by Marla Monroe
“I guess you’re right, but if they continue to treat her like that when we go into town, I’m going to have my say.”
Tyler nodded. He felt the same way. Even if Kelly came off as a bit reserved, it wasn’t any cause to treat her like dirt.
“Um, guys? I think we have a problem.”
Chapter Three
“What is it, Kelly?” Tyler and Gabe followed her down the stairs.
“There’s a dorrie in the transport. I went out to help with carrying things inside and it was in there nosing through stuff.”
“Damnit. We should have pulled around back inside the gate. Where did it come from? I didn’t see it when we were out there less than a minute before.”
“You didn’t get bit or anything, did you?” Gabe asked her.
“No. As soon as I saw it I walked away then ran inside and closed the door. How are you going to get him out?”
“It might be best to let it leave on its own,” Gabe suggested.
“I don’t want it slobbering over anything. Its saliva can cause some rather severe reactions.” Tyler walked over to the front door and looked out. “Can’t see it from here. Grab the gun, Gabe.”
“What is left in the buggy?” she asked.
“A part for a piece of equipment we went to town to get and a bag of supplies.” Gabe carried the gun over to the front door. “Stay inside where you’ll be safe, Kelly.”
“Be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you guys.” She was afraid that now that she finally had a home that something would happen to ruin it all.
“Always,” Gabe told her.
She waited until they closed the door then hurried over to the window where she pushed the drapes to one side so she could watch. She couldn’t see inside the buggy, but she could see her men. They stood next to the open door, staring inside the opening and talking to each other.
Tyler leaned in a little way then popped back out with both men backing away from the doorway in a hurry. She nearly ran outside to be sure they were okay when the dorrie, the size of a medium sized dog back on Earth, jumped down from the vehicle and stared at the two men.
Everyone froze, including Kelly. The dorrie bared its teeth then turned and ran off in another direction. She was sure the guys were relieved, but nothing could explain how she felt. To Kelly, her entire world had hung in the balance while the dorrie decided to attack or run. She was so thankful it had run.
“It’s gone, Kelly.” Tyler’s face held a relaxed smile.
Gabe and Tyler had managed to grab what they’d wanted out of the buggy and close the door without her even noticing it. Now they were standing inside the living room and staring at her.
“Thank goodness. I saw you both jump back and I was afraid it was about to attack,” she told them.
“It was under something and we didn’t see it at first. When we started to move a box, it popped out and scared a year’s worth of life off of both of us, but it didn’t attack so all’s well.” Tyler grinned.
Kelly noticed that Tyler seemed to be the more relaxed and playful of the two men. Gabe seemed a little more reserved. She wanted to know everything about them so she could make them happy. She didn’t want either of them to ever wish they had waited on the next shuttle.
“We’re going to take this out to the barn and make sure everything is okay out there. We’ve plowed up the majority of the land but will need to get back on that tomorrow. I want to make sure this part is going to work.” Gabe carried the box toward the kitchen with Tyler behind him.
“Okay. How long do you think you might be? I want to fix dinner but don’t want to have it cooling off before you get to eat it.”
Tyler and Gabe exchanged looks. “Um, let’s say two hours. It will nearly be dark by then and we’ll need to come in anyway. Does that work for you?”
“That’s fine. I’ll spend the time getting used to the kitchen and where everything is.” Kelly couldn’t wait to get started.
“You can move anything you want. It was just us trying to cook for ourselves, so I’m sure there are things in odd places. Make it yours, Kelly.” Gabe smiled then nodded at Tyler and the two men walked out the back door.
Hers. She couldn’t believe that she finally had a home of her own and two good men for husbands. Kelly opened every cabinet door, all the drawers, then tackled the pantry. She saw the opening to the cellar, but would save that for when the men were in the house. She was more than a little afraid of dark, enclosed places and didn’t want to have to go down alone the first time.
She made a few changes, but for the most part, everything worked where it was. She started a list of pantry items they’d need before checking the refrigerator and freezer. They had plenty of meat, it looked like, but they had very little in the way of canned goods. She was sure it was due to not being able to handle a garden and harvest along with their other duties. She needed to ask what they grew. She had no idea.
When it appeared to be about time for the sun to set, Kelly started dinner for the men. She was sure they’d be hungry when they came in. She was pleased when they walked inside just as the bread was coming out of the oven. She’d been pleased to find that they had a loaf of bread in the freezer. She’d have to make bread the next day to last them the rest of the week.
“You’ve got time to clean up before I put it on the table,” she told them.
“Sounds good. We’ll be right down.” Gabe nodded before following Tyler to the living room and the stairs.
Kelly grinned and set the table. Everything was going well her first day as a wife.
* * * *
Gabe finished washing up and let Tyler have the bathroom. He was thrilled with having Kelly as their wife. He’d nearly agreed with Tyler when his friend had wanted to approach Kelly the last time they’d been in town, but Gabe hadn’t wanted yet another rejection. Sure, they hadn’t really had out and out rejections before, but neither had they gotten any interested looks at the last few gatherings.
I didn’t want to feel so undesirable when she let us down. If I’d known then what I know now, well, we’d have had her almost six months before.
It was all in the past now. Kelly was theirs and he planned to keep her happy. He knew Tyler would. The other man was much more outgoing and tended to talk nonstop at times. He’d let his friend do most of the talking tonight at dinner. Gabe was a little afraid of saying something that would upset her. He tended to speak before he thought through his words. Tyler didn’t seem to have a problem with anything he said.
They hurried back down to the kitchen where Kelly had the table set with their meal waiting.
“Looks delicious, darling.” Tyler hugged her before taking a seat at the table.
Gabe hesitated then hugged her, as well. He wasn’t sure how she’d react to them touching her right away. Evidently by the smile that blossomed over her face, she was fine with it. He had to say it looked completely natural on her. He never would have thought on seeing her smile that she tended to frown a lot.
“Can’t wait to try it all,” he finally managed to get out.
They ate and talked about the crops, what they grew and how they’d only had a small garden each year in the past.
“We’ll plow up a large one for you with a separate space for tomatoes. I promise you’ll have more than you know what to do with. They grow the size of softballs and grapefruits here on Alpha.” Tyler demonstrated with two hands how large they grew.
“I’ll work on the garden in the morning, Tyler. Then I’ll join you out in the fields. Still planning on seeding the first half today and working on plowing the rest tomorrow and the next?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah. It will be good to have the harvest come ready in waves instead of it all getting ready at the exact same time. Three to four days apart is a good estimate.” Tyler raked his plate into the garbage before grabbing Gabe’s to do the same.
“I’ve got a shortcake for dessert if you’d like some. It’s not a great dessert, but it
works until I obtain the ingredients I’ll need next month.” Kelly smiled with a hint of worry in her eyes.
“It’s fine, hon. We really didn’t expect much until you could see what was needed.” Gabe reached for the smaller plates and handed one to her. “I’m all about something sweet.”
She flashed a slightly less natural smile this time and fixed his plate. “What about you, Tyler?”
“Sounds good to me. Load me up. I’m going to rinse these and put them in the dishwasher.”
Kelly jumped up to stop him. “That’s my job. Let me do that.”
“Nonsense, we won’t feel worth doing anything most of the time. I don’t mind loading the dishwasher when I feel up to it. He waved her away. “Sit down and fix me some of that shortcake.”
“This is good. What kind of berry is this?” he asked. “Stone berries?”
“Yes. That’s what was on the package in the freezer so I assume so. They taste really good for having been frozen. I’ll put them away in cans for jams and jellies in the fall. Are there some bushes close by?” she asked.
“We actually transplanted about six bushes along the fence next to the barn. You can safely pick from them when they ripen. If things go well this fall, we’ll transplant a few more.” Tyler swallowed before continuing. “We even have two Posco trees out there. We’d like to plant more, but haven’t found one small enough to dig up anywhere close to the house. We’ll look a little farther out this year to see if we can find a couple more.”
“Oooh, I love Posco fruit. It’s so sweet and tasty.” Kelly was excited that she’d be able to put up some of the natural fruits in the winter. “Do we have supplies down in the basement? I didn’t go down there. I’m a little afraid of the dark.”
“We’ve got enough supplies down there to put up food for the entire population of Space Station One, darling.” Tyler grinned. “We kept getting our share every fall even though we didn’t use much of it. And we’ll make sure there’s plenty of light down there for you. With all of the solar panels we added for the barn and the house, we’ve got plenty of power to keep the basement well-lit when you’re down there.”
She seemed to force a smile that came out a little lopsided. She was trying. Gabe admired her for trying to do better. He needed to work on communicating more, as well.
“Knowing that everything grows a little faster and bigger, any idea how many rows you want for your garden?” he asked.
“How long are the rows?”
“Sixteen feet long. I figure four eight foot lengths for the tomatoes. They’ll outgrow that as it is.” Gabe waited while she thought about it.
“At least ten. I’ll square off a few and plant climbing plants on the back rows. That should work with tomatoes in their own separate area.” Kelly nodded.
“Let’s clean up and relax in the living room before bed,” Tyler suggested.
Gabe watched as their new wife rustled around putting away things and cleaning up the table before wiping down the counters. He figured she was a little nervous, considering how she kept wiping the same areas over and over.
“Everything looks fine, Kelly. Come on. We can talk about what to expect out here since you’ve never really been out this far.” Gabe wanted to be sure she was well aware of the dangers.
“Okay. I know about some of the plants to avoid, but haven’t seen them in person before. I know better than to trust any of the animals, but especially to watch out for the muskies. They’re very aggressive, much like the mantis.”
They settled on the couch with Kelly between them. Gabe enjoyed the heat of her body next to his and consciously relaxed so that her hip pressed against his thigh.
“The little purple flowers and yellow plants are essentially safe, but there’s a stick weed that we have to try and keep out of the back fenced in area so that no one gets stuck buy it. It causes a type of paralysis that leaves you able to think and see but you can’t talk and you can’t move. It’s scary as shit when it happens. If you don’t know what it is, leave it be.” Tyler patted her leg.
“I’m still getting used to the grass being so thick and deep blue. The dirt is so red it looks like crushed brick. There’s no way to fool yourself that you’re still on Earth, is there?” Kelly’s voice sounded a bit wistful. He could understand.
“No. Earth is gone to us. I don’t know how much longer it will even be there now. The last report said they felt like they had another year at most. They’re busy sending out spaceships as fast as they can get them built and loaded. I don’t think they’re even trying to pair anyone up anymore. I think it’s a last-ditch effort to get all of the females who could have children on some sort of planet as soon as possible.” Gabe knew it was hard to accept, losing Earth and everything you knew in one fell swoop.
“I can’t help thinking about all of the people I knew who wouldn’t even stand the chance of being saved. It hurts.” Kelly blinked her eyes as if holding back tears.
“Try not to think about it, Kelly. You’ll just make yourself sick with worry and sadness. We’ve got a tough road ahead of us. Spring planting and fall harvesting are difficult times of the year for us. Winter is the easiest as far as work, but it’s hard in its own way.” Gabe squeezed her hand then let it drop.
“How long between planting and harvesting the first wave?” she asked.
“For our plants or the garden?” Tyler asked.
“Both.”
Gabe nodded. “Ours tend to be ready within the first thirty to thirty-five days.”
“The garden is a constant wave of harvest. You’ll start as soon as twenty days and continue until the first or second frost. If you plan to sow turnips and mustards, we need to till up a small area mid-summer for you to plant around August. It starts snowing here in October and finally clears up by the first week of March.” Tyler had snaked his arm around Kelly’s shoulders.
“Wow. I’d heard people talk about how fast things matured and they’d even talked about two growing seasons.” Kelly’s eyes had widened as Tyler talked.
“We decided that it made more sense to grow things in waves instead of two distinct growing times.” Gabe scooted closer to her in order to have a little more touch of her body along his thigh.
“We actually get a little more harvested that way. This year we’re planting on new ground to give the old ground a break. We planted a seed crop to just build it back up. We’ll till it under once it finishes growing to help fertilize the ground,” Tyler said.
Gabe watched as Kelly stifled a yawn with one hand. She was exhausted after the big day they’d all had. It was time to call it a night.
“Ready for bed?” he asked.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to yawn, but I didn’t sleep well last night. I was too anxious about today. I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to come see you for a week now.”
Kelly’s nervous laugh teased at Gabe’s dick. He really wanted her tonight, but maybe they should hold off a few nights to give her time to relax around them. Evidently Tyler didn’t feel the same way. He swept Kelly into his arms the second they stood up.
“I’ll carry your upstairs, darling. This is our wedding day.”
“Put me down, Tyler. I’m too heavy for that. You’ll drop me or pull your back.”
Gabe couldn’t help but grin at her when he followed behind them. She narrowed her eyes when she caught sight of his broad smile. He couldn’t stop the rush of adrenaline pouring through his veins at the thought of what was to come. No more hand jobs in the shower. They would have a real wife of their own.
Once at the top of the stairs, Tyler strode down the hall to the master bedroom. They hadn’t lived in the room until now. He’d ask Kelly to move all of their things into the room now that they were a family unit. He was sure she wouldn’t mind doing it. Right now, however, they were going to consummate their vows. Gabe couldn’t wait.
“Kelly, are you okay with having sex your first night?” Gabe asked.
Tyler frowned at him, but nodded
in agreement behind Kelly’s back. They shouldn’t jump her bones on the first night if she was too tired and nervous.
“Um, I am if you guys are. I don’t expect you to sleep in the same bed if we can’t touch each other.” Her face turned a cute shade of pink.
Gabe liked that about her. Her pale skin would look almost ethereal between theirs. They worked out in the sun all day long. She’d been working in a store for the last few years. They’d have to make sure she wore a hat and long sleeves when she was outside. He didn’t want her to get sunburned. Their sun was slightly closer than Earth’s sun.
“We want you, Kelly, but Gabe’s right. If you’re too tired or anything, we can wait.” Tyler touched her cheek with his fingers then took a step back.
Gabe had to clench his hands not to reach out and touch her. If he did, he was afraid he’d pull her into his arms and they needed to be sure she was ready.
“I want us to be a real family. I want this more than anything. I’m fine with consummating our contract. We’re legal and all.” Her smile worked hard to reach its zenith, but Gabe could tell she was nervous.
“We’ll go slow. If you want to stop, just tell us, Kelly. We’d never force anything on you. This is about learning each other’s likes and dislikes and sharing our bodies. We may just need to get used to each other first.” Tyler’s words proved once more that the other man was fast on his feet. Gabe had to think long and hard to say the right thing.
“That’s fine. Um, I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be out in a little bit.”
“We’ll get ready for bed. Take your time, but if you wait too long, I may just have to come in and join you, babe,” Tyler said with a wicked grin.
“Oh.”
Chapter Four
Kelly finished her shower in record time. Not because she didn’t want Tyler to join her, but because she was ready to dive into the bed between them and find out what it was like to be cared for by two men. She wasn’t a virgin, but she’d had very little experience with men. Actually, there’d only been one man in her life and he’d been nice but not for her.