by Marla Monroe
“That’s all I have,” Lucille said.
“Me, too,” Amanda said.
The three of them carried their pots of cut up apples inside to find Mrs. Johnson cutting up deer steaks while boilers of apples rested on the stove.
“That the last of them?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Want me to carry the peelings out to the worm bed?” she asked.
“Take Amanda with you. Don’t tarry,” she said.
“Come on, Amanda. You can help carry them,” Holly said.
They picked up the old busted pots not useful for anything but trash and carted them out to the worm bed made up of long pieces of old tin laid out on a raised bit of earth. They lifted the tins up and spread the apple peelings across the dirt then covered it back with the tin once they’d finished. They used the worms they grew for fishing. The big fat night crawlers were perfect for that.
When they turned around to walk back to the house, they found one of the men standing there watching them.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi,” Holly said.
“What were you doing?” he asked.
“Feeding the worms,” she said.
“Why?”
“So they’ll stick around and get fat for fishing in the spring.”
“Good idea. Hadn’t heard of that one before. We usually just go dig up what we can find. What do you feed them?” he asked.
“Garden scraps like potato peels and apple peels, things like that,” Amanda said.
“Better hurry on back before they worry about you,” the man said and stepped aside.
Holly grabbed Amanda’s hand and pulled her past the man though she really wanted to stay and talk to him some more. He was the shorter of the two men and had the green eyes. He still needed a trim though. Maybe she could offer to give them both a trim…
She almost laughed out loud at that thought. There was no way the Johnsons would allow her to do that. They returned to the kitchen to see what was left for them to do.
“Once you’ve washed up, start pouring off the juice into the jars and sealing them. You girls know what to do,” Mrs. Johnson said.
Holly and Amanda worked on the jelly while Lucille helped Mrs. Johnson with the apple butter. By four that afternoon they were all exhausted, but everything was finished, and supper was nearly done. They were having deer steak with mushroom gravy, navy beans, and apple jelly on meal bread.
“We’ll have to pull the kitchen table into the dining room tonight and set the table for nine. Lucille, why don’t you and Amanda set the table after the boys get the tables lined up. Holly, help me finish up the meal,” Mrs. Johnson directed them as she stirred the navy beans in the pot.
“How much longer, ma?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“About fifteen minutes,” she said.
“I’ll go tell them.” He pulled on a jacket and walked out the door.
Holly watched as he walked outside to tell the two men when they could come over. She wished she had time to tidy up some, but Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t allow that. She had no doubt that would upset her even more than the fact that the two men were going to be eating with them.
Fifteen minutes later, they knocked on the door and walked inside. Just their presence made the entire house feel much smaller. They seemed larger than life. They were a good three or four inches taller than Mr. Johnson. They took off their hats and nodded at Mrs. Johnson.
“Thank you for letting us eat with you, ma’am,” one of them said.
“Thank you for the meat. It’s always good to have fresh meat,” she said. “What are your names?”
“I’m Evers and this is my brother Jessup.”
“Good to meet you both,” she said.
“Let’s have a seat and eat while it’s all hot,” Mr. Johnson said.
To Holly’s delight, she ended up directly across from the two men while the boys had been posted on either side of them. She knew that was to keep them separated from her and her sisters. She kept sneaking quick peeks of the two men. They were cute, probably even handsome behind all that hair. She really wanted to offer to give them a haircut. How could she offer without offending them?
“This is delicious, ma’am,” Evers said.
“Haven’t had anything this good in a long, long time,” Jessup said.
“Glad you like it. So where are you headed?” Mrs. Johnson asked.
“Back home. We have a place about six hours north of here. We were down south trading and visiting friends. Didn’t expect to get caught by a winter storm,” Evers said.
“Storm? There’s no storm,” she said.
“Should be snowing come morning,” Evers said.
“How do you know?” Holly asked.
“Can smell it on the air,” Evers said.
“You can smell snow?” she asked.
“Some people can predict the weather like that, Holly,” Mr. Johnson said.
“My mother always knew when we were going to have a bad rain storm. She felt it in her joints. She was always right,” Mrs. Johnson said, nodding her head.
“Hope you have everything set for snow,” Jessup said. “If not, we can help after supper.”
“Everything’s done. Thanks for asking. You two can bed down in the living room in front of the fireplace. Can’t have a fire out in the barn. Too dangerous,” Mr. Johnson said.
“Much obliged,” Evers said.
“We’ve got hot water for a bath if you want it,” Holly said.
“How’s that?” Evers asked.
“Got a wood heater under the hot water heater. Give it about an hour and you can have a hot bath. If you want, I can trim up your hair after you have a bath,” she said.
“Holly.” Mrs. Johnson’s stern expression said that she’d get a talking to later.
“That’s mighty kind of you. I think we can handle it though if you don’t mind us running a bath.”
“Wood’s already laid up. Just light it and replace it tomorrow. You saw the woodpile when you came in,” Mr. Johnson said.
“Thanks.”
After supper, they all scattered. While Amanda and Lucille washed the dishes, Holly swept up the dining room and kitchen. Mrs. Johnson moved her off to the side.
“We don’t know anything about these two men, child. Flirting with them is dangerous,” she said.
“I’m not a child any longer, and I’ll never meet anyone out here. They’ve been nothing but nice and helpful since they’ve been here. How am I ever going to find a man to have a family with if I don’t take a chance on someone who seems decent enough?” Holly asked.
“I can’t help but worry that you’re making a mistake. They could be dangerous. They might not have a place at all and are planning to take this place,” she said.
“Then why haven’t they already?” Holly asked.
“You’re a grown woman. You are entitled to make your own mistakes, but I hate to stand by and not warn you. Not all men are dangerous, but not all men are good men either. This world has brought out the worst in men, so there are very few left who are honorable. Just remember that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Holly said.
Later that night, Holly tossed and turned in bed trying to get comfortable. She was hot one minute and cold the next. She couldn’t figure out why she was so antsy, but decided it was because of Jessup and Evers being right below her in the living room sleeping under the same roof. She’d missed seeing them once they’d cleaned up. Mrs. Johnson had hurried them off to bed as soon as they’d finished their chores.
Now she would have to wait until the morning to see if they’d actually cut any of their hair. What would they look like without the beards? Would they really cut them all the way off or just trim them up some?
She drifted off to sleep, but at some point, in the night, the wailing of the wind woke her once more. She slipped out of the bed and walked across the cold floor to look out the window. Sure enough, it was snowing with the wind blowing it sideways. Already the grou
nd was covered in the white stuff. She smiled before hurrying back to the warmth of the bed. They’d been right after all. One more thing that she liked about them.
* * * *
Jessup woke early the next morning to a chill in the air. He looked over to see that Evers had pulled most of the covers over toward him and the fire in the fireplace had died out. He snorted at the unfairness of it and pulled on his boots, having slept in his socks. He set up the wood and got the fire started once more, waking his brother in the process.
“What the hell are you doing up at the ass crack of dawn?” he asked, running one hand over his face. “I can barely even see you.”
“Fire went out and you had all the fucking covers on top of you. I was freezing to death,” Jessup complained.
“Sorry. You need to bulk up some more so you can yank them back,” Evers said with a grin.
“Asshole.”
“Just saying.”
Jessup shot him the bird, hoping his brother could see it in the firelight. He pulled off his boots once more and pulled on his jeans then pulled his boots back on. He was already awake now. He might as well get started with the morning. He had no doubt there were plenty of chores that needed tending to and they’d take twice as long with the snow.
“You getting up or staying in bed like a sissy?” he asked his brother.
“I’m getting up. Don’t nag like an old woman. I’ll replace the wood we used last night while you milk the cows,” Evers said as he threw back the covers with a curse.
“Cold, isn’t it,” Jessup said with a knowing smirk.
“Fucking yeah, it’s cold. I’ll see about the chickens, too if someone else doesn’t beat me to it.”
“They’re going to need a lot of wood close to the house. That probably should be the biggest priority,” Jessup said.
“I’ll take care of it. You get out there and milk those cows.” Evers had his jeans and boots on and was just about to pull on his shirt when a soft intake of breath caused him to spin around to find Holly standing on the last step of the stairs with one hand covering her mouth.
Jessup smiled at the sight of her in tight jeans and a heavy cotton plain shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her eyes were fastened on his brother’s naked chest. She was definitely interested.
“Hi, Holly,” Jessup said.
She jerked her eyes in his direction then back to Evers. “Hi. I didn’t realize you two would just be getting up. I wanted to have the coffee ready for you before you woke.”
“That’s real kind of you. We’re just getting started. Nice cup of hot coffee will be welcomed when we come back inside though,” Jessup told her.
“Okay.”
Evers chuckled and slowly pulled on his shirt, dragging it out for as long as he could. Jessup wanted to hit him over the head with a stick but couldn’t fault him. If he could have known she’d be coming down when she had he’d have waited to pull on his shirt, as well. Having her eyes on his naked body would be hot as hell.
“I—I’ll just get started then.” She slipped into the kitchen where they could hear pots banging as she poured water into a pan to boil.
“I think it’s a definite yes that she’s interested in us,” Evers said.
“I agree. What are the chances her parents let us take her with us?”
“Slim to none. I’m not even sure they are her parents. There’s a big age difference between the girls and those two boys and the Johnsons don’t look all that old to me,” Evers said.
“You’re right. Still, I’d like to try. She’s beautiful and I love listening to her talk. She’s got the prettiest voice.”
“She seems to know how to cook and put things up, so she’d be good in the house. She’s got generous breasts but not too big and broad hips, so she should be good with having young’uns, as well,” Evers said.
“Be nice to be able to talk to her some before we try to talk the Johnsons into letting us take her with us. Besides, she might not want to go,” Jessup said.
“That’s true. I don’t want a woman who doesn’t want me.”
“That goes double for me. Since it’s snowing outside, maybe we’ll get the chance to talk with her some today after chores. With nine of us in the house we’re bound to get everything done with plenty of time to visit,” Jessup said.
“Let’s get going.” Evers grabbed his coat and gloves and walked toward the kitchen to the back door.
“Coffee will be ready in about twenty minutes, guys.” Holly was cutting up meat by the sink as they walked across the kitchen.
“Gonna do some chores then be back inside in a little while,” Jessup told her.
They hurried outside into the frigid air, glad that the snow had slowed down so it wasn’t too hard to see where they were going.
Jessup had to dig out the snow from the barn door before he could get it open. The cows looked glad to see him as he fed them then set about milking them. It would take two trips to the house to take the three buckets of milk inside. What did they do with three buckets of milk anyway? He guessed with seven of them they used it pretty quickly.
Once he’d finished milking, he took the first two pails and made his way back to the house to find Evers sipping at coffee and talking to Holly and Mrs. Johnson. Holly grabbed a mug and poured a cup of coffee. He sighed as the first drink went down strong and hot. He took a few more sips then excused himself to get the other bucket.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
“I’ll come with you. I need to feed the chickens and gather the eggs,” Holly said.
“You don’t have to do that,” Evers said. “I’ll get them.”
“You’ve got the wood to carry up. I can handle the chickens. I’ve been doing it for years, sun and snow and rain. Won’t hurt me now,” Holly told him.
“Don’t forget to watch out for Old Henry. He’s getting up in years and gets ornery when you disturb the hens,” Mrs. Johnson said.
“Don’t worry. The less interaction I have with that old thing, the better. He’s mean as a snake,” Holly said with a chuckle. “When are you going to raise another rooster to replace him?”
“Probably this spring,” she said.
Evers waited for Holly to bundle up and grab the basket she would use to carry the eggs. It was a rather large basket, but then he hadn’t seen how many hens they had. She might need it. With so many mouths to feed, six or seven chickens wouldn’t be too many.
He separated off from her and grabbed the pail of milk he’d left in the barn then carried it back to the house. He drained his mug of coffee before excusing himself to check on Holly to be sure she didn’t need any help. To his surprise Mrs. Johnson didn’t say anything. She just gave him a serious look that said not to hurt her girl.
Jessup had no intentions of hurting Holly. His intentions were anything but hurtful. He wanted to make her happy and take care of her. Oh, and yeah. He did want to fuck her, but that would come later. First, he had to win her along with his brother.
Chapter Three
Holly slipped a hand beneath the hen and gently withdrew an egg while cooing to the girl. She had nearly a dozen eggs and four more chickens to go. So far Old Henry hadn’t made a peep, but she was getting closer and closer to him and the last four chickens were the loudest ones in the henhouse.
Just as she was about to go for the next nest, the door to the house opened and Jessup walked inside. The rooster hissed and clucked but settled down after a few seconds.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to rouse up the old thing. You doing okay out here?” Jessup asked.
“Yeah. Nearly finished. Don’t come over here. These last few hens are the touchiest,” she told him.
She slipped her hand under the red hen and found two eggs. Since she didn’t want to have to risk going under her a second time, she scooped up both eggs and settled the basket close to the box where the hen nested to deposit both eggs in one go. The hen didn’t so much as cluck. Holly smiled.
“
You’ve got a lot of chickens. We’ve only got four. Usually get five to six eggs from them. Maybe we should get more chickens,” Jessup said.
“Better to have too many than not enough,” Holly said. “You can always eat a boiled egg for a snack.”
“True.”
“You look nice with your hair trimmed up,” she said then could have slapped herself for the way that came out.
He only chuckled. “Yeah, we looked pretty bad after being on the road so long. I don’t normally wear a beard at all. Evers keeps a short one,” Jessup said.
Holly looked over at the clean-shaven man and agreed. They did look much nicer the way they looked now. Jessup’s dark brown hair was tied back, with a square jaw shaved clean of the bushy beard he’d been sporting when he’d come to them. His green eyes sparkled when he smiled, and he seemed to do that a lot.
Evers had trimmed his beard so that it was much neater and had cut his hair so that it was barely brushing his shoulders now. She loved the deep blue of his eyes and how serious he looked when he watched her. She’d felt his eyes on her almost constantly the night before. Then there was that morning when she’d seen him without his shirt. God save her. She’d nearly melted on the spot. Her pussy had gushed at the sight of all that muscle stretched taut across his chest and the back of his shoulders.
Now she had Jessup in the henhouse with her and she was almost too shy to talk. This was her chance to find out how she felt about him. She might never get another chance to be around a man alone again.
“Can you hold the basket for me while I get these last eggs? It’s getting heavy,” she said.
Jessup immediately walked closer and took the basket from her. She leaned into him and inhaled the heady aroma of male heat. He leaned in just a little and brushed his lips across her mouth before quickly stepping back, the basket of eggs between them.
Holly felt heat roll up her neck to her cheeks at that brief contact between them. She quickly turned to see about the eggs from the last three hens. She managed to grab the next two eggs without a problem and slipped them to Jessup, but the last hen caused a ruckus when she slid her hand beneath her to grab the two eggs she’d laid. That riled up Old Henry, who began pecking at her ankles. Thank goodness she wore boots.
