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Of course, when they found her with it, all hell had broken loose, but she had remembered it, and when she was older, she had snuck the copy out of the library so she could read it. Wow!
Sighing, she threw herself onto her back, resisting the need to stroke her body in response to its urging. Naturally, just like in the book, these brothers would be stunned by her beauty and make mad, passionate love to her one at a time, making it the most wonderful experience in the universe.
She snorted at her thoughts. She knew she wasn’t particularly lovely. There had been a few young men in town her own age or slightly older, but they had all chosen other girls—girls who were prettier than her. Either that or they were put off by her uncle’s scowling expression whenever they had tried speaking to her.
Groaning at her predicament, she folded the newspaper carefully and put it away in her bedside drawer. As much as she wanted to answer it, Frontier was a long, long way from Goldtown, and anyway, she wasn’t brave enough to go through with it. Of course, that meant she was back at square one. There was still no one else she wanted, and she knew she did not want Quinn.
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Jennifer Denys
Chapter Two
“You did what?”
Curt grimaced as his brother, Adam, shouted at him. And he had every right. Curt had just admitted to putting an advert in the monthly newspaper—a very particular advert.
After pacing back and forth across the lounge like a caged wild animal, taking in the shocking news that Curt had just imparted, Adam stopped in front of Curt, who was sitting at the table. Adam’s hands were on his hips, and Curt winced wondering how he was going to get out of this one. He knew that stance. It meant he was in trouble, big trouble.
“Tell me again. I don’t think I heard you correctly the first time.
You put a notice in the newspaper requesting a what?”
“A wife.” Curt tensed as he reiterated what he had said.
Adam was not only the oldest of the brothers, but the biggest—
larger than either him or their younger brother, Eric—and so he commanded their respect and obedience. Well, Eric was stockier, but Adam’s six feet three inches dominated both of them, in particular Curt who was on the slender size compared to his brothers. In return, Curt had developed a quick, impulsive wit to get out of fights he knew he had no chance of winning over the other two.
But enough was enough, and he had taken the initiative in this matter that he had raised previously on several occasions and that had been unilaterally dismissed by Adam each time. His younger brother, in his usual role of peacemaker, had stayed out of it. Since then it had taken a lot of persuading for Curt to bring Eric onto his side, but he had done it, although he hadn’t told Eric yet that he had gone ahead Wife for Three
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and put the advert in without checking with their elder brother. For a very good reason—he knew Adam would have vetoed it.
“Look, Adam, we’ve discussed this before. There are lots of reasons for advertising for a wife—”
“So you say.”
He glared at his big brother for interrupting him and then continued marking the reasons off on his fingers, “One, we are so busy with the farm we don’t have time to play housekeeper. I know you do the cooking, and the cleaning is left to Eric and me—all right, Eric—but the herd has got so big that it takes up so much more of our time these days than it used to. This is great for the farm, but it would be good to have someone to do those things around the house for us, particularly items that we don’t have time for like mending clothes, baking pies, tending the herb garden—when was the last time we had moss-mint with our steak?”
Hoping that would be enough reason, he stared up expectantly at Adam, but he just got a look of “you’d better come up with a better reason that that” and no change in his domineering stance.
Ignoring Adam and continuing with his list, Curt stated, “Two, we all have ‘needs,’ and I’m getting fed up hearing Eric jerking off at night.”
That got an even bigger look of disbelief.
Gritting his teeth he threw in another, and hopefully winning, argument. “Three, with all the strict rules these days, we can’t just go to town and each of us find a girl who would marry us and come back to the farm. And four,” he got in quickly as Adam opened his mouth to respond with another of his sarcastic retorts. “Even if we could, we live so far from Frontier, the nearest inhabited place, that having a relationship with a girl prior to marriage and getting to know if she would be the ‘right’ one is damn near impossible.” He finished on a satisfied sigh, but knowing at the same time the truth of what he had just said.
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Adam simply leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms.
Curt hated it when his brother did that because it meant Adam was relaxed and “back in charge,” which meant Curt’s arguments were about to get knocked down. “I don’t see you having any problems sneaking off to town at every opportunity and seducing the girls there.”
Curt snorted with frustration. “Yeah, with the older women, but all the fathers in town keep their young, unmarried daughters well away from me.”
“Serves you right. You should have learned your lesson after Clark found you canoodling with his daughter around the back of the stables. Hell, I thought you’d learned your lesson after the beating you got.”
“I liked Kerry. I probably would have got around to marrying her, only they didn’t give me a chance. By the time I was fit again, he had married her off and sent her away.”
“Precisely. To keep her out of your lecherous clutches. But to answer your points, firstly, if you want a housekeeper, why don’t you just advertise for a widow or even a younger son wanting to travel to come and keep house?”
“Because of reason number two.”
Huffing, Adam continued, “Oh, I’m sure any widow will be happy to see to yours and Eric’s ‘needs.’”
Curt grimaced at Adam’s sarcastic grin. “Oh, ha-ha.”
“No? In that case, to come up with a solution for your second reason, we’ll have to make up a rule that Eric has to go out to the barn so not to disturb your ‘valuable’ sleep.” Glaring at his brother Curt declared, “Didn’t you hear me when I said we all have needs? Hmm, you, too, brother o’ mine. No, I don’t hear you jerking off, but I have strong suspicions about why you go off hunting so often.”
Adam narrowed his eyes but, for once in his life, Curt refused to drop his stare, not wishing to back down. He knew his elder brother Wife for Three
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had sexual needs just as much as his younger one, and both of them just as much as he did, even if he did take more opportunities to cavort with the ladies than they did. The problem was, when he was in town and tried to get to know a girl, she was swiftly packed off by her father. That just left the very willing Emily, the owner of the bar.
He chuckled to himself. It was a good thing Emily’s only relative, her son, Derek, was a dork. It was rare for a woman to have a profession these days, and any other man would have taken over the very profitable business, and Curt’s sexual “training” would have been minimal. He had once asked Emily to marry him, but she just laughed loudly after threatening to hit him and stated she was never getting married ever again.
Meanwhile, Adam was shaking his head, which was just as intimidating as his patronizing expression, and Curt flinched as his brother continued, “With all the regulations around now, the chances of you finding a girl even for one of us is remote. Oh, for God’s sake, Curt, stop giving me your wounded look. You know perfectly well I’m right. It’s going to come to it in the not-too-distant future that women are sold as a commodity, and I’m not joking.”
“You have a very poor viewpoint of our planet, big bro.”
“Yeah, well. Our grandparents would be very unhappy with the way the colony is going. Anyhow, to finish my counter-
argument,” he stated, holding a hand up as Curt went to respond. “If someone did answer your advert—and I will eat my hat if anyone does—she isn’t going to want to be so far from the nearest civilization. Or have you ignored that little fact in your message?” Clearly thinking he had completed their heated discussion and that he had won his arguments, Adam turned to leave.
“There’s a fifth reason.”
Turning his head as he held the door open, Adam simply raised an eyebrow at his little brother, who was not going to let this one go.
Besides which, he had already posted the advert, so it was too late anyway.
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“If we don’t get us a wife, then we won’t have any family to pass the farm on to, and all this hard work will go for nothing.” His lips narrowing in annoyance, the elder brother stormed out, but Curt knew he was right. He had to do something. Adam wasn’t going to despite being the eldest, and therefore, the one who made most decisions, but at heart, Adam was shy around other people. Curt knew his brother was happy to go through life as it was at this very minute, cooking, herding, seeing to the horses, and sporadic trips hunting. At least Eric and Curt ventured into town whenever they had an opportunity. Admittedly the distance meant that was rare, but they did at least interact with other people. Adam, on the other hand, kept to himself. On the intermittent occasion he had gone anywhere, it was usually on business for the farm and not for social purposes like Curt.
He shook his head remembering the last time the two of them had gone to town together. Adam’s brusque manner had gotten the backs of half the town up. True, it was because the trader who was new to the area had tried to shortchange him, but instead of dealing with it quietly, maybe bringing in the law enforcer, Adam had grabbed hold of the man and flung him across the room.
“Christ, Adam. What the hell are you doing?” Curt had cried, stunned by his brother’s actions.
This had led to a chain of events as the flying man had fallen into a group of people, including the mayor’s wife who had hurt her ankle as the man landed on her. The woman’s amazingly piercing screech had then startled a passing horse and cart and the horse had stampeded. A few yards further on, the cart had turned over and the goods the man was carrying went flying everywhere, the local kids taking advantage of the unexpected bounty to steal some of the man’s produce.
Yup, that had been a really good visit. At least Adam knew to stay away from town for some months afterward.
The problem with the planet was that there were too few people.
At least when the colony had been planned it was with a viable Wife for Three
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number of people to avoid inbreeding. What they hadn’t reckoned on was that the lack of facilities meant many people, particularly women, had died young, including his mother.
That winter was one he remembered well. Curt stood to look out of the window at the trees showing the mid bluey-green color of summer that was typical of trees on Duoterra. He rested his head on the glass. He had been nineteen, and it had been the worst winter in the colony’s history. His mother had gotten a chill from tending a horse in the barn. Curt had been the one to find her collapsed and wheezing. He had picked her up and carried her into the house.
Clenching his hands, he remembered how difficult it had been for him with his slight frame to carry her through the snow into the house, desperately calling as he did.
“Dad , Dad! Mom’s sick. I found her in the barn.” His father had blanched, and after they got her settled in bed, Adam had raced off to town to get some medicine—any medicine.
But it hadn’t worked, and they had learned afterward that she had developed pneumonia.
At least they had the drone ships that brought supplies from Earth once every five years or so, and that included some medicines, but those original colonists who had medical or scientific skills had died or were now very old. There were less people who had studied those skills. Instead many people were going back to basics—farming, fishing, trading, rural crafts, and industries like blacksmithing, cloth-making, and so on.
Curt scowled and tightened his grip on the window frame. Many of the supplies from the drone ships ended up on the black market. It was amazing how quickly a community could lapse into criminal tendencies, he noted angrily. But if you wanted some items, particularly that far away from the main town, it was the only way you ever got any.
Licking his lips, he closed his eyes appreciatively and relaxed his tense shoulders. Chocolate—now that was one item they hadn’t been 22
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able to find an alternative to on the planet, and he couldn’t remember the last time they had gotten their hands on that bit of luxury.
Suddenly feeling hungry, he moved into the kitchen and pulled open a cupboard looking for something to eat. Seeing a plate of cold meat, he grabbed a leg to chew on.
Closing the door, he looked around the room. It was cluttered with pans and other kitchen paraphernalia. It was clean, but not homely.
He remembered back to his childhood and frowned. He was sure his mother had had some yellow curtains at the window, but he couldn’t remember why they had been removed.
It would be lovely to have someone who could cook and clean and make a home for them.
Okay, he admitted to himself, it would also be nice to have someone to share a bed with. It was more than a need to relieve some sexual itches. He would love to just have someone to cuddle, someone to enjoy some intimate moments with like the ones his dad used to give his mother, the swat on the butt, the brush of his hand over her back, holding her tightly in his arms from behind.
He frowned as the vision of cuddling a wife changed into the three of them fighting over this imaginary wife. And what would happen if the woman preferred one of them over another? This was perfectly likely to happen. But there was nothing else for it. There was no way each of them could find a wife, so this was the only recourse.
Hell! All this ruminating was making him horny and he shifted uneasily, wincing as he reached down to ease his trousers away from his hard cock. He hoped someone would answer the advert soon, because Eric wasn’t the only one who needed to go to the barn.
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Chapter Three
“Hey, aren’t you a pretty little one,” said the man leering at her.
His eyes seemed stuck on her chest, which, unfortunately, was heaving in fear.
Brianna cursed her curves, which were making themselves a point of attraction.
“Ron, come and look at this one.” The ogling man gestured another person over.
She stepped back and came up against the wall. She had only approached this man to ask a question, and instead she had gotten unwanted attention. Raising her hands, she instinctively closed her jacket.
Reaching out to prize her hand off her clothes, the man pulled her toward him. Brianna squealed. She didn’t dare scream and raise the notice of the town’s law enforcer as he might discover she had run away and send her back home. She had skipped out of home four days ago, camping in the woods to avoid anyone turning her in to the authorities. It was a good thing it was summertime.
That was one thing about the planet she had understood from school lessons, the temperatures and seasons were pretty much the same as on Earth, just slightly longer. They had fourteen months instead of twelve, so that meant a longer winter and a longer summer.
It had all come to a head when Uncle Marcus had told her she had to take a marriage contract out with Quinn on Saturday. Her protests were ignored—as usual. This had focused her fears, and she knew there was no way she could marry the man so had looked again at that advert. Even if the position of wife had been taken, she had to get out 24
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of there and maybe find someone else. The problem was, by herself like this she was practically fair game, as most women usually went out with only their parents or husbands these days.
&
nbsp; The man called Ron joined the one holding her that he called Bert, crowding her into the wall, which she noted with horror was mostly hidden from view of those on the main street.
She struggled in earnest now, getting very frightened, but they just held her tighter. Then Bert grabbed her head and forced his lips on hers. He tasted vile—of stale food.
“I think the lady isn’t interested.”
A voice came from behind the men. It was the deepest voice she had ever heard. A shimmer of hope went through her.
Ron turned his head to speak to the man. “Fuck off, mister.” Brianna managed to wrench her head away from the first man, fearful that the rescuer would leave. “No, please. Help me.” Suddenly, her captor was pulled forcibly off her. She staggered against the wall as Bert turned to the man who had interrupted them.
Finally getting a chance to look at him, Brianna’s immediate impression was that he was incredibly tall and very fair-haired. And not prepared to back off against two men who appeared bulkier than even him. A gasp left her as Ron swung an arm at her rescuer, who niftily stepped back on one foot, and he stumbled as the impetus of his swing forced him past. Unfortunately, that gave Bert the opportunity to lash out, and Brianna winced as her rescuer was hit in the face. Amazingly, other than his face jerking around, he didn’t shift an inch.
Ron was the first to back down, and she saw him lurch to his feet and move off around the corner. The tall man sneered after him and then glared back at Bert enticing him to hit him again, but without Ron to cover him, the man decided not to pursue it.
As her attackers departed, Brianna closed her eyes and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Denys, Jennifer - Wife for Three [Duoterra] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2