“That was amazing,” she said. “Why didn’t you do that before?” It was a fair question, and one she had been curious about. Everything she’d heard and read on the mail order site suggested that the brides needed to understand that they were bought and paid for, and that the men, though they were wedded and considered equal partners under American law, would have certain expectations of their new wives. These expectations included household duties and sex. The site had advised the women posting their profiles to understand that a mail order marriage was mutually beneficial; they would get passage to America and the opportunity to build a new, successful life. Their husbands would expect something in return.
“I wanted you to know that I respect you,” Russell replied. “I didn’t bring you here to make you a concubine, or a slave. From the moment I saw your picture on the site, I knew we were meant to be; the fact that it happened to be a mail order bride site, well, that was just how it had to happen, I guess.”
He stroked the space between her breasts, and they both knew she was enjoying it from the erectness of her nipples. She felt her skin break out into gooseflesh as he placed his palm on her breast, lightly squeezing her right nipple.
“I want to fuck you every night, forever,” he whispered as he drifted off to sleep. Svetlana lay awake for another hour, imagining the dishes in the sink but not wanting to move. Eventually, she found her way to a deep sleep as well.
Chapter Four
“Svetlana! Come here! I need your help!” Raymond’s voice boomed through the house and Svetlana ran to the door. The view she took in burned into her eyes. Raymond was holding Russell, who was staggering toward the house, barely able to stand. Blood poured from his side, which he was covering with his hand. He was pale, passing out. “Call an ambulance!” Raymond yelled, forgetting it was impossible for Svetlana to both come and help and call the ambulance at the same time. She opted to call the ambulance first. She quickly called 911 and explained that they needed an ambulance at the Brothers R Ranch, the main house, absolutely right now. She had to repeat herself to the operator twice because, in her haste and speed, her accent was too thick for the woman on the other end of the line to understand.
“Ambulance, now, Brothers R Ranch,” she repeated slowly. “Please!” She hung up the phone and ran to Russell and Raymond, still standing in the yard. Svetlana helped Raymond bring Russell to the kitchen, where they laid him down on the floor.
“What happened?” she cried as she assessed Russell’s condition. She grabbed a stack of towels from the clean laundry and brought them to Russell, pressing them against his side.
“He was reaching in to fix a jam in the feeder,” Raymond said, shaking his head. “Can’t believe it didn’t tear his arm off. Where’s that fucking ambulance?”
“Russ, can you hear me?” Svetlana ignored Raymond and spoke directly to Russell, whose eyes were half open in a haze of shock and pain. “Russell? Stay with us. There’s an ambulance on the way.”
Svetlana couldn’t believe how calm she felt. She had never been sickened by the sight of blood, but there was a lot here. She didn’t know how much the human body could lose, but Russell had lost more than she could have imagined. She continued to press the towels against his wound even after they’d soaked through.
When the wail of the ambulance finally sounded, growing louder and faster, seeming to match the panic Svetlana was trying to quell in her own body, Raymond ran out to greet the paramedics. They rushed in, pushing Svetlana back.
“I’m coming in the ambulance,” Raymond said.
“Me too,” Svetlana said.
“There won’t be room for both of you,” the paramedic, a man whose shirt said his name was Rick, said. “Are you the wife?” he asked Svetlana.
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m his brother,” Raymond said.
“I don’t care which of you comes and which of you follows in the car; we’ve got to get moving now!”
Svetlana looked at Raymond, her eyes begging. “I don’t have a driver’s license,” she pleaded.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll follow in the truck.”
They traveled fast, moving at top speeds through the deserted country roads on the way to Billings. Svetlana held Russell’s hand though he had passed out. The paramedic in the back inserted an IV and began to dress the wound.
“Is he going to be okay?” she asked, fear evident in her voice. She had never seen a man so pale before. Russell seemed to both weaken and age before her eyes.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure he is, Ma’am,” the paramedic said.
They pulled in to the hospital and the paramedic stopped responding to Svetlana as he and the other paramedic focused on getting Russell into the hospital.
Svetlana walked in and a nurse was there to greet her. They waited for Raymond, who knew all of Russell’s medical history and insurance information. Finally, two hours later, Svetlana found herself sitting with Raymond in the waiting room while Russell was in surgery.
The doctor came into the waiting room and both Svetlana and Raymond stood.
“He’s going to be fine,” the doctor said. “He’ll be sore for a while, and he’s going to find his working life significantly abbreviated for the next few months, but we got the bleeding stopped and he’s all stitched up. We’re going to keep him here for a few days to help make sure the wound doesn’t get infected, then you can take him home.”
Svetlana hugged Raymond, feeling relief wash through her. As she leaned into him, she felt him softening into her as well, and she pressed her palms to his back, supporting him.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered. She imagined for a moment how scared Raymond must have been at the thought of losing his brother, and half of the ranch ownership team. She shook her head. “You must have been so scared.”
“You were amazing,” he said, pulling away from her to look her in the eye. “You stayed so calm; I could never have gotten him here on my own. Thank you.”
They hugged again, and, after a brief visit to see Russell in after care, his eyes closed and his breath deep, they went to a hotel in Billings for the night.
Chapter Five
When Svetlana and Raymond had gotten Russell settled comfortably in his bed, Svetlana made a large sandwich for Raymond with meat and bread they’d picked up on the way home.
“How are you feeling?” Svetlana asked Russell. She’d returned to his room once Raymond was at the table eating.
“Like I got flayed open,” he said, wincing as he strained to sit up in bed.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Svetlana said. “I wouldn’t know what to do…” She had some unpleasant time imagining what would happen if something happened to Russell. Where she would go, what she would do. The thought was horrifying to her.
“You don’t need to think about that,” Russell said, reaching his hand out to her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She kissed his forehead and tucked him in, promising to bring him some homemade soup after he took a nap.
When she walked back into the kitchen, Raymond stood at the sink. She watched him washing the dishes, the movement of his shoulder blades against his t-shirt, the muscles moving in well-choreographed patterns of perfect anatomy. His biceps flexed when he dried his plate and reached into the cabinet to put it away. Though the men had entirely different personalities, Svetlana was continually amazed at the physical resemblance the brothers had. Though they were three years apart, Raymond the eldest, they could have easily been twins to the untrained eye. Svetlana had started to notice their differences… Raymond’s hair was longer than Russell’s, for example, and Russell was more muscular than Raymond, though they probably weighed close to the same. Russell was about an inch shorter than Raymond, standing at a little over six feet tall.
He turned, sensing her eyes on him.
“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” he asked. Raymond lived in the guest house right next to the main house
on the ranch. Though he typically returned to his house after dinner, Svetlana was grateful that he apparently planned to stay. She wanted to stay with Russell, but she also felt something else… lonely? Perhaps. She felt the stress of Russell’s injuries weighing on her.
“That might be nice,” she said.
“I thought it might be a nice distraction,” he said, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.
They popped some popcorn and watched a movie that they had both seen before, as it was one of the three Russell owned. They sat on the couch a comfortable distance apart and watched the comedy. Svetlana got up twice during the movie to check on Russell, but it wasn’t for a lack of interest in her company or in the movie. In fact, she found her time with Raymond surprisingly pleasant. He had a calming, grounding energy and an infectious laugh. When the movie ended, they moved to the kitchen to have some ice cream.
“How come you don’t eat dinner in the house very often anymore?” Svetlana finally asked when they’d finished talking about their favorite parts of the movie.
He swallowed his bite of ice cream. “I don’t want to be a third wheel,” he said. “You and Russell have something good going; he really likes you.” At this, Svetlana felt herself blushing. “It’s cool. And, I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You’re his family,” Svetlana said. “And this house is half yours. You’re never in the way when you’re here. I’d like to get to know you better.” She smiled, and felt her cheeks continue to redden as he smiled back with a grin so reminiscent of Russell’s it was almost as if she was looking at Russell himself.
“Well, I’ll make more of an effort, then,” he said, taking another large bite of his dessert. “Besides, now that Russell is injured, I’m guessing you might be wanting an extra set of hands here in the house.”
“Definitely,” Svetlana said. “And, I kind of just like having you around.” Her voice became shy. “I rather like you. You and Russell are a great team.”
Svetlana was only mildly surprised at the arousal awakening within her. It was true that Russell was going to be her husband and she was attracted to him. However, Raymond was his brother and also extremely good looking, not to mention nice. Once again, Svetlana marveled at how lucky she had been. She felt as though she lived in a bubble, in a fantasy world, a dream land. This place, so isolated from the rest of the world, seemed like a perfect hamlet for the three of them.
“I’m going to go check on Russell,” she said, standing up and straightening her skirt. She reached for Raymond’s empty bowl. He grabbed her wrist gently, stopping her hand.
“Don’t,” he said. “I’ll get it. Go ahead and prepare Russell’s dinner. I’ll go in and check on him while you do that. I’m guessing he’s starving to death; it’s nearly two hours after his normal dinner how.”
Svetlana smiled and nodded. She poked her head into Russell’s bedroom and saw he was still napping comfortable, snoring quietly through soft breaths. She closed his door softly and moved back into the kitchen, where Raymond was washing and drying the dishes. She began to pull out the ingredients for a soup for Russell, using the leftover meat and a mixture of fresh and leftover vegetables.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked Raymond suddenly.
He looked at her. “Not anymore,” he said, shaking his head. “We tried to make it work, but things just got too complicated. I don’t really want to get into it, if that’s okay.” He locked eyes with her and she gazed into their simple, blue reflective irises.
“I didn’t meant to pry,” she said, embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said quickly. “You weren’t prying; it’s a fair question. If you’d asked me that last week, the answer would have been yes.”
“Did…” Svetlana began, then stopped. She wondered if Raymond’s break up had anything to do with Russell’s accident. They had needed to cancel their Halloween party, obviously, which shouldn’t have been a big deal, except for the fact that, to some women, things like that were a very big deal. “Never mind,” she said, smiling and stirring the soup stock. “I’ll mind my own business.”
“We’re practically family,” Raymond said. He walked to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t ever feel like you’re prying. If there’s something I don’t want to talk about, I’ll tell you.”
She nodded and reached her arms around him to hug him. He drew her in close, nuzzling his face in her neck. She felt his warm breath on her skin and breathed deeply, trying to squelch the arousal rising within her. She was going to be Russell’s wife. No matter how attracted she might be to his brother, Raymond, he was off limits to her.
“Practically family,” she repeated, murmuring her words into his chest.
Chapter Six
A month after Russell was healed and back to work, Svetlana came home from her daily trip into town to a surprise. Both Russell and Raymond stood in the kitchen cooking dinner. The table was set for three, and they had found a tablecloth, placemats, and silver. Two candle tapers burned in their holders, and the light in the dining area was off.
“What’s going on?” Svetlana asked, confused, as she set her things down and removed her scarf.
“We’re cooking dinner,” Russell said proudly, grinning at her. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. He had donned a frilly apron and wore oven mitts on both hands.
“Burning dinner is more like it,” Raymond said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know how this guy ever managed to feed himself before you moved in, Svetlana.”
“I didn’t,” Russell quipped. “That’s why I needed to get myself a wife!” He walked over to Svetlana and squeezed her, giving her a deep kiss on the mouth. In the month since his accident, Russell had been far more openly affectionate toward Svetlana, and Raymond had been joining them for dinner every night. Slowly, Russell was recovering. He was now able to move without noticeably favoring his right side. A trip two weeks earlier to the hospital in Billings had led to removed stitches and a clean bill of health from Russell’s doctor.
“What’s the occasion?” Svetlana asked. “Dinner smells amazing.” It smelled mouthwateringly good, actually, she realized.
“You,” Russell said. “We want to show you our appreciation for you. Our happiness that you’ve come into our life.”
The smoke alarm went off and Russell’s eyes widened as he turned back toward the stove.
“Shit!” Raymond said, opening the oven door. Smoke billowed out, and Svetlana burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.
“You boys,” she said. “Get out of my kitchen before you hurt yourselves.” She bustled in past them and started checking out the pots and pans, assessing what was salvageable and what needed to be thrown out.
“No!” Russell insisted. “We want to cook for you!”
“Poison me is more like it,” she laughed, holding up a charred piece of beef on a huge fork. “What did this used to be?”
“Alright, alright,” Raymond said, taking the fork from Svetlana’s hand and setting it in the sink. “Let’s get our beer and go to the porch where we belong, Brother. Leave the woman to her place in the kitchen.”
Svetlana opened her mouth to object to his blatant sexism when he caught her eye and winked at her. She smiled instead, and shook her head.
“Get the hell out of here,” she said, throwing an oven mitt at the pair. “I’ll call you when it’s ready. And, if you want a candlelit dinner, you better blow those out for now or they’ll be burned to nothing by the time we actually sit down.”
“Told you,” Russell said immediately to Raymond, and Svetlana had a flash of how the two men must have interacted as boys.
“I’ll call you when it’s ready,” Svetlana said, trying to get over her laughter so she could properly cook.
Once she had shooed the men from the kitchen, she was able to focus her attention on getting an actual dinner prepared, and it didn’t take long for her to whip up a pot roast with roasted potatoes and vegetable
s. Just before she dished up the plates, she ran into her bedroom to freshen up. She changed clothes into a mid-length black skirt that flared at the bottom, and a soft, pink sweater that showed the light outline of her pastel pink bra through the semi-sheer fabric. She relit the candles, straightened the tablecloth, and then called the two brothers in for dinner.
Within a few minutes, they were all seated at the table enjoying Svetlana’s cooking.
“We’re missing one thing,” Russell said, observing the table. He stood.
“What’s that?” Svetlana asked, concerned. She scanned the table: salt, pepper, napkins, and the roast, potatoes and vegetables… nothing was missing that she could tell.
“This,” he said, walking to the wine cabinet. He opened it and ran his finger along a row of bottles, selecting a bottle of red that had a fine layer of dust on it.
“Ohh,” Raymond said. “Is that the blend?”
“It is indeed,” Russell said, smiling.
Svetlana blushed. Wine… of course. But not really ‘of course,’ she realized. Just like the candles, they had never had wine with dinner before. Something was definitely going on with these two tonight. But, if wine and a candlelit dinner was involved, how bad could it be?
“Did you know, Svetlana, that there’s a wine in America called ménage a trois?” Russell asked as he opened the bottle with the corkscrew. Svetlana watched his bicep flex as he pulled the cork from the bottle. She laughed.
“That’s funny,” she said. “What kind is this?” She swirled the taste he’d given her in her mouth. “It’s absolutely delicious.”
“This is a bottle we got a few years ago on a trip to California,” Raymond said. Russell nodded. “We agreed that we would save it for a special occasion.”
“Is this a special occasion?” Svetlana asked, her confusion growing. Russell poured her a full glass, then filled Raymond’s, then his own.
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