Erica, and Clint. “Just tell the officer guarding your pickup outside which route you plan to take.” “Thank you,” Clint said. “Don’t mention it.” She faced him once more. “Have a happy life. And remember, if you ever need anything, just call me.” The reporters and photographers shadowed them as they finally made their way out of the terminal. Justin answered some personal questions, deferring others to the military brass.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “I’m just glad to be home. I have a lot of time to make up for.... No, I’ve no comment about the current military campaign in Iraq.... Maybe some other time... I just want to get home and rest. Write a book? No, I haven’t thought about it.” Arriving at the truck, Clint took his backpack, tossed it behind the seat, and then interrupted the next wave of questions. “Justin and we all appreciate the warm welcome you’ve given him, but now it’s time to let him have some privacy, so he can catch up on what’s happened during his absence and get back to his private life. If he wishes to discuss the matter further, I’m sure he’ll call you. Thank you.” They scrambled into the pickup, with Erica in the middle and Clint behind the wheel, after he stopped to relay his planned route to the cop. The engine rumbled to life, and then, as they pulled away from the curb, they released a collective sigh, the simultaneous nature of which prompted chuckles. Even Justin gave in to the urge to laugh—something he hadn’t done in a very long time. He draped an arm around Erica and thought of all the times in their carefree youth they’d ridden away from some near scrape or foolish adventure. The feelings were similar. Relief, joy, giddiness. So natural. As if no time had passed. But it had. Clint wouldn’t be dropping him off at his parents’ house this time. He wouldn’t have to sneak in to avoid the grounding he knew would come for having missed curfew. Justin settled into a contemplative silence as the scenery of Helena sped by the window. Erica and Clint remained quiet, for which he was grateful. He needed time to think, observe, and let the reality of all that had changed settle in his mind. The city was the same, yet different. Some types of vehicles he recognized; others were foreign. It was almost as if he’d been in a coma for a dozen years only to awaken to a new world, or died and been reborn to an alternative universe where some things remained the same and others were alien. “Everything is so different,” he said, not bothering to hide the awe. “A lot of things have change, Justin,” Erica said softly. “You were
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton away a long time.” He peered at her, met her gaze, and smiled. “You haven’t. You’re still as beautiful as you were the day Clint and I left.” Her gaze dropped to her gloved hands, and a blush tinted her cheeks, almost hidden behind a curtain of straight auburn hair. He looked up to see Clint glance at Erica, then him, and back to the road. “Once we’re out of the city, where would you like to go first?” Clint asked. “You hungry?” “The cemetery,” he answered, ignoring the last question. “I want to see my folks.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter Two Erica’s heart broke as she watched Justin stop first at his own headstone. He stood frozen in place, and she could only imagine the thoughts that went through his mind, seeing his name and dates on a grave marker. She gritted her teeth as a tear silently slid down her cheek. Then he moved on and knelt at his parent’s grave. She waited by the truck with Clint, giving Justin privacy and time to deal with the grief in his own way. “I feel so helpless,” she murmured. A tremble wracked her body, and she couldn’t tell whether it was from the chill in the air, delayed reaction to Justin’s unexpected kiss from earlier, or fear of knowing she’d have to tell him about her and Clint soon. Clint took her gloved hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “He’s a survivor.” She looked at her husband, so tall and solid, with rugged good looks, hazel eyes and a cleft in the chin. His expression, however, was wary and shadowed. This must be hard on him, too, she thought, although he met the challenge with a strength she admired, which was no surprise to her. Clint had been her rock ever since her fiancé vanished during a mission. He’d contacted her as soon as he’d heard the news and kept in touch while still overseas serving his country. He’d checked in on her whenever he came home on leave and again after his discharge. They’d relied on each other as they waited for word of Justin’s fate and feared the
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton worst. They’d mourned together when, sevens years later, Justin’s parents had given up hope and declared their only child legally dead. When she needed a shoulder to cry on, Clint had been there. When she needed a friend, he’d become her best confidant. And he’d patiently stood by her until she’d finally been ready to get on with her life, even though it had taken her years. She’d never stopped loving and missing Justin; he was her first love. But she had grown to love and deeply cherish Clint. She didn’t want to hurt either of them and feared, regardless of her wishes, that she would be the wedge that drove apart the men who’d once been as close as brothers. “We have to tell him the truth,” she said. “I know that, but I’m so scared it will be the last straw. He’s already been through so much.” He shook his head. His sad, worried expression, she was sure, was a mirror image of her own. “I love you, Clint. You know I do,” she said, repeating the same thing she’d said to him countless times since learning that Justin lived. “Nothing will change that.” “I know, honey.” His eyes darkened. “I love you, too.” Justin climbed to his feet, the movement drawing her attention. As he turned toward them, Clint released her hand and opened the pickup’s driver‐side door. She waited to see if Justin was okay before climbing in. After the men got in, they headed out once more, the cab as silent as a tomb. Several miles passed before Justin spoke. “What happened?” “What do you mean?” she asked. “I was only told they’d died. No one said what happened to them.” “It was an accident,” she said. “Wrong place, wrong time.” “White‐out conditions on I‐15,” Clint added. “Multi‐car pileup. Authorities said it happened so fast, it’s unlikely they knew what hit ’em.” “All of Browning showed up for the funeral,” she said. “When you...went missing...the town rallied around them. Everyone loved them.” Justin’s lips thinned, and he gave an abrupt nod then turned to stare out the window.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton With a worried frown, Erica glanced at Clint. “Hey, bro. I hope you brought home your big appetite. I think Erica cooked mountain oysters; she swears they’re your favorite.” Erica harrumphed and elbowed Clint, but a reluctant chuckle from Justin made her give her husband a forgiving smile. He always knew just what to say to change the mood and lift everyone’s spirits. After that, he kept up a constant string of questions and comments aimed at keeping the topic of conversation on happier times, reminiscing about old times. They made one more stop in Browning to let Justin buy some civilian clothes. The storeowner recognized him from the news, which led to a brief scene as the owner insisted on giving the “war hero” a huge discount and personal service, but Justin handled it well. Still, he didn’t seem to relax until he was out of the military dress uniform and better able to blend in with locals by wearing a pair of snug denims, a button‐up western shirt, and a leather duster. Back in the truck, the final miles toward Kiowa passed quickly and, as they neared the ranch, talk turned to Clint’s current career raising bulls. Justin laughed. “I never saw you as a rancher. Weren’t you always talking about making it big in the city?” “Yeah, well, after my discharge, I tried climbing that corporate ladder, but it wasn’t for me. I missed...” His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. “I missed the laid‐back atmosphere of Glacier country. Nowhere else felt like home.” “Yeah...” Justin’s reply was little more than a sigh. “Besides,” Clint said, his tone more cheerful than before, “who says I can’t own the world by selling bull sperm?” Justin grinned. “If anyone can, you can, my friend. You always were good with the ladies. I just never knew you’d go to such lengths to win over the affections of the four‐legged, udder variety.” Erica cracked up laughing at that. Clint had been the high school Casanova. While she and Justin had been sweethearts, Clint managed to take a different girl to each school function and almost every Friday night double date she could remember.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Clint chuckled, too. “Stick with me, bro, and I’ll teach you all my tricks.” Justin sobered. “Thanks for letting me bunk at your place,” he said to Clint. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t offered.” “No problem. I told you I’m not offering charity. I could use the help around the ranch, so expect to work up a sweat.” A rumble sounded as the truck rolled over the cattle guard at the front entrance to the ranch. Justin stared out the windshield, his gaze turning to glance out the side window. Then he nodded. “Very nice.” Erica couldn’t help the pride that swelled her chest. “Thanks,” Clint responded. “It’s home‐sweet‐home.” “Yeah.” Justin’s voice again turned wistful, and Erica’s heart went out to him. He’d missed so much over the years, only to come back to find what he’d once called home changed. Gone. The mountains provided a familiar backdrop, a timeless beauty—a constant observer to progress that refused to accept status quo. “After a really great sale in Denver last year, business took off, and I had the big barn over there built,” Clint said as he pointed toward the west. “I’ll give you the grand tour later on and introduce you to Goliath.” Justin gave him a sideways glance. “Goliath?” Clint grinned. “He’s a big fucker.” He slipped the truck’s gearshift into Park. Erica rolled her eyes at the pun, while the men shared a good‐natured laugh. Justin got out, turned, and held his hand toward her. She hesitated a second before she scooted to the passenger side and got out. “Thanks,” she said, releasing his hand as soon as her feet were on solid ground. Justin took a deep breath, his eyes closed, head tilted back. “Ahh, Montana. Damn, can you smell that?” “Manure?” she said, teasingly. He snorted. “No. Well, yeah, a little of that.” He grinned, shook his head. “But, no. It’s more than that. It’s the trees, that winter‐fresh smell of evergreens, the fragrance of...home.” She peered at him for a long moment. “Welcome home, Justin.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton His blue eyes met hers, his smile bittersweet. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of how long he’d been gone—all alone, hurt, and facing death at every turn. He’d made it, even though everyone back home had given up on him, moved on without him. Guilt ate at her insides, and she closed her eyes against the pain and turmoil that raged. “I’m so sorry—” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “Shh, baby. It’s all right now.” He fingered her chin, tilted her head back, and she opened her eyes to look at him. “Only happy times from here on out, okay?” She nodded, tried to smile. “You two coming?” Clint asked. “Yes,” she said with a step away from Justin. Clint waited for them to round the truck then led the way for the house. Justin slid an arm around her shoulders again, which sent her stomach into a whirlpool. Being in his arms after all this time—after accepting that she’d never feel his touch again—felt better than wonderful, but it also stirred up concerns and guilt. Her gaze settled on her husband as he headed up the steps to the porch with a staccato beat of boot heels on wood. When he turned, he obviously spotted Justin’s arm, because his expression locked, and the uneasy sensation in her gut escalated. But Clint didn’t say a thing. He gave Justin a half‐smile, pulled back the screen door, and turned the key in the lock, opening the crossbuck front door for them. Jittery, Erica walked inside, rattling off a silent prayer for calm. She removed her gloves and let Justin take her jacket. He hung it on the coat rack near the door along with his duster. “Thanks. Why don’t you guys see what’s on TV? Give me a few minutes, and I’ll have dinner on the table.” Clint removed his cowboy hat and gloves, then hung up his own coat. “I could use a home‐cooked meal.” Justin chuckled. “I would’ve thought a bachelor like you would’ve learned to fend for...” His voice trailed off as his gaze dropped to Clint’s hand, then returned with solid force. “Wait. Erica?” She froze, lowering her hand from where she’d just pushed back a
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton lock of hair. Justin stepped closer, his gaze following her hand, flicking from one to the other. He took her right hand first, studied the etched band on her ring finger, his thumb caressing it. She’d worn it every day since the night he put it on her hand—the night he proposed. The only change was which hand it was on. Her breath seized. No more putting off the inevitable. He took her left hand, his gaze glued to the diamond wedding set there, and the bottom fell out from under her with the tick of his jaw. “You should’ve told me sooner,” he said softly. She couldn’t speak. Her mind spun with too many words for her to grasp. “God, I should’ve known—realized...” He looked at her face, his expression like a thunderstorm. “After all this time—” she began. Clint said, “Justin—” “Don’t! Don’t say a goddamn thing.” He dropped her hands and, after giving Clint a hard look, turned on his heel and left, his duster still on the coat rack between theirs. She took a step, but Clint’s grip on her arm stopped her. “Let him go,” he said softly, his work‐roughened hands tugging her gently into a firm embrace. How often had he said that to her over the years? How many times had she cried on his shoulder when grief needled her heart with the pain of a lost love? How many nights had his embrace, his support, his love lifted her up and given her courage to face another day? She buried her face against his chest and clung to him. * * * * * Volatile emotions ripped Justin apart as he heard the screen door slam behind him. He leaped to the ground and looked around, wanting to run and not knowing where to go. He had no home. Nowhere to go. He took off running anyway, down the dirt road that was the driveway, toward the setting sun.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Twelve fucking years. Thoughts of Erica had kept him alive for twelve years. Memories of her smile had brightened the darkness of his existence. Thoughts of her eyes and the love that once shone in them for him had warmed his bleak nights. Her touch. God, he’d wanted nothing more than to live long enough to feel her touch one more time. But now... He didn’t look back as he ran harder. Unsure whether he ran from the memories or reality of the newfound knowledge he didn’t want to face. He should’ve known she’d move on. It was only fair that she get on with her life. There had been no guarantee he would return. Several times, he barely survived the brutality, but he had. He had returned, only to discover that he had lost the one person he’d lived for. “No!” He shouted through the pain. He wanted to turn back time, to change his past. He wanted to rage against fate. Alone. Angry tears streaked down his cheeks as fury boiled in his veins. Coming to a stop just short of the cattle guard, he scowled at the colorful sky—brilliant hues that he used to love and, at the moment, hated. The cold that surrounded him with the vanishing rays of the sun was welcome. “Why?” He fisted his hands and kept walking, the rush of adrenaline and urge to flee somewhat abated. “Why?” He’d never been the jealous type, never coveted what he couldn’t have. But, damn it, why did he have to lose everything that ever meant anything to him? He’d fought in a war for his country, fought for his life and the chance to come home, and he’d willingly fight for the woman he’d always loved. Except, he couldn’t. She wasn’t with just anyone. A stranger hadn’t stolen her from him. “Fuck.” How could he fight his best friend? The man who, despite marrying Erica, still opened his home to him. They were all he had left, and he didn’t even have them. They had
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton each other. His fiancée and his best friend. “Fuck!” A deep rumble of tires over a cattle guard and the purr of a V8 engine told him someone approached. A glance back made him lengthen his stride and swipe the moisture from his face. “Get in,” Clint called out the rolled down window. “Go to hell.” He kept walking. Clint gunned the engine, swerved, and cut him off on the shoulder of the road. When he rounded the truck, Justin swung first, connecting with a right to the jaw. Slamming back into the hood of the truck, Clint saw stars. He hadn’t been in a fistfight since high school. Shit that hurt. “You fucking asshole!” Justin reared and took another swing, but Clint ducked to the side and shoved him away. He didn’t want to strike Justin, but he damn sure didn’t want to take another blow to the face, either. “Fuck!” Justin tackled him, shoulder to gut, and they both collided with the truck, leaving a dent in its fender. Justin then grabbed him by the front of the shirt, as if to hold him in place while he took the next swing but, when it came, Clint blocked it with his forearm. “Enough!” Clint didn’t want to fight back. If the situation were reversed, he’d be as justifiably pissed off as Justin was. After everything Justin had survived, only to learn... No, he understood Justin’s rage, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stand here and be a punching bag. “You fucking bastard. How could you?” Both of Justin’s fists closed around his jacket collar, and he shook Clint. “You stole her! You took her. She was all I had left, and I don’t even have her now. I’ve got nothing.” Another teeth‐rattling shake. Then the strength went out of Justin and his forehead landed against Clint’s shoulder. “You son of bitch...” His voice trailed off, the despair in his tone evident. Clint stared up at the darkening sky. God, what was he to do? His best friend was finally home, raised from the dead, and he’d pretty much destroyed the man. He swallowed hard and laid his hand on Justin’s back.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “I’m sorry.” What else was there to say? What else could he say? Justin shoved away from him and turned his back, hands hanging at his sides, shoulders slumped. He looked so...alone. A day that should have been filled with joy had turned into a nightmare. Worst of all, Clint had no earthly clue how to solve this problem. He’d always been the one in their group to be the peacemaker, the levelheaded one. The one to fix things. When Justin and Erica squabbled, he’d been the impartial mediator. He’d always made things right. But now...now he didn’t know how. “How could you?” Justin said, his voice soft and filled with agony. Clint swallowed hard and ran his hand over his throbbing jaw. “She was mine.” Justin’s fists clenched at his sides, and Clint braced himself in case he swung again. He turned around, but the punch never came. The rage was overshadowed by…despair? “She’s supposed to still be mine.” “I know.” “Then tell me why.” “February sixth… Three days before you went missing.” Justin’s eyes and face showed his confusion, but he stepped back. Then he folded his arms over his chest and cocked one hip. A stance that Clint knew well and, under other circumstances, would have made him smile. Some things never changed. He glanced at the land over Justin’s shoulder, the land that Erica loved with all her heart and the place he now called home. Some things couldn’t be made the same ever again. “We were on patrol,” Clint said, his throat hurting from suppressed emotions. He was still expected to be the strong one. Always the strong one. He couldn’t break now. God, his head hurt. He blinked past the pain and drew in a deep breath. “We were on patrol, and we stopped on top of this rise overlooking some oilfields. We sat down for a couple minutes and shared a smoke. Remember that?” Justin gave a one‐shoulder shrug, tucked his hands tighter under
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton his armpits. He must be freezing, Clint thought, but decided it best to get this out before moving on. “We were both so homesick. We’d been in that damn desert for over six months, and it was Erica’s birthday. We were reminiscing about her eighteenth birthday. About how we’d spent it down in your dad’s barn getting drunk on a smuggled bottle of Cuervo.” The pain he saw in Justin’s eyes nearly killed him, but he continued. “I think you had one of your premonitions...those weird little feelings you always got before something bad happened in our lives. You asked me to make sure Erica was taken care of if anything happened to you.” Justin shifted, his new boots crunching gravel. “There’s a big damn difference between making sure she’s all right and sharing a bed with her.” Clint shoved his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t tell Justin the truth. The truth that the only good that came out of losing him was that he finally had a chance with the woman he’d loved since grade school. But he’d cried for Justin, too, right along with Erica. Losing his best friend, the closest thing to a brother he’d ever had, was the hardest thing he’d ever lived through—worse than losing his own parents. But after the grieving, after years of hurting, he and Erica had come together. She’d finally put the memory of Justin away in a safe place and opened her heart to him—the man who’d been by her side from the minute he returned to the states after Desert Storm. He’d even left his job—a well‐paying job he liked—in Helena to help her follow her dreams of living on and working her own ranch, a dream she’d once shared with the man who now stood before him. Even if they’d had to struggle for every penny they earned. Even though he really hated the smell of cow shit and had ever since they were kids growing up in this area, he’d done what he did for her. And he’d never regretted a moment of it. “No answer?” Justin prodded, his tone belligerent. “I’m not real sure what I’m supposed to say or do to make this right. You were gone twelve years. Everyone believed you were dead, and
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton all we had was each other. Were we supposed to mourn you forever—never move on with our lives?” Justin’s jaw ticked. His eyes narrowed then closed completely as if he were unwilling to face the truth of Clint’s words. “I...” What could he say? He shook his head. His gut felt as if he’d eaten a million shards of glass. “I don’t know how to make this right.” Except to walk away. Give Erica and Justin what they used to have. They might have been as close as the Three Musketeers in their youth, but Justin and Erica’s love had been...still was...the stuff fairy tales were made of. Pain pierced his skull like a dagger, and he stumbled, grabbed his head. Damn it, not now. “What’s wrong?” Justin’s hard grip dug into his shoulder to steady him. The nausea came fast and hard, and Clint tried to breathe through it. He leaned against the front of the truck and prayed it would pass quickly. “Damn it, Clint, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Even beyond the pain, Clint could hear the worry in Justin’s voice. “Migraines,” he said between gritted teeth. “Come on,” Justin said. “Get in the truck. I’ll take you home.” He guided Clint around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. Clint climbed in and laid his head back. The sharp pain subsided to a dull, throbbing ache. Justin climbed into the cab behind the wheel. “You okay?” Clint almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. “I will be. Thanks.” The engine started. The throbbing in his head lessened a bit. He wondered if it would be best for everyone involved if he just walked away. Erica and Justin would be back together. Things would return to the way they were meant to be. And he could simply...disappear. The truck stopped, and he lifted his head. Their little ranch house was exactly the way Erica wanted it. Right down to the menagerie of
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton homeless, helpless, adopted animals. He got out of the truck and headed up the porch steps. “Clint. Wait.” Turning back toward Justin, he half expected another punch to the jaw, but Justin stood on the bottom step looking up at him. In the bright porch lights, the lines of age and...and all of the things he must have suffered while a prisoner of war clearly showed on his face. “I want so much to hate you right now,” Justin said. His words hurt as much as the blow had. “But, the truth is, I can’t. You and Erica are all I have left in the world. You were there waiting for me today. You didn’t have to be....” His gaze slid away but quickly returned. “She seems very happy with you.” She’d be happier with you. Clint leaned against the post that held up the roof. The door opened behind him. “Dinner’s almost ready,” Erica said, the relief evident in her sweet voice, which punched his heart even more. “Thanks,” Clint said. He pushed away from the support post and turned toward her with a smile. He saw the worry in her eyes. Worry for Justin. “We’ll be right in.” After a pause, she gave a slight nod and shut the door. “She doesn’t know about your headaches?” Justin asked, his voice low, probably so Erica couldn’t hear. “She worries,” he said in answer. “She knows I get them, but doesn’t know how bad. And they don’t last long.” Justin came up the stairs and stood beside him. He let out a ragged sigh. “Sorry I hit you.” Clint let his lips tip in a genuine smile for an instant. “Don’t give yourself too much credit. Your wimpy punch didn’t bring on the headache.” Justin snorted. “I love her, bro.” Justin gave a slow nod and crossed his arms again. Clint thought the man’s lips were turning blue. “I know.” Clint reached for the doorknob. “Let’s go inside before you get
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton hypothermia. Next time you run off, take your coat. You’re back in Montana now.” Justin, thankfully, accepted the subject change and followed him inside. Skeeter, Erica’s three‐legged rat terrier, darted in front of them, leaped onto a chair by the dining room table, and grabbed a steak off the platter in the middle. “No! Damn it, Skeeter,” Erica cried as she grabbed the dog in one hand and tried wresting away the meat with the other. “Bad dog!” Skeeter yelped and snarled as if Erica were beating him and wouldn’t let go of the meat. “What the fuck is that thing?” Justin asked as Clint shut the door behind them. “Shh. Don’t let Erica hear you call it a thing. She thinks it’s a dog.” Justin chuckled. “Ugliest damn dog I’ve ever seen.” “Wait ’til you meet the cat.” Clint tossed his jacket over the hook by the door and headed toward the kitchen. “Beer?” “Skeeter! Let go of the damn steak. Not dog food. Not. Dog. Food.” The dog growled as if it were rabid. This wasn’t the first time the little thief had nabbed dinner right off their plates. “Beer?” Clint asked again as Justin followed him into the kitchen. “Sure.” He stared at the dog. “You going to help her with that thing?” Clint handed him a cold longneck, then opened one for himself. The headache was almost gone now, so he wouldn’t need the heavy painkillers he’d been prescribed. Which was good, because they knocked him on his ass for twelve hours straight. “Naw. Erica and I have an understanding around here.” He took a swig and wished it were ten times stronger alcohol. He could use the fortification tonight. “I don’t interfere with her...uh...pets, and she doesn’t try to pamper my bulls.” After taking a long pull from his own bottle, Justin raised his eyebrow in question. Erica snarled back at the dog. Clint grinned. When she argued with
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton the pets, she always wound up sounding like them. It was one of those really cute things he loved about her. One of a million things. Clint leaned against the counter. “When I joined Erica out here, I jumped into ranching head‐first.” He shook his head. “Big mistake. Turns out, no matter how much time I spent on your daddy’s farm, I really sucked at ranching. After the first summer, I sold off all the cattle but my two breeding bulls and a couple steers. Erica there...” He pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her where she sat with Skeeter, her gaze locked with the dog’s in a battle of wills. The steak, probably his dinner, dangled from the dog’s mouth. “She decided they should be treated just like her horses. She wanted to brush them and, well, she just about gave me a heart attack. She jumped into the pen with one of them, intent on petting or grooming the damn thing, and nearly got trampled.” “What the... She knows better than that.” Justin’s gaze cut to her, and he stared for a few long seconds. “Did she get hurt?” “Twisted ankle, but no, nothing serious. As much as the woman is hard headed, she did finally agree to stay away from my bulls.” “Oh, now there’s a good dog.” Erica dropped the meat onto a plate and cuddled the ugly mutt to her chest. “You’re a good boy. Yes, you are. No more taking food. You listen to your mommy.” Justin made a face. “I think I get it.” Clint nodded. “I’d have just drop‐kicked the mutt if he took my steak.” “You would not,” Erica said, walking toward them, still holding the dog. “Skeeter’s part of the family.” It licked her chin. She went to the cupboard, pulled down the dog treats from the top shelf, and gave one to Skeeter. Clint shook his head and shrugged at Justin’s look of disbelief. “He’s a good dog because he let go of the steak he tried to steal from the table.” He looked at his wife and was so filled with love, it nearly choked him. “She calls it positive reinforcement.” “You two go sit down,” she said then put Skeeter on the floor. “I’ll wash up and bring in the rest of the food.” “Who gets the one with dog slobber on it?” Justin asked as he took
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton a seat at the table on the opposite side to the half‐chewed steak. Erica shook her head and rolled her eyes as she washed her hands. Clint needed to hug her. To touch her. So he sidled up next to her and shared the tap as he washed his hands, too, brushing her arm with his. She smiled at him. Walk away, he thought. Just...let them be together. Erica wiped her hands on the towel hanging from the oven. “I made pecan pie for dessert,” she said softly. His favorite comfort food. “You didn’t have time to do that since we got back.” She winked. “I knew you’d need it.” And that right there was why he couldn’t leave. She knew him, always knew what he needed, sometimes before he even did. As she walked by him on her way to the fridge, she ran her hand up his arm and gave a slight squeeze. “Love you,” she whispered. His heart twisted, and guilt pierced through him. He knew she loved him. Had always loved him. But even after all these years, he knew that the love she felt for him wasn’t what she had felt, and probably still did feel, for Justin.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter Three Even with the replacement of the chewed steak, supper started off rather tense. But Clint did his best to lighten the mood, aiming the conversation toward arbitrary subjects like the price of oil, global warming, and an entire democratic presidency that happened while Justin was away, including all the scandals that went along with it. “John Glenn went back to space in his seventies?” Justin asked, his face showing his disbelief. Erica nodded as she stood up and headed toward the kitchen. “Yep. Seventy‐seven, I believe.” “Amazing. I know I was gone a very long time, but I never really thought about the world going on...” He glanced toward the kitchen, and then at the tabletop. Then he gave a snort and turned a wry grin on Clint. “Guess I’m not the center of the universe.” Clint smiled, but there was no missing the sadness in Justin’s eyes. “Well, maybe this will make up for some lost time,” Erica said, setting a pie down in front of each of the men. A pecan for Clint and a lemon meringue for Justin, the fluffy meringue lightly brown and slightly weeping. It was beautiful. It was... God damn, Clint thought as he turned his gaze toward the ceiling. Shit. “Oh, damn, babe,” Justin said as he grabbed Erica’s hand and kissed her fingers. “You remembered.” She laughed, but Clint heard the nervousness as she pulled her
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton hand away from Justin’s light grip. “Of course I remembered, silly. Whenever my mom made this, she couldn’t get rid of you until she’d given you at least two pieces.” Justin gazed up at her, and the longing in his expression cut Clint to the quick. “I remember the first time you made it for me.” Erica stepped back, out of Justin’s reach, and it was then that Clint got a good look at her face. Justin wasn’t the only one filled with longing. “I burned the meringue.” Justin nodded. “I still ate it though.” “Only because I cried.” He grinned. “The lemon filling was still good.” “You ate the topping, too.” Clint pushed back from the table and stood. “I’ll go check the horses,” he said softly, needing to get out, away from these two. Erica reached for his hand, but he shook his head and walked out the front door, grabbing his jacket on the way. She could only stand there with her heart tearing apart as Clint walked away from a whole pecan pie. If only pie couldn’t fix this... She started stacking empty dinner plates. Of course, a pie couldn’t fix this. Nothing could fix this. “Erica—” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Justin. God, I’m sorry. But I’m married to Clint, and I do love him.” He stood and helped her carry dishes to the sink. “Is he good to you? He was such a playboy back in high school.” He shook his head then leaned his butt against the counter and crossed his arms as she ran hot water into the sink. “I never thought he’d get married at all, let alone to my woman.” She clenched her teeth against the emotional pain. He’d always said that nothing would keep him away from his woman. Her. And nothing had. He’d returned. But she hadn’t waited. And now the guilt just might kill her. Swallowing back the ball of emotion in her throat, she said, “He’s
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton been the perfect husband. He treats me well. He loves me.” “He must,” Justin said as he pushed away from the counter. “All he talked about was getting out of the Army and going to work in Helena. He hated it out here.” Sometimes he still did, but she kept the thought to herself. She knew he’d be happier in the city, but he did it for her. Erica shut off the tap and wiped her hands. “I guess you guys didn’t want your pie tonight, huh? That’s okay. It’ll save ’til tomorrow. You tired?” “In other words, you want me to back off and not ask you any more personal questions tonight.” Erica looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Justin. I know today has been difficult for you, but...it’s been rough for us, too.” Justin rolled his eyes. “You could have told me when we talked on the phone. You should have told me. Getting me all the way out here before dropping that bomb was pretty fucking low.” “Don’t snap at me,” she said, crossing her arms, mimicking his belligerent stance. “We wanted to get you home, at least around people you knew and loved, before we told you. No way in hell were we going to tell you over the phone.” “Bullshit. You just didn’t have the guts. You had three hours on the ride here from the airport, but you didn’t say a damn word.” He narrowed his eyes, and she tried to remind herself that he lashed out because he was hurt, just like her poor animals tended to do. “We were afraid you wouldn’t come home if we told you on the phone.” “What home? This isn’t my home. This is your home, yours and Clint’s. I have nothing but a goddamn uniform, a chest full of medals, and a few pairs of stiff jeans. That’s all I’ve got to my name. That’s it!” “Not true! You’re not destitute, Justin. What about all of your back pay? Didn’t you say the military paid—” “Yeah, that’ll sure warm my bed at night.” His gaze turned fierce, full of dark fury. “Is that what this is all about, huh? You invite me into your home because I’ve got lots of money?”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton She slapped him. Her eyes welled with tears. Shock chased the anger from his face, his frown one of obvious regret. He slashed his hands through his short hair and turned away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it.” She wiped her eyes before he could witness the tears fall. “At least you have your life,” she said, her voice now as soft as his. He looked back over his shoulder, his gaze locked with hers, his jaw tense. “And if everything I lived for is gone, what am I supposed to do then? Where am I supposed to go, huh? Tell me, Erica.” He turned his back to her again. “I fought to survive and return to what? The life I once knew doesn’t exist anymore. My parents are gone. You’re gone. Clint—” “We’re still here. We still love you,” Erica said, laying her hand against his shoulder, her heart broken for him. “Please, Justin. You’ve got to believe that—” “Don’t touch me,” he said and jerked away. When he turned toward her, his face was blank of all emotion, as if he’d put on a mask. It nearly killed her to see him looking so cold all of a sudden. “Just show me to my room, please. It’s been a long day.” Erica nodded stiffly and headed down the hall. “Bathroom’s here,” she said as she reached in and turned on the light to show him, then reached through the next doorway and flipped on the light. “I put your bag of clothes on the bed.” Stepping to the side, she let him enter. Woof. “Shit, Erica. How many animals do you have around here?” Justin stared at the old bloodhound sprawled out on his bed and the overstuffed cat curled against the dog’s chest. She shrugged. “A few.” She picked up Stinky, the blind tabby cat, and cuddled her to her chest. Stinky meowed and set up a purr almost as loud as an outboard motor. “If you shut your door, they won’t bother you. Come on, Roofus.” The bloodhound slowly stepped off the bed with a groan of annoyance, sniffed Justin’s leg as he passed, then wandered out the door. “That cat doesn’t have any eyes, does it?” “Nope,” Erica said, scratching the kitty’s head.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “What’s wrong with the hound? He looks normal.” She grinned at him and stepped through the door into the hallway. “Nothing’s wrong with any of my animals. They’re special. That’s all.” He scanned the room, his lips thinning. Then he gave her a hard look. “I’m not one of your strays, Erica.” “I never said you were.” She lifted her chin and hardened her resolve. “Sleep well, Justin.” After she pulled the door shut, she leaned against the wall and brought Stinky’s velvet fur to her cheek. How was she going to survive this? How could she have Justin in her house, day after day, if she couldn’t get through day one without wanting him to pull her into his arms and kiss her the way he had at the airport? No! She pushed away from the wall and headed to the other end of the house to the bedroom she shared with Clint. She was Clint’s wife. She’d said her vows in front of God and their families. She meant them and would do nothing to hurt Clint. He’d given her everything he could give her. Everything she’d ever wanted. She’d always longed for Justin, but she’d buried that need when his parents had him declared dead. It would have to stay buried now. She set Stinky down, and the cat slowly sniffed her way to the wall, then around the room, orienting herself. Erica decided to deal with the dishes in the morning. She was too tired, too drained, to worry about a few dirty plates. She peeled off her clothes, leaving them where they fell, and went into the bathroom to wash her face. Tears fell then, and she couldn’t hold them in. Her greatest dream came true. Justin was alive, and he was here. She should be happy, no matter what. He was alive. That’s all that matters. She slid into bed and pulled the covers up over her head. Shame filled her because she’d craved Justin’s touch even for a second. Clint deserved better from her. Never would she betray him. Never. * * * * * Clint found the main part of the house deserted when he came back
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton in from feeding Erica’s horses. For a split second, panic speared him. He wondered if Justin and Erica were in one of the bedrooms together, but he brushed off the thought. He didn’t think either of them would do that to him. As much as they might want to, he didn’t think they would. The two whole pies still sat on the table, and the dishes soaked in the sink. He rolled up his sleeves and set to work rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. After he finished that, he grabbed the can of whipped cream from the fridge and a clean plate, and sat down at the table. He cut himself a piece of pie, but he didn’t think he could eat it. He kept staring at the meringue Erica had made Justin. This wasn’t fair to her. He should go. Right now. Just go and give the two of them a chance at a future together. The chance they deserved. His would soon end anyway. He laid down the knife and headed to their bedroom. By the light filtering through the opened curtains from the yard lamps, he saw her curled up under the covers. She was hiding. When something bothered her, she always burrowed into bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. He shut the door with a soft click and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Hey, honey.” He tugged the blanket down to see her face. “We need to talk.” “When you were outside with Justin earlier, the clinic in Great Falls called.” He licked his lips. “Okay. Thanks. But that’s not—” “Said you’d called to make an appointment. I went ahead and accepted the one they offered for day after tomorrow at three‐thirty.” “That’s fine. Look, I think it’d be best if I—” She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his neck. “Please don’t walk out like that again, Clint. Please. I love you. I need you.” She kissed his neck, his jaw, then caught his lips with hers. He raised his hands to her shoulders to push her away. If he didn’t say now what he needed to say, he never would. Her tongue speared into his mouth. He groaned and tightened his
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton grip, his cock growing hard, as it always did at a mere touch from his beautiful wife. “I love you, Clint,” she murmured against his mouth. “I married you. Please be patient. We’ll get through this like we did everything else. I promise.” She laid her forehead against his, her soft breaths puffing against his cheek. “I’ll never hurt you. Never. We’ve always been able to talk everything out.” She buried her fingers in his hair and pressed her full, warm lips against his. “We’ll get through this.” He’d wait until he got the second opinion from the doctor in Great Falls. He couldn’t push her away. He couldn’t walk out right now. His heart wouldn’t let him. Justin might have been her first love, but she was his wife. And he needed her. “I love you, Erica,” he whispered, his voice tight. “God, I love you.” He took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss. The situation with Justin could wait. Soon enough his world might crash down around him. Tonight, alone with his sweet, warm, loving wife, he shut his mind off to anything but the treasure of her lush, curvy body against him. The warm wetness of her mouth as she kissed him. Her honeysuckle scent. Erica sighed with relief when Clint’s arms closed around her and his tongue delved deep into her mouth—when she felt the hard, fast lengthening of his cock against her hip. She didn’t know what he’d been thinking, but she knew that tone he’d used at the start of the conversation. It was the same one he’d used when he told her Justin’s parents were having Justin proclaimed legally dead. The same one he’d used when he told her they would have to file for bankruptcy if they didn’t sell off the cattle to pay down their debt. It was his bad news tone. She couldn’t take any bad news right now. And with the look on his face when he walked out on dessert... She straddled his lap and pressed her bare breasts against his chest, her heated center against the bulge in his jeans. “Make love to me,” she begged. “Please, Clint...” She pushed him onto his back and jerked open his button fly. Make me forget.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton She cupped him. His hot, thick cock filled her hand. Desperation rode her hard as she stroked him and sucked on the slightly salty skin of his neck. Why had he looked at her the way he had? Why had he said they needed to talk? She stifled a sob and scooted off his lap to bend down and take the tip of his pulsing penis into her mouth. She wouldn’t let him go. Not ever. He’d been there for her when she needed him. She’d be there for him for eternity if he let her. He sighed and then, with eyes closed, he lifted his hips—and her in the process—as he pushed his jeans farther down. He caressed her cheek and tangled his hand in her hair while she continued to fist him, working her mouth up and down his length, suckling the tip just the way he liked. When she looked up at him, his eyes opened as if he sensed her, and the passion that had eventually won her heart darkened his gaze, convincing her to believe in his love all over again. “Come here, hon,” he said, his voice low and raspy. Her insides shook with need and soul‐deep love as she rose up over him. His hazel eyes were dark with passion, and he gazed at her with such desire it made her insides melt. He ran his hands up her sides, paused to thumb her nipples into stiff little nubs before finally rising to cradle her face and draw her down to him for a kiss that made good his vow to cherish. With supreme tenderness, he nibbled at her lips, skimmed his tongue over them, and then gently delved into her mouth. He lifted her head, and his breath caught. His eyes shone with love and something else...something she was terrified to examine too closely. Then he pulled her back down and murmured against her lips, “God. See what you do to me, woman?” Her smile was shaky, but she raised her hips and slid over him, taking his hot, hard length inside her in a slow motion that made them both sigh. His head went back, his eyes shut tight, and his mouth opened on a moan. His fingers bit into her hips to hold her still. She kissed the cleft in his chin, ran her tongue over it, along his bottom lip, then dipped into his mouth as she clenched and unclenched her inner muscles around his cock. His enthusiasm showed in the way his tongue dueled with hers,
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton how he swept his hands over her body and hugged her close. Soft growls and groans vibrated from deep in his chest. Then he bucked his hips, sinking so deep his cock nudged her womb. With a hand on each of his shoulders, she pushed up, whimpering at his depth. He stared at her a long moment, his breathing deep and harsh. Then he gripped her hips and forced her to move. “Ride me, honey.” She followed his lead, taking her cues from how he guided her with his hands, and reveled in the tantalizing sensations that ricocheted through her with each deep thrust and bounce, each sensual swivel of her hips. He filled her, held her, loved her and, for a moment as she gazed into his eyes, the rest of the world ceased to exist. His body arched up off the bed and every muscle went rigid. When he called out her name, pulled her down over him, and held her in a desperately tight embrace, she felt him come deep within her. Then her own orgasm rocked through her, and she cried out. Clinging to her husband, she reveled at the relief of her release. When their breathing had slowed and their heartbeats returned to normal, still they didn’t move. Erica tucked her head beneath his chin, burrowed against his wide, hard chest, and let out a shaky sigh. Clint’s arms tightened around her for just an instant, and she felt him draw in a deep breath. His warm, callused hand smoothed over her hair, down her back. He kissed the top of her head. He was so gentle with her. Always had been. A tear fell from her eye, but she blinked back any more that tried to escape. Guilt twisted her gut. Why couldn’t she be content? Why should seeing Justin bring back feelings—love—she’d buried years earlier? Clint sucked in another breath and slowly released it. He was thinking again. Soon he’d say something she didn’t want to hear. Something that would hurt. Something that would be bad. She cut him off before he could say anything. “I stopped taking birth control. I want to have your baby.” * * * * *
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton An explosion of curses and a loud thud awoke Erica from a dead sleep and sent her scrambling out of bed. For a moment, in her confusion and hearing the shower running, she feared Clint had fallen in the bathroom. But, after another string of obscenities, she headed for the door. She spared only a second to grab her wrap before barreling down the hallway toward Justin’s room, the source of the commotion. Another curse at full volume sounded just as she shoved aside the partially open door and came face‐to‐face with Justin...and a hundred‐sixty pounds of flustered, grunting pig. “Oh!” she said, turning her back on him. Too late. That one glimpse was enough to engrave on her mind the vision of him standing buck naked in the middle of the room. How could she have forgotten that he slept in the buff? “What the fuck is that?” he asked, his voice not showing an ounce of modesty. With her back to him, she made her way around him and toward the bed. “Stop yelling. I can hear you just fine, and you’re upsetting Teacup.” “Upset...Teacup? That behemoth upset me by waking me with slobbery—” “She was just saying good morning. No need to get all bent out of shape about it.” She fought the urge to look over her shoulder at him and instead, petted Teacup in an attempt to soothe her disgruntled snorts and grunts. “Shh. It’s okay, girl.” “Damn it. What in the hell is that slop‐munching, pork‐chop buffet doing in the house, in my bedroom, anyway?” “Her name is Teacup! And this is usually her bedroom. She just didn’t realize—” “Her bedroom? You gave me a pig’s bedroom?” She turned around at that, paused, eyed him from head to toe, and then took a deep breath. Good Lord. Her attempt to swallow the lump in her throat failed. She coughed, yanked a pillow from the bed, and threw it at him.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “Would you please get dressed or something? I can’t speak to you with you like...” She waved a hand at him. He rolled his eyes but held the pillow to block the view. “Thank you. This is the best guestroom we have in the house. The other one doesn’t have a bed in it anymore. I use it as a storage room, so unless you want to sleep on the couch or in the barn, this is the room you get. I put fresh sheets on the bed, even though the only ones to ever get on it are Roofus and Stinky. Teacup sleeps over there.” She pointed to a pallet under the window. “But she wouldn’t have woken you up in the first place if you’d done what I said and kept the door shut.” “I went to the bathroom...earlier. Forgot to pull it closed,” he finished lamely. “Can you get it out of here so I can get dressed?” “It is a she, and her name’s Teacup.” She tugged on the pig’s collar. There was no dragging the heavyweight; only gentle coaxing would do. “Come along, Teacup. Come on.” Just then, Clint stepped into the doorway, his hair wet and a towel around his lean hips. “What was all the— Oh, I see.” “Come on, Teacup. I’ll make you a nice breakfast.” The big black pet finally lumbered toward the door. “That porker needs a meal about as much as a horse needs a hangover,” Justin quipped. Erica scowled at him. Clint was eyeing him, too, and the pillow, when Erica placed a hand on his bare, damp chest. He glanced at her, then the pig, and stepped aside to let them through the doorway. “You might want to get some clothes on,” she heard him say to Justin as she headed down the hall. “We’ve got a lot of work to do today.” Clothes wouldn’t make a bit of difference. Justin’s nude image appeared each time she closed her eyes. * * * * * Justin was certain Clint worked him hard all day because he’d been foolish enough to stand bare‐assed naked in front of Erica. His breath fogged out with each exhale while sweat poured down his back, but he
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton stabbed the hard ground again with the post‐hole digger and glanced at Clint who did the same several feet away. The only consolation was that Clint appeared to work just as hard if not more so. To his credit, the man hadn’t made a scene about finding his wife in Justin’s bedroom at dawn. Even during Erica’s home‐cooked breakfast, he avoided the topic altogether. It had been obvious that nothing more than an argument over a stupid pig had occurred, but still.... Justin hadn’t revealed how important the pillow had been in hiding his erection, although he suspected Clint knew. The moment Erica stormed into the room, all disheveled and adorably piqued, his body’s reaction was unavoidable, even if unwanted. Erica had always had that effect on him and, after years of forced abstinence, her proximity was too much for his libido to ignore. He wanted her more now than he ever had. He peered at Clint again. But he couldn’t have her. He knew that and, yet, his mind fought a constant battle against the rapacious need of his heart and body. His cock stirred just at the thought of taking her, loving her once more, like that first time. The moon had been high and full that night when their post‐dance, midnight picnic turned into much more. The sparkle of stars paled in comparison to the look in her eyes, the tender smile on her face, in the soft moonlight. That sweet, nervous expression had sealed his fate the moment it changed to one of a passionate siren as he became the first man to make love to her. She’d stolen the key to his heart that night. The thud of a fencepost striking the dirt near him drew Justin from his memories. He glanced up to see Clint haul another post from the bed of his pickup and carry it to the next hole in the line. Justin stabbed the ground again and pulled more earth out. As wrong as it was to covet what he knew he couldn’t have, and regardless of how much he hated the way things had turned out, he couldn’t fault them for moving on with their lives. Now that the shock of their marriage had worn off, he even understood why they’d gotten together. They’d been close because they’d all grown up together. He’d
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton brought them together—his best friend and his girl. He couldn’t blame them. And, if he were honest with himself, he was glad she’d at least found happiness with a man who would treat her right. Giving Clint another glance, he set his diggers aside, pulled out a bag of quick‐setting concrete, and headed toward where his friend positioned a post in a deep hole. “Ready for some of this?” he asked. Clint swiped his brow and nodded, then held the post centered. He ripped open the top of the bag and poured in the gray mixture, his mind on other things. “Nothing happened.” The words slipped out, quiet but loud enough. “I know,” Clint answered, short and clipped. Okay. Change of subject needed. He had to get his own mind off what she’d looked like in the tiny red teddy and satin wrap. He set the bag down and stretched his back. “You know this would be so much easier if we waited until the spring after the ground thawed. Digging now is like trying to chip an iceberg with a toothpick.” Clint released the post and picked up his tools. “Don’t put off ’til tomorrow...” “...what you can get done today,” Justin finished with a sigh. He rubbed his right shoulder as he followed Clint to the next hole. “Time’s a tickin’...” “...whether your watch is wound or not.” Clint dropped the next pole into place and flashed him a grin. He lowered his voice to a gravelly growl. “Don’t let the sun beat you up in the mornin’...” “...or it’ll beat you to bed at night, boy.” Justin chuckled. A smile pulled at his lips. “My Dad always had one proverb or another to counter laziness, didn’t he?” “He was a good, hard‐working man.” “Yeah.” He hefted the bag and poured in the concrete mix. “When you d— When you went missing, he never gave up on you. Even after their attorney convinced ’em to have you legally declared dead,
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton he still didn’t believe it. At your grave, he kept repeating, ‘He’s not in there.’” Justin squeezed his eyes shut, dropped the bag, and then looked up at the clear Montana sky. “Why are you telling me this?” “Because I thought you should know. Yeah, he went on with his life. We all did. But he never stopped loving you.” Clint touched his shoulder, met his gaze. “Life can be a bitch. Death is a thief. But survivors never lose faith in the power of love to help ’em face the hard times.” His words hit Justin hard. He hadn’t realized it, but maybe he had been angry with his parents. They’d declared him dead after only seven years. He thought he’d overcome the acidic bitterness that filled him after learning the nation had written him off as dead. Euphoria at his rescue gave way to anger the moment he realized the troops that stormed Baghdad more than a decade later weren’t there for him. They’d written him off as KIA years earlier, because some Iraqi had managed to fool them with a few patches of uniform and a set of blood‐covered dog tags. The military had given up on him before his parents, but eventually everyone had moved on. Now he must learn to do the same. “I think I ought to get a place in Browning.” Clint paused, a roll of barbed wire in his gloved hand, his gaze piercing. “If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. But I meant what I said.” “I know. I appreciate it, but… Hell. I don’t know. ” Clint dropped the wire and reached for the open bag of concrete mix. “Come on, bro. I know you don’t need the job or money, but I could use a hand around here. Besides, what are you gonna do in Browning? Sit all day at Millie’s Diner, nursing a cup of cold coffee and listening to the old farmers bitch out Mother Nature for ruining their latest crop?” Clint took a handful of concrete mix and tossed it at him. “Hey!” he said with a laugh. “You know damn good and well you’d get fat and go insane inside of a month.” “She still cook the greasiest burgers in the county?” “Oh, yeah. The best! But don’t you dare tell Erica I said that.” Clint
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton winked. Justin snorted. He had to do something to keep temptation at bay. Maybe he should move farther away. Maybe go to Helena? Clint’s expression turned serious. “Look. If staying in the house doesn’t suit, there’s a foreman’s studio in the new barn. I included it because I’d planned to hire someone all along. It’s not much, but it’s heated, and you’d have your own space.” Space. He feared all the space in Montana wouldn’t be enough to help him move on and get over Erica, not when he’d still see her every day, but it was a start. Clint slapped him on the shoulder. “And there’s one more thing.” “What?” “If you’re in the barn, you won’t have to worry about Teacup.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter Four Clint stared at Dr. Hastings, watched the man’s mouth move as he spoke, but after the word inoperable, his brain had shut off. The specialist in Helena had told him he had a brain tumor, but this one was saying it had grown substantially in the three weeks since the last MRI. That it was too large now to remove. That he was going to die. “...radiation treatments have proven effective in some cases. Possibly chemotherapy, but there are some...Mr. Michaels? I know this is difficult to take in all at once, but it’s imperative we get treatment started immediately.” “What’s the chance that chemo or radiation would cure me?” “I can’t give you any guarantees. The location of the tumor makes it much more difficult to treat, because the brain has its own protective—” “So, no cure?” “At this point all we can do is to try to stop, slow, or delay the tumor’s growth. Its location makes it too dangerous to risk removal.” Clint shook his head. No fucking way was he going through chemo on an off chance the thing would stop growing. “How long do I have?” “I’m sorry?” Dr. Hastings looked at him from across the wide desk. “There’s no telling how long you could have if the treatment succ—” “No. Without treatment, how long do I have?” When the doctor didn’t answer right away, Clint said, “Days? Weeks? Months? Give me an estimate.” “With the rate of growth between the MRI done last month and the
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton one done today...” He shook his head. “A few weeks...a month or two...six at the very most. It’s hard to say.” Clint sucked in a quick breath. His gut churned. Holy fuck. “Mr. Michaels, I strongly suggest we try the treatments. I can call an oncologist now and have you in to see him this afternoon. There’s absolutely no time to delay. If you start tomorrow, there’s a chance we could prolong your life.” A chance. He swallowed hard. “A chance? Give me a number.” “A number?” “A percent. How much of a chance could there be when there’s no guarantees, no cure?” The doctor frowned. “The sooner the treatments start, the better the odds that we could prolong your life for a little while—” Clint snorted. Prolong his life a little while, but at what expense? No way in hell. “Tell me what’s going to happen.” “It’s outpatient. You come in first thing in the morning—” “No. Tell me what’s going to happen to me as the tumor grows.” The doctor looked dumbfounded, but he quickly shed the mask of confusion and nodded. “The tumor is right at the nerve center of your brain. So far you’ve experienced headaches, nausea, and you said some bright explosions of light behind your eyes?” “That’s right.” The bright lights and a piercing headache had awoken him yesterday morning. He’d barely slept last night because of the pain. “Those symptoms will continue to worsen. The headaches will probably become unbearable. As the tumor grows, other areas of your body could be affected in addition to your eyesight.” When the doctor stopped, he asked, “Like what?” He needed to know what to expect. “You may become paralyzed, your ability to speak could falter, and you might experience seizures or a stroke.” The doctor stared at him for a moment, and Clint got the impression he willed him to decide on the radiation. When Clint didn’t respond, the doctor continued. “Eventually you will slip into a coma, and you won’t wake up. Without life support,
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton you will die. With life support, your body will go on living for a while, but eventually all brain activity will cease.” He didn’t want life support. He needed to go see a lawyer as soon as he left here. His will was current. Erica got everything, of course. But with her penchant to save every last wounded and half‐dead animal she came across, he just knew without a legal order, she’d have him on life support indefinitely. That was not acceptable to him. He stood and held out his hand. “Thank you, Doctor.” Dr. Hastings stood up and shook his hand. “Mr. Michaels—” “I’m not going through with radiation or chemo on the slim chance that I’ll survive for a little while longer. I won’t do that to my wife, and I won’t do it to myself. My mother died of cancer, and I know if she had to do it over again, she would’ve lived out her last days much easier than she did suffering the debilitating effects of poisons pumped into her.” Dr. Hastings nodded. “I understand.” He scribbled on a prescription pad then ripped off the sheet and handed it to Clint. “Morphine in pill form. It’ll help more with the pain than what you’re taking.” Clint’s gut twisted in on itself. His mother had been on morphine the last month of her life. His father had gone broke paying for her medical treatments, made himself sick from the constant strain of worry, from the long hours at the hospital, watching her slip away regardless. He didn’t want that fate for Erica. “Thanks, Doc.” He turned and walked out of the doctor’s office. When he stepped into the crisp air outside, he sucked in a breath and fought back the tremble that tried to shake his body. He strode to his truck, telling himself to take one step and then another. But when he pulled the keys from his pocket, his hand shook so hard he dropped them. “Son of a bitch,” he mumbled as he leaned against the driver’s door and bowed his head. Inoperable. Paralysis. Coma. Death. The words swirled in his mind, mocking him. He wasn’t afraid of death. It was all the other stuff that terrified him. Mostly...how the fuck was he supposed to tell Erica? She wanted to have his baby. They’d talked about having children since they got
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton married, and they’d both agreed to wait until the time was right. He swallowed hard and fisted his hands. The time had never been right, and it sure as hell wasn’t right now. * * * * * Erica sat on the floor in her bedroom, leaning back against Teacup. Roofus sprawled on her right, and Stinky was curled in her lap. As she slowly flipped through her wedding album, Skeeter slunk out from beneath the bed where he practically lived, and carefully made his way over to her. She laid the next page down and reached for the little three‐legged thief. “Hey, baby,” she said softly. Skeeter walked into her hands and let her lift him against her chest. Her pets always knew when she needed comfort. They surrounded her and let her accept all the attention they could give. Skeeter licked her chin, then huffed and laid his little head against her shoulder, his tiny wet nose against her neck. The little dog didn’t let anyone but Erica touch him, and then only rarely. Teacup snorted and nudged her side with her snout. “I know, baby,” she said as she reached back and scratched the piggy’s ear. “I’m not very good company lately, huh?” Roofus groaned as if in agreement with her and laid his head on her thigh, his big, sad, hound dog eyes staring up at her. Erica sighed and turned another page. The eight‐by‐ten on this page captured the moment Clint placed her wedding band on her finger. The ceremony had been small, just a few friends in attendance at a little chapel in Helena. By the time she’d finally agreed to marry him, their parents had all been gone, although Justin’s father had stood in for her own dad by escorting her down the aisle. But the event had been nothing like the wedding she’d originally planned to have when Justin got back from Desert Storm. She and Clint had worn nice clothes, but she hadn’t worn white, and he hadn’t worn a tuxedo. When she agreed to marry him after a half dozen proposals, she just wanted to get it done. They’d been living
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton together for almost a year, had bought the ranch together so, to her, it had just seemed like a formality. Signing the papers. Getting it over with. She wondered now if Clint had wanted more, though he’d never said so. She guessed she’d cheated herself, too. In the five years they’d been married, they’d faced a lot of problems, mostly financial. But they’d come through all the hardships stronger as a couple. Stronger together. It wasn’t until they overcame the difficulties that she realized how much she loved him. How much he’d given up to ensure her happiness. And she’d been so unfair, clinging to the memory of Justin. So, she’d shoved those memories aside and focused on making the best life she could together with Clint. And now Justin was back. She sighed and closed her eyes as she rubbed her cheek against Skeeter’s velvet‐soft head. Justin wasn’t a memory any longer. He was here in the flesh and blood, hurt and angry because he saw her and Clint’s marriage as a betrayal to him. He’d stayed in the room down the hall the first night, but yesterday he moved into the foreman’s studio apartment at the back of the barn. He couldn’t even stand being in the same house as them. Although she understood, it still hurt. No. It wasn’t his move that bothered her so much as the coldness he presented toward her. He spoke to Clint, carried on entire conversations as they worked around the barn, ate dinner, or as they watched sports last night. But after the fiasco with Teacup, he hadn’t initiated a discussion with her at all. Anytime she spoke to him, he answered with monosyllabic replies. It didn’t take a genius to know that most of the time, he avoided her altogether. She could understand his anger and pain, but how long should she be punished? Was she supposed to have spent her entire life alone, mourning a man who died when she was barely an adult? “No,” she said with finality. He had no right treating her badly because he was angry over things that couldn’t be changed. Erica kissed Skeeter’s head then gently set him on the floor. She lifted Stinky out of her lap, patted Roofus and Teacup in turn, then
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton slipped the photo album in a box of mementos and pushed to her feet. Enough was enough. She and Justin needed to talk this out and clear the air. Grabbing her jacket off the hook by the door, she carried the box as she stepped out into the chilly evening air. Teacup followed her outside, pushing open the screen door and letting it slap back against the doorjamb. The sun had just sunk below the mountains, and the sky was ablaze in orange and pink. She took a moment to breathe in the fresh country air and watch the pretty clouds skitter across the sky on the wind. She loved it here. The day she and Clint moved into the little ranch house, inheriting Roofus who’d been living in the barn, she knew she’d found her home. While the colors faded to purple‐gray in the sky, she headed across the wide yard to the barn. The warm scent of horses and hay wrapped around her, and she sighed. A couple whinnies met her as she walked down the center aisle, stopping to scratch a forehead here, pet a nose there. Why couldn’t people be like animals? They didn’t care how many of them she loved at once. Sure, sometimes they got possessive, but as long as she spread the love around, they were all content. She shook her head and made her way to the tack room at the end of the barn. Behind there was the small apartment that Clint had added on last year. The door was open, and Erica could see Justin sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He looked so...alone. “Knock, knock,” she said as she lightly rapped on the doorframe. Justin’s head came up. He looked guilty, as if she’d caught him doing something wrong. “Hey. All moved in?” She tried for an upbeat, cheery tone. He snorted. “Not like I had a lot of shit to move in, now is it?” At least he’d answered this time with more than one syllable. Erica pursed her lips. Still, she was mighty tired of his nasty attitude. Without asking permission, she walked in and set the box on the foot of the bed. Justin pushed to his feet and paced across the room. He lifted a burlap sack and began cutting it with a pocketknife that he
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton snatched off the dresser. The two‐room apartment wasn’t large, but it was cozy and well furnished. There was a bed, nightstand, dresser, a small fridge, a two‐burner stove, and a small sink. A window opened on a nice view of the pastures, and the bathroom was through a door to her right. She knew the bed was comfortable because she picked it out, and she’d slept on it a couple of times when she had a sick horse and wanted to stay close. For a moment, she watched him slice the material into two large halves, mildly curious at why, but she chose not to ask about that. “Can we talk, please?” She lifted the album from the box and hugged it to her chest. He turned toward her, set the burlap and knife on the bed, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked as pissed off as a caged jungle cat. She hoped he didn’t attack like one. This whole thing would be so much easier if, despite his scowl, he didn’t look so darned good. Though he’d spent twelve years in captivity, one would never know while he was dressed. She’d seen the scars on his body. His time away had been...bad. But he had recovered physically at least. The wounds had healed, even if they weren’t invisible. Now, fully clothed, he appeared leaner, but still fit and solid. His new black T‐shirt stretched across impressive pecs and, although the borrowed denim jacket from Clint covered them now, his thick biceps were enough to make a woman swoon. The vision of what he’d looked like nude flashed in her mind’s eye, and she swallowed hard. Gone was the boy that had left here so long ago. He’d been cute then, with a boyish grin and humor dancing in his midnight blue eyes. Now he was harder, both in body and spirit. His face showed age and maturity. Pain. Justin sighed. “Go ahead. Talk. But I don’t know what we have to say to each other.” She moved to the edge of the bed and sat, then patted the spot next to her. A bed wasn’t the best place to hold a conversation with him, but it was the only surface available here. He shook his head and leaned against the dresser, his arms crossed
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton defiantly. “I just want to show you something. Do you mind?” After a suspended moment of silence, he approached the bed. As he sat down next to her, it was obvious he made sure their bodies didn’t touch in any way. “What’s that?” He motioned toward the photo album. This was more difficult than she thought it would be. She laid the album on her knees and opened it to the middle, knowing what picture was there. Justin’s breath sucked in hard. He surged to his feet and then moved across the room. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing to me?” Erica swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want you to see how much a part of our lives you are. That you always have been.” He turned toward her and made a face of disgust. “You got married at my grave?” “No!” She shook her head. “We got married in the Sunshine Chapel in Helena. But we stopped at the cemetery that evening and...” Fresh tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. “Can’t you see?” She flipped to the last page in the album and held it up for him to see the picture of the three of them. An eight by ten of them the day Justin and Clint left for the Gulf. “You’re a part of...everything. Did you see the pictures on the mantel in the living room?” “Your wedding picture?” “All the rest of the pictures. Aside from photos of our parents, every single one of the other pictures in our house is of the three of us.” He slashed his hands through his hair. “What the hell am I supposed to say? Thanks?” The sarcasm came through loud and clear with that one word. “Thanks for thinking of me while you two were—” Erica closed the album with a loud pop and stood up to leave. He was just too bitter to listen to anything right now. It wouldn’t matter what she said. He wouldn’t see that he wasn’t the only one hurting. They were all being punished for things that were completely out of their control. She started toward the door then thought better of it. She wouldn’t let anger or hurt keep her from speaking her mind.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “You can hate me now all you want, Justin. Be as sarcastic and rude as you like.” She slashed her hand through the air. “Ignore me even. That won’t change the past. So if you want to be a bitter fool who ruins his future because he can’t let go of the past, that’s your problem.” * * * * * Clint sat in his truck and stared at the house through the windshield. His hands fisted on the steering wheel while uncertainty waged war with conviction. He should tell Erica the doctor’s prognosis but, if he did that, he knew she’d worry herself silly and try to talk him into getting treatment. With her soft heart, she’d have him trying every experimental drug, herbal remedy, or psychic hypnotism technique every crackpot, voodoo, or medicine doctor could think up. He took a deep breath, got out of the truck, and headed for the house. “Erica? I’m home.” He stepped over the hound dog after walking through the front door. She wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. He checked the laundry room before heading to their bedroom. Maybe he shouldn’t tell her yet. She’d find out the inevitable soon enough. At least he could save her a few days of worry. Heaven knew she’d had enough to worry about with Justin’s resurrection from KIA status. “Honey?” He paused and listened. The house was quiet. He glanced out a bedroom window toward the barn and saw one of the doors ajar. Feeding the horses? Or... He headed down the hall, dodged the blind cat, and stepped onto the porch, the screen door slapping behind him as he leaped to the ground. Teacup wallowed on the ground nearby as if she thought a layer of dirt would hide her wrinkles. Inside the corral, one of the bulls stood watch, unconcerned with the porker’s antics. But there was no sign of his wife or her three‐legged thief. Justin was nowhere in sight either as Clint headed across the barnyard.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He’d have to tell Justin, too. Clint paused, the throbbing behind his eyes intense but not as severe as some previous bouts. His headaches weren’t the reason for his delay. His mind told him he should be concerned about not finding Erica in the house. His gut told him to expect to find her in Justin’s arms, to find them in bed together. He waited for the fury to come. The panic, the hurt that he knew he should feel at the idea of her infidelity, never came. Resuming his walk toward the barn, he recalled dreams he’d had years earlier. Dreams of being invited to join Justin and Erica. He’d envied Justin sometimes, coveted his good fortune in capturing Erica’s heart. Justin and Clint had shared many things in life, but Erica had never been one of them. Not until fate tore Justin from their lives. Back then, his dreams had remained unfulfilled. But so had Justin’s and Erica’s. Maybe that was why the thought of finding them together again didn’t offend his sensibilities. He’d spent years on the outside watching his friend and his dream girl, secretly wishing he could be a part of that picture. What would he find in the barn? What should he do if... Clint nudged the door open farther and walked into the barn. The scent of hay, feed grain, leather, and horses was strong, but not as strong as the argument he could hear coming from the foreman’s studio. * * * * * “I never said I hated you,” Justin said, his voice as loud as a thunderclap in the small confines of the apartment. His nostrils flared; his jaw ticked. “I never said that. I was just trying—” He cut himself off and spun away from her. “You should go.” She didn’t budge an inch, except to raise her chin to a stubborn angle. “Just trying to what? Punish me for not waiting twelve years? Tell me. Trying to what?” “Nothing. Go back to your home, your husband...your life. And
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton leave me be.” He didn’t look at her as he removed the curtain rod from over the window. Dismissed. The word rang in her mind like a gong. Justin snatched up the burlap and used the knife to poke holes for the rod along one edge. She hadn’t ever gotten around to putting up curtains over the window, she realized with an inner cringe. She’d always liked the view too much to cover it up, but the sun did stream in at inconvenient times of the day. Staring at his back, she fumed and chastised herself. I did tell him to ignore me. But that didn’t mean he was supposed to do it. She gritted her teeth. She had promised herself she’d get everything out into the open and, by God, she would. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what you meant to say. Trying to what?” “Drop it, damn it! And get out, okay?” She bit her bottom lip to stop the tremble. “No. Tell me.” “You tell me why you still wear my engagement ring when you’re married to Clint.” The pain in Justin’s eyes when he finally looked her way nearly killed her. “I loved you. I mourned you. In some ways, I’m still mourning you. But I had to move on. We all did. Clint, me, your parents... Your dad gave me away at the wedding. Your mother was there, too. They understood that my feelings for you were genuine, but to dwell on the past kept me from living. I was only twenty‐one years old when you died. Was I supposed to die with you?” “I’m. Not. Dead!” She flinched at his outburst but stood tall and stiffened her spine. “The Army said you were.” He snorted. “Yeah, well, despite popular belief, the Army isn’t omnipotent. It fucks up, too, like the rest of us puny humans.” She laid the album into the box and pulled out his dog tags, which his mother had given her. “This was all that returned to me from Iraq for twelve years. You were gone for twelve years. Once your parents decided to have you declared legally dead...” She shrugged. “Was I supposed to live the rest of my life on a memory? Was I supposed to be alone forever
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton because...because I didn’t want to believe you were dead?” “None of that answers my question, but what if my parents hadn’t done it? Then what?” He stepped closer to her, and she folded her arms across her chest like a shield, a wall that blocked herself from going to him and putting her arm around him to try to comfort him. To seek her own comfort in his strength. Honesty was the only course here, no matter how much it hurt him. He had to know. “Clint and I were living here for almost a year before your parents took the legal action. We’d been discussing marriage, even though we waited until after to do it.” Justin’s face went blank, just like the other night. The shutter came down, and all emotion vanished from his face. “Then why do you still wear the ring I gave you when you’re married to someone else?” Be honest, she thought as she stared into his eyes and longed to be in his arms. She licked her lips and fought back the pain in her own heart. “Because I’ll never stop loving you. You were—are—the love of my life.” Justin flinched as if she’d slapped him again, and then his gaze slipped away. He turned to lean a hand against the bare wall, the burlap and curtain rod held in his other fist. His shoulders hunched as if he were cold or warding off blows. “Get the fuck out,” he said, the words barely above a whisper. She again stood her ground, her heart aching to do anything but put more space between them. “I can’t. I told you I’m not going anywhere. Not until you answer my question. What are you trying to do? Tell me...please.” He tossed the burlap and rod on the bed and faced her with angry blue eyes. “Don’t you get it? I can’t think with you around,” he all but shouted. “You belong to Clint, my best friend—my brother!—and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it except push you away. Piss you off. Make you so mad that you’ll leave me the hell alone so I can have a sliver of hope of getting over you.” She couldn’t take it, couldn’t stand to see him like this. She tossed the dog tags back into the box and stepped toward him, ran her hands over his shoulders...cradled his face.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He stiffened, tried to turn his face away. “Don’t.” She forced him to look at her before she spoke. “I’m sorry, Justin. I’m sorry you got captured, and I’m sorry you lost so much.” He gazed longingly into her eyes, and it was almost too much to bear. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the...the strength to wait for you. I’m sorry.” What more could she say? He raised one hand and cupped her cheek. His palm was callused and rough, but so warm. She shut her eyes and breathed in. He still smelled the same as he had so long ago—sweet and musky. She used to love snuggling up with him and just...being. “Does Clint know how you still feel about me?” She nodded, her cheek lightly rubbing against his palm. “I think so.” “I should have never come back here. You should have told me on the phone. I would’ve stayed in D.C. As much as I love you, I can’t...” His words trailed off, and she looked at him. The emotion glistening in his eyes nearly undid her. “I can’t.” “Don’t,” she whispered, her throat tight with her own withheld emotions. “Don’t you dare cry.” The only other time she’d ever seen him with tears in his eyes was the day he left for the Gulf. The day he left her. He touched his forehead to hers and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t know what to do anymore. For so many years everything I did, everything I endured, was to get to one goal. To come home and be with you. It was the only thing that kept me going, kept me sane. Where do I go now? What do I do without you?” A soft sob tore free from her throat, and she closed her eyes and burrowed into his arms, tucking her face against his neck and breathing him in. For the last time. Because she could not, under any circumstances, wind up in his arms again after today. “Shh,” he whispered in her ear as he gently rocked her from side to side. “Your tears have always ripped me up, babe. Don’t cry.” She nodded and sniffled. “I wish I had the answers. I wish I knew how to make all this better. To make sure nobody got hurt. But...” She sucked in a quivery breath. “I can’t change what has been done, and I
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton won’t... I swore before God that I would stay by Clint’s side no matter what. He’s my husband, and I do love him. I won’t break that vow. Not even for you.” “I know. And that proves just how special you are.” He slipped a big, warm hand beneath her jacket at her side and flexed his fingers against her. She sucked in a breath at the intense pleasure that shot through her. She clenched her thighs together and prayed the sensation would go away. Lust and passion were only for her husband. “Part of me wants to remind you that you pledged the same to me when I gave you that ring, but it’s not the same thing. A lot is different. I don’t belong here any more. I know that, but nothing has changed how I feel,” Justin whispered. His breath brushing her ear sent tingles chasing down her arm. “I still love you so much. I always will. Wherever I go, remember that.” Clint stood in the doorway watching his wife and best friend hold each other in an embrace he knew they wished could be more. He’d heard every word of love they exchanged. He also knew he couldn’t keep these two apart any longer. He didn’t want to. And the way they were going, their devotion to him would do just that. When Erica leaned back in Justin’s arms and the two of them stared at each other with such adoration...and sorrow...he couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped into the room and said, “Go ahead. Kiss him.” The pair jumped apart as if they’d just been caught sinning. In their minds, they probably felt they were. But he didn’t see it that way. Oddly, he felt relief. Justin was back. Thank God, Erica wouldn’t be left alone when... He shoved that thought aside for now. “It’s not what it looks like,” Erica said in a rush as she hurried to his side. “We were just talking.” “I know,” he said softly as he put his hand over hers, which lay on his forearm. “But...” It was surprisingly hard to say what he wanted to say to them. He glanced at Justin who faced him with a stance that said he thought Clint was going to take a swing at him. But he had no intention of fighting. No, he had too little time to waste.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He met Erica’s beautiful gaze, leaned down, and captured her lips with his own. She gasped into his mouth, and her fingers tightened on his sleeve. He knew he turned her on. And she loved him enough to remain faithful when it was more than obvious how much she wanted Justin. She moaned and went soft against him when he sank his tongue into her mouth and pulled her flush against his body. He ran his hands down her back and squeezed her luscious round ass. She whimpered and rubbed her belly against his erection. Clint broke the kiss, pulled back, and peered down at her upturned face. He cradled her head between his hands, brushed her cheeks with both thumbs. “So beautiful...the way you look at me. I see that same desire, that same longing, in your eyes whenever you look at him.” Moisture welled on her lower lids, her expression twisting to one of regret. Apology. “I—” she began. “Shh.” He touched a fingertip to her lush, moist lips. “It’s okay.” Clint glanced at Justin who stared at them, his body tense, face blank...guarded. “It’s okay,” he repeated while holding Justin’s gaze. When he again met Erica’s eyes, he smiled. He had so little time left with her, and he wondered if she’d slug him for even suggesting it, but he had to try. Because walking away, as he’d planned on doing after he said goodbye tonight, just might send him to his grave even sooner. “That’s why I want you two to be together.” She blinked in obvious shock. Her mouth opened on a soft gasp as her perfect brow puckered into a frown. “Excuse me?” “Are you crazy?” Justin asked, his surprise evident. “I’d never cuckold my best friend. I may be an asshole, but I’m not that big of a bastard.” “You can’t cuckold me if I’m here, too, can you?” Clint looked from Justin to Erica. If anything, they just proved to him how much they cared about him. As much as he did for each of them. “And you’re not being unfaithful, honey, if I’m the one suggesting the ménage in the first place.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Remember a conversation we had one night a long time ago about our naughtiest fantasies?” Her body tensed, and she sucked in a quick breath.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “So, how about it?” he asked. “Are you willing to share yourself with the two men you love?”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter Five Clint’s words slugged her in the heart, sent her pulse speeding. He wanted her to... A surprising thrill ricocheted through her body. Nervousness battled with excitement and made her tummy churn. She glanced at Justin, stopped, and studied his expression. Want and need, hope, shone in his eyes. She looked back at Clint and recognized acceptance in his gaze. “Your choice, honey,” he said softly. When she braved a slight nod, he took her by the shoulders and turned her toward Justin, who stared not at her, but at Clint. Uncertainty was clearly written on his face, there for her to witness. She didn’t look back to see Clint’s response to Justin’s unspoken questions; she didn’t have to. He reached around her and slid off her jacket. Then his arms returned to wrap her in warmth. His fingers slipped the first button of her shirt through its hole, followed by another, then another. Justin’s silent regard followed the motion, the sudden heat of arousal flaring in his eyes. The brush of Clint’s palms over her breasts, despite the layers of her clothing, made her suck in a shaky breath. The abrupt intake lodged in her lungs. The Mohave had more moisture than her mouth did. “Clear the bed,” Clint said, and Justin took a second to remove the box, curtain rod, and homemade drapes from the mattress. By the time he turned around to face her again, Clint had also removed her bra to join her long‐sleeved shirt in a heap on the floor. When Justin froze, her nerves
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton zinged. Questions echoed in her mind. Does he still find me attractive...after all of these years? What’s he thinking? Oh, God. Are my legs gonna hold me up much longer? Justin’s gaze locked with hers as he pulled his own shirt from his waistband and unbuttoned it. Then Clint’s warm hands slid around each side, over her abdomen, to dip fingertips inside her pants. Mmm. Clint always had the gentlest touch where she was concerned. Justin dropped his hands to the fastening of his own pants. Quick snaps. The rasp of zippers, hers and Justin’s. She had to close her eyes against the overwhelming effects the men had on her senses. Justin’s gorgeous body. Clint’s talented fingers. Her mouth might be dry, but her pussy was so very moist with arousal. Clint nuzzled her neck, pressed light kisses to her heated skin, which sent a ripple of goose bumps over her flesh. Her husband’s body aligned perfectly with hers, his hips bucked once to tease her, and an obvious, bold erection rubbed against her backside. She whimpered with pleasure. A tug on her foot made her look down to see Justin pulling one shoe, then the other, off her feet. A shiver rocked her spine as Clint pushed her denims and panties, the last remnants of clothing she had, over her hips, and Justin tugged them off. When Justin stood up again, he was so close to her his presence was a vacuum, sucking the air out of the room. She leaned against Clint who hugged her close, his big, rough palms spread over her aching breasts. Justin glanced over her shoulder at Clint before he closed the distance to claim her mouth. He began slowly. A whispered touch. A soft press of lips. Then he lightly fingered her jaw and neck, while his tongue delved farther. Without thought, she ran her hands over his arms and chest. Her fingertips brushed over scars and lean muscle as she shoved his shirt up his chest and encircled his neck. Her fingers slithered into his hair. She reveled in the contrast—silky soft hair compared to the rugged hardness of his body.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin pulled his shirt off then deepened the kiss. A would‐be monopoly on her attentions except for Clint’s sensual strokes over her breasts, sides...and lower. “Oh, damn,” Justin said on a harsh breath as he touched his forehead to hers. “I don’t believe this.” If she’d had air in her own lungs, she might have chuckled at that comment, which was so close to her own thoughts. Instead, she gulped in air by the lungful and tried desperately to calm the pounding in her chest, to shore up the quivers that wracked her body. A groan crawled up her throat when the bulge of Justin’s cock nudged her. She felt a little dizzy from the overwhelming thought that Clint loved her enough to allow this. To participate. Clint was always the caregiver, and it had been so long since she and Justin had been together. She wanted to do for them, show them how much this meant to her. She’d revel in their care another time. Right now... She nudged Justin back with constant pressure on his shoulders. He blinked but took a step backwards, then another. “Erica?” Clint asked when she followed Justin, pulling out of Clint’s grasp. She paused, flashed him a grin over her shoulder, and with one palm still flat against Justin’s chest, quirked a finger toward Clint. Come here. Clint’s eyes narrowed, but the curl of his lips warmed her heart. He ran a fingertip down her spine and gripped her hips as soon as he neared, his thumbs drawing semi‐circles across her sensitive skin. She smiled at Justin and gave him a push. He sat with a bounce on the foot of the bed. “My turn.” Justin’s eyes widened, but she didn’t let that stop her. She grabbed the waistband of his pants and, after a slight lift of his hips, dropped them around his ankles, the black briefs going with them. He braced himself with hands on the bed, arms straight. His cock stood erect and bold above a nest of dark curls. She gave him a smile and started to drop to her knees only to be stopped by Clint. “No,” he said, a hand on her arm.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton She turned with a confused frown. “But—” He stopped her again with a finger to her lips. He winked then took her by the shoulders, positioned her facing Justin, and forced her to bend at the waist. Oh! She planted her hands on Justin’s thighs, spread her own legs, and bent farther. Clint’s zipper being tugged down ripped through the silence of the room, a sound punctuated by Justin’s sudden moan when she licked the tip of his cock. A second later, one of his hands caressed her head. She gave the tip a chaste kiss then sucked him in as far as she could. Fingertips bit into her scalp. “Oh, fuck,” was all Justin could manage. The feel of Erica’s lips and tongue. The moist warmth. The suction on his cock. Fuck! She was an exquisite aphrodisiac, a dream come true after a lifetime of nightmares. He’d worried a moment when she removed his shirt that his scars might repel her, but she’d seen all of him before, thanks to the slobbery advances of that behemoth porker, so his marred body should come as no surprise. But she didn’t seem bothered by the evidence left behind of his tortuous absence. She sucked him once more to the back of her hot mouth, and he fisted her hair. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in an attempt to regain some control, but it was almost useless. He’d been without for so long.... She pulled back, the draw on his cock a tantalizing torment he prayed would never cease. He pushed her head back down, the start of a steady rhythm that made him lightheaded. The physical sensations mixed with emotions stronger than he’d ever experienced. The combination was damn near unbearable. His eyes nearly rolled back when he felt the first tender touch of her fingers on his testicles. Was the woman trying to kill him? With both hands, he reached for her shoulders and collided with Clint’s hands. Justin opened his eyes in time to see Clint slide his dick into Erica’s pussy from behind. He met Clint’s gaze and knew the desire, want...need...on his face was a mirror image of his own.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Clint withdrew only to press forward again with a deeper, more forceful thrust, which shoved Erica closer to him. Justin’s cock slipped farther into her mouth. He dropped his gaze to stare at the gold band on Clint’s left ring finger. Shit. He couldn’t believe what his eyes were telling him. The unfathomable reality of what his best friend did—was doing. Erica moaned, and the vibrations shook Justin to the core. That felt very real. His thoughts fractured like the colors of a kaleidoscope. He held his breath, but a soft circular rub of his balls and the firm glide of her lips yanked the air from his lungs. “Oh, babe. Damn. Don’t stop.” “Mmm,” she replied without pause, her head bobbing as she sucked him hard. Her straight, auburn hair tickled his thighs and blocked his view of most of her face. He widened his legs and cradled her head between his hands. On Clint’s next thrust, Justin lifted his own hips in direct opposition and heard Erica’s approving grunt. As if by silent agreement, they set a rapid pace matched only by the adrenalin in Justin’s veins. He couldn’t grasp the why, but right now, watching Clint fuck her, Justin didn’t care. He let his head fall back and his mouth hang open as his balls drew up tight, the orgasm imminent. He clung to her head, hoping to stay off the climax a little longer. “Oh, babe...wait. I’m gonna—” Clint slammed into her with a fierce stroke, she groaned around Justin’s cock, and he could hold back no longer. With a shout of completion, he came hard into her mouth. The erotic shockwave rippled over his skin, penetrated his muscles, and singed his nerves. He thought he might expire right then and there. She drank his release and continued to suckle him for a few more precious moments until, at last, she reared up with a euphoric cry from her own climax, timed perfectly with Clint’s final thrust. His best friend paused—his cock no doubt pulsing inside of Erica’s womb—and drew in several harsh breaths. Then Clint withdrew, and as
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton he did, Erica ran her hand up Justin’s thigh one last time then straightened. A smile shone on her face, a heavy‐lidded look of satiation, before she turned toward Clint and embraced him. With a sigh of sheer astonishment, Justin collapsed back onto the bed, his arms flung wide. His world spun off its axis, and there was nothing he could do to right it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to right it. * * * * * Clint watched his dinner companions and wondered what exactly went on in their heads. Erica was pretty simple to read. Every time she looked up from her grilled chicken, she grinned like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. She fairly glowed with sexual gratification. He could practically hear her purring. Justin, on the other hand, looked a bit...confused? Concerned? He’d barely touched his food and had downed three bottles of beer in the last twenty minutes. Clint worried about the alcohol consumption. He doubted his friend could hold the amount of beer he used to. Did Justin regret what they’d done? Erica put a bite of broccoli in her mouth and met his gaze. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she smiled. When she finished chewing, she said, “I almost forgot. We had a few phone calls. One was from a national news program. Another was a talk show.” She glanced at Justin. He didn’t look up from his plate. “Not interested.” “That’s pretty much what I told them. They left numbers anyway.” Justin speared a couple of green beans with his fork. “You said a few… What was the third call?” Clint asked. Erica turned to him. “Mr. Matheson called today while you were gone. He wanted to place an order for more of Big Boy’s sperm. The two calves that have been delivered already this year he says are the best stock he’s ever seen.” Clint nodded. “I’ll call him tomorrow.” He focused his attention on Justin. “How do you feel about getting your hands dirty? I could start showing you the ropes with the sperm business.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin snorted. “Ain’t getting my hands anywhere near a bull’s dick.” Erica’s laugh was bright and happy. “Don’t be silly.” Justin smiled across the table at Erica, and there was no missing the tenderness in his eyes. It reaffirmed Clint’s thoughts that he’d done the right thing. Made the correct choice. As he was buried deep within her, watching her suck his best friend’s dick, he knew that sharing her was what needed to be done. He couldn’t say goodbye until he had to, until the tumor stole his faculties, but until then, he’d do what he could to keep these two together. They had a lot of time to make up for, and he didn’t have much time to ensure Erica had someone who’d stick around and care for her once he was gone. “Insemination usually starts in July and August, so we start collecting the sperm a couple months before that and freezing it. We have a special cryogenic freezer in the garage where we keep it.” Justin made a face. “How much does it go for?” “Big Boy’s goes for a hundred‐fifty. The others are twenty to fifty.” “And you sell enough to make money on it? I mean, how many people around here are hard up for bull jiz?” Erica chuckled. “We have a Web site that I maintain. We sell nationwide. We made quite a little profit last year, and it’ll only get better. I’d say three years, and we’ll be doing daily collection year round, just like the big companies.” “Web site?” Justin asked. “What the hell is that?” Erica’s lips pressed together for a moment. “I’ll show you later. It’s on the computer.” None of them had been into computers before he and Justin went into the army. It wasn’t until college that he and Erica had learned how to use them. Now she was a whiz, and he got by. Who was he kidding? Erica was the one who hooked up their fax and printer last summer. He could barely find the on/off switch. Justin shook his head. “I feel like I lived in a vacuum for the last decade.” “You have,” Clint said, his voice soft. “But we’ll bring you up to
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton speed.” “Sometimes I wonder.” Justin pushed his half‐eaten dinner away and picked up his beer. “I think I’ll head to...” He stood up then stopped moving and looked at Erica, then at Clint. “I’m going to bed.” Erica flashed Clint a worried glance, her brow wrinkled, but she didn’t say anything. Clint had wanted to speak to Erica alone first, but he couldn’t let Justin walk out like this. Not again. And he was almost certain that Erica would agree to anything in order to keep both of her men close. “Hold up,” he said as Justin headed for the door. “I wanna talk to you for a minute.” They grabbed their jackets off the hooks by the door and stepped out on the porch. “Look, man,” Justin started. “I appreciate what you did today. I don’t know why—” “Shut up.” Clint leaned back against the porch railing and shoved his hands in his pockets. His head hurt again, and the chilly wind seemed to go straight to the bone. “I’m not giving her up to you...” Not yet anyway. “...but I’m willing to share. How do you feel about that?” Justin dropped his gaze to the wooden floorboards then shoved his hands in his pockets. “Why are you willing? You’re married to her. She’s yours. I... I’m not sure if the situation were reversed that I could do what you did this afternoon.” He looked up and met Clint’s eyes. “It was more than I could have ever hoped for, and it was amazing. Don’t get me wrong. But I don’t understand it. Don’t understand why it didn’t bother me. Don’t understand why it doesn’t bother you to see your wife give head to...” His words trailed off, and he shrugged. “To my best friend who loves her as much as I do?” Justin sat down in the porch swing and hunched his shoulders. “I’ve never shared her before with anyone, if that’s what got you so concerned.” “It isn’t that. Well, maybe it was a question I had in the back of my mind.” Justin met his gaze again. “Look, all I know for sure is I don’t want to come between you two. I’d just started trying to put it to rest in my
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton head that I wasn’t ever going to be with her again, that I needed to leave, and then you come in there and say what you said.” Clint looked up at the porch roof and sighed. “I guess it’s time to clear the air.” When he looked back at Justin, there was no mistaking his confusion. “For years I watched the two of you and envied what you had. I loved her then, too, but it was you she was with. I never would have done anything to try to break you up or steal her away, but that didn’t change the fact that, deep down, I wanted to be with her.” Justin didn’t say anything; he just stared, waiting. “No, I didn’t move in on her or take advantage of the fact she was mourning you. That wasn’t what I wanted. We went to college in Helena and shared an apartment, but platonically. We tried to go on with our lives as best we could. After college, I got a job at an accounting firm, and Erica started working as an assistant at a law firm. I was pretty happy with my job, but Erica hated being cooped up in an office all day. She stuck it out for a few years, but then she decided she wanted to move back here. She wanted a ranch of her own. She’d always loved your dad’s place and... Well, you know what her dreams were.” Justin nodded. “She wanted to raise horses and run a riding stable.” Clint sighed. “Right. I couldn’t let her go, and I couldn’t keep her tied to the city. It would have killed something in her. So, we started looking for a place around here, and when she saw this house, the land, she made up her mind.” “And you started diddling bulls for their sperm.” Clint chuckled. “No. Not right away. I didn’t get into that until three years ago.” “How...” Justin’s thick swallow was audible. “When did you get together as a couple?” Clint had known the question would come, but it was still difficult to tell Justin the details. He supposed he owed it to him, though. “When we moved in here. I’d lived with her for several years and never touched her. I couldn’t do it any longer. I realized I wasn’t only giving up a good job I loved. If things didn’t change between us in the way I needed, then I
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton couldn’t live with her any longer. As much as it scared me to find out her feelings, when we were unloading the moving van, I put our stuff together in one room. She never questioned it, and when...” It was Clint’s turn to swallow the lump in his throat. “She never turned me away.” Silence stretched between them, and Clint wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t begin to imagine everything going through Justin’s head. “What happens now?” Justin asked as he looked back up at him. After drawing in a deep breath of cold night air, Clint said, “Are you willing to share her?” Justin’s mouth opened then snapped shut. He nodded. “I’m worried about your relationship with her. I couldn’t live with myself if—” “You let me worry about that. I have loved the two of you for as long as I can remember. You were my brother in every way except blood. I’m not sorry for marrying Erica, but you’ll never know how sorry I am that it hurt you. And I can’t stand her being emotionally torn apart the way she has been these past few days.” He pressed his fingers against his forehead, fighting back the growing headache. “She needs you and, if it wouldn’t be too awkward for you, I’d like you to move in with us.” Justin’s brow furrowed. “Move in? Where? Back to the guest room?” “No.” He seriously needed to take some painkillers. His vision blurred slightly. “Our room.” He squeezed his eyelids shut as the bright explosion of lights went off behind his eyes. “If it’s not too awkward for you, I think it would make Erica happy if you agreed to share our bed. Oh, shit.” He doubled over and grabbed his head. Justin grabbed him by the shoulders before he fell and moved him to the swing. “What the fuck? Are you okay?” “Headache,” he mumbled as he breathed through the nausea and pain. “I’ll get Eri—” “No. No. Don’t.” The last thing he needed right now was Erica worrying herself over him. He sucked in a deep breath as the pain slowly subsided to a dull throb. “They don’t last long.” Which was almost true. Used to be true. The pain hadn’t completely left him for the last two days.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Now the sharp, debilitating pain came much more often. “You sure it’s only migraines?” Justin asked. “Seems a lot worse than anything I’ve ever seen anyone deal with.” Should he tell Justin the truth? It would ease his burden if he could share it with someone. He finally opened his eyes and looked at his friend hovering over him like a mother hen. No. He couldn’t tell him yet. He was fairly certain Justin would push for the chemo treatments as hard as Erica. “I’ve seen a doctor. I’ve got some pills. I just need to remember to take them. Not much else can be done. And I don’t want to worry Erica.” Justin gave a curt nod. “Okay. Better now?” “Yeah.” Clint leaned back in the swing and closed his eyes again. “It’ll pass soon.” He hoped. The swing moved a bit as Justin sat down next to him. “You told me the other day they’re brought on by stress. Did asking me to...you know...share your bedroom...bring it on?” “No.” The lemon‐sized lump in his brain did. “I have no stress over the offer. I think, for all of us, it is the right thing to do. As long as you’re comfortable with it. I know this has got to be difficult.” Justin cleared his throat. Clint chuckled. “A bit of an understatement?” “You could say that.” Clint opened his eyes, glad the blinding flashes had dispersed. “You don’t have to make a decision right this second.” “How did you make it so fast?” Clint thought about lying, wondered if it would be the smartest thing to do, but then he sighed and said, “I remember what it was like being on the outside when the two of you would get kissy face in front of me. I used to dream of being invited to join you two. Sharing, to me, is better than never having at all.” Justin swiped his hand down his face. “Shit.” Clint nodded. You don’t know the half of it, bro. “Okay,” Justin said. “I’d be a moron to say no. But I swear to God, the first time I sense something isn’t right between the two of you, I’m outta here. Not just the bedroom, but I’m leaving the ranch. I will not
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton break up a marriage.” Clint knew it would never come to that. Besides the fact that he would be out of their lives in no longer than a month, he knew Erica loved him and respected their vows too much to allow it to happen. “I told you before. Let me worry about that.” “You sure Erica will be comfortable with this? You haven’t had any time alone since...the barn.” “I’m sure. But I’ll go in and talk to her while you gather your stuff.” “Okay. Good.” Justin pushed off of the swing. “I mean it. I’d rather leave than—” “Go.” Clint stood. “Give me a few minutes alone with her.”
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Chapter Six Erica stopped her nervous pacing across the living room when Clint came in the door. Her heart sank when Justin wasn’t with him. Damn. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but Justin banishing himself back to the barn wasn’t it. Clint took her hand and led her to the sofa. “We need to talk about something, honey.” She sat down next to him. He kept her hand in his gentle grasp, and her heart sped to double time. He had that tone of voice. The one that usually brought bad news. Justin was leaving! No. He can’t. “I asked Justin to move back to the house.” The breath she’d been holding burst out of her lungs. Clint reached up and cupped the side of her face. “I love you. I want you to be happy.” “But...?” “No buts. I need to know how you’d feel about sharing our bed with him.” “Uh...” Her brain went blank. She hadn’t expected that question from him. “You seemed so happy this afternoon,” he said. “I thought, to fix at least one of the major problems right now, that having him here whenever you...” His lips pressed together for a moment, and that’s when she saw
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton the lines at the corner of his eyes and bracketing his mouth. He had a headache. He was in pain, and he was worried about her? About what she wanted? And did she want Justin in her bed? In their marital bed? He was willing to allow—no—offer this to her? She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t know what to say.” His hands scooted up her back, and then he returned her embrace. “He’s gathering his stuff together now.” Clint kissed the side of her neck and sighed as if in complete contentment. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it. I want you happy. I want him happy, too. Having you two so close together, yet fighting the attraction, wasn’t healthy. But it’s your call, hon. If you won’t be comfortable with it...” “You think the bed’s big enough?” she asked, speaking the first coherent thought that crossed her mind. His chuckle rumbled against her chest. “Yeah, I think we can make it work, but now you’ll have two men to fight for the covers.” She leaned back to look into his eyes. God, she loved him. Touching his slightly whiskered cheek, she leaned in and kissed him. “I’ve heard of stuff like this going on, but I never thought I’d be part of it.” Clint’s smile was sweet. “Heard of it?” He raised an eyebrow. “I seem to remember a DVD you bought me for my birthday last year.” She pinched his arm and ducked her head. “I guess it gave you some ideas, huh?” “Ah, no. If you remember right, I told you my fantasy was two women.” She met his gaze and knew her blush deepened. “I can’t share you with another woman. The bed’s not big enough for four.” He laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Then he ran his thumb over her thundering pulse point at the base of her neck. “Can you share yourself with me and Justin?” Tears stung her eyes. She nodded. “As long as you don’t—” He swept in and captured her mouth with his. His tongue delved deep, and she moaned. When he pulled back they were both breathing hard, and she could see the arousal in his eyes. “I want this. For you. For
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton us.” She pulled back a bit and frowned. “For us? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, good lord. You’re...you and Justin?” Clint rolled his eyes then winced. His head must really hurt. “Give me a break. After all this time, I think you know by now I’m not into men. Besides, that’d be too…incestuous…for my taste.” “Well, I guess you have a point there, but technically—” He kissed her again, and she laughed against his lips. “Don’t be impertinent,” he said when he lifted his head. “I love you, Clint.” After he placed tender kisses on her cheek, he tucked her head against his shoulder. “I love you, too, hon.” After a few heartbeats, he said, “I always will.” She sat up to ask him what that cryptic comment was supposed to mean, afraid of what it might mean, but Justin walked in the door right then carrying his black bag. Clint gave Justin a nod, and Justin headed down the hallway that led to their room. Erica slid off Clint’s lap and frowned at him. He better not be planning anything stupid. Maybe it was just the headache. “I’ll get your pills,” she said as she stood up. “You look like you’re hurting.” Clint took her hand and kissed her palm. “Yeah. I am. Thanks.” She went into the kitchen and pulled the pill bottle from the cabinet over the sink. Then she poured him a glass of milk and brought it to him. She sat down next to him, watched him take his medicine, and then he set the empty glass on the end table. “You okay?” “Sure, hon. I’m fine.” He smiled, but it looked a little forced. “Why don’t we watch some TV?” He grabbed the remote from the coffee table then sat back and held out his arm for her. As he channel surfed, she snuggled up against him. Justin came into the living room and looked at them, then the loveseat, as if he didn’t know what to do. Erica patted the cushion next to
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton her, and he sat down. She stretched out, throwing her legs over Justin’s thighs, then picked up his hand from his side and laced their fingers. She smiled at him. His answering grin was a little shy, and she found it endearing. It would take a while to get used to this, she thought as she turned her head to watch the crime drama Clint had settled on. Justin slouched into the cushions. After a few minutes, he said, “Thanks.” She squeezed his hand and felt Clint nod. * * * * * Clint stripped down to his boxers, tossing his clothes in the hamper by the wall, then pulled back the blankets and stretched out on his side of the bed. He frowned as he looked at the bed. King sized, it should be enough room for all of them, right? It wasn’t as if it would be long... He rubbed his fingers over his forehead. The pain had subsided to a faint throb. “I cleared out the right side of the medicine cabinet so you can put your stuff in there, if you want,” Erica said to Justin as she came out of the bathroom wearing her sexy little ice blue nightie. He loved that one. She wore it the first time on his last birthday. A little gift for him. “Thanks,” Justin said as he eyed her. There was no mistaking the lust in the man’s eyes. She wore it on purpose, Clint thought. She wanted some. A small smile played on his lips as he settled more comfortably into the bed. She always wore it when she was looking for a little fun. Justin finally tore his heated gaze from Erica and headed for the bathroom without a word. Erica went to the dresser and squirted a bit of lotion on her hands then came toward the bed as she rubbed it into her arms. “Hey.” “Hey yourself,” Clint said. She went around the bed and climbed into the middle. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she said, “I think Justin’s a little uncomfortable with this.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He held out his arm for her, and she snuggled against his side. She smelled of gardenias, and her skin was soft when he ran his hand up her arm. “Well, he’s here. That’s a start, right?” She nodded against his shoulder then kissed his chin. “Yeah.” Rolling to his side, he brushed his semi‐erect penis against her soft belly as he pulled her into his arms. Her heart thundered against his chest, and he knew she was aroused. Since day one, she’d always been ready for him. But tonight might be more than she was ready for. “What’re your limits, hon? How far do you want to go?” It took a moment for her to lift her gaze to his. Her voice soft and husky, she said, “I’ve been envisioning that porn movie all evening.” He nodded. They’d watched the movie a couple of times. The woman in the porno took it every way imaginable from the two men. “Okay. Is there something in particular you’ve been thinking about?” She ducked her head, hiding her eyes from him, then nodded. “Come on. You have to tell me. You’ve never been shy about telling me what you want before.” “I’ve never wanted this before.” She fiddled with his nipple until he caught her hand and pressed it flat against his chest. “Clint, are you sure you...” She looked into his eyes. “Why aren’t you weird about this?” The bathroom door opened and out came Justin wearing nothing but a dark pair of briefs. He walked to the other side of the bed and sat down, his back to them, and stared out the window. He looked tense. Clint sighed. Now would be a good time to admit to his medical condition. It would explain to these two people he loved why he did this. But as he looked into Erica’s bright, beautiful eyes, he just couldn’t say the words. It would ruin the moment, destroy the time they had left together. “Because I don’t doubt for one second that you love me and that you’d never stray. I also know that for you and Justin to deny the love between you would be a crime. I’d rather share you with a man you love and that I trust with what’s most important in my life than to have either of you hurting.” Erica’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Clint.” She buried her face against his chest and drew in a couple of deep breaths, obviously trying
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton not to cry. He rubbed his hand up and down her back barely covered by a bit of silk and lace. Justin turned his head and met his eyes. “You’re a good man, and I’m sorry I hit you the other day.” Erica looked up. “You hit him?” She turned to Clint. “He hit you?” Clint grinned. “That weak little tap?” Justin snorted. Erica shoved Clint’s side and laughed. “You two will never grow up, will you?” She rolled onto her back, her pebbled nipples barely covered by the see‐through lace. He’d gladly share this woman with Justin for eternity, if he had that long. But he didn’t. He only had now. Today, tomorrow...if he was lucky. “You have to tell us, hon,” he said as he trailed his fingertip over her collarbone and then down her arm. Goose bumps spread across her flesh at his light touch. Erica swallowed hard. “I want it all.” Justin turned more fully to face them. “What is all?” He reached out and touched her cheek with his palm, then dragged his hand down her neck, paused a second, then cupped her breast. Erica sucked in her breath, and her eyelids fluttered. She licked her lips slowly, sensuously. With her hands, she reached for both of them, her fingers ever so lightly playing over their crotches. His hard‐on was instantaneous, and from Justin’s quick exhale, he assumed Justin’s was, too. “I want...” She looked first at Clint, then at Justin. “Both of you inside of me. At the same time.” Clint’s heart thundered against his ribcage. “You’re sure?” Justin’s thumb rolled over her beaded nipple, his gaze trained on her breast. She arched into Justin’s hand like a kitten and moaned. “I’m sure.” Her fingers tightened around his cock. “Please.” Justin pulled the top of her nightgown down to reveal her breasts, and then he leaned over and suckled her. She cried out and hugged
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin’s head to her with one hand, all the while still stroking Clint’s cock. Clint groaned then captured her mouth with his, sinking his tongue deep into her. She bucked as he pulled up the bottom of her gown and brushed his fingers over her soft curls. She squeezed his cock almost painfully, and he jerked back with a chuckle. “Easy, hon.” Her breaths were ragged and hot against his cheek. Her eyes shut tight, her cheeks flushed pink. When he slipped one finger over her slick, hard clit, she cried out. She was ready. So damn hot. Justin alternated between her breasts, plumping them, suckling them. Clint slid his finger deep into her cunt. Her silky juices soaked his hand. With his thumb, he flicked her clit. She bucked and moaned, her lips slightly parted. “Open your eyes,” Clint whispered in her ear before he nibbled her lobe. He slipped a second finger into her. “See us. See your fantasy come to life.” He couldn’t see her face as he nibbled the sweet, tender flesh of her neck, but he knew the instant she obeyed. Her body tensed, her inner muscles milked his fingers, and she let out a long, low groan as the orgasm overtook her. “That’s our girl,” he whispered in her ear. She whimpered, her hips flexing against his hand as he rode out her orgasm with her. “Shit,” Justin said on a gasp. “You’re so damn sexy, baby. Better than I remember. Hotter than I ever fantasized.” He moved up, trailing kisses over her chest, her neck, until he was over her, claiming her lips. Her muscles clamped down again on his fingers when Justin’s tongue delved into her mouth. The sounds of their pants made Clint ache with his own arousal. He nipped her shoulder as he scooted down. Justin still sat at her side, so Clint had free access to her pussy. He spread her legs and buried his face between her thighs. She screamed and lifted her hips. He pumped his fingers into her as he sucked her clit, the way she always liked. “Oh, yesss!” Her heels dug into the bed as she lifted up.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He pinned her to the mattress with his hands on her abdomen and suckled harder. Her body vibrated with the growing orgasm. She tasted like honey. Sweet, slick honey. He pierced a third finger into her, rubbed against her G‐spot, and she came with a scream, her legs locking around his shoulders. He eased his ministrations on her, soothing her with his tongue as he slowly withdrew his fingers. Her legs flopped off of him onto the bed. When he went up on his knees, he saw Justin, still leaning over her, head hanging, his breaths coming in short, choppy pants. Clint wanted nothing more than to bury his cock into her hot pussy, but Justin was obviously hurting. The man had been celibate for years. Or at least Clint assumed he had been. Moving back up the bed, Clint stretched out next to her. Her eyes were shut, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to regain her breath. He touched Justin’s shoulder to get his attention. When his buddy looked him in the eyes, Clint nodded. Justin obviously didn’t need to be told twice. He shoved his underwear down, moved between Erica’s legs, and slammed into her in one hard thrust. Erica screamed. Justin groaned and stopped moving. Clint almost came just watching the ecstasy explode between them. Hearing their labored breaths, their sounds of pleasure. Justin drew back and thrust again. “No,” Erica said on a moan. “I want...both.” “Okay, hon,” Clint said. Justin needed to come, but Erica was the one that mattered here. He looked at Justin. “Pull out.” Justin withdrew, his cock still hard, and gave him a confused, tense look that almost made Clint laugh, but he kept the humor to himself. “Anal sex,” he said to his friend. Justin’s eyes went wide for a second. “I...” Clint realized that Justin’s sexual experiences ended when he was only twenty‐one. He’d never been with anyone beside Erica, and he knew for a fact she’d been an anal sex virgin until him. Erica rolled over, pressed Clint’s shoulders to flatten him on the
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton bed, and then jerked down his boxers. Her hands shook slightly as she grasped his cock and stroked it a few times. “Mmm. You’re so hard,” she said, her voice husky. “You turn me on,” he said honestly. “You always have.” He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a tube of lubricant. “Who do you want where?” She answered with a sly, excited smile, threw her leg over him until she straddled his hips, and then guided his cock into her slick, hot cunt. He groaned and thrust up as she sank down. Her muscles spasmed around him, evidence of another orgasm growing within her. It took a supreme effort to control his own release as she rode him, but Clint wanted this to be for Erica. Needed to give her everything she wanted. “That’s it, hon. Slow down. We’ll get there.” His heart thumped so hard he wondered why he didn’t have a heart attack. Turning his attention to Justin, who stood at the side of the bed, Clint handed him the lubricant. “Put some on your finger and rub it on her ass. Then slowly work your finger into her.” The bed jiggled a bit as Justin climbed back on. He’d shucked his underwear and seemed a bit unsure as he knelt behind Erica. She turned her head to look at him. “It’s okay,” she said to Justin as she slowly rode Clint’s cock. “I like it.” “I don’t want to hurt you,” Justin said. Clint heard him flip the lid to the lube open and squirt some on his finger. When Justin reached out and spread it over her anus, her motions slowed, and she moaned. “You won’t,” Erica reassured. “I want you.” Justin must have pushed a finger into her then, because she turned back toward Clint with a contented look of arousal on her face. She planted her hands on his shoulders and leaned over a bit, giving Justin better access to her ass. Pressing down on Clint’s cock, she slowed her motions to a gentle rocking. “Ohh...” she moaned, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. “More.” Clint could feel her being stretched by Justin’s finger, and his balls
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton drew tight, his climax nearing because of the added pressure. “Put a second finger in,” he instructed Justin. He groaned as Justin’s fingers wiggled inside of her. “Another,” Erica said as she panted. “You won’t hurt me.” “Babe...” “Do it,” Clint and Erica nearly shouted in unison. If they didn’t get on with it soon, Clint wouldn’t be able to hold out. “Oh! Yes.” Erica ground her pelvis against Clint. Justin had obviously complied. “Stroke her a few times,” Clint said through clenched teeth. He gripped Erica’s hips and held her in place. “I’m about to lose it, hon.” She shook her head. “Don’t you dare come, yet. Not yet.” “Bossy ’til the end,” he said with a slight grin. “God, I love you.” Her smile was bright, and her eyes sparkled. “Fuck her, Justin,” Clint said, his tenuous hold on himself slipping. As Justin entered her, Clint felt the pressure, the tightness. He reached up and pulled her down for a deep, wet kiss. Justin hissed. “She’s too tight.” Erica reared up, flexed her hips, and shoved back. Justin’s cock seated deep within her. “Oh, damn,” Justin said on a groan, while she squealed into Clint’s mouth and her nails probably drew blood. Clint ripped his mouth from hers. “Fuck her ass,” he ground out. Erica collapsed against his chest, panting her pleasure as Justin pumped into her with slow but thorough strokes. “Harder,” Clint said, pleased to feel Justin respond. The pace increased, the impacts more intense. Clint wrapped his arms around her and held off as long as he possibly could, but three deep strokes later, he shouted out his climax, every muscle in his body tensing as stars exploded behind his eyes. His wife’s scream nearly deafened him when her orgasm struck. Still, her body and his rocked on the bed from Justin’s continued thrusts. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fu‐u‐ck!” Justin came hard with a long, loud groan, and then he collapsed over Erica’s back, pinning Clint to the bed
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton with their combined weight. A soft giggle slipped out of Erica, even though she lay limp against him, their bodies sweaty. Justin groaned, rolled off of them, and plopped onto the bed beside them. “What’s funny?” Clint asked when his brain kicked in. “I think I could definitely get used to this.” Justin chuckled. Clint rolled sideways, dumping Erica between him and Justin. “Go to sleep, woman.” She kissed his lips. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she rolled over and kissed Justin. “Thank you,” she said again, and then she drifted off to sleep between one breath and the next. Justin met his eyes over her head. He smirked. His eyes sparkled, and he looked...content. Clint snuggled up against Erica’s back and closed his eyes. “G’night, buddy.” The bed moved a bit as Justin moved closer to Erica. “’Night.”
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Chapter Seven Justin searched the bedroom, his left boot on his foot, the right one missing. Where the hell could it have gone? When he’d come in last night, he’d stripped down and dropped all his clothes—boots included—on the floor by his side of the bed. Now it was...gone. “Come on, Justin. Bill and Tommy are here,” Clint called from the living room. “Just a sec.” Today Clint would show him how sperm collection was done. For the past week, they’d strung new fence on a pasture Clint had been building where Erica would work her horses come spring. Rain or shine, he’d mucked out stalls, fed animals, and generally worked hard to keep up with Clint who seemed driven to get everything done yesterday. He’d also listened to Clint expound on the business of bull sperm collection, the different methods, and how things had improved over the years. But today, since Clint had an order for fresh bull jiz, it was time to get some rather than just talk about it. The thought kind of turned his stomach. He’d grown up on a ranch, had helped his father with the heard of angus beeves for as long as he could remember, but when it came to getting the cows pregnant, they had let nature take its course. “Where the fuck is my boot?” he grumbled as he jerked open the closet door and searched the floor. Then he dropped to his knees and lifted the dust ruffle of the bed.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton There it is. He reached to grab it, but something bit him. “Fuck!” He jerked his hand back and peered into the darkness. Beady black eyes stared back at him, white fangs bared. That little three‐legged rat sat in his boot, its head sticking out. He reached again, and it snarled. “Give me my damn boot, you rabid little rodent.” He grabbed the toe of the boot and pulled. The dog yelped, snarled, then charged his face. Justin rolled to the side as the ugly thing came at him. Instead of chomping into him, it grabbed the boot and dashed back under the bed, dragging his footwear out of reach. “You fucking little monster.” Justin shoved his shoulder against the bed frame, trying to get it to move, but the heavy oak furniture wouldn’t budge. “What are you doing?” Erica demanded as she came into the room. “Your rat has my boot and tried taking my hand off.” “He’s a rat terrier. And it just means he likes your smell.” Justin made a face of disgust and rolled to his butt. “Would you please get your rat terrier to give it up so I can get dressed?” He examined the scratches on his hand from the little freak’s teeth, but it hadn’t broken skin. A giggle had him looking up at Erica with narrowed eyes. God, even when he was furious, he found her too tasty. “It’s not funny,” he grumbled. Her giggle turned into a full‐fledged laugh. “Yeah, it is,” she said, dropping to her knees next to him. “Big, bad Justin losing a battle with a tiny little, three‐legged doggy.” “A rabid rat is what—” She caught him off guard with a kiss that melted his brain and made his dick hard. He groaned as she sank her tongue into his mouth. When she pulled back, she grinned at him. “Don’t talk bad about my pets, or you’ll be sorry.” He rolled his eyes but couldn’t keep from chuckling. “A‐hem.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin looked up to see Clint in the doorway, arms crossed, shoulder against the doorframe. “We need to head out. Now. I’m paying these guys by the hour, ya know.” Clint didn’t seem upset about the stolen kiss but about time awastin’. Justin sighed and gave Erica a look he hoped seemed pathetic. “My boot, please?” She winked and dove under the bed, her small body easily wiggling farther than he could. “Come on, sweetie pie. Justin needs his boot. I’ll get you a treat if you let me have his boot.” Clint chuckled. “Keep your boots in the closet by the front door. That thing’s a horrible thief.” Justin made a face and got up, but he rather enjoyed the sight of Erica’s denim‐clad ass sticking out from under the bed as she crooned to the beast. “Duly noted.” Five minutes later, both boots on his feet, Justin followed Clint into the corral behind the barn. The day before, Clint had showed him the chute used for the process to eliminate human injury. At one end stood a short, stocky steer. “What’s he doing there?” Justin asked. “That’s our female,” Clint said. “Justin, meet Bill Worth and Tommy Dexter. They work the Cody ranch down the road and come by to help with collection.” Justin shook hands with the two men. Bill, a wiry man in his mid‐fifties with long gray hair pulled back in a braid. Tommy couldn’t have been more than twenty‐two or so, with the good looks of a movie star. “I’ll get Big Boy,” Tommy said as he headed off. “Okay,” Justin said. “I give. This poor steer is your bitch?” Clint and Bill both chuckled. While Bill headed over to a folding table set up nearby with some items on top, Clint said, “We call him our teaser mount. We don’t use females because of the risk of actual insemination and it’s less sterile. Risk of venereal diseases and such.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “So...how do you get a bull to mount this poor guy?” Bill used a bottle and sprayed down the hind end of the steer, then wiped it down with a cloth, obviously disinfecting the animal’s backside. “Big Boy’s been doing this for over a year, and all we have to do is get him in the chute. He does the rest. It was tricky at first, getting him turned on by the steer. You have to lead the steer around, having the bull follow him, then stop abruptly, just as a cow would do when in estrus.” Justin let out a breath. A low grunt caught their attention, and they turned to see Tommy leading Big Boy—and one hell of a fucking big boy he was!—into the other end of the chute. Justin took a step back, even though the metal railings of the five‐foot high gate separated him from the beast. “Don’t tell me this is the bull that Erica tried to befriend.” “No. That would be Goliath.” Justin had seen Goliath, a massive Semmental, but not up close. He had a lot more girth than Big Boy here, who was only an Angus. Goliath probably outweighed Big Boy by a thousand pounds. The thought of itty‐bitty Erica anywhere near either of the bulls made his blood run cold. Hell, he didn’t particularly want to be around a horny bull, either. Bill picked up a weird looking tube, the bottom formed into a cone, and squirted something into it. “The artificial vagina. AV for short,” Clint said as he pulled on long plastic gloves that covered him up to his elbows. The kind used when helping a cow throw a calf. Big Boy snorted and grunted. Tommy shut the back gate of the chute behind the bull and walked around to the other side from where they stood. Clint took the VA from Bill and moved close to the back end of the steer, reached through the widely spaced bars of the chute, and flicked the steer’s tail while emitting a low grunting sound. The sound a cow makes when she’s trying to get a bull’s attention. The steer stood still, looking bored, chewing its cud. Big Boy came up to the steer, nudged his nose against the steer’s rear, then mounted. Clint moved down a bit, stuck the AV over Big Boy’s...
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton And then it was done. Big Boy dismounted, his breathing a bit heavy. “And there you have it,” Clint said, grinning, as he held up the VA now filled with Big Boy’s future children. “Yeah.” Justin shoved his hands in his pockets. He saw nothing wrong with doing it the old fashioned way. Hire the damn bull out to whoever wanted its sperm. At least the poor guy could have a little fun in the process. “Your turn,” Clint said, handing off the used AV to Bill and picking up another from the table, along with another pair of gloves. Justin shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m gonna leave this up to you. I’ll muck out shitty horse stalls, but I’m not... Nu uh. No thanks. This is so not for me.” Clint’s face grew serious, and Justin once again noticed the lines bracketing his buddy’s mouth and fanning from the corner of his eyes. Those headaches seemed to be getting worse the last couple of days. “Justin,” he said, his voice low. “This is important. You’ve got to learn how to do this.” He frowned. “Why? Seems like your thing.” Clint swallowed hard and glanced over Justin’s shoulder, as if gazing over the land. “Because it’s important. Okay? Please. For...Erica.” There was no denying the seriousness of Clint’s words, but all they did was confuse him. Why would him learning how to collect sperm have any bearing on Erica? Clint’s eyes focused back on him. “Please.” Justin took the gloves from Clint and put them on. “Fine.” He’d confront Clint later, when they didn’t have an audience. Something wasn’t right, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Moving in with Clint and Erica, sharing their bed, sharing her, had been a rather easy transition to make. The stress of denying their feelings was gone, and everyone, including Clint, seemed content—happy even—with the situation. But there’d been these headaches, which Clint still insisted he hide from Erica. Headaches that sometimes hit so fast and so hard, Clint literally lost his footing.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton He reached for the AV. “Okay, I’ll tease him into getting ready. All you have to do is slide the AV over his cock when it comes out of the sheath, and he’ll fill it. It’s lubricated and stimulates him, so it’s really quick.” Justin sighed. “Got it.” Clint did the tail‐swishing thing and the low grunts of a cow. Big Boy snorted a few times then mounted. Justin slipped the AV over. “Oh, fucking shit!” The AV slipped out of his hand and sperm squirted over his arm and onto his chest. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” The bull dismounted. Clint, Bill, and Tommy laughed in hysterics. Justin peeled off the gloves, then his jacket as his face heated with frustration and embarrassment. “Gotta hold on, boy,” Bill said. “That’s a twelve‐hundred pound bull. It’s not like jackin’ yerself off, ya know.” Furious, he went to the table and picked up another pair of gloves. “How many times can he get it up?” “Anywhere between two and four times in a row,” Bill said. “Big Boy’s been known to go more than that.” “But we only need two collections today,” Clint said. “There’s ten inseminations from each collection. More than enough for the orders that came in, and to stock the freezer, too.” “Damn horny bull,” Justin muttered as he picked up another AV. Now he was bound and determined to do it right. Just to show these laughing hyenas he could. * * * * * A couple hours later, freshly showered and wearing clean clothes, Justin headed for the office at the back of the house, where Clint told him to meet Erica so she could show him the computer. She sat behind the desk, pretty as a picture, her long hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. When she looked up as he came through the door, she smiled.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “Hey. Heard you had a bit of excitement with Big Boy.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. He shook his head. “Clint never could keep his mouth shut.” She laughed and stood up. “Come on. Sit down. Let me show you around our Web site.” He walked past her and sank into the soft leather executive chair, her scent teasing his nose. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep. “Um, you have to actually look at the monitor.” Humor laced her voice. He opened his eyes and turned the chair to face her. “I’d rather look at you.” She planted her hands on her hips and frowned, but her eyes glittered with laughter. “Come here,” he murmured as he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her between his legs. “God, I’ll never get enough of you.” With a sigh, she laid her hands against his shoulders. “These past few days have been the best of my life. But I’m worried about you.” He raised his eyebrows even as he tugged her T‐shirt from the waistband of her jeans and laid his hands over her warm, smooth flesh. “Oh? Why’s that?” “Your nightmares.” Shit. “You cry out at night. Shout. When I touch you, you jerk away.” “Aw, babe.” Leaning forward, he laid his cheek against her belly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Her fingers wove through his hair and held him against her in a sweet embrace that made his heart clench. “Was it horrible?” He squeezed his eyes shut. She shouldn’t know about the things he saw, the things he’d done, over in Iraq. It was too horrible for him to face in the light of day, which, he supposed, was why they haunted his dreams at night. He’d been through a few intense counseling sessions from the time he was rescued to the time he was released from duty and put on a plane to Montana. He thought he’d gotten it out. Apparently he hadn’t.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Didn’t know if he ever would. Time healed all things, though, didn’t it? That’s what he kept telling himself. “Please talk to me, Justin,” Erica whispered. Leaning his head back, he looked up into her eyes. “There’s not much to talk about, babe. Just...” He sighed. It was hard asking. For twelve years he’d longed for her touch, dreamed about it. Now he had it, and he was terrified she’d be ripped away again. Thought she had been when he first found out she was married to Clint. “Just what?” “Don’t let me go. Be there for me.” “Oh, Justin...” Tears welled in her eyes. “Always.” She leaned down and brushed her mouth against his. “Forever. I promise.” He speared his tongue into her mouth and swallowed her moan. Her fingers delved through his hair, tipped his head to the side. Pulling her body flush against his chest, he breathed her in. The warm gardenia scent of her lotion, her sensual musk he’d dreamed about for a dozen long years. “I need you,” he murmured when she trailed kisses down his neck. “I’m here.” She nibbled on his ear and pulled open his button fly. His cock surged to fullness at her first tentative touch. And then she dropped to her knees in front of him, pulled his dick from his briefs, and engulfed him in her mouth. Dropping his head back against the chair, he groaned and bucked his hips. “Oh, God.” A laugh burst out of him. “You’re way better at that than I remember.” She pulled off of him with a small pop and laughed, all the while pumping him within her fist. “I’ve had a bit of practice. You like?” “I love.” He pulled the band from her ponytail and spread her silky hair around her shoulders. “I love you.” Her eyes shone with all the love inside her, and he knew now he’d never be able to live without her. He’d meant what he said the other night. Clint was a better man than him. He frowned and wondered if he was supposed to be doing this with her. Did sharing mean that intimacy between them was only allowed
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton with Clint present and participating? He didn’t want to break any unwritten rules—hell, he didn’t know if there were any. “Babe...” “It’s okay.” She licked the tip of his cock, pulling a groan from him. “He knows we’ll be together when he’s not around.” She ran her tongue from the base to the head in one long, wet stroke. “Just as I’ll still make love to him when you’re not.” Her gaze snared his. “Is that a problem?” Justin shook his head. “No.” He caught her right hand mid stroke up his cock and brought her fingers to his lips, kissing the simple gold ring he’d given her what felt like ages ago. “For some reason I feel no jealousy where he’s concerned.” He stroked her hair and gazed into those gorgeous eyes. “I just don’t want anything to come between us ever again. Nothing at all. You two are the only family I have, and I love you both so much.” Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked them back. “And we both love you.” She dipped her head and caught his penis in her mouth again, sucking him deep. “Ahh, babe. Yes.” She moaned, and the sound vibrated down to his balls as heat seared up his spine. Bobbing her head, she sucked him hard, licked the tender underside, but when she reached down and cupped his balls in her palm, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. “I love you,” he said on a groan as he slid down in the chair a bit. She made a sound of agreement, but continued to work him hard and fast. His balls drew up tight. He gripped the arms of the chair. “Babe...” She drew him to the back of her throat and swallowed, her muscles convulsing around him, and he shouted as he came. She drank him down and licked him with soothing little strokes as he slowly softened. He panted, his head back and eyes closed. “Holy shit, Erica.” She chuckled. “Like that, huh?” He cracked one eye open and peered down at her. “You can do that to me anytime you want.” With a wide grin, she pushed to her feet. “I’m gonna take you up
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton on that.” Then she swiveled his chair to face the desk. “Now, pay attention and learn.” He laughed and caught her hand, dragging her down into the chair on his lap. “Okay. But you have to stay right here while I do.” Then he delved his hand down the front of her jeans and flicked his finger over her tight, hard clit, so slick with her juices. “At least until you’re so horny you can’t stand it.” “Up a little,” she said as she reached over to the computer and hit a button, which made the picture of swimming fish disappear. “Up a little?” “Uh huh...up and over my clit, then around and around.” She grinned over her shoulder at him. “You’re a little out of practice, so I’ll walk you through making me so horny I can’t stand it.” He laughed and nipped her shoulder. “Brat.” She shivered. “Yeah. I like that, too. Now pay attention.” He circled her clitoris with his middle finger a few times, knowing when he hit the right spot by the way her breath caught. “Teach me...everything.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton
Chapter Eight Erica dried her hands on the kitchen towel, snapped her fingers at Teacup so the piggy would go lay down on her rug by the door and stop begging for post‐dinner scraps, then headed into the living room and plopped down on the sofa next to Justin. “Where’s Clint?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her snug against his side. She breathed in his warm, musky scent and closed her eyes, resting her head against his shoulder. “He said he had some phone calls to make.” Justin ran his fingertips up and down her bare arm, and her nipples tightened beneath her T‐shirt. She smiled and sighed. “You sound...content.” “Mmm.” She wiggled just a bit closer and rested her hand on his thigh. “These past few days have been the best of my life. Having you home. Clint...” She shrugged. “Well, I never would have dreamed...” “I know.” She sat quietly for a few moments as the late news droned on. “I’m worried about him,” she whispered. “Oh?” He nuzzled his lips against her hair, his breath warm on her scalp, making her tingle all through her body. “You think he’s not accepting this as well as he wants us to believe?” She stroked her fingertips along the seam of his jeans inside his thigh. “No. It’s not that. It’s his headaches. They’re getting worse, but he’s
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton trying to hide it from me.” “Maybe he just doesn’t want to worry you over nothing.” She’d tried telling herself that, but... “He’s got morphine pills. To me, that’s serious. But when I ask him about it, he tells me it’s nothing to worry about.” Justin laced his fingers through hers. “He’s been to see doctors. I’m sure if it was serious, he’d tell you.” She turned her head to look into his face. His piercing blue eyes bore into her, and she saw love there. So much love. She was by far the luckiest woman in the world to have two men so completely hers. The grandfather clock against the wall chimed the hour. Justin glanced over at it. “Is that my parents’ clock?” “Mmm hmm. They gave it to us when we got married. Remember our prom picture? It was taken in their foyer right in front of that clock.” “Yeah, I remember senior prom.” He turned back to her and cupped her cheek. “That was the night...” Her cheeks heated. Even so many years later, she remembered that night as if it were yesterday. The night Justin took her virginity. The night she gave him everything. “Did you know that I was eight years old when I told my mom I was going to marry you?” Justin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “We barely knew each other when we were that young.” “You beat up Johnny Custer for pulling my pigtails and calling me a tomboy.” With a chuckle, she added, “I went home and told my mom that I was going to marry you because you knew how a lady was supposed to be treated.” “I guess I was the one a little slow on the uptake, huh?” He grinned. “But I knew from our first kiss that you were the one.” “Yeah,” she chided. “After you’d made out with Mary Sue behind the bleachers.” He chuckled. “She crammed her tongue down my throat so far I almost gagged.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton They laughed together, and Erica settled back against his side. “I was so mad I almost broke up with you for good the day I found out about her.” “If it hadn’t been for Clint, I’m pretty sure you would have. He was always the peacemaker between us.” “He said we were both too volatile. We needed to mellow out and look at the big picture.” “Then he took me behind my daddy’s barn and beat the shit out of me.” Erica sat up and frowned. “Seriously?” Justin nodded and gave a sly grin. “Yep. Said if I ever did anything to hurt you again, he’d kill me.” Her heart skipped a beat. Had he loved her even back then? “I never knew.” “I never wanted you to know. I don’t think he did either.” A little niggling of guilt pierced through her. Was this situation fair to her husband? Should she have been stronger and refused his offer to accept Justin into their marriage the way she had? “Hey...” She met Justin’s gaze, and all she could see was how much he loved her. How much she loved him. How many years she’d mourned and missed him. “Can this really work?” she whispered. He licked his lips and glanced away for a moment. “I want it to. I don’t think any alternative is better for any of us. If we aren’t all together, someone gets hurt. Mostly you. Neither Clint nor I could live with that.” Tears rushed to her eyes, and she buried her face against his neck. “I don’t want to be without either of you, either. I love you both.” Justin wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, smoothing one big hand up and down her back. “You have us, baby.” He chuckled. “By the balls.” She laughed through her tears and kissed his chin. “You always knew the right things to say.” “Brat.” He kissed her nose, and then his expression grew serious. “I wish I could have married you before…you know.” He swallowed hard
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton and gazed into her eyes. “The last few letters from you came the day before I was captured. Mail was always getting delayed, so I got four letters from you at once. In every one of them, you talked about the plans you and your mother were making for the wedding. In the last one, you said you’d found the gown of your dreams.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I wanted so badly to see you in that dress. I dreamed about coming home and making you my bride for twelve lonely, unending years.” For years after he’d gone missing, she’d dreamed of it, too. She looked down at the ring on her right hand as her fingers lay over his heart. Then she sat up and threw her leg over his, straddling him. “A part of me never stopped believing. Never. I never felt like you were dead.” “Baby...” She tugged at the thin band, twisting her hand this way and that, trying to pull off the ring that had been on her finger for more than five years—since she married Clint and moved it from her left hand to her right. “Shh. I’m serious. I knew I had to move on with my life, and I did fall in love with Clint. With him, it was as if a part of you was still around. He knew you as well as I did.” The ring finally came off in her hand. “He never got upset when I talked about you, when I cried about you. No other man would have been so...understanding.” She looked into his eyes and held up the ring. “What are you doing?” “Take it.” She lifted his hand and laid the gold band on his palm. “We’re in this together, right? All three of us? Forever?” He nodded. Holding out her left hand, she said, “Then put that ring where it belongs.” She tapped her index finger of her right hand against the wedding set Clint had given her. “Put it here.” Justin frowned, glanced at her hand, then back into her eyes. “I, Erica Michaels, take you, Justin Blackwood as my husband. I promise to love you, cherish you, and be yours forever through sickness and health, good times and bad, forsaking all others...” She grinned. “...except my other husband.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin’s lips twitched, but she couldn’t tell if he was suppressing a smile or trying not to get teary‐eyed. He slid the band onto her left ring finger, nudging it up against Clint’s wedding ring. “I, Justin Blackwood...” His voice choked, and he cleared his throat. “I love you, Erica. There never has been, and never will be, another woman on earth for me but you.” Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him hard. He groaned and sank his tongue into her mouth, stroking ever so gently against her own. Her body sizzled, her nipples tightened. She pulled away, panting, and rested her forehead against his. “It might not be legal in the eyes of the law, but it couldn’t be truer in my heart.” “Or mine,” he whispered. “Thank you.” He cupped her butt and pulled her flush against his body where his aroused cock nudged her pussy through their jeans. “Damn, you’re as horny as often as you were at eighteen,” she said, impressed he was ready to go again after the two blowjobs she’d given him that afternoon. “I’ve got a lot of years to make up for.” He thrust his hips up, grinding against her. They both moaned. Roofus woofed and nudged his wet nose against her bare lower back where her shirt had pulled out of her jeans. She yelped and slid off Justin’s lap with a laugh. “Damn dog,” Justin grumbled. “If it hadn’t been for the blind cat this afternoon, you would have had at least three more orgasms before I let you leave the office.” She laughed harder and got up from the couch to let the old hound dog out for his nighttime check of the area. He was as good as any security guard, usually finding a raccoon or two to harass. “Three more times, hmm?” she asked as she opened the door and turned on the porch light. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you? And you can’t really fault Stinky. She can’t see where she’s going.” Shutting the door, she crossed her arms and grinned at Justin still sitting on the couch, his cock making a hard ridge behind his zipper. “She heard noises and came to investigate.” Justin laughed. “Yeah. Her owner sounded like a cat in heat.” He
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton stood up and stalked toward her. “Yowling and crying every time she came.” Erica stuck her tongue out at him and sidled sideways toward the hallway to the bedroom. “I heard a few strange noises coming from you, too.” He grabbed for her, but she danced backwards down the hall. “I think at one point I swallowed my tongue. Remind me to thank Clint for teaching you how to do that thing with your finger.” She laughed and grabbed the doorknob to the bedroom. “He didn’t teach me. I read it in a book and taught him. And you used to make fun of me because I read romance in high school.” With a wink, she shoved the door open and turned to make a dash for the bed, but stopped, her breath catching in her throat. The room had been transformed into a magical fantasy. Candles flickered from every surface, casting the room into a warm, dancing glow. Blood red rose petals were strewn on the down comforter, one perfect bloom lying on the center pillow. Clint sat on the edge of the bed wearing only his boxers. He looked up at her, and his lips curved into a small, secret smile. “Hey, honey.” She went to him, down on her knees in front of him, and hugged him around the waist. “Oh, Clint. It’s so beautiful. He ran his big hand over her hair, down her back. “We never got to celebrate our anniversary this year.” “I...uh...” Justin started backing out of the room. “No,” Clint said. “Don’t go.” He patted the bed next to him. “You belong here now. I just wanted to do something special for Erica.” She pulled back and looked up at Clint through teary eyes. Then she turned toward Justin as he sat down next to Clint. “I burned Clint’s anniversary dinner because that’s the day it was announced on the news that you’d been rescued.” Clint leaned sidewise and picked up a small, gift‐wrapped package from the nightstand. “And I never had the chance to give her the gift I got her. I think it’s even more meaningful now than it was a month ago.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton She pulled the shiny blue ribbon from the black velvet box and slowly opened the hinged lid. Sitting back on her heels, she ran her fingers over the sparkling stones. “A journey pendant,” she whispered. “It’s so beautiful.” Seven diamonds in a shallow S‐shape curve, each one slightly larger than the last. Clint touched her shoulder, and she looked up at him. “We’ve all come a long way.” He glanced at Justin. “Some of us farther than others.” Turning his attention back on her, he smiled. “But there’s always been one constant. And that’s you.” Justin clapped Clint on the shoulder then pulled him in for a quick, backslapping hug. When they pulled apart, Erica set the jewelry box on the nightstand and took Clint’s hands in hers. “There’s something I want to tell you. Tonight, just a few minutes ago, Justin and I...” She didn’t know quite how to say it. Clint turned her left hand over and looked down at her rings, ran his thumb over what was now a group of three, and smiled. “Good,” he said, his voice low. “I’m glad.” She saw nothing in his eyes that would make her disbelieve his words. He truly was happy she and Justin had made a commitment to each other. But she saw something else there...something she hadn’t noticed until just now. His eyes were slightly glazed, and the brackets alongside his mouth seemed deeper than she’d ever seen them. He was in pain. “Clint,” she whispered, pushing to her feet and tipping his head so she could look into his eyes with more light. “Shh. I’m okay.” He kissed her then, and her thoughts fled. Kissing Clint was so different from kissing Justin, yet it lit her up just the same. Her blood sizzled, and her core thrummed with need. She pushed him back and climbed over him, straddling him. He tugged her T‐shirt up and broke the kiss only long enough to pull it over her head. And then another pair of hands came around her from behind, unzipping her jeans. Justin. God, she was one lucky woman. While Clint cupped her breasts and kissed her deep and wet and
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton hard, Justin tugged her jeans down over her butt and delved his fingers between her legs to flick her clit. She moaned and swiveled her hips, showing him without words just where to touch, how to tease. After their session in the office earlier, he’d caught on fast. Warm moisture seeped from her pussy and slicked his fingers. She pulled away from Clint’s mouth and held herself up on all fours, looking down into his eyes. “I love you,” she whispered. “I know, honey. I love you, too. I always will.” His voice was low, gravelly. And his eyes seemed even a bit more unfocused. But his fingers plucked at her nipples, pinching slightly, just the way he knew she liked it. Justin thrust two fingers deep inside of her, and she groaned. “Taste her cunt, buddy,” Clint said. “Taste how good she is.” Justin’s hot mouth pressed against her pussy, slurping up her juices as he kept up the slow, deep press and draw of his fingers, rubbing against her G‐spot with each tantalizing stroke. Justin groaned, the sound vibrating through her, and the orgasm grew. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Clint said as he stared up into her eyes. “Your cheeks flushed, your body shaking.” Between his words and the four hands making her wild, the climax hit with the speed of a bullet, and she keened her pleasure as she rocked against Justin’s face and hand, never taking her gaze from Clint’s. “That’s it, honey. Do it again. Do it for me.” Another spike of lust went through her, Justin suckled her clit, and Clint pinched her nipples hard. She screamed as she came a second time in as many minutes. Her arms collapsed, and she landed on Clint’s chest. “Pull her pants off,” Clint said to Justin as he encircled her in his arms. Justin tugged off her jeans and underwear, then both her socks. Then Clint rolled her onto her back and came down over her. He reached between them, freed his cock from his boxers, and surged into her with a hard, driving thrust that made her teeth click together. He captured her mouth in a hot, almost desperate kiss that stole her breath as he pumped into her harder, deeper than she ever remembered.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Another orgasm ripped through her, and still he kept moving, pummeling into her. He grabbed her legs and pulled them up high on his sides, and still he kept going. The tip of his cock hit her sweet spot repeatedly, which kept her flying on the edge. One orgasm after another went through her, one on top of another until she ripped her mouth from his and screamed long and loud while she clung to his shoulders. He kept going though, harder, faster, his breaths hot against her neck where he’d buried his face. His animalistic grunts spurred her on even more. She’d never had him like this, so wild and untamed. She screamed his name as a climax so hard it clenched every muscle in her body seized her. With a roar, Clint came, his cum spurting into her hot and hard. And then he collapsed next to her, breathing hard. “Fuck her, Justin,” he said through his pants before Erica could even begin to gather her wits back together. “Keep her going.” Justin must have stripped while Clint had been inside of her because suddenly he was there, in her, and the sensations were too powerful to comprehend. He hadn’t climaxed in her pussy for twelve long years, and now he was buried inside her again. Hard and hot and thick, gliding with the combination of her and Clint’s juices. Wanting to feel that pinnacle of perfection, that erotic instance of complete abandonment, he grunted and pumped into her with more force than ever before. She gripped his shoulders, dug her nails in for purchase, and locked her ankles together behind his back. He speared his hands under her ass, tilted her pelvis slightly, and slammed into her over and over, just as Clint had done. The orgasm built again, growing and growing until she thrashed her head from side to side, crying out, needing the release. Then Clint’s hand was between their bodies, his fingers pinching her clit. Justin shouted as her muscles tightened around him, and when they came together, their combined cries rang through the room.
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Chapter Nine Clint stared at the ceiling as lights exploded in his eyes, the pain in his head so intense it took all his willpower not to gasp. It was time. Tears burned his eyes from the pain, from the emotional turmoil swirling through him, making him nauseous. He’d wanted tonight to be special for Erica. For himself. The last time he’d touch her, hold her, love her. Even the morphine pill he’d taken an hour earlier didn’t seem to slow the agony pounding in his brain. He was surprised he’d even been able to get it up, but once Erica was over him, the light of love and lust in her eyes, it hadn’t been difficult. The desperation he’d felt as he loved her had been too real, and he prayed she hadn’t noticed. It had been hard enough to keep her from asking about the pain; she’d obviously seen the effects of the drugs when she’d looked into his eyes. As the fireworks blazing behind his eyes slowly faded to small pops of white light, he turned his head and looked at his beloved. She faced him, curled against his side, Justin’s arm around her waist, their bodies spooned together in the perfect fit. She was where she belonged. The fingers of his left hand tingled as if it had fallen asleep, yet he’d not laid on it. He lifted his right hand to touch the perfect curve of her cheek. She nuzzled his palm and sighed. He touched her hair, lightly trailing his fingers through the silky mass. The guttering candle flames
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton cast her in an ethereal golden glow. She looked so peaceful. He placed the softest kiss on her lips then pulled away, rolling to the side of the bed and sitting up. As if a railroad spike drove through his skull, he grabbed his head and bit his tongue to keep from moaning. The fireworks started up again, blinding him. He had to get out of there. Now. Before he collapsed. He couldn’t let Erica see him this way. She’d survived too much as it was. Losing Justin, her parents, all their parents. Thank you, God. Thank you for bringing Justin home. For giving him back to her before... Before you called me home. Bitterness bit at him, but he tried to push it away. For the last two weeks he’d tried to tell himself this was some greater plan. Erica needed Justin to be fulfilled, to have the life she was meant to have. And because he was selfish and couldn’t let her go, he needed to be taken out of the picture. It was as is it was meant to be. But it still fucking pissed him off! Erica might never mourn him the way she’d once mourned Justin, but his death would still hurt her. And that pissed him off even more. She was the last person in the world he wanted in pain of any kind. He tried to stand, but his left leg gave out, and he plopped back down on the bed. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck. He gripped the corner of the nightstand in his right hand and levered himself up. “Hey,” Justin said, his voice sleepy. “Blowing out the candles,” Clint said, but his voice sounded thick and tight. “You okay?” “Fine.” He was afraid to move, to let go of the nightstand for fear he’d topple over. “Go back to sleep.” His back to the bed, he heard the blankets rustling, and assumed Justin covered himself and Erica. “G’night,” Justin mumbled, already sounding half asleep.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Clint clenched his jaw. He wanted to crawl back into the bed and wrap his arms around both of them. They’d been everything to him since childhood. His friends, confidants, and eventually Erica had become his lover and wife. The selfish part of him didn’t want to go off alone to die. He needed them with him. But he couldn’t do that to Erica. Not after she’d watched his mother die of cancer. He stepped forward, gingerly testing his footing. He stayed upright, but his left leg was numb, rubbery. He grabbed the edge of the dresser and blew out the candles there first, then hobbled to the other side of the room where more candles glowed from the top of a chest of drawers. The room fell into darkness except for the bright flashes of light in his head, which made it nearly impossible to see. Guided by the faint illumination from the yard lamps outside, he went to the closet, using the wall as a guide and support, and pulled out the duffle bag he’d packed earlier that night. It contained his travel gear, shaving kit, medication, a couple changes of clothes—though he doubted he’d need any more than the one he’d don tonight. He slowly made his way to the bedroom door and turned back one last time. The two were cuddled together on the bed, a single lump under the covers. He closed his eyes, fighting the sorrow, then turned away and limped down the hallway to the office, where he pulled on clothes from the duffle. His fingers of his left hand weren’t cooperating at all, making it nearly impossible to button his fly. He could barely pull on his pair of socks, and struggling into his boots was a feat that left him winded and his head throbbing so bad he was ready to lie down right there on the floor and never move again. Gasping through the agony, he leaned against the desk and cradled his head, begging for the pain to hold off long enough for him to get out of the house before it took him down completely. When the fireworks eased and the pounding lessened to that of a jackhammer, he pulled open the top drawer of the desk and pulled out
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton two thick manila envelopes. The top one was for Erica. The other was his living will he would turn over to the doctors stating he wanted no heroic measures to keep him alive. No life support. No resuscitation. When he went, he wanted to go peacefully. Using the desk for support, he stood, picked up his bag, and nearly fell on his face when he lost his balance. “Ten more minutes,” he ground out between clenched teeth. He had to get out of there. He’d lain in that bed too long, hoping the pain would subside, praying he had one more day. But the pain only increased, the popping of his neurons, the fucking lightshow going on that nearly blinded him... It never got any better. He shuffled to the door, flipped off the light and, leaning heavily on the wall, went down the hallway to the living room. He stopped for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut tight to ward off the absolute torture, but it didn’t lessen. The only place he could think to leave the envelope for Erica that she’d see it first thing in the morning was in front of the coffeemaker. It was her first stop every day. The kitchen seemed so far away. Gripping the envelopes in his right hand, he made his way around the perimeter of the living room using the wall for support, then rounded the breakfast bar into the kitchen. He set the one envelope on the counter directly in front of the coffeemaker. The duffle slipped from his shoulder, thudding to the floor. Tears dropped from his eyes as he laid his palm against the envelope. This was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He took the second envelope and tucked it into the front of his jeans. The paramedics were sure to find it there. It had to get to the doctors. The alternative was unacceptable. Then he carefully bent and grabbed the handle of his bag. Lights exploded, a loud ringing in his right ear. He lifted the bag onto his right shoulder, took the cell phone from the charger on the counter, and hobbled toward the front door, using furniture to keep from falling. He had no feeling in his left leg or hand. None at all. He tucked the
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton phone under his chin so he could open the door with his right hand. Roofus shoved the door open, ripping it from his grip, slamming it against the wall, which made him cringe. The dog sniffed his leg then headed at a leisurely meander down the hallway to the guestroom where he slept. He was even going to miss the old, ugly dog. And Skeeter, and the walking pork chop. Even the blind cat that always showed up at the most inopportune moments for attention. He silently pulled the door shut behind him, refusing to look back into the house Erica had fallen in love with on sight and turned into a warm home filled with love. He shoved the cell into his shirt pocket, knowing he’d need his one good hand to get to the truck. Navigating the three steps down from the porch proved difficult to the point he stumbled on the last one, and only the handrail kept him from landing in the dirt. He whimpered at the throbbing in his skull. Fuck, it hurt! The truck sat twenty feet away, with nothing between him and it to hold onto. Slowly, carefully, he shuffled across the yard, making sure his left foot actually made purchase before he tried to step on it. When he reached the driver’s side, he gripped the door handle and leaned his forehead against the cold metal. Sweat trickled down his back from the effort of staying upright and the battle he was losing against the pain. He opened the door and dragged himself into the driver’s seat using the steering wheel for purchase. He had to drag his left leg into the truck with the waning strength in his right hand. He shoved the duffle onto the passenger seat and started the vehicle. Thank God, it was his left foot and not his driving foot that didn’t work. Without turning on the lights, he turned the truck around in the wide yard and headed down the driveway, not even putting his foot on the gas, concentrating with everything he had to keep the tires on the rough, gravel road. A bright light flared in his head. Pain. Agonizing, debilitating pain shot through his skull, and he slammed on the brake, squeezed his eyes shut, and the truck skidding slightly on the rocks. He hadn’t made it far, not even to the cattle guard, but he knew if he turned to look, the house
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton would be out of sight over a slight rise. It was far enough. When he did open his eyes, he couldn’t see for a moment. Then he realized it was only his right eye he couldn’t see out of. He’d lost his sight. It was gone. He couldn’t drive on and risk harming other motorists. He shoved the gearshift into Park, turned off the ignition. Hot tears coursed down his cheeks, he couldn’t do anything about it. He’d never envisioned his death this way. Gored by a bull. Trampled by a horse. Hell, a fucking car wreck like Justin’s parents. Not this slow torture. When he’d been in the Gulf during Desert Storm, his life was on the line day and night. It hadn’t meant much then. He would have gladly died for his country. Now... He wrapped his right arm around himself and dropped his head back on the seat. A rough sob tore from his chest. He was scared. And so fucking alone! He reached for the duffle, ripped open the zipper with his right hand, and fumbled around until his fingers closed over a pill bottle. Using his teeth, he popped open the lid and took two of the morphine tablets. For just an instant, he thought of taking the entire bottle, ending it here and now. But then Justin or Erica would be the one to find him. He couldn’t do that. He dropped the bottle back in the bag, heard the pills spill, didn’t care. Extracting the phone from his shirt pocket, he flipped it open. He could barely see the numbers in the darkness, between his blurred vision and the spikes of light popping and sizzling behind his eye. Luckily, it didn’t take much to dial 9‐1‐1. “Browning Emergency. Police, fire or ambulance?” He recognized the dispatcher’s voice. “Becky, this is Clint Michaels.” Browning was so small, everyone knew everyone, and there were only three dispatchers for the entire area. Becky had gone to school with them, though she’d been a few years younger. She’d married a few years back and had a baby girl named Sally. God, he’d wanted to have a baby with Erica.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “Hey, Clint. What’s happened?” The buzzing in his head grew, practically drowning out her voice. “Listen. I need an ambulance. I’m in my truck, about fifty yards from the end of my driveway. Tell them not to use the sirens.” “Uh...okay. What’s...wrong?” He shut his eyes against a wave of dizziness and nausea. “I need you to tell the paramedics I have a brain tumor. I’ve taken two morphine tablets about five minutes ago. One about two hours...ago...” His tongue seemed to be thickening. “In the waistband of my...jeans...” He sucked in a deep breath. “Living will... Doctor’s name... Helena...” He dropped the phone, and his head lolled to the side, too heavy to hold up. “Clint! Clint!” he heard Becky calling as the phone lay on his lap, but he couldn’t move his hand to pick it up. “The ambulance will be there in fifteen minutes. Can you hear me?” He let the darkness move in, glad in that instant that the bright fireworks were gone. The pain eased. The ringing in his ears...
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Chapter Ten Erica stretched and yawned, bumping against Justin when she lifted her arms above her head. Justin mumbled something, wrapped his arm around her, and threw his leg over hers. The thick, solid length of his cock rubbed against her thigh, and she laughed. “Shh,” he whispered and kissed her shoulder. His hand moved up over her belly to cup her breast. “It’s too early to get up.” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was after eight. “Nope. Time to get out of bed. Animals need to be fed.” When she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip around her and thrust his hips, rubbing himself against her. She swatted his hand anchoring her to the bed and laughed again. “I gotta pee,” she whined, but then giggled when he scraped his whiskery cheek against her bare shoulder. He growled and nipped at her neck as she wiggled, trying to get away and across the bed. “Stop it,” she said around a laugh as she dove off the bed and out of his reach. He chuckled and peeked over the edge of the bed at her sitting on the floor. “Okay. I guess you gotta pee.” He winked and flopped back on the bed with a yawn. “Fuck, this ranch life is a pain in the ass.” She shoved her hair out of her face and got up, headed for the bathroom. “Nope. You love it. I know you do. It’s not like you didn’t
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton spend eighteen years on your daddy’s ranch…telling me how you loved ranching and workin’ the land, how you dreamed of following in his footsteps.” She stopped at the door and turned back to look at him, to find him staring at her. His cock was rock hard as it lay against his abdomen, and his eyes blazed with the heat of lust. “Can’t fool you, can I?” Gripping the doorframe to the bathroom, she struck a little pose, ass and breasts out, and raised an eyebrow at him. He chuckled and rolled over, wrapping his arms around his pillow. “You’re a brat.” She flung her hair over her shoulder with a quick flick of her head. “I know. And you love me anyway.” “Mmm. Got that right, baby. Now go do what you need to do. I’ll wait here.” She laughed and shut the bathroom door, then turned the lock in case he changed his mind. She had something to take care of this morning and didn’t want to be disturbed. Giddiness made her hands shake as she opened the cabinet under the sink and got down on her knees to reach far in the back, behind the spare rolls of toilet paper, and pulled out the little box. She was two weeks late, and the last few days since she bought the pregnancy test had nearly killed her. But she’d wanted to make sure before she wasted the ten bucks it had cost. But after two weeks with no period, and the slight ache in her breasts, she was already convinced. She climbed to her feet, fumbled the box open, and pulled out the test and the instructions. Her hands really shook now. She scanned the directions, pulled off the lid, sat on the toilet, and peed on the stick. Five minutes. Five long damn minutes. She put the lid back on it, checked the test area that was supposed to turn color, saw that it was working, and started counting. One‐one thousand. Two‐one thousand. No, that would just make her insane. Shower. She’d take a shower. She turned on the water and got in before it was hot. She lathered her hair, rinsed, then put in the conditioner. Not more than two minutes
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton had gone by, she was sure. Okay... She grabbed her razor and the can of shaving cream. “Crap!” She nicked herself on the first swipe. This wouldn’t do. She rinsed off the cream and stood under the warm spray to clean the conditioner out of her hair. She’d shave tomorrow. Flexing her fingers, she forced herself to stand there and not get out to check it. But she really wanted to. Really, really, really. “Screw it,” she mumbled and turned off the water, opened the curtain, and grabbed a towel off the rack, purposely avoiding a glance toward the counter and the test. Another minute—maybe—she spent drying off and squeezing the water from her hair. Then she stepped out of the tub and took her robe off the back of the door, still avoiding any look toward the counter. Could it be five minutes yet? She grabbed her brush and turned her back to the counter. One hundred strokes later, she’d reached her limit. Turning back, she closed her eyes, set the brush on the counter, then slowly opened her eyes and looked at the test. Blue plus sign. She slammed her hand over her mouth to keep in the squeal of surprise and joy. Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Grabbing the test, she danced a circle, waving her hands in the air. I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant! Then she shoved the test into the deep pocket of her robe and jerked open the bathroom door. Justin still lay naked, curled around the pillow, looking so damn sexy, all lean muscles and round bottom she wanted to sink her teeth into. It took everything she had not to shout her happiness to the world. Instead, she went to the bed and slapped him on the ass. “Get up.” She laughed and danced backwards when he grabbed for her with a growl. “Come on. Come on. Get up. We need to go find Clint.” He scowled up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Why?” Rolling to his back, he stretched and yawned wide. “He’s probably out playing with bull dicks or something.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton A giggle slipped out of her as she went to the dresser and pulled a pair of briefs out of the drawer. “Come on. I have something I need to tell the two of you. Hurry up!” He took the underwear from her and sat up, pulling them on with a grumble. “Maybe I should move back out to the barn. It’s quieter out there in the morning.” She stuck her tongue out at him as he stood up and tucked his semi‐erect cock into the underwear. He rolled his eyes and came toward her, but she dashed out the door, heading for the living room, where she assumed she’d find Clint reading the newspaper as he did every morning. He wasn’t there. She frowned. “Fuck!” Justin cursed as he stumbled into the living room. Teacup snorted. She turned to find Teacup with her snout in Justin’s groin. Erica burst out laughing. “She’s just saying good morning.” He sidestepped the pig, only to almost land on his face when Skeeter zipped down the hall and around his feet, heading for the door. “Son of a bitch. They’re going to kill me.” Still chuckling, Erica opened the front door to let Skeeter outside. She looked out into the yard and saw Clint’s pickup was gone. Damn. “Clint tell you what he had planned this morning?” she asked. “No. Why?” She shut the door and turned toward Justin who still stood in the living room wearing nothing but his black briefs. A bit of her happy balloon deflated. “He doesn’t usually go anywhere without telling me first. Maybe he just ran into Browning to the Feed and Seed or something.” She shrugged. He yawned and rubbed his hand through his short hair. “Well. You can tell me your news, can’t you?” She’d really wanted to tell them together, but she just couldn’t keep it inside any longer. After sucking in a deep breath, her smile returned. She pulled the test out of her pocket, and said, “I’m going to have a baby.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Justin’s face went blank for a moment before it looked as if his knees buckled and he landed hard on the loveseat. He stared at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She frowned. “Justin?” “I...uh...” He swallowed hard. Teacup waddled up to him and rested her head on his knee. He looked down at her then back at Erica. “That’s...great, baby.” When he laid his hand on Teacup’s head and scratched the pig’s ears, Erica knew he didn’t believe what he said. She went to him, sat down next to him, and took his hand. “Why are you upset?” He refused to face her, to look at her. She studied his profile, his strong jaw, the hard lines that hadn’t been there twelve years ago. His hand lay limp within both of hers. He still scratched Teacup’s head. Fear settled in Erica’s gut. This was supposed to be a happy time. She thought... “Justin.” His name came out as barely a whisper. “This doesn’t change anything.” A dry, almost desperate sounding laugh came out of him. “Right.” He stood in a rush, forcing Teacup to step backwards. The pig grunted her displeasure and headed off toward the kitchen. “You and Clint are going to have a baby, and you still want another man in your bed? Give me a break.” He slashed a hand through his hair. “I’m outta here.” He headed down the hallway toward their bedroom, and it took Erica a moment to process what he’d said. “No. No, Justin.” She ran after him, grabbing his arm before he got through the bedroom door. “Don’t leave. Please.” Desperately she held onto his wrist with both hands. He stopped and looked down at her, and the pain inside him was evident in his eyes, in the press of his lips. She didn’t know what to say, what to do. Where was Clint? He should have been here. He always knew what to say, and she knew he didn’t want Justin gone anymore than she did. A baby was a good thing, a happy thing. And Justin should share in it. She wanted her baby to know him, to love him. And maybe there would be more children later, ones he fathered.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton If he didn’t leave. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on, pressing her face against his shoulder. “You’re part of this family now, Justin. Don’t you know that? You can’t leave. We need you.” He didn’t wrap his arms around her, and her desperation grew. “Please, Justin. I love you. I love you. You can’t go. Not now. Not ever.” He gripped her arms, pushing her away slightly, but didn’t let go. His pain‐filled gaze bore into her. “How the fuck do you expect me... Erica,” he said on a soft sigh, closing his eyes. He pulled her against his chest and held her tight. “Don’t you see I have to go now?” She shook her head and clung to him. “Please...” He buried his face against her hair and breathed in, and then he pushed her away, turned into the bedroom, and went right to the closet. Pain curled through her. “What...what are you doing?” She gripped the doorframe for support because her legs went weak, her head light. “What I should have done the moment I found out the two of you were married. I’m getting out of here so you can have your family.” “No!” A sob tore from her throat. “Don’t.” He didn’t look at her as he grabbed his duffle bag off the top shelf and started pulling clothes from the hangers. She turned away and stumbled down the hallway, blinded by her tears. She had to find Clint. He’d know what to say. He always knew what to say. He wouldn’t let Justin leave. There had to be some way to work this out. She searched the counter for the cell phone, and seeing it gone, she grabbed the phone from the wall mount and dialed the cell’s number. Clint never left the house without his cell. “The customer you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try your call again later.” Shit. He either forgot to turn it on, or he was out in the fields where reception was shoddy at best. She dialed the number again, but got the same recording. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and she dropped the phone on the
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton counter. That’s when she noticed the fat manila envelope with her name scrawled across the front in Clint’s handwriting. She swiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and picked up the envelope. It was heavy, obviously full of papers. She turned it over, opened the prongs, lifted the flap, and pulled out the thick sheaf of papers. On top was an envelope the size of a card, again her name was written across it in Clint’s hand. When she picked up the white envelope, her blood drained from her face as she saw the writing on the top sheet of paper. Living Will for Clint W. Michaels. She went cold. Why was this sitting on the kitchen counter? Her heart thudded at a frantic pace against her breastbone as she turned over the white envelope and pulled the card from within. On the front was a single red rose. No words to indicate what kind of card it might be. Her birthday passed a few months ago. Their anniversary was long over. She knew it couldn’t be good. Where was he? She reached for the phone and hit Redial. Again the recorded message came on saying he was unavailable. Biting her bottom lip, she set the phone down and opened the card. My love, By the time you read this, I’ll be hospitalized. Or already gone. Please don’t cry and don’t be mad. I’ve wanted to tell you several times about the severity of my illness, but then I knew if I did that I would only cause you to suffer and worry sooner. I cherish the smile on your beautiful face too much to cause a frown, and I couldn’t bear to see your tears. So, please forgive me for doing it this way. I hope you can understand that I had to do what I thought best for you. I love you. I always have. I told Justin recently that my feelings for you began long before what happened in Iraq. It’s true. I never would’ve wished for anyone to go through what he did, never wanted you to suffer and
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton yet, I’ll be forever grateful for the chance to show you how much you mean to me—the chance to witness the love you’ve shown me in your eyes. Every moment I’ve shared with you, the highs and lows, have been a blessing, and I’m thankful to have had the years we did. The tumor I have is inoperable, the cancer terminal. As I write this, I don’t know how much time I have left, but the pain tells me my time is short. I know you won’t want to accept that. You’ll want me to seek treatment, to find a cure, to try every possible remedy medicine, science, and hocus‐pocus could conjure up. You always were a fighter, a survivor with a heart of gold, and that’s one of the many things I love about you. It’s also what convinces me that you’ll make it without me. That has been my biggest regret—leaving you. So, words can’t express how glad I am to know that now I’m not leaving you alone, that Justin is back. It eases my worry because I know he loves you as much as I do. I never wanted to cause you pain, only happiness. Please be happy, stay strong, and remember that I meant it when I vowed to love you…’til death do us part. With all my heart, Clint Erica collapsed to her knees with a cry of anguish. “No!” * * * * * Erica’s cry echoed through the house, freezing Justin in the middle of buttoning his shirt. He closed his eyes and fought the pain radiating through his heart. He had to go. He couldn’t stay here. Clint and Erica were going to have a baby, and he was the square peg that didn’t fit into the round hole. It couldn’t work. He’d known it from the beginning, from the moment Clint showed up in the barn and caught him holding Erica.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Sharing Erica with him was one thing. Even Clint, as altruistic as he was, wouldn’t share a child. Couldn’t. He envisioned the child racing into the bedroom to awaken them, Erica and Clint, with news of Santa on Christmas mornings, or crawling in between them after having a nightmare about monsters in the closet. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fit himself into those picture‐perfect images of childhood. And he wasn’t so selfish to force them to try either. Fuck, he should have thought this through better before it started, but Clint hadn’t given him time. How was he supposed to have reacted when Clint told her to kiss him? When Erica did that and more? When she went down on him in the barn? He was a man for Christ’s sake. One who hadn’t been with a woman—with her—in twelve fucking years. He jammed his shirttails into his jeans and fastened his fly. Erica’s soft sobbing carried to him down the hall, and he hated himself for making her cry. But this could only have one outcome. Better he do the right thing, regardless of how much it sucked. Better to get the fuck out of Dodge now, rather than be forced out later, or worse…come between a child’s parents. She’d married Clint. She was having Clint’s baby. End of story. He grabbed his duffle off the bed and slung it over his shoulder. He should have realized when no protection had been used that pregnancy was a possibility. He’d stupidly assumed she was on the pill. Not until last night, when Clint gave him clear‐cut permission, had Justin fully taken her that way. They’d shared oral sex, or he’d fucked her ass. The one time he’d slipped inside of her pussy, he’d withdrawn long before either of them found release. No, there was no doubt that the child she carried was Clint’s. And Clint deserved the chance to raise his child, to be a father without another man in the picture. He glanced back at the big bed, around the room, then headed down the hall, intent on leaving before he changed his mind. He needed to be gone before Clint got home and heard the news of their child. As much as he hated it, he should be out of their lives for good.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Fucking son of a bitch! It hurt. It would have been better to get out before he’d been given the gift of touching Erica, holding her, loving her once again. He’d forgotten the heaven that could be found buried deep in her pussy, until last night. But it wasn’t his heaven. Wherever he went now, the memories would haunt him. Still, this was the right thing to do. He just hoped he was man enough to do it. When he walked into the living room, he heard Erica’s jagged crying, but he didn’t see her. The sound came from the kitchen, of which he had clear view. Shit. He felt like a total bastard. Maybe he should just go. He knew Clint would understand, but would Erica ever forgive him? Damn it. He couldn’t just walk out without a word, without trying to explain. Deep down she had to know he was only going because it was best for them and the baby. They deserved a shot at being a normal family. They didn’t need him thrown into the mix to screw things up. He dropped his bag by the door and headed toward the sound of her deep, heart‐wrenching sobs. He found her on the floor, leaning against the cabinets, her face buried against the pig’s neck. Fuck! His heart broke, yet he gritted his teeth and forced the words out. “Erica. I’m leaving.” He kept his distance, afraid he’d pull her into his arms and never let go. He didn’t want to go; he had to go. His honor demanded it. Maybe in a few years, he could come back and play the role of Uncle Justin, but right now… He loved her too much, and respected Clint too much, to not do what was right, no matter how much it hurt. A wail, so sharp and filled with pain, came from her. It pierced his heart, nearly buckling his knees. “Erica, baby, I’m sorry, but it’s for the best. You know this.” She lifted her head and looked at him through swollen eyes. Her nose ran and was red, her cheeks splotchy. Something wasn’t right. The look on her face, the sorrow he witnessed was more than he could bear. A sense of uneasy dread crawled up his spine.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton She held out her hand toward him. In it was a card with a rose on the front. He frowned and stepped forward, took the card, and flipped it open. He scanned Clint’s neat handwriting. “Oh, dear God.” His stomach clenched as bile rose in his throat. He looked at Erica where she sat on the floor, the giant pig practically sprawled across her lap. “Erica...” Another sob tore from her. She wrapped her arms around the pig and buried her face against its neck. “Why?” she cried. “Why?”
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Chapter Eleven Justin stood stock still for the longest moment of his life. Sickness churned in his gut. The sight of Erica on the floor, so distraught, tore a hole as big as Montana in his heart. Is this what she’d gone through when he went MIA? Who had been there for her then? Clint. “Oh, God, baby.” He fell to his knees, shoved the pig out of his way, and pulled Erica into his arms. She turned her head, buried her face against the front of his shirt, and sobbed, her whole body shaking with the force of her anguish. “Shh. Shh, babe. Please.” His heart shattered. He tried to think. Tried to assimilate what he’d just read. Clint was dying—might already be dead. He swallowed back the bile crawling up his throat. “Shh.” Fuck. What could he say? They needed to find out where he went. Needed to find him. He shouldn’t be alone now. No, Justin knew what it was like to be near death and alone. After he’d been captured, he’d barely survived the beatings, the torture. He’d begged God to kill him then, take him away from the humiliation and pain. He rocked Erica, praying her jagged breathing didn’t lead to hyperventilation. “Calm down, babe. Calm down.” If Clint was still alive, they needed to find him. To be there with him, for him. “Where’s the phone book?”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Erica hiccupped and gripped his shoulder. “Babe,” he said, his voice stronger now that he had a plan. “Where’s your phonebook? We need to locate him. He obviously went to a hospital, right? He would have had to.” Unless he—no. He couldn’t think that way. Clint would want at least the comforts of a hospital. He wouldn’t go off to die alone, completely alone, like an injured wolf. He wouldn’t wander off on their land, somewhere remote, to die where Erica might find him…his body…much later. Please, let him have been sane enough to make the right decision. When Erica didn’t respond, he took her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Phonebook.” She looked up at him through swollen eyes and slowly raised her hand, pointing at a drawer near the phone charger. He set her off his lap, got up, and ripped open the drawer. He grabbed the local phonebook and looked up the number to Browning Memorial Hospital. He grabbed the phone from the counter and dialed. Less than an hour later, they were in Erica’s car, heading down the driveway. They’d been able to track him down through the Browning hospital where he’d been brought at two that morning via ambulance and MedEvac’ed to Helena. Erica sat silent in the passenger seat as her little Nissan rumbled over the rough gravel drive. She hadn’t said a word to him in all the time since finding the card from Clint. They had a four‐hour drive to Helena, and Justin was terrified she was having some kind of mental breakdown. More importantly, the stress wasn’t good for the baby. He glanced over at her again to find her staring out the side window, her hand over her mouth, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. When he turned to look out the windshield, he slammed on the brakes hard, throwing out his arm to stop Erica from lurching forward, even though she wore her seatbelt. Clint’s truck sat in the middle of the drive. He knew from talking with the ambulance driver from last night, they’d pulled an unconscious Clint from his truck. He just hadn’t realized
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton it was at the end of their long‐assed driveway. He pulled around the pickup, dipping two wheels into the soft shoulder, and back onto the gravel roadway. After they crossed the cattle guard and pulled out onto the smoother surface of the paved highway, he gunned the accelerator. Out here, with the lack of traffic and straight‐ass roads, fuck the speed limit. He punched the button to turn on the emergency flashers. His heart lurched as he thought of Clint alone, in an impersonal hospital room, alone and in pain. “Why’d he sneak away?” Erica asked, her voice just barely audible over the sound of the tires on the road. “Because he didn’t want to hurt you.” Though he didn’t agree, he understood. “He was afraid of putting you through more pain.” He grasped the steering wheel in a grip that whitened his knuckles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erica turn to look at him. He kept his attention on the road. “Did you know?” He gave his head a quick shake. “No. He told me they were migraines.” “His mother suffered with cancer for two years before she died. He swore...” A soft sob slipped out of her. “He swore he’d never put himself through what she went through if it came to him... He’s too young...” She broke down again, and all Justin could do was reach over and take her small, delicate hand in his. Give it a little squeeze. This explained so much. The acceptance of Justin into their marriage—their bed. Clint wanting him to learn the ways and wherefores of semen collection. Teaching him about the bulls, riding the land with him. All along, Clint knew this day was coming. And the stubborn asshole hadn’t bothered to say anything to him! He bit back the curses and stared at the seemingly endless road ahead. He’d just gotten his brother back, and now he lost him again. He gripped Erica’s hand a little tighter and fought the anguish in his own heart. He had to be strong now... Erica needed him.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton * * * * * “I’m Dr. Hastings. You must be Mrs. Michaels.” Justin turned to see the distinguished, white‐haired doctor in a stark white dress shirt and pale blue tie grasp Erica’s hand in a firm shake. “Yes,” she said, her voice soft. At least her tears had stopped, and she’d washed her face, taking away some of the traces of her sadness. They’d waited mere seconds, though it felt more like agonizing minutes, to see the doctor. The nurse at the ICU station would not let them see Clint until they’d spoken to his neurologist who’d been called in from his office nearby. “Is he…still alive?” The doctor gave a slight nod and reached for Justin’s hand. “And you are...?” “Justin Blackwood—” “Clint’s brother,” Erica cut in, and he realized it was so the doctor wouldn’t ask him to leave. He put his hand on Erica’s lower back, silently showing his support. It’d take a brigade of Marines to pull him away from her side right now. Her body trembled beneath his touch, proving she was nowhere near as steady as she presented to the world. Justin shook Dr. Hasting’s hand. “How is he?” The doctor shook his head as he released Justin’s hand. “He’s dying.” Erica shuddered. “I’m terribly sorry. There’s no way to soften the blow. When he arrived this morning, he had just experienced a massive stroke, which paralyzed his entire left side and blinded his right eye. He’s been slipping in and out of consciousness since then.” Erica swallowed so thickly he heard it. Justin asked the question to which neither of them really wanted the answer. “How long?” The doctor shook his head again. “Honestly, I’m surprised he’s
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton lasted this long. He’s a real fighter, but the pressure of the tumor is too great. It’s pressing on the receptors in his brain that control the natural functions of his body. His organs are shutting down.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “It’s only a matter of time.” The muscles of Erica’s back contracted under his hand, but she didn’t budge. She swallowed again. “I want to see him.” “Of course. He may be unresponsive, though. We have him on heavy medication to control the pain.” Justin nodded, his throat too tight to form words. He’d glanced at Clint’s living will while Erica had gotten dressed. He knew Clint didn’t want any life‐saving measures. His wish was to die with dignity. No life support, no resuscitation. “Thank you, Doctor,” Erica said, her voice strong but with a slight quaver to it. Dr. Hastings held out his hand toward a room just a few feet down the hall. Erica drew in a deep breath, fisted her hands, then turned and walked straight through the open door...to say goodbye to her husband. Justin hesitated a moment in the doorway, wondering if Erica needed some time alone with Clint. She answered his unasked question when she sat down beside the bed, took Clint’s hand between hers, and turned her head to look back at him, the silent plea evident in her tear‐shined eyes. The room had a strong astringent odor, overlaid with the scent of plastic, latex, and antibacterial soap. The same aromas he’d been subjected to for over a week in the military hospital in Germany after his recovery from Baghdad. He hated it. It gagged and choked. His stomach clenched as he approached the other side of Clint’s hospital bed. An oxygen tube ran from behind his ears and over his top lip, giving him the air for which he seemed to gasp. IVs were in the backs of both his fragile and motionless hands. Yesterday he’d seemed so tan, so tall and strong. Now, he looked pale and weak, as if somehow he’d shrunk in the eighteen or so hours since they’d taken turns fucking Erica senseless.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton How had he kept such a secret? Carried such a heavy burden? Erica dropped her forehead to Clint’s arm, her slender shoulders shaking, but no sound came out of her. Justin swallowed the lump in his throat and breathed through the nausea. He’d lost friends in battle twelve years ago. He’d lost a couple during his captivity. None of them had hurt this much. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around Clint’s callused hand, careful not to bump the IV needle. His skin was cold and dry. Abnormally so. “Hey, buddy,” he whispered over the soft beep of the heart monitor and persistent hiss of the oxygen. Clint’s fingers flexed around his, and he realized Clint couldn’t feel Erica because she held onto his paralyzed side. “Erica and I are here.” Clint’s eyelids flickered, a motion so tiny he would have missed it if he hadn’t been concentrating so hard on his friend’s face. “Pretty pissed off you snuck away in the middle of the night like a wounded bear. But you’re forgiven.” His throat nearly closed up, but he pressed on. “I might’ve done the same if the tables were turned.” Clint’s fingers flexed again, and slowly, his eyes opened. That’s when the effects of the stroke were most evident. His left eyelid, the eye he supposedly could see out of, drooped slightly, as if it were too heavy. The entire left side of his face seemed to sag a bit, no muscle movement beneath the skin. “Erica,” Justin whispered. She lifted her head and looked at her husband. “Clint...” A travesty of a smile pulled at the right side of Clint’s mouth. “’ricka...” His speech came out slurred, soft. “Hi, honey,” Erica said, and Justin was so proud of her for not breaking down again. Clint wouldn’t want her to cry. “Found...me...” Erica nodded. “Yeah, we found you. You know how persistent I am when I want something.” Her chin shivered as she fought her tears. “I...” She licked her lips and drew in a slow, steadying breath. “I couldn’t let you go without telling you how much I love you.”
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “I know...” His eyelids blinked so slowly, for a moment Justin didn’t think they’d reopen. “Love you...too...” Then he turned his head the merest bit and looked up at Justin. “Love you...too...” he repeated, the words hardly more than a whisper. Justin did everything he could not to unman himself and bawl like a baby. “Yeah, I know.” He forced a grin and gently squeezed his buddy’s hand. “Feelin’s mutual, brother.” Clint’s gaze moved back toward Erica who had leaned in closer, her hand now on Clint’s shoulder. “Are you cold?” she asked, busying her self with adjusting the blanket over his body. “There. Does that feel better?” “Sorry...’ricka. So...sorry.” “Shh,” she whispered and stopped fidgeting. “It’s okay. I understand.” She brushed his hair off his forehead. She looked up at Justin, a question in her eyes. He understood. The baby. Justin gave the smallest of nods. “Clint, honey,” she whispered. “We’re going to have a baby. Your baby. I’m pregnant.” The right side of his mouth twitched and slowly drew up into a smile. “Baby,” he mumbled, his words slurring worse now. Erica nodded and touched his cheek. “You’re a daddy.” A single tear slipped from his left eye to track down into his hair. She brushed it away with her thumb. Clint pulled his hand from Justin’s and reached across his torso until he got his hand around his opposite elbow. Erica sat back and watched along with Justin as Clint pulled his left hand onto his stomach and slowly, as if it took all his strength and concentration, pulled his wedding ring off his finger. When it came off, he puffed as if he’d run a marathon, and his eyes closed once again. Erica looked up at Justin, tears quivering on her eyelashes. Justin couldn’t speak, didn’t know why Clint had done that, but it obviously hurt Erica. Clint’s eyes didn’t open as he whispered something between the gasps. The heart monitor’s beeps sped.
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton “Hey, bud. Calm down. It’s okay.” Erica turned back to her husband, laid her palm against the side of his face that didn’t sag. “Shh, honey. We’re here. Just relax.” Clint’s eyes opened again. He lifted his right hand, the one that now held his wedding ring. He mumbled something. The words still came out indistinguishable, and he grimaced with the right side of his face. He shook his closed right hand in Justin’s direction then dropped it onto the bed next to his hip. Justin leaned in closer. “February,” Clint forced out between gasps. “Six.” The heart monitor went wild. “My birthday?” Erica asked, her gaze lifting toward him. “1991.” Clint raised his right hand once more and let it drop. Tears burned Justin’s eyes as he realized what Clint was saying. He laid his hand over his best friend’s. “I gotcha buddy.” Clint turned his wrist until his hand lay palm up, the ring held out to Justin. “Your turn.” Justin took the wedding band from Clint and slipped it onto his left ring finger. His gaze lifted to Erica’s tear‐streaked face. It was his turn to look out for her. To keep her safe and happy. His eyes met Clint’s. “I promise.” Clint visibly relaxed, the heart monitor’s beeping slowed, and he seemed to breathe easier. “Both...” Justin nodded, but Clint’s eyes were once again closed. “Both,” he choked out around the lump in his throat. “Always.” The pledge to care for both—Clint’s wife and child—was made with all his heart, from the depths of his soul. “Kiss,” Clint whispered as he reached up and tugged the oxygen tubing from below his nose. “One...last...” Erica stood up, leaned over him, and brushed her mouth over Clint’s. Justin turned his back as the tears he’d fought against sprang from his eyes. He pressed his hand over his mouth and hunched his shoulders. The ring on his finger felt too light for as much weight as it placed on his
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton heart. The heart monitor’s beeps slowed, and slowed. Justin clenched his teeth and tipped his head back, his hands fisted at his sides, scalding tears streaming down his cheeks. Let go, buddy. It’s okay. Everything will be okay. I swear it. One last gasp of breath... A long, single, unbroken beeeep... Erica sobbed. A warm tingle touched the back of Justin’s neck, as if brushed ever so lightly by electricity. He shivered and nodded. Everything would be okay. A nurse came into the room, went right to the monitor, and turned off the noise. Then the oxygen and other apparatus were turned off. The room fell into silence except for Erica’s weeping. Justin waited until the nurse left the room, the door closing with a soft click before he turned back. Erica lifted her head from Clint’s shoulder, tears in her eyes, making her cheeks shine with moisture. Without a word, Justin held his arms open to her. She slowly walked around the end of the bed and into his arms, pressing her damp face against his neck. He ran his hand down over her hair, and she clenched her hands in his shirt. “You promise?” she whispered. Again, he understood what she was asking. And why. She wanted reassurance he wouldn’t leave her now. He held her tight and gently swayed her back and forth. “With all my heart and soul, baby.” He ran his thumb over the curve of the wedding ring on his finger. They might not have said vows in front of a preacher or witnesses, but it didn’t matter. He’d given his word to Clint, and his heart had belonged to Erica ever since he saw Johnny Custer pull her pigtails and call her a tomboy. Nothing could make him break his vow. He made it. He’d keep it. “With all my heart.”
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Chapter Twelve May 2004 Erica sat down in the short grass and leaned toward the headstone. The sun was high in a clear blue sky, a warm breeze rustled the leaves of the oak tree that shaded her, and she breathed in the scent of the single red rose she held to her nose. She laid the rose at the base of the headstone. “Hey, honey,” she whispered as she traced Clint’s name in the cold, smooth marble. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and pictured Clint, not how he’d been that last day in the hospital, but how he’d been before the headaches. Tall, strong, gorgeous. With that twinkle of love in his eyes only for her. “I miss you so much. We all do.” “Hey, babe,” Justin called as he came up the small rise lugging a picnic basket in one hand, a diaper bag in the other, and little C.J. in the snugly draped across his chest. She grinned and waved, then giggled when he made a face as he dropped the basket and bag next to her. “I know the guy’s supposed to carry heavy things for his wife, but...maybe we could fashion a backpack for Teacup. What do ya think?” The fat, wrinkled pig waddled up the hill that overlooked the farm at a pace even slower than her husband. “Do you honestly think she could carry any more extra weight?” He dropped down on the ground next to her and eyed the pig as
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Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton she took three last steps and plopped to the ground, belly first, still several feet shy of where they were. The pig snorted, and so did Justin, which made her laugh. “I guess not.” He slipped his arms out of the snuggly. C.J. was asleep, his head lolling to the side in a way that would be permanently disabling to an adult. “Love you,” she said with a wink as she took the baby from Justin and nestled him against her shoulder. He was a big, healthy three‐month‐old treasure with hazel eyes the color of his daddy’s. Justin spread their thick blanket over the grass then took C.J. from her and laid him down, covering him with a smaller, light blanket to keep any mosquitoes at bay. “Love you, too, babe.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulled her against his side, and reached into the picnic basket, unerringly finding the bag of fried chicken. “And your fine cooking.” He dug in. Erica smiled. Teacup lifted her snout and scented the breeze. Then she gave a loud snort again, and Justin teased, “I lugged it up here. You’ll just have to wait your turn.” Erica chuckled—her heart content to watch her child sleep, her husband eat, and time pass. She glanced at the headstone, the rose at its base. She missed Clint so badly sometimes it hurt, but in little Clint Justin Michaels‐Blackwood she had a part of him forever, a reason to live on. Turning her head, she looked at her husband as he bit into a drumstick, closed his eyes, and moaned with pleasure. Thank you, Clint. Thank you so much. He’d supported her, cherished her and, when he needed to, gave her the inspiration to carry on and set her free to love again. The End
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Author Bio Anna Leigh has been reading and penning romances for as long as she can remember. After she met and married her very own real‐life hero, romance took on a whole new meaning. She now knows married life can sizzle and romance can be erotic—even in her own home. Madison Layle avoided her childhood chores on the family farm by curling up with books, and disappearing into other worlds of fantasy, adventure, and romance. With maturity came the love of her own real‐life hero (a.k.a. “my darling hubby”), and a real understanding of why her parents locked their bedroom door. Madison and Anna Leigh first met online through a critique group, a meeting which sparked a strong friendship and a fun partnership. Together, their writing has taken on a spicier flavor, so while their hubbies are off at work, they let their imaginations soar.... You can visit Madison and Anna at their Web sites: www.madisonlayle.com, www.annaleighkeaton.com, or check out all the exciting happenings at Incognito at: www.incognitoseries.com
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