The one speaking was their uncle—Faron.
That old bastard couldn’t have kids of his own, so he ended up raising his dead brother’s sons. He was the one who brought up Tavian and Jethro.
“Uncle Faron, I’m over 40 now. I’ve spent my whole damn life farming in this backwoods town—who the hell would want me at this point?
“At least Jethro got lucky. He managed to marry our cousin. Me? I got nothing.”
I rolled my eyes.
No wonder their daughter turned out slow.
The next second, I gasped like I had just realized what was happening, my face twisting in fear before bursting into loud sobs.
“Aren’t we getting caramel apples?”
Probably worried my crying would wake the neighbors, Jethro and Melinda crouched down, shushing me and trying to calm me down.
Mabel and Fabienne, two women standing nearby, chimed in.
“Shh, don’t cry, kiddo. If you marry this little girl when you grow up, you’ll get something even sweeter than caramel apples!”
I sniffled, pretending to believe them. “Really?”
They sighed in relief and nodded eagerly.
I pointed at little Gracie, who was drooling all over herself. “But I’m just a kid. How can I marry her?”
They chuckled. “That’s how it works. Boys grow up and get married. If you two are promised to each other now, you’ll grow up together and love each other more. Her whole family will take care of you!”
“Oh.”
I acted like I understood and nodded obediently.
They relaxed and turned back to Jethro and Melinda.
“The boy’s yours now. That truck we came in is too damn noticeable parked at the edge of town. How about you go ahead and settle the rest of that $30,000?”
Jethro nodded and told Melinda to grab the money.
As soon as Mabel and Fabienne got their hands on the cash, they grinned and pulled out a lantern, counting it right there.
The dim light flickered over their faces, and I caught the shift in Tavian’s expression. His eyes locked onto Mabel as he asked,
“You ladies must be tired after all that driving. How about some dinner before you go?”
Faron was about to scold him, but then he glanced over at Fabienne—and his eyes lit up.
That was my cue.
“Uncle, Grandpa,” I piped up, looking between Tavian and Faron. “Do you guys have wives?”
Both shook their heads.
“Perfect!” I grinned. “Then these ladies can marry you!”
Mabel and Fabienne were so stunned they forgot all about their money.
“You little brat! What the hell are you saying?!”
I shrank behind Gracie, looking small and innocent. “But you said all men need a wife. Uncle and Grandpa don’t have one, so… they should marry you!”
Tavian’s face, which had been grim just moments ago, turned bright red with excitement. He put down his whiskey bottle and rubbed his hands together.
Faron was thinking the same thing.
One had never been able to find a wife, the other had been left by his wife when she realized he couldn’t have kids. They’d been lonely for decades. Now, with two women practically handed to them, how could they not be tempted?
Sensing something was off, Mabel and Fabienne stiffened. They hurriedly reached into their pockets for their phones.
Too late. Tavian and Faron pinned them down before they could react.
“Jethro, what do you think?” Tavian smirked. “We keep ‘em, and you don’t have to pay that 30 grand.”
Jethro’s face lit up at the idea of saving money. “Hell, sounds good to me!”
Mabel and Fabienne turned pale. They tried to scream, but dirty socks were stuffed into their mouths before they could make a sound.
They thrashed and kicked, but against three men who had spent their lives working the land, they didn’t stand a chance.
Melinda brought over duct tape, wrapping it around their mouths, then tied them up with rope and tossed them into the shed out back.
That night, the men took off in the women’s truck and sold it in the city for cash.
By sunrise, Mabel and Fabienne had been dragged back—one by Tavian, the other by Faron.
