Their New Home Read online

  She, Jane, and Felicity looked at the three houses arranged in a semicircle around the main building. Felicity shrugged. “I’ll take the far left one.”

  “I’ll take the one on the right. That leaves you in the middle, Randi. Is that okay with you?”

  “That’s great. Thanks. I’ll feel better sandwiched between you two.” She smiled.

  “I’m going to go check out the house. We should meet up tomorrow and talk about what we decide to work on first.” Jane waved and jogged off toward her new home.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Felicity said. “You’ll be okay, right?”

  “Fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  She walked over to where the men were unloading and stopped Bryson before he carried the box he had in his arms inside.

  “The house to the left is Felicity and her guys. The one to the right is Jane and her guys. We’ve got the one in the middle. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Works great for me. I’m sure Mason will be fine, as well. We’ll bring all our stuff over in a little while. Go on and scope out our new home.”

  Randi nodded and walked over to the fenced-off yard. She pulled the pin out of the clasp that held the door closed and opened it to walk through. Then she shoved it back into place so that they guys could reach it. She could have left it unlocked for them, but until she got used to their new home, she wasn’t taking any chances.

  The structure was a type of brick that had been brought over from Earth. Part of the house looked like stucco. She knew that part had been mined from the planet and used where they left off with bricks. She’d read that it was actually more durable than the bricks. She hoped so since the majority of the house was made up of it. The brick only covered the front part. The roof was a similar substance that was waterproof and could withstand the tough winters on the planet.

  She opened the front door and marveled at the spacious entrance hall. She’d have thought it would be a waste in a utilitarian type home where speed and space were important. The floor was faux wood and the walls painted a primary off-white. They’d been told they could requisition paint if they wanted to decorate the walls in a different color.

  She wandered off to the right and found a large room with a desk, a communication unit, and a file cabinet. This had to be the office where they’d keep up with each other and information concerning the garden and any livestock they kept.

  Randi walked back through the entrance hall to where the staircase was and took them to the second floor. There she found four bedrooms. Three were a nice size for a child, and the fourth was definitely the master. There were two large walk-in closets and a master bath that boasted a large walk-in shower that would accommodate three people as well as a large soaker tub.

  She smiled at the comfort of being able to take long, luxurious baths whenever she wanted to. That was a huge plus to her when she thought about the long days working in the garden. She had bath salts and had started learning how to make her own using some of the indigenous plants on Alpha and the ones they grew.

  A noise below drew her back down the stairs to find Bryson setting several boxes down in the entrance hall. He grinned up at her as she descended the stairs.

  “We’re unloading our things now. Thanks for marking your boxes with your name so it would be easy to figure out where they went. I’ll bring the ones that go to the bedroom upstairs once we have everything in the house. Have you checked the kitchen out yet?”

  “Not yet. I was on my way there next.”

  Randi followed Bryson through the large living room complete with fireplace and two large recliners as well as a club chair and couch. When she got to the kitchen, she nearly lost her breath. The thing was huge with a table and chairs on one end and the appliances and generous counter space on the other. They’d definitely planned for room to can and put up vegetables. She’d have no reason to fuss about counter space, that was for sure.

  There was a large electric stove, a dishwasher, a dehydrator, and a fridge. They’d been told they had a freezer down in the cellar if they needed it. She couldn’t think of a thing they’d missed. Since microwaves didn’t work on Alpha, she would be cooking everything on the stove or in the oven. It was odd that the contraptions didn’t work there, but they’d all gotten used to not having them.

  “What do you think?” Bryson asked.

  “It’s amazing. I sure didn’t expect the kitchen to be this large. I guess since I’ll spend so much time in it putting up what we grow, it needed to be this big.” Randi opened the fridge and was surprised to find that it had already been stocked.

  “They said they’d make sure we had what we needed to get started.” He turned and started to walk away then stopped. “Oh, almost forgot, there are chickens and two dairy cows that the three of you will need to see about. You can work out a schedule that works for you guys. It will be nice to have fresh eggs and milk.”

  “Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it. I’ll talk to Felicity and Jane about it later. I’ve tended to chickens, but I’ve never milked a cow. That’s going to be a new experience.” Randi couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of squeezing a poor cow’s teat.

  Bryson left the kitchen to return to the transport for more boxes, leaving Randi to check the cabinets to see if they had all the utensils and dishes they might need. As she opened one door after another, she was pleasantly surprised to see that they had everything she could possibly want.

  She opened another door to find a large pantry with a door on the floor she knew would lead down to the cellar. She’d save that for another time. Randi didn’t much like small, dark spaces.

  I’ll explore it when the guys are home, so I don’t feel like I might get trapped down there.

  She heard the front door open again and walked back through the living room to find Mason carrying a box upstairs while Bryson carried another.

  “Need any help?” she asked.

  “No need for you to try and carry anything. We’ve got it covered, hon,” Mason said.

  “I feel kind of useless just watching you guys.”

  “Why don’t you fix us something to eat? Haven’t had anything since we ate that bagged lunch on the way here.”

  “Good Lord. What was I thinking?”

  “You were probably thinking we’d just pop over to the commissary for supper like we did before.” Bryson chuckled.

  “You’re right. I’ll have something ready in a jiff.” Randi hurried back into the kitchen and checked the pantry and fridge to decide what to cook.

  Once she got going, she realized that she felt better about having moved out to the outer edge of their community now that she was here. It didn’t seem half as scary as she’d frightened herself into believing. Once they got the garden ready to plant, she’d be too busy to worry about what might happen. Of course, that didn’t apply to what was going to happen now that she had two men in her bed. That was something she’d avoided thinking about.

  Chapter Two

  “That was delicious, Randi. Thanks,” Mason said as he stood.

  “I agree. Sure was better than what we’ve been eating back at the other station.” Bryson carried his plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before adding it to the dishwasher along with Mason’s.

  “Thanks, guys. I was scared I’d be rusty since I haven’t cooked anything in nearly a year now.”

  Mason touched her arm, a light touch that sent a spark of interest straight to her pussy.

  “You have nothing to worry about. Your cooking is fine,” he said.

  “Everything will be better once we have fresh vegetables on the table. I can hardly wait until we can pick our own beans and peas and tomatoes,” she said.

  “Still have to plant it first. Don’t go counting those peas and beans until they sprout,” Bryson said with a chuckle.

  Randi found herself staring at the cute little dimple at the corner of his mouth. When he smiled like that, she got all warm and gooey inside. Both men were handsome a
nd easily got her juices going, but she wasn’t quite ready to jump into bed with them. They barely knew each other. Still, she couldn’t help how her body reacted to them.

  “When you finish in here, come on into the living room and let’s talk for a while. We need to get to know each other. There won’t be a lot of time once we start work tomorrow,” Bryson suggested.

  “I’ll be right there. It won’t take me long to clean up.” Randi wiped her hands on her jeans, suddenly nervous at the thought of being alone with the two men.

  This is crazy. They’re essentially my husbands. I’ve got to relax and not make this into some kind of scary thing. They won’t hurt me.

  Randi finished wiping down the counters after putting away the leftovers. She looked around the kitchen in case she’d forgotten something, but everything looked in order. She drew in a deep breath and walked into the living room where the two men were relaxing in their chairs, chatting about plans to break ground on the gardens the next day.

  “Isn’t it kind of early to do that?” she asked. “I thought the ground was probably still frozen.”

  “We’re going to see. It might only be the top layer that’s frosty. The sooner we get the ground broken up, the sooner it will be ready to plant. Once we’re sure the last frost for the season has passed, the clock will be ticking,” Mason said.

  “How will you know it’s the last frost?” she asked.

  “We go by observations from the others who’ve been working the land for the last eight years. They’ve kept excellent records, and we have copies of them to use in order to choose the best time for everything.” Bryson indicated the large notebook on the coffee table. “According to what I’ve read, the last frost should be in the next week or two. It will take us that long to get all of the land busted up then tilled and rowed.”

  “Is there anything in there that will help me decide how much of each vegetable to plant?” she asked.

  “Yep. Seems that tomatoes tend to take over gardens, so it’s best to plant them separately from everything else. You can read through it whenever you want to. We’ll keep it in the office, so we can all reference it,” Mason told her.

  “Don’t forget that we need to keep careful records of everything, as well. Keeping our history helps the future to know what to expect.” Bryson nodded over at Mason. “We’ll keep records of temperatures, winds, and anything we come across working the field. You need to keep a record of what you plant, when it sprouts, and the kind of harvest you end up with.”

  “After reading some of what is in that book, and from the talk around the station before we left, plants here grow much faster and larger than back on earth. Seeds that normally take seven to ten days to sprout are shooting up in four and five days. The vegetables grow larger, as well.” Mason looked over at Bryson. “Remember that watermelon they brought in last year? It weighed over ninety pounds.”

  “You can expect there to be an early harvest, and it will last until the first snowfall if we don’t till it under before then,” Bryson said.

  “I know I’ve read all this in the pamphlets they gave us, but it really didn’t dawn on me until we got here just how much work there will be. Jane, Felicity, and I will work together to get everything done. Plus, Jane has the books, and Felicity has the store to run.” Randi shook her head. “We’re all going to be pretty busy.”

  “Speaking of busy,” Mason said. “We need to get to bed. We’ve all got a long day tomorrow.”

  “Oh. You’re right.” Randi jumped to her feet then smoothed her hands down the sides of her pants.

  The men exchanged glances then Mason spoke up. “Randi. You don’t have to be nervous. Nothing is going to happen until we’re all ready.”

  “Oh, well, okay. I didn’t know what to expect.”

  “None of us do. We’ll take it one day at a time. We need to get to know each other before we jump into anything. For now, we’ll sleep together, that’s all,” Bryson assured her.

  Randi nodded and walked around to the stairs, pacing herself as she climbed them when she really wanted to race upstairs and hide in the bathroom. She entered the bedroom with her heart thudding hard against her ribcage as she dug through the boxes to find what she needed to get ready for bed.

  “You can have the bathroom first, hon,” Mason said.

  Randi hurried through her routine then tarried as she looked at herself in the mirror. What would they think about her when they saw her without clothes? Would they like her body or be repulsed by it? She wasn’t small or petite. She had large bones and was curvy. Did they like women with curves or did they prefer thinner women?

  So many questions. Most of which, Randi couldn’t answer right then or even in a few days. They had to get to know each other before they would be comfortable sharing more personal things. Sleeping together might help that, but she worried that it would make her all the more uncomfortable around them.

  She finally forced herself to step out into the bedroom wearing boy shorts and a T-shirt that she loved because of how soft it was. The two men had taken their shirts off, removed their shoes, and unfastened the top button of their jeans, but hadn’t undressed any more than that. They turned toward her when she entered the room.

  “I’ll go first,” Mason told Bryson.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and climb into bed, Randi. I’m not going to bite.” Bryson settled on one side of the bed when Mason closed the door to the bathroom. “I can tell you’re nervous. Don’t be. Nothing is going to happen tonight or any night until we’re all comfortable.”

  “I know. You’ve already said that, but I’ve never slept with a man overnight before. It feels—odd.” Randi pulled the covers up to cover her lap and sat with her back against the headboard.

  “Yeah, feels weird to me, too. We’ve only known each other a few days though I’ve seen you around the station.” Bryson shrugged. “It will all work out. There’s no need to rush anything. We’ve all got a lot of work ahead of us over the next few weeks anyway.”

  “What if you decide you don’t really like me?” Randi clasped her fingers together over and over.

  “I already like you, Randi. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. How do you feel about us?” Bryson asked.

  “I like you both.”

  “See. We both like you. You’re sweet and sexy and a great cook.” His wide grin softened some of the tension that coiled in Randi’s gut.

  “You think I’m sexy?”

  “Yeah. You’re all curvy, and you have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, wow. Mason thought you were as pretty as an angel the first time we really saw you.”

  Randi could feel heat crawling up her neck to her cheeks. The one thing about having fair skin was that everyone knew when she blushed.

  “Lay down and get some sleep, babe. You’re going to need all the rest you can get.” Bryson tugged the covers up over her.

  She lay there thinking about the two men. Bryson had warm brown eyes that twinkled when he grinned. The dimple near his mouth only added to his devilish good looks. His dark brown hair was cut so that it barely brushed the collar of his shirt. He had broad shoulders and strong hands with calloused fingers. She could tell that he’d worked hard while on the planet. All the muscles that moved beneath his shirt attested to that.

  Mason’s sandy blond hair was wavy and a bit shaggier than Bryson’s, but despite his light blue eyes, he favored the other man with broad shoulders, a trim waist, and toned muscles. Both men were about six-two to her five feet five inches. They didn’t exactly tower over her, but she felt protected when she stood near them.

  Randi drifted off wondering what the next day would bring and if the men would prove to be as kind and understanding as they appeared to be.

  * * * *

  “What do you think?” Mason asked Bryson when he’d returned from the bathroom.

  “She’s sweet. Did you see how nervous she was about sleeping wi
th us?” Bryson asked.

  “Yeah. I hate that she’s worried about it. I don’t want her to feel pressured, but I’m attracted to her, and she’s bound to notice sooner or later.

  Mason indicated his aroused state. His cock had been at attention off and on all day. As soon as she’d stepped out of the bathroom in the tiny outfit she was wearing, his dick had hardened to a nearly painful state.

  “I’m in the same boat. She’s sexy as hell with the way she moves. Her ass sways just right when she walks by us. Makes me want to reach out and squeeze it.”

  “Yeah, but we’re going to have to rein it in until she’s more comfortable with us. I don’t want her to think all we’re attracted to is her body. She’s sweet and smart. I want us to be able to talk about anything with her.” Mason sighed. “Not that we’ll have a whole lot to talk about at first. I doubt she’s going to want to hear reports of how we tilled up twenty rows at the end of the day.”

  “It’ll all work out. Once the garden is planted, we’ll have a little more time. All that matters right now is making sure she gets comfortable with us so that when we take the next step, she won’t be this nervous.”

  Mason knew the other man was right, but waiting might be just as bad. The longer they put off having sex, the more she would stew and worry about it. He was the rip the bandage off kind instead of taking it off slowly. It looked like he and Bryson would knock heads some in the future. It would make for an interesting life, that was for sure.

  He lay awake long after Bryson had fallen asleep, thinking about what life might be like now that he was part of a family. Though he wanted children, he hoped that Randi wouldn’t get pregnant before they had time to get to know each other better. Adding a baby too soon would put a strain on their relationship, as well as take up a lot of Randi’s strength when she’d have the garden to care for as well as a harvest to see to.

  Just thinking about all the food she’d have to put up along with the help of the other women worried him. They needed enough food to last all winter for the three families. Though he’d helped his father and grandfather with the garden back on Earth, he hadn’t helped with putting any of it up. That had been left to his mom and grandma. He could remember long evenings when they’d be stuck in the kitchen canning or freezing until midnight. It had never occurred to him how much work went into putting up a garden, but now he thought about it.