The Hired Hands' Dilemma

The Men of Space Station One 3

The Hired Hands' Dilemma Ashley’s little secret might cause Boyd and Keeton to have second thoughts about their bride once they land on planet Alpha. They expect an experienced bride. When they learn that Ashley is anything but experienced, they are thrown for a loop. What will they do? Boyd and Keeton are on Alpha planet to help run the planet’s only ranch. They expected a ready-to-bed bride but find themselves with a virgin wife. Neither man is sure what to do. Add to that the strange creatures that plague the planet and threaten the mission, and they are under a little pressure. Ashley helps them come to terms with her situation, and they all work together to deal with the surprises that the planet and its inhabitants throw their way. Genre: Futuristic, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science Fiction Length: 48,880 words

THE HIRED HANDS’ DILEMMA The Men of Space Station One #3

Marla Monroe

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

THE HIRED HANDS’ DILEMMA Copyright © 2012 by Marla Monroe E-book ISBN: 1-61926-203-7 First E-book Publication: January 2012 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of The Hired Hands’ Dilemma by Marla Monroe from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Marla Monroe’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Monroe’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

THE HIRED HANDS’ DILEMMA The Men of Space Station One #3 MARLA MONROE Copyright © 2012

Chapter One Ashley Fortwright paced the inside of the little room inside the shuttle bound for planet Alpha and Space Station One. What was she doing? She didn’t know the first thing about living in a primitive fashion like the packet described. She was a project coordinator for an advertising company before the Earth began having problems. Not a country girl who knew about gardens and animals. You’re crazy for volunteering like this. You have no idea what you’re getting into, Ashley. The sun started having solar flares that changed the atmosphere on Earth, as well as the climates. Many women suffered from Shear’s disease and were barren as a result. A planet was discovered on the other side of the solar system that seemed able to support life. They were in the process of colonizing it. The first set of couples was doing well, and another shuttle was scheduled to leave with more equipment for them. The solar flares began to grow worse and the Earth was slowly beginning to deteriorate at an alarming pace. It was decided to send the next set of couples right away on the shuttle readying for launch. Volunteers were taken and Ashley volunteered, thinking to find a

8

Marla Monroe

better life than living underground in a bunker full of restless women and children. This time, they were paired based on questionnaires they filled out. They didn’t want to waste more time while everyone tried to pick out their future mates, so they used a computer to match them. It all felt like one of those online dating services to her. Then there was the marriage ceremony itself. They had them right there before the shuttle launched all at one time. She was disappointed not to be wearing a white dress and carrying flowers. Much to her shock, she was paired with two men who would be ranch hands. She knew nothing about them other than they were ruggedly good-looking with wild eyes. She was scared to death of them. Thankfully, she didn’t spend much time with them since they were busy learning about the planet and what to expect. Once on the shuttle, Ashley spent all her time in the library trying to learn everything she could about ranch life and gardening. Surprisingly, she realized it appealed to her. If only she had ended up with less frightening men as her mates. The first time she met them they looked her over and smiled. Then they were whisked off to the other side of the shuttle. The men learned about the planet and the jobs they were going to do while the women were educated on gardening, keeping house, and some of the plants and vegetables there they could use to cook. She had hoped to spend a little more time with them to get to know them, but they kept them busy with classes. The six months seemed to drag at first, and then the closer they got to landing, they began to fly by. Ashley dreaded when they landed, and when she learned that they had only a few days left, she began to panic for real. What would she do with them? What if they forced her into having sex with them right away? Surely they would give her time to get used to them. Finally the day arrived that they were going to land. Everyone was harnessed in their seats waiting for the landing. Although she was told

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

9

later that it was uneventful, it jarred her bones and her teeth. She was sure she would feel the results the next day in her muscles. Each of the women marched off the ship into a holding room of sorts where their luggage began to be unloaded. She watched the conveyor belt like all the others and when she located her luggage, began pulling it off the line. She only had two suitcases. She hadn’t had much left after the fires and looters by the time she was sequestered below ground for protection from the sun’s eruptions. “Ladies? Stand by your luggage. Your men will be in to claim you in a few minutes. They are loading their luggage on their transports now. They’ll be in to load yours next,” a woman said, standing at the front of the room. “And welcome to Space Station One.” Soft murmurs arose as the women chattered nervously. Evidently Ashley wasn’t the only one nervous about meeting her men. Several of the other ladies had tears in their eyes as if they were sorry that they had volunteered as well. All the nervous teetering stopped when a door opened and men began filing in. Ashley recognized her men right away. Evidently they recognized her, too. They made a beeline for her. “Ashley, you ready to go?” Keeton asked. “Um, yes. This is my luggage.” She indicated the two suitcases. Boyd grabbed both of them and headed for the door. Keeton took her elbow and escorted her outside where their transport was waiting. They indicated she should climb in the back. Then they got in on either side of her. “Hi, I’m Danny. Andrew and I run the ranch you’re going to be living on. Rachel is our wife. I hope you’ll become good friends. She’s going to need your help. Rachel is ecstatic about having another woman around.” Danny pulled out of the loading bay. “I’m real glad to have you guys. We’ve been struggling with the herd. They’ve grown, and between the horses and the cows, we have our hands full,” Danny told them.

10

Marla Monroe

“I hope so.” She wasn’t sure what to say. Right now, between the two men, Ashley was too nervous to say much. Their large size and rugged appearance unnerved her. Keeton stood about six feet six inches, with thick black hair that fell below his collar. He had deep black eyes and a hawklike nose making him appear to have some Native American in him. He was built lean, but with obvious muscular arms and legs. Boyd stood only a little shorter than Keeton at about six feet four inches. He was muscular all over with broad shoulders and a wide chest. His hazy green eyes seemed to miss nothing. Ashley placed them at about thirty-five or so years old. She was only twenty-four and feeling several years younger at the moment. The transport hovered in the air. Then it flew out into the wilderness that was Space Station One. She had no idea what to expect, but the long trip added to her trepidation. She had been warned that living conditions weren’t what she was used to back on Earth. Would they have running water and electricity? The men on either side of her didn’t say anything to her the entire ride. Instead, they directed all their conversations toward Danny concerning the ranch. They were so close in the transport that her thighs were rubbing theirs. She couldn’t help but get aroused by their close proximity. She’d noticed their crotches and could tell by the washed-out spots on their jeans between their legs that they had to be well built in the cock department. It only edged up her arousal. She tried to steer her thoughts somewhere else, but she couldn’t help but sneak a peek every now and then. Finally, the transport began to slow down. She wanted to look outside, but it was growing dark and she wasn’t next to the window to see out. Her first glimpse of her new home was one of a modernlooking structure that looked fairly large for cowboys who were merely hands. This must be the main house, she decided. When Keeton, the taller of the two, reached up and grabbed her by the waist, she knew a moment of trepidation. Then he swung her

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

11

down and held her shoulder until she stood steady. Then Boyd jumped down and she was surrounded by the two men. “Okay, this is your house. If you need anything, let us know. We’re in the house right over there.” Danny pointed across the field about four acres away. That house looked almost exactly like the one they were standing in front of. “Settle in for a couple of days, and then we’ll talk about your schedules and duties,” Danny said as he helped the two men pull the luggage out of the transport. Both men grunted an affirmative and waved Danny off as he climbed back in and headed toward the other house. Boyd and Keeton grabbed luggage and walked up the steps to the front porch and in the house, leaving Ashley to follow or not. She almost stood where she was, but figured they would just close the door and leave her out there. She followed them inside and closed the door behind them. Then she followed them upstairs, where they set all of the luggage in one room. Surely they didn’t expect for her to stay with them this soon. She started to protest, then took one look at Keeton and decided she would broach the subject closer to bedtime. “We’ll leave you to settle in. Just take whatever drawers and whichever closet you want. We’ll put up our own things later.” Keeton turned and walked out the door with Boyd following him. Ashley didn’t know what to think about the two men. They sure didn’t say much, but they were fairly nice to her. Maybe they were a bit shy. They had worked on a cattle ranch on Earth, so they might not have been around many people, and especially women. She would give them the benefit of the doubt until they proved otherwise. It was the otherwise that worried her. Ashley put away her things using three drawers and taking the closet on the right. She didn’t have a lot of clothes, but hung her jeans up to save space in the drawers for the two men. They each would have three, should they need them. She checked their closet to assure

12

Marla Monroe

they had plenty of hangers and determined they might not, so she took some of her hangers and added them to theirs. She put away her toiletries in the massive master bath. It had a giant whirlpool tub and a huge, walk-in shower. She couldn’t wait to take advantage of the tub. She felt grimy from her trip. Washing away some of the grime on her face left her feeling halfway decent for the moment. With nothing more to do, she decided to explore the house. For a brief moment she wondered where the men had gone. Then she decided it didn’t matter right then. Instead, she descended the stairs into a very comfortable-looking living area that had a nice-size fireplace, a couch, and two recliners on either side of the couch. She had no doubt those were for the men. Then she walked to the next room and found a large, eat-in kitchen. The appliances were very up-to-date. She was impressed. The house was not at all what she expected to find based on the dour description they had given them on Earth. There was nothing primitive about this house. Sure, she would have to garden and put vegetables up, but that was nothing compared to their living conditions. Ashley explored the kitchen and found plenty of staple items as well as canned goods in the pantry. She also found a cellar door, but she didn’t go down to explore it. She would save that for another day. Instead, she located the mudroom slash laundry room and the back door. It led to a back porch with rockers. She didn’t stay out there long because the nights were still a bit chilly. With nothing more to do, she wandered back into the living room, admiring the woodwork and stone fireplace. Then she looked around the entrance hall and discovered another door. Where did it go? She turned the knob to find it unlocked, and walked in. Well, she had found the men. They were leaned over a desk looking at something. When she opened the door and walked in, they looked up.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

13

“I–I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were working in here. I was just looking around the house.” She started to back out, but Boyd crossed the room in three strides to catch her by the arm and draw her back inside. “Don’t go. You should look at this, too. It’s a map of the land around us. You need to know the safe spots to be in.” He pointed out a large area on the map. “Looks like they are putting up a fence surrounding the entire area. I figure that’s what we’ll be doing at first, putting up fencing,” Keeton said. “Ashley, there is a creature of some type out there that is giving the farmers and ranchers problems. You are to stay near the house at all times until the fence is finished. In fact, Danny suggested you not go outside at all without one of us with you.” Boyd stood up straight. “But I have to put in the garden. If I don’t, we won’t have food to eat.” Ashley felt it important to point this out. “Keeton?” Boyd asked, looking at him. “I guess she’s right. We’ll have to set her up with a gun and be sure she knows how to shoot it.” Keeton sighed. “What does this creature you’re talking about look like?” Both men frowned. “You mean they didn’t show you a picture of it on board the shuttle?” Boyd asked. “They didn’t show us much of anything. They provided us with manuals on gardening and canning and putting up meat.” “Fuck, they sent her out here without telling her all the dangers.” Keeton shook his head and drew in a deep breath only to let it out in a whoosh. “We’ll show you the booklet we have so you know what is dangerous and what isn’t,” Boyd told her. “For now, keep close to the house.” “Where do I get the seeds to plant and how do I plow up the garden?”

14

Marla Monroe

“The garden is already plowed thanks to Danny and Andrew. All you will have to do is plant. They said the seeds are in the cellar. We’ll go down with you tomorrow and find them. No need to plant for another day or two while you get used to where everything is.” Keeton reached around her to the shelves stacked with books. He pulled out a brochure with pictures of strange animals on it. “Here you go,” he said, handing the brochure to her. “You can read over it as you have time.” “It’s getting late. Let’s go and find something to eat in the kitchen.” Boyd led the way out of the office, through the living room, and into the kitchen. “I’ll look for something while you two relax in the living room. Is soup and sandwiches okay for tonight?” she asked. They shrugged and nodded. It wasn’t a resounding great, but what did she expect from two cowboys? They probably didn’t talk much. She supposed she would have to get used to that. Still, it bothered her that they hadn’t said much to her knowing they were going to be living together for the rest of their lives. She searched through the contents of the pantry and found two cans of soup to warm up. Then she found a loaf of what had to be fresh-baked bread. She wondered where it had come from. She realized she would probably have to make their bread. Well, thank goodness she was a good cook. Bread she could handle. When everything was ready, she called them in and served their meal to them. She hesitated about sitting down with them. She wasn’t really sure they would welcome her presence. “Aren’t you going to eat?” Boyd asked, looking at her. Neither man had taken the first bite and watched her. “Oh, well. I wasn’t sure you wanted me to.” She wiped her hands on her apron over and over again. “Of course we want you to eat with us. You’re not our maid. You’re our wife,” Keeton said. “Go get your food and come on.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

15

Ashley hurried to pour up soup in another bowl and grab her sandwich. They’d left a place at the head of the table for her. She took her chair and both men began to eat. They had waited on her. The gesture wasn’t lost on her. Her heart softened a little toward them. “You get settled in okay?” Boyd asked. “Yes, thank you. The room is large and the bathroom is almost decadent.” “Good. We want you to be happy,” Boyd said. He seemed to be more of a talker than Keeton was. She could see herself become closer to him when they had been around each other a little while. She wasn’t so sure about Keeton. She was still scared of him. Once they were finished, the men gathered up their bowls and spoons and rinsed them out in the sink. She appreciated that. She wondered if they would always do that, or if they were just trying to be nice her first day. They told her “Dinner was good,” and “Thanks,” then walked off to the living room. She could hear the murmur of voices as she did the dishes. It was comforting in a way. She knew she wasn’t alone in this strange, new world. She couldn’t wait to meet Rachel, Danny and Andrew’s wife. Perhaps they would be good friends. She hoped so, or she would be awfully lonely out here alone. Once she had finished, she realized she was tired and decided that a bath would be wonderful right now. Especially with the men busy talking. She walked into the living room and all conversation stopped. “Um, I’m tired. I’m going up to take a bath.” “Good. That will relax you so you can sleep. I’m sure it’s going to be hard in a new bed and all.” Boyd smiled at her for the first time. He was cute when he smiled. He had a dimple at the corner of his mouth. Keeton nodded. “Night, Ashley.” She smiled shyly and headed upstairs. She couldn’t wait to relax in the tub. She just hoped they would stay downstairs long enough for

16

Marla Monroe

her to have some privacy. The thought of them coming in on her in the bathroom, or even worse, when she was getting dressed for bed, made her nervous. Yep, a bath was just what she needed to calm her down. Then maybe she could handle whatever happened after that.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

17

Chapter Two “What do you think?” Boyd asked Keeton. “She’s right pretty and she doesn’t talk a lot.” Keeton leaned back in the recliner and crossed his legs at the ankles. “She’s just like you like them, man, long brown hair with a hint of curl and shiny gold-and-green eyes. She has a perfect figure with generous-size breasts and a rounded ass. I know she’s a little shorter than we’re used to. But five feet four inches isn’t much shorter. What’s not to like about her?” Boyd spread his hands. He couldn’t believe that Keeton was being so conservative about Ashley. She really was everything Keeton liked in a woman. “Nothing. I guess. She’s scared of me, though. I can feel it.” “Give her time and talk to her some. She doesn’t know us. We’re complete strangers to her. Not only that, but she’s having to deal with a new planet and a different way of life.” Keeton nodded and let out a long breath. “I don’t want her to be unhappy with us, Boyd. Maybe we should hold off on the sex for a few days and let her get used to us. I know they told us to go ahead and initiate it, but I think it’s too soon.” “You’re probably right. Let her get used to sleeping with us first. Once she’s a little less nervous around us we can seduce her,” Boyd suggested. He couldn’t wait to taste her lips and skin. Then her pussy was next on his agenda. “Do you think she expects us to want to have sex with her tonight? We don’t know what they told the women. I have a feeling

18

Marla Monroe

next to nothing.” Keeton shook his head. “I don’t think she was prepared for the isolation at all.” “She’ll have Rachel to visit with. She’ll be okay,” Boyd assured Keeton. “I sure can’t wait to get between her legs and taste that pussy of hers,” Keeton confessed. “I swear I could smell her in the transport on the way over.” “I think I caught her checking out your crotch one time. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she was wet.” “It’s going to be hard sleeping next to her and not touching her.” Keeton adjusted his cock. “I’m with you, man.” “How long do you think we should give her before we go up and shower?” Boyd asked. “I don’t know. I figure she will soak in the tub for a while. Don’t women do that?” Keeton shrugged. “Yeah, we’ll give her a little longer. I sure don’t want to walk in while she’s naked. That will just scare her to death with both of us sporting hard-ons for her,” Boyd said. They got back to the subject of what to expect on the ranch and the reason for the fences. Thirty minutes later they determined that they had waited long enough and turned off the lights before climbing the stairs to the bedroom. When they walked in, they were pleased to see that Ashley was already in bed and seemed to be sleeping. Keeton claimed the master shower while Boyd took the shower down the hall. **** Stepping into the shower spray, Keeton wondered how he was going to keep his hands off of Ashley for the next several days. He wanted her. She was perfect in his eyes, from the top of her browncolored hair down the length of her curvy body and on to her

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

19

generously rounded ass. He was sure he would even love her toes when he got to see them. There was just something about her that drew him. She was quiet and acted shy, but he would bet anything that there was fire beneath her shell. He wanted to be the one to find it, him and Boyd. He soaped up and rinsed off in record time but looked down at his rock-hard cock and figured he couldn’t get in bed like that. His dick would reach her before he even got settled. That sure wouldn’t calm her down. Keeton grasped his cock at the base and squeezed, then slowly began pumping it up and down until he had a drop of pre-cum at the slit. He smoothed over his cockhead and started pulling on his dick again. Images of Ashley totally devoid of clothes danced in his head as he pictured her bent over the bed looking back over her shoulder at him with a sultry look. He tugged harder as he imagined sinking his cock deep into her cunt over and over again. He would spank her sweet ass until it was a rosy pink. Then he would lick it all over. She would beg for more, but he wouldn’t give her more than that. He didn’t want to hurt her, just stimulate her. Ashley would start pushing back against him in an effort to get deeper penetration. Keeton sped up pumping his cock and slipped his hand between his legs to roll his balls. Then he squeezed them gently and tightened his grip on his cock. He was close. God, he couldn’t wait to plunge inside her wet pussy, feel her climax around him, squeezing his dick with her cunt. With that thought, he felt his cum boil deep in his balls as it traveled up and erupted from his cock in long streams. He continued pulling on it until he was finished. He held himself up with one hand against the shower stall, working at catching his breath. Even as good as that was, it couldn’t compare with how he imagined it would feel to be balls deep inside Ashley’s body.

20

Marla Monroe

Keeton cleaned up and stepped out of the shower to dry off. He looked at himself in the mirror after clearing away the fog. He guessed his Native American heritage might put her off. He hadn’t thought of that. It cut like a knife to think she would be prejudiced. Then again, she might just be scared of him as a man. She seemed to treat Boyd the same way. He drew in a deep breath then let it out and opened the bathroom door. He left the light on and cracked the door so if she needed to get up in the middle of the night she would be able to see. Then he pulled up the covers and slipped between them. She didn’t even stir. She had her back to him with a hand beneath her cheek. She looked like an angel to him. He couldn’t help himself. He lifted a few strands of her hair and sniffed of them. She smelled of honey and vanilla, his new favorite scents. The bedroom door opened and Boyd walked into the room. He nodded and lifted an eyebrow. Keeton shook his head no, she hadn’t woken up. Boyd nodded again and climbed into the bed on the other side of her. She stirred this time, but didn’t wake up. Keeton held his breath as she turned on her back with one leg touching his. When she didn’t wake up, he relaxed into the mattress and willed himself to sleep. **** Ashley woke with a start. Where was she? She panicked until she remembered she was on planet Alpha and Space Station One. Actually, she was in bed with her two new mates. That was when she realized she was really sleeping on top of Keeton. She had somehow climbed on top of him and curled around him with her head on his shoulder. Oh, God. How am I going to get out of this? Ashley could feel his cock between her legs. He was hard and long and brushing her pussy through her underwear. It was obvious he was nude and very aroused.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

21

To make matters worse, she was wet and her nipples were hard little points poking into his chest. That’s when she realized that not only did he have his arms around her, but evidently Boyd did, too. Or at least one, and it was on her ass. She was truly screwed. There was no way out of it without waking up one or both men. “It’s okay, Ashley. I know you’re awake.” The soft rumble of Keeton’s voice echoed against her ear planted on his chest. “Umm, I’m not sure how I got this way,” she whispered. “No need to whisper. I’m awake, too,” Boyd said with a chuckle. “You climbed on top of me in the middle of the night. I have to say, as covers go, you’re a hell of a lot better than the blanket,” Keeton said. The hand on her ass caressed it, then squeezed it and moved. She shivered. Boyd’s hand had felt good playing with her ass. “Okay, you can slide off me to the middle of the bed again. Just, um, watch your knee.” Ashley drew in a deep breath and slowly slid off Keeton’s magnificent, hard body. When her knee felt his thick cock against it, she lifted it and attempted to slide over it, but it followed her over. He grunted but didn’t say anything. She really had tried to be careful. “Are you okay?” she asked in a near whisper. “I’m horny as hell, baby. But I’m okay.” Ashley was at a loss as to how to reply to that statement. Boyd chuckled behind her. Ashley didn’t think it was a laughing matter, but when she turned over to tell him so, she found herself face-to-face with him, almost lip-to-lip. Her leg brushed up against him and she could feel the tip of his dick against her belly. She opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. Instead, she found herself in a sensual kiss. Boyd had closed the short distance between them and wrapped his lips around hers and kissed her. His mouth covered hers then sucked in her lower lip, where he teased it with his tongue. When she gasped,

22

Marla Monroe

he plunged his tongue inside of her mouth and teased along the roof of it. Ashley all but swooned at how good it felt to be possessed like that. His hands held her face, cupped at her cheeks as he explored her mouth. She felt his cock thrum against her belly with each beat of his heart. He mimicked fucking her with his tongue thrusting in and out of her mouth. Then he withdrew and kissed the corners and both eyelids. “Good morning, Ashley.” He ran a finger down her nose. Then as if he suddenly thought of something important, he rolled over and got out of bed. She couldn’t help but admire his physique. He was very good-looking, and when she looked lower, she nearly gasped. His cock was rock hard and shooting out from his body as if pointing the way. She turned over to her back and stared up at the ceiling in an effort not to look anymore. Keeton got up on one elbow and looked down at her. “How about my kiss?” “Y–Your kiss? Um, ah, okay. I mean sure.” Ashley didn’t know what he wanted. “Kiss me, Ashley.” She swallowed hard around the boulder suddenly lodged in her throat. She didn’t know the first thing about kissing. She’d never kissed anyone before. Yes, she had been kissed, but had never done the kissing. She leaned over and brushed her lips against his, then pulled back, hoping he would be content with that. He wasn’t. He growled and pulled her head down for a deeper kiss that rocked her world. He devoured her mouth as if she was a favorite dessert and he hadn’t had one in months, maybe years. When he had finished, she was dizzy and not quite sure what had just happened to her.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

23

“Why don’t you stay in bed for a little while longer? We need to look around the house and yard to see what needs to be done.” Keeton turned over and sat up on the side of the bed. He stood up and stretched, bringing his body in profile and exposing her to the up-close sight of his massive cock. It was longer than Boyd’s and had a slight curve to it, but it stood out heavy with need. Had she made them hard, or were they always like that in the mornings, as she’d heard? Ashley wasn’t sure what to do now. Staying in bed sounded like a good idea to her, but she knew she couldn’t hide from them forever. They needed breakfast, for one thing. She waited until he had pulled on his clothes and left the room before she got out of bed and grabbed clothes to put on. She shut herself in the bathroom and after completing her morning ritual, dressed and hurried downstairs. She found them sitting at the kitchen table talking and eating cereal. They immediately grew quiet on her arrival. “I thought you were going to stay in bed for a little longer,” Keeton said with a frown. “I figured you needed breakfast.” She wrung her hands. He seemed mad that she had come downstairs. “We can get our own food, Ashley. You don’t have to wait on us.” Boyd appeared to be trying to smooth things over. “But isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?” “You’re not our fucking maid or cook, Ashley. You’re our wife.” Keeton shook his head and got up from the table. He took his empty bowl to the sink and rinsed it out. “I’m going outside to look around.” Ashley felt tears well up in her eyes. Why was he angry at her? Boyd stood up and pulled her into his arms. “Ashley, we don’t need you to wait on us like that. This is a partnership. We work on the ranch and around the house, you take care of the house and the garden, but you don’t have to wait on us like some sort of servant. What did they tell you women, anyway?”

24

Marla Monroe

“That you would be working long, hard days and need to be taken care of when you were home.” Ashley liked being in his arms. They felt warm and comforting around her. She could spend a lifetime in his arms. Then he pulled back and looked her deep in the eyes. “I need to ask you something personal, and you need to answer me honestly, Ashley. Okay?” Ashley wasn’t sure she liked the sound of this, but she nodded anyway. “Are you a virgin, Ashley?” She panicked. What would they do if she said yes? If she said no, they would find that out the first time they had sex with her. She finally bit her lower lip and nodded her head. “Fuck!” He turned away with his hands on his hips and sighed, hanging his head. When he turned back around it was with a face devoid of anger but full of worry. “How did you get paired up with us? They screened us all to be sure we would be well-suited.” He shook his head. “You didn’t tell them you were a virgin, did you?” This time she shook her head no and tried to stop her lip from trembling and the tears in her eyes from falling. What was she going to do? What would they do? Would they try and send her back? “Please don’t get rid of me. I won’t fight you. I promise.” Ashley grabbed hold of his arm and held on. “Ashley, making love isn’t about just fucking. It’s a give-andtake. You need someone who can be patient with you. Neither Keeton nor I are patient men. We wanted someone with a good bit of experience for that reason.” “They were so desperate for women to come, they aren’t picky anymore, but I was scared they wouldn’t take me if they knew.” He looked down at her and sighed, pulling her into his arms. He held her there for a few minutes while she got hold of herself. Then he

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

25

pulled off a paper towel and handed it to her to blow her nose and wipe her tears. “Do you see what our dilemma is, baby? We don’t know how to introduce you to sex, much less to our kind of sex.” “I thought sex was sex. What can be so different than what the books say?” “Books, fuck, Ashley. They don’t even come close to what sex is. Did they say anything about different positions or different types of sex?” Ashley’s eyes grew wide. Different positions? “No. I thought you just got on top of me and put your, um…” “Cock,” he supplied. “Inside of me, and that was it.” “God, no one can be that innocent. Where were you raised, in a convent?” “No, but my parents didn’t talk about things like that, and I was so busy going to college getting my degrees that I guess I missed that portion of my education.” She was angry now because he was making fun of her. “Did you say degrees? Just how many do you have?” “Three. I have one in business, one in advertising, and one in graphic design.” She couldn’t figure out what that had to do with anything. “Do you know how many degrees Keeton and I have between us? A big, fat zero. We finished high school, but we never went to college. We’ve worked on a ranch since we were fifteen.” “I don’t see where that matters. You got on-the-job training. I got book training and had to learn how to work when I took my first job. Believe me, you were much better off. I nearly got fired the first week.” “My point is, you’re nothing like we expected. This is going to take some figuring out.” Boyd sighed again and shook his head. “I’m

26

Marla Monroe

going outside to look around. We’ll be in for lunch.” He turned around and marched out the door, shutting it behind him. “At least he didn’t slam it.” What was she going to do now?

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

27

Chapter Three “What do you mean she’s a fucking virgin? How the hell did that happen?” “She didn’t tell them in her paperwork. She didn’t think it mattered.” Boyd leaned up against the barn that held three horses. Boyd had found Keeton mucking out the stalls and feeding the horses. Now he leaned on the pitchfork and looked as if he wanted to ram it through something. Keeton was known for his fierce temper, though he was slow to rile. Right now, he was in full-fury mode. “What in the hell are we going to do with her?” Keeton asked. “Introduce her to sex. It’s all we can do. I for one am not going to go the rest of my life with a hard-on using my fist for relief.” “Boyd, I’m too rough for a virgin. I’ll hurt her. I couldn’t bear to hurt her.” He swallowed hard and turned back to forking hay over in the stalls. “You’re going to have to take care of her. I can’t touch her.” “Like hell you’re putting this all on me, man. This is a partnership we have here. You’re just as much responsible for her as I am. We signed the paperwork. We share everything between us. Including the problems,” Boyd reminded him. “This isn’t a problem. It’s a fucking disaster! Think about it, Boyd. She’s a sweet girl. She deserves someone who’ll make love to her every night and kiss her good-morning. We fuck more than we make love.” Keeton slammed the pitchfork down into the dirt floor of the stable and leaned it against the back wall.

28

Marla Monroe

“We have to give her a chance, Keeton. She deserves more from us than this. She didn’t balk when I kissed her, and she didn’t panic when she found herself wrapped around you like an octopus.” Keeton paced in front of the stalls. He balled his hands into fists before relaxing and balling into fists again. Finally he turned to Boyd and huffed out a breath. “Fine. You take her virginity, though. I’m not about to do that.” “As long as you’re there in case I screw something up. I’m not doing this alone.” “How in the hell did we end up in this mess? I was so brutally honest on my form I thought for sure they wouldn’t take me,” Keeton said. “You and me both. Get this, she has three degrees on top of being a virgin. How did they manage to pair her with us even without her virginity being in the way?” Boyd asked. “Hell if I know. Sounds like they played spin the bottle to me.” “Come on. Let’s look at the rest of the yard. Danny said we need to put up a fence around the house as soon as possible. We’ll have days off where we can work on it.” Boyd led the way as they circled the house and stopped at the garden. “They sure set up a nice-size one. Do you think Ashley can deal with something this large?” Keeton asked. “I guess we’ll find out. She’ll have to start planting it in the next week or so. Nights are still too cold right now.” “Well, the fence has to encompass the garden as well. It’s going to be a big one, that’s for sure.” Keeton ran a hand over his face. “What is it?” Boyd asked. “We have to protect her, Boyd. I’ve never been responsible for anyone but us and a bunch of cows. I’m not sure how I like worrying about someone else.” “You’re not in it alone. I’m there with you. We’ll keep her safe together, Keeton. Stop thinking you’ve got to do it all alone. We’re

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

29

partners, remember?” Boyd would never have believed that something so small as a virgin would throw the big man off his game. Keeton was truly worried and messed up over Ashley’s virginity. Boyd sighed. What was the big deal? He’d pop her cherry and that would be that. Right? Deep inside he knew that wasn’t all there was to it, but for now, it was all he could handle thinking about. He would worry about the rest when the time came. They explored the area until lunchtime, then hurried inside to clean up. They found sandwiches in plastic wrap already made up waiting for them on the table, along with glasses for tea. Ashley was nowhere to be found. Keeton panicked. “She’s already missing. How are we going to work and take care of her, too?” “She’s not missing. She’s probably in the bedroom pouting. I’ll go see.” Boyd washed his hands, then climbed the stairs to the bedroom, but she wasn’t in there or in the bathroom. He checked the other bedrooms and bathroom with no sign of her. He bounded down the stairs and searched the living room, then ducked into the office, all to no avail. Where could she be? He walked back into the kitchen and shook his head. “Hell, I don’t know where she is.” “Do you think she walked over to see Danny and Andrew’s wife, Rachel? I would have thought we would see her, but she might have slipped past us.” Keeton stood up, his sandwich half-eaten. “We’d better go check and see. Then I’m going to spank her ass for scaring us like that.” Just as they were getting ready to walk out the door, a noise came from below them. Then another noise sounded inside the pantry. Boyd exchanged puzzled looks with Keeton before going over to the pantry and pulling open the door. About the time he opened the door, a door in the floor swung open and a stick placed to hold it up.

30

Marla Monroe

Ashley’s head emerged from the hole. She gave a little squeak at seeing both men looming over her. “W–What are you doing in the pantry?” she asked. “Looking for you.” Boyd reached down and grabbed her hand to pull her up. “Um, thank you.” She turned around and settled the stick back in its clip before letting the door shut softly. “Have you already eaten?” Keeton shook his head and turned around and stalked to the other side of the room. Boyd just stared at her, totally astonished that she could be so oblivious that they were worried about her. Instead of lighting into her, he asked her what she was doing down there. She washed her hands then wiped them off with a towel before taking a seat at the table to eat. “I was looking for the canning supplies, so I’d know what was available. I really think I’m going to need more, though. I have to put up enough for three of us to last the winter. That’s going to take a lot of jars,” she said, then took a bite from her sandwich. “Have you seen the garden yet?” “No, but I figure it has to be big.” “I’ll show it to you after lunch,” Boyd said. “How much do you know about gardening and canning, anyway?” Keeton asked. “Only what I’ve been reading on the shuttle. I hope we can get some more books from the library they say is in town. When can we go to town?” “Boyd!” Keeton said. “Calm down, Keeton. Rachel is going to help her,” Boyd reminded him. “What? You think I can’t do it? I’ll have you know I can do anything I put my mind to. I’ve never failed when I’ve been given the proper instructions.” She stood up so fast her chair scooted from behind her.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

31

Boyd looked over at Keeton’s face. His partner was surprised that their little virgin had a spine. Nothing turned Keeton on like a spunky female. Fuck. Little Ashley was getting herself in deeper than ever. She was going to be lucky if Keeton didn’t take her right there on the kitchen table. Maybe she would calm down and not bait him more. Instead, she grabbed up their plates and took them to the sink, where she proceeded to bang them around while washing them. “So you think you can run a house, grow a garden, put up vegetables, and see to the sexual needs of your two men?” Keeton backed her up to the sink when she turned around with a murderous expression on her face. That expression soon faded when she realized she was trapped between the sink and his two strong arms holding on to the sink’s edge. “Give me a manual and I can do anything. I’ll grow that garden, and I’ll put up those vegetables. And yes, I know there are always things outside of the manual that crop up, like too much rain and not enough sun. I’m not stupid to think that things always go according to plan.” She heaved out a breath which brushed her pointed nipples across Keeton’s chest. Boyd stayed in the background to see how it would play out, but close enough to intervene if necessary. Right now he was having a ball watching the show. He never would have expected their shy little Ashley having a temper. “So if I give you a manual on sex, you can take care of my needs. Is that what you’re saying?” “I’ve got a manual on sex, and yes, I can take care of your needs. I realize not everything is in the manual, but enough of it is to know what I’m supposed to do.” Ashley’s eyes were flashing now. “So, you would know how to suck my dick down your throat until I come in your mouth? Or take my cock up your ass until you’re screaming with pleasure?” He was pressing against her now.

32

Marla Monroe

Boyd had no doubt she could feel the hard length of Keeton’s cock against her body. Even now he could tell from where he stood, a comfortable distance away, that her eyes were heavy lidded with lust. Keeton’s dirty words were turning her on. Maybe she had a hidden side to her after all. He just hoped he would get the chance to find out before Keeton ran her off. **** Ashley couldn’t believe how turned on she was by Keeton’s naughty words and suggestions. She knew that was part of it, but she really had hoped they wouldn’t want that. One look into his eyes told her he was dead serious. Taking him in her mouth she’d heard about and was eager to try, though she knew next to nothing about it. Evidently their cum tasted salty and bitter. She still wanted to try it. Her nipples were mashed against his chest as he pushed into her, showing her how excited he was as well. He leaned in and sniffed of her. “Fuck, I can smell your pussy juices. You’re creaming thinking about all of that, aren’t you?” “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she huffed out. It came out all breathy, though. “Oh, it’s my business, all right. You’re our wife. Making you happy is part of our job. I bet if I put my hand inside your jeans right now, I’d find you hot and wet.” “No.” Her breath was coming in gasps now. God, if he checked, she would be soaking her panties. Keeton pulled back just enough that he could unfasten her jeans and slide his hand down inside them. She didn’t do a thing to stop him. Maybe she was asking for it. Right then, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she needed something. When he slid his hand inside of her jeans and then her panties, he slipped right through her pussy juices. He swore and withdrew his

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

33

hand and held it to his nose, closing his eyes. Then he stuck his fingers in his mouth and tasted of her. She was shocked. Nothing in the manuals had prepared her for this. He growled and lowered his mouth to hers, holding her head still as he kissed her, sharing her essence with her. She’d never tasted herself before. Now she tasted herself mixed with his kiss. He sipped at her mouth then pulled back with heavy-lidded eyes. They were both panting. “I’ve got to taste you. I want your cream on my face when you come.” He swung her into his arms and laid her on the kitchen table, where he pulled off her shoes and then her pants along with her panties. Ashley didn’t know what to do. She was shocked and aroused all at the same time. Surely she should stop him. This couldn’t be right. But she couldn’t say the words or raise her hands to push him away. When she did raise them, it was to pull him closer for another kiss. Then he was between her legs, spreading them on the table. Nothing had prepared her for the first lick of his tongue through her pussy. Her eyes flew wide and then there was another and another. When he sucked in her pussy lips, she moaned and tilted her pelvis for more. He chuckled around her flesh. The next thing she knew, he was sticking a finger inside of her and moving it around until she fairly came off the table, it felt so good. He sucked and licked and teased her over and over again. He removed his finger and she moaned at the loss, but he replaced it with two this time. They were tight, but helped build the pressure that was beginning to fill her. She tried to move him deeper, but he hit her maidenhead and he couldn’t go any further without breaking it. She wanted him to in that moment. “Please, deeper. I need more, Keeton.” “That’s as deep as I can go. Boyd will take care of the rest, baby. I’m not doing that to you.”

34

Marla Monroe

He licked all around her clit then sucked it inside, and she went wild at the sensations bombarding her. Pure light exploded behind her closed eyelids as he continued his assault on her senses. Then he was lapping at her cunt juices as they seeped from her. Never had she felt anything so decadent and yet so right. That Keeton had been the first one to give her an orgasm was somehow right.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

35

Chapter Four Keeton stood up from cleaning her pussy with his tongue and accepted the wet washcloth that Boyd handed him. He wiped his face then cleaned Ashley between her legs. He noticed she had whisker burn and smiled. He hated that she would be tender there, but he had marked her as his. Boyd would mark her later. He reached down and picked her off the table, letting her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. She swayed and had a fuzzy look on her face. He’d put that look there. “You okay to stand on your own?” he asked, doubting that she was. “Hmm? Um, yes. I need to get dressed. I can’t believe you did that to me on the kitchen table.” He let go of her and she stumbled. He caught her and shook his head. If he didn’t know any better, he would say she was drunk. He guessed she was, drunk off of sex. That didn’t dampen his ego any. He held her arm while Boyd pulled her panties and jeans up her legs and fastened them. Then Boyd picked her up and carried her into the living room, where he settled her on the couch. “Why don’t you take a little nap, Ashley? We’ll be back in a couple of hours. We’re going over to the main house to talk to Danny and Andrew.” Boyd bent over and kissed her on the forehead. They walked back into the kitchen. Keeton shook his head. “What?” Boyd asked. “She could be addicting. She tastes like pure honey.” “I’ll find out tonight.” Boyd opened the back door and the two of them walked out into the yard and headed for the barn.

36

Marla Monroe

“You’re going to take her tonight?” Keeton asked, a little worried. “Yeah, I can’t wait to get in that tight pussy. She’s got some fire to her. I want to see if she can burn me.” “Be careful with her.” Boyd stopped outside one of the horses’ stalls and looked at Keeton with a strange look on his face. “Have I ever been anything but careful with a woman before?” Keeton sighed and shook his head. “No, you’re always good to them. She’s someone who we are going to be living with the rest of our lives. I guess I want her first time to be really special for her.” “We’ll make it that way for her, Keeton. I’m not doing this alone. You have to help me. Once I get inside her, I’m going to be lost. You’ve got to keep her going.” “Fuck, I’m not an easy man and I don’t know the first thing about coddling.” “You don’t have to coddle her. Kiss her. Play with her tits. That’s all it will take.” Boyd saddled his mare and began checking her over. Keeton threw the saddle blanket over his horse and thought about what Boyd had said. Yeah, he could do that. It relaxed him some. He tossed the saddle up and on the horse then cinched it down. He checked the horse over then led it outside, where Boyd was waiting on him. “Man, it feels good to be back on a horse after almost a year. I was beginning to think we never would.” Boyd rubbed the horse’s neck. “Yeah, all that training was a bitch and then the fucking shuttle ride had me about ready to pull all my hair out.” Keeton mounted his horse and the two headed across the field to the big house. As houses went, it wasn’t that much larger than theirs. But then the entire object of the colony was to populate it, so big houses for lots of children. Keeton hadn’t really cared much about that. Boyd was the one interested in a family. Keeton was all about working the

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

37

ranch. The thought of a brown-haired beauty with a softly satisfied face entered his thoughts, though. They slowed down at the edge of the yard where the fence was already up and walked the horses around it until they came to the gate. Keeton got down and unhitched it. Boyd walked his and Keeton’s horses through while Keeton fastened the gate back. Then they rode over to the hitching post that stood at the back of the house. By the time they had dismounted, the back door was open and Danny walked out with a smile on his face. “Come on in. You should have brought Ashley with you. Rachel is about to have a cow to meet her.” “She was busy and we don’t plan to stay, but we just wanted to talk a little more about the ranch and this creature you mentioned. It wasn’t in any of our literature to study.” Another man walked up and Danny introduced him as Andrew. “Come on in the living room and we’ll talk.” Keeton and Boyd followed the two men to the living room and took a seat. The house seemed to be made up around the same plans, just a little larger than theirs. Keeton sure wasn’t complaining, though. He’d lived in nothing but bunkhouses for years. A real house was a blessing as far as he was concerned. “So what about the creature?” Boyd prompted. Andrew and Danny exchanged looks. Danny sighed and started talking. “It looks like a cross between a praying mantis and a manatee. Weird, to say the least, but it has razor-sharp teeth and three claws on each leg. It can stand upright, but seems to run on all fours.” “You’re serious,” Keeton said. “Dead serious. It nearly killed our wife. She was lucky to have gotten away from it. That’s why the fences are going up. You need to work on yours every chance you get. You want to get it up around the garden and the house.” Danny unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off one shoulder.

38

Marla Monroe

“This is what it does to you when you heal.” He showed them a scar that was puckered up as if the skin had boiled. It had a strange tint to it, almost yellow. “Rachel’s is much worse, but it’s on her back shoulder. We have no idea if there is any residual effect from it. Just that it seems to do something to the skin when it heals. Rachel’s is a much stronger yellow than mine is, but she had deeper cuts.” Andrew stood up and paced. It was obvious talking about their wife’s injury bothered him. Keeton changed the subject. “So how many cows are you running right now?” The conversation remained on cattle and their progress with breeding. After two hours, Boyd called a halt with the excuse that they needed to get back to Ashley. “Don’t want to leave her alone too much right now. She’ll have to deal with it when we start working regular.” “Well, don’t worry about it for the next few days. You need to get settled in and recover from that shuttle flight. It takes something out of you. Plus, as I understand it, you didn’t know your wife before you arrived. You need to develop a relationship with her.” Andrew patted Boyd on the back as they walked back through the kitchen. “Tell your wife we’ll bring Ashley over in another day or two,” Boyd said. “Will do. She’s taking a nap. We were up late last night putting away some meat. Butchered a cow. And filled up the freezer. You have plenty of meat in yours, too.” Danny opened the back door and watched them climb on their horses. They waved as they settled into a gallop crossing the pasture after closing the gate behind them. They reached the barn and climbed off their horses after walking them around the yard a few minutes. Once they had taken care of the horses, they headed to the house. Boyd made it inside first, but he stopped in the doorway so that Keeton ran into him from behind. “What’s going on? Why did you stop?” Keeton complained.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

39

“Something’s wrong.” Keeton immediately grabbed his knife out of his boot and pushed past Boyd. Once inside the kitchen, he could feel it, too. Something was inside that shouldn’t be there. Keeton carefully walked through the kitchen to the living room. There was no sign of Ashley, but the cushions were on the floor and her shoes were across the room as if she’d thrown them. Boyd cursed when he saw around Keeton. They headed for the stairs and took them two at a time. Keeton found the bedroom door shut. When he went to open it, it was locked. “Ashley? It’s Keeton and Boyd. Let us in, baby.” “Is it still out there?” her muffled voice came through the door. “Is what out here?” Boyd asked. “That thing. It tried to bite me.” Keeton cursed. “Open the door, Ashley. Now.” There was the sound of something moving in front of the door then the lock turning, and the door opened a fraction. Keeton pushed it open further and walked into the room with Boyd right behind him. It was obvious that she had moved the chair in front of the door since it was out of place. The expression on her face was one of pure terror. Keeton’s heart thumped hard in his chest. “What was it, Ashley? Tell us what happened.” Boyd picked her up and carried her over to the bed, where he sat her down. Keeton sat on one side of her and Boyd the other. “I was napping on the couch. I was so tired. I kept feeling something around my fingertips and figured I was brushing the rug, so I moved my hand under my chin. Then I felt something jump on me. I woke up all the way and screamed when I saw this weird animal sitting on my leg gnashing his teeth as if he couldn’t wait to take a bite out of me.” She shivered. “What happened then, baby?” Boyd asked, running his hand up and down her arm.

40

Marla Monroe

“I started trying to get up and get it off of me all at the same time. It grabbed hold of my jeans with its claws and wouldn’t let go. I didn’t know what to do. I screamed and I shook my leg but it held on. Then it started trying to gnaw through my jeans. I managed to get one leg up, and I pulled off my shoes and started hitting it with them. When it squealed and let go, it jumped down and sat by the fireplace watching me. When I started to get off the couch, it took a step toward me. I didn’t know what to do, so I threw my shoe at it and ran up here and slammed the door shut. How did it get inside?” Ashley was shaking by the time she finished. “Take off your clothes, Ashley,” Keeton said, standing up. “What?” She looked over at Boyd with confusion all over her face. “Keeton?” Boyd asked. “Take off your clothes. I want to be sure it didn’t break the skin. We don’t know anything about this thing. It doesn’t sound like anything in our pamphlets.” Keeton was worried. Ashley scrambled out of her jeans and stood up in front of Keeton and Boyd. Fear left no room for modesty, evidently. “Which leg was he trying to bite?” Keeton asked. “This one.” She indicated her left leg. Keeton got down on his knees and searched her leg for any sign of a break. What he found worried him, though. “Boyd, what do you see?” he asked. Boyd squatted and looked over her leg. He turned worried eyes to Keeton. “Baby, get up on the bed for us so we can see better. The light isn’t very good with you standing up.” “He didn’t break the skin. I mean, there wasn’t any blood.” Ashley sounded on the verge of tears. She had held up so far. On the side of her lower leg there were tiny raised bumps with a slightly yellow tint to them. It looked almost like a bubbly burn, like a

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

41

much smaller version of what was on Danny’s shoulder. Fuck. Keeton needed to know where that animal was and what it looked like. “I think we’ll clean you up with peroxide just to be safe, Ashley. Lie there and I’ll be right back.” Boyd walked to the bathroom. “You don’t have any idea where it came from or where it went after you got up here?” “No. I was asleep, Keeton. I’m sorry.” Tears began to roll from her eyes. “Shh, it’s okay, baby. We’ll find it and get rid of it.” Boyd returned with a towel and the hydrogen peroxide. He laid the towel under her leg and then poured the peroxide over the bumps. They bubbled like something was on them then settled down. He did it again until there was no more bubbling. “Let me see your fingers where he touched you,” Boyd said. Ashley thrust out her hand. Keeton and Boyd looked over her fingers and hand but saw nothing to indicate it had done any damage. It was all centered around the area on her lower leg. Boyd took everything away and walked back in the bedroom with a serious expression on his face. Keeton knew they had a problem. Something had gotten in the house and they didn’t know how. “Baby, I want you to stay up here with the door closed until we get back. We’re going to look around the house to see how it might have gotten inside. Okay?” Keeton held her head between his hands and looked into her eyes. He needed her to be calm. “I understand. I won’t move.” “Good girl. We’ll be back in a few minutes.” He and Boyd walked outside the bedroom and closed the door behind them. They looked at each other but Keeton shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it this close to Ashley. She was going to freak out if she realized she had those bumps. Once they were downstairs, they searched every room in every corner trying to find the thing. They turned over the couch and looked up in the springs, but found nothing in the house. They walked

42

Marla Monroe

outside and began searching around the house for any sign of a breach in the foundation or the walls. When they reached the cellar doors, Keeton noticed that they were unlocked. He went to raise one side and found it was ajar. “Boyd! Come here.” Boyd came running around the side of the house. “Look. The cellar is unlocked, and it was ajar when I reached to open it. What do you want to bet that’s how the little bastard got in?” “I’m going to get the guns. We might need to shoot it. Plus, we don’t know how many are down there. There might be a freaking family of them.” Keeton kept his foot on the cellar door and waited for Boyd to return with the guns. He was furious that they had left Ashley by herself and she’d gotten hurt. How were they going to leave her every day while they were out working the ranch? Boyd returned with the guns in hand. Keeton took one and checked it to be sure it was loaded. They opened one of the doors and walked down into the gloom of the cellar. Keeton found the light and pulled the cord. He heard a scurry of feet and turned toward the sound. There in the corner were three of the little buggers. They looked like a cross between a rat and a muskrat. They were the size of a small cat and had curved claws and razor-sharp teeth. They hissed like a snake when they realized they had been found. Keeton raised his gun and shot at the same time Boyd fired his gun. There was a cacophony of noise as they shot the little vermin. “Do you see any more?” Keeton asked. “No, all I saw was those three,” Boyd said. “Don’t touch them. We need gloves on in case there’s something in their blood or on their fur. Let’s find out where they got into the house first. I want to fix that right now so another family can’t crawl up in here.” Keeton began studying the ceiling. “Over here,” Boyd said from across the room.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

43

“Look. There’s a crack about the size they could squeeze through right here. It’s bound to be in the pantry on the floor. We wouldn’t see it because it would be under the bottom shelf.” Keeton cursed and looked around for a board to use to cover the hole. He found a piece of board that would cover it just fine. “I’ll go get a hammer and nails. Be right back,” Boyd said. He returned a few minutes later and Keeton boarded up the hole making damn sure nothing would get in that way again. He took a pair of gloves Boyd had also brought back and they cleaned out the rat things, taking them outside to bury. Boyd cleaned up the blood in the cellar so no one would accidently get any on their skin when they were down there while Keeton examined the ratlike creatures and buried them. “We better go shower before we touch Ashley again,” Keeton said as he closed and locked the cellar doors. “I’m sure she’s terrified now after hearing the gunshots. I called up the stairs that we were both fine but to stay in the room. She didn’t answer me, though.” Boyd opened the door to the kitchen. “She might have passed out, I guess. She was close to hysterical when we found her.” “Yeah, but she held up good and managed to get away from the thing,” Boyd pointed out. When they climbed the stairs, Keeton called out that they were coming in. He opened the bedroom door and Ashley was sitting at the head of the bed with her hands wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. “Did you get it?” she asked. “Yep, it’s gone,” Keeton said. “Good. Something’s wrong with my leg, isn’t it?” Keeton sighed and nodded. “Let me see it again, baby.” She stuck out her leg, and he cursed. The bumps had grown some since they had been gone. He didn’t know what to do, and taking her over to Danny and Andrew wouldn’t help since they didn’t know

44

Marla Monroe

what it was or what to do about the scar on Andrew’s or Rachel’s backs themselves. “Let’s get you in the shower, baby, and wash it good with soap and water.” Keeton began undressing. Boyd pulled Ashley to the edge of the bed and helped her out of her T-shirt and bra, then helped her pull her panties off. She didn’t appear the least uncomfortable around them nude now. Worry and fear had taken away her modesty. Keeton was glad about that, but hated how it had happened. The two men led her into the bathroom. Then Keeton adjusted the water until it was a nice warm temperature. While Boyd finished undressing, he helped Ashley into the shower. “Here, baby. Wash your face and the rest of your body first. Then we’ll wash your leg.” He watched her as she bathed herself with jerky movements. After a while he took the cloth from her and turned her around to bathe her back. He scrubbed a little harder than was necessary, but he wanted her grounded in reality now. She had to be strong. They had no idea what was going to happen with the bumps. If they spread? Well, he just didn’t know.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

45

Chapter Five Ashley held on to Keeton’s shoulder as he squatted by her leg to wash it. Boyd wrapped an arm around her waist for support. He kissed the back of her head and then her ear. “Relax, baby. Keeton’s not going to hurt you. He’s just going to wash those bumps off really good.” She remained still as Keeton scrubbed over that part of her leg with soap and water. They didn’t hurt, exactly. They burned. It was like a small burn you got from touching a hot plate or boiler. “Am I hurting you?” Keeton asked, looking up. “No. It burns, but it doesn’t hurt.” “Okay, I think I’ve cleaned it all I can. Let’s rinse it off and we’ll call it a night.” Boyd held her while she held out her leg and rinsed the soap off. She could see the yellow-tinted bubbles now without bending over. They had grown, but they hadn’t spread, thank goodness. “Boyd, I don’t feel too good.” She needed to lie down. “Let’s get you dried off and in the bed, baby.” He handed her off to Keeton, who had a towel ready for her. He quickly dried her off, taking special care to just pat her lower leg where the bumps were. Then he picked her up and carried her to bed. He laid her on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. “Keeton. I think we need to cover those with gauze in case they leak any.” Boyd held up some gauze and tape. “Good idea.” He pulled back the covers from her left leg and applied the gauze over the bumps and securely taped it down.

46

Marla Monroe

“I’m going to check downstairs that we locked all the doors and I’ll be back up in a few minutes,” Keeton said. Ashley curled up under the covers, feeling sick all over now. She wasn’t sure if it was just a reaction to the shock or to the bite. Either way, she was scared and immediately curled into Boyd’s body when he got in the bed. “Easy, baby. It’s going to be okay. We’ll take care of you,” he said. Keeton reappeared, and after closing the bedroom door, he started to get into bed. “Keeton?” “Yeah, baby?” “Could you crack the bathroom door and leave the light on? I might need to get up.” Ashley was almost sure she would be getting up. “Sure.” He walked over and flipped the light on and closed the door to a thin crack. Then he climbed into bed and turned on his side with his back to her. She wasn’t insulted. She knew he cared by the way he’d taken care of her with the bites. She reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. She just needed to touch him. “What is it, baby?” “Nothing. I just need to touch you,” she admitted. After a few seconds, he covered her hand with his and she fell asleep. After a little more than an hour, Ashley woke up needing the bathroom immediately. She climbed over Keeton’s body and ran for the bathroom, almost not making it before she was sick in the toilet. Keeton and Boyd were immediately by her side. Keeton held her hair back while Boyd got a cool, wet cloth and laid it at the back of her neck. “Easy, baby. We’re right here.” Boyd rubbed her back as she heaved again.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

47

Finally, she felt well enough to sit back on the bathroom floor and rest. Keeton took the bath cloth from her neck and wiped her face with it. Boyd held her hand. Ashley couldn’t remember the last time she’d been sick to her stomach. She hated it. “Do you feel well enough to go back to bed, baby?” Boyd asked. “I think so.” Keeton helped her up, but Boyd swung her up in his arms and carried her back to bed. He climbed in with her still in his arms and settled them both in the bed. Keeton pulled the covers over them before slipping beneath them himself. Ashley wasn’t sure what time it was, but she knew she wouldn’t get back to sleep now. She was too wired from having been sick. Sometime later, she began to shake. She was freezing and couldn’t get warm. Boyd pulled her tighter in his arms, and still she shivered until her teeth started to chatter. It wasn’t long before the entire bed was shaking with her chills. Keeton got up and went in search of another blanket to put over her. Ashley’s chills soon had her thrashing and she knew she was sick. Then she didn’t know anything. **** Boyd tried holding her still, then finally climbed out of bed and wrapped the blankets around her. Keeton had gotten out of the bed earlier to locate another blanket and hadn’t gotten back in. Instead, he’d pulled on jeans and was sitting in the chair across the room. “She’s sick, isn’t she?” He stated the obvious. “Yeah. I’m going to get a glass of water for her. Get the Tylenol out of the bathroom. We need to get her fever down.” Boyd walked out the bedroom door still nude. Keeton got up and grabbed the Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. He shook out two pills then sat the bottle on the bedside table. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Boyd to return. He didn’t know

48

Marla Monroe

what to do to help her. He wasn’t good around sick people. All he knew right then was that he was scared for her. Boyd walked back in with a glass of water. Keeton took the glass and held Ashley’s head up. He put the pills on the back of her tongue then poured the water in her mouth. She swallowed reflexively, but still didn’t act as if she knew him. He laid her back down and sat the glass on the bedside table. “What else do we do?” he asked Keeton. “We wait and we pray. Other than that, I don’t have a clue.” Boyd stretched out on top of the cover. “I’m going to bathe her face and neck with cool water. It can’t hurt.” Keeton got up and walked out of the bedroom to grab a bowl or something to put water in. He returned with a washbasin. He filled it full of cold water and took a cloth from the bathroom. Then he wet the cloth and ran it across her face and down her neck to her shoulders. The more he bathed her, the less she thrashed. Finally, she calmed down enough that Boyd decided they needed to bathe her entire body. “It seems to lower her temperature, and that keeps her still,” Boyd pointed out. They freshened the water and pulled back the covers to slowly bathe her from head to foot. Finally, her fever began to come down and she began to sweat. They bathed her until she stopped sweating. Boyd covered her body with a fresh sheet while Keeton emptied the washtub and returned it to the kitchen. “Should we cover her with a blanket, too?” Keeton asked. “Yeah, but I want to look at her bumps. I was just waiting on you before I changed the dressing,” Boyd explained. “Okay, let’s do it.” Keeton pulled back the sheet to expose her lower leg. Boyd peeled back the dressing to find that the bumps had opened and were draining. They looked red and inflamed. Keeton winced at the thought of her in pain from them.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

49

“Should we clean them?” Boyd asked. “I don’t know, but I don’t like the look of them now. I say clean them.” Boyd nodded and got up to get supplies. Keeton sat on the bed and pulled her hair back from her face. He realized that somewhere along the way he’d become attached to her. He cared for her deeply and the idea that she could die frightened him. He’d never been scared in his life, but he was scared now. Boyd returned with a soapy cloth and the peroxide. He wore plastic gloves as he wiped over the wounds with the cloth. Ashley kicked her leg as he tried to clean them. Keeton finally held her leg still until Boyd had thoroughly cleaned them with both soap and water and the peroxide. He patted the area dry then covered it again with gauze and tape. “I’m going to put all of this in the washer and scald it. I’ll be right back.” Boyd carried the contaminated cloths and towel downstairs. Keeton rearranged the covers so that she was covered against the chill in the air. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand over her forehead, pleased that it was cool to the touch. By the time that Boyd had returned, Keeton was feeling a little more in control again. The two men climbed on top of the covers fully dressed and dozed off and on for the rest of the night. Keeton kept checking to be sure she was breathing okay. He was worried she would end up sick again. He didn’t want to not be able to help her if she needed it. “You awake over there, Keeton?” “Yeah.” “If this is acting like that thing on Danny’s shoulder did, then there is something about this planet that is toxic to us. We need to figure out what it is so we can avoid it from now on.” “We should get word to the town about this and let them work on it. Maybe we can go tomorrow. I would like to take Ashley to that doctor in town and let him look at her if she’s well enough to go.” Keeton had been thinking about that for the last few minutes anyway.

50

Marla Monroe

“Sounds good to me. I’ll sure feel better if someone looks at it besides us. Maybe someone in one of the other areas has had a run-in with them and knows more about them.” Boyd seemed to think of something. “Why weren’t they on our list of animals?” Boyd asked. “Did you notice that none of the animals they listed were considered dangerous? They were all safe according to them. They didn’t list any that were dangerous like that praying mantis thing or this super rat.” “Yeah, you’re right. I guess more people would have backed out if they had, but it sure puts us at a disadvantage not knowing what to expect,” Boyd complained. “Soon as it’s light outside, I’m going to run over to talk to Danny and Andrew before they get out on the range. We’ll need to borrow their transport, and they need to know about these things,” Keeton said. “Good idea. I’ll stick close to Ashley while you’re gone.” The two men fell silent again. Keeton worried that Ashley would be worse in the morning and they wouldn’t be able to take her into town. He would also like to have a picture of the things, but neither of them had a camera and he sure as hell couldn’t draw. He was just as sure that Boyd couldn’t, either. Finally, after another hour of dozing and thinking, Keeton could see the first rays of the sun peeking through the curtains. He rolled over and laid a hand across Ashley’s forehead and found it cool to the touch. He sighed and carefully climbed out of bed so as not to wake the others up. He dressed quietly then left them still in bed sleeping. He locked the house behind him and quickly saddled his horse. Soon he was galloping across the field. The early-morning sun illuminated the way despite the mist nearly obscuring the ground. Once he made it to the gate, he dismounted and led the horse through it before closing it behind him.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

51

Keeton walked the horse toward the house and wrapped the reins around the hitching post before climbing the steps to the back porch. He only had to knock once when the door was opened by a lovely woman. “Morning, ma’am. Is Danny or Andrew up yet?” “Come on in. They’ll be right down,” she said. “Thanks, ma’am, but I’ll stay out here until one of them can come out. Thanks for inviting me in, though.” “I’m Rachel. Which one are you?” she asked through the screen door. “Sorry, I’m Keeton. It’s nice to meet you.” “Who are you talking to, Rachel?” Keeton heard Danny’s voice in the background. “It’s Keeton, Danny. He wants to see you.” Danny’s body filled the doorway as he wrapped an arm around Rachel’s waist. “Come on in, Keeton. No need to stand out on the porch.” He swung the screen door open. “Um, maybe we should talk out here,” Keeton said, lifting his eyebrows in hopes that Danny would understand. “Sure. Rachel, baby. Go get Andrew and ask him to come out here.” “Is something wrong?” Rachel demanded. “We just need to talk about the ranch, baby.” Danny urged her forward and then stepped outside on the porch. Once Rachel had left, Danny turned to him. “What’s wrong?” “We got home last night to find that some super rat had gotten in the house and attacked Ashley. She didn’t think it had done anything to her, so we hunted it down and found three of them in the cellar. They’d gotten in the cellar from outside and found a hole inside the pantry to get inside the house. We killed them and buried them.” “What did they look like?” Danny asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

52

Marla Monroe

“Like a cross between a large rat and a muskrat. They were the size of a small cat.” Andrew opened the door and stepped out on the porch. He closed both doors behind him. “What’s going on?” Keeton filled him in on what he’d told Danny so far. The other man looked grim. “Something else to have to worry about on this damn planet. They sure as hell hadn’t explored it very well to have missed so many dangerous animals,” Andrew fumed. “Thing is, I need to borrow your transport to take Ashley in to the doctor if she’s well enough to go this morning. Something from the rat’s mouth got through her jeans and she started out with a few small bumps, but they grew and turned a yellowish color. Then they broke open, and she got really sick last night. We want the doctor to look at her.” “It bit her?” Andrew asked. “No, there were no teeth marks. It’s like something from its mouth seeped through her jeans onto her leg. It looks similar to Danny’s scar, I think.” “You’re welcome to the transport, of course. You definitely need to take her into town for the doctor to check her out,” Danny told him. “I figure we needed to warn the town about the varmint as well. Maybe someone else has had a run-in with them and knows something about them,” Keeton said. “Let us know what you find out when you get back.” Andrew clapped him on the shoulder. “We hope Ashley will be fine.” Danny handed a key to Keeton. “Thanks. I hope so, too. She wasn’t awake when I got up to come over here. I’ll be back later tonight to tell you what we find out.” Keeton pocketed the key and shook their hands before heading to the outbuilding where the transport was kept. He felt like time was important to getting Ashley to that doctor. The urgency followed him

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

53

all the way back to the house. It peaked when Boyd met him at the door with a strained look on his face.

54

Marla Monroe

Chapter Six “What is it,” Keeton demanded. Boyd winced. “She’s worse. We’ve got to get her to that doctor. I’m worried about her.” “I have the transport so we can leave whenever we get her ready. What’s going on?” “She woke up with a fever again and talking out of her head. I’ve given her more Tylenol and managed to get more water down her, but she’s shaking all over now.” Boyd looked frantic. “We’ll get her ready and head straight to town now. Why don’t you put a blanket in the backseat, and then we’ll carry her out and you can hold her in the back where there’s plenty of room for her to spread out.” Keeton hurried upstairs to check on Ashley for himself. She was thrashing on the bed under all the covers. Her face was damp from sweat and possibly tears. He just stood there for a minute trying to determine what to do. He didn’t know the first thing about taking care of someone sick, much less a sick woman. He jumped into action and wrapped her up in the blanket and carried her downstairs, where Boyd had just put the blanket in the transport. “I’m ready whenever you are,” Boyd told him. “Climb inside, and I’ll hand her to you.” Keeton waited while Boyd climbed in then handed Ashley over to him. Keeton locked the door and climbed in the front to head them in the right direction. Ashley was quiet during much of the ride, but just outside of town, she woke up.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

55

“What’s going on? Where are we going?” Ashley tried to look around but Boyd had her in his arms, wrapped up in the blanket. “We’re in town. We’re taking you to the doctor. You’ve been sick, baby.” Boyd readjusted her coverings. “What’s wrong with me, Boyd? My leg hurts.” There were tears in her voice. Keeton was glad Boyd was holding her. He wouldn’t know how to take care of her if she cried. “Baby, we don’t know for sure, and that’s why we’re going to the doctor.” “We’re here, Boyd. Hold on. I’ll be around to help you out.” Keeton jumped out of the transport. He opened the back door closest to Boyd and Ashley. Keeton took Ashley when Boyd handed her to him. Then Boyd climbed out. Only instead of taking Ashley back, he hurried to open the door. A man walked out from the back when they walked inside, and hurried them to the back. “We’ve been expecting you. Danny called to let us know what was going on.” He had them lay her on an exam table and began removing her covers. “Wait! I don’t have any clothes on under here,” Ashley screeched out. “It’s okay, I’m a nurse, and the doctor is used to seeing women without clothes. We’ll put you in a gown. How’s that?” he asked. He grabbed a hospital gown and held it up to her as he removed the blankets from around her. Keeton immediately put it on her as soon as he could to keep her from crying. There were big, fat tears in her eyes and he couldn’t stand to see them. Boyd gave him a knowing look, but Keeton ignored him. As soon as she was covered, the doctor walked in. He looked to be around thirty years old, but had a much older look in his eyes. He shook their hands and walked over to where Ashley lay on the table. “How are you feeling right now, Ashley?” he asked.

56

Marla Monroe

“I feel okay. Really tired, and my leg hurts.” “Okay, let’s look at your leg.” He lifted just the lower part of the blanket and her gown to reach her left leg. He had the nurse bring the garbage can closer and removed the dressing. Ashley whimpered when he gently pulled the gauze off her wounds. He discarded the soiled dressing and examined her leg. The nurse brought over a stronger light with a magnifying glass on it. After a few minutes, he asked for some supplies and the nurse went to gather them up. “What is it?” Boyd asked. “It’s similar to the wounds on Rachel and Danny, but different, too. Since theirs broke the skin, there was more involvement, but less of this burn-type injury. Hers look more like acid burns. I’m going to say that whatever did this has an acidic type of saliva.” He used the supplies the nurse gathered and looked to be taking samples. Keeton had to look away. He couldn’t stand seeing him do it. “I’m going to take some samples and look at them under the microscope to see what else I can figure out. Until then, I’m going to clean them like an acid burn and treat her like she has a bacterial infection as well.” “What does that mean?” Boyd asked. “She will stay here overnight and receive a few doses of antibiotic. I want to make sure we take care of anything in her bloodstream as well.” “I don’t want to stay overnight. Can’t I go back to the house and take the pills?” Ashley asked. “I’m going to give you IV antibiotics because they work faster and are stronger. Then you’ll go home with a bottle of antibiotics to take at home.” He started an IV on her and the nurse hung a bag of something. “Let’s see how you do in the morning, and if you’re better, you can go home.” The doctor turned to the men. “One of you can stay,

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

57

but the other one will have to leave after nine. There isn’t enough room for but one of you.” “Boyd, you’ll stay. I’ll go home and check on the horses. Then I’ll come back in the morning and pick you two up.” “Please bring me some clothes,” Ashley said with tears streaming down her face. “You aren’t leaving yet, are you?” “No, baby. I’m going to wait around for a few minutes till they get you settled in a room.” “Which we’re going to do now,” the nurse said. “Why doesn’t one of you carry her for me? We’ll put her in a room in the main house downstairs. It’s where we keep people for a few nights when we need to.” Boyd gathered Ashley up in his arms and the three of them followed the nurse through a series of doors into another part of the building that looked to be a house. He indicated a room and held her IV as the men settled her on the bed. Then he hung the IV on a hook on the wall above her. “There’s water in the big cup there, and we’ll get you something to eat in a little while. If you need anything, the buzzer on the side of the bed will call me.” He pointed to the button on the bed. “Thanks,” Ashley said. “Are you comfortable?” Boyd asked, sitting on the only chair in the room. “I’m fine. Keeton, will you hold me please before you leave? I wish you didn’t have to go.” Keeton looked over at Boyd, who grinned and shrugged. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and drew Ashley into his arms, being careful of the IV in her hand. She clung to him like a lifeline and buried her face against his chest. He swallowed, not knowing what to do. So he patted her head. After several minutes, he gently pulled away and stood up. “I better get going, Ashley. I need to settle the horses and let Danny and

58

Marla Monroe

Andrew know what is going on. I’ll be back in the morning with your clothes so we can bring you home.” “You promise?” she asked. “I promise.” He settled a hand on Boyd’s shoulder. “Take good care of her. I’ll see you two in the morning.” Then he walked out of the room. By the time he was back at the transport, there were tears in his eyes. He hated leaving her there. It didn’t seem right. She belonged at home with them. Damn that fucking rat. Keeton fired up the transport and turned it around to head for home. It would be a long, lonely trip and an even longer night. He just prayed that she could come home tomorrow. He already missed her. **** Boyd took Ashley’s plate when she was finished eating and left it on the tray by the door. He’d had two sandwiches for lunch, but she had gotten soup and crackers. They didn’t want her eating much yet since she’d been sick. “Did you get enough to eat, Ashley? That wasn’t much.” Boyd smoothed down the cover over her lap. “It was plenty. I wasn’t very hungry.” “Do you feel sick?” he asked. “No. I feel fine. I mean, other than my leg stinging, I don’t feel at all sick anymore. I wish I could go back to the house.” “It’s home, Ashley. That’s our new home.” Boyd wondered why she hadn’t referred to it as her home. “I know. I guess I just haven’t gotten used to it yet. We’ve only been there a few days, and now I’m here.” “You’ll be going home tomorrow. You’re doing too good to have to stay here. You’ll see. Why don’t you take a nap?” “Um, would you hold me?” She didn’t look at him when she asked.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

59

Boyd realized she was embarrassed to want him to hold her. He got out of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her into his arms. “There, better?” he asked. “Um-hmm, thanks. I don’t like being here.” “I know, baby. Only for tonight. Then we’ll all go home and take care of you there.” He held her for several minutes before he felt her relax into sleep. Finally he gently laid her back against the pillows and settled the covers further over her. He sat back in the chair and waited for her to wake up again. Hours passed and she didn’t wake up. It worried him. The doctor hadn’t told him anything, either. He’d said it would take some time to prepare the slides and read them, but he was anxious to know what was going on. Boyd wondered how they were going to survive on a planet that seemed to be hostile to them. There was some giant creature out there that attacked cattle and people, and now a giant ratlike thing that had acid for saliva. Why hadn’t any of the others noticed them before? He checked that Ashley was asleep, then slipped out to talk to the doctor. He found him in an office down the hall writing up notes. He looked up when Boyd knocked on the door. “Come on in. I was just writing down my findings on the samples I took.” He put down his pen and turned to look at Boyd. “What can I do for you?” “Why is it that no one has seen these things before? If we had three of them in our cellar, stands to reason someone else should have had them.” “You would think so. I agree, but so far no one has reported seeing them. If they think they are just rats and are ignoring them or just shooting them, they don’t know how dangerous they are,” the doctor said. “Someone needs to get the word out about them,” Boyd insisted.

60

Marla Monroe

“The council meets tonight, and I’m going to recommend that we contact all the outlanders about them. We did that about the creature when it attacked Rachel.” “Outlanders?” Boyd asked. “Yeah, that’s what we call all of you living outside the city.” “Oh, funny. I think we still thought of ourselves as part of the city,” Boyd said with a half grin. “Guess we’re more the country folk.” Boyd shook his head and sighed. “Tell me what you found.” “The skin has an acid burn, so it’s safe to say the saliva has acid in it and soaked through her jeans. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if she’d pulled them right off. What I don’t understand is why didn’t it burn a hole in the jeans?” the doctor asked. “I don’t know, either. She had several bumps on her leg that had a weird yellow tint to them, and then she got really sick, and they opened up.” “Right now, she’s doing fine. I’m going to let her go home in the morning with oral antibiotics provided she doesn’t run a fever tonight.” The doctor got up and walked over to a shelf and pulled down some pills. He shook out several and placed them in another bottle. He made a label and handed it to Boyd. “Give her one of these twice a day until they are all gone. Keep the bandage on as long as she is draining. Then let it stay open to air. I don’t want her walking on it for another couple of days, either. If it changes in any way, bring her back here.” “Got it. Do you think there’s going to be any residual problem from it?” Boyd asked before he walked through the door. “So far Rachel hasn’t had any trouble, and neither has Danny. Other than the scarring, they are fine.” “But you aren’t saying there won’t be any. Is that what you’re saying?” Boyd asked. “Yeah, I guess it is. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even from some of the astronauts I checked out after some of their planet landings. I just don’t know what to tell you.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

61

“Thanks for the help, though. She’s doing fine now.” Boyd walked through the door and headed back across to Ashley’s room. He hoped he would make it back before she woke up and found him gone. He slipped back into the room and was sitting in the chair ten minutes later when she stretched and winced, but woke up. She smiled at him. “Hi.” “Hi yourself, Ashley. How do you feel?” “I feel fine. Can we go home now?” she asked. “Not till in the morning. Keeton will be back then to take us home.” “Oh, I thought it was morning.” She pouted. Boyd chuckled. “You only took a nap. You didn’t sleep all that long. It’s barely eight at night.” “What am I going to do for the rest of the night?” There was a knock at the door and the nurse, Scott, came in. “I’ve brought your night dose of antibiotics. I need to borrow your hand, Ashley.” Ashley frowned, but dutifully held out her hand. Once he had her hooked up, he covered the site with gauze and tape. He left them alone again. She and Boyd talked for several hours about their pasts, and he realized he knew very little about her. All he’d been interested in originally had been getting his cock in her cunt. Now he wanted to know more about her. “Could you draw that thing if you had paper and a pencil?” Boyd asked her. She shrugged. “Probably. It was sure close enough for me to get a good look at it. Why?” “We need a record of what it looks like. No one has ever seen one before now.”

62

Marla Monroe

He told her he would be right back, then went and borrowed a notepad and pencil and brought it back to her. She took it and began to draw.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

63

Chapter Seven Keeton drove the transport as fast as he felt safe to drive. He was anxious to get back to town to find out how Ashley was. He had missed her as much as he had missed Boyd being there. He realized she had come to mean a lot to him. He never would have believed someone so innocent could hold his attention, much less become important to him. He would easily admit to being a hard man who loved his women down and dirty. Finding that he cared about Ashley was messing with him. He wasn’t sure what to think. He pulled into town at close to ten that morning. He parked out front of the medical clinic and climbed out of the transport, eager to see for himself that she was doing okay. He hoped they would be able to take her home with them today. The nurse met him at the door with a smile. He felt his heart lighten. If the nurse was smiling, the news had to be good. “She’s been driving Boyd crazy all morning about when you were going to get here,” he said. “I had to deal with the horses before I could get here. Is she okay?” “She’s doing fine, but I’ll let the doctor talk to you about her. Come on in.” The nurse led the way to a room in the back that was obviously the doctor’s office. “Have a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.” Keeton took the chair opposite the desk and leaned back. He didn’t have long to wait. The doctor walked in and shook his hand before taking his seat behind the desk.

64

Marla Monroe

“Ashley is a very lucky woman. She’s doing fine, but we don’t know anything about the animal that injured her. Her leg is healing up, but she’s going to have several small scars there. It looks like they are going to be yellow tinged as well.” “Are you trying to say that you don’t know what sort of long-term effects this may have on her?” Keeton finally asked. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” the doctor, Jeff, agreed. “You took some samples of her wounds, so what did you figure out from them?” “Basically that the saliva from the rat thing is a type of acid.” He updated Keeton on everything he knew. “So I can take her home now?” Keeton asked. “As soon as this last dose of antibiotics is finished, my nurse will take her IV out, and you can take her home. I’ve given a bottle of pills to Boyd to give her for the next several days till they are all gone.” “Thanks for taking care of her.” “That’s what I’m here for. Thank goodness I have lots of time to do research and don’t have a lot of patients to care for. I really don’t want to be busy if it means someone is suffering. Now give me some pregnant women to birth and I’ll be a happy doctor.” He winked at Keeton. “Um, okay.” “If you’re careful with her leg, she can have sex. She needs to keep it dry, though, so no showers and only baths with her leg out of the water. Once it closes up, she can get it wet. I gave directions to Boyd on taking care of it till then.” “Okay. Can I see her now?” Keeton stood up. “Of course. You know where she is.” The doctor got up and saw him across the hall. Keeton knocked on the door to Ashley’s room then opened it when Boyd called for him to come in. He was totally surprised by the reaction he got from Ashley, though. Her eyes brightened, and she smiled as big as a rainbow at him.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

65

“Keeton! I’m so glad to see you. I missed you last night.” She reached out her arms to him, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Boyd pushed him forward into Ashley’s arms. He found himself enfolded and squeezed. “Careful of your IV thing, Ashley,” he said, pulling back. “I can go home now. They said when you got here you’d take me home.” “We’ll all go home just as soon as your IV is finished,” he said. “Horses okay?” Boyd asked with a smile. “Yeah. Got them all taken care of this morning.” “Feel like going by the library on our way out?” Boyd asked. “I want to get a couple more books on gardening while we’re here,” Ashley explained. “I want to get you a drawing book so you can draw. You’re good at it.” Boyd picked up a piece of paper and handed it to Keeton. “What does that look like to you?” “Fuck! That’s the rat thing we killed. Where did you get it?” “Ashley drew it.” Keeton turned and looked at her. “You can draw like this, and you’re stuck out on a ranch with us?” “I’m not stuck. I want to be where I am. Don’t you want me anymore?” Tears welled up in her eyes. Boyd cursed. “Of course we want you. What Keeton means…” “What I mean is that you’re too talented to be living on a ranch when you could be documenting all the wildlife and native flowers and such,” Keeton said. “They have scientists and cameras to do that. If it’s that important to you, I’ll draw anything new I see. I don’t want to live anywhere else. I want to live with you and Boyd.” There was a knock on the door and the nurse walked in. “Looks like your IV is finished. Let’s get this out of your hand so you can go home,” he said.

66

Marla Monroe

Keeton realized she wasn’t as excited as she was when he first came in. That was his fault. He’d taken some of the light out of her eyes. Fuck, he wasn’t good at the relationship stuff. He’d always left that part to Boyd, and they never kept a woman long enough for it to matter that much. He would have to work on it since Ashley was their wife. He found that he wanted to work on it for her. She mattered to him. “Okay, all done. You’re a free woman.” The nurse carried the supplies out of the room. “When you finish getting dressed, just come on down the hall and we’ll write you out as discharged.” Ashley nodded then looked at Keeton. “Um, did you bring me any clothes?” “Hell, yeah, just a minute. I left the bag outside in the transport. I was in a hurry to see about you.” He hurried out the door and back outside to get her clothes. When he returned, Boyd was sitting next to her on the bed. She was sitting up on the side. Boyd gave him a definably unfriendly look. Keeton handed her the bag. “Um, do you need help getting dressed?” He felt awkward watching her dress when he’d eaten her pussy out only a few days before. How crazy was that?” “I can do it. You don’t have to wait around on me.” Yep, he had hurt her feelings. Keeton drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had to make this right somehow. “I can help you stand up while you step into your jeans,” he tried. She ignored him and pulled out the clothes he’d chosen for her. She sighed and stood up, but was unsteady on her feet. Both he and Boyd grabbed her by the arm and held her still. “Are you sure you don’t want us to help you?” Boyd asked. “I can do it. I just haven’t been out of the bed that much for a couple days.” She untied her gown and turned her back to them to pull it off. Then she pulled on panties and put on a bra. She slipped her legs into

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

67

her jeans one foot at a time. After she pulled on her T-shirt, she turned back around and crossed her arms with a smile on her face. “You did it,” Boyd said. “You ready to go now?” “Yes, let’s go.” They stopped by the office down the hall and signed her out, and then Keeton swung her up in his arms and carried her to the transport. She fussed all the way, but he didn’t want her walking on her leg. The doctor had said for her to keep off it. Once inside the transport, he left Boyd to settle her in. Keeton pulled the transport up in front of the library and carried her inside. “I’m going to go get some things, and I’ll be right back.” Boyd left Keeton with Ashley in the library. “Where do you want to go? I’ll carry you there,” Keeton insisted. She sighed. “Okay. I want to go over to the gardening section.” Keeton carried her to that section, then pulled up a chair and sat her on it. “I’m going to go look at the buildings area to see how best to set up the fence. If you need to move, call me. I mean it.” He waggled a finger at her. Ashley made as if to bite it, but he pulled it back with a grin. He liked seeing her feisty and playful. He hoped he could keep his foot out of his mouth and keep her that way. A little while later, Ashley called out to him. “I need to move when you have time.” He carried the book he was looking at with him and picked her up with hers. “Where to?” “The sex section.” Keeton almost dropped her. “The what? Do they even have one of those?” “Yes, it’s right next to the animal husbandry section.” “How do you even know where anything is in here anyway?”

68

Marla Monroe

“They had a drawing of it in the shuttle library so we could find our way around in it.” “Well, you don’t need any sex books. We’ll teach you anything you need to know.” “Maybe I want to know what my options are,” she said, crossing her arms around the books. “There may be something in here not in my other book.” Keeton sighed and carried her to where she wanted to go. He pulled up a chair and sat with her on his lap. “Now show me what you’re looking for,” he said. Ashley frowned at him but lifted her chin and pulled out a book on ménage loving. She flipped through it then sat it on her pile to pull out another one on S&M relationships. “Whoa there. You definitely don’t need that. Where did you get the idea you wanted to explore S&M?” He was horrified that she would even consider it. “I thought that was what you were into. I want to know what I need to do.” “Well, that is not what you need to be studying.” “But you used to do it when you were on Earth. I overheard you talking to Boyd about your past relationships the other day.” Ashley’s lower lip began to tremble. “That was the past, Ashley. I’m not living that way anymore.” “But you won’t be happy, and I want you to be happy with me, Keeton.” “Aw, baby. I’m happy with you. I’m just really intense when it comes to sex. I don’t enjoy whipping people. I do like to spank, but we can work around that if you don’t like it.” “With your hand?” she asked with wide eyes. “Yes, with my hand.” He sighed. “Put away the other book, baby. You don’t need it.” He took the book from her and replaced it. “Keep the ménage book. You probably need to know about that sort of

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

69

relationship. I don’t know about Boyd, but I’m a lousy teacher when it comes to the everyday part of it,” Keeton said. “You’re more into the kinky side of it.” Ashley grinned up at him. It was an engaging smile. He couldn’t help but return it. He picked her up with her load of books and took her to the checkout desk. They took her general information and signed the books out to her. “When do we need to have them back?” he asked the clerk. “Oh, a few months,” she said. “Great.” They left the library and ran into Boyd coming in. He didn’t have anything in his arms, so Keeton figured he had already stowed his purchases in the transport. They loaded up with Ashley between them. She pulled out one of her books to read, and Keeton cringed. It was the ménage one. Boyd looked amused more than anything else. Well, he could address her questions. He could show her all the different positions, and would over time, but he wasn’t one to dissect the relationship between the three of them. Boyd would have to talk theory with her. They arrived back at the ranch house a little after four. He opened the door while Boyd carried Ashley inside. Then he went back for the books and Boyd’s purchases. One sack Boyd almost snatched from him. The other he had Keeton present to Ashley on the couch. “What is it?” “Open it and see,” Boyd told her. She pulled open the wrapping then oohed and aahed over the sketchbook and colored pencils he’d gotten for her. “Thanks, Boyd! I can’t wait to use them.” She hugged him. “Keeton, leave the books here on the table for me. I’ll be spending some time on the couch according to the doctor. I’ll read while I’m laid up.” Ashley seemed content. When the men both started out of the room, she panicked. “You’re both leaving? Where will you be?”

70

Marla Monroe

“I’ve got to take the transport back next door,” Keeton told her. “I was going to fix us something to eat,” Boyd told her. “Can I sit in the kitchen with you then?” she asked. Boyd and Keeton exchanged looks and then shrugs. Keeton picked her up with a book in her hand and carried her to the kitchen and settled her in a chair. Then he kissed the top of her head and headed for the transport. He needed out for a few minutes. She was edgy and it was affecting him. He needed to be at the top of his game around her right now. She was obviously needy and still scared. When he dropped the transport off and was picking up his horse, Danny and Andrew walked out to find out how Ashley was doing.” “She’s doing well. She’s nervous about being home, though. I’m sure she’s scared of that thing coming back, or more like it.” “We’ve been watching for them around here but haven’t seen any.” “I’ve been thinking about it. They were in the dark in the cellar. Maybe they hunt at night and that one just got hungry and wasn’t going to wait around for dark,” Keeton suggested. “I guess that is a possibility. I hadn’t thought about that,” Danny said. “Maybe we need to go out at night again a few nights with flashlights and see what we come up with.” “I’ll come with you when you get ready.” “You need to stick with your woman until she’s well. You haven’t even had time to have a honeymoon period.” “Yeah, but calving season is starting up and you’re going to need the help riding the fences. Let me know when you’re going out and I’ll go with you.” “Sure,” Danny said, with an odd expression on his face. “Um, are you not getting along with her?” “We’re doing fine. I need to get back over there now. I’ll talk to you later.” Keeton saddled his horse and swung up in the saddle to head home.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

71

He tipped his hat at Danny and took off at a trot, stopping only to open and close the gate. He needed to get back to Ashley and make sure she was okay. He didn’t like her being afraid inside her home. She should feel safe there if nowhere else. Keeton hurried home and took care of the horse before walking back inside the house through the back door. He found Ashley reading at the table and Boyd cooking chili on the stove. “It will be ready in another thirty minutes. It needs to simmer some.” Boyd stirred the concoction in the pot that Keeton hoped would be edible. “Don’t worry, I followed Ashley’s instructions. It should be just fine.” Boyd gave Keeton a pained look. “Hey, don’t give me that look. Who nearly burned down the bunkhouse, not once, but twice?” Keeton asked. “Now, boys, don’t fight.” Ashley was grinning. Keeton glanced at what book she was reading and was relieved that she was reading a gardening book. He wasn’t sure he was up to her discussing sex and ménage over dinner. Vegetables were fine with him. He could handle the gardening books just fine. “Are we going to have sex tonight?” Ashley asked out of the blue. Keeton nearly passed out. Boyd chuckled and shook his head at Keeton’s expression.

72

Marla Monroe

Chapter Eight Ashley wasn’t sure why the men were acting like what she asked was so weird. It was a valid question. They’d been together, more or less, for nearly a week now, and hadn’t had sex. Oh, she’d had oral sex, and it had been absolutely wonderful, but it wasn’t true sex. She was still a virgin, for goodness’ sake, a married virgin at that. “Um, Ashley, we’ll talk about that after dinner tonight,” Boyd told her. Keeton had vacated the premises, saying he needed to wash up after dealing with the horses. He was avoiding the subject, is what he was doing. Ashley vowed she would have her answers right after dinner even if she had to pounce on them. Hmm, pouncing wasn’t all that bad of an idea. After dinner, the men did the dishes, though she assured them she could stand on one leg and wash while they dried and put up. Since they insisted on doing it, she relaxed and let them. As soon as they all went to the living room, she brought up the subject again. “Ashley, baby. I don’t want to hurt your leg. The doctor said we had to be careful of it for a few days while it heals.” Boyd tried to reason with her. “The doctor told me that I could have sex as long as I didn’t use my leg. I don’t think there are that many positions where I have to use my leg.” She crossed her arms and directed her attention at Keeton. Keeton seemed to wilt under her stare. “Why won’t you have sex with me, Keeton?”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

73

“Because you’re a virgin and I don’t do virgins. Boyd has to take your virginity first.” “Then let me give you a blow job,” Ashley suggested with an innocent expression on her face. Keeton nearly exploded. “That’s it. No more books for you.” “We seem to have a dilemma here. I want sex and you won’t give it to me. Should I ask for someone who will?” Both men gave an emphatic “No!” Boyd sighed. “Baby, we’re worried about you. God knows we want you something fierce, but you’re hurt. Let’s wait until you’re well so we can take our time and make it special for you.” “I don’t want to wait. I’m fine,” Ashley said. “Fine,” Keeton said. “Boyd, you take care of her. Just be careful of her leg.” “What if I can’t do it?” Boyd asked. “I mean you’re asking me to perform on demand here.” “I have faith in you. You can do it.” “If her leg looks okay, I’ll do it.” Boyd finally gave in. Neither man had noticed that Ashley was crying until they looked up. “What is it?” Boyd asked, kneeling in front of her. “Just never mind. I don’t want you making love to me if you feel like you just have to do it. I’m not a charity case.” “Aw, baby. It’s not like that. We’re just worried about you. We think you’re going too fast.” “I don’t feel a part of you. I want to feel part of a family, and right now, I don’t feel a part of anything.” “Hell, Ashley. You’re a big part of this family. Without you, there is no family. You bind us together.” “But sex is the glue that binds, and we haven’t had sex,” she insisted. “Let’s see how your leg is and after your bath, how you’re feeling. Then we’ll go from there, okay?” Boyd seemed to be trying hard.

74

Marla Monroe

“I’m ready for my bath now.” She sniffed and waited for one of them to carry her upstairs. Keeton picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He stood her up on one leg and began to undress her. She didn’t protest or help, and he knew she was truly upset. He soon had her clothes off of her, and carried her to the bathroom, where he sat her on the closed toilet lid while he prepared her bathwater. Once he had it like he wanted it, he picked her up and sat her in the tub, making sure her wounded leg stayed out of the water. He fixed a towel to lay it on the edge of the tub so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable on the hard porcelain. “Do you need help bathing?” he asked. “No, I can manage. Are you going to bathe my leg? He said to bathe it with soap and water, but make sure to dry it really well.” “Yeah, I’ll do that, but I want to wait until you’re out of the tub for that. I don’t want to contaminate your bathwater.” Ashley nodded. “I hadn’t thought about that. Okay.” She began to bathe. “I’ll be outside in the bedroom if you need me. Just call out.” Keeton stood up and retreated to the safety of the bedroom. **** Even sick and hurt, he wanted her with a vengeance. Her sexy body turned him on and she had almost been begging for sex earlier. The man in him wanted to comply, but the realist in him knew he wasn’t the one to introduce her to sex when it would hurt her the first time. Right then, he wanted to suck her pretty nipples and nip at them until she moaned. His cock was rock hard and in desperate need of release. There was no way he would keep from taking her in the state he was in. He needed some relief before bed. Some thirty minutes later, Ashley called out she was ready. Keeton walked into the bathroom and carefully lifted her out of the

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

75

tub to stand her on one foot while he dried her off. Then he sat her up on the counter with her leg over the sink and grabbed a new cloth to clean it. He pulled off the dressing and winced. It hadn’t drained, thank goodness, but it looked sore as hell. “Go ahead. I know it’s going to hurt some. I can handle it.” “I wish you didn’t have to, baby.” He swallowed and turned the water on and adjusted it to warm. He soaped up the wet cloth and gently scrubbed the area until it was a rosy red. Then he rinsed it with the running water until it glistened. He turned off the water and grabbed a fresh towel to pat it dry. Once he felt like he’d dried it well enough, he picked her up to take her to bed. “We’ll let it air-dry for a while, then put the dressing back on. How about that?” he asked. “That’s good.” “I’m going to clean up the mess. I’ll be in the bathroom if you need me.” Keeton retreated to clean up the bathroom. He rolled all the towels up to wash. “I’m going downstairs to wash these. We’ll put the dressing back on when I come back up.” “Would you bring a book back when you come?” she asked. “Sure, baby.” He escaped downstairs with his load and found Boyd sitting in the living room staring at the empty fireplace. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nothing. Just thinking. How does her leg look?” he asked. “Looks okay. It’s not draining. I bathed it and dried it off. It’s airdrying now. Why don’t you take a book up to her, and you can put on the dressing. I’m going to wash these towels.” “I’m not doing it without you there, Keeton.” “I know. I’ll be back up in a few minutes. At least get her started.”

76

Marla Monroe

Boyd nodded and picked up one of the gardening books to take to her. He disappeared up the stairs and Keeton heard the bedroom door open and shut again. He sighed and headed for the washroom. **** Ashley fought to control her tears. She felt so alone right then. She needed another woman to talk to. The men were a lost cause. They didn’t understand her need to feel wanted. Not just as a friend, but as a woman. With her leg like it was, she felt decidedly unwanted. Boyd walked in with a book for her. He smiled and handed it to her. “Keeton said you asked for one. Can I look at your leg?” “Sure.” She lifted off the cover. “It looks much better than it did yesterday. Let’s put the dressing on it now.” He pulled out the bag the nurse had provided and covered the wound with a nonstick pad and taped it down. “Is that too tight?” he asked, looking concerned. “No, it’s fine. Thanks. I’ll be glad when I don’t have to wear it anymore, though. It’s itchy.” “I’m sure it is. It won’t be long, though, the way it’s healing.” Boyd bent down and kissed her. She savored the kiss because he didn’t pull away. Instead, he licked her lips then sucked on her lower lip. She opened her mouth for him and he plunged his tongue inside, sparring with hers. When he tickled the roof of her mouth, she retaliated by nipping at his tongue. Boyd pumped it in and out of her mouth. He cupped her face with his hands. One hand left her face and began to play with her nipples. She shivered and he ended the kiss to suck on her other nipple. He licked and sucked, then nipped at it until she was moaning. Then he pinched her other nipple. When he let go, she whimpered as if wanting more.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

77

Boyd moved down her body, licking here and nipping there until she was wiggling under the assault. He was extra careful not to bump her leg. When he reached her pelvis, he sucked and nipped at her hip joints, making sure to leave a mark. Then he reached her pussy and licked a long line up her slit. She moaned and tilted her pelvis for more. Ashley was on top of the world. She hoped she never came down from the feeling of Boyd loving on her. He circled her clit then sucked in her pussy lips before entering her with two fingers. He pumped them shallowly inside of her weeping cunt. He pulled them out and replaced them with his stiffened tongue. She hummed her approval. Then Keeton was there stimulating her nipples with his mouth and fingers. The dual assault was almost more than she could take. Never had she felt such intense pressure inside of her cunt. She tried pumping her hips to get more penetration, but Boyd backed off. “She’s ready, Keeton. She’s on the verge.” “Please, fill me up. I can’t stand this empty feeling. I need something,” Ashley pleaded. Her pussy needed something to fill it. She wanted a cock, but at that moment she would have accepted anything. Boyd rose over her and picked up her injured leg over his arm. He lined up his rock-hard cock with her slit and plunged inside. He filled her part of the way, but not all the way. The stretching sensation burned, but not enough to want to stop. If anything, it increased her need for more. She felt it when he pulled out and entered her again. He reached her hymen and stopped. She wiggled her hips in annoyance. “Why did you stop?” “Just a minute, baby. I want you relaxed. Hold on. Keeton?” Keeton reached between them and began stimulating her clit until she was wild with need. He nipped at her nipple then pinched her clit

78

Marla Monroe

and she screamed as she came. Then Boyd plunged through her maidenhead and the pain was swallowed up with the pleasure. Once he reached the end of her, he stopped to let her adjust to his size. She could tell by the way he gritted his teeth that holding still was killing him. The need to move began eating at her as well. She wiggled her pelvis. “Move, Boyd. I need you to move.” Boyd let out a shaky breath and began pulling out and pushing in slowly at first, then faster as she pushed up to meet him. He tilted his hips and brushed over something inside of her that amped up her excitement. Keeton continued to stimulate her breasts with his mouth and fingers. He sucked in a nipple and tickled it with his tongue before sucking as much of her breast into his mouth as was possible. Then he would back off and nip at her nipples with his teeth. The dual sensations were overwhelming. She wasn’t sure that she could climax again, but she was still flying from the previous one. “Fuck, you’re tight, baby. Your cunt is squeezing my cock so tightly I’m having trouble fucking you. I’m scared I’m going to hurt you.” “More, Boyd. I need more.” She could feel something just out of her reach. She wanted it. “Easy, baby. Just relax and let it take you.” Boyd sped up, grinding his groin against her clit with every push. Ashley felt Boyd’s balls hitting against her ass with every thrust of his hard cock. She wanted to touch them, roll them in her hand. She held on to the sheets as his thrusting was moving her up the bed. A slow burn began to build in her pussy. It spread into her abdomen and up her spine. Her nipples became ultrasensitive to Keeton’s ministrations. She felt that if something didn’t happen soon, she would fly apart into a million pieces. Her clit began to throb and she desperately wanted to touch it.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

79

“Fuck, baby. I’m not going to be able to hold on. I want you to come again.” Keeton grabbed her hand and slid it between her and Boyd’s body. “Play with your clit, Ashley. Make yourself come for us.” “I don’t know what to do,” she cried out in frustration. “Just touch it over and over again. Come on, feel how I do it.” Keeton pressed her finger against her clit over and over. The burning became a flame that the more she pressed on her clit, the hotter the flames flared. Keeton let go of her hand and returned to manipulating her nipples with his fingers and mouth. Ashley whimpered as she pressed harder and harder over and over again. Suddenly, the fire exploded, and she screamed as her climax thrust her into a maelstrom of feeling. Ashley lost her breath and forgot how to breathe in order to catch it. She felt Boyd’s cum shoot inside of her, and she flew again. This time, she didn’t have enough air left to continue, and passed out smiling. **** “Ah, hell, Keeton. She passed out,” Boyd said in between panting. He carefully pulled out and winced at the blood. It really wasn’t all that much, but he hated that he had hurt her at all. “She came twice. What do you expect from someone who’s probably never had a real climax before?” Keeton grinned then ran a hand over Ashley’s hair. “I’m going to go clean up and run her a bath. It should help take some of the soreness from her. We just have to watch her leg.” Boyd got up and padded to the bathroom. After cleaning up, he turned on the bathwater and added some of her bath salts. Then he went back to get her. She was awake and arguing with Keeton.

80

Marla Monroe

“Hey? What’s going on?” he asked. “Why won’t Keeton have sex with me now? I’m not a virgin anymore.” “It’s too soon, baby,” Boyd told her. “Women have sex with more than one man all the time, one right after another,” she argued. “Yeah, where did you hear that?” Keeton asked with a frown. “I read it in the books. It’s not unusual for a woman to have three or four partners.” “No more fucking books for you,” Keeton fussed. “Come on. You can have sex again later. Right now, you’re getting a bath to help with the soreness.” Boyd picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. “Why do you think I’ll be sore?” she demanded. “Tell me your belly wasn’t a little tender from the other day. Now remember how hard I was pumping in you a little while ago. Add that to the fact that you were a virgin, and you have lots of reasons to be sore.” He got in and lowered them both into the water, making sure to keep her left leg up on the rim of the tub. “Hey, Keeton!” he called out. “Yeah?” Keeton walked in without his shirt. “Get a towel and put it under her leg so it won’t hurt.” Keeton settled Ashley’s leg on a fluffy towel then continued to remove his clothes. “I’m going to take a shower while you’re soaking,” Keeton told them. “Come here,” Ashley said. He walked over toward the tub. “What is it?” “I want to touch you. Can I touch you?” She looked up with wide eyes at Keeton. Boyd smiled. She was a curious little thing. He waited to see how Keeton would react.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

81

“Um, yeah. I guess so.” He moved closer to the tub, where she could reach him. Ashley reached out a wet hand and ran her hand over the top of his cock, almost as if she were petting him. It jerked at her touch and she jumped back. “Whoa, baby. Don’t be jumping in my lap. You’ll hurt me.” Boyd winced “Can I hold it?” she asked, looking up at Keeton. “Yeah, give me your hand and I’ll show you how.” He held out his hand for hers. She gave him her hand and he wrapped it tightly around his dick. Boyd watched her expression from the side. She had a smile on her face that looked like she was pleased with herself. “There you go. Now squeeze a little tighter several times.” He threw back his head and growled when she did. Ashley gasped when a drop of pre-cum formed at the end of his cock. She started to let go, but Keeton was faster and held her hand there. “It’s okay, Ashley. It’s his cum. You made him horny squeezing on him like that,” Boyd told her. Keeton walked closer to the tub. “Lick it, baby.” She looked back at Boyd as if wanting him to say it was okay. Boyd refused to get in the middle of it. This was Keeton’s show. “Taste me, Ashley. I want to feel your tongue on my cock.” He held his cock close to her face. She leaned forward and stuck out her tongue and took a delicate lick across the slit on his dick. Keeton hissed out a breath at the touch of her tongue. She swallowed and cocked her head to one side. “It tastes salty.” “Take it in your mouth and suck on it, Ashley,” Keeton said in a deep voice. “You want me to give you a blow job?” she asked innocently. “Not this time, maybe another time. Right now, I just want you to suck me and get the feel of my cock,” Keeton said in a strained voice.

82

Marla Monroe

Ashley leaned forward and took his cock in her mouth. She sucked on it, then pulled back and licked it from the tip to the root and back up again. Then she looked up at him and swallowed him down as far as she could go until she gagged and backed off. “That’s enough, baby.” He was panting now. “I’ll take care of myself this time.” “Huh?” “He’s going to go jack off in the shower, baby. You got him all hot and bothered, so he needs some relief.” Boyd was finding the entire conversation amusing. He could see that Keeton wasn’t now. “Can I watch?” she asked. Keeton looked at her with a pained expression on his face. “Ashley, I’d love for you to watch and even help, but another time. You can’t get your leg wet, and I’m not in any condition to be patient.” Keeton walked on by with his cock sticking out like a sore thumb. Boyd heard the shower kick on. “How are you feeling, baby?” Boyd asked after a few minutes. “I feel okay. I’m stinging a little bit, though.” “Sorry. That will go away. You ready to get out now?” “Yeah. I’m going to turn into a prune. This is the second bath I’ve had today.” “Just makes you softer. I’ll rub some lotion on you after we get you dry.” Boyd shifted so that she slid off his lap. “I’ll get up and then help you out. Keep your leg up on the edge of the tub for me.” Boyd got up to get out of the tub, but before he did, Ashley bent forward and licked his wet cock. He groaned and stepped out, reaching for a towel at the same time. “Don’t tease me like that, baby. You can’t handle more loving right now.” He swiftly dried off then grabbed another towel for her. “Come on. Let’s get you out of there and back in bed before you get into trouble.” She gave him an innocent stare that had him shaking his head. She really was going to be the death of them.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

83

Chapter Nine Ashley woke the next morning to an empty bed. Neither of the men seemed to be around, and she needed to get to the bathroom in a bad way. She scooted to the edge of the bed and sat up. She felt fine. Her leg felt fine. She didn’t see any reason she couldn’t walk to the bathroom on her own. She stood up and took a tentative step, then another. Nothing hurt, really, so she walked to the bathroom. When she opened the bathroom door, Keeton stood just outside with his hands on his hips and a stern expression. “You aren’t supposed to be walking on that leg yet.” “I had to go to the bathroom and neither of you were around to help me.” She pouted. “Pouting won’t help you with me. You can save it for Boyd.” He picked her up and carried her back to bed. “I want to get dressed and go downstairs,” she complained. “I ought to make you stay in bed all morning for pulling that stunt,” he said with a frown. “Please. I’m bored up here alone.” “Boyd and I are going to work on putting up the fence today. You’re going to be inside alone anyway. We’ll check on you periodically. Are you going to be okay?” he asked, his face softening some. “I’ll be fine on the couch. You plugged up the hole, right?” she asked. “Yes. I double-checked all around the cellar, too,” he assured her. “Then I’ll be fine by myself. I can read and draw.” “Okay, hold on and let me get you something to put on.”

84

Marla Monroe

Keeton dug through the drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. When he brought them over, she frowned. “What?” “Where’s my underwear?” “You don’t need any to just sit on the couch.” Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes at him. “Just because you don’t wear any doesn’t mean the rest of us feel okay without them.” He gave her an evil grin. “Do without it today, for me.” She narrowed her eyes at him and bit her lower lip. “Okay. What’s in it for me?” “Maybe I’ll let you play with my cock tonight,” he said, lifting his eyebrows. “Really. Like I couldn’t reach over and grab it in the middle of the night.” “You do that and you might find yourself on the wrong end of a spanking, baby.” “Promises, promises,” she purred. “I swear. I’m taking that fucking book away from you.” Keeton jerked the T-shirt over her head, but was easier on pulling her jeans over her leg. “Is that too tight on your leg?” “No, it’s fine.” She held her arms up for him to pick her up. “You’re getting entirely too comfortable being carried around. Don’t think I’m going to carry your highness around from now on.” He carried her downstairs and sat her on the couch. “Where’s Boyd?” she asked. “Fixing breakfast. I’ll bring you some in a little bit. We’ve already eaten and been out looking at the fencing.” “Thanks, Keeton. Can I have my books and my drawing pad? Please?” she asked. He rubbed the top of her head and walked into the kitchen to retrieve her things. When he returned, he also had a glass of reconstituted milk. He sat the books on the edge of the couch and the glass on a coaster on the end table.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

85

Ashley thumbed through the books and frowned. “Where’s my sex book?” “I decided that it’s too mature for you,” he said with a grin. “Boyd! Bring me my sex book, please.” She grinned at him. Boyd called back. “Be there in a minute.” When he showed up, he had her book and a plate full of scrambled eggs and toast. He sat the book on the couch and she immediately grabbed it before Keeton could. She stuffed it behind her back and then took her plate of food. “Thanks, Boyd.” Boyd grinned and winked at her before kissing her on the head. “I’ve turned the stove off. We’ll be back in to check on you every hour.” “I’ll be fine.” They each kissed her then left her on the couch while they went out to work on building the fence around the yard and garden. Ashley spent her time reading up on gardening and making notes of what she needed to do as soon as she could get up and move around again. Then she reviewed her notes in the ménage book. She was still trying to get her head around the anal sex aspect of a ménage experience. It wasn’t that she was scared, really, just uncomfortable with the idea. The book made it sound like it was no big deal. When Keeton had talked about it, she’d gotten turned on. Reading about it sounded so clinical. Then reading about oral sex had sounded the same way, when the experience she’d had last night had been anything but clinical. It had been very personal, and she hadn’t even really done anything yet. At some point when she had been reading about oral sex, Boyd came in to check on her. She had waved him off. She was fine. He took one look at the book and grinned at her. Then he left her alone again. She knew her face had turned all shades of red by the heat in her cheeks.

86

Marla Monroe

When she read about the different types and positions in the book, she realized she was wet between her legs. God, if anyone saw her, they would think she’d wet her pants. She wondered how long it had been since Boyd had come in. Did she have time to run upstairs and change before one of them came back? She had just about made up her mind to try when Keeton walked in. “How are you doing?” he asked. “I’m fine. Doing great. I’m reading up on the garden.” She picked up a book and waved it. “So you haven’t been reading any more of the sex book?” he asked as he squatted beside the couch. “Um, no.” She lied in a high-pitched voice. “Then why are you wet, Ashley? Thinking about me and what I want to do to you?” He pulled the book off her lap and scraped his nails over her crotch where it was wet. The sensation of his nails there went straight to her clit. She moaned. “Fuck. You’re all hot and bothered, aren’t you?” “Oh, God. I need.” She didn’t know what she needed right then, but more of that scratching was a good start. She reached to grab his hand and pull it back down to her pussy. Keeton let her do it. She held it there and closed her legs around his fist. He pushed it into her and let her rub herself on him. She groaned and squeezed, but it wasn’t enough. “Fuck, pull off these jeans.” He helped her pull them off one leg. “See why not wearing underwear is a good thing?” He chuckled when she frowned. He unfastened his jeans and his cock sprang out hard and heavy. He lowered them to his knees and lifted her right leg over his arm so that he could kneel with one leg on the couch. He pulled her down toward him and centered his cock at her wet pussy. He pushed forward and groaned when he only made it a little way inside of her.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

87

“You’re soaking wet, and still you’re so fucking tight I can’t get inside you.” He pulled out and pushed forward again, gaining a little ground. Ashley shook her head from side to side. She needed him inside of her, and he was going too slowly. She tried to help him by lifting her hips to meet his forward thrust. He went deeper this time and she moaned. Finally, she felt some fullness. The sting from him stretching her wasn’t as bad as the first time. When he pulled out and thrust again, she nearly screamed as he hit her cervix. He stopped and leaned forward to kiss her. He dropped his head to hers. “Are you okay? Am I hurting you?” “I’m okay. It burns, but if you move, it doesn’t anymore.” “Then I’ll move.” He pulled out and pushed back in. “Yes, like that.” She lifted her pelvis in time to his thrusts and the extra effort soon had her burning inside. The burn grew and soon involved her clit and nipples. Keeton tunneled inside of her over and over, grunting as he bumped her cervix with each thrust. She could feel her release just out of reach. She reached down and pressed on her clit over and over like Keeton had showed her and caught her breath in her throat when she suddenly flew apart. She held her finger to her clit while she shivered from head to toe through her orgasm. When she squeezed her cunt muscles around Keeton, he exploded inside her. She felt the warm splash of his cum inside her pussy. He held still deep within her for several long seconds. Then he slowly pulled out. “Dammit, Keeton. She’s probably sore and you’ve just fucked the hell out of her.” Boyd walked in with a furious expression. He ran a hand through his hair. “I knew you were taking too long to just check on her.” “Boyd, I’m fine. I asked for it. I was reading my book and got, um, horny, and needed something. Don’t be mad at Keeton.”

88

Marla Monroe

Keeton had pulled his jeans up and zipped up. “Don’t try and explain anything, Ashley. This is between Boyd and me.” “I won’t have you fighting over me!” she yelled. “Boyd, I asked him to fuck me. Get over it.” “Baby, it isn’t that he shouldn’t have fucked you, but he shouldn’t have been so rough with you. You’re not used to that yet.” “He wasn’t rough with me. It felt good. I climaxed, didn’t I?” She sighed. “Don’t you two dare fight about this, or neither one of you will fuck me for a month.” “Dammit, Boyd. You’ve made her mad.” He helped her pull up her jeans and fasten them. “Fine. I’m going back outside to work on the fucking fence.” He threw up his hands and walked off. “He’s just jealous because he wanted you, but was too much of a gentleman to push you,” Keeton told her. “In case you didn’t know. I’m not a gentleman.” He grinned at her and left the room. She heard them talking as they walked outside and closed the kitchen door behind them. She prayed they didn’t fight about it now that they were out of her presence. It would hurt her to know she was the cause of them fighting. She couldn’t help but compare their style. Boyd was careful and easy with her, where Keeton took what he wanted even though he made sure she climaxed, too. He was rougher around the edges and exciting to her. She could never choose between them now that she had gotten to know them. Thank God she didn’t have to.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

89

Chapter Ten After lunch, Ashley ended up taking a nap on the couch. She was awakened by a knock on the kitchen door. Where were the men? If she got up and answered the door, Keeton would probably make good on his promise and spank her. Not that they scared her. Then the door opened and a female voice called out. “Hello? Ashley? It’s Rachel from across the field. Your men said I could come in.” “Come on in the living room. I’m on the couch.” Ashley tried to straighten up her clothes and quickly hid the sex book behind her back once again. The other woman walked into the living room. She introduced herself and asked if Ashley needed anything to drink or eat while she was there. “No, thanks. I’m fine right now. Have a seat. Surely you didn’t come over here by yourself with those creatures out there.” Ashley shivered at the thought of them. “No, Danny and Andrew are with me. They came over to help with the fence since they have ours finished now.” “That’s really nice of them.” “How is your leg?” Rachel asked. “It’s much better than it was. I wish they would let me walk around some. It’s hard to stay on the couch all day.” “I’m sure it is. I had to stay in the bed for a few days and it was hell on me. I had things I needed to be doing,” Rachel agreed. “Yeah, the garden needs to be planted. I hope the men will let me up tomorrow.”

90

Marla Monroe

“You’re okay with your garden. I just planted mine yesterday. Don’t worry about it yet.” Rachel patted her hand. “How did you meet your men?” Ashley asked. “Believe it or not, I met them at a dance, but they kidnapped me and brought me to their ranch.” “Were you upset?” “A little at first, but I had already decided that they were the men for me, so mostly I was aggravated that they took my choice from me,” Rachel said. “Are you happy with them now?” “Very happy. They treat me like a queen.” “Um, can I ask you a personal question? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, ’cause it’s really none of my business.” “Sure, just ask.” Rachel smiled as if she knew what Ashley was going to ask. “Well, do you and your, ah, husbands have sex at the same time?” Ashley asked. “Do you mean anal sex and regular sex?” Ashley felt the heat climb up her face. She couldn’t believe she had asked that question when she didn’t even know the woman. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She ducked her head. “I don’t mind answering. Yes, we do. It’s the most wonderful experience you can ever have. It is intimate and makes the three of you feel like one person.” Rachel winked at Ashley. “You’ll have the best damn orgasms you’ve ever had, too.” “I want to try it, but I’m a little uncomfortable about it,” Ashley admitted. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. If they prepare you right, it barely hurts at first. Then it gets really intense, and you won’t believe how good it feels after that.” “Thanks for talking to me about it. I’m going to think about it.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

91

They talked about gardening and canning for several minutes before the men all came inside. Danny put his hands on Rachel’s shoulders. “You ready to go, baby? I’m sure Ashley needs to rest some, and it’s close to dinnertime now.” “Okay.” She turned to Ashley. “I hope you’re on your feet soon and come visit me. We’ll be great friends, I’m sure.” “Thanks for visiting with me. I was getting a little lonely for some female company,” Ashley said. Boyd saw them out and locked the door behind them. Keeton bent down and kissed her, sucking her tongue inside his mouth for a thorough kiss before standing up again. “I bet you’re hungry. Anything especially appetizing to you?” he asked. “Nope, anything you fix will be fine with me.” “Okay, I’ll whip something up and bring it to you.” He walked back into the kitchen, leaving Boyd in the living room with her. Boyd picked up the books and sat them on the end table before picking her up and settling her in his lap. He kissed her cheek and pulled her back to lean against him. “You okay, baby?” he asked after a few seconds. “I’m fine other than wanting off this stupid couch.” “Be honest with me, honey. Did Keeton hurt you? I don’t want to keep you sore.” “Boyd, I would have made love with you if you had asked, or even acted like you wanted to. I’m not hurting at all.” “Okay. It’s just that Keeton is a little rough. It’s just how he is.” Boyd wrapped his arms around her tighter. “I like it a little rough evidently, ’cause I loved it,” she admitted. “How much of that book have you read, Ashley?” he asked. “Almost all of it. Why?” she asked. “Just wondering.”

92

Marla Monroe

Ashley figured he was thinking about anal sex. Maybe they would start to prepare her tonight. She shivered in anticipation. “Cold, baby?” “Just a little,” she lied. He wrapped her tighter and kept her against him. “Okay, you two. Dinner is ready. Boyd, bring her to the table. I think she can sit up for dinner tonight.” Keeton’s voice sounded strained. Ashley worried that he might have overheard their conversation. Boyd picked her up and carried her to the table for dinner. They all sat down and ate. After dinner, Keeton did the dishes and Boyd carried her upstairs to have a bath. “Let’s take the bandage off and see how it looks tonight. If it is clean looking, we’ll leave it off to get some air. Still no getting it wet. He said several days.” Boyd removed the bandage and nodded. “Looks good. I think we can leave it off.” He ran the bath and then settled her in it with her leg on a towel on the edge of the tub. “There, are you comfortable?” he asked. “I’m fine. I’ll bathe, then call you when I’m ready to get out.” “Okay, I’m going to take a shower. Keeton should be up before long to shower as well.” Boyd bent down and kissed her, and then began undressing. Ashley watched him. She admired his body and enjoyed looking at it. He was built like a Greek god. When he bent over to finish taking his jeans off, she wished she was closer so she could pinch his ass. As if knowing what she was thinking, he quickly turned around and watched her with raised eyebrows. “Were you looking at my ass?” “Maybe.” She grinned mischievously. “You’re insatiable.” He walked back and thoroughly kissed her before heading for the shower.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

93

When he was finished, he checked with her to see if she was ready. “I’m still soaking. I’ll be ready to get out in a little while.” “Just call out and one of us will come get you,” Boyd told her. She leaned back against the back of the tub to wait on Keeton to show up. When he did, he seemed unusually quiet. He smiled at her and pulled out a towel to dry her with. “You ready to get out now?” he asked. “I probably should. I’ve been in here long enough now that my skin is wrinkling. I’ll look like an old woman.” “Naw, you look like you with wrinkly skin.” Keeton helped her out of the tub then began drying her off. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Boyd threw back the covers so that Keeton could settle her in next to him. “I’m going to shower now. I’ll be back in a few.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Go to sleep, baby. You’ve had a busy day.” “Hurry back, Keeton. I don’t want to go to sleep yet.” She yawned, then frowned when both men laughed at her. She was determined to stay awake until Keeton returned from showering, but try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes open past Boyd’s searing good-night kiss. “If I didn’t know how tired you have to be, I would be insulted at your lack of response to my kiss, baby.” She yawned again and cursed. “I haven’t done anything but lie around. I shouldn’t be this tired.” “Go to sleep, Ashley. Tomorrow is another day.” Ashley closed her eyes for just a second and it lasted the rest of the night. **** “It’s been a freaking week! I can walk by myself now. My leg is healed up and I can get it wet. I need to be out planting the garden.

94

Marla Monroe

Come on, Boyd. You know I’m right.” Ashley glared up at the two men. Ashley felt ridiculous sitting on the couch with her hands on her hips. It was nearly impossible to make a point sitting down while two six-foot-plus men stood towering over you. “She has a point, Keeton. The doc did say she could get back to her normal duties after a few days. It’s been seven.” Boyd winced at Keeton’s angry expression. “Hell, all right. We have the fence up around most of the area. Give her a gun and make sure she can use it. We only have one more day of working on the fence before we have to start working on the ranch anyway. She’ll be alone while we’re out on the ranch.” Keeton wasn’t happy at all. Ashley bit back a smile. She didn’t want to push her luck with Keeton. He hadn’t been in a good mood for several days. Neither had he fucked her. She’d stopped asking. Something was wrong and she needed to figure out what it was. “Is there a book?” she asked. “A book for what?” Keeton asked, frowning. “On how to shoot a gun?” “Aw, fuck. Boyd!” “I’ll teach her, Keeton. You go on and get to work on the fence. I’ll be out there in thirty minutes or so.” Boyd held out his hand for Ashley to take, and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get you some work clothes on.” Ashley waited only long enough for Keeton to walk out the back door before she threw her arms around Boyd and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Thank you so much, Boyd.” “Just do us both a favor and don’t get hurt. Keeton will have my ass if you do.” “Why is he treating me so different, Boyd? What did you say to him?”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

95

“Nothing, Ashley. He’s just moody sometimes. He’ll be okay in a few days.” He followed her upstairs to change into work clothes. Once she was dressed, they walked outside and he set up a few cans for targets and went over the basics of gun safety with her. “Remember, this is the safety. Leave it on at all times unless you are ready to shoot something.” Boyd had her demonstrate how to load and unload the gun, then how to use the safety. By the time they got around to actually shooting, Ashley was comfortable with the gun. She followed Boyd’s directions and managed to hit the post the cans were on, just not the cans. They practiced for a few more minutes, and then Boyd pronounced her gun safe. “Keep it with you everywhere you go outside. If you need help for any reason, fire the gun up in the air and one or both of us will come running, okay?” “Okay. I’ve got it. Go on and help Keeton. I have some planting to do today.” Ashley could hardly wait to get out with the seeds and garden tools. She hesitated at the cellar, but took the gun with her and listened when she opened the trap door. There were no sounds of scurrying feet, so she climbed down the ladder and flipped on the light. The room looked empty. She hurried over to the storage bins with the seeds and pulled out her list of what she planned to plant that day. By the time she had everything that she needed in order in front of the tilled dirt, she was about worn out. She hadn’t done anything in over a week to have much strength. She took a quick break to drink some tea and go over her garden plans once again. Once she had rested, Ashley started making holes, adding seeds, and covering them up. She managed two rows before she had to stop and take a break again. She was still planting when Boyd and Keeton walked up late in the afternoon. She looked up and smiled at them.

96

Marla Monroe

“I’m almost finished! Woo-hoo!” She laughed and threw herself into Keeton’s arms. He barely caught her. “Watch out, I nearly dropped you,” he said with a frown. “You would never drop me, Keeton.” She gave him a fierce kiss, then jumped down and went back to planting. “How long before you’re ready to come inside?” Boyd asked. She looked at her plans and shrugged. “Maybe another thirty minutes. I’ll fix dinner as soon as I finish this row.” “Boyd, you stay out here with her. I’ll fix sandwiches for us. She’s tired. She isn’t going to feel like cooking tonight.” Keeton walked off, leaving her staring after him. “Don’t mind him, baby. He’s just tired, too. We finally got the fence finished around the entire house and garden.” “That’s great. Nothing should be able to come in now, right?” “Right, but you always keep that gun with you no matter what.” Boyd shook his finger at her. “I will. That thing that slobbered on me is like a rat, and they dig. Something can dig under the fence. I’ll be ready from now on.” She wrapped her arms around him, then went back to work. Forty-five minutes later, they both walked into the house and headed for the washroom to clean up. Keeton was nowhere to be seen. “Do you think he went up for a shower?” Ashley asked. “Probably. The sandwiches are ready. Let’s eat.” Boyd sat down at the table. “I’m going to go see if he’s in the shower and join him,” Ashley said. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, baby. Give him some time.” Boyd frowned. “I’ll be back.” She hurried up the stairs and snuck into the bathroom, where she could hear the shower running. She stripped out of her clothes and slipped into the shower. Keeton was washing his hair with his eyes closed. She quickly contemplated her options and decided to give him a blow job. She had

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

97

practiced some on Boyd, but hadn’t tasted Keeton since that one night he let her lick him. Ashley silently went to her knees and wrapped her mouth around Keeton’s cockhead and sucked. “What the fuck?” His eyes flew open. Then he cursed when he got soap in them. “Ashley, what in the hell are you doing?” Ashley slipped and ended up on her ass in the shower. “I was trying to make you feel good. Why did you stop me?” “I didn’t know you were there. You don’t fuck with a man’s dick without him knowing about it ahead of time. I could have hurt you, Ashley.” “Boyd didn’t mind when I woke him up like that. What’s the difference?” She tried to hold back the tears, but they fell anyway. “I wasn’t expecting you in the shower. He would have probably expected you to in the bed. It’s different. Fuck, Ashley, I’m sorry.” “No, I’m sorry. You’ve told me to leave you alone and I keep bothering you.” She ignored his hand and climbed to her feet on her own. “I’ll leave you alone, Keeton. I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you, but I’m sorry.” With that, Ashley climbed out of the shower and, grabbing a towel, walked out of the bathroom down to the other bathroom to take a shower and clean off the dirt from the garden. She wasn’t hungry anymore. All she could think about was the expression on Keeton’s face when he’d gotten the soap out of his eyes. He’d looked angry. Ashley didn’t know if he was angry with her, with what she had done, or with himself. She just knew he was angry and hadn’t wanted her blow job. She scrubbed her skin rosy red and clean, but was careful of her left leg. She didn’t want to irritate it. It was healed nicely, though she now had a small ridge of raised skin with yellow peaks. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he didn’t like her anymore because she had the ugly scar, or maybe he was afraid she would give something to him.

98

Marla Monroe

When she got out of the shower, Boyd was waiting on her with her towel. He didn’t say anything, just wrapped her up and patted her dry. Then he picked her up and carried her to bed—an empty bed. Keeton wasn’t in it. “Go to sleep, baby. You’re tired and it’s been a long day.” “I hear that a lot now.” Ashley turned over and went to sleep.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

99

Chapter Eleven Ashley woke up early the next morning and rolled over to find that only Boyd was in bed. Keeton either hadn’t come to bed or had gotten up early. She searched his pillow and didn’t find an indentation. He hadn’t bothered to come to bed with them. Without making a sound, she slipped out of bed and grabbed up her clothes and dressed outside the bedroom in the hall. Then she carefully walked downstairs to the living room, where Keeton was sound asleep in his recliner. She sighed. Instead of waking him up and demanding he tell her what in the hell was wrong, she decided to give him some time and tiptoed into the kitchen. She started breakfast and coffee. It wasn’t long before he walked in and poured himself a cup without looking at her. “Morning, Keeton,” she said as she scrambled the egg substitute. “Morning, Ashley. Planning on working outside again today?” “Yep, still have more to finish on the garden.” “Don’t forget to take the gun with you.” He stared out the window as he sipped his coffee. “I won’t.” Ashley turned when she heard Boyd walking down the stairs. He walked in and headed straight for the coffee as always. She grinned and shook her head. “Morning, baby. Coffee’s good.” “Thanks. Breakfast is ready.” They all sat down and ate, with Keeton finishing first. He rinsed off his plate then sat it in the sink for her to wash. “I’ll wait for you out at the barn, Boyd.”

100

Marla Monroe

“I’ll be there in a minute.” Boyd shook his head when Keeton walked out. “Don’t forget your lunches, Boyd. I made meat pies for you for lunch.” She took his dirty plate from him and handed him the two sacks of food. “Thanks, baby. We’ll see you tonight when we get back. Be careful outside.” He kissed her, letting his tongue slide along hers before nipping her lower lip. “You two be careful. Tell him I said bye.” Ashley turned to the sink and began running water in it to wash the dishes. As soon as the back door closed, she let the tears fall. What was she going to do about Keeton? What had suddenly changed about him? Everything had been fine before he and Boyd had fussed about his having sex with her. Surely he didn’t think he’d actually hurt her, did he? She’d told him he hadn’t. After finishing the dishes and straightening up the house some, she returned to the garden and finished planting the last rows. Then she dragged out the water hoses and watered everything. She gathered up her tools to put them away after washing them off. She followed the directions in the books and made sure everything was dry first. Ashley grabbed her books and sat on the back porch to read through the one on flowers. She wanted to have a small flower garden along the front of the house. First, she needed to find out what kind of climate they liked and plan accordingly. Then she would have to convince the men to take her back to town to get flower seeds or plants if they had them. Around three that afternoon, she decided to take a nap. The men wouldn’t be home before six. Since there was an extra hour of daylight on the planet, they took advantage of it. She put away her books and stretched out on the couch. She wasn’t particularly tired, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a couple of hours. Sometime later, a noise woke her up. She listened for several minutes, but didn’t hear anything again. Then as she sat up on the

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

101

couch, she heard it again. It sounded like horses’ hooves. She checked her watch and realized she’d slept nearly four hours. She hurried to the kitchen, thankful that she’d already started a roast in the slow cooker, and put on the rice to cook. The potatoes and carrots were already in the slow cooker with the roast. Why had she slept so long? Several minutes later, the back door opened and the men walked in smelling distinctly of cows and sweat. She wrinkled her nose and pointed toward the upstairs where the bathrooms were. “Don’t you want a kiss first, baby?” “Nope, afterward will be just fine.” She giggled when he chased her around the table. Keeton just kept walking and didn’t say a word. Boyd stopped when he saw that Ashley wasn’t playing anymore. “I’m sorry, Ashley. It’s probably all my fault.” “No, something is bothering him about it, or he wouldn’t have let you get to him like that.” “I’ll try to talk to him some tomorrow…” “No, leave it alone. Let him think for a while, and I’ll talk to him. It’s between the two of us.” “It should be between the three of us,” Boyd said in a grumbly voice. “Well, we aren’t much of a family yet.” She turned back to the stove to check the rice. She heard Boyd go upstairs to clean up. It was going to be another long night. **** Keeton sighed as he climbed into the shower’s hot spray. He was horny as hell thinking about Ashley all day while they’d ridden the fence line and worked the cows to the south pasture. He couldn’t risk her walking in on him in the shower, though. She’d almost done that the other day. He would have to wait her out until she was asleep.

102

Marla Monroe

He scrubbed the trail dirt off his skin and damn near took the skin with it as he thought about how much he wanted to bury his cock in her sweet cunt again. She’d burned him up last time, and they’d only fucked on the couch, for God’s sake. He needed to be inside her like he needed to breathe, but Boyd was right. He was too rough. He hadn’t thought for one second about how sore she probably was after Boyd had taken her virginity. All he’d been able to think about was how deep he could get inside of her and how soon he could fuck her ass. He didn’t need to be alone with her at all. He couldn’t trust himself not to be too hard on her. She wasn’t like the women they were used to fucking back on Earth. She was delicate. He could so easily hurt her. Still, even knowing that she deserved a better set of husbands than he and Boyd, he wouldn’t let her go now if his life depended on it. She was part of him now. He just had to figure out how to love her without hurting her. When he figured he’d gotten better control of himself and was as clean as he could get, Keeton shut off the water and dried off before pulling on a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then he met Boyd in the hall and they eyed each other like a pair of rutting deer. “You’re hurting her, man.” “You told me I was hurting her before.” “This is different and you know it.” Boyd stomped down the stairs, leaving Keeton at the top to stare down at his back. Fuck! When he made it down to the kitchen, Ashley had dinner on the table. The roast was tender and juicy, as was the rest of the meal. He hadn’t had rice and gravy in years. He totally enjoyed his meal. “Thanks, Ashley. That was really good.” He pushed back from the table and took his plate to the sink to rinse before grabbing the tea pitcher and pouring more tea in everyone’s glass. “Glad you enjoyed it.” She smiled up at him with such warmth in her eyes he nearly grabbed her and squeezed her.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

103

Why didn’t he? He could do that without hurting her, couldn’t he? But then the moment was gone when Boyd’s chair scraped the floor as he stood up. “Really good meal, baby.” He kissed her on the head and took his plate over to the sink. “You two go on in the living room and let me clean up.” Keeton hesitated before following Boyd into the other room. He wanted to talk to Ashley alone, but was afraid to be alone with her. How sad was that? “Looks like we have another ten acres of land to fence over there in the west pasture.” Boyd leaned back in his recliner. Keeton sat in his and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Yeah. It will take some time.” “Wonder if they sent out another shuttle right after ours?” Boyd asked. “It would make sense that they send them out as regular as they can to get as many people off the Earth as possible.” “We could sure use the help out here. I don’t know how Andrew and Danny have made it as long as they have without help.” Boyd sighed and closed his eyes. “I’m about done for tonight. It’s been a long time since we’ve been in the saddle all day.” “Wimp,” Keeton teased. “You weren’t too spry walking up them steps tonight, either, Keeton.” “How is Ashley’s leg looking?” Keeton asked. “It’s healed up fine. Check it out for yourself,” he said. After nearly thirty minutes, Ashley walked in and collapsed on the couch. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. I’m tired for some reason.” “Hell, baby. You’ve put in a garden in two days. You’ve been busy,” Keeton said without thinking.

104

Marla Monroe

She turned toward him and smiled. “Thanks, I’m really proud of my garden. I can’t wait until it starts growing.” “Go on up and shower off, Ashley. We’ll be up soon.” Boyd made a shooing motion with his hand. Once she had disappeared upstairs, Keeton stood up and walked over to the kitchen and turned off the light. Then he crossed to the front door and checked to be sure it was locked. He looked over at Boyd and stretched. “I’m going on up to bed. You coming?” “Yeah, I’ll be up in a few minutes.” Boyd yawned and shook his head. “Hell, I’m right behind you. I can’t keep my eyes open.” They climbed upstairs and stripped to get into bed. Boyd relaxed beneath the covers while Keeton sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Ashley. He just didn’t feel comfortable getting into bed with Boyd without her. Ashley popped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, smiling when she saw they were already in bed waiting on her. She hurried over to Keeton and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big hug. Then she climbed into bed to attack Boyd. Keeton popped her carefully on the ass as she climbed over him to get to Boyd. She growled at him. “What was that for?” “For forgetting my kiss,” he said. She hesitated, then leaned forward and kissed him. He took her kiss and turned it around on her. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to tease alongside of hers then tickle the roof of hers. When he plunged it in and out over and over, she moaned into his mouth. He sipped at her lips before drawing in the bottom one to suck on. When he finally let her up, she had the prettiest just-kissed lips he had ever seen. Her eyes were heavy lidded with desire. He wanted her so badly right then he didn’t know what to do. Surely he could take her, and Boyd would stop him if he got too rough.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

105

He searched Boyd’s eyes before giving in to his body’s needs and his heart’s desire and licking his way down her body to her sweet pussy. It was already dripping from his kiss. That only fueled his fire to get inside of her. She was wet for him. He sucked in her pussy lips then licked around the outside of her slit before plunging his tongue deep inside her cunt. She moaned and reached down to grab his hair. Boyd quickly untangled her fingers from his hair and put her to work on his cock. Nothing turned Keeton on more than for a woman to fight him for control of his loving. He knew Boyd was trying to curb his need to dominate. He appreciated it, but hated that there had to be anything between him and Ashley right then. He wanted her all to himself but knew it was too dangerous. Instead, he redoubled his efforts to have her come screaming around Boyd’s dick. He thrust two fingers inside her then worried he should have started with one, but when she didn’t protest but began pumping her pelvis with his thrusts, he stopped second-guessing himself. He licked her pussy from top to bottom and fucked his fingers in and out of her hot cunt. Then he curled them up and found her sweet spot to stroke. He wanted to make her come without touching her clit. He knew he could do it. After a few seconds of stroking, he began pumping her with his fingers and sucking her pussy lips with his mouth until she was thrashing on the bed. Then he reached up and twisted one of her nipples at the same time he went back to stroking her hot spot. She came unglued and her muffled scream made him smile around her pussy. Boyd’s fuck let him know that it had been enough of a scream to set him off as well. He licked her down slowly until she had finished cleaning Boyd’s cock of his cum, and then rose up over her to plunge his cock inside her in one smooth dive. She screamed and wrapped her legs around his ass so tightly that he couldn’t move. Had he hurt her? He tried to pull out, but she had him trapped. “Fuck me, Keeton. Please, fuck me.”

106

Marla Monroe

“Baby, if you don’t let go of my ass, I can’t do anything,” he finally said. She released the death grip she’d had and relaxed her legs around him. He pulled out and pushed back in a little easier. Ashley didn’t seem to like easy, because she grumbled and shoved her pelvis up to meet his thrusts over and over until he finally gave her more. He had to trust that Boyd would stop him from doing something that would hurt her. He stopped worrying and plunged into her over and over until she was shaking her head back and forth, begging to come. “Fuck, you’re so tight, baby. I can’t hold on.” He reached between them and pressed against her clit a few times. She climaxed, squeezing her tight cunt around his cock until he was shooting streams of cum deep inside her pussy. He held himself still deep within her, trying to catch his breath. He looked down in her eyes and saw something there that scared him. He saw a passion that was as deep as his. She wanted more. He carefully pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to her. She was still panting as fast as he was panting hard. She reached over and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Then she rolled over and wrapped a leg around his leg and rested her head on his chest. Keeton wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. Finally, he did just that and squeezed her lightly before kissing her forehead and drifting off to sleep.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

107

Chapter Twelve Boyd rolled over and pulled Ashley on top of him one night after she’d been thoroughly fucked by Keeton. He figured it was a good time to start preparing her for anal sex with both of them. Keeton would already have come and not be tempted to take her too soon. He nudged Keeton with his foot and nodded at her. “Baby, we’re going to play around a little bit tonight, okay?” Boyd asked. She laughed and wiggled her ass at Keeton when he walked around behind her. “I thought you’d never get around to playing with my ass. I’ve been waiting and waiting.” Keeton spanked her ass. “Don’t get smart with us, young lady.” He spanked it again and she wiggled it again. Boyd felt some of the trepidation he’d harbored over introducing her to anal sex slowly slip away. She had been pretty into her ménage book for a while at the beginning. She’d had time to get used to the idea, he decided. He wanted to cement them as a family, and felt like having sex at the same time would go farther to doing that. He’d screwed up royally by making Keeton doubt his ability to keep from hurting Ashley, and now that things were going better, he wanted them to finish the circle. “I’m going to put some lube on your ass, baby. It’s probably going to be a little cold,” Keeton was telling her. Boyd thrust upward into her hot cunt to get her attention when Keeton began pushing his thumb in and out of her tight ass. It didn’t

108

Marla Monroe

seem to faze her. Boyd continued to move inside her in long, slow pushes. Keeton added more lube and used his first finger. He thrust it in and out of her back hole until she was pushing back against him. Boyd couldn’t believe how well she was doing. When Keeton added a second finger, she stilled on Boyd’s dick. He waited while Keeton slowly pushed in a little way then pulled out. “Push out against him, baby,” Boyd told her. “Let him in.” Boyd could feel Keeton’s fingers through the thin membrane separating her pussy from her ass. Slowly, he managed to get two fingers up to his knuckles in and out of her dark hole with her pushing back against him. When he made it three fingers with more lube, she groaned and hung her head, but she pushed back, trying to take him. He kissed her back and they both whispered encouraging words in her ears. Finally, Keeton’s fingers were pumping in and out of her ass more easily. Boyd was proud of her and was about to tell her when Keeton pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his lubed-up cock. Boyd was about to tell him to stop when Ashley pushed back and impaled herself on him. She groaned but didn’t protest as Keeton slowly worked his dick in and out of her tight ass. Boyd was upset, but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the time. They were just supposed to introduce her to it, not start it. They were going too fast. Still, he pulled out when Keeton pushed in and then pushed in when Keeton pulled out. Ashley moaned and tried to keep up with their rhythm, but it was impossible. She finally just lay on top of Boyd while they used her body as their vessel. “Oh, God, yes! I’m going to come. Please, please, don’t stop,” she pleaded when Boyd tried to slow them down some. He didn’t want to hurt her, but with her saying things like that, Boyd took it as a go-ahead and sped up. He was soon so close to coming he thought he would explode. He reached between them and

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

109

pressed Ashley’s clit until she screamed and came. It tightened her cunt around him like a vise and he climaxed deep within her. He heard Keeton shout and felt his friend piston inside of Ashley twice more before he stopped and came deep inside her back channel. God, he hoped Keeton hadn’t hurt her. When they were able to move, the two men slowly withdrew from her body. She grumbled when they moved her to the middle of the bed. Keeton hurried to the bathroom but came back in a few seconds with a warm, wet cloth and cleaned her up. Then he climbed into bed with them and pulled her into his arms. Boyd prayed everything would be okay. Keeton looked wild-eyed when he’d cleaned her up, and was squeezing her tightly against him as if afraid he had hurt her. Boyd stayed awake long into the night, waiting for her to wake up, hoping he would get a chance to check on her before Keeton woke up the next morning, but she never did. Early the next morning, when he opened his eyes, they were both already up and gone. He groaned. He was dead on his feet from having stayed awake so long worrying. He climbed out of bed and dressed, then found them downstairs drinking coffee and talking. Boyd pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Good morning, baby.” “Morning, Boyd. You don’t look like you slept very well.” She squeezed him. “Guess I didn’t.” He looked over at Keeton. “How did you sleep?” “Slept great. Are you coming down with something?” Keeton didn’t look at all worried that anything was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t. “Just one of those nights, I guess,” Boyd said. “Well, breakfast is ready, you two. You get to rest today, so enjoy it. I’m going to go outside and check my garden. It’s finally beginning to poke above ground.” Ashley bit off a bite of bacon and walked outside the back door, leaving Boyd and Keeton alone in the kitchen. “Man, you were wrong last night to have taken her like that.” Boyd had to say it.

110

Marla Monroe

Keeton stopped eating and looked across the table at him. “I didn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t have done it if I thought I was going to hurt her. She was ready.” “How could she have been ready the first time we ever stretched her out?” Boyd insisted. “I don’t know, but you weren’t the one stretching her. She was already taking two fingers without much effort.” “She’s special, Keeton,” Boyd tried again. “Yeah, I know she is. That’s why I don’t fuck her without you around. I don’t want to hurt her, but if you had really thought I was going to hurt her, you would have stopped me.” “Yeah, I would have stopped you.” Boyd sighed. “She’s so damn anxious to please you, Keeton. She’ll do anything to make you happy with her, even let you hurt her. That’s why you have to be careful with her.” “Don’t you think I know that?” Keeton stood up and paced over to the window and looked out. Probably looking at Ashley. Boyd put down his coffee and ran a hand over his face. He felt like he was chastising a child for squeezing his puppy too hard. Maybe he needed to back off and let whatever happened happen. As it was, he was making everyone nervous. Ashley had even told him to ease up on Keeton. “Look, we’re all adults. I’m not going to say anything else. This is between the three of us now. We’ll all talk about it together or not talk about it at all.” Boyd got up and headed for the office. He needed to work on the diary they were supposed to be keeping. He hadn’t updated it in several days. Either things would work out, or they wouldn’t. He wasn’t the leader of their family. If anyone was, it was Ashley. She could tell Keeton when to back off. Boyd just hoped she would tell him and not suffer wanting to keep him happy. That’s when Boyd realized he was a little jealous of Keeton. Ashley was trying so hard to get Keeton’s attention that maybe he felt left out. But he had her attention. She came to him with everything.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

111

Boyd felt like a heel for wanting more of her attention just because she wanted some of Keeton’s. It wasn’t Keeton who needed to back off. It was him. He needed to back down some. With that, he settled down to fill in the missing days in the diary. **** “What are you doing?” Keeton walked up to where Ashley was sitting on the back porch drawing on her pad. “Keeping a record of how the plants look as they grow. This way I’ll always know when something is wrong.” “Good idea. So how are you feeling?” he asked. She looked up and smiled at him. “Great.” “Good. You would tell me if I ever hurt you, wouldn’t you, Ashley?” “You’d never hurt me, Keeton. I don’t know why you think you would, but you wouldn’t.” She returned to studying the plants and drawing. “I wouldn’t mean to, baby. But I can be rough.” “And I like you rough. It’s you. I don’t want you to change, either, Keeton.” She put down her pencil and held a hand to the side of his face. “I love you, Keeton. Just like you are.” Keeton felt something shift inside him. He didn’t feel as conflicted in that moment. He reached down and pulled her into his arms to hug her close. “I love you, baby. I want you to be happy.” “I am happy, Keeton. I’m happy with you and Boyd. I don’t want anything different. I just want for us all to be a family.” “Me, too, baby. Me, too.” Boyd walked outside a little later and Keeton waved him over. “Look what our Ashley is doing.” He pointed at the drawings of the various plants.

112

Marla Monroe

“Hey, these are really good. And you’ve dated them on how old they are and everything. They need to go in our diary I’m working on,” Boyd said. “Oh, well, if you think so. I was trying to keep a record so I’d know if something was wrong from year to year.” “You can just look back at the diary and see what was different. I’m keeping all the pertinent facts about the day in it, like the temperatures and general weather conditions.” Ashley shrugged and handed her drawings to him. “Go ahead. When I make new ones, I’ll give them to you to put in the diary.” “Good girl,” Boyd said. “I’m really tired for some reason. I’m going to go lie down for a while.” Ashley stood up and brushed off her jeans before grabbing up her drawing pad and pencils. “You okay, baby?” Keeton asked. “Yeah, just need a nap, I guess. I ate a big breakfast and it’s nearly noon now. Do you mind fixing something for lunch on your own today?” she asked. “We can always fix our own, Ashley. Go lie down and get some rest,” Boyd said. Keeton watched her walk inside and turned to Boyd. “She’s taken naps almost every day for the last few days. Do you think she’s okay?” “I don’t know. Maybe we should ask Andrew or Danny if Rachel takes a lot of naps. It could be this atmosphere.” Boyd looked back toward the door. “Or it could be a result of that fucking rat acid that got on her,” Keeton said. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll talk to them first and see what they think. Then we can always call the doc up and ask his opinion.” “You know, not only is she working harder physically than she’s ever worked before, but we have an extra hour in our day here than on

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

113

Earth. It could just be getting used to things here. You and I are used to being out working all the time. She isn’t.” Keeton began to feel marginally better about her needing so many naps. Still, he worried. “I’m going to deal with the horses today. Why don’t you go up and nap with her, Boyd. You didn’t sleep well last night.” “You’re sure?” he asked. “Yeah. I’ll wake you both up in a couple of hours if you’re not already up.” Keeton waved him off and headed for the barn. He found the horses were doing well, but he let them out into the corral for a while, giving him plenty of room to give the barn a thorough cleaning. He cleaned out each stall and added fresh hay as well as food and water. Then he cleaned out the tack room. He took the brushes out and pulled one of the horses up to brush. He thought about being a family and what that meant to him. He had never really had much of a family. His parents had split by the time he was eight years old and he lived with his uncle on their ranch. He had met Boyd in school and they had worked together ever since then. Boyd had been his family for so many years, he couldn’t count. Now he had Ashley to add to that. And, if Boyd had his wish, children someday. Children. That scared him. He had never really thought about having kids, and that part of the agreement in coming to the space station hadn’t really bothered him. Boyd would be the father figure. He’d keep them safe and fed. That worked for him. Then he thought about Ashley round with their child, and he realized he would like to see that. To feel a child moving in her belly would be really awesome. Maybe that wouldn’t be so much Boyd’s duty after all. He’d like to see a child grow up and get strong, or beautiful like their mother. He finished up with the last horse and had them all back in the barn. He checked his watch. It had been nearly three hours. He wondered if the others were up yet, or if he needed to wake them.

114

Marla Monroe

Keeton walked inside and didn’t hear anything at first until he got outside the bedroom door. Then he heard the unmistakable sounds of the bedsprings. He grinned. They were fucking. He’d leave them alone for that this time. Instead, he went to the other bathroom and took a shower. By the time he was finished, they were quiet in the bedroom, so he walked in and found them dressing. Ashley had that just-fucked look about her, and Boyd was grinning and relaxed looking. “Did I miss anything?” he teased. “Only the best sex since last time we had sex,” Boyd said with a snicker. “Well, you get to do the barn next time. I completely cleaned it and brushed all the horses.” Keeton walked over and pulled Ashley into his arms for a kiss. He took her mouth when she opened to him and sucked her tongue into his mouth to tease with his. Then he thrust his in and out of hers before pulling back and kissing her nose. “You look rested. Do you feel better?” he asked. “I feel fine. Don’t know why I need a nap every day now. It seems like I just run out of energy.” “Don’t worry about it. You can always take a nap when you’re tired, baby,” Keeton told her. “I’m going downstairs to start dinner. I’ll see you two in a little while.” Ashley hugged them both and walked out of the bedroom. “She really okay?” Keeton asked. “She was fine when she woke up. I wouldn’t have had sex with her if she hadn’t been.” “Whoa. I’m not accusing. I’m just worried that she had to have the nap. There’s a big difference in her. She was fairly droopy earlier, and she bounces now. “Sorry for jumping at you.” Boyd looked embarrassed.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

115

“That’s okay. We’ve been at each other a lot lately. We need to work together to be sure that Ashley is taken care of. She’s the most vulnerable of us,” Keeton said. “I want to check with Andrew and Danny to see if Rachel is having more trouble with needing more rest than usual.” “We’ll ask tomorrow,” Keeton assured him. “Better go downstairs and see what she’s cooking for dinner. I’m hungry.” Boyd headed toward the door. “Boyd,” Keeton said. “Yeah.” He stopped and turned around. “Thanks for sticking with me through all of this.” “Hey, that’s what family’s for.”

116

Marla Monroe

Chapter Thirteen Several weeks later, Ashley stood outside looking over her garden and feeling pretty good about it. Everything was growing just like the books had said it would, with the exception of the tomatoes, which were trying to take over the garden. She had even been able to corner the zucchini into behaving, but the tomatoes were turning out to be a problem. She shoved her hands on her hips and figured out that next year she would plant them a little bit away from everything else if they were going to grow so wildly. She’d even pruned them, which didn’t really help much. “We’re heading out, baby. Got your gun?” Keeton asked. She patted her holster. “Yep, I’m loaded and ready for rat,” she teased. “We’ll see you tonight.” Boyd pulled her in for a kiss. “Be careful for me, you two.” She watched them head for the horses and then watched until they were out of sight. She had thought about going with them and visiting with Rachel, but decided to work in the garden instead and maybe go tomorrow. She needed to get the tomatoes to act right. She picked up her stakes and string and started the arduous task of tying them up even more. They were full of blooms and baby tomatoes. She would have plenty to put up if they all came in. She finished staking them again and returned her supplies to the cellar. She looked up and noticed that the sun seemed to have moved faster than she had been out there. That was weird. She checked her watch and couldn’t believe it. Where had the time gone? According to

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

117

her watch she had been out there for over three hours. It had only felt like forty-five minutes at the most. No wonder she was so tired. She walked back inside and poured a glass of tea. She would take a quick nap before lunch. She hated getting tired all the time, but she worked hard, too. Sometimes she ended up taking two naps a day, though. It was one of the other reasons she wanted to visit with Rachel. She wanted to know if she was feeling the same way or not. She drained her tea and set the glass of ice back in the fridge before going upstairs to lie down. She took off her boots and padded sock footed upstairs. By the time she finally got on the bed, she was almost asleep. Once again, she worried that something was wrong with her. Then she slept. **** Boyd and Keeton made it home a little after six and took care of the horses before going inside. They could smell dinner cooking, but Ashley wasn’t in the kitchen. Instead, they found her on the couch napping. They exchanged glances before Keeton knelt and kissed her awake. She yawned and stretched. “Goodness, what time is it?” she asked. “Six forty, baby. Are you tired?” Keeton told her. “No, not anymore. I better check on dinner, though. I left it simmering.” She swung her legs off the couch and stood up but had to grab Boyd to stay upright. “Guess I got up too fast.” “Be careful, baby,” Boyd said. “Let me see to dinner while you two shower and change. Should be ready by the time you are ready.” She hurried to the kitchen. Keeton looked at Boyd once they had entered the bedroom. “I think we need to look at taking her to the doctor soon. I know Danny and Andrew both said Rachel is sleeping more, but I’m

118

Marla Monroe

worried.” Keeton noticed the bed had been slept on again, too. He brushed out a wrinkle. “I think you’re right. We need to see if he can see her on our next days off. I’d rather be safe than leave something too long.” “The other thing is that she’s been, um, more insatiable sex-wise. Have you noticed that? It’s almost like she needs sex every time she sees us,” Boyd said. “Yeah, guess I wasn’t complaining about that.” “Hey, I’m not, either, but it’s just sort of unusual in a woman, and especially one that is sleeping so much.” Boyd finished stripping. “Let’s hurry up and get down there. I’m worried about leaving her alone so much now.” Keeton finished kicking off his jeans and headed for the shower. He finished in record time and was dry and dressing when Boyd walked back in the room from the shower down the hall. Neither man bothered with a shirt since it was so hot outside anyway. They just pulled on jeans and headed downstairs barefooted. Ashley had dinner on the table. She smiled at them and poured their tea while they sat down. She kept up a lively chatter all during dinner, and afterward, while she washed up the dishes, they stayed in the room and talked with her. “Have you noticed that the vegetables are growing really fast?” she asked. “I know you’ve mentioned it several times in your notes and with the pictures you draw. I guess I didn’t think much of it,” Boyd said. “Do they look normal otherwise?” Keeton asked. “Yeah, they seem to be the same size and all, except the tomatoes are really growing vine-wise like daily. I’m having to cut them back and tie them up.” “That’s weird,” Boyd agreed. “I think we’re going to go see the doc next week,” Keeton told her out of the blue. “Is that really necessary?” she asked with a frown.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

119

“Baby, we don’t want you to have some sort of bug that we could have done something about early,” Boyd said. “I was thinking about visiting with Rachel tomorrow if that would be okay with you guys,” Ashley said, changing the subject. They looked at each other and Keeton shrugged. “Sure, baby. If that’s what you want to do.” “Yeah, I thought we could compare notes on our gardens and see if she’s getting the same results I am. She didn’t mention any of it when she was here before.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around Keeton’s waist and licked his belly. “Um, Ashley?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you like to go upstairs for a while? I want you, Keeton.” “I want you, too, baby. Aren’t you tired after cleaning up the kitchen, though?” Keeton asked. “No, I’m horny.” She grinned and licked his nipple. He hissed out a breath. When she nipped the other one, he threw back his head and crushed her to him. Then he picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom. He was barely aware of Boyd being behind them. All he could think about was getting inside of Ashley. “Hurry, Keeton. I need you,” Ashley urged as he began pulling off her clothes. Boyd joined them and unfastened her jeans. By the time they were all naked, Ashley was wild. She took Keeton’s cock in her mouth and swallowed him to the back of her throat. Keeton couldn’t stand it any longer. He grabbed her hair and held her there then pulled her off of him. “Fuck, baby. I want inside you so bad, but your mouth feels so damn good. Suck my cock again.” She licked all around the rim of his cockhead and then across the slit before deep-throating him like a pro. She’d gotten more and more daring lately and Keeton had finally given in and let her have her

120

Marla Monroe

way. She liked sucking his and Boyd’s cocks and swallowing around them. She woke them up most mornings sucking on them. Right now, though, Keeton wanted in her hot cunt. He lay back on the bed. “Ashley, climb on my cock so Boyd can take that hot ass of yours.” Keeton held out his hands to her. She immediately climbed up and lowered her wet pussy over his cock. She had to try two times to finally take all of him. Then she leaned forward and began licking and sucking Keeton’s nipples. The stimulation went straight to his balls. He felt Boyd’s fingers as he prepared her for his hard cock in her ass. “Hurry up, Boyd. I can’t be still much longer. She’s driving me crazy. She’s squeezing her cunt around my dick like a vise.” “She’s almost there.” After a few seconds, Ashley hissed out a breath and began pushing back. Then she went still as Boyd’s cock filled her ass and Keeton’s dick stuffed her pussy. As soon as she began to move, they started alternating inside of her. Boyd pushed forward and Keeton pulled out, and then Keeton pushed in her tight cunt and Boyd pulled out of her back hole. She was panting. She was so close to her orgasm. Keeton didn’t think he was going to last anyway, but he would definitely lose it if she came around him. Her cunt muscles were like vise grips when she climaxed. Over and over, they plunged in and out of her. She chanted, “Yes, yes, yes,” then exploded around them. Keeton gritted his teeth as she squeezed his cock. His balls drew up and he came hard enough he saw stars behind his eyelids. He heard Boyd curse over them. Then Ashley was dead weight on top of him. He panted, trying to get a full breath to tell Boyd to get the fuck off of them. Finally, Boyd seemed to realize he was squashing them, and moved. Ashley didn’t even groan when he pulled out of her. Then Boyd helped pull her off of Keeton. They settled her between them.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

121

“She’s breathing, isn’t she?” Keeton asked. Boyd laughed. “Yeah.” He walked toward the bathroom then returned with a wet cloth to use on Ashley. When he’d finished, he climbed back in bed on the other side of her. “See what I mean about her being insatiable?” Boyd asked. “Yeah. Like I said, I was just enjoying it and hadn’t thought much about it.” “Well, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, either, except that she’s gotten rougher with you, but not with me. It’s almost as if she’s being who we need her to be.” “Is there anything wrong with that?” Keeton asked. He really didn’t see why that had to be an issue at all. “I don’t guess so, but it just seems too good to be true.” Boyd toyed with Ashley’s hair. “Come on. She’s out for a while. Let’s go back downstairs and talk.” Keeton kissed Ashley’s temple then rolled out of the bed and pulled on his jeans. Boyd was right behind him as he walked downstairs. He poured a glass of tea for each of them and then sat at the kitchen table. It was barely eight thirty at night. “Here’s what we know,” Keeton began when Boyd sat across from him at the kitchen table. “She’s sleeping more than usual, taking one and two naps a day. She seems to want sex more than is normal, and she’s adjusting her sexuality to match our needs. Does that about cover it?” “Except if you add to it the fact that she had that rat acid on her leg and the vegetables growing so fast. It makes me wonder if this planet isn’t doing something to her,” Boyd said. “You’re serious.” Keeton looked at his friend. “Yeah, I am. I’m to the point of being almost scared for her,” Boyd admitted.

122

Marla Monroe

“Then we’ll take her to the doc as soon as we can get her there. Let’s talk to Andrew and Danny again and be honest with them. They may have noticed the same thing in Rachel and not wanted to say anything to us.” Keeton took a swallow of the tea. “It’s a good thing for her to go over to see Rachel tomorrow. She won’t be alone. Plus, we can see if the women are acting similar in any other ways.” “I wonder if any of the other families have had any problems. It sucks that we don’t have a phone system of some kind,” Keeton said. “Andrew has the radio, and some of the others have one. Maybe we can talk the guys into calling some of the other families to see if they’ve had any strange behaviors.” “I think we need to find out first what the doc thinks about Ashley before we talk to any of the other families.” Keeton didn’t want to start a scare over nothing. “What are you guys doing down here?” Ashley walked into the kitchen with a drowsy smile on her face. “Didn’t want to wake you up, baby. We weren’t sleepy yet.” Keeton pulled her into his lap. She took a sip of his tea and leaned back against his shoulder. “Still tired, baby?” Boyd asked her. “Not really. Just haven’t woken up yet.” “How has your leg been feeling?” Boyd indicated her left leg. “Huh? Why?” she asked with a strange expression. “Just wondering if it’s been stinging or bothering you any,” he pushed. “No, it’s not doing anything. It’s well now,” she insisted. “Okay, just wondering.” Boyd frowned. Keeton quickly changed the subject. He didn’t want Boyd upsetting her. “Why don’t you take you sketching things with you tomorrow to Rachel’s and you can compare her garden to yours.” Keeton brushed her hair from her eyes.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

123

“That’s a good idea,” she said. “Okay, baby. Let’s go on back to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow.” Keeton stood up with her in his arms. They returned to the bedroom and undressed and slipped into the bed. Keeton tried to keep his thoughts on what they were going to be doing the next day, but Boyd’s comments and questions ate at his subconscious. He lay awake for a long time worrying about Ashley and if there was something wrong with her because of the rat’s acid that had burned her leg.

124

Marla Monroe

Chapter Fourteen “I’m so glad you came over,” Rachel said when Ashley walked in the house. “Are you sure I’m not coming at a bad time? I can still go back home,” Ashley said. “Not at all. We can spend the day getting to know each other and planning a fall harvest party together. I’ve been thinking about having one when we finish getting the gardens in.” “That sounds like a great idea.” Ashley followed Rachel to the living room and sat on the couch. They talked about setting up the party and where to have it for the next thirty minutes. Then Ashley asked to see her garden. “Have you noticed that your plants are growing faster than usual?” she asked. “You know, I have noticed that. I just figured it was me. Yours are, too?” Rachel asked. “Yeah, I’ve been comparing them to the books and they are at least a week maybe ten days ahead of schedule. I figured some of it was just me and my lack of experience, but I’m having a devil of a time with my tomato plants. I have to keep tying them up.” “Mine, too!” Rachel led the way out to their garden. “Yours is really a lot farther along than mine. I guess since you planted it a week or so ahead of mine, it would be, but it looks like you’re already getting things out of it.” “Yeah, tomatoes and squash mostly, but everything is getting there and should start to be ready next week.” Rachel led her toward

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

125

the tomato plants. “Oh, and they are so much bigger. Look at the size of my tomatoes.” Sure enough, the fruit was the size of a softball, as opposed to a baseball or tennis ball. Ashley’s jaw dropped open. Would hers get that big, too? “Where did you get your seeds?” she asked. “They came from town. They took some of all of my plants and harvested the seeds from them.” “Mine were in the cellar already. They said they were from the original plants harvested from last year. They were going to give us some of the ones off the shuttle, but we were going to have to wait a while until they had time to process them. The guys didn’t want to wait on them. They took the ones already there.” “So maybe there is something about the soil here that alters the plants and makes them grow faster. Mine last year didn’t really grow faster, but they were much more productive than I would have thought.” Rachel pulled a tomato off the vine that was a cherry red and a handful. “I wonder if it does anything to us to eat it,” Ashley murmured. “Now you have me wondering the same thing. We’ve been eating tomato sandwiches for several days, and I cooked squash for dinner twice now.” Rachel frowned. “Well, let’s ask the men what they think later.” Ashley followed Rachel back to the house. They settled in the kitchen. Rachel poured iced tea for both of them and offered Ashley some homemade cookies. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you. Have you been sleepier than usual? I have to have at least one nap a day now for some strange reason. The guys want to take me to the doctor. I think they think it has something to do to with that rat thing getting acid on my leg.”

126

Marla Monroe

“Well, I have been taking naps pretty regularly. I just chalked it up to working so hard in the garden and having the extra hour of work every day.” “Do you think that’s all there is to it?” Ashley asked, hoping it was. “I don’t know now that you’re having the same trouble. I’m beginning to get worried.” “Well, I haven’t had anything out of our garden yet, so it’s not the food.” She hoped that would put Rachel at ease about that, at least for now. They talked all through lunchtime as they fixed sandwiches and ate them. Around one thirty, both women confessed to being so tired they couldn’t keep their eyes open. “Come on, you can use the guest bedroom to take a nap,” Rachel said around a yawn. “I appreciate it, but I can sleep on the couch.” “Nonsense, you’ll do no such thing. That’s why we have guest rooms.” Ashley followed Rachel upstairs to the guest room and lay down on the bed thinking a short nap would do her good. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. **** “Yeah, we’ve noticed that Rachel sleeps a lot more. She doesn’t oversleep in the mornings. In fact, she’s up before we are most mornings, but she takes naps all during the day. She’s working hard in the garden, though,” Andrew said. “I just don’t think it’s healthy. I’m worried,” Boyd said. “We’re planning to take Ashley to see Doc when we’re off next. I don’t want to not catch something before it gets too bad. With that place on her leg and all, I’m worried.” Keeton sighed.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

127

“Maybe we should do the same thing, Danny.” Andrew turned in the saddle toward the other man. “We’ve been more energetic than usual. Even you’ve noticed that.” “Keeton?” Boyd questioned his partner. “Um, has Rachel been a little more, um, feisty than usual?” “Do you mean sexually?” Andrew asked. “Yeah,” Keeton said. “Um, I guess you could say that.” “Something’s wrong with this planet.” Boyd cursed. Then he went after a cow that had taken off in the opposite direction. “Do you really think it’s tied to the planet?” Danny asked. “Yeah. I’m beginning to think so. But what option do we have? Earth’s falling apart. They’re shipping more here as fast as they can get the shuttles ready to send.” Keeton shook his head. Boyd rode back up, having maneuvered the cow back with the rest of the herd. Keeton repeated what he had told Andrew and Danny. “I say one of each of us takes our women to the doc so he has both of them at one time to compare, with the other two staying here to tend to the herd,” Keeton suggested. “Danny?” Andrew asked. “I tend to agree with him. I’m worried now. It’s too much of a coincidence for both women to have the same symptoms.” “Then we’re agreed. Let’s not wait. I say we load them up tomorrow morning and carry them in. I’ll get the doc on the radio tonight and be sure he’s going to be there and not out at one of the other places.” Andrew nodded. “I’m with you,” Boyd said. “The sooner the better.” “The women aren’t going to like this,” Danny said with a frown. “They’re going to fuss like wet hens.” Keeton tended to agree with them. Ashley had already given her opinion on the subject. Maybe with Rachel going along, too, she wouldn’t balk too badly. He sure hoped not.

128

Marla Monroe

They talked about how well the fencing was coming and the fact that they hadn’t seen any of the creatures lately. “It’s almost like they are watching to see what we’re doing,” Danny mused. “We haven’t seen any more of those super rats, either. We keep saying we’re going to go out at night and see if they just come out in the dark, but we’ve been too distracted lately worrying about Ashley.” Keeton looked up at the sun. “Getting time to head on back. Sun’s setting.” “I’m anxious to see how they’ve gotten along and what they might have hatched up together,” Andrew confessed. “Yeah, Rachel was talking about some sort of harvest party when the garden was dying down.” Danny didn’t look too thrilled about it for some reason. “You’re not real big on the idea, are you?” Boyd asked. “Just more work, and she’s already so tired.” “I see what you mean.” Boyd nodded. “Come on in and you can eat with us. I’m sure the women have cooked up enough for all of us,” Andrew said. They all dismounted and walked their horses to the barn. They brushed them down and made sure they had plenty of oats and water. Then they headed toward the house. When they walked in the back door, the kitchen smelled wonderful, but neither of the women could be found. Andrew called out for Rachel and they heard a curse in the living room. They all hurried to the other room to find the women getting out of the recliners looking sleepy eyed. “Dinner will be on the table in a minute. Why don’t you all wash up?” Rachel said. “You were napping again, weren’t you?” Keeton asked Ashley. “Just a short nap.” She pouted. “How many naps, though?” Boyd asked. “Just two. One right after lunch and then this one. It wasn’t even a long one.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

129

“We’re carrying you to the doctor tomorrow,” Keeton informed her. “You, too, Rachel,” Andrew said. Both women’s faces turned red and Keeton recognized a female fit brewing. He decided to cut Ashley’s off at the beginning. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She was stubborn at first and wouldn’t open her mouth, but a few licks at her lips and a gentle nip on her lower one had her opening to him in mere seconds. Keeton thrust his tongue inside and explored her mouth, tasting her sweet kiss as he mimicked his thrusting cock. Soon she was plastered to his body and rubbing herself all along him, having forgotten they had an audience. Keeton pulled back and had to hold her away from him until she realized where she was. A pretty flush crawled up her neck and face. The only thing that seemed to save her from mortification was that Rachel was all over Andrew when she looked in that direction. Keeton was glad to see that there were other similar traits in the odd behaviors of the women. “Come on, let’s see what’s for dinner, Rachel.” Andrew pulled her toward the kitchen. She, too, had a flush going on. They discussed the trip in the morning over dinner, much to the women’s obvious displeasure. Then they said good-bye, and Keeton and Boyd took Ashley home. She rode on the back of Keeton’s horse. Once they were back at the house, Ashley pouted and went straight up to take a bath. Keeton smiled over at Boyd and winked. Once she was out of earshot, he chuckled. “She’s something else when she pouts. Too bad we know how to get her out of it easy enough.” “It’s probably going to backfire on us one of these days,” Boyd said with a grin. “Well, until then, sex works.”

130

Marla Monroe

They left her to soak away her sullenness while they took turns in the shower down the hall. When they heard her getting out of the tub, Keeton hurried in to grab a towel and dry her off. “I think I’m more than capable of drying myself, thank you very much.” She still had her nose in the air. Keeton ignored her and wrapped the towel around her so she couldn’t move, then picked her up and carried her to bed protesting all the way. She frowned up at him when he sat on the bed and began unwrapping her. “I don’t want to go to the doctor. He likes to poke on you and make you stay overnight. I don’t want to stay there.” “Honey, something is wrong. Don’t you want to find out what it is?” For the first time, Keeton saw fear in her eyes. Then it was gone. His stubborn wife was afraid to find out that maybe something was wrong. He sighed and pulled her into his arms. He hadn’t suspected that she might be scared. “Baby, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. That’s why we want to find out what’s going on now before any more time passes.” Keeton hugged her tighter. “What if it’s something that can’t be fixed?” “We’ll love you anyway.” “That rat thing did something to me, didn’t it?” she asked. “I don’t know, baby. Maybe. Or maybe it’s not related to it at all.” “Well, Rachel has that mark on her back that’s yellowish like what’s on my leg, and she’s doing the same thing I am.” “Danny has one, too, but he isn’t having any trouble. We just don’t know, Ashley. That’s why we want to go to the doctor.” Keeton kissed her and slipped her back on the bed. He began pulling off his clothes and was glad when Boyd walked into the room still nude from his shower. He could keep her occupied while Keeton finished undressing. He wasn’t sure why he’d gotten dressed in the

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

131

first place. He shook his head and crawled onto the mattress as Boyd sucked a nipple into his mouth. Keeton settled next to Ashley and began to run his hand down her abdomen toward her pussy. He leaned over and licked her other nipple. She grabbed at his head and pulled it down for a more thorough sucking. He chuckled around her flesh in his mouth. His fingers encountered her juicy, wet cunt and stroked between her pussy lips with his fingers while he sucked and nipped at her nipples. He loved it when she dug her nails into his scalp. It turned him on to know she needed him that much. He thrust his fingers deeper into her hot pussy and felt her contract around them. She was more than ready for him. Still, he wanted to taste her pussy juices. He let go of her nipple with a loud pop. He eased down the bed, showering her body with openmouthed kisses along the way. Then he was between her legs where he wanted to be. Her scent awakened an even deeper desire to possess her as never before. He dipped his tongue into her flowing juices and hummed his approval. She lifted her pelvis toward his mouth. He placed a hand on her abdomen to hold her down while he lapped at her sweet nectar. He licked all along her pussy lips and down her leg where it had begun to flow. Then he sucked in her pussy lips before stiffening his tongue and fucking her cunt with it. She moaned. He pulled out and licked around her clit until she was pushing against his hand harder and harder. He chuckled against her cunt. Determining that she was more than ready, Keeton rose up and shifted her legs over his arm so he could plunge into her waiting cunt with his rock-hard cock. When he lined up his dick with her slit, she growled. Boyd sat up on his knees and rubbed his cock on her lips. She immediately opened for him and took him in. Keeton chose that moment to surge inside of her. She screamed around Boyd’s cock. He threw back his head and groaned. Keeton knew how good that felt. He

132

Marla Monroe

continued to tunnel in and out of her cunt until she was thrashing on the bed. “Baby, turn over for me. You can handle Boyd’s cock better, and I can go deeper.” Keeton pulled out, causing her to whimper, but she rolled over and got up on all fours. She immediately took Boyd’s dick back in her mouth and sucked him deep into her mouth and down her throat. Boyd groaned. Keeton lined his cock up once again and slowly entered her weeping cunt. He shallowly fucked her until she was wild trying to push back on him for a deeper penetration. He chuckled and slowly sped up, going deeper with each thrust. “Please, more,” Ashley whimpered, pulling off of Boyd’s cock. “Suck me, baby. He’ll take care of you in time.” Boyd held her head still so he could thrust his dick deeper into her mouth. Keeton tried to control his fucking to get the most out of it, but her hot cunt felt so good, he couldn’t hold back. He tunneled inside her over and over, going deeper until he nudged her cervix, bumping into it. Ashley went wild, trying to thrust back while keeping Boyd’s cock in her mouth. “Fuck, your cunt is too tight for me, baby. I’m going to come.” Keeton powered into her over and over then reached around and stimulated her clit until she was screaming around Boyd’s cock. Boyd pulled it out while she came to keep her from doing any damage. Keeton continued pumping into her as his balls drew up and cum exploded from his dick. He held deep inside her until he was through. Then he slowly pulled out and collapsed on the bed. “Come here, baby. I need that mouth to finish me off. Suck my dick, Ashley.” Ashley gasped for breath then finally regained control of her breathing and continued licking and sucking Boyd’s cock until Boyd shouted his own release. He pulled out of her mouth and shot his cum all over her breasts.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

133

“God, that’s the hottest look,” Boyd whispered, still out of breath. He rubbed it into her tits then leaned in and kissed her. Keeton got up and grabbed a wet cloth and brought it back for them to use to clean up. Boyd took the cloth and cleaned her breasts up, then wiped his hands. “I love you, baby,” he said and pulled her into his arms. Boyd was amazed he’d said the words. Words he needed to say, but couldn’t quite get them out. He bent his head to the mattress and prayed for enough peace to say them every day. “I love you, too, Boyd, both of you.” She reached across and laid her arm across Keeton’s back.

134

Marla Monroe

Chapter Fifteen The next morning, Ashley found herself along with Rachel, Keeton, and Andrew, heading for the city. She had resigned herself to dealing with it. Rachel wasn’t any happier. She could tell by her expression. No doubt they had had words at their house, just as she and Boyd and Keeton had words at their home. “How much longer?” Rachel asked. “Only another fifteen minutes,” Andrew told her. “You promise not to leave us there?” Ashley asked again. “I promise, baby. I won’t leave you.” Keeton hugged her. They finally pulled up in front of the doc’s clinic and the men helped the women out of the transport. They filed in and were met by the nurse. He showed them each to a separate room. Ashley figured that was best. She didn’t especially want Andrew to see or hear anything concerning her. After a couple of tense minutes, there was a knock at the door. At her “Come in” the doctor walked in. He was holding a file in his hands. “Hello, Ashley. How are you feeling today?” “I’m fine.” “From what I understand, you’re having a problem with needing several naps a day.” “The men seem to think it’s a problem, but I think it’s okay. I mean, we have an extra hour of work time in the day, and I’ve been working hard in the garden.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

135

“Still, two naps in one day is not normal behavior for a grown woman in her twenties,” the doctor said. “I’m going to run some tests.” “What kind of tests?” she asked with a frown. “Blood tests. I promise. It will only sting for a second.” He grinned when she made a face at him. “Behave, Ashley.” Keeton rubbed her head. “The nurse will be in here in a moment to draw your blood. Then I’m going to examine you, so put on that gown for me.” He walked out of the room. “I don’t want to do this, Keeton.” “Come on, Ashley. Let’s get your clothes off and the gown on before the nurse walks in on you naked.” She hurried and stripped then put on the gown and hopped back on the exam table. Keeton smiled at her and held her hand. There was another knock on the door and the nurse walked in. He had a small tray with an assortment of tubes and things. She didn’t know what they were. She turned worried eyes up at Keeton. He squeezed her hand once again. “Let’s see your arm, Ashley.” The nurse wrapped a tourniquet around her arm and checked it for something. Then he wiped it down and let it dry before sticking her. She yelped, but she kept still. She didn’t want to move the needle in her arm or cause him to have to stick her again. She looked away as he drew the blood. When he removed the tourniquet, he had her hold her arm crooked at the elbow. Then he put a bandage on it. “All done now. Just wait here for the doctor,” he said and took the tray with him when he walked out the door. Several minutes later, the doctor knocked on the door and walked back in.

136

Marla Monroe

“Okay, we’ll have the results of those tests in about thirty minutes or so. I want to check you all over, Ashley. First, let’s look at your leg.” She lifted her leg up and he held her foot as he checked the bubbly skin with the yellow tint. He looked it over really well. Then he let her leg go and took out a stethoscope and listened to her chest and back. “Lie back on the table for me and let me check your breasts and abdomen,” he said. “What? Why do you need to check my breasts?” Ashley wasn’t at all happy about that. “To see if you have any lumps or suspicious glands.” He was patient while she thought it over. Finally she nodded. He was very discreet and checked each breast. Then he checked her abdomen. “You seem a bit tender around your breasts,” he said. “Um, well, we are kind of active sexually.” Heat climbed up her neck and face. “Um-hum,” was all he said. “Okay. I’m going to go check Rachel now and then look at the results of your tests. You can get dressed for now.” He turned and walked out the door. “For now? What is that supposed to mean?” “Calm down, baby. He is covering all his bases. He might need to check you some other way.” “Oh, no. He’s had his checking. No more.” She wasn’t going to have a pelvic. She’d had two of those for the trip over there. “Easy, baby. I know you aren’t happy about this, but you’re going to do whatever he thinks is best. I want you healthy.” Ashley sighed and climbed back into her own clothes. Then she took a seat back on the exam table so Keeton would have the chair. They waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

137

thirty minutes or so. Finally the doctor returned. He had the perfect poker face, so Ashley couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Okay, here is what I’ve found out. You’re a little anemic. Not enough to account for the excessive tiredness, though. You have an abundance of red blood cells, which partly can be explained by the fact that you are pregnant.” “What!” both she and Keeton exclaimed. “I take it that this is a shock,” he said with a smile. “I haven’t been sick or anything.” Ashley grasped at straws. “You don’t necessarily have to be sick, and I would take that as a plus, but you could start getting sick a little later. Without a little more information, I don’t know how far along you are. When was your last period?” he asked. “Um, I haven’t had one in several months, like since I got off the shuttle.” “You didn’t think this was odd?” “No, I have very irregular periods anyway.” “I see.” He wrote something down in his chart. “At a guess from the exam, I would say you are due in December or maybe January.” He flipped through the chart and looked up at them. “The other thing is that you have something in your bloodstream that I can’t account for.” “What does that mean?” Keeton asked, standing up and putting his arm around Ashley. She was thankful for his support. She felt sick inside now. “It’s a cell that I’ve never seen before. I’m going to take a wild guess that it has to do with the rat thing that got you last month. It’s all I can come up with right now. I’m going to be studying it closer over the next few days.” “What about Rachel? Does she have the same thing in her bloodstream?” Ashley asked. “I can’t discuss her condition. You can talk to her about it. I’m sure she will want to know about you as well.”

138

Marla Monroe

“When can I see her?” “Just as soon as I give you what you need.” He handed her a bag of things. “Inside are a bottle of iron pills and a bottle of prenatal pills. Take them all as the bottles tell you and come back before you run out. I’ll want to see you again to monitor your pregnancy. Get lots of rest and eat four small meals a day.” Ashley swallowed hard around the lump that had formed in her throat. She was pregnant and there was something in her bloodstream. What did that mean for the baby? For her? “Okay, you can go wait in the waiting room for Rachel and Andrew to come out.” The doctor left them, leaving the door open. “Oh my God. What am I going to do, Keeton?” “It will be okay, baby. We’ll do just fine. Boyd is going to be over the world when he hears.” She looked up at him. “But you’re not.” “I’m just surprised right now. I’ll be excited once it sinks in.” Somehow Ashley wasn’t so sure about that. He looked a little sick. Then she probably looked a little sick, too. He helped her down from the table then led her out to the waiting room for Andrew and Rachel to show up. Nearly thirty minutes passed before they emerged from one of the exam rooms. Both of them looked in shock. Ashley wanted to run to Rachel and ask what was wrong, but Keeton kept a tight hold on her. What on Earth could be wrong? When they made it over to them, Rachel looked at Ashley and shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I’m pregnant.” Rachel just shook her head. “You aren’t going to believe this, but I am, too,” Ashley said. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was absurd, unreal that they were both pregnant at the same time. “When are you due?” Ashley asked her. “The middle of November sometime.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

139

“I’m not sure when I’m due, but probably around December, or maybe early January.” Ashley couldn’t believe it. “Did they find anything in your blood that was unusual?” Keeton asked. “Yes, how did you know?” she asked, looking up at Andrew. “I have it, too,” Ashley told them. “He doesn’t know what it is.” “What does it mean for the baby?” Rachel whispered. “I don’t know, but we have to believe that it won’t matter.” Ashley leaned back in Keeton’s arms. “Let’s go home.” Andrew drew Rachel back into his arms as well. “We need to go to the library to get books on pregnancy. I don’t know the first thing about what to do.” Ashley suddenly felt overwhelmed. She felt tears well up in her eyes. How was she going to take care of a baby and handle a garden and take care of the men, too? “Easy, baby. It will be okay.” Keeton soothed her. “We’ll go by the library and you can get all the baby books you need.” “Rachel?” Andrew asked. “She’s right. I don’t know the first thing about being pregnant. A book would be a good idea.” The men hurried them outside, where they left their bags in the transport and walked to the library a couple of blocks down the street. The men left them to pick out books while they waited over in the building and farm equipment section. “Rachel?” Ashley looked at the other woman. “How are we going to manage a house by ourselves with babies?” “I don’t know. But frontier women did it all the time. We will, too, somehow.” The other woman looked determined. Ashley resolved to do her best and worry about it when the time came. Right now, she needed to take care of herself and her baby. She concentrated on picking out books. She and Rachel picked out a few of the same books. Ashley figured that was a good thing. They could compare notes on the different ones.

140

Marla Monroe

“I’m ready. What about you?” Rachel asked. “Yeah, me, too.” She stood up with her bounty of books and headed for the counter. Keeton was immediately there taking the books from her. “You don’t need to be carrying anything heavy,” he chastised. “I have a garden to take care of. I’ll be doing a lot more work than this,” Ashley reminded him. He looked worried as he glanced over at Andrew. Ashley noticed the other man didn’t look much better. Well, they would both have to get over it. They couldn’t be with them during the day. When they placed their books on the counter for them, the clerk looked up, beaming. “Congratulations, ladies. You’re going to be mothers. You’re the fourth and fifth who’ve come through here getting books. I wish you well,” the clerk said. “Thanks,” Ashley said. The men carried the books back to the transport. After loading the books, they helped the women inside. Ashley and Rachel both sat in the back this time to talk and read through their books together. The men still appeared dazed. Ashley wanted to reassure Keeton, but didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure about any of it, either, especially the part about having something in their bloodstreams that didn’t belong there. She was sure it had something to do with that super rat’s saliva that had burned her leg. Somehow it had gotten in her bloodstream. That was probably the reason she’d been so sick with it. She and Rachel talked about what they would do and what rooms they would fix up for a nursery. They arrived home in what seemed like no time at all. Andrew and Rachel dropped Ashley and Keeton off at their house before continuing on to their home. Keeton helped Ashley down before gathering up her books to cart into the house for her. He gave

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

141

the keys to Ashley to unlock the house. It would be another hour or hour and a half before Boyd would make it home. “Why don’t you go lie down and rest for a while. I’ll get something up for dinner tonight,” Keeton suggested. “I’ll help you. I’m really not tired. I think I’m too wired to be tired. I still can’t believe all of this.” “Me, either,” Keeton muttered. Ashley wrapped her arms around Keeton from the back. “Are you terribly upset about this, Keeton?” “I’m worried, Ashley. I’m not upset that you’re pregnant. I’m worried about how we’ll cope and about the thing in your blood.” Then he cursed. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. I’m sorry, babe.” “We can’t forget it’s there. I know it is, and I am worried about it, too. But I am concentrating on having a safe and normal pregnancy. I’m in shock about that, as well.” Keeton stood in the middle of the kitchen, obviously not sure what to do first. Ashley shoved him into the living room out of her way. “Go sit down and rest. I’ll take care of dinner. I know what to do and you don’t.” Keeton didn’t argue. He just walked into the other room, leaving Ashley to deal with fixing dinner. She was secretly glad to have something to occupy her mind right then. It was racing with worry and trepidation over the entire situation. She had dinner ready when Boyd walked in. He immediately grabbed her up and hugged her. “What did the doctor say?” he asked anxiously. “Go talk to Keeton. He can tell you all about it. Then go get cleaned up so we can eat.” She shook her head when he tried to press her. “Talk to Keeton. I’m okay, Boyd.” Boyd frowned but after a brief kiss left her to walk into the living room. It wasn’t long before he shouted “Pregnant,” then ran into the kitchen and picked her up and swung her around. Then he put her down and pulled her into a very intimate kiss that took her breath.

142

Marla Monroe

“Boyd!” Keeton’s voice could be heard all over the house, she was sure. “That’s not all.” Boyd frowned as Keeton walked into the kitchen. “There’s more?” Boyd asked. “There’s something in her bloodstream that isn’t supposed to be there. It’s in Rachel’s, too.” “Did you tell him that Rachel is pregnant, too?” Ashley asked. “No, he didn’t. What do you mean there’s something in her blood?” Boyd asked, looking a little pale now. “Rachel has it, too. I think it has something to do with our injuries. I think Danny needs to have his blood tested, too, to see if it’s in his blood as well,” Rachel hurried to say before Keeton had Boyd going off the deep end. “Baby, we’ll take care of you. Everything will be fine.” Boyd picked her up and hugged her before sending Keeton a stern look. Ashley could tell that there was going to be some tension in the house for quite some time. She just hoped they didn’t fight over this. She wished that Keeton would be a little happier about her being pregnant, too. It dampened her mood to think that he might not have wanted her to get pregnant so soon—or maybe at all.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

143

Chapter Sixteen “She can tell you aren’t happy about it, Keeton. You’ve got to change your attitude.” Boyd threw the saddle over his horse. “I’m just surprised, is all. Plus, there’s the added problem of whatever in the hell is in her blood. I’m a little worried, Boyd.” “Hell, so am I, but we can’t let her see so much of it. She needs to stay calm and be happy.” “Fine, I’ll work on it.” Keeton checked the harness and led his horse outside. “How do you really feel about her being pregnant, Keeton?” Boyd stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. “Does it matter? She’s pregnant now.” “It’s not like we did anything to prevent it,” Boyd pointed out. “Hell, it’s in the papers we signed that we couldn’t. The entire point of moving here was to populate the planet.” Keeton sighed and shook his head. “Honestly, I’m a little upset about it. I thought we would have longer to get settled before she got pregnant.” “Yeah, I didn’t expect it this soon, either, since most of the women on Earth that can still have kids took years to conceive. Still, I’m happy about it. You know I wanted kids.” “Deep down, I do, too, Boyd. I’m worried, though. Things aren’t working out like we planned. There are all these strange creatures that they didn’t warn us about. One of them infected our wife with something, and we don’t have any idea how it will affect her.” Keeton climbed up on his horse.

144

Marla Monroe

“She’s going to be fine, Keeton. If it were going to do something, it already would have by now.” Boyd didn’t sound as sure of this as he pretended. “In the meantime, Ashley’s never had a garden before or put up vegetables. Now she has to do it alone and while she’s pregnant.” Keeton turned his horse toward the pasture. “I wonder how soon the next shuttle will come in,” Boyd mused. “What in the hell does that have to do with Ashley?” Keeton asked. “Maybe there will be some more ranch hands and their wives with them. We could get them to live with us in one of our other rooms while they build a house, and their wife could help Ashley.” “That would be great in a perfect world. I think we know by now that this isn’t that world.” Keeton couldn’t help sounding bitter. Knowing that Ashley was going to go through a tough time really bothered him. Plus, as selfish as it sounded, he had wanted more time with her before they added a child. Still, Boyd was right. He needed to get over it and be positive around her. It wasn’t her fault any more than it was their fault. The idea of seeing her belly expand with their child did something inside him. He could imagine touching her belly when the baby kicked. That was what he needed to concentrate on, and not all the problems and potential problems. They would handle them as they happened. “Look, there are Andrew and Danny. I wonder how Danny reacted to the news on Rachel,” Boyd said. “Better than I did, I hope.” Keeton reined his horse up to the other two men. “How’s Ashley doing?” Andrew asked. “Doing fine. She’s excited,” Boyd added. “What about Rachel?” Keeton asked. “About the same. She’s excited.” Danny grinned. “I’d say you’re about as happy as she is,” Boyd noted.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

145

“I would have preferred that we waited another six months or so, but that’s okay,” Danny said. “As long as she’s healthy and the baby is, then it’s all good.” “Healthy is the thing I’m worried the most about,” Keeton admitted to them. “Whatever is in her bloodstream could affect the baby.” “We know.” Andrew gritted his teeth. “Thing is, it’s the same thing in both women, and they were infected by different creatures. Danny is going tomorrow to get his blood tested to see if he has it in his blood.” “What if it’s not from the creatures at all? What if it’s in the food we’re eating? I mean, we grow our own food and eat it. All the fresh vegetables were grown here.” Keeton kept his eyes on the cows as they talked. “Well, for that matter, we’re eating the beef that is eating the grass on this planet. Who’s to say we all aren’t affected?” Andrew added. “I guess that is a possibility,” Danny agreed. “Maybe we should bring all this up to the doc. I’ll tell him when I go tomorrow.” “You might mention to him that the women have noticed that our gardens are growing at a fast pace and the food is larger than usual,” Keeton added. “Yeah, Rachel mentioned that the tomatoes are bigger than they were last year. I just figured it was good soil and her taking such good care of them.” Danny stopped his horse and turned in the direction of a calf wandering away from the herd. He took off after it, and the rest of the men broke up to attend to their appointed duties. Keeton had fence duty. He rode along the fence line making sure nothing was broken or down. It gave him plenty of time to think, probably too much time to think. There was nothing he could do to change the way things had turned out, but he could take some of the pressure off of Ashley by maybe doing some of the gardening. He could get up a little early and go out before breakfast. He’d have to find out what she did, though.

146

Marla Monroe

He didn’t have a clue what it involved outside of tilling up the earth and planting the seeds. He was sure there was much more to it. He could probably borrow one of her books and read up on it. Keeton stood up in the saddle to look ahead of him. Something was caught in the fence. He pulled out his gun and rode toward it. There, in the barbed wire, was the ugliest-looking creature he had ever seen. It looked as if it had tried to climb through it but got caught and then fought it. It was bleeding a yellowish goo from a hundred different cuts. He didn’t know what to do until the thing began thrashing again and opened its mouth to revel a set of razor-sharp teeth and swung lethal-looking claws in his direction. He knew what to do then. He shot the thing in the head twice. It wasn’t long before the others came riding up at a full gallop. They’d heard the gunshot and come to see if Keeton needed any help. He was glad he didn’t, but he didn’t know what they were going to do about the creature in the fence. **** “Why can’t I see it?” Ashley whined. “Because I don’t want you anywhere near that thing. It’s bleeding that yellow shit all over the place.” Keeton stood outside the house talking to her. He had forbidden her to come outside while they were cleaning up using the outside hose. They’d decided the creature needed to go to the city for them to study it. They needed to know how dangerous it was. It was the same one that had attacked both Danny and Rachel, or at least one like it. They really had no idea how many of them were out there. Ashley shivered. “How soon before you will be home?” she asked. “Should be home in a couple of hours. Danny is taking it into the city. We’re just going to help him load it. We wrapped it up earlier.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

147

Now all we have to do is load it when they get the transport out there.” “You be careful and don’t let any of that stuff get on you.” “I don’t plan on it, baby. We’ll both be careful. Now go back in the house and we’ll be back as soon as we can.” Keeton waved her inside. Ashley closed the door behind her then looked out the window as the transport pulled up and both Boyd and Keeton climbed in. She hated for them to go, but knew it was necessary. Once the transport was out of sight, she went back to fixing dinner. Maybe if they looked at it in the city, they would figure out what was in her and Rachel’s blood. She hadn’t said anything to the men, but she was scared of what it would do to her baby. If it was in her blood, it would be in her baby’s blood, too. Ashley had been reading up on babies and what they looked like at different stages of pregnancy. The more she read, the more she worried. She didn’t let on to the men. She didn’t want them any more worried than they already were. Keeton especially seemed bothered by it all. She wished for the thousandth time that they had phones or at least a radio. She wanted to talk to Rachel and see what she thought about it all. She was going to ask the men to get a radio if there was any possible way. She knew they carried hand radios with them when they were out on the range, but she didn’t have one she could use to call them if there was a problem. With her being pregnant, she needed one in case something happened. She finally finished preparations for dinner and decided to relax on the couch while she waited on the men. Keeton said a couple of hours, and it had been close to that now. She picked up one of the baby books to keep from falling asleep, she hoped. No sooner had she started reading when Keeton stuck his head in the kitchen door. “We’re back. We’re going to strip off out here and clean up to be safe. Is there anything in the washing machine?”

148

Marla Monroe

“No, it’s empty.” Ashley put down her book and walked into the kitchen. When she drew close to the door, Keeton warned her back. “I don’t want you anywhere around this stuff, baby. We’ll be inside as soon as we can.” He closed the door but not before she heard Boyd cursing. She hurried to the window and watched the men strip out of their clothes and rinse off with the hose she used to water the garden. Ashley grinned at the fact that they were naked in the backyard. If they’d had neighbors, they would have gotten quite a show. The men balled their clothes up and walked around the side of the house to where the washroom door was. She heard them come in and dump their clothes in the washer. She winced when she heard Boyd ask how much soap to put in. “Hey, you guys. Just close the lid and I’ll add the soap and bleach to it. You’ll mess it up,” she called to them. “Don’t open the lid at all. Since you have the dispenser on the outside, I’ll let you add everything. Make it strong and wash them a couple of times.” Keeton emerged from the washroom nude with Boyd right behind him. “Don’t touch us. Wait until we’ve had a chance to shower off.” “I’ve already got whatever it is swimming around in my bloodstream, so I don’t think you have to be this careful,” she complained. “We’re not taking a chance, baby.” Boyd blew her a kiss and hurried upstairs to shower. Keeton followed behind him after leveling a stare at her and reminding her not to open the lid of the washing machine. Ashley shook her head and walked into the washroom to start the washing machine. She added the necessary soap and bleach then set it to heavy duty and left it alone. The room smelled of sweat and some other foul-smelling odor she guessed had to come from the creature. She hoped it would dissipate soon. She didn’t want the house to smell like that.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

149

Keeton was the first one down. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “How are you feeling?” “I feel fine. I only needed one nap today.” “Don’t try and stay up just to be stubborn. If you need the rest, take it.” Keeton’s expression had turned stern. “Believe me. I’m not going to forgo a nice nap just to be stubborn.” Boyd walked in wearing jeans and nothing else. His hair was still damp, as was Keeton’s. “Give me a kiss, baby.” Boyd pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the mouth and then on the cheek. “How are you feeling?” Ashley sighed. “If I’m going to have to repeat everything twice, I’m getting a tape recorder and playing it for both of you.” “Don’t get sassy,” Keeton warned with a smile. “Look, is there any way we can get a radio so that I can talk to Rachel and get in touch with you in case something happens? I’ve been thinking about it. For one thing, you both could be gone when I go into labor.” Keeton’s eyes got wide and he sat down on one of the kitchen chairs at the table. “Fuck! She’s right, Boyd. We need radios.” “I’ll talk to Andrew tomorrow about how they got theirs and see if we can get one in the city. I would think every outlander should have one.” “Outlander?” Ashley asked. “What is that?” “That is us,” Keeton explained. “They call all of us that live outside of the city outlanders.” “Oh. I didn’t know that.” “Danny should be back later tonight and we’ll find out tomorrow what the doctor said about his blood. It may be a while before they know anything about the creature, though. Someone has to set up a

150

Marla Monroe

way to study it without being contaminated by it.” Keeton pulled Ashley onto his lap. “Dinner’s ready. You two sit down and let me get it on the table.” Ashley tried to stand up, but Keeton held her tightly in his arms. “It can wait for a little while. I like having you in my lap.” Boyd grinned at the two of them. “You look good together like that. I almost feel jealous, but I know I can have her later.” “Get me out of Keeton’s lap and you can have a kiss now,” Ashley bartered. “Not going to risk Keeton’s wrath, baby. I’ll get my kiss later.” “Then you put dinner on the table. It’s all on the stove.” Ashley leaned back against Keeton’s chest. She secretly didn’t want to get up. He’d actually relaxed around her for the first time since they had found out she was pregnant. She planned to savor the experience while it lasted. She directed Boyd on where to put things and then was surprised to have Keeton feed her. “Come on, one more bite, Ashley. Don’t forget you’re eating for two,” he said. “I don’t think I need to gain more than a few pounds a month, Keeton. At the rate you’re trying to feed me, I’ll gain it all in one month.” Ashley grinned at him. After dinner was over and the dishes had been done, Ashley, Keeton, and Boyd climbed the stairs to the bedroom to go to bed. The day had taken a toll on the men. They were asleep even before Ashley for a change. She sighed. It didn’t help that she was horny on top of everything else. Well, she would wake one of them up with a blow job in the morning, and they would take care of her then. She snuggled between the two men and thought about how it would be when she was big with their baby. How would they all fit together then? She smiled. They would get kicked either in the back or the stomach, she was sure. The thought of Keeton waking up to their baby kicking him in the back through her stomach had her

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

151

giggling quietly. Then she wondered what she was going to do about the garden and putting up vegetables and handling the house all at once. The entire situation sobered her somewhat. Still, she couldn’t help but rub her belly where the baby resided and go to sleep thinking about baby names.

152

Marla Monroe

Chapter Seventeen Boyd woke the next morning to Ashley’s lips around his cock. He hummed his approval and ran his hands through her hair, digging his nails into her scalp. She loved it when he did that, so he made sure to scratch her head as she went down on him. When she pulled up and sucked around the rim of his cockhead, Boyd blew out a breath. It felt freaking wonderful when she did that. Then she licked his slit and gathered the drop of pre-cum that had gathered there. He threw back his head with a growl. He held her head still for a few seconds while he face-fucked her. She let him without balking. She trusted him not to hurt her or choke her. That trust was a heady thing. When she deep-throated him and swallowed around him while she did, he shouted out. His balls began to draw up, and he felt his cum begin a slow boil. Ashley tightened her grip at the base of his cock and worked him with her hand as she worked him with her mouth. The combined effort had him on the brink of coming in no time. Boyd felt the electrical current begin to travel down his spine and settle in his aching balls. They were so tight now, he felt ready to explode in any minute. It wasn’t until she reached between his legs and raked her nails across his balls that he knew a moment of panic that maybe he couldn’t handle the coming explosion. But it was too late. She had already done it and he was shooting his cum down her throat as he shuddered with it. ****

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

153

Ashley sat up and grinned at him. She licked her lips and then licked at the residual left on his softening cock. “Whoa, baby. Much more of your tongue and I’ll be ready to go again in no time.” “Since I’m horny, that’s not such a bad thing, is it?” she asked. “Between the two of us, I think we can take care of you,” Boyd said. “What about us?” Keeton murmured, still a little asleep. “Boyd said you’d take care of me. I’m horny, Keeton.” Ashley rubbed his chest, then scratched over his nipples lightly with her nails. He slapped at her hand. “Stop that. It tickles.” Then he grabbed her and rolled her under him. Keeton reached between her legs and found her wet. Sucking Boyd’s dick had gotten her all hot and excited. “I’m ready for you, Keeton. Fuck me. I need you.” “I think I want a little breakfast first.” He sucked on one of her nipples then nibbled his way down her body until he situated himself between her legs. “Now this is what I call a breakfast of champions.” Ashley gasped when he licked her slit from top to bottom and back up again. Then he lapped at her juices along her legs. When he moved on to circle her clit with his tongue, she moaned and tried to tilt her pelvis just right so he would lick over it. He was too smart for her, though, and avoided her clit regardless of her maneuvers. “Please, Keeton. I need to come. I’ve been waiting for nearly an hour to wake you guys up.” Ashley reached down and grabbed his head in an effort to keep him where she wanted him. Boyd showed back up and pulled her back down on the bed, where he began to play with her breasts, giving Keeton room to work. Ashley groaned and begged both men to let her come. “We’ll take care of you, baby. Just let Keeton play a little. He likes to play with you.” Keeton sucked in her clit just then, and Ashley exploded. Before she had even come down, Keeton was powering into her wet cunt. His

154

Marla Monroe

cock stretched her pussy wide as he pushed forward. He stopped just short of bumping her cervix. Over and over he tunneled into her until she began to climb up the mountain to another climax. She dug her nails into Boyd’s head as he licked and sucked on her nipples. Ashley squeezed her cunt muscles with all her might to push Keeton higher. She wanted him to come hard for teasing her. Only squeezing set her off, and she ended up flying instead. She screamed out when Boyd suddenly bit down on her nipple and pinched the other one. The climax seemed to go on forever. Fire burned between her clit and her nipples. Then she felt Keeton’s cum bathe her cunt. He held himself still inside her, growling out her name as he did. He finally collapsed, half on her and half off her. They were both breathing like champion racehorses. Boyd was shaking his head at her when she reached out and petted his dick. “Haven’t you had enough for this morning?” He chuckled. “I’m just petting it. It was a good boy earlier.” She smiled then rolled her eyes when Keeton reached down and rubbed her clit. “Don’t, Keeton. I’m already overstimulated. You’re going to make me horny all over again.” “Seems like you do that all on your own, baby.” Keeton laughed and curled up when she went for his cock with her hand. Both he and Boyd rolled out of bed. They left her there to get ready for work. She finally climbed out herself and cleaned up before putting on her clothes. Today, they would find out about Danny, and maybe they would see about getting a radio for them, too. The men left right after breakfast and promised to come home for lunch and fill her in on what they’d found out from Danny and Andrew. She busied herself in the garden, then cleaned up and made sandwiches for them when they made it in. It was after noon before they rode up on the horses. “Well?” she asked as soon as they walked in the kitchen. “What? No ‘Hi, Keeton and Boyd.’ Or at the very least, a kiss,” Keeton said.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

155

Boyd chuckled and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Then he passed her off to Keeton, who held her tightly in his arms. She struggled halfheartedly. What she really wanted was to know what they had found out, but she played their game and kissed Keeton. “Danny has the same thing in his blood, but so do several other people in the city, as well as a family out on a farm north of us. Their names are Cam, Phillip, and Lacy. Evidently Rachel knows Lacy. They came over on the same shuttle. Lacy is pregnant, too, but she’s further along than the two of you are.” Keeton let go of her and walked over to sit down at the table and dig into the sandwiches. “There is another shuttle due to land in the next week or two with more families on board as well as more supplies. We put in for a radio base station and a handheld radio for you. We should be able to get them from the next shuttle.” Boyd picked up where Keeton had left off. “Can I use one of your radios to talk to Rachel tonight for a few minutes?” she asked. “Sure, I guess that will be okay.” Keeton looked at Boyd. The other man shrugged. Ashley smiled and couldn’t wait to talk to Rachel. “So if others have it, then it doesn’t necessarily come from the creatures. It must be in the food we are eating or the air we’re breathing,” Ashley concluded. “That’s what the doctor decided, too. He wants all of us to give blood so he can keep up with who has it and who doesn’t,” Keeton said around a mouthful of sandwich. “So he still doesn’t know what it means or if it’s doing anything to us.” “No, he’s working on it, though. Now with having the creature, they can study that yellow stuff and see what it is and what it might do.” Boyd picked up a sandwich and took a bite. “This is good. Are these tomatoes out of our garden?” “Yep. They’re good, aren’t they?”

156

Marla Monroe

“I guess whatever is in our blood is what makes them taste so good,” Boyd quipped. “So not funny, Boyd.” Ashley made a face at him. “I’m ready for a nap, so what about you, baby?” Keeton wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Are you making fun of me?” She pouted. “No, I’m serious. We don’t have to go back out this afternoon. That’s why we were so late to lunch.” Keeton pulled her into his arms, then picked her up. “I’m for taking a nap.” Boyd followed them as Keeton carried her up the stairs to the bedroom. Ashley yawned when Keeton sat her on the bed. She covered her mouth to hide her smile when Keeton did the same thing. He frowned at her before dropping to the bed and pulling her up next to him. “Go to sleep, baby. You need the rest.” Boyd took the time to remove his boots before he climbed up on the bed. He looked pointedly at Keeton’s. Ashley grinned. Keeton cursed but pulled off his boots, losing her to Boyd in the process. “How are you feeling, baby?” Boyd asked as he stroked her hair. “I feel fine. When I get tired, I take a nap. I feel really lucky that I’m not getting morning sickness, but the doctor did say that might come later.” “Let’s hope you skip that altogether,” Keeton suggested. Ashley yawned again and closed her eyes, falling asleep before the men could ask her another question. **** Something was tickling her nose. Ashley blew at it, but it kept at it. Finally, she tried slapping at it and got a loud “Ow!” in her ear. She opened her eyes and found that it was Keeton’s chest hair tickling her nose. She had hit him in the chest.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

157

“Sorry, Keeton,” she murmured, then stretched. She started to roll over, but Keeton pulled her back against his hard cock. “Where’s Boyd?” “Boyd woke up and went down to see about the horses. I’m here, though.” “Think you can handle me all by yourself?” she teased. Keeton growled and pulled at her top, trying to get it over her head. He had taken all his clothes off at some point while she had been sleeping. Now he was doing his best to get rid of hers. She helped him by raising her arms up so he could pull her shirt off without taking her head with it. When he fought with her bra, she giggled and unfastened it for him. He managed to get her jeans off without help. He even pulled her panties off at the same time. “Now that you’ve got me naked, what do you plan to do with me?” she asked, licking her lower lip. His eyes followed the movement of her tongue. He smiled and lay down on his back. “Since giving Boyd a blow job got you all wet and excited, why don’t you give me one and we’ll see how wet it makes you,” Keeton suggested. “Mmmm, I could go for that.” Ashley crawled over and settled herself between his legs. She licked his dick like a lollipop first, one long stroke after another. Then she sucked just the mushroom head into her hot mouth. When she let him go with a pop, he groaned. She grasped his cock with both hands and squeezed as she slowly swallowed him down as far as she could go. Then she relaxed her throat and took him a little deeper, groaning around him. Keeton threw his head back and cursed. “Fuck, baby. That’s so good. I love your hot mouth on my cock. Suck it harder.” She sucked harder as she bobbed up and down on his dick. When he began to thrust with her, she grazed him with her teeth enough to cause him to growl at her. She smiled around his throbbing cock and

158

Marla Monroe

started deep-throating him until he was holding her head with his hands. She let go with one hand and raked her nails lightly along his balls. He shouted out and pulled out of her mouth so fast she tumbled backward. “Fuck, Ashley. I almost came.” “I thought that was the point,” she said, laughing. “Not this time. I want to fuck that wet pussy of yours. Roll over onto your hands and knees, baby.” Ashley positioned herself like he wanted her, then looked over her shoulder and shook her ass at him. He responded by lightly slapping it. She pouted at him, then grinned when he did it again to the other cheek. The more he popped her ass, the more she grinned and shook it at him. Finally, he stopped when she moaned and shoved her ass higher. It felt so good for him to spank her like that. She was so turned on now that she wasn’t sure she would need any further stimulation to come. Sure enough, when he entered her with one long plunge, she exploded and clamped down on his cock, causing him to shout out. Lightning flared down her spine and through her clit as he delved deeper into her. She never got a chance to catch her breath as he started pumping his dick in her cunt over and over again. Her breasts hung free, swishing with each pump of his cock in her tight cunt. The sheets stimulated her nipples and she thought she would die if she came again so soon. “That’s it, baby. I can feel you getting tighter again. Your cunt is going to squeeze the cum out of my cock if you keep at it.” Keeton’s voice sounded raspy as he grew closer. Ashley couldn’t talk. Her heart was in her throat as Keeton’s cock thrust deeper and deeper inside of her over and over again. Her clit throbbed and her nipples ached with the coming explosion she knew was just one or two more strokes away. When he grabbed her hips tighter and pounded into her, she came apart, screaming as he pumped his cum deep inside her cunt. He held

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

159

still with his head thrown back as she looked over her shoulder with tears in her eyes. He looked down at her and they connected for the first time. He pulled out and lay down then pulled her over on top of him. “I love you, Ashley,” he panted out. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to fall in love with you, but I did.” “Why not?” she asked. “Because I didn’t want to lose control of myself.” “And you thought by loving me you would lose control?” she asked quietly. “Yeah.” “Have you lost control, Keeton?” “No, you gave it all to me when you gave yourself to me without Boyd here.” “I don’t understand.” “Boyd and I both thought I was too rough for you. I like to be in control and I like to spank. We thought that because you were a virgin, you couldn’t handle my kind of loving. I didn’t want to hurt you so I wouldn’t take you alone after that first time like you and Boyd have done sometimes.” “I thought you only wanted me with Boyd. I didn’t realize you were afraid of hurting me. I could have told you that you wouldn’t hurt me,” she said, frowning at him. “I thought you were a little afraid of me at times.” “So this is all about sex?” she asked quietly. “No. It’s not all about sex. You trust me. I’ll take care of you. I felt like such a failure when you were hurt. I hadn’t kept you safe.” “It wasn’t your fault. None of us knew about the super rat.” Ashley shook her head and wound her fingers in his chest hair and tugged. “Ow. What was that for?” “For waiting so long to tell me all of this.”

160

Marla Monroe

“I love you, Ashley, and I’m going to love our baby when it gets here, too.” He rolled them over and bent down and kissed her belly. “Hear that, little fella?” “It’s going to be a girl,” she teased. “Good Lord, help me.”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

161

Chapter Eighteen Five days later, she began bringing in more and more vegetables as they matured. It was almost more than she could keep up with. It was barely July and already she was canning tomatoes and putting up green beans. Rachel was having the same issues with her garden. The men often found her still canning when they came in at night. They would help her finish and then fix a light dinner while she bathed. Ashley felt terrible for not being able to keep up, but she was doing the best that she could. Rachel assured her that she wasn’t alone. The men told her they didn’t mind helping, but she felt bad about it. Pregnancy hormones kicked in and she began to cry thinking about all the extra work the men had to do because she couldn’t keep up. “Hey, what’s wrong, baby?” Boyd asked. “You and Keeton are having to help me so much and you’re already worn out from working all day.” “Honey, you’ve been working all day, too. We don’t mind, and it isn’t hurting us.” “What’s wrong with Ashley?” Keeton walked into the kitchen and pulled her into his arms, throwing Boyd a dirty look. “It’s not his fault.” Ashley hiccuped. “I can’t stop crying. I feel like I’m putting more on you two because I can’t do it myself.” “Baby, you’re just making yourself sick worrying so much. I told you we would help. We like helping you.” Keeton kissed the top of her head and then pushed her away from him so he could look her in the eyes.

162

Marla Monroe

“Now stop that boohooing and go get in the tub and relax. We’ll clean up and be up in a little while.” “I hate leaving the mess for you to clean up,” she blubbered. Boyd laughed. But then he sobered when she turned a frown toward him. “Ashley, honey. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have a garden at all to live on this winter. Stop worrying about it. Do like Keeton said and go take a bath. We’ll be up to dry you off in a few minutes.” Ashley looked at the messy kitchen one last time and turned to go upstairs. She had such good husbands. She didn’t deserve them. This made her cry all over again. She finally sobered up as she eased into the bathtub of warm water. She’d sprinkled some of her bath salts in it and the water felt like a warm caress. Sometime later, she heard the men coming upstairs, but couldn’t rouse herself enough to sit up and get ready for them. Instead, she smiled and sank a little lower in the tub. It felt so good. “Don’t drown, baby.” Keeton’s voice drew her out of her reverie. “It feels so good. I just want to add more warm water and stay here,” she confessed. “Not a good idea. You’ll turn into a prune,” Boyd said. “And our baby will be a baby prune,” Keeton added. Ashley sighed and sat up in the tub so that the men could each take a hand and pull her up. They helped her step out then dried her off until she was rosy red and ready for bed. Unfortunately, their drying tactics included some stimulation that meant she was horny again. She waggled her eyebrows at Boyd, who laughed and shook his head. “What’s so funny?” Keeton asked. “She’s horny again. Whose turn is it to satisfy her this time?” “I want both of you,” she demanded. “I don’t know, baby. Both of us might be too much with you being pregnant,” Keeton said, frowning. “I want both of you!”

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

163

“If it’s too much, you’ll tell us, right?” Boyd asked, being more reasonable. “Yes, I’ll tell you. I need my men inside of me.” She ran a hand down each of their jeans to cup their cocks. “If you’re still awake by the time we finish our showers,” Keeton said, “then I’ll consider it.” “I’m waiting on you, and I’ll be awake. I’ll just play with myself till you show up.” She giggled when Boyd rolled his eyes. Keeton licked his lips. He liked watching her stimulate herself. He would hurry through his shower to watch her. She knew what she was doing. Ashley climbed up on the bed and licked her fingers, then ran them around her nipples until they were standing up tall and hard. Then she pinched them and moaned at the way it traveled down to her clit. She ran one hand down her body to her pussy and slipped between her pussy lips to stimulate her cunt. She was quickly growing wetter as she pumped her fingers back and forth around her pussy lips. By the time she was getting into it good, Keeton was back, still dripping some from his shower. He finished drying off while he watched her fuck herself with her fingers and lick her nipple. She could hold her breast up and reach it with her tongue, something Keeton constantly had her do once he found out she could do it. “There you are.” She reached out for him. He climbed on the bed and kissed her. He ran his tongue all around inside her mouth then sucked her tongue inside his. “I knew you would start without me,” Boyd said. He climbed on the bed and took her breasts in his hands, leaving her hand free to explore. She pulled her other one free of her pussy and held it up for Boyd to lick. He took both her fingers into his mouth and sucked. She felt the answering tug of her tongue by Keeton and deep in her cunt as well.

164

Marla Monroe

“Come on, Keeton. I want in that pussy.” Boyd was bossy for a change. He usually didn’t direct. That was usually Keeton’s job. Keeton let go of her tongue but drew her lower lip in and nipped at it before releasing it. He bent down and drew in a nipple to tease and lick. Then he bit it and moved out of the way so that she could climb up on Boyd’s thick dick. Boyd held his cock steady for her to lower her pussy on him. She managed to completely enfold him in her cunt on the second attempt. She felt full of cock already and Keeton hadn’t even started preparing her for his dick. Boyd pumped upward a few times before stilling for Keeton to get to work. “Lean over on Boyd, baby.” Keeton gently pushed her over until she was lying on top of Boyd’s chest. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled at him. He smiled back. Then he drew some of her excess pussy juices back to her dark rosette and gently pushed his thumb inside of her ass. He slowly pumped it in and out of her until there was no resistance. “I’m going to get the lube, baby. It’s going to be cold.” Ashley knew he liked to warm it in hot water first before using it on her, but this time, they didn’t have time. She wouldn’t take the time, that is. She didn’t care if it was cold. She wanted them inside of her. He poured a generous amount on her back hole and began pushing inside using his thumb. Then he used his index finger and pumped it in and out before adding a second finger. She groaned and pressed back as they slowly popped through the slight resistance. The burn was soft, and soon gave way to nothing but pleasure as he thrust them in and out of her tight ass. When he added a third finger, she had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying out until they popped through as well. The burn grew then changed to pleasure as he pumped them in and out of her ass.

The Hired Hands’ Dilemma

165

She was soon pushing back hard enough that Boyd was pumping up to keep in her. Keeton pulled his fingers out and lined up his lubed-up cock with her back hole and slowly pushed past her ring of resistance. Ashley pushed back until she felt him pop through. He stilled and let her get used to him. Panting soon changed to moaning as he started pushing deeper. Then he was pulling out as Boyd pushed in. Their cocks passed over the thin membrane separating them. She loved the feel of both of them inside her at once. It wasn’t just the wild climax that she always had with them like this. It was a feeling of being connected as one that she liked so much. “Fuck, baby. I’m not going to last much longer. You’re so freaking tight like this,” Keeton said in a strained voice. “Faster, harder.” She needed more. They sped up, groaning as they did. Boyd reached up and stimulated her tits as Keeton tunneled in and out of her tight ass with his cock. She groaned as they pumped in and out of her. The blistering heat built inside of her like a great tidal wave. She knew when it finally hit, it would sweep everything away. As much as she loved the climaxes when they were over, she always fought them before they happened. It was overwhelming to her. Her ears stopped up and her breath came in gasps as she started up that road to the peak. She felt Boyd lose control and come deep inside of her. It stimulated her and she felt the rush of fire engulf her as she screamed out their names. Lightning exploded behind her eyelids and her ears rang as she came harder than she ever had before. Keeton was soon shouting out his release, having been squeezed by her climax to the point of coming. He pressed deep within her ass, holding himself there before collapsing next to her on the bed. All three were still connected when she managed to catch her breath enough to tell them she loved them. “I love you, baby,” Boyd told her

166

Marla Monroe

“I love you, Ashley,” Keeton added. “I love you both,” she told them again. Keeton pulled out of her and went to wash up. Boyd moved from her and curled around her until Keeton returned and cleaned her up. “Hey, guys?” she managed to ask in a sleepy voice. “Yeah, baby?” Keeton asked. “Soon as I wake up from my nap, I want to do it again.” “Soon as, baby. Soon as,” Boyd said. Ashley knew they were counting on her forgetting by the time she woke back up, but she didn’t think she would forget that. Not after the loving she’d just had. One more week and the next shuttle of families would be there. One of those families would be coming to help her and Rachel. She couldn’t wait. Then the men could stop worrying so much about her being alone. They tried to keep it from her, but she knew they worried. With the new family moving there, they wouldn’t have to worry anymore. They could concentrate on work and loving her. Just like she would be concentrating on the baby and loving them.

THE END WWW.MARLAMONROE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marla Monroe lives in the southern part of the United States. She writes sexy romance from the heart and often puts a twist of suspense in her books. She is a nurse and works in a busy hospital but finds plenty of time to follow her two passions, reading and writing. You can find her in a bookstore or a library at any given time when she’s not at work or writing. Marla would love for you to visit her at her blog at themarlamonroe.blogspot.com and leave a comment. Visit her website at www.marlamonroe.com.

Also by Marla Monroe Ménage Everlasting: The Men of Space Stations One #1: The Ranchers Take a Wife Ménage Everlasting: The Men of Space Station One #2: The Ranchers’ Bride

For all other titles, please visit www.BookStrand.com/Marla-Monroe

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com