Free Monroe, Marla - The Ranchers Take a Wife [Men of Space Station One #1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Marla Monroe

outside. Phillip waited a few seconds, then peeked out the window to see how they were doing. By the frown on Lacy’s face, not so well. He groaned and walked outside to see what was going on.
    “I just want to see what my garden looks like in the moonlight. What’s wrong with that?”
    “I told you. It’s too dangerous at night to be walking around out there.”
    Phillip stepped between them. “Cam, why don’t you walk her out there? She’d be safe enough with you.”
    “Why would I want to go walking around in the garden at night? I do enough of that during the day.” He truly looked dumbfounded.
    “Never mind. I think I’ll call it a night. I’m tired, anyway.” Lacy kissed Phillip on the cheek and walked back in the house.
    Cam started to follow her, but Phillip grabbed his arm. “Wait up.”
    “What? I came out here with her like you said.”
    “Why didn’t you walk her around the garden? She wanted to spend time with you and you shot her down.”
    “We were spending time here on the porch.”
    “What happened to the man who was worried about how the women would feel once they landed? You were worse than a father waiting on the birth of his baby while we were waiting on the shuttle to land.” Cam shook his head.
    “Things change, Phillip. We have a farm to run that provides wheat, corn, and grain for the community. If the crops fail, we’ve got one hell of a mess on our hands. This mole is threatening to do just that. Kill our crops. I can’t help but be a little uptight.” Cam’s voice had risen slightly.
    “Hey, easy. I’m not criticizing you.”
    “Well, it sure as hell sounds like it to me. I’m doing the best I can, Phillip. There just isn’t a lot of me to go around. I guess it’s a good thing you’re here to see about her.”
    He stormed off the porch and disappeared into the night. Phillip felt guilty then that he’d pushed him so hard to spend time with Lacy. He was right. The farm was important, and lots of people depended on them to bring in the harvest at the end of the growing season.
    Phillip leaned his hands against the railing of the porch and sighed. He needed to back off of Cam, but he didn’t want Cam and Lacy to become strangers to each other. He knew Lacy liked Cam, but she acted a little afraid of him at times. It was his gruff manner, and lately, his sharp tongue.
    His friend hadn’t been this way a year ago. But then they were just getting there and starting out. They had all sorts of plans for the farm and couldn’t wait to get started. They had planted small fields of each crop to see how they would fare and started building their house. By the time the crops were ready to come in, everything was going smoothly. They hadn’t had a single problem setting up house, but once winter was over and the promise of the women arriving problems began to happen.
    At first it was small things. The late snow that prevented them from getting their seeds in the ground on time, the mole that began to outmaneuver their traps, and the tracks from an animal they had never seen before showing up close to the yard all proved to be added pressure on them. Well, he had to admit, Cam was taking most of the pressure on himself. Phillip vowed to help him more. Lacy would be fine now if they didn’t spend as much time with her as he would like. She knew all about farm life and would understand.

    * * * *

    Several weeks later, Lacy woke to find Cam climbing out of the bed nearly an hour early. She waited until she heard the shower running before slipping out of the bed and tiptoeing to the bathroom. She eased in the bathroom and walked into the shower to find Cam facing the back, scrubbing with the sponge.
    Lacy wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. He grunted and turned his head to watch her as she walked around him.
    “What are you doing, Lacy?” he asked.
    “I’m taking care of my husband.” She sank to her knees and grasped his hardening cock with her hands.
    She squeezed