Read Monroe, Marla - The Hired Hands' Dilemma [The Men of Space Station One #3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) for Free Online Page B

a freaking family of them.”
    Keeton kept his foot on the cellar door and waited for Boyd to return with the guns. He was furious that they had left Ashley by herself and she’d gotten hurt. How were they going to leave her every day while they were out working the ranch?
    Boyd returned with the guns in hand. Keeton took one and checked it to be sure it was loaded. They opened one of the doors and walked down into the gloom of the cellar. Keeton found the light and pulled the cord. He heard a scurry of feet and turned toward the sound. There in the corner were three of the little buggers. They looked like a cross between a rat and a muskrat. They were the size of a small cat and had curved claws and razor-sharp teeth. They hissed like a snake when they realized they had been found.
    Keeton raised his gun and shot at the same time Boyd fired his gun. There was a cacophony of noise as they shot the little vermin.
    “Do you see any more?” Keeton asked.
    “No, all I saw was those three,” Boyd said.
    “Don’t touch them. We need gloves on in case there’s something in their blood or on their fur. Let’s find out where they got into the house first. I want to fix that right now so another family can’t crawl up in here.” Keeton began studying the ceiling.
    “Over here,” Boyd said from across the room.
    “Look. There’s a crack about the size they could squeeze through right here. It’s bound to be in the pantry on the floor. We wouldn’t see it because it would be under the bottom shelf.”
    Keeton cursed and looked around for a board to use to cover the hole. He found a piece of board that would cover it just fine.
    “I’ll go get a hammer and nails. Be right back,” Boyd said.
    He returned a few minutes later and Keeton boarded up the hole making damn sure nothing would get in that way again. He took a pair of gloves Boyd had also brought back and they cleaned out the rat things, taking them outside to bury. Boyd cleaned up the blood in the cellar so no one would accidently get any on their skin when they were down there while Keeton examined the ratlike creatures and buried them.
    “We better go shower before we touch Ashley again,” Keeton said as he closed and locked the cellar doors.
    “I’m sure she’s terrified now after hearing the gunshots. I called up the stairs that we were both fine but to stay in the room. She didn’t answer me, though.” Boyd opened the door to the kitchen.
    “She might have passed out, I guess. She was close to hysterical when we found her.”
    “Yeah, but she held up good and managed to get away from the thing,” Boyd pointed out.
    When they climbed the stairs, Keeton called out that they were coming in. He opened the bedroom door and Ashley was sitting at the head of the bed with her hands wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees.
    “Did you get it?” she asked.
    “Yep, it’s gone,” Keeton said.
    “Good. Something’s wrong with my leg, isn’t it?”
    Keeton sighed and nodded. “Let me see it again, baby.”
    She stuck out her leg, and he cursed. The bumps had grown some since they had been gone. He didn’t know what to do, and taking her over to Danny and Andrew wouldn’t help since they didn’t know what it was or what to do about the scar on Andrew’s or Rachel’s backs themselves.
    “Let’s get you in the shower, baby, and wash it good with soap and water.” Keeton began undressing.
    Boyd pulled Ashley to the edge of the bed and helped her out of her T-shirt and bra, then helped her pull her panties off. She didn’t appear the least uncomfortable around them nude now. Worry and fear had taken away her modesty. Keeton was glad about that, but hated how it had happened.
    The two men led her into the bathroom. Then Keeton adjusted the water until it was a nice warm temperature. While Boyd finished undressing, he helped Ashley into the shower.
    “Here, baby. Wash your face and the rest of your body first. Then we’ll wash your