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“You don’t care if my men wander?” I shook my head, looked down at the ground. I took a moment to blink back tears. It seemed I didn’t really know my brothers as much as I thought. “Unbelievable. I thought… I thought you wanted more for me.”
“I do.” Knox looked to Jed. Sighed. “We do. But you’re so stubborn. Fuck, Piper,” Knox said, dragging out my name. “You will listen to Spur and Lane or I will take you over my knee.”
“No, you won’t,” Lane barked. “That’s our job.”
“You—”
“I told you, precious, no more saloons. No more gambling and yet I find you… again, shooting people.”
I walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “You two were dead and left me destitute, without a way to support myself. This is how I make money!” I lifted my wrist and let the coins in my reticule jingle as a reminder.
His brows drew together. “Left you destitute?”
“You said being married to two men would keep me safe, that I’d never have to worry again. Well, I worried.”
“Rolon Jennings should have approached you. He’s the town banker. If something really happened to me, then you have all my money. The mine, too. If he didn’t come to you, I’ll—”
I thought back to the long string of men who’d stopped me to chat. Or propose.
“I… I think he did. I must admit, I had many men approach me this past week. Three marriage proposals alone and after that, I began to turn them away before I listened to what they had to say.”
Lane ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Three marriage proposals?”
“You were dead!” I shouted. “There was a bet going on how long I could hold out.”
“All right,” Spur interrupted, placing a hand on Lane’s arm. “Yes, we learned of our supposed deaths. Luke and Walker were just as stunned as you. We’re not dead, so let’s move on.”
“Move on? Move on?”
“Piper!” Jed yelled. “Close your mouth and listen to Lane.”
“No way. He’s… he’s—” I couldn’t think of a word to describe him.
“Then you’ll listen to me,” Spur said.
Lane shook his head. “No. I made this mess. I’ll fix it.” He looked to my brothers. “But I’m not doing it with the two of you looming. Back the fuck up.”
“Watch your tongue around my sister,” Jed warned.
“Really? Your sister swears more than a drunk miner. Her language is not my top concern. Her complete lack of regard for her safety is. Now back the fuck up.”
Jed held his hands up in front of him at Lane’s growl and they both took a step back, then another. “We’re not going far until the vows are said.”
Lane muttered something along the lines of jackass and fucking asshole under his breath.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said when he turned to me.
“You will listen, Piper Drews or I will take you over my knee right here, right now.” While the threat was real, his tone was not as severe as when he spoke to my brothers.
I pinched my lips together and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Lil is the woman who took Spur and me in when our mothers died. She was a whore, just like they were. She lives in Jasper because she’s sick. Cancer. I moved there from Denver so she could be near me. She wanted to live at the Frightful Fawn because her longtime friend, Rachel, is the madam.”
My arms dropped to my sides. “Lil is…”
“Like a mother to both of us,” Spur added. “She’s sick and Lane has been visiting her. He sent for me in Chicago and I moved back so I could help treat her.”
“But cancer?” I asked.
