Spring in the Border Lands [Men of the Border Lands 16] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Read online

  Men of the Border Lands 16

  Spring in the Border Lands

  Gail is tired of being coddled. Yes, she’s pregnant, but she’s not an invalid. She wants her men and to do something besides sit around.

  Benton and Travis are terrified that something will happen to Gail or the baby. They only want what is best for her and that doesn’t mean constant sex or working in the garden. She needs rest and all the protection they can give her. Only Gail is having none of it.

  Then there’s the whole delivery thing that has both men on edge. Delivering their baby wasn’t something they’d thought of when they’d been making the baby in the first place. Now they have to bone up on the subject and manage to lull Gail in to thinking they had it all under control.

  Spring brings a new life, a change of heart, and a grizzly bear. They learn to find a way to accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to make spring a Border Lands success.

  Genre: Futuristic, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science-Fiction

  Length: 33,433 words

  SPRING IN THE BORDER

  LANDS

  Men of the Border Lands 16

  Marla Monroe

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  SPRING IN THE BORDER LANDS

  Copyright © 2017 by Marla Monroe

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-835-6

  First Publication: December 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

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marla Monroe has been writing professionally for over thirteen years. Her first book with Siren was published in January of 2011, and she now has over 85 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.

  You can reach Marla at [email protected], or

  Visit her website at www.marlamonroe.com

  Her blog: www.themarlamonroe.blogspot.com

  Twitter: @MarlaMonroe1

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/marla.monroe.7

  Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+marlamonroe7/posts

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4562866.Marla_Monroe

  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marlamonroe/

  BookStrand: http://bit.ly/MzcA6I

  Amazon page: http://amzn.to/1euRooO

  For all titles by Marla Monroe, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/marla-monroe

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  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

  Landmarks

  Cover

  SPRING IN THE BORDER

  LANDS

  Men of the Border Lands 16

  MARLA MONROE

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  “I swear those wolves are going to turn on us one day,” Benton said.

  “No they won’t. They know we’re their family. They’ll protect us. You’ll see.” Gail threw the stick, and all four of the nearly adult wolves tore after it, tumbling over each other to reach it first.

  As was normal, Wolfie grabbed the stick but gave it over to Sasha who’d turned out to be the Alpha female. Wolfie was her Beta. Sasha pranced her way back to drop the stick at Gail’s feet.

  She praised Sasha, then Wolfie. Then she rubbed Gigi and Max on the head so that they wouldn’t feel left out. She loved them so much. Since she’d become pregnant they’d proven to be extra observant around her. If the men argued over anything, they circled Gail and pushed her back from them. It amused Travis, but Benton didn’t like it. He was worried they’d attack them if they misunderstood their moods.

  Gail had told them over and over they wouldn’t. She trusted them. Maybe she was a fool for doing it, but something about the way they watched and followed orders made her believe in her heart that the wolves would die protecting them.

  Though it was cold out, with her coat and thermal underwear on, she was comfortable. It was nearly April now, and the men would soon be busy planting the garden. She was due sometime in May or June. She wasn’t exactly sure when. She prayed it would be May so that she would be able to take care of the baby and put up the vegetables for the next winter. Right then, she was a little afraid. The farther along she got, the more protective the men got. It worried her that they wouldn’t let her work once the baby was born, and they couldn’t possibly take care of the garden and put up the vegetables all alone.

  “Come on, Gail. Time to go inside. You’ve been outside long enough.” Benton wrapped his arms around her from behind with his hands over her baby bump.

  Well, it was more like a baby watermelon now. She covered his hands with hers then turned in his arms.

  “I’m ready. Thanks for not putting up a fight about coming outside. I’m going stir-crazy inside. This is the first day it hasn’t either rained or snowed in weeks.”

  “I know, honey.” He kissed her forehead then pulled back and led her inside.

  Travis had gone hunting and would be back soon, she hoped. She always worried about the men when they were gone. She was afraid that something would happen to one of them and they wouldn’t be able to find them in time. She realized that her worries and fears had gotten bigger with the advancement of her pregnancy. It had to be the mothering instinct kicking in.

  “Go put your legs up, and I’ll bring you some hot tea, hon.”

  Gail didn’t argue. She’d started having some swelling in her feet and ankles the last few weeks and knew from the books they’d been reading that it was a sign of b
lood pressure problems as well as a normal problem with pregnancy. She wasn’t going to take any chances with her baby, so she followed her men’s directions and put her feet up every chance she got.

  Today they weren’t nearly as swollen as usual. She propped them up on the couch and waited for Benton to join her. The fire crackled in the fireplace with a stew simmering in the pot hanging on the pole to one side.

  Benton walked into the living room with two cups and poured some hot water from the kettle over the makeshift tea bags they’d rigged up to hold the dandelion tea they’d dried. He handed her one and kept one cup for himself. He sat on the couch, lifting her feet onto his lap. They dipped their bags in and out of the water to disperse the flavor without talking. She liked that about Benton. He didn’t feel the need for conversation, and she felt comfortable with him that way.

  Travis loved to talk, so she was never without someone to talk to, but sometimes it felt good just to sit and be. The two men were so different, yet they got along fine. The few minor disagreements were never concerning her, and if they ever did have a difference of opinion concerning her, they settled it outside of her hearing.

  Most of the time she enjoyed it when they tied up over something. They were so funny with their swearing and muttering when they did. It never lasted long. One of them would finally cede to the other one over the subject, and that would be the end of it.

  “How are you feeling today, Gail?” Benton asked after a few minutes.

  “Good. My feet aren’t very swollen, and getting out in the fresh air was nice. I could probably take a nap now.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll wake you when Travis gets back. I hope he manages to get something for tomorrow. We’re nearly out of dried meat for soups and stews.”

  “He will. I just hope it isn’t a moose.” She laughed with Benton.

  Every time Travis came back with a moose, they spent an entire day cleaning and cutting it up. While it was fine for the dead of winter since they could store it in their cold boxes, it wasn’t cold enough to freeze now, so much of the meat would go bad before they could eat it. Though they had solar energy running the fridge, there wasn’t enough room in the freezer for much. Even with the wolves, some of it wouldn’t get eaten. That meant they had to take it out far enough away from the house to dispose of it so that other wild animals didn’t stumble on their home.

  “Tell me about it. If he does that, he’s going to drag the damn thing back to where he killed it.”

  Gail sighed and snuggled down against the pillow on the couch and closed her eyes. She immediately felt the wolves gather around her end of the couch. She smiled. They were her personal bodyguards. She had a whole entourage of them. Between them and Travis and Benton, Gail didn’t think she ever had to worry about anything again.

  * * * *

  Travis sighed when he could see the cabin ahead of him. The deer weighed a thousand pounds at least, he decided. Dragging it from where it had finally fallen had put him quite a ways from the house. The little sled they’d made for that purpose had come in handy, but it had still been a chore. He was never so glad to see the place as right then.

  He started toward the house, and the door opened. Benton walked out to meet him.

  “I guess the wolves told you I was here,” Travis said.

  “Yep. Wolfie stood up and whined in the direction of the door.” Benton helped him with the sled.

  They hung the deer on the hook over the tree limb then went inside to gather the knives and pans to process the deer. Benton took Travis’s out of his hands and nodded toward the living room.

  “Go wake Gail and let her know that you’re home. She worries when we’re gone. I promised I’d wake her up when you got back.”

  Travis nodded. “I’ll be out in a few minutes to help.”

  He walked into the living room to find Gail sound asleep on the couch. The wolves were lying around the floor in front of the couch and lifted their heads to peer at him before lowering their heads to doze. Travis eased between them to reach Gail’s head and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. I’m home.”

  Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled, reaching up to encircle his neck. “Hey, you. Did you kill anything?”

  “Got a deer. We’re going to process it now,” he said.

  “I need to get up and help.” She started to sit up, but Travis held her down.

  “No need. It’s a small deer so it won’t take long, and we’ll take care of it tonight. You can dry some of it tomorrow. No need for you to get up yet. Rest, babe.”

  “I hate for you guys to do all the work. There’s nothing wrong with me that I can’t help you.”

  “I know, but we’ve got this. Like I said, it wasn’t a big one. There’ll be enough for the wolves for a couple of days and plenty for us. We’ll have deer steak tomorrow and enough for stew for a few days depending on how much there is for you to dry in the dehydrator.”

  “I can put some up in jars if there’s enough left,” she said.

  “We’ll see. Go on back to sleep, babe. I’ll wake you up when we come inside.

  “Are you sure?” Gail asked.

  “I’m sure.” He made sure she lay back down then returned to the kitchen to grab another couple of pans.

  “How’d you convince her not to get up and help us?” Benton asked.

  “Told her it was a small deer and there wouldn’t be a lot to mess with.”

  “Liar. This thing’s nearly as big as a damn moose.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I nearly let it pass but was tired of sitting out there in the cold. Plus, I dragged the damn thing nearly four miles to get back home. I know exactly how big it is.”

  Travis worked on skinning the hide while Benton gutted it using the largest dish pan they had to catch the blood. They didn’t want any to splash on the ground and alert any predators. It took them a good three hours to finish up with the deer. While Travis carried the meat inside, Benton cut the deer down and used the sled to drag it away from the house as far as he could and returned to help with cooking the meat.

  They fed the wolves outside then called them back in after an hour. They immediately returned to guard their mistress while the men worked on the meat. Travis had to admit that they were well behaved for wolves. Most dogs wouldn’t ignore what was going on in the kitchen like they were.

  They cut up three nice-sized steaks, wrapped them in cheesecloth, then stored them in the fridge. They did the same with as much of the meat as they could fit in the freezer. Then they cut thin strips of the meat and layered them in a covered pot for Gail to put in the dehydrator the next day. The rest they stored in the fridge for the wolves.

  Travis washed up then went to wake Gail again. He was sure she had to be starved. It had been a long time since she would have had lunch. He’d had some deer jerky while he’d been out, so he was just as hungry.

  “Ready for some stew, babe?” he asked when she opened her eyes.

  “Mmm. I can’t wait. It’s been simmering over there making my mouth water all day,” she told him.

  Benton walked in with three bowls and spoons. “We’re out of bread again. It’s going to be just stew tonight,” he said.

  “I’ll make some more flatbread tomorrow while the dehydrator is going.” Gail licked her lips when Benton handed her a bowl full of stew.

  She smiled at him. Travis knew that Benton had made sure he’d given her extra meat. She needed it more than they did. She was eating for two now. Being sure she didn’t go without was of the utmost importance to him and Travis.

  “How much of the deer were you able to freeze?” she asked.

  “Filled the freezer back up and have plenty in the fridge with plenty for the wolves and a steak a piece for us tomorrow,” Travis said.

  “Did you have any left over?” she asked.

  “Nope. We fed the wolves then dragged the carcass away and emptied the blood near the stream. The deer was just the right size,” Benton said.<
br />
  When Gail handed her empty bowl to Travis, he asked if she wanted more.

  “No thanks. I might want a snack before bed, but I’m full right now.”

  Travis walked over to the fire, added a log, and, using a pot holder, carried the rest of the stew back into the kitchen where he stored what there was left in a covered dish and squeezed it into the fridge. There was some dried fruit left that he’d fix for her later.

  While he was in the kitchen, Benton followed him in with their bowls. He washed and Travis dried. They’d taken up some of Gail’s normal chores to keep her off her feet. Though they didn’t think she had that pre-eclampsia that was talked about in the books they’d read, they weren’t taking any chances.

  Travis was thankful she hadn’t balked about staying off her feet and resting more. All in all, Gail had been easy to live with despite the pregnancy hormones that had her growling one minute and crying the next. At first it had upset them, but they’d quickly gotten used to the wild mood swings.

  I’m just happy she appears to be healthy. I can handle the attitude and weeping.

  Benton seemed to worry the most out of the three of them. He didn’t want her to be alone in the house at any time, but when they cleaned the deer and when they started the garden once the weather warmed up, she’d be inside alone. He wasn’t sure how the other man would handle it.

  He decided that when the weather was nice, she could sit out on the porch and watch them. That way they would be able to keep an eye on her. Plus, the fresh air would be good for her and the baby.

  The closer her due time came, the antsier he felt about delivering her baby. They’d read up on the process more than once and probably would again every few weeks, but reading about it and doing it were two different things. He’d delivered calves before and had been around dogs when they gave birth, but never a human. Hell, he hadn’t even been at the hospital when his mom had had his younger brother. That had been so long ago he’d nearly forgotten about it. He’d been ten at the time. Not long after that everything had changed with the disasters and diseases that had followed. Everyone in his family had perished one way or another. He’d taken care of his younger brother until he’d fallen ill and died. After that he’d been on his own.