by Marla Monroe
“I’m going to be fine, Harry. I may have to take an extra rest break here and there, but we need to be putting the miles behind us.” Abby reached up and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes and froze.
She looked up with shocked eyes to stare into what he was sure were equally shocked ones. Neither of them said anything for a full ten seconds. Abby finally broke the spell when she slowly withdrew her hand and dropped it by her side.
“Um, sorry.” She stepped back to slam into Thad’s broad chest. Harry had to hide his smile when the other man’s strong hands wrapped around her, steadying her when she wobbled.
“What are you sorry about?” Thad’s husky voice defiantly affected her, judging by the way she shivered when he spoke.
“Nothing. I should probably see if Harriet needs any help,” she said, looking up at Harry as if to ask for his assistance in getting out of Thad’s hold.
“She’s fine. I just helped her get her pack on. So what are you sorry for? For touching Harry?” Thad’s voice dipped even lower.
“Harry? Thad? I don’t understand what’s going on.” Abby looked up pushing her head back against Thad’s chest.
“Don’t you recognize a man trying to woo you, chèr?” Thad asked.
“Harry? I—I don’t understand. Are you saying you are interested in me?” Abby’s voice broke and she cleared her thought as she looked at him again.
“Yes. I am, Abby. Why is that so hard to believe? You’re beautiful and smart. Any man would be a fool not to try to win your heart.” Harry prayed he wasn’t laying it on too thick. He meant every word, but knew she tended to be a little more practical than most women.
She opened, then closed her mouth again, her bottom lip trembling every so softly. He wanted to pull her from Thad’s arms and comfort her. He knew she was confused by Thad holding her while Harry said what he said. Once again he worried that they were making the wrong decision.
“Thad?” Abby had looked back up again with a question in her voice.
“Abby, both of us want you to be our woman. We want to take care of you and keep you safe. If you aren’t interested in us like that, just say the word and we won’t bother you again, but don’t turn us away if you’re just uncomfortable or scared. Give us—” He drew in a deep breath. “Give this a chance to make you happy.”
“Both of you?” She looked back at him, and Harry couldn’t help but swell in pride at the glimmer of arousal he could see in her eyes. She shuddered them before answering Thad. “I like you both very much. You’re both good men and strong. I’m just worried that you won’t feel the same way once we get to where we’re going. There could be other women you might want more as a wife.”
Harry watched as Thad released his breath slowly. Her words seemed to settle him so that his face lost some of the stress lines that had formed over the last few days. The muscles in his arms lost some of their definition as he allowed his body to relax.
“It wouldn’t make any difference if there were a hundred free women waiting there.” Thad moved her a step forward so that she stood mere inches from Harry. “We would still choose you over every single one of them.”
“You are the light in the shadows for us. You’re sweet but strong and one of the most courageous women we’ve ever met.” Harry knew that all he had to do was draw in a deep breath and his chest would brush against hers.
He watched as Thad brushed his lips down the side of her neck, nuzzling her hair away with his chin. He needed to taste her again. That quick chaste kiss from yesterday had only made the need that much greater. Harry leaned in and caressed her cheek on the opposite side of where Thad continued to love on her neck. This time he pressed firmly against her lips and moaned when she easily opened to him.
One of her hands reached up to slide her fingers into his hair. She grabbed it in her clenched fingers and pulled him closer as he devoured her mouth. It didn’t even bother him when he felt Thad’s hand against his chest as he explored Abby’s breast. The impact to his dick was immediate and thoughts of laying her on a soft bed with nothing between them sizzled his balls until he had to restrain himself from rubbing against her like a rutting dog.
“We’d better get started, Harry. The sun is just about up now.” Thad’s husky voice sounded just as affected as Harry felt.
“Easy, Abby. Let’s get you steady before we head outside. Think about this some, okay, honey?” Harry released her when he was sure she would be able to stand without his support.
She cleared her throat and walked toward the door without looking at them. “You’re right. We need to go. I bet Harriet is wondering what the holdup is.”
Harry watched her walk out onto the porch. “Do you think she’s okay with this, Thad? She didn’t fight, but then she may figure that there’s only her against two big guys.”
“Stop worrying about this, Harry. She’s on board. She just has to make it right in her head. I’m not worried about what she wants at all. She wants us. What we have to worry about is getting her to admit it before we get to the community. Once there, she’ll have others to compare us to. I don’t plan to let her have that opportunity.” Thad looked at him. “Do you?”
He shook his head with a broad smile. “Hell no. She’s special. Someone like her only comes along once in a lifetime.”
“You bet your ass, b’y,”
“Huh?” Harry stared at him. Why did he always say something that didn’t make sense?
“Dude. Just means dude.” Thad grinned and strode out the door to where the girls stood talking on the porch.
That didn’t even sound French. He’s making this up. I know he is.
When Harry stood on the porch a few seconds later, he noticed that Abby kept looking in his direction every once in a while. Maybe Thad was right and she just needed to work it out in her own mind first. That was fine with him, but he didn’t want her to take too damn long. Now that he’d made up his mind to share her with Thad, he wanted to claim her as theirs sooner rather than later.
“One of you is actually going to drag that behind him all the way to the next stop?” Abby finally asked as Harry joined Thad to give the travois one more check before helping the other man strap it on.
They’d used old lawnmower wheels they’d removed from the big wheeled lawnmower out back of the house which would make it easier to pull. Even when they went off road, the eighteen-inch wheels would roll over most anything in their way, except for maybe larger logs. Thad and he would change places at every stop. Not bringing the extra supplies just hadn’t been an option. Even though they would be arriving at a settled community, supplies would be hard to come by and they needed to have as much with them as possible.
“Okay, all strapped in. Let’s get going.” Thad nodded at Harry and took the lead.
The trip back through the six- and eight-foot grasses and thorns wasn’t any easier, other than they’d all found long sleeved thick coats to wear. Even once they were past the worst of the briars and thick shrubbery, the warm coats would help in the early-morning cold. Once they got to the road, it would be much easier and they might have to remove their coats and tie them around their waists or to their packs.
Harry watched Harriet struggle ahead of him. A little farther up, he caught glimpses of Abby’s swinging hips. Then he wished he hadn’t when his cock took interest. Walking anywhere with an engorged dick wasn’t easy. Hiking with a pack over rough roads was going to leave him raw if he didn’t stop thinking about Abby like that.
Well, hell.
* * * *
Abby’s feet ached, as well as her shoulders. They’d stopped twice already and she knew they didn’t need to stop a third time before they stopped for a quick lunch. She found a few sore spots from her accident that she hadn’t realized she had until they’d started walking. At least her head wasn’t pounding any longer. Whatever Thad had given her had helped a lot. Now all she had to do was last another hour. She could do it.
“Hey, Abby. Are you okay up th
ere?” Harriet called out from behind her.
She turned to look at the other woman over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m fine, why?”
“You’re shuffling your feet more than before. Are your legs tired?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just sore in more places than I knew about before we started walking. I’m okay though.” Abby started thinking about picking her feet up so that the other woman wouldn’t worry.
If Harriet kept asking about her, the guys would decide to stop again. She was going to end up being a burden if she didn’t watch out. She could do this. She just had to concentrate on walking and not her hormones. There would be plenty of time for that later.
“How’s everyone doing back there?” Thad yelled over his shoulder.
“We’re fine. Harry? What about you?” Abby didn’t attempt to turn and check on the other man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her balance.
“Fine back here!” he called back. “This travois is amazing. It doesn’t drag me down so that I feel like I’m pulling a metric ton or something.”
“If we didn’t have the wheels on it you’d be feeling the drag.” Thad chuckled. “The Indians used them to transport their supplies from one hunting ground to the other. They even used dogs and horses to pull them.”
“Hey, that’s just like the Eskimos with their dog sleds,” Harriet added. “I remember reading about that now.”
“Indians had domestic dogs? I didn’t know that.” Abby couldn’t remember when dogs had been domesticated.
“Dogs have been around much longer than people realize. They were many things to the Indians: a source of food, companions to the elderly and children, they pulled the travois, and barked alarms when enemies were near.” Thad’s voice grew stronger as he talked.
Abby could tell he enjoyed telling them little snippets of history that they might not know. Harriet ate it all up, and Abby just loved to hear him talk. His voice did things to her girly parts, making her forget how tired she was.
“There were actually dogs before there were horses for the Indians. Some people called the dogs Indian plains dogs while others referred to them as Sioux dogs.” Thad’s voice suddenly cut off and he held up a hand to show that he was stopping.
Abby held her hand up as well to alert them behind her. When Thad squatted down, she followed suit. What was wrong? She wanted to ask, but they’d made plans for when they were walking and when Thad knelt down, it meant to be still and quiet. She couldn’t hear anything other than the wind in the trees overhead. Sometimes if they were close to a stream she could hear the water flowing over the rocks. Now it was just quiet. Almost.
A noisy thump-thump made her jump. She barely managed to keep from squealing in surprise. Then a very large, very scary bear appeared just to Thad’s left. He didn’t seem to be looking at Thad but was close enough to him that she was sure he could touch the bear if he reached out.
Oh God! Please don’t let it attack us. I remember him saying we just have to keep still and not attract attention to ourselves and the bear will leave us alone. Please, please, Lord. Let that work.
A soft squeak came from behind her. Harriet! Don’t make a noise, Harriet. Be still. She wished she could tell the other woman it would be okay if she would just be still.
The bear lumbered past Thad and closer to her. She fought the urge to squeeze her eyes shut. If she was going to be eaten, she wanted to know it before the first bite. That was when she noticed two much smaller bears rolling and playing right behind the first one.
Cubs! No, no, no. Cubs mean this is a momma bear and they’re the most dangerous animals of all. What are the odds that we would run across a momma bear?
Abby decided to pretend they weren’t there and look on the bright side. She was getting to rest some without it being her fault. Yeah, that worked for all of a split second. Even over the noise the two cubs were making as they played, Abby could hear her heartbeat in her ears. It sounded way too loud and she prayed the bear couldn’t hear it as well.
So far she hadn’t seemed to notice them or if she did, she didn’t see them as a threat. She walked farther away but the cubs didn’t follow her. Instead, they tumbled over around her and Harriet. She heard the other woman’s gasp and prayed she wouldn’t make any more noise. Then she was praying she could keep her own mouth shut when one of the cubs bumped into her, knocking her off her feet. She froze on the ground without moving.
To her horror, the little bear cub thought she was a play toy or something. It kept bumping her with its head, then snuffled around her face. The thing had horrible breath, but Abby wasn’t about to tell it to shoo. From her position on her side, she could now see that Harriet wasn’t faring much better. The other cub was busy pulling on the other woman’s shoelaces.
A loud chuff, then call from their mom soon had them scurrying back to her side. Abby was sure she was going to wet her pants if they didn’t hurry up and leave. She wasn’t completely sure that she hadn’t already.
“You guys okay back there?” Thad called out softly.
“Are they gone?” she asked from her spot on the ground.
“I can’t see them any longer. Harry?” he called back a little stronger.
“They’re gone. Help Abby up. I’m going to see about Harriet.” Harry’s voice shook ever so slightly.
“Abby?” Thad immediately spun around and rushed to her side. “What happened?”
“The little bear thought I was a soccer ball or something. He kept butting me with his head.” Abby let him help her up and brush her off.
“He didn’t bite you or claw you, did he?” Thad inspected her closely until she was able to assure him she was fine.
“Harriet? Are you okay?” Abby turned to see Harry brushing his sister off and checking her out as well.
“Yeah, At least my bear didn’t knock me completely over like yours did. He just kept bouncing against me. I think he was trying to scratch his ass on my pack. Ugh, bear butt.” Harriet wrinkled her nose. “Remind me to use air freshener on it when we find some.”
Abby couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Don’t worry. I will. That’s one thing I doubt anyone actually grabbed to take with them.”
“Well, that wasn’t something I expected to run into, he?” Thad shook his head and readjusted his pack. “If you’ve finished changing your underwear, we need to get going.”
“Funny, Thad. Real funny.” Harriet threw a stick in his direction but missed him by a yard or two.
“It’s almost time to stop for lunch, but we need to put some distance between us and those bears before we stop to eat.” Thad looked back at Abby. “Are you going to be okay for another thirty minutes?”
“Sure. I just got to rest. I’m good to go.” She refused to let him know that the idea of walking another thirty minutes sounded like pure torture to her right then.
Every muscle in her body ached, and she was sure someone had added a couple of new ones just to mess with her. When they started walking again, she started thinking about what all she wanted to do when they arrived at their new home. Topmost on her wish list was a nice hot bath. Hell, she’d even be happy with a hot shower at this point.
The next thing she wanted to do was find out where she was going to be living and start cleaning. It didn’t matter if someone had already cleaned it for them. Abby had to do it herself. She was so caught up in her plans that she ran right into Thad when he stopped.
“Careful, chèr. You’ll hurt yourself.” Thad’s strong hands steadied her, then lingered when he could have let her go. “We’re stopping here to eat.”
“Great. I’m starved.” Abby covered her sudden nervousness by shouldering off her pack and looking around for a place to sit.
“Hey, Abby. Come over here.” Harriett patted the rock she had found that seemed to be the perfect seating height. “It’s even kind of warm from the sun.”
Abby settled next to the other woman and rummaged in her pack for a snack. The air had remained cool but
the sun warmed them as they walked. Now that she wasn’t moving around, she could once again feel the cool air slipping down her shirt and up her pants legs.
“Cold?” Harry sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. “What did you find to eat?”
Abby held up the can of Vienna sausage. “As long as I don’t think about the parts that make them up, I’m okay with these.”
“Mmm, wish we had crackers. They’d be good on crackers.” Harry smiled and held up his can of spaghetti. I’ll trade.”
“Not on your life.” Abby held her can out of his reach. “I’m sick of spaghetti.”
“Don’t look at me either, Har. I’m not trading with you again. You tricked me last time.” Harriet shook her head. “I’m not falling for it this time.”
Abby couldn’t help but laugh at the easy bantering between the two of them. When Thad sat down across from them with a can of pinto beans, they all groaned.
“You can be last after that,” Abby told him.
“What?” Thad’s brows lifted as if he didn’t know what they were talking about.
“I’m not walking behind a gaseous Canadian. You can go last.” Abby pinched her nose but couldn’t stop laughing as he made a joke out of eating the beans.
It dawned on Abby that she hadn’t felt this carefree in a very long time. She wasn’t uncomfortable around the guys now and they were within shouting distance of their new home. Maybe for once everything was going to work out.
“Better get moving again.” Thad stood up. “I’ll pull the travois and you can lead Harry. The ladies don’t want me in front of them, for some odd reason.”
“Saddle up, everyone!” Harry stood, then froze.
Chapter Fifteen
“Harry? What is it?” Harriet’s voice shook.
“Don’t anyone move.” Harry didn’t raise his voice, but everyone could hear the worry in it. “There’s about four wolves just on the other side of the rocks behind you, Thad.”
