“Maybe not. This looks too good,” she said, fixing the men a plate and handing it to them.
Ellis wondered if she was going to answer his question. Finally, after she’d spread out the food and made their plates, she glanced at him.
“I needed to get away. After the war, the men were not the same. It was time to leave and start over.”
That seemed like a reasonable answer, but was she telling the truth?
“What did your family think?”
A look of sadness filled her eyes and then she quickly looked up and smiled. “I told you the other night that they were dead.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but I didn’t want to talk about them that night. They’re no longer speaking to me, but that’s all right. We all must do what we have to, to survive in this world. They made their decision, and I made mine.”
“Please don’t ever lie to us again,” Ellis said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “To me they are dead. What about the two of you? What about your families?”
Lee sighed. “My mother and father are both dead. In fact, after we eat, I’m going to look in the pond. Oh, how I would love to see their faces again.”
Ellis watched her as she seemed to gather herself and smile at them. It was like she was trying not to think about her own family.
“My parents are gone” he said. “They were killed in a mining accident that took almost twenty men from town.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s terrible.”
“It was a bad time. They’ve been dead for at least ten years. This happened during the war. The mine was short-handed and a wooden beam gave way trapping them. By the time they were rescued, everyone was gone.”
Singing came from the waterfall and they all looked around to see where it came from.
“Never heard that before,” Lee said. “Maybe it’s true about the spirits residing here.”
Daisy gazed around. “Oh, spirits, if you’re here, please bless us with your presence. We are just three individuals trying to make it in this world.”
The wind rose and blew, tossing their basket. Lee jumped up to catch it before it went into the water.
“I don’t think they liked that,” she said.
Ellis reached over and took her hand. He pulled her closer and wiped a crumb from her lips. Her sapphire eyes widened. They were almost the same color as the water in the pond.
“That apple pie sounds awfully good right now,” he said, thinking he would so much rather kiss her, but waiting, taking his time.
“Ellis,” she said her voice a husky whisper. “Tell me what a marriage with you and Lee would be like.”
Now they were getting somewhere. Now maybe they could explain to her their way of life.
“We would be your men. We will protect you from everything. You will never go hungry or be without a home. One of us will always be there for you. That’s why we believe it’s better to have two husbands rather than one.”
Lee took her hand. “Understand that because we have your best interest at heart, if you don’t obey us, we will spank you if you disobey.”
“Spank me? I’m not a child. I’ll be your wife.”
“Yes, but we want you to obey,” Ellis said. “We want you to trust us to take care of you.”
“As your wife, I will insist you will listen to me and hear me when I’m not happy,” she said. “And if we have children, you will never turn your back on them. That is not going to happen or we may as well not marry right now. I insist.”
Stunned, Ellis saw her face growing red and he realized something had happened in her family life that caused her to feel this way. He didn’t know what, and he hoped that eventually she would tell them.
“And you will never beat me, hit me, or force me to do something I don’t agree with,” she said.
Oh, yes, something most definitely had happened, but he thought they could work through it.
“Agreed,” Lee said. “But again, if you disobey, we will pull you over our lap and spank you.”
A frown appeared between her brows. “Can I give you the reason why I disobeyed?”
“You may, but you’ll still probably receive a spanking,” Ellis said, thinking they would take care of her.
She frowned. “I like the two of you, I really do, I just hope you’ll be patient with me.”
There was still something she wasn’t telling them.
“We’ll always be patient with you. We will kiss you up until the day that we marry you, but we will never have sex with you outside of marriage. We will never force ourselves on you,” he said.
Tears filled her eyes and she glanced down, blinking rapidly before she glanced back at them. “Thank you.”
“Let’s have some of that pie,” Lee said.
Quickly, he dished out the dessert, but before he gave Daisy hers, Ellis took the plate from him. He cut a bite and fed it to her. Afterward, he leaned in and licked her lips with his tongue before he kissed her.
At first, she was tense, but then she softened. Leaning back, he forked another bite and gave it to her. This time, Lee leaned in, licked her lips, and kissed her.
When he leaned back he grinned. “My favorite way to experience apple pie.”
“Mine too,” she said with a sigh. “Mine too.”
A grin spread across her face. “Do it again, Ellis. I like it when you kiss me.”