by Marla Monroe
“I know, but it was a thought. Maybe come early summer, when we don’t have quite as much going on, they could come visit and we could have them over and just see what happens,” she suggested.
“We’ll talk about it with Evers closer to time. No more talk about it now though. We’ve got too much to get done to think about it right now.”
“Okay. Good night, Jessup.”
“Night, sweetness.”
* * * *
By the weekend the garden was ready to plant. The guys had rowed it up and all that was left was to plant the seeds. Evers furrowed or made holes and she followed behind him dropping seeds into the ground with Jessup following her covering them up. Once they had everything planted, they hauled water to the area and made sure every row got plenty.
Holly felt as if her back was going to break by the time they finished late that afternoon. Usually the boys did the harder work but since it was just the three of them, she’d helped out. Jessup said they got through in half the time it usually took them by themselves, so she felt proud that she’d been able to help.
They ate supper then sat in the den talking about plans for the summer. The guys wanted to expand their herd of cows from two to six, so they could kill one a year for beef. That meant they needed a bull for breeding. The men down the road had several bulls. They also had several horses they used to check their fences.
“Why don’t we invite them over for supper one night for you to talk to them about trading a bull or using one for breeding?” Holly asked.
“That’s a good idea,” Evers said.
“Um, could we invite my sisters over for a few days, as well?” she asked.
“Do what?” Evers asked.
“I miss them. Just for a few days. Who knows, they might hit it off with these friends of yours and then they’d be neighbors and I could visit with them all the time,” she said.
“I told you not to play matchmaker,” Jessup said, shaking his head.
“You can’t blame me. I want good men for them, and I miss them.” Holly didn’t see what was wrong with wanting them to meet each other.
Evers seemed to think about it before returning to eating. “I suppose there’s no harm in doing that. Jessup, why don’t you go fetch her sisters for a few days’ stay. I’ll invite the guys over once you get back. The women can fix a feast for us to entertain them and maybe we can get a bull out of them.”
“I can’t believe you’re giving in to her,” Jessup said. “I figured you’d put your foot down for sure.”
“She’s got a good point. They want a woman and her sisters need good men to care for them. If one of her sisters works out for them, all the better.”
“Are you mad at me, Jessup?” Holly asked.
“No, just surprised that Evers isn’t,” Jessup said, shaking his head.
“I take it that the two of you have already discussed it,” Evers said.
“Yeah. I told her she wasn’t likely to get you to agree to it,” Jessup said. “Guess I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.”
“I’ve mellowed some. Guess it’s her influence on me,” Evers said, grabbing Holly by the back of her neck and pulling her in for a brief kiss.
“I like the new you,” Jessup said. “Less assholish.”
“Fuck you, man,” Evers said.
Holly chuckled at the two men. Then she leaned up and buried her nose against Evers’s neck and inhaled. He smelled like the outdoors and clean air. Jessup always smelled like fresh pine and a woodsy scent. Neither man wore any sort of scent since most of those had been used up over the many years since the days of disasters. Between the tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, fires, and earthquakes then the looting and scavenging afterward, virtually nothing was left to be had.
These days they lived like the pioneers of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds had. They grew their own vegetables and hunted for their meat. The men used bows and arrows and traps while the women cooked and cleaned and helped in the gardens. Life wasn’t easy, but they were happy enough. She knew she was. They were alive, and she had two good men who adored her. She was well on the way to being in love with them. How it had happened so fast she wasn’t sure, but she knew she cared for them and love wasn’t far behind.
She couldn’t help but wonder how they felt about her. Did they love her? Would they ever fall for her? Maybe they never would, but she was sure they cared for her with how they were so careful of her and how they took care of her both in and out of the bedroom. She felt her cheeks burn just thinking about their nights together. They always made sure she climaxed before they did.
Sex with them had proven to be amazing. She hadn’t known much about it when she’d come to them, but she knew enough now to know that it was amazing and wondered if it was like that for everyone. Somehow, she didn’t think so. Everyone would be happy and there wouldn’t have been divorces and broken homes if it had been. She’d lived in the old life long enough to realize that it hadn’t been that way for everyone. She might have been just a kid at the time but enough of her friends had been from divorced families that she knew there were troubled households out there.
Holly rubbed her hands together. Operation matchmaker was up and running.
Chapter Eleven
It hadn’t taken long for Holly and her sisters to get back in the swing of things once they had made it to their house. She’d been so excited when they’d arrived that she’d spent most of the first day getting caught up on everything that had been going on at the Johnsons’ place.
Now they were cooking for the big feast for that night when the Cowells would be coming over to eat. Jeff and Ty Cowell were brothers who lived down the road from them. They were the men who watched out for their place when they were gone and had the bulls that the guys were wanting to trade for.
“What do they look like?” Lucille asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them. This will be the first time for me, as well,” Holly said.
“Are they good men?” Amanda asked.
“Jessup and Evers seem to think so. All I know is that they’ve taken care of the guys’ farm for them when they’ve been gone. I guess we’ll see how they act when they arrive.” Holly shrugged.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” Lucille said.
“Why?” Amanda asked. “It’s not like you’re going to be dating them or anything.”
“We don’t meet many men. It will be fun,” Lucille said.
Amanda rolled her eyes. “You’ll flirt with them. I can guarantee it.”
“I don’t even know how to flirt. We don’t have anyone to flirt with at home,” Lucille said. poking out her lips.
Holly laughed. She had missed her sisters’ squabbles. With Amanda being younger than Lucille, she was always teasing the other girl. Amanda didn’t care and pulled Lucille’s strings just to poke at her.
“Is everything just about ready?” Holly asked as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel.
“Yep. All we’re waiting on is for the men to show up. We’ve got it all simmering to keep it warm. The table’s set and the tea is in the fridge. And did I say how neat it is to have electricity, so we have cold tea. I’m so jealous,” Amanda said.
“Believe me, I was just as excited to find that out. How did you like your hot bath last night?” she asked.
“Do these guys have solar energy, too?” Amanda asked. “If they do, I might flirt with them myself.”
Holly laughed. “I don’t know. I hadn’t asked the guys.”
“We’ll find out at supper. I’m sure I can work it into the conversation somehow,” Amanda said.
“I get first dibs on them,” Lucille whined.
It was so much fun to see them smiling and happy. All she wanted was for them to be happy and have a good life. With her life turning out to be so great, it was only natural that she’d want her sisters to have it just as perfect as hers was.
Seconds later, the men walked into the house through the back door. Evers
and Jessup came through the door first, toeing off their boots at the door. They were followed by two tall men, each a little taller than Evers and Jessup with broad shoulders and long hair pulled back. They each had chiseled features that featured square jaws and high cheekbones. They were good looking men.
“Ladies, I’d like to introduce Jeff and Ty. This is our wife, Holly, and her sisters Amanda and Lucille.”
“Good to meet you ladies,” Ty said.
They each nodded and smiled. Holly was surprised to find that Lucille didn’t say anything. She just bit her lower lip and looked at her feet. She’d never seen her younger sister this quiet before. What was up with that?
Amanda nodded and said it was good to meet them then walked over to the stove to stir the vegetables. Holly indicated the table.
“Have a seat. Supper is ready,” Holly said.
While everyone got seated, she helped her sisters carry the dishes to the table. She had Jessup carry the big pan of meat to the table since it was so heavy. Once everything was there, they all sat down and began passing their plates.
The conversation was stilted at first, but soon took off once the men grew more at ease with the women being there. Lucille was still quiet and didn’t say much. Holly couldn’t help but wonder about what was going on. Where once she was the life of the party, teasing and leading the conversation, now she was more reserved and only stealing looks at the two men when she didn’t think they were looking.
Holly noticed that both men seemed taken by her sister. They kept looking at Lucille with obvious interest. Maybe there was something there. She could only hope. It wasn’t like Lucille to be so quiet so maybe she was just as attracted to them as they seemed to be to her but didn’t know how to handle the attraction. Holly would talk with her about it later that night.
“When are you going back home?” Jeff asked.
Amanda looked over at Lucille and when the other woman didn’t say anything she spoke up. “Day after tomorrow.”
“Maybe we could tag along and meet your family then,” Ty said.
“Meet our family? Why would you want to do that?” Lucille finally spoke up with a little squeak in her voice.
“Darling. If you don’t know that, you’re not as bright as we think you are,” Jeff said with a smirk.
“Don’t you darling me,” Lucille snapped.
Ty burst out laughing. “There’s the spitfire I expected with all that red hair.”
Holly couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “You have no idea.”
Once they’d finished eating, the men shuffled into the den to talk while Holly and her sisters cleaned up and put away the leftovers.
“What do you think about Ty and Jeff?” Holly asked her sisters.
“They’re all right,” Lucille said with a shrug.
“You sure were quiet at supper tonight. Usually you can’t shut up,” Amanda said.
“Oh, stuff it. I don’t have to talk all the time,” Lucille said, frowning.
“No, but you usually do anyway,” the other woman said with a wide grin.
“I think you like them a little more than you’re letting on,” Holly said. “And I think the feeling is mutual.”
“Someone’s playing matchmaker,” Amanda said, looking over at Holly.
“Can you blame me? I want both of you to have men who will treat you as good as Jessup and Evers treat me. They make me feel like a princess and I have a great life here. Plus, I miss you guys and if you’re closer to me we can visit more often,” Holly said.
“Are there more men around here?” Amanda asked, cocking her head to one side.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to be finding out. It won’t matter if they’re not good men though,” she said. “I won’t allow you to even meet them if they aren’t as good as my men are.”
“What about me? Don’t I get a say in this?” Lucille spoke up.
“What do you mean?” Holly asked.
“What if I don’t like them? Can’t I say no? How do you know that I want to be with these guys?” Lucille asked, her bottom lip quivering.
“Oh, honey. If you don’t like them of course you don’t have to accept them. But from the way you were acting at supper, I think you do. I think you’re just as smitten with them as I was with Evers and Jessup when I first met them. Give them a chance, honey,” Holly said.
“I agree,” Amanda said. “You won’t get many chances at men who are honorable around here.”
“I’ll think about it. I’m just surprised they’re going to go back with us. It feels like they expect me to agree to be with them right away, that’s all.”
“You get to make up your mind when and if, Lucille. Don’t forget that. It’s always your choice,” Holly reminded her. “Always.”
Chapter Twelve
Holly poured the last of the buckets of water between the rows of plants for the evening. She was so tired, and her shoulders and arms ached from watering the garden for the last two hours. The men had done the worst of the work by hauling the water to the garden for her. All she’d had to do was pour it down the rows, but it had still been hard work.
“That’s it for the night, babe. Let’s clean everything up and call it a night,” Evers wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him, placing a kiss on her cheek.
“I’m so tired I don’t even want to eat,” she admitted.
“We’ve all got to eat, hon. We need the energy for tomorrow,” Jessup said as he began rinsing off the garden tools.
Holly sighed and carried the hoe over to him. “I’ll warm up some soup and get out some corn fritters to go with it while you guys finish up out here.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, sweetness,” Jessup said.
Holly forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and didn’t stop until she was inside. Then she washed up and began fixing the meal on autopilot. It had been a long back breaking day. They had another and another after it. They assured her she’d get used to them, but Holly wasn’t so sure. She’d been spoiled by having the boys back at the Johnsons’ place. They’d done the watering so that the women hadn’t had to. Bless them.
By the time the men made it in the house and had washed up, the food was on the table waiting for them. They ate in silence then shuffled upstairs for showers. She and Jessup showered together while Evers used the one down the hall. They all fell into bed together, too exhausted to do more than whisper goodnight.
Somewhere in the night Holly woke with a start. What had woken her? She listened but couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Then she realized it was a thought that had woken her up. She had just realized that she was late. Like months late with her period. Was she pregnant? What would that mean for them? Would the guys be happy or upset at the news? How far along was she?
Holly tried to remember the last time she’d had one and finally came up with maybe March. That meant that she was about four months since it was the middle of July. Was it safe for her to work in the garden like she was doing? So far nothing had happened. Should she tell the guys?
“What’s wrong?” Evers asked, rubbing a hand over her shoulder.
“Nothing, just woke up and can’t get back to sleep,” she said.
“What woke you?” he asked in a slurred voice, heavy with sleep.
“I guess I’m just sore. I’ll fall back asleep in a little bit.”
“Sorry, babe. Maybe you should rest tomorrow. We can water the garden without you,” he said.
“I’ll see how I am in the morning.”
Holly hated keeping her discovery from him but felt that she needed to tell both men at the same time and in the middle of the night wasn’t the time to tell them. She’d have to find another time to bring up the subject. She just wasn’t sure when that would be.
The next morning, they were busy getting ready for the day. She didn’t feel breakfast was the time and once they were outside weeding and hoeing didn’t seem like the right time either. When lunch tim
e came around, she hesitated to bring it up since they were talking about the poor state of the corn plants and what was causing them to look so weak this year.
The men insisted on doing the watering alone that night. She fixed them a hot meal and made sure they had something sweet to eat, as well. Then she talked them into sitting in the den to unwind before bed. She needed to come clean before too much more time passed. She’d start to show soon if her calculations were accurate.
“I’m about ready for bed,” Evers said. “What about you guys?”
“Me, too,” Jessup said.
“I—I need to tell you something,” Holly stammered.
“What is it, babe,” Evers asked, squeezing her shoulder.
“I’m pregnant.”
Dead silence greeted her. She started to cry. Big fat tears fell down her cheeks. Then both men jumped to their feet and let out whoops of joy. Jessup pulled her to her feet and hugged her so tightly she yelped. Then he let her go and kissed her hard before Evers pulled her away to kiss her, as well.
“That’s the best news we’ve heard in years, babe,” Evers said.
“We’re going to have a little munchkin. Woohoo,” Jessup said, clapping Evers on the back.
“You’re not upset about it?” she asked.
“Why would we be upset?” Evers asked.
“Because it’s another mouth to feed and it will mean more work. I don’t know. I didn’t know how you’d feel about it,” she admitted.
“How do you feel about it, sweetness?” Jessup asked, holding her face between his hands.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“Don’t be afraid, honey. We’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll always take care of you,” he said.
“You’re the most important person in the world to us. You’re our breath and our sun. I love you with all my heart,” Jessup said.
“And I love you more than anything in this world,” Evers said.
“I love you guys, too. I think I’ve loved you since you brought me here. I’ve been too afraid to say anything in case you didn’t feel the same way,” Holly admitted.