by Marla Monroe
“Quick. We’ve got to get out of here before he starts aiming higher,” Holly said.
“Did you feed them yet?”
“No, not yet. I’ll have to come back after they’ve calmed down. Henry will have them all riled up for a while now,” Holly said.
“I’ll feed them. Hold up a second.”
Holly took the basket from him and waited outside the henhouse while he went back inside. A few seconds later he came out with a cacophony of sounds following him outside, muted only once the door was closed and fastened shut.
“Okay, I’ll carry the basket for you. They’ve been fed. That old coot knows where the family jewels are though. Went right for them once he realized hitting my ankles wasn’t doing it for him.”
Holly burst out laughing. “Told you he would start aiming higher.”
Jessup just shook his head as they tromped through the snow to the back porch where Evers was stacking wood. He turned to look at them as they walked up on the porch.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with a wide grin.
“Your brother almost got his manhood snapped off by a rooster,” Holly said with a chuckle.
Evers laughed. “Teach you to fool around in a henhouse.”
“I wasn’t doing anything. I was feeding the damn things. You’d think he’d have been a little more grateful.” Jessup hissed out a breath.
“You look all rosy cheeked, Holly. Better go on inside before you catch a cold, honey,” Evers said.
“I’ll take the eggs now,” she said and smiled up at Jessup before she smiled shyly at his brother.
Once inside Holly had to fight to keep from grinning like a crazy person. She sat the basket of eggs on the counter and stomped her feet on the rug, so she could take off her outerwear and slip on her house shoes. Then she hurried into the living room to stand by the fire where she could warm up. Even with being bundled up against the cold it seeped beneath the coat, scarf, and gloves.
“Get the eggs?” Mrs. Johnson asked.
“Yes, and Jessup fed them when Old Henry got riled up.”
“Wonder what riled him up?” she asked.
“That crazy red hen. She does it all the time.”
“Umhm.”
Holly watched as Mrs. Johnson continued knitting the blanket she was working on. The thread came from the wool they’d traded for to make thread. It would be a bit prickly, but it would be warm once she finished it. They’d spent a good portion of the last summer’s evenings spinning it into thread for her to use.
“So?” she asked without looking up.
“What?” Holly asked, a little unnerved.
“What did you think about Jessup?”
“He’s nice. He didn’t try anything and was, well, nice.”
“I guess that’s a plus in his case. You need to see how his brother is since you’d be around him, as well. If he’s a problem, you’d be stuck with him out in the middle of nowhere without us to help you,” Mrs. Johnson said.
“They both cleaned up well,” Holly pointed out.
“True, but the devil cleans up nice, as well. Comes in all sorts of ways to trick you. Remember that, child.”
“I will.” Holly rubbed her arms to warm them up then returned to the kitchen to finish cooking breakfast. Everyone would be in soon and expect a big breakfast. She had no doubt the boys were out making sure the cows were all okay and Mr. Johnson would be watching over them.
Just as she’d figured, fifteen minutes later they all started pouring in. Her sisters came down from upstairs where they’d been making beds and gathering clothes to wash. They made quick work of breakfast and Holly left her sisters to clean up while she melted snow on the stove to wash clothes. The boys strung wire in front of the fire in the living room and she hung up the clothes in there to dry as she finished washing them. They’d move them around to get them all dried before bedtime.
Evers offered to throw out the water when she needed to change it out and brought in fresh snow for her several times.
“You been living here all your life?” Evers asked as she scrubbed the sheets.
“Not all of it. My sisters and I used to live in San Francisco before the great earthquakes took it then the fires in the west moved us farther east. We lost mom and dad about four hours from here to some bounty hunters or that’s what they called themselves. It was just a name they used to take us from our family. We were lucky though. The Johnsons were on their way back from trading and helped us. Mr. Johnson killed the two men and we’ve been living with them ever since,” she said.
“I’m sorry about your parents. How long has it been?” he asked.
“Lord, I don’t even know now. Over ten years, I’m sure. We were pretty young when it all happened. I still miss them though.”
“I’m sure you do.” He leaned back against the counter next to her and watched her face as she rubbed the cloth on the scrub board.
Holly’s face heated with the intensity of his stare. She wanted to ask what he was staring at but wasn’t that brave. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know the answer.
“You’re really pretty, Holly.”
If she hadn’t been blushing before, she was sure she was now. Heat burned a hot trail up her chest to her earlobes. She smiled and looked at him from the corner of her eyes.
“Thanks. You look really nice with your beard all trimmed,” she said.
He brushed his hand over it. “Yeah, it needed some work. So did my hair.”
She giggled. Couldn’t have stopped it if she’d tried.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, cocking his head to one side.
“Nothing, really. I’ve not been around a man other than Mr. Johnson in a very long time and those men were mean. You and Jessup are really nice. I like you,” she said.
“We like you, too, Holly. Think you like us enough to go with us when we leave?” he asked.
She gasped and turned to look at him full on. “Are you serious?”
“Never been more serious in my life. Don’t see no need in pussyfooting around. We like you and want to make you our woman if you’re willing,” he said.
“Both of you? I was thinking Jessup. I wasn’t thinking both of you,” she said.
“Well, out here, it’s normally two men taking care of one woman. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are very lucky they’ve managed to stay together without another man to help keep the revenuers or the bounty hunters as they call themselves away.”
“The boys are crack shots. Anytime anyone has come around they all shoot at them. Makes them think there’s more than just one man, I guess. I haven’t seen many come through here though. I was really surprised that Mr. Johnson didn’t shoot the two of you on the spot,” Holly said.
“We caught him off guard and convinced him we didn’t mean any harm. Plus, we don’t have any guns. We use bows and arrows. Not much ammunition around anymore. No doubt he realizes that, as well, and is saving his for when he really needs it,” Evers said.
“Why me?” Holly asked.
“Because you’re pretty, you’re sweet, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and you’re not afraid of hard work. It takes a strong woman to live out here in the Border Lands. Not every woman can survive. We’ll do all the hard work, but that still leaves a good bit for a woman to have to do out here.” Evers reached out and touched her arm with the tip of his finger and trailed it down until he was able to cup it in her hand.
She looked at where their hands touched. A spark of awareness flared to life there. She smiled then slowly pulled away. Two men? She’d heard Mr. and Mrs. Johnson talk about that sometimes when they hadn’t realized she and her sisters had been listening, but she hadn’t really thought about what that meant. Could she allow herself to be shared by two men?
“What do you think?” Evers asked.
“I—I don’t know. I’ve never heard of such a thing before,” she said.
“We’ll be leaving here once the snow lets up some. If you’re coming w
ith us, you’ll need to pack your stuff, and we’ll need to build a sled to carry it. We’re not too far from here, but it’s long enough that we would need to start early one morning so we can take plenty of rest breaks.”
“How long do I have before I need to give you an answer?” she asked.
“Twenty-four hours tops,” he said.
“Not much time.”
“It’s all we have. Another storm will soon be on the way.”
Holly looked down at the sheet she was washing and gave it a good scrub. When she looked back up to ask him another question it was to find him gone. How had he slipped away without her hearing him?
She had a lot to think about. Could she leave her sisters? She knew they’d be safe with the Johnsons. Surely she would be able to visit them occasionally since they lived so close. She needed to ask that before she made up her mind. Then she also needed to think if she could handle two men in her life.
In her bed.
Chapter Four
“Snow’s clearing off now,” Evers said.
“How long until the next storm comes?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“Hard to tell right now. They usually come through pretty regular after the first snow. You know just as much as we do. We’re only about six hours from you here. Little farther north so we might get more snow and colder temperatures, but not a lot,” Evers said.
“When you planning to head out?” Mr. Johnson asked.
Evers looked over at Holly. “Tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“Probably for the best. Don’t want to get caught in a snowstorm even for a couple of hours,” the older man said.
“Jessup and I want to ask for Holly’s hand in marriage,” Evers said.
Mr. Johnson’s head snapped up. “What?”
“She’s agreed to be our wife. We’ll take good care of her and she can visit anytime she wants to that we can get her here. We’ll make good husbands for her,” he said.
“Both of you? That ain’t natural,” he said.
“It’s normal nowadays,” Jessup said. “I know you must have heard that men don’t care if they have to kill a husband if it means being able to take a woman for themselves. Men are pairing up, even forming threesomes in some cases to one woman to keep her safe. The men who take these women use them hard. I know you wouldn’t want that kind of life for Holly,” Evers said.
“No, but she’s so young.”
“I’m twenty-five, Mr. Johnson. I’m old enough to know what I want, and I want to go with them. They’ve been nothing but kind and I might never have a chance like this again. Even you guys have said that good men are hard to find in the world these days. You have to admit that Jessup and Evers have been good men since they’ve been here,” Holly said, hurrying over to the older man.
“Holly, are you sure you know what you’re getting into? You haven’t been around a man before. Two men? I don’t know. You need to talk to Mrs. Johnson,” he said.
“I have talked to her. She said she supports me with whatever I want to do,” Holly said.
He hung his head then looked up at Evers. “Fine. If this is what she wants, then I’ll give my blessing. You have to promise to bring her back come spring for a visit once you have your crops in the ground,” he said.
“We promise,” Evers said.
“Holly, go pack what you want to bring. Evers and I will go work on that sled. Remember to carry as much warm stuff as possible. We will come back and get your summer wear come spring,” Jessup said.
Holly hurried to the stairs to find her sisters hanging on the railing listening to the conversation.
“Is it true? You’re leaving us?” Lucille asked with tears trailing down her cheeks.
“I told you she was,” Amanda said.
“I’m getting married. I’ll still see you.”
“There’s no getting married anymore. You’re just living with them. With two of them,” Amanda snapped.
“Don’t be like this, Mandy. I care about them and I think they care about me. We’re going to have a family and you guys can come and visit, too. Please be happy for me,” Holly pleaded.
“I’m going to miss you, Holly. Who’s going to help me with putting up beans and tomatoes?” Lucille asked.
“You’ll be fine, Lucy. Both of you will be fine. Please don’t cry.” Holly couldn’t stop her own tears from flowing as her sisters broke down around her.
It took her twice as long as she thought it would to pack up her meager belongings. As it was, she was able to pack some of her spring clothes with her winter clothes since she planned to wear several layers of clothes to travel in. By the time she had everything bundled up, the guys were waiting to carry it downstairs for her.
Jessup carried it outside and fastened it on the sled. They would get up before sunrise and eat a quick breakfast then be on their way. She hugged the Johnsons good-bye, telling the boys they were to look after her sisters, then she hugged her sisters in case they didn’t get up with her the next day.
Amanda wasn’t talking to her, but Lucille made her promise again and again that she’d come back to visit come spring.
“I’m going to come find you if you don’t come back,” she cried as they climbed into bed that night.
“I know, Lucy girl. I’ll come back.”
Holly tossed and turned until Amanda made Lucy get between them. After a while, she managed to settle down, but still couldn’t sleep. It wouldn’t be long before she’d have to get up and fix their breakfast before their trip. Was she making the right decision? It was too late now to back out. They’d made the sled and fastened all her things to it. Besides, she’d said yes. That meant something, right?
She wondered what the guys were thinking as she finally drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
Early the next morning Holly dressed in one layer of clothes and carried the second layer downstairs with her. She laid it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs then quietly started the coffee and breakfast. Five minutes later the guys walked in already dressed.
“Morning, love,” Jessup said and kissed her on the cheek.
Evers kissed her other cheek and said “morning” in a gruff voice. She wondered if maybe he wasn’t a morning person, but then decided that he just hadn’t slept well since he hadn’t seemed like that the other mornings since they’d been there.
“We folded up our blankets and left them on the couch,” Jessup said.
“That’s fine. Thanks.” She poured up the coffee, straining the grounds through cloth. “Here you go.”
The men sipped at the coarse brew and nodded. “Thanks.”
She quickly made up a breakfast of scrambled eggs and thick cut bacon. After cleaning up she dressed in her second layer of clothes then pulled on her coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. She felt stiff trying to move, but soon got the hang of walking in the thick clothing.
“How are you doing?” Jessup asked after they’d been walking for about twenty minutes.
“I’m good. Snow’s not too deep here,” she said.
“It won’t be as long as we’re under the protection of the trees. It will get a lot deeper once we move out into the open. That’s when we’ll need to stay close to each other to be sure we don’t lose you in a snow drift,” Jessup said.
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked.
“No, he’s not. You’re barely five feet tall, honey. Some of the snow drifts with the kind of wind we’ve had over the last few days could be as tall as six feet. Stick close to us.”
“I will. I don’t fancy becoming a popsicle.”
Jessup chuckled and squeezed her before walking ahead of her. They kept her in the middle, taking turns pulling the sled with it following behind her. By the time they’d walked for almost three hours, Holly’s legs were stiff and aching all over. She was beginning to stagger and the snow was getting deeper since the trees were thinning out.
“Can we stop for a few minutes, guys?” she called out.
Ev
ers was leading this time with Jessup pulling the sled behind her.
“She’s losing ground, Evers,” Jessup said.
“Over there by that copse of trees,” Evers said, turning them to where a semicircle of trees stood about twenty feet away.
Holly collapsed in the snow against a tree and sighed. She didn’t care that she was sitting in snow. Her legs were happy that her big ass wasn’t resting on top of them any longer.
“Let’s eat while we’re stopped,” Evers said.
Jessup pulled out a pouch from the sled and after pulling out some jerky handed it to Holly. She pulled out a piece then handed it to Evers. Evers took some and returned it to the sled. They chewed on the jerky without saying anything. Holly was honestly too tired to say much, and the guys were naturally quiet. She didn’t think they talked much. Probably from being on their own so much. Well, once they got to where they were going, that would end. She talked. Maybe not a lot like Lucille, but she liked to hold conversations.
She thought back to when they’d been at the house. There hadn’t been much opportunity to talk but she remembered that they hadn’t said much. She sure hoped that had been because they hadn’t been alone for very long at a time. If they were going to make their relationship work, they needed to be able to talk about things.
With that worry foremost in her mind, she missed it when the guys stood. Jessup held out his hand and stared at her as if she were crazy.
“What?” she asked.
“I asked if you’re all right. We’re ready to get going again and you’re just sitting there,” Jessup said.
“Sorry. I was thinking.” She took his proffered hand and let him pull her to her feet.
Her legs trembled but thankfully she managed to stay on her feet. Putting one leg in front of the other was another story. She staggered for the first twenty minutes before working the stiffness out and managing to walk a straighter path between the two men. Once they were in the wide open, Jessup had stopped them and tied a length of rope on to her with the ends fastened to him and the sled, so they wouldn’t lose her in the deep drifts.
