His Golden Touch [Gold Rush 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) by Tish Domenick

pink. “No, we’ve seen enough of this place. Let’s all get out of here and never come back.” As Wade helped Hannah onto Addy, a huge, black rat ran over her foot. She stifled a scream. “I’m glad I saw this for myself, but I’ll not come here again unless they do some serious cleaning.”
    Rocco was asleep in the back of the wagon when they returned. Hannah went into the tent with the hens. She didn’t know where Wade and Brady settled. In the morning, she woke to the smell of bacon. They’d brought quite a bit with them from the ranch. Breakfast was quick since they were all anxious to see the mine.
    Explosives and wood for the mine shaft were purchased before they began the trek up into the mountains. Prices were exorbitant, but with what they had to trade, milk from Bessie and eggs, they got off easy.
    Within the last mile, Rocco took his companions aside. “There’s something I need to explain about my partners, Gus and Sam.”
    “You told us they were young and had been inseparable friends for years,” Hannah said.
    “Yeah, but there’s more. I could let you reason it out for yourselves once you meet them, but I don’t want anyone to blurt out anything hurtful.”
    “We’d never do that.” Hannah, atop her horse, raised her chin in defiance.
    “Sometimes when surprised, people say things they ordinarily wouldn’t. You see, Gus and Sam are lovers.”
    “Lovers? In what way?” Hannah tightened her grip on Addy’s reins.
    “They’re in love with each other, and they sleep together as a man and woman would.”
    “Julius Priest!” Brady spit out his chaw of tobacco. “Why did you wait until now to tell us?”
    Wade waved at him to be quiet. “What difference does it make? We’ll be fine with them.”
    They circumvented the other camps along the way by traveling an unused path partway up the side of a foothill then down again and into a valley pass that led to the face of the mine. Gus and Sam were not in sight until the horses neighed. They appeared as if from nowhere, guns drawn. “Hey, Gus, look what the cat dragged in.” The blond spoke first.
    “Naw, no self-respecting cat would fool with that,” Gus, with a dark, unruly mass of curly hair, said. “He must have wandered in by himself.” Gus holstered his gun, and Sam did the same. Rocco embraced first one, then the other.
    Hannah had to make a conscious effort to close her gaping mouth. They were gorgeous, virile men. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t these two gods right out of some mythological epic. She’d estimated Rocco as somewhere over six feet tall and both Gus and Sam were taller than Rocco. They were younger, too. Wade and Brady were in their thirties, Rocco she figured in his late twenties. These two were even younger. Rocco introduced everyone then showed Gus and Sam the contents of the wagon and buggy. Gus stuffed a whole tomato in his mouth without taking out the core. Juices ran down his chin as he moaned in ecstasy. “Oh, my. I haven’t tasted anything this good in a year.”
    Sam hugged the pickaxes the way one would a baby. The show of enthusiasm by the two men made Hannah smile. She imagined they’d be jolly companions whatever happened with the mine.
    They unpacked the tools, and Sam gave Wade and Brady a cursory tour of the cave. Rocco showed Hannah the gold nuggets they’d unearthed by hand.
    Her eyes wide, Hannah bounced a nugget in her hand. “It’s heavy and not as shiny as I thought it would be.”
    “In daylight a bit of gold will reflect the sun’s rays and make you blink.”
    Wade came up behind them. “I see a lot of work to be done. Do we sleep in that canvass structure over there?”
    “No, that belongs to Gus and Sam. We’ll pitch the tents we brought from Plantsville, and I have my own stowed in a corner of the cave.”
    “Uh, how do we explain our arrangement with Hannah to Gus and Sam?”
    “No need. If we ask no questions, they’ll ask no