She nodded, too tired to argue. All three brothers walked her to the stairs. At the bottom, Jake paused. "Sleep well, Eleanor. Tomorrow we will show you around the ranch properly."
She climbed the stairs slowly, feeling their eyes on her until she reached the top and disappeared into her room. Once alone, Eleanor changed into her nightgown with trembling hands. The simple white cotton fell to her ankles, modest and proper. She braided her dark hair and washed her face in the basin.
Then she sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window at the darkening landscape. This was her life now. This ranch, these three identical brothers who watched her with such intensity. She should be terrified.
She should be planning how to escape, how to get back to Boston somehow. But she was not terrified. She was exhilarated. For the first time in years, she felt alive.
She felt like maybe, possibly, she had found somewhere she could belong. The soft sound of boots on the stairs made her tense. A gentle knock came at her door. "Eleanor?"
Jake's voice, low and rough. She stood, tightening the belt on her worn robe, and opened the door a crack. He stood in the hallway, still fully dressed. "I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed."
She nodded. "I am fine. Thank you." He studied her face in the dim light from the oil lamp she had lit. "You did good today. Better than I expected."
The compliment warmed her. She found herself smiling slightly. "I am tougher than I look." His eyes traced over her face, lingering on her smile. "I am starting to see that."
They stood there, the door between them, neither moving. Eleanor became acutely aware of how thin her nightgown was, how little separated them. Her heart began to race again. Jake must have seen something in her expression because his jaw tightened.
He took a step back. "Good night, Eleanor. Sleep well." He turned and walked away, his boots heavy on the wooden floor. Eleanor closed the door and leaned against it, her heart pounding.
What was she doing? She barely knew this man, barely knew any of them, but her body did not seem to care about logic or propriety. Her body responded to Jake with an intensity that shocked her. She climbed into bed, pulling the quilt up to her chin.
The sheet smelled of sun and sage, clean but impersonal. She wondered if that would change over time, if this room would start to feel like hers, if this house would start to feel like home. Sleep came slowly, her mind spinning with images of three identical brothers and their intense blue eyes. When she finally drifted off, her dreams were confused and heated.
Strong hands and deep voices and the feeling of being surrounded, protected, claimed. She woke once in the deep night, disoriented. For a moment, she could not remember where she was. Then it all came back.
The ranch, the brothers, her new life. Through the thin walls, she could hear movement. Deep voices speaking quietly. She could not make out the words, but she recognized the cadence of the brothers talking among themselves.
Were they talking about her? The thought sent heat through her body. She pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks and tried to will herself back to sleep. Tomorrow, she would have to face them again.