The good news was they’d given me some discernable skills. At the end of the day, I passed out on my hard cot. It wasn’t the McQueen’s luxurious bed, which I would always miss, but it was mine for now.
A knock on my door roused me too soon. It wasn’t morning yet. Had something gone wrong? I got up and cracked open the door to see Thomas McQueen on the other side.
He held up one hand and waved. “Hi.”
Out of everyone I could have pictured on the other side of my door, he was the last I would have expected. “Hi.”
I swung open the door. I’d slept in the shirt of my work uniform, a white dress version. I needed at some point to get some clothes. I’d have to save for those, too.
“My brothers tell me I was not very welcoming to you.” He pursed his lips. “I’m not good with people. I’d like to make sure you know you’re welcome with us. In fact, if you could get your stuff and come with me right now, I’d prefer that. Come on home.”
I leaned against the door. “Thomas, you don’t like me, and that’s fine. I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. When I lived on the Station I was too brazen. I got myself into humiliating trouble. Now, I can’t seem to not look at the floor. It’s hard right now.” I gave into the urge for a moment to relive the pain. Finally, I looked up. “Go on with your life and don’t worry about me.”
“Paloma.” He stepped away from the door. “Right now, it’s fishing season. It’s relatively safe. You’ve got fishermen here, and Buddy Crow is a good guy. I trust him. In two months, Buddy will leave. He only works here three months a year, then goes back to his ranch far away from here. He does it every year. You’re waiting on a shuttle that doesn’t come very often. Sporadic, to say the least. I think it’s been a year since it was here. When he leaves, a guy named Preston Dallas takes his place. He’ll be on you like it’s his job to get in your pants. The clientele changes then, too. It’s people running from something. So, I can either ask you to come with me now or pull you out then, if I haven’t already left. In the meantime, I can take you to Mars Station, which Clay says I did not offer nicely enough. I am apparently supposed to tell you I’d like to take you.”
I snorted before I leaned my head against the door to cry. I’d found a job. I’d had it for one day. So of course it was all going to hell. Why should anything work ever? I didn’t want to be stuck in a situation where I might have to fight off the attention of someone who wanted to have sex with me even if I didn’t want him. Not with my game plan to consider. If the McQueens left, there would be no one to help me.
“I completely respect that you are trying to make it on your own. I made a similar decision once.”
I raised my head from where I wept. “I guess I have to come and impose on you.”
“Take off your uniform, put the other one back on, and we’ll get out of here.”
I wiped my eyes. “One whole day working. Felt good, you know?”
“I do, actually.”
When we went back to the transport vehicle, I saw the other three McQueens sat there, waiting. “Hi everyone. I wasn’t expecting you all here.”
“They wouldn’t be left. I don’t think they believed I could get you to come.” He climbed into the driver’s seat. Keith patted the seat next to him, and I got into it. Soon, we were off.
Keith nudged my shoulder. “Come on, sweetie. You’re with us for a while until we get you safely off. Or you could just decide to stay indefinitely. I’d be fine with that, too.”
Quinn kicked him. “Don’t scare her off.”
In between the twins, I felt warm. I’d stumbled on these guys who wanted me a round for a few days. Maybe I could just assume I’d finally gotten lucky.
Keith touched his shoulder, and I leaned on it. “I wanted to come all day. You are a girl from Mars Station who got forcibly sent to live with the Sisters. You saw them all die. I think you need a break, not a work day.”
Clay, who sat next to Thomas in the front seat, turned around. “He really did. Tommy and I thought you deserved a little time and you’d come back. Then you didn’t. So we made Tommy go do what he should have done right off.”
The hum of the vehicle was low and comforting. Soon, my eyes were closing. Keith’s shoulder was comfortable, and Quinn’s hand on my knee told me I wasn’t alone.
I woke when the vehicle stopped.
“She’s got the cutest little snore. I could listen to it all night.” Keith spoke low over my head.
“And beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been close to,” Quinn answered.
Thomas spoke over them. “Don’t get too attached boys. We can’t keep her. Even if we could, she might not want to. A woman straight from the Sisterhood can’t do what we do.”
I sat up, stretching my arms over my head, and gave them my best fake smile. It fooled everyone, always. The twins fell for it, grinning back. “Sorry I dozed off there.”
“It’s a ten minute ride. Don’t worry.” Keith shrugged. “I liked it.”
I followed them back into the house. Clay came up behind me, putting his hand on the small of my back. “Same room as last night. In the morning, we’ll get you some clothes. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re here.”
“I … I thought I hated you. That night after I saved your life, I hoped I’d never see you again. I’m so glad I was wrong. Thanks for coming back.”
He pulled me into a hug. I stood stiffly. It had been such a long time since anyone had embraced me I didn’t know what to do with the sensation. Eventually, I released my arms and hugged him back. He sighed.
“You have been all I can think about, Paloma. I took that stick from her, and if she’d been a man, I would have beaten her to death. I didn’t know what to do. Why didn’t I take you from her and run right then?” He sucked in a breath. “I have this complicated life. That doesn’t mean I can be less than who I am. I’m sorry.”
“Mr. McQueen.” I used the name I would have at the Sisterhood. “You couldn’t have taken me and run. They would have stopped you, arrested you, and returned me. Then they would have beaten me with the stick. We just got it done early.”
He kissed my temple. “Get some rest. I’m here if you need me. We all sleep upstairs. Bathrooms are downstairs. Not the perfect layout. Your room has a bathroom, which you know. We didn’t build the house; we just bought it. Our other house … Never mind about that, I guess. Good night. See you in the morning.”
“I’m in someone’s bedroom, aren’t I? Who have I displaced?”
He shook his head. “No. None of us would have been able to sleep in the back of the house. It’s a thing. Room’s only been slept in by you. Night, Paloma.”
I walked to my bedroom. Clay’s hug had been really ridiculously nice. But I had to wonder what they were involved in that they couldn’t have a girl around. And I didn’t snore—cute or otherwise. They were just downright wrong about that.
The next morning I made them eggs again and gave Clay a list of stuff to buy in town. The twins didn’t get up for breakfast, so it was only Thomas, Clay, and myself around the table.
“We can leave tomorrow morning. My grey shuttle will be all set by then. It’ll be good to run it.”
I nodded. “What can I do to pay my way?”
He pointed at the eggs. “Make breakfast.”
I shook my head. “I have to do better than that.”
“No. What do you want to do once you get to Mars Station?”
I shifted in my seat. There was the question I dwelled on more than anything else. “They have hotels there too. I can clean, cook. The same things I was going to do here, I suppose. I never thought much about the future. It was always marry, produce babies. I’m pretty much off the market for that.”
Clay looked up from his food. “You’re a gorgeous, single, available woman. You’re not off anyone’s market.”
“On Mars Station I will be, which is okay.” I needed to change the subject. “Keith and Quinn work nights? What do they do? What d
o you all do?”
Thomas sat back. “I make shuttles and sell them to very rich people who want to buy them. Clay is a lawyer. The twins? They’re professional gamblers. They work through the dark enclosures. Online, through their tablets, at night. It’s not as nefarious as it sounds. They have sponsors and everything. We move a lot. Wanderlust.”
There was more to their stories than he was telling, although I believed him that was probably mostly what they did. I’d heard him loud and clear the night before. They couldn’t keep me. I did need to go.
I wouldn’t get comfortable.
“What can I do today besides cook? Can I clean?”
“No.” Clay shook his head. “We can clean up after ourselves. I don’t have a lot of work today. Could you keep me company? I’d like to take a walk. The weather will be cold when we get back from taking you home. Be nice to be outdoors today.”
Thomas narrowed his eyes. “Be careful out there. Lots of attention here. The authorities are going to be out in force since the Sisterhood was destroyed.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “I wonder if my parents will care.”
Clay took my hand. “I’m sure they’ll be heartsick thinking you’re dead.”
“Or they won’t.” Thomas shook his head. “They dumped her here. For five years. Their agenda does not seem to include caring very much about her welfare. Maybe they’ll be relieved.”
The McQueen I had saved from death covered his face with his hand. “Tommy. Damn it. Do you have to be so hard all the time?”
“I don’t sugarcoat things. It gets no one anywhere. Did I say I approved of their behavior? Am I impressed with her family? Fuck, no. Does that make it any less true? Paloma watched her home explode. She doesn’t need coddling.”
Clay hit the table. “Maybe a little coddling would be exactly what she needs.”
“Then do that. Take her for a walk. Act the part. Have at it. Don’t expect me to change who I am, what I think, or how I behave. I worked too hard to stop having to pretend.” He rose and cleared his plate. “Have a good day. I have deals to get done.”
Thomas exited the room and finally his younger brother spoke. “Sorry about that.”
I stood and started on the dishes. “You don’t have to apologize. He speaks his truth. Once, I was like that, too. He’s not wrong. But someday I’ll have a family like yours where we all care about each other. Maybe. If my future love or loves can deal with the fact that I’m not untouched.”
Clay took my hand. “Leave the dishes. Let’s walk.”
I nodded and followed him outside. Now that I wasn’t running for my life or running from a place I didn’t feel I belonged to, I could appreciate the natural scenery. Big hills spanned the landscape north of us with big lakes on either side.
“Do you like to fish?” I’d once known how to talk to anyone. It had been a skill my parents taught me. I had to feel Clay out to find out his interests, and then we could discuss it.
He shook his head. “No.”
Okay. Well, then that wasn’t the subject. “The mountains are gorgeous.”
“Yes, very pretty. Great view.” He smiled at me. “I’ve never been to Mars Station, but I know someone who seems to like it very much. A person I used to know. Kind of shocked it’s so status oriented. Seemed more wild west from what I’ve heard.”
“Somehow, it’s both.” He had a strong profile. Clay was handsome. I’d not let myself really notice before. I was strolling through the countryside with what I would have once told Diana was a dish of a man.
He put his arm around me. “Paloma, if I had any different kind of life, if I could afford to be who I wanted, I’d tell you I don’t give a shit who you slept with or how many there were. Any real man, he’s just grateful to have you, and it would be pleasure enough that I could keep you.”
My heart turned over. “But you’re not that man, Mr. McQueen?”
“Call me Clay.” He hugged me again. “I don’t like to be called McQueen. I just don’t. Someday I’m going to hear that you got married, and I’m going to curse this time for being too hard for me to court you.”
“I’m not a woman you have to court. I’m ruined, remember?”
He kissed my forehead. “You’re exactly the kind of woman who should be courted.”
CHAPTER THREE
You Don’t Control the Weather
The winds woke me, and the rain made it impossible for me to fall back into dreamland. I got out of bed then padded into the main part of the house. It was still dark. A humming from the fridge was the only sound I heard, although a glow of light illuminated the top of the stairs. The twins were probably gambling. I hadn’t seen them at all on the previous day. They’d rolled out of bed, Thomas told me at dinner, around three and gone to the town to see to some things. I didn’t ask what those were. I was leaving. I couldn’t push myself into their lives.
I opened the fridge and grabbed a small container of milk. Then I found the glasses and poured myself some. Milk was a real luxury. The sisters had one cow. I hadn’t really gotten to indulge in any since I’d left the station. A sip here and there. I was lucky if they fed me at all.
Keith came down the stairs. “Heard you there. All okay?”
I sipped the milk. “Okay that I took some of this?”
“Sure. Got more in the other fridge.”
They had more than one container? I wished I’d known before I sent Clay to the store. I hope he didn’t over buy.
“Thanks.” I sat at the counter. “Wind woke me.”
“Then I say, thank goodness for the wind. Actually”—he looked out the window—“you’re probably not leaving today.”
“Really?” I walked out behind him and looked out the window. It rained hard. “Does the weather keep you landlocked? I grew up on a station. Weather’s not a factor for space travel, and the Sisters worked no matter what the day brought.”
He nodded. “When it comes with wind, yes. If you were going to be out cold in a pod, they could shoot you skyward and not care about the weather. A shuttle? Bad wind can keep us home.”
Keith smelled good, like soap and, somehow, cloves at the same time. I breathed him in. Clay had made me feel warm today, believing for the first time in a long time I might be okay. Even though I couldn’t have him because of whatever the truth was about their lives, I couldn’t daydream about both him and Keith. So rarely did family groups marry the same woman. Usually, it was friends or former military groupings. My sister had married brothers. These guys made no indication they wanted me that way.
He put his arm around me, and we watched the weather through the dark window for a little bit.
“Are you winning tonight?”
Keith shook his head. “No. But Quinn is. As long as one of us wins big every night, it’s a satisfying evening. But come to think of it, I am winning now. Thanks.”
“You’re a flirt.” I pinched his side lightly. “You know I’m safe. I’m leaving.”
“If you were staying, I’d be flirting harder than this.”
I groaned and leaned on his arm. “Thank you for taking care of me when I arrived.”
Keith kissed my hair. “I told you not to thank me for that.”
I looked at the ground. Some woman would someday be lucky. These guys were wealthy enough they could win themselves wives. She’d stand with him and watch the weather, knowing she was lucky because the sun would always come up for her.
“Come on.” He took my hand and led me to the couch. He tapped a remote, and all the shades opened. “Let’s watch the rain and be comfortable at the same time.”
“You live this opposite life. Sleep all day, work all night.”
Keith yawned. “It doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to Quinn. Thanks for reminding me. Now, I’m tired.” He squeezed me tighter.
“Do you like it? The gambling?”
“For now.”
He wasn’t offering more information, so I stopped prying. We sat next to each
other on the couch, eventually both of us lounging back together, his arm around my shoulder. The rain hit the cabin harder, and lightning flashed in the distance. I’d hated the weather at the Sisterhood. I had to weed, rain or shine. When it was wet, I spent my days soaked.
Keith had been quiet for a while, so I looked at him. His eyes were closed, a slight smile on his face. His breathing was even. He’d gone to sleep. My stomach clenched. What should I do? I’d never spent the night with a man. Not even Rocky. My father had ripped us apart three seconds after completion.
He was asleep, and he held me. It was such a bizarre thought. Shouldn’t he have been working? I tried to relax. His even breathing lulled me into relaxation. Eventually between Keith and the rain, I slept.
I woke up to sounds in the kitchen. Thomas rummaged through the fridge, pulling out juice. Neither Keith nor I had moved all night. I slipped out of his arms, which had loosened, and walked to the kitchen.
Thomas took out a second glass and poured me some juice as he did so for himself. “Morning.”
“Hello. Morning.” I sat down at the counter. “I hear the weather may be changing our plans.”
He nodded. “Can control everything but the weather. Tomorrow. We’ll go tomorrow. This will blow through. I could turn on the satellite to get a better idea, but I don’t want to. If I turn on the satellite to look out, then someone can look in.” He yawned and nodded toward the living room. “How’d he sleep? Toss and turn?” Thomas nodded toward where Keith still slept.
“Um, he’s still out cold. So I guess he’s doing okay. Why? Does he not usually?”
“He tells me he has trouble sleeping. It’s hard for him. He’d like to be awake during the day. But Quinn needs him at night. The twin thing. He can’t tell him no. You two were out. I was glad to see him resting. He makes better choices when he’s had a full night.” He shook his head. “When did I start saying shit like ‘better choices’? I sound like a dad. I used to be fun. You have no idea how fun I used to be. I used to be the one on the couch, too dead to the world to notice her sneaking away.”