by Marla Monroe
They loaded up the camper with their finds and decided to make one more stop. They passed by several stores until they came to a sporting goods store. Here they added supplies for the camper and a good winter coat for each of them. There were shells for the rifle, but none for the shotgun or the handgun.
It was close to three now. Kate had just handed the last of the supplies up to Mike to load in the truck when movement caught her attention to the left. She swung her head and nearly screamed. There, not fifteen feet away, stood two wolves.
“Kate, don’t move.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” she whispered back.
They stood there for several long minutes, waiting to see what the wolves were going to do. Kate’s legs were beginning to shake. Fear was getting the best of her.
“Mike? I can’t stand here much longer. I’m going to start shaking all over.”
“Easy, Kate. I’ve unlocked the doors to the truck. I want you to walk toward the driver’s side because it is closer to you. Don’t run! Walk slowly. Climb in and crank the truck and pull out of the parking lot.”
Kate swallowed around the knot in her throat. She could do this. All she needed to do was walk a few feet ahead. She slowly put one foot in front of the other and took a step forward. The wolves didn’t move. She made another step, and they still didn’t move. By the time she was within grabbing distance of the door handle, she was soaking wet with sweat and shaking like a leaf. She risked a glance in their direction and nearly cried out. They’d moved closer to her.
“Easy, Kate. Just climb up in the truck. The keys are on the seat. I put them through the back window.”
Kate slowly lifted her arm and grabbed the door handle. She opened the door and the wolves started toward her.
“Kate! Get in the fucking truck!”
She climbed in the truck pulling the door closed behind her. She fumbled with the keys, trying to get them in the lock when the first wolf struck the door. Kate screamed and dropped the keys. Mike slid through the sliding window and slammed it shut. They both reached for the keys. Mike came up with them and shoved them in the starter.
“Go, Kate!” She started the truck, slammed it into drive, and floored it.
The wolves chased them all the way out of the parking lot and down the road before they gave up.
“Slow down, Kate, before we have a wreck. It’s all right now, Kate. Slow down.”
She slowed the truck down and finally stopped in the middle of the road. Her heart was in her throat along with the blasted knot now. She couldn’t catch her breath.
“It’s okay, Kate. Breathe through your nose so you don’t hyperventilate.” Mike was the voice of calm, but she’d seen his face turn white, so she knew he’d been as scared as she had been.
“I want to go home, Mike.” Kate couldn’t unclench her fingers from the steering wheel.
“Change seats with me and we will.” He climbed out of the passenger side and walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door.
He had to help her unwrap her hands from the wheel then push her over to the other side of the truck. He turned them around toward home, and Kate began to calm down the closer they got to the house. She wasn’t sure she would ever be warm again, though. Ice ran through her veins at the realization that they could have been killed. She hadn’t even been that scared when she’d nearly been abducted all those times.
As soon as they pulled into the front yard, she climbed out of the cab of the truck and ran inside the house. Mike chuckled behind her.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Mike Shaw! You could have been killed if you hadn’t been able to get through that window when you did.”
“It’s okay now, Kate. Let’s unload so we can get to bed. I’m tired. I know you are, too.”
They spent the next two hours unloading everything. It was dark by the time they finished. She let Mike put things up while she fixed them something to eat. After dinner, they each took a quick bath and went straight to bed. Kate lay awake long enough to pray that she wouldn’t dream about the wolves. Then she fell into a dreamless sleep.
* * * *
Summer soon turned to fall, and Kate worked from sunup to sundown every day harvesting and canning everything possible. Mike had found a stash of blackberries, and she put up jelly as well as the vegetables from the garden. She fell into bed each night totally exhausted but pleased.
Much to her disdain, though, Mike had made friends with several of the other settlers around the area, including two households of men. Everyone thought they were married, which suited Kate just fine. She wasn’t attracted to any of them. If she were interested in anyone it would be Marcus and Bruce, but they were off-limits.
“What do you think about Roy and Evan? They’re real hard workers. Their place is in great shape,” Mike asked her after he’d been over to borrow their ax for the day.
“No. I don’t like them. They’re loud and rowdy.”
Mike huffed out a breath and walked off without saying anything. Disgust filled her at the thought of any of the men she’d met touching her. She just couldn’t see herself with any of them. Mike was quickly losing patience with her, she knew, but she still didn’t see why they couldn’t continue as they were.
There was a knock at the door. Assuming it would be one of the men her husband had befriended, she opened the door to find Bruce standing on the front porch.
“Don’t you look before you open a door? How do you know it’s not a total stranger?”
“Kate, tell me you didn’t just open the door without looking!” Mike stormed into the living room.
“You have people over here all the time. I assumed it was one of them.” She frowned at Bruce and stomped off.
She heard the other man warning Mike to teach her to be more careful. She didn’t stick around to hear what else he had to say about her. She was pissed because he had been right. She shouldn’t have opened the door at all. The other men had warned Mike that strangers had been seen in the area lately.
She busied herself in the kitchen while Mike talked to Bruce out on the front porch. She had no idea what they were talking about, but when Mike returned nearly an hour later, he was smiling.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Bruce and Marcus have cattle. We’re going to trade with them for a half a side of beef.”
“What are we going to trade?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine what they had that the other men didn’t.
“They need some of their clothes mended, and I promised you would cook them a full meal.”
“You did what?” She couldn’t believe he’d bartered her services without asking her.
“Kate, they need their clothes tended to and haven’t had a decent cooked meal in years. Since their wife died. We need the meat.”
“Fine.” She needed to get used to the fact that he was making the decisions. It just irked her not to have any say in anything.
“Bruce said they would drop off some things to be fixed tomorrow. If I’m outside, please be sure it’s one of them before you open the door.”
“I will. When am I supposed to cook this meal for them?”
“I thought we would have them over at the end of the week. Supposed to start getting cold after that,” Bruce said. “We’ll need to start getting things ready for the snows.” Mike hugged her. “What do you think about them, Kate?”
“They’re nice enough, but they’re still grieving for their wife.”
“I think they’ve started looking around for another woman now. At least that’s the feeling I’ve gotten when we’ve talked.”
“I’m not going to throw myself on them, so get that out of your head.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, Kate.”
“Good, because I’m not desperate for a husband. I’m happy like I am.”
Mike sighed and shook his head. “You’re going to have to choose someone soon, Kate. With these strangers in the area, I’m getting worried.”
<
br /> “I keep the pistol in my reach all the time, Mike. I can shoot what I aim for.”
“Yeah, I know, but you might not have time to reach for it. These guys are pretty slick, according to the other men.” Mike pursed his lips. “I can’t help but be worried, Kate.”
“I know, Mike.” She sighed. “Just see how things go this winter.”
Mike shook his head and headed for his bedroom. Kate finished up in the kitchen and walked to hers. She could see that the worry and strain had aged her brother beyond his twenty-four years. He had lines around his mouth, and he only seemed to smile now when he was around his new friends.
She lay awake in bed a long time, thinking about her plight. Should she pick one of the sets of men and let her brother go? Could she handle being married to two men she didn’t love? Then she thought about Bruce and Marcus. She was attracted to them, for some reason. Maybe it was because they’d been so careful of her when they’d saved her that day in Barter Town.
Finally, after turning it all around in her head over and over, she fell asleep and dreamed of the two men.
Chapter Five
Saturday night Bruce and Marcus pulled into Mike and Kate’s drive and parked behind their truck. Bruce was looking forward to a real home-cooked meal complete with meat and a dessert. He wasn’t looking forward to being around Kate when he was attracted to her. It would be hell to handle, but Bruce would enjoy every torturous minute of it. She starred in his dreams each night and was the face he jacked off to each day.
He didn’t feel bad about it since she was already married to Mike and there was no chance of there being anything between them. He knew Marcus felt the same way. They’d finally come to grips with the attraction. As long as they didn’t act on it, there was nothing wrong with it. At least that is what Bruce told himself.
“Hey, guys. Come on in. Kate has dinner almost ready.” Mike had the door open by the time they had gotten out of the truck.
“How are you doing, Mike?” Marcus asked, shaking his hand.
“Fine. We’re glad you’re here.”
They stood in the living area talking until Kate walked into the room wiping her hands on her apron and called them to the table. Bruce could already taste the roast and potatoes. It looked delicious. She’d filled the table full of good things, and he smelled what he thought was blackberry cobbler around it all.
Kate was silent through the meal, but smiled when they told her how good everything was. He could honestly say he hadn’t had a meal that good in years. He hated to say it, but even their Irene hadn’t cooked anything this good.
When she brought the blackberry cobbler to the table, Bruce figured he’d died and gone to heaven.
“This is the best meal I’ve had in a very long time,” Marcus told her.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I have containers so you can take the leftovers home with you for another meal.”
“That’s mighty thoughtful of you, ma’am,” Bruce said.
“Kate, please. I feel old when you call me ma’am.”
“Kate. Thanks for fixing our clothes, too. We hated to get new ones when these just needed buttons or a tear sewn up.”
“Let’s sit in the other room, and you can fill me in on what I need to know about this winter.” Mike led them back into the living room.
Bruce watched Kate get up and gather the dishes. He felt like he should help, but followed Mike instead.
They explained about the heavy snows and the need to keep it from piling up against the doors. Mike listened intently to them latching on to every word. He is so young. Bruce worried that he was too young to properly take care of Kate, but it wasn’t his business.
It wasn’t long before they called it a night and said good-bye. They loaded the box of leftovers into the truck and headed home. The sight of Mike and Kate waving them off on the front porch struck him as odd. They weren’t hugging, and now that he thought about it, they rarely touched. He shook the thought away as again being none of his business.
Once they had unloaded the food and put it away, they called it a night. Bruce climbed into the shower thinking about Kate and her doe-colored eyes. He could imagine them bright with passion and heavy with desire. His cock had been hard the entire time they’d been there. He had worried that Mike would notice and know that they were thinking about his wife.
The hot water from their gas heater felt good against the evening chill in the house. He quickly cleaned up then sighed at the sight of his cock, still hard as a rock. The damn thing ached he was so hard.
Bruce grasped it at the base of the thick stalk and squeezed then ran his hand up and over the bulbous mushroom head and back down once again. His balls tightened in anticipation. He tugged on his dick as he thought about Kate’s luscious red lips. They would stretch wide to accommodate his cock in her mouth.
Bruce wanted to sink his fingers in her hair and hold her still as he pumped his cock into her mouth. She’d moan around him and drive him crazy with the sound. He pulled on his cock a little faster now as his cum began to boil in his balls.
“Fuck.” He let it slip out as he thought about her nicely rounded ass and how much he wanted to bury his cock deep in her tight hole.
He pumped his hand up and down his throbbing dick, feeling the burn begin in his spine that let him know he was close. All it took was a few more pulls and thoughts of her swallowing his cock down her throat to send his cum shooting against the shower wall. His ass cheeks clenched as he stood on his toes, feeling as if he would explode.
Bruce caught himself against the ceramic-tiled wall and struggled to catch his breath. His legs were weak, he’d come so hard. The water began to cool, so he quickly cleaned up and shut it off. He pulled on thermals since it was cold in the house. He normally slept nude, but not in the winter. When he climbed into bed, he thought about how it would be to sleep with Kate between him and Marcus.
He shook his head at the thought. It wasn’t going to happen, so he needed to stop letting his mind think about it.
He lay there for over an hour trying to think of something besides how much he wanted to fuck Mike’s wife or watch Marcus fuck her. Finally, he gave in and let himself sink into an erotic dream that starred Kate.
* * * *
Kate finished washing clothes and set them aside so she could rest for a few minutes before she went outside to hang them up. Mike had warned her they probably only had another couple of days of sun before the snow set in. Hard to believe it would snow considering it was still fairly nice during the day. Yes, it got cold at night, but not unbearably cold.
Mike was out turning the garden one last time. He promised to be in by lunchtime. She had soup ready to warm up on the stove. She knew better than to trust his sense of time.
As she picked up the clothes to hang out, her mind wandered toward their neighbors, Marcus and Bruce. They had been perfect gentlemen the night before and had honestly seemed to enjoy her meal. She was glad. They had been good to them and a wealth of knowledge for Mike. It didn’t hurt that they were easy to look at either. Both men were big, but not overly so. She bet their wife had been well cared for.
She frowned. Where had that thought come from? You don’t need to be thinking like that about them. They’re still in mourning for her. She smiled at the idea someone would ever love her enough to mourn for her for two years.
Kate set the tub with the wet clothes on the table under the clothesline and began hanging clothes on the line. She thought she heard something behind her, but when she turned to look, there was nothing there. She fingered the gun in the pocket of her jacket.
Finally, she turned back around and went back to work with the clothes. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, slapping a hand over her mouth. She struggled, but couldn’t get her hand to her pocket to get at the gun. A man walked around in front of her and smiled.
“Looks like we’ve got us a keeper, Jim. She’s a little plump, but that just makes her healthy.”
The one h
olding her chuckled with his face against the side of hers. She shoved her head back and hit him in the chin. He cursed and jerked her back against him. The other man just laughed.
“You do that again, woman, and I’m going to make you wish you hadn’t.”
The man holding her relaxed his grip on her mouth, and she bit him then screamed when he let go of her.
“Fucking bitch!” He turned her around and backhanded her across the face. It knocked her to the ground.
She scrambled to get away, but both men were on her in an instant. Then one of the men was pulled off of her. She fought the one still holding her and saw Mike fighting the first man. He was so much bigger than Mike. Kate was scared for him. Then she was too busy fighting the second man to watch Mike.
She could hear the sounds of fists hitting flesh, but she didn’t know who was winning. Instead, she was busy trying to keep the second man from choking her and reaching for her gun at the same time.
The second man made the mistake of thinking he’d subdued her and pulled back. She used the opportunity to reach for the gun only to hear the deafening sound of another gun going off. She turned just in time to see Mike grab his chest and sink to the ground.
“No!” she screamed.
The first man aimed to shoot him again, but Kate had her gun out and fired almost in the same motion. The other man dropped his gun and sank to his knees. Blood blossomed from his lower chest. She fired again and again before the second man managed to wrestle the gun from her. He stuck it in his pants and slapped her.
“He’s dead, you bitch! I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.” He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. Then he slammed her against the side of the house.
Suddenly the sound of hoofbeats could be heard despite the roaring from the gun in her ears. The man jerked his head around and pulled her gun from his pants pointing it in the general direction the sound was coming from.
Marcus and Bruce appeared out of the woods riding horses. She grabbed the man’s hand and bit his shoulder to keep him from aiming at the two men. He yelped and turned around to hit her, but there was another gunshot. He grabbed his arm and turned around to face Bruce.
