by Marla Monroe
“He’s probably worn out from doing all of that. Let’s let him rest again. I need to get back outside soon anyway.”
“I have soup on the stove and will make you a couple of sandwiches to eat with it.”
Skyler hurried back to the kitchen and poured up a bowl of soup for Simon before making the sandwiches. By the time he had returned to the kitchen after cleaning up, she had lunch on the table waiting on him. He smiled and sat down then frowned and looked up at her.
“Where’s yours? You need to eat, too, Sky.”
“I’m not really hungry right now. I’ll fix something in a little while. Eat up. There’s plenty for seconds.” She started to turn away, but a hand on her arm stopped her.
“Fix a bowl of soup and sit down with me, Skyler. I mean it. I’m not eating ’til you are sitting at this table with me.”
She looked down into his eyes and could see the resolve flashing back at her. With a soft sigh, she nodded. As soon as he had released her arm, Skyler crossed the kitchen and pulled down a bowl from the cabinet. She dipped up a bowl of the beef and vegetable soup before joining Simon at the table. As soon as she sat down, he squeezed her hand and started eating. Still, he didn’t take his eyes off of her until she had started feeding herself from the bowl.
“Sometimes you are so annoying with your demands.”
“Sometimes you are so annoying with your disregard for your health and safety. I’m not going to allow you to starve yourself or do anything that will put you in harm’s way. Owen trusts me to take care of you, and I’m going to do that.” He finished by holding her hand in his.
When he suddenly lifted it to his lips for a soft kiss, Skyler felt her heart slide just a little closer to falling for him. It startled her so that she jerked her hand from his hold but covered it with a wan smile. Hopefully he would accept that and drop the subject. Unfortunately, Simon had no intention of letting her get off that easily.
They finished their meal in silence. She managed to gulp down a little over half of the bowl before laying down her spoon and declaring she was full. Simon nodded and finished the last bite of his sandwich before standing up and gathering the bowls and utensils. She hopped up and tried to take them from him, but he glowered at her. She let him take the stupid dishes to the sink and concentrated on cleaning off the table instead.
“I’ve got to go back out and cut more wood and check on the herd again. We’ll end up with more snow before long. You need to try and get a nap in. You’re worn out, Sky.”
“I’m fine. I need to finish…”
“Stop it. There’s nothing you need to do right now. Take a nap. You’re dead on your feet from taking care of Owen and trying to finish up the canning.” Simon dried off his hands and walked over to where his coat, hat, and gloves where and pulled them on. “I’ll be back in as soon as I can.”
Skyler just nodded as she watched him get dressed then walk out the door. She couldn’t say anything. He was right, she was tired, but between taking care of the house, keeping the fire going, and seeing about Owen, there wasn’t time for a nap. She quickly dried the dishes he had washed and walked into the den to check the fire. He had obviously added a log or two already.
She walked up the stairs to check on Owen. He had moved some while they had been downstairs, but not much. She checked to be sure he wasn’t sweating under all the covers then turned him on his other side and propped a pillow behind him.
Her thoughts turned to Simon and how she felt about him. Her initial reaction was that she didn’t love him, but deep down, Skyler knew it wasn’t true. She did love him. He’d taken them into his home and never once pushed her for anything beyond friendship until she had been ready. His eyes betrayed his feelings for her, and she could tell that he cared much deeper than she would have expected. Perhaps it was even love.
She sat in the chair by the bed and folded her arms on the bed next to Owen’s back. She was so tired and worried. Before she knew it, she had laid her head down on her crossed arms. Maybe she could rest for just a few minutes. She still had dinner to prepare.
Jumbled thoughts played around in her head as she relaxed her body. Falling in love with Simon hadn’t been in her plans, but she couldn’t change that it had happened. Now all she had to do was keep that knowledge from both men. She didn’t want to hurt Owen, and she didn’t want Simon to have that sort of power over her. Owen could be bad enough when she wanted her way. Having two men with that sort of knowledge would be impossible to deal with.
Chapter Eight
Simon quietly climbed the stairs. When he didn’t find Skyler in the kitchen cooking dinner or asleep on the couch in the den, he figured she had fallen asleep upstairs with Owen. At least he prayed that was where she was. He moved softly so he wouldn’t wake her if she was indeed asleep. She needed all the rest she could manage.
When he walked into the bedroom it was to find her sitting in the chair by the bed slumped over with her head on the edge of the bed. The exciting part of that was that Owen’s hand was lying over her neck. It meant his friend was waking up for sure. That knowledge filled him with relief. He had almost lost hope that his partner would ever wake up and was struggling to prepare to handle Skyler when he eventually slipped away.
He was loath to wake her, but she was going to be stiff and sore from how she was positioned when she did wake up. Just as he started to pick her up to settle her on the other side of Owen, the man moved his head and looked up at Simon.
“She’s asleep.” The other man’s voice was raspy and weak.
“I know, but she’s going to hurt from sitting like this. I’m going to put her in bed with you.”
“Good.” Owen gave a half smile before closing his eyes again.
Simon gently picked her up, and then lowered her to the bed on the other side of Owen. He readjusted the pillow under her head and covered her with the blanket. She stirred but never woke all the way up. He smiled.
“Thanks.” Owen didn’t open his eyes when he spoke.
“Rest, friend. I’m going to cook dinner before I wake her up to eat.”
Owen didn’t acknowledge that he had heard Simon. He sighed before walking back downstairs to figure out something for dinner. With winter ready to attack, he was glad that Owen was waking up. He would need the help to handle the herd and take care of Skyler, too. She would work herself to the bone if one of them didn’t watch her. Besides, he worried about leaving her alone in the house while he was outside working. It would be easy for black market agents to sneak up on her and he would never hear them. With that disheartening thought, he returned to the kitchen and nosed around in the pantry to get an idea of what to fix.
Once Simon had dinner ready, he started toward the den to go upstairs but was met by a very excited Skyler in the den.
“He’s awake, Simon! Owen is awake.” She wrapped her arms around him tight enough to bruise.
“That’s great news, baby. I’ve got dinner ready. Let’s fix him a bowl of soup and see if we can get him to eat anything. He’s bound to be starving and need something nutritious.”
Skyler grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the kitchen much like a child tugging on her parents on Christmas Day. It made him smile despite the deep weariness that threatened to overcome him.
He helped her pour up some of the broth from the soup and fix a glass of water before following her up the stairs to see about Owen. He was deeply grateful that the other man was recovering. Deep down he could admit to enjoying more of Skyler’s company while Owen had been injured, but he wouldn’t trade his recovery for anything. Skyler loved Owen and would be devastated without him. Would she feel even half of that if something happened to him?
Simon shook off that thought and concentrated on helping her get Owen up in bed so he could swallow the broth. The other man was awake and following their progress with his eyes, though he hadn’t said anything yet.
“You look a little worse for wear, Owen, but you’re still a sight for sore eyes.
How are you feeling?” Simon helped Skyler prop him up.
“Thirsty.”
He watched Skyler hold a glass of water to his lips. The other man drank greedily, spilling small amounts on the towel she had placed over his chest. When he had finished, she set the glass back on the bedside table and picked up the bowl of broth.
“We’ve been worried about you.”
Simon watched as Skyler spoon-fed Owen. The other man appeared to be growing stronger by the minute. Relief poured through him. It wouldn’t be long before his friend was back to normal.
When Owen had eaten all he could, they helped him get comfortable once again and left him dozing. Simon followed Skyler downstairs to the kitchen where she quickly rinsed out the bowl and glass. When she started to leave the kitchen again, he stopped her.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Back upstairs to see about Owen.”
“Not until you’ve eaten, you’re not. Now come on over here and sit down.” He frowned at her when she hesitated.
Finally she let out an impatient breath and took her chair at the table. She filled her plate and began to eat. When she had finished, she started to get up but stopped.
“Am I excused from the table, Daddy?”
“Don’t get smart with me. You’ve got to keep your strength up. With winter coming in and Owen still too weak to work, you’re going to be busy and need all of it you can muster.” When she nodded reluctantly, Simon smiled and pulled her into his arms. “Go on up and visit with Owen. I’ll take care of the kitchen tonight.”
“No. I’ll do it. You go talk to him and keep him company while I’m cleaning up. You’ve been working outside in the cold all day.” She seemed to snap back to her usual feisty self.
“Are you sure?”
“Go on. I’ll be up soon. We all need to get some rest.”
“I’ll tend to the fire before I do. Hurry up and come to bed, baby.” He winked at her and left her scurrying around the kitchen like a little mouse.
When he finally made it upstairs again, Owen was awake and trying to sit up on the edge of the bed.
“Whoa there. You’ll end up falling on your ass. You’re not strong enough to get up and move around on your own.”
“Need to get up. Get my strength back.” Owen made a halfhearted attempt to fight with Simon.
“You just woke up from a coma, man. Don’t push it. I’ll help you sit up tomorrow. That’s soon enough. Don’t let Skyler find you sprawled out on the floor. She’d have a nervous breakdown.”
Simon helped him get back in bed. His friend’s face held lines that hadn’t been there earlier. No doubt he’d pushed it trying to get out of bed. He was sure that he would have been trying the same thing though. They were both just that stubborn.
He talked with Owen for the next thirty minutes while they waited on Skyler to make it upstairs. He actually did most of the talking. Owen mostly nodded or grunted. It wouldn’t take much for the other man to fall back asleep. It was clear he was only waiting on Skyler before he gave in.
As soon as she walked in the room, the other man’s face relaxed and a weak smile filled his face.
“Now that you’re here to keep him company, I’m going to take a shower. I’ll run you a hot bath when I finish my shower.”
“Thanks, Simon.” She hugged him then took the chair he’d just vacated.
Simon stepped into the shower after shucking his clothes and nearly moaned at how good the hot water felt to his aching muscles. Hopefully Owen would be ready to get back to work soon. He hadn’t realized just how much he had come to depend on the other man’s help. Spreading the work and the worry between two people certainly made the load easier to take.
That was probably how Owen had felt when he decided to move Skyler to The Border Lands. He had another man to lighten the load of worrying about keeping her safe. He would have helped to keep her safe even if he’d never touched her, but having fallen in love with her, Simon knew he would move heaven and earth to keep her from harm. She was special, the most important person alive. In order to get to her, someone would have to go through him first. There was no way he would ever rest if she were taken from them.
* * * *
Owen lay awake after Skyler and Simon had come to bed several hours earlier. He had fallen asleep while waiting on her to finish her bath. Then when they had all gotten beneath the covers to sleep, he couldn’t seem to close his eyes again.
Skyler’s soft body was wrapped around him, an arm beneath his pillow and the other one thrown over his waist. He could hear Simon’s soft snore behind her. The quiet of the house was interrupted occasionally by various creaks and settling sounds, but it was the lonesome sound of the wolf howling at the moon that drowned it all out.
He knew Simon would be having a difficult time with the snow without the added stress of the wolves moving in to stalk the cows for a meal. He needed to regain his strength quickly so he could help relieve some of the pressure Simon would be under.
Skyler whimpered in her sleep and tightened her arm around him for a few brief seconds. Then she settled down once again. He ran his fingers gently over her hand, thinking about how tired she had looked when he’d woken up. Much of it would be from worry over him. He knew her and knew she would worry herself sick if someone didn’t watch out for her. He was glad that Simon was there to care for her. It was obvious the other man had been making her eat and rest by the way she had scowled at him. It almost made him laugh, but he didn’t want to wake them up.
The room seemed nearly pitch black, so he was sure there were clouds in the sky preventing the moon and stars from illuminating the room through the window. That could mean more snow. He certainly hoped not. Not until he was back on his feet so he could help.
He thought about how he felt about the fact that Skyler and Simon had basically been alone with each other while he’d been unconscious. It surprised him that he didn’t feel in the least bit jealous anymore. He was thankful that the other man had been there to help her. She would have been all alone and vulnerable had Simon not been there. He was sure now that he’d made the right decision to join with Simon out here in The Border Lands. He just hoped that Skyler was happy and that she could grow to love Simon as much as the other man seemed to love her.
He had no doubt the other man was deeply in love with her. It was in his eyes every time he looked at her or talked about her. Owen had no doubt that should anything happen to him, the other man would take good care of her. It filled him with a measure of peace. Something he hadn’t felt in a very long time, probably since before the year of catastrophes.
Careful not to wake Skyler, Owen slowly rolled over to his back and settled her on his shoulder. His body ached from lying in one place for so long. He needed to get up but realized after earlier, that he wasn’t strong enough to do it on his own yet.
“Are you okay over there?” Simon’s husky voice whispered across Skyler’s body.
“Yeah. Restless. Too long in bed.”
“I can imagine, but you need to rest and get your strength back.”
“I know.”
“Something bothering you?”
“No. Just not sleepy right now.” He could hear a note of worry in Simon’s voice.
No doubt the other man thought he was worrying about their time together while he’d been hurt. He was glad they had the time to get to know each other better. He hoped it meant they would be closer now. He didn’t want Skyler to feel torn between them.
“Skyler’s been real worried about you. Had a hard time making her eat and sleep.”
“She’s a good woman. I’m glad you kept after her to take care of herself.” He looked over her body at Simon. “I hope you were able to get to know each other better while I was down.”
Simon didn’t say anything to that for so long that Owen wondered if the other man had fallen asleep.
“I love her, Owen. I’ll do anything to make her happy.”
“Me,
too. How is she reacting toward you now?”
“She’s still skittish at times. I think she still feels guilty about the situation.”
“We need to put an end to that as soon as I’m well enough to get around. It will just fester until she makes it into something big.”
“I don’t want to cause her anymore anguish, Owen.”
“Have you told her you love her?”
Silence again. Owen sighed.
“No.”
“Why the hell not? She needs to hear that from you.”
“I guess I’m scared to see the rejection in her eyes. I know she doesn’t love me. I think she cares about me, but she doesn’t love me.”
“I think you’re wrong. I think she loves you and is scared to admit it even to herself. It would help if you would tell her how you feel.” Owen ground his teeth as he waited to see what Simon would say.
“Maybe you’re right,” the other man finally said.
“Go back to sleep. You’ve got too damn much on your plate right now to be up talking to me.”
He heard the other man’s grunt then felt the bed bounce as he turned over and settled back down. It wasn’t long before he heard him snoring again.
Owen snuggled a little closer to Skyler and thought about how to cement their three-way bond. He had to convince her that he was fine with her loving and being intimate with Simon. He’d thoroughly screwed up when he’d flipped out before. Now she was holding a piece of herself back from the other man, and he was afraid it was a piece of her heart.
The longer he lay there, the more certain he was that she loved Simon, but was denying them both out of misplaced guilt. He would rectify the problem just as soon as he was able to get around again. Meanwhile, he would concentrate on getting his strength back. Both of them needed him.
Chapter Nine
Skyler struggled through the snow back toward the house with Owen right behind her. It had been two weeks since Owen had begun to get around on his own. Now he was helping Simon once again. She was so happy that everything was basically back to normal, if you didn’t count the nearly three feet of snow on the ground.