Read Online Espino, Stacey - Midlife Ménage [Ride 'em Hard 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Stacey Espino - Free Book Online Page B

minutes.
    The orchard was beyond her sight, but as much as she should stay away, her mind nagged her to check on it. She’d nearly visited an early grave trying to water the trees, but it still twisted her heart into knots to sit back and let them die without fighting harder. With the sun nearly set, she wouldn’t have to worry about the effects of the sun weighing down on her. Maybe if she went slowly, and carried a windup lantern, she’d be able to water them enough to keep them alive another day. If she could swallow her pride, maybe she’d ask Wade to help her out. But she was scared he’d think she was using him because he had shown an interest in her. It wasn’t true. She had a soft spot for Wade, just as she did for Jackson. Her life had never been in such a tangle.
    Six or seven hours must have passed since she fell asleep. She held the lantern in her hand as she headed out to the orchard. The sun set quickly now, the great red globe dipping out of sight on the horizon. The residual light would soon vanish, leaving her in solid darkness. Wendy stopped at the well before heading to the orchard, but the bucket was missing. It must still be lying where she’d dropped it. As she walked the remaining distance to the orchard, shadows slowly dominated the land. She realized how alone she was, the darkness stealing her usual courage. Normally she worked a long day, starting at sunrise, but by sunset she was safely in the house.
    She wound the lantern again once she reached the perimeter of her orchard. The cranking sound obscene in the surrounding silence. Even with the artificial light, the area beyond her small bubble of illumination was a solid wall of blackness. It would be a challenge to find her bucket and cart the water while holding the lantern. But she had no choice because the alternative was far worse.
    Wendy tripped over an obstacle, which was punctuated by a deep, male groan. Her light was extinguished when it hit the hard-packed earth, so she was night blind. She crawled up to her hands, reaching around blindly for the lantern. What was she thinking coming out here at this hour? She flicked on the light and held it up to scan the area.
    “Jackson?” Wendy set the lantern on the ground and rose to her knees. Her boarder was bare-chested, sweat slick, dirty, and appeared near death. His eyes were closed, a grimace on his face. “For the love of God, what have you done?”
    He’d come out here to take over her task of watering the trees. The evidence was all around her, dark patches on the parched earth under each tree. He must have come out as soon as she fell asleep. She had no idea he’d do such a thing since he and Wade were so against her trying to save the young trees. They’d each preached about the inevitability of trying to water the orchard by hand in the middle of a drought. Why had he done it?
    He groaned again, draping a forearm over his eyes.
    “Jackson, you have to get up.” Wendy was in her element. Caring for others was what she did best. She had to get him back to the house, wash him down, hydrate him, and then give him some vitamin-rich soup broth before watching over him as he slept. It all seemed so familiar, exactly what she’d done to herself in the morning. But she couldn’t worry about the irony now because when a grown man collapsed from exhaustion, it was always a serious affair.
    “I did it, darlin’,” he muttered, barely audible. “ Fixed the…watering hole…love me now—”
    “That’s enough talking. You’re delusional, Jackson. Can you get to your feet?”
    He started to scramble to his side, the muscles in his arms straining as he attempted to push up to his knees. “I’ll help you, but you’re too heavy for me to carry.” He was the size of her son, a big man weighing a solid two hundred pounds.
    It took many tries, but when he finally staggered to two feet, she had to take the brunt of his weight on her shoulders because his balance was shot. They