by Marla Monroe
Men of the Border Lands 2
A Home with Them
When your two men are reluctant, do you give up, or do you try and seduce them? Jessie took matters into her own hands and went after the two men who’d cared for her for nearly five years. They needed a little pushing in her direction.
Wyatt and Kent weren’t sure Jessie was ready for their kind of love, but life in the Border Lands can be tough, and they all had to rely on each other to survive. Jessie convinces Kent that she’s ready for love, but Wyatt resists. What will it take to convince Wyatt of her love? When she’s stolen from them, he finds out just how much he loves her and wants her back where she belongs, at home with them.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science Fiction, Western/Cowboys
Length: 34,902 words
A HOME WITH THEM
Men of the Border Lands 2
Marla Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
A HOME WITH THEM
Copyright © 2011 by Marla Monroe
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-868-0
First E-book Publication: October 2011
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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A HOME WITH THEM
Men of the Border Lands 2
MARLA MONROE
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
Jessie cowered in the bathtub, squeezing as far back behind the shower curtain as she could get. She hadn’t shut the door, in hopes they wouldn’t think she was in there. She also left the shower curtain partially open, so they wouldn’t think to look further. It had worked in the past when they came looking for her. She hoped it would work again. She didn’t want to think of the consequences if they caught her.
She could hear the men rambling around, knocking things over, and tearing through the closet next to the bathroom. This was the second time they had come looking for her. Ever since the year of catastrophes, the world was in a mess. Governments had fallen after massive tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis had devastated the lands. Then came the plagues that left less than a third of the population in the United States alive.
Now it was called New America, and people fought each other for everything, most especially for females. There were very few left in the world, and a lot of major fights were centered around who possessed a female.
God, where are Wyatt and Kent? They’re going to find me this time. I just know it.
Jessie was sure her heart was beating loud enough they could hear it if they stopped making so much noise, and if not her heart, then her breathing. She couldn’t stop panting. It felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest, and she couldn’t draw in a full breath.
“She’s here. There has to be some secret room or something somewhere,” one of the men said.
How many were there? She had no idea, but at least two. If the men didn’t get back soon, she was going to be found. They rarely left her alone without at least one of them staying with her, but they had to work so they would have enough to eat in the next few days. They helped clear out buildings that were still standing but full of debris. In exchange, they received food coupons.
There was more stomping around in the other part of the little house they were living in. Then someone returned to the bathroom and jerked back the shower curtain. She screamed and tried to fight him. He yelled in triumph, then harrumphed in pain when her knee made contact with his groin.
“Bitch!” He grabbed her around the throat and dragged her out of the tub. “I got her, Joe.”
The other man ran into the bedroom with a nasty-looking grin on his face. “She’s a beaut, Sam. She’ll get us a good price.”
“I’m giving her a ride first,” Sam said.
Jessie couldn’t scream or do much of anything with his hand around her neck and Joe holding her arms. Where were Wyatt and Kent? She really needed them to come home now.
“Come on, we can fuck her once we get her home. Them boys will be back soon enough,” Joe said.
Sam let go of her throat and helped Joe tie her arms behind her back. Then he threw her over his shoulder and they headed toward the front of the house and the door. Try as she may, she couldn’t scream. All that would come out was a hoarse shout. Not that anyone would get involved when it came to a female, unless they wanted to fight for her.
Just as they reached the front door where they’d kicked it in, Wyatt and Kent walked up. Wyatt gave an enraged roar and attacked the second man while Kent went after Sam. The man dropped her hard on the floor and tried to defend himself, but Kent was much bigger and in better shape. They kicked the two men’s asses, but couldn’t kill them. Murder was punishable by death in New America. No jury or judge, just a swift bullet through the brain.
They picked the two men up and threw them in the back of their truck.
“
We catch you around here again and I just might make you disappear. No body means no death penalty,” Wyatt said with a growl in his voice.
Kent hurried over to where Jessie lay and untied her. He took one look at her throat and pulled her into his arms.
“Fuck, Wyatt, they choked her. She’s got handprints around her neck.” He picked her up and carried her back into the house and gently laid her on the couch.
“We can’t keep doing this, Kent. One day they, or someone else, are going to get her. We’ve got to go west. They say there’s land out there you can make a living off of. At least there aren’t as many people out there to protect her from.”
Jessie tried to speak, but her voice was so hoarse she gave up. Instead, she laid her head against Kent’s chest, wrapped in his arms. She knew she was a burden to them and wondered why they cared. They had always treated her like a kid sister. They’d grown up on the same street back in Kentucky. Now they lived in the next town. Theirs had been totally destroyed by a tornado and then a flood. She sighed and hoped they could figure something out. She didn’t think her luck would hold much longer.
* * * *
Kent sat at the opposite end of the couch and pulled Jessie’s feet in his lap. He shook his head at the condition of the front door. It would be impossible to repair it this time. They’d need a new door, and that cost credits. Wyatt was right. They had to do something else. Living here wasn’t working.
“Who do we know that has been out west? We need to have some idea of what we’re doing before we take off.”
Wyatt nodded his head. “David Langston has been out west. I don’t know how far, but we can talk to him.”
“Then let’s go talk to him. He’ll understand what we have to do. He lost his daughter to the black market.”
“Now is as good a time as any. Come on. Jessie is going with us. I’m not letting her out of our sight from now on.” Wyatt eased from behind Jessie then helped her stand up.
“Feel like a short walk, Jessie?”
“Yes,” she whispered in a hoarse voice.
Kent gritted his teeth at her obvious pain. They had nothing to give her for it, either. He led the way through the splintered front door and down the street to where David lived. He still had his original house and shared it with two young teens he had taken under his wing.
He knocked at the door and waited for someone to answer the door. They could hear footsteps coming down the hall. David himself opened the door after checking through the window.
“Kent, Jessie, Wyatt. Come on in. What can I do for you?” He led them into the living room and offered them a seat.
“We need some information about the west lands,” Kent said.
“They’re called the Border Lands once you get past the Kansas area,” the other man said. “Why do you want to know about them?”
“We need to know what to expect, and the best way to get there. We can’t stay here anymore. They almost got Jessie today. They hurt her. Look at her throat.” Wyatt pulled her hair back from her neck so David could see.
“Aw, hell, man.” He let out a deep breath and nodded. “I guess you’re right. I don’t like it, but you don’t really have much of a choice. I’d go with you and show you the way, but I can’t leave the boys here, and I’m not getting any younger.”
“We wouldn’t expect you to. We just need all the information you can give us.” Kent hoped they were making the right decision.
“You’re going to need to take everything of worth that you can with you to barter for food along the way. They don’t use food coupons out there. You can raid some of the towns on the way for canned goods if there are any left. Just be aware that wild animals, especially wolves, have taken up residence in the bigger cities. They make dens in the open buildings.”
David sat with them for over two hours telling them what to expect. Then he got out a map and drew the course they needed to take to avoid some areas and pass through some of the safer towns where people still lived.
“Once you get deeper into the Border Lands, you can squat at a homestead where no one is living and take up residence. You will need to clean the place up quick and start a garden as soon as you arrive so you’ll have food for the winter. Gather up any cattle and chickens you can get hold of. You can also get wild game out of the woods out there. I don’t know what more I can tell you.” David handed Kent the folded map.
“You’ve told us more than enough. We’ll start packing up early tomorrow and head out. Anyplace has to be better than here,” Wyatt said.
“Just remember you’re going to be living real primitive out there. You will likely not have electricity and have to use a well for water.”
“We’ll prepare ourselves.” Kent stood up and shook David’s hand.
“You take good care of your woman there, boys. She’s precious and worth anything it takes to keep her safe.”
“We know. We plan to take good care of her.” Wyatt shook his hand and ushered them back to the front door.
They heard the locks turn behind them once they were outside. It was just before getting dark.
“We need to hurry home and board up the door as best as we can.” Wyatt led with Jessie between them.
Kent went over everything in his head, making plans for what they needed to pack up and how they were going to fit it all in their truck. It would be a tough fit. Maybe they could add to it once they found a city to scavenge.
He was worried about the primitive aspect of the Border Lands. They were used to living with electricity and running water. Even though a lot of places did without, they still had it there. They also had fresh food from the supply trucks that came through. They weren’t used to roughing it.
He got a great idea. They could use a U-Haul truck. There were several outside of town at an old service station. Surely they could trade their truck for one if there was anyone even claiming them. It was a fairly new truck in great condition with very few miles on it. They saved gas by walking almost everywhere they went.
He waited until they were safely inside with the door nailed shut and the couch in front of it before relaying his thoughts to the others.
“That’s a good idea. We can fit a lot of stuff in one and add whatever we scavenge along the way.” Wyatt placed a kiss on Jessie’s forehead and urged her to go lie down for a while.
“I’m going to take the truck and see if I can swap it tonight. We need to get packed up in the morning and get on the road,” Kent said.
“You be careful. It’s not safe out there, at night especially.”
“I will be. I should be back within the hour.”
Kent went out the back door and circled around to the truck. He cranked it and pulled out of the drive, heading to the service station and the U-Hauls. It took all of ten minutes to get across town. When he pulled into the service station, no one came out to greet him. In fact, the place looked in bad shape. He climbed out of his truck and walked around, looking for a sign that anyone took care of the place.
The windows were all broken, and there didn’t appear to be anything much left worth taking in the place. He combed the inside for keys and found a box with them jumbled up in it. He took the entire box out to the parking lot where the trucks were parked. It took a good twenty minutes before he found a key that fit the largest of the trucks. It cranked right up. He checked the gas gauge and found it was half-full. He pulled up to the pump and attempted to turn the electricity on. It flickered inside, but the pumps turned on. He filled the tank, then grabbed one of the trailers and hooked it to the back.
After turning off the electricity again, he emptied everything from his truck into the U-Haul and scavenged everything from the other trucks he could find. Then he climbed back into the truck and drove toward home and his family.
Wyatt was watching for him when he drove up in the front of the house. He backed the truck up to the front door and locked the truck before circling around back to go in the back door.
“Have any
trouble?”
“Not a soul around. I think we need to grab a couple of hours sleep, then pack up and leave before dawn,” Kent said.
“I agree. People see us loading up and they’re liable to try and take everything from us.” Wyatt looked around at the house. “There really isn’t that much we need to load. There will be a few pieces of furniture. I think we need to take the mattresses so we have somewhere to sleep on the way.”
“What are we going to do about Jessie, Wyatt?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s old enough to know we want her. It’s been hell all these years living with her and not being with her.” Kent ran a hand over his head.
“Hell, I don’t know. She’s made overtures and pranced around half-naked often enough. I’m just not sure she’s ready for both of us.”
“I vote we see how things progress as we travel. One thing is for sure. If we are questioned, she’s our woman. We’ve got to be sure she knows that as well.”
Wyatt nodded and followed Kent upstairs to the bedrooms. They slept on either side of Jessie’s room. Kent had wanted her since the day she turned sixteen. That had been over five years ago, just after things had begun to settle down from the plagues. She had been left without any family, and he and Wyatt had stepped in and taken her with them. She hadn’t questioned and didn’t seem to regret it at all.
Wyatt wanted her just as much as Kent did, but he was older and felt more responsible for her. He didn’t want to take advantage of her because they were her guardians, so to speak. Kent wasn’t sure that he felt like a guardian to her. All he knew was that she was beautiful.
