Mary's Men (7 page)

Chapter 6

Meat cooked, but as hungry as Paul had been before, he couldn’t get up the gumption to leave his place beside Mary. He’d let the speed of the wedding weigh him down, but he was no idiot. They’d stumbled into something amazing. When he and Thomas first started looking for women who fit the lifestyle they wanted, the ones they’d found lacked…sincerity.

There’d been calculation in each hook-up, and even though they’d seriously dated one woman a few weeks, he’d seen through her. She hadn’t kissed him when they were alone, never attempted to know him.

Mary loved him.

“Come on, guys, let’s eat,” Thomas called from the kitchen.

Paul groaned, but Mary sat straight up, stretching and smiling. She twisted to him and tickled her fingers up his sides. He jumped away. Her ability to go from emotional to playful guaranteed some interesting interaction in the future.

Mary clapped as she threw on Thomas’s discarded t-shirt. “Yay, someone is ticklish. Thomas isn’t, so I find the fact you are completely endearing.”

She padded into the kitchen with far more energy than Paul. More than lack of energy, though, his worry about Thomas grew. He needed his brother to be non-confrontational about his quiet time with Mary. Any friction would throw a wet sheet over their evening in bed.

Paul ambled to the dining table and grinned when he found Mary sitting on Thomas’s lap, already eating. She motioned for him to take a seat beside them while chewing. “This is so good. Is this from your cows?”

“Yep.” He shot a quick glance to Thomas. If he held onto Mary a little tightly, Paul figured that was fair enough. Sharing took practice.

“I can tell these potatoes are from the market.” She crinkled her nose after a bite. “I swear, they taste more like chemicals every season. Next year I’ll plant a bunch. Potatoes keep well in the cellar. Does this place have one?”

He took a bite, didn’t notice anything off-putting, but would till as much ground as Mary wanted. Money he didn’t have to spend on groceries could be put toward cattle.

“There’s a little cellar I can line for you,” he said, remembering the question in her chatter.

She smiled and took a bite of beef. Her eyes closed and she made a sound so close to her orgasm moan his cock twitched. He looked toward Thomas who also watched Mary. They were a couple of pieces of work. They’d never get a damn thing done.

“Can I borrow the truck tomorrow to pick up job applications?” Mary asked after several minutes of eating in silence.

“Job applications?” Thomas asked. “You just got here. There’s no rush to get you working, honey.”

After decades of seeing his mother work harder than two grown men at her job at the local diner, Paul instinctively didn’t want Mary to have to work outside the home. There was plenty around the cabin and ranch he could keep her busy with, while still not letting her hands get too calloused. He bit back his pride though, because he recognized the fire in Mary’s eyes at Thomas’s assurances she needed no job.

“Of course there is,” she said, her upbeat tone not on par with her intense gaze. “I’m not a guest here, I’m a member of the family. I’ll have a job. Girls are expensive you know. My dad always said raising daughters took more cash than sons.”

With only one vehicle between him and Thomas, they were already stretched thin on transportation. Most days, Thomas took the truck while Paul stayed on the ranch and used the shared ranch truck—but that wasn’t always available. Or he saddled his horse for shorter trips among the neighbors. Putting a ring on Mary’s finger and sharing her sexually with his brother had been easier, it turned out, than sharing how stretched they were financially.

“Paul, didn’t you have to let go your payroll guy?” Thomas asked pointedly.

He had, because the guy demanded a raise Paul couldn’t give. Hell, he had a hard enough time making payroll, so losing Steve had been a blessing in disguise. He could write checks…and did by the light of the moon the night before payroll was due.

“I did.” Paul quickly calculated what he could offer Mary to do the job and still buy food at the end of the month. He threw out a number and wished he could take it back. She deserved more.

Mary nodded. “For doing payroll? How many guys?”

“I’ll keep doing it,” Paul muttered. “It’s not worth your time. I can take you into town tomorrow to pick up applications. I’m sure the grocery store would pay you better.”

He took another bite of steak, but it tasted like old leather. They needed to get their shit straight to take care of Mary. It was time to do the things they’d always planned, not continue scraping by.

“What, you’re not even willing to negotiate?” Mary asked. “Maybe your number is a little low, but what perks can you offer?”

“Perks?”

She grinned. “Garden space? Barn space? Maybe half a beef before winter? I could take those instead of a bigger paycheck.”

“That’s a hell of a deal.” Thomas kicked Paul under the table.

He held back his wince, his pride smarting more than his shin. She had a kind heart, and in her creative way, she helped him save face.

“As the ranch owner I can approve barn space and half a beef,” he said. “As your husband, I’ll till up every flat acre if it makes you happy.”

She held out her hand. “I agree to the terms of employment. When do I start?”

He accepted the shake and though there was work to be done, plans to flesh out, dreams to put into action, he felt like he’d brought a good partner on board to make it all work. “Welcome to the team.”

* * * *

Thomas wiped water vapor from the mirror and still couldn’t see enough to shave. The tiny pitted mirror had to go. He threw his razor in his shaving bag and stowed it on the rickety shelf near the window.

Mary needed better. He looked around the tiny outhouse, bare bulb swinging when a gust of wind hit the north wall. He’d always known the place was a hole, but until Mary stepped onto the property, he’d ignored it.

As soon as he had a job, he’d make improvements. They needed a walkway to the outhouse before winter hit, and if they could scrape together more cash, new plumbing and insulation would help. The contractor who built the cabin didn’t take into account the drainage field and screwed up the whole thing. They had to start from scratch if they wanted better.

Even if Paul’s sale went through… Thomas tossed aside the towel he’d brought out. Making plans they couldn’t see through without a list of conditions would only lead to discontent.

Thomas headed back to the cabin, the late summer night still warm. He’d continue his job hunt in the morning. If he could find any spare time he’d help Paul get his paperwork together too.

When he’d agreed to go along with Paul’s plan, he’d done so nearly certain they would fail. So fresh from school, he’d hoped to have more put together before taking on responsibility. A car, a salary…a means of supporting himself and Mary. He pulled open the door and left it unlocked. The darkness of the cabin eased near the bed where Paul had a single lamp plugged into the wall.

He circled the bed and found Mary and Paul tucked close, fast asleep. She smiled in her sleep, the tiny upturn of her lips the expression she’d worn when he’d started falling in love with her. This was why he’d rework his schedule, so he could see this smile. He pulled the blanket higher over her shoulder and turned off the light.

He and Paul had planned on discussing sleeping arrangements when he returned from the shower, but Thomas headed for the couch. They’d figure out details in the morning. He stretched out on the sofa, the lumpy cushions less comfortable than ever. He flipped the throw pillow and stared at the ceiling. With Mary so close, the couch wouldn’t cut it. He pushed to his feet and stumbled through the dark to the bed. He took the left side, not thrilled to be next to Paul, but it beat being across the room.

Maybe they would shuffle around and Mary would get back into the middle. No matter who he slept beside, Thomas figured he’d better get used to it. When Duane made it back, they’d have to shift again. As long as Mary kept smiling, he’d make it work. He fluffed the pillow and settled between the sheets. Paul shifted and took half the blankets.

They needed a bigger bed.

Chapter 7

Mary set aside the ledger she’d been going over while simultaneously cursing Paul. Incorrect arithmetic, messy handwriting, backtracked additions and subtractions. Did the man even own a calculator? She groaned. She’d need two acres tilled to make up for cleaning up this chaos.

The sound of tires on gravel gave her a reprieve from the books. She closed the cover and pushed to her feet. Before she reached the door, Thomas stepped in with a bottle of wine and a grin on his face. She’d sent him off a bundle of nerves, ready to console and encourage him if necessary. Celebrating was better.

“You’re looking at an employed man,” Thomas said, holding open his arms.

She squealed and ran to him, thrilled to celebrate their first milestone together.

Paul stepped into the house right at seven, just as he’d promised. Unlike his twin, Paul was filthy. None of Thomas’s spark showed on Paul, but when he looked up from taking off his boots he smiled. “Good news, I take it?”

“I got the job.” Thomas set Mary down. “It’s not exactly what I wanted, but it’s a six month commitment with an option to sign on after. It might only last six months, but I’ll have a steady paycheck until then or until I can find something better.”

Paul nodded. “Nice. I’d say let’s eat steak, but we did that last night.”

“I found a chicken in the freezer.” Mary hugged Thomas’s side. “It’s already baking. I’m so proud of you.”

She tried to temper her excitement for Thomas with her commiseration for Paul. It had taken only a cursory reading of the books to understand the other twin’s enterprises weren’t going nearly as well. From what she’d seen he scraped together paychecks by the skin of his teeth and paid himself next to nothing. Celebrating with one and loving another through hard times shouldn’t have hit so soon, but for the first time in her life, Mary jumped into something with both feet. She’d be the wife, the comfort and support.

She hugged Paul when he got close. “Hey. Did you have a good day?”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It was a long one for sure. I need to get Jack his last check tonight.”

“Good,” Thomas said. “That guy is an ass. You’re better off without him.”

Paul’s lips tightened. “Yeah, I am.”

The financial situation fresh in her mind, Mary didn’t know how accurate that was. From the grim line of Paul’s face, she’d bet he planned to fill the gap himself. She’d only been in the family, been his wife, for a few days, but the bricks were stacking in around them. She could tell him it wasn’t physically possible for him to work an eighty-hour week or she could try to pick up a few herself.

Mary wrapped her arm around Paul’s waist. “Well, if you need stalls cleaned, you let me know. I might have toned these arms on weed pulling, but they’ve been known to wield a mean shovel. I’ll get the check ready for you to sign.”

“I’m going to have to put you on my accounts,” Paul said, taking a seat beside Thomas. He elbowed his brother. “Congrats. I mean that. You worked your ass off.”

Pride swelled in Mary’s heart. She didn’t expect full agreement all the time, but loved seeing their respect and kindness.

Thomas cleared his throat. “I also ran into Mom in town. She’s going to come for a visit tomorrow night.”

Mary froze. In the heat of the challenge and of the moment, she’d forgotten the little detail of family. Aunt Marcy gave her blessing, no matter what she did. She hadn’t considered Paul and Thomas’s family other than their accepting cousin, and she seriously regretted the oversight.

“Is she… Does she know about all of this?” Mary asked.

Paul and Thomas looked at her in tandem, their eyes slightly wide, cheeks tinged pink. Thomas cleared his throat first. “Um, no. She was not aware of our plans or of the elopement.”

Her stomach dropped. “Really? You didn’t think that was something you should have shared with her?”

They stared at each other but didn’t speak.

Mary groaned and headed for the stove, checking the chicken before jerking rice from the cabinet. “You two are a piece of work, you know that? At least I took care of my family before coming into this. Aunt Marcy gave me her blessing. My mother—well, I know she and my father never will—”

“I don’t get that,” Thomas said. “If your parents are in a plural marriage, what’s the difference with us?”

“The difference is in the numbers. They pursued a plural marriage out of faith. In their world, a husband is supposed to have multiple wives and loads of children. My father could tell you all the reasons, but it comes down to them believing with their whole soul that it’s the way God wants them to live. One man and multiple wives with many children. The other way around doesn’t work—it’s an abomination—so I’m writing them off like I did years ago. But this is on you. What’s your mom like? Is she going to be okay with all of this?”

Hope filled her. Maybe the reason the boys hadn’t mentioned their tastes to their mother was because she would be accepting and loving no matter what.

“She’s going to be pissed,” Thomas admitted. “She’s not going to like you, even if she never knows about the sharing. Our dad died when we were kids, and so we’ve been it for her. She’s pretty territorial about us.”

“Territorial?”

Paul’s blush deepened. “She…she’s not usually kind to the women we date.”

Her initial fear bred irritation. “So instead of, you know, warning me or giving me any sort of hints about this, you’re going to spring her on me tomorrow?”

“Come on, she’s not a demon,” Thomas protested. “I’m sure once she gets used to you, everything will be fine.”

Paul looked at him like he was crazy and Thomas blushed.

“Okay, so maybe ‘fine’ is an overstatement. Listen, Mary, you can handle her.” Thomas strode to her. He smiled at her again and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You’re strong, smart, and so sweet. We wouldn’t have married you otherwise. She’s our mom, and she is how she is. She won’t change, but you can set the tone for expectations. We will too. We’ll make it clear she has to accept all of this to accept us.”