He had known it the moment he saw her standing in the general store, looking lost and determined in equal measure. But seeing her now, moving confidently through his kitchen, teasing his brothers, that knowing settled deeper. This woman was meant to be theirs. His, he corrected himself.
She was meant to be his wife. But watching Tucker hand her a wooden spoon and Cole lean close to smell the stew she was stirring, Jake felt something shift in his chest. The lines were already blurring. They had always shared everything.
The three of them, the ranch, the work, the dreams for the future. Could they share this, too? Could they share her? The thought should have been wrong.
It should have filled him with jealous rage. Instead, it felt right in a way he could not explain and did not want to examine too closely. Eleanor turned and caught him watching. Her cheeks flushed pink, but she held his gaze.
"Dinner will be ready soon. You should wash up." He nodded and pushed off the doorframe. "Tucker, Cole, with me." The three brothers headed outside to the pump, leaving Eleanor alone in the kitchen.
The moment they were outside, Cole turned to Jake. "You saw it, too." Jake did not pretend to misunderstand. "I saw it."
Tucker spoke quietly. "She feels it with all of us. Not just you." Jake ran his hands through his hair, water dripping from his fingers. "I know."
"What are we going to do about it?" Cole's voice was careful. "What do you want to do about it?" Jake looked between his brothers, these two men who had been by his side since before they were born. They had never competed, never fought over anything important.
Their bond ran too deep for that. "She came here to marry me. That has not changed." "But if she wants all of us?" Tucker's voice held a question.
"Then we figure it out," Jake finished. "Together, like we figure out everything." Cole let out a breath he seemed to have been holding. "You are sure?"
Jake thought about Eleanor's face when all three of them surrounded her. The way her breath quickened, her pupils dilated, the way she leaned into their attention like a flower toward the sun. "I am sure. But we do this right."
"We do not push. We let her set the pace." Tucker nodded. "Agreed." Cole grinned.
"When have we ever done anything separately, anyway?" Despite the strange situation, Jake found himself smiling. "Never." They headed back inside, and Eleanor had set the table.
The meal was simple but delicious. Real seasoning, properly cooked vegetables, bread that was soft instead of rock hard. She had worked magic with their pitiful supplies. After dinner, Eleanor insisted on teaching them how to properly clean a kitchen.
The brothers followed her instructions with surprising obedience, these three large men taking orders from a woman half their size. She stood in the middle of the kitchen directing them with growing confidence. Jake felt that rightness settle deeper. When the kitchen gleamed, Eleanor stepped back with satisfaction.