by Marla Monroe
The pantry proved to be full of supplies. She figured with it being so hot that sandwiches would be the best solution, but she couldn’t find any bread. Instead she sliced tomatoes and warmed up some vegetable soup. It wasn’t her best meal, but without knowing what she had to work with, it was the best she could accomplish.
The sound of footsteps in the next room jerked her from her thoughts and had her scrambling across the room. It didn’t sound like Owen’s to her. Sure enough, Simon walked in alone. He smiled and nodded at her.
“Owen will be right down. He was fixing up the bed.”
Skyler just nodded and stayed where she was.
“Soup smells good. Thanks for fixing it.”
“I–I couldn’t find any bread.”
“I haven’t made any this week. I’m sorry about that, but I’ve been real busy working in the garden and tending to the cows.”
“Skyler makes good bread.” Owen’s voice startled her.
She edged toward him and sat down next to him when he took a seat at the table. They ate in silence, and then when she got up and began clearing the table, her hand touched Simon when he reached for the same bowl. She jerked back at the spark that snapped between them, nearly dropping the dish back on the table.
“Sorry.” She quickly carried the dirty dishes to the sink.
She ran water in the sink and began washing up while the men talked in low voices behind her. Simon had her completely unnerved. He was a handsome man as best as she could tell in the dim light of the lamps. He kept his long brown hair tied back at the nape of his neck. Hanging free, she was sure it would be thick and soft. His hazel eyes were friendly, and they twinkled when he smiled. He had large hands that were calloused, and he stood a good six feet three or four inches tall. He looked muscular by the way the white T-shirt stretched tight across his wide shoulders and broad chest.
She felt someone walk up behind her and turned to see the man in question smiling down at her.
“I brought the glasses.” He held them out to her.
Skyler attempted a smile and took them from him before turning her back once again. She shivered despite the heat. Just his presence near her had an odd effect on her. She couldn’t figure out what it was. Then he moved away and Owen walked up next to her to dry the dishes. He didn’t say anything as if he knew she was on edge. As long as they had been together, he probably recognized when she was overwhelmed.
“You guys ready for bed?” Simon carried a lamp over to Owen.
“Yeah. I think we need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for us getting used to how things are around here.” Owen wrapped a hand around hers and took the lamp Simon held out.
“I hope you like it here. It’s a hard life, but you’ll be safe here, Skyler. Between the two of us, Owen and I will watch out for you.”
Skyler didn’t know what to say to that, so she remained quiet as she followed Owen through the den and up the stairs to the second floor. She was hyperaware of Simon climbing the stairs behind her.
“This is it, Skyler.” Owen led her inside the bedroom, leaving Simon out in the hall.
“Sleep well, you guys. See you in the morning.”
Skyler couldn’t help letting out a breath of relief that he hadn’t followed them in. Deep down she knew he wouldn’t be sleeping with them right away, but the fact that he would someday was always at the back of her mind.
Owen sighed and pulled her into his arms. “Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see. He’s a good man. This will be a good home for us. No more hiding in the basement all day. You’ll get to be outside some.”
“I’m sorry, Owen. I can’t help but be nervous and worried. It isn’t normal for two men to share a woman.”
“The world isn’t the same anymore, Sky. This is the norm now.” He kissed her on the forehead and let go of her. “Let’s get some sleep.”
She sat on the chair in the corner and removed her shoes before stepping out of her jeans and pulling off her T-shirt. As soon as she had all her clothes off, she slipped into the bed and curled up next to Owen without touching him. They were both tired, and it was too hot to sleep on top of each other like they normally did. Still, she wanted him to hold her. Her world was changing once again, and this time she wasn’t so sure she could survive it. Despite being in a new place and the stress she was feeling, Skyler managed to drift off to sleep soon after hearing the soft snores coming from Owen.
* * * *
Skyler woke up curled around Owen’s back. It was still dark, but there was the hint of light coming through the window. She had to think for a minute where she was. Having spent the last week in the travel trailer, she wasn’t used to so much room in the bed. Without waking Owen, she eased out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She needed a shower to wash the stickiness of sweat off of her.
It took her a few tries to light the lamp since she hadn’t needed to use one back east. Then she closed the bathroom door to keep from waking Owen. They would both be learning a new way of life starting today. He would need all the rest he could get.
The lukewarm water felt wonderful to her skin. She quickly washed off and climbed out to dry off. By the time she had dressed and opened the bathroom door again, Owen was awake. He smiled as she walked into the room.
“Morning, Sky.”
“Morning, Owen. I’m going to see what I can find to make for breakfast.”
“Good idea. I love you, baby.”
“I love you, Owen.”
She carried the lantern with her downstairs to make sure she didn’t stumble over anything. She didn’t know the house well enough to walk around in the dark yet. No doubt she would eventually know it like the back of her hand.
Setting the lantern on the counter by the stove, she put the coffee on to boil and began preparing dough to make biscuits. She was thankful that she was able to locate what she needed so easily. With Simon being a man and alone, she had expected that the kitchen and pantry would be in terrible shape, but was surprised that he kept a fairly neat house.
She had just poured a cup of coffee when she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it would be Owen, Skyler poured another and turned to hand it to him. She gasped to find Simon standing there in just a pair of jeans that weren’t even fastened at the waist. His broad chest held a dusting of hair that narrowed as it trailed down his abdomen to disappear beneath the waistband of his jeans. She realized her eyes had drifted lower toward his crotch, and she jerked them back up to catch the amused expression on his face.
Simon took the cup from her. “Thanks. Hope you slept well.”
“Yes, thank you.” She quickly backed away only to find she was already against the cabinet.
Simon didn’t move from in front of her. He sipped the coffee and stared down into her eyes with what could only be amusement. It began to irritate her that he found her nervousness something to laugh about. She slipped past him and returned to making breakfast.
“Owen should be down in a few seconds. He was taking a shower.”
“That’s fine. I’m enjoying your company.”
She ignored him and stuck the biscuits she’d made in the oven. They would be filling even if they weren’t going to be her best. She would have to get used to cooking with gas and using the staple items he had available.
“You’re very pretty, Skyler.”
She felt her face heat up at the compliment. She wasn’t used to them. Sure, Owen told her she was beautiful all the time, but it was Owen. This was a stranger who one day expected her to have sex with him. Her hands began to shake again. Much to her horror, he took them in his hands and squeezed them gently.
“Don’t be nervous around me, Skyler. I’m not going to attack you. I would never hurt you.”
“I don’t know you yet. I can’t help it. You’re a complete stranger to me.”
“Didn’t Owen tell you about me?”
“Not until we had been on the road for a few days. He knew I wouldn’t b
e happy about the arrangement.”
Simon dropped her hands and took a step back. “I see.” He regarded her for a few seconds then walked over to the back door. “I’m going out to see about the chickens and the cow. I’ll be back in about thirty minutes.”
Before she could say anything, he had walked outside and closed the door behind him. She realized she’d hurt his feelings. She honestly hadn’t meant to do it, but she couldn’t think straight around him.
Owen walked into the kitchen, tearing her thoughts back from Simon. He had shaved and was dressed in blue jeans and a button-down shirt. He looked excited for the first time in a long time. Skyler realized that he hadn’t been very happy for several years now. Probably because of the hard labor that barely kept them fed.
“I thought I heard Simon down here.”
“You did. He went out to see about the chickens and the cow, he said.” She handed him a cup of coffee and returned to cooking breakfast.
“I’m going to go see what he’s doing. I’ll be back in when he is.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head and left her there to go outside.
Thirty minutes later, both men returned with a half bucket of milk and a basket full of eggs. She grabbed the eggs but let Simon carry the bucket to the counter for her.
“Breakfast is ready when you get washed up. Do you like your eggs scrambled or fried, Simon?”
“Scrambled is fine.”
She quickly scrambled up six eggs for the three of them and pulled out the biscuits. She had beef steaks ready and on the table by the time the two men returned from washing up. They all sat down. This time she found herself at the head of the table with a man on either side of her. She refused to think about the implications. There was plenty of time to worry about the future. She had a lot of things to learn about her new home.
“I usually see about the cattle after breakfast then work on the garden after lunch. I figure we’ll do the same thing for a few days until you get used to everything and then we can divide it up so that someone is with Skyler all the time.” Simon seemed to have been thinking about the situation pretty thoroughly.
She wondered if he had slept much the night before or if he had sat up thinking about how to arrange things with them there now. What if he wasn’t really happy that they had just appeared on his doorstep? Looking over at him through her eyelashes, Skyler studied his expressions as he ate and talked with Owen. He didn’t appear to be upset or unhappy about the situation.
“The canning supplies are down in the cellar, Skyler.” His deep voice directed at her snapped her back to the conversation at hand.
“Good. I’ll get right to work on those tomatoes. There’s no way we can eat all of them before they spoil. I’ll can them for soups and sauces this winter.”
“There will be a good dozen or so more this afternoon, so you might want to hold off until I get into the garden later.”
“I’ll go pull them myself. It will be cooler to can this morning.”
“That’s true, but I worry about you going out in the garden by yourself.” Simon frowned.
“I’ll be fine. It won’t take me long to gather them.”
She watched Owen and Simon exchange glances. Owen gave a small nod of his head.
“There are black market agents around here as well as out east, Skyler. I would rather you weren’t outside alone.”
“I’ll clean up the dishes after you leave. I’ll hurry out and pick tomatoes while you’re still here.” She stood up and wiped her hands on the apron she’d found to wear while cooking.
Simon stood up as well. “I’ll go with you.”
Owen looked from one to the other of them and took another bite of his meat. He wasn’t going to help her. It hurt that he was going to let Simon boss her around. She glared at him and turned on her heel to find something to carry the tomatoes in.
“I have a bucket outside on the porch to put them in.” Simon stopped her search in the cabinets.
“Fine. Let’s go.” She hurried out the door before he could open it for her.
She located the bucket hanging on a nail by the back door. She carried it toward the garden out back. Splotches of yellow, red, and orange peeked out from all the vines and plants as she drew closer. She could feel Simon standing near her. He took the bucket from her hand and held it as she slowly picked the ripe tomatoes from the vine and filled it up.
“You’ve got a really nice garden going.” She couldn’t help but admire all the hard work that had to have gone into it.
“Thanks. It will feed us this winter, but I’m going to enlarge it some next year with you and Owen living here now.”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she concentrated on locating the ripe fruit and watching for snakes. She had been raised around gardens and knew the dangers inherent with them. By the time they had combed the vegetables, the bucket was full of tomatoes and squash. She would cook the squash for dinner that night.
They returned to the house as Owen walked outside. She tried to take the bucket from Simon, but he insisted on carrying it inside for her. He set it on the floor so she wouldn’t have to stretch to reach the tomatoes in the bucket on the counter.
“We’ll be back around lunchtime. If you need us, ring that bell I have on the back porch. We’ll hear it.”
Skyler nodded and watched them walk across the yard toward the fence in the back. She had no idea how many cows he had or what they would do while they were out there. She shook her head. She had plenty to keep her busy without worrying about what they would be doing.
The breakfast dishes had all been stacked by the sink and the table wiped off. Owen had always been good about helping her despite working hard every day. She smiled to herself and quickly washed them before moving on to make bread. She would let it rise while she worked on the tomatoes.
While the tomatoes were boiling, she cleaned up the kitchen. It wasn’t exactly dirty, but she could tell it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in some time. Her mind wandered the entire time she worked. She couldn’t stop thinking about Simon and how nice he seemed despite being a complete stranger. She also had to admit that she was attracted to him to some degree. He was very good looking. So was Owen, but they were handsome in different ways.
Owen was a little shorter than Simon and wasn’t as muscular all over like the other man was. Both men had nice smiles that brightened their entire faces. Simon didn’t look as if he was used to smiling though. She guessed he hadn’t had much reason to smile living all alone all these years.
Though Owen would make suggestions on what she needed to do, he didn’t tell her like Simon seemed to be trying to do. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She didn’t like to be bossed around. She’d had a lot of that in her earlier years by her brothers when they had been alive. She took a moment to miss them then blinked away the tears and got back to work.
Mourning for them had long been over. She had too much to do to spend time crying over what she couldn’t change. By the time she was ready to start canning, it was time for lunch. She had made a quiche with the extra eggs and leftover meat from breakfast. It was cooling on the counter when the men walked in.
“Be sure you wipe off your boots before you come in. I just swept and mopped the floors.”
Owen laughed and stepped back outside. Simon looked shocked for a few seconds then did the same thing. He was going to have to get used to her telling him what to do as well. She smiled to herself and carried the quiche to the table for them.
“You’ve been awfully busy.” Simon remarked as they ate.
“She keeps busy. You have to sit on her to get her to be still.” Owen winked at her.
“I think we’re going to get about six quarts out of the tomatoes.” She quickly glanced over to where Simon was sitting.
“That sounds about right. There will be plenty more coming in, too.”
“Do you like tomato gravy with biscuits?” she asked.
“Can’t say as I’ve ever had it befor
e.”
Owen grinned. “You’ll love it. She makes the best you can find.”
“I’ll fix some in the morning for breakfast for you to try. It’s better during the winter time.”
“Sounds good. I look forward to tasting everything you have.” He caught her eyes and smiled at her before she finally managed to look away again.
The little innuendo wasn’t lost on her. He was flirting with her. She wasn’t sure how to take it. Part of her warmed to the idea, but part of her was still uneasy with the entire situation of being shared between the two men. She loved Owen and didn’t want him to lose his love for her once another man touched her. Even more unsettling was the fact that her body reacted to Simon. How could that be possible? They had just met the night before and she knew nothing about him. Still, when she glanced his way while he was busy talking to Owen, she couldn’t stop the little shiver that traveled down her spine. Skyler quickly looked back at her plate. She had a lot to think about.
Chapter Three
The days flew by, morphing into each other as they lived and toiled side by side. Owen was thrilled with how everything was working out so far. He loved Simon’s home and enjoyed working with the man. Slowly, the worry that had been riding him about his decision began to slip away like melting ice. It was pretty here, and already he could see a difference in Skyler.
Despite being upset over his decision to move them there, she was relaxing more and more every day. She was also getting some color to her skin now that she could spend some time outside with one of them around. He didn’t worry every second of the day that something was going to happen to her anymore. He knew that if he was out working with the cows, Simon would be working around the house or garden watching out for her.
He could see the budding awareness of Simon seeping into Skyler now. She would deny it, but she was interested in him as a man. Owen was thrilled at first about that, but the more he saw it, the more a small area in his heart tightened with jealousy. He fought it since this was what he’d proposed in the first place, but it didn’t stop festering as time went on. Deep down he worried that she would fall in love with Simon and have no room in her heart for him any longer.