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

  It had come as a shock to find that the children born there matured much faster than those back on Earth. Added to that, they all had special abilities that no one had on their home planet. It was taking everyone time to get used to the changes. Women only carried the babies about six to seven months and the babies were larger and better prepared for life than infants had been on Earth.

  Gabe hesitated but then decided they might as well talk with so much time ahead of them. He had questions that he was sure Tyler wanted answers to, as well. He cleared his throat.

  “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. Maybe we should try to get to know each other a little better. Are you interested in children? I know you had to sign a form stating you would have at least two, but would you be willing to have more?” Gabe knew he was asking a hard question for someone who’d lived in town for well over a year.

  “As long as it’s safe to have more, I’m willing. I like children, but I’m not sure it would be a good idea to have one before I’ve handled a garden first.” She leaned forward as far as the safety harness would allow her. “Doesn’t mean we can’t practice though.”

  Gabe turned and watched as her face pinked from her neck upward. It was cute how she could say something like that then blush. He wished he could see the tops of her breasts. He bet they were that same pretty shade of rose. Her sable brown hair reminded him of mink back home when he’d hunted. Those whisky golden eyes were so expressive that he wondered why he hadn’t noticed them before. He loved the fact that she was curvy and had an ass he couldn’t wait to explore.

  “That sounds like a plan to me,” Tyler said with a laugh. “Do you have a favorite vegetable you want to plant a lot of?”

  “I’d love extra rows of tomatoes and peppers. I can put up anything we have a lot of. I’d also like to grow turnip and mustard greens in the fall. I don’t think a lot of people do that. Do you like turnip greens?”

  “Love them,” Tyler said.

  “Especially with cornbread on the side.” Gabe was sure they were going to get along famously. She didn’t seem nearly as snobbish as those who they’d asked about her had insinuated.

  “Pot-liqueur. Best meal around for a cool night.” Her husky voice had his cock sitting up and taking notice.

  “There won’t be a need to plant extra tomatoes. They run wild and try to take over the garden. We’ve learned to plant them in a separate place to the side of the rest of the garden so they don’t smother out the rest of the vegetables.” Gabe chuckled.

  “Do you like to ride?” his buddy asked.

  “Horses?”

  “Yeah, we have a few for rounding up the cattle when we need to vaccinate or if we’re going to slaughter one for meat. If you like to ride, we can take a short one in our area. I don’t like being out of the fenced in parts due to the likelihood of the mantises roaming the area.” Tyler used his rearview mirror to look at her.

  Gabe was glad his buddy had gone along with accepting her offer. He’d been surprised since he’d been the one to advise that they wait on the next ship instead of approaching her. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to be rejected, and since she wasn’t rejecting them now, he was fine with her. He sure hoped that was the case.

  “Will we get there in time to register at the council building? They used to make you do these fancy wedding ceremonies but stopped that a few years back. I don’t need a ceremony as long as you’re both sure.”

  Gabe looked over at Tyler. “We’re sure, and we should get there in plenty of time. We’ll go there first, then to get your things.”

  Tyler spoke up next. “Will we be able to get everything in one trip, or do you think we need to make a second one?”

  “Oh, I don’t have that much. One trip will do it, but if we have time, I’d like to stop by one of the clothing stores to get a couple of pairs of jeans. I’ll need more than what I have to work in the garden. Most of what I wore to work were dresses.”

  “Not a problem. We can do that.” Gabe smiled back at her.

  He wouldn’t mind her wearing some of her dresses from time to time. If she didn’t, he’d ask her to. He loved a woman in a dress. Easier access and they stirred the blood when they were all dressed up. He frowned. It wasn’t like they had anywhere to take her to warrant dressing up, but he’d think about it. Maybe during the spring and the fall when they weren’t run ragged they could have their meal outside under the two moons.

  He snorted. He’d never thought he had a romantic bone in his body, but Kelly’s arrival and subsequent proposal of marriage, so to speak, motivated him to think of ways to make her glad that she’d approached them. He wanted her to be happy. It might be difficult to tell sometimes, but he’d ask if he wasn’t sure that she was. There wasn’t anything like divorce on Alpha. When you married, it was for life. And by the way none of the original settlers looked older, life on Alpha might be a very long one.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as they stopped in front of the council building, Kelly’s nerves began dancing a tap dance up and down her back and shooting off fireworks in her belly. What if she’d made a mistake in approaching them? What if they saw someone from the next arrival they liked better and were stuck with her?

  Kelly jerked her hand down to stop her legs from bouncing as she waited for the guys to get down then help her down. Gabe unstrapped her then picked her up and swung her around to the ground. Tyler walked around and met them in front of the building.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yep. Are both of you really sure?” she asked in a small voice.

  “You don’t need to ask again. We’re sure. Are you having second thoughts?” Tyler’s question held a hint of worry.

  “No! I’m not changing my mind. I was afraid I caught you unawares and wanted to make sure nothing changed.”

  “Nothing’s changed.” Gabe put a hand to her elbow and guided her to the door as Tyler opened it for them. “Let’s get hitched.”

  Kelly chuckled at this, drawing stares from several people in the large room they entered. Some of them had astonished expressions as if she never laughed before. She was sure she had. She’d even smiled at times, but no one seemed to remember that.

  “We’re here to register as a family unit,” Tyler said.

  “The three of you?” one of the women asked.

  “That’s right. What do we need to do?” Gabe stepped toward the woman who’d spoken up.

  “Um, fill out this paperwork then appear before one of the council members to have it stamped and sealed.” She hesitated then handed him the paperwork with a clipboard. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the next ship to arrive? It should be here in the next few weeks.”

  “No. We don’t want to wait. We’re pledged and happy with our choices, right, guys?” Gabe took the proffered clipboard and grabbed Kelly’s hand.

  Kelly nodded, her heart lighter when Tyler agreed, as well. How could Sandra have asked them that right in front of her? What had she ever done to the woman to merit that? She was sure it was unfounded, but then Kelly hadn’t been overly friendly since she’d been there. It hadn’t occurred to her that it would matter. Nothing from her upbringing had prepared her for her journey to Alpha without an already picked pair of husbands.

  I’ll get to have an entire house instead of the little one room apartment. I can’t wait to spread out.

  She’d have to hit the ground running after this though. Spring was planting time and according to the last report she’d monitored concerning the weather predictions, there wouldn’t be another cold snap.

  “Can you fill out this part, Kelly? We don’t know enough about you yet to do that.” Gabe handed over the clipboard and paperwork.

  She quickly filled in the information concerning her history and signed the form in her spot then handed it over to Tyler to sign his name. They all got up and returned to the lady who’d given them the paper.

  “When can we see a council member?” Tyler asked her.

  “I�
�ll see who’s available and let you know.” She stood up and walked out of the room, only to return a few minutes later and indicate they should follow her.

  Once they met with the council member and had their paperwork approved, Tyler and Gabe led her back out of the building and over to the first store with clothing. While she picked out some jeans and shirts, they browsed the men’s clothing. She picked out two pairs of jeans and three shirts that would be good for working in the garden.

  “I’ve got what I need, guys.” She held up the clothes.

  “You need more than two pairs of jeans, Kelly. Get another two pairs and a few more shirts. It may be a month before we come back this way.” Gabe nodded toward the women’s section.

  “I only have enough credit for this. I can get more the next time we do come.”

  Tyler took the clothing out of her hands. “We’ve got plenty of credits with our grain and food stores. Get two more pairs of jeans and at least two or three more shirts.”

  “I don’t want to use your credits. You might need them for seed or machines or something.”

  “Kelly. You’re our wife now. We take care of you. All of your credits will be rolled into ours and what’s ours is yours.” Gabe shoved her toward the women’s section again.

  Kelly couldn’t help but smile at how they were already trying to take care of her. She actually felt the smile bloom as naturally as if she’d been doing it all her life. Maybe she’d just needed a real reason to smile. If for no other reason, Kelly started falling for the two men who’d agreed to be her husbands.

  * * * *

  Tyler couldn’t believe that the clerk at the council building had actually asked them in front of Kelly if they wanted to wait until they’d had time to check out the new women on the next space ship. No wonder they’d never considered Kelly before. The women had given them the idea that Kelly wasn’t interested in anyone. Maybe they should have checked on that themselves before now. Thank God, she had approached them.

  They finished at the clothing store and Gabe suggested they have coffee and something sweet before they stopped by her place to load up her things. When they entered the little restaurant, it surprised them when heads turned to stare at them as they took a seat. It was obvious that the word had spread about their marrying Kelly. Tyler didn’t like how they were watching them, as if they thought Kelly would treat them poorly in front of everyone.

  “Well, hello, guys. What can I get you?” Deedee, the waitress, stood by the table with pad and pen in hand.

  “Coffee for all of us and what are your pies today?” he asked.

  She rattled off the pies and added that they had fudge brownies, as well. Tyler and Gabe gave her their order, but before Kelly could order, the waitress turned to walk off.

  “Wait, Deedee. Kelly hasn’t ordered yet.” Tyler had to work hard to keep the anger out of his voice. It was a direct snub of their wife.

  “I figured she was on a diet, sorry.” Deedee looked at Kelly, a slight sneer on her lips.

  “She doesn’t need to go on a diet. She looks like every man’s dream to me. What do you think, Gabe?” Tyler wanted to tell the other woman that she needed more meat on her bones, but wasn’t about to sink to her level.

  “She’s beautiful just like she is.” Gabe reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “Maybe I’ll just stick with coffee,” Kelly said.

  Tyler could see how her lips turned down and her eyes teared up. He wasn’t having any of that. She deserved to be treated nicely. Why were they all so down on her? Had she done something to them?

  “Nonsense. What would you like, pie or a brownie?” Tyler asked.

  “Um, just a brownie. Thanks, Deedee.” She’d managed to blink the tears out of her eyes, but Tyler could still see the hurt in them.

  When the other woman had left, Tyler looked over at her. “Why are the women so rude toward you, Kelly?”

  “I don’t know. They’ve been that way since the first time I was passed over as a bride. When no one claimed me, they just started being rude to me. One of them actually accused me of trying to seduce her husband. It was completely false. I’ve never approached a married man. It took all of my guts to approach you guys when I didn’t know why you hadn’t chosen a wife yet.”

  Gabe shook his head. “That’s ridiculous. Why would they treat you that way just because you hadn’t met the right men yet? I don’t want you to take their crap, hon. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.”

  “I think that because I didn’t have my own men, they worried I’d try for one of theirs. I wouldn’t have. I never did.”

  “Well, no more. If you don’t stop it now, we’ll stop it when we find out about it,” Tyler said.

  The waitress returned with their coffee and pie for Tyler and Gabe and the brownie for Kelly. Tyler noticed that it was smaller than what he knew they normally were but didn’t point it out. He wasn’t going to kick up a fuss about that since it would probably embarrass his new wife.

  My new wife. I sure like the sound of that. I can’t believe we finally have one of our own.

  They’d checked out the women when the infrequent ships landed but never found one they were both interested in. Usually one of them wouldn’t like something about the women the other one had picked out. He was a little surprised that both of them really went for Kelly. He liked how she was upfront and expected them to tell her if they weren’t sure about something she did or said. He was sure Gabe liked her body. He loved a Rubenesque-shaped woman even more than Tyler did and he loved that their Kelly had meat on her bones.

  He bet Gabe was eager to get in her tight ass. The man had a thing for a woman’s ass. He was fine either way. He just wanted someone warm and soft to hold on to. The reed thin waitress would be like fucking a skeleton to him. Sharp angles and hard bones. Nope, not for him.

  Once they’d finished their dessert, the three of them loaded back up to make the short trip across the little town to the dormitory used for singles when they arrived. Kelly had never had the opportunity to leave it. Now she would have a home with them. He and Gabe followed her inside her small room.

  “Most of what I have is already in these containers. I just need to grab my bathroom toiletries and the rest of my clothes.” She disappeared into the bathroom then returned with a case and stuffed it in a box. “You can go ahead and take the rest out while I pack my clothes.”

  “This is it? You’ve been here for over a year and this is all you have?” Tyler couldn’t believe that all she had to her name fit in three small containers and whatever she was filling up now.

  “Well, I really didn’t have anywhere to put anything. The rooms are small since we weren’t supposed to stay in them more than a month or two. I’ve got my books, I’m happy.” Her face actually lit up with the curve of her mouth.

  Tyler got lost in how pretty she was when she smiled so naturally. He’d do everything he could to have that smile on her face all the time. Her entire face shone when she did.

  It only took two trips to load everything to her name into the transport. Tyler couldn’t help but wonder what she might need that she didn’t have. They wouldn’t be traveling back for at least a month.

  “Think, Kelly. You aren’t living in town anymore so you can’t just run to a store and pick up what you need. Is there anything you might run out of before next month?” Tyler asked.

  “No. I usually keep at least a month’s supply of everything just to be safe. What about groceries? Do you know of anything you might want and don’t have now that I’ll be there to cook for you?”

  Tyler exchanged looks with Gabe. “I guess we hadn’t thought of that. We’ll make do with what we have for now and you can make up a list of what is needed for next trip. How about that?”

  “That’s sounds great to me. I’m good to go, guys.” She beamed one of her natural smiles at them as they closed the door to her old home.

  On the ride back to the homestead, Tyler kept her entertained with
stories of how they’d first started the farm and how the cows were getting into the grain until they double gated the grain barn.

  “I swear there’s something in the grass they eat that makes them smarter. I’ve never had a cow learn how to unlatch a gate. A horse, yeah, but never a cow.” Tyler enjoyed watching Kelly as he talked.

  “Tyler, remember the first time it snowed?” Gabe asked.

  “Lord, do I. I’m from east Texas and it snowed, but never as much as it snows here. We had to tie a rope around each other so that we didn’t get lost. Now when it’s winter time, we string ropes from the house to the barn and to the grain house so we don’t lose our way.” Tyler continued rattling off stories until they reached the house.

  “Why don’t you go on inside and start something for supper while we unload your things?” Tyler helped her down from the transport.

  “Okay, thanks, guys.” She disappeared inside the house.

  “What do you think?” Tyler asked Gabe. It was the first opportunity they had to talk without Kelly around.

  “I wish we’d approached her sooner. I like her. She’s pretty and witty and once you get past her shyness, really friendly.”

  “I can’t believe how the women in town treated her. How was she able to deal with that day in and day out? They were cruel to her.” Tyler picked up a container and carried it toward the house.

  “I had to hold my tongue with Deedee. She’s always been nice before, but she was downright rude to Kelly today.”

  Tyler pushed open the back door and crossed the room to carry the box upstairs to their shared room with Gabe right behind him.

  “You’d think that with her off the market the women would have been relieved and nice to her. I don’t get some people,” Gabe told him. “Why can’t everyone get along?”

  “That’s how it was on Earth. Selecting specific people to go out into space didn’t weed out human nature, Gabe. It only made sure there was a chance at survival and continuation of the human race.”