by Marla Monroe
“There’s just one way to find out.” She popped her hand over her mouth, realizing she’d said that out loud, but no one seemed to have heard her. Abby smiled. It was still her little secret.
Chapter Twelve
“We need to talk.” Thad nodded for Harry to follow him.
“Is it Abby? Is there something wrong you’re not telling us?” Harry immediately started peppering Thad with questions.
“It is about Abby, but she’s fine. There isn’t anything that I’m note telling you about.” Thad looked over the other man’s shoulder to be sure Harriet hadn’t followed them.
“Then what do we need to talk about?” Harry’s brows lifted in puzzlement.
“The three of us. Me, you, and Abby,” Thad burst out.
Harry’s puzzlement settled into wariness as he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “What does that mean?”
“I’m attracted to her, Harry and I know you are as well. We need to talk to her about it.”
“Hell, no! We almost just lost her. I’m not about to stir her up with making her pick one of us.” Harry’s eyes turned stormy as his lips thinned to a straight line.
“That’s just it, Harry. We nearly lost her without telling her how we feel and finding out how she feels. I don’t know about you, but I just about lost it when I saw the upstairs those first few seconds. I don’t think my heart stopped pounding until I touched her and knew she was alive.” Thad sighed and ran an unsteady hand through his hair. “I want to be sure she knows how much she means to me in case something were to happen to her or me.”
“She’s had more than her share of shocks, Thad. Finding out that we both care about her at the same time is just a little more than I’m willing to lay on her. When we reach the new community we can talk to her about it. But don’t think I’m going to turn my back while you walk off with her. I need to see to my sister’s safety and happiness before I can court Abby. You stay away from her.”
“Not going to happen, Harry. I’m not taking any chances that something else goes wrong. She deserves to know how we feel.” Thad planted his hands on his hips. “And as for courting her later, I plan on courting her now. I’m not wasting any more time.”
“We’ve still got at least another week out here. Leave it be for now, Thad. Don’t turn her world upside down out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit, Harry. You seem to think she can’t handle knowing two men want her, yet she’s handled setting out on her own knowing there was every possibility that she might not make it. She’s been a real trouper just like your sister, whom I also think you don’t have a clue just how strong she is. Not everything is on your shoulders, man. Half the time you act like you’re not worth a rat’s ass and the other part of the time you seem to think that you have to carry the weight of the world all alone. Give yourself a break, eh? Share the load. It won’t be nearly as heavy if you’ll just stop hoarding it.”
Thad hadn’t said that much to another person, much less a man, in one conversation in so long—he wasn’t sure when or if he ever actually had. Harry had to let go of some of the pressure or he’d have a heart attack. And the man still didn’t get it. They weren’t going to court her separately. They were going to court her together. He planned on sharing her with Thad.
“We don’t have a clue if this new community is going to turn out to be the promise land like we’ve all heard, or if it’ll be just another kind of hell but out in the middle of nowhere, trapping us there for the winter under their rules. I can’t concentrate on everything at one time, Thad. I have my sister and, to some extent, Abby to worry about. You don’t really have anyone other than yourself. I don’t think you should be telling me how much weight to carry.” Harry threw up his hands. “Fuck! I don’t believe this.”
Harry knew he’d hit a nerve with the other man. From the beginning there had been some animosity because he’d been in the right place at the right time to help protect the women when Harry hadn’t been able to. It had grated on him, but Thad had thought they’d gotten past that. Evidently Harry had merely buried it in order to accept his help.
Holy hell. If we’re going to be able to share Abby, Harry has to let that go and accept that sometimes he doesn’t have to always be the one to run things. I can help with that. I may not be able to build us a home like he can, but I can help put food on the table and keep our woman safe.
“Harry, I’m not trying to tell you anything. I’m just trying to get you to understand it’s not a competition. We each have talents that are needed if we’re going to survive out here. We need to use those together and not as weapons against each other. I don’t think you’re less of a man because you don’t know how to trap and skin like I do. I don’t have a clue how to build a house.”
The other man shook his head his lips tight across his teeth, showing just the white tips. To Thad, it looked more like a sneer than just exasperation.
“Why do we need to share the load at all, Thad? If I end up with her are you still going to trap meat for us and sit outside to keep the crazies away?” Harry’s eyes narrowed. “No, I didn’t think so.”
“Crap, Harry. You’re not listening to what I’m saying. It takes two men to protect a woman in the world we live in now. One can’t protect her on his own when he’s out checking on the cows or working in the garden or hunting, eh? There needs to be at least two in order to watch over her and provide for her.” Thad turned and walked over to one of the support posts on the back porch and kicked it. “Tabarnak!”
“What the hell does that mean? Half the time I can’t understand what the fuck you’re saying.” Harry threw up his hands and stomped over to where Thad had stopped to stare at the post he’d just kicked.
“Essentially the same thing as fuck, and I’m not using another language unless it’s to swear, and I don’t want to do that in front of the women.” Thad shook his head. “You’re changing the subject.”
“Look, just wait until we make it there and she’s in a comfortable place before you hit her with yet another decision. Don’t you think she’s been through enough for now?” Harry asked.
“Once we’re there, she’s going to be swept up in getting ready for winter and meeting all the other women. There won’t be a lot of time to spend with her. Someone else will swoop in and steal her from us. I’m not waiting around for that to happen.” Thad turned and stared at Harry full in the eyes. “We’ve got to win her favor now, before it’s too late.”
“Thad, I don’t think—”
“That’s exactly right, eh? You don’t think. I’m not talking about each of us trying to convince Abby that she needs to choose one of us to grow to love and allow to protect and care for her. I’m talking about both of us. I’m talking about sharing her between us so that we know she’ll always be safe and happy.”
* * * *
Harry narrowed his eyes. What the fuck?
Thad wants to share Abby with him? Is he out of his mind? We can’t seem to see eye to eye on pretty much anything. How does he think we could manage to share her without a fight over every damn thing? I don’t want to share her with him or any man.
“I think you’ve lost your damn mind. You spent way too much time out trapping in that Canadian snow and lost some brain cells from the cold.” Harry gave a sardonic laugh that he knew sounded a little maniacal.
“No, I haven’t. I’m being logical, Harry. How long do you think one person would live if a group of those rogues decided to attack? They’d kick my ass as well as yours if we’re trying to protect Abby alone. They’d watch and wait to get the jump on you, or me, for that matter. I can fight off just about anyone or anything, but even I have my limits. I can’t stave off three or four men on my own.”
“We can’t see eye to eye on half of what we do, Thad. How in the hell do you think we’re going to be able to share Abby?”
“By accepting that together we can make her happy and assure that sh
e’s safe. By understanding that this is the way things are now. Didn’t anyone tell you that before you started out? Everyone living in this new community shares their woman. In some of the relationships, it may be three brothers sharing one woman.” Thad couldn’t believe that Harry hadn’t known about that.
“Yeah, I knew that a lot of men shared, but I didn’t think it was a fucking requirement that they do. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to share Abby or that anyone is going to share my sister, either.” Harry sounded petulant even to himself.
“It’s not a requirement, eh? It’s a way of life. It’s how they’ve managed to survive for so long out here. Think about it, Harry. Don’t let your pride get in the way of what’s best for Abby and your sister.” Thad stared at him. It made Harry uncomfortable to be in the direct line of the other man’s exasperation.
“How do you share someone you honestly care about without arguing all the time? We aren’t going to see eye to eye on a lot of things, Thad. It’s against everything I’ve ever known and feels just plain wrong to me.” Harry sighed, utterly deflated. If he hadn’t had any pride left, he’d have hung his head and walked away from Thad and Abby, maybe even his sister at that point.
“I don’t exactly know, Harry. All I know is that taking care of Abby trumps any possessive feelings I have for her. We’re going to have to work things out between us first, then approach her. If we aren’t completely on board with this, she’s going to sense it and balk.”
“Aw, hell. I need some time to think about this,” Harry finally said. He couldn’t believe he was even considering the crazy idea.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours. We’ve got to get moving as soon as Abby is able to travel. We’re going to be lucky to beat the first snow as it is, eh? I don’t fancy the idea of trying to survive for any length of time without permanent shelter and food.” Thad held out one hand toward Harry.
He looked at that hand, then sighed and took it. They shook with Harry feeling as if he’d given up something he hadn’t even had time to think about. He just hoped it wasn’t going to be his sanity.
* * * *
Abby woke after she’d fallen asleep while talking with Harriet. She couldn’t believe she’d been so rude. Of course, she probably had a concussion, with the headache and pain radiating down her neck. The additional rest seemed to have helped since her headache seemed to be faint, though not completely gone.
“How are you feeling?” Thad squatted down next to her.
“Pretty good, actually. What time is it?” Abby felt all out of sorts with the time.
“It’s about two in the afternoon. You slept a good four hours. The rest is good for you.”
“We need to leave tomorrow. We’re going to end up hitting snow as it is. I’ll be ready in the morning.” Abby was sure they’d been worried about the setback. She sure was.
“It depends on how you’re doing tomorrow. We’ll be ready to go if you’re steady on your feet. If not, one more day won’t hurt anything.” Thad reached out and stroked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Abby felt the tingle of his touch all the way to her pussy. Her eyes immediately went to Thad’s crotch. It was right there in front of her and seemed even larger than she remembered. Was it possible he was as aroused as she was?
Stop this right now! I can’t do this. We’ve got to concentrate on making it to the new community without freezing to death in the snow. It will only complicate things if I start daydreaming about Thad. Hell, I’m already having trouble daydreaming about Harry. How much harder is this going to get? Harder? Hell, I’m going to drive myself insane.
A noise from the other room startled her and she whipped her head around to find Harry staring at them. The room swam from the too-fast movement, added to the guilt that sent red heat to her cheeks and neck. Why did she feel guilty? She wasn’t seeing either man and hadn’t done anything untoward with Thad.
Yeah, but I’ve been having thoughts. Dirty, hot, amazing thoughts.
To her surprise, Harry didn’t turn on his heel and storm out as he had in the past if she were talking with Thad. Instead he strolled over to where she lay with Thad hovering over her.
“She’s awake.” Harry nodded at Thad before sitting down on the other side of her. “How are you feeling, honey?”
Honey? He hasn’t called me that in the past, has he?
“I—I’m feeling pretty good. I was just telling Thad that I should be able to travel tomorrow. We don’t need to waste any more time.” Abby knew she was babbling but couldn’t seem to help herself.
“We’ll see how you’re doing in the morning before we make a decision. It won’t help any of us if you give out and get hurt without shelter for you. The temperature has gotten colder outside after that storm.” Harry reached out and cupped her chin before turning her head slightly to look at her wound. “Do you still have a headache?
“Um, not really. It’s more like a dull ache now.”
Abby couldn’t stop herself from looking over at Thad even while Harry still had his fingers on her chin. What was going on?
“The cut doesn’t look too bad now that it’s all cleaned up. You really scared me when Thad first handed you to me and you were covered in blood. Harriet nearly fainted.” Harry released her chin. His smile seemed genuine and relaxed, despite Thad being right there next to them.
“Where is Harriet?” Abby tried to look around but the two men had the room blocked from her view.
“She’s fine. She’s in the kitchen, picking out things we may need.” Harry smiled. “She’s been by your side ever since the storm. She needed to unwind, so we put her to work sorting through the canned goods and things we gathered before the storm.”
“Oh!” Abby tried to get up, but the men stopped her. “My pack! I need it. I had it upstairs with me.”
“Easy, Abby. Don’t move too fast yet. I got your pack and Harriet emptied it to dry it. She’s repacked it so you shouldn’t lose anything.” Thad didn’t let go of her even when she didn’t try to get up anymore.
She looked over to where Harry had one hand on her shoulder. It felt as if he were massaging it. It felt good, but having both men’s hands on her at one time was a bit overwhelming. She’d fantasized about being with both of them at the same time, but knew they would never be able to tolerate the other one’s hands on her.
They seem to be doing okay right now. I’m almost afraid to move or say anything that might startle them into realizing what they’re doing.
“Hey, you guys, what is this for?” Harriet’s voice broke the spell and both men sat back, releasing her to look at Harriet.
The other woman seemed to be straining to hold something that looked like a medieval torture device. It looked heavy and had a crank on one side of it.
Thad chuckled. “It’s a meat grinder. You use it to grind meat like deer or cow into hamburger or sausage. That’s a great find, but it’s going to be a bitch to carry. Those things are made out of cast iron.”
“Guess we’ll have to take turns carrying it, then. I wasn’t sure at first but I remembered seeing it at Grandpa’s place when we used to go out there as kids.” Harry smiled up at Harriet. “Remember? We played out in his old smokehouse. They didn’t use it anymore, but it was a fun place and always smelled good.”
“I remember. We had so much fun out there.” She looked down at the monstrosity in her arms and shook her head. “Don’t remember this, though.”
“Here. Hand it to me. It’s too heavy for you to be carrying around.” Thad got up and took it from her. He looked it over and tested the crank to find that it turned without a lot of effort. “We will defiantly be able to use this.”
“Oh, let me get the other thing I found. I really can’t figure out what it’s for.” Harriet disappeared into the kitchen again before returning with a pecan cracker. Abby’s parents had her grandparents’ old one and they’d cracked many a pecan using it.
“It’s a pecan cracker.” Abby chuckled when the other woman
sent her a puzzled look.
“How do you know what it is and I don’t?” She looked over at her brother. “Evidently my education is lacking in some areas.”
Harry pulled her down to sit next to him. “You can’t know everything, sis.”
“But I’m supposed to. You build cabins and I know everything. That’s how it’s always been, Har.” Harriet narrowed her eyes at her brother and clucked her tongue at him.
Thad rubbed Abby’s back before standing up. “Come on, Harriet. Show me what you’ve come up with so far and I’ll see how much I can fit into the packs we made up.”
When they’d left, Abby was alone in the room with just Harry now. She’d been comfortable around either of the men either alone or with the others until now. Things had changed at some point. She wasn’t sure how, but they had. Abby felt so much more aware of both men, to the point that her nipples hardened when either of them looked at her.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do with her if there aren’t any books there for her to read. She devours information like it’s Belgian chocolate.” Harry laughed, shaking his head.
“If there aren’t, they should make her the community scribe so that she keeps up with the history and what worked from one year to the next and what didn’t. Like with gardens and such.” Abby could easily see the other woman doing that. She seemed to love cataloguing everything so that they knew what they had among them in case one of them needed it.
“That’s a pretty good idea. Even if they already have someone doing that, she can do it for the rest of us.” Harry leaned forward and ran his fingers through her hair. “You have the prettiest hair I’ve ever seen. So many different shades but when it’s all brushed out, it shimmers in the sun.”
Abby’s mouth dropped open before she could stop it. Had he just given her a personal compliment that sounded like poetry? She couldn’t help but soak it up along with the looks he gave her. She felt completely devoured from head to toe by his scorching, heavy-lidded gaze.