Monroe, Marla - Their Bartered Bride [Men of the Border Lands 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free

lack of good lighting.
    “I’m not going to hurt you, Leigh. We need to see about your knees, though. That means either cutting your jeans or pulling them off. Which would you like me to do?” He didn’t look angry, though it was hard to tell in the dim light.
    “I–I guess I’ll pull them off. But I want to do it. Help me down.” She needed some control over this to feel safe. She knew this was the reason for her demanding that she be allowed to do the undressing.
    “Sure. Hold on.” He picked her up and gently sat her down on the floor, holding her steady until she got her footing.
    She licked her lips and turned around as Joel walked into the room carrying another lit lamp and a bigger box than the one in their truck.
    “What’s going on?” he asked, clearly puzzled.
    “She needs to undress herself. I think she’s uncomfortable with us seeing her like that.” Jonathan acted as if she weren’t even there.
    Maybe that was better because then he wasn’t focused on her pulling down her pants.
    “Okay.” She slowly turned around to show them her scraped knees. Though she hadn’t torn through the material, it had rubbed skin off.
    “Jonathan, sit her back on the counter between the two lights so we can see about her. Let’s work on the elbows first. They have dirt in them.” Joel smiled at her.
    He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out several towels and a cloth. He filled the sink with water and soaked the cloth in it. When he squeezed out the cloth, she knew he planned to clean her scrapes. They were going to sting something fierce.
    “Jonathan, hold her arm steady for me. I don’t want to hurt her, but she’s probably going to jerk,” Joel told him.
    Jonathan gently held her wrist and supported her arm as Jonathan began cleaning her elbow over the sink. She did jerk and cursed as he rubbed out the grit and dirt from her elbow. Then he poured hydrogen peroxide over it to boil out anything left in it. Once he was satisfied it was clean, they switched to the other elbow and repeated the process.
    “Sorry, Leigh,” Jonathan said. “That should be the worst of it. Your knees aren’t too bad, and they don’t have a lot of dirt in them.”
    Joel held a towel beneath her knee as he poured some peroxide over it. He repeated it to the other side.
    “There. Is there anywhere else you’re hurt?” Joel asked, looking her in the eyes.
    “No, I think that’s all. I’m just sore all over right now. Can I take a bath?” she asked.
    “Of course. Do you need anything other than the lamp?” Joel asked as he cleaned up the mess.
    “No. I can manage from here. Um, thanks for taking care of me.” Standing in nothing but her blouse and panties, she couldn’t look at them.
    “No problem. There’s stuff in the cabinet over there you’re welcome to. When you get finished, check the closets and the dresser for clothes. They should fit you.” Joel picked up the first-aid box and nodded for Jonathan to follow him.
    The two men left her with an oil lamp to bathe. She couldn’t believe it. Before, well—she was in a different place now. So far, Jonathan and Joel had been perfect gentlemen. It seemed too good to be true. Something would jump up and bite her before it was over with. She was sure of that.

    * * * *

    Jonathan helped his brother unload the few things they’d bartered for, then sat in the kitchen while Joel made sandwiches. He had never talked overly much, but with just the two of them, he never had much to say. Now, however, he wanted to talk about their bartered woman upstairs.
    “What are we going to do about her?” Jonathan asked.
    “Nothing. She can stay here and we’ll watch out for her. She can help around the house and the garden like I told her.”
    “You’re not planning on bedding her, then?”
    “Not unless she’s interested. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like a whore. She’s a decent woman that ended up in a bad situation. Hopefully, we’re making it better. No