by Marla Monroe
“I’m going to let the wolves out for a bit. I’ll be right out the kitchen door if you need me,” he said.
She yawned. “Okay. I’m fine.”
Gail must have dozed for a while because suddenly, the wolves were back sniffing her before they settled down to rest. She rubbed heads as, one by one, they each curled up and rested their heads on their paws. Having them with her always calmed her. She knew she was safe with them if the men were out of sight.
She wondered what Travis was doing, but wasn’t about to call for him. She knew he wouldn’t be far. Neither man left her alone for more than a couple of minutes now. Benton hadn’t liked that she’d gone upstairs by herself. She was so glad there was a downstairs powder room so that she didn’t have to ask one of them to go with her to the bathroom every thirty minutes. At times, the baby seemed to be using her bladder as a pillow so that she had to go constantly.
She shifted on the couch to her side and smiled at Sasha, who had one eye open watching her.
“Go to sleep, Sasha. I’m fine. I’m going to take a nap, too.”
The last thing she thought about was that it wouldn’t be too long before they went down to town. She had a long list all made up of what they needed.
* * * *
“I found bear tracks way too close to the house, Benton.” Travis nodded toward the stream. “There’s scratching on several tree trunks indicating that it’s claimed this area as its territory.”
“Damn. Without a rifle to kill it, the bows aren’t going to take one down.” Benton shook his head. “What about the larger traps? Do you think they’ll work on it?”
“I don’t know. The scratches are about five feet off the ground. It could stand anywhere from five feet to six feet tall. They might work. If nothing else, maybe it would scare it off,” Travis said.
He was worried that it would wander too close to the house. While Gail was safely inside, there was no telling what a grizzly or even a brown bear would do if it was hungry. They usually ate berries and fish, but were known to attack humans if provoked. Neither he nor Benton were about to provoke a bear, but it still didn’t sit well with him.
“I’m going to set the traps out anyway. I’ll mark them with the red ribbons around the tree, so you don’t accidentally step on one when you’re out,” he told the other man.
“Be careful. It’s going to be tough hunting as long as it’s living in the area.”
“I wish like hell we still had bullets for the guns.” Travis walked toward the shed where the larger traps hung on a nail.
“Do we warn Gail, or keep it from her so she won’t worry?” Benton asked.
“Let’s not tell her unless the bear moves closer to the house. There’s no need to scare her, and you know how she is about the wolves. She’ll throw a fit when they go out.”
Benton nodded. “Yeah. She’ll want to go out with them.”
“With the weather warming up, we can plan to go down to town soon. It will do her good to get out and give her something to look forward to.”
“How about Saturday? We can get up early, and hopefully get home before it gets dark. We can unload the next day.”
Travis winced. “You think it’ll take all day?”
“Come on, man. She’s a woman, and she’s looking for baby things. We’ll be lucky to get out of there before dark as it is.”
Travis chuckled. “You’re right. I’d forgotten how much women like to shop. With no price limit, she’ll clear out the stores.”
“Get those traps set and hurry back. I need to go back inside to be sure she doesn’t do something she has no business doing,” Benton said.
“Like make flatbread? She can do things like that, Benton. You’re being overprotective. Let her do some things. Sitting around isn’t healthy for her either. Remember, the books said the more exercise she got, the easier her labor would be.”
“I know, but I worry about her hurting herself. I don’t like how her feet swell up when she’s on her feet too much.”
“So, when they swell, she needs to rest a while. Other than that, let her walk around,” Travis said.
“Fine. I’ll go easy on her.”
Travis threw the traps on the sled and pulled it into the woods behind him. He really wanted to get them out in hopes they could either kill the bear, or make it move its territory somewhere else. If something happened to the wolves, Gail would be devastated. If something happened to Gail, he and Benton would be devastated.
It took him a little over two hours to set the traps where the bear seemed to have traveled. He marked each one with a red ribbon on the tree next to the trap then pulled the empty sled back to the house. After closing it in the shed, he checked the area surrounding the house just to be sure the bear hadn’t been that close. Normally they’d avoid humans, but if they smelled food, they wouldn’t be shy about trying to find it. He and Benton would need to be extra careful when outside.
He decided they’d feed the wolves inside from then on, so there wouldn’t be the scent of food in the air. Luckily, the smoke from the fire would disguise the food they cooked inside the house.
Travis walked inside and removed his boots at the door. He pulled off the jacket and joined Benton and Gail in the living room. Benton was sitting at the far end of the couch rubbing Gail’s bare feet.
“Looks like you’re doing pretty well,” Travis said.
Gail smiled up at him. “Yep. I have my own personal massage therapist. I’d share, but I don’t think he’ll rub your feet.”
“Damn straight I won’t. They stink,” Benton said.
“Do not. Yours stink,” Travis countered.
“That’s enough boys. Anyone hungry?” Gail asked.
“Time for her afternoon feeding,” Benton teased.
“I can’t help it. I’m eating for two. Just a snack.” Gail stuck out her bottom lip.
“I’ll get it. How about some deer meat between some flatbread?” Travis asked.
“Sounds perfect.” Gail stretched out a hand toward him.
Travis held it and squeezed it lightly before padding back into the kitchen to pull out a piece of deer meat they’d taken out of the freezer the night before. He put a nice-sized piece on a cast-iron skillet and carried it back into the living room to set over the fire. It would heat up quickly enough.
“What have you been doing out there?” Gail asked.
“Cleaning the traps, so they’ll be ready the next time we need them,” he lied.
Travis didn’t like lying to Gail, but he didn’t want to scare her so that she’d worry anytime they went outside. Plus, she’d fret about the wolves when they went out. It was for the best that she didn’t know about the bear.
He turned the meat over in the skillet then, after a few more minutes, carried the skillet back into the kitchen to make her a sandwich. Seeing her bite into it with a smile on her face pleased him. He liked being able to feed her, and knew that Benton really enjoyed it, too. They loved spoiling her, and couldn’t wait to have a baby to spoil, as well.
“We’ve been thinking about going to town soon,” Benton said.
“Oh! I can’t wait. When?” Gail asked, clapping her hands together.
“How about Saturday, provided the weather is clear?” Travis said.
“Oh, boy. That’s perfect. I have my list ready. We should leave really early so we have all day to find everything.” Gail’s face had transformed into a child’s first look at her Christmas toys.
Benton grinned. “That sure made her smile.”
“I’m so excited. That’s only two days from now. I’m going to rest up, so I’ll have plenty of energy to shop,” she said.
“If you tire out, they have wheelchairs. One of us will push you around until you’ve rested up again,” Travis told her.
“We should find some cars at one of the other stores to siphon gas from before we even go to shop. I want to be sure we have plenty to get us back,” she said.
“That’s our job to
worry about, hon. All you need to think about is what you want,” Benton said.
“Don’t worry. I have my list and a head full of stuff that we need for the baby as it grows up,” she said. “Oh, and if we have room, we need to look for more canning supplies.”
“Got it. I think it’s time for a nap for you,” Benton said. “Hell. I think I could use a nap, as well.”
Travis chuckled as Gail made a face at the other man. Despite her yawn at the mention of taking a nap, she didn’t like it when they suggested it. Hell, everything about her tickled him. She was so expressive and fun to be around, when she wasn’t in one of her mood swings. Then he either kept out of her way or consoled her if she were crying. Poor Benton couldn’t handle it when she cried.
“I’m going upstairs to shower off. I’ll join you guys in taking a nap when I finish up,” he told them.
“Hurry back down. I missed you while you were outside,” Gail told him.
He grinned. “Enough to promise to sleep for an hour or two?” he asked.
“Oh, boo. Yeah. I’m going to take a nap. I guess I am a little tired. I had a good time making flatbread when Benton wasn’t fussing at me to hurry up so I could get back on the damn couch again.” She stuck her lip out at Benton who’d stood up after finishing her foot massage.
“You’d been on your feet for over an hour. I didn’t want them to swell up,” he said.
“Children. It’s obvious both of you need that nap. I’ll be back down soon.” Travis left them in the living room and climbed the stairs.
He peeled out of his clothes and hung them up to wear the next day when he went back outside to work. Then he turned on the water to shower. He wished Gail was in there with him. He and Benton loved making her come in the shower. She looked so good sleek from the water. He loved to rub his hands over her slick skin and reach between her legs to rub her clit while Benton sucked on her nipples.
Just the thought of her there with him had his dick hard and needing. He grasped it with a soapy hand and tugged on it. Though they’d made love to her most nights, he could get hard just thinking about her. He always wanted her. Though they had to be more imaginative with her pregnancy, they loved on her as often as they could.
Travis continued pulling on his cock, wrapping his fist around it tighter and tugging faster. He reached between his legs with his other hand to roll and gently squeeze his balls. He was so close, but thinking about burying himself deep inside of Gail’s hot, wet cunt finished him off. He came so hard his ass cheeks bunched as he shot his load into his hand and against the shower’s tile.
Travis slowly let go of his shaft and leaned with one hand against the back of the shower to catch his breath. His butt muscles ached from the strength of his climax. Fuck but that had felt good. It would feel better to actually be inside of his woman, but that took the edge off for now.
After cleaning up after himself, Travis stepped out of the shower and dried off. He pulled on a pair of sweats then strode toward the stairs. He paused at the top, listening to the voices below. Hearing Benton and Gail chatting warmed his heart. This was his family and he’d do anything to protect them. Even die if it came down to it.
Chapter Four
Gail was up before the sun, super excited that today was the day they were going to town. She eased out of bed, climbing off at the foot, and hurried through her morning rituals and dressed. Then she yelled at the men to get up. Time was a-wasting.
“Come on, guys. It’s time to get up. I want to get an early start this morning.”
Benton groaned and rolled over. Travis grabbed her pillow and put it over his head.
“What the fuck time is it?” Benton asked.
“Time to get up. The sun is just coming out.” Gail walked around the bed to pull the pillow off Travis’s head. “Come on. I want to go.”
To her surprise, Travis rolled over with a huge smile on his face. “I’m surprised you weren’t up earlier.”
“Oh, you. Get up and get dressed. I’m going to fix us something to eat while you lazy bones get dressed,” she told them.
“Wait until I can walk you downstairs,” Benton, ever the worrier, said.
“No. I can walk down by myself. I’ll be super careful and hold on to the railing.
“Damn, woman.” Benton stood up and scratched his chest. “Can’t you wait five minutes?”
“No. I’ll see you guys downstairs. I’ll have breakfast ready when you get there. Then I’ll fix sandwiches to take with us.”
“Travis. Do something about her,” Benton said as he pulled on his pants.
“Let her go, man. She’ll be fine.”
Gail grinned and pranced as much as she could, with her rounded belly, out of the room. She was careful negotiating the stairs and held on to the railing like she’d told Benton she’d do. Once she reached the kitchen, Gail got to work preparing a meal of steaks, then while they were warming over the fire, she bagged up some deer jerky and made sandwiches from the warmed meat. By the time the guys had descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen she had everything nearly ready.
“You’ve been a busy bee,” Travis said.
“I can’t help being excited. This is going to be so much fun,” she said.
“I think while we’re looking for what you want, we should look at finding a doggie door to put in the back-porch door so the wolves can go in and out when they need to,” Benton said.
“That’s a good idea,” Travis agreed.
“I don’t know. I’d be scared something would come in it.” Gail shook her head.
“Well, regardless, with us leaving for the entire day, we’re going to have to leave them out or they’ll crap all over the house waiting on us to get back,” Benton said.
“Leave them out? I’ll worry about them while we’re gone. What if something happens to them?” she asked.
“They’re grown wolves for the most part. They can take care of themselves. Think about it, Gail. They’re a pack and not much can hurt a pack of wolves.” Benton rubbed up and down her arms.
Gail was afraid to leave them out. Inside she knew that they’d have to, but it hadn’t occurred to her until Benton had brought it up. Could she let them stay out without worrying constantly about them?
“I guess you’re right. How will we get them not to follow us?” she asked.
“I think they’ll stick close to the house. It’s their home. You can tell them to stay, and I really think they’ll mind you,” Travis told her.
“Maybe. I guess there’s nothing for it. They’ll have to be okay while we’re gone. I sure hope I don’t worry myself to death about them.”
“You’ll get into shopping and forget all about it. Don’t worry, babe. I hate it when you’re upset. It isn’t good for you or the baby,” Travis said.
Gail sighed. Both men caged her in between them and kissed her on the head, the cheeks, and the back of her neck. That distracted her from her fear for the wolves. She loved it when they hugged her. Of course, Benton had the hardest part since her belly poked between them. Sometimes at night when they first lay down, they’d rub her belly and laugh when the baby kicked at them. Those were happy times for her. She looked forward to it each night.
They’d decided to keep the baby in their room but fix up the one next to them as the nursery for when he or she got much older. They’d put up the baby bed in their room but would be able to move it when they felt comfortable leaving the child alone in the other room. Gail wasn’t sure Benton would ever feel comfortable with that.
She smiled. He was so overprotective that it was almost comical. Benton was her worrier, and Travis the one who reasoned with him. Gail loved the diversity between the two men. It made for some fun times when it didn’t involve her as much.
I love them both so much. I can’t imagine my life without them now. I’m so lucky to have found them.
Well, technically they’d found her. Either way, she was the happiest woman in the world with them. Now that they w
ere going to have a baby, they’d be a real family. She couldn’t wait. Well, if she didn’t think about the whole hours of labor part.
“I’m going to go warm the truck up. Will you be ready in about five minutes?” Travis asked.
“I’m ready now. The sandwiches and deer jerky are already packed up.” She indicated the large cake holder on the counter.
“I’ll let the wolves out,” Benton said. “When we get ready to leave, you tell them to stay, Gail.”
“Okay.” She made sure she had her long list of needs in her jacket pocket then sat down to wait for Travis to come get them.
As the wolves walked through the kitchen to go outside, Gail petted each one and ruffled their fur, calling them each by their name. They were so loving toward her. Each one nuzzled her belly before filing outside past Benton. He always gave each one a pet to make sure they saw him as a friend and not a danger to Gail. She knew he worried about them turning on them, but Gail was sure they never would.
“Truck’s ready,” Travis said as he walked into the living room from the front door. “Let’s go, guys.”
The men helped her down the porch steps since there wasn’t a railing on them. Though the weeds were high outside of the small area the men kept down with a sling blade, it felt like walking through the Serengeti. Travis had told her the wolves loved running through them when they went outside. The wolves whined and gathered around her and Benton.
“Stay. We’ll be back tonight. Stay and don’t go running off, guys.” Gail put as much sternness in her voice as she could.
Mostly they looked to her as their Alpha even though technically Sasha was the Alpha female. She prayed they would stick close to home. She admonished them once more to stay then allowed Travis to walk her around the front of the truck.
“Here you go.” Travis helped her into the truck on the passenger side then climbed up behind her.
Benton got into the driver’s seat and waited while Travis fastened Gail into her seatbelt. Travis kissed her lightly on the lips then took one of her hands in his. Benton squeezed her thigh as he drove down the drive, the tall weeds waving on either side of them. Though the sun had risen just above the mountains to their left, it was still a little dark as they reached the highway. Benton turned left and they were headed to town.