by Redrae Gunn
Tony grabbed a beer out of the fridge and pulled a stool next to the window so he could sit and watch. He had seen Jace pissed off before. This was Jace pissed off but it was also Jace trying to solve the problem.
Jace hated skunks. Hated them. Killed them on sight. Jace had been sprayed when he was younger. Not one or twice, but three separate times. Jace hated the smell. Couldn’t stand it. Now he was trying to control that anger and save his beautiful Jenna from the smell. He just was doing it rather aggressively, and Tony was completely turned on by the ordeal. Jenna’s hard nipples from the cold water, her shrieks, and her screams, were only adding to Tony’s excitement. He knew that it was twisted of him but he couldn’t help the arousal that the dark man felt.
Jace took the shampoo to Jenna. It lathered nicely in his hands and he soaped her down. He made sure that he got every fold on her body. He hated skunk smell. He grabbed the brush and started at her feet. He wasn’t scrubbing hard but the brush left her skin red and he could tell where he needed to scrub more and what areas were clean. He hosed her off again despite her screams and pleading.
“Where are you going?” Jenna asked when Jace rolled up the hose.
“Inside,” Jace said. “I need to clean your chair.”
“What about me?” Jenna said as she tugged at the rope.
“Drip dry,” Jace said and he went inside the house.
Tony heard Jace come inside but Jace was too focused on throwing Jenna’s chair out of the house to notice him. Tony watched as Jenna shook her wet hair from her face and looked up at the rope. He grabbed another beer. This was going to be good.
* * * *
Jenna pulled against the rope and knew that pulling wasn’t going to help her get free. She needed to be able to undo the knot. If she could just get her teeth on the end loop of the knot it looked like the entire thing would come undone. The problem was getting her teeth to the end of the rope. Jenna glanced at the ground and then up at the pole.
Jenna swung her legs so that they crossed on either side of the pole. She reached her head toward the knot and pulled. The knot fell away and she released her feet from the bar. She touched her feet to the ground and pulled against the rope. No good. He had secured her again. Jenna pulled her feet around her hands and locked them onto the bar. She slid them forward until her knees were latched and then she swung back and forth until she had enough momentum and was sitting atop the bar.
Jenna used her teeth to pull at the rope, and though it took at least five minutes she remained steady and determined. Finally she was free. She stomped into the house and went downstairs. She showered in the men’s shower. She used their soap, shampoo, and conditioner. She grabbed Jace’s towel from the hook and went upstairs. She was still fuming.
Jace watched Jenna walk through the kitchen and into her room wearing his towel. He growled and grabbed her. He pulled her back outside and stripped his towel off of her. He shoved her outside and shut the door, locking it.
Tony was going to say something to Jace but he could see Jenna stomping through the driveway and headed to Jace’s shop. This was not going to end well. He grabbed another beer and sat on her bed as he watched her get into Jace’s truck on the driver side. She pulled the truck into the driveway and must’ve had the heat on high because she was combing her hair out while it blowed from the air in the vents.
“That does it!” Jace said as he looked out the window of the guest room.
“Dude.” Tony laughed. “Stop being mean.”
“I’m not!” Jace yelled as he ran out the door and pulled a now nearly dry Jenna from his truck.
“This is not over,” Jenna yelled when Jace set her inside of her bedroom and shut the door.
“I hate that smell, Jenna,” Jace said as he held the door shut when she tried to open it.
“So do I,” Jenna said. “I was trying to figure out how to get rid of it.”
“You should’ve never been sprayed in the first place.” Jace growled. “What were you doing? Chasing pretty black and white striped kittens?”
Jenna choked on her tears. Did Jace really think that she was that stupid and naïve? She had learned so much from both of them. Granted, she hadn’t grown up here, but she was learning. She was trying and, no, she hadn’t been chasing kittens. She had been using a chainsaw to clear their neglected tree line. Jenna locked her door.
She saw the handle turn as Jace released it. She changed into her warm pajamas because there was no way that she was sleeping between them tonight. Not with Jace acting like a pecking chicken. She looked at her computer and plugged in her headphones. She switched to the sound of them snoring and then had an idea.
Jenna placed her order online and had the devices shipped overnight. She wasn’t worried about the cost. She was so embarrassed and hurt that she could hardly breathe. She was finally able to concentrate on the snoring and fell asleep.
* * * *
It was T-minus three days until her parent’s arrived and Jenna was up early. She had set out breakfast and left a note on the table. She went to the corral and saddled up Strydor. There was work to be done. Jenna attached the little cart to Strydor and with his help they were able to maneuver it out of the trees. She dropped the load by the log splitter that looked like it hadn’t been used in years and then she grabbed the full saddle bags and set off toward the old corral and didn’t look back at the house.
* * * *
“Chickens are fed, horses are watered, there’s a load of laundry on the line,” Tony said as he came in from making the rounds. He refilled his coffee and finished his breakfast. Jenna had left a note that said she was doing chores and would see them both tonight.
“Strydor?” Jace asked.
“He’s nowhere to be seen,” Tony said. “But that’s normal for him.”
“I was a little hard on her.” Jace finally admitted it.
“A little?” Tony asked. “I could’ve got off on the pressure of the hose that you applied to her and the way you scrubbed her body.”
“I hate skunks,” Jace said. “I’m sorry, though.”
“Not yet you’re not,” Tony said as he raised his eyebrows. “If there is one thing that I’ve learned with Jenna it’s that she is fair. She had gotten sprayed, yes. But you humiliated her and then insulted her by implying that she was stupid. This won’t end here.”
“I was trying to help.” Jace sighed.
“Yeah, right,” Tony scoffed. “You tied her to a pole and hosed her off. You didn’t even dry her off. You towel down even the horses. You sucked yesterday and I didn’t sleep very well because of it.”
“Sorry,” Jace said as he frowned at his now empty plate. Jenna had made French toast and he really liked French toast.
* * * *
T-minus two days until Jenna’s parents arrived. Jenna had breakfast ready and on the table. When the men came in the kitchen she slipped out to the corral to give Strydor his morning apple. They had fixed some of the boards on the old corral and cleaned up the area inside. Jenna had heard Tony talking about using it to separate the mama cows and babies from the ones that hadn’t had babies. Since the men were still so busy haying she thought that the least she could do was nail the boards back into place.
This morning, though, she wasn’t going to be working. She ducked into Jace’s shop and set down the three little toys she had ordered the day that he had sprayed her with the hose. The remote controls went just far enough that she could maneuver the little beasts from her bedroom. The bad thing was that one remote could control all three so it kind of looked like they were all synchronized instead of randomly moving around.
Jenna came into the house and started to clear off the table. It looked like Jace was going to try to say something to her but she went to her room without waiting for him to get the words out. His silence hurt her more than when he was mean to her. She heard Jace swear and push away from the table. He stomped outside and Jenna waited on the end of her bed with the remote pointed out the win
dow toward his shop.
Jenna giggled when she saw him stop and tilt his head to the side. She wiggled the control on the remote and dove off the bed as he turned quickly and ran for the house. She heard Jace in his room yelling to Tony about skunks in the shop and then he was back out the porch door walking quickly toward the shop. Jenna grinned wickedly and she moved the remote. The creature backed into the garage and she waited until Jace was almost at the door.
Three skunks came walking out of the shop at a pretty good clip. Jenna wished that they would’ve moved faster because she had wanted them to actually run at Jace. If he would’ve listened he would’ve heard that they were meowing. Remote control skunks were pretty hard to come by so Jenna had to order fluffy black kittens. She had modified them with a perfect white stripe down their backs. Jace fired a well-aimed shot at the first skunk and Jenna turned the remaining two toward Jace.
Jace stepped back and fired again. Two down, one to go. The last one seemed to pick up speed as he aimed for it. He was just about to fire when he heard the strangled meows coming from the other two that he had shot. Both were still moving their legs and it looked like the one was going to get off of its side until its belly opened up and four double A batteries fell to the gravel.
Jace spun around to the house and he caught a glimpse of curly brown hair as Jenna dove off her bed and out of sight. Jace reached down and picked up the remaining kitten and turned it upside down. He slid the little button to the off position. He picked up all three of the toys and put them in the back of his truck. Then he stalked to the house.
“He’s probably going to kill you,” Tony said as he passed Jenna’s room. He had seen the entire thing from the front of the house. It had been hysterical. He was going to try to get Jace to leave it alone but he decided that Jenna was definitely holding her own. Jace had always used his size to get what he wanted and to intimidate people into getting his way. Jenna didn’t work that way and if Jace didn’t learn quickly Jenna was likely to school him on what was fair and how to apologize.
Jace put his gun away and went to Jenna’s room. She was sitting on her bed with the remote control beside her. Well, he couldn’t very well fault her for lying. She was all but admitting that it was all her fault with the smirk on her face.
“Shooting kittens, Jace?” Jenna asked.
Jace held up his finger to her and leaned forward. For some reason the intimidating look didn’t work on Jenna and she rolled her eyes at him. Jace searched his brain to call a truce but he couldn’t. Not with that cocky smirk on her face. He knew that they were even now. He knew that he had been wrong to be so rough with her and imply that she was stupid.
“You are grounded,” Jace said. He was sure that he was going to get slapped in the face at the way she stood up and took two quick steps toward him.
“I’m what?” Jenna asked slowly. She was giving him time to think and retract his statement.
“You. Are. Grounded.”
“I’m going to Kira’s today,” Jenna said. “We are going into town to get supplies.”
Jace went into the kitchen and pulled all of the keys from the hangers. “I’ll call Kira and tell her that you can’t make it and that you will call to reschedule for next week.”
Jace walked outside and to Tony’s waiting truck. He slid in the passenger side. Tony raised his eyebrows at him as he turned the truck down the driveway.
“Well?” Tony asked.
“I grounded her,” Jace said as he held up all the keys. He felt bad already.
“You are a fucking idiot,” Tony said. “I’m not sleeping alone tonight so you need to kiss and make up.”
“I tried,” Jace said. “The words didn’t come out and all I could think of was how much I wanted her in my arms and in my home.”
“So you grounded her?” Tony laughed. “I always knew that you were shitty with apologies but this has got to be some sort of a record. I want you to be with me for the rest of my life so I’m grounding you. Good call, Prince Charming.”
* * * *
Jenna had put the finishing touches on the banner and moved hay bales on each side of it. The road was effectively blocked. She smiled at her work and went inside to switch Jace’s laundry to the washer. She had started hanging Tony’s laundry on the line when she heard a vehicle at the end of the driveway.
“Ms. Talbot?” a voice called. “It’s Abe Long Feather from New Town. We met on the Fourth of July at Antelope Creek Bay.”
Jenna stayed out of sight, trying to remember. Abe called again as he held up the stick with the white flag that Jenna had set out by the road. It was supposed to be for Jace to use. Finally Jenna got a glimpse of the man and she came from around the side of the house.
“Do you usually call out like that when you pull up in the drive?” Jenna asked.
“I do,” Abe said. “Farm wives are heavily armed and I don’t want to be startling a strong woman who is just trying to go about her chores. From now on I’ll just yell out that it’s Abe Long Feather from New Town.”
“Okay,” Jenna said, trying to push her heart back to a normal pace. “It helps. I’ve gotten used to not seeing many people, if you can believe that.”
“I heard that you are from New York City,” Abe said.
Jenna offered him coffee and Abe nodded. She went to brew a fresh pot but Abe stopped her and seemed happy to just heat up what was left of the chocolate-covered cherry that she had made earlier. Jenna laughed when he took a sip and raised his eyes. She explained that it was one of Tony’s favorites and that she was introducing them to new things.
Abe asked about the banner and blockade in the driveway. Jenna explained and Abe looked like he was trying to stay serious but finally he laughed hard.
“They are good men,” Abe said. “I was actually coming by to make sure that they were still alive. The doctor in New Town hasn’t seen them come in since April and he figured that they were well overdue for some stitches.”
“Stitches?” Jenna asked.
“About every few months they end up cracking each other’s heads open or splitting each other’s lips.” Abe was still chuckling. “They call it a resolution of disputes.”
“They fight?” Jenna asked. “Each other?”
“Never in town, never at a bar,” Abe said. “Always here.”
“I’ve never seen them fight,” Jenna said. That news was a little bit of a shock. “Jace is way taller than Tony. Tony’s not small but Jace could really hurt Tony.”
“So you would think,” Abe said and rubbed his jaw. “Unfortunately for him Tony is much faster and usually ends up delivering most of the damage. They usually only get a few bruises, the occasional split eyebrow or knuckle. Anyway, that is the reason for my visit.”
Jenna raised her eyebrows. “Of course, Mr. Long Feather, the only reason for your visit is to check on two grown ogres who are overdue for their stitches.”
Abe chuckled. “Increased patrol. I’m also going to check on Tessa. There was a similar rape reported in Wyoming last month so we think that they have moved on.”
“I hope they get caught,” Jenna said. “I have seen extra officers come by. Sheriff Morgan comes from Watford City. I guess that some of his officers don’t want to come over this far. I’ve seen a couple of them, though. They like Jace and Tony. I’ve seen mostly New Town cars. They usually just pull in and then out once they see me. Or they honk if I’m working on the fence. It’s nice, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Abe said. He drained his coffee and stood to leave. “I’ve never been a fan of flavored coffee but that was pretty good.”
Jenna laughed as she walked him out to the road. She took the white flag with her and stuck it back in the barricade.
“Maybe the reason they haven’t been fighting with each other is because they’ve been too busy worrying about how to handle you,” Abe said as he looked at the banner and laughed.
“Probably,” Jenna said. She waved at Abe as he pulled away and the
n she went back to her laundry.
* * * *
“There’s a what?” Tony asked as he turned down the radio in his truck so he could hear.
Tony laughed when Abe started explaining the barricade in the driveway and the banner. They were going to be finished early today since the other field wasn’t close to being ready to be baled. Jace had already started back to the farm with the swather. If Tony hurried he would probably be at the farm the same time Jace saw the display.
Tony pushed the truck faster than he normally would while hauling a trailer full of bales, but this was too good. He pulled up just as Jace turned in the drive and stopped suddenly. Tony pulled his truck to the side of the road and hopped out. He walked behind Jace and read the spray-painted bed sheet that was suspended between two large tree limbs that had been dug into the ground like fence posts.
Dear noble Kings,
If I can’t get out then you can’t get in.
Sincerely,
The Queen
Tony noticed the white flag of surrender tied to a stick that was stuck in the bales that barricaded the road. He picked it up and offered it to Jace.
Jace started to laugh. He walked around the barricade and finally took the flag from Tony. He really did need to apologize. He had been an ass. He proudly held the flag above his head and made his way up the driveway.
“How did she move those bales?” Tony asked. “You took the keys to everything.”
“I have no idea.” Jace chuckled. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
Jenna had just finished making Jace’s bed when she heard him laugh and then saw him walk up the driveway holding the stick. She smiled. He had finally surrendered. She came out and stood on the step outside of the porch.
The sight of both of her men walking up the driveway made her heart flutter. They were both so handsome and muscular. She felt the stirring in her lower half and she knew that this little argument had definitely cost all three of them precious time making love. She hoped that they were in the mood, because she couldn’t wait. They had slept apart for long enough.
