by Marla Monroe
“Nonsense. You can never have too much tomato stuff. It takes two or three jars of tomatoes to make enough soup or chili for the three of us and have left over for the next day. You’ll see. You weren’t able to put up anything without a wife. I’ll prove just how good for you guys I am.”
“Kelly. You don’t have to prove anything to us. We’re more than happy to have you as our wife. Nothing is going to change that.”
“I know. Let me get to work. I need to weed before we have more of them than we do vegetables.” Kelly picked up the hoe and got to work at the far end of the garden.
She stopped to rest now and then or to pet Tiger, who kept running between her and Gabe. The little beastie, as Gabe tended to call him, seemed taken with the man despite the fact that he complained about it all the time.
“Doesn’t that thing ever rest? It’s making me tired just watching him.” Gabe sat in one of the two lounge chairs they had and glared at Tiger, who was happily oblivious as he licked himself like a cat taking a bath in Gabe’s lap.
“He sure sleeps sound at night. I got up to get a drink of water last night and nearly stumbled over him outside the door. He never budged.”
“Some watch thing it is. Sounds like a muskie could sneak up on him to me.”
Kelly chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know. More than likely he’d smell a muskie. They kind of smell. I don’t smell.”
Gabe’s face split into a wide grin. “Oh yes you do, babe. You smell like sex anytime we get frisky with you.”
“Ugh. Don’t say things like that. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know. That’s why we say it. Can’t wait until you finish in the garden and take a shower. I’m going to make you scream while Tyler’s busy working.”
Kelly shook her head, her mouth pursing in an attempt to keep from smiling. “I don’t think that’s a good idea with your leg injured.”
“You didn’t say anything last night.”
“Well, Tyler was there to help make sure you didn’t hurt yourself.”
Gabe’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “I don’t need Tyler to make love to you.”
“I wasn’t insinuating that you did. Don’t get pissy with me, Gabe. I’ll tell Tiger to slobber all over you again.”
“Don’t worry. The beastie has more than taken care of that. I’ll need a bath when we go inside.”
She laughed. “He does seem to prefer drooling on you more so than me. Maybe it’s a she and she’s in lust with you.”
“Good god, woman. Don’t curse me.” Gabe shoved Tiger off of his lap and using the crutch, stood up. “I’m going inside to get something to drink. I’ll bring you some tea when I come back out.”
“Thanks.”
Kelly burst out laughing as Gabe hopped into the house. She didn’t have a clue why Tiger liked Gabe so much but figured it was the same as with cats. They gravitated to anyone who said they didn’t like them. For someone who hated cats, Gabe sure petted his little beastie a lot.
By the time Gabe returned with her glass of tea, Kelly was nearly finished with hoeing for the day. She’d tied the tomatoes up the best she could until Tyler rigged up a better system for her to use.
“Told you those tomatoes are wild here. They almost have a mind of their own. See how they’re growing toward the garden instead of straight up?” Gabe handed her the tea then plopped down on the chair. “I say kill half of them now before they can take over the planet. Hell, you don’t even have to weed them. Even the weeds know it’s useless to try and survive around them.”
“Nonsense. Once Tyler fixes the fencing I want for them I’ll be able to keep them contained. I’ll prune them back when they get too tall or bushy if I have to.”
“Well, hurry up and finish, so I can get this thing off my lap.” Gabe absently petted it.
“If you don’t like it, why are you petting it?”
He growled and snatched his hand back. “It’s just self-preservation to keep the thing from biting me or something. I don’t understand why he wants to sit on my lap all the time.”
“Let me clean up the tools and put them away then we can go inside. It’s not summer yet and I’m already sweating when I work out here.”
“You’ll have to do all of your work in the early morning and late afternoon once summer hits. The sun is a little closer here than it was on Earth, so it gets much hotter here.”
Kelly gathered the garden tools and rinsed them off before carrying them to lean against the cellar door. Tyler would put them up then get them back out for her in the morning. She wasn’t allowed down there since they hadn’t found how the muskie had gotten in yet. It didn’t bother her one bit since she didn’t like the dank musty smell of the room below. She’d have to get past that since everything she canned from the garden would be located down there. She couldn’t rely on the men to always get what she wanted.
“Ready?” she asked Gabe.
“Yep. Let’s go. You can shower while I wipe down from holding the droolmonster.”
Kelly held the door as Gabe hopped into the kitchen. “Droolmonster? You keep coming up with the worst names for poor Tiger.”
“Hey, it is what it is. He drools and he’s a beastie of some type. I wonder why no one’s seen one of him before?”
“I’d say his kind keep hidden because of the dorries and mantises out there. They might even be endangered or something,” Kelly said. “It might not be indigenous of this area, but this one wandered over by accident, or they’re moving this way for some reason.” Kelly climbed the stairs, leaving Gabe in the kitchen. “I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”
* * * *
Gabe waited on Kelly to return downstairs. He’d removed his shirt and stuffed it in the washing machine for her to wash later then wiped whatever drool had seeped through from his chest. The beastie had tried to get back in his lap after he’d sat down, but Gabe shooed him away. It disappeared so he assumed it went upstairs to wait on Kelly.
She’d made up some chicken salad from a hen she’d gotten from town so he knew what they’d have for lunch. He hoped to postpone lunch for a quickie if she’d agree. He had the perfect way to keep pressure off his leg.
“What are you grinning about?” Kelly asked as she walked downstairs.
“Just thinking about you. Makes me grin any time I do.” He reached out a hand. “Makes me hard, too.”
When she took it, he pulled it down to his crotch so she could feel just how hard he was for her. She laughed and gave his dick a squeeze.
“You guys are always hard. I think it’s a permanent state for you. I don’t know what you think we’re going to do about it with your leg hurt.” She took his other hand and climbed up on the chair to kneel with her legs on either side of his hips.
“I’ve got an idea.”
“I bet you have.”
“Actually, you’re pretty much in the perfect position, minus the pants, just like you are. Want to ride me, babe?” he asked.
“Ah, I get it.” She slid off of him and unfastened her pants before toeing off her shoes and stepping out of both the slacks and her panties. “This what you wanted?”
“Yeah, now unfasten me and climb up, Kelly.”
She grinned at him and took a step back. “Maybe I’ll just play with myself and you can unfasten your own jeans.” She ran one hand down her belly to toy with her pussy.
“Fuck, Kelly. Get your finger wet for me.” Gabe fumbled with his pants while keeping his eyes glued to her hand.
She sank one finger inside of her hot, wet cunt and pulled it out for him to see just how wet she was. Her finger glistened in the light. Then she did something that almost made him come just watching her. She put her finger in her mouth and sucked her own juices off.
“Hot as fuck, babe. Do it again, but let me taste you. I want to see how sweet you are, Kelly.” Gabe wrapped a hand around his aching cock and pumped it, running his hand over the head to gather his pre-cum as lubricant.
He watched a
s she pushed two fingers into her pussy then pulled them out and held them up.
“Bring that to me, babe. I want to taste you.”
She walked over and gave him her hand. He sucked both fingers into his mouth and groaned at how her taste exploded over his tongue. She tasted like spicy ambrosia. He wanted more, but he was already so close that he needed to be inside of her instead. Her little show had just about put him over the edge.
“Come on up here, Kelly. I need you. I need to be inside of you. Right now.”
Her eyes were bright with anticipation as she climbed onto his lap then positioned herself over his dick. Gabe held it still as she slowly sank down on his thick cock. The slow slide of her slick pussy against his hard shaft felt like heaven. She was so fucking tight. Tight and hot and wet.
“Oh, it feels so good, Gabe. I love how your cock fills me up.”
“Your pussy is like a tight, hot glove all lotioned up. Fuck, it’s too good. I can’t stop, babe.” Gabe held her waist as he pulled out then slammed back into her over and over. His cock ached as his balls burned with the need to come. He knew he wouldn’t last long.
I can’t believe I’m going to come without her going over first.
He refused to let that happen. Gabe reached between them and located her clit. Using some of her juices, he rubbed the little nub even as he fucked her deep and hard. She started tightening around him, one hand like a vise around the wrist of the hand he used on her.
“Oh, god, Gabe. I’m going to come. Please don’t stop.”
“Come on, babe.”
“Yes!”
Kelly’s cunt grasped his shaft so hard he didn’t have a choice except to come right along with her. She milked him as her vaginal muscles contracted in wave after wave of pleasure. He swore he emptied everything inside him into her soft warm flesh.
“Hell, I’m spent.” Gabe ran both hands up and down her arms as she collapsed over him so that her forehead rested against his shoulder. “That was amazing, Kelly.”
“I’m dead. Talk to me later.” Her voice came out all breathy and muffled against his skin.
He chuckled, which triggered her pussy to massage his cock again.
“Whoa, babe. I’m tuckered out. Maybe we can do it again later.”
“Bite me. I’m done for the day. If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d tell you to do without lunch.” She huffed out a breath. “I’ll get up and fix sandwiches in a little while.”
“Take your time, darling. I’m quite satisfied for now.”
“I guess you know that you’re forgiven now, right?”
Gabe sobered. “I’m really sorry about the other day, Kelly. It won’t happen again. The next time a woman throws herself at me I’ll tell her to get lost and scream my lungs out for you.”
“You better or that toy of yours might suffer some damage.”
Gabe winced. He felt his balls shrivel up beneath him. He knew better than to upset her again. She’d warned him. Part of him was worried but another part of him was pleased. She cared that much about him that she’d threaten him. It was kind of a sick compliment. He could live with it.
“You know you mean the world to me, don’t you, Kelly? Tyler and I care about you, and I’m not sure where he stands, but I’m falling for you, girl. You’re fun to be around despite how you sometimes clam up and don’t always smile. You smile more now than you did when you first propositioned us.”
Kelly popped him on the chest and sat up. “I didn’t proposition you! I asked if you’d be interested in being my husbands. There’s a difference.”
His face broke out into a wide smile. It felt good to tease his wife. “I know. I was just teasing you. Now. I’m starved. I need nourishment, wife.”
Kelly eased off of him then climbed down to pull her panties and pants back on. Once dressed, she shook her ass at him and walked out of the room. He could hear her humming in the kitchen as she worked on their sandwiches. Gabe felt like they’d made it over a hurdle in their marriage. He’d fucked up, but things were okay again.
The thought of losing her made his stomach cramp. She really was perfect for them. She wasn’t simpering or needy and she could more than handle both of them as well as the garden and hard life of living an outlander’s life.
I can’t believe we nearly missed out on her just because we listened to those jealous women that she wanted to live in town and not outside.
Gabe was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that Tiger had climbed up in his lap and settled down for a nap. What was worse, he was petting the damn thing.
Chapter Ten
The summer sun shone down hot and bright as Kelly finished up her gardening for the morning. For July, she only worked until ten each morning then worked in the kitchen during the heat of the day before winding up the gardening from five till seven. The men normally didn’t make it home until close to nine each night, only to be back up at five each morning. The days were hard but fruitful and each night that Kelly went to bed she felt as if she’d accomplished a lot.
Tiger hadn’t grown much at all. She supposed that he’d been full grown when she’d found him and now the filling out he’d done was due to a constant and ready supply of food. He loved all sorts of veggies. She had to be careful of letting him out when she was working in the garden and not watching him close enough. He’d chew all the limbs off a tomato plant that had reached beyond the barrier fencing they’d erected to keep the plants contained.
She decided to let him keep the tomatoes under control while she tended to the rest of the plants. The guys hadn’t exaggerated one bit about how aggressive the red fruit was. The rest of the garden wasn’t quite as bad, but she still had to work hard to keep up with everything.
“Tiger! Come here, you little beastie. Time to go inside for the morning.” The bouncing creature followed her inside and settled on the little bed she’d made for it in the kitchen.
The bunnycat seemed perfectly content to lie there while she canned and put up vegetables and fruits. The guys had brought home a cube full of stone berries they’d picked for her while waiting out the hottest part of the day in a shaded booth they’d erected close to the berry bushes. Kelly had put up jam, jelly and a type of sauce that worked great for pies and as toppings for cakes. She’d even used it as a glaze over a brisket they’d had one night.
After eating a tomato sandwich, Kelly decided to set up the appliance that dehydrated food to dry some tomato slices. They’d work great for meat pies and such. She spent over an hour slicing tomatoes then putting them in the dehydrator. It used to take several days to dry fruits and vegetables, but with the new ones, it only took several hours for each batch. By the time she was able to go back outside to finish up the gardening, she’d dried over thirty tomato slices and half a dozen squash slices.
Kelly cleaned up the dehydrator and put it back in the pantry. Tiger jumped up and down by the back door, ready to go back out. The second the door was open, the little beastie raced out and made a circle around the yard like always. This time, he started growling over by the cellar. For a bunnycat, it had a ferocious growl.
“What is it, Tiger?” She walked over to find him jumping and kicking out at something half in and half out of a hole near the cellar doors.
“Come back away from that. What are you doing?” Kelly wasn’t sure what was in the hole, but figured it was where the muskie had gotten into the cellar. She’d have to tell the guys about the hole. It wasn’t directly next to the doors, but in a clump of the dark blue grass. She tried to grab Tiger to pull him away but a muskie jumped out at her, narrowly missing her hand. Tiger grabbed it by the back of the neck with needle sharp teeth she’d never seen in its mouth before.
The bunnycat shook the muskie with a vicious shake that evidently killed it since he dropped it at her feet. Teeth marks on the back of the varmint looked lethal but Kelly was sure that what killed it was a broken neck when Tiger had shaken it back and forth.
“Look at you, Tiger.
You’re a regular hunter. I’m not sure what to do with this thing because the guys have told me not to touch one. I’m not going down in that cellar to get the shovel in case there’s another one down there.”
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t go down there without the guys even if they swore there were no more of them down there. I’m a big coward.
She decided the best thing to do was to leave it alone until the guys got back. She praised Tiger but lured him away with the chance of some veggies right out of the garden. She figured the bunnycat had earned them.
Kelly finished close to eight and left her tools near the muskie so the guys could find it then called Tiger inside with her. She’d made up some chicken and dumplings for dinner, knowing they wouldn’t want anything heavy with the heat outside. She had a gelatin dessert in the fridge ready for after dinner.
She poured a glass of fresh milk from their new dairy cow and laughed at how hard it had been at first to milk the damn thing. Once she’d gotten the hang of it, Kelly had felt like a true pioneer woman. Feeding the chickens and gathering eggs had been a piece of cake. She’d learned to wear gloves until the chickens got used to her reaching under their butts for their eggs. She’d gotten pecked pretty good the first few mornings.
She’d just turned the boiler off when the guys walked in, arguing over something. She’d learned not to take their fussing seriously after a few heated arguments had upset her. Now they tended to leave the majority of them outside so as not to bother her.
“What are you guys arguing over this time?” she asked.
“We need to take a load of grain to town. The grain building is getting too full. We still have another two months of harvest coming in.”
“So what’s the problem?” She set the table as they talked.
“We’re just arguing over who’s going to go. I went last time,” Tyler said. “It’s Gabe’s turn but he doesn’t want to go.”
“Why not?” she asked Gabe.