The lethargy left his body as the mug he had been holding slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor, splintering as it hit the wood.
Turning, he pulled out a kitchen drawer to grab a knife and everything went flying onto the floor. He swore in his panic and swiftly bent to grab a kitchen utensil, then, rising to his feet, he swung his legs over the table, one hand on the tabletop, and racing to the front door, he flung it open. The door slammed back against the wall, the noise sounding very loud in the silence.
Eric winced. He was listening out for noise from Brianna again, but there was nothing. He ran around to the back of the house where the herb garden was.
There was no sign of her. Dammit! Where is she?
He then noticed the gate at the back of the garden was open and his legs went a little wobbly. Oh, God. Did she leave the grounds and go into the woods?
His heart pounded violently in his chest. It was called “the wild region” for a good reason. There were various wild animals on the planet that could kill. In that region, it was the wilderbeast that were the most dangerous, as they could gore you to death, but all their herd Wife for Three
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was down in the pasture where Adam and Curt were checking on them. They were about to take some of them into town to sell so were making sure the chosen ones were marked accordingly. There were various other dangerous creatures between their farm and town, like the red spider whose bite was lethal, but his father had cleared all the nests when he had originally settled there.
Panic rose in Eric. Christ, has the wolf-cat ventured back again?
They generally slunk away when people moved into their territory, but when cornered or protecting their young, they were vicious, and the last time Eric was in town, he’d learned of a wolf-cat attacking a teenage boy who had been hunting and had gotten separated from his friend. That incident hadn’t been all that far from town, and Brianna wasn’t that much bigger than the boy, who had never been found. His friend was still traumatized by the screams he had heard.
His throat dry with fear, he ran out of the gate and started up the hill, urgently calling for Brianna as he ran. He had just rounded the bend of the path when he saw her staggering toward him holding her left arm across her chest, cradling it with the other.
Oh, God. I knew it. She’s been attacked. But by what?
As soon as she saw him, she cried out and burst into tears.
Throwing the knife away he rushed over to her. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he had to find out where she was hurt first. He tried to control his voice by taking a deep breath.
“Brianna. What happened? Where are you injured?” he asked quietly.
She held her arm out, and he saw it was swollen. Fear went through him as he saw the raised area was white with ragged edges like a huge blister or a welt, and there was redness surrounding it.
Shit! He knew exactly what this was, and it hadn’t been caused by any wild animal. There were other things on this planet that were dangerous to man.
“Um, sweetheart. Tell me what you touched. Were there any flowers?”
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Her voice was tremulous as she spoke. He could hear the fright in her voice. “It was such a pretty yellow flower.”
“A big bush full of them?”
“Yes, that’s it. I’ve never seen them before. We didn’t have them in Goldtown. It didn’t hurt at the beginning. I wanted to pick them to brighten up the house.” She sobbed her anguish.
Eric knew they didn’t hurt to start with. It took about fifteen minutes before the toxin that the flower emitted began to permeate the skin and cause this reaction. Brianna had been picking the flowers from the wildershrub, a plant that was the main food source for the wilderbeast, hence why his father had built the farm here. For some reason, it wasn’t poisonous to those animals.
Trying not to panic Brianna, Eric spoke softly. “Come on. Let’s get you back home, and we can deal with this.” He hoped he could.
This wasn’t a fatal poison, so she wasn’t going to die, although she could be one of those people who had an allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock.
No. If that was going to happen, she’d have collapsed already.
What he had to counteract now was the scarring that it might—
probably would—cause. He’d had his own run-in with this shrub when he was young.
A hiss of pain came from Brianna as he inadvertently brushed her arm. “Sorry, sweetheart.” He moved to her other side and started hurrying her through the herb garden, his hand on her back pushing her to walk quicker while watching out for any symptoms of rapid panting coming from her indicating an adverse reaction.
Brianna suddenly stumbled, and Eric swore when she was wrenched out of his grip as she went flying straight onto her injured arm.
“Damn. Bree, are you all right? Bree? Brianna!” He felt sick as he became aware she was not responding. Laying a hand on her back, he shook her roughly, calling her name again. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when she moved.
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“Owwww. God, that hurts!”
“Oh, sweetheart, you scared me then. Have you hurt your arm more?”
“Uh, no. It’s my knees and elbows.”
Very, very gently, he helped her to her feet, trying to avoid jolting her. It wasn’t easy. “Dear God, you look a mess.” Seeing her face blanching at his stupid remark, he made one of his usual jokes. “I am seriously rethinking this marriage contract. If I wanted a wife with skinned knees, dirt all over her, and blood on her arms, I would have advertised for one.”
She giggled, and he warmed to the sound. “Sorry. I kind of think you’re stuck with me.”
As much as he loved her saying that, he had other things to consider now. Thinking she was going to be fine, he tried to walk her forward, but she didn’t move.
“Eric, I’m not feeling well.”
At that moment, she slumped in his arms. Oh, God. Is she having a delayed allergic reaction, or is the shock getting to her? Her breathing seemed normal, so he suspected it was just shock.
Bending, he lifted her into his arms and raced for the house just in time to see Curt cantering into the yard on his horse, drawing the reins tightly as he saw them.
“What the hell’s happened?”
Jumping off his horse, Curt ran over to Eric, with a worried expression on his face.
“She tried to pick the wildershrub.”
“Oh, Christ. But what about the rest of her? Her knees? Her— ”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s get her inside, so we can wash the toxin off and get some moss bark onto her.”
Unfortunately, both of them were so clumsy in their determination to get her inside that they tried getting through the front door at the same time and Brianna’s head hit the doorframe.
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Eric looked at Curt horrified. His brother had a similar look on his face. Eric imagined he was just as pale, too.
Curt tapped Brianna’s face very gently. “Bree? Bree!” Both men breathed huge sighs of relief when a moan came from the woman Eric was holding.
“Okay, get her upstairs. I’ll get the moss bark,” stated Curt as he rushed toward the kitchen.
Racing up the stairs, the precious bundle in his arms so light, Eric hoped beyond hope that she would be all right—they couldn’t lose her, not now. Running into the bathroom, he carefully sat her upright as much as he could. She was still barely conscious, and he placed her swollen arm under the tap.
Brianna came to as he was washing the toxin off. “Ow! What have you done to me? I remember hurting my arm and then fell over and hurt my knees, but why is my head hurting so much?” He chuckled, glad to hear her voice, even if it sounded weary. He brushed her hair off her face, avoiding the side of her head he had inadvertently bumped, and smiled. “Don’t worry. Curt will be here in a moment with something t
o put on your arm.”
“My arm? What about my head? And where did Curt come from?”
“Who called?” cried the man in question, who arrived carrying a bowl.
Eric could smell the aroma of moss bark which, when brewed in hot water, made a refreshing drink, but when ground and mixed with just a small amount of cold water into a paste, reduced scarring and took the sting out of burns and scalds.
“Hey, princess. I leave you alone with this klutz for a few hours, and you are practically ready to be measured for your coffin.” She laughed weakly. “Good to see you, too. I thought Eric was the joker around here.”
Curt turned to him. “I thought this happened outside? What’s with the mess in the kitchen?”
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Brianna gasped. “For Heaven’s sake, don’t tell Adam, or he’ll be angry.”
“Damn right, he will.”
Eric stared at Curt in anguish and turned his head to glance at his elder brother as he strode into the room, looking like he had just caught them with their hands in the biscuit tin. Adam stood with his hands on his hips glaring at them all.
“Will someone tell me why our wife looks like she has been mauled by a wilderbeast when I know full well they are all safely in the pasture? Christ, I can’t rely on you two to do anything right.” He then marched over to the sink tensely grabbing the bowl out of Curt’s hands.
“Sorry.” Curt shrugged his shoulders as Eric stared at him. “I was about to tell you big bro had arrived back.” The tightness around his brother’s blue eyes indicated his irritation.
Great, an injured wife and my brothers about to have one of their usual fights! This was turning out to be a terrific day and it had all been his fault. He should have kept a closer eye on Brianna. He knew she wasn’t familiar with life in the countryside, but he honestly thought she had gone outside for just a moment while he had sat in the kitchen recalling the details of Curt’s terrific night with her. Or at least, the details Curt had been prepared to impart.
They both stood back as their elder brother shushed them away and solicitously took care of their joint wife.
At first Brianna was tense, but as Eric watched Adam soothe the bark into her arm, he saw her begin to relax, her eyes looking less glazed now. Curt, meanwhile, stormed out of the room clearly angry at being pushed aside.
Eric just sighed. He had some serious apologizing to do to everyone later. He leaned back against the wall and studied Adam. He knew his elder brother had yet to visit Brianna’s bed again, and so far, Adam had studiously avoided her, even scowled at her on many occasions, particularly when she was in his precious kitchen. But the 72
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comfort Adam was showing now, the gentle way he touched her, not to mention his anger at him and Curt, told Eric that his brother cared in some degree for their wife.
Adam finished his ministrations, having also cleaned her arms and knees with a damp cloth, and stood up. Eric tensed, aware his brother was still angry.
“Okay, I can see how she got the burns, and she’s told me she tripped and fell to the ground on the way back, but neither she nor I have any idea how she got the bump on her head.” Wife for Three
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Chapter Ten
Brianna stood on the upper ledge of the barn where they stored fruit and vegetables and hummed a little tune as she rummaged in the crate of plum-apples, looking for some ripe ones to make a pie. This was a native fruit her grandfather swore was more apple than plum—
both of which were found on Earth. Not that she would have known as she was born on this planet.
She knew that there were women who hated being the homemaker, but it was something she loved. At least, she had found out exactly how much she enjoyed cooking for her men, whereas it had been a chore when doing it for her uncle. She grimaced. Okay, she admitted to herself, she enjoyed cooking for Curt and Eric, who gave her copious compliments on her cooking, and her sewing, and pretty much everything else she had done.
Adam, on the other hand, had shown no indication of whether he liked her cooking or hated it. He just ate it. And since that first day, she had made sure to stay out of the kitchen when he was around, particularly breakfast times. He let her make the dinner.
Very gracious of him, she snorted to herself.
It had been three days since she’d had the run-in with the wildershrub. Thank God she was recovering, although Eric had indicated that it would be months before the scarring would fade totally. He’d had experience of it from his childhood and knew exactly what it felt like. Thankfully, the bump on her head was minor, and her knees and elbows were mending quickly.
Raising an arm, she studied the section she had scraped when she fell and was pleased to see the redness diminishing. Turning it over, 74
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she looked disconsolately at the area where the yellow wildershrub flowers had brushed against her as she had cradled them in her arms after picking them, not aware at that stage that it was the flower that was so poisonous.
She shivered as she remembered. God, it had been painful. At first she had felt a tingling, then it had gotten suddenly worse, and she had thought she had been stung by something, and that was when she had screamed. Her worry was that there had been a red spider in the flower, as it was something she had been warned about by the men.
Of course, poor Eric had been in the doghouse with both his brothers ever since for letting her wander off, although Brianna had firmly declared it was all her own fault. On the other hand, she couldn’t take responsibility for her bump, and rubbed the site of that injury and laughed.
Taking some choice plum-apples from the crate, she sniffed them appreciatively before placing them in a basket as she continued humming her tune. Well, attempted to hum the tune. She knew she was tone-deaf, but no one else was around, so it didn’t matter.
At least she thought she was alone, but when she heard a creaking floorboard behind her, Brianna twirled, startled as she saw Eric creeping up on her with a playful intent. “Eric!” Her fright caused her to stumble, and as she fell toward the ledge, her heart lurched in fear. Eric flew to grab hold of her, but they both went flying off. Eric turned his body so that Brianna landed with a humph on top of him on the bales of hay littering the ground floor.
The air got shoved out of them, and neither spoke for a few moments. When Eric recovered, he simply said, “Ow,” and rubbed his chest where she had jabbed an elbow into him on landing.
Letting out a gasp and then a giggle, she hit him on the shoulder.
That one did hurt him, and he expressed a louder exclamation.
“Good. You shouldn’t sneak up on a girl like that. We could have been seriously injured.”
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He was contrite then. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I knew it would be a soft landing with all the hay, but I had forgotten about your injuries.” He ran his hands over her body, lingering over certain areas. Ones she had not injured previously. “Are you all right?” She looked back at him slightly ashamed at her outburst. She was perfectly okay. On the other hand, he had scared her, and she made a show of looking at her arms frowning as she did.
Eric’s remorse didn’t last long, and his usual fun-loving nature reasserted itself as he wrapped his hands firmly around her shoulders, pressing her body to his. Brianna tried to hold her breasts off of him without success and gave up trying with a grin.
Suddenly, she felt him moving a hand down her body, and he cupped her ass, squeezing her tightly. Brianna rewarded him with a shocked cry and another slap, “Eric!”
Chuckling, he just squeezed harder, and she could feel his erection against her stomach. She felt a flush rush up her neck to her face as she became aware of his arousal, but smiled seeing his own blush.
She had gotten the impression by this time that Curt was the experienced brother with women, and Eric’s red face confirmed this, so she bent and kissed his cheek t
enderly.
He then raised his hands to hold her head as he brushed his lips over her own heated cheek, and, clearly gaining confidence from the lack of tension in her body, he whispered, “You know, it’s my turn next.”
That got a reaction he wasn’t expecting, judging by the look on his face, as she jerked away from him scrambling to sit on her heels a few feet away, staring at him as her jaw dropped.
Her night with Curt had gone well, and she knew Eric would be next, but was she over her experience with Adam yet? In some ways, she would have preferred to be with Curt again as she now felt comfortable with him.
Eric propped himself onto an elbow. “Is everything all right, Bree?”
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“Er, yes. Your turn, eh? What about the others?”
“Well, Adam and Curt are out checking the herd. They’ll be gone all day. Is there anyone else around here that I don’t know about?” Smiling slightly, she ran a nervous hand through her hair, which was now full of hay. “How come you’re not out with them?” She winced at her voice, which was higher-pitched than normal.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, one of us has stayed with you ever since you got here. Well, Curt or I have stayed with you. Not that I did my job properly the other day,” he finished ruefully.
Crossing her arms, she was conscious of the fun she could have and demanded, “Oh? And why would I need such protection? Do you have wicked neighbors? Um, no, I believe the nearest ones are a day’s travel away. Man-eating wild animals? Um, no, I seem to remember that Adam told me to watch out for dangerous ones on the journey between town and here, but that none of them usually venture near the farm.”
She stopped and giggled enjoying the look on Eric’s face as his expression went from concern to amusement at her teasing.
Denys, Jennifer - Wife for Three [Duoterra] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7