Kelly Captures Two Husbands [The Men of Space Station One 11] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Read online

  The Men of Space Station One 11

  Kelly Captures Two Husbands

  Kelly has been passed over as a bride more times than she wants to admit. She decides to take matters into her own hands and asks Gabe and Tyler to be her husbands. They are surprised, since they’d been told she didn’t want to live outside the city. Someone’s been telling tales.

  Even after they’ve signed the contract, someone keeps interfering. Kelly has to watch as one woman after another approaches her men and asks them to ditch Kelly and marry them.

  The guys are worried that Kelly will leave when they can’t keep the women from hanging on to them while they’re in town. They promise Kelly that she’s the one for them. Kelly finds out that the women are jealous of her and have told all the newly arrived single women that her men were trapped into marrying her.

  Kelly has to set them all straight and let her men know that they belong to her.

  Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Science Fiction

  Length: 37,081 words

  KELLY CAPTURES TWO

  HUSBANDS

  The Men of Space Station One 11

  Marla Monroe

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  KELLY CAPTURES TWO HUSBANDS

  Copyright © 2017 by Marla Monroe

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-323-8

  First Publication: May 2017

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 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.

  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.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  I want to thank Kay Hughes for all of her support and help in writing this book. Thanks, Kay.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marla Monroe has been writing professionally for nearly thirteen years. Her first book with Siren was published in January 2011, and she now has over 75 books available with them. She loves to write and spends every spare minute either at the keyboard or reading. She writes everything from sizzling-hot cowboys, emotionally charged BDSM, and dangerously addictive shifters to science fiction ménages with the occasional badass biker thrown in for good measure.

  Marla lives in the southern US and works full-time at a busy hospital. When not writing, she loves to travel, spend time with her feline muses, and read. Although she misses her cross-stitch and putting together puzzles, she is much happier writing fantasy worlds where she can make everyone’s dreams come true. She’s always eager to try something new and thoroughly enjoys the research she does for her books. She loves to hear from readers about what they are looking for in their reading adventures.

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  [email protected]

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  www.marlamonroe.com

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  For all titles by Marla Monroe, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/marla-monroe

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Landmarks

  Cover

  KELLY CAPTURES TWO

  HUSBANDS

  The Men of Space Station One 11

  MARLA MONROE

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Whoosh! Kelly nearly screamed and jumped out of the way as the mantis rushed toward her. The massive insect-like thing nearly got her, but she managed to slip inside the grain storage house just in time. It hit the door hard enough to knock her back a step but didn’t ram the door again. Thank God they didn’t need to lock buildings up out there. What in the world had possessed her to catch a ride with Danny to Tyler and Gabe’s homestead in the first place? They didn’t have a clue she was planning to visit them. She wasn’t even sure they knew who she was.

  I’m desperate. That’s why. I want them for my husbands, and with another batch of females arriving any day now, I’ve got to stake my claim while I can.

  She knew they might still decide to wait out the next ship, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. She really liked them. She still didn’t know why they hadn’t picked anyone the last two transports. Even though many of the women were already married when they arrived, there were always a few unattached on board.

  The sound of gunshots jerked her head back toward the door. They were out there and chasing off that nasty-looking animal.

  “I’m telling you, a transport stopped out here about the time we caught sight of that mantis,” Gabe’s voice filtered in through the building.

  Kelly decided now was the time to show herself. She drew in a deep breath then opened the door to step outside where her future husbands were arguing. Both men stopped to stare at her with mouths open.

  She cleared her throat to say hi when Gabe poked Tyler in the chest. “Told you someone stopped by. See?”

  “Stop acting like a damn six-year-old.” Tyler sighed then turned to her. “Hi, Kelly. I didn’t realize you were coming out this way.”

  “It was a spur of the moment thing. I’m sorry I didn’t use the radio to call first. I hope it’s not an inconvenience for me to be here.” She smiled, making sure her lips curled up and didn’t slide out into a straight line.

  “No, no. It’s not. Let’s go inside the house and we’ll fix coffee.” Tyler indicated for her to go first.

  Kelly had been told that she was cold and calculating instead of warm and friendly by several different people over the last few weeks when she’d been passed over as a bride yet again. Deep down, she was sure they were right and had started making an effort to appear nicer than she normally did. She’d even practiced in the mirror.

  I’m not that way inside. I just never learned how to be a lady and flirt.

  She’d been raised by her grand
parents from an early age when her parents had died in a car crash back on Earth. From the age of five until she’d turned sixteen, they’d taught her that she was to be seen and not heard and that frivolous emotions were for the weak, not for an Armstrong woman.

  The homestead looked like a normal Earth house despite the fact that they were on a planet months away from Earth. With their home planet being slowly cooked by the sun and expected to blow apart at any moment, men with specialized backgrounds in farming, building, cattle ranching, and other needed skill sets were chosen to populate other planets that had been located in a different galaxy.

  Women were picked by if they were still fertile or not. Due to the constant solar flares, Shears disease had rendered many females infertile, barren. Those who could have children were either paired with men slated to travel to one of the other planets, or sent in groups for some of the male pairs waiting on a female.

  “Have a seat, Kelly. We’ll fix coffee, and I think there’s still some cake left,” Tyler told her.

  “You don’t have to go to any trouble for me.”

  “It’s no trouble.” Gabe pulled out the cake while Tyler set the coffee maker up.

  “What brings you out here?” Tyler asked.

  “You haven’t picked a woman for your home yet, and I wanted to find out why.”

  Crap! I could have said that better.

  Gabe sat down next to her, his brows lifted and a small O of surprise curving his mouth. Tyler dropped a cup on the counter that thankfully didn’t break.

  “I thought everyone knew why we didn’t have a woman,” Gabe said, looking over at Tyler.

  “I don’t. No one talks about it if there’s a reason.” Kelly leaned forward and took the mug from Tyler.

  He sat down and looked over at his friend. “Well. Our bride died on the way here. She had contracted some sort of illness that the doctor on the ship couldn’t treat. We’ve been building up the farm in hopes of attracting another woman at some point.”

  “I’m sorry. That had to have been a shock.” Now she felt bad about intruding.

  “I guess we never thought it would be important to someone before.” Gabe sipped his coffee.

  “There’s supposed to be a few unattached women on the next ship. Are you waiting on them?” she asked.

  “We’ve been waiting for a while now. So far, no one has shown any interest in us. Maybe the next group will be different.” Tyler’s eyes dropped to where he held his cup. His mouth thinned into a straight line.

  “Have you asked anyone and they turned you down? I can’t imagine anyone in their right mind would turn you guys down. You’re nice looking and have an established homestead out here.” Kelly couldn’t help the confusion that had to show on her face.

  “We’ve always indicated our interest when the ships come in.” Gabe shrugged.

  “You’ve never asked me, so I wonder if you’ve really let other women know you’re interested. Maybe they misunderstood you or something.”

  “We haven’t asked you because you always seemed to be happier in town. You work in one of those shops there and haven’t been at the gatherings.” Tyler shoved a piece of cake into his mouth.

  “Actually, I don’t like town life, and I’ve been to all of the gatherings. I guess I blend into the walls too well for you to have seen me.” Kelly let out a soft whoosh of breath.

  “So you’re free and wouldn’t mind living out here?” Tyler asked.

  “Right. I’m interested if you guys are interested in me. Of course, you might want to wait and see if there’s anyone on the next ship you would like more…” She let it trail off.

  “There might not be another ship and even if there is, there’s no guarantee that there will be anyone who would want us.” Gabe smiled across the table at her.

  “Gabe’s right. We’re definitely interested. I guess we never saw you as friendly before.” Tyler reached out a hand. “Are you still interested in us?”

  Kelly took his hand and smiled. “I am. I have to warn you. I’m told that I can be brusque, and that I don’t show my emotions well. I’m trying to work on that, but please don’t ever assume I’m mad or upset. Ask me. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings because I’m a little introverted.”

  “Introverted? Hell, you approached us. I’d say we’re the introverted ones.” Gabe took her hand after Tyler released it. “Welcome to our home.”

  “Really? You’re honestly serious that you want me for your wife?” she asked.

  “Yes. Hell, we really thought you wouldn’t want to live out here. We asked several of the women in town if you’d be interested, and they all told us you were set in your ways and a little standoffish, or we would have pursued you by now.” Gabe stood up and brought the coffeepot over to pour more for her.

  “If we’re going to get all of this out in the open, you’ll need to realize that most of the year we are busy from sunup to sundown with crops and the few head of cattle we keep for meat. You’ll have to keep the house and the vegetable garden we till up for you every spring. It can be hard work even for someone who is used to it.” Tyler sipped his coffee.

  “I worked a garden for my grandparents from the time I was six until they died when I was sixteen. I might be a little rusty, but I’ll be just fine. I have all the literature available here to refer to.” Kelly’s excitement rose with the hope of actually becoming their wife.

  “Sounds good to us. We’ll remember that you don’t always show your emotions and try not to jump to conclusions. You may have to remind us from time to time.” This came from Gabe.

  “I’m so excited. I’ll have a home. This is great, guys. Spring is nearly here, so I need to get started.” She jumped up from the table then froze. “Oh, um, I don’t have any of my things with me. I’ll need you to take me back to town to get them, and we’ll have to register with the council as a family unit.”

  “Not a problem. We were just about to run into town when that mantis came rushing through the back lot. That’s when you showed up.” Tyler’s face broke out into a wide smile so that the crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes winked at her.

  Relief flowed through her like cool water on a hot day. They were accepting her. All she had to do was make it work. It had been much simpler than she’d expected. Had she really looked and acted that badly or were the town women being mean to her? She’d always wondered by the way they ignored her all the time.

  It doesn’t matter now. I have my husbands and won’t have to deal with them except when we come to town for something.

  “Ready?” Tyler asked her.

  “Let me rinse these dishes before we go.” She stacked the plates and cups and ran them under the faucet to keep them from being more difficult to wash later.

  “Let’s go,” Gabe said. “We’ve got a lot to accomplish before sundown. Don’t want to be out in the dark with those mantises around to follow our lights.”

  * * * *

  Gabe couldn’t believe their luck. Both he and Tyler had wanted to approach Kelly for months but had been told by the folks in town that she wasn’t very social and tended to like what she was doing. They’d decided that she would probably want husbands who worked in town. Now that they knew differently, he wanted to hurry up and get her settled into their home before she could change her mind.

  “Had you been out in the country any before you caught a ride to our place?” he asked.

  “No. I read all about the mantises and the muskies, but hadn’t seen them in person. I think the one at your place must have followed us and when I got out, it chased me. Did you hear it hit the door of the grain storage building?”

  “Yeah. We heard the transport but didn’t see it let you off. Then that creature was ramming the storage building. Managed to get a shot into him before he took off. Won’t hurt it though. You just about have to fill them full of lead to kill one. That or cut off its head when it’s down.”

  “They look like a cross between a praying mantis and a
n ostrich or something.” Kelly shivered.

  “Their saliva can be dangerous. If you ever come across one that is dead or dying, don’t let anything from it get on your skin. There’s a lot of dangers out here. We’ll go over them more when we get back home.” Tyler maneuvered the transport through some trees.

  “Look over there. See that brown furry thing?” Gabe pointed at an animal that was much like a dog. “It’s called a dorrie. It’s not friendly. It looks harmless, but it’s dangerous. Has a mouth full of sharp teeth.”

  “Right. I remember that one from my book, as well. I don’t plan on getting close to anything except the house and the garden.” Her mouth curved up into a smile.

  He liked seeing it on her face. They hadn’t seen her do that very often. He still couldn’t believe their good luck that she’d decided to take matters into her own hands and come see them.

  “How long until we reach town? I was so nervous that I didn’t pay attention on the ride out.”

  Gabe chuckled. “Our buggy isn’t the speediest of things. We have another hour and a half to go.”

  He watched her as they pointed out things like another homestead, a cattle ranch, and a building where those who lived farther out could stop and rest and even spend the night if it got too late to make it to town. With the planet slowly gaining population, it had become necessary to build farther out with each new family. Now the children of the original families were getting close to the age that they would want to marry and have their own families. It was hard to believe that fourteen years had passed since the first ship had landed with women for the men who’d settled the planet.